Garth entered the Fisherman’s Inn and walked up to his room. Kalina was sitting at the small table staring at her hands. “I think I gave him enough of a viewing that he is convinced that I’m not up to anything today,” Garth stated.
“That’s good,” Kalina replied, “because they are heading south at first light. They plan to travel along the beach as far as they can because it will be low tide and their tracks will be washed away in the course of an hour. Neither of these boys are stupid, Garth. They both show a remarkable intelligence and a strong determination. Our own plans must be fool-proof.”
“They may be smart,” agreed Garth, “but they are still boys. I suspect that the Black Riders might be here as early as tomorrow morning.”
“We will leave here this afternoon and camp a few miles south tonight,” Kalina ordered.
“As you command,” chuckled Garth, “always as you command. You shall make a fine General someday.”
“One doesn’t need to be a great General when you know what your opponent is going to do next,” chuckled Kalina. “That damn Arik was actually going to try to find me so he could return the ring. They plan to leave it with their fathers, but if you read Konic properly, he’ll insist the boys keep it as a reserve in case they run out of money.”
“That he will do,” smiled Garth.
“There is also a Locating Spell on Tedi’s necklace,” frowned Kalina. “I can sense it, but I cannot break it. As long as he wears the necklace, the caster will be able to find him and there is not much we can do about it.”
“Do you think it is Wolinda’s spell?” asked Garth.
“There is really no way of knowing,” admitted Kalina. “We will just have to be prepared for whatever comes.”
“You fools!” shouted the witch. “I don’t care how tired your men were, you are to follow my orders. Perhaps you would prefer taking orders from an ogre.”
The Dark Rider shuddered at the thought of taking orders from an ogre. There were too many stories about what happened to a person who disobeyed an ogre order and most of them centered on being eaten by the ogre. “A thousand pardons, Mistress Wolinda,” bowed the Dark Rider. “I wanted the men in top form to assure your success. We will ride like the wind to make up for lost time.”
“That you will,” scolded Wolinda. “We return to Lorgo immediately. I want those two boys and I will have them if I have to tear the town apart. And I will accept no more disobedience from you.”
“I hear and obey, Mistress,” the Dark Rider submitted as he bowed his way out of the tent.
“The bandit rode out of town about an hour ago,” Alan Markel reported. “He didn’t seem to be in a hurry.”
“Well, that’s one less problem to worry about,” remarked Tedi. “I think we are all set for our journey tomorrow morning.”
“Alan and I will go fishing early,” stated Konic. “No one should suspect that tomorrow is any different from any other day. I did check all of the inns looking for your mysterious woman, Arik, but she was not to be found. Master Tern said there was a woman staying there last night who fit your description, but she left around noon. Keep the ring as a reserve of money. If you run out, don’t hesitate to sell it and use the proceeds. If the woman comes back here for her ring, Alan and I will promise to make amends to her. I shouldn’t worry about it, though. The ring probably has little significance to her.”
“I suggest we all get a full measure of sleep tonight,” Arik declared. “It’s not likely anyone will bother us. Everyone who has been interested in us has left and we will all have a full day ahead us tomorrow.”
Everyone agreed and slept without a guard. Alan and Konic were up before the first lightening of the sky and had breakfast ready by the time the boys awoke. Farewells were short but sentimental and the two fishermen left the clearing before the boys had finished breakfast.
Arik and Tedi each sported a long duffel bag as well as their bows, quiver, and knife. Each wore gray woolen breeches and a hooded tunic with a brown leather vest over the top. Short soft-soled boots, newly resoled, completed their outfits. The boys waited until Konic’s boat disappeared in the distance before heading south along the beach. They walked where the sand was still dry, but close enough to the surf that they knew the prints would be washed away within the hour.
The coastline wove out to points and in to create bays, greatly shortening the distance along the coast that one could see at any particular time. The boys did not see any other people, yet they walked on in silence, each lost in his own thoughts. There had been no opportunity to say goodbye to their friends in the town because they could not chance the possibility that someone might come looking for them. Each of the boys dealt with the departure in his own way.
Around midday the coastline started to turn rocky and the boys chose to turn inland and seek a path through the forest. The further filtering of sunlight made the dense forest dark and foreboding. Neither of the boys had ever been this far from Lorgo and emotions of excitement mingled with the fear of the unknown. The birds chirped and sang merrily seemingly unaware of the troubles that plagued the world. Twice the boys sidetracked to the sound of small animals and ended up with a quail and a rabbit for dinner later that day. The trail started slowly climbing and when the boys finally entered a small clearing, it was already well past the last light of day. The darkness of the forest had obscured the setting of the light. Wearily and without comment the boys set about starting a fire and cooking dinner. Arik could hear the pounding of the waves, but the sound was distant and below them. Quietly the boys ate and went to sleep.
Wolinda rode into town wearing a red silk riding dress and surrounded by twenty Dark Riders. This time she didn’t plan on being subtle with the townspeople. She would not pose as a traveler and she would not ask her questions slyly. She wanted the two boys and no townsperson was going to deny her. The few people in the streets immediately fled as she rode into town. Business doors closed and shutters were flung shut. Mothers dragged their youngsters into their houses. Within moments, Lorgo very much appeared a ghost town; the only sound was hooves echoing off the buildings.
The first stop was the Fisherman’s Inn. Esta Tern saw them coming and ordered all of the workers out the back door. There were no customers in the common room as the midday meal was an hour past and when Wolinda and her group stormed into the inn, only Esta was there to greet them.
Wolinda stood in the common room glaring at Esta. “Where are the two runts?” she demanded.
Esta swallowed deeply, sweat already forming on his brow. “I don’t know, Mistress,” he croaked.
At a signal from Wolinda, two Dark Riders moved towards the innkeeper. One grabbed his left arm and twisted it behind Esta’s back. The other produced a large hunting knife and held it to Master Tern’s neck, the point drawing a small pinprick of blood. “I don’t know is not good enough, innkeeper,” Wolinda scowled. “I want the two boys and you will tell me where they are.”
“I can not tell you what I do not know, Mistress,” pleaded Master Tern. “If I knew, surely I would tell you. The boys mean nothing to me.”
Wolinda smiled as she nodded to the Dark Riders. The Dark Rider pushed up on Esta’s arm and the sharp crack of bones reverberated through the room. Esta howled with pain and his movement caused a cut on his neck from the knife blade being held by the other Dark Rider.”
Master Tern’s eyes rolled with pain and his legs weakened, even as he tried to remain still to avoid further damage from the knife. He gritted his teeth as he grunted his reply. “As well I know they have left the town. I heard stories that they went north for adventure, but I do not know for sure. The tall boy brings rabbits every
