by Jaxon Reed
“Yes, what happened there? You were sitting right beside us on the wagon when you just disappeared.”
“I’m not exactly sure. Magic, you know?”
The wizard had warned him to speak as little as possible about the incident, and strongly suggested he avoid mentioning the dagger. He had stayed with both men for some time, carrying the dagger for them, while they sought a suitable site to bury it some distance from the village’s entrance.
Thinking back on it, Stin decided the wizard had fuzzed his memory of the place they chose. He could not recall exactly where they had hidden the dagger.
It was probably just as well. Once Stin realized the dagger was responsible for his loss of abilities, he was more than happy to give it up. It did not even occur to him to ask the wizard for remuneration, although he really should have gotten some coin for his troubles.
They had walked back to the entrance, and this time without the dagger he could see it clearly. He watched the pixies dancing in the air, and could finally appreciate what everyone else noticed when nearing Greystone Village.
At the center of town, he shook hands with the two men. They crossed the street to a fine manor, and he walked into the public house.
Bellasondra said, “Well, you’re here now. We are so happy to see you. Sit down, and let’s have some lunch.”
Stin sat at the table with Kirt and the twins. The unattractive serving wench came out of the kitchen with a tray of food. When she saw Stin she stopped and gasped.
“It’s you! Coney thief!”
Stin smiled his most charming smile.
“My dear, allow me to pay for this morning’s breakfast.”
He fished out a large silver coin from a jacket pocket. She stared at him in anger a moment longer, then her eyes softened when she finally glanced down at the coin. She took it, making it disappear in the folds of her apron, and began setting food down on their table.
FOLLOWING LUNCH, all the wizards left but Greystone. After engaging in some small talk, Oldstone suggested he come watch Mita train.
The three of them walked outside and stood on the slab of rock jutting out in the front of the castle grounds. It left the castle and floated down toward the wilderness below. They stopped a few hundred paces in the air, and Oldstone raised his hands, releasing a particularly large stream of smoke that arced up, then down to the ground below.
A giant creature formed from the smoke. It seemed to consist entirely of stone, with powerful column legs holding up a huge torso formed of wagon-sized boulders. Long arms ended in fists the size of dinner tables, hanging almost to the ground. The head featured an angry face seemingly carved in the stone.
It looked one way, then the other, and started walking aimlessly, swatting large trees out of its path. The ground shook under its steps.
“It looks like a living mountain,” Mita said.
She tried to get an idea of its size from their current perspective, and finally concluded it must have stood at least seventy paces tall.
“Close. This is a rock ogre. They’re particularly nasty. On rare occasion the dwarves will dig one of these up from their deeper mines and have to deal with it. Lok brought several along to the Battle of Hest. They’re not very intelligent, but they’re quite formidable.”
“How do you kill it?”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure something out. Now, go get it.”
Mita flew off the slab and down toward the rock ogre. Both the wizards watched her approach the behemoth.
“You know, I think I recall Theena having some difficulties with those. It took her a while to figure them out.”
Oldstone grunted in the affirmative, never taking his eyes off the princess.
Mita shot down some magical bolts at the creature.
“Uhn?”
It turned its giant head and looked up at the little girl above him. With unexpected speed, it swung one of its table-sized hands and swatted her out of the air. She hit the ground, hard.
“Ouch. Two mistakes there, Oldstone. One, she underestimated it. Two, she got too close.”
Oldstone nodded.
“That’s why these training sessions are so important.”
Mita stood up, shaking off the effects of the impact. She flew back up, quickly this time, and aimed several energy bolts for the monster’s eyes.
Greystone said, “That was smart. Eyes are always vulnerable.”
She flew in close again and the rock ogre swatted at her again. She avoided his fist this time and it swung through empty air. Then she rushed near his face and stopped. He swung quickly to swat at her, She flew up and out of the way before his hand slammed into his own face, knocking him off balance.
“Ouch! That had to hurt. She’s good.”
Oldstone nodded, then turned his attention from the battle to Greystone.
“You know, I never thought I’d live to see Theena’s match. But in so many ways Mita reminds me of her. She’s brilliant, talented, powerful. With proper training, she’ll be at least Theena’s equal. Maybe greater, time will tell.”
Mita flew in circles around the rock ogre’s head, trying to disorient it. It tried to follow her with its face, left to right, left to right. Finally it swung out with a hand and caught one of her legs. It stooped down and started swinging her against the ground, over and over.
“About Theena,” Greystone said. “I think maybe you should introduce her facsimile to Mita. It could prove very useful in training her.”
Oldstone tugged his beard in thought, and looked back down. The rock ogre was still slamming her against the ground. He could faintly hear her shouting swear words with each impact.
“You know how I feel about that, old friend. I’ve never conjured her facsimile. It would be too painful.”
“I understand that. And I also know that you know a facsimile is not a real person. It would not really be her.”
“I know. I’m not sure that makes it any less painful, though.”
Mita shot several bolts of energy at the giant’s hand and arm to no avail. Finally, she reached behind her back and pulled out her sword, the one the facsimile of Artereo had given her. She curled up when the giant pulled her in the air again, and swung down at the giant finger and thumb holding her leg. The sword sliced the stone cleanly, and she fell back to the ground, free. This time she landed on her feet.
The rock ogre held his damaged hand close to his face and stared at it.
“Uhn?”
Mita shot up straight in the air, then plummeted back down on top of his head. She stabbed the sword down into the top of his skull, and twisted hard. The giant fell down face-first and disappeared in a large cloud of black smoke.
Mita sheathed her sword and flew back up toward the slab. Oldstone and Greystone applauded politely. She smiled, and curtsied in the air before them.
“I’m impressed, Oldstone. You know, I think she figured out to how to kill those things quicker than Theena did back in the day.”
CHAPTER 11
“So. You are a rogue magician.”
“Yes, milord. Previously I served Queen Malterry in the Sapphire Court. But I wish to change my allegiance to King Endrick, milord! I will serve him well all my years, I swear it by the Hightower!”
Darkstone regarded Lemmeck carefully. The magician’s clothes were worn, and he was dirty from a long journey, mostly on foot no doubt. He had requested a royal audience at the city gate, and the guards dutifully escorted him to the outer courtyard where other petitioners waited their turn. What grabbed Darkstone’s attention, and led to Lemmeck going to the front of the line, was his insistence he had seen a wanted man pictured on a Ruby Kingdom broadsheet on his journey.
He told the captain of the guard in the courtyard that he had not known the fellow was wanted, until he spent the night at a campground with travelers who had recently left the Ruby Kingdom. At that time, he saw a broadsheet and recognized the man. He claimed he wished to report the encounter with the nearest authoritie
s upon arriving in Kathar.
“Tell me about the man from the Ruby Kingdom. Where did you see him?”
“In the Hidden Forest, milord.”
Endrick and Darkstone exchanged glances.
“So. The Hidden Forest. How did you know it was the same man?”
“The likeness, milord, on the broadsheet. It was the same man, no doubt!”
“And what happened? Describe your encounter with this man.”
Lemmeck demurred, breaking eye contract with the wizard. His face reddened as he stared at the floor.
“Milord . . . it was an odd encounter. I was forced to defend myself against him. He acted very aggressively toward me and my travel companions. I confess my magic failed me, for the first time in my life.
“He quickly overpowered us, robbed us of our possessions, and left us for dead on the side of the road. I fear I was not able to detain him for either His Majesty or King Delek of the Ruby Kingdom. I failed in that regard and I deeply regret it.”
He locked eyes with Endrick, sitting on the Emerald Throne. Endrick waved aside the apology with a look of boredom. Darkstone continued the line of inquiry.
“Tell me everything about the encounter. Was he on foot? Horseback? Did he have companions? What did he carry with him?”
“He traveled by wagon, milord. One horse. It was filled with bags of foodstuff, I believe. I fear I did not get too good a look at their luggage. He had a boy with him who drove the wagon. Two others accompanied him, a young man and woman. They appeared to be merchants of some sort.”
“And which way were they headed?”
“They were on the road leading away from the Ruby Kingdom, milord. They could have been heading this way if they did not take the crossroads in the middle of the forest.”
“I see. That is very good information, Lemmeck. The king and I thank you for bringing this to our attention.”
Darkstone waved at a servant standing dutifully along the wall. He approached, and bowed toward the wizard and the king.
“Take this man to the dining hall and see to it he is well fed. He is likely hungry from his long journey.”
“At once milord. Please follow me, Magician Lemmeck.”
Lemmeck’s eyes lit up at the mention of food, and he followed the servant out of the throne room.
Once the doors were closed, Darkstone beckoned another servant forward.
“See to it the cook puts arsenic in his dish. When he dies, have the guards remove his body from the dining hall and cart it down to the pauper’s graveyard for burial. Authorize one silver coin from the treasury to be paid to the undertaker.”
The servant bowed, then went out the door.
“Killing him so soon? You don’t want us to have another court mage, I take it?”
Darkstone shrugged.
“If he broke his oath to one monarch, he’ll break it to another. We don’t have time for scum like that.”
Endrick nodded in agreement, but he did not really care one way or the other.
The doorman began to call out the next petitioner. Darkstone waved him down.
“The king will be seeing no one else today. That is all. Everyone is dismissed.”
The scribe, the servants, the guards and the few nobles present all shuffled out. The doorman was last to leave and he shut the large wooden doors behind him, leaving the king and wizard in privacy.
“What are you thinking, Darkstone?”
“I’m thinking about the Hidden Woods. That’s where I found Greystone.”
“I thought he was the one who found you.”
“It’s what I thought at the time as well. Now I’m not so sure. I’m beginning to wonder.”
Darkstone began pacing the length of the dais. Endrick watched him walk back and forth, and said nothing. Experience had shown that talking would be useless when the wizard was pacing. Finally, Darkstone stopped and spoke.
“I don’t believe in coincidences, Endrick. I tried to capture Princess Margwen as she traveled through the Hidden Woods, and Greystone thwarted me. He had help, but he won. Now the thief that our fence hired in Ruby City to steal the Forlorn Dagger shows up in the Hidden Woods as well.
“Obviously he still has the dagger on his person. The rogue said his magic was useless against the thief. That’s a dead giveaway. A court mage should easily be able to handle a party of three people and one child.”
“He probably wasn’t telling the truth about the encounter.”
“I agree. He was lying and attempting to portray himself in a better light. Nonetheless, I have no doubt his magic did fail him. That probably spooked him, and his travel companions either ran away or really were overpowered.
“It doesn’t matter. The key thing is, we know the thief took the dagger into the Hidden Woods, and we know Greystone is there.”
“Do we know Greystone is still there?”
“Greystone is there. Every wizard has a lair, a secret place he calls home. Greystone supposedly has a village that exists somewhere with magical entry points near all the kingdoms.
“He’s a fool, a weak-hearted fool who loves to help the helpless. He put a spell on the entrances so those who need help always seem to be able to find the village. People come and go, but some actually live and work there.”
“And you think the thief is there with his dagger?”
“No. It’s a magical place. The dagger would not allow entry so long as it remained on his person. I think it’s hidden in the woods, near the village’s entrance. Or at least somewhere nearby. It can’t be transported by magical means, so somebody would have to carry it by hand to a hiding place.”
“It could be anywhere in the woods, then.”
“Yes. But at least we know the general area where to look. How many soldiers can you gather up on short notice?”
“I’ve got two thousand here in the city.”
“Excellent. I’ve got a few tools I’ve been working on, too. Have your men provisioned and ready to travel by tomorrow. We’ll pay Greystone’s little village a visit. The soldiers can loot and pillage while I search for that dagger.”
SUPPER WAS UNEVENTFUL, Barley thought, with the exception of the new guest whom the merchants and the lad seemed to know well, a man by the name of Stin.
Stin shook his hand, and seemed polite and respectful to the dwarves, but there was something about the man Barley could not put his finger on. He did not trust the stranger.
He did not trust humans in general, but so far his dealings with them on this trip had been on the up and up. Something about this Stin fellow did not sit well with him, though.
For his part, the prince ignored the man. All humans were suspect to Dudge, and he was neither more nor less suspicious of the new one than any other.
Fret was the one who first noticed something definitely amiss. Now that the human lad had his authority figure back, most of his attention centered on the man, leaving Fret with no one to share stories of old Norweg. So, Fret reverted to quietly watching all that occurred around him.
Stin proved the most interesting to watch.
All the other humans in the public house seemed to like the man. He had a charming smile, and even the ugly serving wench warmed up to him, topping his mug off more frequently than others.
The female merchant, Bellasondra, seemed ready to become his mate. She scooted closer and closer to him throughout the evening until she was practically sitting in his lap. Stin seemed to appreciate her proximity, and showered her with compliments and conversation.
It was during another round of drinks Stin bought for their table that Fret first noticed foul play. Stin handed two large silver coins to the wench, then quickly retrieved four different ones out of the folds of her apron with his other hand.
Fret blinked, unsure if it was his imagination or if Stin had actually taken back double the number of coins he had given her.
He sipped on the weak human ale (they were out of dwarven stout, much to everyone’s chagrin), and dec
ided to watch the man even more closely.
Sure enough, when time came for the next round of drinks, Stin gave the wench two silver coins, and deftly removed four more from her apron. No one else noticed, except Fret.
That night as they prepared for bed, Fret shared his observations with Barley and Dudge.
“A thief, jus’ like most humans.”
“Nay, Highness. This man was somethin’ else. He has magic that assists him. No one else noticed. If they paid attention t’ th’ exchange o’ money, all they saw was him giving th’ wench two coins. No one noticed him swipin’ twice th’ amount he gave her every time.”
“You noticed.”
“Aye. Perhaps his magic be less potent wi’ dwarves. You two weren’t payin’ him no mind or perhaps ye’d’ve noticed it, too. I dinna even see it ’til later in th’ evenin’, an’ I watched him most o’ th’ night.”
Dudge and Barley looked at one another from their beds across the room.
“It does nay bode well fer yer merchant t’ be in cahoots with a thief, Barley.”
“Aye, but I’m thinkin’ th’ only reason they traveled with him was he got ’em out of a pickle on th’ road. They are not long friends. Even I might be predisposed t’ be kind t’ a thief iffen he saved me from bandits. And likely, as Fret says, they dinna know he’s a scoundrel.”
“I might be kindly too in such a situation. Until he stole from me. Then I’d slit his throat.”
OLDSTONE SAT at the large table in the library, sipping his coffee and paging through the morning broadsheets from across the realms. He stopped when he came to one from Kathar in the Emerald Kingdom. He put it down and set aside the coffee cup, retrieved a quill and dipped it in ink. He pulled over the only sheet of blank parchment on the table and scrawled a name at the top, then started writing.
“Greystone,
“They are coming. The Emerald Home Guard is commanded to gather tomorrow in preparation for a march.”
He initialed it at the bottom, and waited a few seconds. The ink disappeared. A few moments later, new ink appeared.
“Oldstone,