Demonkin

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Will you have men available at those two areas in case we are discovered?”

  “The men are available, but such battles will prove to be expensive for you.”

  “I will pay,” declared Tedi.

  Strangler nodded to the response he had expected from Tedi. The fact was, Strangler already had the men in position to do battle, but he never offered for free that which he could charge for. “How do you plan to get into the center?”

  “I have a plan for that,” Tedi smiled as he looked at the two men with Strangler, “but it does not require any assistance.”

  Strangler merely nodded, knowing that Tedi did not extend his trust to the rest of the thieves. He took no offense.

  “I am going up to the street,” announced Tedi. “I will tell your men up there when we are going into the center. The children will start coming out a few minutes after that.”

  “Good luck, my friend,” smiled Strangler.

  Tedi made his way up to the ground floor and stood in the doorway staring out at the rain falling into the street. Some time later, he saw Eulena walk around the distant corner.

  “We are going in now,” Tedi said to the two thieves near the door. “Tell Strangler.”

  The Knight of Alcea did not wait for a reply. He pulled the hood close around his face and stepped out into the rain. Eulena headed for the front door of the reeducation center, and Tedi hurried to meet her. When she saw him approaching, she held up a hand in warning. Tedi halted a few feet away and watched the elf. Eulena produced a vial from her pack. She poured some of the liquid around the circumference of the door and the perimeter of the sliding window in the door. She capped the vial and returned it to her pack. She cautiously backed away from the door, raised a hand, and pointed at the door. The areas where she had poured the liquid flashed brilliantly for a second. Tedi nervously glanced about to see if anyone had noticed, but he could not see another person on the streets. Eulena hurried to Tedi’s side and urged him towards the rear of the center.

  “What was that?” Tedi asked as they reached the rear of the center.

  “It is a sealing agent,” answered the elven mage. “All of the metal parts of the door will be fused together. The hinges will no longer work, and the locking mechanism will be frozen. That door will never open again.”

  “So you have locked the guards inside?” frowned Tedi. “How does that help us?”

  “There is another door to the lobby,” answered Eulena. “I will seal that one off as well. There is no need for anyone to die this night.”

  “Providing all of the guards are in the lobby,” frowned Tedi. “That might not be the case.”

  “Then you are free to improvise,” stated the elf. “You said that we were going in through a window. If so, this is the one to use,” she said as she pointed upward. “This window goes into the room with the oldest boys. It has bars like the others. How do you plan to open it?”

  “I want you to go inside,” replied the Knight of Alcea. “Move an empty bed under the window and let me know when that is done. I will push the grate into the room.”

  Eulena raised an eyebrow at the human, but she did not ask more. She transformed into a dove and fluttered up to the window ledge. The boys inside the room were all awake and waiting for her. She dropped to the floor and transformed back into an elf.

  “We thought you had forgotten about us,” one of the boys said excitedly.

  “An elf never forgets a promise,” smiled Eulena. “Move a bunk under that window and then get away from it.”

  The boys jumped to comply with the request. As soon as the bunk was in place. Eulena climbed onto the bunk and waved to Tedi. She hopped off the bunk and backed away. A moment later the grate flew into the room and landed on the bunk. A grappling hook followed the grate, and Tedi soon appeared in the window. The boys grew nervous seeing the human, but Eulena told them that Tedi was helping her.

  “Everyone stay here until we return,” Tedi said to the boys. “We need to make sure that the guards do not interrupt our escape.”

  Tedi climbed down and approached the door leading to the corridor. He tapped the locking mechanism with the end of his staff. The door swung open. Eulena and Tedi slipped out of the room and into the corridor. Tedi led the way towards the front of the building, but he stopped short of the lobby door. Eulena crept forward and pulled the vial out of her pack. Once again she poured the liquid around the door and cast her spell. The brilliant flash illuminated the entire corridor, but it only lasted a moment.

  “Let’s get these children out of here,” Eulena said with satisfaction.

  Tedi and Eulena retreated to the room with the open window, Tedi smashing the locks on each of the children’s doors as he passed. Eulena told the boys that it was time to go, and the boys all fled the room for the corridor. While the older boys gathered the other children, Tedi shoved the bunk aside and used his staff to break down the wall to the outside. When the children arrived, they were all dressed and ready to travel.

  Eulena looked at Tedi and smiled. “They are well prepared. You go on ahead. I will stay here until the last child is out.”

  Tedi exited the room through the large hole in the wall. He immediately moved to the corner of the building and waved to the two thieves at the apartment building. Within moments there was a string of thieves stretching across the street. Tedi moved back to the wall in time to help the first of the children out of the center.

  “Follow the line of men,” instructed Tedi. “They will lead you to safety. Remain silent at all times. Hurry along.”

  Tedi kept repeating the instructions as each child exited the building. Some of the older children carried the youngest ones, and some of the toddlers had hung on the backs of others. While the children were leaving the center, the rain began falling in sheets. The wind roared so loudly that Tedi was almost shouting to make his voice heard. As the last of the children exited the center, Tedi noticed the water rising around his feet. He shook his head as Eulena came up alongside him. Together they raced across he street and down the stairs.

  The line of thieves ended in the basement of the apartment building. A hatch in the floor was raised, and Strangler urged Eulena into it. Tedi followed Eulena, and Strangler closed the hatch behind himself as he followed Tedi. The sewers were foul, but Strangler had arranged torches to light the way. The adults hurried after the children who seemed to be moving quickly on their own. Every once in a while, the group passed an intersection, and Strangler’s men were present at every one of them.

  “The water is rising,” Eulena said with alarm as they rounded a bend in the sewers.

  “This storm is stronger than most,” replied Strangler. “The water has to go somewhere. Be thankful that it is carrying away the filth down here.”

  As they continued towards the sewer outlet near the docks, Eulena grew more concerned. “It is rising too fast. It is almost up to my knees. Some of the children are barely taller than that.”

  “There is no safe exit between here and the docks,” Strangler replied. “We just have to keep going.”

  “The older children will look after the short ones,” Tedi said hopefully.

  “That won’t help if this continues to deepen,” worried Eulena. “It is rising at an alarming rate. How much longer is it?”

  “Five more minutes,” answered Strangler, his voice starting to show concern. “If it is raining as hard in the rest of the city as it was near the center, these sewers could fill up. I have never seen it happen in my lifetime, but I have heard stories of it happening.”

  “Go on ahead of us, Strangler,” urged Tedi. “Have the men that are at the intersections pick up the smaller children.”

  “And hurry them onward,” Eulena added worriedly.

  The thief nodded and moved past Tedi and Eulena. As soon as he was out of sight, Tedi stopped and roused the fairies. “Squirt, head forward and do what you can to help the small children. I would prefer that you not be seen, but the chil
dren matter more than secrecy. Button, I want you to go the other way. Report back if the water appears deeper than here.”

  Squirt shot into the air and headed towards the front of the line. Button headed back the way they had come.

  “What are you thinking?” asked Eulena.

  “My staff has the ability to crack stone,” answered Tedi. “If it is going to get much worse, maybe I should break the sewer and give it a new path to take.”

  “That won’t work,” frowned the elven mage. “You may lessen the waters somewhat with a new path, but the old path will still be available. The water must be blocked to save the children.”

  “I don’t know how to do that.”

  “I do,” the mage said with determination. “I can cast a physical shield across the sewer. The only problem is, I don’t know how long I can hold it.”

  “And when you can’t hold it anymore?”

  “Then the water claims me.”

  “I don’t care for that option,” declared Tedi. “Let’s keep moving.”

  Tedi and Eulena hurried after the children as the water continued to rise. Some moments later, Button sped past them before hovering in front of Tedi.

  “We need to get out of the sewers,” the tiny woman said excitedly. “There is a wall of water coming at us.”

  “How much time do we have?” asked Eulena.

  “A minute,” answered the fairy. “Maybe less. We have to hurry.”

  Eulena halted and started to raise her arms.

  “No,” Tedi said urgently. “Not here. Follow me quickly.”

  Eulena frowned deeply, but she hurried after Tedi who was trying to run through the deep water. Seconds later, they came to one of the intersections. Tedi halted.

  “Flee, Button,” he commanded the fairy. “Go help Squirt with the children.” Turning to Eulena, he smiled thinly. “Put your shield up so that the water is forced into the other two sewers.”

  “Those sewers are flowing into this one,” frowned the mage as he arms came up. “It will not buy us much time.”

  “It will give us a minute to think,” retorted Tedi as the elf cast her spell.

  Tedi watched the water smash against the invisible barrier as the water around their legs began to lessen. The deluge spread up the two connecting sewers, but the water continued to rise at an alarming rate. Tedi glanced at the walls and ceiling of the sewer, looking for any aberration that might help them. He walked away from Eulena as he searched and eventually found a ladder in the wall. He scampered up the ladder to find the hatch at the top locked. Taking his staff in one hand, he shoved it upward. The hatch shattered, showering the Knight of Alcea with hundreds of wooden splinters. He stuck his head through the hole and stared into the darkness. He had no idea where the hatch led, but it was dry up there. He placed his staff on the floor and retrieved the hook from his pack. He quickly set the hook on the downside of the hatch and uncoiled the rope. He slid down the ladder and hurried back to Eulena. The wall of water on the other side of the physical shield covered the entire height of the sewer, and he could see the strain the elven mage was under. He wrapped the rope around his back and then stepped forward until he was flush against the mage’s back.

  “What are you doing?” asked Eulena.

  “Tying a rope around us,” answered Tedi as he reached around Eulena’s waist and tied the rope around both of them. “We will need to hold our breath when your shield fails. Try to give me some warning.”

  “It won’t be long.” Eulena grunted out the words as if she were lifting an enormous weight.

  Tedi gripped the rope with both hands and waited. Several minutes later, the elven mage was at the end of her endurance.

  “Now!” Eulena shouted.

  Tedi tightened his grip and filled his lungs with air as the shield disintegrated. The wall of water slammed into them and instantly carried them downstream. Within seconds, the rope snapped taut, and pain shot up Tedi’s arms as if they were being torn from his body. He had intended to pull himself through the hatch, but the flow of the water was too great. He dared not even remove one of his hands from the rope for fear that the force of the water would rip their bodies apart at the waist. Helplessly, he clung to the rope as his lungs began to cry for air. A moment later, Tedi felt the pressure slowly beginning to ebb. He lifted one hand off the rope and gripped it closer to the hook. Slowly he began to pull them towards the hatch, but his lungs now ached for something to breath. Knowing he only had seconds of air left, he furiously clawed at the rope.

  Tedi felt his hand hit the ladder. He let go of the rope, grabbed the ladder with both hands and managed to get his feet on one of the rungs. He forged upward and gasped greedily as his head broke free of the water. He heard Eulena also gasping for breath. For several moments, they hung onto the hatch with their heads protruding into the dark room, and the water below still trying to drag the lower half of their bodies downstream.

  “Thank you,” Eulena finally said with an exhausted voice. “I didn’t think we would make it.”

  “Nor did I,” admitted Tedi. “Make sure you have a firm grip. I am going to cut the rope.”

  Eulena nodded and Tedi cut the rope binding them together. Eulena climbed into the room and Tedi followed. He stowed the hook in his pack and picked up his staff while Eulena produced some kind of magical light. They were in the dank basement of some abandoned building, and Tedi made for the stairs leading upward. Eulena followed and they found themselves in an empty building that looked like it used to be a tavern. Tedi cautiously opened the front door and gazed into the night. It was still raining, but not as hard as before.

  “We are less than a block from the docks,” he announced softly. “Let’s go.”

  They slid out of the building and soon saw Strangler standing near the docks. Several of his men surrounded him. The thief noticed them as they approached. A broad grin spread across the thief’s face.

  “What happened?” asked Strangler. “The water suddenly stopped flowing for a while and then it was like a dam bursting.”

  “It was a dam bursting,” replied Tedi. “Did all of the children make it?”

  “Didn’t lose a one,” grinned the thief. “The ship has already set sail. Your friends don’t believe in wasting any time.”

  “I guess Kalmar never made it,” Eulena said with disappointment in her voice.

  “Kalmar?” echoed the thief. “The healer? He was here just a minute ago. He handed a pack to one of the sailors and immediately left.”

  “You know him?” asked Tedi.

  “Valdo is my city,” grinned the thief. “I make it my business to know everyone in it. Besides, his potions did wonders for some of my people.”

  Chapter 42

  Ghost Rider

  Sergeant Tinker led his patrol around the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Despair. The sergeant was weary and thankful that his shift was almost at its end. Patrol duty was always boring as nothing ever happened on the grounds of the palace, especially in the middle of the night. Rare were the nights when his squad even encountered another person. So it came as a surprise when a general walked out of the rear door of the palace. He immediately recognized the officer as General Garibaldi, the general from Vinafor. The sergeant raised an eyebrow in curiosity as the patrol drew near to the general. He saluted as he passed, and although he was sure that the general had seen him, there was no response or indication that the salute had been noticed. The sergeant shrugged with indifference and continued leading his patrol around the grounds.

  A few minutes later, another squad of soldiers appeared. Sergeant Tinker was grateful that his shift was at an end. He handed off the patrolling to the new squad and dismissed his men. As was his custom, the sergeant strolled towards the docks to sit on a bench and relax for a few minutes before heading off to the barracks. While strolling around the grounds during the day was frowned upon, no one ever bothered him at night. It was in the dead of the night that the sergeant enjoyed the grounds. He wal
ked along the deserted pathways as if he were the one who lived in the palace and gave out the orders. It was easy for him to lose himself in his fantasy for a few moments, and he found it always made him sleep better.

  Sergeant Tinker was almost to his favorite bench when he saw General Garibaldi again. The general was heading straight for the sergeant, and Tinker began to worry about being admonished for strolling around the grounds. He immediately changed the direction of his travel and headed towards the barracks. As he passed into an area of dense shrubbery, the sergeant halted and turned around. He watched the general leave the path and head for the side of the palace. Suddenly curious, the sergeant decided to follow the general to see what he was up to. The general headed towards the tall hedge that ran alongside the palace. Sergeant Tinker moved stealthily after the general, but when it appeared that the general would turn around, the sergeant moved swiftly to the cover of a gazebo.

  Sergeant Tinker sighed nervously. He did not know what had possessed him to follow the general, but his close call was enough for him to end the dangerous game and return to the barracks. He peeked around the corner of the gazebo to see if it was safe to flee, but the general was gone. Frowning deeply, the sergeant rose from the cover of the gazebo and stared towards the hedge. There was no one in sight. He glanced at the side of the palace, even though he knew the general could not possibly have run that far in such a short time. General Garibaldi had simply disappeared like a ghost.

  * * * *

  Clint finished sewing the V Corps patch on his uniform and put it on. He walked around his room in the Emporium until he had perfected the peculiar style of walking the Vinaforan general had displayed around the palace. When he was satisfied with his performance, he sat down and waited. Not long after he sat down, a fairy flew in through the balcony door.

  “How did it go, Peanut?”

  “General Garibaldi was noticed,” reported the fairy, “but my memories of his speech are not sufficient for the task.”