Champion (6 page)

“We are in agreement then,” Ludas addressed the gathered merchants. “Our first priority is to rescue the Emperor.”

Heads nodded and some individuals confirmed their acknowledgement with a shout of support.

Ganry urged caution. “You don’t really know who your enemy is yet. You have no idea of their strengths and weaknesses. If you go rushing into this, it could end in disaster.”

“You have been gone too long, Ganry,” his uncle said. “Most of us gathered here know exactly who is behind this and what his motives are. This is the work of General Jeon. For far too long he has controlled the armies, and now, just as we feared, he is running the Kingdom too.”

“You could be right, uncle, but you must be sure of what you are up against. You are not trained fighters, you are businessmen. If they were to get wind of what is happening here, they will pick you off one at a time, and your families too. I only ask that you tread with caution. I will not be here to help as I need to return to Palara and warn the Queen. Once I’m sure she’s safe, I will return, and together we can put this Jeon in his place. Surely, if you have waited this long, a few more months until I return won’t hurt.”

Ganry wanted them to wait. He had seen the army of the undead, and these people could not stand against them. He wasn’t even sure how he would. Perhaps Hendon could help?

“We can wait patiently, Ganry, but what of the Emperor? He could be dead by the time you return,” Ludas argued.

Ganry nodded his agreement. Fontleroy was frail, despite his show of defiance to the witch. He really could not last for much longer under those circumstances. For Ganry, this presented him with a personal quandary. He respected the Emperor, who had treated him like a son when he was younger, but his own priorities and loyalty lay with Queen Myriam, and he must ensure her safety.

“Promise me that once you have the Emperor safely away, you will await my return before making a move on Jeon.”

Ganry looked at the people who had gathered in support of their Emperor. They were wealthy merchants, not strategic battle planners. They organized the shipment of goods, they did not know how to kill and defend themselves, although many here had their own mercenary soldiers who protected their trade caravans that crossed between the kingdoms. Many of these mercenaries would be loyal to them, and would fight for their cause. He knew this, for he too had been a mercenary, hiring out his sword to the rich merchants, often the same ones, time and time again. This formed a sense of loyalty. A good merchant inspired loyal guards.

“Organize your mercenaries,” he advised the group. “Pay them well. Inform their leaders of your real intentions, as even mercenaries appreciate honesty. Someone will rise to the command, and when I return, I will work with him to end this blight that rules your land.”

The group nodded their approval. Now they needed to decide how to rescue their Emperor and where to hide him while they planned for the next stage.

“Artas,” Ganry turned to his young protege while the merchants discussed their next move. “You need to go into hiding. I have arranged a safe house for you to stay at. When I have finished here, I will come for you and together we will return to Palara to secure our Queen, and ready our country for the battle ahead.”

“I will stay with you,” Artas insisted. “How can I ever learn if you keep hiding me away?”

“Slowly, that is how you learn. Already you are competent with a sword, more so than when we started our journey.” Ganry laid a supportive hand on Artas’s shoulder and smiled at him kindly. “I will need to move swiftly and want you where I can be sure you are safe. You cannot learn everything at once. Aah, here is your host for the next few nights.”

Artas turned around to see the young woman, Daphne. She smiled at him and he blushed, unsure why.

“Daphne will take you to the baker’s shop and that is where you will wait for me,” Ganry instructed.

“No, Ganry, I cannot sit idly by while you plot and plan this adventure without me,” Artas complained.

“You are to help Daphne deliver her medicines, without getting caught by those witches. Do you think you can do that?”

“Of course, I will guard her with my life,” Artas said, proudly.

“I’ll protect him with my life,” Daphne retorted in a deep, male voice, mimicking her young companion.

Artas blushed, once again. What was it about this girl that kept him constantly embarrassed?

“Besides,” Ganry continued, “if anything were to happen to me, you need to return to Palara alone and warn the Queen.” Ganry looked behind him making sure no one was close by, and he dropped his voice to a whisper. “She needs to know about the army of the undead.”

Artas nodded his understanding, as much as he wanted to help Ganry, the safety of Queen Myriam, his life long friend, would always come first.

“The pair of you, take care of each other. I won’t be far behind you, Artas. One, maybe two nights. I want to help organize the plans for the Emperor’s escape, make sure there are experienced soldiers on hand. Then we go, so be ready.”

The two young people left, Daphne leading Artas on their journey through many secret passageways that would lead from this level, to the market on the lower levels, where the baker’s shop resided.

The next day the group returned to Ludas’s home to discuss the attempt to release their Emperor. This time, mercenary leaders were present, after word had been sent out following the meeting. Ganry listened to the group as they planned, watching the mercenary leaders closely. They seemed a strong group and he hoped they would be loyal and trustworthy. What these people were planning was dangerous, and if it went wrong, then they would all most certainly die.

Ganry knew that as more people became aware of the plan, then the greater the risks of someone letting it slip. Even worse, it also increased the risk of a traitor in the camp.

“You must act quickly,” he advised them.

“I thought we had agreed that tomorrow night would give us time to pull everything together,” Jed, the tailor spoke up.

“It would be better to go tonight. Every moment you delay, you risk being found out.”

The others in the small merchant group of rebels nodded their agreement. Most just wanted to get this over and done with. They were not fighting men but traders. The sooner they returned to their businesses, the better.

“Is everything in place, if it were brought forward to this evening?” Ludas asked one of the mercenaries.

“We have men in the barracks bribing soldiers which should make our passage easier. The safe house is ready, but he can only stay there a short while. The city will not be a safe place to keep him in.”

“Right then, tonight it is, if you’re all ready? The sooner we have the Emperor out of that palace, the better,” Ludas announced. “We’ll go through the plan one more time and then we begin, agreed?”

“I must go,” Jed said. “I have an appointment in the palace for a fitting. If I miss it, they’ll be furious.”

The others nodded. Jed left them to finalize the event.

It took a little over an hour to go through the various stages of who was to do what, and where they should be. The plan seemed thorough, and even Ganry was more confident that they could succeed. Now, he was certain they could manage without him, so he readied himself for leaving the city. If all goes well, by this time tomorrow, the Emperor should be in the safe house.

As Ganry was saying his farewells, the door suddenly burst open and palace soldiers came running into the room. They had been betrayed, just as he had feared. Ganry quickly evaluated the situation and realized they were heavily outnumbered. It was pointless fighting as they would easily be overpowered, killed even. Better to save the fight for a time when the odds were better. He offered no resistance when six soldiers surrounded him, laying down his sword when ordered to do so. Soon, everyone in the room was fastened in chains and led out of the house to the outside.

They were quickly placed into a covered wagon. It seemed the General did not want the citizens of Aelland to see merchants in chains. Not that there was anyone around as it was past the curfew time and the streets were deserted.

“Uncle, keep faith. I will escape and rescue you as soon as I am able,” Ganry whispered into Ludas’s ear, disappointed by the turn of events, but not surprised.

“Do not fear for me, I will not break,” his uncle assured him. “It is the Emperor who we should fear for. He is our priority. I will accept my fate in this, whatever it may be.”

The journey was a brief one and soon they were all led out of the wagon and through the passageway of the palace into the dungeons. They were placed in a huge metal barred cage together, and their chains removed by the guards before the doors were locked.

The cage already had a resident who was sleeping on one of the many benches that were placed on the far wall. Riley, one of the mercenary leaders, went to investigate, and he was stunned to see who it was.

There, fast asleep under a thin, dirty blanket, was the Emperor.

Soon, all the prisoners were gathered around the sleeping monarch.

“He looks in a very deep, sleep,” one voice said.

“He’s definitely breathing,” said another, with relief.

Though the merchants spoke in a hushed reverent tone, they were pleased at finding the Emperor alive.

“Can you awaken him, Riley?” Ganry asked the mercenary. Riley appeared wiry, but strong. A pointed beard adorned the bottom of his chin, tied with thin rope. Ganry thought the fashion was dangerous, liable to be grabbed in a scuffle.

“Nay, I think he’s under some sort of spell.”

Riley and Ganry moved away from the merchants to speak quietly together.

“Barely a year ago I would have refused to believe you, even laughed in your face at the thought of magic,” Ganry said. “But now, after what I’ve seen these past few months, I believe there are many unexplained events and happenings.”

“Damn witches,” Riley spat. “The Emperor was right to ban them. He should have gone further and exiled them all. It is all Jeon’s fault, he wanted the witches as part of his forces. It seems we now know why. He is using them to gain control of Mirnee.”

“No, I think it is more than that.” Ganry remembered the army of the undead that they had seen the other night. “I believe his plans spread beyond the borders of Mirnee.”

“Surely the army is not strong enough to invade our neighbors?”

Ganry decided to share with Riley the strange sights they had witnessed the other night. How it appeared that the witches were gathering a force of what Ganry now believed to be the undead.

“I had heard rumors of dark arts in the Kingdom,” Riley said. “But I would never have believed Jeon to resort to such evilness.”

“I’m beginning to wonder who’s in charge now, Jeon or the witches? I feel the good General may no longer be running the show. He has unleashed a power that he cannot control. I hope we can work together in these dark times. We will all be in need of allies that we can trust.”

Riley held out his hand and gave the secret sign of the blood mercenary group. Ganry responded with the appropriate return gesture. Their budding alliance was struck and sealed. The mercenary code of honor was strong, but Ganry knew that those that fight for gold can be easily swayed, so he vowed to keep a close eye on Riley all the same.

The Emperor had aged considerably since his last public appearance, and all the merchants in the cage were visibly shocked. His skin had yellowed and he looked drawn and haggard. Magic must take much out of the body and mind. He started to come around in small stints. Every time his eyes opened, Ganry was by his side.

“I’ve been thinking, Ganry,” he heard his uncle’s voice as he knelt on the floor by his side. “We must have a traitor among us, and I think I know who it may be.”

“You need to be careful of what you say, uncle, this is a serious accusation and you would not want to get it wrong.”

“I know but I feel I am correct in my thinking,” Ludas whispered. “There is one who has not been arrested because he wasn’t there. The tailor, Jed. Remember he left claiming to have another appointment in the palace that he dare not miss. Do you think that it was a simply ploy to get out of the way?”

“It is a thought, uncle, but let’s not presume him guilty until we are more certain. Many who were there the night before were absent today. I feel you should keep these thoughts to yourself for now, until we have more proof of his duplicity.”

“What are you two young ones plotting and planning there?” The Emperor’s frail and shaky voice interrupted their hushed conversation.

“Nestor, my friend,” Ludas said with delight as he went to grab ahold of the Emperor’s frail and bony hands. “It is so good to see you awake.”

The Emperor attempted to sit up. “Yes, I thought it a familiar face and voice that has been by my side all these hours. Ganry, my boy, welcome home.”

Ganry was truly pleased to see the Emperor awake. It had been a long time since he was last by this great man’s side.

“I regret having you exiled, but that was the only way to appease Jeon after the passing of his son. It was either banishment or death, as you know,” the Emperor stated. “I have missed you, boy,”

“I am hardly a boy anymore, my Lord,” Ganry laughed.

“Parents always tell me that their children never seem to grow up in their own eyes and that is how I see you. You will always be a boy in my heart.” The Emperor laid back down as he spoke. He was still very weakened by the magic that had burned through every vein of his being. “Be careful what you say Ganry, I fear I am still under the witch’s influence.”

“You should rest. You need to conserve your strength.” Ganry helped him to lay back down. “You have friends by your side.”

“I fear Jeon has put us together for his own causes and not to allow us to reminisce,” the Emperor said as his breath slowed down and he closed his eyes.

“He has a point there, uncle,” Ganry agreed. “Jeon is up to something. I too, fear it is not simply per chance that we meet the Emperor here.”

“How right you are,” a voice cut across the murmur in the cage.

Ganry stood and turned in the direction of the voice, a voice he knew well. General Jeon was standing at the other side of the metal barred door, a smug smile on his face. He had forgotten how much he hated this man, but it began to well-up, leaving him with a bitter taste in his mouth. He said nothing.

“Nestor can stay with his friends if he simply provides me with the information that I require from him,” Jeon said, as if the task was an easy one.

General Jeon stared at Ganry, and he too felt the swell of hatred. When the commander of the raiding party told him that he had the person he hated most upon this world, in his dungeon, his instant thoughts were to have him killed immediately. Yet, that would be too easy. He would love nothing more than to torture this man, over days and weeks, but he did not have the time to stay and enjoy such a pleasure. Not when he was readying for an invasion into Palara.

“The great and gallant Ganry, finally shows his face,” Jeon said with a deep, sardonic tone. “Oh, I have longed to see you again, my old friend. Probably just as much as our Emperor here, but for different reasons. Nestor would welcome you as a returning hero, but I know you for the coward you are. Because of you my son is dead, and I will have my revenge.”

Jeon’s voice was getting louder with every word, until at the end he was shouting out in his rage.

Ganry did not flinch at his words. He had no fear of this man. He was only fearful for the Emperor and his uncle.

“I hear you have a following of witches these days.” Ganry broke the silence of the two men as their eyes locked into one another.

“You know nothing, you upstart. I have the power to kill every man in this room,” Jeon threatened. “But I am merciful and will only be killing you, today.” Still, Ganry did not shift his stance. “It’s a pity I don’t have the time to do it myself,” Jeon continued. “Then again, I have a pretty young Queen to conquer. Already, I have broken the borders of Palara. Oh yes, I hear you have a fondness for the beautiful Myriam. If I remember rightly, she will be about the age of your own daughter, if she was still alive. It hurts to lose a child, don’t you agree?”

“The Queen of Palara has a strong army and strong allies to call upon. She will be ready to deal with any trespassers who attempt to cross her borders.” Ganry’s response was calm and measured, although his blood boiled with rage.

“Ah, but I have a trick or two up my sleeve, Ganry. Once my special forces are deployed, the Palaran army will flee before them, quaking with fear.”

“I have seen your special forces, and it is not you who commands them, Jeon. You allow the witches too much power. Once they have what they want from you, then you too will march in the ranks of the undead.”

General Jeon was momentarily speechless. How could Ganry know of his army of the undead? Perhaps he was bluffing, but he certainly seemed confident in his words.

“Besides, Myriam has someone who is easily a match for your witches, should they dare to cross into Palara. He will send them straight back to the dark hole they were spawned from.”

In truth, Ganry was talking up Hendon’s ability. He was not sure he could deal with the witches, but he wanted to cast doubt in Jeon’s mind, try and delay the invasion.

General Jeon was furious, but Ganry’s words had concerned him. He had heard of the wizard who was loyal to the Queen. Rumor was that she had powerful magics at her disposal, but surely he was only one man. He said nothing, not allowing his enemy any pleasure in knowing he had struck a nerve. He needed to collect his thoughts. He would love nothing better than to give this murderous traitor a long and slow death, but right now, other more important matters required his attention. The boy must be found. Only his blood would suffice for the ritual.

“Your time will come, Ganry. You will pay for the death of my son, of this I promise,” Jeon threatened. “First, I will destroy everything you hold dear, and then I will personally kill you.” With those words the General turned and left, leaving Ganry shaking with rage.