"It's not just their skin," pointed out Thomas, and the other three could tell he was angry at what he saw, "Look at how they move. Those people are no longer among the living."
"Zombies?" asked Alice. "Are you sure?"
"The weird skin, the weird movements, I'm sure," said Thomas.
"So now they're parading zombies in their own country in the middle of the day?" said Suzanne. "This king is looking worse and worse every day now."
Suddenly the group heard a yell right next to them. They saw Ron falling backwards with his shield having been knocked to the side. It looked as though he avoided the worst of the blow but, having been unable to get his shield in its proper position, was unable to hold onto it. His attacker was a large grey bear.
The bear was not alone either. Before the other three were able to react one of them had bounded up and took a swipe at Alice. Unfortunately she was unable to get out of the way and took the bear's sharp claws to her midsection. Even worse, the force of the blow along with the fact Alice had tried to backpedal out of it caused Alice to fall off the hill the group had been on. She rolled down the side of the hill, making her already serious wounds even worse.
Suzanne managed to fend off an attack from a third bear with only a minor hit to her side. She had seen Alice get knocked off the hill and was worried about how she fared after taking such a tremendous blow but at the same time, Ron was still in a prone position with a bear hovering over him. There was no way he would be able to pull back to Alice's position. Suzanne made the split second decision to rush into battle with the bears.
"Tom, cast a quick spell to cover us and then help us out!" yelled Suzanne. She rushed to fight with Ron's bear. The bear saw Suzanne coming and tried to swipe at her but Suzanne managed to plant her feet and block the attack. She returned with a deep cut to the bear's arm. While the bear was distracted, Ron managed to get up to his feet. However, one of the other bears ran at him and Ron could tell the last bear was about to come in as well. Ron made an impressive roll under the bear's attack and then stabbed into the bear Suzanne had already wounded. It was a risky move but Ron knew they had to try and eliminate this bear to thin out their numbers.
The bear was finished off by Thomas' spell. He conjured up a large whirlwind that swept through and hit each bear with a harsh, cutting wind. The wounded bear fell to the ground dead. The other two decided to round on Thomas. Ron and Suzanne managed to cut one of them off and they also managed to cut off one of that bear's arms as well. The bear still tried to swipe them with the other arm but its pain caused it to miss wide.
Meanwhile, Thomas still had to go one-on-one with the other bear. The bear swung at Thomas with its wide arms. Realizing he would be unable to dodge, Thomas braced himself for the attack. However, the bear's attack was so strong that it nearly knocked Thomas off his feet. Due to this, he was unable to mount a return strike and so the bear pressed the offensive; a vicious flurry of claws that Thomas could only hope to block and dodge for so long.
While Ron finished off the one-armed bear, Suzanne ran over to help Thomas. Since the bear was putting all its might into trying to tear Thomas apart, it did not even notice Suzanne. Suzanne ran the bear through with her sword. Even through that wound, the bear still managed to claw at Thomas one last time but its strength was no longer in the blow, allowing Thomas to go under the swing and run the bear through from the other side. He then quickly side-stepped out of the way before the bear fell on him.
"Where's Alice?" asked Ron, once the threat was taken care off.
"She fell off the hill," answered Suzanne. "Come on Tom, she's going to need your help!"
"I'm fine," came Alice's voice, as she finished climbing the rest of the way up the hill. She still had visible wounds on her torso, visible through the holes in her armor the bear had made. "It's a good thing I know some healing spells. Nevertheless I would like Tom's help. And make sure these don't scar this time!"
Relieved that Alice was alright, the group patched up their wounds and continued on. Fortunately, they were far away enough that the group of soldiers and zombies did not notice their fight. They decided to stop watching them and to just climb over the hills.
On their third night away from the triangular shrine they came within view of Samanao Castle Town. Remembering what they had been told about the strict laws they camped outside of the town rather than be caught out about the town after curfew. The next day they went into the town.
Even though they were prepared for a reserved atmosphere after all they had heard, they were still surprised by what they saw. The castle town was almost a ghost town. Very few people walked the streets. There were no shop stalls outside and those people that did enter a shop or other building ducked inside as though they were hiding. There were not even many soldiers out and about on this particular day.
After some wandering around, the four finally saw a large group of people. The group was inside a graveyard huddled around one of the graves, likely a funeral. What made this funeral strange was that there were a large number of soldiers at the funeral. Suzanne decided to check out what was going on, but did not want to raise the soldiers' suspicions. After some looking around, she found a man observing the funeral outside of the graveyard.
"Excuse me, why are there so many soldiers at that funeral?" asked Suzanne.
The man eyes Suzanne suspiciously. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Trying not to betray that she realized she may have just screwed up, she did her best to sound casual as she answered, "I'm from eastern Samanao, a village called Waysville. I take it this is common in the castle town?"
"Yes. Soldiers often frequent the funerals of executed men," explained the man. "In fact, they often make arrests at such funerals. The mourners of the deceased are not always in control of their tongues."
"I see. Were you a friend of the man who is being buried here?" asked Suzanne.
"I was his brother," answered the man.
"I'm sorry for your loss," said Suzanne. "If I may ask, why was he executed?"
"For badmouthing his royal majesty, the king," answered the man. The man actually did very well in hiding his anger and resentment but there was still enough there that Suzanne realized why he kept his distance. It was then Suzanne realized their conversation was being noticed by one of the soldiers. Suzanne bid the man goodbye and left to rejoin the other three.
"They send soldiers to funerals to try and arrest and execute more people?" asked Alice, disgusted.
"Keep your voice down!" warned Ron.
"Things seem to be even worse than what we heard," said Suzanne. "We need to plan out how we're going to do this. Just talking to the king is going to be extremely dangerous."
Chapter 22: Perfect Opportunities
"We're in," exclaimed Alice in a whisper, prompting a shush from Thomas.
The four had spent a week trying to figure out how to get in to Samanao Castle. From everything they had learned of the king it was clear they could not simply walk into his throne room. The attempt alone could very well have gotten them arrested. Fortunately for the group, they met a man in a pub that was able and willing to help them out.
The man, named Alex, was a young man of short stature, shorter then Alice even. Although he claimed to be in his early thirties, his face made him look 20 years younger. He worked in the kitchens at the castle. He was the chef in charge of preparing food for the king. One of his assistants would deliver the food to the king. Because of this, his assistants often heard tidbits of the king's conversations. According to Alex, the king's confidence was grounded squarely in the seal over the kingdom.
"He doesn't admit it to the public but His Majesty actually does believe in the Archfiend," Alex had explained. "He denies it to the people because he doesn't want them to panic. The way he sees it the Archfiend could never get through the seal, so Samanao is safe as far as he's concerned. Undermine his faith in the seal and he'll have to reevaluate his position on keeping Samanao isolate
d. If he thought the Archfiend could reach Samanao he would be much more eager to join an alliance with other nations."
The group had not revealed that they were not from Samanao but had implied that they knew how the seal could be broken. Alex had been excited at the revelation, believing that if they were right, the king would have to change his mind on the whole issue and stop abusing his own people. Alex had also given the group a way to gain audience with the king: he could lead them to the hidden service entrance on the east side of the castle, away from the heavily guarded main entrance.
"I can show you the door and tell you the best time to come in," Alex had said, "but I can't actually get you in. The king has us locked in the kitchen. He puts a pretty strong enchantment on the door too. But if you know how to break the seal then you should definitely be able to get past that."
"I don't like it," Thomas had said later. "It's too easy, too perfect. This king, who kills his own people by the dozens for even talking about outsiders, will mystically change his mind if he sees outsiders? Just because it proves his seal isn't infallible? And we just happen to meet a man that can give us the perfect information and opportunity to speak with the king without being disturbed? It's a trap."
"I agree," Suzanne had replied. "That's why we're going to make a detailed plan B. We may even spend more time on plan B than on plan A."
Now here they were, in the kitchen of the castle. They had found the service entrance locked and enchanted but had used their enchanted key to gain entry. The kitchen was surprisingly small and cramped. The workers did not even stop working as they eyed the group that had entered so unexpectedly. The workers took one look at the weapons the group had and continued at their frantic pace.
"I get the feeling that these people are used to armed people coming through their workspace," whispered Ron.
"The king probably knows there's rebellion brewing," theorized Suzanne. "He may be preparing for a fight by concealing the movements of his men, having them use the hidden entrance instead of the main entrance."
As the four made their way through the crowded kitchen they inevitably found themselves in the way of the kitchen staff. The staff was clearly afraid to touch the armed group but would try to sneak by or get around the four with desperate effort. Never had they seen a staff of workers display such athleticism just to avoid losing a few seconds due to an unexpected interruption. The four had the distinct impression that the staff believed those few seconds could mean their lives.
"Don't see Alex here," Ron noted darkly.
The four found the door out of the kitchen was also locked and enchanted, prompting them to use their key again. They came into what looked like the main hall of the castle. The hallway was very spacious but sparsely decorated. There were numerous nooks and spaces on the walls that suggested they had once held paintings and decorations but as of now those spaces were now vacant.
"Kind of makes the place seem duller than if they just had plain walls," observed Alice.
"At least the king doesn't spend all day admiring priceless artwork while he orders executions," said Thomas with disdain.
The hallway was empty; Alex had told the group when the guard changed so they could arrive when security was at its lightest. Nevertheless the four moved quickly and quietly through the hall. Fortunately, the throne room was not far away. They saw the red carpet sticking out just a few dozen feet down the hall.
"So much for dull," said Ron as they entered the throne room.
The throne room was much more decorated than the main hall. There was the usual red carpet that led up to the large golden throne, upon which sat the king, an older man with gray hair wearing an elegant crimson and purple robe. Surrounding the king were a number of young female attendants fanning or massaging him. At first glance, the women seemed attractive but after further inspection the servants gave off a sinister and otherworldly feeling. Also unnerving was the fact that each one had red eyes.
On the walls of the throne room were a number of paintings, each one portraying a vicious monster. In particular, there were several paintings of a huge, fat, and green humanoid wielding an equally huge wooden club. There were also two artists in the room working on making more paintings, which also portrayed the large green monster. Unlike the lady servants, the artists seemed on edge as they did their work.
"Trolls," whispered Alice, identifying the large green monster. "Native to the valley of the Necrogond. "Though I was under the impression they had orange skin."
So intent were all the room's occupants on their respective tasks that none of them noticed the group's entrance. As the four made their way slowly towards the throne, all the people seemed to notice them simultaneously.
"So these are the outsiders! What brings this evil band of scoundrels to my throne room!" yelled the king.
"Sounds like he knew we were around," muttered Thomas.
Suzanne was undeterred, "Your Majesty, I apologize for entering your throne room unannounced but we carry with us dire news that could prove dangerous to your kingdom."
"The only danger to this kingdom is you evildoers!" cut in the king. "Somebody bring the guards! These outsiders have come to assassinate me!"
"We have not come to assassinate you!" protested Suzanne. "Your Highness, I can sympathize with your isolationist policies; the world is a frightening place. But this threat goes against all humanity and is much too powerful to be kept away with a simple seal. We must all unite to fight it! You must drop the seal!"
"You don't tell me what to do!" grunted the king. "Now I know who has turned my people against me! All the blood spilt is your fault!"
"The blood spilt is our fault!" yelled Thomas, unable to contain himself. "Did we execute your people for doing nothing more than talking! Did we send people to the gallows for so much as thinking that isolationism might not be the answer!"
To the group's horror, the king laughed at Thomas' statement. "What choice do I have to deal with rebels?" chuckled the king. "Speaking of which, it's about time you arrived!"
The group turned around and found that while they were arguing a swarm of guards had arrived. There were a couple dozen guards wearing crimson armor, as the group had expected would be in the castle, but along with the guards were the crimson-skinned zombies the group had seen in their travels across the countryside a week earlier.
"Now even the vilest of rebels can still serve his country," cackled the king.
"You're sick!" yelled Thomas, overcome with the horror of what he was seeing and hearing.
"Keep your head, Tom!" said Suzanne. "We're going to need to keep our wits about us to get out of this. Alice, will our magic help?"
"I don't think so, Susie," replied Alice in a dire voice. "There's no way I'll have the time to cast the teleportation spell and the soldiers' armor is magic resistant and there's too many for you or Tom to hit with a single spell. The survivors will be on us like a tidal wave."
"Very well," said Suzanne calmly. She turned back to the king. "Your Majesty, we surrender."
The king let out a deep-throated, evil laugh. "And I was wondering what would entertain me tomorrow night! We'll see if outsiders are at least similar in how they scream! Alex, take our prey to the dungeon."
At this point, Alex stepped out from behind the king's throne, his short stature having easily fit behind the king's grand chair. "It would be my pleasure, Your Highness," said Alex with a grin.
Alex gleefully walked over to the four, who greeted Alex with nothing but scowls. "I can't believe you fell for it! I guess outsiders aren't too smart!" gloated Alex. He began issuing orders for some of the soldiers to search the group for hidden weapons while some of the soldiers and zombies stood behind the four, ready to tear them apart if they made any threatening moves.
"I should search this one myself," said Alex, as he walked towards Alice.
"Big words for such a small man," returned Alice. "You try anything and I might decide running you through is worth dying over."
"Oh I don't think you would do such a thing," retorted Alex, though he took a noticeable step back after hearing Alice's statement.
The soldiers continued their search of the group, taking off their armor to make sure they were not hiding any weapons or tools on their person.
After a few minutes, Alex was satisfied with the search, "That looks good enough. We want them to be ready to entertain His Highness tomorrow night. Take them to the dungeon."
As the soldiers began leading them away, Alex stopped them, "Wait! I almost forgot." He walked over to the four. "We still haven't found how they got past the seal. The boss said they had a key of some sort."
Suzanne noticed something odd about what Alex had said right away. "Boss?" she asked, "You mean besides His Highness?"
Alex immediately jumped on the defensive, "No! I meant His Highness, of course!" He looked at the king for confirmation. The king looked at him confused, clearly not understanding why Alex was looking at him. Alex gave a noticeable wiggle of his eyebrows and the king, suddenly understanding, nodded his head to confirm what Alex had said.
"Okay, just seemed like a disrespectful name to call the king by," pointed out Suzanne.
"Well I'm his most trusted assistant. He allows some informality from me," said Alex.
"I see," responded Suzanne, acting as though the matter had been solved to her satisfaction. She noticed Alex smirk out of the corner of her eye. Clearly Alex thought he had fooled them again.
"Now back to the matter at hand, where's that key!" demanded Alex, his voice making a weird squeaking noise as he raised it.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Suzanne coolly. "We cast our own spells to get past the seal."
"Oh really?" asked Alex. "Well then we'll have to arrange a quick demonstration of your magic power!"
Alex had the four shuffled to another portion of the castle. He took them to a locked door.
"This door leads to the treasury," said Alex. "It's locked with the same kind of enchantment as the kitchen doors. It's not as strong as the seal but if you wield this magic power you claim you have then you should have no trouble with this one."
Dragon Quest Novel Page 32
