Web of Deceit

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Yeah, I am sorry too Brakas, but this will be a private conversation,” Adger stated seriously. “Perhaps Yojji will pick up your talk later.”

  Brakas stopped as Yojji met Adger and the two tribal leaders turned and entered Adger’s house. Brakas stood and pouted as they slammed the door. It was bad enough that nobody would sell him a horse, but now they even excluded him from conversations. Odd, he thought, they never treated him that way before. Brakas looked up and down the street and saw nobody paying any attention to him. Swiftly, he stole across the street to the rear of Adger’s house. He lowered himself to sit below Adger’s window and pretend that he was just resting while he eavesdropped on the conversation. He would find out what was so secret that they would exclude him. He had noticed the preparations for war going on and had a pretty good idea that they would be discussing the war plans.

  “Greetings, Blaka,” Yojji said. “I did not know this was a war council.”

  “Well war is coming, Yojji,” Adger stated. “There can be no doubt about that. It is only a matter of time before Grulak finds out where we are all hiding.”

  “I don’t see how we can stand against Grulak,” declared Blaka. “The odds are just too great. I do not mind a good battle, but this stand is suicide. None of us are going to survive this.”

  “I am,” Adger said. “That is why I asked the two of you here. I have come up with a brilliant plan. I trust both of you like brothers, so I wanted to share it with you.”

  “If you have a way out of this coffin we are living in, I definitely want to hear about it,” nodded Yojji. “Just so it doesn’t involve going over to Grulak’s side. I would rather die than fight for that vermin.”

  “As would I,” added Blaka. “What is your plan?”

  “We will not only leave Ghala,” explained Adger, “but we will get rich doing it. You understand that Grulak plans to attack Khadora after he wipes out Ghala, right?”

  “That has been his plan all along,” agreed Yojji.

  “Well I propose to fight for Khadora,” Adger said.

  “Preposterous,” scowled Blaka.

  “And what clan is going to have us?” asked Yojji.

  “We will be our own clans,” detailed Adger. “We know much about Grulak’s plans for Khadora. The information we have is worth a tremendous amount of gold to the Khadorans. We can tell them which clans have conspired with Grulak and the fighting capabilities of his different armies. We can warn them of the approximate time that Grulak will attack and which passes he will use. Think about it.”

  “Okay,” argued Blaka, “we have valuable information for the Khadorans. So they give us more gold than we can carry. What do we do then? Gold will do us no good back here in Fakara. Not with Grulak still around.”

  “You miss the point, Blaka,” lectured Adger. “We don’t just sell them the information. We point out the clans that have been working with Grulak and demand their estates. The Khadorans will happily help us wipe those clans out. Look at it from their perspective. They get rid of three clans that were going to be part of an attempt to seize the whole country and replace them with three clans that will fight on their side.”

  “Do you really think they will go for it?” asked Yojji.

  “I know they will,” smiled Adger. “I have been corresponding with them via the Khadoran ships that have been delivering the food here. I received their answer today. They will help us defeat the clans loyal to Grulak and give us their estates. In addition, they will donate one thousand gold for each man in our armies.”

  “Count me in,” declared Yojji.

  “Me too,” nodded Blaka.

  “There is a catch,” stated Adger. “We have to be in Khadora well before Grulak. We will need the time to battle the clans and then regroup for Grulak’s attack.”

  “So we leave tonight,” proposed Yojji.

  “We can’t leave until I accept the proposal,” sighed Adger. “That means we must wait for the next ship before leaving. If our armies cross the border before they receive the acceptance, they will treat us as hostile forces and attack us.”

  “But they may make it too late,” protested Blaka. “We have no idea if Grulak is already marching his army this way.”

  “It might not be so bad,” offered Yojji. “Rejji has discovered a fruit that gives you boundless energy. It allows your army to travel day and night without tiring. In fact, it fills you with energy and makes you stronger.”

  “Well, I am glad for Rejji,” scowled Blaka, “but he is not about to give any to us, especially when he finds out we are leaving.”

  “No he wouldn’t,” chuckled Yojji, “but that won’t stop us from taking it. He sent a man out today to retrieve two wagonloads of it. Well, actually two wagons tied together. Takes four horses to pull it. I will send a couple of men out to make sure the driver has an accident.”

  “Excellent,” grinned Adger. “Have your men leave the wagons and horses in that stand of sevemore trees where the river bends. You know where I mean?”

  “I know the place,” agreed Yojji. “It is a perfect place to hide it. Nobody would see it from the road and it is not too far out of the way.”

  “Once our armies get to Khadora, Grulak is finished,” declared Blaka. “I would give a great deal just to see his face when he realizes that he has been outmaneuvered.”

  “No doubt about that,” laughed Yojji. “He might as well dive off that pyramid of his. With his allies gone, Khadora ready for him, and our armies in place, Grulak is history.”

  “Let’s not celebrate until we get there,” admonished Adger. “We still have to wait for the ship to arrive before we can leave. That could be up to a week. Just keep your men making normal war preparations and nobody will notice anything.”

  Brakas heard the chairs moving as the three tribal leaders stood at the end of the meeting. He rose swiftly and hurried back through the stockade and climbed to the platform that ran along it. He watched Yojji signal to one of his men. The man nodded and gathered five others. They mounted their horses and rode out through the gate in the stone wall. Brakas turned and sat with his back to the wall. He mentally calculated how long the walk would take him to get to where the wagons would be left.

  Brakas rose and went back through the stockade gate to the new section of the city. He wandered around seemingly aimlessly while always getting closer to the stone wall. When Yojji’s men returned through the gate, Brakas smiled. He allowed them several minutes to leave the area and then proceeded directly to the gate.

  “Open the gate,” ordered Brakas.

  “You are leaving the city on foot?” questioned one of the guards.

  “I am going for a walk as Yojji suggested,” scowled Brakas. “Do you have any objections?”

  The guard shook his head and opened the gate. Brakas walked swiftly through the gate and along the road leading away from the city. When he was out of sight of the wall, he ran to the stand of trees where the river bends. He slowed as he entered the trees and cautiously approached the wagons. He looked around for the body of the driver and could not find it. Chuckling inwardly, Brakas climbed onto the seat of the wagon and headed west.

  He wasn’t quite sure where he would find General Winus, but he knew the wagons made enough noise to be heard and were too large to miss for anyone keeping watch. He rode for several hours before being halted.

  “It is Brakas,” he called out. “I must speak with General Winus immediately.”

  One of the sentries jumped up to the seat of the wagon and directed Brakas along a trail to the Jiadin camp. They entered the camp and Brakas halted the wagons outside the general’s tent. Winus exited the tent as the noise of the wagons reached him.

  “Brakas,” greeted Winus, “you have been gone a long time. Are you pedaling fruit these days?”

  “Very funny,” Brakas scowled as Zygor walked over to see what the commotion was. “This fruit may very well save the day for the Jiadin. These wagons must get to Grulak immediately.”
>
  “What is so special about the fruit?” questioned Zygor.

  “It provides unlimited energy and strength,” promised Brakas, “and Grulak will need it to get to Ghala in time.”

  “In time for what?” questioned Zygor. “And what interest does Grulak have in a destroyed fishing village?”

  “Ghala is no longer a fishing village,” boasted Brakas. “It is the largest city in Fakara and home to the free tribes.”

  “You have seen the free tribes there?” asked Zygor.

  “Every one of them,” smiled Brakas. “Rejji is there too. In fact, he is the leader of Ghala. It is his city. He has food brought in on ships and stored in warehouses. They have great herds of wasooki and clova and more grain than they can eat. Thousands of homes have been built in the last few weeks. They also have a great stone wall guarding the entrance to the city now.”

  “You have done well, Brakas,” smiled Winus. “This is what we have been waiting for. Everything in one neat package, just waiting to be taken.”

  “Indeed word must be taken to Vandegar,” agreed Zygor. “The fools think a stone wall will protect them. If it were a mountain, it would still fall to the might of the Jiadin. That still does not explain the need for the fruit.”

  “There is a complication,” frowned Brakas. “I overheard several of the tribes plotting against Grulak. They are planning on leaving Ghala and going to Khadora with information about the Jiadin attack. They also plan to help the Khadorans defeat Grulak. We must get enough men here quickly enough to block their escape from the city or the attack on Khadora is doomed.”

  “We have men here already,” declared Zygor. “We will block the city until the army arrives.”

  “That will not be nearly enough,” Brakas shook his head. “Yojji, Blaka, and Adger were the three I heard speaking. That is over ten thousand men who plan on leaving and I am not sure it is limited to just those three tribes. They would run over this army without breaking stride.”

  “He is right,” frowned Winus. “We need the elite here and quickly. They will be able to contain the tribes until the rest of the army arrives. This is what Grulak has been waiting for. We must get that wagon to him immediately. I would suggest it leave right now.”

  “I will go with you, Brakas,” stated Zygor. “I must make sure that this information arrives and you have the habit of getting lost when you are needed most.”

  “May I speak with you alone, Zygor,” asked Winus. “It is important.”

  Zygor nodded and Winus led the magician into his tent.

  “I think Brakas should remain here,” Winus declared. “He is the only Jiadin that can penetrate the city. I would like to send him back to Ghala. He may be able to sabotage things that will delay the departure of the tribes. Time is our enemy now.”

  “That is the first intelligent suggestion I have heard from you, General,” smirked Zygor. “I do not need anyone for this trip anyway. I will test out the stamina this fruit delivers by feeding some to the horses hauling the wagons.”

  Zygor spun and left the tent with Winus right behind him. He extracted four fruit from the wagons and fed them to the horses. He climbed up on the seat and started the wagon moving. Brakas moved to join Zygor as the wagon started to leave and Winus grabbed him by the arm to detain him.

  “You are not going,” Winus declared. “I am sending you back into Ghala.”

  “Not a chance,” growled Brakas as he watched the wagon leave the camp. “I am too close to being discovered there. I have completed my assignment with fantastic results. Besides, I want to be here when Grulak arrives. I am sure I will be promoted for this.”

  Winus frowned at Brakas’s refusal, but realized that there was little he could do to force the spy to return to Ghala.

  “Where is Zygor’s tent?” asked Brakas. “I need to catch up on my sleep.”

  Chapter 34

  To Battle

  The wagons rolled across the Vandegar Plains and approached the Vandegar Temple. The Jiadin soldiers followed the path of the incoming fruit with ravenous eyes. Zygor snarled as the soldiers began following the wagons and he kept the shipment of fruit moving until he spotted Grulak’s elite troops. He halted the wagon and spryly jumped down from the seat.

  “This fruit is not to be touched,” Zygor shouted. “Take the horses and feed them, but guard this shipment with your lives. If a single fruit is taken, you shall forfeit your lives.”

  Zygor sprinted into the temple and bounded up the long flights of stairs to the platform at the top, where he knew he would find Veltar. Indeed, Veltar and Grulak stood at the edge of the platform gazing down at the commotion in the Jiadin camp.

  “I hope your have brought me the head of Rejji as well as that load of food,” snapped Veltar as he whirled towards Zygor.

  “Not the head,” smirked Zygor as he came to a halt in front of Veltar, “but something even better.”

  “Nothing could be better than the elimination of that fool,” spat Veltar. “Tell me what it is that should please me so.”

  “I have located Rejji,” began Zygor, “and also the free tribes. They are building a city where Ghala once stood. They also have great quantities of food. Probably enough to feed our armies.”

  “Rejji and the tribes have joined forces?” growled Veltar. “You think this is good news?”

  “That is the good news,” nodded Zygor, “but there is also bad news. Several large tribes are preparing to leave within the week. They are defecting to Khadora and plan to be instrumental in Grulak’s defeat. They must be stopped.”

  “Ghala is a long way from Khadora,” interjected Grulak. “We will crush those defecting tribes on our way to Ghala.”

  “If you can find them,” declared Veltar. “I do not think they would be foolish enough to head for this temple on their way westward. Did you order Winus to block the exit from the city, Zygor?”

  “Winus is incompetent,” spat Zygor. “He could not block a dog from biting his tender parts. Besides, he has less than five hundred men. How could he stop large tribes from leaving the city?”

  “And whose fault is the low number of Winus’s men?” charged Grulak. “I have heard the reports of your carelessness with my men.”

  “Enough,” shouted Veltar. “Shut up both of you. We need a way to stop those tribes from leaving.”

  “I brought that solution with me,” smirked Zygor. “Those two wagons contain a fruit that supplies unlimited energy and strength. The defecting tribes were planning on using it to flee Ghala. I have deprived them of it. With the fruit, our elite forces can be at the gates of Ghala before they try to leave.”

  “Magical fruit?” questioned Veltar. “How do we know it is not poisonous fruit delivered to make our elite forces incapable of attacking Ghala?”

  “I wondered about that too,” nodded Zygor. “I fed it to the horses hauling the wagon. It was amazing. They did not tire the whole trip. The first night when I became drowsy myself, I also ate one. I have not slept in days and I feel full of energy. We should get the army moving immediately and trap all of our enemies in Ghala before they split up.”

  “It will take a day for this massive army to break camp,” frowned Grulak.

  “We cannot spare a day,” stated Zygor. “We know where they are now, but if some tribes defect, they may all defect. We should strike while we can.”

  “Take whatever forces are ready now and march towards Ghala,” ordered Veltar. “All they have to do is contain the enemy in Ghala long enough for the rest of the army to arrive. I will go with you to make sure that nothing happens to allow Rejji to escape once again.”

  “How much fruit did you bring?” queried Grulak.

  “There should be enough for a thousand men and their horses,” replied Zygor. “It is all they had.”

  “Then the elite shall have it,” decided Grulak. “The rest of my most loyal followers will have to do without it, but the elite are good enough to contain the enemy while they catch up.”


  “Zygor, Grulak will order the rest of the army to make ready to leave tomorrow. You should get some rest and travel with them. Make sure they keep up a fast pace. With only five thousand troops to contain the enemy, it is important that the bulk of the army arrive as soon as possible. I want this portion of the plan completed so we can move on to Khadora.”

  Zygor nodded as he watched the men below trying to pull the horses away from the wagons. The scene played through his mind as he entered the temple and sought a place to sleep. He wondered why the horses would use their new strength to stubbornly refuse to eat. Only as his eyes closed, did it register that they were not using their strength to refuse, but were already fast asleep, a sleep so deep that they did not care about nurturing their own bodies. Alarm raced through his body as he struggled to get up and warn Veltar of the devastating counter effect of the fruit, but his body refused to obey. As his mouth opened to shout an alarm, his vision blackened and he succumbed to unconsciousness.

  ***

  The leaders of the free tribes milled about in the empty warehouse. Laughter and shouts of bravado hid the nervousness and anxiety that filled the building. The leaders boasted of the easy task before them, while secretly wondering how many of their men would never return from their mission. Sunlight flooded the room as the door to the warehouse opened and Wyant and Rejji entered. The room immediately fell to silence. The door swung closed and Rejji and Wyant stopped, facing the gathered leaders.

  “Leaders of the free tribes of Fakara,” Rejji stated loudly, “and now citizens of Ghala, the time for action has come. The long days that your people have invested in building our future has been a time of great fellowship for us all. There remains one major task in bringing peace and prosperity to our nation. We all know what that task is, and it is no small feat. Today we begin to remove the scourge that has plagued Fakara and kept us poor and desolate. When this campaign ends, Fakara will no longer be a nation of tribe versus tribe. We will end the period of our history of the tribes raiding villages and living off the poor and begin a new era of Fakarans helping Fakarans.”