The Flight of the Griffin E-Book

C.M. Gray

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

The Kingdom of Freya has fallen deep into the clutches of dark forces.

After young Pardigan breaks into the home of one of Freya's richest merchants, an unexpected chain of events is set in motion. Sent on a quest to complete an ancient spell and restore order to the world, Pardigan and his friends set sail aboard The Griffin.

But danger lies at every turn, and they are soon pursued by The Hawk: a bounty hunter who will stop at nothing to end their quest.

LONDON TIMES - BEST CHILDREN'S FICTION FINALIST

Leseprobe

The Flight of The Griffin

C.M. Gray

Copyright (C) 2015 C.M. Gray

Layout Copyright (C) 2022 by Next Chapter

Published 2022 by Next Chapter

Cover art by http://www.adipixdesign.com

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

To my children, ...Dylan and Yasmin... ... that my light may one day shine through their eyes...

Chapter 1 An Uncommon Evening

The floorboard creaked under the sole of his felt boot - a calculated risk whenever entering a sleeping man's room uninvited.

A breeze fluttered the loose linen curtain, and the sleeper stirred at the welcome respite from the hot sticky night. The prowler slowly exhaled the breath that was starting to burn in his lungs, every sense tingling, receptive to any change in the room or a sound from the street below.

The sleeper, thankfully, continued to sleep.

The street under the second-storey window was silent, the night given up to the occasional rounds of the city watch and those set on a darker business, the never-ending cat and mouse game that went mostly unappreciated by the law-abiding citizens of the sleeping city.

The summer had been one of the hottest people could ever remember, taxing the energy of the city's inhabitants to the limit. Several of the more elderly citizens down at the port could be heard explaining that, 'in their day', the summers were often this hot, and indeed often hotter. Of course, these were the same group who would entertain the regulars at the portside taverns with tales of goblin hordes, ferocious sea serpents or the time the winters were so cold that the seas had frozen solid.

'A man could have walked from here to Minster Island without ever seeing a boat or even getting his feet wet,' was a much-repeated reminiscence. Whatever history really concealed, it was a hot summer, and this, a particularly humid night.

Pardigan watched the now softly snoring form and, moving his foot from the traitorous board, crept towards the cabinet that he knew held his prize. It was an elegant cabinet - its construction given over to more than mere function. Gracefully curved legs supported drawers and shelves that were fronted by a scrollwork of intricate designs. He inserted the blade of his knife between the edges of the middle left-hand drawer and felt for the hidden catch. If the information Quint had given him was correct, the false front should spring open. A prickle of sweat tickled his brow and he wiped it absently away. Glancing over to the still-sleeping form, he applied a little more pressure on what he hoped was the catch.

Nothing.

The merchant stirred, smacked his chops, exhaled wetly and then returned to snoring. Pardigan tried again.

Most people hated the fat merchant, known for his cheating ways and vile temper, so he and Quint had set about the business of planning to rob him with great enthusiasm. The break had come quite by chance when Quint had met the apprentice of a cabinetmaker who'd been happy to talk about the merchant, and the cabinet he'd helped his master build for him.

'The shame of it is that the true beauty of the cabinet will never be appreciated,' the apprentice had moaned. 'Such a cunning mechanism my master contrived to conceal the hidden safe-box, nothing of the like have I seen before, nor I fear will I ever see again.' He had been all too happy to describe and even sketch the piece for Quint who, of course, had shown great interest, marvelling at the skill of the cabinetmaker and, naturally, his gifted apprentice. Several glasses of elder ale had kept his new friend's throat well lubricated, an investment in tonight's escapade that they had both placed huge hopes in.

Up until this point, the information seemed to be good; the cabinet did indeed look like the sketch that he and Quint had spent so much time studying. Pardigan's hopes had soared when he'd first set eyes on it as he was slipping over the windowsill. Right up until now that is, as his frustration grew. Because the Source damned catch simply wouldn't shift - if catch it was. Pardigan was beginning to wonder if the real catch hadn't been poor old Quint, whom the apprentice had conned into buying several glasses of elder ale on another blisteringly hot day.

Without warning, the warm still of the night was disturbed as the door to the bedroom opened with a creak, causing the hairs on Pardigan's neck to stand up. He slowly turned, half-expecting to be staring at the tip of a crossbow bolt. Instead, a large grey cat slunk around the door, ran across and rubbed against his legs, purring as it sought attention. He ruffled its ears, before gently pushing the animal away. Without a backward glance the cat walked over and leapt up onto the bed. Settling comfortably against the sleeping merchant, it lay watching as Pardigan renewed his efforts.

He applied his knife once again. Nothing was happening with the left-hand side so he moved his attention to the right. An audible click echoed around the room, rewarding his efforts as the false door opened, wobbling the washbasin that sat precariously upon the cabinet's top. The merchant turned over, groaning loudly and ejected the cat from the bed. It meowed, padded over to the open window and leapt to the sill. Ignoring Pardigan, it sat regarding the street below with a critical eye.

The merchant continued to sleep. He was back to breathing heavily, his fat sweaty chins bobbing with the effort of sucking in the warm moist air.

Pardigan returned his attention to the cabinet. Behind the false front was a small opening. Several moneybags had been carelessly tossed on top of some papers, a few old books and some rolled documents that had been stacked neatly above on two shelves.

Pardigan hadn't had any real idea what he might find, but when he and Quint had been working out the finer details of the plan, they'd had plenty of time for speculation. Jewels, money and magical items had been on the hoped-for and expected list, but Pardigan now noted, with a certain touch of dismay, that there was a distinct lack of necklaces, rings and brooches in the safe. He turned over a few of the papers to see what they hid and wondered at the markings on them. He could read after a fashion, but only the local low-speak, enough to tell the difference between a bag of beans and a bag of rice. High-speak was for merchants and nobles.

He slipped several of the more promising-looking papers into his coat along with the moneybags, and then a small knife without a scabbard caught his eye. He picked it up. It had a blade about a hand's span long and a plain blue jewel set in the pommel. He put it into his pocket and cast a last glance over the remainder of the contents. With a sigh, he gently reset the false front, watching the merchant's face to make sure he wasn't disturbed as the catch clicked softly back into place. Satisfied that he hadn't been heard, he straightened and tested the new weight in his pockets. With a smile, he crossed to the window. The cat watched him approach then meowed in irritation as he brushed it from the sill. Taking care to mind the loot in his pockets, he straddled the windowsill and, with one eye to the street for the city watch and the other on the still sleeping merchant, made his way carefully to the ground.

Dropping the last few spans, he landed safely and offered up a silent prayer of thanks to the Source. Then, after casting up and down the street, he drew in his first real breath for what seemed an eternity and moved off towards the sanctuary of the poor quarter. Keeping to the shadows, he kept an eye open for both the watch and for any opportunist thieves that may be lying in wait for a rich victim like himself.

* * *

The grey cat continued to watch as he scuttled away, noting his haste now he was in the open. The way he looked back and forth for danger, seeing everything, but understanding so little.

She'd been waiting for something like this to happen for several weeks and now she felt both excitement and regret that the game was to move on. Maybe I was beginning to enjoy the lazy life of a house cat too much, she wondered. The easy life did have certain merits, especially for a cat. Licking a paw she cleaned herself one last time, enjoying a few final moments in this form, and then leapt from the window, shimmering before spreading wide, snowy white wings and gliding silently in search of the departing figure.

* * *

Pardigan hurried down the darkened alleyways, the houses crowding closer together the further he got into the poor quarter. At several points, the buildings actually touched above him and the alley became a pitch-black tunnel, blocking out even the faint ambient light that had lit his progress so far. Earlier in the evening, the oil-lamps would have been lit, but it was late now and the oil had long burned away. He came to The Stag, an inn on Barrow Street that was favoured by traders from the market square. The murmur of a few late drinkers came from behind the heavy closed door, then the sound of a glass smashing and a woman's shrill and angry cry prompted Pardigan to move on before the drinker was tossed onto the street, illuminating him in the light from within.

At the end of Barrow Street he slowed to a cautious walk. Market Square was in front of him, a regular hangout for drunks and beggars who tended to group together. Even at this time of night there would probably be a few milling around. These people didn't seem to keep normal hours. You could be walking around at midday and most would be sleeping like it was midnight, and then times like now, they would be up and about sucking on a bottle and probably wondering idly where the sun had gone to.

Keeping to the shadows as best he could, he moved into the square being careful to skirt the darker parts at the edge. Picking up his pace he had to clamp his hand over his nose and hold his breath as he sidestepped several piles of rotting vegetables; the warmth of the night rich in their pungent odours.

Several of the square's occupants were dotted about but none seemed interested in him. Three drinkers grouped around a spluttering fire were singing and laughing as they passed a small barrel. Pardigan slowed and watched for a moment, fascinated as they took turns, upending it and laughing at each other's efforts as more of the liquid splashed down their chests than into their mouths. Pardigan shuddered, and wondered at the mystery that was adulthood and at what age you lost your mind and did crazy things like that.

At 12 years old, Pardigan dreaded the thought of waking up one morning as an adult. To have had all the fun sucked out of his life, replaced by the need to scowl at people and tell everyone off for not seeing the world his way. Growing old was inevitable, growing up was not. He and the others had made several vows that they would never grow up and would sail the coast in their boat The Griffin, for a lifetime of fun, adventure and good times. Whatever happens, I'll not be sitting in this square drunk, dribbling and howling at the moon like some crazy dog, he vowed. Casting another look at the small group, he moved on.

The square was crossed without incident and he started down The Cannery, a street so named because of all the fish canning shops that lined its sides as it went down the hill towards the city's little port. During daylight hours, it was one of the busiest areas of town, with fishermen hauling their catch up from the port and the canneries bustling with wagons shipping out their product all over the realm. At this hour, all was deserted and Pardigan passed down the pungent street without incident, a few squabbling rats its only nocturnal residents.

Coming down into the port, there remained one final obstacle in his path - Blake's. The largest of the inns around the harbour, it never closed. On a warm night like tonight, even at this late hour, there could be people sitting outside hoping for the comfort of a small breeze to come in across the sea.

The sound of music drifted up to him accompanied by the sound of voices laughing and talking – there was no way he could escape being noticed. He would have to cross right in front of the entrance to get to where The Griffin was moored. Drawing his coat about him, he walked on, a shiver running the length of his spine - his nerves once again on edge.

A lone figure sat on a barrel under the main window, bathed in a pool of light from a lantern that hung above the door. Keeping his eyes averted and with his heart beating in his ears, Pardigan tried not to stumble on the uneven cobbles in his haste to get past. Nearly there, only Blake's to pass, almost there… Talking to himself often helped in times of stress, it was almost as if some of the burden of the moment was shared…Only a little way more…Nearly…

A sudden movement from behind and he spun round in time to see a dark figure loom up with arms outstretched. With a cry, Pardigan stepped back, tripped over something and then hit the ground hard, pain instantly screaming from his back and left ankle.

He lay writhing on the cobblestones gasping, fear and despair filling him as he realised he'd been caught so close to The Griffin. It was almost in sight, only a little further around the port, but this obviously wasn't to be his night after all. That's how my luck's been running lately, thought Pardigan, offering a silent curse to the Source. Shadows gathered about him and he tried to struggle up but someone flipped him face down and sat on his back. Powerless to move or even breathe properly - flutterings of panic threatened to overcome him. Footfalls surrounded him and he waited for the touch of a knife.

'You should have told us you were going to do it tonight.' The speaker tapped Pardigan's head with something hard. 'We could have helped you know.' He sounded cross.

'Quint?' Pardigan felt a wave of relief and then anger at being tricked like this. 'Get off me, you lump.' He felt the weight move and several pairs of hands rolled him over. A lantern was lit and he gazed up into the shadowy faces of his friends.

'Well, how did it go?' asked the tall scruffy boy holding the lamp. Tarent, for that was his name, reached down and pulled Pardigan to his feet. Waves of relief filled Pardigan and he smiled, his anger slipping away.

'You rotten…' he took a half-hearted swing at Tarent who moved aside easily. 'Why did you jump me? I thought you were…'

'Serves you right, now tell us…' hissed Loras, the fourth and final member of The Griffin's crew. Smaller than the others with a tangled mop of red hair, Loras was peering up at Pardigan with a frown etching shadows on his face. 'We found your bunk empty, and then Quint told us about your plan.'

'Which he wasn't meant to carry out yet,' added Quint.

'So we came and waited for you here. You've been ages.' Loras was moving from one foot to the other, clearly agitated. 'Quint seemed to think you'd have plenty of coins and would be in a better position to settle our bill than we are,' he glanced back into the inn, a worried look on his face. 'Like I said, you've been ages and we were hungry.'

'And thirsty,' added Tarent. 'So we appear to be a little in arrears with the good landlord here.'

Loras reached out and dusted Pardigan's cloak. 'Sorry about the surprise, but you should have included us, so… how did it go?' All three waited patiently for some sort of response.

Pardigan finally shook his head in wonder at his friends, then checked up and down the path for observers. Reaching inside his coat, he pulled out a moneybag, recently the property of a certain local merchant, and fished out a silver coin that he tossed to Tarent. 'Settle up here and let's get back to the boat. I'll tell you all just how well it went when we get there.' Tarent disappeared inside the inn as the others moved off towards the gently bobbing boats of the port eager to hear more.

Now, back in the company of his three friends, Pardigan finally felt safe. They were a strange group, all with a different story of hard luck and the tough times they'd had before finding each other. They'd since formed the closest thing to a family that any of them had ever known - even the boat that they called home had a sorry tale. Quint had found it in a terrible state, rotting in a small river, off the main estuary to the city. Having nowhere better to go and all alone, he'd started to live on it. The boat had conveyed the feeling of abandonment and the only other inhabitants had been a few mice and lots of spiders. Quint had spent the first few weeks alone and in fear, expecting a gang of cutthroats to reclaim their vessel at any moment. Then, as the weeks had turned to months, he had realised The Griffin, for that was the name he had found under layers of grime, really was abandoned and he began to relax. The hull was sound, had no leaks and it had several cabins plus a good-sized cargo area. The problem with the boat had simply been neglect. Whoever had abandoned her hadn't left any clue to their identity, but abandoned she most certainly was.

About ten spans long, The Griffin made a wonderful home, blending in wherever the boys moored her. They spent most of their time in the rivers hidden from the world, but made several trips into the port cities for supplies and a change of scene. Pardigan, of course, was the practised thief, bringing gold, food and supplies to the boat whenever they were needed. He felt no remorse from his exploits, saying it was a harsh world and if he didn't take stuff then someone else would. Quint often found the rich targets for Pardigan and was the only one who had known how to sail, making him the logical choice as Captain. As the oldest, Quint was the unofficial leader of the group.

Loras had once been apprenticed to a magician, but the old boy had died before passing on much of his craft. When he had left, Loras took what he could of the books and spells; the boys had found him appearing dazed and confused, with soot all over his face, blowing up tree stumps in the forest.

'That's great!' Quint had said, obviously impressed at Loras's efforts, 'How do you do it?'

'I haven't the foggiest idea,' Loras had replied. 'I was actually trying to make the stumps grow new leaves; they aren't supposed to blow up like this.' He'd looked questioningly at a tatty old book held together with string. 'I think I must be doing something wrong - maybe there's another page missing?' He was waving his wand again, hopping about and trying to read, all at the same time. Quint had brought him back to the boat and Loras had settled in well.

The fourth crewmember was Tarent who was the laziest person that any of them had ever met, or so they often told him. Fortunately, he hid this flaw in his character by being one of the nicest people you could ever want to meet. He slept more than anyone had a need or right to, and could spend the most amazing amount of time merely gazing out to sea, or up at a star-filled night while the others were working. To many this would have grated and annoyed, but he would also talk and talk and talk, which was a good thing. He would tell about the night skies or monsters from the deep and he knew the reason why a compass always pointed north or how to make the ticker fish bite on a hot afternoon. After supper Tarent could always be relied upon for a good story to lead their minds around the world or bring enchanted sea creatures up from the deep. His body could be lazy, but his mind was as nimble as an acrobat. He was one of the crew, and shared many of the responsibilities of leadership with Quint.

The Griffin was waiting for them at the end of the quay, dwarfed in the shadow of a large black barge. The fragrant aromas of spices and herbs rich on the warm night air attesting to the cargo the barge was carrying. They clambered up the gangplank and Quint waited at the top until the last of them came aboard, then he pulled it in, sealing the boat from the land. He glanced over to the barge where a sailor was smoking a clay pipe, watching them. Giving a wave that was returned; he slipped down the hatchway pulling it closed behind him.

Down below, two lamps were already lit, the slight breeze from the open portholes enough to make the flames flicker, sending shadows dancing around the cabin. Everyone had settled; waiting for the news as Pardigan stood at the table and, without any ceremony, started to empty out his pockets.

He carefully placed the bags on the table, side by side, eight in all. The boys watched without saying a word as each bag made a soft chink, the cord drawstring falling softly to the side. Eight bags. Four were blue, one red, one yellow and two were of common canvas. The papers and books were passed across to Tarent, while the small knife was placed upon the table alongside the bags.

They hadn't believed Quint when he'd told them of the plan; hadn't actually thought that Pardigan would come back with anything except a tall tale of a daring escape and some would-have-beens and should-have-beens. They hadn't thought they'd really be seeing moneybags this evening. They all sat and stared.

Loras eventually broke the silence. 'So what's in 'em?'

'I haven't had a chance to look,' said an exhausted Pardigan. He waved them an invitation to the table.

Loras jumped up and tipped out the contents from one of the canvas bags. Copper coins fell out and rolled around. 'About thirteen shillings in coppers,' he muttered, pushing the coins with his fingers. He picked up a red bag, untied the cord, and upended it. More coins hit the table making an altogether different sound, the buttery colour of gold glinting in the lamplight. 'Seven sovereigns and one royal crown,' said Loras after a moment, his interest growing. The other bags were duly opened and all but the yellow bag held coins of gold, silver and copper. The yellow bag held a necklace that sparkled with precious stones as Loras held it up in awe for the boys to see.

'It's beautiful, Pardigan. Who, in the name of the Source did you rob? Was it the King?' They all stared at Pardigan.

'What sort of trouble are we in?' asked Loras, as the peril of their situation suddenly dawned upon him. 'What are we going to do?'

'Come on, let's not panic,' said Quint. 'Did anybody see you, stop you or question you at any point, Pardigan?'

'No, nobody saw me and I'm sure I didn't leave any clues,' stated Pardigan confidently. 'I'm very good at what I do.'

'Course you are, but come morning the city will be in uproar about this - we have to play this with cunning and no mistake.'

Quint looked at each of them in turn; lastly he turned to Tarent. 'What do you think?'

Tarent sighed. 'If we up and sail on the first tide come daybreak, the watch will be after us like a shot. We can't be appearing guilty.' He pondered a moment. '…Even if we did want to give it all back, which I don't think we do'? He glanced around the group seeing shaking heads, 'Well we couldn't, could we?' Everyone shook their heads again. 'We keep the coins, some on the boat and some we take up river and stash back at the moorings.'

Quint nodded.

'The papers I'll look over tonight to see what we have, then we either burn them or plan on their use. What we don't do is leave them here to be found if we do get searched. Source willing, we can up and leave in a few days' time and be back on our usual moorings for further plans.' He turned once more to Quint.

'Agreed,' said Quint. 'Check the papers as quick as you can. The coppers we can add to our own cash box with a few of the silver as well, so we can get our normal provisions.'

'And the knife?' asked Pardigan.

They all stared at the knife, still lying next to the sacks. The blue jewel sparkled in the lamplight.

'It's a very unusual knife,' said Tarent in a soft voice almost as if talking to himself. 'The best thing would be to lose it over the side, or drop it in some back alley well away from here.' He glanced across at Quint, but he was saying nothing, simply staring with the others at the knife on the table.

It seemed almost to be calling out to each one of them, and they all knew they wouldn't be throwing it into the sea, or losing it anywhere else for that matter.

'Stash it in the stove for now until we can think on it,' said Quint. Sounds of ready agreement came from all around.

Pardigan placed the knife in the cold stove then piled old ash and wood over it. The cash was split between that which was staying, and that which was going, and then Tarent moved off to his cabin to check the papers. The boat settled down; Pardigan and Quint went on deck in search of fresh air before sleeping.

'I can't believe it was really there, false front and all,' whispered Quint as he lay back looking up at the stars.

'Oh, it really was there, just as he said it was and twice as lovely as the picture.'

'I wish I could have seen it. What were you thinking when you were creeping round the room?' Quint sat up and stared at Pardigan. 'Weren't you scared to the very marrow of your bones?'

'Being scared is what keeps a thief alive and not caught and hanged,' replied Pardigan. He pulled the knife from his pocket, and rubbed the blue gem with his thumb.

'I thought you put that into the stove,' said Quint watching him.

Pardigan stared at the knife, a frown creasing his face. 'I did, I'm sure I did but …'

'Well you can't have, can you?' Quint nodded at the knife in Pardigan's hand. 'Don't get caught with it, put it in the stove, eh?'

'I will.' Pardigan ran his finger across the long thin blade. It wasn't sharp but it didn't feel dull either, he could just make out signs or writing on the side in the dim light, but unfortunately it wasn't bright enough to see properly. 'I'm sure I put it in the stove, I remember covering it with ash,' he murmured as he slipped it back in his cloak.

The boys chatted about the night's events for a while longer. Pardigan telling of scaling the wall and creeping around the sleeping chamber as the fat merchant snored, puffed and farted, and Quint telling a lengthy story of how Tarent and Loras and he had managed to dine at Blake's on the slim hope of him turning up with a few coins to pay for it all.

'Blake would have skinned you all alive if he'd known you were eating and drinking all evening with no money in your pockets,' laughed Pardigan.

'Ahhh, but we had faith in you, my friend,' countered Quint, punching Pardigan softly in the arm. 'And besides, we were hungry and the iced lemon water at Blake's is the best in all of Freya; we needed it.'

'I know,' murmured Pardigan softly, 'let's hope this is a sign that our fortunes have changed.'

As the stars maintained their journey across the night sky, the city continued to sleep and the boys finally went below to their bunks, ready for a busy day.

* * *

The owl watched from the top of the boat's mast as the two boys disappeared and with a beat of her wings flew off, back into the city. It had been an interesting evening and she felt pleased that events were finally moving along. She knew the boys would need a nudge or two to put them in the right direction, but she had a good feeling about them, a far better feeling than she had when the merchant had got his greedy, pudgy hands on the knife.

She soared over the shops and buildings of the city enjoying the freedom of flight, the air flowing over her feathers as she rode the warm currents rising from the buildings below. She watched as the moon rose above the water, its reflection rippling upon the calm ocean, its pale light making long dark shadows of the boats in the harbour, giving a new texture to the cityscape beneath her.

She flew until she saw the world start to awake and with it, dawn break on a brand new day. Turning back towards the harbour, she glided down to alight upon the deck of The Griffin and, returning to the form of the grey cat curled up on a badly stored sail and there she slept, waiting for the start of the day's events to unfold.

Chapter 2 A New Day Dawns

Bartholomew Bask awoke in a groggy haze; his head thumping from drinking too much good berry wine the evening before and yet another awful night's sleep.

'This confounded heat is getting the better of me,' he mumbled. 'Thirteen weeks of blistering weather that torments me night and day - will there be no end to it?' He pulled his great bulk to the edge of the bed and sat with his head resting in his hands. Mornings were seldom good for Bartholomew Bask.

He eventually managed to heave himself up and stood, swaying slightly, squinting at the light streaming in through his open window. Padding across the room, he leant on the sill and gazed down, watching for a few moments, entranced, as always, by the clutter of shops and the human tide coming and going below him. A donkey and cart was causing a commotion a little way further down the busy street as the driver tried to pass several tables set up outside the little brewshop. The early morning customers, unwilling to move from their breakfasts, were goading the driver, who was arguing vocally while failing in his attempts to reverse his stubborn animal. Tempers were rising early these days in Freya.

Bartholomew drew in a deep breath, catching the aromas of morning brew, newly-baked bread and cinnamon buns. His stomach rumbled and his thoughts moved towards his own needs. Leaving the window, he crossed to the cabinet and filled the washbasin with water. After splashing his face he rubbed at his bleary eyes and stared into the mirror that hung on the wall, shuddering at the reflection that gazed back at him.

Dipping his head, he sucked up a mouthful of water from the basin and threw his head back. 'Aaauurrgghhh,' he gargled with relish, spat, and then returned to the mirror. Rolling his cheeks around a little, he frowned into the little piggy eyes that stared back and gazed down his throat past rows of browning teeth. He rubbed at them a little with his finger, flashed a toothy grimace, then satisfied with his efforts, rinsed his hands and dragged wet fingers through his hair a few times, to control the unruly grey mop. He picked up a shirt, hastily thrown over the arm of a chair the evening before, and sniffed experimentally. His nose wrinkled, but seeing no fresh one, he dragged it over his head and waddled out in search of his maid.

'Hildy…Hildy.' Bartholomew, cheeks wobbling with the effort, shouted down the stairs. 'Where are yer, blast yer gal, Hildy?' A crash came from somewhere below and a short while later a thin wisp of a woman appeared, scurrying up the stairs all skirts and fluster.

'Trousers, gal, where are me damn trousers…and a shirt, yer lazy gal, get me a clean shirt and be quick about it. This one's fit to crawl out on its own an no mistake.' He stomped back into the room feeling better for the exertion, then stopped short as a thought struck him. Turning back to the door, he bellowed once again.

'And bring me something to break me fast on as quick as yer like, and you'll hurry, gal, if yer know what's good for yer.'

Hildy had been in his employ for years and he would have never found anyone else that would dote on him and put up with his foul tempers like she did, but that didn't stop him from threatening to dismiss her several times each day.

A meek little woman of about fifty summers, Hildy wasn't really the 'young gal' he always called her. Her friends had tried for ages to get her to leave that 'nasty' merchant Bask but so far, she hadn't. This morning was no different from any other morning and that was fine by her. She would see to him and her cleaning and be out of the house by lunchtime. She ran to fetch him some food.

A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, a pot of brew, six slices of toast, a large slab of smoked ham, half a dozen fried eggs, mushrooms and six rashers of crispy bacon. She added another plate to the tray, heaped with pancakes dripping in syrup, and then a basket of hot scones that she'd laboured over since arriving earlier that morning, then smothered them in butter and jam, exactly the way merchant Bask liked them.

Once ready, she carried it all up the stairs, struggling under the weight and resting for a moment at the top before kicking open the door to his bedroom with her foot. She didn't need to knock; he would be sitting on the edge of his bed the same as every morning counting his sins, she would always think to herself.

Bartholomew watched the tray arrive with a critical eye as Hildy placed it on the table close at hand.

'I'll be getting your shirt now, sir, all freshly pressed and clean for you.' Hildy laid out a napkin and started to back away towards the door.

Bartholomew, as was usual at this point, was lost in the smells and sights of his breakfast and hardly heard a word that Hildy said. He picked up a scone with his fingers and crammed it whole into his mouth, the butter dribbling unnoticed down his chin. Hildy stared at him in disgust, wrinkled her nose and left the room.

Some time later, after eating, Bartholomew began the task of dressing; squeezing himself into trousers that strained at the effort of holding him, and a clean shirt that already showed signs of its wearer with sweat patches forming under each armpit and a jammy mark on the chest from hastily wiped fingers. Once attired, after glancing to the door for any sign of Hildy, Bartholomew approached his cabinet and sprung the catch to the secret safe.

Bartholomew Bask, leading merchant of Freya, was known for his temper, but on this occasion he didn't explode, he didn't scream, he didn't do anything. For once in his life he was actually lost for words, lost for reason as his mind tried to convince his eyes that they must be wrong.

'Gone, everything has gone,' he finally mumbled, shuffling the few remaining papers. How much money had been there? He thought about it for a moment, his mind doing a dance as it added and subtracted and went over the business he had conducted for the last few days. He slumped to the floor. A fortune, there had been a ruddy fortune in there, and that's without a shred of doubt. He buried his face in his hands and tears started to slide down his quivering cheeks. With a jerk, he stopped sobbing and sat up - it must have been Hildy! His face turned red and he started to tremble. Hildy, whom he had cared for and employed for so long. How could it be? But there really was no other explanation. He stood up, fists clenched at his sides.

'Hildy, Hildy get yourself here this instant!' he bellowed. Her hurried footsteps immediately sounded on the stairs and moments later she came rushing into the room.

'Yes, Merchant Bask sir.' She bobbed a quick curtsey, catching her breath as she dried wet hands on her apron - her face was flushed from the heat of the kitchen.

Bartholomew stood up, hitching his trousers over his vast stomach. 'Have you been in here moving things? …Taking things?' His voice was low and menacing.

'Taking things, sir? What would I be taking? I'm an honest woman and I don't take kindly to being thought otherwise.' She stared at him, trying not to become agitated. 'What is it that you've lost? Maybe I can help you look. It can't be far, whatever it is.' She started to move towards the cabinet and he watched her eager approach. What was he thinking? The girl was without a whit of intelligence and wouldn't have been able to open the damn cabinet even if she had known there was something in there.

'Get out, gal! Get out while I think.' He waved a hand in her shocked confused face. 'Out!'

Hildy stopped, then slowly retreated backwards out of the room, wondering at the questionable sanity of her employer.

Bartholomew sat back down to think the situation through. What to do? The watch - he must call the city watch to be sure … but then there'd be questions he'd prefer not to answer, and if the thief was caught and found with so much money on him, there would be questions of unpaid taxes…no, not the watch. Bartholomew returned to his sobbing. What papers had been in there? Again his mind raced: several property deeds, but they could be re-issued. Also contracts for several business transactions that would have to be resigned and probably renegotiated at this point. He was going to have a very busy time of it, trying to salvage something out of this. Bartholomew wanted vengeance, he wanted to find the thief and he wanted to make him suffer, but how to catch him?

He stopped crying and jerked back from the cabinet, trying not to move. The more he was near it and the more he searched, the less a Mage would have to go on. Yes, he needed a Mage and he needed a good one. Bartholomew stood up, now under control. Snatching up his cane, he crammed a hat upon his head and left the house.

Hildy watched him waddle quickly from the house and went back to scrubbing the kitchen floor. Gone for another day and no more shouting to endure, she started to feel happy for the first time that morning and even started to hum a tune.

Unfortunately, she was wrong. Merchant Bask was back in less than a turn of the glass with a nasty looking man in tow. The stranger was scruffy and wearing a long gown, or some such thing that wasn't any fashion that Hildy knew about. Although they were back down again and gone in no time, without a 'Hello' or 'Get out of the damn way, gal,' most odd.

She went upstairs to find the bedroom in a state worse than usual. It appeared to have powder over half the room and there was a horrible smell as if something had been burning. Hildy wrinkled her nose, something she did many times a day in the employ of Merchant Bask, in fact, she did it so much that she now had permanent wrinkles on her nose from this very action. With a sigh of resignation she set about cleaning it all up.

By lunchtime, she was ready to leave and was just putting her hat straight when Merchant Bask came home with his new friend. She had just stepped out and closed the door behind her, when the hot afternoon air was split by the sound of Merchant Bask screaming her name.

'Hildy, Hildy, by the light of the Source, where are you, gal? Come here this instant!'

'Aaahh,' muttered Hildy to herself, 'now what's his problem?' She thought for a moment of simply heading off down the street. After all, she'd finished for the day and a good job she had done as usual. He had no call to… The thought was left unfinished as Merchant Bask's head appeared out of the bedroom window, bright red and bug-eyed in fury. She saw him scan the street and then he noticed her standing below and pointed, screaming once more.

'Hildy, you stupid, stupid girl, you've cleaned it all, cleaned every last blessed bit!'

Staring up at merchant Bask, Hildy finally decided that he had gone completely mad. Now he's screaming at me because I've cleaned. The man's a raving lunatic to be sure. She decided there and then to take the advice of her friends, so with a flick of her skirts and one last wrinkle of her nose, she left the service of Merchant Bask once and for all.

Several of the people on the street watched her leave with the merchant screaming from his window. An elderly couple told him to mind his tongue. When he started to scream and shout at them, others joined in, until a small crowd had gathered and a number of objects were hurled up at him.

Forced to retreat back into the room, Bartholomew turned once more to his guest who was studying him closely, quite unaffected by the merchant's outbursts.

'Well, is there anything left?' panted Bartholomew, angrily wiping bits of tomato from his face. He sat down heavily on the corner of the bed and regarded the scruffy Mage, with a look of desperate appeal.

'As I first advised you Merchant Bask, there is a general confusion surrounding the room.' The Mage stood up from where he'd been examining the bottom of the cabinet. 'This makes it much harder to read whatever has transpired. What first appears to us cannot be readily applied to what one would normally associate with an act of theft.'

'What?' wheezed Bartholomew, his mouth hanging open.

The Mage went on. 'There are strong echoes of yourself, of course, and your cleaner. The makers of the cabinet are also evident, but these are easily set aside. What is confusing, are the strong echoes of a cat and a child.'

After a short silence, the Mage decided to venture the question that he felt almost unnecessary. 'Do you…have any children in the house, Merchant Bask?' The look that he received from Bartholomew was enough of an answer. 'Well I thought not, this is why I asked for more time and indeed stressed the need for a different approach. Alas the cleaning of the room has undone any chance of getting any closer to the truth. Why an animal's echo should be so strong I cannot fathom, however, we can be sure this was no ordinary animal, but one that carried an echo of magic about it. As to that of the child…' He shrugged and left the sentence unfinished.

Bartholomew frowned; it grated on him to pay for so little results, but to refuse payment to a Mage was…well, frankly…stupid. He pulled a silver coin from his pocket and handed it over; the Mage took it without question or apology for any lack of results and quietly left.

Bartholomew sat back and tried to think. My home has been invaded, my monies stolen and all I'm left with is an image of a magical cat and a child running around in my bedroom as I've slept. What unlucky star was burning over me last night?

He knew the cat to which the Mage was referring. He'd had it for about a month and had been getting quite used to it. Bartholomew glanced nervously around the room but as he suspected, detected no sign of the animal anywhere. He'd keep an eye out for it anyhow and if he saw it … he felt the rage build within him again and drew in a breath in an attempt to calm down. Whoever has committed this filthy act will pay dearly, he vowed. What I need is a tracker, and with that thought, Bartholomew started to smile for the first time that day. I know of just the tracker that I need.

* * *

Despite the late night, the crew of The Griffin were up shortly after sunrise. Loras went into the city to buy provisions while Pardigan and Quint stayed talking in hushed tones over a hot brew and stale buns.

The boys were anxious, half expecting the city watch to come storming down to the port and turn the boat over at any moment. The moneybags were all stowed safely away and the knife, so Pardigan assured Quint, was buried in soot at the bottom of the stove. It made sense to move part of the haul off the boat, but if the watch were indeed investigating at this point then they'd be searching any boat that was trying to leave. This was what Pardigan and Quint were discussing when Tarent emerged from his bunk.

His eyes were red and he'd obviously had little or no sleep. Sitting down next to Pardigan, he poured himself a cup of brew and placed two stacks of papers onto the table.

'This big pile is stuff that I either don't understand or is just nothing we can sell or work with. My vote is we burn it all as soon as possible.' He glanced over at the other two who nodded saying nothing, not questioning any of the papers in the pile, both were staring at the smaller bundle of papers.

'There's some interesting things here that we may be able to use.' Tarent slurped some of his brew and grabbed one of the stale buns, pulling it into small pieces that he fed into his mouth as he spoke.

'I've found one contract here worth keeping - it's a license allowing any vessel holding it to conduct legal business operations out of Minster Island. We could either sell it in a few weeks when the noise has calmed down, or even use it ourselves to do some legitimate trade.' He stared at Pardigan. 'This one paper could mean we are never hungry again. Thank the Source you never left this one behind.'

'I'm not stupid,' said Pardigan indignantly. 'I took all the good stuff.'

'Oh, and this one's interesting, but I can't say why.' Tarent ignored Pardigan and flipped a thin, tatty book from the pile on to the table in front of Quint. It was obviously very old and worn, as if handled many times over the years, and had some strange text in small letters crammed into every conceivable space. The only recognisable thing about it was a rough sketch of a knife on the cover. The boys inspected the book then Pardigan went over to the stove and brought back the knife, secretly glad that it was still there and hadn't found its way back into his pocket. He laid it next to the book. There was no mistaking it. The picture and the knife were one and the same, the stone on top, the shape of the blade; it was no coincidence.

'Well what's it about?' asked Pardigan, his interest sparked.

'I can't read it, can't even tell you what language it is I'm afraid,' Tarent yawned and got to his feet. 'That's it, the sum of my night's efforts. I'm going to sleep - you can deal with that lot.' He staggered back to his cabin and slammed the door. Quint rose and put the big pile of papers into the stove, he lit a match and they watched the papers flare. Just as the smoke became too much and he closed the stove door, they heard a shout on deck and he and Pardigan jumped up with cries of glee and scrabbled for the ladder - Loras was back with fresh buns.

In their efforts to be first to the ladder, the papers were pushed aside and the knife briefly touched the book. The cover transformed and the blue gem in the pommel glowed brightly, unfortunately, no one was there to see it.

The three boys came down the ladder into the cabin, helping Loras with several bags. Quint was crossly telling Loras that it looked like he'd gone on a crazy buying spree and that he could have brought them unwanted attention.

'All I got was the usual buns, milk and some blue fish for our supper,' whined Loras. 'Then some dried beans and other stuff for the stores - was that too much?'

'You seem to have forgotten the other two sacks Loras, the one with all the books in, and what's in the other bag?' asked Quint, calming down now that he was munching on a fresh cinnamon bun still warm from the baker's oven.

'Well the books I've needed for a long time and the bookseller has been holding them for me. They're the books I used when I was apprentice to Magician Pyper. They'll help me to continue my studies.' His face began to turn red. 'The other bag,' he started sheepishly. 'Well the other bag has a few luxuries that we can afford and it's not like I've bought anything too much, just dried fruits, sweet lemon drops, a game of Old Jack Bones, things like that. It's not like I've gone out and bought everyone a new pocket watch, is it?'

With a shrug Quint relented and they indulged themselves in cinnamon buns as Pardigan made up a fresh pot of brew. The day was starting to warm up now and sounds of the port awakening could be heard.

'Sounds like the barge next door is getting underway,' said Pardigan absently, as he glanced over the remaining buns deciding if he could fit one more in.