The Ardoon King Read online

  Chapter 28: Deception

  Disparthian, looking troubled, stood at the entrance to the King’s Suite, a piece of paper in his hand.

  “What is it?” asked Lilian, frowning.

  Handing her the transcript, the lord said, “We have received a report from the Eastern Expedition that the king and Captain Vedeus are trapped in an underground cave.”

  “But he is alive?” asked the woman with urgency. Her face had gone white.

  “We have no reason to think him otherwise,” said Disparthian carefully. “It is reported he was in the cave connected to the surface by a tunnel. The earthquake caused the tunnel entrance to collapse. We have no reason to think the cave was damaged, however.”

  “An earthquake in Nebraska?”

  “My thoughts, also, Annasa. These are unusual times.”

  “Can he be rescued quickly? He is with a squadron of Peth. Surely they can clear the entrance in but a few hours.”

  “It cannot be done that fast. The main chamber of the cave is reportedly twenty feet underground and the tunnel leading to it is filled with dirt, large boulders, and vehicles.”

  “Vehicles?”

  “They were parked nearby and collapsed into a cavity created by the earthquake.”

  Lilian crossed her arms. “Yet a squadron of Peth is a force to be reckoned with.”

  Disparthian nodded. “It is, Annasa, but we no longer have a squadron. Combat was underway when the earthquake occurred.” Here he decided to ignore the extraordinary claims of a ‘monster,’ substituting a more conventional and more likely description of what actually occurred. “The enemy was ferocious and we lost most of our soldiers. Perhaps a quarter are still alive and several of those have incapacitating injuries. It is reported that Vedeus and the king had pursued the combatants’ leaders into the cave just before the quake.” He made the last part up, of course. The alternative, though, was that the king and Vedeus had hidden in the cave, which was unthinkable.

  “How long before Ben and Vedeus can be rescued?”

  “The survivors will not rest until they are. But they have only entrenching tools – small shovels. They have no heavy equipment to assist them. No excavators or bulldozers. There is no easy way to move the vehicles that are piled on top of one another. They must be tied to horses and pulled away, but first the Peth must find chains or ropes. They are scouting for needed materials. Shovels, picks, chains, ropes – anything. Until those things can be found, there will be little progress.”

  Breathing hard, the queen asked, “How long can he – they – survive in the cave?”

  “It is difficult to say without more information.”

  “Do Ben and Vedeus have water? Food?”

  “It is unlikely they have food with them. But it was reported that water had collected in the chamber.” A chamber littered with decaying corpses.

  “Anu and Antu!” cried Lilian, “Diz, how could this happen? We must send another squadron – no, all of them. Every Peth we have. With shovels or whatever else they need.”

  The man nodded. “Everything that can be done, will.” He hesitated and lowered his head. “We must consider what to do about Annasa Fiela.”

  Lilian recoiled. “Oh! How can I tell her of this? It will drive her mad! She will take a horse from the stables and ride off without fear for her life and will put herself in great danger. She will ride her horse into the ground.”

  “I have sequestered the radio operators who received the message and placed a guard at the door to prevent them from leaving. But I cannot hold them forever and I cannot prevent Annasa Fiela from entering the radio room, which she often does, to check on the status of the expedition.”

  Lilian looked up at him, her eyes beseeching. “What can be done, then? I cannot imprison her and I cannot keep the news from her. She will behave exactly as you have predicted and I might lose both my sister and my husband.”

  Disparthian said, “I have thought on this and have a plan. We must act quickly, though. If your sister sees you she will know something is amiss. You must hide yourself.”

  Mystified, the queen said, “I do not understand. To what end? What is your plan?”

  “Annasa Fiela is desperate to be reunited with her husband. She would have followed him the first day he left, if he had allowed it. I will tell her that the king has decided to stay longer at his objective and has had a change of heart because of the delay. I will tell her that he now wishes for her to join him. She will want to leave right away.”

  Lilian’s eyes darted about the room as she thought. “Yes…yes, it is a good plan. She will be removed from the kingdom and will travel to her husband with haste, but not with such haste as to be foolish, and she will have the Red Guard as her escort. Her heart will be filled with joy instead of terror.” She frowned. “Until she gets there.”

  “She is fated to be there, in any event. Either to be with the king or to recover his body. We merely begin her journey before knowing which.”

  Lilian nodded again. “It is a good plan. But will she not discern from your countenance that you are troubled?”

  “It is likely she will, but I will tell her that I am uneasy because the king has told me to keep her departure a secret.”

  “A secret?”

  “Yes, Annasa. A secret from you.”

  The woman’s expression changed from one of mystification to resignation. “I see,” she said quietly. “It is too believable, is it not?”

  The man did not respond.

  “Very well, tell her that. She will believe you.” Thinking a moment, she added, “You must go with her. Your leadership is needed at the site. Take my squadron. It is a paramount that the king be rescued.”

  “Of course, but I suggest your sister be accompanied only by the Red Guard. She will be suspicious if the force is any larger. I will tell her that the king has tasked me with reconnoitering Denver International, and that I intend to take the Golds there.”

  “Is that true?” asked the surprised queen. “Ben wants you to go to the airport? Why?”

  The man nodded. “It was one of his last commands before he departed but he gave me no details. Still, the command allows me to send a separate force east, ostensibly on a separate mission. I will go to the airport and do the search required of me. Then I will continue east, my force riding parallel to Annasa Fiela’s yet with several miles between us. Captain Bavenmore is the commander of the Red Guard and a trustworthy man who has fought with me on many occasions. I will reveal the truth only to him, so that we might call upon one another by radio in the event of trouble along the way.”

  “How will you explain your appearance to Fiela when you arrive at Ben’s location? She will perceive that you were shadowing her and she will soon learn that you knew of the king’s peril.”

  Disparthian shrugged. “If we rescue the king, all will be forgiven. If the king is dead…” He shrugged again, his face darkening.

  Lilian placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “We must pray for the best.”

  Then, glancing toward the closed door, she put her arms around the man and placed her head against his chest.