Heirs of the Enemy (51 page)

“This was not about pearls,” countered Sheri. “The pearls are not even mine. This was about crumbling in the face of an outrageous demand from a sniveling little brat.”

“Focus, Sheri,” Zack said calmingly. “There is too much at stake here to let our emotions get the best of us. Calm yourself so that we can return to the ball.”

“Return to the ball?” frowned Sheri. “Shouldn’t we get out of here? Those girls are quite capable of having us seized, and you just sent them to the queen.”

“The girls will not go to the queen,” smiled Zack. “Queen Samir would be embarrassed before the entire nobility of Spino, and she would take that out on the princesses. They will not mention this episode to the queen, at least not tonight, but you have made two powerful enemies. We will have to revise our plans to take that into account. For now, do not go anywhere in the palace alone.”

* * * *

Zalaharic pulled away from Prince Harold. He slumped into a chair and closed his eyes, but Sigfrid noticed that he was less exhausted then after the other sessions.

“You are making headway,” the Royal Sorcerer said. “I can see it.”

“Indeed we are,” the elven healer replied without opening his eyes. “Let the fairies rest and give him some tea.”

Sigfrid removed the leeches first and then poured a cup of tea containing the kioji. The fairies needed no instructions to leave. They had heard the elf speak, and they darted into the sitting room to get some rest. Sigfrid administered the tea to the prince and placed the cup back on the table. He spent a while straightening up and then sat down and stared at the elf.

“How much progress are you making? Will he live?”

“He will live,” Zalaharic replied as he opened his eyes. “In fact, we made great progress today. The disease is vanishing more and more with each session. I think the next one might be the last.”

Sigfrid smiled broadly at the elf. “You always talk about the progress we have made, but it is really all your doing. I feel helpless when you delve inside him.”

“I could not do it without you, Sigfrid. It would be foolish even to try it. Without a knowledgeable person observing the patient, it would be extremely dangerous for me. Do not belittle your contribution to this effort.”

“You an amazing person, Zalaharic. I am honored to have had this chance to work alongside you.”

Prince Harold moaned slightly as he began to wake up. Zalaharic swiftly rose and turned to exit the room before Harold woke, as he always did since the first encounter with the prince. Prince Harold opened his eyes to see the elf hurrying to the door.

“Stop! Do not leave!”

Zalaharic sighed deeply and froze in the doorway. He turned and looked at the prince. “Sigfrid will take care of you as he always does.”

“Come back,” Prince Harold said softly. “Every time I awaken, you are quick to flee, and I understand why. I have wanted to apologize to you since that first day. I am ashamed at how I reacted to first seeing you. Please sit and talk to me.”

The elven healer nodded and returned to his chair. “It was never my intent to frighten you.”

“Nor should I have been frightened. I have never really known an elf before. I have listened to stories told by others, and now I know that such stories are false. I am truly sorry for my ingratitude. Whatever you are doing to me, you are performing a miracle. I am not talking about the removal of my red blotches. I am talking about how I feel inside. I can tell the difference each time I wake up. I have not felt this well in years, maybe never.”

“I am pleased to hear that,” smiled Zalaharic. “I get to see the retreat of the disease inside you, but I do not get to experience a feeling of your well being. It is significant that you can feel it. It means that we are winning the battle.”

“I owe my life to you, and I do not even know your name.”

“I am called Zalaharic, and you owe me nothing.”

“On that we disagree,” smiled the prince. “Sigfrid has refused to tell me where I am. Will you tell me?”

“It is not my place,” replied Zalaharic. “My task is to make you well, no matter where you are. This place is a good as any other. Better perhaps, in that we are not disturbed here.”

“It is more than curiosity that causes me to ask,” frowned the prince. “The soldiers who took me from the castle talked about my ascending to the throne if I got better. I must know where I am.”

Zalaharic and Sigfrid exchanged worried glances.

“Please,” pushed the prince. “It is a matter of life and death.”

“No one will harm you here,” vowed Sigfrid. “I promise you that.”

“We would not go to the trouble of healing you just to allow you to be harmed,” added Zalaharic. “Let’s just say that you are in the safest place in the world right now.”

“Am I a prisoner?” asked the prince.

“No,” answered Sigfrid. “We are hoping that you will stay with us for a while, but we will return you to your castle if you wish. Keep in mind that your treatment is not yet concluded.”

“I have no desire to return to that prison,” declared the prince. “Keep your secret if you must, but I must know if I am still within my brother’s reach.”

“No,” frowned Sigfrid. “The way we took you out of the castle was designed to keep your brother from worrying about you. He does not know that you are gone.”

“Worrying about me?” balked the prince. “Are we talking about my brother?”

The healers exchanged confused looks.

“You are Prince Harold of Ertak, are you not?” asked Sigfrid.

“That I am,” answered the prince, “but someone has given you false information. I am nothing more than a prisoner to my brother. His only worry about me would be if he knew that I had escaped.”

“I am confused,” frowned Sigfrid. “We were told that your father wanted you dead, but that your brother saved you by sequestering you in a castle.”

“A partial truth. The king did want me dead, and my brother did save my life by guarding me, but his motives were totally selfish in nature.”

“Explain,” demanded Zalaharic.

“Because of my condition, I was an unlikely heir to the throne. Being so sickly, my father was anxious to get rid of his embarrassment. What is missing in your knowledge is the existence of my step-brothers. My father and my brother do not get along at all. When the king decided so callously to get rid of me, my brother feared that he might be next, leaving the throne to one of the king’s illegitimate sons. To ensure his own place in the line of succession, my brother has kept me alive.”

“So if the king decides to get rid of your brother, you still stand in the way of his illegitimate sons?”

“Correct. If anyone finds out that I have been healed, both of their positions would change. My brother would immediately want me dead, and the king would take steps to remove my brother. He might also decide to remove me if he could manage it, but I am less of a threat to him than General Montero.”

“Which is why you cannot return to the castle we took you from,” noted Zalaharic. “I think he deserves the truth Sigfrid.”

The Royal Sorcerer nodded in agreement. “You are currently in Herinak Castle.”

“Korocca?” gasped the prince. “How? The soldiers wore the uniform of the Federation.”

“They were not real soldiers,” stated Sigfrid. “We did not want to tell you where you were because you would think that we intended to hold you hostage. Such a thought would be wrong.”

“Then why am I here?”

“Because Herinak is out of reach of your soldiers,” answered Zalaharic.

“And because King Wendal agreed that we could use this level of his castle without any interference from him,” added Sigfrid. “I am the Royal Sorcerer of Korocca.”

“You say that I am not a prisoner, though,” frowned the prince. “Why else would Korocca want a prince of Ertak if not for bargaining?”

“To lead your people properly,” answered Zalaharic. “It is to everyone’s benefit for Ertak to have a just ruler, one who cares for the people he rules and not just the nobles. We are hoping that you are such a person.”

“With what we know about your father and brother,” added Sigfrid, “we could hardly go wrong.”

“But my father and brother still live. Of what use am I to anyone?”

“War is coming in the spring,” answered Sigfrid. “There is a land across the sea called Alcea. The Federation will be attacking them as soon as possible. While victory for Alcea is a poor prediction right now, some Alceans thought it was wise to prepare for such a situation.”

“I am one of those Alceans,” declared Zalaharic.

“Alcea is a land of elves?” questioned the prince.

“Alcea is a land where all peoples live in harmony,” answered the elf. “Humans, elves and dwarves stand united. We have found that peace is much more desirable than war, but we are prepared to defend our homeland. Your brother will be leading one of the invading armies. No matter who wins, he will not return from the war.”

Prince Harold nodded in understanding. It was becoming obvious that the Alceans had given a lot of thought to the problem if they were already planning to assassinate his brother.

“Are there any books available about Alcea?”

“No,” answered Sigfrid.

“I may be able to get you some,” stated Zalaharic. “What do you want to know about it?”

“Everything. I am an avid reader. Get me whatever you can. Am I free to move about the castle?”

“No,” answered Sigfrid. “You cannot leave this level of the castle until your healing is complete. After that, we will discuss this issue again.”

“But you said that I was not a prisoner. Why the restrictions?”

“The Federation has spies in Herinak,” answered Sigfrid. “If they see you here, the Federation may well attack us instead of Alcea. We cannot risk that. That is why we have this level of the castle isolated from the rest.”

“An acceptable answer.” Prince Harold nodded. “Perhaps I can develop a disguise?”

“That is a thought worth exploring,” agreed Sigfrid. “We will discuss it when the time comes.”

“If I can find those books on Alcea,” offered Zalaharic, “I will have them placed outside your door. You are well enough now to walk around your suite, in fact, I encourage it. Your muscles need to be exercised.”

Three Knights of Alcea sat in the sitting room of the suite at the Palace Keep in Giza. They listened intently as the elf spoke about the Temple of Balmak in the Aertan city.

“There were two connections to the sewer system,” stated Headman, the head of the thieves’ guild. “The old sewer access has been filled with rocks. It is impossible to get into the temple that way now. The only other access to the sewers has also been modified recently. Thick iron rods have been inserted in a crisscross mesh that makes it impossible to pass. In short, you cannot use the sewers to gain access to the temple.”

“Then we will have to go in through one of the doors,” Garth said.

“I don’t think so,” Headman retorted. “For some reason, the Federation is providing protection for the temple. There are patrols around it night and day. You will not get near the building.”

“That didn’t take them long,” sighed Tedi. “They know that we are coming for K’san.”

“They are clearly expecting us,” agreed Natia. “Perhaps we should move on.”

“Do you really think it will be any different in Despair?” asked Garth. “They will be protecting all of the K’sans now. It is to be expected.”

“Why is this to be expected?” asked Headman. “It is quite unusual for the army to get involved in protecting temples. There is something that you are not telling me.”

“We need to destroy all of them,” explained Garth. “We killed the priest in Farmin the night we liberated the elven children. We just recently killed another in Valdo.”

“We went into the temple through the sewers to assassinate K’san in Valdo,” added Natia. “That is why they made the recent changes here in Giza.”

“They think that you are specifically targeting the priests?”

“We are specifically targeting the priests,” Garth replied. “They are demonkin, and they must be eliminated.”

“Why?” asked Headman. “The children are already safe, are they not? Are you afraid they will be used in the attack on Alcea?”

“The war is coming,” answered Tedi. “Not just to Alcea, but to the whole world. The demonkin must die before the war begins.”

Headman frowned deeply. “I am confused. I have heard rumors of the Federation attacking Alcea, but you are indicating much more than that. If Giza is to be attacked, I would like to know.”

Tedi bit his lip as he realized that he said too much. He glanced at Garth, his face flushed with embarrassment. Garth sighed and nodded in understanding.

“War is coming to Giza, Headman,” Garth declared, “but we cannot afford for that to be known. For our plan to work, we must wait until the Federation has committed the bulk of their armies to the attack on Alcea. Only then can we attack the cities in Zara.”

“You truly mean to end the Federation once and for all?”

“There is no other path to a lasting peace.” Garth nodded. “I must demand that you keep our secret to yourself.”

Headman shrugged off the implied threat from Garth. He understood the consequences of letting the Federation know about such plans. For a moment, no one spoke, but Headman nodded his understanding.

“What are Alcea’s intentions regarding Aerta?” asked the thief. “Does your king plan to take the place of Emperor Jaar, keeping Aerta as nothing more than a vassal state?”

“I do not think that has even been discussed,” Garth answered truthfully. “I have been working under the assumption that the countries in Zara would remain free and separate, and King Arik has enthusiastically supported me, but you should understand something about King Arik. He is a leader unlike any other. In Alcea, he united all countries into one, but each former country remains a self-governing province. What this has eliminated are the border clashes and petty squabbling so often known to neighboring countries.”

“I have known Arik since my youth,” interjected Tedi. “We grew up together in a small fishing village. I can assure you that he would only want what the people want for themselves. If they want to be separate, he will allow it. If they wish to join Alcea and become part of the greatest nation in the world, he would accept them and protect them.”