Chapter 3
The Imperial Camp
The imperial commander stood watching as the stasis injection wore off. It would be now that he would be able to determine if their efforts would keep the annoying whelp alive. Lyude's breathing was shallow, his skin pale, but enough color had returned to remove the blue hue from his face. The bandage was holding well, he had not bled through it, so the nurse that had treated his wound had served them well. He ordered an injection to prevent infection and someone to monitor him at all times.
Much as he hated it, the boy would be a valuable asset to Emperor Christov. His unique talents had their merit however unpleasant the package they came in. He would not be a willing ally but they had ways to make him cooperate. He smiled in satisfaction and left the tent. They would make base within a few days and their emperor would be very pleased indeed with their spoils.
Lyude stirred slightly where he lay on a mat on the floor. He opened his eyes groggily, heavily sedated and drugged. He couldn't quite grasp where he was or remember how he came to be in this situation. He felt as if he were bound somewhere just above his body. The pain was a dull, detached throb in his chest and wrists, he moaned softly.
A woman of about thirty entered the tent and knelt beside him. She looked in his eyes and studied his complexion with a disapproving look. Lyude focused his attention on her face, remembering in his training that in order to resist the disorienting effects of the drugs he needed force his mind into functioning. The best way to do that was to focus his thoughts on one single thing and the sour expression on her face was certainly sobering enough to bring him to his senses. Slowly, coherent thoughts began to seep back into his mind and he winced at the memories that flooded back to him.
He closed his eyes tightly. He didn't have the strength to even lift his head but at least he was alive. He wondered what it was they intended to do with him. What did they want from him? When he had taken the shot from the rifle he had thought that would be the end, yet he knew he could not have lived with himself if he had stood by and allowed it to happen.
As his mind cleared the pain of his injuries burned with new force. He could feel the dull throb in his twice bruised ribs and the burn of the rifle shot as if he had just been stricken. He allowed his head to roll to one side wearily, wishing to escape the nurse's darkened gaze when she rose and called out of the tent. A young girl of eighteen entered as the nurse left. She had long black hair framing a beautiful face. Her flawless features were expressionless as she sat down next to him with a pitcher of water and some food.
She glanced his way taking in his weak and bound condition. A look of dismay passed across her face and she brushed back his red tresses where they had fallen across his face. Lyude glanced up at her concerned countenance then closed his eyes briefly, steadying his head. She rose immediately kneeling behind him and he felt her fingers gently brush against his as she worked to untie him. He couldn't help but groan as his cramped arms came free and she placed them in front of him stretching the muscles that had constricted and knotted from their hours of confinement. As she lifted his head to place him onto his back Lyude vaguely noticed that his uniform had been replaced with a fresh one. Evidently, wherever they were taking him, they wanted him to be presentable. But where had they found one of the like? In his size, no less...
"Thank you." he managed as she straightened him into a more comfortable position. The girl jumped but nodded.
Lyude winced as she carefully removed his gloves and examined his wrists. Her eyes were sad as she did so. She was by far the better healer of the two nurses and she used various magnus in treating his wounds.
When she had finished there she lifted him gently into a slightly elevated position, cradling his head with one arm and offering him water with the other. He drank gratefully of the cup she held to his parched lips. The food he had no stomach for, but upon her insistence he swallowed a few bites of stew. After she had finished feeding him she sat and watched him as his weakness claimed him and he slowly slipped from consciousness.
It was morning when he opened his eyes again. he immediately noticed that his hands had been retied, though they had padded his wrists so as to not aggravate the injuries that were beginning to mend. By the lessening of his pain he guessed that he had to have slept through more than one night. He found that his mind was clear, they must have decided further drugging was unnecessary. He had regained a small measure of his strength, though it was barely enough to allow him to stand which he decided against attempting. The girl who had treated him was standing at the other side of the tent preparing some breakfast. It was the scent of it that had caused Lyude to awaken.
Slowly, he lifted his head and maneuvered himself into a seated position. The effort of that alone was dizzying. When he looked up he saw the girl watching him. "Hello."he said nodding to her unsteadily. The girl brought him milk and some sausage and toast. He felt awkward having to be hand fed, but with his hands tied behind his back there was nothing for it. He found himself to be very hungry but chewed his food slowly and politely. He was a prisoner, not a caged animal, after all.
When he had finished he thanked the girl once again and asked her name. She looked startled. "Alyssa." she said softly, "Please don't speak to me anymore, I'm not supposed to talk with you. If the commander heard me speaking with you he wouldn't allow me to treat you." Lyude nodded his understanding and sat in silence waiting for something to happen. He did not have long to wait.
The imperial commander walked into the tent, his cruel gaze falling directly on Lyude, seated erect on his knees, his gaze defiant. "You've been quite an annoyance boy." he said glaring at him. We've had to wait two days to move you. Emperor Christov will not be pleased with our delay. No matter. I see that our young Alyssa has gotten you well on your way to recovery. He grasped Lyude's shoulder, thumb pressing hard on his injury.
Lyude felt tears spring to his eyes, the pain was so intense, but he gritted his teeth behind his lips and held them at bay. "If it were up to me we would have left you to die, but the last thing we need is an imperial soldier becoming a martyr." continued Commander Stryker, "Besides, Emperor Christov is very interested in meeting one gifted with your talents. I daresay he is very eager to hear you play."
"Play? What do you mean?" said Lyude. "What is it you want with me?"
"All in good time boy, we will be at the imperial headquarters by tomorrow afternoon. I suggest you behave yourself, unless your asking for more than a rifle wound." he gave Lyude one last disdainful glance and swept from the tent. Lyude moaned softly in his throat, he bowed his head and his shoulders slackened. His head throbbed and he felt dizzy. The girl moved aside his vest, loosed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt far enough to check the wrapping, a small amount of blood was beginning to seep through the bandage. She ran her fingers gently across the spot and replaced the gauze. Careful not to aggravate the injury further.
"I'm sorry." she whispered quietly. Lyude looked at her and shook his head.
Kalas was growing impatient. They had been searching for three days and weren't sure if they were any closer to finding Lyude. The man they had accompanied, Ricco, said that they were on the right track, but he wasn't sure how much faith he had in the assurance. They had found a few deep footprints and some scattered items, but it was impossible to say how old these clues were.
Then around midday they came upon a shocking sight. Lying in the sand before them was a bloodstained shirt and coat of imperial design. Xelha clapped her hands to her mouth with a dry sob. There was no mistaking who they belonged to. Kalas picked up the coat examining it, trying hard not to think about how much blood his friend must have lost before these were removed. Inside he found a few magnus and in the shirt a hastily written note. "He's alive. Keep going." it read simply.
"Oh, thank goodness." said Xelha.
"It's not time to celebrate yet, Xelha." said Kalas.
"No, it's not. After all, we haven't found him yet." said Xelha.
"I'm more worried that this is a trick."said Kalas, "Someone trying to get us on the wrong
track."
"I don't think so." said Ricco, "Whoever left this knows that if we know what the message means we're good enough to track them on our own. Looks like someone wants us to find him."
"I suppose." said Kalas.
"But who? Why would they take such a risk leaving this kind of clue behind?" said
Xelha.
"Don't ask me." said Ricco, "I think we may be getting close though, they couldn't have traveled with him too far at a time in his condition. Even with a really good healer it would have taken a few days to make him stable enough for extended travel, and that commander wanted him alive."
They traveled well into the night led forward into the early hours by the sighting of several campfires. It was indeed the imperial camp.
"Okay, we're here, so now what do we do? We can't just simply walk in there." said
Xelha.
"Yeah, you're right." said Ricco, "We'd all be noticed immediately, so how do we get in there without raising suspicion?"
"Maybe we could steal some uniforms." said Kalas. "It's probably our best bet."
"Two problems with that." said Ricco, "First, how are we gonna get a hold of them? We can't exactly sneak into their supply room, and second, there won't be any to fit Xelha or me."
"Well, except for the sentries most of the soldiers are asleep." said Xelha, "If we hope to sneak in, this is the time."
"Yeah." said Kalas, "If we're gonna get him out of here this is probably going to be our last chance."
"Then let's go." said Ricco, "We don't have too much time to find him."
They each snuck in individually as a guard's back was turned and began searching the tents. Luck was with them that night because Xelha came upon the supply tent and each of them were able to find something to fit them, though Xelha had to pad herself to conceal that she was a woman. They had seen no female ground officers and were not taking the chance that it would give them away.
There were enough soldiers up and about strolling off of patrol that they were able to walk about together without suspicion. They were just passing a darkened tent when a beautiful young woman in a plain dress walked to it and pulled a cord at the entrance. The tent flap opened to reveal a sentry. "What are you doing here now?" he asked gruffly.
"I came to stay with the prisoner, his wound has been aggravated and he really should not be left without a nurse in case he starts bleeding again."
"Well, I'm not waiting around here if he's already being watched. I was getting tired of watching the traitor sleep anyway, be my guest." the girl nodded and stepped inside. The sentry walked off, glad to be off duty. The three companions looked at each other. They were all thinking the same thing. "Bingo." said Kalas, "C'mon."
They filed into the tent without a word and the girl looked up frightened. She was doing a cross stitch sitting next to a mat on the floor where a very familiar young man lay bound and sleeping. She stood and bowed. "I thought it would be best for him to be monitored a few more days." she whispered hurriedly. Then she noticed Ricco and gasped, "It's you! You found the vest didn't you? Oh, I hoped someone would come." she said. The three jumped in surprise.
"It was you?" said Kalas.
"Yes. Please, you must get him out tonight. He'll be locked away in the imperial hold by this time tomorrow and if he doesn't do what they say . . ." the girl's gaze shifted to Lyude and tears welled up within them. Xelha knelt down next to Lyude and stroked back his hair fondly, softly whispering his name. Lyude stirred and opened his eyes. "Ughn, Hmm?"
"Lyude?" said Xelha, "Can you walk?"
Lyude flinched in surprise at her voice, "Xelha?" he whispered hoarsely, glancing up in disbelief as she removed the helmet that had served to conceal her face.
"Yes, Lyude, it's me." said Xelha, "We've come to get you out of here."
"How did you find me?" Lyude asked as Xelha moved behind him and began untying him.
"We had a very skilled guide." said Kalas.
"Who?" asked Lyude as his wrists came free and his arms slackened to his sides, he sat up painfully.
"How ya feelin' kid?" asked Ricco.
"Ricco?" said Lyude in disbelief, "You came to help me?"
"After what you did for me?" said Ricco, "I couldn't call myself a man if I didn't. I owe you many apologies for my behavior."
"No." said Lyude shaking his head and smiling kindly, "You had a right to doubt me. You owe me nothing. Besides, it is the duty of a soldier to defend what is right at all costs. Though the empire lost sight of that long ago, I could not call myself a soldier if I turned my back on that sacred truth." he shook his head as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing before him. "Well I can't say I'm not glad you're here." he said, his expression turning grim. "But I cannot go with you tonight."
"What!" whispered Kalas harshly, "Have you gone insane? If you don't get out of here now, Lyude, you may never get the chance, and who knows what they'll do to you."
"I'm aware of that Kalas, but this group is out to destroy everything that we are trying to build. I can't allow that to happen. Besides, if we tried to escape they would track us down within hours and I haven't the strength to walk on my own. Such an attempt would be tantamount to suicide. I would not risk all of you on my account."
"So what now, Lyude? Are you just going to give up?" asked Kalas bristling.
"Just listen for a moment." said Lyude shaking his head weakly. "We need to know what these people are up to, what they're planning. The best way to learn that is to allow them to take me to this Emperor Christov of theirs. With you following us we could discover the whereabouts of their base and their motives, then you could return and inform the relief committee of what was going on.
"Not without you we're not." said Kalas.
"Alfard is more important." said Lyude bracingly. "I'll be all right for a while. Whatever it is they want me to do, I'm in no condition to do it. They seem pretty confident that they can force me to do their bidding so they'll give me some time to heal. I must find out what it is they intend to do, whatever the cost. I'll have to stay until you can get the committee's aid. If you freed me before that they would know that their cover was blown and move their base before we could gain a force against them and all efforts would have been wasted."
"He's right." said Xelha, her head bowed grimly, "We left the white dragon behind near Azha, there's no way we could outrun them, and there's nowhere to hide here. As much as I hate to say it, Lyude's plan seems best."
"I really don't like this." said Kalas.
"None of us do." said Xelha, "But he's right. We don't have a choice."
"Hey, I didn't come all the way out here just to leave him." said Ricco. "If you guys are gonna run back once we find out what they want, I'm sticking around to keep an eye on him."
"That was gonna be my line." said Kalas, "Lyude are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.
Lyude stood up unsteadily and Kalas grasped his uninjured arm to steady him. "I have to do this Kalas, either way we go this may not end well for us. I simply regret getting you all involved." It was then he noticed Alyssa standing quietly in the corner watching their exchange. "Kalas!" he whispered harshly.
"What is it?" said Kalas reaching for his sword and following Lyude's gaze. "Oh, her? Don't worry about it, Lyude, she's not gonna rat on us. She left us your coat to make sure we found you. Let us know you were alive."
"That was a high risk you took." he said to her allowing Kalas to usher him back to the floor. "Why did you do it?"
"Because Alfard needs men like you." said Alyssa, "I knew from the first moment when you looked up at me that you weren't like the other soldiers here. Then I heard some of them talking about what you did in Azha, it was very brave."
"Shoot. If you think that was brave you should have seen him firing away at Malpercio." said Kalas laughing.
"Kalas!" said Lyude.
"You fought Malpercio?" said Alyssa covering her mouth.
"A memory that I do not savor." said Lyude. "Anyway, It isn't safe for you three to stay here, you must go now. This camp will be crawling with soldiers within the hour and if they find you here . . ."
"Yeah, I know." said Kalas heavily. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
"I do." said Lyude. "You're just going to have to trust me Kalas, I know that's been a problem for you in the past."
"Ah, most of it I just tried to pin on you to keep them from suspecting me." said Kalas,
"After that little hypnotism fiasco I figured you'd be a great scapegoat. It was true enough though, I truly didn't trust you. Don't take it personally, though, I didn't really trust much anyone before you all banded together to save me from the darkness."
Lyude looked toward the wall of the tent, the darkness was beginning to soften. "You have to go now." said Lyude. "You must hurry. Those disguises will be much less convincing in the light. Please, go."
Xelha knelt beside him and hugged him like a brother, careful not to hurt him. "Be safe, Lyude." she said, the worry evident on her face. He nodded with a reassuring smile.
"Take care kid." said Ricco bowing out of the tent. Kalas looked at Lyude with frustration. "Man, you'd better not make me right about what I said about you in Diadem about not living to see your twenties." said Kalas.
"When did you say that?" said Lyude looking puzzled and slightly offended.
"Erm . . . see ya Lyude." he said ducking out with Xelha. Alyssa walked up to him and knelt beside him. "I'm sorry, but we'll have to get you tied up again." she said softly.
"Of course." said Lyude, placing his hands behind his back and allowing her to bind him.
"I hope you know what your doing." said Alyssa. "The home base is small, there aren't too many still following Empire rule but they managed to salvage a lot of Alfard's most dangerous weapons. This unit is one of two. Some of us aren't thrilled to be here but the punishment for desertion is death. I have some friends back at the base that may be able to protect you for a while but I can't promise you anything."
"You've done more than enough already." said Lyude. "I can't even begin to express my gratitude for all the trouble you've gone through."
"You don't need to." she said softly, "You should try to get a little more rest. We'll be leaving in a few hours and you are going to have to walk. The commander has been keeping you weak with a sedative injection while you sleep. It will be wearing off soon and you should be able to walk at a fairly steady pace." Lyude nodded and thanked her, lying down and closing his eyes wearily.
