Free Quest Maker by Laurie McKay Page A

and that horse are of one mind. He talked Father into knighting him.”
    Chadwin laughed. “I should ask Father to knight my Starlight,” he said, and Caden had the impression of him scratching his mare’s silvery mane. “She’s a true lady.”
    â€œYou find our half brother amusing,” Jasan said. Caden knew Jasan was irritated. That was when he brought up that Caden only shared one parent, that only their father was the same.
    â€œHe is amusing,” Chadwin said. “And he tries, Jasan. You know what he’s like.”
    â€œYes, I do. I’m the one ordered to train with him day and night.” There was a pause. Jasan made little attempt to keep his words whispered. “He’s like his mother.”
    Caden froze and Sir Horace jerked beneath him, seeming to read Caden’s surprise. No one ever mentioned his mother—not his father or brothers, not the elite guard, not the cooks or the maids or the butlers. Caden slowed Sir Horace so he could better hear.
    Jasan, though, said nothing more. After a moment, Chadwin spoke. “Don’t say that in front of Father.” They rode in silence after that.
    Now, this Ashevillian night was quiet, too. Near the peak of the mountain, there was a granite and mica outcropping. Even in the cloudy night, the rocks shimmered. By the base of the outcropping, there was a small fir tree.
    â€œMy mom would’ve liked it here,” Jane said.
    â€œAs would’ve Chadwin.”
    Caden buried the dagger near the tree beneath loose rocks. Then he took the torn Winterbird emblem he’d found in the dead woods and placed it on top. Sir Horace nuzzled Caden’s neck.
    Jane placed her mother’s flowers beside the emblem. She stepped back and looked at Caden. Her voice was soft, but her eyes flashed. “We can’t let the villains keep hurting people.”
    Caden squared his shoulders. “As future Elite Paladins, we won’t.”
    â€œNo, we won’t.” Then she peered at him. “And make sure you don’t lose your paper clips. I feel like you need to have them.”
    Truth be told, Caden didn’t need the paper clips. That wasn’t the point, however. He pulled them from his pocket and showed her. “They are with me always, enchantress.”
    Jane smiled.
    Around them, the night was giving way to morning. Caden helped Jane atop Sir Horace, climbed up behind her, and they galloped back to Rosa’s as fast as the spring winds would carry them.

T he next morning, there were two notes in Caden’s locker. He put the pink one in the neat stack of other pink ones. The other was written on thin paper that looked like a store receipt. The words were written in Royal Razzon; the letters were small, closely spaced, and looked rushed—Jasan’s writing. Maybe Jasan hadn’t found Caden, but he’d found his locker. Caden’s rush of euphoria turned to confusion when he read Jasan’s words:
    Stay away from me. Find your way home at once. Take the sorceress with you.
    He’d not signed the note with his title or the seal of Razzon. Not that it mattered, as Caden couldn’t comply with Jasan’s wishes anyway. One, Caden had to warn himof Rath Dunn. Two, they’d yet to find a path back to Razzon, and Brynne said it would take four years before the sun, moon, and magic aligned in a way that might allow normal magical transport back. Three, Caden had a quest to complete. In six more days, their fates would be decided.
    He folded the paper and put it in his coat pocket with his magic paper clips. He would find Jasan and explain that he couldn’t simply go home. Caden took the side hall toward the gymnasium. It had been the classroom of the previous, eaten physical education teacher. Jasan could very well be there now.
    By the doors, a group of seven students peeked inside. They looked perplexed, and their faces were various shades of red. Derek was among