A Spell Misplaced, page 17
part #4 of Gags & Pepper: Protection Agents Series
“What are you going to do with him?” Eliza asked.
“I’m going to take him with me to find Miria,” Gags said.
“Keep him close?” the other man said.
“That is the idea until I can ship him to Peria or Atto.” Gags said. “Why don’t you introduce me?”
“This is Tom,” Eliza pointed to a burly man built like He Bin but inches taller, “and this is Otto.” Otto was a specimen. Gags guessed the man was all muscle, bone, and almost as tall as himself. “Both help me gather information and can go on assignments requiring independent action.”
Tom and Otto looked like they could be emotional triplets with Pophius. These were two dangerously focused men. Did Eliza think she required protection from him?
“Is it my turn to ask questions?” Gags asked.
Otto smiled. “Are you prepared to handle the answers?”
Gags recognized that as a question meant to intimidate.
“If I survived transforming Eno Banban into a human after expecting to see Miria, I could handle any answer you can give me,” Gags said.
“Go ahead, ask,” Eliza said.
“Do you know where Miria is? And my next question I’ve already asked Eliza, can you arrange a ship to take some or all of us to Peria?”
“What if the wizard wants to go to Atto?” Tom asked.
“Then some of us, one of us, will take a ship to Atto,” Gags said with a shrug.
“The other unicorn is in the town of Codgerton in Amering,” Otto said. “It is a dangerous domain. The whole kingdom of Castlewhit is dangerous. They don’t like visitors. Even we can’t freely enter.”
Tom nodded. “You are as likely to end up in the mines of Castlewhit than you are to see your unicorn lady,” Tom said.
“I am here to succeed, not fail. And if I fail, I will die trying not to,” Gags said.
“Isn’t love a wonderful thing, sister?” Eliza said.
“I wouldn’t mock Vingus Gags, Eliza,” Flora said. “You saw him at the exhibition. You would try to stop him?”
“We will help you get to Codgerton,” Eliza said. “Tom and Otto have volunteered to guide you and whoever travels with you. They have contacts in every port on the north coast when you need to leave, but they have promised not to get killed helping you.”
“Nope,” Tom said. “No Perian or Attoan, for that matter, is worth my neck.”
“But it stretches much of the way to Codgerton?” Gags asked.
Tom grinned. “It does,” he rubbed his neck. “It does, indeed.”
“What else do you need from me?”
“There will be a price, you know.”
Gags sighed. “I expected one.”
“Teach me how to run an escort agency. I want to set one up in Oroia. I think it would be fun,” Eliza said.
Gags looked at Flora. “Is she serious?”
Flora ran her finger along the tabletop. “Money might still be involved.”
“Deal as long as you don’t bankrupt me,” Gags said.
“What is going on with Beryl’s scepter?” Eliza asked.
Gags told them everything since Flora probably knew as much as Minister Pearton did. However, he didn’t mention where the real scepter was. “Captain Gyre is guarding Beryl’s monument, and I will check where I put the duplicate.”
“There are two duplicates,” Flora said.
“One is at my townhouse, and it is being guarded.”
Eliza looked at Tom. “Add watchers of our own,” she said.
“I’m leaving Baxterton tomorrow to verify if the one we hid is still intact. We don’t know if what Eno Banban heard refers to the scepter being found or if it means an attempt to find the artifact in the future,” Gags said.
“Where will we meet you tomorrow?” Otto asked.
“We will leave Baxterton from the south gate.”
“You left it at the post house that we ate at?” Flora said.
Gags shook his head. “Less than a day away in the more rugged area,” Gags said.
“Among the rocks,” Otto said. “If you did a halfway decent job of covering your tracks, no one will be able to find it.”
“Unless we lead our enemy to it,” Gags said.
Eliza laughed. “Then why check on it? I can send Tom or Otto. No one will follow them.”
Flora smiled. “He may trust you, Eliza, but not that much.”
“You are right, but the scepter is an excuse,” Gags said. “There is a Southern Camp filled with rebel soldiers of an unknown faction.”
“And you are going to defeat the army by yourself?” Tom said. “That’s a wagonload of hubris.”
“We are reconnoitering for Captain Dyre and General Victory,” Gags said.
“We can do that, too,” Eliza said.
Gags tried to think of a counter to that. “I also don’t want Eno Banban to get too comfortable in Baxterton,” Gags said. He knew that was the truth.
“You don’t trust him?” Flora asked. “I wouldn’t. I know what the wizards were doing on Atto. If your wizard had anything to do with that, I wouldn’t want to see him alive.”
“Another reason to keep him close?” Tom asked.
Gags nodded.
“Tom and Otto will catch up to you after you have left Baxterton,” Eliza said. “We will watch your townhouse. We have plenty of ways to get you on a ship bound for Peria.” She looked at Flora and sighed. “And we trust you like we’ve trusted no one before.”
“Then I’ll be on my way and see Tom and Otto tomorrow.”
“No, you won’t,” Eliza said. “You will spend the rest of today lecturing me on setting up a business.”
“Send a note to Lucian that tells him that,” Gags said.
“I can do that, but the note won’t be from me,” Eliza said. “It will be from Flora.”
“If you wish,” Flora said.
“You three are excused. Tom and Otto know what to do, and Flora will return to the Palace Auxiliary.”
The three of them left Eliza and Gags in the meeting room. Eliza brought a stack of writing materials from a sideboard against the wall and put it in front of Gags.
“Tell me all about how a protection agency is set up, and note your mistakes made while you set yours up,” Eliza said.
“I’m still making mistakes,” Gags said. “Being in Baxter is probably one of them.”
“Just note the ones you’ve made so I won’t repeat yours. I know I’ll commit new ones.”
Hours later, a carriage dropped off Gags in the evening after Eliza brought in dinner. The woman’s attention to detail put Portia Dapple to shame. The long session was good since Gags had a list of ideas for the agency in his pocket that came up in their discussion.
Eliza had claimed that she felt Gags had paid her well for their exchange of information, but Tom and Otto’s help would cost him. She promised she wouldn’t take all his money.
“I thought the bad men captured you,” Lucian said, waking up from an evening nap in the sitting room.
“The guards are still on watch,” Gags said.
“I have felt so safe this evening. Eno is asleep after a huge dinner. He can put away almost as much as you can, and I believe the little Attoan is getting fat,” Lucian said.
“Which is not good news,” Gags said. “He is storing up a lot of magic.”
“As long as he doesn’t use it on us,” Lucian said.
Gags shrugged. “We are getting a little help.”
“From your lady friend?”
Gags nodded. “They already knew where Miria was. Codgerton in a fief called Amering. It won’t be as easy as walking up to Eno. It is closed to strangers.”
“Your help will be of help?” Lucian asked.
“They know the coast and can guide us when we need to go.”
Lucian picked at the edge of a pillow. “And you trust them?”
“They both remind me of Pophius.”
“Nasty brutes?”
Gags nodded.
Lucian rubbed his hands. “Good.
~
Gags packed with what he needed to leave Oroia. Lucian did the same, but he didn’t seem to like it. When the carriage came, The three of them descended the steps and crowded around the boot.
Eno tossed his only bag inside. Then, Gags noticed a nice red leather bag in the boot. He filled the rest of it up, secured his weapons, and entered the cab.
Ann already had her arm through Lucian’s on one side of the cab while Eno examined the hamper containing their breakfast.
“They are letting you come with us?” Gags asked.
“Of course. My father wants me to protect Lucian while he is engaged on royal business.”
“Can you protect me at the same time?” Gags said, shaking his head in mock despair.
“Hey!” Lucian said. “She is exclusively my protector.”
“Sorry,” Ann said to Gags. She leaned over. “Sorry, Eno.”
The wizard looked up from hiding something he snitched from the food basket. “What did you say?” Eno said.
“I said it’s time for us to go,” Ann said.
“Then let’s be off,” Eno said. “Can I eat now?”
“We can wait until we are out of the city, but you can have a taste,” Gags said.
Eno sat back with a filled pastry and took a bite.
“I think I’ll join you,” Gags said.
Within a minute, everyone was engaged in eating their breakfast. After all, Gags didn’t care when breakfast was eaten as long as everyone had plenty to eat. They continued to proceed out of the Southern Gate. A few miles from Baxterton, the carriage stopped.
Gags got out.
“These two men said they were joining your company,” the officer in charge of their escort said.
“I know them.” Gags said. “He is Otto, and that one is Tom.” Gags waved to the pair sitting on mounts with their hands resting on the pommel of their saddles. “Good morning, boys.”
The two men laughed and waved back.
“Just ignore them for now,” Gags said to the officer and climbed back into the carriage.
“Who are they?” Eno Banban asked.
“Additional protection,” Gags said.
“There is nothing wrong with a little extra muscle,” Eno said as he sipped from a wineskin.
The driver stopped the carriage in a few hours to rest the horses. Gags, the officer in charge of the uniformed men, and Otto and Tom gathered together while Gags removed the map from a portfolio.
“We are headed here,” Gags pointed to a spot showing rocky lands.
“What’s there?” the officer asked.
“If you don’t know, I won’t tell you,” Gags said. “We have something to investigate in that area, and then we will search this area for signs of a military camp.”
“But that is Benjamin Julius’s property,” the officer said.
“We know,” Gags said, giving the officer a note. “Captain Gyre wanted me to give this to you when we reached this point.”
“Yes, Sir Gags,” the officer said, saluting.
“You think something is there?” Otto asked.
“For the safety of Baxter and Baxterton, we do,” Gags said. “Do any of you know of a better way to here?” He put his finger back on the stony section.
“Not with the carriage,” the officer said.
They stopped at a village along the way. The guards ate by themselves, and Otto and Tom took a table for two. Gags ate all he could while Eno did a reasonable job keeping up. When they returned to the carriage, Otto took Gags aside.
“There is talk about strange men coming through the village heading southwest. If that is accurate, you are right about there being a southern camp,” Otto said.
“That is where we will head next. Do you think this will be a safe place to spend the night?”
“Those I talked to weren’t particularly political. The villagers were more worried about their crops than an army,” Otto said. “This is a good-sized village, so I think we can chance it.”
They continued and reached their destination in the hills at mid-afternoon the next day.
“I’ll take Otto with me,” Gags said, borrowing a horse from a guard.
On the way, Gags asked Otto how long he had been a criminal.
Otto laughed. “I’m no criminal, not in the thief sense. Tom and I are specialists for Eliza. We gather intelligence and aren’t assassins, although both of us have killed during our work. We put ourselves in danger from time to time. You should understand that, being on a scout team in the magicians army.”
“You’ve come with us to ensure our story is straight?” Gags asked.
Otto nodded. “Eliza would like you to think she knows everything, but she doesn’t. We are here to help her fill in the holes. The insurrection is definitely underway, and too much is happening outside Baxterton where her eyes aren’t so good.”
“Just how much do you know about me?”
“Seppius Darkman wasn’t stingy with his information. Eliza helped him find cargo and a partner in Baxterton should he return. You are a hero in his eyes.”
“A battered hero,” Gags said, “for someone my age.”
“It beats being fertilizer in some field.”
“I’ve come close to that,” Gags said.
“And you have saved a kingdom, recovered secret artifacts, and fought a horde of sorcerers, what Seppius calls evil magicians.”
“I’m not a hero on purpose,” Gags said. “I do what needs to be done.”
“It’s the doing that sets you apart, I’d guess.”
Gags needed to speed up. He galloped away, leaving Otto to catch up.
Armed with his iron staff, Gags led Otto into the rocks, and finally, they dismounted and continued on foot. Gags looked around, wondering if they were being followed.
They reached the spot, and Gags was ready to use his magic to uncover the rock that hid the copy of the scepter. Disappointment filled Gags as he stared at the opening that should have been covered. He ducked his head into the hole to find nothing.
“Now, we know,” Gags said.
“The scepter is gone?”
Gags nodded. “It is a copy, but King David needs to know. Can Tom or you ride back to Baxterton?”
“I suppose so, but we should find the camp first,” Otto said.
“I agree,” Gags said.
They returned to their horses and rode to the carriage, and a battle was in progress.
The officer was sitting with his back to a carriage wheel while Lucian and Eno fought with magic, and the rest of the guards battled twenty or thirty attackers. Gags and Otto moved in. Otto joined Tom, and they fought as a trained pair.
Gags began the fight using his staff. Some of the enemies were trained, and others weren’t, as Gags’s shoulder injury began to ache. He tossed his staff into one of the leaders, using it like a spear, and went to his sword.
The fight continued while only a few guards remained. Gags’s wound began to hurt more than it should, and he began to pull out crossbow bolts and exhausted them on the fighters.
The momentum shifted as more of the attackers died. Lucian’s magic was waning, and Eno stayed close to the carriage, protecting Ann and the fallen officer. Lucian lifted a sword from a fallen guard and fought off the remaining attackers.
Gags was covered with blood along with the survivors, one guard, Gags, Lucian, Eno, Ann, the officer, and Otto, who stood over Tom’s body.
“Not a good day,” Otto said.
“No need to find a camp,” the officer said while Lucian worked on his injuries.
“Take the carriage back to Baxterton,” Gags said. “Tell them the scepter is gone, and you know what happened here.”
The officer nodded. “We will take back your friend,” he said to Otto.
“I would appreciate it. Someone is looking for the carriage to return,” Otto said. “They will stop you. Tell them what happened and give them Tom’s body. I think Gags and his people have other plans to the east. I will join them.”
“Plans to the east?” Eno said. “Oh. Miria.”
“The second unicorn?” the officer asked.
Gags hadn’t expected others to push him out of Baxter, but he was ready to go. He didn’t have the antidote ready, but they could pick up ingredients along the way.
“You can have your pick of the horses,” the officer said. “I’m sure the king would rather have you stay, but the leader of the attackers specifically asked for your head in exchange for letting the rest of us go. I’m not sure if they were from the camp you sought.”
“Give that observation to Captain Dyre,” Gags said. “They could be soldiers from West’s forces.”
“I’m going with Lucian,” Ann said to the officer. “You can tell my father competent men surround me.”
“I’m not sure I can take responsibility….” Gags said.
“You don’t have to. Lucian and I have discussed it. We are all safer outside Baxterton than within it. I’m only alive because you defended me, but I can fight back with a little instruction from Lucian and Eno.”
Gags had thought Ann was willing, but he had to show the officer understood that accompanying them was Ann’s choice.
“You’ll have to practice on the way,” Gags said. “And you’ll have to eat more.”
Ann grinned. “I’ve already started.”
Gags and Otto selected the horses while the surviving guard, Ann, and Lucian, identified wounded survivors and treated them as well as they could.
Two guards were found alive and, after treatment, were put in the carriage. Tom’s body was wrapped and put in the boot. The rest were lined up. There were four living attackers who would be left to fend for themselves without horses, weapons, or supplies, except for one soldier who would be bound and taken back to Baxterton for questioning.
“I suggest you avoid the village where we spent the night,” Gags said as he finished transferring his bags to his horse and one of the two packhorses they decided to take.
“Give this to my father,” Ann slipped a note to the officer, sitting in the carriage among the other wounded. The guard standing by the end of the fight drove the carriage. A string of horses was tied to the back.
The carriage turned around and left.
Otto sighed, watching the carriage go. “Tom was like a brother to me,” Otto sighed. “I’ll do proper grieving when I return to Baxterton.”
