Shepherd's Quest: The Broken Key #1 (17 page)

Once they came close he shouted, “Mother!” Practically running forward, he was about to call again when the front door opened.

The smile on her face died quickly when she saw Bart lying on the stretcher. A worried look came over her as she opened the door to let them in. “What happened?” she asked.

“Bart was…” began Chad.

“…bit by something.” Riyan cut Chad off and finished the sentence. Then he flashed a meaningful look to his friend.

Once they had him through the door, she shut it and said, “Let’s put him on your bed Riyan.”

They carried him through the front room to his and when they were outside the door to his room, they set the stretcher down on the floor. Riyan grabbed Bart’s ankles and Chad gripped him under the arms as they lifted him off the stretcher. They carried him through the bedroom door and laid him on the bed.

Riyan’s mother appeared a split second later with a bowl of cool water and a towel.

She sat on the bed near Bart’s head and dipped the towel in the water, then began to dab his forehead. “How long has he been like this?” she asked.

“Since about noon,” replied Chad.

Riyan was out in the hallway collecting Bart’s pack. He took off his and as he entered the room, had Chad give him his. When Chad removed his pack and handed it to him, the coins within clinked together. Riyan flashed a look to his mother and was relieved to see that she made no indication that she had heard. He took the three packs to his closet and set them down inside, careful to not repeat the clinking sound.

He opened his pack and removed several of the small gems for Glia’s potion. Once he had them in his pocket, he closed his pack again and shut the closet door. “I’m going to Glia’s to get a potion for him,” he told her.

“You better hurry,” she said. “I’m not sure how long he’s going to last.” Riyan paused a moment to look at his friend. His mother had pulled his tunic up and he could see the spidery tendrils had spread even further. They’ve already made their way completely around his side and were beginning to creep across his chest. Even his throat showed signs of the tendrils.

Without another word, he raced from the room and was soon outside heading through the hills towards the hut she called home. Old Glia lived a mile or so from where his home sat and it took him some minutes to cross over the hills before her hut came into view.

It was a small dwelling, barely more than one room. He was relieved to see light coming through her window and smoke rising from her chimney. Running towards her door, he hollered, “Glia!” When he reached her door, he knocked loudly while hollering,

“Glia, I need your help.”

The door opened and he saw her standing there. Dressed in a tattered dress, the same dress he’s seen her wear for as long as he’s known her. He has at times wondered how it could possible have survived year after year without becoming threadbare and ruined.

“Why Riyan,” she said with a smile, “what brings you to my door at so late an hour?”

“Bart’s been poisoned,” he blurted out. “I need one of your potions.” Her smile faded away as she opened the door wider and said, “Come inside.” He moved through the door and entered her hut. It always seemed bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside.

When she shut the door, she turned to him. “What bit him?” she asked.

Riyan hesitated a moment, not sure how to answer as he didn’t want anyone to know what they’ve been up to.

“Been up to something have you?” she asked.

“What?” he replied. “No, of course not.”

She gave him a look as if she didn’t believe him. People have said that she had the knack of knowing truth from lies.

“Okay,” he said, giving in. “But you can’t tell anyone!”

“Who am I to tell?” she asked. “Other than you, no one else ever comes here except when they are in need. Whatever you tell me will stay between us.”

“We found an old burial complex out in the hills,” he told her. “We were rooting around in it when Bart set off some kind of trap and was struck with a dart.”

“Poisoned I take it?” she asked. When he nodded, she moved over to where she concocted her potions. “What happened next?”

He then went into the details of how the dark red spidery tendrils formed and began to spread, Bart’s subsequent passing out, and the fever. “My mother doesn’t think he has long to live,” he finally concluded.

“She’s right,” Glia replied. “If those tendrils you described are what I think they are, his life will end should their tips meet on his chest or reach his eyes.”

“Can you help?” he asked. Pulling forth the gems he said, “I can pay you.” She glanced at the gems in his hand and plucked two from his palm. “These will do nicely, thank you,” she said. Then she cleared an area on her table and began gathering the needed ingredients.

Riyan watched as she worked. After producing a large bowl, she began filling it with various powders and liquids. Once she had all the necessary ingredients, she took what looked like a femur of some small animal and mixed the powders and liquids together with it. He moved closer to see what the concoction in the bowl looked like and quickly pulled back when the odor emanating from it hit his nose.

“Ugh!” he exclaimed. “What’s in there?”

She grinned at him and said, “A little of this and a touch of that.” As soon as the mixture met her approval, she removed the bone and passed her hand over the mixture as she said a word so quietly that Riyan couldn’t make it out. The mixture sparkled for a second then turned a slight greenish brown color.

Then she pulled a long necked bottle from off one of her shelves and poured the mixture into it. After sealing the bottle with a cork, she handed it to Riyan. “Just a second,” she said as he turned to leave. She moved to the back of her hut for a moment then returned holding a small vial.

“The potion you hold will purge the poison from his system if he is not yet dead,” she explained. Then she handed him the small vial. “This will heal most of the damage done to him by the poison. Be sure to return the bottles when you’re done.” Taking the vial, Riyan said, “I will and thank you.”

“You’re welcome Riyan.” As he turned to leave, she added, “I hope you get back in time.”

“So do I,” he replied.

“Come visit when you can.” Her words followed him out into the night as he broke into a run back to his home. He prayed that Bart would still be alive when he returned.

When his home came into sight he saw Chad standing outside looking in his general direction. The sight of his friend sent a chill down his spine that he might be too late.

“Is he still alive?” he hollered as he ran to the house.

Chad saw him coming and replied, “Yes. But not by much.” When Riyan reached him he added, “Your mother doesn’t think he’ll last long.” He showed his friend the potion and said, “Old Glia said this would save him.” Chad opened the door for him and he raced through to his room. There he saw his mother still on the bed beside Bart. Bart’s tunic was off and he could see the spidery tendrils all over his chest now. And the ones that had been on his throat have spread to his upper lip.

Moving quickly to the side of the bed, he uncorked the bottle containing the potion to purge the poison. Putting it to his lips, he glanced to his mother and said, “I hope this works.”

“So do we all,” she replied. Which kind of surprised him that she would say that. She had never cared much for Bart.

Riyan began to pour the liquid into Bart’s mouth slowly. As the potion hit his tongue and began trickling to the back of his throat, he saw Bart’s throat contract as he swallowed. Encouraged by the reaction, he poured the liquid a little bit faster.

“Not too much at once,” cautioned his mother. “You don’t want to make him choke.” Nodding at her wisdom, he backed off and continued to trickle the potion into him little by little. Once the bottle was drained, he set it on the nightstand next to the bed and produced the other vial. When his mother looked questioningly at it, he said, “She said that this would heal whatever damage the poison did to him.”

“Better wait and let the other potion work first,” she advised.

“Very well,” he said.

All three of them watched Bart carefully, none daring to speak as if breaking the silence would work against him somehow. Riyan’s mother put her hand to Bart’s forehead and whispered, “I think his fever is going down. That’s a good sign.” As they watched, the spidery tendrils started to recede. Though they began to disappear, they left a pale pattern of tendril-like markings behind in their wake.

“It’s working!” exclaimed Chad. He gave the others a grin at the speed with which the spidery tendrils were disappearing. When all traces save a pale patchwork were gone from his chest, face, and throat, Riyan opened the small vial. He glanced to his mother who nodded for him to go ahead.

Placing the vial to Bart’s mouth, he slowly poured its contents between his lips just as he had the other. Once all of it was administered, he stoppered the vial back up and set it on the stand next to the first bottle.

Bart suddenly gave out with a sigh and then settled into a quiet sleep. Riyan looked to his mother who said, “I think he’s just asleep now. We’ll know better how he’s faring in the morning.”

Chad clapped Riyan on the back. “We did it,” he said. “For awhile there I didn’t think he was going to make it.”

“Neither did I,” admitted Riyan.

“You two look dead to the world,” his mother said. “Why don’t you get some sleep?

Riyan, you take my bed. Chad, you can sleep out in the front room. I’ll sit up with him.”

“Thank you mother,” Riyan said. He gave her a peck on the cheek and nodded for Chad to leave the room with him. They closed his bedroom door and headed out to the front room.

“I don’t think we should tell her about what we found,” Riyan told Chad. They went to sit down at the table while they talked. “I would hate to think what would happen to that place if Rupert were to find out about it.”

Chad nodded. “He would go through there and take everything but the bones of the dead.”

“Exactly,” agreed Riyan. “And remember what Bart said about how Duke Yoric was supposed to get twenty percent. If no one knows, then perhaps we won’t lose that much.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll keep quiet.”

“In the morning we’ll see how Bart is doing,” Riyan said, “then we’ll figure out what to do with the treasure.”

“Alright,” Chad agreed. All of a sudden a mighty yawn escaped him.

Riyan grinned at his friend. The trip from The Crypt had exhausted both of them.

Getting up, he told Chad he would see him in the morning. Making his way into his mother’s room, he took off his shoes and dirty outer garments before collapsing on her bed. Before he even realized it, he was out.

The following morning found Bart awake but weak as a kitten. Riyan had awakened at dawn and tiptoed through the front room so as not to awaken Chad. His snores came from where he slept on the couch.

He opened the door to his room slowly and saw his mother asleep in a chair next to the bed. Pushing the door open, it let out with a creak and Bart’s eyes popped open.

Riyan grinned at his friend and closed the door before going over to his side.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Tired,” he replied. “I can barely move, but I’m alive.” Riyan gestured to the two bottles he got the night before from Old Glia and said,

“Your condition turned around once some of Glia’s brew got into you.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Don’t know how you two managed to carry me back here. Last thing I remembered was you checking my back. Then I woke up and saw your mother sitting there. I figured you two had somehow managed to get me back here.” Riyan moved closer to Bart’s ear and whispered, “My mother doesn’t know anything about where we went. It might be best to keep it that way.” Bart nodded and replied, “I agree.”

Just then his mother began to stir. She opened her eyes and saw them talking. “How are you this morning Bart?” she asked.

“Feeling alright,” he replied. “But I don’t have any strength.”

“That’s to be expected,” she said. Getting up, she placed her hand on his forehead.

“You feel normal.” Then she turned to her son and said, “I’ll fix some breakfast.”

“Chad’s still out there sleeping,” Riyan told her.

“I’ll be quiet,” she assured him as she headed to the door.

Once she left and had closed the door, Riyan got up and sat in the chair she just vacated. “What are we to do now?” he asked.

“About what?” Bart glanced to him but it seemed difficult for him to keep his eyes open. “Don’t worry, I’m not asleep. It’s just more comfortable for me.”

”It’s alright,” Riyan told him. “What I meant was, what are we to do about the coins and gems?”

His eyes parted slightly and he turned his head towards his friend. “You and Chad are going to need to make a trip to Wardean,” he explained. “There you can find Thyrr and exchange the stuff we collected for regular coins.”

“Is he the fence you mentioned?” asked Riyan.

“That’s right. You can find his shop on Dulcet Street.” He again closed his eyes and for a moment Riyan thought he had fallen asleep. Then his eyes opened again and he grinned.

“What’s so funny?” Riyan asked.

“Nothing. Just glad to be alive.” He laid there silently for a minute before he asked,

“Could you bring me my pack?”

“Why?” inquired Riyan.

“You’ll need to have something before Thyrr will talk to you,” he explained.

Getting up off the bed, Riyan went over to his closet and retrieved Bart’s pack. He brought it over to the bed and set it down next to him.

Bart sat up a little bit more and grabbed his pack. It was evident that he had trouble even with the little effort he was forced to expend in moving the pack closer. The poison had really drained his strength. After digging through the pack, he pulled out one of his darts. Handing it to Riyan he said, “Tell him a friend sent you then show him this.” Riyan took the dart and nodded. “Is he a friend of yours?”

“We’ve done business with one another before,” he replied. Just what that business had been he didn’t go into.