“Now we are onto something,” snarled the king. “This is something that Montero would do.”
“But they were only here for a few minutes,” frowned the general. “They got their supplies and left. The guard in the kitchens watched them the entire time.”
“Did he?” challenged the king. “Then he will be able to tell us how the kitchen maid happened to end up slain in the same room with my sons. I was wondering what she was doing there, but now it makes sense. How else could an unauthorized soldier gain access to that wing of the palace if not through the servants’ ways? That girl led the assassin to my sons. I want that guard properly interrogated.”
“I will see to it,” promised the general.
The general turned to leave, but the king was not finished with him. “I also want every member of the 15th Corps arrested.”
The general turned and looked questioningly at the king. “There is an entire company of the 15th Corp in Ertak. You do realize that General Montero left them to safeguard Prince Harold?”
“Safeguard?” scoffed the king. “Is that what you call imprisonment these days?”
“Call it what you will,” frowned the general, “but you are talking about a civil war. Ergard’s company inhabits Montero’s castle in the Dark Forest, and they will not surrender without a fight. I suspect that they are tasked to defend that castle to the death.”
“Then they will die,” King Harowin replied without concern.
“It is never that easy, Your Highness. General Montero has a strong following in all of the Ertakan armies, including my own 11th Corps. If it comes to a battle to take that castle, there will be heavy losses on both sides. Plus,” he added with an ominous tone, “that will leave General Larus and his 34th Corps in charge of security in Farmin while my men are out in the Dark Forest. Are you sure that is wise?”
“Blast Jaar,” snapped the king. “Have you discovered the reason for Kyrga posting the 34th Corps in Farmin?”
“I have not,” frowned the general, “but it is not just Farmin. Valdo and Giza also have new armies posted to them, and each of the generals is sworn to Kyrga. I have a bad feeling about their purpose. What if Montero is not behind the assassination at all? What if it is Emperor Jaar trying to foment a civil war to weaken our home guard? We would be playing right into his hand if we attacked the castle.”
The king thought for a moment and then shook his head. “The assassinations have Montero’s mark all over them. This is typical of what he would do.”
“For what purpose?” asked General Harford. “Montero is already the Crown Prince. He gains nothing from the deaths of your other sons.”
“He gains security,” retorted the king. “With Lyker and Lindmyr dead, I cannot afford to lose Montero, or Ertak would have no heir.” The king’s eyes widened as if he had just seen something remarkable. “Harold! Montero no longer holds Harold in that castle of his. Either Harold is dead, or he has escaped. That is why Montero made his move. He no longer has a hold over me.”
“That does make sense,” agreed the general, “but I still advise against attacking the castle.”
“Forget the castle,” stated the king. “Arrest Captain Ergard and his squad of men before they reach the safety of the castle. Given the proper incentive, those men will tell us what we need to know.”
* * * *
Jenneva stood at the gates to the Everich estate while Alex refastened the wheel onto the mortician’s wagon. Darkness had claimed the sky, but not before Jenneva had managed to get a good look at the estate. The great building that had once housed the King’s Advisor no longer existed. In its place a field of debris was scattered across the ground. There was no sign of life, but she knew from Alex’s attitude that she was missing something. She waited patiently for him to finish. A soft whistle caused her to turn around. Alex waved her to the wagon and then hopped up onto the seat. Jenneva turned away from the destruction and mounted the wagon.
“You owe me an explanation,” she said simply.
“I do.” Alex nodded. “Duke Everich’s estate had a very unique feature about it. Of the people assembled tonight, only Arik and I knew about it, and Balamor and Theos kept the king’s mind shielded, so there was no chance of Artimor learning the secret as long as we did not tell anyone else.”
“What feature?” asked Jenneva.
“An access hatch to the city sewers,” grinned Alex. “It was one of the reasons that Everich bought the estate. It allowed him secret access to his minions of the underworld. The day that you and Tanya were struck down during the Battle of Tagaret, Arik and I used the sewers to sneak onto this estate and destroy the nest of black-devils hiding here. That led to the plan used tonight. As soon as everyone entered the front door of the mansion, Arik led them out the back and into the sewers. That is why the timing of our arrival was so critical. We only needed a few moments of distraction to give the king time to make good his escape.”
“Are you sure that they did escape?” frowned Jenneva.
“I am certain,” smiled Alex. “I timed it myself this afternoon, and Arik knew the numbers well before we left the palace. Let’s get back there and inform them of Artimor’s death.”
“And then what?” asked Jenneva.
“The king will make a speech to the citizens in the morning. He will explain about the demonkin and the tainted boots. The people will be told to destroy any boots bought from Artimor or repaired by him. The irritability and sickness will simply disappear.”
“So I am free to join you in battle up north?” asked Jenneva.
“You are. In fact, the others will be coming with us.”
“The others?”
“Arik, Tanya, and Theos,” stated Alex. “I am not sure about Balamor.”
“The king and queen are going into battle? Is that wise?”
“They must,” nodded Alex. “Although getting rid of the boots will cure the sickness, it will not happen overnight, and the soldiers cannot march without boots. The army will be of no help against Team Miram, and the Rangers and Red Swords cannot handle the enemy alone. Besides, they are still the Warrior King and Warrior Queen. They will be fine.”
Jenneva sighed anxiously. It was not that she doubted the skills of Arik and Tanya, but things grew chaotic during a battle. She knew that anything could happen.
* * * *
The gypsies crept through the tall grass as silently as myrics. When they reached the bank of the river, Adan rose slightly and glanced around. He saw no one. Sticking a finger in his pocket, the King of the Gypsies woke his fairy. Instantly a chubby male fairy shot out of the pocket and landed on the gypsy’s shoulder.
“Take a look around, Moth,” ordered Adan. “Let me know if any of the Federation soldiers are within hearing distance. We are going to make a fair amount of noise tonight.”
Moth waddled to the end of Adan’s shoulder and threw himself off. His wings beat furiously, and for a moment it appeared as if he would fall to the ground. He did not. Moth’s strong wings soon propelled him upward at a furious pace and the chubby fairy disappeared into the night sky.
“I guess Prince Midge has run out of able recruits,” frowned Kyle. “Moth should not be used in the field.”
“What are you talking about?” quipped Laman. “Moth is a great fairy. He is easily worth one and a half of any other fairy.”
“Knock it off,” Adan said to the men from Lavinda. “Moth is already rather self-conscious about his weight. The other fairies rib him mercilessly. We do not need to add to his misery.”
“But can he function?” countered Kyle. “I did not speak to hurt his feelings. I am truly concerned about his ability to do the task and remain unseen. He is rather large.”
“Moth has performed admirably,” answered Adan. “He has never failed an assignment, and I do not expect that to change tonight.”