Free The Forging of the Dragon (Wizard and Dragon Book 1) by Robert Don Hughes Page B

next morning; by late afternoon, they had reached the outskirts of Ritaven, a free city on the northwest edge of the Middle Mountains, which sat near the center of the old One Land.
    “Looks like a pleasant enough place,” Seagryn said as he took his human-form before stepping out of the forest onto the main thoroughfare.
    “It is.” Dark nodded. “For the moment.”
    “For the moment?”
    “Arl is coming.” The lad shrugged, as if that explained everything. When he glanced up and saw the concern in Seagryn’s face, he quickly added, “Not tonight! Next year!”
    “Oh,” a much relieved Seagryn said. They spent that night in a cozy Ritaven inn, paying for their lodging with the gold they’d scavenged from Quirl’s camp. “Tomorrow,” Dark said meaningfully as they lay down. He didn’t elaborate, and Seagryn didn’t ask.
    The next morning they began climbing the mountain in Ritaven’s backyard. An hour past noon they stood at the bottom of an enormous rockslide. Huge boulders perched precariously against one another, threatening to resume their ancient dash to the valley at the slightest provocation. Seagryn eyed this jumble of granite, then looked back down the mountain. The windmills of Ritaven looked like tiny blue flowers, and the rows of thatched houses like orderly lines of pebbles arranged by a child. Seagryn frowned.
    “What’s wrong?” Dark called down to him.
    “Why do we come this way? I see no other members of your august Conspiracy scraping their fingers and knees to climb this hillside.”
    “Of course not. They all went in the main entrance.”
    “There’s a main entrance? Then let’s go find it!”
    “Can’t.”
    “And why not?”
    “It’s two days walk around the mountains, then another day’s journey back underground. We’d miss the meeting. Besides, they wouldn’t let us in.”
    “Wouldn’t let — You led me to believe you were expected!”
    “Expected, yes — but not welcomed,” Dark said. When Seagryn stared, Dark seated himself on a rock to explain. “You see, they don’t want me there. They say membership in the group is by invitation only, and I’ve never been invited. But they know they can’t keep me away, since I always know in advance where they will have met. Never mind,” he went on when Seagryn frowned. “Just trust me. At the top of this pile is an entrance.” Dark hopped off his perch and started up again. Seagryn didn’t move.
    “If you’re not welcome, I’ll certainly not be, either.”
    “True,” Dark called, “but you still need to come.”
    “Why?”
    “To move away the stone!” Dark shouted, now high above. “Come on!”
    Seagryn looked down again at Ritaven. A pleasant village, he thought. Might they welcome strangers? Perhaps he could — But Dark’s hints of some mysterious destiny had ensnared him, as had the lad’s promise of a reunion with Elaryl. Besides, Arl was coming — whatever that meant. Seagryn looked up and saw the boy lounging on top of a house-sized boulder. He climbed up to him.
    “How much further?”
    “We’re here. Ah — would you mind moving this rock?”
     

 
    Chapter Five
    INTO THE REMNANT
     
    GET up!” a girlish voice screamed in Jarnel’s ear. “Get up and get out of this room! Do you think this house is the servants’ quarters?” The shrill noise set him onto his feet before he was fully awake. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and peered down at the tiny speaker, who kept up her verbal fusillade until Paumer burst into the room behind her.
    “Uda!” the merchant bellowed. The brilliant red of his face matched that of his gown.
    “What?” the girl snapped, spinning around to face her father. Jarnel realized quickly what had happened. He rubbed his eyes and forehead as he waited for this family disturbance to ease. When he pulled his hand away, he saw Chaom shoot him a knowing smile.
    Paumer pushed Uda behind him as he bowed apologetically to his two guests. “My daughter,” he