Finder's Bane - Kate Novak [6]
Joel realized now the meaning of the command word etched on the wand. The wand's magic was determined by chaos, completely random. He understood now what the jackdaw had meant about Lady Luck's favor. To tip the odds in his favor, he needed luck.
"Tymora," he whispered, invoking the goddess of luck, who had always been a friend to his own god, Finder. "Smile on this fool." He aimed the wand for a third time and called out, "Chaos!"
Either the third use was truly charmed or the bard's request of Lady Luck had fallen on sympathetic ears.
The wand spat out a glowing red sphere no bigger than a pea that streaked down the trail into the midst of the Zhentilar patrol. Then the pea burst into a fireball so powerful the force of the blast knocked Joel off his feet.
Complete silence fell over the woods as every living creature, seen and unseen, took a moment to wonder at the blast. Then the silence broke as the charred corpses of the Zhentilar patrol and their horses thudded to the ground. Birds in the trees overhead began twittering loudly, as if mistaking the fireball for a second sunrise.
Joel picked himself off the ground. He took a few steps toward his vanquished foes, but the sight of the carnage and the stench of burning flesh was too terrible to bear. He turned about and loped down the trail after Holly.
Two
The Pilgrims
Still mounted on Butternut, the girl came riding back toward him with the first Zhentilar's horse in tow. "I heard an explosion," she said, "What happened?"
"They're dead," Joel whispered.
"All of them?" Holly asked. "All the ones who were chasing us," Joel replied. He patted the side of the Zhentarim horse for a few moments, making sure the beast was steady, then swung himself into the beast's saddle. "Are you all right?" Holly asked. "You're not injured?" Joel shook his head from side to side, then studied the girl for a moment. Her arms and tunic were splattered with the blood of the last Zhentilar she'd killed and from the wounds she'd received from the first Zhent patrol, but she didn't seem the least bit unnerved.
"I suppose this is all business as usual for you Daggerdale folk," the bard commented dryly.
"If by business as usual, you mean, do we defy invaders to our lands whenever we can, then the answer is yes," Holly replied coolly. "To do anything less would be inviting the fate of Teshendale, conquered by the Black
Network and now only an empty chair at the Dales Council. As it is, the Zhent soldiers harass our citizens, their orc mercenaries raid our herds, and their puppet rulers force our lord into exile. If you plan to travel through Daggerdale, you had best get used to our "business as usual.' " Having said her piece, the girl clucked her tongue at Butternut and rode off down the trail.
Joel sat still for a moment, stunned by the girl's tirade, but after some reflection, he convinced himself he hadn't really said anything that could give offense. There was more than the reputed Daggerdale unfriendliness behind Holly's outburst. Her words had a defensive and rehearsed sound, as if Holly had said it before or had wanted to say it to someone else for a long time.
Joel dug his heels into the ribs of the Zhentilar horse and soon caught up with his guide.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," the bard said as his horse drew up alongside Holly's, "but I sense I've just caught an arrow meant for someone else."
The girl lowered her eyes, and Joel knew he'd hit the mark, but he also knew that wouldn't necessarily gain him any points with her. It would be up to him to bring some civility back to the conversation.
"I didn't mean to imply you or your people had no right to defend yourselves," he insisted.
Holly looked up at him. "I know that. You're right about my speech being meant for someone else. Someone I met said something that really made me angry, but I couldn't think what