Treb reluctantly nodded in agreement. “Fine. At least we have him here, and Crystal is back in the village.”
“And what do you mean by that?” Kiin knew exactly what he meant, but wanted him to say it.
Treb glanced back at the curious Markus watching them. “At least he won’t be flirting with her and giving her . . . ideas.”
Kiin laughed at him. “You forget you were just as bad a flirt at his age, and gave a lot of girls some pretty naughty thoughts, including me.”
“And, so, I should know exactly what goes through his mind every time he sees her tail.”
Kiin rolled her eyes and stopped walking so close to him. She then spoke with the intention of Markus hearing. “Yes, you do. And I know exactly what she would have done to him if he had touched her wrong. He might have a wand, but she has claws. I remember that night I scratched you so hard that . . .”
Treb’s eyebrows lifted and his eyes widened as he shot her a shut up glare. “Kiin!”
Markus moved a little closer to them as they walked. “Um, what’s the big discussion?”
Kiin smiled at Treb while she answered Markus. “Just talking about tails and claws.”
“Oh, Rakki stuff.”
Treb nodded while he continued to glare at his wife, praying that she did not finish her last story. “Yeah, Rakki stuff. My lovely wife was reminding me of how dangerous a Rakki girl can be when she receives unwanted advances.” His words were meant to inspire a healthy fear.
Markus remained oblivious. “Huh?”
Kiin laughed and took Markus by the shoulder so she might move him next to them, instead of him following behind. “Nothing, dear. We were just reminded that some things are similar between cultures. Girls can be fickle around boys, no matter if they’re human or Rakki. Did you have any—” She was about to ask him about his girlfriends back where he was from, but something caught her ears, and she stopped and turned to look behind them. There wasn’t any immediate threat, so she did not pull out her bow.
Treb stopped, as did Markus. Both looked back at Kiin.
Treb asked, “What is it?”
She frowned and then waited a moment to listen again. It was gone. “I don’t know. I could swear I heard someone or something behind us, but . . . it’s gone now.”
“Great, imps are tracking us already,” Treb grumbled. “Be on your guard.”
Markus shifted the large book in his arms to one arm, and prepared himself in case he needed to call his wand. He felt a little more confident, now that he had learned a few new spells, but he was still scared to death of actual combat. “What should we do?”
Treb pointed forward. “We should keep moving. Imps are easily distracted and will often lose interest in whatever they are tracking.”
“Especially if they see a shiny object,” Kiin added.
All three continued walking down the dirt road. Markus quietly searched his pocket with his free hand and found a small amount of shiny copper coins he had brought with him. He tossed one out, something he would do every hour or so, just to help ward off any imp attacks.
The Grand Hall of the Rakki was back to business as usual, and Kellus resumed looking over paperwork and listening to petitions from the people. Right then, he spoke with one of the High Tree Guards that managed the lookout for the village.
“Kellus!” A guard burst through the doors and came running toward the throne.
Lord Kellus stopped looking over a defense report and waited for the poor young boy to catch his breath. “For goodness’ sake. What is it?”
“Royal Guards. They just entered the village. The Captain’s at the door of the library, speaking with Mora right now.”
Kellus stood up and walked toward the entrance. “Go and summon them to meet with me. I should like to know what they’re doing here.”
“Yes, at once.” The boy bolted off again, leaving the elderly Rakki leader to calmly make his way to the front of the hall.
Captain Morris marched through the town, up to the hall with three of his guards. He did not like being summoned by anyone other than the King, and he certainly did not like being informed of a summons by a mere child. Approaching the hall, he saw the lord of these people waiting on him.
“Lord Kellus. We’re here to take any wizards you may have into custody.” Morris got right to the point as he stepped up the wooden steps of the hall. He should have bowed in respect, as Kellus technically held a higher rank, but Morris hardly bowed for anyone except the King.
Kellus smiled at him. “You already did, four years ago.”
“Yes, and in that four years, your young might have come into their abilities and become wizards. It’s important they come with us.” Morris was used to giving everyone commands, even the leaders of the different peoples around Gallenor.
With a clever and composed smile, Kellus calmly asked, “Why?”
“Why?! How dare you question royal decrees!”
The old Rakki was not afraid of these men, for he knew full well there were two dozen of the best Rakki archers hiding amongst the trees. If this man decided to dispatch the leader, he would hardly get his sword pulled halfway out before he was punctured multiple times. So, with that same cool, collected tone, he answered. “Yes, I question it. What purpose is there in stealing free people who have done nothing wrong? What purpose is there in taking young people who are just growing up with natural talents?”
Morris stepped up and went face to face with the old Rakki. Morris was a loyal servant, and anyone who questioned the King was not welcomed in his presence. “That is no concern of yours.” The truth was that he was not entirely certain as to the meaning behind such orders, but he would never question orders by the King.
Kellus maintained eye contact with Morris. “You may search if you wish. I am sure you will find nothing.” There was a certainty in his attitude that was not in the attitudes of the others around him who were all well aware of Crystal’s talents.
Morris smiled and cocked his head. “Interesting to hear you say that. One of your own just told me of a girl Dogkind that has researched magic in your library and uses her magic as a healer.”
Kellus did not break his composure, though he made a mental note of speaking with Mora as soon as these people left. “That is an interesting story. Should we find out then?” He held out his hand toward the medical house.
Morris signaled for his men to follow him, and he marched off toward the hospital where Crystal was sure to be working right now. With Markus, Treb, and Kiin gone, there was not much for her to do but work and wait. Morris had already visited the library and not found her, so it was just a matter of time before he entered the infirmary.
The doctors and nurses that manned the infirmary were hard at work, helping the Rakki needing medical attention. They were certainly not prepared for a brute slamming open their door and coming right at them with a stone held out in his palm.
Morris marched into the infirmary while he held out a black stone that had been enchanted by Hallond. This stone, when held next to a wizard, changed from solid black to glowing red. No wizard could avoid the stone, or hope to hide their power from its scrutiny. First, Morris held the stone next to the head doctor, then went down the line to each nurse. Everyone in the ward was nervously glancing back at the room where Crystal normally worked.
“They’re clear,” Morris declared.
The doctor straightened his glasses and cleared his throat. “Then, you may go, unless you require any medical attention.”
Morris glared at him. He had been through this enough times to know people would say or do anything to get it over with. It was not their place to decide when the inspection was over. He pushed past them and shoved aside the curtain to Crystal’s room.
Everyone watched while Morris held up his stone. All that they could see was his back as he worked. After a terrifying few moments, he went on, leaving the man who was in the bed. No one else was in the room. This surprised everyone, save Kellus, wh
o was standing at the door.
Morris put the stone away and walked up to Kellus. “Where are they?”
Kellus smiled at Morris and shrugged. “I do not know of whom you speak. Perhaps you were misinformed.”
Morris practically pushed the elder Rakki down as he left the infirmary. His lieutenant stated, “We need to be moving if we’re to reach Riverton by nightfall.”
Kellus, containing his contempt for this man, nodded to them. “Yes, please be on your way. Your presence is unsettling to my people.”
Morris turned to the leader of the Rakki and nearly snarled. “We will come and go as we please.”
“I, Lord Kellus of the Rakki, ask that you leave at once. If any wizards are in our trees, we will dutifully send them to the Pale Labyrinth. This is not a request now; it is an order.”
“Why, you—” Morris lifted his hand, ready to strike the old man hard enough to send him across the ground.
Everyone gasped, and yet, Kellus didn’t even flinch. Just as Morris was going to brutalize the Rakki Lord, an arrow came out of nowhere and struck the wall right next to him, its shaft skimming the side of his arm to show how dangerously close he was to death if he proceeded. This stopped him mid-motion, and he had a look of actual fear in his wide eyes that were glued on the arrow protruding from the wall.
Kellus stopped looking pleasant and got right in Morris’ face. “You may have the authority of the King behind you, but as is written into the Constitutional Concordat signed by all the races, including yours, I still have authority in these lands, and you will recognize that or be subject to my punishment. Captain Morris, unless you have substantial reason to violate the rights of my people any further, you will take your men and leave.”
Morris did not like the laws being thrown into his face. He could have done something about the threat on his life, but he knew when it was time to back down—for now. With a single finger pointed at Kellus’ face, he made his final point. “This isn’t over, old man. You dogs will learn your place in time. For now, I have a job to do and little time to do it. Men, mount up and move out.” After he gave this order, he practically stomped away with his soldiers.
The head nurse came out, still shaken by the experience. “Lord Kellus, where’s Crystal? Have you hidden her?”
Kellus’ eyes were fixed on watching the soldiers leave his village. He answered softly, “No, she is exactly where she should be. Do not worry.”
Chapter 8: Camping under the Stars
A full day passed as the trio traveled toward the north. Treb, Kiin, and Markus left the worn path and made their way into the trees of a small forest at the base of the foothills. It was Treb’s idea to hide in the trees so they would be less noticeable by anything, scout or imp. And, as a Rakki, he simply felt more comfortable in the forest.
Treb had gone to hunt dinner while Kiin and Markus set up camp for the night. Markus gathered wood and kindling, and Kiin prepared some logs to sit on and rolled out the sleeping blankets. Treb and Kiin were experienced hunters trained in tracking down imps and other undesirable creatures that threatened the lands of the Rakki. So, to them, this was just another day of sleeping under the stars and watching their backs for unwanted attacks. Markus wasn’t as used to this. He did have some experience in sleeping on the ground by now, but it was still not the most comfortable life for him.
Markus sat on a log and watched Kiin arrange the wood and stones for the fire she hoped would soon be burning. The entire time, he pondered Treb’s attitude. He finally gathered the nerve to ask, “So, uh, Kiin, why is Treb so . . . not nice around me?”
Kiin stopped fidgeting with the kindling and firewood and looked at Markus. “Treb is a little overprotective of Crystal. When he saw her connecting with you, his fatherly instincts sort of overshadowed his thoughts, and he took a disliking to you.”
“But, I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You’re a boy; that’s wrong enough.” She saw the curiosity written all over his face. “Listen, Treb isn’t a mean person, and he’ll get over this soon enough. You didn’t do anything wrong, and he’ll see that, some day.”
“Crystal’s old enough to have boyfriends. I would hate to think every time a boy asks her out, they’re going to get the sour attitude of Treb,” Markus said.
Kiin let out a sigh and brushed her hands off. She sat next to Markus and gave him a gentle smile. “Treb wants to be a father. It has been his desire since before we married. When Crystal came to us, he got what he had always wanted. We both know she isn’t ours, and when her parents return, we will no longer be her parents. But, for now, we have a heartbroken child who needs a protective mother and father.”
“Why didn’t you two have a child of your own?”
“I’ve never been able to have a child.” Kiin looked down in shame. “The doctors think I’m unable to conceive. I’ll never give him a son or daughter of his own. So, you can understand how much it has meant to him to get the opportunity to be a father, even for a short while.”
Markus began to understand. “So, when Crystal was smiling and laughing at me, wanting to bring me over and spend time with me, I was taking her away from him.”
“In his mind, yes. Also, he’s the father of a girl, and as such, he believes all teenage boys are after one thing. And it isn’t conversation.” Kiin shot him a smirk.
Markus’ eyes widened, and he nearly fell off the log. “I . . . I would never!”
Kiin laughed at him. “I know. I also know our little girl isn’t so little and can handle a hormonal boy if he did try something. But Treb still sees the little girl who came to us the day her parents were taken. He still wants to put his arms around her and protect her from all sadness and harm. And he wants to forget she’s done a lot of growing up in the last four years.”
“Is that why she didn’t come with us?”
“Yes, but I agreed with him on that point. Crystal didn’t need to come with us.”
Just then, Treb stepped over the other log Kiin had set out and flopped a dead deer on the ground in front of them. “Dinner!” he announced.
Kiin sneered at it. “You could’ve pulled the arrow out before bringing it here.”
Treb rolled his eyes, knelt down, and unceremoniously ripped the arrow out of its side. “Happy?”
Kiin shook her head, then looked at Markus. “Could you help with the fire?”
Markus happily produced his wand and was about to use the spell he knew best, then a little wisdom entered his mind, and he set the wand down, allowing it to fade away. He considered the last time he had used the wand to cast that spell. Blowing up the pile of wood with an explosive ball of flames might not be the best idea. He held out his hand and said, “Eldr.”
A little flame shot at the grass and brush used for kindling under the wood. It lit up instantly, and Kiin went to work, managing it into a good campfire.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Use magic,” Treb mumbled as he used his knife to begin the cleaning process.
Markus let out a sigh and figured he was never going to get on this man’s good side. He wanted to remind Treb that he had helped save Kiin from the imp attack, and had offered to help him free his people from prison by going on this dangerous quest. But it would probably do little good. Knowing the two of them would take care of the dinner, Markus opened the Codex again and started looking through it. He had hoped to figure something out by now, but it was still just gibberish. However, it did provide something for him to do, so he didn’t have to sit there and quietly wait while Treb gave him mean looks.
Markus sat on the log with nothing to do or say. Treb was wrapping the rest of the deer meat into some cloth so they could have it to eat the next few days. The way he ripped the meat apart with his bare hands sent chills down Markus’ spine. Was Treb thinking about someone he would like to rip apart like that?
Once Treb had finished packing away the meat, he pulled out his map. It was a basic map of Gallenor that did not show the location of th
e Citadel, but it did show him where they were and where they were going.
Markus waited for something to come to mind so he might open up a pleasant dialog between them. But, there was simply nothing he could talk about. So, he pulled out the Codex again and opened it. He flipped page after page and looked at it intensely, trying his best to make sense of anything. However, the only sense he could make of it was that some pages had spells, while others just had a lot of words. Spells were written differently, though he could have been wrong about that. After turning the book upside down, holding a page up so the light could shine through it, and even looking at the edges of the pages, Markus shook his head and turned it to the last pages that showed him where to go. At least he understood this page.
Looking up, he peered through the trees to see the silhouettes of hills in the distance and he knew there was a river they had followed on the far side of the road near the forest. After gauging the few landmarks around them, he turned again to the map inside the book. He wanted to see if he could figure out where they were. He found the river and hills, but the way they were drawn did not show him his precise whereabouts. It really didn’t matter. Until they got to the mountains in the north, Treb’s map was far superior. But Markus pretended to be focused on his work.
Once Markus tired of holding the big book, he closed it and set it down. He looked at the stars and realized something. “What time is it?” he quietly asked.
Treb looked up and then shrugged. “Probably eight hours till sunrise.”
“Oh, so it’s not quite midnight yet. Oh, well, it really doesn’t matter anyway.” He was talking to himself more than to Treb.
Treb frowned. “What are you going on about?”
Markus smiled. “It’s my birthday. I almost forgot. I turned sixteen today. I had always looked forward to this birthday, and here it is, and I’m sitting on the forest floor, practically alone.”
Legacy of Dragonwand: Book 1 (Legacy of Dragonwand Trilogy) Page 9