Chapter 2 - Part 5

Delegado relaxed in a wicker lounge chair within the open courtyard of the House Tharashk compound, watching the workers bind the hobgoblin wizard more tightly while they searched him again. Delegado had already gone over the wizard’s body finding two suicide pills, three hidden weapons, and some minor items of value. The suicide pills he had thrown out, and the weapons and items of value he had handed over to the Tharashk steward. The only thing he kept was the spellbook. The gnome’s family wanted it back, and while what they offered was a pittance compared to the royal bounty Chief Haruuc had placed on Marcuiss’ head, Delegado was nothing if not thorough.

The workers, all orcs or half-orcs, finished binding the wizard securely and made sure that the breathing tube in his gag was in place before loading him on the wagon. Four House soldiers, orcs with armor and heavy crossbows, would be escorting Delegado and Feather in the wagon, while a hired force of gnolls waited outside the compound to provide additional security for the road.

Soft footsteps rang loud to Delegado’s ears, so long used to picking up soft sounds in the wilderness. Lord Khundran d’Torrn d’Tharashk, head of Tharashk’s operations here, walked into the courtyard. Kundran was a half-orc, like Delegado, and in fact they had a common great-grandmother. Unlike Delegado who was born of a human father and orc mother, married by a Gatekeeper druid, Khundran was born of two half-orcs and followed the Sovereign Host, a rare choice of religion in the Shadow Marches. Rarer even still for his clan, which some counted as a mere extension of the Gatekeeper sect. No one in the House really cared, because Khundran’s first loyalty was to the House. A veteran of many battles, Khundran had applied himself to the study of commerce after several years of swordswork. While he could still wield a blade just as skillfully in his middle years as he did in his youth, his social finesse – rare for anyone from the Shadow Marshes, whatever their race - and his business skill served the House well in a place where humans were not welcome.

“Quite a find,” Khundran said, applauding softly as he came over to his relative. “How much is Haruuc paying for this?”

“I actually don’t know,” Delegado answered truthfully. “But given the expense account I was authorized it has to be a lot. Marcuiss was an intelligence agent who learned some wizardry, and then sold military secrets to the Brelanders, the Zils, the Cyrans, and some bugbear tribal rivals. He got greedy and stupid and cost Haruuc a lot of men. There’s going to be a prolonged, public execution of this guy once I get him to where he’s going.”

“Pity,” Khundran said, though his voice held none. “Bad way to go.”

“Can’t say I care,” Delegado said honestly. Delegado cared about House Tharashk and its members quite deeply, but no one else. The bounty hunter was a true son of the House, tracing his family tree evenly through all three major clans, and he served the United House well. Had the young man any desire for advancement he could easily have been a House leader, but it was widely known within Tharashk (and for a bit outside of it) that Delegado desired the open road, and could not stay in one place too long.

“Day seems to be warming a bit,” Khundran said. He was enjoying the pleasant conversation. Delegado wasn’t an envoy to negotiate with or a subordinate to monitor. Khundran could let his guard down for once. “Make your travel easier.”

“Heh, you think this is cold?” Delegado chortled. “You have warm currents from the Thunder Sea kicking heated air straight across a flat plain, sparing you the worst of winter. Now, north Aundair at this time of year, when you’re chasing a fugitive on a stolen griffin northward to Fairhaven, that’s cold!”

Khundran grinned. Half-orcs had a reputation for stupidity and brutishness that was often deserved, but Delegado was one of the most educated and intelligent people that Khundran had ever met. And the fellow was never short on interesting stories.

“You’re not going overland, are you?” Khundran asked. “Eastwards through all that?” Delegado gave him a snort. “Sorry, I just wanted to check, all those gnolls and all.”

“The Dragonne’s Roar provided the gnolls,” Delegado explained. “They’re to keep anyone from getting bright ideas on the long journey to the sea. Sometimes the commands of the Daughters of Sora Kell are forgotten in the countryside. I don’t need any aggravation, and the cost is minimal compared to my overall budget.”

“And you don’t want to head through the Brelish front,” Khundran chuckled.

“Would you? The countries of Khorvaire have been killing each other non-stop for what, a century?” Delegado paused to cough a bit in the dry dust. Khundran tossed him a flask. “Thanks,” Delegado said, taking a long drink. He sputtered. “What is this?”

“Take it easy with that stuff,” Khundran said, taking the bottle back. “It’s hard brandy made from mushrooms that grow underground. Kobolds make it, and it’s pretty potent.”

“You mean there’s a use for kobolds?” Delegado asked innocently. The two shared a laugh. “Nah, I’m not wading through that mess. I’ve got a ticket on a Lyrandar elemental galleon.”

“You’re flying?” Khundran asked him incredulously. “You think those things are safe?”

“No!” laughed Delegado. “I leave the flying to Feather. This is a sea galleon, got a big water elemental tied to it, pushes it through the ocean real fast. The nations are pirating each other constantly at sea, but they tend to leave the Houses alone.”

“They need us,” snorted Khundran. “Idiots following kings and queens, look where it got them.”

“Or pretty flames,” snickered Delegado, feeling the mushroom whiskey work on him.

Khundran was on top of him quickly, a hand over Delegado’s mouth, eyes all around to see if someone heard. “Are you out of your mind? This is a mere compound, not a House enclave.”

“Nobody heard me,” Delegado said, shoving his cousin’s hand away. “You think I’m an idiot?”

“No, no I don’t,” Khundran said. “But don’t even talk about that. That stuff isn’t welcome here, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Delegado said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He had been stupid to talk about it. “Sorry.”

“Water goes downstream,” Khundran said, referring to an old Marches saying. “Hey, you want to get blessed before you go? We have a Gatekeeper here, she’s in the map room right now.”

“Torrn priorities,” Delegado teased.

“Last I heard you were one-third Torrn and not turning them down,” Khundran pointed out.

“I’m not feeling up to it,” Delegado said. “The sooner I’m gone the better.” He gestured to the wagon and orcs who were now ready. There was more too it, of course. His experience with Gatekeepers was that they tended to be a long-winded lot.

“Suit yourself,” Khundran said as Delegado stood up. “Good travels to you, cousin.”

“Good fortune to you, cousin,” Delegado said, hugging him briefly. The bounty hunter walked over to the wagon and leapt on the driver’s seat, cracking the reins while Feather settled on his shoulder and the orcs sat in the back with bolts ready to fire. Within minutes the wagon had met the mounted gnolls at the gate and the whole procession started to move south.