The Ranger (Book 1) (27 page)

“That was you?” Lauren asked in shock.

“My father was The Guardian before he died,” Vincent continued softly. “I am destined to fill the same role. I will gladly do all I can for the Heir to the Throne of Pallà.”

“How long have you known?” Lauren inquired softly, avoiding Vincent’s eyes.

“Since Senno,” Vincent replied. “I saw the stone then and remembered.”

“I’m surprised that it wasn’t Jason who told you. It has been a long guarded secret among the Pallàdrim: the Royal Family all bear the Token of Water. It was Sandora’s way of setting us apart. We always protected our own, especially those who were not of the ruling line, which is why the Freya were all water users. Only the Pallàdrim knew, so that they could keep us safe.

“But then, I guess I’m not surprised that he didn’t tell you, Jason didn’t tell me the details of who you were,” Lauren said, still not looking at Vincent. “I don’t know how I would have made it through that night in the hole if you hadn’t been there with me.”

“I will be there with you from now on,” Vincent said, gently turning Laurens face to look at him. “I will be there to support you so that you can hold your head high.”

Lauren looked away again, a slight smile on her face. She seemed to be deep in thought. At length she raised her head and took a deep breath.

“You’re right, Vincent, I have no right to rule if I can’t face my own people, or my own past for that matter. I must be strong; the return of the kingdom depends on it.”

“That’s the spirit,” Vincent nodded. “A strong kingdom needs a strong ruler.”

“But what if I’m not strong enough?” Lauren asked, doubt clouding her face once again.

“Then I’ll be there to support you,” Vincent smiled.

“You promise?”

“Yeah,” Vincent replied, “I promise.”

Lauren wiped the tears from her face and tried to smile. She looked a lot less like a lady sitting in the dirt with tears staining her face. Vincent helped her to her feet.

“We need to get you cleaned up,” Vincent said with a smile. “We’ll never convince people that you’re a lady if you’re all covered in dirt.” Lauren laughed a little as she brushed the dust from her gown and pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe her eyes. Before long she was cleaned up and looked as lovely as she had before, with an added glow of confidence in her eyes.

Lauren started off again with Vincent close behind. They followed a sporadic path through the city, walking up almost every busy street before finally arriving at a large, richly adorned house. Lauren stopped short of the door and motioned for Vincent.

“A lady doesn’t knock on a door,” Lauren stated. Vincent looked at her and shook his head with a smile as he knocked on the door for her. The door swung open almost immediately revealing a boy in black livery.

“How may I be of service?” the boy asked stiffly.

“I seek your mistress,” Lauren replied coldly.

“And whom should I say is calling?”

“Tell her, Lady Merenda requests an audience,” Lauren purred.

“Right away.” The boy showed them into the front hall before scurrying off into the house. He was gone only a few seconds when a large woman, dressed in a billowing pink dress and large amounts of gold jewelry rushed through the door to clasp Lauren’s hand.

“Lady Merenda,” the woman cried, her voice dripping with the Eresian accent. “It has been far too long. I see you’ve taken on a new aide; he’s much better looking than your last one. Come in, come in.”

The woman ushered them through the door and the boy shut it behind them. She guided them to a large parlor that was filled with richly upholstered furniture.

“Arnold,” the woman called. The boy appeared at the door to the parlor. “See that I’m not disturbed.”

“Yes, my lady,” Arnold said as he bowed from the room, closing the door as he went.

“There,” the woman said, dropping into one of the larger chairs. “We can drop the pretenses. Have a seat, both of you.” They both sat, Vincent in a large tall backed arm chair, and Lauren on a heavily padded couch.

“How is your father?” Lauren asked politely. “He is usually the first to come greet us. After all, he did work for us long before you did, Muriel.”

“Oh, he’s doing very well,” Muriel said as she picked up a glass of wine from the stand next to her chair. She stared into the red liquid as she spoke. “He is off hunting today.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Lauren said warmly. “The last I had heard, he was bed ridden. He must have had a wondrous recovery to be out hunting.”

“Yes, well, he was always a very resilient man,” Muriel was shifting in her chair. “I assume there is some information that you want from me.”

“There is,” Lauren said calmly. “If you wish to get right down to it, there are a few things that we need to know. First, we’ve heard that the Empire is trying to enlist Knights of Sandora into its army. Do you know anything of this?”

“Of course I do,” Muriel said, sounding almost offended. “Everyone knows about that. They come out to the square in front of the abbey at least once a week and make their offer: if the Knights join with them, they will be made officers immediately.”

“But why such a hard push to get Knights? They’ve never done anything like this before,” Lauren mused.

“They say that it has something to do with the Magi,” Muriel said, lowering her voice. “But that is all I know.”

“Very well,” Lauren nodded “The second question is: what have you heard about the Draylor?”

“The Draylor,” Muriel repeated, becoming increasingly uncomfortable, “why should I have heard something about them?”

“Perhaps because they haven’t come to the city to trade in the past few weeks,” Lauren said, sounding irritated. “Perhaps because it is their trade that brings the wealth of your family. I would think that that would be something you would notice.”

“It is not uncommon for them to disappear from time to time,” Muriel said defensively. “They do as they wish.”

“They rarely disappear for more than a few days, a week at most.” Lauren had a sharp edge to her voice. “It has been more than a century since they took an extended leave from visiting the outside world. There is something going on with them and I know that you know all about it.”

“Come now,” Muriel laughed, “you give me too much credit. My information networks are extensive, but I don’t pretend to know what is going on in the mind of those dragons. However, I have heard that they had a disagreement with the mayor recently. They could still be upset about that. I wouldn’t worry too much.”

“Be that as it may, I know…” Lauren was interrupted as the door gave a distinct creak. They all looked to the door.

“Arnold,” Muriel shouted, “I told you I was not to be disturbed!” She jumped to her feet, sending the gold chains around her neck flying, and ran to the door to slam it as Arnold scurried away. “My apologies,” she said as she turned to return to her chair. Lauren was slowly rising to her feet, seemingly transfixed by the various chains. “I don’t think I can be of any service here,” Muriel said apologetically.

“No, I think not,” Lauren agreed, drawing a dagger from her belt and pointing at Muriel as she advanced toward her.

“What is the meaning of this?” Muriel asked in shock. “I know that the information I gave may not have been what you wanted to hear, but that doesn’t justify attacking me.”

Muriel gave a terrified shriek as Lauren slashed at her, cutting one of the chains around her neck, but leaving her unharmed. A small pendent fell to the floor as Muriel tried to run, but she was quickly cornered by Vincent. Vincent had no idea what was going on, but trusted that Lauren had a good reason for attacking her informant. Lauren bent and picked up the pendant, which was made in the form of a howling wolf head.

“I think you know a lot more than you’re letting on, especially about the Magi” Lauren said coldly, approaching Muriel with the pendant in hand. She slapped Muriel hard across the face.

“Please don’t kill me,” Muriel begged. “The Magi made me do it. They took my father. They told me if I didn’t turn you over to them, that they would kill him.”

“What do you mean, turn us over to them?” Vincent growled.

“I sent for them,” Muriel whimpered. “As soon as you got here I sent word to them. Arnold was giving me a signal that they would be arriving soon.”

Both Vincent and Lauren backed away from the cowering woman.

“We need to get out of here,” Lauren said quickly, walking for the door.

“It’s too late,” Muriel called. “They’ll be on the street already.”

“We’ll need to use the servant’s door,” Lauren said hurrying over to the far side of the room and pushed on the wall. To Vincent’s surprise, the wall swung inward, revealing a small door. Lauren crossed the room and struck Muriel once more, knocking her unconscious. Vincent allowed her to fall unceremoniously to the floor before following Lauren into the small passage and closing the door behind them. The passage was low and narrow, but they ran regardless. The passage ended in the kitchen, which was deserted. The alley door stood open. They ran for it, bursting from the house and running down the alley. They could hear shouts from inside the house, and the sound of breaking glass, but they ran on.

They followed the alley away from the street where Muriel’s house stood. They finally found a street again, far from where they had left Muriel. Lauren peered around the corner before walking out onto the street as if nothing had happened.

“We need to return to the abbey,” Lauren whispered as they walked. “No doubt the Magi know that we came from that inn and will be waiting for us.”

Lauren guided them through the streets, following a direct course for the abbey. Vincent was on edge, every guard he saw was potentially someone who was trying to find them. He let out a sigh of relief when they finally made it back without meeting any resistance. His relief was short lived. A large group of Imperial soldiers was approaching the abbey. Vincent and Lauren quickly ducked inside the gate but stopped there to see what was going on.

“Knights of the Most High Sandora,” the captain at the front of the group shouted. “Once again we come to you with the chance for glory. The Imperial Army is strong, and maintains order across this great Empire. We seek to add your strength to ours. Your valour is well known, which is why you will be given positions of honour. Adventure and riches await those who join our ranks.”

Vincent could see the Knights at the gate shifting uneasily, seemingly torn. A few dropped their heads and walked slowly to the group of waiting soldiers. They were met by a deafening cheer. Some other Knights were slowly creeping their way toward the gate from other parts of the abbey grounds.

Lauren shook her head in disgust as she watched the deserters go. She stormed off toward the main building of the abbey. Vincent followed her all the way back to their room. Their clothes had been collected from the inn and were neatly folded on their beds. Vincent started to say something, but Lauren sent him an icy glare so he stopped. They sat in silence for some time.

They had re-armed themselves by the time Auna returned to the room. He looked just as sullen as they felt.

“Fifteen,” Auna lamented. “Fifteen knights left the Order to join the Imperial Army yesterday, and we still don’t know how many went today. I’m sorry Vincent, but I’m afraid your friend Sir Thomas went with them.”

Vincent was shocked. He had heard Thomas talking about it, but he had never thought that he would ever actually go through with it.

“We have more trying problems,” Lauren said solemnly. “We have been betrayed. Muriel has been taken by the Magi.”

“I know,” Auna replied. “She was murdered for failing to hand you two over.” Once again, Vincent was shocked.

“So what do we do now?” Vincent asked.

“We need to leave the city,” Auna said firmly. “We’re no longer safe here, and our presence endangers the abbey. Be ready to go in a few hours. I’ll go secure us some provisions.”

Vincent started shoving his things back into his travel pack and sharpening his blades as soon as Auna left. Lauren, on the other hand, seemed ready to go and sat comfortably, reading the book again.

Auna returned some time later with his arms full, carrying full water skins, dried meats and bread. They divided them between their packs and set out. It was late. Very few people were still wandering within the abbey and the gates were closed. As they approached the gates, a familiar voice called from behind them.

“Why are you leaving so late at night?” It was the voice of Abbot Foster.

“Our position here has been compromised,” Auna replied. “For everyone’s safety, we have to leave.”

“But there are men waiting out there in the square, and we’re confident that they are agents of the Magi. It would be reckless for you to leave now. At least wait until morning. We could make you a proper disguise and sneak you out.”

“No,” Auna said firmly, “We need to leave now, and we need them to see us leaving. As long as the Magi believe that we are here you are all in danger, for we travel with the Chosen.”

The Abbot’s eyes grew wide as he slowly turned his gaze on Vincent. He seemed to be taking in his every detail.

“Then, this is -” the Abbot began, but Auna cut him off.

“Yes, it is. That is why we must leave now. You are all in great danger.”

“I see.” The Abbot sounded flustered. “I shall have the gates opened immediately.”

Abbot Foster hurried off to the gate house. Vincent stared at Auna in disbelief.

“I thought you said that no one could know that I was still alive.”

“The Abbots all know that you are still alive. That was not a new revelation to him. The revelation was that you were standing in front of him. Normally, I would not have said anything, but he needed to know the danger he was in,” Auna explained.

The Abbot returned as the gate started to creak open.

“There,” he said, sounding winded. “I wish you a safe journey.” He turned to Vincent. “Especially you, young one. So much depends on you. You know, the news of your death tormented Sir Thomas. I believe that it may have been the greatest factor in his decision to leave the Order.”