Unicorns' Opal (35 page)

“What of my mother?” asked Oscar.

“She was smuggled out of the city,” replied Alex. “The Spiders hid her and last I was in Tagaret, she was still well. I did pick up some information in Trekum though. Eddie said that General Gregor is planning on returning her to the throne.”

“Return her to Tagaret?” quizzed Oscar. “Why in the world would he do that when she has been safely gotten out of the city? Is he mad? They will kill her too.”

“Perhaps,” Alex agreed glumly. “From what I have heard, she is doing it to ensure that Arik has the support he needs when he arrives to take the throne.”

“So she is using herself as bait to flush out those who would kill Arik?” asked Callie.

“That is what it sounds like,” nodded Alex. “She is a brave woman.”

“I want to know about the people who are striving for power in Tagaret,” stated Oscar, “but first I want to meet my son. How do I act towards him, Alex? Or to Konic?”

“I have thought a great deal about that, Oscar,” responded Alex. “I could find myself in your shoes someday. At least I hope that I can. Arik is your son and you should treat him as your son, but you must not take away the relationship he has with Konic. As I dwelt on this subject, I often thought of your relationship with King Byron. He treated you as his son, yet I feel that he would have treated your real father as his brother if he had been alive. He would have been happy to share your love.”

“Well Konic has become a part of our family,” added Callie. “It was not our choice, but I owe him much for watching over Arik. From what you say, he is an honest and decent man. There are precious few of those left as it is. Let us go meet them.”

“There is one other thing that I must say before we meet them,” Alex said as he rose. “When the two fishermen found Arik, Konic took the boy as his son. He gave Callie’s necklace to the other fisherman. Tedi, the other fisherman’s son, only knows that the necklace was his mother’s. I promised that I would let Tedi keep it as a remembrance of her.”

“I can make another necklace,” offered Jenneva.

“The necklace is the last thing on my mind today,” smiled Callie. “Tedi is welcome to it. I hope it brings him fond memories of his mother.”

“Also be aware that they do not know who you are,” reminded Jenneva. “When they find out you are Oscar and Callie, there is bound to be a great deal of confusion and hesitation in both Arik and Konic.”

Oscar nodded and led the way back through the great room with the map of Targa and into the large sitting room where the Rangers waited. The Rangers rose to their feet when they entered and Oscar stopped and stared at the two boys. He saw the necklace around Tedi’s neck and then focused on Arik. He looked at the man next to Arik and approached him.

“You must be Konic Clava,” greeted Oscar as he stuck out his hand. “My name is Oscar Dalek and this is my wife Callie. I am deeply indebted to you and your wife. Thank you for saving our son’s life.”

Konic shook Oscar’s hand and his mouth fell open as Oscar introduced himself. Oscar squeezed Konic’s hand gently and then let it go. He turned to face Arik and smiled at him.

“I know that this is awkward for you Arik,” smiled Oscar. “It is awkward for me, too. I know what it is like to have two fathers, although I never had the good fortune of having both of mine alive at the same time. I would like very much to have a father-son relationship with you, if you will allow that, but I will not be a threat to the relationship you have with Konic. You have spent your life with him as your father and I would be disappointed if you were capable of letting that go. If both of you are willing, I am sure we can all be one big happy family. Introduce me to your friends.”

“Yes, Sir,” responded Arik hesitantly. “This is my best friend, Tedi Markel and his father, Alan. And this is Tanya, another friend.”

Oscar and Callie greeted each of the Rangers and welcomed them to their home. When the introductions were complete, Alex herded Jenneva and the rest of the Rangers to the far end of the sitting room so that Arik and his three parents would have some privacy.

“Thank you for your kind words, Oscar,” Konic said. “I have dreaded this day for seventeen years, but you have eased the pain of it.”

“This is not a day that you should dread,” smiled Oscar as he watched Arik and Callie talking softly. “If you feel guilt for not trying to find Arik’s real parents, do not. You could not have found me if you tried to. I also have felt the guilt for not finding Arik and now I understand that I would have failed too. The fates do what they will with our lives, Konic. It is up to us to make the best of it. Alex tells me that you have raised Arik to be an honest and decent boy. What more could a father hope for?”

“He is that,” smiled Konic. “You should be proud of him as I am. I am sure you will discover his talents and nature in the years to come. I only hope that you will allow me to continue to visit with him.”

“Visit with him?” queried Oscar. “You are under a mistaken impression, Konic. I have no intention of replacing you in the boy’s life. You and I shall become close friends as we share the same son.”

“You are serious,” responded Konic. “I thought you were saying that for the lad’s benefit.”

“Not at all,” smiled Oscar. “I have never had a brother, but you are to become one to me. That is of course if His Highness has time for either of us.”

“I am concerned about that part of his future,” Konic stated seriously. “Arik is a wonderful person, but I cannot see him as a king. I also fear what I have heard of the danger that lurks in Tagaret.”

“Now that is a concern,” nodded Oscar. “I am worried for his safety, but he will make a fine king. It is in his blood. He should use the name of Arik Dalek though. Any other name will be fuel for those who wish to call him illegitimate.”

“I understand,” agreed Konic. “I think he will be proud to carry such a revered name. Can I ask a personal favor of you Oscar?”

“Certainly,” answered Oscar.

“I know the necklace belongs to your wife,” Konic said softly. “Tedi does not know of its origin and thinks it comes from his mother. I would be willing to pay you for it so that Tedi may continue to have it. I know it is very expensive, but I am a hard worker and I promise that whatever sum you ask, I shall pay.”

“What necklace?” grinned Oscar as he reached up and unclasped his own matching necklace and stuffed it in his pocket. “Have you ever been to Tagaret, Konic?”

“No,” Konic replied with a wide grin upon his face. “I never made it that far north. Alan and I served in the Sordoan army. We ended up settling down in Lorgo and began fishing. We never left again until just recently.”

“Does anyone outside of Lorgo know that you are Arik’s father?” questioned Oscar.

“Just Alex and Jenneva,” replied Konic. “Why do you ask such a question?”

“Some ancient wheels are turning,” smiled Oscar. “I was once know for rather unconventional thinking, but it is a feeling that I have not known in years. Let’s get everyone together and discuss what is going on in the world. It is time we started planning for our son’s ascension to the throne.”

The Rangers sat around a large table with Prince Oscar and Princess Callie.

“Do we know who all the players are in this Contest of Power?” asked Oscar.

“No,” replied Alex. “Certainly everyone who is already on the Council, but there are many more who vie for power.”

“How did King Byron allow this to develop?” questioned Callie. "The Council should never have this much power.”

“I understand that he was beset by a prolonged illness,” responded Alex. “During this illness, the Council passed seemingly harmless decrees that slowly shifted the power from the King to the Council. I believe he was working to reverse the situation when they assassinated him.”

“There are only two ways to address this issue,” declared Oscar. “One is for the Monarch to disband the Council, by force if necessary. If I know my mother, and believe that she has accepted this proposition to return to Tagaret, this is what she will do.”

“That could cause a civil war,” frowned Jenneva. “If these Contest players have enough backing, they could dissolve the Monarchy.”

“The current army owes its allegiance to the Council,” added Alex. “It is sheer suicide for her to attempt that. That is one of the reasons that we came here. We can raise an army, but it requires a great deal of funds. I need access to your money.”

“Even if you raise your army,” Oscar shook his head, “there would be great bloodshed in the streets. It would be little different than an invading army sacking the city.”

“Perhaps,” mused Alex, “but we need to raise an army in any event. The armies of Sarac will besiege Tagaret soon. There is also a concern of the rogue armies in Sordoa, and possibly the armies of Lanoir, coming to claim the city. No matter what path we take, we need funds to raise an army.”

“Yes, I see the need for an army,” conceded Oscar. “Still, we will need as much support as we can get to survive. Having the Council’s army battle with the Monarch’s army is not the path that we should take.”

“You mentioned two options,” interrupted Arik. “What is the second?”

“The second,” Oscar smiled grimly, “is deceit. We play the Contest of Power and we win. We can beat them at their own game.”

“These people play hard,” cautioned Alex. “Alliances are fleeting and there is no morality in how they play the game. You will think that you can depend on an ally, only to find that he has sold you out for a sliver of power.”

“Your caution is noted, Alex,” nodded Oscar. “I understand why you caution me. You know that I do not seek gain from others unfairly, but there is a part of me you do not remember. When I started my first shipping company, I tried to reason with the robbers and thieves who beset the industry. I had minimal success and my fortunes were poised to be lost. It was Larc who reasoned with me. He made me see that the robbers were not worthy of my compassion and needed to be dealt with ruthlessly. They were leeches on society and mankind was better off without them. My tactics became ruthless towards the thieves while at the same time I became generous with those who dealt with me honestly. It is a lesson that I have never forgotten. I won many of the robbers over and eradicated the rest.”

“These are not highway robbers that you will be dealing with,” interjected Jenneva. “These are people of station and power.”

“Much the worse for them,” frowned Oscar. “The highway thieves had nothing to their names. They stole to eat, but these lords of Tagaret kill for the pleasure of it. Am I to treat them more kindly than robbers when they have killed my father and threaten the lives of my mother and my son? The enemy soldiers that our army kills on the field of battle are worthier of life than these bottom suckers. If they believe that murder and treachery are fair tools in the game, then I am willing to meet them on their own terms.”

“Oscar,” frowned Alex, “you sound as if you are thinking of returning to Tagaret. I advise against it. They will hunt you down and kill you. Just give me access to your funds.”

“I cannot access my funds without alerting the world of my return,” stated Oscar. “That is the one obstacle that I have not thought of a way around yet. The funds are not sitting in a chest somewhere, Alex. It is far too much money for that. It has been invested in land and companies. Those assets would have to be liquidated and that would alert someone that I am raising money. We could access the funds that are still coming in, but that would not be near enough to do what we need to do. I have to find another source of gold.”

“What would you do if you found it?” asked Tanya.

“Many things,” smiled Oscar. “Konic and Alan would become lords overnight. They would enter the Contest of Power just as Fredrik and Niki have. So the first thing I would do is buy three estates. One for each of them and one for Callie and myself.”

“No, Oscar,” interrupted Alex. “That is suicide. Why can’t you see that?”

“I would not be Oscar Dalek,” smiled Oscar. “I would be an extremely wealthy lord that is never seen in public. The Contest players would line up for my endorsement. Deals would be made to back Konic and Alan. The information provided by your fairy friends would be used to gain advantage over our foes.”

“Why would you not be seen as another obstacle to be overcome?” questioned Konic.

“Because I will not be a player,” responded Oscar. “It will become well known that I abhor public appearances and that I have no desire to seek a Council seat. That will make me even more powerful in the game.”

“Your proposal blurs the line between right and wrong, Prince Oscar,” declared Tanya. “How can you justify the wrongs you will commit?”

“How do you justify killing a man who is about to kill you, Tanya?” retorted Oscar.

“That is different,” protested Tanya. “You have no choice at that point. Your survival requires you to strike first.”

“And is my proposal any different?” smiled Oscar. “We are talking about the survival of our world. These players have already killed the King. They threaten even more disastrous actions in the future. We are fighting for our survival.”

“All right,” conceded Tanya, “but does that condone thievery or deceit? Would you, for example, steal the money needed to fund this operation?”

“I don’t know,” frowned Oscar. “I suppose that would depend on who I was stealing it from. If it was from a player, yes, but I would not steal from an innocent to accomplish my goals.”

“What about from the Royal Palace of Sordoa?” asked Tanya.

“The Sultan of Sordoa was one of the biggest thieves that ever lived,” laughed Oscar. “If he were alive today, I am sure he would be playing the Contest of Power. You are taking us away from our plans though. Why are you so concerned about my morals?”

“Because I am concerned about mine,” admitted Tanya as she rose to get her pack. “We stopped in Trekum on the way here to get the Golden Horn. I could not help feeling that we would need financial backing of some kind for Arik to assume the throne. I am afraid that I helped myself to some of their treasure.”