Chapter 27: The Parchment

They ran on along the city wall for two or three minutes before slowing to a walk. While most of the group were looking over their shoulders or gazing out to the farmlands to the west and the mountains beyond, Alcar has tried to look out for Brutus for all of the time that they had been running. There were many long rows of houses and tall towers in this quarter of the city, blocking the view, though occasionally he caught a clear glimpse of a broad street or city square. But so far, nothing. The dog was nowhere to be seen.

To Alcar’s surprise, none of the local guards had stopped or even challenged them as they ran. Most were sitting or leaning against the wall, or huddled near the boarded-up doorways of the sporadic tall watchtowers built into the city wall. There was a clear sense of gloom and demotivation in the manner of nearly every one. Alcar felt grateful that some of the troops had at least had the gumption to challenge the Imperials.

There were also steps leading down to the city every couple hundred yards or so. Alcar estimated these to be about as frequent as they were in the poor quarter. As they reached the third of these, he stopped, looking back for signs of pursuit.

There were cliffs up ahead at the northern end of of the city wall, much closer now, and marshy rice fields and a few farmer’s huts lay below, outside the city itself. The Imperials couldn’t yet be seen behind, but at the same time, most of the area of wall they had just come along was blocked by a particularly broad tower near the city’s edge. Alcar felt sure that pursuit would be on its way sooner or later.

“We could head back down to the streets this way,” said Alcar, pointing at the steps.

“And go where?” said Olynka, grasping his arm. “Back to Maluhk’s tower? The Imperials know who we are, and they are looking for us. It’s not safe in Katresburg for us any more.”

“She’s right,” said Etienne. The halfling shook his head sadly, and give long, low whistle.

“Argh,” groaned Alcar. “This sack is so fucking heavy.” He thumped it down.

“Tell me about it,” said Etienne, putting the other one down beside it. “Why do we need this shit, anyway?” The halfling’s eyes were still glowing blue, though less brightly than before.

“Well, I guess that depends what we do next,” said Olynka. “Are we in agreement that we find away to leave the city and pursue the task that we have been given?”

The looked at each other for a moment, until Leppie spoke: ”I couldn’t stop thinking about what Maluhk said to me. I had returned to the amphitheater, which the Elemental Hand Guild have been using as a hospital. But he was right – we risk being nothing more than branch of the Imperial army. Something has to change in the city. I will help you all with this task. Together, we will strive for justice.”

“And so say all of us,” murmured Etienne, sounding only partially sarcastic. He then started rubbing at his shoulders and wiping the sweat from his face.

“Well, we have a rope, right?” said Olynka.

Alcar gestured vaguely towards the sacks. “Yeah. A rope and grapple hook.”

Leppie peeked inside. “Some pitons are in here, too. And in the other sack, bedrolls. Only three, however.”

“Two of us are getting cozy, then,” murmured Etienne.

“There is a blanket, too,” added Leppie.

Olynka grinned. “I guess Master Maluhk didn’t expect Leppie to have such a rapid change of heart.”

“My name is Dagmir von Lepp,” snapped Leppie. “And I didn’t have a change of heart. Lawfully serving my god remains my only priority. I just found a way to see things more clearly, and it is obvious to me now that I cannot achieve that without tackling the systematic injustice caused by Duke Frage.”

Alcar had been scanning the streets below them, but he now looked up at the companions. “The blanket is for Brutus,” he snapped. “Give it to me.”

The others fell silent, until Olynka pulled out the gray woollen blanket and silently passed it over to the young sorcerer.

“Has anyone got a light?” said Etienne after a moment, pulling out his pipe. “Oh, no, wait – I’m out of weed.”

“This all sucks,” said Alcar, after another brief silence. “I am just so worried about Brutus. He could get hurt, all by himself in the city.”

The others looked at him. “I really am sorry,” said Olynka.

He sighed. “I realize that it’s not your fault. I’m sorry that he didn’t follow me... but I suppose it just shows that I wasn’t his true owner.” He sniffed.

“He was attached to you,” said Etienne with a forced smile, patting Alcar on the arm. “We all saw that.”

“Yes,” said Olynka, nodding keenly. “And remember how intelligent he is? Perhaps he tried to find Maluhk or something.”

“Yes, Maluhk,” murmured Alcar. “He was going to speak to a warrior by the name of Mac Shinter. We need to find a way to warn our master before he heads back to his tower.”

“This Mac Shinter,” said Etienne thoughtfully, “you know where he lives?”

Alcar shook his head. “Do either of you?” he asked, looking up at Olynka and Leppie.

But they also shook their heads.

“Then the master sorcerer is on his own, I’m afraid,” said Etienne. “If he is able to speak to Warlik, then he will at least have some idea of where we are going. But other than that, we have no choice but to move forward.”

Olynka pointed to the north. “There, were the city wall meets the cliffs, there are ways up.”

“But we only have one rope, Olynka,” said Alcar, pulling it from the sack. “I don’t think it would be enough to scale a cliff.”

“There are also tunnels, so I’ve heard,” she added.

“Yes, that’s true,” said Leppie. “My guild know everything about the city. But the tunnels are dangerous without a map. Did you bring a map, any of you?”

They looked at each other again. Alcar crouched down and slumped back against the wall. “Oh... god! What a mess. We kind of left in a hurry, as you may have seen,” he said.

“Yes. But you do know where you’re going, right?”

Alcar looked at the healer. “Not really. Master Maluhk said that it could be the swamp, the Trollbone Hills...”

“Just about anywhere, basically,” said Olynka. ”But one thing remains clear – we need to get out of Katresburg, and quickly. It’s not safe for us here.”

Leppie looked at Etienne. “You spoke to Warlik last. Did he say specifically where you were to go, before you ran off?”

“We were in a heck of a hurry,” said the halfling, reaching inside his jerkin, ”but he gave me this.” He pulled forth a page of a tome, torn in half so that it was almost triangular.

“What does it say?” asked Leppie.

“Look – it’s the Trollbone Hills,” said Olynka excitedly, stabbing a finger down towards the partial map.

“Yes,” said Etienne, turning the scrap of parchment over in his hand. “The western reaches of the hills, too, where the river runs through a deep gorge, so that narrows things down. “I’ve heard that there are caves there, but I didn’t have time to quiz him about it. I don’t know which cave we need to try.”

“It’s a lot better than nothing,” conceded Alcar.

“The Trollbone hills are to the east of here,” said Olynka. “We either need to find a way through or over the cliffs to the north, or else we need to make our way back through Katresburg to the city gates.“

“Or back around the wall,” said Alcar softly, looking to the south.

“No way,” Olynka replied, following his gaze. “Surely by now the Imperials will be watching.”

“So – if not the cliffs, the wall, or the city,” said Leppie, taking the rope and grappling hook in her hand, “there is another option.” She stepped over to the edge of the city wall. “We will have to go straight down, and make out way around from there.”

“It looks like the Imperials are forcing our hand,” said Etienne. “She’s right – we need to get down there, and we need to do it quickly.”

Alcar looked up, to see General Tung approaching along the city wall, sword in hand, with a column of soldiers in brown tabards behind her.