ROAD TO CORDIA (24 page)

     They both looked horrified. “Nay, nay. Ya ain’t no prisoner. Not a’tall. We’s only looking out fer ya.”

     “By keeping me incommunicado?”

     Both guards looked around desperately.

     “Do you know the penalty for treason?” she asked.

     “Nay,” said the elder guard. “But I know the penalty o’crossing Lord Raptor.”

     “I’ll go gets him,” said the other guard. “Get his Jadµ. Be right quick I will.” And he took off running.

     “Hey!” yelled the other guard, but the younger one kept running. The older guard turned back to Lil’Li. “Well, there now. Soon’s Lord Raptor, he gives the Jadµ, we’ll send for Y’Nota, we will.”

     Lady Bel’Dor was plucking at her arm. “Come inside,” hissed the woman. “You’re making a spectacle of yourself.”

     Lil’Li shrugged off the woman’s touch and stalked back into her rooms. Lady Bel’Dor gave the remaining guard an apologetic smile and quietly closed the door. From where she was standing, Lil’Li could hear the sound of the guard locking her door--from the outside. She was a prisoner. Lord Raptor’s prisoner.

CHAPTER 24

     Lord Raptor was annoyed, very annoyed. In fact, he was infuriated. He was…Ah to the Circle with it. So the little bitch hadn’t fallen into his arms as expected. She would. And after she had served her purpose… The important thing for now was to keep her isolated.  According to his timeline, within a week he should have the reins of government firmly in his hands. The right people would join with him, solidifying his position, and those who didn’t would regret it.

     He flung open the door of his office and stalked in, only to be brought up short. Two strangers were sitting on the visitor side of his desk and two of his soldiers were keeping an eye on them.

     “What’s this?” he barked.

     Both soldiers snapped to attention and saluted. He acknowledged them with an irritated wave of his hand. “What’s this?” he repeated as he looked the two strangers over. He was not impressed. One of them, a female, had jumped to her feet at his entrance and looked as if she longed to run and hide. She was an Earther, he noted with a curled lip, dressed in poor quality tunic and leggings in dull muddy colors. Nothing interesting there.

     The other was a teenage boy of a race Lord Raptor had never run into before. The boy was naked from the waist up but his leggings were of a fine quality and well made. He did not rise upon Lord Raptor’s entrance.

     “What the Dark Circle are you?” Lord Raptor asked the weird looking boy.

     “Dark Circle?” squeaked the girl. She looked horrified.

     Lord Raptor rolled his eyes seeking help from the Lord he did not believe in. Another religious nut, he thought. No matter what the priests taught, Lord Raptor knew there was only this one life. Lord Raptor’s philosophy could be summed up in three words; ME. ME. ME.

     “That one don’t talk,” offered one of the soldiers. “At least he ain’t yet.”

     “I talk,” said Ee'Rick, then he asked, “Who are you?”

     “I am Lord Raptor.”

     Lord Raptor! Ja’Nil was remembering Lady Fayre’s words. “Avoid him if you can. A nasty type.”  It didn’t look as if avoiding Lord Raptor was going to be possible.

     “I head the government at this time,” said Lord Raptor. “Now, who and what are you?”

     “My name is Ee'Rick, and as to what I am? I am as you see me.”

     One of the soldiers tapped the side of his head. “Simple I think he is,” he confided.

     His lordship scowled at the soldiers. “Why did you bring them here?”

     “It’s the girl, ya lordship. She wanted to see the Queen.”

     “The whole nation wants to see the Queen,” said Lord Raptor. “There’ll be a public viewing starting tomorrow and for the next three days. You can see her tomorrow. Now get out.”

     Ja’Nil didn’t need a second invitation; she started for the door.

     “Nay, ya lordship,” said the soldier, stepping in front of Ja’Nil and blocking her exit. “I meant she wanted ta talk ta the Queen. Had the passwords and everything.”

     “What passwords?”

     “To see the Queen.”

     “How do you know about passwords?” he snapped at the soldier.

     “Only know what the usher said,” muttered the soldier suddenly looking very nervous himself.

     “The Queen’s usher?”

     “Aye, that’s the one. He says to me ‘There’s two strangers what knows the words ta gets ta see the Queen.’ But whens I go lookin’ for ‘em, they’s already run off.”

     “We did not run off,” protested Ja’Nil. “We heard the Queen had died and there was no point in staying. We went to get something to eat.”

     “They was at The Red Dog Tavern,” admitted the soldier. “Thought you’d want to know, your lordship.” He saluted again and stepped back a pace. Lord Raptor nodded and turned to Ja’Nil.

     “What were the passwords you used?” he asked.

     Ja’Nil hesitated, and then blurted, “I’m Fisherfolk.”

     “Fascinating,” said Lord Raptor. “That’s not what I asked you.”

     “We have no Healer,” said Ja’Nil. “In my village. We haven’t had a Healer in over two years.”

     Lord Raptor raised a green eyebrow, “And?” he said.

     “And I wanted-- I was sent to ask the Queen to send us a healer.”

     Lord Raptor looked her over carefully. What he saw was a teenage girl, unsophisticated, and probably of low status. Her clothes were travel-worn and of no particular style. She was moderately attractive for an Earther, if you liked the type. Lord Raptor didn’t.

     “Your village elders sent you?” he asked softly.

     She nodded, yes.

     “And did they also give you secret passwords that would get you in to see the Queen?”

     “Well, I--uh.”

     Lord Raptor turned to one of the soldiers. “Bring me the Queen’s usher,” he ordered.

     Ja’Nil swallowed nervously. Did this powerful lord realize that no Fisherfolk village elders would know the particular password she had used, or any passwords for that matter?

* * *

     While they waited for the Queen’s usher to appear Ee'Rick carefully studied Lord Raptor.  A dandy, he decided, watching as the man carefully adjusted his rich tunic and toyed with the colorful beads interwoven with his odd hairstyle. Not that there was anything wrong with trying to look your best. Ee'Rick was something of a clotheshorse himself, at least that’s what his brother was always saying. It was interesting that a man so politically powerful didn’t recognize Ee'Rick’s race. What did that mean? That the Queen had never confided in Lord Raptor because the subject had never come up, or was it because she didn’t trust him? Did Lord Raptor even know about the existence of dragons, Ee'Rick wondered.    

     There was a sharp rap on the door. Everyone turned, as QT was shoved into the room.

     “This here’s the usher what started all this, ya lordship,” said the soldier.

     QT looked around and spotted Lord Raptor. “Your Lordship,” he gulped and bowed very low. Then he spied Ja’Nil and Ee'Rick. “Your Lordship, I must protest.”

     “Must you?”

     “I didn’t start anything. I was simply following directives to report any oddities concerning the late Queen, may she be blessed by The Circle.” He made a sort of twirling motion with his hand. Ja’Nil had never seen anyone do that before. Was it a religious gesture? There seemed to be so many ways to approach the Circle and its Lord. Was there one way that was absolutely correct or were they all correct? Then there was Ee'Rick, who hadn’t exactly said so but she got the definite impression, as impossible as it seemed, that he didn’t believe in The Circle nor its Lord. And what of dragons? Did they--her attention was brought back to what was happening when Lord Raptor slammed his hand down on the desk.

     “Stop blathering,” he snarled at QT. “What oddity are you referring to?”

     QT literally quivered with fright. His tremulous hand pointed at Ja’Nil. “It was her, your lordship. The girl.”

     As the only girl present, Ja’Nil felt her heart sink.

     With barely restrained impatience, Lord Raptor asked, “And what did the girl do?”

    
Yeah, what did I do?

     QT leaned forward as if her crime was so terrible he had to whisper it.  “She asked to see the Queen, and she knew the words,” he said, then nodded his head as if he had proved his case. Now only sentencing need be passed.

     “And what words did she speak?” asked Lord Raptor.

     “I have walked the Rushita path with my Queen,” QT intoned ominously.

     “What?”

     “I have walked the--”

     “I heard you the first time,” cut in Lord Raptor.

     “Oh.”

     “Who would you expect to use those particular passwords?”

     “Why, Lady Fayre of course,” said the usher.

     “Lady Fayre, the Truth Teller?” he asked.

     “Exactly.”

     Lord Raptor’s tongue darted out and wet his dry lips. His tongue was pointed and slightly

purplish in color. Disgusting.  Ja’Nil swallowed nervously.

     I should have had that meddeling bitch arrested, thought Lord Raptor. But she’s holed up in that damn Redbird Keep of hers. Had he made a mistake in not making her death a priority?

     He turned to Ja‘Nil. “What is your connection to the Truth Teller?”

     “Who?”

     “Lady Fayre.”

     “Why do you call her the Truth Teller?”

     “Answer my question, bitch!”

     Ja’Nil was so shocked and frightened that she took a step back, almost falling over her own feet. Ee'Rick abruptly stood up. The younger soldier unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Ee'Rick’s heart.

     Ja’Nil wanted to burst into tears. No, what she really wanted to do was kick Lord Raptor in his stomach. No, she wanted to kick him in his balls. Who was he calling a bitch!

     “Answer me!”

     “I forgot what you asked,” she almost wailed. It was the truth, she was so rattled her stomach heaved. All that good food she had just eaten.

     “What is your connection to Lady Fayre?”

     “I stayed overnight at Redwing Keep on my way to Cordia,” she answered. “A lot of travelers stay there. The Lady asked me to bring her greetings to the Queen.” She squeaked the last because she had just spotted the soldier holding a sword on Ee'Rick

     “Just her greetings?”

     “Yes sir.”

     Lord Raptor turned his cold eyes on Ee'Rick. “And what about you?” he asked.

     Ee'Rick, completely ignoring the sword, waved a languid hand at Ja’Nil. “Met her on the way to Cordia. Thought I’d accompany her. See the sights.”

     “Are there more like you?” Lord Raptor asked intrigued by Ee’Rick’s strangeness.

     “Oh, yes,” Ee'Rick assured him in a cool voice.

     Lord Raptor turned away from the boy’s yellow, nerve-racking eyes. He had too much on his plate right now, but once things were completely under his control, he’d find out more about this strange looking boy. Perhaps he was lying about there being others. Perhaps he was a mutant. Not important right now. What was Lady Fayre up to? That was important.

     “So,” he said to Ja’Nil, “a woman of noble status entrusts a passing Earther, whom she has just met for the first time, with an important message to the Queen.”

     “It was just a greeting,” said Ja’Nil.

     “She even entrusts the just-met-Earther with secret passwords that will enable her to have a private audience with the Queen.”

     “I don’t even know what a Rushita path is.”

     Lord Raptor shot a glance at the usher.

     “The Rushita Path,” squeaked QT. “refers to an old legend about King Ru’Shita. He had many advisors, but only one he could really trust. The king and this advisor were very good friends. But one day another advisor got to the king and flattered him outrageously. When King Ru’Shita asked his friend to confirm all the flattery his friend told him most of it was nonsense. King Ru’Shita was furious and banished his friend. He began taking advice only from those that flattered him. His friend learned that the false advisors were planning to kill the king and tried to warn him. But the king refused to listen. The next day the king was killed.”

     “What a cheerful little story,” said Lord Raptor dryly. “One wonders why Lady Fayre picked that particular series of passwords for you to bring only greetings. Especially as the Queen has died under suspicious circumstances.” He gave Ja’Nil a very hard look. “Did Lady Fayre perhaps give you a written message to pass on to the Queen?”

     “Ahh.”

     “Hand it over,” said Lord Raptor, holding out his hand.

     Should she give him the parchment?

     “Now!” snarled Lord Raptor.

     Slowly, Ja’Nil reached into her pocket and held out the sealed parchment.

     He snatched it out of her hand and snapped the seal. They all watched as he read the message, which was apparently short and not very interesting. Then Lord Raptor began to examine the parchment itself. He held it up to the light and looked at it from all angles. Then he carefully felt every inch of the letter. Finally, he began tearing it into strips.

     Ja’Nil and Ee'Rick exchanged glances. Ee'Rick gave a small shrug. Neither knew what the man was doing.

     Finally, the letter had been reduced to a small pile of confetti-sized parchment. Lord Raptor pawed through it.  The soldier had forgotten about Ee'Rick and held his sword down by his side. Everyone in the room was staring at Lord Raptor.

     He finally looked up. “There’s nothing here,” he said.

     “What did you expect?” asked Ja’Nil.

     “Did she give you anything else?” he demanded.

     “No, sir.”

     “Anything at all?”

     “She’s already said, ‘no’,” said Ee'Rick.

     “Shut up, mutant.”

     Ee'Rick actually looked amused. All Ja’Nil wanted to do was get out of there. An evil miasma emanating from Lord Raptor seemed to fill the whole room, choking out the healthful air. She was frantic to breathe freely.