"How long have you been awake?" asked Garth.
"A while," admitted Natia, "but no one knew that. They haven't checked on me in hours."
"Exactly my point," countered Garth.
"What are you thinking?" asked Kalina.
"Natia was asking questions about Captain Marez," explained Garth. "She was captured and taken prisoner, but not by the Federation."
"They were Federation soldiers," retorted Tedi. "I saw them myself."
"I don't doubt you," Garth said defensively, "but they were not acting as soldiers would act. At least not like soldiers acting on official orders."
"You think Marez might be behind this?" asked Kalina.
"It is one possibility," nodded Garth. "There are others, but we need to find out for sure."
"And how are we going to do that?" asked Tedi.
"We are going to capture the serving woman and ask her a few questions of our own," stated Garth. "The soldiers back at that house are only sleeping, so we have to act quickly."
The Knights of Alcea made their plans and then headed back to the wharf area. They split up and Natia headed to the front door of the tavern she had visited earlier. She walked in and looked around the room. It was still crowded so she sat at the first table she came to. The men at the table looked her over. Some of them smiled at her and some of them ignored her. Natia paid no attention to any of them. Her eyes were locked on the doorway to the kitchen. Less than a minute later the serving woman came through the doorway carting four mugs of ale. Her eyes landed on Natia and she jumped back, the four mugs of ale falling to the floor. She turned and ran out the back door of the tavern and into the arms of Garth Shado. Karl gagged the woman as Garth lifted her and carried her over his shoulder. The two men ran down the alley and turned the corner.
Less than a block away, Kalina was waiting near an abandoned building. She held the door open and Garth carried his prisoner inside. Karl tied her to a chair, and Natia and Tedi arrived a moment later. Garth turned to Tedi and Karl.
"You two wait outside. Be inconspicuous, but warn us if anyone is coming near enough to hear her screams."
The prisoner's eyes grew wide with fear as the two warriors left the room. Garth nodded to Kalina, and the mage cast a shield of silence over Garth, Natia, the woman, and herself. Garth smiled in the knowledge that no one would hear any screams beside him, but he didn't want the woman to know that. He had no intention of torturing her, but letting her think that was an option was helpful. He reached over and untied her gag. She screamed. Garth smiled at her and waited for her to tire before speaking.
"There is no one around to help you," Garth said when he was sure that she would hear his words. "Why was this woman abducted?"
The woman gave up screaming, but fear was still clear in her eyes. She made no effort to reply.
"There are two ways for this to go," Garth threatened. "I am trying to be easy on you. Answer my questions, and I will set you free."
"Never," spat the woman. "You might as well kill me now. I will never tell you anything."
"I have no intention of killing you," replied Garth. "What I really want to know is where I can find Captain Marez. I think you know."
"What do you want him for?" asked the woman.
"I want to talk to him," answered Garth. "What is your name?"
"Althea," she answered. "What is your name?"
"I am asking the questions, Althea. Where is Captain Marez?"
The woman refused to answer. She pressed her lips tightly together as if that would stop the words from slipping out. Garth asked the question again, but he realized that the woman had enough courage to continue to refuse. He sighed heavily.
"Okay, I tried to be gentle with you." Garth turned towards Kalina. "Turn her into a frog."
Kalina grinned wickedly and snapped her fingers. A ball of light suddenly appeared floating in the air. She stepped closer to the prisoner, and the woman started shaking with fear.
"You're a mage?" she screamed. "No! Leave me alone!"
"Wait," interrupted Natia. "Let me try before you turn her into a frog."
The ball of light blinked out, and Natia moved close to the woman and knelt by her side.
"I am the one looking for Captain Marez. I only want to talk to him. I will not harm him. You had me kidnapped because you are trying to protect him, isn't that it?"
The woman nodded, but her eyes remained wide with fear.
"That's what I thought. I have a message to deliver to him. Having never met the captain, I was asking around to find him. Would you be willing to deliver the message for me?"
The woman nodded again and hope started to seep into her face.
"How do we know that she will really deliver the message?" asked Garth. "She may not deliver it. She may not even know him."
"I know him," the woman said quickly. "He is my brother. I will deliver the message. I promise. Let me go, and I will see that he gets the message personally."
"Your brother?" asked Natia. "Does he keep you in his confidence?"
"Yes," said Althea. "We are very close. I promise on my life that I will deliver your message."
"I believe you," smiled Natia as she started to cut the ropes. "The message is from Princess Jeanel."
"The princess?" frowned Althea. "You mean you are not from the Federation?"
Althea made no attempt to flee once the ropes were cut.
"Quite the opposite," replied Natia.
"I am so sorry for kidnapping you," Althea said sincerely. "I didn't know. Surely, you must understand what was going through my mind?"
"I think we do," smiled Kalina. "How is it you were able to command Federation soldiers?"
"They work for my brother," answered Althea.
"Have you heard of Alceans?" asked Garth with a trace of suspicion in his voice.
"They are the people from across the sea," nodded Althea. "They took the king to safety."
Garth smiled. He was now convinced of her story. "We are Alceans. We came to see your brother to get a status report for the king."
"What kind of status report do you need?" asked Althea.
Garth nodded to Natia to bring Karl and Tedi inside. "We need to know how many patriots he has been able to raise so far. Can you take us to him?"
"I can't," Althea sighed as her body stopped shaking, and she started to settle down. "He is on duty taking horses to Sebastian Pass. He won't be back for days."
"Who runs things while he is gone?" asked Kalina.
"I do," answered Althea. "So far we have four thousand fighters. Many of them wear the uniform of the Federation, but that is necessary. Anyone who was in the Tyronian army was expected to join the Federation army. While they didn't force you to join, you were highly suspect if you did not. My brother encouraged his men to join, but they will fight for King Myer when the time comes to stand up for Tyronia."
"I was hoping for five thousand," Garth frowned as Natia returned with Karl and Tedi.
"We may have that when he gets back," Althea replied. "He was hoping to talk with the men who were stationed in the south when the Federation arrived. If he gets one in three to join, you will have your five thousand."
"Is that likely?" asked Garth.
"Very," nodded Althea. "Tyronians have never liked the Federation. I don't see why they would start now. He could probably sign them all up, but we don't work that way. We only approach those who can be vouched for. Still, he will return with another thousand."
"Excellent," smiled Garth. "Althea, this is Karl Gree. He is a Knight of Alcea. We are leaving him in Tyronia to work with you and your brother. He will be able to get word to and from King Myer quickly. He can also help you in a number of other ways."
* * *
Sidney Mercado returned with the decanter of wine and filled the six glasses. He handed one to Queen Romani, and the Knights of Alcea each took one.
"A toast to a successful mission," offered the merchant. "I am probably the only person in H
erinak that thought you could do it, but then I have learned to expect miracles from Alceans."
"It's not over yet," replied Garth. "We got the twenty thousand warriors Baron Stikman demanded, but I expect another barrier will rise up to muddy the waters."
"Like the Federation spy among King Wendal's people?" asked Queen Romani.
"Like that," Garth sighed and nodded. "We know that there is at least one. There may be more. Have you mentioned Major Pezzola yet?"
"No," replied the queen. "There has not been an occasion to, and I preferred to wait for your return. I fear that I have little experience in catching spies."
"We have to find him soon," stated Kalina. "Colonel Pfaff is on dangerous ground until we do."
"I think the opportunity will come quite soon," offered Sidney. "King Wendal has noted your return. He has scheduled a meeting for later today."
"That puts me in a difficult position," stated Garth. "I have the numbers for Baron Stikman, but he will not be happy with those alone. I don't blame him, but there is much I will not reveal until I am sure the spies are gone."
"Go talk to the king," suggested Queen Romani. "He is a reasonable man. Tell him your fears and see how he reacts."
"I will do that right now," agreed Garth as he rose to his feet.
Garth left Sidney's suite and made his way to the king's study. He requested a private audience, and he was shown in promptly.
"Welcome back to Herinak," greeted the king. "I have set up a meeting a couple of hours from now. If your presence in my office is about the results of your journey, we should wait and share it with everyone."
"It is about the journey," replied Garth, "but some things can not be shared at this time. I am hoping that this private talk will allow me to express things that will not be spoken of in the meeting."
"Oh?" frowned the king. "This is most unusual. I highly value the advice of my advisors. I do hope that you will not be requesting me to make a decision without their advice."
"I will be," replied Garth, "but let me explain first. I have returned with information from all over Zara. The information I have is very sensitive, and its spread could result in the deaths of many fine people. I have accomplished my task, but Baron Stikman is going to press me for particulars. I am not in a position to divulge those particulars."
"Why not?" asked the king. "Only my advisors will be present. Surely, you are not suggesting that one of them would carry word to the Federation?"
"I am," declared Garth.
"That is preposterous," scowled King Wendal.
"It is fact," retorted Garth. "While I was in Vinafor I learned that Queen Romani is alive and living in Herinak. As you know, she has secluded herself within this castle. Her only public appearance was a meeting of your advisors. Can you explain how word of her presence here reached Vinafor?"
"Perhaps she was seen entering the city?" the king offered without much conviction.
"Have many of your citizens have been to Vinafor lately to know what the queen looks like?"
"She was known in Traginak by King Persimon's advisors," the king pointed out.
"True," Garth conceded, "but she left there seeking to live on a purchased estate. It is not reasonable for anyone there to expect she is living in Herinak."
"There must be another answer," the king replied stubbornly.
"I truly wish there was," stated Garth. "It would make my task easier. I want very much to present my report and see the Council of War created, but I will not risk tearing down the very armies I just gathered. I was hoping that I could offer the particulars to you in private and just offer the numbers in the meeting."
"That is not acceptable," the king shook his head. "As I said, I value the advice of my advisors."
"Then we need to determine which of your advisors is working for the Federation," stated Garth.
"I am not ready to accept the premise that one of them is a spy," stated the king. "Bring me proof and I will act on it."
"Very well," Garth said as he rose, "but we are losing time. Every day that passes puts the Federation closer to attacking."
Garth returned to Sidney's suite. The others looked expectantly as he took his seat at the table.
"No good," Garth informed them. "The king wants proof before he will take any action. He cannot believe that one of his advisors is a spy."
"Where do we go from here?" asked Sidney.
"We can try to narrow it down," offered Queen Romani. "In the meeting were six barons and five advisors. I find it hard to believe that a Koroccan baron would sell out his own country. What could the possible motive be? These barons have wealth and power, and they hold the breeding lines of the Occan horses. It is unfathomable that one of them would be a Federation spy."
"Who are the advisors?" asked Kalina.
"Sigfrid is the Royal Sorcerer," replied the queen. “Bjorn is the Royal Stablemaster. Roff is the Minister of Finance, and Tyko is the Minister of Law. The fifth is Adolfus, the Royal Lancer. He is the Koroccan equivalent of a Commanding General."
"A Royal Stablemaster?" asked Natia. "Isn't that a little strange?"
"Not in the horse countries," replied Sidney Mercado. "He is in charge of the Occan bloodline. That makes him one of the most powerful men in Korocca."
"Do we know anything about these men?" asked Garth.
"I only know them from that one meeting," replied Queen Romani.
"Alright," sighed Garth. "Here is the plan. Queen Romani, I want you to let them know that Major Pezzola is running the resistance in Vinafor. Don't be eager to share the information, but someone will ask for it. Give it freely. The rest of us have to try to figure out who is sending the information and how they are doing it. How do we split this up?"
"I will monitor the sorcerer," offered Kalina. "If he is using magic to transmit the information, I should be able to detect it if I know when the meeting is over."
"I will invite you to the meeting," grinned Garth. "If King Wendal can have twelve people in the meeting, I should be able to have three or four."
"Then we will see what these men look like," noted Tedi. "That will be helpful for watching them."
"How can the four of you watch five people?" asked the queen.
"With a little help," Garth grinned as he stuck his finger in his pocket and stirred Bitsy to life.
The fairy stuck her tiny blue head out of the pocket and looked around. "Are we having a meeting?"
Queen Romani gasped and almost fell out of her chair as she tried to move away. "What is that?"
Bitsy shot out of Garth's pocket and landed on the table. She looked up at the queen and frowned. "That is hardly a proper greeting."
"Bitsy is a fairy," chuckled Garth. "She doesn't bite. Well, mostly she doesn't"
"Unless you shove your finger through me," glared the fairy. "I am glad that you have learned your lesson."
The queen recovered from her shock, and she stared at the tiny woman with curiosity. "Is she an illusion?"
"She is real," offered Kalina. "The fairy people are sworn to King Arik. They call him the Bringer."
"You should not mention them to anyone," advised Garth, "but that is how we have been sending information. I have sent for one of them for you, Sidney. You will be the hub here in Herinak. You may use your assigned fairy to keep in contact with the Tyronians or us."
"Amazing," the queen said as she sat back down and stared at the tiny woman. "Hello Bitsy."
The fairy smiled broadly and curtsied to the queen.
Chapter 43
Flying Beast
When the door to the meeting room opened, Garth saw the long table in the center of the room. King Wendal sat at the head of the table, and eleven other Koroccans sat on the far side of the table. Queen Romani and General Skye sat on the side closest to the door. The arrangement showed the lopsidedness of the situation. Garth walked through the door and sat next to General Skye. Right behind Garth were Kalina, Tedi, and Natia. They filled three more of the seat
s.
"Who are these people?" asked Tyko, the Minister of Law.
"They are representatives of Alcea," Garth responded. "Each of them is an advisor to King Arik, and therefore an advisor to me."
"And you are?" asked Tyko.
"I am Garth Shado. I represent King Arik in Zara. May I ask who each of you are?"
Tyko appeared disturbed at the appearance of unknown people in the meeting, but Baron Stikman rose and started introducing the Koroccans. When he had completed the introductions he stared at Garth over the table.
"Have you raised your armies?"
"I have," Garth replied. "Twenty thousand as you demanded."
"Interesting," frowned the baron. "You have hardly been gone long enough to reach Tyronia and return, yet you have conjured up twenty thousand warriors? Tell us about them."
"Five thousand of them are Tyronian patriots," stated Garth, "but I will not propose to speak for Tyronia when there is already a representative here from that country. General Skye, perhaps you can continue?"
"It would be my pleasure," nodded the general as he rose to his feet. "Our recruiting efforts in Tyronia have proceeded quite well. While our forces are not yet up to the level required to repatriate our country, we stand ready to seize the moment if the Federation forces are lessened."
The general sat down and Queen Romani rose unbidden.
"I have a similar situation in Vinafor," stated the queen. "Our numbers stand at four thousand now. Recruitment efforts are still ongoing, but as you can imagine, it is slow. There is always a danger of discovery by the Federation."
"Can that many men truly organize without the Federation knowing about it?" asked Adolfus, the Royal Lancer. "I do not mean to question the validity of either of your statements, but it troubles me that we might count on those armies of patriots and then find them disbanded when we need them."
"That is a concern," agreed Roff, the Minister of Finance. "When you start talking about an underground army, the larger it gets, the harder it is to hide."
Although the minister had been looking at General Skye when he spoke, Queen Romani offered an answer.
"I have the utmost confidence in the man organizing the effort in Vinafor," she declared.
Council of War Page 53
