As they entered the outskirts of the camp, Kormak noticed some familiar looking people had pitched tents. The squat massive figure of Otto loomed from among his hulking henchmen. They glared over at Kormak and his companions as if they resented being forced to wait here to rob them. Kormak smiled at them as they passed.
“Hey Sasha,” someone shouted from a nearby tent. “Going underground again? Thought you said that, after last time, you were never coming back?”
“I’ve got a new crew,” Sasha said.
“Tough looking bunch. Except for your lady friend. She looks tasty.”
“That’s enough of that,” said Boreas.
“No offence, chummie,” said the prospector. “I didn’t realise she was with you. Still, if she’s free I might be able to trade you something just as tasty for a night’s company.”
Boreas looked as if he was considering violence. The prospector backed away.
“He seemed like a friendly chap,” said Karnea.
Sasha walked over to another campfire and squatted down beside it. “Hey, Heidi,” she said. “How are tricks?”
“Could be worse,” said the large, wart-faced woman. She was garbed in a suit of chainmail and had a meat cleaver within easy reach. Its sharp edge was driven into a wood stump. “Been a few goblins sighted the last few days. Those big bat things have been scudding across the face of the moon since it waxed. And you must have heard the dire wolves howling when you came up the road last night.”
Sasha nodded. “Goblins bothering the camp again?”
“More and more of the little bastards show their pointy little heads every night. I wouldn’t be surprised if they started doing more than sneak thieving. Bunch of folks haven’t come back up from the Deeps. Jonas Tegel says there’s whole tribes below now but you know what Jonas is like...”
“I do,” Sasha said. “Sounds like it could get nasty around here.”
“It’s getting late in the year,” Heidi said. “Folks will be heading back down into Varigston soon as the first snow looks likely. It’ll be the little bastards’ last chance to grab anything that’s not nailed down. So yeah, I’d say it’s a fair bet that we’ll have goblin trouble soon. You here to buy?”
“I’m taking my new crew underground.”
“Thought you said you wasn’t gonna do that no more, dearie! I mean after Duncan died and what happened to Simeon.”
“Money’s tight.”
“And there’s a chance of a big score?” Heidi asked. “You was always looking out for that motherlode.”
Sasha smiled a little sadly. “Duncan was. I was just along for the ride.”
Heidi ran an eye over them. Her eyes narrowed when she looked at Kormak and then at Boreas. “Bad boys, this pair.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“They’re going to need to be. Otto arrived in camp last night and was asking about you, and folks that meet the description of your new crew. He seems to think you owe him money... or blood, the way he’s talking.”
“We’re going under tomorrow, so he’ll have to be quick.”
“You know him. He may just follow you down, now he’s got the scent of blood.”
“The day I can’t lose Otto in the Underlands is the day I deserve to have him get my blood.”
“You just be careful of him, dearie. He’s got a mean streak has Otto, and for whatever reason you and your new friends have brought it out in him.”
“Mind if we pitch here?”
Heidi looked at them carefully then looked over at Otto’s bunch, weighing things up. Clearly she was not too keen on getting into trouble with Otto herself. After a few minutes she said, “That might not be too healthy for me, but what the hell... you’ve done me a few good turns and I always had a soft spot for little Tam. Pitch away. If there’s any bother, we’ll see how it goes.”
They made camp. Boreas set things up with an old mercenary’s ease of habit. Kormak walked over to Karnea and said quietly, “Probably best if you don’t set up wards. We don’t want to spook these people. We need them on our side. You might want to avoid charging the flame-binding rune as well.”
Karnea smiled at him. “As you say, Guardian.” Kormak winced hoping no one had heard that. Karnea broke out the cooking gear and began rummaging through the supplies for food. In the distance a dire wolf howled. The sound was long drawn-out and chilling. For a moment, everyone in the camp stopped what they were doing and looked around to make sure nothing was sneaking up on them.