The Caravan Road (10 page)

“You stay back here until I call you,” Alec instructed, then he gently pressed the door open and left the stairwell, sword drawn as he entered the dungeon space.

“Who’s there?” a voice asked as the door opened silently, and Alec found a pair of guards standing just feet away from the doorway, while another guard sat at a table at the end of the dungeon chamber.   There were multiple prison cell doors to choose from on either side of the wide central hall, an open space that was pierced by several thick columns which rose from the floor to help support the building structure above. 

Alec stood in front of the door, and considered what to do.  He picked up a small pebble, and tossed it to his right, then as the two guards looked in that direction he sidled around them to the left.  He found a spot behind one of the sturdy pillars and released his invisibility shield, then refocused his Light powers and caused a bright flash inside one of the prison cells in front of the two standing guards.

Both their heads snapped up at the surprising momentary flash, and one of them looked inside the cell.  Alec focused his energy again and made a second flash spark momentarily in the adjoining cell, causing a startled exclamation from the prisoner who apparently occupied the room.

“What are you doing in there, Nemby?” one of the standing guards asked, as the seated guard picked up the ring of keys that sat on the table, ready to come open the cell door and examine the source of the flashes.   As he approached his companions, Alec waited for the cell to open, so that he could seize the keys and then lock the guards within the cell, allowing him to set Charls free.

Before the guards gathered together in front of the door though, there came the sound of an explosive sneeze from the dark bottom of the stairs, as Carla’s sinuses reacted to the dust and mold that were plentifull
y present in the dungeon.  The guards’
heads all turned in the direction of the still open door.

“Who’s there?  Come out,” one guard called, and advanced towards the door, his sword pulled out and held before him.

Realizing that his plans were no longer going to work, Alec leapt out from behind the column that hid him, and threw a knife at the leg of the guard closest to Carla, then turned with his sword to prevent the other guards from approaching her location.  His sword clashed with those of both the remaining guards, as he attempted to fight them without the use of his Warrior energy, something that proved to hold no challenge until he felt a blade slice deeply into his hamstring, making him cry out and lurch forward.  The guard who he had injured with his thrown knife had crawled close enough to the battle to swing his sword effectively against Alec’s thigh.

Alec lay on the floor on his side, moaning in pain as he held both hands over the wound and tried to call upon his Healer energy to repair the gaping, bloody gash.  One guard stood over him holding a sword pointed at his chest, while the other went to the stairwell and roughly grabbed Carla, thrusting her into the dungeon.

His exhaustion and pain were too great for Alec to overcome; he gave up the effort to try to salvage the situation immediately, and resigned himself to becoming a captive temporarily, just before he passed out.

“What kind of a bloody fool tries to break into a prison, and brings a tasty little morsel like this with him?” the returning guard asked rhetorically.  “Here,” he unlocked and held open a cell door, “let’s hold him in here for now, and we’ll put the girl over there,” he gestured towards a distant door as he prepared to drag Alec by his arms. 

“Alec, are you okay?  Alec?” Carla cried, watching his unconscious body being dragged across the floor.

“Now, go get a medic to come look at Cousy,” he directed his fellow guardsman once Carla was locked away.  Half an hour later, the guard came back with a medic and three additional guardsmen, drawn by the inexplicable tale of a man who fought to get into the dungeon.

Alec awoke from the sound of the loud conversations, and tentatively reached for his Healer energy; he found it available, and he focused on repairing the severed muscles in his leg.  He had lost a great deal of blood, he could tell, and he focused next on bolstering his blood supply, when he heard Carla scream his name.

“Alec!  Help me!” she yelled.  “Don’t you do that!” she shouted in a frightened voice from within her cell.

Alec dropped his Healing powers and instead called upon his Stone energy, then used that ability to soften the door frame of his cell, so that with a strong shoulder shove, the door flew outward and onto the ground, no longer attached to the wall.

He dropped his Stone powers, knowing that he was going to quickly lapse back into exhaustion from utilizing multiple energies again.  He slid over to the open door of Carla’s cell, unimpeded by any guard, for they all had gathered in her tiny prison room.  Alec called forth his Air energies, and caused targeted streams of air to hit each of the half dozen guards squarely, blowing them away from the girl’s prostrate figure on the floor, and trapping them against the walls of the cell.

Alec stepped inside the cell, and knelt next to Carla.  She had not yet been harmed, he saw, though it was a near thing.  She sat up and lunged forward, throwing her body against his and sobbing uncontrollably.  Alec wrapped his arms around the girl, and carefully called upon a trickle of his Spiritual abilities to calm the girl.  After a long time of comfort, Alec projected his thoughts into her head.

Carla, we must go now; are you ready?
he asked.

“Was that you?” she asked aloud, raising her head suddenly from his shoulder.

Yes, and you can answer me with your thoughts alone as well, if you try
, he answered.

Like this?  Can you hear my thoughts too?
the girl responded carefully.

Yes, this is exactly the way to do it
, Alec told her.

Can you hear all my thoughts?
Carla asked in a tone that conveyed embarrassment.

I am only hearing what you want me to right now,
he evaded her question. 
We must go; we need to lock these men in this cell so that we can move on to our next duties.  Go outside the cell and wait for me while I get the keys,
he commanded her.  Once they both stood, she obediently left as he stuck his hand between streams of air that held one of the astonished guards in place, and pulled the key ring off the man’s belt.

“Thank you,” he told the helpless jailer, then he left the room, locked the door, and released his Air energy at last, letting all the captives slide suddenly to the ground as their unnatural support gave out.

“I’m sorry,” his companion told him contritely as soon as the door was locked.  “The dust made me sneeze.

“How are you able to talk inside my head?” she asked.

“It is a part of a power that my God gives me.  The true value of the ability is the ability to know and discern God’s knowledge and love,” Alec answered.  “It also makes some other things possible, such as the ability to speak from one soul to another.”

“Is there anything you can’t do?” Carla asked.

“Many, many things,” he replied.  “Now, we need to carry on with our mission,” he told her as he turned and walked to the far side of the open chamber in the center of the dungeon space.

“Charls?” Alec asked softly as he looked through the narrow barred window in the door of the first cell he examined.  The occupant of the narrow room grunted, and Alec moved on, looking for his steward, who was hopefully held captive in the dungeon.

He called softly at the window of three more cells, two of which were empty, but at the fifth cell door, he heard a positive response.  “Who calls me?  Who has made such noise out there?” a familiar voice asked from the gloomy interior of the cell.

Alec tested the keys on his ring until he found one that made the door’s lock clank open.

“Charls, it’s Alec, Duke Alec,”  he replied, standing just outside the wide-open cell door.  “Come out.  I’ve come back to make things right.”

The steward emerged cautiously from the doorway and looked around in wonder at the empty guard space, glanced briefly at Carla, then went down on one knee.  “My lord, I never expected to see you here.  Thank you,” he spoke quietly.

“Charls, I’m sorry you’ve come into these troubles,” Alec told the man who he had trusted to run the duchy, and who had done so effectively until the royal appointment of a new duke.  He looked at the kneeling man closely, and saw the bruises and evidence of mistreatment.  “Come, stand up!”  Alec held his hands out and helped raise Charls from the floor, sharing a stream of his healing powers as he did so.

“Right now, we need to get you and Carla,” Alec motioned to the girl who stood nearby, uncertain about what was expected of her, “to a safe place in the palace.  There are going to be a handful of armed supporters at the main gate in just a few minutes, and I’ll need to go arrange to allow them to enter the palace.

“What do you suggest we do once that’s done?  What support will we have here inside the palace?” Alec asked.  “This is all happening faster than I planned.  Are there more of the Ajacii, the strong warriors?”

“Perhaps we can discuss these matters while we move forward?” Charls tactfully suggested, and the three left the dungeon, proceeding cautiously through the hallways of the palace, ducking frequently into rooms and closets.

“You called the mighty warriors the Ajacii?” Charls spoke as they began their journey.  Alec nodded, and the steward continued.  “They came to me once, a few years ago, after you had been gone for some time, and offered to provide services to the palace, to act as warriors or protectors, as they said they had traditionally done in Valeriane before you took the ducal seat.  I politely dismissed them, and they politely left.

‘Six months ago, Gallus, the new duke, showed up with a hefty contingent of supporters and usurped the palace.  Soon after that the Ajacii,” Charls stumbled momentarily over the unfamiliar word, “showed up and offered their services to him.

“I was not in prison at the time; Gallus needed to keep me around to keep the duchy running, until his people could handle the rudiments of go
vernance.  They had already sent
virtually the whole palace guard to support the emperor, and the populace was growing uneasy over several incidents caused by Gallus’s supporters, so he accepted the proposal and spent a lot of money to hire a half dozen Ajacii,” Charls explained.

Alec led his trio upstairs and into a room that looked out upon the small plaza inside the main gate.  “If there were six Ajacii to start with, we’ve dispatched three of them so far,” he calculated.  “The other three, do they stay close to this pretender duke, Gallus, or would they be roaming the palace?”

“He keeps two of them with him at all times,” Charls replied, and Alec fell silent as he contemplated the circumstances.  He was exhausted from using his powers so extensively throughout the day.

“What support will we receive?” Alec asked.

“Some,” Charls said thoughtfully.  “But most of the best have already been shipped out.  The guards who are here now are either the ones Gallus brought with him, or they’re just raw recruits; you won’t have much for you, but you won’t be fighting much of a trained force other than those Ajacii.”

Alec considered the odds of fighting, and decided that the time wasn’t right.  “There’s a time to fight, and a time to wait; this is a time to wait.  We’re not going to try to take the palace now – we’ll leave the palace and go rest with our troops for a day.  I’ll be better
prepared for battle if we wait
,” he told the others in a manner that invited no debate or conversation.

“I think that sounds prudent sir,” Charls said obediently.

“Carla, we’re going to leave the palace and take our troops somewhere we can rest safely until tomorrow.  Do you have someplace you can go?  Can you go back to see your mother and comfort her?” Alec asked.

“I’m going to stay with you, to make sure we get revenge for my father,” Carla answered in measured tones.  “I may not ever find the soldier whose sword killed him, but I can see you kill this false duke who made it happen.”

Oh Lord, you must have a good reason for inflicting this girl upon me
, Alec thought to himself as he considered the prospect of having the girl as his shadow throughout the campaign.

“We’ll work that out,” was all that Alec answered.

“I can make myself invisible,” he said as he turned back to Charls.

“How long have you been able to do that?” the steward asked in astonishment.

“Many years, but I never really used the ability while I was in residence here,” Alec replied.

“We will walk out together, and I will make both of you invisible with me, if you stay very close to me.  When we reach the outside, we’ll take our supporters with us back to the market square, and prepare for tomorrow,” he said.  He hoped that news of the uprising would spread throughout the city and bring more supporters to their side, though he conversely hoped that he would be rested and able to use his energies fully on the morrow, so that he would be able to complete his restoration to the ducal seat without using or endangering any of those supporters

“This really works!” Carla told Charls, seeing the expression on his face.  “We walked in through the gate, right past the guards, to get in and rescue you.”