“I have no idea,” replied Captain Kent.
“You are lying to me,” declared Captain Takir. “I think you know exactly why you were sent here, and you know who is trying to kill you. Either you share that information with me, or Sergeant Lamar and his men will not bother with the next group of assassins to come to town.”
“I know nothing,” Captain Kent replied adamantly, but his shaking hands betrayed his fear.
The captain from Despair rose to his feet and stormed out of the office, slamming the door on his way out.
“He is as afraid as the assassins,” Sergeant Lamar commented.
“If not more,” agreed Captain Takir.
“What do we do?” asked the sergeant. “Should I stop looking for strangers in town?”
“No,” sighed Captain Takir. “Keep an eye out for more assassins.”
“Why?” frowned the sergeant. “Why not just let him die?”
“I probably should,” replied the captain, “but I am curious.”
“Curious or greedy?” chuckled the sergeant. “You are thinking that someone wants Kent really bad, and that means that they might pay handsomely to get their hands on him. Am I wrong?”
“That is a thought,” conceded the captain, “but would you bargain with someone who can instill such fear in others? Why would this mysterious person keep his bargain with me? Why wouldn’t he just have me killed once Kent is dead?”
Sergeant Lamar pressed his lips together in thought as he stared at the floor. Eventually he shrugged in defeat. “Alright, but why keep him alive then? The killer will keep sending more assassins until Kent is dead, and Kent will never talk, so we are just delaying the inevitable. I say we let him die.”
“I think Captain Kent is in denial,” answered Captain Takir. “Sooner or later he will tell me what I want to know. Besides, what other excitement is there in Olansk?”
* * * *
Captain Kent paced the floor of Captain Takir’s office as they waited for Sergeant Lamar to return. It had only been three days since the last assassins were killed, and already another pair had shown up. Captain Kent began to think about tearing off his uniform and running away from Olansk. Each attempt on his life made the captain more confident that Despair would never stop trying to kill him.
“It’s never going to stop,” Captain Takir stated as if reading Kent’s mind. “You might as well tell me what kind of trouble you are in. Maybe I can find a way out of it for you.”
“There is nothing to tell,” Captain Kent replied stubbornly just as the door opened and Sergeant Lamar stepped into the room.
“Dead,” the sergeant said apologetically. “One of my men even tried to tackle one of them, but the assassin leaped off the roof to his death.”
Captain Kent sighed with relief and slumped into a chair.
“There is also a column of soldiers approaching the city,” reported the sergeant. “It is led by a colonel.”
“A colonel?” frowned Captain Takir. “How big of a column?”
“Only two squads,” answered the sergeant. “They are probably just passing through.”
“Are they from Giza or Despair?” Captain Kent asked anxiously as he rose to his feet.
“What does it matter?” Captain Takir asked as he made eye contact with the sergeant. “What are you hiding, Kent?”
“Nothing,” Captain Kent spat as he turned and fled the room.
“What was that about?” asked the sergeant.
“The assassins have failed,” mused Captain Takir. “Evidently, Kent thinks the next step is an assault on the garrison to kill him.”
“The man is mad,” scowled the sergeant. “Two squads could never prevail over the garrison.”
“Perhaps,” shrugged the captain, “but I want him kept in this building. He has the look of someone running scared, and I suspect he might try to flee. See that he stays put, and warn the men that we might have an inspection.”
The sergeant left the room, and Captain Takir began to dwell on the puzzle of Kent’s behavior. A few moments later, the room outside the office erupted in shouts and the sounds of a struggle passed through the door. Captain Takir strode to the door and opened it. He looked into the large room and saw Sergeant Lamar holding Captain Kent in a bear hug. The captain was struggling, but the sergeant had a firm grip and was not letting go. On the floor near the men was a travel pack, and Captain Takir nodded knowingly.
“Put him in a cell,” ordered Captain Takir.
“No!” screamed Captain Kent. “You must let me go.”
“I may only be a captain,” retorted Captain Takir, “but I am the Commanding Officer of Olansk. I will not let a colonel take you from my protection, and my men will rebuff any attack on the garrison, but you are going to stay in that cell until you level with me.”
“Let me go,” shouted Captain Kent.
Captain Takir merely looked at the sergeant and nodded towards the cells. The sergeant lifted the captain off his feet and carried him down the hallway. He returned a moment later.
“You really going to stand up to a colonel?” asked the sergeant.
“We will see,” shrugged the captain. “I doubt the colonel is even stopping in Olansk, but if he is looking for Kent, I will not give him up. Something stinks about Kent, and I want to know what it is.”
“The colonel can bust you,” warned the sergeant.
“He can,” agreed the captain, “but I will still command this garrison. It will take an order from Grand General Kyrga to have me stripped of command. If the colonel does bust me, I will appeal to Despair to have that action overruled. Besides, once I make it known that I will fight any actions against me for doing my job, I doubt that anyone will mess with me unless I do something really stupid.”
“You are almost as crazy as Kent,” laughed the sergeant.
“I just have to be careful not to break any rules while the colonel is here,” replied the captain. “I can do that.”
Chapter 31
Wine Merchants
The column of soldiers halted in front of the garrison in Olansk. The soldiers dismounted, and the colonel led one squad into the building while the others remained with the horses. When the colonel stepped inside, he saw a score of soldiers equipped for battle. A captain and a sergeant stood before the men, and everyone saluted as the colonel crossed the threshold.
“Welcome to Olansk, Colonel,” Captain Takir said. “I am Captain Takir. Is there something we can help you with?”
“There is,” the colonel replied. “We can talk in your office.”
“Right this way,” the captain said pleasantly as he waved towards his office.
“Nobody enters or leaves the garrison,” the colonel said to his men.
“Excuse me, Colonel,” Captain Takir said with a frown, “but my men have duties to attend to. They need free access in and out of the building.”
“Nobody leaves or enters,” the colonel replied stubbornly. “Your office, Captain?”
Captain Takir hesitated. It was obvious that the colonel was making a show of his authority. The captain knew that he had little leeway in arguing the point, and he eventually decided that it was not the right time to resist. Besides, he wanted to find out what the colonel wanted from him, so he nodded and walked into his office. The colonel followed him and closed the door.
“I will be brief,” said the colonel. “You have had a recent transfer from Despair, and I need to talk to him. His name is Captain Kent.”
“What about?” asked the captain.
“That is none of your business,” answered the colonel. “Where is he?”
“I am afraid that it is my business,” retorted the captain. “I am the Commanding Officer of the Olansk garrison, and the welfare of my men is a primary concern.”
“You intend to defy me, Captain?” the colonel scowled with emphasis on the word captain.
“I am aware of the difference in our ranks,” replied the captain, “but I have been ordered
to command this garrison, and I intend to do so to the best of my abilities. I have reason to believe that Captain Kent’s life is in danger. As such, I must be cautious in determining who has contact with him. Do you have new orders for the captain that I might examine?”
Captain Takir fully expected an outburst of anger from the colonel, but that was not the reaction given. The colonel frowned and nodded.
“Have there been attempts on his life?”
“Four so far.”
The colonel turned and opened the door. He looked at his men and nodded towards the exit from the garrison. One of the men nodded back and left the building. The colonel closed the door and stood quietly.
“I do hope that you are not planning to force your way into the garrison,” stated Captain Takir. “My men would be obligated to defend the garrison, and unnecessary bloodshed would solve nothing.”
“You’re pretty cocky for a commander of the castoffs of the Federation,” quipped the colonel. “Your men appear to be slovenly, ill-equipped, and out of condition. I do not think it would take a full two squads to defeat all of them.”
Captain Takir opened his mouth to retort, but the door opened before he could speak. His jaw dropped when a general strode into the room.
“What is the problem, Colonel Magee?” asked the general.
“Captain Takir is not inclined to cooperate, General Forshire. He says that he is exercising his responsibility as Commander of the Olansk garrison to refuse contact with Captain Kent.”
General Forshire smiled thinly at the captain. “You might want to rethink your position, Captain. I have come all the way from Despair to speak with Captain Kent, and I intend to do so.”
“As I explained to your colonel,” the captain said nervously, “there have been attempts on the captain’s life. With all due respect to your rank, General, I must insist on knowing the nature of any business involving Captain Kent. As Commander of the Olansk garrison, it is my right and responsibility.”
“Your position here can easily be changed if you persist in obstructing me,” the general replied sternly.
“That would take an order from Grand General Kyrga,” declared the captain.
“I can do better than that,” the general replied with a slight smile as he handed a paper to the captain. “You will see that those orders are signed by the emperor himself. I have complete authority over Olansk.”
The captain stared at the paper and swallowed hard. He nodded in defeat and handed the paper back to the general. “I yield to your authority, General Forshire. I shall have Captain Kent brought here immediately.”
“Wait,” said the general as the captain headed for the door. “Tell me about him first.”
“I don’t know a lot about him,” frowned the captain. “He just arrived this month from Despair, but assassins have been trying to kill him since the day he arrived. So far there have been four attempts. My men managed to identify all of the assassins, but none of them were willing to surrender. My men killed all of them. The last attack was only an hour ago. Captain Kent refuses to say why someone would want him dead, but I am sure that he knows who is sending the killers. When he heard that soldiers were coming into the city, he tried to flee. I have him locked in a cell until he tells me what is going on.”
General Forshire nodded silently and frowned as he listened. “It might be better for you if you do not know,” he eventually said.
“Are you the someone that he fears?” asked the captain.
“No,” replied the general. “I want him kept alive, but I also need him to talk. Disperse your men and then show my men where he is being held. I want him brought here. Colonel, you may allow normal movement into and out of the garrison.”
The two junior officers left the room, and the general sat on the desk and waited. A few moments later, the door opened and two men dragged Captain Kent into the room. It was clear that the captain had fought his removal from the cell. Captain Takir and Colonel Magee also entered the room.
“Sit him in that chair,” ordered the general. “Captain Takir, wait outside the room. I may have need of you before I am done.”
Captain Takir reluctantly retreated, and Colonel Magee ordered his two men out of the room and then closed the door behind them. Captain Kent tried to run out of the room, but the colonel drew his sword and stood with his back against the door.
“Back in the chair, Kent,” ordered the general. “I am trying to save your life, but there is something that I need to know first.”
The captain warily took a seat, but his lips were pressed together tightly as if that would stop any words from escaping accidentally.
“I know that you led a force into Elfwoods,” stated the general. “What I want to know is who authorized the mission.”
The captain’s eyes widened in horror as his fears were confirmed. He had already figured out that the mission into Elfwoods was the reason he had been sent to Olansk, but to hear the general state it out loud caused a shiver to race up his spine. The captain wondered if they were trying to see if he would reveal what he knew. He thought they might even call off the assassins if he proved that he would not reveal anything. “No one authorized it,” lied the captain. “I did it on my own.”
“Don’t be a fool, Kent,” scowled the general. “Whoever sent you on that mission also transferred you to Olansk, but there was no signature on your orders. Why do you think you were sent way out here?”
“I never question my orders,” the captain replied with more bravado than he truly felt.
“A loyal soldier, eh?” smiled the general. “Very well then, I order you to tell me who authorized the mission into the Elfwoods.”
“You are not my commanding officer,” Captain Kent replied nervously.
“But I am,” replied General Forshire. “I am currently the Commanding Officer of Olansk, and you are assigned to my garrison.”
“I don’t believe you,” frowned the captain. “You are just saying that to get me to talk.”
Although the general was under no obligation to show his orders to the captain, he did. Captain Kent stared at the orders in disbelief.
“Grand General Kyrga is in charge of the army,” the captain said with skepticism. “Why has the emperor issued orders directly to you?”
“You insolent dog!” snapped Colonel Magee. “You are never to question General Forshire in that manner.”
Captain Kent turned his head and saw the colonel’s sword leveled at his neck. The colonel’s face was red with anger, and his jaw was set with determination.
“Easy, Colonel,” the general said softly. “Perhaps you should step outside for a while. In fact, I want the bodies of the latest assassins brought into this office. See to it.”
Captain Kent’s eyes were glued to the colonel. He watched Magee breathe deeply as he slowly sheathed his sword and nodded. The colonel backed out of the room and closed the door. The captain’s eyes glanced once at the general and then back to the door.
“Don’t even think about it, Captain. I would like to keep you alive, but if you will not speak, your death would hardly matter to me.”
The captain tore his eyes from the door and looked at the general. Sweat poured down his face as he tried to figure out what to do. He knew that one wrong move and he was dead.
“I know that you are afraid of whoever issued your orders, but I also know it was not the emperor, and he signed my orders. What more proof do you need to see before you cooperate?”
“I don’t want to cause any trouble,” the captain replied haltingly. “What difference does it make who issued my orders?”
“I have been tasked by the emperor to answer that question, and I intend to do so. If you will not answer my questions here, I will take you to Despair to stand before the emperor himself.”
“No!” The captain shook his head vigorously. “I can’t go back there. Ever. You do not know what you are asking of me.”
“I am pretty sure that I do know,” reto
rted the general, “but I must hear it from your own lips. Speak, or we depart for Despair within the hour.”
Captain Kent sat motionless, his lips still pressed tightly together. General Forshire stared at the man, but he did not speak. The minutes dragged on in silence until the door to the office opened, and four men carried in the bodies of the two assassins. Colonel Magee followed them. General Forshire looked at the two corpses and then pointed to one of them.
“Strip that corpse,” the general commanded. “Colonel Magee, inform Captain Takir that I want a military funeral set up within the hour. The procession is to be public and performed with full honors for a fallen officer.”
Captain Kent frowned as he stared at the corpses. While the assassins were probably soldiers, he wondered how the general could possibly know that one of them was an officer. Neither corpse wore a uniform.”
“He will want to know the identity of the deceased,” stated the colonel. “What should I say?”
“Tell him the funeral is for Captain Kent.” The general smiled thinly.
“You lied to me,” spat the captain as he leaped to his feet. “You said you weren’t going to kill me.”
Colonel Magee and another soldier grabbed the captain and forced him back into the chair. They stood next to him, forcing the captain to remain seated.
“The man who is trying to kill you is very powerful,” declared the general. “I doubt that I would get you back safely to Despair unless he thought you were already dead. That is why one of these assassins will be buried in your uniform.”
Captain Kent stared in wonder at the general, and eventually, the tenseness drained out of his body. He sighed heavily and nodded.
“What if I answer all of your questions right here?” asked the captain. “Will you still force me to go to Despair?”
“No,” replied the general. “Satisfy my curiosity, and I will come up with some way for you to disappear. Who authorized the mission into the Elfwoods?”
“Grand General Kyrga,” stated the captain. “I was told that the mission was secret, and I was not to inform anyone of our destination or purpose. In truth, the priest was the one giving the orders.”
Demonkin Page 39
