The Broken Key (02) - Hunter of the Horde

by Brian S. Pratt

  Kevik grinned at the description of his master. It was fairly accurate. “What did you wish to tell me?” he asked.

  “I suppose you already know where the library on the ground floor is?” he asked.

  When Kevik nodded, he said, “Good. That’s the only library Practitioners have access to here in the Guild until you advance further. It has many books which will aid you in the researching of spells. There are even half a dozen books which contain some of the more basic spells that you may copy and use as you wish.”

  “Thank you,” he said.

  Arriving at one of the tables, Frell indicated for Kevik to take a seat.

  Kevik sat in the chair directly across the table from the Master Mage. He glanced up at the columns rising to the ceiling around him and was awed at being where he was.

  A Seeker had positioned himself near one of the columns directly in the Master Mage’s line of sight. The Master Mage signaled the Seeker and they were soon enjoying hot tea and pastries. Taking one of the berry filled pastries, Frell said, “One of the more pleasant benefits.”

  Having already consumed one of the delicate pastries, Kevik could only nod in agreement. Looking longingly at another but afraid to ask, he saw Frell nod for him to help himself. He took his time with this one as he wanted to savor it for as long as possible.

  “What is going to happen to Apprentice Teryn?” Kevik asked.

  “He’ll have to wait another year before he can again try for Practitioner I’m afraid,” he said. “His master, a powerful magic user in her own right, rushed him.” He removed another of the pastries from the platter and took a bite. They sat there in silence while Frell finished his mouthful. He set the remaining half back on the platter and then took up his tea cup. Sipping on the warm beverage, he continued.

  “I’d first like to say I’m sorry for the loss of your master.” Taking another sip he gazed to see Kevik’s reaction. “It’s quite remarkable that you were able to learn what you needed to in order to advance to Practitioner on your own.” Kevik nodded. “My master was a very good teacher,” he explained. “I appreciate all the Guild has done for me since his passing.”

  “You mean basically giving you his estate and all?” Frell asked.

  Kevik nodded again.

  Frell grinned. “I had a hand in that young man,” he admitted. “I knew Allar’s feelings about such things, he would have wanted it to go to you.” He paused a moment then added, “He thought very highly of you.”

  “He did?” asked Kevik. He was surprised that his master would have spoken of such things to another magic user.

  “Yes he did,” confirmed Frell. “In fact, he said you were the brightest apprentice he ever had.”

  The words he was hearing made him feel quite good. He always knew his master had thought well of him, but to hear it confirmed by another…well it just felt good! “I hope to live up to his praise.”

  “You already have my young Practitioner,” Frell stated. Setting his teacup down, he picked up the remaining half of the pastry and placed it in its entirety within his mouth.

  While he chewed, he kept his eyes fixed on Kevik.

  Kevik on the other hand wanted another pastry but despite the nod to go ahead from Frell, he declined. He didn’t want to come across as a greedy glutton.

  “Do you have any questions for me?” Frell asked.

  “Not really,” Kevik replied. “I’m not sure what is required to advance from Practitioner though.”

  “Ah yes,” he said with a grin. “I was sure that would be uppermost on your mind.” He took up his tea cup again and quietly took a couple sips before replacing it back on the table. “As you’re aware, the next rank is Wielder.”

  “So my master had informed me,” replied Kevik. “He said that it would be more difficult going from Practitioner to Wielder than from Apprentice to Practitioner.” Frell nodded. “That’s right. For an Apprentice to rise to Practitioner, all he must do is show that he is capable of performing magic with some degree of competency.”

  “Is that why we must construct our staff and be able to perform five spells?” Kevik asked.

  “In part,” he replied. “The symbol of the magic user is the staff. No one who practices the art can be without one. That’s why we make it a requirement during the initial advancement.”

  Kevik nodded understanding. That made sense.

  “The test you must take next, which by the way you must wait at least one full year from now before you can make the attempt, is more rigorous.”

  “Rigorous?” Kevik asked. He definitely didn’t like the sound of that.

  “Indeed,” replied Frell. “You see, for a magic user to advance above Practitioner, he must have an agile mind. The test you will face will require you to think quickly and any misstep will result in failure.”

  “What do you mean by ‘think quickly’?” questioned Kevik.

  Frell grinned and sipped his tea for a moment before answering. “Unlike the test for Practitioner where other Apprentices are likely to be there with you, for Wielder you will enter the Well alone. You must defend yourself with magic. If you survive the encounter, you are raised to Wielder, for you can wield the magic.”

  “You mean I might die?” he asked.

  “Unlikely, but it does happen,” he explained. “It’s no longer permissible for the testers to use excessive force. They will cast magic and you must be able to counter the spells.”

  “I see,” replied Kevik. He didn’t like the sound of that.

  “But I wouldn’t worry about that,” Frell assured him. “You have a year and plenty of time to practice.”

  “I suppose so,” agreed Kevik.

  “Of course, there’s nothing that says you must make the attempt in precisely a year,” he explained. “Some Practitioners put off testing for Wielder for years.” Kevik sat back in his chair and thought about what lay ahead for him. Then a thought came to him. “You mentioned that in the library here on the ground floor are books with basic spells in them,” he said. When he saw Frell nod in agreement, he added, “Then can I assume that the spells contained within those books would be beneficial for a Practitioner to know when he enters the Well again?” Frell grinned at him. “Allar always said you were smart,” he said. Not exactly confirming Kevik’s suspicions, he didn’t deny them either.

  “That’s about all I needed to tell you,” Frell announced. “Do you have any other questions?”

  Kevik shook his head. “No. You’ve been most helpful.”

  “Owed it to your master,” he replied. “If you ever have any other questions about the Guild or anything else, come see me.”

  Realizing he was being dismissed, Kevik got to his feet. “I will, and thank you.” Master Mage Frell gave him a nod in reply.

  Turning about, Kevik made a beeline for the entrance. Before he left the Hall, he glanced down the hallway that led to the library. He figured that he was going to have to spend a lot of time there over the next year. Still a little bit giddy at being a Practitioner, he left the Guild in search of Bart. He simply had to brag to someone.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  _______________________

  After finding Bart at the open air eatery, he spent some time bragging about his new title before they started back to the estate. There they found Riyan waiting at the door of the tower.

  “About time you two got back!” he hollered when he saw them coming down the lane.

  Bart couldn’t help but smile. “Think he’s been there long?” he asked Kevik.

  “I hope not,” Kevik replied. Quickening their pace, they reached Riyan’s side.

  “How long have you been here?” Bart asked him with a crooked smile.

  “Over an hour,” he said angrily.

  “You know,” stated Kevik before pausing after Riyan turned his gaze to him. “I don’t think you would have triggered any traps if you had gone back the way you came.”

  “What?” he exclaimed. His anger, which had been
growing over the past hour, almost got the better of him. Swallowing the expletives he had been about to hurl at Kevik, he maintained his composure and asked, “When did you figure this out?”

  “Uh, not too long ago,” he replied. “Sorry.”

  “Sorry!” he yelled. Then he closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself.

  Bart dismounted and came to his friend. “Relax,” he told him. When Riyan opened his eyes, Bart gestured to Kevik. “Meet the Tower’s newest Practitioner.”

  “You did it?” he asked.

  Kevik nodded. “A little under an hour ago,” he affirmed.

  “That’s great news,” stated Riyan. “Now we can get underway.” After Kevik dismounted, they walked the horses back to the stable. “Where’s Chad?” Bart asked. Removing the saddle, he began currying his horse.

  “He’ll be around later,” Riyan told him. “He wanted to visit one of the girls he’s been seeing before we set out.”

  Bart grinned. “Not a bad idea,” he replied. “Wish I had one too.” Once Kevik was through with his horse, he turned to Riyan. “I really am sorry you thought you had to remain by the door,” he apologized yet again.

  Riyan sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’ll get over it.”

  With the horses taken care of, they walked back to the manor house. “I probably should mention that we’ll have company on our trip to Catha,” Riyan said.

  “Chyfe?” Bart asked. He remembered the comment Riyan had made about Chyfe having been born there when he went to see them last night.

  “Chad and I talked with him over the morning meal,” he said. Then he gave them a brief summary of what Chyfe had told them. “We’ll also have Seth and Soth with us too.” When Bart glanced at him questioningly, he added, “They were there when we were discussing it.”

  Shrugging, Bart said, “They’re good in a fight and have already proven they’ll stand by us.”

  “Wouldn’t three more swords provide an added level of protection for us?” asked Kevik.

  Bart nodded. “That it will.”

  Once back at the manor, they began working out what they’ll need for this venture based on what they encountered in the Ruins of Algoth. They made a list of supplies which Bart and Riyan planned to go into town and purchase once everyone showed.

  “Hail the manor!” hollered a voice from outside.

  “That’s Seth,” Riyan said as he crossed the outer room to the front door. Stepping outside, he saw Seth and Soth riding toward him. “Where did you get the horses?” he asked.

  Seth grinned and replied, “Our father.”

  “Once he heard we were heading out for adventure, he gave us two of his,” Soth explained.

  “Excellent,” Riyan said. “Put the horses in the stable out back then meet us inside.”

  “Be right there,” Soth said. Then he and his brother rode their horses around back to the stable.

  A short time later, Chyfe arrived on horseback. When another hour had passed and Chad still hadn’t shown up, Bart suggested they not wait and head into town. They needed to make sure they had enough time to get the supplies before the shops closed.

  With Riyan and Chyfe in tow, he headed into town. Seth and Soth remained behind to keep an eye on things at the estate. Bart didn’t think there would be any trouble, but he didn’t want to leave Kevik out there by himself.

  While they were gone to town, Kevik kept to the tower. Back in his workshop he spied the bowl in which the mixture sat that he had used in his far seeing spell. The odor coming from the bowl was quite bad. Apparently the stuff didn’t last too long before it went bad. He promptly took the bowl outside and tossed the mixture into the grass. From there he drew water from the well to rinse the bowl.

  A question about the longevity of the mixture came to him on his way back to the tower. Once back in his workroom, he opened the book in which he had found the far seeing spell and read the paragraphs concerning the spell and the mixture. What he read confirmed the fact that the mixture would deteriorate over time. The deterioration would accelerate dramatically once it was used. In fact, it stated that the mixture could only be used twice before its effectiveness ended.

  However, if the mixture were to be sealed in a container shortly after the initial mixing, then it would last for quite a while. Just how long wasn’t specified, but Kevik felt it would be long enough for the trip ahead. He then set the book down and went to the bottom floor of the tower where there were many boxes and crates. It had been used as Allar’s storeroom.

  With what ingredients he still had on hand in the tower, he figured he could make enough for three batches. Now all he needed was something in which to store it until needed.

  The first couple of crates yielded nothing to suit his needs. One had a brace of daggers, all of which were very dull. In fact, they looked as if they had never been sharpened. What use his master had intended for them wasn’t clear. After searching the first floor of the tower and coming up with nothing, he went over to the manor house.

  Halfway between the tower and the manor house, the unmistakable sound of swords striking each other came to him from around back. His first thought was that Durik’s men had come for retribution and that Riyan’s two friends were fighting them off. But when he rounded the corner to come to their aid, found the twins sparring with one another.

  Kevik came to a quick stop and backed around the corner before they noticed him.

  Slightly red faced at his misunderstanding, he left them to their sparring.

  He entered through the front door and was quickly into the kitchen area. There he found three flasks full of an unknown clear liquid. He had no idea what the liquid was, but the flasks were of the right size in which to store his mixture. Taking the three flasks with him, he dumped out their contents in the yard outside and then went to the well where he gave them a thorough rinsing. Once they were clean, he took them back to his workroom.

  He set the flasks near the fireplace to dry, then sat in a chair and gazed out the window. He’d give the flasks a chance to completely dry before making the mixture to go in them. It was still cool but not terribly so, his robe kept him warm despite the breeze blowing in through the open window. Kevik sat there relaxing, contemplating what Master Mage Frell had said and going over the events in the Well while waiting for the flasks to dry.

  “Do we have everything?” asked Riyan.

  They had just left a chandler’s shop where they had bought several gold’s worth of traveling supplies and bad weather gear. “I think so,” Bart said. Just about everything they needed had been found in the chandler’s shop and now each had a well stuffed pack slung over their shoulders. “Now to the market. We can get the rest of what we need there.” Chyfe and Riyan nodded as they headed toward the nearest market.

  “What are you guys doing in town?”

  Turning about, they came to a stop when they saw Chad approaching. Bart patted his pack and replied, “Buying supplies for tomorrow.”

  “Is that when we’re heading out?” he asked.

  Bart nodded. “Kevik made Practitioner so there’s nothing else keeping us here.”

  “Seth and Soth are already at the estate,” Chyfe told him.

  “Are you done with what you needed to do?” asked Bart.

  With a grin, Chad nodded. “Yes I am.”

  “We’re heading to the market,” Chyfe explained. “Want to come.” Chad shrugged. “Sure.”

  Bart turned and resumed moving down the street. “Where’s your horse?” he asked.

  “Oh, a few streets behind us at an inn,” he said. “I’ll go back to get it when we’re through.” Bart nodded and they continued on.

  At the market, they purchased half a dozen loaves of bread, cheese, and other rations which would stand up well on the road. They were about ready to leave when Riyan grabbed Bart’s arm. He directed Bart’s gaze to the other side of the market area. “Look,” he sai
d.

  Bart wasn’t sure what Riyan was talking about at first, but then he saw the man. He recognized the man as one of the men who had been with Durik during the chase through the Ki’ Gyrx Forest. It didn’t look as if the man had noticed them yet. Bart ushered the others to the side of one of the stalls, one in which a seed seller was hawking a variety of seeds.

  “I thought with Durik dead they would have given up,” Riyan commented.

  “They may have for all we know,” added Chad.

  Bart glanced to him and nodded. “True, but I’m not willing to trust my life on that assumption.”

  “What should we do?” Chyfe asked.

  “You, Chad, and Chyfe take the supplies back to the estate,” Bart replied as he handed the pack he carried to Chad. Returning his attention to the man who now stood before a baker’s shop, he added, “I’m going to find out what’s going on.”

  “Shouldn’t one of us stay with you?” questioned Riyan. He was worried for his friend’s safety.

  Bart shook his head. “I can do this better alone.”

  Riyan laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Be careful,” he urged.

  “Yeah,” added Chad. “Don’t forget what happened last time.”

  “I will and I haven’t,” Bart replied. “Now you guys get out of here before he sees you.”

  “Alright.” To Chad and Chyfe, Riyan nodded toward a nearby alley and said, “Let’s go.” As they left the market by way of the alley, Bart reentered the crowd and started working his way closer to the man.

  Durik’s man was purchasing a large quantity of food, much more than what a single person could consume. From what he was buying, Bart guessed there had to be at least half a dozen others with him, if not more.

  Bart positioned himself where he could keep an inconspicuous eye on him. He watched the man enter the baker’s shop and then exit a few minutes later. The man glanced around the market as if to check for anyone watching him, then turned and made his way from the market. Bart watched him enter the street then moved to follow.