“Before they bought the house,” Sarah clarified. “I didn’t mean before they bit the big one, but whether those doors were always there. Did your grandparents build that house? That’s the question I’d be asking right about now.”
“Well, remind me to look it up once we get back.”
Sarah flipped through the next couple of pages, scanning the entries. Was there anything in here that could help us out? She was about ready to turn the page when a familiar word caught her eye.
“Jhorun! They talk about jhoruns in this entry!”
“Let’s hear what it says.”
Sarah passed him the journal. “Your turn.”
Steve took the journal and started to read.
September 25th, 2008
The castle has finally quieted down. With the journeys of Volan finally disclosed, all anyone can talk about is who, or what, the Nohrin are. Who they are, where they are from, why they have not appeared yet, and most important of all, what their jhoruns might be. I can’t even imagine the jhoruns required to fulfill the Bakkian.
I’ve seen the levels of the wizards of R’Tal, and it makes mine seem miniscule.
“Hah! There, did you hear that? They did have jhoruns! I knew it!”
“Keep reading! I want to hear what they were!”
And it doesn’t even work all the time. I have to concentrate so hard I give myself headaches, and even then the pen doesn’t write fluidly like it should. The parchment that Grace conjures suffices for our work, but it would have been nice to have something stronger.
“Babe,” Steve said, “doesn’t that sound like our jhoruns are more powerful?”
“Well, ordinarily, I wouldn’t say so, but it’s hard to refute that. Your grandfather could make a pen move? Like having it transcribe for them? And your grandmother conjured the paper for him to use?”
“I’ll say it. Those jhoruns sound pretty wimpy to me.”
“It sounds convenient. Those two jhoruns go together really well, don’t you think? Keep reading, will you?”
Steve returned to the journal.
I really shouldn’t complain. It’s taken thirty years to become trustworthy in the Kri’yans eyes, and even longer to earn our jhoruns. I’m grateful Shardwyn is a powerful wizard.
Steve’s jaw clanged noisily on the ground as his mouth fell open.
“Say what? At least thirty years? And they were given those jhoruns??”
“But, but…” Sarah sputtered. “They should have had their own! Thirty years! Couldn’t they figure out how to access their own jhoruns?”
“Thirty years.” Steve repeated. “If they had jhoruns, they would have figured out how to make them work. What if they didn’t have them?”
Sarah considered. “Well, if they didn’t have them, why do we? Are we just smarter than they were and figured out how to use them whereas they didn’t?”
Steve shook his head. “We have only been here a few days. And we already know what it takes to make our jhoruns work. We might not have all the nuances down, but we have a decent idea on what it can and can’t do. I think you’re right. I don’t think they had jhoruns on their own.”
Pointing to the book, Sarah indicated to Steve that she’d like him to continue reading.
October 16th, 2008
We’ve received our eighth quest. Discover the identities of the Nohrin and facilitate their arrival in any way we can with the full support of the court of R’Tal.
I would say that we’ve been escalated again in their eyes to give us this much responsibility. The king and queen clearly are disturbed that the Nohrin haven’t arrived yet. They are utterly convinced that their son, Kre’Mikal, is in mortal danger. His highness is only seven years old, and hasn’t a clue to the danger his parents believe him to be in.
I can’t say that I’m convinced the danger exists, but clearly everyone here believes it to be real. The foreign kingdom of Ylani has always been Lentari’s greatest rival, and would love to cause strife for their peace-loving neighbors. But would Ylani really make such a bold statement of war by trying to kidnap the young prince?
The entire kingdom is rife with unease. I do not think it would take much for civil unrest to escalate out of hand. Everyone here loves their King and Queen, and the little boy Prince. If a rival kingdom were to somehow get their hands on that little boy, this kingdom will declare war faster than a griffin can snare a wiht.
So now we’ve been tasked with finding the identities of the Nohrin. The Bakkian clearly states that the royal family will be challenged, and that the little Prince will not truly be safe until he is in their care. So who are they? What magic do they possess that can out-perform the wizards of R’Tal? Where do they come from? How can we possibly ascertain the origins of people mentioned in a four hundred year-old reference?
Steve whistled. “A four hundred year-old reference? I wouldn’t want to have to track down these people, either.” He gestured to the journal. “That was two years ago. I wonder when these Nohrin guys showed up?”
Sarah looked thoughtful. “Even if they did, I wouldn’t want to be the king or queen. How can you be certain that the people who arrived and claimed to be these Nohrin people were in fact who they claimed to be?”
“Good point. They probably came up with a test of some sort.”
Sarah took the journal from Steve. “If these people showed up, I’ll bet there would be some mention in here, don’t you think?”
“Good one. Skim through and see what the next entries say.”
“Let’s see.” Sarah scanned the next couple of pages. “Here’s an entry, dated early the next year. No progress made. Ummm, next we have an entry from the summer of 2009, still no progress. Looks like your grandfather is getting very nervous. Apparently the king and queen are getting restless.”
Getting defensive, Steve snorted. “How can they expect them to track down these people if the only clues they have are from four hundred years ago? I wouldn’t know where to start, believe me. Sounds like the Homework Assignment from hell.”
“Actually,” Sarah said, reading the next entry, “It looks like the king and queen were worried, but not frustrated. This entry says that the queen has been continually reassuring them, telling them to not give up hope. Looks like your grandfather was being incredibly hard on himself. I guess he took his job seriously.” She looked up from the journal and met her husband’s eyes. “Sound like anyone we know?”
Steve hmmphed at her, indicating for her to continue.
“Let’s see, the next couple of entries are all from 2009, and all of them pretty much say the same thing. They aren’t having any luck identifying who the Nohrin are. The first entry from 2010 mentions that the king and queen have granted them an extended leave of absence so that they can then focus all of their energies into their task when they return. Says here that the king is figuring they are working too hard and need to rest.”
Sarah quietly closed the journal. “That’s the last entry.”
Steve paled. That meant his grandparents died during their “vacation” and would therefore be unable to complete their last quest.
Sarah took his hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just spooky to hear about what they were doing before they died. And apparently, they were on some important mission to find several people who could supposedly protect the little prince.”
There came a sudden knocking on the door. Both occupants quickly sat up on the bed. Steve made it to the door first and opened it. There stood a soldier, clearly a high ranking one due to the way he carried himself. His uniform was a deep, scarlet color with a jeweled sword sheathed on his hip. Several daggers were visible in various locations along his belt.
Behind the soldier was the innkeeper, nervously twisting his apron in his large, beefy hands.
Steve’s demeanor quickly shifted to neutral. “Hello. Is there something I can do for you?”
The soldier’s eyes narrowed, noting the different manner in which t
he foreigner spoke. He raised his right hand, dismissing the owner of the inn.
“May I enter?” Without waiting for a response, he strode purposely into the room and faced the occupants.
“I am Rhenyon, captain of the Royal Guards. Who are ye? And more importantly, where are ye from? Mister Thacken told me a man, ye I presume, was able to heat three rather large cauldrons effortlessly using naught but his jhorun. Did he speak the truth?”
Sarah had silently positioned herself behind her husband. Just in case. She was pretty sure her husband would keep his head and not do anything foolish. However, she had also personally witnessed what he was capable of.
Steve met the captain’s stare.
“Good evening. My name is Steve. This is my wife, Sarah. And as you can probably figure out, no, we’re not from around here.”
Not sensing any danger from either one of the strangers, the soldier relaxed his posture.
“The lady of the inn tells me that she had help preparing for my arrival. She was very appreciative of the strange man and his powerful abilities.” Rhenyon held Steve’s gaze. “Care to explain the nature of that ability?”
“Long story short, I can apparently control heat and fire.”
Rhenyon’s eyebrows shot up. “Ye have control over one of the elements? Speak ye the truth??”
“I don’t know if I’d call it that, but yeah, I do appear to have control over fire. Why? What’s the big deal?”
“Demonstrate this, if ye please.”
Steve glanced over to the fire in the fireplace.
Poof!
The fire went out, leaving red-hot coals glowing brightly in the flame’s absence. Steve counted to ten, and then re-ignited it.
Rhenyon cocked his head, staring at the newcomers. He was silent for a few minutes as he contemplated what to do.
Sarah peaked around her husband to look at the soldier.
“Is there a problem? Why do you look as though you were just given some bad news? We aren’t a threat, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Rhenyon met her eyes. “It’s not often that we see someone with an elemental jhorun, milady. I wanted to see for myself if that were the case.” He studied the two of them. “What are yer intentions? Why are ye here?”
Steve elbowed his wife aside and faced Rhenyon head-on.
“We’re just looking to return home. But in order to do so, we need the help of your king and queen. So we’re on our way to R’Tal to seek an audience.”
Rhenyon nodded, pleased. “Then I wish ye well with yer journey.” He unbuckled one of his daggers and handed it to Steve. “Take this. My crest is on the hilt. If ye are stopped by any of my soldiers, show them this. Ye will be able to travel throughout the kingdom unmolested.”
Startled by this unexpected turn of events, Steve took the dagger, momentarily at a loss for words. “Ummm, thanks.” He ran his hand along the hilt, admiring the workmanship. “Is this necessary? Are we apt to run into troubles with your soldiers?”
Rhenyon shrugged. “Two foreigners who are unfamiliar with our customs. My soldiers are trained to ask questions.” He eyed the couple. “At least, they should.”
The captain extended his right forearm. Without even thinking, Steve grasped the proffered arm and gave it a friendly shake.
“Good journey to ye, then,” the soldier said.
“Thanks.”
Rhenyon turned and left the room. When the door finally closed behind him, Steve let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He looked at Sarah.
“What the hell was that all about?”
Sarah spread her hands. “Don’t ask me! Did we do something wrong? Maybe you shouldn’t have used your jhorun to heat those cauldrons up. Apparently you have a really unique ability.”
“If they knew about yours, they’d say the same thing. But you’re right, we really should use caution. I don’t want any more surprise visits from any type of soldier.” He thumped his chest to get the blood flowing. “That scared the crap out of me.” He turned to his wife and cracked a smile. “Couldn’t help but notice that you moved directly behind me.”
“And be in the line of fire if it came to that? No thank you.” Sarah put her arms around him. “Besides, I know that you really don’t want to hurt anyone, unless they pose a serious threat.”
Steve paused. “Do you think that Thacken turned us in or something?”
Sarah shook her head. “I don’t think so. He seems nice, as does his wife. Rhenyon probably offered up his thanks to the owner of the inn for being ready for him on such short notice, and then Thack mentioned that he had help. I don’t think there was any harm done.”
Steve hefted the jeweled dagger. “So why in the world did he give us this? Don’t you think that it’s a bit odd? I really don’t think he’s worried about his men. I think he had some other motive in mind.”
Sarah took the dagger and ran her fingers over the crest. It was of a stationary griffin, clasping some type of tree branch in his beak. A broadsword and a crossbow rested nearby. This was not some rudimentary dagger. The craftsmanship that went into the creation of this weapon was truly masterful. So why would he willingly part with it? What was his motive?
Confused, tired, and oddly enough, in high spirits, husband and wife fell instantly asleep. The fire in the hearth slowly died down until nothing but coals remained. Sarah, unconsciously noting the absence of the fire, snuggled closer.
Only a little while later, Sarah had awakened, drenched with sweat. When had their room turned into an oven anyway? Propping herself up on her elbow, she looked over the sleeping form of her husband to glare at the small hearth. Only a few coals were still glowing red. That couldn’t be it. What was going on? Steve rolled suddenly until he was flat on his back, his snores threatening to shake the dust of the rafters. The blast of heat had her gasping. Was he having a bad dream? If she didn’t do something quickly, this room was going to become a sauna. Nudging him gently in the ribs, she told him to roll over. There, that did it. She could feel the heat diminishing, like someone turning off a space heater. That was so much better!
Cooler, and much more comfortable, Sarah fell asleep.
Chapter 7 – R’Tal
Thacken Lodge was still and quiet. It was about an hour before sunrise and the lady of the house was already stirring. Bolli was gathering her fire-making materials to get the hearth lit again as her oaf of a husband had failed to properly bank it from last night. Naturally, it had gone out.
Several floors above, in the farthest room away from the main hall, Steve’s eyes snapped open. Something had just jolted him out of a sound sleep. Had he heard something? Had he detected some type of movement in the room? With all his senses on high alert, he lay motionless next to Sarah. She, however, was still sound asleep.
He rubbed his eyes. Sarah was a much lighter sleeper than he was, so since she didn’t wake up, then maybe he had just imagined it. That had to be it. If Sarah wasn’t concerned then he wasn’t concerned. Feeling the matter settled, he closed his eyes.
He had just started to doze off when he felt a sharp tingle, but only for a split second. What was that? Fully awake again, he waited to see if it would happen again. Sure enough, a minute or two later he felt the sharp tingle again, and just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. The sensation was reminiscent of getting a charley horse. Not the actual charley horse but the sensations that lead up to getting one. What was going on?
His jhorun started to awaken, sending his awareness to other areas of the lodge. His attention felt drawn down to the main hall. No, he corrected, that didn’t quite feel right. A room off of the main hall? Was it the kitchen? That was it. What’s going on in the kitchen?
The sharp tingle returned a third time, lasted a moment or two longer than the others, and then vanished. Curiosity piqued, he quietly got out of bed, dressed, and exited the room. With as much stealth as the creaky wooden floor would allow, he descended the stairs down to the main hall. All w
as quiet and dark, although he did hear some movement coming from the back of the inn. Someone was moving around, cursing softly.
Steve went up to the doorway and looked in to see Bolli angrily poking at one of her cooking hearths and attempting to coax a spark out of her nodule of flint. Throwing her stones down with disgust, she looked up and yelped with surprise.
“For the love of all that is good and blessed!!” Bolli had slapped a hand over her heart. “Ye scared ten years right off me life! Steve, make noise, knock on the door, something!”
“Sorry! Man alive, Bolli, I’m sorry. I heard noises, and I came to investigate. I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay? Can I give you a hand with something?”
“This fire is not cooperating. I cannot keep the spark burning. I tried using dried naka dung, I even tried my old fire starting sticks. Nothing. It burns for a moment, then before it can catch, a gust of wind blows it out. Damn all the winds and their makers.” She eyed Steve. “Ye can heat cauldrons. Can ye start fires?”
Steve gently, but firmly, guided Bolli back away from the hearth moments before it blazed up, burning merrily as though it had been burning the entire night.
Bolli visibly relaxed and even started to smile. “That be the second time you have come to my rescue. I will not forget it. As soon as I get breakfast cooking I’ll send up some up for ye and yer wife. Probably be in an hour or two.” She tossed a few more logs onto the fire. “All Thack had to do was bank the fire,” Bolli muttered in disgust. “Think he could remember to do that one simple task?” She looked at Steve and smiled. “Get some more sleep. I can take it from here.” She escorted him to the main hall and gently pushed him up the stairs.
Bakkian Chronicles, Book I - The Prophecy Page 14
