The impact, the horrible truth of those words, they crashed on Allia like the most powerful sandstorm, and she reeled back from it. They destroyed her brother's life, and they sat there and studied him day after day, saying nothing, yet seeing their handiwork every time his tail moved. That they did it willingly, actively capturing Jesmind to infect him, it declared their evil and dishonor plainly. Dolanna was right. Allia would not be able to face the Council, else she would try to tear their faces from their heads.
"But we must have help!" Allia said helplessly. "If Tarrin is being held against his will, we may have to fight, and we may need the Sorcerers' magic! Where do we go?"
"Tarrin has friends among the katzh-dashi, Allia, more than he knows," Dolanna told her. "They will come to his aid. But right now, your best help stands with the Knights. He is one of them, as are you. Go to Darvon, go to him and tell him what happened. The entire order of the Knights will rise up behind you, and that is a force that no one in all of the West would want to face. If Keritanima can find him, the Knights will be the ones to get him back. I will go and speak to those who support Tarrin, and convince them to come and help."
"Yes, but are you safe walking the halls, Dolanna? If you know this horrible secret-"
"They do not know that I know, young one, not yet," she assured her. "The one who told me was killed during the night in the fighting. I will be very safe."
"I will send Faalken to you, Dolanna," Allia said decisively. "Do not leave until he gets here."
"I, I thank you," she smiled. "I would feel much better with my old friend standing vigil for me. I no longer feel safe walking the halls of the Tower."
"You are my brother's friend, and that makes you mine as well," Allia told her with a gentle pat on the arm. "You stay here, and Faalken will come to you. You do not have to face such a burden alone."
The relief in her smile, in her eyes, spoke volumes. "Go now, Allia," she said. "It will take the Knights time to mobilize. If Tarrin is still in the city, or even if he is not, then they will find him."
The sudden arrival of two hundred fully armed, highly disciplined Wikuni Marines at the fringes of the Knights' training field at first caused a bit of a panic among the Knights supervising the cadets. They had no idea why they were there, for the Marines had direct orders to stay away from the Knights. But on the other hand, the famous discipline of their military organization also told the supervising Knights that if all of them showed up like that, then they were ordered to do it.
But before Darvon arrived on the field and a Knight could go over to the Marine Colonel in charge of the detachment and find out what was going on, Allia was seen running at full speed towards the field. Allia was Selani, and few alive could rival her foot speed. Her silver hair flying out behind her, she skidded onto the field and almost bowled over Ulger, who stood fast and helped catch her from her wild sprint. "Allia, what is the blazes is-"
"Not now!" she said in a strangled tone. "Faalken, go to Dolanna, right now!" she barked in a hysterical tone. "She needs you!"
"Allia, what-"
"Right now!" she screamed. "Ulger, I must see Darvon! Tarrin's life depends on it!"
"Tarrin? Allia, slow down," he said in a reasonable tone. "What's going on?"
"Tarrin has been kidnapped!" she said in a strangled tone. "Keritanima is out trying to find him now, and she wants us to be ready in force in case we have to fight to reclaim him!" She motioned at the Wikuni quickly assembling at the edges of the field. "She's called out her Marines, and she wants the Knights to stand ready as well!"
"So that's why they're here," he said. "Runner, summon Darvon!" Ulger barked harshly to a cadet standing at the edge of the field. "I don't care if you have to drag him out of the privy, but get him here now!"
"Yes, sir!" the cadet said with a salute, then turned and ran back towards the barracks.
"Could the commander of the Royal Marines come forward?" Ulger called to the assembling Marines, as Faalken rushed off towards the main Tower.
The Wikuni that approached was an eight span tall monster of a leopard Wikuni wearing a gold braided rope that attached to the epaulet of his right shoulder and looped under his arm. He was huge, with a large chunk of his right ear missing and a wicked scar puckering the right side of his muzzle. Large amber eyes blazed down at Ulger as he approached, but the man's high discipline caused him to salute Ulger sharply. "Colonel Manx, commander of the third Special Division of the Royal Marines," he greeted.
Ulger saluted as well. "I'm Ulger," he said. "Your Princess ordered you out here?"
He nodded. "The command was conveyed by her maid, but we know it to be a lawful command. She gave us the password."
"Where is she now, Allia?"
"She's in the city, tracking Tarrin with her magic," she replied. "She said she would come back here when she found him."
"Hmm," he said. "You're sure that Tarrin was kidnapped?"
"I cannot guarantee it, but from what I have learned so far, it is a very good bet," she replied. "A magical device that can control Were-kin was stolen from the Tower vaults two days ago, and Dolanna suspects that it was used to spirit Tarrin off the grounds. You know as well as I that there is no way anyone could physically force him to leave."
Darvon approached, and he was plainly not happy. His armor looked a bit dishevelled, and his hair was still damp. "Could this have waited for me to finish dressing, Ulger?" he snapped.
"Lord General, we have a problem," Ulger said. "Tarrin is missing, and Allia thinks that he was taken against his will."
"Oh my," Darvon grunted. "You have proof?"
"Not solid, but I give you my word as a Selani and as a Knight that I am not willingly lying to you, Darvon," she said pleadingly. "Tarrin would never just leave without telling me. He is my brother!"
"You do have a point," he agreed. "You two seem to share the same brain. He wouldn't leave without telling you."
"Keritanima is looking for him now, using magic," she continued. "She had her Marines mobilize in case we must use force to recover him. She hoped that the Knights would assist."
"Assist? Your Marines had best save us some room, Wikuni," Darvon growled. "Tarrin is one of us, and we are all One Under Karas. Ulger!"
"Yes, Lord General?"
"I want every Knight and cadet who can walk assembled on the field in full battle dress in ten minutes!"
"Yes, Lord General!" Ulger said with a grin and a salute. "Sound the alert!" he shouted, rushing away from the Lord General and waving his arms. "We are on alert!"
"If he was taken, then we'll be ready to go get him," Darvon said in a growl. "No doubt the fighting last night in the Tower has something to do with all this," he added. "I knew I should have sent my Knights in there to stop it."
"I had the same feeling, Lord General," the Wikuni Colonel agreed. "But my orders were to remain in the barracks."
"Hindsight is always perfect," he grunted. "Since we may be working together, we'd best get to know each other. I'm Darvon."
"I am Cololnel Manx," he replied. "You obviously hold rank over me, my Lord General. I accede to your flag, so long as your orders don't counter our existing orders."
"I appreciate that, Colonel," Darvon said gracefully. "We don't need any confusion on a battlefield. Let's hope that it doesn't come to that."
"The best fight is the one avoided," Manx agreed. "But if we do fight, it will be a good chance to measure ourselves against your reputation."
"Don't sell yourselves short," Darvon told him. "The reputation of the Royal Marines is towering, and no doubt well deserved."
"You are most kind, my Lord General," Manx said with a slight smile.
"Allia, go find yourself some good swords in the armory," Darvon told her. "I know you won't stand aside and watch."
"No," she said bluntly.
It was chaos in the compound of the Knights, and by the time Allia had a good pair of swords and a belt for them, most of the Knights had organized into sharp
lines, and warhorses were hurriedly being lined up near the stables, in full harness. Miranda and Sisska were on the field as Allia returned to Darvon's side, and the maid was already starting to answer questions of the Colonel. "I can only tell you what I was told, Colonel," she told him calmly. "That we were to wait here for her Highness to return with news."
"She should not be out there alone," Manx said hotly.
"She has Binter with her, Colonel," Miranda said with a steady expression. It wasn't easy to ruffle Miranda. "If Binter can't protect her, then she doesn't have much need for the rest of you."
Manx glanced at the massive Sisska, standing near to Miranda and ready to attack if she was threatened, and he nodded slowly. "We need to organize," he said. "The Marines use tactics that the Knights probably do not. Let's iron out our arrangements now, before we have to do this in a combat situation."
"I agree," Darvon said emphatically. "Knights rely on their armor," he said. "We prefer to smash through the center of an enemy line, then break up the opposition and mop them up."
"We also prefer a direct assault, but across the entire line," Manx said. "We push them back in one push, driving them into their reserves, and we move quickly to keep them off guard. In this case, the Marines can flank the Knights at the tail end of a wedge, and when the line buckles around the Knights, the Marines can prevent them from enveloping your rear, and we can drive in and hold them in a state of disorganization while the Knights continue around and split up, and attack from the rear."
"This only works if you're fighting on a battlefield, gentleman," Miranda told him. "You happen to be in the middle of a large city. You won't have that kind of room."
"True, but it's our elemental style," Darvon said. "Even if we attack only ten Knights to ten opponents, we use the same basic tactics."
"Are your men trained for close quarters combat?" Manx asked.
Darvon nodded. "Allia's really brought us up to speed on close fighting. We can handle ourselves."
"The Marines train specifically for house to house combat and close quarters," he said. "It may be best if we have to attack a building if you let us take the lead."
"I won't argue about that, but having a squad of Knights there to smash through doors and use their armor to shield your less armored men may be useful."
"Yes, no doubt," he agreed.
They continued to debate the exact actions of their units for a quite a while, covering several different scenarios, from building combat to chasing down an armed column trying to spirit Tarrin out of Suld. But Miranda cut them short and pointed, saying "now we'll know exactly how to set up." Keritanima was running towards them with Binter just behind, and she was out of breath by the time she arrived. The Wikuni bowed respectfully, and the Knights did the same when the realized who it was.
"He's…in the Cathedral…," she panted. "He's…being held…underneath it."
"The Cathedral of Karas?" Darvon said in surprise. "Are you sure, your Highness?"
"Positive," she panted.
"I never thought I'd have to attack my own church before," Darvon grunted. "But if you say he's there, then he's there. We'll just have to go get him."
"They must…have dug out passages…not on the plans I had of it," she said, recovering her breath. "But I don't understand why they took him. It doesn't make sense."
"It makes this a siege, Lord General," Manx said. "That means I'll have the better chance."
"The Cathedral is huge, Colonel Manx, and the Priests there will no doubt use their magic to defend it. I think we should start by trying to negotiate. After we surround the building, of course. The priests of Karas are one of the arms of our own faith. I can't see any reason why they would kidnap Tarrin, but maybe I can convince them to let him go without combat. Once I make it plain that the Knights will assault the Cathedral if they don't, they may change their minds."
"Miranda, go fetch the plans I have," Keritanima said to her maid. "We can use them."
"At once, Highness," Miranda said, scurrying off with Sisska behind her.
"You have plans of the Cathdreal, Highness?" Manx asked curiously.
"I needed them. Let's not go into that right now," she said decisively. "We need some katzh-dashi, gentleman. If we have to attack, we'll need Sorcerers to disrupt the priests' magic. Trying to attack the cathedral without magical assistance would be suicide. Did you talk to the Council, Allia?"
"No, but I did talk to Dolanna," Allia said stiffly. "She is rounding up Sorcerers we can trust."
"Trust? What in the Nexus is going on?"
"It is bad," Allia said in a trembling rage. "Dolanna had horrible news. I cannot face the Council right now. I would have to kill them."
Darvon gave Allia a startled look, but it was nothing compared to the way Manx was gaping at Keritanima. "Would you mind explaining to me what you're talking about?" Keritanima demanded.
"Tarrin was turned Were by the Council," Allia announced in a voice trembling with rage. "It was the Council that captured Jesmind and sent her after him. The same collar they used to control her was stolen some days ago, and Dolanna suspects that it was used to capture Tarrin."
Keritanima stared at Allia for a long moment, then she sighed. "I knew that the katzh-dashi were doing more than it seemed," she said in a disgusted voice. "I'm not surprised. They even had the foresight to send Dolanna to bring Tarrin back, just so a Sorceress with experience in dealing with Were-kin would be there to keep him under control."
"You mean to tell me that the Council had Tarrin infected deliberately?" Darvon demanded of Allia, his faced splotched in pure rage.
Allia nodded. "I have not heard it from them, but Dolanna is someone that I trust. If she says it is so, then she believes that it is so. She would never lie to me about something as important as this. That is enough for me."
"It may be enough for me too," Darvon said in a grim tone, "but it's something that I'll hear out of the Keeper's mouth for myself. Right before I smash her teeth in."
"May I watch?" Allia asked in a savage tone.
"I'll hold her so you can break her nose," Darvon growled.
"I would find that very pleasing."
"Let's not drift off course here," Keritanima reminded them. "When Miranda gets back with the plans, we'll need to organize a way to quickly surround the building without raising too much attention to it. Today is a service day, so we may be able to get in place before they realize what's going on." She grinned evilly. "They can't sneak him out, because I can pinpoint his location with Sorcery. If they start moving him, we can adjust our deployment to keep him solidly inside our lines."
"Pardon my boldness, Highness, but when did you learn strategy and tactics?"
"I do more than admire pretty dresses, Colonel," she said brusquely. "Now hush."
"Yes ma'am."
Miranda arrived with the plans, and she had company. Dolanna and a small group of robed Sorcerers were following her, numbering fourteen, and they included Sevren, Elsa, and surprisingly, Lilenne and Brel. One noticable absence was Jula, but perhaps Dolanna simply couldn't find her in time. Faalken was marching alongside the small dark-haired Sorceress protectively, and it was clear from Dolanna's expression that she had suffered some kind of emotional trauma. "Dolanna," Keritanima said gently. "We appreciate your help, and the help from all the rest of you."
"Tarrin is Ungardt, and from a clan allied to my own," Elsa, Mistress of Novices, said gruffly. She was carrying a wicked-looking axe, which looked a bit out of place for someone wearing a robe. "Ungardt care for their own."
"Now gather round everyone, let's get ready."
"Where is he?" Dolanna asked.
"Under the Cathedral of Karas," Keritanima replied.
"And by what right do you command us?" Brel asked sourly.
"By the fact that I'll have Binter here grab you by the ankles and tear you in half if you don't like it," Keritanima snapped, her eyes blazing.
"You're only an Initiate."
&nbs
p; "She also happens to be a Princess," Manx warned in a flat tone. "We do as she commands."
"The Knights stand under her banner, Sorcerer," Darvon warned. "We will follow her commands as well."
Brel gave Darvon a look, then nodded. "Now your judgement I'll trust, Darvon," he said. "If you say she commands, then she commands. Let's see what we're going to do about this, your Highness."
Keritanima gave Brel an impish smile, then unrolled the plans, flattened them out with Sorcery and hung them in midair. "There are six entrances we have to cover," she said, pointing them out. "What he have to do is surround the Cathedral without raising an alarm. Right now, they're about to start services, so we should be able to do that. Once we're in position, our seven strongest Sorcerers will circle and create a Ward around the cathedral that blocks all magic. That's going to keep the priests from using magic to repel us if we invade."
"Our priests are trained for fighting, Princess," Darvon said. "They'll fight hand to hand."
"Yes, but they're nowhere as well trained as your Knights and my Marines," Keritanima said calmly. "Without their magic, we should be able to roll them under quickly and without a bloodbath. We're not there to slaughter everyone. We're there to get Tarrin and the people that took him. It's a big place, and I seriously doubt that everyone in there knows that Tarrin's being held there. Until we manage to figure out who did it, and how involved the church is, there's no need to kill everyone in a frock. They could be innocent."
Manx nodded sagely, and Darvon voiced agreement. "We will have to move quickly," Darvon said. "The Sulasian Army won't like armed columns laying siege to the city's cathedral. We have to get him out of there before the King's men can respond, so there's a certain call for haste in this."
"Yes, but after we have the cathedral completely overwhelmed, I hope they'll see reason and simply hand him over. But trust me, gentlemen, one way or another, we will get him back," she said adamantly. "After we have the cathredral Warded, we send in Darvon to negotiate. If he can't get satisfaction, we allow the worshippers to leave, then we invade. The mechanics of the invasion will be up to you, Colonel and my Lord General. I won't step on your toes in that regard. But I would like to see the cathedral taken with a minimum of killing. We'll save killing for the truly guilty."
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