"Do you mean that people are being forced to worship Balmak?" asked Garth.
"Yes," replied Kalina, "but not many. I suspect that they use magic only on those who cannot be converted. That eliminates the possibilities of spies. Did you pick up anything in the common room?"
"A hundred conversations at once," frowned Garth, "and none of them favorable to the king. I think whatever is going to happen will happen soon."
"Why do you say that?" questioned Kalina.
"Your mention of magic surprised me," Garth declared. "If they are resorting to mind control to avoid word spreading, what will they do about travelers?"
"I don't know," admitted Kalina. "What does that have to do with the timing of the revolt?"
"Pia is a seaport," answered Garth. "Ships are coming and going every day. I spoke with a sailor bound for Kantor. He has noticed the mood of the people here, and I imagine other sailors have as well. The rebels cannot afford to have word spread across the land before they strike. It will be soon."
"Then we must act to stop it," stated Kalina.
"We came here to understand our enemies better," frowned Garth, "not to openly destroy the temple."
"I know," sighed Kalina, "but what else can we do? If the people of Pia revolt, Za-chan will have to send the army to suppress it. When he does, a revolt will start in another area of Lanoir. I do not think we are playing with amateurs here, Garth. Whatever their plan is, it appears to be well thought out."
"I agree," conceded Garth, "but you are proposing that the two of us take on the entire city. Do not overrate your skills or mine. We can only do so much."
"And whatever we do must not be tied back to King Arik," Kalina added. "I do not know what to do, but I understand that it is up to us to prevent this rebellion. If you are correct on the timing, there is no time to bring the army into this."
"The army would not be the right approach anyway," sighed Garth. "Our attack must not be overt. We must deceive the people of Pia into abandoning Balmak."
"Deceive them?" echoed Kalina as she suddenly stopped walking.
Garth halted and stared at his wife. "I know that look," he said softly. "What are you thinking?"
"I am thinking that an illusion would come in handy," answered Kalina, "but no illusion will work on K'san and his henchmen. We will be busy destroying the leaders of the temple, so we will need help with the illusions."
"I would like to learn more about K'san before we strike," declared Garth. "Will that go along with what you have in mind?"
"It will," nodded Kalina. "Why don't you continue to check things out around the city? I have to travel up the coast a bit."
"Where to?" asked Garth.
"Pog," smiled Kalina. "I will be back before morning."
* * *
Thousands of stars sparkled in the night sky as Yorra skimmed over the surface of the sea. Off to the right, Kalina could see the twinkle of lights along the coast. She knew that they were passing the city of Pog, and she gently tapped the unicorn's right shoulder. Yorra banked slightly and angled towards the coast. As the beach came rushing towards them, Kalina gazed at the coastline until she found the landmark she had been looking for.
"The mouth of that creek," pointed Kalina.
The unicorn set down gently on the sand, and Kalina slid to the ground. Leaving the unicorn on the beach, the Knight of Alcea followed the banks of the creek into the woods. A few moments later, she came to a small shack. The door to the shack was open, and she walked inside. A gaunt man with red hair was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. He turned to look as she entered.
"Welcome to my home, Jenneva," smiled the man as he rose to his feet.
"I am using the name Kalina at the moment, Balamor," the woman replied. "It is good to see you again."
"Kalina?" Balamor rolled the name around as he pronounced it. "It fits you well. Do we have time for tea?"
"I don't see why not," smiled Kalina. "We only have to be in Pia by morning."
"Then you have time to tell me why my services are needed," replied Balamor.
"I can do that before you pour the tea," stated Kalina. "You are needed because you are the greatest mage in the world when it comes to illusions. I have a difficult challenge for you."
"I would not expect a student of the Mage to call on me if there was not a serious challenge involved," responded Balamor. "Sit and tell me what you can."
* * *
The priest's voice boomed from behind the altar, and the kneeling worshippers bowed until their heads touched the floor. K'san's eyes roved over the crowd looking for the stray worshipper whose eyes were not closed in obedience. He was not surprised to notice the man in black staring back at him. The priest had already noticed the warrior and decided that he required special observation. It was not because the warrior in black was obviously a foreigner, for many Sordoans lived in Pia. What had caught the priest's attention was the way the man carried himself. His every move was wary and calculated. The man in black was a natural predator, and K'san knew that preparations had to be made to break him.
The priest's hand reached out and touched the mage standing beside him. Without halting the words of his lecture, K'san nodded towards the man in black. The mage nodded in understanding but made no move to action. The problem would not be dealt with while the service was in session. K'san was pleased that once again he had managed to pick out the stray danger in the mass of humanity before him. He had a knack for finding the troublemakers before any damage could be done to the movement. The man in black would receive special attention during the night. By the morning service, the predator would be kneeling in obedience before K'san, just like everyone else.
Alexander Tork had felt the priest's gaze upon him. He had met K'san's gaze with defiance and watched as the priest alerted the mage to a potential problem. It was a risky gambit to bring attention to himself in such a manner, but it was essential to the plan that K'san not focus on the two foreign mages also in the room. Balamor wore a hood over his blazing red hair and appeared to be nothing more than a poor fisherman in search of truth and enlightenment. The tall mage knelt in the darkness of the opposite rear corner of the temple where he could get a good view of everything.
Jenneva had donned an old gray cloak with a hood and was kneeling in the very first row. She was not close to get a good view of the service. In fact, she kept her eyes closed when they were supposed to be closed. Her nearness to the altar was an attempt to sense any vibrations emanating from the subtle use of magic during the service.
K'san ended the service with a loud torrent of the unworthiness of the followers. He taunted them for their lack of faith and demanded that they punish themselves for their lack of enthusiasm. He warned that only through their great devotion would they enable Balmak's return to usher in the age of paradise. As the worshippers remained with their heads bowed to the floor, K'san and the two black-cloaked mages turned and left the room.
Almost immediately the cries of sorrow began. Worshippers rose and flowed out of the temple. The three followers of King Arik joined the flow of bodies heading outside. Alex dallied a bit as he gazed around the room. When Alex finally stepped into the daylight, he hesitated briefly before moving to one side. The street in front of the temple was crowded with worshipers who were flogging themselves with sticks or bundles of stones wrapped in strips of their own clothing. He shook his head in disbelief as the cries of anguish grew louder and louder. The warrior's eyes scanned the crowd, and he saw the tall figure of Balamor slip into an alleyway heading away from the temple. A few moments later, he caught sight of Jenneva browsing a merchant's stall. The warrior turned and walked away in the opposite direction.
On his way to the rendezvous outside the city, Alex felt eyes upon him. Without trying to locate the person following him, the warrior immediately turned and headed for the room he had rented at one of the local inns. He approached the inn slowly, but once he had entered the building, he moved quickly to his r
oom. Without waiting for his followers to inquire about his whereabouts, Alex climbed out the window of his room and dropped to the ground. He dashed along an alley to put some distance between the followers and himself and then slowed to a walking pace. He took an erratic route to the edge of the city and passed thorough the gates unmolested.
"What took you so long?" Jenneva asked as Alex arrived at the meeting place.
"I was followed," Alex answered. "I think it is safe to assume that Garth Shado is now a wanted man."
"How would they know the name you are using?" asked Balamor.
"I escaped by luring them to my room at the inn," answered Alex. "It won't matter. I will not be sleeping there tonight. Did the two of you learn enough to pull off this plan?"
"I think that I can deliver on my part," replied Balamor, "but much has to be accomplished before that can happen."
"You think that you can deliver?" asked Jenneva. "We need more assurance than that."
"It will be an extremely difficult illusion," Balamor shrugged. "To portray many people is not so difficult, but to have so many speak and be believable is no minor task. Plus you will have those who are under K'san's control to deal with. Any one of them could spoil the illusion."
"I was hoping that the death of K'san would break the bindings of those spells," replied Jenneva.
"It may," shrugged Balamor, "but it may not. Besides, we might be foolish to base our plans on the death of K'san. There is something strange about that man. Did you not sense it?"
"I did," Jenneva nodded. "I cannot identify it, but there is a presence within K'san that defies description."
"What are the two of you talking about?" asked Alex. "K'san is a man, and a man can die. Leave him to me."
"Is he a man?" asked Balamor. "And what do you base that assumption on?"
Alex frowned in confusion.
"Remember Bin-lu's report?" asked Jenneva. "He spoke of K'san as being indestructible. It was Tedi's magic staff that finally defeated him. You do not have such an artifact to use."
"My sword is magical," offered Alex. "You enchanted it yourself."
"Indeed," replied Jenneva, "but it does not have the properties of Tedi's staff. You can deflect magical projectiles, but that will not help you cut through stone."
"I will use my strength to cut through K'san if that is what is required of me," Alex replied stubbornly.
"You will risk losing your magic sword," warned Jenneva.
"This whole plan is rather risky," Balamor declared.
"The greater risk is in doing nothing," retorted Alexander. "As long as we are not identified as Knights of Alcea, we have nothing to lose by trying."
"Other than our lives," Balamor smiled thinly.
"Are you hesitant?" asked Alex.
"Not at all," Balamor replied. "I have dedicated my life to helping others. What kind of man would I be if I walked away from what we saw today? A god does not wish people to punish themselves for some perceived deficiency in their faithfulness to a priest. No, Garth, we must act, but I also think we need to be realistic about our chances. We will be battling the unknown."
"So be it," Alex replied with an air of finality. "Kalina and I will raid the temple tonight. You just be ready for the morning service."
"I will be going with you tonight," declared Balamor.
"Why?" balked Kalina. "You are not a battle mage."
"I may not be versed in battle magic," shrugged the red-haired mage, "but that does not mean that I cannot find a way to help. We are all in this together."
"Then together we shall fight," Kalina smiled thinly. "We should return to the city now. I do not want to take the chance of being refused entrance to the city after sunset."
"But Garth will be hunted," warned Balamor.
"I have been hunted before," Alex smiled thinly. "We will meet at the docks after most have gone to bed."
Garth waited for the mages to leave before he began a slow walk back towards the city gates. His eyes inspected the people around the gate with care as he approached. The words of the sailor came to mind as he looked at the soldiers manning the gate. The gates were the only place he had seen any soldiers in the city of Pia. It made sense that they would want to be off the streets by nightfall, and he realized that Jenneva had been wise in not wanting to remain outside the city. Pia would be closed down once the sun set.
The gate guards passed Garth through without notice, but the warrior felt eyes upon him as soon as he entered the city. K'san's henchmen were waiting for him. The Knight of Alcea veered towards the first cross street and walked briskly towards the coast. He listened carefully to the sounds around him and tried to count the number of men following him. While he could not be sure without letting the enemy know that he was aware that he was being followed, Garth estimated three or four men were following him. His eyes scanned the street ahead as he sought a place to either lose his followers or confront them.
Seeing a large crowd on the street ahead, Garth turned into an alley. He quickened his pace as he maneuvered through the twisting, debris-filled alley. As he searched anxiously for the next street, he heard the sounds of running footsteps behind him. K'san's men were no longer trying to hide their interest in Garth Shado. Garth started running. As he rounded a bend in the alley, Garth slid to a halt. The alley was a dead end. As he turned around, four men gathered where the alley bent. They slowed to a walk and cautiously approached their prey.
"You are invited to meet privately with K'san," smiled one of the men. "You will come with us."
Chapter 18
Assault in Pia
Garth backed up to the end of the alley as he inspected the four thugs approaching him. He had seen the four men inside the temple, but he could not tell if any of them were mages. Two of the men drew their swords and moved to the edges of the alley. The other two continued a few paces before coming to a halt.
"You will discard your sword and come peacefully with us," demanded the leader of the thugs.
"What if I am not inclined to accept your invitation?" asked Garth.
"You have no choice in the matter," sneered the leader. "If you refuse, we will kill you and leave your body in this alley for the vermin to feed upon."
"I have no desire to die," retorted Garth as he drew his long, two-handed sword. "Perhaps I should allow the four of you to run before I attack?"
The leader stepped back a pace when Garth drew his sword. The thug was not accustomed to people resisting when so obviously overpowered. He pulled on the cloak of the closest thug and drew the man towards him.
"Get one of the black-cloaks," the leader instructed. "If this one is well skilled, we will keep him here until the mage arrives. Hurry."
The conversation had been subdued, but Garth heard the instructions. It answered his question regarding the magical abilities of his opponents. As the chosen runner turned to leave, Garth's hand slipped into a pouch and grasped a Lanoirian star. He tossed the metallic disc with a practiced flip of his wrist before gripping his sword with both hands. The star sailed through the air, and its teeth sunk deep into the runner's neck at the base of his skull. The remaining thugs reacted instantly with cries of outrage.
The three men raced towards Garth with their swords preceding them. Garth balanced on his toes, ready to move swiftly in either direction. The warrior studied his opponents as the men ran towards him. When he saw that they would hold the same formation all the way to him, Garth shouted loudly and charged towards them. The thugs' charge hesitated momentarily at Garth's surprise move. It was the reaction Garth had counted on.
Garth raised the two-handed sword high over his head as he charged towards the leader. The leader prepared to slice Garth's belly open as soon as he got close enough, but his plan failed miserably. Just as the leader swung his blade, Garth halted and jumped to one side. While the leader's sword sliced through the air, Garth's two-handed sword came down on the leader's head. A sickening crack split the air as the leader collapsed to the gr
ound.
Garth followed through with his swing by turning his back to the two men still running towards him. Instead of turning around in an attempt to parry their thrusts, Garth let his body fall to the ground, his momentum propelling him towards the mouth of the alley. Garth pulled his sword in close as he rolled past the charging henchmen. As they turned around to pursue their prey, Garth leaped to his feet. For a short moment, the three men stood facing each other, each waiting for the other to make a move.
Garth had no time to dally with a stand off. Holding his sword in one hand, he reached into his pouch with the other and grabbed another Lanoirian star. The eyes of the thugs grew wide with understanding. Both men screamed as they charged. Garth let the star fly into one of the men and met the other with his long sword. The screams halted suddenly as both men fell to the ground. Garth wiped his sword clean and sheathed it. He retrieved the two stars before moving quickly out of the alley.
The sun was beginning to set by the time Garth reached the area of the city where his room was. The warrior did not enter the inn, but stood in an alley where he could watch the comings and goings. He was not sure what he was watching for, but his warrior senses were screaming at him to avoid his room. He always listened to such warnings. An hour after sunset, the peaceful street erupted with action. Dozens of men raced to the inn from every direction. The bulk of the men formed a ring around the inn while six men entered the front door. Garth opened his breast pocket and stirred the fairy to life. The tiny blue female peeked out of the pocket before shooting up to Garth's shoulder.
"Is it time already?" chirped Bantam.
"No," Garth said softly. "The night has barely begun. I want you to enter the inn across the street and listen to what is going on. Stay hidden."
The fairy did not reply. She leaped into the air and disappeared from sight. Garth watched the gathered men to see how alert and trained they were. While the men appeared dedicated to their task, their lack of training was immediately obvious. The men shuffled their feet while they waited impatiently for orders. Their attention to the inn and their surroundings was undisciplined. Garth knew that these men had never served in the army. That fact did not make them harmless, but it was something that could be exploited.
Knights of Alcea Page 22