The Broken Key (02) - Hunter of the Horde

by Brian S. Pratt

  Another of Durik’s men rushed forward just in time to prevent the Hunter from following Pyck into the murky depths. Durik lifted his darkly swollen arm, tried to talk, then passed out. A second later, he was dead.

  From further down the docks, Bart looked on in satisfaction as Durik succumbed to the poison that had been on the dart. “I told you I would kill you,” Bart said to the dead man. “I’m a man of my word.” Turning away, he left the growing state of confusion the death of Durik and his man had sown upon the docks.

  Back at the inn, they had a quick meal of bread, sliced beef, and cheese while Aryn loaded other foodstuffs into their packs. The old man was absent as was the wife.

  “How’s your father doing?” asked Chad.

  “About the same,” she replied as she brought out a pitcher of ale. “He’s in one of his good days today.”

  “I’m glad,” he said.

  She returned to the kitchen to finish packing the food they had bought into travel packs.

  They ate fast as they needed to get out of Catha before Durik was able to locate them.

  Once out of town, they planned to head east toward what Chyfe said was the closest fishing village where they might be able to arrange transport back to the island to rescue Bart.

  Before they finished, Aryn emerged from the kitchen with four bulging sacks filled with the food they had bought. “You’re all set,” she said as she came to their table.

  “We appreciate this,” Riyan said. There looked to be more food in the packs than the silver coins he had given her should have warranted. He grabbed one and indicated for Chad and the twins to take the others.

  She nodded. “Come back again if you’re ever in Catha,” she said.

  “We will,” Chad assured her. Aryn flashed him a smile.

  They grabbed their packs and hurried out to the stable where they quickly saddled the horses. Riyan saddled Bart’s horse as well and soon they were all mounted. “How far is it to this village?” he asked Chyfe.

  “Couple hours,” he replied.

  “Lead the way,” Riyan said.

  Chyfe nodded and took the lead as they left the stable. They were just about to leave the courtyard behind the inn when they heard, “Where are you guys going with my horse?” Leaning against the side of the inner wall of the courtyard was Bart.

  “Bart!” Riyan exclaimed. Leaping from his horse, he rushed to embrace his friend.

  “How did you get here?” It was almost inconceivable for him to be here.

  “While you were escaping in the boat,” he explained as he held up a hand to forestall Riyan’s enthusiastic greeting, “I was working to stall any pursuit.” Grinning, he walked over to his horse and mounted. “I knocked out Lord Eythryn and hid him for awhile. As I had anticipated, they emptied the ships to search for him which gave me the opportunity to sneak aboard unnoticed. Unfortunately, they found him sooner than I expected. I had hoped to give you a little more time to escape. After that, I kept my Cloak tight about me and kept out of the way. When the ship docked here at Catha, it was easy to shinny down one of the mooring lines.”

  They left the inn’s courtyard and made their way eastward which was the fastest way out of town from there. During their ride through Catha, Bart told them of the fall of Durik.

  “Good!” exclaimed Chyfe. The others were equally pleased that particular threat had been eliminated.

  “Any idea where to find the last segment?” asked Seth.

  “Not a clue,” Riyan said. “Maybe further searching in the Archives will divulge something.”

  “I too may be able to aid in this endeavor,” Kevik said. “As a Practitioner, I now have access to one of the libraries in the Tower.”

  “Excellent,” Chyfe said. “Back to Gilbeth then?”

  “Back to Gilbeth,” affirmed Riyan. Just then, snow began to fall. Pulling his jacket close around him to retain what warmth he could, Riyan thought wintering at Kevik’s estate might not be such a bad idea. They turned about, worked their way around the northern edge of town, and headed home.

  Will the comrades be successful in opening the King’s Horde?

  Find out in the climactic conclusion:

  Quest’s End

  Book Three of The Broken Key

  Check out the other epically adventurous worlds of fantasy author Brian S. Pratt

  The Morcyth Saga

  James, a high school senior, went looking for a job. But instead, he begins what turns out to be an adventure of a lifetime. Whisked unexpectedly to a world where magic works, he must learn to master its power, all the while searching for the meaning of why he was brought there and what he must do.

  Dungeon Crawler Adventures

  For those who enjoy dungeon exploration

  without all the buildup or wrapup.

  Fans of his previous works, especially The Broken Key, will discover Underground to be full of excitement and surprises. First in a series of books written for the pure fun of adventuring, Underground takes the reader along as four strangers overcome obstacles such as ingenious traps, perilous encounters, and mysteries to boggle the mind.

  Ring of the Or’tux

  In many stories you hear how ‘The Chosen One’ appeared to save the day. Every wonder what would happen if the one doing the choosing bungled the job?

  In Ring of the Or’tux, that’s exactly what happens. Hunter was on his way to a Three Stooges’ marathon when in mid-step, he went from the lobby of a movie theater to a charred tangle of stone and timber that once had been a place of worship. From there it only gets worse for the hapless Chosen One. First, an attempt to flee those he initially encounters (who by the way are the ones he was sent there to save), lands him into the merciless clutches of an invading army (those whom he was supposed to defeat).

  The Adventurer’s Guild

  Jaikus and Reneeke are ordinary lads whose dream in life is to become a member of The Adventurer's Guild. But to become a member, one must be able to lay claim to an Adventure, and not just any adventure. To qualify, an Adventure must entail the following:

  1-Have some element of risk to life and limb

  2-Successfully concluded. If the point of the Adventure was to recover a stolen silver candelabra, then you better have that candelabra in hand when all is said and done.

  3-A reward must be given. For what good is an Adventure if you don't get paid for your troubles?

  Jaikus and Reneeke soon realize that becoming members in the renowned Guild is harder than they thought. For Adventures posted as Unresolved at the Guild, are usually the ones with the most risk.

  However, when they hear of a party of experienced Guild members that are about to set out and are in need of Springers, they quickly volunteer only to discover to their dismay that a Springer's job is to "Spring the trap."

  If they survive, membership in the Guild is assured.

  Document Outline

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