Demonkin (43 page)

There were no questions, and Morro held out his palm with the hourglass sitting upon it. The fairy landed on the elf’s palm and triggered the device. Morro had been watching the hourglass when the fairy triggered it. In an eye blink he saw the hourglass emptied and knew that Sparky had completed his task. He motioned for the other elves to join him as he moved swiftly through the trees.

The elves exited the forest and came to the stack of Doors. The elves from Glendor stared anxiously at the Federation camp not far away, but Morro ignored it. He counted off five Doors and swung them a bit to get a handhold. Prince Rigal quickly joined him, and they lifted the top five Doors off the stack and hurried into the forest with them. Gerant and Lyron were close behind. The four elves set the Doors down and picked up the doors. They moved back into the field and placed the doors exactly where the Doors had been. Within minutes they were carrying the ten Doors towards Tarashin.

* * * *

In the closed shop in Waxhaw, two soldiers stood in the dark. The sergeant looked again at the corporal and shook his head.

“I don’t like it,” Sergeant Zito said. “Captain Terazini is not the type of officer who would give a second thought to the queen. The captain is known for looking out only for himself. Why would you trust him?”

“I am not sure that I do,” admitted Corporal Aniello, “but he could bring a lot of men to the cause if he is serious.”

“Or this could be a trap,” warned the sergeant. “Break it off. Tell him that you were drunk and having sport with him.”

“It is too late for that,” frowned the corporal. “Don’t worry about it. I will never tell him anything if it is a trap.”

“They will torture you to find out who Crusher is,” argued Sergeant Zito.

“I do not care what they do to me. I will never tell them about the Vinaforan patriots. I swear that to you.”

“It’s not too late to run,” pleaded the sergeant. “Crusher will get you safely out of the city. Let’s just get out of here before he arrives.”

“It is too late for that,” Corporal Aniello whispered as he saw the captain approaching the door of the shop. “Get into your hiding place quickly.”

Sergeant Zito swore under his breath as he slid into the closet. He closed the door and stood in total darkness. He would not be able to see the meeting take place, but the closet had two advantages to it. The sergeant would be able to hear the conversation, and the closet had a hidden door in it that led to the shop next to it. He settled in and waited for the conversation to begin.

“Your shop?” Captain Terazini asked as he crossed the floor to stand before Corporal Aiello.

“Just an empty shop,” answered the corporal. “There are so many of them in the city these days. Waxhaw is not the grand city it used to be.”

“It will be grand again,” shrugged the captain. “Tell me about the patriots.”

“I am sure that you already know a great deal about them,” replied the corporal. “They are not much of a secret in the city. We plan to bring Queen Romani back and throw off the harness of the Federation. That is something that every true Vinaforan would want, isn’t it?”

“Of course.” the captain nodded. “It will be a glorious day when Queen Romani returns. When do you expect that will be?”

“I have no idea,” answered the corporal. “Only Crusher would be privy to that information.”

“Just who is Crusher?” asked the captain. “I hear so much about him, but I can’t believe that he actually exists. He is like some mysterious, mythical being. He is just a fictitious figurehead, isn’t he? Who really runs the patriots?”

“I actually don’t know,” replied the corporal. “Nor do I want to know. Such knowledge is dangerous.”

Captain Terazini shrugged. “I don’t suppose it truly matters. So what do I do in the patriots?”

“The most important goal at this time is to gather others who want to stand for the queen. You control quite a few men, Captain. Do you think any of them would be wiling to join the patriots?”

“I have a few in mind,” replied Captain Terazini. “Of course, there are also a few who would not fit in. I would have to be careful in selecting recruits. I would also want assurances that those above me will keep the names of my men secret.”

“You have no fear in that area,” smiled the corporal. “The patriots are organized with secrecy in mind. The men that you recruit would report directly to you.”

“And who would I report to?” asked the captain.

“To me,” answered Corporal Aniello.

“To you,” balked the captain. “You can’t be serious. You are but a corporal, and I am a captain. I should report directly to Crusher, if he even exists.”

“At this stage of organizing,” replied the corporal, “rank means nothing. As time goes on, Crusher will reorganize the patriots. At that time, you will be reassigned to a higher position, but it is not needed right now. So many officers are joining that we would be constantly changing the ranks of the organization. Besides, we are all after the same goal. What need of rank do we have?”

“I have worked long and hard to get to the rank of captain. I demand that I be accorded a higher position in the patriots.”

“I will pass your request on,” promised the corporal. “You do control a lot of men. Perhaps Crusher will have something special in mind for you.”

“Let’s go talk to him right now,” demanded the captain.

“I told you,” frowned the corporal. “I do not know who Crusher is. All I can do is pass along your request to the person I report to.”

“I do not believe you,” scowled the captain. “No one would join the patriots without knowing who they were working for.”

“The organization is built on secrecy. I have no need to know who Crusher is. I only need to know what the patriots stand for and the person I report to. That eliminates any chance of the organization being infiltrated.”

“Hardly,” countered the captain. “All one has to do is follow the chain upstream.”

“That would not be as easy as you think,” stated Corporal Aniello as he began to get a bad feeling about the captain. Terazini was asking too many questions about the organization and not enough about how he could help with the return of the queen. The corporal knew that the meeting was turning sour. “Let me do this, Captain. I will speak to my contact about arranging a meeting between you and Crusher. I am sure that he will oblige you.”

“And who is your contact?”

“You have no need to know that.”

“That is where we disagree,” snarled the captain as he drew his sword and held it towards the corporal. “You may or may not know who Crusher is, but you will be the first link in my chain.” The captain blew a whistle, and a soldier barged in the front door of the shop. Another soldier came in the rear door. “Tie him up,” ordered the captain. “We have some information to ply out of him.”

Sergeant Zito grimaced in the dark. He heard the footsteps of the two soldiers, and he heard the threats. He dared not barge out of the closet in an attempt to rescue the corporal. Instead, he silently slid through the hidden door to the shop next door.

* * * *

Shawn Cowen and Colonel Pfaff, known as Crusher to the Vinaforan patriots, sat in a private room at the Wine Press Inn in Waxhaw. The colonel moved his finger across a map on the table while a fairy stood on Shawn’s shoulder.

“Depending on which route she takes to enter Vinafor,” Colonel Pfaff said, “we will need to guard Ramaldi Pass or the road down from Sebastian Pass.”

“Ramaldi Pass will have to be blocked regardless of her route,” stated the Ranger. “It is the most likely path for the Federation to reinforce the garrison here in Waxhaw. Do we have troops up there?”

“We have quite a few,” answered Crusher, “but they are still under the control of General Cornalos. No one has approached him yet about joining the patriots. Perhaps it is time to do so.”

“I cannot address that with the knowledge I possess,” replied Shawn. “I can only advise you to move with caution. We know that King Daramoor is trying desperately to discover who you are. Would General Cornalos bow to Daramoor’s needs?”

“I am not sure,” admitted Crusher. “I think General Cornalos is a decent man, but he is not much of a leader. When the Federation took over Vinafor, Cornalos followed every one of Daramoor’s orders without question. The thing is, I think Cornalos would also follow Queen Romani’s orders without question, and he would be happier doing so. I do not think he likes King Daramoor.”

“But he obeys him,” cautioned the Ranger. “Tread softly with him.”

“I will,” agreed Colonel Pfaff. “Well, at least you are now aware of our current readiness. We should get this information to the queen.”

“That is what our little friend here is for,” grinned Shawn. “Carry the images to the queen, Droplet.”

“It shall be my pleasure,” saluted the tiny man. “She shall know every little detail.”

Droplet leaped off Shawn’s shoulder and darted through the window. Colonel Pfaff watched in awe as the fairy disappeared from sight.

“They are amazing creatures,” the colonel said. “I can understand why you kept them secret from me, but I am glad that you changed your mind.”

“The queen has the greatest respect for you,” smiled Shawn. “Now I do as well. I know that you would never endanger Droplet by mentioning his existence.”

“Absolutely not,” vowed the colonel.

A loud knock sounded on the door, and Shawn leaped to his feet and drew his sword. He moved silently across the floor and put his back to the wall beside the door. Colonel Pfaff drew a knife from his belt and walked slowly to the door. He opened the door and immediately stepped backwards. An officer stood in the hall, and Crusher waved him into the room when he saw who it was. The officer entered the room silently and closed the door. He glanced at Shawn and nodded in greeting.

“We have a problem,” stated Major Stark. “Corporal Aniello was trying to recruit Captain Terazini. It was a trap.”

“Who is Aniello’s contact?” asked Crusher.

“Sergeant Zito,” answered Major Stark. “He has already been ordered to go into hiding.”

“Aniello is a smart man,” frowned Colonel Pfaff. “While his only contact might have been Sergeant Zito, I am sure that he knows other patriots. He might even suspect that I am Crusher. His deference to me whenever we meet leads me to believe so.”

“Where is Aniello now?” asked Shawn.

“He is in a closed down shop near the docks,” answered the major. “That is where the meeting took place. I would have expected them to take him into the palace, but they have not moved him. I have men watching the shop.”

“They fear that we would assassinate him,” frowned Crusher, “and that is exactly what we should do. How many men are with him?”

“Captain Terazini and two of his men,” answered Major Stark. “Should I order our men to attack the shop?”

“The docks are too busy for an assault.” Crusher shook his head. “Every man we send in there would immediately be identified. We would then have a dozen Aniellos being tortured for information.”

“This is a situation that you must address,” declared Shawn, “and you have to do so quickly. They will surely torture the corporal to get whatever information they desire.”

“Get archers on the rooftops between the shop and the palace,” ordered the colonel. “If Aniello is brought out, they are to kill him. If they can also kill Captain Terazini without getting caught, they are to do so. That also goes for his two men. Let whatever Aniello said die with him.”

“The shop that Aniello is in has a secret door from the shop next door,” the major volunteered. “I could sneak in there and try to take them out. I might even be able to save Aniello.”

“No,” Crusher replied quickly. “You know far too much about the patriots.”

“Draw me a diagram,” Shawn said as he sheathed his sword.

The major started drawing the diagram, but Crusher’s eyes grew wide with disbelief.

“You are not going in there, Shawn,” stated the colonel. “You know as much as I do and more. That is crazy.”

“I can take out three soldiers,” Shawn replied with confidence. “It is what I am trained for. If anyone can get Aniello free, it is me.”

“But the risk is too great,” protested Crusher.

“There is actually little risk,” countered the Ranger. “If I fail in the attempt, I will be dead, and dead men do not talk.”

“This is where the hidden door is,” the major said as he pointed to his crude drawing. “It comes out in a closet. You will only have about five paces between you and the soldiers, so there will not be much time to separate your enemies. There will be little time to pull your sword out of one of them before you need it to defend against another.”

“Then I will not use my sword,” Shawn replied. “At five paces it will be hard for me to miss with a Lanoirian star.”

“I would like to go in with you,” declared Major Stark. “I can watch your back.”

Shawn hesitated before shaking his head. “I can use someone behind me, but you are not the one. Can we recall Sergeant Zito before he gets too far away?”

“He has not gone far,” stated the major. “I know that he would want to be one of the men to save Aniello. The two of them are very close. I will send word for him to meet us there.”

“You should stay away,” objected Shawn.

“I have to get the archers set up anyway,” countered the major, “but you won’t see me anywhere near the shop. I will have Sergeant Zito meet you near the blacksmith a block away from the docks. Do you know where that is?”

“I know it,” stated the Ranger.

Major Stark nodded and exited the room. Shawn checked his pouches for stars and checked his knives.

“I do not like this,” declared Crusher. “You are too valuable to me and Vinafor.”

“The patriots will not survive if you are identified,” retorted Shawn. “Whatever the outcome, you need to halt your recruiting for a while. King Daramoor is getting increasingly interested in finding out who you are. Let’s get Aniello back and eliminate the snoopers. After that, we can talk about growing the organization.”

Colonel Pfaff wanted to continue objecting, but he knew that Shawn’s mind was made up. He stood silently as the Ranger turned and walked out the door. Shawn Cowen moved quickly through the streets of Waxhaw, but not so quickly as to draw attention to himself. By the time he reached the blacksmith, Sergeant Zito was waiting for him. While he knew Zito informally, the sergeant was unaware of his involvement in the patriots.