Alutar: The Great Demon (56 page)

The guards nodded and snickered as General Forshire roughly grabbed Althea and led her away. They passed no one in the corridors, and Clint ushered Althea into his suite. He locked the door and led her to the couch.

“I guess you are not aware of what is going on, so I will explain the current situation,” Clint began. “The A Corps arrived in Ur today, and the 32
^nd
Corps left the city to head southward to battle the Alcean Rangers. The plan was to get the A Corps into the keep and then attack from within and without at the same time. Once King Mectin’s army was destroyed, the A Corps and the patriots would head south and catch the 32
^nd
Corps between us and the Rangers.”

Althea’s eyes widened in surprise. “I knew nothing of this plan,” she said with sorrow. “I have ruined it, haven’t I? I thought the patriots alone were going to attack from outside.”

“That was the original plan,” sighed Clint, “but that attack could stall for days, and we don’t have days if we are to pursue General Marashef. We need to be able to catch up to him or the Rangers might be defeated. As good as they are, Marashef has ten-thousand men and eight battle mages with him. Why are you here, Althea?”

“To kill Mectin,” she answered curtly.

“You have accomplished that,” frowned Clint, “but I find it hard to believe that Karl would send you in to do that.”

“He didn’t send me,” confessed Alcea. “In fact, he does not know that I am here. I finally realized that Karl belongs to another woman and that I could never have him. My life felt pointless, and I sought a way to make it worth something. I thought that killing King Mectin would at least help heal Tyronia.”

Clint started pacing the floor. “While I admire your courage,” he said, “I wish you had stayed with Karl. I need to find Colonel Craz and see if I can bluff him into thinking that Mectin has authorized the A Corps to enter the keep. I also need to let Peanut find me so I can get word to Karl about the change in plans. We are going to have to strike in the morning before someone discovers the king’s body.”

“It will be discovered long before morning,” frowned Althea. “The priest visits him every night.”

“K’san?” Clint asked in alarm. “Won’t the guards dissuade him from disturbing the king?”

“He does not enter through that door,” replied Althea. “He comes through the prison where I was manacled. His room also has a connecting door to the prison.”

“Then we are out of time,” Clint replied anxiously. “Stay here. Find some place to hide in case someone decides to look for you here. I will be back as soon as I can.”

* * * *

The two red-headed mages stood in the shadows created by the buildings abutting the alley. One of them concentrated on the left of the tower while the other concentrated on the right.

“Perfect,” Balomar said to Theos. “You learn quickly.” The mage from Pog turned and looked at Karl Gree. “The illusions will preserve the appearance of the tower and everything between us and it,” he explained. “The only person who will be able to see you approach the tower and climb it will be the guard in the tower itself. Is that sufficient for your needs?”

“That is fine,” Karl nodded. “His movements are predictable. When he looks away, I will dash to the base of the tower. Once I am there, he will not be able to see me unless he leans out and looks down. He will only do that if I am foolish and make a noise. How long can you hold the illusions?”

“They do not take much power to maintain,” answered Balamor. “We can hold them all night if need be.”

“Unless someone comes near and discovers us,” interjected Theos.

“If you have to drop the illusions,” instructed the Knight of Alcea, “do so. Both of you will be needed for the attack on the keep. Do not endanger yourselves for me.”

The mages did not respond and when Karl noticed the guard in the tower looking away, he dashed out of the alley and across the lawn of the keep. He reached the base of the tower unnoticed and began climbing. The Old Keep was ancient, and there were numerous cracks to get handholds, but the tower was tall. After only a third of the required ascent, Karl began to feel the strain of climbing. While handholds were numerous, footholds were not. When he passed the halfway mark he softly called for his fairy. Thimble stuck his head out of the pocket and looked around.

“What are we doing?” the fairy asked in confusion.

“We are climbing a tower,” Karl whispered. “I need for you to levitate me for a while. I need a rest.”

“Shall I take you to the top?” asked the fairy.

“No,” Karl answered. “There will be a guard at the top. You will need to put him to sleep, but not until I get a lot closer. For now just levitate me so I can rest my arms.”

Thimble shot out of Karl’s pocket and hovered over him. He cast a levitation spell and announced that Karl could let go. The Knight of Alcea put his trust in the little green man and let go of the tower. For five minutes, the Knight of Alcea hung suspended next to the tower. When he was fully rested, he spoke softly to the fairy.

“Now take me up half the distance between here and the top,” instructed Karl. “Keep the levitation spell on me until I nod to indicate that I have a good hold of the tower. Once I am on my own again, go up and put the guard to sleep.”

“As you wish,” shrugged the fairy.

Karl watched the stone face of the tower speed by as the fairy levitated him higher. When he stopped rising, Karl reached out and sought handholds. He found them easily and then tried to find footholds. He found only one, but he nodded to send the fairy upward. As the fairy dismissed the levitation spell, Karl felt the strain of being on his own again. He started climbing. When he reached the crenel, Thimble was standing there waiting for him. Without asking, the fairy levitated Karl over the crenel and set him down.

“I could have levitated you the whole way,” stated the fairy. “Why climb?”

“We will be going down the same way,” answered Karl, “and I wanted to make sure there were sufficient handholds. You will levitate Althea down while I climb down.”

“Althea?” asked the fairy.

“It’s a long story,” sighed Karl. “I will tell you it later. Right now, we have to be silent. This is the enemy’s castle. Remain unseen and scout ahead for me. We need to go down quite a few levels before we get to the king’s quarters.”

Before Karl could leave the tower, another fairy descended out of the sky and landed on his shoulder.

“Is the battle over?” asked Peanut.

“It hasn’t started yet,” answered Karl. “What are you doing here?”

“I have been waiting for the Imperial General to appear,” answered Peanut. “Have you seen him?”

“No,” replied Karl. “We are just entering the keep.”

“We?” questioned Peanut. “Fairies are not allowed inside the keep. There is a demonkin in there. That is why I am waiting for Clint to appear.”

“Clint is here already?” Karl asked.

“He must be,” answered Peanut. “The A Corps is camped in front of the keep, and he is not with them.”

“But I received no word of his arrival,” frowned Karl.

“I was on a mission,” stated Peanut. “It was a very long mission. I have been gone for two days.”

Karl stood and stared at the body at his feet, his mind whirling over the information that Clint had arrived. He wondered if that would complicate the mission or aid it.

“How long will the guard remain asleep?” he asked.

“It varies,” answered Thimble. “Maybe Peanut should stay and keep him asleep.”

“If you are going inside,” scowled Peanut, “I am going with you. I have to find my partner.”

“Well,” sighed Karl, “we are not accomplishing anything standing here. Let’s go find Althea.”

Thimble darted down the stairs while Peanut cast another sleep spell on the guard just for good measure. Karl silently moved to the stairwell and proceeded down the steps. Karl counted the levels as he passed them by. When he reached the level that held the king’s chambers, he eased the door open and peered into the corridor. There was no one around, and he called softly for Thimble who had been scouting ahead. Both fairies shot through the door, and Karl followed them. He pointed in the direction he planned to travel, and Thimble shot off and disappeared. Peanut hovered over the Knight of Alcea in case he was needed.

As Karl passed through an intersection, he saw two soldiers off to his right. He tried to hurry his step to get clear of the intersection, but the shouts let him know that he had been seen. The Knight of Alcea was tempted to run and hide, but he knew that such behavior would just lead to discovery by other soldiers. He walked calmly in the direction he had been going and let the soldiers run after him. He was almost to another intersection when they caught up to him. They called for him to stop, and Karl turned around and waited for them to approach. They drew their swords as they got close to Karl.

“Who are you?” demanded one of the soldiers. “What are you doing here?”

“I seem to be lost,” shrugged Karl. “Perhaps you can direct me to where I am going.”

“I asked who you are,” scowled one of the soldiers.

“I am Karl Gree,” answered the Knight of Alcea.

“And where are you going?” asked the other soldier.

Just then another soldier turned the corner not far away. The officer stopped and stared at the three men before him.

“Karl?” Clint asked with genuine surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“That is just what these two soldiers were asking me,” Karl answered. “I was looking for you, General Forshire.”

The soldiers turned as Clint approached the group.

“When I asked you to meet me at the Old Keep,” Clint began, “I meant outside the front gates.”

“You know this man, General?” asked one of the soldiers.

“He is an old friend,” replied Clint. “As soon as I got into the city today, I sent a message to meet with him, but I did not expect to find him inside the keep. What kind of security is Colonel Craz providing for this castle? How did you get inside?”

“I told the guards that you were expecting me,” Karl offered with feigned embarrassment. “The note didn’t say to wait outside. I am sorry if I have embarrassed you.”

“That is not important,” scowled the general. “I will have a talk with the colonel about this.” General Forshire turned his attention to the two soldiers. “I suspect that Colonel Craz is going to want to test the security after I talk to him about this incident. You will mention this incursion to no one until the testing is complete. I do not want anyone to suspect that a test will be forthcoming. Do you understand?”

“Completely, General,” replied one of the soldiers. “I will escort this man back outside.”

“That will not be necessary,” replied Clint. “As long as he is already here, I will speak with him in the comfort of my own quarters. I will escort him out myself when I am done with him.”

The soldiers nodded and left in the direction they had come from.

“Let’s get out of the corridors,” Clint said softly. “I may not be able to repeat what I just did. Walk with me.”

Clint led Karl to his quarters and opened the door to let him inside. The Knight of Alcea entered and the Ranger followed. The two fairies swept in unseen.

“What are you doing here?” Clint demanded.

“I came to get Althea,” answered Karl, “and I intend on completing my mission. While I appreciate your help with those soldiers, you might have been better off to let the fairies put them to sleep rather than identify yourself with me. I suspect that this keep will be abuzz with alarms before long.”

“You are correct,” frowned Clint, “but not in the way you think. Althea murdered King Mectin tonight. No one has discovered his body yet, but they will before morning. You need to get her out of here immediately.”

“She is here?” Karl gasped.

“In the other room,” nodded Clint, “but before you meet with her, we have some talking to do. This keep has to be attacked tonight.”

Before Clint and Karl could talk about the assault on the Old Keep, Althea opened the door and stepped into the room.

“I heard your voice,” Althea said softly. “Why are you here?”

“To get you,” replied Karl as he moved across the room and hugged Althea. “Are you all right?”

“I am fine,” Althea responded, pushing the Knight of Alcea away. “You should return to the estate and begin the preparations for the attack.”

“We will go together,” frowned Karl. “What is wrong? Are you angry with me?”

“I cannot leave,” replied Althea.

“You can,” retorted Karl. “I have Theos and Balamor holding illusions around the tower. We can get out of here easily.”

“You can get out easily,” countered Althea. “I am not leaving. General Forshire was seen taking me out of Mectin’s room. When the king is discovered dead, they will know that I did it. I must be returned to Mectin’s suite before the demonkin discovers the body, otherwise Clint’s true loyalties will be known. Are you so anxious to trade his life for mine, especially when my life can hold no joy for you?”

Karl’s brow creased severely. “Lyda is dead,” he said with sorrow. “She died during the winter snows. There is no reason that we cannot be married now.”

Althea’s eyes widened in surprise and then tears began to flow down her cheeks. She slumped into a chair and began sobbing.

“I will not take her back to Mectin’s suite,” Clint stated decisively to Karl. “That would mean certain death for her. Whatever damage comes from Mectin’s death, I will have to deal with it alone. Take her and get out of the keep. Send your fairy on ahead so Captain Marez will have your men assembled when you get there.”

Karl looked from Clint to Althea, his frown increasing as he tried to decide what to do. He knew that his actions would mean the death of one of them, and he could not make such a choice.

“Do it now,” Clint snapped. “I don’t have time to debate this. Get her out of here and start the attack. If she is found, they will kill her.”

“I will deliver the message to the estate,” offered Thimble. “Everyone will be ready when you arrive.”

Karl nodded with a look of sorrow towards the Ranger, but his words were for the fairy. “Do not have them wait for me. Tell them to begin the attack as soon as everyone is assembled. Go.”