Mighty Hammer Down (15 page)

"No, not yet. There is more to be done
than I expected. They are free to go until sunset tomorrow, but
when they return, they must be prepared to remain here for several
days. I cannot know how long the preparations will take. This has
never been done before."

"Of course, Red Master. We humbly do
your bidding and serve Inshae faithfully. I will deliver your
commands to them at once."

The man left the room and left Uritus
alone with the four silent walls. He used his power to close the
door from a distance and pushed his hood off of his head to rest on
his shoulders. He pulled the golden pendant that hung around his
neck from his robes and stared at the intricate carving of the
rock, sun and sea. Mirra hadn’t noticed the little treasure that
Rommus had dropped, and when he saw it he took it.

The gold pendant reminded him of the
other gold item in the room, and he went to the long wooden table
at the far wall. On it, covered in black satin cloth, was the sword
of Arius, still covered in dry, crusty blood. He carefully moved
the fabric off of the weapon to gaze upon it once more. If the
blade cut his skin, even a tiny cut, it would send him into eternal
blackness, away from the gods. He would not even go to Morendiir,
the city of the dead, but simply into the infinite oblivion. The
weapon frightened him terribly, but he was unable to pull himself
away from it. It fascinated him that it was made by the gods, and
put here on earth in order to allow the gods to maintain a
connection to the mortal plain. He was proud of his discovery of
that information, and it drove him to study the subject with a
fiery intensity. He found out that not only were there artifacts
from the gods hidden all over the world, but also treasures of a
different kind.

Treasures in bloodlines.

Chapter 13

Tannis was furious. He could not
believe that his men had lost the Vindyri assassin. The woman in
the pit looked a little like her, and she was bruised and bloodied,
but it was not the right girl. They had told him that they found
her running in the halls with the sword she had stolen from a
guard, the guard he left to watch her in his office at the Star
Legion barracks. When that guard saw the woman they captured, he
insisted that it was her and he demanded that he be allowed to
punish her. His pride was obviously damaged, as was his nose. But
instead of granting him the privilege of punishing his attacker, he
was sent to the pit himself for a week for losing such an important
prisoner. Tannis’s plans were turning to sand, slipping from his
fingers, and he didn’t have time to get all the information he
needed.

He knew there was something wrong with
the whole situation, but he couldn’t see the entire picture.
Nothing seemed to line up like it should, and at every turn he ran
into walls. He hoped that this meeting would bring some light to
his dilemma, and that many minds would see things that a single
mind might miss. He waited silently for the Commanders of all the
Legions at a desk outside his office in the large circular room at
the Star Legion barracks. There were riders speeding word to the
other military leaders in other cities, but there was not much news
to deliver. He could only tell them that he feared war was coming,
and that all men should be alert and on guard.

He had arranged for Andrew to be
brought to the barracks so that the Emperor could speak with him if
he desired. He was taken to one of the nicer rooms and given food
and wine, and told that anything he needed would be brought to him
if he asked. It seemed he was a kind man, but a frightened one.
Tannis didn’t think it was because he had malicious intentions and
was nervous, but rather that he saw the Medoran army stir like a
giant hornets nest shortly after his arrival. Nervousness was to be
expected.

As he waited, he used the time to
finish the reports he had neglected for the last two days. It
didn’t matter if war was coming or not, Medora was a busy place and
countless things needed to be done if the Empire was going to
function properly. Most things like laws, trade regulations,
discrepancies over ownership, etc were managed by others beneath
him, but he insisted that any matter that involved the army in any
way be brought to his desk so that he could check it as well. He
also sent anything non-military directly to the Emperor. Aside from
that, there was always the matter of keeping track of payments to
the troops. A large blue book was always on his desk waiting for
final approvals for payments and expenditures.

The Emperor finally walked in from the
far corridor with seven men behind him. Each Commander of the seven
Legions had been called to this meeting to be informed of the
latest events and to allow them to state their opinions and ideas
on the matter. He knew each of the men and what they did, but he
cursed himself as he looked at them and realized he was somewhat
unsure of most of their names. He decided to call them by rank
instead of by name. They all sat down at the long table that had
been brought into the room and faced their General. The Emperor
remained standing off to the side.

"Gentlemen, thank you for coming so
quickly," Tannis said as he stood. "By now you have been informed
of the Vindyri troops marching west. Our suspicions concerning the
matter have been confirmed. The Vindyri army moves."

"Did they dispatch riders with a
declaration of war?" one of the men asked.

"No, there has been no formal
declaration of any kind, but do not assume that that means they do
not intend to attack. It is foolish to expect a nation to allow us
such a courtesy."

"Is there proof of hostility?" another
man asked. Tannis knew this particular man’s name.

"Well, Commander Soterus, some proof
escaped these very walls two days ago. Perhaps you remember the
Vindyri you released?"

The heavy-set man looked embarrassed
and his eyes darted around at the other men. "It was a mistake,
General. I assume responsibility for my actions. Whatever
punishment you see fit will be carried out immediately."

"We don’t have time for that now,
Soterus. I need everyone together and actively preparing for this
war. To answer your question, no, there is no proof of hostility,
and in fact just last night an Ambassador from Vindyrion came with
an explanation for the movement of troops."

"Sounds suspicious to me," the Fire
Legion Commander stated as he put his elbows on the table. "Seems
like they are trying to calm us before a strike." The men nodded
their heads at the comment.

Tannis put his hands behind his back
and began pacing. "That is certainly a possibility, but I think we
need to look deeper into the matter. I don’t think they are so
foolish as to consider us so easy to trick. I think that either
their plan is much broader, or the Ambassador speaks the truth.
Regardless of what the actual truth is, I do believe that the
Ambassador believes his own words."

"The King may be feeding him lies,"
Soterus said.

"That was my first thought. There is
no way to know yet. We have no information out of Vindyrion except
for this man. No scouts have returned, and the Vindyri assassin is
missing. She is probably too far from Brinn for us to ever catch
her now."

"Well what did the Ambassador have to
say?" asked the Wind Legion Commander as he leaned back in his
chair and rested his hand on the pommel of his sword.

"He claims that the Vindyri are in
fact headed west, however they do not attack. They retreat from
their own eastern border from war with Bhoor-Rahn."

In a room full of Nobles, such a
statement would cause a loud, nervous chatter. These warriors
looked shocked, but made no sound. They looked at each other and
then focused again on Tannis. The Bhoors were a distant people that
no one knew much about, and no Commander in the room had ever
ridden to war against them. The only two present who had fought any
Bhoors were Tannis and the Emperor, and that was many years before.
Although the Vindyri were willing to accept the Bhoors into their
nation, Medorans were not. From the violent wars of the past, they
had learned their lessons and remembered them well. Nothing good
came from the land, not an invention, not a single productive
citizen, no trade, no gold; nothing of value to anyone. The Bhoors
were bent on spreading oppression and committed to forcing their
way of life on the peoples of the world. They had been beaten back
into their land several times in the past, left to suffer alone
with no trade or help from the people to their west. Neither Medora
nor Vindyrion noticed that they had been growing and preparing for
war for nearly 20 years. There was no way to determine how powerful
they were or how many men fought in the army, but unfortunately the
Vindyri were probably going to find out.

After a long silence, Commander
Soterus cleared his throat and spoke. "Does he tell us this so that
his people do not get squeezed between the hammer of the Bhoors and
the anvil of Medora? Or does he wish for us to come to his
aid?"

"His claim is that the King calls upon
us as a friend and ally to help them in their time of need. If the
story is true, I respect the decision made to fight the Bhoors
without asking for assistance first. However with our scouts having
gone missing, there is no reason we should trust the Vindyri. Who
else could have captured or killed them?"

The Earth Legion Commander answered
Tannis’s question. "It is possible that the Bhoors living in
Vindyrion made moves against our scouts there. They might have done
this in order to make us believe that the Vindyri killed them and
are coming to wage war against Medora. It is in the best interest
of the Bhoors to make us believe that Vindyrion is our
enemy."

"And it is in the best interest of the
Vindyri to keep Medora as an ally," the Water Legion Commander
said. "I am beginning to believe the Ambassador really does tell
the truth." He crossed his arms as if the statement closed any
argument.

"I agree that makes the best sense,"
the Emperor said as he walked before the table to address the men.
"This is all very confusing, but I think that was the intention of
those who orchestrated these events. We must remember that the
Vindyri have stood between us and Bhoor-Rahn for many years. They
are an ally even if they protected us unwillingly. Our trade with
them has made them prosperous and happy. Even though we encounter
rebel Vindyri from time to time, I cannot imagine that they would
turn their backs on us and coax us into war in this way. I believe
they really are in danger and need our help if they are going to
survive."

"And what of the Vindyri assassin sent
for General Tirinius?" one of the men asked.

The Emperor stroked his chin as he
thought. "It seems to me that it was a rash move based on rather
shallow ideas meant to shake the foundations of the military. I
think an assassin would be better used if he –or she--is aimed at
the leader of a nation, not its military. To kill an Emperor might
topple the Empire, although that is not likely here in these times.
But to kill the General, especially one so respected, would
probably only enrage the army and unleash the full wrath upon the
opposing nation. I think the Vindyri know us well enough to know
our beliefs, and if it was their intent to destroy us, I think they
would have sent the assassin to kill me, not General Tirinius. It
is more likely that the Bhoors have somehow convinced this Vindyri
woman to come to Medora and kill Tannis, so that we would assume
that King Weryn of Vindyrion sent her, and the full wrath of the
Medoran army would be directed at the Vindyri. This would crush
them from both sides. They would have no chance of
survival."

"That all makes sense," Tannis said as
he leaned on the desk. "It might not all be true, but we don’t have
much time to react if we intend to assist the Vindyri. Are there
any suggestions?"

Commander Soterus spoke up. "It would
be foolish to send a large portion of the army so far from Medora.
I think we should send 1000 soldiers to assist in battle and send
riders with them to speed news back and forth."

Tannis shook his head. "I agree that
we must not send a large number, but if half of the Vindyri army
retreats, then a massive force follows them. I would not send any
less than 20,000 men."

"General Tirinius, that’s a quarter of
a Legion!" Commander Soterus said, "You would risk such a
number?"

"To destroy Bhoors, yes. The more of
them that are dead, the better. In addition to that, we will take
80 percent of the spoils, and we will demand a large payment from
the Vindyri as well. We will take whatever amount we decide is
large enough to be significant, but small enough to allow them to
maintain their economy so that their trade with us will not be
interrupted. Such a price is worth sending 20,000 men."

"But 80 percent of spoils in
Bhoor-Rahn is 80 percent of dirt and wind," one of the men said as
the others laughed.

"Yes it’s true that they are known to
have very little, but the Ambassador claims that they do hold some
wealth now. I find it very hard to believe that they could raise an
army large enough to send the Vindyri running if they had nothing
but dirt and wind to pay their soldiers." The men all nodded at the
remark. He was thankful that all of the information the men had
offered was making sense and that his puzzle was finally coming
together.