A shimmer of air coalesced into a solid portal.
“No sooner said than done.”
“Let’s get moving. We’ve wasted enough time.”
The team stepped through the portal to a sea of whitewashed buildings bustling with activity. They were grateful to be out of the grueling sun and stayed in the shadows of the buildings.
It wasn’t long before they found their way to the competition portal station. Each member inserted their crystals recording their completion of the objective. Scanning the scoreboard, they noted they were in second place. The Dalcon team had solved as many events as they had, but had been faster. They had to move quickly to make up for that lost time.
“We’re still in second,” Darius said. “We must resupply quickly and move out again.”
Dyla looked at Eclair and noticed how exhausted he looked, but there was a hardened gleam in his eyes. She hoped this determination would hold him through to the end. There would be no more rest until they finished the competition.
“Eclair, go to the supply tent and restock. Dyla and I will study the map for our next objective,” Darius commanded.
“Right away.”
Eclair grabbed their packs and had started towards the supply tent when Darius called out.
“Get the bare minimum; we only have one more event and I don’t want to waste energy carrying extra supplies.”
Eclair nodded.
Inside the supply tent, Eclair was met by one of the competition officials.
“What do you need?” he asked.
“I need three rations packs and six liters of water. Actually, make that seven liters; we’ll drink one prior to leaving the city.”
“Good idea,” the official responded.
He quickly moved to the back room and returned with the requested supplies.
“Here, I’ll help you pack them,” the official offered.
Eclair was puzzled.
“I thought officials were supposed to be neutral and not help the competitors?”
The official handed the rations to him.
“You’re right, but I’m always a sucker for the underdog.”
Eclair chuckled at the remark. They quickly finished packing and the official handed Eclair the last liter of water.
“For you and your team, may this water see you to your justified end,” the official said.
“Thank you.”
Eclair didn’t understand the official’s last remark, but he had no time to talk further. He hoisted the packs, grabbed the bottle and headed back to the twins. He opened the liter of water and drank his share. He was nearly to the twins when he was mobbed by a group of well-wishing kids who were jostling each other for a chance to touch him and cheer him on. The twins looked up at the racket and noticed Eclair at the center of the tiny mob.
“What now?” Darius asked.
“I don’t know, but let’s get him out of there before something bad happens,” Dyla replied.
The twins walked towards mob. The kids got louder in their chants for victory, their circle got smaller and Eclair disappeared under a sea of waving hands.
“Quick, get him before he’s hurt,” Dyla cried, rushing forward.
Darius bullied his way through the crowd to find Eclair sitting on his butt, unhurt, in the circle of kids.
Eclair looked up sheepishly at Darius. “Sorry, must have slipped. The excitement of the kids overwhelmed me.”
“Are you injured?” Dyla asked.
“Nothing hurt but my pride; but I spilled the water. Sorry.”
The twins looked at the liter of water he’d been drinking, watching as the last bit of it drained into the sand, quickly disappearing into the parched desert soil.
Darius helped Eclair to his feet.
“Don’t worry; the rest of the water will be enough to see us through. Give us our packs and let’s move out.”
Eclair stumbled and dropped the packs.
“You sure you’re OK?” Darius asked retrieving his pack.
“Yeah, must be feeling the effects of our desert walk, that’s all.”
Dyla frowned as she stared at Eclair, not quite understanding why she felt something more than mere fatigue. She picked up her pack and slid it over her shoulders.
Eclair brushed himself off, turned and waved to the kids before heading off with his team. He could still hear the shouts of the kids as the team left the supply area.
The team traveled by portal from Sandwell to the coastal city of Highland in the Seleas Duchy for their last event. This objective would take place within the city’s limits.
Outside the Highland portal station, Darius studied the layout of the city.
“Eclair, open a portal to that hill on the other side of the city. It will give us a better view of the city.”
The portal shimmered twice before it settled solid. Darius looked questioningly at Eclair until he signaled it was set to go through. Darius stepped through the portal. He moved right, Dyla followed on his heels, and moved to the left.
Tense moments passed.
“Where’s Eclair? He should be right behind you,” Darius said.
“I don’t know; I thought he was.”
Both twins felt their anxiety levels rise as the seconds ticked by, bringing no sign of their teammate. Finally, Eclair stepped through the portal. As he came through, he stumbled.
Darius caught him before he fell to his knees.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t know. It must be the effects of the desert. I lost my balance.”
“What are you feeling,” Dyla asked.
“It’s nothing. I stumbled coming through, that’s all. What’s next?”
Dyla gave Darius a concerned look, but said nothing more.
Darius looked down on the bustle of the Highland seaport with fond memories. “We won’t have any trouble getting inside the city. This is an open port. I’ve been here many times with Father before.”
“What’s the best way in?” Eclair asked, looking down at the teeming port.
Darius pointed towards the multitude of piers. “I think we’ll be less conspicuous if we head in from the waterfront. We should be able to hide ourselves well enough in all that chaos down there.”
Dyla looked at the map’s detailed layout of the city streets. “If we move into the city from that point, we’ll have to cross a large portion of the city to get to the objective.”
“I know, but it’s the safest way to enter. Besides, if we’re spotted, it’ll be easy to blend into the crowd.”
Eclair looked down at the mass of piers and boats, amazed at the number of people moving through the streets. Even in the early hours of the morning, the side shops were open and the hawkers were out, crying the value of their wares to all who would hear.
“Open a portal behind those crates stacked near the last empty dock,” Darius said. “No one will see us stepping out of the portal and we can move quickly into the crowd.”
Eclair nodded and focused on the area at the end of the dock. He tried to touch his power, but nothing happened. Cold emptiness followed by intense nausea doubled him over and he started retching.
Dyla rushed to help him. It was obvious something was wrong.
“What’s happening to you?”
Eclair wheezed. “I don’t know. Something’s wrong with my power. I reached for it, but there’s nothing there.”
Both twins looked at Eclair’s hunched form.
“Damn. What now?” Darius asked.
Dyla stood up and faced her brother.
“I can’t feel any power emanating from him. But more importantly, he can’t feel his own power. Think about it; this is more than just nausea and heat stroke.”
Comprehension dawned on Darius’s face. “Feverwort. It must be. He’s been poisoned.”
Dyla didn’t understand. “But how?”
Darius paused, thinking through the events of the past few hours. The answer was there; he knew it.
“I noticed him slowing down in the desert,” Dyla said.
“No, that was normal exhaustion. We all slowed down out there. Wait: the Sandwell portal station. He was drinking water before the kids tripped him.”
“Maybe they didn’t trip him after all,” Dyla said.
Darius nodded.
“I think we were all supposed to drink from that bottle. That has to be it. It’s the only thing he drank that we didn’t.”
“You’re right, that has to be it.”
Eclair clutched his stomach and groaned with pain. “What’s happening to me? I’ve never felt this bad before.”
Dyla leaned over Eclair. “We think you’ve been poisoned with feverwort.”
“How?”
“In that liter of water you dropped. Don’t try to use your powers or you’ll feel worse than you do now. It’s one of the side effects of the drug; trying to reach your power will put you down hard and fast.”
“I don’t think I could feel any worse than I do now. How long does this last?”
“It depends on how much you ingested. Did the water taste bitter at all?”
Eclair tried to stand on his wobbly legs. “It had a slight tang, but I thought it was due to the desert heat.”
“How much did you drink?” Darius asked.
“I only had a chance for a few swallows before the kids started dancing around and tripped me.”
“I don’t think you’ve had enough to do permanent damage, but the effects of even a small amount will last for days. If you try to touch your power, you’ll wish you were never born.”
“I feel like that now,” Eclair said, bending over for another round of dry heaves.
“We need to file a protest with the competition committee. Somebody is trying to sabotage us,” Dyla complained.
“Yeah, but we need to finish this event first,” Darius said. “We can still follow our plan and head down for the docks. We can get into the city that way and I’ll help Eclair along the way. No one will pay attention to us. Everyone will assume he’s had too much to drink. Eclair, can you walk a bit?”
“I’ll give it my best shot. The worst of the nausea seems to be wearing off.”
Darius helped support Eclair and the trio headed down the hillside toward the port. They made their way through the waterfront district and, as expected, no one gave them a second glance. Most assumed they were headed home after spending the night at one of the local taverns.
As they approached the main street, Dyla noticed a pair of sentries standing on the corner. She slowed her stride until she was walking directly beside Darius and Eclair.
“This can’t be good,” she said. “Why would guards be posted on the street corners of the docks?”
“They’re probably the local constabulary posted here to keep the peace,” Darius replied.
Dyla was not convinced. The sentries were being too watchful of all the citizenry passing by.
“Let me do the talking if we’re stopped. You two act drunk. From the looks of Eclair, that shouldn’t be too hard to do. Darius, take my pack, it will help me blend in better.”
As the group approached, one of the sentries turned and held up a hand to stop them.
“What going on here? Any problems?” the guard asked, scrutinizing the three.
“No, no problem,” Dyla replied sweetly twisting her fingers in her long braid. “I just found my drunken husband and brother and I’m bringing them home where they belong.”
Husband? Eclair thought, stumbling at the idea.
Darius strained to hold Eclair upright.
“Whoa there, fellow, careful you don’t fall on your face. Wouldn’t want your missus to have to bandage you up before she puts you to bed,” the sentry said, leering at Dyla’s lithe form.
“I’ll make it,” Eclair slurred, thinking what a pleasant experience it would be to lie in bed next to Dyla.
“I got him, no problem,” Darius said, squeezing Eclair tightly.
In that instant, Eclair realized that Darius was in contact with his skin, and he quickly squelched any intimate thoughts he was having of Dyla.
The sentry nodded and the group moved on.
Rounding the corner out of the view of the sentries, Dyla sighed in relief. Darius gave Eclair a rough shove as Dyla stared at the two of them. She felt tension when Darius handed her pack back to her, but didn’t understand what had transpired and there was no time to ask.
“Let’s keep moving. Are you two OK?”
“Yeah, no problem,” Eclair mumbled.
“Yeah, we’re good,” Darius said through gritted teeth.
“Remember, we’re a team,” she said scrutinizing the two young men.
Dyla took her pack from Darius and they moved out. They made good progress through the city, blending in with the local citizenry whenever possible, and soon found themselves at the corner of the warehouse that housed their final objective. Peering around the corner, Dyla spotted a sentry at the building’s only entrance.
“Damn. There’s a sentry outside the entrance. Are you ready?”
“Ready,” Darius and Eclair said in unison.
“Good, ‘cause I got this one. Here, take my pack again. Wait for my signal.”
Dyla shook her hair out of the tightly woven braid. Eclair marveled as waves of black lustrous hair fell down her back. She pinched her cheeks, bringing out a rosy glow, and opened the first two buttons of her shirt.
Winking at her teammates, Dyla sashayed around the corner and headed straight toward the sentry.
Excerpt from The Chronicles of Otharia during the reign of the First Vacancy:
Division III – Trade and Commerce
Subsection IV – The Grand Competition
Participants in the Grand Competition have to be top-notch competitors, both physically and mentally, due to the arduous and dangerous nature of the events. The events are designed to test the physical limits and the mental acuity of the team members. Team members must work together to overcome the multiple obstacles of each event. The competition is conducted and overseen by a group of independent judges and referees to ensure that all teams abide by the rules of competition. Cheating and subterfuge are not condoned, and any team caught disobeying the rules are eliminated immediately.
Chapter 18 - Race to the Finish
Sergeant Rikervic was an ambitious man destined for great things. He was a sergeant in the Seleas Duchy’s city guard, and had just received his newest assignment. He was taking over the guard detail that protected the duchy’s objective in the Grand Competition. Rikervic stood tall as he surveyed the area. No would get past him. He was here to stop the rest of the teams once and for all.
Being situated on the coast, the city of Highland had an extensive and elaborate sewer system that minimized flooding during the area’s violent stormy season. It was through this maze of tunnels and conduits that the last successful team had found their way into the objective site. Rikervic had laughed when the duke rewarded the previous sergeant’s failure with permanent sewer duty. No team would be afforded that route again. Rikervic learned from his predecessor’s mistake, and deployed his men in two-man teams to cover every entry point into the warehouse, including the sewer grates. He had assigned himself to the front entrance of the building alone, to ensure he would personally meet and greet anyone, especially the duke, who might come by and check on things. He had just finished checking in with his team leaders when he spied the beautiful girl walking his way.
Wow. What a looker. Haven’t seen anything that good in quite awhile. This must be my lucky day.
Rikervic considered himself to be a ladies man. He was tall and handsome in his guard uniform and never failed to attract the attention of women in the bars he frequented. He fantasized about the glory from this latest assignment and the bevy of girls that would drool over him when they heard. Now this beauty was walking his way, and even from this distance he could te
ll she was striking.
He studied the girl as she came closer, hypnotized by the undulating sway of her hips. Her footsteps slowed until she stopped a few feet away from him. His gaze traveled her entire length, taking in every inch of her womanly curves and long raven hair.
“Is it allowed to talk to an elite guard on duty?” she asked, demurely lowering her blue-violet eyes.
Rikervic nearly choked at her question, but then regained his composure, standing straight and wearing his most commanding smile.
“Of course you may,” he replied, puffing his chest out. “But, even if it weren’t, for you I’d make an exception.”
His gaze never wavered from her face as he tried to gauge her reaction to his compliment. Her return smile said it all.
“What can I do for you?” Rikervic asked, leaving the question open for any kind of interpretation.
Dyla coyly played with her hair and looked directly into Rikervic’s eyes. “Umm, I don’t normally talk to strange men, but when I saw you standing here in your uniform, looking so tall and handsome, I couldn’t help myself.”
Rikervic preened and his smile nearly split his face.
Now here’s a woman worth getting to know, Rikervic thought to himself.
“I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time, you look so busy,” Dyla continued. “I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with your boss. Maybe I should come back later.”
“No worries, little lady, I am in charge here,” Rikervic replied, standing just a bit taller, if that was possible.
He crisply snapped to attention and gave her a slight bow.
“Sergeant Rikervic, squad leader in the Royal Duke’s city guard, at your service.”
“Oh my, you are in charge here. I didn’t realize you were so important. I really should go and come back later.”
“No, no, not at all. Please stay. Your timing is perfect; I’ve just finished checking on my men.”
“How wonderful,” Dyla replied, stepping intimately closer to Rikervic. “You simply must tell me more, but if anyone should see us ...”
Rikervic thought for a moment and realized the girl was right. If this was heading where he thought it might, then standing in the middle of a thoroughfare was no place to conduct ‘business’.
The Quest for Nobility Page 12