A Long Hot Summer, Chapter 3

 She watched the river lazily flow by, sitting in the darkness under the covered bridge leading to Qeynos. She heard the wagons approaching on the road and waited to sense the minds that she felt were there and were slowly approaching. Tiny fish darted about under the water, and she relaxed, preparing her mind for what would come next.

The hooves of the horses drawing the first wagon began to cross the bridge above her, each hoof fall making a loud thud, and then the wheels started to cross the bridge.

Tali closed her eyes and sensed the occupants of the first cart, trying to tell the brokers apart from the mercenaries they hired to protect this load. The brokers knew something; the mercenaries did not.

There were six minds.

Two minds were those of the brokers, their greed and arrogance evident. The four mercenaries were a mix of human and orc, their minds hardened and experienced, and their loyalty to the job bought.

"Are you sure we can trust this person?" One of the brokers, a man, asked the other broker.

"Yes, yes," the other, a woman, replied. "They're the best. They won't fail us."

The wagons moved past, the horses' hooves thudding on the bridge. She noted the positions of the brokers, two of whom were driving the cart. She focused on the second cart and began to search for any brokers on it, knowing there must be at least one who helped arrange the ship transport.

She found a mind. The broker was a young human woman, her mind excited and anxious, and her thoughts on the money she would receive once the shipment arrived in Qeynos. Tali sensed a hidden cargo compartment built into the bottom of the wagon.

"Are you sure this will work?" The male broker asked again.

"Yes, yes," the woman replied, her voice filled with exasperation.

She knew the last two brokers were somewhere on the third wagon, hidden in the back with the mercenaries and the money people for this operation. She sensed the minds of the two men, their greed and arrogance matching those on the first wagon. She also sensed the minds of the other two mercenaries, a man and a woman, both grizzled and hardened. The woman mercenary's mind was full of doubts, but the man was steadfast in his loyalty to the job.

"I still think we should have used the tunnels," the male broker said.

"The tunnels are too dangerous," the female broker replied. "Besides, we've been using them for the other shipments. This one needs to be different. The authorities are on high alert."

Tali opened her eyes, knowing exactly where the people on the second and third carts were. The third wagon rolled above her, and she sensed another mind above her, not hearing a sound but knowing she had just gotten off the cart. The man was a Ratonga, moving silently, and also one of her fellow assassins, by the name of Blaquetail. The ratonga dropped beside her and nodded.

"Yes," he said. "Dires wolves weres on the carts. Mes have bits of furs from thems."

"Good," Tali said.

"Thems are not happy. I senses it. Something happened, but I not knows what," Blaquetail said, his voice low and raspy.

"Thanks," Tali said.

"No problems," Blaquetail said, smiling. "Mes get the horses, so we cans catch ups on the funs."

She heard the wagon rolling away, the horses' hooves clopping along the road, and the wheels turning. She closed her eyes and focused on Varlikh's mind, some distance away at the canyon entrance.

Varlihk, miles away, smiled. "Hello, lovely. What have you got for me?"

Tali sent words into his mind, speaking to him. The first two brokers are driving the first cart. The second cart has one female broker in the back of the cart, hidden in a compartment under the wagon. The third wagon has two brokers in the back. Five brokers. Thirteen mercenaries, humans and orcs."

"Excellent," Varlikh thought. "You are amazing."

"Thanks," she smiled.

"The others are ready," he thought. "When you and Blaq catch up, we shall begin."

Blaquetail ran up the bank to the road and whistled, calling the horses to him. Tali slipped out from under the bridge, mounted her black horse, and they galloped on the road behind the caravan, trying to catch up.

The two brokers on the first cart entered the canyon that led out to the point with the lighthouse. The man, named Lorn, was nervous.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he said.

"Relax," his wife, Astrid, replied. "It'll be fine. We have to get this shipment through, and we'll be rich."

"I don't know," Lorn said. "Something seems off."

"Don't worry so much," Astrid said. "We'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say," Lorn said. "You're not the one who's going to get stabbed in the back if things go wrong."

Astrid sighed. "You worry too much. We've been doing this for years, and nothing's gone wrong."

"Until now," Lorn muttered.

They continued into the canyon, and the air became colder and darker. The other two wagons followed them into the canyon.

"We have to drop the orcs off at the ship that will take them back to Zek," he said. "And then, we get back to Qeynos, richer, and no one else the wiser."

"Exactly," Astrid replied.

"I just feel bad about the dire wolves," Lorn said. "I can't believe they're bringing them here for the vampires."

"I don't trust the vampires, either," Astrid said. "But if this deal works out, we'll be rich beyond our wildest dreams."

"If it works," Lorn grumbled. "We get paid when we get back home, and no one knows a thing. The money is waiting from the Mistmoores, trust me."

"Good," Astrid said.

The wagons continued through the canyon, and the air grew colder and darker.

"What the hell is that?" Lorn blinked, seeing what looked like small animals wandering across the road ahead of them. Only they weren't animals, they were children's dolls, about knee height. And walking.

"Stop the cart," Astrid ordered, frowning. "Those are not toys, and those are not supposed to be here."

Lorn stopped the cart, and the other two wagons behind him stopped as well.

"What the hell are those?" Astrid demanded.

The small dolls turned and stared at them, their mouths all smiling.

Lorn motioned to the orcs behind them. "Trouble, maybe, go check it out."

One of the orcs hopped off the cart and walked towards the small dolls, his sword drawn.

As he approached the small dolls, they suddenly moved, jumping onto the orc and attacking him. Some had mouths full of razor teeth, others drew knives, and bladed tentacles came out of one's eyes.

"What the fuck!" Astrid yelled.

The small dolls were vicious, and the orc screamed in pain. Blood ran down his wounds as he thrashed and tried to swing at the murderous, tiny, sadistic dolls of death.

"Kill them!" Astrid ordered.

The orcs and the other mercenaries jumped off the wagons and rushed towards the small dolls, weapons drawn. The fight was bloody, and the screams of the orcs and the dolls filled the air.

"Get the fuck out of the way!" the captain yelled.

Lorn and Astrid watched in horror as the small dolls tore into the orcs, their tiny mouths biting and tearing flesh. The other mercenaries attacked the dolls, swinging their weapons and trying to destroy the small, deadly creatures. The other two carts behind them stayed far enough out of the fray, but the men on them had started to disembark.

"This isn't good," Lorn said, his voice trembling.

"We have to get out of here," Astrid said. "Those aren't fucking dolls."

"What the hell are they?" Lorn asked, his voice shaking.

"I don't know, and I don't want to stick around and find out," Astrid said. "Drive through them! Run the orcs over!"

Lorn snapped the reins, and the horses sped up, racing towards the battle. He kept his eyes fixed on the fight, and the cart lurched as it ran over an orc. The screams of the other mercenaries echoed in the canyon, and the sound of metal hitting wood filled the air.

"Go faster!" Astrid yelled.

The horses galloped, and the cart raced through the battle, the wheels running over the orcs and the small dolls. The screams of the dying filled the air, and the mercenaries and the dolls fought each other.

"We have to get out of here!" Lorn shouted.

"Just keep going!" Astrid yelled. "We're almost through!"

The air was thick with blood and dust, and the smell of death and fear filled the canyon. The horses' hooves clattered on the stones, and the wheels of the wagon splashed through the blood and gore of the fallen.

"We're almost there!" Astrid yelled.

Lorn focused on the road ahead of him, his heart pounding in his chest. He could see the end of the canyon and the open sea beyond.

"Almost there!" Astrid repeated.

Suddenly, they stopped, and the two were thrown over the horses and onto the road.

A large, dragonlike Iskar with black scales held the back wheel, the reptilian warrior strong enough to stick his hand in the wheel and tank the entire cart to a dead stop. The Iskar was huge, a foot taller than most men, and his body was covered in scales. He had sharp teeth and claws, and his eyes were a deep red. He wore leather armor and carried a staff.

"That's not good," Lorn said, staring at the creature.

"Get him!" Astrid shouted.

The last two mercenaries from the first cart charged at the Iskar, their weapons drawn. He turned, narrowed his scaly eyes, made a fist, and brought it down from the heavens, freezing the two mercenaries where they stood, encasing them in ice.

"Holy shit!" Lorn cried.

The Iskar grabbed the back of the cart and lifted it off the ground. He flung the cart into the canyon wall, smashing it to pieces. The horses screamed, and the air was filled with dust and debris.

"What the hell are you?" Astrid shouted.

"I am Dragskarr!" The Iskar turned and faced her, his eyes blazing with rage. He opened his fist, and the two frozen solid mercenaries shattered into bloody shards, exploding into giant red splotches.

"Oh, gods!" Astrid screamed.

The Iskar stalked towards her, his footsteps shaking the ground. The two turned to face a wild-haired, dark elven female with a poof of blue and white hair on her head, who held a doll. She smiled at them with two doll-like eyes.

She smiled at them and offered the two her doll. "Want to play some more?"

The doll's mouth moved, and it giggled, its voice child-like and playful.

"What the hell are you?" Astrid cried.

The dark elf's smile widened. "I am Illastria, and this is my doll, Kiki."

"Oh, fuck," Lorn muttered.

"And we're going to have so much fun," Illastria said, giggling.

Kiki's mouth opened, and a swarm of wasps flew out.

Lorn and Astrid screamed as the wasps stung them, their bodies convulsing in pain.

"Run!" Lorn shouted. It was too late; the venom had already paralyzed the two, leaving them unable to move as the Iskar thundered over.

He growled. "Nice work. Crazy elf."

She giggled and nodded.

The mercenaries on the second cart kept at the ready, the chaos around the first cart over, and the dead lying where the cart had left them. The young woman in the back peered out. "Is it safe? Can we go now?"

"Not yet," one of the men said, his hand resting on his sword hilt. "Stay here. Something doesn't feel right."

"But we have to get the orcs to the ship," the woman insisted. "Everything has already been paid for. If we don't see this through, we don't get paid."

"I'm aware," the mercenary replied, turning to catch an arrow in the head and falling dead. The other mercenaries scattered, hiding behind the cart and drawing their weapons.

"Where is it coming from?" one of the men asked.

"There!" another man shouted, pointing into the darkness.

A shadowy figure emerged, firing arrows from a bow. The arrows struck the mercenaries, and they fell, screaming. Some of them were purposely shot through the legs to keep them from running to cover, while others were shot in their weapon arms to disarm them.

"It's a trap!" the woman shouted, ducking down and covering her head.

The mercenaries tried to fight back, but they were no match for the shadowy archer. The arrows flew, and the mercenaries fell, one by one, until only the woman was left.

The archer emerged from the darkness, her hood up and her face hidden. She approached the cart, her bow drawn.

"Who are you?" the woman demanded, her voice shaking.

A man slipped from the shadows behind her, grabbed her by the neck, and threw her to the ground. Captain Varlikh slammed his boot on her chest, knocking the wind from her. "Pleasure doing business with you, Miss. Too bad the Queen signed all of your death warrants for transporting those dire wolves."

She struggled to breathe, but the weight of his boot was too much for her. "Please... Don't kill me..."

"Don't worry, I won't," Varlikh said, a wicked smile spreading across his face.

The woman breathed a sigh of relief.

Varlikh drew his sword and plunged it into the ground beside her, making her scream.

He leaned towards her with a sadistic grin. "What's wrong? Don't you trust me?"

She cried out in fear and anger, and he laughed, enjoying her terror.

"I told you, I'm not going to kill you," Varlikh said, removing his boot from her chest. "Not yet, at least. But I can't have you running off and telling anyone what you saw. Plus, I need you for information, Love."

He grabbed her by the collar and pulled her to her feet.

"You're going to help me with something else," he said, dragging her towards the cart.

His ranger, a violet-haired dark elf named Wildsong, stalked the darkness and slit the throats of the wounded and dying.

Varlikh looked back and checked on the third cart.

The third cart had turned around, exiting the canyon the way it came. Before it could exit, Tali and Blaquetail's horses galloped around the bend.

"Which ones?" Blaque shouted over the noise as he stood on his saddle.

"Two in the back," Tali shouted, "behind the drivers!"

Tali rode to one side of the wagon, and Blaque the other as it passed. Only, Blaque had jumped as it passed, in mid-air, and flew towards the two drivers with both his daggers drawn. He landed, stabbed the drivers through their hearts, and then jumped back, rolling along the ground and getting back up.

The two drivers died, and the wagon came to a halt, the horses neighing in fright. The wagon careened off the road and landed on its side in a thunderous crash.

Tali jumped off her horse, facing a group of mercenaries scrambling to their feet. She focused her mental powers and crushed the mind of the one charging her, leaving him falling and dead. She reached out and grasped the minds of the next two, sending them into a blind fury. They attacked the remaining mercenaries, tearing them apart.

"You're not so tough without your weapons," she sneered, using her telekinesis to pull the sword away from one mercenary and stab him through the chest with it.

The other three mercenaries charged at her, but she used her telekinesis to push them back. One stood next to the wagon, and she felt the tiny bit of Plank in her hairpin call to her.

She blinked, wondering if this shard of magic wood had somehow wished to help her? She focused her telekinesis on the wood, and one of the sideboards of the wagon popped free, the tension whipping it out at high speed, hitting the mercenary in the face, shattering his jaw, and then ricocheting back and hitting him in the stomach.

Blaque had climbed onto the wagon and was busy slitting the throats of those inside the cargo compartment. "They are all here, Mes. This is a great day, and we are heroes, yes!"

"Yes, we are," Tali nodded. "The two brokers?"

Blaque kicked the man and woman out as they coughed and tried to stand.

"Right here, Mes," Blaque smiled. "Whats are we doings?"

Tali stepped up and faced them, her goat-like eyes narrowing.

"Please... don't kill us," the man pleaded.

Tali reached into his mind, sifting through his thoughts and memories.

"You've been transporting dire wolves," she hissed, her voice full of anger and disgust. "To kill my Ratonga friends."

"We didn't know," the woman sobbed. "We just took the job. We didn't know what they were going to do."

"Shut up," Tali snapped, her eyes flashing with anger. "You knew exactly what you were doing."

The woman trembled, and the man was shaking like a leaf.

"You knew what you were doing," Tali said, her voice low and menacing. "You knew what you were carrying, and you knew what the consequences would be."

"Please..." the woman begged. "We'll do anything. Just let us go."

"Let you go?" Tali hissed. "After what you've done? You think I would just let you go, after the lives you've likely taken?"

"Please," the woman sobbed.

Varlikh strolled up, smiling. "Easy, Love."

She looked at him and nodded, feeling his presence.

Varlikh stared down at the man and woman. "Tell me. Are either of you from the Bloody Fist?"

"No," the woman said.

"Good," Varlikh said. "Because if you were, I would have to kill you. And that would be a waste. Almost a pity you are not. Take these two and put them with the other three."

Tali nodded, her expression cold and unreadable. "Come, you two. I'll make sure you stay alive. For now."

The brokers whimpered and followed her, their heads down and their shoulders slumped.

Blaque smiled and nodded. "Mes, whats we doings with these here ones?"

"They are going to help us with a little investigation," Varlikh said.

Dragnskarr dragged the paralyzed two from the first wagon up, and Wildsong, Illastria, and her doll followed in the second wagon. The young woman in the second wagon sat between them.

Varlikh turned to Dragskarr. "First wagon?"

Drag nodded, pointing to a giant fire in the night down the canyon. "The other assassins have already picked up the first wagon, and the bodies from the first and second wagons have been incinerated."

Varlikh nodded. "Burn these bodies too, nothing left but ash. The third wagon, too, did not carry anything of importance. Burn it."

The Iskar nodded and got to work.

Wildsong smiled at Blaque. "Your performance was impressive. That was quite the leap."

"It was nothings," Blaque said, shrugging. "I was just having a good day. You are a fine rangers. I see your arrows flys, and the enemies are deads."

She smiled. "Thank you. That means a lot, coming from someone who moves like you do."

"Whats is next?" Blaque asked, looking at Varlikh.

"We question these two," Varlikh said, motioning to the paralyzed duo. "And find out everything we can about the Bloody Fists."

"And if they don't talk?" Tali asked.

Varlikh smiled, a sinister gleam in his eye. "More fun for us, I suppose. But, love, you can tear their minds apart if they don't wish to speak with their mouths."

She nodded, her expression cold and unreadable. "As you wish, sir."

Wildsong nodded. "As you wish, Captain."

Varlikh looked at the others. "Let's get these two back to Qeynos. And find out what the Bloody Fists are up to."

Illastria hugged her doll and smiled.

Varlikh nodded at her. "Got to play tonight, did you?"

She grinned. "Oh, yes. Kiki had a great time. I got to practice my illusion spells, and it was a lot of fun. You should have seen it, the little dolls were so cute."

He smiled. "Good. I'm glad you had fun."

She nodded. "But now we have work to do."

"Yes," he said. "Yes, you do, my sweet."

Varlikh stared at the paralyzed brokers and grinned.

"Time for a little interrogation, wouldn't you say?"

Blaque grinned. "Yes, Mes."

Wildsong nodded. "Yes, Captain."

Illastria nodded, a playful gleam in her eyes.

Varlikh smiled.

"Time for some fun."