Quest for the King (24 page)

"You are under arrest, I say!" came the voice from the back of the
chamber. "You are prisoners of the crown!"

Alleophaz separated himself from the group, standing between
them and the soldiers. In a loud voice that carried a surprising weight
of authority he said, "I and two of my companions are emissaries from
his majesty King Kalastriel Bels of Glason. We bear letters from his
majesty that are only for the eyes of the king and queen of Anthropos!"

The man with a colonel's badge remained where he was. "And the
three children who are with you," he asked, "have they, by any
chance, come across the stars by unknown paths from a distant
world?"

Alleophaz frowned. "I did not ask to be insulted," he returned
steadily. "As for the children, you are at liberty to question them
yourself."

The colonel directed his attention to Wesley. "Tell me, young sir,
did you come to this world from your own world?"

"Well, yes, as a matter of fact we did," Wesley answered.

Alleophaz swung round to face them, an astounded look on his
face. Gerachti also looked very startled, as did Belak.

"And did you travel by miraculous power, using the hidden pathways among the stars?"

"So it would seem," admitted Wesley.

"And are there three more of you somewhere in Anthropos?" came
a final question from the colonel.

"Yes-at least we suspect so. There's certainly another girl."

Gerachti laughed. "So that was why you did not tell us where you
were from!"

The colonel continued. "Your lordships, my instructions are to take
you all into protective custody. The forces of his majesty the king are
determined to arrest you at the request of the priests, who tell a
doubtful story of your menace to the state. The queen, who has her
own sources of information, is most anxious to prevent this, and the
most obvious way to do so is for her to arrest you. In this way, under
the laws of Anthropos, even the king may not touch you."

Alleophaz nodded. "I see. But how may I be sure that you do in
fact serve the queen? For all I know you could be arresting us at the
orders of the king."

Wesley's limbs. tingled. How could they be sure? They could hardly
resist men with drawn swords-nor were they in a position to take
flight, for there was no safe and rapid way down the rocks again. But
Wesley remembered the guide that had gone before them, and a deep
assurance stole over him. They had been led over this perilous route
by the blue column, and whatever it seemed, this must be safety before
them.

The colonel did not answer, but beckoned them onward into the
tunnel The soldiers sheathed their swords, but Wesley noticed that
they carried the torches in their left hands, and could readily use their
sword arms if needed Three soldiers preceded them, their torches smoking in the tunnel. The three children and the three philosophers
followed the colonel, and the remaining three soldiers brought up the
rear. The corridor was wide, enabling them at times to walk three
abreast, though two abreast was more comfortable.

Darkness opened up steadily before them. They walked for nearly
an hour, looking in vain for light ahead. The walls on either side of
them were damp, gleaming in torchlight wherever water flowed down
them. There was a constant sound of dripping, and occasionally they
slopped through shallow pools of water. Lurid, flickering shadows
danced along the walls, bobbing and changing in shape over the
uneven rocky sides.

Eventually Alleophaz began to murmur to Kurt. "So now I know
why you said you were sworn to secrecy! I certainly would never have
believed you had you told us you came from worlds afar!"

Kurt smiled to himself. "It would have been difficult to tell you
where we were from." He pictured Hong Kong in his mind, the streets
crowded with vehicular traffic, the underground and the train, Kai
Tak airport and the endless parade of landing jets. "I suppose if we
had been wearing the clothes from our world, you might have been
more inclined to believe us."

"You were not dressed as you are now?"

"No. We were all wearing jeans."

"Jeans?"

Kurt laughed. "How do I explain jeans? People in our world tend
more and more to dress in the same way. Jeans are pants for men or
women. They're made of heavy cotton. They used to be just for laborers, but gradually they became high fashion. You can wear them to
work or for leisure, though businessmen and religious people tend
not to. When people relax you can hardly tell who's rich and who's
poor. Well, you can-but not because they're wearing jeans. There's
a different set of rules for that." He frowned, wondering how to
explain brand-name products. Fortunately, he was saved the trouble.

"It looks as though we are coming to the end of the tunnel," Alleophaz said. Soon they halted where the tunnel ended in a flat surface of rock Then, as the colonel reached forward and pressed a
shallow area in it, a slab of rock that must have weighed many tons
swung noiselessly outward. Immediately they covered their faces,
shielding their eyes against the light that came from beyond the slab.
For a whole hour they had been exposed only to torchlight, and now
the mere daylight blinded them.

Still blinking their eyes painfully, they emerged from the end of a
low and narrow passage into a small meadow among tall trees. Behind
two tables a bivouac stood, and beyond the bivouac were tethered
horses and more tents. A dozen soldiers sat at one of the tables, while
food and dishes lay on an unoccupied table nearby.

A tall woman emerged from the great tent, followed by two maids.
The travelers saw her, and their remaining fears about who had arrested them were relieved.

"Ah-there you are, Colonel Emoona!" the tall woman cried. "You
found them! You have done well-and now we can proceed."

There was no mistaking her regal bearing in spite of the old and
worn leather jerkin and the riding breeches she wore. Her hair was
short and blond, her face narrow, with firm lips and widely spaced
blue eyes, sparkling now with obvious delight.

She bade the soldiers sit, and turned to the rest of the group. "I am
Queen Suneid of Anthropos. It is wonderful to see you! I came personally, because I fear greatly for your safety. Already I believe you
understand the need for and the nature of your `arrest,' but please be
assured that you are to be treated as my guests. Come and sit downthere is food at the table. The afternoon is passing and we must soon
hasten toward Bamah, for you are still in danger here, even under my
protection."

They were presented to her one by one as they took their seats
around the table. Quietly, Alleophaz pulled his sealed package from
inside his clothing. Kneeling on one knee, he passed it to the queen,
a smile twitching his lips.

"I deliver this to you," he said, "as a message from our sovereign
to his majesty, King Tobah Khukah of Anthropos-Playsion. It pro poses trade relations with Glason. Since you have `arrested' us it is
only fitting that you should `capture' any documents in our possession."

The queen accepted it gravely. "I do not know how his majesty will
react to this, for I fear he is no longer the person I married. But your
safety with me is assured."

A magnificent repast lay before them, doubly welcome after their
day of haste and evasion. There were pheasants, venison, meats of
many kinds, fruit, wines and breads. While they ate, the queen inquired about their journey, and managed to draw from Alleophaz a
clear account of the real nature of their visit. "It seems to me," she
said, her blue eyes twinkling, "that you had a lot more in mind in
coming here than trade. I sense a hunger in your hearts that has
nothing to do with commerce between our two countries."

"We are philosophers, your majesty, and we hunger for truth."

"And you seek it here? Why?"

So Alleophaz told her of the vision he had experienced, and of the
perilous two-year journey that brought them to Anthropos.

"And you have eluded the soldiers despatched to arrest you. Remarkable! The perils of the Playsion forest are very well known, for
few people have ever ventured through it and come out alive. How
did you do it?"

Between them the children explained about the strange column of
smoke with inner blue fires, of the trees and rocks that reminded
them of the old legends and sayings of the books of Anthropos history.

"Anthropos history? Now I know you have been here before," the
queen observed quietly.

It took a little while for them to explain their visits to future times
in Anthropos, and of their knowledge of the laws and customs of
Anthropos. But the queen seemed to accept their experiences, saying
that she had a copy of the original book, which seemed also to contain
great power. They also began to tell her of Uncle John's adventures
in the earliest days of Anthropos.

"Yes, yes, of course. The Sword Bearer. How often I have read
about his adventures in the sacred books! But what occupies our
attention most is the promised coming of the Emperor's Emissary who
is to rule in Anthropos."

Her eyes burned with intense longing, and she spoke with a distant
and wistful look which changed the whole appearance of her face. "I
spend many, hours seeking the Emperor's presence. During those
times I have felt that the arrival is near. The young king of whom you
speak may well be the one-but he will be a king in no earthly sense."

Returning to their present difficulties, she also explained the nature
of the danger still facing them. "His majesty is most unlikely to give
any orders that would affect my own right to dispose of my prisoners
as I see fit. He is not the source of my fears, for the priests and
sorcerers grow in power every day, and he is a puppet in their hands.
More than that, the priests have begun to issue instructions in the
king's name. This is where the danger may lie, for there are ambitious
men in Anthropos who would not hesitate to make an alliance with
the priests to overthrow his majesty."

They finished their meal quickly, and soon the tents were struck
and packed on mules. The queen changed into a shirt of chain mail
and a helmet, and buckled a short, two-edged sword to her side. The
horses were saddled again, and the party descended through the trees
to the trail that led to Bamah.

As they passed through a small meadow, Kurt noticed two trees on
the far side. Hills rose in the distance between and beyond them, but
a bluish light lit the trunks of the two trees.

He blinked, and the light was gone. Then the banter between Wesley and Lisa caught his attention, and the incident slipped from his
mind.

There was no sign of the king's forces in the woods, and soon they
reached the Anthropos Road. The queen, the colonel and Lisa (with
whom the queen seemed to enjoy talking) led the way, while Kurt and
Wesley followed immediately behind.

But as they turned a bend in the road they saw a large party of soldiers approaching them from the opposite direction. The queen
said, "This is exactly what I had anticipated! Let us go to meet them."

"We already have plans laid, your majesty," said the colonel. "We
may make short work of them, for our men are hardy and experienced-and there is much at stake here."

"Yes, very much," replied the queen. "And we are outnumbered, so
let us remind them of the legalities first. They are hardly likely to rush
at us without parley.

"I suspect their first goal will be to arrest us as traitors on charges
trumped up by Shagah. We will not act until we see that this is indeed
their intent. I also want to know who leads them, for if it should be
the man I expect, then I fully intend to venture my person against
him."

The colonel swung round to face her. "Your majesty must not even
consider anything so rash! Much hangs on the preservation of your
majesty's life."

"Quite so," she answered camly. "But think a moment, colonel. We
are likely, however valiant and experienced our men, to be worsted
by a mob the size of the one that approaches. See how their numbers
seem to swell, even as they advance! Moreover, I want my liberty as
well as my life. If they are able to confine me to my quarters, their
objectives will be far easier to carry out."

"Your majesty, I have no wish to oppose you-"

"Then do not do so!"

"-but your majesty could lose her life!"

The queen reined her horse and turned to face the colonel. "Colonel Emoona, I know your faithfulness and your concern, but just now
there are but two effective authorities in Anthropos, Shagah the Sorcerer, who leads the priests, and myself."

"Nevertheless, your majesty-"

"Permit me to finish, Colonel Emoona. Unless I am willing to lose
my life, I may never be able to use it effectively! To risk life is to win
life! You yourself taught me this, along with your lessons in swordsmanship!"

"Your majesty, your skill with a sword is very great-but great as it
may be, your life will be in peril. I little thought that the day would
come when those lessons-"