That means he wouldn’t have gone too far past the pastures.”
“But these pastures have been used for centuries,” argued Kelby. “Surely someone would have found the entrance by now.”
“Didn’t you hear what that one lady told us?” the man asked.
“What?” replied Kelby.
“She said that around the time the boys disappeared, there had been a bad earthquake,” he explained. “Bad enough to crack the mill’s grinding wheel.”
“So?” Kelby asked.
“So, maybe it also opened up the ground where the Horde lies,” the man concluded.
“Oh,” said Kelby.
“Keep your eyes open for anything that looks recently disturbed,” the man said.
They had been out in the hills around Quillim for over a week now. Ever since word reached them of the silver King’s coins that had been found, they followed the rumor’s trail until it led them here. Now they were trying to locate the entrance to the Horde. For surely, that amount of silver coins could only have come from the Horde itself. No other cache of silver coins had ever come close to that amount, not even copper ones.
When they first arrived in Quillim, they were quick to discover that the boys who had found the coins had gone and joined the Warriors Guild in Gilbeth. So they traveled to Gilbeth only to discover the boys had been promoted to Armsmen and were once again missing. With nothing else to go on, they returned to Quillim where they were sure the boys would resurface at some point. After all, wasn’t this where their families were?
They had been rather circumspect in their questioning of the townsfolk, neither one wishing to alert them as to what they were really after. They were fortunate to have made the acquaintance of the Magistrate’s son. The lad had been most forthcoming with information about the boys, especially the shepherd. Once they had a good idea where the shepherd usually took his flock, they set out to search.
The snow on the ground greatly hampered their efforts, not to mention the fact that it could very well hide whatever entrance there may be. But that didn’t discourage these two men from searching. For assuredly, if they had heard of the finding of the King’s coins, so too had others. And how long would it be before others arrived? Pulling their cloaks tighter around them against the chill, they continued on.
It was very peaceful in the woods. Animals were hidden in their burrows and what birds were left were silent in the face of the falling snow. The only sounds were the noise of their feet compacting snow with every step and the occasional snort from their mule.
Having just finished searching the area around a pasture some distance west of Quillim, they headed off toward the next. From what the Magistrate’s son had told them, there were five separate pastures to which the shepherd would take his flock. With four down, that left just one more to go. It was a bit further from town than the others had been and it took them a good half hour before they had forged their way through the trees and came to it. The pasture was a wide expanse of open grassland nestled around one of the many small lakes dotting the region.
“Nice area,” Kelby stated when they emerged from the woods.
The other man nodded. They came to a stop several feet from the woods and took a good look at the surrounding area. For the most part it was flat with only moderate hills. On the south side of the pasture was a hill a bit more pronounced than the others. The man pointed to the hill and said, “Let’s try there.” Setting out, he led Kelby and the mule across the pasture.
As they drew closer to the hill, Kelby said, “Doesn’t look like it’s here.”
“We’ll see,” the man replied.
“But I don’t…” Kelby started to say then abruptly stopped.
The man glanced back at his comrade and started to speak when he saw the startled look on his friend’s face. “Kelby?” he asked. Coming to a stop, the man watched as Kelby sank
“But these pastures have been used for centuries,” argued Kelby. “Surely someone would have found the entrance by now.”
“Didn’t you hear what that one lady told us?” the man asked.
“What?” replied Kelby.
“She said that around the time the boys disappeared, there had been a bad earthquake,” he explained. “Bad enough to crack the mill’s grinding wheel.”
“So?” Kelby asked.
“So, maybe it also opened up the ground where the Horde lies,” the man concluded.
“Oh,” said Kelby.
“Keep your eyes open for anything that looks recently disturbed,” the man said.
They had been out in the hills around Quillim for over a week now. Ever since word reached them of the silver King’s coins that had been found, they followed the rumor’s trail until it led them here. Now they were trying to locate the entrance to the Horde. For surely, that amount of silver coins could only have come from the Horde itself. No other cache of silver coins had ever come close to that amount, not even copper ones.
When they first arrived in Quillim, they were quick to discover that the boys who had found the coins had gone and joined the Warriors Guild in Gilbeth. So they traveled to Gilbeth only to discover the boys had been promoted to Armsmen and were once again missing. With nothing else to go on, they returned to Quillim where they were sure the boys would resurface at some point. After all, wasn’t this where their families were?
They had been rather circumspect in their questioning of the townsfolk, neither one wishing to alert them as to what they were really after. They were fortunate to have made the acquaintance of the Magistrate’s son. The lad had been most forthcoming with information about the boys, especially the shepherd. Once they had a good idea where the shepherd usually took his flock, they set out to search.
The snow on the ground greatly hampered their efforts, not to mention the fact that it could very well hide whatever entrance there may be. But that didn’t discourage these two men from searching. For assuredly, if they had heard of the finding of the King’s coins, so too had others. And how long would it be before others arrived? Pulling their cloaks tighter around them against the chill, they continued on.
It was very peaceful in the woods. Animals were hidden in their burrows and what birds were left were silent in the face of the falling snow. The only sounds were the noise of their feet compacting snow with every step and the occasional snort from their mule.
Having just finished searching the area around a pasture some distance west of Quillim, they headed off toward the next. From what the Magistrate’s son had told them, there were five separate pastures to which the shepherd would take his flock. With four down, that left just one more to go. It was a bit further from town than the others had been and it took them a good half hour before they had forged their way through the trees and came to it. The pasture was a wide expanse of open grassland nestled around one of the many small lakes dotting the region.
“Nice area,” Kelby stated when they emerged from the woods.
The other man nodded. They came to a stop several feet from the woods and took a good look at the surrounding area. For the most part it was flat with only moderate hills. On the south side of the pasture was a hill a bit more pronounced than the others. The man pointed to the hill and said, “Let’s try there.” Setting out, he led Kelby and the mule across the pasture.
As they drew closer to the hill, Kelby said, “Doesn’t look like it’s here.”
“We’ll see,” the man replied.
“But I don’t…” Kelby started to say then abruptly stopped.
The man glanced back at his comrade and started to speak when he saw the startled look on his friend’s face. “Kelby?” he asked. Coming to a stop, the man watched as Kelby sank
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