The sky was clear as the sun rose steadily higher as the morning progressed. General Yukio's army watched anxiously for their leader's return. He had left so quickly that he did not say when or if he would return. His men caught sight of something in the distance heading toward them at a steady pace. They immediately sprang into action and closed the main gate. The archers prepared to fire while the catapults were readied behind the wall. They were not going to let down their general by allowing anyone into Alanderas. The figure glinted as it continued up the path to the entrance.
As the visitor came closer, they could tell that it was a person who was heavily armored riding on a massive war horse. One of the archers, who had excellent vision, yelled out that it was their leader and to open the gate. As the rider approached, the gigantic doors swung open to admit him. General Yukio had a fierce look on his face and did not look at any of his men as he passed through the entrance. He brought his horse to a halt behind the walls and dismounted. He rummaged through his saddlebags for something while his men closed the massive gates and gathered around their leader.
"Men, we have been deceived," General Yukio said dejectedly. "Queen Kira, my wife, was murdered by General Marek!" He lifted the head of his former friend into the air for all to see. In his rage, he had picked up the severed head of the traitor Marek and carried it out of the cavern before its collapse. Consciously he did not remember doing this.
Silence fell over the troops; everyone was trying to get a look at the traitor's head. They simply could not believe that Kira's general could do such a terrible thing. Some noticed that he had something else in his other hand. They started whispering to one another to pass this new information along. They all tried to get a better look at what he was holding in his left hand.
"I have here the mangled crown of my dear departed wife as proof of this treachery. Also, I have the badge of the chairman of the High Council, Bronwen Merindiel, as a token of their deaths," he said sadly. He did not think it would have been this hard to tell his men what had happened. He had been numbed by shock and from the melancholy he was experiencing. He had not yet grieved for his wife or his good friend Bronwen. This was not the time for grieving either. That would have to wait.
"I believe that we have all been lied to and deceived from the very start. The high elves knew that the men of Nairi would pose a threat to their plans to dominate the other races. They believe that they were better than anyone in Tuwa. They even blasphemy the gods by killing their chosen leader because she would not go along with their treachery!" blasted Yukio. He was so angry that he could barely contain his rage. He cast down the evidence in utter disgust. I cannot believe she is gone. I will not rest until justice is served!
The stunned looks on the faces in the crowd of soldiers around Yukio flushed red with anger at this betrayal. The people of Nairi had had dealings with the elves for centuries without any conflict or deception. They could not accept the fact that they were protecting a people that would kill their own leader. To make matters worse, they killed their own queen for not wanting to be a part of their ludicrous plan for domination. Why did they choose to rebel against the mighty Kana and her plan for saving the elves?
"What do we do now, General?" asked one of his captains gruffly.
"We prepare for a surprise attack on these fiendish high elves. I doubt that the people of Queen Kishi had anything to do with this plot, so we will leave them out of this unpleasant affair. I believe she had an idea all along that many of the people were plotting to take over the lands of Tuwa and that is why she left," explained Yukio confidently.
"What do we need to do first, sir?" asked the same captain.
"First, send a messenger to Commander Drujien. Tell him what has happened, and have him make haste to the base of Mount Quang. We will not attack until we have their numbers added to ours. The inner wall is defended too well for the troops we have stationed at the outer wall," instructed Yukio. "Second, we prepare for a direct assault of the inner wall. After we breach that barrier, we will then direct our efforts toward the castle and the council chambers. Our element of surprise will be realized when the high elves recognize that we are inside and outside their wall at the same time."
Immediately the men sprang into action knowing that the tasks before them were urgent. A messenger was sent on one of the fastest horses to retrieve the soldiers under the command of Favian Drujien. The rest of the troops returned to their stations as if nothing had happened. They were to make their preparations while performing their other duties. They high elves needed to be lulled into a false sense of security. This would give them the edge in the fighting ahead.
Meanwhile, their general went to the high elves to report a slightly altered version of what occurred in the mountain. He would assemble the High Council in one week from today in order to officially report his findings from his investigation into the deaths of Queen Kira, Chairman Bronwen, and General Marek. Little did they know that this was a stall tactic to allow for Commander Favian to arrive and to make his final preparations for the siege of Alanderas.
General Yukio rode slowly toward the main gate of the castle. His mannerisms clearly indicated to the home guard that something horrible had happened. They had not heard anything from general Marek since the rumblings from Mount Quang and the mysterious disappearance of her majesty the day before. The guards on the wall bowed their heads solemnly in acknowledgment of the general and in response to his now apparent sullen demeanor. No one dared to look him in the eyes because they were afraid that the horrible truth would be realized if they gazed into them. Yukio brought his valiant steed to a halt in front of the doors that had opened at his appearance. He waved for one of the high elves stationed at the gate to come to him. As the beckoned soldier saluted the general, the dejected leader of the army of Nairi bent down and whispered something in the ear of the guard.
After a brief moment of silent instruction, the guard snapped to attention and saluted the general before he did an about-face. He took off toward the living quarters of the High Council members. He had been told to summon the members for an unofficial report regarding what had happened to the queen. Yukio then continued on his horse through the gates of the inner wall and headed to the castle. Once he was directly outside the double doors to the royal house, he dismounted slowly and removed several objects from his saddlebags. He then opened the doors and disappeared into the shadows. He felt sadness and loss for the first time since the horrific events of the previous day. Tears streamed down his face as he neared the bedchamber.
As the general looked around the disheveled bedroom, he tried to envision exactly what happened. He seated himself on the floor where he crossed his legs, closes his eyes and opened his mind in an effort to sense traces of magic if there were any. There was a powerful vestige of magic all over the room, much like a spider web. As he touched on the magical cords he understood quickly that there were two different people using their magic to hide their presence. One of them in particular was using an unnatural psychic power to control the minds of everyone in the room. He felt certain that this person was the one responsible for the tragic deaths. The identity of the assassin was not yet clear to him, so he decided to do some tracking by retracing their footsteps.
He looked around the room to where the trap door should be. He stomped his foot on the door to get it to open, but nothing happened. He went to his weapons cabinet and retrieved a few items he thought might do the trick. He hefted an enormous war hammer over his should and set down his other options on the floor. He did not have much time to do his investigating because of his meeting with the council, so he was quick to try his new idea of breaking the door open. Down came the war hammer with a deafening thud as it smashed into the floor. He made an indentation in the floor, but it would not give way. For the moment, he left it alone so he could go and meet with the people who were likely responsible for his wife's murder. He looked forward to this opportunity very much.
He went back
to his closet to change out his armor. He walked toward his kingly armor that was displayed in the very back. It seemed appropriate to wear this special suit when he addressed the treacherous villains. Even though the queen was gone, he was technically still the king. He did not like the idea of being a royal figure, but it would work for him in this instance. His mere appearance should instill fear in those responsible for this tragedy.
After he finished dressing, he began his march to the council chambers. As he made his way to the hall, he saw a flurry of activity around his destination. He immediately knew that they were making preparations for the meeting and were beefing up security as best they could. The security would be enough for today, but the official meeting would be something else entirely. He knew that he would be able to manipulate the situation to his advantage as he always had before. He would prove to himself all over again that he was the consummate master of persuasion. He would not have to raise his hand at all to get what he wanted in this case.
He had reached the back door to the chamber hall before he knew it. He had been so consumed in his own thoughts that he did not realize how much time and distance had passed. He set his jaw and renewed his resolve to do what was needed as he entered the council room. He saw the worried looks on the faces of the council members as he entered the hall. He walked resolutely toward his wife's throne and sat in the chair to make a point to the people at the round table. This gesture answered their fears about their queen and at the same time infuriated them. How could this man sit on the throne as if it were his right to do so?
The council members began to whisper to one another about what was really going on. They were all thinking that Yukio had killed their queen so that he would be king. General Yukio looked at each member in the council and was wondering when they would realize that someone else was missing from their group. It appeared that everyone was concerned about Queen Kira's absence and not their beloved chairman. He believed this fixation on the queen was further evidence of their treachery in this matter. This helped to stiffen his resolve to stick to his plan.
"Where is the queen, General Yukio?" asked one of the members of the council boldly.
The general stood slowly from his seat and set a bag on the table in front of him. There were more whisperings among the group at the sight of this mysterious parcel. Yukio's face fell slightly as he worked up the courage to relate the events of the previous day. He did not think it would be this hard, but the death of his wife and good friend had left him scarred. He knew then that he would never be the same again. He knew that his actions would lead to a war if he was not careful in his dealings with the council this day. If he did not give way his intentions or his real beliefs on the matter, then he would be able to crush them all in one swift stroke. If he was unable to control himself and give something away, there would be no avoiding an all-out war. Either way, he would have his revenge.
"Dear council members, I have called you here to give you ill news," Yukio said heavily. "It appears that an assassination attempt on my wife's life was successful yesterday."
There were shouts of anger and dismay when he made this declaration. People stood up and waved their fingers threateningly at General Yukio. It was clear they believed that he murdered his own wife in order to take over the kingdom. He had expected this reaction and knew that he had to get his evidence out before they stoned him. He raised his hands in an effort to calm them down and also to have them sit down. That did not work at all.
"Sit down!" he bellowed loudly. His eyes were gleaming red with anger. He would not allow this situation to get out of control.
"You murdered our queen!" yelled one member indignantly.
"She was my wife, you fool! I loved her more than life itself! Why would I kill her?" he blasted back angrily.
"You thought by killing her that you would be our king. You have committed high treason and should be put to death immediately," continued that same member.
"What you are doing now, dear friend, is treason. I am the only one who can tell you the truth about yesterday's events. Mistress Kana has revealed the whole truth to me of the tragic events, so sit down and shut your mouth! If I have to ask you again, you will never utter another word!" Yukio threatened the belligerent councilman.
The obstinate council member sat down with a look of pure loathing on his face. He did not want to take his seat, but he valued his life very much and knew that the general was capable of horrible deeds. He thought it wise to appease this traitor and hear what lies he had to share. He nodded slightly to the rest of the council members to take their seats and to listen to what Yukio had to say.
"Now that I have your undivided attention, let me tell you what happened. I want the truth to be known because once you hear what I have to say, you will not be so quick to point your fingers in my direction," he said smoothly as he regained control of the meeting.
"Please continue, General," said the council member closest to him.
"Thank you. Yesterday there were rumblings coming from Mount Quang that continued far too long to be an earthquake. The instant I sensed the tremors, I knew that something was wrong. In the very center of our mountain lies a cavern that was established as an escape root for the queen. I knew of this secret and shared it with General Marek. He then passed the information along to my wife. They knew that if an assassin was sighted that they would have to flee at once to the hiding place. It appears that there was an attempt on her life in her bedchamber. Thankfully the trap door to this cavern was hidden in the room, so General Marek and Queen Kira were able to make it into the door before either of them were assaulted," Yukio explained carefully. He was using his psychic power to convince the members of the truth of what he was saying. He was forcing the image of what he was describing into their minds, though some were having measured success in keeping him out.
"Unfortunately, Bronwen Merindiel also followed them into the passageway somehow. He inadvertently allowed the assassin to follow him through the trap door. Once in the chamber, the traitor slew the chairman and your general before turning on the queen. She defended herself valiantly, but the killer used magic far more powerful than her own. She could not fend off the attack and died in the battle. By the time I reached the cavern, the murderer had fled, leaving no evidence of who they were. He had also set a trap for anyone who came into the cavern, which I unwittingly walked right into. I was able to retrieve the queen's crown, Bronwen's badge, and General Marek's sword before the ceiling collapsed entirely," he said sadly. He had opened the package he had brought with him to display the articles he had just described. He allowed the council members to examine the evidence he had brought to convince them of his story. The sword was not really Marek's, but Yukio made it appear to be so in the council members' minds. Those who were mentally blocking the general were uneducated in weaponry, so they could not tell the difference.
"After seeing this grisly scene, I passed out and did not wake until this morning. I went to my troops at the outer wall first to give them this horrific news and to instill in them the importance of being ready for an impending assault from whomever the assassin worked for. I then came here to report to you. However, I would like to continue to investigate what went on and then present my final findings to you in a week's time," he stated flatly.
Silence fell over the council. His report was not what they were expecting at all. Their initial beliefs did not fit what he had told them. There would be no reason for Yukio to kill his good friends, Bronwen and Marek. They believed what he had told them about the events he described to them in detail. They would support him in his request to continue to investigate the murders.
"General, I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we are deeply sorry for your losses. We know how much you loved our queen and that you were very close to both Marek and Bronwen. We will do what is needed to find the killer responsible for these heinous crimes. We will need to send a message to Queen Kishi right away," said the council member on h
is right.
"It brings me comfort to hear you say that. Please, do not delay in sending a message to Kira's sister. We need to prepare for three funerals for three fallen heroes. I will be in the castle where this all began if I am needed," he said quietly. I cannot believe the fools are so easily manipulated.
"Do not worry about the arrangements or the messages that will need to be delivered. Use your unique abilities to unravel the mystery behind these cruel acts. We will convene officially one week from today at high noon," the council member to his right said.
The council members stood up and left the hall at once. They needed to work on the arrangements for the funerals, sending messages to Queen Kishi and King Ciel, and notifying the home guard about the tragic events. They would need to be better prepared for follow-up attacks. This preparation would be the undoing of General Yukio's secret plans. Yukio thought that he had convinced all of the council, but he was gravely mistaken in his assumption. This too would end up costing him dearly in the end.
The Broken Council Page 13
