Read Online Shepherd's Quest: The Broken Key #1 by Brian S. Pratt - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Brian S. Pratt
Ads: Link
able to repay the Magistrate for the grinding stone. Most years they barely made enough to pay the taxes, feed their family, and buy other essentials they required. His father must know that, and so will the magistrate.
As scenarios played out in his mind, he came to realize that it wasn’t so much a loan his father would be getting from the magistrate, but more like selling the mill. All his life, his father’s one pride was that he owned that mill outright. Now, it’s likely he was going to have to work for the magistrate for the rest of his life. The thought angered Chad.
He wasn’t exactly sure where it was he was heading, he just put one foot in front of the other while his mind was preoccupied. Then Bart came into view as he rounded a corner up ahead. When he saw Chad, he hurried towards him.
“Hey, did you feel that quake last night?” Bart asked.
Chad came to a stop and nodded his head. “I think everyone felt it,” he replied.
Bart noticed something was wrong so asked, “You okay?” Shaking his head, Chad said, “The quake cracked the upper grinding wheel. We’re going to have to buy a new one before we can turn any more grain into flour.”
“That’s tough, man,” he said condolingly.
Then Chad noticed one of Rupert’s cronies appear behind Bart. The young man stopped when he saw Bart and Chad talking before ducking quickly behind a building. A second later, he peered around the corner at them.
Chad nodded to Rupert’s crony. “Are they keeping an eye on you?”
“You could say that,” replied Bart. “Yesterday when Mirriam appeared, I was there when he accosted her and took back the necklace.”
A worried looked came to Chad as he lowered his voice and asked, “Do you think he suspects?”
“I think so,” Bart told him in a quiet whisper of his own. “As long as all he can do is suspect, we’ll be fine. He thinks Riyan is behind it.”
“But he wasn’t even in town,” said Chad.
“I know.” Bart glanced behind him and saw the crony peering around the corner again. “We’ll have to let Riyan know what’s going on as soon as he gets back. But right now, I need to return to the farm. She’s got me removing an old tree stump near the house. She wants to plant flowers there.” Rolling his eyes heavenward, he sighed.
“I feel for you man,” Chad said.
“If she was rich I would tell her to get a scroll from Phyndyr’s,” he said.
“Phyndyr’s?” Chad asked.
“Yeah,” nodded Bart. “He sells scrolls down in Wardean. One of the better scroll merchants if you ask me.”
“Like what?” Chad asked, a glimmer of hope coming to him.
“Oh, all sorts of stuff,” he explained. “Take this stump I’m going to be spending the next several days digging out. One scroll from him and it would be gone.”
“You mean vanish?” Chad looked at his friend in disbelief.
Bart shrugged, “Maybe if I wanted to pay that much for it. But a simple burn spell would probably do the trick. Or maybe one that would dissolve it.”
“Do you think he would have one that could fix the crack in the grinding wheel?” he asked with newborn hope.
“I would think so,” he replied. “But some of the scrolls get pretty pricy.”
“Thanks,” he said, not really hearing him. If he could get a scroll cheap that would fix the crack, then his father wouldn’t have to sell. “How much do the scrolls go for?”
“I’ve heard that some can go as cheap as two silvers,” he explained. “Others, though, could go for over a hundred golds, or more.”
“I hardly think a scroll to fix a crack would cost very much,” he said. “I have almost a gold of my own saved.”
“Maybe,” Bart agreed.
“We could be there and back by nightfall,” he said.
“I think it’s a bit further than…” Then realization hit. “What do you mean ‘we’?” he asked.
“Yes,” he nodded. “You and I could ride down and be back after dark.”
“I…I don’t know if I could get
As scenarios played out in his mind, he came to realize that it wasn’t so much a loan his father would be getting from the magistrate, but more like selling the mill. All his life, his father’s one pride was that he owned that mill outright. Now, it’s likely he was going to have to work for the magistrate for the rest of his life. The thought angered Chad.
He wasn’t exactly sure where it was he was heading, he just put one foot in front of the other while his mind was preoccupied. Then Bart came into view as he rounded a corner up ahead. When he saw Chad, he hurried towards him.
“Hey, did you feel that quake last night?” Bart asked.
Chad came to a stop and nodded his head. “I think everyone felt it,” he replied.
Bart noticed something was wrong so asked, “You okay?” Shaking his head, Chad said, “The quake cracked the upper grinding wheel. We’re going to have to buy a new one before we can turn any more grain into flour.”
“That’s tough, man,” he said condolingly.
Then Chad noticed one of Rupert’s cronies appear behind Bart. The young man stopped when he saw Bart and Chad talking before ducking quickly behind a building. A second later, he peered around the corner at them.
Chad nodded to Rupert’s crony. “Are they keeping an eye on you?”
“You could say that,” replied Bart. “Yesterday when Mirriam appeared, I was there when he accosted her and took back the necklace.”
A worried looked came to Chad as he lowered his voice and asked, “Do you think he suspects?”
“I think so,” Bart told him in a quiet whisper of his own. “As long as all he can do is suspect, we’ll be fine. He thinks Riyan is behind it.”
“But he wasn’t even in town,” said Chad.
“I know.” Bart glanced behind him and saw the crony peering around the corner again. “We’ll have to let Riyan know what’s going on as soon as he gets back. But right now, I need to return to the farm. She’s got me removing an old tree stump near the house. She wants to plant flowers there.” Rolling his eyes heavenward, he sighed.
“I feel for you man,” Chad said.
“If she was rich I would tell her to get a scroll from Phyndyr’s,” he said.
“Phyndyr’s?” Chad asked.
“Yeah,” nodded Bart. “He sells scrolls down in Wardean. One of the better scroll merchants if you ask me.”
“Like what?” Chad asked, a glimmer of hope coming to him.
“Oh, all sorts of stuff,” he explained. “Take this stump I’m going to be spending the next several days digging out. One scroll from him and it would be gone.”
“You mean vanish?” Chad looked at his friend in disbelief.
Bart shrugged, “Maybe if I wanted to pay that much for it. But a simple burn spell would probably do the trick. Or maybe one that would dissolve it.”
“Do you think he would have one that could fix the crack in the grinding wheel?” he asked with newborn hope.
“I would think so,” he replied. “But some of the scrolls get pretty pricy.”
“Thanks,” he said, not really hearing him. If he could get a scroll cheap that would fix the crack, then his father wouldn’t have to sell. “How much do the scrolls go for?”
“I’ve heard that some can go as cheap as two silvers,” he explained. “Others, though, could go for over a hundred golds, or more.”
“I hardly think a scroll to fix a crack would cost very much,” he said. “I have almost a gold of my own saved.”
“Maybe,” Bart agreed.
“We could be there and back by nightfall,” he said.
“I think it’s a bit further than…” Then realization hit. “What do you mean ‘we’?” he asked.
“Yes,” he nodded. “You and I could ride down and be back after dark.”
“I…I don’t know if I could get
Similar Books
