Rescuing the Captive: The Ingenairii Series (48 page)

The last stage of the plan to capture the headquarters called for the nearby archers to consolidate forces inside the command center once Alec’s crew had secured it, and when Alec reached the door, driving the last demoralized defender out, he signaled to Caitlen’s men to make the dash to the building, before any of the Conglomerate forces could be organized to start their own assault to recapture the building. The heads above the parapets disappeared, and Alec stood at the doorway to await their arrival.

“
Here are your captives,” Mulvane said from behind him. Alec stepped back and turned around. Three men sat gloomily upon the floor, their hands and feet tied as they stared in stunned bewilderment at the death and chaos that surrounded them in their formerly secure headquarters. “We even saved an extra one for you, in case you needed a spare.”

“
Splendidly done!” Alec complimented his squad. “Now go around and see if you can find any papers that we can read to understand what they are doing and what we need to do next.” He heard the thundering sound of boots running across the cobbled street outside, and the archers from the nearby buildings arrived.

Caitlen, we have captured the headquarters, and taken some prisoners. I’ll begin to deliver them shortly
, he sent a message, and then repeated the message to Bethany and Rahm as well.

He directed the archers to take defensive positions at the windows of the building, anticipating a counter-attack to be launched soon. He expected that Caitlen’s forces would start to arise in the streets from their use of the tunnels to infiltrate the eastern half of the city as well.

Alec assessed his ability to use his powers. He knew he had to transport close to thirty people back to Caitlen’s headquarters, and he was weary from having brought most of them to the battle to begin. “I’ll take a guard and a prisoner back to our side now,” he announced, and selected a reluctant archer who didn’t want to be separated from his companions. “They’ll come back too,” Alec promised, and he removed his first two passengers.

“
Keep him under guard,” Alec told the archer who stood over the uncomprehending captive officer when they safely arrived back in west Vincennes. He returned to the besieged site in the east.

“
They’ve organized a counter-force,” Mulvane told him, pointing down the street to a forming line. Alec selected his next two passengers, and prepared the next pair, as he carried out his ferrying duties. The restorers of the Empire had never been asked to make so many trips in a single day, he remembered idly as he moved back and forth.

By the time of his fifth trip, only a third of the way through his duties, the Conglomerate soldiers were shooting fiery arrows at the besieged building. By the time of his tenth trip, thick smoke was starting to roll down the hallway.

“
They aren’t coming at us; they’re waiting for us to run out into their line of fire,” Mulvane reported. Alec could hear the flames roaring in the upper floors, and knew he had a very thin margin of time left to achieve success. He took three passengers each of the next two trips, and returned for the last three, Mulvane and two other red-faced members of his squad. They were low to the ground trying to stay under the smoke, and the sound of boots in the street indicated that an attack was pending.

“
Climb on me,” Alec shouted as he lay on the ground with the guards. They squirmed over to him, just as the sound of bowstrings twanged. One of the soldiers grunted, and Alec spread his arms around them as he reached deep down to find the last of his powers, and carried them away to safety.

They materialized back in the armory, where the rest of their force awaited their return, along with a growing audience of others. Stocker, the head of the Valeriane forces, ridiculed the sight of the man and three women who lay together on the floor.

“
That’s what we call leadership? Body paints and wrestling with women?” he asked in disgust, and left the room. The members of Alec’s successful attackers attempted to offer a defense of the raid, but their words fell on deaf ears, and Alec had passed out, exhausted from the effort he had given.

Chapter 32
– The Prophecy’s Exile

Alec awoke in a bed in the infirmary the next day at noon, as he was given a sip of water. “That’s it sir, take small sips. This water is very good for folks,” a cheery medic told Alec.

He opened his eyes at the young man’s face, hovering over his, as he tried to gather his wits.

“
The battles, how are they?” he asked the medic.

“
Let me go get someone to answer that for you,” the man said. He put the cup down on a table and abruptly left.

The water was good. Alec picked up the cup and took another sip, feeling an unusual, slight surge of strength. It reminded him of the healing spring he had unintentionally created back in the wilderness of Goldenfields at the beginning of his ingenaire adventures. There was a new spring, he realized, the result of his battle with the strange powers of Abelard and Isial, right here in Vincennes, and this water seemed to be its product. It brought something like health, but not that simple or holistic. He lay back with a sip of the water in his mouth and analyzed it, sensing that it didn’t seek to heal, but instead it worked to strengthen.

“
Are you awake?” Rahm’s voice spoke to him. His eyes flew open and he saw his friend standing next to the bed.

Alec sat up, and began to check his own health. He closed his eyes and applied healing power to his lungs, where the smoky air from the burning Conglomerate headquarters had done damage.

“
I’m well, Rahm. How are you? How are we doing in the battles?” Alec spoke as he held out his hand and shook Rahm’s. The boy was uneasy about something, Alec could tell.

“
The big battles against the Conglomerate are over for now. The whole city is under control of the Princess. We wiped out the last nest of resistance this morning,” Rahm began.

“
What day is it?” Alec asked for clarification.

“
You began the attack just yesterday. It’s only taken a day to win control of the city. The people of the city rose up to help us find and attack the Conglomerate soldiers. The ones who got away are still running down the Raysing Highway. We lost very few or our folks; we took them completely by surprise, and they didn’t have anyone to give them orders!” Rahm said enthusiastically.

“
How are the other members of my squad?” Alec asked, suspecting they had smoke inhalation damage similar to his.

“
A few are resting. Most are okay. They’ve at least had the red paint washed off their faces,” Rahm answered.

“
What are the bad things? What don’t you want to tell me?” Alec asked.

“
Some of those papers you stole show that the Conglomerate is spread thin, but they’re attacking Krimshelm and they’re not at war with the other rebellion in the south,” Rahm said. “There’s going to be a lot more fighting going on it seems like.”

“
And what else?” Alec asked.

“
The leader from Valeriane wants you banished from Princess’s court. He says that you’re a foreigner, and not an orthodox fighter, and he doesn’t trust you,” Rahm’s words came out in a rush. “He isn’t going to send his soldiers to fight any further from home if they have to rely on you, he said.”

Alec raised his head and took a deep breath.
Caitlen, I’m awake. Don’t do or say anything foolish until we talk
, he sent a silent message to the princess. “Let’s go see my other soldiers,” Alec said out loud to Rahm. “Do you know where they are?”

“
Just downstairs, if they’re still here,” Rahm replied.

Alec stood up and followed Rahm down to a ward with several beds, where Mulvane and two others were still lying in bed. Alec reached out and touched them, using his healing ability to cleanse and strengthen their lungs. “Come on, get out of bed you slugs! Just because you beat the Conglomerate leadership yesterday doesn’t mean you get to take a day off today,” he told them.

“
Coming from someone who hasn’t even cleaned his face yet, you ought to think twice before you speak about taking a day off,” Mulvane said, standing and slapping her hand at his shoulder playfully.

“
I hear that we won the city yesterday,” he told them in seriousness. “Thank you all and thanks to Prind and Montie and Cielo too for the great work. Now go on back to your bunks and we’ll find out tomorrow what our next mission is.” He slapped them all on their backs as they rose and left the room.

“
Has the Valerian general told the Princess of his views about foreigners?” Alec asked Rahm.

“
He did. Said it right to her face in front of everyone last night when the staff was assembled to go over the status of the battles around the city. He claimed all the credit belonged to his soldiers, and then he said those things about you, and left the hall,” Rahm recounted. “The princess didn’t say anything then, but I was on escort duty, and on the way back to her suite the air was pretty blue with a few choice comments!”

“
You go enjoy yourself,” Alec advised Rahm. “I’ll go see the Princess and talk with her.” He watched the young guard leave the infirmary, then sent another message to Caitlen.
I’ll be in your suite in five minutes. If we need to talk urgently, come see me. Otherwise I will see you tonight in your suite
.

He walked outdoors, and around the corner to where his stony fountain of water stood in the middle of a square. A pair of soldiers were filling their water skins with the liquid as Alec walked up. He splashed the water on his face and arms to scrub away the red paint he still wore, imagining he felt a tingling reaction to the water. He left the fountain and stepped into an alleyway, out of sight by the public, and transported himself to Caitlen’s suite.

He arrived as she stood there alone, looking out the window. “Caitlen,” he called softly, and she spun.

“
Alec, I’m so glad to see you. I received your messages. I tried to reply; did you hear me?” she asked hopefully. He shook his head. “I didn’t think so. You must have heard about certain conversations? You seem to be rather discreet,” she spoke.

“
Rahm told me that I am a troublesome foreigner in the eyes of at least one person,” Alec smiled.

“
One in particular, but more than one, I’m afraid,” she replied. “You fight too well to be natural, you speak with a strange accent, you use female guards as your own unit, and you do strange things like painting yourself red,” she idly rubbed a finger over a damp smudge of red paint on his neck, raising the finger to show it to him. “You stand out too far from the mainstream, and now that we’ve won here in Vincennes the idiots think they can win any battle all on their own!”

Alec thought back to his visit in Eckerd when Gottfried had spoken to him, telling him that Caitlen could never have a relationship with him. Gottfried had known his countrymen well, Alec realized.

“
I’ve already tried being mute and disguised; I probably can’t do that again,” he said.

“
No, but there is something you can do for me that will solve the problem temporarily,” Caitlen replied.

Alec looked at her attentively, as she showed a businesslike manner.

“
Krimshelm is the target of one of the Conglomerate’s attacks. Since you know the city, at least slightly, I’d like for you to go there to help the reigning Earl’s family fight off the Conglomerate,” she said, her words growing more hurried as she approached her request for Alec to leave her.

He stared at her. “Are you doing this because you need help for Krimshelm, or because you need to banish me?”

“
Some of each Alec,” she blushed and admitted. “I have to show these people that I can stand on my own and send you away. But if you will first teach me to talk to you mind-to-mind, so that I can feel like you’re still with me every moment of every day and night, I’ll feel like I’ve outwitted them.

“
And when you come back from saving Krimshelm, they’ll have to accept you as a hero,” she said. “I hope,” she added softly.

Alec thought about how long he had wanted to avoid serving as a ruler in the Dominion, and how unhappy he had been with the decisions and politics and balancing of factions one against the other, as he had watched the Duke of Goldenfields. He wanted no part of such responsibility again. Nor did he want to become the source of problems and friction for Caitlen, whose heart he knew was truly his; she was facing exactly one of those dirty, pragmatic decisions like the Duke had, and he was the problem at hand. Accepting banishment for the time being would be an acceptable way to help her calm the xenophobia of her Valerian ally; yet he wished she had stood up for him in public.

Caitlen watched his face as he stood before her weighing those thoughts. “If you do not want to do this, we will not,” she said, afraid she had upset him. “You are worth more to me than the soldiers from Valeriane.”

“
I will go to Krimshelm,” Alec said. “It is the best solution. You can announce this afternoon that I will leave for Krimshelm tomorrow. And tonight we will make one more effort to make you an ingenaire. Don’t fret Caitlen. Being princess is what you are supposed to do, and I was sent here to make that easier, not harder. I’ll go for now and come back tonight,” he told her.

“
Alec, maybe you should stay,” Caitlen replied, saddened that he accepted this banishment for her sake, torn by indecision and her relief at his simple accedence to her needs.