*** Disclaimer in Chapter one and a few subsequent chaps after that.
CHAPTER 15
One of the consoles near Teela beeped loudly waking her from her intense concentration on the throne room monitor. She jumped slightly and cursed under her breath, not so much at the sound but at herself for being so easily taken off guard.
She turned to the console and fixated on the monitor. She chewed on her lower lip as she adjusted the picture on the screen.
The flutter caught her eye. She squinted and leaned in close. Something was there. Something or someone.
The shadow was indistinct but it was there. And whatever the shadow's maker was, did not want to be seen.
Teela's eyes narrowed and her jaw locked. She punched a few more buttons on the console and zoomed in to get a better look at the figure.
The figure, the form of a man, walked stealthily along the palace halls, ducking into corridors as figures walked by. He crouched low to remain out of sight.
But he was in Teela's sights and she felt the rage of transgressions past build up inside her.
She clicked on her communicator and punched a number.
"Captain? Do you read?"
A few seconds passed and the deep voice echoed from the tiny speaker.
"Report Lieutenant."
Teela took a deep breath. She knew Calen was more than capable of handling security matters but Teela had a score to settle. This intruder was hers.
"Sir, I think I may have discovered something inside the palace. Permission to leave my post?"
There was no response for a few seconds and then the communicator audio reverberated again.
"Is there any reason to believe the royal family may be in danger?"
The side of Teela's mouth twitched. She knew by that he meant "Is Adora in danger?" She knew about their secret affair, even though Adora hadn't herself told her. She discovered them in a stream deep in the woods while training one early morning. She had never said anything about it, figuring she would keep her best friend's secret. Trust, after all, was an important issue to Teela.
"There may be sir. The situation bears further assessment."
She paused waiting for her commander's response.
"Very well Teela, report in with your findings. However, I am going to initiate a lock down of the throne room and the royal quarters. Whatever it is, I want it taken alive, Lieutenant. It may provide us some insight into today's events."
Teela unholstered her sidearm laser.
"Yes, sir. Teela out."
She would leave him alive, but she was going to make him wish he were dead.
"Okay stranger," she whispered to herself. "Let's play hide and seek."
*****
The cloaked figure had no idea the very person who had saved him earlier that day was getting ready to pounce on him.
Damas hid in a dark corner. He knew something had alerted the guards because several of them went running down the hall to a room with large, ornate doors.
He smiled to himself. If they knew the king was in danger, it only stood to reason they would surround him in order to keep him safe.
At least three rows of men guarded those doors, so Damas wasn't exactly going to be able to just walk right in. Not that he had assumed he would be able to do that anyway. His quest just became more challenging, but he thrived on it. He knelt low and ducked out of the corner onto a nearby window ledge.
Just as he thought, several windows continued down the wall. That meant there were windows in the throne room.
"This is almost too easy," he thought too himself.
******
Marlena paced by the windows. She hated being cooped up like this. There were easily a hundred guardsmen in here and they were all watching her every move.
She sighed. It was their jobs to protect her and her family. But how could they protect them if they can't find all of them.
She stared out the window and fought the voice of terror in the back of her mind.
"Oh my daughter, I know you can take care of yourself but WHERE are you?" she thought. The idea of losing yet another child terrified her.
As if to read her mind, Randor approached her from behind and wrapped his muscular arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"Man-At-Arms is looking for her," he said softly. "He said he had a pretty good idea where she had gone. He swore to me she would be safe."
Marlena nodded brushing a tear away from her face. He hugged her husband tightly.
They were so caught up in each other's comfort; they didn't even realize what was lurking no more than 10 feet away on the window ledge.
The explosions however, quickly caught their attention as the whole palace rocked. Outside in the gardens and courtyards below, a series of explosives went off in timed order, nearly decimating the outer palace grounds.
A small contingency of guards and Calen remained in the throne room and the rest went running outside. Presumably to battle, but they would find only damage.
The queen lay on the floor unconscious. Randor brushed the hair out of her eyes and held her hand as Calen evaluated her.
"She's got a concussion, but there doesn't appear to be anything broken," he said quickly. "We need to get you to another shelter sire, before anything else..."
His words were cut off as a cloud of smoke filled the air and blocked Randor's vision of what was going on. He watched as the remaining guardsmen rallied to windows.
Calen grabbed his arm and began pulling him back.
"Get out of here your highness," he yelled as he stationed himself in front of the king and queen. "NOW!"
The dust quickly parted and a figure made his way around the unconscious bodies of guardsmen on the ground around him. His hood hung low over his eyes.
Calen tightened the grip he had on his sword handle as the stranger approached him.
"Halt!" Calen barked. His eyes glared with ferocity. "You are under arrest!"
The stranger smiled and stopped. He slowly drew his sword from his side.
The ensuing battle seemed to last a lifetime but was merely a few moments. The two men swung their swords with precision, as if choreographed. The loud clangs of steel hitting steel reverberated off the throne room walls.
During the scuffle, Randor managed to pick up Marlena. His eyes, however, were fixated on the swordfight going on in front of him. Without realizing it, he slowly walked backwards towards the thrones.
Calen swung. Damas countered. The two men locked swords and stood inches from each other's faces.
"What purpose do you serve?" Calen grunted as he struggled to keep his footing.
Damas smiled and moved his wrist an inch to the left. He knew he was setting up for the kill.
"I'm going to kill your king," he hissed. "It's really a very simple purpose."
With a sharp movement, Damas freed himself from the lock and managed to sweep Calen's legs out from under him.
The captain fell to the ground with a hard thud, his sword scattering across the floor.
Randor's eyes widened as he held Marlena closer to him. He knew he should flee with her, but his legs seemed frozen against his will.
Damas held his sword against Calen's throat and chuckled.
"It's a pity a great swordsman such as you has to die for a childkiller," he growled. "Randor is not worth your blood friend, but as it appears, I have no choice."
Calen leered at him in defiance. "I'm not your friend, you Horde fiend."
Damas lifted the sword as if to make a thrashing strike. Calen closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.
"I'm sorry Adora," he whispered and he felt the wind slice through the air. Seconds passed and when the beating of his heart stopped echoing in his eardrums, Calen heard the sound of steel hitting the floor.
He opened his eyes to discover there was no blood. He was very much still alive. The stranger had his hands in the air. His face, still mostly covered by his hood, was red in anger. Yet he didn't move and didn't speak.
Calen reached over and picked up the stranger's sword. As he stood up, he saw Teela with the barrel of her sidearm pressed firmly into the back of the stranger's head. A sly smile spread across her face as other guardsmen came running back in.
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now, you scum." She seethed.
Calen cocked an eyebrow at his Lieutenant's behavior. Normally Teela was very calm in battle. She wasn't one to let her emotions get the best of her.
The stranger still didn't move.
"Do as you like, m'lady." He growled back.
But Calen wasn't going to let his second in command kill the only person that could give them information. So he drew his own sidearm and held it on the stranger.
"At ease, Lieutenant," he said sternly. "Take possession of our friend here and escort him to the dungeons. I want him in good health when I question him later. Teela, is that clear?"
Teela nodded and holstered her sidearm. More than anything she wanted to make him pay but her duty WAS her duty.
Across the room Marlena started to stir in Randor's arms. The king loving sat his wife up in her throne and cupped her face in his hands. Marlena opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Over her husband's shoulder she watched as several guardsmen surrounded a hooded man.
"What happened, Randor?" she whispered, never removing her eyes from the scene in front of her.
Randor however was oblivious to the situation. It was quite obvious his concern was for his wife.
"I'll explain later darling," he soothed. "You need rest."
Marlena nodded and stood.
Across the room, the stranger was being taken into custody.
Damas knew he couldn't defeat so many at once unarmed, but he was not done yet. He would go with them, but they wouldn't hold him for long. He scowled as he started planning in his head.
"We're not finished Randor!" his yell echoed in the vast room. "You filthy coward!"
The king didn't acknowledge the outburst but the queen did. She turned and stared at the man.
Blood boiled in Teela. She spun in front of the stranger and slapped him. Calen opened his mouth to protest and then closed it again, fearing possible retribution himself.
Dama's head jilted to the left and he felt the heat from the contact in his jaw. As he started to turn his head again, his hood fell back.
His cold blue eyes locked with Teela's flashing green eyes and the two stared at each other as if each were preparing to completely unleash on the other.
So caught up in their own anger, the two barely seemed to notice the loud gasp from the Queen, who now lay fainted on the ground.
CHAPTER 15
One of the consoles near Teela beeped loudly waking her from her intense concentration on the throne room monitor. She jumped slightly and cursed under her breath, not so much at the sound but at herself for being so easily taken off guard.
She turned to the console and fixated on the monitor. She chewed on her lower lip as she adjusted the picture on the screen.
The flutter caught her eye. She squinted and leaned in close. Something was there. Something or someone.
The shadow was indistinct but it was there. And whatever the shadow's maker was, did not want to be seen.
Teela's eyes narrowed and her jaw locked. She punched a few more buttons on the console and zoomed in to get a better look at the figure.
The figure, the form of a man, walked stealthily along the palace halls, ducking into corridors as figures walked by. He crouched low to remain out of sight.
But he was in Teela's sights and she felt the rage of transgressions past build up inside her.
She clicked on her communicator and punched a number.
"Captain? Do you read?"
A few seconds passed and the deep voice echoed from the tiny speaker.
"Report Lieutenant."
Teela took a deep breath. She knew Calen was more than capable of handling security matters but Teela had a score to settle. This intruder was hers.
"Sir, I think I may have discovered something inside the palace. Permission to leave my post?"
There was no response for a few seconds and then the communicator audio reverberated again.
"Is there any reason to believe the royal family may be in danger?"
The side of Teela's mouth twitched. She knew by that he meant "Is Adora in danger?" She knew about their secret affair, even though Adora hadn't herself told her. She discovered them in a stream deep in the woods while training one early morning. She had never said anything about it, figuring she would keep her best friend's secret. Trust, after all, was an important issue to Teela.
"There may be sir. The situation bears further assessment."
She paused waiting for her commander's response.
"Very well Teela, report in with your findings. However, I am going to initiate a lock down of the throne room and the royal quarters. Whatever it is, I want it taken alive, Lieutenant. It may provide us some insight into today's events."
Teela unholstered her sidearm laser.
"Yes, sir. Teela out."
She would leave him alive, but she was going to make him wish he were dead.
"Okay stranger," she whispered to herself. "Let's play hide and seek."
*****
The cloaked figure had no idea the very person who had saved him earlier that day was getting ready to pounce on him.
Damas hid in a dark corner. He knew something had alerted the guards because several of them went running down the hall to a room with large, ornate doors.
He smiled to himself. If they knew the king was in danger, it only stood to reason they would surround him in order to keep him safe.
At least three rows of men guarded those doors, so Damas wasn't exactly going to be able to just walk right in. Not that he had assumed he would be able to do that anyway. His quest just became more challenging, but he thrived on it. He knelt low and ducked out of the corner onto a nearby window ledge.
Just as he thought, several windows continued down the wall. That meant there were windows in the throne room.
"This is almost too easy," he thought too himself.
******
Marlena paced by the windows. She hated being cooped up like this. There were easily a hundred guardsmen in here and they were all watching her every move.
She sighed. It was their jobs to protect her and her family. But how could they protect them if they can't find all of them.
She stared out the window and fought the voice of terror in the back of her mind.
"Oh my daughter, I know you can take care of yourself but WHERE are you?" she thought. The idea of losing yet another child terrified her.
As if to read her mind, Randor approached her from behind and wrapped his muscular arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"Man-At-Arms is looking for her," he said softly. "He said he had a pretty good idea where she had gone. He swore to me she would be safe."
Marlena nodded brushing a tear away from her face. He hugged her husband tightly.
They were so caught up in each other's comfort; they didn't even realize what was lurking no more than 10 feet away on the window ledge.
The explosions however, quickly caught their attention as the whole palace rocked. Outside in the gardens and courtyards below, a series of explosives went off in timed order, nearly decimating the outer palace grounds.
A small contingency of guards and Calen remained in the throne room and the rest went running outside. Presumably to battle, but they would find only damage.
The queen lay on the floor unconscious. Randor brushed the hair out of her eyes and held her hand as Calen evaluated her.
"She's got a concussion, but there doesn't appear to be anything broken," he said quickly. "We need to get you to another shelter sire, before anything else..."
His words were cut off as a cloud of smoke filled the air and blocked Randor's vision of what was going on. He watched as the remaining guardsmen rallied to windows.
Calen grabbed his arm and began pulling him back.
"Get out of here your highness," he yelled as he stationed himself in front of the king and queen. "NOW!"
The dust quickly parted and a figure made his way around the unconscious bodies of guardsmen on the ground around him. His hood hung low over his eyes.
Calen tightened the grip he had on his sword handle as the stranger approached him.
"Halt!" Calen barked. His eyes glared with ferocity. "You are under arrest!"
The stranger smiled and stopped. He slowly drew his sword from his side.
The ensuing battle seemed to last a lifetime but was merely a few moments. The two men swung their swords with precision, as if choreographed. The loud clangs of steel hitting steel reverberated off the throne room walls.
During the scuffle, Randor managed to pick up Marlena. His eyes, however, were fixated on the swordfight going on in front of him. Without realizing it, he slowly walked backwards towards the thrones.
Calen swung. Damas countered. The two men locked swords and stood inches from each other's faces.
"What purpose do you serve?" Calen grunted as he struggled to keep his footing.
Damas smiled and moved his wrist an inch to the left. He knew he was setting up for the kill.
"I'm going to kill your king," he hissed. "It's really a very simple purpose."
With a sharp movement, Damas freed himself from the lock and managed to sweep Calen's legs out from under him.
The captain fell to the ground with a hard thud, his sword scattering across the floor.
Randor's eyes widened as he held Marlena closer to him. He knew he should flee with her, but his legs seemed frozen against his will.
Damas held his sword against Calen's throat and chuckled.
"It's a pity a great swordsman such as you has to die for a childkiller," he growled. "Randor is not worth your blood friend, but as it appears, I have no choice."
Calen leered at him in defiance. "I'm not your friend, you Horde fiend."
Damas lifted the sword as if to make a thrashing strike. Calen closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.
"I'm sorry Adora," he whispered and he felt the wind slice through the air. Seconds passed and when the beating of his heart stopped echoing in his eardrums, Calen heard the sound of steel hitting the floor.
He opened his eyes to discover there was no blood. He was very much still alive. The stranger had his hands in the air. His face, still mostly covered by his hood, was red in anger. Yet he didn't move and didn't speak.
Calen reached over and picked up the stranger's sword. As he stood up, he saw Teela with the barrel of her sidearm pressed firmly into the back of the stranger's head. A sly smile spread across her face as other guardsmen came running back in.
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now, you scum." She seethed.
Calen cocked an eyebrow at his Lieutenant's behavior. Normally Teela was very calm in battle. She wasn't one to let her emotions get the best of her.
The stranger still didn't move.
"Do as you like, m'lady." He growled back.
But Calen wasn't going to let his second in command kill the only person that could give them information. So he drew his own sidearm and held it on the stranger.
"At ease, Lieutenant," he said sternly. "Take possession of our friend here and escort him to the dungeons. I want him in good health when I question him later. Teela, is that clear?"
Teela nodded and holstered her sidearm. More than anything she wanted to make him pay but her duty WAS her duty.
Across the room Marlena started to stir in Randor's arms. The king loving sat his wife up in her throne and cupped her face in his hands. Marlena opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Over her husband's shoulder she watched as several guardsmen surrounded a hooded man.
"What happened, Randor?" she whispered, never removing her eyes from the scene in front of her.
Randor however was oblivious to the situation. It was quite obvious his concern was for his wife.
"I'll explain later darling," he soothed. "You need rest."
Marlena nodded and stood.
Across the room, the stranger was being taken into custody.
Damas knew he couldn't defeat so many at once unarmed, but he was not done yet. He would go with them, but they wouldn't hold him for long. He scowled as he started planning in his head.
"We're not finished Randor!" his yell echoed in the vast room. "You filthy coward!"
The king didn't acknowledge the outburst but the queen did. She turned and stared at the man.
Blood boiled in Teela. She spun in front of the stranger and slapped him. Calen opened his mouth to protest and then closed it again, fearing possible retribution himself.
Dama's head jilted to the left and he felt the heat from the contact in his jaw. As he started to turn his head again, his hood fell back.
His cold blue eyes locked with Teela's flashing green eyes and the two stared at each other as if each were preparing to completely unleash on the other.
So caught up in their own anger, the two barely seemed to notice the loud gasp from the Queen, who now lay fainted on the ground.