Garth waited for questions or objections, but there were none. He nodded with satisfaction and addressed the fairies. “The fairies will be divided into two teams. Button will lead the outdoor team, and she will work directly with Natia on the roof of this building. This team will be responsible for the illusions and also security patrols. If anyone approaches the rear of the temple, I want to be notified immediately. Understood?”
The three fairies on Garth’s left shoulder chattered excitedly, their tiny heads nodding exaggeratedly. Despite the tension, Garth smiled inwardly and waited for their excitement to diminish.
“Bitsy will be in charge of the inside team. They will be coordinating directly with me. Their first task is to disable the outside sentries at the rear door, but not until Button has given the go ahead. Once we are inside the temple, your main task is to find the demonkin and the mages without being detected. Another important task is to alert the Rangers to any traps or ambushes. If you find clerics awake, neutralize them whenever possible, but remember that stealth must be maintained at all times. Questions?”
Bitsy’s team was also excited about striking a mighty blow to the enemy, but they were more subdued about it. They nodded solemnly, although Garth could feel their tiny feet stomping excitedly on his shoulder.
“Alright,” Garth said with an air of authority. “Let’s do this. All fairies outside. Bitsy, notify me when it is safe for us to approach the rear door of the temple.”
Garth walked to the door and cracked it open. Button immediately took charge as she felt that outside was her domain. She ordered the individual fairies to head for the roof one at a time. Button was the last to leap off Garth’s shoulder. She shot upward to find that Bitsy’s team had already claimed one of Natia’s shoulders. The members of Button’s team stood waiting on the other shoulder, and Button joined them. She was not about to start a turf war in the middle of a mission.
“Button,” instructed Natia, “your team members need to create images of the street below. I need one fairy at the corner of the block to my right, and another at the corner to my left. They will create an image of the entire block exactly as it looks right now. When things change below, I do not want any observers to see the changes. They are not to see the Rangers coming out of the building and entering the temple. They are not to see Bitsy’s team take out the sentries. For the duration of this mission, that street below will not change at all. Notify me when the images are in place.”
Button immediately turned to her teammates and issued commands. The two fairies shot into the air, and Button followed one of them. Moments later, Button returned and settled on Natia’s empty shoulder.
“The illusions are in place,” she reported.
“Excellent,” smiled Natia. “Set up an aerial patrol that will keep this general area in sight. Report to me periodically so that I know that you are still on the task. Report to me immediately if anything disturbs you.”
Button leaped into the air and disappeared.
“Bitsy,” Natia ordered, “your team’s first task is to immobilize the sentries at the rear door of the temple. As soon as that task is accomplished, report to Garth. You will only report back to me after the mission is complete, and the Rangers have returned to the sewers. Your team will be going inside the temple with Garth.”
Bitsy saluted and ordered her teammates into action. The three fairies leaped into the air together, but they immediately spread out as they dived downward towards the door of the temple across the street. Bitsy hovered high between the two sentries, while her teammates cast sleep spells on the men. The two sentries fell to the ground within a second of each other, and Bitsy shot across the street and through the crack in the door. A moment later, the door opened wide, and the attack group flowed out into the street. As the Rangers gathered around, Garth and Tedi slid myric quills into their reeds. Garth knocked firmly on the door three times. He paused and repeated the three knocks. He paused again and knocked once. As Headman had promised, the door immediately cracked open. Garth did not wait for the black-cloak to finish opening the door. As soon as the crack was wide enough to ensure that the quill would pass through, Garth blew on his reed. Garth then threw the door open wide, while Tedi waited anxiously with a reed to his lips. There was no reason for the gypsy prince to waste his quill. The lone body of a black-cloak was crumpled on the floor.
Tedi stepped to one side, as the first team of Rangers rushed into the temple. The second and third teams quickly followed. While the fourth team of Rangers picked up the bodies of the outside sentries, Garth and Tedi entered the temple. Bitsy fluttered over Garth’s head, while the other two fairies of her team shot off in different directions. The fourth team carried the bodies inside the temple and stabbed them with myric quills. They then closed the rear door of the temple and moved off in search of clerics. While the Rangers spread out through the temple, Garth and Tedi made their way towards K’san’s office with Bitsy leading the way. They reached the corridor leading to the priest’s office without encountering a single cleric. The relative ease of their progress bothered Tedi. As they entered the long corridor, he reached out and tugged on Garth’s sleeve. Garth halted.
“Something is not right,” whispered Tedi. “Where are all of the roving patrols that we have seen in other temples? They are supposed to be expecting an attack, yet their defenses are nonexistent.”
Garth grinned. “They have a false sense of security. With sewer access blocked off and hundreds of soldiers outside, they feel very secure. We are about to teach the Federation yet another lesson. Be ready with your staff. I want to try taking K’san in a bloodless way, but it may not work out as I expect. Stand by to strike quickly.”
Tedi nodded and Garth led the way along the dark corridor leading to the priest’s office. As the Rangers raced through the temple in search of clerics, Garth proceeded agonizingly slow. Each step was taken with silence in mind, and it took several minutes just to make it to the door of the priest’s office. Light spilled out from the crack under the door, indicating that the priest was in the room. Garth ignored the magical sword on his back. He fed another myric quill into his reed and brought the reed to his lip. With a wave of his hand, he ordered Tedi to squat low. The gypsy prince squatted and prepared to strike, his staff extended towards the door. With his free hand, Garth simply knocked on the door.
Inside the room, K’san frowned and looked up at the door as he heard the knock. The hour was late, and he could not imagine who might be bothering him. The knock did not have a sense of urgency to it, and the priest was deep in contemplation. He sat silently staring at the door, his brow creased with annoyance, and hoped that the person would go away. Another knock sounded on the door, and the priest angrily gave permission to enter. Expecting the door to open, the priest was surprised when it did not. Instead, he heard someone talking to him through the door. The man’s speech was mumbled, and K’san could not understand it. With a sigh of annoyance, he rose from his chair and walked across the room. He was about to throw open the door and angrily berate the fool on the other side, but something urged him to caution. He cracked the door open and tried to peer into the corridor. The only thing he saw was a quill just before it entered his eye.
As the demonkin’s body tumbled to the floor, Garth shoved the door open. Tedi leaped over the priest, his staff stretching out before him as he whirled around in a circle, seeking any targets that might have been hidden in the room.
“Queen Romani was correct,” smiled Garth as he reached down and pulled the quill from the priest’s eye. “Their eyes are just as vulnerable as yours or mine. Let’s go help the others.”
* * * *
In the forests outside of Giza, twenty Rangers waited in a large clearing with Garth and Tedi. Headman soon appeared, leading a group of twenty thieves. The thieves dismounted. Headman looked around the clearing, counting the number of black-clad warriors.
“So these are the famous Alcean Rangers?” Headman asked Garth.
“They are the finest warriors in Alcea,” Garth replied proudly. “Five of them will be staying to train your men.”
“That is why I have brought my finest,” replied the head thief. “I had expected your Rangers to attack the temple this evening, but I can see that it must have been called off. I assume they will go into the city tomorrow night? Should I have my men return to Giza or should they camp out here and wait?”
“We have already attacked the temple,” answered Garth.
Headman’s brow creased with disbelief. His eyes drifted over the Rangers once more and he shook his head. “You attacked the temple and didn’t suffer a single wound? Did you catch the priest outside perchance?”
“We were not quite so lucky,” smiled Garth, “but Mya did smile upon us. We had to enter the temple and kill them all, but our objective was attained.”
“You entered the temple, killed everyone inside, and left the city without setting off any alarms? Are you having fun at my expenses, Garth Shado?”
The twenty thieves were listening intently to the conversation, and they began to stare at the black-clad warriors as if they were warrior gods.
“Garth is not lying to you,” interjected Tedi. “If you do not believe him, Natia will be joining us soon. You can ask her. She stayed behind to see what the government’s reaction would be.”
“Natia stuck her head out rather far to make it all happen,” explained Garth. “We want to make sure that she is still welcome in the city. Besides that, she needs to plant some seeds of doubt concerning some important information we received yesterday.”
“I stand in awe of you Alceans,” declared Headman. “I had some reservations about you leaving only five of your warriors to train all of my men, but I no longer harbor any doubts as to their abilities.”
“Let me introduce you to Corporal Azara,” Garth said as he led the elf to one of the team leaders. “He will be in charge of training your men. While you may rule your men in the city, Corporal Azara will demand control over their training. There will be no playing favorites out here, and there will be no exceptions to the rules. Make sure that your men are aware of that. Azara will be trying his best to make warriors out of your thieves in a short period of time, and that will require pushing them rather hard.”
“I have already explained the procedures to my men,” Headman assured the corporal. “Once they report to you for training, they are yours until you give them leave to return to the city. Make them half the men you Rangers are, and we will surprise the Federation inside their own cities.”
* * * *
The banging on the door was loud and urgent. Natia rolled over and rubbed her eyes. She had been expecting the visit, but so much time had passed without any knock on her door that she had fallen asleep waiting for it. The gypsy princess pulled on a robe and made her way to the door of the suite. She opened the door and Colonel Fisker rushed in. Natia frowned at him and closed the door.
“I am planning an early departure,” complained Natia. “I could have used more sleep. What time is it?”
“It is still an hour before dawn,” the colonel replied excitedly. “I was hoping to catch you before you left the city.”
“What is it that cannot wait until a decent hour?” Natia grumbled as she moved to the couch and plopped down on it.
“The temple was attacked tonight,” Colonel Fisker reported. “Everyone is dead.”
Natia’s eyes opened wide and her body stiffened. “Did you move the patrols?” she asked with concern.
“I did,” nodded the colonel.
“Oh, I am sorry,” Natia replied with sympathy. “I never should have mentioned my suspicions to you. I hope that I have not gotten you into trouble.”
“Moving the patrols made no difference,” reported the colonel. “There was no battle.”
“No battle?” frowned the gypsy princess. “I thought you said that everyone was dead.”
“Everyone is dead, but it appears that they all died of some type of poisoning. The bodies all had a blue tint to them, and there was not a pool of blood anywhere in the building.”
“How interesting,” Natia responded with sudden interest. “Who delivered their food and water?”
“I have men checking that out right now. We have not found the source of the poison yet, but there is little doubt about the cause of death. While it is still too early to know where the tainted food came from, I find it hard to believe that the rebels would be the supplier. I am sure that the temple gets an allotment of food from the city. They would have little need to contract a vendor for more. I suspect that this will lead back to the Federation. That is why I wanted you to know before you departed. I hope you don’t mind that I woke you up.”
“No,” smiled Natia. “You were right to inform me, and I appreciate it. I should carry word of this latest tactic to Despair. Perhaps it will help them catch the assassins.” Natia frowned deeply and appeared to be pensively distracted. The colonel watched her closely, wondering what she was thinking. Suddenly, Natia looked the colonel in the eyes. “Perhaps, we are both chasing the wrong dogs. What if the priests are being killed by a group that is not aligned with either the rebels or the army?”
“Who could that be?”
“The Temples of Balmak hold a special relationship with the Black Citadel, do they not?”
“The Black Citadel is the training ground for all black-cloaks,” protested the colonel, “and two of their number were killed in the temple. That makes no sense.”
“It makes no sense unless there is a split among their leadership,” retorted Natia. “I happen to know that the Badgers have been doing some work for the Black Citadel, and it involves hostages of some kind. Do you have any idea what that might be about?”
“The Badgers?” gasped the colonel. “I was not sure that such a group still existed. They are assassins of legend.”
“Well,” Natia smiled inwardly, “the attack on the temple last night certainly sounds like a deed of legends.”
“You have a point,” Colonel Fisker replied as he nodded in consideration of the idea. “I do find it hard to believe that the rebels could have possibly pulled this off, and the only thing pointing to the army is the assassins’ abilities to go places where the rebels could not go. I do think we have both been looking in the wrong places for the answers to these attacks, but I am ill-equipped to start an investigation of the Black Citadel. The black-cloaks are a closed society reportable to no country, and the Badgers, if they do indeed still exist, are the killers of kings and nobles. Such a confederation of the two groups would be an ominous union of unimaginable consequence.”
“I have no doubt whatsoever that Badgers have been visiting the Black Citadel,” Natia said with conviction. “The question is why?”
Colonel Fisker started pacing the room. After a while, he halted in front of the window and stared out into the darkness of the night. Silent moments dragged by until the colonel suddenly turned to face Natia.
“There is more at stake here than just the well being of some priests,” he said softly. “Such a union could topple governments. I must take this information to King Anator.”
“Be cautious, my friend,” warned Natia, “and do not mention my name. My effectiveness rests upon my anonymity.”
“Your name will not be mentioned,” promised the colonel. “We must meet and talk again when you return to Giza.”
Natia nodded. “Can you supply me with a pass out of the city? I really do want to get an early start.”
“You will need no pass,” answered the colonel. “The gates are open. Everyone in the temple was long dead when it was discovered. It made no sense to issue an alarm.”
“How was it discovered?” asked the Knight of Alcea.
“Someone noticed that the two sentries outside the rear door were missing. Sometimes they change shifts during the night, so no one was concerned for an hour or so, but when no replacements ever appeared, soldiers were sent to check. They
found everyone dead.”
Natia nodded and rose to her feet, anxious to dismiss the colonel. Colonel Fisker took the hint and smiled at Natia. He bade her farewell and exited the room. Natia dressed and packed her belongings. Within the hour, she had exited the city. By the time she reached the rendezvous, five of the Rangers and twenty of the thieves had already departed to begin their training.
“How did the meeting go?” Tedi asked as Natia dismounted.
“As good as we could hope for,” smiled Natia. “King Anator will soon have word that the Badgers are involved in some internal dispute within the Black Citadel. I am not sure how long it will be before such news is spread throughout the Federation, but we need to get word to Clint so that he has time to prepare.”
“What is going on?” Headman asked nervously. “What does the Black Citadel have to do with King Anator? Are your people Badgers?”
Garth placed his hand on the thief’s shoulder in a reassuring manner. “We are exactly what we told you, Headman. We are trying to get King Anator to believe that the Badgers are responsible for the attacks, but there is more to it than just that. The Badgers kidnapped some important people and took them to the Black Citadel. We are searching for a way to get those hostages moved so that we can get our hands on them.”
“I suppose that the hostages are people that the Badgers would not want to be found by any authorities traveling to the Black Citadel?”
“I am not sure what the Badgers will do, but I am fairly certain that the black-cloaks would not want to appear to be involved in the kidnapping. My hope is that the black-cloaks will demand that the Badgers find a new home for the hostages.”
“And when they do,” Tedi smiled thinly, “we will rescue them.”
“From Badgers?” Headman gasped in disbelief. “Badgers are like ghosts. They are seldom seen and never captured. These hostages must be very important to risk your men on such an attack.”
Heirs of the Enemy Page 45
