The Broken Key (02) - Hunter of the Horde (17 page)

Riyan drained his as well and together, he and Chad stood there waiting for him.

Sighing, Kevik nodded. “As you wish.” He indicated for them to precede him out the tower’s door.

When Riyan reached the door and opened it, a wicked wind whipped in and sent a chill straight through Kevik’s robes. Pulling them tighter, he moved to follow.

Outside the cold of the wind seemed to go right through the thick robe he was wearing. He may have to hunt through the manor house and see if he could find the winter clothes Allar had packed away last spring.

“Let’s hurry,” said Riyan. Pulling the hood of his jacket up to ward off the wind, he made his way across the open area between the tower and the manor. When he got to the door, he turned and looked at Kevik to make sure it was okay to open the door. Seeing Kevik nod, he opened it.

Chad and Kevik quickly followed him through after which he shut the door and silenced the wind. “Man it’s cold out there!” he exclaimed.

A light blossomed as Kevik created his new light spell. The motionless, spherical light was much preferable over the bobbing one he had inflicted upon them during their time in the Ruins.

“That’s much better,” commented Chad.

Kevik grinned. “It was the first thing I learned when I returned here,” he explained. “I knew we would be continuing our search and would in all probability have need of something like it again.”

He led them through the front room and then down the hallway. Coming to the door behind which were the stairs leading down to the basement, he spoke a word quietly.

That word, along with a dozen others, was used to activate and deactivate various security measures in place around the estate. Once the ward on the door was nullified, he opened it and led them downstairs.

“Why don’t you move the items to the tower?” asked Riyan. “Seeing as how you are there all the time, wouldn’t they be safer there?”

“You could leave the gold coins here,” added Chad. “Wouldn’t need them in the tower.”

“That might not be a bad idea,” he agreed.

At the bottom of the steps they entered the basement. There were a number of boxes stacked along one wall, within one could very well be the winter clothes he so desperately needed. Giving them a longing look, he moved to the door behind which was the small room where the magical items and the gold coins of the King were secreted.

He stopped and said yet another magical word before opening the door. Inside the room were two chests. One held the coins of the King and the other the magical items.

Kevik walked across the room to the chest holding the items.

Opening the lid, he turned to the others, “I don’t suppose anyone remembered to bring a sack did they?”

Riyan shook his head. “No,” he replied.

“Then we’ll have to carry them back.” Returning to the contents of the chest, he handed Riyan the sword and knife bearing the dragon-sword coat of arms. Then he handed him three necklaces and the box containing the two identical rings.

To Chad he handed the rune inscribed cloth pouch which contained what he believed to be a wand of some sort, and the box holding the gray powder. He scooped up the rest and put them in his pockets.

As he closed the lid, Riyan commented, “I forgot just how many of these there were.” Kevik nodded. “Keep in mind though, that some of these ‘treasures’ may in fact be traps for the unwary.” He turned to lead them out of the room and added, “Or may have enchantments of a less than desirable nature.”

“What would be an undesirable enchantment?” Riyan asked.

Once they were out, Kevik shut the door and reactivated the magical ward with a word. He glanced to Riyan and shrugged, “You’d be surprised what worthless magics with which people have magic users empower items. My master once ruminated on a broach he did for a lady that would remove warts from whoever wore it.” He laughed.

“He said that a simple scroll would have done the same thing and cost the woman less.” He led them up the stairs and closed the door at the top. After resetting the magical ward, he noticed the long face of Chad. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Chad held up the box and the wand. “These could be worthless,” he said rather unhappily.

“Always that possibility,” Kevik told him. “But keep in mind that though an enchanted item may have a worthless power for your needs, it still could bring a sum of coins if you found the right buyer.”

His eyes lit up at that. “Hadn’t thought of that,” he admitted.

Riyan patted his lifelong friend on the back. “I’m sure something here will prove beneficial to us.”

“I hope so,” he said.

As they made their way through the manor to the front door, Riyan suddenly started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Chad asked.

“I was just imagining what would happen if one of these improved fertility,” he said with a chuckle. “There could be little Chads running around all over.” When Kevik laughed at that, Chad said, “That’s not funny.” Which of course only made Riyan and Kevik laugh harder. They knew how he liked the ladies.

At the front door, Kevik opened it for them and the wind almost whipped the door out of his hands. “I think the storm has worsened,” he said.

Indeed the force of the wind practically kept him from getting the door closed. If Riyan hadn’t helped him pull it shut, he might never have closed it. Pulling his inadequate robe tighter around himself, he hurried after the other two as they forged their way through the storm to the tower’s door. A quick word to disable the warding and they were inside.

Riyan and Chad both put their shoulders to the door and managed to get it shut. “Man what a wind!” commented Chad.

“The god’s must be angry today,” offered Riyan. It was well known that the gods influenced such things, depending on their whims and temperament.

They climbed the stairs to the top and Kevik removed the tome he had been perusing for information to clear a spot for the items. Once Riyan and Chad had placed what they were carrying on the table, Riyan said, “You start in on them and Chad and I will continue laying in more wood for you.”

Chad looked at him incredulously. “Are you crazy?” he asked. “In that wind?” Riyan nodded and grabbed him by the shoulder. “Come on,” he said. “He doesn’t have enough until our next ten-day and we can’t let him freeze.” As Chad allowed Riyan to draw him to the stairs, Kevik hollered, “I’ll have more tea ready for you.” They both groaned at the thought of drinking that stuff again before they entered the stairs and were gone.

Kevik went over to the pot on the fire and noticed that the water had been all but boiled out. He removed the pot and added more water from a water bucket sitting nearby before replacing it back on the fire. Returning to the table, he transferred all the items from the table before him to another that he pulled next to him. Then he took the ring he had found at the bottom of the shaft, the silver ring with a red stone and placed it before him on the table. He would begin with this one.

It was a plain silver ring with markings inscribed on the inner side of the band. The markings were in a language Kevik was unfamiliar with. He settled himself comfortably in the chair, and once he felt ready, began the spell. The ring started to shine with a blue glow as an image formed in his mind’s eye:

The ring rested on a table covered in runes. Magic flared as arcane powers entered
the gem and the metal band… The image flickered. Flames surrounded it, wild flames,
yet a feeling of peace and serenity there was… Again the scene changed. A hand bearing
the ring was gripped by another. A flash of metal and the finger upon which the ring rode
was struck from the hand.

“Ahhh!”

The spell was broken as Kevik cried out in pain. He could almost feel the severing of the finger in his own hand. Holding his hand before him, he checked to make sure all was as it should be. Great relief filled him when he saw that his hand was unchanged. “That was somewhat…interesting,” he mumbled to himself.

He thought about the vision and decided the ring may have something to do with fire.

Whether it was resisting it or causing it, he couldn’t tell. Picking up the ring, he placed it with the others as he grabbed the box containing the two identical rings.

The two rings lay upon a red cushion that had withstood the passage of time better than it should have. It may have some magical properties itself to have kept it preserved for so long. He removed the two rings and gave them a once over. Both were made of gold and were plain, simple bands. No markings marred their surface.

As they were found together and seemed to be a pair, he decided to do them at the same time. He again readied himself then let the magic flow. As the rings began to glow blue, the image came to him:

Molten gold from the same source was poured into molds. Two rings were made…

Kevik felt as if time had passed, then, Two men, miles away from each other, bore a plain
golden band upon their hand. One man was beset by those who would kill him, the other
was racing to his aid…Then the scene flickered to, Darkness, cold darkness.

As the spell faded away, Kevik shivered. Whether from the cold of the tower or the cold darkness of his vision he was unsure. He looked to the rings and felt they were connected in some way. Maybe Chad and Riyan could figure it out more. He didn’t feel anything malevolent about them. After replacing them back in their box, he shut the lid and put the box on the table next to the ring he had just done.

The wand and small book with the two spells, he’ll pass on as they were likely to be geared towards magic users, and thus, him. He chose instead a small ruby of average size.

Back when he first checked for magical auras on all the items they had brought from Algoth, he had almost missed it. Its glow had been very subtle and only the keen eyes of Bart had noticed it nestled in with the other gems.

Thunk!

He could hear where Riyan or Chad had begun splitting wood once more. Kevik felt sorry for them working out in the storm but there wasn’t much he could do to help at this point. None of the spells he knew were of any use where cutting wood or keeping warm was concerned.

Returning to the matter at hand, he again calmed his mind and began the spell:
A room full of injured men, fighters by the look of them. They had just come from a
battle. Limbs were missing, blood covered the floor as others moved among them trying
their best to save the wounded men’s lives…Red light flared from where a gem sat upon
an injured man’s chest. The wound began to close…A purse cut, the gem was lost.

“That was pretty cut and dry,” he said to himself. The gem obviously was one used by healers in the healing of wounds. This would definitely come in handy. He placed the gem over on the table where the rest of the identified items sat.

This time he picked out one of the necklaces. It was done with diamonds in the shape of a blossoming flower. Masterful craftsmanship went into the forming of this necklace.

It was a thing of beauty. Just looking at it gave Kevik a feeling of peace. Laying it before him on the table, he cast his spell.

“Man it’s cold out here!” hollered Chad. The wind was whipping him good and he was finding it difficult to remain outside. “Think we have enough?”

“Maybe,” replied Riyan. He had an armful of wood of the proper size for Kevik’s fireplace. “I hope he appreciates what we’re doing for him.”

“He better,” stated Chad. As Riyan took his load of wood into the tower, Chad picked up the half dozen pieces left on the ground. The tree was only about a third gone. If they didn’t finish it today, it would lie there before the tower rather unsightly until their next ten-day when they could finish it. Chad really didn’t think Kevik would care, much less notice that it still lay there.

Riyan held the door as Chad passed through then closed it to cut off the wind. When the door slammed shut, the ground floor of the tower grew abruptly quiet. They could still hear the wind as it whipped around outside, but it was almost silent in comparison.

“How about some more of Kevik’s tea?” he asked Chad with a grin.

“Gah!” exclaimed Chad. “He better find something better if he wants us to come back on our next ten-day.”

Riyan grinned and patted him on the back. They headed up the stairs and as they came to the third floor, Riyan hollered, “How about some of that tea now?” Then he grew quiet when he saw Kevik was still engrossed in one of his spells.

He turned to Chad and put his finger to his lip, “Shhh, he’s working on the items,” he whispered. Chad nodded.

They moved slowly and quietly from the stairs and crossed the room until they came near the table where Kevik worked. Riyan could see the flower shaped necklace on the table before him glowing with the blue glow that manifests whenever Kevik was using his identification spell.

“Riyan,” Chad said in an odd voice.

Riyan turned to his friend and saw the concern in his eyes. “What?” he whispered.

“Look at his face,” he replied and pointed to Kevik.

Riyan turned back and saw that Kevik’s eyes were open and staring at the necklace before him. Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and his face looked like one locked in a struggle.

“Kevik?” Riyan asked. When no answer was forthcoming, he said a little louder,

“Kevik?” Still no response. He glanced to Chad who only shrugged.

“I think something’s wrong,” Chad said.

Then the words Kevik had said came back to him.

“Keep in mind though, that some of these ‘treasures’ may in fact be traps for the
unwary.”

“Kevik!” he hollered loudly and came forward. He placed his hand on Kevik’s shoulder and could feel the tightness of the muscles beneath. Riyan shook him and hollered again, “Kevik! Come out of it!” Still no change.

“What are we to do?” asked Chad.

Riyan shook his head and turned back to Kevik. The necklace! That must be the source of whatever was happening to him. “We have to destroy the necklace!” he suddenly exclaimed to Chad.