by Guy Antibes
They stood over a chest of drawers in Kenyr’s workshop. The Serytaran opened the drawer filled with decorative stones. Restella could see that there was any number of stones that looked enough like the Moonstone. She touched it and could hear Lotto’s thoughts.
‘She has to agree to do this. I can sense the stone, so it won’t get lost in the drawer. If Fessano is lost, they may not have anyone who can detect the fake.’
“If I touch the stone, I can hear your thoughts even better, Lotto. I’ll let you replace the stone, weapons master.” She ran her hand through the drawer. Hiding it in plain sight. I like your idea.” She smiled and appreciated the practicality of Kenyr and handed over her weapon.
Lotto took her into the front of the shop while Kenyr worked on Restella’s sword. “It’s not too late, so I’ll visit the Lady Anna,” Lotto said. “Restella, you’ll stay here and wait for me to return.”
She bristled at the thought of Lotto doing it all, but realized that he could pick up her emotions.
“Okay. We’ll go together. Restella should wear a dress. Kenyr, I suggest that you get the rangers that we brought with us safely ensconced in an inn.”
Restella felt her face redden. “Now where am I going to find a dress now? All of the shops will be closing.”
Kenyr cleared his throat and said from behind the curtain to his workshop. “I’ve had ladies here before. I’m sure I can find something.”
Minutes later, the pair walked through the streets, Restella’s sword was hidden in the folds of her skirts. Her home, the castle, had always been so familiar, now seemed sinister and alien as the twilight deepened. Lotto led her to the alley that ran along the back of the row of houses of which Lady Anna’s residence was a part and knocked on the door. A maid opened it.
“Master Lotto!” she said. “Please come in.” She ushered the pair of them in and took them to a windowless study. “The Lady will be right down.”
Restella walked around and observed Anna’s decorations. “I’ve been in this house a number of times,” she said. Anna Terriso had often hosted luncheons and Restella had attended as a teenager.
Anna rushed in and bade Restella to sit down. “When did you arrive? I’ve received no—” She looked at Restella’s clothes. “You haven’t been to the castle.”
Restella shook her head. “We went straight to Kenyr to find out the situation in the capital and it’s a good thing we did.”
“Quite so,” Anna said. “Mander is trapped in his house. He forbids me to visit. General Piroff has taken over everything. He holds your mother and father under arrest.”
“Where’s Fessano?”
A familiar shape appeared at the door. “Why here, of course!”
Restella ran to him and gave him a hug. “We’ve linked.”
Fessano looked at Lotto, who nodded. Lady Anna showed Fessano to a seat next to her as she took a poker and began to play with the small fire in the large fireplace.
“What is it like?” Fessano said.
“We can feel each other’s emotions. It’s much different from before—much more than knowing Lotto’s around. If I touch the Moonstone, I can hear his thoughts.”
A look of surprise crossed Fessano’s face. “You brought the gem with you into the city? I thought Happly took the sword from you.”
“A lady needs to defend herself,” Lotto said. Restella sensed caution in his mind.
Fessano nodded. “Of course, of course. Now what?”
“Happly didn’t turn out very well for the duke. An interim government rules and his army has been disbanded, back at work preparing their families for winter. It appears that three hundred Ropponi wizards didn’t turn out as well for Happly either.” Lotto rose from his chair and paced the small room. “Did you escape before Piroff took over?”
“A few weeks after Restella headed south with my wizards.”
“Your wizards? Lifton performed half-heartedly as we fought Duke Happly’s army,” Lotto said. Restella wondered why he told Fessano a lie.
“He leads better than he spells.” Fessano chuckled. “They weren’t the best wizards I’m afraid.”
“And where are the best? Can we get them to help us?” Restella said, picking up Lotto’s lead. He led Fessano on and she could tell Lotto thought Fessano had turned into a traitor. Her heart sank. First Silver and now him? Could her old friend be so untrustworthy?
“They serve to the east under Captain Shortwell.”
“And Captain Applewood is still roaming around Ashdown?” Restella said.
Fessano nodded and turned to her. “He is.”
“Then the generals don’t trust either of them.” Lotto slammed his fist into his palm. “Where is General Reallo in all of this?”
“General Reallo disappeared just after you left, my dear.” Fessano looked consolingly at Restella. His eyes gave him away. She now knew that Fessano had gone over to the other side.
“Why have you betrayed us? What do you hope to gain by aligning with these awful men? Did my father treat you so roughly?” Restella could play the game no longer.
Lotto had his sword out. “I’ve already invoked a protection spell, Fessano. Lifton betrayed himself. If he was your man, then that makes you both Piroff’s”
The old wizard smiled and folded his hands in his lap. “I always left the secret stuff to Mander and for good reason,” he said and then sighed. “The Emperor of Daryaku promised me access to the great library in the capital of Baku and its Sorcerer’s Tower. They have the most wonderful books on magic. It makes my library seem like it’s filled with ladies romances.”
“You’d sell out your king for that?” Restella felt her anger rise and she didn’t stop it. “And me? You agreed to sell me to Happly?”
Fessano cleared his throat. “That wasn’t my idea. Piroff quite enjoyed the thought of getting rid of you. Where is your sword?” He looked directly at Restella.
“Here,” she said taking the sword from behind her.”
“That’s not the Moonstone!”
“And what difference does that make?” Lotto asked. Restella could feel a wave of disappointment and anger from him.
“I’ll show you!” Fessano grimaced with anger and raised his hand, but the Lady Anna turned with the glowing tip of the sharp poker and drove it into Fessano’s side. Lady Anna grunted as she pushed the poker in deeper. The smell of burned cloth and flesh filled the room.
Restella couldn’t believe the depths of his treachery. She turned her head away to wipe away a tear. Lotto walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She put her hand up to his.
“The bond really worked, didn’t it?” Fessano gagged as Lady Anna pulled the poker from the wizard’s chest.
“Amazing that I swallowed his story to use my house as a refuge. Perhaps he wanted to know if I mounted any kind of an action to spirit away Mander.” Anna sniffed and wiped away a tear of her own.
“Teena!” Anna called from the doorway. “I’ll leave it to you to clean up this mess. Don’t expect me back soon.” She looked at Lotto and Restella. “I never knew why Mander told me not to use the back way to visit him while under arrest. I do now. We’ll have to act quickly.”
In minutes, Lotto escorted two commonly dressed women through the alleys of Beckondale. Anna led them this way and that way until they neared Mander’s house. In the shadows, Restella noticed black shapes with faces pointed towards Mander’s windows.
Anna pulled them around to the back of a carriage garage. “Through here.” They walked into a garden shed and she pulled open a trap door. “Mander had so much fun building this before his back gave out. Did it all himself, from the woodwork to the digging. No one knows except for the two of us,” she looked up at them in the gloom and giggled, “the four of us.” Anna’s performance absolutely amazed Restella. How could a dainty noble lady so deftly run the Court Wizard through while Lotto and her distracted Fessano? Mander Hart and Lady Anna certainly were a matched pair!
~
Anna took them around a corner to the bottom of a stairwell.
“You took your time coming to visit, Anna,” Mander sat on the top stair, wearing an open collar linen shirt under an unbuttoned vest. Sticking out at the bottom of his trousers were his stockinged feet. Lotto spotted a hole by his big toe.
Mander’s eyes lit up as he realized that Anne had no come alone. “Lotto! Restella! Come up. Where’s Fessano?”
Anna gave her husband a peck on the cheek and said drolly, “I poked him to death.”
Mander looked astonished. “No!” He crooked his finger and led them into his parlor. The drapes had already been drawn and they told him what happened. “Yes. I can see now. He changed just after Lotto returned from Gensler, beginning to do more reading and complaining about his library. That had something to do with it? I’m glad I didn’t take him into my confidence. Well played, my sweet,” Mander said kissing his wife on the lips.
“The Emperor bribed him with spending his last days immersed in the advanced sorcery books in Baku.”
Mander sighed. “I guess we all have our price, but I thought Fessano to be more clear-headed than to be swayed by such a trifle. The problem is my price was the freedom of Valetan and that, my friends, is too high for the Emperor. Reallo’s counted as dead. The castle is stripped of all but the most loyal men to General Piroff.”
“Silver was one of them,” Restella said.
Mander put his face in his hands. “Even Silver. His price?”
“Power. Probably a title and more,” Restella said. “Lotto took care of him. I lost a friend, but someone turned him before my Oringian expedition.”
“The Emperor does good work. I assume that Duke Happly doesn’t have the Moonstone? You two have bonded, I can see.”
“How?” Lotto said.
“Restella has a different light in her eye when she looks at you,” Mander waved away his comment. “It doesn’t take a magician to see that.”
“Kenyr said the same thing.”
“You went to him first? Good thinking. That man will never betray you.”
Lotto nodded, confident in that one thing, at least. “I’ve made other friends and we have other allies.”
“Who? I need some encouragement,” Mander said.
Lotto again related his story and this time included the Ropponi sorcerer. “Without Shiro, I don’t know what would have happened. I imagine that Learsea is still on our side. Happly won’t be a vassal to the Red Kingdom.”
“Sort of…” Restella said.
“Gensler and Prola. Histo is neutral, I think. Princess Sallia,” Lotto looked sideways at Restella, who narrowed her eyes and then smiled, “seemed to think that the Red Kingdom would rise up if invaded.”
“What of the rest of my family?” Restella had to ask.
“Safe. Even I don’t know where. I had trusted townsmen take them away so if tortured, I couldn’t reveal their hiding place.” Mander laughed. “So all we have to do is take over the castle, the four of us.”
“And the eight men who accompanied us to Beckondale, Kenyr and about twenty of his students and Gully’s army which is still over one thousand strong and heading our way. I’ll bet there are guards in the castle who would turn on Piroff as soon as they could.”
“We have no wizards,” Anna said.
“One and he is awfully good,” Restella grinned at Lotto, “And I know of at least four ways into the castle. All of the castles I know have them.”
Mander squinted his eyes. “Lotto, do you have any ideas?”
“Rescue the royal family, kill Piroff and any officers. It worked at Happly, there’s no reason to think it won’t work here.”
“And what if your secret passages are now known by Piroff, Restella?”
“Lotto broke into Happly Keep with his magic. He could do so again,” Restella said.
“He did, did he?” Mander said. “I’ll love to hear that story.”
Excitement built within Lotto as he thought of more approaches to the problem.
“I’m afraid for my parents.” Restella said.
“Are there any servants you can trust?” Lotto said, looking for leverage.
Restella shook her head. “My manners do not elicit loyalty.” She frowned and brightened when Lotto took her hand.
“We all have our weaknesses,” Lotto said.
“What’s yours?” Mander asked.
“The past,” Lotto said. “I’m afraid of what I was and afraid to return to that dark place. If someone destroyed the stone, my greatest fear is that I’ll revert.” He looked into Restella’s eyes. “Not a pretty sight, was it?”
She turned away.
“In a sense, I’ve developed from a blank slate. You’ve written the most on it, Mander, so I’m primarily your creature, with a bit from Fessano and Kenyr. The Moonstone forced me into this bond.” He squeezed Restella’s hand to reassure her. “It isn’t a burden, however, and it gives me strength to know I’m not alone and won’t be as long as the link holds up. I’ve never been so reassured, but with that reassurance comes more to lose. Racing through the forests of Happly, I didn’t really have anything to lose if I died or if my link to the Moonstone destroyed. My life would end knowing that a few people would mourn my loss, but my memory would soon fade. I knew my lot. And then this,” he held up Restella’s hand, “Now I feel like there is a kingdom to lose. There is a power trying to take away my life. I fear giving up the Moonstone more than death.”
Restella rose from her seat and threw her arms around Lotto. He could feel the pain that she felt for him. Nothing had prepared him for that emotion and it overwhelmed him.
“Well, if they can do it so can we,” Mander said, looking at his wife. The lightness in his voice cut through the dense miasma that Lotto felt. His mentor put his arms around his wife and they held each other as close as Lotto clutched Restella.
Was this love, Lotto thought, feeling for another and sharing in their hurt? It must be part of it as he clung to the princess. He kissed her on the forehead and pushed her gently away.
“We need a plan.”
~~~
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
~
“HOW COULD THEY DO THIS?” Restella said, frowning. Lotto had come back to Mander’s house with the bad news that all of the secret passages had been bricked up.
“If it’s of any consolation, none of the work looked new, so you lost your secret access long ago. So much for our plan,” Mander said, with half of a grin.
“It’ doesn’t mean we can’t get through,” Lotto said. “If you recall, I learned how to remove mortar and we can do the same thing here, if the walls aren’t too thick, but we should pick the best passage.” He looked down at Mander’s plans of the castle.
“Do you know if General Piroff is still using his office in the barracks?”
Mander nodded. “The last I knew, the king and queen were confined to the king’s apartments.”
“We need to get the king and queen out of the way first and that means…” Lotto pointed to a back stairway. “This storage room.”
The five of them, with Kenyr now joining them, followed the path of Lotto’s finger. “We will have to break through and fight our way to the king’s chambers, but it’s not too far. Lady Anne can escort them back through the tunnel to safety and the rangers and Kenyr’s students will protect the king and queen when they emerge to find a safe place.”
Restella stated the obvious. “And if we can get that far, we need to take care of General Piroff.”
Her statement brought nods from the others. She would like to be the one to kill him. Usurpers never deserved to live.
“Fessano’s disappearance is soon to
be noticed,” Anne said. “So perhaps we go now?”
Mander raised his finger. “Right after one of my spies drops by.”
“With all of your minders looking on?” Kenyr said.
“You know I don’t like to cook? A castle maid, whose family lives nearby, brings me a basket of food every other day. She’s due in a few minutes.
The wait became interminable for Restella, but seventeen eternal minutes later, a knock came to Mander’s door. He let the maid in. The other four crowded into a closet while Mander spoke to the woman.
His front door closed and they all tumbled out. Restella looked at Anne pinching her nose and pointing at Kenyr’s back. She had to nod.
“The king and queen are still in their apartments, but General Piroff has taken up quarters in the Blue wing.”
The Blue wing was on the other side of the castle, where visiting nobles stayed. She knew just what suite the General would occupy, but would he be there when they took care of her parents? It didn’t matter. They had to act quickly before someone missed Fessano.
In a few minutes, they all ate a hasty meal from the basket and emerged from the shack, following Mander along back alleys and short streets all the way to the exit of the proper passage.
It didn’t take Lotto long to take down the brick wall, since it was only two courses thick. They stepped into darkness, finding the storage room filled with old furniture. The space had been used some time in the past, but years worth of dust told them that the stores were forgotten. Kenyr passed the single torch to Anna as he slapped oil on the hinges and poked his head out of the door. “Not a soul,” he said, creeping out onto the landing.
Restella, rubbed her finger over the false Moonstone, but nothing happened. She looked at Lotto’s back and felt the bond directly. Kenyr had done a marvelous job with her sword and she knew no one without power would know the difference.
Mander pushed her from behind. ‘You’re our leader, Captain-General.”
She looked at Lotto, but he peered back up the stairs for any sign of trouble. She stepped past them as they climbed the bare stone steps.
Two guards stood by the back entrance to the apartments.
