Alutar: The Great Demon (42 page)

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Garth and Tedi walked along the hallway of the Bluff House Inn and knocked on a door. A young woman opened the door, and the two Knights of Alcea slipped into the suite. The woman closed the door, and the three people walked deeper into the room where a fourth person sat on the couch. Garth waved Tedi to a chair and then looked at the other occupants of the room.

“Prince Harold demands to see his father,” Garth announced. “I am going to enter the Royal Palace today to try to determine how the king feels about his son. I wanted all of you to be aware of what I am doing because this could be very easy or very hard depending on whether King Harowin wants Prince Harold dead or not.”

“Is there no other way?” asked Rut-ki. “Can we use a fairy to determine the king’s disposition towards the prince?”

“There is no time,” answered Garth. “Things are happening quickly in Zara, and the Badgers are planning to kill King Harowin very soon. If the prince is to meet his father, it needs to be done now.”

“Do we have any idea how the king will react?” asked Bin-lu.

“None,” Garth shook his head. “We never planned for the two of them to meet. Prince Harold stated when he arrived at the lair that his father wanted him dead. That is why General Montero had him in his castle, to safeguard him from his father.”

“So what has changed?” frowned Tedi.

“Prince Harold feels that he might not be in the line of succession,” answered Garth, “and he thinks he can talk his father into making sure that he is.”

“That is crazy,” scoffed Bin-lu. “Does he realize that he might be jeopardizing your life as well as his own?”

“He would prefer to go without my risking an attempt to speak to his father,” answered Garth, “but I can’t allow that. Alcea needs a decent king in Ertak, and Harold is the only choice we have for a legitimate heir. His life must be protected, regardless of the risk to us.”

“What do you want us to do?” asked Rut-ki.

“Protect him while I am gone,” answered Garth. “I have moved both him and Samuel to Natia’s room so if someone comes looking for them they will be harder to find, but that may not be enough. Juggler’s people know Tedi and Natia, and someone might squeeze them for information. You two,” he continued as he looked at Bin-lu and Rut-ki, “are known by no one in Farmin. If anyone enters my room while I am in the palace, I want you two to kidnap the princes and keep them safe.”

“You can count on us,” promised Bin-lu. “No one will get to the princes.”

“I know,” Garth replied with a smile. “That is why you are here. Hopefully, I will be back shortly.”

Garth turned and left the room. He exited the inn and walked to the Royal Palace. When he reached the palace gates, he showed his papers as a special agent for Sidney Mercado and asked for an audience with the king. Garth had expected to be rebuffed at the gates. He had next planned to mention that he had news of the heir that needed to be given to the king, but he never got the chance. The gates were opened, and a military escort was provided for him. The four soldiers marched him into the Royal Palace and into a small sitting room. A moment later, a captain entered the room.

“You will remove all of your weapons and place them on the table,” stated the captain.

Garth nodded and followed the captain’s instructions. Knowing that he was going to the Royal Palace, Garth had left most of his weapons in his room. He placed two knives on the table and sat in a chair along the far wall where the captain had indicated that he should sit.

“Where are you staying in Farmin?” asked the captain.

Garth frowned. He had visited many monarchs during his years, but he had never had a reception such as this one. He was concerned.

“I am a special agent for Sidney Mercado,” declared Garth. “I requested an audience with King Harowin, not a captain.”

Garth was not expecting the response. The captain slapped Garth’s face hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. Garth turned his gaze back to the captain and glared silently at him.

“Where are you staying?” repeated the captain.

“I request to speak to King Harowin,” Garth said seriously.

The captain’s hand flew towards Garth’s face again, but the Knight of Alcea reached up and grasped the man’s wrist. He tightened his grip and forced the captain to his knees as the four guards shouted and drew their swords. The soldiers raced across the room.

“Tell them to stop or the first thing their swords will pierce will be your body,” Garth said quickly.

“Stop!” the captain shouted in pain.

The soldiers stopped, but the door flew open and more soldiers raced into the room. Among them was a colonel, and the soldiers awaited his instructions.

“What is going on here?” demanded the colonel.

“I came to the palace to request a meeting with the king,” Garth answered. “This impudent junior officer felt the need to attack me, and I do not suffer fools well.”

The colonel raised an eyebrow. “Release the captain,” demanded the colonel.

Garth released his hold on the captain, and the man fled towards the soldiers.

“I am a special agent for Sidney Mercado,” Garth stated. “I merely requested a meeting with King Harowin. Why am I being treated like a thief?”

The colonel looked to the captain for an answer.

“I have been ordered to find out where he is staying,” the captain said. “He refused to answer.”

“Actually,” offered Garth, “I did not refuse to answer. I thought the captain was interrogating the wrong person. I restated who I was and why I was here. That is when he attacked me. What is going on here, Colonel? I have broken no laws.”

“That is not for me to determine,” replied the colonel. “Why does it matter, Captain?”

“He is Garth Shado,” answered the captain. “He is holding Prince Harold. I have been ordered to search his room.”

The colonel’s demeanor changed immediately. He glared at Garth and demanded to know where he was staying.

“The Bluff House Inn,” Garth answered, “but I am not holding Prince Harold or anyone else.”

“Bind his hands,” the colonel commanded.

The soldiers moved across the room warily. Several of the soldiers held their swords pointed towards Garth while a couple of other soldiers seized his hands and tied them. Garth offered no resistance. The colonel sent the captain on his way and then ordered Garth to be taken to the dungeons.

Not far away, Tedi raced up the stairs of the Bluff House Inn. He banged on Bin-lu’s door, which was answered promptly. The two Lanoirian Knights of Alcea looked at Tedi expectantly.

“Garth is in trouble,” Tedi said. “Get the princes and safeguard them.”

“Garth has only been gone for minutes,” frowned Bin-lu. “Are you sure?”

“No,” admitted Tedi, “but I am pretty sure. I followed Garth and watched him enter the palace. I saw someone coming out of the palace who had no business being inside, and four soldiers escorted Garth into the palace. They watched him as if he was going to try to run away. Something is not right. Get the princes and keep them safe.”

Tedi turned and ran towards Natia’s room with Bin-lu and Rut-ki right behind him. He unlocked the door and barged in. Both princes looked up in alarm, but Natia knew that something was wrong. She tossed the hooded cloaks to the princes and then grabbed her pack.

“What is going on?” asked Prince Harold.

“Do not speak,” ordered Tedi. “These two people are going to take you somewhere else. Listen to them and do what they tell you.”

“I am not going anywhere until I understand what is going on,” objected Prince Harold. “I don’t know these people.”

“These people are Knights of Alcea,” scowled Tedi, “and if you wish to live, you will follow their instructions. As to what is wrong, I believe that Garth might be in the process of giving up his life to save yours, so do not give me any lip. I do not consider it a fair trade.”

Prince Harold shut his mouth and pulled the cloak on. Bin-lu and Rut-ki ushered the princes out of the room, and Natia looked at Tedi questioningly.

“Are we leaving the inn?” she asked.

“We must,” answered Tedi. “I think we have been sold out by Juggler’s people. I saw one of the thieves coming out of the palace while Garth was going in. I can’t imagine a valid reason for a thief to be inside the palace.”

“Unless he was caught stealing,” frowned Natia.

“Then why was he free to walk out on his own?” retorted Tedi. “Let’s get out of here.”

The two Knights of Alcea hurried out of the inn and mounted their unicorns. They rode calmly to the Seaside Inn. It was a fine inn, although not in the same class as the Bluff House Inn. While it afforded no view of the sea, its rooms did offer a decent view of the Royal Palace. Tedi requested a room on the top floor and as soon as they were safely in the room, he woke Button. The tiny woman yawned and stretched as her blue head poked out of Tedi’s pocket.

“A most enjoyable dream,” the fairy smiled dreamily. “Was there something you needed?”

“We need to make contact with the Rangers that Garth left here to train the thieves,” answered Tedi. “I want one of them to come to this room, but no one else is to know about it.”

“Do not even let anyone else know where we are staying,” added Natia. “No one.”

“Is there trouble?” frowned Button.

“There is trouble,” nodded Tedi. “Be quick, and do not let anyone find us.”

“You can count on me,” the fairy said seriously. “You will have a Ranger soon, and no one will know about it.”

Button darted out the window, and the Knights of Alcea settled into their new room. Less than an hour later, there was a soft knock on the door. Tedi answered it while Natia held a knife in each hand. As soon as the door was open, Bart Larmin stepped through it. Tedi closed the door and turned to face the Ranger.

“Did anyone follow you?” asked Tedi.

“No,” replied Bart. “Button kept watch just in case. She will be here shortly. What is the problem?”

“We think Garth has been captured in the Royal Palace,” answered Tedi, “and we think he was betrayed by a thief.”

“One of Juggler’s people?” asked Bart.

Tedi nodded. “I don’t know his name, but he has a rodent-like face. An older man, maybe twice your age.”

“A short guy,” nodded Bart. “I know the man. Shifty sort he is, but then most of the thieves are. Do you think he acted with Juggler’s permission?”

“I am not certain that the man has done anything wrong,” admitted Tedi, “but I saw him coming out of the Royal Palace. What bothers me the most is the way Garth was greeted at the palace. He was escorted from the gates by four soldiers who acted as if he was a prisoner.”

“Why was Garth going to the Royal Palace?” asked the Ranger. “Was he trying to sneak in?”

“No,” replied Tedi. “He was there to ask for a meeting with the king.”

“Tell him all of it,” urged Natia. “A Ranger will not endanger Garth or us.”

Tedi nodded. “Garth has custody of Prince Harold, the heir to the Ertakan throne. Harold wants to see his father, but the king has wanted to kill the prince in times past. Garth went to the palace to determine if it was safe for the prince to meet his father.”

“I think Garth had an ill feeling about the whole thing,” added Natia. “He met with us before going to the palace and spoke about what to do if he did not return. It was unlike the Garth we all know.”

“Alex has an amazing ability to sense the rightness of a situation,” frowned Bart. “If he had an ill feeling going in, I suspect that he is in trouble. Are we to break him out?”

“It is too early to talk of such measures,” answered Tedi. “First we have to know the truth of our predicament. We need to know if the soldiers searched Garth’s room. We also need to know if Juggler is still with us, or if rodent face was working alone. Lastly, we need to know where Garth is and what trouble might befall him.”

“And Tedi and I should not be seen in public,” added Natia. “That is why we sent for you.”

“Fortunately for you,” Bart smiled, “there are five Rangers in town. We will get answers to your questions, starting with Juggler.”

“Start with Garth’s room,” suggested Natia. “He always traps his door. He said it was an old Ranger trick so I assume you will know what to look for. If his room has not been searched, we might just be a tad paranoid. Check that out first.”

Bart Larmin moved through the sewers of Farmin like a wraith in its own lair. While the thieves thought that they knew the sewers as no one else could, they were wrong. Ever since Garth introduced the Rangers to Juggler for the purpose of training the thieves, the Rangers had made a point of mapping the sewers. The Alceans did so thoroughly, sometimes in the spirit of camaraderie, walking with their pupils through the sewers. Other times, the Rangers mapped covertly, slinking through the dark passageways and avoiding contact with the thieves. The mapping had not been ordered because of any ill feeling towards the thieves. Bart had ordered it to provide a challenge to the Rangers while they were stationed in Farmin. It had become a game for the Alceans to enjoy during their downtime. Now Bart was glad that they had been so thorough. If Juggler’s men were actually working against the Alceans, the Rangers’ knowledge of the sewers would prove vital to their survival.

When Bart reached the area of Juggler’s lair, he paused in the darkness of the sewers. He stuck his finger into his pocket and gently woke up his fairy. The tiny man stuck his head out of the pocket and checked out his surroundings before leaping onto Bart’s shoulder.

“You have a mission for me?” Dart whispered in Bart’s ear.

The Ranger nodded in the dark and whispered, “Around the corner are two sentries. I need you to go well beyond them and draw them away from their posts. I only need enough time to get through the door they are guarding without being detected. Go.”

Dart needed no further instructions. He leaped off the Ranger’s shoulder and disappeared into the darkness. Bart waited. A few moments later, he heard the soft moaning of a woman in pain. Voices, much closer to Bart, carried through the stale air of the sewers.

“What was that?” a hushed voice asked.