"The Knights of Alcea," scowled Wu-kang. "They are the only group who could strike the unassailable."
"Who are they?" questioned the priest. "Where can they be found?"
"You do not know of the Knights of Alcea?" Wu-kang asked with surprise.
"Would I ask if I knew?" snapped K'san.
"I am sorry," apologized Wu-kang. "The Knights of Alcea are a small group of people with amazing talents. They are headed by King Arik and Queen Tanya. They include both wizards and warriors. It is said that King Arik chose the best of all the races to serve as the Knights of Alcea. There are elves, dwarves, humans, fairies, and unicorns among them. There is even talk of dragons, but I do not believe such talk."
"Where can these Knights of Alcea be found?" asked the priest.
"Everywhere and nowhere," shrugged Wu-kang. "Not much is truly known about them. Other than the king and queen, I only know of two others. Alexander and Jenneva Tork. They are the parents of the queen, but I do not know if they are still alive. No one has seen them since the wedding in Tagaret."
"Can these Knights of Alcea truly be as potent as you say?" asked the priest. "Is it not true that you Lanoirians are prone to exaggeration?"
"We may exaggerate from time to time," admitted the officer, "but nothing about the Knights of Alcea is an exaggeration. You asked me who could have possibly destroyed two of your temples and killed two of your priests. I have given you the only answer that there is. It had to be the Knights of Alcea."
"Then the Knights of Alcea must die," declared K'san. "If we cannot find out who they are then we will kill those of them that we already know."
"You are going to assassinate the king and queen?" gasped Wu-kang. "That is suicide. You should wait for your armies to arrive."
"My people have many talents that you are unaware of," smiled K'san. "No one is beyond our reach, not even the Warrior King."
Bin-lu felt his skin begin to perspire as he clung to the ceiling. His arms and legs ached from the strain, but a quick death awaited him if he faltered. He continued to listen to the conversation as his eyes scanned the room looking for the fairy. The Knight of Alcea had to be sure that word of the conversation would reach King Arik's ears if he should die, but he was unable to locate Shrimp. Unexpectedly, he felt something crawling over his skin. He looked up at his hand and saw the fairy waving at him. Shrimp used his tiny hands to signal to Bin-lu. The Knight of Alcea smiled and nodded, as he understood that Shrimp was going to leave the room as soon as he could.
Bin-lu turned his attention back to the conversation below him. While he listened carefully to everything that was being said, he could not shake the thought from his mind that King Arik's life was in grave danger. Eventually the meeting ended, and Wu-kang left the room. Bin-lu smiled as he saw the tiny form of Shrimp dart through the doorway when no one was looking, but his good feeling was short-lived. Instead of seeing the officer out of the temple, K'san closed the door and returned to his chair. Bin-lu grimaced at the strain on his arms and legs as the priest sat down and began going through the papers on his desk.
Chapter 20
Dance of Death
Wu-kang halted outside the door to his office in the Imperial Palace in Ongchi.
"Two of you are to remain out here," he said softly to his six bodyguards. "No one is to pass by you. My office is officially closed until I return."
"No one?" questioned one of the guards. "What about the general?"
"I said no one," scowled Wu-kang, "and pay no attention to any noise coming from the office. We have a discipline problem to take care of. Do you understand?"
The guards nodded their understanding. Two of the men took up stations in the corridor outside the door and effectively blocked it with their bodies. Wu-kang nodded in satisfaction and opened the door to his office. Four bodyguards followed the officer into the large room. The last man turned and closed the door. Rut-ki was seated behind her desk. She looked up as her superior entered the office. She smiled innocently at the officer.
"Stand up," Wu-kang demanded as he glared at the young woman. "You will tell me who you are working for."
"I work for you," Rut-ki said softly, but she made no move to stand.
"You are a spy," spat Wu-kang. "You will tell me everything before you die. Stand!"
Rut-ki stood slowly, her legs pushing the chair backwards as she rose. As her hands appeared from below the desk, Wu-kang stared at the shiny discs in them. It took only a moment for his mind to register the importance of what he was seeing, but it left him and his men no time to react.
Rut-ki's wrists snapped forward, releasing the two Lanoirian stars. As the stars sailed into the faces of two of the bodyguards, Rut-ki jumped upwards, one foot pushing off of the chair behind her as she leaped onto the desk. As the two dead guards' bodies collapsed, the other two guards charged. Rut-ki kicked out powerfully with her right leg, her foot slamming upward into one of the guard's jaw. A loud crack split the room as the man's head snapped backwards. Allowing her body to follow the thrust of the kick, Rut-ki's legs rose towards the ceiling as her hands reached out and pushed off the top of the desk. Her body flipped backwards over the chair she had been sitting in.
Rut-ki landed on the floor behind the chair. As her feet touched the floor, she grabbed the chair with both hands. The charging guard jumped onto the desk and dove towards Rut-ki. The spy raised the chair, its legs pointing ominously at the flying guard. Unable to halt his flight, the man could only scream as one of the legs smashed into his face.
Rut-ki and the body of the flying guard were sent sliding across the floor along with the debris of the crumpled chair. Rut-ki swiftly grabbed the man's head and twisted it harshly. The snap of the man's neck echoed loudly in the still office. Wu-kang shouted for the guards outside to come to his aid as he ran to his desk to retrieve his sword. Rut-ki shoved the body of the guard aside and scrambled to her feet. Seeing her superior grabbing his sword, Rut-ki picked up two of the broken chair legs. For a brief moment, the two opponents stood warily eyeing each other and the door to the corridor. Wu-kang shouted again for the guards to come to his aid.
Wishing to disarm Wu-kang before help arrived, Rut-ki raced across the floor of the large office. Not wanting to be backed into a corner with no room to maneuver, Wu-kang raised his sword and ran towards Rut-ki. As they neared each other, Wu-kang swung his sword in a decapitating sweep. Rut-ki raised a chair leg to block the stroke, and the sword slammed into the wooden post with tremendous force. The chair leg was ripped from Rut-ki's grasp, but she had managed to deflect the path of the blade.
While Wu-kang was trying to bring the sword back into play, Rut-ki dropped to the floor. She smashed the remaining chair leg upward into Wu-kang's abdomen. Wu-kang gasped in pain, his movements faltering. Rut-ki threw her arms wide, knocking Wu-kang's legs out from under him. The officer tumbled to the floor, his sword clanging loudly as it bounced away from him. Rut-ki dove forward onto Wu-kang's body, bringing the chair leg downward and smashing it into his throat.
Rut-ki heard the door open behind her. Without turning to look, the spy rolled off of Wu-kang's body and snared the officer's sword. Leaping to her feet, Rut-ki whirled around, bringing the sword out in front of her.
"Stop!" shouted Tedi. "It's over."
Rut-ki stared uncomprehendingly as Tedi and Natia entered the room.
"Blessed sword!" exclaimed Natia. "You do play rough. No wonder Bin-lu loves you."
Rut-ki blinked in confusion. "What about the guards outside the door?"
"I put them to sleep," chirped Button. "We must hurry if we are to save Bin-lu."
"Tie them up," Rut-ki said as she dropped the sword and pointed towards the corridor. "I need to get some stars if we are to attack the temple."
"There is no need to tie them," replied Tedi as he viewed the carnage in the office. "Shrimp has gone to inform General Za-hong that it is time to shut down the rebels in Ongchi. He will have men here shortly."
"What ha
s happened?" Rut-ki asked as she gathered weapons to take with her. "Shrimp only had time to warn me that Wu-kang was coming to kill me. How did Bin-lu get caught?"
"We don't know that he has been discovered yet," answered Tedi, "but he is trapped in the temple."
"Then why are we abandoning our investigation?" frowned the spy. "Can't we get Bin-lu out with just a distraction? Why alert Za-hong? We will not learn anything more."
"Shrimp said that they have learned enough already," shrugged Tedi. "I do not know the details, but it is too late to turn back now. Za-hong has already been alerted. He will begin arresting all of the known rebels in the city."
"Then let's go," Rut-ki nodded.
"How are we going to get into the temple?" asked Natia as the trio left the palace. "Bin-lu had a wristband that allowed him entry."
"We will fight our way in," replied Tedi. "Remember, we must create a loud diversion to enable Bin-lu to get away from K'san. He cannot cling to the ceiling forever."
"The front door will be locked," offered Rut-ki as they ran along the street, "and killing the guards outside the rear door will not help. That door only opens from the inside."
"You two take care of the guards," replied Tedi. "I will open the door. Once we get inside, the two of you must find the black-cloaks and kill them. Shrimp will guide me to K'san's office."
The group slowed as they neared the temple. Tedi checked out the area near the rear of the temple before striding purposefully towards the rear door. The guards stiffened as the foreigner approached, their eyes resting uneasily on Tedi's staff. When Tedi got within a dozen paces of the door, Natia called his name. Tedi halted and turned away from the door. Natia and Rut-ki waved and smiled as they ran towards Tedi. The guards watched with curiosity. When the women got close to Tedi, they attacked. Natia threw a knife at one guard while Rut-ki tossed a Lanoirian star at the other. Tedi whirled around and ran towards the door even as the bodies of the guards fell away from it. Tedi raised his staff and smashed it into the rear door of the temple. With a thundering crash, the door splintered into a thousand pieces. Just beyond the door, a man screamed in agony as hundreds of wooden splinters pierced his body.
"The whole temple will know that we are here now," declared Tedi. "Be careful."
* * *
The strain of clinging to the ceiling was starting to tire Bin-lu. He alternated freeing his hands to let his muscles relax, but K'san showed no inclination to leave his office. The dark priest spent some time going through the papers on his desk, but most of the time he just sat silently as if pondering some weighty problem. The room grew so quiet that Bin-lu actually heard a drop of his perspiration hit the floor. Evidently, K'san heard it, too.
The Priest of Balmak suddenly jerked his head upright and stared at the door as if expecting someone to enter. After a few seconds had passed without a knock on the door, K'san rose and quietly crossed the room. He stood before the door and turned completely around as his eyes gazed into the dark corners of the room. When he had completed his turn, the priest slowly opened the door and gazed into the long corridor. There was no one there. The priest frowned as he closed the door. After standing in silence for several minutes, the priest began to mumble softly. Bin-lu had been around mages enough to recognize the beginnings of a magical incantation. He wondered if the spell would reveal his presence.
Unexpectedly, a loud boom echoed through the temple followed by a distant scream. K'san's hand immediately reached out for the door and opened it. With a final glance around the dim room, the priest moved through the doorway and disappeared from Bin-lu's sight as the door was closed and locked. The spy clung to the ceilings for several moments to allow the priest time to reach the end of the corridor. Cupping his hands and feet, Bin-lu dropped to the floor and hurriedly put on his gloves and boots. He moved silently across the room and placed his ear to the door. He heard nothing and slowly unlocked the door. He eased the door open and peered into the corridor. No one was in sight.
The Knight of Alcea raced along the corridor, intent on getting himself out of the temple. As he neared the end of the long corridor, he heard shouting and the sounds of fighting. Bin-lu hesitated and placed his back against the wall as the sounds came closer. Several men raced by the mouth of the corridor, traveling one of the main corridors that ran through the temple. Their eyes never strayed from the direction that they were running in, and Bin-lu continued towards the main corridor after they had passed by.
When he reached the mouth of the long corridor, Bin-lu looked in both directions. He saw the backs of the men who had just run by, but no one else was around. He turned the corner and ran after the running men, who were headed towards the rear door of the temple, as it was the shortest path to freedom. He hoped none of them thought to turn around and look back, but even if they did, he still had the wristband to show that he belonged there. He hoped that K'san had not yet informed the temple staff that he was a spy.
The main corridor made several bends as it ran through the temple, and the men ahead of Bin-lu were approaching one of those bends. They disappeared around the corner. Shouts of surprise echoed off the walls, and Bin-lu slowed cautiously. He winced and halted completely as a spray of blood flew onto the wall ahead of him. Bin-lu quickly glanced behind himself to see if his path of retreat was clear. Screams replaced the shouts, and the spy decided to retreat. Before he could make his move, a man turned the corner and locked eyes on Bin-lu.
"There you are!" called Tedi, his staff dripping with blood. "Where is K'san?"
"I do not know," Bin-lu replied with surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Taking the temple down," answered Tedi. "Natia and Rut-ki are with me. I have to find the priest."
"Just a diversion was all that I needed," frowned Bin-lu. "We cannot destroy the temple."
"We must," countered Tedi. "Za-hong is already rounding up the rebels."
"Then he must seal the city immediately," warned Bin-lu. "No one can be allowed to get word out about what has happened here until we can talk to King Arik."
"Shrimp, go," ordered Tedi. "Carry Bin-lu's words to Za-hong and then return."
"The message will be delivered," promised the fairy.
"K'san left his office after hearing loud noises," Bin-lu explained as the fairy darted away. "I suspect that he would be rallying his people to fend off an attack. If you did not pass him on your way here, then he must have gone towards the front of the temple."
"Lead the way," urged Tedi.
* * *
Rut-ki and Natia raced along the other corridor leading towards the front of the temple. Suddenly, a man emerged from a connecting corridor directly in front of Rut-ki. The martial arts instructor did not hesitate. She charged into the man and slammed her stiffened fingers into his stomach. Rut-ki did not even slow down as she sped past the man. Natia followed at a distance. When she reached the wounded man, she drove her knife into the man's heart before hurrying after Rut-ki.
Rut-ki was not as familiar with the layout of the temple as Bin-lu was. At each intersection she slowed as she sought the location of the black-cloaks. On a hunch, she turned into one of the corridors that ran off the main one. The corridor ran across the temple and connected to the other main corridor. In the middle of the temple, it passed through a large foyer. As Rut-ki ran through the foyer, a flaming, magical projectile soared towards her. She was moving so quickly that the spy was not even aware that it had been aimed at her. Her first indication of attack was when the projectile exploded upon impact with the wall behind her as she reentered the narrow corridor. The heat wave seared her back, and the blast sent her flying.
Rut-ki reflexively curled into ball as she flew through the air. She landed hard on the floor and slid for a ways before she could regain control of her body. As she quickly leaped to her feet, she could see the black shape of the mage standing in the corridor. She watched helplessly as his arm came up and pointed at her. Rut-ki's only hope was to hug the wall on one side of th
e corridor or the other. She waited for the release of the magic spell, hoping that she would guess right. Unexpectedly, the form of the black-cloak pitched forward and slammed into the floor. A knife protruded from his back, and Rut-ki sighed in relief.
"If there are only two black-cloaks," Natia called as she ran past the dead mage, "then he is the last. The man behind the rear door of the temple was one of them."
"Then let's head back to the other main corridor," suggested Rut-ki. "We can help eliminate the warriors."
Natia turned around and led the way back the way they had come. When she got halfway across the foyer, she stopped. She looked towards the front of the temple, which was the direction from which the mage had appeared. Another corridor ran off the foyer, and Natia decided to give it a try. She turned and ran towards the front of the temple. Rut-ki followed, her back feeling raw and blistered.
As the two women ran along the corridor, the sounds of shouting and fighting became louder. Eventually the corridor ended in a small foyer. The wall of the foyer opposite the mouth of the corridor was a thick curtain. Natia slowed to a walk as she approached the curtain. She saw two long ropes with heavy tassels at the end of them extending down from the ceiling. Between the ropes was a break in the fabric of the curtain, and Natia crept towards it. She inhaled deeply as she peered out through the break in the curtain. She was staring at the back of K'san.
* * *
Bin-lu slowed as he approached the main room at the front of the temple. He and Tedi had met resistance along the corridor, but Bin-lu knew that there were a number of men missing as well as K'san. He halted before entering the large room.
"There are many people in the room," whispered Tedi. "I can hear them. This is too much like the situation in Chi-Chan. If K'san knows that you are a spy, he may also know about my staff. I don't think he will stand idly by like the priest up there did."
Knights of Alcea Page 25
