Alutar: The Great Demon (38 page)

“I was with the general until late last night,” the aide reported. “He had no visitors during the time that I was with him, but I rose from my sleep during the night when I heard strange noises coming from the general’s suite. Many of you may not know this, but General Nazzaro suffered from nightmares, and he often awakened me in the next room with loud screaming and other noises as he tossed and turned. On such nights, I felt it my duty to go to the general and comfort him until he was able to get back to sleep. Anyway, back to last night. I threw on a robe and opened my door to attend to the general, but I halted as I saw a man leaving the general’s suite. There were no further noises coming from the general’s quarters, so I went back to bed, but I could not get back to sleep. When dawn arrived an hour later, I was informed that the general was dead.”

“Who was the man?” asked one of the soldiers.

“King Daramoor,” answered the aide.

Howls of outrage filled the room, but General Pfaff held up his hand for silence.

“We are talking about the King of Vinafor,” General Pfaff reminded the men. “I do not think that I need to remind you of the seriousness of calling the king a murderer. Before that accusation can be made, we need to be sure. I need all of you men to ferret out the truth, and I need you to do it quietly. One loose tongue and we will all be in danger.”

“What can we do?” asked one of the soldiers.

“There are several things that we can do,” answered General Pfaff. “There was no knife left in the general’s room, so the murderer used his own knife. There is a chance that the murderer managed to get blood on his clothes. Plus, whoever did this vile act had a reason for doing it. We need to discover that before we make any accusations.”

“He is the king,” scowled one of the soldiers. “Even if he is the murderer, we can’t do anything about it except sack the palace.”

“I think you are wrong,” General Pfaff responded. “General Nazzaro was the Commanding General of Vinafor. While King Daramoor would be within his rights to ask that he be replaced, he has no authority to murder him. As long as Vinafor is a member of the Federation, Emperor Jaar has the final word over who is Commanding General of Vinafor. Even my own appointment will be subject to the emperor’s approval. I believe that King Daramoor would be subject to the law like any other citizen of the Federation. While I am not absolutely certain, there is someone in this city who can clarify it for us. I rode into this city yesterday with General Forshire. He is the first Imperial General of the Federation. He reports directly to Emperor Jaar. I will ask him about the legality of the situation.”

“Won’t he report this to King Daramoor?” asked a soldier. “You said that we need to keep all of this secret.”

“I do not think General Forshire would betray a confidence,” answered General Pfaff, “but I will seek his promise before I reveal what I know. If he does betray me, it will only be me who suffers from his action. I will not tell him of this meeting. It will then be up to you men to make things right for General Nazzaro.”

“We can do that,” a large soldier shouted with a mischievous grin.

General Pfaff smiled broadly. “I have no doubt that you can, but let me try to do this the right way before you take the law into your own hands.”

Sidney Mercado’s warehouse in Waxhaw was empty except for the two generals meeting in the office on the second floor.

“There is risk involved,” General Forshire stated. “Some of the 31
^st
Corps might tell King Daramoor what you are doing. Have you made arrangements to handle that?”

“I have,” answered General Pfaff. “I have my patriots keeping track of the men known to curry Daramoor’s favor. If any on them try to enter the palace, they will be spirited away until all of this is over.”

“What about the king’s palace guard?” asked General Forshire.

“I control most of them,” General Pfaff smiled. “There are a half dozen who will stand by the king no matter what. They need to be neutralized.”

General Forshire sighed. “It would be easier to just storm the palace and kill Daramoor. It would all be over in a moment.”

“That is not what Queen Romani wants,” retorted General Pfaff. “She wants Daramoor publicly disgraced and hung. His sorry reign will be partly blamed on his association with the Federation. She will then announce that Vinafor is withdrawing from the Federation. An offer for the Federation soldiers to remain in Vinafor will be made.”

“It is her country,” Clint conceded. “If that is what she wants, we will make it happen. How well known is Stan Fargo’s face?”

“Not well known at all,” the patriot leader responded with curiosity. “After Shawn’s death I figured that our Ranger contact should not be seen by my men. The only other patriot who knows of his association with us is Major Stark. What are you thinking?”

“I need a personal aide,” answered Clint. “I have worked with Stan before, and he knows how to communicate silently. Will anyone in the palace recognize him?”

“No,” answered General Pfaff. “The men who work in the warehouse would recognize him, but that is all. What are you planning?”

“I will be the one judging King Daramoor,” explained Clint. “The king will probably realize that I have tricked him into murdering Nazzaro, so he might be tempted to speak to others about it. Should he do that, it might implicate you and spoil the play that Queen Romani wants the city to see. Stan can help in that regard. I will need a Federation uniform for him, but without the patch of the 31
^st
Corps. He will pose as a member of the A Corps.”

“I will have it for you within the hour,” promised General Pfaff.

“I will also need some of your men to witness the trial,” continued general Forshire. “Perhaps Major Stark and two others who are loyal to you and Queen Romani. We can’t be assured that King Daramoor won’t babble on about being framed, and we don’t want anyone else to hear such things. Choose the men wisely.”

“I will see to it,” promised General Pfaff. “When do you want them?”

“Immediately,” answered General Forshire. “We must not waste any time in getting this over with. You should immediately hold another meeting of your men to inform them that I was outraged by the accusations presented to me, and that once I heard the evidence against the king, I demanded, as a representative of the emperor, to hold the trial immediately. You will then choose Major Stark and two others to be observers to the trial. Vary their ranks so that all of the men will feel represented.”

* * * *

The guards outside King Daramoor’s office looked curiously at the five soldiers marching towards them. They recognized the Imperial General of the Federation, but not the A Corps colonel alongside him. They also knew Major Stark, but the captain and the corporal with him were not familiar. It was an odd assortment of soldiers to comprise a single group, but they did not voice their opinions. The group halted at the door to the king’s office.

“You three will remain out here until you are called for,” General Forshire said in a commanding voice. He then turned to the door guards and said, “Please let the king know that General Forshire wishes to speak to him immediately.”

One of the door guards nodded and knocked on the door. Hearing the king’s permission to enter, he cracked the door open and stuck his head inside. He restated Clint’s request and then withdrew his head, leaving the door ajar. General Forshire and Colonel Stan Fargo entered the office. Stan immediately closed the door while Clint crossed the room to the king’s desk. When Stan attempted to also cross the room, Clint’s head swiveled and he frowned.

“You will stay by the door, Colonel,” General Forshire ordered. “What the king and I speak about is not for the ears of others.”

King Daramoor watched curiously as the rebuked colonel retreated to stand next to the door. He turned his gaze to General Forshire and waved towards a chair. Clint ignored the invitation.

“I am disappointed in you, King Daramoor,” opened General Forshire.

The king looked up with a mixture of confusion and anger on his face. “You are disappointed?” he balked. “What are you talking about?”

“General Nazzaro,” General Forshire said softly. “You were supposed to utilize an expendable man to accomplish the task. What were you thinking?”

The confusion faded from the king’s face but the anger did not. “Who are you to talk to me in this way?” he snapped. “Vinafor is my country and I will do with it as I please.”

“With your own subjects that is true,” retorted the Imperial General, “but General Nazzaro was not one of your subjects. He was the Commanding General of Vinafor and a subject of the Empire of Barouk. You had no legal authority to murder him.”

“And you have no legal authority to question me,” snarled the king. “Get out of my office.”

“I am the Imperial General of the Federation,” Clint stated formally. “I am the voice of the emperor in Vinafor or wherever else I might be. You have put me in a most difficult position.”

The anger faded, and the confusion returned. King Daramoor stared up at General Forshire as if he were having a bad dream. “What are you saying, Forshire? I only did as you suggested, and now you are in here trying to judge me?”

“I never suggested that you murder your Commanding General,” clarified Clint. “I did mention that should such a thought cross your mind, that it would be wise if you did not use the man you meant to replace the general. I was suggesting a certain layer of deniability. I never thought that you would take such a risk by performing the act yourself. That was most foolish. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking of a Federation general trying to take what was mine,” spat the king. “Perhaps I should have killed two Federation generals and saved time.”

As the king was delivering his verbal barrage, he reached back and pulled a chord to summon his protectors. Clint shook his head and deftly pulled two Lanoirian stars from his pouch.

“That was a most unfortunate move, King Daramoor,” General Forshire admonished the king. “I was trying to conduct this trial without bloodshed.”

The door suddenly burst open and six soldiers raced into the room, their swords drawn. Clint turned smoothly and let his two Lanoirian stars fly. The stars impacted the faces of the first two soldiers, and they died immediately, their momentum carrying their bodies further into the room before they fell to the floor. Clint swiftly drew his sword in time to parry the swing of the third soldier, while Stan Fargo struck from behind. Stan quickly killed the fifth and sixth soldiers, while Clint battled the third. The fourth soldier turned to defend himself from Stan’s attack, and both Rangers found themselves in a fierce fight.

Outside in the hallway, the two guards saw the fighting through the open door. They drew their swords to rally to the king’s defense, but they halted when their backs were prodded with swords.

“I would not interfere with the duties of the Imperial General,” Major Stark said threateningly. “Drop your swords.”

The door guards obeyed immediately. “What is going on in there?” one of them asked. “Are they killing the king?”

“We are here for the trial of King Daramoor,” the major answered. “There was to be no bloodshed, but it looks as if the king summoned men to kill the Imperial General. It is best if you do not get involved.”

“Trial?” frowned one of the guards. “For what?”

“For the murder of General Nazzaro,” answered the major. “The Federation does not take kindly to the killing of their generals.”

Stan Fargo appeared in the doorway and everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to him. His steely eyes immediately took in the situation in the hallway, and he nodded to the major.

“Give the door guards their swords back and wait to be called in for the trial,” Stan said with an air of authority. He then turned his attention to the guards. “The Imperial General does not wish any more interruptions. You will take up your posts at this door. Do not let anyone in without the permission of the Imperial General. Do you understand?”

The guards peered past Stan Fargo and saw the king sitting at his desk. He appeared unharmed, but the bodies of the six soldiers littered the floor. Both guards nodded exaggeratedly, but remained silent.

“Do you understand your orders?” Stan repeated with an edge of irritation in his voice.

“We understand,” one of the guards offered quickly. “No one gets in without the permission of the Imperial General.”

Stan nodded and closed the door. He took up his position alongside the door and nodded to Clint. Clint sighed and shook his head.

“Again you disappoint me, Daramoor,” General Forshire said. “There was no need for bloodshed. Are you ready for the trial to begin?”

“Trial?” gasped the king. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh I am serious, King Daramoor. As the emperor’s representative in Vinafor, it falls to me to judge you. We have a number of witnesses prepared to testify against you today.”

“Witnesses?” balked the king. “What are you talking about?”

“You were seen leaving the general’s chamber,” declared General Forshire. “We also have witnesses who can produce your bloody clothes, and we have located the knife that you used to kill the general. I have already heard their testimony, but you will get the chance to hear it as well. I do not think it will be much of a trial, but I have representatives of the 31
^st
Corps waiting in the hallway to witness the testimony. Shall we begin?”

King Daramoor remained silent for a while, his eyes staring first at the dead men on the floor and then the surface of his desk. He frantically tried to think of a way out of the mess, but he knew that his options were limited. His only choice was to get General Pfaff to forcibly free him from the grasp of the Imperial General.

“I want the Commanding General brought in here,” demanded the king. “He is the voice of the Federation as far as I am concerned. I do not recognize your authority.”

General Forshire chuckled, and the king glared at him.

“I find no humor in my request,” spat the king. “Get Pfaff in here.”