Heirs of the Enemy (32 page)

“I don’t understand,” frowned Niki.

“You will,” smiled the Mage. “In time you will understand.”

A nagging chittering gnawed at Niki’s mind as she tried to focus on the words coming from Uncle Boris. The vision of Master Khatama wavered and then blinked out of existence, yet the chittering remained. Niki shook her head to clear the noise away, but it did not help. As her mind returned to reality, she recognized the noise as a call from her friends. Niki let her mind focus on the communication and soon she was staring at a naked woman. She recognized the demonkin immediately and hatred began to race through her veins. She recognized the room as belonging to an inn, but she could not tell which one. She watched as the demonkin got dressed and prepared to leave the room. Just before Cavanor exited the room, the image shimmered. Gone was the tall female, and in her place was a tall lanky male with a long braided tail of black hair. She watched as the demonkin walked down the stairs and settled down in the common room.

* * * *

Alexander Tork rode through the driving rain and met up with Jenneva under the protection of the western gate. He shook the water from his head and dismounted.

“I take it that you did not find her?” asked Jenneva.

“Once it started raining hard, I could not see a thing. Is there any chance that she got by you?”

“None,” Jenneva replied confidently. “Once the rain grew heavy, I retreated to this gate to make sure that the demonkin could not flee the city.”

“Is it possible that the rain bought the demonkin a reprieve from the animals?”

“Anything is possible,” shrugged Jenneva. “I do not entirely understand the nature and bounds of Niki’s magic. All we can do is wait for something to happen.”

“We could command the Red Swords to search for Niki,” suggested Alex.

“To what end?” frowned Jenneva. “Somehow Niki has managed to learn the identity of the demonkin, and it is clear to me that she is intent on revenge for Fredrik’s death. That is not something that I would deny her. In fact, I will help her in any way that I can. The Red Swords would just get in the way. Besides, they might actually do harm to our cause. I am sure that the demonkin would love to know who Niki is and where she is hiding. No, Alex, we should leave the Red Swords out of this.”

“I will yield to your reasoning,” stated Alex. “I just worry about Niki. I cannot envision her taking on a demonkin without a magical weapon.”

“She has a magical weapon,” retorted Jenneva, “and she is using it rather effectively. I doubt that either one of us could cause a demonkin to run through the streets of Tagaret in fear for her life. I may not understand Niki or her peculiar form of magic, but I respect both, as did the Mage. Have faith in her, Alex.”

“It is hard,” sighed Alex. “I still remember the early days when every spell Niki cast backfired in one way or another. I fear it may still happen.”

“That type of magic has never been Niki’s to control. She may be capable of casting fireballs and lightning strikes, but she has no control with that type of magic. With animals, it is completely different. You saw what she did during the Battle of Tagaret. She turned the yaki against the goblins, and she made the ogres manipulate the gates. There is power in her magic. Trust me.”

“I do trust you,” replied Alex as his eyes darted towards the darkness along the wall of the gates.

“The rain is starting to let up,” commented Jenneva.

Alex heard the noise again, and he whirled towards the wall, his stance ready to attack.

“What is it?” Jenneva asked in a whisper.

“I don’t know,” Alex replied. “I keep hearing noises behind me, but nothing is there.”

Jenneva cast a spell of illumination and dull glow emanated from the ring on her finger. Barely visible along the base of the wall was a long line of rats scurrying along in single file. The rats were heading deeper into the city, and they scattered when Jenneva’s light illuminated the area.

“Niki is marshalling her forces,” Alex declared.

“Marshalling?” echoed Jenneva. “I do not find it impressive. When she called to them in her sleep in the palace, the corridors were swarming with them. This appears to be just a trickle.”

“You misunderstand,” Alex smiled thinly. “She is not calling them to urgently attack. Look at them. They are not running. They remind me of Rangers getting into position before a major battle. They are slinking along in the shadows, trying to move unseen. If this is Niki’s doing, I am impressed. I would expect Fredrik to act in such a manner, but I never thought Niki understood the finer points of battle. She always seemed to be thinking of something else whenever we discussed strategies or tactics.”

“Are you suggesting that Niki is planning an ambush?”

“That is what it looks like to me. Unless you think rats have suddenly learned military tactics? We need to move along if we are to be part of the attack.”

Alex started moving towards his unicorn, but Jenneva hesitated as she digested what Alex had just said. When he turned around and stared at her questioningly, she smiled.

“Perhaps we should give Niki some latitude here. I am not suggesting that we leave the battle to Niki and her animals, but neither should we barge in and threaten the secrecy of her ambush. Let us travel casually so that we do not spook the demonkin.”

* * * *

Cavanor’s male appearance bothered her. She had delighted in her beautiful form, but she understood the need for concealment. She had to find Niki and kill her before the animals struck again. While the strikes upon her shields were tiny, they were so numerous that the strain of maintaining the shields was a distraction, a distraction that she could not afford if she was to strike down the boy king. She also could not afford to be the center of a spectacle in the city streets. Her anonymity was essential if she was to get within range of King Arik.

The demonkin listened to the sounds of the rain diminish. When only the sounds of water dripping off the roof remained, she finished her ale and rose to leave. She walked to the door and cracked it open, peering into the streets to see if any birds were circling overhead. She saw not a bird in the sky, and the streets of the city were fairly empty. Confident of her male disguise, Cavanor opened the door and stepped into the street. She turned eastward towards the inn where she had a room near the waterfront. The demonkin walked cautiously at first, but her confidence strengthened with every step. She was not prepared for what happened.

When Cavanor reached the first intersection, hundreds of dogs rushed out of the side street. While her first reaction was to blast the beasts before they arrived, her instincts demanded that she erect a physical shield. No sooner was the shield erected when the first of the dogs leaped at her body. Incredibly, cats appeared out of a nearby alley and also attacked. While the dogs tried to leap for the demonkin’s throat, the cats were content to rake their claws over the invisible shield. Thousands of birds that had hidden themselves on the surrounding rooftops screeched downward to attack the shield. This time they did not blindly smash into the shields and end their lives. Instead they perched upon the shield and pecked at it.

Cavanor whirled around aimlessly, sending fireballs streaming off her fingertips, but the animals were too close to hit with any accuracy. While her fiery spells did kill some of the animals, there were far too many of them, and any opening caused by death was soon filled with more animals. The demonkin watched in amazement as thousands of rats suddenly surged into the street from the shadows. The small vermin actually pushed aside the cats in their eagerness to attack the demonkin’s shields.

Cavanor tried to break free of the animals and move towards the safety of a nearby doorway, but the pressure of the dogs battering against her shields allowed her no movement. As she felt her shield starting to weaken, she dropped the male façade and put all of her strength into maintaining the shield. Thousands upon thousands of tiny pokes rippled through the demonkin’s body as she stood helplessly in the middle of the street. Knowing that no shield could withstand such a constant bombardment, Cavanor raised both hands and began blasting away at the animals between her and the nearest door. Dogs burst into flames and rats exploded at her feet, but the constant pecking of the birds, the gnawing of the rats, the scratching of the cats, and the leaping of the dogs took its toll. The demonkin’s shield shattered.

Cavanor was almost relieved to be rid of the shield. Her rock-like skin would prove to be as impervious as the shield, and without the barrier surrounding her, she was now free to strike out with both her hands and feet. Cavanor kicked mercilessly at the cats and rats, and punched the dogs ferociously. She called forth lightning bolts to slam into the gathered animal host, and she sprayed sheets of flame at the animals around her. The stench of burning fur told her that she was making headway as she continued to push towards the closest door.

Unexpectedly, the birds that had been pecking at the invisible shield, suddenly attacked the demonkin’s head. Long bills pierced both of her eyes, and the world turned instantly black. She raised her hands to shoo away the birds, but such motions did not deter the creatures. The birds continued to attack her eyes, but they also savaged her ears until the demonkin could hear nothing other than a constant roar. She was not sure what she tripped over, probably a dog, but it hardly mattered. Her body smashed to the ground, crushing some rats and scattering others. The animals swarmed all over the demonkin, scratching harmlessly across her rock-like skin, but also seeking out the chinks in her armor. When she opened her mouth to gasp for breath, something bit down on her tongue and pulled ferociously. As blood gurgled in her throat, rats scurried into her mouth. She tried to seal their entrance by closing her mouth, but the first two rats blocked her air passage, and she opened her mouth in a futile effort to suck in more air. As the demonkin suffocated, two Knights of Alcea stood nearby and watched.

“I have never seen anything quite so horrible in all my life,” Alex commented as he drew his sword. “I have seen men lose limbs and be struck dead on the field of battle, but nothing would bring such terror to mind as being devoured from the inside out. I have to end this.”

“It is already over,” declared Jenneva. “If it makes you feel better to decapitate the demonkin then do so, but do not stand in the way of Niki’s revenge. Many of those animals died to avenge Fredrik’s death. Let them do as they wish with the corpse.”

Alex nodded with understanding as he approached the mass of animals swarming over the demonkin’s body. He thought at first that the animals might turn on him in their feeding frenzy, but they did not. They scurried out of his way. Alex raised his sword and brought it down swiftly on the demonkin’s neck. Cavanor’s head bobbled away. As soon as the deed was done, the animals lost interest in the demonkin. The birds flew up into the sky, and the cats and dogs turned and sauntered away. Some of the rats continued to nibble for a moment, but they soon abandoned the corpse as if the flavor of the meat was repugnant.

King Arik’s study in the Royal Palace was L shaped with the longer leg of the room stretching from the doorway to the window. The shorter leg of the room ran along the windowed wall, and a long, high-backed couch acted as a divider to create a comfortable sitting area invisible from the doorway. King Arik and Queen Tanya lounged on the couch. Alex and Jenneva sat in overstuffed chairs facing the couch.

“Who would have thought that Niki was capable of defeating a demonkin?” offered the king. “I always remember her magic as being puny and uncontrollable.”

“You never understood her gift,” the queen responded. “No one can blame you for that as I have never truly understood it, either. Her magic is unlike Jenneva’s or mine. While she may have trouble using spells that come as second nature to me, she can do things with animals that I could only dream about.”

“Her attack on the demonkin was effective,” interjected Alex. “No one can deny that. Has there been any luck in locating her?”

“None,” answered the king. “We have searched the city thoroughly and there is no sign of her. I fear that she has really left the city this time.”

“We thought that before,” Alex responded. “What makes you return to such a theory?”

“A lone horse approached the western gates of the city this morning,” answered the king. “It is a horse that was reported stolen on the day of the attack on the demonkin. I suspect that Niki fled the city right after the attack.”

“Surely, she doesn’t think that you would judge her for murdering the demonkin?” balked Alex. “Why would she leave the city?”

“And why on a horse?” sighed the king. “She has a unicorn partner assigned to her. I know that it makes no sense, but the stolen horse walked right up to the gate guards as if it had been instructed to do so. I do not know of anyone else who could accomplish such a thing.”

“A unicorn can communicate with us,” stated Jenneva. “A horse cannot. That is why Niki stole the horse. Borrowed it, actually. She did tell it to return.”

“You mean that Niki does not want to be found?” frowned Queen Tanya.

“I think that is obvious.” Jenneva nodded. “While the Rangers searched the countryside, she was safely hidden in the city awaiting a chance to exact revenge for Fredrik’s death. Now that you are searching the city, she has moved safely into the countryside. She has no desire to remain among us. In her mind, she might even blame us for Fredrik’s death.”

“I could see that,” sighed the queen. “Niki does not think like the rest of us. While Fredrik was happy and at home here in the Royal Palace, Niki always saw others taking advantage of Fredrik’s skills and not giving him enough credit for everything he did.”

“It was a competition solely in her mind,” agreed the king. “If my men find her, they will extend an invitation for her to return, but I will not order her brought back to a city where she does not feel welcome.”

“I think that is wise,” sighed Jenneva as she stood up. “Time is running short, and I must get moving on my Cordonian project if I am to succeed before the invasion begins.”