Searching for Sarah’S Father: A Tale of Magic and Mystery

By Elery Keene

This book is an adventure that takes place on an island in a fantasy world that is much like the world imagined by JRR Tolkien for several of his books. The economy is much like that of our historical medieval world but some of the people are able to use magic spells and devices. Typical weapons are swords, clubs, spears, bows and arrows. The people are of several different races including Humans, Dwarves, Erebans, and some others. A group of seven young people who have never met each other before are assembled by Sarah Swift to search for her father, Robert Swift, who has not returned from an expedition to deliver furniture that he is selling in various parts of the island. The group encounters several unexpected situations as they go to places that they have never been before. They get to know each other and cooperate to try to achieve their objectives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546251446

Elery Keene

During his lifetime Elery has enjoyed reading fantasy stories such as those written by JRR Tolkien and others. He has also enjoyed playing fantasy role play games with friends for many years. This book was inspired by what happened in one of these games, starting with notes he had taken while playing to remind everyone what had happened when they played the week before. But he also made many changes to make the story more interesting, so the book is somewhat different than what happened in the game. His job as an urban and regional planner and his interest in history helps him to understand what the economic circumstances of the fantasy era would have been. He has done enough writing to explain things in ways that are easy to understand.

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© 2018 Elery Keene. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  07/23/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5145-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5144-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018908294

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

The Island Of Morgana   Preface

Part One   The Participants

Chapter One   At Springbrook

Chapter Two   The Man In Black

Chapter Three   The Humans

Chapter Four   The Non-Humans

Part Two   A Gathering

Chapter Five   Sarah Swift

Chapter Six   Introductions

Chapter Seven   The Mission

Chapter Eight   Lady Lucy’s Magic Emporium

Chapter Nine   A Recent Letter

Part Three   On The Road

Chapter Ten   Leaving Althen

Chapter Eleven   The Red Boar Inn

Chapter Twelve   Still At The Red Boar

Chapter Thirteen   Up A Tree

Part Four   On The Trail

Chapter Fourteen   Old Paving Stones

Chapter Fifteen   A Real Fight

Chapter Sixteen   Wagons

Part Five   What Happened Here?

Chapter Seventeen   Inspecting The Wagons

Chapter Eighteen   Cleanup

Chapter Nineteen   Into The Forest

Chapter Twenty   Ereba City

Part Six   Amrath

Chapter Twenty-One   Amrath’s Retreat

Chapter Twenty-Two   Amrath Returns To Ereba

Chapter Twenty-Three   Amrath Dreams And Waits

Part Seven   More About Ereba

Chapter Twenty-Four   A Tour Of Ereba City

Chapter Twenty-Five   Cassia’s Magic

Chapter Twenty-Six   Ephraim’s Quest

Chapter Twenty-Seven   Ephraim At The Library

Part Eight   Going East

Chapter Twenty-Eight   Ashua

Chapter Twenty-Nine   The Red Haze

Chapter Thirty   Exodus

Chapter Thirty-One   Talking And Shopping

Chapter Thirty-Two   The Fortune Teller

Part Nine   Ephraim, Leander, And Amrath

Chapter Thirty-Three   At The Swift Mansion

Chapter Thirty-Four   City Of The Dead

Chapter Thirty-Five   Whose Tracks Are These?

Part Ten   Exodus

Chapter Thirty-Six   Finding The Pool

Chapter Thirty-Seven   Sparrow

Chapter Thirty-Eight   The Keepers’ House

Sarah father is missing. She needs help. Some fighters and Spell-casters will volunteer, but do they have the experience needed to complete the task that she has for them?

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MAP OF MORGANA

THE ISLAND OF MORGANA

PREFACE

This story takes place on an imaginary world. Approximately one million people live on the island of Morgana. There are other islands and continents, but the people of Morgana have little to no communication with the other parts of the world. The population is made up of several different races: Erebans, Eldens, Dwarves, Nogs, and Humans. All are considered to be Humanoids.

Family farming and logging are the primary occupations of the inhabitants. Farmers produce enough food to feed themselves and also the merchants, miners, soldiers, nobility and other who do not farm. Some fishing is done in the ocean, rivers, and lakes. Many hunt for food. Some mining and quarrying is done. Wood, stone, and adobe are the primary building materials. Wood is the primary source of fuel. Much of the land continues to be covered with virgin forests and wild grasslands. Major products include wheat, oats, barley, rye, flax, hay, beans, cabbage, beets, carrots, turnips, hops, apples, grapes, nuts, sheep, cattle, pigs, horses, poultry, fish, quarry stone, coal, iron, copper, lead, nickel, tin, clay, gold, silver, and gems. People make wool and linen cloth; iron and steel tools and weapons; lumber, leather goods, pottery, rope, and glass. They also make beer, wine, and whiskey. They use flint and steel to make fire.

Magic is real. A few people know how to cast magic spells. Some people know how to endow objects with magical properties. Some people have magic weapons, magic armor, magic jewelry, and other magic items.

Systems of travel and communication are slow. People use horses to ride, and horses or oxen to pull wagons. Because few people travel more than fifty miles from home during a lifetime, most of them know very little of the customs of other cultures. There is often distrust of strangers who are of odd appearance and have unusual ways. Those few traders and adventurers who do travel, tell strange tales about what they have seen and done, but most people don’t know whether to believe them or not.

Nations are governed by Kings, Queens, and sometimes by elected officials, or tribal officials. Some governments have dictatorial authority; some do not. Most governments treat their citizens very fairly; some do not.

Metal coins, gold, silver, and copper, are the mediums of exchange. Precious gems are often used as well. One standard gold piece is worth ten standard silver pieces. One silver coin is worth ten large copper pieces, commonly called cartwheels. One large copper piece is worth ten small copper pieces, often called pennies. Gold is quite heavy. Ten standard gold pieces weigh one pound.

PART ONE

THE

PARTICIPANTS

CHAPTER ONE

AT SPRINGBROOK

Planting three – Tyr’s Day

In spring, a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love.

It is late spring and Reuben is in love with Rachel. They have always loved each other. They have grown up together in a small Dwarven village called Springbrook. Her house is right across the road from his. They like living in Springbrook and that is where they will live after they get married. They will have to wait a few years. There are no vacant houses in Springbrook so Reuben will have to build one. It will be in the village, right beside his parent’s house on property that his father and mother own. Reuben will continue to work at his father’s sawmill and carpenter shop. Already he and his father are sharing in the profits of these businesses and in a few years Reuben will have saved up enough money to build the house. He has already started building furniture for it on his own time. Life is good.

There are less than twenty principal buildings in Springbrook - including an inn, a general goods store, a blacksmith shop, a sawmill, some stables, and several houses. It serves the needs of family farms and woodcutting activities in the surrounding rural area. Many of the families cut trees for lumber, and cut trees for stove-wood as well as operate a family farm which may consist of cows, pigs, chickens and growing vegetables and grains for market and their own use…

Reuben Huskins is about four-feet-two-inches tall with short, muscular legs and arms, about average for a Dwarf. His feet and hands would seem overly large for a Human but are normal for a Dwarf. His body is wide, a bit stout, but brawny. A long black beard hangs nearly down to his belt. Long, black hair falls half way down his back, completely covering his large ears. He has brown twinkling eyes, very bushy eyebrows, a large bulbous nose, and full lips – also normal for male members of the Dwarven race. He has an energetic, purposeful air about him. When working with his father, or walking about the village, he usually wears a brightly colored woolen shirt (red, green, or blue), dark green or brown woolen trousers, a wide brown leather belt, and short leather boots with tops that come a little up above his ankles. Dwarven women consider him to be an attractive looking young man.

Rachel Stone is slightly shorter than Reuben at four feet, somewhat plump, and also has short arms and legs. She has long, dark brown hair and brown eyes; less bushy eyebrows and a slightly smaller nose than does Reuben. She has a round fleshy face, and a bright smile. Her clothing is much the same as that of other Dwarven women. She either wears a dress that comes down to her ankles or a blouse with a skirt that falls just as close to the ground. She usually wears a leather vest, laced together at the front, which fits closely around her waist and generous breasts. Dwarven men consider her to be quite beautiful.

One sunny, spring day Reuben and Rachel take a walk along one of their favorite paths, just outside the village. Beside the path is an old stone wall, where lacy green ferns are unfurling. Little wildflowers bloom here and there. Among them are yellow trout lilies, blue hepaticas and teeny purple violets. Tree branches are laden with bursting buds. Soon these buds will become broad green leaves that will catch the energy of the sun and change it to the kind of energy that plants and trees need to live and grow. It is the beginning of another cycle in Mother Nature’s order of living things, a time of renewal and hope.

Yet, it seems to Reuben that Rachel is less lighthearted than usual and he wonders why. It is Tyr’s Day, the third day of the first week of the month of Planting, according to the Dwarven calendar.

Most people on the Island of Morgana use the calendar developed centuries ago by the Dwarven people. According to this calendar, the days of the week are Sun’s Day, Moon’s Day, Tyr’s Day, Woden’s day, Thor’s day, Freya’s day, and Last Day. The names of some of these days honor some of the Dwarven Gods: Tyr, Woden, Thor, and Freya. The months are Snowfall, Ice-wind, Awakening, Quickening, Planting, Greening, Haying, Harvest, Frost-haze, Leaf-fall, Bare-branch, and Darkening. Each month has exactly twenty-eight days. This works because for some unknown reason the annual weather cycle on this planet is exactly 336 days. Dwarves like such precision. It does not occur to anyone on the planet that it could possibly be any other way.

Suddenly, right out of the blue, Rachel says, I’m going to get married in less than a month.

This takes Reuben by surprise. Concerned, he says, Of course, someday we’ll get married, but we can’t get married now. We haven’t even started to build our home.

She says, But I will be married in less than a month.

This makes no sense to Reuben. He says, trying to be patient, I can’t possibly have a house built for us in less than a month.

Rachel says, with impatience and frustration in her voice, I’m not marrying you, Reuben. I’m marrying Froth Wissell. He needs a wife and he has a house.

Reuben is stunned. He looks hard at Rachel. She isn’t looking at him. She is looking away, but he can tell that she isn’t smiling.

He says, But Froth Wissell is an old man. He must be over three hundred and eighty years old. You are a young woman, only thirty-six years old. It doesn’t make sense. You are supposed to marry me.

She says, You know it is Dwarven custom. It is not what I want. It is what I have to do. As you know, his wife, Gretal, died recently. He lives way out there all by himself. He needs to be taken care of. You know that it is common for women to marry men much older than they are.

She is not looking directly at Reuben. She can’t face him. He thinks that she probably has tears in her eyes.

Reuben knows about Froth Wissell. He is an old woodcutter who lives well away from the village to the east. He is one of those rare, very independent Dwarves who seldom come into the village to socialize. He thinks to himself, It doesn’t make any sense at all for Rachel to marry him.

Frustrated and losing his patience he says, No! No! You must wait for me! We have always known that we are right for each other! You cannot marry Froth Wissell! You are already spoken for! Everybody knows that!

Still looking away, Rachel says, Yes. The decision has already been made. My father and mother have signed the papers. Most of the people in the village already know and expect it. I wanted to be the one to tell you, and I have been reluctant to do so. I knew that you would be disappointed. That’s why I waited until today. It’s the right thing to do. I know this makes you unhappy. I’m unhappy about it too. But we’ll get over it. In a few years you will marry a woman much younger than you are. All of your dreams will come true. We will still be good friends. We will always love each other.

Reuben groans and says, We should have talked about this before the papers were signed.

Rachel says, It wouldn’t change anything. I’m the only unmarried woman in the village. It is my time to get married.

Reuben asks, When will it happen? Has the date been set?

Rachel says, It will be Planting thirteen, Freya’s Day, at the village inn. Herman Sandy will perform the ceremony. The following day, Last Day, is the day he comes to Springbrook for formal monthly religious services. It will be convenient for him.

Springbrook is not a large enough community to support a full time Cleric so they only have formal religious services one day each month. They get together among themselves to meditate and sometimes share their feelings and thoughts with each other on the last day of the week when the cleric is not there. Reuben has not heard anyone mention that Rachel should marry Froth.

Reuben says, That is less than two weeks from today. This doesn’t give me much time.

Rachel says, There is nothing you can do to change this, so don’t try.

Reuben thinks, I can’t stand it. She makes it sound so definite. I feel like my world is falling to pieces. My dream of a life with Rachel is going to end, and in less than two weeks.

He objects vehemently. He even screams out in anger, No! No! You can’t do this to me! Then he apologizes. I’m not angry with you. I’m angry at the situation. There must be something we can do to change it. I know that you don’t like it either.

Rachel says, I don’t want to marry Froth. I don’t like it, but there is nothing that can be done to change it. You have to get used to it. And we won’t be able to see each other like this any more. I want to see you but I can’t. Mother says that it wouldn’t look right for us to be seen together, and Froth would resent it. I hate it, but this is the way it has to be.

She quickens her pace and so does Reuben. They are soon back in the village and she goes into her house. She says goodbye to Reuben but she does not kiss him.

Reuben thinks, This is the worst day of my life. It’s bad enough that Rachel is marrying someone else. It’s even worse that she is marrying an old woodcutter who lives so far away and seldom comes into the village. I will hardly ever see Rachel any more.

Reuben goes home and tells his mother and father the bad news. But they already know. It seems that he is the last person in the village to know. They tell him that it is a sad thing, but there is nothing that can be done to change it.

Reuben’s mother says, with a tear in each of her eyes, I know that you are disappointed, Reuben, but you must make the best of it. The pain will pass. You will find a nice Dwarven woman to marry when the right time comes. She may not be from this village, but there are other Dwarven villages and also the big city at the mines. You will have a good life.

His father says, Tough it out, son. I know that you’re very disappointed but in a few years you’ll look back and wonder why you were so disappointed.

Reuben appreciates his mother’s sympathy but he doesn’t talk back. He thinks, They are both wrong. Why can’t they understand? This can be changed. They don’t talk about it anymore that day.

Reuben continues to think about Rachel while he goes to the nearby river to bring two wooden buckets of water home for his mother to use for cooking and to wash dishes. He tries not to cry. He puts the buckets in the kitchen where his mother can easily access them.

His mother says, Reuben, please pour all the water from one of the buckets into the big kettle hanging on the hook in the fireplace so that I can use it to wash the dishes after we eat. Then bring some more firewood in from the shed.

Reuben does this without saying anything to his mother.

Later he talks with his grandparents, his father’s mother and father, about Rachel getting married. They try to help him deal with his emotional pain, but it doesn’t help much. His mother’s parents don’t live in Springbrook. They live on a farm a few miles from the village. When he gets a chance he talks it over with them. They are sympathetic, but tell him that there is nothing they can do to change the situation.

Reuben tries to be philosophical about his situation, but he can’t. He remembers the teaching of old Fror Ingren, A person needs to change those things that need to be changed, and accept those things that cannot be changed. The hardest part is to learn how to tell one from the other.

He thinks, That is the trick. How do you know what cannot be changed if you don’t try?

So Reuben tries. He talks to Rachel’s father. He talks to Rachel’s mother. He talks to both of them together. He talks to his mother and father. He even walks all the way to Froth Wissell’s house and talks briefly with him. They all tell him that this marriage agreement will not be changed. Rachel will marry Froth Wissell and move to live with him in his house in the forest.

Reuben tries everything that he can think of but nobody else is trying, not even Rachel. He doesn’t even have a chance to be with Rachel unless someone else is present. He thinks, I need help. Without some help from somebody, I can’t succeed.

Reuben and Rachel do not again walk along the path together. He doesn’t have a chance to even talk with her. But somehow he manages to sneak a private conversation with Rachel when she goes outside to gather flowers for the tables at the inn where she works. She sees Reuben but ignores him, concentrating on selecting and cutting tulips and daffodils, placing them carefully in a shallow basket she carries with her.

He says, Hello, Rachel. She pretends not to hear.

But Reuben doesn’t give up. He says, I have the answer. We must elope. We will live in some other Dwarven village, perhaps way up north in the Silver Mountains where the mines are.

But Rachel says firmly, No. I won’t do it. I can’t. I’ve got to go inside now. We can’t be seen together. You know that.

She runs back into the inn.

Reuben is angry with her. He starts to chase her but stops. He thinks, This is not her fault. I can’t be angry with her. I’ve got to control myself. I feel so guilty. I hate it, but getting angry with Rachel isn’t going to help.

He waits near the flower garden, hoping she will sneak back out to talk with him.

But instead the innkeeper comes out and tells Reuben, You know that you need to stay away from Rachel. I’m sorry about your situation, but there is nothing that can be done to change it. It would be best if you would go back to your father’s workshop now. Please don’t try to talk with her while she is working.

Reuben goes back to the carpenter shop. What else can he do?

On the day of the wedding, Reuben stays in bed later than usual. He has not slept well. He has been thinking of Rachel and has been very agitated. He can’t get rid of it.

He is thinking, Today my Rachel is going to be married to Froth Wissell. That old man! She should be marrying me. This can’t be happening. There must be some way that I can stop it. I know that I’m not supposed to. Rachel told me that this has all been decided and that there is nothing that either she or I can do about it. I know that she doesn’t want to do this anymore than I want her to. I know that she loves me as much as I love her. We were made for each other. She’s three years older than I am. No one else who lives in Springbrook village – or near it – is close to my age at all. Jeremy is twenty years younger than I am, and he’s a boy. Susan is even younger.

Dwarves mature more slowly than Humans, and live much longer as well. On average a Dwarf can expect to live for about four hundred years while the expectancy of a Human life is about sixty-five years. As might be expected, it also takes Dwarves longer to achieve adulthood, normally maturing at about thirty years of age. At age thirty-three, Reuben has recently come into adulthood. Avoiding catastrophe, he can expect to live for a great many more years. With such long lives, one might think that the Dwarven population would be expanding very rapidly. But Dwarven births occur at about the same rate as Dwarven deaths, so the population of Dwarves on the Isle of Morgana is fairly stable. It is different for Humans. They have a very high birth rate as compared to the Dwarves. This results in rapid growth of the Human population on the Isle of Morgana. To support this growth, Humans constantly need more land for farms and more trees to burn for energy and to build houses and furniture. If this birth and death rate doesn’t change there won’t be enough land on this island to support them. But very few of the people on the island understand this. Those that do, think that it is not necessary to do anything about it now.

Reuben continues to think about Rachel. We grew up together. Her house is right across the street from mine. She has always been the only person in our village that is anywhere near the same age that I am. The next youngest dwarf in the village is Hannah, a girl fifteen years older than Rachel. And the next child to be born in our village after me was that boy, Higby. He is at least twenty years younger than I am. While growing up Rachel and I played together all the time. There wasn’t anybody else for me to play with. We did everything together. We always knew that we would be married someday. We talked about building a house to live in, right here in the village. We planned it together. We have both been looking forward to that day. This was our dream. Then Froth Wissell’s wife died and everything changed. Today Rachel is getting married. I can’t stand it, but what can I do? I’ll go to the wedding. It would be shameful if I didn’t. I will try to control my anger. I will try not to display my grief. The wedding is tonight right after supper at the village inn. Today I must work with my father in the carpenter shop. Maybe that will help me keep from thinking about how terrible this whole thing is.

Reuben is still tired but he knows that he must get up out of bed anyway and face this terrible day.

He eats breakfast alone. His father has already eaten and gone to the shop. His mother tries to console him. But Reuben says, Please mother, I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to think about it.

Under his breath, Reuben starts singing the song about his great grandfather that his grandfather taught him.

"I am an old farmer, Reuben Huskins is my name.

I come from high on the mountain plain.

Got forty acres of well tilled land,

Barn full of hay and a bank of sand."

Reuben thinks, I never knew my great grandfather. My mother told me that I was named after him. My grandfather told me stories about him. He said that my great grandfather came here from far to the north with other Dwarves to settle our village of Springbrook when he was a young man. He was a farmer back there, but he also did some woodcutting and often worked at the sawmill. He quickly realized that the new village needed a sawmill and he was the one who knew how to build and operate it. My great grandfather lived a long time but he died before I was born, killed in an accident at the sawmill. It was my grandfather who added the carpenter shop to the family business. He is still alive. My grandparents don’t live in the same house that I do, but grandfather sometimes works with my father and me making furniture. My father and I continue the family tradition and it works very well for us. I like the work and we are prosperous. And someday I will build a house and get married.

Wait! I don’t want to think about that.

Reuben goes to the wedding that evening and bears it as well as he can. Reuben is afraid that he might cry so he sits in the back row hoping that no one will notice if he does. He tries not to, but the tears come anyway. It is a short ceremony followed by a party with snacks and drink. Reuben drinks too much ale and becomes quite drunk. It’s not the first time, but it is the worst time. He passes out while the evening is still young. In the morning he can’t remember how he got home and into his bed, or much about what happened at all.

The next day Reuben talks with the Cleric who performed the wedding ceremony. In response to Reuben’s question, the Cleric says, The ways of the Gods are sometimes hard to understand, but we must have faith that they are just in their wisdom. All will turn out for the best. You will see. You are a young man, Reuben. Most of your life is ahead of you. Your wisdom will grow. You’ll understand someday. This doesn’t help Reuben very much.

He does his work at the carpenter shop and at the sawmill. He spends the time he might have been spending with Rachel reading a book about the history of the Dwarves.

It is only five days later when at midday a Human messenger rides a horse into Springbrook. He is a very tall, slightly built man. He has come all the way from Althen. Reuben thinks, It must have taken him two and a half days.

The residents of Springbrook almost never see a Human so the messenger attracts a great deal of interest. They look at the Human, but don’t come out to welcome him. They just watch through windows to see where he goes, wondering why he has come to their village. The stranger goes to the inn. He asks, Can you tell me where to find Rosh Huskins?

The innkeeper tells him. A few minutes later the stranger delivers a letter to Reuben’s father, who interrupts his work at the carpenter shop to read it. Reuben watches.

Rosh Huskins

I hope, as this message reaches you, that you are in good health and good spirits, and that your family is well. I am Sarah Swift, daughter of Robert Swift. I have never met you, but my father has told me that you are one of his most trusted and loyal friends.

I write to ask a favor from you on his behalf. It is an emergency. Please come to my father’s house in Althen no later than sundown on Greening one. My father and I need your help. I cannot tell you the nature of our problem at this time, but please come armed and ready to travel. It might take as much as two weeks to complete your task. You will not be required to act alone, but please come alone and tell no one about this. This situation must be kept secret. Your reward will be two hundred and fifty pieces of gold. Fifty of this will be given to you when you agree to help and the rest when your mission is successfully completed. All will be told to you upon your arrival.

Please help. My father has helped you in the past. If for some reason you cannot help at this time, you may want to send someone else to take your place. It must be someone that you trust completely and whom you know will be willing to work cooperatively with others.

Sincerely,

Sarah Swift, daughter of Robert Swift

Althen, Sudelden - Planting 16, 23rd year of King Philamon’s Reign

Rosh says to Reuben, An old friend of mine needs help. He is a human merchant who risked his life during the Nog war to bring us weapons when we needed them and couldn’t pay for them. He brought food to us when our harvest had been stolen or destroyed by the Nogs. He needs help now, but I can’t leave the sawmill and the carpenter shop at this time of year. Also, I’m getting older and not as fit for adventure as I once was. Reuben, you will have to go in my place.

Reuben reads the letter for himself. He thinks two hundred and fifty gold pieces is a handsome reward for those who help, but wonders what the mission will be.

Reuben asks his father, What do you think Sarah Swift will expect me to do?

Rosh says, You will learn that when you show up at her house in Althen. You must be there on Greening one. I am quite sure that Robert Swift uses the same calendar that we do. You will have to decide for yourself if the mission is right or not, and if you can do it. If it is not right for you, you don’t have to do it.

Reuben thinks, The reward is big enough to allow me to build a house right away. I will be wealthy enough to attract a wife.

Rosh and Reuben go into the house to tell Mrs. Huskins about it. The messenger goes with them. Rosh gives the letter to his wife and says, I have told Reuben that I would like him to undertake this task for me. I can’t leave Springbrook at this time.

His mother reads the message and says, I think you should go, Reuben. It will be a good opportunity for you to see some of the world outside the village of Springbrook, and outside the Dwarven community. You’ll learn something. It may help you stop thinking so much about Rachel.

Reuben says, I would like to travel. I’ll go.

Rosh says to the waiting messenger, You heard. My son, Reuben Huskins will be going in my place. He will be at the Swift house in Althen on the first day of Greening to find out what will be required, fully equipped to carry out whatever mission the Swift family may have in mind. You can tell that to Sarah Swift. Also my best wishes go to my friend, her father.

Reuben’s mother asks, Can you tell us which of the other Dwarves who live in this area have been asked to help? It would be good for all to make the trip to Althen together.

The messenger says, This is the only delivery I was asked to make to anyone in this village, or for that matter to anyone of the Dwarven race. But there may be other messengers going elsewhere. I did give letters to some Eldens on my way here, but I would not be allowed to give you their names or tell you where they live.

Rosh says, That’s all right. If you see Robert Swift when you get back please say hello to him for me.

The messenger says, I will. Then he leaves, riding a horse a little taller than the ones Reuben has learned to ride.

Reuben thinks, It will be good to get away from this little village and find out what else is out there. I also feel proud that my father and mother are trusting in me to repay our debt to Robert Swift. I won’t let them down.

Rosh says, Today is Planting nineteen. Greening one is only ten days away. It will take you three days to get to Althen so you will be leaving here on the morning of Planting twenty-seven. You have seven days to get ready. That is plenty of time. You will be able to help me finish making the new desk we are working on for the innkeeper, and help me with some other projects as well.

Reuben spends some of his time during the next week thinking about and planning for his trip to Althen and beyond. He is proud to have the opportunity to represent his father in returning the favors that Robert Swift did to help the people of his village win the war against the Nogs. When he thinks about it, he is proud that Sarah Swift asked his father to repay the favor instead of one of the other Dwarven men. I wonder who else Sarah Swift has asked to help her. Apparently she has asked Dwarves and Eldens, and maybe Humans too. How many will there be? What if I am the only one who shows up?

Reuben speculates that maybe his father was chosen to represent the Dwarves because of his carpentry skill. There is no question that his father is the best carpenter who lives in the Springbrook area, and probably a better carpenter than most Eldens. He thinks that he himself may be the second best. So Reuben decides to bring some of his carpenter’s tools with him just in case they are needed. He will also bring his father’s battle-axe and special crossbow. He spends some of his time practicing their use. He tries not to think about Rachel, but sometimes he can’t help it. It is very hard to accept the idea that he will not be spending the rest of his life with his beloved childhood companion. He wonders how it could be possible for his life to change so quickly. Everything seems different. This could be a very interesting adventure. Robert Swift must have great respect for my father.

Reuben feels a little apprehensive about traveling alone to Althen. He has heard stories about travelers being ambushed along the highways, robbed of their valuables, and sometimes even killed. It doesn’t seem to happen very often, but it has been known to happen. He will be traveling alone, but he will be well armed and promises himself that he will always be on the alert for danger.

CHAPTER TWO

THE MAN IN BLACK

Planting 25 – Moon’s Day

On Planting twenty-three, Moon’s day, many miles to the east of Springbrook, in another village that is occupied by Humans, a seemingly unrelated event takes place. It is late in the evening. A few people of the Human race are sitting in the common room of the village inn, sipping ale or beer, telling stories, or just sitting alone, drinking and brooding. A few candles cast dim light around the room.

A middle-aged man dressed entirely in black is sitting alone, a worried expression on his face. He looks a little taller than average for a Human, about five feet and eleven inches tall. He is thinking, Gotta get money. Gotta get money. Gotta get money. Gotta get money. He looks around the room, as he has done several times before and thinks, several of the people in this room are worth robbing. I wonder who will give me the best opportunity.

One of three storytellers sitting at another table slowly stands. He is an older man who is a little paunchy with gray hair. He seems to teeter slightly on his feet as he mutters, It’s late. I’ve had enough. I think I’ll go to the outhouse, then up to bed.

One of the others, a tall, slender man grunts, I’ve got a little left in my mug. I’ll finish it. Then I’ll be heading up to bed myself.

The third man belches and yawns.

The first man is dressed in typical merchant attire: a worn brown leather vest, gray trousers, short brown boots, a white shirt with long full sleeves, and a dark blue bow tie. The loose ends of the tie dangle about six inches below the knot. He strolls slowly to the back exit, weaving slightly instead of walking in a straight line.

As soon as the tottering man has gone through the door and closed it behind him, the man dressed in black also heads for the exit. His moves are deliberate and silent, barely noticeable in the dim light. Once outside he goes to the outhouse where he can urinate and do his bowel movement. The light of the moon, nearly a quarter full, lights his way. He walks silently along the gravel path, stands quietly just outside the door, and waits.

When the door opens and the older man comes out, the younger, black clad man steps behind him, loops a garrote around his neck, and pulls it tight. The old man struggles in vain, barely making any sound at all. When the struggling stops, the man in black continues to hold tight for a little longer, then loosens his hold slightly and pulls the body to the other side of the outhouse, where it won’t be seen by the next person to use the outhouse. There he lets the dead body drop limply to the ground.

Taking the man’s money pouch, he sees that it is filled with coins. By the poor light he can’t tell which are copper and which are gold but some appear to be silver. He checks the pockets of the man’s vest, discovering a medallion on a chain. He thinks, This might be valuable. It might be magic.

He puts the medallion in the money pouch, then pulls off the man’s boots. A folded paper is wedged along the ankle of the right boot, nothing else. He thinks, I’ll take this too, and shoves it between his own right boot and the calf of his leg. He looks for a money belt under the man’s shirt but there is none. He doesn’t want the man’s dagger or bow tie. Finding nothing else of interest, he strides purposefully away from the outhouse and the inn across the relatively short grass to a clump of bushes about forty feet away.

Welcomed by the nicker of a waiting horse, he takes a black cloak from the saddle, puts it on, detaches the reins from a stout branch, and mounts. The horse slowly walks away, making almost no noise at all. A longbow and quiver are attached to the saddle.

The next day, Planting Twenty-four, a few miles away from the inn, morning light peeks through the leaves and branches of a forest glade onto a bedroll made of black cloth. A black horse is tethered near it, perhaps fifteen feet away. Sunlight also catches the black hair of a man’s head protruding from one end of the bedroll. It moves. Within minutes the man is eating a cold corn muffin from a saddlebag. He opens a money pouch and dumps the contents, gold, silver, and copper coins - and a gem, onto the flat blankets on the ground. There is also a gold medallion on a gold chain. He mutters, Got money. Got Money.

He counts the coins: twenty-three gold pieces, twenty-seven silver pieces, and thirteen coppers. He estimates that the gem should be worth about ten pieces of gold. He thinks, A good haul. Should be more than enough to retrieve my Magic Longsword from the pawnshop. I wonder if the medallion is magic. I’ll have to take it to someone who can cast the spell, Analyze Magic.

When he puts on his boots he notices the piece of paper in one of them. I wonder what this is. He unfolds it and reads.

Brian Barter

I hope, as this message reaches you, that you are in good health and good spirits, and that your family is well. I am Sarah Swift, daughter of Robert Swift. I have never met you, but my father has told me that you are one of his most trusted and loyal friends.

I write to ask a favor from you on his behalf. It is an emergency. Please come to my father’s house in Althen no later than sundown on Greening one. My father and I need your help. I cannot tell you the nature of our problem at this time, but please come armed and ready to travel. It might take as much as two weeks to complete your task. You will not be required to act alone, but please come alone and tell no one about this. This situation must be kept secret. Your reward will be two hundred and fifty pieces of gold. Fifty of this will be given to you when you agree to help