<< Back to Ch. 17 --- Continue to Ch. 19 >>
18: The Pick-Pocket
Desslok stared at the contents of the first crate, not quite believing what he was seeing. "Eliora, you would have me believe that the rulers of Iscandar just handed these to you and said, 'Here, you may keep these as a token of our friendship'?" He picked up the first item laying in the top of the container, "This," he held up the item for all present to see, pointing a finger at it and raising his voice slightly, "is woven of pure Iscandarium – guaranteeing the wearer safe passage through even fatal amounts of deadly contaminants without so much as the hint of exposure."
The piece of blue-grey clothing resembled a starship captain's scarf – or even the decorative scarf Desslok's predecessors had worn with their crimson collar of office, except their adornments had been either light grey or charcoal-colored, depending on the individual's preference.
"And this," he continued, with a bit more animation draping the Iscandari garment over the lip of the crate and scooping out the next item, "This is one of the old crown jewels – from before the time of the Rophi Shamayim," he held up the jewel accusingly. The reset diamond shaped emerald dangled from its thin, finely crafted golden chain headband. "Do you expect me to believe that this was a token of goodwill?!" The fire in his eyes stunned Garen and Dara; Constance, however seemed not to notice his irritation.
Eliora glanced from the swinging, single-gem crown to Desslok's face. Then her countenance turned grave and she stepped closer to him out of sight of the other three with them, whispering, "Sire... the story behind that is a sad one... one that I do not think you are ready to hear."
"I will decide what I'm ready to hear and what I'm not." he hissed back. "Tell me."
"I... cannot, Sire... it..." she replied softly.
"That looks like it's for a princess." Constance piped up innocently.
Eliora's face saddened when she heard the child's words and she took the opportunity to fulfill Desslok's order, satisfy the child's curiosity and not paining the prince any more than necessary, "Indeed it was..." the woman said, stepping out from in front of the prince to face Garen, Dara and Constance. Looking at the girl, she continued, "It was for the daughter of a good friend of mine... the Queen of Iscandar. She has three daughters now, but eighteen years ago, before her twin eldest daughters were born she was to have another daughter... however, it was not the will of Adonai and she was born much too early to survive. Even Iscandar's advanced medical technology could not save her. This," Eliora pointed back to the gem that Desslok was still holding out, "was to be given to her on her thirteenth birthday. Needless to say, she never reached it."
Constance looked sad, "The princess never got her crown..."
"Not in this world at least," Eliora smiled, but tears were starting to form in her eyes as she recalled the memory of Kara's loss. "But she is with Adonai now, and she has been given a place in Gan Eden* – a far better home."
"So why did the queen give that to you?" Constance the ever-inquisitive, asked.
Wiping the unshed tears from her eyes Eliora said, "Queen Kara gave it to me in the hopes that I might be able to pass it on to another princess... one I knew personally who was only seven at the time... but I was... unable to deliver it to her."
"What happened?" Constance probed.
Eliora bit her lip and took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully, "Before I was able to give it to her, she left Gamilon... and has never returned..."
"So. Why. Was. This. Never. Returned?" Desslok punctuated each word angrily, referencing the crown.
Eliora turned her head to look at the prince only to discover that he wasn't even looking her direction and that he was now holding the small crown in front of him so that she could no longer see it.
"I tried to, De... uel, but the queen insisted that I keep it – and everything else you see in this crate," she pointed to the one Desslok was still standing beside, "and in the others." she made a sweeping motion towards the rest of the containers. "Queen Kara told me that if I was ever to meet a woman, or child deserving of it, that I was to give that crown to her."
"Wow..." Constance sighed, "That's really nice."
Eliora nearly laughed at the stark contrast between the prince and the almost-teenage girl. "Indeed." she smiled at Constance, "So, shall we retrieve what we need from the rest of these?" she said, in the process shuffling Desslok's unhappiness to one side, hoping to give him time to cool down before the group left the safety of the tunnel to head out into the street.
Constance looked positively radiant to find out what was in the treasure-crates she had seen two marvelous things come out of already.
Garen and Dara both shifted nervously, unsure of whose side to take in the silent disagreement between teen and agent. Neither adult understood why the young man was so upset about the matter to begin with.
The issue was cleared up in short order when Desslok slowly and grudgingly set the jewel back into its casing and began to pick something else out of the crate, this item being more immediately practical than the previous two. At this, the rest of the group saw it was safe to start looking as well.
Desslok pulled out a gun case, made of the same thick glass as the crate.
He tried tapping the command square. Feeling silly when it didn't open, he discretely passed it to Eliora, who smirked at him and tapped the key code in, passing it back to him before the rest of the group – engrossed in examining the other items – saw his blunder. He gave her a look of annoyed thanks and retreated off to one side with the case.
The lid melted down into the rest of the case, presenting the contents to the prince. Desslok stared at the weapon, uniquely Iscandarian in design. Unlike the usual single-barreled Gamilon weapons that sported a grip on either side of the gun, or the sleek, black assault rifles the military carried, this weapon looked a bit like an Iscandari ship. It was plated with a gold-like alloy the Iscandarians had developed hundreds of years ago. The barrel was vented on both sides towards the muzzle and had six thin, triangular protrusions just above the vents – just like the Iscandari escape pods he had seen.
The grip, instead of being smooth, was inlayed with a vine and leaf motif on both sides.
Desslok carefully picked up the weapon, setting the case on a crate that hadn't been opened yet. He held the gun in one gloved palm and started to run his other hand over it, but stopped. Taking a quick look around and seeing that the rest of the group was still preoccupied, he pulled his other glove off with his teeth and ran his bare fingers over the gun's smooth surface, admiring the craftsmanship. Then, afraid to be caught looking so silly with his glove hanging from his mouth like a piece of uneaten bacon, he set the gun back in its case and slid the glove back on, then immediately picked the weapon back up along with the rechargeable power cell that sat next to it.
He held the cell next to the pocket he knew housed his A.I. and whispered, "Mintra'el, check this, please."
"The power cell is fully charged," the computer replied quietly, having set her volume down low enough so that only the prince could hear her.
Desslok examined the cell carefully before smoothly clicking it into its place, sheathed in the gun grip. He hefted the weapon, testing its balance and weight in his right hand.
As soon as he had done this, the case melted again to reveal yet another surprise – a holster for the weapon. It was black, a stark contrast to the golden color of the gun, but somehow a beautiful match all the same.
"It is lovely weapon," Eliora said, walking over to where the prince had parked himself.
Looking up at the woman he said, "Who was it for...? Originally, I mean."
She took a couple more steps, coming to stand right beside him. Then, in a daring move, she laid a hand on the prince's shoulder and inclined her head slightly to look into his eyes. "You."
The single word seemed to stun Desslok, "You're serious." he said, seeing the veracity in her face. "How...? Why?"
Eliora chuckled quietly and gave the prince a pat on the shoulder, as she would have done if he were her own son, "Your mother, Queen Kara and I did a number of things together when we were much younger, but as our families – or career obligations in my case – grew, we had less and less time to spend together, and sometimes only two of us could meet at a time because of the demands our lives had placed on us. Eventually – sometime after your mother had you and your brother – the best Talonka and Kara could do for one another was to exchange a small part of their homeworlds, to help them remember the friendship they had shared all those years.
"One day the suggestion was made – by whom I do not remember – that each Royal House should present each other's heir – or heirs as was the case with Iscandar – with something to commemorate that connection." Eliora gestured to the weapon, "That is Queen Kara's gift to you – to be given to you when you were ready have it. And it appears that you are indeed ready."
"Deun – he was given one as well?" asked the prince.
"No. Deun was given something entirely different. The weapon of choice for him was a double-edged dagger, graven with the symbol of a hawk."
"I've seen it then." the prince said bitterly, "And I bear its mark. He'd have killed me with it had our combat instructor not caught him in time."
"He was an irresponsible child." Eliora stated, "You mother, before her death, warned your father of Deun's tendencies, but like a blind man, he ignored the violence of his se –" she stumbled, "of his son."
"And what were the Iscandari princesses given?" the prince said, not seeing any significance to the woman's stutter.
"Both – at the time only the twin older girls had been born – were given a suit of armor; not like the bulky things those zealots use sometimes, but the truly Gamilon armor with organic qualities: it molds itself to the wearer, making it completely invisible to an observer unless worn by itself and healing any damage done to it by laser, blade, whip, explosive or almost anything else. Sasha, the youngest child was given a suit when she was born three years afterwards."
The prince nodded, "I wise gift for nobility to possess."
"Why, if I may ask, Sire, do you want to know so much about Iscandar?"
"Because, after my mother's burial, my father forbade contact with Iscandar." Desslok replied, still keeping his voice low and quiet, "Unless my brother has contacted them, no one on Gamilon has spoken to an Iscandarian in almost six years."
"Sire..." Eliora looked at him gravely, "Admiral Talan has spoken with the Iscandari King, and... Deun has contacted them... And delivered an ultimatum."
"An ultimatum?"
"King Alexander must give Deun his second daughter, Starsha, to marry him or Deun has threatened to kill the King."
"What madness has come upon him now...?" the prince let out a sigh. "Is there nothing to be done to stop him?"
"Admiral Talan has spoken with the King of that possibility, but short of declaring war on Gamilon, or seeing to it that Deun vacates his throne... there are no real options except to pray that Adonai intervenes."
"How does my brother plan to carry out his threat? Does anyone know?"
"It is unclear" Eliora glanced around to make sure that they were still the only two listening to their clandestine conversation, "The military is out looking for one of the Etzuvim – Dommel Lysis, and the zealots are after another one, Wolf Frakken. Even the time-delvers are out and about. The only ones that haven't been summoned are Mossad."
"That wold be because Mossad was loyal to my father and they still hold to Admiral Talan even though he isn't their superior."
"So unless Deun intends to recall his troops, his offensive will not include the military." Eliora said thoughtfully.
Desslok leaned back against the wall of the tunnel, gazing up at the ceiling, the Iscandarian weapon still in his right hand. After a moment he casually grabbed the gun holster, fastened it in place and sheathed the weapon. Then he returned to his world of silent thought, arms crossed over his chest as he stared, this time at the floor. "Something is terribly wrong here... but I am afraid I do not yet know what it is... and when I do know..." he hissed bitterly, "I fear it may be too late."
"Sire, there is nothing you can do right now that will deter your brother –"
"Yes there is!" he whispered intensely, "I can take back the throne that is rightfully mine!" he balled a fist and smacked the tunnel wall. The sound reverberated through the space, causing Garen, Dara and Constance to stop what they were doing and stare briefly at the teenager. When nothing else happened, however, the three went back to reverently examining. They were now on the second open crate.
"But, Sire, if I may ask, how will you do this? You have no army. Only yourself and Masterson – and perhaps Garen Krenshaw."
"Eliora, I also have the two my brother seeks – Lysis and Frakken."
Eliora's eyes widened. "You know where they are?"
"More than that." Desslok replied, "Masterson is with them now along with Dommel's family and an old friend of his named Zimring."
"Zimring?" Eliora asked, her eyed brightening, "I know of him; he served under your grandfather many years ago, then briefly under you father. He was a good soldier, and I have no doubt he still is."
"I haven't met the man yet, but I am sure I will in the near future." The prince stood straight, abandoning his position against the wall, "If there are these few who do not approve of Deun... then there are others as well, others I will find and I will gather them together to overthrow that usurper."
The ride to the secluded mountains took over two days to complete. Half of the journey was accomplished through the underground passage Zimring had somehow constructed, but the other half had to be traveled aboveground. Once the ship had reached the end of the tunnel, Zimring triggered a self-destruct system that filled in the tunnel without collapsing the ground overtop of it, thus leaving no sign of their passing.
The aboveground journey was treacherous, as Deun's troops were still out looking for the group. The army had scoured the hermit's destroyed cabin – now visible without its "basement" to shield it. They had found the remains of the tunnel, but the only thing they had to go on was the general direction of the tunnel's entrance, which, unbeknownst to them, made many twists and turns before reaching its exit point.
The farther away from the destroyed cabin they got, the more they felt like they could relax a little. None of them let down their guard entirely though; that would have been rather stupid.
Finally, Zimring announced, "Here we are."
Everyone – even Juji – crowded around the front of the ship to see the place Zimring had taken them to. Instead of the harsh wilderness they had all expected to see, spread out before them was a small range of mountains covered in evergreens.
"The Preaos*." the hermit announced, gesturing grandiosely to the snow-tipped peaks. "I've never seen anyone else here except the tanninim* and their prey – and some other creatures too of course, but no people to speak of. There is a small village back in a valley protected by those three mountains over there," Zimring pointed a bit to the North, "And I have stayed there a couple of times in the years past, but the population is less than two thousand."
"So we'll be staying with them?" Masterson asked, to clarify.
"Not unless we all decide it's a wise idea." Zimring replied. "What do you all say?"
"I think Elisa should have the deciding vote," offered David, "After all, she will be the one most effected."
Zimring pursed his lips and nodded, "A good point, m'boy." he looked at Elisa, who was just sitting back down to rock her son who was starting to get unhappy about being cooped up in the ship for so long. "What do you think?"
The new mother took a moment and looked out across the unfamiliar land before them, then at her little son. "I..."
Something in Elisa's pocket started beeping wildly. The sound startled her and she jumped, scaring Deror who squealed his discontent. She fumbled with her pocket, trying to figure out what in the world was making the terrible noise.
She finally found the thing – the shiny square that Juji had given to her when he had returned to them just before their trip through the tunnel.
Elisa threw the thing away, sending it skittering across the floor away from the group. The beeping stopped, and with it, Deror's screaming. Elisa held the baby close and spoke softly to him, trying to sooth his edginess.
"How did this get in here?" Dommel asked, not angry as Elisa thought he would be, but pleasantly inquisitive.
"Juji did." his wife offered. "He had it in his mouth when you and Wolf followed us downstairs. I took it away from him so he wouldn't swallow it – you know how he is about shiny things."
At this Dommel let out a loud laugh of relief, "The silly bird has finally done something useful!" he declared happily, picking up the square and taking it over to Wolf and Zimring, "See what our feathered friend has brought us."
Zimring guffawed, "Only a bird could've pulled this off," he shook his head, still laughing, "He – he's brought us one of the zealot's tracking devices!"
Everyone turned their attention to the bird, who was strutting about like a peacock. As if he understood exactly what he had done, Juji squawked and held his shiny black head high, quite pleased with himself.
* Gan Eden – Heaven; the place where Adonai dwells
* Preaos – pronounced: Pray'ahs
* tanninim – dragons