Secrets of the Stonechaser (The Law of Eight Book 1) (14 page)

Len-Ahl took his hand. “No. I should like one more dance.”

He stared into her determined, green eyes and acquiesced with a nod. He put his arm around her waist and led her in a slow sway as Faria joined in with her beautiful voice. She sang an old song called
The Maiden in the Willow
.

It told the story of a young man who was hunting in the forest when he heard a beautiful voice. He followed it to behold a faery girl who lived in a willow tree. Enraptured by her beauty, he sought to wed her, but the girl could not leave her tree. Len-Ahl drew closer to him as she reached the first chorus. She lay her head on his chest as they swayed back and forth under the bright moon.

The song went on to describe the young man’s attempts to woo the faery girl, describing her red hair and emerald eyes. But she still would not leave her willow tree. Finally, he resorted to force as he brought his ax to the tree and chopped it down. He led the faery girl from the forest, but upon stepping outside the trees for the first time, she collapsed and died.

It was a song often sung to young children in the Great Oak Forest to teach respect for the land, and that force does not always prevail as expected. But the way Faria sang it was passionate enough to bring a tear to the eye. Indeed, when the song ended and their bodies parted, tears were streaming down Len-Ahl’s face.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She shook her head. “It was so sad. The poor girl.”

“It’s just an old song,” Nerris said, wiping the tears from her face.

Len-Ahl nodded. “You are right, of course. Nerris, would you mind... I think I would like to be alone for a while.”

He nodded. “Of course.” Nerris left her to her thoughts and went off to find Melantha, congratulating her with a kiss on the cheek and clasping hands with Brannos. Jhareth, who had more than a few drinks in him, was regaling a group of young women about one of their adventures, and Dist was still feeding his fledgling bonfire.

After speaking to some more villagers he knew as a child, Nerris’s eyes searched out Len-Ahl. He finally spied her on the same terrace Dist had stood upon the day before, staring out into the forest. She had found a blade and continued whittling away at her wooden fipple flute. He could hear a strain of song from his vantage point, and realized she was humming
The Maiden in the Willow
. Seeing that she was all right, he smiled and turned back to the feast.

Chapter Fourteen

CLOUDS COVERED THE sky the morning following the wedding, suggesting the approach of another spring rain. Upon awakening, Nerris left the spare room in the house of Dist’s family and stretched as he walked into the kitchen. Dist’s mother greeted him as she sliced bread for the porridge she was cooking. Nerris sat down at the table and yawned.

“Rough night?” Denisa asked.

“I haven’t eaten or drank that well in years,” Nerris said, “nor stayed out that late.”

“Martias and I turned in after an hour or two,” she said. “Celebrations are best left to you young folk.”

“Thank you again for giving me a place to stay,” Nerris said. “I may be used to sleeping outdoors, but at least this way I don’t have to worry about the rain.”

“You know you’re always welcome in our home, Nerris,” Denisa said. “You and Jhareth being back here have Dist acting like a child again.”

Nerris nodded. It was going to be more than a little rough on all three of them when they went their separate ways again, he suspected. “What’s the news on the rest of the village? Aside from Melantha’s nuptials, I mean.” Dist’s mother was always good for a bit of gossip. It had been almost fifteen years since he, Jhareth, and Dist had left the safety of their home and set out into the wide world, their destination to seek training at Gauntlet.

“Well, you remember Girda?” Denisa asked. “She married Darros shortly after you three left. All went well. They had two children. A few years later he discovered Girda was having an affair with Cardan. Which of course called into suspect ownership of the children—”

“I was thinking more along the lines of the village’s general health,” Nerris said. “I see more houses now than were here before, but is it flourishing? Is everyone growing enough food, selling enough to pay their taxes?”

“Oh, yes,” Denisa said. “Marren and Rannis make sure we get by, as always. Not much changes in good old Haladast.”

Nerris grunted. That was the truth of most small villages. Haladast had once been the seat of a lord in ancient times, but through conquest or disease or any other reasons lost to history, it had been abandoned, though the village remained. Haladast even meant
holdfast
in the classic tongue, but nowadays they gave their allegiance to the Palada family at nearby Brookbel. Nerris had lived thirteen years in the village without ever realizing he was Lord Palada’s nephew. It wasn’t until later, when the Thrillseekers guested at the royal court in Faerlin, that Nerris’s heritage came to light.

Denisa trailed off as some shouts from outside distracted her. Nerris went to the window and looked out. A group of men on horseback rode into the village square, coming down from the north. His first thought was brigands, but then he noticed the riding formation. These were military men. And a glimpse at the adornment on their banner revealed a diving kingfisher, sigil of House Klaidon. They were king’s men as well.

“What is it?” Denisa asked.

“Stay here,” Nerris told her. He stopped in his room to put on his boots before heading outside. Marren, Melantha’s father, was already there, conversing with the commanding knight.

“We are sorry to disturb you,” the young commander said. He wore full armor, as well as a surcoat bearing the halting hand of House Tosset. “We would have arrived yesterday, but our scouts reported a wedding, and we were loath to interfere, so we decided to wait until morning before making our presence known. I am Sir Enric Tosset, captain of the guard at Faerlin Castle.”

That brought murmurs from the growing crowd of hung-over villagers. That meant Sir Enric answered to King Maerlos himself.

“To what do we owe the honor, Sir Knight?” Marren asked.

“I understand one Jhareth Kanave is in the vicinity,” Enric said. “I would much like to speak with him.”

Marren cast a nervous glance at his fellow villagers. Even if he had not been there for fifteen years, Jhareth was still one of theirs. Their first instinct was to protect him. “For what purpose?”

“I may not reveal that,” Enric said. “In truth, I know not myself. I only know I am charged with finding Jhareth Kanave and bringing him back to the royal court by order of King Maerlos Klaidon VII. Is Master Kanave present or not?”

The villagers all spoke up at once, each pointing in a different direction, some even suggesting Enric and his men might want to ride as far east as Timberedge to seek him out. Enric gave them all an annoyed look.

“Very well. We shall conduct a search ourselves.” He gave orders, and his men spurred their mounts and fanned out.

“What’s going on?” Dist came out of his house and approached Nerris, his bright blond hair still disheveled from his slumber.

“King’s men,” Nerris said. “They’re after Jhareth.”

“That fucking whoreson,” Dist said. He often spoke that way of Jhareth. “What’s he done now?”

Nerris shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s better if we find him first and warn him. He’s probably sleeping off the drink under a tree somewhere.”

They checked all likely spots in the village where Jhareth might have dropped, but did not find him. Dist sought out Melantha, while Nerris went to the inn to talk to Craddis. Upon his exit, he nearly barreled into a hunched old woman making her way inside. She shook her walking stick at him and Nerris threw up his hands to show he meant no ill intent.

The king’s men, meanwhile, searched under every haystack and inside every house, including the tents of the visitors from Earthill. This drew protests from the villagers, many of whom were just waking from their drunken doze. They milled around, buzzing about themselves and adding to the general confusion as the soldiers continued their hunt.

Nerris and Dist conducted their own search in the outlying woods, and Nerris was pleased to see the fallen bower they had played under as children was well tended by the current crop of village youths. The children had all grown up hearing how the Thrillseekers had once played at that spot. Unfortunately, none of them had seen Jhareth either.

They continued their search, stopping at the usual hiding places from years past. They were well versed in these woods, and if Jhareth had found one of their old hidey-holes, the soldiers didn’t have a chance of discovering him. However, their luck wasn’t any better for their thoroughness.

It was around an hour before they returned to the village, where Sir Enric’s men appeared to have given up as well. Quite a few of them slumped as they sat on the holdfast terrace overlooking the village square, talking amongst themselves, though Enric himself still trotted about on his horse, as if hopeful Jhareth might show himself.

“He appears to have slipped away,” Dist said. “Should we tell them that?”

“If they figure out who we are, we’ll have them dogging our steps next,” Nerris said. “It’s well known the Thrillseekers don’t abandon their friends. They’ll just watch us and wait for him to come back.”

Nerris turned toward his friend, but found himself standing in the path of the same old woman he had almost careened into earlier. Nerris stepped aside out of respect, and the hunched crone hobbled past him, keeping her hood up, leaning on her walking stick with both hands. Nerris waited until her back was turned and grabbed her by the shoulders, hurling her into the wall of the nearest house.

“Nerris!” Dist protested.

Nerris threw back the old woman’s hood to reveal Jhareth, who stood up straight, all traces of infirmity gone. “I knew something was off about that woman,” Nerris said.

“Good morning,” Jhareth said pleasantly. “How did you know it was me?”

“Dellain, near Oraila, about seven years ago,” Nerris said. “You used the same disguise to sneak into that castle on Lake Oro.”

“Good memory.”

Dist glared at Jhareth. “And no one noticed a strange old lady wandering around?”

“It’s all in the stance and the walk,” Jhareth said. “People see what they expect to see. The best place to hide is in plain sight, I always say.”

“The whole village is in an uproar,” Dist said. “Why are the king’s men after you?”

“About that,” Jhareth said, “it’s really very complicated, a misunderstanding, actually—”

Nerris rolled his eyes. “Just tell us.”

“There he is!” shouted one of the guards, spotting them. The men on the terrace got to their feet and rushed toward them.

Nerris put his hands out. “Hold on,” he said. “This man is a known friend to King Maerlos and the kingdom of Faerna. If you lay a hand on him, you risk the displeasure of the Thrillseekers. Unwise is the monarchy who incurs our wrath!” It was all bravado, but Jhareth was not the only one who could talk his way out of a situation.

The soldiers looked at each other, perplexed. “You are the other Thrillseekers?” one of them asked.

Nerris nodded. “I am Nerris Palada, and the man with me is Dist Schies. By order of the king himself, no harm was to ever come to a Thrillseeker by Faernan hands. Or has King Maerlos forgotten the friendship he swore to us many years ago?”

The soldiers gave each other uncertain glances, but Sir Enric rode in at that point. “What’s going on here?”

His men saluted. “Sir, we have located Master Kanave!”

The rest of Enric’s men closed in as the knight approached. Nerris braced himself. They did not have their weapons on them, but he was not defenseless. If Enric attacked, he could use the weight of his own armor against him if he had to. He had learned his hand-to-hand defenses well both at Gauntlet and in Miagama, and could unarm any man present. But against the dozen armored men with him, even the Thrillseekers would be no match. If they wanted to apprehend Jhareth, they would. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dist tense as well, and knew he was ready to spring at a moment’s notice.

But instead, Sir Enric dropped to a knee before them and bowed his head so they were all staring at the crown of a mop of sandy hair. The rest of his men did the same, and Nerris relaxed a bit. “It is and never was my intention to insult the Thrillseekers,” Enric said in a reverent tone. “Please, forgive me.”

Nerris looked at Dist, whose eyes narrowed in puzzlement, and shrugged.

Dist cleared his throat. “Well, er, don’t let it... happen again?”

Others in the village had come over to see what the ruckus was about, and suddenly they had an audience again. Melantha and Len-Ahl pushed their way to the front of the crowd, each casting them a questioning look.

“Forgive me,” Enric repeated. “Master Kanave, I was told by King Maerlos to bring you back to him at Faerlin. I am but a soldier and must obey my king.”

“What does he want Jhareth for?” Dist asked.

“I do not know,” Enric said. “I was only given a message to relay to Master Kanave once I found him.” He stood. “King Maerlos sends his apologies for the quarrel which caused strife between you and him many a fortnight ago, and begs you to return to Faerlin, so negotiations may resume.”

Jhareth, who looked as if he might clamber up the wall at any moment to escape, relaxed. “Is that all? Then I will certainly go with you.”

“Is anybody going to explain what’s going on?” Dist complained.

“You remember what we talked about the other day?” Jhareth asked. “The key to the treasure I spoke of? Well, it was in care of the king. I was close to securing it, but his Majesty is most stubborn. He reneged on the deal we made, and I decided to steal it and leave his hospitality to voice my displeasure.”

Nerris’s eyes went wide. Jhareth spoke of the original copy of the Stonechaser Prophecy. He had stolen a national treasure, and King Maerlos was apologizing to him? “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” he said.

Jhareth grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s all right, Nerris. I was always better at keeping track of the minute details anyway. Sir Enric, if I return with you, it will be at the side of my friends. Is that acceptable?”

Enric inclined his head. “The Thrillseekers are always welcome at court. This is universally known.”

“Did I not distinctly say I wasn’t interested in any more of your schemes for riches?” Dist said.

“Oh, come off it,” Jhareth said. “You both know as well as I that we were never as strong as when we were together. Sixteen years, Nerris, Dist. Sixteen years. That’s how long we were a team. The truth is I need you. One last time, I need the Thrillseekers. And when we’re done, well... we’ll go our separate ways, or stay together and live richer than kings, whatever your desire. Just come with me this one time. Please.”

Nerris and Dist shared a glance, reminiscent of the one a few days ago. Nerris could not deny his resistance to the idea had been fading ever since Jhareth mentioned it. He had always known there were more important things than riches, and learned that lesson through his travels. But he could not pretend the prospect didn’t excite him. Money could not buy happiness, but it sure would make life easier. His blood tingled again, like in the old days, and he suspected Dist felt the same.

“Very well,” Nerris said. “I’m with you, Jhareth. I just found you and Dist. I don’t think I’m ready to say goodbye again yet.”

Jhareth grinned, and looked at Dist, who sighed and folded his arms. “So much for the quiet life,” he growled. “All right, Jhareth, but this had better not be some wild goose chase.”

Their audience buzzed at the announcement of a reunion of the Thrillseekers. After Enric’s men dispersed to tend to their mounts, Melantha and Len-Ahl came forward. “You three sure know how to stir up excitement,” Melantha said. “I suppose you’ll be leaving me again.”

“Sorry,” Jhareth said, “but you’ve got a new husband to keep you busy. I have confidence you’ll manage without us for a while.”
               Nerris looked at Len-Ahl. “I guess this is it,” he told her. “Don’t worry, I’ll come back to visit once this is all over. Melantha will take good care of you—”

“I think not,” Len-Ahl said.

“What?”

She smiled. “Silly Nerris. For years, I read about cities in my books, places where there were no forests, where people wandered the roads thick as fog, and of structures larger than the tallest trees. I should very much like to see this Faerlin for myself.”