Alutar: The Great Demon (65 page)

“I shall be back before you finish that bottle of wine,” chirped Bitsy.

The fairy shot into the air, and Kalina giggled.

“They are so cute,” she said. “What is the plan?”

“The regional leader of the Badgers will meet with Major Tindale,” explained Garth. “It will probably take place at an inn, but it could be anywhere private. Major Tindale will present the gold and leave. The Badgers will then take the gold and leave. In between those two actions, we need to strike and quickly. There are probably more Badgers in Zinbar expecting the gold to arrive somewhere, and I don’t want to have to deal with all of them.”

“Why send Bitsy to find all the Badgers then?” Kalina asked with a puzzled expression.

“Not all of them,” clarified Garth. “The three or four Badgers she will find will be those protecting the regional leader. Those are the ones we must kill before capturing the regional leader, but there may be dozens of Badgers in Zinbar. We have no way of knowing their strength, but they will be aware that a shipment of gold is expected tonight. Whatever we do, we must complete it all within an hour. Otherwise the rest of the group will come out of their den to investigate.”

“How do you know this?” asked Kalina.

“Zack has learned a great deal about how the Badgers operate,” replied Garth. “He had a fairy spying on them after he met with the regional leader of the Valdo group. What he hasn’t been able to find out is who the leader of the Badgers is. That is what you are going to pry out of the Badger we capture tonight.”

“And I only have an hour to do it?” asked Kalina.

“Less than an hour,” replied Garth. “It will take me some time to eliminate the Badgers protecting the leader, and we cannot move in until they are all dead.”

“You want me to mind probe him,” balked Kalina. “I do not like using magic that way.”

“I will not dictate your methods,” stated Garth. “If you can scare him into divulging the information we need, that will be fine by me. I would do it myself, but I do not think a Badger would willingly give up such information. From what I have heard, they seem to prefer death over failure. Still, I am willing to try if you wish.”

Kalina sighed and shook her head. “He would probably lie to you just so you would kill him,” she reasoned. “Only a mind probe will get to the truth.”

“Not necessarily,” smiled Garth. “If we hurry, we can catch the Badger leader in Valdo when he comes to collect for King Harowin’s death. If the information matches, we will know that we have been given the truth. If it does not match, a mind probe might be the only way.”

“A deal then,” offered Kalina. “You try to get the information out of this Badger. If it does not match the information we get in Valdo, I will perform a mind probe on that one.”

“Deal,” agreed Garth.

The Knights of Alcea lapsed into silence as they waited for the fairy’s return. Eventually, Bitsy fluttered down out of the sky and landed on Garth’s shoulder.

“The major took a tour of the entire city and then ended up right here in the Gateway Lodge,” reported the fairy. “He is in a room two floors down. The soldiers already left with the wagon. It is empty.”

“And the Badgers?” asked Garth.

“I found five of them,” frowned the tiny woman. “One is already moving to join the major. There is one out front of the inn and one out back inside the stables. Another sits idly in the lobby of the inn. The other one guards a wagon two blocks away.”

Garth thought for a moment before speaking. “I will start with those farthest away,” he said. “The one in the lobby will be difficult to kill without drawing notice. Bitsy, I want you to put him asleep and keep him asleep until we have left the major’s room. I also want you to point out the major’s room as we leave the inn. Come, Kalina. We are going hunting.”

Minutes later, Garth and Kalina were walking the nearly empty streets of Zinbar a couple of blocks from the Gateway Lodge. They held hands as they walked along the street, seemingly lost in their love for one another. As they passed a dark alley, Garth playfully pulled Kalina into the darkness, smothering her with kisses.

“Move along,” a sinister voice said from the darkness. “This alley is occupied.”

Kalina broke from the embrace and turned towards the voice, her body directly in line between the Badger and Garth. She stared into the darkness for several moments until her eyes became accustomed to the darkness, and she was able to see the assassin.

“You do not own the alley,” she frowned. “Why don’t you move along?”

“Don’t be rude, Kalina,” Garth said in a meek and trembling voice. “He was here first.”

The Badger snickered at the cowardly response. Kalina shrugged and stepped aside. As soon as her movement cleared the path for Garth, he shot the myric quill through the reed. The Badger tumbled from the seat of the wagon, his body already dead before it hit the ground.

“Take the wagon,” instructed Garth. “Bring it to a halt in front of the Gateway Lodge near the Badger. I will meet you there.”

Kalina nodded wordlessly and started the wagon rolling. Garth ran out of the alley and turned in the opposite direction. Moments later, he was walking along the main street of Zinbar, holding a myric quill at his side. His gait was casual, and he appeared to be lost in thought as his eyes stared at nothing in particular. The Badger saw him approaching and watched him with curiosity rather than alarm. The sound of a wagon approaching from the opposite direction caused the Badger to turn his head towards the sound. A deep crease formed on the Badger’s brow as he thought the wagon looked familiar to him. When the wagon halted near him, he moved closer to get a better look. The assassin glared at Kalina when he was sure that she was driving their wagon. As his hand moved towards a throwing knife, Garth struck. The Knight of Alcea shoved the myric quill into the Badger’s leg and then lifted the body and threw it into the back of the wagon. Kalina immediately started the wagon rolling again while Garth continued walking along the street as if nothing had happened.

“Park in front of the stables,” Garth called softly to Kalina.

Kalina nodded silently and drove the wagon at a slow and even pace. She turned at the next intersection and then doubled back through an alley that ran parallel to the main street. A few minutes later, she halted the wagon in front of the stables. Almost immediately, a dark shape shifted inside the stables. Suddenly, a knife flew out of the dark stables towards Kalina. The knife struck an invisible shield, and the Badger gasped involuntarily. A second later, the Badger’s body fell to the ground, and Garth stepped out of the shadows.

“It is a good thing you thought to use your shields,” Garth said as picked up the body of the Badger in the wagon and carried it into the stables. “He was more wary than the one out front. Leave the wagon where it is. We will still have use for it tonight.”

Kalina frowned. “The Badgers obviously know what their wagon looks like,” she said. “Are sure that is wise?”

“It will be a short trip,” replied Garth. “Let’s go visit our target. Time is running out.”

Garth and Kalina entered the rear door of the Gateway Lodge. Garth stuck his head into the lobby and signaled for Bitsy to come to him. The fairy complied immediately.

“Has Major Tindale left the inn yet?” Garth asked.

“Not yet,” answered the fairy. “Should I go and find him?”

Garth shook his head. “The lobby appears fairly empty,” he commented. “Perhaps I can free you from your current chore. Wait here for me.”

Garth extracted another myric quill and held it against his leg. He entered the lobby and sat down next to the sleeping Badger. While appearing to pay no attention to the man next to him, Garth jabbed the myric quill into the Badger’s leg. He casually rose, taking the quill with him. Within seconds, he was standing with Kalina again.

“I am going to need your services upstairs,” Garth said softly to the fairy. “Go up ahead of us and let us know if Major Tindale is coming this way. I do not want a chance encounter with him this night.”

Bitsy darted up the stairs.

“What if the Badger in the lobby is discovered dead?” Kalina whispered. “It will shorten the time we have to extract the information from the leader upstairs.”

“No more than the two bodies in the stables,” shrugged Garth. “Our time is already drawing short. We may have to kidnap the Badger leader and take him with us.”

Before they had climbed a single level, Bitsy appeared with a warning that the major was coming. Garth pulled Kalina away from the stairs at the next floor and wrapped his arms around her in a lover’s embrace. The major descended the stairs with a barely a glance at the romantic couple. As soon as he was gone, Garth and Kalina raced up the stairs. As they neared the door to the room that Major Tindale had rented, Garth whispered instructions to Kalina. He then swiftly opened the door wide and stepped away. The regional leader had been staring out the window at the wagon parked below. He whirled towards the door, a throwing knife sliding into his hand. Before he could throw the knife, a magical blue ball sped across the room and struck the assassin. He was instantly frozen from head to toe. Garth and Kalina entered the room and closed the door.

“What now?” asked Kalina as she glanced at the two chests on the floor.

Garth pointed to the golden Badger brooch on the Badger’s chest. “Thaw that small area so I can extract the brooch,” he instructed.

Sparks flew from Kalina’s fingertips as she stepped close to the frozen Badger. She touched the assassin’s chest and the ice around the brooch melted, sending a small stream of water down to the floor. Garth stepped forward, carefully unpinned the brooch and held it before the Badger’s face.

“I know that you would gladly use this to end your life,” Garth said to the Badger, “but we are not going to let you die, unless you tell us what we want to know. Unfreeze his head, Kalina.”

Kalina promptly obeyed, and the Badger defiantly spat at her.

“I will tell you nothing,” he snarled at Garth.

“We shall see about that,” Garth replied with a thin smile. “You must be aware by know that Kalina could easily kill you, but there is a worse fate in store for you if you do not answer my questions.”

“Torture will gain you nothing,” scowled the assassin. “I will never speak.”

“Torture is not what I have in mind,” Garth replied. “While Kalina has the power to kill you, she also has the power to ensure that you do not die. You will be paraded through every city in Zara as an example of the fallibility of the almighty Badgers. But it gets even better,” Garth smiled. “Your own brothers will attempt to assassinate you to halt the embarrassment you are bringing upon them, but Kalina will keep you alive, showing the world that the Badgers cannot even kill one of their own. In short, the Badgers will be ruined. Without their reputation, they are nothing.”

The Badger’s eyes showed true fear for the first time since the Knights of Alcea entered the room. The Badger code called for suicide before bringing dishonor to the group, and he realized that his captors understood that all too well.

“What do you want?” he asked in a voice that was remarkably steady given his fear.

“I want to know who leads the Badgers, and how I can contact him,” answered Garth.

“Killing our leader will gain you nothing,” spat the Badger. “Another will rise to take his place.”

“I am not asking the question in order to kill your leader,” replied Garth. “He has information that I need, and I intend to get it.”

“And don’t think of lying to us,” added Kalina. “We will be interrogating Wain in Valdo to verify the information. If your information does not match with his, I will probe his mind and discover all of your secrets.”

The Badger frowned. “If you have such an ability,” he asked, “why not just use it and be done with me.”

“That was my thought,” replied Garth, “but Kalina finds it distasteful to sift through the innermost thoughts of people like you. Such memories carry a disgusting taint, and she tires to avoid exposing herself to them whenever possible. We are running out of time here. Tell me what I need to know and you may die an honorable Badger death. If not, you are coming with us to Valdo.”

The Badger seemed unsure of what to do. “Tell me who you are and what information you seek?” he asked. “If I find your words truthful, I will give you what you ask.”

“I am Alexander Tork, and this is my wife, Jenneva Tork,” stated Garth. “We are Knights of Alcea, and we seek the name of the noble trying to seize control of the Federation. His identity is known to your leader.”

The Badger’s eyes opened wide in understanding. While the names meant nothing to him, he had heard of the Knights of Alcea, and he knew that someone was planning a coup in Despair.

“The leader of the Badgers is a man named Issa,” the Badger revealed, “but I do not know how to contact him.”

“How could you not know how to contact him?” scowled Garth.

“We use couriers to keep in touch,” the Badger explained. “I have never met Issa, but I know someone who has. The leader in Barouk is called Franco. He is known to have contact with Issa. That is all that I can tell you. Give me my brooch.”

Bitsy flew in the window and lighted on Garth’s shoulder. The Badger gaped at the fairy in disbelief.

“The Badger’s body in the lobby has been discovered,” the fairy reported excitedly. “We are out of time.”

Garth nodded calmly and placed the golden brooch in the Badger’s mouth. The Badger leader immediately clamped down on it and died from the poison.

“Bitsy,” commanded Garth, “levitate those two chests into the wagon below and then guard the wagon until we get there. If anyone comes to investigate the stables, put them to sleep.”

Garth and Kalina did not wait for the fairy to complete her task. They slid out of the room and down the stairs. They heard quite a commotion coming from the lobby, but they avoided it by slipping out the rear door. They hopped up on the seat of the wagon and started it moving along the alley. Garth sent his thoughts to Kymia and Yurl, and the unicorns emerged from the stables and followed the wagon. Garth drove the wagon several blocks before pulling into the yard of a warehouse. He jumped down from the seat and banged loudly on the large wooden doors. When no one answered, he banged louder.