by Guy Antibes
~
In the morning Chika and Shiro made their farewells to Sallia. Shiro made Sallia commit that she wouldn’t leave the inn under any but the direst circumstances.
“Don’t worry about her, worry about yourself,” Chika said, punching him in the arm. “I don’t want you to go soft tonight. We have some serious work to do together.”
Shiro saw Chika’s wink at Sallia and the princess’s face blush. He smiled at Chika’s comment, but chose not to respond. Chika confided her fears to him as he told her about Anchor’s plan. He saw her comment as an expression of her anxiety. Their incursion would be dangerous, but if they did more teleporting than fighting, the risk would only decrease. Shiro had become numb to risk. An errant arrow could have ended any of their lives along the way.
Sallia shoved a note in his hand just before she stepped back. Shiro and Chika left her standing amidst her one-hundred-strong guard.
He led Chika to Anchor’s tent. Anter sat in a chair looking over plans of the Foxhome castle. He stood up when he saw Chika.
“We are here,” Shiro announced. He turned the note over and gave it to Anchor.
“You two look over these plans. Your cohorts will arrive any time. The more familiar you are with these plans the safer the teleportation,” Anchor said looking at Shiro.
Shiro nodded. Anchor always listened to him. He wondered what Anchor had been like as Unca. He knew what Unca did, but the Sunstone didn’t give him a feel for the man’s previous personality. Chika had told him that Sallia and Willow had told her that the old wizard always smiled and cracked jokes. He hoped Anchor wouldn’t be so dour after the hostilities.
~
Fingering Sallia’s note for the entire time it took for the Ropponi and Lotto to arrive, Anchor finally told them to continue to memorize each level of the castle and every tower. He walked into the sunlight and let it beat on his face. Would this be his last day? He didn’t know. Anchor wouldn’t take the opportunity to retreat like the Ropponi and Lotto. If separated, he was committed to fight his way through to Duke Histron. What tricks would the duke have in wait for them? He knew Histron would not disappoint.
Anchor had the utmost respect for his team. Anter would get them through the rusty doors in the passageways. Anchor knew the castle plans and the secret passages better than anyone. But they could still lose. The armies would still fight and men would die tomorrow.
Regetta’s corpse haunted him. Deaths from this war had become too personal, but he had to continue on, and now this. He opened Sallia’s note expecting her to cast him aside. With the end nearing, he fully expected her to reject him when she told him of his unwitting complicity the night her parents died.
Dearest Anchor,
I am ready for all of this to end and see my parents avenged. Go with my love and my support. I don’t know what the future holds for either of us. Regardless, I am and will be always in awe of your sense of duty and your remarkable efforts in making this day happen.
I struggle with what the future will be. My life will change, if I am fortunate to sit on the throne of the Red Kingdom. All of our lives have changed in these last few terrible years. Please help me as the Red Kingdom heals from this civil war, but both of us must exercise patience as we battle between what we want and what must be done.
My most sincere wishes for a successful night. You carry my most personal love and the love of the Red Kingdom.
Sally
He re-read the note a few times. He could pick out snippets that gave him hope and sentiments that gave him pause. What did he expect? ‘Exercise patience as we battle between what we want and what must be done.’ That certainly said it all.
Last night he actually fantasized that she would run into his arms after he had defeated Histron. What we want. He finally knew what he wanted and that was Sallia. The note had forced him to crystallize his desire. Unca would have to go.
No. Anchor tightened his hand into a fist. No difference existed between Anchor and Unca, only the element of time. Unca remained in him. After the war, he hoped he could cast off the grimness that he wore as penance. He knew he had the capacity to smile again and to joke. The dark memories of the last years would always instruct him, but the good humor that he generally exercised could return and Unca’s smile could help win Sallia over.
He walked back into the meeting with a lighter step.
Patience.
~~~
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
AYRTAN
~
“HISTRON HAS HELD BACK THE LAST OF MY SORCERER-ASSASSINS,” Daryaku said through clenched teeth.
If Vishan ever retained control over his body, he wondered if he’d have any edges on his teeth after their abuse by her. She looked up from her chair at General Bishyar.
The man deserved a medal from not pulling out his sword and running it through the Emperor from all of the anger she had thrown at him, lately. No message heartened her. No compliments came from their mouth, only complaints, whining and definitive statements of dissatisfaction.
“I thought you’d be encouraged that they haven’t all been destroyed, Your Eminence.”
“Fool! He could have used them to retrieve the Bloodstone or even the Moonstone. That bitch of a woman, Restella of Valetan still carries it around with her.”
“You stopped the making of assassins when you learned they were armed with Dakkoran officers’ blades,” Bishyar said. “You only allowed a few to be held in reserve by Histron.”
“So?”
Vishan noted the frustration being restrained in Bishyar’s face.
“Perhaps, the Bloodstone will approach Histron and the assassins will be ready to retrieve the stone at the most opportune time.” Bishyar didn’t know that she had drained the Tower of all sorcerers with the strength to become shadow-assassins. In a few months time, even those that remained would succumb to their transformation.
Daryaku made an animal sound. Vishan liked to hear it, since she used it when very displeased.
“At this point Histron controls them, Bishyar. Remember that.”
Vishan knew that the woman had assigned her best sorcerers to Besseth, including Peleor, his old friend. Now he could only hope for the sorcerer-assassins’ demise. The sorcerers that accompanied her across Ayrtan were the dregs. None were particularly strong. The only sorcerers who could create new assassins were long dead. By this time, perhaps the war had ended in the Red Kingdom and the Bloodstone remained in the possession of the Princess Sallia.
~~~
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
FOXHOME CASTLE
~
HAD IT BEEN ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO since he had stood at this very spot? Anchor took a deep breath and smelled the familiar fragrances of the forest on the western edge of Foxhome. Sallia and he ran from here along the Great West Road, fearing for their lives. Simpler days? He shook his head. Not simpler, he had just made the biggest mistake of his life and was rewarded with the assignment of having to save the princess’s life, which he had successfully accomplished.
Shiro and Chika left to collect the rest of their little band. Anchor adjusted his weapons. At Lotto’s request he bore the enchanted Dakkoran officer’s sword, should they confront those misty sorcerers like they had in Histo. Anter and Lotto wore similar blades. Shiro said his Red Roses had developed a spell that they thought would force the sorcerers to materialize. Anchor had no reason to doubt him.
Chika arrived with the Ropponi and Shiro arrived soon after with Lotto and Anter. The Ropponi had suggested that they all were to wear black clothes with masks over their mouths rather than Histron uniforms. Again, he followed Shiro’s advice. His crew appeared as black lumps in the darkness.
He led them towards the brush-covered entrance.
“Any footprints?” he said.
Shiro used a dim sorcerer’s light and couldn’t see any footprints on the ground. “Clear.”
Anchor started to pull the brush aside. Lotto stepped up and helped as they str
uggled with recent foliage. A rusty iron door appeared.
One of the Ropponi poured oil on the hinges and stood back to let Anter grab the small handle. He pulled and pulled until the door creaked. More oil. He pushed and pulled and the entry widened. After a quarter hour, the opening permitted Anter to slip through. He used the larger handle on the inside to close and secure the door behind them.
Lotto and Chika held sorcerer’s lights in their hands. Chika went to the front with Anchor and Lotto would travel in the back. They began their trek underground towards Foxhome castle.
Anchor bumped against the wall and brushed himself off. He looked at the dirt on his hand in the light and smiled. Perhaps black clothes were a good idea. The errant thought made him smile. At this moment in time, there was no other wall he’d rather dirty his clothes.
The pathway began to descend and steps appeared. He stopped them before they would have to walk in the mud.
“Make sure you don’t slip. You’ve all got an extra pair of boots around your necks. You’ll put those on only after we have reached the top of the stairs on the other side.” He remembered the endless trekking in the sludge underneath the river that ran overhead. Once on the other side, Anchor felt that they were really heading towards the castle.
The mud was just as much a nuisance as before. He trusted in the fact that Histron hadn’t made his way through this pathway. The sucking and squelching and occasional shout as one person slipped or another didn’t concern him.
Once they had ascended the first of many stairs, they paused and helped each other remove their muddy, sodden boots and put on dry ones. These were softer, more suited for slipping silently along Foxhome’s stone floors.
Anchor called for a brighter light. The floor revealed that the only footprints were two years old and that of Unca and Sallia. He breathed a sigh of relief at the confirmation of one unknown fact of their escape. Histron’s forces never pursued Sallia and Unca once they had entered the passageway.
Shiro came up to him and they walked side by side. Anchor wanted Shiro’s power to detect any general wards that might have been cast.
The Ropponi halted them after they came to a junction. “That way. Wards.”
Lotto walked up. “Not from a battle-mage,” he said. “Probably Dakkoran work.”
Anchor nodded. “Well, now we know for sure that we could face more of those mist warriors. Sallia’s bedroom links up to the other passage.” Anchor led them on the left branch and continued up the stairs. He examined the steps and detected no new footprints. He passed more openings, to other rooms. As Unca, he ignored those exit points when Sallia and he fled. He didn’t know exactly where those led and made sure that they were locked on their side as he took them upward to Sallia’s bedroom.
He stopped at the door to Sallia’s rooms. A feeling of disorientation assailed him with thoughts of walking through the corridors of the castle as a different person. Anchor put a hand to his forehead to collect his thoughts and focus his concentration. He took a deep breath that sounded more like a shudder to his own ears.
“Can any of you detect if there is someone on the other side? Enhanced hearing?” Anchor said.
A Ropponi stepped up. “I can do so, but—” The woman put her ear to the door. “Snoring.” She shrugged and stepped aside.
The builders of the passage didn’t attempt to hide the latch leading into the room.
“Anter will open the door and Shiro will silence the room,” Anchor said. He wiped the sweat from his brow and moved aside as best he could for the large man.
Anter nodded as they all drew swords.
“Stop,” Anchor said and asked for the oil from a Ropponi. He slathered it on the exposed hinges to the door. “It may or may not help. We won’t have to use the lubricant again.” He nodded to Anter.
The man threw the door open. Shiro jumped through and cast a spell to muffle their activities.
Anchor sneaked into Sallia’s bedchamber. Two men slept in the bed; their officer uniforms lay over chairs. He wouldn’t offer these men any chance for surrender and killed them in their sleep. He wrapped them up in the bedclothes and pushed them to the floor. He didn’t see anything else and walked back into Sallia’s sitting room. Three soldiers lay dead on the floor. He shook his head. Anchor had run right past them.
“Move the furniture and the bodies to the bedchamber. We can bring more soldiers into an empty room,” Anchor said as he picked up a chair. The room felt foreign to him now. The room definitely felt like it no longer belonged to Sallia. The castle felt violated. He nodded to the Ropponi. One winked out and returned with Gensleran troops. Anchor ordered them into the bedchamber. Another left, returning with Anchor’s troops. Within a quarter of an hour, the rooms were filled with men.
Anchor opened the doors that opened onto the corridors. “You must remain quiet,” he said. “The Ropponi will lead you to your positions.” He watched them leave, making room for more men.
Anchor took Shiro, Chika and Anter towards the king’s apartments. Histron would be there. They didn’t run into any guards until they were within sight of the entrance. Anchor backed up.
“This is the king’s private exit,” Anchor said, drawing back a tapestry.
“It’s warded. Very strong,” Chika said.
“Can you remove it?” Anchor looked at Shiro.
He nodded curtly and stood in front of the door’s outline in the stone wall. Shiro moved his hands all along the edge including the top and the floor. Anchor restrained himself from talking so he wouldn’t affect Shiro’s concentration.
The Ropponi nodded and stepped back, his face shone with sweat in the dim sorcerer’s light. Anchor pushed part of the molding and the door swung silently inward and pulled out his sword. He told his men to stand at the passage’s entry into the king’s apartment until ordered to enter. The soldiers wouldn’t have a defense if battle mages stood on the other side. Shiro held hands with Chika as he removed the wards to the next door.
“Be careful, Anchor.” Shiro’s words were barely a whisper.
Anchor clapped his free hand on Shiro’s shoulder as he moved the latch. He stepped into the moonlit darkness of King Billeas’s study. Shiro nodded and Anchor moved his small force into the room.
Shiro cleared the door to the corridor that led to various rooms in the apartment. No further wards. Anchor split up the forces. Chika led half the men towards the sitting room and Anter, Shiro and Anchor slipped towards the king’s bedchamber.
They reached the king’s bedroom. Anchor raised his eyebrows. Shiro shook his head. No wards. Anchor slowly pulled on the latch, but found it locked. He nodded to Anter, who backed up and ran at the door. It blew open. Three men slept in various places around the room.
Shiro lit up the room with a bright sorcerer’s light. Anchor looked at the dusky features of Dakkorans. No Histron! He had made the king’s chambers into a trap.
“Leave now!” Anchor said, pushing Anter out of the room. “Tell Chika to secure the apartments.”
The Dakkorans began to mist up. Shiro threw a spell at one of the sorcerers that stopped the transformation. Anchor began swatting at the other two men as they dissolved into mist and killed one of them before he disappeared.
Shiro pulled his sword and began to fight the corporeal sorcerer. Anchor nearly paused to watch, but then he remembered he faced another of the enemy that he couldn’t see. He looked quickly from space to space to see where the Dakkoran would appear. He shifted his feet and his gaze. He felt a tug on his black armor. The sorcerer had slashed at his side. He turned with his sword and caught a bit of the sorcerer’s flesh before he disappeared.
The Dakkorans yelled at each other pointing to Shiro’s sword. They must have felt the power of the Sunstone. The sorcerers had invaded Besseth for the stones. They ignored Anchor and that only gave him the opportunity to observe where the mist began to coagulate. He plunged his sword in the thickening mist, and then Shiro and Anchor confronted the last sorcerer.<
br />
This man used considerable strength against the Ropponi. The Dakkoran threw flames from his sword, but Shiro had raised some kind of barrier.
Anchor backed up to get out of Shiro’s way. The pair fought with spell and sword. The Dakkoran had forgotten about Anchor in his fight, so Anchor crept up and slammed the flat of his sword on the sorcerer’s head.
“Can you restrain him?”
“I can, but not for long. He is very powerful and a master with arms.”
“Use the Sunstone on him. We can find Histron that way.”
Shiro made a face. “He is an evil man and it won’t be pleasant.”
Anchor didn’t want to force his friend, but he needed to know where Histron hid. “I’ll buy you a case of Ropponi wine to help with the bad taste.”
“I will hold you to that,” Shiro said as he took the sorcerer’s hand and placed it on the stone. Shiro’s face grimaced with distaste and pulled the man’s hand away. “This is an evil man, pledged to the Emperor. There is something wrong with the Dark Lord. His taint has touched this man’s mind and it is… strange.”
“Where is Histron?”
“He sleeps in Unca’s quarters.”
Anchor thought, my old rooms up in the tower. “I’ve been there plenty of times.” He couldn’t resist a smile.
“I have seen enough,” Shiro said as he thrust his sword into the sorcerer’s heart. “If we let him live, we will regret it. There were only these three. I did not plunge further into his mind.” Shiro visibly shivered. “I want to be able to sleep at night.”
Anchor barely heard him as he waded into fighting in the king’s large sitting room. Wards must have been set on the apartment’s front doors. They blew outward. Histron’s guards had set them off and now Chika and her soldiers fought. Anter began to cut into them. The blast would have started the fighting throughout the castle.
The battle didn’t last long. Most of Histron’s guards had been destroyed as the wards did their work on the wrong soldiers.