Heirs of the Enemy (44 page)

“That is where they disappeared,” he said softly. “I waited for hours for them to come out again, but they never did.”

“They could have made camp for the night,” suggested Morro as a biting northern wind chilled his body. “The ravine looks large enough to shield them from the weather.”

“It was early morning when they entered,” retorted the soldier. “Besides, it was a fine autumn day.”

“I would wager a month’s pay that they were bound for the Black Citadel,” interjected Sergeant Treman.

Clint’s head snapped towards the sergeant. “The Black Citadel? What do you know of the Black Citadel?”

“Not much,” admitted the sergeant. “It is a place of evil magic. Those who grew up around here learned early in life not to stray near the Barrier because that was the land of the Black Citadel. Our parents told tales of children who disobeyed the warning. Looking back, they were probably stories to frighten us, but we took them seriously at the time. They said that children who strayed too far never returned. Call us cowards if you wish, but me and my friends never entered the mountains.”

Clint craned his neck to gaze up at the mountains, but they were too steep to see anything but the rock walls towering above him.

“Did you ever see black-cloaks when you were a child?” asked Clint.

“From a distance,” answered Sergeant Treman. “They used to come by once a month or so. My family would always retreat indoors when we saw them, and they never bothered us.”

“What are you thinking?” asked Morro when he caught Clint’s eye.

“I am thinking that we need to check out the ravine,” answered the general. “If there is a path that leads to the Black Citadel, or any other place, I want to know about it.”

“If there is something up there,” cautioned Morro, “it would not be wise to let them see a patrol of Federation soldiers riding into their lair. Let me go in alone.”

Clint narrowed his eyes at the elf. “Do you have mountain climbing expertise?”

“No,” conceded the elf, “but I am sure of foot. I will be fine.”

Clint remained silent for a while and then pushed back from the edge of the trees. He rose and walked back to the clearing where the rest of his men were gathered. Morro and Colonel Hardi gathered around as Clint surveyed his small band of men.

“Colonel Hardi,” General Forshire said, finally breaking the silence, “I want you to find a suitable place for Sergeant Nekra’s men to camp for a few days. If they are in a cave, they may have a fire, otherwise it will be a cold camp. I do not want anyone up in the mountains to be aware that there are soldiers down here.”

Colonel Hardi nodded his understanding.

“I also want you to start training your men daily in the art of mountain climbing,” Clint continued. “Find those among your men who have experience and get them to train the others. When you train, make sure that it is far to our north. I want nothing to alarm any eyes residing in the peaks.”

“Does this mean that you are not joining your men?” the colonel asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting it stated.

“You know me well,” Clint smiled. “Morro and I will be taking a trip into that ravine as soon as it gets dark. I cannot say how long we will be gone.”

* * * *

Garth pulled a key from his pouch and silently unlocked the Door. He eased the Door open and peered into the office. No one was around, and he stepped into the room, easing the body of Prince Harold onto a nearby chair. He moved silently across the room and peeked into Sidney’s sitting room. The merchant and Queen Romani were sitting and talking softly. Garth cleared his throat as he entered the room. The merchant and the queen turned with a start, Sidney rising out of his chair as a Federation colonel stepped into the room. He quickly recognized Garth and sighed with relief.

“Don’t scare me like that,” admonished the merchant.

“What are you doing in that uniform?” asked Queen Romani.

“I needed the disguise,” answered Garth as he crossed the room and sat down. “I also need another suite here in Herinak Castle. Can you arrange that?”

“I have no doubt that King Wendal would assign a suite to you, Garth,” replied Sidney as he sat down, “but how will you explain your presence here. I thought the Doors were to remain secret.”

“I will tell him that I flew in,” answered Garth.

“Do not do that,” warned the queen. “You should look out a window before you offer such a foolish answer. Herinak is experiencing a blizzard, the earliest on record. I doubt that even a unicorn could fly in such weather.”

Garth rose from his chair and walked to the window. He had heard the howling of the wind when he came through the Door, but Sidney’s suite was quite warm from the fire burning in the fireplace. He had not counted on the extreme change in weather. When he reached the window, he tried to peer out, but everything was ice covered. He sighed and retook his seat.

“Why do you need a room here?” asked Sidney. “If it is because you need a place to rest for a few days, you can use mine. I will seek other quarters.”

Garth shook his head. “I am going to have to level with King Wendal, and probably Baron Stikman. I hope I can trust them not to let word of the Doors spread any further.”

“That is dangerous,” warned the merchant. “I trust both of them, but they trust others that I would not place much faith in. Think long and hard about this.”

“I have little choice,” Garth sighed with frustration. “I have just kidnapped Prince Harold of Ertak. He is in your office.”

Queen Romani gasped. Sidney Mercado leaped from his seat and rushed into the other room. He stared at the Prince of Ertak and returned to his seat in a state of bewilderment.

“I do not understand,” Sidney said. “Prince Harold is not the heir, and he is unlikely to be accepted by his people if he was. Why kidnap him?”

“And why bring him here?” asked Queen Romani. “If there are Federation spies about, his presence here will start a war.”

“General Montero is the heir,” explained Garth, “but he is leading his army in the attack on Alcea. He is a ruthless man who will perpetuate the culture of the Federation. I plan to ensure that he never returns from Alcea. That will make Prince Harold the heir.”

“He will never be accepted.” Sidney shook his head vigorously. “Did you notice his sickly condition? The people will end his reign before it begins, and he will be too weak to do anything about it.”

“I am hoping that King Wendal’s mages can change that,” answered the Knight of Alcea.

“The black-cloaks tried everything they knew when the prince was no more than a lad,” retorted the merchant.

“From what Jenneva says,” Garth countered, “the black-cloaks know very little about healing. The magical arts they seek to perfect are the arts of warfare and intimidation. I hope the mages in Korocca are more suited to the light arts. Perhaps I should have taken him to the elves instead, but there are other reasons why I chose Korocca.”

“And what are those reasons?” pressed the queen.

“Prince Harold is an intelligent man, and he has not grown up in his father’s court. He is not attached to the Federation, which makes him moldable. I thought if he could spend some time in the horse countries, he would learn to understand them as neighbors should. We have to think beyond the coming war,” Garth continued with emotion. “When all of the blood has been shed, the countries of Zara will have to learn to live peacefully with one another. If we can start that healing process with the heirs, will we not have more of a chance for success?”

“You mean to heal the prince and his country at the same time?” Queen Romani asked with a raised eyebrow. “I discover more about you with each visit, Garth Shado. You impressed me as a general in Vinafor, and now you strike me as a wise monarch. However, there is still the problem of starting a war involving the horse countries. Do not let your good intentions result in unneeded bloodshed.”

“There will be bloodshed aplenty,” frowned Garth. “I should go and speak with King Wendal.”

“Not in that uniform,” cautioned the merchant. “You would not get more than a few steps from my door. Find something else to put on. I will try to get King Wendal to come here.”

Garth nodded. “You might as well bring Baron Stikman with you, but no one else.”

Sidney nodded and exited the suite. Garth returned to Sidney’s office and stripped off the Federation uniform. He quickly dressed as a special agent for Sidney Mercado and then checked with Bitsy to make sure that she wasn’t tiring of casting her sleep spell on Prince Harold. As he was returning to the sitting room, the door to the suite opened. Garth turned and saw Sidney usher King Wendal and his son into the room. They stared at Garth as if they had seen a ghost. Sidney quickly closed the door.

“How did you get here?” asked Baron Stikman. “Nothing is moving outside.”

“Please sit,” Garth replied. “There is much to tell you, and most of it must be held in the greatest secrecy.”

“Secrecy again?” scowled the baron. “I thought we had dispensed with the need for such measures. Do you still fear that Koroccans are spies for the Federation?”

“Let me answer that question with what you have described as my most annoying habit. Are you prepared to lay your kingdom at the feet of the Federation for lack of secrecy?”

“That is hardly likely in this weather,” retorted the baron. “A mouse couldn’t enter this city right now.” Even as the words flowed out of his mouth, the baron realized the foolishness of his statement. He stared at Garth with wonder. “How did you get in here?”

“I got here the same way that Federation planned to attack you,” answered Garth. “I used a magic portal, and if word of that spreads through your castle, the Federation will attack you with every army they have.”

The king’s face paled, and he eased himself into a chair. The baron stared in disbelief.

“Get Sigfrid up here,” the king said to his son. The baron nodded and turned to leave. “And mention nothing of portals to anyone. Garth was right in the past, and we were wrong. I will concede to him on this point for now.”

The baron nodded and left the suite. No one spoke until he returned with the Royal Sorcerer. Sigfrid took a seat, and the king fixed his gaze upon the magician.

“Can people travel from place to place through a magical portal?” asked the king.

“In theory.” Sigfrid nodded. “There are many tales of such feats in the past, but I know of no one who has been able to duplicate such magic.”

The king shifted his gaze to Garth. “Can you prove the worth of your words?”

“I can, but before I do, there is more that I must reveal to you.”

“Very well,” sighed the king. “Continue.”

“We have infiltrated the Federation at the highest levels. It is now certain that the Federation plans to attack Alcea first. In fact, the invasion was scheduled to begin within the month, but the sudden snap in the weather has delayed them until spring. My countrymen are now scrambling to prepare for that invasion. We have discovered that they plan to use magical portals to attack us, and we have discovered where they are. It is believed that the main reason the horse countries have not been attacked is because they feared that my people would learn of the portals and prepare for them being used in Alcea. That caused the Federation to delay the war against you until after Alcea is conquered.”

“And you are sure of this?” asked the king.

Garth nodded. “We stole some of their portals for our own use. That is how I was able to come here today.”

“Then we no longer have to fear an attack,” stated the baron. “Surely the Alceans will defeat the emperor’s armies.”

“I wish I had your confidence,” retorted Garth. “We will certainly do our best to mangle them, but we still need to attack here in Zara. The seats of power in the Federation must tumble under our feet. That is the only way to have a lasting peace.”

“The countries of the Federation will never live in peace with us,” countered the baron. “We may beat them into submission, but they will rise again in a few years. It is in their blood to make war upon their neighbors.”

“I hope you are wrong, Baron Stikman,” frowned Garth, “because I am planning to nurture their future kings. In fact, I want to bring them here to study with your scholars.”

“Preposterous!” snapped the baron. “Your ego needs to be adjusted, Garth Shado. Not one of the heirs would ever come to Korocca.”

“I have Prince Harold in the other room,” Garth said softly. “That is another secret that must be kept closely. Should the Federation find out that he is here, they will use their portals to attack you.”

Baron Stikman stormed towards Sidney’s office. He threw open the door and halted as he stepped into the room. With a look of shock, he backed into the sitting room and turned around.

“Is he dead?”

“No,” answered Garth. “I have a fairy keeping a sleep spell on him. Prince Harold did not know where I was taking him when we left Ertak. I have kept him asleep to hide the truth of the portals from him.”

“And you expect that he will merely wake up and study with our scholars?” frowned the king. “There is something that you are not telling us.”

“There is more,” Garth conceded. “Prince Harold is a sickly man. He is only of use to us and Ertak if we can make him healthy. I was hoping that Sigfrid might be able to accomplish that.”

“I will try my best,” offered the Royal Sorcerer, “but I have to imagine that King Harowin has already tried everything known to his people.”

“I agree,” replied Garth, “but the black-cloaks care little for healing magic. I only ask that you try. If you can make no progress, I will search elsewhere, but I truly believe that the prince can be beneficial for peace after the war. That will involve the removal of King Harowin and General Montero, but I think we can manage that.”

The baron still looked dubious, but the king nodded in agreement.

“Your experiment is worth the gamble,” the king said. “I have often said that war could be averted if we would just make an attempt to understand one another. If Prince Harold is game then so am I. Tell me what you need, Garth.”

“I would like this entire floor of the castle blocked off on a permanent basis. I would like a library stocked up here and some select trusted people to interact with the prince. Whoever is chosen should be moved up here and not be allowed to leave. The risk is far too great to do otherwise.”