“He’s a friend of mine, and you’re right, he’s not a killer. We’re trying to find him.”
Killington started feeling nervous, because he didn’t know these men. He looked around for Mekel and saw him enter the back room. Sun took notice to his son’s movements as well and how Killington looked worried.
“Please listen, we mean you no harm, all we want to do is clear my friend’s name.”
A few seconds later, Mekel reemerged holding two loaded crossbows. He pointed one at Sun and the other at Jacko. “I think you should leave now.” He threatened.
“Okay.” Sun looked back at Killington. “If you feel like talking, we’ll be at the Inn of the Wolf, please stop by. We’ll pay you for your time and information.”
They were about to leave when Killington stopped them. “Come with me.” He said and led them to the back room.
Jacko and Sun sat across from Killington while Mekel moved to the corner of the room with the crossbows lowered.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone about Torhan?” Sun asked Killington after they were situated.
“Before the priest was killed, I struck a deal with your friend. I asked him to locate Yarn’s mine and as a reward, I would sell him the armor for what I paid for it. That’s why I didn’t say anything.”
“What do you know about the murder and this girl named Katara?” Jacko asked.
“After your friend bought some supplies, my son was escorting him to see Katara and something very strange happened...” Killington paused. “Mekel, tell them what happened.”
Mekel looked at his father who nodded for him to do so and then placed the crossbows down, but within reach. “While we were walking toward her house, something weird happened. One minute he was telling me that he wanted me to go with him to the town of Snowdrift and in the next instant he disappeared from my side. People were dead or dying in the streets.”
“Wait a second. What do you mean he disappeared?” Jacko asked.
“It happened just like I said. We were talking one moment and the next he was gone.”
“Are you sure he disappeared?” Sun asked.
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“Not at all, it just sounded strange. So what happened after that?”
“I left when the guards ran past me.”
“Do you know what happened to Torhan?
“I think he got arrested.”
“You mentioned Snowdrift. Did he say why he wanted to go there?”
“He said he needed to help a little girl who fell into a deep sleep and find some amulet.”
“Amulet?”
“He called it…” he paused. “I think it was called ROOM or RAME or something like that.”
“Did he mention anything else?”
Mekel shook his head.
“Thanks Mekel. Killington, can you tell us everything you know about Katara?” Sun asked.
“I've known her since she was a little girl, and I can tell you that she'd never hurt anyone unless threatened.”
“Did she have ties to the priest?”
“She did study under his tutelage a few years ago, and I don't know why she stopped. Maybe she outgrew his teachings, or perhaps; they had a falling out, but even if they did, I don't think she was the type to hold grudges; let along murder someone.”
“Is there anything else?” Jacko asked
Killington shook his head.
“Thanks for your time and for not saying anything to the guards.
“Can you show us some of your wares?” Sun asked.
“Sure what do you need?”
“We’d like to see your clothes, throwing knives, and some flasks of oil. We’ll also need to have our weapons sharpened.”
“How did you get your weapons by the guards?”
“Our other friend knows Captain Strom.”
“If I sell you throwing knives, you didn’t get them from me. Got it?”
Jacko nodded and handed him the weapons that needed sharpening. After they purchased what they needed, they left.
After they were gone, Killington realized for the first time in a very long time that he was a business man above everything else, and he hated himself for being one. Looking back, maybe he should have helped the guards when they asked about Torhan, but if he did that would’ve interfered with his ultimate goal, and that was to know where Yarn’s mine was, his dream of creating the best armor and weapons around and to become rich while doing so.
After they left the shop, Jacko stopped his friend. “Well what do think?” He asked.
“We’re lucky he’s a greedy old bastard.”
“What about his son’s story?”
“I’m not sure about that. How could Torhan just disappear and then people ended up dead?”
“Why didn’t you challenge him further?”
“He would have shot at both of us.” Sun said and grinned.
“Let’s go see if Mui Shin returned and after that we’ll meet the others.”
“What about Torhan?”
“We’ll go to Snowdrift after we visit the Order tomorrow.”
“Tonight we should go to Katara’s cottage and see if we can find anything that might clear his name.”
They went to Mui Shin’s house and waited for him on his porch when they found out he still wasn’t home. It was nearing dusk when an aging man, wearing green and red robes, approached the house. His long gray hair was braided down his back, and his form was hunched over slightly. He was accompanied by four tough looking bodyguards, none of which carried weapons openly. When the old man saw the two strangers sitting on his porch, he stopped and the four ruffians walked past him.
“What do you want?” One of them asked.
Sun and Jacko stood up. “Are you Mui Shin?” Sun directed his question toward the elderly man.
“I’ll ask you again. What do you want?” The same guard pressed.
“We’re here to see Mui Shin, and you don’t look like him, so if you don’t mind, step aside." Sun’s posture stiffened.
The bodyguard stepped closer and as he was reaching for Sun, he was kicked really hard in the stomach and doubled over in pain. The other three guards were about to join the fray when the old man told them to hold their position.
“Who are you?” The elderly man asked while stepping forward.
“I’m assuming you’re Mui Shin?”
He nodded his head.
“We need to talk to you about your son Ma.”
“Very well, but before we go inside tell me your names.”
“My name is Sun Chin, and this here is Jacko.”
Jacko bowed out of respect.
“We are friends of your son.”
“Has something happened?”
“We'd better go inside and talk.”
They were led into Mui Shin’s house. The place was very traditional in style. Sun thought. There were statues of jade dragons, bonsai trees, rare flowers, and vases with ancient symbols carved into them. The table and chairs were constructed from bamboo. After they were seated and wine was poured, two of the four bodyguards left the room.
“Now what can you tell me about my son? And please be very direct.” Mui asked, but his voice didn’t sound too concerned.
“Ma has died,” Jacko paused, “at the hands of a fox named Slyantom.”
“Although tragic, what does this have to do with me?” His words didn’t indicate worry, concern, or loss, just coldness.
“It has everything to do with you. He died for your sins.”
“Nonsense, he most likely got himself involved with the wrong men or owed money to someone. You do know he had a gambling problem?”
“You’re wrong. Slyantom and his men were sent by one of your former associates.”
“Who?”
“A person named Thelmaer.”
“Oh Thelmaer, that fool. He doesn’t have the nerve to do something like that or oppose me.”
“He did. Don’t you care?”
“Care? I can ha
ndle him.”
“No, care about your son?”
“Him? I gave up on my son a long time ago. He defied me and my way of business, saying it was immoral, wrong and wanted to find his inner light. What a joke.” Mui scoffed. “He should have embraced my beliefs.”
“Our school does not teach immoral businesses, and your son was a great man and teacher,” said Sun. “You should be proud of him instead of thinking ill thoughts.”
“It looks like we knew two different people.”
“Thanks for your hospitality. I think we are done here.” Sun stood up, and Jacko followed.
“For what it’s worth, you should know that your son didn’t have to fight. He could have escaped and left you to handle Slyantom by yourself.” Jacko said.
“Then he should have, because he didn’t do a good job anyway.”
“Before he died, he wanted you to know that he forgave and loved you.”
“If he’d chosen to work for me, then he would be alive.” Mui countered.
“I’ll leave you with this Mr. Shin. Slyantom is on his way here, and if I was you, I’d hire better bodyguards and lots more of them.”
“Get the hell out of here.” Mui yelled at them.
Sun grinned and left with Jacko.
“I hope he gets his someday.” Jacko whispered to Sun as they were leaving.
“He will.” On their way back to the inn, Sun asked a few people if they knew where Katara lived. Most of them were either agitated or annoyed with him for asking, while others ignored him altogether. One person was so mad about what happened to the priest, she almost started a fight with him. It took them awhile, but they finally found someone to give them directions to where she lived.
“Are you going to break in?” Jacko asked once the person was gone.
“Yes.”
“When do you want to go?”
Sun stopped walking and looked at him. “I’m going alone.”
“No you’re not.”
“No offense, but I am better equipped for such a task.”
“Says who?” Jacko hated when someone said they were better at something then he was.
Sun placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not that I am that much better at it than you. It's just that I’m more experienced and did this on more than one occasion. Plus, if you get caught, they might link you to Torhan, and you could end up in jail.”
“Well if you get caught, they’ll do the same thing to you.”
“They’re not going to catch me.” Sun said seriously. “When we have time, I’ll train you to be better at moving around silently.”
“You will and don’t forget you still owe me training.”
“I know.”
They entered the inn and joined Konafar and Tonles, who were seated toward the back, eating, drinking and joking with a couple of serving wenches.
“Do you guys do anything else besides drink?” Jacko asked.
“This is how we unwind.” Tonles said, laughing.
“Have a drink and then squeeze this.” Konafar said and helped the busty, fair looking wench, off of his lap. He turned her around so that they could see her plump derriere under her dress.
Jacko blushed.
“Awe look, he’s blushing.” The woman commented and walked over and squeezed Jacko’s cheeks with her fingers, kissed him full on the lips and walked away.
Konafar, Tonles, Sun, and two other women at a nearby table laughed at his reddening complexion.
“More drinks!” Konafar yelled and banged on the table.
Wenches immediately came over with mugs of ale.
Sun took a swig and spoke in a serious tone. “We need to talk.”
Tonles and Konafar gave him their full and undivided attention.
“What are you planning to do now that you’ve escorted us here?”
“We need to find this Red Knight and crush the living daylights out of him for what he did to Runit.” Konafar answered.
“What about the murderer Captain Strom is looking for?”
“If we come across him, we'll kill him too.”
Sun and Jacko were both relieved that Torhan wasn’t their top priority.
“Did you find the Shun guy?” Tonles asked.
“You mean Shin. Yes, and he didn’t seem to care about his son, or that he was in grave danger.”
“What are you going to do now?”
“We still need to go to our Order and from there; Jacko wants to find Torhan.”
“Speaking of which,” Konafar suddenly said and Jacko knew what was coming next. “I’ve been thinking is it possible that the person wanted for the murder is, in fact, your friend?”
Jacko’s heart sank.
“It is possible,” Sun quickly said. “And if it is him, we'll find out why he did what he is accused of. My question to you is will you still kill him before hearing the facts?” Sun’s tone was serious, and everyone knew it.
“I’ll tell you this. If I do run into him, and out of respect to you and Jacko, I’ll haul his ass back here to stand trial instead of killing him, unless you can prove his innocence.”
Before Jacko could say something, Sun spoke again.
“What if we get you proof?”
“Konafar rubbed his chin. “If you get proof then save it for his trial.”
“Do you really think it will be a fair one?”
“That’s not my problem, but your friend should stand for his crimes.” Konafar said sitting back.
“Know this,” Jacko suddenly spoke up. “He’s not a killer, and if he killed the priest and those other people, he must have had his reasons.
“Then you should have nothing to worry about after we haul him back here.” Konafar raised his goblet mockingly and took a swig.
Breen suddenly appeared at their table. “Am I interrupting something?” She said after sensing tension around the table.
“It appears that the killer turned out to be Jacko’s friend after all.” Tonles said to her.
“Wait a second,” Jacko was visibly and verbally upset, “you don’t know that for sure. I’ll prove his innocence, so back off.”
Tonles liked his determination. “I’m sure you will.”
“When are you leaving town?” Sun asked Tonles and Konafar.
“In a few days. Why?” Konafar responded.
“Give us until then and if we can’t prove his innocence feel free to bring him back here.”
“Sounds reasonable,” said Tonles, “you have until then.”
“Agreed.” Sun stood up along with Jacko.
“Where are you going?” Breen asked them.
“We need to prove his innocence and drinking is a waste of time.” Sun said and they left.
Breen knew that things had suddenly changed within the group as she watched them leave.
“What are you going to do now that we brought Jacko to Mirkin?” Tonles asked her.
“I don’t know.”
“You could always come with us.”
“I’ll know better in a few days.” She stood up.
“You just got here, where are you going?”
“I’ve discovered a few things while I was out that might help them.”
“Like what?” Konafar pressed.
“Just some strange stories.”
“What did you hear?”
She looked around and then spoke. “Some said that when the guards arrived at the temple, that all that was left of the priest and his acolytes, were their skins.”
“You mean they found their skins in one area and their bodies in another right?” Konafar said, placing his empty mug down.
“No, I mean their bones and organs were never found.”
“So they killed the priest and his acolytes, skinned them, and took their innards?” Tonles said.
“He wouldn’t have had enough time to do that. Think about it. The killer escaped from jail, butchered the priest and acolytes, and got rid of their bodies in under an hour.”
“
Well maybe the girl got a head start on killing the priest and his followers.” Konafar said and shook his empty tankard back and forth, indicating that he wanted another to the serving wench as she passed by.
Breen was getting nowhere talking to these two. “I’ll find you in a couple of days and let you know if I want to go with you.” She said and left.
“It sounds like there is more to this story than meets the eye.” Tonles said after she was gone.
“Well if he’s innocent, or was forced to help her, then I hope they find proof.” Konafar responded.
“Will you tell Strom about Torhan?”
“There’s no need to. I just hope they can find what they need because I like Sun and Jacko, and I’d really hate to harm them if they try to stop us.”
“Me too.” Tonles said, just as the serving wenches walked over carrying more food and ale.
****
“Where do you want to go?” Jacko asked as they approached the market.
Sun paused. “There’re still a couple of hours of daylight left, so after it gets dark, I’ll enter her cottage and see what I can find.”
“Where do you want me to wait?”
“Wherever you want, just meet me at the Inn of the Lion later. If I don’t show up, you’ll know I ran into a problem, so don’t come looking for me.”
“Where will you go?”
“I’ll meet you at dawn outside of these walls.”
As they were walking through the market, Breen came running up to them.
“Good, I found you...we need to talk.” She said panting.
“What’s wrong?” Jacko asked her.
“Let’s go over there and talk.” She nodded to a nearby alleyway.
After they were far enough away so that no one could hear them, Breen faced them both.
“How do you plan on proving Torhan’s innocence?”
“I’d rather not tell you, in case we get caught.” Sun said.
“Look. You saved me back in Redden, so I want to help.”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“Don’t shut me out. We’ve made it this far.”
“It’s not your affair.” Jacko added.
“Let me decide what my affair is and what’s not.” She said sternly.
Sun looked at Jacko, and he nodded his approval.
“Okay. I’m planning on breaking into Katara’s house and collecting anything that can prove their innocence.”
A Demon's Quest the Beginning of the End the Trilogy Box Set Page 52