Cavanor was almost relieved to be rid of the shield. Her rock-like skin would prove to be as impervious as the shield, and without the barrier surrounding her, she was now free to strike out with both her hands and feet. Cavanor kicked mercilessly at the cats and rats, and punched the dogs ferociously. She called forth lightning bolts to slam into the gathered animal host, and she sprayed sheets of flame at the animals around her. The stench of burning fur told her that she was making headway as she continued to push towards the closest door.
Unexpectedly, the birds that had been pecking at the invisible shield, suddenly attacked the demonkin’s head. Long bills pierced both of her eyes, and the world turned instantly black. She raised her hands to shoo away the birds, but such motions did not deter the creatures. The birds continued to attack her eyes, but they also savaged her ears until the demonkin could hear nothing other than a constant roar. She was not sure what she tripped over, probably a dog, but it hardly mattered. Her body smashed to the ground, crushing some rats and scattering others. The animals swarmed all over the demonkin, scratching harmlessly across her rock-like skin, but also seeking out the chinks in her armor. When she opened her mouth to gasp for breath, something bit down on her tongue and pulled ferociously. As blood gurgled in her throat, rats scurried into her mouth. She tried to seal their entrance by closing her mouth, but the first two rats blocked her air passage, and she opened her mouth in a futile effort to suck in more air. As the demonkin suffocated, two Knights of Alcea stood nearby and watched.
“I have never seen anything quite so horrible in all my life,” Alex commented as he drew his sword. “I have seen men lose limbs and be struck dead on the field of battle, but nothing would bring such terror to mind as being devoured from the inside out. I have to end this.”
“It is already over,” declared Jenneva. “If it makes you feel better to decapitate the demonkin then do so, but do not stand in the way of Niki’s revenge. Many of those animals died to avenge Fredrik’s death. Let them do as they wish with the corpse.”
Alex nodded with understanding as he approached the mass of animals swarming over the demonkin’s body. He thought at first that the animals might turn on him in their feeding frenzy, but they did not. They scurried out of his way. Alex raised his sword and brought it down swiftly on the demonkin’s neck. Cavanor’s head bobbled away. As soon as the deed was done, the animals lost interest in the demonkin. The birds flew up into the sky, and the cats and dogs turned and sauntered away. Some of the rats continued to nibble for a moment, but they soon abandoned the corpse as if the flavor of the meat was repugnant.
Chapter 20
The Sanctum
King Arik’s study in the Royal Palace was L shaped with the longer leg of the room stretching from the doorway to the window. The shorter leg of the room ran along the windowed wall, and a long, high-backed couch acted as a divider to create a comfortable sitting area invisible from the doorway. King Arik and Queen Tanya lounged on the couch. Alex and Jenneva sat in overstuffed chairs facing the couch.
“Who would have thought that Niki was capable of defeating a demonkin?” offered the king. “I always remember her magic as being puny and uncontrollable.”
“You never understood her gift,” the queen responded. “No one can blame you for that as I have never truly understood it, either. Her magic is unlike Jenneva’s or mine. While she may have trouble using spells that come as second nature to me, she can do things with animals that I could only dream about.”
“Her attack on the demonkin was effective,” interjected Alex. “No one can deny that. Has there been any luck in locating her?”
“None,” answered the king. “We have searched the city thoroughly and there is no sign of her. I fear that she has really left the city this time.”
“We thought that before,” Alex responded. “What makes you return to such a theory?”
“A lone horse approached the western gates of the city this morning,” answered the king. “It is a horse that was reported stolen on the day of the attack on the demonkin. I suspect that Niki fled the city right after the attack.”
“Surely, she doesn’t think that you would judge her for murdering the demonkin?” balked Alex. “Why would she leave the city?”
“And why on a horse?” sighed the king. “She has a unicorn partner assigned to her. I know that it makes no sense, but the stolen horse walked right up to the gate guards as if it had been instructed to do so. I do not know of anyone else who could accomplish such a thing.”
“A unicorn can communicate with us,” stated Jenneva. “A horse cannot. That is why Niki stole the horse. Borrowed it, actually. She did tell it to return.”
“You mean that Niki does not want to be found?” frowned Queen Tanya.
“I think that is obvious.” Jenneva nodded. “While the Rangers searched the countryside, she was safely hidden in the city awaiting a chance to exact revenge for Fredrik’s death. Now that you are searching the city, she has moved safely into the countryside. She has no desire to remain among us. In her mind, she might even blame us for Fredrik’s death.”
“I could see that,” sighed the queen. “Niki does not think like the rest of us. While Fredrik was happy and at home here in the Royal Palace, Niki always saw others taking advantage of Fredrik’s skills and not giving him enough credit for everything he did.”
“It was a competition solely in her mind,” agreed the king. “If my men find her, they will extend an invitation for her to return, but I will not order her brought back to a city where she does not feel welcome.”
“I think that is wise,” sighed Jenneva as she stood up. “Time is running short, and I must get moving on my Cordonian project if I am to succeed before the invasion begins.”
“And I need to return to Zara,” added Alex as he rose and took Jenneva’s hand. “We will all be busy in the next few weeks. There is precious little time to prepare.”
The king and queen rose and embraced the queen’s parents before they departed. As soon as Alex and Jenneva had left the room, King Arik turned to his wife.
“It is time for us to move on as well. The Rangers will have to deal with Niki.”
“To the Mountain of Death?” asked the queen.
“To speak with the gods.” The king nodded.
* * * *
General Forshire walked aimlessly through the Imperial Palace in Despair until he was certain that Colonel Taerin had seen him. He wanted to speak to the colonel, but he did not want it to appear as if he had initiated the conversation. He knew that Taerin’s curiosity would draw him to the waterfront bench. Clint left the palace soon after the colonel had spotted him. He walked directly, but casually, to the waterfront bench and sat down. Moments later, Colonel Taerin arrived and sat next to him.
“I had heard that you and your escort left the city days ago,” Colonel Taerin said softly. “A change in plans?”
“My plans are always fluid,” smiled General Forshire. “Some days I yearn to be away from the palace and all its trappings of power and politics, but there are other times when I long for the solitude and this view of the sea. I find the serenity of the sea allows me to think more clearly.”
“Then something heavy must be weighing on your mind,” deduced the colonel. “Perhaps I can help?”
Clint blinked as if the offer was unexpected. Slowly he smiled and nodded his head as he reached into his pouch and retrieved the gold pin.
“Perhaps. Can you tell me what this is?”
The colonel inhaled sharply. He made no attempt to reach out and take the pin for closer examination. “Where did you get that?”
One of Clint’s eyebrows rose at the colonel’s reaction. He suddenly wondered if showing the pin to Taerin had been a mistake.
“You recognize it,” Clint said accusingly. “Perhaps you should explain.”
Colonel Taerin caught the tone of General Forshire’s question. He frowned deeply and shook his head.
“That pin belongs
to Emperor Jaar. How has it come into your possession? You told me that you were unable to get in to see the emperor.”
“I did not get this pin from the emperor,” declared Clint. “If I were to steal such a trivial piece, do you really think I would be showing it to you? Do not accuse me of such unsavory deeds.”
The colonel was taken aback as the general’s words. Slowly, he sighed anxiously and nodded in understanding.
“I apologize. Such a pin sits on the shelf in the emperor’s office. From what I have heard, it has been on display there ever since the emperor was crowned. To my knowledge, there is only one other like it, and Lord Kimner owns that one. Is that where you got it?”
“I have never met Lord Kimner,” stated Clint, “at least as far as I know. There were a great number of lords at the celebration.”
“Lord Kimner was not at the celebration,” replied Colonel Taerin. “He never leaves his home any more. He is far too old and far too feeble to venture out. He was Emperor Forkuna’s closest advisor, and he was severally wounded in the assassination attack. Ironic in a way,” the colonel continued with a tone of sadness in his voice. “Lord Kimner was, by all accounts, the architect of the Federation.”
“You would think that Emperor Jaar would have made some special arrangements for Lord Kimner to attend,” mused General Forshire.
“Emperor Jaar and Lord Kimner do not get along,” replied the colonel. “I suspect that Lord Kimner’s idea of what the Federation should be differs a great deal from what it is today.”
“Why do they both have pins like this?” asked Clint. “Is it some rank of office?”
“Hardly.” The colonel shook his head vigorously. “It is quite the opposite. The story that I heard is that the pins were the personal marks of the assassins. They are a group known as the Badgers. The emperor keeps the one that was dropped on his father’s body. Lord Kimner kept the one used by the captured assassin to kill himself. It is believed that the tip of the pin is poisonous. I would not touch it.”
Clint glanced at the pin held in his hand and carefully shoved it back into the pouch. He shuddered as he thought about his handling of the poisonous pin.
“You didn’t say where you got that pin,” probed the colonel.
“No, I didn’t,” replied Clint. “Where can I find these Badgers?”
“If they exist,” the colonel replied, “you don’t find them. They find you.”
“If they exist?” echoed the general.
“The Badgers are supposedly as old as the Empire of Barouk,” explained the colonel. “It is said that the brotherhood has had a hand in every change of leadership in the history of the empire, but I suspect that most of the stories are mere conjecture. I can’t imagine any ancient organization actually flourishing for thousands of years and not being discovered. I assume that the Badger pins were an attempt to confuse the emperor’s men about who was behind the assassination attempt. Imagine how convenient it would be to point suspicion to some bogus, mythical brotherhood that doesn’t really exist. It would stop the investigators from looking in more logical places for their culprit.”
“So the noble behind the assassination was never apprehended?”
“No one was caught except the actual assassins, and they all died promptly. Convenient, no?”
General Forshire rose to his feet and glanced back towards the Imperial Palace. He sighed heavily and looked down at the colonel. “I think you are wrong to dismiss the idea of an ancient brotherhood, Colonel. Even if their ties do not go all the way back to the founding of the empire, that does not mean that such a group does not exist. The assassination of Emperor Forkuna was real enough, and I have reasons to believe that the Badgers still exist today. If you will excuse me, I have to get back to my men.”
* * * *
In a room in the Emporium Inn in Despair, two Alceans posing as Zarans met clandestinely. Zack Nolan examined the Badger pin and nodded slowly.
“I believe the colonel was correct. There is a tint on the tip of the pin that definitely looks like something was applied to it. Poison is the only thing that makes sense.”
“And they would wear these poisoned pins on their chests?” balked Clint. “That sounds irresponsible and risky to me.”
“Not really,” replied Zack. “The clasp is larger than normal. It encloses the entire tip. There is no way that the wearer would prick himself accidentally. Look at the way we carry our myric quills. An outsider might cringe at our carelessness, but we are not really in danger. When you know that something you are carrying is highly poisonous, you become accustomed to handling it carefully. I have never heard of a Ranger accidentally dying from an inopportune prick.”
“Alright,” Clint conceded with a sigh. “I still want you to handle it with great care. Do you think you will be able to get in to see him?”
“I will give it my all,” promised the Alcean spymaster. “Will you be here when I get back, or are you returning to your men?”
“My men are over sixty leagues outside the city,” answered General Forshire. “Morro can guide them for now. I will wait here for you to return.”
“You left Morro with your men? Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”
“My men think Morro is an old scout for me. They were uneasy at first of traveling with an elf, but they have fully accepted him now. Will you go tonight?”
“There is no time better than right now,” Zack said as he rose to his feet. “I have already procured an elegant carriage for traveling around the city. I will tell Cobb and Bork to ready it while I change into Lord Zachary. If all goes well, I will see you again in a few hours.”
Zack Nolan shoved the gold pin into a pouch and strode out of the suite. He returned to his own suite and explained the mission to his men. He then ordered them to ready the carriage and dress appropriately. As soon as Cobb and Bork departed, Zack transformed himself into Lord Zachary, donning a special padded tunic to give him a paunchy appearance and donned a gray wig to add some years to his looks. For the finishing touch, Zack opened a small case that held his magical aids. He applied small wrinkles to the corners of his eyes and then applied some age spots to the back of his hands. When he was done, he stowed the case and left the suite.
Within minutes he was entering his elegant carriage in front of the Emporium Inn. He whispered instructions to Bork and sent him up to the driver’s seat. Cobb took up position on the rear platform as the carriage rolled into the street. Bork steered the carriage through the streets of Despair and exited the city via the northern gate. Less than a league from the city walls, a small track ran eastward from the Coastal Road. It looked very much like dozens of other tracks that led off the road to favorite campsites, except this one was well graded and well maintained. Less than a thousand paces into the woods, the trail turned sharply. The carriage was forced to slow to maneuver the sharp bend, and a dozen warriors immediately surrounded it. One of the warriors moved directly to the carriage door, ignoring both the driver and the rear attendant.
“The Sanctum is closed to the public,” the head warrior said as he opened the door and peered inside.
“I would certainly hope so,” Zack responded. “I am Lord Zachary of Vinafor. I wish to visit with Lord Kimner.”
The head warrior frowned, but Zack did not give him time to respond. The spymaster slid out of the carriage, gently brushing the head warrior aside.
“I know that Lord Kimner is not expecting me,” Lord Zachary stated before the head warrior could say so. “Announce my arrival and secure his permission for my carriage to proceed. I will wait for your man to return.”
The head warrior was not used to losing control of the situation at the gates, and it showed. The man neither ordered a runner to get permission, nor did he object to the proposition.
“My time in Despair is short,” pushed Lord Zachary. “I had expected to see Lord Kimner at the celebration commemorating the anniversary of the Federation that he helped start, but he never arrived. I cannot leav
e the empire without expressing my admiration directly. Send your man for Lord Kimner’s permission and be quick about it. The day is not getting any younger, and neither am I.”
The head warrior hesitated only a moment before nodding to one of his men. The chosen man slid away from the gates and disappeared down a well-graded road. Zack took the opportunity to survey the area.
The gates across the road were large and well maintained. He could see a high wall running off in both directions from the gates, and he could just make out the tops of tall towers stationed periodically along the wall. He could not see any of the mansions as the road beyond the gates took another sharp turn. The defenses appeared subtle, but Zack had no doubt that he was seeing only a fraction of the protections set up to safeguard the empire’s elite. Unable to see any more of the defenses, the Alcean spymaster turned his eyes to the warriors guarding the gate. The men were seasoned warriors. Zack could tell by the way the men stood and warily searched the trees for signs of ambush. The guards had also stationed themselves to be able to hold the gates if an ambush did occur. Four men stood before the gates to deal with the carriage. The rest of them were beyond the gates and armed with bows.
A dozen men would hardly be deemed sufficient to hold the gates if someone had serious intentions of gaining entry, so Zack’s eyes scanned the forest beyond the gates. While the secondary men were hard to detect, the Ranger’s eyes found them. Some of them were up in trees, while others moved stealthily through the trees at ground level. The spymaster was impressed. He turned back towards the carriage and saw the head warrior eyeing him suspiciously.
“You are to be commended for your preparations,” Lord Zachary said with a slight smile. “I would not mind sending some my Vinaforans here to take lessons.”
Heirs of the Enemy Page 26
