Council of War (10 page)

"She is indeed," replied Garth. "She is a very valuable member of my team, but she is no longer in the city. Is there something that I can help you with?"

"Quite the opposite," smiled the judge. "Natia stopped into my office yesterday on her way out of the city. She told me that you were not given a pass as she was, and she was worried about that."

"As are we," replied Garth. "A special agent makes no money while he is stranded in an inn."

"I understand," said the judge. "She asked me to review your case, and I have spent the morning doing so. I suspect the investigation team was concerned with why you would spend a morning with a mere jeweler's apprentice and not the jeweler himself, so I took it upon myself to ask the jeweler precisely that question. As it turns out, he has the highest regard for his apprentice. In fact, he has given the lad a great deal of latitude in the affairs of the shop, and the results have been satisfactory."

"The lad certainly appeared to know his business," stated Garth.

"Indeed," agreed the judge. "Armed with that knowledge, I approached the investigative team on your behalf. I have secured a pass for you and your wife to leave the city. I trust the results of my interference will meet with your approval."

"Most certainly," smiled Garth. "I understand from Natia that I am already in your debt to the tune of two figurines. I think it would only be fair to add something to that when I next come to Giza. Sidney Mercado is a man who greatly values those who look after his interests."

"I thought as much," grinned the judge as he handed a paper to Garth. "I would use the pass at your earliest convenience. While it is currently presumed that the villains escaped through a gap in the wall, it is my experience that soldiers too often like to reexamine every little thing as if some new clue will suddenly pop up. You know what kind of delays that can cause."

"Indeed I do," Garth smiled broadly. "We will leave immediately. I am very pleased to finally make your acquaintance. Natia has spoken highly of you."

The judge left the room, and Garth exhaled his held breath. "I hope you will not look askance at me if I hug Natia when next we meet," chuckled Garth.

"Hardly," giggled Kalina. "I will be hugging her, too. Let's get out of here."

The two Knights of Alcea quickly got their belongings together and headed for the stables. They saddled their horses and made straight for the northern gate. There were no questions asked as Garth presented the pass. The gate was opened slightly, and the Alceans filed through the opening before the gate was pulled closed. When they rounded the bend in the forest, a rider appeared out of the trees.

"You two wasted no time in getting out of the city," chuckled Morro.

"How did you know?" asked Garth.

"When I heard that Judge Julius was interrogating the jeweler," explained the thief, "I had him followed. One of Headman's men overheard the conversation with the investigator. I knew that you would be set free, so I left the city before you did."

"How did you get out?" asked Kalina.

"There is a secret entrance along the river," answered Morro. "It is deadly to use unless the thieves know you, which is why I did not suggest it upon our arrival, but it is how I entered the city. That is why my presence in Giza was not recorded."

"You must show it to me someday," smiled Garth.

"I will," promised the thief, "but I am glad that you did not know about it before. I think you would have been tempted to sneak out of the city without gaining resolution of the investigation. This way, Garth Shado is still welcome in Giza, and we may need that to be so when it comes time to rescue the children."

* * *

Tedi and Natia sat on one side of the fire talking softly. Fakir Aziz sat on the other side of the fire, staring into the glowing coals as if in a trance. The fire had been burning for hours, and the coals were beginning to cool.

"What do you suppose he sees in the coals?" Natia whispered.

"I have no idea," Tedi whispered back. "At least he has stopped asking questions about us. He can stare at the coals for the rest of the day as far as I am concerned."

"Not really," giggled Natia. "It is time to prepare the evening meal. In fact, you need to go out and get some more wood. I could never cook anything over those coals."

"Alright," sighed Tedi as he rose to his feet. "I won't be long. Why don't you start getting things ready."

Tedi moved into the trees and began gathering wood, while Natia proceeded towards the creek to get some water. When Natia returned, she saw the old man fondling Tedi's staff.

"What are you doing?" scowled Natia.

"I was just admiring the handiwork that went into this staff," smiled the old man. "It is quite a piece of work."

"It is not polite to handle another's weapon," stated Natia. "Put it down."

"Of course," smiled the old man as he put the staff down. "I meant no harm. I see that you are preparing for a meal. Can I help you with anything?"

"No," Natia replied. "I have everything under control."

"Is that what it is then?" asked Fakir. "A weapon? It seems too fine a piece for such a nasty use. I thought maybe it was an heirloom."

"It is in a way," Natia sighed. "It was given to Tedi by someone very dear to him. I am sorry if I overreacted just now, but Tedi would be heartbroken if something happened to it."

"I do apologize," Fakir said. "I should learn to ask before I touch the belongings of another."

Natia nodded. She dismissed the incident from her mind and began preparing a stew. A few minutes later, Tedi emerged with an armful of wood for the fire. He dumped the wood on the ground and began bringing the fire back to life.

"I feel as if I have been a burden to the two of you," stated Fakir Aziz. "I will be leaving in the morning so as not to trouble you any longer. I think the day's rest has been enough for my sore body."

"You are welcome to stay with us if you like," Natia offered even though she was glad that the old man would be leaving.

Tedi glared at his wife but didn't say anything. The old man chuckled to himself. Tedi's keen hearing suddenly heard someone approaching, and his head pivoted towards the narrow trail as his hand swept the staff up off the ground. Natia saw her husband's reaction and she freed her hands to be better able to respond. The old man sat staring into the fire again, seemingly oblivious to the impending danger.

"Hello the camp," called Garth as he saw the mule tied next to the horses as he and the others entered the clearing. He continued as if he were a stranger himself. "Would you mind if we joined you?"

Tedi immediately picked up on what Garth was doing. "You are welcome to join us," he called back.

Garth, Kalina, and Morro dismounted. Morro took the reins and Garth and Kalina approached the campfire.

"I am Garth Shado," announced the warrior, "and this is my wife Kalina. The other one is called Morro."

"I am Tedi Markel," smiled the gypsy prince, "and my wife is Natia. The old man is Fakir Aziz. He left Giza at the same time we did, and he has been sharing our company ever since. Unfortunately, he will be leaving in the morning."

The old man rose and turned to greet the newcomers. When Garth saw the old man, his face paled and he stopped short.

"You?" gasped Garth. "How is that possible? I saw you die before my eyes."

Tedi and Natia looked at each other with worried expressions. Kalina stared at the old man, and Morro stopped what he was doing and hurried across the clearing.

"Was that you running in the alley?" asked Fakir. "I thought you looked familiar, but I am afraid that my mind was preoccupied at the time."

"You did not die?" asked Garth.

"Obviously not," laughed the old man. "Oh, I thought I was dying, mind you, but I managed to cling to life somehow, as I have in the past. My heart is not the heart of a young man, and that was not my first brush with death. I do think it was a warning sign of sorts, though. I made up my mind right after that to leave the hectic life of the Federation and head to more serene lands. That is where I am heading now. Would you and your party happen to be going north?"

"I'm afraid not," frowned Garth. "I must apologize for abandoning you in that alley. I thought both you and the dog were dead."

"That is understandable," smiled Fakir. "You must not be from around these parts. No one in Giza would have even thought of apologizing. It is considered wise there to keep moving quickly if someone dies near you."

"You guess correctly," Garth forced a smile. "We are from Tyronia."

Fakir smiled as he glanced at the elf. "I did not know that Tyronia had any elves."

"Garth meant him and his wife," Morro retorted bluntly. "Being that I am an elf, I am sure that you already know where I am from."

"Quite true," smiled the old man. "Quite true indeed."

The campsite remained frozen in a tense awkwardness until Natia decided to steer the conversation away from questions that might reveal too much.

"I was just preparing a stew," she announced. "I have plenty for everyone. Will you join us?"

"That is gracious of you," smiled Kalina. "Let me help you."

"And I will help Tedi stockpile some wood," offered Garth.

Morro returned to tending the horses as Garth and Tedi walked into the trees.

"Why is he with you?" Garth asked once they were away from the clearing.

"We couldn't get rid of him," replied Tedi. "I think he is some kind of spy. He did not have to submit a pass to leave the city as we did, and he asks far too many questions. He claims to be a tutor, philosopher, and historian, but he is far too curious about us. I was just gathering wood before you came. As I was returning to the clearing, I witnessed Natia catching the old man inspecting my staff. There is something that is not right about him."

"Do you mean other than he died yesterday?" quipped Garth. "I could have sworn he was dead before he hit the ground, and Morro thought so as well."

"Do you still feel that way?" asked Tedi.

Garth hesitated and then shook his head. "I can't really be sure," he admitted. "I was running for my life when the old man collapsed."

"Well," replied Tedi, "he said that he is leaving in the morning. Let's just be careful what we say in front of him. Leaving the city without having to produce a pass makes me rather nervous around him."

"I agree," nodded Garth. "Go and find some wood and leave a pile here for me to carry into the clearing. I am going to set up some bells for tonight."

Garth set up a perimeter string with tiny bells on it and then returned to pick up an armload of wood. He carried it into the clearing to find Fakir Aziz questioning Morro.

"I just felt no need to return to Elfwoods," shrugged the thief. "It is not as if I ever belonged there."

"I couldn't carry it all, Morro," Garth interrupted. "Would you go and get the rest of the wood?"

Morro rose quickly, appearing relieved at the interruption. The old man looked up at Garth and smiled.

"I am feeling tired," Fakir stated. "Perhaps I will turn in for the night."

"Aren't you going to eat?" asked Kalina. "The stew is just about done."

"I have no appetite tonight," claimed the historian. "I am more tired than hungry. A pleasant evening to all of you."

Kalina frowned as the old man headed towards the old wagon that the Knights of Alcea had abandoned on their last trip to Giza. He spread a roll out under the wagon and crawled onto it.

"He is the first person I have met in the Federation who would turn down a hot meal," stated Kalina as she served the stew.

"Don't push it," cautioned Tedi. "We need to talk about our plans, and we cannot do that with him around the fire."

"There is truth to that," agreed Garth. "Did you send Button off to the others?"

"Last night," nodded Tedi. "I warned her not to reveal herself to the old man when she returned."

"She has been gone a long time then," commented Kalina.

"I have been here for quite a while," chirped Button. "I did not want to reveal myself. Was that wrong?"

Tedi followed the voice and saw the tiny blue fairy hiding behind the log that he was sitting on. He chuckled and put down his hand for her to hop onto. "You have followed my instructions perfectly. What do you have to report?"

"There is much to tell," declared Button. "Runt is safely onboard the ship to Alcea. He and Peanut investigated the packages. They are doors of some kind, but they could not open them, and there were no cracks large enough for either of them to pass through."

"I hadn't thought of that," gasped Kalina. "It is good that there were no cracks. Who knows where they might have ended up? They might have walked right into the enemy's stronghold."

Button turned a deep purple and her eyes opened wide. "Eeks!" she chirped. "That would not have been good."

"So they are doors," mused Garth, "but are they Doors?"

"I can see no reason for sending a plain wooden door to Alcea," sighed Kalina. "We have to assume that they are magical portals."

"Oh," Button said as if she had just remembered something, "Haditha is alive, as is Captain Gomery. Squirt finally found them on the Isle of Despair."

"That is hundreds of leagues from where the attack took place," Kalina said. "How will we ever manage to pick them up?"

"They are in no hurry to rejoin the group," frowned Button. "In fact, I think Haditha fears losing the captain when he returns to us. Captain Gomery did say that he would be available if and when you need him, but I think he is content to stay with her in the meantime."

"Is it safe there?" asked Garth. "We think the Federation now knows that a water witch helped us with the attack on the fleet."

"Squirt will have to inform them of the new danger," replied Button, "but they appear quite safe. The mines are massive, and it would take a lot of soldiers to search them all. Haditha does not appear to be concerned at all. She says that a whole city could hide in the mines."

"Really?" brightened Morro. "What about food and water?"

"There is plenty of seafood," answered Button, "and there is a natural spring on the island. The dwarves even tapped into it to deliver water underground."