Fredrik knew it would come to this andrealized the next few moments would decide his fate, whether it bedeath or freedom. “What do you mean escape?” he shouted. “You can’thave let her escape.”
The room grew very tense and the guardsappeared to tighten their hands on their weapons. “I am sorry formy outburst,” Lord Wason said softly while consciously clenchinghis hands to appear furious with the King’s poorly guardedprison.
“I beg the King’s pardon forwords spoken in haste, but the thought of her being free againboils my blood,” Fredrik humbled with the sound of forced softness.“The men of Captain Grecho obey my command and are loyal to theLord of the Manor. They would not take it upon themselves to free awitch that I wished imprisoned.”
The comment about loyalty had beenmeant to impress King Alfred that if he detained Lord Wason, hewould be striking out against the Cidal Mercenary Company, which,while not true, would cause the King to tread more lightly towardsFredrik. “May I ask if the woman could have possibly used magic toescape and if Your Highness has any indication of where she hasgone?” Lord Wason queried.
The King, after a minute of studyingFredrik, motioned for the guards to leave. “This has never happenedbefore,” conceded King Alfred. “The witch was drugged which shouldhave made it impossible for her to use magic and there was a stubof rope found attached to the flagpole which would indicate amundane rescue. Although, the cell was still locked and the purposeof the rope makes no sense. It was long enough to reach the bottomof the cell, but it was next to the wrong cell and the loose endwas not in the cell. I am afraid that there is little informationthat I can supply to help you locate her. If I receive furthernews, I will send a messenger.”
Fredrik bowed and left the throne room.He spurned the carriage, which was waiting for him and walkedbacked to the Fluttering Jib lost in thought. As he entered thecommon room, he noticed Yolinda Obanik sitting by herself at one ofthe tables. He nonchalantly walked over and sat down. The crowd wassparse for the morning meal and the serving girl appeared promptly.He ordered a concoction of eggs and cheese and turned towardsYolinda.
“You are alone,” Yolindawhispered while holding her mug of coffee to her lips. “Where arethe others? What has happened?”
Fredrik acted like he was havingpleasant conversation with a stranger. “They rode out last nightand are waiting for us north of here. I can’t explain it all now,but if your business in Melbin is complete, I would suggest that weleave.”
“Is everyone all right?”Yolinda demanded.
“Niki has been drugged to keepher from using magic,” Fredrik explained. “She was unconscious whenshe left. Everyone else is okay.”
“Be ready to leave in fifteenminutes,” Yolinda whispered. “I will get the ingredients needed tohelp Niki. We will meet you at the stables for the Bosun’s Chair.”Yolinda placed her coffee mug on the table and disappeared out thedoor of the inn.
Fredrik finished his breakfast and wentto his room to gather his belongings. He removed the red velvetsuit and dressed in a gray woolen tunic and matching breeches.Carrying his gear down to the stables, he paused to inform theinnkeeper that he was leaving. When he reached the stables of theBosun’s Chair, Mikal was waiting for him holding both his blackstallion and Yolinda’s white mare. Yolinda hurried along the alleyand mounted without a word. Silently the three rode through thestreets of Melbin and out the North Gate.
When they were well away of the gate,Garth demanded an explanation of the events of Melbin. He toldFredrik to start at the beginning and leave nothing out. Fredrikwas just finishing his tale when they left the coastal highway andheaded for the sea. “I think I know the cove that Tanya is speakingof, although it is not a particularly safe spot to wait,” Garthcommented.
Garth was pleased to see that Arik wasat least alert to the danger when the young warrior jumped downfrom his hiding spot in the rocks to welcome them. “I guesseverything went okay,” Arik smiled at Fredrik.
Arik led them into the cove to whereNiki was stretched out on a blanket. Kalina quickly dismounted andknelt at the girl’s side to examine her. “Get a fire going and putsome water on to boil,” she demanded.
“This is not a safe place fora fire,” Garth cautioned. “Can it wait until we find a moresuitable place?”
“No,” replied Kalina. “Thedrug can be very harmful, especially if they were not carefuladministering it. The fact that she was about to be executed couldbe enough reason for them not to care how much they used. I mustget some tea into her.”
Kalina removed a parcel from her pouchand handed it to Tedi. “Mix half of this into a tea and see thatshe drinks all of it. Return the unused half,” Kalinaordered.
Kalina went to her horse and removedthe long, canvas wrapped package and laid it on the ground.Stopping, she unwrapped the Sword of Heavens and picked it up.Holding it out from her she started to rotate in a circle andfinally stopped when it tingled.
“It is as much west as it isnorth,” Garth surmised.
“Yes,” replied Kalina dryly,“and you want to take us further north.”
“The children are gettingbetter every day,” Garth explained, “but they are hardly ready tobattle the world. The delay of a week will not matter in the courseof the Prophecy and they will be one week better trained for it.Besides, if we let the situation in Alcea totally crumble, theProphecy can not be fulfilled. Remember, one of them is supposed tolead Alcea to greatness. How can that be accomplished if Alceadoesn’t exist anymore?”
“So, the children will bebetter trained, will they?” Kalina snorted. “And you expect me tobelieve that your plans won’t get them killed in Alcea? We couldhave lost them all for only one day in Melbin and there is no onethere who particularly cares if they live. In Alcea, everyone willwant them dead.”
“If you are so opposed to myplans,” Garth stated, “I will go to Alcea alone. I know what mustbe done and I will have it done.”
“And abandon the Children ofthe Prophecy,” mocked Kalina. “I think not. You have waited allyour life to get your hands on them. You will not leave themnow.”
“I will find you wallowingyour way across Targa when I am done,” Garth smiled.
“Let us not fight about this,Garth,” Kalina sighed. “We will talk about it later.”
Kalina wrapped the sword back up in thecanvas and went to check on Niki. Garth wandered down to the surfand removed his boots to let his feet feel the cool saltwater washover them as he paced along the beach. A barefooted Tanya appearedalongside him and Garth shivered as he realized how complacent hehad become about the children’s presence.
“Something is troubling you,warrior,” Tanya suggested. “I have never seen you two have a harshword for one another. Is it because of the difficulties we got intoin Melbin?”
“No,” confided Garth. “TheAlcea Rangers performed admirably in Melbin. I am proud of all ofyou, not just for using your abilities well, but because you workedas a team. I learned some very disturbing information while inMelbin and feel that the problems in Alcea need to be addressednow. Kalina feels that we must hurry to fulfill the Prophecy andshe has a point. Even though the Rangers are not yet battle worthy,every day we delay is an opportunity for Sarac to get atyou.”
Tanya reached down and plucked a shellfrom the surf, letting the water rinse the sand from it. “Can’t theproblem in Alcea wait for us to return from wherever we aregoing?”
“I don’t know,” admittedGarth. “The situation may wait, but some very good people will diein the meantime. They are friends and people whom I admire, as wellas being influential to affairs in Alcea. When it comes time toplace the heir upon the throne, they would be good people to havealive.”
“You will work it out,warrior,” Tanya chirped as she sprinted across the sand to ablanket against the rocks.
Garth turned around and headed backtowards his boots. He looked and saw that Kalina had Niki sittingup, drinking tea. He picked up his boots and strode across the sandtowards the rest of the group. Niki was talkin
g and Garth deducedfrom the smile on Kalina’s lips that Niki was going to be allright. He sat down on somebody’s blanket and dusted the sand offhis feet before putting his boots back on. Tedi was missing fromthe group and Garth assumed he was on sentry duty.
Kalina got Niki up and walked her backand forth to assure herself that there was nothing wrong with her.Once she was satisfied, she ordered the campfire extinguished andannounced that they would be leaving in five minutes.
Everyone got their belongings packedback on the horses and mounted up. Garth let Kalina lead while hepondered which way he would go when they got to a road that ledwestward. They rode for half a day before the road westwardappeared. Kalina halted at the crossroads, but the children kept ongoing. Kalina started to say something, but Arik cut heroff.
“The Alcea Rangers are boundfor Alcea,” he proclaimed. “It is about time that we saw what weare fighting for. If you and Garth don’t hurry along, you will missdinner.”
Kalina looked dumbfounded as Garthcaught up to her and he just shrugged his shoulders and grinned.Kalina shook her head in dismay, but Garth saw the corners of asmile appearing on her lips. “You orchestrated this, didn’t you?”she accused.
“This was not my decision,” hechuckled. “Our Rangers are becoming more of a tight-knit group thaneither of us would have suspected. I only mentioned my concern toTanya because she asked what we were arguing about. I do think theyhave a valid point about seeing what they are fighting for,though.”
“You would,” laughed Kalina.“It is funny to have two strong-willed people ignored by a groupthat we still call children. You better move along, I do not intendto miss dinner.”
For the rest of the day they rode on,and nobody mentioned the incident at the crossroads. Arik chose thecampsite and Garth watched with amusement and pride as the Rangersefficiently set up camp and started dinner and practice as if thiswas their daily routine. The episode in Melbin, without Garth andKalina to guide them, had melded them into a working team,dependent on each other and seemingly independent of anyone else.Garth knew better, but it filled him with admiration for the fiveof them.
Kalina mixed the rest of her concoctioninto a tea for Niki, while Garth went to observe the practicesessions. Arik and Tanya were using the bolas that Tanya hadpurchased in Melbin. The pair of balls attached by a strong cordwas thrown at the legs of a person or animal. If thrown properly,the weight of the balls caused the cord to wrap around the legs andfell your opponent. They were using a pair of sticks for thepractice and were getting better with each throw.
Fredrik and Tedi were battling with thenew staffs acquired in Melbin and Garth had to admit that thestaffs made a difference in their effectiveness. Seeing no need tointervene, he walked over to check on the stew that was cookingover the fire.
Niki recovered well from the drug andwas rattling on to Kalina about her captivity and how she had beengood in Melbin and how it wasn’t her fault. Garth smiled broadlyand announced that dinner was ready. Dinner was fairly quiet as thestew was ravenously devoured. After dinner Garth lit his pipe andthe questions started about what they should expect when theyarrived in Alcea.
“I am not really sure,” Garthadmitted. “It has been years since I was there. The informationthat I am getting leads me to believe that things have gottenprogressively worse. King Byron was assassinated and Queen Martafled the city. I do not know who rules it now. There has been apower struggle in Alcea since the time of the Collapse. Many refuseto accept Alcea as their new country. They prefer to call the cityTagaret, which was its name when Targa still existed. I think manywould prefer to resurrect Targa to its former greatness. They, ofcourse, would not be the ones whose blood was shed doingit.”
“You mentioned patriots inprison,” Tanya stated while checking Kalina’s reaction to heracknowledgment that Garth had spoken to her. “Who are they and whyare they important to Alcea?”
“I do not know the full scopeof the problems in Alcea,” Garth declared. “One of those who iscaptive is General Gregor. He was the General at the time of theCollapse and supported the move to rename the Kingdom to Alcea. Hewas the strongest supporter of King Byron and I suspect hisimprisonment was meant to keep him out of the way while the Kingwas killed. They probably are now afraid to release him because hewould be steadfast in bringing to justice whoever killed theKing.”
“This power game that they areplaying . . . ” quizzed Arik, “wouldn’t one of them point out whohad the King killed? I mean . . . wouldn’t it be to someone’sadvantage to reveal the killer?”
“It would, indeed,” Garthagreed. “The problem is that it would be to so much advantage thateveryone is probably claiming it was everyone else. The name thatthey have given to their petty scrambling is the Contest of Power,and they do see it as a game. Alcea, like Targa before it, has aCouncil of Advisors who meet with the King to determine what mustbe done for the Kingdom. I have heard that this Council has somehowmade their powers equal to the King’s and I would suspect that mostof our Contest players have a seat on it. Actually, I should saythat the Council members are probably big players in the Contest.There are probably twenty Contest Players for each seat on theCouncil.”
“So they would not have toreplace the King to rule,” summed Arik. “They would just need theagreement of a majority of this Council.”
“Exactly,” Garth agreed.“Someday we will have to face this Council, but that is not forthis trip. I mean to get General Gregor out of prison and possiblyfind the Queen and get her to safety. The General may well beinstrumental when the heir returns to Alcea.”
“The Queen may be thegrandmother of one of us,” proclaimed Niki. “We have to see to itthat she is safe. Do you know if she has red hair?”
“Is your face well known inAlcea?” asked Tanya.
Garth looked at the young woman as ifseeing her for the first time. “I suppose it is to some people,”Garth answered. “Why do you ask?”
“It may be too dangerous foryou to get General Gregor out of prison,” explained Arik. “This maybe a job better suited to the younger Alcea Rangers.”
Garth looked at the young faces aroundthe campfire and groaned. Certain that he had created a monster, hevoiced his objection. “Look,” he said authoritatively, “you all dida great job in Melbin and I’m proud of the way you handledyourselves, but you can not just go throwing yourselves into dangerat every opportunity. There are people in Alcea who will recognizeme, but that is something I can deal with. There were people inMelbin who knew me and hunted me. That didn’t stop me from doingwhat I went there for.”
“What did you do with Hanjel?”Tedi asked.
Everyone must have seen Garth’s mouthdrop open because they all started laughing, even Kalina. Garthquickly shut his mouth and began to speak, but Arik cut himoff.
“We know that Kalina and youare trying to protect us and train us at the same time,” Arikbegan. “That is not an easy task, but hear us out. We are nottrying to step mindlessly into danger, nor are we trying to keepyou out of it. We are doing what you have taught us and what youare not doing yourself. We are approaching the problem consideringall of the assets available to us. We are asking you to do thesame. You may look at us like children, but we are the ones theProphecy talks about and it is our responsibility to do what isnecessary.”
“We are not trying to revoltor chase you away,” added Tanya. “In fact, we realize now, morethan ever, how much we need you. Just try using us as fellowsoldiers and not precious artifacts that need to bepreserved.”
The silence lasted for several momentsbefore Garth spoke. “It has been many years since any of my mengave me a dressing-down,” he chuckled. “This one has been welldeserved. I think some of your particular talents may well prove tobe useful.”
“Do you mean like Lord Wasongoing before the Council to seek better relations with Targa?”Fredrik asked.
“Or someone with lock-pickingability getting thrown into the dungeon?” added Tedi.
“A magical diversion,”suggested F
redrik.
“Or better, a beautifuldiversion,” Tanya chuckled as she threw her long blond hair overher shoulder.
“I like them all,” laughedGarth and noticed that Kalina was laughing so hard, she was doubledover.
Niki pouted about not having anythingto offer to their grand plan and left the campfire. Nobody tookspecial notice of her leaving. Garth instructed Fredrik to spendsome time with Kalina for magic tutoring and then he challengedArik, Tedi, and Tanya to try him with their practice swords. Thethree warriors readily agreed and raced to the open area to gettheir wooden swords.
The three young warriors proved thatthey could work as a team and Garth got a decent workout from them.He was tempted to protest when Tanya got his legs wrapped up withthe bola, but realized that practice was best when it came close tosimulating the real world. Instead, he spread his legs as far apartas the bola would allow, and swung his sword to sever the cord.Tanya let out a yelp when she saw that her bola would have beensliced into pieces if Garth had more than a wooden sword, but Garthdid not give her time to cry. He threw his body to the ground andquickly rolled into her and Arik, knocking them to the ground.Garth was up again quickly enough to fend off Tedi, who had leapedover the two bodies. Eventually, the cord around his legs did Garthin and the three young warriors converged on him for thekill.
“I’d like to replay that witha real sword,” chuckled Garth.
“What made you think ofcutting it?” Tanya asked. “If you had a real sword, the bolawouldn’t have even slowed you down.”
“I don’t know that it issomething I can teach you,” Garth answered. “You train your body toreact to threats. With enough practice, you do things by instinct.I don’t know what instinct would make me react to a weapon, which Ihave never faced, but it did. The only advice I can give you inthis area is to keep practicing. Even after you are the best thereis, keep practicing.”
The warriors returned to the campfirediscussing different portions of the practice and sat down to cupsof coffee. They were discussing plans for Alcea when Kalina andFredrik returned to join them. They discussed contingency planafter contingency plan until sleep started to overtake them and oneby one they drifted off to their blankets.
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