Rescuing the Captive: The Ingenairii Series Page 7

  Minutes passed, and Alec saw a set of stairs leading up on the right side of the tunnel. “Let’s go up there,” he suggested. The darkness and the uncertainty of their location were making him anxious. He wanted to find Bethany as quickly as possible, and begin the journey with her and Rahm to leave the city ahead of persecution. He wanted the girl, his girl as he was truly coming to think of her, to have the freedom and autonomy in Black Crag that she wanted.

  He placed Kage on the ground, and heard the man groan. “Kage? Are you okay Kage?” Elena asked, rushing over to kneel beside the man. She placed the candle on the floor, and held his head in both her hands.

  “Elena? Why is it so dark?” the man asked in a voice that rumbled in a deep baritone voice. “why is it so hot?”

  “Are you alright? How do you feel? We’re in the tunnel under the apartments, the old collier tunnel,” Elena spoke, helping Kage raise himself to a sitting position.

  “Who are you?” Kage asked, seeing Alec stand at the edge of the circle of candlelight.

  “He rescued us from the soldiers, dear. His name is Alec,” Elena answered first, placing her hand on his as she looked over at Alec.

  “Soldiers? The soldiers!” Kage exclaimed, suddenly flooded by a memory of his brutal attack. He looked down at the scar on his mid-section. “One of them stabbed me! I remember the pain. I thought I was dying, and I was so sad I wouldn’t be able to protect you.” He told his wife, looking up at her.

  “How am I alive?” he asked plaintively.

  “It was Alec. He healed you somehow,” his wife replied.

  They both looked at Alec, who looked down in confusion. “I don’t understand it myself, but I have the power to heal with a touch, the way I can handle a sword so well. It just came to me,” he said.

  “After he fought the soldiers to save you, he fought soldiers to save me, then we ran away down into the old collier tunnels. That’s where we are now, except we don’t know why it’s so hot down here,” Elena answered as she wiped more sweat from her brow. “And I don’t know where we can go now, if the Conglomerate is seizing control of the throne,” she finished with a fearful tone.

  Alec listened closely, hoping to learn something about what the future might hold, if he faced the prospect of trying to run from the police in the middle of a coup.

  “Thank you, Alec. The heat is from the district-heating pipes,” Kage told each of the other two.

  “But it wasn’t hot like that when we went in the tunnels the first time,” Elena protested.

  “It was summer time the first time we looked at the tunnel. The heating system wasn’t running,” Kage said gently, touching his wife’s cheek with his finger tips, as she blushed.

  “What is district-heating?” Alec asked, not recognizing the words.

  Both of his accomplices looked at him. “Everyone in the city used to burn coal and wood in their fireplaces and their stoves to heat their homes in the winter, and the city air was so bad that people choked to death. So the king’s father put in a system of pipes that carry hot water throughout the whole city, and people now have to use the hot water to heat their buildings. No one can burn coal in the city now; the king built a giant furnace outside the city with a giant chimney, and the wind in the winter mostly blows it away from the city, so the air is cleaner,” Kage said in a didactic voice.

  “So these tunnels go everywhere in the city?” Alec asked.

  “I think there are parts of the city where there are just pipes, because no tunnels were ever put in to deliver coal, especially in the poor parts of the city,” Kage answered.

  “What is going on up there? Where are you going to go?” Alec asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kage admitted. “There was supposed to be a meeting tomorrow night of some of the princess’s advisors. If we can stay safe until then, I may be able to get a better idea.”

  “I know a place where you can stay safe,” Alec answered.

  Elena looked up at him with hope in her eyes. “Where is it?” she asked.

  “It’s Delphi’s armory, in the southwest part of town,” Alec answered. “It’s where I teach swordsmanship to my sister and others.”

  “Do you think we can get there?” Elena asked.

  “I think so,” Alec fudged, “although I don’t know where we are right now. When we go up, if you can find your way to the main market square, I’ll find our way from there.”

  Kage stood up. “Let’s see where this takes us.” He walked up the stairs, and pressed upward against the hatch. There was a scrapping sound, and the wooden hatch began to rise. Alec and Elena crowded up the stairs behind Kage, and Alec lifted a hand upward to help push the hatch off their exit. The room they were entering was dark, and Elena’s candle revealed several crates stacked throughout a large store room.

  “Do you know how to handle a sword?” Alec asked Kage, noticing that the man was unarmed.

  “Not as well as you, evidently, but I can defend myself,” Kage answered. Alec handed him the sword, then pulled a knife out of his bandolier.

  “Let Elena lead us out of here. If there aren’t soldiers or problems on the streets, you can take us straight to the market,” Alec directed.

  “What will we do if there are soldiers?” Elena asked.

  “We’ll hide in plain sight,” Alec answered enigmatically. “Don’t worry about that yet.”

  Elena dutifully held her candle in front of her as they searched for the doorway out of the storage area. They found a door large enough to drive a wagon through, and Alec pushed it partially open, revealing a night-darkened street scene outside. A pair of soldiers was immediately outside the door, observing Alec’s exertions.

  “You’ll need to close that up and stay off the streets tonight,” one soldier said to Alec.

  “Have you seen this mess?” Alec asked, thinking quickly. “Look at what they left me.”

  The unthinking soldiers curiously stepped inside to glance at Alec’s complaint.

  Alec raised his knife and brought the handle down hard on the back of the neck of one soldier, who fell to the ground instantly.

  “I don’t see anything…hey!” the other guard said as Alec unleashed a roundhouse punch to his jaw. He spun around and then he too fell.

  “What now?” Elena asked in shock at the sudden violence.

  “Now your husband and I become soldiers who will accompany you to your destination,” Alec replied as he began to remove the jacket from one of the soldiers. After a moment’s hesitation Kage also began to undress a soldier.

  Alec began to remove his own pants, then realized that Elena was staring at him with glazed eyes, revealing the shock that was beginning to set in as a result of the day’s violent events. He was feeling exhaustion beginning to overwhelm him as well. He hoped they wouldn’t face any challenges for the rest of the night.

  The trip through town was uneventful. Alec took the lead when they arrived at the square, and led his companions to his own apartment, where Bethany and Rahm were waiting fearfully. “Where have you been?” Bethany asked, hugging Alec in relief when she saw him.

  “This is Kage and his wife, Elena,” Alec introduced the couple he had saved. “We were chased by the police together, and had to do this to make it back home,” he plucked at his uniform. “But how about you? Did you have any problems?”

  “We were at Delphi’s when someone said the Conglomerate had troops in the street, and they were shutting the city down,” Rahm answered. “So we thought we better get back here and wait for you.”

  “We’ll need to leave this apartment early tomorrow,” Alec told everyone. “The constables were at the bank when I went there, and they asked me about Krimshelm.” He looked at Bethany meaningfully. “I think it may be time for us to leave Vincennes to go to Black Crag,” he said.

  “That will be a very uncomfortable trip in the winter time,” Kage spoke up. “You won’t be able to travel by river, and it’s a long, cold journey up into the mountains, and it’s dan
gerous as well.”

  “I saw the way Alec can fight,” Elena interjected. “It won’t be very dangerous for them, at least not from bandits.”

  “Before we go though, we’ll wait a day to see if your meeting tomorrow is a success. If not, you’ll be welcome to come with us,” Alec added.

  “We’re really going to go to Black Crag?” Bethany asked with bright eyes and flushed cheeks. “Do you think I’m ready?”

  Alec pulled off his ill-fitting uniform jacket, sighing in relief as he removed the constrictive cloth. “I think you’re close to ready, and you will be ready by the time you apply to sign up or do whatever you have to do.

  “Now, do we have anything to eat? I’m hungry, and our guests are probably starving.”

  Bethany went to the kitchen and returned with a tray of various food items, and with every step she took Alec could see the tension and excitement that she struggled to maintain in this newest crisis. They all sat, eating in silence, as they pondered the new reality they were living in.

  After the meal each of them drifted off to sleep, as Alec gave his room to Kage and Elena, while he slept in the front room. He dreamt again, and he remembered the troubling dreams when he arose the next day. He dreamed of being on a cavern, sitting on a stony shelf, talking to a ghost, who spoke of the need to battle against usurpers.

  “I have every right to ask you to go to Oyster Bay to avenge our family by slaying the murderers who killed my father, preserving the crown and preparing the throne for a rightful ruler to return,” Enguerrand had told his dream self. The phrase rightful ruler echoed in his mind, causing him to dread the thought of Vincennes being controlled by usurpers. The dreams were glimpses of his life before he lost his memories, he was convinced, but they were too scattered to provide any clear picture of his former identity.

  Soon after dawn broke, Alec outlined his ideas. “This morning I think we should all move to Delphi’s armory. I think we’ll be safer there. There are some small, hidden chambers we’ve found where we could stay undetected. Tonight I’ll escort Kage to his meeting, and then tomorrow we may know when we’ll leave for Black Crag.”

  “Will we leave tomorrow?” Bethany asked.

  “I don’t know yet,” Alec responded. “I’d like to make sure that Kage and Elena know what their options are so they can decide if they want to stay here or want to go with us.” He felt some responsibility for the two refugees he had rescued, but more than that, he felt that his dream was a message to fight against a usurpation of power in Vincennes. Kage seemed to be someone who might provide insight into how to fight to overturn the coup that was underway, making it prudent to stay near the man to learn who was in charge, and what the prospects were for the future.

  He knew very little, next to nothing about the politics in Vincennes, he realized. Perhaps the princess who had been overthrown was a bad ruler who needed to be ousted he mused. He would find out more later, he promised himself.

  While he was pondering, Bethany organized the rest of the occupants of the apartment for their departure. When everyone was loaded with a bag of food, goods and such supplies as they were likely to need she walked through the rooms to see what was left behind. Half an hour later they were cramming in the last of those overlooked items as an exasperated Bethany tried to maintain her composure and Alec watched in amusement.

  They walked downstairs single file, and began walking through the nearly deserted streets, Alec and Kage wearing their purloined uniforms to provide protection from the patrols that continued to walk through the wintery city. Every other group they saw also contained men in uniforms; there were no lone civilians abroad.

  Their chilly walk took them through the narrow streets of the city neighborhood where Delphi’s armory was a dark space in the streetscape. There were no lights visible in the windows, but Alec was gratified to find the door unlocked, and they all entered hastily. The entry hall was gratifyingly warm, and the sound of practice swords making contact in the practice room drew their attention.

  “I don’t know what to make of this, but you’ve tried to fool someone,” Delphi said as the activity in the gymnasium stopped, and all eyes faced Alec and his companions. “Either you’re wearing the uniform now to trick people into thinking you’re a soldier, or you weren’t wearing a uniform in the past when you were a soldier.

  “Which is it Alec?” he asked.

  “This uniform was the best way we had to walk through the streets the past couple of days,” Alec answered the group that gathered in a semi-circle. He detected no overt hostility, only curiosity. “Kage was being taken captive by the Conglomerate forces,” he paused to see if everyone understood his pronunciation of the complex foreign word, “I helped rescue him, and we used these uniforms to bring him and his wife to our apartment last night.

  “Now,” he added, “We’ve come here to be safer.”

  “We’ll help protect you,” pledged Wilman, one of the sword-practicers, loudly, as several other chimed in agreement.

  Alec felt a lump in his throat, as he looked at the fierce smiles and nods of agreement. These boys were ready to thump their chests and fight battles for him. From what he knew about the past lives they had experienced, many without parents or adults since they were small boys, he knew they could fight, and he knew they had rarely had a purpose for fighting other than self-preservation. Their willingness to proclaim loyalty to him touched him deeply, and he knew he had to impress them all with the depth and importance of the commitment they were at the cusp of stepping into.

  “Kage,” he said, turning to their visitor, “you are a supporter of the princess, aren’t you? And you think she should be on the throne?”

  Kage looked at Alec, and looked at the small crowd in the room. “Alec, I can tell from your accent that you aren’t originally from Vincennes,” he began, to a collection of grins and snorts from the audience that loved to tease Alec by imitating his strange pronunciations. “So,” he continued, “you probably don’t know her or her reputation.

  “Princess Esmere is a good person. She is a little naïve at times. She studied at a nunnery for several years while her father and older brother ruled, and she came to the throne when she never expected to or wanted to,” Kage explained. “Her father, King Vincent, died unexpectedly about four years ago, in good health and at a relatively young age. He was succeeded by his son, Isalan, who was Esmere’s brother, but he died in a hunting accident six months ago, without an heir. So a Council decided to put Esmere on the throne, though we’ve never had a ruling queen.

  “She’s still not called queen yet. The Council was divided, and soon after the slim majority made her the monarch as princess, challenges began to be rumored, and started in the southern cities. Now, as we’ve seen, it’s gotten worse.

  “I’ve worked for the revenue ministry for several years,” he paused as the crowd gave an obligatory round of hisses. “And I’ve had the chance to work with the Princess several times. I know she wants to do what is right and best for all the people.

  “But the Conglomerate doesn’t like the way the Princess has been pushing for taxes on their profits, there’s some other secret policy she seems to be resisting them on, and they’ve finally put their forces in the street to take over. I don’t know where the Princess is, or whether she’s,” Kage paused, unwilling to finish the sentence. “But I know I can meet some people tonight who will know what the situation is, and what we can do.”

  “Listen to this,” Alec took over. “Are you prepared to follow Kage, to follow this Princess Esmere of his?”

  “Will we finally get to really fight?” a voice in the crowd asked, and there was a chorus of laughter and cheers.

  “You all take it easy today,” Alec told them when they quieted down. “I’m going to go into town and see if I can get some money from the bank. I’ll be back in time to escort Kage to his meeting tonight, and then we’ll know what to plan for.”

  “How will you get money from the bank?” Bethany
asked. “You said there were constables there to arrest you, and now the banks are probably closed from the Conglomerate take over anyway.”

  “I’m going to let you do it!” Alec told her as they stepped away from the others. “We put one of these accounts in your name, not mine. I’ll take you to the bank as if you were being escorted by a guard; you can take the money out, and we’ll come back here. We’re going to need a lot of money for the trip to Black Crag,” he added in a lower voice, “especially if we need to take some of our friends with us on the trip.”

  Bethany looked at him in surprise, then her eyes squinted. “We better go quickly then, if we want to make sure you’ll get back in time to take Kage out.”

  They hurriedly called Kage over, to find out what role Bethany should adopt to seem most justifiable as someone who could expect to be escorted about town. “Tell them you are the daughter of Magistar Guilden,” he suggested. “People aren’t going to want to make a Magistar upset, and no one really knows anything about Guilden because he has been raised to the bench just last month.”

  With that advice the two of them wrapped cloaks around themselves and returned to the cold winter weather that occupied the streets. The walk through the empty streets was quick, as they moved rapidly to escape the chill. When they reached the Vincennes Mercantile Bank, two Conglomerate guards at the door asked their business, and the persona that Kage had suggested caused the door to open quickly, letting them enter the nearly empty bank hall.

  When Alec and Bethany returned to Delphi’s in mid-afternoon, they carried a great weight of heavy coin as well as a number of notes from the bank that could be cashed at other banks along the way. Sword practice continued, and Alec was pleased to see that Kage was credibly participating. He and Bethany joined the practice in a session in which Alec was working hard to teach his young warriors how best to handle their swords, giving detailed advice on every opportunity he saw for them to improve. He held a premonition that they were going to be put to the test soon, and he wanted desperately for them to succeed. The group had come a long way towards responsibility in the time he had known them, and Alec felt an affectionate sense of leadership.