13 Day War

by Richard S. Tuttle

  Chapter 10

  Team Barouk

  As Bin-lu and Rut-ki returned to the glade to reunite with Elandros and his elves, Shrimp shot down through the trees and landed on Bin-lu’s shoulder.

  “Za-chan has been informed,” reported the fairy. “He vowed to put everything in motion.”

  “Excellent,” remarked Bin-lu. “Do you need to rest after the flight?”

  “Do I smell another mission?” the fairy asked excitedly. “Fairies never tire!”

  Bin-lu smiled and chuckled under his breath. “I need you to go to the locations of the two Doors near Barouk. I need a report on any Door usage since the armies came through. I also need to know how many people are present at each location. Can you do that?”

  “Am I still here?” chirped the fairy as he leaped off Bin-lu’s shoulder and hovered in the air, waiting to see if there were any further instructions.

  Bin-lu waved dismissively and Shrimp shot upward, quickly disappearing into the dusk. A few minutes later, the Knights of Alcea entered the glade and Elandros came out of the woods to meet them. Bin-lu and Rut-ki dismounted.

  “Has the enemy encamped yet?” asked Rut-ki.

  “They have,” answered Elandros, “and rather efficiently at that. They have taken the time to secure their campsite, if such a large gathering can even be considered a campsite. One doesn’t realize the size of a twenty-thousand-man army until he sees it all gathered together in one place. Their camp encompasses a long stretch of the Barouk-Ongchi Road and the forest on both sides of it. It is huge.”

  “How have they secured it?” asked Bin-lu.

  “It was an amazing operation to watch,” explained Elandros. “The cavalry arrived first and set up a defensive perimeter. The first regiment of infantry began felling trees to create a clear zone for the bulk of the army. Other regiments joined in as they arrived. They then used those felled trees to build a crude barrier fence delineating the confines of the camp. It is clear to me that this army has had practice with this maneuver in the past. I would expect this to be a daily occurrence.”

  “So the army is disciplined and well organized?” asked Rut-ki.

  “Very much so,” nodded Elandros. “I had a fairy record it, if you are interested in seeing it for yourself.”

  “I would like to see it,” answered Bin-lu, “but it is valuable information for the other Alceans as well. We will need to send your fairy off to Tagaret to report on this.”

  “There is time for both,” agreed the elf. “You can watch it and then send the fairy to the king. There are no other armies arriving until day three.”

  “Then perhaps we should get started,” replied Bin-lu. “Rut-ki and I have more tasks on the agenda for this night. Maybe we can grab something to eat and watch the fairy at the same time.”

  * * * *

  The two command tents were set in the center of the campsite, directly on the Barouk-Ongchi Road. The smaller of the two was for General Gertz of Aerta, and the larger for the Team Leader, General Kolling of the Empire of Barouk. A third, much smaller, tent sat not far away from the other two. It was the temporary home of the black-cloak contingent assigned to the armies. Both Federation generals had dined together in the larger command tent and were now discussing their first day in enemy territory.

  “We truly have taken them by surprise,” remarked General Kolling. “I expected a skirmish of some kind on our first day, but this land is rather barren of people. The few locals my men came across did not even possess horses. No word of our arrival will precede us to Ongchi.”

  “If we can keep up the schedule,” complained General Gertz. “In a way, I wish the locals did have horses. I would gladly seize them to replace the useless mounts supplied to us.”

  General Kolling frowned deeply. “I am also worried about that. When you first spoke of the quality of your horses, I took your comment as a petty complaint. I suspected that my men took the best for themselves. That is only human nature, but my own riders have been complaining as well. I suspect that the men General Tauman positioned here in Alcea have made themselves wealthy at the expense of the Federation. I am of half a mind to send some of the cavalry back to that farm to hang Tauman’s men, but it would solve nothing at this point.”

  “It would not gain us new horses,” General Gertz agreed, “but rather than hang them, I would suggest dragging them here for our cavalry to handle as they see fit.”

  “It would provide some entertainment for the troops,” chuckled General Kolling, “but I have to keep my mind focused on our objective. I will not waste the energy of our horses by sending anyone back to the farm unless it is necessary. Should I have need to send another report to General Tauman, those treasonous men will pay for their greed.”

  * * * *

  The unicorns glided through the evening sky and silently set down not far from the farm northwest of Barouk. Bin-lu glanced at Rut-ki and spoke softly.

  “Let me do the talking, but have a couple of Lanoirian stars ready to fly.”

  “You do not think that they will surrender peacefully?” asked Rut-ki.

  “Why should they?” Bin-lu replied. “If they can get rid of us, they can flee to Camp Destiny through the Door, and we certainly cannot allow that. Camp Destiny must not be alerted to our knowledge of the portals. When I halt near the farmhouse, I want you to ride a little further towards the barn. Do not let them reach the portal.”

  Rut-ki nodded silently and the two Knights of Alcea rode onward. A few minutes later, they approached the farmhouse. The door immediately opened and a man walked out onto the porch. Bin-lu waited anxiously for the second man to appear, but the door shut, and the lone farmer stood alone on the porch.

  “We don’t want any visitors,” scowled the farmer. “We have no rooms to let, nor food to share. Turn around and be on your way.”

  Bin-lu halted not far from the porch, but Rut-ki continued towards the barn. The farmer noticed this with great alarm.

  “Stop right there!” he shouted angrily. “I said that we don’t want any visitors.”

  Bin-lu’s eyes scanned the farmhouse and the grounds around it, seeking the location of the second farmer, but he saw no one other than the farmer on the porch.

  “We are not looking for a place to stay,” Bin-lu said calmly as he slid off his horse, “nor are we hungry. In fact, we have come to take a census for the governor. Lanoir will be instituting a tax in the near future, and we need to know the number of people living on this farm.”

  “What tax?” scowled the farmer. “I haven’t heard anything about a tax. You two thieves get out of here right now, or we will tax your hearts with the steel of our blades.”

  Bin-lu knew at that moment that the other farmer was hidden somewhere, waiting to pounce upon them, but he still had no idea where. His body tensed like a coiled spring before he spoke.

  “Actually,” he said with a deceptively calm voice, “it is only a tax on members of the Federation. Where is your partner?”

  The sound of a bowstring snapped, but Bin-lu had been half expecting it. He immediately dove to the ground and released one of his stars at the farmer on the porch. The Lanoirian star struck the Zaran in the chest and the farmer fell down the stairs. Even though he had anticipated trouble and reacted quickly, the arrow still managed to slice open the skin of his shoulder.

  Rut-ki reacted as soon as she heard the snap. The archer was above her, hiding in the loft of the barn. She was still sitting on her unicorn when the arrow was fired, but she leaped up and stood on the unicorn’s back. The martial arts instructor quickly bent her knees and leaped upward again, hoping the hidden archer was not releasing another arrow at that very moment. As the loft opening came into view, Rut-ki’s arm streaked out, sending a Lanoirian star flying from her hand. She heard a startled scream as her body reached the peak of her jump and began falling back towards the ground. One of her feet hit the back of the unicorn, but the other did not. The Knight of Alcea pushed off the unicorn and droppe
d the other Lanoirian star as she prepared to cushion her fall. As her body slammed into the ground, she was vaguely aware of Bin-lu running past her. Rut-ki rolled three times before jumping to her feet, just in case the archer was taking aim. She raced into the barn and started to climb a ladder to the loft, but Bin-lu’s shout halted her.

  “He’s dead,” called Bin-lu. “Nice throw. You got him in the face.”

  Rut-ki sighed with relief and dropped to the floor of the barn. Bin-lu joined her a moment later.

  “This was sloppy,” frowned Rut-ki. “We have been neglecting our practice, and it shows.”

  “There is little time for practice when every day brings true danger,” retorted Bin-lu. “Let’s get the Door and get out of here. We still have much to accomplish tonight.”

  Bin-lu searched for an ax and finally found one. He carried the ax to the magical Door, but he had no intention of destroying it. Using the ax, the Knight of Alcea separated the Door from the surrounding barn wall. He placed the Door face down on the floor in case anyone tried to open it.

  “You are hurt,” Rut-ki said as she noticed Bin-lu’s bleeding shoulder.

  “As you said,” he smiled, “we haven’t been practicing. I was too slow. In the future, we will not give these Snakes the benefit of the doubt. It is far easier to just kill them. They will never surrender anyway, and there is too much at stake for either of us to suffer a serious injury. Let’s find some rope and then you can help me get this Door onto the unicorn.”

  The Knights of Alcea gathered all the rope they could find. They first tied rope around the Door itself and then carried the Door outside. Rut-ki held the Door while Bin-lu mounted the unicorn and then they tied the Door to the unicorn.

  “That will do fine,” stated Bin-lu. “Go through their belongings in the house. See if you can find any Federation uniforms and then meet me at the cove we checked out last month. I will wait for you there.”

  “Why the uniforms?” asked Rut-ki. “We were supposed to get them off the bodies that the elves kill.”

  “I need a way to get into General Kolling’s camp tonight,” answered Bin-lu. “Now that we have seen the layout, I do not think I can sneak into it, and I do not expect them to alter the layout during the coming days. They appear to be very practiced in setting up camp.”

  “For the mages?” questioned Rut-ki. “We were not supposed to kill them until tomorrow night.”

  Bin-lu sighed. “I know that was our plan, but I think it is a mistake. They are going to realize tomorrow that they have not succeeded in arriving here unnoticed. Once that happens, they will be on high alert. Tonight is the only chance we will have of attacking while they are still somewhat lax.”

  “All right.” Rut-ki nodded before turning away and running towards the farmhouse.

  Bin-lu immediately mounted his unicorn and instructed him to head for the coast. The unicorn set down in an isolated cove where the beach was strewn with rocks instead of the fine sand typical of much of the area. While he waited for Rut-ki, Bin-lu untied the Door from the unicorn and set it down on the rocks. Using a thin knife he slowly drilled holes in the top and bottom of the Door. Next he created a rope basket and tied it to the bottom of the Door. He then tied a really long rope to the top of the Door and coiled the rest of the rope, securing it to his saddle. He then walked along the cove looking for an appropriate rock. He found one just as Rut-ki and her unicorn were landing.

  “There were no uniforms,” she reported. “Are you done?”

  “As soon as I place this rock in the basket,” answered Bin-lu. “Will you steady the Door while we take off?”

  Rut-ki nodded and dismounted. She took the rock from Bin-lu and nodded towards his unicorn. Bin-lu mounted his unicorn while Rut-ki placed the rock into the rope basket and pulled it tight. She then raised the Door vertically and held it as Bin-lu and his unicorn rose slowly off the ground.

  When the rope holding the Door became taut, Bin-lu signaled the unicorn. As they continued to rise, the Door lifted off the ground, followed by the dangling rope basket. The unicorn continued to rise and then banked towards the sea. Although the night was dark, the unicorn had no trouble finding one of the floats they had set in place the previous month. While the unicorn hovered just over the surface, Bin-lu untied the rope from the saddle and lowered the Door into the water. When he came to the end of the rope, he tied it to the float and dropped it into the sea. When Bin-lu returned to the beach, he saw that Rut-ki had stretched all the ropes out on the ground.

  “We have enough ropes for the second Door,” she announced. “How did it go?”

  “Except for getting wet from the float,” chuckled Bin-lu, “it went as well as it could.”

  “Why are we going through all of this trouble?” asked Rut-ki. “With all that is going on, wouldn’t it be easier to just destroy the Doors and give more attention to defeating the enemy?”

  “It would be easier,” Bin-lu replied, “but Doors are very valuable. We do not know how to make them. Storing them in the ocean is an excellent solution. The enemy cannot use it now, yet we can recover it after the war.”

  “Providing we win the war,” frowned Rut-ki.

  “Providing we win,” agreed Bin-lu. “Let’s go get the other Door. There is still much to do tonight.”

  * * * *

  The unicorn flew back to shore and landed on the rocky beach. Bin-lu dismounted and stretched. Rut-ki sat nearby with three fairies dancing on her shoulder.

  “How did it go?” asked Rut-ki

  “It went well,” answered Bin-lu. “What’s with the fairies?”

  “They are the fairies who were monitoring the Doors,” replied Rut-ki. “The fourth is in Tagaret informing the king about the arrival of the Federation troops.”

  “I know that,” Bin-lu chuckled with a shake of his head. “I meant what is up with their dancing?”

  “They are happy,” shrugged Rut-ki.

  “Fairies do not like hiding in the dark day after day,” chirped one of the fairies. “We are celebrating our freedom.”

  “And the successful completion of our mission,” interjected another fairy.

  “We are filled with joy,” grinned the third.

  Bin-lu smiled and sat down next to Rut-ki. “I am glad that someone is filled with joy.” Bin-lu sighed wearily as he turned his attention to Rut-ki. “We still have not figured out a method to gain entry to the enemy’s camp, and the night is slipping away from us.”

  “Postpone it until we can think of a way to accomplish it,” advised Rut-ki.

  “By morning the Federation troops will be leery and on full alert,” Bin-lu said with a slight shake of his head. “Tonight is the best chance we will have to take out the black-cloaks. We need to find a Federation uniform. Maybe we can wake up a tailor in Barouk and get him to make us something that will at least be passable.”

  “A tailor who has never even seen a Federation uniform?” balked Rut-ki. “That is not a viable plan. If you are intent on doing this tonight, we will have to take out one of their sentries. That is the only way that we will get a uniform.”

  “And alert the whole camp in the process,” frowned Bin-lu. “I should have spent more time planning this part of the mission. Clint could have procured a uniform for me.”

  “We could put one of the soldiers to sleep,” suggested one of the fairies as Shrimp climbed out of Bin-lu’s pocket to see what all the commotion was about. “You could use the uniform to infiltrate their camp and then redress the soldier. They will think he just fell asleep on guard duty.”

  “Impractical,” retorted Shrimp. “The sentry would be noticed missing before too much time passed. Even if he was not missed immediately, Bin-lu would surely be questioned when he walked in from the woods. Someone will mistake him for a sentry leaving his post.”

  Bin-lu nodded in agreement, but the enthusiasm of the joyous fairies was not dampened.

  “Why do you want to be a soldier?” questioned one of the fairies.
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  “Ogre brain!” taunted one of the others. “He just said that he needed to enter the enemy’s camp. He needs to kill the black-cloaks. Do you have seeds in your ears?”

  “If he is not disguised,” explained Shrimp, “he will be killed on sight.”

  “I know all that,” retorted the inquisitive fairy, “but officers would be quick to question a soldier roaming around the camp at night. It is not a smart way to do it.”

  “And you have a better idea?” taunted one of the fairies.

  “In fact, I do,” countered the inquisitive fairy. “If he wants to roam freely around the camp, he should be a black-cloak. The soldiers would turn away from Bin-lu before they questioned him. He could go anywhere he wanted except maybe the tents of the generals.”

  “How do you know this?” asked Rut-ki.

  “I have spent time in Zara,” answered the fairy. “The soldiers do not like the black-cloaks. They always try to avoid them.”

  Bin-lu suddenly grinned and nodded enthusiastically. “That is an excellent idea. I can not only move freely around the camp, but no one will even question me for entering or leaving the mages’ tent.”

  “And a simple black cloak should be easy to acquire,” nodded Rut-ki. “We may have to wake up a shopkeeper in Barouk, but I am sure that we could buy one there.”

  The inquisitive fairy puffed with pride as the other two fairies started to dance again and pretended not to notice. Bin-lu laughed and rose to his feet.

  “I will go to Barouk and obtain the cloak,” he stated. “Why don’t you return to the elves and catch some sleep?”

  * * * *

  The unicorn glided silently just above the tops of the trees, like a dark shadow racing across the terrain. The cloaked figure upon the unicorn’s back sat unmoving, his feet purposely taken out of the stirrups for a quick dismount. Below the canopy, two fairies darted from shadow to shadow, searching for an appropriate place for the attack to begin. Unexpectedly, one of the fairies shot up through the canopy. The other fairy halted the search and hovered in the darkness, his tiny eyes scanning the area for the nearest enemy solider. The attack was about to begin.