When the serving girl arrived and Hanjel had ordered Lomar an ale, Tedi ordered another one for himself and continued to listen.
“Sure, he did, Hanjel,” Lomar said as he drank his ale greedily. “I saw himself not five minutes ago. I’ve been looking for you ever since.”
“Who is this Mikal Obanik?” the third man asked.
“An old friend of Hanjel’s, Chekst,” Lomar chuckled.
“Friend, my foot!” Hanjel spat angrily and Chekst looked confused.
“He is an ex-Targa Ranger,” Lomar supplied. “Supposedly was a personal friend of Colonel Alexander Tork. I never met Tork, but this Obanik is the meanest, toughest son of a mother that ever walked the face of the earth. Hanjel and two of his friends had the displeasure of meeting him about five years ago and you can tell that Hanjel still remembers him, fondly, of course.”
Hanjel smashed his mug down on the table, drawing attention from all over the common room. “I’ll fondly you, Lomar, if you don’t wipe that grin off your face,” Hanjel growled. “The man’s a bandit and a liar and deserves to die. Friend of Tork, indeed. Tork is just a myth, and a dead myth at that, but seeing as they was friends, maybe Obanik ought to go see Tork, whatever hell he is in.”
“Oh, Tork is no myth,” Chekst objected. “I had a friend in the Sordoan Royal Guard that was in the Royal Palace the day that Tork assassinated the Sultan. He saw him again the day the Empress died. No, Tork is no myth, but why does this Obanik bother you so much?”
“Obanik was supposedly passing through town about five years ago,” Lomar began. “Three men started getting on him about him having been a Targa Ranger and how King Byron of Targa was the cause of the Collapse. When Obanik tried to ignore them, they got rowdy. Obanik got up and left the inn and three fools followed him out into the street and drew their swords on him. Most amazing display of swordsmanship I ever saw. Obanik drew his sword and fended off the three men and called for the guard to arrest the fools so he wouldn’t have to kill them. Well, the guard showed up, all right. Three senior guardsmen came and one of them was Hanjel here.”
“I think you’ve said enough for one day,” threatened Hanjel.
Lomar ignored the other guard and continued. “The three guards started taking bets on the outcome instead of intervening. Finally Obanik shook his head and in one twirling motion, cut the three fools in half. Hanjel and his two buddies arrested him for murder and took him before King Alfred who sentenced him to death. Some of the citizens objected and the King ordered an investigation. When King Alfred discovered what had really happened, he offered Obanik a choice, become the General of the Melbin Army or leave the city and never return. Either way, Obanik would be required to teach the three guards, who had not broken up the fight, a lesson. Obanik chose to leave the city and said that his sword was already too bloody to use against the guards.”
“Well, Hanjel should at least be happy about that,” Chekst said.
Hanjel threw his ale mug at the wall and stormed out of the inn. Lomar shook his head and continued the story. “The King was not pleased with either of Obanik’s responses. He decided to throw Obanik in the ring against the three guards, anyway, but without Obanik’s sword. Hanjel and his friends were thrilled and they all gleefully drew their steel to kill Obanik, but it didn’t quite turn out that way. Obanik beat the three of them without his sword, killed one of them even, and knocked the other two unconscious. Hanjel and the other guard were demoted to new recruits and Obanik was shown the gate out of the city.”
“Will Hanjel arrest him for returning to the city?” Chekst asked.
“I don’t think so,” Lomar answered. “Hanjel curses the day he arrested him the last time. I fear he will try to kill Obanik and that, I am sure, will result in Hanjel’s death. I would arrest Obanik myself to save Hanjel, but I think the King might impose his original sentence on the Ranger and he doesn’t deserve to die for killing those fools.”
“You said you saw the fight,” Chekst asked, “why didn’t you stop it?”
“I wasn’t in the guard then,” Lomar stated. “It was Hanjel’s poor performance that made me want to join the guard. I was ashamed of his performance and thought the Kingdom deserved better than that.”
Tedi rose and casually walked out into the street, eyeing the door to the Bosun’s Jib. Hanjel was nowhere in sight, so he marched across the street and entered the common room. He found the innkeeper and inquired about Mikal Obanik and was told that he had gone out. Tedi wanted to alert Garth, but he did not want to leave a message with the innkeeper, so he left.
Arik was amazed at the wealth of merchandise available from the weapons merchants. There were swords of every shape and size, battle-axes, crossbows, longbows, horse bows, staffs, pikes; the list was endless. The variety of knives alone would keep Fredrik busy for a week just picking out the types he wanted. There were weapons that Arik could not name, or even guess what they were, or how they were used, and these were the ones that Tanya were interested in. She had already purchased five finely polished and balanced fighting staffs and something called a bola, which looked like a heavy cord with a ball on each end. The bola confused Arik until the merchant demonstrated its use. Still, he had no idea what Tanya intended to use it for. Perhaps she would give it to Niki and Niki could use it to snare herself a King.
Arik found himself fondling a longbow and the merchant asked him if he would care to try it out. Arik nodded and the merchant handed him a bowstring and three metal-shafted arrows. Arik bent the longbow, which was much stiffer than his Lorgo bow, and attached the bowstring. The merchant was on the edge of a practice field and there were several targets erected across the field at even intervals. The merchant suggested he shoot at the closest target.
Arik stuck two of the arrows into the ground and saw the merchant wince. He held the third arrow and felt its smooth finish and fine balance. He had never seen a metal arrow before and shuddered at the thought of leaving a dozen of them in enemy bodies after a battle. Killing could get to be an expensive hobby, at the price of these metal arrows.
“Remember,” the merchant said softly, “your drawback will be half again greater than your country bow.”
Arik nodded thoughtfully as he nocked the metal arrow. He mentally adjusted for the difference in force and smoothly let the arrow fly. His arrow struck lower than he would have thought and he quickly pulled an arrow from his own quiver and repeated the procedure. His wooden arrow hit dead center and the merchant smiled approvingly. Arik plucked a second metal arrow from the ground and, after mentally adjusting for the extra weight of the metal arrow, sent it sailing into his wooden arrow.
Taking the third metal arrow, Arik adjusted for the furthest target. The merchant saw the elevation Arik was applying and shook his head with his eyes closed. Arik smoothly let the metal arrow fly and it sailed into the target, not a thumb’s width from the center. Applause broke out and Arik turned to find several people had become spectators to his display.
The merchant beamed as he said, “Excellent shot, Sir. If you can repeat that last shot, I’ll gladly give you a tenth off the price of that longbow.”
Arik laughed at the merchant’s attempt to sell his longbow. He was well aware, from watching Tanya, that any of these merchants would give you a tenth back to make a sale. Still, the longbow felt good to his hands and it was extremely accurate.
“I will repeat it three times,” boasted Arik, “if you will give me three tenths off the price and a quiver full of these metal arrows.”
The merchant was taken aback by the audacious request, but the crowd, which had swelled greatly, applauded again and he quickly acquiesced to Arik’s request. He handed Arik three more metal arrows and Arik again stuck two of them in the dirt while he waited for the boy to clear the targets. When the field was clear Arik nocked his first arrow and easily sent it through the air, driving it into the center of the distant target. The crowd that had become very large applauded.
“What happens when one of these metal arrows strikes another?” Arik questioned.
“It is the same as a hit,” answered the merchant, “but it may damage the arrow. I will have the boy remove the arrows after each shot if you think that it is a possibility.”
Arik nodded and the merchant signaled the boy as murmurs ran through the crowd. Arik’s second arrow flew as true as the first and Arik noticed that a man in the crowd was collecting money and making wagers on the final shot. The merchant was sweating now and wringing his hands as Arik nocked his third arrow. A hush fell over the crowd as Arik’s third arrow sailed through the air and pierced the center of the target. If the second arrow had been left in, the third would have hit it. The crowd roared its approval and many a hand slapped Arik on his back as the crowd dispersed.
“You are as fine a marksman as I have ever seen,” the merchant admitted, “and I have seen a few. Still, a deal is a deal and you have won your discount fairly. It’s safe enough to say that my shop will be the talk of the town for a week, at least, and that brings paying customers around.”
Arik paid the merchant and also purchased a fine, soft leather case for the bow. Tanya was suitably impressed not only with his shooting, for she knew him as a good shot, but with his negotiating skill. He and Tanya spent the rest of the day shopping and Tanya made a few more purchases of items, which Arik had no idea what she was going to do with.
Fredrik’s luck was fair with cards as well as any other game, but the young gambler earned his money at dice and wheel games where his magic could affect the outcome. Fredrik’s attire marked him as a wealthy man and saw him admitted to the more lucrative games where the stakes were higher.
Fredrik had played this game for so long, he knew the rules well. He did not win too much at any one establishment, but moved on to the next before people started howling about his luck. With a city the size of Melbin, Fredrik could gamble for a month before anyone would get wise to his extraordinary ability to win. Still, he kept in mind Garth’s warning about cheating the merchants and he was sure that applied to gambling as well. By working his way from the poorer establishments to the richer, Fredrik had managed to amass several thousand crowns for his several hours of work. At the last establishment he had encountered two other gamblers he had run into earlier in the afternoon and decided to end his gambling for the day.
Fredrik made his way back to the Fluttering Jib and noticed Arik and Tanya in the common room. He worked his way over to them and sat down.
“Where are Tedi and Niki?” greeted Fredrik.
“We haven’t seen either one of them since we arrived,” Tanya stated. “We spent all day at the market. I picked up some knives for you at the market in case you didn’t get a chance to get there before they closed.”
Fredrik kicked himself for forgetting about the market. When he started gambling he always lost track of time. He was thankful now for the conversations he had had with Tanya about what he was looking for in knives. “Thanks, Tanya,” he said. “I lost track of time and didn’t make it to the market. I’ll look at them after dinner, but I’m sure that what you bought will be just what I want. If you haven’t eaten yet, it will be my treat. I’ve had an exceptional run of luck today.”
Tanya grinned knowingly and Arik gritted his teeth. Tedi came into the common room looking harried and slid into a seat at the table. “We have some serious problems,” Tedi whispered.
Arik looked around the common room to see if anyone was paying too much attention to their table. Satisfied that no one was paying any attention to them, Arik asked the obvious question. “What kind of trouble is serious?”
“There is a Melbin guard trying to kill Garth,” Tedi whispered, “and Niki was arrested.”
Ale slopped out of Arik’s mug as he lowered it to the table and his jaw almost dropped as low. Looking around again, Arik suggested that they retire to one of the rooms to talk.
The four Rangers beat a hasty exit from the common room and went upstairs to the boys’ room. Everyone found a spot on one of the beds to sit before Arik demanded an explanation.
“Garth, or rather Mikal Obanik, is not welcome in Melbin,” Tedi began. “He was shown the gate by King Alfred five years ago after killing four men and wounding two others. Three of them were Melbin Guards. One of those guards is out to kill him. I overheard him and another guard talking earlier and I’ve spent the day trying to find him. While I was down in the Oddities Market, I saw two guards escorting Niki to the Palace. She did not look happy.”
“Great,” exclaimed Fredrik. “I wonder if she was stupid enough to use magic here.”
Arik and Tanya both shot Fredrik a wicked glare and he turned red when he realized what he had said. He smiled weakly and shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I really meant stupid enough to get caught using magic.”
Arik and Tanya were not impressed with the subtle distinction Fredrik was making. “Niki is the more important of the two,” Arik stated. “Garth can take care of himself and Niki is likely to use magic on the King and get herself killed. How can we find out where she is and what she has done?”
“I know a guard,” suggested Tedi, “who appears honest and might tell us. I don’t really know him, but I know his name and what he looks like. He is the one who was talking about Mikal Obanik and what happened five years ago. His name is Lomar.”
“If this guard is honest and knows Mikal is in town,” Tanya asked, “why is he not arresting him?”
“He thinks what Mikal did was correct,” Tedi said. “The King was mad because Mikal refused to be his General of the Army. That is what got him thrown out of the city and Lomar won’t arrest him to face the King again.”
“That is a story I want to hear more of,” Tanya said, “but right now we have to get Niki to safety. In most cities, you can just go up to the Palace Guard and ask them if somebody has been arrested and what for. I’ll go try that and come back.”
Tanya left as Fredrik said, “It is most likely that she used magic. If that is the case, they will execute her. We have to find out where the prison is and how to get her out.”
“I am not enjoying my first trip to the big city,” Tedi remarked. “I’ve spent all day frantically looking for Mikal before someone kills him and now we have to plan a prison break.”
The boys sat and pondered their situation for a short time before Tanya returned. “She was arrested for something she did in Caldar. Something about using magic to take clothes from a woman,” Tanya informed them. “The woman is here in Melbin and recognized her.”
“Can they arrest her for something she did in another country?” Fredrik asked.
“The King can do whatever he wants in his country,” Tanya explained.
The four Rangers sat lost in thought for some time. Garth would be furious with them if they didn’t get Niki free and this would probably be the last city they ever saw for the rest of their lives.
“If this woman can have Niki arrested for something that happened in Caldar,” Fredrik stated forcefully, “then I can have her arrested for something she did in Cidal.”
The others looked at Fredrik like he was crazy. Fredrik smiled and explained, “I am known as Lord Wason in Cidal, the Lord of the Manor. We had to leave the town rather swiftly because Niki used magic to hold one of my maids off the floor. She was in a rage and they would have killed her. She rode out on a horse and I pretended to be chasing her. As far as anyone in Cidal knows, I am still chasing her. I will go to the King and demand her arrest. He will turn her over to me and we can leave.”
“That sounds pretty good,” Tedi admitted, “but will the King even see you?”
“If he is really Lord of the Manor in Cidal,” Tanya speculated, “the King probably will see him. Do you know anybody there that the King might know?”
“Just before we left town, I was in a meeting with Captain Grecho, head of the Cidal Mercenary Company. The King may have heard of him,” hoped Fredrik.
“I heard about them today in the same conversation,” Tedi exclaimed. “They are known here in Melbin and have a good reputation.”
“Well, Lord Wason,” bowed Arik, “it would appear that you are about to see the King of Melbin.”
Fredrik straightened out his clothes and headed for the Royal Palace, which was an imposing mansion in the heart of the city. The Palace itself was set back quite a bit from the road and Fredrik feared he would look foolish walking in from the street. He turned around and headed towards a carriage house he had seen earlier in the day. For twenty crowns, he rented a large, ornate carriage for the trip to the Royal Palace.
The carriage pulled up to the gate to the Royal Palace and the driver announced Lord Wason of the Cidal Manor having just arrived in the city to seek audience with the King. The guard looked inside the carriage and nodded. A runner was sent to the Palace and he returned several minutes later with a message. The guard opened the massive gate and waved the carriage through.
The carriage rode up to the front of the Royal Palace and stopped. A Palace servant dressed entirely in white, except for an orange and black sash, opened the carriage door. Fredrik stepped out as proudly as he could. The servant closed the carriage door and then led Fredrik inside. The Palace was fairly new and very well decorated. The entry was large and spacious and sported large plants to give the room an outdoor feeling. Paintings lined the walls of the tiled corridors and the doors were made from excellently carved woods with gold scrollwork.
The throne room was large and the floor was completely covered with carpeting as fine as any Lanoirian rug Fredrik had seen. Spaced along the walls were large murals of the seacoast and statues placed between them. The throne, itself, was a gaudy gold chair with orange and black cushioning. Seated on the throne was a small, plump man with a receding hairline. Behind the throne were two women dressed in orange and black dresses. The servant announced Lord Wason and Fredrik realized he was speaking to the King.
Fredrik bowed to King Alfred and waited for a signal to approach. Fredrik had never been before a King and he had no idea what the protocols were, but he behaved as if the King were a god and hoped that whatever he did would not create an offense.
“King Alfred, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to see me without an appointment. I am afraid that our first meeting is marred by my need to ask something of you.”
“Lord Wason, please, I do not stand a great deal on the formalities of the old ways. The last I had heard the Lord of the Manor in Cidal was Lord Alrecht. As your name would indicate that you are not his son, may I ask how you have come unto your Title?”
Lord Alrecht was my uncle, Your Highness. He was murdered by Black Devils passing through Cidal and I am his only heir.”
“You have my sympathies,” the King offered. “I trust the Cidal Mercenary Company avenged his death?”
“Actually, Your Highness, Captain Grecho informed me that the company was unaware of the murder until it was long over and the Black Devils had moved on.”
“A pity,” the King sympathized. “Well, what is it that you wish from me, Lord Wason?”
“I have been chasing a young woman who was staying in my mansion in Cidal,” Fredrik gambled. “It has come to my attention that she was arrested here in the city this very day.”
“It seems to me, if I recall correctly, your uncle used to chase women, as well,” the King joked, “but I think I know of the woman whom you are referring to. A Lady of Caldar has charged her with sorcery. The Lady told me an interesting tale about having her dress ripped off her on the main street of Caldar.”
“That could very well be the same woman, Your Highness. The woman I am after used sorcery on one of my own maids in my own mansion and I have been chasing her ever since.”
“Well, at least I no longer have to feel guilty about executing her for sorcery,” chuckled King Alfred. “Of course, the Lady of Caldar’s word was enough to satisfy me, but your word assures me beyond doubt. I will allow you to witness the execution and then we shall have a great feast for the Lady and yourself.”
A shiver ran through Fredrik’s body. He had not known that the woman whom Niki disrobed in public was the Lady of Caldar. The woman had seen Fredrik with Niki and if she saw him here, he could also be arrested and executed.
“Your Highness,” Fredrik pleaded, “I would request that this woman be turned over to me so that I may have her returned to Cidal to stand trial for her crimes against me and the people of Cidal.”
The King lost his entire jovial mood and went silent. For several long agonizing moments, the only sound in the large, cavernous room was Fredrik’s own breathing.
Finally, the King of Melbin spoke. “You present me with a difficulty, Lord Wason. I have before me a woman who has committed serious crimes in two jurisdictions. Each jurisdiction is a potential ally and vassal of Melbin. Caldar appeared before me first, but Cidal is closer and has the backing of the Cidal Mercenary Company. This is a difficult choice. Would you care to look at the woman and confirm for me that we are, indeed, dealing with the same woman?”
“Certainly, Your Highness,” Fredrik agreed.
A servant and two guards led Fredrik out of the throne room and along a corridor to the rear of the Palace and across the yard almost to the far wall of the estate. Not far from the wall was a large, square plot of land surrounded by a moat, with a flagpole being the only structure above ground. The guards worked a winch that moved a narrow bridge out across the moat and the servant led Fredrik across. The entire island was a series of cages built into the ground, which were exposed to the weather. The servant stopped at the first cage and Fredrik’s heart sunk as stared down at Niki in the cage. She was sleeping and Fredrik did not have the heart to wake her.
Fredrik returned across the bridge and the guards withdrew it. The four men marched back to the throne room and Fredrik addressed the King.
“Your Highness, just seeing the woman again makes me plead that you give preference to my claim towards her.”
King Alfred nodded and laughed. “My Lord Wason, my advisors have come up with a plan to please both Caldar and Cidal. You will be given the woman to take back to Cidal as you requested.”
Fredrik’s heart leaped with joy at avoiding this close call over losing Niki.
“That will be, of course,” the King continued, “after we have executed her to satisfy Caldar’s claim.”
Fredrik’s heart sank and he begged leave from the King’s presence. On the way back to the Fluttering Jib, he tried to think of what he would tell the others.