Chapter 2 - 2. The mission

Wednesday, early afternoon, in their own rooms

Derek woke two hours after the lunch hour and dressed in more appropriate clothes than those he had worn yesterday. This was one of the things he didn't like with living so close to a king. You couldn't wear what you felt like and Derek never felt at home in court-silks. He also didn't like they way everyone always starred on him and even as he was bigger than most their looks made him feels small. He always tried to fit in but even if he was clean-shaven and wore the right clothes he couldn't pull it of.

He met Cal in the breakfast hall which was empty for all but them now. Caleb was as usual dressed in fine grey wool. He had dressed the same way since they had met and probably before that too. It didn't seem inappropriate on Cal; he could wear anything with grace. Derek let out a sight and sat down opposite his friend.

No one of them spoke during the meal; Caleb had never been a morning person; to Cal it was morning whenever he woke up. Derek also seemed to have something else on his mind so the meal was unusually quiet even for them. Cal felt better today and almost regretted what he had said to Deliam. Almost.

As they where finished with all they had to do they decided to report as the small council already would be gathered. The council always gathered in the east tower. They where in a tower for two reasons. First they needed somewhere safe since no guards where allowed in during the meeting. The second reason was that it was harder to spy on someone sitting in a windy tower. Actually, it was almost impossible.

But that both Derek and Caleb knew all the reasons for the meeting to be in the tower didn't help with their idea of it. It was a long walk up there, some days they also had to be walking up and down five times for various reasons. Besides that the whole tower was windy and on the winter there was even sometimes ice on the inside of the walls. That said you could also ad that Derek had a fear of heights that sometimes showed itself then the tower gently started to swing back and fort. Deliam's grandfather had begun to renovate the tower, then Deliam's father king Gregory had continued. Now Deliam was working on it. Nothing seemed to work, the tower was still moving and the wind was still blowing right threw it.

Anyway, now they where walking up the worn stairs. They could hear the tower crack as its foundations seemed to move. With a oath Derek held on with one hand on the wall as well as he could. Cal just laughed at him. For a person that loved heights this was easy enough.

“Laugh if you want, I am sure that I will find a reason to laugh at you before long.” Derek grunted.

He hadn't expected Cal to heed his words but after that Caleb laughed the whole way up.

“You can stop now Cal, it wasn't all that funny.”

“You would also have thought that it was funny it you had seen your own face. As it the whole tower was going to fall on your head, and yet you were holding on to the wall. And this after having been in this tower over a hundred times, knowing that it always shakes like this. I tell you Derek, it was funny, and to think that there as many people in the world that don't think that you can be a funny guy.” Cal smiled at him and then continued laughing as if he hadn't stopped.

“That is enough for now Cal, I get you point. You think that I should laugh and joke more as well as not be afraid for this old tower to fall down on out heads. Well forget it, at least for now.”

With does words he counted to three and then opened the door. The three seconds had been enough for Caleb to compose his face. But as it was that didn't matter much since all who knew Caleb could see on the colure in his eyes what mood he was in. Now Derek noticed that they where somewhere in-between a happy green and a shining blue. At least someone is happy he thought, for he didn't look forward talking to the council.

“Caleb Silvers and Derek Johnson reporting,” Derek's real last name didn't have the same flare. With that he could have been anyone, and would have been if he hadn't meet Caleb.

“We hear that last night's assignment went as planed, in fact, we have the wares here.” It was Lord Jason that had spoken. He had been the late kings trusted friend and Derek had always rather liked the man. He was also responsible for international politics.

“But you could have been caught, that is unacceptable, to say the least!” This angry man was Lord Gaywaters, his area was police.

“Caught? What do you mean milord?” Cal asked, clearly confused with this statement.

“The police reported this morning that they had heard something in sector 34, exactly where you to where! You can thank your own good luck that they where on their way back to headquarters and didn't have time to investigate further.”

“I didn't know that milord, but if they had found us we could have dealt with them. The mission would never have been compromised.”

“That is no the point! It we wanted publicity on everything we do, we wouldn't need you! We where going around the police because the police asks questions.” Gaywaters was high red now, leaning over the table. The men on his sides looked like they wanted to be anywhere but there.

“Now, now, I think that that is more than enough Sam. Sit down and behave as a gentleman should. And you two should sit down too, if I may be so bold your majesty.” Said Lord Jason. In the end of his speech he looked at Deliam who was sitting at the end of the table. The newly crowned king only seemed to happy that everything was calming down again and that he hadn't had to do anything.

As Lord Sam Gaywaters sank back into his chair Derek and Caleb took one each between Lord Fisher, who was the master historian, and Lady Bronzer who was not just the only woman on the small council but also the only one except Deliam that had the key to the treasury.

As soon as they where seated the spy master Mr Jenkins started talking. “Now that everybody finally is here maybe we could move on to the next subject on the list.” After a while when no one seemed inclined to answer him he just continued. “I have now gotten as much information as I can on the goblet that was stolen from out king's forefathers for exactly one hundred and four years ago this year. Out wise king have decided that he wants it back. Many attempts have been made on it before of course but we now believe that we can succeed. Would you like to tell them the rest your grace?”

Del nodded unsurely and seemed to steal looks on Caleb; Derek wondered why but decided to ignore it for now. “The last attempt to steal it back was made twenty two years ago by my great uncle. Not to this day do we for sure know what did go wrong. Just that his men never returned to us. Today many of my counsellors and I believe that we can succeed where others have failed. Lord Fisher, if you would be so kind.”

The little balding man pulled out a map that was almost as high as he was. Carefully he rolled it out on the table and set out little weights in the corners.

“What we are looking as is a map from the year three-hundred and seven. Now you must understand that much have changed but some things remain the same. As I am sure you all can see this map shows the ancient city of Roxburgh. That has of course been in ruins for well over six hundred years. On top of the old city was New Roxburgh built in the twentieth year of the old empire. The one that ordered the building of New Roxburgh was general Fickels. To continue this also was the year that”

He was cut short by Gaywaters who didn't seem able to stay quiet today. Derek wondered what had gotten his temper so fired up.

“Get to the point, we all knows out history old man.” Even if the words were harsh many people around the table nodded. They all knew what had happened; this was common history that all children learned in school together with their letters.

“I am getting to it but you all have to know this to understand everything. One of the things this will show is how that map ended up here. Now where was I? Ah yes, the proud general. This year many things happened. The old emperor died and the new was just a boy. As the boy grew the empire changed, it was attacked from the east be savages and civil war after civil war tore the once great empire apart. When the boy was sixteen and came to rule the land in more than just his name he was a suspicious man. Some have even named him possessed or under the sickness of paranoia. What ever was the case that doesn't matter now. What happened was that he condemned general Fickels for treason. It was at this point the general said that he had have enough and left. Much of the army followed him and they took the city of New Roxburgh as their own. There where not enough power left in the empire at this point to do anything about it. That was the last stroke to an already dying empire. The general and now king also ruled our then very modest town. It was in fact he who brought us the trade we now have. With out him we would just be a little village. But I am getting away from the subject at hand. After many years the general died as all men must and a leader was chosen by the people to rule them. This was in fact one of the first democracies in the world. Many hundreds of years have past but the city of New Roxburgh still stands and much is as it was when the general had just ordered it built. As the Deliam said, for one hundred and four years ago the great goblet of his line was stolen as some sort of vengeance for an insult. By this time New Roxburgh still had an council but the places in it was inherited and had nothing to do with the people. It was the man, a certain Councilman Harrison, who processed what they call first chair that was responsible for the stealth. We are sure of this even if nothing official has been said.” Lord Fisher was looking very happy with himself but most of his listeners were still waiting for the point of the long involuntary history lesson they had just endured.

“And?” Lady Bronzer said at last. She was a big woman in her early forties that could count impossible numbers in her head but was without any people's skills to talk about. It was no wonder that she couldn't see anything important in any of this.

Cal on the other hand understood what Fisher had been trying to say so it was he who answered. “Well all know that the goblet is said to be kept behind the wall in the first chair's bedroom which is the old royal rooms if I am not mistaken.” He found them easily enough and pointed on them for the rest of the company to see.

“But this map is from before general Fickels rebuilt the city. We have no way of knowing if it has anything to do with how New Roxburgh looks today. The first chair took the generals chambers.”

“But we can know. I have read some of the building plans written by the general when he started to rebuild the city. Both the palace and the council houses with all the annexes are on its original spots. Fickels wrote that the original aqueducts still worked and that it would have been too expensive to build new ones. Especially when there was no need for it. This also means that most of the cellars in the old part of New Roxburgh lie as this map shows.” When Caleb finished everybody was looking at him except Deliam, who still seemed insecure.

Most faces showed some sort of surprise. Lord Fisher looked as if he might have found a likeminded and was pleasantly surprised. Derek looked surprised in a sort of amused way. Lady Bronzer almost looked sad for as she saw this as one more other soul lost from the wonders of math. The rest of the men hid their feeling so about the only thing you could read on their faces was that they were surprised by this sudden burst of knowledge.

“So how did the map exactly come here?”

It was Lord Gaywaters that asked but Fisher didn't answer until it was clear that Caleb wasn't going to say anything else. He was clearly disappointed when he answered. “New Roxburgh never had a great library so when the general decided to make out town to a city he ordered our library to be built. We have of course made it bigger and greater during the years since then but even before it was built many books from New Roxburgh was sent here. It would seem this map was one of the things that we got from New Roxburgh. This also saved many great works from the time in one thousand and thirty seven when a guerrilla group managed to burn New Roxburgh's royal library, which of course still was a great lose. Anyway, we also have charts over the aqueducts, if that would help in anyway.”

Lord Garcon who was sitting on the other side of Lady Bronzer looked as if he didn't know if he wanted to kiss or strangle Lord Fisher. Lord Garcon was what you could call the master of information together with Mr Jenkins. They had surely been looking for this kind of maps for ages and now it turned out that they really hadn't needed to look any further than in the city's own library.

They all sat quiet for a while thinking on what this new info meant for them. It was getting colder and darker outside as well as inside now and in the silence the tower was squeaking and groaning even more that before.

Caleb's mind was out and wandering in the cold night by itself. The wind was telling him that the winter was coming and that it was going to be a hard one. It also whispered to him that he was going to spend much of it outside and maybe alone. It had been a long time since he had had this kind of forebodings. His unease grew to the point that he was shivering before anyone broke the silence.

Derek was thinking on something else altogether. He who had hoped that things would be calm until spring. The night before had then felt like a onetime thing but now he was wondering if it wasn't building up to something big. And now all that talk about the goblet again. He never understood why it meant so much; it wasn't as if Del didn't have his own goblet. But anyhow, he knew that often when people sought the goblet it was war that was really on their minds.

In the end, and to Caleb's surprise, it was Deliam that finally broke the silence. “Derek and Caleb I want you two to train a band that will be capable to steal back the goblet. They must be ready a whole full moon before midwinter. We already have some volunteers. They will be gathered in first light tomorrow in the second garden. I hope that at least some of them may be sufficiently equipped with the right skills. Do you understand what you job will be?”

“Yeah I understand that we will have to be up before dawn to train some kids. We will of course do it but I fell that I have to remind you that neither Caleb nor I have any experience in training other people. I also have to ask if we are supposed to lead in that moment of stealth when the goblet is going to be taken.” Derek said it all in a pleasant voice but they could all hear that he was more than unhappy about this new mission.

“You are of course going to lead them so I hope for your sake that you train you men good,” said Lord Gaywaters with a all but pleasant smile.

After that it wasn't much more to be said and they all soon went on their way. On Derek's and Cal's way down the tower gave them a real shake but Derek didn't even notice it, his thoughts was on the coming months. For by this new order all their time had been taken from them for some months. On one hand he was glad that it wasn't anything permanent, it would be over soon enough. On the other hand he worried that they hadn't gotten enough time to train anyone in a way that could keep them alive on this fool's errand.



Thursday, at dawn, the second garden



Even through the sun hadn't shown its face yet both Caleb and Derek were standing in a corner of the garden. In a sense it was an actual garden. It had flowers and three trees in a corner. The floor was made of cobbles with grass growing between them. In the summer this was a real nice place but now it was just different shades of brown and grey.

Brown wines, brown grass, brown leaves and grey cobbles and walls. Cal and Derek were standing in one of the ports, trying to protect themselves from the wind.

The last fifteen minutes men and boys of different ages had been showing up and were now standing shivering in the wind. The youngest one looked about sixteen years old and the oldest twenty five.

“Looking at them I feel as an old man Cal,” Derek said and Caleb thought that it may have been remorse in his voice.

“Youth is overrated Derek. If you ever got the chance to be seventeen again I don't believe that you would take it, and if you did you would just be longing to grow old again. I don't understand why so many people are afraid of death in a time when so many die young.”

“Maybe it is a human trait,” Derek said and started walking briskly towards the recruits.

Caleb stood still as if he had taken a blow in the guts. That comment had been a totally unnecessary evil. He didn't understand what he had said that had mad Derek so mad. It wasn't as if the wanted to be different. Rather the opposite.

Derek had almost reached the volunteers when Caleb joined him. Last night over dinner in the messes they had discussed how they where going to deal with the recruits, now it was the time to put their decisions to the test. Caleb seriously doubted that they were going to work.

“Line up so we can look at you, now!” Bellowed Derek with a voice that echoed between the houses on the bare yard. At that some of the younger ones almost ran to get a spot in the line. The older men walked a little more calmly but it still didn't take many moments before they where all where standing on a more or less strait line.

Derek counted them and found that there were twenty three persons there. He and Cal had decided that they didn't need more than twelve, which meant at least eleven had to go. When he looked a bit closer on the recruits he thought that they should be glad if they could get eight good men out of this bunch. There were thieves who had been pardoned of they joined in on this, there also were the soldiers no one wanted and two or three former polices that for some reason hadn't fitted in into their old apartments. He caught Caleb's eye for a second and from what Derek could get out of that Cal seemed to agree with him, but what could they do?

When Caleb was finished eyeing them he spoke. “I bet most of you don't even know why you are here today. The only thing I can tell you are that you are going to be a team so you might as well get used to each other. Those of you that don't cut it won't be here in the end but those who are left will be one of the best trained squads our king will have. After today the training will begin at sundown, you will be given appropriate clothes by mistress Aulander. Get them sometimes today. Since this is the first day we want to know what you can do. You will first get a chance to talk to either myself or Derek here alone. Use that time wisely and tell us everything you have some skill in. After that you will face one of us, first in melee and then in a obstacle course, give it all you got `cause we will match you up with a partner after what you show us today.” Cal pointed on the man that stood first in line, “you come with me, and the next one goes with Derek. Everybody else can try to get to know each other; you will be spending a lot of time together form now on.”

The man that followed Caleb when he turned around was maybe more a boy than a man. He looked about sixteen-seventeen and skinny. Cal was pretty sure that this was one on the thieves that had chosen this as his road to freedom.

Caleb opened a door and went up a small stone stair. He then entered a little room that since yesterday had been his. It had one window from where he could see down to the yard. Other than that all the little room contained was a big desk three chairs and on bookcase with out any books. Some old ruler had loved to organize things so the room even had a sort of name. Room 1 68 building B.

Caleb took the chair behind the desk and offered one of the other chairs to the boy.

“So I guess you know my name but I will introduce myself anyway and then you can do the same. I am Caleb Silvers former robber and general outlaw, now I am in king Deliam's service and have a place on the small council. You will call me captain. Now I don't want to hear your lives story, make it quick and try to mention everything you are good at.”

The boy was rubbing his hands together and seemed insecure if it now was his turn to speak. After some minutes when nether spoke he began talking. “I am Tim Jacobson and… hum… I… I have travelled the highway since I was ten.” Tim looked at Cal as if wondering if he had to explain what the highway was, Caleb juts moved for him to continue. He was more than familiar with the thieves' highway. “I also can… hum… juggle and…”

This time the silence grew longer and longer. “What were you going to say boy, we haven't all that much time. I do I have to remind you that all thing you have done before is forgotten when you joined us?

“I am the best cutpurse in the lower part of town, or at least I was,” he looked at Caleb wondering if he had anything against this kind of information but Caleb just nodded.

“Have you ever held a weapon of any sort?”

“Yeah, I can use a knife rather good and when I got caught I was just learning how to use throwing knives. You can also count on me in a fight in town. I can use both hands and legs good enough.”

“Well I believe that this will be quite enough for now. When you go out send in one of the others, and remember that from now on you are supposed to call me captain.”

Tim smiled as he left, gave something that was like a mock salute and said, “Yes captain!”

When he had closed the door Caleb just shook his head, to make something that would even be remotely like a soldier out of this one was going to be a challenge of nothing else.

Soon there was a knock on the door. Caleb composed himself again. “Enter.”

The next one couldn't have been more different form Tim Jacobson. The first difference was that it was a girl and no man at all. Cal hadn't noticed that it was any girls out there but apparently there had been. But Caleb wasn't one to have any problems with training a woman. He just hoped that the rest of the team didn't have any problem working with one either.

“Joanna Umber reporting for duty, sir!” As she said “sir” she seemed to scream the word as if someone was going to defy her right to use it.

“Easy recruit, take a chair and tell me something about yourself. As why you are here and what you can do.” Caleb had never liked authority and now he found that he didn't even like to be the authority.

She sat down but wasn't at ease, she rather seemed so wounded up that she couldn't stop her fingers from moving. “I am here sir because I asked for a transfer. Before today I worked in the thirty fifth police unit. The reason for the transfer was that my commander and I didn't agree in some things, but I am sure I will like it better here.”

“What sort of things?”

Umber made a sour face, “things like bribes sir.”

Caleb couldn't stop himself from grinning badly. As a former robber he had an odd sense of honour but he didn't break his word. As he saw it the police gave their word when they got the job to do the job. That meant taking money for not doing their job was something he didn't look nicely on.

“You won't find that sorts of troubles here so don't worry. Now, many cops have a bit of the mindgift, how is it with you?”

“I am an adept but I did just barley make it through tryout, sir. If you where furious or extremely happy right now I could have sensed it but that is just about everything. But as you know the gift may grow given time, sir.”

Cal nodded, “and what kind of weapon training do you have?”

“I am competent with swords and crossbows, sir. I have also broken up a fair number of beer brawls in my time as a police officer.”

“Any other skill you would want to add?”

Umber thought for a moment before she answered. “I am pretty good with numbers sir.”

As she left she made a salute that was as correct as the rest of her seemed to be. Cal wondered what her dark secret was, for everybody had one. Even him.

He was sure she was a great cop but wondered if her honour would allow her to do what they had to do. And he hoped that she could cope with it for she seemed like a good person to have in a tight situation.



Thursday, midmorning, room 1 62 building B



Derek had now met four of the recruits and to say the least, they had been one strange group of people.

The first one had been Marius who gave you looks that said that he would just as easy slit you throat and gut you as take a drink with you. He had given Derek the creeps.

Then there had been Leland Polson. Little more than a boy dressed in a silk skirt and tailored pants. He was apparently some rich tradesman's son who had gotten himself into trouble by climbing into some girl's bedroom. When her father had caught him she had denied to ever having seen him before. His only skill seemed to be to sweet talk his way into things; the things often being girls' underpants and beds.

After that Derek had meet a twenty-something year old man called Gaston. He at least had seemed sensible enough. He had been transferred from the army because he had been found drinking on duty. The usual punish for drinking was a whipping so Gaston was at least grateful for this chance. Derek wondered of he was going to feel that way when all this was over.

The fourth person was a man called William, or Will which he preferred. He was long and lean with a short black ponytail. He had been an acrobat in a travelling group. He had also bragged with that he could climb any wall better and faster than any of them. Derek wondered if he would take up that promise against Caleb, in Derek's mind there was no question who would win.



Thursday, lunch, room 1 68 building B



The rest of the morning continued in the same way for Caleb and Derek. When they at last were finished it was time for lunch so they gave the voluntaries an hour to eat. For themselves they brought up the food to Caleb's room. They needed to talk in peace.

“So, anything promising?” Caleb asked between the bites.

Derek swallowed, “well one or two maybe. Some of them might work out with but only with some serious work on our side.”

“That might just be what Del wants from us. Maybe he thinks that we have been eating from his and his father's table far too long with not enough to show for it.”

Derek grunted to that but didn't say anything until they where finished with the food. He wiped his mouth with the napkin and leaned back with a beer in one hand. “Who do you want to face in melee? The fast, strong or the skilled?”

“Don't leave anything to fate, eh? Well, you know that I am not very skilled with the blade myself.”

“Actually, not skilled at all might be a better description. Don't you think?”

“Mock me if you want, I have seen you climb a wall and will see it again. Anyway, since we can't afford to lose against anyone of them I guess that my best shot is against the strong. Maybe also those who are pretty fast but without any skill. Those would be in the same position as me but hopefully I am faster.”

“Then I will take the rest. In the obstacle course we will just switch. That means I will take on the strong and remotely skilled, this actually might work out, Cal.”

Caleb grinned, “it always work out of us. The Lady of Luck favour us, friend.”

“That means nothing to me, but maybe the good God is smiling at us sometimes.”

After that the real work of the day begun and even in the cold wind both Caleb and Derek sweated and the plan actually did seem to work.

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