by Peter Kenson
“I have heard the story of the attack, my dear, and I understand that your action, strange as it seems to me, may have saved my son’s life. For that I will always be grateful. And now let me greet you as one queen to another.”
Falaise stepped forward and kissed Rachel on both cheeks as a great cheer went up from the crowd behind them. “Will you ride with us to the palace?”
Rachel looked at Jeren who shook his head. “The views have been somewhat limited for the last few days, mother. I am enjoying the open air and seeing the city again. We would prefer to walk if that is all right with you?”
With that he offered his arm to Rachel and another great roar went up as the crowd parted to make room for them. There were many good-humoured comments for the prince and compliments for his companion as they moved through the crowd. One young girl shyly presented a wild rose to Rachel who smiled and tucked it in her hair. The crowd closed behind them leaving David, Falaise and the ambassadors standing there. David looked round and spied Seb and Baltur nearby.
“Get after them, you two,” he ordered. “And stay with them, at least until they reach the palace.”
“They do make a lovely couple,” Falaise observed with a little sigh. “Queen Rachel.”
“Don’t even think that for the moment, Falaise,” David warned, looking at the darkening expressions on the faces of the ambassadors. “Rachel’s people live a very, very long way from here and she has responsibilities there which cannot be ignored.”
“My lord,” Suzanne’s thought broke in.
“Yes, Suzanne.”
“Mikael says there are two energy blooms on the screens. They were static at Paelis but they’ve just started to move. Mikael estimates you have two hours.”
David turned to the others. “Falaise, your Excellencies, we have to get back to the palace. We have maybe two hours before the Belsi get here and they’re coming in force.”
The ambassadors turned pale and hurried towards the coach but Falaise stopped and planted herself in front of David.
“Who are the Belsi?” she demanded.
“They are enemies of Rachel’s people, Falaise. They are coming here to either kidnap or kill her.”
Her eyes blazed with fury. “Are these the same people who came and tried to break into that dome the other day? And yes, I do know about that, even though you didn’t tell me yourself. One of them was killed, wasn’t he?”
“Yes he was.”
“Then if they can be killed, we will fight them and kill the rest of them.”
“It’s not that simple, Falaise. They have weapons that can cut our fighters into pieces. Yes we will fight them and I have made preparations to do so. I have to protect Rachel now that I have found her. And you must know that I will fight to protect yourself and Jeren because I have come to love you both. But it is going to be bloody. Now let’s get back to the palace and send this crowd home to their houses.”
Getting back to the palace was easier than expected. The crowd surrounding Jeren and Rachel was ambling up one of the avenues so the coach and the riders used the other avenue to outpace all of them. Dispersing the crowd at the palace gates was entirely a different problem and eventually required Jeren and Falaise to speak to them and tell them to go and restart the preparations for the coronation.
Inside the palace David summoned the officers and ordered them to take all of the men outside the palace compound. He also told Marta to get all of the women and servants down into the city.
“This is not your fight,” he told them. “There is nothing you can do to help us here and I do not want your people to die unnecessarily. But there could well be some destruction in the city and casualties among the civilian population. They will need your help and that is where I want you to be. I will see you all again once this is over.”
Feynor and the other officers stood to attention and saluted as one, arms crashing across their chests. David returned the salute and then gave Mo a hug and a kiss before sending her off with Marta. He turned to look at the small group that remained. Falaise was there and Jeren, with his arm round Rachel’s waist. The three ambassadors stood with their faces showing a mixture of disapproval and outright fear. Baltur was there looking determined, alongside Seb and the giant axe-man Carl who seemed to have attached himself to the royal party. Much to David’s surprise, Mandal was there as well, standing quietly in the background.
“There is no need for you to be here,” he told the veteran administrator. “Go now while you still can.”
“I may not be much use to you in a fight, my lord. But I have some information that may be of value.”
“Go on.”
“Beneath the palace, at the back of the storage chambers, there is an entrance into a maze of tunnels cut into the hillside. I don’t know the full extent of them and most of them have not been used or even explored for years. But I do know that there is one route that leads up into the hills and another that leads to the marble quarry.”
There was an edge of rage in David’s voice as he replied. “And when exactly, were you proposing to tell us this?”
The old man fell to his knees and sobbed. “I’m sorry, my lord. Lady Deribe threatened me. She made me promise not to tell.”
“Deribe knew of these tunnels?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Well that may explain why we’ve been unable to find her, or the missing money. You will take us there and show us the entrance to these tunnels.”
Mandal nodded but stayed down on his knees.
“Jeren, how is your arm? Are you still able to use your sword?”
“It’s a little stiff but I can still use it.”
“Good, because that’s just about the only weapon we have here that’s any use and you’re the only person who can use it. Now let’s see if we can get an update on the situation.”
He thumbed the micro switch on the communicator round his neck. “Sergeant, have you got them in view yet?”
“Yessir. Two anti-grav vehicles coming in fast. They’re still at extreme range but one of them looks like that gamma class skimmer you reported before. It’s the other one that’s going to be the problem. It’s larger, I’ve got armour showing up on the screen and what looks like a forward mounted pulse cannon. It’s a goddam flying tank.”
“Mikael, are you listening on this channel?”
“I’m here, my lord.”
“Okay, sergeant carry on. What’s the plan?”
“We’re going to try to take out the skimmer before it lands. Bring it down outside the city or even better, up in the hills. The occupants may survive the crash if they’ve got their armour on but at least it will separate them into two groups. The tank I can’t do anything about. I don’t know if our friends on high can help?”
“I can’t hit a target that small and moving that fast, at this sort of range,” Mikael replied. “Maybe when it lands.”
“Then target your weapons on the courtyard outside the palace,” David said. “That has to be the landing site.”
“I can do that but I’m not sure what the blast radius will be.”
“The palace has been evacuated and we’re heading for some tunnels in the hillside behind the building. I can’t worry about possible structural damage at this point. You make that strike on the sergeant’s call. Is that understood?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Sergeant, that’s all I can do for you. It’s up to you now. Let me know how many hostiles make it into the palace building.”
David looked up to where everybody except the Ystrad ambassadors, was staring at him in amazement.
“Lord David, who were you talking to then?” Jeren enquired.
“Soldiers, your highness. I’ve had to call in some specialist help for this. I’m afraid there may be some damage to your palace.”
“The sergeant,” Mahagama asked. “Is he Imperial Guard?”
“Yes he is, your excellency.”
“Then we’re saved.”
“I’m sure the sergeant appreciates your confidence in him but there’s only two of them against an unknown number of opposition. And they’re bringing a tank with them so it’s not a foregone conclusion. Now, Mandal; up off your knees and show us where these tunnels are.”
The old administrator led them down beneath the palace, past the now securely locked treasury vault, and into the vast storage chambers. They lit torches and passed through three progressively emptier vaults to a stone wall at the far end. Mandal selected one block that looked identical to every other block and pushed one end of it. The block swivelled open and he reached inside to pull a lever. There was a click and a crack appeared running down between two lines of blocks.
David placed a hand on either side of the crack and pushed. The right hand side swung smoothly back to reveal a tunnel stretching away into the distance. He thrust a torch into the opening which showed that the floor was smooth but the walls were rough cut rock. He ushered everyone inside and swung the blocks back into place with a satisfying click.
“Are we safe in here?” Falaise asked.
“We’re safer but not safe. They’ll be able to blast through that stone wall without much difficulty. We have to go much deeper into the tunnels. Mandal, lead the way.”
Outside the palace, the first part of the plan worked well. The selection of equipment the guardsmen had brought with them, included a heavy duty rail gun capable of firing projectiles at impossibly high velocities. The shells ripped through the sides of the skimmer as though they were paper and the craft exploded in a mid-air fireball over the River Savage. Observing the strike through the far lens on his helmet, the sergeant was disappointed but not surprised to see one of the occupants eject from the wreck in what appeared to be a controlled descent.
The tank swerved around the destruction but continued on its way, oblivious to the hail of fire now being directed at it. As David had predicted, it landed in the courtyard facing the palace doors. Four marines in full space armour, tumbled out of the nearside door into a prone position firing up at the sergeant and trooper Adams. Another four exited on the far side and sheltered behind the bulk of the tank as the pulse cannon vaporised the palace doors.
The two guardsmen directed their fire on the four marines on their side of the tank as the sergeant called up the Cleopatra.
“We need that airstrike now, Captain. We’ve got them all bunched up.”
One of the Belsian marines jerked and stopped firing as a bolt from the trooper’s rifle finally burnt its way through his armour. The dust from the doorway began to settle, revealing nothing but a gaping hole where the doors had been and the four men from the far side of the tank broke cover and headed towards the palace. From their elevated position, they could see that one of the four was a civilian being shielded by the body armour of three marines.
“Cover the palace doors, Adams. Don’t let them all get inside.”
The cannon on the front of the tank was turning in their direction now as both men concentrated their fire at the group heading for the doorway. The armour used by the Belsians was inferior to that of the Imperial Guard but was still quite effective and the group reached the top of the steps before the rearmost marine went down in a heap. The other three ran through the doorway and disappeared from sight.
The next two events happened in quick succession. The two guardsmen were about ten paces apart behind some decorative stonework on the roof of a mansion overlooking the courtyard. The cannon fired, taking out the section of stonework in front of trooper Adams and knocking him clear off the roof. Then the tank and the remaining marines vanished in a concussive blast that knocked the sergeant onto his back with a large piece of stonework resting on his chest.
With a growl of annoyance he shifted the block of stone off his chest and looked over the edge. There was a deep, smoking crater in the centre of the courtyard about thirty paces across and filled with some twisted metalwork. Part of the courtyard wall had collapsed and some of the marble façade had been ripped off the palace. He touched the communicator switch.
“Three hostiles inside the palace building, sir. Two marines and a civilian. Am in pursuit. Believe one hostile loose outside the city walls. All others neutralised.”
“Well done, sergeant. We’re in the tunnels now and moving deeper. I don’t know if they can track us but we have to accept it as a possibility.”
Inside the tunnels, they had already passed several forks and side passages. Mandal’s knowledge of the tunnel system had long since run out and they were now relying on instinct; choosing the route that looked the most well-used. They turned down one passage that ran straight for a hundred paces with chambers opening to left and right. Glancing into the rooms as they ran past, they made some amazing discoveries. One of the chambers was packed from floor to ceiling with sacks of grain. Another was filled with carcasses of meat, suspended from racks in the ceiling and yet another with jars of oil and wine and sacks of spices. At the end of the passage, there were two smaller chambers filled with the remaining contents of the treasury.
Unfortunately, this particular passage was a dead end and they were turning back when a boom followed by a blast of air signified that the door from the storage chambers had been breached. Sergeant Grimshaw felt the blast too and ran into the final storage chamber in time to loose a snap shot that whistled past Alcanzar’s ear. Startled the little man whirled round.
“Hold them back,” he ordered one of the marines.
David’s party were taking corners at random now, following passages that twisted and turned ever deeper into the hillside. But always the sound of footsteps drew ever closer behind them.
“It’s no use, milord,” Carl said eventually. “I don’t know how they’re tracking us but they know every move we make. The ladies can’t go on much further. It’s time to make a stand.”
David looked around at the group. The two women were out of breath and the ambassadors were no better. “Right, next intersection,” he said.
The next intersection turned out to be a crossroads. Carl turned right and flattened himself against the wall and Jeren did the same to the left.
“Seb, Baltur take the ladies and the ambassadors on round the next corner and keep going, even if you can only walk.”
“But what about you, my lord?” Seb replied.
“They’re either tracking Rachel or the ambassadors. If they think we’re still going, we will at least have the advantage of surprise. Now go.”
David joined Jeren in the left hand passage and waited as the footsteps approached. As they reached the intersection, Carl swung his battle axe round the corner with every ounce of strength in his giant frame. It crashed through the assault rifle that the marine was carrying across his chest and embedded itself in his breastplate. The rifle exploded with a blast that knocked everybody off their feet.
Jeren was the first to recover and ran round the corner, thumbing the stud on the hilt of his sword and thrusting the blue glowing blade into the vulnerable part of the marine’s armour between the top of the breastplate and the bottom of the helmet. Behind the marine, a wild-eyed Alcanzar was staggering to his feet with a nasty looking blast pistol in his hand.
David rounded the corner and flexed the muscles in his wrist to release the needler into his hand. As Alcanzar was raising the pistol to Jeren, a neat little hole appeared in the centre of his forehead and he dropped to the ground again.
David knelt by the giant axeman who was still flat on his back. “How are you doing, Carl?”
“I can’t feel my left arm, milord. Other than that I’ll probably live.”
“Okay, we’ll get you some treatment for that as soon as we can.
“Sergeant, report please.”
“Third hostile’s down, sir. No more inside the palace. Trooper Adams has used up one of his nine lives but he’s okay and I’ve sent him out to round up the one outside the city
walls. The palace is secure, sir.”
Chapter 27
Jeren was in a foul mood. There was no other way to describe it. The early euphoria of surviving the Belsi attack had worn off and he was furious. He stormed round the palace ‘overseeing’ the repairs to the doors, the façade, the courtyard and the boundary wall. He snapped and shouted at people, contradicting instructions and generally creating an atmosphere of uncertainty wherever he went. He was rude to so many people that eventually, Falaise summoned him to her private quarters. She sat quietly watching him as he entered.
“You sent for me, mother?”
“I did,” she replied and said nothing more.
He paced up and down for a full two minutes before he finally broke the silence.
“Why?”
“Why did I send for you? You know the answer to that. You are behaving like a spoiled brat who is about to have his favourite toy taken away. Only Rachel is not a toy, is she? She is the queen of the Ystrad just as you are king of the Lyenar. She has responsibilities and duties to her people in exactly the same way as you do to yours.”
“But I love her, mother. I don’t want her to go.”
“I know, my son, and my heart bleeds for you. But life can be cruel sometimes, particularly it seems, to those who control the destinies of others.”
“Why does she have to go so soon?”
“That I think, is a question you had best ask her. She is waiting for you in the next room. It took me a lot of time and trouble to prise her out of the grasp of those ambassadors. So make sure you sort this out between you because I don’t want to see either of you again until you are ready to rule your respective peoples.”
“Thank you, mother.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and ran to the inter-connecting door.
Rachel turned at the sound of the door and he could see the streaks left by tears on her cheeks. She threw herself into his arms and they stood there just holding each other as a fresh flood of tears burst forth.