Alien Courage (Rise of the Empress) (20 page)

The physician looked back at the Empress. “My Lady I
need you to change your clothes immediately and let me have them. I would like
a hair and blood sample so I can be sure you are not infected with some
pathogen.”

The Empress’s head was lowered in her hands when she
heard his words, her eyes went glassy and rolled back into her head and returned
to normal, quite dry and clear. “You may have my clothes and do your tests in
my chambers but I am normal. Whatever has happened to my husband has not
happened to me. I feel well and normal,” she replied in a calm and
authoritative voice. She stood up and faced the Captain, “Captain escort me to
the Court and assist me to place the Palace and Ennack under martial law. I
want to see all of the Security Heads and The Temple Priests separately.” She
ordered.

The two men in front of her remained stationary in
shock and looked at the Empress with stunned faces. The physician opened his
mouth to protest but the Empress savagely cut him off, “I am not accustomed to
my orders being questioned! The Palace as of this moment is under martial law
and if you do not wish to be the first executed
  I
suggest you find out what happened to the Emperor and save his life. Your life
now depends upon it, now go!” She said sternly. “Captain, alert all our
security forces both here and at the Great Houses and all outposts. Inform them
the Emperor has been taken ill and the Empress has assumed control until he
recovers. Now form an escort to take me to the Imperial Court and join me when
you have completed your orders.”

The Captain stood smartly to attention and saluted. “Yes
my Empress,” and then bellowed at the Security Soldiers guarding the hallway.
“You four are now personally responsible for the Empress. Escort her to the
Imperial Court. Set your blasters to kill and shoot anyone who hinders the
Empress or yourselves in your duty.” He then ran quickly to the communication’s
room, his mind searching for a reason for the Emperor’s condition, he was
convinced it was foul play. It has to be either someone in the Palace or after
Traveller entered Ennack’s atmosphere, he concluded. The life support systems
readout on his body when he was on Traveller
were
all
in acceptable limits for space travel.  His hand gripped the butt of his
blaster and his eyes narrowed - “it’s someone from the Palace!” He hissed to
himself as he entered the communication’s room. 

The Empress turned the corner in the passageway
leading to the Imperial Court and the Black Priest stood at the entrance to a
small alcove. He took a step into the passageway and one of the guards nearest
him drew his blaster and took aim. “Halt and take two steps backward or I will
fire,” he ordered.

“Put that weapon down!” ordered the Empress.

“My Lady, my orders are…”

A blaster hissed its deadly beam and the guard
confronting the Black Priest died instantly, his chest vaporised as the beam
burnt its way through him in an instant. The Empress nodding satisfaction to
the guard to her left who obeyed her order instantly to shoot.

The Black Priest stepped over the body and moved
closer to the Empress. The Empress waved her hand and the guards stepped back.
“I have heard something happened to your husband. Is he well?” he said fully
expecting the Emperor to be dead, celapod toxin kills quickly.

“He is in a deep coma. He was found not breathing and
luckily they got his body working again. We are all hoping for an answer to his
illness,” she said feeling somewhat drawn to and infatuated with this Priest.

“Indeed, we all hope he recovers. You will keep me
informed, my Empress?” he asked quietly, easily hiding his disappointment.

“Yes of course my Black Priest. I wish your audience
on many things,” she said almost reaching out to touch him but restraining
herself thinking something must be kept secret but unsure what. “Do you wish to
see me? She asked softly so the guards did not hear.

“Yes my child. I wish to see you after your next Court
session. Bring me the current data on the Great House Irrimus and its
alliances,” he requested almost telepathically.

“Yes, of course, my Black Priest.” She said and the
Black Priest bowed and stepped over the body and disappeared. The Empress
continued on her way but with only two guards. One stayed back to take care of
the body. 

The guard contacted his commander and a team was sent
to remove the body. The Captain of the Guard overheard the communication on his
radio and quickly went to inspect the body. He knew the guard who radioed the
request as a good soldier.

“Who did this? The Captain asked looking at the dead soldier
and recognising the unmistakable wound from a blaster set for close range.

“The Empress ordered Security Guard A6-428 to do it
Sir,” the Guard replied.

The Captain turned his head slowly to face the
soldier. He looked squarely at him and knew he was telling the truth. “What
provoked the Empress to give such an order?”

“Guard A6-401 did not respond to the Empress’s command
for him to lower his weapon Sir.”

The Captain raised his eyebrows in surprise, “and who
was the weapon being aiming at?”

“The Black Priest Sir,” the Guard replied. 

The Captain felt like he had been hit heavily in the
chest. He refused to let his mind speculate and leaned closer to the Guard.
“What happened exactly?”

“The Empress ordered A6-401 to lower his weapon when
the Black Priest just appeared in front of us in the passageway near the Hall
entrance…”

The Captain cut in quickly, “How long did A6-401 have
to lower his weapon?”

“A6-401 barely had the time to state his orders when he
was shot Sir. The time was no more than the time to say, “My Lady, my orders
are… and when A6-401 fell the Black Priest stepped over him and stood in front
of the Empress. She ordered us to fall to the rear and spoke with the Black
Priest for a short time. I could not hear what was said Sir.”

“Thank you,” the Captain replied, his mind not
comfortable with this information. He looked at the Guard and ordered him to
another section of the Palace away from any black robed Priests. The Captain
walked slowly back to the Court. He knew now something was very wrong with the
Empress and if the Black Priest was involved his future was in danger. He
decided he would make an excuse to give him reason to join his forces
conducting operations against border disputes with The House of Volen. He had
to find a reason and cure for the Emperor and with the Empress and the Black
Priest in some sort of alliance he needed some distance between himself and the
Palace. His step increased speed as his decision cleared his mind and gave him
purpose and orders to follow. He marched smartly into the Imperial Court. The
Empress looked up momentarily viewing him with cold emerald eyes before turning
back to her panel of advisors.

---------

The Beclin boy tried to make
himself
as small as possible by squeezing back against the rocks at the back of the
cave. His terror slowly being replaced by thoughts of trying to escape, his
hands were tied and connected to a short leather strap bound between his
ankles. He reasoned if he was allowed to live this long they may have something
terrible in store for him.

The cave was dark, cold and stank of stale smoke and
burnt green conifer. Sasra and Teni were asleep and Brakin squatted in the
centre of the small cave staring into the darkness.
Url
was at the small cave entrance, ice had grown reducing its size. He began
chipping away with his axe. Ice chips flew about inside the cave as
Url
repeatedly struck the ice. Now satisfied the entrance
was now large enough that they wouldn’t suffocate, he
squeezed
 
through
to the outside world. The wind
had abated and there was light snow. He gathered up as much wood as he could
find and between two rocks in a sheltered position started a fire. It took him
some time to get it going but eventually the fire roared against the rocks
warming them. He sat for a little time on a rock beside the fire allowing the
heat to soak into him. He realised his plan to kill as many Beclin as possible
was not as strong as his rage at the village. Brakin had taught him to mix
thinking with his brute force. This boy, he thought, just might be useful.

Url
jumped off his rock and threw a lot more wood on the
fire and watched the smoke rise. He hoped the smoke would bring more Beclin,
maybe those who are searching for the boy or hunting party would see it. He
went back into the cave and woke the others and convinced them to come outside.
They were alarmed at the size of the fire and the smoke but quickly took
advantage of its heat and huddled close.

Brakin returned to the cave and with some effort
dragged the boy outside. The other three just stared at Brakin manhandling the
boy closer to the fire. The boy started yelling. Brakin let him go and shrugged
his shoulders.

To everyone’s surprise Sasra handed his gun to Teni and
stepped up to the boy drawing his knife. He grabbed the boy by the throat and
held the point of his knife only inches from his eyes. “I’m sick of you and
your resistance! Just one more noise or uncooperative act out of you and you’ll
have one less eye to see with,” he said with venom in his voice as he
menacingly waved his knife in front of the boy’s face.

The boy froze in Sasra’s grip. “Well…” shouted Sasra,
“make your choice boy, co-operate with us or I’ll hand you over to him,” Sasra
pointed at Url who smiled with wild blazing eyes through the snow and ice on
his beard and eyebrows, he lazily swung his axe from his wrist. The boy relaxed
in Sasra’s grip, standing with his eyes looking to the ground, terrified.

“Good,” Sasra said and pulled out a piece of preserved
meat from a pocket inside his coat and grabbed the boys hand and forced the
meat into it. The boy looked at the meat for only a second then shoved it into
his mouth and ate ravenously, he was starving. Brakin and Teni also got small
pieces of meat from their pockets and threw it at the boy who picked them up
quickly. It was with some effort and lots of looks from the others that
Url
also gave the boy a piece of meat. For a brief moment in
the snow laden environment, five fur clad figures huddled around a warming fire
united in the common struggle against the harsh climate of Zion.

Url
moved closer to Brakin. “Smoke
bring
Beclin,” Url said brushing snow from his shoulder.

“Yes Url. I have been thinking about that. It is good.
We must find a place where we can talk to them without danger, many will come I
feel. We are close to their villages,” Brakin replied.

“I know place, not far. Across ravine,”
Url
said. We leave trail, they come,
you
talk.”

Brakin nodded. He had never known
Url
to have ability at tactics. His simple straight forward approach was faultless,
Brakin thought, tribesman were just as predictable to Url as were animals.
Above all
Url
was a master hunter. “We’ll leave the
boy’s knife in that tree with a piece of his jacket and an easy trail to
follow,” Brakin said pointing to a nearby tree.

Url
nodded. I’ll show way to ravine but go long way round
to other side. I stay here, fix
many smoke
and follow
Beclin.”

Brakin understood but put his hand on
Url’s
shoulder and gripped his jacket firmly. “Don’t kill
any of them,” he warned. “They must be allowed to talk without seeking fresh
blood revenge. They won’t know what’s happened to the hunting party yet.
Promise me Url!”

“Url promise,” he said with a solemn face.

Url
drew the way to the ravine in the muddy slush at
their feet with a stick. He explained as he scratched a rough map. Brakin and
Sasra were to take the boy south west and then cut back north along a narrow
spur line until it abruptly halted at the edge of a deep ravine. The distance
across to the other side was easily within accurate gun range but it was close
enough to be able to shout across if the wind was low. Teni’s task was to go
directly from the cave camp to the Beclin side of the ravine leaving small
strips of the boy’s coat along the way and one piece at the edge of the ravine
hanging on a tree. He then kept going to find a way across and double back to
join the others, time was of the essence.
Url
was to
keep the fire going with lots of smoke and follow the Beclin once they had
started on the trail. If the Beclin did anything else
Url
would deal with that situation as he chose.