Champion (5 page)

They all slept very little that night after discussing the best way forward to discover what had befallen the Emperor.

The next day they made plans to go out again that evening. Even Daphne agreed to return before night fall. The plan was to make their way to the palace, gain entry, and seek out the Emperor.
Simple in the planning, not so simple in the execution
, Ganry thought.

Ludas had provided them with the necessary attire and tools for their late night mission. Dark, tight fitting clothing with strong belts for the various small tools and ropes which would enable them to climb the palace walls, or any other obstacle for that matter. Artas was unsure how well he’d do with the climbing, but Ganry assured him that he would be fine, and between them they would ensure he managed.

It helped that the Night Shadows only patrolled the lower levels. In the areas that contained the palace and the palace guard barracks, no witches were present as no curfew was in force there. Once there, it would simply be a matter of getting into the palace.

Fortunately, Ganry could help there too. He knew of secret tunnels that led from the stables into the palace grounds. These were built centuries ago and very few people now know of their existence.

They set off just before midnight. The night was overcast and the moon was enveloped by thick cloud, perfect for their secretive night time foray.

The gate between this level and the barracks would be very well guarded so they took an alternative route. At the opposite end to the gate was a huge apple orchard. Ganry knew it well. He also knew that some of the trees were so close to the wall that they would be easy to climb and jump over and into the barracks compound. Ganry had done this often as a young boy, where he would watch the soldiers train and dream of one day being just like them. Artas was not too keen on this plan but he did not want to look foolish in front of Daphne, so he would do his utmost to get up that tree.

They reached the apple orchard without encountering any of the Dark Shadows or witches on the way, and soon they were all crouched down close to the wall.

“There’s an old tree close by that towers well above the wall, if it’s still there,” Ganry told them. “The branches hang over the other side and it’s simply a case of dropping down. Just follow me, I’ve done this many times, although it has been a few years now.” He smiled ruefully at them.

Ganry started to climb and when he reached the level of the wall he called the others to follow. Soon they were all in the tree, balancing precariously on a number of thick branches.

Ganry quickly scanned the other side for activity, and that’s when he saw a huge column marching towards the gate. They were led not by soldiers but by witches and the Dark Shadows. Even from this distance it was obvious that there was something not quite right about them. They shuffled along slowly, unlike any marching column he had ever seen. A putrid smell emanated from their direction, almost like death itself.

“What manner of creatures are those?” Daphne whispered. “Surely they are not human?”

“Some ungodly monsters produced by witchcraft, no doubt, but to what purpose?” Ganry said. “Do they look human to you, Artas?”

“In a sense, yes, they are the right shape. Yet they all seem disfigured, somehow. There’s a terrible odor coming from over there, as well,” Artas replied, covering his nose and mouth.

They observed the moving group and noticed a flash of light as a witch approached one of the creatures who had fallen behind. The light had been made by the witch and shone on the slow moving figure.

“Are they dead?” Artas questioned. “See, look at his skin, it is a pallid grey and those eyes, just blackness. There is no spark of life in them at all.”

The strange body stopped in its tracks and turned towards them. It seemed to be sniffing the air, as if it had caught their scent. Suddenly, it opened its mouth beyond that of a human and let out a high pitched screech, forcing everyone to cover their ears. They balanced behind the bushy branches, certain they could not be seen, but the figure seemed to be looking right at them. The witch looked over and pointed its staff in their direction, and two Dark Shadows floated towards the wall, close to where the tree overhung.

Once again Ganry, Artas and Daphne felt that cold feeling of dread creep over them, sending waves of panic through their minds. It took all of their will power to resist the urge to run, but after a few moments the Dark Shadows moved away and they all sighed in relief.

They stayed under cover and watched the shuffling column move out of sight, passing through the gate and down into the Merchant’s Level. Now Ganry understood the curfew. It was to allow the movement of these creatures undetected, but where were they headed, and why?

“It’s all clear now. They’re building an army, and I think it consists of the dead,” Ganry spoke to Artas and Daphne. “Come on, we must get moving. This branch here is sturdy enough to hold a person, and it hangs over the wall. It’s a simple drop down to the other side where the ground should rise, making the drop easier. I will go first and show you the way.”

Ganry edged along the sturdy branch which gave slightly with his weight. As he passed over the top of the wall, he took the branch in both hands and swung down, dropping to the floor. The landing jarred him slightly and he smiled to himself. He was no longer an adventurous ten year old.

Artas and Daphne watched Ganry disappear from view, unable to see if he had landed safely in the dark. After a few seconds they heard a low whistle indicating he was on the other side, and the next person should go.

Artas went next. He wanted to get it over with as he did not feel too confident. He knew his leg would cause him problems when he dropped, despite Ganry’s assurances that the drop wasn’t too far. Edging along the branch, he swung down as he had seen Ganry do, and clung on, readying himself for the fall. Then he felt Ganry take his weight, and he let go as he was lowered to the ground. Artas was relieved to have made it. His leg was getting stronger every day, thanks to Ganry and his exercise regime.

Daphne followed as soon as she saw Artas disappear, and in no time she was hanging off the branch and also felt Ganry’s strong hands on her legs. She let go and allowed him to guide her to the ground.

“Now we just have hundreds of soldiers to get past. Think we can do it?” Artas said, jokingly, but in reality he did not have a clue how they were going to get through the barracks.

“As always, young Artas, I have a plan.” Ganry crouched down low and slipped off into the shadows.

“Where is he going now?” Daphne queried.

“Best not to ask.” Artas had no idea of Ganry’s intentions.

Artas and Daphne crouched down in the shadows and awaited the former mercenary’s return. It seemed an age before they heard a rustling in the bushes nearby, and Artas’s heart was in his mouth when he saw an imperial soldier moving towards them. He reached down and firmly gripped his sword hilt, ready to draw. As the soldier drew nearer, he breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized Ganry, dressed in a soldier’s uniform.

Ganry moved into the bushes and passed Artas a pile of clothing. “I think he’s your size. Get your clothes off,” Ganry ordered. “This one should fit you,” he told Daphne as he passed her a uniform too.

They both quickly changed. The uniforms were not a perfect fit, but they should pass anything except a close inspection.

“The way is clear to the stables,” Ganry said, after looking them over. “Most of the guards, it seems, are sleeping in the barracks, and only a few patrol the area. They’re little complacent for my liking, but that should work to our advantage.”

They made their way quietly to the stables. Artas was surprised, despite Ganry’s words, that they saw or heard no one on their journey. It seemed odd to Artas. These were the Emperor’s protectors, surely they guard their leader better than this?

The stable was also empty, not only of people but horses too. This was just one more puzzle to add to the others. Ganry entered an empty stall and began to tap at the wooden panels at the back. After a few moments he was satisfied he had found the right spot and was soon sliding away the wall to reveal a dark tunnel. Turning to the others, he stuck up his thumb just before disappearing through the hole.

“Follow me,” he instructed. “It’s a bit cramped in here, but there’s enough room if we go single file. I’m afraid it’s not very high either, so you’ll have to crawl.”

Artas and Daphne looked at each other, sighed, and once again they followed after Ganry, neither of them entirely sure what to expect.

It seemed they were in the tunnel for hours, in the dark, cramped and very warm atmosphere. Artas's leg was beginning to ache, but he struggled on, silently. Ganry had gone on ahead, but there was no chance of taking a wrong turn because there were none. Just one singular tunnel that seemed to continue on, relentlessly on and on. Finally, just when Artas felt he could go no further, he could see a light up ahead. In a few moments they were out of the tunnel and in something that looked like a laundry room.

Artas sat down and stretched his leg to loosen the joints and relieve the aching pain, grateful for the rest. Though it did not last long before Ganry was leading them out of the room and into the passageways of the palace.

Making their way around the palace was easy, for Ganry knew all the secret passages and doors. As a boy, he and Porteus, General Jeon’s son, had been left to run around freely in the palace. The Emperor had been fond of bumping into them both, unexpectedly. He genuinely enjoyed watching them play and encouraged them to go anywhere they liked within the palace walls.

Being back in the palace reminded Ganry of his father, who would come here with him whenever he had an audience with the Emperor. Ganry’s father was a political man, and influential in the circles of power. He wondered what part, if any, his own father was playing in this strange affair. His father was a great supporter of the Emperor. It would be unlikely that he would do anything to harm the royal family.

He didn’t have time to ponder on the political stance of his father. Right now, all three of them were wedged in the narrowest of passageways. It had seemed much wider when he was last here, still, he was a young boy then. This passageway, if he remembered correctly, led to the Emperor’s bedroom, and Ganry had traveled its length many times in the past. He hoped that the Emperor would be in his bedchamber, and that he might find the opportunity to speak with him.

Eventually, they came to the end of the passageway. The exit to the room was disguised and covered by a huge mirror on the wall, but this was no ordinary mirror. It was possible to see through the mirror without being seen from the other side. What use it served he had no idea, but it gave them a perfect view into the Emperor’s bedchamber.

Sure enough, as Ganry had hoped, the Emperor was in his bed. He did not look well, just a mere shadow of his former self. His face, a face that Ganry remembered as ruddy and kind, was a pallid gray with sunken features, not unlike the creatures they had seen earlier. Thankfully there was still some life left in the Emperor’s body. His thick red locks that had been his most striking feature were now gone. He was almost completely bald, with only a few wisps of white hair.

Ganry was just about to move the mirror to one side when the door to the bedroom opened and in came a woman. She was dressed in a silver gown and appeared to shimmer as she moved. Ganry was not all that certain that it was entirely due to the clothing. There was something strange about her. She almost looked unsubstantial, her skin shimmering, just like her clothes.

She moved to the side of the Emperor’s bed and bent down to speak quietly in his ear. Her voice was soft, yet husky and deep, carrying easily to where they hid in the passage.

“Emperor Fontleroy, if you wish for things to return to normal, then you must tell me where I can find your son. He needs to be taken to a place of safety.”

It looked for a moment that the Emperor was incapable of answering, but as he glanced at the mirror a thin smile came to his lips, and he finally found his voice.

“You cannot have my Kingdom, witch, and you will never have my son. I foresee that a warrior will smite you and your General down, saving my son and my people from your witchcraft.” All the while he spoke, his eyes never left the mirror.

There was no way anyone could see them. Ganry had hidden in this wall many times and never been discovered, but the Emperor definitely seemed to sense his presence.

“Pah!” the silver witch woman cried out. “You are a fool. No one is coming to save you and we already have your Kingdom. It is only a matter of time before we have your offspring too.”

Ganry made a hand gesture to Artas, indicating it was time to move out of the space and make their way back. He hated to leave the Emperor like this, but clearly, at least for now, he was worth more to them alive than dead. He would need to speak with Ludas and see how many he could rally to their cause. Ludas had agreed to muster some sympathetic supporters to their cause while Ganry was away. Maybe between them, they could come up with a plan to help the Emperor and find out where his son was.

It took the rest of the evening and most of the early hours of the morning to escape the palace. They made their way through the barracks and back onto the merchant level. Before long, they were back in Ludas’s residence.

His uncle was pleased to see them. He had expected them back sooner and had started to worry.

“Thank the maker you are still alive. I feared you had been captured,” he said as he greeted them in the kitchen.

Ganry told him of what they had discovered, but Ludas stopped him.

“I have a few people who are loyal to the Emperor. Speak to them of what you have seen.”

Ganry, Artas and Daphne followed Ludas, who led them down into one of his huge wine cellars beneath the house. There were a great number of people gathered, and Ganry wasted no time in giving them the grave news of what they had seen in the palace. There was an angry murmur in the room when he had finished speaking.

“I knew those witches would be trouble for us one day,” a woman cried out.

“We must save the Emperor,” a man shouted in response.

“Everyone quieten down so we can make some headway.” Ludas stood forward to calm the group. He knew they were all in a state of shock at this dire news.

“Instead of complaining about the witches and the state of our Emperor, we need to come up with ideas. We don’t have a lot of time, we must plan this very day how we are to take our city back. Once we have the Emperor, we should be able to rally the armies to our cause. I can only suspect that General Jeon is part of this plot. It seems he is a bigger fool that I thought. In his quest for power he has disregarded the love the people of Mirnee have for the royal family. It is a big mistake and it will be his undoing. We must act now to take back the Kingdom from the witches.”

His words brought cheers from the gathered crowd that crammed into Ludas’s cellar. Like many cellars in this part of town, it had passageways that led to the market. They had originally been dug out to provide easy access for goods, but now its use was more urgent. This was how the supporters had arrived and how they would leave, that was, once they had begun their plans.

Ganry watched the crowd of people, pleased to see that they were coming together. They would need to be united if they were to win. Ganry had decided to keep quiet about the army of dead they had seen. They had enough to worry about for now.