Dwarven Ruby (30 page)

“It is not exactly a coup yet,” interjected Queen Marta. “I may be in the Royal Palace, but the Council still rules Tagaret. The bloodshed may well begin in the morning.”

“Nothing could be closer to the truth,” frowned Mitar. “Still, starting the fight in the morning is much better than starting it tonight. We were most vulnerable getting you here. Duke Everich will have to think long and hard before he decides to remove you. He does not exactly have a firm hold on Tagaret.”

“I have heard about the street riots,” commented the queen. “What can be done to quell them?”

“Restore you to power and feed the people,” answered Mitar. “One thing at a time.”

“Mitar is correct,” added General Gregor. “We still have not discovered where the taxes are being spent. Duke Everich will resist any inquiries into the matter as long as he holds power. The battle with the Council must be the first priority.”

“General,” declared Mitar, “I must withdraw and move my men back to the estates. Are you in control of the situation?”

“I am, Mitar,” nodded General Gregor. “Keep your men alert. Things can get out of hand with only a moment’s notice.”

* * *

Duke Everich’s carriage rolled away from the front of his mansion. He frowned when he saw the new tents erected on his lawn. He thought Colonel Salvo was beginning to overstep his bounds and made a mental note to talk to him. The ride to the Royal Place was uneventful, but Duke Everich shouted for the driver to stop after he passed though the gates. He stared out the window of the carriage and a rage started building up inside him. The sign over the Red Sword barracks was freshly painted. It read, “Red Swords – The Queen’s Own”.

“Have that taken down immediately,” Duke Everich shouted at his escort. “And hang the fool who put it up.”

The soldier rode towards the barrack shouting orders. While the distance was too great to make out the individuals, Duke Everich decided to wait and watch the sign come down. His mood was developing into a rather foul one and he wanted to see someone punished. While the soldier continued to shout at the group of men outside the Red Sword barracks, one of the soldiers from the barracks strode towards the carriage. Duke Everich cursed when he saw the Red Sword uniform. He opened the door and stormed out.

“What is the meaning of this disgrace?” shouted Duke Everich before he recognized the soldier.

“Good morning to you too,” grinned Sergeant Trank. “Our old barracks were empty so we figured we would spruce them up. Do you like our new sign?”

“How dare you show your face in this city again?” yelled Duke Everich. “I shall have you hung from the tower for all to see. Seize him.”

As the mounted soldiers began to dismount, Sergeant Trank held up his hand. “You have no cause to arrest me,” declared Sergeant Trank. “I am in this city at your request. As are the rest of my men.”

“What do you mean the rest of your men?” scowled Duke Everich as he watched twenty men heading towards the carriage. “I did not invite you or any of your men. What are you fools doing?” he shouted at his escort. “I told you to arrest this man. Do you want to hang in his place?”

“Do they want to die is the real question,” Sergeant Trank said coldly as he fixed his glare on Duke Everich’s men. “We are the Queen’s Own and we are sworn to protect her. You invited her back into the city, and we are her bodyguard. Are you looking to start a war?”

“You think this is a fine joke,” spat Duke Everich, “but we shall see who has the last laugh. Your queen will never set foot in this city. You and all of your men will hang before this day is out.”

“Oh, really now,” chuckled Sergeant Trank. “You might want to tell her that yourself. She is waiting for you inside the Royal Palace. In fact, she wants to address the Council this morning. I took the liberty of telling your men to send the messages out to the other councilors. I believe the meeting starts within the hour.”

“Get me into the palace,” snarled Duke Everich.

The duke’s escort let their horses free and formed a cordon around the duke. They rushed him inside the Royal Palace. Once inside the door, Duke Everich turned and started shouting orders.

“I want every door to the Royal Palace sealed,” demanded Duke Everich. “Anyone in or out needs my approval. I want Colonel Salvo in my office by the time I get there. Send someone to get Duke Jiardin, too. I also want to know the names of each of the fools that are with Sergeant Trank in this escapade. They are all going to hang.”

Duke Everich turned and stormed off down the corridor. A sick feeling invaded him as he wondered if Sergeant Trank was really bluffing. Surely the queen could not have just waltzed into the Royal Palace in the middle of the night. She would never take that chance. She was too timid to even stay in Tagaret and fight after the king was assassinated. The more he thought about it, the firmer his belief became that Sergeant Trank was pulling off one last suicidal prank. Well, if the sergeant wanted to die, Duke Everich was more than happy to accommodate him. He stormed into his office and slammed the door.

The door to the office opened and Duke Jiardin stepped in. Before he could close the door, Colonel Salvo barged past him.

“It is about time you showed up,” snarled Duke Everich. “There are some things that I want you to take care of immediately, and then you and I are going to have a little talk about your position in my army.”

“I was gathering information for you,” reported Colonel Salvo as Duke Jiardin closed the door.

“Quiet,” shouted Duke Everich. “I do not have time for your stupid reports this morning. If I need reports from some incompetent, I can chose from any number of them in my army. It is a disgrace what happened here this morning and I will not stand for it.”

“I agree,” Colonel Salvo answered.

“I don’t need your agreement,” Duke Everich continued his barrage. “What I need is action. Sergeant Trank is on the grounds of the Royal Palace. He actually confronted me when I arrived this morning with twenty of his idealistic thugs. The first thing you are going to do today is hang the lot of them. Then you are going to find the fools that let them onto the grounds of the palace and hang them too.”

Colonel Salvo opened his mouth to speak, but Duke Everich glared at him and continued, “And have that foul Red Swords sign destroyed. I will not have such filth on the grounds of my palace. I also want to know how twenty Red Swords managed to enter this city. You are going to have a busy day, Colonel. And I want all of this done before midday when you and I are going to sit down and discuss your future. Is that clear?”

“You do not have the full picture, Sir,” sighed Colonel Salvo.

“I don’t have the full picture?” growled Duke Everich. “No, Colonel, you don’t have the full picture. Your service to me has been a disappointment. You have failed to suppress the riots. You have failed to find the queen or proof of her death. You allowed twenty of the enemy into the city. I can go on all day about your incompetence, but I fear if I do, you will be running out of time to perform the duties that I have just assigned to you.”

“I believe that I know exactly where the queen is,” frowned Colonel Salvo.

“Oh, you think you might know where the queen is,” mocked Duke Everich. “And with this great knowledge, you haven’t captured or killed her yet? Pray tell, why is that?”

“Because she is surrounded by a thousand Red Swords.” Colonel Salvo bit his lip.

“The Red Swords have been disbanded,” countered Duke Everich. “Just because a ragtag band of twenty show up, does not mean they still exist. Besides, you have six thousand men under your command. Surely those odds are not beyond your capabilities? Where exactly do you think Queen Marta is?”

“In the residence section of the Royal Palace,” reported Colonel Salvo.

Duke Everich rose and slammed his fists into the top of his desk as he leaned forward and glared at the colonel. “Are you out of your mind?” screamed Duke Everich. “What are you taking the word of that raving lunatic, Trank, for your information?”

“No, Sir,” Colonel Salvo replied stonily. “I am not sure how many Red Swords are in the barracks or in the residence section of the palace, but I do know how many horses are on the grounds. May I report, Sir?”

“You had better hear the colonel out,” Duke Jiardin suggested softly. “I fear the news is bad, but we must know the situation to plan our moves.”

Duke Everich stared stonily at Duke Jiardin for a moment, but he then sighed and sat down. He nodded to Colonel Salvo to report.

“During the night,” Colonel Salvo began, “the palace staff were rounded up and thrown out of the residence section of the palace by Red Swords. Any attempts by the staff to reenter that section have been refused. No maids are admitted. No meals are served. Targa soldiers are rebuffed. The same holds true for the Red Sword barracks. We cannot tell the distribution of their men; only the total number can be determined by their horses. There is also a carriage behind the Red Sword barracks. I believe it was used to transport the queen.”

“Do you really believe that she is here?” questioned Duke Everich with a shaking voice. “And with a thousand men?”

“I do,” frowned Colonel Salvo. “The reason I was late in getting here is because I was trying to determine how such a large force could enter the city without a battle.”

“It is impossible,” scowled Duke Everich.

“It would have been impossible if they did not have inside help,” nodded Colonel Salvo. “Before the queen arrived, all of the soldiers along her route were immobilized. Both gates were seized and opened. The guards at the gates to the palace were overpowered. The Red Sword barracks were emptied and the troops stationed there were sent to several estates, yours included.”

“And mine,” nodded Duke Jiardin. “I saw their tents this morning.”

“You mean they killed a handful of guards and then just marched into the palace?” questioned Duke Everich.

“Nobody was killed,” Colonel Salvo shook his head. “Not a single man was killed. There were some minor injuries, but nothing serious. This plan took a great number of men to pull off. Not to mention a tremendous amount of planning and incredible timing. I think the real problem for us is who these betrayers are. We might be able to deal with the Red Swords here at the palace, but I would advise against it until we find out who will be at our back when we attack.”

“The mercenaries?” questioned Duke Everich. “Who else would have the manpower to achieve what you are describing?”

“That was my thought,” frowned Colonel Salvo. “If that is correct, we are in graver danger than we would care to admit.”

“Then you were correct in not attacking them this morning,” commented Duke Jiardin. “Our reign here may soon be over.”

“I do not give in to mere threats,” blustered Duke Everich. “I find it curious that they did not kill a single man. Why? If we can find the answer to that, I believe we will find our solution. Whatever it is, it is their weakness.”

“I concur,” agreed Colonel Salvo. “Some of the men incapacitated were even told that no harm was meant to them. Their plan would have been less risky to have silently killed the guards than to try not to.”

“I also received a notice of a Council meeting this morning,” interjected Duke Jiardin. “That is due to start soon.”

Duke Everich nodded subconsciously while staring at his desk. “Trank told me he had sent out the notices,” Duke Everich said softly. “I thought he was trying to provoke me, but now I see the truth in what he was saying. The queen wishes to address the Council. I do not like others setting the agenda for my Council.”

“You could refuse her the privilege,” suggested Colonel Salvo.

“I would advise caution,” reasoned Duke Jiardin. “You need the Council behind you as the strength of your position. Do not allow her to make this a personal contest between you and her. If you do, all is lost.”

“You are right of course,” nodded Duke Everich, “but our control over the Council is tenuous at best. Some of those fools would vote to let her speak. They do not understand the danger she represents.”

“The motion to allow the queen to come back was brought up by the two Sordoans,” interjected Duke Jiardin. “Perhaps those two are more than they appear to be.”

“That very thought has been going through my mind,” nodded Duke Everich. “We need a new alignment of the Council if we are to survive. It is time we made a move to isolate those two. Or eliminate them.”

“They have formidable protection with their mercenaries,” Colonel Salvo pointed out.

“Only if the Council does not outlaw the use of mercenaries in Tagaret,” sneered Duke Everich. “We must proceed one step at a time. I am beginning to think that allowing the queen to speak will be helpful to us. Let her put her cards on the table so we will know what it is that she is after. Then we can work to deny her any of it. That is if she is not too timid to lay out her desires.”

“So there will be no vote of the Council to determine if she will be allowed to speak?” inquired Duke Jiardin.

“No vote,” smiled Duke Everich. “Colonel, deliver my personal invitation to the queen allowing her to address the Council.”

Colonel Salvo nodded and withdrew from the office. Duke Everich and Duke Jiardin went to the Council Chamber, which was already filled with the other councilors.

“Councilors,” addressed Duke Everich, “for those of you who have not yet heard, Queen Marta has accepted our invitation to return to Tagaret. I have just sent her an invitation to address this Council. There will be no formal discussion of the Council in this meeting. No votes and no motions. I ask all of you to show your respect to the figurative queen of our country. We can hold informal discussions once she has left the room.”

There was a knock on the door, and one of the Targa soldiers opened it after a nod from Duke Everich. Queen Marta entered the room followed by two Red Swords.

“Welcome, Queen Marta,” smiled Duke Everich. “I am pleased that you accepted my invitation to speak before us this morning.”

Queen Marta stood at the end of the table and ran her eyes over each of the councilors before turning to Duke Everich and nodding.