Brian Pratt - Quest's end

Leaving the saddle and tack on his horse as he didn’t figure to be there long, Chad was soon heading to the door at the back of the townhouse. It opened as he was leaving the stable and Alicia appeared, silhouetted by the light coming from inside the house. When she saw him, she hurried from the doorway and met him.

“I’m so glad you came,” she said as she wrapped him in her arms.

Chad returned the hug. “It’s hard to stay away from you,” he replied. She turned her head to press her lips to his. Chad was about to complete the maneuver when he saw a shadow obscure the light coming through the doorway. He stopped short of meeting her lips when he saw her little sister Erin standing there watching them. The last thing he wanted was for Alicia to get into trouble on his account.

“What?” she asked when he failed to meet her lips.

“Erin’s watching,” he said.

Alicia glanced back and saw her in the doorway. Then she turned back, grabbed his head and pressed her lips to his.

“Mama!” they heard Erin cry as she turned and raced back into the house. “Alicia and Chad are…”

After almost a full minute, Chad broke off the kiss. Chuckling in spite of himself, he snaked an arm around her waist and they headed for the doorway.

“My employer is leaving in the morning,” he said to her as they entered the house. He saw a tightening around her eyes as she closed the door.

“Are you leaving too?” she asked.

“We all are,” he explained.

“For how long?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “May not be back until spring.”

“Spring?” she exclaimed unhappily.

He nodded. “At least I was able to come tonight to say goodbye,” he stated.

She turned back to him and wrapped him in her arms. Laying her head on his chest just below the chin, she stood there silently and held him.

“Ahem.”

They turned to see her father standing there at the entrance to the front room. “Nice to see you again Chad,” he said.

“You too sir,” he replied. Disengaging himself from Alicia’s embrace, he was a little red faced due to the embarrassment of being caught.

“Chad’s leaving in the morning,” Alicia said to her father. The tone of her voice indicated she wasn’t too thrilled by the news.

Chad nodded. “That’s right sir,” he said. “I was able to come by tonight to tell Alicia goodbye, and to tell you what my employer thought about the wine.”

Her father’s eyes lit up as he brought them into the front room and took his seat by the fire. Erin was standing off to the side watching Chad and Alicia as little sisters do. “And?” he asked.

“Well sir, he thought that if alcohol didn’t have too great a presence, other magic users may find it acceptable,” he replied.

He spent over an hour visiting with Alicia and her family, most of it being spent on the couch with Alicia sitting next to him. When it came time for him to go, Alicia broke into tears as she accompanied him to the stable.

She handed him a lavender scarf bearing an embroidered rose. “Don’t forget me.” she said.

He tucked the scarf into one of the breast pockets of his jacket. “You needn’t worry about that,” he replied. “There’s no way I could forget you.” Then with her on his arm, he led his horse from the stable.

Her parents were standing at the back door with Erin between them. Despite the onlookers, he wrapped Alicia in a warm embrace and kissed her goodbye. From the doorway he heard her sister say “Oooooh…” before her mother shushed her. When the embrace ended, Alicia’s eyes were moist with unshed tears. “Hey, I’ll be back,” he assured her.

She nodded as the first tear began to fall.

He gave her another quick kiss then climbed into the saddle. “I’ll see you when I return.”

“Goodbye,” Alicia said as he started to ride away. He could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes. From the doorway her parents waved goodbye to him. He returned their salutation then quickly rode away.

His eyes were a bit misty as he made his way through the cold, darkened streets of Gilbeth. Thoughts of her filled his mind on his way back to the estate. Several times he brought his hand to the pocket which contained Alicia’s scarf and held it there. She was different than any of the other girls he’d known. There was something about her that drew him. He couldn’t consciously bring himself to admit it as yet, but Chad was beginning to realize that he may be in love.

Morning dawned another crystal blue day. The sun breaking over the horizon did little to dispel the chill in the air. Their breath continued to fog as they made ready for travel. Along with their horses, they also had acquired two pack mules to carry additional supplies such as feed for their mounts. With snow covering the ground, there wasn’t likely to be much in the way of foraging opportunities along the way.

Kevik mixed together another three flasks of his far seeing mixture which were in one of the packs on the mules along with a bowl in which to pour it. He had his staff in hand, and was fully dressed beneath his robe in order to stay warm.

“Beautiful day,” Chad said. The others noticed a bounce in his step, and that he was more ‘up’ than usual. Bringing his horse from the stable, he had a grin on his face. None could help but notice Alicia’s favor poking out from the glove on his right hand. The small portion of the lavender scarf sticking out was a stark contrast to the browns he was wearing.

“Have a good time last night?” Riyan asked with a smirk.

Chad turned toward him and grinned. “All we did was sit and talk,” he explained.

“Talk?” asked Seth with a chuckle.

“Yes,” affirmed Chad. “Talk.”

Bart emerged from the house after making sure it was secure. He nodded to Kevik who proceeded to activate the wards guarding the estate.

Kevik had wanted to put additional wards in place, especially after the relative ease with which Durik had been able to gain entry, but hadn’t been able to yet. What was in place should be able to deter the common thief should one come calling while they’re gone. By the time he had completed setting the wards, the others had already mounted.

Last night under the cover of darkness, they had gone to the forested area at the rear of the estate and recovered the three key segments from beneath the fallen log. They now were wrapped tightly in cloth to prevent them from banging against one another in the pack Riyan had across his back.

Riyan wondered what would happen when they recovered the fourth segment and formed the circle with the other three. Would they fuse into one large circular key? Or would they remain four individual segments? He fervently hoped that he would soon be in a position to find out.

Yesterday while they were in town buying supplies, they made discreet inquires as to where Kendruck was. They learned that it was situated just north of the border on the eastern slopes of the Tinderlock Mountains. After leaving Gilbeth, they would need to follow the road south through Kemmet, and then on past Skerin until they came to the road running along the northern hills of the Tinderlock Mountains. From there, they would turn east to follow the road as it moved through the foothills until it curved southward. After that it was a straight shot to Kendruck.

They also learned that Kendruck was a very large city. In fact it was the main trading center where merchants from both Byrdlon and The Moran Tribes came to trade their goods. Almost every trading house from both countries had agents of one kind or another within the city.

Bart and Riyan sat in the lead of their group, Kevik and Chad would ride next, then the twins. Chyfe brought up the rear leading the pack mules. As soon as Kevik was mounted they started heading down the lane to the road.