Gathering of the Titans: The Tol Chronicles Book 2

by Robert G. Ferrell

“Lizgug was trying to eliminate competition for the glider, which was invented in Hividz by one of his own kin. Tliko, another of the perps, was running weapons for a quasi-military outfit on Frespiola. A kobold named Aglod was caught with a large quantity of counterfeit currency in the port of Vokkale on Spleroste. He was evidently trying to smuggle it into the country. It referenced a Grand Duchy on the bills, which otherwise resembled Hividz jokoms.”

  “So, a conspiracy. Their goal is to turn all of Litria back into one feudal Duchy? What could possibly motivate someone to do such a thing?”

  “These guys speak a common language: greed. Whoever is running the show promised them a lot of moolah. Probably some power, too, but money and power are closely connected most of the time. I guess I oughta do something about this thing before it gets any worse, huh?”

  “I don’t know. Is it really your problem? I mean, none of this has much to do with Tragacanth, as far as I can tell.”

  “Lizgug has committed several serious crimes here, actually. If I see a possible connection to international criminal activities, that gives me a responsibility to follow up. I think I’ll contact EE in Hividz and find out more about this ‘Grand Maritime Duchy’ thing.”

  Edict Enforcement, in Hividz known as the Evcolla Squadron, had extensive dossiers on all suspected members of GMD. “They started out about twenty years ago as a sort of ‘living history’ group, re-creating some aspects of that time,” the Deputy Director of Evcolla Squadron, Chief Inspector Prujhish, told Tol over comm.“None of the original members are still involved, though. Some local thugs took over for a while and used it to cover a variety of petty crimes, but then one of them started reading up on the historical basis for the group and conceived the idea of bringing the Grand Duchy back in reality. We think he saw how incredibly wealthy the ruling elite can get in a feudal system like that and decided that was the life for him. Since then they’ve been mostly into high seas piracy, smuggling, smash-and-grabs on warehouses where easily transportable expensive goods are stored, counterfeiting, and buying off local politicians to pass edicts that favor their little wealth-generating intrigues.”

  Tol nodded. “So, what kind of threat do they really present?”

  “In terms of overthrowing the collective governments of Litria? Not much. There is very little public support for their cause. While no one alive remembers any aspect of the feudal days, the average intelligence is high enough here that most folks understand they would be considerably worse off under such a system. I don’t know if the GMD jokers even understand that the Grand Duchy itself was part of Rublosq and subject to the rule of their Potentate.”

  “I doubt it matters to them. If the rest of ‘em are anything like Lizgug, they only care about how much money they could intimidate or scam out of their ‘subjects.’He’s a real piece o’ work.”

  “Yes, Lizgug is one the top lieutenants to the ringleader, a half- ogre who calls himself ‘Sir Jexx.’”

  “Sir Jexx, eh? Maybe I oughta come and meet him, seein’ as how he’s a fellow knight and all.”

  Prujhish laughed. “I don’t think he would receive you in the manner to which you are accustomed.”

  Tol laughed in turn. “So far most of my receptions have been a little lacking in the social grace department. His would probably fit right in. You tracking his whereabouts?”

  “Yeah, we keep pretty close tabs on him. You’re welcome to visit; maybe it’ll shake him up so he makes a slip and we can nab him on something. He’s been very careful about farming out all the dirty stuff so he stays out of trouble. You need entry papers?”

  “I think we have a mutual aid treaty with every Litrian nation but Grosyem. So long as that’s not where he is, I can get in and out on my EE creds.”

  “He’s in Frespiola right now. Yiks Island. He has a nice compound up there, on the east side of the island, right north of Moonfish Bay. Lots of cameras and guards, though.”

  “That’s not an issue. I’ll just walk right up to the front gate. Jlok like that—calls himself ‘Sir’—won’t be able to resist meeting a ‘fellow knight.’ I know his kind: poser with a big ego and small morals.”

  “That sums up Jexx pretty succinctly. Let us know when you’re in place and we’ll provide whatever backup we can. The resident office on Yiks has been beefed up since Jexx built that compound. They routinely ship people back and forth on a Squad ferry, so he won’t notice if a few extra hands get sent over. The EE forces of all four nations of Litria have limited jurisdiction across the entire area, with the agreement that apprehended perps are handed over to the locals. Also, I heard that the Frespiolans have an operative on the inside. I don’t have any further details, for obvious reasons.”

  “Good to know; thanks. I’ll take off as soon as I get the paperwork done.”

  “Yiks Island?” Selpla said, “There are a couple of fabulous resorts there. One of them was designed by my dad. I haven’t been there since I was a teen. I want to go with you.”

  Tol sighed. “I’m going after a major criminal, as usual. If you’re there I’ll just worry about you.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’ll be in a thousand billme per night suite in the Sellestra Placidum resort. You know: the one I’m named for. They’ve got better security than most embassies. I’ll be perfectly safe.”

  “Where you’re staying wouldn’t be an issue if you’d actually stay there. You tend to venture out and get caught up in... situations, however.”

  “I will only venture out as far as the beach. We need a good fresh ‘exotic vacation ideas’ piece for the Lifestyle desk, anyway. I won’t need to go anywhere but the beach bar and maybe the resort club for that.”

  “Fine. It wouldn’t do me any good to tell you not to come, anyway.”

  “No. No, it wouldn’t,” she giggled.

  The continent of Litria occupies approximately the middle third of the Sea of Fleriz, roughly four thousand kilometers east of the Gulf of Honkmin and the tip of The Effluent in Tragacanth; slightly further than that west of Hagfar out on the end of Trobwed’s Spit in Rublosq. It is comprised of four island nations, from north to south and in decreasing order of land mass, Spleroste, Frespiola, Hividz, and Grosyem. From Zilond on the northern end of Spleroste to Noclet on the south coast of Grosyem is right at one thousand kilometers.

  Yiks Island, off the southeast coast of mainland Frespiola, is about eighty kilometers from end to end. It has some of the most pristine beaches and pricey real estate on the planet; a variety of celebrities and other people of immense wealth call it home at least part of the year. The weather is moderated by two major ocean currents and the area is spared the brunt of most tropical cyclones due to its particular location. These cyclonic systems almost always come from the south or southwest out of the Ustrad Sea, losing most of their punch as they pass over the mountains of northern Hividz.

  Selpla’s father Erminian had designed Sellestra Placidum over thirty years earlier for a group of investors who already owned a half-dozen leisure properties internationally. Since that time it had climbed its way up the charts for critical acclaim and now was rated as one of the top ten resort properties on N’plork. It was stunning to behold. Beautiful veinstone staircases swirled away from a broad central approach laboriously paved with individual seashells set in tiny concretion blocks. Lush tropical vegetation, much of it brought in from halfway around the world, outlined, punctuated, and occasionally obscured the dozens of elaborate columns, statues, and monoliths scattered like early morning dewdrops throughout the grounds. A collection of enormous reflecting pools in various shapes rounded out the sumptuous landscaping.

  The resort consisted of an even dozen buildings, the central being the largest, for a total of just over a thousand suites. There were six pools, a variety of sports arenas, and an extravagantly appointed full twenty-hole whackball course: one of the most prestigious on the IPWA tour. One could, whilst strolling the private beach or trolling the numerous bars, meet and mingle with a cross- section
of N’plork’s powerful and elite.

  Selpla made herself comfortable at a corner table on the veranda of the main building that commanded a fine view of both the beach and the lobby. She sat there sipping a ridiculously fragrant and complex herbal infusion that cost more than a decent lunch in Goblinopolis and took notes as the beautiful people came and went. By virtue of her father’s influence she had a suite in the most prestigious wing of the resort that included fresh-cut exotic flowers twice a day, a gift basket worth more than Tol’s monthly apartment rent, and a panorama that was positively breathtaking, even for someone accustomed to breathtaking panoramas. Life here was good.

  Tol was staying with her, of course. While being a Knight of the Crimson did not carry quite the cachet here that it did in Tragacanth, the hotel still showed the respect due a member of the ‘earned nobility,’ as such offices were known. The fact that he was a special investigator for Tragacanthan EE also carried some weight. By far the most important fact from the hotel’s point of view, however, was that he was a member of the Tragacanthan Royal Family. That brought him preferential treatment which ranked with the most famous celebrities, because hosting Royalty meant bragging rights, which in turn translated into prestige and thus, profit. The Sellestra Placidum could now legally boast that they were “The Choice of Royalty.”

  Tol was finally adjusting to the reaction to his status. He still wasn’t comfortable with it, but he had decided to enjoy the results since he hadn’t a lot of control over them. The hotel had vast experience with celebrities of all temperaments, of course; they judged Tol’s embarrassment correctly almost immediately and provided him with luxury without the ostentation: in the background, as it were. These were true professionals in the realm of hospitality.

  When Dagyo had contacted Tol regarding the upcoming demonstration of the proposed EE version of his Zifjagga, he was overjoyed to learn that Tol would be traveling to Yiks Island. That was much closer to his workshop in Tantatku than was Tragacanth. Why didn’t he meet Tol there to conduct the demo? Tol shrugged and replied that this was fine with him.

  The morning of the demonstration dawned clear, with light winds from the west-northwest: excellent weather for flying. Dagyo had worked very hard on this new model, which he hoped to sell to EE and possibly even to militaries worldwide. It was slightly smaller overall than his previous version, but actually held more aerite gas for additional buoyancy and sported two significantly better engines: more efficient spinners, better intakes, increased range. He had also improved the control surfaces and their linkages back to the command car.

  There was room for two goblins in the command car and a third in a cage suspended below the car that was obviously intended for prisoner transport. The lockup cage was designed to be raised and lowered with a winch attached to the rear of the command car so that a prisoner could be deposited or picked up while the Zifjagga hovered above.

  Dagyo had arranged to meet Tol and Selpla at the docks on Moonfish Bay. He arrived in a ship he had designed and built himself, the Zifswalla, with an integral mooring mast for the Zifjagga, which he had christened the Sir Tol in Tol’s honor, hoping that would make points for him in closing the sale. The Zifjagga was only a little smaller than the ship itself; the three of them (the Sir Tol, the Zifswalla, and the ebullient gnome) made for rather an entertaining spectacle as they approached the dock, drawing a sizeable crowd.

  Tol hadn’t visualized the demo being quite so public, but there wasn’t much that could be done about it now. He and Selpla went up the ramp and the gnome immediately launched into a technical discussion of the features of the new craft. Tol did his best to keep up, hoping that Petey was taking notes for him. After the tour and lecture were over, Dagyo jumped into the pilot’s seat and indicated for Tol to join him. He was a little hesitant, but finally Tol shrugged and climbed in. The door was shut and latched, and as Selpla watched and took pictures with her little travel camera, the Sir Tol slipped off the mooring mast and floated gracefully away.

  The Sir Tol was a dirigible: a gas bag suspended in a lightweight rigid framework. The engines ran all the time at idle, but the spinners were operated with a clutch and turned only when the craft needed to change direction or propel itself into the wind, which saved on fuel. Dagyo ran through the basics of piloting the vehicle, before then allowing Tol take a turn at the wheel and pedals. Tol was nervous at first, but after a few minutes he was almost laughing out loud at how intoxicating it was to fly with the avians.

  Dagyo also demonstrated lowering and raising the ‘holding cage,’ including the locking mechanism that could only be operated from the command car. Selpla volunteered to be the ‘prisoner,’ bravely riding in the little cage from the deck of the Zifswalla up forty meters into the air and back down again. It was the most exhilarating fun she’d had in years.

  Dagyo brought the Sir Tol down and dropped the mooring ball into the receptacle on the ship’s mast. Then he had Tol lift them off again and repeat the mooring procedure himself.

  “There,” said the gnome to Tol as they were disembarking, “You are now the second most-experienced Zifjagga pilot in the world. And the only one with a Zifjagga named after him.”

  Tol stroked the side of the craft as though it were a pet. He didn’t really want the ride to be over, but he had a job to do and all that. He thanked Dagyo profusely and promised to give his very strongest recommendation to the EE High Commissioner...and anyone else who would listen. He also asked Dagyo in confidence if he was looking for investors. He was, so Tol gave him a bank draft for twenty thousand billmes for a stake in the new company: AeroPram Concepts. Dagyo was elated at having attracted his first investor, promising frequent updates and constant improvements.

  Tol and Selpla returned to the Sellestra Placidum and Tol spent the remainder of the day in the suite, writing up his recommendation for a trial purchase of Zifjaggas, making it clear for conflict of interest purposes that he was also an investor in the company as a result of the success of Dagyo’s demonstration. He relaxed afterward in the heated pool, accessible directly from the suite via a private channel that could be locked from the inside via a set of remotely-operated doors when not in use. It was decidedly decadent and Tol decidedly loved it.

  Elegant living notwithstanding, Tol was here for a rather risky mission: to take on a venomous asp in his own den. After checking in with Frespiolan EE via an encrypted comm link, Tol set out in a rented limousine(for appearance’s sake) for the estate known to the locals as Moonfish Manor. Tol had been reading up on Jexx and his delusions of grandeur and had decided to play along with him. Toward that end, he had brought some of the ceremonial trappings of his own knighthood.

  As the limo pulled up, Tol pinned the lapel version of his Medal of Royal Merit on a simple but elegant deep blue pullover with the Crimson Garter woven into it: the ‘business casual’ attire of the Knights. He walked up to the intercom at the estate’s ornate front gate and pushed the button.

  “Sir Tol-u-ol of Sebacea, Knight Protector of the Crimson Order of Tragacanth, to see Sir Jexx,” he said into the microphone, using his most cultured voice. There was a stunned silence while every camera in that part of the estate swung onto Tol and zoomed in. After a few moments a deep male voice replied.

  “Sir Jexx is currently receiving visitors in the lower solarium. He will send an escort for you, Sir Knight.”

  So far, so good.

  Tol had brought no weapons with him, knowing that any criminal who’d made it as far as Jexx would have multiple scanners. He didn’t really need any external weapons, anyway. There were very few situations where he couldn’t either take the bad guys out with his fists or wrestle a disruptor away from one of them if he really needed it. He did have Petey, but even the most paranoid crime boss wasn’t likely to take notice of a pen. He had briefed Petey on where they were going and what to expect, so it was jamming any attempt to scan its circuitry. It appeared as a simple writing instrument; nothing more.

  A half-ogr
e goon in a pinstriped jack met Tol at the gate. Given the temperature and humidity, Tol guessed he hadn’t been wearing that getup all day. The goon was sweating visibly and did not look at all comfortable in those clothes. Tol laughed at him inside but was careful to maintain his external air of noblesse. The hike from the front gate to the solarium was long and warm; by the time they arrived the goon was obviously broiling. When Jexx motioned his dismissal the half- ogre almost broke into a trot heading for cooler apparel.

  “Welcome to my humble abode, Sir Tol-u-ol. I must admit to being taken by surprise by your social call, although none the less appreciative for the short notice.”

  “Please, call me Tol. I was in the area, and I’ve heard so much about you that I thought it downright rude of me not to take the opportunity to pay you a visit. It is, after all, only proper that the chivalry maintain social contacts with one another.”

  “Um, yes. Quite so. May I offer you some razzle? I have a well-stocked bar.”

  “Thank you for the offer, but for the nonce I must refuse. Physic’s orders, I’m afraid.”

  As he spoke, Tol was sizing up the room. Glass doors: double-paned but not particularly well made. Two entrances and a bookcase along one wall that might hide another. Three cameras and at least two wall decorations that would be ideal for concealing machicolations with snipers behind them. If he needed to take Jexx out, it could not be in here.

  “I see,” replied Jexx,“Well, one can’t go around defying the orders of one’s physic, can one? Tell me, Sir Tol, what brings you to our idyllic paradise?”

  “Vacation, Sir Jexx. Rest and recreation. I’ve heard about your wonderful island all my life; I figured I’d better come see it while I’m still able to get around. Not gettin’ any younger; you know how it is.”

  “Ah, yes. I built this estate with the same thought in mind. I’ve been enamored of the sea since my youth.”

  “You’re a sailor, then?”

  “Yes, indeed. I own five sailing vessels of different sizes and configurations. I very much enjoy captaining them when I can find the time.”