Quest's End: The Broken Key #3 (2 page)

“Chad likes honey,” Alicia explained.

“Then, by all means have more,” her mother said as she moved the honey pitcher closer to him.

The roast duck was perfect, the skin crispy and meat full of juice. Before he even realized it, he had cleaned off his first plate. Everyone else at the table hadn’t yet eaten through half of what they had.

“Would you like more?” her mother asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied and helped himself with more of everything.

“It’s good to see a boy eat,” her mother stated.

Erin giggled. “He eats like a hog mama.”

“Erin!” admonished her father.

The smile on her little face vanished quickly when she turned fearful eyes toward her father. In her exuberance, she had overstepped the bounds of etiquette.

“That is not how a lady talks at the table,” her mother instructed her.

“Sorry,” she said quietly.

Chad glanced at the father and mother, then back to the sad face of Erin. “At least I don’t snort while I eat,” he said with a grin. Glancing across the table to Alicia, he saw her grinning back at him.

The brightness returned to Erin’s eyes as she raised her head to look at him. A smile began to emerge then disappeared as she cast a glance to her father. She could tell he wasn’t amused, and was glad that he didn’t pursue the matter further.

“So,” her mother began, “Alicia tells us that you recently came back from a trip to Catha?”

“That’s right,” he replied. “A couple weeks ago.”

“Papa took me there one time,” Erin piped up.

“You remember that do you?” her father asked.

“Oh yes papa!” she exclaimed. Turning back to Chad she said. “It was so big and…” The rest of the meal was spent in talk ranging from Erin’s trip to Catha, the area and people of Quillim, and a dozen other topics.

This was going better than Chad had hoped it would. He liked Alicia, more than most of the others he had acquaintance with in Gilbeth. This evening had been a source of angst during the last week. But like his instructors back at the Guild had said, ‘Most of what you fear is of your own making.’

When the goose was gone, and Chad had all the bread and honey he could eat, Alicia’s father said, “Chad, I’d like your opinion on something.”

“Anything sir,” he replied. He glanced over to Alicia who only shrugged.

Her father turned to her mother and said, “Could you fetch the bottle that’s in the storeroom. The one I brought back on my last trip?”

“Yes dear,” she replied and went to get it.

Turning to Chad, her father said, “One of the traders I deal with in Kendruck gave me a bottle of what he said was a new wine that has just been made available for trade. He suggested that it might find a market in this area.”

When she returned, she held an amber colored wine bottle. Chad was quick to notice that the seal hadn’t yet been broken. “Saving it for a special occasion?” he commented.

The father shrugged as his wife gave him the bottle. “Not especially,” he replied. Grabbing a corkscrew from off of a nearby shelf, he was soon breaking the wax seal and removing the cork. “The trader gave me a taste of it before I left. I found it to have a fruity flavor, stronger than what you would normally find in this area.”

His wife produced two fine glasses, each worth more than some men make in a month. He poured a small amount in each then handed one to Chad. “Tell me what you think,” he said. “Would it find a market among others of your Guild do you think?”

Chad took the glass cup and examined the liquid held within. While Alicia and her family watched, he first sniffed it and was surprised by the tangy aroma of fruit that the wine exuded. Then he put it to his lips and took a small taste. When the wine hit his tongue, it practically exploded with fruity flavor. He held it in his mouth for a moment before swallowing it.

“Well?” asked her father.

“I like it,” Chad replied. “You’re right about it having a strong fruity taste.” He then upended his glass and drank the last of the wine it held.

“But do you think others would care for it?” her father asked.

Chad set the cup down on the table and her father offered him more. Nodding, he replied while her father was pouring more of the wine into his cup. “I think so. Some of the younger members might not care for it as the fruitiness may be deemed unmanly. But it has a strong flavor and goes down well. You may well want to offer it to the older, more genteel clientele at first.”

Her father nodded. “That’s what I thought as well,” he said. “I’ll have to purchase several cases next time I’m down there.”

Picking up his glass which had been refilled, he took another sip. The fruitiness was something he definitely liked. Then a thought occurred to him. “How much alcohol does it have?” he asked.

“Why?” replied her father.

“As you know, my employer is a magic user and they tend to avoid drinking wines and ale as it inhibits their ability to perform magic,” he explained. “I get the feeling that there isn’t much alcohol in this. If so, then he and other magic users might be a market which you may wish to consider for this wine.”

Her father sat back with a thoughtful look on his face. “You know,” he said, “I never knew that about magic users.” Then he nodded. “Maybe that could be something that I can talk over with the trader when I see him in the Spring.”

Chad drained his glass and glanced across the table to Alicia. He gave her a smile which she returned. She was happy, he could tell. The fact that her father even offered the wine to him and asked his opinion about it spoke volumes.

“So,” Erin said as she turned to Chad. “Are you going to kiss my sister now?”

“Erin!” exclaimed her mother, shocked that such a question would be asked at her table.

Her father turned disapproving eyes to his youngest daughter and said, “I think it’s time you helped your mother with the dishes.”

“But it’s Alicia’s turn,” she argued as her lower lip began to protrude in a pout.

“Come with me,” her mother said as she rose to her feet and began clearing the dishes from the table.

“But I want to stay here with Chad!” she insisted.

Her mother turned toward her. With a stern gaze that said she would brook no argument she said, “Now.”

Looking none too happy about the turn of events, Erin got to her feet. Then she grabbed her plate and stomped off to the kitchen.

“You’ll have to excuse her,” her mother said. “She’s at that age.”

Chad grinned. “I know what you mean,” he said. Glancing across the table, he saw that Alicia’s face still held a bit of red her sister’s question had elicited. But when she saw him grin, she returned it and relaxed. He then turned to her father and said, “I’ve heard that the Magistrate in Quillim has been known to like fine wines. He may be interested in purchasing several bottles.”

“Thank you young man,” her father said, “I’ll look into that.” They sat there for a minute or two in quiet contemplation while they finished the remainder of their wine. Then he grabbed the bottle and gave it to Chad. “Here.”

Surprised that her father was giving him the rest of the wine, he asked, “You’re giving it to me?”

Her father nodded. “I thought perhaps your employer would wish to sample it,” he explained. “Then you could tell my daughter how he liked it and if it would be worth my while to pursue that avenue.”

“Thank you,” Chad said as he took the bottle. “I’ll be sure to let you know his opinion of the suitability this wine would have for other magic users.” Her father handed him the cork and he stoppered the opening with it. He held the bottle up and glanced at it for a minute. Intricate designs had been incorporated into the glass of the bottle as was the custom in wine bottles destined for the wealthy. Those heading for the common man’s tavern tended to be stored in plain, blown glass.

He held it up to the light to see the designs better. There were what looked like hills bordering a lake. From the banks of the lake rose a single tall mountain that towered over the hills. “This is fine craftsmanship,” he observed.

“The bottle itself could almost be worth more than the wine it contained,” agreed her father. “From an artistic viewpoint.”

Chad nodded. He rotated the bottle to see the designs as they continued around to the other side. The hills came to an end and what looked like a family crest took up most of the other side.

Alicia came around the table and sat in the chair Erin had occupied as she moved in closer to look at the bottle with him. His pulse began to race as her shoulder rubbed against his. He glanced to her and smiled.

Returning his gaze to the bottle, he saw that the family crest had four separate designs upon it. One was of a horse and rider, another was of what had to be vines growing atop a hill. The third looked to be a fruit bearing tree, perhaps depicting the very trees from which the wine derived its fruity flavor from. The fourth one was a sword broken in two.

Running behind the four designs was a stripe moving diagonally from the upper left corner to the bottom right. At first he wasn’t aware of what he was seeing, but then he gasped. If you took away the four designs and other frills, what you had left was an exact match to the fourth coat of arms from The Crypt.

“Are you okay?” Alicia asked, concerned.

Chad nodded but couldn’t take his eyes from the bottle. When he managed to tear them away, he looked at her father and asked, “Where exactly did you get this?”

Seth and Soth were bored. They’ve been sitting in the Hall within the Tower of the Magi for five hours now. Ever since their return to Gilbeth, Kevik had come here daily to research spells and hunt for the fourth coat of arms. It had been decided that with what was going on he shouldn’t travel to and from the Tower of the Magi without an escort. Today had been Seth and Soth’s turn.

For the most part they didn’t mind accompanying him. Because once they escorted him to the Tower, they’d head into town for a few hours then return about the time when he was ready to leave. But today, with the weather being what it was, they had opted to remain within the Tower. After the third hour, they were ready to leave. At the fourth they had sent one of the Seekers to find him in that library on the ground floor and tell him they were ready to return. When the Seeker returned, he had told them Kevik would be out momentarily. Now it’s nearing the fifth hour and he still hadn’t made an appearance.

“Serve him right if we just left him here,” Seth commented to his brother.

“You think he would even know we were gone?” Soth asked, given him a grin.

Seth laughed. “Doubt it.” Then a Seeker emerged from the hallway and made his way to their table. “Now what?” Seth grumbled under his breath. “Is he telling us Kevik’s going to be another five hours?”

“If so,” replied Soth, “I’m going back.”

“Me too,” agreed Seth.

They watched the Seeker as he made his way to their table. “Practitioner Kevik wished for me to tell you that he will be out momentarily,” the Seeker stated.

“You can tell Practitioner Kevik that if he’s not out here in five minutes we’re leaving without him,” Seth replied.

The Seeker nodded. “I will so tell him.” Turning about, the Seeker crossed the hall and reentered the hallway.

“Think he’ll come?” asked Soth.

Seth shrugged. “Who knows?” he replied. “But I don’t plan to wait around here for much longer.” He thought about the return walk to the estate. They hadn’t taken their horses as there was nowhere else to keep them but outside in the snowy weather tied to the poles. Seth didn’t relish the idea of walking back after nightfall, which couldn’t be very far away. Just when he was about to tell his brother they were out of there, Kevik appeared.

“About time,” mumbled Seth.

Kevik crossed the Hall and joined them at the table. “I ordered a meal for the three of us,” he explained. “It should be arriving shortly.”

“A meal?” exclaimed Seth, his impatience adding an edge to his voice. “Let’s go home.”

“But,” Kevik said, somewhat taken aback, “I thought you might be hungry.”

“We are,” replied Soth. He glanced to his brother and gestured that they should stay and eat.

“Oh, very well,” grumbled Seth.

As they took their seats, Soth asked, “How is it going?”

Kevik perked up and patted the pack which held his spell book. “Very well,” he stated. “I jotted down several spells which may come in handy when we set out for the final…” he paused a moment then leaned forward and said in a whisper, “you know what.”

“Excellent,” Soth said. He glanced to his brother and nodded. Seth just glared back at him, he didn’t want to remain there.

Though at times coming here wore on those accompanying Kevik, there was no denying the benefit from such visits. On his second visit, Kevik discovered a spell that would afford him some protection against magical traps that he might inadvertently activate when identifying items. It took him most of the next day to master it, but after that he set about identifying all the remaining items that had yet to be identified.

Most of them had what Bart called ‘junk abilities’. Such things as making you smell better, a love charm, and other worthless attributes. But as he had stated awhile back, what was worthless to one is priceless to another. With that in mind, Kevik inquired at the Tower about liquidating those items and was told of a place in Gilbeth that specialized in such things.

The sale of the four ‘junk items’ gave them one thousand, three hundred and fifty eight gold pieces, a veritable fortune. Only three items were kept other than those whose abilities had already been discovered. One was the wand which Kevik believed casts a spray of cold.

Another was the gray powder. It took Kevik some time to figure out what it did for every time he tried to cast his identification spell on it, the spell wouldn’t do anything. Finally, he realized that the gray powder was in some way absorbing the magic of the spell. If the box in which the powder was kept remained closed, its affects would remain inactive. The box held the ability to contain the powder’s affect. But with the lid open and the gray powder exposed, it absorbed any and all active magic in its vicinity.