8
It wasn’t long until the bad news reached Miklotov and Bordeaux in the guest chamber.
“Three of your knights murdered Balleroy Temeglyph, one of the Nine Divine Generals, then kidnapped His Majesty the Emperor and fled. These are grave and unprecedented events. We are going to have to take the two of you into custody. I trust you have no objections?”
So declared the man leading the mass of imperial troops who crowded into the guest chamber. He was an imposing figure, whose scarred face spoke of a long history in battle. He wore golden armor, and his hair grew out like the mane of a lion. Goz Ralphone was his name, and he was another one of the famous Nine Divine Generals of Volakia.
Miklotov listened to Goz and observed the dozen or more soldiers with him, all of whom were on high alert. Quickly perceiving the difference in fighting strength between them, he cast a glance at the bald giant beside him and ran his fingers through his own, long beard. “Mm. I should say not. I only hope you won’t be too rough on these old bones.”
“Of course. Though, you understand that depending on how this situation develops, we can’t promise we’ll always be so merciful. In the event anything should happen to our emperor, we’ll be sending your heads back to your kingdom without your necks beneath them. Best spend your time praying your knights don’t do anything ill-advised.”
Despite being at the head of a crew of soldiers clearly out for blood, Goz himself was eminently reasonable. But at heart, he felt no differently from the guards behind him. In fact, his feelings might have been burning even hotter. Miklotov, knowing anything he said might simply pour more oil on the flames, indicated his assent with only a nod, then watched as the Divine General turned his great back on them.
With no further words, but with storming footsteps, Goz withdrew, leaving Miklotov and Bordeaux in the care of several men assigned to keep an eye on them. With guards posted both inside and out, the opulent chambers suddenly felt no different than a jail cell. A creeping tension in the air came from the evil looks the imperial soldiers kept giving the two aged men. In the eyes of the Volakians, the two of them were nothing more than coconspirators in the abduction of their emperor and deserved no better. There was no telling whether the three fugitives would come back to try to free Miklotov and Bordeaux.
“If we truly had designs against the empire, then trading the heads of two elders for the emperor himself… Well, one can’t say it’s an unreasonable exchange.”
“You’re going to get us in trouble, Master Miklotov.”
“Ho-ho-ho. I’m sorry, it rather slipped out.”
Miklotov was running his fingers thoughtfully through his beard, but Bordeaux regarded him with a crease of his great eyebrows. He sat beside Miklotov and looked at the soldiers around them. “What do you make of all this, Master Miklotov?”
“Incomprehensible is the word I would choose. Things have taken an unaccountably strange turn—and so quickly.”
“Don’t figure the boys we brought along are simply utter fools?”
“If they were, then the fault would lie in the judgment of the captain of the royal guard who chose them, and in ourselves for allowing them to accompany us. I certainly hope that is not the case…but I wouldn’t expect such logic to convince anyone in the empire.”
“A general dead and the emperor kidnapped… Hmph, that’s no laughing matter.”
The emperor and the Nine Divine Generals were all pillars of Volakia’s seemingly unshakable imperial system. It was almost inconceivable that they could have been threatened so easily by some emissaries admitted from another nation.
“In which case, I believe His Majesty himself may be the key to what is happening here. I don’t know why they took him, but there seems to be many things about this that can only be understood by those present.”
“Guess we’ve got no choice but to trust them, whatever they’re thinking. Never been so frustrated in my life.”
“ ”
Bordeaux let out a sigh. Beside him, Miklotov was silent, lost in thought. It was almost as if he were ignoring Bordeaux, but the giant didn’t say anything about it. The two of them had known each other for a long time now. Bordeaux trusted the sage’s judgment and perception more than that of anyone else in the Kingdom of Lugunica. It was Miklotov’s role to be lost in thought. It was not Bordeaux’s.
His job was to see that the greatest sage in Lugunica returned home safely.
If the worst should happen, Bordeaux would use his own massive body as Miklotov’s shield. “Not sure I could buy us a whole lot of time though—not these days…” He touched a hand to his wrinkled, aged face and let a quiet sigh slip out. If he had his wish, the actions and judgment of the young escorts they’d traveled with would help break this deadlock that had set upon them. “Gotta hope this generation’s knights can pull their weight…”
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