CHAPTER ELEVEN - THE PLAN

“That is the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard.”

There was never any mystery where Constable Malory stood on an issue, that much was certain. Not that Julian necessarily disagreed on this particular point, but as far as he and Raedrick could tell after talking it over all afternoon, there was no other way to go if they wanted to find out more information about the brigands.

“What’s so stupid about it?”

Julian almost snorted out a laugh at Raedrick’s reply. He knew the plan’s flaws exactly; hell, he was the one who envisioned the basic premise of the plan in the first place.

Constable Malory looked at Raedrick as if he were daft. “You want me to just release the man who attacked you, give him back his arms and equipment, and let him go back to his friends? Why, so he can wreak more havoc out there?”

They were talking in one of the booths in The Oarlock. They had picked one near the corner of the room, as far from the other patrons as possible. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his fellow townsfolk, Malory had said, it was just that secrets get more difficult to keep up as more people learn them. So they kept a close but unobtrusive watch on the other patrons to ensure they weren’t discussing sensitive topics in the open.

Raedrick shook his head as he responded to Constable Malory’s question. “It wouldn’t be some charity project. He’s leverage…”

“Damn right he’s leverage. And that’s wasted if he makes it back safely and lets his boss know what pushovers we are.”

“Actually,” Julian added, “that’s what we want. The easier they think the target is the less likely they’ll expend a lot of resources to keep the pressure on. Why bother risking it if we’re just going to fold anyway?”

“Near as I can tell, Farzal’s pretty confident as it is.”

“True, but if we’re so scared of him that we release one of his men and make an example of the two guys who injured him and killed his companions…”

Constable Malory snorted again. “What, you want me to whip you or something?”

Raedrick shook his head. “Not for real. But you can put on a show of punishment or something. Then you release him and he rides out of town feeling smug and superior.”

“And then we follow him back to his base camp,” Julian added.

Constable Malory nodded slowly. “I understand, but it’s still a dumb plan.”

Julian opened his mouth to reply and so did Raedrick, but the Constable cut them off.

“There are too many things that can go wrong. And then we’ll be without a prisoner and Farzal will think we’re cowardly and incompetent.”

“So what would you do with him?" asked Raedrick.

“Have a nice show trial and then hang him. Leave his head on a pike where Farzal’s sure to find him and negotiate from a position of perceived strength.”

Now that was stupid. “If you consider Farzal riding into town with his whole gang in a towering fury to be negotiating from a position of strength, who am I to dissuade you?”

Constable Malory looked taken aback for a moment. Then he flushed and nodded, the wind leaving his sails noticeably. “Hmm. Maybe that wouldn’t be the best idea after all.”

“So we’re a go then. When are you going to release him?”

The Constable sighed and shook his head. “Tomorrow, I suppose. The mayor is not going to like this at all.” With that, he slid out of the booth and stood up. He took a step away, then looked back over his shoulder at the two men. “This better work.”

“This is just the first move in the game, Lucian. Trust us.” Julian had to hand it to him, Raedrick could be smooth and reassuring when he needed to.

Constable Malory sniffed, but Julian noticed he cracked a smile as he turned again and walked out of the Inn.

The door swung shut behind the Constable and Raedrick looked quizzically at Julian.

“Ok, you want to tell me how we’re going to follow this guy across the grassland around here without him or his teammates noticing?”

“I’ve been thinking about that.”

“I hope so, because I have also and I’m not coming up with anything.”

“That’s what we have Melanie for.”

Raedrick’s expression was almost comic in its lack of comprehension.

* * *

Melanie met them shortly before noon the next day on the outskirts of town. She was dressed down from when Julian last saw her. Her dress was simple enough to pass unnoticed in most situations, but a closer look revealed that it was divided for riding and was made from the finest material. It also accentuated her curves in a very pleasing way as she walked toward them.

“I wouldn’t go there if I were you.”

Julian glanced sideways to see Raedrick giving him a knowing look. “What do you mean?”

“I know that look. She’s not someone you want to go down that road with.”

“Yes, yes. We’re in business together.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Julian didn’t answer for a short while. He knew exactly what Raedrick meant, and pretty much agreed. That didn’t mean he wanted to admit Raedrick was right. Finally, as Melanie reached their side, he said, “I know.”

“What do you know, bumpkin?" Melanie asked, looking curiously between the two men.

Irritation welled up within him. Bumpkin? He almost told her off, and to hell with the plan. Almost. Instead, he took a deep breath to calm himself and replied, “This is a big risk. If your trick doesn’t work…”

“It will. As long as you don’t screw it up. So you better do exactly what I tell you to.”

Raedrick cleared his throat. “Ok, are you going to explain what this master plan is now?”

Julian laughed, both at Raedrick’s words and at the incredulous expression on Melanie’s face.

“Really, you haven’t figured it out yet?”

Raedrick shook his head.

“I thought you said he was clever,” Melanie quipped to Julian, receiving a shrug in return. Rolling her eyes, she addressed Raedrick and spoke very slowly. “I’m going to use the same spell that I used to get away from the merchant caravan when it was attacked. The spell makes it very difficult for someone to notice a thing unless the person knows exactly what to look for and where to look for it.”

“You’re going to make us invisible?”

She shook her head. “That’s actually impossible. It is more of a suggestion to the mind that encourages people to not notice or pay attention to what they see.”

Raedrick whistled softly. “That’s a neat trick. How long does it last?”

Melanie shrugged. “That depends on the spell caster and what she puts into it. Anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.” Both Julian and Raedrick opened their mouths to reply. That was not going to work. But she raised a calming hand and added, “But I will use the extended incantations and the strongest components in this casting. That typically gets me six to eight hours’ effect.”

“That should be enough,” Julian said.

“I hope,” Raedrick added. Glancing up at the sun, he moved his lips for a moment.

Julian suppressed another chuckle. He would bet good money Raedrick was doing sums. He always had trouble with numbers, even the simple formulas used to convert the sun’s angle in the sky to the time of day.

Finally, Raedrick nodded to himself and said, “Malory should be releasing our prisoner in a few minutes. We’d better get a move on.”

Melanie nodded and, opening her satchel, withdrew a large leather-bound tome and a stoppered jar made from opaque glass. She placed the jar carefully on the ground and opened the tome. After leafing through it for a short time, she tapped her index finger on one particular page and nodded in satisfaction. “Here it is.”

“What do we do?" Julian asked.

“Stay right there and don’t move until I tell you,” Melanie replied absently as her eyes scanned the page. After a moment, she closed the book and deposited it back into her satchel, then picked up the jar again.

Slowly, carefully, she worked the cork until, with a soft pop, it pulled free. Then she closed her eyes and stood still for a time, the jar pressed to her chest, as she breathed in and out in long, slow breaths. She began chanting softly. It was almost too quiet to hear at first, but quickly her chant became louder until she reached her normal speech level.

Then her eyes opened and she began to move. It was as if she was dancing with an invisible partner; her feet landed in precisely chosen places as she turned a circle in front of them. Her chanting continued, becoming more rhythmic, in time with her footsteps. She turned a circle again and her voice became louder. As she turned to face the men, one at a time, she reached into the jar and cast part of its contents into the air above their heads and those of their horses.

Dust of some sort, sparkling in the sunlight from small reflective pieces that were entrained in it, puffed around them and gradually settled onto their heads, shoulders, and torsos. Julian had to forcibly restrain the urge to dust himself off. Next to him, it looked like Raedrick was desperately trying to hold back a sneeze.

All at once, Melanie’s chanting reached a loud climax. Then she stopped and once again clutched the jar to her chest.

“It is done,” she said in a somber, dramatic tone.

“That’s it?" Julian asked. “I don’t feel any different.”

“You don’t look any different either, more’s the pity,” Raedrick quipped.

Melanie rolled her eyes as she re-stoppered the jar. “Of course he doesn’t,” she said. “You’re both under the spell, so you’ll see each other normally. Other people, though…” She shook her head. “I cast the spell, and I have to concentrate to notice you two. But even that might not work if I didn’t know for certain that you were there. Believe me, you are both quite un-noticeable.” With a pronounced smirk, she added, “Which is, I suppose, not that big a change.”

With that, she replaced the jar into her satchel and turned away. “Good luck. Try not to get killed.”

“I don’t know about you,” Raedrick said after she walked out of earshot, “but I’ve never been so inspired.”

Glimmer Vale is the first book of the Glimmer Vale Chronicles, an ongoing heroic fantasy series set in a world of valor and magic. It will be published here, one chapter per week, on Tuesday.

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