Thoughts for a portal, p.24
Thoughts for a Portal, page 24
part #4 of Tales of Lentari Series
“Good day, sir. What might I do for you?”
“Are you the owner of this tavern?” Sauer repeated, keeping a neutral expression on his face.
The blonde woman nodded. “I am. Run this place by myself, I do. My good for nuthin’ lout of a husband ran off with one of the serving girls. Damn fool.” The woman caught sight of Sauer’s darkening expression. “That’s my problem, not yours, dearie. How can I be of assistance?”
“Have you had any middle-aged patrons, traveling alone, frequent your tavern as of late? Might have been arrogant or belligerent?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed. “Describe him.”
Excited, Steve cleared his throat. “Uh, let’s see. He’d be a little shorter than me, gray hair, thick mustache, walks with a swagger, and probably tried to avoid paying for anything he drank or ate.”
The woman nodded grimly.
“Aye, I remember him. Sulky.”
Sauer shared a look with Steve.
“Sulky? This man was sulky?”
“We named him ‘Sulky’,” the barkeep clarified. “I could tell he was angry and unhappy. He kept disrespecting my girls. He became belligerent when I told him what he owed me. I’ve recently had several fights in here and the constable told me if it happened again he’d close my tavern due to public endangerment or somethin’ like that. So, I told Sulky he had to leave.”
“What’d he say to that?” Sarah wanted to know.
“He ignored me. He started askin’ ‘bout dwarves.”
Steve and Sarah both paled. Together they turned to look at Sauer, who returned their frank stare with as much concern as they were feeling.
“Dwarves?” Sauer snapped. “What did he want to know about dwarves? What did he say? Think, woman! This is important.”
“After I told him I knew nuthin’ ‘bout no dwarves I heard him say something ‘bout a lock ‘cause he wanted a key.”
Steve cursed as Sarah gasped with alarm.
“If he wanted a key there are several reputable locksmiths in town,” Sauer commented, confused by his companions’ reaction to this news. “Why bother the dwarves with something so trivial?”
“Because,” Steve quietly answered as he nodded his thanks to the tavern owner and headed back outside, “the key Melvyn is looking for is a portal key. He’s looking for Maelnar.”
“I’ve heard about him,” Sauer admitted. “They call him the Strathos, correct?”
Sarah nodded. “That’s right. He’s a portal key maker. Well, he’s the only portal key maker that I’m aware of. I can’t even begin to tell you how many problems he could cause if Melvyn manages to find Maelnar.”
“Why?” Sauer wanted to know.
“Wow. Where do I start?” Steve took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “For the sake of argument, let’s assume Melvyn finds Maelnar. I don’t actually think there’s any way he’d be able to force Maelnar to make him a portal key that’d take him back to Idaho. I think he’d probably try to kill him.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Sarah agreed.
Sauer’s eyes hardened. “Why?”
“If Maelnar dies now then he wouldn’t be able to make us a new portal key when we search him out back in our time during our first trip to Lentari. If we don’t get that second key then we’d never make it back home, therefore proving to the king and queen that we weren’t suitable bodyguards. They’d think we weren’t the Nohrin. Trust me, Melvyn can seriously screw up Lentarian history.”
“Maelnar has played an important role in quite a few adventures,” Sarah added.
Sauer held out his arm. “Please take us back to the Great Hall. The king must be informed.”
Steve reached out to lay a hand over Sauer’s. Sarah placed hers on top of Steve’s. Moments later they were standing before the king while Sauer hastily informed him about what they had recently learned. Judging from the king’s grim expression he was none too pleased about the possible outcomes, either.
“Requisition as many men as you need. A full kingdom-wide search for this man begins now. I will notify Zevern to see what aid he can offer. This man must be found. Now.”
Sauer nodded and swiftly departed. Kri’Calin eyed the two of them. Before the king could say anything Steve beat him to it.
“Your majesty, we’ll take our leave, too. We’ll keep searching. We can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time.”
The king nodded. “I believe you. Go. Inform me if you find him.”
Sarah nodded. “We will.”
Before Sarah could take Steve’s hand Sauer came rushing back inside with a full squadron of men in hot pursuit.
“Your majesty! I have news!”
“Please tell me they found him,” Sarah softly whispered, more to herself than to anyone else.
The king rose to his feet.
“Report, captain.”
“We just received word from several of our informants. Half a dozen vendors have all reported burglaries earlier today.”
“Burglaries, while regrettable, are not newsworthy right now,” Kri’Calin quickly informed him.
Sauer nodded. “I agree, your majesty. However, wait until you hear what was stolen: 1 sword and 2 daggers from a blacksmith, one sleeping roll and several sets of garments from a clothier, several pounds of dried meat from a butcher, two…”
“That’s enough,” the king interrupted. “What of the burglar? What did he look like?”
Sauer smiled. “That’s the interesting part, your majesty. None of the vendors, and I mean none of them, could remember what he looked like only that when they inventoried their merchandise they discovered those items missing.”
“It’s Melvyn,” Steve muttered. “It’s gotta be.”
“Of course it’s him,” Sarah chided. “He’s preparing for a journey, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where he’s going.”
“He’s going after the Kla Guur, isn’t he?” Steve muttered a curse under his breath. “Do you think he knows how to find them?”
Sarah shrugged. “I’d like to say no, but after all we’ve been through, would you put it past him to not know?”
“I wish there had been some visual confirmation,” Kri’Calin said. He sat back down at his desk. “Something to let us know we are on the right track.”
Sauer coughed. “I wasn’t finished with my report, your majesty.”
Intrigued, the king motioned for the captain to continue.
“This Melvyn person may have duped the vendors into thinking that he wasn’t there so that they wouldn’t know what he looked like but he wasn’t able to affect everyone.”
All eyes were focused on the captain.
The king nodded, pleased. “Ah. Someone saw him?”
Sauer nodded. “The children. Melvyn didn’t take into consideration that there are always children running about, playing, causing mischief, and so on. He was witnessed by no less than a dozen different children as he collected the supplies he needed for his journey.”
“How long ago was this?” Kri’Calin asked.
“Over four hours ago.”
Steve sighed heavily as he thought about trying to catch up with Melvyn on foot or horseback. He looked over at his wife and raised an eyebrow.
“We can probably overtake him,” Sarah told him, answering his unspoken question, “but I do think there might be faster ways to track him down.”
“She’s already done so much,” was Steve’s response.
“She’s your friend. All you have to do is ask her.”
“What about you?”
“What about me? I’ll be fine. I thought I’d go check on Luther and Cora. I want to make sure they’re okay.”
Puzzled, Steve leaned closer to his wife. “Luther has been there now for several years. I’m sure he’s fine.”
“You didn’t hear what the sheriff threatened to do to Luther and Cora in order to get me to play along. He really scared me. I need to make sure they’re safe.”
Steve nodded. “I’d probably do the same thing, if the tables were turned. Go. Make sure they’re fine and then come back here and wait for me, okay?”
Sarah nodded. “I will.”
She vanished.
“I thought for certain your teleporter wife would assist you in tracking down your man,” Sauer said, confused.
Steve waved off his concerns. “It’s all good. I have another helper.”
The king’s curiosity was piqued. “Oh? Who?”
“Someone that must remain a secret, I’m afraid.”
Kri’Calin raised an eyebrow. “You are an intriguing person, Steve. Very well. Perform your search. He has a four hour head start. Will that be a problem?”
Steve shook his head. “Nope.”
“The search will continue here,” the king declared, “in case he was trying to feed us false information.”
Steve grunted. “I’ll bet you he isn’t.”
“Be that as it may, I want to be certain he is no longer in the city.”
Sauer nodded. “Our search will continue.”
The king fixed Steve with a stern expression.
“If you find him let us know.”
****
“I knew I would see you again, but I didn’t think it’d be this soon,” the dragon confided.
Steve leaned to the right and gave her neck a friendly pat.
“That makes two of us. Do you think we’re following the right trail?”
Pryllan bent her neck around until she was looking directly at him.
“Do you doubt my abilities?”
“Er, no.”
“Then why ask if we are following the correct scent?”
“It’s because we’ve been flying around now for close to two hours. Is it really possible to follow a trail by air of someone who walked by hours ago?”
“I can follow a trail as long as it is no older than a fortnight.”
“Two weeks? You can seriously follow a scent trail that someone left two weeks ago?”
Pryllan nodded. “The trail would be much fainter but no less difficult to detect. I’ve known other wyverians who could easily double that time. I trust my skills only up to the first fortnight.”
Steve whistled with amazement. That was impressive, no matter how he looked at it. Ten minutes later Pryllan banked sharply to her left. Steve sat up.
“What is it?”
“I believe I have located your missing man.”
“You have? Awesome! Where is he?”
Steve’s body flushed with warmth as the dragon shared her senses with him. Steve closed his eyes and shared Pryllan’s eyesight. An area directly below them leapt into focus.
A single person, wearing a heavily loaded pack, was slowly and carefully picking his way through the thick forest. Dragon and rider could see glimpses of the figure’s gray hair under his brown leather hood. Then they got a brief look at the man’s face as he suddenly turned to look behind him, as though he sensed he was being followed. The man’s thick handlebar mustache gave him away.
It was Melvyn.
“That’s him,” Steve confirmed.
“I thought he’d be a worthier adversary that that.”
Steve chuckled. “Why do you say that?”
“Behold. He wheezes as though he has been running. His body mass is higher than most, and he carries more weight than he should.”
“Are you saying he’s an overweight old fart that shouldn’t be out in the woods like this?”
“I’m not familiar with that term,” Pryllan admitted.
Steve sent her a mental definition of the word she was having a difficult time with. He felt Pryllan give a grunt of acknowledgement.
“I accept your assessment of the situation.”
Steve pointed down at the ground.
“Let’s go ruin his day, shall we?”
Pryllan circled about high overhead as they waited for Melvyn to reach the glade he was angling toward. As soon as he was in the center of the open clearing Pryllan tucked her wings and dropped from the sky, landing less than twenty feet from the surprised human. Melvyn cursed, dropped the pack, and sprinted for the trees.
Ten seconds later, just as he thought he would be able to hide in the woods, he came to a halt, clutching his side and gasping for breath. On the ground directly in front of him was a burning line of fire. Three other fire trails were rapidly approaching, each from a different direction. Once the fire lines were less than ten feet from the sheriff they each stopped. Melvyn took a step towards the northwest. The four fire trails each moved a foot closer. He took a step back. The fire trails moved another foot closer.
“You can come out now, fire thrower!” Melvyn loudly called out. “This is obviously your doing. Come on out and take the credit for it.”
“Gladly.”
Melvyn turned to look behind him. He smiled. Both Steve and Pryllan were less than twenty feet away. Melvyn slowly held both arms out in front of him, as though he expected Steve to slap a pair of hand cuffs on him.
“Congratulations, partner. You got me.”
Steve didn’t say a word as he slowly approached the sheriff. The four fire trails moved several feet closer and flared up as though they had found patches of dry grass to feed them. The sheriff’s smug smile never faltered.
“I know you’re type, partner,” Melvyn began. “You’re a goody two-shoes. You won’t hurt me. Just take me in like we each know you’re gonna do and… Arrggghh!”
Steve had raised an arm and blasted off a small jet of fire straight at the sheriff, burning off both of the sheriff’s bushy gray eyebrows. Melvyn’s smile faded away and was replaced by a look of uncertainty. He quickly fumbled for something inside his pocket, pulling out a dark blue vial. Steve realized what was happening just as Melvyn finally managed to work the stopper free of the bottle. The sheriff started to raise the vial to his lips when two huge scaly forelegs smashed down on the ground on either side of Steve.
The force of the impact knocked both Melvyn and Steve off their feet. The tiny vial of poison was flung up into the air where Pryllan destroyed it with a well timed blast of fire.
“You really are a coward,” Steve accused as he quickly rolled to his feet. “After all the crap you’ve pulled you’re trying to kill yourself?”
Melvyn sighed as he slowly sat up. “It’d be easier this way. Just finish me off. Right here, right now. If you can’t do it have your dragon pet do it for you.”
Pryllan’s deep resonating growl was felt by all. She didn’t like this person and had no qualms about letting her feelings known.
“If you don’t kill me now,” Melvyn vowed, “then I promise you I will never stop trying to wreck your future. Your future hangs in the balance as long as I’m alive. I know it. You know it.”
Steve ignited his right hand. A chaser formed a few seconds later. He contemplated Melvyn’s words. As long as the sheriff lived then he and Sarah would never be safe. They’d never have peace. Wouldn’t it be easier to simply end it now? He could do it. This one chaser could end all their troubles. He’s done it before. But could he do it again?
Steve thought back to the only memory he had of Lentari that was unpleasant: the unfortunate, ill-timed attack upon Mikal after he and Sarah had first met the prince. Half a dozen thugs had threatened Sarah and had tried to kidnap Mikal. He had done the only thing any husband would have done. He attacked the attackers, driving them away from Sarah and the prince while simultaneously causing several of their deaths. He kept fighting even as more of the kidnappers had appeared. He didn’t know how many men lost their lives that day. He didn’t want to know then and he certainly didn’t want to know now. The fact of the matter was when it came to Sarah’s safety, he would do whatever was necessary.
Whatever was necessary.
The chaser burned brighter. He looked at the sheriff with piteous eyes. Melvyn was right. It’d be easier this way. The sheriff would get his wish.
Melvyn smiled victoriously. A split second later the chaser poofed out.
“What – what are you doing? Do it! You want to. I know it! I can see it in your eyes! Kill me!”
Steve scoffed. “And give you the easy way out? You don’t deserve the satisfaction.”
“I’m warning you, fire thrower. Kill me now or else spend the rest of your days wondering how I will get my revenge!”
“Please. I’ve faced wizards, sorceresses, trolls, therons, and malwerns. Do you really think I’m worried about a peon like you? Don’t flatter yourself. Besides, do you really think you’re going to get that chance?”
Melvyn’s face turned purple with rage. Steve briefly wondered what a person’s face would look like if they were experiencing a heart attack. This, he decided, had to be close.
“Kill me, you ignorant, stupid son of a b –”
SMACK!
Steve’s hand was stinging. It felt like he had just decked a brick wall. If only he had been wearing his special gauntlets. Then again, he had had the satisfaction of seeing the sheriff’s look of surprise when he had hit him with a right hook, knocking him clean off his feet and out cold.
“Come on, Pryllan. Let’s head back to the castle. Will you take our geriatric friend here?”
“Geriatric?” Pryllan repeated, confused. “I’m not familiar with that word.”
“Fine. How about ‘old dude’?”
“That works. And I would be delighted to.”
An hour later they were approaching the castle. From their vantage point, and their shared visual abilities, Steve could see groups of soldiers patrolling everywhere. He could see guards going in and out of buildings, searching vendor stalls, and standing guard at every corner. Kri’Calin hadn’t been idle. He had to have called in every last soldier enlisted in his army to help search for Melvyn and fortify the city. Pryllan’s voice broke through his concentration.
“Where would you like to be taken?”
“How about the dragon cavern?”
“The what?”
“Oh, that’s right. It doesn’t exist yet. Umm, why don’t you land in the northern orchards there? See where there’s a patch devoid of any trees?”
“Aye.”
