Demonkin (58 page)

The girl nodded silently, and the mage disappeared. The girl watched in awe as a dove appeared on the floor. The bird flapped its wings and flew up to the window in the door. It stuck its head through the bars and peered into the torch-lit corridor. There were no humans visible, and the bird leaped off the window and flew along the hall to the door of the boys’ room. Again it landed in between the bars of the door window and peered into the room. Seeing no one awake, the dove leaped to the floor and transformed into Eulena. The mage sought out the oldest boy and stood next to his bed. With a finger to her lips, she shook the boy awake. The boy gasped in fright as he stared up at the mage.

“Quiet,” ordered Eulena. “Quietly wake the others.”

Eulena moved to the door as the boy quietly moved around the room waking his roommates. Each of the boys stared at Eulena as if she were a spirit, but none of them spoke above a whisper. Eulena kept her ears concentrating on the sounds outside the room until all of the boys were awake.

“My time here is short,” Eulena said softly, “so do not interrupt me with needless questions. On the night of the new moon, you will be rescued from this center. It is important that you do not do anything to alert the guards to what is to come, but you must also be ready to move quickly when the time comes. I have heard that some of you are against the thought of leaving. Who feels this way?”

No one raised his hand, but Eulena could tell be the glances of the others who the ringleader was. She walked over and stood directly in front of him. “Why do you not want to be rescued?”

“Why should I want it?” scowled the elven boy. “The Elfwoods is a place of misery. Why should anyone want to go back there?”

“Our parents gave us up,” snarled another boy. “If they cared for us, we would not even be here.”

“We can get jobs in Despair,” said a third. “We can be warriors as we were supposed to be.”

“Who is the fourth?” Eulena asked.

The three boys who spoke suddenly viewed the elven woman with alarm. It had not occurred to them in their sleepy state that the woman might take offense at their belligerent words.

“I am the fourth,” stated a younger boy. “I thought the other elf would tell someone about us. Just who are you?”

“My name is Eulena,” answered the mage. “Have any of you said anything to the guards about the escape?”

“Escape?” retorted the younger boy. “Do we look like children to you? I do not know what game you are playing, but we are not stupid enough to believe that the Dielderal are coming to rescue us. Why would they?”

“How could they is more like it,” scowled one of the older boys. “The Dielderal are slaves.”

“You know too little about your own people,” frowned the mage. “None of your parents willingly gave you up at birth. They were required to, or the soldiers would have killed you and others. Your parents weep every night because of your absence, yet you blame them for not caring.”

“Are we really being rescued?” asked a young boy.

“Those who want to be rescued.” Eulena nodded. “For those who do not wish to return to their people, I give you a word of warning. If you speak of this rescue to the guards, you will be committing every other elven child in this building to death. The Federation would rather see you all dead than to have one of you escape.”

“I don’t believe you,” said the youngest of the four. “This is just some kind of trick to torture our minds.”

“You think you are wise,” scowled Eulena, “but you will feel foolish two nights from now. At that time, your words will be proven false.” Eulena turned to face the older boys. “You said that the Elfwoods is a place of misery. You are wrong. The Dielderal have long been miserable, but all that has changed recently. For the first time in generations, our people are hopeful for the future. You,” she said as she addressed the other older boy, “said you wanted to be a warrior. Well, the Dielderal are in great need of warriors. Once all of the children are freed, the Dielderal will seek their vengeance on the Federation. You will have your chance to fight. The question you must answer is what side do you wish to fight for? Will you stand with the Federation against your own people?”

“I wish I could believe you,” frowned the boy who wanted to be a fighter. “I would much rather kill humans, but I doubt your words.”

“All humans are not bad,” cautioned the elven mage. “In fact, there will be humans among those rescuing you. The Dielderal are busy moving out of the Elfwoods. If you doubt my words, you merely have to do nothing. Time will be the proof in itself, but ask yourself why I have taken the time to sneak in here to talk to you.”

“Who said you snuck in?” retorted the youngest of the four boys. “You probably just unlocked the door and walked in. The guards are probably out in the hall laughing at us.”

“Try the door,” countered the mage.

The boy walked to the door and tried to open it. It was still locked. “You probably have the key with you.”

“I do not have time to stay here and play games with you,” sighed Eulena. “Whether you want to leave or not is up to you, but keep this secret close to your hearts. Failure to do so will haunt you all the days of your life.”

Without another word, the woman disappeared. In her place was a dove. The bird flew to the window and escaped into the night.

“Did you see that?” gasped one of the boys. “She’s a mage. We were taught that the Dielderal have no mages.”

“They obviously lied to us,” said the oldest of the four boys. “I think I believe everything she said.”

“I do, too,” said another of the four as he glared at the youngest member of the group, “and if anyone says anything to the guards, he will have to answer to me. We are going home.”

Kalina opened the door to the suite’s balcony and stepped outside. Garth was already there, the elven scope up to his eye. He did not turn to acknowledge Kalina’s presence, but he knew she was there.

“The Skate is docking now,” Garth said softly.

“Right on schedule,” remarked Kalina. “The sun will set within the hour.”

“And then it begins.” Garth sighed anxiously. “Did you check out the alley?”

“I did,” replied Kalina. “It is perfect if everything goes well, but very dangerous for both of us if they do not react as we expect them to. There is no way out of the alley if they corner me.”

“You still have the ability to fly away,” Garth pointed out.

“The spell leaves me vulnerable for a short period of time,” retorted Kalina. “It is not an option in this case. Once we spring the trap, it is win or die for me.”

“I will buy you the time if it comes down to that,” vowed Garth.

“At the cost of your own life?” balked Kalina. “No, Garth. We will fight and win together, or we will die together.”

Garth lowered the scope and turned around to face his wife. “We could pick another spot for the ambush,” he suggested.

“There is too little time left.” Kalina shook her head. “We will go with what we have planned and hope that your instincts are correct. Do we need to contact the Skate before the ambush?”

“I sent Bitsy to the ship when I saw them entering the harbor,” replied Garth. “That is all the contact we should need. Let’s have a meal while we wait for darkness.”

The Knights of Alcea left the balcony and went downstairs to the common room. They ate a leisurely meal as if the day held no specific relevance for them. In fact, it was the night before the new moon, and a night that would mark the opening salvo of a war between continents. Bitsy arrived before the end of the meal, but she stealthily slid into Garth’s pocket without speaking. That action alone let Garth know that there were no serious problems to report. By the time the Alceans had finished their meal, the sun had set and the street torches had been lit. Garth and Kalina rose from their chairs and exited the Bluff House Inn as if they were going for an evening stroll.

The walk through the city streets took the Knights of Alcea past the Temple of Balmak where the evening service was just ending. They paused on the corner for a few minutes to watch the worshipers disperse. When the streets emptied out, Garth and Kalina passed the temple and entered a dark alley near the side of the temple. Half way to where the alley dead-ended, the alley bent at a sharp angle. The Alceans halted at the bend.

“It certainly is dark enough,” Kalina commented. “Are we ready for this?”

“As ready as we can be,” Garth replied as he opened the door to an abandoned bakery and peeked inside. “Let’s see what Bitsy has to report before we begin.”

Garth stuck his finger in his pocket to get the fairy’s attention. Bitsy stuck out her head and looked around. She frowned at the sight of the dark alley and then glanced into the darker building.

“Where are we going?” chirped the fairy.

“We will explain in a minute,” Garth replied. “First tell us what those on the Skate had to say.”

“Their journey was uneventful,” stated Bitsy. “They are positioned as you requested. The crew will rest while they wait for the appointed time. There was nothing more.”

“Good,” smiled Garth. “Kalina and I are about to do battle. We would like your eyes and ears to keep us informed of anyone coming into this alley. I will be just inside this door. The door will be closed, but there is an open window on the floor above me. You must be quick with bringing me any vital information. If I deem it important to share with Kalina, you will then need to go to the far end of the alley as well. Are you comfortable with that?”

“That is an easy task,” chirped Bitsy. “Who do you expect to be entering the alley?”

“K’san,” replied Garth. “If I am correct, he will be coming with two black-cloaks and no one else. If there are others, I need to know as fast as you can fly.”

“That is pretty fast,” boasted the fairy.

“Alright,” sighed Garth. “Let’s do this.”

Garth stepped through the doorway into the darkness of the deserted bakery. Kalina waited until he closed the door before continuing deeper into the dead-end alley. When she reached the end of the alley, she glanced upwards to see if there was any light coming from the few windows above her. There was none. For a few minutes, she stood silently in the dark as she prepared for battle. When her composure was calm, she raised an arm and threw a fireball into the wall opposite her. The alley burst into brilliance as the fiery orb impacted on the stone wall, but the glow quickly faded. Kalina counted methodically as she prepared to cast another spell.

* * * *

K’san had just sat behind his desk when he felt the vibrations of battlefield magic. A deep frown creased his brow, and he slowly rose to his feet. He stood silently, his magical senses testing the vibrations of the city around him. After a few moments, he felt it again. There was no doubt in his mind that someone was using battle magic within the city limits. He calmly walked across the room and opened his door only to find two black-cloaks running up the corridor towards his office.

“You felt it?” called one of the mages. “It is very close to us.”

“I felt it,” K’san replied warily. “Come with me. We will find the source.”

“I will fetch the warriors to escort us,” offered one of the black-cloaks.

“No,” K’san replied tersely. “We will go alone.”

“It could be the rebels,” frowned the black-cloak. “We should have protection.”

“Are you afraid of rebels?” taunted K’san as he pushed past the other two mages.

“Of course not,” replied the black-cloak, “but it pays to be careful.”

“It also pays not to leave the temple undefended,” retorted K’san. “Did it ever occur to you that someone might be trying to lure us away from the temple so they could attack it?”

Another ripple of vibrations rode the air, but K’san did not falter as he strode towards the rear door of the temple. He pushed the door open and stepped into the night. The other two mages followed closely.

“Off to the left, I think,” offered one of the black-cloaks.

Another ripple attacked the priest’s senses. K’san suddenly halted near the two guards outside the rear door of the temple and frowned deeply. The guards looked on curiously, unaware of what was troubling the priest.

“The spells are too consistently timed,” the priest mumbled to himself. “It is a lure.” Turning to the two guards stationed at the rear door of the temple, K’san said, “You two will come with me.”

The priest did not wait for a response. He strode towards the side of the temple, his four underlings hurrying to match the stride of the tall priest. He walked directly to the mouth of the alley and halted several paces into it. Another blast of vibrations hit him, and he smiled thinly. As the others crowded around him, K’san reached out and placed a hand on the head of one of the guards. He mumbled some words under his breath and smiled in satisfaction.

“You two go and see if anyone is in this alley,” ordered the priest. “If anyone is there, you are to seize them and bring them to me.”

The guards headed deeper into the alley and drew their swords before the sharp bend.

“They will be helpless against a battle mage,” one of the black-cloaks said softly. “Why send them?”

“Quiet,” snapped the priest.

K’san closed his eyes and began observing things through the eyes of one of the guards. The guards turned the bend in the alley as a brilliant flash lit up the far end of it. There was a moment of searing white, but it only lasted a moment. As the guard regained his vision, K’san saw a figure deep in the alley. It was a woman.

The guards moved forward hesitantly, their swords extended out before them. The woman noticed them, but the distance was still too far for K’san to get a good look at her face. Suddenly the woman turned towards them and both of her arms rose in a menacing manner. The guards faltered, but it didn’t matter. Twin streams of fire sped towards them and engulfed them in flame. The guards screamed and tried to run, but they could not see. One ran into a wall before he died. The other tripped and fell, his life force going up in smoke.

A thin smile creased K’san’s lips. “It is a trap, but it is only a single woman. It is time to teach her the proper method of submitting to Balmak. I want the two of you a few paces before me. You are to keep a constant shield around all three of us. At no time are you to relinquish the shield.”