Blackhand by Matt Hiebert Read Free Book Online Page B

the journey.
    “Take the Abanshi and gather what ingredients you can,” Huk finished. “You must have the elixir ready in three days or your value to me ends.”
    The guards pulled them to their feet.
    “As you command,” Siyer said.
    They were led back to their cell. Siyer took quill and parchment and scratched out an inventory of their needs. He gave the list to Crag.
    “Can we meet his demands?” Quintel asked.
    “To a degree,” Siyer said. “We have enough of the ingredients to prepare for three months. We will work through the day gathering the remaining materials we need from the forest”
    “How can we possibly collect enough herbs to fill the required doses?”
    “We cannot,” Siyer said gathering a leather sack and the tools he needed to collect the plants. “I will adjust the quantities of the active substance in some of the vials to be weaker. Should he go more than a month without it, his addiction will be broken and my deception exposed.”
    Siyer did not have to explain the consequences of that scenario.
    They spent the day foraging in the heavy forest, accompanied by six guards armed with crossbows. The plants and fungus they needed to formulate the drug were hard to find. Just before the light faded, Siyer found a cluster of the important mushrooms under a rotted log. They were young spores, but mature enough to supply the critical ingredient that would see Huk through his journey.
    They prepared the components throughout the night. Quintel stole a few hours of sleep during the morning, but Siyer continued to work without rest. By afternoon the next day they had rendered, diluted and strained the portions Huk needed.
    Siyer labeled several large flasks by month, inscribing instructions on how to portion the substance. He had mixed the drug in such a way that Huk would unknowingly taper off during the middle portion of his journey, thus extending the supply. On the return trip, however, the dosage would again increase, to ensure the warlord's continued addiction.
    “What if this is a trick,” Quintel asked. “What if Huk plans to kill you and is storing enough of the drug to sustain him until more can be made.”
    Siyer strained a large pot of liquid through a sieve and spoke while he worked.
    “If only that were true! It would be better if Huk were to create such a deceit rather than travel to meet the god,” Siyer said. “Something is happening. Ru is moving his pieces.”
    “I understand,” Quintel said. “Their conference is to engage new strategies against our people.”
    Siyer set the large pot on the table.
    “It is certainly not for social purposes,” he said.
    When finished, Siyer had Crag and two other guards load the elixir on one of the wagons.
     

Chapter 8
     
    The entire fortress convulsed in preparation for Huk’s journey. Servants scurried about preparing clothing, food and other essentials, warriors polished their armor and sharpened their blades, blacksmiths hammered fresh shoes for the horses.
    On the day of departure, a caravan of twenty wagons and fifty horsemen formed outside the castle's northern wall with Huk's landbarge placed in the middle. A captain gave the sign to move and like a huge caterpillar, its body lunging forward in segments, the parade crawled east to meet the god.
    After the caravan had left, activity at the fortress slowed to a stroll. Most of the Huk's council had departed with him, leaving a handful of lieutenants to administrate. Even Crag took the opportunity to collect as much sleep as possible while on duty. Quintel and Siyer were left with nothing to do. To get them out of their cell, Siyer would fabricate a need to collect herbs or use the downstairs kitchens. Since no one was sure what he and Quintel did from day to day, their trickery remained undiscovered.
    They played the game often during this slow time and Quintel found himself growing more bored than ever. After playing for several years, he still had not won a single match.