Council of War (43 page)

Karl nodded and he joined Clint as they walked towards the porch.

"What do you need me to do?" asked Clint McFarren.

"Your main task right now is to make sure everyone knows where they are going," answered Garth. "Just hang out on the porch so everyone can find you when they need to."

The Ranger nodded and Garth returned inside the mansion. He walked back into the dining room where Sidney and Kalina were sitting.

"If this ship is as large as you say," asked Kalina, "why can't we take it back to Alcea?"

"It is not a sea-going ship," answered Sidney. "It is an old scow, but it should do fine following the coast down to the Needle."

"What about on the Sea of Tears?" asked Garth.

"The Sea of Tears is somewhat protected," answered Sidney. "I don't want to deceive you; it gets rough, but the seas are not the keel-breaking variety you find far offshore. Besides, if the weather turns bad in the Sea of Tears, land will not be hard to find. You can find it in any direction."

"Are the sailors going to survive the journey in one piece?" asked Garth. "That is really what I am asking."

"They will do fine," Sidney said confidently. "The best thing about this old scow is that it is distinctly Tyronian. People will not have to get close to it to tell that it is not a threat. That means that the Federation ships will pay no attention to it. It is slow and hard to maneuver so only a fool would use it for nefarious purposes."

"Well, that makes me feel better," Garth chuckled sarcastically.

Karl Gree wandered into the room and stood leaning against the wall as he listened.

"We've been fools before," Kalina smiled. "I am actually beginning to feel good about this plan. How can they hide such a large ship, though?"

"It has removable masts," grinned Sidney, "and it has a very low freeboard. It will be very hard to see from a distance if the masts are taken down. If they need to avoid a close inspection after the food is unloaded, the ship can be intentionally sunk in shallow water. It will take quite a bit of effort to float it again, but four men could do it. Additionally, it would be almost impossible to detect as it floats just under the surface of the water."

"It sounds like the perfect vessel for our needs," Garth nodded in appreciation. "It sounds like the sailors are all set then."

"Except for loading the cargo," nodded Sidney. "I have credits at most of the vendors in the city. You are free to use them to purchase the food and any other supplies you might need. I have given my men the right to take their horses with them. As I cannot take any of them to Traginak with me, you can also have the rest of the herd to sell in the city. Perhaps Natia could bargain for us. We could use some gold in Zarocca."

"She would enjoy a bit of horse trading," chuckled Garth. "I will let her know about it."

Sudden shouts from outside the mansion caught everyone's attention.

"Seize him!" shouted a voice of authority.

The sound of dozens of boots stomping on the porch caused Garth to pull his sword. He glanced at Sidney, and the merchant shrugged.

"I am going out the window," Garth said to Karl. "You go out the door after I have drawn their attention. Kalina, wait for a count of ten and then peer out the window to see if we need help."

Garth waited for Karl to leave the room before he tucked his sword along his side and dove through the window. He swung his sword sidewise and rolled as he hit the porch. He leaped to his feet and pivoted, bringing his sword around in front of him. A score of Tyronian solders were on the porch, and two of them were holding Clint. They all turned and stared at Garth.

Karl raced out the door on the other side of the soldiers, his sword raised and ready for battle. As some of the soldiers noticed Karl, they began to turn away from Garth. That was when two half-naked Rangers dropped from second story windows and landed behind the soldiers. Tedi and Natia raced up the hill from the stables, and four elves fanned out with arrows nocked. The soldiers looked around with alarm. Sidney Mercado stepped out of the door Karl had raced through and stood looking at the soldiers.

"Lower your weapons," Sidney said loudly. "That is King Myer."

"We will lower our weapons when they release Clint," Garth said.

"Who are these people, Sidney?" asked the king. "Have you taken sides with the Federation, too?"

"No, Your Highness," Sidney said worriedly. "I will always be true to Tyronia. Why are your men holding one of my guests?"

"One of your guests?" glared the king. "This man is a traitor. I don't know how you got him out of the dungeon, but he is returning to it."

Deep furrows creased Garth’s brow as he watched the king and the general with him. Finally, he eased his sword into its sheath and signaled for his men to stand down.

"You are mistaken, King Myer," Garth declared. "I guarantee you that you have never seen this man before."

General Skye turned and reached out to cup Clint's face with his hand. He turned it towards him and stared at it for a moment. He blinked twice and shook his head.

"He is correct," the general said with amazement. "The resemblance is close, but this is not General Forshire. Release this man."

"You are sure?" asked the king.

"I am positive," nodded General Skye. "I apologize for ordering my men to seize him. Perhaps I just have General Forshire on my mind, but this man only looks a bit similar at first glance. He is not the general."

"That is a relief," sighed the king. "I apologize, Sidney."

"I am just glad that the incident is behind us," replied Sidney. "Let's go inside and sit down. There is something that we must discuss."

The king nodded and followed Sidney into the house. The general followed, and Garth followed him, leaving the others to return to their activities. Sidney led the king, the general, and Garth back into the dining room where Kalina had already moved away from the window.

"Who are these people?" asked King Myer. "I saw elves out there."

"Who are only found in the Federation," the general said suspiciously.

"We represent a member nation in the coalition against the Federation," declared Garth. "While I am not prepared to speak more about it until we have a guarantee of secrecy, I will say that no one here is a threat to Tyronia."

Neither the king nor the general appeared to be very swayed by Garth's remarks. Sidney turned to Kalina.

"Would you be so kind as to ask our other guest to join us?" he asked. "I think we need to dispel some fears here."

Kalina nodded and headed up the stairs. She returned moments later with Queen Romani.

"Queen Romani?" the king said with shock. "I thought you were dead."

"That is what we wanted people to believe, King Myer," she smiled. "In fact, I would have been dead without the help of some very special people, and they are in this room with you and your general. Garth and Kalina stand for everything that is right and just. You have nothing to fear from them. Their grievance against the Federation is as valid as yours or mine. Their homeland is also under the threat of attack."

"And what homeland are we speaking about?" asked the king.

Everyone looked at Garth expectantly, but the Knight of Alcea remained silent.

"Very well," conceded the king. "You have my word that I will retain your secret."

"And mine," offered General Skye.

"We are from Alcea," declared Garth. "The name probably means nothing to you, but it would mean a great deal to the Federation. Alcea is a land far across the sea. The Federation has been planning their attack on us for years."

"And the elves?" asked the general.

"Three of them are from Alcea," answered Garth. "The fourth is a rebel fighting against the Federation. He has joined our group and has been accepted as one of us."

"You use elves in Alcea, too?" frowned the king.

"We do not use the elves," corrected Garth. "They are equals and are treated as such. I might add that we also have dwarves in Alcea. All races live in harmony."

"There is so much to discuss, King Myer," interjected Sidney. "The message I sent you is an invitation to join in a meeting with the Alceans, the Zaroccans, and the Koroccans."

"And the free Vinaforans," added Queen Romani

"The meeting is to take place in five days in Traginak," Sidney continued. "I think it would be in the best interests of Tyronia for you to attend. We must join forces against the Federation, or we will be gobbled up one by one."

"Your message is more timely than you could imagine," sighed King Myer. "I fear that Tyronia has mere days left before the Federation takes over."

"Days?" gasped Sidney. "How?"

"The reason we seized the man outside," explained the king, "is because he is similar in appearance to General Forshire. The general was arrested earlier today for treason. He has been involved with Prince Mectin in selling horses to the Federation. Now we have intelligence reports that sixty thousand Federation soldiers are massing on our southern border. If we fight them, we will lose. If we don't fight them, we will lose."

"May I offer a suggestion, King Myer?" asked Queen Romani.

The king nodded.

"I was recently presented with a similar choice," explained the queen. "While only time will tell whether or not my choice was wise, the people of Vinafor are still alive. I have a growing organization within Vinafor that is poised to take my country back. Had I ordered the army to fight the Federation, those patriots would have already given up their lives for their country. With my abdication, they are alive and still willing to fight."

"Is that realistic?" asked the general.

"I think it is," replied Garth. "At some point, the Federation is going to send tens of thousands of men to Alcea. When they do, they will be inadequately staffed here in Zara to maintain their grip over all of the lands. The real question is one of timing. When we do start taking back the countries that they have stolen, those countries must have leaders that the people will rally to. Queen Romani is going to be one of them."

"Will you be another, King Myer?" asked the queen.

Sidney Mercado invited his guests to sit around the long table in the dining room. Garth and Kalina sat alongside Sidney on one side, and Queen Romani and General Skye flanked King Myer on the other side of the table.

"I am loath to leave without a fight," King Myer said to Queen Romani, "but your abdication from Vinafor might sway my mind. What makes you think that you will actually have a chance of returning to power?"

"Like yourself, King Myer," answered the queen, "I have tried to do my best for the people of my country. While no one can please everyone, I do think that most of my fellow countrymen appreciate what I tried to do. Add to that the fact that the Federation will not treat the people properly, and I think you will find many who are willing to fight for my return. Indeed, a growing underground organization has already begun to flourish."

"There are many patriots in Tyronia," nodded General Skye, "and they would be willing to fight the Federation. I am not just speaking of soldiers, either. Many of the ranchers and farmers would pick up their swords and join in the fight."

"But Mectin would be in power," the king shook his head. "We cannot even manage to attack him now. How can we possibly hope to attack him later?"

The general smiled as the king finally dropped Mectin's title. He realized that the king had just taken a major mental step in disowning his son.

"There are two things that might allow such a coup," stated the general. "Right now Mectin is barricaded in the Old Keep. While it is a poor excuse for a palace, it is a formidable fortress. Once he gains the throne for himself, I expect his vanity will cause him to occupy the Royal Palace. There he will be vulnerable."

"And the other?" asked the king.

"General Forshire," replied General Skye. "Locked away in his head will be the names of many traitors in the army. If we have enough time, we can interrogate him and discover who is faithful to you and who is not."

"Time," sighed the king. "We do not have time. How much time do you need?"

"A week," answered the general. "Forshire will resist the interrogation because he knows about the coup that Prince Mectin is planning. He will not give up any information until he has to."

Garth glanced at Kalina, and she met his gaze for a moment before nodding her willingness to use her magic to retrieve the information from the captured general. Garth nodded in appreciation, but he did not plan to offer that particular solution until all others were ruled out.

"We cannot stall for a week unless we are willing to engage the Federation in battle," countered the king. "That rules out the choice of abdication."

"Then I would suggest that we just execute General Forshire," retorted General Skye. "Your life is worth far more to Tyronia than the knowledge about the traitors we could gain from the interrogation."

"What about taking General Forshire out of the country with you?" suggested Sidney. "Wouldn't that solve both problems?"

"I don't think King Myer should just flee," interjected Queen Romani. "That would be viewed with great disappointment by the citizens. It is far better to be believed dead."

"Fake my own death?" frowned King Myer. "How in the world would I accomplish that?"

"We could use Forshire's body," mused the general. "He is of similar height to the king, but we would have to destroy the face of the corpse. He is thinner than the king, but we could fabricate a story about the king having been ill recently. His public appearances have been few in the last month."

"And who are we to pin my murder on?" balked the king.

"Forshire," declared Kalina.

Everyone stared at Kalina with confusion on their faces.

Kalina gazed into the king's eyes. "Answer me a question, King Myer. If a solution is found that allows you to appear dead, are you prepared to join the coalition against the Federation?"

"Without question," the king stated.