Tedi craned his neck in an attempt to see into the other cells in the block, but he was unable to see anyone other than the man in the next cell. Quietly, for a while, he pondered his options. He was supposed to talk with the General and arrange his escape, but if the man in the next cell was not Sergeant Trank, who was General Gregor’s aide, he would call the jailers called down on him in a moment.
“What is your name?” Tedi hesitantly asked.
The man looked at him and pointedly ignored him. Tedi wasn’t sure what the dungeon guards had up their sleeve with their last comment to Arik, but he didn’t have a lot of time to deal with his neighbor’s reluctance to talk.
“I had a cousin who looked a lot like you,” Tedi probed. “People often told him that he looked like General Gregor’s aide. Say, you wouldn’t happen to be Sergeant Trank, would you?”
“You wouldn’t even know anyone who had ever seen a General’s aide,” the neighbor sneered. “Why don’t you do us both a favor and let me get some rest? Tell Duke Everich he will have to come up with a better scheme than sending you in here, so save your breath.”
Tedi was taken back at the man’s hostile attitude, but clearly the Duke wanted something from this man and, just as clearly, this man didn’t want to give it. Tedi was going to get nowhere fast following his coy little approach.
“I don’t know if you are Sergeant Trank or not,” Tedi gambled, “but my gut instinct tells me that you are. I do not work for the Duke, but I do need to talk to the General. I was hoping that they would put me in the cell next to him.”
The man’s hostility seemed abated and Tedi bet his life on his next statement. “I was told to tell the General that I was sent by Garth Shado to affect his release.”
The man stared at Tedi for the longest moment without speaking. After rolling something around in his mind, the man asked, “Who told you to say Garth Shado sent you?”
“Garth himself,” Tedi answered. “He is a tall man, extremely well-built with long black hair in a tail. He called General Gregor his cousin and travels with a woman named Kalina. Does that satisfy you that I am telling the truth?”
“Not hardly,” the man laughed. “This friend of his, Kalina, she has a special trick she likes to pull on new acquaintances. Surely, if you ever met her you would know of it. What is the trick?
Tedi had no idea what the man was talking about. Kalina had done nothing that stood out as a welcoming trick. How would he be able to convince the man without knowing her trick? In desperation, he threw up his hands.
“How am I supposed to know anything about her tricks?” Tedi blurted out. “I don’t know anything about magic and everything a witch does is a trick to me. What trick are you talking about?”
Oddly, the man smiled. “Witch is a very derogatory term,” the man scolded. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Kalina filled your sleeping bag with worms for that statement. How do you plan to get the General out of the Royal Palace? Just waltz him past the dungeon guards?”
“That is for me to discuss with the General,” stated Tedi. “You still haven’t told me who you are or where they are keeping the General.”
“You are a brave fool,” chuckled the man. “I see no harm in admitting that I am Sergeant Trank and that the General is in the last cell down. The Duke didn’t want me close enough to him to converse. You will have as poor luck in trying to talk with him as you have of getting him out of here, now that you are stuck being my neighbor.”
“We shall see about that,” boasted Tedi. “We plan on getting you out, as well. Let me know by whistling if you hear the guards coming.”
Tedi moved to the cell door and pulled his picks out of a pouch. The cell doors were not very hard to unlock and he finished it quickly. The real protection of the dungeon lay in the three guards. One would have to get past them and they normally searched their prisoners. Tedi, of course, was only a guest. Quickly and silently, he made his way along the corridor to the last cell. Looking into the cell he saw an old, but well fit, man with gray hair that was sitting on his bunk staring at him.
“General Gregor,” Tedi said quietly, Garth Shado sent me to get you out of here.” Even while he was talking, he was working the lock on the General’s door.
“Save your breath, son,” the General replied. “I have no doubt that you and Garth mean well, but I will not endanger Alcea soldiers to make my escape and that is the only way that I can think of to get past the guards.”
Tedi withdrew a tin of dye and a rag and handed it to the General. “We will not harm anyone in getting you and the Sergeant out,” Tedi promised. “Use this dye on your hair and don’t leave the cell. If the guards come to check on you, pretend you are sleeping and keep your head covered.”
Tedi moved quickly back to the Sergeant’s cell and picked the door lock before retreating back into his own cell. Tedi sat down on his bunk and tried to hide the fact that he was shaking with the fear of discovery.
The massive guard ordered Arik to sit at the small table where he and the other guard had been when Arik and Tedi entered the dungeon.
“Now,” the guard growled, “the Duke may think you are a Cidal Mercenary, but I surely don’t. I’ve drank with the Captain’s men and their uniforms don’t look like yours, especially that soft hat. Every mercenary who I know wears a helmet same as we do. You probably don’t even know the Captain’s name. What game are you up to, lad, and who are we holding as a guest in our cells?”
“Game?” Arik got out in an offended tone. “You think being a member of Lord’s Wason’s personal guard is a game? Don’t let my young looks fool you. Three others and I were chosen from the ranks of Captain Grecho’s company for the honor of serving Lord Wason. If I have to prove myself to a Targan dungeon guard, you can well believe that I am ready.”
The last was said with Arik’s hand on his sword hilt and the guard was taken aback. If Arik was who he said he was, the guard was not about to spill the blood of a Lord’s personal guard and, on second look, he realized the lad was finely fit to be wearing some uniform. He placed his firm hand on Arik’s shoulder. “Don’t get riled up, lad,” the guard said. “I’ve never heard of Lord Wason, but it is obvious that you do know Captain Grecho. You can’t blame me for being suspicious, that’s my job.”
“I’m sorry,” Arik replied as he felt the tension lessen. “I have had to train twice as hard as the rest of the men to prove myself because of my youthful appearance. I guess I am a little touchy about it. Lord Wason was the old sailor’s nephew. Lord Alrecht died recently and Lord Wason has a good rapport with Captain Grecho. When he asked for a personal guard, the Captain not only readily agreed, he held a contest to see who would be chosen. I am very proud of the soft hat, which I wear. It is a symbol of my expertise.”
Both guards looked at Arik in a new light and offered to share the last of their ale over stories of Cidal. Arik politely refused, telling the guards that his Lord was expecting him to take up position outside the Duke’s study. They nodded and let him out.
No sooner had Arik left when two women approached the Royal Palace via the small gate near the old Red Sword barracks. One wore the uniform of the Cidal Lord’s personal guard and the other was adorned with a long dress with large hoops. The dress was red as her hair and the soldiers all stared as she was allowed entry to the courtyard. The picnic basket she was carrying was promptly inspected and snickered at.
“You must understand,” the sentry was saying, “that the prisoner will not be allowed anything in the basket. The dungeon guards will confiscate it if you don’t leave it here.”
The Cidal mercenary chuckled at the sentry. “And your men won’t confiscate it while we are in the dungeon?” Taking the basket from Niki’s arm, she looped it over her own. “Just point the way,” Tanya continued. “I will see that the Lady and her basket survive the dungeon guards.”
The sentry tried to hide his smirk as he detailed the path that the two women were to travel. Tanya and Niki followed the sentry’s directions and approached the outside dungeon guard. He looked curiously as the two women approached, but held his tongue at the sight of the basket.
“We have come to speak with Tedi Markel, Lord Wason’s aide,” Tanya declared firmly.
“If you don’t mind, Tanya,” Niki offered eyeing the outside dungeon guard, “I would rather not enter the dungeon. Say what you have to say to the boy and then we can be gone from here. I am sure that this strong man will keep me safe until you return.”
“As you wish, My Lady,” Tanya answered respectfully and indicated her desire to enter the dungeon.
The guard banged on the door, never taking his eyes off the two women. Tanya’s sheath was without her sword and her quiver without arrows, but his training required him to treat her as a potential adversary and he did so. The dungeon door opened and upon seeing the visitors, the guard’s eyes widened. He seemed disappointed that only Tanya entered the dungeon, but after the door was closed, she found him inspecting her closely.
“You are one of the chosen four,” the guard exclaimed incredulously as he reached for the basket on Tanya’s arm.
“I am one of Lord Wason’s personal guards,” Tanya affirmed as she grabbed the guard’s thumb and put pressure on it to bring him to his knees. “I am assigned to Lady Wason and if you wish the basket, it would be polite to ask first.”
The other guard was laughing at his partner’s predicament and the guard on his knees was very embarrassed. Tanya immediately let go of the guard’s thumb and apologized. “I am sorry. I guess Arik already told you how hard it was on the two of us, being so young and all. I was out of line and apologize for my behavior.”
She handed the guard the basket and he took it while rising to his feet and backed to the table to put it down.
“Lady Wason thinks that Tedi will get that,” Tanya smiled. “I will tell her that he did. She would not understand security provisions in a prison. Help yourselves.”
The seated guard hurriedly inspected the contents and his cries of excitement caught the embarrassed guard’s attention. Still watching Tanya out of the corner of his eye, he peered into the basket to see the rich meats, cheese, fruit, and a bottle of expensive wine. Rubbing his thumb, he nodded the way to Tedi’s cell and sat at the table to get his share of the basket before his partner cleaned it out.
Tanya smiled as she made her way to Tedi’s cell. She lingered at the cell door for about five minutes and went back to check on the guards. One of them was sprawled on the floor and the other had his head lying on the table. She moved quickly to the dungeon door and pulled it open. Niki was standing over the outside guard who was propped up against the wall. Niki entered the dungeon quickly and raised her hoops. Tanya stripped two Cidal personal guard uniforms from Niki’s body where they had been secured.
“That man was a letch,” Niki complained. “I think he would have felt the uniforms if he had any more time. What took you so long?”
Tanya just pointed at the two large men sprawled at the table and hurried the uniforms to the General and Sergeant. Tedi sprang from his cell and hauled the prostrate guard into a chair and laid his head on the table like his partner. Tanya returned to the large room while the General and Sergeant donned their new uniforms. The two girls waited just long enough to see the two soldiers appear before they exited the dungeon with the empty picnic basket and returned towards the courtyard.
The Sergeant looked surprised at the two guards sprawled on the table and asked about the outside guard.
“These two should not have drank the wine,” Tedi grinned. “They will wake up in an hour so we need to be well on our way. The outside guard got his mixture through Niki’s ring. He may be out for even less time. Garth told us about the exit from the Palace that the servants used before the Collapse. He said it is still passable, but it has been unused for many years. I can lead you there. There will be two horses outside. You can use them to get out of the city. Go to the field where the Rangers waited to enter the city before King Eugene was unmasked and Garth will meet you there. I hope you understand, because it means nothing to me.”
The General put his hand on Tedi’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “You will make a fine soldier someday,” General Gregor stated. “You have the guts and determination already.”
Tedi nodded at the General and smiled. “I already am, Sir,” he replied proudly. “I am an Alcea Ranger. Let’s get out of here.”
The General grinned and shook his head as he followed Tedi out of the dungeon with his Sergeant close behind. Tedi led them through the corridors of the Royal Palace as if he had spent time there before. If anyone saw them at a distance, it would look like a foreign servant and his two unarmed foreign escorts. It was Tedi’s job to make sure that no one got a close look.
They made it without incident to the half collapsed corridor that led to the old servants’ entrance. Only two servants had seen them at a distance and they paid no particular interest to the foreign men. The corridor was barely passable in spots and the going was slow, as they had to climb over portions of crumbled walls. When they reached the end of the corridor, the door was jammed tight. Tedi almost panicked as he put his shoulder to the door and it refused to budge.
The Sergeant chuckled politely and tapped the pouch that Tedi held his picks in. “It’s locked, Ranger,” he prompted. “Work some of the skills from your misspent youth.”
Tedi swore as he extracted his picks and went to work on the door lock. They had already exhausted too much time getting out of the dungeon and Fredrik should be done with his meeting soon. Even if the guards did not wake up for an hour, somebody could discover them at any time. The door unlocked was still hard to open, but Tedi cracked it enough to peer outside. There was more debris from the Collapse past the door, which had never been cleaned up, and Tedi soon realized why Garth chose this doorway. They were able to make it easily across the unoccupied courtyard to a small gate in the wall. The gate was locked only with a beam laid in metal braces, which was easily removed, and the three escapees stepped into a street where two horses were tied to a tree.
The few passersby looked oddly at them for using a gateway which had not been used in years, but the tethered horses and foreign uniforms on the men, with the apparent lack of weapons, caused them to go about their business. Tedi saw the two military men mount their horses and then turned to walk the short distance to the Palace Shadow.
Fredrik led Duke Everich into a prolonged discussion of how the two countries might be of benefit to each other. The Duke seemed to be uninterested in most of the conversation with the exception of the Cidal Mercenary Company, but he was patient enough to let Fredrik rave about the great nation he was going to carve out of old Sordoa. The Duke probably thought Fredrik a young fool, but was trying to find some angle to get control of the mercenaries for his own benefit. Fredrik was sure that the Duke would use the mercenaries in some grand scheme of the Contest of Power.
It suddenly dawned on Fredrik why the Duke was being so patient. As long as Lord Wason was tied up in his study, the other players in the Contest could not talk to him. Even the length of time spent with Lord Wason would probably be used to some advantage. Fredrik was mulling over these thoughts when he heard the bump of something against the door. That was Arik’s signal that the escape was underway. Arik had hidden where he could observe Tedi’s group leaving and shadowed behind them to make sure they got off all right. The signal meant it was time to flee.
“Well,” Fredrik began, “I think this talk has given me much to think about, Duke Everich. I would like to meet with some of the other Council members tomorrow if you can arrange it, but I must be going now. I am afraid that as good as the Palace Shadow is, I did not sleep as well as I would have in my own bed.”
Duke Everich snapped his head up as if he had just heard Fredrik speak for the first time. “I could arrange for quarters here in the Palace if you wish,” he offered. “The other members of the Council have very busy schedules and I may not be able to arrange your meetings for a few days.”
“That is unfortunate,” Lord Wason declared. “I must start my journey back home tomorrow at the latest and the Palace Shadow will do for one more night. Perhaps there will be time for another meeting with you before I go. We can continue our plans by courier if that is not possible.”
“A pity,” grinned the Duke. “Well, I should send a guard down for your man to spare your bodyguard the trip while I see you out.”
Fredrik showed no sign of panic as he replied. “That won’t be necessary, Duke Everich. If you don’t mind, I will leave him there overnight. Perhaps he will be more understanding in the morning. I can easily find my own way out of the Palace while you check with the other Council members about their schedules for tomorrow.”
The Duke merely nodded, lost in thought, as Fredrik opened the door and stepped into the corridor where Arik was waiting. As quickly as they could, without appearing to be in a hurry, Fredrik and Arik made their way out of the Palace to the Palace Shadow where they met with Tedi and all checked out with great haste. Within minutes of each other, the three groups of Alcea Rangers started their journey out of the city towards the field where General Gregor and Sergeant Trank awaited them.
Garth, Kalina, Niki, and Tanya were waiting for Fredrik, Tedi and Arik a short way from the city and the group reformed into one. The field where the General waited was not far away from the city, but it was between the main road westward and the main road northward, which placed it in the forest where few would go. The General and the Sergeant were already talking with Mitar Vidson, head of the Targa Rangers, and David Jaynes, head of the Red Swords of Targa, when the Alcea Rangers arrived.
Garth introduced everybody and sat by the campfire as the rest of the group joined him. “General,” Garth began, “I am sure that your old friends have brought you up to date on why we are all here. I believe that you have met most of the Alcea Rangers already today. We will be leaving in the morning, but you four will have much to do before we return.”
“I must not have been told everything,” the General prodded. “Why have you formed the Alcea Rangers? Where are you going? When and why are you coming back and what is it you expect us to do?”
“Many questions,” mused Garth. “Still, you have the right to know what you are getting yourself into. First, I must ask a harsh question. Is your Sergeant Trank trustworthy?”
“I have staked my life on it in the past,” the General declared, “and I have not regretted it. You may speak of anything in his presence that you wish to speak to me about.”
“Very well,” Garth continued. “You four must prepare for the rising of Alcea which will occur when next you see us. Targa’s Army is young, weak, and untrained and, yet, a tremendous army will be coming to crush us. You must round up the remnants of the Red Swords and the Targa Rangers and get them ready for battle and you must do it covertly. No one is to know that you are forming this army. Let our enemies believe that Targa is ill-prepared to fend off their attack.”
The General looked around the campfire examining the faces before him. He understood the reference to Alcea rising because he had heard of the Prophecy and had been told to prepare for it or train a successor to prepare for it. What he did not understand was the great army that would be descending on Alcea. Nobody had mentioned that before.
“You lead me to believe that I should be kneeling before one of your Rangers,” the General stated. “May I know which one?”
“Not until I do,” Garth stated. “We know the Prophecy has begun, but little more. When I return, it will be with your King.”
“I will accept you at your word,” General Gregor acceded. “What is this talk of a great army descending on Alcea? This was never mentioned before in conjunction with the Prophecy.”
“The Dark One will soon know that the Prophecy has begun,” Garth explained. “If my plans go well, he will be unable to find us. His only recourse will be to eradicate Alcea to see that it never rises again. He has many under his control and he will not hesitate to use every last one of them. If he attacked Targa today, do you think your Army would stand any chance at all?”
“No,” conceded the General. “And if Targa gets wind of the building army, the battle will begin before the first of the Dark One’s minions even get close. I understand the urgency now, but you must buy us time. Many of those we will recruit are past their prime years. They can still fight, but they will make better officers and trainers for whatever young we can induct.”
“We will buy you whatever time we can,” Garth responded, “but every day we delay increases the risk to our party. Make haste with your efforts, General.”
Duke Everich was enraged with his Sergeant’s report. General Gregor and Sergeant Trank had disappeared from sight. His dungeon guard had been dealt with by children from all accounts, children! He picked up the paperweight from his desk and hurled across the room.
“I want those three guards hung in the morning,” the Duke screamed. “And I want it done in full public view with the entire Palace guard in audience. I want those children found and brought to me, all five of them. Now get out!”
Duke Everich’s words echoed through his head. There were five children running around his Palace as if they owned it. His face turned red at the thought of him falling for the child’s story about being a Lord. It was obviously a ruse to gain them access to the dungeon to free the General, but why? He was sure the three whom he had seen were not Targan. They were as Sordoan as any he had met. Why would Sordoan children want to free the General of Targa’s Army? Or should that be Alcea’s Army?
Unbelievable as it was, Duke Everich knew it was something that had to be reported immediately, but it had to be reported in such a fashion that his Master would not realize that the Duke had been tricked himself. He wasn’t about to lose his rank because of one slip. There would always be someone else he could blame.