The Magnificent Seven, Chapter Eleven
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: Does anyone read these disclaimers? Rating: M Time; The future.
Amadeo hopped down from the stage and headed for the fallen man. Kate tried to follow him, but was stopped by the off duty servants. Attalus whispered in her ear. "Stay here. The Queen does not like her audiences interrupted.
Getting to the fallen advisor, Amadeo bowed to the Queen. "I am Amadeo d'Annunzio, Your Highness. I am from Firenza, far across the Great Ocean and have been traveling for many years."
The Queen looked at him coldly. "And you claim you can cure my advisor."
"What the hell does he know about local diseases?" Rick whispered to Kate.
"Remember the computer he got from our friends?" Irina whispered. "It had information about local diseases and some medicines. I've been helping Amadeo study the computer. He knows what he's doing."
"I hope our hydrogen breathing friends know what they're doing." Rick muttered.
Amadeo continued. "I have been a soldier, a policeman, a sailor and many other things in my time. Alas, I have been stricken with wanderlust. Lately, I have earned my keep by treating the wounds and injuries of my comrades in battle. In my travels, before I fell in with the famous Captain Kate Castle, I spent some time on a small island in the far south of the Great Ocean. There I met an old man who had been a famous doctor in his day. He said that he had fled his homeland for political reasons which I did not fully understand. Something about wearing the wrong colors. But he said he had found a cure for the falling sickness and he gave me some of the medicine to use should I need it."
"And how much will it cost us for this medicine?" Queen Olympia asked, more coldly than before.
Amadeo shrugged. "As I did not create the medicine, and I do not know how, or if, it will work, it would be improper for me to charge for my treatment, Your Highness."
That sent a murmur through the crowd. Apparently someone coming to see the Queen and not asking for something was a rarity.
Cassander, the Queen's advisor, had been seated in a chair while he recovered from the fall. "Your Highness, as much as I appreciate this young fellow's enthusiasm, I would prefer not to be experimented on, if you please."
The Queen nodded. "General Menander, do you not have a young soldier in the Guards who has he falling disease?"
"We do, Your Majesty."
The Queen nodded. "Then take our young traveler to him and let him treat the soldier. When the treatment is over, one way or another, we'll decide what to do. But first, I wish to meet this famous Captain Castle and his band."
"Her band." Kate said loudly, so the Queen could hear over the buzz of the crowd. "I am a woman."
The Queen motioned with her hand. "Approach."
Kate, her team and the young ladies with Hendrik and Fuad approached the Queen, stopped and made an individual series of adequate bows and curtsies.
"You are the famous Captain Castle?" The Queen said, smiling for the first time. Rick wasn't sure he liked the smile.
"I am Katherine Castle. I lead this team, so I am their captain. As to being famous, I doubt if anyone in Alexandria the Farthest has ever heard of me."
The Queen nodded slowly, "The people with you are…?"
"My husband Rick, my friends Fuad, Hendrik, Chen, Irina and Penelope, and our comrades from the fight on the Great Lake. These ladies fought well."
The Queen smiled, a more reassuring smile to Rick's mind. "We have heard of that fight. You are more famous than you know, Captain Katherine Castle. And what brings you to my Palace?"
"We were summoned by the Royal Geographer, Your Majesty."
Queen Olympia turned to a heavy, balding man with a long white beard, wearing a voluminous blue robe. "Is this correct, Cyrus?"
The man smiled. "Indeed it is, Your Majesty. I heard that they had traveled through Chollate country and wished to talk to them."
The Queen thought for a moment. "Then do so."
Amadeo spoke up. "Your Majesty, if I could have my assistant, Irina, join me?"
"Irina is…"the Queen began. Irina raised her hand, blushing slightly. "Definitely the assistant of a young man. "The Queen finished. She motioned to Menander. "These two to the Guards barracks, Menander. Cyrus you get the rest. And I think they should be our guests until the treatment is over."
Amadeo and Irina disappeared, surrounded by four hard faced guards armed with pistols. Cyrus led the rest through a passageway and into a wide hallway.
Rick whispered into Kate's ear. "I could damn near hear the wheels turning in there. Everyone is wondering how we can be of use to their side. Or how they can keep us from helping their enemies."
"Let's try to remain neutral." She whispered back.
"Being neutral usually means all of the warring parties hate you."
They were lead through a series of corridors and finally arrived at what was probably Cyrus's home or home/office. A large room with comfortable chairs scattered about, soft carpets under foot, books scattered everywhere and a magnificent view of the Palace grounds.
"Perhaps you would like some tea before we begin?" Cyrus asked politely.
"If there's no coffee, I suppose tea will do." Kate said wistfully.
"Coffee?" A deep voice said from behind her. "Another coffee lover in this land of tea drinkers? Splendid!"
Kate turned around to stare into the face of a huge wolf. No. She thought. Wolves don't talk, they don't wear clothes and they certainly don't drink coffee.
The being in front of her was over seven feet tall, covered in reddish brown fur and had a wolf-like face, complete with fangs. He was dressed in orange and black striped pants, a baggy silk shirt and had a large multi-colored scarf wrapped around his thick, furry neck. On his feet were sandals, showing long, sharp claws.
He bowed to Kate. "My proper name is not pronounceable by humans. Your vocal cords aren't built for it, so please all me Ruffalo. I am the Royal Astronomer." He smiled hugely. "And a lover of coffee. Would you like a cup?"
"Definitely." Kate said, thankfully. "And one for my husband as well?"
"And your husband is…" Ruffalo asked.
"Rick Castle." Rick held out his hand which was quickly engulfed in a massive, but very gentle furry paw.
"And for us." Fuad said, pointing to himself and Hendrik. The rest chose tea.
Ruffalo looked back through the doorway he'd entered by. "Orissa, we have guests. Guests for coffee. Can you bring my things?"
In seconds a slim, young blonde came in carrying a pot, and other less identifiable items which she put down on a sideboard. "Do you need anything else?" She asked.
Ruffalo shook his massive head. "No. You run along."
The girl left and Ruffalo set about making coffee. "Do you have any favorite types of coffee?"
"Anything at all will do." Kate said quickly, already enjoying the scents from the coffee preparation.
"Perhaps," Cyrus said, "We can begin with our discussion of geography?"
Ruffalo turned around, a look of horror on his furry face. "Interrupt the making of coffee for my guests? Are you a barbarian?"
Cyrus sighed. "Of course not. How could I have thought that I could interrupt you while you're making coffee?"
Ruffalo smiled. "I'll turn you into a coffee drinker yet."
Cyrus shuddered theatrically. "May the gods protect me."
Kate literally inhaled her cup and was happily given more by Ruffalo. After her third cup, Cyrus spoke. "Perhaps we could talk now?"
"Certainly. "Kate said.
Cyrus pushed a large globe on a wheeled stand over to Kate. "Perhaps you can show us your travels using this globe?"
Kate's fear of being exposed by the Royal Geographer was suddenly gone. In its place was a knowledge of this world. A very detailed knowledge.
"Perhaps you can tell me where this Noo Yawk you come from is?" Cyrus asked with a smile.
She pointed at a river valley on the globe. "New York, "She pronounced it very carefully, "is about here. On the East bank of the Hudson River, just a bit south of Lake George."
Cyrus smiled as he looked at where Kate had pointed to. "That's just about on the opposite side of the planet from us. You have come very far. Can you tell us where your friend found the cure for the falling disease?"
Kate frowned, then pointed to a group of islands in the far south of the Great Ocean. "About here, I think. Amadeo was a sailor, but all he did was pull on ropes or shovel coal. He isn't a navigator and one stretch of ocean looks much the same to him. You can ask him, but I doubt if her knows."
The other members of the team allowed Kate to take the lead, doing no more than making positive noises whenever Kate said something. Unfortunately, this did little to add to Cyrus's knowledge.
Cyrus sighed. "Well, I can expand the frontiers of geographic knowledge a bit, if nothing else. In Iskander's day, he was interested in the geography of all of our world. Our queen has no desire to conquer the world and our future ruler, whoever he may be, will have to secure Iskander's empire first. That will probably not happen in my life time. Possibly it won't happen in anyone's life time."
"The king was quite young when he died, wasn't he?" Rick asked.
"Just thirty five." Cyrus nodded, sadly. "I'm not one to glory in war, mind you, but uniting the whole planet, or even a great part of it, instead of having a host of constantly squabbling, constantly warring city states, was something I supported."
"You never saw the aftermath of a battle field." Ruffalo said sadly.
"Which is better?" Cyrus asked his friend. "One vast bloodletting or an endless series of minor bloodlettings?"
"Ask a philosopher." Ruffalo said. "I'm just an astronomer."
"How did the king die?" Rick asked. "In battle?"
"No." Cyrus replied. "He took ill. The royal physicians did their best, but medicine is not our strong suit."
"What did he die of?" Rick continued.
"The physicians don't know. Oh, they spouted endless theories and proposed endless cures, but none worked."
Ruffalo nodded. "They were simultaneously greedy for the rewards they'd reap if they cured the king, and terrified of the punishments they'd receive if he died."
"Punishments?" Kate asked. "What happened?"
"They were all executed."
Kate was suddenly worried. "If Amadeo doesn't cure that soldier, what will happen to him? Will they execute him?"
Cyrus shook his head vigorously. "Oh, no. Your Amadeo was smart. He claimed to have no personal knowledge of the value of his cure and he asked for no reward. And he's only treating a soldier who would die anyway from the falling disease. No one will blame him."
"If the soldier lives and Cassander dies?" Kate asked.
Cyrus shrugged. "Who knows what the Queen might do? But you might tell your friend to avoid boasting and to not ask for too much of a reward."
Kate nodded. She was worried for Amadeo.
"What kind of symptoms did the king have?" Rick asked.
"Are you also a physician?" Ruffalo asked.
"No. I'm just curious. And maybe Amadeo knows something about what killed the king. He's not a trained physician, you understand, but he has a whole grab bag of knowledge of this and that."
"It won't help the king." Cyrus said.
"But it might help the next person who falls ill."
"It started with headaches and diarrhea." Ruffalo said. "The king also slept more than usual. As the disease ran its course, there was more diarrhea, vomiting, bloody urine, loss of hair and then convulsions. Finally, he died."
"Does that sound familiar?" Cyrus asked.
"No, not at all." Kate said.
"This is much too dreadful a topic, my friends. I suggest that we have one more cup of coffee and then dine. I believe that Orissa prepared a little meal for me before she left. I'm rather good in the kitchen myself, so I think we'll do all right." He turned to Cyrus. "Will you have a cup of coffee with me, dear friend?"
Cyrus looked horrified. "I think a cup of wine will do."
The little meal that had been prepared for Ruffalo was enough to feed all of the humans with plenty left over for their giant furry friend.
When the feast was over, Rick asked. "Where are we staying here in the palace? The queen referred to us as guests. Do we get the dungeon?"
Cyrus laughed. "That's not our queen's style. You have quarters just down the hall. There'll be a page outside to guide you."
Rick stood and pulled Kate upright. "Well, I've had a long day and I'd like to spend some quality time with Mrs. Castle. So, if you'll excuse us, we'll be off."
The rest made their excuses and went off down the hall. The page led them to a doorway and opened it for them. "Your quarters, Lord and Lady Castle. If you need anything, I'll be right down the hall."
Once inside they examined their new home. A large living room with couches and chairs, and a nice fireplace, had six doors leading to six bedrooms. Rick and Kate examined one. "Okay. One king sized bed, one walk in closet, two chairs, a nice soft carpet, and…"Rick opened a doorway "…the bathroom. The usual, plus the swimming pool sized bath tub. I'll have to have one of these put in the loft."
"It's not pool sized." The practical Kate said. "It's barely six feet by six feet and no more than four feet deep."
Rick pulled Kate into the bathroom. They looked at each other and said, "I know how the king was murdered."
