"So it appears," Tavis replied. After studying the area to make certain no ogres were lurking in ambush, he led the way across the hilltop. "I'll have a look around. You see to Morten."
"As you wish," Basil said. "But I don't know what I can do for him. I'm a runecaster, not a necromancer."
As Basil examined the bodyguard, Tavis made a thorough inspection of the area, retracing the course of the afternoon's events. He found seven dark, rancid-smelling stains on the mossy ground, suggesting that someone-presumably Morten-had spilled a lot of ogre blood. Near several trees, he also discovered set of deep ogre tracks. The scout realized instantly what these prints signified, for the brutes loved to attack by ambush, and dropping out of high trees was one of their favorite tricks.
To Tavis's dismay, he also found the place where Brianna had dismounted to examine Morten, another bloodstain, and the footprints of at least three ogres- one of them especially large-crossing her trail. On the bole of the toppled aspen, he noticed two gashes where Blizzard's hooves had scraped as she leaped across, and he noted the churned ground on the other side where horse and rider had fallen. Then, most disheartening of all, he discovered a gleaming white pebble that turned out to be a fractured human tooth.
Tavis was still searching for clues when Basil called out, "Morten's alive! Help me roll him over!"
The scout leaped over the toppled aspen and helped Basil roll Morten's huge body onto its back. The bodyguard head and chest were covered with blood, the beard thickly matted with the sticky stuff. His flesh was as pate as aspen bark, and a terrific hunk of flesh had been bitten from his throat. Still, there could be little doubt that he was alive. A cold sweat covered his face, and his breath came in shallow gasps so faint his ribs barely moved. Someone had even cut an arrow from his thigh and dressed the wound with shredded bark.
Tavis pulled a corner of the bandage away and saw that the wound had been scorched by the fire of Hiatea's magic. There could be no doubt that Brianna had cast the spell that nullified the ogres' poison. He put the bandage back in place and cursed.
Basil raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" he asked. "It's no difference to me, but I thought you'd want Morten alive."
"I do." Tavis replied. "But this was no chance meeting. The ogres were after Brianna all along."
"How can you know that?" asked Basil.
"The poison on ogre arrows is fast." Tavis explained. Once it's in your blood, you collapse in about three seconds. It won't kill you, but you'll be too weak to defend yourself."
"So?"
"Morten killed at least seven ogres, but they didn't kill him, even after he was wounded and helpless." Tavis ripped a long strip of cloth from Morten's undertunic and used it to bandage the wound on the bodyguard's throat. "They let him live so Brianna would come to his aid. Then, while she was occupied with his wounds, they captured her."
"You can read all that from his wounds?" Basil asked.
The scout could not tell whether the verbeeg's tone was one of disbelief or awe. "Yes, and from other signs."
Tavis gestured at the hilltop, which was not, so thickly wooded that visibility was a problem. "If there had been any ogres in the open when Brianna arrived, she would have seen them. But she didn't. She came directly to Morten's aid and bandaged his arrow wound." The scout pointed at two sets of nearby ogre tracks. "Nevertheless, two ogres surprised her here, which means they were well hidden when she arrived."
"And hiding well takes time, even for ogres," Basil said, nodding. "So they couldn't have done it on the spur of the moment. They were hoping Brianna would come to help Morten."
"Right, but I'd go even further," Tavis replied. "I'd say their shaman used his magic to lure her into the trap."
Basil raised his brow. "And how do you know they had a shaman?" This time, his voice was not doubtful, only curious.
Tavis pointed at the bandage he had placed on the fallen bodyguard's neck. "The bite," he said. "It's a serious one. If it had been there when Brianna healed the wound in Morten's thigh, she would have dressed it as well. Since she didn't we can only assume it was made later."
"I see that," Basil allowed. "But I still don't know why you think it was a shaman."
"If an enemy has proven himself strong or cunning, an ogre shaman eats the corpse to enslave the enemy's spirit." Tavis explained. "Morten was too big to take with them, so the shaman started to eat him here."
"Then why didn't he finish?" Basil asked. "I've never met an ogre shaman, but I know enough about magic to tell you it doesn't work unless you perform the ritual completely and correctly."
"My guess is he didn't have time," Tavis explained. "Someone's working with them, and that person wouldn't have wanted to wait around for the shaman to eat an entire firbolg. So they left Morten for dead and went on their way."
