Dark Quest

by Richard S. Tuttle

  Targans began leaving Southland shortly after nightfall, heading northwest. Several hours before dawn, all of the abandoned supplies were piled in the center of the courtyard so that the walls of the fort would not be damaged when they were ignited. The Garrison Commander was the last to leave and he joyfully tossed a jar of Fire Glue onto the heap of supplies.

  The Sordoans saw the mounting flames and shouts echoed through their campsites. The Sordoans sent a scouting party forward and they were amazed to find the fortress empty. The Sordoans cheered and in the morning moved forward and occupied the fort. A messenger was sent to the third division and the column started moving westward again.

  It wasn’t long before the Danver Shores contingent was within sight of the Southland fortress. The group at Cleb started following the river downstream. The Southland contingent would be ferried downstream on barges and the two forces would join up well east of Dalek.

  The third division of Sordoans turned northwest a little sooner than expected to gain the coolness of the forest. The change in Sordoan plans had no effect on the Targans, whose trap was already set.

  Twenty Sordoan galleons lay on the bottom of the sea east of the Pebble Islands. The Sordoan Admiral became concerned with his diminishing fleet and started stringing his ships out in a long line to the east. The next Targan galleon to come over the horizon was troubled to see Sordoan ships to his southeast. He immediately turned eastward and paralleled the Sordoan line. The other waiting Targan galleons saw his maneuver and also headed east to join with him. When the Sordoan Navy saw seven Targan galleons, the entire Sordoan fleet gave chase. The Sordoan Navy forced the Targan galleons to proceed north of the northernmost of the Pebble Islands. They rounded the island and headed southeast. When they came even with the second Pebble Island, they turned around and prepared to battle.

  When the Sordoan Navy paired off to attack the Targan galleons, the Targan frigates attacked. By the time the two groups of galleons were close enough to each other to utilize their catapults, half of the remaining Sordoan fleet was burning. The frigates continued to dart in and out of the Sordoan fleet, setting ships ablaze. When the fighting stopped, one Targan galleon had joined the forty Sordoan ships at the bottom of the sea.

  When the Sordoan third division was still a day east of Dalek, they sighted the campfires of thousands of men. Sergeant Todd Racor had ordered the small Dalek force to create a campfire for each man, so two thousand campfires dotted the Sordoan’s western horizon. To the east of the Sordoans, six thousand men lay quietly in the woods, waiting for the Sordoans to commit themselves.

  As soon as the Sordoans broke camp in the morning and started marching west, they were attacked from the rear. The well-seasoned reserves at the rear end of the Sordoan column took the brunt of the surprise attack, and pandemonium reigned in the Sordoan ranks. When they turned to defend themselves, the Dalek contingent attacked. It mattered little to the Sordoans that the Dalek contingent was only two thousand men, their ranks were broken and their cohesiveness destroyed.

  Eight thousand Targans tore into the Sordoan army. The Sordoans tried to flee southward, but escape was futile. In four hours it was all over. A couple of stragglers managed to escape to the south and five hundred of the Sordoans surrendered. The rest were dead.

  The Dalek contingent returned to Dalek with the prisoners and the rest of the Targan Army turned eastward towards Southland. The Southland fortress had no supplies and it was about to be surrounded by nine thousand Targans.

  Alex and his Rangers skirted around the Sordoan city of Korin and reached the Toulane River. There they paused to build two crude rafts. They constructed a lean-to on each raft and wearing Sordoan mountain garb, headed downstream towards Trekum.

  The six Targan frigates returned to Tagaret and unloaded the Rangers. The Red Swords at Tagaret headed south to Melbin, while the six remaining Targan galleons approached Melbin from the sea. The Sordoan advance had been stopped and their main goal denied, but the enemy still held two important Targan cities.

  Chapter 15

  Trekum

  The Rangers removed their gear from the rafts and broke up the crude river vessels. They let the debris drift downstream to the ocean. Under the cover of darkness they stole through the streets of Trekum towards the Continental Shipping Company warehouse. Unlike the southern countryside, army troops were quite evident here in Sordoa’s capital and their short trip to the warehouse took considerable time.

  Alex knocked on the door of the warehouse and drew up short when he looked into the face of the one who opened the door. Quickly recovering, Alex waved his men inside and closed the door. “Eddie, what are you doing here?”

  “It is a long story, Alex,” Eddie replied. “Laman sent me north to look for you and warn you that the Army was after you. I ran into one of Larc’s men and after he realized who I was and where I was from, he took me with him. He explained that you were safe and already knew about the warrant.”

  Eddie pulled Alex off to the side while the other Rangers were getting set to catch some sleep. “Anyway,” Eddie continued, “this guy started asking me all sorts of questions about myself. Well, to shorten the story, I ended up joining the Spiders. Larc sent me down here to learn the Sordoan language, then I received word that you would be coming. The message didn’t say when, just that you would be picking up a package here and that I was to extend whatever assistance I could.”

  “Did my package arrive?” asked Alex.

  “Sure did,” answered Eddie. “Its pretty large, but it appears to have arrived without damage. How can I help?”

  “I need to get some sleep first, then we need to check out Secor’s paintings. How often does he send them over?”

  “He just brought over a batch yesterday,” said Eddie. “He normally comes every other day, but sometimes we’ll see him two days in a row.”

  “If he shows up, I want to see him. It’s important that he knows we’re here. Do the people of Lavinda know that you are all right?” Alex asked

  “Yes,” Eddie commented. “I sent a message telling them that you were okay and that I had decided to accept work in Tagaret.”

  Alex nodded and found a place to sleep.

  The next morning the Rangers set up camp in the loft of the warehouse. Secor’s paintings were laid out in an approximation of the Palace and the elite warriors studied the artworks. Mitar was conversant in the Sordoan language and he went out to check the areas that surrounded the Palace. Alex checked the paintings for various approaches and made a list of materials that would be needed for the infiltration.

  The second day, John Secor arrived with more paintings. Eddie ushered him up to the loft to speak with Alex. Alex introduced John to the rest of his Rangers. “How many troops are stationed at the Palace?” asked Alex.

  “The best I could figure is around six hundred, Alex. Most of them man the outer portions of the Palace. There are barracks at the northwest corner of the grounds and the troops seem to be on three shifts so, at any given time, about two hundred would be on duty. The Sultan has still not found time to see me, but I think his personal guard numbers around forty. Security is actually rather lax compared to President Suarez’s Palace in Kantor.”

  “I am concerned for your safety when we attack, John. Is there some excuse that you can make to leave the Palace for a day?”

  “Alex,” answered John Secor, “I would not be safe on the streets of Trekum after it became known that Targan forces have taken the Palace. I think my best chance is to stick close to you when you infiltrate.”

  “I disagree, John, but I do have a plan to get you to safety. We will discuss it later. Right now, we need some verbal details on your paintings.”

  John sat with the Rangers for a couple of hours going over the details of each painting. Finally, Alex pointed to the painting of the garden in the southeastern portion of the Palace. “This is where we will be going in,” he stated. “John, I need a picture of the route from the garden to the
inner chamber.”

  “No problem,” replied John. “I can sketch that for you right now.”

  John diagrammed the two routes from the garden to the inner chamber of the Palace. Both of the paths were intricate and had areas of contact with Sordoan patrols.

  “Okay, John,” summarized Alex, “here is what I want you to do. I can’t see the need for any further detail of the Palace unless you can gain entrance to the inner chamber. Tomorrow, you make known your intentions to return to Tagaret. Demand to see the Sultan, stating that you are leaving whether or not he agrees to see you. If you can, get a drawing of the inner chamber and bring it here before you leave. In any case, I want you on the Princess Lidia tomorrow night.”

  “Okay,” John said, “I should let the Captain of the Princess Lidia know that we are leaving tomorrow. Good luck, Alex. Make sure that I get to greet you again.”

  John left the warehouse and walked to the Palace docks where the Princess Lidia was berthed. He informed the Captain that they were leaving the next day and returned to the Palace. At the Palace he again tried to get in to see the Sultan and again was told that the Sultan was in a very important meeting. He stated that he would be leaving the next day and retired to bed.

  The next morning John collected his belongings and had them taken to the ship. He strolled around the grounds until lunch time when he was summoned to speak with the Sultan.

  “Sultan Awa’ri, how good of you to take time from your busy schedule to see me.”

  The Sultan stared at Secor trying to decide if he had just been offended or not. Finally, he spoke. “John Secor, I understand that you are leaving today. Does our hospitality not agree with you?”

  “You hospitality is most gracious, Your Highness. I am, however, here for a specific purpose and I have determined that my efforts to gain a peaceful solution to our difficulties are wasted.”

  From behind John came a voice. “And how can you tell if your efforts are wasted if you just choose to pack up and go home?”

  John turned around to see an obese man in a yellow and purple wrap-around. He threw a questioning glance at the man and the short Sordoan spoke again.

  “My name is Al’un Neplak. I am the Sordoan Ambassador to Targa. Many times I have been forced to wait long periods of time before being insulted in Tagaret. Why should you feel that your experience should be any different?”

  John turned again and addressed the Sordoan Sultan. “Sultan Awa’ri, you should be aware that I am not the normal Targan Ambassador to Sordoa. Targa has had the misfortune of having its Crown stolen from them by an evil sorcerer. This sorcerer may have, indeed, insulted your Ambassador, but that can hardly be blamed on the people of Targa or its current King. Your country chose to attack Targa because of the treatment of an Ambassador who lacks the social grace of a frog. I am not from Tagaret and I will not presume to know the customary procedures of its court.”

  John glanced behind him at the Ambassador and continued. “I am very familiar with court procedure in Cordonia, however, and I know it is extremely poor manners for a court to allow servants to sneak up behind one who is addressing the ruler of a nation.”

  The Sultan looked surprised and motioned for Al’un Neplak to move further forward so that he was standing between the Sultan and his visitor. “Are you, then, the Targan Ambassador to Cordonia?”

  “No,” answered John, “I am the heir to the throne of Targa.” John waited for the shock effect and continued. “At least, I was the heir to the throne. I have refused the Crown and plan to return to my native Cordonia as soon as I leave here.”

  “I am confused,” offered the Sultan. “You are or were the heir to the throne of Targa, but you live in Cordonia and are familiar with their court? Please explain.”

  “Very well,” replied John Secor. “My father was a distant cousin to King Olweg, King Eugene’s father. My father became the Targan Ambassador to Cordonian and we moved there. When my father died I chose to stay in Kantor and I became a painter. My fame as a painter grew and I became a personal friend of President Suarez. King Eugene was brutally murdered, as you know. What you are unaware of is that an evil sorcerer who had taken the form of Duke Nelson murdered him. This sorcerer is also the person responsible for the temple attacks across the land. This false King Austin purposely insulted your Ambassador to cause a war. He also attempted to start a war with Cordonia. Only Sordoa took the opportunity to expand their border.”

  “And what became of this evil sorcerer?” quizzed the Sultan.

  “He has been deposed. Although he escaped, he is currently being hunted and will be destroyed when he is found. After his removal, the Council of Advisors prepared to crown me King of Targa, an Office I would prefer not to have. I enjoy my painting and plan to continue it in Kantor. Duke Whitley has been named King Byron, King of Targa. He is a good and just man and sent me to seek peace here in Trekum. Unfortunately, you have shunned the opportunity to speak with me for so long a period, I must assume the war is already beyond the point of redemption.”

  The Sultan summoned his Advisor and whispered for several long moments. Finally, he addressed John Secor. “It would appear that the war goes poorly for Targa. My Advisor informs me that we have captured the cities of Melbin and Southland and destroyed the entire Targan Navy. However, because of the circumstances that you speak of, I feel in a very generous mood. I am willing to return these two cities in exchange for Targa altering our border slightly.”

  “And what alteration is it you seek?”

  “We are desirous of a seaport on the Targa Sea. We wish to have the border modified to include the city of Dalek.”

  John laughed. “Your Highness, the city of Dalek was created by Oscar Dalek from nothing. Oscar Dalek is now Prince Dalek of Targa. Do you really presume to ask the Prince of Targa to hand over his own city to Sordoa?”

  Al’un Neplak interrupted. “How dare you laugh in the Sultan’s presence? You shall lose your life for such an offense.”

  John Secor straightened up and his eyes grew dark. “Your Highness, I can well see why your Ambassador may have been treated poorly. To threaten death to a foreign Ambassador is a grievous offense. I will conclude my visit quickly so that my behavior does not reflect the comments of your servant. King Byron is willing to offer peace to Sordoa if your great nation will concede all lands in a line from Southland to and including the city of Khartek.”

  Khartek was a notable city on the west coast of Sordoa. John Secor had just informed the Sultan that Targa was not willing to forego any of its historical land. The Sultan was outraged and ordered his guards to seize the Targan. John was grabbed by the guards and thrown into a cell.

  Alex became concerned when nightfall arrived and John had neither come back nor left on the Princess Lidia. He sent Mitar to the dock with a message for the Princess Lidia to put out to sea and await a signal to return. The ship immediately made way and Mitar returned to the warehouse.

  The attack on the Palace had been planned for a moonless night and Alex would lead his men later tonight regardless of Secor’s position. Still, he was concerned for the man’s safety. He didn’t know if the Sordoans would use torture on John but if they did, the Rangers’ entry point could be compromised. As soon as it was dark, Alex had his men form up and they departed.

  It was only two blocks to the Palace from the warehouse, but the Rangers had to bring their large package, so the going was slow. They reached the southeastern corner of the Palace wall without incident. The only guard in this area was in a tall tower atop the wall and he spent most of his time looking out toward the docks.

  Mitar tossed a hook over the wall and Alex scampered up to the walkway that ran along the inside of the wall. He crept along the wall until he was far enough along to see the guard in the tower above. He pulled back his bow and sent an arrow flying into the guard’s neck. Mitar climbed the rope and joined Alex. Together they hoisted the large parcel and lowered it into the garden. The rest of the Rangers climbed the ro
pe and entered the garden.

  The soldiers wound their way through the garden until they approached the point where contact with a patrol was imminent. They waited for the guard to appear and took him out with a myric quill. After hiding the body under a bush the group continued their journey into the Palace.

  Six more guards were eliminated on their path to the outer chamber. Alex knew his time was short before the guards were noticed missing. They moved down a small corridor to a doorway that John had described. The doorway led to a small plaza, which was seldom used and almost never at night. The Rangers entered the plaza and tore open their package. They removed a Door from the package and set it up. When this was completed, Alex knocked on the Door. The Door opened and he stepped into a room in the Targa Royal Palace. Lieutenant David Jaynes was waiting for him.

  David stuck his head out into the hallway and shouted an order. He turned to Alex and asked, “Where are you coming from?”

  “The outer chamber in the Sultan’s Palace,” stated Alex. “While we’re waiting for the men, give me a summary as to how the war is going.”

  David told Alex about their naval victory and the destruction of the third Sordoan division. Three hundred Rangers started piling into the room and through the Door to Trekum. At the end of the line was Prince Oscar.

  “How is John?” he asked.

  “We don’t know, Oscar,” answered Alex. “He was supposed to leave today, but he never left the Palace. I fear he has been killed or imprisoned.”

  “Make sure that you get him out,” pleaded Oscar. Oscar handed Alex a gold key. “This is a Door key. Egam and Jenneva worked it up from information they got from Galdan, the elf magician. It will work on any Door. Lock this one when you close it.”