Chronicles of Den'dra: A Land Torn: Ancient Powers Awaken (10 page)

“
I need to know if any of my people might have had any indiscretions.”

“
There were some unsavory types nosing around shortly after your disappearance but you picked your people well. None of them were ever suspected.” Brounn motioned Urake towards a back room and away from prying ears.

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Just a moment. I have a friend that is probably close to starving.” Urake lowered his mental guards and let an invitation to come in float near the surface. A moment later Emeck burst through the door. He paused as long as it took to adjust his eyes to the gloom before threading his way to Urake’s side. The sudden entrance had attracted the gaze of a few of the patrons but without seeing the expected soldiers or angry drunk threatening, they returned to their deep contemplation of their own mugs. Emeck’s curious glance swept the room and returned to Urake.

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I need to talk with Brounn about some things for a little while but I will come back for you as soon as I'm done. In the meantime Brounn will make sure you get a good meal. On cue Brounn called to the serving girl at the other end of the room and told her to get a “fresh” plate of food from the “good” pot. Another plate was ordered to be delivered to the back room. Satisfied that Emeck wouldn’t be suffering from food poisoning, Urake then followed Brounn into the back room.

“
We all thought you had died. Brest never gave up looking for you. He said that he didn’t believe you could be killed. None of us did but so many years passed without word. I’ve always kept an ear to the ground for word about Ice Heart.” Brounn dropped into a seat that looked like only the force of habit held it together.

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Things went very badly on my last job. It’s nice to know that I'm missed even if it is only for my sword. How is Brest anyways?”

“
He died of the plague eleven years ago. He was a good tracker. As good as they come and loyal to the bone. After he died we all gave up any hope of finding you. It must really have gone wrong to make you disappear so many years. You sure know how to hide when you want to.” Brounn watched Urake as if he still expected to be double crossed.

“
That’s too bad about Brest. He was a good friend. That last job turned out to be a set up I would have been proud to author. It was a masterpiece of sophistry. When I didn’t kill the mark everything collapsed on me like a house of cards.” Urake closed his eyes at the memory.

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The job didn’t come from the usual employer so who set you up or do you know?” Broun leaned forward and the chair gave a protesting creek.

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Yes, I found out that it was from the chancellor only he had been trying to cover his tracks. The mark was Illiad. I almost didn’t recognize him in time. I almost killed the only thing between Reigns and absolute power. When I tried to backtrack I found an elite squad was on my trail. They recruited an army that took me the better part of two weeks to shake.”

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The King? Poof.” Brounn sat back with another alarming squeak from the chair.

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I came out of retirement because I’m looking for someone.” Urake was glad that his chair was stouter as he leaned back.

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That lad out there is a tracker then?” Brounn furrowed his brow like he always did when he was consciously trying to hold up his mental barriers and block someone out.

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I was rather hoping to use Brest but Emeck is all I have. It was a rather fortunate event running across him in the black forest.” The plate of food arrived and Urake gave it a tentative sniff. Used to poorer fare he was still suspicious that anything could be edible if prepared in these surroundings. It was indeed from the good pot and had a delicious aroma that set his mouth to watering and his stomach rumbling.

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I would have cautioned you against going through that bandit infested forest. I have a few contacts there but for the most part it is lawless and they rob anyone blind that comes through.” Brounn lamented the lost shipments of several crates of unspecified merchandise through the valley.

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I met them and we parted company on pleasant enough terms. Mainly because none of them were capable of continuing their attempts to kill me.” Brounn forgot about keeping Emeck out of his head and laughed.

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Serves them right the thieving bastards. Bet they didn’t expect to meet the Asgare in their corner of the woods. But anyways, you were looking for an individual?”

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Yes. My son.”

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You... Your... So I take it that the tracker you brought hasn’t been able to find him?” Brounn apparently decided that it was safer the less he knew about the particulars.

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He was in town around noon today. That much Emeck was able to figure out before Skeln disappeared.”

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So he is Gifted. Might I ask what he is running from?” Brounn waited for Urake’s reply.

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Reigns sent some men after him. I don’t know how or why they knew about him or why they want him. Somehow Skeln knew about them and managed to escape under their noses.” Urake sopped a bit of the soup up with a piece of black bread.

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Are they still chasing him?”

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No, I saw to that. No one should be looking for us for a week or two at least and even then they won’t have a clue to go on.”

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Why haven’t you caught up to him then?” Brounn looked a little confused.

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I played the role of a drunk as part of my disguise. He saw through it but never knew who I was. He thinks they are still following him. You should have seen some of the things he did to hide his trail. I lost hours following dead ends and false starts. Things I would have done.” Urake finished the last of the food and pushed away the plate.

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He must have inherited your talents.” Brounn had relaxed and shifted positions to the tune of the chair’s complaints.

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That’s the thing. He’s adopted.” This revelation shocked Brounn upright.

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I never took you for the family type but adopting?”

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I know. At first it was part of my disguise but he grew on me. Now I need to find him. It’s one of the reasons for me being here. Aside from seeing you to tell you that you've grown older and fatter, I wanted to know if any of my network is still active.” Brounn laughed.

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And you haven’t changed accept for a little gray in your beard. You should shave that thing off. It makes you look a couple decades older.” It was Urake’s turn to laugh.

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I did shed that identity. No longer am I bound to the role of a drunkard.” Urake rubbed his beard and hair thoughtfully.

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Your network was a well-oiled machine when it went dark after your disappearance. Times have changed and it might be a wee bit rusty from disuse. It will take me a little while to start it up again. Some of the people have either died or moved on in the last fifteen years.”

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Good. Do what you can. Like you said, times have changed and I need information. I have a feeling that I will never be allowed to return to retirement.”

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Humph. You? Retired? Never! Give me a description of the lad and I will start sounding out my old contacts.” Urake gave a detailed description of Skeln and told Brounn to be ready at sunset everyday with any information. Urake would have Emeck check in should Brounn need to convey any information. Otherwise he would be checking in with his local contacts.

Urake left Brounn in the back room busy going about the tasks. Emeck joined him a moment later and nodded when asked if he could find Brounn again later. Leaving the establishment he took a deep breath of fresher air. The air in this part of town couldn't be dignified with the term fresh. Looking back he observed the rickety building he had just exited. No one walking by would have guessed that the largest spy network besides Reign’s was run from the back room of that disreputable ale house. Sometimes not hiding behind false fronts was the best hiding place. No one ever suspected Brounn because everyone assumed no one would be stupid enough to do any criminal business near that place.

“Who was that?” Emeck kept pace with Urake.

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The best spy in all Den'dra.”

Chapter Seven

Skeln decided that it was irrational to keep to the woods any longer. He had hid his tracks for quite a distance now. Eventually night would fall and Skeln had no intention of repeating his experience with the wolves. The thought of exposing himself to people was debated for a time. One aspect was that it was ridiculous to think that everyone would recognize him and was looking for him. Even the men in chainmail didn’t know what he looked like.

Remembering his pursuers decided him for leaving the woods. No matter how hard he tried there was still the possibility that they would have a hound on the trail. If that were the case no manner of trick or subterfuge would be sophisticated enough to lie to the hound. The only way to rid himself of such a tracker was to mix his scent with those of other people.

At this point Skeln left the dry creek bed and cut back towards the center of the valley where he had seen a road. Here he was offered a ride by a man with a hay wagon. The offer was accepted and he was stowed in the back of the wagon. A few minutes later he was lulled to sleep by the movement and soft spring sun. It wasn’t until the low hubbub of the town that he awoke. Thanking his benefactor he slipped off the wagon into the crowd.

The first order of business he decided on was finding some new clothes. The ones he wore were in danger of drawing attention to him. No one he saw had anything so thoroughly threadbare. The town he found to be called Warton was many times larger than the obscure village he had grown up in. Never having been to another town he was of the impression that Warton was a city on the highest order.

Eventual Skeln found a tailor. He rather saw a window with real glass and on the other side was displayed a few sets of apparel. At first the man in charge of the establishment didn’t deigned to acknowledge the gutter rat that had accidently stepped through the door. Unable to keep up the presence when Skeln asked the price of a set of clothes in the display the tailor gave a deep sigh. The price quoted was many times what Skeln had available to him. Further interrogation revealed that the set in the window was made with a fine cotton cloth. A cheaper woolen set was eventually found that matched both Skeln’s size and budget.

Skeln handed over most of the silver in his possession and received the clothes. A clean gray shirt with a dark pair of trousers. Suddenly Skeln got the impression that he was being watched. Glancing around revealed that he was alone with the tailor who was counting the coin judiciously. The hair on the back of his neck rose and the tailor stopped moving his face a blank stare. A coin fell from his hand and rolled off the counter. The man’s blank expression scared Skeln enough that he took his new clothes and departed with all haste. The strange feeling of being observed continued off and on for a time before Skeln’s neck hair had settled back down. He would have convinced himself that it was nothing if it hadn’t been for the tailor’s odd actions.

No matter. The odd feeling was gone and Skeln was headed out of town freshly appeared. He couldn’t escape the concentrated populace fast enough for his liking. Having that many people in such close confines went against his upbringing. A country bumpkin he might be but if he didn’t want found then he must abandon what made him track able. While most of the Braebach was evenly spread with villages and towns there were areas where the wilderness was untamed but for a few hardy souls.

The Draeld Swamps to the south were some of these untamed lands. The Garoche Heights were only sparsely inhabited. Skeln’s home village had been located in the Garoche Highlands. The Garoche Heights were said to be a white desolation of mountains that extended to the outlands on the other side. This line of mountain extended south in a progressively smaller string of peaks until they became the badlands. To the north they ended suddenly and were replaced by a vast plane. On the other side of the plane was the dragon infested Vaulwar Mountains. In the choke point in between was Shienhin, seat of the kingdom. The set of mountain ranges formed a natural wall on two of the sides of the Braebach Empire. In the vast valley in between were scattered villages, towns and some cities of considerable size.

The cities were as far as Skeln was concerned, an untrackable wilderness to match any of the unpopulated lands. Thinking about it he made up his mind. He had grown up living in a backwater village. Living off the land in a way without actually leaving the village. He had no background in populated areas. If he did what was expected of him then he had the highest chance of getting caught. As scary and strange as the cities where, there were no other options available to Skeln. On the one hand he had trying to survive in the wilderness and on the other trying to survive surrounded by people. Neither option was appealing.

To this end Skeln set out. Warton was too close to where the men in chainmail would be looking. Another city would have to do. Shienhin was too big not to mention probably where Reigns was going to be located. In the dream Skeln had spent at least three days in the carriage. That meant he had been taken anywhere in the Lower Garoche. To leave the Lower Garoche one would need at least a week on foot. If you were generous. It was hard to estimate the speed of the carriage but it had stopped at night so twice to thrice foot speed was as close as Skeln could guess. That meant that the Lower Garoche was no longer safe to reside in. To the north was Shienhin so north wasn’t a safe option either. This left the midlands or the Vaulwar Lowlands.

Of the two options, Skeln leaned towards the Vaulwar Lowlands. As far as he could get away from the Garoche the better. The sun was still a few bandwidths above the horizon so Skeln could make at least a few miles distance before another night came upon him. He also kept an eye out for any likely hunting along the way. The hard bread he carried would not last forever.

It was only an hour or so till the light would be unusable before Skeln came upon a bramble thicket not far off the traveled road. Rabbits were scarcer here in the lowlands when compared to the highlands. After careful stalking he finally shot a rabbit. The first one had escaped when Skeln’s arrow had flown wide. Carrying his prize he moved on and vowed to practice his archery skills when he had made some more arrows.

Light was long gone by the time Skeln made camp. He found a ring of trees that afforded seclusion and protection from the wind. Here he made a small fire and by its light cleaned the rabbit. The meat sizzled and took forever to brown while Skeln impatiently waited. When it was finally done he carried off the last scraps and buried them down wind of his camp. No use attracting any unsavory visitors like last night’s wolves. A placated stomach and muscles weary from a lack of rest eased Skeln to sleep.

The next day dawned clear and bright. Skeln woke with the sun and wished he had saved a portion of last night’s meal. Contenting himself with a piece of bread he returned to the road. He had made up his mind to an extent. The road he walked led south. Before reaching the Draeld Swamps he would cut west and find a city large enough to disappear into. Until then he would live off the land. Skeln no longer existed. In his place was a new person unrecognizable from the other. He needed a new name.

Draceros. That was a strong name. It had a good ring to it. The derivable abbreviations weren’t too offensive. It was a big name for a youth to have so abbreviations were going to be more common than the actual name. Cero was the one that he had a leaning towards.

“Cero.” He said it aloud to see how it felt. It rolled of the tongue rather well. Satisfied with the choice he moved on to other aspects of his new identity. He would be an orphan. He had some experience along that line so it wouldn’t be difficult to play the part. On the other hand, His pursuers would be looking for someone that might claim orphan hood. There were thousands infesting the cities across the land. Wars tend to produce orphans in bulk. He decided that it was a risk worth taking. One orphan among thousands was unlikely to draw any special attention. Claiming orphan hood added an element of veiled past that needed no more development.

Finding details about an orphan’s past was next to impossible unless the individual volunteered the information. More frequently than not the story was that a father had gone to war and never returned while a mother had been struck with some malady leaving the child an orphan. Because such individuals were condemned to begging or stealing for a living they were outcasts that no one cared to pry secrets out of. If asked he could always claim that it was too painful to talk about. He noted that he would need to practice his grief. The thought of leaving Urake all alone without an explanation was painful enough of a memory. Not that he should feel bad about it. If anything, he should feel betrayed. The last time he had seen the man, he had been leading the soldiers on Skeln’s trail. Cero’s trail he corrected. Never mind. It had been Skeln’s trail at that time. Skeln’s trail should have ended in Warton.

Next he began inventorying his skills and talents. He knew a fair bit about edible plants but the vegetation here was different than in the Garoche Highlands so that was not that productive of a talent. He was a middling hand at archery. He remembered his vow to grow more proficient in this area. Errands around the village had gained knowledge but no usable skills. He racked his mind and couldn’t think of any more useful skills at the time.

Physical attribute he had. A healthy body. Inventive mind. Resistance to cold. He could swim and run for hours without getting tired. His wiry body belied his strength. All very basic attributes that weren’t overly helpful.

Then there was the other thing. There had been that dream that had only narrowly been averted. He had no idea what it meant and hoped nothing else manifested. It would make hiding more difficult if he began manifesting a Gift.

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Draceros.” He mouthed the name and smiled. The old life was gone and a new life was ahead of him.