Keldor didn’t know how long they would have to wait. He hoped no other Rangers happened to be in the area. If he caught the wrong Ranger, he would have to kill him or her. It would not be a problem, but it would be annoying. Rangers could be very hard to kill.
If everything went well, the right Ranger would get the message within a half-hour, but depending on her mode of transportation, it could be anywhere from ten minutes to an hour or more before she could reach them. Keldor doubted she had made enough contacts to access a hov. The nobility guarded those things better than gold. It wouldn’t surprise him, however, if she showed up on a horse. He fervently hoped she would come alone.
Chapter 34:
Springing a Trap
ALLEI (AUGUST) 15, 1538
Fifteen days after Prince Terosh’s Kireshana journey
Edix Home, South Quarter, City of Rammon
On the night of Allei 15, Tyler McDooley roused Reia from her temporary sleeping quarters with the Edix family.
“Ranger! Ranger! I saw it! Purple fire! Someone’s in trouble! Hurry!” Tyler woke the whole house and half the block before Reia could assure him she was awake and get the details on where to find the fire.
Terosh! Or someone in trouble. In either case, I must go.
She thanked the Edix family, donned her clean cloak, grabbed her well-worn caydronan sack, and hurried toward Rammon’s South Gate, Aslinai. She couldn’t help comparing her mission to Aslinai’s urgent errand to warn the people of Meritab and Meritel that Terabian Firethrowers were attacking Rammon.
As she reached the gate, Reia slid to a halt before a pair of Royal Guards.
“Ho! Slow down now. What’s the hurry, Ranger?” the older guard asked.
“I’m needed outside,” Reia said, trying not to tell him too much.
“For what?” The older guard wouldn’t let the matter drop.
“Someone spotted a purple fire out on the plains,” Reia explained. “They could be in trouble. I must see if I can help.”
The elder guard studied her, taking in her agitated state.
“Please! Let me pass.”
“All right, but take a horse and an escort.”
Reia wanted to refuse the escort but didn’t wish to stand there arguing. If Terosh set the fire, she would have some serious explaining to do, but someone in trouble set it, the soldier might prove useful.
Her thoughts roiled so furiously that the kilometers sped past with Reia having no notion of the passage of time. Heavy clouds blocked the moons, making the fire glow brighter. Reia and the guard rode the horses hard until they came within forty meters of the purple fire. The guard halted suddenly.
Reia clung tightly to the horse’s neck to keep from being thrown.
I don’t even know his name.
Calan, the anotechs answered.
“Ho! Stand and state your business!” Calan shouted.
A storm of blue beams erupted around them. Reia dove off the horse’s left side and tucked into a roll. She came to her knees in time to see Calan draw his kerlak pistol. He fired three times before Reia could stop him. The flashes from his pistol told the enemy where to concentrate their fire. Two stun beams caught the guard in the chest. Reia’s horse bolted when a stun beam caught it in the flank.
Grabbing the reins of Calan’s rearing horse, Reia had the anotechs calm the animal and make it kneel. Knowing the effect wouldn’t last, Reia slung Calan’s limp form onto the horse and secure him with more anotechs. Then, she commanded the horse to rise, turned him around, and smacked his flank, encouraging the beast to flee toward the city. The effort made her lightheaded, but she ignored the discomfort.
Alone, Reia spared a thought for how much she disliked fighting. She reached for her banistick before remembering Terosh still had it.
A Ranger is never without weapons.
Reia ducked to avoid more blue beams. The color comforted her, for it meant the attackers wanted her alive.
Cold comfort. Are they after me or is this a random attack?
Having no answer, Reia drew her shootav and checked to see how many cormea and radon pellets remained. She had spent some in the fight with the overgrown korvers and had been too busy gathering healing supplies to restock. At best, she had three shots.
The stun beams stopped as suddenly as they had started. Instinct told Reia to leave before it began again in earnest. She was about to do just that when she remembered Master Niklos’s words.
Claiming to be a Ranger is easy but living as one is far different.
“All right, Master Niklos, I’ll see what’s going on,” Reia whispered. She crept forward and scouted ahead with anotechs. It took a lot of concentration.
The anotechs gave a short report: four hostiles, one prisoner. The captive is bound and sitting on the close side of the fire between two hostiles. Two more hostiles are hiding in the grass three meters away on the far side of the fire.
Trap.
“Come on out, Ranger,” called a man. He pointed an SS pistol at the hostage.
Do you know or are you guessing?
She waited, caught between curiosity and fear.
“Speak, Archer. She’s out there.”
Who are you?
Ariman Keldor, the anotechs answered.
Reia stifled a gasp. She knew that name. Whenever she remembered Kiata’s level-seven trial, the name haunted her. Once again, she touched the spot on her waist where her banistick should have been.
Of all the lousy times—
And so shall love lead me to my death, intoned the anotechs, affecting a woman’s desperate voice.
You’re not helping!
Reia didn’t have enough shots to engage every attacker at once. With her banistick she might have evened the odds by stunning three then defended the hostage while handling the last threat.
Another man spoke.
“I don’t care what your business is with—”
“You’re wasting time your wife doesn’t have,” Keldor said.
Wife? How many hostages do they have? Where is she?
“She said—”
“She’s hardly in a position to protest,” Keldor reminded. “And neither are you. That baby’s coming right now so stop stalling.”
Baby?
A pain-filled cry almost made Reia rise from her hiding spot. The jerky motion rustled the grass around her enough to bring the leader’s pistol and the second man’s gun swinging her way. Two stun beams sailed centimeters over her head.
I wish Kiata were here!
Her sister always knew what to do in bad situations. She found herself in them often enough.
“Ranger, I know you’re out there. This man’s wife is about to have a baby. His name is Archer. Derk Archer. His life, Airiel’s life, and the child’s life rest in your hands.” Keldor paused to let his words sink sharp teeth into Reia’s conscience.
How do you figure that?
Reia removed her cloak, took off her caydronan sack, cautiously regained her feet, and slipped forward, crouching to stay below the tall grass. She briefly considered using the anotechs to imitate a squad of soldiers, but she couldn’t concentrate enough to attempt such a sophisticated illusion, even if she could summon the billions of anotechs needed. She could also startle the attackers with noise, but if they panicked, the hostage’s life would be forfeit.
As her legs carried her closer to the fire, Reia argued with the anotechs.
Stupid, stupid Ranger.
What can I do? Reia’s heart pounded and her body tensed.
Not be trapped. Evil men always lie.
Not this one.
Reia had analyzed Ariman Keldor’s voice and features. His attention was focused on the hostage, so the flashes of raw emotion crossing his face rang true. The fire sputtered, sometimes purple, sometimes brilliant yellow. The flames and soft moonlight showed her that Keldor’s tough countenance held dignity, strength, and even honor.
I can’t let them harm the man or his family!
That’s cheering. Besides, you don’t know for sure.
“The baby started coming before we left a few hours ago. Airiel looked ill. She may die without care,” Keldor called, interrupting Reia’s debate with the anotechs. “My name is Ariman Keldor. I’ve got no quarrel with this family, but I need to speak with you. Surrender and no harm will come to them.”
What quarrel do you have with me?
Reia tried to fit this new attack with anything experienced during the Kireshana. Coming up with nothing, she used the anotechs to throw her voice several meters left.
“So speak.”
Both men’s guns shifted to where she had thrown her voice. Another man stepped out of his hiding spot and joined the others in the small clearing by the fire. His gun also pointed where Reia’s voice had sounded. Four more stun beams ripped through the grass.
“That’s not talking.” Reia threw her voice even further left.
“Show yourself,” Keldor commanded.
“I would but you seem to have twitchy trigger fingers.”
“Please, Ranger, you’ve got to help my wife! She’s about to have the baby!” Derk Archer pleaded. His panic-stricken tone sounded genuine.
“You have my word no harm will come to you,” Keldor promised. “Do the honorable thing and surrender yourself in exchange for this man and his family.” He spoke like a man selling tretlings.
“A man who holds a family hostage has no honor! Your word means nothing.” Reia’s words were harsh, but she knew they contained a tremor he would exploit. She found herself in the clearing and knew they would see her in seconds. Relying heavily on the anotechs, she steadied her nerves. Her body itched to sprint away.
Keldor raised his pistol to the hostage’s head.
“Wait!” Knowing she would have to speak fast, Reia stood up. Every man, save the trussed up one, looked ready to tackle her. “I’ve studied you, Keldor. There is honor in you.” She held her shootav away from her body in a non-threatening manner. Her eyes locked with Keldor’s and held.
Something slammed into her from behind, driving her forward. Resolve to surrender vanished. Reia cried out, dropped the shootav, and thrashed wildly. She nearly broke free, but strong arms snaked under both her arms and tried to interlock fingers around behind her neck. Before the fingers could connect, Reia smashed her head back into the man’s jaw, hurting her head.
The man screamed and loosened his grip.
Another man came at them from the right. Reia gripped the arms of the man who had grabbed her from behind, swung her body up, and planted both feet on the approaching man’s chest. The three of them crashed to the ground. Reia recovered her feet in time to see the tail end of a serlak gun arc toward her. She jerked her head left, but the blow glanced off her skull with an explosion of pain.
“No!” Keldor shouted.
The crack of a serlak gun preceded a scream.
Stunned, Reia stumbled back into the man who had first grabbed her. This time, he succeeded in thrusting both arms under hers and interlocking his fingers behind her neck. Before she knew it, the man brought them both to their knees with crushing force. Reia expected her neck to snap in half. Her breath whooshed out and refused to return. She couldn’t even scream. Her arms felt like they had been ripped from their sockets and left detached. Her head and neck felt like a zalok had just stepped on them, and most of her muscles protested the abuse.
The man yanked her upright and released her arms long enough to twist them up behind her back. Pain shot down her arms and her legs refused to hold her, so she hung by her arms. The new jolts made Reia raise her head, but she clamped down on a groan.
After a long moment, the man eased her to the ground, keeping a firm grip on her arms. He pinned her arms in place with one massive hand and reached for the shootav she had dropped. After tossing the weapon to his boss, the man renewed the pressure on Reia’s arms.
What do they want?
She tried to process the situation but couldn’t think straight.
Keldor caught the shootav and slipped it into his belt.
A whimper drew Reia’s eyes toward the ground to her right. The boy she had kicked in the chest clutched his left leg, which had a neat hole leaking blood onto the ground. The sight touched her. Despite intense head pain, she sympathized with the man Keldor had shot.
He really does want me alive.
Reia couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. She liked being alive, but the lengths Keldor and his men had gone to here didn’t bode well.
Keldor holstered his serlak pistol and returned the SS pistol to the young man’s head.
“It’s over. You can’t win this fight, and if you try, I’ll kill him.”
Like I’m going to fight now anyway.
She winced but nodded, willing the anotechs to put her head to rights.
“Agreed, but let me fix the hole in him before we go anywhere.” Reia traced a line with her eyes to the wounded man.
Keldor hesitated but gave his consent.
Reia sent one of the men to fetch her caydronan sack and cloak from the nearby field. When he returned, she dug out a corlia leaf and ate the bitter thing. Then, she fed the wounded boy a few corlia leaves.
“Hold him down,” she instructed, aware that they watched her every move. Slowly taking her dagger out of its ankle sheath, Reia cut off a strip of her shirt, folded it several times, and placed it in the wounded man’s mouth as a makeshift gag.
The big man who had almost broken her neck leaned across the boy’s shoulders, keeping him still while Reia worked.
Silently directing the anotechs, Reia deadened as many of the nerves as she could while probing for the bullet. She couldn’t get them all however, so the young man—Adrik by name according to the anotechs—gave the gag a good workout.
It took Reia fifteen minutes to find and remove the bullet. After that, it was a simple matter of tearing toom leaves into strips and fixing them in place with dandi sap. She sighed as she wiped her hands on a rag one of the men handed her.
Let the real games begin.
AS HE WAITED FOR THE Ranger to patch Adrik, Ariman Keldor watched the purple flames struggle for life. He considered putting the fire out, but then, a new thought struck him.
What if the prince hears of the purple flame? That could save us some time. If we can capture him tonight, we can deliver him to Meetcher for the Alliance pitch then let him go.
As his thoughts churned over what the Alliance and the Lady had planned for the Ranger, Keldor forced himself to focus on the issue at hand: the possibility of the prince showing up. He kept silent, knowing he ought to consider plan changes very carefully before implementing them.
“Herik, stay here with Adrik and Master Archer in case the prince comes to check on his lady friend.”
The Ranger’s expression cycled fear, anger, disgust, and despair. She closed her eyes as if to pray.
“I’ll stay,” Alden offered.
Keldor began to shake his head, but then reconsidered.
“Very well. I’ll send Einer along when I get the Ranger to Archer’s place.”
“Thank you,” whispered Derk Archer hoarsely.
“You sure you don’t need help with her?” Herik inquired.
“I’m sure, but put her in stuncuffs anyway,” Keldor said.
Herik nodded and retrieved stuncuffs from the pack he had left behind the fire. The Ranger looked ready to flee or put up another fight, so Keldor drew his SS again and pointed it at Archer. She got the message and submitted to having her arms bound behind her back. Her forearms practically disappeared beneath the thick metal bands.
Keldor’s hands tingled from the faint shocks caused by pulling the Ranger to her feet. A shove sent her moving in the correct direction.
ALLEI (AUGUST) 15, 1538
Same Day
Prince Terosh’s Private Quarters, Royal Palace, City of Rammon
The thud
of a door smacking a wall heralded somebody’s entry into Terosh’s private quarters. He whirled and raised Reia’s banistick into a defensive position. Seeing his brother, he lowered the weapon, retracted it to its compact form, and tucked it into his belt.
“What brings you here at this hour?” he asked.
“Purple fire,” Tate said.
“Where?” Terosh’s heart lurched.
Reia would think he was trying to contact her. A steady tide of questions flowed through him.
Is it a trap? Who knew of the arrangement? Tate knew but who else? How can I get there?
“Grab a weapon and come with me.” Tate spun away and moved toward the exit.
Terosh raced to the weapons rack and grabbed a belt with a kerlinblade and a kerlak pistol. He still had Reia’s banistick attached to his current belt. He would sort the weapons later. He could guess where Tate would lead him, but he didn’t want to get too far behind. The palace’s deeper levels could be tricky to navigate.
“Where are we going?” Terosh asked, catching up with Tate.
“Since that fire isn’t yours, it’s probably a trap.” Tate’s rapid words rivaled his walking pace.
“Could it be a cry for help?”
“It could, but I doubt it,” Tate responded. “Call it whatever you want, but something doesn’t feel right. There hasn’t been a purple fire on the Kevil Plains this close to Rammon in over a year.”
“Should I take some Royal Guards?”
Tate shook his head.
“There’s no time. Father would keep you an hour trying to explain why you need them. I’ve sent the messenger who brought the news to fetch a horse. He should be waiting for you. Don’t worry. The anotechs will secure the location when you’re gone. The boy has agreed to the arrangements.”
“My hov would be faster,” Terosh noted. He hadn’t even thought to worry about the security of the South Passage.
“Not with the amount of paperwork you’d need to get it released from the lot,” Tate replied. “Father tightened security when rumors of an RT Alliance plot against us picked up momentum.”
Terosh conceded the point, grateful Tate had a clear head.
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