Quest's End: The Broken Key #3

by Brian S. Pratt

  “Getting there,” he replied without stopping the scrubbing process.

  Afterwards, they had a bite to eat before returning to the road. Then later that evening, a couple hours after sundown, the lights of Sterrith appeared through the trees. Bart had them halt fifty yards from the first building.

  “Aren’t we going in?” asked Chad.

  “Not just yet,” replied Bart. Then to Seth he said, “You go in first and see if you can discover where the River Man went.”

  “And get a couple rooms while you’re at it,” added Riyan.

  Seth nodded.

  “Good luck brother,” Soth told him.

  Seth turned to him and said, “Don’t go anywhere.” Chuckling to himself, he headed off toward Sterrith.

  “We better move off the road a ways until he returns,” advised Bart. He then led the group thirty feet from the road before coming to a stop. From this position, they would be hidden from sight by anyone who might be upon the road, while at the same time could watch for Seth’s return.

  “Do you think this precaution is necessary?” asked Chad. “After all, we had no trouble here the last time.”

  “True,” answered Bart. “But last time the River Man, and possibly hundreds of soldiers, hadn’t passed this way either.” He paused a moment before adding, “I may just be paranoid, but let’s not take any chances.” If it wasn’t for the fact of their close proximity to the disputed lands between the two nations, he wouldn’t be so cautious.

  “Okay,” replied Chad.

  They waited for what must have been half an hour before the sound of many horses was heard approaching from the south. Bart and the others readied themselves to flee should they be noticed, but the riders turned off into the forest before they even came close. Moving eastward, the sound of their passing lasted for fifteen minutes before finally dying away.

  “Something is definitely going on,” commented Riyan.

  “How many does that make now?” he asked. “Three hundred riders?”

  “Including the others we saw passing by earlier today,” Chyfe said, “closer to four.”

  Bart glanced to Riyan and could see the same thought going through his mind. This wasn’t just a raiding party, the River Man was gathering an army.

  Shortly after that, the silhouette of a lone rider was seen coming from Sterrith. As he came closer, he passed through a beam of moonlight filtering through the trees and they saw it to be Seth. Soth immediately rode forward and brought his brother over to where the others waited.

  “He didn’t come through Sterrith,” Seth told them. “But one local said that three days ago, wagons rolled into town and practically stripped the town of its supplies. Mainly food, blankets, and other basic necessities.”

  “Did anyone mention seeing riders in the forest to the east?” asked Riyan.

  “Riders?” he asked.

  “We saw over a hundred cut through the woods after you left,” explained Bart.

  “Not directly, no,” Seth replied. “But when I asked about who had come and took the supplies, everyone grew quiet. After that no one would talk to me. I figured I learned all I could so returned.”

  Gazing through the trees to the east, Bart nodded his head. “They’re out there,” he said. “Somewhere.” Then turning to Seth he asked, “Did you get the rooms?”

  Seth nodded. “Four in the same inn we stayed in last time,” he replied. “They were the last they had.”

  “Alright then,” Bart said. “You take the others to the inn while Soth and I do a little reconnoitering.”

  “Me?” asked Soth, surprised at being included.

  “Yes, you,” replied Bart. “I can’t very well be taken for one of them anymore now can I?”

  “Well, no. I guess not,” he said.

  “Why don’t we all go?” asked Chyfe.

  “Two are quieter than seven,” he replied. “If we’re found, I’m sure they won’t hesitate to kill us.”

  Seth nodded agreement. “Two is better.”

  “Riyan, you and the others stay in the rooms and don’t come out for anything,” said Bart. “The less who know people from Byrdlon are here, the better.” Then getting the room numbers from Seth for when they returned, he turned and rode eastward through the trees.

  “Don’t get yourself killed,” Seth told his brother.

  “I won’t,” he replied, then turned and followed Bart into the trees.

  “Come on,” Riyan said. “Let’s get to the inn and wait.”

  Bart first followed the road to the south until they reached the point where the larger force they saw earlier had entered the forest. The passing of so many horses had left a clear path. Turning onto it, he and Soth followed.

  “What are we to do when we find them?” Soth asked quietly.

  “Take in the situation,” explained Bart. “See if we can discover the location of the River Man.” He glanced to Soth and said, “Once we know that, then we’ll see.”

  “Alright,” replied Soth.

  Being the quieter of the two, Soth had always been the second one chosen for anything. Which for the most part was fine with him as he didn’t have the drive to prove himself like his brother did. He was actually somewhat surprised when Bart asked him to come along. Maybe he felt a gentler hand would be needed for this than what his brother would bring along. Whatever the reason, he was enjoying himself.

  The trail they followed continued through the woods for some time before light began to be seen through the trees ahead. Bart slowed then came to a stop. Silently pointing to their right, he indicated that it was time to leave the trail.

  Soth nodded and turned to enter the trees.

  Bart had them move a dozen yards from the trail before stopping. Slipping off of his horse, he whispered to Soth, “Stay here with the horses. If trouble arises, get out of here fast.”

  In the darkness of the forest, Soth nodded. “Be careful,” he warned.

  “I will,” Bart replied. Then moving off toward the distant lights, he disappeared into the forest.

  Moving through the forest wasn’t at all like sneaking through an alley or along a rooftop. Here you had more possibilities of creating noise that would give you away. A branch lying on the ground, loose dirt, even animals that you might startle in your passing. Bart had to keep extra vigilant in order to move silently.

  Taking it slow, he moved ever closer to the lights in the distance. He hadn’t gone far before the sound of voices could be heard and the smoke from their campfires began to be noticed.

  As he continued forward, the trees thinned and he saw that the Tribesmen were camped in a large meadow. Hundreds of campfires dotted the area from one side to the other. Thousands of men were congregated around the fires. Near the north end of the meadow sprouted a group of tents. Easily three score, they were laid out in concentric rings. All but the central tents comprising the central ring were of uniform size, those were larger. They in turn were dwarfed by the largest one of all which occupied the heart of the inner circle.

  “There you are,” Bart murmured to himself when he saw the large tent. That had to be the one belonging to the River Man. Beginning to circumnavigate the camp, he worked his way to a position which would afford him a better view of the tent area.

  Security was lax. Very few men were posted as sentries, and of those who were, most talked with others around the nearest campfire. Bart shook his head at the ineptness of the sentries. If something were to happen, it would take crucial minutes before their eyes would readjust to the dark.

  He remembered back to when he had ruined his night vision during the time he was learning his trade from his father. They were about to enter a house that his father said was owned by a rich merchant. Before they had a chance to enter, one of the city guards passed by with a lantern. In a moment of carelessness, Bart stared directly into the light.

  His father had been furious at him. It had taken his vision almost ten minutes to readjust sufficiently after the guard pa
ssed for Bart to see again. As a lesson, the next day his father had him stare into the flame of a candle, then immediately threw him into a dark room with three, strap wielding men. By the time his eyes had readjusted to darkness and was able to avoid the blows, he had welts from head to toe. Never again would he allow his night vision to become ruined by an act of carelessness.

  Coming back to the here and now, he continued working his way closer to the tent area. The Tribesmen he saw wore a variety of color patterns, indicating that more than just the Orack Tribe was there. Before he reached a suitable place from which to observe the tents, he had observed five separate color patterns. Again he wondered just what was going on.

  Now that he was further to the north, he was able to see a makeshift corral that was almost as large as the area where the Tribesmen were staying. More horses than he could count were tied in lines stretching out of sight. Near the horses were two score wagons. Each had goods stacked high beneath a tarp to shelter them from the weather. A couple nearest the camp had their tarps removed and Bart could see barrels stacked within. Most probably contained food of one type or another.

  From his position, he could see through the outer rings of tents and observe the comings and goings from the large tent in the middle. In his mind, Bart thought of it as a command tent, which is what it most likely was.

  One of the first things he noticed was that in the tent area, things were much calmer and more orderly than the rest of the camp. Men moved with a purpose, often singly or in twos. Few went to the command tent. Of those that did, none were Lord Kueryn the River Man, or the magic user.

  Minutes passed as he watched. Bart was coming no closer to figuring out why they were there. That they were an attack force was clear. He had overheard boasts from the Tribesmen of their prowess and of the battle to come. Unfortunately, none had spoken of where the battle was to take place. Bart wasn’t an expert in military matters, but even he realized that this amount of men and horses couldn’t remain in one place too long. Already, the smell from the open trench jakes was appalling.

  Finally, the tent flap to the central tent opened and the magic user which he had encountered back in Hylith emerged. He was followed a moment later by Lord Kueryn and four other Tribesmen, all of whom were boasting a different color pattern. The six walked to one of the tents situated in the inner ring and entered.

  Bart stared at the tent flap they had just passed through for a minute, then turned his eyes back toward the command tent. Despite his formidable skills at being able to pass unnoticed, he realized he had little chance of reaching the tent undetected. There were simply too many people in and around the tent area.

  Deciding he had seen enough, he made his way back to where Soth waited. Bart almost gave him a heart attack when he stepped from the trees, but the sudden fear of being found quickly turned to relief.

  “Did you find him?” Soth asked.

  Bart nodded. “He’s there. Along with the magic user.” Swinging into the saddle, he added, “I’ll tell you about it when we get to the inn.”

  Returning to the path they had followed on their way in, they quickly left the gathering of Tribesmen behind.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  __________________________

  Back at the inn, Bart and Soth found the others gathered together waiting for their return. “Found them,” Bart announced as he walked through the door.

  “Were there many?” asked Riyan.

  “Oh yeah,” he replied. “Must have been over a thousand.” A pitcher of ale sat on the table and he went over to help himself. As he poured a mugful, he said, “The River Man is there.” Taking a deep, satisfying drink, he set the mug back on the table. “And it’s not just the Orack Tribe, but four others as well.”

  “Four?” asked Chad.

  Bart nodded. “I saw four other distinct tribal patterns,” he stated. Then he glanced to Kevik. “I saw his magic user too.”

  “Great,” Kevik replied. From what Bart had told him of their encounter, he didn’t want to have to test his skills against such a formidable foe.

  “Now…” began Bart, but was interrupted by Riyan.

  “We have our own news,” Riyan said, then nodded to Seth.

  Bart and Soth turned their attention toward him.

  “While you two were gone,” Seth told them, “I spent some time in the common room and overheard a conversation between a soldier and a woman. The soldier must be part of the group to the east. Anyway, the soldier told the woman that he wouldn’t be able to see her after tonight. That he would be moving on.”

  “Moving on?” Bart asked.

  “That’s what he said,” explained Seth. “She pressed him for why, but he wouldn’t give any explanation.”

  Bart sat in a vacant chair next to the table and thought for a moment. “From what I saw of their camp, they won’t be able to sustain such a force in that area for much longer,” he stated then returned to contemplating the situation.

  “An army on the move is easier to infiltrate than one in a fixed location,” offered Chyfe. “They’re more disorganized. This may be the break we need to get the last segment.”

  “True,” agreed Chad.

  Bart glanced to Riyan who had a thoughtful look on his face. “What are your thoughts?” he asked.

  “I was thinking about the object of their attack,” he replied. “Shouldn’t we warn someone?”

  “Who would we warn?” countered Bart. “The only people between here and the border are small border towns used to having hostile forces passing through. After that, our soldiers will spot them soon enough.”

  “Maybe they’ll run into Captain Lyrun,” mumbled Chyfe. He still hadn’t forgotten the name of the soldier supposedly responsible for atrocities against innocent civilians.

  Bart grinned at him. “Maybe.”

  Over the next hour, they discussed various strategies they could employ to further their aims. When no consensus could be reached, they finally decided to follow the River Man’s forces in hopes an opportunity presented itself. With that, they turned in to get what rest they could before morning.

  The town of Sterrith was quiet the following morning. Arising before dawn, they found few about as they headed south out of town. Bart led their group back to the trail he and Soth had followed the night before.

  “They may have rear scouts,” Chyfe told the others. “Best if we keep vigilant.”

  “And no talking unless absolutely necessary,” added Bart. He glanced back to where Chad and Seth were in a whispered conversation.

  The flow of words ceased coming from Chad as he met Bart’s gaze. “Sorry,” he said.

  Turning back to the fore, Bart scanned the road ahead as well as the forest to either side for movement. Behind him, he heard Chad say a few more words in a barely audible whisper before finally becoming completely silent.

  The place where the trail diverged from the road was easy to find. It didn’t look as if anyone had used it since he and Soth had passed back through last night. Turning onto the trail, Bart led them into the forest.

  Birds chirping with the coming of the dawn accompanied them as they moved ever closer to the clearing in which the soldiers’ encampment lay. After hearing what Seth had reported overhearing last night, Bart fully expected to find the camp breaking up and getting under way.

  When Bart figured they were getting close, he had them move off the beaten trail and into the trees. Taking Riyan with him, he left the others with the horses as they moved to investigate the situation.

  You could imagine his surprise when they drew close and found the camp unchanged. Soldiers still huddled in blankets near roaring fires to keep winter’s chill at bay, tents remained in their circular formation. All in all, it looked as if they didn’t plan to move any time soon.

  “I thought they were heading out,” Riyan whispered quietly to Bart.

  “So did I,” replied Bart. “Apparently, Seth’s information was inaccurate.”

  “Now
…” began Riyan, when Bart laid his hand on his arm and motioned for him to be quiet. He then pointed to the circle of tents on the far side of the meadow. “Look there,” he said.

  Straining his eyes, he couldn’t see anything untoward. Keeping silent, he shrugged and cast a questioning look to Bart.

  “The tent,” whispered Bart. “The big command tent in the middle.”

  “What about it?” Riyan asked, confused.

  “It’s not there,” he replied. In fact, now that he examined the tent area more carefully, he could see several gaps in the concentric rings of tents that weren’t there before. Bart glanced back to Riyan and said, “I think the River Man left.” After another moment’s scrutiny of the camp, he motioned for them to return to the others.

  “Why would he leave?” asked Riyan.

  Shaking his head, Bart said, “I don’t know.”

  They were quickly back with the others and informed them of what they had discovered. “I can’t believe he would leave his men like that,” Chyfe exclaimed.

  “Me either,” agreed Bart. Turning to Kevik, he said, “We need to find out where he’s going.”

  Kevik understood exactly what he was asking. “I only have one of the far seeing mixtures left,” he told him.

  “I understand,” replied Bart. “But we need to know.”

  Glancing around at the trees, Kevik asked, “Here?”

  Bart nodded. “May as well,” he responded. “No one’s around.”

  Kevik removed his pack containing the bowl and mixture, and set it on a nearby fallen log. Removing the bowl, he placed it on the log next to his pack then took out the flask of mixture, emptying it into the bowl.

  Before he began, he turned to the others. “As I’ve never met the River Man, I’ll need to start at the camp and then see if I can locate him from there.”

  “Whichever way you feel is best,” Bart said.

  Kevik set the empty flask back in his pack then turned his attention to the mixture filled bowl. Once the spell was cast, an image of the forest began to form upon the surface. Having cast it several times now, he has begun to get the hang of moving the image to and fro. When the image clarified, the encampment of Tribesmen was visible.