The Fenimeldiyaan: Rogue Time - Chapter 11

Will came awake suddenly, his head banging against the side of the wagon. Groaning, he crawled over to Ben. "What's going on?" he asked, rubbing the top of his head.

"Army," Ben said, pointing.

Will cocked his head, listening. Then he vaulted over the side of the wagon and moved towards the sound, still listening. Only a minute later he came back, hauling himself back into the wagon. "It's Albion," he said, horrified by what he'd seen. "They're marching on Hindustan! And if your sources are to be believed, Iereth's right in their path."

He struggled to decide what to do. The chances of him being able to find Reth in this disaster were slim to none. Yet, Will couldn't just sit by and let his friend either get drafted into the army or get killed. He came to a decision abruptly, pulling out Iereth's wallet from his pocket. He wondered how long it would take him to realize that Will had taken it. "Listen," he said to Ben. "I need to get closer. Can your dead horses smell?"

"I don't know," Ben said with a shrug. "Why?"

"If they can, this'll lead them right to Iereth," Will told him. "I can get to him and won't have to bother you any more."

Ben considered that. "One of my friends will guide the horse to your friend," he said. "I've got to tend to the bodies."

Will blinked, deciding he didn't want to know. He went to the horse, keeping his hands far away from its mouth, and untied it from the wagon. Ben watched curiously as Will mounted the horse, grimacing as it turned to look at him balefully. "Behave," he muttered to it. He turned back to Ben. "Be careful. Maybe we'll meet again." Then he spurred the horse towards the army.

It led him around them, moving carefully. Will leaned close against where its mane would be, thinking how bizarre his life was. He had never thought to see Albion actually march to war on Hindustan. It was absolute foolishness.

So distracted was he by his thoughts, he didn't see the small group of Albionites charge out of the trees until they'd grabbed his horse. "Hey!" Will yelled, kicking out at them. The horse's teeth clamped down on one of the men's fingers, making him shriek in pain. Still another one grabbed Will's arm, yanking him backwards off the horse. When he hit the ground shoulder-first, he yelled in pain.

The Albionite put a sword to Will's chest. "It's the thief from the capital," he said. "Take him along. The general will be interested to meet him again."

When did my luck get so rotten?

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Elaine shifted nervously in the underbrush. If the Albionites were marching on Hindustan, that would put Gerald, Morgan, and Andreas directly in their line of fire. But she didn't think they were prepared enough to follow the army or stop it. Not without Ramsey. She would feel a lot better about it if she had two dragons on her side, but could she willingly put them in danger for her own selfish reasons?

River was tugging on Elaine's sleeve. When the thief turned to the younger girl, she held up her book, a look of frustration on her face. "Iereth wandered off."

"Are you kidding me?" Elaine whispered, frustrated. Why did everyone keep wandering off? She couldn't decide what to do. She crawled over to Elspeth, whispering in the woman's ear, "Do you know if Mr. Andarsen is close by? If we can find him before he gets caught in the crossfire, we might save his life."

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Rachel followed Lias and Ramsey, feeling ill. The king had finally decided to march on Hindustan. What would happen now? Who would get caught in the midst of the fight? Every able-bodied Albionite and magic user would get drafted into the army--including herself. It was her worst nightmare.

Her worst nightmare got worse. "Hey!" she heard. Rachel grabbed Ramsey's sleeve, horrified.

"Ramsey, that's Will!" she said in a barely-restrained voice. "I've got to go after him!"

Ramsey grabbed her arms, looking her in the eye. "Ye can't!" he said. "Ye'll only be gettin' yerself caught. Stay with us, and we might be able to save him after we find the others."

Rachel felt tears building in her eyes. "Ramsey, please," she begged. "He can't die. The Albionites will kill him simply for being a thief. Ramsey, he's my friend. I can't let him die!"

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Cliff ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. The warriors had searched him for anything that could possibly be used as a lock pick, and he had nothing. Somehow they had known he was good enough as a thief to escape the cell with anything metal. The only positive to the situation was that--as of yet--he hadn't been tortured. They'd tossed him in the cell and left him there.

Briefly, he wondered why that man, Andreas, had been so surprised to learn he was Vordellan. It made him suspicious, that maybe something was going on that he didn't know about. Either way, there was little he could do about it while he was trapped in the cell. Maybe his position would change soon.

There was nothing he could do at the moment. And so, Cliff did what he always did when there was nothing he could do.

He laid down and fell asleep.

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Andreas dumped his rucksack on the ground and raised his hands, palms open, showing that he carried no weapons. He addressed the warrior in the correct Hindustani dialect. “Alright, I surrender. The Rani were correct in saying that I be a spy. I’ve been over in Albion, conducting surveillance on the King and his army. Did ye know that the Albionite army be on its way? King Randolph be planning to invade and conquer this holy land of ours. Not only does he bring many legions of soldiers against us, he also has powerful sorcerers on his side. Whatever ye do with me, ye must inform the Rani immediately so that she can take counter-measures”.

The warrior who held the knife at Morgan’s throat gave Andreas a curious look. “You talk overmuch, infidel. You claim to be one of our spies? If that is true, then you’ll know the secret word. Speak it and I’ll take you to the Rani”.

Andreas gave Morgan a sly wink before scanning the warrior’s mind and extracting the password. “Yellow” he said. “Deliberately chosen cause it happens to be the late Rajah’s least favourite colour. Twas me who suggested it”. He grinned mischievously at the warrior.

The warrior’s jaw dropped and he let up the pressure on Morgan’s throat. He gestured to one of his colleagues. “Take him to the Rani’s private audience chamber, but stay with him. I still don’t entirely trust him”.

“Me apprentice must come too” Andreas insisted, pointing at Morgan.

“You have no right to make such demands!” the warrior roared, pressing the knife into Morgan’s throat again.

Andreas glared at the warrior. “Then I refuse to speak to the Rani. Time be ticking and them Albionite foot soldiers can march for a day and a half without rest. Their cavalry can travel even faster. Can ye afford to take the risk?”

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“What is it now?” “Darshana” asked irritably, getting up from her bed and grabbing a thin silk robe. 

One of her warriors stood outside her bedchamber. As soon as she opened the door, he prostrated himself before her. “Humble apologies, Your Eminence. One of those spies insists that he is on our side. He knows your late father’s secret word and he claims that an invasion force from Albion is on its way here. He is under guard in your private audience chamber, along with his supposed apprentice”.

“Darshana” gave a cruel chuckle. “I will see them when I have finished my meditation and prayers. Meanwhile, have my Grand Inquisitors standing by”.

She waited until the warrior marched off, then she took out her spying crystal, focusing it on the borderlands which stretched between Albion and Hindustan. She saw a ragged horde of peasant farmers with bundles on their backs hurrying along the dusty roads. That was unusual in itself, for they would not abandon their precious crops unless it was a dire emergency.

She then focused the crystal towards the Albion side of the border. It seemed that the Carpathian spy was speaking the truth. A massive army was on the move, dressed in gold and white tabards over their armour. Some of them carried the familiar red lion standard.

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Sagging with weariness, “Darshana” drew more power from the Carpathian and the Vordellan in order to translocate to the private audience chamber.

Neither of them seemed surprised the unconventional manner of her arrival. The Carpathian wore an expression of amusement on his thin face, while the Vordellan looked uncomfortable.

“Darshana” paced up and down while she pondered what to do. Her first instinct was to translocate away from Hindustan and abandon the people to the Albionite army. She was tired of this role which she had assumed for herself. To begin with, the idea of impersonating a powerful ruler had thrilled her, but it was wearing thin after just one day. Also, she had not allowed for how draining it was to maintain the form of the Rani. She had to borrow power just to do a simple translocation.

Mindful of the guards in the room, she addressed the two spies. “Explain yourselves. You speak of an Albionite invasion. How can I believe you? Surely you are taking advantage of the fact that I’m still in mourning for my honoured father. You think that I will take pity on you and release you, so that you can go about your business of spying. I may be young but my honoured father trained me well in the arts of politics and espionage. Unless you can provide proof, I will turn you over to my Grand Inquisitors and they will soon discover what secrets you hide”.

Andreas gave the correct bow and addressed her in Hindustani. “Yer Eminence, tis many a long year since I last set foot on the Holy Ground which gave me birth. Tis no slur on yerself that ye do not recognise me, for ye were only a child when last I were here meeting with yer honoured father. I be his Inijinn, Haresh Joshi. His secret name for ye be Priya, meaning precious. When ye were four year old, ye had a jade doll whom ye named Lashaya”.

“Darshana” searched the mind of one of the guards, finding that the word “Inijinn” meant “Secret Conjurer”, which was a code-word for “Spy Master”. Trust the Carpathian to choose that particular term. She also checked out the other information, confirming that the guard knew it to be true.

She turned to one of the guards. “Take a message to my Legion Master. Tell him to mobilise two legions and have them patrol the borderlands. If there is any sighting of enemy troops, he is to send for reinforcements and hold the army of Albion at the border. Take these men to one of the guest rooms, but keep them under guard. Now I must consult with my advisers. I have much to discuss and do not wish to be disturbed”.

She translocated away, not to the Rani’s bedchamber, but to Albion. First, she would rest, then she had other important matters to attend to.

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“Sire, I have located Lady Andric” a messenger announced as he hurried into the King’s throne room. “She has returned and is asking to see you”.

“Good” King Randolph acknowledged. “So she has come to her senses at last. Bring her to me!”

Jaek, having taken the form of Rachel Andric, allowed herself a victorious smile as she followed the messenger into the throne room. She bowed low before the throne and affected a demeanour of humility and remorse. “Sire, I apologise for my hasty departure. I was led astray by a false messenger, saying that there was an assassin in the castle, sent to kill me. I fled in fear, but as soon as I discovered that the threat was false, I returned. I hope you can find it in your noble and generous heart to forgive my mistake”.

Randolph smiled benevolently at her. “Lady Andric, Rachel if I may. I am delighted that you have returned. I wish to make a proposal, that our noble families be united in marriage. Long have I admired the Andrics and I feel that it would be of mutual benefit. What do you say?”

“Rachel” gazed up at the King, affecting an expression of surprise and adoration. “Sire, you do me much honour. I will be proud to become your wife and stand by your side. In the coming war, you will need the support and comfort that only a wife can give. I gladly accept, with all my heart”.

“Then it shall be done” Randolph declared. “Our wedding will take place tomorrow at noon in the castle chapel. I expect you are tired from your journey, so please take your rest. My messenger will show you to a guest room and I will see you at dinner tonight”.

“Rachel” bowed again. “I appreciate your kindness, Sire. I will go now and rest so that I can be at my best for dinner tonight. I look forward to spending more time with you”.

She allowed the messenger to lead her away.

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Elspeth shut her eyes for a brief moment, processing Elaine’s question. Did she sense her husband nearby?

“I’ve no idea. Canna’ sense him properly without switchin’ to me dragon form.”

“And now isn’t the best time,” Elaine said.

“Course not. Not with the entire Albionite army just across that ridge. Looks like there is indeed a smidgeon of smarts in that pretty head of yers, Silvereye,” Elspeth muttered, brushing a strand of short hair behind an ear while staring at Elaine’s long purple locks in envy.

Elaine narrowed her eyes, ignoring the old woman's rudeness. “I don’t know what Iereth’s up to, but the rest of us need to stay together. It isn’t safe. Agreed?” The young woman turned towards Dorrie and River, raising her eyebrows at them.

“Agreed,” Dorrie stated sincerely, while River nodded her assent.

“And Elspeth?”

The old woman wrinkled her nose. “I smell something,” was her only response.

“What be it that ye smell?” Dorrie asked, placing her hands on her hips. “Be it man or beast?”

“Smells like we have a snake in our midst.”

Elspeth stalked off towards the east, not caring that her floral robe was catching on the underbrush and had become quite muddy.

“Mrs. Andarsen!” Elaine called out after her. Glancing towards the direction of the approaching army, she lowered her voice. “Elspeth! Wait!”

“I think it might be Ramsey.”

Elaine glanced at Dorrie, who shrugged her shoulders. The three women followed Elspeth deeper into the forest. With Iereth missing, what more was there to do than to try to stick together?

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Ramsey slowly shook his head at Rachel. The girl was growing on him, like the child he’d never had; Elspeth despised children and so Ramsey had never pressed the subject. But seeing Rachel’s face, and how much she seemed to care about this young man – Will was his name – Ramsey knew he had to do something.

“Well…”

“Please, Ramsey. I’ll still go after him, whether you and Lias come along or not.”

Rachel folded her arms, staring the elderly man down. Fierce and beautiful, Ramsey thought. Rachel would make a good dragon.

“I’ll come with ye, but only to scout out the location. If it’s too dangerous, if there are too many soldiers to take on, promise me ye won’t attempt it. It’s not worth-"

“I’d risk anything for a friend like Will,” Rachel told him bravely.

Ramsey’s gaze softened. “Fine. But if ye’re getting in over yer head, I’m going to pull ye out. Just like I would me own granddaughter.”

“Oh. What's her name?” Rachel asked, hoping to soften the old dragon further.

“Don't have a granddaughter,” was all Ramsey said before he set out in the direction of Will’s voice. Rachel decided not to press the subject.

“Lias?”

“Yes?” The snake-man jogged a few paces to catch up with Ramsey.

“Can ye tell how many there are?” The dragon asked, his voice dwindling to a whisper.

After a few moments, Lias turned towards Ramsey. “Not too many. Ten or less.”

Ramsey stopped abruptly. “And only three of us...”

The breeze suddenly changed direction, and Lias caught another scent on the wind. Could it be?

“Ramsey! Ye old coot! Thought ye’d get away from me, did ye?!” Elspeth boomed, crashing through the bushes and nearly tripping on her robe.

Ramsey immediately jumped forward and pressed a hand against his wife’s mouth. “Elspeth!” he hissed. “There be soldiers nearby!”

“Nearer than you’d think,” Elaine whispered in terror, glancing back to see if Dorrie and River had followed her.

A small group of Albionite soldiers were approaching, swords at the ready. One of them was half-dragging a teenaged redhead. The boy wriggled in the soldier’s grasp, but couldn’t fight too hard due to the blade pressed against his neck.

“Will!” Rachel gasped.

Ramsey glared down at Elspeth, who seemed to be debating whether or not to bite her husband’s hand to break free. “Elspeth…we’ve lost our element of surprise,” he said angrily, letting her go.

“Who needs the element of surprise when ye’ve got the element of fire?” Elspeth raged, throwing down her robe as her wrinkled skin made way for crimson scales and ebony horns. The others leapt out of her way, raising their weapons in preparation to charge at the stunned soldiers.

"Now the odds are more even," Ramsey breathed, nodding at the newcomers. "We can take 'em, Rachel."

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It was easy to track down the marching army. Iereth crouched behind a bush and looked over it at the soldiers. Their pace was swift and course determined. Worst of all, their expressions were grim.

Iereth sighed and pinched his nose, wondering what to do. He had to stop them or slow them. Possibly make them exhausted or spoil their food and have them waste time restocking. Something to waste their time and prevent any fighting.

And then he thought of it. Without delay, Iereth got to his feet and sprinted towards the army.

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"We can take 'em, Rachel," Ramsey said.

Lias nodded, feeling quite excited. He could fight them. They could fight them. This man was a dragon! And, he liked the air, that woman, Elspeth, certainly smelled like one as well. Two dragons, what a day!

Lias shrank down to a small snake and wrapped around Rachel's ankle. If anyone harmed the flowery girl, he'd be ready to strike.

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Iereth arrived at the border of the army and recanted his spell, turning his body invisible. This time, he remembered to include his clothes in the spell as well. Seeing not an inch of his skin nor attire, Iereth kept on, carefully moving amongst the soldiers.

He bumped into several soldiers and nearly bumped into a horse. Holding back a scream, Iereth dodged and ran around the soldiers until he came to the commander. Breathing in deeply, Iereth softly spoke a long spell. Once it was finished, he crept next to the commander.

"You must stop this army immediately," Iereth said. The commander tilted his head. "Immediately," Iereth repeated.

The commander curtly nodded and waved an arm and yelled down the line. "Halt!"

Iereth felt a new intensity in the air as the rattling of armor ceased. Gulping, he spoke with very persuasive words, "You must return to the city at once. The Hindustanis have gone past the border and are behind the city..." Iereth gulped, realizing he had no clue which direction that was. Hopefully, it did not matter. "If you do not reach them in time, Albion will be lost and King Randolph dead."

The commander looked right through Iereth, eyes narrowed. Iereth squirmed and repeated himself, voice growing louder. A strange haze came over the commander's face before his expression became one of panic.

"Turn around!"

"Sir?" a soldier near him asked.

"Albion is in peril! I said turn around!" The commander roared. Iereth watched in amazement as the army reorganized and changed course. Then silently, he slipped away, hoping he'd save some time.

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Morgan twisted his fingers around, conjuring a flame before putting it out. It was a habit he had when he was anxious. The guards outside of the chamber were enough to instill that anxiety in him, as well as the uncomfortable feeling that he had seen the Rani before. Andreas looked relaxed, sitting on the floor with his eyes closed, but Morgan was convinced he would look calm if the world were collapsing around him. "You," he said, "are an accomplished liar, Andreas."

The Carpathian grinned at him without opening his eyes. Morgan sighed, leaning against the wall. The flame danced around his fingers, curling around it, bouncing around. "That Vordellan," he said. "Why do you suppose the Chronomage brought him here?"

"There be no telling," Andreas answered. "It be a wicked game the Chronomage be playing."

Morgan nodded in agreement. There was no need to tell him that. "And what about Gerald? How do you propose we get him out of here?"

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Rachel drew her sword, ignoring the snake wrapped around her ankle. Either he was there to protect her or he was just trying to hide. She preferred to think it was the former. The silver-eyed girl stayed behind Elspeth, her brilliant eyes wide, only a little knife in her hands. River was hugging her book to her chest, her face pale, while Dorrie had her hands on her hips.

The lead Albionite pointed at them, his finger shaking in fear at the sight of Elspeth. "G-get them!" he ordered.

As Elspeth and Ramsey charged forward to fight the group of five approaching, the other four curved around the dragons to approach the group. Will's captor stayed back, obviously trying to decide what to do. The squirming thief was giving him a difficult time, and Rachel was confident that, with the distraction of the fight, he'd free himself and be able to take a hand.

Someone tackled Rachel, bringing her down to the ground as several arrows flew over the area where she'd been standing. The girl with the silver eyes pointed. "Archers. They have reinforcements!" she cried. From Rachel's ankle, Lias hissed.

"Thanks," Rachel said, ducking behind a tree as arrows slammed into the opposite side. The girl ducked behind another one. "Any ideas?"

The girl risked a look around her tree. "Elspeth and Ramsey are still busy," she said. "Dorrie and River are trying to protect everyone, and the boy that the soldiers were holding is unconscious."

"Are you sure?" Rachel inhaled sharply.

"Yes, I'm sure." She flinched as an arrow grazed the edge of the tree, narrowly missing her nose. "Oh ... they're aiming at the dragons now! And why is that one dragging rope ...?"

"Rope? It's a net, isn't it?" A doomed feeling settled over Rachel. Both Hindustan and Albion had the tools that dragon-hunters had often used. And if they used it on Elspeth and Ramsey ...

Rachel broke from cover, pulling Lias off her ankle and throwing him to the other girl. "Here."

"Eep!" the girl squeaked, promptly dropping the snake. Apparently, she didn't like them.

"Ramsey!" Rachel yelled. He had finished with the soldiers he'd been fighting and was turning his attention to the archers. "Ramsey, the ropes!"

It wasn't a net, as Rachel had thought. The ropes unfurled as someone chanted. A sorcerer had been hiding among the ranks. Just as she had the thought, one of the sets of ropes wrapped around her, binding her in seconds and easily gagging her. Ramsey roared in anger, lunging at her, but he was seconds too late. She was yanked backwards, and one of the soldiers grabbed her, placing a sword against her throat.

The silver-eyed girl shrieked as she was pulled back, her terrified screams cut off as she was expertly gagged and held with Rachel. River was the last to be snared by the ropes and in spite of Dorrie's attempts to stop it, she was pulled to the Albionites. The sorcerer--who looked like an ordinary soldier--stepped forward. "Unless you want the girls to be executed one after the other, I'd advise that you all surrender immediately," he warned them.

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The elderly adviser whom Jaek had previously impersonated was in a state of panic. The last thing he remembered was trying to comfort the nervous Darshana before the succession ceremony. As for the ceremony itself, his mind was a blank. He forced himself to go through a meditation cycle in order to regain his usual calm demeanour. When he had finished, his first thought was of the new Rani. He wanted to hurry but with a supreme effort, he kept to a steady walking pace, heading for her apartment within the palace, knowing that she would not wish to move to her late father’s apartment, even though it would be expected of her.

Having knocked several times and received no reply, he abandoned the usual protocol and entered without being given permission. There was no sign of her throughout the apartment. He lingered outside her bedchamber, knowing that it would be the ultimate in disrespect to enter her most private space unless given consent to do so. He called out to her and waited, the sound of his heart and his breathing seeming overly loud in the silent apartment.

Taking a deep breath, he eased open the door and peered in, smelling the incense which burned there. Candles and oil lamps gave the interior a soft, welcoming glow. However, the silken divan on which she slept was empty, the creases in the sheets betraying the fact that she had been there recently, too recently for the servants to have changed the bedding.

Sighing heavily, he left the Rani’s apartments and headed to the guard room. The most senior guard on duty snapped to attention, waiting for the adviser’s command. “I have a matter which requires the utmost discretion” the adviser stated. “I have been unable to locate the Rani. Take a squad and make a thorough search of the entire palace and its grounds. Try to give the impression that you are conducting a regular patrol rather than a search, for I have no wish to set the entire palace staff into a state of panic. Send a runner to me when you have located her”.

It was nearly two hours later when the senior guard returned. “My men have made the search as you requested. I am much disturbed and dismayed to bring the unwelcome news that the Rani is no longer in the palace. I also bring word that the two legions have reached the borderlands and are in position, making patrols as per the Rani’s last orders. Also, I can report that the Inijinn and his apprentice are still under guard in one of the guest rooms. Do you wish to speak to him in the Rani’s absence?”

The adviser closed his eyes and applied his agile mind to the situation. “I had no idea that Inijinn Joshi had returned. It is fortunate timing, for only he has the mandate to act in her absence. Perhaps she gave him instructions. He might even know where she has gone. Take me to him”.