“Do you?” smirked General Forshire. “Look around you, General Alden. Tell me how you will find an Alcean army to attack. Show me the cities that your men will pillage and plunder. Count the women among your forces and tell me how your new civilization will last past the days of your last man here. You have sixty-thousand men who may easily live out the rest of their days in peace, but once your last man dies, there will be nothing here once again.”
“You came here somehow,” General Ross pointed out. “There must be an escape route somewhere.”
“There is,” Clint agreed, “but it will not be available to your men until they surrender.”
“So that is it?” asked General Ross. “You are here to solicit our surrender? You and your four men?”
“No, General,” replied Clint. “That will come later. I wanted to speak to the two of you because I think we have interests in common. We have a common enemy, the Federation.”
“Why would the Federation be an enemy to a general of the Federation, Forshire,” frowned General Ross. “You are making no sense at all.”
“There is an insidious rot in the upper echelons of the Federation, General,” replied Clint. “It is a rot that no more benefits Barouk or Aerta than it benefits Alcea.”
“Are you suggesting that Emperor Jaar is an enemy of Barouk?” scoffed General Ross. “That is ridiculous. He is one of a long line of emperors, and he has always promoted the best interests of the empire.”
“You make my point for me, General,” Clint said as he reached into his pouch and handed a paper to the Baroukan general. “Emperor Jaar knows that I am Alcean, yet he proclaimed me to be the first Imperial General in history. Do you want to know why?”
Ross and Alden gathered together to read the proclamation. They looked up with surprise and suspicion on their faces. General Ross nodded in answer to the question.
“Someone is trying to take over the Federation,” declared Clint. “Badgers abducted the emperor’s family from their hidden estate, but they could not locate the heir. They have taken Jaar hostage and are using Grand General Kyrga to run the Federation until they have no further use for Jaar. The A Corps managed to ambush the Badgers and regain custody of the women, but we have been unsuccessful in finding out who is behind the coup.”
“Would I be wrong in supposing this all happened during the celebration?” asked General Ross. When Clint nodded, the general continued, “Why you, Forshire? There were dozens of generals in attendance that week. If he knew that you were Alcean, why would he choose you?”
“He didn’t know at the time,” admitted Clint. “What he did know is that I was not in league with Kyrga. He could not be sure of anyone else, but I had successfully investigated Kyrga and reported the results to the emperor. I also turned down an offer to replace Kyrga.”
“Jaar offered an Alcean the post of Grand General?” scoffed general Alden. “Why didn’t you take it?”
“Because my purpose in Despair was to gain information, not lead the enemy’s armies,” answered the Ranger. “Jaar learned the truth about me after I rescued his wife and daughters. We made a deal that night. He made me the Imperial General and ordered me to gather my men and attack the palace to free him. In return, he promised to halt the war in Alcea. While Jaar could be as devious and underhanded as any man could be, I truly believe his offer was sincere. Conquering Alcea meant little to him compared to saving the Empire of Barouk from the hands of a usurper.”
“That I can believe,” nodded General Ross, “but it appears that both of you failed to deliver on your promises.”
“True,” sighed Clint. “That night in the emperor’s chambers, a demonic priest came to wrench the emperor’s memories from his mind. I killed K’san in the emperor’s bed chamber and then left. The following morning as I was leaving to gather my army, Emperor Jaar left the palace and met me on the way to the gates. He seemed different to me than the man I had talked with mere hours before. Plus, we had both taken pains not to be seen in each other’s company. It did not take long for me to understand what had happened. A black-cloak had killed the emperor and used a magical spell to impersonate him.”
“That is rather far fetched,” frowned General Ross. “You use the black-cloaks as a source for all things you wish to portray as evil, but the Black Citadel has been loyal to the Federation from the beginning.”
“Really?” retorted Clint. “Did I fail to mention that the Badgers were holding the emperor’s family in the Black Citadel? The A Corps attacked them when they were leaving the Black Citadel to move the women into the Elfwoods.”
“Your story paints a bleak picture, General Forshire,” replied General Alden, “but why should we believe you. We are isolated here and cannot verify the truth of your words.”
Suddenly, one of Clint’s men nocked an arrow and sent it flying skyward. Everyone’s head snapped towards the archer at the sound of the arrow’s release. They looked up and saw the body of a black-cloak falling to the ground. The Federation soldiers immediately grabbed their bows, but General Ross shouted an order to halt before they could fire on Clint’s men.
“I suspect he could not stand not knowing where you were,” Clint said softly. “It is his duty to watch you.”
General Ross merely nodded and turned his gaze to the Alcean. “What is the status of the war in Alcea?”
“It is over,” answered Clint, “but the war in Zara is just beginning. Alcea holds 175,000 prisoners, including your 60,000 men. The rest are dead.”
“How is that possible?” balked General Alden. “Alcea faced overwhelming odds.”
“I would like to think it is because they had good intelligence on what the enemy planned to do,” Clint smiled thinly. “In truth, we have known about the Federation’s attack plans much longer than either of you have. Team Danver Shores was tricked into becoming stranded in a swamp. Team Chi was caught in a flood when a dam broke. A collapsing cliff destroyed Team Pontek. Team Elmor was caught on an oil soaked road that was then set aflame. The rest of the teams were forced to march without horses and food because we either poisoned the feed or removed the hidden caches before the armies got to them. They were not allowed the safety of foraging. The point is, generals, we planned well for the invasion and Kyrga did not. By keeping his generals in the dark, he did more harm than good.”
“Now that is the truth,” sighed General Ross.
“You believe him?” balked General Alden.
“I do,” nodded General Ross. “The traps were clever, but believable. If General Forshire could think of them now just to impress us, is it hard to believe that the Alcean strategists could not think of them over the course of the winter?”
“But what about the black-cloaks?” questioned General Alden. “Surely, they could have protected the armies somehow.”
“Indeed,” agreed General Forshire. “That is why they were our first targets. The black-cloaks were mostly killed on the first day in the country while the generals still thought they had arrived in Alcea without notice.”
“Which is why you destroyed the ones attached to Force Cordonia,” nodded General Ross. “What exactly do you want from us, Forshire?”
“I want your help in destroying the Federation and bringing peace to your countries as well as mine,” answered Clint. “Ross, I feel certain that you will become the Grand General of the Baroukan Army when the heir takes the throne, and Alden, you will become the King of Aerta. I need to be sure that both of you will use your positions of power to heal your nations, not abuse others.”
Chapter 4
Great Expectations
The night sky over the false Cordonia was clear, and brilliant stars dotted the black sky. The three generals sat on logs arranged around one fire while the twelve escorts sat around another some distance away. The conversation among the generals had been ongoing since midday, and the generals were beginning to understand that they truly did have much in common.
“You have given me a rare appreciati
on of your Alcean king,” remarked General Alden. “I could not imagine myself facing such tremendous odds and still paying mind to a directive to spare the soldiers of my enemy. He must have great faith in this Mage that you speak of.”
“The gods speak of the Mage as the Creator,” replied Clint. “Many of the Knights of Alcea have had personal relationships with him in one guise or another, but to answer your unspoken question, yes, the faith we have in the Mage is strong. We know him to be the archenemy of Alutar, who is known as Balmak in your country. It is the Great Demon who is behind this war. Supposedly, he requires the tears of a million to stage his resurgence. King Arik is determined to avoid that.”
“Have you not already done enough to spoil his plans with the defeat of Federation forces in Alcea?” asked General Ross.
“We have thwarted one plan,” answered Clint. “I have no doubt that Alutar and his minions will merely turn to another. There are more ways to gain tears than by pitting one nation against another. You need merely to look within the cities of the Federation to see the misery that lurks there. Your citizens are dying in the streets for lack of food and healing, while Kyrga raises yet more armies.”
“More armies?” echoed General Alden.
“Yes,” nodded Clint. “I thought you had known, but how could you have? Kyrga has commissioned another six armies. The strange thing is the new armies report only to Kyrga and not their host monarchs.”
“Host monarchs?” questioned General Alden. “Where are these armies posted?”
“Three of them have been sent to cities on the Sea of Tears,” answered Clint, “one to each of the three capitols of Aerta, Ertak, and Spino. The other three were still in Despair the last I heard. I do not know where they are bound for.”
“Who leads these armies?” asked General Ross.
“Askor, Brennus, and Eylor remain in Despair,” answered Clint. “Kartacus is in Valdo. Larus is in Ertak, and Hedstorus is in Giza.”
“Hedstorus?” spat General Alden. “That man is no more fit to be a general than Kyrga is to be a king.”
“Nor are the others,” frowned General Ross. “Who chose these men? Surely, it was not Kyrga, and I am certain that Emperor Jaar would not have.”
“That is the golden question,” sighed Clint. “I feel confident that they were chosen for their loyalty, but loyalty to whom?”
The group fell silent for a few minutes. General Ross eventually sighed heavily and looked Clint in the face.
“If I were to surrender Force Cordonia right now,” the Baroukan asked, “would you let my men get back to Despair right away? I will take the Imperial Palace by force and hold it for the heir.”
“A noble gesture,” Clint smiled weakly, “but that would do little good. The usurper will not have been discovered using your methods. While you might disrupt the plans of our enemy, he would still be free to plot and scheme against the heir. You really could not even be sure of the forces under you.”
“I can be sure of the Baroukans under my command,” retorted General Ross.
“And maybe even the Aertans under General Alden,” nodded Clint, “but what of the others? Besides, we are still trying to avoid as much bloodshed as possible. No, General, your time will come after we have crushed the Federation completely. You will both have nations to rebuild, citizens to feed and heal, soldiers to nurture towards a peaceful culture. Your tasks will be immense, but they will be tasks of rebuilding, not destroying.”
“So we sit and do nothing while our homelands are in turmoil?” scowled General Alden. “That is not what a general wants to hear.”
“Nor a prince,” Clint said sympathetically, “but you do not have to be mere bystanders. Both of you have much to offer in terms of advice. It is hard for us Alceans to know who to trust and who not to trust. We need to crush those who are allied with Alutar and spare those who will be beneficial to the rebuilding. That will be almost impossible to do in the heat of battle, but if we plan in advance, you can help us save many lives.”
“You mean like who favors the Federation over the Empire of Barouk?” asked General Ross.
“Exactly,” nodded Clint. “Take for example General Antero of Aerta. Where does he stand, General Alden?”
“Antero is a decent man,” answered the Aertan heir, “but he is loyal to a fault. As long as my father rules Aerta, Antero will obey his every order, no matter how distasteful it is to him personally. Were my father no longer in the picture, I would not hesitate to keep General Antero as the Commanding General of Aerta, but you cannot trust him while King Anator lives.”
“Then we shall spare him, but not trust him,” agreed Clint. “Is there anyone under him that would prove loyal to you? We need someone to get the 33rd Corps of General Hedstorus out of the city of Giza or there will be much bloodshed within the city.”
“Bloodshed within the walls of Giza?” balked General Alden. “Who are you going to get to fight 20,000 Federation soldiers inside a walled city? Do you expect to successfully siege a city on the Sea of Tears when all supplies can be sent in by ship? That would be foolish.”
“Three-thousand Red Swords will lead twenty-thousand Occan Lancers into the city,” declared Clint. “And before you tell me that the city will be sealed, we already have hundreds of men living in Giza who are ready to lay down their lives to open the gates.”
General Ross whistled appreciatively. “You have given this some thought, but how do you plan to get Occan warriors into Aerta?”
“We have a path mapped out through the Sands of Eternity,” answered Clint. “One of our magicians has created a series of lakes in the desert to allow for daily stops. Food has already been prepositioned. And before you warn me about the garrison at Olansk notifying Giza of the coming army, let me tell you that the commanding officer of the Olansk garrison reports directly to me. The A Corps holds Olansk.”
General Ross actually laughed. “You are using the prisoners from the Federation’s cells to enable an attack on the Federation. I admire your ingenuity, General Forshire. All the while, the other Federation generals have been laughing at you as if you didn’t have a clue, but you have known all along what you were about. I think I could learn a thing or two from you.”
“I wouldn’t mind visiting you when this is all over, Ross,” Clint said seriously. “I have come to know some fine people during my stay in Despair and other parts of Zara. I look forward to the day when trade ships ply the waters between our two nations. It will be a much finer world when that is finally possible.”
Ross and Clint smiled at each other and then turned to look at the Aertan general. Alden sat silently staring into the flames of the fire. For several minutes they all remained quiet until Alden suddenly blinked and sat upright. He looked around to find the other two generals staring at him.
“Is there something wrong, Alden?” General Ross asked softly.
“No,” General Alden shook his head. “I was just chewing on Forshire’s attack plan and realizing how successful it might be. Antero’s first reaction would be to call on Farmin for assistance, but an army from there would take over a week, even at a forced march. Even a cavalry detachment would take three days. By then it would all be over.” The Aertan heir turned his gaze to Clint and asked, “Will your forces kill my father?”
“I will not lie to you, General,” Clint replied. “Your father is one of the decision makers of the Federation. He will not be allowed to live, but that is not to say that we will kill him. I believe he will be eliminated by the Federation, but I do not know if that will be before the attack or not.”
The heir nodded sadly. “My father and I have never seen eye to eye. I abhor his methods of ruling, but he is still my father. I will miss him. If King Anator is dead, General Antero will follow my orders. Will that help lessen the destruction of Giza?”
“Very much so,” answered Clint, “but General Hedstorus might see the king’s death as an opportunity to put a Federation man on the throne in your absence. We
need to get Hedstorus and his army out of Giza before the battle begins. If we can meet his army in the open and destroy it, we might not need to forcibly enter Giza.”
“Hedstorus has an ego the size of Aerta,” interjected General Ross, “but he is a fearful man. The way to get him out of the city is to make him afraid of being there.”
“That is helpful,” stated Clint. “I think we can do something with that. General Alden, if you could write a few notes for me and seal them with your seal, I also think that will be helpful. I will try to get my people to cause as little damage to Giza as possible.”
* * * *
The unicorn glided through the night sky over Candanar and landed outside the city of Zinbar.
“This is where we part company,” Garth said to the fairy. “Keep the spy asleep, but get him close to the palace. And make sure that you are not noticed.”
“Child’s play,” huffed Bitsy. “He will be waiting for you exactly where you asked me to put him.”
Garth watched as the Federation spy was levitated off the unicorn by the fairy. The man was dressed completely in black, and he had a golden Badger brooch pinned to his tunic. Garth watched the body float over the wall before heading for the city gate.
The gate guard did not bother to question Garth but merely nodded as the merchant passed through the gate. It was about an hour before dawn, and Garth recognized the drowsiness in the guard that normally assails sentries in the wee hours of the morning. He had no sympathy for the man and would have berated him if the man had been under his command. The Knight of Alcea pushed the thought from his mind as he slowly rode towards the royal palace. When he reached the drive to the palace, he halted in the center of it. The distant palace guards were no more attentive than the gate guard had been. They both saw Garth halt some distance away from the gates, but they showed no interest in asking why he was there.
Garth made a show of moving his head from side to side as if looking for something. It was only when he dismounted that the guards took any real notice in him. When he strung his bow and nocked an arrow, the two guards cautiously moved forward to peer through the gates. Garth pivoted sharply to the right and let his arrow fly. A cry of death rose out of the bushes, and a whistle blew loudly.
Alutar: The Great Demon Page 5