Page 7 of Charmed

Three

Stone Nightstalker dismounted his horse and cautiously got down on his knees, still gripping his crossbow, ready to use it at the spur of a moment. He was always aware of every noise and motion around him. It was his ability to be so observant that landed him the job of the king’s bounty hunter in the first place. He spotted something on the ground in the dark. Something that could possibly lead him right to the man he was tracking. His dog, Fang, sniffed the area around them, and trailed off in a different direction.

“Did you find something?” asked his good friend, Aithrod in a low voice. He dismounted his steed and wrapped the reins around a branch of a tree. Aithrod was a loner, same as Stone. Neither one of them had family left anymore on Taelgonoth. The past few years had been hard.

It was a dark night with only a crescent moon gracing the sky. Clouds passed over the scant light, leaving the normal man blind to his surroundings. Darkness never bothered Stone. He had the night sight of an animal, able to see in light or dark, it didn’t matter. He liked the skill. It was a true asset in his profession. His father before him used to have excellent eyesight as well.

“I did find something,” Stone answered, slowly removing one leather gauntlet and using two fingers to pick up a small stone. There were footprints in the soft dirt right beside it. Bringing the rock up to his face, he shifted it back and forth, blowing off the dust. Sure enough, a faint glimmer of green emerged from the stone.

“What is it?” Aithrod, with his eyes glancing back and forth, hurried over and hunkered down next to Stone. Aithrod was a good friend. Actually, Stone’s only friend. Stone and Aithrod had grown up together, their fathers being friends as well. Aithrod joined Stone a few years ago to do bounty hunting for King Helix Kapion of Taelgonoth after the deaths of their families from a plague.

Aithrod held a tall staff that was Stone’s. It was his weapon of choice. Stone was a fighter, not a murderer. He liked to bring back the fugitives alive, unarmed and unharmed. King Kapion saw to their punishments. Or their executions. Aithrod was there only as Stone’s helper but had learned from Stone many of his tracking ways. Plus, the man was the only person Stone really trusted.

The king, among others, had told Stone that he was the best bounty hunter, not only this side of the Marion Marshes or in the Brackens Forest, but in all the land of Taelgonoth. He was a nightstalker, as his family surname implied. That is, he hunted usually by night because that is what he preferred. It gave him an advantage since that is when most thieves and bandits came out. Stalking bandits, thieves, and even strange creatures at times, Stone’s work never ended.

Not here.

Not in a land filled with treachery and deceit.

Taelgonoth wasn’t always a filthy, backstabbing, demoralizing place to live. But since the recent plague, everyone and everything changed for the worse. People panicked. Riots and looting were a common thing, since everyone always seemed to want more.

The days when goodness outweighed the bad were gone. Stone’s late father had once helped the king by keeping order in Taelgonoth. His father, Stewart Nightstalker, as well as Stone and Stone’s late brothers had been a strong team when they worked together. With them working together to conquer the bad, Taelgonoth had been a fair and just place to live. But not anymore. There were so many murders and robberies as of late that there was no resting for Stone and Aithrod. Even the king had turned deceitful lately. Still, he was the only hope of bringing the land back to what it once was before all the troubling times.

Stone’s work pleased King Helix. So much so that he told Stone after this mission, Stone would be betrothed to his daughter, Annabelle. Since Stone no longer had a family and was twenty-eight and unmarried, he figured this would be a good move for him. He’d settle down and have children and teach them his trade. He barely knew the girl, but as soon as he returned successful from this mission, that would all change. He’d be married, and live at the castle with the nobles. The king might even possibly give him a permanent position at court. It would never replace the family he’d lost, of course, but it would give him somewhere to be settled and to call home.

“I found one of the king’s stolen gems as well as the footprints of our thief.” Stone glanced down to study the evidence of where the thief walked. “It looks like there are two of them. I don’t see hoofprints so they must be on foot. And I know these prints.”

“What do you mean?” asked Aithrod.

“I recognize the odd soles of the man’s shoes. It is Rancor Ruse we are tracking. I’m sure of it.”

Rancor was one of the biggest thieves in Taelgonoth. And also Stone’s biggest enemy.

“Rancor. It figures,” said Aithrod. “Well, at least they’re on foot so it will slow them down and enable us to catch them faster.”

This wouldn’t be the first time they hunted down this crook. Stone had managed twice before to bring Rancor back to the king. But somehow the man always seemed to escape before he could be imprisoned.

Stone glanced upward next, scoping out the horizon. “They are probably hiding with the gemstones in one of these caves.” He inspected the footprints more closely. He opened his pouch and dropped the gem into it, and then replaced his glove.

“Well, there are plenty of caves in Taelgonoth. Which one should we search first?” asked Aithrod.

Stone surveyed the footprints that led to the closest cave.

“Rancor is a weasel and a thief. He has stolen money from everyone through the years. However, this time he’s gone for royal jewels.” Stone secured the reins of his horse loosely to a tree. Then he started in the direction of the footprints. “He can’t really be planning on staying in Taelgonoth. He must plan to leave here. But, oddly, he’s not heading for the water and a boat.”

“How can you be sure he wants to leave?” asked Aithrod.

“He’d never be able to sell the jewels. Not when everyone knows they belong to the king. Plus, he knows I’ll find him sooner or later. Nay, he’s leaving. I’m sure of it.”

“But where would he go?” Aithrod was right behind him.

“Come, Fang,” Stone called his huge white hound. The animal looked more like a wolf than a dog. Fang came running over to him, skidding to a halt at Stone’s side.

“A mysterious hooded man has been seen lurking around town the past few days,” reported Aithrod. “The townsfolk fear for their children and their belongings. He goes from house to house, taking what he wants. What he needs. His face is always covered. He’s also said to have an accomplice.”

“Yes,” agreed Stone. “The second set of footprints. Have you heard if Rancor has killed or hurt anyone?”

“Not that I know of,” answered Stone’s friend.