Dragon Down

by Casey Knight

  I was pulled from my telepathic exercise by the sound of footsteps in the hall. My senses on high alert, I went to the door to check it out. I opened the door to look and two small missiles streaked by my head. Corbin and Tokem were back. Corbin changed and then hurriedly wrote something down and handed the paper to me. He said they checked everything except the hospital wing. It was too busy and they decided to wait until early morning before investigating further. Corbin took a nap and I dosed in my chair until Tokem woke us both up. We sent him to check and then we got dressed in dark clothes with soft soled shoes. I armed my bracelet and we waited for Tokem to return. He was back pretty quickly and motioned for us to follow him. We moved off down the hall keeping as close as we could to the walls. Once we came to a set of stairs Tokem headed up them. When we reached the top of the landing, Tokem hovered near my ear and whispered the infirmary was on the next floor. Corbin could hear without Tokem whispering.

  Once we got to the next floor we followed Tokem to the left and we went past several closed doors. He stopped in front of one and Corbin tried the door. It wasn’t locked and we went in and closed the door. We were in a linen and storage room. Tokem motioned to the far wall where there were surgical scrubs. Yes, Corbin and I went over and put the scrubs on over our clothes. I motioned for Corbin to go first. Then I waited for five minutes or so and when I didn’t hear any evidence that he was detected I followed.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  The man waited for the hall to quiet and for the nurse to check on him. He got up, put his pillow under the covers to make it look like he was asleep and got dressed. There had been a lot of activity today but, he had no way of knowing what was going on. Now that they had other patients and he was healed. They left him locked in his room except when they brought in his meals. He moved to his bathroom, locked the door and hopped up and removed the vent cover. Excitedly, he pulled himself up into the vent and started down the shaft stopping occasionally to listen for voices or sound of any kind. He reached the shaft leading upward to the floors above him without hearing anything.

  Tonight he was going back to the room where he overheard the general and whomever the general reported to. When he got close to the room he heard voices and realized he’d made a good decision. Inching forward as silently as he could, he got close enough to hear the discussions in the room below.

  “General, are all the delegates present and settled in?”

  “Yes sir, everyone is here and settled into their quarters for the evening.”

  “Good. Is there any news on what caused the explosion?”

  “Yes, the engineers think something on the ship exploded inside the vessel. The damage was blown outward which explains why the cargo was so damaged.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. This means that we have a traitor or traitors in the city. We are doing background searches to see if anyone in the city has the necessary training and access to explosives. Only an expert would know how to handle explosives big enough to blow such a large hole in a ship.”

  “Do you think there is any connection between the explosion on board and the arrival of delegates for the high level trade talks?”

  “I think there most definitely is. Perhaps someone thinks we will lower our prices or be forced to, if we can’t guarantee the safety of the cargo we are shipping. I have been trying to figure out which group has the most to gain from this. If I had to guess, I would say the vampires. They are moving the most cargo. Combined with stepped up drug patrols on the surface, their business has lost lots of cargo. The fae tend to use us to move people and they are not usually in a hurry. Besides, we charge them a set rate and they can’t go topside anywhere near the dragon kingdoms in Carndonagh.”

  “Check it out. We need to find out who our traitors are, before they make a move on our city. They might try to take the city and cut us out altogether. We can’t allow that.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Just like that the general was gone and it was silent for a few minutes, before there was another knock on the door.

  “Come in.”

  “King Oran, how good to see you sir. We didn’t expect you until tomorrow morning. Please have a seat and I’ll get you something to drink.”

  “As you were General Tunis, I kept my arrival time a secret in light of the attack on our sub. What have you found out?”

  “Your Majesty, we have determined the vessel was damaged from within. There’s obviously a traitor in our midst but, we haven’t found them yet.”

  “This is very bad news with the head of the fae and the Black Vampire court as our guests. Have you considered the attack might have been meant to distract us from the real target? What if someone has planned an assassination against one of the visiting heads of state? We would look guilty.”

  “Yes, sir. I have. It makes me even more concerned for your safety.”

  “I have Varns working on who has the most to gain by attacking us or anyone at these talks. I can’t see how the fae have anything to gain. They need us to travel between realms because the Irish dragon kingdom will not allow them passage. The vampires probably have the most to gain. They have a vast smuggling network and they may be trying to cut us out.”

  “Or pit us all against one another.” The king sighed. “I will expect a full report by the end of the day tomorrow. Good night General.”

  “King Oran, I will escort you and your men to your wing.”

  The man sat in silence for a time before heading back to his room. Something the men said bothered him. Well maybe bothered wasn’t the right term but, he felt unsettled by something they said. What was it? If only he could get his memory back. I am tired of not knowing who I am and being locked in my room like a criminal. He’d just slid under his covers when he heard a commotion in the hall and the sound of running feet. Then nothing until a soft knock on his door startled him. The door opened and the nurse stuck her head in.

  “I hope I didn’t wake you. We have been very busy treating the injured, which is why I haven’t been in to check on you.”

  “What happened and why I am I locked in?”

  “Like I told you yesterday one of our boats was attacked. You are locked in here for your own protection until, we find out who fired on our boat.”

  “I have been thinking a lot about who I am and I can’t remember anything. I was wondering if I might have said anything. Did you hear me say anything that might help me?”

  “You mumbled a lot and I couldn’t make out anything except you mentioned Lauren on several occasions. Now I better get back to work.”

  Lauren, who are you and what do you mean to me?

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Lauren followed Corbin into the infirmary and they began checking rooms. Corbin took the right side of the hall and Lauren took the left. Tokem was darting up and down the halls looking for guards or medical personnel. Lauren tried the door of the first room and slowly opened it. Empty. She moved along to the next room and it too was not locked. Slowly opening the door she gazed inside and found two men. One glance told her neither was Traygen. She turned to leave when one of the men called for water. She froze for a moment before she got the man some water and he fell back onto his bed too weak to move.

  Corbin looked into two rooms and found only badly injured men and none fitting Traygen’s description. He moved to the next room and turned the door knob but, it was locked. He was about to force it when Tokem streaked by indicating they had company. He grabbed Lauren and they ran back down the way they’d come. They ducked into the storage room and waited. They heard footsteps moving down the hall and then the storage room door opened. A security guard came in and headed right for them. Tokem buzzed him and while he was looking up Corbin hit him over the head. He never saw a thing. We tied him up and stuffed him in the laundry chute. Then we headed back to our rooms and we made it safely back without detection.

  I felt like I was back in high school passing notes back and forth. It wouldn�
��t be long before someone noticed the guard was missing and came looking. Fortunately, he hadn’t seen either of us. Unfortunately, the already tight security would get even tighter. They would likely think whomever attacked their sub was now on the premises. It might help cause confusion but security would probably be much tighter. We agreed our sleuthing was done for tonight. Then we decided we should talk as a couple so our silence wasn’t suspicious.

  Tomorrow Corbin would be in meetings to discuss the vampires trading contracts with the Nargon. I was to sit tight. That was so not happening. I would use the time to check out this place and I was hoping to use my connection to Traygen to lead me to him. I couldn’t move around the halls without people stopping and questioning me. So, I looked to see if there was any way out of these suites without using the door. Obviously the windows were out. They were all pressurized to keep us all from being crushed like a soda can. I had an idea but, I would need to wait for Corbin to leave. Sadly, vampires do not sleep at night. I turned in and was surprised I was soon fast asleep. Not surprising when I thought about it, it had been weeks since I had slept between sheets.

  Corbin left before I got up. Breakfast was waiting when I got out into the living room. I poured myself a cup of coffee and took it with me as I scanned our rooms for a way out. That’s when I noticed the large ventilation shaft in the master bathroom. I climbed up onto the bathroom vanity and checked it out. It might take me a while to get the screws out but, I would easily fit into the shaft. My guess is they needed to move a lot of air to keep everyone alive at the bottom of the ocean.

  I worked on it until lunch time when I stopped to eat. Since it was being served and I didn’t want them to think I was skipping it. I hadn’t had food this good since I left L.A. I wondered if Jason or Prince Trevor thought we were lost. Poor Xena must think I am never coming home. Don’t worry girl. We will all be home soon. Lunch was wonderful. It is a good thing I wouldn’t be here long. I might float to the top. Now it was time to get some answers and find Traygen.

  I put a do not disturb sign on my door and went in my room and changed into my dark clothes. I removed the vent cover and put it silently down next to the tub. Then I stood on the vanity and pulled myself up into the vent. Once I was inside I activated my bracelet and it provided enough light for me to see but not be seen. I hesitated for a minute before I decided to move off to my right. I marked my room and then crawled down the vent shaft. I had plenty of room and I moved along at a steady pace listening for any sound. I had gone about fifty feet before I heard the sound of running water and I started to move on. Then I heard some voices and stopped to check it out. I had no idea where I was. I waited and inched slightly closer and I could just make out what the two men were saying.

  “The rooms are bugged and we will need to be extra cautious.”

  “I don’t think anyone knows who blew a hole in the sub but, there is security everywhere. We will need to be extremely careful. Varns and Tunis think the vampires are behind it and that is fine by me.”

  “Yes, by the time they find out otherwise we will have assassinated the king. By then it will be too late. We will kill the vampires and fae and frame them for the king’s death. Then we will negotiate more favorable trading routes and rates.”

  “Are the vents rigged for the poisonous gas?”

  “Yes, it is all set up. We will turn on the gas after everyone returns to their rooms at the conclusion of the ball. Everyone will be dead by morning and if there are any survivors we will kill them and accuse them. We better get back before we are missed.”

  I sat there for some time before I decided I’d better return to my room. If I was going to stop this assassination attempt, I didn’t have much time. I moved back the way I’d come and then I started to duck back down into our rooms. Then I stopped and turned up the light from my bracelet. I scanned the area looking around the vent. I almost missed it, but there a small clear tube that was fixed to the wall above our vent. My guess was that all the vampire, fae, and royal suites had one.

  I hopped down and moved around our suite counting the vents, we had five. There was one in the living room, one in each bathroom, and one in each bedroom. I would need Tokem’s help to point them out from inside the suites while I pinched them all off, from inside the vent shaft. While I was thinking it over Corbin and Tokem returned. I hastily wrote down what I had found and then I asked for Tokem’s help. Corbin grabbed the paper and wrote that it would be easier to have Tokem follow the tubing to its source. Then he could come get Corbin and he would disable the gas at its source. I nodded my agreement.

  While Tokem and Corbin were disabling the gas, I sat and thought about who could be behind this. I didn’t have a clue except that they were Nargon or at least associated with the Nargon. Corbin had been wise to turn off the gas at its source. Telling the fae and the vampires their host was trying to kill them all was a bad idea, especially given the enmity among the two groups. While I was thinking it over Corbin and Tokem returned. They scribbled they had turned the gas off. I took the pad and asked them how we were going to keep them all in their rooms until we found those behind the plot.

  We sat there for a while contemplating the issue. Finally, Corbin took the pen and wrote we should notify the heads of both groups and the king. They could watch their respective groups and the King could be smuggled out of the city to safety. I took the pen and asked if he thought they would believe us. Corbin took the pen and wrote they would if we told them all at the same time and showed them the gas lines. Okay, but how would we get them together without tipping off the assassins? Corbin volunteered to tell the head of the vampire delegation. I didn’t think I was the right one to talk to the fae and Tokem volunteered. He was after all distantly related. That left me to speak to the King. We all left to seek out our respective targets.

  I changed into one of the beautiful gowns Corbin provided and got myself ready to meet royalty. Once I was dressed I checked out my reflection in the mirror before, I activated my bracelet. I headed for the royal suites. I knew when I found the correct one because there were more guards than at Fort Knox. When I got close I amped up my bracelet and approached the nearest guard.

  “I need to speak to King Oran on urgent business. I represent the Black Court delegation.”

  “Wait here and I’ll check with the King’s staff.”

  A few minutes later I was shown into a large sitting area. I turned when I heard footsteps.

  “Duchess Aran, I am sure you realize how busy the King is. He asked me to find out what the nature of your urgent business is. My name is Varns and I am head of security. How may I help you today?”

  I recognized his voice right away. One traitor down. “I am sure you realize my urgent news can only be delivered to the King.” Then I raised my arm and sent a blast of energy into Varns and he collapsed unconscious to the floor. He would be out for a while but, I couldn’t chance him getting away while I spoke with the King. I ripped a cord off the curtains and tied him securely to a large statue and for good measure, I gaged him. Then I went in the direction Varns had originally gone to find the King. I found him in the study poring over some reports.

  “King Oran I am sorry to interrupt but, I have some important information.”

  “Who are you and where is Varns?”

  “I am the Duchess of Aran and Varns is unconscious in the living room. I stunned him and tied him up next to Neptune.”

  “Why? Guards...”

  I held up my arm to silence the King and motioned for him to sit. I sent a little energy his way to seal the deal. He sat.

  “I am sorry for that but, I need you to listen. I overheard Varns and another man talking about gassing the delegates from the fae and vampire delegations and then killing you. We have found the source of the gas and disarmed it. I have sent Prince Aran to speak to the vampires and Tokem to speak with the fae. They are the ones that caused the explosion on the sub and they planned to kill you and the members from the two delegations.
They meant to overthrow you and blame the two visiting delegations for killing you. Then they would establish new trading routes.”

  “How do I know I can trust you? You could be behind all this and trying to frame Varns.”

  “You will have to trust me. Do you have anyone that is above suspicion? They can check out the gas and they need to get you out of this city until we find the other traitor.”

  “Who are you really and why do you care?”

  “I work for the World Council and I am in search of Prince Traygen of the Irish dragons of Carndonagh. I believe you know his father. Now do you have someone you can trust with your life?”

  “Yes, General Tunis. He won’t want to leave the city but, he can provide me with men he can trust.”

  “Send for him and we can fill him in on the details then he can persuade Varns to talk.”

  While we waited for the general, I quizzed the king on whom he thought might be involved with Varns. We didn’t have time to give it much thought before the general and half a dozen guards burst into the room.

  “King Oran you sent for me?”

  “General Tunis, we have been betrayed by Varns and one other. They attacked our sub and they were planning on killing our delegates and assassinating me.”

  “These are seriously allegations King Oran. Do we have proof?”

  “Yes, I overheard them plotting the attacks.”

  “And you are?”

  “My real name is Lauren Simon and I’m posing as the Duchess of Aran. I am a wizard and a member of The World Council.”

  “You are a long way from home. What business do you have with us that you needed to come under false pretenses?”

  “I am looking for a missing member of The World Council and Prince of the Irish dragon kingdoms. We believe vampires or fae were involved in his disappearance and we traced Traygen’s signal to this city. There is also a price on my head by the Sidhe fae. I could not risk coming as a member of the council.”