Four hours? Aiden quailed and felt time begin pressing in on him. There was no way he could make a gate within four hours. He might be able to bring some Naiadens across the same way he’d brought Gavin and Markam, but he wasn’t sure how many people he could accommodate. Naiadens were fierce, incredibly strong warriors but could they even defeat something larger than the walls of the fort? He knew he’d just have to try.
“I can bring some Naiadens across, Gavin,” Aiden said, his teeth clenched in determination. “I don’t know how many, but the sooner I get started the better. It's night time there, and I don’t know how much work I’m going to have to do to get them moving.
“We need to coordinate with someone here, Aiden,” Gavin said. “We don’t need the Naiadens to be attacked by some overly-excitable Caitrel troops. I don’t think it would go very well for them.”
“I can take you to someone I know that will listen.” Stitch offered. “Honestly, if you can get some Naiadens here, he’ll probably kiss your sweet toes.
“I thought you said no one listened to you anymore?” Markam said, eying the mercenary.
“Don’t get smart, kid,” Stitch said, giving the bodyguard an irritated look. “I said most wouldn’t. But for this, I know someone that can at least make sure none of our troops commit suicide against a bunch of Naiadens. He was…volunteered by the brass to hold the rearguard. Considering what’s coming, he’ll listen to anyone that might offer him a chance.”
“What did he do to deserve that?” Gavin asked, raising one of his eyebrows.
Stitch snorted and then sneered, directing his gaze towards the lines of retreating troops. “For our sins and that of our company commander, we were ordered to cover the retreat of the rest of the troops. In other words, he told them they were idiots for leaving the walls. Always be careful of speaking truth to power.”
“Okay, we’ll do what we can to help. Lead the way,” Aiden said. He hoped this officer didn’t ask too many questions. The longer they delayed in getting the Naiadens here to reinforce the Caitrel and Banum troops, the more danger they would be in of losing the fort.
***
Stitch led them through the camp and toward the gate leading out onto the battlefield. Aiden felt the back of his neck itch knowing that there were still floaters in this section of the camp, but now he couldn’t see them, so his imagination was working overtime. Every once in a while, he imagined feeling a tingle, but Glowby didn’t seem to be reacting. Aiden sighed, trying unsuccessfully to force the idea from his mind.
As they walked, Aiden could see that the troops were still in the same shape they had been in when he had been here the first time. To say most of the troops looked cadaverous would be an understatement, but looking into their eyes was the worst part. They were without hope, and it crushed his soul to see men and women like this.
Despite their exhaustion, the soldiers still managed to notice the strangers in their midst. The armor that Aiden and his friends were wearing was completely different than Caitrel or Banum, and it drew attention. The looks did not turn into action since most of the soldiers they were passing were marching to the rear and none of them wanted to delay their escape. Even the occasional officer was too intimidated by Stitch’s iron-hard face, and it wasn’t long before the walls of the fort came into view.
The officer he finally led them to was perched on the walkways of the walls themselves. The planks were rough, half-patched together affairs that didn’t look at all safe to Aiden, but there were enough men walking on them that if they were unsafe, Aiden figured they would have collapsed long ago.
Stitch didn’t even pause as he mounted one of the rickety, roughhewn ramps and made his way towards a squat, fireplug of a man with fading blond hair, ruddy cheeks and what looked like officers tabs. Despite his obvious suffering from the floaters tender ministrations, his voice was deep and carried easily to his men who were doing their best to remain alerted despite crippling fatigue.
“Jackob,” Stitch said without preamble, catching the officer’s attention. “I’ve got something you are going to want to hear.”
The man let his eyes drift behind stitch, taking in Aiden and his friends for a long moment. “Are these couriers of some sort?” Jackob asked slowly, clearly thinking they were anything but couriers before quirking an eyebrow at his friend.
Stitch didn’t answer right away, just staring at the officer as he pondered what to say. “Okay. I’m not even going to try to explain what this is because I don’t understand it all myself. You won’t believe me but you know me, and I need you to listen. These kids need your help. They’re going to be bringing in a bunch of Naiadens to help bolster our lines. I’m talking about in the next few hours, Jackob.”
“Stitch,” the stout captain growled while his eyebrows thundered dangerously. “By the Seven, this is a hell of a time to be getting a sense of humor. I don’t have time for this garbage.”
Stitch just held up his right stump. The black dagger that Aiden had given him months ago after they’d both escaped from the pirate ship glinting in the mid-morning light. “Jackob,” Stitch rasped, staring the man down. “You know I don’t have a sense of humor so shut it. This is the kid that made the dagger.” He leaned in a bit more, emphasizing his words. “This dagger. The special one.”
Jackob went quiet at that, the information crawling around in his head as he looked back and forth between Aiden and the dagger. “He’s the one that made the dagger?”
Stitch just nodded slowly, lowering his arm. “I need you to keep your boys and girls in check. Let them know that reinforcements are coming in here, right at the gate. We don’t need some idiot putting a bolt into one of the Naiadens when they first show up. Most of these troops haven’t seen one of their soldiers before, and it’s startling if nothing else. Can you do that?”
The stout man nodded, frowning as he looked around. “Yeah…uh, do you need someplace special to put them? Are they coming in by skimmer?” He gestured behind him at the many abandoned campsites. “There are plenty of places for one to land.
Stitch looked back at Aiden, clearly not knowing the answer.
“Just that clear space is fine,” Aiden said, pointing to a likely area not too close to the gate. It was the same one he’d run through when he escaped the floaters last time he was here. “I will be bringing them in by… uh.” Aiden trailed off, not certain how to describe it but Gavin jumped in.
“Wizardry and magic,” Gavin said, grinning. “He’s going to teleport them in.”
Stitch and Jackob both looked at Gavin for a moment before staring at Aiden. Finally, the Captain broke the silence. “I…really don’t care how they get here. In truth, I’ve seen a Naiaden and Stitch has told me other stories. They’re fighting demons, and if they can save some of my men’s lives, I’d cut my own throat if it would help.”
“Okay, Captain,” Aiden said, reaching into his pouch and pulling out one of his communicators. He quickly demonstrated it to both men before handing it over to Captain Jackob who held it like it was a viper about to strike him. “I’ll contact you just before bringing the first group across, so there are no surprises. I’m not sure how long it will take, but not more than an hour?”
“I hope you’re for real, kid,” Stitch said, walking with them down to the campsite that Aiden had chosen. We’ll be waiting.”
Aiden nodded before he sat down with Gavin and Markam on either side. Closing his eyes and stretching his consciousness out toward the barrier. It didn’t take more than a few minutes for him to feel the gentle transition. He’d made sure to move them back to his bedroom at Reid, instead of appearing in the camp so there would be no chance of interacting with the floaters.
Chapter 22
Aiden had no clue what time it was, but of course, it was back to being night rather than early in the morning. He didn’t understand why that was and made a mental note to talk to Professor Reivus about it when he could. He was sure the old glimmer man would know what was happ
ening with that. However, when they walked out of his room, Aiden was surprised that there appeared to be people awake and talking in the main living room of the building they were staying. He could hear the calm voice of Carol speaking to someone which became clearer as he moved down the hallway towards the voices.
“No, we need to do everything to find them. I can’t believe that fool idiot did this to try to force our hand. Especially when we were working towards the very goal he was pushing us toward. What are your people doing to search?
“What we can, though it is limited with most of the skimmers out at the coast.” Ahnarad’s voice floated down the hallway. “I’ve managed to get the word out to the Stormdancer. Since they are on the point at the mouth of Westrun Bay, they can coordinate with what ships we have in the area. I’ve sent two other skimmers to sweep the bay, but it’s a huge area with a lot of traffic. Still, I want to find the Ambassador’s ship before Aiden gets back. This is the last thing he needs to be worrying about.”
Aiden exchanged a look with Gavin before hurrying down the hallway, walking out into the main room to see Carol, Ahnarad, and Romald sitting on the leather couches. When they turned and saw him come out, Ahnarad cursed to herself, clearly realizing that her previous plan was no longer an option.
“What happened to my mother?” Aiden asked quickly, looking at the three. Glowby floated out a little ahead of him and glowed a deep red, clearly also upset at the situation.
Carol gave Ahnarad a look, and the blonde Duchess sighed, nodding before gesturing toward some of the open chairs. “Sit. We’ve had some bad news, Aiden. I don’t know how much you’ve overheard, but we’re still trying to find out what exactly has happened.”
“Okay, but what happened? Did you say someone took her?” Aiden said quickly, his voice rising a little with the stress of the situation. “What about Jessop and Crean?”
“Jessop and Crean are safe. They are not happy, especially Jessop, but I’ve left them back at the castle with their nanny and plenty of guards, and for the moment they are doing fine. I’m afraid that Dame Tenadine went to a meeting with Ambassador Carsh. We think he took her, but we didn’t suspect anything until she failed to come back to the castle and the Ambassador’s ship was no longer in the harbor. Also, a messenger delivered this.” Ahnarad said, holding out an envelope toward Aiden.
Aiden took the proffered item and removed the folded paper, reading through the message several times. Gavin had come up behind Aiden and was reading over his shoulder.
Lord Aiden Wilthorn,
I’m afraid you’ve left me no choice but to take your mother hostage. I do not know why Duke Terek and the others are keeping you from helping my country, but now I’m afraid you will have to disobey your handlers. Help my people, or you’ll never see your mother again.
Ambassador Carsh.
Aiden could feel his anger surge and the paper crumpled in his hand. When he finally raised his eyes, everyone was looking at him with schooled expressions, clearly waiting to see how he would react.
To his surprise, it was not his voice that he heard raised in anger first. Gavin stepped around him, pacing in front of the small table near the couches. “This cannot stand, Mother. We just risked our lives scouting out a gate for Caitrel. Those floaters that Aiden told us about were feeding out of people’s heads with their tentacles. Can you imagine? That’s what we just got finished walking through, and we come back to find that blowhard kidnapped Aiden’s mother because he didn’t believe we were doing anything?!”
Aiden could feel his face flushing with anger as he thought about his frail mother in the hands of someone like the Ambassador. All he remembered of the man was how loud he was and demeaning towards the Duchess. What might he be doing to his mother? Mentally she was tough as nails, but her body was old, and a rough ocean voyage couldn’t be easy on her.
The Duchess leaned back, giving Carol a look before turning back at Gavin. “You know that I would love nothing less than to string Ambassador Carsh over some hot coals, and after this, I may just very well give in to those urges, but we can’t ignore what is happening in Caitrel because of it.”
“No!” Aiden heard himself yell, cutting off anything else that Gavin might have been about to say. “No, I…I need to go find my mother. This isn’t right! I was almost killed when I went there before, and they repay me by kidnapping my mother? What is wrong with them? I can’t let them hurt her.”
With that, he stormed out of the building and into the night, followed closely by Glowby. He thought he heard Ahnarad’s or maybe Carol’s voice calling after him but no one followed. This was a nightmare! How could they let his mother be kidnapped?
Aiden gritted his teeth and clenched his fists together, hitting himself in the thigh as he walked. Maybe he could make another skimmer before they found him and tried to bring him back. He wasn’t sure what Carol would do, but the Naiadens took duty very seriously, and they wanted to save Caitrel. He was the only one that could get them there in time. Would they try forcing him? He didn’t think so, but up until now, he’d been so compliant, and he didn’t know what they might do if he stopped being agreeable.
He shook his head angrily at himself. Being paranoid wouldn’t help anyone, and he refused to believe that Ahnarad or Carol might ever force him to do something against his will. His path took him out along the sand, skirting between the ocean and the walled area where the two Aidengates were. Despite it being night time, the two moons shone brightly enough that he didn’t fear holes or other missteps, and before long he found himself standing at a distance, watching the skimmer that Professor Reivus had altered.
For many minutes he watched the sleek lines of the craft as it sat in the empty field. There were lights aglow on it, illuminating the darkness around it and letting him see two of the crewmen pacing its deck. A wild thought began to blossom in his head. If he could somehow get on board, the captain of the vessel had died in their last adventure and the crew had easily followed Gavin and Professor Reivus. Perhaps he could get them into the air and then go searching for his mother.
He’d have to figure out what kind of ship the Ambassador was on or maybe which direction they had gone but he would have to be careful. If he asked too many questions, they might grow suspicious. Or, perhaps more suspicious after he’d stormed out. If it had been him, he would be wondering what an angry youth whose mother was kidnapped might be thinking.
“Dammit, Glowby,” Aiden finally said to his friend who had stayed near his shoulder rather than flitting about like he normally did. “What am I supposed to do? Just abandon my mother? If I go rescue her, then how many people will die because of it?” Aiden gripped his walking stick and in the darkness slashed at the air several times. “This isn’t fair!”
“There are few things in life that are fair, my friend,” said a voice from behind Aiden. Startled, he turned to see the still form of Romald standing in the moonlight, the double shadows he cast stretching off across the sand.
“How long have you been there?” Aiden asked angrily, suddenly gripping his walking stick tightly. Glowby moved behind Aiden’s head and dimmed his glow as if to hide, but Romald didn’t make any moves except to hold up his hands.
“For a time, but certainly not long enough to be blasted by your wonderful weapon,” Romald said, nodding towards Aiden walking stick and making him realize he’d taken a defensive stance towards the unthreatening Riften noble.
Lowering his stick quickly, Aiden grimaced and blew a breath out. “Sorry. I’m… just afraid for my mother. She’s not young. I can’t even imagine what might be happening to her right now.”
Romald looked up into the night sky, pursing his lips for a moment before answering. “Most likely she’s sleeping, Aiden.”
“Sleeping?”
“Yes, sleeping,” Romald said, nodding slowly. “I know your imagination is coming up with all sorts of ghastly things, and I can’t blame you for that, but the reality is probably fairly bland.”
&n
bsp; “Bland?” Aiden’s said, feeling his face flush once again in anger. “What do you mean, bland? She’s been kidnapped, Romald! How can anything like that be bland? She’s probably terrified!”
Romald shook his head then and caught Aiden’s eyes with his own. “No. Forgive me, Aiden, but you haven’t known your mother for very long. I have known her for quite a lot longer. Do you remember your trial?” At Aiden’s nod, Romald continued. “I know you saw how terrified of your mother the rest of the Terek nobles were. Remember that person, because that is your mother. She is not some flower to be blown over. Deep down; I think you know that.”
“But what about being on a ship?” Aiden said, wringing his hands on his walking stick. “How’s that going to affect her?”
“She grew up on the ocean, Aiden. A little wind and water aren't going to hurt her. Again, you do not know your mother well, yet. It’s not been too many years since she’s been out working the ships herself. I don’t think to be a passenger is going to bother her much.” Romald said, then took Aiden’s arm companionably and walked with him along the beach. “Now, are you willing to listen to me?”
The Glimmer Steel Saga, Boxed Set, Books 1 - 4 Page 84
