by Jamie Davis
“And?”
“And, I find myself in need of some special services that you might be able to render in return for the information I have on their whereabouts. Would you like to assist me?”
“What sort of services? I just told you I’m traveling with some companions. I’m sure you understand that I cannot become involved with anything that would require an extended amount of time.”
“No worry about that, my dear. My needs are time sensitive. It shouldn’t take very long at all, at least, not for someone with your unique set of skills.”
He certainly had piqued Cari’s interest. “I suppose I won’t get the information I need unless I help you?”
“Exactly,” Merrick said. “Remember, you still owe me for the collateral to pay back Timron’s debt.”
Cari decided she needed to take a chance and press back a little bit. She didn’t have unlimited resources if Merrick expected her to pay him back for the prince’s bad debts. “If you know why I am here, then you also know who I’m traveling with. Why are you helping me? If I succeed in what I’m doing, it’s unlikely Timron will be able to pay you back at all. Are you prepared for me to succeed even if that’s the case?”
Merrick met Cari’s eyes and held them for several seconds before answering. “Between you and me, having Prince Timron on the throne would be bad for business. I’m not the only person who thinks this will be the case. We can’t imagine having him run the Empire. There’s no reason to believe it will result in any better financial management than he’s shown in his personal life.”
“I’m not sure I can do what you want, Merrick. I have to stay on task. If that means I have to find my three Dragoon friends another way, then I will.”
“Perhaps I need to sweeten the deal.” Merrick dug in the pouch at his side and took out a small metal cube. It was the holocube projector she’d offered as collateral for Prince Timron’s release over a year ago. “What if I wipe out your debt with me and return this collateral to you as payment in addition to giving you the information about your friends. I know your overall quest is important. As a bonus, I will also pledge my assistance in helping you achieve your ultimate goals.”
Cari became suspicious at the change of heart. “Why would you do that? Isn’t getting involved in this type of direct politics against your better interest?”
“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t do anything overt that makes it known I directly assisted you. Believe me, though, there are many things I can do behind the scenes that will make the path before you much smoother. What do you say?”
Cari considered his words. She wanted to get her holocube back, if only for its sentimental value. She also liked to know her debts were settled so nothing would come back to bite her later on. “Tell me what you need me to do. If I think it’s something I can take the time for, I’ll do it and we’ll have a deal.”
“Fair enough. My problem is this. I have laborers who work for me all over the place, men and women who load the barges or work the caravan routes in my various business ventures. Here in Hyroth, the Duke of Charon did not have the manpower in his personal troops to spare to secure the city the way he wanted. He solved that problem by pressing ordinary citizens into service in his guard companies. There is a camp outside of the city where he is training them. They’re learning to use muskets and march in formation. I know where my men are in the training camp and which company they’re in. I want you to help me figure a way to get them out of there.”
“If there is an entire army out there, I’m not sure there’s much I can do.”
“It’s only a few companies of guardsmen. There are only about ten loyalists to the Duke who I would consider real soldiers. The others have all been kidnapped and tricked or blackmailed into imperial service. All they need is someone to deal with their overseers and help them break free. Once you’ve done that, I can get them away to other places far from Hyroth where they can return to my service. As a bonus, it might discourage the Duke’s officers in the city from continuing the practices they’ve been using to build their forces here.”
Cari thought about the odds she might face. Ten soldiers would be a daunting task. Even if she were to manage to power up her burst of speed skill, it would not enable her to deal with all of them unless they were bunched close together in a group and there was no way she could assure that would happen.
“I can see you’re considering how to do this,” Merrick observed as Cari pondered the man’s request. “Perhaps I can lend you some assistance.”
“What kind of assistance?”
“I can slip something into the bottles of a case of wine and have it shipped to the camp. The training overseers in charge of training the troops will never share the wine with the troops themselves. If the sergeants are all drugged, that should allow you to get in and get my men and women out without too much trouble.”
“That might work,” Cari said. “All right, you have a deal. Send your drugged wine in the morning. Tell me where the camp is. I’ll make my move tomorrow night.”
“Excellent. This calls for a toast.” Merrick crossed to a credenza along the wall. He took the stopper from a crystal decanter and poured some wine in two crystal glasses. He handed one to Cari and raised his glass.
Cari raised hers, as well.
“To success in all our ventures.”
“To success, indeed,” she replied, hoping she hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew.
* * *
Quest accepted — free Merrick’s workers
Chapter 18
Cari returned to Smiley’s carriage outside the mansion. She thanked the driver for his service as they headed back towards the Caravan District. She asked him if he’d be available the following evening to take her and some friends somewhere outside the city gates.
After some thought and haggling over the price, he agreed to return to the market square by the caravan gate at sundown. He dropped her in front of the inn and left to go about his business. Cari entered the inn. The common room now bustled with activity.
A musician was playing a lute. He sang a ballad of some sort. No one seemed to be listening to him. Each person in the room was engaged in their cups and conversation. Cari didn’t want to spend any time down here anyway, so she ignored the activity in the room and headed straight for the stairs up to the bedrooms. She wanted to check on Jaycee and the others.
She almost reached the stairs, when someone called out her name. She turned, surprised that anyone would recognize her here. Her eyes raised in surprise to see Rodrigo sitting at a table against the wall.
Even more surprising, were his companions. Liam, Chance, and Thad all sat around the table with him. All three grinned and lifted their tankards to her. Rodrigo beckoned her over to them.
Cari approached them shaking her head. “How did you all find me?”
“A gentleman by the name of Merrick sent us word of where you were staying. We got here soon after dark.,” Rodrigo said. “I asked the innkeeper if you were here and he said you’d left for the evening but he expected you to return. We decided to settle down and wait for you.”
Cari was more than a little annoyed. It appeared Merrick planned on reuniting her with her friends no matter what she’d said in response to his request for assistance. She felt more than a little cheated. Perhaps she should go back on the arrangement and make him solve his own problems.
After a few seconds, she reconsidered her thoughts. At the end of the day, he would say he held up his end of the bargain, even if he’d given it to her in advance of receiving her agreement. She also needed to get her holocube back and clear her other debts which he’d added to her fee.
“I don’t want to speak down here in front of everyone. Come with me. The innkeeper said there’s a private room upstairs. I’ll find out if I need a key and we can continue talking up there. Besides, I need to check on my traveling companions.”
“You have your youngest traveling companion with you?” Liam asked. He
had his own priorities on where his loyalties lay. “Who is watching over her?”
“Three very reliable people, I assure you. They might not have your skills getting into and out of trouble, but they are more than able to watch over her. Come upstairs and I’ll introduce you to them.”
Cari turned and walked over to the bar, waiting for the innkeeper to finish serving other patrons. She’s beckoned to him when he was finished and he came over to her.
“I see you found the friends waiting for you. I told you I thought we could find them. My merchant friend was helpful?”
“He was. Earlier, you mentioned an upstairs room with some privacy. Could we take our drinks upstairs where we can talk in private?”
“Of course, let me get the key. I’ll meet you up in the hallway.”
The innkeeper motioned to one of the barmaids to take over behind the bar and he headed back into his office. Cari turned and beckoned to Rodrigo and the three dragoons. Together the five of them headed upstairs. Cari stopped outside the room Helen and Francesca were staying in. She heard voices on the other side, so she knew they were still awake. She tapped on the door twice and said, “Helen, it’s me, Cari.”
The door opened and Helen smiled at Cari, then spotted Rodrigo. Her grin broadened into a full-blown smile. “Hello, Lieutenant. It’s good to see you managed to accomplish your task. I assume these are the three gentlemen you were sent to find?”
“Oh, yes, ma’am. These three gentlemen, as you say, are Liam, Chance, and Thad. They are here to help us get Jaycee to the capital.”
“We probably shouldn’t stand here in the hallway,” Liam said. “Here comes the innkeeper with the key. Let’s go to that private room and talk there.”
“Good idea,” Cari said. “Helen, are you, Francesca, and Percy all right staying here with Jaycee while we make some plans?”
“Of course. Go do what you need to do. We’ll be here waiting for your orders when you return.”
Cari walked down to where the innkeeper had opened a door at the end of the hall. Rodrigo and the three dragoons followed right behind her. The innkeeper opened the door and pointed inside. “Here you go. There’s no one staying in the rooms on either side or across the hall. If you keep your voices down, you should have no trouble keeping your business private.”
“Thank you. You’ve been a big help.”
“One never leaves the Empress’ service, even after you retire.”
He left them in the hallway. After giving Chance, Liam, and Thad a brief salute, he headed back down to the common room.
Cari and the others went inside the private room. There was a long dining table with 10 chairs arranged around it. This was good, Cari thought. It would be somewhere that would fit all of them for a meal. She still didn’t want to be seen with Jaycee since the innkeeper had told her others were looking for them here in Hyroth.
“So, Cari, you’ve made it this far on your own. What are your plans going forward?” Liam asked. “We’ve received word Prince Timron is on the move. He’s headed back towards the capital from the west country as we speak. He hid in some estates belonging to friends there. We left him to take care of himself in hiding. Now that he’s on the move, it won’t take him long to reach the capital.”
“My plans are exactly what you’d expect them to be. He’s no longer the rightful heir to the throne. Jaycee is. We need to get her to the capital first.”
“The Duke will have something to say about that.” Chance said. “He’s not going to just let you waltz into the palace grand hall and declare that girl as the Empress. Once Kareena passed, he took control of everything he hadn’t already put under his thumb. Nothing happens in the capital without his say so.”
“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get to it. We’ve got to take this one step at a time. In the meantime, before we arrive at the capital, I think we need someone to gather the retired dragoons. I know the regiment has been disbanded, but it shouldn’t be that difficult to put it back together again, at least in part. The question is, can the three of you do that?”
All three of the dragoons exchanged glances. Thad grumbled something under his breath. To Cari’s ears, it sounded like the orc growled at her. She shrugged it off. She was asking a lot of them.
After a few seconds of consideration by each of the former imperial bodyguards, without a word said between them, Chance and Thad both nodded, followed by Liam.
“Good, then with your assistance, and that of your brethren, we might be able to pull this off. First, I have some business to attend to in Hyroth, though.”
“Merrick said he had something for you to do,” Chance said. “Do you need help?”
“I don’t think so, now that Rodrigo’s back. He can help, along with the others I have with me, to accomplish what needs to be done.”
“And the little girl?” Liam asked.
“I think it’s time for her to meet her loyal dragoons. She should get to know who the three of you are and you should get to know her.”
“What’s the little girl like?” Liam asked. “I know she’s young, but does she have what it takes to be on the throne at her age, even with a regent?”
“With the right person to guide her, yes,” Cari said. “She’ll be more than capable of stepping into the role.”
“I hope so. It’s not going to be easy for her in the beginning.”
“That’s why she’ll need people like you by her side,” Cari said.
“And you as well, Cari Dix,” Liam added.
Cari didn’t know what to say. She wanted to help Jaycee succeed but she wasn’t the type to help rule an empire. Luckily, Rodrigo changed the subject.
“So, tell us what you’re supposed to do for Merrick. What do you need me to do? It’ll be good to be back in action with you, Helen, and Francesca again.”
Cari settled back in her chair and explained what Merrick needed to be done. Together the five of them hammered out a plan for Cari and the others to free Merrick’s men and women.
Chapter 19
Merrick had an envelope delivered to them at the inn the next day. One of the barmaids brought it up to Cari’s room as she was dressing to head out for the evening’s rescue attempt.
Cari opened the envelope. Inside was a map of the city with the encampment marked just outside the northern gates. There was also a list of names. In the accompanying letter, Merrick explained she could use the names to identify his people and get them out. Once she had helped them break free, if he wasn’t at the gate waiting for her, she was to bring them to a warehouse at the edge of the Merchants District. Merrick would wait for her there.
Cari folded up the map and placed it in her pouch.
“I still wish you could take me with you,” Percy said as he watched her prepare to leave.
“And I told you it’s more important for you to stay here to keep Jaycee company. She needs protection more than I do.”
“She has those three dragoons to do that. She doesn’t need me.”
“Nonsense,” Cari said. “You’re her friend. She already knows you. She hardly knows them at all. Help her get to know them and keep her occupied while I’m gone. It shouldn’t take me long and when I get back we’ll start making plans to continue on our journey towards the capital. I’m counting on you, Percy. You’ve been the one on this whole journey I’ve trusted most to keep Jaycee safe. That hasn’t changed now that the others are here. Besides, sometimes it’s better not to be in the thick of the action. You can lose sight of what’s really important. Stay by her side. That girl in there, she’s what’s really important.”
Percy’s expression changed to one of firm determination after Cari’s pep talk. He nodded as he considered Cari’s words. She decided to lighten the mood a bit. “Besides, if you ask, I’ll bet one of the dragoons will teach you some of their fighting techniques. They’re some of the best I’ve ever seen in combat and you could do a lot worse than having one of them as a sword master.”
“
Do you think they’d teach me?”
“I’ve told them that you are Jaycee’s closest protector. I think they believe it’s in their best interest to teach you as much as they can.”
Percy’s chest puffed up with pride. Cari smiled as she settled her weapons in place, checking once more that everything was ready to go. “I’ll fill you in on what happened when I get back. This is probably going to be pretty boring, anyway. The guards are all supposed to be drugged and asleep by the time we get there.”
Francesca, Helen, and Rodrigo were already waiting in the hallway outside Cari’s door as she stepped out. “Off we go?”
“After you, Captain,” Rodrigo said.
Cari shook her head. “The Vengeance is long gone. I am Captain no more. Cari will do just fine from here on out, folks. We are all companions in this grand quest together.”
That brought smiles to everyone’s face and together the four of them headed down and out of the inn.
Smiley and his carriage waited outside as promised. Cari handed him four silver pieces once again. “We need to head to an imperial army camp just outside the north gate. Do you know of it?”
Smiley spit a stream of tobacco juice on the ground and nodded. “I hear they’re running press gangs in the city and picking up good, common folk to join the Imperial Army against their will.”
“That’s what I’ve heard too. I think it’s time for us to pay them a visit and see about some of those people pressed into service. A few of them work for a friend of mine and he would like them back.”
Smiley snarled, “I don’t much like people being pushed to do things against their will. I’ll wait nearby after dropping you off for when you’re ready to return. Just call for me. I don’t want to get too close, in case someone recognizes me and my carriage.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you stay far enough away to be out of the line of sight. No one will associate you with us.”