Victory and Defeat: Book Five of the Restoration Series (9 page)

Derek bounded to his feet and moved up close to Keenan; the prince did not back up. “
Lower your voice!” Derek said in a quiet tone that nevertheless carried throughout the room. “Do you want to give us away?”

“How dare you?” Keenan demanded, his lip curling up in a snarl. “I’m a prince
, and you talk to me like I’m one of your soldiers.”

Sighing heavily, Trestus climbed to his feet and stood there,
glaring over Derek’s shoulder at Keenan. There was no mistaking whose side he was on.

“Prince
, is it?” Derek asked, still speaking a good deal quieter that Keenan. “Perhaps you would like to go down to the common room and pronounce your royalty?”

The words had the desired affect. Keenan took another deep breath and his eyes flicked from Derek to Trestus and then back to Derek. This time he
remained silent.

“You saved our lives and we will always be grateful, but yo
u must remain calm,” Derek said. This time he spoke in a more placating, calmer manner.

“And how are we to get through this?” Keenan asked, his tone lower and less angry. “How are we to find the one shield?”

Derek grinned and lightly slapped the prince on the shoulder. “I don’t know, but we only just started. We’ll think of something, but we’ll do it my way.”

After a moment,
Keenan nodded his head. “As you wish.” He turned and picked up his cloak from the bed and took a step toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Kara asked.

Keenan stopped and turned back, they were all watching him. He still seemed rather annoyed. “I’m going to get drunk.” He turned away and quickly left the room.

Derek waited a moment to let Keenan get to the stairs
, and then he glanced at Trestus. “Better go with him. Make sure he doesn’t get in too much trouble.”

Trestus hurried from the room, pausing only long enough to grab a cloak and his money purse
, and then he was out the door.

Derek waited until the door had closed before he turned back t
o the others. “Ideas?” he asked, as he sat down on Trestus’s bed. He carefully avoided looking at Kara; she was still looking fairly rough from Enstorion’s potions, and he found it unsettling.

“Not really,” Kara replied. “There wasn’t anything unusual about any of the shields. I didn’t see anything that
led me to believe that one of them was this Ocklamoor, although I don’t really have the first idea what it looks like.”

Derek nodded, but was silent for a moment as he considered. Finally, he looked up, glancing over to where Enstorion and Leela sat in silence. “Do either of you have any ideas?” Even though he addressed the question to the two of them, he really meant it more for Leela. Enstorion always attended these meetings, but he never offered any input; sometimes he barely answered questions.

“Not without seeing them,” Leela answered.

“
Do you have any more information?” Derek asked. Leela was a wildling and had traveled with them at the command of the Archbishop Nathan Tanner. He had been the one to tell them that the shield was hidden at the abbey. “I’m sure anything will be helpful,” Derek added.

Leela smiled
. understanding what Derek was hoping for. “I’m sorry, but Nathan didn’t give me any more information. I’m sure he would have told me if there was something else that could help us.”

Derek sighed. It was hard to stay positive when there was a nagging feeling that said they had been sent on a fool’s errand.

There was something else bothering Derek as well. He enjoyed being a Guardian, and being viewed as a criminal chafed him. He found that he didn’t dwell on his Guardian problems so much when he had a plan or purpose that he was pushing forward with, but now that this little mission of theirs appeared to be unraveling, all of his worries and fears threatened to overwhelm him.

He glanced up again, and both Kara and Leela were watching him closely. He had the worst feeling that they knew exactly what he had been thinking.

“Why don’t you and I go to the abbey tomorrow?” Leela asked. “It will give us the chance to see these shields that have so upset our party.”

After a moment, Derek nodded.

“Good,” Kara said as she stood.
“Once this damn potion wears off, I do not ever intend to take it again.” She smiled and began to move past Derek, “I’m glad it’s your turn tomorrow.”

“My turn?” Derek asked, looking confused.

“Why, yes,” Kara said, her smile getting even bigger. “You can’t go in there without a disguise. They’ll recognize you at once.”

Derek swallowed hard as he looked Kara up and down. She was still hunched over and her back still looked humped, but he thought he could see some signs that her hair and face were returning to normal, or maybe he was just hoping.

Kara glanced over to where Enstorion sat. “My dear Enstorion, can you make up another batch of that vile concoction?”

Enstorion’s only answer was a smile.

Trestus hurried out of the inn and paused in the dirt of the street, trying to locate Keenan by looking several different directions at once. Wonder of wonders, he spotted the prince turning off the main road several buildings over.

Sprinting, he crossed the distance in no time and rushed around the corner, only to pull up and nearly fall over as he almost collided with Keenan who was just standing there. Keenan was leaning against the building’s wall with his arms crossed.

Surprised and off balance, Trestus slid to a halt in the loose dirt, flailing his arms to stay upright. Keenan just watched him.

“Why are you following me?”

Trestus smiled his most charming smile
. “Well, a drink sounds like a good idea, and I thought I might . . .”

“I don’t need anyone to watch over me,” Keenan said in a reasonably calm voice. “I’ll be back to the inn later.”

“Of course,” Trestus agreed amicably, “let me buy your first one.” Keenan looked less than receptive, and Trestus took a step closer. “Listen, this town isn’t exactly safe for lone men to go drinking, unless, you want to wind up a deck hand without your consent.”

“You buy the first one, but I decide when you leave,” Keenan said after a moment.

Trestus nodded enthusiastically; it was easy to agree to the prince’s terms, even if he didn’t intend to honor them.

Chapter
10

Jasmine was late and she suspected that the others would be worried. Oh, they wouldn’t be worried about her, but they would be worried that something had happened to her, and that might endanger their mission. A few of her companions might even want to kill her themselves. It was even possible that a few of them had tried, but, obviously, so far none of them had succeeded. Zalustus liked his lieutenants to be constantly scrambling for position; he felt it made them perform better.

She paused to catch her breath
, and she looked back the way she had come. The street climbed steeply from the lower part of Elem and curved back and forth across the sheer slope. The smile that she had worn all afternoon long slipped a bit at the direction of her thoughts. She hated being one of Prince Zalustus’s lieutenants. She wanted to be so much more than that, and if she was able to retrieve the shield she just might get her wish. Somewhat mollified, she continued her trek up the nearly empty street.

Most of the streets of Elem were overflowing with people, but this part of town was where the wealthy and important people lived. The nicest mansions were built directly on the cliffs and looked out over the c
ity, but she turned to the left and walked a short distance to a two-story home on the northern side of the street. It was surrounded by a large wall and meticulously maintained lawns.

Jasmine passed through the gates without so much as a word from the lone guard; they knew better than to draw her attention to themselves. She crossed the beautiful lawn, completely oblivious to the water fountains or the chattering of the birds.
She climbed the steps to the large covered porch and approached the door, but it opened before she even reached it.

A man stood in the gap of the open door and
glared at her. “Where have you been?” he demanded.

She didn’t answer immediately. S
he found the tone of the question rather impertinent. Most men would not dare to speak to her like that, and they surely wouldn’t do it more than once. The speaker was one of her fellow lieutenants, which made him one of the few men in Elem who could get away with it. She sneered, “You are not the leader of this mission, I am. You would do well to remember it, Fantin.”

Fantin moved aside so that she could enter
, then he closed the door behind her. He didn’t respond to her statement, but just glowered right back at her. There was no love lost between the two of them.

Still silent, Fantin turned and walked across the small foyer into a large
, open room. He didn’t so much walk as he flowed from one place to another, every movement filled with extreme grace. He normally wore his sword on his back, but not around the mansion. Instead, the sword was in its scabbard, and he carried it in his left hand; he was never far from the sword.

The floor
of the room they entered was covered with a white marble tile, and the ceilings soared twenty feet over their heads. Small statues stood in several niches, and beautiful aromatic plants rested in vases around the room. Three large white couches adorned the room, all three were occupied.

Fantin sat down on the end of one of the couches, his sword still in his hand. He turned his dark eyes on Jasmine, but she had completely forgotten he was there.

Jasmine had been given command of the party that Zalustus sent to Elem. In addition to herself and Fantin, there were two other members of their expedition.

Kaleb, a magician, was of average height and rather thin. His long
, brown hair hung nearly to his shoulders and looked meticulously cleaned. For the most part, Kaleb was extremely lazy. There were, however, a couple of things — his appearance and his studies — that he devoted his time to. In addition to being a well-versed mage, he was also a scholar of ancient history. It was Kaleb who had first suggested Elem as a possible home for Ocklamoor. That was also one of the reasons that Jasmine hated the man so much; he had stolen some of Zalustus’s favor.

The fourth and final member of her group was Elber. Although a grown man, Elber’s diminutive height and leanness made it understandable as to why so many mistook him for a boy. It was
a mistake that Elber relished and exploited. Despite the fact that Jasmine had never seen Elber holding a sword, the man was lethal. While Fantin, the sword master, was lethal in a confrontation, Elber was lethal in a completely different manner. He struck from the shadows, from the direction his target was least expecting, and he never used the sword, it was always a knife.

Fantin was seated o
n the couch furthest to her left and Kaleb sat at the other end of that same couch. Elber was seated on the couch all the way to her right, but he wasn’t alone. In fact, three others sat patiently on the couches.

Sharing the couch with Elber was Seeda, also a magician. Seeda had fair ski
n and jet-black hair; the contrast was striking. She watched Jasmine with her cold, predatory eyes.

Also on the right-most couch sat a fighter.
He was tall and muscular and completely bald. He, too, was one of her fellow lieutenants. His name was Eli. He alone did not watch her as she strode into the room; his eyes were on the floor in front of him and he did not raise them.

For the briefest of moments, Jasmine wondered at the appearance of Eli and Seeda. They had been sent to the east, to Saprasia. Their mission had been to retrieve the armor called Nerand
all, and they shouldn’t be here. It should take them months to make the trip from Saprasia to Elem. These thoughts flicked through her mind and then immediately disappeared.

Zalustus sat alone on the middle couch.
He looked very much the same as the last time Jasmine had seen him. His curly, brown hair still hung to his shoulders and was as unkempt as ever. His good left eye studied her. He had lost his right eye at the battle of Fort Mul-Dune, and it was now covered by a black eye patch. His right cheek and nose were also scarred from that fight, and it was fortuitous that the prince was not a vain man.

It had only been several moments since Jasmine entered the room, and she stood there mute; staring wide-eyed at her lord.

Zalustus smiled and climbed to his feet. “I’m told that you are quite late. I trust that nothing bad has occurred?”

Jasmine blinked and found her voice, although her surprise was clearly evident. “My
lord! I had no idea you were coming to Elem.”

Zalustus’
s face showed a tick of irritation and he repeated his query, though in a different form, “Why are you late?”

Jasmine swallowed hard. “Forgive me, but I was surprised at your appearance.” She took a steadying breath and then opened her mouth to speak. She paused, smiling inwardly at the
revelation she had to share. “My lord, I have wonderful news. Some of Flare’s fellow Guardians are in the city.”

Zalustus returned to the middle couch and sat down. He did not ask Jasmine to join him. “And you think that is good news?
You think it good that Flare’s comrades are here?”

Jasmine smiled
. “Oh yes. The traitor Keenan is with them.”

Silence settled around the room
, and Jasmine watched Zalustus carefully. She could feel the hate-filled eyes of the others upon her. Ocklamoor might have been the thing that Zalustus craved most, but Keenan wasn’t far behind.

Mentioning Keenan’s name caused Zalustus to momentarily go rigid, but he relaxed after a moment. He took a deep breath and smiled cruelly.

Jasmine took Zalustus’s smile as a positive sign. “I spotted Keenan and an old hag. My guess is that the woman was the whore priestess disguised. They entered the abbey and attended a service. I waited for them to finish, and then I followed them to their inn.”

“Did he spot you?” Fantin asked
.

“Of course not!” Jasmine snapped, irritated that Fantin had intruded on her moment of victory. Her eyes flicked over to the swordsman
, and she saw the jealousy in both Fantin and Kaleb’s eyes; they knew she had scored a major victory.

Zalustus took another deep breath. “I have spent many a night planning how I will repay Keenan’s betrayal.” The words were spoken out loud, but not to anyone in particular. Zalustus smile grew warm and he patted the couch beside him. “Come, sit here beside me.”

Smiling and flushed, Jasmine hastened to obey. She stopped just short of the couch and glanced to her right. “I thought Eli and Seeda would be in Saprasia by now,” she said.

Zalustus’
s smile disappeared. “They were in Saprasia and both failed me miserably.”

The words cheered Jasmine to her core; there were two less contenders for Zalustus’
s favor. “And what of Baylan and Nolan? Where are they?”

Jasmine’s words caused
Eli to look up; the anger in his gaze was unmistakable.

“Eli managed to get them killed,” Zalustus said casually. “Of more importance to me
, he managed to let Flare have the armor.”

Jasmine gasped in horror, both genuine and feigned. It was horrible that Flare now had Ossendar and Nerandall, but then again
, two of her fellow lieutenants were in complete disgrace.

“I don’t understand,” Jasmine said after a moment
. “If they were in Saprasia, how did they get here so quickly?”

“I used wizardry,” Zalustus said, rather matter-of-factly.

Jasmine gasped out loud again and she gazed in adoration at Zalustus. “You are the one,” she breathed, almost too low to be heard.

Zalustus gazed at her for a moment and then asked, “Have you found Ocklamoor
, or any sign where it might be?”

Just like that
, all of her warm feelings and hopes disappeared. “No, my lord.”

“How is i
t that we cannot find Ocklamoor when it is hidden in such a small and insignificant hole as Elem?” Zalustus demanded angrily.

“I have an idea, my lord,” Kaleb said into the sudden silence.

Every face turned to watch the magician and Jasmine suddenly grew worried. Zalustus wanted Keenan, but he wanted Ocklamoor more. If Kaleb was able to provide him with the shield, then her newfound place of prominence might be in jeopardy.

Kaleb did not wilt under the intense stares
; instead, he seemed to flourish. He scooted forward and sat on the edge of the couch. “I suggest we do something similar here as to what we did in Eled Aminor. Let the Guardians tire themselves searching for the shield, and once they find it, we take it from them.” He paused and smiled in Jasmine’s direction. “And the traitor Keenan as well.”

Zalustus did not respond immediately, but instead considered the magician’s proposal.

Apprehension burst through Jasmine at Kaleb’s suggestion, and she struggled vainly for a solution. If his plan worked, then it would be to Kaleb’s credit, but if it failed, then the blame could be laid at her feet. She could see Kaleb smiling at her discomfort.

“No,” Zalustus said suddenly.

In the blink of an eye, Kaleb’s smile vanished. “No, my lord?”

Zalustus shook his head and repeated himself
. “No.” He leaned back in his seat and glanced to where Seeda and Eli sat. His expression grew angrier by the moment. “Now that Eli has lost Nerandall, I cannot let Flare have another one of the signs. We must take Ocklamoor quickly before they discover where it’s hidden.”

Jasmine silently breathed a sigh of relief. Kaleb had n
early trapped her with his plan; perhaps it was time to take steps against the man.

“But we do not know where it’s hidden either,” Kaleb said.

Jasmine would gladly have killed the man right then, as he seemed to be eager to point out her failures, but she held her tongue.

Zalustus looked to Jasmine. “After this long, are we any closer to locating the shield?”

Swallowing hard, Jasmine shook her head. “No, my lord.” Struck by sudden inspiration, she threw a bit of suspicion back at Kaleb. “In fact, we’re not even sure it’s in Elem. All we have is the vague clue that Kaleb found in the ancient priest’s diary:
Ocklamoor is in Elem, guarded by the God Adel.
Even if the diary was correct, the shield could have been moved long ago.”

Kaleb glowered at her but said nothing.

Zalustus smiled at her, as if reading her thoughts. “No, I believe that Kaleb’s research is valid. The shield should be here. We just have to find it.” He was silent for several moments and considered. “Perhaps it’s time that I personally get involved.” He placed a hand on Jasmine’s shoulder. “You and I need to do some planning. I want you to give Fantin directions to their inn, and then you and I will retire to the library.” His gaze shifted to Fantin. “Go watch them. Take Elber with you, and keep me informed of their movements.”