Quest's End: The Broken Key #3

by Brian S. Pratt

  Torrim’s eyes widened slightly at first sight of the bottle. That he recognized it was clear. “You wish to procure a quantity of Guerloch?” he asked.

  “A contract for such, yes,” agreed Soth. “Would you know with whom we would need to speak?”

  “Yes,” replied Torrim, “though I’m not sure if that knowledge would do you much good.”

  “Why is that?” asked Soth.

  “Guerloch is a special brew,” he explained. “Only one winery that I know of makes it. And such is the secrecy behind the making of Guerloch, that the actual location of the winery is a closely guarded secret.”

  “Surely there must be a trader or agent in town where one could arrange for a shipment of Guerloch,” Soth said.

  “There is,” he replied. “But like I said, that knowledge won’t do you any good.” When he saw Seth’s face grow into a grimace, he explained. “The one with whom you would need to arrange such a contract resides in the castle. His name is Lord Honni. Last year, his son was killed during a border skirmish with Byrdlon’s soldiers. He’s unlikely to listen to anything you have to say.”

  “And he’s the only one with which we could secure a contract for Guerloch?” asked Riyan.

  Torrim glanced to Riyan in surprise for having spoken. “I’m afraid so,” the wine maker replied.

  “I see,” Soth said. Standing up, he extended his hand which was taken by Torrim. “Thank you for taking the time to talk with us.”

  Torrim shook Soth’s hand then nodded. “Any time,” he replied.

  Soth turned and made to leave the wine merchant’s establishment. One of the guards opened the door for them as they passed through into the street. Once the door was closed behind them, Chyfe asked, “Now what?”

  “We return to the inn and wait for Bart’s return,” Riyan stated. “After that we’ll figure something out. Maybe arrange a meeting with this Lord Honni despite what Torrim said.” With the others following, he led them through the streets back to the inn. He hoped Bart was having better luck.

  Chapter Thirteen

  __________________________

  Before the gates leading into the castle area was a large plaza. Aside from the aesthetic value such would give the area, Bart could tell that in the event of an attack, it would also provide the castle defenders a clear killing field.

  The gates themselves were two massive iron doors that could withstand some serious beating before they failed. Archers and guards patrolled the top of the wall, six guards were positioned within the gate area itself. The uniforms of the guards bore the crest that had been on the wine bottle, a sure sign that they were on the right track.

  For the most part, the guards only observed as people dressed in fine attire passed through the gates. Occasionally, a guard would speak a moment with one of those traversing the gate area before allowing them to move along.

  All this Bart saw from the entrance of an alley on the far side of the plaza. There was no way a person so obviously from Byrdlon as he would make it through to the other side without being questioned. More than likely, they’d bar his entry entirely.

  But he hadn’t really expected to walk through the gates. That’s why he had brought the Cloak. Glancing around to make sure none of those within the plaza were looking in his direction, he pulled the Cloak’s hood over his head and closed the front. Confident that he was now invisible, he strode from the alley and crossed the plaza toward the gates leading into the castle area.

  No one noticed him as he crossed the plaza. Twice he had to alter his course in order to avoid being run into by those in the plaza. That was the only drawback to wearing the Cloak, he ran the risk of having people walk into him if he wasn’t careful.

  As he came nearer the gates, he was forced to pause a moment due to the volume of people passing through. He stood off to the side as he waited for the gate area to clear sufficiently so he could pass to the other side without the danger of coming into contact with someone. When it finally cleared satisfactorily, he moved quickly and passed through the short thirty foot tunnel to the other side.

  A small figure emerged from the alley where Bart had activated the Cloak’s concealing magic. Eyes wide, the boy stared at the spot where the man who had given him the silver earlier had vanished. From the way he had stared at The River Man’s castle, Runt knew that had to be his destination.

  The man had disappeared! If he hadn’t of seen it with his own eyes he wouldn’t have believed it. Excited by such an unusual occurrence, Runt turned and scampered off in search of his two older brothers. He just had to tell them!

  Even invisible as he was, gaining access to the castle was going to be a challenge. For the courtyard on the other side of the gate was currently being used to drill soldiers. One half of the courtyard was composed of pairs sparring with wooden swords. The other held archers shooting at targets strapped to bales of hay a hundred paces away. It was a churning, chaotic melee. He couldn’t help but think that Riyan and Chad would probably feel right at home here.

  There was a narrow cleared space leading up to the entrance of the castle running between the two sides. Unfortunately, there were so many people using it that it was unlikely Bart could navigate through it to the castle without being caught.

  Bart took a moment to figure his best course of action. The fighters were moving about so much in such close quarters that it was unlikely he could make it through their ranks. He finally decided to brave the archers. If they were good, he had nothing to fear. Unfortunately, a moment of observation showed that they were anything but. Arrows flew wide, fell short, and only rarely did they hit the bales of hay. He figured they must be new recruits.

  Over sixty archers stood in a single row with their backs to the walkway leading to the castle gates. They were broken into squads of five, each being instructed by a more experienced archer. The cries, curses, and the rare congratulatory sentiments of the experienced archers, added to that of the battling pairs in the other half of the courtyard, created a deafening cacophony of noise.

  Bart positioned himself at the edge of the archery range, halfway between the archers and their targets. He patiently waited until the closest group of five had launched their volley before moving out. Once their arrows were in flight, he quickly moved forward, all the while keeping an eye on the next group of five. He stopped when he came close to where their arrows would pass, then waited until they had released before moving on.

  Utilizing this tactic, he passed in front of one group at a time as he slowly made his way across the archery range. He couldn’t believe the ineptness he was seeing demonstrated by the archers. Chad could do better. Maybe one in ten would actually hit the bales of hay, and half of those that did were nowhere near the center of the target. It was slow going, but he finally passed the last group of archers and made his way from the archery range.

  The entrance to the castle was a wide set of double doors, both of which were open to their fullest. Two guards were stationed on either side of the entryway. Like the guards at the earlier gate and the men practicing in the courtyard, their uniforms bore the crest that had been on the wine bottle. Banners emblazoned with the crest hung on the walls behind the guards.

  Passing through was a simple matter. He stood back from the gate and watched the people as they came and went. Biding his time, he waited until a moment came when the gate was clear, then quickly entered the castle.

  A short corridor soon opened up onto a large foyer from which multiple avenues allowed one to move deeper into the castle. Once within the foyer, Bart quickly moved along the wall to the right several feet before coming to a stop. From there he observed those in the foyer, and those passing through.

  The majority of the people were moving through a large set of doors directly opposite the short corridor he just vacated. One rather officious looking man of middle years appeared from a hallway to Bart’s right. He paused a couple feet in the foyer as he scanned everyone in sight, then quickly turned about and disappe
ared back into the hallway.

  As Bart stood and observed the comings and goings of the Orack nobility, he worked on determining his best course of action. Somehow they needed to learn how the coat of arms from The Crypt had become part of the River Man’s family crest. There was always the possibility that it was pure coincidence, but Bart really didn’t believe that. His personal theory was that someone in the River Man’s past had stumbled upon ruins bearing the coat of arms and decided to add it to theirs.

  A history with a little more detail than what the Keeper of the Archives had given Riyan back in Gilbeth was likely what he’d need to find. And that would have to be located in the castle’s library. Now, where was the library likely to be located?

  Bart figured the library wouldn’t be on the ground floor, as the ground floor would be used for day to day operations. Deciding he had to go in search of a way to the second floor and beyond, he started moving toward the hallway on his right. Before he reached the entrance to the hallway, the officious looking man appeared once again. With an impatient look upon his face, he again scanned those in the foyer.

  Bart was forced to come to a stop as the man was standing just before the mouth of the hallway, and it would be a tight squeeze to make it past. He waited against the wall near the man, wishing he would return back the way he had come.

  The man remained before the hallway for a longer duration than he had before. Eyes roaming the foyer, the man didn’t look pleased. Bart was about to cross over to another hallway leading from the foyer when the man’s roving gaze came to a stop and he suddenly strode forward.

  At last! Bart thought to himself. Just as he started toward the hallway, he heard a voice say, “You’re late!” Glancing back, he saw the officious man talking with another who struck Bart as being somehow familiar. The paler skin of the man marked him as being from Byrdlon.

  The man whom he was talking with replied, “Would have been here sooner but that damn hunter had to make a stopover to make sure his mules were alright.”

  The officious man glared at the other, then turned back toward the hallway. “Follow me,” he said. “We have much to discuss.”

  Bart remained a couple feet from the mouth of the hallway as the two men approached. When they passed him, recognition came. It was the man who they had run across north of the crossroads just south of Hunter’s Reach. He had mistaken them for that hunter Burdy. Now what could he be doing here? Curiosity piqued, Bart followed them.

  The hallway through which they passed held lit oil lamps ever fifty feet. Bart kept a discreet distance behind the two men as they progressed deeper into the castle. They finally passed through a doorway on the left side and closed it behind them.

  Bart looked at the closed door and cursed. There was no way to open the door without attracting the notice of those on the other side. If the door had opened to the outside and exposed to the elements, then perhaps they might have believed the wind had blown it open. But since they were inside, such a probability was unlikely. Moving closer, he put his ear to the door and listened. Muffled voices could be heard coming from the other side, but the thickness of the wood hindered his ability to understand what was being said.

  Frustrated at not being able to hear, Bart decided not to waste time satisfying his curiosity and to continue his search for the library. Finding out about the crest and the coat of arms took priority. Moving away from the door, he began exploring the hallways for a way up.

  During his search, he would at times have to flatten himself against the wall to avoid coming into contact with others who were using the hallway. Once he even had to quickly duck into a side room when a group of four servants appeared in the hallway ahead of him and were coming his way.

  When at last he found the stairway up, he took them quickly to the second floor. The hallway where the stairwell ended was better illuminated, with lanterns embedded within the walls spaced every twenty feet. With one way being as good as the other, he turned to his right and began searching for the library.

  The first door he came to was ajar. He paused a moment to look through the opening and found an unused bedroom, most likely intended for guests. Not being what he wanted, he continued on. The next three doors yielded more unused rooms similar to the first, the fourth opened onto a hallway. Servants moved along its length upon various errands in sufficient numbers to preclude Bart from navigating safely through them. Before he moved on, he caught a whiff of an unmistakable odor coming from further down the servant filled hallway. Somewhere not far from where he stood was an indoor jakes. He thought that in a place such as this, they were a necessity, but he’d hate to have a room near one due to the odor. Moving on, he continued his search for the library.

  At times, the hallway would have alcoves. Some were relatively small recesses bearing the bust of a man, while others were large enough for a person to step within, one even held an ornately carved chair. He followed the hallway around a corner and had gone a ways when he came to one of the larger alcoves. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something that brought him to a halt. It was a tapestry, and hanging as it was behind a full sized statue of a woman bearing a vase, he almost hadn’t seen it.

  Woven within the tapestry’s design was the River Man’s family crest. At first he wasn’t sure why this particular tapestry had piqued his interest. After all, he had passed dozens of similar tapestries hanging in hallways during his search. Then understanding came.

  It was the design it bore was the crest, but not exactly. The part of the crest which he and the others believed to be the coat of arms from The Crypt was missing. It was exactly the same in every other respect.

  Bart stepped around the statue and moved forward to give the tapestry a closer examination. The edges of the tapestry showed signs of age; a tear here, fading there. Clearly this had been in existence for quite some time. He pulled it a little ways from the wall to see what was behind it. He let it go when he didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Bart hadn’t really expected to find anything, but you never know.

  He started to leave the alcove when he heard footsteps approaching. They were coming from down the hallway through which he had come. Still invisible, he peered down the hallway and froze.

  A score of armed men were approaching. In front of the armed men were four others. One was a man in his early to late twenties, dressed in light leather armor of the finest quality. At his hip hung a sword, and he walked with an unmistakable air of command. Behind him strode two others, civilians by their dress. But it wasn’t the man with the air of command, the civilians, or even the armed men which had him worried. Rather it was the one wearing a magic user’s robe that led the group.

  In his hand the magic user held a ball of purplish light that shot forth micro bursts of lightning every few seconds. His attention was fixed upon the ball of light, except for the occasional glances he cast down the hallway before him.

  “It’s close now my lord,” the magic user said.

  ‘What?’ thought Bart. ‘What is close?’

  The man whom the magic user addressed as ‘my lord’ was the one with the air of command. Bart watched as the lord placed his hand upon the hilt of his sword, his eyes scanning to and fro as they steadily approached.

  Bart held his breath as the party approached the alcove. He saw the lord glance within as he came abreast, but invisible as he was, Bart remained unnoticed.

  The magic user came to a sudden stop two paces beyond the alcove. The purplish ball of light in his palm was giving off a steady crackle now as dozens of micro bursts continuously leaped from its surface. The magic user glanced to his lord and nodded.

  “Fan out and find the intruder,” the lord said.

  That’s all Bart needed to hear. Still invisible, he leaped from the alcove and shoved the nearest guard. Knocking him off balance and into the others, Bart fled down the hallway.

  “Stop!” the lord commanded. But Bart ignored him and kept on running.

  “Where i
s he!” one guard shouted.

  Before Bart reached the corner where the hallway turned to the right, he heard the magic user begin intoning arcane words of magic. He weaved back and forth knowing that his attempt to avoid whatever was coming was most likely futile. Then all of a sudden, the walls began radiating a bluish glow.

  “There he is!” a guard yelled just as his lord shouted, “After him!”

  Bart bounded around the corner and fled to where he knew the stairs down to be. Up ahead, a servant exited from a room and glanced in his direction. The girl’s eyes widened and a scream of fear echoed as she raced back in the room.

  She saw me! A quick check showed the Cloak was still in place, yet she had seen him. That’s when he realized it wasn’t the walls that were glowing blue, but himself. The magic user had somehow revealed him!

  Behind him the first of the guards was turning the corner. A shout for him to stop came once again which he pointedly ignored. Putting on even more speed, he raced for the stairway to the lower level. When it finally appeared before him, he saw six guards blocking his way. Two of them had bows.

  “Halt!” one of the guards ordered when they saw him coming. The two with bows quickly had arrow to string and were drawing their arrows back to fire.

  Bart came to a quick halt. Behind him, the guards with the lord and magic user were approaching fast. He stood there and raised his hands. The gesture of surrender caused those at the head of the stairwell to relax slightly. But that was just what Bart was hoping they would do. With a quick leap to the side, he shouldered into one of the doors to the unused rooms he had inspected earlier. Knocking it open, he was soon to the other side and had the door shut and barred in the blink of an eye. The bolt keeping the door shut was rather simple and wasn’t designed to keep out determined men. It wouldn’t last long.

  Casting a quick glance around the room, he spied a heavy chest sitting against the wall. Moving quickly, he pulled the chest over to in front of the door just as the first pounding came from the other side.