Abuud: the One-Eyed God

by Richard S. Tuttle

  "Possibly," frowned Fredrik, "but that sounds more like wishful thinking. How would they know she was in trouble?"

  Tanya thought about Prince Midge's parting statement about checking on his fairy army and decided not to share her thoughts. "Stranger things have happened," she offered. "Could your man inquire at the gates to see if anyone matching their description has left the city? I do not think they would be foolish enough to try to hide her inside the city."

  The mercenary looked at Fredrik and Fredrik nodded his permission.

  ***

  Jenneva sat uneasily on the old chair as the torches flared to life in the room beyond the silk screen. She watched as the outline of a turbaned figure sat in the chair on the other side of the screen.

  "I do not wish to speak with this woman in this fashion," the voice said loudly.

  Both guards immediately moved closer to Jenneva, and she prepared to magically defend herself.

  "Please show her to the other sitting room," the voice continued. "She is a respected guest and needs no watching."

  The guards relaxed, as did Jenneva as she rose from the chair. One of the guards returned to his post and the other escorted her to another sitting room and then left. The new sitting room was extravagantly plush even by Tagaret standards. Within moments, Oscar Dalek walked into the room and discarded his turban.

  "Jenneva," Oscar greeted warmly. "I did not expect to see you when they said I had a visitor. There must be trouble if you came to see me."

  "There is I think," nodded Jenneva. "Arik and Tedi are missing. We thought Arik might come here to see you."

  "He has not," frowned Oscar. "I do know something about him though. Our fairy friends tell me that he and Tedi went to rescue Niki. There was an assassination attempt on her life today. All three of them left Niki's mansion safely. That is all that I know. Glori reports that they left on three horses and that Arik planned to get Niki out of the city."

  "Who sent the assassin?" questioned Jenneva.

  "Duke Artur," answered Oscar. "He is a member of the Council and knew that many were backing Niki for one of the open slots on the Council. He knew his nominee would not stand a chance if Niki were alive. I sent Zackary Nolan there when I found out about the threat, but evidently Prince Midge learned of it before I did. When Zack arrived, Niki was already gone."

  "Very fortunate," frowned Jenneva. "Zack would have been too late."

  "That is one of the problems with the fairy network," responded Oscar. "If the first inkling we get of a plan is not immediately forwarded, much time is lost. The way the network is set up is that the fairies never leave their posts. One courier fairy gathers the information from all of them and then brings it here. There are hundreds of fairies spying for us and making those rounds consumes a lot of time."

  "Change it," stated Jenneva. "Demand more courier fairies."

  "Prince Midge or Arik could do that," responded Oscar, "but they are not around."

  "Let them know that you are the Bringer's father," suggested Jenneva. "Tell them that the lost time does not serve the Bringer sufficiently. I am sure that Glori's report will be enough proof for them."

  "I believe you are right," nodded Oscar. "I will do that tonight. Perhaps one courier for each twenty spies."

  "I suppose we must trust the skills of Arik and Tedi at this point," declared Jenneva. "They are both well trained and I have faith in them. How does the Council vote look for tomorrow."

  "It looks very promising," smiled Oscar. "The top three candidates are now Konic, Alan, and Fredrik."

  "How is that possible?" questioned Jenneva. "They are all new to Tagaret."

  "Ah, that is their good fortune," grinned Oscar. "There are hundreds of nobles looking for a seat on the Council. Generally, each councilor will nominate the person who is most likely to align with himself. Seldom will any two councilors agree on a nominee. That results in each nominee getting one vote and nobody is chosen. That is how Duke Everich has managed to maintain control even though he has lost a number of supporters. He has been the only one who can get another councilor to vote for his nominee. Two votes results in a win when all the other candidates only get one vote. Stafa Rakech has managed to convince three councilors to back Konic and Alan. With three votes each, there is an excellent chance that one of them will get on the Council."

  "And Fredrik?" queried Jenneva.

  "Fredrik is well liked because he is not aligned with anyone," continued Oscar. "Although he was originally backed by Duke Everich, people do not see him as beholden to Everich since the Cidal mercenaries arrived."

  "While that is wonderful," responded Jenneva, "it is a shame that one of the Sordoans will lose out."

  "I am not sure of that," Oscar smirked wickedly. "Everyone will expect Duke Everich to take offense at the attempted assassination of Niki. It would surprise nobody if another councilor turned up dead by morning."

  "Does Duke Everich know who ordered the assassination?" asked Jenneva.

  "No," smiled Oscar as he pulled a chain that sounded a distant gong, "but I do. Zackary Nolan will earn his keep tonight. I will see this Contest of Power ended if I have to end it myself. The Council spends all of its time feathering their own caps and no time on curing the ills of the people of Tagaret. There is a tremendous food shortage in the city and starvation is not too distant in the future. The army has disintegrated into a boys' club with no officers of merit, and no one is thinking about a real defense of the city. Education of the city's children has been halted for a lack of funds, and sanitation is worse here than the overrun cities of Sordoa. I have never seen Tagaret in so much despair, and I was here shortly after the Collapse."

  An aged servant entered the room and bowed to Oscar. He turned and bowed to Jenneva with a wry smile on his lips. The servant appeared to have great difficulty straightening his frail body, but Jenneva detected a twinkle in the old man's eyes that belied his pain.

  "Fabel, I would like you to deliver a message to Duke Artur tonight," ordered Oscar. "He must receive the message by morning."

  "As you wish, Milord," bowed Fabel.

  The servant did not ask what the message was, and he did not immediately withdraw, but rather turned to smile at Jenneva. Jenneva found his behavior curious and inspected him thoroughly.

  "Milady does not remember me," smiled Fabel. "This both pleases me and saddens me. Please give my regards to the Colonel."

  "Zackary?" guessed Jenneva. "Is that really you?"

  "Not at the moment," grinned Fabel, "but I will be shortly."

  "My compliments," praised Jenneva. "Your talents are wide and varied. I will give my husband your warmest regards."

  "Thank you, Milady," smiled the aged servant as he turned and hobbled out of the room.

  "He is one gift that I am indebted to Alex for," smiled Oscar. "He has even had to help some of the other assassins to complete their jobs. His help was unknown to them of course."

  "Why does he need a disguise?" asked Jenneva.

  "Stafa Rakech is the worst kept secret in Tagaret," chuckled Oscar. "Fabel has already carried messages to each of the councilors and many of those we suspect of being on the nominee list. It gives him a chance to assess the security of each estate. Nobody would suspect a messenger from Stafa Rakech, especially an old frail one. He is a familiar face to many."

  "So you think that we may capture three seats tomorrow?" asked Jenneva.

  "If I was a betting man," grinned Oscar, "I would bet on it. There is a fair chance that Konic and Alan will even get votes from some councilors because they are unknowns, and nobody would expect them to get any votes. Life can be ironic at times."

  "You have been a gambler all your life," laughed Jenneva.

  "Yes," grinned Oscar, "and I usually win."

  ***

  The black-clad figure hugged the top of the wall of the estate as his eyes scanned over the landscape noting the positions of the army guards. Satisfied that no changes had been made to the estate's security si
nce he was here last, he lowered himself off of the wall and hid among the shadows. While not up to the standards of the new mercenary companies, the army security at Duke Artur's estate was more elaborate than most. Zack Nolan waited patiently for the expected patrol to round the corner of the mansion.

  As the patrol passed by, Zack started counting. He knew that his mission was going to be more dangerous than the ones in the past, and he was prepared for it. When the patrol passed out of sight, Zack ran towards the mansion. Timing was critical at this stage, as another patrol would pass his position before he could reach the building. The estate boasted a spring-fed pond in the rear of the building, and a ring of trees surrounding the pond flourished from the water source. Zackary dashed to the pond and scrambled up one of the trees. He had just settled into a perilous perch in the branches when the next patrol rounded the corner of the building.

  While he waited for the patrol to pass, Zackary scanned the building that he would have to penetrate. He knew the interior layout fairly well and focused on the second story window that he planned to use to make his entry. The room he had chosen was a guest bedroom. He was pleased to note that the room was not illuminated. It had been used in the past to house Duke Artur's mistress before his wife died suddenly and mysteriously. The mistress now shared the duke's bedroom. This fact lent another danger to the operation. He was not prepared to murder an innocent woman to accomplish his goal. That meant that he could not exit the estate in the same manner as he entered it. The mistress's cry of alarm was sure to alert the guards of the assassination.

  The patrol passed out of sight and Zackary dropped quietly to the ground. He ran silently to the building and buckled his carry bag to a strap over his torso. Still counting the seconds until the next patrol, Zackary moved to a small corner of the building formed by one wing being longer than the main part of the building. He climbed swiftly up the stones that formed the small corner and paused when he reached the level of the second floor. He moved his hands and feet slightly to assure a more secure holding as the next patrol rounded the corner of the building below.

  Zackary continued counting and avoided his obvious desire to look down and observe the patrol. He knew that even in the shadows he was detectable, and his best option was to remain motionless. He felt the strain in his arms and legs as he waited for the patrol to reach the far corner of the building where he would be able to see them just before they rounded the corner. His fingers began to ache, and he sighed silently as the patrol turned the corner and vanished from sight.

  Zackary immediately adjusted his position to ease the strain. Gritting his teeth, he left the safety of the small corner and began moving sideways towards the selected window. Without the leverage of the two walls that formed the corner, the move sideways was much slower as Zackary had to choose his handholds and footholds carefully. Beads of perspiration dampened his brow as the numbers started to get close to the timing of the next patrol.

  Zack Nolan reached the desired window and slowly eased the shutters open, hoping that nobody had occupied the room since he was here last. He slid the unlocked window open and breathed a sigh a relief as he hauled his body into the room just as his numbers ran out, and the next patrol rounded the corner of the building below. He waited until the patrol passed before closing the shutters and the window. Zackary turned and studied the room and nodded as it appeared as it did when he was there last. He moved swiftly to the fireplace and prepared a roaring fire. Satisfied with the fire, he unclipped his bag from his strap and placed it on the floor. He opened the bag and withdrew a black hood and pulled it on over his head.

  The assassin placed his ear to the wall and listened intently. He could hear the muffled voices of the duke and his mistress and frowned. He had hoped that they would be sleeping at this late hour, but he could not afford to wait too long before striking. He tried to make out the words that were being spoken in the next room, but the voices were too muffled. Zackary sat on the floor with his back to the wall and waited.

  Half an hour passed before the voices fell silent. Zackary waited another half hour before rising and putting his ear to the door. Hearing nothing, he tossed another log on the fire and then cracked the door to peer out into the torch-lit hallway. Seeing the hallway clear, Zack slipped out of the room and silently padded to the next door. The door was locked, but it did not delay the assassin much as he pulled a small piece of metal from his waistband and eased the door open. The duke's suite was composed of two rooms, a sitting room and a bedroom, which shared a wall with the room that Zackary had used to enter the mansion. The hallway door entered the sitting room. Zackary eased himself over to the door to the bedroom. He slid a throwing knife out of its sheath as he pressed his ear to the door. He could hear loud snoring and nodded to himself.

  Zackary eased the bedroom door open and slipped into the dark room. He spied the two sleeping forms on the bed and silently padded around the bed to the side with the woman on it. Zackary leaned over the woman, placing his left hand over her mouth, as he plunged the dagger into the eye of the sleeping duke.

  "Do not scream," he ordered as the woman struggled under his hand. "I have a message for those who come to find the body, and I would like to leave you alive to deliver it. Do you understand?"

  The woman's struggles died down, but her body continued to quake.

  "The message," Zackary said, "is that nobody interferes with Dalgar's plans. Duke Artur knew that Lady Forloe was under his protection. Let the message serve the rest of the Council as a warning. You are not to alert the household until one hour has passed. Do you understand?"

  The woman nodded shakily under Zackary's hand. Zackary let go of the woman's mouth and speedily raced out of the room. He reached the hallway before her hysterical screams bellowed out of the room. The assassin reached the doorway to his chosen room before he heard the shouts of the guards drift up the stairs. He opened the door to his room and shut it quietly. Swiftly he stripped off his black clothing and tossed it into the fireplace. He opened the bag on the floor and extracted the uniform of a Tagaret army officer. Swiftly he donned his new outfit and became a lieutenant. He tossed the empty bag into the fire and watched it burn.

  He could hear the first soldiers entering the next room by the time he had changed his clothes. The woman was still screaming hysterically. He eased the door open and saw a half dozen soldiers gathered outside the door to the duke's suite. He boldly opened the door and strode out.

  "What is all of this commotion?" the assassin demanded as he kept his scarred face in the shadows of the torchlight.

  The gathered soldiers turned to the authoritative voice and mechanically saluted.

  "The duke has been assassinated," offered one soldier.

  "What?" responded the lieutenant. "What kind of security are you running here? I was supposed to escort him to the Council in the morning to arrange details for the new councilors. Now what am I going to tell the Council? That our army cannot even protect a man in his own bedroom? I want that assassin caught or heads will be lost. Even after he is caught there will be an investigation to find out who failed in their duty. Get every man out onto the grounds now. I want this estate sealed off immediately."

  The soldiers raced for the stairs. Zackary heard one soldier asking who the lieutenant was and where did he come from, but nobody thought to question the senior officer. Zackary strode down the stairs as word spread about the assassination. Word had spread about the angry lieutenant just as fast as the word about the assassination and soldiers that saw Zackary coming immediately changed course to avoid him. He strode out the front door of the mansion and walked along the drive to the front gate.

  "I want to know who was permitted entry to this estate tonight and who left," demanded the lieutenant as he reached the gate guards.

  "There has been no traffic since we started our shift," reported one of the guards as he gazed at the scar-faced lieutenant. "Nobody in or out."

  "Then the assassin came in over the
wall," growled Zackary as he kept his face out of the light.

  "Assassin?" echoed one of the guards. "Who was assassinated?"

  "Who was assassinated?' shouted the lieutenant as he realized that word had not yet reached the gate. "Who do you think was assassinated? Do you think anyone would bother to assassinate one of you worthless slugs that are supposed to be protecting the duke? It is apparent that the assassin will not try to leave by this gate. Two of you men stay to guard the gate and the rest of you help with searching the grounds. Get moving."

  Two soldiers sped away from the lieutenant before the other two could move and Zackary turned to glare at the two that got stuck staying at the gate.

  "Nobody is to leave this estate until the investigative team arrives," growled the lieutenant. "That includes soldiers. Do I make myself clear?"

  "Yes, Sir," responded the two remaining soldiers.

  "We will get to the bottom of which soldiers are responsible for this lapse in security," scowled the lieutenant. "Now open the gate and let me out so I can order the investigation."

  The soldiers swiftly opened the gate and were relieved when the lieutenant disappeared into the gloom of the night. Zackary peeled off his fake scar as he slipped into the alley where he had secured his horse.

  Chapter 8

  The Cult at Cleb

  "Very well," Duke Everich stated loudly to bring quiet to the Council Chamber, "the successful nominees are Lord Wason, Lord Clava, and Lord Markel. They will fill the vacancies left by Duke Artur and the other two slots that we had planned on filling today. I will notify each of them this morning."

  "Shouldn't those who nominated them have the pleasure of presenting their good fortune?" asked Duke Tredor.

  "I want an end to these petty alliances," scowled Duke Everich. "You nominated a man for the position because you believed he would aid this city and not to form an alliance with him I am sure. Therefore there is no reason for you to notify him. As head of the Council, I think the task falls squarely on my shoulders, and I shall not shirk my duty. You will be notified when the next meeting is to be held. This meeting is adjourned."