The Trahiad Read online

  “Are you serious?” Elisa said as she looked at Adrian.

  But Adrian was too fraught to hear. He screamed and continued to rock on the floor. “Wyatt! You’re supposed to persuade him to give it to us!” Elisa declared.

  “He’s such a jackanapes!” Wyatt said with heat in his voice.

  Jackanapes? Is that even a word? If it is, it’s too big of a word for Wyatt to know…

  “I don’t understand what Grianne sees in him!” Wyatt continued. “Sure he has a steady job making jewelry—some of the finest in Alderidon thanks to the work his mother and father did building their name—and he’s connected to several nobles, but what does she see in him?”

  Elisa smiled at her brother. Those were all grand reasons. Think of you as an alternative. A thief? “I don’t know, he’s an idiot to me,” was all she responded with. “But idiot or not, we have a problem. We need to find one of the forged rings!”

  Wyatt reached down to Adrian and grabbed him by the wrists, stopping the squirming and forcing him to look Wyatt straight in the eye. “Adrian! Adrian!” he slapped Adrian to get his attention, but a louder wail ensued from the jeweler.

  “Take it! Take it all! Just don’t hurt me!” Adrian moaned.

  Wyatt stood up in disgust. “If Grianne could see you now,” he said coldly, shaking his head in disbelief. He turned to Elisa. “We’re on our own. We won’t get anything out of this fool!”

  Elisa swore, glared at Wyatt, and then swore again. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to work! We’re supposed to—” she stopped as she suddenly had an idea. A smile cracked across her lips.

  “What is it?” Wyatt asked carefully. “I don’t like that look. What crazy idea do you have now?”

  Elisa ignored him, instead walking over to Adrian’s workstation. It was a small desk that had several drawers filled with jeweler’s tools, containers of rubies and diamonds, and others of different precious metals.

  But what she was looking for was a candle. Or flint and steel. Just something that can spark a fire! She figured it was on the desk somewhere, but it was almost too organized, and she couldn’t figure out the method or organization. So she started opening drawers at random. She opened a drawer and then slammed it shut when she couldn’t find what she was looking for. Then she’d open another drawer and restart the entire process. Soon the desk was disheveled, and she could hear Adrian moaning in displeasure.

  “Elisa,” Wyatt asked hastily. “What are you doing?”

  “Shhh!” she silenced him, continuing to open drawers one at a time.

  By this time, Adrian had stopped whining and was now sitting up, his confidence slowly returning.

  “Sit back down,” Wyatt hissed, but even the force he said it with was waning.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Adrian comply, barely. I need to find it!

  Finally, one of the last drawers she opened—the one right near the front of the bloody desk!—contained what she was looking for. Flint and steel. Feeling victorious, she took it out while simultaneously grabbing a piece of iron from her pocket.

  She grabbed a candle, lit it with the flint and steel, and then put the iron over it, waiting for it to heat.

  “What are you doing?” Wyatt asked.

  “Wasting my time,” Adrian said. His confidence was back now. He had a defiant look.

  Warm you bloody thing!

  She heard rustling and turned to see Adrian standing, his look of fear gone and his face more set and determined. “This is quite enough, Anders. I will have you prosecuted. You aren’t collectors! Besides, I’m innocent. I only deal with honest people! When Magistrate Mavin hears about this, I’m sure he’ll find a suitable place for you to live in. Probably a cell. In prison! Or maybe we’ll be lucky and you’ll both be sent to the gallows!”

  Finally, the iron shined red, and Elisa pulled it away from the candle and turned to face Adrian and Wyatt.

  Adrian’s mouth dropped open as he saw the iron being pointed at him. Wyatt had the same expression displayed on his face. Elisa smiled victoriously.

  “The Trahiad!” Adrian gasped in shock. “You are collectors for the Trahiad!”

  “No! Elisa, where did you—” Wyatt stammered.

  “Yes!” Elisa said as she stepped forward, glaring at Wyatt to keep his mouth shut, and forcing a stare she hoped was intimidating—though she felt like a fool—to Adrian. She moved the iron closer to him, stopping it only a few inches from Adrian’s face. The jeweler swallowed hard.

  “Where did you get that?” Wyatt whispered harshly.

  Elisa turned to him and said, “Would you shut up! Just grab him!” a little too loud as a confused look crossed Adrian’s face. Doubt flickered in his eyes. He thinks we’re frauds!

  She pushed the iron closer as Wyatt placed a hand behind the man’s head. Adrian froze in fear, all signs of confidence fading. Adrian knew exactly what Elisa held; a brand with three swords forming a triangle around a dragon’s head.

  “I apologize. Please!” Adrian said as he cringed away from the brand. The heat of the iron was causing him to break out in a sweat, and Elisa knew she almost had him. She brushed the brand against his cheek quickly, leaving a sear mark as he cried out in pain.

  “Please! I’ll do anything! Just tell me! I didn’t mean to upset the Trahiad. Tell Racin Poe I’m sorry. Tell him I’ll do anything!”

  Wyatt still looked at Adrian in shock, and then in even more shock at Elisa. What bothered her is that he had a look of disappointment on his face. He must have reasoned out what I did. One store they had walked by in the Trahiad was a maker of brands, and she had happened to have borrowed one. Wyatt shook his head in disbelief and disappointment. He must have read my mind!

  Pushing Wyatt from her mind, she glared at Adrian. “We came here on a charge of the Trahiad.”

  “Please!” Adrian cowered. “Forgive me, I didn’t know!”

  “We were supposed to keep our ties to the Trahiad concealed,” Elisa continued.

  “We collect for them,” Wyatt added. “And our hidden identities are valuable to the Trahiad.”

  Good, Elisa thought as she looked at Wyatt. The big oaf has caught on! “And remain valuable to the Trahiad!”

  “But you forced us to reveal ourselves,” Wyatt said in a disgusted tone.

  “Your secret is safe with me,” Adrian said. “I promise! I won’t tell a soul!”

  Elisa moved the brand closer, the heat close to burning Adrian’s face as Wyatt held his head in place.

  “I promise! I’ll do anything, tell me what I must do! Please!” Adrian begged.

  Relaxing slightly, Elisa moved the brand away a hair and then dropped so she was eye level with Adrian. “We need a ring,” she said flatly and firmly.

  Adrian lit up with hope. “A ring! I have lots of rings. Tell me, any of them are yours. Tell me!”

  “Not any ring,” Elisa said calmly.

  “An exact replicate of Elizabeth Scot’s wedding band,” Wyatt finished.

  Elisa glared at him. I was going to say that!

  Adrian frowned. His eyes shifted uncertainly, and finally he took a deep breath. “An exact replica? That’s difficult to get. I don’t have any, and it will cost a lot for me to create it. It’s made of gold, etched in diamond, and has the swirling crystal that it’s famous for.”

  “What kind of money are you talking about?” Elisa asked, her hopes fading. He doesn’t have it already? Rumors are he was making them…

  “More than you could ever acquire,” Adrian said flatly. “It’s priceless. The crystal itself—it’s an alloy of Myandian crystal, draestl from the north, and dragon’s dust. One of the finest pieces of jewelry ever made! One reason Elizabeth rarely takes it off!”

  Elisa felt her heart sink. “How much?”

  “Too much,” Adrian said. His annoying arrogance was back.

  “Too much for the Trahiad?” Wyatt asked with a booming voice, leaning in aggressively toward Adrian. “Are you doubting the po
wer and reach of the Trahiad!”

  Adrian winced. “It’s just too expensive. I can’t do it, and even if I did, it would take months to gain the materials, months to create, months to refine, and even longer to polish. It’s an impossible task!”

  “We don’t have that much time!” Elisa said, throwing her hands up in the air. She felt her hopes of joining the Trahiad slipping away. The entire plan was contingent on the rumors she had heard that Adrian Kor had successfully forged Elizabeth Scot’s ring. Her mind began racing for another way to accomplish their goal. They knew it was risky—and we haven’t even gotten to the risky part yet—but she also knew that if they stole something like this, that it guaranteed them entrance to the Trahiad. So much for that, she thought as she glared at Adrian. She was so sure that he would already have a ring made, or have access to one somewhere in the city. Curse me.

  “I’m sorry I can’t be of help,” Adrian said. “Please give the Trahiad my apologies. I’m honored they approached me for help, but I can’t help. It’s too valuable. It took me nearly a month just to figure out the right balance between draestl and crystal. It will take many more to finish it!”

  Adrian smiled an innocent smile, but Elisa glared at him. She sighed as she pulled the brand away from him and set the now cooling end on the ground. We’ve failed. Maybe we should go after draestl now.

  As the brand moved away from his face, Adrian stood up, but Wyatt closed his hand around Adrian’s neck and pushed him back down on the ground.

  “Wyatt! Let me go!” Adrian said as he tried unsuccessfully to push Wyatt away.

  “Wait one second,” Wyatt said calmly.

  “Wyatt, it’s ok. We’ll go after draestl or some—” Elisa began.

  “Shush!” Wyatt said, cutting her off. You dare cut me off, Wyatt Ander! He shook his head as he inspected Adrian. “You speak with an awful lot of knowledge about the ring, Adrian.”

  Adrian smiled. “Of course I would, Wyatt. I’m a jeweler. Didn’t Grianne tell you that much? She always loved my skill!”

  Wyatt’s somewhat inquisitive look took on a look of knowing. A smile spread across his face. “Yes, she did,” he said. “So much so, that she told me that the man of her dreams would provide her the ring of her dreams. A ring that matched Elizabeth Scot’s.”

  A flicker passed over Adrian’s eye, so fast Elisa almost missed it.

  “That’s preposterous!” Adrian said. “I told you, it’s nearly impossible to forge that ring!”

  “But you said that it took you almost a month to figure out the crystal part of it, isn’t that right Elisa?” Wyatt asked.

  Elisa looked at her brother and shrugged. “I, uh,” she stammered. I was too busy thinking I had failed to listen. She thought about the earlier conversation. Then she remembered it.

  “You most certainly did,” Elisa said.

  “No! I said nothing of the sort. Nothing!” Adrian declared.

  “You did,” Wyatt said as he turned back toward Adrian. “You said that it took you a long time to figure it out. You spoke about it like it was familiar, as if you had done it. Adrian, do you have a forged copy of the Scot ring?”

  Adrian swallowed hard. “What you are saying is preposterous. I must have made a mistake saying that I had done that. I’ve never. Yes, Grianne wanted that. But—”

  Wyatt grabbed the front of Adrian’s shirt and lifted him into the air. “You tell me straight, Adrian. By the authority of the Trahiad you tell me the truth right now or we will mark you and your practice and you will be at the mercy of both thieves and guards!”

  Elisa stammered at the forceful threat. She had never witnessed Wyatt raise his voice even in the slightest, and it amazed her at seeing him threaten someone. She couldn’t help a proud smile from forming. Go Wyatt!

  “Don’t! Please! Ok, yes,” Adrian stammered. “Grianne wanted it. Told me she would only marry me if I gave her that very ring. Well, curse me and turn me into a dragon, I can’t get that ring, so I made a duplicate. One that she could never tell the difference. One that would enable me to marry her. One that—”

  “Where is it?” Elisa said. “Give it to us now, or the Trahiad is taking possession of all you own.”

  Adrian swallowed hard, then reached into his jacket and pulled out a small jewelry box. “I was on my way to give it to Grianne just now. She’s waiting for me. I told her I would propose. I mean. Well…” He handed it over reluctantly as he trailed off.

  Elisa took the box and opened it carefully. The glint of light catching on the ring sent a smile across her face. It was beautiful. Breathtaking. She couldn’t believe their luck.

  We have the ring!

  Wyatt slapped Adrian across the back of the head. “Well done, Adrian. We collect this as a tax to keep your practice safe.” Elisa saw the wide smile on Wyatt’s face and wondered what was more pleasing to him. The fact Grianne would be inconsolably upset when Adrian didn’t follow through on his promise, or that they had just found the ring.

  Adrian moaned, but nodded sadly.

  Wyatt and Elisa turned to leave, but Elisa looked back over her shoulder. “And remember, Adrian. No one is to know we are collectors for the Trahiad. If I hear any mention of this, not only will the Trahiad come after you, but I will also personally tell Grianne that you were planning on giving her a forgery. Isn’t it better to give her nothing at all than to know that you were going to trick her?”

  Elisa and Wyatt both smiled as they left Adrian on his knees with his face in his hands.

  We got the forged ring. Now time to get the real one!

  6

  Paigon Square

  One sign we were recovering after our liberation from the Bloodheim was the return of the markets, and Paigon Square was at the epicenter of the revitalization. Farmers from all over Ardonor would come in droves with the freshest goods every Friday, and as people began showing up consistently, and eventually without fear, we knew that we were recovering.

  Paigon Square was packed with the people of Alderidon, the street so full that Elisa was pushed into Wyatt and then pushed away as someone else bumped into her. She glared at the woman who was running through the crowded street with a box full of fresh fruits and vegetables, shouldering past any who stood in her way.

  “Busy today,” Wyatt said as he peered over the crowd.

  “It’s always busy on Friday,” Elisa remarked as she glared up at him. “It’s not fair you can see above this mayhem, I have to stare at ugly people and worry about someone spitting in my face. You, on the other hand, are free to see what you want since you’re a foot taller than everyone else!”

  Wyatt laughed as he continued to push forward. The crowd seemed to part away from Wyatt, but as soon as he passed the crowd converged and ran right into Elisa. Can’t you block them for me too, brother?

  “Where are we heading?” Wyatt asked as he looked around the market.

  “Do you ever listen?” Elisa snapped back. “Farmer Hetrick’s cart. He’s normally near the center fountain. Right in the middle of the square. The prime spot!”

  “I listened,” Wyatt said as he looked around, a little defensively. “Apples right?”

  “Yes,” Elisa said and mumbled, “as I already told you.”

  Wyatt changed course and started moving forward, once again causing the crowd to rush into Elisa. She doubted that their plan could succeed because of how busy it was today. Fridays were always the busiest, but she’d never seen it this busy before.

  “You look worried,” Wyatt whispered to her.

  It surprised her she could hear him among all the bustling, but she tried smiling reassuringly. “I’m sure it will be fine, look at what’s happened so far. Seems like the Creator is on our side.”

  She truly believed that. From the invitation coming on a Thursday night, to her ridiculous plan with Mistress Lugan, to assuming Adrian Kor had a duplicate of the ring, and then actually having it, and finally to now. A Friday in the Paigon Square, the only day Elizabeth Scot visi
ted the square, in person, to make sure she purchased a basket of apples from Farmer Hetrick. The Creator has to be helping us. Dear Creator, I hope you are.

  Wyatt nodded and rested a hand on her shoulder. “It will work out, or at least we’ll know we tried our best.”

  “Our best hasn’t done a splendid job of feeding us so far!” she said roughly, then bit her lip as she saw a hurt look cross Wyatt’s face. “Sorry Wyatt, I’m nervous. All these people? For our plan to work…” she trailed off. They both knew what had to happen to make the plan work. Maybe having a lot of people may work to our benefit.

  They pushed through the crowd and it opened enough that for a moment she had a full view of the beautiful Paigon Square. In the middle was a large fountain filled with water that was twenty feet wide. In the center was a sculpture of a dragon, and out of its open maw showered a beautiful cascade of water. It was hot today, and the faint mist from the fountain felt good on their skin as they walked toward it.

  The square itself was majestic. Surrounded by wood and stone homes, the square was the intersection between two of the business streets in Alderidon, Stith and Ard. Stith was the busiest street in the Merchants District, and some said all of Ardonor. And Ard was the street that connected the Merchants District with the Palace District. As a result, this was the top farmer’s market in Alderidon because of its access to wealthy nobles.

  The square had carts, wagons, barrels, crates, and small shops crammed into every available space. The break in the crowd allowed Elisa to get a glimpse of today’s wares. Fresh fish, steak, poultry, mutton and other meats hung on lines over buckets to catch any dripping blood were in one area. Another area had large vegetables; broccoli, cucumbers, celery, cabbage, different lettuce, carrots, and more. Baskets after baskets were filled with the vegetables. Her stomach growled as she saw all the delectable offerings.

  She kept looking for the fruit stands, and specifically for Hetrick’s apple cart. His apples were famous, both for their quality, but also for their taste. She finally saw it, nestled between carts that were selling oranges, cherries, peaches, pears, and every other kind of fruit you could imagine. The apple cart stood out because of his familiar flag flying over it—an etching of him pushing an apple cart.