"Well it won't be a problem much longer. K'san is ready to accelerate the program. By this time next week, they will be rushing outside to punish themselves."
"Why is the schedule changing?"
"Because of the attacks on the other temples. Pia was to have started the revolt already. Marchek will have to take its place as the originating temple."
"So that is why the extra men were put on the roof? Why am I never informed about what is going on?"
Bin-lu felt the curtain move as the black-cloaks passed into the hidden corridor. He stared along the space between the curtain and the wall and saw the black-cloaks only a few paces away.
"You let the spy into our midst. K'san no longer trusts you."
The first black-cloak halted and turned to face the other. Bin-lu held his breath. The two mages were close enough to be able to hear his breathing.
"I also discovered that he was a spy. And I took care of him myself."
"Do not argue with me," said the second mage as he pushed past the first and headed into the corridor. "I am only telling you why K'san doesn't trust you. It has nothing to do with me."
"Keep your voice down."
The black-cloaks lowered their voices as they moved away from the curtain. Within moments their voices could no longer be discerned. Bin-lu exhaled in a puff and inhaled greedily.
* * *
Bin-lu moved stealthily down the wall and slipped on his gloves. He slid along the wall behind the curtain until he reached the mouth of the hidden corridor. Carefully, he peeked around the corner. There was no one in sight. All of the clerics appeared to be sleeping, but Bin-lu refused to commit his troops until he had a chance to verify that there was no ambush waiting for them. Moving along the hidden corridor, Bin-lu paused frequently to listen to the sounds of the temple, always stopping in areas away from the wall-mounted torches that lined the halls. All was quiet.
The hidden corridor ended in a small foyer formed by the intersection of another corridor running the width of the temple. The Knight of Alcea turned to the right and made his way to one of the main corridors running the length of the building. He turned left and proceeded towards the rear of the temple. He paused as he passed the corridor that led to K'san's study. The flickering of light from under the door at the end of the long, dark corridor told Bin-lu that the priest was still awake. The spy moved onward.
Bin-lu paused at the base of the stairs. He listened intently for several moments. He thought briefly about checking the upper floors, but eventually discarded the thought. Time was running out, and if he did not open the front doors of the temple within the hour, the Rangers would attack from the rear. With a certain amount of reluctance, Bin-lu moved onward towards the rear of the temple.
The long corridor ended at the intersection of another corridor that ran across the width of the temple. The rear entrance was halfway along this corridor, and Bin-lu suspected that someone would be positioned there. He extracted a myric quill and a thin reed from a small quiver hidden under his clothes. Silently, he moved along the corridor. As he drew close to the alcove at the rear entrance, Bin-lu heard voices. He recognized the voices as the same ones he had heard earlier in the evening. The two black-cloaks were both on guard.
"When are the changes to take place?"
"Starting tomorrow."
"Why the change? I thought it was said that the Alceans would never dare to attack one of the temples?"
"The assessment has changed. Evidently the Lanoirians managed to capture some documents from the temple in Ongchi. A message has gone out to all of the temples. We are to maintain tight security from now on."
"Won't the Snakes tip us off if an attack is coming?"
"All of the Snakes in Lanoir are disappearing."
Bin-lu placed his back against the wall and moved as close to the alcove as he dared.
"Disappearing? What do you mean?"
"K'san did not elaborate. I suspect some of them were arrested, but others may have abandoned their posts to seek safety. Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"You know why. If you didn't tell me what was going on around here, I would never know. K'san shares nothing with me."
"You offended him by allowing a spy into our midst. You should get used to his feelings for you."
"I did the best anyone could do under the circumstances. I really don't want to go into this again."
"Nor do I. I am going to get some sleep. Wake me when you need to be relieved."
The black-cloak suddenly walked in front of Bin-lu. With nowhere to hide, Bin-lu brought the reed to his lips and blew the myric quill into the mage's surprised face. The black-cloak's body swayed only for a second before crashing to the floor. Bin-lu was frantically trying to retrieve another myric quill when the second black-cloak rushed to the fallen body. The man's face registered shock as his eyes focused on Bin-lu. The Knight of Alcea abandoned the quest for the myric quill. With his fingers stiffened, Bin-lu shoved his hand into the throat of the Black-cloak. The mage's eyes opened wide, and his hands went to his neck, a helpless gurgle emanating from his throat. Bin-lu grabbed the mage's head and twisted roughly. A loud snap echoed through the corridor, and Bin-lu lowered the man's body to the floor.
The Knight of Alcea dragged the two bodies into the alcove. He arranged them as if they were sitting down having a quiet chat. Moving quickly, but quietly, Bin-lu made his way to the last unexplored corridor and followed it towards the front of the building. He moved into the large room and made his way to the front doors. Slowly and silently, Bin-lu unbarred the large doors. He eased one of the doors open and peered through the crack. He could not see anyone in the streets outside, but the small crack was wide enough to allow someone to enter.
"Shall I give the signal to enter the temple?" asked Button.
"Yes," replied Bin-lu. "Inform the others that the black-cloaks are dead. It should be safe to take out the outside sentries now, but it must be done quietly. Send Tedi in right away. I think we can get K'san before he leaves his study."
The fairy slipped out through the crack and disappeared. A few moments later the first black-clad Ranger opened the door a little wider and moved into the temple. Within moments the assault group was assembled. Bin-lu moved towards Natia and Rut-ki.
"You two should guard the doors," he instructed. "Make sure no one leaves the building."
"We heard the mages were dead," smiled Natia. "I will take the front doors."
"I will take the rear doors," agreed Rut-ki.
Bin-lu indicated that Tedi should follow him. He led the gypsy towards K'san's study as the Rangers split into groups and began the silent attack. Bin-lu halted at the mouth of the long, dark corridor that led to K'san's study. The flickering of light still emanated from under the door. Bin-lu pressed his back to the wall around the corner from the long corridor and indicated that Tedi should do the same on the opposite side of the corridor.
"We aren't going in after him?" whispered Tedi.
"He would hear us coming," Bin-lu replied. "We will wait here for him to come to us."
Tedi nodded and waited for the first sound of fighting to arrive. The wait seemed eternally long as the Rangers moved through the rooms of the temple delivering silent death to all present. Eventually Jami came along the corridor and stopped in front of Bin-lu.
"The temple is secure," Jami reported. "Is K'san dead?"
"You are done?" Bin-lu asked with surprise. "I heard nothing."
"Sometimes a plan works perfectly," grinned the Ranger. "Are you complaining?"
"Hardly," chuckled Bin-lu, "but now we will have to draw K'san out of his study."
"That won't be hard to do," interjected Tedi as he waved Jami and Bin-lu away.
Tedi took his staff and shoved the point of it hard against the wall of the main corridor. A resounding bang filled the air as the stone wall of the corridor cracked. The noise was not quite deafening, but the echo was loud enough to obscure any footsteps coming from the priest’s st
udy. The Knights of Alcea waited anxiously, but nothing happened. Bin-lu frowned as he peeked around the corner and gazed at the light coming from under the door to K’san’s study.
“That sound could not have gone unheard,” declared Bin-lu.
“Perhaps he fell asleep at his desk?” offered Tedi.
“The sound of your strike was loud enough to wake the dead.” Jami shook his head. “No one could sleep through that. We will have to go in and get him.”
Bin-lu nodded in agreement and started for the corridor, but Tedi placed his hand on the Lanoirian’s shoulder to halt him.
“I will go first. There is no longer any chance at surprise. I will use my staff to destroy his door. You two hang back a bit. Do not engage the priest unless I get into trouble.”
The gypsy moved stealthily by habit more than by need. He reached the end of the corridor and shoved his staff at the door blocking his passage. The door shattered, sending wooden splinters flying through the small study. Without hesitation, Tedi strode into the room, ready to strike the Priest of Balmak, but the study was empty. He looked around in confusion.
“He is gone.”
Chapter 28
Trekum
The large cargo ship slid smoothly alongside the dock In Trekum. Two sailors jumped from the ship to the dock and quickly secured lines fore and aft. The dock creaked loudly in protest as the lines stretched, but the ship settled peacefully, and a gangplank was immediately set out. A figure emerged from the dark shadows and hurried along the dock to the gangplank. He stared up at the passengers getting ready to disembark, and he bowed respectfully.
"Everything is ready as you requested," the man said softly.
King Arik walked down the gangplank and nodded to the man.
"Thank you, Eddie," the king said. "Can you have our mounts moved to safety? We are going directly to the palace."
"Might I suggest that the Rangers stay inside the Continental Shipping warehouse with the mounts?" offered Eddie. "K'san might have people watching the entrance to the palace."
"That is a good thought," the king nodded.
"I have also arranged for a small boat to take you and Fredrik directly to the palace dock," Eddie continued. "That way no one will see you enter."
"Excellent," commented Mitar Vidson, the leader of the Rangers, "but I will accompany the king to the palace as well. Can the boat accommodate the three of us?"
"It can," replied Eddie. "Let me get you on your way right now. I will return to escort the Rangers to safety."
The king nodded and the Spider led the three visitors to a smaller dock where a small rowboat sat waiting. A man was already in the boat, and as soon as the visitors were onboard, he started rowing away from land. The water journey to the palace was short, and it was also private. The night was dark with the barest hint of a lunar sliver hanging in the sky. Anyone on land would be unable to tell how many people were in the boat, much less who they were.
When the boat reached the palace docks, two soldiers held it steady as the visitors stepped out. King Arik noticed that all of the torches along the dock had been extinguished. With military precision, the small boat departed, and the soldiers escorted the visitors into the palace. The three men were led to a large room with a long table in the center of it. Several of the chairs were already occupied. A tall bald man with a large mustache rose and smiled at the arrivals. He bowed respectfully towards the king.
"Welcome to the Province of Sordoa," greeted Governor Mobami, the governor of Sordoa. "I trust that your journey was a pleasant one?"
"It was," King Arik answered distractedly as he glanced around the room at the other men present. "I am pleased to see that all of you have accepted my invitation."
All of the men rose. Captain Grecho of the Cidal Mercenaries, Captain Azule of the Sarga Mercenaries, and Captain Orteka of the Kadin Claws bowed low before the king. Sergeant Musaraf dismissed the escorting soldiers and closed the door before also bowing before the king. Such formal introductions still bothered Arik, but he no longer protested. He moved to the table and sat down, urging Fredrik and Mitar to do the same.
"Tomorrow night," the king began, "I am leading a party into the Temple of Balmak and destroying the heart of this new cult. What I am most concerned about is the reaction of the people of Trekum. I understand that the temple here has garnered a rather large following. Is that correct?"
"Very large," nodded Governor Mobami. "As you know, the war was harshest on the people of Sordoa. There is still much poverty and despair within the province, although we have been making great strides in repairing the blighted land. You are wise to be concerned about the populace. There very well might be riots if K'san is killed."
"K'san will be killed," declared King Arik. "That I can assure you. What I am about to say to you, must not leave this room."
The king made eye contact with each of the Sordoans and received a nod of agreement from each before continuing.
"The Balmak temples are one prong of an enemy who seeks to overthrow Alcea," explained King Arik. "The temples are meant to sew discord among the people so that when the invading army arrives, we will be in disarray."
"Invading army?" interrupted the governor. "Invading from where?"
"A place called Zara," answered the king. "We do not know its location yet, but we have discovered documents hinting at their strategy. In addition to the priests, there are provocateurs and spies. They are called Snakes, and they are the main reason that we must maintain secrecy. Now, I personally know each of you from your loyal service during the war, but I do not know who else I can trust in Sordoa. Some of these Snakes have been in Alcea since before the war. There might even be a few in the ranks of your men. I will leave that for you to discover."
"I would trust every one of my men with my life," declared Captain Grecho.
Captain Azule and Captain Orteka immediately agreed, but Governor Mobami's brow creased considerably.
"That could present a great problem to us," the governor stated. "Unlike our mercenary friends, my army is large and constantly changing. It is required to keep the peace in a vast area, and I have delegated personnel issues to the local commanders. How can we prepare to fight an enemy when we cannot locate the spies among us?"
"We will find them," answered King Arik, "but that is not the immediate problem. Most pressing is the chance of riots the day after tomorrow. I do not wish to kill our citizens when their only crime is being lured into a false religion. That is why I have asked each of you here tonight."
"Are we to join in the attack on the temple?" asked Sergeant Musaraf.
"No," Arik shook his head. "I have brought Rangers with me to facilitate the destruction of the temple. I have asked each of you here because I value your loyalty and your intelligence. I want to discuss what we can do to eliminate the potential for riots."
"Unfortunately," Governor Mobami responded, "the Balmak people will most likely replace the clerics with people from their other temples. Even if we avoid riots this week, the citizens will be stirred up again next week."
"I don't think so," Arik smiled thinly, "Three of the Balmak temples in Lanoir have already been destroyed. Tomorrow night, every remaining Balmak temple will be destroyed at the same time. There will be no following of Balmak anywhere in Alcea."
Captain Grecho whistled in appreciation. "Remind me never to get on your bad side," he chuckled.
"King Arik has bested me before by doing the impossible," laughed Governor Mobami. "I would not doubt his word now. That is impressive."
"The problem here in Trekum," Arik continued, "is that you are hosting the largest following of all. I do understand that the people are grasping at anything to make their lives better, but it still presents us with a problem. Tell me what can be done."
"I have quietly called in soldiers from all over the province," stated the governor, "so manpower will not be a problem. The real problem is in convincing the people not to riot in the first place."
&nbs
p; "Exactly," agreed the king. "I want to avoid the bloodshed of innocents wherever possible."
"If we can't tell the people the truth," mused Captain Azule, "and we don't want to fight them, the only solution is to deceive them."
"But how?" asked Captain Orteka. "Make them think that the priest and the clerics are still alive?"
"No," Captain Grecho shook his head. "That would only delay the inevitable."
"I may have misled you," interrupted the king. "When I said that we could not tell the people the truth, I meant before the attack. I intend on delivering a message to all Alceans the morning after the attacks, but I fear that would be too late to avoid a riot here in Trekum. The people will be too busy rioting to listen."
"Deceit comes naturally to Sordoans," Sergeant Musaraf interjected with a smile. "Why don't we fabricate a story that one of the other gods has called for the destruction of Balmak? It would not only explain the destruction of the temple, but it would lead the people to return to the true gods."
"That might work," mused Captain Azule. "Even if they know that King Arik was the instrument of death, the story would still retain credibility. Everyone knows that the gods favor his reign."
"I am not thrilled with the use of such deception," frowned the king.
"The deception is not yours," declared Governor Mobami. "Your message of truth will be delivered soon enough. Our use of a deception is only meant to bide time so that the people will listen to the truth before rioting."
"Won't the telling of such impending doom cause the temple to prepare for an attack?" asked Mitar Vidson.
"I don't think so," replied Captain Grecho. "I do not even think the people will believe the tale at first. The true believers in Balmak will scoff at such a story. Some will deny it, while others will argue with the messenger, but I doubt anyone will run to the temple to speak to the priest."
"I agree," stated Sergeant Musaraf. "The people may listen to the priest and follow his instructions, but they fear him. No one goes to the temple seeking a meeting with K'san. In fact, the temple is closed except for services, and no one is allowed to remain behind. The doors are closed promptly."
Knights of Alcea Page 36