"With the death of the second priest in Pia," agreed Bin-lu, "this K'san will be alert to anyone getting near him. How do you want to do this?"
"I don't know," conceded Tedi. "We are not immune to his magical projectiles."
"Yet this K'san exhibits the same arrogance as the priest in Chi-Chan," shrugged Bin-lu. "That may be his weak spot. He may let us battle his troops before killing us."
"Oh yeah," Tedi rolled his eyes, "that sure sounds like a plan. Why not find the girls and set a torch to this place?"
"No," Bin-lu replied quickly. "There is much information in K'san's study. We must have those papers. Besides, I am not sure that the priest will burn. He is not like other people."
"It is probably his magic," sighed Tedi. "Do we flee, or do we fight?"
"Come, Bin-lu," boomed the priest's voice. "I know you are here. Come and talk to me. I wait for you."
Tedi and Bin-lu looked at each other questioningly.
"He can't possibly know that we are here," whispered Tedi.
"You cannot escape the temple," boomed K'san. "You might as well come and talk to me. If your story is good, I may let you live. I can even protect you from Wu-kang."
"Wu-kang is dead," whispered Tedi. "He is bluffing."
"It doesn't matter," Bin-lu decided. "Too much is already in motion for us to leave here with K'san still alive. I am going in. You do what you think is best for you."
Before Tedi could object, Bin-lu walked into the large room. Tedi shook his head with resignation and followed. Over twenty warriors stood in the center of the room, and they all looked eagerly at the two newcomers. Bin-lu surveyed the room and saw K'san standing alone behind the altar. The Knight of Alcea smiled at the absence of the two black-cloaks.
"Ah, you brought a friend?" taunted the priest. "Is he the foreign friend who aided you in Chi-Chan? Where is his woman?"
Bin-lu and Tedi walked slowly towards the large group of men. Neither of them spoke.
"There is probably a woman roaming around the temple," declared K'san. "Find her and bring her or her body here."
One of the men in the room started to leave. Bin-lu's move was so quick that K'san missed it. A Lanoirian star flew across the room and struck the man at the base of his neck. The man's body pitched forward and crashed to the floor.
"We have no need to bring our women to fight you," Bin-lu said to K'san, "but I will not let any of your men escape this room."
"You won't allow?" laughed K'san. "You are obviously unaware of your position."
K'san's men started drifting towards Bin-lu and Tedi, trying to encircle them. The priest raised his hand to halt their movement.
"Maintain your positions," K'san commanded sternly. "You will all have your chance to display your devotion to Balmak, but these men are not yet ready to die."
"You are going to kill us yourself?" asked Bin-lu as he tried to figure out a way to get Tedi close enough to K'san to strike.
"No," K'san smiled. "First you will answer some questions that I have. Then you will be allowed to play with my men. What happened to the priest in Chi-Chan?"
Bin-lu started walking casually towards the altar, and Tedi followed. K'san smiled and shook his head, but he did not speak. Bin-lu began to feel light-headed, but he thought nothing of it until a loud clatter drew his attention to Tedi. The gypsy stood staring at his staff, which had slipped from his fingers and fallen to the floor.
"I cannot move," Tedi said softly, but painfully. "He is using magic."
"The staff is magical?" asked K'san. "Is that how the priest was killed?"
Bin-lu said nothing. He tried to move sideways to come between K'san and Tedi, hoping that he could block the magic. Everyone in the room focused his attention on Bin-lu.
"Answer me!" K'san said loudly. "Answer me, or your friend will die."
Bin-lu felt as if his head was being crushed between two large rocks. He dropped to his knees in pain and stared at the priest. As his head began to swim, Bin-lu saw the curtain behind K'san ripple. He watched in amazement as Rut-ki and Natia burst through the curtain. Natia was carrying a length of rope with some weight on the end of it. She was twirling it over her head as Rut-ki launched herself into the air.
Natia released the twirling rope, and it wrapped itself around K'san's legs. A second later, Rut-ki's extended foot slammed into the back of K'san's head. The priest's large body toppled to the floor as shouts rang out across the room. K'san's henchmen raced towards the women, thinking that Bin-lu and Tedi were incapacitated, but the spells binding the two men had been broken when the priest fell. Natia remained at the curtain and began throwing knives, while Rut-ki charged forward and began attacking the leading chargers.
Tedi scooped up his staff and charged K'san, and Bin-lu rushed to Rut-ki's defense. The priest struggled to get up, but Tedi was upon him. The Knight of Alcea brought the staff down with all his might. The staff severed K'san's body in two and cracked the floor of the temple. The walls of the temple trembled, and a deafening boom filled the air. The noise was so loud that no one heard the bashing of the front door of the temple as Za-hong's men tried to force their way inside.
K'san's death had rattled his men and some of them tried to flee, but there was no escape from the Knights of Alcea. Natia concentrated her throwing on those trying to leave the room. Bin-lu and Rut-ki waded into the mass of men, their arms and legs moving in a coordinated dance of death and destruction. Tedi joined the fight with his staff. When the first of the Lanoirian soldiers finally entered the temple, only four people were standing.
The Lanoirians soldiers gaped at the piles of bodies as they streamed through the battered door. General Za-hong entered and shouted for his men to secure the temple. He marched across the room and stood before the four warriors. He looked at each of them in turn and then bowed low in a sign of great respect.
"Long live the Knights of Alcea," he said reverently. "Long live King Arik."
* * *
The governor's study in the Imperial Palace of Lanoir was large and elegant. Rut-ki stared in awe at the gilded furniture and impressive paintings. Although she had been in residence at the Imperial Palace for years, she had never been admitted to the governor's personal section. The furnishings had been created for the Emperor of Lanoir before the war, and the atmosphere spoke of great wealth. Her greatest surprise though, was in the governor himself.
She had only seen Za-chan from a distance, and only during one of his rare appearances before the people. Up close, she discovered what a humble man he truly was. He greeted each of the guests personally and with an air of servitude. He had even bowed in respect to each of the four warriors, including Rut-ki. The martial arts instructor felt honored to be in his presence. Governor Za-chan did not sit at the head of the long table, but instead sat between his brother, General Za-hong, and Rut-ki. Tedi, Bin-lu, and Natia sat across the table.
"Za-hong," the governor began, "tell us where we stand concerning the Balmak matter."
"The papers found in the temple have been very helpful," the general declared. "We have managed to round up all of the spies and agitators that were listed in K'san's personal notes, at least the ones in Ongchi. I have sent soldiers out to arrest those in other provinces of Lanoir."
"Will this break the rebellion in Ongchi?" asked Tedi.
"It is too early to speculate on that," replied Za-hong, "but it certainly will cripple it at least. We have managed to spread the rumor that the devastation at the temple was caused by an internal fight between K'san and his mages. The people seem to be accepting the story, and I plan to allow the city gates to be reopened tomorrow. There are still other temples in Lanoir, and they must be dealt with."
"I would urge that you take no action against those temples yet," interjected Bin-lu. "There is concern in Tagaret that by openly attacking the followers of Balmak, we may inadvertently make them stronger. The Knights of Alcea in Ongchi will be departing in the morning for Tagaret. We will discuss this matter with Ki
ng Arik and devise a strategy for dealing with it. For now, I suggest that your people only monitor the temples and gather information."
Rut-ki frowned at the mention of Bin-lu leaving. He had not even hinted to her that he was going to leave.
"We will, of course, honor your request," Za-chan stated, "but I grieve to lose the service of the Knights of Alcea. You have done so much for Lanoir, and the journey will take much time. Can we afford to ignore the rebellion for so long?"
"Our journey will not take so long," smiled Bin-lu. "We have sent a request to Tagaret for unicorns to transport us. They should be here by the midday meal."
"I must imagine that the followers of Balmak have a contingency plan in the case of Alcea attacking," interjected Tedi. "It is better if all of the attacks are coordinated through King Arik. We have destroyed three temples so far, but we have been lucky. K'san seemed rather knowledgeable about the other attacks, and that indicates that they have a good information flow from one temple to another."
"The excuses given for each temple's destruction so far have been plausible," added Bin-lu, "but we are pressing our luck if we try to close down another one. The papers found in this temple must be studied in Tagaret before we move further. That is the reason for our journey."
"As always," smiled Za-chan, "I have the utmost confidence in King Arik and his Knights of Alcea. We will await his orders. What else needs to be discussed before the Knights of Alcea leave, Za-hong?"
Rut-ki frowned again at the mention of Bin-lu's departure. She was not sure that she could adjust to life without him.
"Only the continued expression of our gratitude," smiled the general. "The people of Lanoir are forever indebted to the service of the Knights of Alcea. I will send a message to the stables to expect the arrival of three unicorns. They will clear the area of any prying eyes and see to the comfort of our four-legged guests."
"I appreciate that," Bin-lu responded. "There is no need to advertise the comings and goings of the Knights of Alcea, but there will be four unicorns, not three."
"Four?" Rut-ki echoed.
"Four," grinned Bin-lu. "King Arik has extended an invitation for you to become a Knight of Alcea. I told him that he had made a wise decision. You will accept, won't you?"
"Accept?" blushed Rut-ki. "I stand in awe of being in the presence of a Knight of Alcea. It is an honor that I will treasure forever. To be accepted as one leaves me speechless."
* * *
The elf raised his hand to silently halt the party. He slid quietly off his horse and knelt to study the tracks before him. Nodding knowingly, he rose to his feet and walked to the side of his prince.
“They are not far ahead of us,” Eltar declared softly. “Less than an hour.”
“Still six of them?” asked Karl Gree who sat on his horse alongside Prince Garong.
“Still six,” answered Eltar.
Prince Garong’s eyes rose and viewed the sky through the canopy of the Cordonian forest. “There is little light left for this day. If they will be halting for the night, I would prefer to take them while they sleep rather than chance a confrontation on the trail. I want as many of them alive as possible.”
Eltar glanced at the human for a reaction to the prince’s words, but Karl’s face was unreadable. The elf returned his gaze to his prince. “Their tracks show no signs of haste. I suspect that they will indeed make camp soon.”
“Take two of your brothers with you,” instructed the elven prince. “Continue to track them, but do not allow them to detect you. When they halt for the night, return a ways along your path and wait to report to me. I will bring the rest of the group along slowly.”
Eltar nodded in understanding and returned to the front of the column. He spoke softly as he mounted his horse, and two other elves followed Eltar deeper into the forest. Prince Garong turned to the human at his side.
“We do want them alive, Karl. You must temper your need for revenge until we have extracted as much information as possible. Can you do that?”
“I will try,” the Cordonian replied curtly.
Prince Garong’s lips pressed tightly together as his eyes bored into the human’s eyes. He sighed softly.
“The Dielderal will die for what they did to your village,” promised Prince Garong, “but you must learn to not let your emotions rule your actions. I want to know why the Dielderal have decided to attack humans, and that information can only come from the captives. Do you understand?”
Karl Gree nodded silently, and the elven prince sighed again. He understood the burning hatred eating away at Karl, but he also knew what it could do to a man. Over the months they had spent together, the elf had come to know the human rather well, and he liked what he saw in Karl, but he worried that the hatred might consume the Cordonian. Without further words, Prince Garong signaled for the column to ride onward in pursuit of the Dielderal killers. A little over an hour later, the elven column came to halt. Eltar and his two riders stood in the middle of the trail, and Prince Garong and Karl rode forward to speak to the tracker.
“They are camped a few minutes down the trail,” Eltar reported.
Prince Garong nodded and gave the signal to dismount. Twenty elven warriors quietly dismounted and secured their horses. They returned to the trail and gathered around their prince.
“We will wait for the Dielderal to be fully asleep,” instructed the prince, “then we will encircle their campsite and capture them. They are not to be killed, so any arrows sent into their bodies are to be aimed to injure them. We will have the evening meal now and move out in four hours.”
The elves moved into the trees wordlessly and congregated in small groups as they shared their rations with one another. Eltar joined Prince Garong and Karl Gree, but no one spoke as they ate. After the meal, Karl rose and walked deeper into the trees. Eltar followed him with his eyes until the human was lost to sight.
“Should I follow him?” Eltar asked the prince.
“No,” replied Prince Garong. “Karl is a good man. While he is having trouble dealing with his hatred, he will not attack the Dielderal on his own. The true test of his resolve will come if the Dielderal try to run when we capture them.”
“You have a lot of faith in him,” commented Eltar as he continued to stare at the trees where the human was last seen. “I cannot begin to imagine the anguish of losing all of my friends and family at the same time. I wonder if I would have the resolve to push such feelings away.”
“It is a hard thing for any man to do,” Prince Garong replied, “but Karl is not an ordinary man. There is something special inside him. I am not sure what it is, but Valon sensed it, too.”
Eltar tore his eyes away from the trees and nodded to his prince. After a while, Prince Garong rose and visited with each of the small groups of elves. He assigned each group a part in the capture and then returned to his original spot. When the four hours were almost expired, Karl Gree walked out of the trees and sat wordlessly next to the elven prince. With a silent signal from Prince Garong, Eltar rose and notified the other elves that the time had come to move out.
A small group of elves were assigned to stay behind and guard the horses, while the rest of the Elderal moved out on foot. Karl stayed close to Prince Garong as the elves split up on the way to the Dielderal encampment. Half an hour later, the elven prince halted. Karl gazed through the trees and saw the six elves sleeping in a small glade. While the Cordonian could not detect any movement in the surrounding forest, he knew that Prince Garong’s men were encircling the clearing. Eventually, he saw Eltar appear on the far side of the clearing. He signaled to Prince Garong, and the prince responded that the attack should begin. The Elderal elves moved inward and the circle tightened.
The Dielderal were taken so unawares, that the Elderal abandoned their bows and wielded knives instead. Karl mimicked their actions. Suddenly, one of the Dielderal awoke with a start. His shout of warning was loud, and the other Dielderal sprang to their feet. While the Elderal raced in
ward to forestall and battle, one of the Dielderal saw the human among the attackers. He pulled a knife and charged towards Karl. The Cordonian had little time to react. Karl’s arm extended towards the charging elf, his knife held firmly in his fist. Just before imminent contact, Karl dropped his knife to the ground. The Dielderal frowned in confusion as his eyes followed the falling knife. Karl stepped forward and slammed his fist into the elf’s face. The Dielderal slammed to the ground on his back, and Prince Garong kicked the knife out of his hand.
“Well done,” smiled the prince as he slapped the Cordonian’s back. He turned immediately towards the clearing and called out orders to his men. “Tie the Dielderal to trees. Search them well before setting up camp.”
The Elderal elves moved efficiently, and the six captives were soon tied to trees. A fire was started, and a runner was sent to bring the horses forward. Karl sat on a log and stared at the six captives. His hands were clenched tightly together, and Prince Garong imagined the fury that the Cordonian was holding at bay. He whispered a command to Eltar and then sat next to Karl Gree.
“Eltar will begin the interrogation of them,” Prince Garong said softly. “The Dielderal will be reluctant at first to say anything, but we will continue until they have told us everything we want to know. It is best if the rest of us catch some sleep. It will be a long day tomorrow.”
“I am not sure that I will be able to sleep,” frowned Karl. “I just keep staring at them and wondering what kind of animals they must be. I want to step over there and rip their throats out.”
“You are controlling yourself admirably,” the prince smiled thinly, “but perhaps it would be better if you removed yourself from this area. There is nothing to be gained from the continued torture you are subjecting yourself to. Come with me. We will camp away from this clearing.”
Prince Garong rose and walked deeper into the woods. Karl sighed heavily as he nodded and followed the elven prince. Eltar watched them leave and then turned his attention to the Dielderal. With the aid of another Elderal elf, Eltar began the interrogations while the rest of the Elderal set up camp and settled in for the night.
Knights of Alcea Page 26