“Matters of importance caused my delay,” Mikal replied softly. “I understand the situation at home is not well. Do you have any information on Mother’s whereabouts or what happened to Father?”
Mikal heard the other occupant of the room trying to use a striker and said, “I need to keep my night vision. The alleys of Melbin are full of rats tonight.”
“Very well,” the mysterious voice answered. “Father’s illness was just part of the Contest. I have no knowledge of the gambler who threw the dice. No one knows the whereabouts of Mother. Some are planning to ask King Alfred to provide a home for her if she can be located.”
“I would think that there are safer places for her to visit,” Mikal said gruffly. “Still, someone must look after her.”
“There is some degree of bitterness in that statement,” chuckled the voice. “The invitation will be offered. She may choose to accept or decline.”
“What else have you heard?” Mikal questioned.
“There is no longer a safety net at home,” came the answer. “The dungeon is filling up and there is the threat of emptying it in a harsh way. Your Cousin is one of them. That is all I have for you, I’m afraid. Don’t stay away so long next time.”
Mikal quietly offered thanks and a farewell as he slid out the door into the dark corridor. Cracking the door to the alley, Mikal peered out looking for any passersby. Seeing none he stepped out into the alley and made his way towards the busy, wide street. The alley was dotted with small, black alcoves and Mikal was halfway to the street when he heard a scrape on the ground from one he had just passed.
Mikal immediately stooped as he spun around to face his attacker. The knife just barely passed over his head and Mikal threw a forceful punch up between the attackers legs. A whoosh of breath smelling of cheap ale was expelled from the attacker and Mikal grabbed the man’s legs and straightened his own, tossing the large attacker over his shoulder. Mikal spun around and knelt on the man’s neck as he grabbed both of the man’s wrists with his large callused hands. Smashing the man’s hands against the ground, Mikal was rewarded by the sound of the knife falling to the ground.
The man tried to struggle beneath him and each time, Mikal put pressure on the man’s neck with his knee. Eventually, the man stopped struggling and Mikal said only one word softly, “Name?”
When the man didn’t answer, Mikal increased the pressure of his knee and asked the question again. Finally, the man answered, “Hanjel.”
“I should have known it would be you,” Mikal said grimly. “First, you had no pride in your position. Now, you have too much pride, or is it hatred? This will make the second time that I have spared your life, Hanjel. There will not be a third. Make no mistake about it. Even if you stand in the presence of King Alfred, if I see you again, I will kill you.”
Mikal quickly snatched the fallen knife, rose and walked out of the alley to continue with his contacts, without looking back.
* * * *
Fredrik returned to the Fluttering Jib and walked up to his room. The other three Rangers were waiting anxiously. The disappointed looks on their faces were obvious when Fredrik entered the room alone.
“Wouldn’t the King see you?” asked Tanya.
Fredrik slumped down on his bed and shook his head. “The King saw me,” he answered. “I thought I had him ready to release Niki to me, but all he offered was her body after she is executed. The woman whom Niki attacked is the Lady of Caldar and she demanded her execution. The King has agreed to please her.”
The room went suddenly quiet and Arik started pacing the floor. After the continuous sound of Arik’s pacing drove everyone to irritability, the others made him sit down.
“There is no option left but to break her out,” Tanya concluded. “If only we could figure out where they are holding her.”
Fredrik perked up at his chance to offer something useful. “I know where she is,” he chirped. “I saw her, but she was sleeping. There are cells dug into the ground on the Palace estate. They have a moat around a large area with cells and a mechanical device that extends a narrow bridge over it. They took me to verify that Niki was the woman whom I was after.”
“Where about on the estate is this island?” Arik demanded.
“It is as far from the Palace as you can get and still be on the estate,” Fredrik explained. “There is a large wall around the entire estate, but I did not see any guard towers. I did pass two roving patrols while they had me out, but I didn’t see anyone stationary at that end of the estate.”
“Great,” exclaimed Arik. “We can scale the wall and get her out.”
“Why would they leave prisoners so exposed?” queried Tedi. “They must put some value on keeping their prisoners locked up. There is something missing here.”
“There is quite a bit missing if you will let me finish,” scolded Fredrik. “The bridge mechanism is locked with a key the guard carries. It also makes a tremendous noise when it is operated and if we try to use it, we will be killed or captured.”
“Can’t we just swim across the moat?” asked Tanya.
Fredrik shook his head tossing his dark brown hair over one eye. “I wouldn’t advise that,” he sighed. “The moat is filled with hungry reptiles. Some of them were twenty feet long. I heard the guards laughing about feeding time, which, I gather, is seldom, but their gnashing teeth could easily tear your legs off. Also, the cell, itself, is locked and the pit is too deep for her to climb out of. Even if it wasn’t that deep, you would have to wake her up without her screaming her head off.”
“Why hasn’t Niki used her magic to get out of the cell?” quizzed Arik. “Does she know any spells that would help her escape? I mean, why is she just sleeping when she should be raging to get out?”
“A good question,” added Tedi. “Are you sure she was alive, Fredrik?”
“I thought she was just sleeping,” Fredrik replied thoughtfully, “but you are right. That is not like Niki at all. She would be screaming and cursing and throwing any spell she could conjure.”
“The King would not hold a public execution with a dead prisoner,” Tanya postulated. “They must have drugged her or knocked her out. They were probably afraid of her magic powers. Now we have to add to the list our need to carry her once we open the cell.”
“Whatever we do will have to be done later tonight,” declared Arik. “Let’s split into two teams. One team will eat now while the other tries to get a look at this island from the outside. When they return, we will switch. When the second team comes back we will meet here and discuss ideas for getting her out.”
“Tedi and I will eat first,” declared Tanya. “You two go and get a look. Fredrik can show you where it is and you can draw us a map when you return,” she said to Arik.
They all agreed and Fredrik led Arik to the spot where he thought the island might be. The wall was a good twenty feet high and the boys could not see over it. The trees in the area were not tall enough to get a good look over the wall and there were too many people in the area to start climbing the wall even if they could.
Fredrik looked around the area and his eyes stopped on a three-story house across the street. Fredrik tapped Arik on the sleeve and marched across the street and knocked on the door. At first he thought no one would answer, but when he was about to open the door and go in, a middle-aged woman opened the door.
“What is it?” she demanded. “If it’s something you’re selling, be off with you.”
“Madam,” Fredrik puffed up, “do I look like a lowly merchant? My agent sent me by to examine the house.”
The woman gave Fredrik a looking over and eyed appraisingly at his red velvet suit. “Agent? What agent? Whatever are you talking about?”
“The property agent, of course,” snapped Fredrik. “Look, I am offering an outrageously large sum of money for this house and I don’t appreciate my time being wasted with foolish games. Are you going to let us in or should I buy your neighbor’s house?”
“I don
’t know nothing about . . .” faltered the woman. Her eyes sparkled as she changed her tune. “I mean to say that your agent was not gracious enough to inform me that you would be coming this evening. Come in, please.”
Arik hid his smile well as Fredrik led the way into the tall house. Fredrik saw a few poor pieces of furniture and some crates in the entry hall. He swept past them into the receiving room and stopped when he saw no furniture at all. “I am afraid that I forgot your name, Lady,” Fredrik stated.
“Mabel, My Lord,” she replied as she bowed. “As you can see, I have already moved the furniture out except for these small pieces. I can have them removed in the morning. How much was your offer, Sir?”
“Twice what you were asking,” Fredrik calmly replied. “I think this will do well, Lady Mabel.”
“Perhaps, you could show your good faith, Sir,” Mabel hesitantly suggested. “A small deposit would guarantee that your offer is accepted, as generous as it is.”
The house was really in deplorable condition. The floors were cracked, the doors hung poorly and didn’t close, and the walls had holes in them. The truth of what he was seeing began to dawn on Lord Wason. He walked back into the entrance hall and looked at the crates. Nodding his head, Fredrik retrieved some coins from his pouch and counted them out.
“I must have men in tonight to take measurements and I will not want them disturbed,” Fredrik ordered. “Here is one hundred crowns deposit. The belongings in the entry hall will not be available until tomorrow after midday. If you can carry them, you can take them now, otherwise, do not send for them until that time. I will have my agent draw up the papers tomorrow and by nightfall you will be a very wealthy woman. Good night, Lady Mabel.”
The woman bowed with a grin on her lips and hefted a crate on her way out the door. Arik started to ask for an explanation as Fredrik dashed up the stairs to the top floor. Arik pounded after him and looked out the window at the Palace grounds.
“What was all that about?” asked Arik. “Do you know that not going through with the purchase of this house could be considered cheating a merchant?”
Fredrik was studying the lay of the grounds as he spoke. “This house is not for sale, Arik,” he chuckled. “And that was no Lady. I can’t be sure, but I think this house held rooms that were rented out. Each of the crates in the entry hall had a different name written on them. That woman was probably one of the renters who received an eviction notice. Look at this place. It has probably been condemned and is scheduled to be torn down. The way the woman bowed proved she was no Lady.”
“Then why did you give her the money?” quizzed Arik.
“The money was well spent,” laughed Lord Wason. “She will be scurrying around to the other evicted renters offering to have their belongings brought to them for free just to stop them from coming here and alerting me. This place will not be disturbed during the night. Now, we not only have a good view of the grounds, we have a new base for the rescue.”
Arik shook his head in amusement as he studied the layout of the island prison. Fredrik watched a piece of wood fall from the window as he withdrew and headed for the stairs.
The two boys returned to the Fluttering Jib and sat at the table occupied by Tanya and Tedi. He quickly described the house and told them that Arik and he would bring their belongings to the house when they had finished eating. The second team left for the abandoned house and Fredrik and Arik ordered a healthy meal that had been put off too long.
After the meal, Fredrik spoke to the innkeeper and explained that part of his party would be leaving and he no longer required the smaller room. He paid for both rooms for the night and the innkeeper was well pleased by the sudden change in plans. Fredrik left his belongings and, together with Arik, collected everyone else’s and carried them down to the stables. The horses had been cared for as the blacksmith promised and leaving Fredrik’s horse they loaded the rest and rode to the abandoned house.
The house had no stables and Arik led the horses inside to the parlor. The boys ran up the stairs and found Tanya and Tedi sitting on the floor, drawing diagrams in the dirt. Arik plopped down alongside them but Fredrik stood not wanting to subject his apparel to the dirt.
“We have a few things worked out,” Tanya offered. “The climbing claw I purchased today will get us over the wall and we can make a rope ladder to get us down into the cell. That still leaves the problem of getting across the moat, the roving guards, and carrying Niki.”
“You forgot about the lock,” Fredrik mentioned.
“I can take care of the lock,” Tedi chuckled and Arik looked at him queerly. “Fredrik, can you make a shield like Kalina did in the canyon?” Tedi asked.
“No,” answered Fredrik. “How would that help you?”
“It was just a thought,” Tedi sighed. “Tanya told me about our archer’s new bow and his abilities. I figured if you could create a shield like Kalina did, only make it curve back around, Arik could shoot an arrow with a string tied to it. He could shoot the arrow to one side of the flagpole and the shield would make the arrow curve back on the other side of the flagpole. That way we would have a string wrapped around the flagpole and we could attach a rope to it and pull it around so that we had a rope stretching across the moat.”
“And what good would that do you?” Fredrik inquired.
“I could walk across the rope to the cell,” Tedi assured him.
“Can you really do that?” Tanya asked. “Because I know how to get a rope across the moat. I can use the same climbing claw that we will use to get over the wall. I am sure that it will catch on the bars to the cells.”
“Can you walk across the rope with Niki on your back?” Arik asked. “From what Fredrik said, she will be in no condition to help herself escape.”
“If you can figure out a way to keep the rope taut with our weight on it,” Tedi declared, “I can walk across it with anything that I can carry.”
“I can make Tedi a harness to carry Niki,” offered Fredrik. “That way his hands will be free.”
“Okay,” Arik commanded, “Fredrik, you get started on the harness. Tanya, try to time the roving patrols so that we have a sense of how long we will have to get Niki and get back. Tedi, you get to make the rope ladder. I’m going to search this house for something we can use to tie the other end of the rope to.”
The Rangers split up and went about their individual tasks. In a couple of hours everyone had reassembled and changed into the blacksuits. “I wasn’t able to find anything suitable,” Arik admitted, “but I did think of how we can accomplish the task. After Tedi gets to the island, he can tie the rope to one of the cells and throw the grappling hook back to us. We can affix it to the other end of the rope and dig it in to the ground. As long as the rope doesn’t flex too much, it should work.”
“If not,” Tedi commented dryly, “you three can take off.”
“The four of you will have to leave the city right away,” Fredrik stated. “I will stay at the Fluttering Jib because the King will check to see if I left with his prisoner. I will also have to tell Garth where you have gone.”
“There is a cove about four miles north of here along the shore,” Tanya nodded. “I will lead them there and wait for the rest of you.”
The three Rangers descended the stairs and exited the old house. Fredrik, still in his red velvet suit, remained at the window to lend magical assistance if everything fell apart. The trio quickly crossed the street and hid in the extra darkness that the wall provided. Tanya watched the window of the old house and when she saw a small sparkle of light, she threw her climbing claw up at the wall. It took her two tries to seat it and she cursed over the first attempt. Arik was first up the wall and he signaled Tedi to follow and then hung by his hands and let go to fall to the ground.
Within moments the three Rangers were over the wall and inside the estate grounds. Quickly, Arik grabbed the grappling hook that Tanya had lowered and ran across the field to the moat. He hurled the hook towards the ca
ges and missed. As he hauled it back in, the hook fell into the moat and got stuck on something. Arik pulled feverishly and something pulled back almost causing him to lose his balance. He called softly to Tanya and Tedi and they each grabbed onto the rope. The three of them pulled and the beast on the other end pulled back. The tug-o-war lasted only seconds before the hook was free and the three Rangers were sprawled on the ground, but it felt as if it had lasted for ten minutes.
Arik tossed the hook again and this time was rewarded with a clang as the hook snagged a bar on one of the cells. Arik wrapped the free end of the rope around his back and sat with his feet dug into the ground. Tanya placed herself a couple of feet in front of Arik and also grabbed the rope and dug in. Tedi walked to the edge of the moat and tested the flex in the rope. It seemed taut and time was running quickly, so Tedi put his faith in his partners and hopped onto the rope.
Tedi’s balance was excellent and his fear did not emanate from the thought of falling, it came from the flexing of the rope as it dipped close to the water’s surface. One thing he hadn’t thought of was that the beasts might actually rise up out of the water to eat him. Tedi tried to concentrate on gaining the other bank and off of the moat. He felt the rope firming as he neared the far edge and soon he was on land again. He looked into the cell that the hook had caught on and his heart skipped a beat. The cell was empty.
Even as he was feeling doomed and wondering what to do next, his hands were untying the hook and tying the rope to the bar of the cell. Without thinking he threw the hook across the moat to Arik and Tanya. Tedi untied the rope once more and shimmied up the flagpole. Swiftly, he tied the rope to the metal ring at the top of the flagpole and slid down to the ground. He quickly ran from cell to cell looking for Niki. It was hard to see in the dark and then he remembered that Fredrik had said that she was in one of the corners. He ran to the closest corner cell and peered in. There was definitely something in there and Tedi bent to pick the lock.
Sapphire of the Fairies, Book 1 of Sword of Heavens Page 21
