Champion

by Jon Kiln

  Artas and Daphne watched Ganry disappear from view, unable to see if he had landed safely in the dark. After a few seconds they heard a low whistle indicating he was on the other side, and the next person should go.

  Artas went next. He wanted to get it over with as he did not feel too confident. He knew his leg would cause him problems when he dropped, despite Ganry’s assurances that the drop wasn’t too far. Edging along the branch, he swung down as he had seen Ganry do, and clung on, readying himself for the fall. Then he felt Ganry take his weight, and he let go as he was lowered to the ground. Artas was relieved to have made it. His leg was getting stronger every day, thanks to Ganry and his exercise regime.

  Daphne followed as soon as she saw Artas disappear, and in no time she was hanging off the branch and also felt Ganry’s strong hands on her legs. She let go and allowed him to guide her to the ground.

  “Now we just have hundreds of soldiers to get past. Think we can do it?” Artas said, jokingly, but in reality he did not have a clue how they were going to get through the barracks.

  “As always, young Artas, I have a plan.” Ganry crouched down low and slipped off into the shadows.

  “Where is he going now?” Daphne queried.

  “Best not to ask.” Artas had no idea of Ganry’s intentions.

  Artas and Daphne crouched down in the shadows and awaited the former mercenary’s return. It seemed an age before they heard a rustling in the bushes nearby, and Artas’s heart was in his mouth when he saw an imperial soldier moving towards them. He reached down and firmly gripped his sword hilt, ready to draw. As the soldier drew nearer, he breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized Ganry, dressed in a soldier’s uniform.

  Ganry moved into the bushes and passed Artas a pile of clothing. “I think he’s your size. Get your clothes off,” Ganry ordered. “This one should fit you,” he told Daphne as he passed her a uniform too.

  They both quickly changed. The uniforms were not a perfect fit, but they should pass anything except a close inspection.

  “The way is clear to the stables,” Ganry said, after looking them over. “Most of the guards, it seems, are sleeping in the barracks, and only a few patrol the area. They’re little complacent for my liking, but that should work to our advantage.”

  They made their way quietly to the stables. Artas was surprised, despite Ganry’s words, that they saw or heard no one on their journey. It seemed odd to Artas. These were the Emperor’s protectors, surely they guard their leader better than this?

  The stable was also empty, not only of people but horses too. This was just one more puzzle to add to the others. Ganry entered an empty stall and began to tap at the wooden panels at the back. After a few moments he was satisfied he had found the right spot and was soon sliding away the wall to reveal a dark tunnel. Turning to the others, he stuck up his thumb just before disappearing through the hole.

  “Follow me,” he instructed. “It’s a bit cramped in here, but there’s enough room if we go single file. I’m afraid it’s not very high either, so you’ll have to crawl.”

  Artas and Daphne looked at each other, sighed, and once again they followed after Ganry, neither of them entirely sure what to expect.

  11

  It seemed they were in the tunnel for hours, in the dark, cramped and very warm atmosphere. Artas's leg was beginning to ache, but he struggled on, silently. Ganry had gone on ahead, but there was no chance of taking a wrong turn because there were none. Just one singular tunnel that seemed to continue on, relentlessly on and on. Finally, just when Artas felt he could go no further, he could see a light up ahead. In a few moments they were out of the tunnel and in something that looked like a laundry room.

  Artas sat down and stretched his leg to loosen the joints and relieve the aching pain, grateful for the rest. Though it did not last long before Ganry was leading them out of the room and into the passageways of the palace.

  Making their way around the palace was easy, for Ganry knew all the secret passages and doors. As a boy, he and Porteus, General Jeon’s son, had been left to run around freely in the palace. The Emperor had been fond of bumping into them both, unexpectedly. He genuinely enjoyed watching them play and encouraged them to go anywhere they liked within the palace walls.

  Being back in the palace reminded Ganry of his father, who would come here with him whenever he had an audience with the Emperor. Ganry’s father was a political man, and influential in the circles of power. He wondered what part, if any, his own father was playing in this strange affair. His father was a great supporter of the Emperor. It would be unlikely that he would do anything to harm the royal family.

  He didn’t have time to ponder on the political stance of his father. Right now, all three of them were wedged in the narrowest of passageways. It had seemed much wider when he was last here, still, he was a young boy then. This passageway, if he remembered correctly, led to the Emperor’s bedroom, and Ganry had traveled its length many times in the past. He hoped that the Emperor would be in his bedchamber, and that he might find the opportunity to speak with him.

  Eventually, they came to the end of the passageway. The exit to the room was disguised and covered by a huge mirror on the wall, but this was no ordinary mirror. It was possible to see through the mirror without being seen from the other side. What use it served he had no idea, but it gave them a perfect view into the Emperor’s bedchamber.

  Sure enough, as Ganry had hoped, the Emperor was in his bed. He did not look well, just a mere shadow of his former self. His face, a face that Ganry remembered as ruddy and kind, was a pallid gray with sunken features, not unlike the creatures they had seen earlier. Thankfully there was still some life left in the Emperor’s body. His thick red locks that had been his most striking feature were now gone. He was almost completely bald, with only a few wisps of white hair.

  Ganry was just about to move the mirror to one side when the door to the bedroom opened and in came a woman. She was dressed in a silver gown and appeared to shimmer as she moved. Ganry was not all that certain that it was entirely due to the clothing. There was something strange about her. She almost looked unsubstantial, her skin shimmering, just like her clothes.

  She moved to the side of the Emperor’s bed and bent down to speak quietly in his ear. Her voice was soft, yet husky and deep, carrying easily to where they hid in the passage.

  “Emperor Fontleroy, if you wish for things to return to normal, then you must tell me where I can find your son. He needs to be taken to a place of safety.”

  It looked for a moment that the Emperor was incapable of answering, but as he glanced at the mirror a thin smile came to his lips, and he finally found his voice.

  “You cannot have my Kingdom, witch, and you will never have my son. I foresee that a warrior will smite you and your General down, saving my son and my people from your witchcraft.” All the while he spoke, his eyes never left the mirror.

  There was no way anyone could see them. Ganry had hidden in this wall many times and never been discovered, but the Emperor definitely seemed to sense his presence.

  “Pah!” the silver witch woman cried out. “You are a fool. No one is coming to save you and we already have your Kingdom. It is only a matter of time before we have your offspring too.”

  Ganry made a hand gesture to Artas, indicating it was time to move out of the space and make their way back. He hated to leave the Emperor like this, but clearly, at least for now, he was worth more to them alive than dead. He would need to speak with Ludas and see how many he could rally to their cause. Ludas had agreed to muster some sympathetic supporters to their cause while Ganry was away. Maybe between them, they could come up with a plan to help the Emperor and find out where his son was.

  It took the rest of the evening and most of the early hours of the morning to escape the palace. They made their way through the barracks and back onto the merchant level. Before long, they were back in Ludas’s residence.

  His uncle was pleased to see them.
He had expected them back sooner and had started to worry.

  “Thank the maker you are still alive. I feared you had been captured,” he said as he greeted them in the kitchen.

  Ganry told him of what they had discovered, but Ludas stopped him.

  “I have a few people who are loyal to the Emperor. Speak to them of what you have seen.”

  Ganry, Artas and Daphne followed Ludas, who led them down into one of his huge wine cellars beneath the house. There were a great number of people gathered, and Ganry wasted no time in giving them the grave news of what they had seen in the palace. There was an angry murmur in the room when he had finished speaking.

  “I knew those witches would be trouble for us one day,” a woman cried out.

  “We must save the Emperor,” a man shouted in response.

  “Everyone quieten down so we can make some headway.” Ludas stood forward to calm the group. He knew they were all in a state of shock at this dire news.

  “Instead of complaining about the witches and the state of our Emperor, we need to come up with ideas. We don’t have a lot of time, we must plan this very day how we are to take our city back. Once we have the Emperor, we should be able to rally the armies to our cause. I can only suspect that General Jeon is part of this plot. It seems he is a bigger fool that I thought. In his quest for power he has disregarded the love the people of Mirnee have for the royal family. It is a big mistake and it will be his undoing. We must act now to take back the Kingdom from the witches.”

  His words brought cheers from the gathered crowd that crammed into Ludas’s cellar. Like many cellars in this part of town, it had passageways that led to the market. They had originally been dug out to provide easy access for goods, but now its use was more urgent. This was how the supporters had arrived and how they would leave, that was, once they had begun their plans.

  Ganry watched the crowd of people, pleased to see that they were coming together. They would need to be united if they were to win. Ganry had decided to keep quiet about the army of dead they had seen. They had enough to worry about for now.

  12

  “We are in agreement then,” Ludas addressed the gathered merchants. “Our first priority is to rescue the Emperor.”

  Heads nodded and some individuals confirmed their acknowledgement with a shout of support.

  Ganry urged caution. “You don’t really know who your enemy is yet. You have no idea of their strengths and weaknesses. If you go rushing into this, it could end in disaster.”

  “You have been gone too long, Ganry,” his uncle said. “Most of us gathered here know exactly who is behind this and what his motives are. This is the work of General Jeon. For far too long he has controlled the armies, and now, just as we feared, he is running the Kingdom too.”

  “You could be right, uncle, but you must be sure of what you are up against. You are not trained fighters, you are businessmen. If they were to get wind of what is happening here, they will pick you off one at a time, and your families too. I only ask that you tread with caution. I will not be here to help as I need to return to Palara and warn the Queen. Once I’m sure she’s safe, I will return, and together we can put this Jeon in his place. Surely, if you have waited this long, a few more months until I return won’t hurt.”

  Ganry wanted them to wait. He had seen the army of the undead, and these people could not stand against them. He wasn’t even sure how he would. Perhaps Hendon could help?

  “We can wait patiently, Ganry, but what of the Emperor? He could be dead by the time you return,” Ludas argued.

  Ganry nodded his agreement. Fontleroy was frail, despite his show of defiance to the witch. He really could not last for much longer under those circumstances. For Ganry, this presented him with a personal quandary. He respected the Emperor, who had treated him like a son when he was younger, but his own priorities and loyalty lay with Queen Myriam, and he must ensure her safety.

  “Promise me that once you have the Emperor safely away, you will await my return before making a move on Jeon.”

  Ganry looked at the people who had gathered in support of their Emperor. They were wealthy merchants, not strategic battle planners. They organized the shipment of goods, they did not know how to kill and defend themselves, although many here had their own mercenary soldiers who protected their trade caravans that crossed between the kingdoms. Many of these mercenaries would be loyal to them, and would fight for their cause. He knew this, for he too had been a mercenary, hiring out his sword to the rich merchants, often the same ones, time and time again. This formed a sense of loyalty. A good merchant inspired loyal guards.

  “Organize your mercenaries,” he advised the group. “Pay them well. Inform their leaders of your real intentions, as even mercenaries appreciate honesty. Someone will rise to the command, and when I return, I will work with him to end this blight that rules your land.”

  The group nodded their approval. Now they needed to decide how to rescue their Emperor and where to hide him while they planned for the next stage.

  “Artas,” Ganry turned to his young protege while the merchants discussed their next move. “You need to go into hiding. I have arranged a safe house for you to stay at. When I have finished here, I will come for you and together we will return to Palara to secure our Queen, and ready our country for the battle ahead.”

  “I will stay with you,” Artas insisted. “How can I ever learn if you keep hiding me away?”

  “Slowly, that is how you learn. Already you are competent with a sword, more so than when we started our journey.” Ganry laid a supportive hand on Artas’s shoulder and smiled at him kindly. “I will need to move swiftly and want you where I can be sure you are safe. You cannot learn everything at once. Aah, here is your host for the next few nights.”

  Artas turned around to see the young woman, Daphne. She smiled at him and he blushed, unsure why.

  “Daphne will take you to the baker’s shop and that is where you will wait for me,” Ganry instructed.

  “No, Ganry, I cannot sit idly by while you plot and plan this adventure without me,” Artas complained.

  “You are to help Daphne deliver her medicines, without getting caught by those witches. Do you think you can do that?”

  “Of course, I will guard her with my life,” Artas said, proudly.

  “I’ll protect him with my life,” Daphne retorted in a deep, male voice, mimicking her young companion.

  Artas blushed, once again. What was it about this girl that kept him constantly embarrassed?

  “Besides,” Ganry continued, “if anything were to happen to me, you need to return to Palara alone and warn the Queen.” Ganry looked behind him making sure no one was close by, and he dropped his voice to a whisper. “She needs to know about the army of the undead.”

  Artas nodded his understanding, as much as he wanted to help Ganry, the safety of Queen Myriam, his life long friend, would always come first.

  “The pair of you, take care of each other. I won’t be far behind you, Artas. One, maybe two nights. I want to help organize the plans for the Emperor’s escape, make sure there are experienced soldiers on hand. Then we go, so be ready.”

  The two young people left, Daphne leading Artas on their journey through many secret passageways that would lead from this level, to the market on the lower levels, where the baker’s shop resided.

  13

  The next day the group returned to Ludas’s home to discuss the attempt to release their Emperor. This time, mercenary leaders were present, after word had been sent out following the meeting. Ganry listened to the group as they planned, watching the mercenary leaders closely. They seemed a strong group and he hoped they would be loyal and trustworthy. What these people were planning was dangerous, and if it went wrong, then they would all most certainly die.

  Ganry knew that as more people became aware of the plan, then the greater the risks of someone letting it slip. Even worse, it also increased the risk of a traitor in the camp.

/>   “You must act quickly,” he advised them.

  “I thought we had agreed that tomorrow night would give us time to pull everything together,” Jed, the tailor spoke up.

  “It would be better to go tonight. Every moment you delay, you risk being found out.”

  The others in the small merchant group of rebels nodded their agreement. Most just wanted to get this over and done with. They were not fighting men but traders. The sooner they returned to their businesses, the better.

  “Is everything in place, if it were brought forward to this evening?” Ludas asked one of the mercenaries.

  “We have men in the barracks bribing soldiers which should make our passage easier. The safe house is ready, but he can only stay there a short while. The city will not be a safe place to keep him in.”

  “Right then, tonight it is, if you’re all ready? The sooner we have the Emperor out of that palace, the better,” Ludas announced. “We’ll go through the plan one more time and then we begin, agreed?”

  “I must go,” Jed said. “I have an appointment in the palace for a fitting. If I miss it, they’ll be furious.”

  The others nodded. Jed left them to finalize the event.

  It took a little over an hour to go through the various stages of who was to do what, and where they should be. The plan seemed thorough, and even Ganry was more confident that they could succeed. Now, he was certain they could manage without him, so he readied himself for leaving the city. If all goes well, by this time tomorrow, the Emperor should be in the safe house.

  As Ganry was saying his farewells, the door suddenly burst open and palace soldiers came running into the room. They had been betrayed, just as he had feared. Ganry quickly evaluated the situation and realized they were heavily outnumbered. It was pointless fighting as they would easily be overpowered, killed even. Better to save the fight for a time when the odds were better. He offered no resistance when six soldiers surrounded him, laying down his sword when ordered to do so. Soon, everyone in the room was fastened in chains and led out of the house to the outside.