Incarceration

Rick and the guild are imprisoned.

13.

Incarceration

 

“He’s coming around, give him some space,”   Mutt said, motioning for everyone to back off.

“Rick?   Hon, can you hear me?”   Shel asked him softly, cradling him in her lap.

“Ohh… my head,”  Rick groaned, opening his eyes, then blinking away the blur for several seconds before he saw the kind face of Shel over him, smiling sweetly.

“Shel, are you alright?”  He asked, sitting up quickly, which made him black out for a moment.   He sank back down into her lap.

“Easy, hon, you got hit hard on the head with a Billy club.”

“Well so did you!”

“Yes, but we Orcs have notoriously hard skulls.   And mine hurts too, believe me.”

“Where are we?”

“The royal dungeon.”   Answered Mutt, which made Rick open his eyes in alarm.

“Relax, hon, he’s your friend, no one is trying to kill you.”

“But that Faesidhe assassin-“

“I’m not trying to kill you either,”  A reply came from across the room.    A moment later she walked over to them and crouched down, “Actually, I was just going to fake killing you so I could infiltrate the group holding the Losasidhe royals hostage.”

“What?   I’m confused.”   Rick slowly sat up, assisted by Shel.

“Well, let me explain then.   My name is Antheeya; we’ve met briefly before, but I wore another face then.   I’m a Changeling…”

 

Ant filled him in on all that had happened and Rick was relieved that his friends were not false.

“So Muld and Syndi are being blackmailed by this Gelden, who is holding her parents hostage?”   Rick asked after hearing her story.   His head still spun from being knocked unconscious and he found it tough to keep up with the twists and turns of the plot.

“Correct; and we were brought here not because we are being arrested, but for our protection from Gelden’s scrying.   This dungeon is completely shielded from scrying devices.”

“Well who brought us here?”  

“I did.”    The female voice came from the door of the cell.   Through the small window of the metal door, a pair of glowing red eyes could be seen.     A moment later the cell door lock clicked, a guard swung it open and two beautiful Drow women entered.

The first one, everyone recognized as lovely Queen Aurei, but Shel was unfamiliar with the equally pretty Drow woman following her.    She was hugely pregnant but wore a skimpy sorceress’ outfit, which she covered with a purple wizard’s robe.

“That’s Lady Sophia, the Watcher!”   Mutt whispered to Shel.

“Well, former Watcher, actually,” The pregnant Drow said with a smile, “Now I’m just an out-of-work Sorceress trying to survive being pregnant with twins.”

“It is an honor, ma’am,”   Shel said with a bow of her head.   She’d heard all about the oldest daughter of Reverend Mother Zeatt, while working in the palace kitchens, but she had never met her.

“I’m afraid all of you are going to now be involved in a scheme already in the works to aid Muld and Syndi,”   Queen Aurei told them, “I apologize for the brutal treatment, but we had to be convincing to the wizard who kidnapped the Losasidhe royals.”

The Drow queen stepped forward and knelt down in front of Rick, softly chanting a spell.

Rick looked a bit uneasy, but when she gently touched his forehead, he felt magic healing cover him.

“Hopefully that will make it better,”  Aurei said as she turned to Shel, “I’ll lay hands upon you, Shel.”

The Drow queen did not wait for permission, but instead placed her hands on the Orc lady’s forehead and said, “By Yesh, be healed!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,”  Shel responded with a smile.

“If we are all well again, we’ll explain what we’ve set into motion and learn what information that you have on this wizard, then work out a plan to rescue Syndi’s parents.”

Queen Aurei sat down on the floor of the dungeon cell, to everyone’s surprise.    Sophia was far too pregnant to sit on the floor, so she simply leaned against the wall as her cousin told the ‘prisoners’ about their scheme.

***

 

It was nearly sunset when the ship reached the southern border of the Dwarven kingdom of Hammerforge.  

“Forge Gate,”  Syndi told her fiancé, pointing as she lifted her head from where she had catnapped as he steered the airship northward, “Now what do we do?”

“Veer northeast, as directed,”   Muld replied, turning the ship’s wheel, “I wonder if the change in direction will bring Legech and his buddies back on deck?”

“I can’t believe they’ve left us alone all day.”

“Oh, they’ve peeked out several times to make sure we were still here, but I pretended to not notice.”

“I wish we could stop for the night - the air will turn much colder as we head over the mountains.

“We’re safer if we keep moving - if I’m steering the ship they will probably not think of killing us.”

“I wonder how my parents are doing right now?”   Syndi began to tear up at the thought and Muld pressed her closer to him.

“Hang in there, my dear.    By now your brothers know what happened and they have wizards that might be able to find them.”

“I’m not sure that is a wise thing, Muld.    This wizard wouldn’t hesitate to kill them if he was threatened.”

“We’ll make sure that won’t happen, sweetheart.”

“How?”   Syndi asked, but at that moment the door to the lower decks opened up and Legech and ten of his men came out on deck, glancing around for a moment and then approaching Muld and Syndi.

“Good, you’ve turned the ship correctly,”   Legech said with a frown, though by his tone, he was in a slightly better mood than earlier.

“It is getting late in the day and I am not familiar with these mountains enough to pilot an airship by night.   How long do you want to keep flying?”

“You’ll fly until I tell you to stop!”   The Faesidhe elf snapped.

Muld just shrugged, “Okay, but if we crash into the side of a mountain in the dark…”

“Then I’d suggest that you enlist your ‘fiancée’ to act as a lookout for you!”   He smirked at Syndi, who tightened her grip on Muld’s shoulder.

Legech turned to his men, “You all can get some sleep , I’m going to stay here and keep these two lovebirds company.”

The Faesidhe Elf squinted in the dark and then counted his men, “Two are missing!   Who didn’t come topside?”

“Oilos and Freyic,” One of the men replied, “We’ve not seen them all afternoon.”

“Well go look for them!”   Legech growled, but at that very moment the door to the hold opened up and the missing men stepped out on deck with guilty expressions on their faces.

“Where in the hell have you been all afternoon?”   Their commander yelled at them.

“Sorry, sir, we were going through the hold -they have it full of supplies!”

“You were gone far too long!”

“Sir, you said we could just relax this afternoon…”

“Yes, but not after I send you on an assignment.    Remember that?   We wanted fresh fruit for our meal?   But you never returned.”

“There wasn’t any fruit, sir.   We checked, but they have just the usual human foodstuffs that are found on ships.”

“Well for making us wait and not reporting back to me immediately, you get to keep me and our prisoners company.   The rest of you can go and rest.”

Oilos and Freyic bowed to their captain, standing quietly as the other ten Faesidhe elves returned below deck.     When they had exited, Legech gestured for the pair to stand behind Muld and Syndi.

“Watch them like hawks,” He told them as he leaned against the railing across from the pilot station.

The two elves bowed again, pulling their elven blades free and going into a parade rest stance.

“Don’t let them bother you,”   Legech told Muld and Syndi, “Just pretend they’re not there.”

Muld frowned, looking over his shoulder at one of the guards.    To his surprise, the elf smiled slightly at him, but it was a quick flash of a smile.    When he blinked again, the smile was gone, replaced by a stoic expression.

“Don’t worry about him, Master Muld; you just steer the ship,” Legech said, clearly amused at Muld’s discomfort.

“How much longer do we have to sail?”

“Until I tell you to stop!”   The Faesidhe elf snapped back.

Muld just sighed and said nothing else.   Legech paced up and down the deck, not speaking to anyone for an hour.

It was almost dark when the Faesidhe captain abruptly stopped pacing and scanned the horizon as if sensing something.

Muld wanted to ask him what he saw, but thought better of it and just kept silent.    A few more minutes passed, then Legech said, “Turn off your engines and drop anchor, Magician.”

Muld complied at once, deactivating the vacuum engines.    The ship slowed quickly without the thrust from the arcane engines and as soon as it was safe to do so, he pulled three levers which released the ship’s drop anchors.     They were over the smaller mountains to the southern outskirts of the Carcaicasse range.

*We’re south and slightly east of my father’s kingdom*  Syndi sent to Muld telepathically.  

*I suspect he has sighted Windhaven - can you see anything?*

*Just lights on the horizon in between those two peaks to the right.*

*Oh…I think I see the lights now.   It could be something floating in the sky.*

“This is where we stay for the night, Magician,”   Legech growled, “You both will be locked in the first mate’s quarters.    His room has no portholes, but it is comfortable enough.”  

He turned his attention to Syndi, “If you’d like better quarters; I have the spacious captain’s cabin.”

Syndi looked mildly disgusted, “I’ll stay with my husband.”

Muld knew she was using the term mainly to annoy Legech, but the realization that she meant him when she used the word was thrilling.

Legech snorted in disgust, “Very well, Princess.     You will be summoned early, before dawn, with your next set of instructions from my master.     Remember that we have your parents, Princess, and so don’t you or your ‘husband’ try anything foolish.”     The Faesidhe captain turned to Oilos and Freyic, “Take them below and make sure they are locked in and that you both are guarding their door until I send your replacements!”

“Yes, sir,”  They both replied, coming forward and grabbing Muld and Syndi by the arms and pushing them toward the door to the lower decks.

Neither guard spoke to them and once they had located the First Mate’s Quarters, they roughly pushed them inside and then, to Muld and Syndi’s alarm, followed them into the room and locked the door behind them.

Muld pushed Syndi behind him protectively.

“You don’t need to guard us inside the room, gentlemen.”

“We’re not here to guard you at all, Master Muld; we are here to help you.”

“What?”

“We don’t wear our true forms, Muld.   You have friends on board that will come to your aid when the time is right.   But for the sake of the Losasidhe King and Queen, we must be cautious.”

“Who are you?”   Syndi asked the two guards

“We are magically changed, princess, and rather than tell you so that you won’t slip and use our actual names, just know that King Eleazar has a plan in motion to assist you.”

“What do we do, sir?”   She questioned the first guard.

“Just go through the motions as if you were aboard a ship full of enemies.     We’ll be close by and ready to act, but there are other forces trying to find your parents’ location, so let us lead, okay?   Trust us, you are not alone.”

“Okay,”  Syndi replied meekly, looking for reassurance from Muld.   He smiled and squeezed her hand.

“Thank you, gentlemen,”   He said to them.

“You are welcome, Muld.    We must go, but remember what we said.   Don’t worry.”

“We’ll try not to,”  He assured them, and they unlocked the door and slipped out into the hallway, locking it after them.

“Should we have hope?”   Syndi asked in a whisper.

“Absolutely!   Now let’s try to get some rest, okay?”

“I don’t know if I can, but I’ll try.”  

Still holding his hand, they both sat on the bed, then plopped back onto it at the same time.    

“It’s soft!”   Syndi said happily.

“Thank Yesh for that.”  

A moment later, weariness began creeping over them and it wasn’t long before both of them were fast asleep, still hand in hand.

 

***

Tolthe Zinro was both nervous and excited when he reported for guard duty in the palace dungeon.    It was only his fourth day at the job and while nobody seemed to suspect a thing, he still was overwhelmed with paranoia that someone -somehow- would learn that he was not whom he seemed.

As he descended the last series of stairs, he was surprised to find a crowd of guardsmen, the night commander and both day commanders standing around staring into one of the larger cells where rioters were placed after mass arrests.  

“What’s going on?”   He whispered to a guard that he knew slightly, “They sent me a message to come to work though it was my day off.”

“They arrested the guild members of that Practical Magician that stole the airship,”   The guard responded, and Tolthe nodded as if this was the first that he had heard of it.   Of course Master Gelden had briefed him and the other two spies of what had occurred.  

“So why are we all standing around staring into the cell?” He asked.

“Well, they arrested a Faesidhe sorceress with the guild. I don’t know all the details, really, but apparently this sorceress had bribed some of the guild members to help her kill one of their own.”

Tolthe managed to not show surprise or alarm at the news.   Gelden had told him about the Faesidhe woman that he had met at the wizard’s library.

“Why would she want to kill one of the Practical Magicians?”  He asked, feigning ignorance.

“I don’t know… they’re trying to figure out why.    She apparently waited until they had all been gathered in this cell and while some of the victim’s ‘friends’ distracted him, she took out a long hair pin covered in poison and stabbed him.”

“Did it kill him?”

“See for yourself, “ The guard gestured to the door of the cell, where two guards were carrying the lifeless body of a human from the cell.    Tolthe had not seen the man, but recognized him from Gelden’s description.   His name was Rick; he was the one who had insulted Gelden.    Tolthe gave his most convincing frown, shaking his head.

“The poor devil.    What happened to his killer?”

“Well, she struck about an hour ago when the guard was changing shifts.   Melthor checked all the cells when he got here and found the man dead.”

“What did they do?”

“He called the captain and they swarmed the cell.    At first none of them would tell them anything, but the Halfling caved in and spilled the beans.   They pulled the Faesidhe girl out and have her locked up in the anti-magic cell with a silence spell on it so she can’t use magic to try to escape.    They’re going to use detection spells on her tomorrow morning to find out the whole story.”

“Why wait ‘til then?”

“I’m not sure - I think the wizards and clerics that cast the spells for the king are on some sort of mission… or something like that… and they won’t be back until the morning.”

“What about the girl’s accomplices?”

“They’re questioning them now separately in different rooms, but none of them except the Halfling have admitted involvement.    They’ll extract confessions tomorrow when they use the interrogation spells on all of them.   Then we’ll know who is behind all of this.”

Tolthe shifted on his feet, his mind racing with what his responsibility to his master was in this situation.

“Uh, excuse me - I think I’ll use the privy before I start my shift.”

“You’ve got about a quarter of an hour - I heard your name mentioned as a guard.”

“I’ll make it quick,”   The Faesidhe spy replied, then hurried back up the stairs one level, which was empty of prisoners or guards.   He went to the end of the hall, slipped into an empty cell used to incarcerate drunks, and pulled from his belt pouch, a round piece of clear crystal the size of a dinner roll.

The thick lead in the stones of the royal dungeon prevented Master Gelden from spying on the place, but a direct scrying device to scrying device connection was still possible, which is why his master had given him the miniature crystal ball.

The spy crouched down in the cell and began waving his hands over the surface, chanting the activation words.

“Master?   Master Gelden?    Master, it is Tolthe, I have urgent news!”

A moment later the crystal flickered and the irate face of the wizard appeared.

“This had best be important!”  He hissed, and Tolthe quickly whispered what he had learned to his master.

“The girl succeeded!   Excellent!   She certainly is diligent in her assignment.”

“What should I do, master?   I don’t know where I will be posted as a guard, but if it is to guard her cell, should I try to assist her to escape?”

“Escape?  Idiot!    She may have already divulged too much!    It is not safe to rescue her.    I want her eliminated.”

“Eliminated, master?”

“Yes, you fool!    Tonight!”

“But how, master?”

“If you are her guard, simply enter the cell when she is asleep and stab her with the dagger I gave you, coated with Zandagnir.   It is deadly for elves, so if you value your life, you won’t prick yourself in the process.   After you have killed her, return here and we will proceed with the next stage of my plan.”

“But what if I am not assigned her cell?”

“Then improvise!  Make an excuse to enter her cell, or to take her for questioning… you can surely think of something.   But you must kill her tonight, Tolthe, and then you are to use the scroll I gave you to cast the dissolving spell on her corpse.    They can talk to the dead with magic, and there must not be anything left of her.   Such a shame too; she was quite attractive.    Be certain that no one follows you, Tolthe.    If you are not here by sunrise, I will leave without you.”

The spy swallowed, “I understand, master.”

“Now get back to your post and remember my instructions.   Do not fail me, Tolthe!”

“I shall not, master!”

Gelden’s face nodded and then disappeared from the crystal, leaving the nervous Faesidhe spy to make his plans.