Alutar: The Great Demon

by Tuttle, Richard S.

  “Obviously not the entire company,” scowled the Grand General. “You are, after all, standing before us.”

  “That is the strangest part of it,” frowned the young officer. “Not a single arrow was aimed at me. For a moment, I sat there in shock, but nothing happened. They could have killed me easily,” the captain said, his voice quaking as he relived the moment. “Instead, they let me turn around and reenter the city. I have no idea why.”

  “They are sending a message,” declared Colonel Taerin, “and you are that message.”

  “What do you mean, Colonel?” asked the emperor.

  “The elves are telling us that we are confined to this city,” answered Colonel Taerin. “For whatever reason, they will not allow us to leave Despair.”

  “Despair has twenty-five thousand soldiers in it,” scoffed the Grand General. “There couldn’t be one tenth that many elves out there. Stop speaking nonsense.”

  “They would be slaughtered trying to storm this city,” retorted Colonel Taerin, “but twenty-five hundred archers could cover two gates easily enough.”

  “You would expect elves to best us by ten to one?” scowled Kyrga. “Preposterous.”

  “They wouldn’t have to,” countered Colonel Taerin. “First off, we would never send all of our men out of the city. The most we would send would be ten thousand. That reduces the odds to four to one. Also, we could not present all of those ten thousand men to the enemy at one time. Our own gates would restrict us. Plus, the enemy has the cover of the forest, while our men would be in the open. It is a stalemate,” the colonel declared. “The elves cannot successfully attack us, but neither can we effectively attack them. The problem that I have is that I cannot conceive of what good their plan will accomplish. We can always move men in and out of the city by sea.”

  The emperor and Grand General exchanged worried looks. Colonel Taerin noticed and frowned deeply.

  “What is it that I do not understand?” the colonel asked.

  “The ships in the harbor can no longer access the Sea of Tears,” stated the emperor. “The entrance to the harbor is clogged up with kelp.”

  “Kelp can be cut,” frowned Colonel Taerin.

  “We have tried that,” scowled Grand General Kyrga. “It grows faster than we can cut it. As soon as a crew cuts part way through, the kelp replenishes, and the boat is stuck in the middle of the bed.”

  The room fell silent as each of the men tried to think of a way around the current predicament. Eventually, the emperor grew irritated with the silence.

  “Well, Kyrga?” he scowled. “What is my Grand General going to do about this situation?”

  Grand General Kyrga shook his head. He wanted to go ask Lord Kommoron what to do, but he had been forbidden to contact the Master.

  “I suppose we could attack at night when the elves are sleeping,” he suggested weakly.

  “That won’t work,” Colonel Taerin shook his head. “I would wager that the elves are sleeping in position, and they no doubt will maintain sentries. Their archers could be at full strength within minutes, and our men would still be struggling to get through the gates.”

  “Well what would you do, Taerin?” snapped Kyrga.

  “I would like to think on it more,” mused the colonel, “but my first thought would be to bring other armies into Barouk. They could work their way through the Bloodwood and come up behind the elves. If they were quiet enough to get close to our walls before engaging the elves, our local armies could then surge out of the gates and catch the elves between our two forces.”

  Emperor Jaar raised and eyebrow and smiled at the colonel. “An excellent idea,” he remarked. “Kyrga, send a message to Valdo. Have the 16th Corps and the 35th Corps set out for Despair immediately. It is time to teach the elves a lesson.”

  “Both armies?” balked the Grand General. “King Samuel will not care for that, and we hardly need both of them. Just the 35th Corps alone would do. Besides, that would leave Valdo defenseless against the Occan army heading south.”

  “The Occan army is precisely why I want both armies in Despair,” retorted the emperor. “There is more at stake here than just some elves. Spino and Barouk are all that’s left of the Federation. I will not be foolish enough to split our armies in half to defend both countries. King Samuel will have to stand on his own. Don’t you see? That is precisely why the elves have us surrounded. It stops us from sending troops to Valdo to defend Spino. The elves seek to keep us in this city until the Occans arrive. I will not fall for that. Gather all of our troops to Despair, and do it now.”

  Grand General Kyrga bowed and rushed out of the room. Colonel Taerin and the captain also bowed, and the colonel started to escort the captain out of the room when the emperor called him back. Taerin sent the captain on his way and returned to stand before the emperor.

  “You have a clever mind, Colonel,” smiled the emperor. “I may have need of your counsel in the future. What is your name?”

  “Taerin,” replied the colonel. “May I ask what happened in Aerta and Ertak to remove them from the Federation?”

  “King Anator and King Harowin were assassinated,” answered the emperor. “Their sons foolishly withdrew from the Federation. I suspect that the Occans pressured them. Those two cowards will be dealt with later. Right now we stand alone in preserving the Federation. I may need your help in designing the proper path to victory. Arrange your schedule so that you will be available whenever I need you.”

  “I am at your service,” declared the colonel as he bowed once again.

  Emperor Jaar waved dismissively, and Colonel Taerin withdrew from the office. Wanting to be alone to think about what he had learned, the colonel left the palace and walked to the bench overlooking the harbor. He was there for only a few minutes before a familiar voice caused him to start.

  “I am glad to see that you keep my bench in use,” smiled General Forshire.

  Colonel Taerin stared in amazement as General Forshire walked closer and sat on the bench alongside him.

  “How did you enter the city?” he asked. “We are surrounded by twenty-five hundred elves.”

  “Not true,” smiled Clint. “You are surrounded by sixteen thousand elves.”

  “Impossible,” scoffed the colonel. “There are not that many Dielderal in existence.”

  “Now that is true,” retorted Clint, “but you are not facing just the Dielderal. There are ten thousand Elderal among the elves surrounding Despair.”

  “Sixteen thousand?” gasped Colonel Taerin. “I must stop Grand General Kyrga from sending that message.”

  Colonel Taerin started to rise, but Clint reached out and firmly grabbed his arm.

  “What message?” pressed Clint.

  Colonel Taerin frowned. He had grown so accustomed to talking with General Forshire in an open manner that he had forgotten that he was an Alcean. He also realized that Kyrga would want to know the source of his information. The colonel sat back down, but he said nothing.

  Clint sighed. “I have long told you that the time for a decision was coming to you. That time is now. Your Federation is falling apart. Do you wish Barouk to fall with it?”

  “I just heard that King Harowin was assassinated,” Colonel Taerin said. “Do you know who did it?”

  “The same group that assassinated your grandfather,” answered Clint. “It was the Badgers, but you are trying to change the topic of our conversation.”

  Colonel Taerin sighed deeply and nodded in understanding. “Is there any chance of the Federation surviving?” he asked.

  “None,” Clint replied without hesitation. “The Empire of Barouk now stands alone as the sole member of the Federation.”

  “What about Spino?” asked the colonel. “I thought they were still a member.”

  “Not really,” replied Clint. “King Samuel might not have notified the emperor yet because there are still ten thousand soldiers in Valdo sworn to Grand General Kyrga. It would hardly be prudent for Samuel to make such a
statement until the 35th Corps leaves the city.”

  Colonel Taerin nodded. “That will be tomorrow morning,” he declared. “The message Kyrga is sending is to call all of the Federation soldiers to Despair to defend against some Occan army. Does any of this make sense to you?”

  “A great deal of sense,” admitted Clint, “but the army coming this way is not just Occan. King Arik is leading the army himself, and it includes the Alcean Rangers and the Red Swords. Despair will not withstand its fury, and your city will not receive any reinforcements.”

  “But the troops from Valdo will surely get here first,” the colonel frowned in confusion.

  “There will be no help from Valdo,” stated Clint. “The 16th Corps will not leave the city, and the 35th Corps will not survive the journey. No one is coming to save your false emperor, Taerin. You do realize now that he is not your father, don’t you?”

  “Everything points to that,” admitted Colonel Taerin, “but I cannot help myself. Every time I see him, my heart hopes that he still exists inside somewhere.”

  “I am sorry, Taerin,” Clint replied sympathetically, “but that is not possible. If we could get the mage portraying your father to cast a single spell, the truth would appear for you to see. I am working on arranging just that. If you see that for yourself, will you then believe me?”

  “I would have no choice,” sighed the colonel, “but what would I do then? Grand General Kyrga would seek to kill me if I tried to claim the throne. So would General Brennus, as he is sworn to Kyrga.”

  “What about the leader of your home guard?” asked Clint.

  “General Hartz commands the 3rd Corps,” answered Colonel Taerin. “He is in charge of the Imperial Palace. He would stand by me, but I cannot reveal myself to him until my father is proven dead. Besides, we still have not identified the noble seeking to seize the throne. For me to declare myself before that happens would be suicide.”

  “We are working on that,” replied Clint. “In fact, we are close to finding out who he is. What would General Hartz say if I told him of my suspicions about the emperor?”

  “I think you should not,” warned the colonel. “As the protector of the Imperial Palace, he would never take your word over the emperor’s.”

  “Then he must be present at the unveiling of the black-cloak,” nodded Clint.

  “Why?” questioned the heir.

  “Because all we will have left when the false emperor is uncloaked is a mage,” explained general Forshire. “We have no idea where they might have disposed of your father’s body.”

  “Are you saying that what sits in the emperor’s office is not my father’s body?” puzzled Colonel Taerin. “I thought you said a mage had taken over his body.”

  “That is not how the spell works,” replied Clint. “I am not the right person to explain it, but think of it as an illusion. Yet it is more than that, but your father’s body is not being used.”

  A moment of silence fell over the two men and then suddenly Clint’s eyes widened.

  “They haven’t disposed of your father’s body,” he stated excitedly. “They need it. Without proof that the emperor is dead, the usurper cannot claim the throne. Where could they hide it?”

  Colonel Taerin sighed. “Perhaps it is hidden the same place that you have hidden my family. How can I trust you when you hold such important information from me. How do I know that they are safe?”

  “I am sorry, Taerin,” Clint replied. “I could not tell you before because it might have started the war too early, but I can tell you now. Your mother and sisters are living in Herinak Castle.”

  “They are captives of the Koroccans?” scowled the colonel.

  “No, Taerin,” Clint replied calmly. “They are guests of the Koroccans. There is an entire level of the castle that is off limits for all Koroccans save a few that need access. It is on that level that Queen Romani, King Myer, King Harold, and King Samuel lived through the winter. None of them were prisoners, and neither is your family. It was never meant for them to go there, but the Badgers attacked my men. I entrusted a friend with getting your family to safety, and he knew that they would be safe there. The bad part of it was that once they were there, they had to remain until the war was over. If the emperor found out where they were, the Federation would have attacked the horse countries. We could not let that happen.”

  “And the good part is that the Badgers could not find them,” nodded the colonel. “I understand your caution now. Thank you for keeping them safe.”

  “I am more concerned now with keeping you safe,” frowned General Forshire. “If you cannot rely on General Hartz until the imposter is exposed, you do not have any friends in this palace. That worries me.”

  “And me,” agreed the heir. “Did Donil tell you that I inadvertently revealed myself to him?”

  “He did not,” answered Clint. “He didn’t have to. If I can get the A Corps onto the palace grounds, will you accept their protection?”

  “The worst thing I could do right now is to be seen as someone who needs protection,” the colonel shook his head. “Besides, you could not get the A Corps into Despair, never mind onto the palace grounds.”

  “I can get them here,” smiled Clint, “and they would not follow you around. They would remain in the old barracks beyond the gardens. If you felt threatened, you could join with them there, and they will spend their lives protecting you. They would also attack the palace if you were seized by Kyrga or the false emperor.”

  “The A Corps would do that for me?” frowned the colonel. “Why?”

  “Because they would do anything for me,” replied General Forshire. “The only problem I foresee is explaining their presence on the grounds now that the elves have surrounded Despair. Would people believe you if you said that they have been here for weeks?”

  “No one goes near the old barracks,” answered Colonel Taerin. “Not even the patrols bother with that sector. It would be possible for them to go for weeks without being seen.”

  “Then the A Corps shall return to the grounds of the Imperial Palace,” General Forshire said with conviction. “I want you to think about the Imperial Palace and where they might hide your father’s body. You have access to everywhere in the palace. Should you find the body, we can act to remove the imposter from power.”

  “I will search for it,” frowned Colonel Taerin, “but I will move cautiously. There is still the matter of the noble behind the coup attempt. Bring me his name, or I will not be able to move forward.”

  Colonel Taerin rose and headed for the Imperial Palace. General Forshire watched him go and then moved quickly to the old barracks area. He entered the barracks that housed Colonel Donil and stared at the modification his colonel had made to the building. At the rear of the large room stood a newly built closet.

  “You should rig up a curtain line to hide the closet,” General Forshire suggested. “There might not be many people who would question the addition, but Colonel Taerin certainly would, and he is about to get very curious about how two thousand men suddenly appeared on the grounds of the Imperial Palace.”

  “Didn’t you just tell him that the men were coming?” frowned Colonel Donil.

  “Indeed I did,” answered General Forshire, “but I did not tell him that you found the Door he was looking for. His mind was focused on more important things, but that will not last forever. Find a way to hide it after the men come through.”

  Colonel Donil nodded, and General Forshire moved to the closet and opened the Door. He stepped through the Door and stood in the Royal Palace in Tagaret. Red Swords immediately surrounded him.

  “The time has come,” Clint said to the Red Swords. “I am about to move two thousand Federation soldiers through this Door and the other one. I have no doubts about their loyalty, but you might feel better if this location was immediately reinforced.”

  A Red Sword captain pointed at one of his men and snapped his finger. The chosen soldier turned and raced along a corridor to ge
t extra men.

  “Do you truly trust the men coming through the Doors?” asked the captain.

  “They have put their lives on the line for me,” answered Clint. “Besides, the king and queen are not in residence right now. There is little harm they could do.”

  The Red Sword captain nodded, and Clint stepped to the other Door in the room. He opened it and stepped through to Tarashin where dwarven warriors guarded the portals. Clint turned and looked around the chamber. All of the other Doors had drapes over them except the Door to Tyronia. He nodded in satisfaction.

  “It might be wise for you men to move back into the shadows so that you can still maintain a guard but not be seen by the men coming through,” Clint said to the dwarves. “Perhaps extinguish all of the torches but the one near the portal to Tagaret.”

  “Consider it done,” replied one of the dwarves. “How soon will the men be coming through?”

  “Within minutes,” Clint replied. “If you need longer to prepare, lock the Door until you are ready.”

  “We will be ready,” assured the dwarf. “Bring them through.”

  Clint nodded and stepped through the Door to Sidney’s estate just outside of Ur. He walked down the stairs and out the back door of the estate. Camped on the lawn of the estate were the men of the A Corps, and they all rose and stood stiffly as General Forshire exited the door and stood on the porch.

  “This is it, men,” General Forshire said loudly. “Within minutes you will be on the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Despair. I want to remind each of you that this is a dangerous mission. We will be confined to a small section of the palace grounds, and we must take every precaution not to be noticed. That is not to say that we attack anyone who notices us. They will not take us as a hostile force unless you allow them to. Be civil and be simple. Claim that you entered the grounds weeks ago and that you know nothing more. Refer any questions to me or one of our colonels.”