“You are both stark raving mad,” Lomar sighed in frustration. “You have left me no choice but to arrest you. I should have kicked you out of the city when I had a chance.”
Chapter 21
Kingdom of Melbin
Yolinda and Mikal Obanik were led into the palace. Two-dozen guards stood in the entry foyer guarding Arik, Tanya, and Prince Darok. The three captives sat on a bench outside an ornate pair of doors. At one end of the foyer were a large pile of weapons and the packs of the three captives.
“Over here,” instructed Lomar as he led Mikal and Yolinda towards the large pile. “Please deposit your weapons here. They are not permitted in the throne room.”
Mikal nodded and placed his staff down. He removed his sword and placed it gently on the pile. Next he removed Lanoirian Stars from his pouches and placed them on the floor. He added several knives as Lomar began to snicker.
Mikal turned and shrugged with a smile on his face. “I left the rest at the Bosun’s Chair,” he apologized.
“That is quite a pile for four people,” remarked Lomar. “Your woman must also contribute.”
“I have nothing to add to the pile,” shrugged Yolinda. “I abhor weapons.”
Tanya started laughing, and the guards glared at her.
“I am amazed at the levity your group can display at such a time,” frowned Lomar as he led Mikal and Yolinda to the bench. “Is it a humorous thing to be executed where you come from?”
“We would not be executed for defending ourselves,” retorted Mikal.
“That is not your only crime,” countered Lomar. “Just your presence in this city is punishable by death. Have you forgotten King Alfred’s words the last time you met?”
“I am willing to place my fate before King Alfred,” replied Mikal. “While his punishments have been known to be harsh, I believe that he can also be just when it is called for.”
“We shall see if you are right very soon,” sighed Lomar as the ornate doors opened.
Three burly men marched out of the room. They walked across the foyer and picked up their swords. They stared at the large pile of weapons and turned to gaze at the bench where the Rangers waited to be admitted to see King Alfred. They shook their heads and left the palace. One of the guards who had brought Arik, Tanya, and Darok entered the throne room. He returned promptly.
“King Alfred will see you three now,” he stated. “Let’s go.”
The three young Rangers stood and were ushered into the throne room by twelve men. Before the doors could close, Mikal and Yolinda rose and followed them into the throne room. Lomar and the other twelve guards ran after them.
“What is the meaning of…you,” glared King Alfred. “What are you doing in my city?”
The guards grabbed Mikal and Yolinda and were prepared to drag them out of the room when Mikal spoke.
“The five of us are together,” declared Mikal.
“So much the poorer for the other four,” snapped King Alfred. “The five may stay and be treated as one. All of the guards will remain. I will take no chances with Mikal Obanik.”
“I have never tried to attack your person in the past,” declared Mikal as he walked up to stand next to the three younger Rangers.
Yolinda followed his lead, leaving the group of five standing alone in the center of the room.
“I will grant you that,” nodded King Alfred, “but you still haven’t answered my question. What are you doing in my city?”
“The five of us are traveling to southern Sordoa,” declared Mikal. “We came to Melbin for supplies and information.”
“Even knowing that your presence in my city has been forbidden?” queried the king. “You do remember spurning my offer and my warning that you would be executed on your return here?”
“I do remember, Your Highness,” nodded Mikal. “I do believe that you were having a particularly bad day when you said it. That day was not so fine for me either.”
“So you take it upon yourself to determine what the laws of Melbin will be now?” mocked the king. “You must think rather highly of yourself.”
“Isn’t that what you are doing?” countered Mikal. “Haven’t you decided to make the laws what you want them to be? Haven’t you placed yourself above the interests of the people?”
“What insolence?” King Alfred scowled. “It is a pity that I can only execute you once. I can make your death very painful, though. One more outburst from you and it shall be made so.”
“Why do you find my words so hurtful?” questioned Mikal. “The reason that I am banned from Melbin is because I refused to be your general. Is that truly a cause to kill a man?”
“You killed four people if my memory serves me well,” retorted King Alfred. “Just one is enough to execute you.”
“I am sure you remember the circumstances of that day,” countered Mikal. “The deaths were not the reason for your anger. My refusal to serve you was the cause.”
“Your refusal did anger me,” admitted King Alfred. “And so it should. I was offering you a position of greatness. I was willing to overlook the deaths you committed, but you think yourself too wonderful to serve Melbin.”
“There is some truth in your words,” agreed Mikal, “but they are not accurate regarding my feelings. It is not that I felt that I was too good for Melbin. It is that I had more important work to do.”
“More important than being General of the largest army between Trekum and Tagaret?” blustered King Alfred. “I think that you delude yourself. Look at the company that you keep. A couple that is young enough to be your children and a dwarf. It does not appear to me that your task, whatever it is, could be very important at all. What task is it that requires your great skills?”
“Fulfilling the Ancient Prophecy,” answered Mikal.
“Bah,” growled King Alfred. “I have no more time for speaking nonsense with you. These children that you travel with stole a prisoner from my palace. They are condemned to die. You have returned to Melbin against my direct orders. You are condemned to die. The woman and the dwarf can go free after they have watched the executions. Take them away.”
The guards started towards the Rangers. Yolinda looked at Tanya and nodded, “Defensive only.”
Tanya smiled and nodded. Suddenly, a tremendous wind ripped out from the center of the room. All of the doors slammed shut as the gusts hit them. The approaching guards slid along the floor until they slammed into the walls and fell to the ground. Mikal dove towards the throne and rolled. He came to his feet at the foot of the throne and reached out with one hand to grasp the neck of King Alfred.
“It would take very little pressure to snap the king’s neck,” announced Mikal. “You will allow yourselves to be disarmed and tied up, or you will lose a king. We have no intention of killing King Alfred if you comply. The decision is yours.”
The guards removed their swords and placed them on the floor. Prince Darok tore down a banner from the wall and ripped it into strips. Arik and Tanya helped the dwarf tie up the guards. When they were secured, Mikal let go of the king and walked back to the Rangers.
“How dare you use magic in my presence,” shouted King Alfred. “If there was any chance that I would show you mercy, it is gone forever. All five of you shall be executed now.”
“You will be executing nobody,” snapped Mikal. “You will listen and speak when directed to. I do not know if you are aware of what is going on in the world around you, but you are about to find out. Jenneva, if he threatens to execute us one more time, turn him into a frog.”
“Jenneva?” stammered King Alfred. “Jenneva the famous witch?”
“I wouldn’t let her hear you call her that,” warned Mikal. “She doesn’t care for that term much. For the record, I am not really Mikal Obanik. I am Alexander Tork. Jenneva is my wife.”
“Tork?” gasped King Alfred. “I cannot believe all of this.”
Murmurs rippled through the bound guards as Alex revealed his true identity.
“It gets better,” smiled Alex. “Get the Sword of Heavens, Arik.”
“The Sword of Heavens?” asked King Alfred. “Now I know you are mocking me. Next you will try telling me that the lad is the promised king of Alcea, and the girl is the spawn of Sarac.”
“You are half right,” grinned Alex as Arik returned to the room and shut the door. “The lad is King Arik of Alcea. The coronation was held recently, after the assassination of Queen Marta. He is the reason that I had to get myself arrested. I could not let you execute King Arik. Show him the sword, Arik.”
Arik walked up to the throne and held the Sword of Heavens before King Alfred. “You can see that four of the gems have already been restored,” declared Arik. “The last one was the Dwarven Ruby. This one right here. That, King Alfred, explains why Prince Darok is accompanying us.”
“The dwarf?” asked King Alfred.
“The dwarf,” nodded Arik. “I have dreaded taking the throne of Alcea because I have felt inadequate for the task. Upon seeing how you run Melbin, I think that I must reevaluate my feelings. A monarch does not rule for self-gratification. He rules to provide for the people. You would do well to remember that.”
Arik turned and walked back to the Rangers. King Alfred sat with his mouth hanging open after being lectured about monarchies by someone young enough to be his son.
“King Alfred,” Alex said, “Melbin is going to have to make a decision soon. Emperor Hanchi will be arriving on your doorstep in the near future. You will need to either be with Alcea or with Lanoir. I noticed members of one of the rogue armies leaving as we came in. I am sure that you must realize by now that they cannot defeat Emperor Hanchi. That leaves Melbin directly in their path. What are you going to do?”
“They came to solicit Melbin’s help in holding Trekum,” responded King Alfred as a serious frown shaded his features. “I was noncommittal. Frankly, I don’t think they can even hold Trekum for very long. What is Alcea offering Melbin in the way of alliances?”
“Shouldn’t the question be,” interjected Tanya, “what is Melbin willing to offer Alcea?”
“You want Melbin to be a vassal of Tagaret?” questioned King Alfred. “That is preposterous.”
“Alcea is much more than Tagaret,” retorted Arik. “Already our armies control from coast to coast, and we have just begun.”
“Coast to coast?” scowled King Alfred. “I think it is a bit much to state that when that crazy fanatic is carving out an empire in the heartland of what used to be Targa.”
“Azmet’s army was totally destroyed a few days ago,” responded Alex. “Alcea has taken back Mya, Klandon, and Cleb. King Arik’s allegiance runs from Bordon down to Dalek and east to Tagaret. You would do well to remember that Melbin used to be part of the old Targa.”
“That still is not enough to defeat Emperor Hanchi,” King Alfred shook his head. “Alcea will not hold out any longer than Trekum will.”
“There you are wrong,” declared Arik. “Alcea will defeat Hanchi and Sarac. That will be, of course, after Hanchi has crushed Melbin.”
“Release my guards,” demanded King Alfred. “I would no more execute the king of Alcea than I would carry through on my threat to kill you. I will not negotiate from the position of a prisoner.”
Arik nodded his approval and began to untie the guards.
“Arik!” argued Tanya. “He was threatening to execute us. Now you are so eager to take his word that he means no harm to us?”
“Melbin and Alcea need each other,” replied Arik. “Still, I would be a fool to have an ally that I could not turn my back on. If there is treachery afoot, let it be shown now. We cannot afford for it to raise its ugly head later.”
King Alfred nodded and smiled at Arik as the guards were untied. The guards recovered their swords and looked to King Alfred for instructions.
“There is truth in your words, King Arik,” frowned King Alfred as he waved the guards to remain where they were. “I worry about Emperor Hanchi and his massive army. I cannot imagine anything that can stop him. It gets worse for Melbin. Those rogue armies will lose at Trekum. What is left of them will be running north. I have to decide how to defend Melbin against them.”
“That will be a problem,” nodded Alex. “You could evacuate the city to someplace out of Hanchi’s path.”
“It may come to that,” nodded King Alfred, “but where could we go?”
“I can think of two options,” suggested King Arik. “Either Tagaret or Southland. Tagaret will of course be his next target, so that will only delay the battle. I do not think that Hanchi will turn towards Southland before Tagaret.”
“I heard that Southland was practically destroyed by Azmet,” responded King Alfred. “Is that true?”
“Azmet diseased the city with the Black Death,” nodded Arik. “Eight out of every ten people died, but he never touched the city. Even with the loss of population, Baron Timor is working with the Army of the West to expand it.”
“Then there would be a great deal of room there for my people,” King Alfred said. “Perhaps the women and children could go to Southland and my army to Tagaret to help defend it.”
“I think that may be the best solution,” declared Alex. “We could send some of Alcea’s army down here to help delay and weaken the Lanoirians before we evacuate by ship.”
“Yes,” King Alfred nodded enthusiastically. “What about the rogue armies?”
“I think they can be won over to our side,” stated Alex. “They certainly will have no love for Emperor Hanchi.”
“They are an unruly bunch,” warned King Alfred. “That is why I feared to host them here. They might be more trouble than they are worth.”
“They are not the best trained force,” countered Alex, “but they can fight. I think with the proper supervision, they could be a potent force against Emperor Hanchi.”
“I fear they would never accept outside supervision,” King Alfred shook his head.
“The generals might not,” smiled Alex, “but the soldiers will. Really, what choice do they have? If they get as far as Tagaret and they are still defiant, the Red Swords will destroy them.”
“The Red Swords are back?” asked King Alfred.
“They are at full strength,” nodded Alex. “So are the Rangers. Plus the old Targa army is being trained by the Red Swords. Tagaret will be no easy target for any attacker. If the rogue armies decide to avoid Tagaret, they will run into the Army of the West. There is no place for them to go.”
“Except Melbin,” frowned King Alfred. “I understand now that everything you said about the rogue armies applies to me as well. You paint me as being in an impossible position, and yet you have painted it accurately. If I join with Alcea, what will become of me personally?”
“I can see you as a noble ruling Melbin,” answered King Arik. “Perhaps a Duke, as King Altaro has accepted as his lot. I will not stand for the type of governance that I have seen here, though. The laws must be made for the benefit of the citizens.”
“For the most part,” responded King Alfred, “they have been. When I started the Kingdom of Melbin, it was to provide security for the people of the city. I did make Melbin one of the safest cities in the world. I grant you that I have become rather self-serving in the past few years, but I can reform.”
“Being a Duke in a country the size of Alcea, can be a greater accomplishment than being the king of a city,” mentioned Alex.
“You are quite correct again, Alex,” nodded King Alfred as he pondered his decision.
King Alfred rose, and Prince Darok tensed. Arik placed his hand on Darok‘s arm and shook his head. King Alfred approached Arik and fell to one knee before him.
“I place myself at your service, Your Highness,” King Alfred said solemnly. “I ask that you look upon the people of Melbin as your own and seek to care for them as you would care for the citizens of Tagaret.”
“I accept your allegiance,” declared King Arik. “Melbin will be cared for as well as
any other part of Alcea. The Melbin Guards need to establish communications with General Gregor in Tagaret. I look forward to the day that I can make your announcement as Duke of Melbin formally. For now, those present shall witness the pronouncement. Rise.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” bowed Duke Alfred.
“I am glad to see you join the family,” smiled Alex. “I have held a certain respect for what you accomplished here in Melbin In those dark days following the Collapse. I know that the citizens of Melbin will be well served in the future.”
“I can’t believe that I tried to get Alexander Tork to be my general,” chuckled Duke Alfred. “I should have known after witnessing your skill in battle. Why did you deceive me?”
“My task was to find the Children of the Ancient Prophecy,” answered Alex. “I was able to move more freely when everyone thought that Alexander Tork was dead. It served a purpose.”
“And who was the lass sorcerer that escaped?” asked Duke Alfred.
“Niki,” answered King Arik. “We believed her to be Sarac’s descendent. We could not allow her to be executed if the Ancient Prophecy was to be fulfilled.”
“I wish to hear the story about how you accomplished that feat someday,” chuckled Duke Alfred. “Nobody has ever been able to figure it out. How do we proceed from here?”
“We must head south in search of something needed to restore the Sword of Heavens,” replied King Arik. “We do not wish to meet Emperor Hanchi’s army on the way there.”
“There is little likelihood of that at this time,” interjected Alex. “It sounds like the rogue armies will hold Trekum at least long enough for us to accomplish our goal.”
“Then the rest of the preparations are in your hands, Duke Alfred,” nodded Arik. “I will notify Baron Timor to expect your women and children, if that is what you decide to do.”
“I think that is the wisest choice,” agreed Duke Alfred. “I do not wish to abandon the city early, though. I will wait until I see the outcome of the battle in Trekum. There should be ample time left to evacuate the innocents.”
Emerald of the Elves Page 27