2

Asking the inn keeper for directions to Rilarr Farm in the morning earned Adyn a suspicious stare. The round woman, liberally dusted in flour from the morning’s bread making, frowned darkly at his request. Adyn frowned back. “Is that a problem?”

“Why exactly do you want to go there?”

He shrugged uncomfortably as the inn keeper wiped her hands on a stained apron. “That’s personal.”

“Well then, I guess you’ll have to seek your information somewhere else then.” She turned to leave, and his heart leapt in his chest. He reached out to grab her arm, and she glared darkly at him.

“Wait, please, this is important.”

The inn keeper scowled darkly. “So is protecting Rilarr Farm. We may be a backwards little town around here, but we know how to look after our own.”

He shook his head. “I’m not interested in hurting anyone. I’m just-. Well, I’m looking for someone.”

“Indeed. Anyone looking for Rilarr Farm is looking for one person in particular, hm?” She turned back to face him, and he dropped the hold on her arm.

Adyn shrugged again, shifting uncomfortably. “Yes, actually.”

Her eyes narrowed in her plump face. “And what reason do you have for seeking?”

Adyn glanced around the common room, thankful to see that they had attracted no attention from the handful of weary travelers breaking their fast. “I’m seeking aid for a very sick little boy. I think that the Knight can help him.”

She stared intently at him, and he was tempted to squirm like a child. But he met her gaze squarely, hoping that his intent shone in his eyes. Finally she nodded and made her way behind the bar. She pulled a piece of parchment from beneath the counter and handed it to him. He saw that not only was Rilarr Farm already marked out in intricate detail on a map, but a trail wending its way into the nearby mountains was also discernable.

“Return this when you pass back through.” He nodded tersely and turned to leave. “And milord…” He turned back impatiently. “Milord, should any harm come to anyone on Rilarr Farm or beyond, if you get my meaning, there will be no peace for you. Ever.”

Adyn nodded tersely and tucked the map into his tunic. “I understand perfectly.”

His horse was ready in the courtyard for him, clean of the mud that had caked it last night. He took a moment to check over the hoof that had thrown the shoe the night before. Everything was in order, and Adyn tossed a coin to the stable boy before swinging up into the saddle and turning the horse’s head to the south. He patted the beast’s neck and sighed as they began another long leg of their journey. “At least the weather has cleared.”

It was half a day before they came to the long dirt track that led to a small cluster of buildings in the distance. As they grew closer, it became obvious that the cottage and barn were tumbling down upon themselves, and Adyn began to doubt that anyone even resided here.

He was wrong. Four people tumbled out of the cottage at his approach, weapons held at the ready. He reined in his horse and then held up his hands in a gesture of peace as they surrounded him. They didn’t speak, which added to the strangeness of the scene. Adyn eyed their worn, but sharp-looking, axes and knives. “The inn keeper back at Gedon gave me directions here. Is this Rilarr Farm?”

The four men cast glances among each other, and then one of them stepped closer, setting his hand on the twitching neck of Adyn’s horse as he lowered his axe. “This is Rilarr Farm. What is your business here?”

Adyn took a deep breath. “I’m seeking a Dragon Knight.”

Rather than the laughter he expected, another silent glance went around the little group. The leader stepped back with a strange hand movement, and the other three melted away into the fields nearby. “Dismount and we will talk. Then I will decide whether or not to send you on.”

Adyn followed his directions and tied his reins to a nearby post. The man he assumed was the leader of this little bunch was tall and thin, but ropy with muscle. His short-cropped brown hair was mussed and his worn clothing was dirty and wrinkled, but the look in his brown eyes was sober and intelligent. They walked away from the cottage in a seemingly random direction. Adyn tried not to stare at the axe that swung along at the man’s side as they walked.

“What is your name, stranger?”

Adyn glanced sidelong at the man. “Adyn of Dakar.”

“My name is Wil. So you’re seeking the Dragon Knight. Why?”

So this was how it be, blunt and to the point. Adyn cast him another slanting look. “My nephew is gravely ill. His symptoms seem to fit with Dragon Fever and all our research points to needing a Knight to diagnose it.”

Wil walked on in silence for a long time, and Adyn tried not to fret. Finally, Wil nodded. “Indeed. Well, Adyn of Dakar, there is a Dragon Knight in these mountains. I can send you on, but there are no guarantees you will have success finding that Knight. Times have changed, and the Dragon Knights are no longer as welcome as they once were. This one treasures privacy.”

Adyn stopped, and Wil turned to face him. “I have to take that chance. We can find no cure listed anywhere. We cannot find any other solution. The sick boy is heir to a great kingdom, but more than that, he is my nephew and I’ll do whatever I have to do in order to help him.”

Wil hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then nodded shortly. “Come then, return to your horse, and I will show you the way.”

There was no way Adyn would have found the entrance to the trail that wove its way into the mountains. The cave entrance that he was told to lead his snorting mount into was well hidden behind brush, and if he hadn’t known exactly where it was among the thicket, he never would have found it. Wil walked up to it unerringly.

“Through here and then simply follow the path. There are no turn-offs. The trail is rough, but it should be passable. You’ll have to come right back the same way to return. Your goal is a little valley nestled high up along one of the peaks. You’re fortunate not to be seeking in the winter time. There is no passage when the snows are heavy. Your horse will have a little trouble, but should be able to make it the entire way.”

Adyn gazed at the tunnel entrance silently for a long moment, and then nodded tersely. “Thank you.”

Wil turned abruptly and walked away, and Adyn led the horse into the darkness. It ran for only a short distance before opening up into a rocky trail. He mounted and continued on his journey.