The Caravan Road

by Jeffrey Quyle

  “Say nothing. Put a pair of guards at the door, and tell the guards the Lady Salem is within. Let no one in or out of the room. I’ll sneak out, go find and slay Trayma and Bened, then come back. Their forces will dissolve in chaos, convinced that the Lady Salem has personally wrought vengeance on them. I’ll come back here, and the Lady Salem can come out of her room. Everyone here will swear that she never left, while those in the palace will swear she was the person who slew her enemies. She’ll be seen as a figure of extraordinary abilities, not to be taken lightly,” Alec felt gleeful joy at the plan he had devised.

  “The first question is, how are you going to get out of here as the Marchioness without being seen?” Filpon asked.

  In response, Alec made himself invisible, bringing a smile to Salem’s face.

  “I’m still here,” Alec said. “For now.”

  “My lord,” Salem spoke. “I thank you for this charade you’re carrying out on my behalf. And I would caution you to speak little in your natural voice.”

  “Thank you, my lady,” Alec felt himself grin. “General, would you open the door, make sure the guards see the Lady in the room as we leave, and then wait for me to bring back some word of success?”

  “It’s as simple as that?” Filpon asked.

  “It’s as simple as that, for you,” Alec said.

  Filpon looked at Salem, who nodded assent. “Good luck, Alec,” she said softly.

  The door opened, and Alec slipped out, as Filpon called the guards into the room, explaining that Alec had climbed out through the small window that was set high in the wall. Alec continued on his own path, past the guard contingent in the practice room and then out into the open space between the armory and the palace proper. As he began to stalk towards a door of the palace, he realized that he had not bothered to ask where he could find Bened.

  He knew where Trayma was however, settling the question of which he would go to first. He felt a sudden burst of frustration and anger, which drove him to burst through a door in the palace, startling the guards who had served a desultory watch duty at the door. Alec ran past them unseen, as the pair of men drew their swords and stared at the broken door before them.

  Alec ran on, through the storage rooms and back halls of the rear of the palace, past guards who heard light footsteps but saw nothing, then upstairs to the second floor, where crude barricades indicated the demarcation between Trayma’s lines and Bened’s. Alec carefully engaged his Spirit powers in addition to his Light powers, then added his Air powers and lifted himself above the barricades and the guards on either side. He landed and climbed the steps to the third floor, where many guards stood and sat and paced.

  It was time, Alec thought, and he steeled himself for what he was about to do. He released his Light powers, and suddenly appeared from nowhere before the guards who protected Trayma. He regretted that he hadn’t asked Salem for her dress, to complete the illusion, but knew the act was too far gone to regret anything now.

  “Lady Salem?” a guard asked in astonishment. “Weren’t you banished from Woven? Why are you here?” he questioned.

  Alec slashed his sword across the man’s throat, then sliced the chest of a guard nearby on his backswing. He walked forward steadily, his Warrior powers engaged, determined to build the legend of the vengeful Lady Salem. Men were rousing themselves from their astonishment at the appearance and murderous actions of the Lady who was mowing down a bloody crop of guards as she approached Trayma’s chambers.

  Guards came at her without reluctance as they saw her stabbing and overcoming their fellows, but she disabled or dealt death to them without suffering any injury or delay. “Trayma,” Alec called, in the most feminine voice he could muster. “Revenge!” he shouted, and he burst through the door of Trayma’s chambers.

  Two archers fired arrows simultaneously at Alec as he stepped into the sitting room of Trayma’s chambers. Alec deflected one arrow with his sword, and slapped away the other arrow with his open right hand. The guards in the room gaped in astonishment at the feat, and Alec ran at the archers, knocking them aside and stamping on their bows, snapping them.

  Alec stepped into the bedchamber, where Trayma stood in a corner, with three guards standing before him, their blades drawn as a last line of defense.

  “Are you another ghost? Salem, I’ve seen Coden; he’s haunted me, Salem. Don’t hurt us, Salem,” he screamed.

  Alec stepped forward and swung his blade in an intricate weave, knocking the blades out of the hands of two guards and slicing through the thigh of the third, as he darted between the trio and raised his sword above Trayma, who stared up in open-mouthed, weak-minded fatalism. Alec’s sword fell and pierced Trayma’s chest, slipping between the ribs and violently stabbing Trayma’s heart.

  Alec turned, and saw that more men had entered the room and seen the fatal blow struck. He pulled the blade from Trayma’s chest, and stood triumphant for a long moment, allowing the men to register the image of Lady Salem standing over her dead rival’s body, and then he engaged his Light powers, created a bright blast of light, and disappeared from view.

  The men in the room shouted in fear, while Alec silently and invisibly slipped between them and walked out of the bedroom suite. “Footprints! Bloody footprints! She’s coming this way!” someone in the hallway screamed, and men scrambled to hide in rooms and doorways as Alec left the scene of the chaos and death he had set out to create. The hallway was empty of all those who could escape, letting him stroll carelessly towards the stairwell.

  At the bottom of the stairs he faced the barricade that he had hurdled before. The guards on the far side had to be curious about the screams that had rang through the marble halls above, he was sure. He was about to answered their curiosity, he hoped without too many needless deaths taking place.

  He made himself, as the figure of the Lady Salem, visible once again, then used his Light energy to focus his intense beam of light upon the solid wooden furniture that had been pressed into hasty use as a wall, causing the timber to blaze forth in glorious flames. There were startled oaths from the far side of the flames, while Alec released his Light energy, then embraced the Air power, raising a breeze that pulled the air from behind him into a growing gale-force wind that whipped at the barricade, fanning the flames madly, stretching them through the barricade and into the portion of the palace controlled by Bened’s forces.

  The guards across the way hurriedly backed away from the fire, and then from the burning portions of the barricade that were tumbling loose as Alec’s wind blew open a passage for him. He stood there watching the flames, transfixed by the sight, noting the strange feel of his long feminine hair that floated about his face, reminding him of the identity he wore. He felt a strange sense of jealousy for a moment, then shook his head at the feeling, and dropped his Air powers so that he could pass through the breach in Bened’s boundary.

  Men were backed away from the fire, but gathered together in substantial numbers watching it from the far side as Alec stepped through the fire and emerged from the smoke, looking like a grim avenging angel to the observers.

  “Lady Salem!” a man exclaimed in the same astonished tones that the first of Trayma’s guards had used, a tone that conveyed no threat, nor any fear, only astonishment at such an unexpected apparition.

  Alec walked forward. “Where is Bened?” he asked in the high, soft tone he had used before, upstairs. “I am here for revenge!” he said, then he started swinging his sword while he was still several feet away from any guard member.

  Three of the guards approached cautiously, and Alec turned towards them, rapidly and deliberately disarming then, then smacking them each with the flat of his blade and knocking them to the ground. He picked one of them up, and pulled the man’s arms roughly behind his body, making the suddenly captive guard a shield and a hostage.

  Tell me where Bened is, Alec projected his order.

  The man screamed. “She’s in my head! Her voice is inside my head!”


  Disgusted, Alec pushed the man roughly to the ground and picked up another. We’re going to Bened. Lead the way, Alec projected his voice again. He gave the man a shove, and followed closely behind with his sword point at the back of his guide.

  “She told me to lead her to Bened,” the man was nearly sobbing in fear. Another guard nearby jumped suddenly at Alec, only to find that the Lady Salem swung her sword with impossible speed and pierced his stomach, then whipped the bloody blade back against her hostage, and kept moving on. They walked steadily forward, then around a corner, and three men shots arrows at them as they entered the new passageway.

  Two of the arrows struck Alec’s guide in the chest and dropped him, as the third flew harmlessly past. The three men shot again as Alec continued to walk towards them. Alec blocked all three arrows with his sword, and the archers dropped their bows and ran. Alec stooped to pick up one bow, then emptied the arrows from all three of the abandoned quivers into a single, crowded quiver, and followed after the men. He went down another set of stairs to the ground floor, where he saw a rank of archers all kneeling with bows pulled tight, pointed at him.

  “Shoot!” someone called out, and multiple arrows whizzed through the air at him. Alec turned sideways and blocked as many as he could, but felt a stroke of pain, as one arrow hit him solidly in the lower thigh. He raised his head, dropped his sword, then pulled arrow after arrow from his quiver and began firing as rapidly as he could at the archers down the hallway, hitting each, and picking off their officers rapidly, until the survivors dove out of sight, finding protection in doorways, behind furniture or by leaving the scene completely. Alec half lowered his bow, trying to decide what to do next.

  “What’s this malarkey about the Lady Salem destroying my forces?” A loud, skeptical voice asked. A man appeared, standing belligerently and confidently in the hallway.

  My word, it is the Lady Salem!” he said in astonishment, his face turning white, He began to bolt for safety, but Alec raised his bow and fired three arrows, one through each leg and one in the man’s right shoulder, dropping him to the ground.

  Alec stood still, listening to the man whimper. He still felt the pressure of the arrowhead in his own leg. There were noises behind him, but not nearby, and he could faintly hear some type of ruckus outside the palace. He needed to put an end to Bened, he decided, first and foremost. “Bened! This is revenge,” he called again in his falsetto voice, then fired another arrow that penetrated the chest of the man who lay on the floor, killing him.

  His mission complete, Alec dropped his bow and arrow. He painfully dragged his leg as he walked the length of the hall and reached the bodies of the archers that were strewn there, then sat gingerly on the floor. He looked at the arrow that stuck from his leg before he reached over to a dead archer and plucked a knife from the man’s belt. He worked the knife into his leg, moaning and gasping as he did, and flicked the head of the arrow out of his flesh, then dropped the knife and sat back in pain.

  His energies were nearly exhausted, consumed by his efforts and wound. If he healed his leg, he didn’t think he would have the energy to restore his body to his male self immediately, and the same limitation held true in his mind if he restored his physical identity – he didn’t think he’d be able to heal his leg until he rested.

  He tore a strip of cloth from the uniform of a dead guardsman, and wrapped it repeatedly around his leg, He stood stiffly, and wandered from the deserted hallway into an empty room, feeling a sudden sense of both unease and of something positive, something that was unidentifiable but that felt like the approaching completion of some quest.

  Alec heard a noise outside the window of the room he sat in, a room with a large desk and four chairs, one of which he occupied. He raised himself with pain and caution to look out the window, and saw Andi outside, scuffling madly with four guards; she was disarmed and on the ground, but flailing, kicking and punching so effectively as to prevent them from pinning her.

  He stood in alarm and picked up a chair, which he threw through the glass window of his palace room, startling everyone and distracting the guards attention from Andi. She took advantage of their moment of weakened attention and broke free from them, then ran directly towards the window.

  Alec, is it you? she called.

  It’s me, he replied with a grim smile. Come in here!

  She climbed up over the window frame, cutting her hands on the broken glass in the process, then rolled into the room and stood. She looked about, wild-eyed, the sound of pursuers just outside the window and coming down the hallway outside the door, looked around, and saw the Lady Salem standing against a wall, looking at her with a strange look on her face.

  “But Alec’s here! I feel him; where is he?” she asked.

  It’s me Andi. Come here, quickly, he replied telepathically.

  Alec? she asked and ran over to him, noting the bandaged leg and the haggard look on Salem’s face.

  We’re invisible now, he told her as he threw up a shield of reflected light with the last of the energy he could muster, while she reached out a hand to touch his face carefully. There came the sound of men entering the room behind her, and she turned to see the men looking in bewilderment at the impossibly empty space.

  What have you done? she asked. It really is you, Alec, I can feel it. The guards left the room and went searching elsewhere.

  He slowly slid down the wall, and sat on the floor, his legs stretched out before him, having pulled her down with him. You are giving me energy, he said. He dropped the invisibility that he had thrown up around them, reached for Andi’s hand, and drew energy from her, then used that energy in turn to pull a steady stream of Healer power from the energy realm.

  Andi sat on the floor and watched with astonishment as Alec’s features contorted and changed gently over the next minute. He sat with his eyes closed as he restored his own physical identity. He completed his efforts, and gave a slight smile, then Andi felt her own body thrill to the feel of his healing power as he absorbed more energy from her, then sent a stream of Healing energy back into her, soothing away the scrapes and cuts she had received in her struggles. Seconds later the energy ceased.

  Lean back against me, Alec requested, and Andi snuggled over against his body, both of then sitting silently in the empty office as the spring air gently moved in through the broken window, while they both took comfort in the physical contact with one another.

  What have you been doing? Andi asked after a few short minutes of silence.

  I’ve just murdered the two potential contenders for the title of marquis, Alec told her. I made myself look like Salem so that she would receive the credit for the acts, he explained. I felt your feelings at times while I was here, although I didn’t realize at the time what I was experiencing.

  I felt yours too, she replied. You should not have come without me, she repeated the topic that had begun their quarrel earlier, but she said it without malice. I feel like I have to be with you.

  I understand, Alec answered. I think we perhaps need to stay with one another now, while I try to understand what we are.

  There were voices in the hallway outside the room, and Andi felt Alec re-engage his Light energy to render them invisible once again. How long shall we stay here? Andi asked, sensing Alec’s weariness. Would you like to go someplace to rest?

  Soon, he barely expressed the thought. Give me one more moment, then we need to go back to where Salem’s forces are, and let them know Trayma and Bened are slain.

  The footsteps in the hallway went past their doorway without anyone looking into the office. Let’s go, Alec said. He released the power, and they stood together, then walked away, still holding hands, each of them taking comfort in the physical contact.

  “Salem and her forces are in an armory at the rear of the palace grounds,” Alec said. “We should go this way,” he led her though the hallways and rooms, storage places and work rooms that were in their path, some of them untouched by the troubles at the pal
ace, many of them showing signs of having been looted or fought in. Twice they met other men, men who were frightened or leery of any contact with others in the bewildering, conflict-torn palace.

  “We are supporters of the Lady Salem,” Alec announced each time. “The battle is over, and she is the victor. She is restored as ruler of the city. We are only here to look, not to fight,” he said, and each time the men put their weapons down and let the pair pass by unmolested.

  “It was a frightening sight for the men, to see a noble woman stalk through them, fighting and defeating them as though she were an unstoppable force,” Alec explained. “We need to go bring Salem and her forces into the palace now to take control of the situation immediately, while no one has any will power to stand against her.”

  “And then what?” Andi asked.

  “And then we rest,” he hedged.

  “And what comes after that?” she pushed.

  “Let us wait to see,” he told her, and sensed that she could tell he was trying to evade an answer. “I want to continue on my path to set Kriste free,” he admitted. “I need a little time to feel how this relationship with you works and evolves. We may need to stay together, to travel together,” he told her, admitting what he knew she needed for him to say aloud.

  They passed through the last doorway and stood in the courtyard, facing the armory, where several men stood armed at the entrance.

  “We will stay together,” Andi told him emphatically. “I feel the need.”

  “Where have you been?” one of the men asked as Alec and Andi approached the entry; Alec recognized him as one of his sparring partners from earlier in the day, and was likewise recognized. “We’ve been inside the palace, checking the situation,” Alec replied. “Is Major Bray or General Filpon available?”

  They were led without comment to an office where the two officers and a handful more sat together, just outside the room where Salem sat. “The palace is open and without a leader,” Alec told the room. “Both Trayma and Bened are dead, rumored to have been killed by the Lady Salem herself,” he addressed them. “Send your men in now and secure it, while the opportunity exists,” he advised over the rising noise of exclamations.