Nick followed a hurried Padrake into the western part of the castle. The scent of simmering meats and fresh bread carried into the hallway and Nick’s stomach ached.
“Can we steal some food while we take the boy for his keys?” Nick laughed and Padrake made a shushing noise. The serving boy turned and stared at the two men in the hallway and motioned for them to enter. Padrake went over to the large iron stove and smelled the contents in a boiling pot.
“What’s this?” Padrake took the ladle and stirred.
“Mutton soup. Have you ever tried it?” The boy looked no more than 13 years old.
“No. I can’t wait to try it. When is supper?” Padrake smiled, watching the loop of keys bounce on the boy’s hip.
“In two hours. The dining hall is to the east. Luna will come for you when it is time.” The boy smiled up at Padrake. He gathered a basket of bread and left the kitchen.
Nick went over to an old woman cutting vegetables.
“My lady. Where might I find Lady Luna? I have a question for her.” The woman glanced up at Nick and smiled. She had the whitest teeth Nick had ever seen and saw the wrinkles around her mouth crease.
“Lady Luna is that way.” She pointed to the door the boy had walked through. The old lady grabbed his arm. “If it’s the keys you want, I can get you the safe one.” She patted Nick on the arm and slid her arm through his. “Please walk me through that door.”
Nick motioned for Padrake to follow and they set out of the kitchen into the hallway.
The woman went to a torch holder in the wall of the hallway. She removed the cold torch and checked for anyone coming up the hall. The woman unscrewed the head of the torch and shook the handle causing a key to tumble out into her hand.
“Take this. It will open any door you choose by speaking the word barune.” The woman handed the key to Nickadamus and placed the torch back in its holder.
“Thank you my lady. What happens if we are caught in the other quarters?” Nick quickly put the key in his satchel.
“Don’t be found, and you won’t have to ever know. Wear the white robes and sashes.” The woman headed back towards the kitchen.
“Why are you helping us?” Padrake whispered. The woman motioned for them to follow her back into the kitchen.
“When I was the boy’s age, I was ported here by mistake. I was from a village called Seddidtown. I was the first mistake the old Portal Master made. You can be sure he never made such a mistake again. This new mage is careless.” The woman began chopping vegetables with sharp quick strokes.
“I was confined to my quarter, as you are. The Eldrid Quarter. Back then, the Portal Master searched for a way to return me to my home. After years here, I was told my world was destroyed. He would have ported me to another world to begin life again, with other humans, but I had fallen ill. They gave me a job here in the kitchen, and they take good care of me.” The woman rinsed the vegetables in a bucket then put them in the pot still simmering.
“How did you come across such a key?” Nickadamus watched the woman with wide eyes.
“There used to be only one key to open each quarter chamber back then. When they expanded the castle with new quarters, they changed the system. The head cook back then was fond of me. He served the Quarter Masters behind their locked doors an afternoon treat and tea. One restless day, he slipped me this key and told me to wear the robes. No one would miss a small old key, since the servants all carried loops of them by that time.” The woman smiled to herself and went to the window.
YOU ARE READING
To Be a Hero
FantasyNadall, home to young and gifted Nickadamus is not the same. One year after a brutal meteor shower, known to the realm as "The Sky Storm" devastated the ancient landscape, Nick returns to find his people missing. Racing against time, an approaching...
