Chapter 13: The Race to Save

"Ben!" A cry broke the stillness.

Ben opened his eye. No new pain, could be felt anywhere. Ben searched with his good eye, astonished at this amazing discovery. He was alive. How?

The answer was sticking out above him. Carring had an arrow protruding out of his skull. Blood trickled down his angry face. The dagger that was supposed to kill Ben harmlessly dropped to his chest as Carring fell over, dead.

"Ben! You okay?"

Ben stood stiffly to his feet with some old pain rolling through him. Dizziness from being punched numerous times started to take its toll on his sight. Ben waited for a moment to let it pass.

At the gates, a man let go of his long bow. "You okay?" he called. He had long black hair. He was wearing a long leather pair of pants with a pale white top. His long, mysterious, face made him seem as sinister as his skills with a bow.

Ben gave a small, relieved laugh. "Yeah! Thanks, Matthew. I owe you one."

"No, you don't. Now let's go." He said bluntly as he started towards Ben. "We need to get you guys out of here. You've already created too much of a scene." He paused and gazed past Ben into the woods.

"Bark! Bark!"

"Over here! I think I see something!" shouted one of the castle guards.

"The Royal Guard is closing in. They'll be here any minute now." Ben said.

"Then we need to get out of here. Come on!" Matthew ran to Ben to support him. "We also need to get you to a doctor." He grunted as they ran to the gates. "Antoine!" he yelled.

"Here!" Antoine Hanson appeared where the gates once stood closed. He had the build of a bouncer but was light on his feet. His puffy brown hair was partly concealed by a bandana that was wrapped around his forehead. The newcomer took a couple of steps before lifting Callie's body off the bloody ground. To Ben horror, she looked lifeless with drops of blood dripping from her fingertips.

"Callie!" Ben lurched forward out of Matthew's grasp.

"What's going on?" Robert sat up from the trunk drunkenly. "Is it a party?" He saw Ben, Antoine, and Matthew. "Oh, hey guys."

"Hey, Robert!" Antoine said, causally.

Robert's smile faded when he saw Callie. "Whoa. What happened to her? Carring did that?"

"What happened doesn't matter right now." Ben retorted. "What matters now is that she needs to be taken to a medic."

"Right." Matthew armed his long bow. "Take Catherine to the carriage. I'll take care of the cavalry."

The trio sprinted past the gates and onto the road. A horse carriage waited along a store in front of them. The horses looked real to anyone, even to a horse trainer, except if you happened to look underneath.

"You guys two look bad, not to mention the girl." said Antoine as soon as they stepped inside the carriage.

"I would have died if it hadn't been for Matthew." Ben said. "Good thing we decided to take you along as backup."

Antoine grinned. "That's our specialty."

The two knew enough about the partners to say that Antoine was not just boasting. He himself was recruited for his excellent marksmanship and driving skills. The man's special gift for machines allowed him to control basically anything that could be used for transportation, which mostly made him the getaway driver for missions.

Antoine glanced at Callie who was laid on a seat with Ben trying to stop the bleeding. "But actually," he continued. "we all should be thanking her. She managed to open the gates in the first place."

"I knew she was up to something." Robert said, looking for the Field Injury Kit. They were going to need a lot of bandages because her blood seemed to be steadily oozing out. As the seat became more bloodstained, the group began to panic even more.

Ben was already kneeling over her, examining her injuries. He groaned in agony. There were so many that he couldn't count them with two hands. It was like she just been through a catastrophic warzone.

"Isn't there some jutsu stuff or magic you can do to stop the bleeding? It's soaking the seat!" Antoine frantically asked him.

"No. I'm not some specialized medic who can simply work some mojo and I can't physically stop the bleeding." Ben racked his brain for possible solutions. There must be something he could do with his energy. Wait a minute…

Ben placed his hands above where he thought her potentially fatal wounds were located. He closed his eyes and pushed the energy to his hands, a method he learned over a mission. Doing this, he could send his power to any part of her body so its cells could be energized and clot at a faster rate. It was a painstakingly slow process but hopefully it would help Callie's body repair itself.

Robert patted Ben on the back. "Good work buddy. You are doing great! She'll stop bleeding in no time."

"I don't think so. She's still bleeding onto the cushion." Antoine said.

"What?" both Ben and Robert exclaimed.

"Yeah! See?" Antoine pointed to a blood stain on the seat under Callie. It was growing exponentially.

"Wait a second, Ben." Robert turned Callie on her side. They all took in a breath in shock. Lodged next to Callie's spine was a huge key. Robert recognized it easily. It was the extra key to open one of castle doors. The key had to be at least 3 cm thick and 6 inches long.

Ben stopped Antoine who was about to remove it. "Don't touch it. It's better if we just leave it in."

"How did this happen?" Robert asked. "It's a huge key but it's hard to stab someone with it."

"It must have been Carring." Ben said.

"Do you mean that dude Matthew shot down?" Antoine said in shock. "He seriously did all that to her? How sick is he to do that to a defenseless teenaged girl? "

Robert nodded sadly. "Yeah, he was always a sick man. Good riddance. Is there anything we can do, Ben?"

"You two don't have medical training. The only thing we can do is apply pressure to the wounds and hope that we can get her to base in time."

"Yeah, and then all of this would have been for nothing." Antonie said.

"Yes and the end of everything…" Robert added quietly. No one else wanted to comment.

The pitter-patting of running footsteps came closer to the carriage. "Let's go Antoine!" Matthew yelled as he leapt into carriage. Antoine was in the driver's seat within seconds. He yanked the reins and the horses started galloping.

Arrows wizzed past the men. Some hit the sides of the carriages, while others missed completely. Everyone ducked to dodge the incoming projectiles. Ben shielded Callie with his body.

"Faster Antoine!" Robert yelled.

"I'm on it!" Antoine lifted the cushion next to him. After setting in the correct code, the wooden lid opened to reveal a small red button. He pressed it.

Below the carriage and unreal horses, a formation began to take place. If anyone of 1569 witnessed it, they would most likely end up in an insane asylum if they told anyone. What they would have seen the animals' legs disappear and replaced with gigantic wheels. The horses themselves combined to a shape similar to a hood of a car.

Meanwhile, Antoine reached under his seat and pulled out a steering wheel. The reins in his hand had solidified to become hard pipes. He connected them to the steering wheel. A loud click sound signaled the attachment. Meanwhile, Antoine's seat and the one next to him had begun to diverge into two parts. In between them, a sleek black and silver gear shift rose to the surface. Antoine set the gear on DRIVE.

The process was almost finished. Within moments, the once horse-drawn carriage had transformed into a high speed automobile but there was still one last thing to do. A glowing blue dial sat in the center of the steering wheel which served as the speed settings. Antoine smiled momentarily. He loved this part. "Better hold onto something!" Antoine called behind him as he set the dial to medium.

BOOOM! The automobile zoomed forward, going from 30 mph to 75 mph. Antoine thought about going faster but it would be smart to save that for the last mile. They still had a long way to go to get to HQ. Moving at the highest speed would waste their gas. Better wait until they really needed it.

The vehicle entered the shopping center of London. In a few hours, shopkeepers would be waking up to a bright new morning. The one difference would be that they would find arrows everywhere because the Royal guards decided to rain down arrows on the escapees from the rooftops. Both glass windows shattered and the body of the car thundered as the arrows hit it.

"Robert! Take the wheels!" Antoine called. Robert climbed forward next to Antoine who slid the steering wheel down to him.

"Great! I have to drive on the right side of the road now!" Robert muttered.

"Shut up and drive." Antoine said. "Matthew, are their extra arrows in the carriage?"

Matthew searched the compartments around the interior. "No but there should be!" he shouted after a minute. "I got enough for now. You search while I shoot. " Matthew joined Robert at the front while Antoine went inside the carriage.

The shopping center became a maze. Robert felt like he was in one of the Need for Speed video games; where the good guy escaping from the bad guys in a speeding car and driving in a crowded city; near missing cars, and pedestrians. Although, in here, he was considered the bad guy who escaping from the good guys in a sleeping city and in a horse drawn carriage that turned into a car. Robert sighed. He hated being treated like the villain. If only they understood that he was doing all this for their sake.

"Look out!" Ben shouted from behind. Robert saw the upcoming building and made a sharp turn to the left. The side of carriage smashed into a cart. Matthew almost lost his balance.

"Watch it!" he snapped.

"Sorry!" Robert replied.

One by one, guards on the rooftops dropped like flies. Some screamed but most of them were died before they even could let out a gasp. Soon, the road was littered with bodies.

BAM! Robert cut a corner again but hit a printing press as a result. Windows smashed and papers went flying everywhere. Robert saw a light turn on inside the shop. This worried Robert. They were making too much fuss in the city, thus bringing unnecessary attention. Worst of all, there were guards everywhere and other carriages were approaching from behind. The mission was not going as planned.

Matthew was also growing concerned. "Where are all these men coming from? They couldn't have assembled this quickly in the city."

Robert shook his head. "They knew we were coming."

"But how?" Antoine asked. "The castle is way behind us. They couldn't have received a warning about us before we even came, let alone get on into places in time. Plus, I doubt the Royal Guard would go as far as shooting from rooftops. Isn't that bad fighting edict?"

"No, you don't get it." Robert said. "Those are Nicholi's special men. "The rules of war" of this time period is none of their concern. Somehow, he found out about the mission tonight and decided to stop us. Heads up!" Robert cut another corner.

Ben groaned. "Can this go any faster?" He shouted at Robert.

Antoine had found his extra arrows and started shooting at the guards from one of the carriage doors. "Yes, but we still have at least a twenty minute drive left and not that much fuel to go on." He told Ben. "It would be better to save the last of it until there is just ten minutes left."

"How is she, now?" Robert asked.

Ben's hands shook in exhaustion. "Still fading. I'm trying to do my best to hold onto her but…"

A moment later, Robert suddenly responded. "I'm taking a short cut!"

"What short cut?" Antoine started but then realized what "short cut" Robert was talking about. "That short cut? Are you mad? Didn't you say that alley was up for repairs during briefing? One wrong move can not only damage the carriage and jeopardize the mission, but Callie's life as well. Matthew!" Antoine pleaded to his leader for support. "For Christ's sake, knock some sense into him!"

Matthew said nothing as he continued to shoot down attackers.

"Matthew!" Robert elbowed him. "Yes or no?" The turn that lead to the short cut was approaching. Matthew didn't reply. The words hung uselessly in the night air. Everyone stayed quiet, waiting for the okay-signal from their leader. The anxiety began to build as a bend that will lead them to the short cut was moments away.

"Matthew!" Ben yelled.

"Go!" Matthew barked. Robert curved harshly into the bend.

Antoine stood. "Matthew!" Antoine protested. "But we…"

"But nothing!" Matthew snapped back. He was staring at Antoine with hard brown eyes that reminded him that Matthew never failed a mission. His ruthless willpower made sure of that. Maybe for this reason, Matthew was always, including in academy, chosen to be the mission leader. He wouldn't do anything to fail his comrades. Never. But, there is always a first time for everything.

"I don't think I need to explain the objective to you again, Antoine. Besides, we can lose the Guard the quickest there and still make it to HQ in time to save her." Matthew continued. "If you don't want to follow, please feel free to jump out. Any more objections?" No one uttered a sound. "Good. Robert, how far till we reach the alley?"

"Any second now."

"Okay. Everyone get ready." Matthew continued firing.

Robert made another quick turn. "We're here!"

He stopped the vehicle. Matthew put down his bow. No guards would have thought about coming onto these buildings' rooftops. The road they have taken was called "Crash Alley" among the field agents. Many carriages have been broken due to the terrible condition of the cobblestones. Some people and horses lost their lives. Going down this path was suicide. One wrong move can mean damage to the tires. With one gone, they were open for an accident and captivity by Nicholi's men. However, if all goes well, they could make it to the back roads in less than five minutes. From there, it would be another ten. The fate of all of them was laid on the present condition of the road.

The sound of galloping horses echoed off wooden walls behind them. The guards' carriages had decided to take the chance. There was no going back now.

Everyone waited for the perfect moment to make their move.

Seconds crawled by. They could see the smoke flaring out of the horses' nostrils, leading the vehicle around the corner.

Then a minute passed and the carriages were within eyeshot.

"Let's go Robert!" Ben suddenly shouted.

"Okay then! Everyone hold onto their seats!" Robert turned the dial to high and the car zoomed ahead.

The next few minutes of driving was a nightmare. Clothes, tables, food, and jewelry went flying in midair as they collided with the automobile. The car had barely any room to move in the alley so there was no escaping the head on collisions. The body of the vehicle bounced up and down rapidly as the wheels hit pits in the road. With every bump, the men we tossed into the air because of the speed they were going at. Even Matthew had no choice but to sit down. The disaster finally ended as the car pulled out into an empty road.

Antoine peeked behind them to see a blockade of smashed up carriages along the alley. They wouldn't be chasing them anymore. "It worked!" He cried out in joy. "Their carriages broke and the horses got hurt!"

Everyone let out a sigh of relief as they pulled into a silent back road. Not a person was in sight above them or behind them. They were safe at last.

"Woohooo!" Robert cheered while Antoine took over the wheel.

"Nice driving." Matthew said to him.

He shrugged. "I try."

Matthew cut him off. "But next time I'm doing it."

"What?" Robert protested but got a dismissing wave from Matthew. "Ha ha." He said instead, sticking out his tongue as he climbed back into the carriage. Matthew chuckled to himself.

Robert knelt beside Ben. He was shaking from complete fatigue. His muscles were crying out for mercy but he pressed on healing Callie. He was going to use every drop of energy he had left to save Callie, even if it killed him. Robert thought about asking Ben something but he knew better than to interfere with a ninja and their jutsu stuff.

Ben eyes shot open. "Oh my god." He said out loud.

"What's wrong?" Robert looked from Ben to Callie, who was cautiously pulling his hands away from her.

"This isn't good." He said worriedly and he stood. "Matthew, how far are we from HQ?"

"Only seven minutes. Why?"

"Something is taking over her body! It's blocking me from healing her. If we don't get there on time…"

"How is that possible?" Antoine yelled.

"I don't know! But, we have to go faster than we are now!"

Antoine immediately turned the dial on high. The car shot forward at almost a hundred miles an hour.

"Isn't there a way to counteract the process?" Robert asked Ben.

"No. The force of the hold is way too powerful. It's mentally bringing her down her willpower. There's absolutely nothing I can do."

"How much time does she have?" Matthew called.

"About five minutes."

"That more than enough time." Matthew went to the front and opened a glove compartment next to Antoine. After digging around, he revealed a walkie-talkie. "Alta to Base. Alta to Base. This is Team Alta calling in. Do you copy?" A quick reply came a second later.

"Team Alta, this is Cosign Blue. " A female dispatcher said. "How can we assist you?"

"Cosign Blue, Team Alta has an emergency Code Red. Subject is fatally wounded and needs immediate medical assistance. Please open front gates and have medical personnel on standby. ETA: four minutes."

Cosign Blue did not answer until a minute later. "Team Alta, gates are open and a medical team is waiting at Dock 1. The lane is clear for your arrival. You have top priority."

Matthew let out a sigh. "Roger that. Team Alta, signing out. See you in few." He put the device back into its place. "Don't worry Ben. She'll be fine."

Ben was beginning to tear up. Robert was shocked. He and Ben had been buddies for years and completed tons of missions, but never did he once see Ben cry. Not even a tear drop for fallen comrades that died in battles or missions. Why is he shedding tears for a girl he just met? Maybe it was the fact that their whole existence rested on this girl's shoulders or was it because he had finally met a girl from Primary Earth like him? Or was he just exhausted?

The car stopped for an instant. Robert returned from his deep thoughts. They were at HQ. The entrance was a large cavern cut out of a hill. It took months of cover-up and explosives. Neighbors around the area consider this hill "Haunted Hill," because of the weird sounds made throughout the day in order to keep outsiders out.

The doors were already open so the car zoomed inside to Dock 1.

Matthew and Robert jumped out of the carriage to make room for the three paramedics waiting on the ground. Two of them carried Callie out of the vehicle and onto a stretcher. Another man rushed forward to examine Callie with a stethoscope. As soon as he was inches away, he stopped at the sight of a black bubble that had mysteriously formed around her body when they moved her from the car. A faint symbol of an orange hourglass sat on top. Everyone gasped except the doctor with the stethoscope.

"Lord Dougal?" Ben said. "He had something to do with this?"

The physician didn't seem surprised or shocked. He maintained a straight face. "How long ago was it since you first felt a barrier to her?" he asked Ben.

"About 5 minutes ago. I couldn't do anything to stop it." He replied sadly.

The doctor gave a curt nod before pulling out a thin rod-shaped device. It resembled a miniature printer. He then held it as closely as he could without touching the bubble over her body and began to slowly scan from her head to her toes. After he was done, he pressed a red button on the side which sent all the attained information about her injuries to his electronic clipboard.

"She defiantly does not have much time left." He said staring at the clipboard. The screen displayed the generated photo of the body scan along with the location of all her injuries. As he suspected by just looking at the girl, they were serious. "Just to be safe, let's take her down to the surgical area where Dr. Arian is already waiting." The doctor took out a stylus a jotted down a few notes. "Let's go." He ran towards the elevator with everyone following closely behind him. Once inside, the doctor pressed the "ER" button that would send them to the Trauma Bay below.

Within a minute, the group was already on their way to the surgery room with another medical team. Dr. Arian took over and briefed the team on Callie's status from the previous doctor's clipboard.

"Patient was found with multiple stab wounds, mainly on the arms and the middle of the back, the one being the fatal wound. Numerous bruises and scratches to the face. The nose is most likely broken. Internal bleeding is highly probable. The patient is being influenced by Dougal at the moment, wearing her down mentally."

The new doctor paused in disbelief for a moment. He took a quick glance at Callie. The patient was only a young girl. He was imaging his daughter on the operation table. How can anything like this happen to just a kid? He just prayed he could save this girl's life or it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

After dashing down a white corridor, they finally reach the operating room. Inside nurses began to strap a breathing mask onto Callie's face and prepare an IV line. One assistant stood nearby, recording the incident.

The new leader began barking his orders to his nurses. "Carla! Get me five bags of blood."

"Yes sir!"

"Brandon! Get some psychics. Let's see if we can reverse the barrier for a bit."

One by one the team members ran off to do their duties until the doctor and a few other nurses and assistants were left prepare for the operation. The doctor decided to seize the opportunity to step outside for a bit, so he could go over his plans. It was only then he noticed Ben, Antoine, Matthew, and Robert standing silently by a row of chairs. Worriment was written all over their faces.

He walked over to them. They all turned to him in anticipation.

"We will do what we can but her situation is very severe." he told them. "AAAhhh…." He usually never spoke to the patient's comrades before the operation. It was an unwritten rule among KG Emergency Medicine Physicians, but he couldn't shake the thought of the possibility that was his daughter in that room. Wouldn't he want to be informed? Plus, they were there meaning they cared, unlike the other agents who would have been long gone by now.

He glanced at his wristwatch for some help. "If she makes it through, we will request a healer. The problem with that is we are understaffed tonight … As I said before, we will do what we can physically but I think the rest is up to Catherine." The looks on the comrades' faces told him that he wasn't doing a good job informing.

"Why don't you go get yourselves checked up?" he offered. "You guys look a little-"

Matthew coldly cut the doctor off. "We're fine." he said.

The doctor sighed. At least he tried. "Suit yourselves."

The men waited till the doctor went inside the surgery room and the red light lit up, meaning the last leg to save Callie's life was about to being.

"What is your problem?" Antoine asked Matthew.

"What do you mean?" he answered innocently.

"I mean your beef with the doc. Attitude problems lately?"

"I don't like doctors." Matthew said flatly.

Antoine opened his mouth to ask another question. "And don't ask why." He snapped.

"Geez! Okay, sorry." He sat down on a chair behind him.

SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK! The creepiest sound of a hospital ricocheted from a hallway to the right. They turned to the noise, a little annoyed. No one waiting in a hospital wanted to hear the sound of a gurney being rolled down with a possible dead body on it, especially when concerned friends were waiting in the ER.

The pushing stopped right at the bend of the corner. "Ellooo?" A cowboy hat on a fluff of a crazy orange hair peeked around the corner. A pair of eyeglasses glinted in the tube light.

"Carl?" Ben called.

The newcomer caught sight of him and his friends. "Dang it! I thought no one would 'ere ta' day!" He had a slight Southern accent.

"Well…" Robert began under his breath.

"Who are you sending off today Carl?" Ben said after glaring at Robert.

Carl was the headquarters' ME, or Medical Examiner. When he didn't have too many bodies to conduct autopsies on, he brings the dead down to the morgue himself.

Because of renovation, the morgue was moved to the floor below the ER. The nearest elevator was at the end of this hallway. Many people sent complaints but Carl wasn't the one to care. Why would he care what people think when he might be the one end cutting them open later? Ben was probably the only one in the whole building that was friendly to him.

Carl pushed his cart to where they were standing. "I wanted to try another way but…"

Ben smiled. "That's okay, Carl. It doesn't bother us."

"Speak for yourself!" Antoine said, sitting in the furthest seat.

"Thank you Benny-boy!" Carl rubbed his thin hand on Ben's head. He then noticed something about his face. "You've been crying Benny?"

Ben swiftly rubbed his face with a torn sleeve. "It's nothing." He said.

Carl didn't want to pry into something that wasn't his business. He already had to do that every day with dead corpses. "If you say so, kid."

Antoine was looking at the covered body. "So who's the unfortunate one, doc?"

Carl's face shined as he told about his latest patient. "Oh, he's a big catch alright! This one's straight from the Queen's court!"

Robert's face was the next to light up. "Really? Who is it?"

"Uhhh…" Carl walked around to the other side of the gurney where a clipboard hung from the side. He read of the name. "A Sir… Carring Wellington. According to the records, he is the head of the Gentlemen of the Guard. Or was."

Ben and Robert looked at each other in surprise.

"That was fast." Robert said. "The Recovery Squad must be working hard tonight."

The Recovery Squads do exactly as their name sounds like. They go out after every mission and battle to recover the wounded and the dead. If matters are not done secretly as hoped, a chosen few of the squad's techies and field operatives go out and mindwipe (using LEP Recon or elf technology; The Artemis Fowl Series by Ecoin Colfer) the bystanders and return them to where they belong. They are like the clean-up crew to a crime scene.

Matthew was confused. "Didn't I kill him like an hour ago?"

Carl was also completely bewildered at the matter but for a different reason. "What are you folks talkin' bout? Carring has been in my lab the whole day. He was found a couple of nights ago but I wasn't able to get to him until day. It says 'ere that Carring was killed in a newbie training accident."

"What?" Antoine yelled as his jumped from his seat. "Give me that!"

Antoine grabbed the charts from Carl's hand. The longer he tried to read the papers on the clipboard, the redder his face became. He finally threw the clipboard down on the body. "What the heck does that thing even say? It's doctor talk with big words and abbreviations! Who else is supposed to comprehend that?"

"People with medical experience." Ben replied. "Let me take a look at that." Ben picked up the notes from the body. He intently scanned the pages. He didn't say anything for two minutes.

"How does he know how to read that?" Antoine whispered to Robert.

He shrugged. "He has medical training. Don't underestimate him just because he's a kid. He knows more than you think." Antoine shrank back to his place behind the group.

"So what does it say?" Matthew asked.

Ben's eyes stayed on the current page as he spoke. "Carl is right. Carring was drugged and found his way to a criminal capture simulation for the cadet at the KG academy nearby. The cadets mistook him for the criminal, attacked him before finally freezing him. He was already dead by the time the instructors found him. " Ben continued flipping pages. "This Carring died of hypothermia along with multiple fatal injuries to both the heart and head. Nothing matches with the Carring we ran into."

Robert ran a hand through his hair. "This can't be happening." He said, turning away from them.

"Wait." Ben said. He unzipped the white body bag. The actual Carring face was puffy and soggy.

Antonie and Robert cringed in disgust. Matthew made no reaction except for a tilt of his head to get a better look of Carring's face.

"I really don't know how anyone could fake that." Antonie grunted.

Carl had enough of the conversation. "Well, either way," he zipped up the bag. "this is Sir Carring Wellington, unless you want to argue against DNA. So that must mean that the guy your talkin' bout is an imposter. I would love to stay and chat some more but…" he jutted his thumb down the hall. "I have to take this buddy down to the morgue. I think I'd rather take the elevator."

Carl made his way down the hall to the elevator. "Good day!" he sang.

"That was weird." Antoine said, breaking the silence.

Robert took his eyes from off the ground. "Yes but it makes total sense!" He flopped onto a nearby chair. Everyone turned towards him.

Ben joined Robert on the row of seats. "What do you mean?"

"I was wondering; Carring hasn't shown up in court. Queen Elizabeth sent men to look for him and report back to her. Then, he shows up in the middle of a fight, perfectly fine? Plus, when he found of that Callie was his opponent, he still tried to kill her! The real Carring would have at least taken her to the queen himself in an act of chivalry."

"What was he doing on the palace grounds in the first place?" Antoine piped up. "Shouldn't he be in the palace since he is the commander?"

Robert rested his tired head on a hand. "Right, exactly. I know Carring. He wouldn't have allowed himself to get killed so easily with an arrow. No offense tended Matthew."

Matthew kept a straight face. "None taken. I was actually thinking the same thing. He was the easiest target I've ever gotten. Someone of his skill shouldn't be that easy to shoot down."

Antoine give an out a big groan. "Okay. So… we know now that the Carring we at the gate was an imposter. The only questions that remain are who was pretending to be him and why."

"And neither of them we know." Robert added.

"No." Matthew said. He scanned the group. "I think we know exactly who was there. Right Ben?"

Once again, everyone looked to Ben because he looked like he had finished the puzzle. He also looked like he didn't like what he got.

"Robert?" he asked with a shocked face. "Who did Queen Elizabeth send out to find Sir Carring?"

Robert pondered the answer for a moment. "I believe she sent the Intelligence Bureau."

"And who is the head of that?"

The three men held in their breath, knowing the answer.

"Nicholi." he said without looking at them.