Dark Quest (5 page)

“No, I couldn’t picture her as that,” replied Oscar. “I am glad that you are able to come to the wedding. Duke Whitley thinks that I may be asking for trouble by rushing the wedding. As a Duke, I should seek permission to marry from the Crown, but I think I would rather forfeit the Title than wait any longer. Perhaps the King will be generous with me.”

Alex glanced at the school of flying fish, and then turned his attention back to his friend. “You have no need to worry, Oscar. You have friends in high places. The King is quite enamored with you and has already given his blessing. Lord Habas carries the proclamation.”

“But how? I only announced my intentions less than two weeks ago in Kantor,” quizzed Oscar.

“Egam is a clever fellow. You must query him for the answer. I don’t think the King thought the proclamation would arrive in time for the wedding, but it wouldn’t matter as long as it was issued before the ceremony.”

Oscar introduced Callie to Alex and the two couples spent many hours getting acquainted.

When the
Pegasus
arrived in Kantor, John was at the dock to meet it and so were several coaches to handle the passengers. The President had offered to house the Targan visitors in a wing of the Palace during their stay in Kantor. When the coaches arrived at the Palace, an impressive Honor Guard was waiting. Two rows of crisp, red uniforms with brass buttons and white leather crisscrossing straps raised their gleaming swords to form an arch along the pathway to the Palace. The Sergeant of the Guard snapped a sharp salute as Lieutenant Tork passed by and Alex returned it.

The President and his wife were waiting in an oversized parlor and Oscar handled the introductions. Servants carried trays of wine and delicacies. Alex couldn’t identify many of the items on the trays, but sampled them just the same. He followed Duke Whitley’s lead as the trays came around. The raw ham and smoked fish pleased Alex, but one indescribable morsel drove Alex in search of water. There were pastries of every type and variety and Alex reasoned that they would be a safe choice. His sense of adventure depleted, Alex found Oscar and joined his conversation with John.

President Suarez circulated among the guests and spoke with each person. “Duke Whitley, Duchess, I am so pleased to finally meet you. My congratulations on your appointment to the King’s Council of Advisors.”

“You are most kind, President Suarez,” Duke Whitley responded. “And well informed, I might add. You have my heartfelt thanks for your service to Duke Dalek. The Duchess is Oscar’s mother and I like to count Oscar as my son.”

“Then you shall be doubly blessed to count Callie as your daughter. She is a most charming woman and her father is a very special friend of mine.”

The President moved on to Alex. “Lieutenant Alexander Tork, I am pleased to meet you, at last. Even in Kantor the stories of your ardor in battle are told and retold. Tales of your new Frontier Division and their skill and devotion to you abound, as well.”

“I am flattered that you have heard of me, President Suarez. Your own Honor Guard appears to be composed of hardened veterans capable of many notable deeds.”

“Indeed they are, Lieutenant, but I shudder to think of their capabilities with a natural born leader shaping their skills. Should you ever consider to relocate to Cordonia, I have an extra set of General’s bars available.”

Alex beamed. “Thank you for your praise and confidence, President Suarez. Perhaps someday Cordonian and Targan forces will be united against a common foe. I would look forward to working with the fine men of Cordonia at that time.”

The President laughed. “You have the makings of a diplomat, as well, son. I’d appreciate it if you could spare some time for a fan of yours. General Fernandez of the Cordonian Army would be sorely disappointed if I let you escape Kantor without him having a chance to talk with you.”

“I would be most pleased to meet with the General,” Alex replied.

An hour after the Targans had arrived, Cordonian officials and prominent citizens began to enter the parlor and mingle with Oscar and his friends. A tall, distinguished looking man with an obvious military haircut entered the room and looked around. He spotted Alex’s uniform and headed over to talk with him. “Lieutenant Tork, I am General Julio Fernandez of the Cordonian Army Intelligence. Please call me Julio.”

“I am pleased to meet you, Julio, and you may call me Alex if you wish. President Suarez indicated that you wanted to talk with me, but he forgot to mention that you were with the Intelligence Branch of the Army.”

“It is not something that we like to advertise, you understand,” explained the General.

“I can imagine that you would not, but why do you tell me?” Alex asked.

“I want to be open and honest with you, and not telling you such a fact would be getting off on the wrong foot. No doubt you would find out sooner or later. I know that you are not in the Intelligence business, but I have heard that you are a loyal subject of Targa and believe in speaking your mind.”

“I have been known to say more than was proper on occasion, but if you are looking for information regarding Targa’s army, I’m afraid you have come to the wrong officer.”

“No, I think I have come to the right officer. What I need to know affects the well being of citizens of both our countries. We are experiencing military type strikes at temples across Cordonia. It appears that whoever is directing these forces is in search of books. We have not been able to capture any of the attackers, dead or alive. There was a report from Celtid that several of the attackers were killed, but we could find no bodies to confirm it.”

“You are not suggesting that Targa is running operations inside of Cordonia, are you?”

“No,” answered the General. “In fact, we have been monitoring your forces close to our border to confirm this. No, Alex, the information that I am seeking is whether or not Targa is experiencing the same type of attacks. I know the attacks, if they are occurring, would be hushed up to avoid panic and discontent. I am hoping that you will be honest enough with me to disclose your knowledge of any such attacks.”

“Julio, I would not hesitate to confirm these types of attacks if I knew of any. I have had no news of any such attacks in Targa or Cordonia or elsewhere, for that matter.”

“Thank you, Alex. I knew you would be forthcoming with me. Your reputation in Cordonia is quite good. You are willing to stand up for the citizens of Targa and that is something that is admired in a Republic such as Cordonia. Truthfully, if the buildup in the frontier of Targa had been headed by an officer other than yourself, Cordonia would have been very alarmed. We would have seen it as an attempt to move forces closer to the Disputed Area. Your reputation for wanting to protect the frontier towns makes us accept the buildup gracefully.”

“You seem very well informed of Targan affairs, Julio.”

“That is my job,” laughed General Fernandez. “I like to think that I am good at it, as I’m sure you like to think you are good at yours.”

Alex enjoyed talking with the General and they spent another half hour together. Julio acted as if he had always manned a desk, but Alex noticed the scars of battle. Almost concealed by Julio’s short crop of brown hair was a thin scar running from his temple to behind his ear, probably a sword scar. The underside of his left forearm had been severely burned and there were the telltale signs of a puncture wound under his goatee. No, Alex realized, while Julio’s manners indicated a diplomatic position, this man had served in the Army for some time.

The reception went on for several hours as the Targans met the most influential Cordonian citizens. Alex admired Oscar working the crowd. No longer was Oscar nervous. Dalek was in his element now and Alex had no doubt that several business deals would have their seeds sown tonight.

Alex decided to ask Larc about the book thefts. Larc had put Oscar’s private army together and most of them were bandits before taking a job with Oscar. Larc had not heard anything, but promised to ask around when he got back to Dalek.

The next morning was busy. Alex’s uniform had been cleaned during the night. He checked it for tears or stains but found neither. It was the green uniform of the Frontier Division. Gone were the red lapels of the Red Swords. Now a red bar on each shoulder indicated the Red Swords. Alex’s uniform also had the green bar of the Frontier Division. He laughed as he thought back to the conversation he had overhead just before his first meeting with the King. The Sordoan Ambassador was complaining about Targa’s gray uniforms. If the overweight ambassador moved to Cordonia, he might be happier with Alex’s green uniform. The Regular Army along the Sordoan border still wore gray.

Jenneva was helping Callie get ready for her big day. John had ordered a beautiful, white wedding gown trimmed with real purple daisies. If one looked closely at her veil, the design of Oscar’s face could be seen in it. John had labored for hours on the veil and Oscar’s image was done from memory.

Oscar’s room was full of people. By the time Alex arrived, Larc, Jerrick, Fram, John, and Duke Whitley were already there. Oscar was no longer nervous, but he was taking a ribbing for his attire. Oscar had custom ordered an outfit that had no equal. He wore crisply creased gray pants, vest and jacket. Under the vest was a white shirt with lacy frills at the sleeves and chest and around his neck was a matching gray cloth tied in a bow. Tucked in his jacket pocket was a purple daisy. Larc and Jerrick were laughing so hard they could hardly talk, but Alex thought it made Oscar appear very regal. The laughing died when Oscar explained that John had designed it. John took their laughing well and seemed quite satisfied with the look of Oscar’s attire.

Oscar did not get the small ceremony that he expected. In addition to the people who had been at the reception the night before, hundreds more were being seated. The ceremony was held in the Great Hall, a massive room used for formal celebrations. The room was divided into two parts with a wide path down the center. Bouquets of flowers adorned each pillar along the walls. At the far end of the aisle, hanging behind the pulpit, was a painting of Oscar and Callie in their wedding attire standing before the pulpit. Alex was amazed. The painting was like seeing the real thing and Secor had to have painted it before he ever saw the couple in the clothes they were wearing. Alex began to appreciate the artist’s skill that he had heard so much about.

Alex and Jenneva had been asked to serve as witnesses and they would be first to proceed down the aisle. Jenneva was dressed in a forest green gown, which very closely matched the color of Alex’s uniform. This was the first time Alex had seen Jenneva with her long, blond hair up and he had problems taking his eyes off her.

After all the guests were seated, twelve violinists entered the hall and proceeded to split up with half going to each side. The violins started playing and two members of the Honor Guard unrolled a red velvet carpet the length of the aisle. The rest of the Honor Guard formed an arch as they held their swords overhead and the President strode down the aisle. Alex and Jenneva were next, walking side by side. Alex could feel the plush velvet under his shoes and it reminded him of walking through moss-covered areas of the forest.

When Oscar entered the hall and marched down the aisle, the audience murmured quiet sounds of delight. Alex guessed that John had a future in clothes design if he ever got tired of painting. Oscar really did look superb.

Next came two young girls dressed in lavender gowns and carrying baskets of purple daisies. As they walked down the aisle, they threw daisies along the walkway. The whole Great Hall smelled like a pleasant meadow in springtime. The soft violin music cascaded through the air. The combination of smells and sounds left Alex with a feeling of quiet contentment that he didn’t want to end.

The music soon picked up in volume and the crowd arose. John and Callie entered the Hall amidst gasps of delight from the audience. John’s attire was similar to Oscar’s except it was black, instead of gray. They marched down the aisle and stopped in front of the President with Callie between John and Oscar. Alex and Jenneva stood together off to one side so they could observe the entire ceremony.

The music lowered again and the President began the ceremony. Jenneva tightly squeezed Alex’s hand. Alex tuned out the President and thought of a thousand things he would like to say to Jenneva right now. He would love for the two of them to be standing before the President and giving their vows. Not only would their wedding have to wait, but the words would have to wait as well.

Concentrate, Alex. Never doubt your abilities.

Alex blinked and looked at Jenneva.
I Love you, Jenneva.

I know. And I love you too Alex.

The Black Devil slipped quietly into the woods and approached Mordac’s position. “The head priest’s name is Brother Wiltis,” he said.

“Good,” exclaimed Mordac. “Everyone is staying here until I give the order, then bring the wagons into the courtyard.” Mordac transformed himself into Brother Timothy, the personage Sarac had used in Marchek, and headed for the front door of the Temple of Risa in Klandon.

Brother Timothy entered the temple and asked to speak with Brother Wiltis. He was led down a corridor to the priest’s study. “Brother Wiltis, blessings from Kantor. I am Brother Timothy.”

“Brother Timothy, welcome to Klandon. How can I aid you?”

“I have important news regarding attacks on temples in Cordonia and I would like to address everyone in the temple if I may.”

“I do not think that is necessary, Brother Timothy. You can enlighten me and I will address the others.”

“I would be remiss in my duties, Brother Wiltis, if I did not address the entire Order. I mean no disrespect to yourself, but I take pride in carrying my orders out precisely as they are given. I have been told to make sure that every member of the Order is informed.”

“Very well, Brother Timothy, I will not cause you to suffer over such a trivial matter of protocol. I will get everyone assembled.”