by Renee Duke
“Taken them? As in, kidnapped?”
He nodded vigorously.
This brought a gasp from Arlyne, who, along with Jip and Kirsty had sprung out of bed to join us. “Are you sure? Challa’s wandered away before and had everyone in a panic looking for her.”
“Not lugging Kadi she hasn’t. She’s not big enough to take him far.”
“Jagri is,” said Kirsty. “He could pack a bairn a fair way.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t. Come on. The search is being co-ordinated from the Royal Guardsmen’s command centre. I’ll tell you more on the way down there.”
Members of the Cholarian royal family always have a Royal Guardsman stationed outside their personal quarters. Always. Day and night. But as we raced along behind Simon we learned the Guardsman on duty outside Taz and Vostia’s apartment had been lured away.
Challa had dodged Guardsmen before, so when this one heard her voice and turned to see her running round a corner at the end of the corridor, he assumed she had somehow slipped past him and went to fetch her. As soon as he got to the corner, he was knocked out and lay unconscious for some time. When he came to, he immediately staggered back towards the nursery, yelling, “Security breach. Security breach,” into his wrist communicator.
Simon knew this because he’s a light sleeper and heard the call when it went through to the Guardsman outside Mardis and Zovia’s quarters. That Guardsman had to stay at his post lest there be any danger to the royal personages he was responsible for, but upon being woken, those royal personages told him to go to the aid of his comrade. When he thundered off, they followed in his wake. As did Simon. I would imagine he was told to stay where he was, but there would have been no chance of that.
Taz and Vostia were light sleepers too. Their first thought being for their children, they got to the nursery almost before the injured Guardsman did. Inside, the children’s beds were empty and Lyetta and Keza so sound asleep it was obvious they’d been drugged. By the time Simon and the others arrived, an urgent, but due to concerns for the children’s safety, discreet, palace-wide, to city-wide, to-planet-wide search was being launched.
“I thought you guys would want to know,” said Simon.
“You thought right,” I assured him.
Located on the ground floor of the palace, the Royal Guardsmen’s command centre was the domain of Chief Royal Guardsman Rupin. Outside it, a lot of the palace staff were milling around eager for news. Significant developments in the kidnapping were sure to be reported to Taz first and they knew he, Vostia, Lyetta, and Keza were in the command centre conferring with Chief Rupin and members of Taz’s Personal Advisory Council. The latter were all trusted friends and relatives, some of whom also served on the larger Supreme Council.
The first significant development came about half an hour later.
“A ransom demand,” a woman near the door relayed to everyone behind her. “They’ve received a ransom demand.” She paused a moment, then went on, sounding puzzled. “But it is for Keza’s children. Not the little prince and princess.” She listened some more. “Keza is crying. The sum is far beyond her.” More listening. “His Majesty says he will pay it and—”
She broke off and quickly moved aside as a grim-faced Sub-Ruler Tolith came barrelling out of the office. He was the Royal Financier and presumably on his way to sort out the ransom.
Chief Rupin followed him out and spoke to the crowd.
“Please go about your business. My men have already questioned the palace personnel who work in or near the royal nursery and will soon be questioning the rest of you as well. It will be easier for them if you are all in your regular places. I know you are anxious about the missing children, but we are doing everything possible to find them. We have just received some information regarding the Vedetian children, and I will share that with you before you disperse. The person who contacted us said they were unharmed and being held at a location he is prepared to divulge upon receiving sizeable recompense. This will be delivered to him and the children safely recovered. As I am sure the royal children will be once this first demand has been satisfactorily met.”
Cholarians love children, and while the kidnapping had shocked them to the core, I doubt if any of the ones listening to the chief’s reassurances believed even the most hardened of Cholarian criminals could ever bring themselves to hurt children. The confirmation of an offer for their safe return in exchange for ransom money was viewed as proof against intentions too awful to contemplate, and most of those present were willing to take comfort from it and go about their business as requested.
We weren’t, and were still there when Chief Rupin left his second-in-command in charge of the search and repaired to the palace’s receiving room with Taz and most of the Advisory Council.
Catching sight of us, Taz stopped. “Do you happen to know if Mr. Skoko is still on Cholar?” he asked Jip.
“Yes. He was planning to take a bit of a holiday here.”
“Please find him,” Taz said to a Royal Guardsman. “I have benefitted from his services in the past and might have to call upon them again.”
He moved on without saying anything more. But Cholarians are not ones for burdening the young with what they consider adult concerns. If anyone had noticed us when we crept up into the receiving room’s balcony we’d probably have been shooed away. Fortunately, they were too preoccupied. We thus managed to hear everything.
Vostia, Keza, and Lyetta had elected to stay in the command centre, but everyone else followed Taz into the chamber in which he gave audiences to anyone wanting to gain the royal ear. This ofttimes involved large groups, so it was quite spacious and the long table in the middle had comfortable chairs around it. Once Taz was seated, the rest of them — Chief Rupin, Verim, Ezrias, Trithox, Prince Mardis, Princess Zovia, Sub-Ruler Tolith, three other Sub-Rulers, a Crown Councilman and a Crown Councilwoman — sat too.
For a while, they just went over the night’s events, which didn’t tell us much more than we already knew. Then the Crown Councilwoman, Ophala, by name, posed a disturbing question.
“Did you have any kind of premonition last night, Your Majesty? Something indicative of hostile intentions?”
Taz shook his head. “Nothing beyond a minor feeling of unease. I put it down to concern over the damage the storm might cause and the potential danger to those caught out in it.”
“But instead, it was members of your family who were in danger. The Ring of Beom supposedly bestowed upon you the ability to sense treachery. Should you not then have had something more than a minor feeling of unease?”
“Yes. Yes, I should,” Taz said pensively. “I wonder why I did not.”
I’d been wondering that too. The power to sense harmful plots and identify those involved was one of the most important powers the ring possessed. Supreme Rulers had always been able to rely on it for foreknowledge of any threat to the throne, and the abduction of royal heirs must surely have qualified as a threat to the throne.
Ezrias spoke up. “That ability primarily pertains to people who took the Oath of Loyalty to you at your coronation, Your Majesty. Sub-Rulers, Crown Councilmembers, non-immediate family members, Royal Guardsmen, and others in a position to rise up against you. And people in the palace who have free access to you, such as attendants and palace workers.”
“Yes, but I wear the ring at all times and in the past, it has perceived even unintentional dangers others posed to me and my immediate family. Such as the workman whose tool fell during palace restorations just as we would have walked beneath him. The ring signalled me in the fashion it employs at such times, I steered everyone in a different direction, and the tool fell without harming anyone.”
“But you had no such signal this time. An unprecedented lapse that could lead to trouble,” said Crown Councilwoman Ophala. “Trouble beyond concerns for the safety of the prince and princess.”
“Elaborate,” said Verim.
“Those who opposed the succession of Supreme Ruler
Taziol lost their bid to replace him. But not their desire. They might be tempted to try again if they could seize upon something like this to stir up discontent. The Ring of Beom is the Supreme Ruler’s primary symbol of authority. If it has failed him, people could be led to think it has withdrawn its support.”
Now that hadn’t occurred to me. Or to anyone until she brought it up. Nor could anyone think of an explanation, even though it remained the main topic of conversation until Mr. Skoko arrived.
“You have been told what occurred here last night?” Taz asked as the diminutive Ralgonian hoisted himself onto a chair.
Mr. Skoko nodded. “Your Guardsman gave me all the details, Your Majesty, and I will gladly help you in any way I can. As an intergalactic guardian, I have often been called upon to deal with kidnappings.”
“Did you retrieve the victims unharmed?” Zovia wanted to know.
“Completely unharmed. My record for safeguarding those I’ve been engaged to protect is — for the most part — unblemished.” Though no one else had noticed us up in the balcony, he had, and shot a glare in our direction. “I am good at my job and ready and willing to assist you in bringing about the safe return of Princess Challa and Prince Kadian. A ransom demand for the other children has, I understand, already been received.”
“It has, and is set to be paid, upon royal command, two hours from now,” Tolith said, coming in and taking a seat. “A direct transfer of funds between His Majesty’s personal account and an account the abductor has designated. A transfer we must not monitor. Should he detect any tracing activity — any whatsoever — he said he would immediately abandon his position and make sure Keza’s children suffered the consequences of our treachery.”
“A standard demand,” said Mr. Skoko. “And a standard threat.”
“A threat we will take seriously,” said Taz. “This ransom payment is undoubtedly a test. If the transfer of it goes smoothly a similar though likely much more substantial one for Challa and Kadian is sure to follow. It, too, shall be paid in accordance with the kidnappers’ wishes. Time enough to apprehend the perpetrators of this heinous crime when the children are all safely back home.”
“How did they come to be taken from home, Your Majesty?” Trithox asked. “Your palace is heavily guarded, both by soldiers and a highly efficient surveillance system.”
“At one point last night, that system was not in operation,” said Verim. “But only briefly. We experienced a power cut, a result, it was thought, of the storm.”
“But obviously was not,” said Mr. Skoko. “And while the storm was going on, the guards out in the palace grounds might not been overly zealous about carrying out their patrols. Intruders could have slipped in during the supposed outage, hidden somewhere until they were ready to make their move and —”
“Not so,” Chief Rupin snapped. “Royal Guardsmen do not shirk their duty because of inclement weather. My men were all at their posts and made their usual rounds.”
“The inner guards were being equally vigilant?”
“Yes.”
“Then, for the kidnappers to have made it past all of them, they must have had inside help.”
Taz dismissed the notion. “All those who serve in the palace are loyal to me.”
“Loyalties can change if enough monetary incentive is offered. Your succession to the throne was not without controversy. There might still be people who object to it.”
“A point Crown Councilwoman Ophala has already brought up,” said Verim. “She also expressed concern this faction would take the disappearance of the royal children as proof the sacred Ring of Beom has reservations about the current monarch’s fitness to rule. The ring is supposed to sense the base intentions of those wishing to overthrow or cause harm to a Supreme Ruler and convey a warning. On this occasion, it did not.”
“Its acuity might be restricted to Cholarians,” said Mr. Skoko. “Back in the days of Beom, space flight was not even a concept. Cholar was still isolated, and no one, including the old crone who enchanted the ring, knew other races even existed, let alone that they could come here. Is your ring as efficacious when it comes to treachery from non-Cholarians, Your Majesty?”
“I…I don’t really know.” Taz looked inquiringly at Ezrias.
The historian frowned. “It should be, but, historically, that has never been tested. The ring mostly perceives the good or bad intentions of people in or close to the royal family. People who hold government positions, or whose work brings them near the Supreme Ruler, such as the palace staff, tradesmen, and other regular visitors. Aliens have never held positions in our government and, other than dignitaries on state business, have never visited the palace on a regular basis.”
“Until now,” said Trithox. “Now I, and several of the immigrants His Majesty travelled to Cholar with, enjoy royal friendship and/or patronage and do have access to the palace.”
“I doubt you helped abduct my children,” Taz said tersely.
“Indeed not, Your Majesty. But Alcavia’s AUP-backed government viewed me, and most of the other Alcavians you met, as troublemakers. And the AUP-backed governments of some of our fellow travellers were equally distrustful of them. It is possible we had a spy aboard, placed there to discover if any of us planned to go on fomenting rebellion from our new home. A spy who, having successfully masqueraded as an immigrant, could have remained on Cholar and gone to work for your enemies.”
“Was there anyone you were suspicious of, Mr. Trithox?” inquired Mr. Skoko, who, had he been there, would doubtless have been suspicious of everyone.
“Perhaps. It was only a feeling, but…well, there was an immigrant from your world I did not much care for. A Ralgonian by the name of Dalgo.”
If Ralgonians had eyebrows (they don’t), Mr. Skoko’s would have shot up. “Dalgo? Dalgo! Well, there’s your answer.”
He jumped off his chair and hurried over to Taz. “Blag Dalgo is the name most often used by a tricky fellow whose real one is Lurm Olavo. Infiltrating subversive groups is his specialty. After getting friendly with the members, he reports back to their governments about their upcoming activities. Last I heard, he was working for the government of Miv, so I expect he was on that ship to keep tabs on the immigrants from there, all of whom would have been considered subversives. Miv’s leaders have, like the corrupt leaders of several AUP-member worlds, since been overthrown, so Dalgo is not likely to have had much infiltration work coming his way of late. But he is far too enterprising to not be finding other ways to build up his bank account. And while I must admit to being rather fond of legal tender in all its forms myself, there are limits to what I am willing to do to get it. He will do most anything.”
Verim whipped out a pocket computer and consulted it. “All the immigrants who came here with the Supreme Ruler were granted citizenship, including the one calling himself Blag Dalgo. But he did not remain on Cholar. He returned to Ralgon shortly after the coronation. And as he was not among those who received additional royal favour, he would not have been able to gain access to the palace even if he had stayed.”
“He would if he had an accomplice. Perhaps an immigrant whose friendship he cultivated en route to here.” Mr. Skoko turned his attention back to Trithox. “Were there any weak-willed types amongst the people with whom Dalgo interacted? Someone he could have duped or intimidated? Someone who did receive royal favour and might now frequent the palace?”
Trithox thought for a moment. “I did see a young Jorthoan named Brizerom here the last time I visited. He was on the ship with us. I did not know him well, but still stopped to converse. I believe he said he was a computer programmer and has been working in the palace’s central control room for some time now.”
“Making him a familiar face at the palace and in a position to sabotage the security monitors.” Taz touched a buzzer on the table and a Royal Guardsman instantly appeared. “Find the Jorthoan computer programmer named Brizerom and bring him here.”
Chapter Six
&nbs
p; “This Dalgo fellow sounds like someone former Crown Councilman — now Citizen-In-Exile — Drazok would employ,” Tolith said as the Royal Guardsman hurried out. “But Drazok’s safely immured on Prexath, so at least he couldn’t have been involved.”
Though I couldn’t tell from where I was, I think Mr. Skoko’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure? There has been no report of him escaping from Prexath?”
“No one escapes from Prexath,” said Verim. “The only way on or off the planet is by spaceship, and those are kept off-world at the space station inhabited by the Superintendent and his staff. They are primarily for emergency evacuation and can only be enabled from Cholar.”
“What about supply ships? Or do they all just fend for themselves?”
“By and large, yes. Some of the land around the colony is arable enough to grow food, and each inmate has a rudimentary but adequate shelter. All of them received instruction in the making and mending of fundamental items such as clothing and are, of course, provided with any medications they require.”
“Anyone seriously ill or injured is temporarily taken up to the space station to be treated by the military doctor serving a tour of duty there,” Ezrias put in. “Ships docked at the station are released for that purpose too. As well as to convey visitors and new prisoners down to the colony, pick up ones who have served out their sentences, and deliver shipments of comfort packages provided by friends and relatives. Or, if a prisoner has none, various charitable organizations. During any ship’s visit, electronic barriers keep prisoners back from the landing area until the task at hand has been accomplished and heavily-armed guards oversee the operation to ensure there are no breaches. The ship then departs, and the prisoners are released to go about their usual activities.”
“Comfort packages? The arrival of those must lead to some vicious fights,” Mr. Skoko commented.
“If violent offenders were kept there, that might be so,” Verim replied. “The criminals serving sentences on Prexath are not considered violent, though some, like Citizen-In-Exile Drazok, were perfectly willing to have others commit violence at their behest. Violent offenders are housed at facilities here on Cholar. Some have mental issues better dealt with through treatment of their disorders. Others are merely reacting to unfortunate life circumstances and can be taught better ways of handling their troubles.”