Secrets at the Keep (Kingdom of Denall Book 2) (19 page)

Dune glared at him and swept the items off the table and into a bag, there wasn’t time to explain everything now, “Did you learn anything?”

Trae nodded and took a seat next to his friend. “There is a large group of soldiers moving out tomorrow, or maybe the next day. They are delivering supplies, but nobody seems to know where they are going, other than the fact that they are heading east.”

Dune nodded, “That confirms what I was able to learn. We need to go meet with Omer, then we’ll need to talk. Things have gotten very complicated.”

Trae moved to the door and held it open for Dune. “Are you talking forcing-a-tie-breaking-archery-tournament complicated, or fighting-a-group-of-angry-seekers complicated?”

“Saving-the-world complicated,” he said very seriously as he passed into the hallway.

*****

The dining hall was a large room with a dark, wooden table that stretched the length of the room with at least fifty seats around it. While the room was predominantly the natural gray of the stone, it had several decorations that gave it a lived-in feel. Tapestries hung on the walls and a decorative suit of armor was standing in the corner. The floor was adorned with a large central rug, and from the ceiling hung a great chandelier filled with lit candles.

When the two men walked to the table they saw that there was only one place set. “Sorry, Trae, I guess you’ll be eating with the servants.” Trae nodded humbly and softly spoke to the servant who had shown them in. He was directed to an exit at the back of the room.

As Dune was sitting down, Omer entered the room, flanked by two large guards. Dune stood in respect and bowed slightly.

“Your Excellency, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Omer crossed the large room and inclined his head in return. “The pleasure is mine. Thank you for coming.” Dune nodded. “I trust the accommodations have been to your liking.”

“Yes. Thank you again for the hospitality.”

Omer waved his hand and the soldiers took a step back and some other servants filled the table with an assortment of fruit and meats. Omer picked up a piece of chicken and leaned in close to Dune. “Scar visited you, I presume, and brought you up to speed with everything?”

Dune nodded. “I would like to again apologize for Melna’s failure,” Omer said, making sure to place the blame on the seeker. “We were able to gather three hundred slaves as you requested, but Melna failed to bring her magician here. I know you don’t need money, but is there any other way I can compensate for this loss? I can perhaps gather another hundred slaves for you, or…”

Dune cut him off, “It is of no consequence. You have already upheld your part of the bargain. I will have Mordyar deal with Melna’s shortcomings when he arrives,” Omer sat back in his chair with a satisfied smile. “Is there anything else that needs to be discussed before we depart?”

“Yes, actually,” Omer said in a sort of sheepish tone. “I do have a small concern that has arisen of late. And it actually works in our favor. It has made quite a stir to have a magician in the keep, and this gives me a good excuse.”

“What are you talking about?” Dune asked.

Before he could answer, Trae entered the room with the stable master. “Lord Omer, your horses are ready whenever you need them.”

Omer nodded to the stable master and dropped his half-eaten drumstick on the table. “Let’s not waste any time.” Dune rose with his host and they exited the keep to retrieve their mounts.

In front of the keep, five horses were saddled and ready. Five stable boys held the reins and awaited their instructions. Omer was the first to mount and he needed an extra push to help him get on the large warhorse, the other four swung easily into their saddles. Omer kicked his horse into action and almost lost his seat as the animal lunged forward. He then slowed to a trot and was able to maintain some control of the animal. Trae smirked and looked sideways to Dune, but the magician shook his head slightly hoping Trae would stop grinning like a fool at Omer’s ineptitude.

They rode across the drawbridge and out to the east side of the keep. The distance was not great, and the party could have easily walked, but, if there was a more complicated and showy way to do something, nobles couldn’t pass up the opportunity. When they came past the edge of the drawbridge, Scar trotted up next to them and joined with the group.

On the northeastern side of the keep there was a hole in the ground several yards across. It was clear that the hole was burned there as the ground inside the hole was black and steam rose from it. At the edge of the crater, Omer dismounted awkwardly and kicked some snow into it. The snow sizzled and evaporated. “You see, this is my problem. Can you tell me anything about it?”

Dune walked to the edge of the charred circle and looked around the landscape. “It was caused by an enchanted attack of some kind. Do you know where it came from?” Omer pointed to a distant stand of trees. “Only a magician could make an attack from that distance.”

“Are you certain?” Omer asked leaning forward eagerly.

“No. It could have been a powerfully enchanted bow, or arrow. But to have something of that kind of power, your archer would need to have a very good relationship with a strong magician, or circle of magicians, or have a boatload of gold.”

“So it is a magician? Can you tell me anything else?”

Dune crouched down and touched the spot using magic. “The attack was a combination of both fire and ice. This caused an exceptionally powerful explosion when it neared the earth. It also explains why the spot is still smoldering.”

“What do you mean?” Omer asked as he rubbed his chin between his index finger and thumb. “Wouldn’t the ice extinguish the heat from the fire?”

“That’s a common misconception.” Dune explained. “When the magical powers of fire and ice are mixed or charged together, they do not counteract the other like the natural elements. They will continue to feed off each other for years. It is complicated.” Everyone gathered around nodded, though it was clear they did not understand.

“Can you fix this spot?” When it was clear that he didn’t understand the problem, Omer was just interested in having the magician solve it.

“Certainly, but it will take quite a bit of energy and I will need to rest. It will probably delay my departure by a little bit.” While the spell was rather simple to reverse, Dune needed an excuse to stay in the keep to search for Melna and figure out what else he would need to do.

“Anything you need is yours.” Omer tilted his head, and then struggled back onto the horse. “When can you start?”

Dune looked thoughtfully over the gaping hole in the ground for a long moment. “It will take two treatments, one to remove the heat and one to remove the cold and return the soil. I will begin now, and finish tomorrow morning.”

“Scar,” Dune called out. “You leave tonight. I will join with you tomorrow after I get some rest.”

“Yes, Master Magician,” Scar answered with a bow of his head.

“Then I will leave you to it.” Omer and his two guards returned back to the keep, leaving Trae and Dune alone. Dune was used to this: while most people found magic interesting, few wanted to be around when it was performed.

“So what’s really going on?” Trae asked when he felt they were alone. “And who is Scar?” He took another look over his shoulder at the well-built man.

“Scar is a freaky result of experimentation on transferring gifts,” Dune answered with a grin. “He’s also leading a supply train to greet Mordyar’s invading army.”

“What?!” Trae blurted out. “Why did you send him to meet Mordyar?”

“I told you it was complicated,” Dune replied while looking down into the hole.

Trae grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. “You weren’t kidding. So what about Melna?”

“Melna is here. I think a magic display will bring her out of the keep to watch, if only at a distance.” Dune looked back at the crowd who had gathered on the ramparts to watch, but he couldn’t see her at that distance.

“Are we still worried about catching her?” Trae asked, “I think stopping Mordyar is a bit of a priority.”

“They are both priorities,” Dune corrected. “Melna leads the seekers. That means she is one of the leaders of Mordyar’s people here in Denall. But we also need to get word to Sir Theodore and the king, and we need to intercept the real magician who is on his way here.”

“How in the name of the king can we do all four of those things?” Trae asked, throwing his arms in the air. “Any one of those is going to be near impossible on its own. It’s not like we can just grab Melna from a crowd.”

“I was actually hoping that you would try that,” Dune answered.

“What!?” Trae blurted out. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m not kidding.” Dune bent back down and pulled Trae to his knees. He pointed into the magically created hole, pretending he was still analyzing it while he talked in a low voice. “She’s never seen you as Trae,” Dune answered calmly. “In Lexingar you were disguised as that ugly mug Sir Trevor.”

“Right,” Trae responded, glaring at his friend. “I keep forgetting that you transformed me into a grotesque beast that even a mother couldn’t love. Thank you for that.”

“Now that’s a little harsh. I’m sure some mother could have loved you.” Dune replied sarcastically. “Besides,” he added in a reassuring tone. “It could have been much worse; you could have had warts and no teeth.”

“Well I guess there is that to be grateful for.” Trae’s voice was flat and unamused. “So how can I catch her?” Trae unconsciously touched his cheeks, as if checking to see whether he still had his own face.

Dune leaned close to his companion and spoke softly. “I’m sure that word is spreading quickly in the keep that the master magician is doing his magic outside for two days. When I get done here today, I want you to escort me back to my chambers. I’ll lean on you and pretend that I’m completely exhausted.”

“Why?” Trae asked, confused.

“I’ve got a lot of work to get done before we leave the keep. I need some time alone to prepare. As it is I’m worried that we may be outmatched by the circumstances.”

“And while you are supposedly resting in your room, I’m to be out and about, trying to snatch Melna from a crowd. What if she is already suspicious? You’ve drawn quite a crowd. What if she sees your face before we get you safely back to the room? She’ll recognize you.”

Dune exhaled slowly. “I come up with all the solutions and you just seem to throw another problem at me.” Dune began walking around the outside of the burned hole in the ground, from time to time he looked up at the walls of the keep and saw that a small crowd was gathering.

“I just don’t want us to overlook something that could ruin your last-minute, thrown together plan.”

“I’ll just keep a low profile.” He pulled his hood up and looked to the keep walls again.

Trae looked at him questioningly. “I hate to prove you right by bringing up more problems with your plan, but what about the banquet tonight? You know, the one Omer is throwing for you as the honored guest? Can you get your work done before then, and how are you going to keep a low profile at that little shindig?”

“I’ll say I’m sick.” Dune replied without giving it much thought. “I overexerted myself today, and I need to recover my strength. I’ll have to decline the invitation.” He folded his arms across his chest as if daring Trae to defy his solution.

Trae just stood and shook his head. “The master magician is overexerted from cooling down a charred circle of dirt?” He did not look convinced.

“They don’t know anything about magic,” Dune said, motioning to the people on the ramparts. He lifted his hands in the air and a brilliant ball of light shot up out of the ground. The people on the walls stepped back or held their hands out to shade the light. Dune then stumbled a little then leaned on Trae. “That should do it. Let’s get back to my room.” As they walked, Dune whispered to his friend. “Just tell them that it was a deep rooted magic, filled with poison.” He waved a hand dismissively, then before continuing he raised his index finger into the air. “But I have contained it, stopped it from spreading and killing all his vineyards, and I’ll finish the job tomorrow.”

Trae dropped his head into his right hand and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Why do
I
need to tell anyone?”

Dune smiled, “Because, my dear friend, you are going to go to the banquet in my place.” He slapped Trae on the back and Trae stared back fiercely.

“That is definitely not happening.”

*****

The banquet was held on the entire third floor of the keep. All rooms were decorated following the themes of magic and greenery. Large, fresh tree limbs had been brought in with their greenery to adorn the walls and green fabric had been draped in elegant swaths along the ceiling. The décor seemed to have been inspired by the arrival of the ‘master magician,’ as if pretty decorations could help the magician receive the power to make the grass green again.

In the main dining hall an assortment of food filled dozens of tables which lined the walls, and a band of string musicians played elegant dance music. Some nobles danced on the open dance floor while servants walked through the rooms with trays carrying a variety of beverages and pastries.