THE HIDDEN KEY

The Riddle to the Lost Map

Gilford slowly made his way down the gloomy hallway. His hand trembled as his fingers wrapped around the grip and his knuckles turned white as he grasped it firmly. Who used to live here?

He paused halfway and glanced inside a small room. His eyes fell upon a dusty old scribe desk in the corner of the room beside a large empty bookcase that was covered with dusty old cobwebs. Did this house use to belong to a scribe...or did it use to belong to someone else?

Gilford went inside the dingy room and glanced around. As he went towards the bookcase, he froze...his heart bounded, and an icy chill travelled up his spine when the floorboards creaked behind him. His breath rasped as he slowly turned around...

There was nobody there...

Gilford sighed and slowly turned back around...there sitting in front of the desk, staring back at him was a silhouette of a shadowy figure. Where did that person come from? His hands trembled when he slowly raised his bow. "Who are you?"

The shadowy figure stared without saying a word.

"Identify yourself!" Gilford glared at the shadowy figure. His fingers notched the arrow as he drew the bowstring back until his bow was fully drawn.

"I used to live here." The figure turned away.

"Who are you?" Gilford aimed at the figure. His knuckles turned white from grasping the bow too tightly.

The figure turned to him and pulled his hood down. "My name is Fenald."

"How long have you lived here?" Gilford lowered his bow.

Fenald stared at him as he sat down. "Why have you come to my house?"

"I'm searching for a..." Gilford glanced away and peered through the window. "I'm on a quest for King Ottoman."

"What are you searching for?" Fenald arched his eyebrows as he lit the candle beside the empty inkwell on the desk.

Gilford turned to Fenald. "Do you have a map of the kingdom?"

Fenald nodded. "What is King Ottoman after?"

"Morgorth's Blade." Gilford stared at him as he slung his bow over his shoulder and glanced back towards the window, gazing up. The sky started to slowly turn black as the storm got nearer. "Can I rest here until the storm blows over?"

"How did you get here?" Fenald glanced towards the window.

"I rode here." Gilford gazed through the window.

"I'll take your horse to the barn." Fenald turned and left the room.

Gilford pulled his hood down and slowly gazed around the room. There pinned to the wall by some rusty old iron nails was a tatty old map of the kingdom. His feet dragged across the creaky floor as he went towards the map and gazed deeply at it while stroking his chin. Where is Darkfalls Forest?

He crossed his arms and glanced towards the door as Fenald came into the room. "How old is the map?"

"That is a map of the ancient kingdom." Fenald gazed at the map. "Most of the locations on the map don't exist anymore."

"What about Darkfalls Forest?" Gilford turned away and stared at the map. "Does it still exist?"

"Yes. Why?" Fenald arched his eyebrows.

Gilford crossed his arms. "There was a map in my father's study of the kingdom and Darkfalls wasn't on it."

Fenald turned away.