by David Wells
“My men will find it difficult to kill the palace guard,” Commander Kern said, “especially since we know that most of them are loyal servants of the Baron.”
A soldier entered with a worried look. “They say they have an answer to your demands, Lord Alexander. A representative of the court is at the door.”
“This is moving much quicker than I’d like,” Alexander muttered to himself. “Lucky, how’s the Baron?”
Lucky shrugged helplessly. “He may not wake until this time tomorrow. I’m sorry, Alexander, but there’s nothing I can do that wouldn’t put him at greater risk.”
“I guess we’d better go see what their answer is,” Alexander said, heading toward the entry hall with everyone but Lucky trailing behind him.
He carefully opened the little window in the door and saw an officer of the palace guard waiting impatiently. “Well?”
“Administrator Nero refuses to meet your demands,” he said. “The Baron was adamant about protecting the trade routes through Headwater. Furthermore, Administrator Nero demands you show proof that the Baron is alive or we will assume he’s dead and your act of war against Buckwold will be met with the full force of our army.”
Alexander smiled humorlessly. “As you well know, the Baron is ill. It will take some time to prove he’s still alive without further jeopardizing his health. I’m sure the palace guard wouldn’t want to act rashly and provoke a fight that could result in his death.” Alexander closed the little window and went to the room where the serving staff was being held.
“Sergeant,” Alexander said, “take these people to the Baron’s bedchamber.”
Alexander and his friends walked well ahead of the group of servants being herded along behind them. “Commander Kern, is there anyone in the palace who would be willing to help us if they learned the truth of Nero’s treachery?”
“Just about everybody,” Kern said.
“Anyone the palace guard would obey over Nero?” Isabel asked
“Perhaps Lady Buckwold, the Baron’s daughter,” Kern said. “She is first in line for succession. Her two brothers are still too young and the Baron has been grooming her for the position. She and Nero have been at odds for some time now.”
Alexander looked over his shoulder at Jack. “How do you feel about running an errand?”
Jack smiled. “I live to serve,” he said with a flourish. Abigail shook her head and rolled her eyes but couldn’t help grinning.
Alexander had the servants each come up and sit on the bed next to the Baron. One by one, he asked them the same question: “Is the Baron alive?”
One by one, they said, “Yes.” Once all of them had seen the Baron and verified that he was still alive, Alexander had Kern’s men escort them to the entry hall and hold them there. When they were gone, he turned to Commander Kern.
“Where can Lady Buckwold be found?”
“Either in her private chambers or in her offices; given the situation, I’d say her offices.”
“Can you draw a map?” Alexander asked. “One that shows how to get there from here?”
“I can do better than that,” Commander Kern said. “Come with me.” He led them into another chamber within the Baron’s private residence. It was a map room with maps of the palace, city, and territory. Kern walked to the wall map of the palace grounds and pointed to the building that housed both the private residence and the offices of Lady Buckwold.
“Can you find your way from here, Jack?” Alexander asked.
He studied the map closely and traced the route. Then he traced a second and a third route. When he was satisfied, he nodded. “When I find Lady Buckwold, what would you have me say?” Jack asked.
“Tell her that her father is alive but Nero is about to order an attack,” Alexander said. “If she doesn’t intervene, the Baron may not survive the battle. Tell her Nero is a traitor who has been poisoning her father and we need a day to flush the poison from his system.”
“The truth it is,” Jack said with a wink.
They returned to the entry hall. Alexander opened the little window and called out to the nearest guard. “Clear the hall of your soldiers and we will offer proof that the Baron lives.”
Alexander could see the frustration in the colors of the guard. He was clearly working with Nero, but the rest of the men were loyal to the Baron and moved quickly to clear the hall. Alexander opened the door and told the servants to file out to the guards and report on the condition of the Baron. Jack tossed up the hood of his cloak and faded out of sight. Only a slight wavering in the air could be seen as he passed through the door on the heels of the servants.
The afternoon faded into dusk and then to darkness. Alexander watched the palace guard argue with Nero, who clearly wanted them to proceed with the attack. But the testimony of the servants gave the soldiers pause. They were sworn to protect the Buckwold line regardless of Nero’s emphatic orders to attack.
The courtyard was lit with torches all around. It was a dark night shrouded in heavy clouds that blacked out the moon and stars. The torches sputtered in brief gusts of wind. Soldiers milled about waiting for orders to attack or to stand down.
After an hour of waiting for a sign from Jack, Alexander noticed a commotion in the courtyard. Nero marched one of the servants out in front of the soldiers. Alexander could see fear in her aura. She spoke with a tremor and glanced furtively at Nero as he prodded her on.
“I saw the Baron. He was dead,” she said. “The criminals told us they would hurt our children if we didn’t lie to you.” She hung her head after she gave her false testimony and a guard led her off into the palace.
Chapter 17
Nero raised his voice to address the soldiers. “The Baron is dead! He’s been murdered! You must avenge him now. Attack and leave no one alive. There is no more reason for delay. The enemies of Buckwold have killed the only reason to withhold our vengeance.”
General Randal stepped up next to Nero and commanded, “Make ready for our assault!”
The soldiers were roused to anger by the revelation of the Baron’s death and began donning helmets and strapping on shields.
One of Kern’s men came rushing through the Baron’s bedchamber and onto the balcony. “Lord Alexander, Lady Buckwold is at the door. She’s demanding to be let in to verify the condition of her father.”
Alexander smiled fiercely at the news just as another soldier rushed out to the general and spoke hastily in his ear. Alexander could see the anger flare in Nero’s colors when he was told the news. He snapped orders to prevent Lady Buckwold from entering her father’s suite at all costs, then grabbed General Randal by the arm and pulled him close to reiterate his orders to attack.
Alexander turned and ran for the entry hall. He threw open the little window and saw Lady Buckwold standing not ten feet from the door. He tossed up the bar and pulled the pin from the floor. The Baron’s daughter entered silently with Jack trailing behind her still less than visible. Just as he dropped the bar back into place, Alexander heard a breathless and exasperated guard rush into the hall and yell to stop her.
She stopped in front of Alexander and appraised him with a stern expression. She was a plain-looking woman, not ugly by any means but not beautiful either. Her hair was dark blond and naturally wavy. Her eyes were slate grey and her skin was a touch too pale. She stood just over five and a half feet tall and, while she wasn’t fat, she was big-boned. She wore a long, plain grey dress made from coarse cloth.
“You are the man responsible for this,” she said. It was not a question. Jack became visible behind her and Alexander gave him a brief look of thanks.
“I am,” Alexander replied. “Please come with me, Lady Buckwold.” She didn’t hesitate when he turned and strode off toward the Baron’s bedchamber. She followed him wordlessly through the halls. Kern’s soldiers looked slightly shamed by the reproving looks she gave them as she passed.
Alexander led her straight to the Baron. When she saw her father, she went t
o his bedside and took his hand. She choked back a sob at seeing him alive and breathing slowly and deeply. Then she stood and faced Alexander.
“Master Colton tells me that my father has been poisoned by Nero.”
Alexander nodded gravely. “Nero is a traitor to Buckwold and Ruatha. His loyalties lie with Elred Rake and Prince Phane. Your father should wake from the poison sometime tomorrow.”
Before she could respond, a soldier stuck his head into the room and shouted, “The palace guard is advancing!”
A look of thunderous anger overtook her severe expression and she marched out onto the balcony and up to the railing. In a clear and loud voice, she spoke to the palace guard moving under cover of shields and carrying ladders toward the building.
“I am Lady Buckwold. My father lives. I command you to stand down.”
The soldiers slowed, then stopped as they looked up at her on the balcony. A murmur of confusion rippled through them.
Nero stood far in the back and shouted, “Attack! You must attack!” But his commands were lost on the palace guard—they had sworn to protect the Buckwold line.
General Randal approached the front of the company of soldiers. “Lady Buckwold, are you being threatened? Perhaps they have coerced you into making such a statement. We have it on good authority that Baron Buckwold is already dead.”
“He is alive! I have seen him with my own eyes and held his hand in mine. You will order your men to stand down. Is that clear, General?”
“Yes, yes, of course, Lady Buckwold,” General Randal said, then turned and started issuing orders to withdraw.
Alexander smiled when he saw Nero’s colors change from rage to fear.
Lady Buckwold returned to her father’s chambers and faced Alexander. “Explain yourself. You have come into my home and are holding the Baron of Buckwold hostage, yet you claim that his most trusted advisor is a traitor. You sent an emissary who is clearly imbued with powerful magic and a very persuasive tongue to enlist my aid. I have given it and now I will have my questions answered.”
Alexander studied her colors. She was a strong woman who lived a life bound by duty. She held her emotions very close and didn’t often permit them to intrude.
“Lady Buckwold, my name is Alexander Ruatha,” he said as he drew his cloak back to reveal the distinctive hilt of the Thinblade. Her eyes widened a bit and her severity faltered just slightly.
“Headwater has thrown their lot in with Prince Phane and they have attacked New Ruatha. When I discovered that Buckwold had been duped by Nero into supporting Headwater, I decided the best course was to uncover the treachery and allow Buckwold to determine its own fate. From the brief time I’ve spent with Commander Kern and his men, I’ve learned a great deal about your people. They are industrious and productive; they seek peace and trade. I respect that, and I serve the Old Law. Your people have the right to self-determination guided by a clear understanding of the facts.”
She regarded him for a moment before her expression softened. “My father often spoke of the time when the House of Ruatha would be remade. He will be pleased to meet you, Lord Alexander.”
“I will be pleased to meet him, as well,” Alexander said. “Master Alabrand, my court alchemist is watching over him. Please stay with your father. You’ll be safe here. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to.”
“Lord Alexander, surely you don’t believe the soldiers will attack now that they know I’m here and my father lives.”
“No, but Nero may try something more desperate. I need to find out what he’s planning.” He turned and left without offering an explanation.
Before Lady Buckwold could ask any more questions, Isabel stepped forward. “Lady Buckwold, my name is Isabel Alaric, daughter of the Forest Warden of Glen Morillian and Alexander’s betrothed. Please, sit with me. I’d like to hear about Buckwold.”
On his way to a quiet sitting room, Alexander chuckled at Isabel’s skillful interference. Anatoly followed without a word and stationed himself at the door. Alexander tossed a pillow on the floor to use as a meditation cushion.
It took several minutes to find the place of empty-mindedness that led to the firmament. Once his awareness slipped free of the boundaries of his body and spread out across the endless ocean of possibility, he quickly focused on Nero. He knew he would be planning his next move and Alexander didn’t want to miss it.
His awareness coalesced in the upper corner of a room that looked like a wizard’s workshop. There were three men present. One was Nero, the second was a wizard, and the third was a soldier dressed in the uniform of the palace guard.
“Administrator Nero, I’m not sure what one man can accomplish. There are twenty soldiers guarding the Baron,” the wizard said.
“Wizard Raj, this is my very best man. He will protect the Baron while the palace guard storms the building. I’m confident he can keep the Baron safe during the assault.”
Alexander could see his colors shift and twist as he lied to the wizard.
“I think it’s too great a risk. We would do better to wait until morning and attempt negotiation,” Wizard Raj said.
“I appreciate your input, as always, but I’ve made my decision,” Nero said with exaggerated patience. “Can you get my man into the building undetected or not?”
“Of course, but I’m still not convinced I should. Your plan seems rash and desperate. I don’t believe we’re at that stage yet.”
Nero drew himself up with a look that teetered between panic and rage. “Wizard Raj, you were in the council chamber when Baron Buckwold conferred upon me the authority to act in his name, were you not?”
Wizard Raj frowned with a sigh. “I was.”
“Very well then, I command you to use your magic to get my man inside that building.”
Wizard Raj looked angrily at Nero, but he relented. “Very well, Nero, but you’re making a mistake. If you cost the Baron his life, you will answer to me.”
“I’m just trying to save the Baron,” Nero lied with feigned exasperation. “We are on the same side, Wizard Raj. Now, when will you be ready and what can I do to help?”
“I’ll be ready in an hour. All I require from you is your absence.”
Alexander returned to his body. When he walked back into the Baron’s bedchamber, Isabel and Abigail stood after seeing the look on his face.
“What is it?” Isabel asked.
“Nero is sending an assassin. Commander Kern, have your men find a room without a window in the servants’ quarters. We’re going to move the Baron and put the physician in his bed as a ruse.”
Kern smiled and nodded before leaving to scout the building for a suitable place. Within fifteen minutes, they had moved the Baron into an out-of-the-way room and put the sleeping physician into his bed.
Anatoly, Lucky, and three of Kern’s soldiers stood guard over the Baron while Alexander, Abigail, Isabel, and Jack took positions in the four corners of the Baron’s bedchamber and waited in the dark. Half a dozen soldiers waited in the next room with Lady Buckwold. The rest played the part of standing watch all around the royal suite.
The night wore on. The palace guard maintained their cordon around the Baron’s suites but didn’t advance. Alexander stretched out with his all around sight and watched for the enemy to arrive. When he did, it was altogether unexpected.
A mouse darted into the room from a crack in the corner. It came to the center of the dark room and stopped. Its colors flared brightly to Alexander’s second sight as it transformed into a man. He stood still for a moment as if he was trying to orient himself before slowly drawing a dagger from his belt and carefully, quietly approaching the Baron’s bed. Without hesitation, he put his hand over the sleeping man’s mouth and sliced his throat deeply.
Alexander and Jack flooded the room with light from their vials of night-wisp dust. The assassin looked around frantically for a way out but found none. He was trapped. A moment later, Lady Buckwold stood in the doorway looking
at his bloody hands as he stood over her father’s bed and the corpse that lay there.
“Surrender and you might survive,” Alexander said. “Resist and I will cut you in half.” He drew the Thinblade and leveled it at him to punctuate the threat. The assassin slumped to his knees, his knife clattering to the floor.
“Please don’t kill me,” he pleaded with a sob. “Nero made me do it.”
Alexander watched the colors of a liar ripple through his aura.
“How exactly did Nero make you do anything?” Alexander asked with menace in his voice, still pointing the Thinblade at him.
The man’s face contorted with anger and malice as he gave up the pretense. “You’re a pretender to the throne. When Prince Phane conquers the Seven Isles, Master Rake will rule all of Ruatha and I will be rewarded for my loyal service.”
“I doubt that,” Lady Buckwold said. “You have murdered a man in his sleep while attempting to assassinate the Baron of Buckwold. According to the Old Law, your life is forfeit.” She held him with her severe gaze for a moment until his anger transformed back into fear. Then she continued, “However, if you assist us with the apprehension of Nero and all of his accomplices, I may be able to persuade my father to let you live.”
He struggled with his situation for a moment before he hung his head. “I don’t want to die,” he whined.
She turned to a soldier who stood nearby. “Remove his weapons and bind his hands.” The assassin didn’t resist. Once he was bound, she marched him out onto the balcony and pushed him up against the railing.
“General Randal,” she called out across the courtyard. Several moments later the general approached with his adjunct officer.
“Yes, Lady Buckwold?”
“Go get Wizard Raj and the members of the council. And be quick about. I’ll be waiting.”
He blinked a few times before he turned to his adjunct and commanded him to round up the people she had requested. Alexander and Isabel stood in the shadows behind her, watching silently.