“What?” Mestel could not believe these words were coming out of his brother’s mouth.
“You wanted so badly to go to Locus instead of Jewlian, and now we are here. Just like you wanted.”
“Brother, you know I would never do anything like that.”
“Do I? You were the last one to go into the portal. Why did you linger? Why did it take you so long to enter the portal? You held the rest of us up. If you had entered the portal when it was first created, like the rest of us did, we would be standing at the gates to Jewlian right now.”
“I wanted to help the angel. I didn’t just want to leave him there to fend for himself.”
“What do you think you could have done? The angel has the power of the heavens.”
“So do I, damn it.” Just then, a bolt of lightning and thunder crashed to the earth a few hundred feet away. Mestel knew he had said too much. He took the thunder to mean that Martel was displeased with what he had just said. It was not his place to proclaim his power to everyone. He needed to show wisdom that others would want to follow, not brag about his heavenly powers with his brother and closest friends. That would only create jealousy and resentment, and those were not traits that anyone would follow.
After the thunder died down, Mestel continued more cautiously. “I was drawn to the heavenly power on display and I didn’t want anything to happen to the angel. But I was wrong – I should have followed the rest of you into the portal.”
Xander said, “Damn right you should have. What were you …”
Xander stopped speaking as Evisar thrust his hand in the air. “What’s done is done. If that is Guard Tower we see off in the distance, then it is on the way to Jewlian. Since we all look like humans, we should be able to pass through Locus looking for Faye. If there is no sign of the girl, then we are heading to Jewlian and the two of you can do what you like. Mestel looked at Ellen and nodded at his brother. Everyone mounted his horse and marched toward Locus.
Chapter 90: Chance Meeting
As the Army of Kentar moved from Jewlian to Locus, Jon spent most of the three-day trip riding alongside General Donell. There were a number of people on the General’s command staff, but Jon seemed to be his favorite. He couldn’t say why, but Jon and the General rode side by side all three days discussing tactics, asking about each other’s career, and swapping stories their parents told them about elves, who until very recently had been mythical. Jon legitimately liked the man, and the General was well respected by the troops who walked beside him, but Jon could already see weaknesses in his leadership. General Donell was steadfast in his belief that the upcoming war with the elves was justified and righteous. It was Jon’s belief that the General would make whatever sacrifices were necessary to see justice done and would be unwilling to compromise under any circumstance. He had a strategy for finding and engaging the elves, and Jon feared he would stick to his well-laid plan regardless of circumstance.
A well-planned strategy was important, but Jon learned long ago that the best-laid battle plans seldom survived first contact with the enemy. It was a leader’s ability to think quickly under pressure that defined victory or defeat. The General had a long list of victories to his name, and maybe in his other conflicts he had not been so singularly driven, but this march was a crusade for him. He was going to make the elves answer for what they had done or die trying. Jon thought that with such an unbending will that it was far more likely his troops would do the dying long before the general who urged them on.
As the main force of the army approached Locus, the General sent riders to the armies at Guard Tower and Goldguard with instructions to begin their advance as soon as possible. The riders were then instructed to return to Locus so General Donell would know the orders had been given, thus leaving nothing to chance.
As the gates of Locus came into view on the horizon, Jon and the General road toward the head of the column and arrived just as they reached the southwest gate. The city looked just as Jon remembered. The Basilica of Fortuna rose high into the air and was clearly visible in the heart of the city. The fifteen-foot high wall and thirty-foot wide oak gate looked just as imposing as it had the first time. Jon couldn’t help but think back to the set of horrible circumstances that had led him to Locus just a few moons ago. That had been a desperate situation, but this time it was different. This time he was traveling in force, with the full weight of Kentar behind him.
General Donell had sent word to Locus of their imminent arrival, so the guards opened the gates wide at their approach. Jon led the way into the city with the General and his staff close behind. Jon rode his horse through the gates and happened to see that the soldier holding open the left-hand gate was one of his veteran troopers from Endwood. Not only that, but he was the very soldier who met the elves when they first approached the gates of Endwood.
Jon pulled his horse over to the side and came to a stop. The guard holding the gate looked up. Recognition immediately came to the soldier’s face and he asked, “Captain Campbell, never thought I would set eyes on you again. How have you been?”
Jon could not help but smile in return despite the seriousness of the situation and his station in the army. “Hard to say, Corporal Darron, hard to say. How are you faring these days?”
“Never better. Never better.”
Jon watched Corporal Darron closely. Although he sounded jolly and full of good cheer, it was not difficult to tell that he was anything but.
Jon said, “Is there anyone else around that traveled with us from Endwood? It would be nice to meet later for a drink and talk about old times.”
Darron did not seem to know what Jon was getting at, so he responded matter of factly, with a questioning tone. “Aye, sir.” He turned around and pointed directly behind him. “Able Adam, David, and Larry the Loon are right over there.”
Jon waved at the three veterans as he got off his horse and moved farther over to the side. The General’s army continued to file into the city four abreast, marching in step to a drummer’s beat. The first of the soldiers moved down the main road and turned out of view, while the line of soldiers moving into the city stretched off to the horizon. Between the talking guards, the neighing of the horses, and the stomping of the never-ending line of soldiers, Jon figured he could chance a secret discussion with one of his most reliable troopers.
“Darron, what is really going on here?”
The Corporal leaned in and said, “I wouldna’ say this in front of anyone but you, sir, but being stationed in this city is like being stationed in one of the seven hells.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well sir, I hate to speak ill of my superiors, but Captain Marc just ain’t a good officer, and the other officers follow his lead. He sees lies and conspiracies everywhere. He has everyone wound up as tight as a coiled snake before it strikes.” The Corporal looked from side to side before continuing. “I ain’t saying he’s far off the mark, sir, but there’s no doubt he’s gone `round the bend. We lose one or two troopers a night to the Talon Thieves Guild. They run this city, ain’t no mistaking that fact, but the Captain dismisses or jails more than that on account of his paranoia. I’ve been sticking up for what I know is right and the Guild has tried to buy me off twice now. Truth is, sir, if I keep going the way I am, I’m going to end up with my face down in a gutter, and that’s a fact. Something’s got to give. I haven’t been here long, but everyone thinks the Guild is acting strangely. Even the veterans. They’re moving faster and more boldly than ever before, taking over parts of the city that used to be solidly under our control.”
This wasn’t particularly shocking, but it was very disturbing that the Guild was taking new territory. “Hmm, surely the Guild won’t do anything while the army is stationed here?”
“I’m sure you’re right, Captain. They’ll lay low until after the army has moved on, and then they’ll go back to pushin’ us around.”
Jon nodded his head in understanding. He looked to the left and then
to the right as he thought about what to do next. He didn’t want one of his best veterans to end up dead with an assassin’s blade sticking out of his back, nor the three soldiers behind him. As Jon looked to the right, his eyes found Captain Marc, the garrison commander of Locus, waiting off to the side for a chance to meet General Donell. He stared at Captain Marc for another moment and made up his mind then and there.
He turned back to Darron and said, “Let me see what I can do, Corporal.”
Corporal Darron smiled and said, “Very good, sir.”
Jon looked at how far behind him the General was and waited until he felt the timing was right. Then he dismounted and led his horse fifty feet farther down the road, stopping ten feet away from Captain Marc. The man had not changed since their last encounter. He still looked dim witted, tired, and portly. Captain Marc finished a conversation he was having with two of his subordinates and turned back to watch the army filing in through his gates. The smile immediately left his face as he spotted and recognized Jon.
Jon moved closer with his horse so that no one else would overhear their conversation. “Captain Marc, so good to see you again. How have you been?”
“I was doing fine until I saw your ugly mug. What do you want this time?”
Jon was happy to get to the point. “I want to take four of my veteran troopers back under my command when we leave Locus two days from now.”
“Haven’t we been over this, Captain? I’m the senior officer here. You don’t have the authority to take anything. Unless you want to pull your sword out again and threaten me in front of all these witnesses, I suggest you fall back in line with your soldiers.”
Jon knew Captain Marc was right, but there was one thing he wasn’t taking into account. “I’m sorry. Did I say I was taking them under my command? What I meant to say was that General Donell was taking them under his command.”
The garrison commander clenched his teeth, but otherwise remained silent.
“The General personally requested that I find replacements for four men who returned to Jewlian because they caught the Orc’s flu. The replacements I have chosen are the four men off to the left who were with me at Endwood.”
Jon looked away from Captain Marc and saw General Donell riding by on his horse at just the right instant.
Jon said loudly for all to hear, “General, Captain Marc of the Locus Garrison has graciously agreed to let me take four of my Endwood veterans and place them under your command when we leave Locus as replacements for the four soldiers we had to send back to Jewlian earlier yesterday.”
The General stopped his horse. Jon gave him an unspoken look that said back me up here. General Donell kept his face passively neutral, obviously trying to figure out just what Jon was planning.
After a moment’s hesitation he said, “That is good news, Captain. See to the details.”
Jon saluted the General and his commanding officer returned the salute. “Yes, sir.” He turned back to Captain Marc and extended his hand. As Captain Marc took the extended hand, Jon declared loudly, “Thank you, Captain. It isn’t just anyone who would give up four good soldiers for the good of the Kingdom.”
This time, Captain Marc actually did smile. “Good luck to you, Captain.”
And with that, the second confrontation with the Captain of the Locus Garrison was over. The army held up at Locus for the rest of that day, and the next, choosing to leave at first light on the third day.
As sunrise came on the third day, the General gave orders for the army to head out through the northern gate and it was up to the officers to carry it out. The army was already well underway by the time the sun was up over the distant hills. Jon rode out in the middle of the line and looked back just in time to see Locus pass out of sight over the horizon. Jon was a little surprised they were heading north, so he rode up alongside the General’s horse. “General, why did you decide to take the army north? I thought the idea was to head east and search what remains of Endwood.”
“Of course, Captain, we will be there soon enough, but in the art of war one should try to be unpredictable where possible. Going north serves two purposes. First, if our enemy knew our location they will expect us to leave Locus and travel in a straight line toward Endwood. By coming at the logging town from a different direction, and later than anticipated, we may be giving ourselves an advantage.”
Jon nodded his head. “And the second reason?”
“Marching north puts us closer to the army setting out from Guard Tower. Attacking the elves from three directions has its advantages, but also a few disadvantages. You and I are leading the strongest of the three Armies, the one led by General Tomal out of Goldguard is the second strongest, and the one out of Guard Tower is the weakest. I want to be closer to our smallest army in case they call for assistance.”
Jon nodded his head again. The two rode in silence for a while until General Donell said, “I almost forgot. I wanted to ask you what was going on with Captain Marc as we entered Locus? As far as I know, none of our soldiers went back to Jewlian due to illness, and I know I didn’t order four replacements from the Locus garrison.”
Jon shifted in his seat uncomfortably. In truth, he had hoped the General would forget about the incident at the gate, but he supposed this was just as well. “I want to thank you for backing my decision, but I’m afraid I have to throw myself at your mercy.”
“Just tell me what happened.”
“Captain Marc is an egotistical prick who doesn’t know how to enforce law and order in a city like Locus.”
“That much I know. Now tell me why we had to take four of his men?”
“They were my men!” Jon couldn’t help but get defensive. “All four of them are veterans of Endwood and all four of them made the march across the frontier after the logging town was abandoned. I ran into Corporal Darron at the gate where he made it clear that his life was in danger.”
“How so?”
“As a high-quality soldier who can’t be bribed – he made it clear to me that the Talon Thieves Guild would kill him sooner rather than later. Knowing we could use his first-hand experience in the days to come and knowing he is a first-class soldier, I made the decision to take him and his three friends with us. I knew Captain Marc wouldn’t let them go without a fight since he has seniority over me, so I timed that part of our discussion to coincide with your arrival.”
General Donell seemed genuinely amused. “How did you know I would pass by at the correct time? I might have been delayed for any number of reasons or Captain Marc could have gotten to the point more quickly than you anticipated?”
Jon smiled back. “You don’t get to be a Captain in the Kentarian Army without a little bit of wisdom and a lot of intuition.”
The General smiled in good humor. “Except in the case of Captain Marc, it would seem. That’s fine, Captain. I’m glad I could help. I’m sure your veterans will be valuable. In fact, I wouldn’t mind discussing the Locus situation with them.”
“Are you afraid the Talon Guild is growing too bold?”
“Too bold by half. They have always controlled Locus; that’s not a secret. But just last night I received word that the treasurer of the city was recently murdered, and that Locus is now refusing to pay its rightful taxes to the Crown. Ordinarily, I would stay in Locus to deal with the situation myself, but with the campaign against the elves about to start, I dare not divide my attention.”
Jon nodded his head. What the General said made perfect sense, but it seemed quite a coincidence to him that Locus, controlled by the Talon Guild, should refuse to pay its rightful taxes just after the issue with the elves had come bubbling to the surface.
“Would you like me to get Corporal Darron and his three friends and bring them to you?”
“Yes, see to it, Captain Campbell. We have several days of travel in front of us, and I need to keep my third eye on the Talon Guild.”
“Yes, General.”
Jon kicked his horse in the ribs to bring it
up to a canter. He moved leisurely up the line of soldiers looking for his friend. The main body of the army was moving rank and file north across the countryside, but General Donell had sentry units placed up and down both flanks as far as the eye could see, and a rearguard protecting their back. Jon had no doubt they took up a good amount of countryside as they moved toward the frontier.
Corporal Darron could have been anywhere in the moving mass of men, but Jon remembered that he was stationed in the vanguard today, so he continued his canter and moved up the line. As he approached the head of the army, he saw a group of six riders galloping down the road as fast as their steeds would carry them. Jon watched with interest as the group rode headlong toward the front of the army and only pulled up at the last instant. The group of six began talking to Corporal Darron and his men, but Jon could not hear what was being said with all the noise around him.
He began to hear bits and pieces as he rode closer, that is, until Corporal Darron’s voice rose above the din. “I donna’ give a dragon’s bottom what you say you’re doin’. You can’t ride through our lines. Ya’ll have to ride around.”
One of the men, carrying a fine-looking sword by his side, said, “We don’t have time to ride around your army. This woman’s daughter was kidnapped, and the kidnapper is taking the girl directly to Locus in order to hand her over to the Talon Guild. We’re close on his heels, but if we have to go around your line we’ll never catch him in time.”
Jon could see the conversation was going in the wrong direction and raised his voice as he approached. “Darron!” Jon quickly closed the distance and said, “What is going on here? Report.”
“Ah, yes sir. They claim to be in some distress. Apparently, this woman’s daughter was stolen and they are trying to catch up with the one who did the stealing. They want to pass through our army rather than go around. I was just explaining to them how that was impossible and that they would have to go around for security reasons.”
Do the Gods Give Us Hope? Page 12