Read The Crystals of Tlalli: Awakened Affinities Page 32

Opia were stationed on every street it seemed. A curfew had been established and everyone was told to stay inside his or her homes. Rica could feel the tension and fear that seemed to lie over the whole area. Magi Locke told Rica and Zafira they had to get back into the woods and out of sight. Rica thought they were out of sight. Her hands were shaking and the tension she was feeling was making her body tremble. Zafira led them all to a shed by a farm field. It had equipment in it. They crowded inside while they waited for darkness to fall. Zafira was hugging her self. She looked scared too. Zafira took her shalat out of her pocket and handed it to Magi Locke.

  “Do you think we could just try to call Zos?”

  “I don’t know if they can track the signal or not. Better not take the chance.”

  “What do we do then? We have to find Zos and Moyo.”

  “We will head back to your house at night fall. It will be dangerous but it’s the only thing I can think of to do.”

  They waited in silence until darkness came. Magi Locke opened the shed door a crack and looked out. He slowly edged his body out and looked around before signaling for the girls to follow. It was a half a mile to Zafira’s house; they didn’t make it the whole way. They were staying to the woods and crossing the farm fields through the watering ditches, when they heard voices. Rica froze in mid step terrified it was the Opia. Magi Locke held up his hand for silence. Zafira strained her neck and looked over the top of the ditch. Two men slide down the side of the ditch beside them. Rica let out a little yip. A hand closed over her mouth.

  “SHHH. It’s us.” Zos whispered in her ear and then dropped his hand from her mouth.

  “Where are your parents?”

  “They are hiding in the caves by Gorman pond. They will come out on the signal you used in your academy days. Dad told me to tell you.” Zos whispered.

  “Good. I’ll leave you four then and head that way. Be careful.”

  “Always am.” Zos replied.

  Magi Locke left them and ran to the cover of trees along the riverbank. Moyo and Zos led the girls the opposite direction towards the town then turned toward a farm road. They had hidden the treb in a barn there. It was almost daylight when they made it to the barn. They slept in the back of the treb for most of the day then when darkness fell they crept out using farm tracks and little used flows to get away from the Opia troops. They finally made a good start when they got on the main road twenty miles from Shani heading toward Denham. They left the main flow way shortly after gaining it when they saw troop carriers on the way. It was a two-day trip at the best of times from Shani to Denham. It took them a week using back trails and detours to get there.

  20 - Developments

  Nab thrust with his right hand weapon in a faint to try to force his opponent to make a mistake. The man fell for it and hit the blade aside to step in to make a hit, but Nab was ready for him. He turned on the ball of his left foot bringing his right leg in to kick the larger man in the abdomen. Quick as a snake he was facing him with his left hand short staff like blade. His opponent dropped his weapon and ended with his back on the ground and Nabs blade at his throat.

  “Up Turner, again!” Nab demanded.

  “Your highness if I try again my heart will surly burst from the strain. I beg for mercy. We have been at this for hours, my muscles are twitching with exhaustion.” Turner said breathlessly.

  Nab was covered in sweat and was breathing hard. Just then a page ran into the practice yard and announced Her Royal Highness Queen Pyrena De’Vue requested his immediate presence in her study. Nab flushed, and not from the workout. He noticed she had dropped the Regent from her title and his good fathers last name! Nab threw his weapons at the wall with force.

  “I will be there when I have had a shower and am presentable, please do tell my mother that I will be delayed.” With out a backward glance he left the yard for his apartments. He was angrier than he had been in weeks. Its funny how much can go wrong in such short time.

  His mother had gotten the High Reagent of the Onur Nation and his Consort to agree to an arranged marriage between their daughter of fifteen years, and Nab for allegiance in trade and military matters. Nab knew it was to insure the Onur would not raise arms against them in the coming conflict his mother was planning. The Princess Devina was nothing more then a pawn to his mother. Keeping the girl here would insure the cooperation of the Onur Nation in whatever schemes she was cooking with the Northern Mages. Finding out if the girl was a willing participant in his mother’s schemes was one of Nab’s goals before he left to join the Opia Liberation Army (OLA) openly as its head.

  Ever since his Master Longmark had come to him that early autumn night, Nab had been working with the underground resistance to find a way to overthrow his mother the Queen. He had organized the mob into the beginnings of an Army to be reckoned with. Secretly training and assigning officers that were hand picked and recruited with the utmost discretion. Only a handful of people knew of Nab’s involvement at this time and he had to keep it that way for a little while longer. Lately, every time Nab turned around there seemed to be someone lurking in the shadows watching him. The Queen had grown suspicious and was having him watched even more closely than ever before. The communication with his officer’s in the OLA had been restricted to coded messages passed through various means. Nab was playing a dangerous game and had to appear to play along with his mothers plan in an effort to keep the Onur delegation safe and to find out what exactly the Queen was up to.

  Nab had made arrangements for the underground (a sub-group of the OLA) to kidnap the Princess on her way to the Opia Capital for the wedding. At the same time he had made arrangements to travel to Denham on the pretense of buying the girl a Betrothal gift and to pick up the Runes he had commissioned from a master Rune smith for the new knife-staff he was having made for himself. If this worked out right the Princess would be traveling to Ternikla (the Capital city) the same time he was leaving for Denham. When The Queen found out about the trip to Denham she insisted on a contingent of the royal guards to accompany him “for his protection”, but Nab knew it was to make sure he returned to marry the girl. If everything worked out according to plan the Onur Royal Delegation would be safe and could possibly be counted on to help in the coming overthrow.

  When Nab walked into his mother’s study she was sitting at her desk, General Mortan and the Magi Zeorun were sitting across from her drinking brandy. They all seemed so pleased with themselves; Nab wondered what they had been discussing. Nab stood waiting to be noticed. The two men looked at him and the General scowled the Magi smiled. The smile is what worried Nab the most.

  “Well Nabarun it’s so nice of you to join us.” His mother said in a sweet voice.

  Nab narrowed his eyes, his mother was entirely too accommodating today. She was up to something. Nab decided to play the polite game. “You asked to see me mother what is this about. I have packing to do.”

  “Ah yes your trip to Denham. I have some documents I would like you to deliver to a certain Ambassador Smyth in Denham at the Regency Inn. I would have sent a courier but your visit was most adventitious. I’m sure you won’t mind will you dear.”

  “No mother of course not, I would be happy to accommodate you.” Nab bowed toward his mother. She smiled. But there was no warmth in her eyes. His mother slipped the pouch into an Opia courier pouch with a folded letter and addressed it to the Ambassador in Denham. Nab took what she handed him. He had noticed the Imperial Seal of Onur on the edge of the documents she put into the Opia currier pouch. Why would his mother have a diplomatic pouch from the Onur nation and why would she want him to deliver it to the Opia ambassador to Denham? The pouch was magically sealed so there was no way Nab could open it to find out what it contained. Perhaps she had him deliver it to throw him off what was at hand here, her letter was not sealed though and he intended to read it as soon as he could be alone.

  “Thank you Nabarun, you are such a dear son to help like this. I’ll se
e you at the noon meal then.” If his mother continued with this false sickening sweetness Nab felt he would do something reckless.

  “I will be leaving before then mother. The road is long and I want to be on it before nightfall.”

  “I’m sure you do dear but of coarse you will stay Nabarun. We mustn't be rude to our guests.” She smiled again.

  “Guests?”

  “Why, she is your betrothed of coarse dear. Oh that’s right you weren’t here when they arrived.” Nab felt a chill go down his spine. He could not let her see him react to this development. He would have to find another way to get the Royal Onur party out of the city.

  “Well of coarse mother, I will be there.” He nodded toward his mother and her guests and left the room. He had to contact the underground, and call off the planned activities with the Onur. Nab didn’t like this change of plans, but knew he would have to stay for at least a day or two longer, to appease his mother.

  That night an announcement dinner was held. The Onur were seated at the Queens table, Nab was placed at her right, in his brothers rightful place. The Princess Devina was on his right. She sat and batted her eyes at him through out the entire coarse of the evening. Nab barely heard her go on about the dress she had