Unicorns' Opal (32 page)

A frail woman grabbed the offered hand and stepped out of the carriage. General Gregor approached the woman and fell to one knee before her.

“Your Highness,” greeted General Gregor.

“Rise, General Gregor,” returned Queen Marta. “I would prefer to get indoors immediately.”

The General rose and extended his arm to the Queen. He escorted her into the mansion and directly to the large study.

“Thank you, General,” smiled the Queen. “I am pleased to see you in good health. I feared the worst when I heard you were arrested. Tell me what news causes you to bring me out of my safekeeping.”

“The Ancient Prophecy bids me to recall you, Your Highness,” answered General Gregor.

“You are beginning to sound like my late husband,” sighed Queen Marta. “He ranted about that prophecy until they killed him. I should have had him abdicate years ago. Nothing will turn Tagaret into Alcea. It is not even worth the effort. Let them all kill each other for all I care. They have already done all the harm to my family that they will ever do.”

“I beg to differ, Your Highness,” frowned the General. “I summoned you to return you to the throne.”

“You should have passed a message as to your intentions then,” scolded the Queen. “You would have saved my escorts the trouble. I have no intention of ever setting foot in Tagaret again. Is that what the army outside is all about? You have grand delusions of retaking Tagaret in my name? The answer is no. I will not return. Find someone else to play queen for those fools.”

“It is not for those fools, as you call them, that we are making this effort,” responded General Gregor. “Please sit down and I will explain.”

“From the beginning then,” instructed the Queen as she sat in a high-backed chair. “Tell me why you think this time will be any different.”

“I know that the years have been hard on you, Your Highness,” began the General, “but I swore an oath almost twenty years ago and I never walk away from my word. A young group who call themselves the Alcean Rangers rescued me from prison. The smuggled me out of the city where I met with Alexander and Jenneva Tork.”

“They are still alive?” the Queen asked.

“Very much so,” nodded Gregor. “They had changed their appearances and their names, but they have been searching for the Children of the Prophecy since the Collapse. Alex tasked me with resurrecting the Rangers and the Red Swords. Those are the men you saw outside. We have reunited over three thousand men. The Tice garrison is also preparing for war.”

“War?” echoed Queen Marta. “Who are we going to war with?”

“Sarac’s forces,” answered the General. “Your Highness, the Prophecy has begun. The whole of Cordonia exists today under clear skies.”

“So the Prophecy really is true then,” mused the Queen. “That means that the Children of the Prophecy must have been found. How is this possible? There is no descendant to assume the throne. It makes no sense.”

“It does to Alexander Tork, Queen Marta,” Gregor replied. “He has found the Children. The Sword of Heavens could not work without them. I have known Alex since he was just a lad. If he says that he has found the Heir, then I believe him. There is not another man alive that I would trust more.”

“My grandson is alive?” the Queen said tearfully. “After all those years of living with a false hope, can it really be true? Do not play with my emotions, General. Are you sure it is Oscar’s and Callie’s son?”

“It can be no other,” nodded the General. “In all honesty, I have met the lad, but there were two and I do not know which one is the Heir. Alex said that when we next met, he would tell me.”

“You have seen him?” cried Queen Marta. “I want to see him before I die, General. When will he be coming to back?”

“I am not sure, Your Highness,” answered General Gregor. “There is a problem though that requires your help.”

“My help?” questioned the Queen. “What can I do to help?”

“Your grandson is trying to complete the Sword of Heavens,” explained the General, “but there are two parts to the Ancient Prophecy. The Kingdom of Alcea must be reborn as well as completing the Sword of Heavens. Timing is a problem because Sarac knows this Prophecy well. Alex believes that Sarac’s forces will attempt to destroy Alcea before your grandson can assume the throne. If he succeeds, the Children will fail.”

“I do not see the problem, General,” replied Queen Marta. “You are gathering your men already. How does this involve me?”

“My men are not the Army of Alcea,” responded General Gregor. “Only the Monarch can make them so. Someone must assume the throne in Tagaret for my men to prepare for the defense.”

“But my grandson has precedence to the throne over me,” argued Queen Marta. “Now that he is known to be alive, I have no place in the line of succession.”

“You are correct,” frowned General Gregor. “Unfortunately, the Contest of Power still plays unabated. To bring your grandson into Tagaret to assume the throne before the Contest of Power is dismantled would be an invitation for his assassination. We cannot let that happen.”

Queen Marta stared at the General for a long spell before nodding. “What you are trying to say is that the Monarch, who enters Tagaret next, must destroy the Contest players, and that Monarch will likely die before the task is finished.”

“There is a strong possibility of that happening,” nodded General Gregor. “Regardless of our best attempts to prevent that from happening, another assassination is rather likely. I know that I have no right to ask this of you, but I fear to have the lad in the city during these dark times. Forgive me.”

The Queen sat silent for some time, biting her lower lip while her face grew white with rage.

“General,” the Queen said sternly, “there is nothing to forgive you for. Many times the Crown has asked you and your men to put our Kingdom before your own lives. How can one expect a Queen to have less devotion? My grandson will not be food for those vultures. If they want to play a game of death, then I am ready to play. I warn you though, General, you are not installing the Queen you knew before. If I have to kill the Council with my own hands to assure my grandson’s safety, you had better believe that is what I will do. My orders to you may be distasteful at times. Are you prepared to accept them without question?”

“I have long been known to question my orders, Your Highness,” smiled General Gregor, “but I have never failed to carry them out. Consider my advice when I give it, and I pledge to execute your orders without fail.”

Prince Midge flew down and hovered in front of Arik’s face before settling down on his shoulder. Arik halted the Ranger column and everyone crowded around to hear the report.

“There is a large group of Dark Riders on the road from Forgum to Dubar,” reported the fairy prince. “They also have many Black Devils with them.”

“That must be Hagik’s group looking for us,” Alex stated. “They must be superb trackers to pick up our trail out of Forgum.”

“Not necessarily,” frowned Jenneva. “There was an incident in the desert. One of Sarac’s ravens flew overhead. He had to be killed.”

“Surely you did not broadcast your position?” inquired Alex.

“No,” Jenneva shook her head. “Thankfully, Tanya was along. She had the honor and wisdom to dispatch it with an arrow. The body was removed so they will not find it.”

“Still, it will not take them long to figure out that we are not in Dubar,” responded Alex. “The citizens of Dubar will not think twice about alerting Hagik’s men as to which road we took out of town.”

“How far are we from Trekum?” queried Jenneva.

“You can just see the walls from here,” pointed Arik. “Less than an hour of riding before we reach the city.”

“We will still have a few days in Trekum before they catch up to us then,” reasoned Jenneva.

“What inns are we staying at?” questioned Tedi. “You normally tell us before we enter the city.”

“We will not be staying at inns in Trekum,” replied Alex. “At least we won’t be if the Continental Shipping Company is still in business. We will stay in their warehouse. It is close to the Royal Palace and will shield us from prying eyes. We will enter the city in groups and each group will go to the warehouse separately. I will go there first to make sure it is still in friendly hands. If it is, I will signal the rest of you to come in.”

The Rangers split up and entered Trekum from different directions. Alex and Jenneva arrived at the Continental Shipping Company warehouse and rapped on the door. A smiling and astonished face greeted them.

“Alex!” greeted Eddie, a man that had lived in Alex’s village. “And Jenneva. Come in.”

Alex gave a signal to the other Rangers as he and Jenneva entered the building.

“I have others coming,” responded Alex. “It is good to see you again.”

“What sort of trouble brings you to Trekum?” Eddie asked.

“We need to get into the Royal Palace,” answered Alex. “What can you tell us about it?”

“Well,” Eddie replied as the Rangers started to enter the building, “General Mobami claims it as his own now. His army ravished much of the countryside around here before turning his sights on Trekum. Now they rarely battle. The other rogue armies appear satisfied to leave Trekum in his hands. For now at least. “

“What of their security at the Royal Palace itself?” questioned Alex.

“Their security is fairly lax,” informed Eddie. “There will be few questions asked if you are caught though. I suspect that they would cut you up first and then wonder why you were there.”

“Do either of you know General Mobami?” Alex asked Alan and Konic as they entered the building.

“No,” replied Konic as Alan shook his head. “The name is not familiar to me.”

“We could send Prince Midge in,” suggested Arik. “He can find the vault without being detected.”

“This is true,” chirped Midge. “Shall I scout it out for you?”

“I believe the entrance is somewhere in the inner chamber,” offered Eddie. “I have never seen it, but I have heard of others who have talked about trying to open it. I do not think it is possible to open.”

“Check it out Midge,” nodded Alex, “but do not risk detection. Determine the path to it and prepare to describe it to us.”

Prince Midge leaped into the air and took off. Alex introduced the rest of the Rangers to Eddie as they sat to enjoy a meal break.

“What is so important in the vault?” questioned Eddie.

“The Golden Horn,” answered Alex. “At least we are hoping it is there. We have come a long way to find it.”

“You will never get into it,” sighed Eddie. “Many have tried over the years. The metal door is reported to be impenetrable.”

“I may be able to help with that,” smiled Jenneva. “Although that may bring a lot of attention to this area.”

“Are your ships still useable?” asked Alex.

“Yes,” responded Eddie. “Not as much as before the Collapse, but we still manage to eke out a profit with them. What do you need?”

“We may have to leave the city in a hurry,” explained Alex. “I want to travel to Grakus from here and I am hoping that you can accommodate me.”

“We have goods to go to Grakus,” nodded Eddie. “Not enough for a full ship yet, but if you need to leave then the ship will be ready for you. When do you want it?”

“Depending on what Midge finds,” answered Alex, “I think we shall enter the Palace tonight. Just Jenneva and I will be going in. The rest of you should be onboard and ready to depart.”

“Just the two of you?” objected Tanya. “Isn’t that a bit of a risk?”

“It is,” agreed Alex, “but less of a risk than all of us going. I am only going to protect Jenneva. It will be her magic that blasts the vault open. It does not make sense to put everyone in jeopardy.”

“There is validity in your plan,” nodded Konic. “Still, the rest of us could stand guard to assist if you get in trouble. Perhaps we can wait where you will be exiting the grounds. If you are discovered, we can attack to distract them.”

“If we are discovered leaving,” interjected Jenneva, “I will be blasting our way out. This is not going to be a subtle operation. I do not think the vault can be opened without a large commotion.”

“But if you blast the vault open,” objected Tedi, “they will be ready to catch you leaving.”

“Not necessarily,” replied Jenneva. “If they have mages, they will surely know immediately. Most of the rogue armies despise mages though. I doubt General Mobami would have a mage.”

“He does not as far as I know,” agreed Eddie.

Prince Midge darted in the window and landed on Arik’s shoulder. He immediately projected an image of the vault for all to see.

“It is not guarded,” chirped Prince Midge. “It does not look like there has been anyone near it in some time.”

“Raiders gave up years ago,” nodded Eddie. “General Mobami spent his first month here trying to get in. I doubt anyone else has been near it since.”

“How do we get to it?” inquired Alex.

The image of the vault shimmered as Prince Midge adjusted the vision to show his exit from the Royal Palace. The view of Midge’s journey was displayed as if through the fairy's eyes. The path climbed a long flight of steps and emerged behind a wall covering in a corner of the harem.

“It looks like some of the men are using the harem as sleeping quarters,” commented Alex. “That could be a problem for a nighttime entry.”

“Not if I go in first,” suggested Midge as he continued to display his exit from the Royal Palace. “I can use the sleep spell to make sure there are no eyes watching you.”

“All right,” agreed Alex. “Let us get some sleep now so that we are not tired tonight. Midge will go in before us and put them to sleep. When he comes out, Jenneva and I will enter and the rest of you will board the ship and remain alert.”

The Rangers bedded down while Alex spoke softly with Eddie about the current events in Tagaret. Prince Midge was not tired and flew out of the window. Tanya whispered to Tedi to find out how he was feeling and then moved off into a far corner to sleep. Alex finally snuggled next to Jenneva and dozed off.

The gray daylight was fading quickly as Prince Midge flew back into the warehouse. He landed on Eddie’s shoulder, giving the Spider a scare as he tried to brush off the bug that had landed on him.