“I can see that this is going to be a fun trip.” Doogal said as he approached Harper’s horse. He opened the constable’s saddle bag and rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for. Doogal removed a blackened, deer-bone choker, which he fastened around his neck, covering the scar left by the hangman’s noose that had forever altered the direction of his life. As he did so, Shadow walked over to the thief’s side and began sniffing his leg. Doogal absentmindedly scratched the hound behind its ears, then climbed up into the saddle of the constable’s horse.
Tessa watched with interest as Shadow examined the thief. When the dog turned away she shouted, “Come on out Reldoor!”
A shaggy haired, olive skinned young man carrying a short bow, made his way out of the bushes. Doogal guessed that the boy was younger than Seth. “That is your backup? He is only a kid.”
“I am seventeen, the same as Seth.” Reldoor proclaimed.
“They are all kids.” Tessa informed the thief. “Seebaul runs a sanctuary for orphans and escaped slaves.”
Reldoor mounted one of the horses. “At least I won’t have to ride behind you on the way back.” He said to Tessa. Doogal believed that Reldoor’s expression was perhaps one of regret, not pleasure, for the prospect of not riding behind the older, attractive, Ranger.
“You three have stones,” Doogal complimented, “taking on five armed men to rescue me. You boys together probably do not equal Harper’s age. Yep, you’ve got stones, or the three of you are just plain stupid.”
“That’s not the half of it.” Seth put in, “Reldoor can barely shoot that bow. If he had to shoot, then he had just as much of a chance of accidentally hitting you as he did of hitting one of those men.”
When Doogal observed Seth releasing the pair of horses from the wagon, he suggested, “We should take those horses with us, so they will not be able to ride after us when they are freed.”
Tessa shook her head. “They will not follow us. I will take us through the Tilsaw.”
Doogal was surprised, “I may be from up north, but even up there we have heard of the legend of the Tilsaw Forest. People who ride in, often never ride back out.”
“Only when they ride in uninvited.” Tessa explained. “We have free access through the Tilsaw. Even if these men get free within the hour, we will reach Ducaine a full day or two before they will.”
Doogal whistled, adding, “Like I said, you people have stones.”
“Enough talk, let’s get out of here.” Tessa instructed.
Doogal bowed his head, “Lead on, Ranger.”
Chapter Six
McRawl removed the crystal ball from a black cloth bag and carefully placed it on the table. He never felt comfortable using magical items. He could understand swords, bows, and other weapons of war, but the workings of items such as this magical orb were incomprehensible to his limited thinking. Luckily for the captain, he did not have to know how to work it. He touched the black crystal with his right hand and stared at the image that appeared within: The half-elf, Warlord, Trian, second in command to Alister Marlow, the leader of the Lardashen Rebels. McRawl could see that Trian was sitting upon the ornate chair that had once belonged to the former Lord of Llerodak, and cousin to the Emperor of the Roolemian Empire, before that outlying city had been captured by rebel forces. McRawl marveled at the thought that his face was appearing in a duplicate crystal ball in Trian’s posession.
“Warlord Trian, how are things in Llerodak?” McRawl asked.
Warlord Trian grinned as he looked at McRawl through the magical crystal. “The first part of our trap is set. How is our royal guest doing?”
McRawl frowned, “She still has her temper. She kicked one of the guards in the groin when he tried to feed her. From now on she can eat off of the floor.”
“No harm is to come to her.” Trian reminded his captain.
“She will not be harmed in any way,” McRawl promised, “although I do not see why that matters. Her image is all that you need now, and you really have no intentions of returning her, do you?”
“Of course not McRawl, but I do need her alive. It is my understanding that only one of Sergius’ blood can use the Sword of Alexon. I do not intend on allowing Landis to bring it to the gate. I have heard tales of how he used it in battle. I need him to release it before I get rid of him. But in case the legend is true, I might need the princess to use the sword.”
“If you are the son of Landis, then won’t you be able to use the sword?” McRawl asked.
Trian smirked, “My lineage is not as pure as claimed.”
“What good is the sword, if you do not have the rest of the Pearls of the Elf Lords?” McRawl inquired.
Trian glared at Captain McRawl through the glass, “We will locate them. Seebaul may have been able to hide everything from me, including his very whereabouts, but we will find him. Our charade will see to that. Enough people witnessed a prisoner being delivered to Llerodak that word will surely reach Seebaul. He will no doubt believe that Megan Sergius is being held there in preparation for her exchange in Cathaar.”
“Are you certain that Seebaul will attempt to rescue the princess?”
Trian grinned, “Absolutely, Seebaul was a loyal servant to the Sergius family for three centuries. I doubt that he will sit idly by while we hold Queen Petra’s daughter captive. He will, at the very least, send Seth to attempt to rescue her; if he does not come himself. Even if he stays behind, once we capture Seth, I will force him to lead us to Seebaul’s hideaway. There we will find the remaining three pearls, and probably the stolen gates. We can kill off the last Elf Lord and enslave his followers. Once I open the gate, we will destroy this empire. Then we will restore order on this forsaken planet once again.”
“It will be nice to be rid of the elves.” McRawl said, then quickly added, “present company excepted of course.”
Trian dismissed the comment. “What have you heard about Landis?”
“I received word by carrier pigeon that he was seen debarking a ship in Durma earlier today. He got away before anyone could confirm it, but our people there are positive that it was him. He is no doubt on his way to Cathaar. He has not tried to seek passage up the river.”
Trian rubbed his hands together. “Nor will he. The risk of being on a riverboat with the sword is too great. Landis will travel by horseback or on foot. That means that he will arrive in Cathaar in two or three days.” Trian leaned back in his chair, “I just hope that Seebaul or Seth try to rescue the fake princess before I have to move on to meet Landis. Keep me informed if you hear anything more, Captain.”
The crystal ball went black. McRawl looked at it for a few moments before returning it to the black cloth bag that he kept it in. He leaned back in his chair and inhaled deeply. He held his breath for several seconds before exhaling, as he did every time that he used the crystal ball. Something about this magic made his skin crawl.
McRawl looked at the piece of parchment sitting on the table. He had read it before. It was a notification from the Constable of Latan, detailing the transport of the prisoner he had long feared. This was something that Captain McRawl could understand. He read the communiqué once more, then said, “Alas Doogal, I will have no reason to fear you anymore.”
Chapter Seven
“You are asking the impossible.” Doogal insisted to the elderly, bald headed, elf that continued to point to items on the map of Ducaine. Other than the choker about his neck, and his deerskin boots, the thief was dressed in clean clothes that had been provided for him upon his arrival to the elf’s camp.
Seebaul—the ancient Elf Lord—tapped his finger on the image of the Keep, the place that Alister Marlow, Supreme Commander of the Lardashen Rebels, had turned into his headquarters. “Are you saying that you cannot get in there?”
Doogal exhaled forcefully before continuing. “I might be able to get inside the Keep. But getting into the place you believe they are holding the princess prisoner will be more difficult. Even if I can rea
ch her, getting a frightened teenage girl back outside, without being noticed, is not possible. There are too many unknowns. Too many things that can go wrong.”
“I know the so-called unknowns, young man.” Seebaul rebutted the thief, “I have been inside that place many times. I know it like the back of my hand. The previous Governor of Ducaine was my friend, and he often provided me tours of his home. I doubt that Marlow has changed it that much.”
“Other than setting guards over nearly every inch of the place.” Doogal reminded the elf. “And what of his army?”
“Most of his army is off at the front. Marlow only has a few hundred men in the city.” Seebaul said.
“Only a few hundred.” Doogal mocked.
Tessa was standing on the side of the table, along with Seth and Reldoor. Unable to keep silent any longer, she said, “If Doogal is afraid, then I will try to rescue her.”
The thief glared at the Ranger, “Yeah, I’ll bet the guards would love to find you creeping about.”
Seth was indignant, “We obviously cannot count on this man.”
Seebaul motioned for everyone to calm down, “No need to let your tempers flare. I am certain that Doogal will find a way to rescue Princess Megan. After all, my contacts with the Thieves Guild have assured me that he is the best thief in the Empire. He did steal the Crown of Ikchas.”
“Second best thief.” Doogal corrected.
Everyone around the table looked at him in silence until he continued, “About the Crown of Ikchas; I did not steal it.”
“Why did you claim to have stolen it?” Seth asked.
Doogal shrugged his shoulders, “I never claimed any such thing. Whoever stole the crown was content with letting the blame fall on me. The rumor built my reputation and made it easier for me to move from guild to guild. If they wanted to believe that I had achieved what many consider to be the greatest theft of all time, well, who was I to correct them?”
Seth slammed his fist on the table. “We have the wrong man.”
“Who stole it?” Tessa asked.
“Like I said, whoever stole it never said a word to anyone. Nobody even knows where the crown is. I sometimes wonder if it was ever stolen at all.”
Seebaul chuckled, “Well, I still have faith in you.”
Doogal looked at the drawing, if only to avoid the looks that he was receiving from the others. While he scanned the document, he spotted something in the corner of the Keep. He tapped the marking and asked, “What is that?”
Seebaul leaned closer to the map. “Ah, if I remember correctly, that is a skylight. It provides light to the governor’s—I mean Marlow’s—private chambers.”
Doogal thought for a moment before speaking again, “How close is this room to where you believe the princess is being held?”
Seebaul closed his eyes, remembering the layout of the Keep in his mind. “The princess is being kept in the vault, which is in the basement of the building, four stories below that room.”
Doogal cursed, “I could get into the building from the roof, but traveling to the basement and back with a frightened girl is too great a risk.”
Seebaul snapped his fingers, “Perhaps not. There is a secret passageway going from the private chambers to the lower levels. The former governor once bragged about it when he had succumbed to too much wine. He confessed to using it to meet his mistress.”
Doogal smiled, noting the difference in the markings on the rear wall, from the other three sides of the building, he said, “That explains the lack of windows on that side of the building. If we can make it to the roof, then we can use the secret passage to reach the lower level. Then all we have to do is find a way through the guards and into the vault.”
Reldoor shook his head. “That still sounds pretty difficult.”
“It is difficult, but it solves the first problem: Getting in and out of the Keep.” Doogal commented.
“The roof is forty feet high.” Seth reminded them. “And there are guards outside of the building.”
“Forty feet in the dark, with little or no windows, and woods on the other side; I see that as an advantage to us. If someone keeps an eye out for the guards, then I should be able to scale the wall with ease.”
“What about us?” Seth asked.
Doogal appeared to ignore the young man’s question. “What do you know about the men guarding the princess? Are they elite soldiers or common guards?”
“Seebaul answered the question, “The men protecting Marlow are elite indeed. But I would guess that those guarding the princess would be from the prison house. Or men who would be expendable. Trian and Marlow would not want to be tied to this kidnapping, so they would use men who can be disposed of easily. I doubt that they would want to risk losing more valuable men.”
“Then they will be men who can be easily fooled, especially from inside.” Doogal surmised.
“How do you figure?” Seth asked.
“Conning your way into a fortress would be very difficult. However, guards inside would be more easily swayed. They would naturally assume that anyone inside the Keep was approved to be there. That gives me an idea.” Doogal turned to Seth, “If you have a long enough rope, then I can tie it off and bring you and Tessa up one at a time.” He looked to Seebaul and continued, “I do not think that it would be wise to take you or Reldoor.”
“I can do it!” Reldoor insisted.
Doogal doubted it, “Perhaps, but I have seen you move about. You are too clumsy for such a climb. Seebaul is too old. Besides, I need someone to keep watch, and provide distractions.”
The elf spoke before Reldoor could do so, “Doogal is correct, you would do more good with me, Reldoor. I believe that we could provide some assistance from the ground that would keep everyone’s eyes off of the Keep.”
“When do we go?” Seth asked.
“Tonight works for me.” Doogal suggested, “Do you know what Marlow’s plans are?”
“The same as most nights when the Warlord is gone,” Seebaul began, “he will go to dinner, and permit dinner to turn into an evening of wine and women.”
Doogal sneered, “The leader parties while his men fight in the field. He has no honor.”
Seth agreed, “That is only the tip of his dishonorable traits. He is a puppet for the Warlord. Only Trian can keep him in line.”
“How do you know that Trian is not there to keep Marlow under control?” Doogal inquired.
Seebaul grinned, “I have a way to intercept their communication. Not only is Trian away, they are waiting for us to attempt to rescue the princess in the town of Llerodak, far away from here. They both expect us to strike there, and I have made certain that Trian’s spies see evidence that their plan is working. We will catch them completely by surprise.”
“What about McRawl?” Doogal asked.
“When Trian is not around, then McRawl will usually be providing protection for Marlow.” Seebaul answered.
Doogal was pleased. “Once I get the princess out of the Keep and into your hands, then we part ways. I will be staying in the city waiting to get to McRawl.”
“So be it.” Seebaul agreed.
Doogal looked outside. He estimated two full hours of daylight, with perhaps another hour before it was fully dark. “How long will it take us to reach the city?”
“Four hours.” Seth answered.
The thief nodded, “Perfect. We should go tonight.”
Tessa was not as certain as the thief. “We should scout the area first.”
Seebaul agreed with Doogal. “We no not how long Trian will wait for us, or when they might move the princess. If Doogal is prepared to go tonight, then I believe that we should do it.”
The Elf Lord’s decision settled it. Doogal grabbed a piece of paper and snatched up the pen lying on the table. After dipping it into the ink well, he scribbled a few items onto the paper, then slid it over to Seth. “Here are the things that we will need. As soon as you can get them we can be on our way.”
Ch
apter Eight
Doogal kept his head low as he scuttled on his belly, through the grass behind the Keep. He had been pleasantly surprised at the length of duration between the patrols of this area. It was obvious that Alister Marlow and his guards felt the luxury to relax when Warlord Trian was away. Doogal’s respect for McRawl sank even lower, if that were possible. The thief was thankful for the cloudy night that prevented the moon from illuminating the area. He sniffed the air. It smelled like rain would be coming; if not tonight, then by tomorrow. He was thankful that the weather had been dry. Scaling a forty foot wall by hand was difficult enough, but it was worse when the stones were wet.
He reached the base of the wall. Doogal looked back to the trees in the distance, where Seebaul, Seth, Reldoor, Tessa, and Tessa’s elven wolf-hound, waited. His part-elven vision enabled him to see Tessa motioning that they could see no one in either direction.
“Here goes.” Doogal whispered, before seeking the first handhold on the ancient wall. The rope hanging behind his back weighed him down, but Doogal was confident that he could manage it.
“Would you look at that.” Reldoor said—almost too loudly—as he watched Doogal climbing the wall.
Doogal made his way, slowly but surely, up the side of the structure. He carefully sought out any spot that he could use to grip or step on, often finding a handhold that looked impossible for a man to use for climbing. Years of training, combined with his inherited elven dexterity, made it so that Doogal appeared to be climbing with ease. The onlookers could not see the tense look on his face, or feel the strain in his muscles, as he advanced up the side of the wall.
“Someone is coming.” Seebaul whispered.
Tessa turned her head in the direction that the Elf Lord was looking. Sure enough, she saw a lone guard coming. He would soon be passing by Doogal’s location. Tessa made the sound of a sparrow, twice, as Doogal had instructed her to do if someone approached from his right side. The thief stopped moving and hugged the wall, seeming to blend in with the shadows.
Elf Lords: 02 - Last of the Elf Lords Page 5
