The Outlaw's Quest (Keeper of the Books, Book 2)

by Jason D. Morrow

  “Not far from the stables,” Elise answered. “I already sent a bird to tell the stableman to ready the horses early in the evening.” She looked at Alban. “Yours will be fitted without the cart, I’m afraid.”

  “That was quick thinking,” Alban said.

  “Sentinel Gwen and I didn’t know what might happen tonight,” she said.

  “Well,” Nate said, walking up to Gwen. “Since it looks like we have a moment, why don’t you tell us what’s going on? Why does Kellen want us dead?”

  “Not all of you,” Gwen said. “Just you.”

  “Why me?”

  “Because you’re the one who wants The Ancient Books,” she answered. “That’s enough for him to want you dead. He feels like he’s protecting Galamore if he kills you.”

  “That’s all there is to it?” Nate asked.

  “There’s always more to it, Nathaniel Cole. Always.”

  Nate was about to ask her what she meant by that when he heard echoing voices on the other side of the door. Each of them readied their weapons, mostly ignoring Jesse who pleaded for the lives of the guards. “Try not to kill them!” he said over and over. “Try not to kill them!”

  The voices got louder and Nate pulled back on the hammer of his pistol. The door flew open in a loud crash and guards poured into the room, screaming loudly, their voices bouncing off the stone walls. Nate was about to take aim and shoot at the first guard he saw, but the same brilliant blue light shined in Gwen’s palms.

  First, he looked at her face and saw a ferocious intensity, her teeth clenched together tightly. Then, the blue ball of light grew bigger and Gwen moved her hands toward the ground in front of her and released it.

  Everyone, including Nate, fell to the floor as the blast rocked them off their feet. The blue ball had crashed into the floor sending crumbles of broken rock toward the oncoming guards. Some were hit in the head and face, blood drooling from their wounds. Others had been momentarily blinded by the dust and debris that had gone into their eyes. Only Gwen was left standing.

  One-by-one, however, the guards started to pull themselves upward. Alban shouted a warning as he pointed his gun at one. So did Rachel. Then Gwen joined in. A smaller blue light started to form in her hands.

  But Nate wasn’t going to send another warning. If Gwen’s destructive magic wasn’t enough of a deterrent, then what would shouting do?

  Nate took aim at the man nearest him, set his finger against the trigger and fired. The guard stumbled forward and fell to the ground, yelling in pain as he grabbed his knee. Nate wasn’t sure the man would ever walk right again, but he’d honored Jesse’s request so far. Another shot, another knee. His third shot missed and hit the ground next to a guard, but his fourth found him in the shoulder.

  The others did the same as the guards piled toward them. Then came a yell from Jesse that the lift was ready. The group moved backward and Gwen let off another blue sphere of power, sending the rest of the guards flying into the air.

  It was time to get out of there. The group bunched into the small lift and Jesse pressed his hand against the stone, and the doors closed slowly. Then, they were in darkness.

  Suddenly, a small white light shined above Elise’s head. Nate looked at her just as she opened her eyes, allowing the magic to hang in the air so they could see.

  He was truly bewildered by the magic, more so by Gwen’s, but this was remarkable.

  Gwen leaned against the wall, her head hanging low. She looked like she was about to pass out.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Nate asked.

  Elise looked at him. “She’s used a lot of power tonight. That much energy draws on her strength and leaves her weak.”

  The others stood in silence. They were tired yet they were energized by the fight. Gwen sat hunkered in the corner and Nate wondered what kind of strength it took to do what she’d done.

  “This is all worse than I thought,” Gwen said. “I expected Kellen to be with those guards, but he wasn’t.”

  “Isn’t that a good thing?” Nate said.

  She shook her head slowly. “I’m afraid it only confirms something. Kellen is going after The Book of Life before you can get it.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He knows there’s a chance you would make it out of the keep,” Gwen said. “His backup plan is to take the book for himself.”

  “It’s over then,” Marum said. “We cannot take a book from a Sentinel.”

  “Do you forget, gray elf, that you have a Sentinel among you?” Gwen said with a forced smile.

  “No offense,” Nate said, “but you don’t look so good.”

  “She used a lot of energy,” Elise repeated. “What you saw was a lot for any Sentinel.”

  “He’s right,” Gwen said. “Kellen is more powerful than I, though not for the reasons you think. He specializes in combat magic, whereas I specialize in other areas. Combat magic drains me more than it does him.”

  “And what is your specialization, Sentinel Gwen?” Rachel asked.

  “Magic of the mind,” she said. “Thoughts. Feelings. Intentions. It’s a bit complicated to explain now, but let’s just say Kellen has an edge over me in a fight.”

  “So, what should we do then?” Nate said.

  Gwen looked at him for a long moment and took a deep breath. “We get off the lift, get our horses, and we ride as hard and fast as we can. Then maybe, just maybe, we can get to the book before Kellen does.”

  Gwen

  Winter, 903 A.O.M.

  Gwen had a desire to push forward despite her need for rest. The others were weary as well, but she couldn’t take that into consideration. Each of them had chosen to come along and they knew what it meant to travel with haste. Still, it had been nights, perhaps even weeks since most of them had slept soundly. But they could be pushed a little further. None of them teetered on the brink of death. They might collapse by the end of the day, but that was acceptable. What mattered was catching up to Kellen before he reached Lorne in Gnome Country.

  By this time, the dawn had not yet broken and the stars and moon shined brightly, casting a reflective light on the blanket of winter snow. Traveling at night was best in the snow despite the cold. One could see far enough ahead to feel safe, yet be hidden from watchful eyes in the distance.

  Gwen led the group and she looked behind her a couple of times to try and measure how everyone was doing. Each person had their own horse, thanks to Elise’s quick thinking. The learner rode faithfully by Gwen’s side. Directly behind her was the gray elf, Marum, followed by Alban, then his daughter, Rachel, then Jesse, and then bringing up the rear was Nathaniel. All-in-all this group of seven was much too large for a mission like this, but what was she to do? She had no place to send them. She supposed that all of them were loyal to each other which was a good sign. A company who worked well together could accomplish much.

  Gwen couldn’t have known Kellen would have been so hostile toward Nathaniel, so rash in his decisions. Such an act within this group of Sentinels was unprecedented. Of course, she knew it was partly her fault. She had kept the Sentinels in the dark about some things. When she had asked Nathaniel and his companions to leave the meeting hall, she had tried to tell the Sentinels everything. Or at least most of it.

  It was true that Nathaniel was Lord Winterlyn—the man who brought Galamore into the new age. So, that meant he would find The Book of Life, and that he would find The Book of Time. But Gwen knew in her heart this wasn’t necessarily true. Though it had already happened, it hadn’t yet been fulfilled in this age. The thought was confusing even in her own head, but she worked it out like this: if A plus B equals C, then both A and B must exist. To Gwen, A represented the past and B represented the future. That meant C was simply the way the world of Galamore existed, for it would not have existed without both the past that Nathaniel had created, and the future of which he was set to fulfill. But since B hadn’t technically happened yet, that meant it existed only as a possible cours
e of action. This meant Nathaniel now walked a path in line with how the future should play out in order for him to fulfill the past. Any deviation from that path would change how things existed now. It wasn’t impossible for Kellen to kill Nathaniel. But doing so would change the past because it would also change the future. Everything they ever knew would transform in an instant—their lives, their memories, everything.

  It was a line of thinking that was dangerous for a sane person. She didn’t even want to get into the subject of whether a change had already happened. If Kellen were to kill Nathaniel, would it change everything? Or would killing him before he fulfilled the past simply erase him from time and existence?

  Gwen’s mind was too tired from these thoughts. They were all just theories, and ones impossible to prove. The one thing Gwen could decide about all of it was that time seemed to work in a circle more so than a straight line. It was the only way any of this was possible. It was a magic beyond the limited comprehension of any living being in Galamore. Even after walking the lands for a thousand years, Gwen didn’t have all the answers. Actually, the opposite was true. Gwen now had more questions than answers—a prospect not conceivable to the common man. Everyone thought the Sentinels knew about everything: the secrets of the world, the Author, The Ancient Books. While it was true the Sentinels were historians by nature and conjurers of mysterious magic, that didn’t mean they held all the answers.

  This had been something difficult for Elise to hear when she had been chosen. Gwen had found her four years ago. The girl was seventeen at the time and much younger than when Gwen had started as a Sentinel. But as all student Sentinels think when starting their training, Elise wanted to know the answers to things no one knew. She wanted to know who the Author was. She wanted to know what it truly meant to write the ending to The Book of Galamore. She wanted to know what it looked like. Why had every person who went into The Ancient Books never come back?

  Elise was disappointed to learn that there were no answers to these questions. Oh, some of them might be discovered one day, but it wouldn’t be for the Sentinels to keep for themselves. It would be information spread to the four corners of the land. This wasn’t the Age of Dragons where man had to live in the dark and be fearful of knowledge. This was the Age of Man where knowledge was encouraged and learning desired.

  Gwen glanced at Elise, then turned back to the road. Yes, it was nice to have her pupil along for this part of the journey. The girl was smart and a natural with magic, though she had a long way to go. All Sentinels had a long way to go when they first started. Gwen knew Elise was about to be tested. They were all about to be tested.

  Only in testing can we prove ourselves.

  The sun broke the horizon into two parts, separating the white ground from the blue sky. They had been moving at a steady trot for most of the night, but the horses were getting tired and their riders slumped.

  As the morning dragged on, Gwen noticed tracks on the ground, but that could have been from anyone. These were populated roads. But Gwen didn’t need tracks to know where Kellen was headed. Not only was it an intuition, but she could sense the man. She could actually feel that he’d been here. This was part of her abilities—a magic she had studied for a couple of centuries. If she wanted, she could follow his exact path, inch-by-inch. It would appear as a trail of light and show his direct path and every deviation. But that might draw too much of her power, and it might allow Kellen to sense her coming after him. Though his magic focused more on combat, it also meant he had spent a lot of time learning how to know when there was a threat.

  Kellen was a dangerous enemy to have. Not only was he powerful, but he was passionate. He was a good man, but if he believed in his cause, then those who opposed him deserved death. He would kill Gwen if she tried to take The Book of Life from his grip. He would kill the others if they tried as well. His job was to protect Galamore and to hold it together. The same job applied to Gwen, but the two of them saw their roles differently. Gwen wasn’t sure what it would mean if the two squared off against each other, but if it was kill or be killed, she would destroy Kellen if she could.

  These were maddening thoughts. Sentinels were not supposed to be against each other. They were chosen in order to work together. A conflict among them called the entire group into question. Most in Galamore already saw the Sentinels as trivial. Many wondered why the group didn’t put a stop to the rise of Droman and his Shadow Clan. Others wanted to know why the Sentinels didn’t stop the Warlord and his threat to the government. That was where the misunderstanding was. It was not for the Sentinels to get involved in political uprisings. It was not for them to have opinions of the justice system or who might be more powerful than another. Their missions were more secretive and elusive in nature. They held the job of hiding away items like The Book of Life and trying to discover where the other books might be. They stopped magical forces no one knew anything about.

  That wasn’t to say the Sentinels never took sides in times of war. Over the generations, wars often presented a side that was right and a side that was wrong. But times were changing. Another war was brewing in the south. It wouldn’t be long now. And this war would be more complicated. There were those who opposed the president and who he was and what he stood for, and they were willing to fight for a change in the system. Who were the Sentinels to deny them that? It would be different if a group went about murdering innocent people in towns and cities, but that wasn’t happening now. At least, not that she knew.

  Of course, there was always the ravager default—the idea that whoever might become allies with the ravagers in order to gain the upper hand in a war was always the enemy. The ravagers, Gwen knew, shouldn’t even exist, yet there they were, dominating the dark canyons and sharp mountains in the Southeast region of Galamore. But that was a subject for a different time.

  It was about noon when the group stopped for a rest. Elise had ordered the stablemen to gather food and supplies for a short journey, and the travelers found bread and dried meat in the pouches of their saddles. Each person also had a canteen filled with water. Gwen watched as Elise went around the group, making sure everyone had the provisions needed. Elise made it to Jesse who stood up straight when she approached him. Jesse stood awkwardly and bit at his lower lip when she asked if he had everything he needed.

  “I do,” he said. “Do you have everything you need?”

  “Yes,” Elise replied.

  She turned to leave him, but he reached a hand out and grabbed hers. “Wait.”

  Gwen didn’t pretend she didn’t notice Elise allowing her hand to stay in his for a moment. She’d forgotten herself, but suddenly pulled it away as she looked from side-to-side.

  Neither of them said anything to each other, but their eyes communicated everything. He wanted her to know that he still loved her. She wanted him to know that she still loved him. But the two were tragically ill-fit. Both of their professions required them to live a life without romance, though they loved each other deeply.

  Gwen could have delved into their thoughts if she wanted. She could have probed Elise’s mind to see if the two were secretly enjoying a romance. But she didn’t. It would break the trust the two of them shared. Gwen had made it clear long ago that she would not break into Elise’s mind. It was a common trust among the Sentinels not to use their magical powers against each other.

  Elise knew that breaking her oath and falling in love would get her into a lot of trouble with the Sentinels, especially Gwen. A Sentinel didn’t have time for love. Only time for study and solving problems.

  It was because of Gwen these two were broken apart. This was no romance sprung up within the halls of the Sentinel Keep. Elise and Jesse shared the same hometown. They had known each other their whole lives. There was a deep friendship there, and when Gwen had met them, it was much more than that. It had simply come down to a choice: to pursue the life of a Sentinel, or to pursue a life with Jesse. Though Gwen was satisfied with the outcome, Elise’s choice made
for a tragic love story. She’d chosen a life that would allow her to live for a thousand years more. All her friends and family would pass away and after that, Elise would have centuries left. That was part of the reason relationships weren’t allowed among the Sentinels. One might find herself in a deep depression after losing a loved one to old age. Another might try and focus his magic on trying to keep someone alive beyond what was natural.

  Jesse had clearly not given up the fight. Elise had not yet received the promise of long life from the Derylleth Stone. If she wanted, she could still choose to live life as a normal person. But it was rare for one to be offered the position of Sentinel and turn it down.

  Jesse had shown much promise as a warrior and had proven himself to be talented enough to be a guard in the Sentinel Keep, but he was only there because Gwen had felt pity for him. She now wondered if it had been such a wise choice. She hadn’t really known the extent of their romance until recently, and Jesse had already been within the keep for a year or more.

  She looked away from them, her eyes falling on the father and daughter in their group. The man didn’t know it, but Gwen knew of him already. He was by no means famous in the land, but Gwen paid careful attention to detail when learning about the conflicts of the past. She knew Alban and his wife, Iris, had taken in two gray elves during the Ravager Surge more than fifteen years ago. Alban had been a soldier in the Crimson Army. Rachel and Marum had grown up together.

  Gwen was tempted to probe their minds. It was unusual for men to grow close bonds with gray elves and vice versa. She wondered why they continued along this journey. What benefit was it for them? Were they curious to see what would become of the man who sat off to the side alone? The Sojourner?

  He was the one who intrigued her the most. She didn’t think it wise to tell him that they had met before. Long ago before anyone here was even a thought. Nathaniel wouldn’t understand. Not yet. She wanted to talk to him again. To be reminded of their adventure together—the adventure that served as a distant memory to her, but one this Nathaniel Cole had yet to experience. And if Kellen had anything to do with it, he would never experience it at all.