Secrets at the Keep (Kingdom of Denall Book 2) by Eric Buffington Page A

explaining. “Mordyar is looking for the Stones of Power. If he can control them, he will have power over the Changing.”
    “The Changing?” Mylot said trying to suppress a grin. “Now I know you are messing with me.”
    Bethany shook her head seriously, “There are some things I’ll joke about, but this is not one of them. Mordyar is the greatest threat to peace anywhere in the known world. Every couple of years he attacks a nation, drains the supplies, takes the people prisoner and forces them to join his army. His objective is to find and control the Stones of Power so he can control the Changing. If that is his objective, then my mission is to stop him.”
    “I see,” Mylot said skeptically. “So do you believe that the world will be changed magically by some powerful being?”
    Bethany shrugged her shoulders, “I’m not sure what will happen, I don’t have all the answers, but I know that if there is some all-powerful being who has control over the earth, I don’t want it to be an evil power-hungry sorcerer.”
    Mylot made a silly face, “So you’d rather it was someone like me?”
    Bethany scrunched her face into a half scowl. “First of all, if you need to compare yourself to Mordyar to get an endorsement from me, that’s just sad. Secondly, I’m not sure you’ll like my answer,” she said with a shake of her head.
     
    *****
     
    Mylot slumped in the saddle from exhaustion and pain. The first week of travel and camping was a shock to his spoiled system. Days were spent in the saddle, and then the evenings were a routine of gathering wood, setting snares, and practice sessions with his dictator of a trainer. She never drew her sword, but instead had Mylot perform drill after drill focused on his hand-eye coordination and speed. Then, when it was all finished, he ate what limited food they could gather and dropped to the ground for an uncomfortable night of roots, rocks, and watch duty. He was convinced that this training regimen was meant to kill him.
    He was about to fall asleep when Bethany’s voice snapped him out of his dreariness. “Perk up little mouse. Someone’s coming.”
    Mylot sat straight in his saddle and tried his best to look alert. When they rounded the curve in the road a small group of five riders were coming at them, moving very quickly. Mylot’s hand went instinctively to his sword, but he saw Bethany’s almost imperceptible hand motion telling him to act casual.
    Bethany raised her hand to hail down the riders. The lead rider returned the gesture and slowed the group down. “Is everything all right?” Bethany asked.
    The burly rider moved up next to Bethany. “We’re just going back to Hawk Pass. There’s a large krydox up ahead about three miles. She’s just off the road, looks like she’s set up a nest.” The man pointed down the road where they were headed.
    “Thanks for the warning.” Bethany pulled her horse off the road as the men galloped out of sight. She then turned to Mylot. “What do you think we should do?”
    He scratched his head for a moment before speaking. “Well, krydox are very territorial and aggressive animals. One settled on our land a few years ago and we needed to arrange a hunting party, we had lances and crossbows, not swords. I remember on the hunt we had six men and the krydox turned its large horned head at us and charged. I couldn’t believe the power and speed that it moved. When they are charging there’s not much you can do but get out of the way.”
    “Right, so what do you think we should do?” she asked again.
    “Where is Hawk Pass?” Mylot asked, still not comfortable that he had enough information to make a decision, and nervous that if he made the wrong decision, he would receive another lecture followed by the silent treatment for hours.
    “It’s about five miles back, a small horse path that leads north.”
    Mylot turned in his saddle to look back down the road they had just come up. “Well that doesn’t help;