Yule Seasons and Traditions

[Azjah von Drachen Walde]

Algis scooped me into his arms and I went limp as he stepped from the shrubbery and into the chaos. Dominik was close beside him while Eoin sought the Palace guards. We had to get word out that I was alive quickly, and there was no better way than by alerting the Palace Guards to the need for transportation for a Peer. It worked. The demand for an ambulance was passed from one guard to another and while the palace physician was in attendance to the Kaiser and the Empress, someone was sent to procure a physician for many of the wounded.

Algis waved off one he did not know, and sought out his friend. He told what turned out to be another participant in this thing that to all intents and purposes, I am to be critically wounded, and my outlook not promising. We then headed for the facility where Dr. Wieland was the director in charge. Our ruse would be safe with him. We arrived with lights and siren to the private facility and I was taken ostensibly to the ER immediately. Once inside, I was safely hidden for an appropriate period of time for a surgery that would take several hours. I could hear the receptionist answering the telephone to the media. There had been two of us brought to this facility and she had been given prepared statements regarding my “condition” as well as truthful statements for the other wounded soul to provide to anyone who called.

As I remained out of sight, I glanced at Dominik. “Do you think we can draw out the mastermind, or will be get another lackey?” He sat there thoughtfully before answering. “I believe that even if we get a lackey, they will know who hired them for the job. And that is the lead we require. From there it is a matter of following the chain of command back to the source.”

His ability to get inside the minds of humans will be a very useful advantage, but I wonder if our means of acquiring information will be accepted by the Courts. As we waited I pondered some of the laws of my homeland, and how such a precedent might be successfully introduced. In many ways, our judicial system is antiquated and relies on some of the old feudal traditions rather than having moved on to more equitable and just systems. The presence of monarchies and empires seems to foster such systems, but perhaps in this case, having the Kaiser being the target of this series of events will help our case to use Dominik’s abilities.

The rest of tonight we expect to be quiet. It is doubtful the attackers will follow up so soon, but the unseen security around me is tight and will remain so until we have the assailants. Dr. Wieland had the news on for us all to see, and as expected, word of the attack has spread like wildfire in a tinder dry forest with a good wind blowing. The official release from the Palace states that the Kaiser, Empress and the Prince are all safe, but that at this moment, there have now been 8 deaths. One of the wounded has perished since we left the Palace grounds. The next report made my blood run cold as I listened to my ‘condition’ and location. “The Marchioness von Triberg is listed in critical condition at the private hospital of Hr. Dr. Wieland, the reports from the hospital indicate that the Marchioness was shot by the sniper on the roof of the Palace along with 7 others, who have all perished. The reports indicate that the Marchioness has a 50/50 chance to recover, and that the next 12 hours will be crucial.”

So, they have set this up to draw the killers in sooner, to hope they will make an effort to get to me before I can recover from the shot. As we sat there listening to the updates, my mind drifts back to my last gunshot event, that night remains forever etched in my memory as the bullet ripped through flesh and bone. We moved me into a room with a window, and deliberately set about making it appear as though I had only the hospital’s staff to look over me as we set Eoin outside the door of my room. Essentially, it appeared as though I were resting alone. Now we would wait, as Dominik faded into the deepest shadows.

[Azjah von Drachen Walde]

Waiting is not something I have ever excelled at doing, and it did not come easily now as I know this is an iffy proposition at best. How determined was the killer to assure that all of the Kaiser’s strongest supporters must die? Would they make a try for me now, while I was already incapacitated, or would they wait until my condition was clarified? How important was I to their plans? Algis has indicated that there are several key Peers, ones that stand in the way of the Kaiser’s detractors. And Algis was among those who held a great deal of power at Court. As he bade me good night, I began to wonder why it was that he had not been targeted, nor had he been on the list of targets that had been found on the roof where the sniper had been. Why was Algis not worried about being a target?

I could hear Algis outside, speaking softly with Dr. Wieland and Eoin when Dominik’s thoughts brushed against my unspoken concern. “Your suspicion would be warranted if I had not already measured the man’s worth and intentions Lady. He is not one of the assailants, but why he is not on the list confuses even him.” I glanced in the direction I could feel Dominik’s presence before closing my eyes. “What reason could there be for someone as powerful as Herzog von Seenplatte to be excluded from the target lists, unless it is to make him the primary suspect? Or perhaps because whomever is plotting this believes he would be useful in getting to the Kaiser?”

I fell asleep pondering who would be likely to consider Algis as a tool that could be used to get to the Kaiser, and what purpose could be so critical enough to warrant such a tactic. Perhaps I am on the wrong trail, but little else makes sense. I woke around 3AM, but just what had awakened me I cannot say, but I lay unmoving, listening for any sound that should not be there. Dominik remained hidden in the shadows, and his thoughts brushed my own. “We have a visitor, but he is not using the normal avenues of admission.”

I remained unmoving, apparently either asleep or unconscious, but every sense in my body was attuned to my surroundings. Dominik felt my tension, and thankfully relayed what he could see and hear since my eyes remained closed. Someone was stealthily approaching but had paused when they had spotted Eoin outside of my door. Tense minutes passed before Dominik could sense the approach of the visitor again, and Eoin’s consciousness was gone. Dominik suspects they tranquilized or otherwise drugged Eoin and had to wait for the effects. Eoin was not dead, but neither was his conscious self discernable.

My heart about leapt out of my chest as the door cracked open slowly and then a male figure in dark clothing sidled into the room. Thank the Deity that all of the monitors were replaying a prepared monitoring program or my heart rate would have given me away. He approached slowly after checking the shadowy corners of the room for evidence of another person, and given the odd glow to his eyes, he must have had implants for night vision or heat detection.

[Azjah von Drachen Walde]

Seconds passed as years, each one a lifetime, and yet when the man reached the side of the bed where I lay trying to feign unconsciousness, that slow creep shifted instantly into high speed. A gloved hand produced a syringe with liquid that he injected into the tubing that appeared to be connected to my veins, and I am most thankful that it was illusory because he had it done before Dominik could appear from the shadows.

Shock registered in the man’s features as Dominik grabbed his wrist in an iron lock, and the lights came on at his command. I scrambled from the hospital bed, and I think that about stopped the man’s heart in his chest as I moved only split seconds after Dominik appeared. Herr Doctor Wieland shoved the door open and with him one of Algis’ men.

I studied the man who had come to finish me off, and did not recognize him, and neither did Algis’ man. The intruder refused to utter a single word, and the coldness in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine. He was not in this for any personal reason, he had taken this task on as just a job. For him, the thought of killing me had no emotions associated at all. I was simply a job. Nothing more. That kind of cold blooded killer is the scariest to me, and I am used to dealing with all manner of weapons buyers. These types however always left me with a chill of dread, and this one was colder than most.

Dominik was interrogating him, but he simply remained mute, with his eyes on the wall ahead of him. We would not likely get any information out of him voluntarily. I have little doubt that the Kaiser’s men will be able to obtain information, and I do not like to think of what methods they might use. If we could get his information here, the man would not suffer nearly as greatly. The Doctor has drugs that are capable of loosening his tongue, but there are always risks associated with such methods.

The intensity of Dominik’s expression told me he was already rummaging around inside the man’s head, seeking answers to questions that consciously he would not betray. Abruptly the man turned to look directly into Dominik’s eyes. Shock mingled with hatred as Dominik must have let him know he was inside his mind. The eerie glow of his night vision enhanced eyes faded as he adjusted to the light in the room, but even without the chartreuse glow, he was an intimidating soul.

Without a word, Dominik used his mind control to drive the man into unconsciousness, and as he collapsed to the hospital floor, Algis’ man called for assistance. They would transport him to the Kaiser’s jailor before he could awaken. His wrists and ankles were bound with shackles that would only unlock by approved biometric signatures and carted the man out of the room.

[Azjah von Drachen Walde]

Dr. Wieland collected the tubing to analyze what he had endeavored to inject into my body, and Dominik moved to my side, and with a very soft whisper suggested we leave quietly and quickly. Algis has made arrangements for the Star Dragon to be ready to leave, tonight, before word of this attempt becomes public. My testimony would be entered into the Courts via shipboard telecommunications, which worries me since Kendrick still has his program installed in all of my systems. If this would be assassin had been hired by Kendrick, the last thing I wanted was for him to know how much I know. But, there was no dissuading Algis, and so with the use of the Doctor’s car, we slid unobserved into the backseats and made for the docking bay where my craft now awaited. They wanted me off Rigel, and as I discovered on the drive to the hangar, the Kaiser had mandated my removal until the dust settles from these events.

At this hour of the morning, there is very little activity, and as the car rolled to a halt near the sleek craft, Eoin stepped out and checked about for watchers before motioning for me to move quickly from the car into the ship. I headed for the sleeping space and grabbed one of the flight suits. The quicker I could get changed and behind the flight console, the better for us all. I could hear the departure activities going on around me, and knew the moment the hatch was closed and sealed as the ship began to pressurize.

It has been a long trip home, and still I have not the answers I came hoping to obtain. Although, I suppose I never did expect an answer from my mother. The dead do not usually speak to the living. Not here at any rate. My walk to the cockpit was short, and my musings cut even shorter as I paused. There on the console before me lay a single white rose in the perfect stages of opening. Its stem was wrapped in ivory grosgrain ribbon. The attached note card was penned in Algis’ hand.

I sat down just as Dominik arrived and prepared to take the copilot’s seat beside me, but he glanced at the rose and retreated back into the interior of the Star Dragon. I sat down and savored the spicy sweet aroma of the perfect rose before turning over the card. “If I could take away your pain, I would do so. If I could have spared your participation in these ill affairs, I would do so. If ever I can be of assistance to you, I would do so. May Rigel be blessed with your presence more often than she has been of late. I shall miss you. Algis.”

Dominik returned as I laid the rose beside my seat. “He truly hated to involve you in this sordid affair. You haff a fine friend in the Herzog.” He settled in beside me and began reviewing the controls and starting his checklist.

We concluded preflight as quickly as we could. We needed to be airborne and out of Rigelian space quickly. I would have 5 days to ponder everything that had transpired on Rigel before returning to the Palazzo, where I would be faced with Lucien and Topaz and their expected child. With a wry smile I powered up the ship’s engines. “So much for remaining on Rigel for a while.” Dominik glanced at me as he acknowledged our take off authorization and the Star Dragon lifted off from the pad.

[Azjah von Drachen Walde]

Kendrick 2.0 appeared after the course was set for RhyDin and as I asked for a secure line to Algis’ residence. This would be awkward, trying to convey protected and secret information through the automation software that was undoubtedly relaying everything back to Kendrick. The line flashed secure, and Algis appeared in the screen. “Algis, I do not like being whisked off the planet like this. I should remain and help convict whoever hired that thug we caught.” I was holding the white rose in my hand as we spoke, but he was quite adamant that there was no need for me to remain and be at further risk. We closed the secure connection and I left the cockpit to find some solitude.

My trip to the mausoleum had not turned out as well as I would have liked. I wanted answers that deep down inside I know I can never obtain, and yet, I had needed that trip. I had needed to be there surrounded by the ghosts of my parents, but more importantly, the ghost of my mother. It would have been to her that I would have turned when we first discovered the conception of our child. Would I have done things differently if I had a choice? If I had been able to speak with mother would I have killed our child? Those thoughts turned over and over in my mind while I settled onto the bed for a few hours of sleep.

Eoin and Dominik would not need me for some time, the ship was on autopilot, and that freed me up to study my motives in detail.

I was returning to RhyDin, not because I wanted to do so, nor because I was needed there. In fact, Klinton had vanished and I do not know if he even knows our child is dead. Though I suppose it would explain his absence if he had somehow been told. Lucien or Gabriel could probably locate him in time of need, but I have not sought him out, and perhaps that should tell me something important about our relationship. Perhaps neither of us is ready to face the other one. How does a person tell their spouse they’ve murdered their unborn child? Somehow I would have to find a way.

The days aboard ship were quiet. Eoin and Dominik engaged in several chess matches, and I found some time to read, but as the distance closed and we approached RhyDin, I could feel the tension heightening. Would Klinton have returned? Would Gabriel seek to require me to honor my promise to him? Could I resume a normal life now? And from the confines of the Star Dragon, I could arrive at no conclusion.

We docked 5 days later as the sun set on RhyDin, and Dyson had sent the car for us. Dominik and Eoin departed first, and we made a quick retreat to the safety of the car. The night images of RhyDin flashed by as we made our way to the Palazzo, and when we arrived, thankfully the house was silent. Only Dyson was there to greet us, and I could make a quick exit to my rooms. They were empty except for one of the dogs and I sat down to pet him in the silence of the early morning. I needed to get on with life now. Find something constructive to do with my time.

Sleep did not claim me that night, and at 4:30 I gave up and prepared for my first day back in RhyDin. Charlotte would be surprised to see me, but work was what I needed at the moment, and I intended to bury myself in it.