Web of Deceit fl-3

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Do you see that as good?” questioned Wyant.

  “I would not have a year ago,” admitted Adger, “but I do today. The tribes have really outlived their usefulness I think. When we can accomplish something like this by working together, why should we seek to rule over one another.”

  “So there are no complaints in working for the lad?” quizzed Wyant.

  “Complaints?” chuckled Adger. “Quite the opposite. Each man has been responsible for building his own house. The men, quite on their own, have volunteered to help each other and I do not mean the men of the same tribe. When we Mutangs arrived, there was not any room inside the stockade. We camped outside the wall along with the Extala. When it came time to build our homes, we had volunteers from over a dozen tribes to help us, along with common villagers. It is a bonding experience to work side-by-side with another man for a common goal. No, if anything, Rejji has gained the admiration of every man here. Without his dreams, we would be starving in the mountains waiting to die at Grulak’s hand.”

  “Well dreams are good,” conceded Wyant, “but times will not always be so rosy.”

  “It is more than his dreams,” continued Adger. “He fosters good will towards others. He is always open to suggestions and never assumes he knows best, although most of the time he does. He has a good head on his shoulders. He seems to choose people for tasks that they are well suited for. I know times are going to get tough soon and the men know it too. Many of us will die, but we will go into battle knowing that we are not being discarded for someone’s ambition. What matters to Rejji is the welfare of all Fakarans. It is hard to dislike someone with such an attitude.”

  “Marshal,” greeted Yojji. “Glad you made it through the Jiadin. We saw one of their armies on the way in.”

  “As did we,” added Blaka. “I think it was Winus’s group. They did not appear anxious to engage us.”

  “I can imagine that they were not,” smiled Wyant.

  Wyant stood and gazed at the instant city. He stood staring down a broad street, which led to the old stockade wall in the distance. Dozens of cross streets intersected the avenue and each cross street ran for ten houses to his right and left before meeting with another street. In between the two rows of houses that comprised each block was a wide-open area, which would have looked like another street except for the gardens that were being planted.

  “Why are the houses arranged as they are?” Wyant asked.

  “A bright lad named Lakado designed them,” answered Blaka. “Each house is to have room for a garden behind it. Flower or vegetable, depending on the owner’s whim. The blocks are long to make it harder on an invading army. Their forces would be sufficiently divided to be attacked individually. You should see what they are planning for the center of the city. They have left a large area undeveloped for future community buildings. Some thought has gone into this.”

  “I would like to see it,” frowned Wyant. “Is there some way we can get Brakas out of the way for a while?”

  “We might talk him into trying to mount his horse again,” chuckled Rejji as he arrived with Mistake and Bakhai. “I am sure you could tour the entire city while he is at the healers.”

  “That would suit me,” laughed Wyant. “There can not be too much pain inflicted on him in my mind.”

  “I am glad to see that you arrived safely,” greeted Rejji.

  “Actually, I didn’t,” stated Wyant. “I was captured by the Jiadin.”

  “Winus?” questioned Yojji.

  “Yes,” nodded Wyant. “He is fed up and ready to join us. I promised him we would send him six Wasooki to feed his men.”

  “Send him food?” questioned Blaka. “Why doesn’t he just come in like the rest of us? This does not smell right.”

  “Are you sure we can trust him?” asked Adger.

  “Yes, we can trust him,” replied Wyant. “He would love to come in and join us if he could. Grulak assigned a wizard to him, or more correctly, Grulak assigned Winus to the wizard. Winus is tired of seeing his men killed for no reason. They are starving and the wizard controls their movements. Winus is afraid his men would be slaughtered if he tried to defect.”

  “I believe that,” scowled Mistake. “I have seen this magician in action. His rockslides killed many of the Jiadin when they were chasing us up Mount Kiator.”

  “He is powerful then?” queried Yojji.

  “Yes,” answered Mistake. “If Winus is sincere, he has reason to fear the mage.”

  “I will arrange for the wasooki to be delivered, if you will give directions to the men taking them,” declared Rejji. “How can Winus help us where he is?”

  “Well, he will not be attacking us for one,” replied Wyant. “How we can use his forces outside the city is something we should discuss. One thing I think is becoming abundantly clear though, the Jiadin will have to attack us soon.”

  “They are starving too?” posed Rejji.

  “Yes,” nodded Wyant. “Grulak had hoped to be well into Khadora by now. Ghala now has the three things that Grulak needs to take care of. Rejji, the free tribes, and food are all here in one place. It is a target he can not resist.”

  “Is he aware of all this?” asked Rejji.

  “Not yet,” responded Wyant. “Winus has figured it out though so it will not be long before someone else does. I think that alone speaks volumes for the mindset of Winus. He could have delivered his thoughts to Grulak and has not.”

  “I agree,” declared Adger. “The only reason for his silence is that he has made his mind up to change sides. Good, we can use all the help we can get.”

  “Well the wall is almost complete,” interjected Blaka. “That will certainly slow them down a bit. We should make some plans for traps throughout the city and some organization of which tribes will defend which section of the city.”

  “Lord Marak indicated that it might be better to take the fight to Grulak,” mentioned Rejji, “instead of waiting for him to arrive here.”

  “That would be suicide, lad,” frowned Blaka. “We have a decent defensive position here with the wall and the forest limiting the approach. Out in the open, his superior numbers will destroy us.”

  “Not necessarily,” argued Rejji. “I am not talking about abandoning our defenses. Ghala is our last stand and that is why we are building the wall and other things, but Grulak has long march to get to us. Does anyone know how he will approach Ghala?”

  “Through the Valley of Bones,” answered Yojji. “It is the direct path from the North Fork to the Ghala River. Any other pass would take him too far out of the way and I gather that, if his army is starving, he will be in a hurry.”

  “Once he knows we are all here,” interjected Wyant. “That I think is the key. I believe we can control when he finds out that Ghala is his target.”

  “That is what we are holding Brakas for?” questioned Adger.

  “Exactly,” smiled Wyant. “We can use Brakas to time the release of the information. We cannot, however, delay forever. It is only a matter of time before another of Grulak’s minions discover us, or one of Winus’s men accidentally slips in front of the magician.”

  “So we need a plan and we need it fast,” observed Mistake.

  “And we have to deceive Brakas into delivering the information we want Grulak to have,” added Wyant.

  “And if we get any of it wrong,” frowned Blaka, “we all die.”

  Chapter 33

  The Plan

  “What do we know about how Grulak will attack?” asked Rejji.

  “I asked Winus that very question,” stated Wyant. “Because of the food, Grulak will come with every man he has. He will also want them all here to have clear superiority over the free tribes.”

  “That is a massive army,” frowned Blaka. “How can we possibly hope to last against that?”

  “By splitting it up,” murmured Rejji.

  “Precisely,” smiled Wyant. “There are basically three factions to Grulak’s army. There are the or
iginal Jiadin who will remain loyal to him no matter what. They number around five thousand. Of those, one thousand are considered to be his elite troops. Both of these groups must be destroyed to end the Jiadin threat to Fakara. The third group is the converts. They are the largest segment of his army and also the least loyal. If we can get that group not to fight, we will have victory.”

  “Most of them are followers and will do what they are told,” stated Adger. “Asking them not to fight is not going to work. It would be easier to kill them, and I doubt we have the men to do it.”

  “I was not suggesting that we ask them,” continued Wyant. “There are other ways to help them make up their minds. I think this is a crucial area where we should spend some time discussing ways to whittle down that large force.”

  “That is if we can even get them separated,” posed Yojji. “How do you plan to accomplish that?”

  “What Winus said,” continued Wyant, “was if there was some urgency relating to his discovery of Ghala, that Grulak would depart with his original Jiadin immediately and order the rest to follow.”

  “That would separate the original Jiadin from the rest somewhat,” agreed Blaka, “but the Jiadin are excellent warriors and five thousand of them is a serious threat even to a much larger force. His elite are among the finest fighting men I have ever seen. A lot of our lads will fight to the death, but their skills are not up to the Jiadin elite.”

  “I agree,” frowned Adger. “Our men have had many years without any serious battles. The villagers in our area have actually become friendly and offer their tribute without argument.”

  “Your men still train don’t they?” asked Rejji as he remembered his time with the Zaldoni.

  “Of course they do,” answered Adger, “and there is many a decent fighter among them, but in a one-on-one clash with the elite, we would be outclassed. My twenty-five hundred men would lose the battle against a thousand elite.”

  “But we have more than just your twenty-five hundred men, Adger,” interjected Yojji. “What is the key to getting Grulak to come with his five thousand Jiadin earlier than the rest? You said some urgency, but what do you mean?”

  “I am not sure,” frowned Wyant. “It has to be something other than us defending Ghala, because if that is the situation, he can travel with his whole army.”

  “What if Winus was under attack by us?” queried Blaka. “Would Grulak rush to save Winus?”

  “Not a chance,” Wyant shook his head. “Winus has only five hundred men and we would defeat him before Grulak left Vandegar, besides it is Winus who will be sending the message via his magician. That is along the line I was thinking earlier though. If we were seen to be using Ghala as base to strike out from, that would cause Grulak to act sooner, but other than Winus, what is there for us to attack?”

  “The only thing we want to attack is Grulak,” sighed Adger. “Let us leave this question for later and concentrate on a plan for when we do manage to separate the two forces.”

  “If Grulak possessed something that would allow his men to proceed here by traveling day and night without tiring, would he use it?” asked Rejji.

  “If there were no downsides to it, he would be a fool not to,” replied Blaka. “Is this just a youthful question or do you have access to magic as well?”

  “Not magic,” responded Rejji, “but I do know of such a fruit. It fills your body with tremendous energy and you feel as if you can continue forever. I know because I have eaten some.”

  “Then perhaps it is something you should save for our armies,” chuckled Blaka. “We are likely to be the ones needing energy.”

  “What I was thinking was a little different,” declared Rejji. “If Grulak had a limited amount of this fruit, say enough for only a thousand men, would he further split his forces?”

  “Enough for his elite forces you mean?” replied Wyant. “I think he would. If we can create the urgency, Grulak will want to get here as quick as possible. He would feel quite comfortable with only his elite if he knew the rest of his army was coming behind him. I seriously question the wisdom of providing anything that will improve their fighting energy though. The elite will be tough enough to kill as it is.”

  “Actually this fruit will make them easier to kill,” smiled Rejji. “There is a penalty for the extra energy. The extra energy will sustain you as long as you keep moving, but once you stop, you will sleep soundly for days. I used it to march through the night and slept for two days afterwards.”

  “That means the elite will be as good as dead,” cheered Blaka. “Why not give it to all of them?”

  “I could never get that much fruit,” sighed Rejji. “It only grows in one place. As it is, we need enough for the men and the horses. That is two thousand fruit just for the elite.”

  “And we have to convince Grulak to use it,” added Yojji. “We also need a way to transport it to him without raising his suspicions.”

  “I have already checked, and it will fit in the two wagons we seized from the slavers,” stated Rejji. “Bakhai has joined the two wagons together and lined the bars with wooden boards so the fruit does not fall out. Four horses will be needed to haul it.”

  “This is sounding better already,” nodded Adger. “Assuming that the elite don’t rest until they reach here, we can have Winus’s men dispose of them.”

  “Why wouldn’t we just kill them ourselves?” asked Blaka.

  “Because we won’t be here,” smiled Adger. “We will be ambushing the other four thousand original Jiadin.”

  “Where?” asked Wyant.

  “I do not know yet,” admitted Adger. “Personally, I would like a spot where bows will play a major part. The original Jiadin are not as good as the elite, but they are formidable foes. It also will have to be accomplished quickly or we risk having the regular Jiadin catch up while we are still battling.”

  “I think it would be helpful for the battle ground to be on the path of the regular Jiadin army though,” interjected Wyant. “I want them to see the bodies of their brothers. Any losses we have should be removed.”

  “You seek to demoralize them?” quizzed Yojji.

  “Absolutely,” nodded Wyant. “I want their ranks decimated by desertions. The more of them we can scare off, the less our losses will be.”

  “I have an idea,” Bakhai said softly. “The Jiadin will not know that Winus has switched sides, will they?”

  “No, they shouldn’t,” Wyant responded. “Why?”

  “What if he sent a rider every hour towards Vandegar,” suggested Bakhai. “Each rider could announce to the approaching army how badly things were going for them. After twenty or thirty such warnings, I think anyone would be demoralized.”

  “That is an excellent idea,” grinned Wyant. “Each report would be increasingly desperate.”

  “And the final warning would be the bodies of the four thousand original Jiadin,” added Yojji. “I think we are on to something here. If they are scared enough, there will not be too many of them at our wall.”

  “There shouldn’t be any at our wall,” corrected Wyant. “If we let them get this close, their hunger will drive them on towards our food supplies. I think we should plan for a final confrontation in the Valley of Bones. The valley is huge enough to hold both armies easily and we can block the exit to the east. If we can force them to retreat, they will have to go west. I doubt there will be much left in them to go south to another pass, especially if they would just end up meeting our forces again.”

  “Which means the ambush of the original Jiadin should take place on the western approach to the Valley of Bones,” interjected Adger.

  “An excellent place for an ambush,” approved Yojji. “Our bowmen would have a height advantage and we could block the western entrance to the valley.”

  “There are also sufficient forests in the area to conceal our forces that will attack their rear,” nodded Adger.

  “So, we have a plan,” declared Wyant. “There are still some issues to be re
solved, but I think we have a much clearer idea of what has to come together to win this war. We will have to start this plan rolling soon, before Grulak decides to start his whole army out this way based on information from someone else. We need the spacing between the three segments of his army and that can only happen if we are the ones to alert him of what Ghala holds within her walls.”

  Everyone agreed and the three tribal leaders drifted off toward their armies.

  “I would like a dozen of those fruits before we give them to Brakas,” requested Wyant.

  “Why?” quizzed Rejji. “You know of the aftereffects.”

  “Yes, but they won’t matter for my use,” responded Wyant. “I want to send out scouts to notify us when the segments of Grulak’s army starts moving. The men can sleep all they want when they return. I am fearful that if the timing is not wide enough, that our plan can fall to pieces rapidly. If that happens, I want to know about it as soon as possible.”

  “Bakhai will bring some back when he returns,” agreed Rejji.

  “Good,” smiled Wyant as he turned to leave. “This may actually work so don’t let my pessimism affect you.”

  “Where am I going?” asked Bakhai after Wyant had left.

  “I want you to check out the Valley of Bones,” requested Rejji. “It is the one part of the plan that I am not happy with. Two huge armies meeting there may gain us victory, but I fear that we may lose too many warriors on both sides. I have another solution in mind.”

  “Why do we care how many men the Jiadin lose?” questioned Mistake. “They are our enemy. We should want them all dead.”

  “They are our enemy today,” declared Rejji, “but I fear we may need all the warriors we can find for the Time of Cleansing. It would be foolish to kill them today and wish we could recruit them tomorrow. Bakhai, take Mistake and Mobi with you. I think our jungle friends will help us in this battle.”