Heirs of the Enemy

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Emperor,” Clint replied in a measured tone to gain control of the situation, “I have little time if I am to visit you and escape unnoticed. Your note?”

  Emperor Jaar nodded and tore his eyes away from the balcony. “I did not know who else I could trust. You must tell no one about the note. Should Kyrga find out, I will never get another chance to communicate with anyone.”

  “Understood,” agreed Clint. “There are two things I need to know. Where is your family supposed to be, and why aren’t you dead?”

  Emperor Jaar emitted a weak laugh and shook his head. “Direct to the point, Forshire. I am not sure why I am still alive. I have been pondering that question every day. What I can tell you is that Kyrga is not the man behind all of this. He is not capable of pulling it off. I can also tell you that you were correct about the priest. He stole secrets from my mind. I should have listened to you, but your talk of demonkin sounded like a tale to frighten children. I am sorry.”

  The emperor turned and walked to a small bookshelf in the corner of the room. There were only a few volumes on the shelf as most of his books were in his office. Without the need for light, the emperor reached up to the shelf and took down a book. He opened the book and extracted a piece of paper and then put the book back on the shelf. He walked to Clint and handed him the paper.

  “This will show you how to get to my secret estate. While it is possible they are still holding my family on the estate, it is unlikely. I suspect you will merely find one-hundred bodies, but count them. If the number is off, there might be survivors who can give you information.”

  Clint nodded. “Do you have any idea who is behind all of this and what they are after?”

  “It could be a number of people,” sighed the emperor. “The key to taking control is the emperor’s family, and there is no shortage of ambitious nobles in Barouk. Get my family back, Forshire. I will give you anything you want.”

  “That will be hard,” frowned Clint. “My meager army is still up near Olansk. I only have a single squad of men with me. Is there anyone at all that I can trust in the palace?”

  “No,” the emperor replied strongly, “and do not tell your men where they are going. Trust no one.”

  “I will do what I can,” vowed Clint. “It is highly unlikely that I will be able to enter your suite when I return. How can I tell you if I do find your family?”

  “Just find them and put them someplace safe,” urged the emperor. “When that is accomplished, fight your way in here to free me. I will handle the rest.”

  “Finding them and rescuing them may be two different things,” cautioned Clint. “I will start off with the search. If I find them, I will need to send for my army to rescue them.”

  “Be swift, General.”

  “I will,” sighed Clint as he moved towards the balcony door. “Get back in bed so you will appear asleep if I am caught leaving.”

  Clint walked onto the balcony and turned to close the balcony door. When Jaar got into bed and took his eyes off Clint, the Ranger triggered the hourglass. He retrieved his hook and stowed it before retracing his steps to his suite.

  Chapter 16

  Real Illusions

  The mood in the Council Chamber in the Royal Palace of Tagaret was grim. King Arik, Queen Tanya, General Gregor, and Prince Oscar sat listening to Colonel David Jaynes give his report.

  “Every single building was searched thoroughly. If there was a mage on one of the rooftops, and I have no doubt that there was, he must have used some magical means of escape.”

  “Or she,” frowned the queen. “Was the woman that the fairies lost in Danver Shores ever found?”

  “No,” answered Prince Oscar. “We are short on fairies because most of them are off shadowing the colonels from Zara. Do you want me to bring them in to search for the woman?”

  “No,” sighed the queen. “If the woman is a demonkin, she might have an ability to evade the fairies, and we need to know every step those colonels make. Using the fairies to find her will have to wait.”

  “I do not know how to apologize for my failure,” Colonel Jaynes said, his unsteady voice revealing the stress he was under. “All I can do is offer my resignation. I am truly sorry.”

  King Arik waved his hand dismissively and shook his head. “The fault is not yours, David. It is mine. I should have given you time to prepare properly instead of demanding to go immediately like some impetuous child. I can’t imagine how Niki is surviving this. Fredrik and she were devoted to each other more than any couple I’ve known. The loss must be devastating for her. How is she coping?”

  “I took her to her room and put her asleep,” the queen said softly. “She couldn’t stop crying, and I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “Did she say anything at all?” asked the king. “Did she see the assassin?”

  “She did not see the assassin,” answered Queen Tanya. “She said that Fredrik’s shield glowed for an instant. Fredrik said something about someone pricking his shield and then they were both thrown from the carriage. If what she said is accurate, the assassin is very clever indeed.”

  “Why do you say that?” asked Prince Oscar.

  “If the assassin had merely attacked,” explained the queen, “Fredrik’s shields would have foiled the attack, and the Red Swords would have been alerted to trouble. Instead, she merely poked the shields with a tiny projectile. This accomplished two things. It allowed her to see what the shields protected, and who was holding them. It also had the benefit of only alerting Fredrik, and even he was probably not aware of the impending attack. Once the limits of the shields were known, all she had to do was cast a spell outside the limits that would affect the carriage. In this case it was under the shields and into the street below.”

  “And once Fredrik fell, we were left with no shields,” remarked the king.

  “Exactly.” The queen nodded. “That tells me two things about our opponent. She is extremely powerful, and she is very clever.”

  “You sound as if you are certain that the assassin is female,” commented General Gregor.

  “I am not sure of anything,” replied Queen Tanya. “I guess my form of speech is a subconscious suspicion that the missing woman is a demonkin and was responsible for the attack, but I have no valid reason for thinking so. What I do know is that we are not yet through with the threat of demonkin. They will strike again when we least expect it, so we had better be prepared at all times.”

  “What about the funeral for Fredrik?” asked Prince Oscar. “There is a lot going on right now, especially the impending visit from the Zaran colonels. Will the funeral be public or private?”

  The room fell silent for a moment as the king opened his mouth to speak, but Arik seemed to be having trouble finding the words. When he finally did speak, his voice was soft and filled with sorrow.

  “Fredrik has been with us since the very beginning. I can’t imagine a life without him around. He has always been here.”

  The king choked up as he dwelled on the past. He remembered the day Tedi and he had met Fredrik, Niki, and Tanya. They were all young and naïve at the time and had no idea of what was waiting for them beyond the small villages of Sordoa. He smiled slightly as he remembered Fredrik playing the part of the Lord of the Manor, first in Melbin when they had to rescue Niki, and again later when he became a councilor in Tagaret during the Contest of Power. The king’s face grew more grim as he remembered the three times that Fredrik had nearly died. The sorcerer’s hair had been turned shock-white during the Battle of Tagaret when a magical lightning bolt had hit him. Everyone thought he was dead, but Zalaharic managed to save him.

  Fredrik almost died again during the attack on Sarac’s castle on Mount Kalas. Sarac had blasted Fredrik off the mountain, but a dragon had plucked his falling body out of the air, thinking it would make a tasty treat. The most recent brush with death had been at the Temple of Balmak in Trekum during the raid to slay K’san. Fredrik had purposely dropped his own shield to save Arik
’s life. Once again Zalaharic brought him back from the brink of death, but not this time. This time Fredrik was gone forever.

  “Arik?” Queen Tanya interrupted softly.

  “I am sorry,” the king replied as he wiped a tear that was forming in his eye. “Fredrik is, was a Knight of Alcea and the Royal Sorcerer. He shall be accorded a funeral deserving of his high status. All of Alcea will mourn his passing.”

  “Are you sure that is wise?” cautioned Prince Oscar. “The Zaran colonels will surely hear of such a public display, and the demonkin are still roaming about. If you put on such a public event, all of the Knights of Alcea will be obligated to attend. That would be too much of a temptation for our enemies to resist.”

  “I do not think Niki would hold up well, either,” added the queen. “It will be hard enough on her to get through a private funeral. Drawing out the funeral for a public mourning might just be too much for her to handle.”

  Suddenly, shouts sounded in the corridors outside the Council Chamber. Everyone turned towards the door expecting something to happen. Nothing did.

  “See what that is about, Colonel,” General Gregor said to David Jaynes.

  The Commander of the Red Swords nodded and exited the room. He returned moments later.

  “The palace is in turmoil,” reported the colonel. “It started in the stables with the horses trying to get free, but it quickly spread to other creatures. All of the birds fled the Royal Gardens and took to the sky. They are circling the palace and diving down at it. Snakes and spiders left their concealment and began moving about, but it was the rats that caused the shouting. Thousands of them are swarming through the corridors.”

  “Niki!” the queen said urgently as she leaped to her feet and raced out the door.

  The king stared blankly at her empty seat for a moment until he understood the queen’s concern. He also rose and headed for Niki’s chambers. The others followed. When they arrived at Niki’s chamber, they found the queen staring into the room. Niki was asleep in her bed, but the entire room was packed with squirming rats. They covered the entire floor and bed, and dozens of them were on top of the redhead’s body. The king drew his sword and tried to make his way into the room, but the queen held up her hand to stop him.

  “They are not harming her,” Tanya said softly. “They are here to comfort her.”

  “Comfort her?” asked General Gregor.

  “Look at them,” answered the queen. “They are nuzzling her and trying to get close to her body. I have never seen anything like it. She must be talking to them in her sleep.”

  Suddenly, Niki screamed and bolted upright in her bed. The rats leaped from the bed and surged out the door of the room. The queen held her ground as thousands of rats scrambled to flee. Most of the rats flowed around the feet of the people in the corridor, but others had no room to maneuver. Tanya felt their tiny claws shredding her boots as they frantically sought to get away from the room. In moments the rats were gone. The queen quickly moved into Niki’s chamber and put her arms around the young widow.

  “It was just a dream,” the queen said soothingly. “Just a dream.”

  “Fredrik fell off the mountain,” bawled Niki. “He fell and I couldn’t save him.”

  “You are probably remembering that day on Mount Kalas,” stated the king. “The day Sarac died.”

  Niki broke Tanya’s embrace at the sound of the king’s voice. She turned towards the king with hope in her eyes. “Is Zalaharic here yet?”

  “Zalaharic is here,” the queen replied softly. “There is nothing he can do for Fredrik. He cannot bring the dead back to life, Niki.”

  King Arik expected Niki to start crying again, but she did not cry. She merely stared at the floor and nodded in acceptance.

  “I would like to be alone now,” Niki said softly.

  * * * *

  Jenneva and Governor Fernandez stood on a hill overlooking the coastal city of Darcia in Cordonia. They gazed down on the small city and the endless sea beyond it.

  “This is the westernmost city in Cordonia,” the governor commented. “I have been to Darcia many times, but it has been ages since I climbed these hills. I had forgotten how beautiful it all seems from up here.”

  “It is beautiful,” Jenneva agreed distractedly as she studied the city below.

  “You haven’t said what it is that you are looking for. What can you see from up here that you cannot see from within the city itself?”

  “I will want to visit the city as well,” answered Jenneva, “but I wanted to get a larger view of the extent of Darcia first. Is that the inn?” she asked as she pointed to a large building at the north edge of the city.

  “That is it.” The governor nodded. “You have something up your sleeve. Why won’t you tell me what it is? Perhaps I can help you in some way.”

  “You always were a curious one,” chuckled Jenneva as she turned to face the governor she had known for many years. “The problem is, I am not sure how much of my plan I want to reveal right now. If the Federation even got an inkling of what I have in mind, all of our spying will have been for naught.”

  “If there is one thing I will be remembered for, Jenneva, it is that I can keep a secret. I was the Cordonian spymaster for longer than I care to remember. I never once revealed anything I didn’t intend to reveal.”

  Jenneva looked at her old friend and smiled as she nodded. “I have the greatest trust in you, Julio. I am sure that you know that, but the ability of demonkin to steal people’s thoughts worries me.”

  The governor frowned, but he also nodded in understanding. The trust bond he had developed with both Torks was as strong as any he had ever held. He knew that Jenneva would do nothing to hurt the Cordonians, but his curiosity was intense. He could not help pursuing the matter.

  “Does it involve magic?”

  Jenneva laughed. “You are incorrigible, Julio.”

  Governor Fernandez grinned and shrugged his shoulders innocently.

  “Alright, Julio,” Jenneva relented, “I will explain part of what I am trying to do. Perhaps you will have some insight into it. I want to recreate Darcia in another place.”

  “You mean an illusion?”

  “In a sense I guess it would be an illusion, but not a magical one. I want to actually build another city just like Darcia, or at least enough of the city to fool the Zarans when they come through the Door.”

  “I think I am beginning to understand why you wanted to come here as well as go to the city, but are you aware of the enormity of the task you have set for yourself?”

  “It is more than you think,” replied Jenneva. “I also want to recreate Paso and Carid.”

  “Merciful Sword! Such a task would take years to accomplish. Can’t you use a magical illusion instead?”

  “Possibly,” frowned Jenneva, “but the Zaran armies will have mages with them. If they were the first to come through the Doors, and if they detected the illusions, my whole plan would be destroyed. I cannot take that chance.”

  “So you will actually attempt to build three cities instead? I am sorry, Jenneva, but your plan is not feasible in the time allotted.”

  “I do not have to recreate every little bit of the cities,” retorted Jenneva. “For instance, I will not have to worry about the interiors of the buildings because the Zarans will never see them. I only need facades. In Paso, one Door opens on the other side of the river, and the second is in a barn not in sight of the city. That should make that task much easier than here.”

  “The Doors in Carid are in a barn and a temple,” mused the governor. “Only the temple is within view of the city, and that is only true if someone were to go upstairs in the temple and look towards the city. Alright, I can buy into those two cities, but Darcia is another matter entirely. Even though the inn is at the outskirts of the city, the buildings would have to be real enough, and that means a great deal of work. I still don’t see it as feasible.”

  “I will have thousands of Sordoan workers,
” replied Jenneva. “If needed, we will post signs in Darcia as well to lure workers out of here. I think it can be done.”

  “Not in two months.” The governor shook his head emphatically. “It is impossible no matter how many workers you have.”

  “King Arik is trying to buy us some more time,” stated Jenneva.

  “And what if he is unsuccessful?”

  “Then what have we lost? All I am doing is transporting people who would be in harm’s way if the war came sooner. Saving their lives is enough of a reward to justify the cost of trying to complete my task.”

  “And what is the benefit if you are successful?”

  “Sixty-thousand Zarans need not die,” answered Jenneva, “and Cordonia will not be attacked.”

  “Not attacked? At all?”

  “Correct,” smiled Jenneva.

  A fairy shot down out of the sky and landed on Jenneva’s shoulder. Jenneva turned her head and smiled at the little woman.

  “Bitsy!”

  “You have been hard to find,” the fairy complained with a tiny scowl upon her face. “Cordonia is a big place.”

  “I am sorry,” giggled Jenneva. “Do you bring news from Alex?”

  “No,” the fairy replied, all traces of her discontent instantly gone from her face. “I am the bearer of sad tidings. Fredrik has died.”

  Jenneva’s mouth fell open, but no words came forth. Her eyes blurred as she stared right through the fairy.

  “How did it happen?” asked Governor Fernandez.

  “An attack was made on the Bringer,” answered Bitsy. “Fredrik and Niki were thrown off the carriage.”

  “And King Arik?” the governor asked anxiously.

  “The Bringer and his bride are unharmed.”

  “I must return to Tagaret,” Jenneva announced as she snapped out of her trance. “We will discuss this later, Julio.”

  * * * *

  Atule pushed the curtains aside and stormed into the back of the healing shop set up in the Farmin slums. Eulena turned at the sound of the curtains and watched as Atule roughly shoved the curtains back in place.