The Troven (Kingdom of Denall Book 1) (7 page)

Bendar had sat up and joined the conversation. “Can I take a look at the necklace?”

“It's over there in the crate. You can do whatever you like with it,” Kaz answered.

Bendar and Garin both looked through the supplies for the necklace. Bendar found it first and began examining it by the firelight. Garin sat close and looked down at the piece of jewelry. The necklace was clearly made for a woman. It had a beautifully hand crafted silver chain with a small, polished stone. The chain looked well-worn as though it had been passed down for many generations, but the stone was what caught Garin's attention. It was completely free of any scratches. It was perfectly smooth, and reflective as a still pond.

Turning it over in his hands Bendar commented. “Are you going to keep it?”

“I don't mind telling you guys that I was great at something, but I'm not wearing women's jewelry,” Kaz replied.

“You can't just leave it here,” Garin said in a serious tone. “It belonged to her husband, it's really important to her.”

“I’ll pick it up on my way back home,” Kaz answered. “Gran will never know the difference.” He squirmed on the ground trying to find a spot where the ground didn’t dig into him.

“What if something happens to it? You can’t just leave it,” Garin protested.

“If you like it, why don’t you wear it?” Kaz rolled over, grabbed the necklace from Bendar and tossed it to Garin who put it around his neck, but made sure it was hidden by his shirt. Garin didn't want Kaz to throw it away, but he also was not comfortable wearing jewelry so everyone could see.

“I'll keep it for you for now, but when we get back to the village, you're going to be wearing it.”

“Deal, you wear it in public, and I'll wear it for Gran,” Kaz said as he rolled over to get some sleep.

Farin surveyed the campsite, “Just so I'm clear,” Farin said looking deliberately at each boy around the fire. When all the boys were looking at him, he made a confused face as though considering something very important. “Bendar has been quietly moping all day because his stashes were not disturbed and he got exactly what he wanted, Garin is wearing women's jewelry, and Kaz revealed that he likes to knit. I wonder if all journeys to becoming men start with three guys pretending to be ladies.” Before he could even finish his thought several small tufts of sod were thrown at him.

Chapter 5

Dune walked into the tavern of the small hamlet in southern Denall and gave a friendly wave to the owner, a tall man in a white apron.

“Hello, my friend,” the man replied, reaching out a hand in a friendly gesture. “How did your hunting expedition go?”

“It was unfortunately not as successful as I would have liked,” Dune replied as he removed his leather hunting coat and placed it on a wooden peg on the wall, leaned his longbow up next to it, and looked at himself in a reflective shield that hung on the wall. Although the disguise made him look like a local hunter, his dark, almond-shaped eyes and thick, black hair were a giveaway that he was from even farther south.

“What are you serving tonight?” he asked. He needed a quiet place to sit and think before he proceeded. When he had arrived in Eaton he had set up two cabins. One was close to town, known among the locals, the other was more of a single room hideaway—a safe house for when things went wrong. He needed to figure out which one was surrounded by traps.

“Roast mutton stew,” the tavern owner gestured to a simmering pot over the fire in answer to Dune’s question, then began to wipe down a nearby table. “A friend of yours arrived today and said it was your favorite, and that you’d be returning tonight.”

Dune searched the room for any familiar people.

“Where is he?” Dune replied after surveying the tavern for his mentor. Kire was the only man who would claim Dune enjoyed mutton stew, but he lived in northern Denall, a distance that would take several months to travel.
What is he doing here and how did he find me?

“He said he’d meet you at your cabin later today.” He smiled wide as he added, “I hope I didn’t ruin any surprises.”

Dune tried to act casual, while his mind was racing. “How long ago did he leave?”

“Not long at all,” he responded.

Dune nodded, and tossed a coin to the man. “Thank you. I’ve got to go.”

The man nodded as he placed a large bowl on the cleaned table in front of Dune. “What about your stew?”

“Save some for me, I’ll have some later.” Dune grabbed his bow and coat, and headed to the door.

“There’s one more thing,” the inn keeper said, but Dune did not wait to hear his message. He needed to find Kire before he inadvertently set off any magical traps. Knowing Kire was in the area made him very uneasy, and he needed to make sure he was safe, then find out the reason for the visit right away. There was no time to think this one through. He needed to move. Dune darted around behind the tavern and looked out in the direction of his cabin in the village. He teleported out into the night. He landed next to his cabin near the village. It seemed quiet and undisturbed, but he cautiously approached.

“Kire,” he called out in a hushed voice. He kept a safe distance from the building, but reached out with a hair-thin strand of magic. “Kire, are you there?”

While he circled around the entire cabin he continued to reach out with magic and call for his friend. When his magic touched the outside of the building, he could feel several spells, but didn’t have time to check what each of them would do.

Dune released a relieved breath. Kire was okay. Then he scrunched his eyes in confusion.
If Kire is not here, he must know about the other house, but how?

He waved his hand and vanished. Teleporting in three jumps he brought himself up next to the small, rough-sawn log building. Crouching under the open window, his back against the wall, Dune tried to listen for any movement inside. When he didn’t hear anything, he began inching up so that he could peek in through the opening, and was unexpectedly rapped on the top of his head.

“Ouch!” he protested, dropping back to the ground and twisting quickly to peer up at the old man who was now leaning on the window frame, looking down at him with a wide smile. “What was that for?” Dune asked, rubbing his head and standing up.

“For old time’s sake,” replied Kire. “You really need to be more cautious.”

Dune vanished from outside the house, and appeared inside, standing in front of his old mentor. Though his head still smarted, and his pride more so at having been so completely unable to sneak up on Kire, even after all these years, he was happy to see the old fellow.

Dune embraced Kire and motioned for him to sit down. The older man had not changed much since they last saw each other. He still had salt and pepper hair, and he wore a large blanket with a hole cut in the center as a poncho.

“I think you are overly cautious,” Dune replied, pointing at a red dot on Kire’s nose. “Do you honestly think it is safer to travel as a person with the rare gift of enhanced scent?”

Kire shrugged his shoulders, “It makes people feel more at ease than thinking I might be reading their thoughts,” he said with a significant nod of his head toward Dune. “Besides I think the nose mark goes very well with my outfit, don’t you?”

“What are you doing here?”

Kire took a seat at the small table in the cramped space. “I was travelling south on my way to the desert. I heard that there are some lost records hidden in the desert dunes,” Kire answered, then he spoke in a hushed tone, “Is it safe to talk here?”

“I thought it was safe, until you came here. How did you find me? How did you find
this
place?”

Kire waved him off, “That’s not important now. What is important is that you are in danger. We all are.”

“We?” Dune asked lifting his eyebrow quizzically.

“The stone holders,” Kire clarified. “Anyone holding a Stone of Power needs to be extra cautious. Mordyar’s stone seekers are getting more bold. I’ve seen four while traveling here to meet with you, all of them wearing their special elixir bottles on their belts.” Kire held his hand out for emphasis, “Ten years ago, I could go almost anywhere in Denall and I was safe. Now they are popping up all over the place.”

Dune rubbed his chin thoughtfully, trying to put together the pieces. “I’ve been keeping watch on a group of stone seekers here in Eaton for almost six months trying to gather information about their leaders. Then about two days ago, for no reason, they packed up their things and left town.”

Kire leaned forward in his chair. “Where did they go?”

“They are heading north, but that’s not helpful, everything is north from here.”

“Hmmm,” Kire said as he raised his hand to his chin.

“What are you thinking?” Dune asked.

“It’s possible there are more to be seen because they are all abandoning their marks, traveling somewhere. That could explain why so many are on the roads. If you’re looking for their leadership you might find it, but if I were you, I’d stay as far away from their gathering as possible. I wonder what would cause the stone seekers to swarm together.”

Dune thought back to the conversation he had overheard about a blacksmith in Norwell, “Perhaps they’ve found one.”

Kire nodded thoughtfully “It is possible they think they know where they will find one, but it seems that there must be something even more compelling to bring them all scurrying out of hiding en masse. The whole clan of seekers could hardly expect to be rewarded for delivering a single stone. At any rate, I’m going back home, and I suggest you do the same.”

Dune stood up from his chair and walked slowly around the small room, trying to piece together what he could do. So much had changed for him in the last day that he was still trying to figure it all out. For years he had been trying to stop the stone seekers, and now they seemed to be on the move. If he followed them he might learn what he needed to stop them, but he also risked being in the middle of a crowd of stone seekers while in possession of the Magic Stone. Kire was obviously scared by the seekers, and he was going into hiding, but that wasn’t an option for him. He wasn’t ready to go home yet.

While pacing the small room, Dune kicked a floorboard near the corner, and popped up one end. He waved his hand, deactivating the magical trap, and reached into the opening to retrieve the Magic Stone. The small black stone was glossy and polished with an almost metallic sheen. He placed it in an internal pocket in his robe. He stopped pacing and sat back down across from Kire.

“You think you are invincible,” Kire said, pointing his finger at Dune. “You need to be more careful.” His tone was reminiscent of the days when Dune had been under his tutelage. “If I can find you this easily, others can too.” Kire stood up and walked to the small, window-like opening in the wall.

“They did,” Dune admitted. “I was following them and overheard them saying that they set up something around my cabin.”

Kire stood up, “That’s not good.”

“What?” Dune asked, joining him at the window.

“The inn keeper agreed to deliver a message to your house for me,” Kire answered solemnly.

Dune waved him off, “Don’t worry. I saw him at the tavern, he’s…” An explosion erupted, blasting high into the sky so that even at their distance from the village they could easily see it. Dune shuddered and turned to Kire. “He’s dead.”

The older man nodded his head, “Ironic,” he muttered under his breath. Dune looked quizzically at his mentor who then squinted thoughtfully and grunted, “Fitting might have been a better word.”

“Fitting? What are you talking about?” Dune asked, not liking either of the words Kire used to describe a tragic loss of life.

“He’s their informant,” Kire explained. “He told them about you. They set a trap, and it sprung and caught him.” As he spoke he spun his hand in an arch coming full circle at the end.

Dune let the truth of what had happened sink in. The inn keeper had always been kind. Hearing it from Kire made perfect sense, but he felt foolish for not realizing it earlier. He looked at Kire and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You have the greatest mind I’ve ever seen. You can unravel any mystery. Come with me. Help me stop the seekers.” Kire was shaking his head before Dune’s words were out, but he pushed on, “You are always trying to find answers. This could be the chance to really solve an important puzzle.”

“It could also be a chance to get myself captured and killed.” Kire responded decidedly. “I can’t solve any puzzles if I’m dead.”

Dune turned from the window and grabbed his bow, “Well, I’m going after them. I’m going to find out what the seekers are doing, and if possible, I’m going to stop them.”

Despite Dune ignoring his recommendation and caution, the older man smiled. “Can I make a suggestion or two before you begin?”

“Absolutely,” he responded, happy for any help he could get.

Kire took a seat at the table. “For starters, don’t trust inn keepers, and use better disguises.” He smirked before he continued. “But you might want to try to recruit someone you do trust to help you.”

Dune looked down at his mentor and exhaled in frustration. “I just tried to.”

Kire laughed lightly. “You need someone who is younger, adventuresome, and can help you in a fight. I’m not the best option for that kind of thing. Besides, if you are going to survive a gang of stone seekers, you’ll probably need to do some reckless and foolish things, which you might not try if I’m around.”

“I think I know just the person.” Dune said.