Quest's End: The Broken Key #3 (48 page)

Chyfe took hold of the reins and brought the charging, riderless horse under control. “Easy boy,” he said as he reduced speed.

Riyan, having seen Chyfe take out the rider, turned his attention to the leader and his men. Still ten altogether, and with three bearing bows, they had the superior force. But so far, the leader had been content to remain at a distance and rain arrows down upon them. Riyan knew however, that if the leader were to learn of Kevik’s inability to perform magic, he would charge.

“Arrows!” Chad yelled, alerting the others to another incoming flight. With only three to avoid, it was easy to move out of their way. They were more of an annoyance than any real threat, unless Bart and the others grew careless.

Riyan came to where Chad stood with Kevik. “Is he alright?” he asked his life long friend.

Chad shook his head. “He’s worn out,” he explained.

Kevik glanced to Riyan and said apologetically, “Sorry.”

Giving a reassuring grin and pat on the back to the magic user, Riyan said, “You’ve done more than I would have thought possible. You are a great magic user.”

Returning his smile, Kevik nodded.

Chyfe joined the group with the additional horse. The horse of the rider felled by Bart’s dart had run off much to Chyfe’s annoyance. They could have used that horse!

Bart was back where Riyan’s stone had ultimately caused three horses to fall. One of the men had been mobile, but now lay dead with a dart puncturing his leg. The other two riders were also out of commission. One had a broken leg while the other had been crushed beneath the weight of a horse. Bart had used his knife to silence the man with the broken leg.

After collecting his darts and cleaning them off, he returned to the others. Glancing down the road where the leader still sat, he said, “Wonder what he plans to do?”

“Good question,” replied Chyfe. “Even with the extra horse, we’d still be unable to outrun them.”

“Why aren’t they attacking?” asked Soth.

Bart gestured to Kevik. “As long as they believe we have a combat ready magic user, they aren’t likely to risk a confrontation.” Glancing to Chad, he added, “No matter what, don’t let him collapse.”

“Don’t worry,” replied Kevik, “I don’t think I will.”

Another flight of arrows was launched then the bowmen quit. “You know,” Chad said after that last flight of arrows hit the ground, “they could be waiting for reinforcements to arrive.”

“From where?” asked Soth.

Chad shrugged. “Who knows? But it’s a possibility.”

“Yes,” agreed Bart, “it is.” After another glance to the leader and his men, Bart said, “Mount up.”

“But we can’t outrun them,” argued Soth.

“True,” replied Bart as he turned toward Soth. “But the longer we can hold off a confrontation, the more likely we’ll have Kevik’s aid when it happens.” Then he pointed off toward where the five riders were still enveloped by the yellow cloud. “Once that wears off, they may try something. Hopefully they won’t follow as long as their comrades are incapacitated.”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” argued Riyan.

“Either way, staying here won’t improve our situation,” Bart said. Taking hold of the saddle’s pommel, he swung himself up. “Riyan, you take Kevik again. Chad, you and Soth double up.”

He glanced back at the leader, and it didn’t look as if he was planning to follow. When Bart got underway, the leader remained where he was. His men edged forward, but the leader didn’t move. When the road finally curved around a hill and the leader fell out of sight, Bart wondered just what his game was going to be? Assuredly he wouldn’t simply allow them to get away?

Moving fast, they put as much distance between them and the leader’s force as they could. After a half hour’s travel, Bart had Chyfe ride to the top of a tall nearby hill to see what may be developing behind them.

On his return, he said, “Couldn’t see them.”

“Maybe they’re not following,” suggested Soth hopefully.

“I wouldn’t bet on that,” argued Bart. “He may be seeing to his men first. But rest assured, he’ll be coming.”

As they rode, each kept glancing over their shoulder, fully expecting to see pursuit developing. But so far, they were alone on the rutted path. Some time during the mid afternoon, Seth reappeared.

“Found some horses,” he said. Glancing to the others, his gaze finally came to rest on the additional mount. “Something happen?” he asked.

“You could say that,” his brother said.

Bart waved away the question. “We may have upwards to a dozen men following and could be attacked at any time,” he explained. “Where did you find the horses?”

Gesturing to where the path wound through the hills behind him, he said, “There’s a small community not more than a couple miles down the road. Just three farmsteads within visual distance of each other. One had a corral with two horses. I’m sure there could be more at the other farmsteads.”

“Two are all we need,” said Bart.

“How do you plan to get them?” asked Riyan. “It’s broad daylight.”

“Simple,” he replied. “We go and take them.”

“But that’s stealing!” objected Soth.

“So it is,” agreed Bart. “But it’s that or take the chance we might be overtaken and die. With Kevik out of commission, they have us woefully outnumbered.”

Soth didn’t like being a horse thief, but he understood Bart’s point.

Riyan rode up beside Soth and said, “We still have some coins. Perhaps we could try to buy them first.”

“Yes,” agreed Soth. “Let’s do that.”

Bart rolled his eyes, an indication of his annoyance that wasn’t lost on Riyan. “Come on,” he said. “The quicker we get there, the better” Then to Seth he said, “You take the lead.”

“You got it,” replied Seth. Turning his horse about, he led them back the way he came. A mile further down, the path crested a hill and they saw the three farmsteads laid out in a small valley. The path they were following passed within a hundred yards of the nearest. And it was that one which had the horses.

Two men were in separate fields plowing, readying the ground for the spring’s sowing. Kids were seen working at various chores at two of the farmsteads. The third one looked vacant.

A couple farmers were all they had to deal with, which made Bart happy. With Seth still in the lead, they followed the path until it neared the farmstead with the horses. There, they turned off the path and headed for the horses.

Kevik awoke about that time, still feeling greatly fatigued, but at least no longer was in imminent danger of passing out. Riyan apprised him of their intention to acquire two more horses.

As they approached, two boys quickly took notice of them and one began yelling as he raced toward the nearest man plowing his field. It didn’t take long before the man was made aware of the approaching riders. Disengaging from the plow, he met the boy racing toward him. A second later, the boy took off across the field to where the other man was plowing.

Seth kept his horse at a normal gait while they approached the farmer’s home, as he didn’t want to alarm them. By the time he neared the front of the house, a woman stood in the doorway with the other boy standing next to her. A moment later, the farmer arrived.

“Greetings, good farmer,” Seth said in his most genial manner.

“Greetings,” replied the farmer, uncertainty and a touch a fear in his voice. The fact that he and his family faced six armed men and a magic user was not lost on him. “How can we be of help to you sirs?”

“We need the two horses you have in your corral,” Seth stated.

“No!” cried the boy by his mother. “You can’t have them!”

“Silence!” the farmer yelled. Turning to the boy’s mother, he said, “Take him inside.” When she hesitated, he shouted, “Now!”

With fear and worry for her man etched across her face, the woman took hold of the boy’s arm and dragged him inside. The boy’s objections could be heard even after the door closed behind them.

Turning back to the men before him, the farmer said, “But sirs, we need those horses to survive.”

“Irregardless,” Seth said. “Our need is greater.”

Riyan could see the strength to object leave the man as he knew it wasn’t in his power to oppose them. Reaching into his money pouch, he removed two gold coins. Riding forward, he said, “Here.” Holding out the coins, he crossed to the farmer. “For your trouble.”

The farmer’s eyes lit up at the sight of the gold in Riyan’s hand. “Thank you sir,” he said. Soth added another which did much to assuage his guilt at taking the horses. Three golds were nowhere near an even exchange, but it was better than leaving the man with nothing.

Bart, Chad, and Soth dismounted and went to the corral. “I trust you have saddles for the horses?” Bart asked the farmer.

Nodding, he said, “They’re in the barn.”

Bart indicated for Soth and Chad to retrieve the saddles. From the corner of his eye, he saw a small, tear stained face peering at him from one of the home’s windows. Never had he felt such misgivings about stealing as he did right now.

Once Chad and Soth returned with the saddles and had secured them to the horses, Bart turned to the farmer. “I hope you will not find yourself in too great a need because of us,” he stated.

With nothing else he could say, the farmer replied, “We’ll get by.”

Bart returned to his horse and mounted. Riyan mounted one of the farmer’s horses as did Chad. With everyone now having their own horse, and Kevik having had sufficient rest to be able to remain awake while they rode, Bart turned his horse back to the path and quickly left the farmer behind.

After they had returned to the road and moved down it a ways, Chad asked, “Does it always feel this way?”

“What?” asked Bart.

“Stealing,” he explained. “Does it always make you feel dirty and wrong?”

Bart shook his head. “No. How you feel about taking from others depends in part on who you steal from. A rich merchant or a lord would hardly notice the theft of a few coins and valuables. But to people like that farmer, losing two horses could mean years of hardship before recovering.”

“Of course,” continued Bart, “there are some out there who have no conscious of any kind. They’re the ones who give thieves a bad name.”

“Stealing is wrong,” Soth stated. “No matter how you rationalize it.”

“Is feeding a baby on the verge of starving to death wrong?” asked Bart. “That’s how most people get started, out of necessity. Unfortunately, once you’re in it, there’s a certain allure to easy money and the excitement of fleecing the mark that’s hard to shake.”

“Was that how you got started?” Seth asked.

Bart laughed. “Hardly.” How could he explain that he was raised by a thief, and that everyone he knew growing up was a thief? No, it wasn’t necessity that had brought him into this life.

With thoughts of his younger years running through his mind, he and the others continued putting miles behind them.

Some distance to the north, in the town of Tryn, Captain Jeka paced to and fro. He had arrived with his men shortly after the fugitives fled downriver. Every man he could spare rode in pursuit, half on one side of the river, and half on the other. Had they fled during the spring thaw, he would have counted them dead. But now? There was always a chance one could survive the river in winter.

Messengers were on the way to every town within a day’s ride. Soon, the entire countryside would be alerted to their presence. Lord Kueryn would be most displeased should they make it back to Byrdlon.

He couldn’t believe the devastation wrought in Tryn. An entire block was simply gone. Buildings that had once stood tall were now but shells of their former selves. Of those he was supposed to join with when he arrived, there was no sign. Word had it they perished in the explosions.

“Sir?”

Snapped out of his reverie, Captain Jeka turned to his aide, Lieutenant Ikkeldi. A capable soldier who had served with Captain Jeka for over six years. “Yes?” asked Captain Jeka.

“A rider has returned,” Lieutenant Ikkeldi reported. “They’ve been sighted.”

“Where?” he demanded.

“No more than a day’s ride south of here,” his aide replied. “Just north of the mining town of Puert.”

He summoned a mental picture of the area and nodded. “Have the scout return and maintain visual contact,” he ordered. As his aide was about to leave, he added, “And ready the men.”

“Yes sir,” Lieutenant Ikkeldi replied. Leaving his captain, he hurried to carry out his commands.

“Puert is it?” Captain Jeka mumbled. “How in the world did you get there?”

Night was not very far off, and their pursuers from the stockade had yet to make an appearance. Bart had long since led their group from the rutted path and were now headed northwest through the hills toward Hylith.

“Are you sure he even has it?” asked Chad.

“No,” replied Riyan. “But where else would it be?” He patted his pack wherein their three segments of the key lay and asked, “Who would we entrust with them?”

“I get your point,” replied Chad.

“If I were him, I’d keep it close,” stated Bart. “He may not know what it is, but that it is significant and important would be apparent.”

“I agree,” said Soth. “Something golden, placed on a pedestal in a hidden room? Only an idiot would disregard it.”

“Do you think he’d have it on his person?” asked Riyan.

Bart shrugged. “If not on his person, then somewhere nearby and guarded,” he replied. “We’ll know better once we return to Hylith.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea right now,” countered Kevik. “After all the trouble we’ve stirred up, isn’t that just a bit…uh…dangerous?”

“Last place they’d look for us,” argued Bart with total confidence. “We’d have to be brain dead idiots to return to Hylith. So with that in mind, Hylith may be the safest place for us.” Turning to Kevik he added, “It’s the last place they’d think to look.”

There was some flaw in Bart’s argument, but he was too tired to come up with it. All he wanted to do was find some place to lay down and sleep for a week. Nodding, Kevik gave in.

Chyfe rode next to the magic user and would glance over from time to time to make sure he was okay. Despite his assertions that he was alright, the others thought having Chyfe there a suitable precaution. After all, he had already passed out twice.