No Good Deed (7 page)

“So,” Lucinda continued to butt in, “you don’t want us to bring him to justice? I could go out and kill him right now for you. Consider it a freebie.”

“No!” she said, her voice going higher. She was irritated but realized who she was irritated at and quickly regained her composure. She took a deep breath, “That will not serve any useful purpose anymore. I have more important things to worry about.”

“No seriously,” Lucinda wasn’t letting her off that easily, “he’s here, I could run out and have his head brought to you on a silver platter. It’s no big deal and I’d be happy to do for you. I mean it, free of charge, no strings attached or anything. I get to kill, you get a killer; a fair trade.”

The queen mother felt almost powerless against Lucinda’s assaults but she had been a political person all her life, she handled it outwardly with grace and elegance while inwardly she had fear and rage. “Really, Lucinda, that won’t be necessary but I do appreciate the thought. It does comfort me to know justice does exist. It’s just there are more important matters.”

“Suit yourself. Just don’t come asking me later.”

She continued as though the conversation had not taken place, “The queen went missing during the assault as we were all separated. I guess she tried to make her way to another land. Unfortunately, one of our neighbors, Qualtar, found her and is now holding her for ransom. They sent me this note.” She produced a parchment from her purse, “It demands 1 million gold coins be delivered in 3 more days, in their court chamber. They don’t use kidnapping or ransom though. They claim to have ‘found’ her roaming the countryside and have offered her ‘room and board’ and the money is merely the cost for the ‘fine’ accommodations and meals they have been giving her.” She began to cry and crushed the note, “These bastards are holding my daughter for ransom and I can’t do about it! I came here hoping king Danforth could help me, maybe even help raise an army. But he suggested I talk to you, Obidaan, since you are a paladin and this is a matter across many borders. He also brought in you, Lucinda, since you are familiar with them. Please help me. I have nothing and they know it. What they really want is Bocktaria and unless something happens soon, they will get it. It’s been a month since this situation started. King Danforth has offered to pay the ransom for me. I only have these jewels and only because I was wearing it when I fled. I would gladly sacrifice them if they would guarantee the safe return of my daughter.”

A hush fell over the room. Lucinda saw Obidaan was about to speak, but beat him to it.

“Tell you what, while I didn’t get any fancy presents,” Lucinda started, ”I did get a great meal and for once in a rare while, I’m in a good mood, so I’ll help you out, with a piece of advice. If you’re going to pay the ransom, the small team is a good idea. They have a nice size army so I don’t think you want a fight on your hands. Oh, and one more thing, not many people like living there, but they’ve got no place else to go, if you know what I mean. High taxes, curfews, forced labor, shit like that; makes for a population eager to help those against their government. You can use that to their disadvantage.”

Obidaan sat contemplative for a few moments and then stood up. “Madam, there shall be no payment of ransom.” Awe fell over the assembled guest. “I guarantee if this ransom gets paid, you will become their next ‘guest’ just as your daughter is now. No, we will take on the mission, but we shall do something slightly different. It will require enough royal coffers to hold 1 million gold coins.”

The king clapped his hands and said, “Get this man whatever he needs.” Minutes later, four large empty coffers were in front of him.

“Does anyone have a gold coin of the realm they’d be willing to part with?” Obidaan asked. The queen reached in her bosom, pulled a coin, and threw it to him.

“Thank you my lady. Alister, have at it.” He handed the coin to Alister.

“Ah, the advantages of being multitalented.”

Holding the coin in his hand, he cast a spell and instantly all four coffers were filled with gold.

“Illusionary gold,” Arturo said, “nice touch. How long can you make it last?”

“Technically, it can last forever,” Alister said, “as long as no one touches it. Once it’s touched, in two hours the illusion is completely dispelled. It should buy us plenty of time, unless they want to sit there and count it or they have a merchant inspect it. Then we’ll have issues merchants can instantly tell fake currency. This stuff is used for amusement or suckering treasure seekers.”

“Still,” Arturo was a bit skeptical, “it is a common trick. I suspect they’ll want to inspect it. How will you prevent that?”

“Trust me, they won’t” Obidaan said, “being a paladin, I’ll force them to accept the deal.”

“Ha!” Lucinda laughed quite audibly, “I doubt they’ll go for it. You’re such an amateur. Still, it’s your mission, not mine. You have so much to learn.”

“I do believe I have been doing this longer than you have,” he stated.

“But not better,” she continued to laugh. “So much to learn.”

He dismissed her comments as professional rivalry and continued. He couldn’t figure out why she kept making remarks about his lack of experience. It was as if she was taunting him with something she knew but he didn’t. Still, he wasn’t going to let her get the best of him. He continued on, “We’ll be back in the morning and need a wagon to carry the coffers on.” He looked over to the queen mother, “Rest assured madam, your daughter shall be returned here safely to you, or none of us shall return.”

“Now that I believe. The not returning part,” Lucinda laughed.

“Thank you, kind sir.” They ignored Lucinda’s comment.

“I shall make the arrangements, sire” Arturo said, “What you need shall be waiting for you in the court yard at 6:00 am. Pick it up anytime. And rest assured, Lucinda, the king did not forget about you either.” Reaching into his robe sleeve, he produced some parchment. “At your convenience, take this to the purser and he shall see that you are well compensated for your help. And here is the standard form stating you heard the case and agree that dispatching a paladin is acceptable.”

She looked at the voucher, smiling she rolled it up and put it away, “You’re very generous, your majesty,” it was the first time she used a title all night. “We’ll have to do business again sometime. Personally, I think they should duke it out, and if Bocktaria looses their kingdom, so be it. However,” She read over the form, “while I don’t agree, it’s legit. Here ya go.”

The form stated that this called for a paladin and he could use his discretion without retaliation.

The vizier then passed the paper to Obidaan, “I assume no hesitation on your part, sir.”

“None,” and Obidaan signed and kept the paper.

The vizier then took the paper, held it and said, “File.” The page was gone, moved to a secure cabinet in his office.

“Our business here is concluded,” the king said. “Now, if you will join us in the grand ballroom, for brandy and dessert.”

“Thank you, sire,” Obidaan said, “but we must be off. We have much to prepare for. Thank you again for this gift.”

The king moved closer to Obidaan and shook his hand. He continued to hold it. A bit of seriousness fell over the king who was now joined by the queen. She was hugging her husband’s arm. He looked Obidaan straight in the eye and said at just below a normal voice, “No, thank you. You do not realize how much you have truly contributed not only to this land but also to my reign. This is a mere token of my appreciation and admiration.”

“Go with the grace of the gods, and know you are always welcome in our home.” The queen added. Letting her husband go, who had now released Obidaan’s hand, she hugged him and Relina, kissing them both on the cheek. To Relina she said further, “Don’t be such a stranger. We should have lunch sometime.”

“That would be nice,” Relina said, a bit surprised that the king and queen were acting so normal.

After the conversation, the royal couple put back on their public faces and said, “To the ballroom!” The musicians lead the way. Lucinda also went into the ballroom. The Vanguard filed out, carrying Obidaan’s gift. They were given a ride back home by the sergeant—of—the—guard.

“Quite a night,” Obidaan said.

“Yes, it was,” added Terry

“I missed my command performance!” Alister interjected.

“I’m sure you’ll get another chance.” Don quipped.

Silence permeated the cabin and soon everyone was asleep; being awoke by the sergeant when they got home. The group stirred and yawned as they got out of the cabin.

Before leaving, Obidaan pulled everyone together, “Ok, you know the drill.” Everyone nodded, put their hands in a circle. Relina lead them in a prayer, which was lead by their motto “Vanguard! Defend or die trying!”

5:30 brought a knock on Obidaan’s door. It was quickly answered by Obidaan with Relina right behind him. He was now dressed in the new armor and even though it was still dark, a shine could be seen on it. It was a beautiful piece of workmanship. The link interlocked very tightly, almost forming a solid object, but allowing for easy movement. It also came with gloves, boots, and a silk lining which not only prevented the armor from pinching but also gave added protection against arrows and bolts. Obidaan could not hide his pride or admiration. One of the brightest smiles ever seen was across his face and Relina’s. The group stood and admired him for a moment.

“It didn’t look that good in the box,” Terry said, “I do believe I’m falling for you.”

“Me too,” Alister said, touching the suit, “that’s pretty smooth! Sure it’s metal?”

“Whatever it is, it feels great and I feel like I can take on the world!”

“Then let us be off,” Don said, “lest we keep the world waiting.”

With everyone assembled, they got on their horses and headed to the castle. It was 6:15 when they arrived. Four guards surrounded the wagon. The Queen Mother sat in the back and hopped out as soon as the Vanguard got to the gate. Arturo sat in the driver seat, doing paperwork and sipping coffee, a half—eaten muffin at his side. Rolling up the paper he slipped it into his sleeve, where it disappeared. Finishing his coffee, he grabbed the muffin and got off the cart.

“All is in readiness, Obidaan” Arturo said, “I regret that the king and queen can not see you off personally,” he stopped briefly to admire Obidaan in his armor. With the early morning sun striking it, Obidaan did indeed look like a holy warrior. “But they made quite the merry couple last night, if you know what I mean.”

“I understand,” Obidaan said shaking his hand. “Thank you for your help.”

“My pleasure,” Arturo replied.

The Queen Mother walked up to Obidaan and placed his still gloved hand inside of hers, “Please tell me you’ll bring back my daughter,” she was in tears again.

Obidaan kissed her hand gingerly then kissed her on the forehead. “My lady, I swear to you in a fortnight your daughter shall be here celebrating her release; where we all be making too much merry to get up in the morning.” His smile reassured her. She gathered herself and went back into the castle.

The team tied their horses to the wagon; Don took the reigns, Alister on the other side, and Relina toke a seat inside of the wagon. Terry and Obidaan stayed on their horses. Terry toke the lead and Obidaan is in the rear.

“Good luck,” Arturo yells to them as they leave.

“Thank you.” Obidaan replies, “Vanguard! Onward!”

Vanguard headed
out, and for the first couple of hours things were quiet. Alister played and sang on his lute and occasionally everyone joined in. Terry kept an ever—vigilant eye and ear out for things around them. Besides the breeze whipping through the corn or an occasional “moo” there was very little to worry about.

Soon though they were out of the city limits and they entered the forest. It was at this point Alister stopped playing and the mood switch to a more serious tone. Relina kept close tabs on the “gold” while Alister watched for anything suspicious. Don, though driving, kept and ear and other senses out for anything, and Obidaan made sure nothing snuck up behind them. But this was Terry’s domain. Here, she was in charge and no one questioned her. She has been a Ranger for longer than most of them have been alive.

About half an hour into the woods she held up her hand, signally them to stop, “Hold on a minute, I hear something.” The thing about this was she
whispered
it to the group and only they could hear her.

“What’s going on?” Obidaan whispered back. Only she could hear Obidaan.

“Need us to check anything out?” Don whispered back to her. Those close to him could hear his whisper but Obidaan could not.

“Not yet,” she whispered back, “I think it’s a couple creatures hunting; could be ogres, trogs, or trolls.” She looked over to her left. The others followed her eyes but could see nothing. Without a second though, Terry pulled out her bow, put it together, notched an arrow and fired, all as a single smooth motion.

A resounding “thunk” could be heard followed by a scream and obvious running.

“Did you hit one?” Relina whispered.

“If I did it right,” she whispered back to the group, “I should have some hair pinned to the tree. Wait here,” she whispered and was off of her horse. They watched her walk into the woods. Once she hit the trees, she disappeared. A few seconds later the report came back, “Yep, ogres. They’ll hunt for dinner somewhere else.”

Thirty seconds passed and no one heard from her. “Where are you?” Obidaan whispered. No reply.

A bit louder, Alister said, “Where are you, Terry?”

“I’m right here,” She said in a normal voice. She was on the opposite side of the cart from where she entered the woods and was standing right next to Alister. “There’s no need to shout,” she said with a devious grin.

Everyone was surprised except Don. Everyone else jumped with a start. Don, trying to be coy about everything started talking, “Well, if you’re done with your fun . . .” He looked over to where he thought she was, but she was gone. This time, even Don was flustered.

“What are you waiting for?” Terry was back on her horse already, but no one saw how she got there. “Gotta keep the skills sharp ya know,” She whispered back. They all laughed and headed on.

A few hours later Terry slowed down the group again. This time she was much more serious, “Looks like highwaymen,” she whispered to the group. “However, there are more than the two we see in front of us. Three are hiding to the right and four to the left. Relina, be ready with a blast when I ask for it.”

Terry rode her horse casually up to them; they greeted her with a smile. There was a half—elf female, red hair and yellow eyes, and a grizzly dwarf with a long brown beard and indigo eyes. “Greeting, good people,” Terry said approaching them, “how do you fair this fine day?”

“Quite well, milady,” the dwarf said, “and you?”

“We too, are doing quite well. Thank you for asking. Are you in need of anything? Is there anything we can help you with?”

“No, thank you dear lady,” the half—elf said, “on the contrary, it is we who offer to assist you.”

“We require no assistance but thank you for the thought. Since it seems neither side is in need of assistance, we shall be on our way and I bid you safe journey on yours.”

“Ah, no, you misunderstand me,” the half—elf spoke again, “we are here to assist you and we cannot leave until we have done so. It would not be very sporting on our part. And it would make us feel bad knowing someone has come by and we could not assist them.”

“Again, I tell you, no assistance is required but I do like your persistence. Perhaps I can offer you a silver piece for your trouble?” Terry pulled a coin from her pocket and offered it to them.

“That is not necessary. You see, we are here to assist, and assist we shall,” her tone got a bit more menacing.

“And how may you assist me when none is required?” Terry was prepared and put the coin back in her pocket.

“We see you have a heavy load. Surely, it is a drain on yourself and your horses to carry such a burden. Leave one of those chests with us and you may be on your way. Then we will have assisted you by lightening your load. Surely, you can see such a thing is best for your animals.”

Terry began to laugh, “Get ready,” she said through her laugh. “I get it now. You wish to assist me by robbing me.”

“We like to think of it as unburdening you of your excess,” The dwarf jumped in, “Clearly you do not need all four. We merely ask for one and leave you with three. Surely you can see the fairness of this.”

“No, I cannot.”

“Then perhaps we should unburden you of all the chests,” the dwarf’s mood was no longer cordial, as he produced a 2—handed morningstar from his back and was now leaning on it. “We can do this easy or rough, your choice.”

“Before I decide,” Terry said, “there is something you should see.”

“Really?”

“Yes, watch,” then she whispered, “now.”

At that, Relina let loose a fireball to the left side of the forest. Three figures came screaming out, putting out flames on themselves. It was two dwarves and an elf; the elf, a female, collapsed. The dwarves, both male, began putting dirt on her to extinguish the flames. Terry, without even looking back, shot off a water burst spell, which extinguished all the flames in the area, including the people.

Obidaan saw they had them outmatched and decided to make his presence know. Slowly he made his way forward to the front of the caravan

“Want the right side up in flames or do you want to surrender?” Terry said, noticing Obidaan coming along

“What say we just call it even and we’ll go on our way and you be on yours?” the lady asked.

“Can’t do that.” Obidaan said interjecting himself into the conversation.

“And who might you be?” the dwarf asked.

Obidaan was a bit put back that his status wasn’t recognized right way, “I’m Obidaan, Paladin of the Seers,” he replied.

“No, seriously, who are you, some warrior with delusions of grandeur?”

The only thing more disturbing to Obidaan than that crack was the fact that the dwarf was not trying to be deceptive; he truly did not believe Obidaan was a paladin.

Obidaan hopped off his horse and put his chest in the dwarf’s face “Check the holy symbol!”

“Ah, shit!” the dwarf said, stamping his feet in frustration, “Fine, you win, we surrender. I’d rather be judged by a paladin than fight one.” He dropped his morning star and put his hands over his head, “Come on out everyone, it’s over.”

The four on the left came out, threw their weapons on the ground near the dwarf’s, and placed their hands over their head.”

Now the half—elf stepped forward “I lead this group,” she started, “but may I ask a favor before we proceed.”

“That depends, what is it?”

“Can you heal the elf? She’s my half—sister and I’d like her to be awake for this.”

“Granted. My dear, if you would do the honors.” Relina proceed to heal the elf, just enough so she was awake and able to stand on her own. “Now, that that is done, how do you plead?”

“Guilty.”

“Excellent! That makes things easier. Now for judgment. Since no one was injured, no items stolen, and you plead guilty to the attempt, I will show leniency. While I am sure you have ‘relieved’ others of their ‘burdens’, I can only judge what has happened here. My judgment is as follows: you shall leave all of your items except normal clothes and shoes behind and then be on your way.”

“I thought you said you couldn’t hold the past against us,” the dwarf argued.

“Correct. However, I can hold the future. I do believe that if I left you with the means to rob again you would do so. So I shall assist you by relieving you of this burden,” a smile came across his face while the highwaymen merely groaned.

“So, what are you going to do our stuff, keep it for yourself? Seems a conflict of interest to me,” the lady said while undressing.

“I shall sell the items in the next town and donate the proceeds to worthy cause. I guess you can say you’ve assisted those in need today. Now off with you and know that if we catch you a second time, no mercy shall be shown.”

With the conflict over they continued down the road. It remained quiet and over the next several hours Obidaan had a hard time shaking the feeling that something might be wrong with him but he had no one he could turn to so he just kept it to himself.

“Well,” Alister said, “we should stop soon. I’m getting hungry. Can’t wait to break out the trail rations,” he was being sarcastic now, “mmmm, mmm, gotta love those trail rations.”

“While trail rations do have a distinct flavor,” Terry said, “tonight,” and once again, in a single fluid motion, she pulled her bow and fired to her right. A thunk followed by a falling sound was heard, “we have deer.” Terry finished her statement. “There’s a clearing about 20 yards up the road. Make camp and I’ll be there in 10 minutes.” Riding her horse this time, she disappeared into the woods.

The team moved up the road and made camp. It was obvious by the other extinguished fires that this was a well—used resting spot. They made a fire and began feeding the horses. Everyone looked outward, hoping, in vain, to spot Terry. They knew she was going to do it again and they wanted to be ready. They had formed a perimeter and looked vigilantly in every possible direction mumbling about keeping a sharp eye and making sure she does not do it again. While looking they heard behind them, “Who are you looking for?”

Everyone turned around. There was Terry, with the deer, at the fire, cooking a piece of meat on a stick. “Y’all weren’t looking for little ol’ me, were you?” She batted her eyes at the group. They laughed as they headed to the fire. As they approached, she handed each one of them their own meat on a stick to cook. After dinner, Terry put the deer on the wagon and Relina gave a brief sermon, then Alister performed a ballad. Soon it was bedtime. Terry took the first watch and disappeared into the woods, again.

The night passed uneventfully. The morning found them encountering a small band of bandits who tried to surprise them. Terry, however, made sure that didn’t happen and when the bandits refused to surrender, they made short work of them. Looting the bandits, they found a couple of gold pieces between all of them; quite a bit for bandits. Everyone figured they had gotten lucky earlier and had not had time to spend it.

Several days passed before they hit their first village. Though they made it there mostly unscathed it seemed weird the high number of attacks on them, a minimum of one a day. It was hard to tell if it was due to the instability that recently happened or if other nefarious means were in play. .

They were hitting the first village in Rothlessfore, part of the Qualtar, Rothlessfore, and Bocktaria disputed areas. It was late morning and they figured they could sell the items, distribute the money, grab a meal, and then head on out. Obidaan told the group not to draw attention to themselves, which meant Alister was not going to be able to trade his bard skills for a meal. This distressed him as they went into the bar.

Speaking in a loud whisper, he tried to change Obidaan’s mind, “Look at that stage, and these yokels. I’ll have them buy us drinks in no time. Come on Obidaan, 15 minutes, that’s all I ask.”

“No.” Obidaan loudly whispered back.

The waitress came over to their table. “Welcome” she said, “for lunch we have thick chicken soup and bread. If you’d like something else, let me know and we can probably cook it. We don’t really have a menu, but most special orders are a silver, the lunch is half a silver, five copper.”

“Thank you; we’ll have the soup and five ales.” Obidaan said.

“Coming right up.”

On the other side several people could be seen eating and drinking. Through the noise they could make out words like “shipment,” “gold,” and “jewels.”

“Any idea what their talking about?” Relina asked.

“From reading their lips, seems they’ve heard rumors of a large shipment of some valuable items will be coming through here in the next day or two,” Don said.

“Wonder if they mean us,” Alister said.

“Possible,” Obidaan replied, “either way let’s just eat and leave.”

The waitress brought their food. The chicken soup was indeed thick, and very good. Filled with spices and large chunks of vegetables, it was the kind of soup eaten by those who worked with their hands for a living. The ale was good, but watered down, probably done so to keep people from getting too drunk in the afternoon. Still, it was obvious by some of the people they were going to drink too much anyway.