by Dan Decker
Chapter 22
A bird chirping in the tree above Jorad brought him out of his slumber. It was uncomfortable sleeping on his stomach, especially on the ground. His back was still painful even though the salve from the healer was helping. The leaves rustled overhead and a ray of sunlight hit his eyes. It was cold and he preferred to enjoy a few more minutes of warmth underneath his blanket. His eyelids were heavy with fatigue still and he wished for a couple more hours of sleep.
The unpleasant dreams were fading. He'd awoken while he was running from an oversize Hunwei. Soret had died and his father had been missing. But as dreams do, it passed from his consciousness and he turned his thoughts to other matters.
He was glad they had attended the celebration the night before. It had helped to take his mind off the Hunwei and even though he'd had an uncomfortable night of rest, he felt more rejuvenated than he'd felt in weeks. After they got the tablet, the pressure would get worse. So far, Jorad had been able to keep his anxiety about returning to Rarbon at bay because he knew obtaining the tablet would be a significant challenge in and of itself. With the tablet now in reach, he could feel his worry growing.
Could he measure up to the challenge ahead? It would be necessary to get the Rarbon council to see reason so they could expedite the process. Jorad didn't want to waste his time on the trials when all he wanted to do was gain access to the Rarbon Portal. He needed to know if anything in there would help in their fight. Rarbon could keep the stupid title and the responsibilities that came with it.
Jorad rolled onto his side and stood. His back protested with several stabs of pain as he straightened. Everybody but Soret was still awake; she was curled up in a blanket, snoring softly. Adar paced at the edge of the camp, a tense look on his face.
After stretching, Jorad applied the salve to his wound. It felt cold on his skin and relieved the pain a bit.
Tere was standing off to one side of their camp, his arms folded, and staring at Jorad. Adar had confronted Tere about the cut that he was hiding. It had come out that he and Tarner been involved in a scuffle with some thieves. Tere had probably hoped to leave it at that, but Adar had continued to question him. After almost an hour without learning anything new, Adar had given up. It had almost come to blows between the two until Xarda and Karn had gotten in between the two of them.
When it came time to make a plan to get the tablet, Tere had insisted on coming, either going with them or following after. Adar refused and told him that he'd caused enough trouble. The plan was for Adar, Karn and Jorad to go to the town hall this morning while the others rested.
Soret was still sleeping by the time they left. Leron and Xarda were sparring while Wes watched, and Tarner wasn’t around. Jorad strapped on his sword, picked up his blaster, and nodded to Adar, who led them out of camp.
As they left, Tere joined them.
“You're not coming,” Adar growled.
“If you get into trouble, you'll want my sword.”
“We'll get into trouble if you're with us.”
“Kill me or get going.”
Adar reached for his sword but didn't draw it. Tere folded his arms. Neither spoke for several long moments.
“I'm leaving you behind if the thieves find you.”
The guards at the gate didn't say anything as they entered and Jorad sighed in relief. Tere had made eye contact with the guards as they passed by and they'd ignored him. Signs of the previous evening’s festivities were all around them as they headed toward the town hall. Lost clothing and bits of uneaten food littered the streets. Several unconscious people lay to the side of the road but mostly the streets were vacant and quiet. Jorad ignored the pain in his back and tried not to think about how much more comfortable a bed would have been. The further they got into the city, the more people they saw moving, but it was nothing like the throng from the previous evening.
The town hall was a four story building located in the city center, a few blocks away from the town square. It took up an entire block and faced the governor’s palace. A street that was double the width of normal lay in between. There was a large clearing in front of the town hall where there was a pillar that was several stories high. Jorad had seen it before on other visits to Zecarani, but hadn’t thought much of it. Now, after seeing Vigorock, he realized that it had been made by the same people. It was shiny, metallic, and several stories tall.
Jorad nudged Adar.
“I know,” Adar said without looking.
Adar led them past the great wooden doors of the town hall, and knocked on a smaller normal sized door. The door looked plain and out of place. The rest of the town hall was covered with intricate decoration. The doorframe was made from stone. Vines, flowers, and bees had been carved into the frame in great detail. The larger wooden doors were carved in a similar fashion. In the middle of each door was the likeness of a bear. Jorad couldn't imagine the amount of time it had taken to complete just one of the doors. It seemed as though the artist hadn't missed a single strand of the bear's fur.
All the attention to detail made the plain door stand out all the more. Jorad couldn't remember if this door had been here last time. He supposed that the original door had been replaced since and that was why he'd taken notice of it.
Adar was reaching for the doorknob when it turned. He moved his hand away before the door was open.
“Surprised to see folks about already,” said an old man, poking his head out. His eyes were red and his lips were cracked, there was a red mark along the side of his face as if they'd just woken him from a nap. The door opened further, there were several guards sitting at a table gambling with dice. “What do you want?”
“We want to see the archives,” Adar said.
“Our most popular attraction,” the old guard said dryly. “Been here before?” He paused. “Actually, I remember you. You know the drill. You’re going to have to set aside your weapons.”
“Agreed.”
The old man swung open the door the rest of the way, allowing them to enter. One of the guards looked up from their game, but his eyes didn't linger on them. If Jorad and the others had wanted to attack, it would have been easy, even without the blasters.
In short order, they had laid aside their swords and removed their visible daggers. Jorad suspected that Tere and Karn, like Adar and he, had a dagger or two hidden as well.
In the process, they learned that the old man was named Kiral Opehim. Kiral was silent as he watched them with hawk eyes while they disarmed. When they were done, he regarded them with suspicion.
“That’s all your weapons?” Kiral looked at their blasters uncertain about whether he should ask them to leave those as well.
“To the last one.” Adar looked at his Radim sword, where it was propped against the wall. He'd been using it again since they were no longer in hiding. He was reluctant to part with it.
“Karn,” Adar asked, “Would you mind staying with the weapons?”
Karn nodded.
Kiral still looked wary, but didn’t say anything further as he led them out of the lobby into the gathering hall. It was a cavernous room that reached to the fourth story height of the town hall. There were several levels of balconies, a podium and stage stood on the far side. Benches were organized in semi circle rows in front of the stage.
The ceiling formed a dome and had been painted with depictions of people. The one that stood out the most was a large battle. It had been done before the Severing. The battle included Hunwei that were dressed in armor similar to those Jorad had seen in person. He recognized several Hunwei ships like those he'd seen in Neberan. There were others ships that looked different and he guessed those had belonged to the humans.
The last time he'd been here, he'd thought it a work of fiction. Now it had become all too real. They crossed the floor and went through one of the many doors lining the opposite wall.
Several minutes later, on the second floor, Kiral ushered them into a large room, shutti
ng the door behind him. Bookshelves had been built into the walls and were filled with books. The left side of the room had additional shelves. One of which held scrolls. Another held artifacts. Jorad would have loved to spend several hours going through the artifacts without the watchful eye of Kiral. He wanted to know if there was anything they could use.
On the wall opposite the door, there was a row of windows that let in the morning light. The far right side of the room held five safes. In between the safes and the bookshelves were several tables and chairs.
“What can I help you find?” Kiral asked.
“Deren’s tablet,” Adar said.
“You should have mentioned that earlier and I could have saved us all time.” Kiral walked to the far side of the room and patted the third safe. The safes were almost as tall as Kiral. Jorad figured that it would take more than a handful of men to move just one. “It’s in here, and before you ask, I don’t have the key. The governor keeps it in his palace. He has never in my lifetime agreed to let somebody see it. But I can tell you this; the only thing on it is a single character for the ancient number nine.”
“What a waste of time,” Tere mumbled.
Adar didn’t look at all disheartened. Both Jorad and Adar had known all this beforehand. Adar shifted his blaster on his shoulder while studying the safe.
“No,” Jorad whispered. “You might destroy the tablet.”
“Hmm,” Adar said, staring at the two hinges on the front of the safe. “What now?”
“You’re thinking of blasting your way into that safe.”
“It may be our only option.”
The door opened and Karn rushed in. His face was bloody and he had their swords slung onto his back. Taking a deep breath, he pointed a finger at Tere.
“What have you done?” Karn took another breath and looked at Adar. “Trouble. Armed men.”
“How many?” Adar asked, casting a glare at Tere who didn't appear worried about Karn's sudden appearance or his accusation.
“Not sure, I didn't get a good look. Probably more than ten.”
Adar pushed Tere in front of him toward the door. “Trouble with thieves, huh? You just cost me the tablet.”
Jorad cursed Tere as they ran out the door, leaving a bewildered Kiral behind them in the archives. Had Tere done something on purpose to keep Adar from getting to the tablet? A whole list of possibilities started going through Jorad's mind while they ran. Adar should have drawn his sword and had it out with the man.