The Broken Key (02) - Hunter of the Horde

by Brian S. Pratt

  “Glad we don’t to have to do that anymore,” commented Seth.

  “You got that right,” replied Chad.

  The mess was much quieter without the other Recruits. In fact, most of the tables were empty as all but a few had already come and gone. They went and received their food then sat at a table off by themselves.

  Riyan took a bite and as he chewed, turned to Chyfe. “I thought you said you were the son of a local lord?” he asked. He had tried unsuccessfully several times last night to broach the subject about Catha being named his city of origin. But every time he had tried, someone always interrupted them with one congratulatory comment or another.

  He gave Riyan a grin. “I am,” he said. “My father performed some service for Duke Alric and was made a Baron several years ago. That’s when we moved here to Gilbeth.

  By claiming Catha as my city or origin, I was able to join and be trained here.” It was the usual custom for Recruits not to be trained in the city of their birth.

  Chad was sitting across from Riyan and his hand suddenly froze on its way to deliver the next bite to his mouth as he realized what they were talking about. He glanced to Riyan questioningly and received a nod in reply.

  “Do you remember the city well?” Riyan asked Chyfe.

  “Do I?” he asked with a chuckle. “You might not believe it, but I was a wild one. My parents at one time threatened to send me away to a relative I had never heard of, who had a farm out in the middle of nowhere, if I didn’t straighten up.”

  “Did you?” asked Soth.

  Giving them a mischievous grin, he said, “As far as my parents knew I did.” Then he laughed. Turning back to Riyan he asked, “Why do you ask?”

  “Oh, I had once heard there were ancient ruins in the area,” he said. “Maybe some that had existed before our people came to these parts.”

  “Well you heard right,” he replied. “That whole area is riddled with them. In fact, I heard that Catha itself was built on top of a series of ruins. There is even a widely held belief that they may date back to the time of the King as a number of his coins have been uncovered from time to time among them. I would even…” Then he came to an abrupt stop and stared at Riyan.

  “What?” Riyan asked.

  “This wouldn’t have anything to do with what we just went through the last few days would it?” he asked.

  Trying to keep his voice neutral, he said. “Whatever do you mean?”

  “Oh I don’t know,” he said. “Men show up, kidnap a friend of yours because he believes you know the location of the King’s Horde. Now you’re asking about ancient ruins…”

  “Does it?” asked Seth. With an eager expression on his face, he awaited Riyan’s answer.

  Riyan didn’t immediately reply. He glanced to Chad for help but he only shrugged.

  “It does, doesn’t it?” Soth asked. Lowering his voice, he said, “You guys are on the trail of the Horde!” The last word was said a bit too loud and one of the men at the nearest table looked their way for a moment before returning to the conversation he had been having.

  Three faces were looking towards him for an answer. “Maybe,” he grudgingly said.

  “I knew it!” Seth exclaimed quietly. Then he put two and two together. “Is that why you two are here?”

  Soth turned to his brother. “You mean the Archives?” Seth nodded. “You spend an awful lot of time up there Riyan.” When Riyan began to refute the statement, Seth didn’t allow him the opportunity. “Don’t give me any of that nonsense about how much you love bending over an old tome and painstakingly transcribing it. I’m not going to buy it.”

  “Alright,” Riyan said, giving in to the inevitable. “But I want each of your solemn oaths not to repeat anything about what I am about to reveal. On your honor.” His eyes met each of theirs and they could see that he meant it.

  “I so swear,” Seth and Soth said at the same time.

  “So do I,” agreed Chyfe. “On my honor.”

  “First of all, Chad and I didn’t join the Warriors Guild simply because of what we wanted to find out,” he began. “We honestly wish to be here. It just worked out that we could do one while hunting for the other.” Chad nodded agreement.

  “We came here looking for information about a coat of arms,” he said. As the one bearing the two headed falcon was the one that pertained to Catha, he didn’t mention the other. “It bears a two headed falcon, one head looking to the right and the other to the left. In its left claw is grasped a stick with but a single leaf upon the upper end, and in the other claw was a dagger with the blade pointing down.”

  “In the Archives I came across an old tome that mentioned old ruins located in a city known as Kartha,” he said. “It also mentioned the fact that this city lay on the shore of a large lake which boasted an island.”

  “There was no mention of the King, or the coat of arms. Our thought was to go to Catha and see if there was any indication of the double headed falcon coat of arms or the King on any of the ruins.”

  To Chyfe, Chad asked, “What do you think?”

  “I never heard of Catha being referred to as Kartha before,” admitted Chyfe. “My father may know more about this than I do though.”

  “What about the coat of arms?” asked Riyan. “Ever seen anything like that?”

  “Two headed falcon?” he asked. When Riyan nodded he said, “One head looking left, the other looking right?”

  “Yes,” replied Riyan.

  “Maybe I have,” he said. “The island of the lake that Catha sits on is considered to be cursed and no one goes there. So of course as a boy I had to find out why.” He paused as he thought back to a day almost ten years ago. “Two friends and I borrowed a boat from a neighbor and rowed out to the island. We spent the better part of a day poking about the island. It was high adventure for three lads, alone in a cursed place and all. The island itself was pretty sizable, it would take over an hour to walk from one side to the other.

  And that’s across its narrowest point.”

  Turning his attention to Riyan he said, “Your tome was correct about there being ancient ruins. We came across a dense copse of trees that had overgrown one such area. It was along the northern tip of the island and it was there that I saw…”

  “What?” urged Soth. “What did you see?” He and the others were hanging on his every word.

  “It may have been the coat of arms which you are looking for,” he replied, “but I’m not sure. The ruins itself was all but overgrown with vegetation and trees. We found the remnants of what had to have been a monolith of some size. I think at some time in the past, one of the trees that had overgrown the place must have toppled over and struck it.

  For it lay on its side with the decaying bole of a tree lying atop it. It must have broken apart when it hit the ground for there were only two sections left intact, the rest of it was a pile of rubble.”

  “One of the larger chunks of the monolith that had broken off bore the heads of the falcon that you just described,” he explained.

  “Was there anything else there that you might recall about the ruins?” Riyan asked.

  “No. We spent the rest of the day there and left before the sun went down,” he replied. “Never did find out why it was considered cursed.” Riyan sat back and thought about it. “Sounds like we need to go there,” he concluded.

  Maybe there were ghosts that appeared there as they had during the wee hours of the night in Algoth. If so, that would account for the belief it was cursed.

  Once they finished eating, they made their way up to the second floor and found the room in which Swordmaster Terril was pouring over dispatches from other Guilds. When he saw them at his door he waved for them to come in then returned his attention back to the dispatch he had been reading.

  Riyan stepped in first and said, “Good morning Swordmaster.” The others offered their greetings as well. The Swordmaster merely nodded as he continued reading the dispatch. When he was finished he set the
dispatch on the pile with the others and looked up at the Armsmen before him.

  “Well gentlemen,” he began. “I had expected you to be here before now.” Seth glanced at Riyan nervously.

  “You did say to come here after we ate,” Chyfe stated.

  “Hmmm,” he said. On his desk were five scrolls tied with a wide, red ribbon sitting side by side. He picked up one and handed it to Chad. Then he did the same with the rest until they each held one.

  “These scrolls are a declaration by our Guild that you are Armsmen,” he explained.

  “Don’t lose them.”

  “We won’t,” replied Riyan.

  “Guard it with my life,” Chyfe assured him.

  Swordmaster Terril grinned at Chyfe’s statement. “They’re not that important Armsman Chyfe. Word will be sent to all the Guilds that you have attained the rank of Armsmen. Though, it could take time for word to reach those a far distance away.”

  “Thank you Swordmaster,” Chad said.

  “I’m sure you all will bring honor to our Guild,” he said. “Now, there’s another matter through which you may show your gratitude to your Guild.”

  “Yes Swordmaster?” questioned Soth.

  Riyan groaned. He had a good idea what it was that was going to be asked of them.

  “As you know, an attack was made on the town of Sandlun to the south,” he explained. “Duke Knor has made a request of the Guild to send any and all newly raised Armsmen to help increase our presence along the border. He fears there may be further attacks.”

  “I understand there is already a sizeable presence down there,” Riyan said. The tone of his voice drew Swordmaster Terril’s gaze.

  “True,” he agreed. “However, such a request must be honored.”

  “Do we have to go?” Chad blurted out before he could stop himself.

  Swordmaster Terril leaned back in his chair and stared at the five Armsmen before him. “The Guild does not rule its members, body and soul,” he explained. “This is merely a request by the Guild for its members to uphold its honor.” He could see in the faces of the men before him that they were reticent about acceding to such a request. “What reason could there be that would make you wish to refuse to uphold the Guild’s honor?”

  “As you may have heard,” began Riyan, “a friend of ours recently had his estate attacked. He’s but an apprentice who is about to test for Practitioner. It was his hope, and ours, that we would take employment with him and provide protection in the event of any further attacks once he had attained the new rank.”

  “Hmmm,” he murmured again. “All of you?”

  “Well, Chad and I at any rate,” he replied.

  “And us too,” added Seth. Soth nodded next to him.

  “I doubt if four Armsmen would be enough to withstand another attack,” added Chyfe. “It might be best if I were to be included along with the others.” At that, Swordmaster Terril raised his eyebrows in surprise. It had been well known that Chyfe had always intended to head south and win his fame on the border. “You, Armsman Chyfe?” he asked.

  “Yes sir,” Chyfe replied. “After what we went through together in the Ki’ Gyrx Forest, I would not wish to abandon my comrades.”

  “A noble sentiment,” he said. Then he nodded. “If that is your wish, the Guild will hardly stand in your way.”

  Riyan felt relieved. He had feared that more pressure would have been exerted on them to comply with the Guild’s request.

  “I wish you luck and fame in your endeavors Armsmen,” he said to the five men before him. “And always remember, when you are in need, the Guild is here for you.”

  “Thank you Swordmaster,” Riyan said. The others nodded in agreement.

  Realizing they had been dismissed, they turned about and left Swordmaster Terril’s office. Once they were back on the stair and heading down to the ground floor, Riyan asked, “You guys really planning on accompanying us to Catha?”

  “Of course,” Seth said.

  “There may be renown to be won down on the border,” Chyfe said, “but what you and Chad are embarking upon could be an adventure destined for the sagas.”

  “I hardly think that,” Chad replied with a chuckle.

  As he stepped from the bottom step, Riyan paused and turned to his three new companions. “Remember, not a word about anything to anyone,” he cautioned. When he received their nods he turned back and resumed his progress back to their barrack. Once there, he began collecting his things and began putting them in his travel pack. Despite having been there for awhile, he really didn’t have that much to take with him.

  “I better let my father know what’s going on,” Chyfe said. When Riyan turned to him he held up a hand to forestall the reproach Riyan had on his lips. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell him where we’re going or what we’re doing. Just that I’m traveling with my fellow Armsmen on to adventure.”

  Riyan nodded. “As long as that’s all you tell him,” he said. Then to Seth and Soth he asked, “Will you two need to take your leave of your family as well?” Seth nodded.

  “Then why don’t you three do that right away and meet us out at the estate,” he suggested. He gave them a quick rundown on how to reach it.

  Having finished packing what items he had, Chad slung his pack over his shoulder and waited for Riyan to finish.

  “I’m going to head up to the Archives before we leave,” Riyan told him. “I want to say goodbye to Stryntner.”

  “I understand,” Chad said. Then he thought of one young beauty he hadn’t seen in awhile and said, “I’ll meet you out at Kevik’s.” When Riyan gave him a crooked smile, he blushed which caused Riyan to laugh.

  “Thought so,” Riyan said.

  “I’m out of here,” Chad announced and turned for the door.

  “Wait a second and I’ll go with you,” Chyfe said. Soon he, Chad, and the twins were leaving the barrack while Riyan finished packing his belongings alone.

  As soon as he had his packs ready to go, he set them on his bed and then left the barrack. He went up to the third floor and found the door to the Archives open. It usually was during the day if Stryntner was inside.

  “Keeper?” he said as he entered the Archives. Glancing around, he didn’t immediately see the old man. Then he caught sight of gray hair in the back and made his way through the free standing bookshelves.

  Stryntner was standing by one of the bookshelves with a tome opened in his hands.

  He held his face close as he used his one good eye to read the words upon the pages.

  “Ahem.” Riyan cleared his throat unobtrusively to let Stryntner know he was there.

  The old man looked up from his book and turned his head towards Riyan. “Ah young Riyan,” he said. “I was just thinking about you.”

  “I don’t know if you’ve heard or not,” Riyan began, “but I’ve been raised to Armsman. I’ve employment elsewhere and won’t be able to come and transcribe for you any longer.”

  “Yes,” nodded Stryntner, “I believe I did hear something about that during my morning meal.” He turned to the bookshelf and placed the tome he had been reading back on the shelf. “I would like to give you something for all the help you’ve been.”

  “That isn’t necessary,” Riyan assured him. “I enjoyed my time here.” Turning to face Riyan, Stryntner stared at him for a moment before saying, “Come with me.” He moved past Riyan and made his way to his room in the back.

  Riyan followed him until he came to the doorway leading into the old man’s room, then came to a stop. He waited at the doorway while the old man passed through his room and disappeared into another. Other than where he stood, the doorway through which Stryntner had just passed was the only other exit from the room he called home. A moment later, he reappeared with a thin book in his hand.

  “Here,” he said as he handed the book to Riyan.

  Taking it, Riyan noticed right away that this was no aged tome, but one with relatively new binding. “Thank you,” he s
aid.

  Stryntner nodded and then began escorting him to the door of the Archives. “I hope you find what you’re looking for young Riyan,” he said. Once he had walked Riyan to the Archives’ door, he promptly turned about and headed back into the Archives.

  “Goodbye Keeper,” Riyan said as Stryntner walked away. When no reply came from the old man, Riyan returned back down to the barrack. Once there he put the book into his pack and then slung it over his shoulder.

  He cast one final look around at the barrack before heading out.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  _______________________

  Over an hour before the third bell, Kevik arrived at the Tower of the Magi. With staff in hand, he entered the Hall and found a good place to sit while he waited for the appointed time. This time of morning, there were few others than himself within the hall.

  There were two magic users engaged in a heated discussion not too far from where Kevik sat. The third and final person in the Hall was quietly sitting in a corner, reading near one of the glowing spheres the Tower uses for light.

  He was ready. With a good night’s sleep and a light breakfast earlier this morning, he was primed for what was to come. He ran through the spells he planned to do for the Magi and was confident they would give him little trouble. After all, if he could cast them during the heat of battle, doing so before the Magi shouldn’t be too difficult.

  After sitting there for some time, he noticed two robed individuals entering the Hall from the front entrance. One was young, maybe even younger than he was while the other was much older. It dawned on him that the younger must be another Apprentice who was taking the Test today. The older magic user would then be his master. They quickly found a place off by themselves and took their seats.

  Two other Apprentices with their masters joined Kevik and the other pair in the hall before the appointed time. He couldn’t help but feel saddened by how fate had robbed him of his master. Master Mage Allar by rights should be here to stand by his apprentice.