Demonkin (18 page)

The two elves walked on in silence for a while before the king suddenly gasped. His hand reached out and grabbed Morro’s hand. Morro halted as the king grabbed him. He turned to look at the king and saw him staring across the street. Morro followed his gaze and saw the Federation general coming out of a shop. While Morro and the king were staring at the general, the general noticed them. His eyebrows rose in surprise and then he nodded his head towards a nearby alley. Morro watched as the general walked along the street and entered the alley. Morro started to cross the street, but the king held him back.

“That general was in Elfwoods,” the king whispered, “but he portrayed himself as one of the Alceans. Our allies have been infiltrated.”

“It is quite the opposite of what you are thinking,” smiled Morro. “That is General Forshire of Tyronia, or at least that is who he is known as here in Despair. Come, we should talk to him.”

The king hesitated, but Morro tugged his arm. The elves crossed the street and entered the alley. A dozen paces into the alley, it turned sharply and General Forshire was waiting for them.

Clint bowed to the elven king, but his interest was in Morro. “I need help,” Clint said. “Can you introduce me to the thieves of Despair?”

“As a Federation general?” balked Morro. “I do not think that is wise. While the thieves have no love for the Federation, some of them may see you as the enemy. They might just turn you in to the emperor.”

“There must be a way,” insisted Clint.

“Let’s discuss it after I get the king into the palace,” suggested the thief.

“What are you doing here, King Elengal?” asked Clint. “Is this about the incident in the Heart?”

“It is,” answered the king. “How is it that you can portray a Federation general?”

“It is a long story,” replied Clint. “I looked very much like a general in Tyronia. When the Federation seized Ur, a switch was made. The old General Forshire is dead. He was a traitorous dog, and I took his place. Do not do anything to jeopardize my position. Too much is riding on it.”

“Your secret is safe,” vowed the king, “but I am in awe at what you Alceans seem to be able to do.”

“It was just a fortunate opportunity,” shrugged the general. “Do you want me to escort you to the palace?”

“No,” answered the king. “In fact, you and Morro may conduct whatever business you have. I need no escort from here.”

“Are you sure?” asked the thief.

“Positive,” replied the king. “I will leave you two alone.”

The king turned and walked back the way they had come.

“It is not wise for us to talk in the city,” warned Morro, “and I need to recover my unicorn. Is there somewhere outside the city that you are familiar with?”

“There is a large clearing about a league west of the city,” answered Clint. “If you are taking the trail west, it splits about a league from the gates. Take neither fork but continue westward. You will find it easy enough.”

“I will meet you there,” promised Morro.

The thief left the alley next. Morro glanced towards the palace and saw the king approaching the gates. The gates opened to admit the king, and he strode briskly to the entrance of the palace. An officer met him on the steps.

“I have come to speak to Emperor Jaar,” declared the king.

“I will notify Grand General Kyrga immediately,” stated the officer as he turned to enter the building.

“Stop,” the king said with authority.

The officer halted and turned with a frown on his face.

“I said that I had come to speak with Emperor Jaar,” stated the king. “I have not come to speak to a general.”

“I understand,” replied the officer. “Grand General Kyrga is to be informed of all diplomatic arrivals. I will have him notified.”

“Perhaps I am not making myself clear,” the king replied stubbornly. “If you are to notify anyone of my arrival, it will be Emperor Jaar, and only Emperor Jaar.”

“That is not proper procedure,” objected the officer.

“I care little for your procedures,” retorted the king. “I have an understanding with the emperor. Are you taking it upon yourself to jeopardize that understanding?”

“I am just following my orders,” declared the officer.

“And you are loyal to the general over the emperor?” questioned the king. “In the Elfwoods, that would earn you a sentence of death.”

The officer swallowed hard, but he was unmoved by the king’s bluster.

“I suggest that you escort me directly to the emperor and then report my arrival to Grand General Kyrga,” the king suggested in a softened tone. “That way you will have fulfilled your obligation to the general, but still put the emperor first, as he should be.”

The officer nodded thoughtfully. He knew that a messenger had been sent from the river to speak to the emperor, so he had no doubt that the elven king was expected.

“Very well,” agreed the officer. “Follow me.”

The officer led the king through the palace to the emperor’s study. The guards outside the study recognized the elven king, and the officer did not have to explain the reason for his appearance before the study’s door. The guard knocked and then entered the study. Almost immediately, he reemerged and held the door open for the elven king. King Elengal entered the study. The door closed behind him. He crossed the floor and bowed slightly to the emperor.

“I heard you were coming,” stated Emperor Jaar. “I understand that you are concerned about people knowing of your visit. Why?”

“I have something very important to discuss with you,” answered the king, “and I would prefer to do it without interference from your underlings.”

“That is most unusual,” frowned the emperor. “Just what is it you expect my staff to do about your visit here?”

“Silence me,” declared the king. “I think there are some under your command who would rather that you do not know what is happening in your empire.”

“Silence you?” the emperor replied in a laughing manner. “I think you overrate your own importance.”

The emperor was trying to make light of what he thought was a preposterous accusation, but King Elengal noticed the uncertainty in the emperor’s eyes.

“Perhaps,” the king responded, “but I guarantee that Grand General Kyrga will knock on this door within minutes. That is, if he is in the palace this day.”

The king had aroused the emperor’s curiosity now. He knew that Kyrga kept a close eye on things around the palace, but the elven king made Kyrga’s arrival sound almost like a certainty.

“And you suspect that he is betraying me?” asked the emperor.

“I make no such allegation,” answered the king. “I wish merely to speak to you in private. When we are through, you can consider the behavior of your people in your own way. You do not need my help with that.”

“Fair enough,” decided the emperor. “Sit and tell me what is on your mind.”

Before the king could move, a knock sounded on the door. The door opened and Grand General Kyrga walked in. Emperor Jaar looked at his general through narrowed eyes.

“I am busy at the moment, Kyrga. Come back later.”

The general glanced at the elven king and then looked at the emperor in confusion. “If there is trouble in Elfwoods, I would like to know about it.”

“I said later, Grand General Kyrga.”

The tone of the emperor’s voice was clearly a command. Kyrga glared at the elven king, but he nodded and withdrew from the room. Emperor Jaar watched Kyrga depart and then turned to glare at the elven king.

“This had better be good. You are starting to make me feel angry with your mysteries and unspoken accusations.”

“Recently a detachment of soldiers entered the Heart,” King Elengal said. “There were about a hundred soldiers, two black-cloaks, and K’san. Did you send them?”

“Federation soldiers are allowed in the Elfwoods whenever necessary,” stated the emperor. “You know that as well as I. If you have come to complain about an invasion of your land, you are wasting my time. Elfwoods is your home for only as long as I allow it. You do not own it.”

“I understand that,” replied King Elengal. “Your soldiers may go anywhere they want with only one exception. Our archives are sacred, and you have agreed to that, as has every Emperor of Barouk.”

Emperor Jaar’s brow creased heavily. He suspected what was coming next.

“This particular group of soldiers sealed off the Heart from the rest of Elfwoods. No one was allowed in or out of the Heart for the duration of their stay. K’san and the two black-cloaks invaded the archives. This is in direct violation of law.”

“I doubt that my men would force their way into your archives,” the emperor replied with more conviction than he truly felt. “Why would we care about your records? We have our own.”

“Your records do not record the bloodline of our founding prince,” answered King Elengal. “Why should they? With the exception of the order of succession, we are all the same to you.”

“Precisely why your tale makes no sense,” retorted the emperor. “Perhaps your historian invited K’san into the archives to discuss something. How would you know? You are not even allowed in the archives.”

“You are correct about our law,” conceded the king, “but you are wrong about our historian. He tried to halt the mages and was severely wounded for his efforts. Our healers worked day and night to save his life.”

“Did you actually see this attack?” asked Emperor Jaar.

“I did not see the attack,” admitted the king, “but I was called there within minutes of it.”

“Did you actually see anyone in the archives?” asked the emperor.

“I did.” The king nodded. “I stood in the historian’s home and ordered them to leave. I warned them that the intrusion was against the law.”

“And they refused?” asked the emperor.

King Elengal stripped off his tunic and dropped it to the floor. “This was their answer.”

Emperor Jaar stared at the blackened mass of scar tissue that was on the chest of the elven king. For several long moments no one spoke.

“I am complaining about this to you,” declared King Elengal, “because I do not think you authorized this incursion. Whatever contempt you have in your heart for my people, I do not think you condone this type of abuse when we are cooperating with you in every way. The result of this incursion was more than just the near death of Legaulle and myself. Four women with royal blood were taken from their homes and removed from Elfwoods. They had committed no offense against the empire.”

“This makes no sense,” frowned the emperor. “Why would any of my people go to such trouble for four elven women?”

“To produce demonkin,” stated the elven king. “I believe that the women were taken to produce a very special kind of demonkin.”

“That is preposterous,” retorted the emperor. “It is hard for me to take your complaints seriously when you mix in such superstition and fairy tales.”

“Fairy tales?” echoed the king. “Do you expect me to believe that you do not believe in demonkin?”

“Perhaps the reason the elves are slaves and the Baroukans are their masters is that we do not believe in such foolish things.”

“And here I thought you were the one in charge of the Federation,” King Elengal said with amazement.

“What is that supposed to mean?” shouted the emperor. “How dare you come in here and make such accusations?”

King Elengal was taken aback by the emperor’s tirade until he realized what he had said out loud. “I did not mean that as an insult,” he apologized. “I truly thought you knew the nature of K’san.”

“What does a priest have to do with this?” snapped the emperor.

“Those priests are not human,” stated the elven king as he held up his hands to forestall another tirade. “You do not have to believe me about this. It is not germane to our conversation. The point I wanted to bring to your attention is that some of your people are doing things under the color of your authority, and they are doing things that violate your own laws. That can hardly be beneficial to you. I will leave it up to you to discover who authorized the raid on the Heart and where the four women were taken. I have at least satisfied my own curiosity about your involvement in this sad episode. I am pleased that you did not order such a foul violation.”

Emperor Jaar did not immediately respond. His eyes stared through the elven king as if he were lost in thought. King Elengal bent down and picked up his tunic. He pulled it on and looked to the emperor for permission to leave.

* * * *

General Forshire rode into the clearing and dismounted. He let his unicorn roam freely as he waited for the elven thief to appear. Suddenly, Morro appeared right before him. Clint tensed at the sudden appearance and immediately stepped backwards. He swiftly rotated in a complete circle, as if expecting others to magically appear. He ended up facing Morro and noted the thin smile on the elf’s face.

“Never do that to me again,” Clint said with a sigh of relief. “I knew that you had a gift of speed, but I never imagined that anyone could move quicker than my eye.”

“I am sorry,” apologized the elf. “I am still experimenting with my abilities. Why do you need to speak with the thieves of Despair?”

“For many reasons,” answered Clint as he held out a small military patch for Morro to examine. “That is the insignia of the V Corps. They are a small group of prisoners who have been inducted into an army unit under the command of General Garibaldi of Vinafor. I need to have this patch duplicated several hundred times, but I cannot ask any tailor to do it. It is against the law to replicate any military insignia. The emperor alone has the authority to order such emblems created.”

“And you think the thieves might be able to deliver what you need?”

“They are my only hope.” The general nodded.

“I will talk to Scorpion,” Morro promised as he took the patch and shoved it into his pouch. “That will alleviate the need for him to meet a Federation general.”

“I will also need his help when it comes time to rescue the children,” pressed Clint. “Is there no way for you to introduce us?”

“Have you a death wish?” balked the elf. “While I would trust Scorpion to keep your secret, there is no way to meet him without dozens of his people knowing about it. Any one of them might sell you out to the Federation. Such valuable information would make anyone a wealthy man. You have too much to lose to arrange such a meeting.”