Shepherd's Quest: The Broken Key #1

by Brian S. Pratt

  The evening of the second day found Riyan deeper into the hills than he had ever been before. Ahead to the west the mountains raised high into the sky. With the crystal blue sky above and the rolling green foothills below, the mountains were a breathtaking sight. A cool breeze blew across the hills to help alleviate the heat of the day. If only he could get Freya off his mind, he would be able to enjoy it all so much more.

  The first day out, he railed, shouted, and screamed at the injustice in the world. That actually had helped to rid his soul of the worst of the feelings the situation in Quillim had instilled in him. Now it was more a sense of loss that continued to plague him more than anything else.

  If he couldn’t change the situation he must make the best of it. His mother was right in that Freya was going to need a friend in the coming years. And he decided that if that was all he’s going to be able to be to her, he would at least be that.

  Near the end of the day he and his flock crested another of the many hills in this area. On the far side was a small lake that stretched outward from the base of the hill for quite some distance. A truly scenic place with the mountains as a backdrop, he decided to stop here for the night. While the flock grazed nearby, Riyan began collecting sufficient firewood to last him through the night.

  Baaaaaaa!

  The sheep cried out to him whenever he disappeared out of sight in his hunt for decent fuel for the fire. They continued to cry out until he reappeared again. Now that they were in unfamiliar territory, they didn’t want to be very far from him. Even Black Face hasn’t strayed off since they left behind the lands they usually grazed upon.

  He built his fire and then hunted for a small animal to roast for dinner. Though he had plenty of food from home to last him, there was nothing like the taste of a fresh kill roasted over an open fire. Moving off from the campsite, he held his sling ready with a stone in hand. He worked his way through the trees until he came across a rabbit out for a last bite before returning to its burrow for the night.

  With a quick twirl, he launched a stone at the rabbit and struck it in the head. The force of the blow knocked it backward over a foot. As the rabbit laid there twitching its last, he walked over and picked it up. It didn’t take him long before the rabbit was skinned and roasting over the fire. The smell of roasting meat made his all but empty stomach growl.

  The flock remained close for the rest of the evening and was still nearby when he stoked the fire before turning in.

  Baaaaaaa! Baaaaaaa!

  The panicked cries of many sheep woke him in the middle of the night. He tried to get to his feet to see what was going on but was thrown back to the ground. The earth was shaking violently.

  An earthquake! He’d been in a couple during his life, but none with the force of what he was experiencing right now. The ground itself seemed to roar as it shook. Off in the distance came the sound of a tree crashing to the ground as it no longer could withstand the forces assaulting it.

  The best Riyan could do while the shaking continued was to get to his hands and knees. All around him the sheep bleated in fear, he could tell they were no longer together. In their fear they had ran off across the hills.

  When the ground finally stopped its shaking and calmed down, he stood up and looked around. The light from his fire didn’t extend all that far, and only three of his sheep were in sight.

  Putting two fingers in his mouth, he whistled loudly. Three long, loud bursts then he stopped to listen. From all around he could hear the sound of his sheep change from that of fear and panic to a more normal baaing.

  One more time he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled another three long, loud bursts. When he listened for the sheep’s response, he could hear them crashing through the underbrush back towards the camp. One by one they made their appearance and Riyan was sure they were relieved to once more be back with him.

  He counted the flock after the night grew quiet again and as the last one making its way through the bushes arrived. When he finished, he realized he was still two sheep short. He whistled again and then listened for the tell-tale sound of them making their way through the underbrush. But the night remained silent.

  “Damn!” he cursed. Two sheep gone! There was no way he was about to go searching for them in the dark. Aside from it being way too dangerous to move around in unfamiliar territory at night, he would also risk the chance that more of his sheep would become lost.

  Mad and upset, he counted the flock one more time in the hopes that he miscounted the first time. But the count remained the same, two sheep missing. That’s when he noticed one of the sheep who was missing was Black Face. “Of course,” he said to himself.

  Unable to do anything until the sun came up, he placed several more logs on the fire and laid back down. In the morning he was going to have to find the wayward sheep.

  The first rays of the sun upon his face woke him. First thing he did was to recount the sheep on the off chance that the others had made their way back during the night. To his surprise one of them had returned. Of course it wasn’t Black Face. At least he has only one to find now which should make his job that much easier.

  He left the flock where they were grazing and went to the top of a nearby hill. There he whistled loudly and scanned the forest for any movement. When he failed to see or hear any indication which direction Black Face lay, he returned to his camp. He had half a mind to simply forget about it, his life would be a whole lot easier if Black Face were to be lost forever. But he and his mother needed every copper that Black Face’s wool, and ultimately meat, would bring them.

  So after having a quick breakfast of food his mother had packed for him, he left the flock in the small area between the hills and set out in search of Black Face. He didn’t feel there was much of a threat to the flock where they were, and he wouldn’t be going very far from them. He mainly was planning to do a circuit around the immediate area as he didn’t think Black Face would have wandered that far. Of course, if after that time there was still no trace of him, he would give up. He had to at least make the attempt.

  For the next several hours, he worked his way in and around the hills. Once he reached as far as he dared to go from the flock, he would pause and whistle. Then he would listen for a moment. When he didn’t hear Black Face’s bleat, he continued. Every once in awhile he would return to the flock, only to find them still grazing contentedly.

  He was searching the area closest to the mountains, and had almost completely blanketed the area where he felt Black Face could have wandered to, when he heard a very faint, frightened bleating. Relieved to have found him, he rushed forward toward his wayward sheep.

  Following the sound of Black Face’s cries, he headed further west towards the slopes of the mountains. After fording a stream, the trees opened up on a clearing wherein a large expanse of berry bushes lay. He nodded to himself when he saw them for they were just the type Black Face always seemed to gravitate towards back home.

  Pausing just within the clearing, he looked around but couldn’t see Black Face. Raising his fingers to his lips, he whistled loudly for a second then stopped. He stood still as he waited for the bleating to come and after a moment, it did.

  Baaaaaaa!

  The cry was coming from the right side of the berry patch but the sheep was nowhere to be seen. “Black Face!” he hollered. “Where are you, you stupid sheep?”

  Baaaaaaa!

  Again the cry came. Shaking his head, Riyan moved towards the sound. As he drew closer to the edge of the berry bushes he saw a snatch of sheep’s wool dangling from one of the vines. He walked quickly to it and plucked it from the vine just as the cry came again. This time, it sounded close, and was coming from just before him. Yet there was no sign of Black Face.

  Baaaaaaa!

  When it came again, he looked more closely and saw a fair sized hole in the ground hidden beneath the berry vines about four feet in. It was from out of that hole Black Face was calling from.

  “You really
got yourself in a fix this time didn’t you?” he asked.

  Baaaaaaa!

  “No use complaining at me,” he said to the sheep. “You’ve got no sense whatsoever.” He then took a moment to figure out how on earth he was going to get him out of there. The hole in which Black Face had fallen was covered in a thick layer of thorn laden vines. He was sure that he could get him out of there, but it wasn’t going to be easy.

  Turning his attention to the vines, he contemplated his best course of action. Pulling his knife from his belt, he sighed and began cutting away segments of the vines. Almost a quarter hour later, his hands were covered in dozens of pin-prick sized holes, some of which were still welling blood. He had managed to clear a good portion of the vines away and reached the edge of the hole. His attitude towards Black Face continued to deteriorate every time another of the thorns pricked his skin.

  Baaaaaaa!

  “Oh shut up,” he yelled down to the hole. When he at last reached the edge of the hole and had cleared the vines back enough to look down, he saw Black Face moving down below. The side of the hole sloped down a steep embankment until reaching where Black Face stood.

  He gauged the angle of the slope and determined that it was inclined sufficiently that he could possibly make it back up if he went down to get the sheep. Though with Black Face in his arms, it would be a little trickier. So after another few minutes of pruning the branches back a little bit further, he went to the edge of the hole and began climbing down.

  Baaaaaaa!

  When Black Face saw him coming down towards him, he started baaing excitedly. “Yeah, just wait until I get you out of here,” threatened Riyan, “then we’ll see how happy you are.”

  Baaaaaaa!

  The threat of possible repercussions for being down here didn’t seem to worry Black Face any. He was just happy to be with someone familiar again.

  Sliding down into the hole was relatively easy. Once he hit the bottom, Black Face immediately came to him and practically jumped into his lap. “Calm down,” he said as he got to his feet.

  He glanced around and was quick to realize that this was not just some hole in the ground. The light filtering down from above revealed that he was in what looked to be some kind of passage. It was roughly ten feet high, half that wide, and extended into darkness to his left and right.

  Excitement filled him as he saw the unmistakable signs of human construction. Though the sides of the passage were worn with time, they still showed where stone blocks were used in its construction.

  “What did you find?” he asked Black Face. Visions of treasure and adventure raced across his mind as he wondered what wealth may be hidden down here. Then, from down the passage to his right, something caught the light from above and glittered. Turning his head towards it, he tried to see it but had lost it in the dark.

  Unwilling to give up on it, he moved slowly down the passage until the glitter came again. Then he rushed forward and discovered that the glitter came from a tarnished coin almost completely buried in the dirt covering the floor. “Treasure!” he exclaimed excitedly. Never in his wildest imagination did he ever think he, a shepherd boy, would find something like this.

  Dropping to his knees, he reached down and picked up the coin. He couldn’t see it too clearly and got back to his feet. Returning to just beneath the hole, he held the coin in the light from above and saw that it was made of copper. It was roughly the size of the coins he’s used to using, but the impressions on both sides were nothing like he had ever seen before.

  On the one side was a bust of what could have been a man, but it wasn’t easy to make out as the coin was quite worn. The other side bore a symbol the likes of which he’s never seen before. “This has to be old,” he said to himself. Looking down the passage that extended into darkness in both directions, he wondered just how many more such coins could be down here.

  Then he turned his gaze to Black Face. “I guess I can forgive you,” he said. Rolling the coin through his fingers, his mind began churning with possibilities. He slipped the coin into his pouch before removing two short lengths of rope. “Sorry about this old boy,” he said.

  Taking one of the pieces of rope, he tied Black Face’s rear legs together and then the front. “Baaaaaaa!” complained Black Face. The sheep didn’t care for being treated like this, but Riyan couldn’t have his legs loose and thrashing about as he tried to return him back to the surface.

  Once the legs were tied, he picked up Black Face. He placed him over his shoulders and around his neck. He held onto the legs with one hand as best he could while using the other to maintain his balance as he maneuvered up the slope.

  Black Face wiggled, baaed and kicked the whole way up. Riyan lost his grip a couple times due to the sheep’s thrashing and was thankful that he had the forethought to bind the legs or it would have been much worse. When he at last reached the top, he braced his feet securely before launching Black Face up and out of the hole with a mighty shove. After Black Face hit the ground and began baaing pitifully, Riyan climbed the rest of the way to the surface.

  Once out, he untied Black Face and then turned back one more time to look at the hole. If it wasn’t for the fact that the flock was some distance away and unattended, he would have tried to explore the passage further. But without a source of light such as a torch or a lantern, he wouldn’t have been able to go very far anyway.

  As he returned with Black Face back to where the rest of the flock was grazing, he made sure to set the landmarks and the lay of the land in his mind. He wanted to be sure he could find this place again. For when he returned home, he planned to get some supplies together and come back.

  He immediately got the flock moving once again back towards Quillim. As they set out, he removed the coin from his pouch and looked at it. A grin spread across his face at the adventure it promised.

  The day after the debacle at the Sterling Sheep, the town was simply abuzz with rumors and gossip. Of course a couple of the more juicy ones were started by Bart. He’s simply enjoying himself to no end.

  Still though, the betrothal between Rupert and Freya had yet to be called off. Bart really had no expectations for it to be called off for Freya’s family, even with the humiliation the events were giving them, could ill afford to not go through with it. He felt bad for her, but he despised Rupert more.

  To up the ante, he dropped off the necklace he took from Rupert’s drawer the night before at Mirriam’s door. He didn’t leave a note with it, instead he twined it around several beautiful flowers and laid it upon a finely embroidered kerchief. That by itself wouldn’t have led people to believe that it was from Rupert. So right afterwards, he went into town and stood near the window of the biggest gossip in town.

  He could hear her inside talking with a couple other ladies as they worked on their needlework. Every year she and her circle work on a quilt which they give to one of the more underprivileged families in the area. This year they planned to give it to Clara Jenis and her family. Clara has been ill for the past few months and her husband was having a hard time keeping things together. Between working, their three children, and her illness, he was about worn to a frazzle.

  From his position by the window, he heard them talking about somebody or another. Then he said sort of loud, but not too conspicuously so, “I tell you I saw him!”

  Then in another voice like he was another person he replied, “Rupert?” From within the house, all talking ceased.

  Bart grinned to himself as he said, “Yes Rupert. You would think he’d leave well enough alone after his problems of the night before.”

  In his second voice he asked himself, “What happened?” The inside of the house was as quiet as a tomb, he knew every ear within was straining to hear what he had to say next.

  “I saw him placing something at the door of Mirriam’s home,” he said in voice one.

  “Mirriam?” voice two asked. “Isn’t she the one who’s been trying to get her hooks in him for years?”

/>   “That’s the one,” voice one replied. “Looks like she finally hooked him.”

  “What did he leave?” voice two asked.

  “I’m not exactly sure,” voice one explained. “Some flowers for sure though I thought I saw something glittering among the stems.”

  Then as he started to say, “We’ll have to see what…” he began moving away from the window and let his voice trail off. After he became quiet, he snuck back to the window and listened. Inside it remained silent for only a few seconds before the women all started talking at once. Now, if Mirriam would just find the necklace and put it on, it would lend credibility to the seed he just sowed.

  He hung around town for a couple hours and sure enough, Mirriam appeared wearing the necklace. Her eyes were aglow and she walked briskly through town. By this time the rumor he planted had circulated widely. Two people already had approached him and told him about it, each telling seeming to add some new detail. As she passed through the people on the streets, they would grow quiet. Then after she went by, their eyes would follow her as they talked in hushed whispers.

  Bart watched as she continued along the street, her hand would at times go to the necklace and rub it as if she didn’t really believe it was there. She paused at the corner for a second before her eyes lit up. Across the street, Rupert and his three cronies had just appeared.

  She waved and hurried across the street to meet him. Bart followed her at a discreet distance to see what would happen. He wasn’t alone, many of those on the street saw where she was heading and followed too.

  Rupert came to a stop and his eyes turned dark when he saw the necklace around her neck. He recognized it as one that had been in his drawer. Bart was too far away to hear what was said, but after just a couple exchanges between Rupert and Mirriam, Rupert ripped the necklace from around her neck. Then Mirriam turned and fled, tears in her eyes.

  Bart stood there a moment too long, for Rupert noticed him. His face turned darker and he began moving quickly towards him. Bart remained where he was until the four young men came to him.

  Rupert held out the necklace and demanded, “Do you know anything about this?”

  “Why no Rupert,” Bart replied innocently. “It looks to be a necklace of some sort.”

  “Someone’s been messing with me,” he stated, “trying to get my betrothal with Freya annulled.” Rupert glared at him and added, “I can only think of one person who would want that.”

  “Freya?” guessed Bart.

  Rupert’s eyes narrowed and his face turned red in anger. “Don’t play with me, Bart!” he warned. “I know Riyan is behind this and you two, along with Chad, are tight as thieves.”

  “Riyan has been out with his sheep since just after your betrothal,” he replied. “I don’t see how he could be behind anything.”

  Rupert glared at him. “This betrothal is going to continue,” he said. “If there are any further ‘occurrences’ like this,” he continued as he held up the necklace again, “Riyan will pay the consequences.”

  It was Bart’s turn to get a dark look. “Be sure you know with whom you’re messing with before you act,” he warned.

  “Is that a threat?” Rupert asked. “Are you daring to threaten me?”

  “Merely offering a piece of advice,” he answered.

  Then Rupert became aware of the people who had gathered to watch the drama unfold between himself and Bart. To Bart he said, “This isn’t over.”

  Bart merely remained silent as Rupert and his three cronies quickly left the street. Once they’ve gone down the street a ways, Bart turned and left in the opposite direction.

  Moving through town, his mind churned over the encounter. What had started out as a prank has developed into something a bit more serious. He feared that Rupert was planning on taking out his anger over what’s been happening on his friend Riyan. Thankfully Riyan isn’t due back for several more days. Hopefully by then all this will have blown over.

  He hurried back across town to old Rebecca’s place to finish the work she wanted done. Along the way, he came to the decision to lay low for awhile and leave Rupert alone. At least until Riyan returned, then he would see how things turned out.

  Chapter Five

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