Protector Of The Grove (Book 2) (9 page)

“It’s Captain Djeri,” Swen said, exaggerating the pronunciation.

“Oh, right,” Willum said and saluted the dwarf. “Sorry, sir, I just didn’t recognize you without your armor on.” Djeri the Looker was a defensive specialist and Willum had never seen him outside of full platemail. Right now he was just wearing a chainmail shirt over a winter coat.

“It’s alright,” Djeri said, climbing down from his saddle. Unlike every other dwarf Willum knew, Djeri talked with an upper class accent. He sounded human. “My armor was badly damaged and the outpost didn’t have a replacement set that would fit me. Hopefully I can get my uncle to provide me with one.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure Lenny will be happy to see you! You haven’t had the chance to see the baby yet.” Willum said.

“I’m looking forward to meeting my new cousin, too,” he replied.

“Hey-ya, Oddblade,” said another of the riders, this one a woman.

Willum recognized her immediately as Helmet Jan. She had been at the Mage School during the siege as well. Jan never had taken to wearing academy standard gear, preferring to stick with a heavy scalemail armor. Then there was the weird helmet she wore. It was rounded and made of polished steel. It covered her head tightly, covering her face to her upper lip, leaving just her lower jaw exposed, with two round holes for her eyes.

“Hey, Jan,” he said. Willum couldn’t understand how she saw out of that thing, but he had seen her in battle and somehow she did it.

“Our outpost commander would only let four of us go,” Swen said. “So I picked the best I could. Jan and Dinnis and Lem the Whip.”

Willum nodded to the other two academy guards. Dinnis was a new graduate of the academy, but was a good swordsman. Lem the Whip had made a name for himself during the war. He was a quiet sort, but deadly with his barbed weapon.

“And who is this?” Willum asked, looking at the man in the ratty leather armor.

“
It’s a girl, Willy
,” the imp said.

And the imp was right, Willum realized. She was tall and broad shouldered, with brown hair cropped at shoulder length, but definitely a woman as much as the armor tried to hide it. She might even have been pretty if not for her nose, which was badly bent.

“Tarah Woodblade,” said the woman, looking him up and down. “I’m the one hiring on this operation.”

“Uh, wow,” Willum said, impressed. Of course. The armor was in such bad shape that he hadn’t realized it was made of moonrat leather. Then there was the long quarterstaff she held in one hand. It was blood red and covered in strange runes. “The Tarah Woodblade.”

“
Ho-ho!
Maybe Woodblade was the name of the ugly stick she was hit with
,” the imp sniped.

Not funny, Theodore
, Willum replied. During the siege of the Mage School everyone had heard of Tarah Woodblade. She had single handedly rescued all fifty survivors of the fall of Pinewood. He stuck out his hand. “I’m Willum Oddblade.”

“Odd blade, huh?” Tarah asked, cocking her head. “Is it because of that axe you’re carrying? I’d say it’s more menacing than odd.”

Willum laughed off the impolite tone of her voice. “No, that’s not it. Though I guess the axe is partially the reason. You see I’m a dual wielder. This is my other weapon.” Willum pulled his second weapon out of the sheath he kept behind his back. It was a black-handled scythe, made especially for him by the dwarves during the siege at the Mage School. The scythe had been runed with air magic, extending the reach of its blade.

“An axe and a scythe?” Tarah said, raising an eyebrow. She slapped his shoulder. “Okay. I guess that would qualify as odd. Djeri says you’re good. Wanna join us?”

Helmet Jan grunted in irritation. “Look, lady, you may be the client, but that don’t make you in charge. Once you pay the academy, we decide who’s coming.”

“You’re not in charge either, Jan,” said Swen. “Captain Djeri is the highest ranking officer here.”

Willum blinked at them. “Uh, what’s the job?”

“It’s a rescue mission,” Tarah Woodblade said, giving Helmet Jan a stern look.

“We’ll talk about it when we get there,” Djeri said.

“Fine. Is the keep this way?” Tarah asked, pointing down the road. Willum nodded and she gestured at Benjo. “You, boy!”

“Me?” Benjo said in surprise.

“
Boy
?” said the imp letting out a snicker.

“His name’s Benjo,” Willum said. “He’s my older brother.”

“Benjo, then,” Tarah said, gesturing the man over in as imperious a manner as any noble. He walked to her and she thrust her horse’s lead into his hands. “Here. Lead my horse for me. We’ll walk from here.”

“Uh, alright,” Benjo said, looking at the rope in his hands. “But it’s a couple miles from here.”

“Good. My legs need to stretch.” She pulled a long blood-red quarterstaff from the side of the horse’s saddle where she’d had it tied and began striding ahead down the road.

“
Ho-ho. Now I wonder where she got that
?” The imp mused.

Helmet Jan spat. “There she goes. Always has to lead the way like she’s the boss. Even if she don’t know where we’re going.”

“She’s the best guide you’ve ever seen, Jan,” said Djeri, frowning as he followed after Tarah. “She’s used to leading the way.”

As everyone else started moving, Willum trotted up to keep pace with the long-legged woman. She glanced at him as if irritated that he was walking by her side.

Willum smiled at her. “So, Tarah, I heard a lot about you during the siege.”

“Yeah?” she said.

“Yes and what you did for the people of Pinewood was amazing,” he said.

“
What are you trying to do, Willy? Get on her good side
?”

I’m just curious
, he replied.

Tarah nodded. “It wasn’t easy getting those folks out with all those moonrats breathing down my neck, but I did what I had to do.”

Her voice hadn’t warmed up at all, but Willum pressed on. “Well, it was great. There was one thing I always wondered, but the Pinewood survivors didn’t seem to know.”

“Yeah? What?” she asked.

“
Ooh, she’s a hard one, Willy
.”

"How did you get the name, Woodblade?”

“How did I get it?” The woman snorted. “Nobody gave me this name. Tarah Woodblade was born a legend.”

“
Ho-ho! Is this woman for real
?” laughed the imp. “
I like her. Bent nose and all
!”

Willum slowed down and let the woman stride ahead. He looked back to Djeri the Looker. “She’s . . .”

The dwarf sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s a long story, Willum. Wait until you get to know her better.”

Willum reached through the bond.
Tolivar? I think you should gather everyone together. This is going to be interesting
.

When you’re in charge, you better make sure you act like it. Otherwise, folks will forget
, said Grampa Rolf.
So you don’t say much. You don’t laugh. You tell ‘em what to do and you keep your eyes forward. Look towards the goal. That’s how you get folks to follow you
.

Tarah heard his voice in her mind as she continued down the road towards the keep, but she didn’t respond to him. After all, Grampa Rolf was dead. His voice was just a memory. She was well aware of that. Her mind had a habit of bringing up Grampa Rolf’s advice when she was unsure of what to do. Unfortunately, unsurety had been a constant state for her lately.

Still, she heeded his advice, staying at the front of the group and looking ahead, not engaging the others in conversation. This should have been difficult since she had never been in this part of Razbeck before, but she could see the tracks Willum had made earlier that morning. His boots had left clear impressions in the light dusting of frost on the icy road.

While she walked, Tarah listened to the conversations the others were having. The academy group stayed clustered together, leading their horses while Swen the Feather told them what he knew about the keep. Benjo was staying back with them, hanging on their conversation with childlike excitement. Tarah didn’t understand why. Swen was boring as dirt. He was a good enough sort, she supposed, but his voice was a dull monotone, rarely varying in pitch or inflexion. Helmet Jan was a much more entertaining talker. She just didn’t know when to stop talking.

Tarah had heard most of what Swen was saying before, so she turned her attention to Djeri and this new man, Willum. He and Djeri were reminiscing about the old academy and talking about the changes now that the war was over. Their conversation wasn’t that much more interesting, but she had to force herself not to look back at them as they spoke.

Willum was a handsome man, well muscled, and with a sort of boyish charm to him. And that axe . . . She’d only looked at it for a moment, but something about the weapon seemed familiar. It made her want to draw back in distaste and yet, at the same time, she wanted to hold it. It was much the same feeling she’d had when Grampa Rolf had first given Tarah her staff.

Then there was Djeri. Tarah had spent much of the last day’s travel forcing herself not to stare at the dwarf. Before leaving the academy outpost, they had both agreed to keep their relationship discreet. Not that they were trying to hide it, exactly. Neither of them believed they could keep it completely quiet. After all, Swen knew about it. It just seemed better to be tactful about things. Tarah’s cheeks burned as she thought of the passionate kiss she and Djeri had been sharing before Swen had interrupted them.

Don’t let yourself get attached to men
, said her papa.
One day you’ll find the right one for you, but young ladies have a tendency to latch on to the first man that tells them they’re pretty. You wait till you find a man that’s every bit as good and strong as you are.

I have, papa,
she thought.
Djeri is just that sort of man
. She wondered how he’d feel about her being in a relationship with a dwarf.

Tarah Woodblade don’t make goo-eyes at any man
, Grampa Rolf replied.
You start doing that, you lose your strength in the minds of all your clients. Tarah Woodblade is above all that
.

“But-.” She reminded herself not to respond. Their voices were just memories. That’s all. She could remember the day Grampa Rolf had given her that particular lecture. She had just come back from meeting Alphonse, the man who had been the Mage School’s captain of the guard at the time. Rolf had been sick then. He’d looked so pale. 

“Did you say something, Miss Woodblade?” Willum asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Tarah winced. She turned back to look at the man, one eyebrow raised. “If Tarah Woodblade has something to say to you, you’ll know it.”

Tarah saw irritation flash in his eyes momentarily, and felt guilty for her harsh tone. Willum forced a smile. “You might want to take a right at the split here. That’s the main road to the keep.”

If a client ever gets mad at you, the best thing to do is impress ‘em with your skill
, Rolf said.
Show ‘em what Tarah Woodblade can do
.

“Of course. I’ve been following your tracks from earlier today,” Tarah replied. She crouched and lightly traced one of the tracks with her finger. A brief memory flashed through her mind. “You came this way straight from the keep.” She stood and glanced back at him. “Strange. You were acting as if you were carrying on a conversation, but your brother hadn’t joined you yet.”

Willum blinked in surprise and Tarah nodded. That was probably enough to wow him. She started walking again, taking a right at the junction. This new stretch of road headed up a long incline. Fenced-in stretches of frost-covered farmland sprawled on either side of the road. She couldn’t see the keep yet, just a line of trees at the top of the slope.

“Is she always like this?” Willum asked, his fists planted on his hips.

Djeri, grunted, “Sorry about that. Tarah’s, uh, a bit eccentric, but she’s the best tracker I’ve ever seen. Also she’s a great person once you get to know her.”

“Yeah,” said Willum and the two of them moved faster to keep up with her. Tarah could feel his eyes boring into her back. “I know several people like that.”

“Speaking of eccentric people,” Djeri said. “I spoke with Kathy the Plate before I left the Mage School. She asked about you.”

“She did?” Willum said and from his tone Tarah could tell his interest was piqued.

“Yeah, she wanted to know when you were coming back,” Djeri said.

“Ugh. I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t even know that,” Willum said. “How is she doing?”

“The academy’s so busy with the rebuild up at the site, they’re sending the trainees to the Mage School. Kathy’s been put in charge of their armed combat training.”

Willum chuckled. “She could be pretty good at that if she didn’t end up scaring all the trainees away. Did she, uh, say anything else about me?”

“Just that she missed tousling your hair,” Djeri said with a chuckle. “I think she wanted to make sure you weren’t seeing any girls out here.”

Willum missed a step. “That’s . . . Kathy. She knew you were coming here?”

“No. That was over a month ago. I had no idea I’d be here at the time. But she knows that Lenui is my uncle and that you are bonded with his wife,” Djeri said.

“To be,” Willum said.

“What?” Djeri asked.

“Bettie is his wife to be,” Willum replied. “You did know that they were holding off on the wedding until they arrived back in Wobble, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah, I knew that. It’s just that with them being together so long, I . . .” Tarah heard Djeri’s hand slap his forehead. “Turds,” the dwarf said, groaning. “We’re going to miss the wedding! Bettie is not going to be happy about this.”

“Oooh,” Willum said with a verbal wince. “Is this mission going to take a while?”

“Most likely,” Djeri said, sighing. “That’s going to make it difficult to recruit people here, isn’t it?”

“It definitely makes things problematic,” Willum said.

Tarah stopped walking and whirled about to face them. “Are we wasting our time here? Because if no one’s gonna help, we should leave now. Every minute Esmine’s with those dwarves she’s in danger.”

“So who’s this person you’re rescuing?” Willum asked.

“She’s a rogue horse,” Djeri said.

“A rogue horse?” Willum said, a look of concern on his face. “That could change things. Hold on just a minute. I need to tell Tolivar.”

“Then let’s go,” Tarah said, but Willum didn’t move. He just stood there, pulling his bottom lip. “We gonna get moving or what?”

“Tolivar is his bonding wizard, remember?” Djeri said. “Give him a second. I’m sure they’re talking right now.”

“Oh. Right,” she said. Djeri had explained this ‘bonding wizard’ thing to her earlier, though she still didn’t quite understand it. Evidently a bonding wizard’s magic linked him to other creatures or people. These links somehow made the bonded stronger and allowed them to communicate with each other through their minds.

“What? Is she wanting us to stop now?” asked Helmet Jan as the academy soldiers caught up to them. They had been just far enough behind that they hadn’t heard the conversation.

“Did you have to pick this one, Swen?” Tarah said, rolling her eyes. “The way her helmet blocks her ears makes her mouth fall open too much.”

Swen’s eyes narrowed slightly, “I picked her because Helmet Jan is very good in a fight. You’ll see.”

“You bet I can fight,” Jan said. Tarah couldn’t see the rest of her face, but her lips were twisted with anger. “I could beat your face in, no problem, Woodblade! Don’t care how good you are with that red staff of yours.”

Tarah knew nothing about Jan’s skill, but she couldn’t let that comment pass. “Who needs a staff? With that helmet, you wouldn’t see me coming.”

“Let’s go then. If I smack your nose hard enough, I might just straighten it!” Jan snapped back.

“What are you, twelve?” Tarah asked.

“Enough!” Djeri shouted, glaring at the both of them. “Turds on toast, ladies! We’re on academy business. Don’t forget who you are. Stop your bickering and that’s an order!”

The command structure of the academy must have meant something to her because Jan backed down immediately. “Yes, sir,” she said, sounding chastened.

“That’s right. You better listen,” Tarah said.

Djeri turned on her. She hadn’t seen him look that angry with her in a long time. “I was including you when I said ‘ladies’, Tarah, believe it or not.”

Tarah’s jaw dropped. What was that supposed to mean?

Tarah Woodblade doesn’t put up with being talked down to
, said Grampa Rolf, his voice sounding outraged.

“Just a minute, here,” Tarah said. “Tarah Woodblade don’t put-!”

“Listen to me,” the dwarf replied, pointing at her. “It’s true you’re funding this mission, but don’t forget that we also hired you as a tracker. So you are working for us just as much as we are working for you.”

Tarah’s mouth slowly closed. He had a point. The first thing she had done after hiring the academy was to suggest they hire Tarah Woodblade to be their tracker. It had been a tricky way to make a little bit of her money back, or so she had thought at the time. Now that trick was coming back to haunt her. Her lips tightened. But only if she let it.

“If I might interrupt,” Willum said. “I’m done talking to Tolivar. He’s discussing it with Bettie and Samson now. Everybody’s gathering in the lodge.”

“Alright, let’s keep moving, then,” Djeri said. Tarah spun to continue up the road and Djeri firmly added, “Not you.”

“Excuse me?” Tarah looked back at him and saw a firm set to his jaw.

“Let the others pass,” Djeri said, this time with a softer tone. “Tarah, I need to speak with you alone for a minute.”

She folded her arms and stared at him for a few seconds before finally stepping aside. Jan snorted at her as she rode by and Tarah scowled. Why was Djeri doing this to her? He was undermining her position in this group. He wasn’t supposed to do that. Not after what they had been through together.

As soon as the last horse passed them, Djeri grasped her arm and said in a hushed voice, “What are you doing? Why are you being so rude to everyone?”

Tarah blinked. Rude? “I’m the client this time.”

Djeri frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m acting like a client, Djeri,” Tarah explained as if it wasn’t obvious. “This is what clients do.”

“Acting like-?” Djeri shook his head. “Why? Did you like it when clients acted like that to you?”

Tarah shrugged. “It’s the way of things.”

“No it isn’t,” he said. “And if that’s been your experience, you’ve been taking the wrong kind of clients.”

Djeri’s mule snorted in agreement and she gave it a sideways glance. He probably understood their conversation. Neddy was smarter than other mules, a fact that had saved their lives a couple times. Tarah didn’t understand why, but it likely had something to do with being trained by wizards.

Grudgingly, Tarah patted the mule’s neck and repeated one of Rolf’s favorite phrases, “The only bad clients are the ones who don’t have coin.”

“No.” Djeri shook his head. “That may be the way the Sampo Guidesman Guild works, but the academy disagrees. Yes, we want to be paid for our work, but we don’t take a job unless the client is satisfactory.” He waved his hands. “Look, we’re getting off track here. The point I’m making is that you need to stop bossing everybody around.”

“But Grampa Rolf always said-.”

“Your Grampa Rolf was a swindler and a charlatan,” Djeri pointed out.

“Hey!” He wasn’t wrong about Rolf, but still, he was her grampa. This entire conversation was catching her off guard.

“Are you the same as he was?” Djeri pressed. “Is Tarah Woodblade a swindler?”

“No. Tarah Woodblade never cheats a client,” she said, trying to summon up some outrage, but coming up empty-handed. She looked down. “As for being a charlatan-.”