Chapter 6 The Unexpected Arrival
It was midafternoon when Kort arrived. He received a warm welcome from the others. He had been the most traveled among them because of the men he hunted. His skill in tracking was almost legendary. The others knew of the reputation Kort had built for himself. He was respected in many circles and feared by the lawless.
Seeing Beret, Misara and Durem filled him with a sense of well-being. He regarded them now as his family after his father died a year ago. He began to see himself as an elder brother to them and because of this he knew he had to return.
He shook Durem’s hand consolingly. Kort felt his loss and could only look at him in silence. Words did not matter, he thought. The bond he felt for all of them was beyond words. He surveyed Misara and Beret and instantly felt the tension between the two. They had all known how Beret felt about Misara, but none of them made this apparent. They pretended not to know even after Beret’s heart was broken. Still, seeing them all was heartwarming. He wanted to just be in their presence and relive the memories.
“Tell us of your travels,” Misara said to Kort.
Kort was more than eager to share what he’d been doing the past years.
He began telling tales of the men he had captured and brought to justice.
“I do hope no bounty is ever placed on my head,” Durem joked at one point.
“Don’t worry,” Kort said. “If it ever came to that, I promise to give you a head start.”
Laughter filled the house. They took turns sharing stories throughout the afternoon. It was beginning to get dark when Kort noticed that someone had still not yet arrived.
“Where is our somber old friend?” Kort said. He was referring to Revik. Among their group, Revik spoke the least and hardly ever smiled. Perhaps the events in Revik’s life made him that way, Kort thought.
“Last I heard from him was when he was about to take the wizards’ test,” Durem replied.
They all fell silent for a moment. There were only two possible outcomes to that test. And one of them meant that Revik would not be arriving at all.
“He will be here,” Beret said confidently. “Knowing Revik, nothing ever gets in his way.”
Evening was setting in. Durem began to light candles all over the house. His mother had already gone to her chambers to rest, when they suddenly heard the floor boards creak outside the door. An intruder, Kort thought. He looked at the others and they all seemed to know what he was thinking.
Instinctively, Kort drew his short sword and stood behind the door. He motioned silently to Beret. Beret drew his own sword as he prepared to open the door. The others stood back. Beret opened the door abruptly hoping to catch the intruder by surprise. It was a hooded man in purple robes.
“It is only I,” the man said. Kort recognized the voice.
“Is that you, Revik?” Durem asked.
The robed man entered and removed the hood that shadowed his face. Revik looked at each of them as he made an expression that almost seemed like a smile.
“You haven’t changed at all,” Kort said delighted that everyone was finally here. All of them could now rest easy as they sat down once more to listen to his tales.