Dark Quest (18 page)

“Jenneva, if they’re your children, I am willing to change the world for them.”

“Alexander Tork, are you proposing to me?” giggled Jenneva.

Alex brought his flushed face close to Jenneva’s and kissed her. “Jenneva, I have been proposing to you for years. I have always feared your rejection, but now I am more afraid of life passing us by while I seek the courage to risk your refusal.”

Jenneva rolled over and hugged Alex. “Save your fear for the enemies of your sword. I can think of no one I would rather spend my life with, Alex.”

Everyone reassembled in Jenneva’s study to resume the discussion of King Austin.

“What is it that Mordac wants?” asked Callie.

“Well,” answered Duke Whitley, “we know what it is he doesn’t want. He’s not interested in ruling Targa. The decisions that he is making almost guarantee that Targa will no longer exist.”

“Right, Byron,” added Oscar. “He is obviously just using his position of power in Targa to distract us from his real goal and that goal requires as many books as he can get.”

“He’s looking for a way to bring Sarac back,” stated Egam. “He figures that there is a book that will allow him to communicate with Sarac and perhaps even bring Sarac back into this Universe.”

“The Book of the Beginning,” whispered Jenneva. “I mentioned it to Sarac when I was portraying his student. I used its mention to distract him from destroying Targa. Mordac must have overheard or Sarac must have involved him in the search for it. Mordac has no idea where to look, so he has all of the Black Devils out collecting every book they can find.”

“Well, there aren’t as many of them out looking for the book anymore,” quipped Alex.

“The Rangers only affected those searching in Targa. There are reports of thefts from Cordonia to Lanoir.” Duke Whitley walked to the window and stared at the peaceful cove below. “Still, you must have made a large dent in his force.”

Oscar queried, “Couldn’t we get a message to King Austin that the Book of the Beginning has been located in a certain place and then annihilate him?”

“No,” John stated. “King Austin has to be seen for what he is. The public has to know that King Austin doesn’t exist.”

“More importantly,” added Byron Whitley, “General Clark has to see him for what he is. We cannot have eighteen thousand soldiers fighting the Red Swords because the new King is dead. Civil war would destroy this country just as quick as the dual invasions would.”

Jenneva bounced from her chair. “Duke Whitley is absolutely correct and I have an idea. It is going to take all of our skills, but I think it will work. Egam, I am going to need a pair of Doors from you. Do you know the King of the Dwarves that Galdan mentioned to us?”

Egam’s old face brightened to a smile. “Yes, I have known King Tugar for many years. He has an ornery disposition, though. What do you need from him?”

“I’ll tell you in a moment,” sang Jenneva. “First, let me explain the plan to everyone so that we can split up and get things started.”

Oscar led the way as the Red Swords carried the Door out of the Palace and placed it in one of the Continental Shipping wagons. He climbed up with the driver, Terris Orba, and the wagon turned through the gate. “I will see you in three days,” he called to the Colonel.

The Colonel headed home for an afternoon nap. When he reached the Sword and Shield he went up to his room. Within a few moments, Larc arrived.

“On the good side of the General now, are you?” kidded Larc.

“The General has so few men left in the capital, he can not afford to waste them on me. Is Will Staton ready to proceed?”

“The Pawn Shop is ready. Just let the Duke drop the word and Will Staton will fill in the blanks,” stated Larc.

“Great!” exclaimed the Colonel. “Things are going to start rolling quickly from here on out. Get word to Alex that Oscar’s wagon just left the Palace.”

“Consider it done, Colonel.” Larc rose and crept out of the room.

Lieutenant Mitar Vidson watched his group of Rangers form up. “Okay, just so everyone is sure of our mission here, I’ll go through it one more time. I want two riders every four hours of hard ride between here and General Clark’s army. When the General issues his orders to turn around, I want it delivered at top speed. Two riders will carry the order to the next set of riders. If, for some reason, one of the riders is downed or incapacitated, the other will take the note and continue on. You can worry about your mate after you have handed off the orders. Is this clear?”

The Rangers shouted their understanding and started down the road. Mitar hoped the order came soon. He didn’t like having his men spread across the country as messengers, but they were among the best riders in the Kingdom.

Jenneva mounted the horse and rode up to where Alex was watching his men assemble. She reflected on how different Alex was with his men compared to his little boy attitude when he was with her. He was confident and sure with his men. There was no hesitation in his voice and he spoke with a tone of authority. His decisions were quick and never questioned. She could tell by the Ranger’s attitudes that his men idolized him. Here in the field, he was a king. At her side, he was a slave. He was the ultimate warrior with a compassionate heart. She prayed he would survive his coming encounter with Mordac.

“Okay, men, you know the drill,” commanded Alex. “Lieutenant Jaynes, lead your men off.”

Alex watched David lead his unit of Rangers down the path. His heart swelled with pride every time he saw his Rangers moving out. They were the best group of men he ever had the pleasure of serving with.

He readjusted his position on the horse. He wasn’t used to carrying his new shield. King Tugar insisted on meeting the man who would carry the shield. Alex was awestruck at the number of dwarves that lived under the Boulders. He had grown up in the shadow of the mountains and never had an inkling that the dwarves existed. King Tugar was an abrasive character, but Alex got the feeling that it was all for show. All of the dwarves acted that way, yet they all showed respect when Egam passed. It wasn’t a showy type of respect, like bowing and scraping. Rather, it was subtle. A quick nod and a shuffle out of the path or the stopping of a heated argument until the wizard had passed. They were an odd-looking bunch with their large noses and long beards, but Egam assured him that they were a breed of fierce fighters.

King Tugar’s men made quite a fuss of designing the shield to fit Alex and he had to admit that when he used it during practice it felt like an extension of his arm. Egam and Doryelgar, the dwarf wizard, had spent a bit of time with Alex’s sword and shield before he was allowed to depart. King Tugar invited Alex to return if he should live through his coming ordeal. Alex figured that it was just dwarf talk for come again, but Egam’s solemn facial expression indicated that the dwarf king had his doubts.

David’s column wound out of sight and Alex snapped back to the present. “Okay, Rangers,” he shouted, “for your country, forward.”

Jenneva rode along side Alex as he led his men north towards Miram.

Duke Whitley sat in the Royal Physician’s office with his shirt off. The doctor was listening to the Duke’s breathing and was measuring the noble’s heartbeat.

Sergeant Ferguson ran into the room breathing heavily. “Doctor, we’ve had a man fall off the wall. The Colonel ordered me to send you down immediately. He’s afraid of moving the man until you have looked at him. He’s in the Red Sword courtyard.”

“Goodness, if it isn’t one thing it’s another,” sighed the physician. “Duke Whitley, you stay where you are. I still want to examine you thoroughly before you go running off. I’ll not be having any nobles dropping dead today, thank you.”

As soon as the elderly doctor rounded the corner, Fergy joined Duke Whitley in rummaging through the doctor’s drawers. “Darn if this man doesn’t need an aide,” quipped the Duke. “Either that or he hasn’t learned the alphabet yet. These things are in no order at all.”

“Just make sure that they stay in the same non-order as we found them, Duke,” admonished Fergy. “The doctor may have a strange system of his own for finding things.”

It took them almost a half hour to find what they were looking for. Footsteps could be heard coming down the corridor as Fergy shoved the papers into his shirt. The physician turned the corner and strode into the room. “You didn’t have to stay, Sergeant. I don’t really think Duke Whitley would run away on me. Your Private is going to be all right. Nothing is broken. Didn’t really seem like he was hurt that badly. Still, better to check than not.”

Fergy left the room and headed for the Colonel’s office. He dropped off the papers and returned to the courtyard. The Colonel read the papers and found what he was looking for. He smiled and leaned back in his chair. For a long while the Colonel just relaxed, until his door sergeant stuck his head in the door and whispered. “It’s time, Sir. He just rounded the bend.”

“Thank you, Sergeant.” Colonel Gregor stood and walked into the corridor. Duke Whitley was coming down the hall and he stepped in along side of him. “Afternoon, Duke Whitley.”

“Good afternoon, Colonel Gregor. There is something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”

The pair walked through the corridors towards the Council Chambers. They paused outside the King’s Chambers and engaged in idle conversation. Duke Whitley quickly picked up the conversation as Aurora approached.

“Absolutely absurd is what it was. It was a musty, old book, as old as the hills, and this clown wanted ten thousand crowns for it. All it had written on it was the Book of the Beginning. I’ll tell you, with prices like that I’ll never shop at the Pawn Shop again.”

“Well, I’m glad you told me that. I’ll look somewhere else for the gift,” replied the Colonel. “Thanks for the advice, Duke Whitley. Maybe I’ll try some of the shops down by the wharf. Their prices ought to be a little more in my line.”

The King’s aide had stopped walking and the Colonel strode down the hall smiling. Duke Whitley entered the Council Chambers and sat down.

The bell over the door rang loudly and Will entered the store area. A young man with long, black hair and a strange tattoo on his forearm entered the store. “Welcome to the Pawn Shop. Can I help you, Sir?”

Dalgar didn’t answer but surveyed the shop. He walked up and down the aisle quickly and returned to the counter. “I heard you might have a book that I would find interesting.”

“Yes, Sir,” beamed Will. “We get books in all the time and they go out again just as quick. What’s the title of the book you’re looking for?”

Dalgar looked around furtively. “It’s called the Book of the Beginning. A rather large tome of fairy tales. Do you have it or not?”

Will rubbed his black, leathery chin. “The Book of the Beginning. Sounds familiar. Oh, Yes, I remember now. A large volume, very old, looked expensive, it did.”

“What do you mean, ‘It did’?” snarled Dalgar.

“Well, I sold it just this morning, I did. Gave the gentleman a steal, too”

“Who bought it?” demanded Dalgar.

“Don’t rightly know,” replied Will. “I don’t ask questions of my customers.”

Dalgar’s fists were clenching. He felt like grabbing the scrawny, black man and draining his blood. “I want the book. How much will it cost to get it back?”

“Can’t get it back,” whispered Will. “But I know where it is and I might be enticed to share the information.”

“How much do you want?” uttered Dalgar.

“Well, a thousand crowns would be a proper commission, I assume. Course, you remember, I never said anything about it.”

Dalgar pulled out his purse and dumped a thousand crowns on the counter. Will reached for the money and Dalgar grabbed his wrist. “Where is the book?” he demanded.

Will pulled his hand free and glared at Dalgar. “Not sure I like your way of doing business. I don’t get the crowns, you don’t get the book.”

Dalgar pulled his hand back and allowed Will to pocket the coins. “I put the book on a shipping wagon this morning. Gentleman wanted it shipped to Miram and was willing to pay for the freight. Naturally, I chose the cheapest shipping company and sent it on its way. Continental Shipping it was. Shouldn’t be hard to find, cause they don’t have many wagons. I suspect there is only one that goes north from here.”

Dalgar turned and left the shop, slamming the door so hard that the bell fell off. Will Staton went into the back room and laughed so hard that he could hardly stand straight.

“Will, you sure played that awfully close,” said Larc. “You want to be a little cautious around these guys. If he tossed a fireball down your throat, there wouldn’t have been much that I could’ve done to save you.”

Will straightened up and his laughter died a little. “Larc, you could see the desire in his black eyes. He wanted the information so bad, I should’ve charged him double. Anyway, you might want to get word to Alex that he will have company tomorrow, right on schedule.”

The Ranger saw the riders coming and galloped along the forest path, ducking branches and swinging side to side. He passed another Ranger scout and continued on until he reached Alex. “They’re here, Sir. About thirty, I figure.”

“Okay, Corporal, signal the wagon and alert the other team.”

The Corporal took off down the hill and headed for the road. He rode past the wagon and up the hill on the other side. Alex led his men forward, looking for a good spot for the ambush. His men had already been over the route and tree ribbons marked the best spots for the wagon to stop. Two miles down the road, Alex called a halt and the Rangers dismounted. The designated Rangers gathered the horses and led them off.

Alex fired an arrow into the road and gave the signal to his men. The Rangers scurried up the trees and disappeared from sight. Alex and Jenneva continued on the path for another quarter mile and dismounted. Alex knew his men on the other side of the road were already in position.

The wagon pulled off the road where the arrow was and Terris quickly retrieved the arrow. Oscar and Terris scampered into the woods and lay flat on the ground. Five minutes later the bandits arrived and surveyed the area. They looked for the driver, but could not find him. The leader dismounted and entered the wagon. As soon as the leader was in the wagon, the Rangers opened fire. Over a hundred arrows rained down onto the road and the Black Devils dropped as a group. Their leader crawled through the wagon and grabbed the reins. Nobody fired as he took off with the wagon.