“Why?” he asked. “Is something wrong?”
“I'm looking for tracks,” she informed him, shaking her tiny head. “I know it's crazy, there's no need to tell me that. I mean: we've moved the vault all over the place and I don't think it's ever left so much as a footprint behind it. But, I believe in being thorough. We don't know whether the ballroom leaves tracks when it moves, do we? ….... Well, do we?”
“Oh, no,” Paul replied. “I'm sorry. I thought you were being rhetorical. No, we certainly don't know that.”
“Rhetorical questions are a waste of time, Paul,” she explained. “People just ask them to try to look smart. Either way, the point is that we don't know. Of course, it almost certainly doesn't leave tracks. It's insane to even think that it might. I mean: how would it ‘walk’?”
“Well, I suppose...”
“Please, Paul, don't interrupt my train of thought,” she interrupted. “That was a rhetorical question. The thing is, the whatever-it-is is obviously part of the fortress – ballroom or not. Meaning that it almost certainly moves like everything else related to the fortress. That is to say: the fortress itself and the vault. As that's the case, it's a complete waste of time looking for tracks. Isn't it? ….... Well, isn't it?”
“Oh, probably,” Paul replied. “I'm sorry, my mind had wandered off.”
“Where to?”
“Could you put Myra to sleep like you did Joey?”
“In my sleep,” she said with a broad smile. “Well, not in my sleep, but you know what I mean.”
“Would you?”
“If she needed sleep.”
“She probably will tonight.”
“She needs it every night,” Nyssa said, rolling her eyes. “We all do.”
“I want to make sure she gets a really good night's sleep tonight, though,” he explained. “Will you help me make that happen?”
“I suppose so,” she sighed. “You've helped me with plenty of stupid plans before. Like that time you and I were searching for ‘ballroom tracks’. What were we thinking? …..... Well, what were we thinking?”
“I'm not sure,” Paul replied, shaking his head. “I was just following your lead. Either way, later tonight I want you to put her to sleep. When the moment's right, I'll give you a signal.”
“What kind of signal?”
“I'll wink like this,” he said, winking at her.
“That's perfect,” she nodded. “It's sure to attract my attention because you have very pretty eyes.”
“Thank you.”
“You're... welcome...” she said distractedly, gazing over his shoulder. “I wonder if it could be hiding... over... I've got to go, Paul. If I manage to find it, I'll let you know. In fact, you can have the second dance. Obviously, I have to let Joey have the first one.”
“Obviously,” the paladin chuckled.
“It's good of you to be so understanding,” she replied, fluttering higher into the air. “I'll see you this evening.”
Having said this, she shot off into the distance at a truly remarkable pace. Paul simply shook his head with a laugh before continuing his journey.
Just minutes after this, he found Darek and Alena working away training new recruits. They immediately enlisted his help; which he was more than willing to offer them. This occupied the three companions for the remainder of the day. The sun had set, and the moons had begun to rise before they made their way back to the keep.
The entire party gathered in one of the smaller dining rooms to enjoy a meal together before heading for bed.
“I've been thinking,” Paul said, slowly lowering his glass to the table.
“I'm sorry to hear that,” Joey replied, doing his best to sound sincere. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“About all the treasure the undead hoard,” the paladin continued, ignoring his friend. “The various strongholds we've captured have been filled with gold, silver, precious stones, and other articles of value.”
“Yes,” Darek nodded, “they have been.”
“Which raises a few questions,” Paul asserted. “First off, is any of that treasure ours?”
“Why do you ask?” Alena replied. “We're not trying to get rich, Paul, we're fighting to destroy the undead.”
“Obviously,” he said, turning his gaze to her. “But, we're part of a society now. Up to this point, we've run around stealing horses...”
“Requisitioning,” Sarrac interjected.
“Requisitioning horses, wagons, food, weapons, and whatever else we needed,” the paladin pointed out. “We're not going to be doing that here. Just as a for instance; not all horses are created equal. If some farmer happens to have one I like, I want to know whether I can afford to buy it from him.”
“He would give it to you,” Alena assured him. “You're the it. Everyone living here owes you their lives.”
“I don't like that idea,” he said. “We're part of this society. We've got our jobs to do, just like everyone else has. It just so happens that our job is slaughtering the undead, capturing their strongholds, and steal... requisitioning all their stuff. I just want to know what portion of the spoils I have a right to lay claim to. I plan to give most of it away anyway, but I'd like to be able to pay for Darek's meal for once instead of him always paying for mine.”
“You really are a paladin, Paul,” Nyssa said with an approving smile.
“I don't pay,” Darek pointed out, “we pay. I just happen to carry the purse. I fill it up whenever we happen to run into a stash of coin. Still, I see your point and you're right. Our lives are changing and we have things to consider that we never have before.
“Strictly speaking, spoils are divided amongst everyone who took part in a siege or assault. Officers get a double share; commanders a triple. Considering your rather unique status, you'd probably have the right to claim...”
“Ten shares,” Sarrac suggested. “At the very least.”
“Sure,” Darek nodded. “I don't think anyone would argue with that. Meaning that you’re basically rich, Paul. What do you plan to do with all that wealth?”
“Like I said,” Paul replied, “I'm going to give most of it away. What about the gemstones, though? How are they divided up?”
“You want a lot of those, do you?” the ogress chuckled.
“Back on Earth,” he explained, “people often keep them as part of a ‘retirement plan’. Considering their value, they don't take up much space or weigh very much, so we see them as a good way to store wealth.”
“We do, too,” Darek nodded. “Not that anyone ever saved up for ‘retirement’, but I suppose they'll probably start doing that now.”
“Plus,” Paul continued, smiling at the ogress. “I happen to think they're pretty. Don't you?”
“I suppose I do,” she admitted. “Not that I've ever thought much about it, really. I don't wear any jewelry.”
“You should,” Sarrac asserted. “Nothing gaudy; just a little something to highlight your natural beauty.”
“Maybe you should highlight yours,” she replied with a sarcastic tone.
“Maybe I should,” he chuckled. “What do you think would go with my eyes?”
“My hand print,” she said, looking at him thoughtfully, “right on the side of your face.”
“What's your favorite gemstone, Alena?” Paul asked.
“I don't know,” she sighed, her eyes locked on the ogre. “Really, I like them all – except for diamonds. They're just a little plain.”
“I feel the same way,” Myra nodded. “Although, I think sapphires are my favorites. Depending on the color, they go with my eyes.”
“I prefer rubies,” Nyssa replied, her own eyes drifting over to Joey. “Something about them reminds me of burning my enemies to ashes.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” the wizard replied with a wink.
In just over the time it takes to blink – or in this case: wink – Nyssa cast a sleep spell on Myra. The beautiful young maiden instantly collapsed, and would hav
e hit her head on the table had it not been for the cat-like reflexes of the ogress, who caught her just in time.
“Why did you do that?!” she asked the fluttering fairy.
Chapter 15: The More, the Merrier
“Paul asked me to,” Nyssa replied with a wide smile.
“I asked you to put her to sleep when I gave you the signal,” the paladin replied, “Why didn't you wait for it?”
“Joey gave me the signal,” she pointed out. “I thought you'd probably asked him to do it for you – because he has even prettier eyes than you do – so I'd be less likely to miss it.”
“Well,” he chuckled, “I didn't.”
“You should have,” she asserted. “It's a brilliant plan.”
“My question is,” Alena interjected, “why did you want Nyssa to put her to sleep?”
“So I could do this,” Paul replied, lifting a piece of string he had prepared for the purpose, and reaching for the unconscious maiden's hand.
“What do you think you're doing?!” Nyssa instantly asked. “You don't plan to touch her, do you?”
“Her hand,” he confessed.
“I can't believe you sometimes,” she said, shaking her head. “Either of you! How many times do I have to tell the two of you that it's not proper for a young man to touch a young lady while she's sleeping?”
“I wasn't trying to touch her,” Joey pointed out.
“You're right!” she agreed. “Paul, I'm ashamed of you!”
“I was just trying to...” he began.
“Well, I'm not going to let you!” she cried indignantly, flying between the young man and his lady love. “Keep your hands to yourself!”
“What is it you were going to do, Paul?” Alena asked with a smile.
“I was going to tie this string around her ring finger,” he explained.
“For what purpose?” the fairy asked suspiciously.
“She's been getting a hot finger lately,” he said, shaking his head. “I figured that if I cut the circulation off a bit, it might cool it down for her.”
“That is a reasonable plan,” the fairy nodded. “At least, compared to that ‘ballroom tracking’ scheme of yours. But, why did you want her to be asleep when you did it?”
“What if it's painful?” he asked, rolling his eyes. “Wouldn't it be better for her to sleep through it?”
“I suppose it would,” the fairy agreed.
“I'll take care of it,” the ogress replied with a knowing smile as she took the string from his hand.
She quickly tied it around the maiden's ring finger, pulled the resulting loop off, and handed it to Paul.
“Why did you do that?!” the fairy exclaimed. “Now her finger's going to get hot again.”
“I was teasing,” Paul explained, safely storing the string away. “It's just that I've been thinking about buying her a ring and I wanted to make sure it would fit without spoiling the surprise.”
“That's extremely thoughtful of you,” the fairy said with a tone of complete approval before turning to Joey; the smile instantly vanishing from her face. “It would be nice if I knew someone who was willing to go to those kinds of lengths for me, but I suppose a simple holy ring is far more than I deserve, anyway.”
“If someone were going to surprise you with a ring,” the wizard said, raising one of his eyebrows and slowly shaking his head, “they could hardly let you know about it, could they? Whoever they were, they would have to have Alena tie a string around your finger while you were asleep. Needless to say, if they did that, you'd be completely unaware of it until they gave to it you – not only surprising you, but possibly even giving you heart palpitations.”
At this observation, the fairy gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
“You're right!” she exclaimed. “I am so sorry! I'll do what I can to forget it. As I'm sure you know, I am very good at that.”
“I suppose it's a gesture,” he replied with a shrug and apparent lack of conviction.
“Don't be like that,” she said, tilting her head to the side and fluttering up to his face with a beautiful smile on her own. “I really will do my very best to forget all about it.”
“Honestly?”
“Absolutely,” she said, crossing her heart with her finger. “Do you forgive me?”
“I suppose so,” he sighed. “This time.”
“You're a real gentleman, Joey,” she replied before kissing him gently on the cheek.
“You are getting so good at that that it almost scares me,” Paul chuckled.
“Good at what?” Nyssa asked.
“We'd better get her to bed,” the paladin said, ignoring the fairy's question. “Alena, would you do the honors as none of us menfolk are supposed to touch her.”
“I'd be happy to,” the ogress smiled.
“I'm proud of you, Paul,” Nyssa said, kissing him on the cheek in turn. “You're learning.”
The companions made their way to the barracks – Alena carrying Myra in her arms – and decided to call it a night. As they each stretched out on their beds, the conversation was filled with idle chatter about their deeds of the day, their feelings about the current situation, and their hopes for the future. One by one, they slowly drifted off to sleep.
“I must have been completely exhausted last night,” Myra said the following morning. “I don't even remember coming to bed. In fact, I don't remember finishing dinner. As hungry as I feel, I'm not sure I did.”
“You didn't really,” Joey replied. “Right near the end of the meal, you just kind of phased out.”
“Phased out?”
“He means,” Paul explained, “that it was like you weren't even conscious.”
“That's bizarre,” she said, shaking her head. “Although, I may have overtaxed myself a little yesterday. I think I made real progress on working out the coordinates system the fortress uses. If I'm right, we can set the vault to zero in order to bring it back here.”
“That could come in handy,” the wizard nodded.
“It could,” she agreed. “For one thing, if Kal Tammon were besieged again, Gregory could come back to the fortress, rather than having to go to the well.”
“I suppose we'd better check on them,” Nyssa said, stifling a yawn. “By now, Gratis' entire army could be headed their way.”
“It'll take him days to get his forces there,” Darek pointed out.
“That's no reason to leave it to the last minute,” the fairy replied.
They quickly roused the rest of the party, picked several flowers, and acquired a bowl of water. Nyssa managed to locate the massive army of Lord Grathis in less than half-an-hour. They were currently marching toward Kal Tammon.
“We'd better send them word,” Alena said, gazing down at the image the fairy was hovering above. “They may as well leave now. There's no way they could hold out against that, even with our entire army.”
“I think it would be better to go ourselves,” Myra replied. “We can try to bring the vault here. If that doesn't work, I can teleport us back, and we can summon it with the call button.”
Having come up with a plan, they discussed it with the general, who heartily approved of it. They then ate a quick breakfast before making their way out of the fortress. The gateway was set in the dark lands on the very edge of Mal’Creal. Paul had to agree, as he gazed over a scene filled with half-dead trees and rock-hard ground, that they seemed to have placed it in an area that undoubtedly qualified as the middle of nowhere.
In mere minutes, Myra had finished casting the spell that would allow her to teleport them back to their current location if anything went wrong. This done, she transported them to Kal Tammon. Once again, they appeared in the middle of the courtyard, surprising its defenders, but not raising the alarm.
After a brief explanation, Gregory and his men climbed inside the vault, taking with them everything of value still held within the stronghold. Nyssa and Myra quickly reset the coordinates of the runes to zero. As soon as the l
ast of these was snapped into place, the image of the courtyard vanished only to be instantly replaced by that of the interior of the Fortress of Donmar.
“Well, that worked,” Gregory smiled. “Still, I wish we hadn't had to abandon Kal Tammon.”
“As do we all,” Alena replied, stepping into the fortress. “But, when you don't have any other viable options, a strategic retreat is a wise course of action.”
“That it is,” he agreed with a nod. “In any event, losing the citizens of Parmoor cost Grathis a great deal more than giving up an empty castle did us.”
“Without a doubt,” Darek replied. “Plus, as we happen to be on the opposite side of Mal’Creal, we should be able to strike again before we move without him being able to respond.”
“What's our next target?” Gregory asked with a smile. “Whatever it is, I don't plan to be stuck doing guard duty this time.”
“We're not sure yet,” Sarrac said. “Of course, we could clear out Umphar just before we move the fortress again. It's only a few miles from here.”
“And, it belongs to Lord Cassius,” Darek replied, snapping his fingers. “Which could really be a good thing from a ‘false flags’ point of view.”
“We have plenty of uniforms from Parmoor,” Alena added with a grin.
“More information, please,” Joey said, shaking his head. “Not all of us grew up here, remember?”
“Lord Cassius is the ruler of Lantarren,” the ogress explained, “which is the protectorate just northwest of Mal’Creal.”
“Cassius and Grathis have lived peaceably as neighbors for more than two hundred years,” Myra explained.
“Only because of the balance of power,” Alena pointed out. “If either of them thought they had the upper hand, they'd attack the other.”
“Of course they would,” Myra agreed with a nod. “They're undead.”
“Meaning,” Darek added, “that Cassius probably wouldn't find the idea of Grathis attacking him hard to believe. Which should suit our purpose perfectly.”
“It seems like a plan with very few drawbacks,” Sarrac said. “We should see how Mark feels about it.”
The entire group made their way to the keep and then to General Halfar's office, where they found the old man in talk with Thaelen.
The Shrine of Kallen (The Tales of Zanoth Book 3) Page 26