The Unknown Man: Book 1 in The Keepers of the Orbs Series (10 page)

Tirene furrowed his brow. “You may be right, but be that as it may, I don’t trust some of the people I saw down there. I would feel better about all of us if we were prepared for the worst—even if it requires a bit of discomfort.”

Jaeden shrugged his shoulders and succumbed to Tirene's will. He grabbed his sheathed sword and attached it to his belt.

They made their way down the hall toward Liniana’s quarters. Tirene knocked on the door. She opened it fully dressed. She too wore her sword on her hip; Tirene smiled at her preparation.

She noticed his look and returned it. “We have time till dinner is ready, should we grab a drink while we wait?”

“That’s what I thought. There’s nothing else for us to do. Let’s see if there are any more rumors from the outlying villages.” He reached out his right arm, and hooked it with hers He looked at her and said, “Shall we?”

She nodded her agreement as Jaeden rolled his eyes at the pair.

Tirene felt relieved when he saw that the cloaked figure from earlier hadn’t returned. They spotted an empty rectangular table in the middle of the room where they sat down.

Liniana couldn’t help but notice the eyes of the young women drawn toward Tirene. This observation ate beneath her skin and irritated her. She did her best to shake her head and push the feelings to the back of her mind.

The barkeep had a frown on his face when he approached their table. “My apologies. I thought you were told dinner wasn’t quite ready for you, and we would summon you at the appropriate time.” He looked for the serving girl he assigned the task to. When he spotted her, he gave her a glare and shifted his focus back to the table.

Tirene spoke up. “No, we were informed. We came down to grab a drink while dinner is prepared.” He held in a chuckle. “We don’t need special treatment, just a couple of ales for my companions, and I and we’ll be happy.”

The barkeep looked relieved and shocked at the same time. “Very well. I will grab those for you. At least let me give you a table in a private room away from all of these miscreants. With the rain today it seems as if all of the ruffians have piled in for drinks.” He motioned to the side of the dining hall where a couple of doors led to private rooms.

Liniana laughed at all the attention he directed toward them. “We’re fine in here. The drinks should suffice until our meal is prepared.” The young man looked saddened by this. She proceeded, “I assure you we’ll be fine amongst these people.”

He nodded his head before turning to fetch their drinks. Tirene looked glad she agreed to stay in the main hall. If they secluded themselves, they had less of a chance of finding additional information. In his haste to please them, the barkeep returned with three mugs of ale and set them down on the wooden table, and went back to his other patrons.

While Tirene took a long sip, a hooded stranger walked through the door. He found a table in the rear of the establishment, sitting in a dim corner. It didn’t take long for Tirene to recognize him as the man from earlier. Tirene felt an uneasiness from the individual. He felt an intense hatred toward him and couldn’t figure out why. He put his mug back down on the table. It would be the last drink he took from it. He wanted to be prepared for anything.

Liniana and Jaeden were deep in conversation, and Tirene offered a nod or laugh when he felt it appropriate because he wasn’t paying attention. He directed all of his focus to the cloaked figure who just received a glass of red wine. The man set it down, and ignored it, just sitting there looking at the table in front of him, but with his head cocked toward them.

The stranger did everything he could to hide his face. He didn’t seem to fit with the others in the hall, and after analyzing him, Tirene concluded he must be an Elf. When he walked in, his movements were fluid and graceful in an inhuman manner. The whole situation seemed unusual as they all knew the Elves kept to themselves, and made efforts to stay away from Humans.

He turned his gaze from the stranger as a serving girl brought food to their table. He let Jaeden and Liniana have the first two. The appearance of the Elf had proven to quash his appetite.

The barkeep brought a loaf of bread and another plate of food to their table. When he dropped it off, Tirene asked him, “I noticed that gentleman in here earlier and now he’s back. Who is he?”

The barkeep looked to see whom he pointed to. “He arrived here yesterday. He isn’t staying at the inn, but he spent all day just sitting in the bar, drinking wine. He keeps to the shadows and didn’t give a name. He seems to get friendlier as people get drunk—I noticed him chatting up many of my customers last night. Then he disappeared and came back this afternoon.” He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “That’s all I know. Sorry, I cannot be of more help to you.”

Tirene thanked him as he turned and went back to work. Liniana looked confused. “Why are you concerned about that man? You seem very preoccupied with him.” She motioned to his plate. “And you haven’t touched your food, nor your ale. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

He tried to give her a reassuring smile. “I can’t put my finger on it, but he seems to be paying us an awful lot of attention. I noticed him earlier when we first arrived.”

Jaeden stuffed his mouth full of food and turned to him. “Is this why I have to carry a sword all the time?”

“Something doesn’t feel right about this situation, and I’m not at ease. You need to learn how to heighten your senses and be aware of your surroundings when something feels out of the ordinary.”

All three of them stared at the mysterious figure, although Jaeden still managed to stuff his mouth full of food. The cloaked figure noticed the extra attention and nervously shifted in his chair. He got up and left the table with his wine still untouched. He made a hasty exit from the inn and disappeared outside.

Tirene’s curiosity got the best of him and he rose from his chair. “I’m going to follow him and get some answers.” He stormed out into the rain-filled evening air. He turned his head left and right to see if he could determine where the man had gone. He spotted a figure running well down the street to the left of the inn. He wanted to follow him without making his presence known. Instead of running after the man, he walked, keeping well hidden in the evening shadows. He cursed the fact he had left his armor in his room, but glad he still had his sword.

Tirene heard clamoring and he turned to look behind him. Liniana and Jaeden had followed him out. Before either of them could ask anything, he hushed them and told them to stick to the shadows.

They continued through the town, changing streets a few times and passing many shops and other establishments on the way. They kept their distance, and stopped as they spotted him leaving the town by the northern gates. Once out of the gates—and out of viewing distance—the figure began to run. This confirmed Tirene’s earlier thoughts, he looked too fast to be human.

The three of them tried to stay as close as possible, so as not to lose him, but it became difficult. There were only a few clumps of trees to obscure them from his vision and he ran too fast for any of them to keep up.

After about ten minutes, they lost sight of him. Tirene slowed their pace. He didn’t want to risk running into a trap. His route took him northeast, well away from the road, and led them to the outskirts of a forest. Tirene directed his companions east to avoid running into him. Once they reached the tree cover of the forest, they stalked from tree to tree, trying to remain hidden until they could see the faint outlines of a fire in a clearing. When they drew closer to the clearing they could hear arguing, most of it in a guttural language, coming from deep and booming voices.

Hearing that language, Tirene became very unnerved, but somehow his instincts took over. “Minotaurs,” he whispered to his friends, “and a few of them by the sound of it.” He drew his sword and the others looked at him for directions. “We have to use the element of surprise to our advantage. I want you,” as he pointed to Liniana, “to circle around and find a well-hidden spot to the north.” He turned to face Jaeden. “And you need to do the same, but to the south. Pull out your bows and have an arrow knocked. When I see you’re both ready, I will charge in. When I’m close to the camp, start firing into the Minotaurs. Even if you don’t hit one of them, it will be enough to pull them off balance and give me the upper hand. Keep firing at them from a distance. I want you both to stay out of this, and leave the fighting to me.” Liniana tried to interrupt and he stopped her. “I know you have excellent sword skills Liniana, but I think it would be more advantageous if they don’t know our numbers, plus none of us are wearing armor.” He smiled at her as she quit trying to get a word in. “Whatever you do, keep firing and hope you don’t run out of arrows. Now move.”

Liniana started to circle north, but Jaeden appeared apprehensive. “I’ve never been in real combat, and I’m not very good with the bow.”

He gave him a reassuring smile. “You’ll be fine. This is what we’ve practiced for. Besides this will be no different from hunting game, and I’ve seen you show some skill with that. These beasts are not human. It shouldn’t be too difficult to picture them as buffalo—they bear a remarkable resemblance to them. Now go, before we’re discovered.”

Jaeden moved south. He noticed Liniana had already reached her position and had her bow drawn. Tirene waited for the boy to be in place, cognizant of the fear written all over his face, and how his arms trembled while he picked out a spot. Tirene realized for the first time that the boy’s mannerisms didn’t seem cocky. This would be a good experience for him—assuming he lived through it. When Jaeden had drawn his bow, and gave his ready Tirene crept forward. He could see seven Minotaurs around the fire with one Elf. Six of the Minotaurs argued and yelled with one another. One of them tried to calm the rest down while translating for the Elf.

Tirene ran, picking up speed, sword held high in his right hand. His eyes were emblazoned with blood lust and he focused on the beasts arranged in front of him. Arrows flew over his head, whistling as they pierced through the air; first one from the north, then one from the south. Liniana’s arrow hit the lead Minotaur's head—flesh and blood dispersed from the wound as the arrow pierced the skull. All life drained from the large eyes of the beast as it slumped to the ground. This got the attention of the rest of the Minotaurs who all rose, grabbing for their weapons. Jaeden’s arrow ripped through the thigh and it howled in anger, tossing its head up. He didn’t think it would be enough to kill it, but would be enough to slow it down. It reached down and tore the arrow free.

The rest became a blur. Filled with focus and rage, Tirene charged at the nearest one. It had black fur and gave a fierce growl, baring its jagged teeth as it approached. The others turned to make a charge at him as well. Arrows continued to fill the air—their whistle the only prevalent sound in the clearing. The next two arrows both missed their targets.

The Elf saw Tirene charging at his pack and yelled, “YOU! Get him! Kill him and we’ll be well rewarded!” The Elf stayed out of the battle and looked around to find the others.

Tirene reached the first beast and almost stumbled when his sword glowed bright blue. He could feel the sword's energy filling him as he ran. He hadn’t expected this and it caught him off guard. Regaining his focus, he spotted the next Minotaur who had two axes, one in each hand. Seeing as how the beast stood a good two feet taller than Tirene, his arm length gave him an advantage and it attacked first. Tirene dodged the blows from the axes, ducking underneath the beast's left arm and jammed the point of his sword's blade into its chest. He withdrew the weapon while it fell forward, growling the last thoughts that would escape his lips. Even in its death, it made a lot of noise.

With his blade bloody and withdrawn, he turned to see another Minotaur within range. Tirene ducked and rolled in enough time to miss the strong swing of the axe. This threw the beast off balance and it stumbled forward. An arrow pierced its neck forcing black blood to ooze out of the wound.

He turned his attention to the remaining foes. The three uninjured beasts gathered close together, the fourth trailing behind, clutching the wound the arrow left in its leg. He spotted the Elf standing on the outskirts of the camp. Tirene noticed the Elf's eyes light up when he spotted Liniana. Tirene knew he had to act fast. He thrust his left hand outward and shouted, “Briest!” The sword's blue glow shifted to a bright orange. His hands tingled and a fireball toward the remaining Minotaurs. Piercing screams and howls filled the air; the four Minotaur's fur lit up in flames and they ran in circles trying to put them out. A couple dropped to the ground and rolled around to douse the flames, but the harder they tried, the more the flames endured. Awe overwhelmed Tirene as he witnessed his sudden abilities. He didn’t know where the word he shouted had come from.

His fireball had caught the attention of the Elf, who looked at Tirene wide-eyed. His attention had been diverted from Liniana and he now focused solely on Tirene. Tirene turned and charged toward the Elf. When he neared, the Elf muttered an incantation and lightning bolts rained down from the sky. His sword's glow shifted again, this time to a white light that filled the camp. The lightning bolts crackled and sizzled all around him, but they didn’t touch him. The smell of burnt air and grass mixed with the stench of burning flesh made Tirene’s stomach churn, but he pressed on in a full run.

The Elf looked astonished; his spark had failed him and he didn’t understand why. He tried again, this time a ball of light flew toward Tirene. He didn’t have a chance to try to dodge it because it came too fast to react. He could feel the heat as it drew near, but it reflected back and headed toward the Elf who also didn’t have time to react. As he tried to jump out of the way, it struck him in the lower chest, ripping a hole and revealing his intestines inside. The flesh rimming the hole burned and looked charred, like the skin of a pig split over the flames of an open fire. He flipped backwards with the impact, landed, and rolled. He ended up on his back and no longer moved.