Wielder's Awakening (46 page)

When they arrived, Gavin’s eyes were met by a confusing scene.  The small side street had been blocked off by the City Watch, and they moved aside for the three men.  Immediately in front of them lay three bodies surrounded by their own blood.  By the look of their clothes, they were poor cutthroats.  Further down the street lay all six royal guards.  As far as Gavin could see they had no wounds and there were no signs of a struggle.  Further down the road lay another cutthroat with a bolt in him, and further still lay the mare of the Princess, unmoving but seemingly untouched.  Gavin looked up and down the street trying to figure out what had happened.  Behind him, General Blaize’s eyes darted in every direction as he reenacted in his mind what had occurred.  The watchmen who had been inspecting the bodies stood up straight as the Commander General cleared his throat.

“What have you found?” Gavin asked in a steady and controlled voice.  The captain of the City Watch stepped forward with a bow.

“I am sorry but we have found no trace of the Princess Kalista or any clues as to where she might be.  Apparently no one saw or heard anything. Several of my watchmen were only one block away monitoring a disturbance that was the result of a wine spill.  They reported that they saw the Princess watching the celebration cheerfully with her escort no more than an hour ago.  After watching the scene for several moments, the Princess and her escort headed around the celebration using this street.  About half an hour ago someone heading away from the celebration stumbled upon this scene.  Even in his drunken state he hurried back to tell the watchmen who were supervising the festivities.

“They immediately quarantined the street, and we have been looking for clues and seeking out witnesses ever since.  We still have been unable to find anyone who saw the attack or anything out of the ordinary.  I have my best trackers searching for clues as we speak.  We have only begun to investigate and are still hopeful that something will turn up.  At least we can assume the Princess is unharmed.  They would not have taken her if they were not planning on a ransom or something of that nature.”

Gavin took a deep breath, hoping the captain was correct in his assumption.  He could not bear the thought of Kalista being hurt by the scum that had abducted her.

“Captain,” General Blaize cut in.  “Would you tell me how the six guards and the Princess’ mare were killed?”

“None of them had any visible wounds except for a small dart in their necks.  We assume the darts must have been tipped with very deadly venom.”

Upon hearing this, the large general dismounted from his steed and walked over to the six lifeless guards.  Gavin watched as General Blaize knelt down next to one and turned him onto his back.  He pushed back the dead man’s eyelid and gazed into his eye.  He then peered into the guard’s open mouth.  After a moment the general turned the guard onto his stomach and walked back to Gavin.

“Cottonweed,” the large general stated confidently.  “They were killed by the venom of the cottonweed viper.  The vipers are very rare and only live in the northeast of Balthus.  Their venom kills almost instantly.  There is your first clue captain.  The attackers either came from Balthus or purchased the venom from a trader from Balthus.  The venom loses potency with time.  It is not something that can be stored for very long and still have much of an effect.  Before a year’s time the venom is no longer lethal.  The venum was brought to Calyn between last spring and now.”  The captain looked from the general to Gavin and then back again.  General Blaize shrugged his shoulders.  “It’s not much of a clue, but at least it is something.”

“Thank you, General,” the captain said.  After thinking a moment he asked General Blaize if he would share his thoughts about how the abduction had taken place.  “All clues, however small, will help us greatly in trying to locate the Princess.”

“I doubt I can add anything that your trackers don’t know.”

“Share your thoughts,” Gavin commanded, urging the general to share his opinion.  From his earlier observation, Gavin was sure the large Balthan must have other insights.  He was eager to hear any information that could possibly help in finding his dear Kalista.  General Blaize took a breath and then began to illustrate what he had been working out in his mind.

“The attack was very well planned,” he began.  “The kidnappng was not done by normal thieves.  It began with the diversion on the main street.  It effectively drew the attention of all the surrounding citizens and forced the Princess and her escort to use the vacant side street.  A very skilled assassin, hidden perhaps on a rooftop, sent his bolts deftly and silently into the necks of the guards.  With them out of the way it would be easy to capture the defenseless Princess.  The Princess tried to escape, but her horse was also brought down by the sharp shooting assassin.  She somehow killed one of her attackers before being brought down.”

“A bolt from her crossbow was found in the thief,” the captain interjected.  General Blaize smiled and continued.

“After the Princess was captured, it appears that an attempt was made to rescue her.  Whoever tried to rescue her was a decent swordsman, for he killed three of her abductors before being brought down.  For a reason that I cannot figure out, he was captured also and taken.”

“How do you know this?” one of the trackers inquired.

“If he had been killed, his body would be here with the others, and if he escaped, he would have contacted the City Watch.  The only other option is that he was captured and taken.  The fact that he was not killed like the guards disturbs me, for it makes no sense.”  The large general shook his head and finished.  “After that, the Princess and the other man were somehow hidden and taken away.  I cannot be certain of the number of thieves that were involved, but there couldn’t have been too many or they would have been noticed.”  General Blaize shrugged once again.  “That’s all that I can piece together.”

“Thank you,” the captain once again said.  “While your theory follows closely with those of my trackers, you have offered several helpful insights.”

“What else can be done?” Gavin interjected.

“We are doing all that we can,” the captain responded.  “We will finish our investigation and send word to the palace tonight.  The High King has not yet been informed of the abduction,” the captain said hesitantly.  “I can send a messenger immediately if . . .”

“I will inform the High King,” Gavin stated solemnly.  “Keep all of this quiet.  We do not need the citizens to worry.  I will be anxiously awaiting your report.”

Gavin parted with General Blaize, leaving him to go back to the barracks.  Gavin then headed towards the palace to inform the High King.  He did not like being the bearer of such news but felt partially responsible for the abduction and would not try to hide his guilt.

When Gavin arrived at the palace, he left his horse at the stables and with a stone face mechanically walked through the palace to the High King’s waiting room.  He stood silently, waiting as a messenger slipped inside to inform the High King of Gavin’s presence.  Gavin once again tried to think of the best way to inform the monarch of his beloved daughter’s abduction, but almost immediately the messenger slipped back out and motioned him into the High King’s presence.  Gavin walked slowly into the lavishly furnished room, desperately seeking the right words to tell the High King.  His heart sank as he saw the cheerful smile of the High King.

“My boy,” the High King announced as the door was shut behind Gavin.  “Please do not bow.  You are family now.  I always wanted a son you know.  And now I have one!  How are the preparations for the march?”  When Gavin did not answer, the High King paused and took a closer look at him.  His smile slowly faded from his face as he sensed Gavin’s mood.  “What is it, son?” he asked.

Gavin opened his mouth and then closed it again.  He should have let a messenger bring the dismal news.  He had made the choice, however, and decided that he might as well be direct.

“My High King,” he began slowly.  The rest came out in a rush.  “The Princess Kalista has been kidnapped.”

Gavin watched the High King expectantly for his reaction.  He was surprised when the High King merely nodded his head slowly.

“When did this happen?” the High King demanded in a surprisingly calm voice.

Gavin, wishing that he could remain as calm as the High King, blurted out the details of what had happened and begged forgiveness from the High King for his failure to protect Kalista.  The High King stood in silence for several moments and then crossed the room to stand beside Gavin.  He reached up and patted his future son-in-law on the shoulder.

“Do not be a fool and blame this on yourself.  Sometimes things happen that are beyond our control,” the High King paused as if remembering something and then continued.  “Do not let this harrow you down.  I am sure that my daughter will be found soon.  No one would dare harm her.  The best trackers in Kalia are worrying about finding her.  Do not worry also.  She will be found.”

Gavin stared back at the High King who gave him a small, but reassuring smile.  He could not believe how well the High King had taken the news of the capture of his only daughter and heir to the throne.  Gavin was told to go and change and try to relax before dinner.  He watched as the High King left his side and walked back to his desk in such a stately manner.  As Gavin left the High King’s presence, he understood a little better what it meant to be the High King of Kalia.  Gavin was not nearly as calm as the great monarch, but felt much better after standing next to the firm man.  His confidence had lent comfort to Gavin.  Gavin decided to follow the High King’s advice and headed for his chambers as he tried in vain to forget about the situation.

* * * * *

Blaize headed slowly back to the barracks, once again playing the abduction through his head.  He knew that he had missed something important but couldn’t figure it out.  He shook his head.  He had been surprised to hear of the kidnapping, but this type of thing was not unheard of.  During his lifetime members of the royal family in Balthus had been taken for ransom several times.  It was disturbing, however, that no ransom note had been left.  It would be interesting to see what developed over the next few days.

As Blaize began to cross the fields surrounding the barracks, he turned his thoughts back to his responsibility as a general in the royal army.  The troops would be grateful when they heard that they would have the next few days free.  They had been training hard and really could use a small break before the long march to Candus.  Blaize had not made an overstatement when he had told the Commander General that the men had been training so hard, especially Traven.

With the thought of Traven, concern flooded back into Blaize’s mind.  He knew that the stress hadn’t caused Traven to react as he had.  The young man had grabbed at the stone that he always wore around his neck.  The stone had somehow caused the sudden pain.  Blaize would talk to Traven about it in the morning when they did their exercises.  They needed to get to the bottom of it.   If something like that happened in battle, Traven could very easily lose his life.  They definitely needed to talk about it in the morning.

Blaize pulled up in front of the barracks and dismounted his faithful steed.  A few long strides had him back within the building.  He put away his worried thoughts until another time and sat back down at his desk to finish what he and the Commander General had been doing before they had received the disturbing news.

* * * * *

The High King lay in the dark and let the deceitful face fall.  Despair began to press down on him as tears came to his eyes.  His beloved wife had been taken from him and now his only daughter.  Why?  He had worked all of his life for his people, and this was his reward!

The City Watch had come with their report as promised.  They still had no news of his daughter but had made at least one interesting discovery.  On the pant leg of one of the dead cutthroats, a tracker had found bristles from a stanchad reed.  The stanchad reed only grew on the outskirts of the Black Marsh.  Several trackers would be checking along the rim of the marsh for any other clues during the night, and in the morning a decision would be made as to their next actions.

The High King shuddered at the thought of his precious daughter in the hands of the filthy cutthroats.  He still had hope that she would be returned to him unharmed, but that little hope was fading away in the darkness of the night.  His hope had not saved his dear wife from the darkness nor would it save his daughter.  Shuddering again, he tried to get some sleep, but his room felt unbearably cold.