Final Voyage of the Remora

by Richard S. Tuttle

  "What happened to them?" asked the guard.

  "The general gutted them right where they stood," the escort whispered conspiratorially. "General Blackmoor always gets what he wants or someone dies. I would never think about crossing the man."

  The guards swallowed hard at the thought of having just refused to summon General Daramoor, and the escort smiled thinly at their reactions.

  "It's best just to give General Blackmoor whatever consideration he wants," the escort continued. "He really can be a generous leader if you please him."

  "Here he comes now," gulped one of the guards.

  General Blackmoor marched along the street with a white-robed woman riding a horse alongside him, and three escorts following close behind. The woman had a white hood pulled over her head, and she kept her face lowered and her eyes on the street before her. Both guards stiffened as the group approached.

  "Bring our horses in with us," General Blackmoor ordered the escort that he had left behind at the gate. "We are to take this healer in to see the queen. Be quick about it. General Daramoor expects me to get her back to the party quickly."

  The general headed straight for the gate as if expecting it to open magically. One of the guards moved quickly to open the gate and let the group onto the grounds of the Royal Palace. There were two more guards at the front door of the palace, but they had seen the gates opened for the general, and they had no qualms about allowing a general into the palace. The woman dismounted and two of the escorts gathered the reins of the horses, while the healer procured a black staff from her horse. The door guards watched and held the doors open as the general, two escorts, and the woman in white entered the palace. Two of the escorts waited outside and held the reins of the horses. Once the doors to the palace had closed, one of the general's escorts spoke.

  "The queen's quarters are at the rear of the palace," Edmond stated. "Make a left at the first intersection and then a right at the next. It will be a long corridor that will take us all the way to the rear."

  General Blackmoor nodded silently and followed the directions. A few minutes later, the group reached the queen's quarters and halted.

  "There are no guards," the general commented. "That spells trouble in any palace I have ever been in. It might be a trap."

  "You two remain here," instructed the woman. "Garth and I will check the quarters alone."

  Edmond and Tedi nodded and took up positions outside the queen's quarters as if they were the guards. General Blackmoor eased the door open without knocking. Kalina followed the general into the suite and found it dark. A quick perusal of the quarters showed that the queen had not been there in days if not longer. The Two Knights of Alcea exited the quarters and closed the door.

  "She is either already dead," declared Garth, "or they are keeping her somewhere else."

  "I am not familiar with the dungeons," Edmond shook his head. "I wouldn't know where to begin to look for them, but I do know where the quarters are for the Queen's Advisor. Should we try there?"

  "We have to do something quick," urged Kalina. "I do not think leaving Cobb and Bork outside for an extended period of time is wise."

  "Four guards added to the importance of the arriving general," shrugged Garth, "but four entering the palace itself would raise some eyebrows. Let's try the advisor."

  "Backtrack to the last intersection," advised Edmond, "and then make a right. His quarters will be the first door on the right."

  "The advisor is bound to know all the generals in Vinafor," frowned Kalina. "How will you get around that?"

  "Bluff," shrugged Garth. "It is the only path open to us, and we are running out of time."

  General Blackmoor led the small procession to the quarters of the Queen's Advisor. He banged loudly on the door. The Queen's Advisor opened the door and stared up at the general in confusion.

  "Who are you?" he asked.

  "I am General Blackmoor," Garth declared. "I am in charge of the forces at Ramaldi Pass."

  "No, you aren't," scowled the small man. "General Cornalos is in charge out there. I have never heard of you."

  "General Cornalos died last week," frowned the general. "I was promoted by General Daramoor to take his place. How is it that you are not aware of this?"

  "That is what I would like to know," the small man said as his eyes narrowed. He stared at the small group of people outside his door with suspicion.

  "I am quite proud of my promotion and the efforts that brought me to General Daramoor's attention," scowled Garth, "and I find it highly offensive that the Queen's Advisor does not even know my name. You can rest assured that I will address this matter within the hour."

  "I doubt that," sneered the advisor. "Within the hour you will be imprisoned, and General Daramoor will still be out enjoying himself. You wouldn't even know where to find him."

  "I have spoken to him within the last hour," retorted Garth. "It was at Lady Ferini's that he demanded that I bring this healer to check on the queen, but she is not in her quarters."

  The advisor was taken aback at the mention of Lady Ferini. His face darkened with the thought that another lowly general had been invited and the Queen's Advisor had not.

  "Why are you not at the pass?" demanded the small man.

  "When I was promoted," explained Garth, "I was also instructed to report to General Daramoor as soon as possible. I follow instructions when my superior gives them to me, and my current instructions are to have this healer inspect the queen and take her back to Lady Ferini's. Where is the queen?"

  The advisor focused on Kalina, but he could not see her face. Her stark white robe and black staff held an aura of mystery about her. He stood silent for a moment and then spoke.

  "She is in the northwest tower," the advisor stated. "Why does he want her inspected?"

  "I did not think it wise to ask him," shrugged the general.

  Edmond moved slightly to let Garth know the direction he should turn to head for the tower. Garth nodded slightly, making it appear as if he were nodding to the Queen's Advisor. He then turned and marched off with his entourage following. The advisor watched them leave in silence for a moment before disappearing back into his quarters.

  "He didn't appear to be very friendly," Tedi remarked softly. "Are you sure it was wise talking to him?"

  "We discovered the location of the queen," Edmond replied. "From what I know of Faldor, he has always been loyal to the queen. Father thinks highly of him."

  "Our plan does not allow for us to get him out of the palace," Garth declared. "Let's just do what we came to do and get out of here."

  The group fell silent except for quiet directions given by Edmond. Within a few minutes they arrived at the tower. Two guards stood outside the door, and they appeared to stiffen at the sight of a general. Garth pointedly ignored them.

  "You two stay outside," he said to Edmond and Tedi. "The healer and I will only be a moment."

  Garth turned and stepped up to the door. When neither guard made a move to unlock the door, Garth turned and glared at one of them. Without a word of rebuke needed, the guard hurriedly unlocked the door and stood aside. Garth allowed the healer to enter and then followed her through the doorway.

  "Close and lock the door until I tell you to open it," the general said to the two guards.

  The door closed immediately, and Garth heard it being locked. The bottom of the tower was dark and dreary. Kalina whispered a few words under her breath and a ring on her finger flared to a dull light. The illumination was enough to see the foot of a stone staircase. Kalina led the way up the steps to the second level. There they found another dark room with a small bed placed away from the stairs. As she heard someone coming, a woman sat up on the bed and stared at the dim light and the people outlined by it. She recognized the uniform of a general, but her interest appeared to be centered on Kalina.

  "Queen Romani?" Kalina said softly. "Is that you?"

  "Who wants to know?" came a weak reply.

  Garth and K
alina crossed the room and stood before the queen. Kalina lowered her hand towards the queen's face to illuminate it and then smiled.

  "It is you," she said with a smile. "We have come to take you to safety."

  "To safety?" the queen retorted. "And just where would that be?"

  "Not in Vinafor," Garth said. "Your country is about to fall to the Federation."

  The queen turned her attention to the general and scoffed. "I have employed some generals who would like that to happen, but you are not one of them. In fact, I have never seen either of you before. Go away and leave me alone."

  "While we are unknown to you," Kalina said softly, "we do mean to save you. We have friends in common, and enemies in common. We know that General Daramoor is seeking to replace you, and we cannot let that happen. He has already gotten rid of your First Minister and probably others. Come. There is little time to argue."

  "What friends do we have in common?" asked the queen.

  Kalina looked to Garth for advice and he nodded.

  "Sidney Mercado," Kalina said softly. "He is offering his estate in Ur for you to hide at until something can be done about the Federation and its hold over Vinafor."

  "You know Sidney?" brightened the queen.

  "His son Edmond is with us," stated Garth, "but he is posing as my escort. We did not think the guards downstairs would allow him into the tower without an explanation. We had thought you would be in your quarters, but you were not."

  "We had to ask Faldor where to find you," added Kalina.

  "Faldor?" spat the queen. "You dare mention his name and expect me to go with you?"

  "I don't understand," frowned Kalina. "Sidney said that he is most loyal to you. Is he not?"

  "That man is possessed with evil," declared the queen. "He is worse than Daramoor. The only enjoyment I had expected out of this situation was to watch the two of them fighting each other for power. They are both snakes, but Faldor is the worse of the two. He has sold his soul for power."

  "We need to get out of here quickly," Garth said with a sense of urgency. "If you are right about Faldor, we are in grave trouble."

  The queen hesitated, unsure of whether to trust the strangers or not.

  "We really must go now," stressed Garth. "While I am hesitant to disgrace myself by treating a queen improperly, I will take you out of here over my shoulder if necessary. I will not have good people die while you act as if you are too good to be rescued."

  The queen glared at Garth, but suddenly her contorted face softened and then she smiled.

  "No one can fake such bad manners," she chuckled. "What do you want me to do?"

  "You and I will exchange clothes," Kalina explained. "When you leave here, you will pose as a healer summoned from Lady Ferini's party to check on the queen. There will be no need for you to speak. Keep your head covered at all times and cast your eyes downward. Let no one see your face."

  "And what will you do?" asked the queen. "I will not trade your life for mine. That price is too great to pay and maintain my dignity."

  "I will be fine," Kalina smiled as Garth turned around and stared into the darkness. "There may come a time when you have to give this black staff to one of the soldiers escorting us. If that time comes, let him have it. He knows what to do with it."

  Both women undressed and Queen Romani donned the white robe and hood. Kalina adjusted it and smiled with satisfaction.

  "Tread safely you two," Kalina said softly.

  Garth took the queen's hand and led her down the stairs in the darkness. He paused just a moment and then banged on the door. The lock was turned quickly and light flooded into the room as the door was opened. Queen Romani almost stumbled getting through the door, the dim light of the torches appearing blinding to her. Garth reached out and steadied her.

  "Healing takes a lot out of this one," stated the general as he addressed his escorts. "One of you aid her until her strength is back." Turning to face the door guards, he added, "Close and lock the door. The queen is to have no further visitors tonight. The healing will demand that she sleep until morning."

  The guards were quick to obey and the general marched off, the healer helped along by Edmond. As soon as they were well away from the guards, Garth stopped.

  "I had no idea how frail you were," Garth said softly. "I should have had Kalina heal you before we left."

  "I am not frail," retorted the queen. "My eyes are just slow to adjust to the light, but not so slow that I don't recognize you, Edmond. I thought they were lying to me up there."

  "These are good people," Edmond said to the queen. "They are risking their lives to get you out of here."

  "So I now understand," nodded the queen. "Let's go before we are discovered. I have no doubt that Faldor will alert whoever it is that he sold his soul to."

  They continued onward with Garth in the lead. As they came to a corner and Garth began to turn it, he saw a familiar sight and leaped backwards. He used his arms to stop the others from rounding the corner.

  "K'san," he whispered. "Get your staff, Tedi."

  Tedi reached out and took the staff from the queen's hand. She looked at him curiously, but she gave up the staff.

  "Who is K'san?" asked Edmond.

  "He is a creature that will not die to normal weapons," answered Garth. "He is also a mage. We must let Tedi fight him."

  "A battle will alert the entire palace," warned Edmond. "Is there no way to avoid him?"

  Garth turned and looked back along the long corridor and shook his head.

  "It's too late to run," Garth declared. "He will be upon us soon."

  "Is there no quiet way to kill him?" Edmond persisted.

  "Poison works," Garth replied, "but you have to have a break in his skin first, and his skin is as strong as rock."

  "Are his eyes, mouth, and ears solid as rock, too?" asked the queen.

  Garth raised an eyebrow at the queen's question as his hand went to his side where he carried his small quiver of myric quills. Unfortunately, he had forsaken the small quiver, as it would have seemed out of place with the Vinafor uniform.

  "I am going to try to get behind him," whispered Tedi, as the sounds of heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor. "Give me a count of ten and then distract him."

  Tedi started whistling and then marched around the corner. He glanced up at the tall priest and smiled as he passed. K'san glared at the soldier, but immediately dismissed him as insignificant. He was in search of greater prey. Garth counted down, and at the count of ten, he marched around the corner himself. He nearly bumped into the large priest and quickly backed away. K'san sneered as one of his large hands streaked out to snare Garth by the arm.

  "A general who is not a general," snarled the priest. "Faldor said that there were four of you. Where are the rest of your people?"

  Tedi swung the staff at the back of K'san's head. The impact reverberated through the corridor, and the priest's hand released Garth's arm. As K'san's eyes rolled up in his head, his stone-like body crashed to the floor of the corridor. The building seemed to tremble from the impact of his body, but Garth was sure that it was his imagination.

  "Find a room where we can leave this body," Garth said as he checked the body for signs of life.

  "There is a storage room just down the hall," declared the queen as she pointed back towards the way K'san had come from.

  "You and Tedi take care of the body," said Edmond. "I have something that must be done."

  Before Garth could object, Edmond turned the corner and ran off. He raced through the halls of the Royal Palace and halted before the door to Faldor's quarters. Without knocking, he entered the room, and Faldor turned with a start.

  "How dare you enter without leave?" snapped the Queen's Advisor.

  Edmond took two quick steps towards Faldor and shoved a knife into the man's stomach. The advisor's face turned ashen and his eyes grew large with surprise.

  "How dare you?" snarled Edmond. "You sold out the queen. You sold out your
country, and you have sold your soul. This is your reward."

  Edmond yanked his knife upward and shoved the advisor's body away. Quickly cleaning the blade on Faldor's body, Edmond left the room and closed the door. He ran back through the palace trying to catch up to the queen and the others.

  Chapter 23

  Tread Softly

  When Edmond rounded the corner of the intersection he saw Queen Romani wiping blood off the floor. Garth came out of the storage room without Tedi, and Edmond frowned questioningly at Garth.

  "Tedi removed his uniform," Garth explained. "He had the bloody end of the corpse. He has to get dressed. He will be with us in a minute."

  Edmond nodded and kneeled next to the queen. "Let me take care of that for you," he offered.

  "It's done as well as it can be," the queen said as she rose. "The stain will be noticeable, but hopefully not until we are out of here. Throw these rags in the storage room for me," she added as she handed the blood-soaked rags to Edmond.

  "Thank you, Queen Romani," Garth said as Edmond hurried away. "Our plan calls for a fair amount of riding. I am concerned as to whether you can handle that or not."

  "Don't worry about me, General," the queen responded with a twinkle in her eye. "I was riding before you were born. You just get us all out of here safely."

  Garth smiled broadly, thinking about the age that he appeared to be. Due to a magical elixir given to him and Kalina many years ago, Garth still had the body of a young man. While twice Tedi's age, they could be mistaken for the same age. He suspected that the queen might be quite near his true age, but he didn't care to share that information.

  "I am ready," announced Tedi as he stepped out of the storage room. "Think we can get out of here before anyone discovers the body?"

  "Bodies," sighed Garth. "If I am not mistaken, Edmond left us to deliver punishment to Faldor."

  "I had to," Edmond declared as he exited the storage room and closed the door. "He obviously alerted the priest. He would certainly alert others as well, and we need as much of a head start as we can get."

  "Agreed," stated Garth. "Let's not dally here by discussing it. Get your minds back into the roles that you are playing. We are not out of here just yet."