Unicorns' Opal (28 page)

“Ah, you both are back,” smiled Arik. “Tell us what you have discovered.”

“Nothing good,” replied Midge. “There are no Dark Riders following us yet, but do not let that comfort you. There is much talk in Toresh today about a new group being formed. It is called Sarac’s Ravens and it consists of twenty Black Devils and eighty Dark Riders. A Black Devil named Hagik is recruiting the best of the Dark Riders now.”

“What is special about these Ravens besides the large number of Black Devils?” questioned Alex.

“They are not responsible to anyone but Sarac or his aide named Lattimer,” responded Midge. “They also have only one task assigned to them. That task is to find and kill us.”

“That is not good news,” agreed Jenneva. “It would appear that Sarac knows that the Ancient Prophecy has begun and that time is no longer his ally.”

“Nor is it ours,” commented Alex. “I heard much news in Forgum today and none of it is good.”

“Tell us what you heard,” prompted Arik as he sat next to Jenneva.

“The squabbling over the throne in Lanoir has ended,” related Alex. “A nephew of the late emperor has assumed the throne after years of bloody conflict. His name is Hanchi and he is reported to be ruthless. In the last year he has forcibly subdued all of Lanoir and reunited the country. He has killed all the competitors to the throne and murdered thousands of people who backed them.”

“How does that affect us?” queried Arik.

“Because his ambition will not be contained to Lanoir,” explained Alex. “Forgum has long been a safe city for the marauding armies of Sordoa. It was a place for the armies to relax between conflicts. The rule has always been that enemies would be tolerated within the walls of the city, so it has ended up being a place where news from all over is exchanged between armies. That is why I wanted to go in there and see what news I could discover.”

“I still don’t see where this is leading,” interjected Alan.

“The armies had claimed territories,” continued Alex. “They fiercely defended their own territories while trying to whittle down the holding of their opponents. Forgum has been the only place where they even tolerated each other long enough to talk. That is changing. The armies that existed along the Sordoa-Lanoir border have been attacked and destroyed by the Imperial forces of Lanoir.”

“In Lanoir or in Sordoa?” asked Konic.

“At first it was only in Lanoir,” responded Alex. “The last attack of the Imperial Legions was clearly in what used to be Sordoa. Now there is talk in Forgum of the marauding armies combining into one.”

“So one huge army will battle with the Imperial Legions of Lanoir,” recapped Tanya. “Are you worried that we might get caught up in the fighting?”

“No,” frowned Alex. “The new army has no plans to battle the Imperial Legions. They are talking about abandoning Sordoa to the Lanoirians and heading north to carve out a new homeland.”

“Tagaret?” asked Tedi.

“There is little between Forgum and Tagaret to slow them down,” nodded Alex. “The Cidal Mercenaries will not stand against such a horde. Melbin may slow them down unless they decide to bypass it.”

“What about the Dark Riders of Toresh?” asked Tanya.

“The armies have avoided the Dark Riders in the past,” speculated Alex. “Unless they stumbled upon small groups of them and thought they could attack and not be identified, they just avoided them. I do not think the armies would engage thousands of Dark Riders, especially if there are Black Devils amongst them.”

“And if Sarac’s forces find out where the army is heading,” interjected Jenneva, “they will allow safe passage. Sarac would love for Tagaret to be pillaged.”

“And if Hanchi’s forces rip swiftly through Sordoa,” added Konic, “why would they stop short of Tagaret themselves?”

“A very good question,” frowned Alex.

“How can Tagaret ever survive everything that is going to be attacking it?” posed Arik. “It is beginning to sound hopeless.”

“Nothing is hopeless,” responded Alex. “These are just additional challenges. It does appear that we must begin to make Alcea rise sooner rather than later. Without a strong force to defend it, Alcea will not stand a chance. We must enter the Contest of Power and win it.”

“What of the Sword of Heavens?” questioned Tanya. “We cannot abandon our quest to restore it.”

“No we can’t,” agreed Jenneva. “It may mean that we have to split our forces though. It is something we must discuss.”

“We can discuss it later,” stated Alex. “Let us get some sleep and an early start tomorrow. I think we shall avoid Forgum and ride through the bush instead. It will take us longer, but there will be no memory of us passing through the city.”

***

“You certainly have gathered quite a following, Lady Forloe,” smiled the man as he gazed around the ballroom that was packed with hundreds of guests in their finest splendor. “Where did you say you were from?”

“I am sure you have heard of the Empress,” smiled Niki. “Everyone has heard of the beautiful Empress…”

“Excuse me, Lady Forloe,” interrupted Dalgar as he grabbed Niki’s arm. “You have a most urgent message from Southland. Excuse us please.”

Dalgar led Niki out of the ballroom and into an empty study. He roughly pushed her into the large leather chair and spun to face her.

“Never,” lectured Dalgar sternly, “never mention Aurora in this city.”

“You hurt my arm,” whined Niki. “How dare you drag me away from my people. They are here to see me not you. You will never disgrace me like that again. If you do, I will not permit you into my mansion.”

“Your mansion?” bellowed Dalgar. “You forget your station, Niki. I have made you what you are and I can take it all away. This mansion, your admirers, your clothes, your money, all of it can disappear at my whim.”

“You have no right!” shouted Niki. “I am destined to be the queen.”

“I have every right,” snarled Dalgar. “You are my daughter and you will obey me. If you want any chance of being a queen in your lifetime, you will listen to my words very carefully. You are at the crossroads of being a queen or dying. When you are ready to listen to me, I shall explain it to you.”

Niki pouted and refused to look at Dalgar. Her eyes roamed the room. She stared at the rich wooden desk with its highly polished surface. Her eyes ran across the hundreds of titles lining the floor to ceiling bookshelves. She gazed out the window at the impressive sight of the towers of the Royal Palace. Still Dalgar adamantly remained silent. Niki would have liked to leave the room and return to the ballroom, but she knew that Dalgar would never let her go. Suddenly, she thought about using magic to kill Dalgar so that she could return to her admirers. Her brow furrowed in concentration and her hands stiffened in expectation as she prepared to remove the obstacle to her happiness. As she began her assault, her mouth broke into a wicked sneer.

Just as quickly, her hands began to feel numb and cool. She frowned as a cold wave washed up her arms to her shoulders and ice began to form on her fingertips. She glanced up at Dalgar and saw a grim, taut smile upon his face. His black eyes bore into her and a tremor of fear raced down her spine.

“You are a mage,” Niki spat accusingly. “How dare you attack me.”

“Of course I am a mage,” sneered Dalgar. “Do you think that Sarac makes just anyone a Black Devil? Only the mages with the finest talents are allowed to become Black Devils. Aurora and I were among the most talented. Where do you think your abilities came from?”

“Release me,” scowled Niki. “You have no right to attack me.”

“I have the right to do whatever I want with you,” countered Dalgar. “Not only because you are my daughter, but because of who I am. I am one of Sarac’s chosen and I can do whatever I want. Your death would be welcomed by Sarac.”

“What are you saying?” Niki questioned as her brow creased in puzzlement. “Why would Sarac want me dead? I thought he needed me to be the queen?”

“Not at all,” snickered Dalgar. “It is I who want to make you queen. Sarac would be relieved to learn of your death. You are the instrument of his destruction.”

“But you work for Sarac,” Niki pointed out.

Dalgar shook his head in frustration. He was sure he had explained this to Niki before and yet she seemed so out of touch with reality. He wondered if her mind had been injured in the scuffle that had claimed Aurora’s life.

“I am going to help you defeat Sarac,” explained Dalgar, “but you must do exactly as I say or your death is assured. Are you ready to listen?”

Niki pouted and nodded her head. Dalgar released his spell and sat in one of the chairs facing the desk.

“I am trying to get you situated in the society of Tagaret,” Dalgar began. “You can attract many young suitors and if you play them along properly, you shall gain much support in your bid for a council seat. The families of these suitors will encourage your promotion to the council to enhance their own standings. Each suitor must believe that he only has your real devotion and that you entertain the others to be polite. Are you understanding this?”

“Yes,” nodded Niki, “but how does that make me queen?”

“That will take time,” sighed Dalgar. “First you will support Duke Everich to be king. I will guide you though what you must do. In this you must trust me explicitly. If you do not trust me, you shall never be queen. It cannot happen without my backing. Are we still on the same trail?”

“I guess so,” nodded Niki.

“One thing is of the utmost importance,” instructed Dalgar. “Never mention Aurora. If anyone finds out that you are Aurora’s child, Sarac will send thousands of his henchmen to assure your death. Even my power will not be enough to stop them from killing you. You must maintain that you are from Southland royalty. Niki, you must remember this. Word spreads quickly in this city. What you tell one person is soon known by many. If you tell someone it is a secret, it will spread twice as fast.”

“But won’t telling people that I am the daughter of the Empress cause them to think that I am suited to be queen?” Niki persisted.

“No,” sighed Dalgar. “It will make you a threat and people will be wary of supporting you. They will only support you to gain support for themselves. If they think you can actually benefit from their support, then you will not get it. You must remember that it is also a death sentence upon yourself. You cannot be queen if you are dead.”

“All right,” pouted Niki. “I will do as you say. You had better make me queen though. It is my right.”

“You shall be queen,” promised Dalgar as he rose. “As long as you do what I tell you to, you will have your chance to rule. Do not forget my warning though.”

Nixy swiftly moved closer to the wall along the books on the top shelf as Dalgar rose to leave.

***

Captain Grecho led his four men to the gated entrance to the estate in Tagaret.

“Captain Grecho from Cidal to see Lord Wason,” announced the mercenary.

“Is the Lord expecting you?” quizzed one of the guards. “I do not see your name on the list for today.”

“It is a long ride from Cidal,” sighed Captain Grecho. “I doubt the Lord would be expecting us so soon. We rode straight through with important news. Have someone tend to our mounts and see that my men get something to eat while I speak to Lord Wason.”

The guards stared at the mercenaries and the banner, which they carried. Eventually, one of the guards nodded and opened the gates. Captain Grecho rode to the front of the mansion and strode up the steps while his men dismounted and waited for someone to take the horses. Captain Grecho banged loudly on the door and an old man opened it slightly. The old man looked puzzled as he gazed at the mercenary.

“Who are you?” the old man inquired.

“Captain Grecho of the Cidal Mercenaries,” Grecho stated. “I have important news for our Lord.”

“You are not scheduled for today,” the old man frowned. “I shall have to check.”

“Are you daft?” asked Captain Grecho as he forced the door open and walked in. “Since when is the leader of our Lord’s bodyguard scheduled on the agenda? Where is he?”

Fredrik stuck his head out of the door of his study upon hearing the commotion. Captain Grecho saw Fredrik and marched towards the study. He halted in front of Fredrik and bowed.

“Lord Wason,” greeted Captain Grecho, “pardon the lack of announcement of our arrival. May I speak with you privately?”

Fredrik’s mind raced to seek a reason why the mercenary would come to his new home. He thought first of the discovery of Fredrik’s deceit in usurping the Lord’s Manor. Thoughts of Niki being discovered also ran through his mind. Small beads of sweat glistened on Fredrik’s brow, but he nodded and held the door open for Captain Grecho and the mercenary marched into the study. Fredrik closed the door and sat behind the desk.

“What brings you to Tagaret, Captain Grecho?” Fredrik asked.

“I have personally brought a detail to act as your personal bodyguard,” Grecho announced. “Four of my finest men will guard you every hour of the day. You shall never be without adequate protection.”

Fredrik’s eyebrows rose and he stared at the mercenary. “Why?” asked Fredrik. “I have sent no word to Cidal about needing protection.”

“A mutual friend hired the men for your benefit,” answered Grecho. “He fears that there are elements here in Tagaret that seek to use you. While my men cannot stop that from happening, they can assure that you are not abused. If you feel threatened beyond the capabilities of my men, I will send more. The Lord of Cidal will not be left to the whims of Tagaret politicians.”

“And who is this friend who has so generously arranged for my protection?” inquired Fredrik.

“Alexander Tork,” smiled Captain Grecho. “He also informed us that you would be pleased if our men wore soft caps while protecting you, although I do not understand the request.”

Fredrik smiled at the mention of the soft caps, but his brow creased with the mention of Alex. “Did Alex mention why I had stayed behind in Tagaret?”

“He did not discuss your business with me,” responded Grecho. “He merely impressed upon me the need to be wary of people attempting to harm you. He correctly identified Tagaret as a very hostile city to those who remain unprotected.”