Emerald of the Elves (41 page)

He cracked open the door again and verified that it was empty. He moved out of the room and stole across the hall. He put his ear to the door and listened for sounds within the new room. He heard nothing and quietly opened the door. His eyes quickly scanned another bedroom and saw that nobody was present. He slid into the room and eased the door shut. Softly he padded to the window and peered out towards the front of the estate.

The estate was large, but again, the lack of people intrigued him. As his eyes roamed across the well-kept grounds, he saw only one man. The man appeared to be guarding the front gate, but he kept himself hidden from view from the road. Bin-lu frowned as he puzzled the implication of an almost empty estate. He could not determine if the man watching the gate was one of the three who had been in the back earlier, so he placed his count of people at four. Not many people for such a large estate, he reasoned to himself.

Bin-lu’s plan had been to determine the location of the estate and report back to Colonel Nolan. Now he started wondering if he should take matters into his own hands. With few people on the estate, he might be successful. Still, the only weapons that Bin-lu had brought with him were several knives and a few pouches of Lanoirian Stars. He decided to search the estate and determine the number of assassins.

Bin-lu returned to the hallway. He began checking each room on the top floor. All of them were empty and showed no signs of recent use. Cautiously, he stole down the stairway to the next floor. Soft voices drifted up the staircase from the ground floor. Anxiously, Bin-lu started checking the rooms on the second floor. Several of the empty bedrooms had seen recent use and had personal articles in them. Nobody was on the second floor. By the time he was done searching the floor, Bin-lu had raised his estimate to six assassins.

While Bin-lu was deciding that taking on six assassins was beyond his capabilities, he heard footsteps climbing the stairs. Without thinking, He entered the closest room and eased the door shut. He broke out in a sweat when the door to the room opened and a man entered the room. Swiftly his hand went to his pouch and grabbed a Lanoirian Star. The man who had entered the room walked over to a pack next to his bed, while Bin-lu stood behind the open door. The man rummaged through his pack and withdrew something. He turned to leave and saw Bin-lu hiding behind the door. His mouth opened to shout an alarm, but Bin-lu’s Lanoirian Star was already sailing towards him. It struck the man in the throat and the man’s hands went to his neck as his knees buckled. A few long seconds later, the man’s body tumbled to the floor, his lifeless eyes staring at the fireplace.

Bin-lu quickly retrieved his Lanoirian Star. He picked the man up and laid him on the bed. He threw the covers over the man, leaving the back of his head visible. He pulled a cloth out of the man’s pack and mopped up the blood. He threw the bloody rag under the bed. A voice from downstairs shouted a man’s name. Bin-lu realized that the voice was probably calling for the dead man. He also realized that he had just committed to killing the assassins himself. He could no longer afford to sneak off of the estate and report to Zackary. If the assassins discovered the dead body while he was gone, they would evacuate the estate before Colonel Nolan could react. That would allow the assassins to escape.

Bin-lu opened the door of the room and heard footsteps coming up the staircase. He silently closed the door and stepped behind it again. Within seconds, the door opened and a man barged in. He saw the first man on the bed and started yelling at him. He stormed over and pulled the covers back. He shouted an alarm as he saw the bloodstained sheets. Bin-lu pushed the door from in front of him and hurled a Lanoirian Star. The man had turned around, his eyes scanning the room as the star struck his chest. Bin-lu tossed another star into the man’s head. He moved swiftly out of the room as the man’s body slammed to the floor.

Shouts came from below as Bin-lu crossed the hall and entered another room. He moved quickly to the window and opened it as he heard people running up the stairs. He removed his gloves and lowered his body out the window. With his boots still on, Bin-lu could find no purchase for his feet. His arms trembled as he lowered himself to the ground using only his hands. When his feet felt the ground beneath them, Bin-lu cupped his hands and ran towards the rear door of the mansion. He pulled his gloves on as he ran.

Bin-lu halted at the door and quietly eased it open. Nervously, he entered the mansion. He heard shouting from above as men stormed through the second floor looking for the intruder. Bin-lu thought frantically about how he could face the four men left. If they all came at once, he knew he would die without alerting Colonel Nolan about the assassins’ lair.

Bin-lu rushed into the kitchen. His eyes roved over the room. He did not know what he was looking for, but he knew that he would recognize it when he saw it. The pounding of feet and the slamming of doors continued overhead as he looked around the room. Finally, his eyes landed on a large container of oil. He rushed over and scooped it up. As he was rushing out of the kitchen, he saw a bucket of wash water. He stooped and grabbed it on his way out of the room.

Bin-lu moved quickly to the foot of the stairs. He tossed the water on the three lowest steps and immediately followed it with the container of oil. He watched as the oily mixture ran down the steps and pooled on the floor. The shouts from above continued as one of the men ran up to the third floor. Bin-lu backed away from the spreading puddle. He tossed the empty containers through a doorway and flinched as they bounced on the floor. The noise seemed unusually loud to him as he backed as far away from the foot of the stairs as the foyer allowed. He stood with his back to the wall as one of the men above discovered the open window.

Bin-lu filled his hands with Lanoirian Stars as the men charged down the stairs. The first two men came running down with swords in their hands. One of them spotted Bin-lu and shouted to the others. As the first man hit the oily mixture, he teetered unstably as he lost his footing. The second man careened into him and they both tumbled down the last two steps.

Bin-lu waited an agonizing second for the bodies to stop moving. He tossed one Lanoirian Star into the first man’s face. The second Lanoirian Star hit the second man in the side of his neck. The third man, who had been on the third floor, hesitated well above the third step. Bin-lu hurled a Lanoirian Star into the man’s chest. His face grimaced as he clutched his chest and tumbled down the stairs.

Bin-lu scooped up one of the swords that had been jarred loose during the tumbling. He moved towards the three men and decapitated them. He stood silently listening to the lack of sounds in the large mansion. He thought briefly of the tale of the assassination of Queen Marta and felt a need to decapitate the other two bodies. As he dropped the sword, he moved to the side of the staircase and jumped up, snaring the banister. He pulled himself over the banister and scampered up the stairs. He entered the room he had hidden in and was relieved to see the two bodies still there. He drew the sword from one of the men and decapitated both of the bodies. He discarded the sword.

Bin-lu retreated down the stairs and jumped over the banister to the dry floor. He knew there was at least one more assassin, and figured it was the man near the front gate. He moved to the front door and eased it open. It was a long distance to the gate, and he could not see the man guarding it. He eased the door open and headed for the trees lining the side of the estate. Creeping forward, Bin-lu inched closer to the gate. When he had come within a hundred paces, he saw the man leaning idly against a tree. Slowly and silently, Bin-lu worked his away around behind the man. He closed the distance to twenty paces and then reached into his pouch and pulled out two Lanoirian Stars.

The man must have sensed the presence of someone because he suddenly whirled towards Bin-lu. Bin-lu threw a Lanoirian Star into the man’s leg. The man snarled and drew his sword. Bin-lu tossed the second Lanoirian Star into the man’s other leg. The man dropped his sword and pulled one of the Lanoirian Stars out of his leg. Blood began gushing out of the wound. He pulled back to throw the deadly instrument at Bin-lu, but his legs collapsed. The man fell to the ground, the Lanoirian Star falling from his hands.

Bin-lu rushed forward and rolled the man onto his face. He pulled the man’s hands behind him and tied them with his belt. The man started to protest, but he passed out. Bin-lu pulled the belt off of the helpless man and bound his leg to slow the bleeding. He picked up the unconscious man and threw him over his shoulder. He struggled with the heavy burden as he made his way to the gate and the street beyond.

The Rangers rode slowly into the city of Caldar. The streets of the city were nearly deserted, the occupying army having headed south to reinforce Trekum. Alex led the way through the twisting streets towards the coast. He eyed the few people walking the streets with concern as he thought about Emperor Hanchi’s army driving northward. When he reached the road along the beach, he turned southward. The Rangers rode silently. The only sounds competing with the clomping of the horses were the lapping of the gentle waves and the gulls flying overhead.

Alex halted the party outside the Seaside Inn. He dismounted and instructed the others to stable the horses. He walked in the front door of the inn. The common room was empty. Not a single patron occupied the tables. An old man came out of the kitchen and introduced himself as the innkeeper. Alex rented three rooms and then sat at the farthest table from the kitchen. Moments later the rest of the Rangers filed in through the back door and sat at the table. The innkeeper came over and took their meal order and returned to the kitchen.

“What now?” asked Arik. “Do you know where the temple is?”

“The temple of Risa is next door,” Alex replied softly. “The question that we have not solved is how to get them to give up the Book of Things.”

“Or even if they will allow us entrance to the library to verify that it is still there,” commented Arik.

“I think it will still be there,” remarked Jenneva. “The temples guard their libraries well, especially after Mordac’s looting twenty years ago.”

“Mordac was the one who tried to steal all of the books in the world?” questioned Arik.

“Yes,” nodded Jenneva. “He nearly succeeded, too. Over a thousand volumes were returned to this temple of Risa alone.”

“They had huge rooms of books in the castle where Mordac hid,” added Alex. “The books were stacked in piles taller than a man. One had to walk carefully between the rows of piles to avoid tipping them over. It took forever to cart those books away and distribute them back to their original owners.”

“Maybe one of us can pose as a priest and get into the library,” suggested Tanya. “At least we will be able to verify that the book is there.”

“That is how many of the attacks by the Black Devils began,” frowned Alex. “I doubt that they would allow a visiting priest to enter without prior notice from another temple.”

“Prince Midge can do it,” shrugged Arik as he stuck his finger in his pocket and tickled the fairy. “We do not need to be deceptive.”

“Oh, I was having the most delightful dream,” yawned the fairy prince. “Where are we?”

“Caldar,” Arik answered softly. “I have a job for you. Next door is a temple of Risa. Find the library and see if the Book of Things is in there.”

“And don’t allow them to detect you,’ warned Alex.

“Fairies are never detected,” Prince Midge bowed to King Arik before he leaped into the air and out the window.

“Couldn’t we just overpower them and demand the book?” asked Prince Darok. “It is not like we would have to harm any of them.”

“I think we would have to harm them,” Jenneva shook her head. “They would refuse our demands and then our bluff would have been called.”

“We must rely on reason,” declared Arik. “Surely, they can see how important it is to the world for us to retrieve the Book of Things?”

“Don’t bet on it,” frowned Tanya. “Temples tend to be self-centered. If the request does not further the pursuits of their religion, they will have no reason to cooperate.”

Silence fell over the Rangers as the innkeeper brought the food and placed it on the table. When the innkeeper had left, the Rangers ate in silence for a while before the conversation resumed.

“Maybe we should try singly to convince them to give up the tome,” suggested Prince Darok. “That way if one of us fails, we have four more chances.”

“That is a thought,” shrugged Jenneva, “but so many inquiries about the same book will only cause greater suspicion.”

“The Book of Things really belongs to the elves,” stated Arik. “The priests have no right to claim it. I think the truth is the best approach. I will go in and ask nicely for it. I will explain why we need it.”

“And if they don’t give it to you?” queried Tanya. “What will you do then?”

“Then we demand it,” grinned the dwarf.

“I don’t know,” admitted Arik. “I guess we will worry about that problem when it arises.”

“Remember that Alex has always taught you to have an alternate plan,” Tanya smiled sinisterly.

“This will not be a battle,” retorted Arik. “If my plan fails, we will still have time to develop another plan. We cannot leave Caldar without the Book of Things.”

“I think that is acceptable,” interjected Alex. “Arik is correct that we will still have time to discuss another plan. Let us consider this first visit to the temple to be an attempt at avoiding deception. If we fail, we will consider alternate means of securing the book.”

“Some of us should remain at the inn then,” suggested Tanya. “The element of surprise could come in handy.”

“I agree,” declared Jenneva. “Tanya and Prince Darok can remain here.”

“Then it is decided,” agreed Alex. “Let us finish our meal and await the return of Prince Midge.”

The meal was long done before the fairy prince returned. He settled on Arik’s shoulder and announced that the Book of Things was indeed in the library. Arik, Jenneva and Alex rose to leave.