Evil Within

by Richard S. Tuttle

  "I will suffer confinement in a yurt outside of Natura for my punishment," the Salacian prince said seriously.

  "A yurt is not a prison," the Odessian prince retorted. "You Salacians do not understand the simplicity of the life of a nomadic people. A yurt is warmth and comfort in a hostile environment. It is the essence of the Odessian lifestyle. It is not a prison with cold, stone walls."

  Prince Antion doubled over in laughter. As long as he had known his two friends, Prince Derri had always teased Prince Umal about the Odessian yurts. No matter what the topic of conversation was, the Salacian prince always found a way to divert it to a yurt.

  "It is good to have you here, Derri," the Arin prince said as he regained his composure. "I would have indeed refused to let you join us in Kyland, but I would have been wrong to do so. It is fortunate that you are as stubborn as you are. We will need your help to track the killers of Jared's father."

  "If there is any trail at all," promised the Salacian prince, "we will find the killers."

  "We should return to our camp," urged Prince Umal. "Jared is not trained well enough to stand sentry duty."

  "I agree," nodded Prince Antion. "Get your things, Derri, and I will tell you about our friends along the way."

  * * *

  The morning had been awkward as Gunnar introduced Kenra to the rest of the camp. Everyone learned that Kenra had been the mysterious archer in Goodland, and that he was an old acquaintance of Gunnar and Horst, but little else was said about him except that he was an expert tracker. The group had finished their morning meal and were preparing to split up with Kerzi heading west to Anatar and the rest of the group moving north through the forest towards the last known location of Jared's father.

  "Kerzi is not strong enough for such a journey," Talot said softly as he caught Gunnar alone. "While his wounds are healed and his skin looks fine, he is as weak as a newborn puppy. One of us must accompany him on his journey."

  "Kerzi is stubborn and will not take kindly to anyone telling him that he is incapable of doing something," Gunnar pointed out. "He will probably refuse an escort."

  "Perhaps," sighed Talot, "but he is not fit for such a long journey."

  Gunnar frowned and turned to look at the old man. Kerzi shuffled around slowly as he tried to ready his horses for the journey, and Gunnar knew that Talot was correct. The merchant was not fit for a long journey by himself. The Arin prince stood watching for a minute, his mind searching for potential solutions. Finally, he nodded to himself as he realized what he must do. He walked over to Kerzi and waited for the old man to notice him.

  "It seems weird leaving without a wagon," Kerzi said softly. "I have spent my whole life centered around one."

  "You will have another one soon enough," smiled Gunnar, "but I am going to delay your departure for a few days if you don't mind."

  "I don't mind at all," Kerzi brightened, "but why?"

  "You know Capri fairly well," shrugged Gunnar. "You may prove helpful when we speak to the villagers up north. The rest of us are foreigners, and they may not open up as easily to us."

  "Anything I can do to help," the old man smiled and nodded.

  Gunnar helped the old man load his horses, and the group moved out in single file. Jared led the group, but Kenra rode right behind him, the Salacian's eyes constantly scanning the ground before them. At times the forest was dense with fallen trees and underbrush, but Jared always appeared to know where he was going. He would often leave the trail, turning into what appeared to be a maze of brush, but the maze would soon give way to another trail that had not been visible from the previous one.

  After hours of maneuvering through the forest, Jared led the group to a small clearing alongside a stream. He halted his horse and sat staring at the clearing as if expecting to see his father come running towards him. Tears formed in his eyes as he slid off the horse and walked forward. Kenra also dismounted and held his hand up to the rest of the group to keep them from riding into the clearing. The Salacian tracker followed Jared, watching the ground with every step. Jared walked to the stream's edge and disappeared from view as he passed behind the edge of a cliff that ran along the water upstream. Kenra followed and found Jared kneeling in a small, hidden alcove carved into the face of the cliff.

  Kenra nodded in appreciation of the campsite the man had chosen. The alcove would not be visible to anyone except someone on the other side of the stream, and the cliff across the stream was considerably higher and dense with trees. It was not a likely place for someone to be without a reason. The campsite itself was simple. There was an old stone fire ring and smoke stains on the wall of the cliff. There was just enough room for three or four people to stretch out for the night, and Kenra imagined that the stream provided fish as well as water.

  "It is a nice campsite," Kenra commented. "Is this the last place you saw your father?"

  "It is," nodded Jared. "We spent many months here at several different times. When anyone got close, we would move to another campsite, but months later we would return here. It was father's favorite site. I can still picture him sitting there smoking his pipe. At night the stars over the stream would be bright and twinkling. In springtime the stream would sometimes rise high and flood most of this place, but the waters always receded, and we eventually came back again. We never bothered anyone," Jared suddenly frowned. "Why did everyone chase us?"

  "I don't know," Kenra answered sadly. "There are always bad people in the world, but you and your father certainly did not seem to be a threat to any of them. Who can say what goes through people's minds?"

  Kenra knelt and ran his hand through the ashes in the fire ring. His eyes drifted to a small ledge jutting out from the cliff face where someone had often tapped his pipe to empty it. He too could almost picture a man sitting there, relaxed in his secret hideaway.

  "Did this alcove flood every spring?" he asked Jared.

  "Every one that I ever knew about," nodded the lad. "It wasn't terribly bad, though. We always had to rebuild the fire ring, but the floods usually left some wood behind for the fire. I guess the good and bad always evens out."

  "Did others ever use this alcove for camping?" questioned the tracker.

  "I don't think anyone else knows about it," Jared shook his head. "If father had ever seen someone else camping here, he would never come back. Once a secret place is discovered, it is not secret any more."

  Kenra turned and gazed downstream. He could not see Gunnar or the others, but he could hear the sounds of their voices and the restlessness of the horses. He turned and looked upstream and became aware of Jared watching him closely.

  "What are you looking for?" asked Jared. "How can you possibly find the killers by standing here and staring at the water?"

  Kenra turned and smiled at Jared. "Everybody leaves traces of their passing, Jared. Sometimes those traces are hard to find, but they are there. One must learn to be patient and observant, but there is always something to discover by looking closely."

  "What have you discovered by looking at this campsite?" asked Jared.

  Kenra frowned thoughtfully as he stared at Jared. Instead of answering the question, he signaled for the lad to sit and then sat down himself.

  "Tell me of your father's death," urged the Salacian tracker.

  "There is nothing to tell," shrugged Jared. "I did not see it happen. One day he sent me to a village not far to the east. When I returned, he was gone. I waited here for him for several weeks, and he never returned."

  "Then how do you know that he is dead?" asked Kenra.

  "Because he would not just leave me," frowned Jared. "His biggest fear was that someone would hurt me. There is no other reason for him not returning. He was murdered."

  "Did he send you to the village frequently?" asked Kenra.

  "Maybe once a week," nodded Jared. "I would bring things for him to repair, and the villagers would give us fruits and vegetables in return. They were very friendly to me."

  "Did your father
ever go to the village?" inquired the Salacian.

  "No," Jared shook his head. "He never went where other people might be. It was not safe. The people hunters would learn of it, and we would have to run again. No one seemed to question me when I went to the villages, so that was my task to do."

  "That makes sense," nodded Kenra. "Can you remember the days just before the one when you left for the village that last time? Was there anything different about them? Did your father act differently?"

  Jared stared off into space for several moments before answering. "He acted tired," Jared eventually answered. "I don't mean the kind of tired that you face from too little sleep, but rather the sort of tired one gets from working on something for a long time and making no progress with it. Why does this matter?"

  "It matters," assured the Salacian. "Continue."

  "I don't know anything else," sighed Jared. "There was something else strange," the lad offered after a moment of silence. "I found him staring at me strangely quite a few times during those last days, and once I saw him crying. When he noticed me watching him cry, he rose and left the alcove. I think he was embarrassed because I had never known him to cry before. Neither of us ever mentioned it."

  Kenra nodded thoughtfully and rose to his feet. He extended his hand to Jared and pulled the lad to his feet.

  "Let's return to the others," Kenra said. "I think we will make camp in the clearing out there."

  Jared nodded and led the way along the cliff face. He announced that they were making camp and everyone began their chores to prepare for the night, even though there were several hours of light yet available. Kenra pulled Gunnar aside and Horst came over to hear what was being said.

  "What did you find?" asked Gunnar. "Is there any chance of tracking the killers after so much time?"

  "I am not sure that the man is dead," replied Kenra.

  "What do you mean?" Horst asked.

  "From what the lad says," Kenra began, "no one else knew of the alcove. He clarified that by saying that his father would not use the campsite if anyone else knew of it. You told me that Jared left here last year to move to Salacia. Is that correct?"

  "It is what he told me," nodded Gunnar.

  "Well," continued Kenra, "that alcove floods every spring, yet someone has been camping there since the spring floods. In fact, someone slept there last night."

  "Are you sure?" asked Horst.

  "Positive," nodded Kenra. "There was still some minor warmth at the bottom of the fire pit. There had been no fire in hours, but most certainly one in the last day. Besides that, there are the leavings of a pipe smoker from recent days, and Jared confirmed that his father smoked a pipe."

  "Why would the man chase his son away?" puzzled Gunnar. "It makes no sense whatsoever. Jared led me to believe that the man loved him."

  "I believe it," Kenra agreed. "It sounded like their last days were stressful for the man. I suspect he made a decision that it would be better for the lad to leave him, but he did not really want to do it. He waited for Jared to make his weekly trip to the village and then fled."

  "So the father is still alive?" frowned Gunnar. "What did Jared think of your thoughts?"

  "I have not shared them," Kenra replied, "and I am not sure that we should. Whatever the man's reasons, he did something that tore his heart apart, but something he thought best for his son. Are you really prepared to open the wounds that you will tear apart by bringing up the fact that the father abandoned the lad?"

  "I don't know," the Arin prince sighed heavily. "I do not want to hurt Jared, but I want very much to talk to his father."

  "Are the two impossible to achieve separately?" questioned Horst. "Can we not track the father without letting Jared know about it?"

  "That would be difficult," answered Kenra, "but not impossible. The lad knows the secret camping spots of his father, and the man is clever, Gunnar. I will take you to see this alcove they used. It is perfect for hiding from people. I could hear your party from there, and I could have been gone upstream before you reached it. I may never find his other hiding spots without Jared."

  "If anyone can," smiled Gunnar, "it is you. We will try to track down the father without Jared's help. Only if that fails will we bring the lad into the search."

  "How do we begin?" asked Horst.

  "There are two paths to begin this search," declared the Salacian prince. "One requires someone to visit the village east of here. The father has to get his supplies from somewhere, and I think he has been in this vicinity recently. Jared told me that he got fruits and vegetables from the village, but I suspect he also got the bocco for his pipe there. The man might go without ale, but he is still smoking his pipe."

  "I will go to the village," volunteered Horst.

  "Be discreet," warned Kenra. "We do not want to spook the father. If we do, we will lose all chance of finding him."

  "It is the perfect task for Kerzi," smiled Gunnar. "He will fit right in with the villagers. Take him with you, Horst. Guide him to the village and wait beyond sight while he questions the visitors. Tell Kerzi what he needs to know on the way there. You can trust him with whatever we know. He will say nothing to harm Jared."

  "I will take care of it," promised Horst as he strode back towards the fire ring.

  "What is the other path?" asked Gunnar.

  "I want you to see the alcove," replied Kenra. "I am fairly certain that the father left when we approached. I think he went upstream, but I did not want to pursue the trail until we had talked."

  "What do we do with Talot and Monte?" asked the Arin prince.

  "That is up to you," shrugged Kenra. "We can use their help tracking the father, but someone needs to stay with Jared as well. Would they keep the truth from the lad to protect him?"

  "I think so," mused Gunnar, "but I am not sure. They would have to believe that it was the best thing to do. Do not get me wrong. Both are honest and loyal men, and I do not fear any betrayal from them, but there is a sort of dishonesty in what we are doing."

  "There is," agreed the Salacian prince, "but for the best of reasons. We must learn why the father thinks it is better for his son to believe that he is dead. The man may have a valid fear, and that could destroy the lad. I will leave informing them up to you."

  "I will dwell upon it," sighed Gunnar. "Show me the alcove."

  Kenra nodded and led the Arin prince across the clearing and along the stream to the alcove. While Gunnar looked around the alcove, Kenra edged upstream, hugging the cliff face that extended down to the stream. There was no path to speak of, and Kenra's boots sloshed in the water until a thin strip of soil appeared at the base of the cliffs. He knelt and examined the soil.

  "What did you find?" asked Gunnar as the Arin prince followed his friend.

  "Someone definitely came this way today," Kenra announced. "It would appear to be more than an hour ago."

  "Is that significant?" asked Gunnar.

  "Very significant," nodded the Salacian tracker. "It was not us that scared the father from his lair. Someone was approaching the alcove before us."

  "The people hunters that Jared spoke of?" scowled Gunnar.

  "I hope not," Kenra replied. "It will be hard enough to track this man if he is not suspecting that someone is on his trail, but if he knows his enemy is close, I imagine that he has the capability to make tracking him very difficult."

  "We will need to be careful about camp security," frowned Gunnar. "If the father has a reasonable fear of harm to Jared, and the people hunters are nearby, we must protect the lad well. We cannot spare Talot and Monte for the search."

  "Agreed," nodded Kenra. "I am going to follow this trail further. You go back and get our horses. Try to find a path around the cliff, and we will meet up wherever this trail comes out of the gorge."

  Gunnar turned and made his way back to the alcove and then to the campsite in the clearing. Talot, Monte, and Jared looked at him with questioning eyes, and the Arin prince approached them to explain the situatio
n.

  "We need a very secure camp tonight," Gunnar announced. "There might be potentially hostile forces in the area."

  "Where has everyone else gone?" asked Monte. "We seem to be left out of what is going on."

  "Horst and Kerzi have gone off to visit the nearby village," answered Gunnar. "They may not be back until after dark. Kenra and I are going north a ways to see if we can pick up a trail that he is following. I don't know when we will be back."

  "Is that wise?" asked Talot. "It seems as if we are splitting up in small groups."

  "I do not know if it is wise," answered Gunnar, "but it is necessary. Kenra just realized that others might be in the area. It is too late to recall Horst and Kerzi from their journey, and Kenra and I may be in a race to save a man's life. We have no choice. You two must protect Jared at any cost. Can you do that?"

  Talot glanced at his long, two-headed axe and his long spears, and nodded solemnly. "We will protect the lad with our lives," he declared.

  "That's right," Monte readily agreed as he picked up his bow and strung two quivers over his shoulder. "You take care of Kenra and yourself, Gunnar. We will be here when you get back."

  Gunnar saddled his horse and Kenra's. He attached all of the packs as if they were moving out of the camp and then mounted his horse. He tied the reins of Kenra's horse to his saddle and set off to find a path around the gorge. As he made his way through the mature forest, his eyes rose to check the angle of the sun. Over half the day was already gone and soon he would be worrying about the failing light. He was not happy about the chaotic way the day had unfolded, but he saw no alternative to his current course of action.

  Chapter 28 - Tracking

  Tracking

  As they neared the village, the paths became better defined, and its location became apparent. Once the buildings were in sight, Horst dismounted and found a place to watch the village without being seen. He then allowed Kerzi to continue onward.

  The village was fairly small with no inn at all. It was not in an area where travelers were frequent and no accommodation had been made for them. There was not an actual tavern, either, but there was a shop that sold necessities, and it hosted a number of chairs and two tables where locals could gather and drink ale. The rest of the village consisted of small homes with large gardens and one large farm. Kerzi headed straight for the shop.