The Ruins on Stone Hill (Heroes of Ravenford Book 1)

by F. P. Spirit

  Once they made it back upstairs, Seth and Brundon went to scout out the upper levels. Before he left, Seth presented Glo with Telvar’s spellbook. Glo had been rather surprised; Seth could be extremely generous when he wanted to be. While they waited, Glo leafed through it.

  All wizards had spell books. Glo himself had one, though it was not very full. His father had more than one. There was a particularly thick one in his father’s study and a pocket-sized one his dad carried with him. Glo had not been allowed to see either. Whenever he brought up the subject, he received a lecture about the dangers of magic he was “not ready to handle”. Once Glo began his arcane studies, his father gave him a few scribed pages of spells that he deemed safe. It was a very limited list.

  Thus the recovery of Telvar’s personal spellbook was an amazing find. Unfortunately, Glo would not be able to use most of those spells; there were many that were beyond him. Those would require far more study to master. Yet there were a few spells that he could probably teach himself, so it was not a total loss.

  When Seth and Brundon returned, they announced that the place was deserted. The bugbears were nowhere to be found. They must have packed up and left while the companions were busy with Telvar and the golems.

  Titan was now fully healed, thanks to Aksel. The little cleric sent Brundon, Lloyd and Titan to bury Telvar’s body and retrieve their mounts. Meanwhile, Seth had led Glo and Aksel up to the top floor—the one that contained Telvar’s lab. They had mapped out the first and second floors of the keep, and a good portion of the basement, but there was still no sign of Maltar’s scroll. With any luck, they might find a clue in the lab.

  Glo and Aksel went through the bookshelves and parchments, while Seth swept the lab for secret doors and compartments. It wasn’t long before Aksel called to the others, “Look what I found.” The gnome held a small book open in his hands. “It appears to be Telvar’s journal.”

  Glo went to peer over Aksel’s shoulder as he leafed through the book. “It seems that Telvar came here looking for the secret to golem creation. There are a number of references in here to scrolls and manuals that he was searching for.”

  “Hmmm,” Glo murmured, “that’s interesting. I wonder if one of those scrolls is the one Maltar wants.”

  “Bet Telvar would have loved to get his hands on that manual we found in the basement,” Seth called from across the room. “Too bad he’ll never see it now.”

  Glo pointed to a passage in the book. “Look here.” He began to read out loud. “I’ve found two of the old golem master’s stone golems and their control rings.”

  “Interesting,” Aksel mused. “So Telvar did not create the golems, but rather found them.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me,” Seth remarked. He was now on the floor examining the stone tiles.

  Aksel’s brow furrowed. “So Telvar came here looking for the secrets to golem creation. He finds two stone golems and refers to the old golem master. Is that starting to ring any bells?”

  Glo and Aksel exchanged a knowing glance. “Larketh,” they said simultaneously.

  Glo nodded. “It makes sense. I was leafing through that manual we found in the basement. It is highly detailed.”

  Aksel put down the journal. “So basically we’ve uncovered one of the Golem Thrall Master’s old strongholds.”

  “I’d say so,” Glo agreed.

  “I found something!”

  Seth knelt over a hole in the floor, a stone tile resting next to him. There was a box hidden in the space below which he ran his nimble fingers around. He stopped at one point and twisted something. There was an audible click.

  “Child’s play,” Seth murmured softly. He reached down and lifted the box out of the hole. It was locked, but Seth swiftly picked it. He lifted the lid and whistled softly.

  Glo could see a gilded scroll case inside. Seth gently lifted it out of the box and popped the lid off. The three of them peeked inside and saw the edges of a scroll. The paper looked brand new, neither yellowed with age nor frayed in the slightest. It was either a new scroll or it was indeed old with some kind of preservation spell cast on it.

  Aksel was the first to speak. “I assume this is what Maltar is looking for.”

  Seth held the case up to Glo. “There’s only one way to be sure.”

  Glo took it from his hand, then walked over to the nearest table. “Help me make some room.”

  They cleared out an area, then Glo pulled out the scroll and unrolled it onto the flat surface. To his surprise, the scroll did not contain written instructions, instead it was covered with symbols. These are runes. Glo was familiar with runes, but he had never seen ones like these before.

  Seth grew impatient. “Well? Is it the one?”

  Glo was too absorbed to answer. There was something strange about these runes, as if they exuded—power. That was it! These are runes of power. This scroll must have been written by an ancient wizard. It was a magic so far beyond Glo that it made the spells he knew look like children’s toys. And look at how much damage he had done with those.

  The explosion atop the tower replayed through his mind. This time he did not flinch. He accepted it for the mistake it was. Glo needed to be far more careful with magic from now on. A spell like the one now in front of him belonged with someone who could handle it, someone like his father or Maltar. Having made up his mind, Glo picked up the scroll and rolled it up.

  “Is everything ok?” Aksel asked.

  “Oh, yes, everything’s fine,” Glo assured him. “This is indeed the scroll Maltar is looking for.” He slid it back into the case and closed the lid.

  “That’s great, Glo, but are you sure you’re alright?”

  Glo turned to face his friends. He noted the worried expression on Aksel’s face. Much to his surprise, he also saw something bordering on concern in Seth’s eyes. A genuine smile crossed his lips. “Let’s just say that I’m learning not to play with fire.”

  Seth snorted. “That’ll be the day.”

  The sound of horses’ hooves reached them through the open window. They looked out into the courtyard and saw Brundon, Titan and Lloyd leading a string of horses and dogs through the open entrance where the main gate used to stand.

  “Let’s head back down,” Aksel said. “If we leave now, we can be back in Ravenford before dark.”

  The wizard Maltar was sitting in his lab when he heard a quiet knock at the door. “What is it?” he yelled, not bothering to get up.

  “There are some travelers to see you, Master,” a voice said from the other side.

  Maltar grew angry. “Tell them to go away!” Stupid apprentices. They should know better than to bother me while I’m busy.

  “But, Master,” replied the fawning voice, “they say they’ve found the scroll you were looking for.”

  Travelers? What travelers? Oh, yes, he remembered. That table of common buffoons I found at the inn yesterday. They found the…

  Maltar paused in mid thought, sprang up and rushed to the door. He swung it open and stared into the face of his disciple.

  “Did you say they found the scroll?”

  “Yes, Master,” the apprentice said nervously.

  This he had to see for himself. If these charlatans were trying to pass off a fake scroll to him, he would fry the lot of them.

  “Where are they?”

  “Downstairs, Master. In the parlor.”

  Maltar dashed down the stairs, half annoyed and half excited. When he got to the parlor, he found four young people sitting there—a human in red leather armor, an elf in bright purple robes, a halfling dressed in black, and a gnome in white cleric’s robes. Yes, now he remembered. These were the riffraff from the tavern the other day. He had sought them out after hearing about their success fending off a band of orcs. He thought perhaps they might not be too inept to map
out the keep on Stone Hill for him. Was it possible that they found the scroll?

  The travelers all rose as he entered the room.

  Calming himself, Maltar addressed them congenially, “Welcome. I hear that you have completed the errand I bestowed on you.”

  The gnome spoke for the group. “Yes, we have, Wizard Maltar. We have been to Stone Hill. Here is a map of the ruins, as you asked.” The little gnome walked over and handed him a packet of parchments.

  Maltar took the papers and looked them over. This was not what he was interested in. If they’re wasting my time…

  The elf stepped forward. In his hands, he held a gilded scroll case. “And here, I believe, is the scroll that you were looking for.”

  Maltar reached out and took it from the elf. With trembling hands, he opened the end and peered inside. The parchment appeared brand new. He emptied the contents into his hands, handing the case back to the elf. He unraveled the scroll just enough to see the writing.

  Those runes. This is it! It was the scroll he’d been looking for. This would give him all the power he needed. Now they would have to accept him!

  Someone cleared their throat, breaking Maltar out of his revelry. It was the gnome.

  “There is the matter of our reward?”

  “Yes, yes.” Maltar waved a hand to his apprentice. “Pay them. Five thousand gold, I believe.”

  “Five thousand, five hundred,” the halfling corrected him. “Five hundred for the map, and five thousand for the scroll.”

  “Yes, that’s right,” Maltar said absently. “Pay them five thousand, five hundred gold,” he ordered his apprentice.

  He could not believe they found the scroll. Maybe this little band was not as useless as he originally thought. The old wizard grabbed the case and placed the scroll back inside. He then turned to leave the room, but someone cleared their throat again.

  “Yes?” Maltar asked, over his shoulder, his eyes fixed on the scroll case in his hands.

  “Please let us know if we can ever be of service to you again,” the gnome said.

  Maltar pursed his lips and nodded. “Yes, indeed I will.”

  With that he hurried out of the room and back upstairs. He had much preparing to do before he would be ready. But he had the scroll. Finally!

  Lloyd, Seth, Glo, and Aksel strolled down the road away from Maltar’s cottage. Seth held a satchel full of coins in his hands that jingled as he walked.

  Seth appeared quite satisfied. “Well, that was profitable.”

  “Yes. Not so bad for our first team mission,” Aksel agreed.

  “So what’s next?” Lloyd asked.

  Seth responded almost immediately, “I for one would like to return to Stone Hill. If we could figure out how to work that ring, we could control that Golem.”

  Glo gazed at him, his expression skeptical.

  Seth shrugged. “What? It could come in handy. And, of course, I still want my couch.”

  Glo, Aksel, and Lloyd all turned to stare at the halfling. Seth wore a wide grin. The three of them burst into laughter. Still chuckling, they continued on their way toward the inn.

  Wizards’ Duel

  You seem to have a habit of killing wizards, young elf

  The common room of the Charging Minotaur had been abuzz since the companions return from their excursion to Stone Hill. Brundon sat at the bar, relating a somewhat embellished version of the story to any and all who cared to hear the tale; and in a small town like Ravenford, that was pretty much everyone.

  Lloyd, Seth, Aksel, and Glo sat quietly at a table in the center of the room. Folks at the bar would occasionally raise a mug in their direction. A couple of them even bought them drinks.

  The effervescent Kailay waited on them. She circled around the table and laid out their dinner plates, making an extra fuss over Lloyd. “Is all that really true? Did you actually fight off an army of bugbears, skeletons and zombies; plus five stone giants and an evil wizard?”

  The companions exchanged brief smiles, then Aksel spoke for the group. “Let’s just say that Brundon has a tendency to stretch the truth.”

  “There weren’t that many monsters or golems,” Lloyd said in-between bites. The young man was ravenous from the exertions of the last two days and dug into his meal as if he hadn’t eaten the entire time.

  Kailay placed her hands on her hips and gave them all a stern look. “Either way, this town is grateful to you for clearing out that den of monsters.” She leaned over and placed a hand on Lloyd’s arm. He stopped mid-fork full and glanced up at her. “And I for one am very grateful,” she added in a soft voice.

  Lloyd dropped his fork and sat back, his face reddening. Glo and Aksel tried hard not to laugh. Seth wore a half-twisted smirk.

  “It…was nothing…nothing at all,” the young man stammered.

  Kailay slowly stood up, obviously pleased with the effect she was having on him. “Well, I think you should be rewarded,” she continued in a sultry voice. “Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.”

  Lloyd turned positively scarlet, his face nearly as red as his armor. Kailay flashed him an impish smile then slowly sauntered away.

  “I’d say you’re going to have to do something about that one.”

  Glo turned and saw Titan standing behind him. She wore an amused expression.

  Lloyd, still flustered, responded in a quiet voice, “Ummm…yeah, I guess.”

  Titan smirked. “Lloyd, you are something. You’re not afraid of monsters, mages, or even stone golems; but one small blonde girl frightens you to death.”

  The entire table burst into laughter. Even Lloyd grinned, albeit sheepishly. Titan pulled up a chair and sat with them. “It’s alright my friend. We all have our weaknesses.” She leaned forward. “Brundon actually has two of them—fame and fortune.”

  Glo glanced over at the bar. Brundon was still telling stories, his arms waving around, the audience wrapped in his ongoing tale.

  Aksel spun back around and shrugged. “As you said, everyone has their weak points.”

  She nodded. “True enough. Still, as a whole, I think we made a pretty good team.”

  “I’ll second that.” Lloyd held his mug aloft. “To teamwork.”

  Titan, Glo, Seth, and Aksel raised their tankards as well. “To teamwork.” The five of them knocked mugs together and downed their ales.

  When they were done, Titan put her hands on the table and rose. “Gentlemen, it has been a pleasure. If you are ever in need of help…”

  “Thanks, Titan. The same goes for you,” Aksel said.

  A genuine smile crossed Titan’s lips, her face softening dramatically. “My friends call me Delara,” she said in a voice only they could hear.

  Glo had never seen the warrior let her guard down before. Her blue eyes danced, lighting up her face, revealing her to be a striking young woman.

  “Delara, then.” Aksel’s face softened.

  Delara’s smile lasted a moment longer, then faded, her face assuming its normal stony mask. Glo was amazed at the transformation. The lovely Delara was gone, replaced with the warrior Titan. She bid them goodnight and strode back to the bar.

  “She is some warrior,” Lloyd declared.

  Glo nodded. “Indeed. They don’t come much braver. She almost got herself killed holding off that golem.”

  Aksel stroked his chin. “I could definitely see hiring her again.”

  Seth smirked. “Even if it means bringing along Brundon?”

  Aksel shook his head, the corners of his mouth upturning.

  Lloyd threw down his fork and knife onto his empty plate. “Speaking of work, what do we do next?”

  Seth was the first to speak up. “Well, I would like to go get that golem.”

  “Hmmm,” Aksel murmur
ed, “I think we should figure out how to control the golem first. It wouldn’t do to set it free and have it try to kill us again.”

  Seth leaned back in his chair, his hands folded behind his head. “I’m working on that.”

  Aksel appeared skeptical. “Really? How’s that going so far?”

  “Well, Glo and I found some hints in the golem creation manual. It said the control item needs a password to make it work. We also found a passage in Telvar’s notes. It alluded to the control item and mentioned something about Telvar’s first love.”

  Aksel raised an eyebrow. “Please continue.”

  Seth stared up at the ceiling as if the answer was written up there somewhere. “I looked over the ring itself, but there were no markings of any kind on it.” He shrugged and looked at Glo.

  Glo picked up where Seth left off. “So, considering that Telvar is dead, we were thinking Maltar might have known him. If he did, he may be able to tell us something about the man.”

  Aksel folded his hands in front of him on the table. “Okay, assuming we do gain control of the golem, the next step would be to get it out of the chute.”

  Lloyd opened his mouth, but Aksel held up a hand. “The thing probably weighs a ton. I doubt even you and Titan together could lift it.”

  “It was worth a shot,” Lloyd murmured.

  So how would we get the golem out of the chute then? Glo thought. As Aksel just pointed out, it was too heavy to lift. So if it could not go up, then it had to go down; but it was far too big to fit through the chute. Too bad it was made of stone. If it wasn’t so solid, it could just slide down the chute. Wait, that’s it!