Escape From the Dragon Czar: An Aegis of Merlin Story
Page 18
He grinned and started to get up when his phone rang. Grumbling, he settled back and picked it up. “Yes?”
“I’ve got Jemma St. Simon on line two for you, Chief.”
“The Kingdom head of magic? What does she want? She usually deals with Malice.”
“I don’t know, sir,” his secretary said. “She just said she needs to talk to you.”
“Okay, thanks.” Orin pressed the flashing light on his phone. “Jemma? Orin Kane, what can I do for you?”
“I’ve got a problem and I think you’re the best person to help me with it. Are you familiar with the White Witch project?”
Orin wracked his brain but came up blank. With all the chaos over the past year he’d gotten behind on his station briefs.
“I can’t say I am.”
“It was a project to retrieve an untainted wizard from the Empire of the Dragon Czar. The mission was a success and the target, Anya Kazakov, escaped with a thumb drive full of secrets. Unfortunately the drive is encrypted and she’s making demands.”
“What sort of demands?”
Jemma gave him a brief description of the attack on Ministry HQ. “She’s not confident we can protect her and I’m not sure I blame her. She wants to come to the Alliance and she wants Conryu as her personal bodyguard.”
Orin winced. Conryu wouldn’t be thrilled about that. Of course, he’d probably do it if the girl was in real danger.
“What are you offering in exchange?” Orin asked.
“I’ll negotiate that with Malice. I just wanted to get you on board with asking Conryu since I know you two are close.”
“Good call. If Malice asked or worse ordered him to do it, Conryu might tell her to stuff it. I’ll talk to him. Conryu’s a good kid. I suspect he’ll be willing to help.”
“Fair enough. Thanks, Orin.” Jemma hung up.
Orin ran a hand across his face. So they needed yet another favor from Conryu. Well, at least he got to enjoy most of his summer vacation.
* * *
Yarik’s legs ached. He’d been kneeling in front of the czar’s throne for he didn’t know how long. On either side of him Victor and Hedon had assumed identical positions. The czar had summoned them from Calais yesterday. The prisoner had been whisked away as soon as they arrived at the palace. Yarik did his best not to think about what Fedor might be enduring. Whatever it was he suspected it was far worse than sore knees.
He wanted to take a quick look around to see if he had any allies in the room, but didn’t dare risk it. If he got caught looking before the czar gave permission it might mean his life. Better to remain ignorant and alive.
“She’s gone!” the czar roared. His anger struck Yarik like a physical blow. “My witch has been sent to the North American Alliance. Sentinel City to be exact.”
When no one spoke the czar asked, “How are we going to get her back?”
“Perhaps we should just cut our losses and let her go,” a timid voice said.
There was a crunch followed by a thud. Yarik had heard enough bodies hit the floor to recognize the thud.
“Any other suggestions?” the czar bellowed.
“If she’s been taken to Alliance territory, someone will simply have to go there and retrieve her,” a woman, probably a witch, said.
“You three, on your feet.”
Since Yarik and the dragon-bloods were the only ones kneeling they got up and faced the angry czar. Yarik bowed. “Majesty.”
“It’s your fault she escaped, so you three need to bring her back. I understand that that you have a wife, Agent. Rest assured, another failure will not be gently received.”
“Of course not, Majesty.” Yarik’s mind raced as he tried to think of some way to talk himself out of having to go to the Alliance, but he came up blank. With the czar’s unsubtle threat hanging in the air he had no choice. “Is there an entry plan? Their defenses are considerable.”
The czar waved a clawed hand. “You’ll travel by portal. No problem.”
One of the witches standing beside the throne cleared her throat, leaned down, and whispered in the czar’s ear. His frown grew deeper by the second.
When she straightened the czar said, “Isn’t there some way around the defensive wards? There’s no point in sending them if they’re only going to get captured the moment they arrive.”
“We’re not aware of any, Majesty,” the witch said.
“Perhaps I might be of assistance.” All eyes turned toward the masked woman Yarik had noted in his last visit. If the regard of so many powerful people bothered her she gave no sign. “The Le Fay Society has located four blind spots in the Alliance’s ward network where a portal can open with no one the wiser.”
The czar tapped his chin. “And what would be the price of this information… Lady Wolf, wasn’t it?”
“As I’ve said many times, Majesty, the Society desires better relations with your nation. We’d be happy to share one of our safe zones for your infiltration. Simply tell us where you wish to end up and I’ll give you the nearest location.”
A hint of a smile played around the czar’s lips. “Perhaps I was too hasty in my assessment of your organization. Better relations might be in everyone’s interest. You will work with Nosorova to come up with an infiltration plan. If it succeeds, well this might be just the beginning of our new relationship”
Yarik, Victor, and Hedon kept silent during this exchange. The thought of going to the Alliance worried Yarik no end, but if he wanted to survive he’d have to go through with it. He was no more eager to turn Anya over to the czar now than he was in Calais. Perhaps once he reached the Alliance he could defect. Maybe they could help him bring his wife over. Maybe someone would shoot him and put him out of his misery.
Right, and maybe he’d sprout wings and fly home. He just needed to accept the fact that right now it was Anya or his wife and if that was Yarik’s choice then it was no choice at all.
* * *
Fedor hurt everywhere. He hung from a set of manacles the dangled from the ceiling of the Imperial palace’s dungeon. No one had tortured him, which was both a surprise and a relief. It was coming though, he knew it. At least Anya was safe. Why the agent had bothered to tell him he couldn’t say, but it was good to know. She was smart and tough; she’d make it in the Kingdom, he had no doubt.
He lifted his head and tried to see through the narrow slot in the door. There was nothing but a tiny rectangle of dull orange light. He’d been barely coherent when the dragon-bloods had brought him here, but he remembered torches and coal braziers. There didn’t appear to be any electricity down here. It was probably an intentional way to ramp up the fear. It might have worked if he wasn’t so exhausted. He hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep since they reached Paris days or was it weeks ago? He’d lost all track of time.
The light from the door vanished and a voice said, “Fedor?”
He didn’t recognize whoever spoke beyond the fact that it wasn’t the agent. He managed a groan.
“The Manager sends his congratulations. Anya has been moved from the Kingdom to the North American Alliance. The Empire made an attempt on her and she demanded they move her before she gave up the password.”
Fedor smiled causing his blistered lips to split. She’d remembered his lesson. Good girl.
“I’ve been sent to offer you release if you wish it.”
Fedor understood at once. Release, not escape. “Please.”
“You’ve served the resistance well, brother. Your name will be remembered.”
Fedor sighed and thought of his wife. He didn’t know if there was a heaven, but if there was it would be nice to see her again. He flinched when something struck his chest then everything went dark.
* * *
Lady Wolf left the throne room when the Dragon Czar dismissed everyone, well pleased with her day’s work. For weeks she’d been trying to find a way into the czar’s confidence and now she’d finally done it. Who would have thought that child’s escape would s
erve as the catalyst to her victory? It amazed and often frustrated her how much luck was involved in any given success.
But no matter. She quick stepped it back to the suite she’d been given for the duration of her visit. Her steps echoed through empty halls of the guest wing of the palace. No great surprise there since few people visited such a hostile nation. As far as she knew they didn’t even have diplomatic relations with more than a handful of nations.
She rounded a corner and found one of the White Witches standing beside her door. She had a hard time telling them apart, but she was pretty sure this was the one that whispered in the czar’s ear, Anastasia, the leader of their order.
Lady Wolf bowed. “What a nice surprise. I hadn’t expected any visitors.”
Anastasia closed the distance between them. “I don’t know what game you’re playing here and I don’t care. If you lead His Majesty astray, I’ll see you hanged by your guts from the palace walls.”
Lady Wolf smiled behind her mask. So, this one already feared her influence with the czar. She’d made a better impression than she’d hoped.
“Let me assure you that everything that I’ve said and done has been in His Majesty’s best interest. The Society truly wants better relations with your nation.” That wasn’t all they wanted of course, but no sense pointing that out until the time was right.
“We shall see and I will be watching.” With that last threat Anastasia stalked off.
Lady Wolf shook her head and ducked into her room. Such blunt and obvious threats lacked subtlety. Crude though she may be, Lady Wolf had sensed Anastasia’s power and had no desire to face her in a duel.
A swirl of her hand activated the anti-spying wards she’d set up the day of her arrival. Confident that she wouldn’t be overheard, Lady Wolf went to the full-length mirror hanging in the bedroom and chanted.
Clouds filled the smooth glass and a short time later Lady Dragon appeared. “What news, Lady Wolf?”
“I have finally begun to win his confidence. I fear it’s still too soon to ask for a favor, but when the opportunity presents itself I’m certain I’ll be able to persuade him to do what we want.”
“Excellent. We can’t begin the next stage of the project without the artifact fragment. You’re certain simply seizing it wouldn’t work?”
Lady Wolf imagined fighting the czar and all his witches and shuddered. The entire Society wouldn’t last five minutes. “No, the only way we can get the artifact is for him to give it to us willingly.”
“I respect your judgement,” Lady Dragon said. “Do what you must to secure it and do it quickly. Lady Tiger has a lead on the second piece. I want to be able to move as soon as she confirms its location.”
“I’ll do my best, Mistress.” Lady Wolf bowed her head.
When she looked up all she saw in the mirror was her reflection. She’d made the first step, time and circumstances would decide when she could take the second. When the opportunity presented itself she’d be ready. Lady Wolf wouldn’t fail the Society or their imprisoned leader. She would see Morgana freed regardless of the cost.
Autoher Notes
I hope you all enjoyed reading about a different set of characters. I certainly enjoyed writing about them. Don’t worry, in the next book Anya meets up with Conryu and more danger ensues. Until next time.
Thanks for reading,
James
Also by James E. Wisher
The Aegis of Merlin:
The Impossible Wizard
The Awakening
The Chimera Jar
The Raven’s Shadow
Escape From the Dragon Czar
Wrath of the Dragon Czar
Disciples of the Horned One Trilogy:
Darkness Rising
Raging Sea and Trembling Earth
Harvest of Souls
Death and Honor Omnibus
The Squire
About the Author
James E. Wisher is a writer of science fiction and Fantasy novels. He’s been writing since high school and reading everything he could get his hands on for as long as he can remember. This is his fourteenth novel.
www.jamesewisher.com
james@jamesewisher.com