Knights of Alcea

by Richard S. Tuttle

  "Killed me?" gasped Bin-lu. "You leave much to chance with my life."

  "Not at all," replied Wei-ra. "I think I understand how you think. That is why I am willing to take you under my wing. You have great potential, Bin-lu. Had you brazenly and openly showed off your wristband, the guards would have suspected an infiltrator. They are trained to take care of such people without bothering the mages. What impressed me the most, however, was the way you tried to bluff your way past Wu-Qin. Hiding near the front door and merging with those allowed to enter is exactly what I would have instructed you to do. That shows quite an aptitude on your part. You have natural skills for this job."

  "Yet I still would not have gotten past Wu-Qin," Bin-lu pointed out. "You might teach me how to defend myself against a mage, but killing him would not have been the correct path."

  Wei-ra stopped walking as they entered the main room at the front of the temple and turned to face his subordinate. He raised his hand and extended his pointer finger, making an S in the air with it.

  "That was the proper response to give," instructed Wei-ra. "That would have informed Wu-Qin that you are a Snake."

  "A Snake?" echoed Bin-lu. "What does that mean?"

  "I will explain it at another time," replied Wei-ra. "The lecture is about to begin. You need to merge with those entering the temple, and I have business elsewhere. We will discuss everything tomorrow morning."

  Wei-ra turned and headed back towards the rear of the temple. Bin-lu walked towards the front doors and stood to one side with his back against the wall. Several minutes later, the doors of the temple were opened and people surged inside. Bin-lu waited until the room was half full before moving away from the wall and merging with the crowd. He was shoved and jostled as those behind him propelled the crowd forward. As the people spread out across the large room, the shoving became less intense. In a matter of moments the entire room was filled with people except for the area around the altar, which was roped off.

  Bin-lu turned around and stared at the open doors. Although the room was filled, he could still see people stretching away from the doorway into the plaza. The Temple of Balmak was too small to hold even half the crowd.

  The room was noisy with hundreds of voices whispering, but the whispers all died as the curtain moved and two black-hooded men entered the room and flanked the altar. A moment later, a tall bald man entered through the curtain and stood behind the altar. The man's skin was as black as coal and appeared to be just as hard. His face had a chiseled look to it, and his skin reflected the flickering torchlight like stars twinkling in the night sky. His black eyes scanned the crowd and everyone who was gazed upon, averted their eyes as if death was stalking them.

  "I am K'san," declared the black man. "I am the Priest of Balmak for Ongchi. Only through me can you achieve the benevolence promised to you by Balmak. Hear now my words of enlightenment."

  K'san began to enunciate the basic beliefs of Balmak, which Bin-lu had already heard. He spoke about struggle and sacrifice and the rewards of the after-life. As Bin-lu listened to the lecture, he tried to identify K'san's accent, but he could not place it. It was neither northern Lanoir nor southern Lanoir. He ruled out Cordonia, Sordoa, and most of the lands that were once Targa. There were hundreds of local accents, but most of them were identifiable to one of those larger geographic areas. As Bin-lu grew frustrated with identifying the accent, K'san's words began to go beyond the basic beliefs that Bin-lu had already heard spoken. The words closely mirrored the words of rebellion.

  "All men are equal in the eyes of Balmak," declared K'san. "Our God does not see a master and a servant, but two men of equal standing. That one should impose his will upon another is a crime against our God. Furthermore, if one man has bread aplenty and another has none, that bounty must be shared equally between the brothers, for if no man is above another, how then can one man have food and another have hunger?"

  Murmurs of assent spread across the room, and Bin-lu gave up trying to analyze the man's speech patterns. He gazed around the room and saw hundreds of people nodding in agreement to the words of K'san. He pictured other temples around the country with similar services going on, and Bin-lu's eyes returned to the priest. He looked at the black monolith of power speaking at the altar, and a ripple of fear coursed through his body.

  Bin-lu could almost anticipate the words that would spring forth from the mouth of K'san. By logical extension of his philosophy, there could be no governors, no king, and no officers. With the structure of the kingdom discarded, there could be no order. Chaos would prevail. The only leaders that people would follow would be the priests of Balmak.

  As Bin-lu prepared to leave the lecture and race to the office of Za-hong, another shudder wracked his body. If Wei-ra was deeply involved in the organization surrounding Balmak, there was no chance that the Intelligence Officer would be unaware of the teachings the priest would espouse. That meant that Wei-ra was a party to the rebellion, and the death of Mu-chen could have been to prevent the very act that Bin-lu was just tempted to do. He wondered if Mu-chen ever had the chance to report his suspicions, and whom he would have reported them to.

  Chapter 7

  Hunting the Hunters

  Bin-lu tidied his room and slipped out the door. The corridors were fairly empty as the sun had not yet risen, and most people in the Imperial Palace were still sleeping. There was one particular individual who was known as an early riser, and Bin-lu stealthily made his way towards the office of Za-hong, the Supreme General of Lanoir.

  When Bin-lu arrived at the general's office, the door was locked. The Knight of Alcea pulled a thin strip of metal from his belt and attacked the lock with an expertise honed through years of practice. He slipped into the dark room and relocked the door. He moved silently across the dark room and picked the lock of the inner door to Za-hong's office. With the inner door once again secured, Bin-lu moved to the corner of the room and slumped to the floor alongside a tall bookshelf. He waited for either Za-hong or the soldier assigned to the office to appear. He did not have long to wait.

  Bin-lu heard the outer door of the suite open noisily. Whoever had entered lit a torch in the outer office, and the flickering light spread under the inner door. A brief shuffling of papers preceded the unlocking of the inner door. Bin-lu tensed and prepared to defend himself if the entrant should happen to be a soldier rather than the general.

  Someone entered the inner door and left it ajar. Torchlight streamed into the room, and Bin-lu glanced at the long shadow cast across the floor, but he could not tell who it was. A few seconds later, the figure lit a torch within the inner office, and Bin-lu knew the moment of his discovery was at hand. He rose and stepped out of his hiding place prepared to attack and run.

  General Za-hong whirled as he sensed someone in the room. His eyes opened in wonder at the sight of Bin-lu approaching him.

  "It is you," Bin-lu sighed with relief as he moved past the general and closed the door to the inner office. "I was worried it might be an assistant."

  "What is wrong?" the general asked with a tone of concern in his voice. "You have never stolen your way into my office before."

  "I no longer know who I can trust," Bin-lu answered. "I believe that the Imperial Palace has been infiltrated."

  "By rebels?" gasped the general. "That is not possible."

  "I hope you are right," Bin-lu responded, "but I will not stake my life on it. I need to talk to you and my time is short. I wish to be gone from here before peering eyes fill the corridors outside."

  "Then speak quickly," warned the general. "My staff will arrive in just a few minutes."

  "I suspect that the Temples of Balmak across Lanoir might be the sources of rebellion," declared Bin-lu. "They preach a doctrine that is clearly against the government."

  "You suspect?" frowned the general. "We cannot arrest people on the suspicion of one man. I will have a meeting with Wu-Kang and get his people to start monitoring the temples."

  "You must no
t do that," Bin-lu stated adamantly. "Wu-kang is the head of the Intelligence Section, and I think some of his people are involved."

  "There are Intelligence Officers involved?" questioned General Za-hong. "You cannot be serious? Those in the Intelligence Section are chosen with great care. They would be the last to be involved with the rebellion."

  "Then the government in Lanoir is on tenuous ground," Bin-lu replied. "I feel certain that at least one Intelligence Officer is involved with the rebels. My goal is to find out how deep the insurrection has spread."

  "What do you need from me?" asked the general.

  "I fear that I might be in over my head," warned Bin-lu. "I wanted you to be aware of what I was working on in case I died. If I do die, you will know that I was on the right path. If that happens, you must make the decision to clean house in the Intelligence Section. Start with the assumption that they are all rebels."

  "Za-chan must be informed of what you have said," replied Za-hong. "I cannot keep such an accusation from the Governor."

  "Talk to him as the brother you are then," suggested Bin-lu, "and not as the general of his armies. Keep it unofficial or my life will be forfeit for sure."

  "Neither my brother nor I would ever endanger a Knight of Alcea," promised the general. "Of that you can be sure."

  "I would also like to be notified if my name is mentioned and it is brought to your ears," added Bin-lu. "If I am suspected of being a spy, people will start asking questions about me. If you can get word of such questions to me, it may save my life."

  "Then you shall hear of the words as soon as I do," General Za-hong declared as his eyes flicked anxiously towards the outer office.

  The Knight of Alcea silently acknowledged that his time had run out. Bin-lu bowed respectfully to the general and departed before the general's staff officers arrived. He took a circuitous route to his assigned dining hall and stood in line for the morning meal. He had just begun eating when Wei-ra entered the room and sat next to him.

  "I went to your room looking for you," Wei-ra said accusingly. "I wanted a report on your mission last night. Where were you?"

  Bin-lu looked around to see if anyone was within hearing range before answering, "I felt a need to visit the shrine this morning. As I told you some time ago, I have never been very religious, but something about the priest last night has made me rethink my stand on the subject. Do you believe in Balmak, Wei-ra?"

  Wei-ra appeared somewhat relieved by Bin-lu's answer, yet he hesitated to answer the question.

  "I think I should hear your report before we discuss personal beliefs," he said calmly. "Come to my quarters as soon as you are done eating."

  Wei-ra did not wait for a response. He rose and left the dining room. Bin-lu tried to read an answer into the officer's manner, but he could not. He pondered what he should report to Wei-ra as he finished his meal. As he downed the last bite of food, the Knight of Alcea made a decision to assume a risky path. He went to Wei-ra's quarters and knocked on the door. The Intelligence Officer opened the door immediately and ushered Bin-lu in.

  "Report," commanded Wei-ra.

  "I observed no distracters," Bin-lu reported. "In fact, everyone seemed to be quite taken by the priest's words. K'san spoke with such deep conviction that it would have been hard for anyone not to agree with him."

  "Does that include you?" asked Wei-ra. "Are you now becoming a follower of Balmak?"

  Wei-ra's tone displayed a certain amount of contempt when he asked the question as if being religious was foolish for an officer, but Bin-lu had already prepared himself to call Wei-ra's bluff.

  "It does include me," Bin-lu nodded. "I could not help but feel moved by K'san's logic. That is why I felt it necessary to visit the shrine this morning. The Temple of Balmak is certainly too far away to make a visit practical in the morning. Does this make you think less of me, Wei-ra?"

  Wei-ra's face split into a grin as he shook his head. "It makes me think more highly of you, Bin-lu. To worship Balmak is to place the cause above your own happiness. I knew that you would feel this way, but I was afraid that you would be fearful of disclosing your feelings. It takes deep conviction to be so open."

  "Then you are not disappointed in me?" Bin-lu smiled. "I was worried because I found nothing to report on my first mission. There were no distracters."

  "I am excited in having discovered you," beamed Wei-ra. "Today I will sponsor you for entry in the Intelligence Section as an officer."

  "Is that possible so soon after becoming a junior officer?" asked Bin-lu.

  "You will find that my word carries a lot of weight in the Intelligence Section," boasted Wei-ra. "I will introduce you to Wu-kang this morning. He is the Head of the Intelligence Section."

  * * *

  Tanya, Arik, and Garong dismounted in the center of what used to be Hega. The elven prince wore a hooded cloak, and the hood was pulled as far forward as possible. A bare strip of dirt ran through the burnt out remnants of the town. Not a single building had survived the destruction.

  "What can we hope to learn here?" asked Tanya. "There is no one left to ask questions of."

  "It is a starting place for our hunt," replied Arik. "Where better to start than Hega?"

  Prince Garong walked away silently and began to investigate the scene of the massacre. Behind one of the burnt out homes were two posts with a clothesline strung between them .The elf stood examining one of the posts, and the humans moved towards him as they noticed his interest in something.

  "Have you found something?" asked Tanya.

  There was a portion of an arrow stuck in the post and the elf began to look around on the ground.

  "Someone was killed near this post," Garong explained. "Whoever gathered the bodies of the poor souls had to snap off the arrow to remove the body. I am looking for the shaft."

  As Arik and Tanya began to look around for the shaft, Garong bent over and picked it up. He stood examining it, and a frown clouded his face.

  "This is a Dielderal arrow," declared the prince. "I doubt any human would know enough to replicate such an arrow even if they wanted others to believe that elves attacked."

  "So it was an elven attack then?" asked Tanya.

  "It certainly appears to have been," nodded the prince. "Let's see if we can find any more arrows. I want to know if they are all the same."

  The three Knights of Alcea split up and began gathering arrow shafts. There were not many to be found, and they gathered back at the posts in a few minutes.

  "The fact that we found so few arrows deepens my conviction," declared Prince Garong. "Most of the arrows would have been embedded in bodies or burnt buildings. The Dielderal are skilled bowmen."

  "I thought the Dielderal were long gone," stated King Arik. "How can they suddenly reappear after so long?"

  "The last reports we had about anyone seeing a Dielderal elf was some years ago," confirmed the elf, "but it is not inconceivable that some small pockets of them have survived. I believe the dwarves of Cazra fought a bitter war against them when the Collapse threw those two peoples together."

  "I understand there was similar fighting all over Alcea at the time," commented Queen Tanya. "It is hard to imagine a world where suddenly a whole race of people instantly appeared in your land."

  "There was a great deal of bloodshed everywhere," agreed Garong, "but the battle between the dwarves and the Dielderal was especially bitter. Both groups were so stubborn that neither side would leave their homeland. Both peoples suffered catastrophic losses, but the reports that I have read indicated that the dwarves won and that the Dielderal were wiped out. Evidently the destruction of the Dielderal was not complete."

  "But why would the Dielderal suddenly reappear and wipe out Hega?" asked King Arik. "It is not likely that the humans were long term enemies of the elves if no one has seen the Dielderal in ages."

  "That is troubling," agreed Prince Garong. "Even more troubling is why they left a witness alive to tell the world of their continued exis
tence."

  "I have to admit," stated King Arik, "the story bothered me because the woman was allowed to survive. I was expecting to find evidence of something other than an elven attack. What can we say now when we finally come across Gree's army?"

  "I do not know what to say to them," answered the elven prince, "but I suggest we start thinking strongly about it. Unless I am losing my touch, they will surround us tonight."

  "Tonight?" frowned Tanya. "Why do you say that?"

  "There is strong hint of wood smoke in the air," explained the elf, "and it is not from the fires that burned Hega. As the wind is blowing from the east, I suspect that they are already aware of us. They probably watched us ride into town from the hills we passed through."

  "Why wouldn't they have attacked us already then?" asked the king.

  "We appeared to be three human riders," shrugged the elf. "They are not out to kill humans, but our interest in Hega will almost demand that they question us."

  "And when they learn that one of us is really an elf," Tanya surmised, "they will attack us. We should mount up and ride to the west immediately. Arik and I can return without you and try to talk some sense into them."

  "I will not leave Prince Garong alone in this land," declared King Arik. "We stay together."

  "Well," shrugged Prince Garong, "we have come a long way to talk to Karl Gree. We should not now run away from our chance to speak to him. We might as well make camp and wait for them."

  "No," disagreed Arik. "We will mount up and ride westward, but we will return after nightfall. Instead of them surrounding us, we will surround them."

  * * *

  "There are only two sentries," Prince Garong whispered. "One is guarding the east entrance to the valley, and the other is watching the west entrance. We could easily enter their camp from the north or south. Which will it be?"

  "Neither," answered King Arik. "I don't want the sentries to be outside the clearing. They might attack even if the camp is subdued. Tanya, you take the eastern sentry, and I will take the western one. Let me enter the campsite first and try to talk to them. If anyone tries to leave, you enter with your captive."