Final Voyage of the Remora

by Richard S. Tuttle

  "Perhaps I am letting my imagination run wild," shrugged Garth. "Did you ask the general about the situation at the Ramaldi Pass?"

  "I did," Sidney frowned again. "He said that Queen Romani was adamant about keeping the Federation off Vinafor's roads. Against his advice, she has ordered Ramaldi Pass closed to the Federation soldiers. He fears that such a stubborn position will lead to war."

  "Can Vinafor stand against the Federation for long?" asked Tedi.

  "Hardly," Sidney replied. "The Federation army is composed of the armies of five nations, and the Empire of Barouk is one of them. Vinafor would not last a week against them."

  "Maybe," mused Garth. "If they could successfully block the exit from the pass, they could be effective against a numerically superior force for some time."

  "Perhaps," shrugged Sidney. "I am not a military strategist, but it seems to me that a compromise could be achieved. The queen could allow the Federation to transit Vinafor through the West Woods. It would be more difficult for the Federation to travel through the forest, but it would keep them from marching through Waxhaw, and it is that trip through the city that would upset the citizens."

  "And endanger the freedom of Vinafor," added Garth. "I suspect the real fear of allowing a foreign army to march through the capital would be its ability to seize power forcefully."

  "I had not thought about that," mused the merchant. "The Federation would be despicable enough to do it, too. Perhaps Queen Romani is not being as foolish as I thought."

  "And perhaps the motives of General Daramoor are not as pure as you thought, either," Garth pointed out.

  "You seem to have taken a bad view of the general," frowned Sidney. "I doubt that you would feel that way if you had the chance to meet him. Why are you so put off by him?"

  "When you were talking to him," Garth answered, "you were joined by a third man. Have you ever met him before?"

  "The priest?" asked Sidney. "No, I am not a religious man. General Daramoor introduced him as K'san, a most unusual name, but I have no occasion to talk with priests of any kind."

  "K'san is more than a mere priest," Kalina stated. "He is a mage of incredible strength and adept in magics that we do not understand. He is also a tool of those who will attack our homeland. I presume that is the Federation."

  "You have met him before?" gasped the merchant.

  "Yes and no," replied Kalina. "We have met several just like him. They are all called K'san. I think it is more of a title than a name, but you should avoid all contact with them. They are capable of controlling others with a mere thought, and their purpose appears to be to bring misery to the world."

  "And he appears to be quite familiar with General Daramoor," added Garth. "Perhaps that is why I suspect the general of evil intentions."

  "They did appear to be familiar with one another," stated Sidney, "but General Daramoor is familiar with most of the prominent citizens of Waxhaw. I would not read too much into that."

  As a white-clad servant arrived to take their order, Edmond arrived, still dusty from the trail. Sidney insisted that Edmond join the group and bathe later. The head warrior sighed from weariness and nodded silently. After the servant had departed, the conversation resumed.

  "All of the deliveries have been completed," Edmond reported. "The horses will be auctioned off tomorrow. What are your plans for securing a cargo out of here?"

  "I am not sure," admitted Sidney. "I am afraid that I have gotten sidetracked into politics this afternoon. The queen is ill, and I was not able to speak to her, but General Daramoor paints a grim picture of the situation at the Ramaldi Pass. Perhaps we will sit idle here for a week or so. The men could use a rest, and our last trip was profitable."

  "It would take us close to three weeks to reach the Ramaldi Pass," Edmond pointed out. "I assume that the situation will be cleared up by then. Why not take a cargo to Ertak or Candanar while all the other caravans sit idle?"

  "That is a large gamble," frowned Sidney. "Once we take a cargo, we are financially responsible for it. Such a loss could ruin us completely."

  "Even if the situation is not resolved," pressed Edmond, "the Vinafor army is stopping people from coming into Vinafor, not leaving it. We should be able to pass through."

  "It is unlike you to make such assumptions," frowned Sidney. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave Waxhaw?"

  "A number of reasons," stated Edmond. "There are so many merchants waiting for the situation to be resolved that the competition will be fierce once it does end. We will be lucky to find a cargo that we can carry for a profit."

  "There is truth in what you say," smiled Sidney. "You have learned well, but there is more written in your face than you have revealed."

  "There is," confessed Edmond. "There is a certain uneasiness in Waxhaw that is hard to put my finger on, and it is not just the Federation army at the pass. Maybe it has to do with the demise of Karamin, but the people here are afraid. It is as if a dark cloud has settled over the city, and everyone is afraid of his own shadow."

  "I have not seen anything like that here," replied Sidney.

  "From the servants?" laughed Edmond. "They are trained to smile and be courteous. I am talking about the real people of the city, the tradesmen, couriers, auctioneers, and others. The ordinary people of Waxhaw think too many bad things have happened recently and that it portends great evil."

  "Nonsense…" Sidney began, but Garth cut him off.

  "What bad things have happened?" he asked.

  "There have been accidents so numerous that it defies the imagination," answered Edmond. "Add to that the decision of Karamin to join the Federation, and the new religion in the city, and it seems to them that their world is falling apart."

  "Balmak?" Kalina asked.

  "Yes," Edmond replied with a look of astonishment. "You have heard of it?"

  "We have," nodded Garth. "The adherents are taught to publicly punish themselves for their lack of faith. What kind of accidents are we talking about?"

  "The accidents have not been so strange," Edmond replied. "It is the number of them that causes concern. It seems that every day someone dies from an unfortunate twist of fate. Today it was the First Minister. He fell off a balcony at the Royal Palace. Some say that he dove to his death on purpose."

  Silence fell over the group and Edmond stared in confusion. "What did I say?" he asked.

  "The queen is in danger," Natia said softly. "Is there anything that we can do?"

  "I know how to deal with one of the problems," snarled Tedi as he reached out and snared his black staff from where it rested against the wall beside him.

  "Hold on," cautioned Kalina. "We are in a strange country. We cannot charge off and stick our noses into the business of the Vinaforans. Besides, we would alert the Federation to our location. We cannot afford to do that. Our mission is to gather information."

  "Is this K'san truly capable of bringing that much support to General Daramoor?" asked Sidney.

  "He can bend people to his will with merely a thought," Kalina replied gravely. "General Daramoor could not have chosen a more powerful ally."

  "What are you all talking about?" asked Edmond.

  "Garth had a thought that General Daramoor has plans to seize control of Vinafor," answered Sidney. "I dismissed it as fantasy, but I now must apologize. Too many things are falling into place in a bizarre scheme to deliver Vinafor to the Federation. We suspect that General Daramoor is a puppet in the scheme, whether he knows it or not."

  "A puppet or a conspirator," shrugged Tedi. "It matters little in the end. The result will be the end of Vinafor."

  "We must not let this happen," Edmond stated adamantly. "Surely, there is something that we can do."

  "Like what?" asked Kalina. "Are you going to use your caravan warriors to storm the Royal Palace? Do not mistake the army of Vinafor for the bandits we engaged while they were sleeping. Any attack on the palace will bring the army crushing down on your heads, and what will it accomplish? It will o
nly provide an excuse for General Daramoor to bring in the Federation to save the country from anarchy, just as has been done in Karamin. There is nothing that can be done to save Vinafor from the Federation. It is too late."

  "Kalina is right," sighed Tedi as he placed his staff against the wall once more. "General Daramoor controls the Vinafor army, and the Federation army is already at the gates of the country. Either the general seizes control through his own army, or he invites the Federation in. Either way Vinafor is doomed."

  Both Mercado men sighed with resignation.

  "It may be too late to save the country," Garth declared, "but it is not too late to save the queen."

  "What do you mean?" Sidney asked hopefully.

  "Just what I said," Garth replied. "You said the queen was the perfect monarch. Should we allow her to die at the hands of traitors? Or should we save her for a day when brighter skies may prevail?"

  "Garth," Kalina warned with a deep frown, "think about what you are saying."

  "I have thought about it, Kalina," Garth replied. "Regardless of what we do here in Zara, war will be coming to our people. I am hopeful that somehow we will prevail in that war, and when we do, we will need good honest people to take the helm here in Zara. Queen Romani is capable of fulfilling that role and bringing some semblance of reason back into this land."

  "Alright," Kalina conceded with a nod, "but we must be careful. If we can spirit the queen out of the Royal Palace, what do we do with her? General Daramoor will shake the world trying to recover her."

  "Not if he finds her dead," grinned Sidney.

  "What are you thinking?" asked Garth.

  "Edmond," ordered the merchant, "go and get us loads out of the country, preferably to Ur, but anywhere except Karamin. Return as soon as you are done. I have another task for you."

  Edmond dutifully rose and departed.

  "I know the layout of the palace well," declared Sidney, "but that can wait until later. I am thinking more of what to do with the queen once we have her. It is clear that she cannot remain in Vinafor, so we must smuggle her out of the country to my estate in Ur."

  "The soldiers will be searching any wagon leaving the city," warned Natia.

  "Of course they will," grinned the merchant, "which is why we will spread the rumor that the pass is open later today. All of those caravans that you saw lining the road outside the city will be scrambling to get loads, and they will be on the road first thing in the morning, if not sooner."

  "So you hope to overwhelm the soldiers with the sheer number of wagons to search?" asked Tedi.

  "That is part of the plan," nodded Sidney, "but there is more. We will purchase clothes for the queen today, and I will have my men locate the grave of a recently deceased woman. We will dress the corpse in the queen's garb and bury the body alongside the road on our way up the Lombardi Road. Eventually we will ensure that the soldiers find the grave, and the search for the queen will be over."

  "Very clever," Garth said, "but we have to get to that point first. Whatever plan we come up with for rescuing the queen, I would like to do it such a fashion as to not announce our presence in Waxhaw. That will mean no death for the K'san," he declared as he made eye contact with Tedi.

  "And as little magic as possible," Kalina added in agreement. "How do you propose to enter the Royal Palace?"

  "If we can borrow a couple of men from Sidney," Garth answered, "I am thinking of impersonating Vinafor soldiers. In fact, I think I will be an officer sent from the front. Perhaps with a four man escort. Tedi will be one of my escorts."

  "You can have anyone that is willing to follow you," replied the merchant. "I will procure uniforms for you, and I could get some actual soldiers to help out."

  "We cannot risk using real soldiers," replied Garth. "It is too risky with a K'san around. Soldiers have been known to be under the control of a K'san without being aware of it, but there is something real soldiers could do. We need to draw General Daramoor out of the palace. I do not want him to stumble upon our scheme. Is that something that you could arrange?"

  "I am not sure," answered Sidney, "but I have a few ideas. Let me think about it for a while."

  Chapter 22

  Date with a Queen

  General Daramoor pulled on white gloves and smoothed his uniform. Taking a look at himself in the full-length mirror, he nodded in appreciation of his reflection. Almost as an afterthought, he strapped on a ceremonial saber and looked again. A thin smile spread across his lips, and he turned abruptly and marched out of the room. As the general moved along the corridor to the main entrance of the Royal Palace, a short man with rodent-like features stepped out before him. The man's beady eyes widened at the ceremonial dress of the general, and his thin, whisker-like mustache vibrated as he scrunched up his nose.

  "Is there a function that I have not been made aware of?" asked the Queen's Advisor.

  "It is just one of those annual parties, Faldor," General Daramoor replied coolly. "Lady Ferini sent an invitation only an hour ago."

  "Lady Ferini?" echoed the small man. "This is not the normal season for her party. It shouldn't be for months yet."

  "Well it is tonight," retorted the general, "and I don't have time to stand here and talk about it with you."

  "Why wasn't I invited?" asked the Queen's Advisor. "I am always invited to such events."

  "I haven't the foggiest idea," scowled the general. "Perhaps it is because you are caring for the ill queen. Do not be such a bore by complaining about it."

  The general turned and marched towards the entrance. The advisor glared at the general's back as he passed through the doors. He knew that Lady Ferini's party would be a gathering of the wealthiest and most prominent citizens of Vinafor, and he had not been invited. It was with more than a dash of suspicion that he believed that the general had intercepted his invitation to the party so that Daramoor would be the center of attention. He turned and raced to his office, but there was no invitation to be found.

  Outside the Royal Palace, General Daramoor informed the guards of his destination and of his desire not to be bothered for the evening.

  "Only the greatest of emergencies should prompt you to drag me from this event," the general instructed the guards. "Anything less and you will have your own personal emergency. Is that clear?"

  "Perfectly clear," the guards said in unison.

  General Daramoor smirked as he strode away from the Royal Palace. He always enjoyed expressing his authority and soon his authority would be much greater than it had ever been. He knew that the invitation to Lady Ferini's party could not have come at a more opportune time. By the end of the evening, he would have all the support he needed to assume the throne when the queen suddenly died.

  Less than an hour later, five uniformed riders rode through the streets of Waxhaw and halted before the main entrance of the Royal Palace. Four soldiers immediately dismounted and one of them held the reins of a general's horse as the officer dismounted.

  "Is General Daramoor still awake?" asked the officer.

  "He is not in the palace this evening," replied one of the guards.

  "Where is he?" the officer demanded to know.

  "He is not to be disturbed," replied the guard. "Whatever the matter is, it will have to wait until morning."

  "You insolent dog!" shouted the officer. "Do you know who you are addressing?"

  Both guards stepped back a pace at the officer's outburst, but only one of them found his voice to reply.

  "I am sorry," apologized the guard, "but I do not know you."

  "I am General Blackmoor," snarled the officer, "and I am in charge of our forces at Ramaldi Pass. I demand to speak to General Daramoor immediately."

  "He left explicit instructions not to be disturbed," the guard replied meekly. "Only the greatest emergency should interrupt his evening."

  "And what would you call the reopening of Ramaldi Pass?" spat the general. "We just turned the Federation dogs and made them flee. Where is General Da
ramoor?"

  The guards' eyes widened at the news. Everyone knew that the Federation army would crush the army of Vinafor, but that had proven to be false. It was a cause for celebration indeed.

  "He is attending a party given by Lady Ferini," answered the guard, "but we do not dare interrupt him. His instructions were explicit."

  General Blackmoor softened his expression and actually smiled thinly. "I understand now," he said softly. "Daramoor would certainly not want to be dragged from such an event. I will go to the party and speak to him in private so he does not have to leave."

  "Thank you, General," the guard sighed with relief.

  "Tie our horses to the fence," the general instructed one of his men. "We can walk to the party from here."

  One of the general's escorts tied the horses to the fence as the general strode off down the street with his other three escorts. With the general out of sight, the soldier stood with the gate guards. For a long time no one spoke, but one of the guards eventually summoned the courage to ask the question.

  "Is it true?" one of the guards finally asked the soldier.

  "Aye, it's true," the soldier grinned. "They turned their tails and headed back east where they belong. General Blackmoor led them to believe that we would invade Ertak if they remained obstinate."

  "Invade Ertak?" gasped one of the guards. "The queen would never allow that."

  "The Federation didn't know that," laughed the escort. "You should have seen those Federation dogs turn tail and run. It was a most pleasing sight."

  "I can imagine," said the other guard. "All week the rumors were flying around the city about how we were about to be in a war. No one has wanted to go up against the likes of the Federation. What was it like facing them off?"

  "It was tense," the escort admitted. "At times we all thought we would die, but General Blackmoor doesn't stand for cowardice or insubordination. He would send men out on patrol behind the enemy lines and expect a full report from them. Two men made fatal mistakes during that time. One man lost his courage and tried to file a false report, and another refused to go."