Sapphire of the Fairies soh-1

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Of course,” nodded the Duke.“In any event, you are too late to speak with the King, I’m afraid.King Byron is dead.”

  "My condolences,” offered Fredrik. “Ido hope it wasn’t sudden. Has his heir been crownedyet?”

  “Alas,” frowned Duke Everich,“King Byron had no known heir. The Council of Advisors rule Targa.I can guess what Cidal has to offer to an alliance, but what doesit wish from Targa, my young Lord?”

  “A common border, King’sAdvisor,” Fredrik calmly stated.

  A look of shock fell over the Duke’sface. There was an awful lot of territory between Targa and Cidal.If they were to have a common border, quite a few countries orcities would have to fall. The young Lord would have to be either afool or have access to an army larger than a mercenary company.Either way, he would be very useful or very dangerous, perhapsboth.

  “I think we should speak moreof this before I present it to the Council,” Duke Everich said.“Perhaps you would accompany me to the Royal Palace?”

  “It would be a pleasure, DukeEverich,” Lord Wason replied.

  Everyone rose and left the dining room,much to the chagrin of the other nobles waiting to interrogate thenewcomer. The walk from the Palace Shadow to the Royal Palace wasshort. Fredrik was amazed at the sheer size of the Palace and hadtrouble remembering the path so he could retrace his steps ifnecessary.

  Duke Everich showed them into a roomthat looked like a study. He again frowned as the two Cidalunderlings followed Fredrik into the room. Fredrik seized theopportunity before it passed.

  “Duke Everich,” Fredrikinquired, “I do not particularly want my fellow countrymen involvedin this conversation. I would post my bodyguard outside the door,but not with the servant to look after. I wonder if I might indulgemyself of your good graces and store my servant in your dungeonuntil I am ready to leave?”

  “An excellent idea,” laughedthe Duke. “I can arrange for some punishment while he is there ifyou desire.”

  “That will not be necessary,”chuckled Lord Wason. “If you could just issue authorization for myman to deposit and collect him, that would besufficient.”

  The Duke scribbled an authorization andhanded it to Arik. “I will have one of my men show him the way,”offered the Duke.

  Lord Wason leaned close to the Duke’sear and whispered, “Don’t bother. Let him find it on hisown.”

  After being dismissed, Arik gentlyshoved Tedi out the door and closed it. Looking at theauthorization, Arik gave a smile and proceeded down the stairs heknew led to the dungeon. Garth had spent some hours trying todetail the inside of the castle to Tedi and himself and Arik feltlike he had been there before.

  They reached the dungeon quickly andshowed the authorization to the outside guard. Without a blink heopened the door to the dungeon and let them in. Inside the dungeonwere two more guards seated at a table. They looked up as soon asthe door opened and watched as Tedi and Arik approached. Arikwalked past Tedi to give the authorization to one of the guards andwas reproached for letting his back to a prisoner.

  “He is not a prisoner,” Arikstated. “He is just a troublesome servant that needs to be kept outof my hair for a while. You need not even trouble yourself withgetting up. I will shove him in a cell.”

  “Nobody goes into the cellblock without one of us,” the guard stated as he rose. “Servant orprisoner, he gets the same from me either way.”

  Arik began to fear that Tedi would besearched. Without his tools, this whole charade would be wasted andpossibly worse if they found the lock picks Tedi had on him. Theguard pointed the way and followed them into the cellblock. Arik’sheart dropped when he saw no other prisoners in thecells.

  Arik stopped and turned to the guard.“Is there a cell with a neighbor?” Arik asked. “This lout’s snoringwill add some punishment to the culprit’s torment.”

  The guard laughed heartily and pointedArik and Tedi towards another cellblock. “You have the makings of aRoyal Tormentor, lad. The way you think makes me warm allover.”

  The guard let them walk down thecorridor until they came to a cell next to another prisoner andushered Tedi in and locked the door. The man in the cell next toTedi looked too young to be the General.

  The guard turned to Arik. “Now that wehave your friend locked up,” the guard laughed, “you’ll come withme and answer some questions.”

  Arik’s stomach turned as he looked atthe massive guard with the wicked grin.

  Chapter 20

  Lady Wason

  Tedi craned his neck in an attempt tosee into the other cells in the block, but he was unable to seeanyone other than the man in the next cell. Quietly, for a while,he pondered his options. He was supposed to talk with the Generaland arrange his escape, but if the man in the next cell was notSergeant Trank, who was General Gregor’s aide, he would call thejailers called down on him in a moment.

  “What is your name?” Tedihesitantly asked.

  The man looked at him and pointedlyignored him. Tedi wasn’t sure what the dungeon guards had up theirsleeve with their last comment to Arik, but he didn’t have a lot oftime to deal with his neighbor’s reluctance to talk.

  “I had a cousin who looked alot like you,” Tedi probed. “People often told him that he lookedlike General Gregor’s aide. Say, you wouldn’t happen to be SergeantTrank, would you?”

  “You wouldn’t even know anyonewho had ever seen a General’s aide,” the neighbor sneered. “Whydon’t you do us both a favor and let me get some rest? Tell DukeEverich he will have to come up with a better scheme than sendingyou in here, so save your breath.”

  Tedi was taken back at the man’shostile attitude, but clearly the Duke wanted something from thisman and, just as clearly, this man didn’t want to give it. Tedi wasgoing to get nowhere fast following his coy littleapproach.

  “I don’t know if you areSergeant Trank or not,” Tedi gambled, “but my gut instinct tells methat you are. I do not work for the Duke, but I do need to talk tothe General. I was hoping that they would put me in the cell nextto him.”

  The man’s hostility seemed abated andTedi bet his life on his next statement. “I was told to tell theGeneral that I was sent by Garth Shado to affect hisrelease.”

  The man stared at Tedi for the longestmoment without speaking. After rolling something around in hismind, the man asked, “Who told you to say Garth Shado sentyou?”

  “Garth himself,” Tedianswered. “He is a tall man, extremely well-built with long blackhair in a tail. He called General Gregor his cousin and travelswith a woman named Kalina. Does that satisfy you that I am tellingthe truth?”

  “Not hardly,” the man laughed.“This friend of his, Kalina, she has a special trick she likes topull on new acquaintances. Surely, if you ever met her you wouldknow of it. What is the trick?

  Tedi had no idea what the man wastalking about. Kalina had done nothing that stood out as awelcoming trick. How would he be able to convince the man withoutknowing her trick? In desperation, he threw up hishands.

  “How am I supposed to knowanything about her tricks?” Tedi blurted out. “I don’t knowanything about magic and everything a witch does is a trick to me.What trick are you talking about?”

  Oddly, the man smiled. “Witch is a veryderogatory term,” the man scolded. “I wouldn’t be surprised ifKalina filled your sleeping bag with worms for that statement. Howdo you plan to get the General out of the Royal Palace? Just waltzhim past the dungeon guards?”

  “That is for me to discusswith the General,” stated Tedi. “You still haven’t told me who youare or where they are keeping the General.”

  “You are a brave fool,”chuckled the man. “I see no harm in admitting that I am SergeantTrank and that the General is in the last cell down. The Dukedidn’t want me close enough to him to converse. You will have aspoor luck in trying to talk with him as you have of getting him outof here, now that you are stuck being my neighbor.”

  “We shall see about that,”boasted Tedi. “We plan on getting you out, as well. Let
me know bywhistling if you hear the guards coming.”

  Tedi moved to the cell door and pulledhis picks out of a pouch. The cell doors were not very hard tounlock and he finished it quickly. The real protection of thedungeon lay in the three guards. One would have to get past themand they normally searched their prisoners. Tedi, of course, wasonly a guest. Quickly and silently, he made his way along thecorridor to the last cell. Looking into the cell he saw an old, butwell fit, man with gray hair that was sitting on his bunk staringat him.

  “General Gregor,” Tedi saidquietly, Garth Shado sent me to get you out of here.” Even while hewas talking, he was working the lock on the General’sdoor.

  “Save your breath, son,” theGeneral replied. “I have no doubt that you and Garth mean well, butI will not endanger Alcea soldiers to make my escape and that isthe only way that I can think of to get past theguards.”

  Tedi withdrew a tin of dye and a ragand handed it to the General. “We will not harm anyone in gettingyou and the Sergeant out,” Tedi promised. “Use this dye on yourhair and don’t leave the cell. If the guards come to check on you,pretend you are sleeping and keep your head covered.”

  Tedi moved quickly back to theSergeant’s cell and picked the door lock before retreating backinto his own cell. Tedi sat down on his bunk and tried to hide thefact that he was shaking with the fear of discovery.

  * * * *

  The massive guard ordered Arik to sitat the small table where he and the other guard had been when Arikand Tedi entered the dungeon.

  “Now,” the guard growled, “theDuke may think you are a Cidal Mercenary, but I surely don’t. I’vedrank with the Captain’s men and their uniforms don’t look likeyours, especially that soft hat. Every mercenary who I know wears ahelmet same as we do. You probably don’t even know the Captain’sname. What game are you up to, lad, and who are we holding as aguest in our cells?”

  “Game?” Arik got out in anoffended tone. “You think being a member of Lord’s Wason’s personalguard is a game? Don’t let my young looks fool you. Three othersand I were chosen from the ranks of Captain Grecho’s company forthe honor of serving Lord Wason. If I have to prove myself to aTargan dungeon guard, you can well believe that I amready.”

  The last was said with Arik’s hand onhis sword hilt and the guard was taken aback. If Arik was who hesaid he was, the guard was not about to spill the blood of a Lord’spersonal guard and, on second look, he realized the lad was finelyfit to be wearing some uniform. He placed his firm hand on Arik’sshoulder. “Don’t get riled up, lad,” the guard said. “I’ve neverheard of Lord Wason, but it is obvious that you do know CaptainGrecho. You can’t blame me for being suspicious, that’s myjob.”

  “I’m sorry,” Arik replied ashe felt the tension lessen. “I have had to train twice as hard asthe rest of the men to prove myself because of my youthfulappearance. I guess I am a little touchy about it. Lord Wason wasthe old sailor’s nephew. Lord Alrecht died recently and Lord Wasonhas a good rapport with Captain Grecho. When he asked for apersonal guard, the Captain not only readily agreed, he held acontest to see who would be chosen. I am very proud of the softhat, which I wear. It is a symbol of my expertise.”

  Both guards looked at Arik in a newlight and offered to share the last of their ale over stories ofCidal. Arik politely refused, telling the guards that his Lord wasexpecting him to take up position outside the Duke’s study. Theynodded and let him out.

  No sooner had Arik left when two womenapproached the Royal Palace via the small gate near the old RedSword barracks. One wore the uniform of the Cidal Lord’s personalguard and the other was adorned with a long dress with large hoops.The dress was red as her hair and the soldiers all stared as shewas allowed entry to the courtyard. The picnic basket she wascarrying was promptly inspected and snickered at.

  “You must understand,” thesentry was saying, “that the prisoner will not be allowed anythingin the basket. The dungeon guards will confiscate it if you don’tleave it here.”

  The Cidal mercenary chuckled at thesentry. “And your men won’t confiscate it while we are in thedungeon?” Taking the basket from Niki’s arm, she looped it over herown. “Just point the way,” Tanya continued. “I will see that theLady and her basket survive the dungeon guards.”

  The sentry tried to hide his smirk ashe detailed the path that the two women were to travel. Tanya andNiki followed the sentry’s directions and approached the outsidedungeon guard. He looked curiously as the two women approached, butheld his tongue at the sight of the basket.

  “We have come to speak withTedi Markel, Lord Wason’s aide,” Tanya declared firmly.

  “If you don’t mind, Tanya,”Niki offered eyeing the outside dungeon guard, “I would rather notenter the dungeon. Say what you have to say to the boy and then wecan be gone from here. I am sure that this strong man will keep mesafe until you return.”

  “As you wish, My Lady,” Tanyaanswered respectfully and indicated her desire to enter thedungeon.

  The guard banged on the door, nevertaking his eyes off the two women. Tanya’s sheath was without hersword and her quiver without arrows, but his training required himto treat her as a potential adversary and he did so. The dungeondoor opened and upon seeing the visitors, the guard’s eyes widened.He seemed disappointed that only Tanya entered the dungeon, butafter the door was closed, she found him inspecting herclosely.

  “You are one of the chosenfour,” the guard exclaimed incredulously as he reached for thebasket on Tanya’s arm.

  “I am one of Lord Wason’spersonal guards,” Tanya affirmed as she grabbed the guard’s thumband put pressure on it to bring him to his knees. “I am assigned toLady Wason and if you wish the basket, it would be polite to askfirst.”

  The other guard was laughing at hispartner’s predicament and the guard on his knees was veryembarrassed. Tanya immediately let go of the guard’s thumb andapologized. “I am sorry. I guess Arik already told you how hard itwas on the two of us, being so young and all. I was out of line andapologize for my behavior.”

  She handed the guard the basket and hetook it while rising to his feet and backed to the table to put itdown.

  “Lady Wason thinks that Tediwill get that,” Tanya smiled. “I will tell her that he did. Shewould not understand security provisions in a prison. Helpyourselves.”

  The seated guard hurriedly inspectedthe contents and his cries of excitement caught the embarrassedguard’s attention. Still watching Tanya out of the corner of hiseye, he peered into the basket to see the rich meats, cheese,fruit, and a bottle of expensive wine. Rubbing his thumb, he noddedthe way to Tedi’s cell and sat at the table to get his share of thebasket before his partner cleaned it out.

  Tanya smiled as she made her way toTedi’s cell. She lingered at the cell door for about five minutesand went back to check on the guards. One of them was sprawled onthe floor and the other had his head lying on the table. She movedquickly to the dungeon door and pulled it open. Niki was standingover the outside guard who was propped up against the wall. Nikientered the dungeon quickly and raised her hoops. Tanya strippedtwo Cidal personal guard uniforms from Niki’s body where they hadbeen secured.

  “That man was a letch,” Nikicomplained. “I think he would have felt the uniforms if he had anymore time. What took you so long?”

  Tanya just pointed at the two large mensprawled at the table and hurried the uniforms to the General andSergeant. Tedi sprang from his cell and hauled the prostrate guardinto a chair and laid his head on the table like his partner. Tanyareturned to the large room while the General and Sergeant donnedtheir new uniforms. The two girls waited just long enough to seethe two soldiers appear before they exited the dungeon with theempty picnic basket and returned towards the courtyard.

  The Sergeant looked surprised at thetwo guards sprawled on the table and asked about the outsideguard.

  “These two should not havedrank the wine,” Tedi grinned. “They will wake up in an hour so weneed to be well on our way. The outside guard
got his mixturethrough Niki’s ring. He may be out for even less time. Garth toldus about the exit from the Palace that the servants used before theCollapse. He said it is still passable, but it has been unused formany years. I can lead you there. There will be two horses outside.You can use them to get out of the city. Go to the field where theRangers waited to enter the city before King Eugene was unmaskedand Garth will meet you there. I hope you understand, because itmeans nothing to me.”

  The General put his hand on Tedi’sshoulder and looked him in the eye. “You will make a fine soldiersomeday,” General Gregor stated. “You have the guts anddetermination already.”

  Tedi nodded at the General and smiled.“I already am, Sir,” he replied proudly. “I am an Alcea Ranger.Let’s get out of here.”

  The General grinned and shook his headas he followed Tedi out of the dungeon with his Sergeant closebehind. Tedi led them through the corridors of the Royal Palace asif he had spent time there before. If anyone saw them at adistance, it would look like a foreign servant and his two unarmedforeign escorts. It was Tedi’s job to make sure that no one got aclose look.

  They made it without incident to thehalf collapsed corridor that led to the old servants’ entrance.Only two servants had seen them at a distance and they paid noparticular interest to the foreign men. The corridor was barelypassable in spots and the going was slow, as they had to climb overportions of crumbled walls. When they reached the end of thecorridor, the door was jammed tight. Tedi almost panicked as he puthis shoulder to the door and it refused to budge.

  The Sergeant chuckled politely andtapped the pouch that Tedi held his picks in. “It’s locked,Ranger,” he prompted. “Work some of the skills from your misspentyouth.”

  Tedi swore as he extracted his picksand went to work on the door lock. They had already exhausted toomuch time getting out of the dungeon and Fredrik should be donewith his meeting soon. Even if the guards did not wake up for anhour, somebody could discover them at any time. The door unlockedwas still hard to open, but Tedi cracked it enough to peer outside.There was more debris from the Collapse past the door, which hadnever been cleaned up, and Tedi soon realized why Garth chose thisdoorway. They were able to make it easily across the unoccupiedcourtyard to a small gate in the wall. The gate was locked onlywith a beam laid in metal braces, which was easily removed, and thethree escapees stepped into a street where two horses were tied toa tree.