from a wound on his forehead. The boy was heading straight for the ford.
At first the boy didn’t see them and came to within ten feet of the riverbank before realizing they were there. He paused when he saw them, glanced left and right, then back behind him. His eyes came to them one more time before he bolted to the right.
“Eryl!” Chad cried. Kicking his horse into motion, Chad began splashing through the water toward the shore.
The boy stopped and turned in their direction. “Chad?” he asked. Then recognition came. “Chad!” Eryl exclaimed with great relief as he raced for his brother.
Splashing past Bart and Riyan, Chad was the first to reach the shore. He practically leapt from his horse and took his younger brother in his arms. He was shaking badly.
Disengaging from the embrace, he held his brother at arm’s length. Chad took in the wound on his forehead and saw that it still seeped drops of blood. “What happened?” he asked.
Just then, six soldiers emerged from the forest at a run. When they saw Eryl was in the company of others, they came to a stop. “We’ll take the boy,” a burly soldier said. The crest of Duke Alric was clearly emblazoned on his breastplate.
“What for?” Chad asked, turning to face the soldiers. Eryl moved behind him.
“He’s wanted for questioning,” the burly soldier stated. And from the way he spoke, it was clear he was used to getting his way.
Behind him, his brother said, “It’s not questioning they want me for.” Then he whispered quietly into his brother’s ear.
At first Chad showed no reaction to what Eryl was saying. Then his face turned red as rage filled him.
Burly Soldier said, “Just hand him over and there won’t be any trouble.”
Chad drew his sword and said, “I’ll cut your heart out if you so much as take another step toward my brother!”
“Brother?” one of the soldiers asked. Then, “It’s the miller’s son!”
The burly soldier looked closely first at Chad then to Riyan, and Bart. “So the miller, shepherd, and thief have come home,” he stated. “By order of Duke Alric, I’m placing you all under arrest.”
From behind Riyan, Bart’s laughter rang out. “I don’t think so,” Bart said. Behind him, the others continued emerging from the river as they completed the crossing.
Burly Soldier’s face turned red at his laughter. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” he said, laying his hand on the hilt of his sword. Behind him, his men did likewise.
“Kevik,” Bart said as he motioned him forward. When Kevik rode forward and Burly Soldier saw the staff he carried, Bart had the satisfaction of seeing the soldier’s confidence leave him. “If you would be so kind?”
“Of course,” replied the magic user. A second later, the six soldiers were firmly entrapped with goo.
“Release us this minute or it will go worse for you!” Burly Soldier demanded. Struggle though he might, there was no escaping the sticky mass that held him.
“Now,” Bart said to Eryl, “just what has been happening around here since we left?”
“Well…” began Eryl.
Eryl’s story was anything but pleasant to hear. From the first appearance of those seeking their whereabouts, things went from bad to worse. Then the culminating confrontation when the trader Raestin arrived which led to the Magistrate sending to the Duke for help.
When the soldiers arrived, everyone thought that things would be better. And they were for a few days. Then one of the village boys had turned up dead. He had been assaulted in a way no child should. The citizens of Quillim were outraged and demanded the ones responsible be made to pay. Though an investigation into the boy’s death was conducted, those responsible were never found.
It was shortly afterward they heard that the Magistrate had left Rupert in charge while he went to Wardean to speak directly to the Duke.
“That was six days ago,” Eryl related to them. “Mother and father are alright,” he assured his brother. Then to Riyan he said, “So is your mother. She’s staying at our place with her trader friend.”
“Thank the gods,” Riyan breathed in relief.
“We heard that the mill was gone,” Chad said.
Eryl nodded. “Two days ago. For whatever reason, the soldiers set fire to it and several homes, including yours Riyan.”
“My home?” he asked. He couldn’t believe it.
“Yes,” he replied.
“Rupert!” cursed Bart. “I sense his hand in this.” Turning to Riyan, he said, “He’s never forgiven you for causing Freya to make their betrothal last so long.”
“So father believes,” agreed Eryl. “But there’s nothing any of us could do. Rupert and Captain Glaver, who is the leader of the Duke’s soldiers, are tight as thieves. Also, there’s another person in this. His name is Daniel. Showed up shortly after you took off.”
“What’s his business in all this?” asked Riyan.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But from what I’ve heard, he’s often seen coming and going from the Magistrate’s home.”
Riyan took that in then asked, “What about Freya? Is she okay?”
“She turned up missing shortly after the Magistrate left for Wardean,” he replied.
“What?” he asked. “Hasn’t anyone searched for her?”
“Your mother and her trader friend did,” explained Eryl, “but they couldn’t find her. Your mother thinks Rupert may have her at his estate.”
Bart could see the worry and fear for her in Riyan’s eyes. “I’m sure he hasn’t hurt her,” he assured his friend.
Riyan’s eyes turned deadly as he said, “If he’s so much as laid a finger on her…I’ll kill him.” After going through so much in the last year, now this. It was almost more than he could stand. Anger began to build within him.
Chyfe came and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said, “we’ll help you find her.”
At that, the burly soldier laughed. “You aren’t going to do anything,” he said. “Our men have the village securely in hand. If you want to see her again, you had better release us and come along quietly.”
His words caused the barely controlled rage within Riyan’s breast to blossom like the sun. Drawing his sword, he moved to the burly soldier and demanded, “So you do have her?” Jaws clinched together, his fingers flexing upon the hilt of his sword, and the flame of rage in his eyes gave a most menacing appearance.
One of the other soldiers, a red headed man of middle years said, “I don’t know if she’s the one you are asking about, but several days ago, a lady was brought into the manor at the edge of town. As far as I know, she’s still there.”
“Quiet!” Burly Soldier ordered.
Moving to the red headed soldier, Riyan demanded, “Where in the estate is she?”
“Don’t you tell him!” Burly Soldier shouted.
Before he even thought, Riyan’s sword leapt toward Burly Soldier and struck his head from his shoulders. The act caught everyone off guard and Bart looked with disbelief as the man’s head hit the ground.
“Where!” he shouted to the red headed man.
Red looked into the eyes of madness as he said, “She’s on the second floor in a room at the end of the hallway.”
“Sounds like it’s across from Rupert’s room,” Bart added. When Riyan turned toward him, he said, “I’ve been in there a few times. It’s the only room at the end of the hall that she could possibly be in.” He left the thought ‘unless she’s in Rupert’s room’ unsaid. In the state Riyan was in right now, there was no telling what he would do if such a possibility was spoken. Never before had he seen his friend behave in such a way.
Seth cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “What do you propose we do with them?” he asked, indicating the five remaining soldiers.
“Kill them,” Chad said, without a hint of mercy in his voice. “The boy that was killed… was David, Devin’s little brother.” Tears welled in his eyes and it was hard for him to speak.
David, being the younger brother of Devin who was one of Chad and Riyan’s friends, was well known to
