The Broken Key (02) - Hunter of the Horde Read online

  Now it seemed trouble was again brewing down there. Excursions had been made by various tribes into the dukedoms of both Duke Yoric and Duke Knor. The king had sent men and supplies to aid the two Dukes but the raids continued.

  Chyfe was all set to go down there and make a name for himself in what rumors were saying would be a major war in a few years. “It’s the only way we’re ever going to rise in the Guild,” he’d told them more than once. “Also, if you ever hope to be knighted, you’re not going to be able to do so by sitting around here.” Riyan and Chad humored his zeal to get to the fighting. They on the other hand were on the trail of something else and weren’t too interested at this time to gain fame. When at last they finished eating, Chyfe accompanied them back to the barracks they shared where they spent the rest of the evening quizzing each other on the Codes and doing a little fencing. Each of the barracks contained a rack with the wooden practice swords and the Recruits were expected to practice the various techniques they had learned earlier in the day.

  Chapter Two

  _______________________

  The following morning after breakfast, Riyan and Chad left the Warriors Guild and headed through town toward Kevik’s place. He had taken possession of his master’s old estate. Since the magic user Allar had no known surviving kin, Kevik turned out to be the closest thing left, being his apprentice as he was. He just had to pay a thirty gold piece fee and the estate was his.

  There were three areas within the estate that he had yet been able to gain access, two in the manor house and one in the tower located nearby. They were guarded by magical wards that were beyond his ability to dispel. In another room down in the basement, one secured with a locked door which Bart was able to open, they found an empty chest.

  Within the chest they placed all the items they had brought with them from the Ruins of Algoth, the magical items such as the rings and powders which they had yet to figure out their use. Until they knew exactly what they did they didn’t want to take the chance of encountering malignant magical energies.

  Kevik had hesitated in trying his identification on any of them as he told them certain items could hold traps that would be sprung should he cast his spell upon them. He wanted to wait until he had a bit more experience before attempting it. The others dearly wanted to know what magic imbued the items, but seeing as how they didn’t know anything about such things, left it to his judgment.

  Within that chest was also placed all the King’s coins brought back with them. The non-magical gems and jewelry they took from Algoth had provided them with enough coins to cover their immediate needs and they felt it would be better to keep the ones bearing the King’s mark out of circulation for as long as possible. Riyan had also placed the sword and knife bearing the dragon-sword coat of arms within as well to avoid the possibility of arousing unwanted curiosity.

  What gold they did have available to them after the Guild’s admission fees for Riyan and Chad, Bart’s payoff to rid himself of the death mark, and the thirty golds Kevik had to pay, didn’t amount to a whole lot after they split it four ways.

  Kevik was still considered an apprentice. As in the Warriors Guild, the Order of the Magi held their own rules for the advancement of their members. In order for Kevik to leave behind the designation of Apprentice, he would have to create his staff. Once he had done that, and could show them that he was capable of casting at least five different spells, he would be promoted and gain the title, ‘Practitioner’. Unlike the Warriors Guild where fame and notoriety played a part in gaining the higher levels, in the Order of the Magi, it was based purely on skill.

  The last time they had visited Kevik was two weeks ago and at that time he had still been a long ways from creating his staff. Most of his time was spent pouring over the books in Allar’s library on the second floor of the tower in search of the spells needed to infuse the staff with magic.

  The first decision he had to make was out of what wood to make the staff. As he had explained to them, it wasn’t just a point of finding a stick of wood and enchanting it with a spell. Rather, a magic user’s staff had to be an extension of himself.

  There were many variables that went into the creation of a staff of power, as was the task set before him. The first choice he had to make was the type of wood. You see different types of wood held different properties that would enable the magic user to better perform specific types of spells. Oak and ironwood was helpful for those magic users who wanted to pursue battle magics, while birch was good for magics which affected people.

  Of course if your bent was towards necromancy, or magic dealing with the spirit world, the type of wood didn’t matter. Rather, it mattered where you harvested it. A staff that would benefit a necromancer worked best if it was taken from a dead tree that had grown out of a cemetery, or some other place associated with the dead.

  All this Kevik had to keep in mind as he worked to create his staff.

  The estate was set a mile or so out of town to allow for privacy. It wasn’t by any means a large estate. There was the main estate house where Kevik lived. It was two stories tall and had plenty of space for many people to live. Behind the estate was a small stable area, barely large enough to accommodate ten horses.

  Off a short ways from the estate was a tower Kevik said Allar had built shortly after he acquired the property. It was four levels high and within was where Allar had practiced and performed his magic. To Riyan the whole place looked creepy. The grounds weren’t kept up, the grass and bushes growing wild.

  The estate also held defensive magics which Allar had put into place. Fortunately he had entrusted Kevik with its secrets before he died. He in turn had explained to Riyan and Chad the safest way in reaching the door to either the estate or the tower without setting anything off.

  When they arrived, they made their way to the tower door in the precise path that Kevik had shown them. Once they reached the door, they used the large, round iron knocker to announce their presence.

  “Once you are at the door, stay there,” he had told them. “Under no circumstances move from that spot until I arrive.”

  “What will happen if we do?” Riyan asked him.

  “Something unpleasant,” he had replied.

  So standing before the door to the tower, they knocked three times and waited. A minute later when it seemed as if Kevik may not have heard them, they knocked again.

  “Kevik!” hollered Riyan. “It’s us!”

  Then from above them the shutters of a window on the third floor swung open and Kevik stuck his head out. “Be right down!” he hollered to them before ducking his head back inside.

  “There has to be a better way than this,” stated Riyan.

  “I know,” agreed Chad. “What if he had gone to the market or something? Or even left town?”

  “I guess we would find out what ‘something unpleasant’ meant,” Riyan replied.

  From within the tower they heard the unlocking of the door and then it swung open.

  Kevik stood there with a big grin on his face. “Glad to see you both,” he greeted.

  Stepping aside, he gave them room to enter.

  The ground floor of the tower was used as a storeroom. Boxes, crates and other items were strewn about in a haphazard fashion. From past visits they knew that the second floor was one of the two libraries Allar had collected in his time. Above that was the room where Kevik did his magical experiments and studies. The fourth floor Kevik had yet to enter as the way was sealed with powerful magics that at his current stage of proficiency was unable to breach.

  “How goes the staff?” Chad asked.

  “Progressing,” he replied. He motioned them to follow as he made his way up the stairs, past the second floor and into the third. This level was broken into three rooms, the one in which the stairs entered was the larger of the three. One of the others was a storeroom with shelves bearing components and other material that would be needed for the practice of magic. The third room held a cot and three s
helves with a few old tomes stacked on them. Allar, and now Kevik, used this room to rest in while in the midst of experiments. Riyan had the feeling that Kevik never went into the manor house at all.

  Instead he just lived here.

  Every time Riyan came here he couldn’t help but look to where the stairs continued on up and entered a shimmering, hazy area where it passed from the third floor to the fourth. Kevik was quite anxious to find what was beyond the barrier but admitted to Riyan and Chad that it could be years before he’ll be able to break the seal. Who knows what marvelous magical items the barrier protected?

  On a table sitting in the middle of the room laid a staff. It was roughly six feet long and just thick enough for a person’s hand to grip it comfortably. “What kind of wood did you finally settle on?” Riyan asked.

  “Yew,” he replied. “It’s one of the all purpose woods that any magic user can use effectively no matter which type of magic he works.” He went over to the staff and picked it up. “It isn’t going to be nearly as good as Wyzkoth had been, but as long as it allows me to move up from apprenticeship, I’ll be happy.” Wyzkoth was the name of the staff that Allar had given him shortly before his death. Unfortunately, he had been forced to abandon it during their escape from the Ruins of Algoth. He had been faced with the choice of the staff or his life. To this day he still wonders if he made the wisest choice in letting it go.

  “I should have it finished by the end of the month,” he said. After laying the staff back on the table, he directed their attention to a book sitting open on a nearby table. “In the library downstairs I was fortunate to find a tome detailing the making of a Staff of Power. It’s taking me some time to decipher it, but I believe I’ll be able to figure out the spells before too much longer.”

  “That’s great,” Chad said.

  “Any word from Bart?” Kevik asked.

  Riyan shook his head. “No,” he replied. It’s been over a month now since he had gone to buy back the death mark. Both Riyan and Chad were beginning to grow worried that he may not have been successful. If they don’t hear anything from him by the time they were through with training and have become Armsmen, then they’ll proceed with the search for the last two segments of the key on their own.

  “He should have been back by now,” Chad said.

  “That’s too bad,” Kevik said. Then a grin came to him and he said, “Watch this.” Riyan and Chad turned toward him and saw a small sphere of light appear in his hand. “I found a spell for a better light.” Grinning in triumph, he looked to the others for their reaction.

  “That’s pretty good,” commented Riyan.

  “Definitely much better than that annoying bobbing sphere you tortured us with in Algoth,” Chad said good naturedly.

  “I have another spell I’ve been working on learning too when I give the staff a break,” he told them.

  “What does it do?” asked Riyan.

  “It’s a farseeing spell,” he explained. “It will allow me to see things miles away as if I was standing close by.”

  “That sounds pretty useful,” Chad said.

  “Haven’t perfected it yet,” he admitted, “but I’m working on it.”

  “Kevik,” begun Riyan, “Chad and I are going out tonight to find a good bard at one of the taverns. Thought you might like to come along.” He glanced to Riyan and took but a moment to think about it. “I’d like that,” he said.

  “I still have some work to do on the staff until then. Can I meet you at your Guild a little before sunset?”

  “That would be fine,” Riyan said.

  “Yeah,” agreed Chad. “We’ll see you then.”

  Kevik then escorted them down to the ground floor and waved goodbye as they made their way back to town.

  The rest of the day Riyan and Chad wandered the streets of Gilbeth, simply glad to be out of the Guild and not having to do drills. When the appointed time came to meet Kevik they returned to the Guild and found him waiting in the foyer. He was sitting in a chair near a window, reading a small book. When he saw them coming, he placed the book within the pack on the floor by his feet. Then he stood and slung the pack across his back.

  “Where to?” he asked.

  “Found a place not too far from here that one of the members said had good food and usually a bard,” replied Riyan.

  “Sounds good,” said Kevik, “I’m starved.”

  With Kevik in tow, they left the Guild house and walked down the street to the Inn of the Silver Sword. From the looks of it, the place catered to primarily fighters though there were a few others of different professions scattered about the common room.

  They found an empty table and crossed the room to take their seats. The serving girl came and took their order. When she returned a few minutes later, she bore a tray with a pitcher of ale and three mugs. “I’ll bring the food out in a couple more minutes,” she told them as she placed the pitcher and mugs on the table before them.

  “Take your time, we’re not in any hurry,” Riyan told her with a smile.

  She returned his smile and then went to wait on a man at another table.

  “I think she likes you,” Chad said.

  “Do you really think so?” asked Riyan.

  “Absolutely,” replied Kevik. “You might have a chance with her.” Riyan turned slightly in his chair to get a better look at her as she helped the other man. “I think she’s that way with everyone. Besides, I don’t want anyone but Freya.” He turned back to them and grew somber. “Wonder how she’s doing?” Chad gave his friend a sour look and said, “Stop that. We’re here to have fun and relax. I don’t want you to grow all melancholy again like you did the last time. No one will think badly about you if you dally here and there. It’s healthy for a man.” Riyan shrugged, “Maybe you’re right. But it’s just not my way.” Chad rolled his eyes heavenward and sighed. “Fortunately I’m not constrained by your sense of morality.” In truth, Chad has dallied with several different girls since their coming to Gilbeth. Ever since they’ve sported the White Scabbard they were forced to wear, girls have given them more notice.

  Kevik laughed. It was good to be out of the tower for awhile. Being cooped up all day going over old tomes will give him a hump if he’s not careful.

  “Ever found Allar’s stash of gold?” Riyan asked him.

  Kevik shook his head. “No. I think it has to be beyond one of those barriers,” he explained. “I did find one small chest with about five gold’s worth of coins. That should keep me solvent for awhile.”

  Chad then lowered his voice and asked, “How about those magic items?” Back when they had first come to Gilbeth after leaving the Ruins of Algoth, and arrived at what was now Kevik’s estate, they had spread out all the jewelry and other items on a table. Then he had cast a spell to detect magic and the ones that glowed, were put in a chest. The others items were either sold or kept so Bart could use them to pay off his death mark.

  Kevik felt sort of bad as he said, “I haven’t had much time to spend on them. Creating my staff has taken most of my time I’m afraid.” After the items had been placed in the chest, Kevik had said he would work to discover their magical properties but hadn’t been able to put much time into it due to his staff. In fact, he hasn’t been able to put in any.

  “Well, I guess it’s not like we’re going to need them right away,” Riyan said. “Still, try to get to them as quick as you can.”

  Bart had been reluctant to allow Kevik, a relative newcomer to their group, to keep all the magical items at his estate. But where else was there that was safe enough? Surely not at the Guild. Riyan and Chad had periodic inspections by those in charge to make sure they were keeping their sword and equipment properly maintained.

  And Bart of course, as he was going to get the death mark removed, couldn’t very well have been carrying all that stuff with him. Other than Kevik’s estate, there simply was no other place feasible. So like it or not, Bart had acquiesced.

  They finished the pitche
r of ale and had another one on the table when the bard made his appearance and began to perform. All of the songs, sagas, and ballads that he played were ones that Riyan and Chad had heard time and again. Most were primarily geared for fighters, which wasn’t too surprising seeing as how ninety percent of the clientele were that.

  “Wonder if he knows any about the King’s Horde?” asked Riyan.

  “Think we may learn something?” asked Chad.

  “Couldn’t hurt to ask,” replied Riyan.

  They waited until the bard’s next break before Riyan got up and went over to him.

  When Riyan made his request, the bard said he knew one and would sing it next. Riyan thanked him and returned to his seat. “He said he would do one next,” he told the others.

  Several minutes passed by before the bard returned to the stage and took up his instrument. He turned to the crowd and announced, “A request has been made to hear a song about the King’s Horde.” At that loud cheering went up and a smattering of table banging accompanied it.

  He strummed his instrument for a few bars until the crowd quieted down, then began:

  In times long gone, when the world was young,

  A King walked under the blazing sun,

  All lands were his, the people were strong.

  What manner of man was he?

  What manner of man was he?

  Coins. Coins in the earth.

  Buried and cherished they bided their time.

  Coins. Coins in the earth.

  Though they’re buried again they will shine.

  Cities there were with buildings of stone,

  They rose up to heights of majesty unknown,

  Dazzled the eyes their brilliance shone.

  What manner of cities were these?

  What manner of cities were these?

  Coins. Coins in the earth.

  Buried and cherished they bided their time.

  Coins. Coins in the earth.

  Though they’re buried again they will shine.