"And they have left us in the position of attacking a religion to retaliate," frowned General Gregor. "Such attacks are sure to alienate even more of the citizenry."
"Exactly," agreed Alex, "and the followers of Balmak will grow as we move to crush the priests."
"How does this tie into the assassinations of the sailors?" asked Tanya.
"I am not sure," Alex admitted, "but it must. According to what I have learned, the inquiries regarding that voyage began two years ago, the same time that the religion of Balmak began making its appearance. I fear it might be an attempt to learn who the Knights of Alcea are so that they can be eliminated, but that is only a guess."
"Removing the Knights of Alcea would a terrible blow to the kingdom," sighed Lord Markel. "It makes sense."
"And shows that a great deal of planning has gone into this operation," added Lord Clava. "What can we do about it?"
"We must crush our enemies," declared Alex. "We are being led to believe that we are facing a rebellion, and we have been behaving as if it was one. Now that we understand the true nature of the attack, our direction is clearer. We must find this hidden army, and we must destroy the religion of Balmak."
"But you have already pointed out," interjected Fredrik, "that attacking the religion will further degrade our position. I do not understand."
"If we try to publicly close down the temples of Balmak," explained Alex, "we run the risk of doing more harm than good, but there are ways other than a public assault to defeat an enemy."
"Like what?" asked Lord Markel.
"Our first step is to understand as much as we can about this new religion," stated Alex. "Once we understand what type of response is expected of us, we will devise strategies that will surprise and confuse our enemies."
"I think I am going to enjoy this meeting," grinned Prince Oscar. "Welcome home, Alexander Tork."
Chapter 15
Dani
As King Arik and his advisors continued debating the troubles plaguing Alcea, Tanya slipped out of the library. She returned a short while later with Jenneva. Jenneva glared at Alexander for a moment, but he merely shrugged innocently and smiled in return. Eventually, the hard lines of Jenneva's face disappeared and she smiled as she shook her head.
"You are incorrigible, Alexander Tork," she said humorously.
"That I am, mage," he chuckled. "I am glad you are here. We need your wise counsel."
"Bin-lu has reported that K'san is a mage, as well as being almost indestructible physically," King Arik said as he steered the conversation back to the problem at hand. "We will need powerful mages to fight against such people."
"The priests are not the only mages in the Balmak temples," interjected Zack Nolan. "The temple here in Tagaret has a couple of black-cloaked mages who appear to direct the temple staff. I have heard it is the same in the other temples."
"That matches with the report from Bin-lu," nodded the king.
"Could the priests be using a physical shield?" asked Tanya. "Is that what makes them indestructible?"
"I would guess not," Arik shook his head. "Bin-lu has traveled enough with mages to know the characteristics of a physical shield. He indicated that it was more like attacking a stone statue than a man. Had it not been for Tedi's staff, they might not have been able to kill K'san."
"What is our goal here?" asked Jenneva as she grew interested in the conversation, her curiosity piqued by the talk of strange magics.
"We seek a way to crush the Temples of Balmak without appearing to do so," replied Alex.
"We cannot be seen as openly attacking the priests," agreed King Arik.
"How many temples are there?" asked Jenneva.
"We are not sure," admitted the king, "but most of them are in Lanoir. There is one in Kantor and one here in Tagaret. Trekum is the only one we know of in Sordoa, but Lanoir has at least six of them."
"We dare not practice our methods on the one in Tagaret," suggested Jenneva. "We will save the local one for after we have developed a strategy that works. Where are the ones in Lanoir? Is there one in a small city?"
"They are mostly along the west coast of Lanoir," answered the king. "Ongchi and Marchek are the largest, but Pia, Tanek, Maygor, Sulor, and Elmor each have a temple."
"Why only on the west coast of Lanoir?" puzzled Lord Markel. "Trekum and Tagaret are not on the west coast."
"Sordoa has no west coast to speak of," replied General Gregor. "The Great Sordoan Desert stretches right up to the Targa Sea."
"And someone did try to set up a temple in Dalek," interjected Prince Oscar, "but I own all of the land in that city. Reese did not see any benefit to a temple for an unknown god and sent the priests on their way."
"How long ago was that?" asked Alex.
"About two years ago," frowned Prince Oscar. "I thought nothing of it at the time."
"That fits the timing of the start of all the troubles," nodded Alex. "I think we are witnessing the very beginning of a serious plan. I suspect that the Temples of Balmak will spread eastward until every sizeable city in Alcea has one."
"Bin-lu reported that the temple in Chi-Chan was established fairly recently," stated the king as he nodded in agreement, "and our own in Tagaret is also new."
"The temples are usually well established before a real priest arrives to fill it," commented Zack Nolan. "Temporary priests give sermons that are rather bland but encouraging to the poor and destitute. When the real priest arrives, the preaching turns much angrier. We are about to witness that transformation in Tagaret."
"Things have gotten rather nasty in Trekum," added General Gregor. "In addition to preaching hatred of the elves and dwarves, the priest has instructed the followers to whip themselves for their supposed transgressions. Many worshippers have had to be carried out of the temple because they were incapable of leaving by themselves."
"That is sick," remarked Jenneva. "What were their crimes to deserve such punishment?"
"Failing to believe that Balmak will deliver the world into paradise," answered King Arik. "I do not understand exactly what that means, but we must strive to understand it."
"It is crucial to understand our enemy," agreed Alex. "Only then can we be assured of victory. Have we been able to infiltrate any temples?"
"Not the one in Tagaret," answered the king. "Nor the one in Trekum, but Bin-lu seems to be doing well in Ongchi. I have asked him to get as much inside information as possible. He seems to have gotten much further along than even the Spiders."
"I am not surprised," grinned Zack Nolan. "Bin-lu is a natural for such work. He will succeed where an army would fail."
Alex looked at the head spy of Alcea and nodded glumly. "I certainly hope so," he said. "I would not want to lose Bin-lu. He has other talents that might be needed. Each and every Knight of Alcea will be called upon in the near future. We cannot afford to lose them now."
"I want to listen to one of these priests talk," Jenneva declared, as the mood in the room grew somber in contemplation of Bin-lu's death. "It might spur an idea of how to attack the temples."
"You are too well known in Tagaret," Tanya shook her head. "It would not be safe. Remember that it only takes a knife from a crazed follower to thwart your magic. You would be surrounded by such people inside the temple."
"I agree with Jenneva," Alex said unexpectedly. "I would also like to hear K'san preach. Plus, a chance to see the layout of the temple would not hurt."
"You are both crazy!" objected Tanya. "You cannot just walk into the den of your enemy and expect to leave when you want to. Did you not hear that the Spiders are losing men to these temples?"
"Maybe one of the smaller temples in Lanoir?" suggested Prince Oscar., pointedly ignoring Tanya's objection. "There would be less chance of anyone recognizing you there."
"Pia," Jenneva replied. "Pia is mostly an agricultural city and seaport. As such, few of Emperor Hanchi's men were from that area. I doubt any of them would recognize Alex or me. Besides, we can use disguise
s if we need to."
"Let us break for the midday meal," Queen Tanya abruptly suggested. "We can continue this discussion afterwards."
King Arik glanced questioningly at his queen, but Tanya ignored him. With a sigh of frustration, the king nodded his agreement, and people started to file out of the library. When all were gone except the royal couple and Tanya's parents, the king closed the door.
"What is going on?" he demanded. "Why did you cut short the meeting?"
"To talk us out of going to Pia," answered Jenneva. "She prefers that we stay in Atar's Cove where we will be safe and ignorant of the troubles plaguing Alcea."
"And what is wrong with that?" Tanya retorted. "It is one thing to have your sage advice on these problems, but it is quite another when you start charging off into the face of danger."
Alexander reached out and placed his hands on Tanya's shoulders. As he smiled thinly and gazed into his daughter's eyes, he spoke in a voice so soft that it was barely a whisper.
"You can't protect us from ourselves, Tanya," Alex said, "and we are incapable of ignoring the plight of Alcea. I know you wish for your mother and me to remain safe in Atar's Cove, but you are wise enough to understand that would go against all we have ever stood for. Neither Jenneva nor I could ever enjoy a life of solitude knowing that we could have made a difference, but refused to respond in a time of trouble."
"You could have remained ignorant of our troubles," Tanya protested as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I never should have gone to Atar's Cove."
Alex pulled Tanya close and held her comfortingly. "How could we remain safe in Atar's Cove when all that we love is in danger?" Alex asked rhetorically. "Years ago when the Children of the Collapse were freshly drawn to Jenneva and me, we talked about the threat of evil. As I said then, all it takes for evil to prevail…"
"Is for good men and women to do nothing to stop it," Tanya completed the sentence. "I understand, truly I do, but I do not have to like it."
"None of us likes it," Jenneva interjected, "but each of us is bound to heed the call to duty. Accept the rightness of it, as your father and I have done. The four of us must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the people we have been put in care of."
"But the people of Alcea are in the care of Arik and me," Tanya frowned as she broke Alex's embrace. "Why must you be endangered?"
"The Mage gave each of us the Elixir of Life," Jenneva countered. "While you and Arik may be the rulers of Alcea, I have to believe that the Mage bestowed such magic upon all of us to do his bidding when it was required. Don't you agree?"
The room remained silent while Tanya wiped her tears and gazed at her parents. Eventually, she nodded in agreement.
"As always," Tanya managed a slight smile, "you are correct. The Mage has set us up as guardians of all that is good in the world. Whether it turns out to be a curse or a blessing, we all must respond to the dangers of evil. I am sorry for my behavior."
"You need not apologize for your love of us," Alex smiled. "We will all get through this somehow, and your mother and I will retire once again. In the meantime, have faith in our abilities. We will not throw our lives away."
* * *
The elven tracker crouched on a hill overlooking the Cordonian town of Dani. He studied the tracks carefully while the others waited in the dense forest a short distance away. The elf gazed at the Cordonian town for a long time before rising and returning to the rest of his group.
"What did you find?" asked Prince Garong.
"Dielderal tracks," answered the tracker. "I am sure of it, and they are fairly fresh. I would estimate that a Dielderal raiding party was at this very spot early this morning."
"Which way did they go?" asked Karl Gree.
"They scattered," answered the tracker. "They went in every direction except one."
"Towards Dani?" posed the elven prince.
"Correct," nodded the tracker. "They obviously were up here to watch the town. I suspect that they plan to attack it soon."
"Wouldn't they stay here and watch it then?" asked Karl. "Why scatter before attacking?"
"The Dielderal will attack from all sides at once," explained Prince Garong. "They do not want anyone escaping. I would expect them to attack at dawn."
"We must alert the town," the human hunter said with a sense if urgency. "We must get those people out of there."
"It is too late for that," Prince Garong responded. "If they see the people fleeing the town, the dark elves will kill them as they try to escape."
"I will not stand by and do nothing," retorted Karl.
The elven prince turned and faced the human hunter. He shook his head with obvious disappointment, but then he smiled at Karl.
"You have learned much about the elves since Valon joined you to us," the prince said softly. "Your stealth, and accuracy with a bow, are exemplary for a human, but you are not yet an elf."
Karl frowned at the elven prince. He understood that Prince Garong had just paid him a tremendous compliment, but something else was implied, and he had not understood it.
"What would an elf do in such a situation?" Karl eventually asked.
"Kill the enemy," smiled Prince Garong. "Is that not what we have tracked the Dielderal to do?"
"But they are scattered all over the place," Karl sighed with frustration. "We dare not even leave the concealment of the forest else they discover that we are here. If we attack a small group of them, the others will be alerted to our presence."
"You are learning," smiled the elven prince. "To kill them all, we need them all together. You are a hunter. How would you snare the entire flock?"
"Lure them into an ambush," Karl replied immediately, "but I do not think the Dielderal wish to engage other elves. It is humans they seek to massacre. The Dielderal will flee rather than fight. Besides, we have nothing to lure them with."
"Oh, but we do," replied Prince Garong. "In fact, the trap has already been set unwittingly by the Dielderal themselves."
"Dani?" gasped Karl. "You are going to use the humans as bait? Is that why you don't want the townspeople alerted?"
"Yes and no," Prince Garong replied. "If the humans try to flee Dani, they will be massacred, and we will not be able to save all of them. There is a solution, though. It will depend upon how persuasive you can be in dealing with the humans of Dani."
"What do you want me to do?" asked Karl.
* * *
The night was young, but a small sliver of the moon was already descending towards the horizon as Karl Gree exited the forest. He led his horse to the edge of the hill and gazed down into the valley. In the distance, the town of Dani was alive with flickering lights, but those lights would be extinguished in an hour or so as the people went to bed. Knowing there was little time to waste, Karl mounted his horse and started riding down a trail into the valley.
The hunter could not shake the feeling that a hundred Dielderal eyes were following his progress. He did not care much for the feeling of being the prey of other hunters, but his visible journey had two goals. One was to reach the town, but the other was to ensure that no Dielderal elves were between Dani and the group of Elderal elves. Karl's eyes scanned both sides of the trail, and he kept his ears tuned to the sounds of the night. He tried to act calm and peaceful, but his nerves were on fire. Despite Prince Garong's assurances that the Dielderal would not give away their presence to kill a lone hunter, he knew that at any minute, he might feel an arrow pierce his body.
Karl fought the urge to race into Dani. Instead, he rode at a measured pace, as if he were just returning from a long day of hunting. The hunter entered the town and headed straight for the inn. The common room held a few local men seated around a table. The rest of the room was empty. The innkeeper responded to the sound of the door opening. The old man looked questioningly at Karl when the newcomer made no move towards a table.
"You need a room?" asked the innkeeper.
"I need to see the town leader," Karl replied softly.
"Then I suspect you will need a room," chuckled the innkeeper. "Mayor Panas is probably already tucked in for the night."
"It is quite urgent that I speak to him tonight," countered Karl. "Can you direct me to his home?"
The locals in the common room sensed the tone of the conversation and their talk halted suddenly. Each of the men turned to stare at Karl. The innkeeper grew quiet as he stepped back and started appraising the stranger. Karl felt eyes inspecting his clothes and the bow in his hand. It was not a warm feeling of welcome. A pall of silence filled the room until the innkeeper finally spoke again.
"Panas doesn't like visitors at his home," the innkeeper declared. "You have two choices. Get a room for the night and see him in the morning, or keep riding along the trail that brought you into town. The choice is yours."
Karl stared at the innkeeper and then glanced at the locals. Everyone appeared tense and ready for a fight. Karl knew that he had to recover quickly, or Dani wouldn't exist in the morning. He glared at the innkeeper as he steeled himself into a state of arrogance.
"Your choices are unacceptable," Karl scowled. "When King Arik gives me a mission to accomplish, I am not put off by innkeepers deciding my schedule. Either direct me to the mayor's house, or send someone to fetch him immediately. I have a great deal to accomplish before the sun rises."
The innkeeper took another step backwards, his eyes filled with doubt and uncertainty.
"What are you a Knight of Alcea?" asked one of the locals. "I don't see no sword."
"He looks like a Cordonian hunter to me," whispered another local.
"A Knight of Alcea will be here before morning," replied Karl. "I have been sent to make sure that Dani receives him properly. Mark my words. If I do not speak to Mayor Panas now, he will not be the mayor in the morning."
The innkeeper's mouth fell open at the implied threat, and the locals began whispering among themselves. Karl's nerves felt as if they were about to burst out of his body, but he could do nothing but wait for a reply. One of the locals walked to the far end of the common room and placed a copper coin on edge on the mantel over the fireplace.
Knights of Alcea Page 19
