King Myer opened his mouth to scold the officer for his insolence, but the words never came out. Slowly the rage drained from his face, and he sighed heavily. The king slumped into his chair and nodded in agreement.
"I suppose I have been too lenient," he admitted, "but he is my only son. He has always been hard to handle. I thought getting him out of the palace and into the Old Keep would allow him to indulge in the debauchery he has become accustomed to, but I never thought he would willfully harm Tyronia. This time he has gone too far. I see no alternative now but to arrest Prince Mectin. Maybe once he is in the dungeon we will be able to talk some sense into him."
"I do not think it will be as simple as that," stated General Skye. "He has fortified the Old Keep. It will take a major battle to get him out of there. Worse, I no longer know which officers I can depend on. If he has managed to turn General Forshire to his side, we must wonder how many other officers he controls. We could bring all of our forces into the city to besiege the Old Keep, and we could still lose the battle through treachery. Worst of all, if we do fail to take your son captive, we will lose Tyronia as a result."
"You paint a bleak picture indeed," frowned the king.
"I am not through," continued the general. "I sent scouts down to Sebastian Pass to spy on the Federation army encamped there. They were the ones who stumbled upon General Forshire's treason. The Federation has had twenty thousand men in the pass, supposedly to capture some rebels attempting to flee the Federation."
"Supposedly?" interrupted the king.
"Supposedly," nodded the general. "It hardly takes that many men to catch a handful of rebels. Nor does it take sixty thousand men, which will be the number of Federation troops in the pass by tomorrow."
"Sixty thousand?" King Myer said with alarm. "They are coming to invade Tyronia."
"It is hard to find any other reason for so many men," nodded General Skye.
A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. A messenger entered the room with a sealed message. King Myer waved for it to be placed on the desk and for the messenger to depart. When the messenger had left the room, the conversation continued.
"You must lead our armies to the border and halt the Federation," declared the king.
"That would leave you in Ur without protection," the general shook his head. "Prince Mectin would still have an army in the Old Keep."
"He would not dare try to capture me," scowled the king.
"Pardon my bluntness, King Myer, but I disagree. Although you may be correct in stating that he would not try to capture you, I fully believe that he would take the opportunity to kill you and seize the throne."
"You can't be serious?" questioned the king.
"I have never been more serious," frowned the general. "After the prince murdered you, he would lead his army south, and my men would be caught between two hostile armies. It is not a bad plan, and I am certain that it was not conceived by Prince Mectin."
"Do you think the prince has sold out to the Federation?" asked the king.
"Without a doubt," nodded General Skye.
"Why would the Federation go through the trouble of enlisting my son?" asked the king. "If they were intent on seizing Tyronia, they certainly have the manpower to do so."
"They want two things from Tyronia," answered the general. "They want horses, and they want soldiers. A war with Tyronia would cost them both, but by setting your son up to assume control of the country, they will inherit both without a fight."
"Are you saying that they expect me to just turn over the country to them?" balked the king.
"No," replied the general. "They expect your son to do that. I don't know what they have promised him, but that hardly matters. He will probably never live to see it."
The king sat silently for a long time, and the general did not interrupt his thoughts. The king finally looked up at the general and sighed.
"Is there any way out of this?" he asked.
"If we fight them," answered the general, "we will lose. We will certainly bloody them. We might even make them sorry that they attacked us, but we will lose. If you abdicate, your son will assume the throne, and we will still lose. The Federation will not be bloodied at all, but neither will our people. For the life of me, I cannot see a way out of this."
"If Vinafor had not gone over to the Federation," commented the king, "this would never have happened. Queen Romani would have sent her soldiers to put the Federation in the vice instead of us."
"Which is why they took Vinafor first," nodded the general. "The generals of the Federation are not stupid. They have played a perfect game so far."
"How much time do I have to make a decision?" asked the king.
"I would say a day or two," answered the general.
"Thank you, General Skye," said the king. "Not only for your counsel this day, but for your years of service to Tyronia. Please remain in the palace until I have made my decision."
"As you command," replied the general as he rose and bowed.
The king watched the general depart. His personal guard started to reenter the room, but the king waved them away. While his guards would never intrude, he wanted to be alone in his misery. He sat staring at the desk for a while and tried to decide what would be best for the people of Tyronia. He had no doubt that the Federation would pillage the country, but they were going to do that no matter which path the king took. While he was contemplating the decision, his eyes landed on the message. His hand mechanically reached out and picked the message up. He tore it open and read it. His eyes widened as he read the short message. He shouted for a soldier and told him to summon General Skye immediately. Within minutes the general had returned to the king's study. The king handed the message to the general and let him read it.
"This is rather cryptic," frowned the general. "It speaks of a coalition to fight the Federation, but it does not mention who the members of this coalition would be. It also does not identify the sender. I am leery."
"I am not," declared the king. "The sender is identified, at least to me. That wavy line at the bottom signifies Sidney Mercado. He often signs his messages that way so that others will not know who sent it. Sidney and I go back quite a ways. He has always brought me information from around the world when he thought it might affect Tyronia. His loyalty to our country is unquestionable. He cannot be bought."
"I will agree with that," nodded the general. "Sidney Mercado is a great Tyronian, but it still doesn't indicate who would form this coalition."
"That is obvious," stated the king. "I know that Sidney's son Edmond has recently come back from the horse countries. It sounds like Korocca and Zarocca are planning to fight the Federation, and they are extending to Tyronia a chance to join a coalition."
"If only they had done so a few months ago," sighed the general. "By the time they send help, Tyronia will already be gone."
"Perhaps that is true," conceded the king, "but what is to stop us from taking the country back when those sixty thousand soldiers leave?"
"Those soldiers will be taking our horses with them," the general pointed out.
"Forget the horses," retorted King Myer. "It is the people that I care about."
"They will be taking a lot of them, too," countered the general.
"I know," sighed the king, "but we cannot stop that. Let's work to save what we can."
"You are going to the meeting then?" asked the general.
"I am going immediately," nodded the king. "I want you to join me."
* * *
Garth Shado walked to the front door of Sidney Mercado's estate and stuck his head out. On the lawn not far away the elves, the Rangers, and Karl Gree were sparring.
"End of practice," Garth called out. The Knight of Alcea waited while the men broke off the matches and looked towards him. "Shawn, I want you to go into the city shortly. We need to purchase a lot of food, and I want you to select items that will last a long time. Why don't you and Max get cleaned up."
T
he Ranger nodded and tugged on Max's sleeve. The two Rangers sprinted for the mansion, and Garth let them pass by.
"Prince Rigal," Garth continued, "the elves will be departing tonight. Make sure you have what everyone will need, and get together with Clint to make sure you understand how to get there without being detected."
Prince Rigal nodded and the elves moved down the hill to the stables.
"Karl," Garth called out, "the sailors are leaving at first light. Find them and make sure that they are ready. If there is anything they might need from the city, Tedi and Natia will be going there in a bit. You can tag along with them and pick up whatever they need."
Karl nodded and he joined Clint as they walked towards the porch.
"What do you need me to do?" asked Clint McFarren.
"Your main task right now is to make sure everyone knows where they are going," answered Garth. "Just hang out on the porch so everyone can find you when they need to."
The Ranger nodded and Garth returned inside the mansion. He walked back into the dining room where Sidney and Kalina were sitting.
"If this ship is as large as you say," asked Kalina, "why can't we take it back to Alcea?"
"It is not a sea-going ship," answered Sidney. "It is an old scow, but it should do fine following the coast down to the Needle."
"What about on the Sea of Tears?" asked Garth.
"The Sea of Tears is somewhat protected," answered Sidney. "I don't want to deceive you; it gets rough, but the seas are not the keel-breaking variety you find far offshore. Besides, if the weather turns bad in the Sea of Tears, land will not be hard to find. You can find it in any direction."
"Are the sailors going to survive the journey in one piece?" asked Garth. "That is really what I am asking."
"They will do fine," Sidney said confidently. "The best thing about this old scow is that it is distinctly Tyronian. People will not have to get close to it to tell that it is not a threat. That means that the Federation ships will pay no attention to it. It is slow and hard to maneuver so only a fool would use it for nefarious purposes."
"Well, that makes me feel better," Garth chuckled sarcastically.
Karl Gree wandered into the room and stood leaning against the wall as he listened.
"We've been fools before," Kalina smiled. "I am actually beginning to feel good about this plan. How can they hide such a large ship, though?"
"It has removable masts," grinned Sidney, "and it has a very low freeboard. It will be very hard to see from a distance if the masts are taken down. If they need to avoid a close inspection after the food is unloaded, the ship can be intentionally sunk in shallow water. It will take quite a bit of effort to float it again, but four men could do it. Additionally, it would be almost impossible to detect as it floats just under the surface of the water."
"It sounds like the perfect vessel for our needs," Garth nodded in appreciation. "It sounds like the sailors are all set then."
"Except for loading the cargo," nodded Sidney. "I have credits at most of the vendors in the city. You are free to use them to purchase the food and any other supplies you might need. I have given my men the right to take their horses with them. As I cannot take any of them to Traginak with me, you can also have the rest of the herd to sell in the city. Perhaps Natia could bargain for us. We could use some gold in Zarocca."
"She would enjoy a bit of horse trading," chuckled Garth. "I will let her know about it."
Sudden shouts from outside the mansion caught everyone's attention.
"Seize him!" shouted a voice of authority.
The sound of dozens of boots stomping on the porch caused Garth to pull his sword. He glanced at Sidney, and the merchant shrugged.
"I am going out the window," Garth said to Karl. "You go out the door after I have drawn their attention. Kalina, wait for a count of ten and then peer out the window to see if we need help."
Garth waited for Karl to leave the room before he tucked his sword along his side and dove through the window. He swung his sword sidewise and rolled as he hit the porch. He leaped to his feet and pivoted, bringing his sword around in front of him. A score of Tyronian solders were on the porch, and two of them were holding Clint. They all turned and stared at Garth.
Karl raced out the door on the other side of the soldiers, his sword raised and ready for battle. As some of the soldiers noticed Karl, they began to turn away from Garth. That was when two half-naked Rangers dropped from second story windows and landed behind the soldiers. Tedi and Natia raced up the hill from the stables, and four elves fanned out with arrows nocked. The soldiers looked around with alarm. Sidney Mercado stepped out of the door Karl had raced through and stood looking at the soldiers.
"Lower your weapons," Sidney said loudly. "That is King Myer."
"We will lower our weapons when they release Clint," Garth said.
"Who are these people, Sidney?" asked the king. "Have you taken sides with the Federation, too?"
"No, Your Highness," Sidney said worriedly. "I will always be true to Tyronia. Why are your men holding one of my guests?"
"One of your guests?" glared the king. "This man is a traitor. I don't know how you got him out of the dungeon, but he is returning to it."
Deep furrows creased Garth’s brow as he watched the king and the general with him. Finally, he eased his sword into its sheath and signaled for his men to stand down.
"You are mistaken, King Myer," Garth declared. "I guarantee you that you have never seen this man before."
General Skye turned and reached out to cup Clint's face with his hand. He turned it towards him and stared at it for a moment. He blinked twice and shook his head.
"He is correct," the general said with amazement. "The resemblance is close, but this is not General Forshire. Release this man."
"You are sure?" asked the king.
"I am positive," nodded General Skye. "I apologize for ordering my men to seize him. Perhaps I just have General Forshire on my mind, but this man only looks a bit similar at first glance. He is not the general."
"That is a relief," sighed the king. "I apologize, Sidney."
"I am just glad that the incident is behind us," replied Sidney. "Let's go inside and sit down. There is something that we must discuss."
The king nodded and followed Sidney into the house. The general followed, and Garth followed him, leaving the others to return to their activities. Sidney led the king, the general, and Garth back into the dining room where Kalina had already moved away from the window.
"Who are these people?" asked King Myer. "I saw elves out there."
"Who are only found in the Federation," the general said suspiciously.
"We represent a member nation in the coalition against the Federation," declared Garth. "While I am not prepared to speak more about it until we have a guarantee of secrecy, I will say that no one here is a threat to Tyronia."
Neither the king nor the general appeared to be very swayed by Garth's remarks. Sidney turned to Kalina.
"Would you be so kind as to ask our other guest to join us?" he asked. "I think we need to dispel some fears here."
Kalina nodded and headed up the stairs. She returned moments later with Queen Romani.
"Queen Romani?" the king said with shock. "I thought you were dead."
"That is what we wanted people to believe, King Myer," she smiled. "In fact, I would have been dead without the help of some very special people, and they are in this room with you and your general. Garth and Kalina stand for everything that is right and just. You have nothing to fear from them. Their grievance against the Federation is as valid as yours or mine. Their homeland is also under the threat of attack."
"And what homeland are we speaking about?" asked the king.
Everyone looked at Garth expectantly, but the Knight of Alcea remained silent.
"Very well," conceded the king. "You have my word that I will retain your secret."
"And mine," offered General Skye.
"We
are from Alcea," declared Garth. "The name probably means nothing to you, but it would mean a great deal to the Federation. Alcea is a land far across the sea. The Federation has been planning their attack on us for years."
"And the elves?" asked the general.
"Three of them are from Alcea," answered Garth. "The fourth is a rebel fighting against the Federation. He has joined our group and has been accepted as one of us."
"You use elves in Alcea, too?" frowned the king.
"We do not use the elves," corrected Garth. "They are equals and are treated as such. I might add that we also have dwarves in Alcea. All races live in harmony."
"There is so much to discuss, King Myer," interjected Sidney. "The message I sent you is an invitation to join in a meeting with the Alceans, the Zaroccans, and the Koroccans."
"And the free Vinaforans," added Queen Romani
"The meeting is to take place in five days in Traginak," Sidney continued. "I think it would be in the best interests of Tyronia for you to attend. We must join forces against the Federation, or we will be gobbled up one by one."
"Your message is more timely than you could imagine," sighed King Myer. "I fear that Tyronia has mere days left before the Federation takes over."
"Days?" gasped Sidney. "How?"
"The reason we seized the man outside," explained the king, "is because he is similar in appearance to General Forshire. The general was arrested earlier today for treason. He has been involved with Prince Mectin in selling horses to the Federation. Now we have intelligence reports that sixty thousand Federation soldiers are massing on our southern border. If we fight them, we will lose. If we don't fight them, we will lose."
"May I offer a suggestion, King Myer?" asked Queen Romani.
The king nodded.
"I was recently presented with a similar choice," explained the queen. "While only time will tell whether or not my choice was wise, the people of Vinafor are still alive. I have a growing organization within Vinafor that is poised to take my country back. Had I ordered the army to fight the Federation, those patriots would have already given up their lives for their country. With my abdication, they are alive and still willing to fight."
Council of War Page 33
