Rebels and Fools (The Renegade Chronicles Book 1) (16 page)

She
had a lot to consider, for the Renegade movement in Port Town had begun in
earnest that day. Best to put the rival Renegade Leader out of her mind and
concentrate on her own future.

Yet
as she made her way through the rows of trees, she couldn’t help but wonder if
she would ever see Klye Tristan again.

*
         
*
         
*

Watching
Leslie Beryl leave, Klye found he wasn’t as eager to leave Port Town as he had
been upon arrival. Despite the ambush in the sewers and the jailbreak that had
nearly ended in disaster, he knew he’d always look back fondly on his time in
Port Town.

As
he rejoined his men, he had to remind himself to stop smiling. Ragellan and
Horcalus were talking together, as were the two pirates. The others were
waiting in silence, casting edgewise glances at their new traveling companions.

Klye
had picked up four new members for his band in Port Town. The ferocious and
battle-hardened pirates would certainly come in handy should trouble follow
them, and if Scout was half as good a guide as he claimed, the hooded Renegade
would make a most welcome addition to the team.

Arthur,
on the other hand…well…maybe the boy could cook.

“We
leave immediately,” he announced. “Scout, take to fore. And keep us as far from
the road as possible.”

With
a mock salute, Scout jumped off the old railing where he had been sitting and
started walking in an easterly direction.

“What
about dinner?” Plake asked, coming up on Klye’s right. “We haven’t eaten since
breakfast.”

Ragellan
came up on the rancher’s other side and said, “If we worry about that now,
you’ll soon find prison food to be your only fare, and believe me, it’s better
to go hungry.”

“It
can’t be worse than nothing at all,” Plake muttered. “If it were up to you,
Klye, we’d never eat. We’ll all collapse from starvation before we get anywhere
near Fort Faith.”

“Shut
up, Plake.” Klye quickened his pace so the rancher wouldn’t see him grin.

If
nothing else, it was bound to be an interesting journey.

PART 2

Passage I

Commander
Ralz did his best to avoid the eyes of the man seated beside him. He studied
the small carvings etched into the wood and the polished stone of the chamber
walls. He counted the empty chairs that encircled the long, ovular table at
which they sat and smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in his tunic.

All
the while, Gerard Ralz was certain that he was under the scrutiny of his
companion.

When
the room’s only door opened and, after a moment, closed again, seemingly of its
own volition, he held his breath. A few seconds later, a black-clad figure
appeared, as though bleeding from the air itself.

The
dark-robed newcomer lowered a cavernous cowl, revealing the visage of a woman.
Long locks of blond hair spilled down her neck and shoulders. The skin of her
hands and face was fair, although that could have been the result of its
juxtaposition to the black fabric that concealed the rest of her body. Her eyes
were blue, and while Commander Ralz saw no wrinkles around them or her mouth,
he suspected that had more to do with magic than youth.

The
Knight rose to his feet and performed a stiff bow.

“Welcome,
milady. Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

He
gestured for her to take any one of the chairs across from him and his silent
companion, but she didn’t move. Instead, she crossed her arms and scoffed.

“Welcome?”
Her voice was low and sardonic. “I have never been welcome in any place housing
Knights of Superius, including this very fort. Or perhaps I somehow missed the
banquet being held in my honor?”

Ralz
coughed and affected a polite smile. “My apology for your trouble, milady, but
it was necessary for you to arrive unseen. I admit, not many Knights would
appreciate your company…not like I do.”

“Because
I am a wizardess?” she asked coyly. “Or because I am an assassin?”

She
gave a breathy laugh as she joined them at the table. Keeping her hands on her
lap, she alternated her stare between Ralz and the other man.

“Which
brings us to why I was summoned to begin with,” she continued. “Do you need me
to dispense with another troublesome Renegade in the area? While I would be
happy to do your dirty work on a regular basis, Commander, I fear you cannot
afford it.”

Ralz
had paid her quite a sum for her previous service, desperate to be rid of a
local Renegade demagogue. He had hoped to never deal with another spell-caster
so long as he lived, but he dared not defy his orders.

Like
most Superian Knights—and the majority of civilized folk—Gerard Ralz had a
strong distaste for magic, and this wizardess practiced the blackest of black
magic, using her powerful spells to murder for profit. The last time he had had
need of her, he had gone to great lengths to keep their dealings a secret.

And
yet, here she was, meeting with him again in one of Fort Splendor’s seldom-used
council rooms. He felt cold perspiration welling up in his armpits and dripping
down his back. The mere thought of getting caught in her company made him
queasy.

“I
think we will be able to come to an agreement, madam,” said the other man.

Commander
Ralz was relieved to hear his companion speak. Let him do all the talking,
thought Ralz.
He’s
the reason that she is here.

The
wizardess regarded the other man with an upraised eyebrow. “Who is your friend,
Commander? He looks familiar, but I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“My
name is not important. Like you, madam, I have reasons to maintain anonymity.”

Ralz
watched the other man smile coldly. Although he spoke with confidence and
authority, he was not yet twenty, far younger than both the wizardess and Ralz
himself. He wore his long hair tied back in the manner of Superian nobility,
but his plain cloak and trousers were those of an ordinary peasant. No jewelry
adorned him—unlike Ralz, who wore both the ring of his family name and one
denoting his rank as the Commander of Fort Splendor.

The
woman smiled back. “Very well. I will respect your secrets. I go by the name
Dark Lily. But tell me, Stranger, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Stranger,”
laughed the young man. “Now there’s a suitable alias. Well met, Dark Lily. You
have been invited here tonight in the hopes that you may help us in a very
important task. Tell me, have you heard of Chester Ragellan?”

“No.
Should I know him?”

The
Stranger waved a hand dismissively. “It’s of little consequence. Sir Ragellan
was the commander of Fort Splendor before our friend, Sir Ralz, took over the
position. Ragellan and another Knight, Dominic Horcalus, were found secretly
funding the Renegade movement. They were arrested and taken to the Citadel
Dungeon to serve out a life sentence. However, they were rescued soon after by
the rebels.

“We
have learned that Ragellan and Horcalus have fled Continae altogether. They
were last seen in Port Town, a coastal town in western Capricon.”

“Capricon?
As in the island?” Dark Lily asked. “That is quite a trip, Stranger. Now I am
certain you can’t afford my skills…presuming, of course, your wish is for me to
find and kill your disgraced knights.”

Having
witnessed the temper of the Stranger—as Dark Lily had dubbed him—Commander Ralz
flinched. If the stupid witch only knew with whom she was dealing, she would
have stayed her impertinent tongue. When the Stranger got to his feet, Ralz was
certain he was on the verge of assaulting the assassin with threats—or worse.

Wishing
to be anywhere but in the presence of the wizardess and the Stranger, he sank a
little lower in his chair.

But
to Ralz’s immense relief, the Stranger instead walked over to a small chest
that lay on the floor by one of the empty chairs. He returned to his chair but
remained standing, his hands on the lid of the wooden chest.

“The
Knights of Superius are not in the habit of hiring assassins to deal with
traitors, but all of Continae is in a precarious position concerning the
Renegades. If we do too much, we will only fan the flames of their rebellion.
If we do nothing at all, the Renegades will gradually grow more and more
audacious. That is why we must seek outside assistance.”

“Meting
out justice, regaining honor…call it what you will, Stranger, but murder is
murder,” Dark Lily replied dryly. “I don’t really care why you want these two
men dead. I am one of the best headhunters in the world. My services do not
come cheaply. Even if that box you hold is filled to the brim with silver, it
wouldn’t enough to send me to that gods-forsaken province. You could find a
lesser cutthroat to do the job for far less.”

Ralz
nearly fell off of his chair when the Stranger responded with a mild laugh.
“Well said, Miss Lily. But I would never think of offering you anything less
than that which you are worth.”

He
opened the chest and removed an old book that smelled as musty as the fort’s
dungeon. Its pages were yellowed with age, and its faded, grayish leather was
cracked in many places. Symbols Ralz could not decipher had been sketched onto
the spine of the book.

The
Stranger’s smile grew as Dark Lily’s eyes widened. The wizardess leaned
forward, her hands flat on the table, fingers spread, unconsciously reaching
for the tome.

“Is
that…is that what I think it is?” she whispered.

“I
know very little of magic, madam,” the Stranger replied, “but I can assure you
this is one of the few surviving spell books penned by Braiseph Harrow. He was
a black-robe like yourself, if I’m not mistaken.”

Her
eyes fixed on the tome, Dark Lily replied, “Braiseph Harrow was one of the
greatest archmages who ever lived, and that truly is one of his spell books. I
can feel the power emanating from it…”

Gerard
Ralz could feel nothing of the kind, but goosebumps appeared on his arms
nevertheless. Where had the Stranger acquired the evil tome? Silently, he
prayed to the gods to bring an end to this foul meeting. He wanted nothing more
than to get to bed and forget all of this sorry business with rogue knights,
assassins, and spell books.

“I’ll
kill the rogue knights,” Dark Lily announced, rising to her feet. “Braiseph
Harrow was a renowned war wizard, a battle mage of unparalleled skill and
ferocity. If you were to allow me to take the book now, I could improve my
arsenal, hastening my success in killing the rogue knights.”

The
Stranger gave her an amused smirk. “I have no reason to believe you cannot
accomplish your mission without the addition of the archmage’s spells. The
Knights of Superius have no use for this spell book, so you needn’t worry that
we’ll try to keep it once you return from Capricon.

“There
is one condition that I need to mention,” the Stranger continued. “In order to
receive the book, you must bring us the heads of the two rogue knights as
evidence of your victory.”

Casting
one more longing look at the tome, Dark Lily said, “Agreed.”

The
wizardess rose to her feet and pulled up her hood, become a living shadow once
more, night incarnate. A single white hand traced a pattern in the air, and
Ralz heard her low voice whispering the syllables to words he had never heard
before, words that made a chill run down his spine.

It
occurred to him that the assassin could be casting a spell to murder her two
would-be employers and take the spell book. But as Commander Ralz slowly
reached for the dagger secured inside his doublet, the wizardess disappeared in
a quick flash of light, leaving him and the Stranger in a heavy silence.

*
         
*
         
*

The
Renegades traveled through the night, putting as much distance between them and
Port Town as possible. Klye ordered them to stop on occasion, but their breaks
were short, and once Klye confirmed their course with Scout, who spent most of
the trip far ahead of the group, living up to his nickname, they would begin
the march anew.

They
walked in silence; everyone was too tired to make conversation.

Klye
spent the night mindlessly placing one foot in front of the other and thinking
about their situation. They would need food and a place to camp before long.
During their last chat, Scout had assured him there was a meadow up ahead where
they could rest without worry of being discovered.

“We’re
on a game trail. If we run into anything, it’ll probably be a deer,” the hooded
Renegade had said. “If we keep up at this pace, we’ll reach the meadow as the
sun begins to rise.”

Either
they had slowed a bit in the last hour, or Scout’s estimate had been too
optimistic. They continued plodding eastward even as the sun peeked over the
horizon, stabbing at their tired eyes through the trees. When they finally
reached the meadow, Klye felt almost giddy at the thought of being able to
rest, but he still had work to do before he could sleep.

Upon
entering the clearing, Klye saw Scout sitting cross-legged on a fallen tree,
patiently waiting for the rest of the group to catch up. Unlike his companions,
Scout didn’t look as though he had been walking all night, leaving Klye to
wonder if the man ever lost his perkiness.

“Welcome
to camp,” Scout said. “You all look like you could use some rest.”

Plake
dropped unceremoniously to the ground. “Maybe that’s because we haven’t eaten
in a full day’s time. I’m surprise Arthur made it…he could barely keep his eyes
open.”

Arthur
didn’t reply. It wasn’t the first time Plake had made uncomplimentary remarks
about the youth, and Klye figured the rancher was picking on the boy simply
because he was the youngest member of the band.

Klye
hadn’t the energy to reprimand Plake for his teasing—or, for that matter, any
of his recent breaches of good sense. Besides, he thought, Arthur followed
Horcalus like a shadow. If he was so enamored with the knight, let Horcalus
protect him.

Horcalus,
on the other hand, had spent the night walking beside Ragellan. Obviously, the
younger knight was elated to have Ragellan back, as was Klye himself. Neither
Horcalus nor Ragellan had said one word of complaint whenever Klye had given
the order to resume the hike, and he wagered that the two of them would have
walked all the way to Fort Faith without rest if he had told them to.

Like
the knights, the two pirates kept mostly to themselves, positioning themselves
back near Othello, who functioned as the band’s rearguard. Clearly, the pirates
were in excellent physical condition. Despite the fact that Pistol and Crooker
had spent much of their lives at sea, they had no trouble keeping up during the
nightlong hike, though Klye had heard them grumbling under their breath.

As
everyone began to settle down, finding places to sit in the dewy grass, Klye
walked over to Ragellan, his unofficial second-in-command. “Scout assures me we
won’t be found here, but we should post a lookout anyway, just to be safe.”