William finally spoke his mind. “I shouldn’t have let him leave, Max. I should’ve been more assertive. I just thought that he’d be okay, and that it might be good for him to have a bit of responsibility.”
“You did what you deemed right at the time,” Max said. “Richard will show up. He’s too stubborn not to.”
“But it wasn’t right, Max.”
His brother shrugged. “You can’t always expect to make the right decision; that’s hardly a reasonable standard. And it’s easy to see the right decision in hindsight.”
“But father seems to always know what to do.”
“Well, he’s been a king for forty years. He has experience on his side.”
“I suppose.” William sighed angrily to himself. “I couldn’t live under that kind of pressure.”
“You’ll have to one day when you ascend the throne,” Max pointed out.
“I loathe when that day comes,” he muttered in response.
“You’ll make a great king. I know you will.”
“Even considering the careless decision I made today? Richard is in trouble because of me.”
Max patted him on the back again. “You won’t be right every time. Any leader must come to terms with that.”
William shook his head. “You seem so much more qualified, though. I sometimes wish it were not my responsibility.”
“But we both know why I cannot fulfil those duties; it is passed down by bloodline, and I am your adopted brother.”
William nodded. “I often forget that,” he muttered, seeing that Max appreciated the compliment.
“Come, brother,” Max said affectionately. “We should wait further back in the house for father to return. It’ll take them a while just to leave the city let alone travel to Forelorne and return.”
William stood to follow.
“We can have an archery competition with the targets to pass the time. Who knows how long they’ll be gone.”
*************************************************************
The silent wait in the safe house was excruciating.
The city’s massive walls blocked the late evening light, plunging the streets into a hazy darkness. Occasionally, the brothers would step out of the backroom and chat with Rachel, who always reported no sign of activity. Through the front window flickered the torch lights from outside; they’d even started a small fire in the back room in the fireplace to keep the place warm. The two moons would soon rise and still no sign of them returning. William tried to sit still in the back room, slowly picking away at a piece of dry bread to pass the time while Max paced back and forth.
“It’s been a long time since they left, Max.”
“I know. They should’ve made it to Forelorne by now.”
William sighed. “I can’t sit still.”
“Do you want another archery competition?”
“You’ve beaten me six times,” he complained.
“How about a seventh time, then?” Max smiled in an attempt to lighten up the mood a bit. “Practice never hurts.”
“I think I’ve had enough defeat for one day.”
William paused, reflecting on the day’s events. It had been such a long day – just that morning they were still in Skee’s inn thanking Porter for the hospitality. How could so much happen within one day? His thoughts turned to the crest he saw on the fountain, the beast’s head with the menacing eyes. It couldn’t be a coincidence that Adriana saw the same crest on the bodies; it must be connected. Max noticed his brother deep in thought and sat beside him.
“What are you thinking?”
“The crest that I saw on the tiered fountain,” he started, “did you notice it?”
“No.”
“It’s odd that Adriana saw it on the bodies, too.”
“Yes, I suppose it is.”
William hesitated, knowing his brother would not like what he prepared to say. “I should make a sketch of it to bring back to Brymar,” he resolutely decided, the conviction in his eyes. He needed something to do. “We should have a record of it. Perhaps one of the scholars in Brymar could find it somewhere in their books.”
“We can’t leave the house, William.”
But William stood up. “I can’t just sit here anymore. We are safely within the walls of this city, and it’s just a short walk to the fountain.” He continued talking before Max could protest further. “Besides, it wouldn’t take long to sketch the crest.”
Max pondered his words. “I still think…”
“Please, brother. I can’t just sit here the whole time thinking about my mistake that put Richard in danger. I can’t do it, wondering if he’s dead or injured and alone.”
Max bit his tongue, hearing the distress in his brother’s voice. “We’ll have to tell Rachel.”
“Of course,” William nodded as he walked to the back door leading upstairs, flashing a look of relief and hope. “I’ll grab some parchment and ink.”
Max sighed before walking into the front room.
“Rachel,” he said. He took a deep breath before speaking. “I need for you and the other Arracian to escort William and me to the tiered fountain in the courtyard between districts.”
Rachel immediately disagreed. “You know that Aroden doesn’t want…”
“Yes, I know. But we can’t just sit here all the time. William thought it would be best to sketch the crest he saw on the banners around the fountain. We can show the scholars back in Brymar and hopefully find out the crest’s origin.”
She sighed. “It can’t wait until tomorrow?”
“He needs something to do,” Max said. “He feels responsible for all of this.”
Rachel reluctantly agreed. She glanced at the other Arracian sitting close to the door. “Scout the area around us while we walk. I will stay with Max and William.”
“Are we ready?” William asked as he emerged from the back room holding a rolled up piece of parchment and a thin splinter of coal. He noticed the scout leave the house while the other two focused on him. “Is he scouting ahead?”
“Yes,” Max answered.
“This has to be quick,” Rachel asserted. “If Aroden comes back when…”
“He will be furious,” Max acknowledged. “Trust us, we know.” He looked to his brother and what he carried. “You brought a piece of coal,” Max pointed out with a lowered brow. “Why didn’t you bring ink?”
“Too hard to carry,” William answered. “And I’m better at drawing with coal. I thought it would be best to draw the crest as well as possible.”
The three of them impatiently stood by the front door as the brothers waited for Rachel’s signal. William knew neither of them agreed with this decision, but he hoped that identifying the crest could help them find his brother. It was the least he could do; at least it was something.
After a brief pause, Rachel hesitantly nodded. “Alright, we can go.”
Chapter IX
Rachel led the brothers through the quiet, torch lit Caisen District streets.
A few other people roamed around them, though not many. Most of the crowds would either be in the market or Laurdor districts. The mumbling of patrons from the markets below reached their ears as the high street came into view from the top of the marble steps; they could see the large crowds of people below through the elaborate white archway and many more hovering around the tiered marble fountain. At least the crowds would help them blend in with the rest.
“I’ll start on the drawing,” William said as they descended the steps, and he unrolled the piece of parchment. “I’ll be quick.”
Rachel spotted the Arracian scout amongst the people by the fountain. She continued to survey the crowds before turning to Max. “It’s not exactly an inconspicuous activity,” she commented after noticing a few people curiously look at William while he drew. “Half the people here are watching him.”
“We’re fine, Rachel,” Max sighed. “Just try to enjoy the fresh air. I think that you’re just in that
house too often.”
His comment started a fire in her eyes, but she didn’t respond. Max knew he’d regret it later. “My job is to keep the two of you safe,” she said calmly. “Sometimes you make that more difficult for me to do.”
“We don’t mean to,” Max shrugged.
But Rachel shook her head. “I know. It’s no different than when you and William were just kids in the palace.” She noticed Max grin and smiled back. “I have many fond memories of that time.”
“As do I,” Max solemnly agreed.
Rachel continued. “Maybe I do spend too much time in that house,” she conceded, “but I miss the time I had with the two of you in the palace. I was robbed the opportunity to see you and William grow into men.”
“I miss that time, too,” Max said. He could see the sadness in Rachel’s eyes. “Perhaps you could visit Brymar,” he said and slightly grinned. “I can assure you that the two of us aren’t grown up just yet.”
Rachel smiled.
“And I’m sure Adriana would love for you to be there since the two of you are like sisters.”
“We will see,” she smiled back. “I will…”
A person approaching them set Rachel on high alert.
The scout moved closer, too, but the person, who reeked of mead, wobbled right past them and stumbled up the marble steps to the Caisen District. Rachel let out a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders and fists. “I will ask her,” she finished.
The two of them peaked over William’s shoulder to see his progress; he’d been drawing the whole time – it was impressive. Max knelt beside his brother and encouragingly patted his shoulder.
“It looks good, brother. It appears you have a knack for drawing.”
“I’m almost finished,” William said while focusing on the banner, squinting to see the finer details. He shuddered. “Now that I see it more closely, it is hideous. If this is what Adriana came upon in the forest, it is a terrifying sight.”
“Hopefully the scholars in Brymar can find it somewhere in their books. I know we have quite a library back at home,” Max said. “Surely among all those books they’ll find something useful to us.”
William paused during his drawing. “Books,” he repeated to himself. “I wonder if Zed would have something in his books about this symbol.”
Max thought about it as he glanced to the people in the markets, his own curiosity peaked. “Zed’s shop is already open by now.”
“And I can practically see it from here,” William added, quickly putting the finishing touches on his drawing before standing up. “I’m sure he’d find a way to let us in. And it wouldn’t be hard to blend into all the crowds,” he justified, ignoring Rachel’s frustrated sigh behind him. He had already started walking towards the staircase leading down. “It won’t take long.”
Merchants lined the centre of the grand high street with a flutter of chaotic activity all around them, people passing in and out of the open stores along the sides and loudly haggling with every trader. Long shadows from the setting sun danced around the cobblestone markets, while scents of bread, spices, cooked meats, and drinks relentlessly tempted the senses. By now the two moons would be rising behind the mountains, though it would be a few more hours before they’d be visible to the city dwellers.
William was determined to figure out this crest; Max could see his conviction and understood it. “It smells good down here,” Max commented to his brother.
“It always does at this time.”
A few of the wares caught Max’s attention. “I haven’t seen a few of these items before, have you?”
“No.”
Rachel commented from behind them. “We’ve noticed a few different items being sold by some of the merchants. We aren’t sure exactly where they’ve come from, but it’s been going on for a while now. Your father and the twins are aware.”
“Is it mainly food?”
“No, it’s a bit of everything, ranging from books to other miscellaneous items, like inventions or oddities. Some of them are actually quite interesting.”
“Like what?”
“Well, I’ve seen one blacksmith selling a contraption that can create ten arrows in less than a minute.”
“That’s impossible,” Max brushed off with a smirk. “We have the best master blacksmith in Brymar, and I know that Loin can’t make more than two arrows in a minute…and that’s on a good day.”
Rachel shrugged. “I’ve seen the contraption work.”
“I wonder where it’s from then,” William thought aloud.
“When we investigated, the trader refused to answer any questions.” She paused. “He seemed quite afraid that we even asked about it.”
The brothers creased their brow.
William bumped especially hard into someone as they navigated through the crowds, both of them almost falling over. As they recovered their footing, William looked up to see the same stranger he’d encountered in the courtyard earlier that day. But before William could say anything, the man quickly fled into the crowds.
“That’s the person I saw in the courtyard earlier, the one that fled into the Crilover District,” William said to Rachel as she helped him to his feet. “He wears the same brown cloak.”
Rachel and Max tried to glance around them, but the number of people blocked their view. “I don’t like this,” Rachel said. “We should go back.”
Max nodded. “We should, William. If that’s the second time you’ve seen that person, I’d feel safer if we went back to the house.”
“Zed’s shop is right there,” William pointed, already forgetting about the stranger, “and I want to find out about this crest.” As Max was about to protest, William added, “and we will be out of the open sooner.”
Max didn’t respond but nodded.
Zed’s door stood wide open with the flicker of flames and warm yellow light emanating from within. As they passed inside, they saw the long line of patrons extending from the front counter almost back to the front door. It wasn’t a surprise; in fact, it would’ve been a surprise to see anything different. Zed served some of the city’s richest, and his customers flaunted it. Most of the people in line sported luxurious clothing and other valuables, like jewellery and perfumes. Some of the clothes were nicer than Aroden wore even when he was king.
The three of them stood close to the door; several of the customers flashed disapproving glances at their dusty garbs. They stood out of place from the rest, tarnished in comparison to the wealthy. William turned to his brother. “How should we catch Zed’s attention?”
“He’s already seen that we’re here,” Max said as he bobbed his head towards Zed, who stared back with anxious eyes. “There’s not much he can do for us. We’re just like the rest of his clients right now, and we can’t risk compromising his reputation.”
“Should we wait in line then?”
Max nodded. “That’s our best chance.”
After taking their place at the back, William glanced around at the lit up walls and clusters of people. The line moved surprisingly quickly and a few other patrons took a place behind them. The place smelled of well-preserved raw meats, though it became quite sickly after a while. Thankfully, the display of cooking spices offset the smells a bit, as did the chillier air inside the shop.
Scattered across the front counter were a few cuts of meat on display and other daily specials, all of which depended on what the hunters had brought him that day. Zed would use some of the Arraci stationed in Orwell to help him, which worked well as they could then bring the food – and coin – back to the safe house on the second level. Customers would place their orders and pay for it now. Then, the Arraci would retrieve the orders from the caverns, and the customers could pick them up the next day. Zed clearly had this system perfected.
But what surprised William the most was how natural he seemed to conduct the business. Zed knew most of the people by name, often asking them about their families or hobbies. William hadn’t seen Zed in this
setting before, and he found it quite remarkable, though he quietly chuckled to himself as he thought about the reality. To the naked eye, no one would even consider Zed to be a weapons dealer working for the true, not-so-dead king of the Brutean Kingdom.
After reaching the front, the brothers and Rachel approached the counter. “Hello,” Zed said to the three of them, looking slightly uncomfortable. “How can I help you today?”
“A new shipment of meats have arrived and require your immediate attention,” Max said calmly.
“I see,” Zed nodded with an eyebrow raised. “Can this shipment not wait?”
Though their faces probably answered his question, Max answered “no” in the calmest voice possible.
“Very well,” Zed replied. “I will tend to the needs of the remaining customers and then put up the sign outside again letting people know.”
“Thank you for your business,” Max awkwardly said as he pushed the other two to the side of the room.
“Is that normal?” William asked as they waited.
“Yes,” Rachel answered. “Zed often receives shipments during business hours. He closes the shop to take the shipment, places it in his storage area, and then opens up the shop again.”
“It should give us a long enough window,” Max added. “And it’ll be helpful to have him in his library with us. He knows those books well, and we wouldn’t be able to read all of them anyway.”
They made eye contact with one of the people standing in line – the Arracian scout. It always amazed the brothers how resourceful the Arraci were; it seemed they managed to watch them regardless of where they roamed. But that’s why Richard’s disappearance alarmed them so much. It was unprecedented.
The Secrets of Brymar (The Elitherian Fragments Book 1) Page 10