SWNOVELS Chapter 14
Jara returned quickly to her young woman’s form and knelt beside Syntaba, who swiftly transformed into the old man moments before. The old sorcerer searched through the deep grass at the side of the road. Keeper Fie stooped to his knees beside both sorcerers. Spotting something suspicious, Syntaba peered intently at the grass. “Here they are, Jara. All over the grass.”
“I don’t see anything,” said Jara, “only trampled grass.”
“Me neither,” said Keeper Fie, his nose close to the ground as he searched in vain. “What is it you see, Syntaba?”
“Footprints from the soles of the shoes. They are purple. Krikkit has been here, all right, the princes were here, too. She used the magic of the shoes again as this is the only way the footprints would be visible to me. Using my advanced sight, I am the only one who can see them.”
They followed the path of the footprints and trampled grass to a road that was lined with trees on both sides.
“It’s the road to Sareltin,” said Jara.
“That is a long journey. I am quite sure they didn’t get all the way there,” answered Syntaba. “We will follow this road until the purple footprints end. That could only mean that Krikkit is using them again or they are possibly acting on their own.”
They set off, keeping a careful eye open for any other clues. After a short distance, the purple footprints veered off the path into the grass again.
“The footprints are farther apart which means they were running at this point, possibly being chased. She used the shoes from here,” stated Syntaba, pointing to the place the footprints disappeared. “The last set of footprints hold all the magical details of the next location.” Syntaba returned to the last footprint, rubbing it gently. A purple residue remained on his fingers.
“Do you know where they went?” asked Jara, marveling at the magic of the shoes.
“They ended up in a cave a few miles away. Nobleman’s cave,” Syntaba informed the others.
“I know the place,” said Keeper Fie.
Jara and Syntaba, resuming their animal forms, were off, Keeper Fie sitting securely on the ram’s broad back. Before too long they located the cave, and after carefully making sure no strangers were about, entered through the opening in the door.
“No one here,” sighed Jara, a disappointed frown on her face.
Syntaba, however was in total shock at what he observed. “My trunk!” he exclaimed, running toward it. “The lock has rusted off! Probably how the shoes got lost.” Promptly he opened the lid. “The flood must have carried it here.” He lost no time in searching through the contents, finding everything intact except for three things. “Missing,” he told the others, “are one pair of shoes, a large crystal orb, and a small piece of the tracing wrap.”
“And Krikkit, Ivan and Quinn,” added Jara.
“That’s an awful lot,” said Keeper, looking worried.
“Too much,” agreed Jara.
“Now things have changed. Now all three magical objects are separated from the trunk and its other contents, not just the shoes,” stated Syntaba.
“We will look around the cave and find where the footprints stop. They will tell me what I need to know about the next place Krikkit and the princes landed.
He found the footprints and again rubbed his hand over the last set. In surprise he proclaimed, “They are at the little house that you and Keeper Fie checked this morning! That is where we need to be!”
The three set off once more, making their way back to the house. On entering, they again found no one at all. However, a small cup rested on the wooden table.
“That cup was not there this morning,” said Keeper, running his fingers through his hair. “And the comb is now gone.”
“Or maybe it had not been dropped yet,” said Syntaba.
“What do you mean?” questioned Jara. “I saw it with my own eyes and we left it right there.”
“I mean that the shoes may have taken Krikkit and the princes to the time before they dropped the comb. They could have arrived when the king and queen were still here, before anyone discovered them.”
“I guess that makes sense,” said Keeper, looking confused. “That’s if the shoes can really do that.”
“They most certainly can do this, and more!” Syntaba swiftly clarified this fact.
“Let’s find those footprints then,” said Jara, eager to return to the search for the children and everything else on their missing list.
Kneeling again Syntaba located the last set of footprints easily enough and ran his fingers over them. Before he could discover where the shoes had taken Krikkit and the boys, they heard the sound of voices nearby.
“We must hide!” Syntaba told the others, urgently, leading them to a group of thick bushes along the side of the road. “We will be able to watch easily from here to find out who it is before we introduce ourselves,” he said with amusement.
A group of men soon approached, arguing among themselves. The hidden spectators listened intently.
“But they just disappeared, right in front of us!” said one.
“You are making up stories because you let them get away!” retorted a broadly built man who seemed to be in charge of the others.
“I swear I’m not! I saw them with my own eyes!” the man protested.
A slight rustling noise and a nasty laugh sounded behind the hiding sorcerers and Keeper. They spun around just in time to see another group of men creeping toward them.
Without a word, Syntaba grabbed hold of Jara and Keeper. Arms tightly about both of them, he commanded, “You will have to come with me! No time to waste! No need to be frightened!”
Neither one had time for fright as Syntaba forcibly pulled them closer. Feeling no resistance at all, Jara and Keeper melted right into Syntaba’s body. Everything around them disappeared and they knew no more.