Trickery

A plot is hatched to capture Lord Deryck.

19.

Trickery

 

The Silver Pegasus reached Westmark by early afternoon and all aboard the airship were relieved that they encountered no trouble for the entire journey.

As they neared Westmark, they passed the slowly moving floating city of Windhaven, which was traveling toward the Marksylvanian capital at about the speed of a convoy on horseback.

They all stood on the deck and marveled at the floating city, which still showed most of the damage it had sustained from the attack by the wizard Gelden’s forces.

“They’ll get it fixed up quickly when it reaches the shipyards,”  Tadd said, “The King has given it to Muld as his own holding.    Would that make him a Duke?”

“A duke of the air,”   Mutt joked as they waved at the royal guards that were piloting Windhaven southwest to the capital.

 

***

 

Upon reaching Westmark, they all split up and hurried off in various directions.     Shel went to Flapjacks to check to see how they had managed without her.     Tadd and Mutt went to the Practical Magicians Guild to relieve their replacements for the last two hours of business hours.    Rick hurried to report to King Eleazar about their mission and the escape of the pirates as well as Lord Deryck.   

Ant and Jevon concerned themselves with finding Jain before she slipped out of Westmark and escaped.   

They contacted Master Tollig and he had the Bitter Dregs in the city fan out looking for the Losasidhe traitor.

Jevon suggested that they start at the royal palace, where Queen Synthaeia’s ladies in waiting were staying.     Not surprisingly, the ladies told them that Jain had not been seen all day.

“So where would she go?   She can’t go back to Losahome.”    Jevon asked as they left the palace.

“She has few friends left, but I’d think she would try to rendezvous with Lord Deryck as he is her co-conspirator.”

“We don’t know where he is either!”

“I think they’ll try to contact Hobnail and rejoin him.    There is safety in numbers.”

“So how would she do that?   I don’t think she is a magic-user and so she probably won’t know how to use a scrying ball.”

“I’ll wager she knows how to scry- it isn’t difficult to do.   If not, she probably has accomplices, or at least someone she has bribed to help her.”

“Westmark is too large to search door to door, Ant.    What do you suggest?”

“A decoy,”  The Changeling said with a slight smile.

 

***

 

He came quite stealthily into the Marksylvania palace, a cloak wrapped around him with its hood pulled low over his face.

From shadow to shadow he moved, quietly going up the stairs to the top floors where the royal guest chambers were located.

He moved, attempting not to be seen, but of course there were a few eyes that saw him.

Outside the rooms where the handmaidens of Queen Synthaeia idly passed the time until Her Majesty returned, he waited, watching only for a few minutes.    Then he moved quietly back toward the stairs.   He was halfway down them when a soft voice spoke his name.

“Lord Deryck.”

He paused and backed up against the wall, pulling out a dagger.

“Do not fear, Lord Deryck, I am a friend.”

“Who’s there?”  He whispered, “Show yourself.”

“I can’t, Lord, please understand that my reason is to keep my identity secure.   We both serve Master Hobnail, but no one must know who I am.    I know you are looking for Jain.   She’s not here.    The Bitter Dregs were looking for her earlier this evening as well.”

“Dregs?   They will seek to kill her.    Do you know where she is?   I need to get her out of this city as soon as possible… and you as well, if you’ll come.”

“I am quite safe, my Lord,”  The female voice assured him from somewhere in the shadows, “Jain is staying at a safe house and I won’t disclose its location.   The fewer that know, the better.    What I will do is send her a message to meet you.”

“Good; it must be tonight.   Hobnail wants us to rendezvous with him tomorrow.    Can you get the message to her and have her meet me tonight?”

“That will be no problem.    Where do you want to rendezvous with her?”

“The Airship docking platform will be empty at midnight and I have bribed the night guard.  I will be waiting on the deck.   Have her come there at midnight, with her bags packed to leave quickly.     Are you sure you don’t want to leave as well?   I can get you out.”

“No one knows that I’m a spy, Lord Deryck, and I have magic that prevents detection by spells, so do not worry.   Just tell our master that Lizzie awaits the next command.”

“I will tell him.    Thank you for your help.”

“Certainly, Lord Deryck.   Now I must suggest that you slip out of the palace before you are seen.”

“An excellent idea.    Goodbye.”

“Farewell,”  The voice said, and soon the Losasidhe man resumed his stealthy exit of the building.

 

***

 

At exactly midnight, the usually locked iron gate at the top of the Westmark airship docking platform creaked open and a petite figure cautiously stepped out of the stairwell and hesitantly looked around.  

Standing at the edge of the platform, leaning against the railing as he stared out into the night, was the cloaked figure of Lord Deryck.

“Lord?”   Jain called out in as soft of a voice as she could.

“Yes, Jain, come join me.”

The girl relaxed slightly and hurried over to him.

“Lizzie got the message to you.”  He said as she approached, without turning around.

“Yes, but you shouldn’t even speak of that name, you know.    It’s just her spy name to pass messages, but someone might connect things and-“

“-And learn that she is actually one of Queen Aurei’s chamber maids, Lallona Gnea?”

Jain gasped, “Lord, please, if anyone hears that!   How did you find that out?   She is so careful!”

“Yes, but she is not careful enough,”   Deryck turned to face her and for the second time, Jain gasped.    Before the startled Losasidhe spy’s eyes, Lord Deryck’s features began to melt and change.

It was the Changeling woman that hung around Jevon and the Practical Magicians’ guild.

“You!”   Jain said, backing toward the stairs with her dagger drawn.

“Yes, and you can stop your retreat, Jain, as there are about 20 Bitter Dregs coming up the stairs at this moment."

The Losasidhe girl could hear them ascending the stairs and she looked around in a wild panic.

“Yes, Jain, you are trapped.”

“Please!    I didn’t want to hurt anyone!”

“I doubt that, for I can read your thoughts.”

“No!   Stay out of my head!”

Ant laughed, “It is a bit late for that.”

“What happened to Lord Deryck?”

“I haven’t a clue.   It was you that we were after.”

The gate swung open and Jevon walked over to join them, while a group of cloaked men stood blocking the stairway.

“Jevon!   How could you?”   Jain exclaimed, perhaps hoping to shame him for ‘betraying’ her.

“Sorry, Jain, but I know all about you.   Ant is proficient at reading minds, you see.”

“How did you figure out how to find me?”

“Well, it was Ant’s scan of the minds of the palace staff when we went there looking for you.    None of the other Losasidhe ladies-in-waiting knew where you were, but Ant got a fleeting thought of knowledge from one of the chamber-maids.”

“Lizzie had magic to protect her!”

“From telepathy spells,”   Ant replied, “But not from natural telepathy.   Mine is natural, not magical.    I didn’t know for sure where the thought came from when I heard it, because it was out in the corridor when we were interviewing the ladies-in-waiting.    But I hoped that an impersonation of Lord Deryck looking for you would either draw you out of your hiding place, or else that the chamber maid might contact Deryck to assist.”

“But you knew her actual name!”

“When I spoke to her today while wearing the shape of Deryck, I scanned her mind and learned her real name.    The Queen’s guard has already arrested her.”

“What are you going to do with me?”   Jain asked, her face drawn and pale.

“That would be up to your King and Queen.   But you could avoid being executed as a traitor if you redeem yourself.”

“How?”   The girl asked, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“We want to arrest Deryck as well.”

“He’s not in Westmark!   I don’t know where he is!”

“Oh, we know that,”   Jevon replied, “But we also know that you have a scrying device that can contact Hobnail and Deryck.”

“I’ve not been able to reach Hobnail all day!”   Jain exclaimed, and Jevon glanced at Ant, who was scanning the Losasidhe girl’s mind to detect lies.   

“She’s telling the truth there,”   Ant assured him.

“But you may be able to contact Deryck.”

“I was never supposed to do that!   Not unless it was an emergency!”

Jevon smiled, “Would you say saving yourself from being killed as a traitor is an emergency, Jain?”

The girl swallowed and her shoulders slumped, “What choice do I have?”

“Not much, actually,”  Ant answered, “Now here is what I want you to do…”

 

***

 

           “Remember what I have told you; I will be reading your mind and anything that you say that isn’t part of the script that I’ve given to you had better be something that I approve of.    Pull this off and I will tell King Eiolmoel of your assistance and perhaps he will be gracious and forgive your past treachery.   Try any tricks and I may pass judgment on you today myself.    Do you understand me?”    Ant’s gaze demanded compliance and the terrified Losasidhe girl nodded while lowering her gaze.

“Good.   Then contact him and remember to act exactly as I have shown you.”

“Yes ma’am,”  Jain mumbled, fearful of thinking anything negative about her captor.

She took a deep breath, wiped her sweaty hands on the table cloth upon which her crystal ball rested, and began to chant the activation spell.

“Deryck!    Lord Deryck Memphellic!   Find the crystal ball of Lord Deryck Mempellic!”

From a short distance away, hiding from view in the dark room, Jevon looked at the Changeling girl, “This is brilliant, Ant!”

“It’s a huge risk and the girl worries me.    If she warns Deryck before we can intercept her, we may never apprehend  him.”’

“Try to stay optimistic, Ant.”

“Optimism is seldom practical.”

“Give it a try just once, okay?”

“Shh!   She’s made contact with him.”

 

Across the room, there was a flicker of red light and Jain sat up anxiously.

*Remember your script, I am watching you in your mind.*   Ant sent to the girl telepathically.

“Lord Deryck!”  Jain said convincingly, apparently an old pro at lying, “Thank goodness that you answered.”

“What do you want, Jain?    Don’t you know how dangerous contacting me is right now?”   The Losasidhe nobleman’s voice came from the crystal ball, along with the sound of a crackling campfire.   Apparently he was camping out somewhere.

“That’s why I contacted you, Lord!    They’re searching for you here in Westmark!   They arrested Lizzie earlier today and almost got me as well!   I’m hiding in a filthy hotel in the rough side of town.   I don’t know what to do, Lord!”

“Keep hiding, you silly girl!   That should be obvious.”

“Yes, but I want to get out of Westmark!    I don’t dare try to return to Losahome!”

“Go into the Faesidhe forest - that is what I’m doing.     The weather is still mild enough to camp out for a few days.   There are still Faesidhe who would be sympathetic to our plight.    As for me; I’ve a great camping spot and I’m not that far from the city.    You should stay in the vicinity of Westmark, Jain.”

“Why, Lord?”   She asked, and Ant was pleased with her improvision.    Perhaps she loved the subterfuge game so much that she didn’t care who she double-crossed.

“The less you know the better, Jain, but I will tell you this; get out of the city, but stay close to it and perhaps Hobnail will rescue you as well.”

“I don’t understand what you mean, Lord!”

“Just watch for something to happen very soon, and when you see it, get to the Airship docking platform in the city as quickly as you can.”

“The Airship docking platform!?”   Jain sounded a bit too alarmed at the news, which Jevon and Ant knew was due to her recent capture at that very location.   Thankfully, Deryck didn’t seem to notice the reason for her reaction instead attributing it to fear over her safety.

“Yes, you’ll know when to go.   If you want to escape, stay close enough to the city to get to the platform quickly.   Now don’t contact me again and remember what I’ve told you.   Goodbye!”  

The scrying connection was terminated at Deryck’s end and Jain looked over to Ant, anxious to see what she thought.

“Very good, Jain, you did exactly what I asked you to do.   I will recommend leniency toward you to King Eiolmoel.”

Ant called for some of her fellow Bitter Dregs, who waited just outside of the room.

“Take Jain to the royal guards at the palace; they are expecting her arrival.”

The Dregs escorted the Losasidhe girl out of the room, while Jevon threw a cover over Jain’s crystal ball.

“I wonder what Deryck was talking about?    Apparently he expects Hobnail to rescue him or else he’d just slip deeper into the Faesidhe forest.”

“I don’t like the sounds of it.   I can’t imagine a pirate attack on Westmark, but that would be the logical inference.”

“Will the Dregs send men into the forest to search for Deryck’s camp?”

“Perhaps.    If he plans to be on the Airship Docking platform in a few days; that would be the best time to apprehend him.   We need to tell King Eleazar about Deryck’s words.    Though it is late in the evening, I imagine he’d want to know as soon as possible.”

Jevon nodded with a sigh.

“Is there a problem?”   Ant asked, noticing his reaction.

“No, I’m just worried that the work at the Practical Magician’s Guild will pile up without me there to help.”

Ant shrugged, “You don’t have to go with me to see King Eleazar, if you have other obligations.”

Jevon shook his head, “No, I vowed to help as a Bitter Dreg and my first responsibility is there, also, since I am a loyal subject of the King, I’ll go along.”

Ant seemed to smile slightly, though her almost featureless Changeling face made it difficult to take note of her exact emotion.

“Let’s go then,”  She suggested, and he followed her out of the Bitter Dreg safe house without any further comment.