“Yes, my lord.”
Lucas waved his hand, dismissing the man. He turned and entered the adjoining room, where a number of royals were presently seated. He looked at the collective group, and realized that this was not the time to reveal weakness.
He strode to the empty chair at the table and sat down. All eyes were on him.
“My Lords, I have news of our quarry. It seems they have run to ground in the Beckson Duchy. As you know, the civil war rages there. It shall require a delicate hand to extricate our wayward duo.”
Lucas did not bother to tell the other members of his son’s involvement with the twins’ escape. He would deal with Eclasius personally once he was found. The Alliance must not see weakness in his ability to handle his own son.
“How long will it take to capture them?” Grand Duke Vogdo asked, impatiently tapping the table with his finger.
Lucas needed to stall as long as possible, in order to give his own men the chance to carry out this mission. He had given his personal assurances to the Grand Duke that the twins would be taken care of.
“My Lord, your question poses an interesting dilemma. It depends on what we want to ultimately achieve here. As you know, we’re dealing with a difficult situation in Beckson. We have basically two options open to us.”
“What options, Lucas?” Marek Dalcon interrupted belligerently.
Marek, above all else, wanted Darius and Dyla to pay for his family’s murders. It was his order that had opened the death portal, yet he irrationally blamed the twins and would stop at nothing to get his revenge. Lucas glared at Marek before continuing.
“First, we can ask Duke Urias for help in recovering these fugitives. It’s the legal way to handle the situation. But if we do this, when the twins are captured they will be heavily guarded and under the Duke’s protection.”
“As the esteemed Duke Urias is not part of this Alliance,” Marek interrupted again, “that situation may not be in our best interest.”
Lucas ignored Marek’s outburst.
“Second, we can continue on our present course of action and let my teams continue to search for, and capture, the twins. This bypasses the Duke’s sovereign authority and it might be construed by some as an invasion of his domain, or spying at the very least, if any of the teams are caught. However, we’d be able to extract the twins using this course of action before anyone realizes they are in Beckson.”
“Lucas, we all know the consequences of letting the twins testify in open court,” Grand Duke Vogdo said. “It seems to me that if we let Duke Urias assist in this endeavor, then the logical conclusion would be that the twins would end up in the hands of authorities that we might not easily circumvent. That is untenable. At this point, I don’t think it’s a question of if we should capture the twins or not, but how quickly we should eliminate them. That needs to happen immediately. If you cannot accomplish this task, then I have the means in place within Beckson to do so.”
Lucas realized that he hung on the edge of a very dangerous precedent. If he could not convince the Grand Duke of his ability to accomplish this task, then he would not be able to control its outcome.
“My Lord, I quite agree with your reasoning and I have teams in place ready to carry out such plans, with no trail of evidence leading back to us. Everyone knows that during the course of war, fatalities happen.”
“Very well then,” Vogdo replied. “We’ll see what your plans come to. Just remember; time is of the essence.”
Duke Marek sat back in his chair with a smug smile, satisfied that Lucas had the appropriate course of action in motion. The other members around the table whispered and nodded among themselves.
“My Lords, there is one other issue,” Lucas continued. “We have the opportunity to ensure the twins’ deaths further our cause and render a decisive blow against the ideals that Levon instituted. These ideals can be stopped before they can take root anywhere else.”
“How would you propose to make that happen?” Vogdo asked.
“The twins shall die with the taint of corruption on their hands, in the midst of the Beckson civil war,” Lucas summarized. “We shall plant enough evidence to expose them as sympathizers to the rebels, and their deaths will be attributed to illegal trade the twins provided to them. All done in the name of the glorious ideals they so openly covet. We may also gain the support of Duke Urias by exposing this illicit alliance with the duke’s enemies. I shall personally take care of the sordid details and report back to the Alliance once the deed is done.”
“Excellent, Lucas,” Vogdo replied. “Your success in this shall be a grand coup in our favor. We eagerly await your next report.”
“Good, we are in agreement then,” Lucas said.
The collective lords unanimously voiced their consent.
Lucas left the Alliance meeting feeling secure that everything was well in hand. He had garnered the collective consent to control the elimination of the twins, and bought more time to extricate his own son from the sordid mess. No one would know that Eclasius was involved, and the Jortac family honor would remain intact.
Grand Duke Vogdo stayed seated and watched the lords depart. He found it curious that Lucas had failed to mention his son’s involvement with the twins’ escape. Of course, Vogdo had received a report earlier clearly indicating that Eclasius Jortac was with the Telkur twins.
Lucas, what are you up to, and why the secrecy? It will be interesting to see how you handle this situation. Yes, most interesting indeed, he thought.
Excerpt from the field journal of Catiana Spencer:
Stonehenge is unique in the annals of history, because its purpose has never been fully explained. Whether it was a pagan tribute to some forgotten god, or a celestial marker of inexplicable design, is left to the viewer’s imagination. Whatever its origin, the site has been gone over in such minute detail that nothing new may ever be garnered from it again. Still, I can’t help but think that it holds ties to the histories of Arthur and Camelot. I have studied the site ad nauseum, but I too have grown weary of searching and hoping of finding a connection.
Chapter 23 – Stonehenge
Darius stepped through the portal into darkness. A dense fog permeated the surrounding area, making visibility near zero. His years of training kicked in automatically. He moved left and started to survey the area. Dyla followed him through and immediately moved right. What the two hadn’t expected was Eclair following them.
“What?” Dyla exclaimed, turning around as something bumped into her. She stopped herself from striking out at the last moment when she found herself face to face with Eclair.
Darius quickly moved closer to the two, echoing his sister’s surprise.
“What are you doing here? We told you not to come,” he said.
“I had to come. Neither of you has the experience or the power to make contact for a return portal. You’d never make it back without me,” Eclair replied, smiling at the twins.
Dyla’s initial rash response was replaced with radiating warmth. Darius glanced at his sister, and was surprised to see her smiling at Eclair.
Oh great, look at these two grinning fools. Now I’ll have to watch out for both of them.
“Stop gawking at each other,” Darius commanded. “We’ve no idea where we are or what we’ll run into. Spread out and look around, and for god’s sake, Eclair, try to be quiet.”
“I’ll do my best,” Eclair said.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Darius mumbled.
A quick survey of the immediate area revealed nothing useful. They found themselves in the center of a circle of standing stones that towered above them, with no discernable signs of life. The fog was so thick that any reconnaissance of the area would prove useless. They would have to wait until the fog lifted before moving anywhere.
Dyla had surveyed the outer stones, and walked back to the center of the stone ring.
“This isn’t getting us anywhere. I can’t see anything, but it looks like some kind
of ancient monument.”
“I agree,” Eclair chimed in.
“OK, let’s get some rest while we can. I’ll take first watch,” Darius said. “Dyla, you follow me, and then Eclair. We have no idea how long this fog will last, so at any sign of movement, whoever is on watch, wake the others. We’ll approach anyone we encounter on this planet with extreme caution. Use force only as a last resort.”
Dyla moved to the base of one of the stones, threw her pack against it and lowered herself to the ground. Eclair followed her.
“Eclair, I’m glad you’re here, but right now we need to get some rest. We have no idea what we will run into when it gets light,” she whispered.
“Understood.”
Eclair dropped his pack and sat beside her. He settled against the base of one of the towering stones. He tried to rest, but his mind was reeling from everything that had happened in the last few hours. After a few moments, he turned toward Dyla, only to discover she was awake as well.
“Dyla, I want to tell you how sorry I am for how things have turned out,” Eclair whispered. “I wish I hadn’t overheard my father and Avikar talking, but if I hadn’t, you and Darius would probably be sitting in prison now.”
“I know, and thank you. We owe you our lives. I’ll never forget what you’ve done. Now try to get some rest.”
A short distance away, Darius continued to scan the surrounding area. The sounds of the surrounding area were like those of the Otharian countryside; typical night sounds of small creatures hunting and being hunted. They would have to wait until daybreak to move. Nothing happened during his watch, and he moved to wake Dyla.
“Dyla, wake up.”
Dyla was instantly awake. “Anything happen?”
“No, everything is quiet.”
Dyla nodded and assumed her watch. Her watch was uneventful, and she moved to wake up Eclair. She hesitated a moment, hovering over his prostrate form. She put her hand over his mouth and shook him.
“Eclair, it’s time.”
He opened his eyes, and got to his feet for his watch.
“Go get some sleep. I’m good,” he said.
Dyla nodded and lay down, using her pack as her pillow. Eclair encountered nothing unusual on his watch, either. As the first rays of sunlight edged over the horizon, Eclair woke the twins. They were on their feet within seconds, and the three huddled together to discuss their next move. The fog was beginning to lift, and a lush countryside was being revealed.
“Hey, what are you kids doing over there,” sounded a voice at the edge of the stones.
The three quickly turned around. An old man with a cane ambled toward them. They watched him make his way deftly over the stone debris.
“What are you doing over there anyway? You know you’re not supposed to be inside the stone circle. Can’t you read the signs?”
Darius looked at Dyla. They were shocked they could understand the man. He was speaking Otharian Common, the universal language used for trade and business on their world.
“Sir, I’m afraid we got lost in the fog,” Darius replied.
The caretaker pointed his cane toward the road.
“Well, the road is right there. See that you get back to it right quick now. If you’re part of that tour group, then they’ve already headed back to town. They went back late last night. Course, you probably don’t know that, you being lost and such.”
“Indeed we are, sir, and anxious to meet up with them again,” Darius answered quickly, picking up on the story the caretaker supplied. “Would you be so kind as to direct us back to them?”
“Harrumph, that’s why you shouldn’t be leaving your group,” the old man answered, proud of his deductive reasoning. “Look at you three now, lost, just as I thought.”
The three looked at the old man expectantly while he grumbled at them. After a moment, he pointed east along the road.
“Town of Amesbury is that way,” the caretaker said. “Follow the road and it’ll lead you right to it. Most tour groups stop by The Stone Bed and Breakfast. That’s probably where you’ll find the rest of your group.”
They nodded to the caretaker, and headed out in the general direction he had pointed. The caretaker watched them as they moved toward the road. He didn’t like their looks. Something wasn’t quite right about them. Too many foreigners came by the site for his liking, and these three were about as foreign as they came.
Eclair turned and bowed slightly to the caretaker.
“Thank you, kind sir. We shall be on our way.”
“Damn kids,” mumbled the caretaker as he turned and ambled away.
“That was interesting,” Eclair said. “Our first alien. A bit grumpy, don’t you think?”
“He looked normal enough,” Dyla replied. “The only thing I felt from him was aggravation. I wonder if all the people on this planet are like that.”
“Not likely,” Darius said. “One harmless old man means nothing, but we have to be careful with everyone we meet.”
“I don’t see much choice but to investigate this town,” Dyla replied. “We have to start looking somewhere for clues of our ancestors.”
“What do you think we should be looking for first?” Eclair asked.
Darius thought a moment before answering.
“First, we should find out if the original settlement still exits. Maybe ask the locals in this town and look for any ruins or remains. It’s the best place to start looking for the crystal Trinity mentioned. Somebody should be able to tell us something.”
Eclair thought over Darius’s answer.
“We may or may not find any ruins after all this time, but I will be able to get a reading from a crystal that large by its power signature. A traveling crystal emanates a lot of power and I’ll be able to spot it from a good distance away.”
“Good, it’s decided,” Darius said. “First, let’s check out this town and the locals. Then we can start searching for the crystal.”
The trio adjusted their traveling packs, and continued down the road toward the town, taking in the sights around them.
“In any case, it’s a good day for a walk,” Dyla said.
“That caretaker thought we were visitors, so let’s keep with that angle,” Darius said. “It should help us gain the most information with the least amount of effort. Dyla, you take the lead when we meet someone new. Scan them for any hostility.”
“No problem.”
The trio walked on. The countryside had a remarkable likeness to Otharia, though slightly different in shades of coloring. It seemed as if the colors of the Earth countryside were dulled, somehow, but may have been the residue of lingering fog.
Dyla wrinkled her nose. “Do you smell something burning?”
“I smell something, but I’m not sure what it is,” Darius said.
“The whole place smells like burning oil,” Eclair added.
Dyla looked around. “I don’t see any signs of smoke.”
“Just keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual. It may be quiet now, but that could change any second,” Darius said.
The trio walked down the winding road, and the lingering traces of fog that permeated the countryside caused them to quickly lose sight of the stone ring.
“Do you hear that?” Darius asked sensing a rumbling in the road. “Something is coming from behind us.”
The three looked back, all of them craning their necks to get a better look around the bend in the road.
Darius saw it first, and pushed Dyla as he shouted. “Watch out! Get off the road.”
Darius and Dyla dove into the bushes, but Eclair wasn’t quick enough. Like a deer caught in headlights, he stood in the center of the road, gawking at the nightmare bearing down upon him. The screeching of tires, and a blaring horn, woke him from his inaction and, at the last second, he dove to the side of the road, narrowly missing the oncoming rush of steel.
“Are you OK?” a young woman cried, jumping out of the van after she had braked to a halt just past Ec
lair’s prone body.
Eclair sat up and stared at the marvel idling in the road. He didn’t notice the woman until she came running up to him.
“What…?” Eclair mumbled, staring at her.
“I asked you if you were OK,” she repeated.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, maybe because I almost ran you down with my van.”
“Is that what that is?”
The young woman straightened and looked down at Eclair, wondering if he had hit his head when he dove off the road.
“Let me help you up,” she offered, holding out her hand.
She stopped suddenly when she heard a rustling of bushes on the other side of the road.
Oh crap, it’s a trick. They’re going to rob me, she thought, looking back as two others revealed themselves.
“That won’t be necessary,” Darius said, pushing through the bushes along the roadside. “I’ll take care of him.”
“Fine,” the young woman said, carefully backing away from them.
Dyla reached out and grabbed Darius’s arm, keeping him from approaching more closely to the departing woman. Eclair stood up and watched as she jumped in her van and sped off.
Darius looked at Dyla quizzically.
“She was scared of us,” Dyla explained. “She thought we meant her harm.”
“Really? That’s odd. I wonder why she felt like that.”
“It’s too bad,” Eclair said, “I was hoping to get a closer look at her ‘van’. She might have given us a ride.”
“I doubt it,” Dyla replied, looking down the road at the disappearing van. “The emotions I was reading from her went from concern to suspicion and distrust in the blink of an eye when she noticed Darius and I.”
“Well, at least we know something about the people here,” Eclair said.
“Oh, and what’s that?”
“Their carriages smell.”
“Yeah, you got that right,” Darius said, laughing.
“If that is how Earth people travel,” Dyla said, “then we need to be careful walking on this road. No telling how many of those are here.”
The Quest for Nobility Page 17
