Shepherd's Quest: The Broken Key #1 by Brian S. Pratt

building had but a lone door that stood open. Thick and strong, it would take a lot of punishment before it failed.
    Bart noticed the way they were looking at the building. He cracked a smile and said,
    “It’s protected by magic too,” he replied. “Only one thief has ever tried to sneak in since it was built.”
    “And what happened to him?” Chad asked.
    “The exact details no one talks about,” he told them. Dismounting, he turned to glance at them and said, “But there’s a skull over the door on the inside that is rumored to belong to the thief.”
     
    “Really?” asked Eryl.
    “So the story goes,” Bart replied. He wrapped his horse’s reins to the post out front and then waited for the two brothers to dismount and do the same. Then he turned and led them up to the open door.
    Just as they reached the door, a middle aged man appeared from the other side. “Oh I’m sorry,” the man said when he saw them approaching, “but I am closing now. You’ll have to come back in the morning.”
    “Couldn’t you stay open for just a few more minutes?” asked Bart with a grin.
    Phyndyr turned his head towards Bart and was just about to tell him ‘no’ when he stopped. “Well, Bartholomew Agreani, as I live and breathe,” he said in astonishment as a smile came to his face. “I haven’t seen you for over a year.”
    “Good to see you too Phyndyr,” replied Bart. He then indicated Chad and said, “My friend here is in dire need of a scroll to fix a cracked grinding wheel for his father’s mill up in Quillim.”
    “Quillim?” he asked. “Is that where you’ve been?”
    “Sort of,” he replied. “Now, can you help him?”
    “Oh, very well,” he said. Stepping back into the building he allowed Bart, Chad and Eryl to enter. Then he closed the door and locked it. With a single word he caused a dozen candles set about the room to burst into light.
    “Wow,” exclaimed Eryl. “Are you a magic user?”
    Phyndyr smiled at the boy. “Not really, no. I just know a few simple cantrips.” They found themselves in an average sized room with three wooden tables, each surrounded by six chairs, spaced evenly around the room. Another door leads from the room across from the one they had just passed through. Eryl turned to look above the front door and saw a human skull mounted there. His eyes widened then he glanced to Bart who just grinned.
    Phyndyr indicated the closest table and said, “Have a seat.” He sat down on one side of the table while the three boys sat on the other. Turning his attention to Chad, he asked,
    “What exactly do you require?”
    “Last night there was an earthquake,” he explained. “It was pretty bad and when we went to the mill in the morning, we found a crack in the upper grinding wheel. Bart told me you might have a scroll that would repair the crack?” Phyndyr nodded. “I have several such scrolls that could possibly help you young man.” He then began asking questions about the size of the wheel, the length of the crack, and so forth. When he finished the questioning, he grew silent for a moment.
    “Can you help him?” Bart asked.
    “I think so,” he replied. “You three stay here,” he told them as he got to his feet.
    They watched him cross the room and pass through the door leading further into the building. “Phyndyr’s pretty nice,” Bart said as they waited.
    “He seems to know you fairly well,” Chad replied questioningly.
    “I’ve known him since I was no older than Eryl,” he explained. “He and my father go way back.”
    Chad looked to him to expand further on the details, but he remained silent.
    Just then, Phyndyr exited from the back with a scroll in his hand. “You’re in luck,” he told them as he came and sat back down at the table. “Usually it takes a day or two to have a specific scroll ready. But seeing as how I am training a new apprentice, I have a few scrolls lying around. He’s been practicing on various different Peasant