“This Council is in session,” scowled Malid. “Remove yourself immediately.”
“I came to alert you to potential violence,” declared the soldier. “People are gathering in the street demanding to see the lost princesses.”
“What?” snapped Malid. “They must be dispersed immediately. Where is the army to control the mobs?”
“The army is busy sealing the city,” answered the soldier. “There has been an escape from the prison.”
“An escape?” Volox asked innocently. “Who has escaped?”
“I heard it was the two foreign girls,” answered the soldier. “I heard that Tamar is responsible for the escape. I am sorry to have to tell you that.”
“Get out,” Malid shouted at the soldier. “You, too,” he added to the guard who had been called as a witness.
Both men scurried out of the room, but they left the door open. Malid stood steaming as he glared at Volox.
“This whole meeting has been delayed by you,” accused Malid. “You have stalled at every turn to give your son time to free the prisoners. You are an accomplice to the assassination attempt on Queen Alycia. You shall hang alongside the girls when they are captured.”
“I have been doing my civic duty to make sure that you did not rush blindly into executing the lost princesses,” Volox defended himself. “In fact, that is exactly what you would have done, never knowing that you were destroying the Prophecies of Kieran.”
“That does not excuse your actions,” retorted Malid. “You are guilty of treason. Hanging you will have no effect on the Prophecies of Kieran. Besides, I am willing to bet that this scroll is a forgery. I do not know what game you are playing at, but it is over. You shall hang before the day is over.”
“Why should we wait for the hangman?” snarled Karaza as he entered the room through the open door. “The scroll is definitely a forgery. I think such extraordinary treason deserves and extraordinary death,” he sneered as his arm rose menacingly and pointed at Volox.
Chapter 28
The Royal Tree
Volox cringed as Karaza’s hand pointed at him. The elder knew he was endangering himself by stalling the execution of the princesses, but he had not expected to die like this. He closed his eyes and offered a quick prayer to Kaltara. Nothing happened.
Volox opened his eyes and saw Karaza sneering at him. Other elders were leaving their chairs and moving away from Volox. The whole room seemed to be in motion when an old man stepped through the door.
“Put down your useless arm, Karaza,” Garl said. “Elvangar does not accept executions without a vote of the Council of Elders, and they have not yet voted for one.”
Karaza spun and faced Garl. “So you are the one shielding him?” he spat. “I suspected as much, but you have just violated the queen’s orders. You have been banned from the city for years.”
“So I am,” nodded Garl, “but you are not going to do anything about my return. You have already tried to kill Volox several times today and failed because I was protecting him. I will continue to protect him. Now I see you trying to kill an elder and claim that you are doing so because of what transpired here in the latest session. Tell this Council why then you tried to kill him before this session.”
“I tried no such thing,” spat Karaza. “Summon the guards, Malid, and have this criminal arrested.”
“I can produce witnesses who will testify otherwise,” Garl retorted, ignoring the threat of guards arriving, “but why quibble over such details. I will not allow you or anyone else to kill an elder without trial.”
“All this talk of killing will stop,” declared Malid, as he grew nervous in the presence of two powerful mages. “The Council of Elders will not rule on any executions this day. The foreigners have escaped and must be recaptured before they can be executed for attempted assassination, and Volox is not going anywhere. If this Council finds him guilty of treason, it will do so only after a thorough investigation. For today, this Council is adjourned.”
The frightened elders scurried for the door and left the room quickly. Karaza glared at Garl and then Malid. He stormed out of the room. Only Malid, Volox, and Garl were left in the room.
“You have made a powerful enemy in Karaza,” Malid said to Garl. “You would be wise to leave Morada immediately.”
“Karaza has been my enemy for almost two decades,” replied Garl. “Back then I thought it best for the sake of Elvangar to seclude myself in a remote village. That was the worst mistake of my life. I am not about to repeat it.”
“You are going to defy the queen?” gasped the Head Elder.
“Defy the queen?” echoed Garl. “No, Malid, I am going to straighten the queen out. Those two young women that you were trying to execute are Alahara and Alastasia. Furthermore, they are currently on a quest to return King Avalar to power.”
“King Avalar?” frowned Malid. “He has been dead for years. Karaza even found his remains.”
“Then won’t Karaza be surprised when the king returns?” quipped Garl. “I must take Volox with me when I visit the queen. It is necessary for his protection. I suggest for your own betterment that you accompany us.”
“You can’t be serious?” balked Malid. “The palace is closed to all. Even if it was not, Queen Alycia would never see you.”
“You underestimate me, Malid,” smiled Garl. “Come along.”
Volox moved to Garl’s side. The old man extended his hand to usher Malid through the door. The Head Elder stood indecisively for a moment and then shook his head and left the room. Garl and Volox followed and then Garl took the lead. He marched across the plaza and approached the palace guards with Malid and Volox close behind. The guards tensed as the trio approached.
Garl did not say a word. As he got closer, he waved his hand as he stared at the guards surrounding the platform. The guards stepped aside and Garl led the two elders onto the platform. He reached out and pulled the rope causing a distant bell to ring in the higher reaches of the Royal Tree. The platform rose smoothly. When it stopped at the uppermost level, two guards drew their swords defensively.
Garl smiled and stared at the guards. Their minds instantly clouded with confusion, but that lasted only a second before they sheathed their weapons and stepped aside. Garl led the way along a corridor.
“Why do these guards obey you?” whispered Malid. “Does the queen know that you are coming?”
Garl ignored the question as they entered a large room. Over a dozen soldiers occupied the room, and Garl knew that he could not cast compulsion on all of them. He concentrated on the two closest to him. They nodded and pointed to a short corridor on the other side of the room.
“What is going on?” asked a distant soldier. “We were told no visitors.”
“Would you deny entrance to the Head Elder?” asked Garl as he fixed his gaze on the vocal soldier.
The soldier suddenly shook his head and lowered his gaze to the floor. None of the other soldiers decided to interfere. Garl led the way along the short corridor, and the group entered the throne room. Garl closed the doors and then waved his hand over them. The ancient wood of the doors suddenly sprouted new life. Vines grew out of the woodwork and crisscrossed both of the doors. In mere moments a massive binding of vines sealed the doors. They would not be easily opened.
“What are you doing?” asked Malid. “I don’t like the looks of this.”
“It is to ensure our privacy,” answered Garl. “Wait here while I awaken the queen.”
Garl crossed the throne room and entered the queen’s chambers. He found the queen fast asleep on her bed, still dressed in her royal garb. Garl frowned as he placed his hand on the temple of the queen. He nodded knowingly after a moment and cast a spell to remove the one cast by Karaza. The queen opened her eyes and stared up at Garl.
“You?” she scowled as she jumped out of bed. “How dare you show your face in my city? You have been banished for life.”