Preserving the Ingenairii (69 page)

“There’s no way anyone can knock those three cans down with less than three balls,” the barker laughed.
 
“You’ve got a deal!”

Alec handed him a coin, as people began to gather around to see the game.
 
Alec took a moment to study the angle of the wall behind the cans,
then
rifled a ball that spun so fast its trajectory curved.
 
It hit the first can on the right, hit the second can in the middle, missed the third can, but bounced off the wall and ricocheted back to knock the third can down.

The crowd laughed and applauded, while the barker stood dumbfounded.
 
“Jeswyne, our friend needs some help.
 
Why don’t you sing the song for him while he does the dance?”

“I would be honored to help his performance,” she laughed, and Alec helped her stand up on the counter while the unhappy barked climbed up and began a wooden dance to Jeswyne’s voice singing a children’s lullaby.

The crowd laughed and applauded again, and began to throw small coins to Jeswyne for her singing.
 
She laughed and curtsied as the song ended, then stooped so that Alec could lift her down.

“Don’t give up your day job to be a dancer!” Alec laughingly told the barker and they strolled away.

Imagine what my mother would say if she saw that!” Jeswyne laughed.
 
She laid her head on Alec’s shoulder again, and he felt her body vibrate with a yawn.

“It’s been a long day,” Alec said.
 
“I need to get you back to the palace so you can have a good night’s sleep.
 
He pulled her by the hand up into the bushes, and wrapped his arms around her, then jumped forward in time to the moment they had left, and jumped again back into her bedroom in the palace, where they heard the maid humming as she emptied hot water into the tub.

“That was wonderful Alec.
 
Thank you so much, for everything,” Jeswyne said.
 
She started to rise on her tiptoes to kiss his lips, when another yawn erupted, and Alec laughed softly.
 
He kissed her cheek.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” he promised, and he disappeared from the room.

Alec arrived back in his own cottage and let out a big sigh.
 
He snuffed out the candles, undressed, and fell soundly asleep.

Chapter 51 – Wounded by Scarle

Alec awoke late in the morning, as rays of sunlight slanted steeply into his room.
 
A tray of tea, fruit and rolls was in the sitting room, and Alec ate it voraciously.
 
He cleaned himself then stepped outside, where a sentry was waiting.

“Where would you like to go, sir?” the guard asked.

“Let’s go see commander Anatoli,” Alec answered.

The guard obliged and led Alec to the armory area, where they found a council of war gathered around a map of the city.

“Welcome, we’re glad you could join us,” Anatoli said.

“My apologies for being late.
 
Yesterday was a busy day,” Alec explained.

“Understood,” Anatoli grunted.
 
“Here’s what we want to do,” he pointed at the map.
 
“This is the Scarle compound.
 
We want to seize control of it and neutralize it even more than you did yesterday.
 
The emperor intends to confiscate the compound as punishment for an act of treason.

“Over here is the palace where Mikhail has retreated,” Anatoli’s finger moved across the river.
 
“It’s not a glamorous or comfortable palace.
 
It’s more of a castle, set up on a hilltop, easily defensible.

“We want to take control of it as well.
 
Then here,” he pointed to a third location, “is the sorcerers’ guild hall.
 
We want to be careful there, for many reasons, but we need to destroy the treasonous parts of the organization.”

“I’d like to wipe them all out,” Alec muttered

Anatoli looked up and met his eyes.
 
“So would many of us, but that’s not our mission now.”

Alec accepted the ruling.
 
“Who is the leader of Scarle?”
 
he
asked.
 
“Is it someone named Kirill?”

“He is their master, yes,” an officer agreed.

“What if I could get into the Scarle compound and capture Kirill and bring him back to you?” Alec asked.

“Well, they would be likely to fall apart,” Anatoli said.

“Give me some weapons,” Alec said.
 
“I want another sword and a second bandolier of knives.”

The imperial officers looked at one another.
 
“I’ll be back in five minutes if you’ll do as I say,” Alec said.

Anatoli nodded at a junior officer, who returned shortly with the weapons.
 
Alec buckled them on.
 
“Keep the armory clear of people until I return,” Alec warned, and he disappeared from the imperial compound.

Alec arrived back in the parlor of the Scarle compound, and heard an immediate shout.
 
“Who are you and how did you get here?”

Alec pulled out a sword and engaged his warrior powers, observing the two men who came into the parlor with their own swords drawn.
 
“He’s the one who fought in the tournament yesterday,” the man on the left told the one on the right.

“I’m just here to see Kirill.
 
If you lead me to him, no one will get hurt,” Alec replied.

“Help!
 
Help!
 
Intruder!” one man began screaming in response.

Alec flung two knives, sinking them in the ribs of each man as more guards came running to the scene.
 
Alec ran forward with his sword and engaged the new arrivals before they were aware of what circumstances existed.
 
Three men fell before him, and others began to scramble backwards.
 
Alec guessed that Kirill’s quarters might be upstairs, and he bolted up a staircase to begin banging on doors and looking in rooms for the Scarle leader.

“Healer!
Healer!
 
I’m down here,” he heard a voice call.
 
Running back to the staircase in the main hall, Alec saw Kirill standing in a doorway.
 
“If you want me, come get me,” the man threw the challenge in Alec’s face.
 
He stepped back a step into the darkened room behind him.
 
An arrow flew at Alec from another doorway suddenly, but he knocked it aside with his sword.

“Come back out into the open, Kirill,” Alec demanded, sensing a trap hidden in the room.
 
“You will be taken to the emperor for punishment.
 
If you cooperate, the Scarle clan may survive.”

“That’s quite a speech in your barbaric tongue, isn’t it Healer?” Kirill answered.
 
“You may have done some damage to our cause yesterday, but we have plenty of support, and Mikhail is still free.
 
In just a little time we’ll recoup and keep putting the pressure on to restore a strong sovereign to the throne.

“So come downstairs and we can talk about letting you walk peacefully out of the compound.
 
Otherwise, this is going to go poorly for you.”

Alec glanced at the parlor door to the side of the hall.
 
The room appeared to be empty, and was behind a knot of armed men who faced him.
 
Dropping his warrior energy, Alec translocated himself to the parlor, hearing the curses and exclamations of the Scarle forces as Alec disappeared.
 
He pulled out his sword and came up behind a guard, pulling his sword around in front of the man’s throat.
 
“Kirill!
 
I’ll kill everyone here if you don’t surrender,” Alec shouted.

The men in the room jumped back in shock at Alec’s sudden appearance behind them.

“Go ahead,” Kirill said and he fled back into the darkened room.
 
Alec pushed his hostage roughly aside and ran after the fleeing Scarle leader.
 
As he ran, Alec felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and he stumbled into the doorway where Kirill had fled.
 
A heavy net fell down over him and pushed him to the ground.

Alec had an arrow in his shoulder, and he saw shadows bobbing wildly as Scarle guardsmen came running at him.
 
Dropping his warrior powers, Alec focused on translocating, and willed himself back to the armory at the palace.

He closed his eyes as he saw the comforting sight of the armory walls, and passed out in pain.

Chapter 52 – Planning a Wedding

Alec wasn’t sure how much later it was when he awoke, but he found himself lying on his stomach on a comfortable bed.
 
“Where is this?” he asked, feeling the pain in his shoulder.
 
The memory of the ambush at the Scarle home came back to him.

“You’re back in the guest cottage,” he heard Jeswyne’s voice answer, and she circled into his field of vision.
 
“Are you alright?” she asked.

“I know I was in your bedroom last night, but should you be visiting my room so soon?” he asked, trying to make a joke that would put a smile on her worried face.

“Alec, there are other people in the room,” she said through gritted teeth.

Alec closed his eyes and groaned.
 
“Can someone cut the arrow out of my shoulder?” he asked.

“Our best infantry surgeon is here,” Anatoli replied.
 
“But it will be a painful operation and recovery period, he tells us.”

“I don’t sense that the arrow is poisoned, is it?” Alec asked.

“No, it doesn’t appear so,” the surgeon agreed, coming into view.

“Then just strap my arms down and cut the head of the arrow out, and I’ll heal the rest of it,” Alec spoke abruptly, wanting to get back and get revenge on Kirill and the Scarle clan.

“He is a healer ingenairii,” Jeswyne explained, as she saw the look on the surgeon’s face.
 
“He has powers to heal injuries, like this wound.”

“Trust me on this,” Alec said, struggling to sit up.
 
He raised himself on his good arm and looked around the room at the small group of officers and Jeswyne present.
 
“I’m not going to take this from Scarle.
 
If you remove the arrow I’m going to go back there and finish what I started.
 
They know now that their compound isn’t safe, and I imagine they’re going to start fleeing from it quickly.
 
Kirill is there now, and I intend to bring him back here,” there was real anger in his voice.

“Calm down, Alec.
 
You will win; you don’t need to be like them,” Jeswyne quieted him, placing a hand on his cheek.
 
“Doctor, would you please do as his majesty has ordered?” she asked.

“This will be painful,” the surgeon said, stating the obvious.
 
“Please lie down.”
 
He directed two orderlies to tie down Alec’s arms and legs.
 
“Here, bite down on this,” he offered Alec a rolled up piece of leather.