Alutar: The Great Demon

by Tuttle, Richard S.

  “I will make sure that your words are relayed to my men,” promised the general.

  “And, General,” Prince Harold said with the slightest hint of a smile, “make sure that the 11th Corps does not leave the city. I think we have a valid reason to ignore Despair’s order.”

  “Kyrga is going to have a fit,” warned the general.

  “Not nearly as much of a fit as he is going to have when I inform the emperor that Ertak is withdrawing from the Federation.”

  Chapter 41

  Trail of Badgers

  The shouts from the walls of Giza were loud and excited. While runners raced to the Royal Palace, curious citizens climbed onto the roofs of buildings to see over the wall in an attempt to gaze upon whatever was causing the commotion. Those who managed to catch sight of the Occan army quickly ran and spread the word throughout the city. Within minutes, the citizens had barricaded themselves behind locked doors, while soldiers raced to the walls to take up defensive positions. Unseen in all the commotion were the thieves who surreptitiously maneuvered to be close to the gates in case their help was needed to let the Alceans into the city. By the time General Antero arrived at the northern gates, the city had fallen silent. The general climbed the steps up to the top of the wall and gazed out at the army on the plain before him. Twenty thousand Occan lancers in full armor were spread out across the width of the northern wall, their pennants waving in the wind. It was a fearsome sight, and the general inhaled sharply. Suddenly, Colonel Fisker, Colonel Corry, and Natia appeared at the general’s side.

  “Blessed sword!” exclaimed Colonel Corry as he gazed at the Occan army. “I thought you were exaggerating, Fisker.”

  “What are you going to do, General?” asked Natia. “The time for a decision is upon you.”

  “I see an Occan army before my wall,” answered the general. “General Alden’s note made no mention of an alliance with the horse countries.”

  “But we know that they are allied with the Alceans,” frowned Colonel Fisker. “I saw them sharing a camp with the Alceans.”

  “I understand,” replied the general, “but my responsibility is to defend this city. I will not go out and attack the Occans, but neither will I open my gates to invite them in. It is not my responsibility to imagine what General Alden meant in his note, nor am I certain that the note was not coerced. The farthest I am willing to concede is to order defensive fighting only, even though the horse countries have declared war by invading Aerta. There will be no battle if they do not try to enter the city before General Alden arrives and satisfies my desire to know if the note is genuine.”

  As the last of the Occans rode out of the forest and took their places in the formation before the city, the center of the line parted. Through that opening in the center rode the Red Swords, and three figures led the Alcean column. The general recognized the king and queen of Alcea from Colonel Fisker’s description of them, but more importantly, he recognized General Alden. For the first time since mounting the wall, General Antero’s face showed a slight smile at seeing the heir, but he still was not certain of General Alden’s true intentions.

  “You are in charge of the 11th Corps, Colonel Fisker,” General Antero said with authority. “I am going out to speak with the heir. If I do not return, consider the army before you as hostile.”

  General Antero left the wall. The gates opened slightly to let him out of the city and then promptly closed behind him. He walked towards the heir as the Red Swords continued to flow onto the plain. When General Antero got close to the heir, General Alden dismounted and walked forward to greet his old friend. When the two generals embraced, shouts of cheer rang out along the wall.

  “It is good to see you again,” smiled General Alden. “Did you get my note?”

  “I did,” answered General Antero, “but I am not certain it was written of your own free will.” General Antero glanced around before continuing. “Did the note express your true desires?” he asked softly.

  “Very much so,” smiled the heir. “The Alceans are our allies now.”

  “And the Occans?” frowned General Antero. “Your note did not mention them.”

  “The Occan people have always been allies of Aerta,” answered General Alden. “It is the Federation that considers them enemies, and we are no longer a part of the Federation, or at least we won’t be once I am coronated. Antero, Olansk, our second largest city, is inhabited by Occans, and Sirocca used to be a fine neighbor. Do not think like those fools in Despair. Open the gates to our new allies that they might enjoy some true Aertan hospitality.”

  General Antero turned and shouted for the gates to be opened, but the order was not obeyed. General Alden frowned.

  “I left instructions to consider this army hostile if I did not return to the city,” General Antero explained. “Perhaps I should do that now.”

  “Do so,” urged the heir. “I want to introduce you to some very interesting people.”

  General Antero returned to the gates and soon they opened wide to admit the foreign army. Colonel Fisker and Natia raced down the stairs to stand next to General Antero as General Alden led the parade into the city. The three of them mounted so they could ride with the heir to the Royal Palace. Colonel Fisker turned around and saw King Arik and Queen Tanya looking around as they passed through the gate at the head of the Red Swords. His eyes suddenly locked onto the fourth person in the vanguard and his jaw dropped.

  “Natia,” he said anxiously in a whisper, “there is a Federation general among the group. He is not wearing his uniform, but we know him. It is General Forshire, the Imperial General of the Federation.”

  Natia giggled. “Do not worry about him,” she said in response. “He is an Alcean Ranger.”

  “An Alcean Ranger is the Imperial General of the Federation?” gasped the colonel.

  Natia nodded. “I told you that we had people placed highly in the Federation. Do not speak of his name, though. He may still have a part to play in Despair, and I wouldn’t want a spy sending off a message about him.”

  * * * *

  Garth and Kalina sat on their balcony at the Gateway Lodge in Zinbar. To anyone who could see the couple on their balcony on the top floor of the inn, they appeared to be a young couple merely enjoying an idle evening as they sat, sipped wine and gazed out over the city. In reality, they were watching the comings and goings of the Royal Palace of Candanar.

  “Maybe word of King Anator’s death has not reached Zinbar yet,” offered Kalina.

  “It should have by now,” frowned Garth. “If King Bartomir is thinking of cheating the Badgers, he is making a fatal mistake.”

  “Do we care what happens to him?” asked Kalina.

  “Not really,” shrugged Garth. “King Bartomir will go along with whoever wins the war, and that will be everyone except the Federation. I do not see Candanar threatening anyone, no matter who rules it.”

  Suddenly, a fairy flew onto the balcony and settled on Garth’s shoulder.

  “The major is leaving the palace,” reported Bitsy. “He is driving a wagon and has two soldiers accompanying him.”

  “Are there chests in the wagon?” asked Garth.

  “Two of them,” answered the tiny blue woman. “How did you know?”

  “They are packed with gold,” smiled Garth. “He is on his way to pay the Badgers. I want you to follow him and determine his destination. While you are doing that, search for three or four men who are paying close attention to the major’s movements. One of them will have a wagon close at hand. All of them will probably be wearing black, and they will be trying not to be seen. It is important for you to find them all. Report back when you have completed the mission.”

  “I shall be back before you finish that bottle of wine,” chirped Bitsy.

  The fairy shot into the air, and Kalina giggled.

  “They are so cute,” she said. “What is the plan?”

  “The regional leader of the Badgers will meet with Major Tindale,” explained
Garth. “It will probably take place at an inn, but it could be anywhere private. Major Tindale will present the gold and leave. The Badgers will then take the gold and leave. In between those two actions, we need to strike and quickly. There are probably more Badgers in Zinbar expecting the gold to arrive somewhere, and I don’t want to have to deal with all of them.”

  “Why send Bitsy to find all the Badgers then?” Kalina asked with a puzzled expression.

  “Not all of them,” clarified Garth. “The three or four Badgers she will find will be those protecting the regional leader. Those are the ones we must kill before capturing the regional leader, but there may be dozens of Badgers in Zinbar. We have no way of knowing their strength, but they will be aware that a shipment of gold is expected tonight. Whatever we do, we must complete it all within an hour. Otherwise the rest of the group will come out of their den to investigate.”

  “How do you know this?” asked Kalina.

  “Zack has learned a great deal about how the Badgers operate,” replied Garth. “He had a fairy spying on them after he met with the regional leader of the Valdo group. What he hasn’t been able to find out is who the leader of the Badgers is. That is what you are going to pry out of the Badger we capture tonight.”

  “And I only have an hour to do it?” asked Kalina.

  “Less than an hour,” replied Garth. “It will take me some time to eliminate the Badgers protecting the leader, and we cannot move in until they are all dead.”

  “You want me to mind probe him,” balked Kalina. “I do not like using magic that way.”

  “I will not dictate your methods,” stated Garth. “If you can scare him into divulging the information we need, that will be fine by me. I would do it myself, but I do not think a Badger would willingly give up such information. From what I have heard, they seem to prefer death over failure. Still, I am willing to try if you wish.”

  Kalina sighed and shook her head. “He would probably lie to you just so you would kill him,” she reasoned. “Only a mind probe will get to the truth.”

  “Not necessarily,” smiled Garth. “If we hurry, we can catch the Badger leader in Valdo when he comes to collect for King Harowin’s death. If the information matches, we will know that we have been given the truth. If it does not match, a mind probe might be the only way.”

  “A deal then,” offered Kalina. “You try to get the information out of this Badger. If it does not match the information we get in Valdo, I will perform a mind probe on that one.”

  “Deal,” agreed Garth.

  The Knights of Alcea lapsed into silence as they waited for the fairy’s return. Eventually, Bitsy fluttered down out of the sky and landed on Garth’s shoulder.

  “The major took a tour of the entire city and then ended up right here in the Gateway Lodge,” reported the fairy. “He is in a room two floors down. The soldiers already left with the wagon. It is empty.”

  “And the Badgers?” asked Garth.

  “I found five of them,” frowned the tiny woman. “One is already moving to join the major. There is one out front of the inn and one out back inside the stables. Another sits idly in the lobby of the inn. The other one guards a wagon two blocks away.”

  Garth thought for a moment before speaking. “I will start with those farthest away,” he said. “The one in the lobby will be difficult to kill without drawing notice. Bitsy, I want you to put him asleep and keep him asleep until we have left the major’s room. I also want you to point out the major’s room as we leave the inn. Come, Kalina. We are going hunting.”

  Minutes later, Garth and Kalina were walking the nearly empty streets of Zinbar a couple of blocks from the Gateway Lodge. They held hands as they walked along the street, seemingly lost in their love for one another. As they passed a dark alley, Garth playfully pulled Kalina into the darkness, smothering her with kisses.

  “Move along,” a sinister voice said from the darkness. “This alley is occupied.”

  Kalina broke from the embrace and turned towards the voice, her body directly in line between the Badger and Garth. She stared into the darkness for several moments until her eyes became accustomed to the darkness, and she was able to see the assassin.

  “You do not own the alley,” she frowned. “Why don’t you move along?”

  “Don’t be rude, Kalina,” Garth said in a meek and trembling voice. “He was here first.”

  The Badger snickered at the cowardly response. Kalina shrugged and stepped aside. As soon as her movement cleared the path for Garth, he shot the myric quill through the reed. The Badger tumbled from the seat of the wagon, his body already dead before it hit the ground.

  “Take the wagon,” instructed Garth. “Bring it to a halt in front of the Gateway Lodge near the Badger. I will meet you there.”

  Kalina nodded wordlessly and started the wagon rolling. Garth ran out of the alley and turned in the opposite direction. Moments later, he was walking along the main street of Zinbar, holding a myric quill at his side. His gait was casual, and he appeared to be lost in thought as his eyes stared at nothing in particular. The Badger saw him approaching and watched him with curiosity rather than alarm. The sound of a wagon approaching from the opposite direction caused the Badger to turn his head towards the sound. A deep crease formed on the Badger’s brow as he thought the wagon looked familiar to him. When the wagon halted near him, he moved closer to get a better look. The assassin glared at Kalina when he was sure that she was driving their wagon. As his hand moved towards a throwing knife, Garth struck. The Knight of Alcea shoved the myric quill into the Badger’s leg and then lifted the body and threw it into the back of the wagon. Kalina immediately started the wagon rolling again while Garth continued walking along the street as if nothing had happened.

  “Park in front of the stables,” Garth called softly to Kalina.

  Kalina nodded silently and drove the wagon at a slow and even pace. She turned at the next intersection and then doubled back through an alley that ran parallel to the main street. A few minutes later, she halted the wagon in front of the stables. Almost immediately, a dark shape shifted inside the stables. Suddenly, a knife flew out of the dark stables towards Kalina. The knife struck an invisible shield, and the Badger gasped involuntarily. A second later, the Badger’s body fell to the ground, and Garth stepped out of the shadows.

  “It is a good thing you thought to use your shields,” Garth said as picked up the body of the Badger in the wagon and carried it into the stables. “He was more wary than the one out front. Leave the wagon where it is. We will still have use for it tonight.”

  Kalina frowned. “The Badgers obviously know what their wagon looks like,” she said. “Are sure that is wise?”

  “It will be a short trip,” replied Garth. “Let’s go visit our target. Time is running out.”

  Garth and Kalina entered the rear door of the Gateway Lodge. Garth stuck his head into the lobby and signaled for Bitsy to come to him. The fairy complied immediately.

  “Has Major Tindale left the inn yet?” Garth asked.

  “Not yet,” answered the fairy. “Should I go and find him?”

  Garth shook his head. “The lobby appears fairly empty,” he commented. “Perhaps I can free you from your current chore. Wait here for me.”

  Garth extracted another myric quill and held it against his leg. He entered the lobby and sat down next to the sleeping Badger. While appearing to pay no attention to the man next to him, Garth jabbed the myric quill into the Badger’s leg. He casually rose, taking the quill with him. Within seconds, he was standing with Kalina again.

  “I am going to need your services upstairs,” Garth said softly to the fairy. “Go up ahead of us and let us know if Major Tindale is coming this way. I do not want a chance encounter with him this night.”

  Bitsy darted up the stairs.

  “What if the Badger in the lobby is discovered dead?” Kalina whispered. “It will shorten the time we have to extract the information from the leader upstairs.
”

  “No more than the two bodies in the stables,” shrugged Garth. “Our time is already drawing short. We may have to kidnap the Badger leader and take him with us.”

  Before they had climbed a single level, Bitsy appeared with a warning that the major was coming. Garth pulled Kalina away from the stairs at the next floor and wrapped his arms around her in a lover’s embrace. The major descended the stairs with a barely a glance at the romantic couple. As soon as he was gone, Garth and Kalina raced up the stairs. As they neared the door to the room that Major Tindale had rented, Garth whispered instructions to Kalina. He then swiftly opened the door wide and stepped away. The regional leader had been staring out the window at the wagon parked below. He whirled towards the door, a throwing knife sliding into his hand. Before he could throw the knife, a magical blue ball sped across the room and struck the assassin. He was instantly frozen from head to toe. Garth and Kalina entered the room and closed the door.

  “What now?” asked Kalina as she glanced at the two chests on the floor.

  Garth pointed to the golden Badger brooch on the Badger’s chest. “Thaw that small area so I can extract the brooch,” he instructed.

  Sparks flew from Kalina’s fingertips as she stepped close to the frozen Badger. She touched the assassin’s chest and the ice around the brooch melted, sending a small stream of water down to the floor. Garth stepped forward, carefully unpinned the brooch and held it before the Badger’s face.

  “I know that you would gladly use this to end your life,” Garth said to the Badger, “but we are not going to let you die, unless you tell us what we want to know. Unfreeze his head, Kalina.”

  Kalina promptly obeyed, and the Badger defiantly spat at her.

  “I will tell you nothing,” he snarled at Garth.

  “We shall see about that,” Garth replied with a thin smile. “You must be aware by know that Kalina could easily kill you, but there is a worse fate in store for you if you do not answer my questions.”

  “Torture will gain you nothing,” scowled the assassin. “I will never speak.”