Free NexLord: Dark Prophecies by Philip Blood Page B

bending your knees... got it?"
    Only when Aerin's eyes cleared and he nodded
his assent did Lor turn and run for the wide
opening.  "Watch," he called as he leaped lithely across the gap.  He
exaggerated the bending of the knees as he landed, taking out the
impact and stopping him short.
    "Ok, just like that," he called back.
    Dono followed and landed easily beside Lor.
Then Aerin leaped , and he landed a
little hard, but with Dono and Lor steadying his arms he was
ok.
    Darel swallowed hard and then ran and
jumped.  He sailed too far and hit the steep
roof.  His feet scrambled for purchase and only Aerin and
Lor grabbing him kept him from falling. 
    "Thanks," he said under his breath once he
had regained his footing.
    "Don't mention it," Lor answered and was off
down the edge of the roof.  "This should put us ahead of
him; he will be coming up that street and there's no other exit
from this direction!"
    They reached the corner of the building and
had their first look at the new street where their quarry should
have been walking, but no one was in sight.
    Lor crossed his arms and glared at the empty
street as if it was the pavement’s fault that they had lost the
man.  "He must have gone into one of the
buildings.  We'll have to watch and see if he comes
out."
    They sat and watched the street for some
time, but after two hours had passed, Aerin told them he had to
go. 
    Darel nodded and added, "I, too, must be
going soon."
    Lor looked at Dono and asked, "Can you
stay?  I have an… appointment, which I cannot miss."
    Dono looked surprised as he replied, "An
appointment?"
    Lor's eyes looked away and he
said, "It's nothing, I'll stay if you can't, but I think
that Aerin would appreciate it if one of us spotted this murderer
and discovered his business."
    Dono shrugged.  "I have nowhere to
go, so I can stay until dark, but then I must go as well."
    Aerin looked at the other three
boys.  "Thank you, my friends, this is not your fight,
but you were trying to help me anyway."
    Lor patted Aerin on the
back.  "I've found life to have become much more
interesting since I met you, Aerin, and I hate being bored, so I
guess I'll just have to keep you around."
     "All right then," Darel exclaimed after
a moment, "we meet at the same time and place two days from now,
agreed?"
    They all nodded and then Lor led Darel and
Aerin back to the area near the Inn, where he bid them goodbye.
            
    Aerin just made it back by dinnertime and
Mara noted his arrival at the Inn.  "Aerin, come over
here."
    After a last wave, Darel quickly faded into the crowd and Aerin headed for the
waiting Mara.  He noted from her expression that she did
not seem angry; she was watching the departing
Darel.  Soon enough her old lined face turned to face
Aerin and her piercing gaze studied him.
    "You've been gone again for quite some time,"
she noted.
    Aerin glanced toward Tocor, who stood nearby
watching the exchange.  "I told Tocor where I was
going."
    "I know; I always know more than you
think, just remember that.  If you recall my rules you
need to be in by dark, even if you did tell Tocor you were playing
with your friends.  This city is no place for a green
young boy to be wandering at night.  Things you don't
want to meet might be around some dark corner.  Besides,
Strakhelm is an old city; it's had plenty of time to build its
power."
    Mara's speech puzzled Aerin, but he just
nodded, even though he didn't understand her implication that the
city was alive or something.
    "Good, now tell me about your friend."
    "Which one?" Aerin asked.
    Mara took him by the ear and shook his head,
though she was fairly gentle this time.  "You know quite
well I meant the one who just left."
    Aerin rubbed at his ear when she let
loose.  "His name is Darel. I don't know much more about
him, though I think he is from a wealthy family. He told me his
teachers had two Guardsmen watching over him."
    "I know all that, did he tell