“Absolutely,” agreed Soth with an air of optimism.
Kevik took a calming breath to get himself under control. “Okay,” he said.
“Now, quick but not too quick,” Bart told him.
Moving from the room, they made for the stairway and without hesitation, descended to the ground floor. Bart was in the lead, with Soth walking next to Kevik to help conceal the protruding end of his staff. Bart cast a quick glance back to Kevik before they reached the last step. If he hadn’t of been looking for it, he probably wouldn’t have noticed where the staff stuck out. Turning back, he came to an abrupt halt as he almost ran into the soldier he had seen from his window.
Stepping out of the soldier’s way, Bart said, “Excuse me.”
Without replying, the soldiers glared at him as he passed by.
Once the soldier was on his way up, Bart quickly headed for the front door of the inn. There, he paused and looked out. Other soldiers were about, but none looked as if they were giving the inn any special attention. Their three horses remained tied to the rail.
This was the place where things could go bad. As Bart left the inn, he knew that if any of the locals who had seen them arrive had told the soldiers these were their horses, it was all over. Walking quickly but not enough to draw attention, he reached the horses. It took longer than anticipated to get Kevik into the saddle, the concealed staff making it difficult.
Once he was finally on his horse, Bart removed his pack and secured it behind Kevik’s saddle to better hide the lower end of his staff. Though not perfect, it should stand up to a casual inspection. A quick glance showed no one in the vicinity had taken notice of the staff’s end protruding from the quiver.
Soth was already in the saddle by the time Bart mounted. “Nice and easy,” Bart cautioned the other two. Then getting his horse underway, they started moving away from the inn.
Three soldiers emerged from a nearby shop and walked straight toward the inn. Barely ten feet away, the soldiers gave them a quick glance as they passed before continuing on.
“They were here,” Bart heard someone announce behind them. Glancing surreptitiously backward, he saw the soldier whom he had almost run into speaking with the others. “They can’t be far,” the soldier said. “Inform Captain Jeka.”
“Yes sir,” one of the three soldiers replied. Then all three turned about and hurried away.
Bart turned forward once again. It was probably just his imagination, but it felt like the eyes of the soldier were boring into the back of his head. Afraid to glance back and satisfy his curiosity, he continued on. At the first intersection they came to, he immediately turned onto the side street.
“That was close,” murmured Soth.
“Yes it was,” agreed Kevik. “I thought for sure we’d be discovered.”
“They are looking for a group with five pale-skinned northerners.” Bart explained. Holding up his now darkened arm he added, “As long as we don’t get wet, our disguise will hold.”
“Wet?” asked Kevik.
Bart nodded. “Water will wash it right off,” he explained. “I didn’t think there would be a decent apothecary in a town this size, so I asked for what I figured we could find.”
“Did you tell Riyan or any of the others about this?” asked Soth.
“I…” he began then trailed off as he realized his mistake. “Damn!”
Kevik chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll let Seth know.” A faraway look came to his face. When his face returned to normal, he said to Bart, “They know now.”
As they reached the northern edge of town and were passing through the outlying buildings, Soth gazed to the sky. A blue expanse broken only by the odd cloud stretched from one horizon to the other. With a day or more of riding before they reached Hylith, he fervently hoped it stayed that way. A rainstorm could prove problematic.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
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In an inn outside of Hylith, Riyan waited with growing impatience. They had been here for the better part of a day, and still Bart’s group hadn’t rendezvoused with them. Seth contacted Kevik several hours ago and found out they were still on their way. How long it was going to be they didn’t know.
The inn wherein they were staying was one of the more rundown establishments Hylith had to offer. It’s only redeeming value was that it sat outside the walls surrounding the city, at the outskirts along the road which Bart and the others would be coming. The window of their room overlooked the road, and immediately upon arriving, Riyan had pulled up a chair before it and sat down to watch for the others’ arrival.
Seth was currently inside the walls. It had fallen to him to enter the city and do a little reconnoitering while they waited for Bart’s group. His main objective was to try and find out all he could about the River Man. That way they could use the information to work out a plan to recover the final segment of the key once their friends arrived.
“Want some food?” Chad asked Riyan.
Riyan glanced back to the table where Chad was picking through the remainder of a meal they had sent up. “No,” he replied then turned back to the window. “I’m getting worried.”
Finding one of the last remaining morsels of meat amongst the fat and gristle, Chad skewered it with his knife and ate it. “I wouldn’t worry too much,” he assured his friend.
Sighing, Riyan nodded. “I know,” he replied. “But until I see them coming down the road, I’ll not be able to relax.”
“Suit yourself.” As he chewed, Chad hunted through the unwanted portions left upon the platter in the hopes of finding another nugget of meaty goodness.
Just then the door to their room opened. When Riyan turned and saw Seth walk in, he sighed in relief. That had been another worry plaguing him, fear that Seth would be captured.
“Find out anything?” asked Chad.
“He’s no longer in Hylith,” answered Seth.
Riyan got out of his chair and turned toward him. “The River Man’s gone?”
Nodding, Seth explained, “He left the day after we fled the city. Took most of his soldiers and guards with him too.”
“Any idea where he went?” asked Chyfe.
“The prevailing rumor is that he went north,” Seth explained as he made his way to the table. There he tore off a piece of bread and dipped it into the meat’s juice before shoving it into his mouth.
“North?” asked Riyan. “Why would he go north?”
Seth shrugged. “No one knew for sure. But they say he plans on sacking one of Byrdlon’s border towns.”
“Marl Crest maybe?” suggested Chyfe. “Though I’d hardly think that worthy of his attention.”
Riyan began pacing. “Whatever the reason,” he started saying, “it complicates things.”
“Why?” asked Chad. “With him and most of his men gone, it should be a simple matter for Bart to make his way into the castle and take the key segment.”
Coming to a stop, Riyan turned to his friend, “I doubt if he left it in the castle. Something that important would be kept close to hand.”
“I agree,” nodded Seth. “We’re already assuming he knows at least in part the relevance of the key segment. Can’t imagine he’d leave it behind.”
Riyan glanced to Seth before continuing. “No, he’ll have it with him.
As the others began discussing the situation in more detail, Riyan went back to the window and gazed out to the road. He paid scant attention to what the others were saying, his thoughts were mainly on Bart, Soth, and Kevik. Wishing for them to hurry up and get there, he sat back down in his chair to wait.
His gaze went to where the road leaving the city disappeared into the horizon. He had no more begun watching than three riders came into view. It took only a second for him to recognize Bart as the one in the lead. Leaping to his feet, he turned to the others and exclaimed excitedly, “They’re here!”
Conversation stopped as each moved to the window and joined Riyan in watching them approach. �
��About time,” Seth said. Turning from the window, he walked quickly to the door.
“Tell them to meet us up here,” Riyan told him.
“Will do,” Seth replied as he passed through the door. A few moments later, those at the window saw him emerge and begin walking down the road toward his brother.
“Thank goodness nothing happened to them,” Chad said.
Glancing to him, Riyan nodded. “I was getting worried.”
“So were we all,” added Chyfe.
When Seth met up with the riders, they paused together in the road as they exchanged words. Then Seth pointed back toward the inn. A moment later, they began heading that way. It didn’t take long before their horses were tied to the rail in front and Seth was leading them up to their room.
“…and then we had to lay low for awhile until I could buy more of Bart’s ingredients,” Soth was saying as they topped the stairs and began making their way to the room.
Riyan stood in the doorway. Relief at their safe arrival was evident on his face. “Glad you made it,” he said. “We were beginning to get worried about you.”
“Sorry,” Bart said then glanced to Kevik, “we were unavoidably detained.”
Kevik got a sheepish look and said, “I said I was sorry.”
Curious, Riyan asked, “What happened?” Stepping back, he allowed the others to enter the room first, then followed after and closed the door.
Bart rolled his eyes. “It was night before last,” he began to explain. “Soth and I were down in the common room waiting for Kevik, he had remained in his room to go over some spell or other. Well, just as our dinner was being placed on the table, Kevik appears coming down the stairs to join us.”
Soth chuckled which drew everyone’s attention to him. Then he started laughing as his finger circled his face. “His face was a splotchy mess!” Breaking into laughter, he couldn’t continue.
Riyan glanced over to Kevik who was turning a bit red. “Splotchy?” he asked.
Kevik nodded. “My face had felt dirty,” he explained. “So I washed it.”
“And made a mess of Bart’s dye job,” added Soth, managing to get his mirth under control.
“Fortunately, we got him back to the room before anyone noticed,” Bart continued. “The next morning, Soth scoured the town for what I needed to fix the mess Kevik had made. It took him half the day to find everything.”
“Meanwhile,” Soth said, “the town was swarming with soldiers looking for us.”
Everyone glanced again to Kevik who said, “I truly am sorry.”
“Suffice it to say, he didn’t make the same mistake twice,” Bart stated.
“And I feel positively nasty,” Kevik announced. “I’m sure there are traces of my last several meals adhering to my face and hands. What I wouldn’t give for a good scrub right about now.”
Bart turned a meaningful glare at him and said, “Not until we’re out of Hylith.”
“I understand,” replied Kevik.
The room was quiet for a moment then Riyan said, “The River Man left Hylith.”
Before Bart could ask, Seth added, “He headed north with a sizable force shortly after we fled town. No one knows exactly were he went, but the general consensus is that he’s on his way to sack a border town.”
“We believe he took the key segment with him,” stated Riyan.
Bart nodded. “That would seem reasonable.” The others watched him as he mulled over the information internally. When he finally came to a decision, he said, “Get ready to ride.”
Kevik sighed in resignation when he heard that. All he really wanted to do was to rest. The constant riding and being on edge for fear of being caught, had allowed little opportunity for him to completely recuperate from his earlier ordeal.
Soth was at the table poking through the scraps of food. “You guys didn’t leave much,” he said just as his stomach let out with an audible indication of his hunger.
“Come brother,” Seth said to him. “Let’s go down and get some food for the road.” Glancing to Riyan, he grinned and said, “Meet you in the stable.”
“Alright,” Riyan said.
After the twins left, the rest of them gathered their equipment together and headed down to the stable to ready their horses for travel. As they descended the stairs to the ground floor, it dawned on Riyan that Kevik was holding his staff. When asked about it, Kevik replied, “Having it in the quiver wasn’t working out. The first day it was fine. But after it fell out onto the road twice the second day, we decided it was time to put away the charade.”
From behind them, Bart said, “By that time, all the search parties looking for us had moved on.”
“I see,” commented Riyan.
Once out to the stable, they saddled their horses and were done before the twins appeared with a satchel of food. Soth was eating a large section of a loaf covered in jam. He broke off two sections and handed one to Bart and another to Kevik who accepted them gladly.
“Now,” Bart said as he swung into the saddle, “let’s go.” Moving out, he led them through side streets until they reached the road heading north out of Hylith.
For the remainder of the day, they continued to follow the road north along the lake. They kept a brisk pace as they wanted to make the next small village before dark. They remembered it having an inn and planned on staying there for the night.
“When we reach the inn,” Riyan was saying, “it might be best for us to remain out of sight. Seth, you and your brother hang out in the common room to see if you can pick up any information about where the River Man is headed.”
Seth nodded. “Will do,” he replied.
An hour later, the village appeared and when they reached the inn, found only two rooms available. It was a bit cramped, but still preferable than sleeping on the ground. Kevik hit the bed as soon as he entered the first room and was out in no time. When it came time to eat, Riyan, Chad, Bart and Chyfe had their meal brought to their other room to allow him peace and quiet. Seth and Soth adjourned to the common room to ferret out information while they had their meal.
Three hours later, Riyan was on his way back from checking on Kevik who hadn’t woken since first laying down, when he saw the twins returning. “Did you find out anything?” he asked when they came together before the room where the others were waiting.
Seth nodded. “Tell you inside,” he replied. Opening the door, he and his brother entered. Riyan followed right behind and closed the door.
Conversation ceased when Bart and the others saw the twins entering the room. Once Riyan had closed the door, Seth said, “They came this way.”
“No one knows exactly where they were heading, but when they left, they followed the road north,” explained Soth.
Bart nodded. “After we leave tomorrow, we’ll question the locals at every town we pass through. We’ll find him.”
Deciding on an early start in the morning, they quickly adjourned for bed. Kevik slept like a rock throughout the night. And after such a long sleep, felt ready to take on the world.
A clear day dawned the following morning and the companions were on the road an hour before the sun finally crested the horizon. With Seth and Soth in the lead, they continued in their search for the River Man and his men.
“I’ve been thinking,” announced Chad. “You don’t suppose they’re going to take on Kendruck do you?”
Soth shook his head. “No,” he replied. “They’d lose much of their trading revenue if that were to happen.” Glancing back to Chad, he added, “For Byrdlon to lose a village here and there, wouldn’t deter men of commerce from continuing trading with the Tribes. But take out Kendruck, and that would affect everyone.”
“Merchants don’t care much for those who cause their profits to suffer,” offered Riyan.
“That’s true enough,” agreed Bart.
In the lead, Seth suddenly came to a stop. “Hold up brother,” he said to Soth. Pointing off to the east, he said, “Look there.”
A hundred riders or more were heading north at a faster than usual pace.
“That can’t be them can it?” asked Soth.
“I wouldn’t think so,” replied his brother.
Bart glanced to the twins and said, “If the rumors are true, then they may be going to reinforce the River Man”
“You may be right,” agreed Chyfe. Resuming their northward progress, they watched the riders continue north until they finally disappeared out of sight.
Over the course of the morning, Seth and Soth would question locals at every village they passed through as to the location of the River Man. In each town they were told the same thing. That a large group had passed through about a week ago, they didn’t stop, and left following the road north.
When they came to where the road reached the end of the lake and began to enter the forest, they saw evidence of where a large force had bivouacked in the recent past. The camp was set off the road a hundred feet or so, and if it wasn’t for the remains of dozens of campfire rings left behind, they might not have seen it.
“They were here,” commented Riyan.
“Possibly,” replied Chyfe, “though it could have been left by another group of riders on their way to join him.”
Riyan nodded agreement as they continued past.
Leaving the lake behind, the road entered the forest on its way to Sterrith. Only about half a day away, they should arrive a little after sunset.
“You know,” began Riyan, “it might be time to rid ourselves of our disguise. Some in Sterrith may remember us from our earlier visit, and seeing us with our skin now darkened could raise difficult questions.”
“I agree,” urged Kevik rather quickly. Of course, they all knew of his desire to get clean. Having to forgo washing now for several days was driving him crazy.
Bart nodded. “You may be right,” he agreed. At the next stream they came to, they dismounted and proceeded to remove all traces of the disguise Bart had applied to their skin. Kevik was the first to the water and began vigorously scrubbing every exposed surface.
Coming up behind him, Riyan asked, “Better?”
Quest's End: The Broken Key #3 Page 40