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

by Thomas J. Prestopnik

  “The children and I will clean up the kitchen while you all talk about the goings-on up and down the river,” she said with a motherly sort of smile as she refilled Nicholas and Leo’s mugs with tea. She handed her husband his pipe and a small pouch of tobacco before shooing them out of the room. “Holler if you need anything.”

  “Thanks, Mrs. Fish,” Nicholas said, his voice trailing off through the doorway.

  Several minutes later the three men sat in wooden chairs beneath a cloud of pipe smoke in front of a small fireplace. Leo carefully detailed a less-than-truthful version of their mission, but only with the best of intentions. The safety of the Fishes and the ability to complete their task in secrecy was foremost on his mind. He explained to Will Fish that he and Nicholas were gathering information on the extent to which soldiers from the Northern Isles had overrun the area along the Lorren River and whether they intended to stay, mentioning nothing of the medallion.

  “Other teams are exploring different areas in the region,” he said, spreading out one of their maps before him for effect. “We’ll report back to King Justin in the weeks ahead. Nicholas and I were ordered to hike into a nearby section of the Dunn Hills to see if there is any infiltration of Islanders there, too.”

  “So you’re both royal spies?” Mr. Fish excitedly asked as he puffed on his pipe, filling the air with sweet smoke.

  “Something like that,” Nicholas said with a nod before slyly throwing an uneasy glance Leo’s way. “For security reasons, we were reluctant to reveal our true intentions when we first met you.”

  “Of course. I understand completely,” Will replied before giving them a rundown of recent Islander activity in the area. “It’s a good hundred miles or so north to the Trillium Sea, so I can only imagine what the men from the Isles are doing down there when their ships come in. But out here, we see rafts filled with men and supplies poling upriver regularly. Thankfully, no one has come ashore in our area, but I’ve heard rumors how they’ve made camp miles north and south of here, occasionally plundering farms and households just for sport. You can see why I was quick with my pitchfork.”

  “Point well taken,” Leo joked.

  “Now that we understand each other,” Will continued, “I know just the person to help you find your way into the Dunn Hills.”

  “You?” Nicholas asked.

  “Good gracious, no!” he replied, nearly choking on his smoke. “I’m a farmer at heart, happy to remain here on my land. I was referring to my brother, Lane, who lives a few minutes down the road. He’s always rowing a boat over to Woodwater, selling his homemade grape and apple wines, maple syrup, honey and whatnot, depending on the season.”

  Leo perked up. “He grows apples? Which variety? How many trees?”

  Nicholas held up a hand. “Easy does it, Leo. No time for that discussion.”

  “Oh, sorry…”

  “Anyway,” Will continued, “if anyone is sure to find you a proper guide, it’ll be Lane. He knows everybody in Woodwater. If my brother doesn’t show up later today or by tomorrow, we’ll visit him ourselves.”

  “That’d be terrific,” Nicholas said gratefully. “We can’t wait to meet him.”

  But as the rain continued falling relentlessly, there was no sign of Lane Fish or anyone else upon the road all afternoon or evening. Nicholas and Leo contentedly resigned themselves to the fact that they could spend a relaxing and uneventful evening in the company of newfound friends, renewing their stamina and spirits at the same time.

  “I’ve boiled extra water and set it in the washroom in back,” Mrs. Fish later informed them with an easy familiarity as if they had been lodging in her home for weeks. “You can each take turns cleaning up and shaving those scruffy faces before dinner. And if you have clean sets of clothes left in your packs, put them on. I’ll wash all the others and hang them by the fire to dry so you’ll be ready to travel properly. And no arguments from either of you!” she quickly added as Nicholas and Leo were on the verge of protesting her tireless assistance.

  They did as instructed, and after enjoying a warm meal later that evening, Nicholas and Leo insisted that they would clean up the kitchen before retiring for the night. When the task was complete, they offered Will and Beth Ann their profound thanks before shuffling off to the barn. The rain had let up somewhat by then and they each passed a restful night on piles of warm hay beneath clean blankets until the milky gray light of dawn touched the eastern horizon.

  The morning blossomed cool, dry and breezy. Clouds sailed overhead, allowing the sun to peek through and evaporate the remnants of yesterday’s downpour. Nicholas and Leo sat down with the Fish family at midmorning for tea and bread when there was a knock at the door. Lane Fish popped his smiling head inside, happily greeting his niece and nephews who christened his arrival with shouts of joy. Lane, who was a few years older than his brother though similar in appearance, joined everyone at the table. Will filled him in on Nicholas and Leo’s plan to explore the Dunn Hills, leaving out any mention of King Justin and the Northern Isles.

  “If you’d like to take Mr. Raven and Mr. Marsh over to Woodwater and help them secure a proper guide, that would be most helpful,” Will said to his brother.

  “I’m taking a shipment over the day after tomorrow,” Lane informed them. “You’re welcome to come along. I know just the man for the job, too. His name is Hobin. More likely than not, we’ll find him at the Mossy Rock.”

  “The Mossy Rock?” Leo asked curiously.

  “A small eating establishment I like to frequent whenever I cross the river,” he said. “Norma Delving serves a fine lamb stew there which, by the way, goes down nicely with some of my wines I’ll be delivering. Norma owns and runs the Mossy Rock.”

  “Leo and I insist on buying you lunch in exchange for your help,” Nicholas said. “It’s the least we can do.”

  Lane thanked them for their offer and made arrangements to meet at midmorning in two days at his farm down the road. But for the rest of the current day and the next, Nicholas and Leo helped Will and his sons around the farm as repayment for the family’s kindness. Will was grateful as there was fencing to be mended, stalls to be cleaned and other tasks piling up that had been delayed by the rain.

  “I hire several locals to help during the busy growing season,” Mr. Fish said, “but let them go by this time of year as I have my boys to rely on now that they’re grown. But your assistance is appreciated. If you two ever wander back this way, stop by again.”

  “We promise to,” Leo said, feeling as if he were back home in Minago. “Right, Nicholas?”

  Nicholas looked up, fumbling his initial words as he sought a suitable reply. “Sure,” he finally said, his voice slightly wavering. “If I ever pass this way, I’ll be sure to knock on the front door instead of sneaking off to your barn.”

  Nicholas glanced at Leo, hoping his friend didn’t detect his unease as he offered a strained smile. Time after time he had planned to tell him of his intention to separate after they completed their mission, yet he always found an excuse to back out. Now that he and Leo were getting closer to the Dunn Hills, time was running out. If he was serious about finding his way to the Trillium Sea to search for Ivy, he knew he had to level with his friend–and soon. It was the only honorable thing to do.

  “I packed enough food to last a day or so until you can buy more provisions in Woodwater,” Mrs. Fish said two days later on a cold morning blessed with sapphire blue skies and abundant sunshine. She gave Nicholas and Leo each a motherly hug. “As Will said, come back any time you’re in the area. We’d love to see you again.”

  “As would we,” Nicholas replied. He and Leo thanked the couple profusely for all their kindness.

  Beth Ann wiped away a small teardrop. “Now you’d better be off. Lane is waiting and he likes to keep to a schedule.” She looked at her oldest son, Tim, who planned to accompany them to his uncle’s farm. “And promise me no dallying after you take Uncle Lane’s horse back to his barn. Your father
has plenty of work for you to do here.”

  “I promise, Mother,” Tim replied with an exasperated sigh.

  Will shook hands with Nicholas and Leo while the other children waved goodbye as the travelers walked down the road to Lane’s farmhouse with their brother. After a short hike along a dirt road rutted with wheel tracks, the trio spotted Lane directing a small horse-drawn cart down his front weedy pathway. Several wooden crates, some containing crocks of honey and others filled with pears, were piled on back next to a few small casks of various wines. Tim waved to his uncle, a grin upon his freckled face.

  “Hop on,” Lane said, indicating for Nicholas and Leo to climb up on the front seat after they stowed their packs in back. Tim clambered onto the back of the cart. “My boat is tied up on the river. You can help me load the goods.”

  After a short ride to the river’s edge, Nicholas and Leo helped Lane haul his items to a rowboat tied up at a tiny wooden dock that Lane had built several years ago. When they finished, Tim eagerly climbed up on the front of the cart and grabbed the reins to take the horse back to his uncle’s farm. Lane handed him two copper half-pieces for his help.

  “Spend it wisely,” he told his nephew before the boy drove off and left the others on the river’s grassy edge. Lane turned to his passengers and guided them onto the boat. “Let’s move. I’ve got sales to make and you have a journey to take. With luck, Hobin will be available to guide you. He’s spent years exploring and mapping the lakes and mountains in the Dunn Hills. He’d rather do that than most anything.”

  “He sounds like just the man we need,” Leo said as Lane untied the boat and pushed off with one of the wooden paddles.

  Moments later they were gliding across the Lorren River on the second day of Old Autumn as bright sunlight danced upon the water. Lane sat in the center, expertly dipping his paddle into the water from side to side while Nicholas and Leo enjoyed the view at either end. In the near distance lay the tiny village of Woodwater nestled on the edge of the Dunn Hills. The vast spread of tall trees and distant rolling mountains exploded in brilliant and welcoming shades of green, brown, yellow, red and gold while ominously veiled in mystery and doubt at the same time. As they neared the western bank, Nicholas and Leo already felt lost. They knew their jaunt through the Cashua Forest would seem easy compared to the anticipated hike through the Dunn Hills. The two friends exchanged tired glances before having taken their first steps.

  Another horse and cart was waiting on the other side of the river when Lane paddled his boat to a low, stony spot on shore. He tied up the vessel to a nearby pine tree and breathed in the fresh morning air, happy in his element.

  “Where’d that come from?” Nicholas asked, pointing to the horse secured beneath a second tree.

  “I made a trip across earlier this morning. Hired out the horse and cart for the day from a local farmer like I always do,” Lane replied. “He dropped it off a short time ago as I instructed. Untie her, Nicholas, and bring the cart close to the boat so we can load up. It’s only a few minutes into town along that road,” he said, pointing west. “I need to make two deliveries on the way. We can stop at the Mossy Boulder for lunch. If Hobin isn’t around, I’ll take you to his house.”

  About an hour later inside the village of Woodwater, Lane’s cart rattled up a dirt road that was thickly lined with pine trees. An area opened up near a curve in the road. On the left side stood the Mossy Boulder, a low pinewood building with small windows on either side of the front entrance. Several maple trees nearly stripped of their leaves stood guard in back of the slouching diner. Nearby, a huge mud puddle lay on the ground like a small lake. Sweet wood smoke issued out of three chimneys spaced evenly on the roof. Off to the right of the building and along the left side of the road sat a huge boulder, the bottom quarter buried in the ground. Leo thought it looked as if some giant, fantastical creature had slammed the enormous rock into the soil and left it there. Serving as the inspiration for the eatery’s name were patches of dry, brown moss clinging to sections of the boulder like worn out pieces of old carpeting.

  “I hope the cooking is better than the view,” Leo softly commented.

  “Oh, the Mossy Boulder is not much to look at, I’ll admit,” Lane replied with a chuckle, “but you’ll be more than happy with Norma’s menu. She’s a fine cook.”

  “Let’s put her to the test,” Nicholas said, leading the way to the door after tying up the horse.

  Upon stepping inside, they were greeted by murmuring voices and the clatter of plates amid the sun splashed and candlelit interior. Flames crackled in a large, brick fireplace, its billowing heat warming the several rooms and grateful patrons on a chilly autumn day. A dozen or so people sat at several tables near the fire enjoying their noontime lunch. Two other men, looking tired and unshaven, silently sat at a table against a far wall picking at the remains of a roasted pheasant on a platter between them. Lane spotted an empty table near one of the windows. After placing their orders with a server, he, Nicholas and Leo soon enjoyed cold ale, buttered bread, a wedge of cheese and three large bowls of lamb stew.

  “You’re right,” Leo said, tearing a piece of bread and dipping it into his bowl. “This is delicious!”

  “I said Norma is a great cook,” Lane replied as he attacked his meal with gusto. “You won’t ever go wrong stopping here.”

  “That’s the nicest thing anybody’s said to me all day,” a woman replied as she approached the table, a dull, white apron tied around her waist. She smiled at the trio, appearing weary and cheerful at the same time. “Did you bring my wine and pears, Lane?”

  “And some honey, too, if you’re getting low,” he said before introducing Norma Delving to his two companions.

  “I can use more,” she said, glancing at Nicholas and Leo. “Lane is my best customer from across the river. Has he finally took my advice and hired help? He tries to run that farm all by himself.”

  “And I nearly do,” he replied with a playful grin.

  “Lane is helping us,” Nicholas said.

  “We’re looking for Hobin,” Lane said between sips of ale. “These two want to hire him as a guide. Plan to scout around the Dunn Hills for a while.”

  “He was in this morning for breakfast and told me he had a busy day ahead,” Norma explained. “I don’t expect to see him here until tomorrow, if that.”

  “No matter. I’ll drop these boys off near his road before I make my next delivery,” he said. “Did Hobin mention what he was planning to do today? Will he be around?”

  Norma laughed out loud, drawing the attention of several customers. “You know Hobin. He could be off on a whim for days at a time or holed up in his house poring over his maps for just as long.” She removed one of the empty plates from the table. “If you’d like, my son can run over there now and let Hobin know he can expect some visitors later in case he plans to disappear into the woods.”

  “Assuming he hasn’t done so already,” Lane said.

  “We appreciate the offer, but that won’t be necessary,” Leo told her. “We’ll take our chances that Hobin will be there. We’ve been lucky so far in our travels.”

  “They’ve come all the way from Arrondale,” Lane informed her. “Now they want to explore our section of the world.”

  “Well you won’t find a more beautiful spot in all of Laparia,” Norma said with a smile. “Now can I get you gentlemen another helping of stew?”

  “Please,” Nicholas said as he sopped up the last of the gravy in his bowl with a piece of bread. “And some more of that fine ale will hit the spot, too.”

  Over the next half hour, Nicholas, Leo and Lane enjoyed their food, drink and several laughs before realizing that it was time to move on to more important matters. Leo paid for their meal, and then after he and Nicholas helped Lane deliver the food supplies to Norma’s kitchen, they exited the Mossy Boulder and rattled down the dirt road in the rented horse cart.

  As they drove past the huge boulder alongside the road, they too
k little notice of two men standing near the rock, one smoking a pipe while engaged in quiet conversation with the other. They were the same men who had been inside the restaurant earlier dining on the roasted pheasant, discreetly listening to the conversation that Nicholas, Leo and Lane were having with Norma Delving. What caught their attention most was learning that Nicholas and Leo had traveled all the way from Arrondale and were planning to head into the Dunn Hills.

  “Think those two are who the wizard is looking for?” one of the men asked.

  The other man took a long draw on his pipe and exhaled a stream of smoke into the chilly air. “How many pairs of travelers from Arrondale do you think pass this way every day? Of course it must be them! And what a stroke of luck,” he said with a grin. “As we’re the team that found them, imagine what kind of reward we’ll get. And here I was ready to give up after only three days on the lookout.”

  “But we have to make sure they really are the right ones. We have to track them.”

  “Leave the particulars to me,” the second man replied, puffing on his pipe. “We can follow them easily enough in this tiny place.” He softly laughed, rubbing his whiskered face. “I guess this job beats poling one of those blasted rafts up the Lorren River for days on end, don’t you think?”

  CHAPTER 51

  The Guide

  “Hobin lives over there,” Lane said. He reined his horse to a halt along a dirt road on the outskirts of Woodwater. He pointed down a long, narrow pathway of drying mud and grass that wound through a small field and into a dark stretch of woods.

  “Exactly where?” Leo asked with a shrug, seeing no dwelling of any kind.