The Black Guard: Book III: The Black Mamba (Black Guard series 3)

by CR Daems

  "My God," Liserli whispered.

  "That demonstrates the biggest problem. The guards tend to keep their weapons on automatic, envisioning several assassins charging them, and not thinking about all the pellets that miss and continue on for close to a thousand meters," I said. We are setting up new targets. This time security will have their Mfws on single shot.

  The same two men stood glaring down range determined to redeem themselves. I nodded to Benita, and she began the exercise again. We ran the scenario four times with different pairs but obtained the same results: the four assassins were never all killed; multiple civilians were always killed, and ten to twenty pellets invariably missed all the targets and hit the backboard.

  "Would you like to try, ma'am?" I asked, thinking she would, now that no one had passed the exercise. She nodded, determination pulsing through her from her stance to her eyes. I raised the two black targets and nodded to Benita who looked apprehensive.

  When we reviewed the targets, she had shot one of the black targets, two civilians, hit two assassins but not in the kill zone, and had missed everything six times.

  "Very respectable for a queen," I said, meaning it. She shook her head and laughed.

  "What about you, Captain Sapir?" She smiled, but I knew we wouldn't leave the firing range until I had a go at the exercise.

  "Do you want me or to pick a Black Guard at random?" I tried to look worried. She laughed louder this time. "Both."

  "Colonel, you can increase the speed for us," I said and stepped up to the line. I had just arrived when the colonel began the exercise. I drew, fired four times, and reattached my Mfw. Liserli and Benita were quick to examine the targets.

  "Show off!" Liserli said shaking her head. She pointed to two Guards in the area. They stepped to the line one after the other with the same results: four shots, four assassins killed. "So, the point of your demonstration is that the assassins will be moving, other people may be in the area blocking our line of sight, and our adrenaline will be causing us to rush and shoot wildly."

  "The point was not to embarrass anyone, but to demonstrate what you must do to have a team prepared to provide you adequate security. Ideally, all the palace guards should be close to that level, but at very least the core group who is specifically assigned to guard you."

  "You and your team made it look so easy," Benita said, staring at the targets.

  "Thousands of hours practicing with moving targets under a variety of conditions. It takes time, commitment, and dedication."

  "Thank you, Captain Sapir, for sharing your training with us. I promise not to draw my weapon if we are attacked." Liserli smiled." It seemed so simple when you are shooting a standard target only fifteen meters away."

  * * *

  The rest of the day was uneventful. I did spend an hour with Colonel Benita.

  "Palace security is boring and guarding the queen probably more boring," I said, after suggesting the kind of training that would be good for the palace security and the group tasked with guarding the queen.

  "How so?" Benita asked, somewhat in surprise.

  "Because it's the same, day after day, and attacks are extremely rare. Consequently, it becomes routine and people lose their focus. You are standing around waiting for something to happen, which doesn't. So, you need to provide a stimulus that keeps them alert, if not for trouble, for you. You need to constantly test their alertness on the job. They need to understand a lack of focus could result in them causing the queen or her brothers or guest to be injured or killed."

  Benita nodded, then frowned. "That would disturb the queen…and others."

  "Those tests don't have to be major disruptions. The non-security people involved could be warned in advance. Be inventive."

  "It is very hard to know who's guarding me," Liserli said during dinner with her brothers. "Since the uniforms look all the same without insignia and medals and most have the same rank, every time I look it's a new face."

  "It's part of the problem guarding people. It's boring and stressful. One way of relieving that is to make sure the person isn't doing the same job all the time. For you, we have six-hour shifts, two shifts each day one during the day and one during the night. In addition, we change assignments every two to three hours so the individual has a new responsibility."

  "Boring I understand, but why stressful," Ruedi asked, and Liserli and Bartli stopped with food or a drink halfway to their mouth to hear the answer.

  "Yes, watching for potential threats: servants coming and going, guests in the room, egress points including windows, et cetera," I said pointing around the room as I spoke.

  Bartli gave a short laugh. "It’s a wonder that anyone challenges you on your assignments. I saw our new firing range and heard that you and your Guards were each perfect in shooting the attackers in the kill zone with no wasted or missed shots, combined with your fanatical attention to maintaining focus." He smiled at Liserli. "Good. Ruedi and I love our sister and our current positions, and would hate her responsibility."

  "I guess that means I can't get either of you to trade positions?" Liserli said with a snort.

  "Every night I pray you outlive me," Bartli said and didn't smile.

  "Me too!" Ruedi chimed with an equally serious face.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Uster: Night Time Entertainment

  It was the last two hours of the night shift's six-hour duty and the area was as quiet as a morgue. Lieutenant Haber and Senior Sergeant Nadel had just set the second two-hour change of position and were standing against the wall at the end of the queen's wing discussing the attack the other night. Sergeant Reti and Private Joo were stationed at the intersection of the front hallway and the entrance to the hallway leading to the family's two wings. Corporal Polak and Private Dorit were at the other end of the hallway where it intersected with the royal wing. Corporals Paler and Alpert where stationed at the entrance to the queen's apartments, approximately two-thirds of the way into her wing. Sergeant Ganz and Corporal Volpe were in the queen's waiting room which led to her bedroom suite. Captain Sapir was asleep in the room she shared with her second-in-command. Their room was in the queen's wing close to the intersecting hallway. The off-duty teams' room was also near the intersection but in the brothers' wing.

  The quiet was shattered when two flashbangs came arching into the air. The first came from the stairway in the middle hallway on the first floor that led to the middle of the second-floor hallway and access to the royal wing. It landed in the hallway but managed to roll into the intersecting hallway leading to the queen's and her brothers' wings. Dorit dove face first to his right into the queen's wing, staying close to the wall and covering his eyes, while Polak did the same to his left into the brothers' wing. Both Guards screamed "Flashbang" while pressing the emergency icon on their Mfis.

  Simultaneously, the second flashbang came arching up from the front stairway into the main hallway. Reti and Joo dove backward face first into the hallway leading to the family's wings. They stayed close the wall shielding their eyes and ears with their arms.

  Hearing "Flashbang" and seeing Polak diving toward the floor, Haber slammed into the first door on his right, splintering the frame and falling inside with Nadel on his back, as the two flashbangs exploded one after the other. Women began screaming. Looking up Nadel saw they were in one of the queen's maids' sleeping quarters. At the same time, Alpert and Paler had opened the door to the queen's quarters and made it inside, but hadn't managed to close the door before the flashbangs exploded.

  Reti and Joo, who had been caught between two flashbangs, managed to stagger to their feet, using the walls to steady themselves. Their hearing was useless and their eyes were tearing from the double flashes. The troops pouring out of the middle stairway toward the royal wing, and the heads appearing on the main stairway, were but shadows. Fortunately, the troops coming out of the middle stairway were focused on the royal wing, so Reti waved Joo towards them. Although they were caught between two enemy
forces, both would be reluctant to fire for fear of wounding or killing their own troops.

  Polak and Dorit couldn't hear and their eyes had spots dancing around them but they could see bodies moving. The problem was the shockwave had them shaking like jello and their flawless aim would be off. Nevertheless, they each rolled over, tilted their Mfws up forty-five degrees and fired on automatic. The pellets would hit anyone entering the wing but not any Guards coming down the hallway because of the forty-five-degree angle. Missed shots would hit the ceiling. As Haber, Nadel, Alpert, and Paler peeked out, they could hear the sound of gunfire and men shouting as they entered the hallway leading to the family's wings. Haber and Nadel began running for the intersection while signaling Alpert and Paler to stay put. Polak and Dorit were shooting as the attackers came through the entrance into the family's wing. The first four were carrying riot shields but they were useless as Polak and Dorit were on opposite sides of the entrance and had their Mfws on automatic. None of the four received any pellets to the kill zone but each had been hit several times in the side and back. It didn't matter. As Haber and Nadel approached, they delivered head shots as the men spun and lowered or dropped their shields from Polak's and Dorit's barrage of pellets. That caused the next two attackers to stop and back away from the entrance, awaiting support from the six attackers approaching from the main hallway. Polak and Dorit stopped firing as they could see and hear Haber and Nadel approaching, Sapir exited her room, and members of the off-duty team began pouring out of their room.

  Reti and Joo had begun a fast walk toward the royal wing, keeping an eye on the attackers rushing in the direction of the royal wing. As the attackers entered the royal wing, the last two stopped as the first four were immediately killed. Reti and Joo fired, killing the remaining two and then raced for the middle stairway as shots rang out from behind them.

  Hearing shots in the hallway leading to the royal wing, Haber took a standing position and Nadel a kneeling position at the intersection. On the other side, Senior Sergeant Catz took a standing position and Sergeant Krebs a kneeling position, as Sapir slid into the center of the entrance. The six approaching attackers also had riot shields, which normally would have provided them good protection. However, the Guards were shooting at the attackers exposed ankles. The first two went down which caused the two following to get tangled in their bodies and to fall. With their shields no longer protecting their heads, the four died quickly. The last two died from shots from Reti and Joo, who were standing in the middle stairway to the first floor.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Uster: Interrupted sleep.

  I jerked awake at the sound of flashbangs exploding and the emergency signal on my Mfi. Not bothering to dress as I slept in my bulletproof under garments, I snatched up my Mfw, ran to the door, and opened it enough to see four dead men just inside the entrance to the family's wing, Polak and Dorit lying on the ground weapons in hand, Haber and Nadel taking up positions on the right side of the entrance into the royal hallway, and Catz and Krebs on the left. I exited the room, took two running steps, and slid into the center of the entrance. I could see men with riot shields running towards us. The five of us began firing at exposed body parts, mostly ankles and arms. It was over in less than ten seconds.

  "Krebs, check to make sure the attackers are dead or secured. Uziel, Ganz, check to see if anyone needs medical attention. Catz, get the off-duty troops to cover any vacant positions." I lay there wondering how many had been seriously wounded or…killed. How did the attackers get into the building without a warning of any kind? And where did they get the combat gear they were wearing, and the flashbangs? Not to mention the damn RPG I saw laying among the bodies? Just then Benita emerged from the middle stairway and began approaching with several palace security men following with weapons drawn.

  "Colonel, STOP!" I shouted and multiple Guards' Mfw raised in their direction. "You may approach but tell your men to return to their assigned post or the barracks. We are not in a good mood right this minute." When she reached me, her face was ashen. "Let us go see the queen. I imagine by now she is furious at being held in her room and frightened sick." Before I could say more the queen's brothers appeared with weapons drawn. "Prince Bartli, Ruedi, put those weapons away. Your sister is safe and the attackers are dead. Let me find out where and when she would like to meet." I turned and headed for her suite of rooms. When I arrived, she was sitting in her reception area with a glass of wine looking like a horse in the starting gate.

  "My guards tell me the attackers are dead, but they won't let me leave," she said, feigning anger, but her look and voice were shaky.

  "They and I would hate for you to get shot or killed by an attacker we missed or thought dead in the chaos. Your brothers and Colonel Benita wish to see you. You could use your office or the conference room. That way you would not have to enter the hallway, and it would give us time to clean up the mess and make sure it's safe," I said, hoping to sound reasonable and trying to avoid having to argue about her safety. She nodded as she rose and headed toward the door to her office.

  "My office," she said curtly. Volpe scrambled to beat her to the door, stepped inside and surveyed the area, and then opened the door fully as he stepped aside to let her pass. "Was that necessary?" she snapped. I didn't answer as I doubted she wanted one. I thought it pent up nervousness wanting a release.

  Instead I exited into the hallway and waved the three to her office door, knocked, and peeked in. Her office was a comfortable room with armchairs with padded cushions with the queen's coat-of-arms, landscape pictures with animals or individuals in serene settings: near rivers, or lakes, or cottages. A circular hand-woven rug with the kingdom's crest dominated the floor in front of her ebony desk.

  She straightened up in her chair and nodded. They entered and bowed. She waved to them to sit. I remained standing. The brothers went straight to her and hugged her. They stood huddled together speaking in a whisper. Eventually, she waved them to sit.

  "Well, what happened?" she asked looking directly at me.

  "Twelve men wearing military combat gear and carrying riot shields attacked the royal wing. They are dead," I said, leaving out all the gory details. "We had no warning." I added, wondering whether any of the palace security personnel were killed.

  "How did they enter the building?" Liserli asked looking toward Benita.

  "I don't know, Your Highness. None of the entrances where breached," Benita shrugged. "I'm having my people do a comprehensive search of the building, room by room."

  "Where did they get all the military equipment?" Bartli asked.

  "They were well organized, using flashbangs and attacking from both stairways," I said. "It appears to me that the attacks are getting more organized and more desperate based on the frequency and numbers. Why you, Your Highness? The attacks don't appear aimed at either of the Princes."

  "What are you implying?" Bartli said, rising to stand and face me. His face tight with anger, and his hands curled into fists.

  "Have you been attacked, Prince Bartli?" I asked. "Or you, Prince Ruedi?"

  "Sit, Roland. There has been enough blood spilled today," Liserli said, to her brother while shaking her head in frustration. "I love my brothers. They know if they wanted my position all they have to do is ask. It's a thankless position and not a lot of fun."

  "I am just trying to establish why someone wants you dead and not your brothers. Since they appear to be in a hurry to kill you, there must be something happening within a week or less that your presence alone would cause this person or persons a problem."

  "I cannot think of anything out of the ordinary," Liserli said while rubbing her forehead with her fingers. "Actually, with my head spinning from lack of sleep and people trying to kill me, I can't think at all. Let's wait until breakfast. Colonel Benita can tell me the results of her search, Prince Bartli can see if he can identify the…dead men, and my Steward can tell me what I have scheduled for the next week." She snorted a laugh. "Good ni
ght and no more flashbangs by royal decree."

  * * *

  "Well, Colonel Benita, what did your search of the palace discover?" Liserli asked as she took her seat at the breakfast table.

  "They apparently hid in one of the empty rooms in the administrative wing. We found the room had recently been used, judging by the garbage we found. The room was locked when we found it. They had a key or someone locked up after they left. Someone had to have helped the attackers enter the building and sneaked them into the room."

  Liserli’s face was tight with anger as the servants served her. She ate in silence as did her brothers.

  "Good morning, Your Majesty," Vinicio said as he entered just as Liserli pushed away her plate and reached for her coffee. I wondered how he could time it so perfectly, as if he was looking through the keyhole.

  "Good morning, Vinicio," Liserli said, smiling.

  "I have your schedule for the next week, but of course there will be additional meetings scheduled as the days go by," Vinicio said, looking concerned.

  "I know. We are only concerned with the ones that are currently scheduled." She took the tablet he handed her, scanned it, and shrugged before handing it to me. "Mostly boring things and the reason my brothers are content to leave it to me."