“Well,” smiled General Antero, “I could hardly expect you to say anything different, but the truth will come out soon enough. The real test of any army is in combat. Be careful that your men don’t bolt at the first sign of trouble.”
“I have taught my men to act as if I was always watching them, General,” Clint replied with a slight smile. “Turn around and gaze upon the escorting squads on this ship and tell me what you see?”
General Antero frowned in puzzlement, but he turned around and gazed upon the squads of soldiers escorting their generals. Most of the soldiers were sprawled out on the deck or clumped together playing games of chance. One squad stood out from the rest. The squad from A Corp stood alert about twenty paces away from General Forshire as if awaiting a command from their leader. General Antero shook his head and turned back to look at Clint.
“You are too hard on your men, General Forshire. We are in no risk of attack on this ship.”
“That is not the point,” Clint responded. “A soldier’s duty is to always be prepared. When they are off duty, they can do as they please, as long as they do not besmirch the name of the A Corps, but when they are on duty, they will behave so. I do not look upon soldiering as a hobby. It is a profession, and I expect my men to treat it as such.”
“And they do not complain?” asked General Marashef.
“Not to me,” grinned Clint. “These men will have ample time off during the celebration, but they are on duty until I am safely escorted to the Imperial Palace.”
“I am impressed,” admitted General Antero, “but as I said before, only in combat will the truth be known.”
“There is the palace,” pointed General Marashef. “I guess it is time to round up my own men. I can’t wait to get some solid land under my feet again.”
General Marashef left the rail, and General Antero soon followed. Clint walked over to his men and spoke softly to Colonel Donil.
“We are almost there. Remember to keep Kent in the barracks. I don’t want Kyrga to see him. Use the rest of the men to find out whatever you can. Mix with the other escorts and learn anything and everything that is possible to learn.”
“It shall be as you wish,” frowned the colonel, “but it would help if you could narrow down what it is we are seeking to learn.”
“I won’t know what is valuable until I hear it,” answered Clint. “Just mix and listen. Every one of these other generals is a possible threat to me. Find out everything you can. I will meet with you nightly to discuss what you have learned.”
An hour later the ship pulled alongside one of the docks at the Imperial Palace. As the different delegations disembarked, a soldier was assigned to show the escorts to barracks and another soldier escorted each general to his room. Supervising the entire welcoming party was Colonel Taerin. He efficiently directed the palace soldiers and as soon as the ship was empty, it pulled away from the dock to make room for the next ship. Colonel Taerin greeted each general by name. He offered a slight smile when he greeted Clint, but he quickly moved onward to the next general. Unknown to Clint, Colonel Taerin recognized Captain Kent, but he kept his knowledge from showing.
Clint walked towards the palace in between General Marashef and General Antero. Their conversation was lighthearted, and their mood was jovial. It painted a picture of familiarity and acceptance of General Forshire to the Grand General who was covertly watching from a balcony. Once inside the palace, the three generals split up as their escorts guided them to their private quarters. As soon as Clint’s escort was gone, the Ranger left his quarters and made his way to the emperor’s office. He took the servant corridors to avoid being seen, but he need not have bothered. So many people were flowing into the palace from land and sea that the place was in pandemonium. One of the emperor’s guards stuck his head in the door and announced General Forshire. Clint was immediately admitted into the emperor’s presence, but he waited for the door to close before speaking.
“I have distressing news to give,” Clint said as he bowed to the emperor.
“All news is depressing lately. What have you discovered?”
“The expedition into Elfwoods was led by Captain Kent of the city guard,” Clint revealed. “He was ordered to do it by Grand General Kyrga.”
“Kent admitted this?”
“He did. You should also know that Grand General Kyrga sneaks out of the palace at times to visit with K’san, the one here in Despair.”
“It is hardly an offense to visit a priest,” replied the emperor.
“K’san is no normal priest,” retorted Clint. “He is a demonkin, and you would be well advised to keep your distance from them.”
“I have a hard time believing in such nonsense.”
“I understood that from the first time we spoke, but I feel obliged to warn you anyway.”
Emperor Jaar broke eye contact with the general and stared at the wall for a moment. When he returned his gaze to Clint, his eyes held determination in them.
“It would appear that the Federation will soon be in need of a new Grand General. Had you not already stated that leading an army was your ultimate goal in life, you would be a likely candidate.”
The hairs on the back of Clint’s neck stood on end. To be placed in command of all of the armies of the Federation might allow him to call off the attack on Alcea. It was extremely tempting to accept the position, but there was danger in even appearing to want it. Clint dwelled on the offer for a moment and shook his head. If he did accept the position, he would never be allowed to cancel the invasion. Forces stronger than Emperor Jaar were driving the war.
“I have no desire to be Grand General of the Federation,” declared General Forshire. “I only wish to command my army and be given free reign to do so.”
“A wise answer,” smiled the emperor. “At least now I know that you are not framing Kyrga to take his place. You have done well, General Forshire. I have nothing further for you.”
Clint bowed and backed his way out of the office. Less than an hour later, Colonel Taerin entered the emperor’s office.
“You need to see me?” asked the colonel.
“How well did you know Captain Kent?” asked the emperor.
“Not well,” answered the colonel. “He seemed to be a decent captain of the guard, but that would not preclude nefarious activity. Why do you ask?”
“I was recently told that Captain Kent led the expedition into Elfwoods. I was also told that he named the Grand General as the person who ordered him to do so. I need to be sure of this information before I act.”
“Then I shall ask him,” offered the colonel.
“That might be difficult,” frowned the emperor. “The last I heard, he was in Olansk.”
“He is on the palace grounds,” revealed Colonel Taerin. “He came as part of the escort for General Forshire.”
“Did he?” brightened the emperor. “Find him and interrogate him. I need to know the truth of this matter. Do it quietly.”
Colonel Taerin left the emperor’s office and covertly exited the palace. He stealthily made his way to the barracks where the A Corps squad was housed. He entered the barracks to find two soldiers inside. One of them was Captain Kent, but he no longer wore the insignia of an officer. The other soldier jumped to his feet and saluted the colonel. Colonel Taerin looked at the soldier and nodded towards the door.
“Wait outside please.”
“I have orders to stay here,” protested the soldier.
“Then you will stay close to the barracks after you step outside,” retorted the colonel. When the soldier made no move to exit the building, the colonel narrowed his eyes. “I am on official business from the emperor. You will wait outside or you will find yourself back in prison.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the soldier nodded. “I will wait outside, but I will not allow you to take him out of this building. If that is your intent, you had better call the guards now.”
Colonel Taerin raised an eyebrow at the soldier�
�s loyalty to duty, but he nodded and waved the man out of the building. When he was alone with Kent he turned to look at him and found the former captain with his back against the wall. Fear was evident in his face, and the colonel knew why.
“I am not here to harm you, Kent. I am here to verify what was told to the emperor earlier today. Who ordered you to lead a party into Elfwoods?”
“I have nothing to say unless General Forshire is present.”
“You put a lot of trust in General Forshire?” the colonel asked in surprise. “Isn’t he the one who dragged you back here to Despair?”
“He didn’t drag me,” answered Kent. “He gave me the option. I chose to come back.”
“Why? If what I heard was true, you should want to be as far from here as possible.”
“I am officially dead,” answered Kent. “Or I should be. General Forshire promised me that.”
“Alright,” frowned the colonel, “but why would you come back then?”
“My family is here. I want to take them away with me. As soon as I can get out of here, you will never see me again.”
“I have no problem with that,” stated the colonel. “Has General Forshire agreed?”
“He has. He said the emperor might demand to speak to me, but right after that I would be free to go.”
“He has been honest with you,” stated the colonel. “The sooner you confirm for me what the general told the emperor, the sooner you are free to go.”
Captain Kent hesitated for a moment, but he had always known Colonel Taerin as a just man. He nodded in agreement.
“It was Grand General Kyrga who ordered the trip into Elfwoods. I was forbidden to discuss the orders even with my own men. The priest K’san actually gave all the orders.”
“And the elf women?”
“The priest took them. I do not know where they ended up.”
Colonel Taerin sighed heavily and stared at the floor.
“You aren’t here for Kyrga, are you?” Kent asked nervously.
“No, Kent. I have been honest with you. I am just thinking of the implications of what you have revealed. Things could get messy around here.”
“Remember your promise,” Kent pushed. “I didn’t come back to Despair to die again.”
“We will get you out of here safely,” the colonel promised. “I have to report back to the emperor to make sure he is satisfied before you disappear. I will be back later, and we can talk about your freedom.”
Colonel Taerin left the barracks and returned to the palace. He was well known by most of the generals and he suffered many interruptions before he was able sneak off to the emperor’s office. When he entered, he found Emperor Jaar impatient for the information.
“Well?”
“Captain Kent confirms that Grand General Kyrga ordered the entry into Elfwoods. K’san made all of the actual decisions, and the women were left with him. I am sure that Kent is being truthful.”
“I suspected as much,” sighed the emperor, “but I had to be certain. The Federation will have to have a new Grand General.” The emperor sighed again and shook his head. “I have been choosing them rather poorly, haven’t I? Who would you suggest?”
The colonel thought that a native Baroukan was best to fill the spot, and the empire had nine capable generals. He thought for a minute before answering.
“I would suggest General Ross.”
“Ross?” questioned the emperor. “I would have expected you to say Tauman or Fortella.”
“General Tauman is probably the best general the empire has,” reasoned the colonel, “but I can not see him as the new Grand General. His attitude of superiority would never allow him to say he was wrong, and worse, if his views differed from yours, he would try to ignore you. General Fortella is too close to Kyrga. I would not be surprised to find out that Fortella and Kyrga have violated other orders together. No, I think Ross would be loyal to the empire, you, and the Federation, in that order.”
“He would place the empire over me?” frowned the emperor.
“I think he would, and I see that as a strength. What I mean by that is that he would not be afraid to tell you when he thought you were wrong. I see that as a good quality.”
“Would he act against my wishes?”
“I do not think so,” answered the colonel. “I think he would tell you that you were wrong and work to sway your opinion. Would you want someone to obey your every command even if that command is obviously wrong? None of us are infallible.”
“I certainly have proved that with the selection of Kyrga as Commanding General,” sighed the emperor. “Very well, send Kyrga to see me and then find General Ross. It is time for a change.”
“Might I suggest that you hold off until the celebration is over? The purpose of the celebration is to take everyone’s minds off the Dielderal. If you dismiss Kyrga the day before the celebration begins, the whole point of the festivities will be lost.”
“You are a good man, Taerin,” smiled the emperor. “I will still see them both tonight, but the change will not be official until after the celebration. Send them both up here.”
“There is one other thing we need to talk about. Captain Kent is officially dead. He came back to Despair because he was promised that he could go free when you had no further need for him. He plans to gather his family and move far away. Can I tell him that he is free to go?”
“I see no reason to keep him, but get me Kyrga and Ross first. I want to make sure that Kyrga does not have a viable explanation before we let our witness disappear.”
Colonel Taerin bowed and left the office. He moved directly to Kyrga’s office, but the Grand General was not there. He went downstairs where hundreds of guests were mingling throughout the palace. After a thorough search, he finally found the Grand General speaking to a group of nobles. He signaled Kyrga that he had important information and the Grand General detached himself from the group.
“What is it?” Kyrga asked with annoyance.
“Emperor Jaar wishes to see you immediately,” stated the colonel. Kyrga’s mouth opened to speak, but Colonel Taerin already knew what question was forthcoming. “And no, it cannot wait.”
Grand General Kyrga shook his head with displeasure and left the room. By the time he reached the emperor’s office, he was in a foul mood. Downstairs were hundreds of people waiting to fawn all over him, and the hermit emperor thought he had something important to discuss. Kyrga was admitted to the emperor’s office, but his bow was less than respectful. The emperor narrowed his eyes as he stared at the Grand General.
“What do you know about the foray into Elfwoods a while back?” asked the emperor.
“Is that what was so urgent?” scowled the Grand General. “Do you realize that there are hundreds of important people waiting downstairs to hear from us? Can’t this wait?”
“No, it cannot wait,” retorted the emperor. “I consider breaking an agreement with the Dielderal to be a serious matter.”
“How can it be a serious matter when the Dielderal no longer exist?” countered Kyrga.
“Answer the question,” the emperor commanded with a raised voice.
Grand General Kyrga sighed and his face lost the scowl it had been carrying. “I know nothing more than you. We have been through this before.”
“Indeed we have, but we are going through it again. As you have no idea how much I know, your answer is unacceptable. How much do you know about it?”
“I know nothing about it,” lied the Grand General. “As I told you before, my investigation turned up nothing of interest.”
“So you did not discover that Captain Kent let the raid into Elfwoods?”
Kyrga’s eye twitched as he realized that whoever was investigating for the emperor had managed to stumble too close to the truth. “I do not believe I know Captain Kent, whoever he is. If what you have found out is true, then question the captain and discover the answer to this riddle.”
“I have done so,” the emperor said so
ftly.
Kyrga knew the emperor was bluffing. His investigator might have discovered Kent somehow, but Kent was dead. The investigation was at an end. “Wonderful,” he replied sarcastically. “Now you can enlighten me as to your findings.”
“Indeed I can. Captain Kent said that you authorized the mission into Elfwoods. How convenient that your own investigation failed to turn up this information.”
“I dispute the captain’s lies,” declared the Grand General. “Have him restate his words to my face, and I will resign.”
“Your resignation is accepted,” replied the emperor.
Kyrga stared at the emperor in disbelief. He kept waiting for the punch line in the emperor’s little joke, but Jaar sat there defiantly. The emperor shoved a piece of paper across the desk.
“Sign it,” commanded the emperor.
Kyrga looked at the paper and saw a letter of resignation already made out before the meeting had been called. He grew furious as he read the letter.
“Enough of your games,” snapped Kyrga. “I said that I would resign if that snot-nosed captain repeated his words to my face. He hasn’t done that, has he? He isn’t going to do that, is he? Of course he isn’t. Kent is dead and you know it. Stop playing games with me. I am not resigning.”
“Then you are relieved of your command,” stated the emperor. “Kent is alive and well and here in Despair. He has repeatedly stated that you ordered him into Elfwoods during multiple interrogations. You are officially relieved of command, but I will allow you to save face by appearing as though you are still the Grand General during the celebration. The day the celebration ends, you will remove yourself from the palace grounds and never return. You are dismissed.”
Chapter 4
The Master
Kyrga stormed out of the emperor’s office and out of the Imperial Palace. Without bothering to disguise himself or sneak through the hidden door behind the hedge, Kyrga headed for the Temple of Balmak. He strode through the front gates of the palace and marched along the city streets. When he reached the rear of the temple, he did not have his wristband to show the guards. He walked up to them and demanded to see the priest. The guards refused and Kyrga argued with them loudly, loud enough to cause the black-cloak inside to crack the door open to see what was going on. The mage ordered the guards to stand down and invited Kyrga inside. The black-cloak escorted Kyrga to K’san’s office and then left. K’san looked upon his visitor with a mixture of disappointment and anger at being disturbed.
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