Sapphire of the Fairies soh-1

by Richard S. Tuttle

  Chapter 19

  Tagaret

  Niki was in despair. Arik spent all ofhis time with Tanya, Fredrik hung on Kalina’s every word, and Tedispent his time alone. Garth didn’t even know she existed. Niki wasused to being the center of attraction, but ever since everyoneelse had such a grand time rescuing her in Melbin, nobody paid anyattention to her anymore. She vowed that Tagaret would bedifferent. She would find some way to make them pay attention toher again. Perhaps she would rescue this prisoner who everyonethought was so important. She would use her magic skills to breakopen the dungeon walls or freeze the guards and just walk in. Shewould do something grand.

  Niki woke out of her musings wheneveryone started talking excitedly. She looked up and the city ofTagaret, or Alcea, whatever people were calling it, was spread outin the distance. It looked much larger than either Melbin orTrekum. There appeared to be at least three walls. The first wallmust have been miles long and it appeared fairly new. Far beyondthat, she could just make out a smaller wall, which was probablythe size of Melbin’s. Yet up on a hill in the center of the city,she could see a third wall surrounding a large castle which must bethe Royal Palace. Her despair gave way to excitement. Even if shecould not rescue this General, there must be people in a city thislarge that would accept her as their Queen. Niki definitely beganto get a good feeling about Tagaret.

  “The arrangement we had inMelbin worked fairly well,” Garth said. “Kalina and I will stay atthe Sword and Shield. Fredrik, Arik, and Tedi at the Palace Shadow.Tanya and Niki will use the Golden Sword. Remember, if anyone needsto get a message to the others, go to the Pawn Shop and ask for abook about growing turnips in a sandy soil. Leave your message inwhatever book the clerk gives you. The message will bedelivered.”

  “What is this about turnips?”Niki asked.

  Garth and Kalina exchanged glances.Kalina had noticed the way Niki was acting and believed it was aleft over effect of the drug that was used on her in Melbin. “Tanyawill explain it to you,” Garth answered.

  As they got closer to the outer wall,Garth reached into his pack and extracted a gray hat, which heplaced on his head and lowered it to conceal his face as much aspossible. Next he extracted a gray cloak and fastened it around hisneck. The simple disguise could not hide Garth if you were lookingfor him, but it changed his appearance enough to think him astranger if you were passing him on the street.

  “Fredrik,” Garth saidsuddenly, “you need to replenish your wardrobe at the firstopportunity. One fancy suit will not go far in convincing peoplethat you are a Lord. If you know the colors of Cidal, get Arik andTedi appropriate clothes in those colors or have some made up.These people may be fools in some respects, but in others, do notunderestimate them. If you run into anyone from Grecho’s company,you may be in trouble.”

  “We will be all right,”supplied Arik.

  The conversation ceased as theyapproached the gate through the outer wall. Garth’s eyes roamedeverywhere. The guards on the gate wore standard Targa uniforms andthey were very young. People roamed the streets with a casualattitude and there didn’t appear to be any omen of distress hangingover the city. Fredrik, Arik, and Tedi picked up their pace and putdistance between themselves and Garth, while Tanya and Niki laggedbehind. They were three separate groups traveling who just happenedto have entered the city at the same time. Nobody would give it aserious thought.

  The city had grown tremendously sinceGarth was here last. The outer wall did not exist then and most ofthe buildings between the two walls were new. Garth had seensimilar things all over the continent. People were abandoning theirfarms and land and moving to the cities for protection. The banditshad become brazen and well organized and a single farmstead was tootempting for them to leave it alone for long. In normal times theresults would have been disastrous because the farm output woulddrop precariously, but these were not normal times. The constantlack of sunlight since the Collapse had already destroyed mostfarming. Cows, pigs, and horses were now raised in cramped quartersclose to the cities. Smaller animals were even raised in people’syards.

  Garth saw the three boys far ahead ashe and Kalina turned down an intersecting street. The Palace Shadowthat the boys were going to was probably the fanciest inn in thecity and was next to the Royal Palace. Garth and Kalina would bestaying in much more modest accommodations, with Tanya and Nikisomewhere in between. The Golden Sword was not far from the Swordand Shield and the girls followed Garth’s turn.

  Garth passed the Golden Sword andcontinued on a short distance to the Sword and Shield. After theydismounted, Garth told the stableboy he would be staying if therewere rooms available. The young boy took the reins and nodded.Garth and Kalina entered through the back door, which led to ahallway instead of the common room like many other inns. Garthgazed down the hallway to the small counter where the innkeepernormally stood. A young man he did not recognize looked back athim. Garth signaled that the man should come to him and hedid.

  “Can I help you, Sir?” theyoung innkeeper asked.

  “You are very young for aninnkeeper,” Garth commented.

  “Inheritance, Sir,” theinnkeeper replied without emotion. “What can I do foryou?”

  “We require a room with a viewout the front,” Garth answered.

  “Sorry, Sir,” came the quickreply, “our rooms are mostly long term and the front ones arealready occupied. May I have your name for the ledger,Sir?”

  “Kyle Agrat,” Garthreplied.

  “Thank you, Sir,” theinnkeeper said as he headed for the stairs. “If you follow me, Iwill show you to your room. My name is John and I will do whateverI can to make your stay more comfortable.”

  John marched up two flights of stairsand opened the door to a room and promptly left. Garth and Kalinawalked in and put their packs down. Kalina walked to the window andlooked down at the street below. Garth gently took her arm andpulled her away from the window.

  “This room is in the front,”Kalina said. “He said he didn’t have any front rooms.”

  “They will always say thatunless your name is Agrat,” Garth chuckled. “I wasn’t sure thatthis place was still run by the Spiders or not because I didn’trecognize any of the young faces.”

  The Spiders were a secret spyorganization for Targa before the Collapse. It was set up by PrinceOscar Dalek and General Gregor, who was a Colonel at the time, togather information on the Black Devils. It was so secret that evenKing Eugene did not know it existed. Within moments of theirarrival the door opened to admit a man and closed again.

  “You old renegade!” thenewcomer greeted as he walked over and embraced Garth and thenembraced Kalina. “And you brought your lovely woman to embarrassthe rest of the city ladies, too.”

  “Some things never change andyou, Larc, are one of them,” Kalina smiled. “We have missed friendslike you.”

  “You have been missed, too,”Larc sighed as he sat on the floor. Larc never sat above floorlevel in any of the front rooms since before theCollapse.

  Garth and Kalina followed his exampleand ignored the chairs in the room. “Tell us what has changed,Larc,” Garth requested.

  “Too many things havechanged,” Larc let out. “I assume that you heard about King Byronand Queen Marta or you would not be here. The Contest of Powergrows stronger every year. Assassination of Council members is thenew fad and someone decided it was time to include the King in thelist. We got Queen Marta out in time.”

  “Where is she?” Garthasked.

  “I don’t know,” Larc admitted.“You know how the Spiders work. I handed her off to a contactoutside the city. He handed her off to another who was known tohim, and so on. The only way to find her is to repeat the processand every one of those contacts would have to agree. The chance ofone of them breaking is slim, two never.”

  “Well, at least she is safe,”Kalina said.

  “As safe as can be,” Larcstated. “The Council several years ago started this mess. KingByron was ill and the Council ruled in his place for severalmonths. During th
at time they managed to change some of the lawsthat restricted their power and as a result they eliminated theKing’s influence over the country. I don’t need to tell you thatAlcea is a dead issue. They passed a proclamation that the officialname of the country is Targa and the city is Tagaret. They havedreams of reestablishing the Kingdom of Targa in its entirety andthe only thing that stops them is each other. As soon as one groupgains prominence, another group cuts them down. We can’t even keeptrack of who is in what group any more because they change theiraffiliations quicker than they change their clothes.”

  “Why does the Army stand forit?” Garth asked.

  “The Army is a joke,” Larcgrimaced. “The Rangers were the first to be eliminated. They werefolded into the regular Army by Council decree. Most of them wouldnot accept it and quit. A year later, they did the same thing tothe Red Swords. A lot of them accepted the change, but many othersdid not. Since that time, however, even the ones who accepted ithave retired or quit. The Army is full of youngstersnow.”

  Garth nodded as it confirmed hissuspicions. “What happened to the leaders of the Rangers and theRed Swords?”

  “Mitar Vidson and DavidJaynes,” Larc stated. “Why do you want to know?”

  “You think you are a sly one,Larc,” Garth laughed, “but you just told me that they joined theSpiders. I would like to talk with them. Their help is going to beneeded.”

  “So you know about GeneralGregor, then,” Larc said. “I will not let you talk those two meninto committing suicide. I know they will gladly sacrifice theirlives to free the General, but they are too good tolose.”

  “I do not want them to freethe General,” Garth stated. “I will do that with my own men. I wantto talk with them about the heir.”

  “Your own men!” Larcexclaimed. “You have come up in the world. I can send any wordabout the heir to them, if it is important enough.”

  “Do not be stubborn with me,Larc,” Garth said gruffly. “I have possession of the ProphecyChildren.”

  Larc stared at Garth like he had grownwings. “How long have you had them?” Larc asked. “Do you have bothof them? I should have known by now if you have had them for anytime at all. Are you positive?”

  “I have never seen youflustered before,” Garth laughed. Turning more serious, Garthcontinued, “You are not the only one who can keep secrets, but youwill keep this one until I give you leave otherwise. I mean it,Larc. One word and I’ll cut your organization apart man byman.”

  “You haven’t answered myquestions,” Larc reminded Garth.

  “One, for sure,” Garth said.“Almost positive that we have two. I have had them for a couple ofmonths.”

  Larc was shocked and showed it. “It’strue, then,” Larc finally got out. “Nobody really believed in theAncient Prophecy. Everyone thought it was just some talk soeveryone would have something to hope for. I see why you want totalk with Mitar and David, then. Their help will be necessary torestore the Rangers and the Red Swords. The General must be freedas well. What did you mean about your men? You have always been aloner.”

  “I have formed the AlceaRangers,” Garth answered. “We are small, but we will succeed wherelarger forces would fail.”

  “I will arrange for Mitar andDavid to be here this evening,” Larc capitulated. “If you needanything in the way of support, you have only to ask forit.”

  “Thank you, Larc,” Garthappreciated. “You should know what I will be asking them to do soyou can spare them their other duties. The heir is not proclaiminghimself now. He needs more training before that can beaccomplished. I will be asking David and Mitar to find thelocations of their loyal members who have either left or remained.The Rangers and the Red Swords will not be reactivated now, butsomeone must lay the plans for doing exactly that.”

  “They will have my fullsupport,” Larc promised.

  * * * *

  The tailor gathered his belongings andbowed as he left the room. Once the door was closed, Fredrikremarked, “I could learn to like this style of living. I have neverseen an inn as plush as this one.”

  “Don’t get too used to it,”Tedi taunted. “We are not very far from the Targa dungeons and wecould end up in them yet.”

  “I think the tailoring tookmore than enough time for the word of our arrival to spread,” Arikannounced. “Let’s go down to the dining room and have Lord Wasonshow himself off.”

  Fredrik preened himself in front of themirror, making sure his new, blue silk suit was not wrinkled or indisarray. Arik in his brown and gray breeches, white frilled shirtand brown leather vest waited at the door, as the Lord’s bodyguardshould, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Tedi was attired as aservant with brown and gray breeches and shirt. Fredrik gathered uphis straight, wooden walking stick, which was delicately carvedwith seashore scenes and topped with a small gold knob and walkedout the door. Arik stepped quickly to stay on Fredrik’s heels andTedi followed a distance behind.

  As they stepped into the dining room,dozens of eyes turned their way. Fredrik asked for a table in thecorner as Kalina had instructed him. Not being in full view ofeveryone would ensure that people’s curiosity about who was seeingthe newcomer would be kept high. Fredrik sat fully in the cornerwith Arik on one side and Tedi on the other. A waiter came to takethe order and Fredrik suddenly felt ill prepared. He had nevereaten in so fine an establishment and the wrong choice of foodcould show him as an impostor.

  Fredrik laid the menu back on the tablewithout looking at it. “What is the best meal that is available inTagaret?” Fredrik asked the waiter.

  “Without a doubt,” the waiterhappily replied, “it would be the Land and Sand offered only hereat the Palace Shadow, My Lord.”

  “Very well,” Fredrik smiled,“Bring us three of the Land and Sand and I shall tell you if yourfood withstands the standards of Cidal. And bring a bottle of yourfinest wine, as well.” Fredrik immediately turned his head toobserve the room, pointedly ignoring the waiter as if he no longerexisted.

  The waiter gave a short bow anddisappeared. “I hope I can stomach what you just ordered,”whispered Tedi. “We don’t even know what it is.”

  “It will not matter,” Fredrikanswered. “It will be finer than anything you have ever eaten, I amsure.”

  The stares continued as the waiterreturned with a bottle of wine. Right behind him were three morewaiters carrying large trays of food. They served Fredrik first andthen Arik. By the time it came to Tedi there was almost not enoughroom for the plates of food. The Land and Sand consisted of a largelobster tail, scallops, shrimp, oysters, and a large portion ofbeef. Tedi thought his meal could probably last him for three days.Still, as he started devouring it, he had to admit that it was thebest seafood he had ever eaten, and that was coming from afisherman. He had never seen a portion of beef that was so largeand yet so tender.

  The boys deliberately ate slowly,expecting people to come over and introduce themselves, but no onecame. Eventually, they were finished and the waiters came to takethe plates away. As soon as the waiters disappeared, the firstcaller came. Fredrik looked past him and could see everyonejockeying for position and almost laughed. He had thought no onewas coming but they were waiting impatiently for him to finish hisdinner. Some of them must be furious by now.

  The gentleman who was bold enough tocome first was quite distinguished looking. He was dressed in abrown version of Fredrik’s suit, but also sported gold braceletsand a gold necklace. He was probably three times as old as Fredrikwith well-groomed gray hair and mustache.

  “Welcome to Tagaret, capitalof Targa, Lord Wason,” he greeted. “I am Duke Everich, King’sAdvisor and head of the Council of Advisors.”

  Fredrik rose and extended his hand forthe formal shake he had been informed was customary in Targa. Arikand Tedi rose and bowed. The Duke shook Fredrik’s hand and seatedhimself. He kept looking at Tedi as if there was something wrongwith him. When everyone sat back down, the Duke sighed and Fredrikknew he had just committed some small mistake inprotocol.

  “Duke Ever
ich,” Fredrik began,“I am pleased and honored by my reception to Tagaret. Forgive mefor retaining my men. One, I dare not let out of my sight. Theother refuses to let me out of his.”

  “Ah, that explains a lot, LordWason,” the Duke declared. “I was not sure whether it was Cidalcustoms that dictated eating with your servant. I thought perhapsyou were not made aware that there is a servant’s dining room, aswell.”

  “I am afraid it is adiscipline problem, Duke Everich,” Fredrik stated, glad that he hadguessed the source of irritation to the Duke. “I fear that I camewith only one servant and one bodyguard. Now I cannot spare mybodyguard to watch the servant and I cannot afford to get rid ofthe servant. Foolish on my part.”

  “You are young yet,” the Dukechuckled. “You have learned a valuable lesson. I must say thathearing of you here has piqued my curiosity. What is it that bringsyou so far from home?”

  “I have come to seek audiencewith your King,” Fredrik declared. “My advisor, Captain Grecho ofthe Cidal Mercenary Company, believes it is time to seekalliances.”

  “Your advisor rules amercenary company?” asked Duke Everich.

  “Yes,” answered Fredrik, “theCompany is loyal to the Lord of the Manor and serves as the Army ofCidal. It is useful for them to earn currency and experience in theservice of others when there is no pressing need at home. I amsurprised that you have not heard of them.”

  “Oh, I have heard of them, myLord Wason,” the Duke replied as Fredrik cringed. “I have usedtheir services before. I am just surprised that their allegiancehas been kept secret.”

  “It has not been a secret,”lied Fredrik. “It is just not something that needs to be disclosedto every contract holder. If there was a conflict because of it,you can be assured that Captain Grecho would discloseit.”