The Quest for Nobility

by Debra L Martin

  ***

  Lilliana’s apprehension grew the closer they moved toward the waterfront, and she fought to keep her breathing steady. As planned, they had stopped to gather Avikar’s guards, although the guards did little to allay her fears. The group had been forced to move more slowly as the thickening cloud cover blocked the moonlight, making their steps dangerous and unsure. Darkness engulfed them as they wove their way closer to the docks. Tendrils of fog rolled off the water and grasped the district in ghostly fingers, adding to the gloom of the deserted streets.

  Questions gnawed at the edge of her reasoning. How could this have happened? Why now when Levon’s programs were becoming so successful? Who was behind this and what did they hope to gain?

  Something is not right, she thought. I just know it.

  Her stomach churned and she could not dispel her growing sense of dread, but was afraid to convey her feelings to Levon. She knew he would send her back to the mansion for her own safety. She tried to move closer to him, but the guards had moved between them. Her questions would have to wait. She silently prayed that the coming confrontation would be over quickly.

  ***

  The group finally came to a halt in front of a row of warehouses. Levon and Avikar conferred while the rest of the group waited anxiously. Lilliana felt lost and looked around at the men of the group, trying to find some comfort from their presence. Her eyes met Nils’ and he smiled rapaciously at her. That smile sent a shiver to her core and she felt marked by some ancient reptilian beast.

  Nils had led the group through the narrow alleyways to a row of warehouses that sat directly opposite the docks. It was well past midnight by the time they arrived. He watched with a morbid sense of glee as the duke and duchess moved closer to their deaths.

  Nils nodded to the baron and Avikar pointed out one of the run-down buildings to Levon.

  “My Lord, there it is. That’s where the smugglers are meeting.”

  The warehouse was a nondescript building with a front door that was barely visible through the low-lying fog. The area was deserted and all was deadly quiet. A light gleamed weakly through the solitary window. Nils left nothing to chance, and he had left it purposely burning in the window to ensure Avikar would point out the right building.

  Nils saw Lilliana look his way and gave her a perfidious, knowing smile.

  Levon looked where Avikar had pointed, but he could detect no movement through the murkiness. He turned to the group.

  “We need to press our advantage while we still have the element of surprise.”

  Avikar nodded and gave Nils the signal to move the group forward. Nils reached the building first and ordered half the guards to surround the perimeter. Levon nodded his approval at the tactic, which ensured no one would escape. Levon followed closely on Nils’ heels and entered the building. Nils signaled for the rest of the guards to fan out and take positions throughout the warehouse. Levon looked around the dimly lit interior at a vast room stacked with boxes and containers that no doubt held the contraband they were searching for. He looked right and noticed a short hallway with a single door at the end. Nils pointed toward the door and Levon nodded, leading the group, with Avikar and Nils bringing up the rear.

  Levon quietly approached the door and pressed his ear to the door to listen for any sound or movement. Light spilled from under the door, but all was quiet inside.

  “Avikar, you said there was a meeting tonight,” Levon whispered.

  “Yes, my Lord, that’s what I was told.”

  Levon frowned at the reply and looked at Avikar questioningly.

  Lilliana stood quiet as Levon listened at the door. She extended her senses into the room, but felt nothing. She turned to Avikar as Levon questioned him and felt a wave of fear, anxiety, and anticipation erupt from the little man. Not understanding what she felt but knowing something was amiss, she moved to touch Levon’s arm and get his attention, but Levon moved too quickly. In one swift motion, he grabbed the door handle, flung the door open and burst into the room. Lilliana’s small cry of alarm was lost in the next moments of confusion. She followed Levon into the room with Ronal close on her heels. The grisly scene that greeted them stopped them dead in their tracks.

  In the center of the room was a stout wooden table with gold coins spread over its surface and spilling onto the floor. Two figures sat at the table, slumped forward, immersed in pools of blood. Five more bodies, both men and women, were sprawled across the floor. The smell of death was overpowering.

  Lilliana gasped at the spectacle of horror before her and gagged at the stench of death.

  Avikar hurried into the room behind Ronal. He stopped with Nils just inside the doorway and watched the three look around the room in shocked disbelief. He was gloating when Levon finally turned and faced him.

  “What’s the meaning of this?”

  Avikar pulled out his pistol and pointed it directly at the duke’s chest. He quickly looked back to ensure Nils was behind him. Nils had another gun aimed at Ronal, and two guards stood in the hallway with their guns ready.

  Avikar pointed to the dead bodies with a flourish.

  “My Lord, here are your smugglers.”

  Avikar looked from Levon to Ronal and Lilliana, clearly enjoying the confused and stricken looks on their faces. He took a quick step backward and raised his gun threateningly when Levon made a move towards him.

  “What are you talking about?” Levon demanded.

  “Stop right there,” Avikar screamed. “Don’t take another step.”

  He grinned smugly as the duke obeyed his churlish command.

  “You’ll get your answers, my lord,” Avikar mocked, “and a lot more before the night is over.”

  “Avikar, what are you doing?” Ronal said, baffled by the actions of his brother.

  “Shut up, Ronal, and listen. You’ll hear what the authorities will be told.”

  “The authorities? What are you talking about?”

  Avikar shot a deprecating look at his younger brother.

  “You always were a little slow. How you ever got appointed First Counselor is beyond me.”

  “Is that was this is about?”

  Avikar nearly spit his reply.

  “You fool! This has nothing to do with your pathetic appointment. Listen and learn. This villainous smuggling ring you see here will be uncovered by me. Their nefarious ringleader, the great Duke of Telkur himself, will be exposed and found dead in this warehouse, along with the rest of the smugglers. All will be properly staged as a deadly confrontation among thieves, which is certainly not an uncommon occurrence among these sorts.”

  Avikar chuckled at his own inventiveness, waving the gun at Levon’s shocked face.

  Levon paled when he realized the extent of Avikar’s betrayal. He could not believe his ears while listening to Avikar’s tirade about the dead smugglers. Seeing the little man bouncing from foot to foot and waving that ridiculous pistol in his face was too much for him to handle. The anger he had been holding back all day burst through with a vengeance.

  “You weak-minded little fool. You dare attempt to kill me? Then what? Steal my throne?”

  “Yes, that’s the plan,” Avikar replied nonchalantly.

  “I made you what you are today,” Levon growled. “By my decree alone, you became a Baron. In my kindness, I appointed you to the Treasury. In my benevolence, I gave you the waterfront to govern. This is how you repay me?”

  Avikar felt an oily sheen of perspiration break out on his forehead. This was not going as he had planned. He was in charge, he would do the talking, and he would do the yelling. He was losing control as his anger got the better of him. Veins popped out in his neck.

  “Your benevolence!? I’ve kept this Duchy running all these years despite your pitiful programs for the masses. It was me who prevented you from bankrupting the duchy with your wasteful ideas. I deserved more and you never recognized my true worth.”

  Levon coolly collected himself. He stood tall, glarin
g at Avikar, and took another step toward him.

  “Deserve? What do you think you deserve?” Levon asked with deadly calm.

  Avikar raised his shaking hand and pointed the pistol directly at Levon’s face.

  “Don’t come any closer. I’m sick of how you treat me. Your time is over, Levon. It’s my time to rule.”

  Avikar felt Nils reached out and put a steadying hand on his shoulder.

  “My Lord, remember our mission tonight,” Nils said reassuringly.

  Levon needed to think of something quickly to turn the situation around before it was too late. Avikar looked as if he would totally lose control at any moment. The last thing Levon needed was Avikar to start shooting wildly in such close quarters. He needed to try another tack.

  “Avikar, let’s talk this through. I’m sure we can come to some kind of agreement.”

  Avikar stamped his foot.

  “No; the time for talk is over. You’ll be discovered tonight as the ringmaster of the smugglers. You and your family will be disgraced by your vile acts and your throne will be forfeited. I shall take everything that you hold dear and make it my own.”

  Levon’s first instinct was to try to overpower the little man. That wouldn’t be a problem, but Nils and the other guards would be. If he could rush Avikar and throw him into Nils, he could shove the two of them outside and slam the door. That would keep them all temporarily safe. Just as he decided to try it, he saw Lilliana turn to Avikar.

  Oh my god, no. Don’t do anything rash.

  ***

  Lilliana could not contain herself any longer. She felt the anger growing in Levon and needed to do something to help him. She turned to Avikar, hoping to distract him long enough for Levon to act.

  “Why are you doing this? What do you hope to gain, a few pieces of gold?” she cried, pointing to the gold on the table. “You’re too far removed from the throne to think you’ll ever sit on it. So, you would kill your duke for gold?”

  “No, my lady. I have much bigger plans than just a few pieces of gold. You see, you too are part of this plan tonight. For you too will die tonight. Then, as the closest adult blood relative, I’ll be named Regent and have control of the entire duchy.”

  Lilliana stumbled back at Avikar’s nonchalance at commanding her death. Her next thought chilled her to the very soul of her being as Avikar made its realization come to light.

  “Of course, there’s still the matter of your obnoxious children. What age are they now? Oh yes, 16 years old. Hmm, that would give me two years to rule as Regent before they come of age? That’s if they live long enough to inherit the throne.”

  “Avikar, you cannot be serious. How could you think to harm my children? They’ve done nothing to you.”

  “Ah, but my Lady, there are many tragic accidents that befall wayward children.”

  This insane tirade was the last straw for Ronal.

  “You’ll not do this,” Ronal yelled reaching for his dagger. “Not while I’m still alive.”

  Avikar was mad and Ronal had to stop him. He reared back to throw his knife.

  “Then die,” Avikar yelled, shooting him twice at point-blank range.

  Ronal looked down at the growing bloodstain on his chest and felt his arms involuntarily drop to his side. The last thing he saw was his brother’s maniacal grin as he began to fall.

  He was dead before he hit the floor.

  Levon was momentarily stunned. He watched Lilliana rush forward to grab Ronal as he fell, but she could do nothing to save him. She cradled Ronal’s head and screamed at Avikar. “You insipid little man. You’ve killed your own brother!”

  It was now or never.

  Levon lunged at Avikar as fast as lightening, closing the distance in a mere instance and knocking the gun from his hands. He reached for Avikar’s throat and began to squeeze the life out of him.

  Lilliana, seeing her husband leap at Avikar, grabbed Ronal’s dagger and threw it at Nils. Nils deftly sidestepped the throw and quickly crossed the distance separating them. A severe blow to the head rendered Lilliana unconscious and she collapsed next to Ronal’s lifeless body.

  Levon felt Avikar’s panic. Avikar attempted to get away by wildly swinging his arms and trying to backpedal. It did him little good as Levon lifted the little man up to throw him into Nils. Levon looked into Avikar’s eyes and saw the utter shock and disbelief as he raised him off of the floor.

  Too late.

  Levon felt the rounds enter his body. The pain was excruciating and caused him to lose his grip on Avikar’s neck. He dropped Avikar and saw the gun in Nils’ hand. Levon slumped to the floor, falling backwards and covering his unconscious wife with his lifeless bulk.

  Avikar rubbed his throat and looked around the room. He stood shaking, trying to catch his breath. He turned to Nils.

  “Nils, you could have killed me!”

  “Yes, I could have.”

  Avikar, not willing to think further about Nils’ reply, turned back to the grisly scene. Every adult who stood in his way to the throne was dead.

  “Let’s go Nils, our work here is done.”

  Nils nodded in agreement and they backed out of the room, closing the door, and hurried down the hallway. Avikar motioned for the two hallway guards to follow him outside.

  “Gather the rest of the men and go back to the manor. I won’t need you anymore tonight.”

  “Yes, my lord,” the guards said in unison.

  They rounded up the rest of the guard contingent and marched off towards the Baron’s manor. No words or discussion were spoken about what had happened inside.

  The cost of good help cannot be underestimated, Avikar thought, watching the men depart.

  Within moments Nils came out of the warehouse, signaling that the detonators were set for five minutes. He and Avikar raced across the street to the doorway of another warehouse in order to both shield themselves and watch the blast.

  Tick. Tick. Tick.

  The minutes counted down until the explosives detonated throughout the warehouse. Avikar watched with rapt attention as the building’s outer walls began to collapse, realizing that his dream of becoming duke was one step closer.

  “Nils, go back to the manor and await my word. I’ll be along shortly.”

  “Do you need me for anything else, my lord?”

  “No. I have a quick errand I need to take care and then I’ll return. The Constable will be knocking on my door soon, informing me about the explosion.”

  Nils nodded and silently slipped away.

  With one final look at the burning warehouse, Avikar turned and headed down a narrow alleyway. Though this district was under his control, the area made him uneasy. He was not used to being out at night without Nils or his bodyguards.

  He waited at the designated spot, but still jumped at the sound of approaching footfalls. He recognized the now-familiar silhouette coming through the fog and inwardly sighed. At long last, the wait was over and he would get his reward.

  “I heard the explosion,” the man said, standing in the shadows.

  “Yes, it’s done, but it didn't quite go as planned.”

  "What?"

  "There was a fight. Levon, Lilliana and my brother Ronal were killed."

  The man cocked his head to the side.

  Avikar waited nervously, not sure how this news would go over. He was only supposed to implicate the duke, not kill him.

  “Collateral damage can't be helped sometimes," the man said. "Go back to your manor and wait for the Constable. Accompany him to the warehouse and identify the bodies. Then tell him of your suspicions. The Constable will report this to the Grand Council and they’ll order an official investigation into the situation."

  Avikar nodded.

  “Once the investigation begins, you’ll be ordered to present the duchy’s financial records to the Council. Give them the doctored records that reveal the smuggling. You’ll be exonerated, but the Telkur family will be disgraced and left penniless. Do you unders
tand?”

  “Yes, but Lucas, I need to speak to you about ...”

  “Silence! You have your instructions. Follow them to the letter. And Avikar?”

  “Yes, my lord?”

  “Don’t disappoint us. We’ll be watching you.”

  Avikar watched the man completely disappear into the fog before he turned and headed for his manor.

  Excerpt from The Chronicles of Otharia during the reign of the First Vacancy:

  Division I - The Rule of Otharia

  Subsection IV - Rogue Gypsy Nation

  The Gypsy Nation broke away from the traditional rule of Otharia. It started off as a sea-faring duchy, but when its citizens revolted against the reigning Duke, the clans created a representative parliament to rule instead of a duke. They meet to discuss trade, commerce, and to make decisions and laws that concern all of the Gypsy Brotherhood. This type of government was purposely formed to serve the people, not any royal family. Upon its inception, the nation was immediately outlawed by the Grand Council to discourage its radical ideas of government from spreading across the mainland. The Grand Council made an attempt to overthrow the new government, but was decisively defeated in the first battle of that conflict.

  Chapter 6 – Brotherhood

  Standing on the forecastle of the sailing ship, the two men saw the flash of light seconds before they heard the deep rumble of the explosion.

  “Damn, what was that?”

  “Don’t know, but it was huge. Looks like it came from the area where our meeting is being held.”

  “Maybe we should go take a look?”

  “Yeah, I’m thinking the same.”

  Nothing good is gonna come of this, the first man thought as he got into the small boat and rowed ashore.

  The two men moved furtively through the rows of warehouses, keeping to the shadows and making their way to the meeting location. Rounding the final corner, they came upon the scene of destruction. The warehouse where their brethren were meeting had suffered a devastating explosion and the building had begun to burn. As one of the men rushed forward, his partner grabbed his arm to slow him down.