Dark Quest by Richard S. Tuttle Page A

corridor was filled with the sound of running boots slapping against the stone floors. The General raced up the stairs, turned the corner and froze. Having seen battle more times than he cared to remember, the General still had to fight to keep the contents of his stomach down. The two men were stretched out, one on each side of the doorway, with their feet facing away from each other. Their heads were missing and their blood flowed out and mingled across the threshold. The General’s Door Sergeant leaped over the blood flow and threw open the door. He turned and addressed the General. “General, the King is dead.”
    General Clark shook his head and looked around. The servant was still screaming hysterically and shaking her foot trying to get the blood off her shoe. One soldier’s head was lying a few feet away, the other was in an alcove across the corridor. Soldiers were still streaming into the corridor. “Touch nothing,” the General ordered. “Sergeant, search the room to see if the assassin is still there. Corporal, sound the alarm. I want the Palace sealed now. Nobody in, nobody out. You men, seal off each of these corridors. Nobody gets here without my authorization. Private, summon the King’s physician, and hurry.”
    Colonel Gregor rounded the corner just as the soldiers were sealing it off. “General, what is the situation?”
    “Well, Colonel, two of your finest are dead and so is King Eugene. My Sergeant is checking the room for the killer. Oh, gods, see if you can get somebody to shut her up".
    The servant was still screaming. “I kicked his head. I can’t get the blood off my foot. Somebody get the blood off my foot.”
    The Colonel ordered one of the men to take the servant into the next room and quiet her. “How did your Sergeant get into the room General?”
    “He jumped over the blood and opened the door. I can’t believe we have an assassin in our midst. He had to be quick and powerful to take two of your men out like that. They never even got their swords out. The King’s body looks like it was cut in two.”
    The King’s Physician and the man sent to get him arrived and Colonel Gregor sent the Private to notify Duke Nelson. The physician felt one of the soldier’s arms. “These men must have been dead for a while. They’re already cold. Now, how am I supposed to get across this mess?”
    “Walk through it, Physician. Tend to the King, if there is anything to tend to,” the General snapped.
    The Sergeant in the King’s bedroom removed his jacket and threw it across the blood slick so the doctor could walk into the room. General Clark and Colonel Gregor took the opportunity to enter the room as well, being careful to avoid the blood that was still flowing from the headless corpses. The bed and the wall behind it were covered with blood spray. The King’s body lay half on the bed and was nearly cut clean through. The Colonel noticed the empty brackets over the fireplace where King Olweg’s sword used to hang. “General, somewhere in the castle is the murder weapon. Whoever did this may be able to hide and provide an alibi, but the sword still has to be here somewhere.”
    “Same here,” said the Physician. “Dead for a while, I’d say. Cooler than a chamber pot in the morning. There’s nothing I can do here, General.”
    “Why don’t you tend to the hysterical servant in the next room then?” commanded the General. “Sergeant, start a search for King Olweg’s sword.”
    Duke Nelson entered the room. “By the gods, what evil is this? Colonel, I thought your men are supposed to protect the King. What do you have to say?”
    “Duke Nelson, I make no excuses for my men, only that they gave their lives in the line of duty. They were fine men and well trained.”
    “Well trained?” the Duke protested. “If this is the best you can train your men, then we may as well leave the Palace gates open to everyone so no more of your men get hurt. General Clark, I want you to start