Shepherd's Quest: The Broken Key #1 (31 page)

Kevik searched the room for a relatively clean spot on the floor before sitting down.

He laid the staff on the floor next to him while he placed the two halves of the sword on the floor before him.

He held his hands over the broken pieces of the sword, closed his eyes, and spoke a magical incantation. Riyan watched as the pieces of the sword began to glow an off blue.

In Kevik’s mind’s eye, a scene began to play:

Hammers struck metal as the blade took form under the skill of master craftsman.

Then the scene blurred, and when it clarified…It felt like a hundred years had passed
since its forging. It hung at the waist of a man in armor. Again the scene blurred… The
sword was being wielded in battle, the distinct clang of metal striking metal was heard
before a blow took it broadside midway from hilt to tip that broke the blade in two.

When the spell finally ran its course, the blue glow vanished and Kevik opened his eyes.

“Well?” Riyan asked.

Kevik related the vision to him.

“Was that all?” Riyan asked again.

“Yes,” replied Kevik. “I told you it wouldn’t have given much information.” He took hold of his staff and with a hand from Riyan, returned to his feet.

“On the contrary,” Riyan told him, “I think it gave some good information.”

“Like what?” Kevik asked as they left the room to head to the next.

“For one thing, since we found both pieces of it in this room,” explained Riyan, “it would be safe to assume that the battle that broke the blade took place in this building.” As they entered the next room and began searching through the debris littering the floor he asked, “Did you see who or what the one wielding the blade was fighting?” Shaking his head, Kevik said, “No. A more experienced magic user would have been able to learn more from the blade, unfortunately I’m just an apprentice.”

“Still, it’s useful information,” Riyan assured him.

“Thanks,” he said.

Riyan was searching through the piles of debris littered about the room when the light suddenly dimmed. He glanced to the window and said, “Uh-oh. The sun just hit the tops of the trees.”

Kevik hurried to the window and saw that the shadows had grown long. “We’ve been here longer than I thought,” he said. Turning around, he gazed at Riyan. “It’s almost dark.”

“Let’s go find the others,” Riyan said as he ceased rooting through a pile of dead leaves near the window. With Kevik following close behind, Riyan hurried down the two flights of stairs. When he came to the winding staircase that led down to the floor of the large hall, he looked out and saw that Chad and Bart had yet to return. Taking the steps quickly, he descended down to the ground floor.

“Should we go look for them?” asked Kevik.

Shaking his head, Riyan said, “Better not. They’ll return shortly.” Kevik nodded and went out to where the horses were tied to the tree while Riyan remained within the hall.

After Kevik left, Riyan realized just how large and empty the hall really was. “Bart!

Chad!” he cried. “It’s time to go!” When the sound of his cry died out, the only reply was silence. He went to the window and saw the shadows growing longer. “Come on guys,” he said under his breath, “we don’t want to be here after dark.” Glancing around at the lengthening shadows, his nervousness that had been absent while he and Kevik searched the upper floors, returned.

Bart had decided for them to search the second floor first as he didn’t really believe they would find anything of note there. And after searching for an hour or so through the rooms up there, he confirmed his suspicions. Nothing.

So he and Chad had returned to the bottom floor and went through things piecemeal.

Bart started by searching the statues and the busts in the wall niches for possible secret compartments. Nothing again.

Then he led the way with Chad right behind and started searching through the rooms adjacent to the hall just within the entrance. The first couple of rooms yielded nothing but leaves. One room boasted a rather scraggly bush that had begun growing in one of the piles of leaves and other dead plant material beneath one of the windows.

“Looks like an inside garden,” joked Chad when they saw it. His smile quickly disappeared when Bart failed to see the humor in the situation. They checked the bush room thoroughly then went to the next.

“Do you think Riyan understands the gravity of the situation?” Chad asked him.

Bart entered the next room and saw a faded mural on the wall. As he went over to investigate, he asked, “What do you mean?”

“He thinks this is all one big holiday,” Chad explains. “I wonder if he realizes the consequences that we face.”

Bart glanced back at him. “You mean like us dying?” Chad nodded. “Yes! Exactly. I don’t think that possibility has even registered with him yet.”

“You haven’t exactly been much help in that respect,” Bart said. Turning back to the mural he began running his hand along the wall. “What was it you said? ‘What price adventure?’ You haven’t exactly shown what I’d call the proper appreciation for the gravity of the situation either.”

“Well, that’s beginning to change,” he said. “The run in with the goblins has curbed my enthusiasm for this whole venture somewhat.”

“Yeah,” replied Bart distractedly. “Near death experiences will do that to you.”

“I just hope he calms down a bit before he winds up getting himself, and us, in some real trouble.”

“He will I’m sure,” Bart said. Not finding anything such as a pressure plate within the mural, he turned back to Chad. “Just as soon as the boredom sets in.”

“We’ll see,” Chad said.

Having given that room a thorough search, they moved on. Once out of the room, they headed down the hallway to the next doorway. Room after room, hallway after hallway, they worked their way through the ground floor. They had found a couple spots that could possibly have hidden a secret room or stash of treasure, but the cursory look Bart gave them turned up nothing.

Somewhat discouraged, they continued the hunt. They found themselves back at the large hall at the entrance and entered the last hallway they had yet been down. The first several rooms they checked turned up nothing, but then they came to one that was slightly different. This time there was a sturdy wooden door set in the left wall at the other end of the room.

“This might be something,” Bart said. He crossed the room to the door and tried to open it only to find it locked. He pulled his lockpicks from his pack and set to work on it.

While Bart was working to unlock the door, Chad went to the window and looked out. “The day’s almost gone,” he observed.

“We’ll search here and maybe one more room then return to the hall,” he said.

“Sounds good,” agreed Chad. He kept looking out the window towards the ruins until he heard Bart say, “Got it.” Then he turned and joined him in front of the door as he started to swing it inward.

When the door swung open they found that beyond the door was a short narrow passage extending fifteen feet away from the door. The light coming in through the window in the other room gave just enough illumination for them to see the chest sitting against the far wall.

“Well, well,” said Bart. “What do we have here?”

“It looks like a chest,” replied Chad.

“Of course it’s a…” he began to say to Chad then stopped when he saw Chad grinning. “Very funny,” he said not at all amused, which only gave Chad an even bigger reason to smile.

They entered the short passage and approached the chest. When they were almost to it they heard a creaking noise behind them and saw the door beginning to swing shut.

“The door!” yelled Bart.

Chad saw the door closing and raced back toward it but was too late.

Wham!

The door swung shut with a bang and plunged them into darkness. “Damn!” cursed Bart. It took him a minute to get his tube lantern lit, it being the only source for light they had brought with them.

When he shined the light at the door, he groaned.

“What?” asked Chad.

“Look for yourself,” he replied.

Following the beam of light, Chad saw where it illuminated the door. “So?” he asked, not entirely sure what Bart was referring to.

“There’s no lock or handle on this side,” he explained. Turning to look at Chad he said, “We’re locked in here.”

“Where are they?” Riyan asked. It’s been a quarter hour since their return to the hall and he was beginning to get worried. Chad and Bart should have returned by now.

“Maybe something happened to them?” suggested Kevik.

“I don’t think so,” replied Riyan. “We would have heard something, a cry at least.” Riyan stood by the window, anxious now that the sun has all but disappeared. Gazing at the sky, he saw the first star of the evening appear. “We better go look for them,” he finally said.

“Let’s take a lantern with us,” advised Kevik. “It’s going to be dark soon.”

“Good idea,” agreed Riyan. Returning back outside to where the horses were tied, he retrieved his lantern and lit it. He then made his way back into the building and nodded to Kevik. “Alright, let’s go find them.”

From their experience of searching the upper floors, they knew the building was large and it would take some time to completely search every room. “I hope they don’t return while we’re gone,” Kevik said.

“I hope that they do,” replied Riyan. “At least they would be alright.” He held the lantern up high as he gazed at the ground. With all the times he and Kevik had crisscrossed the hall, it was hard to determine which way Bart and Chad had gone by the footprints in the dust and dirt. He was quick to realize that this was getting him nowhere and began examining the hallways and rooms to see which way their path led.

There were two places where footprints were clearly visible, one was a hallway and another was a room. He couldn’t help but remember the times he had to hunt for Black Face when he wandered off. There were times when the stupid sheep wouldn’t make any noise that would help in finding him. Nine times out of ten Black Face would be found contentedly munching the leaves of the berry vines he liked so much.

“Which way?” asked Kevik.

“I’m not sure,” replied Riyan. Putting his fingers to his lips, he whistled loudly three times just as he would to call his sheep. After the third whistle, they held still to listen.

Silence was all they heard.

“Come on,” Riyan said as he entered the hallway. Their trail was clearly visible and they had no trouble in following it. At the first doorway they saw two sets of footprints, one entering the room and another leaving. They followed the trail as it went into the room. Inside they found where Chad and Bart had rooted through the dirt and leaves before leaving. With no other exit and the entirety of the room clearly visible, they stepped back out into the corridor and continued on.

Room after room the path of footprints led them onward in their search. Each room they came to, they made a quick scan to be sure Bart and Chad weren’t still there before continuing on. When a room held another exit such as a door or hallway, Riyan would try to determine which way their tracks went. Whichever way they led, he and Kevik would move to follow.

Bart finished checking the door for the third time. There was no handle or keyhole on this side. He even went so far as to wedge his knife in the space between the door and the doorjamb to try and pry it open with the blade. He felt the door move slightly before the locking mechanism stopped it.

“There’s no way out,” he said as he gave up and turned back toward Chad.

Chad stood there with the tube lantern in hand. He had been holding it to give Bart light with which to work. “Now what?” he asked.

“Wait for Riyan and Kevik to find us,” he explained. “Though as big as this place is it could take some time.”

“Maybe you could take a look at the chest?” suggested Chad. “Seeing as how we’re not going anywhere for awhile.”

“Sure,” agreed Bart. “Stay just behind me and shine the light on the lock.” He took out his lockpicks and selected the two he normally used on locks such as these. “Up a little,” he said when Chad had let the light drop down too far. “You need to hold it steady and level. If you hold it at an angle, the candle will burn off center and the wax will melt all the faster.”

“Alright,” agreed Chad as the light came back to the locking mechanism.

Bart worked on the chest while the light wavered at times in Chad’s hand. He found a trap and quickly disarmed it. It was a rather simple trap, a variant on the Prick of Poison where instead of coming out and pricking, this one would actually shoot out.

Once the trap was taken care of, the lock itself was easy. A few moments later, Bart was putting his picks back in the rolled leather carrier. Then while Chad held the light, he opened the lid.

Immediately upon opening, the light from the tube lantern was refracted by the two dozen gems held within. Not only gems but a large pile of coins as well. There were a multitude of bright shiny coppers, with many of the silver mixed in. But what drew their attention were the golden coins. Larger than the silvers, these gold coins were stamped with the same symbol and face as were the copper and silver coins.

Bart picked one up and held it in the light. “This has to be worth quite a bit,” he said.

Then he gauged its weight as it lay in his palm. “Easily twice the weight of our own gold sovereigns.”

“Oh man,” Chad said as he came forward.

Also in the chest were three identical bottles, a scabbard with a knife’s hilt sticking out, and a three inch long ivory tube. Chad took one of the potion bottles and held it up to the light. He grew excited when he saw there was liquid still inside.

Bart grabbed the scabbard with the knife. When he removed the knife, to his astonishment, he found the blade still serviceable. No trace of rust marred its surface and when he ran the edge along a finger, discovered that it still held an edge. Putting his bloody finger to his lips, he worked to stop the bleeding while he tucked the scabbard with the knife safely held within, into the waistline of his trousers.