Quest's End: The Broken Key #3

by Brian S. Pratt

  Chad nodded then cast one last glance back at the timbers before Kevik’s light moved on and they disappeared back into the darkness.

  A minute later Bart announced, “There’s another one.” And sure enough, another pair of timbers was braced against the ceiling. At their base, the floor was also stained a reddish hue, testament to the lethality of the trap.

  “Deadly sort of place,” quipped Chyfe.

  “You could say that,” Bart replied. Then just as before, they slipped through the two timbers and proceeded on.

  The timbers had barely faded back into the darkness behind them when they noticed the floor beginning to slant downward at a gentle angle. Not far after that they came to another open pit in the floor. Planks were placed across to allow movement from one side to the other. As they crossed over, Kevik’s light illuminated iron spikes dotting the bottom. Unlike the pit trap they had found previously, there was no rotting corpse.

  “Nice of them to trip all the traps for us,” Riyan said.

  “Sure is a lot easier than what we went through in Algoth,” Bart said. Then he glanced back at Riyan and grinned. “But not as much fun.”

  “Fun he calls it,” argued Kevik as he rolled his eyes. “We almost died time and again.”

  “Almost, Kevik,” replied Bart. “That’s what made it a great adventure.”

  Kevik just shook his head. Putting one’s life in jeopardy wasn’t what he would call a ‘great adventure’.

  Ten feet past the pit, they came to an area with irregular charcoal outlines drawn on the floor. Bart had them pause a couple feet before reaching them. It looked like someone had drawn odd shaped ovals along the floor. “Kevik,” he said to the magic user, “hold out your light as close to those as you can.”

  Kevik nodded then stretched his arm out. They could see at least ten of the oval shaped markings spaced along the passage ahead. Half of the last one disappeared where the illumination of Kevik’s light ended.

  “Pressure plates,” Bart said. “Has to be.”

  “What do they do?” Kevik asked.

  “Let’s find out,” Bart said. Then he motioned for the others to step back a ways. Removing a length of rope from his pack, Bart secured it to the shoulder straps of his pack. Once it was on tight, he took the rope in hand and began swinging the pack back and forth above the floor. When he had sufficient momentum built up, he let it go. Sailing across the floor, the pack landed dead center on the first of the charcoal outlines.

  Ping!

  Something shot from the right and struck the stone wall on the left, three feet from the floor before falling to the ground. Bart moved forward and found it to be a two inch dart with a jagged, glistening point.

  He avoided any contact with the glistening substance as he picked it up. Holding it for the others to see he said, “Poisoned dart. Stepping on any of the pressure plates would have a similar affect I’m sure.” Tossing the dart to the ground, he added, “Make sure to avoid the charcoal outlines and we should be fine.” When he stepped back from where he had retrieved the dart, he pulled in the rope.

  Untying his pack, he slung it again over his back and began making his way through the field of pressure plates. “Kevik,” he said. “Cast a light spell every few feet until we get through. That should give everyone sufficient light to make their way.”

  “You got it,” replied Kevik. A moment later, a bobbing sphere appeared and began moving about. He heard Bart sigh when he saw it. He knew how much they annoyed him. “Just like Algoth,” he said with a grin. “Part of the ‘fun’ we had.”

  Bart glanced back at him and grinned, then laughed. “Come on,” he said. Riyan and Chad chuckled too. They then began carefully wending their way between the deadly pressure plates outlined on the floor.

  The pressure plates extended for a good thirty feet before they ended. After that, the passage returned to a more level state as it continued on.

  “How far does this go?” asked Chyfe. “Doesn’t it seem a bit excessive?”

  “It does seem that way,” agreed Chad. “But who knows what purpose this place originally had?”

  “True,” Chyfe agreed.

  The passage continued for another forty feet before opening up onto a room. Murals adorned two of the four walls. One depicted a scene of warriors fighting demons, the same demons that had been portrayed in a similar mural in The Crypt, and as demonic statues beneath the Ruins of Algoth. The third wall, the one directly opposite where they stood, bore a large rendition of the coat of arms bearing the stripe. Beneath the coat of arms were four separate, indented spaces. Each of the indented spaces was curved and sank three inches into the wall with a two inch space separating each from its neighbors. Looking at the spaces as a whole, they appeared to form a broken circle.

  “Yes!” Riyan exclaimed. It was just like what Bart and Kevik had found deep beneath the Ruins of Algoth. Back then, Bart had placed one of the key segments within one of the indented spaces which had caused a secret door to open revealing the hiding place of another key segment.

  “Take it easy,” cautioned Bart. He could tell his friend was barely able to restrain the urge to rush forward. “Let me have a look around, first.”

  Aside from the murals and coat of arms adorning the walls, the floor was littered with the shattered remains of over a score of chests. Whatever treasures they once contained were long gone.

  “Kevik, cast your detect magic spell if you would,” Bart said before entering the room. Behind him he heard Kevik mutter the magical words, then the wall bearing the coat of arms began to glow blue, indicating that there was magic present.

  “Thanks,” Bart said as he moved into the room and slowly crossed over to the glowing wall. When he drew closer, he discovered indications that someone had tried breaking through the wall bearing the coat of arms. Hundreds of nicks scored the wall in the area of the four indented spaces, but none had caused much damage.

  Raising his voice so it would carry to where the others still stood in the passage, he said, “Looks like they tried to break their way through here and failed.”

  “So it should still be there?” asked an excited Riyan.

  Bart glanced back to him and nodded. Then he waved for the others to join him. “I think it’s safe,” he told them.

  Riyan was the first out of the passage and practically ran across the room. Before he was halfway there, he had his pack off and was digging through it for one of the three segments wrapped in cloth at the bottom. As he reached Bart’s side, he pulled forth one of the segments and dropped his pack to the floor. With hands almost shaking from excitement, he removed the cloth covering it.

  “Which one should I put it in?” he asked.

  Bart shrugged. “Pick one,” he replied. “If nothing happens, try another.”

  “Alright,” said Riyan. Then kneeling down before the indented spaces comprising the broken circle, he chose the bottom one. As he brought it forward, his hands were shaking so badly he couldn’t get the segment lined up with the indented space. It was only through a sheer force of will did he quiet his trembling hands and insert the segment within the indented space. No sooner had he inserted it in as far as it would go than a rumbling sound was heard coming from the other side of the wall. A half second later, a section of the floor to his right began dropping out of sight. When the rumbling finally came to a stop, where the floor had dropped, were now steps leading down.

  “Just like on the island,” breathed Chyfe.

  Riyan nodded and came to his feet. Moving quickly, he was the first to the top of the steps. The steps descended toward, and then passed beneath, the wall bearing the coat of arms. Turning to Bart, he said, “This is it!”

  Coming to stand beside him, Bart clapped him on the back. “Let’s go get it,” he said. Then he stepped onto the top step and together, they began making their way down. Kevik came next with staff aglow. Chyfe and Chad brought up the rear.

  Twelve steps in all, they came to an end at a small r
oom. In the center of the room was a four foot high marble pedestal. But when Kevik’s light came and filled the room revealing all, the excitement that had filled Riyan since first seeing the mural upstairs, died. For dirt and broken pieces of stone filled the left side of the room. A hole gaped in the ceiling. Someone had beaten them to it. The segment was gone!

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  __________________________

  It had been over a week since they left their homes in Terix. As soon as the storm broke and the roads cleared to a manageable level, Raestin decided to make a visit to Quillim to see the woman who so captivated him. He made a brief stop at a friend’s home in Wardean and now was on the road making his way through the forested hills a few hours south of the woman he loved.

  Being away from her so long had been almost more than he could bear. And as soon as he felt the time was right, he would propose. But for them to marry so soon after meeting would be deemed improper to some. So in difference to her reputation and society’s conventions, he must wait.

  Beside him on a pale chestnut stallion rode Paul, the ‘Captain’ of his guards. Or so he liked to think of himself. He had been protecting Raestin’s caravans since Raestin was but a green trader. Now, fifteen years later, they had a friendship that was much more than that of employer and hired guard.

  As they rode through the wintry countryside, signs of the coming of spring were everywhere and Paul knew what was on his friend’s mind. “Conventions be damned,” he said for the hundredth time. “Ask her to marry when we arrive.” When Raestin glanced toward him, Paul added, “You two love each other. It’s been months since you first began courting her. You’re getting too old to be playing these foolish games.”

  “I know,” the trader replied. Then what Paul had said actually registered. “Old?” Glancing sidelong to his friend, he saw him break into a grin. “But I could no more rush our union than the blossoming of a budding rose.” He heard his friend sigh in resignation. This wasn’t the first time they had discussed his and Kaitlyn Borenson’s future life together. “All I can say is, we’ll see when we get there.” In truth, this waiting was beginning to wear on him. If she gave even the slightest indication, he would propose on the spot and as Paul said, conventions be damned!

  Riding behind the pair were another half dozen guards. Some had been with Raestin almost as long as Paul. These were the men he refused to cut loose during the winter months while his caravan wintered. Each had families and desperately needed the coins he paid them. To be cut loose until spring would bring them undue hardship, and that was something he simply couldn’t allow. He knew their wives and children almost as well as he knew his own. Besides, he had the coins to spare and knew they wouldn’t take charity. They were proud men.

  “Riders to the south,” Kern, a five foot six inch guard with neatly trimmed dark brown hair announced from the rear. He was a five year veteran with Raestin and good in a fight. A fact he has proven on more than one occasion.

  Two riders were gradually overtaking them. From the looks of them, they were a seedy pair.

  “Trouble do you think?” asked Paul.

  “I wish,” replied Sterret in a bored tone. All six foot five inches spoke the warrior. Why he never joined the Guild was something he hadn’t ever felt the need to share with the others. Raestin wondered at times why he was happy being just a caravan guard when there was so much more he could experience. But as he was honest and one who Raestin could trust with his life, Raestin never pursued the matter.

  Raestin kept them at their present pace, all the while the riders continued to draw closer. When they finally came abreast and began to pass, Raestin nodded to them and said, “Good day to you.”

  One man, who was missing part of his left ear and had the look of one whom never smiled, glanced toward him but didn’t return the salutation.

  “On your way to Quillim?” asked Paul in a friendly manner.

  The riders came to an abrupt halt and took a good look at the eight riders. “Are you traveling to Quillim too?” asked the man with the partial ear. Beside him, his companion who was a great deal shorter had his hand on the hilt of his sword and looked for all the world like he was about to attack. Whatever response Paul had expected, it wasn’t this.

  Paul locked eyes with Half-ear and said, “Yes.” Behind him, Raestin’s other guards placed their hands on the hilt of their swords. All of them were confused as to the reaction of the men. Sterret edged his horse closer to the two men. If there was fighting to be done, he wanted to be first in line.

  Half-ear squinted his eyes and came close to having an almost feral look. “You ain’t gonna beat us to it!” he screamed. Then he and his companion kicked their horses and bolted down the road.

  Raestin and his guards sat on their horses in stupefied shock by the man’s exclamation. “What was that all about?” asked Paul as he watched the two men quickly disappearing down the road.

  Shaking his head, Raestin replied, “I don’t know.” Then nudging his horse in the sides, they resumed their progress to Quillim.

  An hour later, their road was joined by a river emerging from the hills to the east. There the river turned to follow a more northerly route as it ran alongside the road.

  It wasn’t far now. Soon the bridge crossing over the river toward Quillim should be coming into sight. Raestin started thinking about Kaitlyn, pretty much as he had every day since their first meeting. The way her hair caught the sunlight, the slight crinkle at the corners of her eyes when she smiled, every memory firmly etched into the halls of his mind.

  “Something up ahead,” announced Paul, breaking him out of his reverie. Focusing on the here and now, Raestin saw a lone horse atop the crest of the next hill. It stood there motionless, its head turned away from them, almost as if it was looking further up the road.

  “It’s just a horse,” observed, Cailin. The youngest and newest recruit, he was still a bit green about the ears. The only reason Raestin hadn’t cut him loose with the others for the winter, was Paul’s insistence that he remain. Seems he has a child on the way with only his wife’s aged mother to help out. Five foot four with fiery red hair, he was decent with a crossbow. His swordplay on the other hand was decidedly worse. Despite Paul’s continued drills and coaching, his sword was better left in its scabbard should trouble develop.

  “Maybe,” replied Paul as he brought them to a stop. “It might be best if I check this out first,” he said to Raestin. When he received a nod from the trader, he said, “Cailin,” and indicated for the young guard to come with him. Then he nudged his horse forward and proceeded toward the horse. Cailin hurried to catch up.

  “Do you really think this is trouble?” Cailin asked. The horse on the hill still hadn’t turned to look their way.

  “It doesn’t feel right,” replied Paul. “After a while, you get a sense for such things.”

  As he rode at Paul’s side, Cailin scanned the horizon for any sign of trouble. His crossbow remained slung across his back, easily accessible should the need arise. They were almost halfway to the crest in the hill where the horse stood when Cailin’s horse snorted. Turning its head in their direction, the horse atop the rise shied away a foot or two before coming to a stop.

  “It’s skittish,” observed Cailin. Beside him, Paul nodded.

  Looking first toward the area adjacent to the river, Paul quickly took in his surroundings. Except for the horse, everything appeared as it should. “Get your crossbow ready,” he said quietly.

  Quickly removing it from behind his back, Cailin cranked the handle until the wire clicked into position. Then he removed a bolt from the quiver that was secured to the saddle’s pommel and loaded it. “Ready,” he said. Again, Paul only nodded.

  Slow but steady they made their way toward the horse before them. A couple times the horse made to flee, but always returned to the same spot. When Paul was within half a dozen yards, he saw the body lying on the road. Two arrows were sticking from the man’s back.
r />   “Bandits!” Cailin exclaimed.

  “Possibly,” said Paul, though his tone said he didn’t believe it. “Why didn’t they take the horse?”

  “Because…” began Cailin before stopping. “I don’t know.”

  “Exactly,” replied Paul. He then glanced to his young protégé. “Keep alert,” he said, “just as I taught you.”

  Cailin nodded and placed the butt of the crossbow against his shoulder. Though he held it loosely, he could raise it and fire in no time.

  Paul moved forward, continuously scanning the hills to either side as he did. Ten feet beyond the first dead man was another. He too had been killed by an arrow. The deadly missile had taken him through the neck. Of this man’s horse, there was no sign.

  When he reached the man to whom the horse had been staying near, he noticed the man only had half an ear. “It’s the two riders who passed us earlier,” he told Cailin.

  “Who attacked them?” Cailin asked.

  “I don’t know,” replied Paul. “They could still be in the area.” Scanning the area yet again, he didn’t see any sign of those who had done this. Swinging down from the saddle, he went over to Half-ear and knelt beside him. Checking the man’s belt pouch, he found half a dozen copper coins, two silvers, and a small gem that wouldn’t fetch very much. Leaving the coins and gem in the pouch, he stood up and glanced around the horizon again.

  “It wasn’t thieves that killed them,” he told Cailin. As his eyes came to rest on the young guard, he added, “He still has his coins.”

  “Then who did it?” asked Cailin in a voice full of confusion.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll report it to the Magistrate after we arrive in Quillim.” Moving to his horse, he grabbed the reins then remounted. “It’s none of our concern.” Turning to Cailin, he said, “I’ll stay here. Go tell Raestin it’s safe to proceed.”

  “Yes sir,” Cailin said. Then still holding his crossbow loosely, he turned his horse around and quickly returned to where Raestin and the others were waiting. A minute later, they joined Paul by the dead men.