A King Ascends, page 6
Lu-zan looked over the campsite as he again sat down to eat. The oldest son especially impressed him with his air of maturity and how he watched his younger siblings. Lu-zan watched him as he kept an eye on his father. Phillip made sure all his children were included equally in both work and play according to age and abilities. The son, being just twelve years of age, was at that stage of growth where he was growing taller but was still thin. In a couple of years, he would probably be taller than his father.
He approved the way Phillip made sure the tent for the kids and Ashi was between Lu-zan’s tent and their parent’s tent. There was a stream nearby, and the ground was flat and free of debris. It was an excellent location.
After lunch, all the kids, with the dog in tow, went off to fish with Mari. The men gathered together to make plans. Then Phillip sat down with a couple of fishing poles and a tackle box and worked at readying the poles, checking gear, and offering different lures to Lu-zan.
“What’s this?” Lu-zan looked the gear over.
“Well, I figure it wouldn’t hurt to have camouflage ready, just in case a patrol came by. That prefect was one scary dude, and I wouldn’t put it past him to be watching the area around the prison. I bet we’ll get company soon.”
Lu-zan continued an ongoing conversation he and Matt had before he left. “We have to get an idea how to get Jon to his home world of Tyrea. An Intergalactic Training ship landing at the spaceport on Tyrea would be very conspicuous. Even getting into orbit would be tricky. Maybe the best idea is to have them travel there on a commercial vessel,” he informed Phillip.
“You mean Jon needs to go to Tyrea? That prefect sure wants him to go to Tyrea. Why would he travel where he would be a prisoner or killed?”
Lu-zan tried to explain without revealing too much. “Jon is important to Tyrea, and we think there is an attempt going on to overthrow the government. He needs to return.”
“I packed my link in my pack. We can check ships going out. I know the prefect said he was leaving today on a ship. Maybe you can get him on a ship going to another planet and then connect to a flight to Tyrea,” Phillip suggested.
Lu-zan grinned. “That’s good thinking, Phillip. Maybe we should give you a job as a covert agent.”
An hour later, Lu-zan was fishing with the help of Ashi, who waited hopefully, even if he caught nothing. The kids were playing a board game with their parents when an air car appeared from the west, and Ashi started running toward Phillip.
“Company’s coming,” Phillip called, as he got up to greet the visitors. He signaled Ashi to go on alert.
“Who are you? Why are you in this area?” a gruff voice reverberated across the clearing. “You need to leave at once.”
“The Air Patrol has cleared us to be here,” Phillip replied to the descending air car, and Ashi growled low in his throat. Phillip signaled for him to stay by him. Ashi stared at the men and bared his teeth.
“You need to leave now. We don’t care what those guys told you.”
“And you are?”
“We are from the prison. Leave now.”
Lu-zan moved to stand next to Phillip, adding his support in case the confrontation turned ugly. Mari had gathered the children together and was ushering them to their tents. Phillip signaled for Ashi to guard the kids. The dog took off like a rocket, standing guard in front of Mari and the kids.
“Hey, I remember you guys. You were with the prefect of Tyrea, and some of you were in the crash. Are you feeling better now?” Phillip asked in a friendly voice. “What are you doing out here?”
“The prefect wants the area inspected for an escaped prisoner, so you need to leave or we’ll have to arrest you. And since you work at the prison hospital, we need you to come with us. NOW.”
“I’m on vacation with my family, and they have cleared us to be here. Check with Air Patrol Authority.”
“We don’t have to check with anyone else. Stretch out on the ground. We are taking you all in for obstructing justice and especially you,” he said, indicating Phillip, “for questioning.”
Everyone tensed as they readied themselves for the battle to take place. Phillip looked helplessly at his family, not sure what else to do. Ashi took an attack position and growled loudly. Another voice sounded across the clearing.
“Attention unidentified aircraft. You have no authority to patrol this area. Identify yourselves.”
The men twirled toward the unfamiliar voice. “The prefect of Tyrea and the warden at the prison gave us authority to search this area.”
“Well, you’d better double check that order, because they do not have that authority. They need to apply for permission from the Air Patrol Authority. I already cleared this group, and if you want no more trouble than you are already in, then clear out and leave law-abiding citizens alone.”
Ashi moved to within a distance that he could jump and attack easily and growled even louder.
The prefect’s men looked uneasy, with quick glances at the large animal.
“Better go, before I call the entire Air Patrol up here, or the dog attacks. Believe me, you don’t want either kind of trouble.”
With a lot of muttering and angry glances, the prison air car lifted and moved off in the prison’s direction. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Phillip signaled for Ashi to stand down and gave him lots of petting and approval. He even produced a treat from his pocket.
“I saw them moving in your direction from Bellows Falls and thought I should run interference. Those soldiers are causing trouble all over. Are you all okay?”
“Stone, you are a lifesaver. They wanted to arrest us! They said they were going to arrest me, my entire family, and my friend, too. What’s this world coming to? We were only fishing. We have some fish left. Do you want some? It’s fantastic. Mari cooked it.”
“Well, if Mari fixed it, okay. I know you can’t cook worth shit,” Stone joked as he petted Ashi.
“Come on, I’ll get you some. Did you find that prisoner yet?”
“No, not yet. Honestly, I think he’s probably hiding somewhere in the prison or something, but we have to check.”
“Sure, you have to do your job and keep everyone safe. Here you go, best fish ever,” Phillip said, with pride in his voice. “Can my kids fish or can my kids fish?”
“Mmm, your kids can fish. This is wonderful. Mari, what magic was used to make this fish taste so good? You having a good time?” Obviously enjoying the unexpected treat, he finished up the last of the fish and vegetables.
“Yes, sir,” the kids danced around him, grinning.
“Seriously, you all be careful. If that prisoner is loose, he might be dangerous. That idiot warden might let those guards patrol again. They are a nasty bunch. I might not be around next time if any of you got hurt,” he said theatrically. “It was very nice to meet you.” He shook hands with Lu-zan. “Hope you enjoy our beautiful planet.” He waved as he took off in his air car.
Lu-zan said, so everyone could hear, “Like you said, a good man.”
They packed dark clothes and needed supplies into backpacks as the men got ready to leave. After the earlier incident, they didn’t want to take any chances. Lu-zan cringed when he thought about the confrontation that had occurred earlier. At least it had not escalated because of the quick actions of Stone and Ashi. One good friend and an incredible dog—a brilliant combination to have in a tough situation. Extracting Jon from this situation would only be harder if they got into a messy tangle with pseudo-military types.
Thinking about that, a rough voice surprised Lu-zan. “Now we can get down to business.”
Phillip yelled at Ashi, as the dog dashed at the men who materialized out of the trees. Ashi attacked the first man, growling and covering ground at an amazing speed. The man yelped and fired at the dog. Ashi swerved to the side and kept swiftly covering ground toward the attacking men running from the trees. One man targeted the dog and fired a killing shot. Ashi bit the first man just as the shot rang out. Man and dog both went down. Ashi had bitten the man as Phillip came running up. Phillip saw the attacker sight on Lu-zan, who was grappling with one man. He picked up a nearby rock and threw it at him. The man flinched away and then turned to aim at Phillip. Though Ashi was dead, he still gripped the attacker’s leg in his teeth. The man pulled a knife to cut the dog’s teeth from him, but Phillip caught his arm, stopping him. The man slashed at Phillip, catching him in the side.
Before the attacker by the trees could pull the trigger, Stone shot him down. A voice came from the sky, causing everyone to freeze.
“Put down the guns. NOW,” Stone thundered from the air car.
Startled, they looked up and saw that an Air Patrol car had ballooned open and now revealed two side wings of guns pointed at them. Silently, the two remaining attackers moved off into the forest, one of them limping badly.
Mari ran after the children as they dashed toward their father and Ashi. She grabbed the two younger ones and turned them into her shoulder to shield them from the sight.
Phillip struggled to gain his feet, but his wound prevented him from moving far. He crawled to the side of Ashi. He looked back at Mari and shook his head no. His oldest son ran to his side to help and skidded to a halt as he viewed all the blood oozing from his father’s side as Phillip cradled Ashi’s body.
Stone landed the Air Patrol car and ran to help. Lu-zan also ran to stand guard over the downed soldier still attached to Ashi and tangled with Phillip. He kicked the knife out of the screaming man’s hand and wrestled his arms to his side.
Stone reported to headquarters, asking for aid, and to start the search for the attackers. “Put pressure on that slash to stop the bleeding,” he ordered Lu-zan, who hastened to follow his orders.
“Phillip, did you recognize any of the attackers?” Stone asked.
Phillip looked up at Stone. “I think if you check your recording of your previous visit, you will find this was the same group,” he replied, as he grimaced in pain.
“I need to verify first. Lu-zan, do you know how to do a field dressing?”
“Yes, throw me the pack.”
Stone threw him the Emergency Med Pack and reported and verified the information on the recording.
Phillip smiled at his son. “Good job. Watch Lu-zan do the dressing and learn. It just proves you never know when you might need the knowledge.” When he lay back on the ground, his hand went to Ashi’s fur to offer a silent farewell and gratitude to a gallant member of his family.
CHAPTER 10
Minister Wayne was worried. He had received no word or communication from Tariq in months. He hoped the other minister would have some ideas on dealing with Tariq.
Minister Zikri Truli came in a few minutes later, making a grand entrance as usual.
“What do you need, my dear fellow?” he said, as he fluffed his long hair.
“Zackari is missing. Do you know anything about where he went? He was supposed to go to the capital and check on Tariq, but no one has seen him.”
“Why should I care what Zackari is doing?” Zikri protested.
“You should care because we sent him there. We need to know what is happening with Tariq. Zackari was your choice of whom to send. Tariq is power hungry, and I wouldn’t put it past him to have reacted badly when Zackari showed up. Tariq is not responding to my calls, and we need to know what’s happening.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll send someone to discreetly investigate.” Zikri yawned in weariness and plumped his hair.
“See that you do that as soon as possible,” Wayne said angrily.
Zikri strolled out of Wayne’s office and leisurely returned to his own. There, he wasted no time in sending his own man to the capital to find out what was happening. This ruse he was playing was wearing thin. He really was not sure how much longer he could keep it. He’d started this concealment when he noticed how Zackari and Wayne were becoming even more aggressive in their methods in dealing with the king. He had suggested that Zackari be sent to Tariq in order to gather more information on his true ambitions. Zikri knew that few people remembered that he and his family were related to the king. He needed more information if he were to protect the king.
CHAPTER 11
It did not please the prefect when the guards reported back that they could not search outside the prison fences. He couldn’t speak because he was shaking with rage. The guards eased back. They knew from experience how violent he could become. All the current guards had scars from the prefect’s past rages.
The warden and his staff waited to see what the man would do. In fact, the pompous prefect exhausted the warden, and he couldn’t wait to see the backside of him.
“Anything wrong?” the warden asked. He watched as the prefect achieved a remarkable shade of red, which was approaching an interesting shade of purple. Maybe he could take pity on the man—then the prefect actually sputtered.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Why don’t you sit down and get a glass of water? It might help. You really are a remarkable shade of red. You don’t want to have a stoke, do you?”
“What do you mean, we can’t search outside the prison? I asked you about searching the lands outside.”
“I beg your pardon, you didn’t, actually. We searched inside the prison and our grounds within our walls. You DEMANDED that I give you use of one of our air cars. I did and then called the Air Patrol for you.”
“You, you, you idiot! Why would I want an air car except to search outside the walls? Answer me that, you imbecile.”
In a remarkably calm voice, the warden responded.
“Prefect, you should have talked about that with the Air Patrol Command. Since your prisoner is not on prison grounds, you no longer have a reason to be here. I sincerely suggest you leave and take your guards with you. Your presence here disrupts the smooth running of MY prison. GUARDS! Please escort the prefect off the premises.”
“BUT IT’S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP ME FIND MY PRISONER,” the prefect screamed at the warden as he stared around at the approaching guards. “STOP THEM, FOOLS!” he screeched at his own guards.
“Oh, but that’s where you are wrong. Once my search showed no prisoner hiding within its walls or on prison grounds, my responsibility was over. My authority does not extend outside those perimeters. The Air Patrol handles the investigation outside the prison grounds. I suggest you take the matter up with them. It seems your soldiers have shot one of our citizens and killed his dog. They will charge you for what your guards have done, and I’m sure you will never be able to land here again. The guards will escort you out.”
He turned and walked away with a satisfyingly warm spot over his heart. The prefect didn’t see his smile. He was way too busy protesting being manhandled by the guards.
The prefect’s guards reluctantly left, followed closely by the prison guards out of the prison. He shouted dire consequences to everyone the whole way.
Warden Skinner heard one guard to say, “I wanted to open a bar, anyway.”
The prison guards came back with smirks on their faces. Spontaneous applause came from everybody they passed. They had initially felt sorry for the guards, but they had showed themselves to be bullies.
CHAPTER 12
Wheeling from what she had learned from Tariq, the queen stumbled down the hallway. She didn’t understand what was happening.
“My lady, are you alright? Let me help you.” Willem caught up with her and gently took her arm.
“Don’t touch me!”
She wheeled away from him in fear and revulsion of the uniform. She continued trying to walk anywhere to get away from the hated uniform. Flashes of Tariq and one of his soldier’s hands holding her down and digging into her shoulder to get the disc screamed across her thoughts. Battling tears, the grief and rage Tariq had caused blinded her as she stumbled.
“I am your friend, my lady. Please trust me. Let me get you somewhere Tariq can’t use you against your family, your world. Don’t let him win, my lady. Please let me help you,” Willem said, as he slowly followed her convoluted trail down the hall.
She squinted at the man. This time she saw the boy who used to play with her sons in the hallways or in the family’s quarters. But now, he wore the uniform of the man who had killed the king, her husband, her love. Hate rose in her throat. “You traitor. You work for that monster!” She turned away from him.
“My lady, they hurt you. Let me get you sanctuary, and where we can treat your wounds. I promise to tell you why I wear this uniform.”
She eyed him suspiciously. She knew she could not go far without help. Oh, Borig, I don’t see what to do. Who can I trust? she thought.
“May I get help for you, my lady? If you don’t trust me, let me get someone you trust to help you.”
“I don’t know who to trust,” she murmured.
“My parents have been loyal to you and King Borig their entire lives. Let me get them,” he pleaded.
“NO! I don’t want to endanger anyone else.”
“My Queen, they hurt you. Trust someone, and I am already here. Trust me. I pledge on my life to do my best to keep you safe.” He stood tall before her and quietly waited for her decision.
“All right. I put my life in your hands,” she said, as she realized she had to trust someone.
It overwhelmed Willem with gratitude, and he hastened to support her.
“Prince Jon and I used to hide in hidey-holes. Do you know of one where you could lie down?” he asked, as he tried to move her forward as fast as he could. Meeting anyone in the halls would elicit many questions.
The queen made a turn to the right, which took them toward her quarters. They hurried into a reception area that was dedicated to the beautiful local artwork.
“Here, it’s here,” she told him, as she scanned the floor.
Willem looked around in confusion as he looked for an obvious hidey-hole. I see nothing that would be useful, he thought. My brain is a muddle. It wouldn’t be obvious. Look closer. Willem looked over at the queen and noticed she was scrutinizing the floor. He moved closer to watch where she was looking.
