we find it, we can move to the real reason we left Torin.”
No one pressed Bren for more answers. He could tell that a few of them wanted to know what was on his mind, but they kept it to themselves, and for that Bren was grateful. “Does anyone know how to read this writing?” Bren asked, pulling everyone’s attention back to the map.
“It looks a little like our writing, but I don’t understand any of the characters,” Hayao said, running his fingers over the strange letters. “My father or one of the clan elders might know something more about it.”
“Why did the Brotherhood have a map written in your language?” Brenda asked, raising her eyebrows.
“I don’t think that it should be that surprising,” Hayao replied with a slightly raised voice. “The map itself is of Northern Kurt, so it would make sense that it was written in our language. If you do not mind, my lord, I will take it to my father and see what he thinks. There is still a possibility that it is too old to even be read.”
“I don’t think we have much choice in the matter,” Bren said with a deep sigh. “Right now it’s the only lead we have.”
As soon as Hayao left, Cass pulled Bren to the side. “How long do you think we will have to stay in this village?” Cass asked keeping his voice low.
“Until we know where we are going,” Bren replied. “Why?”
“Everyone here is polite, almost to the point of exhaustion, but ever since we arrived, I have felt eyes on us,” Cass said quietly. “They watch everything we do and even when I sleep, I still can feel their eyes on me. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. It is driving me out of my mind.”
“Is that all,” Bren said laughing. “You will just have to put up with it for now. We need their help, and right now, we are safe from the Brotherhood.”
“From what I heard, the Brotherhood shouldn’t be much trouble for you,” Cass replied slyly.
“If I knew they were coming or where they were, I don’t think they would be, but that doesn’t mean I could keep all of you safe at the same time,” Bren words drifted off as he spoke. “It is just too risky. Right now, we need to stay put until we know what to do next, and there is no better place than this village for that—at least, not for the time being.”
“I think I would rather be surrounded by a bunch of the Brotherhood soldiers than have to spend another day in this village,” Cass said irritability. “At least I know they just want to kill us.”
Before Bren had a chance to say anything else, Hayao returned followed by the older man that had greeted them when they first arrived. Thanks to his new abilities, Bren could tell that the man held no hostilities toward him nor any of the others, but he still couldn’t make himself like him. Every time he saw him, Bren still remembered the first meeting and how he had treated them. He knew that it was more half-truth and a show of disapproval to his son, but it had left a sour taste in Bren’s mouth.
“Where did you come across this?” the man asked, his voice deep and filled with concern.
“We relieved the Brotherhood of its ownership,” Cass replied casually.
The man’s face took on a look of concern. “The Brotherhood,” he said, looking at the rolled up map that he held in his hand. “That is most distressing news. I didn’t like the idea of you having possession of the map, but the Brotherhood having a copy is even worse.”
“Why is that?” Bren asked his interest piqued.
Hayao’s father unrolled the map and pointed at a small dot with words scribbled that sat in the middle of a village. “This is our village. As my son might have told you, its location is supposed to be a secret, and we have gone through great lengths in the past to keep it that way. It is not only our village that is on the map, however. There are many such villages like ours throughout Northern Kurt, and each one of them are present on the map along with many other places that are only supposed to be known to a select few. It is as if someone had taken the time to write down all the secrets of our