Ara moved close enough to point between Trey and me. “There’s a building over there,” she said excitedly.
“Hmm,” I said as I looked in the indicated direction. “We must be getting close.”
“That’s it,” Ara insisted.
No,” I protested, thinking about what Sorcha had said. “There should be nine houses along with the tavern.”
“There are,” she said with the ring of sincerity in her words.
I decided to do a magical scan before responding. I still did several stupid things every day and had to put up with her disgust. To my surprise, an entire village showed where moments before I had seen a single building. “People don’t stop here because they have magic hiding the place.” I snorted. “Ara saw it first. Do you see it, Trey?”
“No,” he said, looking frustrated. Finally, he squinted and wrinkled his nose. His eyes grew round in wonder when he reopened them. “Wow, that’s different. Where did all the houses come from?”
“Magic,” I said, and then looked at Ramona. “Do you see the houses?”
“No,” she said in a small voice.
“Maybe you need an invitation,” Ara said. She placed a hand on Ramona’s arm. “Sorcha invited us and we invite you to come with us.”
Ramona’s eyes grew wider at the mention of Sorcha’s name, enough that I suspected she had heard far more than she had told us.
She turned her head and looked in the direction of the single building. Silence descended and then she spoke, sounding disappointed, “I still only see one.”
“I think…” I stopped and took a deep breath when Ara shook her head.
“Let me try,” she said. She clasped the front of her blouse, obviously clutching the sapphire, and placed her other hand on Ramona’s arm.
Moments later, Ramona uttered a shocked, “Oh.”
A huge smiled crossed Ara’s face. She let go of her blouse and removed her other hand from Ramona’s arm. “Let’s go visit the tavern.”
Four adults worked in nearby fields when we turned the last bend in the trail and approached the tavern. Six children played in the open yard in front of the tavern. They watched us with wary eyes and didn’t respond to Ara’s greeting.
“There are no benches,” Trey commented as we walked along the sloped path and stepped up on the covered porch. “Every other store or tavern has benches.”
“This place is different,” I said as we approached the closed front door. The door was huge, taller than I could reach when standing on my tiptoes, and as wide as my outstretched arms. Metal bands ran diagonally from corner to corner and spread out on each side. There was more metal on the door than I had seen in any one place in my life.
Ara elbowed me aside and reached for the door latch when I stood there without moving. It resisted her touch and she had to use both hands to move it enough that she could swing the door open.
The inside was even more impressive than Uncle Inigo’s house. He had spent at least a dozen winters cutting and smoothing hardwood for the walls and floors of his house. This ceiling was more than three times my height and lanterns brightened the room even though all of the shutters were closed. The ceiling, walls, and floor were smooth polished wood not darkened by smoke like in most buildings. Four people sat around tables to our right and a man stood behind a long counter to our left. The smell of cooking food hung in the air.
The man behind the counter spoke as soon as the door closed behind Ramona. “Can I help you?”
Ara cut off her study of the room and moved a few steps closer to the speaker. “We’re hungry,” she said.
The broad-shouldered man placed his hands palm down on the counter and studied us. Although there were laugh wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, he wasn’t smiling. He raised one hand and rubbed his thumb and middle finger together.
“We can pay,” I said, tapping the small pouch hanging from my belt.
“Of course,” he said smoothly and pointed at an open table across the room that was furthest from the other people. “I’ll tell Saffron you are here.”
We piled the packs against the wall and took seats at the table. I ran my hands in appreciation over the smooth polished wood as Ara and the others looked around the room.
Trey spoke to me privately as the girls spoke excitedly to each other about several beautiful clay pots holding blooming flowers. “Two of the men sitting over there visited Glendale and spoke to my parents.”
I answered in the same manner. “We’re at the right place, but everyone seems really cautious.”
Soon, a middle-aged woman emerged from the kitchen and walked over to our table. She smiled and looked at us. “What can I get you to eat?”
“Stew and fresh bread?” Ara asked.
I wasn’t surprised by her choice. The last few days, we had eaten rabbits, quail, grouse, pheasant, greens, and fresh fruit, but not the stew Ara had wanted to cook.
“Sure,” the woman said and then looked around the table. “Will you all have the same thing?”
“Yes,” we said in unison.
The woman started to turn away and then she turned back. She studied Trey’s face for a few moments and then focused on me. “Few people visit here and you haven’t been here before,” she said.
“No,” I agreed, with a little wave of one hand.
She pointed at me. “However, you look familiar.”
The entire reason to make this trip was to meet possible family members, so I decided to take the plunge suggested by Father just before he died. “I am the son of Mariam and Romulus.”
“Oh,” Saffron gasped and took a step back. “Then, Demarcus…”
“Is my grandfather,” I agreed, watching her closely.
“Indeed,” she said, looking more collected than moments before. “Do you want me to send a message to him that you have arrived?”
“Please do,” I said smoothly.
The woman gave me another long look and then focused on Trey. “You look familiar as well.”
Trey glanced at me and then back at the woman when I gave him an encouraging nod. “I am the son of Tamaya and Govad,” he said.
“Oh, yes,” Saffron said. “I knew them well before they moved away. How are they doing?”
“They’re dead,” Trey said flatly. “A Hunter killed them and wounded me.”
“I’m sorry,” Saffron said, and her expression matched her words. “Do you want me to send a message to your grandmother Bilqis that you are here?”
It was telling that she didn’t question his use of the word Hunter. If these people used magic, then they knew of the magicians behind the king.
“Please do,” Trey said and then his eyes narrowed. “My parents didn’t talk about our family members, but I have met Sorcha. She didn’t mention a daughter–my grandmother.”
“Hmm,” Saffron said, obviously waiting for Trey to say more.
I decided to intervene when Trey blinked back tears and swallowed hard. I looked intently at Saffron, hoping to see her response to my next comment. “Sorcha wasn’t in the correct form for talking very long at a time.”
Saffron bobbed her head and pursed her lips. Finally, she nodded and continued, “Maybe you have met Sorcha. I would send her a message but she is not here right now.”
She paused for a long moment, apparently trying to get the rest of us to talk, before she looked at Ara. “Whom should I notify that you have arrived?”
Ara shook her head. “No one. Reuben is my friend.”
“Friend?” Saffron said with raised eyebrows.
“We grew up together,” Ara replied. Her voice grew rougher, “Both my mother and Romulus are dead.”
“I’m sorry,” Saffron said again and then looked at Ramona. After a moment of appraisal, she raised one hand and gently waved a finger at her. “I know who you are. We received wo
rd that your parents died.”
“Murdered,” Ramona said harshly.
“Oh, yes, that is correct,” Saffron commented with a frown. “They refused an invitation to move up here just after you were born.” Moments later her face regained the cheerful look she had worn when she first arrived. “I’ll send the messages and then bring the food out.”
She soon arrived with four bowls and spoons, and a wood slab carrying two loaves of bread so fresh that it was warm to the touch. Ara grabbed the knife and started slicing the bread. She held up the first slice and looked at it. “This is wheat bread. I didn’t see any wheat growing close to here.”
“We weren’t watching the fields that closely,” I said as I eyed the piece of bread Ara passed to Ramona. Mother had taught me to be polite, but my empty stomach was arguing with my manners. The manners barely won.
None of us had yet finished the first piece before Saffron arrived bearing a large bowl of stew.
“This is wonderful bread,” I said as she placed the stew on the table.
“Thank you,” she said. “We get the wheat from a farmer down at Carronshore.”
“Which one?” Ramona asked.
“Ogden and his son, Lorcan,” Saffron said.
“They have a big field at the south end of town,” Ramona said with a gleam in her eye as if she thought Saffron was testing her. “Right next to Raoul, who raises a lot of garlic.”
Trey leaned forward and sniffed as Saffron ladled stew into each of the bowls. “The garlic smells good, too.”
I was too hungry to keep talking and took a sip of the soup from the large metal spoon. I could taste garlic and carrots, and a hint of several herbs. In addition, there were chunks of meat, probably rabbit.
Saffron came back from the kitchen after Ara ladled the last of the soup into our bowls. She stopped beside the men at the other table and exchanged a few words from them before coming over to us. She looked at the empty bowls and smiled. “You must have been hungry.”
“We were,” Trey said. He continued to look at Saffron with raised eyebrows.
After another long pause, Saffron smiled and pointed at the men she had just visited. “Raoul will escort you to meet with Bilqis.”
She held up one hand as I reached for the pouch on my belt. Someone had written meal prices with charcoal on a piece of wood just inside the door. I had enough money to pay for four meals, but not many more.
“Bilqis has already paid for the meals and she is anxious to meet with you.” Saffron gestured as Raoul stood. “I suggest not keeping her waiting.”
“Thank you,” I said and rose to my feet. I felt like talking, almost as strongly as when Talindra focused on me back in Glendale, and then wondered if Saffron was trying to use a little magic on us.
It was possible to erect a shield against incoming arrows. Was it possible to erect a shield against incoming compulsions? I reached for a little more magic and was surprised to see that both opals and the sapphire were drinking in a torrent of magic. With that kind of power available, no wonder this town had stayed free of the clutches of the four women bearing sapphires.
A look of disappointment flickered on Saffron’s face as we all turned away after expressing our thanks. Ah, my attempt to erect a new kind of shield must have worked. I needed to continue practicing on that kind of thing.
Once we were outside, Raoul waited for us to don our packs before he pointed up a path leading toward granite cliffs. His face was friendly and his deep voice sounded welcoming. “It only takes a few minutes to reach Casselton.”
Trey glanced at me and then shifted so he was closest to Raoul when we started walking. Trey looked up at the much taller man and said blandly, “A few minutes from the tavern, but a long way from Glendale. You have visited there several times.”
“You are observant,” Raoul commented.
“Why did you visit?” Trey asked. “I know some of the questions you asked while there.”
Raoul’s expression changed as he glanced down at Trey. It seemed to be a mixture of respect, anticipation, concern, and even a hint of fear. Unsure how I could get that much information from a fleeting look, I tried to read his emotions using a magical scan. It was my turn to be surprised. Even though I could tell he was walking beside us, I couldn’t touch his emotions.
So much magic was in use here that someone had even hidden the buildings using it. It must be harder to hide a village than hide one or two people. I obviously had done something wrong when I had tried to hide just myself and Trey, and the magic had backfired. I was the untrained magician here although I was more accomplished than my three friends. We needed to be careful.
Chapter 35 – Truncated Welcome
The path led into a grove of oak trees just beyond the last house. The small trees at the edge of the grove had dense foliage near the ground. Soon, we reached a region where the trees soared above us, and the lowest limbs were ten times my height or more above the ground. The gnarled trunks were so large they completely blocked the view in every direction. The layer of branches and limbs above us blocked the sun so completely that it seemed like deep twilight.
Ara stepped closer and slipped her hand in mine as we followed Raoul around another tree. She pointed to one side with her other hand to where a path looking like the one we were following branched off and spoke silently, “There is magic at work here. We would be lost without a guide.”
“No one comes here without an invitation,” I replied. “Why didn’t Father tell us about any of this? He encouraged me to visit here, but didn’t explain how hard it would be to get here.”
“Did he know?”
“My mother, his wife, lived here,” I said.
The conversation died out as we continued to walk. Raoul set a fast pace, but not so fast we couldn’t keep up. Finally, the trees thinned and the sun started to peek through the thick leaves on the high limbs.
“We’re almost there,” Raoul called out.
As far as I could tell, he hadn’t even looked back after entering the forest. Did that mean…? My thoughts broke off as we stepped out on the edge of a small meadow. Flowers bloomed in manicured gardens and fruit trees dotted grassy areas smoother than the green scum of late summer on a small pool of water. Two children played on the grass on the far side and four adults moved among the plants, two of them carrying tools.
Raoul gestured along the path that skirted the meadow and led to the cliff. I looked up and stumbled, barely managing to keep walking. Someone had carved windows and balconies into the edge of the cliff. A large metal door stood open at ground level revealing a tunnel. Interior lights made the tunnel much brighter than it had been under the trees.
Ara dropped my hand as she looked up. Anger lurked in her eyes when she glanced back at me. “Your grandfather lives here while we were starving over by Glendale.”
“Let’s see what they have to say,” I replied, but the same anger smoldered deep in my breast.
Raoul led us through the massive doors and into the tunnel. Polished wood lined the interior and lights mounted on the sides made it easy to see.
Ara pointed to one of the lights as I tried to determine where Raoul was taking us. “Do you see that?” she whispered.
The light hung on a carved wooden holder. It was the general shape of the holders we had used while I was growing up, but much more ornate. The candle was strange. It looked like a candle and it was as big around as the end of my thumb. However, a spot of unwavering light topped the candle rather than a flickering, smoky flame. I had seen glow flies along the creek in late summer. It was like a hundred glow flies sat on top of the dark candle, providing soft yellow light.
“This way please.”
The sound of Raoul’s voice broke my concentration. Only then did I realize all four of us had stopped to stare at the light.
We followed him around a bend in the
tunnel. The tunnel split into two, and in the distance, it looked like the tunnels split again. Given the length of the tunnels, there could be a lot of rooms in the cliff.
Raoul stopped in front of a closed wooden door and held up his hand. “Please wait here while I announce you.”
He opened the door and slipped inside before I had a chance to respond. I looked at Trey, intending to comment on the ornate door, when I noticed that he had his eyes closed and his head cocked sideways, as if listening. I kept silent and glanced at Ara and Ramona. Both girls seemed dazzled by the lights, cool dry air, and carved wood.
Moments later, Raoul opened the door and beckoned for us to enter. For once, Trey, Ara and Ramona waited for me to step forward and then they followed me. A thin, tall, woman stood on the other side of the room, which was twice as large as our entire cabin had been. Even though grey hair flowed over her shoulders, she stood straight and her green dress was more ornate than any I had ever seen. Something about the woman seemed familiar but I couldn’t remember why.
Raoul shut the door and quickly stepped up beside me and the others. His voice sounded deferential. “Khanum Bilqis, this is Reuben, Trey, Ara and Ramona.”
“Thank you, Raoul,” Bilqis responded gently and then looked at us all. Only then did I realize how shabby my clothes looked.
She smiled and pointed at several leather-covered benches. “Please have a seat.”
I was surprised that Raoul slipped out the door when we all sat. I turned back to look at the woman when she spoke.
“Trey, I am pleased to finally meet you. The messenger hinted that Tamaya and Govad are dead. Is that correct?”
Trey hitched forward on the bench and studied Bilqis for long moments before answering. Finally, he nodded. “A Hunter, who we now know worked for Talindra, came to our house about two weeks ago and shot them without any warning. He also shot me.”
She nodded, looking sad, and pointed at him. “I am sorry to hear that. Were you not wounded badly? It is a long trip from there to here.”
The reason for the familiar face finally surfaced while she talked. She was the woman who had appeared in my dreams several times just before Father died. I jumped to my feet beside the bench, pointed to her, and broke into the conversation. “You talked to me in a dream!”
Hunted Page 31
