Council of War (32 page)

"He is with my men," answered Garth. "I also had two chance encounters with him, and as Sidney pointed out earlier, I don't believe in coincidences. Could he be a spy for the Federation?"

"I can't answer that," replied the queen. "I know him by reputation alone, but I suppose the emperor might find it useful to get someone inside the homes of the nobles."

"What is he doing in the Forest of Death?" asked Sidney. "Surely, there is no one there to be tutored, unless you consider ogres as students."

"He said that he was heading for Tyronia," answered Kalina. "It was he who told our men about the closing of the pass."

"Ogres?" asked Garth. "What do you know about ogres?"

"I have been trying to buy some land in Korocca," replied Edmond. "Father thinks that Tyronia may soon fall to the Federation, and he doesn't want Queen Romani to fall into their hands. Our plan was to buy an estate in Korocca and catch the boat that goes there once a month. On my trip over there last month I found that the Zaroccans have been battling hordes of ogres coming out of the Forest of Death."

"How long has this been going on?" asked Kalina.

"Evidently it has been going on for years," answered Edmond, "but they have kept it hushed up so the people do not panic. The ogres have not attacked Traginak yet, but there is a barony further west that has taken the brunt of the attacks."

"How did you find out about this?" asked Tedi. "I mean, if they don't want anyone to know about it, could it be just a story to frighten you away?"

"No," Edmond shook his head. "Korocca is not fond of outsiders owning land, so I decided to try Zarocca. Their attitude towards foreigners is not much better, but the upper reaches of the Cyranak River are heavily wooded and sparsely populated. As the horsemen of Zarocca have little love for forests, I thought it would be the perfect place to acquire some land. At first they just said no, but when I pressed the issue, one of them told me about the ogres. I, of course, did not believe him, and I told him so. Eventually, he took me to a large open pit where they burn the bodies. I saw the creatures myself."

"When did the Forest of Death become enchanted?" asked Kalina.

"The stories began right after the day the world shook," answered Sidney. "I remember going through it when I was a youth with my father, and it was not different from any other forest."

"The Collapse," Kalina said softly as she nodded her head. "That alone would explain why no one ever escapes the Forest of Death."

"People do escape from time to time," commented Edmond, "but they appear insane when they escape. I find it hard to believe such creatures could remain a secret for such a long time."

"There is more to the Forest of Death than just ogres," stated Garth. "The sailor who died in there was killed by his horse. It was a horse that was already dead when it bit him."

Sidney's brow creased with shock while the queen's face paled considerably.

"Already dead?" asked Edmond. "How can that be?"

"The creatures come back to life," explained Kalina. "It is a magical place. Only decapitation can ensure that the creature remains dead. The dead sailor also came back to life, but it wasn't truly him. Our men had to sever his head."

"I do not wish to live near that place," declared Queen Romani. "I will take my chances with the Federation."

"The ogre bodies that you saw," Garth asked Edmond, "were they decapitated?"

"No," Edmund answered, "but they were dead."

"It is similar to the revenant spell of Sarac," Kalina explained to Garth, "but it is also different. I suspect it is not the creatures who are enchanted, but rather the place. Once the ogres leave the bounds of the Forest of Death, they are merely ogres."

"If you will excuse me," Queen Romani said as she rose. "I am not feeling well. Perhaps I will take a nap while you get our guests settled in, Sidney."

Sidney rose promptly and moved to the queen's side. He looked at Edmond and his son nodded in response to the unspoken question.

"I will take Queen Romani to her room," Sidney stated.

"And I will get you settled in," Edmond declared.

Edmond showed the visitors to their rooms. Morro was housed separately, and Tedi and Natia together. Garth and Kalina got the third room, and Edmond excused himself.

"I feel for her," Kalina said softly. "Her whole world has turned upside down, yet she is courageous in trying to act calm through the impossible tumult."

"You said that we would check on Colonel Pfaff," frowned Garth. "How are we going to do that?"

"I will do it," answered Kalina. "I can fly down there and find the colonel and get a report for the queen. It will do much to assure her that not all is lost."

"That is a dangerous action for such a small problem," worried Garth.

"Don't worry," Kalina smiled. "I will avoid all roads and cities. I will fly over the Great Meadow and approach Waxhaw in the dark. There will be no one to shoot arrows at me."

"Can't we send a fairy to do it?" asked Garth.

"A fairy will not be able to speak with Colonel Pfaff," Kalina shook her head. "At least not without exposing herself, and I do not think we want to allow that."

"I agree," Garth sighed as he nodded in acceptance.

"There is something about fairies that is disturbing me though," Kalina said pensively. "Ogres existed in the Sagina Universe. That is the same Universe where fairies originated. If there are ogres in the Forest of Death, there may be fairies in there as well."

"What is wrong with that?" asked Garth. "They are all sworn to King Arik."

"The fairies in this land have never heard of King Arik," retorted Kalina. "What if the Federation is already familiar with fairies? What if they have managed to bend the fairies to their will?"

"Slow down," urged Garth. "You are going too fast for me. You are talking about the possibility of fairies existing in the Forest of Death. What does that have to do with the Federation? The Forest of Death is not part of the Federation."

"Are you sure?" asked Kalina. "Who then is enchanting the forest?"

"Can't it be enchanted from a long time ago?" asked Garth. "Does there have to be someone in there holding the spell?"

"It could be an old enchantment," conceded Kalina, "but I don't think it is. A spell such as the revenant spell breaks when the caster dies. While it is possible that a magician cast the spell and moved onward, I highly doubt it. I think the spell is a form of protection to keep people away. Also, don't you find it odd that the ogres have been attacking the horse countries for years, yet there have been no reports of ogres attacking people on the Federation side of the forest?"

"That is strange," sighed Garth, "but maybe the ogres live in the northern part of the forest."

"Perhaps," Kalina said. "We will not answer these questions without going there, but that will have to wait."

"Perhaps I should send Bitsy to find Karl and the others."

"I wouldn't," Kalina responded. "The last thing I would want to see is a dead fairy come back to life. Karl will send Peanut when he thinks it is safe to do so."

"He did give Peanut precise instructions for returning to him," conceded Garth. "When are you leaving for Waxhaw?"

"Right away," answered Kalina. "I will try to be back in two days, but do not worry if I am late."

* * *

The eagle flew high over the southeast corner of the Great Meadow. Off in the distance it could see the outline of Sebastian Pass, but it was too far away to see the soldiers blocking it. In front of the eagle was the Lombardi River, and the bird kept a fair distance away from it. On the northern side of the river, the forest stretched past the borders of Vinafor and intruded into the Great Meadow. The Eagle banked sharply to the west and paralleled the river. As the sun began to slide into the distant sea, clouds began to roll in from the coast. The eagle dropped below the clouds and angled southwest towards Waxhaw.

The sun slid below the horizon, and the eagle banked once more in a more southerly direction. That was when the arrow streaked past it. The eagle instantly banked to the right and dove steeply towards the grassland beyond the trees. With the wind screaming past it, the eagle banked again and shot upwards and away from the forest. It soared up through the clouds and headed out to sea. A couple of hours later, the eagle glided into Waxhaw from the sea. It landed on the roof of a low building and transformed into Kalina.

The Knight of Alcea hung from the edge of the roof and dropped quietly to the ground. Kalina's first stop was the gate of the Royal Palace. She asked for Colonel Pfaff and got blank stares in return. The next two hours were spent canvassing the inns near the palace and the city center. Many of the soldiers knew Colonel Pfaff, but they either did not know where he was, or they were unwilling to share the information. Kalina started to get a bad feeling about her mission. As she walked out of an inn, someone grabbed her hand and pulled her into an alley. Kalina immediately erected shields around her as she broke free of the man's grasp. The man reached out for her again and his hand hit the invisible shield. Only then did she notice the man's face. Kalina dropped the shield.

"You scared me," Kalina said softly.

"I am sorry," Colonel Pfaff responded as he held one hand with the other. "I did not want anyone to see me talking to you. What was it that struck my hand?"

"Perhaps the wall of the inn?" smiled Kalina. "Why are you afraid to be seen with me?"

"I do not know you," answered the colonel. "I believe that I saw you once in the Ramaldi Pass, but you have been asking for me all over the city. Why?"

"I have come from Queen Romani," answered Kalina. "She is worried about you. I told her that I would find you and make sure that you are safe."

Colonel Pfaff looked nervously out of the alley. He nodded down the alley and then turned and walked away. Kalina followed him deeper into the alley and stood in the dark waiting for him to speak.

"It is not safe to mention her name in this city," he said softly. "King Daramoor would have your head if he thought you favored her return."

Kalina noticed the slight curl of the colonel's lips when he mentioned King Daramoor, as if uttering those two words was a sin. "Then I shall not mention her name again. What am I to report to her?"

"There is much that I would like to share with her," replied the colonel. "Do you have a room in the city?"

"Not yet," answered Kalina. "Should I get one?"

"Yes," nodded the colonel.

"Would it seem out of place for you to be in the Waxhaw Wheel House?"

"I can manage to get in and out unseen," promised the colonel. "Get a room and then come to the stables and tell me which one it is."

"I hope you are being careful," Kalina said to the officer. "If just one of the soldiers you have recruited is a spy, you will be hung before you can be of any help to Queen Romani."

"There are only a few men who know my true identity," replied Colonel Pfaff. "I have modeled the organization after the thieves' guild. I use the name Crusher when recruiting, and we do background checks on everyone before approaching them.

"Those checks rely on government files," warned Kalina. "Those files can be altered to help someone infiltrate your organization."

"That is possible," conceded the colonel, "but I have worked my way into the confidence of King Daramoor. My association with him gives me an uneasy feeling, but whenever I start to feel uncomfortable, I remind myself that I am needed to restore the queen to the throne."

"What happened to the major who was Daramoor's lackey?"

"Major Garibaldi?" grinned the colonel. "He was promoted to general and sent to Despair. He is now a devoted lackey to Emperor Jaar. Daramoor was furious about it, but he was unable to do anything about it. The emperor uses him as a threat to keep Daramoor in line."

"I had heard something similar to that," nodded Kalina as she glanced out the window and saw that dawn was approaching. "Unless there is something else you wish to convey to the queen, I need to be going."

"You know as much as I do now," Colonel Pfaff shook his head. "Will you be coming again in the future?"

"I cannot say," answered the Knight of Alcea. "I suspect that visits will be infrequent, and you can never know who might be coming to visit."

"I understand," the colonel said as he rose from the chair. "Please give my best wishes to the queen. Tell her it may be a long road before she returns, but the way will be paved for her."

"Just don't act before she sends word," cautioned Kalina. "The timing must be coordinated."

The colonel nodded and slipped out the door of the room. Kalina was weary from lack of sleep, but she had promised to return as quickly as possible. Gazing longingly at the unused bed, she decided to leave immediately. She waited a few minutes after the colonel had left before leaving the room and heading to the alley alongside the inn. After making sure that no one was around, she transformed into an eagle and took to the sky.

Remembering the close call on the way to Waxhaw, the eagle headed out to sea rather than risk flying over the forest. Only when it was well clear of the coast did the eagle bank lazily and head north over the sea. When the sun rose an hour later, the warmth and glow of its rays invigorated the eagle. When the sun was high in the sky, the eagle banked to the right and flew northeast. The dry grasslands of the Great Meadow soon appeared below the bird, and it began to grow weary once again. As the afternoon wore on, the eagle began to fly without thought, more like a mechanical creature than an intelligent one. It's eyes lazily scanned the ground below out of habit more than curiosity. Towards dusk, the cooling air felt brisk, and it shook the eagle out of its stupor. The bird started searching for a safe place to sleep. It had not seen a creature below, but the brown grass was tall enough to conceal almost anything. Warily the eagle intentionally lost altitude as it soared over the expansive Great Meadow.

Closer to the ground, the eagle saw that the tall grass was bent in areas. It was a sure sign that large creatures had been moving through the grass. Without a tree in sight, the eagle continued its flight. Suddenly, the eagle shot skyward as something large moved below. It automatically banked in a circle, and surprise shot through its body. Moving through the tall grass below was a herd of unicorns. The eagle focused on the path of the herd and calculated where it would be in a minute or so. With the calculation complete, the eagle dived towards the ground. As soon as it landed the eagle blurred and transformed into Kalina.