by Dan Decker
“Should we bind them?” Tere asked. The normal custom would have been to bring these men before the Rarbon Council where they would be put on trial.
Adar hesitated and surveyed the ragged bunch of men. There had been eleven total, three of whom lay dead on the ground. Of the other eight, one was wounded and would die if he didn't receive medical attention soon. If he took these men back to Rarbon, they would be under the Council's jurisdiction and it would be a lengthy process of trials before they were hung. The outcome was certain with this many witnesses.
But, during that time, the problem would continue and Adar and the other generals would have to fight off these imposters. On top of everything else, the Council had been on the cusp of finishing a treaty negotiation with Karchack, it wouldn't do if that was delayed because of what these merchants had been through today.
Technically speaking, this matter was his jurisdiction even though it was against custom for him to handle something like this so close to Rarbon.
The law was in line with what he wanted to do.
Looking back at the merchants, Adar shook his head. “Bring some rope. We'll hang them here, all except that one.” He pointed at the man with the earring who'd claimed Korew army. “Once we've had a chance to talk with him, we'll turn him over to the Council. Search him for poison or any other weapons, see that he has an armed escort of ten men at all times. When we get back to Rarbon, anytime he is transferred, he better be covered in armor from head to toe, and twenty men go before him to clear the rooftops. This one is going to make it before the Council alive.”
There were murmurs among Adar's men and panicked sounds from the captives. Tere looked surprised and stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
Before Adar could respond, Lucas rode up with a prisoner laid across the horse before him. The rest of Adar’s men were behind him.
“Good work,” Adar said to Lucas as the man nodded while handing off his captive to several soldiers.
Tere took Adar by the arm and pulled him to the side. “This just isn't done, especially this close to Rarbon.”
“It's within my authority. I don't like the thought of it any better than you, but there needs to be swift retribution for those that steal Radim uniforms and harass merchants.”
“There is more to it than that.” Tere gave Adar a knowing look.
Melyah. Adar thought. The man knew him too well. Adar had never spoken of his distrust for the Council, but Tere had picked up on it still the same. It also wasn't common knowledge that there was a fracture between Adar and his father Abel, but somehow Tere had managed to ferret that out as well.
But this wasn't about Adar thumbing his nose at the Council or trying to find a way to mend fences with his father, there was far more at stake than that. It was time that the Radim began to act in a fashion that demanded respect.
He knew full well that this would mean that the Council would give him as challenging of a task as the law would allow, but that was fine by him. When he was made Ghar he didn't want it to be said that he'd walked through the trials with ease. No, he wanted people to know that he'd earned the right.
Adar grunted. “Two birds with a stone. Maybe three if I can manage it.” Maual approached carrying a rope and was tying the noose as he walked.
“Whatever trial the Council was going to give to you, when they learn about this you can expect them to scrap it and come back with something impossible.”
“I expect nothing less.”
Tere spat. “And what about me? I always end up bailing you out.”
Despite the grim situation and what they were about to do, Adar cracked a grin. “I'm more than sure you're up for the job. Besides I take issue with your use of the word always. It's been less than a handful of times.”
“More than it should have been to be sure. If you'd be patient a little more often, you wouldn't need me.”
Stingeel! Adar thought, that’s the name of the gang. He studied the man with the Stingeel earring who had a distant look on his face that contrasted with those of the others who knew their deaths were imminent.
Steeling himself for what lay ahead, Adar didn't respond to Tere as he took the rope from Maual. He wouldn't let it be said of him that he was afraid to get his hands dirty. As distasteful as the task that lay before him was, he refused to make others do something that he wasn't willing to do.
Chapter 2
It was almost sunset by the time they approached Rarbon and the burst of energy Adar had experienced right before they had dealt with the bandits had long since been spent.
His head hurt and he was covered with the remains of sweat from the heat and actions of the day. If he sniffed right, he could smell his own body odor. Perhaps a hot bath would be what he needed to take his mind off things. That was still a ways out though; there was much he needed to get done tonight. A question had struck him earlier; originally, he’d dismissed the timing of the attack as coincidence, but the thought kept coming back.
Why had the attack on the merchants happened in Napael territory today when he was out of town?
His decision to go on patrol had been made on the spur of the moment several days ago in the middle of the night. As he’d left, he’d given specific orders to anybody that had known about it that this trip was supposed to be kept confidential.
If somebody within Rarbon was behind the attacks, the best time to do something like this in the Napael territory was when he was gone.
“Bleeding business, that,” Tere said, breaking into his thoughts. Tere was riding to the left of Adar and they were bringing up the rear of the patrol. “You gonna to tell the Council?”
“I’ll send a report when I turn him over.” Adar motioned to their captive who walked near the front of the group. His hands were bound and a noose was tied around his neck; the other end was held by Lucas.
After the first execution, Adar hadn’t said a word to the man, but he’d given him a look that had made the man swallow. Hopefully, the man was thinking that those who’d been executed were the lucky ones. After all the executions had been carried out, Adar had the man stripped and searched to ensure that he didn’t have any hidden weapons or vials of poison. Adar didn’t want the man committing suicide before he had a chance to interrogate him.
The prisoner’s head was bowed, he’d stumbled several times, and tears had streaked his face earlier; for the deaths of his friends or his own circumstances, Adar hadn’t been able to tell. It wouldn’t be long before Adar would pry out all the information they could before handing him over to the Rarbon Council guards. But first Adar had to get the man into the right state of mind. He had found that sleep and food deprivation along with keeping a man on his feet all night did wonders for loosening lips.
“You need to be careful,” Tere said. “You’re going to get a reputation of disregarding custom that will be hard to change. We need the council to work with you and you’re pushing them away. I don't know the last time a general carried out his own orders, particularly executions, but they're going to think you're losing it.”
After leading the first several, Adar had handed the task off to other men. He didn’t regret the choice, no matter what Tere said, he would not give an order that he wasn’t willing to do himself. “Some will no doubt see it that way, but that won’t be everybody. These men know the truth.”
“It won't be enough that the men support you. You won't get anywhere without the Council.”
Adar sighed, there was truth in what Tere said, but it seemed such a small thing compared to the events of the day. How could the political wrangling of the Council even compare to this?
Some of the condemned had cried out, speaking of their wives and children or lovers or what could have been. One thin man with a frown broken by missing teeth had whimpered for his mother.
Others had maintained their composure right up until the end. The final man had spat on Maual as he hung the noose around the man's neck. While Adar m
ight have expected Maual to retaliate for the spittle, he had instead wiped it off with the back of his hand and continued the task without anger, treating the man with respect and dignity.
Afterward, when Adar's eyes had made contact with Maual's, they hadn't spoken but had exchanged silent nods. The challenging look that Maual had so often worn wasn't there and Adar was left to wonder whether something had changed or if the event had left Maual tired as well.
After the execution of all but the man with the Stingeel earring, Adar had left several soldiers behind to bury the bodies and erect a post describing the crimes and punishment of the dead. Before each man had died, they’d taken down his name if he'd been willing to give it, which would also be carved into the post.
Adar repressed a shudder when he thought of the man that he had hung first. After sliding the noose onto the man's neck, Adar had asked him if he had any last words. The man had remained silent, his eyes never betraying a hint of guilt or remorse. He’d rarely encountered such a hardened criminal.
“I appreciate the reminder,” Adar said at length. “You are correct, this might bother some of the Council. I’ll think it over, but I don’t intend to change my plans.” The wind rustled through the forest and it felt good against his face. The twin light of the moons lit the walls of Rarbon and cast the pine trees on either side of the road in shadow.
A sense of loss had filled Adar during the execution. In addition to the lost lives of the executed men, there were also the innocent that would be affected by the justice he’d handed out. Surely some of those men had families who had fallen on hard times; they had been doing what they thought they needed to do to survive.
Even so, Adar couldn’t tolerate it. And while it was important that there be a warning for any that would murder or claim to be a Radim in Adar’s territory again, he still couldn’t help but feel regret for those lives that had ended today.
Tere shook his head and lowered his voice. “I know that you want to change things. Melyah! I even agree with you on the need. Anybody can see the nine Radim armies are becoming complacent, but executions this close to Rarbon? You’re not just playing with fire; you’re dancing over a pit of molten rock with nothing between you and the lava but a bit of rope that’s already burning from both ends. As it was, you were lucky to get your commission as General with your own father working against you. Can’t you be more careful?”
“Do we have the time for care?” Adar asked, his voice quiet but his tone sharp. “Semal has been telling us for three years that the Hunwei should be here within eight. Need I remind you that we don’t have ships, metalmen, or any of the weapons of our fathers? What chance will we have at winning a war that we almost lost once, when our weapons aren’t even half as good as those of our fathers? At a time when the Radim armies have lost their edge and need to be sharpened? No, we must be bold. It is time to do all we can to get everybody ready.”
“They might strip you of your rank. What will you do then?”
Adar didn't answer. That was a real possibility, but there had to be some on the Council that recognized he was trying to instill a change in the way the Radim armies operated. He hoped that they would welcome the progress.
Up ahead, he could just make out the firebreak. It was now one of the cleanest stretches of ground maintained by any of the nine Radim armies. That had been the first thing he'd done upon his promotion to General. Before he and his men had done the work, there had been saplings that were more than a decade old in some places. There wasn’t a blade of grass growing anywhere now on the several hundred foot expanse between the wall and the tree line.
When Adar had given the order and required several thousand of his Radim soldiers from Napael army to help, there had been no small amount of grumbling among his assigned subordinates. Rather than call out the murmurs and complaints, Adar had surrounded himself with Tere and several others and they'd begun to work. He'd never been more grateful for Tere who had walked among his men pointing out that Adar was working with them.
Tere was correct, carrying out their own orders wasn't something Radim generals did, but it was time that changed.
“I agree that your efforts are helping you to bond with the men. It just shouldn’t come at the expense of relationships with the Council.”
“Point taken.” Over the course of the last several weeks, Adar had made time to train the new recruits and practice with the veterans. It wasn't enough for them to have heard how hard he worked, he wanted as many as possible to witness it firsthand. Granted, Napael army was over twenty thousand strong, with more than half at the outposts, so the number of individuals he could interact with in person was limited. “I’ll give what you said some thought. Perhaps I can tone down my methods, at least until I see how the Council responds to what I’ve done so far.”
“That won’t take long.” Tere sighed. “You can bet they’ll hear about today long before you turn over the prisoner.”
Adar nodded as they left the woods and walked out into the firebreak; it still smelled of burned wood, leaves, and grass. The stench brought a smile to Adar’s face. At the end of that day, the grumbling had disappeared and since that time he’d even heard his men bragging to others that their firebreak was the cleanest of the city. Not only had the discontent about his promotion among those of Napael Army dissipated, other generals had followed suit. Jakop Marel, the General of Arelo Army, had ordered his men to do the same thing.
Arelo’s firebreak hadn’t been as overgrown an Napael’s had been, in fact, it had been one of the better maintained, but now, just like Napael’s, almost every leaf or blade of green had been removed or burned to ash. Marel hadn’t worked in the field as Adar had, but the man had held his position for over thirty years and had long since cemented his authority with his men.
The fact that one of the oldest Radim generals had not wanted to be outdone had been a victory for Adar; a small one, but a triumph nonetheless. It was only the beginning of the influence Adar intended to have before this was all over and done with, but it was a start.
Adar growled at Tere. “How will the sword get sharpened if there isn't a stone to draw it against? How will the armies reclaim their power if there isn't one to lead the way? Even if the Council does their worst, I haven't given them grounds to dismiss me. Not yet anyway.”
“Your arrogance is the biggest threat to our cause. And they've done more to other generals for less.”
“But never to a Rahid. I have a unique opportunity others don't have. I won't squander it.” Adar nodded ahead to the walls. “Our biggest threat—aside from a Hunwei invasion—comes from within. Too many are complacent, they need to be awoken.” What Tere considered arrogance, Adar thought of as ignoring tact because of time constraints. “Not to mention those that work against us.”
Adar refrained from glancing ahead to the captive and wondered what stories he would hear once they got the man to talk. Was it possible one of the other Radim generals was behind the attack? How else could Adar explain the Radim uniforms that the bandits had been wearing?
He reined his horse to a halt and motioned for Tere to do the same. He spoke once the others were out of earshot. “The timing of today’s attack is not a coincidence.”
Tere nodded. “The thought has crossed my mind too. There may be something to your theory about Gardison.”
“You think the two are connected.” Much as Adar had appreciated the commission, he had wondered if someone had something to do with the untimely demise of Adar’s predecessor, General Gardison.
The general had been found dead at breakfast while eating in his barrack rooms. There had been an investigation by the city guard who had determined his death had been natural.
As time had gone on and Adar had settled into his new role, he had wondered about Gardison's death because he’d learned that Gardison had been a fanatic about taking care of himself and keeping in shape. Gardison had participated with the new recruits in some of the more grueling aspects of their t
raining. He had frequently lead the morning and evening runs that went up the Inner Wall steps, across the connecting wall, and came down the Outer Wall steps. Many new recruits had emptied their stomachs on the way up while trying to keep pace with Gardison. Why would a man in that kind of shape keel over and die while eating a bowl of oats and berries? It didn’t make sense.
“I don’t buy your theory that it’s General Morgol,” Tere said. “I doubt it’s any of the generals. My money would be on one of the Council.”
Adar’s name had been considered by the Rarbon Council along with that of Molach Morgol, General Helam Morgol’s son.
There had been contention among the council about Adar's appointment and it had come down to one vote at the end. Before the announcement, Adar had noticed a peculiar look on Molach’s face; he had looked as though he had been reviewing the speech he'd been expecting to give. Even Abel, who had devoted much of his time behind doors to campaigning against Adar, had seemed assured that Molach would be the council's pick.
The shock on the faces of those in the room when Adar's name had been announced was nothing compared to that of Helam. During the announcement, Adar’s eyes had sought out Helam to gauge his reaction, and he hadn’t taken it well. His face had been made of stone, but his eyes had been heated enough to burn somebody. After the meeting was over, he’d stormed out of the Rarbon council meeting hall without talking to anybody. Most hadn’t noticed him because he’d been standing near the back.
“I admit I’m prone to think of Helam.” Adar’s chest itched and he reached for it, stopping his hand just before it got there. It was a habit that he was trying to break. The wound was five years old and should have stopped itching long ago, but it continued to bother him. It brought with it the pride he’d felt for his victory when he’d beat Helam in the tournament and the betrayal that haunted him from later that night when Helam had caught Adar drunk and taken advantage of the moment to give him the scar. The wound had become infected and he’d almost died. “But don’t be so quick to discount him. Helam is ambitious and a planner.” At times, Adar had wondered if Helam had lost the tournament on purpose. If that had been the case, what was Helam’s angle? Adar had rolled all sorts of different possibilities around his mind but had never been able to settle on a satisfying explanation.