by Jamie Davis
“He claimed to be in charge of the Duke of Charon’s security force.”
“Carson always did have a high opinion of himself,” Thad said. “What I wouldn’t do to cross blades with him just once. It would be good to take him down a peg or two.”
“He’s very good with the sword,” Cari said. “The first time I met him, he almost killed me. This time we fought to a draw and he managed to escape.”
“It’s a shame you couldn’t manage to capture him,” Liam said.
His tone and the look on his face sent a chill down her spine. Cari shook her head. “He got away before I got the chance. It was the darnedest thing. We were fighting a desperate duel, one on one. Then, when things turned against him, he just disappeared. One minute he was there, the next he was gone. I found boot prints in the dirt that might have been his walking away, but I couldn’t be sure.”
Chance let out a wry chuckle. “Looks like he’s still got it, Liam.”
Liam nodded. “It’s that damned invisibility ring of his. It’s some sort of family heirloom. He had it back in his days in the palace, too.”
“He’s always bragged about how that thing was going to bring him to high places,” Chance remarked. “We always suspected it was the way he managed to get access to the imperial treasury’s coffers. We never did recover all the gold and silver he stole.”
“Is there any way to track him once he disappears?” Cari was curious. These men knew more about this adversary and she had a feeling she’d run into him again. “I found tracks like I said, but it’s not practical to try and spot his boot prints in the midst of a fight. There must be another way to track him in a battle, so he doesn’t sneak up behind you.”
Chance nodded. “Such things and powers usually have limitations. In his case, Novachik can only use the ring’s powers once per day. Plus, if he were to attack while invisible, it would dispel the magic instantly leaving him visible and without a way to escape should things turn against him again.”
“That’s good to know,” Cari said.
Cari settled in the chair and took in the group she’d assembled around the table. She had the three Dragoons back again, as well as Rodrigo, Helen, and Francesca. It was time to talk about moving on towards the capital.
“I don’t think we can stay here any longer. Word is bound to get out of the rescue from the imperial camp. People are bound to put two and two together and connect me with the incident. That’s bound to alert the wrong people that we’re in the city.”
“Plus, there’s the problem of Novachik running around out there,” Helen added. “He’s going to let his boss know exactly where you are. I agree we should leave Hyroth first thing in the morning.”
“That leads me to my next question,” Cari said. “Do we just head straight back to the Crystal City by the most direct path?”
“We have no way of knowing where Timron is,” Chance pointed out. “If we don’t take the most direct route, or something close to it, we may find ourselves out of time. Once the prince assumes the throne, he will have all of the resources of the empire along with the Duke of Charon behind him. It will be tough to dislodge him once that has happened.”
“The direct route is best, then,” Cari said. “I’ll head down and check with the innkeeper before I go to bed. Hopefully, he and his wife can put together some travel rations for us to use on the road. It’s probably best we avoid any sort of inn or towns along the way, at least as a group. We’ll camp outside any villages and send one or two of us in for supplies. That should make it harder for the Duke and Novachik to track us down.”
“That’s a good idea,” Liam said. “We can travel with you, though at some point, the three of us are going to have to split off from your group and go out to the countryside around the capital to gather our former comrades in arms. I agree with your earlier request of us. It’s time the Dragoons reformed again and came together to serve their empress.”
“Then it’s settled. We’ll travel together as far as we can, then we’ll meet back up in the Crystal City to bring our final plans together. I suggest an inn called The Last Retreat.”
Liam nodded. “We know that place. They’re friendly to the cause and will help conceal us. We’ll meet back up there if we get separated sooner than expected.”
Cari stood, joined by her new, larger group of companions. “Let’s all get some rest. We’ll leave right after dawn and an early breakfast.”
Quest accepted — Get Jaycee to the Crystal City
Chapter 23
The next morning, Cari and Jaycee met the rest of their companions downstairs in the inn’s common room. Though it was still dark out, innkeeper’s wife was up and had already laid out quite a spread for their breakfast. There were also several satchels of food for the journey set nearby against the wall.
“This is very generous of you,” Cari told the innkeeper as his wife and one of the serving girls came around with their platters of eggs, sausage, cheese, and fresh biscuits.
“It’s the least we could do, Cari. All of you are going to need your strength for the road. I’m only sorry I am too old to head back into battle. My sword arm’s not what it used to be.” The old innkeeper reached out and massaged his right shoulder. “My arthritis keeps me from doing much more than pull the ale tap anymore.”
“You’ve done more than enough,” Cari said, gesturing at the food on the table. “This is just fine. Thank you.”
The companions all sat and dug in, eating a full breakfast. There wasn’t much banter. Everyone was still waking up and their minds seemed to be focused on eating and the rigors of the road ahead.
When they were finished the party gathered up their packs and weapons, including the additional food supplies provided by the innkeeper and his wife, and set out from the inn.
“Which way do we go from here?” Cari asked once they were outside. “We could head through the city to the eastern gate or leave by the caravan gate here and walk around Hyroth to the south.”
“I think it’s best we get out of the city sooner rather than later,” Liam said. “As you pointed out last night, there are going to be people looking for us this morning to either follow us or try to slow us down. I say we leave by the closest gate and circle around to the east.”
Cari considered what Liam said for a few seconds. It made sense and she nodded for him to lead the way as they walked towards the caravan gate. They circled to the south and then east around the city and soon reached the far side to join the road heading towards the capital.
As they walked throughout the morning with the city receding in the distance, Cari checked back on Jaycee from time to time. The little girl was resilient and insisted on carrying her own pack when walking. She wanted to shoulder her share of the load. One of the things that amused Cari right away, as their journey began, was how Jaycee attached herself to the orc Dragoon, Thad. Though usually quiet and taciturn, he displayed a surprisingly gentle side when it came to the young princess.
Cari dropped back until she was next to him. “Thad, just let me know if you need any help keeping an eye on her.”
“I will never tire of spending time with my little empress here. She means everything to the Empire and to me.”
When she heard his words, Jaycee’s broad grin beamed up at the orc from where she walked beside him.
Cari returned to the front of their group, rejoining Liam as they walked along the side of the road eastward. She remarked on what Thad said.
Liam smiled. “Thad took it very hard when we received word of Empress Kareena’s death. He’d long worried she would die alone without anyone there to protect her.”
“Protect her even in death?” Cari asked.
“Yes, it is something to do with the Orcish funeral rites. He says that there must be a proper honor guard for the dead until they’re led to their final resting place. He always believed he should be part of that honor guard as the Empress got older.”
“Speaking of age, I know Chance,
as an elf, is much older than the rest of you. He remembers my father’s time here in Fantasma. How old is Thad?”
“I’m not sure. Orcs are nowhere near as long-lived as elves, but I’d guess he’s probably close to 80 or 90-years-old.” Liam smiled as he answered her. “He remembers tales his father told of fighting in the war with your father. Orcs live longer lives than humans do. Based on his father’s service with Prince Hal, as soon as Thad was old enough, he traveled to the Crystal City and enlisted in the Dragoon regiment. I’ve heard tales of how difficult it was for him as an orc recruit in the beginning, but he never gave up. He’s earned his place in the unit many times over through the years since then.”
Cari glanced back over her shoulder and smiled again. Jaycee was skipping along holding Thad’s hand as they traveled down the road, her tiny pink hand dwarfed by the orc’s huge green fist. She appeared to be chattering up at the orc about something or other. He just smiled and nodded as she talked.
This was another instance where the three Dragoons surprised her with the things they did and what she learned about them. Cari smiled to herself as she listened to the little girl’s voice behind her.
They settled down for lunch at midday. Over the course of the morning, they passed many travelers heading in both directions on the road. They’d run into no trouble, though, which was a relief. Cari was sure they’d be followed from the city by some of the Duke’s men once it was discovered they’d left. She was sure someone was watching all the gates for Cari and her friends.
As they shared their lunch seated in a circle beside the road, Cari listened as the new companions in the group got to know each other better. Helen and Francesca used Rodrigo as a bridge between themselves and the Dragoons, telling stories of the young man’s exploits as a lieutenant on a Raider ship with the Dread Pirate Cari.
He helped them by drawing them into conversations with the trio about stories his uncle shared with him about the three of them. Jaycee sat beside Thad, eating a sandwich of sliced ham and cheese. She listened intently to the stories the two groups shared. Of all the stories they swapped, the three Dragoons were most interested in hearing about Cari’s exploits aboard the Vengeance.
Hearing about herself in stories told by her companions this way made her a little uncomfortable. They made everything she did sound so heroic. She’d only been doing what she thought was right.
When Liam saw her shake her head at one point, he asked her why she had that reaction and she explained her feelings on the incidents recounted by Rodrigo and the others as just what anyone would do.
As she finished her explanation, it was his turn to shake his head. “Cari, from everything I just heard about what you’ve done, it was much more than a common person would do in your position.”
Chance chimed in to agree with Liam. “I knew your father, Cari. He did the same sort of things you did. He, too, only acted on what he thought was the right thing to do and somehow managed to save an entire empire. It appears you’ve done much the same thing, or close to it, in your short time here on Fantasma.”
Cari considered what the two soldiers said. Part of her was irked at being compared to her father. Another part felt a sense of pride at being able to do things that made people compare her to him. It was a strange, conflicted feeling and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.
She decided to change the subject and get them back on the road east. Cari stood up and got them packing up their lunch and donning their packs to resume their trip east.
They didn’t make it back onto the road to resume their journey before a mounted patrol came down the track from the west. There were eight mounted troopers. They turned off the road towards the group as soon as they spotted them packing up their meal.
The leader of the group rode over to them. “We are looking for some ruffians and thieves who attacked an imperial camp outside of Hyroth. Tell us who you are and what your businesses is here on the Imperial Road.”
Cari started to answer, but Liam stepped in front of her. “Sergeant, we are merely traveling together out of convenience. This young family here,” Liam said indicating Cari, Rodrigo, and Jaycee, “were concerned when they heard about that attack. They asked if they could join us as we traveled east to attend the coronation of the new emperor.”
Cari noticed the remaining mounted troopers had spread out in a loose semicircle, partially surrounding her group of friends. She didn’t think the sergeant was going to let them get away with such a simple explanation.
She was right.
“That might be the truth, or it might not,” the sergeant said. “I still think I should take you in. My superiors back in Hyroth will want to question you and make sure you are who you say you are. If everything you say is true, you’ll be allowed to proceed eastward again. Corporal, take them into custody,” he said to his assistant troop leader.
Without missing a beat, Liam reached up and yanked the sergeant from his saddle. He fell to the ground, the impact driving the air from his lungs. As he struggled to rise and draw his saber, Liam’s dirk slammed into his chest up to the hilt, killing him instantly.
“Don’t let any of them get away,” Liam shouted.
Cari turned and charged at the nearest horseman. He had drawn a saber and hacked down at her as she approached. She was inexperienced at fighting mounted troops from the ground and she almost failed to deflect the heavy cavalry saber’s downward stroke as she charged forward. Springing into the air, she leaped forward at the soldier from a dead run slamming into him as his blade swung wide and missed her. The force of her attack carried both of them off the horse to fall to the ground on the far side.
Cari twisted so she landed atop the man. She heard the air expelled from his lungs as the combined weight of them both crushed down on him. The trooper gasped for air for a few seconds while simultaneously struggling to free his saber arm from beneath himself.
Cari rolled off him and bounced back to her feet. She was a little winded herself and it took a few deep breaths to gather her wits. Unfortunately, that gave the trooper a chance to rise and face her.
Cari made the first strike while he staggered erect. He parried the blow and followed with an attack of his own. The cavalry trooper was good, but Cari was better. In a few seconds, she beat down several probing attacks he made before working her way past his defenses and running him through with a thrust to the heart.
3,000 experience awarded
Cari pivoted, scanning the fighting around her to see where she could lend a hand. The others had managed to dispatch the remainder of the mounted troops. It looked like Percy hung back watching over Jaycee, cutlass drawn and ready to strike at anyone who came near. He caught Cari looking in his direction and grinned at her. She gave him a nod of approval and his grin grew even brighter.
“Grab the horses,” Cari said. “We can use them to travel faster than on foot.”
“They’ve got imperial saddle blankets,” Thad remarked. “No one’s going to think they’re private mounts.”
“I don’t care,” Cari said, shaking her head. “I think we need to get farther away from Hyroth as quickly as possible.”
“No, she’s right,” Liam agreed. “Gather the horses. Let’s get back on the road.
In the end, they opted to turn the saddle blankets over, which partially hid the imperial emblem. They could do nothing about the embossed imperial crests on the leather saddles themselves, but someone would need to approach pretty close to them to spot that. The simple disguise they’d managed would have to do for now. Jaycee opted to ride behind Thad which gave each of the others their own mount.
Percy was a little skittish about riding a horse, Cari could see. He was trying to show a little bluster, but it was something he knew nothing about. Growing up on a ship, he never had an occasion to ride a horse.
Cari caught Rodrigo’s eye and nodded in young Percy’s direction. Rodrigo glanced that way, then smiled and whispered, “I’ve got this.”
�
�Good. Be nice.”
“Always. He just needs someone to teach him.”
Rodrigo walked over and helped familiarize Percy with how to check his saddle and make sure the stirrups were correctly adjusted before mounting. Percy seemed to relax immediately at the assistance from the slightly older man. Cari smiled as Percy mounted. He seemed a little surer of himself. She climbed on her own horse. It hadn’t been that long for her since she first rode a horse either.
“Let’s go,” she called out. “We’re burning daylight.”
Cari winced to herself at using that phrase. Her father used it all the time when he’d thought she wasted time getting moving in the morning. It seemed appropriate to use it here, though. They still had a long way to go before nightfall. She wanted to get as far away from the dead troopers beside the road as possible.
Chapter 24
As expected, the party covered much more ground on horseback. They traveled for nearly two days before trouble caught up with them again. Again and again, they encountered imperial patrols. So far, they’d been able to avoid them, either talking their way past officials or, on a few occasions, hiding from them as they passed.
Their luck ran out when they crested a low rise in the imperial road to run into a full troop of imperial cavalry taking a break beside the road. The troopers were all seated in the grass, relaxing by their mounts. The captain in charge of the unit, still seated on his horse, pointed in the group’s direction and shouted, “It’s them. Don’t just sit there, you fools, chase ‘em down.”
Cari made a snap decision and decided they should try to fight their way through, rather than run. Drawing her sword, Cari kicked her mount with her heels, spurring it forward at the imperial officer still calling out orders to his resting troopers. He spotted her coming and wheeled his mount around, drawing his saber to prepare for her charge.