“This,” he said, “is crushed calimph seed pressed into a transportable size and shape. While it is dry, as you see here, it is completely harmless. But if it is mixed with water…it becomes a potent poison. A batch of this size would be enough to render an entire water wagon into liquid death. The seeds dissolve quickly and leave no taste. Two to three hours after ingesting the solution the victim will experience horrible abdominal pains followed quickly thereafter by an agonizing death.”
There was a ripple of muttering in the room. Ruguer went on.
“I wouldn’t want this type of death for anyone. Anyone, that is, other than inhuman beasts that want to kill, butcher and devour our children. The problem is obvious. How do we get the calimph seed into the water wagons? The answer might have been handed to us by our patrol leaders.” He nodded again in our direction at the table.
I was caught off guard. As far as I knew I had not discovered anything that might be construed as a way to sneak up through scores of man-eating humanoids and plop a poison pill into their drinking water. To my relief Pulg rose.
“While we were out last night we passed by the Lake of Fathers. We saw several wagons there being filled by bucket. We had the impression that they were being filled for use in the morning when most of the camp wakes. We kept an eye on the location, passing by every time we went out or returned to the city with refugees. It would appear that they have picked this particular lake and that particular spot for the purposes of filling some of their wagons. One time we saw as many as four wagons being filled there.” Pulg pursed his lips and sat.
Ruguer picked it up from there. “So we know where to find the wagons. At least some of them. The plan is not an easy one to accomplish. But…if we are successful at poisoning even one wagon without being discovered we can disable a significant number of the enemy.” He stood again. I saw dark spots under his eyes and the scar over his eye was now more noticeable.
“The poison acts slowly, which will serve to maximize the number of enemy who consume it. If the effects were more immediate they would quickly track the source of the sickness and purge the wagons. Unless someone has a better idea I propose that we send our three teams out again. Late tonight, when we have a minimum of three wagons being filled, our teams will attack and kill the wagon tenders. We will then “salt” the wagons with the calimph seed. It should take no more than a few seconds to drop the cylinders inside. Then comes the hard part.” The King’s Sword looked at the patrol team leaders again. “If we just killed the tenders and left the wagons they might get suspicious. Normally I wouldn’t credit them with that much intelligence but they have been acting exceptionally clever lately. So we will have to draw the attention of the main camp. Probably we will have to make a certain amount of noise in the attack anyway. But we need to be particularly noisy and try to let one or two escape. Our best scenario would be to have it appear that our ambush has been discovered and that we have been chased off. That is the dangerous part. We have no idea how many Greys will be responding or how dedicated they will be in their response. Our teams will have to evade and escape just ahead of them. Hopefully they can all make it back here safely and the Greys will have those wagons filled with what they will think is fresh water waiting for their camp when morning comes.”
All eyes turned in our direction. I felt like I had a block of ice between my shoulder blades. The term “suicide mission” drifted through my mind. King Zander stood and spoke.
“I know we are asking a lot of your teams,” he said looking at Pulg, Layann and myself. “If we could think of any other way…” He lifted his palms without finishing the thought.
Pulg rose, followed by Layann. I felt stupid being seated so I did too. They executed the Olvioni salute, fists across their chests. Me too. Pulg spoke. “We are honored at your trust in us, Majesty”. And the funny thing is…I really was.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Honor
After Zander ended the meeting he and Ruguer remained at their table continuing to make their battle plans. I approached them and they invited me to sit. I almost fell into the chair. The king poured a mug of tea and slid it across the table to me.
“I’d have thought that you would be half way to your bed by now, Tag-Gar”, Ruguer said.
“I am definitely headed that way as soon as I leave here. But I wanted to ask if you could send a small team of archers along with us on our mission tonight.”
I took a sip of the strong tea. It was hot and made me feel less clammy.
The King’s Sword gave me a funny look and turned to Zander with a look of slight confusion on his face. Zander spoke.
“Are you certain Tag-Gar?” he asked. “Archers serve a purpose in combat but that purpose is usually limited. They are primarily useful in repelling attacks upon our walls or for hunting to provide food for the other warriors in the field. They are not commonly used in efforts such as the one you will be leading tonight.”
Ruguer picked up the conversation.
“I agree with Zander. To be frank, Tag-Gar, archers are considered to be somewhat less valuable than other warriors.”
Now I was the one who was confused.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand your attitude toward archers. One of my team last night, Waan, is an archer and a damned good one. Without her bow and arrows I probably would not be here this morning.”
“I’m sure she was very helpful” Ruguer put hand on my shoulder. “You see Tag-Gar, honor is a very important element in the mindset of a warrior of Olvion. There is honor in standing shield to shield with a foe on the field of battle. Archers don’t do that. They engage the enemy from a distance.”
I was tired and grumpy and not in the mood for a philosophical discussion. I stood.
“With all due respect to both of you; I have been asked to lead the raid tonight. In my judgment that effort requires the use of a number of archers, say about five of them. If you want we can debate their place in the hierarchy of warrior status later but right now I’m tired and I want to get out of my wet clothes and go to bed.”
Ruguer looked surprised at my attitude and maybe a little bit angry. Zander, however, smiled and stood to face me.
“Forgive me Tag-Gar. It has been a long time since I commanded warriors in battle. Of course we will have the archers you requested waiting for you tonight.”
I left the War Room feeling bad about losing my temper. I had to bear in mind that every culture has their particular biases and that they are deeply rooted. This one against archers, though, was one that I felt I would have to argue against as soon as I had the time to sit down with Ruguer and the King again.
I dragged my damp and clammy self back to my room. I was extremely disappointed to see Dwan was not there. I took a few minutes to grab a quick shower and took Tinker in with me. She protested at first and even let her claws protrude a little. Then the warm water hit her and she stopped shivering. I used some soap on her fur, especially the tail then rinsed her. I used a towel to sop most of the water from her fur then put her on the floor. She shook herself like a dog and rolled around on the small rug. As she was doing that I went back into the outer room and noticed my shield and other armaments had been delivered. They sat in a corner.
With wet hair I gathered up Tinker and traveled to the medical triage facility that Dwan had been setting up. Tinker had somehow managed to get herself almost entirely dry by that time and was worrying with her tail. Eschewing her pouch she elected to ride on my shoulder. She disliked the attention she received from passersby, especially those who asked me to stop so they could stroke her. More than once I saw her expose her fangs and claws to discourage the looky-loos.
I managed to find the triage building again. After a few moments of searching I found Dwan tending to one of the refugees, an older woman who had been brought in by Pulg’s team. She saw me approaching and ran to meet me. I admit to enjoying her reaction to my presence. After a long hug followed by a kiss she took me by the hand and led me t
o a small room that contained steaming pots of tea and mugs. I gratefully received another kiss and hug. She put her face to my chest and held me tightly.
“I heard that all of the patrols got back safely but I wouldn’t let myself believe it until I saw you. Hi, Tinky.” She ruffled the fur around Tinker’s neck eliciting a purr. I would note here that Dwan was the only one who could get away with calling her Tinky. I made that mistake once. Once.
“Are you done with your nocturnal strolls?” she asked.
Her face fell when she read my expression.
“Oh no. What have they asked you to do now? You’re not the only person in this city that can accomplish things.”
I shrugged. “What can I do? They said they need me for tonight. We’re going to try to play a little trick on our grey friends. It shouldn’t be anything too risky.”
She looked me square in the eyes. “That’s not true and you know it.” She turned and pretended to be arranging the tea mugs. One hand snuck up to whisk away a tear. I came up behind her and put my arms around her waist. With her big personality it was easy to forget how small Dwan was. She covered my arms with hers and leaned back to kiss me on my neck.
“Promise me you’ll be careful?”
“Of course I will. I just found you. I traveled all the way from another world for you. I’m not going to lose you now.”
She turned around to face me. She made no attempt to hide the tears now.
“When do you go out again,” she asked.
“After nightfall.”
She smiled. “Then we have about two hours before you have to go to sleep.”
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Poison
Right after dark I kissed Dwan goodbye and headed toward the secret exit by the waterfall. I wore my dark-colored trousers and vest. Again I carried only a knife and my mace. My forearm guards again seemed like a good choice for tonight. In a pinch they could deflect a sword slash. The metal embellishments on my vest also served more than a decorative purpose. They were able to stop a knife or sword thrust. My boots were soft and made no sound as I traveled over the sandy loam around the castle walls.
Walking through the castle I passed a large floor-to-ceiling mirror in a hallway and snatched a look at myself. My blonde hair and beard were growing out. The coloring put me in stark contrast with the Olvionis who were universally brunette. Most men wore beards and I felt more assimilated letting mine grow. While my new friends all had olive-colored skin mine was now dark brown from being exposed to the sun over the past weeks. I could see my Viking heritage in my image.
After winding my way through the underground passageways I came into the anteroom located just before the tunnel to the waterfall. My team and those of Pulg and Layann were there. They all placed fists over their hearts. I did the same. A group of five archers were also there. Two women and three men. I remembered that as a Sub-Commander I was now in charge. I went up to Pulg and Layann.
“Who’s in charge of the archers,” I asked.
Layann raised her hand. “I am. Or actually you are, Sub-Commander, but it was decided that they would be under my direction since we are all going to the same place. If you like, you and Pulg can divide my team members from last night.” I noticed she was carrying a bow and quiver along with her two knives.
I looked over the three capable-looking men that she gestured to.
“Well, like you said, we are all going to the same place. Pulg, take command of Layann’s crew from last night?”
He nodded. I got the feeling that he was flattered at the assignment. I gestured for all of them to gather around.
“Okay, we have seventeen people. The way I see it the biggest challenge we will have will be to get to our objective without bumping into each other in the dark. Layann, do you know where this place is at the Lake of Fathers?” She nodded. “All right then. Pulg, I need you to take your group and half of the calimph seed and take one route to the site by the lake. I, Layann and our teams will take another route. The most important thing is that we get at least some of those water wagons salted. If one group gets attacked it will just help the other by acting as a diversion. When you get to the lake wait for no more than one hour. If we are coming we should get there by then.
“Silence is our best friend. Before we leave check all of your people for rattles or anything that makes noise. No talking. No whispering. NO NOISE! Am I understood?”
All of the heads in the room nodded.
“Great. Remember; everyone in Olvion is counting on us tonight. Objective one is to salt those wagons. Then and only then are we to go to objective two, which is getting everyone back here safely. When we get out to the site I want the archers strategically stationed so they can start the attack by dropping as many Greys as possible. Remember we want one or two to escape. So we hit, we salt, we wait until we hear the pursuit and then we run. Both groups will take the quickest route back here together. If we have to fight our way back we will do it from the strongest possible position. Questions?”
Layann: “How do you want to position the archers?”
I smiled. “You will decide that, of course. Who else?” She smiled back.
“Pulg, move your team out. We’ll be behind you shortly.”
As his team exited single-file through the secret tunnel I crossed over to where Temms, Waan and Crain stood. They all straightened up. I held up a hand to put them at ease.
“I need you three to help Layann with her archers. Waan, you probably know some of them, help her keep them quiet. They didn’t go out last night so they don’t really know what to expect.” I glanced over at them. Two or three looked a little nervous. Who wouldn’t be?
Then it was our turn to leave. I took the lead. The water was just as cold and shocking as it had been the night before. I came out on the other side and took a moment to get my breath back. I did a few deep knee bends to squeeze out as much water from my trousers as possible. The others came through dripping. One of the female archers made a startled sound while passing through the water. Layann silenced her with a glare. When we were all gathered and composed I led us out.
Layann took us to a lightly-used footpath that headed out and around the campfires of the Greys. It followed a long looping route through a heavily forested area. The moons were out but we had good cloud cover. I was happy to see us moving silently. Layann walked at my side. Her bow was strung and she had an arrow nocked but not drawn. I looked back to see all of her archers doing the same.
We had one close call in which we had to flatten ourselves out on the ground as a tenfold of Greys passed us by in the dark. Tinker had sent me a warning signal but they were making no effort to be quiet. We could probably have taken them easily but the noise of the struggle might have alerted others and, as I had told the others, the most important thing to accomplish tonight was the poisoning of the water wagons.
At last we converged upon the Lake of the Fathers. It was a huge body of water surrounded by trees looming black against the night sky. We approached through a thicket of shoulder-high bushes, Layann leading the way. She stopped and crouched. The rest of us followed her actions. The night sounds surrounded us. Insects and frogs. A pleasant smell reached us from the water. Layann motioned for us to stay put. She moved off into the darkness while we kept watch for movement. A few moments later she returned. I grabbed my knife when I saw another person behind her. Then I relaxed when I saw it was Pulg. He approached me silently and put his lips to my ear.
“It appears we have chosen the right spot.”
We moved our party up to take positions among Pulg’s team. We were about a hundred yards away from the water’s edge. A rutted dirt path ran by the lake and there was a clearing in the trees worn muddy by the passage of many wagons. In that clearing were five water wagons.
Motioning for our people to remain back, Pulg, Layann and I crawled closer. We could make out the movement of bodies in the darkness, probably sentries. The sound of loud snores was also prevalent
. To me it appeared that this group had come to the lake and filled up their wagons then settled down for the night waiting for dawn to make their way back to the main camp in the daylight. It was too dark to determine how many guards were on duty but it did not appear to be too many. Maybe four or five. There were several fires still burning in the camp and we could see two of the beasts warming themselves at the one nearest to our position. We had no idea how many Greys were sleeping around the wagons.
We examined our surroundings looking for a place that would enable us to get within bow shot range without being seen. Over to our left was a large stand of scrub trees that came within twenty five yards of the wagons. Perfect. But we had another thirty yards of open ground that we would have to cross to get there without being detected. It was going to be dicey but you work with what you have. We scooted back and returned to our people.
I was greatly encouraged by the demeanor of my people. They had every right to be afraid, and probably were, but they were holding it together like professionals. We made our intentions known through hand signals and gestures. In groups we started crawling toward the scrubs. I sent the archers first, led by Layann. If the following groups were detected in their approach her people would start the attack with a hail of arrows. I held my breath as they belly-crawled across the open ground. Every scrape of a knee or drag of a foot sounded like thunder claps to me. I thanked God for the heavy clouds which cloaked us in inky blackness.
The Olvion Reality (The Chronicles of Olvion Book 1) Page 22
