Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web (The Complete Epic Fantasy)

by Thomas J. Prestopnik

  With the inn out of sight, everything was now bathed in inky blackness. The stream gurgled louder and the rustling of the trees sounded dry and desolate. Megan held up the lamp, its pale light stretching over the ground and the knotty planks of the stable wall.

  “Leo,” she whispered, seeing no one around. She stepped cautiously along the back wall. Each snap of a twig or crunch of a leaf echoed loudly in the night air. “Leo? It’s Megan. Where are you?” No reply except from the water and the wind as she continued to the other end of the building. “Leo,” she repeated more loudly. “If you have something to say, I’d wish you come here and say it. We could have met in the common room. It would have been much easier.” She turned the corner at the far end of the stables. “Not to mention warmer and–”

  Suddenly, Megan felt a hand press against her mouth from behind. An arm flung roughly across her waist pulled her backward into the body of a man, taller than she, who dragged her across the grass away from the stables. Megan dropped the oil lamp and tried to scream. Her right arm was locked behind her attacker’s arm, but her left arm was still free. She desperately pulled at the hand covering her mouth, but the man’s grip only tightened. Megan dug her heels into the ground to slow him down, but to no avail. His clothes reeked with the smell of stale tobacco smoke. The scent of cloves nearly overwhelmed her. That scent. That familiar scent...

  “Megan?” Leo appeared around the corner in back of the stables where Megan had first shown up. He held an oil lamp aloft thinking he had heard her call out his name just a moment ago, but wondered how it could be since she had already gone to sleep. Leo had been inside the stables checking on his horses when he heard the voice. He scanned the darkness behind the stables, but as no one was there, he guessed he must have imagined the voice.

  But just as he turned around to head back to the inn, a woman screamed. He shot along behind the building like wildfire and rounded the opposite corner, accidentally kicking an oil lamp that had been cast on the ground. He vaguely saw two people struggling near the banks of the stream and hurried toward them.

  “Megan?” His heart pounded as he scrambled over unfamiliar terrain.

  “Help me, Leo!”

  Megan had bit into the palm of her attacker’s hand a moment earlier, causing him to move it so she could scream for help. The man now saw Leo charging at him in a circle of light, not having calculated for such a complication in his plan. With only an instant to think, he shoved Megan to the ground and barreled headfirst at Leo and tackled him to the weedy soil. Leo was momentarily stunned as his back slammed against the ground and his oil lamp went flying, unable to see the face of his attacker in the gloomy night. But as his heart raced, Leo instinctively shoved the palm of his right hand up as hard as he could and slammed it against the man’s chin, causing him to groan in pain as his head was flung backward and he toppled sideways. Leo immediately turned over and scrambled to his feet, somewhat dazed and preparing to hurl himself at the shadowy figure. But he heard the stranger gasping and saw his hands flailing near his neck as the man struggled to stand. Leo was momentarily disoriented about what was happening as his head swirled with confusion.

  “Let go!” the man struggled to say, trying to catch a full breath. He managed to get to his feet while purposely pushing his body backward.

  Leo then realized that Megan had pounced upon the stranger from behind and grabbed his shirt and coat collars, pulling at them as tightly as she could while he thrashed about for air. But Leo’s brief feeling of pride for Megan’s actions quickly turned to horror when both she and the man tumbled backward and fell into the grass. Megan screamed as the assailant rolled off of her. He sprinted to the stream, jumping across several rocks in the water before vanishing into the blackness across the field to where his horse awaited.

  “Come back!” Leo cried out angrily, ready to chase after him in the pitch darkness as his mind and heart raced with fevered disregard for his own safety. Then his concern shifted to Megan and he ran to her as she stood up in the nearby grass.

  “Leo!”

  “Are you all right?” he said, wrapping his arms tightly about her quivering frame as she buried her head in his shoulder. He gently held her face in his hands and gazed into her troubled eyes. “Who was that?” he asked, glancing over the stream, a part of him still wanting to chase after the man but knowing he dare not leave Megan alone.

  “I don’t know,” she replied, her thoughts in a whirl as her heart beat wildly. She hugged Leo again, not wanting to let go. “I just want to go inside.”

  “All right,” he whispered, rubbing her back as he held her, wondering who the stranger might be and why Megan was out here in the middle of the night. Leo hoped she would finally explain her mysterious behavior to him and Nicholas later on, but right now he simply held her trembling body. There would be time enough later for answers.

  CHAPTER 14

  Secrets Revealed

  A dozen men scoured the grounds around the Plum Orchard Inn with oil lamps in hand, but discovered no sign of Megan’s assailant. He had vanished like a whisper in the cold night. Ron Knott, devastated that such an incident had occurred at his establishment, recruited his son, some of the inn staff and a few guests to join in the search. He hurried along the side of the inn to the front steps and met Nicholas who was heading indoors.

  “Not a trace of the brute,” Ron said, his words laced with bitterness. “Nothing like this has ever happened here before. It just tears me to pieces!”

  “It’s not your fault,” Nicholas said.

  “I shouldn’t have let Megan walk out into the night unaccompanied.” He rubbed a hand through his hair as puffs of white breath floated to the blackened sky. “What was I thinking?” Nicholas slapped a consoling hand on his shoulder as they walked inside.

  A blanket of warm air greeted them in the hallway. A steady clip of hushed but excited chatter issued from the common room. Mabel poked her head out of the main dining room when the front door opened and signaled for Nicholas and Ron to follow. Megan and Leo were seated at a table near the fireplace, both looking pale and weary from their ordeal. Elaine brought in a kettle of hot tea and a tray of mugs and then slipped out of the room now empty of dinner guests. Mabel looked at her husband inquisitively. Ron shook his head.

  “No luck, I’m afraid. We looked everywhere. The others are still outside.”

  “He took off like a jack rabbit,” Leo said, holding Megan’s hand across the table.

  “I’m sure he won’t trouble us again,” she said. “Not with so many people keeping watch.”

  “Rest assured, young lady. I’m going to have two men patrolling outside until the crack of dawn. We’ll work in two-hour shifts,” Ron said, volunteering for the midnight hour. “Even a squirrel won’t get near this inn without us knowing about it.”

  “I appreciate your efforts, but…”

  He raised a hand. “Not another word, Megan. I handle things here at the inn, and that will be that.”

  She smiled a sincere thank you.

  “Now you’re certain you have no idea who that man was?” Mabel asked Megan as she sat down at the table.

  “Not the slightest,” she replied, staring at the note he had slipped under the door. She had asked Elaine to retrieve it from her room earlier. “Yet there was something oddly familiar about him, though I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “I’d like to put my fist on him!” Leo muttered.

  Mabel gently patted his hand before addressing Megan. “You take all the time you need to think about it, dear. There were several people who dropped in tonight just for a meal or drinks in the common room, and then left. Perhaps one of them sneaked upstairs unnoticed and slipped the note under your door.”

  “But why?” Leo asked.

  “Sure I can’t fix you a bite to eat, Megan? The staff is still cleaning up in the kitchen.”

  “No thank you, Mabel. You and your husband have done more than enough. All I really need is a good night’s sl
eep. I’ll think better in the morning.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Nicholas said. “Leo and I will be right across the hall, so you needn’t worry about anything.”

  “And the inn doors will be bolted tight and patrols outside,” Ron added. “You couldn’t be any safer if you wanted to be.”

  Megan took her leave of the Knotts as Nicholas and Leo accompanied her upstairs. Ron sat at the table opposite his wife after everyone had left. He stretched his legs, exhausted and bleary-eyed. Mabel shrugged with bewilderment.

  “Now what that was all about, I couldn’t begin to tell you,” she said. “Megan didn’t say too much while you were outdoors, and Leo seemed just as perplexed when I spoke to him alone a few moments earlier.” She poured them each some tea. “He is fond of the girl but admitted that she’s a bit of a mystery. I hope he knows what he’s getting himself into.”

  Ron picked up the cup she had slid across the table. “I don’t think he does, dear,” he said, taking a drink. “And that’s what intrigues him the most, I’m afraid.”

  Two candles flickered on the maple dresser as a gentle breeze rattled the window panes. Nicholas adjusted the oil lamp on the night stand, casting away shadows that lurked in the corners. Megan and Leo sat in the chairs on either side of the fireplace as a small blaze crackled, warming the room. Nicholas took a seat on the foot of the bed. He and Leo stared at Megan with a mix of intrigue and skepticism, saying nothing for several moments.

  “Why are you two gawking at me like I have a mouse perched on my head?” she asked with a sigh. “You boys can go now. No need to stay and hold my hand as if I were a scared child. I’m all right.”

  “We’ll be the judge of that,” Leo said. “Besides, you can’t get rid of us that easily.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Nicholas leaned forward. “Megan, you can get away with shrouding the facts in front of Mabel and Ron, but Leo and I deserve the truth now. You owe us that much. What’s going on? Who was that man behind the stables? Was it that Samuel fellow?”

  Leo sat up. “Who’s Samuel?”

  “It wasn’t Samuel,” she explained with coolness in her voice. “Samuel would never harm me.”

  “Who’s Samuel?” Leo echoed.

  “Someone who Megan told me was after her,” Nicholas said. “She mentioned his name after we first met but never told me anymore about him.”

  “Because you didn’t need to know anymore.”

  “He wasn’t an old suitor, was he?” Leo asked curiously. “Or perhaps a current one?”

  Megan bowed her head with frustration and amusement. “Samuel is old enough to be my father, Leo. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “I was just curious.”

  Nicholas stood up, his impatience growing. “So who left you the note then?”

  “I can honestly say I don’t know, Nicholas. I truly don’t. You must believe me.”

  “We do,” Leo said. “You might not know who was after you, but you must surely know why, Megan. Someone went to a lot of trouble to lure you alone outdoors.”

  Nicholas agreed. “If you’re in some kind of danger, we want to help. All you have to do is trust us.”

  Megan stood and walked to the curtained window, caressing the thick drapery with her fingers, her back to her friends. How she hated to deceive them yet wanted nothing more than to tell them everything that instant. She turned and faced her companions.

  “It’s difficult to open up.”

  “No it’s not,” Nicholas said. “I told you my story.”

  “But you wouldn’t believe me if I told you mine.”

  “Try us,” Leo said. “Besides, I like stories. Just sit down and speak. We won’t even interrupt.”

  “If it were only that simple…” Megan sighed again and returned to her chair. Nicholas sat back on the bed.

  “You’re not a thief or a murderer, are you?” he joked, pleased to see that she returned a faint smile. “So it can’t be worse than my predicament.”

  “My problems are more, shall I say–family oriented?”

  “Who doesn’t have family problems?” Leo asked. “I love mine dearly, but sometimes…” He raised his eyes and the trio laughed, melting the tension in the room.

  Megan leaned forward, elbows on knees, resting her chin on top of her folded hands. “My family has been very protective of me lately,” she said softly. “Father worries about me all the time, especially since my mother died a few years back. But Grandfather is even worse.”

  “He lives at home with you?”

  She nodded. “We have a big household. An extended family arrangement. And though I love them all dearly, it’s hard sometimes to find a moment of privacy.”

  “So you ran away to live with your great aunt Castella in Boros,” Nicholas surmised. “However,” he said with a smirk, “that wouldn’t explain your mysterious and intriguing behavior.”

  “Make fun of me if you must, but if you had a grandfather like mine, Nicholas, you’d understand,” she said. “And I didn’t run away to Boros. This was an arranged visit–secretly arranged–which, regretfully, I agreed to.”

  “He’s just teasing, Megan,” Leo said. “We’re really interested in what you have to say. Tell us about your grandfather. Does he run things around your house in spite of your father’s wishes?”

  “You might say that,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “Grandfather has a dynamic personality. But don’t misunderstand me. He’s a very sweet and dear man, but he has a lot on his mind lately. Things are happening. And all of that has spilled over in his concern for me.”

  “What things are happening?” Nicholas asked. “And where are they happening? You’re not making much sense.”

  “At least tell us where you live,” Leo said. “What harm is there in that?”

  “Fine. I’m from Morrenwood,” she replied, glancing at Nicholas. “And you needn’t gloat, thank you. You correctly guessed that fact after we had first met.”

  “And the world isn’t crashing down because you told us,” he said. “See, it’s easy to confide in your friends.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” she replied, taking a deep breath and relaxing.

  “What does your grandfather do for a living that your life is in such a whirlwind?” Leo asked.

  “Well, he’s…”

  Megan paused, finding it difficult to look Leo in the eyes. But when noting the genuine concern upon the faces of her two companions, her hesitation to confide in them was lessened. She stood and walked toward the door, knitting her fingers together. Her mind raced with a dozen concerns but she finally decided to trust their budding friendship and turned around. Leo and Nicholas remained in their seats with eyes fixed upon her.

  “What does Grandfather do, you ask? Why, he’s…”

  Leo craned forward in his seat. “Yes?”

  “He’s just the…”

  “The what?” Nicholas gently asked.

  “…the King.” Megan nervously hooked a finger through her hair and cleared her throat. “Of Arrondale. That King.”

  A piece of wood popped in the fireplace, sending up a shower of sparks. Leo and Nicholas glanced at each other, expressionless, and then looked curiously at Megan as if they had misheard her.

  “No really, Megan, what does your grandfather do?” Leo repeated. “You can tell us.”

  “I just did,” she calmly said, walking briskly back to her chair. She spun around and plopped down in the seat. “My grandfather is King Justin of Arrondale. I presume you’ve both heard of him.”

  “We’ve heard of him,” Nicholas said, trying to keep a straight face. “But I thought his daughter always rode around on a white horse with a jeweled saddle.”

  He burst out in a short laugh and Leo couldn’t help but join in. But when they caught an icy gaze from Megan, they both composed themselves immediately.

  “Are you two juveniles just about finished?”

  Leo grinned, stretching his legs
and resting his hands behind his head. “Nice joke, Megan. But if you don’t want to tell us what your grandfather does, that’s okay.”

  “Though I am curious as to what your father does,” Nicholas quipped. “Does he get to be in charge of the Blue Citadel when your grandfather takes a holiday?”

  Nicholas and Leo again broke out in a fit of laughter as Megan watched them with a scowl upon her face until they quieted down.

  “My father, I’ll have you know, is Prince Gregory, son of the King and heir to the throne of Arrondale.”

  Nicholas smirked. “Oh, and so that would make you a…?”

  “A princess,” she muttered under her breath.

  Leo glanced at the ceiling and whistled a few doubtful notes before addressing Megan. “Why are you telling us this? I don’t understand.”

  “Because it’s true,” she said, unclasping a small chain around her neck. “Because you wanted me to be honest, so…” She handed the chain to Leo. “I’m being honest.”

  Leo sat on the edge of his chair as he examined it. A small silver medallion was attached to the fine gold chain. Etched on the front was an image of the Blue Citadel guarded by majestic pine trees with mountains and a winding river in the background. On the reverse lay a field of tall grass through which a horse galloped under two rising full moons. A sword was engraved on either side of the picture. Leo studied the stunning images and then handed the medallion to Nicholas.

  “It’s beautiful, Megan. I’ve never seen such accomplished engraving before,” he said with a slight tremor in his voice. Nicholas nodded in agreement.

  “The front is my grandfather’s residence in Morrenwood. The Trent Hills and the Edelin River are pictured in the background. On the reverse is my family’s crest, a stallion running freely through a field of tall grass as the Fox and Bear moons, both full, rise in the east. Swords frame the picture on either side.”