Most of the couples in the village had children held by the empire. Not surprisingly, no one volunteered, and the beast cackled.
"Then kill the criminals and their crime will be punished," challenged K'san.
The villagers remained frozen, expressions of shock and fear plastered on their faces. None of the elves wanted to kill the young couple. After a few moments, K'san shrugged his shoulders as if the punishment must be carried out with the deaths of elven children. Suddenly, an elven woman screamed in anguish as she picked up a rock and threw it at Befraya. The rock missed Befraya, but her action had broken the spell of indecision. Suddenly dozens of rocks were sailing toward the criminals, and Lanole and Befraya cried out in pain as the missiles struck their targets. Prince Elengal glanced at his father and saw tears running down the king's face. He began to understand more of his father's words of advice.
The stoning was over in mere moments. The crumpled and bloodied bodies of the two young elves lay entangled in each other's arms. The villagers bowed their heads, unwilling to gaze into the faces of their neighbors, for they were ashamed to have placed their own children above their neighbors. K'san smiled and nodded as he surveyed the crowd. He was pleased with the results.
"There is still one matter to be resolved," K'san said loudly. "Lanole and Befraya did not sneak out of the village without someone knowing about it. That crime is punishable by death."
The creature stared at Prince Elengal again, and the prince knew that somehow the creature was well aware of his actions. The prince had made a fatal mistake in judgment, and one that his father had repeatedly warned him about. Elengal's limbs shook with uncontrolled fear as he stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak.
"K'san…" Prince Elengal began.
"Silence!" shouted King Saratoya as he whirled and slapped the prince. "How many times have I told you not to interrupt me?"
As Prince Elengal staggered backwards, King Saratoya stepped before K'san.
"I gave the young couple permission to flee," the king declared.
K'san frowned at the king and lifted his eyes to gaze at the prince. Elengal's eyes were wide with shock, and the creature nodded knowingly, but Saratoya was not done. He knew that the empire demanded a demonstration to keep the next generation in line, but he would not let his son be that example.
"Only through the guidance of the king will the elves adhere to your laws," declared King Saratoya. "If I have strayed from that guidance, then I am prepared to pay the price, for if it is not I who pays the price, you will have no hold over my people."
K'san narrowed his eyes as he stared at the elven king. He knew that it was Prince Elengal who had broken the law, but the king had just thrown down the gauntlet. The message was clear: Spare my son, or I will lead my people in revolt.
K'san looked once more at the elven prince and then his eyes shifted back to the king. There was potential value to the king's offer. K'san nodded slowly.
"So be it," he bellowed as his hand streaked out and smashed into the king's chest. Ripping the king's heart from his body and holding it up for all to see, K'san continued, "The elves are in need of a new king. May the next one ensure that the elves obey the laws of the empire."
Chapter 1
Attack on the King
The first arrow struck King Arik in the chest. As the Warrior King fell from his mount, Queen Tanya swiftly erected a physical shield around the royal couple and their mounts. She did so by instinct rather than thought, and that instinct saved her life. Only seconds behind the first assassin's arrow, dozens of other arrows flew towards the royal couple. The arrows came from every direction, and Tanya was vaguely aware of the screams of the citizens of Tagaret as they scrambled to find safety in doorways and alleys.
Chaco defiantly showed his horn. The unicorn reared on his hind legs and hovered over the fallen king protectively, trying to shield Arik from the arrows with his own body. When the arrows bounced off Tanya's protective shield, the unicorn settled on all four legs, but he still placed his body between the king and a tall building on the east side of the street. It was from the roof of that building that most of the arrows were coming from.
With shouted war cries, hundreds of Red Swords raced along the street towards the fallen king. Officers shouted orders and pointed towards the various nests of assassins, and the Red Swords split up to attack the hidden killers. A dozen other warriors also responded to the cries of alarm, but they did not race along the street, nor did they shout their arrival. The Knights of Alcea moved swiftly, but silently. Instead of using the broad avenues of Tagaret, the Knights of Alcea split up and flowed through the narrow alleyways to get behind the assassins.
Jenneva cast a spell and transformed into an eagle. She leaped into the air and soared high over the city of Tagaret. Her first task was to search for any magical component of the attack on the king, but there did not appear to be any active mages among the assassins. She chirped a sigh of relief and set her eagle eyes to scanning the rooftops and windows. She used her telepathic abilities to direct her husband towards the largest concentration of enemy archers.
Alexander Tork nodded to himself as he received Jenneva's instructions. He turned abruptly and dashed into a large building. His legs pumped mechanically as he raced up the steps of the tall building and burst through the door to the roof, a Lanoirian star clutched in each hand. A dozen archers were on the roof, sending arrows of death towards the king and queen. Several of them turned when the door smashed open, and Alex tossed the two stars reflexively. He swiftly grabbed two more stars and threw them as he raced across the roof. Four archers died when the sharp metal discs struck their bodies, but the rest of the group turned their bows towards the threat.
Alex dove towards the archers and rolled into a ball, hoping to close distance with the enemy before they could aim at him. As the Knight of Alcea came out of his roll and leaped to his feet, he spread his arms wide and pushed forward. Two archers screamed as their bodies were pushed over the edge of the roof. Alex drew his two-handed sword as he whirled to his right. He lashed out swiftly and was rewarded with a scream of death as the sword sliced into one of the assassins. There were two more assassins before him, and they were backing away as fast as they could. Mindful of the three archers behind him, Alex moved swiftly and erratically as he pursued the two men in front of him.
An arrow flew by the Knight of Alcea as he caught up to one of the fleeing archers. He ignored the archery threat and swung his sword into the man before him. Another arrow grazed his arm as he struck the man down and pulled his sword free. The screech of an eagle rent the air as Jenneva soared over Alex's head towards the three bowmen shooting at him. He smiled tautly and chased after the last of the fleeing men. The man halted at the edge of the roof with nowhere to go. He dropped his bow and pulled a short sword from its sheath, but it was too little and too late. Alexander's long sword reached out and sliced open the man's stomach. As the assassin gazed down in shock at his wound, Alex thrust his sword at the man's chest. The assassin screamed as he tumbled over the edge of the roof.
Alexander turned swiftly to face his remaining foes. He smiled broadly as he turned and saw what Jenneva was doing. The three assassins had dropped their bows and had their arms raised over their heads to halt the attacks of the eagle. Alex raced across the roof to end their anguish.
* * *
Prince Darok raised his mighty dwarven battleaxe and splintered the door to the room. The three archers at the window turned and stared in disbelief as the broad dwarf rumbled through the wreckage towards them. One of the archers had an arrow already nocked, and he tried to bring his bow around to aim at the dwarf. With unbelievable deftness, the Knight of Alcea dropped one hand off his battleaxe and grasped a smaller throwing axe from his belt. With a practiced flip of his wrist, the small throwing axe sailed across the room and imbedded in the man's chest. As the assassin's body crumpled to the floor, Prince Darok grabbed his battleaxe with both hands and raced across t
he room, his loud, low voice issuing a dwarven battle cry. The two remaining assassins grabbed for their swords, but their cause was hopeless. The large battleaxe cleaved through both bodies before either man could pose a threat.
* * *
The sign on the door said closed, but the Knights of Alcea entered the inn anyway. They knew that there were assassins shooting from the upper floors. When Wylan and Sheri entered the common room, they saw the body of the innkeeper stretched out on the floor. The windows were all shuttered, but torches illuminated the room. Unexpectedly, shouts rang out from upstairs and feet pounded across the ceiling.
"Extinguish the torches," ordered Wylan softly.
Sheri nodded knowingly and ran around the room extinguishing the torches. Most people thought Wylan was blind, and in fact, he was at one time, but Zalaharic, the elven healer, had restored the Knight of Alcea's eyesight. Wylan's eyesight was now so keen that he continued to wear the patches of a blind man, but the patches had minute holes in them to lessen the amount of light reaching his sensitive eyes. As Sheri extinguished the last torch, Wylan slid the eye patches away from his eyes.
"They are coming down," Sheri whispered softly. "Where do you want me?"
"Stand at the rear door," instructed Wylan. "Slay anyone who comes near you, for it will not be me."
Sheri nodded silently and made her way carefully across the dark room as footsteps pounded on the stairs.
"It's dark down there!" shouted one of the assassins.
"Are you afraid of the dark?" retorted another unseen voice. "The Red Swords have spotted our location. They will be here any minute. Get a move on."
The frantic rush to flee before the Red Swords arrived caused confusion in the darkness. As the men spilled off the stairway and raced for the front door, Wylan sprang into action. The Knight of Alcea swung his staff with deadly perfection and the confusion turned into chaos. Cries ripped through the dark room as Wylan advanced into the mob of assassins.
"What is going on?" shouted a fearful voice.
The only replies were grunts of pain and surprise as Wylan's staff slashed and poked through the column of flesh. In just moments it was over.
"Are you alright?" Wylan asked softly.
"I am fine," answered Sheri. "You got the bulk of them. Only four tried for the rear door. Go check upstairs while I light a torch and check the bodies down here."
* * *
Tedi and Natia paused outside the door on the fourth floor of the guildhall. Natia had four throwing knives in her left hand and one in her right. Tedi held his magical staff and looked questioningly at his wife.
"You sure this is it?" he whispered.
Natia smiled and nodded silently as she positioned herself across the hall from the door. Tedi stepped to one side of the door, and with a last look at Natia, swung his staff at the door. The wooden door shattered in a spray of splinters as the magical staff disintegrated it. The assassins in the room turned in shock and confusion as they saw the gypsy princess standing in the hallway. Their confusion turned quickly to fear as the Knight of Alcea's knives began flying through the air. Five knives scored hits on five assassins, and Natia dashed to her right, away from the opening where the door used to be.
Shouted commands rippled through the room and the remaining assassins gave chase to the young woman. What they had not counted on was her husband and partner. As the first assassin tried to leave the room, Tedi swung his staff hard at the man. The staff smashed right through the man's body, severing it in two. The Knight of Alcea charged through the misty gore with his staff extended before him. The remaining assassins were frozen in the grip of fear, as the Knight of Alcea suddenly appeared where their comrade had been. Tedi rushed into the room and began a dance of death as he held his staff outstretched and pivoted in a circle. Within a few seconds, only body parts remained of the assassins.
* * *
Bin-lu and Rut-ki split up as they approached the cobbler's shop. Bin-lu entered the alley behind the shop, while Rut-ki went around to the front. When Rut-ki tried to open the front door, she heard shouts within the shop and then a stampede of footsteps running away. She backed up a pace and kicked the door open just in time to see the last of the assassins run out the back door. She gave chase.
Bin-lu saw the men exit the cobbler shop. They started towards him then changed their minds. They turned around and ran the other way. Bin-lu grabbed two Lanoirian stars from a pouch and ran after them. Throwing on the run, Bin-lu picked off two of the assassins before he caught up to the rear of the pack. He grabbed one of the assassins from behind and twisted his neck, tossing the corpse aside.
"Take your time," Rut-ki said from behind Bin-lu. "This alley is a dead end."
The remaining assassins had disappeared around a bend in the alley and Bin-lu turned to look at his partner.
"How do you know that?" he asked.
"I got lost here one day," shrugged Rut-ki. "We may be facing arrows when we round that bend, though. Do you have any ideas?"
Two Lanoirian stars filled Bin-lu's hands and he shrugged. "We could wait for the Red Swords to catch up," he said with a smile.
"I don't think so," grinned Rut-ki as Lanoirian stars suddenly filled her hands as well. "I choose the left wall."
"Then the right wall is mine," grinned Bin-lu. "Let's do it."
The two Knights of Alcea ran along the alleyway in single file, keeping to the center. When they rounded the bend, the assassins were waiting for them. Bin-lu let fly his stars and veered sharply to the right. Rut-ki duplicated his maneuvers, but veered left. The twang of bowstrings reverberated off the alley walls, but the arrows failed to strike a target as they sailed along the center of the alleyway. The Lanoirian martial artists ran part way up the sidewalls of the alleyway and then flipped back towards the opposite sides. Before the assassins could nock another arrow, the Knights of Alcea were upon them.
The Knights of Alcea's bodies were blurs in motion as they struck out at the assassins with feet and hands. Two assassins pushed away from the melee and tried to run, but Lanoirian stars struck before they could reach the bend in the alleyway.
* * *
Two other Knights of Alcea stepped out on a roof a few blocks east of the king. Both Knights immediately strung their bows and nocked arrows.
"What makes you think they will flee this way?" asked Karl Gree.
"There is no other way for them to go," answered Prince Garong. "The gates of the city will be closed, and any armed person going near the Royal Palace will be killed. To the south is the park and the river, and if you look that way, you will see units of the Targa Army already set up there. If they survive long enough to flee, they will have to pass below us."
Karl looked thoughtfully at the elven prince and nodded in agreement. "I will take the south side of the roof," he volunteered.
"Then I shall take the north," agreed Prince Garong. "Try to leave one of them alive if possible, but do not let any of them escape."
Karl nodded and walked to the edge of the roof and waited. He worried a bit about identifying the assassins from regular citizens, but he needn't have. When they came, it was obvious. The assassins raced along the middle of the street with bows in hand, and they constantly looked over their shoulders. Nothing they did could have prepared them for the aerial assault that followed.
Karl Gree was a hunter by trade and an excellent shot with a bow, but even he was amazed at his improvement after spending time with the elves of Elderal. Prince Garong had taught him to fire accurately with a speed he had not believed possible before. When the Knight of Alcea started firing at the fleeing assassins, five of them went down before the others even realized that they were under attack. Shouts of fear and curses split the air as the hunter continued to wreak havoc from above. The assassins tried to separate and go in different directions, but that only increased Karl's challenge slightly. In a matter of seconds, twelve bodies littered the street below Karl Gree. Two of them were alive, and Karl kept a clo
se watch until the Red Swords appeared.
"How did you do?" asked Prince Garong as he joined Karl at the edge of the roof.
"Twelve," answered Karl. "A year ago I would not have believed that possible. I have much to thank you for, Prince Garong."
"You have a natural talent," smiled the elven prince, "but don't get a big head about it. I got fifteen."
Karl laughed and shook his head at the friendly competition he enjoyed with the elf. "Then the drinks are on me," grinned the hunter, "but next time I get the north side."
* * *
The atmosphere in the library of the Royal Palace was tense. The Knights of Alcea stood slightly apart from the rest of the people as the king's advisors spoke their minds about the latest assassination attempt.
"I do not see it as something quite so awful," King Arik said with frustration. "The Breastplate of Alcea saved me from the only arrow to get through. I am only a little sore from my fall off Chaco, but that is not a serious price to pay for flushing out over a hundred assassins."
"And what if Tanya's shields had failed?" asked Fredrik. The shock-white-haired Royal Sorcerer was as young as the king, but he was struck by magical lightning in the Battle of Tagaret. While he was not as powerful a mage as the queen, King Arik respected his advice a great deal, and Fredrik used that confidence in him to drive home his point. "Do you have any idea how much energy it took for her to maintain a physical shield over all of you while hundreds of arrows were slamming into it? I doubt that I could have maintained it at all. You really are playing a fool's game if you continue to draw out the assassins."
"He has a point, Arik," admitted the queen. "Each assassination attempt gets stronger and stronger. If they had used mages today in addition to the archers, I would not have been capable of shielding us."
"Non-mages have no concept of the energy it requires for shields," interjected Niki, Fredrik's wife and assistant. "Perhaps Fredrik and I should always accompany you when you go out."
Final Voyage of the Remora Page 2
