The sergeant in command held out his hand as Otto approached. “Name and business?”
“Otto Shenk to see General Varchi.”
The men scrambled to attention. “I didn’t recognize you, my lord. Please, go right in. We’ve been expecting you for a few days.”
Otto nodded as he passed and walked through the open gate. The walls and courtyard were filled with soldiers far more alert than those outside. Otto had never seen them, but they had to be the general’s personal guard. He’d heard they were the finest soldiers in the army.
Before he could choose a soldier from whom to ask directions, a man about twenty came hurrying over. He stopped directly in front of Otto and touched his fist to his heart. “Lord Shenk?”
“Do I know you?” Otto asked.
“No, my lord. I was on leave when King Wolfric announced that you were to be his chief advisor. Since I know what you look like, General Varchi asked me to keep an eye out for you. If you follow me, I can take you to his office.”
“By all means, lead on.”
He followed the soldier inside and up a flight of stairs lined with shields and battle flags. The soldier knocked on a closed door and a moment later a muffled voice said, “Enter.”
“There you are, my lord.” The soldier opened the door for him and stepped aside.
The general looked up as Otto entered. His steel-gray hair was cropped close and his uniform was rumpled with an ink stain on the front. Otto smiled, happy to see he was dealing with a working man and not someone a step removed from the nobility. Despite being a member of that group, Otto didn’t care for most of them.
“Lord Shenk,” General Varchi said. “It’s a pleasure to have you join us. I’m eager to see what you and your wizards can do.”
Otto seriously doubted anyone associated with the army for as long as the general had been was eager to go into battle with wizards, but he put on a good face. “Thank you, General. I read the most recent reports. It seems your march so far has met with little opposition. Since Straken doesn’t have a reputation for cowardice, what do you suppose they’re planning?”
The general pointed at an empty chair and Otto sat. “I can’t say anything for certain, but our assumption is that they didn’t expect such massive opposition so soon. We believe they sent at most two legions to invade the northern province. Assuming that’s correct, we had them badly outnumbered. Retreat and regroup was the most sensible decision. However, the bastards made sure to murder their way out.”
“Oh?”
“According to your brother’s last report, they slaughtered everyone they had taken for slave labor. Their families as well. I know His Majesty wants us to go easy on them, but given what they’ve done…”
“I understand how you feel, but the civilians you want to take your revenge on aren’t the ones responsible for killing our people. Defeating their army, taking the capital, and freeing them from Uther’s tyrannical rule is the best thing we could do. It will take time, but eventually the people will come to appreciate life under Garenland’s more enlightened laws.”
The general’s laugh held not a trace of humor. “If you think any Straken citizen will ever appreciate anything associated with Garenland, then you don’t know Straken. Uther might be a tyrant, but he’s their tyrant. King Wolfric will never be anything more than an invader.”
“You take a rather grim view, General. Surely the parents of those who might become wizards will welcome us knowing their sons and daughters will no longer be slaughtered.”
“They might,” General Varchi allowed. “But how many people is that, a few score at most? Hardly enough to secure the country. No, I fear we’re in for a long, hard slog bringing this miserable country to heel.”
“I hope you’re wrong, but if you’re not, we can still use them as slave labor in the mithril mines. When do we go to meet Axel?”
“The army marches first thing in the morning.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to take my team and go ahead. There are some magical things we need to get set up.”
“That’s fine. If you leave now you should make it before dark. The engineers have been building a proper road so we can get supplies through.”
Otto stood and they shook hands. The general was hardheaded and practical. Otto hoped they’d get along well.
Chapter 34
Calling what the engineers had built a road was far too generous in Otto’s opinion. He, Hans, and the rest of the squad had been rattling down the shaded path for hours. The guys weren’t thrilled when he said they were setting out again, but Otto wanted to find Axel and commandeer some of his prisoners before the rest of the army caught up. Many would find what he had to do to empower the enchanted armor troubling and he preferred as few witnesses as possible.
It was an hour before dawn when they reached the edge of the Straken village. A picket of soldiers greeted them with leveled spears. It seemed his brother took camp security more seriously than the general. No surprise there. He and Axel had both received the same brutal training from Father. A poorly set picket would have gotten both of them black eyes.
When the formalities were complete, Otto asked the sergeant in charge, “Where can I find Axel Shenk?”
“The commander has just returned from pacifying another Straken village in preparation for the General’s arrival tomorrow. We weren’t expecting anyone until midday at the earliest.”
“I just arrived from the capital and was eager to see my brother,” Otto said. “Can you supply me with a guide?”
“You won’t have any trouble finding him. Just look for the tent flying the Garenland flag. He’ll be inside.”
“My thanks, Sergeant.” Otto settled back in his seat and once the simple barricade of sharpened stakes was moved out of the way Hans urged the wagon through.
Even a single legion looked too big to be occupying the border village. Tents and men and cook fires filled every space. The scent of stew simmering reminded Otto that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast that morning. He silenced his grumbling stomach and focused. Food would keep until he finished his work. Getting the armor up and operational so Hans and the others could practice before an actual battle was vital.
They found the flag waving above the largest canvas tent in the camp. Otto jumped down as soon as Hans stopped the wagon and strode over. The four guards on duty gave him a serious looking over before one of them, a man about twenty-five wearing a mottled green and black uniform, took a step back and said, “Lord Shenk?”
“Have we met?” Otto asked.
“Not face to face, but I was one of the scouts you rescued. I never got a chance to offer my thanks. We were all more grateful than we could say.”
“I was just doing my duty, the same as you. Is my brother in?”
“Of course.” The scout pulled the tent flap open for Otto. “Go right in, my lord.”
“Thanks.”
Otto stepped into the dim interior. A pair of Lux crystals hung from tent poles and illuminated a table in the center of the tent. Axel stood beside it with another, older man. They were both studying a map covered with markers.
Otto cleared his throat and both of them looked up. Axel grinned and said, “Finally made it to the front, little brother. Took you long enough.”
“Yes, well, unlike you I haven’t been strolling through empty fields and forests. I’ve been hunting bandits and spies. Have you gotten the latest report?”
“The last report we got was one ordering us to go easy on the enemy. Why, what’s happened?”
“Rolan has seized about thirty miles of the southern province.”
“What?!” the second man demanded.
Otto shifted his gaze a fraction and raised an eyebrow.
“Otto,” Axel said. “Let me introduce Legion Commander Zoltan, leader of the First Legion. Zoltan, this is my brother, Otto, First Counselor to King Wolfric. You were saying?”
“Rolan has taken control of the border and about thirty mi
les of our territory. We’ve struck a deal to avoid a fight, for now at least. Until Straken is brought to heel, we can’t divide our attention. How go things here?”
“I’ll leave you to bring your brother up to speed,” Zoltan said. “If you’ll excuse me.”
When Zoltan had gone Otto said, “He’s a charmer. Reminds me a little of Stephan.”
“He’s not that bad. Zoltan’s in charge of the legion, but General Varchi has given me overall command of the advance mission. Since I’m about ten years younger he took it as a personal insult.”
“Welcome to my world. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to convince people to take me seriously at my age? Fortunately, the magic makes up for my youth. Now, about your invasion.”
“Right, we’ve cleared every village within twenty miles of here and taken eighty prisoners.” Axel spat those last two words like they tasted bad. “We’ve seen no sign of the main enemy force. I know they’re around, but where is the question.”
“I can help you with that later. For now, how would you like to see fifty of your prisoners die horribly for a good cause?”
“What cause?”
“A magical ritual. I need fifty sacrifices to activate the weapons I brought. I came early in the hopes that you’d have enough for me.”
“That’s not exactly going easy on the locals,” Axel said, though from his tone, Otto got the impression he didn’t object too much. “What about our orders?”
“Have you actually reported how many prisoners you’ve taken?”
“Not officially, though plenty of people know.”
“They’re Straken.” Otto shrugged. “Do you think anyone will really care as long as we win the war?”
“I don’t care even if we lose the war. They can all rot.”
“Interesting choice of words. Where are they being held?”
“At the edge of camp. I’ve got my scouts guarding them so there’ll be no trouble. Come on, I’ll take you.”
They left the command tent, collected Otto’s squad and the wagons, and made their way west toward the edge of camp. A crude stockade had been set up and in the dying light Otto could see figures moving around behind the wooden barrier. A stocky man with a beard approached and saluted Axel. He looked familiar, probably someone Otto had seen at the fort.
“What brings you out here, Lord Shenk?”
Otto shot Axel a look. When he joined the military, Axel had given up any claim to his noble rank.
His brother ignored him and said, “Change of plans, Cobb. Seems at least a few of our prisoners are going to get what they deserve.”
Cobb spat to the side. “Glad someone came to their senses. What do you want us to do?”
Axel looked at Otto who said, “Give us a moment to get set up then we’ll need them in groups of ten. Hans, let’s get the cage put together.”
The men got to work assembling the mithril cage and five minutes later it was ready. “Okay, Axel.”
Cobb and some scouts dragged ten men out at sword point and drove them toward the cage. Otto conjured light so they could see better what they were doing. The prisoners had received some rough treatment. Many of them had blackened eyes and walked with a limp.
As they were herded into the cage one of them asked, “What the hell’s going on?”
Cobb punched him in the face and shoved him through the door. Clearly no love was lost between Axel’s subordinate and the people of Straken.
When the last one was in, Hans bolted the door shut. Otto went to the wagon and opened the wooden case they’d brought from the armory. Inside were five purple crystals about eight inches long and five in diameter. At the top of the cage was a tripod designed specifically to hold them. A tentacle of ether carried the crystal into place.
When it was secure, Otto took a deep breath to center himself. This was where it got tricky.
He summoned ten threads of ether and sent them into the crystal until it started to give off purple light so dark it was almost black. Once that was done, he pulled one of the first threads back out and used it to connect one of the prisoners to the crystal.
The instant the thread touched his flesh, the man stiffened and arched his back. A low moan slipped past his lips, but he clenched his jaw, clearly determined not to give them any satisfaction. Otto admired the man’s courage, but it would take more than courage to withstand what was coming.
One after another he connected each of the prisoners to the crystal. When all ten were linked, he conjured ten more threads and ran them from the prisoners to the crystal creating a complete loop.
The moment the final connections were complete, purplish black energy raced down the first thread and pierced the man it was connected to. The screams that came were worse than anything Otto had ever heard from his father’s torture chamber. It sounded like the men’s souls were howling as the crystals ripped them apart.
After a few seconds, golden light flowed out of the prisoners and back to the crystal through the second thread. It took about five minutes for the crystal to drain every drop of life from the ten prisoners. When it was done, the crystal pulsed with bright, purple energy. An aura of ethereal magic surrounded it, connecting the crystal to the ether itself.
The prisoners had been reduced to little more than fine gray powder. Otto carefully removed the activated crystal from the tripod. The ritual hadn’t weakened him as much as he expected. The crystal did most of the work once he connected it. Charging the other four should be a simple enough process.
As he carried the crystal back to its resting place in the chest, Axel stalked over to him. “What the hell was that? You said you were going to execute them, not do whatever that was.”
“You wanted them to pay for their crimes,” Otto said before placing the crystal in a padded slot. “I’d say they paid. What’s the problem?”
“What did you do to them?” Axel asked again.
Otto turned to face his brother. “I drained their life force to charge the crystal. I only need to do it once. It’s now connected to the ether directly. If you would get the next ten, I’m ready to continue.”
Axel stared at him. “Even Father wouldn’t do this. I thought you were the sane one in the family.”
“What difference does it make if we kill them this way or cut their heads off after burning them with hot pokers? At least now they’ll serve the greater good. These men would never have accepted Garenland’s rule. I suspect most of them stayed behind knowing they would probably die. You’re a soldier, Axel. Surely you’ve seen men die badly before.”
“When a soldier kills it’s eye to eye and sword to sword. Not by some crazy magic. It’s wrong, Otto. Evil.”
Otto offered a silent prayer for patience. “Magic isn’t good or evil, it just is. One sort of painful death is no different than another. If my ritual is offending your delicate sensibilities, you can go. My men and I can manage from here.”
“No. As the commander of this mission I have a responsibility to bear witness even if I can’t stop you. Do what you have to and do it quickly. I want this over with.”
“As do I. I promise you killing gives me no pleasure. But I won’t flinch from doing what’s necessary to secure Garenland’s future.”
Axel nodded once and they got back to work. An hour of screams in the darkness and it was done. In the morning they could begin training in earnest. Otto could hardly wait to see the armor operational. It was going to be a sight to behold.
Chapter 35
Wolfric sat in his throne and listened with growing irritation as Captain Kelten outlined what he’d learned from his so-called investigation into the assassin Lothair. There was a great deal of garbage mixed in with the occasional tidbit that proved nothing. He was no further ahead than he had been when he set out weeks ago to uncover the truth, whatever he imagined that to be. It was time to shut him down before he lucked into something really damaging.
The two of them were alone at the moment as Wolfric wanted no one else
to hear what his captain of the guard was wasting his time on. He also didn’t want the nobility getting the idea that he didn’t have complete control of his subjects, especially the one in charge of keeping him safe.
When Kelten finally paused for a breath Wolfric said, “Let me see if I understand. In the month-plus you’ve been chasing ghosts, you’ve learned that Lothair had a few minor run-ins with the watch, but nothing more than childish pranks. He worked briefly for one of the wealthiest families in the city before leaving for no discernible reason. After that you lost track of him. Is that correct?”
“Yes, Majesty, though when you put it like that you make it sound like I haven’t accomplished anything. I feel like with a little more time I might find out why he decided to leave the Franken’s service. That was an easy job with excellent pay. Who walks away from that? Considering that he left around the same time Lord Shenk arrived in the city, I can’t discount the possibility that he was somehow involved.”
Wolfric stood, his purple robe falling down behind him. “Are you accusing my chief advisor and most trusted friend of being involved in the murder of my father? If not for your excellent record of service, I’d have you shipped out to the front lines this instant.”
“I meant no offense, Majesty. It just seemed too much—“
“Enough! This farce has gone on long enough. Did it ever occur to you, Captain, that the reason Lothair left the Frankens’ service was because his masters decided it was time to move against us directly? Would that not be the simple explanation?”
“It feels wrong.” Kelten spoke barely above a whisper.
“You’d best get over it. I’m ordering an end to your inquiries. As far as the Crown is concerned, this matter is closed. Should I get word that you are still pursuing these matters or that you’ve pestered anyone else, especially Otto or his family, I will have you shipped north naked to lead the first charge against Marduke’s walls. Do I make myself clear?”
“Perfectly, Majesty. I shall devote myself to my duties and thank you for indulging my investigation. I’m sure you’re right. I only wish I didn’t have so many questions.”
The Great Northern War (The Portal Wars Saga Book 2) Page 17
