When they rode into Whispering Pines the following Tuesday, Rigel and Kitridge left Doreen and Zara at the inn while they took the horses to the livery stable. After they tied all four horses out front, they went in search of the blacksmith. They found him out back filling feed buckets.
“What can I do for you?” the blacksmith asked as they walked up.
“We’d like to board four horses for the night,” Kitridge said. “Do you have room for them?”
“If you don’t mind leaving them in the paddock until I get the stalls cleaned,” the blacksmith said. “I had to change out a wagon wheel for a couple of salesmen. Just finished getting the new one on an hour ago so I’m running behind right now.”
Rigel and Kitridge looked at each other. “Are they still in town?” Kitridge asked. “I’d hate for my wife to spot them before I get back. She’s always looking for something to buy and our bags are about full. Much more and I’ll have to buy a wagon myself.”
The blacksmith chuckled. “Then you’re in luck. They pulled out headed for Tylerville as soon as we got the wheel fixed. I told them there’s no way they’ll make it by nightfall, but they said they’d make camp along the way. Four horses?”
“Only two this afternoon. We dropped our wives off at the inn, but we’re not ready to call it a day yet. Can we drop ours off later?”
“Sure. If I’m not around, put them in the paddock and stick your tack in the shed.”
“Thank you,” Rigel said as he and Kitridge turned to go.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Kitridge asked, “Are you up for a little moonlight ride tonight?”
“Absolutely, but what about Doreen and Zara?”
“Things could get rough if this doesn’t go according to plan. I’d rather Zara stay here, where I know she’ll be safe.”
Rigel nodded. “I feel the same way, but I have my doubts Doreen will go along with that. I have a feeling she’ll want to be there.”
Kitridge glanced over at Rigel. “Am I missing something? Is there something I don’t know?”
Rigel took a deep breath. “A few years ago Doreen was captured by slavers and there’s a chance Mikos might have been connected to them.”
“As in one of them?”
Rigel shook his head. “As far as we know, he never took part in any of the raids. He only provided transportation, but he may have been the one who took her to Landoryn. I have a feeling she’ll want to be there when Myron captures him.”
“Can’t really blame her.”
“No, but I’d rather she stay here with Zara.”
As they dismounted at the inn, Kitridge asked, “Want to leave after dinner?”
Rigel nodded. “But I need to talk to Doreen first. Give me an hour?”
Kitridge nodded. “Meet you in the tavern.”
When Rigel got to the room, he’d barely made it inside when Doreen asked, “What happened?”
“What?”
“Something’s happened,” Doreen said, hands on her hips. “What is it?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I know you.”
Rigel sighed. “We think we might be able to get Mikos and Devron tonight.”
“You know where they are?”
“According to the local blacksmith, he changed out a wheel on their wagon today, so they didn’t leave until right before we got here. They told him their next stop was Tylerville but since they were leaving so late, they’d make camp somewhere along the way.”
“So what’s the plan?”
“Kitridge and I head out after dinner, and when we get close enough to be sure we have their camp spotted, I’ll go get Myron. The rest is up to him.”
“What about Zara and me?”
“We want you to stay here.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want you getting hurt if things get rough.”
“What about you? What if you get hurt? Who’ll be there to take care of you?”
Rigel shook his head. “This is what I’m trained for. I’ll be fine. Besides, all I’m going to do is find them and then go get Myron. But if anything should happen, it’ll be easier to handle if I only have to watch out for one other person. If I have to watch out for you too, I’ll be too distracted and we may all end up hurt.”
Doreen sighed. “All right, I’ll stay, but you better not get hurt!” When Rigel frowned, she asked, “What?”
“You’re not going to fight me on this?”
“Would it do any good?”
“No, but I thought you’d argue with me, that you’d want to be there to see him get captured.”
For a moment Doreen didn’t say anything. Then she shrugged. “I don’t really care anymore. To be honest, I hope you don’t find them.”
“Why?”
“Because if you do, it’s over. We’ll have to go home, and I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m having fun. I’ve enjoyed being with you and being able to be open about it. As much as I like Milhaven, I hate the idea of going back to the way we were, to you going back up to the castle when it’s time to go to bed. I like having you in my bed. I like waking up with you beside me, I like spending my day with you. I don’t want this to end. I know it has to, but I’m selfish, so the whole time you’re gone, I’ll be sitting here hoping you don’t find them.”
Rigel grinned. “And there’s a part of me that will be right there with you, hoping we got the wrong information for the same reason, but even if this ends tonight, we’re not going back to the way we were, at least not completely. We’ll figure out something.” Rigel took a deep breath and stroked her arms. “We don’t have to meet Kitridge and Zara for an hour. Let’s make good use of that time.”
~~~~
Shortly before sunset, Rigel and Kitridge rode out of town headed towards Tylerville. Once they were a few miles out, Kitridge asked, “Did you have much trouble convincing Doreen to stay put?”
“Not as much as I expected. What about Zara?”
Kitridge shook his head. “She’s afraid I’ll get hurt, but other than that I think she’s looking forward to a quiet evening on her own.”
“Here’s hoping ours is quiet, too.”
“And successful,” Kitridge said under his breath.
A few miles later Rigel asked, “How far do you think they traveled before making camp?”
“It gets dark in these woods pretty fast once the sun goes down, so I figure they stopped before sunset. I’d say they were on the road maybe three hours.”
“And we’ve been following them for about one.”
Kitridge nodded. “So how do you want to handle it when we catch up to them?”
“I want to sneak up on them, make sure it’s them, and then go get Myron before they know we’re there.”
Kitridge frowned. “And when that plan doesn’t work?”
“If we can’t sneak up on them, I thought we’d ride into their camp and ask directions to somewhere, maybe Lander's Point. We could say we’re hoping to sign on with one of the boat crews.”
“I’ve never heard of Lander's Point.”
“It’s about a day’s ride southwest of here. Cryslyn got us on a boat that docked there so no one would wonder how we got there, and it gave us a good reason to buy horses and tack.”
Kitridge nodded. “We can use that.”
“But I still think our best bet’s to sneak up on them.”
“If we’re lucky,” Kitridge said.
A couple of hours later, Kitridge reached out to touch Rigel’s arm. When Rigel turned towards him, he put his finger across his lips and motioned to a small clearing on the side of the road. They rode into the clearing, dismounted, and tethered their horses.
“They shouldn’t be much farther,” Kitridge whispered. “If you want to sneak up on them, we should walk from here.”
Rigel nodded and followed Kitridge back to the road. They walked for nearly an hour before they saw the soft glow of a camp
fire a hundred yards off the side of the road. Rigel motioned for Kitridge to stop and silently mouthed, “Stay put.”
Kitridge nodded and faded into the shadow of a tree.
The pine needles on the forest floor helped Rigel creep up on the camp. When he was close enough to have a good view, he slipped behind a big tree and watched. As luck would have it, both men were seated with their backs to him so he settled in to wait.
Half an hour later, the men had moved around enough that he had no doubt that they matched the sketches he’d seen. Rigel carefully made his way back to the road and motioned for Kitridge to follow him.
They walked back down the road until they were about half a mile from the camp. Then Rigel whispered, “I’m going to get Myron, but when I turn this key, there’ll be a flash of light. If they’re who we think they are, they’ll recognize the flash if they see it and take off. I need to find a place to hide.”
A few minutes later, they found a thick grove of cypress trees on the edge of a bog. Rigel hated the thought of crouching down in that mess, but if he could get to the middle of the trees, he’d be shielded. Before he stepped into the mire, he whispered, “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Myron will want to go straight to their camp though.”
Kitridge nodded and whispered, “I’ll go keep an eye on things. If they take off, at least I’ll know which way they went.”
Rigel worked his way through the muck until he felt completely hidden. Then he crouched down and turned the key.
A couple of moments later, he was in the clearing in front of the guards’ barracks. He knocked on the door.
Before he finished knocking, Kort opened it and said, “Rigel! When did you get back? And why are you knocking?”
Rigel pointed towards his clothes. “I’m too filthy to come in, but I need Myron. Would you send someone to let him know I’m here?”
Kort turned towards the back and called out, “Brandon, go let Rupert know Rigel’s back and needs to see Myron.” After Brandon left, Kort asked, “Do you need anything else?”
Rigel started to shake his head but then glanced down at himself. “Maybe some clean clothes and dry boots.”
Half an hour later, the chimes were hanging from Kevin’s balcony, Chris was snoozing on the couch in Kevin’s room in case King Merdin arrived, Rigel had cleaned up and was in the sorcerer’s office with Kevin, and Gen. Crandal was preparing for two prisoners.
“Ready?” Kevin asked as he put his hand on Rigel’s arm.
“How close do you want me to take you?”
“As close as possible.”
Rigel nodded and turned the key.
Moments later they were standing at the edge of the clearing where Mikos and Devron had set up camp. The campfire was near the center of the clearing, the wagon was to their right, and the horses were tethered on the far left side, but there was no sign of either man.
Rigel stood motionless while Kevin used his seeing eye to scan the area. He spotted Mikos at the back of the wagon fiddling in one of the wooden boxes.
Kevin motioned towards the wagon and held up one finger. Rigel nodded, pointed to himself, then the wagon, and raised his eyebrows. When Kevin nodded, Rigel slowly made his way to the wagon and then bent down and crept along the side until he was a couple of feet from the back. From where he stood, he could see Mikos’s feet.
Meanwhile Kevin kept scanning in ever widening circles, searching for Devron. He spotted him near the creek filling a kettle with water. Kevin watched as he stood up and started back towards the camp.
Kevin waited until Devron was back in the clearing before he stepped out of the shadows. “Good evening, Devron. We’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
Devron’s jaw dropped as the kettle hit the ground.
Kevin shook his head. “Now your kettle’s dirty. Sorry about that. Mikos? Why don’t you come out from behind the wagon and join us?”
Mikos stepped out and looked at Kevin for a moment. “Who are you?”
“I’m sorry. How rude of me. I’m Myron, the Sorcerer of Camden. And the man standing behind you is Rigel, one of my guards.”
Mikos jerked around and came face to face with a grinning Rigel.
Rigel tilted his head towards Kevin and twirled his finger in a silent command to turn back around.
“You said you’ve been looking for us?” Devron asked.
Before Kevin had a chance to answer, Mikos blurted out, “How do you know our names?”
Kevin nodded. “A friend of mine from Bridgeport asked me to see if I could locate you. Something about a shipment you were supposed to pick up there.”
Mikos frowned. “Couldn’t Carson answer his questions?”
“Carson didn’t know anything about that particular shipment. So if you’ll come with me, I’m sure we can sort this out.”
“Now?” Mikos asked. “It’s midnight!”
“Actually, it’s closer to one, but since we’re all up…”
“Where are you planning to take us?” Devron asked. “Back to Bridgeport?”
“No, we’re going to Milhaven.”
Mikos shook his head. “We can’t just up and leave. What about our wagon and horses?”
Kevin tilted his head towards Rigel. “He’ll see to your stuff while you’re gone.”
Mikos and Devron looked at each other. Devron raised his eyebrows in question. Mikos shrugged, then looked at Kevin. “I get the feeling we don’t have a lot of choice.”
“I’m glad you understand.” Kevin stepped next to Devron and put his hand on his shoulder as Rigel put his hand on Mikos’s. Then they both turned their keys and went straight to the jail in Milhaven.
Gen. Crandal was waiting when they got there. “Their cells are ready. Shall we take it from here?”
Kevin nodded, then looked at Mikos and Devron. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”
“In jail?!” Mikos asked.
“Sorry, but the castle’s full tonight,” Kevin answered.
Gen. Crandal nodded to the soldiers standing behind Mikos and Devron. “If you’ll follow them, they’ll show you to your cells,”
Rigel, who was biting his lip to keep from laughing, stepped to the side, out of the way. After Mikos and Devron were inside the jail, he turned to Kevin. “What do you want us to do with their stuff?”
“Would you mind staying with it until we get to the bottom of this? It shouldn’t take more than a few days, a week at the most.”
“Sure, no problem,” Rigel said.
“Give me through this weekend to see what I can find out. Check back with me Monday morning.”
Rigel nodded. “Anything else?”
Kevin shook his head. “Thanks, Rigel.”
After Rigel left, Kevin went back to the castle. As he headed up to his room, he told Rupert he was going back to sleep.
Rupert laughed. “Good luck with that.”
Kevin stopped and turned back towards the guard. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“Only that Chris went up a few minutes ago with a pitcher of scog, mugs, and a plate full of brownies and cookies.”
~~~~
When Kevin opened his door, he saw King Merdin on the couch with Dani stretched out along the top of the couch behind him and Nikki snoozing beside him.
“I can’t believe you got here so quickly.” Kevin sat down and picked up the mug of scog Chris had poured for him. “How did you do that?”
King Merdin tilted his head towards Dani. “When we got back home last time, Dani sent his son up here to hang around until he heard the chimes.”
“But how did you find out so fast? Did he have your key?”
King Merdin shook his head as Dani said, “I can hear my son no matter how far apart we are.”
“Oh, can you hear all Alysian cats or is that a family thing?” Kevin asked.
“It only works between parents and immediate offspring. When my son has a son, he’ll be able to hear both me and his son, but I won’t be a
ble to hear my grandson. I can hear both of my parents though.”
“That could come in handy,” Chris said thoughtfully. “Can all telepaths do that?”
“I don’t know,” Dani said. “The only telepaths I know are Alysian cats.”
Kevin looked at Chris. “Remind me to ask Glendymere about that sometime.”
“Why?” King Merdin asked.
Kevin shrugged. “Just curious.”
King Merdin nodded. “Are the men you were after in the jail?”
“As of five minutes ago.”
“What reason did you give for bringing them here? Did you mention the key or slaver raids?”
Kevin shook his head. “I said there were some questions about a shipment they were supposed to pick up in Bridgeport.”
King Merdin grinned. “Nice way to put it. Bet they’re busy trying to figure out what you’re talking about and how much you know. Are they in separate cells?”
“They should be. I didn’t tell the guards not to lock them up so I feel sure they did. And it’s standard procedure to have a guard inside whenever we have prisoners.”
“So how are they going to have a chance to talk so we can overhear them?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Chris said. “Why don’t I go get another pitcher of scog and a couple of mugs and take them to the jail? I can tell our suspects that the soldiers misunderstood, that they’re being housed there because our bedrooms are full.”
“And what’s to keep them from walking out the door when you say that?” Kevin asked.
“The guard standing outside.”
“You might want to mention that the guard will be there if they need anything and that I’ll send for them sometime tomorrow.”
Chris nodded. “What do you want me to tell the guards?”
“To make sure they don’t leave, but give them the run of the jail for the night.”
“Okay.” Chris looked at King Merdin. “Ready?”
King Merdin grabbed a couple of cookies, stuck them in his pocket, and stood up. “We’ll be right behind you.”
“Since my hands will be full, the guard will open the door for me. I’ll wait until then to give him his orders. Will that give you two time to get inside?”
The Rambling Spy Page 69