Alutar: The Great Demon (61 page)

King Arik hesitated. “Only if there is a reasonable chance of their capitulation,” he eventually answered. “I do not expect General Hedstorus to be a reasonable man. The 33
^rd
Corps was placed in Giza to control you, not fight me. An officer who is willing to kill his fellow Federation soldiers will care little for the Federation soldiers under his command. There is little incentive for him to surrender.”

“I had suspected as much,” the colonel nodded glumly. “Still, I would rather see those men spared if possible.”

“Then I will leave it in your hands, Colonel Fisker,” stated the Warrior King, “but I need to be notified before the offer is made. Our tactics will change if the enemy knows that we are coming.”

* * * *

The Seaview Inn was one of the larger inns in the city of Giza. The building stood four stories tall, and it had at one time been among the most expensive inns in the city, but its owner had let it fall into disrepair when he had become ill. Eventually it was sold for a pittance to the son of a noble who was doing his best to improve the property, but its reputation had already been tarnished from years of neglect. As a result, the rates charged for its rooms had to be lowered. Even with the lower rates, the Seaview Inn still had a very high vacancy rate, so the owner was pleased to offer the entire fourth floor to the 33
^rd
Corps. It was on the fourth floor where General Hedstorus had his office. The floor also housed the general’s living quarters and the quarters for his ten colonels. The lesser officers occupied the barracks with their men.

As comfortable as the Seaview Inn was for a command center, it was not a fortified building. Travelers still occupied the lower floors, and the only protection detail was a pair of guards set up on the staircase landing on the third floor to stop anyone from accessing the fourth floor without a valid reason for being there. Such security was not meant to stave off an attack by the Alcean Rangers.

In the dead of the night, six black-clad men gathered near the Seaview Inn. One of the men moved stealthily to the corner of the target building and began climbing the side of the building while the others kept watch. Within moments, the Ranger was on the roof of the building, and he lowered a rope for the rest of the men to climb. The other four Rangers and Tedi climbed up and then pulled the rope up after them. While Corporal Enis Azara searched for the hatch leading down to the fourth floor, Tedi addressed the other Rangers.

“Use the myric quills to kill them,” the Knight of Alcea instructed, “but cut their throats afterwards. I do not want these deaths to be mysterious. If someone thinks they died of food poisoning, we will lose the shock value of this attack. I want the entire 33
^rd
Corps to know that they are not welcome in Giza.”

The Rangers nodded in acknowledgement as Enis snapped his fingers to get their attention. The six men gathered around the hatch as the Ranger leader slowly pried it open. As soon as a crack large enough appeared, Enis roused his fairy and sent her down to spy on the fourth floor. She returned moments later.

“Not a creature is stirring,” chirped Acorn. “Shall I put the guards on the lower floor to sleep?”

“Yes,” replied Corporal Azara, “but remain there and keep a watch. We do not want to be discovered. Tedi will collect you on his way out.”

“Then you shall not be discovered,” promised the little blue woman.

The fairy shot through the crack and disappeared. Enis pulled the hatch off and silently dropped through it to the fourth floor corridor. The other Rangers followed and then Tedi joined them. Enis made his way straight for the general’s quarters while the others spread out and selected rooms to enter. Tedi entered the room closest to the hatch. He found a colonel sleeping peacefully, but he did not stab him with a myric quill. He walked around the bed and sat so that he could observe the sleeping colonel and the doorway at the same time, his staff in hand in case the colonel awoke. After only a few minutes, Enis appeared in the doorway. He signaled that the operation was over, and Tedi nodded and waved the Ranger away. Enis closed the door and disappeared. Tedi immediately began tapping his fingers to ensure that the Rangers had enough time to make good their escape. When the numbers ran out, the Knight of Alcea placed his staff on the colonel’s head. The Federation colonel awoke immediately.

“Don’t move,” Tedi ordered softly. “I have a message for you and then I will leave. If you attempt to turn towards me, you will die. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” the colonel replied. “What do you want?”

“What is your name?” asked Tedi.

“I am Colonel Clarine,” answered the soldier. “What is the message and who is it for?”

“The message is for you, Colonel Clarine,” Tedi said with a thin smile that the colonel could not see. “The people of Giza are tired of housing the 33
^rd
Corps. We want you out of our city tomorrow. If you do not leave, you will die. Do you understand the message?”

The colonel frowned. “I understand your words,” he answered, “but why tell me?”

“Because you are now the highest ranking officer of the 33
^rd
Corps,” replied Tedi. “If your army is not out of the city by tomorrow night, we will select someone else to lead the 33
^rd
Corps. Have a good night, Colonel Clarine.”

Tedi moved the staff before the soldier could anticipate his move. He struck the man’s head gently to put him back to sleep and then rose and left the room. He glanced upward to make sure that the hatch was properly back in place before heading for the stairway. As he descended the stairs, Acorn hopped onto his shoulder. Together they proceeded to the ground floor and slipped out of the building and into the night.

It was almost high sun when Natia and Colonel Fisker rode into Giza. As they passed through the slums, the city seemed as it always had, but once they entered the more affluent areas, they noticed the draping of black cloths from many windows. It was a sign of mourning, and a knot began to grow in the colonel’s stomach. He looked questioningly at Natia, but the spy said nothing. Weary from lack of sleep, the colonel decided not to pursue the issue of how she could have possibly known. They rode together in silence all the way to the Royal Palace. They hurried to General Antero’s office, aware that their deadline was fast approaching. When they arrived, the general waved them in.

“King Anator is dead,” the general stated without preamble. “Did you see the Occan army?”

“That and more,” answered the colonel as he sat down without an invitation. General Antero raised an eyebrow at the uncharacteristically rude behavior, but he offered no rebuke. “I met with King Arik of Alcea.”

“Here in Aerta?” the general asked in disbelief.

“A little over a day’s ride up the Zinbar Trail,” nodded the colonel. “They were camped alongside the river in the middle of the day as if they were waiting for something. The report Natia gave is accurate, General. There are twenty thousand Occan warriors and three thousand Red Swords, and they are intent on seeking the surrender of Aerta. King Arik mentioned the note that Natia gave you from General Alden. Have you read it?”

“I have,” the general replied as he waved permission for Natia to sit. “The heir has instructed me to preserve the throne in his name. He also indicated that Aerta will leave the Federation and become allies with Alcea. Do you know where the heir is?”

“I do not know,” answered the colonel, “but King Arik said that he will be arriving in Giza within a couple of days. I believe that his words were honestly spoken.”

“Does this mean that the Alceans will not be attacking Giza then?” asked the general.

“They are planning to fight the 33
^rd
Corps,” answered Colonel Fisker. “If we are to accept that General Alden’s note is uncoerced, we must find a way to get the 33
^rd
Corps out of the city. Should we fail to do so, the Alceans and Occans will attack Giza.”

“That is no longer a concern,” replied General Antero. “The 33
^rd
Corps fled the city yesterday.”

“Fled?” the colonel asked, a puzzled frown spreading across his face.

“Fled,” nodded the general. “It seems that some group attacked the command center of the 33
^rd
Corps while they slept. General Hedstorus and nine of his colonels were murdered in their sleep. Colonel Clarine was left alive with instructions to get out of Giza or die. The colonel wasted no time in complying with the demand.”

“Badgers?” asked the colonel.

General Antero glanced at Natia and saw a thin smile on her lips. He shook his head. “I don’t think so,” the general answered. “The Badgers always leave their mark on the dead. Perhaps Natia can enlighten us.”

“It was not the Badgers,” Natia replied vaguely.

“But you know who is responsible,” the general stated with confidence. “Just who are you Natia?”

“I am a Knight of Alcea,” Natia declared. “The deaths of General Hedstorus and his staff were carried out by Alcean Rangers to make the 33
^rd
Corps leave the city. It was the only way to avoid greater bloodshed within your city walls.”

Colonel Fisker stared at Natia in confusion. “What is a Knight of Alcea?” he asked.

“There are around a dozen individuals from all over Alcea who have been chosen as Knights of Alcea,” the gypsy princess answered. “Each was chosen for their special skills and for the loyalty they have shown to King Arik. I am one of them.”

Colonel Fisker shook his head in disbelief. “That is not possible,” he said. “You gave me information that could have only come from the highest reaches of the Federation in Despair. How can that be?”

“The information I gave you did indeed come from the highest reaches of the Federation,” replied Natia. “We Alceans have been very aware of what the Federation has been planning for well over a year now. We have infiltrated the Federation at extremely high levels, and we have used that information to defend ourselves.”

“And now you are using it to crush the Federation,” accused General Antero.

“Yes, General,” Natia replied defensively. “You act as if I should be ashamed of that, but I am not. The Federation sought to exterminate my people in Alcea. I take great offense at such an outrage. Most other enemies that you might encounter would be here to burn and pillage your cities, but Alcea is not like that. King Arik only wants everyone to live in peace. If the use of secret information can alleviate the deaths of thousands of your people, you should be glad that we Alceans are so adept at gathering it.”

General Antero blinked at the verbal rebuke, but he recovered quickly. He smiled and nodded at Natia. “You are correct,” he said softly. “We should applaud your efforts to avoid bloodshed. I apologize.”

Natia sighed wearily. “I must apologize to you, General Antero. I do not normally lose my composure, but Colonel Fisker and I have had no sleep for the past couple of days. We feared missing your deadline.”

General Antero glanced at Natia and Colonel Fisker, and suddenly he understood why both of them were acting strangely. He smiled at the colonel. “I will take no more of your time,” he said. “Get some sleep and then we will continue this conversation. There is nothing so urgent to discuss that it cannot wait for a few hours.”

The colonel and Natia rose to their feet to leave, but Natia hesitated and turned back to the general.

“We did not run across any of the 33
^rd
Corps when we entered the city,” she said. “Where are they camped?”

“They are not camped,” answered General Antero. “They headed south along the Coastal Highway at a forced march.

“South?” Natia echoed with concern.

“I suspect that they are heading for Despair,” replied the general. “Is that bad?”

“There are twenty thousand soldiers in Farmin,” frowned Natia. “King Arik will not want them to join with the 33
^rd
Corps before battle. Do you know if Colonel Clarine sent off any messages before he left the city?”

“Just one,” answered the general. “He sent a message to Despair. I do not know the contents of the message.”

* * * *

The unicorns glided across the sky and slowly descended to the desert floor. Fakir Aziz immediately dismounted and signaled for the rest to do likewise. With many looks of confusion, the other mages dismounted and gathered around Fakir Aziz.

“You may dispense with the illusion on Dorforun,” stated the Mage. “It is no longer needed. We make camp here for tonight.”

“Here?” questioned Atule. “There is nothing here but sand. What in the blazes are we doing in the desert, Fakir? Isn’t it time for you to share some of your knowledge with the rest of us?”

The Mage glanced around at all the questioning gazes and sighed as he nodded. “Very well,” he replied. “We are here to sink a ship. Now, if someone will get a fire going so we can eat, I am anxious for our nightly game to begin.”

The Mage turned and walked away, heading for a nearby sand dune that would offer a better view of the surrounding desert.

“He has gone mad,” scowled Atule. “The desert is the last place in the world to find a ship. Do you think the sun has gotten to him?”

“He sure likes that game,” commented Zynor. “I wonder if he brought us to the desert so that there will be more sand for the game.”

“I do not understand his pleasure with the game,” stated Kalmar. “It is only pushing sand around in a circle, and often he does not even join in.”

“It is more than a game to him,” offered Crystil.

“What do you mean?” asked Valera. “It is just a game.”

“Is it?” retorted the old hag from Smirka. “The Mage does not use words for idle chatter, nor does he waste effort on anything he does. Each of his words carries meaning, and so too do his actions. The game has a meaning. We are just not seeing it.”

“I agree with Crystil,” stated Eulena. “Everything we have done on this trip has had a meaning. Sometimes it has been hard to understand the meaning, but one has always been there.”

“The game is only a mechanism to get us to work together,” suggested Kalmar. “That is its meaning, and it has been successful in doing that. If we did not work together moving the sand around, it would not get done. If just one of us refused to play any more, the game would end.”