Unicorns' Opal (20 page)

“I think we should investigate,” Tedi said. “If her uncle is not dead then everything she has told us is a lie.”

“Look!” exclaimed Arik pointing towards a figure getting down off the wagon. “It is him.”

The old man gazed down the street and his eyes locked with Arik’s as he saw the boy pointing towards him. The old man hurried into a building and Tedi started racing towards him. Arik shook his head and quickly followed. Tedi stopped by the wagon and dismounted. He stared at the side of the wagon and then tied his horse to the rail in front of the building that the old man had entered. Arik jumped off Chaco and tied him as well.

“It is a guild hall,” commented Tedi. “I wonder what he would do in here?”

“Let’s go in and find out,” declared Arik. “I think Boris Khatama owes us an explanation.”

Arik and Tedi entered the guild hall. The building was large. When they passed through the door from the street they entered a long hallway with a row of doors on both sides. Farther down the hall was a connecting hallway. Tedi went straight for the connecting hallway and Arik followed him. The connecting hallway stretched in both directions and doors lined those hallways too. There were also two sets of stairs to the upper floors.

“How do we find him in here?” Tedi asked. “There are so many doors that he might have entered.”

“Midge,” ordered Arik, “check the upper floors. See if you can spot him in the hallways. If you don’t see him, let us know what is up there. Tedi you go left and I will go right. Open each door and stick your head in. If he is not there just excuse yourself and check the next door. As soon as one of us finds him, keep him in sight until the others get to you.”

They split up and started checking every door. Many of the rooms were empty and they made good time checking the ground floor, but there was no sign of the merchant. As Arik and Tedi met back at the intersection of hallways, Midge flew in and landed on Arik’s shoulder.

“You can stop looking,” frowned Midge. “He is gone. Upstairs is much the same as this floor so I thought I would check outside. His wagon is gone.”

“How could he have gotten by us?” quizzed Tedi. “Let’s go after him. How far can he get in that wagon?”

“I checked all of the surrounding streets,” offered Midge. “I didn’t see his wagon anywhere, but I did find the Pawn Shop.”

“We had better go to the Pawn Shop,” sighed Arik. “Maybe we will see the merchant again before we leave the city.”

“Well we don’t need to actually find him to know that Tanya lied to us,” frowned Tedi. “She said Dark Riders had killed her uncle and burned the wagon. Both her uncle and the wagon looked in pretty good shape to me.”

“Yes,” agreed Arik. “She also said she got away because she hid during the attack. Tanya has never shied away from an attack since she has been with us. I doubt she would have hidden. She is not what she portrays herself to be.”

Midge directed the way to the Pawn Shop and they tied their horses to the rail in front of the building. They entered the Pawn Shop and asked for a book about growing turnips in a sandy soil. The clerk nodded and turned to the shelf behind him. He extracted a book and handed it to Arik. Arik was wondering what kind of note to leave when he noticed a piece of paper stuck in the middle of the book. He read the note and then handed the book back with the note still inside it. He told the clerk it was not what he was looking for and they left the shop.

“What did it say?” asked Tedi.

“We are to meet up in Danver Shores,” replied Arik. “We passed that town on the way here last time. It is a little south of here.”

“I remember,” stated Tedi. “It is about halfway to Melbin. Should we look for the others or just get out of the city?”

“It would appear that someone is hunting for us and they have deadly intentions,” frowned Arik. “Let’s leave the city and regroup. If we need to come back for anyone, at least we will be prepared. Perhaps everyone will already be at Danver Shores.”

***

Fredrik paced the floor of his room in the Palace Shadow. He had expected Niki to show up hours ago and he was beginning to wonder about the wisdom of what he was doing. Just registering as Lord Wason at the Palace Shadow was a risk after his meeting with Duke Everich last time. He was hungry, but he knew that he could not go downstairs and eat without being seen.

He walked to the window and peered out again. He wondered if the others were looking for him yet and whether they would bother to check the Palace Shadow. He laughed inwardly at the question. Only a fool would have been so bold as to voluntarily reenter the spider’s web. A loud banging on his door interrupted his thoughts as Fredrik jumped in fright at the sound. He subconsciously bit his lower lip as he wondered what to do. Niki would never knock so loudly. He looked out the window again and shook his head. Three stories was a bit too far to jump. Fredrik walked to the door and opened it to find two soldiers on the other side.

“Lord Wason?” queried one of the soldiers.

“Yes,” Fredrik answered hesitantly.

The soldier waved his hand and two other soldiers, which had not been visible, entered the room and began gathering Fredrik’s belongings.

“Come with us please,” the soldier ordered.

“Where am I going?” questioned Fredrik. “What are your men doing with my belongings?”

“They are gathering your belongings so you do not have to carry them,” explained the soldier. “You are going to be a guest of Duke Everich for a while.”

Fredrik thought momentarily of trying to fight the four soldiers and dash to the stables, but quickly dismissed the idea as the soldiers gathered up his staff and sword. He stepped into the hallway and wondered what the prison would be like. One soldier led the way and one fell in behind Fredrik. The two soldiers carrying Fredrik’s belongings followed behind. The soldier led Fredrik down the stairs and out the front door of the inn. Parked in front of the Palace Shadow was an elegant coach drawn by four horses and the soldier opened the door for Fredrik. A puzzled frown fell over Fredrik’s face as he had expected to be marched across the street to the Palace dungeon.

Fredrik mounted the step and entered the coach. The soldier closed the door from the outside. The other soldiers deposited Fredrik’s belongings in a compartment at the rear of the coach and tapped the wood to let the driver know it was safe to proceed. Fredrik looked out the window of the coach and saw the four soldiers standing in front of the inn as the coach pulled away. The ride was fairly short and Fredrik spent the time looking out of the window. He marveled at the size of the homes and wondered why Duke Everich would summon him to his home rather than have him thrown into prison. Surely, he must know that Fredrik had a part in the General’s escape. Before Fredrik had a chance to work the thought out in his mind, the coach passed through the gate of one of the estates and stopped at the door to the mansion. A servant opened the door for Fredrik and other servants gathered his belongings. The servant escorted Fredrik up the steps and into the mansion.

“Fredrik,” called Niki, “you are just in time for the meal.”

Fredrik saw Niki in the sitting room with Duke Everich and a tall man dressed in black. He walked into the sitting room.

“Duke Everich,” nodded Fredrik, “I am most pleased to meet you again. Please forgive my humble attire. I was not expecting your invitation.”

“I am sure you were not,” Duke Everich stated seriously. “You did leave rather early at our last meeting.”

“Duke Everich,” smiled the man in black, “you will excuse us for a moment while I speak with our young Lord Wason.”

“Of course,” deferred Duke Everich. “I have some matters that are quite pressing. We shall talk later, Lord Wason. I will send someone over to the Palace Shadow to retrieve your horse.”

“Ah, Lord Wason,” smiled the man in black. “Or should I just call you Fredrik? I am known as Dalgar.”

Fredrik fought to keep his face neutral as the shock rippled through him. “Greetings, Dalgar,” Fredrik finally managed.

“You hide your emotions quite well,” laughed Dalgar. “I like that. The two of you remind me a lot of Aurora and myself when we were your age. Let me set the record straight, Fredrik. I know you have been fed a load of manure regarding the history of the realm. Niki has enlightened me about what you were told by Alex and Jenneva. Allow me to tell you the truth. Please, have a seat.”

Fredrik sat next to Niki and she reached for his hand and squeezed it excitedly. He smiled thinly at her and turned his attention to Dalgar.

“First off,” Dalgar began. “I am a Black Devil as you were told. That does not mean that I am at odds with what you are trying to accomplish. I also want to see Sarac fall and I plan to help you do just that. There are some falsehoods that I cannot let go uncorrected though. Niki is not Sarac’s child. She is the daughter of Aurora and myself. I know you were told differently. You were also told how the noble Alex and Jenneva tried to save Aurora and her child. That is pure fantasy. They went to Trekum to kill Aurora and our child. Thankfully they only accomplished half the job or Niki would not be among us now.”

“Why would they want to kill the child?” questioned Fredrik. “To do so would be counter to fulfilling the prophecy.”

“They had a number of reasons,” replied Dalgar. “Aurora and I enabled Sarac to become the Dark One. Sarac had gained control over Cordonia and Sordoa, both neighbors of their beloved Targa. They needed to wipe out the leadership of both countries. That meant killing Aurora and her heirs. Remember that this occurred before the Collapse. They did not know the conditions of the prophecy at that time. By killing Aurora and the child, they not only destabilized Sordoa, but also exacted revenge for her part in restoring Sarac.”

“If what you say is true,” interrupted Fredrik, “then Niki is not a descendent of Sarac. As such, she cannot help fulfill the prophecy.”

“A very good point,” smiled Dalgar. “Niki was correct in saying you were very intelligent. Niki is a descendent of Sarac, but not in the way Alex and Jenneva believe. The fact is, Aurora was Sarac’s daughter, which makes Niki his granddaughter.”

“That makes sense,” agreed Fredrik, “but why are you telling all of this to me?”

“Because I want to help you kill Sarac,” answered Dalgar. “Although Alex and Jenneva killed my wife, Sarac enabled them by telling them where Aurora was. I hold him just as much responsible as they are. Where you come into the picture is a little complex. First off, my daughter likes you and I want her to have whatever she likes. Secondly, I believe you can help set the political stage here in Tagaret for the rightful king to take his throne.”

“You aim to allow Tedi to become King of Alcea?” inquired Fredrik.

“Certainly,” responded Dalgar. “It is the only way for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Let Tedi and his friends continue to work on the Sword of Heavens and make it whole. That is a job that must be done. In the meantime, Tedi’s place must be assured here in Tagaret. That is where I come in. Further explanation requires a commitment on your part. I cannot explain my plan if you are going to run off and tell others about it. Are you committed to the destruction of Sarac?”

“You aim to do the same things that Alex and Jenneva are attempting to do,” Fredrik pointed out. “Why would you think I have any problems with achieving those goals? Why don’t you join forces with them?”

“Because they killed Aurora,” raged Dalgar. “For that they deserve to die. They are not necessary to fulfill the prophecy anyway. You are either with them or you are with me. Which is it to be?”

Fredrik saw the rage in Dalgar’s face and knew that there was only one answer that would allow him to live through the day.

“I have already decided to leave Alex and Jenneva as I am sure you know,” smiled Fredrik. “It looks like we can work well together. Where do I fit into your plan?”

Dalgar exhaled and grinned. “Good,” he said. “Duke Everich is going to groom you and Niki for seats on the King’s Council of Advisors. He is doing this to build his own support to be king. Play along with him, but be aware that he is beholden to Sarac. You will pretend to back his every move, but you will actually be getting into place to put Tedi in power when the time is right. Never share our plan with anyone. The hand of Sarac reaches far into this city. There is nobody you can trust here except me. You can do whatever Duke Everich wants short of naming him the king. I will lay out the whole plan later.”

***

Tanya finally found Fredrik’s horse in the stables at the Palace Shadow. After she had gone to the Pawn Shop, she had spent all afternoon searching the stables throughout the city. She was surprised that he would choose to come back to this particular inn, but she was pleased to finally discover his location. She had been surprised to see Arik and Tedi leaving the city without Fredrik. A check with the stable boy at the Falcon’s Hood had gained her the knowledge that Fredrik had left almost as soon as they had arrived in the morning. Something strange was going on and she was determined to find out what it was.

Tanya dismounted and started to enter the rear of the Palace Shadow when she heard a man asking for Lord Wason’s horse. Curious, Tanya pretended to be inspecting Frea while she listened. The stable boy directed the man to Fredrik’s horse and the man led it out of the stable. The man did not ride the horse, but led it down the alley to the street. Tanya mounted Frea and followed slowly. She allowed the man to get well ahead of her and then followed him to see where he was taking the horse. It took half an hour for the man to reach his destination and Tanya noticed the sky darkening by the time the man entered a gated estate. She rode slowly by the estate and examined it as she passed. She continued up the street for quite a ways before turning around. When she reached the estate again, she proceeded to the gate. A guard approached the gate when he saw her.

“Are you lost?” the guard asked sternly.

“Actually, I think I am,” smiled Tanya. “I was supposed to meet friends and I have forgotten the directions. Is this Duke Khatama’s estate?”

“No this is Duke Everich’s home,” retorted the guard. “I never heard of Duke Khatama.”