Halfstone: A Tale of the Narathlands by Daniel White

Author:Daniel White [White, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2016-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

10

PIRATES

Someone was yelling. Aldrick leapt up in alarm. The others were rummaging around the campsite. It was so early stars still lingered in the pallid sky.

“Curse them!” Sinin kicked the charred remains of a log from the fire bed.

Télia was looking beyond the campsite. “Where is Kaal?”

Aru snorted. “Supposedly still on guard duty. Jolly good job he did.”

“What’s going on?” Aldrick asked.

“We’ve been robbed.”

“Robbed?” He looked around. “What’s been taken?”

“My staff,” Jon said angrily.

“Only that?”

“Yes, it is all anyone would need to make a fair sum of money.”

“We are fortunate that whoever took it was not an assassin,” Aru said heatedly. “Otherwise we would all have woken in the Life Afterwards!”

At that moment Kaal came bolting into view, his bow in hand.

“What’s… happened? What’s going on?” he asked between heavy breaths.

Aru stormed up to him. “We have been robbed, that is what. Jon’s staff is missing and it is all thanks to you and your lack of observation skills. What have you been doing? Having a wee snooze?”

Kaal looked awkward. “I didn’t think there was anyone nearby. I’ve been on the hillside keeping watch over the entire ruins.”

“But not over us,” Aru snapped.

“Calm down, Aru,” Télia demanded, walking to them. “Obviously someone with some skill in thievery has taken Jon’s staff. We couldn’t expect Kaal to have been prepared for that, especially out here in this deserted land.”

Aru glared at Kaal. “Be thankful that the culprit did not decide you were an obstacle in their way.”

Sinin had been examining the ground a short way downstream.

“Kaal, did you walk here last night?” he asked.

Kaal shook his head.

Jon went to Sinin. “What is it?”

Sinin pointed to the edge of the stream. “They followed the streambed up to reach our camp. This is where they got out and back in.”

“Clever—treading water to conceal their path.”

Sinin nodded. “They might even be a professional.”

Jon shook his head. “No, a professional is hired by somebody and I doubt anybody with the money to do so has knowledge of my staff, nor of my location. This was an opportune theft—the work of a relic hunter or perhaps a lone marauder.”

“A thief all the same,” said Télia.

“We should track them down and end them,” Sinin proposed.

Jon strode back to the campsite. “Yes, we must find them at once. Without that staff I will have little defence against our foes in Galdrem.” He hurriedly began packing his gear.

Aldrick and the others followed suit. In short time they were on horseback, setting off downstream. Sinin led, followed by Jon, both of whom hung low to one side of their horse, scouting for further tracks left by the thief. There were none to be found.

“What if they were clever about this and came from the other direction?” suggested Télia.

Sinin clicked his finger and pointed at her. “Good point.”

“We must split up,” said Jon.

Aru sighed. “There is no time for this,” she muttered.

Jon ignored her. “Sinin, Télia, Aldrick, you go upstream. Kaal, Aru, we will continue down. Keep your eyes peeled, all of you.

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