“It seems like a long shot,” Parker doubted.
“Long shots can happen. Look at all you’ve been through and survived,” Kendel encouraged.
“You’re right about that,” Parker said, then paused. “How do you know what we’ve been through?”
“Here we are, just ahead,” Kendel replied, as he tried to switch topics. He had revealed too much about what he knew.
The pair looked around for anyone watching them but detected no observers as they ducked into the alleyway.
“How do you know what we’ve been through?” Parker repeated in an intense voice.
“Lumen told me,” Kendel thought quickly of a reply.
“Lumen again,” Parker muttered.
Kendel knelt and found his loose brick, then reached into the void and scooped out a handful of coins.
“Here, put these in your pockets,” he directed.
“Great Acton!” Parker exclaimed. “You really do have riches. I didn’t believe it.” He took the proffered coins and began to place them in his pockets, as Kendel dove in for more money.
“Will this be enough?” he asked as he handed the second fistful of money to the squire.
“More than enough, as long as this isn’t a trap. Now, let’s go gather up the princess and see about getting that coach you spoke about,” Parker replied.
Kendel grabbed a handful of coins for himself, stuck the brick back in place, and joined Parker as they walked past the gate in the palace wall and rejoined Agata.
“He was true to his word,” Parker said grudgingly. “I’ve got the money. We can really ride the coaches back to Lumen’s estate, or wherever you wish.”
“I know in my heart that we should return to see Prince Lumen, whether my father is there or not,” Agata replied.
“We must thank you for your kindness,” she told Kendel. “Yet I do not believe I even know you name. What agent shall I tell the Prince was able to deliver his message?” she asked.
Kendel knew that once again they were on the precipice of igniting a whole new round of accusations and mistrust if he revealed his true name.
“There he is!” Flora’s voice sounded from a spot not far away. “Kendel! Kendel, where have you been?”
Kendel instinctively glanced over his shoulder and saw Flora and Ingman approaching. They had exited the palace grounds from the very same palace gate that Agata and Parker has so recently used.
“Let’s start moving towards the inn so that we can get you on a coach,” Kendel was in a panic. He needed to avoid Flora and the revelations that she seemed about to break upon his pair of rescued escapees.
“Is that woman calling to you?” Agata asked.
“She’s calling you Kendel!” Parker’s eyes were wide. “It’s you! You’re the demon from the other world!”
Parker raised his staff suddenly and prepared to strike Kendel, who in desperation called upon the energies within him and released a small bolt of power that struck Parker and flung him backwards in a flash of green light.
Kendel received the punishing backlash from the power, and was pushed back against a brick wall behind him.
“What are you doing? Leave him alone!” Agata shouted and she jumped at Kendel, grabbing at his arm with both her hands. He took the momentum without planning to and spun himself and her around, so that her back was against the brick wall, and he was pressing against her.
“I’m not trying to hurt him! I want to help you both, really!” he spoke intensely as he faced the princess.
Flora and Ingman arrived.
“What was that flash of light? Are you using your powers again?” Ingman asked. “What are you doing to this lady?”
“Relax Ingman,” Flora said crisply. “Kendel has this under control, don’t you?” she asked.
“I almost did,” he replied.
“Is she the one who possessed me?” Agata asked.
Kendel looked over his shoulder. Parker was sitting on the paving stones, shaking his head.
“Go get his walking staff and bring it to me,” he told Flora with a nod of his head towards Parker.
“You’re a bit of a mystery,” Ingman said as Flora left. “I didn’t expect you to behave this way.”
“I am trying to help this woman get back to a place where she needs to be,” Kendel said through gritted teeth.
“Your highness,” he turned towards Agata. “We have never meant you any harm, and I only have your best interests in mind now. If you go back to Lumen, and if your father is truly healed, then I believe the three of you can lead the revolution to restore your father to the throne and bring peace back to Palatenland. That is vitally important,” he told her.
“Remember all that you’ve heard. The Dons are coming back, and when they return there will be chaos and fighting. Having a strong, united Palatenland could make all the difference in the battle against them,” he told her.
Their eyes were locked in an intense study of one another as he spoke.
“Here’s the staff,” Flora pressed the wooden instrument against Kendel’s sore shoulder.
He stepped back from Agata and took the staff.
“Is she the one who escaped from the palace? The one we heard about?” Ingman asked.
“Is this a trap or a rescue?” Agata asked in a steady voice, looking from Kendel to the other two.
“I am here to rescue you,” Kendel replied.
“Flora, take Ingman away from here. I need to take care of these two,” he turned to look at the actress by his side.
“Come my pet, let us go sound the alarm,” Ingman urged Flora, taking a step back from the dramatic tableau.
“I’m not your pet; I’m here with Kendel,” she said with sudden fierceness, turning to Ingman. “You go on back to your palace and plot with the rest of them.
“What do we need to do?” she turned back to Kendel.
“Guards!” Ingman backed away from the group, then shouted at the guards at the gate. “Guards, here are the escapees! Come take them!” he shouted loudly. “Be careful – he’s dangerous! He’s a sorcerer!”
Kendel raised the staff and pointed it at Ingman’s knees, then released a small bolt of power, knocking the man to the ground. There was no rebound of energy back to him, no pain. The staff had done its job.
“You take these two to the inn where we were staying, and put them on the first coach back toward Four Borders. Parker has the money they need; I gave it to him,” he directed. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the squire was rising to his feet. And he saw that the guards from the gate were advancing towards him, alerted by Ingman’s shout and the sight of the bright bolt of energy.
“I hope it’s safe to trust you; I’ll give it a chance. I have no other hope, do I?” Agata asked Kendel.
“You are going to be fine,” Kendel assured her. “Flora is going to help you get out of the city, while I keep these people busy in this spot. And remember, at the end of your journey, Lumen is waiting for you.”
“Where will I meet you?” Flora asked. “When all this is over?”
“Back at our inn,” Kendel said quickly. He aimed the staff at one of the approaching guards and released a bolt of energy, pleased to not have to worry about feeling any harmful feedback. He loosened a second shot as well, both weak shots that were only intended to injure without fatalities.
Flora gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then took Agata by the arm and led her toward Parker, who turned and limped away with them while Kendel remained in place, waving his staff threateningly.
“Take him! He’s a threat; he’s a foreigner,” Ingman shouted at the guards.
“What a hypocrite! You just got here yourself!” Kendel shouted back.
“But I belong! I’m entitled!” Ingman rebutted self-righteously.
And then a bowstring twanged and an arrow struck the distracted Kendel, who had paid attention to Ingman instead of the guards.
The arrow struck him in his wounded shoulder, making him sh
out, drop the wooden staff, and fall to his knees as he grabbed at the re-injured joint.
The guards began to rush toward him, ready to seize him, then go after the others in his group who were disappearing from sight down the street.
Kendel unsteadily lifted the staff with his good hand and began to shoot bolts of energy wildly, flailing about and letting a shaky stream of the green flashes of light fly in the direction of the approaching guards. Many shots missed their targets, but he kept firing as the guards drew closer, and struck the last of them as the man drew within ten feet of Kendel’s spot.
Kendel looked at the mesmerized Ingman, who still sat in his place, and Kendel angrily fired another shot of energy at the man, striking the paving stones near his feet and sending him up and running back to the safety of the unmanned gate.
Kendel dropped the staff and tentatively touched the arrow in his shoulder, then grabbed it, but immediately released it after feeling a shock of pain from the slight movement. He stared at the protruding shaft for a long moment, then gritted his teeth, picked up his staff once more, and stumbled back to the mouth of the alley.
The street was empty for the moment. The guards were unconscious on the pavement, and all others had fled to safety. The gate was unmanned. Kendel felt angry, and pointed his staff at the gate itself and released a strong and sustained bolt of energy that created a small detonation and then a roaring fire at the gate structure.
He felt satisfaction at seeing the palace gate burn. He knelt and grabbed another large handful of coins from the hole in the wall, then left the scene, walking slowly down the alley way, fleeing from the scene of the battle.
When he reached the intersection of the alley and the next street away from the palace he stopped, and slumped down to sit on the walk and rest while he considered what to do. The arrow in his shoulder was overwhelming in its painfulness, bumping against the bones in his arm with every movement. It was also highly visible, something that would attract attention from anyone he passed on the city streets.
He needed to remove it quickly, before he was seen, which meant he needed to pull it out himself.
Kendel felt tears starting to form in his eyes just from thinking about the pain he would suffer. He rubbed his left hand across his face, then closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply and rapidly. He didn’t know if it really helped, but he’d seen actors do the same on television shows, and it couldn’t make matters any worse, he told himself.
There wasn’t any pointing thinking, he thought, and then he grabbed the shaft of the arrow and yanked on it hard, releasing it and a pulse of blood, a scream of anguish, and a flood of tears.
He threw the arrow down on the pavement and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt to bunch it up and press it against the bloody wound. He sat and let the pain throb, then stabilize.
Kendel knew that he needed to find Flora quickly, and travel with her to a safe location where Ingman wouldn’t be able to find them, assuming Flora had not told the palace resident which inn she and Kendel were staying at, which would enable Ingman to track them.
He slowly pulled his cape over his head, then pressed a bulky portion of it against his shoulder to slow the flow of blood and to hide the large red stain that covered so much of his right side. He gingerly picked up the staff, then focused intently on walking, and began the journey back to the inn.
When he arrived, he felt exhausted, and he stopped at the desk.
“Has my friend returned?” he asked the clerk.
“She was here briefly with a pair of others, but they all left right away,” the clerk answered.
“Can you send a tub of hot water up to our room?” Kendel asked.
“There are still the public baths,” the clerk reminded him.
“I need a tub in our room this time, thank you. I’ll wait down here while you have it delivered,” Kendel didn’t want to explain or debate as he laid a pair of coins on the counter. He turned and went to a chair where he could sit and wait and watch for Flora’s potential return to the inn. The chair was in a shadowed nook by an empty fireplace, allowing him to avoid notice from those who entered and left the inn. Kendel sat quietly, letting his shoulder slowly throb with pain.
“Is the tub of water in my room?” Kendel asked the clerk several minutes later, and he slowly climbed the stairs when told that it was.
He slipped into the room and painfully disrobed, then sat down in the tub and repeatedly splashed water over the oozing wound in his shoulder, the wooden staff laying across the rim of the small tub where he could quickly use it if needed.
He was waiting for Flora, and he hoped she would help him treat his wound, and then would escape with him from Chacer and begin the next great adventure, the trip to finally see the wizard of Cru Jolais.
Even as he thought of Flora, feeling pleasure in the thought that at least her infatuation with Ingman would be at an end, he heard the handle of the door rattle. Kendel quickly grasped his staff and pointed it at the door. As the door opened, he gave a sigh of relief as Flora’s face appeared, but then his eyes grew wide with concern, fear, and anger as he saw Ingman directly behind her, holding her arm in his grasp with a knife pressed against her back, and shadows of others standing behind the pair of them in the hallway.
Kendel stood up quickly and pointed his staff at Flora.
“What’s happening?” he demanded to know.
“I kept them safe,” Flora said.
“And she won’t tell us where they are hiding,” Ingman spat out the words. “So, we thought we find out from you.
“It’s good to see that the guards did some damage to you at least,” he added with a sneer.
“Kendel, I’m sorry about this,” Flora apologized.
“We’re going to get an answer out of you now and here, or we’ll see some unfortunate things happen,” Ingman warned. “Tell me where the runaways are hiding so that the guards can go gather them up.”
“Flora, just nod yes or no,” Kendel said. “Just nod.
“Do you remember a kid’s game, blank, blank, goose?” he asked.
She looked at him with wide eyes and nodded yes.
“What is this nonsense?” Ingman demanded.
“When I say the blank word, will you do it?” Kendel asked.
Kendel saw a twinkle in Flora’s eyes. She understood.
“Now Flora, duck!” Kendel shouted.
She immediately did so, dropping down and forward, away from Ingman’s unprepared grip on her, leaving him wholly exposed for a moment to Kendel’s staff.
Kendel released a strong bolt of energy, one that struck Ingman in the middle of the chest and set him afire. He screamed and stumbled backwards, then dropped down to the floor as he tried to beat out the flames on his flesh.
Kendel saw two guards behind Ingman and he released two further bolts of power, not as strong, but enough to knock the men backwards and unconscious.
“Are there more out there?” Kendel asked.
“Just these,” Flora said. She stood up and stepped over to him, then flung her arms around his shoulders and pressed herself against his wet body. Kendel winced audibly from the pressure, making her release him.
“I’m so sorry,” she said again.
“Did they get away?” Kendel asked.
“They were on the coach and riding west towards Four Borders, last I saw,” Flora answered.
“Good. That’s done, now it’s the trip to see the wizard,” Kendel breathed.
“You’re going to wear pants for this trip, aren’t you?” Flora asked.
Kendel blushed at the realization of his state of undress.
“Let me help you get dressed; we probably need to hurry and get out of here,” Flora said. She held out a hand to help him out of the tub, then dressed him.
“Could you splash some water on him?” Kendel asked, nodding to where Ingman’s charred corpse smoldered.
“We better hurry; someone will notice this soon,” Flora mentioned as she threw ba
th water at Ingman.
The guards in the hallway were starting to stir as the pair of fugitives stepped over them and made their way down the stairs, and then wandered into the streets of the city, away from the inn and away from the palace.
“We need to treat your shoulder,” Flora said. “Let’s find a doctor or a nurse. And we need to get some clean clothes for you. Sit here,” she placed him on a bench. “I’ll be back,” she promised.
“Oh, can you give me some money?” she asked with a grin after taking three steps, then turning back to him.
Moments later she was on her way to find the services they needed, and within twenty minutes she was back with clean clothes and a healer recommended by the clothing shop owner.
By the time Kendel was treated with his arm in a sling, the sun was starting to set in the western sky.
“Shall we leave the city now?” Flora asked.
“I’d like to go back to the alley by the palace gate one more time to get more of the coins hidden there,” Kendel suggested.
“Back to the palace?” Flora questioned.
“Let’s wait until after dark,” Kendel said. “We can get the money, and we can buy supplies at the market in the morning, then be on our way.”
“You deserve a chance to sleep in a bed,” Flora agreed. “It’s been a rough day; I’m sorry I wasn’t any help today,” she sounded contrite.
Kendel bumped his good shoulder against hers as they walked. “You don’t need to apologize. We’re a team, and we’ll win this together.”
Flora wrapped her arm around his waist, and they walked across the city to find an inn where they could remain out of sight of the palace guards as much as possible. They went to the east side of the city and found a room in a non-descript inn, then walked back to the palace neighborhood as the sun set. Kendel used the alleyway to reach his stash of coins, and they took many more with them – enough to keep their travels supplied for quite a while, Kendel was sure.
“You’re going to have trouble sleeping with that shoulder,” Flora said when they returned to their inn and stashed their money inside their mattress. “Let’s go get a meal and a bottle of wine to help you sleep,” she suggested.
The Blinded Journey Page 29
