“You can beat them to Forgum,” advised Alex, “but it will be close. Your men and horses would be tired even if you did beat them.”
“You sound like that is not a good option,” interjected Captain Azule. “Surely you are not suggesting that we head back to Caldor?”
“No,” Alex shook his head. “You are traveling with your women and children. They are a liability to you now. I suggest that they be removed by ship immediately. Eddie can take them to Melbin. That would allow your army to move much quicker. If the ships leave tonight, they can turn around and start ferrying your men to Melbin as well.”
“We cannot retreat to Melbin because we are threatened,” the general shook his head. “There are still many fields to be burned. I made a deal with King Arik.”
“There is more than one way to accomplish that goal,” replied Alex. “Right now, you are slowly going up the coast and burning everything. You did not have to travel fast because the emperor’s army is very slow. That has changed, but that only means that your tactics must change. As long as we can keep an eye on the Lanoirian cavalry, we can outsmart them.”
“How?” asked Captain Orteka.
“Eddie’s ships,” grinned Alex. “If we know where the Lanoirians are, Eddie can deliver men to where they are not. They can burn the fields and then retreat to the ships. When the cavalry reacts to the smoke from the burning fields, we strike somewhere else.”
“That sounds like a brilliant plan,” frowned the general as he fiddled with his mustache, “but there is one major problem with it. We have no means of spying on the Lanoirians. There is no way that we will be able to tell what they are up to.”
Alex smiled as he opened his breast pocket. The general gasped as Bantam stuck her head out and looked around.
“What is that?” asked the general.
Alex scooped Bantam out of his pocket and placed her on his shoulder. “Her name is Bantam,” explained Alex. “She is a fairy. I will send her to Tagaret and she will return with some more fairies to keep you updated on the Lanoirian troop movements.”
“Shall I go now?” chirped Bantam.
Alex nodded and the blue fairy darted for the door of the tent. The flap was closed, but it presented no obstacle to the tiny fairy. She slipped through a tiny crack and disappeared.
“Unicorns and fairies,” sighed the general. “Alexander Tork and a young lad as a prophesized king. What must I be made to believe next?”
“That we can win this fight,” smiled Alex. “King Arik wants your men to start building up the defenses of Melbin. King Alfred is already preparing the city. We plan to make a stand there.”
“Will we fare any better in Melbin than we did in Trekum?” questioned the general.
“The Lanoirians will be hungrier,” shrugged Alex. “There will also be less of them. The cavalry that comes after you now is only half of what it once was. King Arik’s men killed fifteen thousand of them in the Southern Mountains. They had gone south to restore the food shipments.”
“That certainly helps,” retorted General Mobami, “but it hardly makes the task any easier. Emperor Hanchi could lose half of his men, and he would still overwhelm us. I am hesitant to put my men behind walls again. It is not the way we fight.”
“You could engage the Lanoirian cavalry in the open,” sighed Alex. “You would probably defeat them, but at what cost? What would be left of your army after that would fit into a small fishing village, and without your men, Melbin is lost.”
“Will the Red Swords of Tagaret come to Melbin and fight by our side?” asked Captain Azule.
“I truly don’t know,” admitted Alex. “The Castle of Man has fallen to Sarac’s forces. The ogres and goblins will be marching on Tagaret. I am not sure of the timing of all of these armies. I know that King Arik has fine advisors. He will give what aid he can to Melbin.”
“That is not much of a promise,” frowned the general. “Is that why you want us to send our families to Melbin? So we are forced to defend it?”
“No,” Alex shook his head vigorously. “Your families will probably be evacuated along with the noncombatants of Melbin. I believe they will be sent to Southland until the battle is over. No, General, I am not trying to trick you in any way. You have the right to choose your own manner of death. I was ordered by King Arik to attempt to get you to go to Melbin and defend it, but I understand what your objections are. I do need an answer, though.”
“You are an honest man,” the general smiled thinly. “We will defend Melbin, however, we may take the liberty of sniping at the Lanoirian cavalry when the opportunity presents itself.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” grinned Alex. “I would not mind riding with you if I may?”
“Your skill is most welcome, Alex,” grinned the general. “May Thun, the god of war, ride with us.”
“I do not put my faith in Thun,” sighed Alex. “I cannot imagine a god that would exist for the sole purpose of blessing war. I have already had my fill of Abuud, the god of peace and harmony. If there truly are gods, then they should be doing something about the state of the world we live in. When I see one make things better for all mankind, then I will have faith.”
* * *
Wylan made his way to the rear of the leather shop. He opened the door that led to the upper floors where rooms were rented. He treaded softly up the stairs to the second floor and gazed around the hallway before going to the last door on the right. He knocked softly and waited for a response. There was a long silent pause before someone opened the door just a crack.
“What do you want?” the surly voice asked.
Wylan twisted up his fingers and made the secret sign of the Black Devils. He heard the door open further and waited to be invited in.
“Don’t stand there all day,” snarled the voice. “In or out. I am closing the door.”
Wylan lifted his hand and felt the air before his face. Cautiously he stepped forward and into the room.
“Are you really blind?” asked the Black Devil. “I thought that was a disguise.”
“I wish it were,” sighed Wylan. “It would make getting around easier.”
“How’d it happen?” asked the magician.
“Riding with the Red Swords,” Wylan answered. “The battle of Watling flats.”
Wylan could feel the man tense up and he grimaced. “Yeah, I gave up my sight for our king,” scowled Wylan. “Of course, now he has no use for me. What a fool I was.”
“If you ride with the Red Swords,” the Black Devil asked suspiciously, “then what do you want with me?”
“I need to make contact with Zorn,” Wylan said. “I didn’t know where else to go to find him.”
“Zorn?” questioned the Black Devil. “Why would you ask me about Zorn?”
“You are a Black Devil,” Wylan said pointedly. “He is too. I thought you might know him.”
“Who said I was a Black Devil?” spat the man. “You can’t go around accusing people like that. Get out of my room.”
“All right,” sighed Wylan. “Sorry to have bothered you. I thought saving your life might be worth some information, but I can see that you are determined to die for no reason. Show me to the door.”
“Saving my life?” asked the Black Devil. “How are you going to save my life?”
“That is not the way this works,” Wylan shook his head. “My information was in return for yours. You don’t seem to want to share, so I am going to leave.”
“Wait a minute,” the man said hesitantly. “What do you want this Zorn for anyway?”
“I have important information for him,” answered Wylan.
“What kind of information?” probed the man.
“The kind he needs to get at King Arik,” smirked Wylan.
“How about you tell me and I will make sure that Zorn gets the information?” suggested the Black Devil.
“Not a chance,” laughed Wylan. “Beside, if you are not a Black Devil, then you have no use for the inf
ormation.”
“If I was a Black Devil,” countered the man, “what makes you think that you would ever leave this room alive until you told me what I want to know?”
“Do you think that threatening to end my miserable existence is going to get me to talk?” laughed Wylan. “You want to kill me? Go ahead. I have nothing to lose. I will probably die anyway for selling this information to Zorn. What difference does it make to me who does it?”
“All right,” sighed the man. “Look, I can try to find Zorn for you, but I don’t think he is even in the city right now. I will work with you on this, but I need to know what you meant about saving my life.”
“Fair enough,” Wylan agreed after a few moments of hesitation, “but I want to know for sure that I am dealing with someone who really knows Zorn. I can’t even see you to tell if you are who I think you are. Convince me that you really know Zorn and will get in touch with him.”
“How can I do that?” scowled the Black Devil. “What you want me to describe what he looks like? What good would that do a blind man?”
“Good point,” conceded Wylan. “All right, how about telling me who Zorn reports to? If you truly know him, you would know that.”
“Everybody knows that,” smirked the Black Devil. “He works for Dalgar. Now tell me how you know about me and what you mean by saving my life.”
“Fair enough,” nodded Wylan. “Your identity is known to General Gregor. He is planning on arresting you tomorrow morning.”
“Gregor knows about me?” gasped the man. “How did he find out?”
“I know the answer to that as well,” smiled Wylan, “but that would mean you owe me more information.”
“Don’t play games with me, blind man,” warned the Black Devil. “I am not in the mood to play. How did Gregor find out?”
“Where is Dalgar now?” asked Wylan.
“How should I know?” spat the man. “He went to Lanoir a long time ago. He never came back. I don’t keep track of him. Ask Zorn or Tashlan when you see them. They are the only two I know that work for Dalgar.”
“Fair enough,” nodded Wylan. “I guess I will have to ask Tashlan.”
“You do that,” scowled the Black Devil. “Now tell me what I want to know.”
“Tashlan,” Wylan said.
“Yes, ask Tashlan,” the man sighed with impatience. “Who told Gregor about me?”
“I just told you,” sighed Wylan. “It was Tashlan.”
“That is not possible,” shouted the Black Devil. “He would never betray me. I don’t believe anything you’ve said. I think you are a spy for that king you are so eager to betray. Well now you will get your reward.”
The Black Devil’s right hand rose to cast a spell. Wylan’s cane twirled in the air and came down on the Black Devil’s wrist with a resounding crack. The man screamed and brought his left hand up. Wylan’s cane was already in action as it broke his left wrist as well. Wylan brought the cane up swiftly and plunged it into the man’s throat. The Black Devil fell to his knees, his broken wrists rising to his throat. Seconds later, the Black Devil tumbled to the floor. Wylan took the man’s sword and severed his head before he left the room.
Wylan made his way back to the Royal Palace and into Colonel Nolan’s office. He closed the door and sat down.
“How did it go?” Zackary asked.
“You need to get somebody over there to remove the body,” replied Wylan. “He said that Zorn and Tashlan work for Dalgar. He also said that Dalgar went to Lanoir and never returned. I don’t know how solid his information was. We should check it another way before we believe it.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” nodded the colonel. “This is too important to guess at. I will find some other way to verify it.”
Chapter 22
Nowhere to Run
“They’re gone,” Pioti said softly after the goblin patrol had passed out of sight.
“That was too close,” sighed Tanya. “We probably could have taken the patrol, but it surely would have given our location away.”
“I agree,” nodded Prince Garong. “We are better off proceeding without our horses from this point forward. We are just too visible while riding.”
“Lucky for us that I smelled them,” grinned Prince Darok. “Not that I could ever miss the smell of a goblin, mind you. Having grown up around those foul-smelling beasts has some advantage at least.”
King Arik sheathed his sword and drew the Sword of Heavens. His arms shook as the sword rose slightly and pointed towards a small canyon.
“Is that the direction we must go?” asked Eltar.
“Yes,” nodded King Arik, “and not too far either. The Dragons’ Onyx feels so close that we should be able to see it.”
“A good thing that we did not attack the goblins then,” remarked Tanya. “If this dragon knew we were here, he would undoubtedly attack us.”
“I will scout ahead a little bit,” offered Pioti. “I will be right back.”
“Perhaps leaving our mounts here would be a good idea,” declared King Arik. “We won’t be able to ride up that canyon without being seen.”
“I will see to them,” offered Tanya as she turned to secure the horses.
A few moments later, Pioti returned from his scouting mission.
“I found him,” the elf reported. “He is huge, and he doesn’t look the least bit friendly.”
“Does it look like he is aware that we are coming?” asked Prince Garong.
“No,” Pioti shook his head. “He sits at the head of the canyon. He is part way up the cliff, as if he was sitting on a nest. There will be no way to approach him quietly unless we get above him.”
“Let’s take a look,” suggested the king.
Pioti nodded and led the way through the forest. It took a few minutes to get to a spot where they could peer into the canyon. The group stopped and stared at the large dragon in the distance.
“I wish we had Alex’s scope,” remarked King Arik. “It is pretty hard to see from here.”
“And getting closer unobserved will not be easy,” nodded Tanya. “How are you planning to kill it?”
“I don’t know,” frowned King Arik. “I have thought a great deal about that over the past few days. I imagine a sword thrust to the heart would be best.”
“Do dragons have hearts?” questioned the dwarf prince. “I mean, what do we really know about them?”
“Very little,” admitted King Arik. “I doubt that my sword would penetrate the big scales on its back.”
“And don’t even think about going for its throat,” added Eltar. “If you can get close enough to do that, you will probably already be eaten.”
“Using magic this close to Sarac’s castle would be suicide,” Tanya whispered to King Arik. “They would most certainly detect it and descend on us like a plague. I am hesitant to even use shields, lest I give us away.”
“Can they detect shields?” inquired King Arik.
“You can detect most any spell if you are filtering specifically for those vibrations,” shrugged Tanya. “There are so many different shield spells that we might get away with it, but then again, Sarac has a multitude of magicians in that castle. If he is expecting you, which I assume that he is, I would think that he would be monitoring anything he could think of.”
“Like unicorns flying spells,” frowned King Arik.
“Yes,” nodded Tanya. “About the only thing that is truly safe is the spell the unicorns use to hide their horns. That is so local that I doubt you could detect it from any distance.”
“What about my spells?” asked Prince Midge as he stuck his head out of the king’s pocket. “Do you think they can detect me? I am pretty small.”
“You are small,” smiled Tanya, “but your magic is not necessarily insignificant. Again, it depends on what they are looking for. I just can’t answer that question.”
“Then we will do this without magic,” decided King Arik.
“How are you go
ing to approach him?” inquired Prince Midge.
King Arik did not answer for a long time as he studied the small canyon. Finally, he pointed towards the dragon.
“Do you see that small ledge behind him?” King Arik asked.
“I see it,” offered Prince Garong. “How would you get to it?”
“I can climb up over there,” the king pointed to the side of the mountain outside the canyon. “Then I will work my way along the ridge of the canyon and come down behind him.”
“You will be heard, if not seen,” the elf prince shook his head. “You cannot climb down behind him without him hearing you. Just the sounds of your feet searching for a hold would be enough to give you away.”
“We could create a diversion at the mouth of the canyon,” suggested Eltar. “That would draw his attention away from King Arik.”
“That would keep his eyes diverted,” sighed the elf prince, “but not his ears. Or are you suggesting that we make a tremendous amount of noise, too? I, for one, don’t think alerting all of Sarac’s men to our arrival is a good idea.”
“What if we did it in reverse?” suggested Tanya. “What if I went up on the ridge and drew attention to myself? Do you think you could get in close enough to strike?”
“Not a good idea,” answered the dwarf prince. “All King Arik would be able to do is jab at the critter’s feet. That is hardly going to kill him.”
“Prince Darok is right,” agreed Pioti. “The ledge that King Arik is looking at is the perfect height for attacking Gorga. The question is, how do we get him there?”
“I will go up with him,” offered Prince Darok. “Instead of him climbing down to the ledge, I will lower him down. His feet will only have to touch rock once.”
“That might work,” nodded the king.
“And you are strong enough to pull him back up if things go wrong,” nodded Tanya. “This just might work. I will go with you also. I can guard Prince Darok while his hands are busy with the rope.”
“That puts three of us climbing along the ridge,” frowned King Arik as he looked at Sarac’s castle high above the small canyon. “It increases the odds of us being noticed by the castle.”
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