Alutar: The Great Demon

by Tuttle, Richard S.

  “General Forshire would have to be a fool not to invite the heir to such a spectacle,” smiled General Hartz, “and I do not take him for a fool. Look around you and tell me who doesn’t belong in this room. You were the only person out of place, Colonel. You were not invited, yet Forshire would not let you leave to carry my message. It does not take much of an imagination to understand why.”

  General Hartz dropped to one knee and bowed to Colonel Taerin. “I vow my service and protection, Taerin. How may I serve you?”

  “By standing up and not making a spectacle,” Taerin said softly. “Lord Kommoron has not been found yet. The identity of the heir must not be revealed.”

  “And Kyrga has escaped,” added Clint. “I think Brennus crawled out of the room, too. We are about to have a battle on our hands. The A Corps is guarding this room for now, but they cannot stand against Brennus alone.”

  General Hartz handed a piece of paper to Clint. “Have one of your men find these officers and send them to me,” he said. “I know that I can trust each of them. They will gather men to hold the palace against attack.”

  Clint took the paper and ran off.

  “Trying to defend the throne room is not the wisest of choices,” stated Colonel Taerin. “It allows too many attackers to gather near the point of action. We should retreat to a safer area.”

  “The emperor’s suite?” suggested the general. “Besides, neither Kyrga nor Brennus know the identity of the heir. You should be able to walk around the palace unmolested.”

  “You figured it out,” frowned Taerin. “I cannot take the chance that Kyrga has not also figured it out. We have to find Lord Kommoron and put an end to this coup.”

  Clint ran across the room and halted by the heir.

  “Brennus is pulling his men off of the city wall,” Clint reported. “It looks like they plan to attack the palace. Kyrga is already rounding up his forces. The A Corps is holding them off so far, but they will be quickly outnumbered. We need to get you somewhere safer, Taerin.”

  “Let’s go out through the door behind the throne,” suggested the heir. “We can move through seldom used corridors to get upstairs.”

  Clint whistled loudly, and Colonel Donil stuck his head into the room. He ran across the room to stand before Clint.

  “We are moving Taerin to the emperor’s quarters,” Clint stated. “I want you to lead a squad and go with him. Gather them now. You will be leaving through a different door.”

  Colonel Donil ran off and Clint turned to General Hartz.

  “General, I need your soldiers to appear different in some way from the other Federation soldiers,” Clint said. “We don’t want to be killing each other.”

  “I understand,” nodded the general. “I will have my men tear the sleeves off their uniforms. Your men should do the same.”

  “Alright,” agreed Clint, “but only below the patches. I will not trust any men from the 36th Corps, and I want to be able to identify them.”

  “Agreed,” the general said quickly as Colonel Donil led twenty men into the room.

  Clint turned to Taerin as Colonel Donil and his squad arrived.

  “With Brennus pulling his men off the wall,” Clint said, “I am going to order my forces to attack them from behind. Do you agree with this?”

  Taerin nodded aggressively. “I do,” he answered. “You have proved yourself many times over, Forshire. I believe that what you have told me in the past is true, and I believe that your intentions for my future are in the best interests of the people of Barouk. Do what you must to end this situation.”

  Chapter 49

  The Imperial Palace

  Colonel Donil sent two of his men into the emperor’s suite to check it out. While he awaited their return, he had the rest of his squad form a shield wall in front of the door. As soon as he was sure that the suite was empty, he ushered Taerin and General Hartz inside.

  “What did Forshire mean?” asked General Hartz. “If his men are defending the palace, how can he also attack the 36th Corps from behind?”

  “Forshire is an Alcean,” declared Taerin.

  “What?” gasped the general. “You are letting an Alcean attack this city?”

  “Would you prefer that we turn Despair over to the likes of Kyrga?” retorted the heir. “Look, General,” he continued, “the Alceans have tried to save as many lives as they could in this war. It was the Federation that attacked their homeland, and we did so with murderous intent. They responded by helping the indigenous peoples of Zara to throw off our ruinous rule. They were able to do so because the Alceans are not intent on conquering us. They are intent on bringing peace to the world. They will not pillage and burn this city. They will destroy the 36th Corps and any other Federation soldiers that Kyrga can draw to his side.”

  “And the killing of your fellow Baroukans by Alceans is alright with you?” countered the general.

  Taerin sighed. “It is my fault really,” he said wearily. “The Alceans have tried to get me to change things here in Despair, but I refused. I kept hoping that my father still existed under the veneer that the black-cloak held. If I had not demanded proof of their words, we would not be facing this battle today.”

  General Hartz also sighed. “I, too, am guilty of demanding proof before I would take action,” admitted the general. “Forshire came to me with his allegations. I nearly reported him to Jaar. I am glad that I did not. Still, it does not seem right to allow foreigners to kill our people.”

  “They are only killing people that you want dead,” Colonel Donil interjected. “If you want to look at this fairly, he is actually saving the lives of Baroukans.”

  General Hartz turned and stared at the A Corps colonel. “How can you say that?” he asked.

  “Some of the Alceans who attack the 36th Corps will die, General,” Colonel Donil pointed out. “If the Alceans did not attack, your own men would be dying instead to accomplish the same goal. How many of your loyal men will be alive tomorrow because the Alceans are bringing the battle to the 36th Corps and not your 3rd Corps?”

  General Hartz raised an eyebrow and eventually nodded in understanding. “But what about the civilians?” he asked.

  “They will not be harmed,” Taerin replied with confidence. “Nor will your men with torn sleeves. Have faith in Forshire, General. I do.”

  “Speaking of torn sleeves,” frowned the general. “If you are comfortable with your security here, I should get down and lead my men.”

  The heir nodded and General Hartz slipped out of the room. He retraced his steps back to the throne room and found a group of his colonels waiting for him. He moved quickly to them and started issuing orders to secure the Imperial Palace. On the other side of the room, Garth, Kalina, and Zack Nolan stood huddled around Lord Kimner.

  “You need to take Lord Kimner up to the emperor’s suite,” Garth said to Zack. “Get one of Clint’s men to carry the chair for you.”

  “And stay there with him,” added Kalina. “It is the safest place for him to be right now, and your help might be needed up there.”

  “It is the very place where I received my infirmity,” replied the old lord. “It is as fitting a place to die as any. You, Lord Zachary, promised me that I would get to meet Forkuna’s grandson. Where is he?”

  “He is waiting for us upstairs,” smiled Zack. “You will meet him shortly.”

  Garth nodded to Lord Kimner and then led Kalina out of the throne room. Bodies littered the floor outside the throne room, but the fight had moved on. Garth told one of Clint’s men guarding the door that his help was needed inside the throne room. The man merely looked at Garth and stood unmoving.

  “I am a Knight of Alcea,” Garth explained. “There is no reason to guard this door anymore.”

  The A Corps soldier’s eyes widened at Garth’s admission, but it told the soldier what he needed to know. The man was a friend of General Forshire’s. He nodded and moved into the throne room. Garth turned to Kalina before moving away from
the throne room.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked. “Do you need a rest?”

  “I am a little sore from hitting the wall,” answered Kalina, “but otherwise I am fine. Where are we needed?”

  “General Forshire is leading the men towards the front of the palace,” stated the remaining guard. “If I am no longer needed here, I can guide you.”

  “Lead the way,” Garth replied with a smile. “From what I have heard, I should be proud to be in the company of the A Corps.”

  The soldier grinned. “We’re misfits, Sir.”

  “Aren’t we all,” chuckled Garth as they ran through the corridors towards the front doors.

  When they reached the huge lobby that sat before the main doors of the palace, they saw the bulk of the A Corps. The floor of the lobby was littered with bodies. Clint’s men were beating off attackers at each window, but the fighting at the doors was the center of the action. The enemy had managed to gain a foothold inside the doors, a large bulge inside the room that threatened to burst the defensive line, and the A Corps was trying to force them back out. Clint stood in the center of it all, his sword dripping blood. Garth and his escort raced forward and threw themselves into the fray. Clint saw them arrive.

  “We need to get the doors closed,” he called to Garth. “Come stand by my side.”

  Garth immediately complied and was soon standing alongside the general of the A Corps. Together they stood at the very head of the bulge, striving to move forward, but the enemy was pouring through the doors so fast that the dead were being replaced as soon as they fell.

  “This is a losing strategy,” Garth said as his sword cut down two attackers at once. “They have enough men to continue the charge long after we are too tired to fight.”

  “That will change,” promised Clint as he sliced into an enemy soldier. “The thieves have already opened the gates for the elves, and units of the 3rd Corps will be reinforcing us soon. I told General Hartz to secure the rest of the palace first, but he will send what is left over up here to help us. If we can get the doors closed, the tide will change.”

  Garth speared an enemy soldier who had tried to leap over a body and break through the defensive line. Garth pulled his sword free of the body and looked down at the growing pile of bodies before him. He smiled grimly as an idea formed in his mind. He sent his thoughts to Kalina and then spoke to Clint.

  “We need to quickly yield the head of this bulge to the enemy, while preserving the sides,” Garth explained. “Pass the word to the men on your side, and I will do the same to those on my side. They need to move on your command.”

  “To what end?” frowned Clint.

  “Kalina stands behind us,” grinned Garth. “We need to be out of her way.”

  Clint asked no further questions. He passed the word to his right, and Garth passed it to his left. A moment later, Clint shouted the command to move aside. As the defenders raced to the sidelines, a powerful wind slammed into the head of the attacking force. The wind blew dead bodies and live attackers alike and propelled them all out the door. Kalina had to restrict the wind to a very narrow corridor so some enemy soldiers were still along the sidelines inside the palace, but the A Corps took advantage of the wind. If they could not immediately kill their opponents, Clint’s soldiers merely had to push them into the wind tunnel. Within seconds the lobby was free of the enemy. Sleeveless soldiers rushed to push the doors closed, and Kalina swiftly dropped her spell to avoid blowing the doors off their hinges. Some of the A Corps soldiers shouted in victory, but most of them sighed with relief as the strain of battle was momentarily suspended. Unexpectedly, fireballs streamed through several of the windows. The A Corps soldiers protecting those windows were sent flying, their bodies on fire.

  “Swordsmen away from the windows,” shouted General Forshire. “Archers defend the windows from a distance. Let no one in.”

  “Some of you men get buckets of water,” Garth said to the soldiers around him as he sheathed his sword. “The fires will need to be controlled.” Garth turned to Clint. “Kalina and I are going up to the roof,” he said. “I will need a bow and arrows.”

  Clint nodded and ordered one of his men to give his bow and arrows to the Knight of Alcea.

  “I will try to target their mages from above,” Kalina said to Clint. “I should be able to draw their attention away from the windows.”

  “The roof is not safe,” Clint responded. “It is pitched too steeply, but there is an excellent balcony on the third floor. Do you need to be higher than that?”

  Kalina frowned. “I will have to add a physical shield to protect us from arrows, but we will survive.”

  “Let’s go,” Garth said with a sense of urgency as more fireballs flew through the windows.

  The two Knights of Alcea turned and ran for the stairs. When they reached the third floor, they turned towards the front of the palace. Their footsteps echoed off the walls of the empty corridor, almost masking the sounds of swords being drawn from their sheaths. Garth instinctively slowed before the turn in the corridor and handed his bow to Kalina. He grabbed two Lanoirian stars from a pouch and stepped into the intersection. Two soldiers stood before a door a dozen paces away. Both of the soldiers held their swords ready, and neither of them had torn sleeves. Garth did not hesitate. He let the stars fly and drew his sword as he raced towards them. Both soldiers dropped to the floor, but only one of them was dead. Garth brought his sword down on the wounded soldier before slowly opening the door and slipping into the office. No one was in the office, but there was another door in the room. He moved cautiously across the floor and opened the other door. The room was empty, and there was a door to a balcony. Garth threw it open.

  “That was Kyrga’s office we just passed through,” Kalina said as she stepped into the second room. “That is why it was guarded.”

  “That fact that the guards were still at their post indicates that Kyrga did not come this way when he fled the throne room,” Garth replied. “Set up your shields for the balcony. I want to have a look below.”

  Kalina nodded. “You will not be able to shoot straight down,” she warned. “The physical shield will cover the bottom of the balcony and angle outward to waist level. You will have to shoot over it. If we get a lot of soldiers shooting at us, you can step back a pace for complete protection.”

  Garth nodded as they stepped out onto the balcony. No one below seemed to notice them, but Garth knew that would change after his first shot. His eyes scanned over the thousands of soldiers massed before the Imperial Palace.

  “There are two sets of black-cloaks,” he said to Kalina. “I will attack the four on our left. You get the four on our right.”

  “Wait,” Kalina said quickly. “Your first arrow or my first spell will alert them to our presence. Get your arrows ready, and I will tumble them. We will have a short window to attack before they recover.”

  “Won’t they feel your spell building?” asked Garth.

  “Not with ten thousand men stomping around them,” answered Kalina. “I will let the spell build at the extreme edge of the crowd and move it when the time is right. It will catch them unawares. Trust me.”

  “You know that I do,” grinned Garth. “Work your magic, witch.”

  “I will make you pay for that later,” chuckled Kalina as she focused on the edge of the gathering below.

  Garth extracted five arrows from the quiver and placed them on the railing of the balcony as he carefully watched his set of black-cloaks below. Without any visible signs of warning, the ground below rumbled. Thousands of men fell to the ground. The black-cloaks were among them. Garth fired his arrows as quickly as he could, peripherally aware of the fire spewing forth from Kalina’s hands next to him. He heard shouts from below as people realized where the threat was coming from, but he did not let the noise distract him.

  “Back!” Kalina shouted.

  Garth instantly obeyed as arrows bounced off the invisible shield at the level of his knees
. Only one arrow rose above the physical shield and it slammed harmlessly into the palace wall above his head. Garth glanced down at the black-cloaks. He had succeeded in getting all of his, and his eyes moved to the right. Where Kalina’s black-cloaks had been, there was a cloud of smoke rising from a tangle of black cloth.

  “The elves,” Kalina said softly as she nodded towards the city.

  Garth looked farther out and saw thousands of elves racing towards the palace. He smiled broadly. Shouts of alarm rippled through the crowd below as the elves engaged the soldiers. The long reach of the elven arrows stirred a panic among the Federation attackers as they realized that they were trapped between two enemy forces. Those nearest the palace drove their swords into the ground and begged for entrance into the palace, but the doors were not opened. Those nearest the elves either charged the elves or tried to flee. None of them attempted to surrender, and none of those charging the elves even got close. The rain of elven arrows was like a scythe mowing down unruly weeds.

  “They fear the elves more than Clint’s men,” noted Kalina.

  “And rightfully so,” nodded Garth. “They do not know if the elves will respect their surrender. Can you magnify my voice?”

  Kalina nodded.

  “Kneel and live!” Garth shouted over and over, his voice carrying through the air like thunder.

  It took a while for the message to be believed, but slowly the Federation soldiers complied. It started with those closest to the palace and spread outward. Those facing the elves proved to be more hesitant than the others, but once the elven arrows flew past some kneeling soldiers without them being targeted, the others quickly dropped to their knees. The battle was over.

  * * * *

  The assemblage in the emperor’s office was already large when General Hartz entered the room.

  “The Imperial Palace is secure,” General Hartz reported, “as is the city. We will have no more trouble.”

  “What of Grand General Kyrga, General Brennus, and Lord Kommoron?” asked Clint.