The Elf and the Amulet

by Chris Africa

  Jared accomplished more in half a day than the three friends could have in a week. Nita spent the day exploring the city with Chassy, while Andrev stayed in the common room, hunched over a book. Her impatience to be on her way was balanced somewhat by her excitement at seeing so many new things. When they returned, it seemed like Andrev was sitting in the same position as when they had left him.

  "Andrev, you should have come with us. There’s so much to see!" Nita's said. "The castle is just beautiful, and there is an enormous monastery on the other side of the city with stained glass windows."

  "The boy was looking for you," Andrev said into his book.

  "Did he find Lyear?"

  "I don’t know. He wouldn’t talk to me. He said he would only talk to one of you."

  Nita hid her smile.

  Jared was rolling enormous barrels of ale up a ramp into the back of the inn’s top level. When Chassy called out, the boy lost his footing and fell off the ramp. Chassy stepped out of the way to avoid injury, and the barrel came to rest with a thump against a large block of wood that had obviously been positioned to stop runaway barrels.

  "Did you learn anything?" Nita helped Jared to his feet.

  Peering around secretively, Jared leaned back against the barrel.

  "He was definitely here, not a day since," he whispered. Chassy leaned closer to hear his words. "Stayed at Crossposts, down on the riverfront."

  "Did he say where he was heading next?"

  The boy shook his head, and Nita's hopes fell until Jared added, thrusting out his little chest with pride, "But he went to see the carter and came away with a map of the yellow mountains."

  "Andrev was right," Chassy said. "It looks like he's going by way of Char."

  Andrev was usually right. "Did you learn anything else?" Nita asked.

  Jared shook his head. "Why do you want to find this elf? He’s a bad man. You just watch."

  Nita smiled. "We don’t much like him either, but we have made a promise to find him."

  Shaking his head vigorously, Jared leaned forward to tug her hand. "I don’t want him to hurt you, miss."

  Such genuine concern showed on his face that Nita wondered if there was more to tell. "What makes you think he would hurt us?"

  Jared hesitated, frowning as if trying to make a big decision.

  "You can tell us, Jared," Nita soothed. "We’ll keep your secrets, just as you are keeping ours."

  "Taya—she makes the rooms at Crossposts—he grabbed her arms and shook her hard. It made her arms hurt. She has purple marks on her arms now."

  "Why did he shake her?" Nita asked.

  "She touched his pendant, while she was lighting the lamp."

  Nita looked at Chassy—the amulet? Well, at least they knew that he still had it.

  Jared added, "It was pretty, that’s all. She wasn’t going to steal it. Taya isn’t like that or Crossposts wouldn’t have her. But the elf didn’t believe her. He hurt her, and then he said he would kill her if she ever came into his rooms again."

  "Thank you for telling us, Jared. We'll be especially careful," Nita assured him.

  When they'd gone around the corner of the inn, Chassy stopped. "What do you think about this whole bit about the girl at the Crossposts?"

  "I don't know..." Nita shook her head. "Lyear might have done it for no reason. He surely seemed to have a sour enough temperament. But we don't know this girl Taya. We're probably missing a piece of the story."

  "I guess so. I still think we should be extra careful," Chassy said.

  In the common room, Andrev was now making notes on a bit of parchment. He looked up when they slid in beside him.

  "He was here, alright," Chassy said in low tones. "And it looks like he’s going toward Char."

  Andrev nodded. "That’s the straightest path. It’s the way I would have chosen."

  "I think we should be really careful," Nita related Jared's story. "If he doesn’t know we’re coming, he may react the same way with us. What if he doesn’t believe we’re friends?"

  Andrev frowned.

  "We have the wizard’s gifts, isn’t that enough to prove who we are?" Chassy asked.

  "Not if he thinks we killed Vornole and stole his things," Andrev said. "In any case, this is all speculation. We don’t know the girl. She could very well have intended to steal the amulet. I know if someone tried to steal from me, I'd get pretty cross. Lyear won't be happy to see us regardless of what we tell him. I certainly don’t think we should reveal the wizard’s gifts. And we should avoid mentioning that Vornole's dead if at all possible."

  A shadow fell over their table. William was standing between them and the window.

  "Who's dead?" he asked, squeezing in beside Nita. Nita moved over to make room for him. Andrev reopened his book, and Chassy just looked annoyed.

  "There was an old man we knew back home. He died before we left," Chassy said.

  "Anyone special?"

  Nita wondered how much of the conversation William had actually overheard. His face was certainly as innocent as she had ever seen it.

  "We really don’t like to talk about it," Nita said sadly. "Listen, William. . . We know you asked us to travel with you, but we really need to leave immediately."

  William raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

  "So it may not work for us to serve on your guard after all," Chassy added.

  The merchant stroked his chin thoughtfully. "My men are scattered across the city right now, but we can leave at first light tomorrow."

  "We’re in a hurry." Would he not give up?

  "I understand. You’re obviously trying to catch up to someone," William said. "I’ll send Bruno and Dalshess ahead tomorrow to keep track of your. . . friend, is it?"

  Andrev slammed his book shut, and Chassy and Nita both jumped. Chassy had never seen him treat a book with anything but reverence and respect.

  "He is not our friend," Andrev said tightly, but still managing to keep his voice low. "He’s dangerous."

  "So you agree it would be safer with the rest of the crew on hand?"

  It would, Nita thought. She looked at Chassy, who shrugged.

  "Good, it's settled." William stood. "First light, no later."

  18: Northmen

  Pounding shook Chassy out of the first sound sleep he'd had in weeks. Andrev, nearest to the door, stuck out his head.

  "What do you want, waking us up this time of night?"

  Samuel, the guard’s son, was in the hallway, banging on every door. Angry sleepers spilled into the hallway, including more than a few unfamiliar faces.

  "Here, what is all this lad?" William grabbed Samuel's arm before he could knock on another door.

  "Northmen have come—Dalatois and half-giants from Across. There’s a messenger at the gate, says he was sent to warn you to run!" Samuel's voice was breathless, excited. "He says you must leave immediately."

  William frowned. The entire crew was now gathered around them.

  "This makes no sense," he asked. "Are you sure you’re waking the right people?"

  Samuel nodded. "Yes, sir. The messenger described Nita," he said.

  "This messenger... what did he look like?" Chassy asked.

  "Skinny blond fellow. Hair down to here. He wears a messenger’s badge, come all the way from Orchard Vale," Samuel said.

  Had the Dalatois and half-giants been there, too? Chassy’s stomach churned. More creatures from stories, come to life. These were the monsters he had always imagined fighting. And yet, now that the opportunity was upon him, all he wanted to do was run.

  "All right, then, we ride!" William said. "Let’s move."

  "You’re going with us?" Chassy blurted. "Right now? In the middle of the night?"

  "Of course we’re going with you, boy. Do you really think the three of you could face Northmen alone and live to brag about it?" Yosef said, clapping him on the back.

  "Besides," added William, "they will know now that we're one party, so we're in as much danger a
s you. Now dress, and stop talking."

  By the time Chassy and Andrev finally emerged from the inn, Captain Longboat was shoving freshly baked loaves of bread into their hands. It was nicely browned and covered in little seeds. Nita tossed hers from hand to hand, but Chassy just ripped off a piece and shoved it into his mouth. An unhappy looking Robert emerged with the team and wagon.

  "Boy said to hitch them up straight away. What I want to know is how you expect this team to move again in full dark without even—hello, what's this?"

  "It's my own team, Lor—William, sir," Captain Longboat stuttered to William. "Yours is better bred, but mine is good horses, sir, and fresh to boot. Won’t spook in the Blackwood, nor anywhere else you're likely to go. And seeing as how you need to leave in a hurry..."

  William smiled. He seemed not to notice that the captain had nearly called him "Lord William," but Chassy had noticed, and Andrev was giving him a significant look.

  "For your troubles, Captain," William said, pressing a coin to the innkeeper's palm. "We need three more. No wagon rides tonight, I'm afraid."

  "Three?" the captain’s mouth was hanging open, but William closed it with a few more coins pressed to his palm.

  "Tell the boy to hurry. Now, where is that messenger? I want to speak with him personally."

  "Sir, the messenger collapsed at the gate," said Samuel, who was mounted on a horse so white she seemed to glow in the darkness. She stepped impatiently, mirroring the general mood of the company.

  "What do you mean, he collapsed? Is he injured?" William demanded.

  "No, sir, his horse broke a leg coming out of the Blackwood. He says he ran most of the rest of the way here," Samuel’s voice was full of sympathy. "Poor boy just collapsed in front of the gate. He was so taken by exhaustion he could barely get out his message. I'm sure the healer has given him a sleeping draught by now."

  William paced in frustration, his hands balled into fists. "What did the boy actually say? What were his exact words?" He loomed over Samuel, and the boy took a step back.

  "He said, 'I've come from the Priestess Lidora at Orchard Vale. There is danger for the girl and her two companions. I am followed closely by Dalatois and half-giants from Across.'" Samuel hesitated. "That’s it."

  "Nothing more? No explanation or instructions?"

  "Well, he did say a few more words that could not be understood," Samuel admitted, "but then he collapsed and we couldn't get another word from him."

  William looked like he could have strangled an answer out of the messenger, collapsed or not, but Jared arrived leading three horses nearly as fine as William's own.

  "Where did you get these?" William asked.

  Jared said, "Three young racers from Hanchon's stables, sir. Haven’t won a tourney yet. Their owner claims his backers'll give him more money for a stolen horse than any of these three would win him in their lifetime."

  "You stole them?" Chassy asked incredulously.

  "Terrific! Now we're horse thieves," Andrev muttered.

  "Shut up, boy, before William decides you're more trouble than he wants to mess with," Yosef warned.

  "Mount up!" William ordered harshly. He shoved a pouch into Jared’s hands. "You tell the owner this is for the horses. I would wager this is substantially more than he would get from his backers. We are not thieves."

  Chassy mounted and fell into line at the back of the party with Andrev and Nita. Samuel followed at their side, and they set off through the streets of Sunoa. William insisted on traveling on the smaller streets through darker neighborhoods—but slowly, for the horses’ benefit. As quiet as they tried to be, the steady clumping of their horses' hooves and creaking of the wagon wheels echoed through the brick streets.

  Suddenly William called the group to halt with one upraised hand and trotted back to the wagon where Strato held the reins.

  "We need to lighten the load a bit, Strato," he said in low tones. "I want you and the crew to take the east road around and down by the river, out one of the fishermen’s gates. Bruno, Dalshess, and I will bring these three out by the main gate."

  "But sir, you want to leave the merchandise?"

  William nodded. "We’re all tangled up in this now, whatever it is. Keep the goods as far away from us as possible."

  With that, Strato and the guards struck off down another street without them.

  "No time for goodbyes," William warned as Robert turned to Chassy. Robert nodded, raised a hand to Chassy, and followed the rest of the crew into the gloom. Only Bruno and Dalshess stayed with them and William. They set out toward the main gate.

  Chassy felt some small sense of loss when he looked over their small party. Robert, Yosef and the rest of the crew had only been with him for a few weeks, but those weeks had seemed like a lifetime. Now he may never see them again. Was this the life of a merchant? Always meeting new people and then saying goodbye before you even knew each other?

  "Why are Northmen after us? What do they want with us?" Nita asked in such a low whisper he could barely hear her.

  "Maybe they think we got… the thing." Chassy suggested in an equally low voice.

  "No," Andrev said, shaking his head. "The messenger didn’t even mention Lyear. It must be something we’re carrying, one of Vornole’s gifts. Or the people we're traveling with."

  "The people you're traveling with are trying to save your worthless hides," Bruno growled beside them. "Now shut your mouths and keep moving."

  They emerged finally onto the main street, the gate rising just ahead of them, when a horn sounded.

  "What’s that?" William asked.

  "That's the call to arms," Samuel said.

  "Won’t that draw a lot of attention?"

  "That’s the point, it sounds in times of trouble." The horn sounded again—two short calls and one long—and Samuel looked around wildly. "Gods, they’ve breached the main gate! We’re not going out that way."

  "Come on, looks like we’re going to have to use the fishermen’s gate after all." William heeled his horse, and the others followed, heedless of their noise now.

  They had only gone a few steps when they heard a crash and a roar behind them. Unable to resist, Chassy looked back and saw something—something with a head the size of a boulder—looking over the barbican of the main gate. Another boulder head joined it, and together they began pounding the posts of the barbican, flinging guards right and left. Faces appeared in windows, and people started screaming.

  A ball of fire flew over them with a faint hissing sound and crashed into a large shack, which exploded into flames. A third horn sounded, this one a sharper and more urgent. An answer came from the castle this time, the lord's own battle horn. People were filling the streets, making it impossible to move faster than a walk. William veered down an alley, trying to find a cleaner exit, but there was none. Streets and alleys alike were chaos. Men ran out brandishing whatever weapon they could find—usually a hoe or broom. Women with small children in tow ran here and there, screaming.

  "How many Northmen are after us?" Chassy shouted.

  "A single half-giant could tear up most of the city before we bring it down, but it looks like we have two of those. How many Dalatois, I don't know," Samuel shouted back. "But our walls haven’t been breached in more than a century. This isn’t supposed to happen."

  They had finally reached the riverfront, which they barely recognized without all the crowds and performers. Now it was completely deserted but for a few drunken stragglers who stumbled out of the way, clearly oblivious to the commotion around them.

  "If we can reach the fishermen’s gate first, they'll have another wall to breach before they have a clean shot at us," William shouted, urging his horse to a gallop.

  Chassy followed, weaving this way and that between empty tables, jumping low fires. Bruno and Dalshess traveled in front, leading the way.

  Chassy's stomach leaped in his throat when they finally reached the gate: while the half-giants had been keeping the city guard busy at
the main gate, their cohorts had already made it to the fishermen’s gate. Several Dalatois crowded to one side of the gate, their broad steeds stamping and snorting in the cool night air. Despite the chill, none of the Dalatois wore more than a scrap of leather around their waist.

  Sitting two heads taller than any of the southerners, the Northmen were an imposing sight. Their heavily muscled chests rippled in the moonlight. Their broad backed horses were unsaddled, unbridled, and it was clear from the muscles in their rider’s legs that no such implements were necessary—man and steed were one.

  As quickly as Chassy had taken it all in, William veered toward the city, and the Dalatois gave chase. Their mounts might have been large and heavy, but they caught up to the group fast enough. Three of them cut in front of William, and they took down both Bruno and Dalshess with nothing more than loops of rope. The Dalatois didn't stop coming, but left the downed men to pick themselves up out of the dirt and chase after their horses.

  "Keep your heads down!" William shouted, and Chassy hugged his horse close.

  Out of nowhere, William had knives in his hands. One of their pursuers went down with a knife in his eye, another took a knife in the throat. That left four to their five.

  William led them now into the fishing quarter, where the streets were so narrow two horses could barely ride side by side. The shacks were so crowded together that there were no alleys or other outlets of escape. Had the Dalatois been able to get their mounts in front of William and Andrev, they could have brought the group to a complete stop. As it was, two Dalatois trailed behind, while another rode at Samuel's side and the fourth at Chassy's.

  Chassy noted with shock and some embarrassment that his pursuer was a woman wearing nothing more than the men. Keeping his head low, he maneuvered to reach his dagger and made a hasty swipe at the woman. Quick as the snake, her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist in an iron grip. By a fortunate coincidence, her horse stumbled and veered toward one of the shacks. Chassy's arm was wrenched nearly out of its socket as she went down, but by a supreme force of will, he managed to keep his seat.