He went upstairs again to the room where Alec slumbered on. To Charls’s hopeful eye, he appeared to have more color in his face, and seemed to breathe easier. Gathering up the costume he had worn earlier to the palace, Charls went back downstairs and shrugged his way back into the dress he had hidden in, then restored the shawl over his head, and tucked the knife back inside the folds of the dress. Satisfied that he was as prepared as he could arrange himself to be for his seemingly suicidal mission, Charls went out the door for the second time in three days, and slowly made the journey back to the palace.
As Charls left, Alec’s body was absorbing the benefits of Drayton’s agrimonia. The small patches on his wounds were strengthening the disrupted flesh, healing the cells and helping the fight against infection. The wad of leafy material in his cheek was osmosing molecules of its vibrant capacity into his cheek and tongue, then flowing with the bloodstream through his body, bringing healthfulness to the organs they contacted.
When Carla’s mother soon arrived and rolled him onto his back, she placed a spoon upon his lips and let a few drops of the strong tea flow downward into his throat. She waited to make sure that he didn’t cough or choke, then placed a few more drops of the moisture into his mouth. Seconds later she did it again, and then again, repetitively, patiently spooning the dark greenish brown brew into him.
After half an hour she decided to take a break, to sit up straight and stretch her back. She placed the spoon and cup on the floor next to her and drew her hands around to the small of her back as she arched forward to ease her muscles, then gasped in shock as she felt Alec’s hand reach over and rest upon the top of her thigh. She looked down and saw his eyes open to look up at her, and saw with relief that they had a clear, comprehending appearance.
“What happened?” he asked simply.
“You were shot with an arrow when you left the palace three days ago. Carla and her friend brought you here, and you’ve been asleep ever since. They’re both gone – the soldiers took her this morning, and Charls went to try to save her, dressed like a woman! The tea made you feel better; it made me feel better too, took away the aches from the bruises,” she started to ramble, unable to speak her thoughts coherently as worries about Carla overwhelmed her mind.
Alec blinked. “The soldiers have Carla and Charls?” he struggled to remember who he had been with. It had been three days and he’d lain injured all that time.
“Charls left just minutes ago; they took Carla about an hour ago,” she confirmed.
Alec closed his eyes and evaluated his ability to call upon his ingenaire powers. The ability was intact, and relatively strong. He focused on healing his body, finding the streak of damaged tissue that passed all the way through his chest, and treating it, repairing and reconnecting the flesh. He was fortunate, he realized, that the arrow hadn’t gone a fraction of an inch off to the side, or it would have nicked an artery and he would have bled to death.
His body healed within a minute, Alec stood up and flexed his muscles. “I’ll go find your daughter,” he told his caregiver as he looked around for his weapons. A pile in a corner of the attic, a low corner he had to kneel down into, held his sword and bandolier, which he quickly belted onto his body.
“Your daughter is a spirited girl, isn’t she?” he asked the mother, hoping to alleviate some of the anxiety and fear he knew she held.
“She has been a spitfire. Her father loved her for the way she’d take on a battle, unless she was battling him!” the mother gave a small chuckle and let a solitary tear escape from the corner of her eye.
“She’ll be back here soon, and I imagine she’ll still be a spitfire,” Alec told her kindly as they descended from the attic. He shook his head at the unnecessary damage the soldiers had done to the ground floor, turning over furniture and slashing the curtains; it made no sense, but he’d been in enough violent situations to know that those who carried out the violence seldom did have sense.
Minutes later he was cloaked in his bent light pattern, invisible as he entered the main palace gate. He’d passed many patrols in the streets, and noted the absence of civilians on the road. The city was in hiding, hiding from the guards of the duke, something that made him shake his head in regret, especially when he saw dead bodies lying untended in several alleys; there had been great violence recently.
His first goal was to reach the prison cells again, where he hoped to find his two friends. The palace halls were unusually silent and empty, he noted as he dodged through them. The populace of the palace was apparently busy somewhere else, probably in patrolling the streets of the city, he concluded, engaged in the brutal suppression of the citizens.
The prison was empty, completely empty, he learned in fear minutes later when he went down into the lowest level of the palace. All the cell doors were open, and no guards were present in the unlit level. Alec ceased shielding himself from view, and instead used the Light ingenaire energy to gather together such light as managed to filter down the stairwell, giving him the ability to dimly illuminate the dungeon. He saw with shock that the prisoners had been killed and left behind, but neither Charls nor Carla were among them, he found with relief.
Happy that his friends weren’t among the dead in the prison, Alec was at a loss as to where to look for them next. He climbed back up out of the bottom of the palace and began to stride through the halls, dropping his invisibility cloak at times when no one else was present, and then extending his Spiritual powers, trying to find any emotional signature that would tell of the presence of those who needed his help. He was making a conscious effort not to try to use more than one power at a time; he had put himself and his friends at risk by wearing himself down just days ago through overuse of his powers. Over the course of this adventure in Valeriane he had put a greater strain on his ingenaire capacity than he had in decades, not since the early days of Caitlen’s rule.
As he left the functional portions of the palace and approached the ceremonial parts, he at last detected the presence of people who were both fearful and angry. He slipped into a small guard break room and took a bow and two quivers of arrows, then headed towards the hearing room where he expected to find his goals.
Invisible, Alec reached the doors and evaluated what to do. A pair of guardsmen stood at attention, blocking his entry. Alec heard a growling roar from inside the room, and felt compelled to act quickly. He released his Light powers and suddenly appeared visible to the guards, standing just six feet in front of them. “I am Alec, the rightful Duke of Valeriane, come to retake my seat. Kneel and acknowledge fealty to me, or prepare to defend yourselves,” he told the guards as soon as he appeared.
Both guards stood in stunned silence, then one went to a knee while the other pulled his sword free and began to attack Alec. With a single swipe of his weapon, Alec killed the one who had refused to yield. “You made a wise choice,” he told the other man, holding out his hand to help the man rise.
“I was a young member of the Guard when you were here before, and remember that the city was treated fairly, sir,” the man replied. “I’ll help you fight to bring that back.”
“Thank you,” Alec felt touched by the man’s sincere statement. “What’s happening inside?” he motioned towards the doors.
“They’ve got a girl, a captive, who is accused of aiding you,” the guard answered. “She’s to be put to death after they get a confession from her.”
“What’s your name?” Alec asked.
“It’s Crodon, sir,” the guard answered.
Just then there was a clanging of doors nearby, and the stamp of boots. “Take this body and hide it somewhere,” Alec told his new follower, “If you know anyone else you’re certain is ready to follow me, go gather them together in the next few minutes. Then come back here and remain on duty until I tell you otherwise.” As the man hauled the body down the hallway, a small cluster of guards turned a corner and came into view, bearing Charls with them, shorn of his disguise. They opened the door and ente
red the hallway, and Alec, invisible again, followed closely behind them, as they passed through a crowded perimeter and took Charls to the center of the room, where Carla knelt on the floor, sobbing in pain, as a man stood over her ready to thrash her with a heavy staff.
Alec pulled his bow off his shoulder and strung an arrow while still invisible, then let the shaft fly, piercing the man’s chest. His target’s face changed from its violent snarl to an expression of momentary surprise, then the eyes closed, the upheld staff clattered to the floor from the relaxed fingers, and the man fell, dead, as the room’s environment changed from cruel observation to stunned silence to shouting, outraged shock.
Alec dropped his invisibility, then gathered the Light ingenaire powers he still held, and closed his eyes as he cause a bright explosion of light to brighten the room, so intense that all could feel it on their exposed skin, temporarily blinding everyone within the room except him. Alec released his Light energies and engaged his Warrior powers, shooting arrows at the two men who stood on either side of the pretend duke upon the dais in the front of the room, then slung the bow back over his shoulder, pulled his sword, and cut through the guard group in front of him.
“Charls, follow me,” he told his blind steward as he grabbed his shoulder and ran towards the center of the room, without giving Charls time to respond.
They passed through the angry, uncertain crowd, men whose vision had not yet returned, and reached the frightened Carla. Alec released his Warrior powers and then concluded the time had come to engage multiple energies simultaneously. He reached for his Spiritual powers, then his Healer powers, and finally his Air powers.
Carla was looking towards him through swollen eyes, and Charls was in no better shape he realized, as he laid his hands on each of them and took their injuries away, healing the cuts and soothing the abrasions, while wiping away their temporary blindness. “Thank you, my lord,” Charls said as he felt the pain dissipate. He looked up at the sound of multiple bows twanging, as the eyesight of those in the room also began to return. With astonishment, Charls saw a swarm of arrows fly directly towards the trio in the center of the room, then abruptly stop and fly straight upward towards the ceiling. Some struck the ceiling point first and tenuously embedded themselves in the ornate woodwork, while others tumbled back to the ground.
Charls looked towards Alec and motioned in astonishment at the arrows above.
“I have a curtain of air currents protecting us from any attacks for the moment,” Alec explained. “Thank you both for the care you’ve given me these past few days. I owe you my life.”
“Thank you,” Carla said simply. “I can’t believe you’re up and doing all these things. Just a couple of hours ago you were lying near death, and now here you are coming to save us.”
“I’m the second one to try to come save you,” Alec corrected her. “Charls was already on his way to the palace to set you free when I awoke.”
Carla looked at Charls with gratitude in her eyes. “And I didn’t fare so well, did I? But what do you plan to do next?” he asked Alec.
Alec looked at the circle of guardsmen who stood just beyond the air curtain. He strengthened his Air energy, causing the airflows to expand outward, pressing the hostile guards away, tumbling them and knocking them about, some rising a few feet off the ground before landing further away from Alec’s small contingent. “I plan to go talk to the pretender,” Alec announced. “Why don’t you come with me?”
He began to stalk towards the front of the room, Carla and Charls walking a step behind him, his circle of protective winds staying centered on him, traveling around him and blowing people out of his way as he moved forward.
One man stood in front of the man who sat in the richly upholstered chair that ruled over the room. “Are you an Ajax?” Alec asked the man when they were only yards apart.
“I am. And I am prepared to die doing my duty,” the Ajax replied. He was a man in his mid-twenties, Alec judged, with hair cut short, and clear blue eyes. There were swords held in both his hands.
“You don’t need to die, and you shouldn’t expect to die for a dishonorable duty,” Alec replied. “I’ve known and fought many Ajacii in my lifetime, and I’ve been to Valer,” Alec saw the man’s eyes widen at the name of the hidden village of the Ajacii. “Your race has honor, and should not support a craven pretender to a title,” Alec urged.
“Don’t listen to him!” the man behind the Ajax screamed. “I’ve paid good money to you people, and you’re the only one of the six of you to still be alive. One of you needs to live up to the price I’ve paid for such mediocre service!”
Alec looked at the pretender, as the Ajax turned to face him. The man had a slack-jawed appearance and a pop-eyed, wild-eyed stare that inspired no trust.
“You should not insult those who are better than you,” the Ajax said softly to the pretend duke. “My companions and I regretted the agreement our elders reached that put us in service to such a despicable man as you, but we have fought for you and died for you nonetheless.”
Alec manipulated his air curtain to engulf the Ajax, freezing him into place. His Air abilities were straining at the limit of his capacity, and Alec knew he had to do something quickly. He stepped through an opening in the air currents and raised his own sword. “Your body will be sent back to the emperor as a sign that he is not to meddle with the people of Valeriane. Whatever battles or campaigns he chooses to pursue, he may not impose their costs on my people without receiving my permission,” Alec told the petrified pretender, and then he stabbed the man with a merciful thrust of his blade that quickly ended his life.
“You all must make a decision,” Alec told the crowd. He motioned Charls and Carla up to join him atop the dais, then released his hold on the Air energy, allowing the forceful breezes to cease. He watched carefully, his Warrior energies now engaged, purposefully waiting to see if the Ajax, or anyone else, would attempt to attack.
“I am Alec, the rightful Duke of Valeriane, the Demonslayer. I ask you all,” he spoke loudly as his eyes locked with those of the Ajax, “I ask you all to decide if you wish to be part of a palace and a city that will treat all our citizens with respect. If so, I ask you for your loyalty.
“But if you believe your loyalty remains with the pretender whose body lies behind me, you should leave the city immediately, and take his body with you. Go back to Vincennes, and tell the emperor that though Valeriane is loyal to the empire, it is not loyal to his foolishness,” Alec told the crowd.
“And you,” he looked back at the Ajax. “What is your name?”
“I am Illian,” the man replied.
“Illian, I would ask you to return to your home. Tell them what has happened here; one of your comrades has already agreed to the same terms. Tell them that once the affairs of the city are peacefully settled, I will return to your village and speak with your elders, to discuss the relationship between our communities,” he spoke with as much sincerity as he could communicate in his words, hoping that the Ajax would accept his offer.
Duke Alec,” Illian replied, pleasing Alec by the use of the title, “I will do as you suggest.”
“As for the rest of you, if you chose to follow me, kneel now. If you chose to leave now, go from the palace and the city, and do no harm on the way,” Alec told them. “Crodon!” he shouted loudly, the doors to the room immediately flew open, and the great majority of the men inside the room began to go down on one knee.
Chapter 8 – Visit With the Ajacii
Two weeks later, Alec felt firmly in control of the city once again. Those who refused to submit to his rule were few in number, and were predominantly the courtiers who had accompanied the pretender when he had arrived from Vincennes; they had all left the city in a hurry. There were only a handful of opportunistic toadies who were of Valeriane origins, and loyal to the pretender, and they chose to leave the city under protection; the number of disaffected supporters of the pretend duke’s temporary order who remained in the
city were so few that they could not even mount enough energy to attempt a countercoup, and so Alec was installed back in his office in an official ceremony at the farmers market.
Charls relied on Carla to serve as his assistant in the resumption of his duties as steward, and she aided him with tremendous energy and devotion. She had a wide acquaintance among the shopkeepers and artisans of the city, people she had seen at the market all her life. Her knowledge of tradespeople and their abilities helped Charls begin the immediate restoration of the palace after its misuse by the usurper’s followers.
Comfortable with the way Charls fell back into the habits of running the duchy, Alec undertook his journey to Valer, climbing down the long, steep mountain valley trail he remembered so vividly from his journeys undertaken decades ago. He’d gone to the village of the Ajacii as an enemy in those distant years, an era beyond the memory of any living person but him.
He was cautiously welcomed to the village by the ruling elders, who had been amply forewarned of his arrival. His conversation with the leaders of the Ajacii surprised them; he discussed his expectation that the emperor of the Avonellene Empire would send a force to attack Valeriane and bring it back into compliance with his rule. Then Alec offered the true surprise – he asked the Ajacii to provide significant forces to help protect Valeriane.
“I know that it was my return to the city that has recently forced your men to leave the city, but my battle was truly against the pretender duke, as you know, not against the Ajacii. I would welcome your participation in the defense of my city,” he explained, and over the course of two days of discussion, he received the support of the council of Valer.
As part of his bargain with the council, Alec spent three days on his return trip to Valeriane remaking the path that climbed the valley cliffs, widening the way and easing the angle of ascent in crucial areas, so that horses might more easily be led along the route. He also caused protective walls to rise on the outside of some parts of the pathway, around the turns and corners, and also carved a series of shallow shelter caves that travelers might use as protection when inclement weather swept up the valley.
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