Shepherd's Quest: The Broken Key #1 (4 page)

“Nothing you’d be interested in,” replied Riyan.

“Oh yeah?” asked another of them. Then he snatched it out of his hand.

“Give it back!” demanded Riyan.

Holding the sack before him, the young man asked, “Or what?” Before Riyan had the chance to reply, Rupert and his father the Magistrate exited the building. The Magistrate quickly grasped what was going on by the way the three young men had Riyan surrounded and how the one young man was holding the sack out before him.

“What’s going on here?” he asked.

The three young men turned toward him quickly, startled by his sudden appearance.

“Uh, nothing.”

Riyan turned to face the Magistrate and said, “I killed a kidog. I was bringing it to collect the bounty when they took the sack containing its head from me.” The Magistrate’s face darkened as he turned to face the one holding the sack.

“Was nothing like that your honor,” the young man explained. “Just having a little fun is all.”

“Give it back Girg,” the Magistrate ordered.

“Sure thing,” Girg replied. Then he handed the sack back to Riyan. “Here you go.” Riyan snatched the sack out of his hand and then said to the Magistrate, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcomed my boy,” he replied to Riyan. “Go inside and Ceci will take care of it for you.”

Riyan nodded and as the young man stepped out of his way, he walked towards the door. Behind him he heard the Magistrate begin to berate his son about the conduct of his friends. Riyan doubted it would do any good, more than likely would cause him to get a beating the next time he and Rupert met.

He walked through the entrance and then entered the first door on his right. Within he found Ceci, the lady who looked after the town hall as well as paid for the bounties and various other duties. She looked up from her desk and saw him standing there just within her doorway. From the blood stains on the sack, she knew what he was here for.

He held up the sack and said, “Bagged a kidog yesterday.” She motioned for him to come forward and then took the sack from him when he offered it to her. Opening it up, she saw the severed kidog head and then nodded. She set the sack on the floor behind her and then opened a strong box that was resting on the floor next to her desk. After removing two silver pieces, she handed them over to him.

“Good work Riyan,” she praised.

“Thank you,” he replied as he took the coins.

“Did you hear?” she asked with a smile.

“I haven’t been in town lately,” he explained. “Something going on?”

“Oh yes,” she replied. “Rupert and Freya are to be married.”

“What?” he exclaimed loudly.

“Sometime last night Rupert asked her father for her hand and he said yes,” she explained. Then she saw the look in his eyes and realized something was amiss. “Are you okay?”

Dazed, his mind numb and heart breaking, Riyan paid her question no heed. Instead, he turned around and rushed from the building. Once outside, he searched for Freya and her father but they were no longer in sight. He then began running towards their home that set on the edge of town.

How could she be marrying Rupert? All his life he had thought that one day they would get together and be married. He just hadn’t worked up the courage to ask her father as yet. Now there was no longer any time, he had to state his intentions and get him to change his mind.

Several people hailed him as he ran through town, but so intent on his own inner turmoil was he, that he didn’t even know they were there. Finally, their house appeared down the street before him. He could see the front door was just closing. Running up to the door, he gave it three firm knocks.

When it opened, Freya’s father stood there before him. “I thought you might show up,” he said.

“You can’t let Freya marry Rupert,” he said. “He’s a terrible person.”

“I know you care for her,” her father replied. “But I have to think of what’s best for Freya. This marriage will assure her of never having to worry about what tomorrow will bring. His family is wealthy and well connected.”

“But…” Riyan stammered. When Freya’s father looked questioningly at him, he blurted out, “But I love her and want to marry her!” Her father’s eyes turned sad at that. “I know son,” he said. “I’ve known for awhile now that you’ve felt this way.”

Then behind her father Riyan saw Freya appear from the back room. “Freya!” he hollered to her. “You can’t marry Rupert!”

Her father turned around and said, “Get back in your room Freya. Riyan and I need to have a little talk.”

She looked with deep sadness to Riyan and then replied, “Yes father.” Then turning around, she went back into her room.

Freya’s father stepped outside and joined Riyan before shutting the door. “I like you boy,” he said. “I always have. But I can’t let that get in the way of making the best match I can for my daughter.”

When Riyan tried to break in, he held up his hand and stopped him. “You are a poor shepherd,” he continued. “You don’t even own the land on which your sheep graze. What life could you give her?”

“But I love her,” he asserted.

“Son, in life, love simply isn’t enough.” He laid his hand on Riyan’s shoulder. “My daughter cares for you, I would hate for her to lose your friendship because of this.” Riyan snapped his eyes to his and replied, “She’ll never lose it. I just…”

“Go home Riyan,” her father said. “Go home and work to get over it.” He then turned and opened the door. He paused there a moment before saying, “It might be best for all concerned if you don’t have any contact with my daughter until after the marriage.” Without waiting for Riyan’s response, he went back into the house and shut the door.

In the instant it took for her father to enter the house and shut the door, Riyan saw Freya there in the hallway. Their eyes locked for a moment before the door shut.

With the shutting of the door, his heart fell. Sadness overtook him and it was all he could do to simply keep his emotions under control. Then as he turned, he saw Rupert standing there across the street. Anger and hate burned in his heart when he saw the smug smile of satisfaction appear on Rupert’s face.

Riyan almost crossed the street to wipe it off with a well place blow, but then he realized that would solve nothing. So he turned his back on him and walked home.

Once back home he told his mom what had happened. “How could her father agree to this union?” he asked with great emotion. Then he flopped down in a chair.

“I’m sure he’s doing what he thinks is best for her,” his mother replied.

He looked at his mother with hurt filled eyes. “Don’t tell me that you agree with this?”

She shook her head negatively then walked over to him. “Sometimes parents do the wrong thing for the right reason,” she explained as she wrapped her arms about him to offer comfort.

“Rupert is a swine,” he said. “Someone needs to do something about him.”

“But not you,” she insisted. “Respect her father’s wishes and do nothing.” Riyan abruptly came to his feet and started pacing. “I can’t stay here,” he said as he came to a stop. “I need to get away for awhile.”

“That’s a good idea,” agreed his mother.

“I’ll take the flock out for a few days to the edge of the mountains,” he told her.

“Chad will be working at the mill for the next week so this would be a good time for me to be alone.”

“Are you sure you want to go that far?” she asked. “There have been rumors of goblins.”

He turned his face towards hers and smiled. “There are always rumors of goblins,” he replied. “So far I have yet to come across one and we live as close as anyone.”

“Still, be careful,” she cautioned.

“I will,” he promised.

She insisted on cooking him a good lunch before he started off. Outside, the sheep have already begun their bleating. According to their schedule, they should have been heading out to greener pastures long before now.

They shared a meal of cooked mutton, potatoes, and bread. Then she packed enough food for him to last several days, even though he planned on using his sling to hunt for food while he was gone.

As he slung his pack over his shoulder and prepared to head out, she placed her arm on his. “Just think on this while you’re out there,” she began. “Freya has no choice in this, such is the fate of all girls. She’ll need friends like you to lean on.” When he turned his head to look at her, she added, “Lord knows being married to Rupert will not be an easy life.”

He nodded and hung his head. “I will mother,” he replied. “Why can’t her father see that?” He then gave her a peck on the cheek.

His mother handed him his staff before he stepped out the door. She went with him to the sheep pen and gave a hand with removing the flock. As he herded the sheep away from the house, she waved goodbye to her son.

“See you in a few days,” he hollered to her as he left.

“Be careful,” she cautioned with another wave.

He then continued herding the flock away from the pen and towards the distant mountains. This wasn’t the first time he had taken the flock towards the mountains on an overnight excursion, usually he would return a day or two later. But this time he planned to go further than he ever had before and didn’t plan on being back for at least four days, maybe longer. He needed time to get over the hurt in his heart.

For the rest of the afternoon, he continued pushing deeper into the hills. When nightfall came, he stopped the flock near a small stream and settled in for the night. He made sure the flock was accounted for before darkness came. Then he spread out his bedroll and fixed himself a quick bite to eat.

Later that night as he laid there under the stars, he sobbed.

“Riyan!”

Early the following morning, Chad came running down the lane towards the home where Riyan and his mother lived. “Riyan!” he hollered again and then saw that the sheep were not in the pen.

The front door opened before he reached the house and Riyan’s mother stepped out.

“Good morning Chad,” she said.

“Have you heard?” he asked as he came closer.

“About Freya and Rupert?” she asked in reply. When he nodded his head, she said,

“Yes. Riyan told me about it yesterday.”

“Was he upset?” he asked.

“You could say that,” she replied sadly. “He’s taken the flock up near the mountains for a few days. Said you were working at your father’s mill.”

“I am,” he said. “When I heard about Freya getting married to that piece of trash, I got angry. So my father gave me an hour to come here and talk to him about it.”

“Sorry you missed him,” she said.

“So am I.” He turned his gaze towards the mountains. “Tell him to come see me as soon as he gets back will you please?”

“The minute he gets back,” she assured him.

“Thank you,” he said then turned and headed back to the mill. Worry for his friend weighed heavily on his mind. So heavy in fact, that once he was back in town and moving down the main street, he failed to notice the individual coming towards him. He almost walked into him.

He looked up at the last minute and saw his and Riyan’s friend Bart a scant foot in front of him. Bart was a recent arrival to their little town of Quillim. He showed up about a year and a half ago and has worked odd jobs at various farms in the area since.

Currently he’s out at old Rebecca’s place helping with tilling her fields. Ever since her sons married and moved away, she’s had a hard time making it.

At first when Bart had tried using that horse drawn plow of hers, it was a disaster. He couldn’t get the horses to go in a straight line to save his life. But now that he’s been doing it for about a week, he’s started to gain a modicum of proficiency. From what he’s told them, he could do a little bit of everything, the result of having no trade and forced to live on what work he could get here and there.

The one thing Bart could do that really impressed Chad was how well he threw darts.

Now we’re not talking about the darts people used for sport, no. These were the deadly darts that could do some serious damage if they hit you. A few inches longer than the regular darts, these had barbs at the end that became embedded in whatever they hit. If you were to pull it out of your flesh, it would take a chunk of it with it.

Once when the three of them were out on an overnight camping excursion earlier this summer, he took down a rabbit with one. From that point on Chad’s been calling him Bart the Dart off and on which has annoyed him to no end. Recently though, Rupert and his friends have begun to use the term and not in a friendly manner. Ever since they took to calling him ‘Bart the Dart’, it lost the friendly nuance it once held so he stopped using it.

Coming to an abrupt halt, he noticed the smile playing across Bart’s face.

“Was wondering if you were going to see me,” Bart said.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “Just thinking about Riyan.”

“You heard?” Bart asked.

Nodding, Chad said, “Yeah. His mother said he took it rather rough.”

“I can imagine,” replied Bart.

“He’s taking the flock up into the hills at the base of the mountains for a few days,” he told him. “I think he needed time to come to grips with it.”

“Will do him good,” stated Bart.

Chad looked up the street and groaned, “Oh no.”

“What?” Bart asked as he turned to look. Coming toward them down the street was Rupert, alone this time. Dressed in his fine clothes, he appeared to be strutting down the street as if he owned it. Which, truth be told, isn’t too far from the truth as his family owned quite a bit of the town.

He came directly to them and stopped a few feet away. “Either of you seen Riyan this morning?” he asked.

They both shook their heads and Chad said, “No.”

“Well if you do, tell him I’m looking for him,” he said.

“We’ll do that,” Bart assured him.

“Did you hear I’m getting married?” he asked. When he saw their faces turn into scowls, he grinned. “Guess so. Lovely girl Freya.”

“You’ve never been interested in her before,” said Chad. “This seems rather sudden.” He shrugged. “My father pestered me to pick a bride,” he explained. “So I chose her.