The Troven (Kingdom of Denall Book 1) (29 page)

“I’m just traveling north to the tournaments, looking for a place to rest. Is there room at your fire?” Trae turned his back on the group and untied the rabbit from his saddle. He knew turning his back left him completely exposed, but by the look of this group, they were not setting an ambush. Having retrieved the rabbit, Trae added, “I also need a place to cook this, and some friends to share it.”

The woman nodded to the man sitting next to her, and then he motioned for Trae to join them. “My name’s Wilbur, this is my wife, Melna.”

“I’m Trevor,” he reached forward to grasp Wilbur’s hand, and was greeted with a firm handshake.

“Good to meet you, Trevor. I’ll start getting that skinned,” Wilbur said, motioning for the rabbit, which Trae handed over. “You can tie your horses up on the other side of camp with ours, then come join us.”

After taking care of the horses, Trae took his place, sitting on the ground close to the fire. Wilbur was almost done getting the rabbit ready to cook, and the other men had resumed their previous conversation. A short, but rather large man was speaking.

“I know I won’t win, but I’m hoping to get the right people’s attention. Then maybe I can get some work escorting supplies, or guarding a noble’s keep, or something like that.”

“Have you thought of joining the army?” Trae asked.

“Haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve been saying?” he said as he turned to see who had spoken. “No, I guess you haven’t. Hi Trevor, I’m Rafe. Right now I’m not on the best of terms with the army.”

“Oh, sorry to hear that,” Trae said awkwardly.

The other man by the fire smiled broadly, then broke the silence.

“Don’t worry, Trevor. We’ve just been sharing why we’re going to Lexingar. Wilbur, Melna, and I are going in to do some trading. Each year we meet up on the road to Lexingar. They just picked me up yesterday.”

“So that must be your wagon over by the horses.”

“You bet. We specialize in woodworking. Lexingar tournament is our busiest time. It takes us almost two seasons to make the crafts we sell in just a few days.” He looked around as if to search for unseen listeners, then continued. “My real passion is collecting unique magical items. Nothing big, mind you, just small trinkets and the like.”

“He’s obsessed!” Melna clicked her tongue as she cut Edgar off.

Waving his hand dismissively, he continued, “Do you have any magical items? I’ll pay a fair price.”

Shaking his head, Trae responded, “I’m sorry. I don’t have any need to trade magical trinkets.”

“Well that’s too bad. If you do find any at the tournament, let me know. We’ll be pitching a large, green tent just north of town to sell wares with some other craftsmen.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes and waved the man to silence, “Enough with the sales pitch, Edgar. I want to hear his story. Can I guess by your armor and horse that you’re going to try the joust?” he asked.

Trae groped for some good reason why he was headed in that direction.

“Uh, no, I’m just meeting a friend there. We like to watch the action.”

Edgar nodded. “Of course he’s not going to compete. That armor and those weapons of his would disqualify him immediately.” Everybody’s attention was turned on Edgar, and he looked directly into Trae’s surprised eyes. “I told you, I specialize in magical items.”

Caught completely off guard and locked in a penetrating stare from Edgar, Trae was beginning to feel cornered.

“You can never be too careful,” he said, “lots of thugs and bandits around lately.”

Edgar broke eye contact and looked around casually, “You are absolutely right. You can never be too careful. That’s why I’m looking for magical items. They can mean the difference between life and death if you should ever get in a pinch.”

“Here we go again. When have you ever been in a pinch?” Wilbur said, but he was cut off by Edgar.

“That armor was enchanted within the last year by a very powerful circle of magicians. If you could just tell me where you got it, I would be greatly indebted to you.”

Shaking his head, Trae exhaled slowly, choosing his words very carefully. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you. This was given to me as a gift. A friend of mine gave it to me as thanks for help protecting his goods on a recent business trip.”

“That is a friend indeed,” Edgar replied, then looked up to everyone around the campfire. “I’m sorry to dominate the party. I just get a little crazy about magical things.” He then smiled at Trae. “If your friend ever has trade business down south, send him to my shop. I run a small woodworking shop just north of Eaton.” At the mention of Eaton, Trae started to connect all the dots. Dune had lost the seeker’s tracks right around the time Edgar said he had started riding on the cart with Wilbur and Melna. Edgar was asking for small, magical trinkets. Trae’s mouth went dry as he realized he had found the stone seeker, the very stone seeker who might recognize him as the blacksmith from Norwell. He wondered how close Edgar had gotten to his shop. Had he gotten a clear look at his face?

Forcing the words to come, he responded, trying to keep his voice level. “I’ll keep that in mind. If he mentions such a trip, I will be sure to send him your way.” He watched Edgar for a reaction, but the other man did not seem to know who he was. He hadn’t acted like he recognized Trae when he first came to their fire. Maybe the suit of armor and fake name were enough to keep him safe, but either way Trae felt very vulnerable. He subtly pulled some of his hair down over his face, hoping it would help maintain his cover.

“If you ever see him again will you send him
my
way?” Rafe cut in. All the men around the fire laughed – all but Rafe.

The fire sizzled as some juice from the rabbit dropped off the spit. “This shouldn’t take too much longer. It’ll be nice to have some fresh meat,” Wilbur commented. “Trevor, would you mind turning this for a bit, I need to take my medicine.” Wilbur moved aside to allow Trae to take a turn at the spit, then removed a strange bottle from his belt and took a drink.

“Do you want to join us tomorrow? We’re all going to Lexingar. It’s much safer to travel as a group, and you seem like a good man,” Melna offered suddenly. It struck him then that the way Melna and Wilbur kept returning their eyes to his magical armor was much the same as Edgar. If it was true that Edgar met up with them yearly to trade together, perhaps it was because they all shared the same true profession.

“I don’t know,” Trae said, “I usually leave very early.” He tried to think of another way to find out more about Edgar’s friends as Wilbur took back control of the spit. Then an idea came to him. “Actually, I have to get there soon enough to meet up with my friend. When he last wrote to me, he said he had some special stones he wanted to trade before the tournament, but was concerned about security. We are meeting up to conduct some business, and then will enjoy the festivities.”

It was subtle, but at the mention of “special stones,” Wilbur, Melna, and Edgar all startled noticeably. Rafe simply went on picking at his fingernails.

“I am interested in trading for magical stones. I’m actually sort of an expert on stones. Do you think you might be able to persuade your friend to give me a chance to bid on some of his merchandise?”

“I will speak with him when I see him in Lexingar.” Trae’s heart was beating quickly now that he knew he would be sharing a campsite tonight with not one, but three seekers. He didn’t trust them, and the less time he spent with them, the less likely they would be to learn more about him or the Strength Stone he carried. However, he also knew that staying with them might be his best chance to learn more about their plans in Lexingar. He would need some time to think.

“We’re up pretty early each morning, so do feel free to join us. You can stay with us as long as you like, though we don’t want to slow you down.” Wilbur then turned his attention back to the rabbit, making sure to keep the spit turning.

Chapter 29

After a pleasant summer trading season, the caravan had arrived at Lexingar a week and a half before the tournaments. They had set up outside the city with the wagons in a circular formation, and the tents set up inside the ring of wagons. In Lexingar they were able to trade for goods from many different places, and after their journey, they had supplies and were ready for a longer-term stay. On the first day at their new home, Kaz and Farin had gone into Lexingar to deliver Baby.

It was especially difficult for Farin as he said goodbye to the horse Garin had procured for them. Giving the horse back was like parting with something that connected him to his brother. The remainder of that trip into Lexingar, Farin had been very quiet and went straight to their tent when they returned to the caravan.

On their walk through the large city the next day, Farin seemed back to his usual self, and as they walked, Kaz realized that for the first time in a long time, despite the crowds, they were largely alone.

“So Kaz,” Farin began. “What are you planning on doing now that we're safely here?”

“I don't know. Part of me wants to go back to check on Bendar, part of me wants to just join the archers in the army and never turn back. I've also thought of going to Norwell like we planned, but with all that has changed, that just doesn't seem right.” Then with a shake of his head he continued. “But the biggest part of me just wants to take Angela and run off into the sunset.” With that last comment Kaz earned a sturdy punch from his friend. Kaz often teased Farin about his close friendship with Angela. “What? The way she looks at me when I'm practicing is like; well I guess it's like all the other girls.”

“Yeah, she wants to laugh and then run the other way like all the other girls.”

Then he spoke in a sarcastically serious tone. “Farin, you don't have to make fun, I can't help it that I'm so much better than you in every way…” With that Farin just shook his head and shoved Kaz. Unfortunately for Kaz, the shove carried him out into the cobblestone street and in front of a carriage.

The two laughed as Kaz gave an over exaggerated bow of apology to the patrons of the carriage and resumed walking off to the side of the street.

“Seriously Kaz, what do you think Bendar is doing?”

“I don't know. Bendar left us, which makes me think he has some kind of. . . you know. . . maybe he had a plan that we would only ruin if we showed up. Maybe he got away and is headed down south to the universities like he wanted, or maybe he is back in Hillside, or back out west on a sailing ship, trading in the islands. We have no way of knowing.” At this point Kaz was shaking his head.

Farin interjected. “I've been giving it a lot of thought lately, and I can't think of any good outcome for us going back for him.”

Kaz looked over his shoulder, then back at Farin. “What do you mean?”

“If he didn't get to Omer's keep, then we'd feel completely foolish showing up there asking about him. If he's with Omer and in prison, we'd be caught too. If he's there and alive, he gave himself up so we could go free, and having us go there would negate what he did for us. No matter what, if we show up, Aldis will want to have a word with us. If he's dead, we might be putting ourselves in the same danger.”

“Stop right there!” Kaz cut him off.

“I know we said we wouldn't consider that, but we have to be realistic. What good can we possibly do for him?”

The minutes dragged on as Kaz searched for some answer, but in the end conceded. “I guess you're right, I just don't want to leave him if he needs us. If he is in prison, I want to go in and do anything in my power to get him out.” Again Kaz looked over his shoulder.

Farin followed Kaz’s gaze, but saw nothing in the crowd.

“Did you see something? You keep looking back there.”

“I’m sure it was nothing. What were you saying?”

“Blade said that the caravan is planning on staying here for a month, two at the most, then heading up the Gulpa River and cutting across to Kinstock, then heading back toward Hillside. If we stayed, we could keep training and take the entire caravan through to trade with Omer. We'd be safe through the winter, and in the spring when we got to Omer's vineyards, we'd get answers.” Farin waited a minute to let his plan sink in. “And we could see some more of Denall before we settle down.”

Kaz looked thoughtfully at Farin. “And you wouldn't have to leave Angela.”

Trying to cover an obvious blush, Farin brushed off the remark. “Oh come on, seriously. That's not why… I'm just trying to make sense of everything.”

“I know.” Then, with a mischievous look Kaz added, “But it sure is fun to tease you about your new girl.”

“I'm not going to explain this to you again.” Then after a pause and an innocent look from Kaz he continued. “She's not my girl -- you know that. You're such a pain.”

When he had stopped grinning at Farin's reaction, Kaz made one more serious comment.

“Your plan makes sense, but I'm just not sure it's the best plan for me. I don't know if I can leave him there until the spring. Either way, the caravan will be here for at least a couple of weeks, so we have some time to think it through.” Their conversation trailed off as they left Lexingar through the main gate and headed back to the caravan.

A slim figure inconspicuously slipped down a side alley, a slight grin of satisfaction on her face, confident that she had found the one she was looking for.

Returning to the caravan, Farin and Kaz came upon Angela, who was crouching behind some water barrels.

“What are you doing?” Kaz asked in a louder than needed voice.

“Shhh!” Angela gestured for them to get down with her. “They're talking about us.”

While both Kaz and Farin waited in anticipation, Angela did not add anything.

“What are they saying?” Farin finally asked.

“I don't know,” Angela said pointing to her left arm. “For some reason, being a strongarm doesn't help me hear what they are saying.” Then turning to Kaz Angela asked, “Kaz, do you know anyone who could possibly help us
hear
what is happening in there?”

Responding to this obvious plea for help, the marks on Farin's ear lobe darkened and he shared the conversation that he heard.

“How do you think they'll do?” Odon asked the trainers.

Blade was the first to answer. “He's good, but I wish I had another year with him, or two. If he goes out into the real world, he could very well get himself killed before he ever realizes his potential.”

Boon was shaking his head. “Kaz is very different,” the larger man said with a frown. “He already far exceeds my greatest expectations. I'm encouraging him to move on. With the bow, I don't know if he could find a teacher; he's the best I've ever seen. He is pretty good with the staff, but with that bow in hand he'll never have to use it.”

“I've talked to both of them and tried to get them to stay,” Odon said. “They are very hard to convince.”

“They've been through a lot,” Blade said.

“And they feel the pressure from their village tradition to do everything on their own,” Boon added. “I wish there was a way to help push them to seek some help in getting better.”

“Why not sign them up to compete in the annual tournament,” Boon suggested.

“I don't know,” Odon replied at this suggestion. “It might give them the boost they need to seek more help, but we don't want them getting hurt.”

“It can't kill them, and it may bring them the humility they need,” Boon countered.

Blade’s voice was filled with concern as he asked, “What if they win?”

Odon whistled. “Maybe you need to learn some humility too. They're young, never been in a tournament, and they would be facing nobles who train their whole lives for this. I don't think they'll win.”

Boon nodded, but not to Odon. “Odon, I know we're pretty disconnected from what happens in the world, but I've never seen anyone shoot a bow like Kaz.”

“Blade, do you really believe Farin could win? Has he ever won a match?” Odon asked. “Also, the tournaments require that the contestants can't use magical equipment. Can Kaz make those shots with a regular longbow?”

“We have nothing to lose by having them compete,” Boon finally said. “If they win, they may realize what a benefit it has been to have been able to train with us, and they may want to stay for more, if they lose they may especially feel the need to pursue further training to become better. We have faith in our apprentices, and there doesn't seem to be a downside.”

Blade added, “Odon, I know that you are proud of them, just as we are. I think this is a great opportunity for them to gain some experience and hopefully see some of their hard work pay off.”

“We'll do it!” Farin said, bursting into the tent.

“Farin, how many times have I told you not to listen in on conversations?” Blade halfheartedly scolded. Then his look turned grim when he realized Angela was with them. “Young lady, the answer is definitely no!”

“But Daddy, if I don't go, who's going to win? Farin's going to get experience losing--why can't I go to actually win?” Ignoring Farin's mock-offended face and looking only at her dad, Angela made a pleading face that only a teenage girl can make.

The three contestants were entered into the Lexingar annual tournament; Kaz for archery, and Farin and Angela for the sword. That was the last trip into the city for the young men. The next morning, training changed drastically, as the trainers prepared their students for competition instead of survival.