Heirs of the Enemy (33 page)

“And I need to return to Zara,” added Alex as he rose and took Jenneva’s hand. “We will all be busy in the next few weeks. There is precious little time to prepare.”

The king and queen rose and embraced the queen’s parents before they departed. As soon as Alex and Jenneva had left the room, King Arik turned to his wife.

“It is time for us to move on as well. The Rangers will have to deal with Niki.”

“To the Mountain of Death?” asked the queen.

“To speak with the gods.” The king nodded.

* * * *

General Forshire walked aimlessly through the Imperial Palace in Despair until he was certain that Colonel Taerin had seen him. He wanted to speak to the colonel, but he did not want it to appear as if he had initiated the conversation. He knew that Taerin’s curiosity would draw him to the waterfront bench. Clint left the palace soon after the colonel had spotted him. He walked directly, but casually, to the waterfront bench and sat down. Moments later, Colonel Taerin arrived and sat next to him.

“I had heard that you and your escort left the city days ago,” Colonel Taerin said softly. “A change in plans?”

“My plans are always fluid,” smiled General Forshire. “Some days I yearn to be away from the palace and all its trappings of power and politics, but there are other times when I long for the solitude and this view of the sea. I find the serenity of the sea allows me to think more clearly.”

“Then something heavy must be weighing on your mind,” deduced the colonel. “Perhaps I can help?”

Clint blinked as if the offer was unexpected. Slowly he smiled and nodded his head as he reached into his pouch and retrieved the gold pin.

“Perhaps. Can you tell me what this is?”

The colonel inhaled sharply. He made no attempt to reach out and take the pin for closer examination. “Where did you get that?”

One of Clint’s eyebrows rose at the colonel’s reaction. He suddenly wondered if showing the pin to Taerin had been a mistake.

“You recognize it,” Clint said accusingly. “Perhaps you should explain.”

Colonel Taerin caught the tone of General Forshire’s question. He frowned deeply and shook his head.

“That pin belongs to Emperor Jaar. How has it come into your possession? You told me that you were unable to get in to see the emperor.”

“I did not get this pin from the emperor,” declared Clint. “If I were to steal such a trivial piece, do you really think I would be showing it to you? Do not accuse me of such unsavory deeds.”

The colonel was taken aback as the general’s words. Slowly, he sighed anxiously and nodded in understanding.

“I apologize. Such a pin sits on the shelf in the emperor’s office. From what I have heard, it has been on display there ever since the emperor was crowned. To my knowledge, there is only one other like it, and Lord Kimner owns that one. Is that where you got it?”

“I have never met Lord Kimner,” stated Clint, “at least as far as I know. There were a great number of lords at the celebration.”

“Lord Kimner was not at the celebration,” replied Colonel Taerin. “He never leaves his home any more. He is far too old and far too feeble to venture out. He was Emperor Forkuna’s closest advisor, and he was severally wounded in the assassination attack. Ironic in a way,” the colonel continued with a tone of sadness in his voice. “Lord Kimner was, by all accounts, the architect of the Federation.”

“You would think that Emperor Jaar would have made some special arrangements for Lord Kimner to attend,” mused General Forshire.

“Emperor Jaar and Lord Kimner do not get along,” replied the colonel. “I suspect that Lord Kimner’s idea of what the Federation should be differs a great deal from what it is today.”

“Why do they both have pins like this?” asked Clint. “Is it some rank of office?”

“Hardly.” The colonel shook his head vigorously. “It is quite the opposite. The story that I heard is that the pins were the personal marks of the assassins. They are a group known as the Badgers. The emperor keeps the one that was dropped on his father’s body. Lord Kimner kept the one used by the captured assassin to kill himself. It is believed that the tip of the pin is poisonous. I would not touch it.”

Clint glanced at the pin held in his hand and carefully shoved it back into the pouch. He shuddered as he thought about his handling of the poisonous pin.

“You didn’t say where you got that pin,” probed the colonel.

“No, I didn’t,” replied Clint. “Where can I find these Badgers?”

“If they exist,” the colonel replied, “you don’t find them. They find you.”

“If they exist?” echoed the general.

“The Badgers are supposedly as old as the Empire of Barouk,” explained the colonel. “It is said that the brotherhood has had a hand in every change of leadership in the history of the empire, but I suspect that most of the stories are mere conjecture. I can’t imagine any ancient organization actually flourishing for thousands of years and not being discovered. I assume that the Badger pins were an attempt to confuse the emperor’s men about who was behind the assassination attempt. Imagine how convenient it would be to point suspicion to some bogus, mythical brotherhood that doesn’t really exist. It would stop the investigators from looking in more logical places for their culprit.”

“So the noble behind the assassination was never apprehended?”

“No one was caught except the actual assassins, and they all died promptly. Convenient, no?”

General Forshire rose to his feet and glanced back towards the Imperial Palace. He sighed heavily and looked down at the colonel. “I think you are wrong to dismiss the idea of an ancient brotherhood, Colonel. Even if their ties do not go all the way back to the founding of the empire, that does not mean that such a group does not exist. The assassination of Emperor Forkuna was real enough, and I have reasons to believe that the Badgers still exist today. If you will excuse me, I have to get back to my men.”

* * * *

In a room in the Emporium Inn in Despair, two Alceans posing as Zarans met clandestinely. Zack Nolan examined the Badger pin and nodded slowly.

“I believe the colonel was correct. There is a tint on the tip of the pin that definitely looks like something was applied to it. Poison is the only thing that makes sense.”

“And they would wear these poisoned pins on their chests?” balked Clint. “That sounds irresponsible and risky to me.”

“Not really,” replied Zack. “The clasp is larger than normal. It encloses the entire tip. There is no way that the wearer would prick himself accidentally. Look at the way we carry our myric quills. An outsider might cringe at our carelessness, but we are not really in danger. When you know that something you are carrying is highly poisonous, you become accustomed to handling it carefully. I have never heard of a Ranger accidentally dying from an inopportune prick.”

“Alright,” Clint conceded with a sigh. “I still want you to handle it with great care. Do you think you will be able to get in to see him?”

“I will give it my all,” promised the Alcean spymaster. “Will you be here when I get back, or are you returning to your men?”

“My men are over sixty leagues outside the city,” answered General Forshire. “Morro can guide them for now. I will wait here for you to return.”

“You left Morro with your men? Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”

“My men think Morro is an old scout for me. They were uneasy at first of traveling with an elf, but they have fully accepted him now. Will you go tonight?”

“There is no time better than right now,” Zack said as he rose to his feet. “I have already procured an elegant carriage for traveling around the city. I will tell Cobb and Bork to ready it while I change into Lord Zachary. If all goes well, I will see you again in a few hours.”

Zack Nolan shoved the gold pin into a pouch and strode out of the suite. He returned to his own suite and explained the mission to his men. He then ordered them to ready the carriage and dress appropriately. As soon as Cobb and Bork departed, Zack transformed himself into Lord Zachary, donning a special padded tunic to give him a paunchy appearance and donned a gray wig to add some years to his looks. For the finishing touch, Zack opened a small case that held his magical aids. He applied small wrinkles to the corners of his eyes and then applied some age spots to the back of his hands. When he was done, he stowed the case and left the suite.

Within minutes he was entering his elegant carriage in front of the Emporium Inn. He whispered instructions to Bork and sent him up to the driver’s seat. Cobb took up position on the rear platform as the carriage rolled into the street. Bork steered the carriage through the streets of Despair and exited the city via the northern gate. Less than a league from the city walls, a small track ran eastward from the Coastal Road. It looked very much like dozens of other tracks that led off the road to favorite campsites, except this one was well graded and well maintained. Less than a thousand paces into the woods, the trail turned sharply. The carriage was forced to slow to maneuver the sharp bend, and a dozen warriors immediately surrounded it. One of the warriors moved directly to the carriage door, ignoring both the driver and the rear attendant.

“The Sanctum is closed to the public,” the head warrior said as he opened the door and peered inside.

“I would certainly hope so,” Zack responded. “I am Lord Zachary of Vinafor. I wish to visit with Lord Kimner.”

The head warrior frowned, but Zack did not give him time to respond. The spymaster slid out of the carriage, gently brushing the head warrior aside.

“I know that Lord Kimner is not expecting me,” Lord Zachary stated before the head warrior could say so. “Announce my arrival and secure his permission for my carriage to proceed. I will wait for your man to return.”

The head warrior was not used to losing control of the situation at the gates, and it showed. The man neither ordered a runner to get permission, nor did he object to the proposition.

“My time in Despair is short,” pushed Lord Zachary. “I had expected to see Lord Kimner at the celebration commemorating the anniversary of the Federation that he helped start, but he never arrived. I cannot leave the empire without expressing my admiration directly. Send your man for Lord Kimner’s permission and be quick about it. The day is not getting any younger, and neither am I.”

The head warrior hesitated only a moment before nodding to one of his men. The chosen man slid away from the gates and disappeared down a well-graded road. Zack took the opportunity to survey the area.

The gates across the road were large and well maintained. He could see a high wall running off in both directions from the gates, and he could just make out the tops of tall towers stationed periodically along the wall. He could not see any of the mansions as the road beyond the gates took another sharp turn. The defenses appeared subtle, but Zack had no doubt that he was seeing only a fraction of the protections set up to safeguard the empire’s elite. Unable to see any more of the defenses, the Alcean spymaster turned his eyes to the warriors guarding the gate. The men were seasoned warriors. Zack could tell by the way the men stood and warily searched the trees for signs of ambush. The guards had also stationed themselves to be able to hold the gates if an ambush did occur. Four men stood before the gates to deal with the carriage. The rest of them were beyond the gates and armed with bows.

A dozen men would hardly be deemed sufficient to hold the gates if someone had serious intentions of gaining entry, so Zack’s eyes scanned the forest beyond the gates. While the secondary men were hard to detect, the Ranger’s eyes found them. Some of them were up in trees, while others moved stealthily through the trees at ground level. The spymaster was impressed. He turned back towards the carriage and saw the head warrior eyeing him suspiciously.

“You are to be commended for your preparations,” Lord Zachary said with a slight smile. “I would not mind sending some my Vinaforans here to take lessons.”

“We do not train outsiders,” the head warrior replied tersely. “Perhaps you would be more comfortable waiting inside the carriage.”

Zack was tempted to ignore the suggestion and see how far the warrior could be pushed, but he eventually decided to comply. He climbed back into the carriage and waited. The minutes dragged by until he finally heard the sound of the gates opening. The head warrior opened the door again and stuck his head in.

“Men will accompany your carriage to the home of Lord Kimner. Your men will not be allowed to leave the carriage at any time while beyond these gates. The penalty for disobedience is death. Ensure that they understand before you leave the carriage.”

The head warrior did not wait for a reply. He closed the door and shouted an order. The carriage began to move, and Zack heard the gates close behind him. After a couple of minutes riding, the unbroken wall of trees lining the road gave way to high estate walls and manicured lawns. Each mansion’s drive had a gate barring access from the road, and warriors manned each gate. Barely visible over the tops of the walls were the upper stories of the mansions of the elite. Each mansion was greater than the one before, and Zack began to get a feel for the incredible wealth the warriors were protecting. Before the carriage had traversed half of the length of the private road, the carriage turned into a driveway of one of the estates. Before the gates opened, Zack could hear the warriors jumping off the carriage and others taking their place. The gates opened and the carriage moved onto the estate grounds.

Zack stared at the armbands worn by the new guards as the carriage rolled through the gates. He suddenly realized that each estate used a different color for their armbands. Combined with the changing of guards at the estate’s gates, that told Zack that the elite not only didn’t trust each other, but they also distrusted the main band of warriors in charge of guarding all the estates. With memories of the Contest of Power in Tagaret, that told Zack that the nobles’ security fears could be used against them. He filed that tidbit in his memory for future use. The carriage slowed to a halt in front of an enormous mansion. The door to the carriage was thrown open and two warriors stood waiting to escort Lord Zachary up the steps to the front door of the building. When they reached the door, the escorts stepped aside.