Chapter 12

Once out of the chamber Dusty smiled and raced down the hall to grab Suzan's hand as she was still storming down the hallway, and pulled her trembling frame into an embrace.

As he did he noticed that her face was unreadable, but he could see as he did this that she was still very much pissed off. While pulling her close he buried his face in her hair.

"I'm sorry honey, but should have told you that you broke nothing. If I hadn't been so caught up in self pity I would have spoken up early. If you had gone looking for his attention, or had taken him up on his offer for attention, then your promise would have been broken. But this was never your fault, and I never once thought that it was," said Dusty softly into her hair.

"Are you sure? Do you really mean it? I didn't betray your trust? But you were so hurt, are you sure that you still trust me?" asked Suzan softly.

"No, you didn't betray me and I truly believe that you never will. So of course I still trust you. I never stopped," said Dusty softly.

Leaning back he could see the unshed tears in her eyes before she started to kiss him. After a few moments they heard Lori clear her throat.

"I know, I know. I'm the last person to tell someone to stop a public display, but we're building up quite the audience around us," said Lori with a sly smile. She was happy that the two of them seemed to have worked out their problems.

Grinning with tears still in her eyes Suzan grabbed Dusty's hand and started to pull him outside the castle.

As they went outside, Daniel asked Dusty "So what is your plan to stop this?"

"First we're going to do the easy thing and catch those involved and then make them confess. But I need for you and Rachel to stay here and keep an eye on things. If I'm right it's only going to get harder from here," smiled Dusty.

Leaving a bewildered Daniel behind, Dusty and the other three left out of the door and headed for their Inn to get a start on returning to the border. Rachel didn't quite know what was going on, but she trusted Dusty and her friends.

As Daniel looked at her questioningly Rachel just looked up at him coyly and said, "You know I would like seconds, or is it twelfths, of last night. What do you say we go back and get reacquainted with each other again?"

Daniel just smiled and picked her up in his arms and carried her to their horses.

On the way Rachel slowly put her arms around his neck and said "You know you will have to teach me how you fight so well with just your left hand. I've always wanted to know how to do that as smoothly as you do it.

Daniel smiled larger as he kissed his new bride.

Growing up the various servants always told him that his mom was just as interested in weapons as his father and the best times his parents spent together was were when they sparred with each other. He was looking forward to those times as well with Rachel as well.

They seemed so compatible that it was scary at times.

Marie, Seth, and Seth's men made good time getting back to the castle.

Seth sent word that he need to talk to the King immediately, and a few hours later they found that they were being ushered into his private audience chamber.

"Seth what did you find out? It must be important since you've not been gone but a few days," said the King in seriousness.

"Your Highness I should let Marie explain because she figured it out," said Seth grimly.

Starting to talk Marie filled the King in on what was going on. The more she spoke and pointed out what was going on, the madder the King got. Before long she got to the end.

"DAMNATION! Those stupid idiots are giving the kingdom away! What is going on! Is Count Randall the only one or are all of them in on it? " roared the King as he got up pacing.

Watching him for a while the pair stayed silent as he thought.

"I'll have them all executed for treason!" said the King finally.

"I think its just Count Randall," said Marie simply.

"Why do you say that young lady?" asked the King.

"Well I described to my friend what we found on our tours around the kingdom and he mentioned that he saw the same things at the site of the attack on Tolenburg. Then the Count isn't doing anything illegal to increase his capital net worth like the others, yet he's still quite wealthy, how come?" asked Marie as she looked at the King.

"And if Josh is in on it then either the Count is leading it or is getting something out of it we don't understand," said Seth.

"So what is your next step?" asked the King.

He knew what he wanted to do, but he was curious what their plan was.

"While I was waiting to speak with you I had a few of my men find Josh. Before we came I gave instructions for him to be "escorted" from the whore house and brought to the main interrogation room. I think he may have a few things we might need to hear. If you'll excuse me your Highness," said Seth grimly.

Rising Seth headed for the door before he realized that Marie was right behind him.

"Marie this is not going to be pretty. You may want to stay here," said Seth.

"Seth I've seen things that would make your skin crawl. My team seems to specialize in that. The worst was a cruel monster calling himself a mage that turned very young children into unbelievable horrors that still sometimes haunts my dreams. There is nothing you can do that will ever be worse than that," said Marie just as grimly.

Nodding Seth went out the door with Marie behind him.

"That is a pair I don't want to have to cross," said the King as he watched them go.

Walking into the room Seth looked at Josh tied to a chair. He had been roughed up, but nothing too bad. As Seth and Marie started into the room all the guards left.

Seth walked in and pulled a chair close to him and turned it around so he was facing the back as he sat in it. As Marie came in she closed he door and leaned on the wall close to it.

"So big man, feeling better about doing this to me? What am I, just another way to impress your latest whore? Getting both of your jollies from screwing with me in front of her? Just wait until I get out, Count Randall won't let you get away with this and then you'll get yours," said Josh with a sneer.

"Tell me about Patella Josh," said Seth softly.

"What, you want to build a summer home there or something?" Josh sneered.

"You know slick, we don't have time for this. But something tells me you already know that. Let me tell you a story. There was once a mage who turned small children as young as four into things right out of some kind of demented nightmare all for the fun of it. I killed all his men without batting an eye and spit on their corpses," said Marie just as softly as Seth.

Both Seth and Josh started to get chills from the way she said it.

"And I have no problem doing it again to some piece of crap that could so easily kill others for, what I'm guessing is financial gain, as you are doing now. You almost killed the only man in the world for me and I won't soon forget that.

"You have two choices tells us what you know and the king "may" show you mercy, or you can stay in here with me alone. But if you chose option two only one of us is leaving here breathing in the next ten minutes," said Marie as she stared at him hard.

"You're bluffing. You have me as a prisoner. Too many people saw your men take me away. You will never be able to convince others you don't know why I just up and died," said Josh sweating as he tore his eyes away from Marie to look at Seth.

He didn't like the crazed look in Marie's eye.

"Who said we were going to care who knew we killed you?" asked Seth almost casually.

Josh looked at him incredulously.

"The way I see it, if you don't start talking anyone who might care won't be around much longer so it won't matter because everyone will have more important things to worry about shortly," said Seth as he leaned back and interlaced his fingers before he reversed them and then flexed and popped them.

He started to get out of his chair and approach Josh.

"No don't, I'll talk. What do you want to know!" said Josh in a panic.

He had seen Seth crush a variety of things to impress the ladies with his bare hands. He didn't want to be anywhere near Seth, or his crazy woman behind him.

"Tell you what, you start with your visits to Patella and keep talking and we'll tell you when you've talked enough," said Seth.

Josh started talking and soon they had what they needed.

"That's what he said your Highness," said Seth looking grim.

"What do we do with him?" asked Marie.

"Leave him in a cell for now. Seth I need for a few of your men to go get Count Randall tonight. He has twenty men as granted to him by the crown as guards. Take about two hundred and pull him out of bed and have him before me within the hour. This ends now!" said the King.

"As your majesty request," said Seth as he headed out

Seth didn't even bother saying anything to Marie as she followed him. He knew there wasn't anything she was going to see that she hadn't already seen that was far worse if her stories were true. And she was still a comfort to him to have around.

An hour later a naked, accept for his long overcoat, Count Randall was unceremoniously dropped to the floor in front of the King by two of Seth's men. He had been tied to a horse and forced to ride that way. The ropes were still securing his feet.

He rolled over onto his back and looked up defiantly as the King and the others around him.

"What is the meaning of this?! I and the other Counts will have you dethroned for this violation! As a representative of the people..." started Count Randall

"SHUT UP YOU MISERABLE BASTARD!" roared the King.

The Count was taken back. The King had for so long tried to find a diplomatic way to speak to everyone that he was shocked speechless.

"You bastard of a cur! Your treasonous snake! How dare you sell out your kingdom for money! FOR MONEY! For money and the promise of a new position in the court of the conquering army, for that you sold out your own kingdom?! You won't get a trial or the stocks and then a beheading because I will have you killed tonight!" said the King.

"You can't do that I'm a noble! I have rights! You need proof! Where is your proof!" said Count Randall growing scared.

"We have your man Josh Sterling. We already know about all of his trips to arrange a position for you both, I have a few spies in Patella as well and they have confirmed what he said. Not to mention that the Battlemage who left us has already also verified these things for me as well," said the King bluffing.

"But, but..." started Randall

"DON'T TEST ME!" roared the King as looked down at Count Randall.

"Sire if I, uh, had some information to trade, could we put this ugliness behind us?" asked the Count hopefully

"IF, you tell us where the men you hired are and where they will strike next I won't have you killed, but you will still go to the prison!" said the King as he looked at him hard.

Looking around the room he knew that he wouldn't live out the night as he saw all the set faces. Sighing he started talking.

"They are in the forest of Marksnell near the caves on the far side. Their leader is Braxton Charles and he had orders to strike in three nights on this side of the border and destroy as much of the town of Lithgow as he and his men could," said the defeated Count.

"Is that enough to stop them?" asked the King turning to Marie.

"I believe it is, let me contact Dusty," said Marie smiling.

"We should get moving too and help them," said Seth as Marie started for the door.

"No Dusty was specific about this. He said that they would stop the men and we needed to stay with the king incase he was wrong," said Marie as she turned to face him.

Seth looked unsure until Marie stepped into him and reached up and touched his face with her hands.

"If you love me and trust me, then trust what I'm doing. I trust Dusty and my friends with my life and they have never let me down," said Marie softly.

Nodding Seth let her leave the room before he turned and had the former Count Randall fitted with shackles and taken to a cell in the same prison that housed Josh.

"Thanks Marie, I'm sure we can find directions from here. We won't be able to talk again for a week, but let's do it at this time when we do, and be next to the King when you do. We'll have this all fixed up by then," said Dusty into his crystal.

As everyone said goodbye and Marie signed off Dusty turned and smiled at them.

"Since we're not that far from the border this should be pretty easy to sew up," said Dusty smiling.

Braxton was pacing around.

The two scouts he had sent out should have been back by now. They need to go over the plans for their attack on the town of Lithgow. He was bothered by their tardiness.

While he was looking around at the other 5 men, who were also acting nervous, they could also feel something wasn't right.