Victory and Defeat: Book Five of the Restoration Series

by Williams, Christopher

  The sound of a man clearing his throat rang out, causing Danal to sit up quickly; this time, it was Julia who was nearly uncovered. She also sat up, frantically grabbing at the blanket to keep it from falling away.

  Two people stood in front of them, and Danal just gaped at the old man and the attractive woman. It was two people that they both recognized. Danal had once known them fairly well, but Julia had never spoken to either of them. Still they both knew exactly who was standing before them.

  “Dagan,” Danal finally managed to say; his eyes were wide and he seemed like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Cassandra?” he added after a moment.

  Dagan suppressed a chuckle at the look of pure terror that had sprouted on the faces of the prince and his lady friend. They both had gone a bit pale, and sweat was visible on Danal’s forehead. He suddenly remembered what the young couple had been doing before his arrival, and he realized the sweat may have already been there.

  “Hello, Prince Danal,” Dagan said, and gave a formal bow. His eyes twinkled as he straightened back up. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything important.”

  Danal didn’t respond; he just sat there staring dumbly.

  Dagan glanced at the young woman. He guessed her age to be somewhere around eighteen and he found her a bit common looking. She had brown hair and a thin face, but her nose was a bit too large for her face. He suppressed another chuckle at the thought that Prince Danal probably didn’t care a bit if her nose was oversized.

  Dagan bowed again, but this time it was in the young lady’s direction. “My apologies, my dear, for disturbing you at such an inopportune time. Would you mind getting dressed? I really need to speak to the young prince, here.”

  “Is it really you?” Danal asked. The surprise was wearing off and he cautiously looked around. He spotted Agminion right away, and he paused, measuring the stranger. After a moment he turned back to Dagan. “Dagan, what is going on? How did you even get in the palace?”

  “Peace,” Dagan said, hoping to quiet the boy’s fears. “We’re not here to harm you.” He motioned toward where the prince and his woman still sat on the floor. “Please get dressed so that we can talk properly.” Almost as an afterthought he added, “Of course, your woman can stay naked if she likes.” He threw in a wink for good measure, and the poor girl turned bright red.

  “Dagan,” Cassandra said in a stern voice, “please don’t anger the prince.”

  Danal did indeed appear to be getting angry, and he flicked his eyes to the side where his clothes were piled up.

  Dagan walked over and started going through the pile. He tossed the clothes to the couple on the floor, and he tossed the long belt knife down the aisle; it skidded along the stone floor, kicking up a spark or two.

  The clothes landed with a Thumph on top of the blanket. Danal swallowed hard and glanced behind them, just to make sure that Agminion hadn’t moved. “It’s all right, Julia. Do as they say.” He reached out and pulled the clothes toward them.

  They got dressed under the blanket, mainly due to their modesty. It was slow going and rather difficult, but at last Danal threw the blanket back and climbed to his feet. His clothes were askew and his hair was disheveled, but he was properly covered. Julia also got to her feet, but she looked much worse than the prince, as her long hair was rather wild looking. Julia looked both embarrassed and scared and she kept her eyes down.

  Danal looked from Cassandra to Dagan to the man standing behind them. Dagan and Cassandra he recognized, but not the man at the other end of the aisle; he was pretty sure he had never seen the man before. He turned back to Dagan. “Why are you here, Dagan?”

  Dagan grinned in a most unpleasant way. “My dear prince, we need your help to save the kingdom.”

  Some time later, Danal leaned against the bookshelf and rubbed his eyes. His eyes ached, and he could tell that a massive headache was coming on. He had been talking to Dagan and Cassandra for nearly an hour now, but he was still as confused as when they started, perhaps even a bit more so.

  He looked up and met Dagan’s gaze. “So, Flare is trying to restore the Dragon Order, but he’s not the only one.” In response to this, Dagan only nodded slowly. “There are two such people, and Flare’s the better option than the other?” Once again, Dagan nodded. “And the church has taught some of its own to use magic and sorcery, while at the same time wielding a sword?”

  Dagan sucked in a deep breath and nodded yet again. “That’s all true, and you can see why we need to inform your father.”

  Danal shook his head, not sure what to believe. “I think my father wouldn’t listen for a moment. He’d have you arrested and you’d be telling this insanity to the interrogators.”

  “I doubt that,” Cassandra replied. “If word of our arrival got out, then that fool Angaria would make sure the high priest knew. Once that happened, we’d be turned over for the church to question.”

  “Perhaps,” Danal conceded, “but you’d still be questioned by interrogators, wouldn’t you?”

  There was a bit of heat in Danal’s tone and it surprised Dagan. The prince he had remembered was meek and shy, but this prince was a bit more challenging. “You’ve changed.”

  Both Cassandra and Danal looked to the old sorcerer. “I had to,” Danal said after a moment. “This last year has been a bit trying.”

  Dagan nodded but didn’t reply right away. His eyes flicked to Julia, who stood just behind Danal, almost appearing to hide in his shadow. The girl looked frightened and it was hard to blame her; the mere mention of Kelcer was enough to frighten both young children and old soldiers. They hadn’t just mentioned Kelcer, but said the church was full of rubbish in its interpretation of the old prophecy; the girl had a right to be afraid.

  Danal noticed Dagan observing Julia and the prince stepped to his left, helping to hide the girl a bit more.

  The boy has changed, Dagan thought and then he tilted his head to the side as he considered something else. The girl is more than just a plaything to him. That thought made something else occur to him.

  “Why are you two meeting here?” Dagan asked suddenly. “Why aren’t you in your chambers?” Danal looked confused first, then slightly embarrassed. “Why aren’t you carrying on in the luxury of a prince’s chamber?” Dagan persisted.

  There was no mistaking it now; Danal looked angry, and there was something else too, perhaps embarrassment. Julia’s eyes just dropped to the floor again.

  “Does your father not approve of his son taking an interest in a commoner?” Cassandra asked bluntly.

  Danal’s chin rose and he glowered at the magic user. “No, he did not approve.”

  “That’s strange,” Dagan replied. “I personally know that the king has had his share of dalliances with the palace staff. Why would he object to you doing the same?”

  Danal didn’t answer, but Cassandra had already worked out the answer. “You think you’re in love, don’t you?” she asked, trying hard to hide the grin and failing.

  “You sound just like my father,” Danal answered. “He called me a foolish child and said royal marriages are for the good of the kingdom and not for one’s happiness.”

  “Marriage!” Dagan said rather loudly. “Now I understand why you two are meeting like this. If you mentioned marriage to your father, I can only imagine he forbade you from seeing this young lady again.”

  “And what if he has?” Danal asked angrily. “I don’t see how it much matters to you.”

  Dagan turned red and sucked in air. There was a scowl on his face and he looked like he was about to give Danal a tongue lashing. Luckily Cassandra spoke first.

  “Perhaps we can use this to our advantage.”

  Her words caught both Dagan and Danal by surprise; Dagan even seemed to deflate. He shook his head and asked, “What are you talking about?”

  “It seems straightforward to me,” she said, smiling sweetly at Danal. “We have Prince Danal send a message to the king that he has gotten young Julia her
e pregnant. I’m quite sure that will bring the king at a run.”

  Danal paled at her suggestion, but Dagan smiled wickedly. “I love it,” he said.

  “Wait!” Danal interjected. “Why would I do that? Why would I help you?”

  “We’ve already told you the reasons,” Dagan said slowly, “but there’s more to it than that. There’s something wrong in Telur. I cannot believe that Darion has been this deceived by the church; there has to be more to it.”

  Danal opened his mouth to deny Dagan’s charge, but he paused. His thoughts went back to Barrett being named Crown Prince. It hadn’t made any sense at the time and it still didn’t; he had wondered about it on several occasions. He had also been suspicious of the hunting accident that had taken the life of his older brother and the rightful heir, Prince Darius. He closed his mouth with a snap; not daring to say anything.

  Dagan didn’t say anything either, instead he grinned knowingly at the Prince.

  After a moment Danal recovered some and he looked from Dagan to Cassandra; he looked near to panic and he suddenly resembled the old prince that Dagan remembered. “You want me to tell him that tonight?”

  Suppressing a chuckle, Cassandra shook her head. “No, we’re not ready.”

  “And I don’t think we should meet him here,” Dagan said, waving his hands around at the library. “I think perhaps we should invite him tomorrow and we’ll be waiting in your quarters.”

  Danal looked like he might be sick at any moment.

  “Oh come now, Danal,” Cassandra said, “if we knew you were secretly meeting here, then surely the king knew.”

  This didn’t seem to help Danal’s queasiness. He shook his head. “Absolutely not! If he knew we were still …” he paused and waved his hand at the blankets on the floor, “he would have put a stop to it.” He leaned back against the bookshelf and dropped his eyes to the floor.

  “No,” Dagan answered, “what he did was scare you and put a stop to any talk of marriage. I’m quite sure he doesn’t mind you and her having a bit of fun.” He tilted his head to one side and smiled wickedly at Danal, “But I’m also sure he will not appreciate that his first known grandson is a bastard.”

  Cassandra was only half-listening to Dagan taunt the prince; she had a more worrisome question on her mind. “Will you help us, Danal?”

  The prince looked up from the floor and some of the earlier fire was back. “And your plan is to talk to him, to show him this priest? Is that all?”

  “You have our word that we will not hurt your father,” Cassandra said; she spoke slowly, putting emphasis on each word. “If the king wants to arrest us after hearing us, we won’t resist.” She absolutely meant the part about not hurting the king, but the second part, the part about not resisting, well, they would have to wait and see.

  If Danal suspected that Cassandra wasn’t being completely honest with him, he didn’t show it. After a moment he said, “All right, but we have some planning to do.”

  Dagan nodded and sighed. He hadn’t realized just how much depended on the prince, and he had no idea what they would have done if Danal had refused to help.

  Chapter 9

  Keenan walked slowly up the hill toward the abbey’s gates. He was nervous about entering the abbey. Though no one at the abbey should have any reason to recognize him, he was traveling with Kara. He glanced over at the former cleric of the Church of Adel, but she took no notice of him; her eyes were focused on the abbey at the top of the hill.

  In truth, Keenan had been surprised that his partner in this pilgrimage was Kara. He had expected Leela to go with him. There had been a quiet but very tense discussion about the plan last night; Leela was fine going or staying, but Kara had been insistent that she go with Keenan. It was the most fire the woman had shown in some time. As a former member of the clergy, she would undoubtedly be able to spot things that Keenan and the others wouldn’t even notice. The problem was that since she was a former member of the clergy, it might be easier for the guards to recognize her as one of the outlaw Guardians.

  Derek’s main objection was that she was too easy to recognize, and since the abbey guarded one of the four Kelcer signs, the guards would be alert. Kara wouldn’t listen to reason, and so they had turned to Enstorion. As usual, the mage had been listening to their discussions but not actually involved in them. Kara had asked if he could help alter her appearance, and his answer had been a nod and a cruel smile.

  At the time, Keenan had not understood the elf’s smile, but as he cast a quick glance at Kara again, he understood it perfectly now.

  Kara did not look like herself anymore. She walked slightly bent over, and her back looked deformed and had a small hump. Her blond hair had gone half-white. Her skin resembled that of a seventy-year-old woman; the skin was wrinkly and loose around her neck. Numerous lines and wrinkles covered her face, as did several ugly swollen boils.

  Enstorion had spent the entire night working on several potions; potions which had done this to Kara. The poor girl had cried when she had seen her reflection in a mirror, but the mage had said it would wear off — eventually.

  Initially, Keenan had thought her horrible appearance would draw the eye and attract unwanted attention. He knew better now; the path to the abbey was crowded, and while not everyone looked like Kara, there were quite a few who did.

  He had to admit that not only had the elf given Kara an unbelievable disguise, but he had also given them the perfect reason for traveling to the abbey.

  “Quit staring at me,” Kara said.

  Keenan started, just now realizing that she had finally pulled her eyes from the abbey and was watching him as he watched her. “My apologies,” he said.

  He looked back to their destination, the Abbey of Enlightenment. The abbey sat atop a small hill, just to the north of the Elem. A twelve-foot wall formed a rectangular enclosure around the abbey and ran east to west for nearly a quarter of a mile; the portion of the wall that ran north to south was slightly shorter. The wall was not built to withstand a determined siege, but more to keep out unwanted visitors. A small structure was built at each of the four corners of the wall, rather like a small tower, and it was intended as a guard’s station. Directly in front of them, at the end of the path, was an enormous two-door gate. The doors swung outward and were made of wood banded by iron straps. Both doors currently stood open. The gate was not centered in the wall, but instead was near the southeast corner.

  There was a steady stream of people going in and out through the gates of the abbey. Many were going in for the temple services; there would be many such services throughout the week. He and Kara did not plan on attending a service, but instead they planned on taking a quick look at the interior arrangement of the abbey and then they would be on their way.

  Keenan glanced off to the left of the path; this part of the hill was sloped and covered in thick grass that came halfway to the knee. Most of the grass was trampled now, as many of the pilgrims had slept on the hillside. A very precious few had stretched a covering over poles to give themselves a sort of tent, but most just slept under the stars. Fools, Keenan thought. They were sure to get wet as it rained just about every afternoon. Some of the pilgrims had remained with their precious belongings, letting their travel companions enter the abbey first. The world is full of thieves, Keenan thought, even among pilgrims.

  As they got closer to the gates, the cries of merchants could be heard, and Keenan’s lip curled in disgust. While it was true that the visitors to the abbey would need to buy supplies, he found it disgusting that some would hawk food and other wares directly in front of a temple.

  At last it was their turn to pass through the gates. Keenan felt his stomach tighten as they passed through the abbey walls and into the abbey proper. He took a calming breath and looked around at the abbey’s layout. Directly across the courtyard was a low building with a sloped roof that ran along the entire length of the northern wall and appeared to be storehouses. To his left, which would be west,
sat the temple. It wasn’t grand in the least, being just a two-story building with an attached bell tower. To the north, south, and west of the temple were numerous small buildings that had to be the living quarters for the priests and guards. These priests, it would appear, were indeed living an ascetic life; there were precious few pleasures available here. There were also a few nicer-looking buildings against the southern wall, and Keenan guessed these were guest apartments for when the abbey had important visitors.

  In the middle of the large courtyard was an ornate stone fountain. The fountain basin was a good ten yards across and nearly overflowing with water. Directly in the middle of the basin stood a stone statue of Adel — his arms were thrown wide and his head pulled back. A constant stream of water shot from the statue’s mouth in an arc that ended in the basin. A priest stood near the edge of the basin and was scooping up water with a wooden cup; if a pilgrim threw an offering into the fountain, the priest would bless the water and dump it on the pilgrim’s head. There was a line waiting for the blessing.

  “Move along,” a deep voice called out.

  With a start, Keenan realized he had stopped just inside the gate to stare and the gate guards were watching him. He smiled and dipped his head. He started forward again and caught up with Kara; she hadn’t been fool enough to stop and gawk.

  They started off westerly, toward the temple. The courtyard was full of milling pilgrims, but most were gathered around the fountain or near the temple.

  Keenan scanned the buildings again as they walked. He cast a quick glance around, and then whispered, “Do you think maybe it’s in one of the storerooms?”

  Kara looked to her right, toward the northern wall; after a moment she shook her head. “No, that’s too obvious.”

  Keenan looked at the living quarters that were on past the temple, but he couldn’t imagine the shield being hid in any of them. That left only two options: either the shield was in an underground hidden room, or it was in the temple.