“That you will,” scoldedWolinda. “We return to Lorgo immediately. I want those two boys andI will have them if I have to tear the town apart. And I willaccept no more disobedience from you.”
“I hear and obey, Mistress,”the Dark Rider submitted as he bowed his way out of thetent.
* * * *
“The bandit rode out of townabout an hour ago,” Alan Markel reported. “He didn’t seem to be ina hurry.”
“Well, that’s one less problemto worry about,” remarked Tedi. “I think we are all set for ourjourney tomorrow morning.”
“Alan and I will go fishingearly,” stated Konic. “No one should suspect that tomorrow is anydifferent from any other day. I did check all of the inns lookingfor your mysterious woman, Arik, but she was not to be found.Master Tern said there was a woman staying there last night who fityour description, but she left around noon. Keep the ring as areserve of money. If you run out, don’t hesitate to sell it and usethe proceeds. If the woman comes back here for her ring, Alan and Iwill promise to make amends to her. I shouldn’t worry about it,though. The ring probably has little significance toher.”
“I suggest we all get a fullmeasure of sleep tonight,” Arik declared. “It’s not likely anyonewill bother us. Everyone who has been interested in us has left andwe will all have a full day ahead us tomorrow.”
Everyone agreed and slept without aguard. Alan and Konic were up before the first lightening of thesky and had breakfast ready by the time the boys awoke. Farewellswere short but sentimental and the two fishermen left the clearingbefore the boys had finished breakfast.
Arik and Tedi each sported a longduffel bag as well as their bows, quiver, and knife. Each wore graywoolen breeches and a hooded tunic with a brown leather vest overthe top. Short soft-soled boots, newly resoled, completed theiroutfits. The boys waited until Konic’s boat disappeared in thedistance before heading south along the beach. They walked wherethe sand was still dry, but close enough to the surf that they knewthe prints would be washed away within the hour.
The coastline wove out to points and into create bays, greatly shortening the distance along the coastthat one could see at any particular time. The boys did not see anyother people, yet they walked on in silence, each lost in his ownthoughts. There had been no opportunity to say goodbye to theirfriends in the town because they could not chance the possibilitythat someone might come looking for them. Each of the boys dealtwith the departure in his own way.
Around midday the coastline started toturn rocky and the boys chose to turn inland and seek a paththrough the forest. The further filtering of sunlight made thedense forest dark and foreboding. Neither of the boys had ever beenthis far from Lorgo and emotions of excitement mingled with thefear of the unknown. The birds chirped and sang merrily seeminglyunaware of the troubles that plagued the world. Twice the boyssidetracked to the sound of small animals and ended up with a quailand a rabbit for dinner later that day. The trail started slowlyclimbing and when the boys finally entered a small clearing, it wasalready well past the last light of day. The darkness of the foresthad obscured the setting of the light. Wearily and without commentthe boys set about starting a fire and cooking dinner. Arik couldhear the pounding of the waves, but the sound was distant and belowthem. Quietly the boys ate and went to sleep.
* * * *
Wolinda rode into town wearing a redsilk riding dress and surrounded by twenty Dark Riders. This timeshe didn’t plan on being subtle with the townspeople. She would notpose as a traveler and she would not ask her questions slyly. Shewanted the two boys and no townsperson was going to deny her. Thefew people in the streets immediately fled as she rode into town.Business doors closed and shutters were flung shut. Mothers draggedtheir youngsters into their houses. Within moments, Lorgo very muchappeared a ghost town; the only sound was hooves echoing off thebuildings.
The first stop was the Fisherman’s Inn.Esta Tern saw them coming and ordered all of the workers out theback door. There were no customers in the common room as the middaymeal was an hour past and when Wolinda and her group stormed intothe inn, only Esta was there to greet them.
Wolinda stood in the common roomglaring at Esta. “Where are the two runts?” shedemanded.
Esta swallowed deeply, sweat alreadyforming on his brow. “I don’t know, Mistress,” hecroaked.
At a signal from Wolinda, two DarkRiders moved towards the innkeeper. One grabbed his left arm andtwisted it behind Esta’s back. The other produced a large huntingknife and held it to Master Tern’s neck, the point drawing a smallpinprick of blood. “I don’t know is not good enough, innkeeper,”Wolinda scowled. “I want the two boys and you will tell me wherethey are.”
“I can not tell you what I donot know, Mistress,” pleaded Master Tern. “If I knew, surely Iwould tell you. The boys mean nothing to me.”
Wolinda smiled as she nodded to theDark Riders. The Dark Rider pushed up on Esta’s arm and the sharpcrack of bones reverberated through the room. Esta howled with painand his movement caused a cut on his neck from the knife bladebeing held by the other Dark Rider.”
Master Tern’s eyes rolled with pain andhis legs weakened, even as he tried to remain still to avoidfurther damage from the knife. He gritted his teeth as he gruntedhis reply. “As well I know they have left the town. I heard storiesthat they went north for adventure, but I do not know for sure. Thetall boy brings rabbits every morning, but the last two days he hasnot come around. Sometimes he goes fishing with his father, but Iknow he did not today or yesterday. I know nothing further. My onlyassociation with the boy is buying rabbits. The other boy is alay-about and I have no association with him. Kill me if you must,but I know nothing more.”
Wolinda scowled and stormed out thedoor into the street. The Dark Riders followed after tossing Estato the floor. His scream of pain could be heard clearly in all ofthe rooms in the inn. When the customers were sure that the DarkRiders had left they slowly filed down to the common room to helpthe innkeeper.
Wolinda led the Dark Riders down to thewaterfront. She sent six into Arik’s house and six into Tedi’shouse with orders to find anything that might indicate relativesother than the fathers. With the rest of her henchmen, she strodealong the waterfront looking for anyone that she could squeezeinformation from. The only person visible was a woman trying todrag her toddler into the house. Wolinda signaled two of her menand they swept the child up and seized the mother.
“I am looking for Arik Clavaand Tedi Markel,” Wolinda spat. “You are going to tell me wherethey are or your child will try taking its next step on the bottomof the sea.” Taking Wolinda’s statement as an order, the Dark Riderwith the child marched out onto a small dock and held the childover the edge.
The woman and the child starting cryingtogether. “I know the boys,” blubbered the mother, “but I don’tknow where they are. I haven’t seen them for days.”
The Dark Rider holding the child by itsfeet started lowering the body towards the water. When the child’shair got wet, the mother started babbling. “I do know somethingthat might help,” she screamed.
The man stopped lowering the child’sbody and Wolinda snapped,” Well, out with it! I don’t have all dayto wait.”
“I think they are planning onleaving,” she shouted. “Master Clava has been going all over towntrying to raise money. He refuses to say why, but he normally hasno use for money other than food and taking care of his boat. Theboys haven’t been in town for days and the fathers have beensleeping in the woods. I’ve seen them coming and going down thatpath over there. And they were gathering things that people wouldwant on a trip. Last night, they hauled all of the stuff into thewoods and came out this morning with nothing. That’s all Iknow.”