The knowledge that my mother and younger brother were dead too, hit me hard. My sacrifice for them had been in vain. They were all dead! Gone was the vague illusive dream of a reunion, with the remnants of my family one day.
"You didn't know about them all dying did you? I'm sorry for the loss my words have brought you!" He said softly.
"Continue with your story, how did you find me?" I said gruffly.
"Your grandfather never gave up searching for you. He heard word of a slave fighter in one of the southern cities that matched the description of the men of your family and he sent some agents to investigate. They identified that it was indeed you that they were searching for. Your grandfather tried to rescue you on several occasions, but the attempts failed. He was preparing another rescue attempt for you when he received word that you had escaped. He has been looking for you ever since. He found out, with a liberal application of money, the identity of one of your contacts and from him and few other sources of information we were able to piece together where a probable location to find you might be. I was sent by the ruling high council of the Valley Lands, with the blessing of your grandfather. We want you to come home and assume your rightful place among us. Will you come home?"
I studied him carefully my instinct telling me there was something more to this, "After I do something for your high council first I imagine." I said rhetorically.
He chuckled softly, "You have the same way of reading the unspoken as your grandfather does. Yes, the high council does have an item of extreme interest that they would like for you to acquire and bring back with you to the Valley Lands, but it is not a condition for your return. You are free to return anytime you wish Roric. The decision is entirely up to."
There was a silence that stretched out so long that the Valley Lander started to look apprehensive once again, as if fearing that I hadn't believed him. "What is it that the council wants brought back to them?" I asked.
The man gave a relieved sigh and said, "We have essentially been cut off from the rest of the world. In particular, we have lost contact with a valuable spy of ours, who lives in the city of Kharta. This is all hostile territory to us." He gestured around him, "I was surprised that I was able to get this far, without being stopped. The spy has gathered vital intelligence for us for years, but we have been unable to make contact with him for some time now. We believe him to still be alive and we're hoping that he has intelligence as to the time and strength of the assault that will be brought against us, as well as any weaknesses the enemy might have. We badly need that intelligence, if we are to protect the Valley Lands and keep them free. I would try to contact the spy myself, but I know nothing of the lands further south and it has been a miracle, as I have already said, that I have reached this far and been successful in finding you. All we need for you to do is to go to Kharta, locate our spy, and if possible gain whatever information you can from him and then come home." He finished, looking uncertainly at me.