Shepherd's Quest: The Broken Key #1 (7 page)

Then he turned his gaze to Black Face. “I guess I can forgive you,” he said. Rolling the coin through his fingers, his mind began churning with possibilities. He slipped the coin into his pouch before removing two short lengths of rope. “Sorry about this old boy,” he said.

Taking one of the pieces of rope, he tied Black Face’s rear legs together and then the front.
“Baaaaaaa!”
complained Black Face. The sheep didn’t care for being treated like this, but Riyan couldn’t have his legs loose and thrashing about as he tried to return him back to the surface.

Once the legs were tied, he picked up Black Face. He placed him over his shoulders and around his neck. He held onto the legs with one hand as best he could while using the other to maintain his balance as he maneuvered up the slope.

Black Face wiggled, baaed and kicked the whole way up. Riyan lost his grip a couple times due to the sheep’s thrashing and was thankful that he had the forethought to bind the legs or it would have been much worse. When he at last reached the top, he braced his feet securely before launching Black Face up and out of the hole with a mighty shove.

After Black Face hit the ground and began baaing pitifully, Riyan climbed the rest of the way to the surface.

Once out, he untied Black Face and then turned back one more time to look at the hole. If it wasn’t for the fact that the flock was some distance away and unattended, he would have tried to explore the passage further. But without a source of light such as a torch or a lantern, he wouldn’t have been able to go very far anyway.

As he returned with Black Face back to where the rest of the flock was grazing, he made sure to set the landmarks and the lay of the land in his mind. He wanted to be sure he could find this place again. For when he returned home, he planned to get some supplies together and come back.

He immediately got the flock moving once again back towards Quillim. As they set out, he removed the coin from his pouch and looked at it. A grin spread across his face at the adventure it promised.

The day after the debacle at the Sterling Sheep, the town was simply abuzz with rumors and gossip. Of course a couple of the more juicy ones were started by Bart. He’s simply enjoying himself to no end.

Still though, the betrothal between Rupert and Freya had yet to be called off. Bart really had no expectations for it to be called off for Freya’s family, even with the humiliation the events were giving them, could ill afford to not go through with it. He felt bad for her, but he despised Rupert more.

To up the ante, he dropped off the necklace he took from Rupert’s drawer the night before at Mirriam’s door. He didn’t leave a note with it, instead he twined it around several beautiful flowers and laid it upon a finely embroidered kerchief. That by itself wouldn’t have led people to believe that it was from Rupert. So right afterwards, he went into town and stood near the window of the biggest gossip in town.

He could hear her inside talking with a couple other ladies as they worked on their needlework. Every year she and her circle work on a quilt which they give to one of the more underprivileged families in the area. This year they planned to give it to Clara Jenis and her family. Clara has been ill for the past few months and her husband was having a hard time keeping things together. Between working, their three children, and her illness, he was about worn to a frazzle.

From his position by the window, he heard them talking about somebody or another.

Then he said sort of loud, but not too conspicuously so, “I tell you I saw him!” Then in another voice like he was another person he replied, “Rupert?” From within the house, all talking ceased.

Bart grinned to himself as he said, “Yes Rupert. You would think he’d leave well enough alone after his problems of the night before.” In his second voice he asked himself, “What happened?” The inside of the house was as quiet as a tomb, he knew every ear within was straining to hear what he had to say next.

“I saw him placing something at the door of Mirriam’s home,” he said in voice one.

“Mirriam?” voice two asked. “Isn’t she the one who’s been trying to get her hooks in him for years?”

“That’s the one,” voice one replied. “Looks like she finally hooked him.”

“What did he leave?” voice two asked.

“I’m not exactly sure,” voice one explained. “Some flowers for sure though I thought I saw something glittering among the stems.”

Then as he started to say, “We’ll have to see what…” he began moving away from the window and let his voice trail off. After he became quiet, he snuck back to the window and listened. Inside it remained silent for only a few seconds before the women all started talking at once. Now, if Mirriam would just find the necklace and put it on, it would lend credibility to the seed he just sowed.

He hung around town for a couple hours and sure enough, Mirriam appeared wearing the necklace. Her eyes were aglow and she walked briskly through town. By this time the rumor he planted had circulated widely. Two people already had approached him and told him about it, each telling seeming to add some new detail. As she passed through the people on the streets, they would grow quiet. Then after she went by, their eyes would follow her as they talked in hushed whispers.

Bart watched as she continued along the street, her hand would at times go to the necklace and rub it as if she didn’t really believe it was there. She paused at the corner for a second before her eyes lit up. Across the street, Rupert and his three cronies had just appeared.

She waved and hurried across the street to meet him. Bart followed her at a discreet distance to see what would happen. He wasn’t alone, many of those on the street saw where she was heading and followed too.

Rupert came to a stop and his eyes turned dark when he saw the necklace around her neck. He recognized it as one that had been in his drawer. Bart was too far away to hear what was said, but after just a couple exchanges between Rupert and Mirriam, Rupert ripped the necklace from around her neck. Then Mirriam turned and fled, tears in her eyes.

Bart stood there a moment too long, for Rupert noticed him. His face turned darker and he began moving quickly towards him. Bart remained where he was until the four young men came to him.

Rupert held out the necklace and demanded, “Do you know anything about this?”

“Why no Rupert,” Bart replied innocently. “It looks to be a necklace of some sort.”

“Someone’s been messing with me,” he stated, “trying to get my betrothal with Freya annulled.” Rupert glared at him and added, “I can only think of one person who would want that.”

“Freya?” guessed Bart.

Rupert’s eyes narrowed and his face turned red in anger. “Don’t play with me, Bart!” he warned. “I know Riyan is behind this and you two, along with Chad, are tight as thieves.”

“Riyan has been out with his sheep since just after your betrothal,” he replied. “I don’t see how he could be behind anything.”

Rupert glared at him. “This betrothal is going to continue,” he said. “If there are any further ‘occurrences’ like this,” he continued as he held up the necklace again, “Riyan will pay the consequences.”

It was Bart’s turn to get a dark look. “Be sure you know with whom you’re messing with before you act,” he warned.

“Is that a threat?” Rupert asked. “Are you daring to threaten me?”

“Merely offering a piece of advice,” he answered.

Then Rupert became aware of the people who had gathered to watch the drama unfold between himself and Bart. To Bart he said, “This isn’t over.” Bart merely remained silent as Rupert and his three cronies quickly left the street.

Once they’ve gone down the street a ways, Bart turned and left in the opposite direction.

Moving through town, his mind churned over the encounter. What had started out as a prank has developed into something a bit more serious. He feared that Rupert was planning on taking out his anger over what’s been happening on his friend Riyan.

Thankfully Riyan isn’t due back for several more days. Hopefully by then all this will have blown over.

He hurried back across town to old Rebecca’s place to finish the work she wanted done. Along the way, he came to the decision to lay low for awhile and leave Rupert alone. At least until Riyan returned, then he would see how things turned out.

The night of the earthquake rocked the town badly. Several businesses were damaged in one way or another, but the worst was Chad’s father’s mill. The quake had cracked one of the two grinding stones.

“Can’t we continue with it like it is?” Chad asked his father the following morning.

Shaking his head, Chad’s father turned to him, “No. Once they get a crack in them, it’s only a matter of time before they break altogether. Not only that, but pieces of the stone will find their way into the flour.” His father sat down with a worried expression.

“What can we do then?” Chad asked.

“If we wish to continue to operate, we have to obtain another grinding stone,” he told his son.

Chad looked to his father and saw the worry in his eyes. He knew that his father didn’t have all that much gold stashed away and grinding stones didn’t come cheap. “Are we going to be able to purchase another one?” he asked.

His father turned to him and smiled a sad smile. “Things will work out,” he replied.

“But it will be a week or more before a new stone can be brought here and put into place.”

Just then, the Magistrate stepped through the door. “Heard about your grinding stone,” he said. “Too bad.”

“Chad, could you go see if your mother needs anything?” his father asked.

Chad knew that he wished him to leave for some reason, then it dawned on him why.

His father was going to ask the Magistrate for a loan. The Magistrate was the only person in town who could possibly help. “But…” he began.

“Please son,” his father insisted, “go help your mother.” Nodding, Chad got up and said, “Yes sir.” Then he headed for the door. He gave the Magistrate a respectful nod of the head before he passed from the mill and to the lane outside.

He thought of what his father was about to do. There was no way they would ever be able to repay the Magistrate for the grinding stone. Most years they barely made enough to pay the taxes, feed their family, and buy other essentials they required. His father must know that, and so will the magistrate.

As scenarios played out in his mind, he came to realize that it wasn’t so much a loan his father would be getting from the magistrate, but more like selling the mill. All his life, his father’s one pride was that he owned that mill outright. Now, it’s likely he was going to have to work for the magistrate for the rest of his life. The thought angered Chad.

He wasn’t exactly sure where it was he was heading, he just put one foot in front of the other while his mind was preoccupied. Then Bart came into view as he rounded a corner up ahead. When he saw Chad, he hurried towards him.

“Hey, did you feel that quake last night?” Bart asked.

Chad came to a stop and nodded his head. “I think everyone felt it,” he replied.

Bart noticed something was wrong so asked, “You okay?” Shaking his head, Chad said, “The quake cracked the upper grinding wheel. We’re going to have to buy a new one before we can turn any more grain into flour.”

“That’s tough, man,” he said condolingly.

Then Chad noticed one of Rupert’s cronies appear behind Bart. The young man stopped when he saw Bart and Chad talking before ducking quickly behind a building. A second later, he peered around the corner at them.

Chad nodded to Rupert’s crony. “Are they keeping an eye on you?”

“You could say that,” replied Bart. “Yesterday when Mirriam appeared, I was there when he accosted her and took back the necklace.”

A worried looked came to Chad as he lowered his voice and asked, “Do you think he suspects?”

“I think so,” Bart told him in a quiet whisper of his own. “As long as all he can do is suspect, we’ll be fine. He thinks Riyan is behind it.”

“But he wasn’t even in town,” said Chad.

“I know.” Bart glanced behind him and saw the crony peering around the corner again. “We’ll have to let Riyan know what’s going on as soon as he gets back. But right now, I need to return to the farm. She’s got me removing an old tree stump near the house. She wants to plant flowers there.” Rolling his eyes heavenward, he sighed.

“I feel for you man,” Chad said.

“If she was rich I would tell her to get a scroll from Phyndyr’s,” he said.

“Phyndyr’s?” Chad asked.

“Yeah,” nodded Bart. “He sells scrolls down in Wardean. One of the better scroll merchants if you ask me.”

“Like what?” Chad asked, a glimmer of hope coming to him.

“Oh, all sorts of stuff,” he explained. “Take this stump I’m going to be spending the next several days digging out. One scroll from him and it would be gone.”

“You mean vanish?” Chad looked at his friend in disbelief.

Bart shrugged, “Maybe if I wanted to pay that much for it. But a simple burn spell would probably do the trick. Or maybe one that would dissolve it.”

“Do you think he would have one that could fix the crack in the grinding wheel?” he asked with newborn hope.

“I would think so,” he replied. “But some of the scrolls get pretty pricy.”

“Thanks,” he said, not really hearing him. If he could get a scroll cheap that would fix the crack, then his father wouldn’t have to sell. “How much do the scrolls go for?”

“I’ve heard that some can go as cheap as two silvers,” he explained. “Others, though, could go for over a hundred golds, or more.”

“I hardly think a scroll to fix a crack would cost very much,” he said. “I have almost a gold of my own saved.”

“Maybe,” Bart agreed.

“We could be there and back by nightfall,” he said.

“I think it’s a bit further than…” Then realization hit. “What do you mean ‘we’?” he asked.

“Yes,” he nodded. “You and I could ride down and be back after dark.”

“I…I don’t know if I could get away,” he said a bit nervously. “I, um, really have to get that stump out.”