Dwarven Ruby

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Perhaps you are right,” Adan shook his head as he mounted his own horse, “but we will still do things my way.”

  Adan turned his horse and proceeded along a different trail that climbed up the side of the hill. Caroom followed as he held the reins to Tedi’s horse. After a few minutes of riding, they entered a large clearing that was filled with colorful wagons arranged in a circle. The gypsies all looked up as Adan and Caroom entered the campsite. Murmurs about the body on the horse competed with friendly greetings as Adan halted near one of the wagons. A woman with curly brown hair and a colorful long skirt swept out of the wagon and threw her arms around Adan as he dismounted.

  “You brought me a present,” quipped the woman.

  “Yes, Natia,” laughed Adan. “I brought myself home.”

  “I meant the sleeping one,” Natia playfully pouted.

  “I am afraid that Caroom might have tapped him a little too hard,” frowned Adan. “Run and get the healer, Natia. Then we can talk about what you have been doing while I was gone.”

  “I never get to do anything,” pouted Natia as she danced off to get the healer.

  Adan shook his head and laughed. The rest of the gypsies crowded around Adan as Caroom removed Tedi’s body from the horse and placed it on the ground. Everyone’s mouth opened at once as questions flew at Adan from all sides. Finally he raised his hands high over his head and the gypsies fell instantly silent.

  “You have many questions,” Adan said loud enough for all to hear. “All of them will be answered. I have been gone for a long time and have much to tell you, but we shall do this as we have always done this. Prepare a feast!”

  Shouts of approval ran through the crowd as the people scattered. Adan chuckled to himself as he watched them scurry about. He turned and walked over to where Natia and the healer were kneeling next to Tedi.

  “Will he live, Rax?” Adan asked the healer.

  “I believe so,” nodded the ancient woman. “He has a nasty swelling from the hit. No telling what that might do to a man’s brain, but he breathes well and appears to be rather fit. I will give him something for his pain when he awakens.”

  “Why did you bring him here?” asked Natia. “It is not wise for bastas to know about us.”

  “He intrigues me,” answered Adan as he pointed to the pile of Tedi’s belongings. “Look at him and what he carries. The man is a warrior. Or he is training to be. He is not Lanoirian. My bet is that he is Sordoan. He had many weapons and a fair amount of gold. His clothing looks as if it has been specially designed for long periods of stay in the forest. He was in a great hurry when we spotted him. That means that he is running from something or running to something. In short, this man has a story to tell. I want to hear it.”

  “He is still a basta,” frowned Natia. “To keep him here is only asking for trouble. If he is a warrior, then we must fear that he may bring harm to some of our people when he wakes up. We shall have to keep him chained.”

  “Then we shall keep him chained,” shrugged Adan. “I know the old ways regarding bastas, Natia. I also think it is time that the gypsies learned new ways. It has been fine for us to keep the gypsies separated from the bastas for generations, but times are changing. Our need to know about what is happening in the world around us is more important than ever. Everywhere I went on this trip, the bastas are preparing for war. There will be no safe hiding places for the gypsies.”

  “You are our leader, Adan,” smiled Natia. “You know that I will follow your lead wherever it takes us. All of us will.”

  “Most of you will,” frowned Adan as he glanced at Caroom. “Come. Let us prepare for the feast and leave Rax to her work.”

  Chapter 8

  Insanity

  “This is an unexpected visit,” greeted Oscar Dalek. “What trouble brings David Jaynes and Mitar Vidson to the home of Stafa Rakech?”

  “We have a security problem,” declared David Jaynes. “We had another squad arrive today for placement at one of the estates. Twelve men were processed and sent onward, but the group’s leader never returned.”

  “Who was the group leader?” asked Oscar.

  “Corporal Sydar,” answered David. “He is a well respected and loyal Red Sword.”

  “What do you think happened to him?” inquired Oscar.

  “I am certain that the Targa authorities have him,” frowned David. “Instead of Corporal Sydar coming to my office, three additional men came in asking for him. They are Targa soldiers who work for Colonel Salvo.”

  “This is certainly not good,” sighed Oscar. “If Colonel Salvo has Corporal Sydar, how soon will he break?”

  “One can never tell what a man’s resistance to torture is,” interjected Mitar. “The Red Swords are a hardy bunch, but every man has his limit.”

  “I agree with Mitar,” nodded David. “What I know of Sydar troubles me. He was fiercely loyal to the Queen. I could imagine him dying before he gave spit to Colonel Salvo, but the three men coming to my office indicates otherwise. It indicates that he is already talking.”

  “How much does he know?” inquired Oscar.

  “Very little about our operations in the city,” replied David. “He was only told to report to me and that he and his men would be sent to an estate. There was no mention of which estate would be his final destination.”

  “So the Grakus Mercenary Company is under suspicion now,” concluded Oscar. “That could have grave repercussions.”

  “If they suspect David,” added Mitar, “they will have to suspect me and the Koman Mercenary Company as well. Only a fool could not see the similarities of our operations.”

  “So we stand to lose both mercenary companies, and the Targa army will start checking on the estates,” summarized Oscar. “You are talking about the total loss of all of our work.”

  “You are forgetting that Corporal Sydar also knows the location of the Red Sword farm and the Queen,” added Mitar.

  “Blast it,” shouted Oscar uncharacteristically.

  The room fell silent until a knock on the door thundered loudly. David Jaynes rose and walked to the door. He opened it and took some papers from a mercenary in the hallway.

  “Do not leave,” David ordered the mercenary. “I may have further use of you.”

  David closed the door and sat down as he started reading the papers handed to him. As he finished each sheet, he handed it to Mitar who read it and handed it to Oscar.

  “Good record,” commented Mitar. “The only negative comment is a rebuke to be more observant. His loyalty does not appear to be in doubt. How did you get his record so quickly?”

  “First thing I did was to alert the General that the Queen might be in danger,” stated David. “I requested the file be delivered as soon as possible. It looks like somebody rode rather hard to please me.”

  “Is there anything that General Gregor can do to protect Queen Marta?” queried Oscar.

  “The Red Swords will fight to the last man,” declared Mitar. “Other than that, what can he do?”

  “I have ordered men to watch all of the city gates day and night,” interjected David. “If a large group of soldiers leaves this city, we will be going after them. The Targa army will find itself surrounded. Other than that, we only have to worry about a small number of men getting past the farm’s defenses to assassinate her.”

  “Would Corporal Sydar endanger our operation to save his sister?” asked Oscar. “This file says that he has one living in the city.”

  “He might,” nodded Mitar. “That would make more sense than him talking to save his own skin.”

  David Jaynes took the paper from Oscar’s hand and rushed to the door. He gave instructions to the waiting mercenary to check on the sister and report back.

  “We will know soon enough if that is the case,” David said. “That would ring true to my evaluation of Sydar. That might mean that we have two people in the dungeon. I took the liberty of instructing my man to bring the two boys here if the sister is not
home. I trust that is acceptable?”

  “Very acceptable. There is no way we can rescue anyone from the palace dungeon,” frowned Oscar. “Short of a complete takeover of the palace, that just isn’t going to happen.”

  “The rescue of General Gregor and Sergeant Trank earlier has caused them to tighten the security,” nodded Mitar. “I agree with Oscar’s assessment. Only a full attack would get us in there to rescue them.”

  Oscar rose without comment and left the room. He returned in a few minutes and sat down.

  “I just dispatched some fairies to the farm,” Oscar stated. “They will use their magic to create an illusion surrounding the entrance to the farm. It will be much harder for Salvo’s men to gain access to a farm, which they cannot find the entrance to.”

  “What do you think Colonel Salvo’s next move would be if he sees the Grakus Mercenary Company as a tool of the Queen?” asked David.

  “He would endeavor to shut it down,” mused Oscar. “He will know that he must be rather careful in doing so. If he is on to what we are doing, I must believe that he will try to estimate our strength before striking.”

  “And then he would strike suddenly and unexpectedly,” nodded Mitar. “Blood would flow through Tagaret streets. It is not a vision that I ever hope to see.”

  “It would be the civil war that we have been doing everything in our power to avoid,” concluded Oscar.

  “What if we assassinated Colonel Salvo?” suggested David. “Is there a chance that he is the only one who knows at this point?”

  “I am not sure if I would say the only one,” offered Oscar after a moment of thought, “but I doubt that he would inform Duke Everich until he was sure of his facts. There are many nobles and councilors who depend upon our mercenary companies for protection. There would be some rather high level protests if the mercenaries were suddenly taken away without good cause.”

  “Duke Everich could easily find himself with a revolution on his hands,” interjected Mitar. “I agree. Salvo will keep this close to himself until he has everything he needs to present a clear case.”

  “That does not mean that we can assassinate him, though,” frowned Oscar. “He lives in the Royal Palace. Killing him would be almost as hard as freeing Sydar.”

  “Can we push our plans ahead of schedule and bring Queen Marta in early?” questioned David Jaynes.

  “We are close to ready,” Oscar shook his head, “but we are not there yet. It would not help the heir if Queen Marta were to die before he was ready to assume the throne.”

  “What did you do with the three men that Salvo sent to you, David?” asked Mitar.

  “I have them locked up,” answered David. “I could not afford to let them go until we determine a plan of action.”

  “What would you do with Sydar if he was freed from the dungeon?” asked Oscar.

  “A good question,” pondered David. “We could not use in him in Tagaret until the city is safely in our hands. Still, I wouldn’t want to lose him.”

  “Even though he is giving information to the enemy?” quizzed Oscar.

  “Every man has his breaking point, Oscar,” sighed David. “So far we do not have much of an idea of what Sydar has told them. I would like to know that very much.”

  “Even if we had some way of getting him released,” Mitar pointed out, “Colonel Salvo would continue to watch him if he could. That means that we dare not send him back to the farm.”

  “Where are you heading with this, Oscar?” inquired David Jaynes. “Do you think that you could actually arrange his release?”

  “Not I,” smiled Oscar. “You might be able to though. Before I offer my crazy scheme, let’s figure out what we would do with him.”

  “I see only two options,” stated David. “We could kick him out of the Red Swords at a time when we need every fighter we can find. Or we can send him someplace unassociated with us until we take control of the city.”

  “Like Tice?” suggested Mitar Vidson.

  “Tice would work quite well, actually,” nodded David. “They can certainly use his expertise up there. Plus we can sneak him out of the city on a ship while they are watching the gates.”

  “And his sister and her family could go with him,” concluded Oscar. “My plan is not necessarily a good one, but I think if we act fast enough, we may be able to limit the amount of information that Colonel Salvo extracts from him. In any event, this plan has no downside to it. If it fails, we still have our original problem to deal with.”

  “Any plan that has no downside is a good one,” corrected Mitar. “What is the plan?”

  “Listen closely and tell me what you think,” smiled Oscar.

  * * *

  David Jaynes rode up to the gate of the mansion. “David Jaynes of the Grakus Mercenary Company to see Duke Everich. Please announce me.”

  “You come looking for work have you?” snickered one of the soldiers.

  “Your lack of professional attitude is one of the reasons that you were not considered for the Red Swords,” David shot back. “Try working on it. You never can tell when you might get another chance. You might find that my word carries a fair amount of weight in this city.”

  The soldier gave David a puzzled look, but the rest of the soldiers were laughing heartily. David rode a slight distance away from the gate while one of the soldiers ran towards the mansion. When he saw the soldier returning, he rode up to the gate again.

  “Sorry for my lip, Sir,” apologized the offending soldier. “It gets kind of boring standing out here all night.”

  “I understand,” offered David. “I found myself in many a boring task at times. The trick is to use those times to honestly analyze yourself. Try to discover your weaknesses and then develop a plan to make them your strengths.”

  “Duke Everich will see you, Sir,” announced the runner as he opened the gate.

  “Thank you for the advice, Sir,” offered the offending soldier as David rode through the gate.

  David heard the other soldiers laughing as he rode towards the mansion. He smiled when he heard the mouthy soldier shouting back at the hecklers. At the steps to the mansion, David dismounted and handed his reins to a waiting soldier. Two other soldiers escorted David into the office of Duke Everich. Duke Jiardin and Duke Everich were already in the room.

  “David Jaynes,” greeted Duke Everich. “This is most unusual. I trust this visit in not to try to sell me the services of your mercenaries?”

  “Certainly not,” smiled David. “You have the use of the entire Targa army. That makes you a candidate not worth pursuing. Greetings, Duke Jiardin.”

  “Is this a private matter?” Duke Everich asked as he stole a glance at Duke Jiardin.

  “Not at all,” replied David. “It is either a matter for the Council or a plea for advice from yourself. I truly am not sure which.”

  “Well then I will have Duke Jiardin stay,” smiled Duke Everich. “Please have a seat. What is the problem?”

  “I am concerned about potential troublemakers in the city,” opened David.

  “Of what concern are the protestors to the Grakus Mercenary Company?” asked Duke Everich.

  “They are of no concern at all,” responded David. “As long as they don’t attack our clients, I see that as a Council problem. That is not the type of troublemakers that I am talking about though. Let me explain.”

  “Please do,” frowned Duke Everich.

  “Three men came into my business today looking for work,” David began. “The strange thing is that when they came in they asked for Sydar.”

  “Why is that strange?” quizzed Duke Jiardin.

  “Sydar does not work for me,” replied David. “In fact, he would never work for me. The man is mentally unstable. He was thrown out of the Red Swords just before they disbanded. He had delusions that everyone was involved in one conspiracy or another. Strangely, this man actually believed them. You can see why he would not be fit to wear a uniform.”

  “I don’t
mean to be rude, David,” interrupted Duke Everich, “but your hiring problems are not a matter for the Council.”

  “I understand that,” retorted David, “but the security of Tagaret is. The three men were also previously Red Swords. They also had been tossed out. I told them that there was no place in Tagaret for them. I suggested that they try Cidal and they left.”

  “I had heard that you employ a number of Red Swords and Rangers,” interrupted Duke Everich. “Many in this city are concerned about that.”

  “We hire only the best,” smiled David Jaynes. “Of course we would use Rangers and Red Swords, but only those who truly deserved to wear the uniforms. As for people feeling uneasy about it, that is foolish. Right now Tagaret is getting the benefit of the world’s best warriors and it is costing the city nothing. They should recognize a bargain when they see one.”

  “If you say so,” sighed Duke Everich. “I still do not see where all of this is leading.”

  “If that was the whole of it, I would agree,” frowned David. “The fact is, several minutes later, three more Red Swords arrived asking for Sydar. They also were not of the caliber that we would hire, and I sent them to Cidal as well. This kept on happening all day. By then end of the day, fifteen men had come in and asked for Sydar. Twelve of them I recognized as men who were thrown out of the Red Swords. I sent those twelve to Cidal.”

  “What of the other three?” asked Duke Jiardin.

  “The last three have never served in the Red Swords,” answered David. “Still they asked for Sydar and I became very concerned.”

  “Concerned about what?” asked Duke Everich.

  “Concerned that this Sydar might be trying to gather a bunch of crazed lunatics,” replied David. “As I said, the man is unstable and sees conspiracies wherever he looks. If he is dredging the gutters of town to find misfits, then he is a danger to the city. Your people need to be made aware of his activities. You should find this Sydar and kick him out of the city.”

  “Why kick him out?” questioned Duke Jiardin. “We could just hang him.”