The Vault Of Mysteries (Marshyl Stories Book 1) Read online

  The main street of Rycaster was lined with businesses that catered to the many travelers passing through. The buildings were tall and well maintained. Many were made of the stone which was quarried nearby, giving the town a sturdy feeling that was completely different from the fishing villages along the coast. Those communities mainly consisted of wooden lean-to buildings that were constantly being destroyed by the fierce tropical storms, only to be rebuilt by the hardy folk who made their living from the sea.

  The Marshyl was just entering a nearby inn when Dex and Kyp hurried out of the tavern. People had gathered outside of the smaller drinking establishment and were peering inside curiously. Dex could see the local healer being escorted to the tavern, but the boys weren’t interested in the men who had been injured during the fight. They wanted to know more about the Marshyl—in fact, Dex thought that perhaps he might convince the Knight to take them into his service.

  “Come on,” Dex said, hurrying down the street toward the inn.

  “We can’t go in there,” Kyp said. “Taynt hates us.”

  “We’ll keep a low profile,” Dex said.

  “I don’t know. He was pretty mad when you stole that keg of ale.”

  “We repaid him for that,” Dex insisted, then held out his hand with a few copper coins. “And look, I’ve got enough for a meal. Taynt is a grump, but he loves money. He won’t turn us down.”

  “I thought we were saving that coin for the winter,” Kyp said.

  “We were, but maybe we won’t have to save it.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I think we should try to go north with the Marshyl. Maybe they’ll take us into the Marshyl guild.”

  “Are you crazy? The Marshyls won’t let us in.”

  “They might. You don’t know.”

  “You’ve lost your mind.

  “Hey, I’m just thinking ahead. Do you really want to stay here and end up cutting stone in the quarry? Or go back to the coast to hire on to one of the fishing boats?”

  “No,” Kyp said. “But maybe we could join the king’s army.”

  “We could, but we’d just be grunts with no prospects,” Dex argued. “We’ve talked about this before. You know they would throw our lives away at the first opportunity.”

  “Being a Marshyl isn’t a privileged life,” Kyp argued.

  “No, but at least we’ll have a better chance of living than being sent to fight in one of King Ulfer’s stupid wars. Besides, if the Marshyl doesn’t want us we can always join the army later.”

  “Or maybe we could find a place in a merchant’s caravan,” Kyp replied. “I wouldn’t mind traveling the realm.”

  “You can travel as a Marshyl.”

  “If you survive the training.”

  “Don’t be so glum. Of course we’ll survive. That’s what we’re good at.”

  The boys entered the Royal Arms Inn cautiously. It was a large building, with a sprawling common room. The windows were covered with heavy drapes, and the interior was gloomy. Dex and Kyp didn’t wait to be greeted, but instead hurried over to an even darker nook and took seats in the corner. They searched the inn’s common room for the Marshyl, but he was nowhere in sight.

  “I don’t see him,” Kyp said.

  “He must have gone up to his room,” Dex said. “But he’ll be back for dinner soon.”

  The inn slowly filled up and a serving girl brought bread to their table, but she looked nervous. She was older than the boys, but still young enough to fear Taynt, the innkeeper.

  “What are you doing here, Dex? You aren’t welcome.”

  “We have coin,” Dex said, dropping his money on the table. “Please, we won’t cause any trouble.”

  “Taynt won’t like it. And he won’t serve you ale.”

  “Just water,” Dex said.

  “And a little meat,” Kyp said. “We’ve enough for that.”

  “All right, but if you cause trouble I’ll kill what’s left of you after Taynt has his way.”

  “We promise,” Dex said.

  They sat back, waiting and watching. The serving girl brought two flagons of water and a plate of food. Kyp ate hungrily. He was bigger than Dex, tall and broad shouldered. He was stronger than many of the men in Rycaster, and always hungry. Dex spent most of his time trying to earn enough to buy food for the two of them to eat, but without parents or patrons, just surviving was difficult. They had no chance of learning a trade, since an apprenticeship was negotiated by a child’s parents. And there seemed to be an endless number of orphan children in Rycaster, so the charity of the locals was limited.

  Dex was smaller than his friend, but still strong and fast. He could outrun most of the adults in Rycaster, which had come in handy more than once when they had failed to earn enough to feed themselves. Dex wasn’t a thief, he always paid for whatever he took… eventually. It was the clever schemes that he was constantly coming up with that sometimes got the boys in trouble.

  “There he is,” Kyp said in a hushed voice as he tore off a chunk of bread.

  “I see him,” Dex replied.

  The Marshyl came into the room and found his own shadowy nook. The sun had set and the only light in the inn came from the large fireplace and a row of lamps down the center of the common room. Most of the locals and guests took places at the long table that ran down the center of the room. They were loud and jubilant as they ate their evening meal and drank wine, ale, or mead.

  Dex saw Taynt a time or two, but the rat-faced innkeeper was busy in the kitchens. Unlike some of the other inns, the Royal Arms had no wenches and didn’t serve the more potent liquors that resulted in people getting falling-down drunk. There were no card games, or dice, but plenty of local gossip and behind-the-scenes business dealings. The duel at the tavern was the latest scandal, not that wizards fighting was unusual, but a Marshyl in Rycaster was rare. Dex was amazed that most of the people in the Royal Arms had no idea they were gossiping about a man who was sitting across the room. But the Marshyl looked different without the imposing armor. He wore regular clothes since coming down from his room. The armor, long sword, and shield were gone. He wore simple woolen pants and a gray shirt that looked homespun. He still had the armored boots on his feet, but in the darkness it was impossible to tell much about a person’s feet.

  He also still carried the dagger, but it was tucked into his belt, which was a simple, woven leather strap that was cinched around his waist. He ate alone, but his eyes took in the room. He seemed to see everything, and yet nothing held his interest. Not the serving girls, nor the gossip, not even the two boys who were obviously watching his every move.

  The night wore on. Many of the patrons lit pipes of flavored tobacco until the inn was filled with smoke. It was hard to see across the room and Dex knew that if he was going to approach the Knight, his time had come.

  “Let’s go over,” Dex said.

  “What? Why?” Kyp asked.

  “We have to find out if he’ll take us on.”

  “This is really stupid. Why would anyone take us on?”

  “Because we’re brave enough to ask. Now come on.”

  They made their way around the long table and were just about to where the Knight was sitting when Dex felt a hand slam down on his shoulder. He turned and found himself face to face with the innkeeper.

  “What the hell are you two doing in my inn?” he roared.

  “We were having our dinner,” Dex said.

  “Fine, you’ve had it, now be gone.”

  “We have business,” Dex argued.

  “Not in my place you don’t,” Taynt snarled. “Get out or I’ll have you thrown in the stocks.”

  “You can’t. We haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “You are up to no good, that much I’m certain of.”

  The locals were laughing and the guests were watching them curiously. Dex glanced over his shoulder to see what the Marshyl thought of the embarrassing incident and was surprised to see the Knight’s tab
le was empty. Dex was certain the Marshyl had been sitting in the same spot all night. He had been there only a moment before, but somehow he had disappeared without Dex seeing where he had gone.

  “We’ll go,” Kyp said, trying to placate the angry innkeeper.

  “I know you will,” Taynt shouted loudly. “Now get out of here and don’t come back. You aren’t welcome here.”

  Dex and Kyp hurried out into the chilly night. It was frustrating to have come so close to their goal only to have been thwarted by the stuffy innkeeper. Dex understood the man’s grievance against him, but he also felt a stinging bitterness toward the man who had so much and would begrudge him for trying to simply get by in life.

  “What now?” Kyp asked.

  “We wait,” Dex said. “Maybe we can catch him in the morning.”

  Chapter 4

  They spent the night in a small alley across the street from the Royal Arms. It wasn’t a pleasant place, but the alley had been swept clean recently and the night was clear so there was no danger of rain. Nights in the summer were cool, but not dangerous. Dex and Kyp didn’t have thick cloaks, but they huddled together and dozed through the night. By dawn they were stiff and hungry, but not exhausted.

  They got to their feet as the city woke, but stayed in the alley, stamping their feet and waiting for any sign of the Marshyl. Many of the guests who had stayed in the Royal Arms left shortly after dawn. There were wagons and carriages brought from the stables in the rear of the large inn, but no sight of the Knight that Dex was desperately hoping to speak to.

  “How long are we going to wait?” Kyp asked. “I’m hungry.”

  “Me too, but I don’t want to miss our chance.”

  “I don’t want to miss breakfast at the bakery.”

  “You’ll live without a stomach full of burned bread and day-old buns.”

  “Maybe, but what kind of life will it be?” Kyp said jokingly.

  Another hour passed and Dex was beginning to think that perhaps the Marshyl had left in the night while they were still sleeping. Finally, well after the other patrons had all left, the Knight came out of the alley that led to the Royal Arms. He was leading a large, black horse with a long mane and a heavy-looking saddle. The Marshyl was dressed in his armor again, and the horse had a large bundle of what Dex guessed were the Knight’s personal belongings and supplies. He was leading the horse, not riding it, so Dex elbowed his friend and hurried out into the street.

  “Sir!” he called. “Sir, may we speak?”

  The Knight looked at the two boys, his face a mask that gave nothing away. Dex had no idea if the Marshyl recognized them from the day before or not. Normally Dex could tell a lot about a person simply by the way they looked at him. He had learned to recognize if a person was tired or nervous simply by the way they moved, and he could usually discern if they were friendly by the way they looked at him. The Marshyl was completely unreadable. He stared at the boys, his body relaxed, his face completely impassive even when he realized they were talking to him.

  “Hello,” Dex said, his heart thundering in his chest. “We hope we’re not a bother. We helped you in the tavern yesterday.”

  The Marshyl nodded, but didn’t speak.

  “I don’t know exactly how this works, but we’re orphans and we were hoping that perhaps you might take us on. We’ll work hard.”

  “We’ll do everything you need,” Kyp said.

  “And we can get our own food,” Dex added. “We only want to learn.”

  “I’m sorry,” the Marshyl said. “I can’t take you on now.”

  He turned to leave without even an explanation. Dex felt his hopes vanish like smoke and tears stung his eyes. It wasn’t fair that no one would give them a chance. He knew he could earn a place and be useful, but without his parents to speak for him no one in Rycaster seemed willing to give him an opportunity.

  “Please, sir,” Dex begged. “We can help you. We’ll do anything.”

  “I’m on a mission, but if I can I’ll come back through Rycaster,” the Marshyl said. “Look for me by summer’s end.”

  Dex wanted to continue pleading his case but Kyp put his hand on the smaller boy’s shoulder. They stood in the street and watched as the Knight led his horse away. There was only a spark of hope left and even though Dex knew the Knight was probably just placating them with his offer, he couldn’t help but wish that the Knight would indeed return for them. There was nothing else in their life to hope for after all. They were just about to go in search of breakfast when Dex noticed a group of riders coming into town. The Marshyl noticed them too and stopped in the street.

  “Let’s get something…” Kyp began, but stopped when he saw the look on his friend’s face.

  “Those are wizards,” Dex said.

  “We better get off the street,” Kyp said.

  “No,” Dex said. “Stay here.”

  Dex ran forward, catching up with the Marshyl quickly. The Knight glanced over at Dex, who thought he saw a glimmer of respect in the Marshyl’s eyes.

  “Can I help?” Dex asked.

  “Take the horse and get off the street,” the Knight said, tossing the horse’s reins to Dex. “Go with him, Hasty. He seems like a good sort.”

  Dex nodded and turned the horse, patting the large animal’s neck and speaking in a soothing voice.

  “Come on, let’s find you a nice treat. Maybe an apple, how does that sound?”

  The horse neighed and let itself be led away. Kyp met Dex just up the street from the Royal Arms Inn and they took shelter in an alley that smelled like rotting food and sewage. The horse pawed at the muddy ground but the boys were completely focused on the wizards who were approaching the Marshyl who was still in the middle of the street. He had drawn his sword but stood in a relaxed stance. The wizards were spreading out. There were five of them, and Dex could see that they each had a wand tucked into their silky sashes and their tattoo-covered arms were bare.

  “They must be with the wizard that was killed yesterday,” Dex said.

  “Holy smokes, I can’t believe the Marshyl is taking them all on at once,” Kyp said in awe.

  The boys were several paces away from the Knight, but he spoke in a loud voice that carried so that Dex and Kyp heard everything he said.

  “You’re too late to help your friend,” the Marshyl said. “You can ride back out of town or you can join him.”

  “You the one that killed him?” asked one of the wizards. The man had a white streak of hair on the right side of his head.

  “No, but I dealt with the wizard that did. There’s nothing left for you to do.”

  “I want his wand,” said the wizard with the white streak of hair.

  “And whatever else you have,” said another wizard, this one with a jagged scar across his face.

  “That’s not going to happen,” the Marshyl insisted. “And the people here don’t want you in town.”

  “I don’t give a damn what these people want,” the wizard with the white streak of hair shouted. “Give us the wand or we’ll take you down.”

  The Marshyl lifted his shield and tucked his chin low. “You’re welcome to try.”

  The wizards drew their wands all at once and at the same time the Marshyl spun to his left. The man with the white streak of hair was in the center, with two other wizards on either side. They all shouted spells and Dex watched in terror as green light shot from the wands toward where the Knight had been standing. The wizards on the far side of the street missed their mark by a wide margin, but the Marshyl took the spells of the other three on his shield. The magical armor absorbed the powerful spells but sent the Knight staggering backward.

  The wizard with the scar on his face was the first to cast a second spell. Purple light shot from his wand, but the Knight was ready for it. He slashed with his sword and the spell rebounded, hitting one of the horses on the far side of the street. The horse neighed in pain and reared before collapsing backward on top of the rider, crushing the wizard and le
aving him unconscious in the dirt.

  The wizards looked shocked to see their comrade fall. But the Marshyl was already charging forward. Another wizard cast an ominous-looking yellow curse at the Knight, but he ducked under the spell and worked magic of his own. A bright blue flash of light suddenly radiated from his shield up at the horses. The animals were terrified and reared, their hooves pawed the air while their riders struggled just to stay in the saddle.

  Another slash of the Marshyl's sword sent a second wizard falling to the ground with a deep gash in his leg. His wand was forgotten as he howled in pain.

  “Dismount!” screamed the wizard with the streak of white hair. He was struggling to get off his terrified horse.

  A third wizard toppled from the saddle as his horse bucked hard, but Dex could tell the man wasn't hurt. He got to his feet quickly, moving away from his horse who was kicking wildly, but also moving away from the Marshyl. The wizard who had threatened the Knight seemed to be the only wizard who didn't have trouble with his horse. He slipped from the saddle, sent the animal running with a slap to its rear, and then cast another spell at the Marshyl. Orange light transformed into a billowing plume of fire. The Knight raised his shield to protect his face and the flames split around him like water around a stone. But the spell left the air filled with a greasy, black smoke that made it hard to see.

  Dex was leaning forward, struggling to keep the Marshyl in sight when the wizard with the scar cast another spell. He was a painfully thin man, his back slightly hunched, his long hair tied back into a filthy braid. His spell wasn't aimed at the Knight but at the building behind the Marshyl. A blaze of green light arced up and into the ornate stone fascia along the top of the building. It was the town bazaar, a marketplace where many of the local craftsmen sold their goods to traveling merchants. The top of the building was decorated with polished stone and small statues that exploded under the powerful magic.