capable killer, probably the most capable that I have ever seen. He acts like he has no interest in you two, but I know that is a lie. Still, he could easily have killed you both when you were in the woods talking about the witch.”
“What do you mean?” asked Arik. “When did he see us in the woods? If you mean the time that I think you mean, there is no way he could have been around. I would have heard him.”
“Son,” soothed Konic, “he said you were on a game trail looking for Tedi and finally found him. He said you were talking about a witch in a blue dress and that you each addressed the other by name. He said that was how he learned your names.”
Arik turned beat red as he realized that the bandit had been close enough to hear the conversation and he hadn’t even heard him. He blushed further when he remembered his boasting about how good his hearing was and how he would be able to detect anyone within one hundred paces. “His advice about overconfidence will be well taken,” admitted Arik.
Tedi, who had been quiet and reserved during the previous exchange looked sadly at his father. “The only proper course of action is for Arik and I to leave Lorgo. If we stay, we endanger both of you and the rest of the town.”
Alan started to protest and Konic laid a hand on his arm to quiet him. Arik looked up, his face still red, and nodded. “If we can get a new start in another town, we can… sorry, Father, but we can lie about our ages and try to establish new lives.”
Konic went over and hugged his son. “Don’t be sorry, son,” he soothed. “I have always told you that the truth will never hurt you. I was wrong. You should always try to tell the truth, but this is one lie that we can live with.” He pushed his son to arm’s length and looked him in the eye. “But it is the exception, mind you. Don’t let me catch you making a habit out of it just because I excuse you one lie.”
Arik laughed and hugged his father. “I will miss you, Father.”
“I will miss you, too, son,” Konic cried, “but not today. Today we have much to teach you and many things to get ready before you leave. I also think it is high time for you to call me Konic. From now on, I will think of you as my friend and should we meet again, that is what you will be to me.”
Nearby in the woods, two black clad figures watched the emotional scene in silence. As patient as trees, as quiet as the earth, they stood and waited.
Chapter 5 Departure
The boys were still having a hard time getting accustomed to using their fathers’ names, but nobody spoke of it. Konic was laying out the plans for the day. “I figure that if you two leave tomorrow morning, that should be soon enough. What we need to do today is get everything organized for your departure. Alan, your first task will be to see if the bandit left town or if the witch has returned. I will go round up whatever money I can find so that you will not have to be beholden to anyone until you find a place to settle down. You two will talk and try to decide where it is that you are going. You will not tell anyone where you are bound for, not even Alan or myself. If nobody knows, there will be no chance of anyone discovering it. We will be back in a couple of hours.”
As Konic and Alan turned to leave, Kalina tapped Garth on the arm and he turned soundlessly and moved along a path back to town. Once he was out of hearing range, he broke into a run. He would be back at the inn well before Alan could make it walking through town.
Kalina waited silently for over ten minutes after everyone had left and then she noisily started along the path that would enter the clearing. Almost as soon as she started walking, Arik started and turned towards her. Kalina could hear the two boys talking quietly, but could not make out what they were saying. She waved to them as she got closer and called to them just as she entered the clearing. “Hello there! I seemed to have gotten lost on my morning walk.”
Neither boy called back to her, but she could see one eyeing his bow and the other looking around for the best escape route. When she got all the way into the clearing, she realized that the two boys had intentionally divided themselves so that her attention would be split between the two. She wondered whether it was the result of talking or they had done it subconsciously. She walked right up to within ten paces of Arik and stopped. “Good morning,” she began. “I am staying in Lorgo and I was taking a morning hike. I feel silly admitting this to two boys, but I have become lost. Can you point the way back to town?”
Both boys spoke at the same time and pointed to the path that their fathers had taken. “Thank you, kind Sir,” she said to Arik and turned towards Tedi. “And you, as well, Sir. That is a most beautiful necklace that you have,” she said as she walked closer. “Would you consider selling it?”
“No,” Tedi almost shouted. More reservedly, he continued, “I mean no, I would not consider parting with it.”
“Well, I don’t blame you,” Kalina cooed. “It is very beautiful. Your mother must have been a Princess. Well, thank you both again for the directions.”
Kalina headed along the path that the boys had pointed out and returned to her room at the Fisherman’s Inn. She paid no attention to Garth sitting on the front stoop or the fisherman across the street watching him.
“Well, what did you make of that?” Tedi asked.
“What do you mean?” questioned Arik. “She seemed to be what she said to me.”
“Perhaps,” Tedi pondered, “but it is not every day that a beautiful woman comes walking through the woods into this particular clearing. And why does everybody eye up my necklace?”
“It is a beautiful necklace,” commented Arik. “I never knew it was your mother’s. I always wondered why you didn’t sell it with money being tight like it is. Now I understand.”
“Does this necklace mean anything special to you?” Tedi asked.
“Special?” quizzed Arik. “I guess it is very special if it was your mom’s. I wouldn’t part with it either if it was my mom’s.”
“Yeah, well, we better get back to making plans,” Tedi said suddenly. “I was pretty surprised when our fathers didn’t object to our leaving. It is to protect them, but I still thought they would argue.”
“We are to think we are doing it to protect them,” chuckled Arik. “If you had seen your father’s face at the time you suggested it, you would probably recognize the truth.”
“What do you mean?” asked Tedi.
“They were both glad when you started to suggest us leaving,” explained Arik, “but my father had to restrain your father when you gave your reasoning. I suspect they sat and talked for a long time on the beach last night and came up with the same solution. I also suspect they have a different motivation for us leaving. For some reason they feel that they would endanger us if they came along. Neither man would subject us to harm to save himself.”
Tedi nodded slowly as Arik’s logic sunk in. What he didn’t understand was his father’s logic, but he could ponder on that later. Right now they needed to plan their journey. Arik started gathering up the belongings that were scattered around the campsite and came to a halt by his blanket. He bent down and picked up a gold ring that hadn’t been there before. Tedi looked over and asked, “What is that? Where did you find it?”
“It was on top of my blanket,” Arik stated. “It must be that woman’s. Did she say what inn she was staying at?”
“Don’t be a fool, Arik!” Tedi scolded. “You can’t possibly be thinking of returning it? What better way to lure us into her trap then to make us feel obligated to come to her?”
Arik at first thought that Tedi was just arguing to keep the ring, but by the time Tedi stopped speaking, he realized the truth of his friend’s statements. “You’re right,” Arik agreed. “We can leave it with our fathers and if she is still in town after we leave, they can return it to her. I have to learn to start thinking skeptically like you.”
“You’re darn right about that,” laughed Tedi. “If what your father said was true, everybody is out to kill us and your father doesn’t lie.”
“All right,” Arik said while slipping the ring on his finger, “let’s figure out where we are going before our fathers come back and we can’t talk about it.”
