Quest's End: The Broken Key #3

by Brian S. Pratt

  Riyan saw the puzzled look on Kevik’s face and said, “The grinding stone incident.”

  “Oh yes,” replied Kevik. He’d heard that story a dozen times if he’d heard it once.

  “It was good to see my mother too,” stated Riyan. “I didn’t much care for the idea of Raestin seeing her at first, but he certainly seems to care for her. Couldn’t ask for more I suppose.”

  Conversation ceased when shadows were seen moving up ahead. Coming to a stop, Riyan was about to turn off the lane when Bart said, “It’s us.”

  They resumed moving forward and were soon joined by Bart and Chyfe. “Where are the twins?” asked Chad.

  Bart pointed further ahead. “They’re taking care of the bodies,” he explained.

  “Bodies?” asked Kevik. “You mean you killed those five men?”

  “Didn’t have much of a choice,” he replied.

  “Bunch of swine anyway,” interjected Chyfe. “Though they wore the uniforms of the Duke, they were filthy and crude. How could the Duke have such men in his service?”

  “I don’t know,” replied Riyan. “But if we don’t stop killing his men, he’ll come after us. We can’t afford that.” He could see that neither Chyfe nor Bart felt any remorse about the death of those men.

  Bart and Chyfe walked with them back to where the twins were now waiting with the horses. “Everything go alright?” Seth asked once they arrived.

  Riyan nodded. “They’ll be waiting for us back at the ford,” he explained.

  “Okay then,” replied Seth. Swinging into the saddle, he and his brother waited for Bart and Chyfe to mount. Then, with Riyan and Bart in the lead, they began making their way to the Magistrate’s manor to affect the rescue of Freya.

  By working their way along the outskirts of Quillim, they came to within half a mile of the manor house without being seen. Once there, they dismounted and hid their horses in a stand of trees, deep in the shadows. The rest of the way, they would have to make on foot.

  Soon, the lights of the manor house began appearing through the trees. Bart had the others stay back while he went forward alone to reconnoiter.

  The last time he was here, he and Chad were planting incriminating evidence to make Rupert’s life hell. However, now thinking on the problems that followed, perhaps it hadn’t been the best laid plan. Grinning to himself, he couldn’t help but think that it had been fun.

  At the edge of the trees on the border of the Magistrate’s manor, he came to a stop. From there, he observed the front and side of the house. Two soldiers were walking the grounds. After watching them for a minute, Bart determined they were making circuits around the manor, each being on the opposite side from the other. Other than the two soldiers, there didn’t appear to be any other sentries.

  The house was illuminated brilliantly. Most of the windows on the ground floor were exuding light, as were three on the second floor. One of the windows having light at the back of the house was where he figured Freya to be.

  Moving along the fringe of the treeline, he worked his way down until he was across from the second story window at the back of the house. No trellis rose along the side of the house as had been the case near Rupert’s room. Bart figured he could make the climb up to the window, but Freya would never be able to leave the manor that way. There was nothing for it, if they wanted to bring Freya out they would have to enter the manor. Which would mean getting past the two guards patrolling the grounds.

  Bart remained hidden in the trees across from the window while he contemplated what they should do. Then suddenly, a silhouette appeared from within the room. It was definitely feminine in nature. Don’t worry Freya, he said to himself. We’ll get you out of there. As a plan formed, he began making his way back to where the others waited.

  “She’s in there,” he told Riyan after rejoining them.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  Bart nodded. “There’s a woman in the room the soldiers said she would be in,” he explained. “I think I’ve got a way for us to get in.” Glancing to Kevik, he grinned and said, “Are you up for a little magic?”

  “I should be back in Wardean with a comely wench instead of in this godforsaken, backwater village,” Armsman Shlem grumbled to himself. “Why Captain Glaver had to bring us here, at this time of year…?” Shlem liked the comforts of life, that’s why he had originally volunteered for Captain Glaver’s company. The rumor was that his men were given bonuses from time to time and rarely saw combat, which suited him just fine.

  Turning the corner yet again, he began making his way toward the back of the manor. Laughter coming from within only worsened his mood. He was thinking rather dark thoughts of those within the house when he reached the back of the house and saw Armsman Cail halfway to the edge of the woods.

  “Hey!” Shlem cried. He saw Cail pause and wave him over. Anything to alleviate the boredom of walking post, he quickly rushed to his side. “What is it?” he asked upon reaching Cail.

  Cail turned back toward the woods and pointed. “A wisp,” he said.

  “A what?” Shlem asked. Turning to look where Cail was pointing, he saw a glowing light moving about erratically.

  “It’s a wisp,” repeated Cail. “They’re known to inhabit woods and mountains.”

  Shlem was intrigued by this new development. “Is it possible to catch one?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” admitted Cail. “I’ve never seen one before.”

  “Then how do you know it is a wisp?” Shlem asked.

  “I’ve heard of them,” he replied. “I’m going to try and catch it.” Cail looked to Shlem to see if he’d object. Being on guard duty and all, they really shouldn’t leave their posts.

  Boredom won out and Shlem nodded. “I’ll come with you,” he said. “Let’s make it fast.”

  Cail nodded and they both began moving toward the ‘wisp’ in the woods.

  “Kind of a quiet creature isn’t it?” asked Shlem.

  “So I’ve heard,” he replied.

  The ‘wisp’ seemed to be moving deeper into the woods as they reached the treeline. “Get it!” cried Shlem. “It’s getting away.” Rushing forward, he and Cail quickly moved through the trees in pursuit. Then, the ‘wisp’ disappeared.

  “What…” began Cail when men jumped them from the shadows. He saw Shlem struck in the head and go down. Turning to flee, he felt a blunt object strike the back of his head and the lights went out.

  “Tie them up,” said Bart. “They should be out for awhile.”

  As the twins bound the soldiers, Bart gazed back to the manor. Kevik came to stand beside him. “A wisp,” he said with a grin. He had seen a real wisp once during a trip with his late master, and it hadn’t looked anything like his bobbing light.

  “It worked didn’t it,” replied Bart.

  “That it did,” Kevik agreed.

  The rear of the house was darker than the front. Only one window on the ground floor held light, the others were dark. Still no other soldiers had yet made an appearance.

  Coming up behind Bart, Seth said, “It’s done.”

  Bart nodded. Taking one more look about the area he found it remained clear. “Let’s go,” he said. Moving out with the others following close behind, he crossed the open space to the back door. Once there, he again paused to make sure their presence remained undetected, then placed his hand on the door handle. Before opening it, he laid his ear against the wood of the door to listen. Not hearing anything, he cracked the door open.

  Light immediately poured out, revealing them to anyone who might be looking. On the other side of the door was the kitchen. A servant was stacking bread and meats together on a tray. At the moment, he was unaware of being watched.

  Bart drew his knife then pushed the door open a little further to make sure he was the only one in the room. As the door opened, the hinges creaked which drew the man’s attention toward the door. Before he had time to realize what was happening, Bart bolted through the door.

&nbs
p; Nothing more than a gasp escaped the man before Bart had hold of him, the point of his knife held menacingly close to his throat. “Quiet,” Bart cautioned him. When the man nodded, Bart moved the knife a little bit away from his throat. “Riyan,” he said and indicated the door leading further into the house.

  Riyan crossed the room and was at the door in a flash. Pushing it open a crack, he peered through. “It’s clear,” he said as he kept watch through the door.

  “Okay,” Bart said, returning his attention to the servant. “How many are in the house?”

  “There’s…” he began when from the door Riyan said, “Someone’s coming.”

  “Shhh!” Bart said to the servant.

  Riyan took another look through the crack then let the door close. Turning back to Chad, he said, “It’s Girg.” Girg was one of Rupert’s three cronies, and had caused Riyan and Chad no small amount of misery over the years. If he was here, then Rupert had to be too.

  “Good,” Chad said as he came to stand before the door. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

  Riyan stepped back just as the door opened and Girg stepped through. His eyes widened in shock when he saw who it was standing before him.

  “Hi Girg,” Chad said then struck him as hard as he could in the stomach. As Girg doubled over, Chad brought his knee up hard and crushed his nose. Blood sprayed as his head was propelled back upward again. Grabbing hold of Girg’s shirt, Chad yanked him forcefully into the kitchen.

  Blood gushed from Girg’s nose as the force of being yanked by Chad threw him hard into the table. Stumbling off balance, the table’s edge caught him in the sternum. For a brief moment, his upper torso laid across the table before it was dragged off when his lower body sank to the floor. Coming to rest, Girg didn’t move.

  Soth went and knelt beside him. “Hit him kind of hard didn’t you?” he asked. Checking him, he turned to Chad and said, “He’s alive.”

  “Too bad,” Chad said. Years of torment and harassment by Girg and the other two cronies of Rupert didn’t leave him with any room for remorse.

  Riyan checked the other side of the door again and announced the coast was clear.

  “Good,” Bart said, returning his attention to the servant. “Now, you were saying?” But the servant’s eyes were rolled up in the back of his head. He had passed out. “Great,” Bart said as he let the man drop to the floor.

  “The stairs leading up aren’t too far away,” Riyan said. “We should find Freya and get out of here fast.” Glancing to the bloody mess that was the table and Girg, he knew that if someone should come in here, things would become complicated.

  “Alright,” said Bart. “We’ll keep an eye on down here. You and Chad go get her.” When a surprise look came to Riyan at Bart not coming, he said, “She’s your lady faire.”

  Riyan nodded. “We’ll be but a minute,” he said.

  “Don’t take any longer than that,” advised Chyfe.

  “It’s the room on the left at the end of the hall,” Bart told Riyan.

  “Got it,” he said. Opening the door slightly, he saw that the hallway on the other side was clear. “Let’s go.” Moving through the doorway, he and Chad hurried to the stairwell and quickly ascended to the second floor.

  The hallway at the top was clear so they turned to the left and headed for the end. They only made it two steps before the door at the end on the right, opened. The old fear welled up within Riyan when Rupert and his other two cronies left the room and entered the hallway.

  As soon as Rupert saw them, he came to a surprised shock. Behind him, a crony said, “Well, if it isn’t sheep dung boy.”

  “I thought I smelled something,” the other added. He and the first both started laughing.

  Riyan remained still in the hallway as Rupert began moving closer. Beside him, Chad had his hand on the hilt of his sword.

  “So Riyan,” Rupert said with a sneer, “you’ve returned? Did you come to pay your respects to my wife?”

  “She’s not your wife yet, Rupert,” Riyan said. “And she never will be married to a swine such as you.” His initial fear at seeing Rupert was rapidly disappearing.

  “You’re too late,” Rupert said. “We’re already married.” He could see the pain his words inflicted and reveled in it. “In fact, we’ve been consummating our marriage quite regularly. She plays such an active role, who would have thought she would love it so much.” Each word he spoke was a dagger into Riyan’s heart.

  “Face it Riyan,” he said. “You lost.”

  Riyan starred in stunned disbelief at Rupert. The smug look of self-righteous satisfaction on his face sparked a rage deep within him.

  “Don’t believe him,” said Chad. “He’s a liar.”

  Rupert’s face turned red with anger at the insult. “Get them boys,” he said to his two cronies.

  “With pleasure,” they replied. Stepping past Rupert, they drew their swords and advanced toward Riyan and Chad.

  Chad pulled his sword a second after Riyan. Together, they stood shoulder to shoulder to face the oncoming cronies.

  “What are you going to do with those?” the one on the right asked. “Sheep dung boy and miller’s brat think they’re fighters.”

  Rage, not nearly as blindingly hot as it had been on the riverbank, seethed within Riyan. Calculating coolness took over as he waited for them to draw nearer. Both he and Chad remained silent as the other two approached.

  “Once you’re dead Riyan,” Rupert said, “perhaps I’ll share Freya with my boys.”

  Riyan ignored the barb and waited for the one on the right to come. The look on the crony’s face said he thought this was going to be easy. But when he struck out and Riyan not only blocked his attack, but struck back, his confidence began to wane.

  Next to him, Chad easily blocked the thrust of his opponent. Lashing out with a counter thrust, he scored along the man’s side. Immediately, he launched into an attack, similar in nature to one that Tad had frequently used back at the Guild.

  Riyan went on the offensive as well. The rage within him giving him added strength as he thrust, parried, and hacked. It was soon clear the cronies were not going to be able to best them.

  Three more passes and Chad’s sword took his opponent through the chest.

  “Assassins!” Rupert began yelling as the first crony fell from Chad’s blade. “Help!” As Riyan dispatched the final crony, Rupert turned and fled back down to the door through which he had so recently emerged. Shoving it open, he rushed inside and slammed it shut. The sound of the bar being thrown quickly followed.

  Chad reached the door and tried to open it.

  “Leave him,” Riyan said as he came to the door on the opposite side of the hall. Rapping hard, he then hollered, “Freya!”

  “Riyan?” asked a voice coming from the other side.

  “Yes,” he said. “Open the door.”

  “It’s locked,” she told him. “Rupert has the key.”

  From within his room, Rupert was shouting for help at the top of his lungs.

  “Stand back,” Riyan yelled.

  Chad immediately realized what he planned and moved into position to help. Then together, they ran for the door and threw their shoulders into it.

  Crack!

  The doorjamb shattered and the door slammed against the wall on the inside. Riyan stumbled into the room and was soon wrapped in the arms of Freya.

  “Oh Riyan,” she sobbed, tears of happiness at seeing him running down her face.

  Chad was back in the hallway. “Hurry up man,” he said. “He’ll have every soldier in the area converging on this place in no time.”

  Riyan broke the embrace and gazed into her red, teary eyes. “Are you…?” he started to ask.

  She shook her head. “No,” she replied. “I heard what he said and it was all lies. We aren’t married and he’s never touched me.”

  Relief washed over him at her words.

  “And no matter what,” she said, “I’ll not marry him now.�
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  “But what about your father?” he asked.

  “It wasn’t long after you left that he came to realize Rupert’s true nature,” she explained. “He just couldn’t find a way to break it off. Rupert’s family is too influential. But after this…”

  “That’s all well and good,” Chad said from the hallway, “but we’ve got to get out of here!”

  Riyan took Freya in his embrace one more time and kissed her. It was all he could do to let her go. Keeping her hand in his, he led her from the room. Before moving down the hallway, he paused at Rupert’s door. “This isn’t over yet!” he yelled. No reply came from within.

  “Would you come on!” Chad yelled from the top of the stairs.

  “They’re getting away!” Rupert yelled from within the room. “Get them!”

  Bart appeared as Riyan reached the stairwell. “What took you so long?” he asked. Then he saw the bodies of the two cronies lying further down the hallway. Glancing to Freya, he smiled. “Nice to see you again,” he said.

  “The feeling is more than mutual,” she replied.

  “Now hurry,” he said. “Kevik’s holding them off, but Rupert’s cries may bring more.”

  Riyan nodded. With Freya’s hand still clutched in his, he followed Bart down the steps. Chad brought up the rear. At the bottom, they found Kevik and Chyfe. Down the hallway to their right were a dozen goo covered soldiers spanning the length of the hallway.

  “What is this?” Freya asked when she saw the goo covered men.

  “No time to explain,” Riyan told her. Turning into the hallway he followed Bart toward the back door. “Is that her?” he heard Kevik asked Chad. Chad’s response was lost as Riyan and Freya passed through to the outside.

  Bart paused just outside the back door for a moment. “The twins went for the horses,” he told Riyan.

  Above, Rupert’s cries for help continued.

  “I wish someone would shut him up,” Chad said.

  Scanning the area, Riyan couldn’t see anyone coming in answer to Rupert’s cries. “Let him scream,” he said. “Doesn’t seem to be doing a whole lot of good.”