Chapter 9: The Gates of Jutland
Elias awoke with a start. He looked around frantically. He had forgotten where he was. The fireplace had puttered out, and there was only ash. He shivered. It was going to be a cold morning.
Thorin was already awake and dressed, crouched by the window.
“Brrr… it’s cold in here. Thorin, did it snow again last night?”
“Shhh! Quiet, Elias!” he said, putting a finger to his lips. “I’m listening to the conversation outside.”
Elias got up and walked to the window. Two food merchants were chattering right outside the door. He could hear bits and pieces of their conversation. Dwarves had exceptional hearing, so Thorin was able to clearly hear everything they said.
“Yup, they came to the gate this morning, asking about a boy,” said the first man. “Said the boy was mageborn and Vosper’s lookin’ for him. The reward’s 100 silver coins to anyone who finds him.” The man was short and fat, pulling a cart filled with lemons.
“That’s a nice sum. Did they post a notice? What does he look like?”
“That’s the problem. Brown hair, brown eyes, but otherwise nobody knows for sure. He looks like half the bloody boys in town! If here’s here, they’ll find ‘im. They brought a necromancer along.” The man shivered as he said it.
“Ugh, did you get a good look at ‘im? Are their eyes really all black?”
“This one was a female—if you could even call it that. I saw her early this mornin’, near Isley’s Pub. Her hair was black, her eyes were black, and her teeth were red—and sharpened into points. She laughed at something, and it sounded like a dying buzzard. She near scared me to death!”
“The female necromancers are frightening—more frightening than the males!”
“If you see her, don’t look straight at her. She might freeze you to death, or lay a curse on you. I tell you, those necromancers make my blood run cold.”
The men continued to talk as they made their way to the city square.
Thorin looked up. “This is bad news, Elias. There’s no way you can fight a necromancer and win. She would overpower you in an instant. We cannot stay in Jutland.”
“The emperor sent a necromancer looking for me? But why?” said Elias. “I don’t understand this.”
“I don’t, either. But it doesn’t matter. We have to leave the city. It’s better if we go immediately. Necromancers are more powerful at night. If we try to leave after sunset, she will find you for sure. We will leave within the hour. I must tell Floki.” Thorin walked to the bedroom and knocked on the door. Elias heard murmured voices, and then a loud gasp. Halda started weeping again, this time more loudly.
Floki and Thorin walked back out into the living room. “Both of you must go,” Floki said grimly. “The best chance you have is to conceal yourselves. They will be looking for a boy, so you cannot leave the city on mounted horseback. We will load up a cart with hides, and Elias will hide inside the cart. Then you can take the horses and leave the cart outside the city. I will come back after nightfall and tell the guards that I was robbed by bandits.”
“We have to put as much distance as possible between ourselves and the city,” said Thorin.
“What can I do to help?” asked Elias.
“Didn’t your grandmother teach you any concealment spells?” asked Thorin.
“No—No, not really. But I saw one in her journal. I don’t know how effective it will be.”
“Well, practice it,” said Thorin. “Your simple spell won’t stop the necromancer, but it may be enough to fool the guards at the gate.”
“I will start practicing the spell now,” said Elias. His grandmother’s little book of spells was coming in handy already. Elias walked out to the stable, hitting the earthy smell of manure and horses. It was welcoming, and it reminded him of home. Thorin had two beautiful stallions and three mares. Elias sat down in a dark corner, opened the precious journal, and started practicing the spell quietly.
Dragon Stones (Book One in the Dragon Stone Saga) Page 10
