‘I’ll ensure he causesno harm,’ said Alpha, using mind speak. ‘Remember what I said aboutvengeance.’
She ignored Alpha,thinking ‘That stone seems to be a little too smart for myliking.’
She removed Aquitain’sarm and leg from the dimension bag and bound them with some cord sothat she could sling them over her shoulder. Leaving the bagagainst the wall, she left.
Fifty paces down thetunnel she spoke to the Enforcer.
‘He has had a traumaticexperience. He died and has been reborn today. Keep clear and lethim recover. Above all, do not injure him in any way or he may turninto a beast and you will lose many good warriors.’
The Enforcer agreed andadvised Miranda that the Queen wished to see her before she left.Miranda wasn’t in the mood for niceties; she wanted to maintain herrage, so the chat with the Queen was brief though cordial. As sheleft the city she let her anger grow. Only Quab or Featherdown knewwhere she and Aquitain were, so either one or perhaps both wereresponsible for Aquitain’s murder, and it was time to show that shewasn’t going to allow them to get away with it.
She teleported to themarker outside Twin Towers, and using her marvellous golden bootsran at a supernatural speed up the track through the town to aposition between the two wizard towers where she stopped and threwAquitain’s body parts on the ground in front of her. She said aprayer to the Lady then thrust the hilt of the gnarled old staffshe carried at the ground. The whole of town of Twin Towers shookand rocked as if from an earth tremor and a beam of light shot athousand paces into the sky; a black cloud began to grow and spreadout across the sky, casting a huge shadow over the town.
She pointed the staffat Featherdown’s tower and a huge bolt of lightning hit the towerand rocked it to its foundations.
‘Come out wizard,’ shecommanded.
Featherdown was sittingin his lounge entertaining an Archon who had happened to turn up aday earlier than expected, when he felt the earth tremor and histower shook. He excused himself and quickly teleported to the frontdoor and looked out, to see Miranda standing there armed for battleand looking very angry. His first thought was that she’d decided totake on the Archon, then the lightning bolt struck his tower andshe called him out.
‘Oh no,’ he thought.‘Something’s happened to Aquitain!’
He threw off hisdecorative cloak, closed his eyes and snapped a command. A patchedbrown leather cloak that had seen much death and destruction overthe years appeared in one hand; as he snapped a second command ablack wooden staff shod in brass appeared in the other. He quicklycast protective magic on himself that might confer some protectionagainst lightning, and strode out to meet her. The Archon came tothe doorway to watch.
‘What brings my friendPrincess Miranda here wielding the Staff of Storms?’
‘Look on the ground infront of me, wizard. There lie the remains of Aquitain, foullymurdered by your assassin. I only escaped by a whisker, due mainlyto Aquitain’s quick thinking. Only you and Quab knew of hiswhereabouts, so one of you betrayed him and when I find out whichone that person will die.’
Zephira felt the tremorand ran out of her barracks.
‘What was that?’ shewondered, just as a guard ran up shouting.
‘The druid woman calledMiranda had come here prepared for battle. Call out the guard.’
Her heart almoststopped. This could only mean one thing. She looked into the skyand saw the dark cloud forming overhead, and jumped as thelightning bolt struck Featherdown’s tower.
She ran toward thetower and stopped when she saw Miranda dressed for battle. Shewatched Featherdown come out of his tower dressed in battle robesand then saw Aquitain’s arm and leg lying on the ground in front ofMiranda.
‘No!’ she screamed andraced over to kneel by her cousin’s remains.
Miranda looked down ather with tears in her eyes.
‘I’m sorry Zephira, Ifailed him. A cowardly wizard cloaked in invisibility to hide hisface killed him using a disintegration ray. He turned to dustleaving nothing of his body remaining except these metal parts.With his final breath he saved my life, and I will repay that debtby seeking out those responsible and exacting justice. Tell yourfamily that he will be avenged.’
Miranda again glared atFeatherdown and continued:
‘I have been raisedwith a fierce distrust of wizards. Mark my words, wizard, if it wasyou that betrayed us then you will have a tempest after yourblood,’ with that she teleported back to her home.
Featherdown calmlywalked over to Aquitain’s remains and picked up the arm and leg andlooked closely at where it was sheared off. It definitely looked asif disintegration magic had caused it. He had seen it used in backalleys by assassins on several occasions. The Archon came over.
‘That display ofpowerful magic must be illegal. If you wish to swear a warrant Iwill pursue the case, Your Excellency.’
‘No one was injured. Isaw no excessive use of magic and I make the rules here. Here liethe remains of Aquitain the Logicon whom you seek. It seems thatsome assassin has beaten you to your quarry. Take the remains, ifyou must verify his demise.’
‘You just recently toldme that you didn’t know the whereabouts of the criminal that I wasseeking, yet that angry woman claimed you did,’ said theArchon.
‘That is correct. Ihave received information about several locations where the Logiconwas thought to be, though all that I have checked to date wereincorrect. Had you not come when you did I would have been able tocheck that location, and perhaps avert this disaster.’
‘My apologies, YourExcellency, I will take the evidence and present it to thecomplainant. If they are satisfied then you will hear no more. Ifnot, I may be back to get a statement from that angry young womanwho claimed to have seen the criminal killed.’
‘That angry young womanis a member of a royal family. I don’t expect that she is likely togive you a statement, nor do I expect you will be able to force herto. If you wish
