Unicorns' Opal (21 page)

“Well, I guess I will miss the fun then,” pouted Tanya. “That will teach me to get better directions next time.”

Tanya turned back towards the Palace.

Did you get a good enough look at it, Frea?

Yes, Tanya. I am nervous though. What if I miss?

“We will give it a try. If you do not feel comfortable about landing then we will just keep on going.

I will try my best, Tanya.

That is all any of us can do.

Tanya spent some time touring the city as she waited for the full darkness of night to descend. When she felt it was dark enough, she entered a park along the river and instructed Frea to take off. She could feel a shudder run through Frea as the unicorn lifted off the ground. Tanya looked down at the rooftops as they sped by below her. Within minutes she saw the large roofs of the estates and guided Frea towards the Everich estate. There was a small flat platform around the chimney and a moment of fear ran through Tanya as she saw how small it was. She was tempted to call the whole thing off, when Frea spoke.

This is much easier than I thought it would be. It almost feels natural to fly.

That is a pretty small platform, Frea. Maybe this is not such a good idea.

Let me try once. If I can’t do it then we will leave.

Frea approached the platform slowly. Tanya thought they would overshoot it, but Frea spread her wings wide and landed lightly at the far edge of the platform. Tanya patted Frea and slid down to the platform. She took a coil of rope and tied it to the chimney. She fed the rope slowly over the edge until it hung down the side of the building. Grabbing the rope tightly, Tanya stepped off the platform and started walking backwards down the pitched roof. When she reached the edge of the roof she looked down three stories to the ground. Tanya leaned forward until she was flat against the roof. She let her body slide to the edge and then started to lower herself down the side of the building. She turned as she proceeded down the rope to check the positions of the guards. Her feet hit the ground silently and she looked up at the house for windows that were emanating light. There were two on this side of the house and she crept towards the closest one.

When she reached the window, she rose up and peered into the house. A man was sitting at a desk and going through a stack of papers. There was nobody else in the room. She shrunk back down and headed towards the front of the house where the other illuminated window was. When she rose up to peer into the window, fear shot through her and she lowered herself swiftly. The brief glance had showed her Niki sitting next to Fredrik. They were holding hands. What had scared Tanya though was the Black Devil leader she had seen with Niki in the morning. The man had been staring out the window or at least he appeared to be. Tanya was torn between racing back for the rope to escape or staying and trying to hear what was being said. She saw the shadow of the man grow larger on the window frame and it made her mind up quickly. Tanya hurried back to the rope and scrambled up the side of the building. When she reached the pitched roof, she swiftly pulled the rope up and coiled it. She flattened against the roof for several minutes as she tried to catch her breath.

After several minutes of silence, she realized that nobody had issued an alarm. She threw the coil of rope over her arm and continued climbing until she reached the small platform. She untied the rope and stowed it. Tanya climbed onto Frea.

There is something we both neglected to think of, Tanya.

What is that?

How do I take off from this small platform?

I don’t know, but we are about to find out.

Frea backed up hesitantly until she could feel the rear edge of the platform. Suddenly, she bolted forward and flapped her wings. She reached the end of the platform and dropped slightly. Her rear hoof struck the slanted roof before she lifted off in flight. Tanya heard the crack of the thin stone and the broken piece sliding down the slanted roof as Frea gained control of her flight and soared higher.

.That was close but you did it!

Yes, but I think we should practice more before making any more of these attempts. That scared me.

You were not alone with that emotion, Frea. Stay high and leave the city. Follow the coastline south until we see another town. That should be Danver Shores. We will land outside of it and camp.

I am going to miss being with Chaco tonight.

It is only for one night. You will be back together after that. I am glad Kaz and Yorra did not recognize you.

I was not born until after they left. I doubt they could remember all of the new faces and Chaco will never tell. He was very grateful for your suggestion that I come along.

Not as grateful as I am, Frea. You are a magnificent creature.

Did you find Fredrik in that building?

Yes and Niki. They were talking to the man who ordered the attack on the Rangers this morning. I have to find out who he is.

Alex paced the floor of the room in the Shifting Sands Inn in Danver Shores. The sky outside the window was black and the only sound was the distant roar of waves crashing upon the beach.

“Come back to bed,” Jenneva called softly. “You will wear a hole in the floor.”

“I cannot sleep,” Alex replied. “We should not have left Tagaret. Our job was to safeguard the Children.”

“The army was hunting for us, not the Children,” stated Jenneva. “We would only have brought more potential harm upon them by staying. Do not sell them short. The Children are resourceful. We have taught them well.”

“The army may have been searching for us,” sighed Alex, “but the Black Devils also raided Niki and Tanya’s room as well as ours. We have many enemies and cannot base our decisions on just one of them.”

“Well pacing the floor will not help any either,” retorted Jenneva. “At least get some sleep.”

“The sky will be lightening soon,” responded Alex. “I am going to go run on the beach for a while. When you get up we can talk about going back to Tagaret to get the Children.”

Jenneva did not respond and Alex got dressed and slipped out the door. The inn was dark and quiet as Alex made his way to the stairs and silently descended to the common room. He crossed the room quietly and unlocked the front door and slipped out into the night. Alex made his way to the beach and ran along its length. When he ran out of beach, he turned around and ran the other way. The exertion allowed his body to do something and the sound of the crashing waves removed any stray thoughts as he tried to piece together what had happened in Tagaret and, more importantly, what he had to do about it.

Eventually, other sounds penetrated the noise of the sea and Alex stopped. He saw that the sky was lightening and the city was starting to waken. The first few fishermen were heading down to their boats and people were starting to move around in the city. Alex left the beach and headed for the Shifting Sands. His eyes widened as he saw a couple of riders far up the street and recognized them as Arik and Tedi. Alex picked up his pace and headed for the riders. He did not want to signal them or make any moves that would draw attention to either himself or the boys, so he just tried to close the gap between them.

Alex was rewarded when Arik nodded slightly in his direction and Alex veered off towards the Shifting Sands. He stood at the front door for a long moment to make sure the boys saw where he was going and then entered the inn. The common room was almost empty and Alex sat at a table in the far corner where he could watch the whole room. Within a few minutes, Arik and Tedi entered and sat across from Alex.

“I am glad to see that you made it out,” greeted Alex softly. “Have you seen any of the others?”

“We saw Tanya briefly,” Arik answered. “It was just after the attack on the Grand Boulder. She was leaving the inn and appeared to have all of her belongings with her.”

“Are we the only ones to make it here?” asked Tedi.

Alex nodded as the innkeeper came over to take their order. Jenneva arrived at the table before the innkeeper left and she sat next to Alex.

“Midge said that both rooms were attacked and there were six dead bodies,” whispered Arik. “What happened?”

Alex briefly described the battle and explained about the Revenants.

“Where is Fredrik?” asked Jenneva. “Why is he not with you?”

“He left us right after we got the room at the Falcon’s Hood,” replied Arik. “We don’t know where he went.”

“He took everything he owned with him,” added Tedi. “I do not think he planned on coming back.”

“Did you have an argument with him?” quizzed Jenneva.

“No,” answered Tedi. “I believe he planned to leave the group with Niki. She has been whining about wanting to leave and I guess she finally talked him into it.”

“This does complicate things,” frowned Alex as the innkeeper brought the meals and set them on the table.

“We cannot force them to come with us,” Jenneva said after the innkeeper had left.

“No, but we also cannot protect them if they are apart from us,” sighed Alex.

“We have taught them to take care of themselves,” declared Jenneva. “While there is much more they can learn, we will have to be satisfied that we have taught them enough to survive.”

“Maybe they will change their minds by the time we head back through Tagaret,” offered Tedi.

“Yes, we will have to go back that way after we find the Golden Horn,” added Arik.

Alex nodded, but it was obvious that he was not convinced. The door to the common room opened and Tanya walked in. She looked around the room and casually walked over to the table and sat next to Arik.

“Glad you left your horses out front,” Tanya smiled. “I did not look forward to searching all of the stables in town.”

“I think Fredrik and Niki will not be coming,” informed Alex. “So now it is just the five of us.”

“They won’t be coming,” agreed Tanya. “They are staying with Duke Everich.”

“Duke Everich?” echoed Alex. “Do you mean they were arrested?”

“I don’t think so,” answered Tanya. “Although I will admit that I find this all very confusing. I do not think that they would be at the Duke’s house if they were under arrest. Besides, I think they are wrapped up with the Black Devils somehow.”

“Fredrik would never be involved with Black Devils,” protested Tedi. “You are probably the one in league with the Black Devils. How is it you managed to survive the attack at the Grand Boulder?”

“I wasn’t there when it happened,” Tanya answered calmly. “Oh I did go back there afterwards and have to fight one of them, but the attack was already over.”

“That was convenient,” accused Tedi. “Why weren’t you in your room like you were supposed to be?”

“I went out for a walk,” Tanya said dryly.

“What makes you think they are mixed up with the Black Devils?” inquired Jenneva.

“I saw them talking to a Black Devil,” replied Tanya. “A tall man with long black hair. He appears to be a leader of some kind because he orders the others around.”

“Did you sever his head?” asked Alex.

Arik shook his head in confusion and Tedi and Jenneva just stared at Alex wondering what he was talking about.

“The second time I killed him I did,” Tanya answered. “I wondered at first why the other five bodies were all beheaded, but it did not register in my mind. When he grabbed me after I killed him, I finally understood.”

“I am glad you learned your lesson without getting hurt,” smiled Alex. “It is the only way to kill a Revenant and expect him to stay dead.”

“I am glad someone believes me,” frowned Tanya.

“I know that I only killed five of them,” smiled Alex, “and Midge said there were six bodies. The one I threw out of the window must have come back inside.”

“I was thinking,” offered Tanya. “What if Midge could get inside Duke Everich’s house and listen to what is being said? We might gain some valuable information about what Duke Everich and the Black Devils are planning.”

“That is a plan that has great merit,” nodded Jenneva.

“Not without a certain degree of danger though,” reminded Alex.

“I could gather dozens of my people for this project,” offered Midge. “We could station them in each of the houses that are involved in the Contest of Power. Perhaps even in the Palace itself.”

“That is a much better use of the fairies than having them march into battle,” Arik declared. “I have to admit that I have never been fond of the thought of the fairy army going into battle, yet this project requires the same dedication and has much greater potential.”

“I concur,” nodded Alex. “Can you find your way back to the orchard from here Midge?”

“Certainly,” beamed Midge. “I will choose the very best for this job and then rejoin you. Where will you be?”

“We will be proceeding down the coast of Sordoa to the city of Forgum,” answered Jenneva. “From there we will head inland to Dubar. I assume you will catch up to us by then.”

“With your leave, Bringer,” puffed Midge, “I will be off to gather our troops.”

“Make sure they understand the risks, Midge,” responded Arik. “It will be dangerous for them in the city. If just one of them is detected, people may start actively looking for others.”

“It shall be done, Bringer,” saluted Midge.

The fairy prince flew off with a flourish. Alex rose and indicated that it was time to leave. Alex and Jenneva retrieved their belongings and the others waited outside.

“We saw your uncle in Tagaret,” Tedi said accusingly.

“You must be mistaken,” glared Tanya.

“No, Arik saw him too,” responded Tedi. “Didn’t you Arik? Boris Khatama. It said it right on the side of the wagon. He saw us too, but he gave us the slip before we could talk to him.”

“I thought he was killed by Dark Riders, Tanya,” added Arik. “And you said his wagon was burned. It looked in pretty good shape to me.”

“Perhaps it was his brother that you saw,” offered Tanya. “They do look alike. I bet if you had looked closely at the wagon, you would have seen that it said Boric Khatama and not Boris Khatama. I really don’t know why you both are picking on me. What possible reason would I have to lie?”