Apollos whistled. “That’s… incredible.” Alexander agreed.
“Jeeves, when this is completed, remind me to figure out a back exit. We’ll discuss it with the group and pick a path.”
“Of course, Majesty. That is a wise decision.”
They left the new zone behind and returned to the keep’s courtyard. The evening meal was being served, and Apollos met most of the other player guild members as they ate. Alexander explained to Silverbeard about the minotaurs’ need for livestock and the dwarf confirmed that the coffers held more than enough gold to purchase whatever Damerion was willing to sell.
All through dinner, Fibble kept tugging on sleeves, asking everyone who might know when he could go visit the dragons again. Sasha finally lifted him up and set him on the bench next to her. “Lia will let us know when the dragons can play. I’m sure they’re just as anxious to see you again. You’re the perfect size for a snack!” She grinned at the horrified look that crossed his face. A moment later, he figured out she was teasing and his eyes narrowed. “Sasha big meanie! White dragon Fibble’s friend. Not eat Fibble!”
She hugged him as she replied, “No, Fibble. The dragons won’t eat you. But they are young and have not learned how to be gentle yet. So you must be careful not to get hurt while playing with them.”
Fibble nodded, accepting the hug and the advice. He stood up on the bench and announced, “Fibble going to get more cookies. For the dragon babies. Not for Fibble. Well, maybe one or two for Fibble. And one for Bacon. And Tigger.” He hopped off the bench and disappeared into the kitchen.
Sasha smiled fondly at the retreating goblin. “Five bucks says Bacon and Tigger never see their cookies.” No one took that bet.
Lorian was sitting nearby. “I detailed a couple of hunters to procure some meat for the dragonlings. We haven’t culled the direwolves in the lower forest for a while. Most of our people are too high-level to get any experience from it.”
“Thank you, Lorian,” Alexander answered. “I would think two hunters would be enough. If more are needed, I’m sure Kai can provide. If your hunters can’t get experience from the direwolves, check with the minotaurs and orcs. Maybe a few of their people could benefit from the hunt.” Lorian nodded and resumed his meal.
After dinner was eaten and Apollos was fully sober, Alexander took him and Silverbeard through the portal to Damerion. He’d wanted to take Jules along to introduce her, but she was nowhere to be found. He half expected her to be in stealth mode behind him as they stepped through the portal, but was disappointed. Taylor and his guard detail did appear, though. Alexander was going to have to pay more attention and see if he could figure out where they appeared from.
The portal opened onto a small courtyard within the innermost walls of the city. There were guards along the top of each wall, crossbows aimed at Alexander and party as they stepped through. When they saw the prince raise a hand, their weapons were lowered.
An escort appeared and Apollos led them into the palace. Taylor and the guards remained outside. He went straight to the king’s study, where his parents and brother were finishing their own meal. They rose from their chairs to greet their new guests.
“Father, Mother, Elrid, this is King Alexander of Elysia and his chancellor Master Silverbeard.” Both Alexander and Silverbeard bowed to the king and queen.
“Alexander! A pleasure to meet you.” King Arand stepped forward and offered a hand. “We don’t stand on much formality here. Please, call me Arand.”
The group all took seats on chairs and sofas in a small sitting area near the fireplace. Servants entered and left, clearing away the remains of the meal and bringing refreshments. Alexander chose an ice wine that was crisp and sweet and quite tasty. He sipped at it as Apollos first handed over his copy of the signed treaty, then relayed the discussions in the various meetings as well as his day’s adventures. He showed his father and brother the two light cannons as Alexander explained their uses.
The queen spoke up. “While my boys play with their new toys, I would like to thank you for taking such good care of Apollos today. I believe you’ve made yourself a lifelong friend.” She smiled at her son as he nodded his head.
Alexander smiled back. “One can never have too many friends. And we’ll need each other to defeat the drow wizards. As an alliance member, you’ll benefit from increased trade, as well as mutual defense. And you will share in whatever intelligence we gain. If attacked, we can bring troops here through the portals within an hour of receiving your message. Humans, dwarves, elves, orcs, minotaurs, rock trolls, even dragons will come to your aid. I believe the dragon king will assign a flight of his dragons to you. They are very good at detecting and hunting drow, and can relay messages quickly to the rest of us if needed.”
Apollos added, “Speaking of trade, Father. Alexander’s minotaurs need livestock. Specifically, goats. I told him the farmers might sell whatever stock can’t be brought into the city ahead of the attack.”
“We actually would be willing to purchase whatever you have available. Goats, pigs, cows. We’ve just added roughly eight hundred citizens in the last few days and I want to be able to feed them,” Alexander replied.
The king nodded his head. “I’m sure our farmers would give you a fair price. We have limited space inside our walls, and therefore have limited the amount of stock the farmers could shelter here. Some of their stock they’ll butcher and sell to us to feed our army and our people. But some would have been left to roam free and probably gone to feed our enemies. Better you should have them.”
Elrid volunteered, getting up from his chair. “I’ll go see to it now. We’ll send word out and have them gather what stock they wish to sell in the stockyards just inside the outer gate. Will tomorrow noon be alright?”
Alexander replied, “Perfect. If it’s alright with you, I’ll leave Silverbeard here for the night. He can negotiate for the purchases and talk with you about any other trade agreements that might interest you. He has my complete faith and authority. I’ll return at noon tomorrow to pick up the livestock and bring you a couple more light cannons for your walls.”
Elrid left and the group continued with talk of trade and defense for a short while. Alexander eventually got to his feet. “I must return home and take care of some business. Being a king seems to mean that you never have much time to just sit and chat.” Arand nodded in understanding. “I’ll return tomorrow. It has been a pleasure.” He bowed his head slightly to the king and queen.
“The pleasure is ours,” the queen replied. “And thank you again. A day ago, our kingdom was floundering. Now we have new friends and a real hope of surviving.”
Apollos led Alexander back to the portal, and he traveled back to his keep.
*****
Jules was in their quarters when he got there. She was curled up on the sofa, spinning one of her daggers in her fingers. Alexander was rewarded with a big smile as he stepped through the door. “Those dragon babies are SO cute,” she said.
He sat down next to her, pulling her toward him so that her head rested on his chest. “They sure are. And we’re going to spoil them like crazy. Fibble’s already stealing more cookies in their name. And the hunters are stockpiling meat.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sure we’ll get to see them again tomorrow. Won’t be long before they’re rampaging through the keep.”
Jules tilted her head up to kiss him. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer today. I went into the dungeon to test my stealth skill. I made it all the way down to the third level! There are some higher-level mobs down there and I didn’t want to push it.”
“How high were their levels?”
“Well, like Silverbeard said, level one was gremlins. Level 35 to 40-ish. I walked right past them. The second level was full of the badger dudes. A few of them could smell me, but not well enough to find me. They were all between levels 40 and 50. Level three was felines. Giant night prowlers like the ones we found at the tower. Lowest I saw was level 50. Speaki
ng of which, I need to go back to the tower to see my favorite kitten soon.” She paused for a moment. “And I heard barking. I don’t know if the dogs or wolves or whatever are on level three or four. The cats didn’t seem worried.”
Alexander shook his head. “Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.” He grinned at the classic movie reference as Jules rolled her eyes. “Let’s go tomorrow. We can take Tigger. Then we can check on the orcs and minotaurs. Maybe even take Pollock and his guys and go back to see the wolves by the east tower.”
The two of them crawled into bed a while later and were quickly asleep.
*****
Heimdall’s voice rang through Richard’s office, surprising him and making him flinch as he read through some security reports. “I have found an interesting anomaly in the communications monitoring logs, Richard.”
As the sentence ended, Morris Talbott, the head of security of Olympus, entered the room. He took over for Heimdall. “A few minutes after you brought Jules out of immersion, a text went out from a burner phone. The text simply said, ‘Jules is awake.’
Richard’s brow furrowed and he began to tap his desk. “Can you identify who sent it? Or who it went to?”
“This is ten minutes old. Heimdall’s been going through the incoming and outgoing calls for us, as he can do it a thousand times faster than my team. We’ve asked our people to limit outside communication, so the volume of traffic to sort through is smaller. But there are still thousands a day, between calls and texts. We’ve forwarded both numbers to the FBI as well. But clearly someone inside Olympus is acting as a mole. Whether they work for our enemies or are just trying to make a buck with a news outlet or something, we just don’t know yet.”
Richard slammed his hand on the desk. “Damn it! Olympus has its own communication tower because we’re too far from other towers for decent service. Which means we also can’t use other towers to triangulate the signal and pinpoint their location.”
Talbott cleared his throat. “Actually, we might be able to. Not on the previous text. But if there’s another one. We’ve got repeaters up around the compound to make sure our comms work. One of my guys can modify them, tune them to the frequency of the burner that was used, and next time a signal happens we should be able to pinpoint it to within about a twenty-meter radius. Then we can use the cameras to determine who was within that space at that time. It’ll narrow down our suspect list.”
“So then we just have to wait for another message. But who knows when that will be?”
Talbott grinned. “I have an idea about that, too. We have the number of the burner phone that the message went to. We already checked, and it’s not turned on. My guy thinks he can ping the phone to make it think it has a message, without there actually being a message or any caller ID signal. When the recipient turns the phone back on, they’ll see a blank message. Hopefully, they’ll reach out to whomever is here in the compound. The FBI will try to trace the outside number and we’ll track down the traitor here.”
Richard looked skeptical. “If the blank message spooks him? If he tosses that phone and doesn’t reach out?”
Talbott nodded. “That is a risk. Though I believe it’s a small one. Worst case, he does exactly that and we have to track down the mole another way. My guys are already going through the HR files again with a fine-toothed comb. We’re starting with medical staff, because the message went out before Jules had even left her pod room. Word spreads quickly around here, but not that quickly.” He gave Richard a look that spoke volumes about what might be required. “We’ll interview each of them. Extensively.”
“I don’t want anybody hurt,” Richard ordered. “Scare them if you must. Threaten them with life in prison, conspiracy to commit murder charges and the corresponding death penalty, whatever might work. But no physical injuries of any kind.”
Talbott nodded again. “I expected as much. We’ll find a way. If he’s got somebody on the inside who is willing to help him get back in, or even to place a bomb themselves, we need to know right now.”
Richard wasn’t taking any chances. “Get the bomb-sniffing dogs to make another round of the entire compound. Start with the pods. Prioritize the server levels and areas with high concentrations of people. The cafeteria, the living quarters, etc.”
“Already underway. I made the call right before I came here.”
“I need to talk to Michael. If our enemy does dump his burner, we may need to just jam all cell communication at the compound. Everything but our internal radios. Maybe we can cut off his access that way. It won’t be popular with the staff, but if it means no more bombs…”
Talbott said, “Everybody’s behind you on this, boss. They’ll grumble some, sure. But they’ll understand.” He got up and headed for the elevator. “I’ll update you as soon as I have any news at all.”
*****
Matt sat back in his recliner and put on the headset. He was calmer now and ready to take another shot at escaping from his flooded stronghold. Following the draining water through the commode obviously wasn’t possible. So he would try again to swim up and out.
The moment he logged in, he put his feet on the seat of the throne and pushed with all his might. His body soared up through the water to impact the ceiling. Feeling his way quickly across to where the weak current was still flowing into the hole, he pulled himself through and used his feet to push off once again. Frog-stroking with all his might, he burned through his stored oxygen as he tried to reach the surface. The sound of the water changed as he got closer, from the dull roar of the current to the splashing of surface water just above. He reached upward, hoping to feel his hand break the surface.
All he found was stone. He’d reached the ceiling of the river’s path through the stone, but there was no open space for him to get air. His UI began blinking red as his oxygen ran out and his health bar started ticking down. He followed the ceiling, letting the current push him as he prayed for an opening with air.
A moment later, he was in limbo again and had lost another level. “So close! There has GOT to be a way. I mean, the game can’t have a place where a player is stuck forever.” As soon as he said it, he knew better. There were plenty of places where players got stuck. And a quick message to a game master would get them un-stuck. A message he could not send without alerting Odin to his presence.
The frustration ate at him. He spent the rest of his time in limbo plotting ways to murder the drow wizard he reported to. Even if it cost him a life, he was going to try it. Nothing could be worse than the place he was stuck in now.
His timer ticked down and he tried again. And again. After his fifth death, he managed at the last moment to find an open space! He gasped in a breath as the current pushed him along in the darkness. Just as his lungs filled with the dank air of the underground passage, his face struck a low-hanging stone. The impact nearly knocked him unconscious, his breath exiting in a cry of pain. The current pushed him down again and a few moments later he was back in limbo.
Furious, he yanked off his headset without even logging out of the game first. His mind reeled as it tried to make sense of the rapid transition from one reality to the other. The headset beeped angrily at him as he dropped it and jumped to his feet. Wobbling slightly, he reached out and used the wall to steady himself. Then he began to pace. “Damn it! So close! But now I know there’s air there. I just have to keep trying.”
He went to the kitchen and grabbed himself a beer, as well as the makings for a sandwich. When he sat down to eat, he took a moment to check his burner phone for any updates. His person inside had told him Jules was awake and he was hoping for an update on when both Jules and Alexander would be walking around the compound again. He’d take them out himself this time.
The moment he powered up the burner phone, it beeped and showed a ‘missed call’ message. No message was attached and there was no record of the number. He shook the phone a couple times, as if that might change the available information. His still-slightly
-befuddled mind blamed the phone.
“Damned cheap burner phones. Never work right.” He tapped the screen a few times and sent a message to his mole with just a ‘?’ then stared at the phone for a minute or so, awaiting an answer. After the third sip of his beer, he remembered that his mole probably had their phone turned off. They would turn it on twice a day to check or send messages. And this wasn’t one of those times.
He quickly shut off his burner and put it back in his pocket. Finishing his sandwich and gulping the last of his beer, he sat back in his recliner and grabbed his headset.
*****
Chapter 7
A Day Off
The following morning, Alexander and Jules were both up early. Jules rose from bed without complaint, showered and dressed shortly after sunrise. They grabbed a quick breakfast of oatmeal with honey and apple slices. As they sat in the dining area, Fibble appeared. He hopped up on the bench next to Jules and asked, “Play with baby dragons now?”
Jules patted the little guy on the back. “Not yet, Fibble sweetie. Lia will let us know. But we’re taking Tigger to see the big kitties in the west tower. You liked the kittens. Want to come with us?”
Fibble looked sideways at her as he thought it over. After a moment, he nodded his head. Jules gave him the unsliced portion of her apple, which he immediately bit into. When all three had finished their breakfast, Alexander teleported the three of them up to the garrison tower. There was no sign of Regina or Bodine, but a few farmers were out and about. Alexander summoned Tigger. As soon as the giant white tiger appeared, Fibble leapt up onto his back. He walked forward and curled up between the cat’s shoulder blades. “Soft,” Fibble yawned and closed his eyes.
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