by V C Sanford
“Alex, you’re tall enough, look inside and tell me if anyone is in there.” Nikiva pointed to a window a bit higher than her head.
Unless he did as she requested Nikiva would make his life miserable. He pressed his nose to the small shuttered window, the building was silent, there was no fire burning in the hearth, nor any sign that one had been there for some time.
“Look’s empty to me. I don’t think anyone lives here anymore,” Alex said. “Maybe the cottage belonged to a Caldarean family and they moved to a safer area when the war started.” Sounds good to me.
“It’s possible, but the cottage was built out of stone from the old keep. Whoever lived here had to be familiar with the secret entrance to the valley…or it’s someone who lived here before the fire. Perhaps they intend to return in the spring.”
Maxx, as ever the impatient one, went to the door and jiggled the handle. It swung open easily, allowing the young Duaar to enter. Just as Alex said, the building appeared to have been vacant for months, if not years, as dust covered most of the surfaces and the ashes in the hearth were old. But it was a great base of operations to work from as they began the hunt for the medallion.
Rhianwen ran her finger over the well-crafted wood furniture. It wasn’t ornate, but someone had lovingly sanded and polished each piece until all the rough edges were gone, then carved delicate flowers and other ornamentation to highlight the smooth surfaces. An enormous straw-filled bed sat in one corner of the room. “It shouldn’t take long to get this place into usable shape, she announced. It will be nice to cook on a real hearth again.”
“Speaking of cooking, I’m afraid that this poor thing is all I’m able to provide for our evening meal.” He tossed a scrawny brown rabbit to Rhianwen. “Do you think you might be able to come up with something out of this?”
“Don’t be daft, she chided. With a few of the dried vegetables in my pack, we will soon have a fine meal. I think I might even have some salt left, and maybe some other spices.” Tweet had already produced two others and most of the meat was salvageable. “Maybe you could convince Alex to spare the time to look around for some wild onions. There might even be tubers and carrots if he can remember where the keeps garden was. One more thing”, Rhianwen pleaded. “We need firewood. I don’t trust the weather, we may have to stay inside a day or two if it starts snowing again.” Her smile brightened. “It will be nice to be warm and dry for a change.”
“I really wanted to get started looking for the key before dark,” Maxx mumbled, he was already moving toward the door before he realized he’d unconsciously begun following the order as soon as Rhianwen had given it. “The chain of command around here could use a little bit of work.” He colored self-consciously as Rhianwen’s expression made it clear that his comment had not been received kindly. Perhaps it might be better if he gave Alex his orders, then gathered the wood, and hope she’d forget his snide remark by the time he got back to the cottage. From the frown on Rhianwen’s face, he’d better hurry.
********
“Over here! I think I found it.” Alex scraped away the burnt wood and ash left behind by the fire, looking for signs of the old keep’s foundation. Underneath it was the clear outline of a blacksmiths hearth.
“It looks like a ring of stones to me. You’re sure this is it?” Maxx used his axe to move aside another burnt and partially melted scrap of metal, all that remained of a once elegant enameled urn. “A forge fire shouldn’t have caused all this damage.”
“I’m kinda blurry about the details. I was young, around three I guess. All I really remember is my mother waking me in the middle of the night, wrapping me in my blanket and running out into the darkness. There was fire everywhere. Everyone was searching for someone, running around in the dark randomly screaming out names of missing relatives. My grandparents never made it out. Neither did the old mage Ammaonth. Not that anyone missed him. Over the years I’ve heard many stories about that night. One favorite talks of how Ammaonth summoned a demon… one too strong for him to control. It broke his binding and destroyed the keep, taking the sorcerer back to the nine hells when he departed. Another tells of a vengeful dragon, taking back the gold that had been stolen from his hoard. I think my mother’s version is closer to the truth. She believed it was more likely a bitter husband or father, firing the castle after gutting the lecherous old goat in his sleep. Old Ammaonth often took his “noble” rights, regardless of whether the girls were willing or not.”
“What are we looking for?” Maxx asked, turning over another piece of blistered wood and finding nothing of value beneath. “It’s all ashes and melted metal. If there was anything of value left after the fire, it was scavenged long ago--- or destroyed by the weather.
He studied the one tower that partially remained. About thirty feet of the tower still stood, a silent reminder of how grand the old keep was at one time. “It would be easier if I was certain which tower of the four that is. I know that the forge was near the north tower by the stables, which would make it the south tower. We played along the battlements above the stables. There has to be stones or metal from the stables remaining to mark the north towers location.”
Maxx brushed off the remains of a little girl’s doll, scorched almost beyond recognition. It was still grasped in the blackened bones of a small child’s hand. A single tear slipped from the stoic Duaars’ eye before he dropped the remains back to the ground, the hand shattering into individual bones as it hit the hard soil.
“Let’s find the medallion and get out of here as soon as we can.”
********
Rhianwen scowled as the tiny fire struggled to stay alight. The cottage had been left in a clean and orderly condition, except for the old ashes left inside the hearth. Maxx had been in too much of a hurry to remove them before lighting the tinder. On top of that, birds had recently nested inside the flue, the remains of their old nest were mixed in with the wastes the birds had deposited, keeping the chimney from drawing correctly. She’d have to start over and make sure it was done properly.
Nikiva let the ragged scrap of fabric drop back across the window. “They look so serious. I hate to interrupt their hunt.”
“Nonsense, they’re like children, they’ll keep looking until it’s too dark to see, or until their stomachs remind them to stop.”
“We could always charm them, we might actually get something done. But then we’d be stuck with them underfoot until the spell wore off.”
Rhianwen was certain she could see the twinkle in Nikiva’s eyes as she talked. “It’ll be easier to do it ourselves. Help me to build up the fire and we can get started cooking a hot meal. We’ll use whatever’s left in the wood box. Maxx will just have to bring in more. She swept the ashes into a pile with an old broom that had been left behind, then used the broom handle to knock what was left of the nest from the flue. Twigs and feathers rained down, along with a cloth-covered bundle that clanged as it struck the hearth floor.
“What the…?” Lying nestled in the faded material was a flat, tarnished, oval-shaped, chunk of metal hanging from a chain. “Well, she said merrily, guess who won’t be doing the dishes tonight? It’ll be dark soon, let’s go and rub it in. I’m sure it’s going to change their plans for tomorrow.” Whistling merrily, the medallion swinging from her fist, she headed out the door.
********
Maxx threw down his axe in exasperation. “I can’t believe we spent the entire day digging through the rubble and the medallion was hidden inside the cottage the entire time.”
Rhianwen was enjoying this. “If you’d taken the time to clean the chimney before you built the fire, you’d have found it. That’s what happens when you rush through a job.”
Alex laughed. Tyche had a wicked sense of humor, they’d spent most of the day looking for a pendant that had literally fallen into the girls’ hands.
“I’ve been trying to remove some of the corrosion,” Nikiva said interrupting her friends’ banter. “It’s not very fancy, there
’s hardly any ornamentation. The front shows a castle with four towers. The back’s engraved with a lot of flowers and swirls. I can’t understand why Lord Baldric wants it. There are no inlaid jewels. It’s not made of gold or platinum, I think its silver. Could it have been planted to throw off the hunt?” She held it up for the others to look at it, now that it was clean.
“Someone went to a lot of trouble to hide it if it’s a fake,” Maxx remarked. He tried to bend, then bit took the pendant. “It’s not silver either. Too hard…maybe mithral?” He held the softly burnished medallion closer to the lamp. “Take a look at this. I think these are words engraved in the swirls. Maybe that’s why your uncle is determined to get his hands on it”
“Looks like gibberish to me. You girls want to look at it?” He held the pendant out to Nikiva, who looked but then shook her head.
“Same here, she replied, it’s not like any language I’ve ever seen.”
“Let me try,” Rhianwen asked, taking the small pendant back from Alex. “It looks familiar but… like Lakkadoa, but older I think, than my mother’s tongue. “Wutheh Ghaatiil Olin – Iilor Tel Sharr Morv Levarithin Thraen- Ikwe telwyverna,” she muttered.
“What?”
“Oh…sorry, I forgot you didn’t understand… it’s not exact, but it reads: ‘to find your heart’s desire, the hidden path lies in the tower of ice beyond the Wyverns claw.’’’
“That does not make any sense at all,” Nikiva pondered wryly.
“Regardless, that’s what it says. It’s not worth arguing about it.” She started to return the pendant, then paused, “If no one cares, I’d like to keep it and study it a bit more.”
“Fine with me, Alex said. Is dinner about ready?”
Maxx helped her clip the pendant around her neck and then she slipped it under her tunic. At first, she was strangely disturbed by the touch of the cold metal against her skin, but gradually that feeling was replaced by a warm comfortable sense of belonging.
********
Alex sighed. Dinner had been great, a baked rabbit, courtesy of Tweet, warm bread fresh from the oven and a mixture of tubers and wild onions. It was followed by a sweet pie made from dried apples and the sugar Nikiva had discovered, forgotten in the back of a cupboard.
Equally content, Maxx yawned and stretched. “How about another cup of Kafka? The sugar you found really tops it off. And maybe a bit more of… his train of thought unraveled as something bumped lightly against the door. He began settling into a more defensive position and then hesitated, it might be the owner of the cottage.
Kettle in hand, Rhianwen turned away from the fire-pit as Maxx’s voice trailed away. The door to the cottage opened, and a large man stepped boldly inside. He paused to stomp his feet on the jam to remove the light dusting of frost that had developed after the sun went down
“Castillo,” she whispered, suddenly pale and cold … like someone was pouring ice cold water down her spine.
Alex rose, his hands coiled tightly around a knife and his mug, ready to use either as a weapon if necessary. Maxx, ashamed that he’d been too intent on the excellent food to hear him coming, pulled his axe closer but remained seated as he studied their unexpected visitor. Rhianwen seemed to know him but her expression did nothing to ease the overwhelming sense of danger he felt.
Unperturbed by his cool welcome, Castillo crossed over to stand by the fire, leaning close to warm his hands. “Thank the gods you’re safe. I’ve been following you since the remnants of the caravan returned to Cabrell with news of the attack. Lord Baldric was distraught when he realized you were not with them. It wasn’t as easy to follow your trail. I lost it by the river…lost one of my horses too.” Castillo’s voice was clear, almost musical. The contrast between it and his outward appearance was startling. “This valley is quite beautiful, and so well hidden. No wonder no one was able to locate it.”
Maxx grunted, but Alex chose to ignore Castillo’s comment. He turned and muttered something to the Duaar, who frowned, but kept his tongue in check.
Castillo soon realized no one else intended to speak, so, he asked another question. “Lord Baldric said you are treasure hunting. Have you had any success in your search?”
“We located the remains of the old smithy and started tearing it apart today. But we didn’t find anything of note in the rubble.”
Maxx wasn’t surprised that Alex failed to mention that they’d found the medallion in the cottage. Outwardly calm, the Duaar scout was coiled tight as a spring, ready to react at the slightest provocation.
“Then I may be of assistance. Samsara uncovered some additional information after your abrupt departure. The city is on high alert, suspecting the group that attacked the caravan to be Caldarean mercenaries looking to recoup their losses after the war. I personally think them wrong. Many of the local thugs have gone missing. I know of one or two that worked the seaward that no one has seen for weeks.” His smile was friendly as he sat down in the chair that Nikiva had vacated, motioning for Rhianwen to fill a cup for him also. Leaning forward he addressed Alex directly, his eyes growing dark, his expression stern. “Lord Torrin wants that medallion. He’s spending a lot of gold to ensure he gets it. He’s counting on you. I’m here to expedite that delivery.”
Maxx listened carefully. Alex wasn’t lying, he was answering Castillo’s questions truthfully but leaving out anything of importance. Alex didn’t trust Castillo or his uncle. He shifted his weight, balancing lightly on his heels.
“We appreciate my uncle’s offer of help, however, we’re doing all right on our own. Please give him my regards when you get back to Cabrell.”
Maxx couldn’t stand it any longer. Alex wasn’t going to ask, so he would. “It would help if we knew more about this medallion we’re looking for. What does it look like? I mean, are we supposed to search blindly for anything that could be it or just take a wild guess?”
Castillo smirked. “I see Alex has told you something of his quest. Good, that will make it easier for us to talk. I’ve never seen the thing myself, it was lost a long time ago. The medallion is silvery in color, with some type of glyphs or writing on it.”
Nikiva’s eyes widened at his description, but Rhianwen’s elbow kept her from blurting out anything about their find.
Alex stood, stretching with a yawn. “It was probably melted down and sold for ale before I was born. It’s late, he said sleepily, and we’ve had a long day. You’re welcome to bed down in here with us, you’ve got a long ride ahead of you tomorrow. Maybe the new day will bring us all a change in fortune.”
********
Castillo slipped silently around the room, careful not to make any loud noises that might awaken the youths sleeping nearby. He’d become quite delft at reading faces, they were hiding something from him. The slumber moss he’d placed on the fire would keep them asleep until morning. He expected the Mir-cat was hiding nearby, the malicious creature had laid open his calf when he’d slipped outside to give the moss an opportunity to work. It disappeared into the shadows before he had a chance to pull his knife. Should have kicked it instead.
Carefully he searched the small cottage looking for any likely hiding spots. There was a hidden cache behind the third stone down of the hearth, however, it contained little of value. Just a small stack of coins and an ivory handled knife that had seen better days. He pocketed the coins and tossed the knife onto the table.
Searching the packs would be harder. One pack was entangled in Alex’s arms, the other one the Duaar was using as a pillow. Kneeling beside Maxx, he gently pulled the battered bag aside then rummaged through the contents. No luck, the sack contained only the usual items carried by travelers. He ran his hands over the sleeping Duaar, noting a neck sheath and second knife in a pouch near his left ankle. For a second his hand lingered on the hilt of his belt knife, a simple twist and just like that, one factor eliminated from the equation. No, that would encourage Lord Baldric, and he really enjoyed tormenting the pompous fool. Instead, he moved on to
Alex, repeating the process with similar results.
He resigned himself to the distasteful act of searching the sleeping girls. Which one first? The Shii-Lakka had been nervous at dinner. What was she hiding?
Hands gently tracing the outline of the Shii girl’s body, he searched for a hiding place. It was surprisingly easy to locate. The girl wore it on a chain around her neck, hidden by her hair and the high neckline of her robe. He dropped the medallion into a muslin pouch, and then placed it carefully into an inner pocket. Quietly gathering his own possessions, he slipped away into the night.
Chapter 17
“Slumber moss! And we invited him to sleep by the fire. I feel like such a fool.” Alex was devastated. Castillo had played his ego like bard played the lute, using his own arrogance against him. Now he had the medallion and was probably halfway back to Cabrell.
“You need to stop blaming yourself,” Maxx stated, shaking his friend by the shoulders to emphasize his point. “It’s not like we could have prevented it, there’s no remedy for slumber moss. At least we only slept like the dead, it would have taken him seconds to cut our throats.”
“I agree with Maxx, it’s no one fault,” Nikiva added. She poured herself another cup of the strong beverage Rhianwen had brewed that morning. “Castillo brought the slumber moss with him. Let’s stop wasting time and get on with the search.”
“He didn’t fool me, I’ve felt his knife on my throat,” Rhianwen added. “I just didn’t think about slumber moss, it only grows in the Delamarr bogs.”
“We worked so hard to find the medallion, and it was all for nothing.”
“Big deal… we lost the medallion. You’re starting that whining thing again, I’d hoped you left it behind on the Sea Wyvern. We’ve still got our stake. We can head for Alliance, buy a team and wagon, and join up with a pack train bound for Cabrell at first thaw.”