* * * *
The Federation soldiers appeared relaxed during their meal break, but Sergeant Nekra had been trained well. A couple of men were always in the woods surrounding the clearing, and one of them dashed into the clearing and spoke softly to the sergeant. Sergeant Nekra spoke softly but firmly to the assembled men.
“We are going to have a visitor. Act casually, but I want two men to circle around behind him.” The sergeant nodded towards the east, and two volunteers rose silently and moved into the woods as if they were going for a walk. The other men put their packs aside and made their weapons readily accessible. Sitting with his back against a tree, General Forshire watched with approval.
“Nature of the threat, Sergeant?” asked Clint.
“Lone rider heading directly towards us,” answered Sergeant Nekra. “He is probably not a threat, but the rider is an elf. I will take no chances with him.”
Clint smiled and nodded in approval. He rose to his feet and waited for the appearance of the elf. The minutes dragged by slowly, and eventually one of the soldiers sent into the forest returned.
“There is no rider,” the soldier said softly. “The horse arrived, but no one was on it.”
Sergeant Nekra frowned. “Take three men and backtrack the horse’s path. Do not attack the elf, but capture him. I want to know what he is up to.”
“All you need to do then is ask,” came a voice from the western edge of the clearing.
The soldiers reacted swiftly, turning towards the sound of the voice and bringing their weapons around to endanger the elf.
“Have your men stand down, Sergeant,” General Forshire commanded loudly. “This elf is known to me.”
Morro merely smiled as the soldiers stowed their weapons.
“I am sorry,” Sergeant Nekra said to the general for his apparent failure to provide adequate protection.
“You show great promise, Nekra,” smiled Clint, “but there is always room for improvement. Meet Morro. He is an elven scout that I have used in the past. His loyalty to me is beyond question.”
“Well met, Morro,” stated the sergeant.
“Well met, Sergeant Nekra. Forgive my unorthodox appearance, but I wasn’t sure of the orders you issued to your men, and I did not want to die before arriving here.”
“Tell us what you have found, Morro,” ordered Clint.
“The estate lies two leagues east of here,” reported the elven thief. “I did not penetrate very far, but I suspect that there is no one there. I came upon some bodies and decided that I should wait until we were united before going further.”
“Bodies?” questioned the general. “Elaborate.”
“A squad of Federation soldiers. They have been dead for some time. From what I could see, it appears that they were taken in ambush. The bodies are badly decayed.”
“Consistent within the timeframe of the celebration?”
“Yes.”
“I am not surprised,” sighed Clint, “but you were right to back away. While there might not be anyone left alive on the estate, we will approach it as if it holds an enemy army. Sergeant, gather the men. We are leaving immediately.”
The sergeant gathered his squad of soldiers, and everyone rode quietly out of the clearing. Morro led the way through the woods to where he had discovered the bodies. Without speaking, Sergeant Nekra ordered his men to dismount and set up a perimeter. Clint and Morro dismounted and gazed upon the bodies.
“The mansion is due north of here,” Morro said softly.
General Forshire nodded and turned to face north. He could see nothing but trees. He turned back to the bodies and examined the ground before glancing up into the trees. For several minutes, no one spoke.
“These men were ambushed,” Clint declared softly. “If there were any defenders left alive, they would have buried their dead. We must assume that anyone in the mansion is an enemy. Sergeant, I want your men to circle around the mansion and approach it from the other side. Half will go to the east and the other half to the west. Unless I am mistaken, I expect you to find more bodies in a similar state of decay. Do not let those bodies distract your men, but I want a count of them before we are done here.”
“Where will you be?” the sergeant asked anxiously.
“Morro and I will be going due north. We will go slowly to allow your men time to get into position. When you feel the time is right, we will all move in together.”
“How will I communicate with you?” frowned the sergeant.
“You won’t have to,” Clint smiled thinly. “I will know when you are approaching the mansion.”
The sergeant was dubious, but he knew better than to argue with the general. He saluted and dispatched half of his men to the west. He then led the other half to the east. Clint and Morro stood silently for several minutes before Clint roused Peanut from his sleep and gave him instructions. The tiny man shot up into the trees and disappeared. Morro woke Sparky and sent him on his way. Once the two fairies were dispatched, the Ranger and the thief crept slowly through the trees to the north. Along the way, they discovered another ten bodies strewn out along the trail. An hour later, they came to the edge of the trees. Sparky shot down out of the trees and perched on Morro’s shoulder.
“There is no one left alive inside the mansion,” reported the fairy.
“Left alive?” questioned Clint. “What do you mean?”
“There are bodies everywhere,” Sparky replied. “One of them is headless.”
“Are any of the bodies fresh?” asked Morro.
“No,” the fairy replied with a disgusted look. “The stench is horrible.”
Peanut soared through the sky and lighted on Clint’s shoulder.
“Nekra is leading his men towards the mansion now. The other two groups have seen him and are also moving out of the forest.”
“Then it is time to go,” stated Clint. “Into your pockets.”
The fairies slid into hiding. Clint and Morro left the cover of the forest and ran towards the mansion. They arrived well before the soldiers who were taking a more stealthy approach.
“I will have my men set up a perimeter,” Clint said as they reached the front of the mansion. “Go inside. Use the hourglass to examine the rooms and count the bodies. I will be in shortly.”
Morro nodded and dashed up the stairs and through the front door. He nearly gagged at the smell, but he quickly triggered the hourglass. As he made the rounds of the rooms inside the mansion, he opened the windows to let fresh air inside. When he was done, he headed downstairs to find Clint waiting for him. The thief glanced at his hourglass and saw that it had run out. He stowed the device in his pouch and moved to stand alongside Clint.
“Twenty dead soldiers,” Morro reported, “including the headless one. It looks like he was an officer.”
“Then they are all accounted for,” Clint replied distractedly as he stared at the officer’s decomposed body. “Were there any women?”
“No,” answered Morro as he followed Clint’s gaze. He saw the glint of something on the officer’s chest. “What is that?”
“I am not sure,” Clint replied as he bent down and carefully picked an object off the corpse. He held it away from himself as he moved closer to the nearest window and held it in the light. “It is a pin. A golden pin in the shape of a badger.” Clint turned the pin over and examined the clasp. “It was not something the officer wore. It was left on the corpse for someone to find.”
“Delightful,” Morro replied sarcastically. “What do we do now?”
“I am not sure,” sighed Clint as he shoved the pin into a pouch. “There were three women housed here. We need to find them.”
“With a trail gone cold?” frowned Morro. “Unless the attackers wanted you to follow them, that will be nearly impossible.”
“I doubt they wanted to be followed,” replied Clint. “Let’s get outside so we can breathe.”
* * * *
Alex and Jenneva entered the king’s study and sa
t in front of his desk. Queen Tanya and Prince Oscar joined them a moment later. The king nodded to his father to close the door as he entered.
“Have the meetings become so small that they can be held in your study now?” asked Alex.
“Everyone has something to do,” sighed the king. “Bin-lu and Rut-ki have returned to Lanoir to create a surprise for the troops invading from Chi. Wylan and Sheri are traveling to Danver Shores with the Federation colonels. Tedi, Natia, and Karl have returned to Zara. Prince Garong is helping the Rangers with their search for Niki, and Prince Darok spoke of an urgent project in the south. I suppose you might know what he is talking about?”
“I do.” Alex nodded. “In fact, I think Jenneva and I should be returning to Zara ourselves. There is much to be done there.”
“I can’t return to Zara just yet,” stated Jenneva. “I am working on something with General Fernandez.” Alex looked at his wife in confusion. “It will only be for a while, Alex. You return to Zara. I will find you when I get there.”
“You could stay here and help us figure out how to speak to the gods,” King Arik suggested to Alex.
“I am not the person to find the gods for you,” sighed Alex. “It is you they favor, and I have no doubt that you will speak to them. There is too much going on in Zara for me to remain idle.”
“There is some news from Zara,” interjected Prince Oscar. “Clint has discovered that Kyrga is keeping Emperor Jaar against his will. The emperor’s family has been kidnapped. Clint is investigating it.”
“Why Clint?” asked the king.
“The emperor managed to pass him a note during one of his infrequent outings. He used Morro’s hourglass to get into the emperor’s quarters and speak to him. It would appear that Jaar does not trust anyone in the palace now.”
“Is this an opportunity for us?” asked the queen. “Or is it a distraction?”
“I am not sure,” frowned Alex. “Jaar does not appear to be the power behind the invasion, so I am not sure that he could do anything to stop it.”
“But could he do anything to hamper it?” asked Prince Oscar.
“And why would he?” asked the king. “Even if Clint manages to get his family back, why would Jaar agree to hamper the invasion? Clint would have to reveal his true identity, and I would strongly advise against that.”
“I do not think Emperor Jaar is someone we can trust,” agreed Alex. “Even if he appeared to be on our side, I would not trust him with Clint’s identity. The man is known as a ruthless ruler. He didn’t get that reputation easily. His people have engineered the takeover of three countries since we have been there. All of that cannot be laid at Kyrga’s feet.”
“I agree,” said Jenneva. “Up to now, I think Kyrga has been manipulating the emperor, but Jaar is not a fool. His greedy goals of expansion do not need to be manipulated much.”
“And the Federation’s conquests began long before Kyrga showed up,” continued Alex. “I think Clint is being distracted. He needs to get his army into Ramaldi Pass to stop the Federation from reinforcing the west when things break loose.”
“Do you really think you have a chance of tearing those western countries away from the Federation?” asked Prince Oscar. “Such a strategy seems to be more like a fairy tale with the number of soldiers that will be left in Zara.”
“It will not be easy,” conceded Alex, “but it must be done. Each of the Zaran countries must be left with a reasonable ruler after the war. If we merely defeat the invading armies, we will forever be waiting for the next wave of Zarans to come here.”
“Merely?” balked the king. “Defeating the Federation armies in Alcea will be next to impossible.”
“You know what I meant,” Alex snapped tersely. “We have to do the impossible on both continents if we are to survive. I will not adopt a defeatist attitude, and neither will you. We are in this fight to win, and I will do my best to assure that it happens.”
King Arik was taken aback be Alex’s reply, but Prince Oscar started laughing. Everyone turned to him with questioning gazes.
“There are not many men who could talk to a king like that,” chuckled Prince Oscar, “but you seem to make a habit of it. How many kings have you talked down to so far during the course of your life? I have lost count.”
Alex blushed and bowed to the king. “I do apologize, Arik. Sometimes I forget my manners.”
“Perhaps,” smiled the king, “but your words always ring true. You have taught me enough that I should know better than to approach the war with a pessimistic attitude. Do you think you will be able to find rulers for all of the countries over there?”
“The western nations are already covered,” answered Alex. “The previous rulers of Tyronia and Vinafor will be restored to their thrones. In Karamin, we will install Boric as king. He is a good man.”
“That still leaves five countries east of the Barrier,” Queen Tanya noted. “Those are more critical if we wish to live in peace.”
“I will get my people working on it,” promised Alex.
Unexpectedly, Prince Midge shot through the window and landed on the king’s desk. He appeared to be rather nervous and the conversation immediately halted.
“There is trouble, Bringer. One of my people was overdue from a shift change. I sent someone out to investigate and word has just arrived back. Two of my fairies are dead.”
“That is horrible,” Queen Tanya said with a sorrowful tone. “Were they guarding Doors, or shadowing the colonels?”
“Neither,” the fairy prince replied as he turned to see who was in the room before continuing, “the fairies were guarding the Mountain of Death.”
“Alutar!” gasped the king. “They have discovered the location of the Great Demon.”
“It is worse than that,” Prince Midge declared. “The lower half of Alutar is missing.”
“Missing?” gasped Jenneva. “That is impossible.”
“Evidently not impossible,” retorted Prince Midge. “I have sent out a team of fairies to see if they can locate the Great Demon, but we will not hear from them for some time.”
The room fell deathly silent as everyone considered the implications of the news. After a while, Jenneva broke the silence.
“The war on both continents suddenly seems to pall in comparison to this event.”
“Are you saying that we should abandon our plans for war?” asked Prince Oscar.
“No,” replied Jenneva. “I can only assume that this is the precise reason that Fakir Aziz is gathering mages to his side. The Great Demon is not something the king’s men can do much about, but we need to remain mindful of what is at stake here. We can make all the wonderful plans and strategies that we want, but we must also plan for events beyond our control. If Alutar manages to unite his two halves, no army will be able to stand before him.”
“Meaning what exactly?” frowned the king.
“Meaning that we need a failsafe plan to keep you alive,” answered Prince Oscar. “Your reign is a blight in Alutar’s eyes. That is why he keeps sending demonkin to kill you.”
“That is correct,” agreed Jenneva.
“I can’t just run and hide,” protested the king.
“You will have to,” declared the queen. “If such a time comes to pass, I will be going with you. I would also hope that my parents would join us.”
Arik stared at Tanya with a lack of understanding. He looked at Prince Oscar and wondered why Tanya would have spoken so insensitively with his father in the room.
Prince Oscar smiled thinly. “She is right, Arik. The Mage chose the four of you when he gave you the elixirs. As long as the four of you live, Alutar has not won. Stay alive until the Mage has found a way to bind the Great Demon.”
A tear formed in Arik’s eye as he understood what his father was saying. The queen felt the tension in the air and decided to change the subject.
“If Alutar no longer exists in the Mountain of Death then we should be able to speak to the gods there.”<
br />
“That makes sense,” agreed Jenneva. “Fakir must have known that the Mountain of Death would be attacked and Alutar removed from it. That opens up the place where the demons kept the gods hidden. Go there and get the gods to slow this march to war.”
Chapter 19
Queen’s Will
On a rooftop not far from the Park of the Gods in Tagaret, Niki huddled against the low wall that formed the perimeter of the roof. The light rain that was falling over the city splattered on her unprotected legs and soaked the material of her pants. The young widow did not appear to notice. In fact, an observer would mistake her positioning and closed eyes for that of a person at sleep, but Niki was wide awake. In her mind she pictured the image of Cavanor that had been relayed to her by more than one bird that had witnessed the attack on Fredrik. She concentrated hard as she sent that image out to every creature her mind could reach. Hour after hour, she ceaselessly commanded her loyal subjects to attack the murderer of her beloved husband.
Far across the city, a young, beautiful woman with long, flowing, black hair was unexpectedly attacked by birds. The birds dove repeatedly, their claws scratching at stone-hard skin, and their beaks pecking mercilessly, but ineffectively. Cavanor waved her hands at the attacking birds, but it did nothing to forestall the attack. Unwilling to use her magical powers openly on the city street, the demonkin ducked into a shop. Her action brought only a momentary relief. Within minutes, rats appeared out of the woodwork and charged towards the woman. The shopkeeper watched in rapt amazement as the vermin swarmed over the woman’s feet, scratching and gnawing vigorously. The woman did not scream as the shopkeeper might have expected, nor did she seem overly frightened. That alone caused the shopkeeper’s eyebrows to rise, but he was soon to be shocked further.
The woman’s face turned dark with anger, and she pointed a single finger at her boots with a vengeance. A brilliant flash of light exploded in the dim shop, and rats, and pieces of rats, flew through the air to splatter upon the walls. Before the shopkeeper could cry out in alarm, the woman whirled around and stormed out of the shop. The waiting birds immediately dove down out of the misty sky and resumed their attack. Cavanor quickly erected a physical shield, keeping the birds away, but everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to the spectacle of the birds attacking and smashing headlong into an invisible barrier. Wagons halted in the streets, and passersby stopped to watch the strange occurrence. Cavanor seethed with anger. She was sorely tempted to use her magical powers to kill everyone around her, but she forced herself to remember her objective. The demonkin turned and ran.
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