Council of War (72 page)

"Take them both away," ordered the king. "The sight of them disgusts me."

The soldiers dragged the two men out of the room, and the rest of the soldiers followed. Garth returned to his chair and the king looked at him questioningly.

"If you still have concerns about proceeding, Garth, I will understand," stated the king. "Where there are two maggots, there may be more."

"We have no further concerns," declared Kalina. "I offer my sympathies to the Koroccan people. We have seen similar Federation spies in our homeland, and we know the heartache that comes from being betrayed. Our confidence in your advisors has been restored."

"Then let us conclude this meeting quickly," said the king. "It is my opinion that Garth Shado and the Alceans have delivered on their promise of finding twenty thousand fighters to complement our own forces. Given that requirement, we now need to decide if it is in Korocca's best interests to join this Council of War. I ask that the foreign emissaries leave the room so I may discuss this issue privately with my advisors."

Queen Romani, General Skye, and the Alceans rose and left the meeting room. They returned to Sidney's suite which had become the gathering place for the foreigners.

"You were quick to agree that all was well with the advisors," Garth said to Kalina. "Why?"

Kalina held up her hand and showed Garth the ring she was wearing. "Cold Truth. It was one of Sarac's favorite spells. When anyone tells a lie it warms the ring. In normal conversation it is not such a great indicator because someone can deceive you without telling a lie, but when the barons began to stand and pledge their loyalty, it worked like a charm. There is no way a spy could pass that test. It detected both Roff and Tyko."

"And you didn't say anything?" frowned Queen Romani. "Why not?"

"There was no need," replied Kalina. "If Tyko had not been caught, I would have told the king, but it was better for them to discover him on their own."

"Couldn't Sigfrid counteract your spell with one of his own?" asked Garth.

"He could," conceded Kalina, "but he didn't. Besides, I had a long talk with Sigfrid today. I like the man. He is very knowledgeable, and he is eager to take on the horrors of the Forest of Death. He may become useful to us before this is all over."

"If the Koroccans agree to the council," said General Skye. "I am not sure why they would. They are safe on this side of the Forest of Death."

"No one is safe as long as the Federation lives," replied Garth.

A knock sounded on the door and Sidney answered it. Baron Stikman entered the room and walked over to the table where everyone had gathered. His face was long and several of those in the room sighed audibly. After a long moment of silence, the baron's face broke into a smile.

"It was unanimous," he declared. "Everyone agreed with my point that even if nothing comes from the council, we all have a lot to learn from you Alceans. We will join the Council of War with the others, but you have your work set out for you, Garth. You are going to have to explain to us hard-headed Koroccans how we can get our legions down to the Federation."

"One step at a time," grinned Garth. "I will send out fairies to alert our people. When is the first meeting?"

"We set it for a month from today, but if you need more time, we can accommodate you."

"I would prefer to move sooner if we can. How long will it take for King Persimon to get here?"

"Around a week," answered the baron.

"A week works for me," stated Garth. "Can we move the meeting up?"

"A week from now?" frowned the baron. "I am sure that the king would have no objection, but I cannot see how you will get everyone here."

"Come with me," grinned Garth.

The baron followed Garth with a puzzled look on his face. Garth led him down to the stables and brought Kymia and Yurl out.

"Saddle up, we are going for a ride."

"I prefer my own horse," replied the baron. "Let me get him."

"No," insisted Garth. "I want you to use Kalina's mount."

The baron shrugged and saddled Yurl. The two warriors rode through the city of Herinak and out the city gates. The baron was getting extremely curious, but he didn't ask any questions. When the city was out of sight, Garth halted and the baron stopped alongside him.

"Do you know why the Occans bloodline is so special?" asked Garth.

"The mystery goes back centuries," replied the baron. "I suppose you Alceans will now claim to know more about Occans than we do?"

"I suppose," grinned Garth. "The Occans are descended from unicorns."

"I have heard that rumor," chuckled the baron, "but I don't put much stock in mythical creatures."

Garth smiled broadly as he mentally told Kymia and Yurl to expose their horns. The baron gasped and reached out to touch Yurl's horn.

"Don't," warned Garth. "The horns are sharper than anything you have ever felt. It would slice the flesh off your hands. Hang on. We are going for a ride."

Garth mentally ordered the unicorns into the air. The unicorns rose high into the sky, and Garth could hear the baron laughing like a child with a new toy. The flight was short, but exhilarating as the unicorns demonstrated their speed and agility. When they landed, Garth waited for the baron to catch his breath.

"That was the most amazing ride of my life," Baron Stikman declared. "I would give a whole herd of Occans for a single unicorn."

"Unicorns are our companions," replied Garth. "They are not owned like horses. The purpose of the demonstration was to eliminate the mystery of our travel to far places. This, too, must remain a secret, but it is how the emissaries will arrive. Let's return to the castle. I want to discuss security preparations for their arrival."

* * *

The night of the new moon was dark, and the flying unicorns were barely visible. Had they not been expected, Garth might have missed them himself, but he was expecting them, and they arrived right on schedule. The four unicorns glided over the Herinak River and landed in the clearing alongside the four unicorns already waiting. The new arrivals rode across the clearing to where the four Knights of Alcea were waiting for them. Pleasant words of welcome were given and then the eight riders rode silently towards the city of Herinak.

When the group reached the city gates, they opened without question. Anyone watching would have thought it strange that barons were manning the gates instead of guards, but the time of night almost guaranteed that everyone would be asleep. Indeed, the city streets were completely deserted as the eight hooded riders moved through the city and approached the castle gates. Barons also manned those castle gates, and they opened when the riders were first sighted. The riders dismounted at the stables, and the hooded figures entered the castle and climbed the steps to a whole floor that had been put off limits by King Wendal. The visitors were shown to their private rooms and allowed to sleep for the few hours before dawn.

One of the suites on the floor had been converted to a meeting room, and barons and advisors filed into the room at dawn. After the king arrived and took his seat at the head of the table, the foreign emissaries were allowed to enter. King Persimon and Baron Uloof were hardly considered foreigners in Korocca, so they entered first. Queen Romani followed, her face now well known within the castle. King Myer accompanied General Skye to the shock of most of the Koroccans. His presence in the castle had been kept secret from most of them. Natia escorted Yortana the Rhodan, and Tedi introduced Boric, cousin of the King of Karamin. Kalina presented Prince Saratoma to the amazement of the barons, but Garth had saved the biggest shock for last. When he led King Drakarik into the room, the barons gasped in disbelief. The dwarven king grinned mischievously as he had dressed for the occasion. Numerous throwing axes hung from his belt, and he carried a dwarven battleaxe. His horned battle helm glistened with gold as the light reflected off it. The assemblage sat there in shock as the dwarven king took his seat. Even King Wendal, who knew the dwarf was coming, appeared speechless. That was fine for Garth Shado, Knight of Alcea. It gave him the opportunity to start the meeting off on the right foot.

"Members of the Council of War," Garth said loudly, "we are joined together today for one purpose, and that is to bring about the destruction of the Federation. Let nothing stand in our way."

 THE END

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