“But this is impossible!” the doctor started to argue, only to be cut off by a new arrival.
“You may not have learned everything you need,” Reese said in response to Alec, as he stood in the doorway. “If the doctor releases you to leave the infirmary, I’d like for you to come with me to my office for a few minutes.”
“Will Rahm be released and sent back to his unit?” Alec asked. “He did nothing wrong.”
“He will be released,” Reese agreed. “Come with me and he will be sent to meet us in my office.”
Alec followed the officer out of the infirmary, leaving the stupefied doctor at a loss. Reese and Alec were soon seated in the command center. “As you may recollect, I was going to have to carry out some proofs of your ability to verify who you are, but given what has happened last night and this morning – young Rahm’s statements, your display in the armory, and now this miracle in the infirmary – there is no question that you are who you say you are.
“I’d like to tell you the story of what your friends did here at Black Crag,” Reese told Alec.
“We received a band of young refugees from Vincennes several weeks ago, and they were all surprisingly good with a blade. In fact several are already in our own ranks being trained in our ways. They all credited their skill to a particular teacher, Alec, a man with a strange accent, marks on his arms, and tremendous ability. They expected you to come behind them, bringing the Princess of Vincennes, rescued from imprisonment.
“A couple of weeks went by, longer than expected, but they were hopeful, because they thought you were unbeatable. Then a caravan arrives, and lo and behold, the Princess Esmere steps out, seeking not sanctuary, but an army to fight for her to regain control of Vincennes.”
“You mean the Lady Caitlen steps out, seeking support for Princess Esmere,” Alec corrected his host.
“There was a short girl with silver hair, prematurely silver, that was curly,” Reese explained, as Alec nodded. “She told a story of a man with a foreign accent and marks on his arms, and scars on his face and back in particular, who had skills that were beyond comprehension. Her name is the Princess Esmere Caitlen Trelawney, and she is the deposed ruler of the nation. She told us that you never knew her real identity, that she had tricked you into believing she was a lady of the court, while a real lady of the court was sent elsewhere as if she were the princess.”
“Why would she do that?” Alec asked in astonishment.
Reese replied. “I may not be privy to all of her motivations, but I am told she said that she felt the need to come to Black Crag, and she felt there was no one who could protect her better than you. But early in the trip she wasn’t prepared to tell you who she was. I don’t know any more than that, except that she too expected you to arrive, and she seemed to be waiting for your arrival. She waited for close to a month here, waiting perhaps for you, perhaps waiting for Black Craig’s Administrative Council to decide what to do for her, perhaps just waiting for the weather to make her journey easier going back through the mountains.”
Reese studied Alec’s face. “Two weeks ago she left Black Crag, with a number of our guard members in support, and a battalion of our guards to support her. She chose your sister Bethany to be her personal bodyguard, if that makes you feel any comfort.”
Alec gave a sad smile. “I spent a lot of time with Bethany, teaching her how to wield a blade, and she does well. I just didn’t expect it to take her towards a battle situation so quickly. We imagined that she could have freedom in Black Crag, where women have chances to do things they cannot do elsewhere. My own homeland treats men and women almost equally, as Black Crag does.
“But she no longer arrives here than she goes back out. I’m glad for her and Caitlen both that they will be with one another,” Alec continued. “I expect I had better prepare to go after them.”
“May I come with you?” Rahm asked from the door.
Alec turned in his seat to see the released prisoner.
“Don’t you have an assignment with your unit here?” he asked.
“I’m just waiting until we are told to join the rest of the battalion in Vincennes,” Rahm answered. “If I go with you, I’d just be getting there sooner.”
Alec looked at Reese, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod of his head. “I’d like for you to come with me,” Alec said aloud. “Go get your things ready, and meet me back here.”
“You’ll turn him over to the appropriate Black Crag commanders when you arrive in Vincennes, or wherever you catch up with the battalion,” Reese commented.
“So Caitlen is really the Princess Esmere?” Alec asked again, trying to calm the spinning emotions that were distracting his thought processes.
“She doesn’t have the limp the Princess was reputed to have, and her hair has changed color, but yes, she is known to some people here, and she is the Princess,” Reese confirmed again. “That must have been quite a journey the two of you made together, her hiding her status, you treating her as someone less than the royalty she was.”
“I didn’t know who she was. She did a very good job of hiding any royal expectations,” Alec said, thinking of the rigors of the travel. Caitlen had held her tongue after they had spatted during the first day or two of companionship.
“What else do I need to do here?” Alec asked. “Am I free to leave?”
“Yes, you may. There’s a trader’s caravan that is going to leave tomorrow morning. I know they’d pay you well to act as part of their security, to protect them from bandits,” Reese answered.
“I’d rather not wait to leave, and they won’t really need to worry about the bandits anyway,” Alec responded flatly, not interested in delaying his departure.
He stood to leave. “I have one last question.” Reese looked at him attentively. “Who shot me in the back? Will that be addressed?”
“It already has been resolved. You’ll learn more when you leave,” the officer said, cutting the topic short.
Upon Rahm’s arrival, the two of them proceeded through the town to the gate. “I’d like to come back here sometime when I could really visit Black Crag and learn about it,” Alec told his guide as they maneuvered through the narrow streets, stopping to acquire some basic travel supplies.
“It is a tough place, but fair,” Rahm answered. Lieutenant Collons was at the gate overseeing the flow of traffic into the fortifications, and she saluted the two travelers as they walked out. She silently pointed to her right, and their eyes followed the direction to see a new body hanging from the gibbet.
“It was that fellow you beat at the gate yesterday,” Rahm told him, looking at the body that swayed in the brisk breeze.
Alec pulled his cloak tighter around his neck, and lowered his head. “We don’t have much sunlight left today. We’d better start moving.” They followed the road away from the sun, and finally stopped well after nightfall, without a fire, then left again at first light.
Three days later they passed an intersecting valley during mid-afternoon. “This is where the bandits used to ambush travelers,” he explained to Rahm. Blessings to you, he silently broadcast a greeting to Bernadina.
And blessings to you, too, he heard the calm reply. Journey safely.
The journey away from Black Crag was a quicker journey than the trip to reach the mountaintop fortress. The downward slope of the land, the warming weather and the growing amount of sunlight allowed Alec and Rahm to reach Eckerd and then travel on to Valeriane in less than a month. “We’re only two days away from Vincennes,” Alec told Rahm as Valeriane came into sight in midmorning, in a valley where greening trees and bushes and small blooming flowers announced the arrival of spring in the lower elevations.
Their arrival in Vincennes took longer than two days to achieve.
Valeriane was occupied by a number of the Black Crag forces, who were organizing an impressive collection of volunteers from Eckerd and Valeriane and the other cities and countryside along the foot of the mountain range. The Black Cr
ag forces and their allies were being held together by Abelard Cordolla, the fair-haired man Alec had seen hugging Caitlen during their brief passage through Valeriane. Rahm was peremptorily ordered to wait outside, while Alec was given a meeting with Abelard.
“I’m told you were formerly the Jagine companion of the Princess, who I briefly met during the winter,” Abelard spoke formally. “The Princess has moved on towards Vincennes to try to negotiate a peaceful surrender with the Conglomerate, while we are marshalling her forces here to begin preparations for battle,” he told Alec. “Assuming you are the man who was the Jagine, but who has changed colors, I must give you this message directly from the Princess.” He pulled a piece of paper out of a coat pocket.
“Do I understand that you cannot read?” Abelard asked, and Alec nodded his head, unable to decipher the written language of the land.
“Alec,” the courtier read, “if you have reached my trusted friend Abelard, I thank you again with all my heart for the security you provided during my escape from Vincennes. Your support was invaluable. The professional forces of Black Crag have proven to be a great weapon for my restoration to the crown. With their support and the legitimacy they bring, our success is secure. You need not put yourself in any further danger on my behalf, now that we have such strong allies as Black Crag, and such loyal nobles as Abelard,” the reader looked up at Alec momentarily. “You are therefore gratefully dismissed from service to me, and I hope to hear of a successful and prosperous future for you. Signed this day, Esmere Caitlen Trelawney, Princess of Vincennes.”
“As you heard, Caitlen has released you from any further service to her. Informally, I believe that your strange accent is likely to be a liability to the Princess, making people question whether she is being manipulated by foreign elements,” Abelard told Alec. “Here,” he tossed a bag of gold coins to the ground in front of Alec, “Is my personal expression of appreciation for the work you did on behalf of the Princess during her delivery from Vincennes.”
Alec stood, stunned by the message, wondering if Abelard had read the words that were truly Caitlen’s. There was a whiff of jealousy in the air, his Spirit powers told him. Yet Caitlen had abandoned him in Eckerd, and had apparently left a mixed message behind at Black Crag. Alec looked down at the bag at his feet.
“I’ll go now,” he said curtly, and turned to leave the meeting room.
“Stay away from the Princess,” Abelard warned as Alec left.
If I were a water ingenaire, you’d have a bucket of water rain down on you, Alec thought to himself as he slammed the door behind him. He left the large meeting gallery and walked outside.
He knew what he would do next; he was going to go find Caitlen and protect her, and be available for whatever role he was fated to play. He would also find Bethany, who was not evident among the Black Crag contingent here in Valeriane. But how was he supposed to sneak undetected into the circle of people around the now public ruler?
He had a recollection of his days in Michian, when his Dominion accent had been removed by the simple measure of removing his tongue. He could do that to himself, he realized. That however, would only remove the distinct accent he carried; it would do nothing to make him less recognizable. But if he was going to remove his tongue, if he had already changed his skin color, why not make other changes as well?
He met Rahm. “I need for you to come with me,” Alec told his protégé. “Abelard wants to keep me away from the Princess. I need your help to get to her.”
“Me? How am I supposed to overrule the Princess’s boyfriend if you can’t?” Rahm asked as they began to walk down the road.
“Her boyfriend?” Alec asked.
“That’s what everyone here says,” Rahm replied. “When she got to Valeriane she went straight to see him, and put him in charge of her forces here. They spent quite a bit of time together.”
Alec stalked along in silence for several strides, considering the unwelcome news. “I don’t care who her boyfriend is. I just know I can protect her better than anyone else.”
As they passed the city walls and continued on their way to Vincennes, Alec explained his plan to Rahm.
Chapter 21—Alin the Guard
Two days later, Rahm and a balding, bearded older man arrived at Delphi’s gymnasium in Vincennes. The city was buzzing with nervous energy and activity. The presence of the Princess and her Black Crag forces had emboldened a portion of the city population to openly declare their loyalty to her, and three days earlier she had entered the western suburbs of the city unopposed, while the Conglomerate had marshaled its forces to remain firmly entrenched in the heart of the great city.
“Rahm, what are you doing here?” asked a Black Crag guard at the facility, which it turned out, had been adopted as the main armory for the Black Crag contingent in the city.
“I’ve come to join the Princess’s bodyguard, and I’ve brought a volunteer I met on the way,” the young recruit replied. “What are all of you doing here at Delphi’s ?” he asked in return.
“The girl you’re sweet on, Bethany, suggested we use this as a camp. The Princess agreed, and here we are,” the girl on guard duty answered. “You can go in Rahm. Since I don’t know your friend, he’ll have to stay here until you get things squared away. What’s your name?” she asked without much genuine interest.
“His name is Alin,” Rahm replied. “He can’t talk; he’s a mute.”
“Really?” the girl asked, looking at Alec with more interest. “He can stay here with me and keep me company,” she said, and watched Rahm disappear inside the building.
Half an hour later, Alec rose from where he had sat on the curb as he heard Rahm emerge. “Alin, come in. You’re going to get a test for fencing skills, and if you succeed, you’ll be added to the rotation of guards.”
Inside there were a number of guards working out in the gymnasium, and a group of officers clustered in a corner, viewing a table covered in papers. “This way,” Rahm urged, and Alec followed him to an empty practice pad against the far wall.
“Put on those padded clothes. You’ll be demonstrating your swordsmanship against these two,” Rahm indicated two guard officers, one of whom happened to be Bethany. Alec stared at her, and felt his face crease in a grin. She looked young, yet much more mature, and more confident in herself. She moved gracefully as she walked over to address them.
“He’s a bit old, isn’t he Rahm?” she asked, examining Alec as if he were a horse. “And why is he grinning? Why are you grinning at me?” she addressed Alec directly.
“He can’t talk, remember?” Rahm answered. “He’s not as old as he looks, and his reflexes seem as fast as yours or mine.”
“Let’s go then,” Bethany pulled a padded vest over her torso, and picked up one of the wooden practice sticks. “You’ll work out against me, and then against her,” she jerked a thumb towards the girl who was leaning against the red brick wall.
“If you’re ready, let’s go,” she said and she jumped at him with a sudden flash. He met it calmly, holding his sword in his right hand, blocked and riposted in a manner that drove Bethany back three steps. She paused, and struck at him again, mounting an aggressive attack, just as he had taught her. He blocked her effectively, and started to drive her slowly towards her right, when suddenly she flipped her sword to her left hand and reversed their roles. Alec allowed her to twist the direction of the encounter for several seconds, then established a firm location for defense.
He wasn’t going to use his ingenaire abilities, because he didn’t want to give his real identity away. For that same reason he was going to try to use only his right hand if possible. He knew that he had a desirable trait as a bodyguard if he could maintain a level field as far as using his sword went, and so he did not try to display skill that was needlessly extraordinary.
He had an advantage against Bethany in that most of what she knew were skills that he had taught her himself, so that for nearly twenty minutes they battled in a very even mode,
each tapping the other just once. “Enough!” the girl against the wall called, and both combatants stepped away from one another.
“He can clearly fight you to a draw, which seems good enough. I’ve got to leave in ten minutes. Let me work with him for five and then we can decide,” the woman said. She took Bethany’s sweaty vest without comment, then took her place on the practice pad. “So she’s worn you down and I’ll finish you off, eh?” the girl said. “My name is Isial,” she started to stick her hand out to shake. As Alec started to respond in kind, her left hand brought the sword whistling upward from where it had hung quietly beside her leg.
With a grunt, Alec threw himself backwards, somersaulted, and rose to his feet; he held his sword in front of him and was ready to fight for blood – she had tried to fight dirty, breaking the rules of honor. Nonetheless, he felt good, the wooden blade had passed within an inch of his arm, but he had avoided it, without using his ingenaire ability.
Isial grinned at him, threw down the wooden sword, and threw the vest into the corner. “You failed, and you won,” she said mockingly. “You failed to anticipate the trap I set, but you succeeded in avoiding it somehow.
“That move wasn’t anything I’d have expected to see this side of Valer,” Isial told him. She looked at him with a keen eye for several seconds, seemingly on the verge of saying something, but instead threw a mock salute at him, then walked over to talk to Bethany briefly. They turned and looked at him for a minute as they talked, Isial walked away without a backward glance.
“You’re in,” Bethany told him as she walked over to the mat. “We both think your skills will be an addition to our bodyguard unit. As a matter of fact, we’re going to give you your first shift before Rahm gets his,” she grinned at her friend, who had watched the whole practice, and now came strolling over to the pair in conversation.
Rescuing the Captive: The Ingenairii Series Page 23
