The Key of Creation: Book 01 - Rise of the Destroyer

by M. D. Bushnell

  Gilmoure spun towards the exit, and saw the gaunt man dragging the kicking Adrias. The horn blew its long forlorn note and eleven bows twanged, their arrows streaking towards their respective targets. The twelfth bow, however, launched a single deadly arrow whistling in the opposite direction.

  Aldrick blinked, trying to register the sudden sight of the fletching of the arrow jutting out from the back of Khelvar’s neck. The arrow had pierced him just above the shoulders, its bladed tip thrusting out through his throat. Khelvar released the struggling Adrias, and clutching around the protruding arrowhead, dropped to his knees.

  “I didn’t say kill him!” Aldrick shouted, perhaps a little harsher than he had intended.

  Gilmoure lowered his bow, and in an obstinate tone replied, “You might have specified.”

  The horn cried once more, announcing the end of the round. A number of people were realizing that something unusual had occurred, and the judges were on their feet. Jelénna rushed to Adrias, who ran into her arms, bawling. People near the exit that saw Khelvar fall were shouting and scrambling to get a closer look.

  Brodan appeared with a pleased look on his face, and announced in a curiously loud voice, “Gilmoure, you missed your shot!”

  Gilmoure stood staring back at the exit, and the man he had just shot through the throat. In a quiet voice he replied, “No, I didn’t.”

  Chapter 17

  The looming mansion and the lone robed figure exiting it were shrouded in darkness. The mysterious figure was cloaked and hooded, and in the black of the moonless night his features were indistinguishable. The tenebrous figure crept to the stable attached to the side of the house, eerily illuminated by a lone flickering torch. Aldrick did not recognize the mansion or its grounds from the negligible features visible in that subdued light, but he could sense the immensity and wealth of the place.

  Two servants stepped out of the shadows to help the shrouded figure climb into a waiting carriage. Aldrick spotted a glint of gold in the hand of the cloaked figure, before he disappeared into the carriage. He tried calling out to the man, but found he could neither speak, nor approach the house. The dark carriage left the stable drawn by a pair of ghostly horses, and trundled out onto the main road.

  Aldrick became aware that what he was seeing was not real but rather another of his odd dreams. The vision was fading even as he desperately struggled to hold onto the images. He was certain the figure was important, but grasping the idea felt like water slipping through his fingers. The gloomy carriage and spectral horses galloped off, and then the world shook, spinning away into a dark oblivion.

  “Aldrick, are you listening to me?” Aldrick opened his eyes to find Jelénna shaking him firmly on the arm. The crowd roared as two mounted, armored contestants rode about the arena floor, waving to the spectators. The Joust, the third physical trial of the Tournament of the King, had officially begun.

  Aldrick shook off the lingering effects of his dream, as the jousters lined up in preparation for their tilt. He could not help but wonder whom the cloaked figure represented, or the meaning of the scene he had just witnessed. He knew the dream had an important meaning, but unfortunately now was not the best time to sort it out.

  “Sorry my love, I dozed off for a moment.”

  “I’ll say you did. You look a little flushed dear, are you all right?” Jelénna asked, rubbing his arm affectionately.

  “I’m fine,” Aldrick said with a smile. “Just a little distracted.”

  The crowd roared again as the two men kicked their horses and charged, the colorful pennons tied to their lances fluttering and snapping in the breeze. The crowd collectively held their breath until the horsemen collided. One contender was launched backward off his horse, crashing to the ground amidst a cloud of dust and a spray of splinters from his broken lance. The crowd cheered the victor as he thundered to the end of the fence line and threw down the remains of his shattered lance. Flipping open the visor of his helmet, the grinning man waved at the crowd.

  A large bearded man ambled out onto the field and announced intermission. Some of the crowd began to disperse, moving towards food vendors located at one end of the stadium.

  Aldrick leaned over and gave his wife a kiss. “I’m going to check on my father. Are you certain you will be alright staying here with Brodan’s guards?”

  Jelénna smiled, although there was very little humor in it. “We’ll be safe here.”

  Aldrick did not like leaving them after what had happened, but he wanted to check on his father, and Khelvar was dead after all. “I love you,” was all he said, before pushing his way through the crowd and out of the arena.

  He was forced to weave through dense crowds at the Joust and the marketplace, and had to ask directions several times before managing to find his way. Tiberius had stayed to recuperate for a few days, but was soon scheduled to be released. He was healthy for his age, and with exceptional care from Doctor Quintus, Aldrick hoped he might be well enough to be released today.

  Checking the position of the sun before entering the building, Aldrick was confident he would have plenty of time to collect his father and return before Brodan jousted in the final round with his primary contender, Gilmoure.

  The Joust was a tiered event, with the order each man jousted being based on his standing in the Tournament thus far. The event began with those having the lowest scores, and continued until finishing the day with the two highest ranked competitors.

  Brodan had lobbied unsuccessfully to have Gilmoure banned from the remainder of the Tournament, after his missed shot in the Archery contest. Once the judges learned of the events surrounding his wild shot, they had ruled he could continue in the Tournament, but would receive no points for that round.

  Aldrick did not want to see his chances in the Tournament ruined because of what he had done to help save Adrias. He had said as much to the judges, but they would not relent on the lost points.

  For the remainder of the Archery competition, none of Gilmour’s subsequent shots had been stellar. Aldrick had found that a little unusual, as his shot to stop Khelvar had been nothing short of amazing, but shaky nerves easily explained it; he had, after all, just killed a man. As it turned out, Gilmoure had had such a commanding lead prior to the Archery contest, that he remained first in points even after the incident.

  Brodan had taken a close second place after his outstanding performance, and when Aldrick had seen him later he seemed very confident of his final victory. Based on the results of the Tournament so far, Brodan did indeed have a chance of being victorious, but Aldrick had to wonder if his overconfidence sprang from his natural arrogance, rather than empirical evidence.

  Wandering the hospice searching for the correct room, Aldrick came face to face with Doctor Quintus. Smiling, he offered his hand. “Hello, Doctor. How is my father?”

  Doctor Quintus shook his hand enthusiastically with a merry smile. “Yes, yes, well hello again, Aldrick. How are you then?”

  “Fine. My father?”

  “Oh, yes, fine, fine. Your father, ha-ha. He’s in good shape, and quite ready to go, I would say. I was just on my way to give him his final checkup.”

  “Great, I’ll walk with you.”

  Doctor Quintus babbled and laughed as they walked, until stopping at a stout wooden door and giving a quick knock. Aldrick followed the physician into the room, and greeted his father. Several pokes and prods later, the grinning physician gave him a clean bill of health and happily informed him he was free to go, so long as he kept the healing wound clean and bandaged for a few days more.

  Tiberius stretched, and began to get dressed. “I understand the artifact was not found when Khelvar was searched.”

  “No it wasn’t,” Aldrick sighed. “Berach let me in to search Khelvar’s quarters, but it didn’t turn up there either.”

  “He could have hidden it elsewhere.”

  Aldrick frowned. “I searched everywhere I could.”

  Tiberius picked up the bag con
taining the remainder of his belongings. “We cannot be certain he even had the artifact, but if Khelvar didn’t break into Jahann’s mansion, who did?”

  “Who knew of it besides him?”

  “I’m not aware of anyone, other than Gormond and Jahann,” Tiberius mused. “Neither seems a likely suspect, without evidence to the contrary.”

  “Unless Khelvar had an accomplice, or Jahann mentioned it to someone.” Aldrick grimaced.

  “That I can’t say,” Tiberius started towards the door. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you what happened to the guard you sent with Jelénna and Adrias?”

  “His body was found behind a tent with his throat cut.”

  “I’m surprised that little rodent was capable of incapacitating one of Brodan’s guards that easily.”

  “He disabled you easily enough,” Aldrick chuckled.

  “You know what I meant,” Tiberius said with a grimace, as they left the hospital. “It is good to get a breath of fresh air!”

  A young man, with a serious look on his face strolled out of the crowd and called out, “Ho Tiberius! I was just coming to see you. Can we talk?”

  “Of course, Paden. Why don’t you walk with us?”

  After introductions, Tiberius said to his son, “With your suspicions after our trip to Jahann’s residence, I asked Paden to keep watch over the place with a few associates of his. Nothing official of course, but since you were so adamant I thought it was a good idea.”

  Paden nodded. “I have to admit Tiberius, I thought you were crazy. Jahann is respected noble. That may have changed this morning, however. He has left the city.”

  “Left?” Tiberius paused in mid-step. “Where could he be going in the middle of the Tournament?”

  “I don’t know, but it looked like he was leaving for good. Servants came and went on errands, but Jahann never left his house until today. At dawn, his servants loaded his carriage and he snuck out in a dark gray, hooded robe. He climbed into the carriage and left.”

  “Incredible,” Aldrick said, stunned. The image of Jahann, in hood and full robes, sneaking out of his mansion to enter a waiting carriage was too close to his dream to be coincidence.

  “What is it?” asked Tiberius.

  “I’m not sure, but I think we should search Jahann’s house.”

  “Search his house?” Tiberius appeared shocked at the suggestion. “Are you saying we should break in? We can’t do that!”

  Aldrick attempted to explain his suspicion, without mentioning the dream. “What if he were a suspect in a crime?”

  “What crime are you accusing him of?”

  “I’m not accusing him of anything yet. I need to search his house for proof.”

  “And if you find none?”

  “We can cross that bridge when we come to it.”

  Tiberius turned back to Paden. “Do any servants remain at the house?”

  “I don’t think so,” Paden shook his head. “After Jahann left, the servants carried out several cases and boxes to another wagon, and then closed and locked the mansion behind them.”

  “We have to get in that house!”

  “What do you expect to find?”

  “I can’t say for sure yet,” Aldrick admitted. “But I have reason to believe Jahann is not the friend he pretended to be.”

  Tiberius scratched his head in thought. “I have to be honest Aldrick, I don’t like this idea. However, I have trusted your hunch thus far.”

  Aldrick nodded, and turned to Paden. “Then let’s not waste any more time. Care to lead the way?”

  The locked front door of the mansion did not deter their search, as Aldrick had feared it might. When they arrived, Paden simply kicked it in. The blunt solution lacked the finesse that Aldrick would normally have preferred to employ, but he could not argue with the result.

  They entered the dark empty manor, and were surprised to find that nothing had changed since their visit the day after the robbery. The furniture was still in complete disarray, and no cleaning or repairs were in evidence at all. It would be difficult to say what, if anything had been removed from the house, with so much clutter and debris strewn about, but Aldrick knew they would have to find a way.

  “What are we looking for?” Tiberius asked in a hushed voice.

  “Besides the artifact?”

  Tiberius gave him a flat look.

  “I don’t know yet. Why are you whispering?”

  “Because technically we are breaking the law,” Tiberius whispered. “And it seemed like the correct thing to do.”

  The interior was dark, but their search was aided by slivers of daylight creeping around the edges of the curtained windows. Aldrick ascended the creaky stairs to the second floor while the others continued their search of the detritus on the main floor. The first door he opened led to an empty bedroom, which was surprisingly clean and ordered compared to the first floor. Aldrick could not help but wonder why the thieves had done so much damage to the first floor, but left this room completely untouched. A quick search proved fruitless, so he returned to the hallway and proceeded to the next door.

  Beautifully furnished, he found the exquisite room unmolested as well. A massive mahogany desk dominated the large room, with matching bookshelves lining the walls. A single ornate stone fireplace was centered on the wall to the right. Everything in this office was finely crafted and richly decorated, and the overall effect exuded both expensive taste and ostentatiousness.

  Aldrick took a quick survey of the room, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Sitting at the desk, he found the drawers to be locked, but his intuition told him he was on the right track. Using his dagger, he pried the right drawer open, but discovered it was empty. He continued on to the left drawer, which popped open with a splintering of wood.

  A quick search of the contents provided the fortuitous answer he sought. Underneath a stack of financial papers was a single page that drew his attention; a simple list of names, but one he recognized all too well.

  Tiberius poked his head into the room. “Interesting that the upstairs rooms appear to be untouched.”

  “This is even more interesting, take a look. A list of names matching the one I found on the road.”

  “You aren’t serious!”

  “Offhand, the only difference I see is that Brandt’s name has been crossed off this one.”

  “This is the evidence you sought, Aldrick. Jahann is either responsible for the attack on your family and the deaths of Brandt and the other nobles, or knows who is.”

  “It’s not definitive proof, as he could have merely found the list, but I have another reason to believe Jahann was involved. I had a dream about it.

  “Another dream, eh?” Tiberius said in a skeptical tone.

  “I saw a robed figure leaving in a carriage whom I couldn’t identify. Now, I believe it was Jahann.”

  Tiberius scratched his chin in thought.

  Aldrick stood. “Paden’s description of Jahann leaving the city sounded exactly like what I saw. Now we have the list, which corroborates what I already believed.”

  “It does seem to be strong evidence.”

  Aldrick nodded. “Perhaps this house was never broken into at all. Why would thieves tear apart the first floor, but leave the upstairs untouched? My guess is that the artifact has indeed been stolen, but not by Khelvar.”

  “Jahann stole it himself!”

  “It’s at least possible. Normally I would be skeptical, but I’ve been learning to pay more attention to these…dreams of mine.”

  “Alright.” Tiberius smiled at his son, “I believe you.”

  “Knowing we would only see the main floor, he staged the robbery to throw us off the trail and buy himself some time. Perhaps he waited a few days to avoid suspicion, before packing his things and leaving the city with the artifact.”

  “Do you think he knows what he has?”

  Aldrick closed the desk drawer, and glanced around. “If it was worth perpetrating this charade a
nd leaving the city for, I believe he must have some idea.”

  “If any of this is true, we must stop him!”

  Aldrick shook his head. “I promised Brodan I would be his Second in the Crown Run, and you have your Tournament obligations.”

  Tiberius nodded. “What about Paden and his men? I trust him…although I trusted Jahann. I’m sorry Aldrick, this is my fault.”

  “Not at all…he had everyone fooled. Will Paden do it?”