The Pool And The Pedestal (Book 2)

by Daniel McHugh

  “Is it true you trained recruits in the use of the pike?” asked Koe.

  Granu looked up at the young Zodrian standing over him.

  “Yes.” replied the giant.

  “Why?” asked the corporal flatly.

  “A man’s motivations are his own.” stated Granu.

  “Not in the military.” Koe retorted. “A man need no motivation other than protecting his country and his comrades.”

  “You’re entitled to that opinion.” stated Granu and he returned his gaze to the fire.

  Several Guardsmen performing duties around the camp dropped their chores and moved toward the fire to listen. Eidyn tapped Kael on the back. The pair laid their towels over the horses’ backs and also moved toward the fire. Dravgo frowned and rose from a conversation he held with Ader and Teeg near the pool, but the Seraph placed a restraining hand on the sergeant’s shoulder and motioned him to stay.

  “Therefore.” said Koe continuing. “I’m puzzled.”

  “Puzzled?” returned Granu narrowing his eyes.

  “Puzzled as to which army you’re in.” said Koe. “Ours or theirs. If my comment has merit, then you encounter a problem. Training the enemies of your kingdom goes directly against the motivation I described. It’s treason.”

  Granu smiled and slowly rose. The encampment tensed. When he reached his full height, the giant dwarfed the young corporal. Koe didn’t flinch, but stared up into the giant’s face.

  “Is it?” rumbled the giant.

  The question flustered Koe.

  “Of course it is!” spluttered the young man.

  Granu shrugged and stroked his chin.

  “Can a man only protect his country by eliminating its enemies in battle?” questioned Granu.

  “That seems to be the generally accepted method.” scoffed Koe.

  “Are the enemies outside its borders the only threat to a great nation?” pressed Granu.

  Koe frowned and looked hard at the Keltaran.

  “They are the greatest threat.” stated the Zodrian.

  “I might make an argument against that line of thinking.” said Granu. “What would you do, corporal, if your superiors pressed you to enslave the villages to the South?”

  “Well that’s ridiculous...” started Koe.

  “What if?!” demanded Granu.

  The camp went silent. All eyes focused on the Zodrian corporal. Koe clenched his teeth.

  “I wouldn’t be a party to it.” stated Koe.

  “You would disobey orders?” questioned Granu.

  “Yes!” stated Koe.

  “What if you were threatened with punishment?”

  “I would leave.”

  “Abandon your post?”

  “If I must.”

  “All for an ideal, a belief?”

  “A man is the sum of his beliefs.” stated Koe proudly.

  “What if the plan went on without you? What then?”

  “I.. uh ... I would ..”. hesitated Koe.

  “COME ON MAN!” shouted Granu moving in on the corporal. “THESE ARE YOUR PEOPLE!”

  “I would rally to their cause!” shouted Koe. “Try to organize them. Try to get them to defend themselves!”

  Granu smiled.

  “So what you’re saying is, and please correct me if I’m wrong. You’re saying that when faced with a choice between supporting your comrades in an amoral cause and following your own beliefs, you would choose...?”

  A small murmur ran through the Guardsmen listening in.

  “My own beliefs.” stated Koe.

  “Even though that course goes against country and comrades.” stated Granu.

  Koe narrowed his eyes and thought hard on Granu’s last statement.

  “I .... I don’t believe that course goes against country.” said Koe hesitantly.

  “Oh.” said Granu raising an eyebrow.

  “The villages to the South are my country as well.” said Koe confidently. “I’ve sworn an oath to protect all of Zodra. They’re just as much my people as those to the North.”

  “So you say that all Zodrians are your people. They are all deserving of your protection and care, your love for lack of a better word?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then what of these comrades who intend to enslave them?” asked Granu. “Are they your comrades, your brothers?”

  “Not if what they intend is true!” exclaimed Koe. “No man who intends to enslave another is a comrade of mine!”

  Granu smiled deeply.

  “We are not so unlike as you think, Corporal Koe.” stated Granu putting a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “We simply differ in our definition of brotherhood.”

  Koe looked puzzled.

  “You wouldn’t allow evil to come upon any of your Zodrian brothers and sisters. You would protect them ferociously because of your bond.” continued Granu. “I consider all those created in the image of Avra my brothers and sisters. Kingdoms and colors mean nothing to me. Evil visited upon a child of Avra is evil visited upon me. I cannot stand idly by and watch others fall into the hands of that evil, no matter who they are.”

  “And your comrades?” asked Koe.

  “My blood.” corrected Granu. “My blood is no longer my blood if they commune with the Deceiver. I pray for their repentance, but cannot allow our kinship to keep me from servitude to my fellow man. You are a good man, Corporal Koe, but you must expand your vision to incorporate the greater world into your sphere of protection.”

  “So you would die fighting for Zodra, even if it were against Keltar?”

  “I would die fighting side by side with Zodrians for the glory of Avra against any and all who try to spread the influence of Amird the Deceiver. A mercenary fights for a king and gold,” said Granu. “A soldier fights for his country and its borders. But a man fights in the name of Avra and for the souls of all people. So far you have been a soldier, Koe of Zodra, but perhaps you have a higher calling. Perhaps it is time to look past the walls of the world you’ve created and find room to protect all who need your help, not just those you deem worthy.”

  Koe’s head dropped and he stared into the fire. The Guardsmen standing nearby turned to one another and small discussions broke out throughout the camp. Granu removed his hand from the young man’s shoulder and sat next to the fire. The giant stoked the coals and tiny specks of glowing embers floated and spun up into the night sky. Koe turned to the giant.

  “I apologize, Granu of Keltar, if any of my comments were taken as an offense.” said Koe calmly.

  Granu simply smiled and nodded to the young man.

  “I will take my leave and retire for the evening.” said Koe. “I’ve much to think about.”

  “Sleep well.” said Granu returning his attention to the fire.

  CHAPTER 16: BIRD OF PREY

  Vieri sat in the darkness above, watching the campsite. The old man and his group successfully duped the Zodrians. The gray Guardsman who thwarted Vieri’s previous assassination attempt was obviously privy to the proper passwords and intelligence. He convinced the Zodrians that his group was friendly, even with the giant in their midst. Truly, this boy and his handlers had aligned their forces and plied a mist across the eyes of many.

  The moon was full and bled its quicksilver light through the trees into the glade below. The Northern Guardsmen posted two sentries outside the camp on the hillside. Vieri felt two sentries were too few in a war zone, but the Zodrians camped far from the Ulrog Horde and grew confident in their safety. Such a wide gap in their security was a glaring mistake. These Guardsmen may be leagues from Ulrog, but they practiced folly by neglecting thoughts of special enemies such as Vieri. The assassin would happily exploit this mistake at great cost to the boy.

  It had taken incredible concentration, but Vieri kept an eye locked on the boy. When the sun dipped below the horizon and the hazy light of dusk faded, Vieri followed the shadow of the boy while he moved about the encampment. Hopefully the assassin’s eye hadn’t strayed and l
ocked on another in the half light. Finally, the boy bedded down in the encampment. Vieri marked the location. The bright moon would help the Windrider navigate through the trees, but its light was more of a curse than a blessing. Vieri hunkered down on the cold cliffside. The assassin would wait until the soldiers below were in a deep sleep, then Vieri would attack.

  Kael woke from an unusual dream. Eyes had been staring at him. The sharp, penetrating eyes of a hawk or some other bird of prey. The boy shivered under his blankets. The fire had died down and the Northwest wind cut through the brush surrounding the camp. He rolled from his side onto his back and stared at the trees above him. The full moon set the rushing clouds aglow in a silvery light. A gust of wind snapped a tree limb , sending an eruption of martins into the night sky.

  “Birds.” scoffed a groggy Kael.

  The boy rolled back over and drifted off to sleep. His mind failed to register the growing speck circling high above the campsite. It floated in the gusting winds, methodically descending toward the encampment below. The sentries posted on the roadside fought sleep and kept their weary eyes trained on the road to the North. The road toward the danger from which they hastily retreated. The night sky held no interest for them. They spent far to many nights in recent months lying on their backs staring into its vast emptiness.

  The black shadow spun a long slow circle just over the tops of the giant Elms, rising and falling on the steady night breezes rolling across the Northern plains. The shadow floated for a moment longer, then plunged through a gap in the glade’s canopy. With precise physical control huge wings snapped inward as the figure straightened upright and alighted upon the dusty ground in a full sprint.

  Vieri was confident of the assessment of the camp from above. The assassin’s only access to the camp was a gap in the treetops some fifteen yards from the boy’s resting place. Vieri moved quickly toward the boy, quietly skipping over sleeping Guardsmen. The target lay oblivious to the danger. Vieri closed to within three strides and drew a long, curved dagger from the folds of the cape.

  Kael had difficulty returning to sleep. He felt uneasy. The boy rolled to his side and his eyes slid open. The moonlight sliced through the trees creating odd shadows that played in the breeze. Kael became aware of a darkness more dense and substantial than the rest. It moved toward him. A glint of steel flashed as the shadow passed through a beam of moonlight. Alarm rang in Kael’s head.

  Vieri needed to pass one more slumbering bundle for the task to be complete. The killer leapt. The bundle at the assassin’s feet rose unexpectedly and met Vieri with a thud. The Windrider was knocked hard to the ground. Vieri gasped and couldn’t breathe. The bundle sprouted hands and they locked onto Vieri’s arms. Vieri kicked hard and solid contact rewarded the assassin. The bundle’s hands loosened for a moment and the assassin slipped free.

  Vieri twisted and spun. The assassin stood and chanced a quick look in the boy’s direction. The hulking Keltaran rose from his sleep and threw himself on top of the boy. Other slumbering bundles shifted and moved. The assassin’s blade was lost, and with it the Windrider’s ability to finish the task cleanly and efficiently.

  The bundle rose and before the blankets even fell to the floor of the glade, Vieri knew they contained the gray haired Guardsman. Once again he upset the plan. The boy’s death was nearly impossible now, and Vieri risked capture. A Borz assassin is nothing if not patient. Another opportunity would come as long as Vieri escaped capture tonight.

  The Windrider turned and sprinted toward a large gap between the posted sentries. These foolish Zodrians, thought Vieri. Confusion is my ally. The assassin ran toward the brush line barking commands like a Zodrian drill sergeant.

  “Ulrog are in the perimeter. Keltaran! They are upon us!”

  Cefiz heard the shouts but ignored them. The black shadow that issued them ran North, out of the glade. Guardsmen jumped from their bedrolls and produced weapons, but the small shadow fooled them as their eyes searched for the hulking figures of Ulrog and Keltaran. None noticed the diminutive black wisp sprinting past them in an attempt to flee. Cefiz threw the remainder of his blankets to the ground and charged after the assassin.

  Vieri plunged hard into the brambles and thickets surrounding the campsite. The Windrider’s arms were tucked in closely so as not to snag the silk of the suit on the bushes. The Zodrians were clueless and so predictable. All save one. Vieri glanced back. The gray haired soldier followed, but he was too big and slow. He won’t catch a Borz Windrider of the Shan tribe, thought Vieri. The assassin broke from the thickets thirty yards down from the crest of the great hill straddling the supply road.

  A Zodrian sentry rumbling down from the hilltop shocked Vieri. The Zodrian held a drawn saber and was only three strides away. His eyes went wide at the sight of Vieri.

  The sentry raised his blade and lunged forward.

  His reactions were quick, but he had never faced a Borz Windrider of the Shan tribe. The wings on Vieri’s suit flipped open as the Guardsman’s blade slashed through the air. The assassin leapt. The silken wings snapped backward and filled with the stiff North wind that scoured these lands. It was enough. Vieri quickly rose from the earth above the startled Guardsman. He tumbled off balance and plunged past the assassin. Vieri delivered a powerful heel kick to the face of the shocked sentry. His head snapped backward and he crumpled to the ground unconscious.

  Vieri flipped through the air and ripped the wings inward. Deftly the assassin alit upon the dusty hillside. The Windrider realized there was little time before others would be drawn to the site and continued a sprint to the hill’s crest. Chaos erupted in the camp below. Excellent, thought Vieri, it will help cover my escape.

  Cefiz broke through the thorny brambles as the assassin hovered in the air above one of the sentries. The man had no chance. The sentry committed with his saber and exposed his head to the assassin’s kick. He fell to the ground with a thump. The Borz landed almost gracefully and continued a sprint toward the top of the great hill. Cefiz lurched from the bushes and scrambled after the Windrider.

  Vieri knew safety lay at the top of the hillside. The assassin felt the cool night breeze surge across the black mask. For a moment Vieri drifted into revelry. This hill was not unlike the massive dunes of the Borz homeland where young members of the Shan tribe first learned to ride the wind. Vieri and the others would race to the top of the dunes and launch themselves from the heights. They would rise on the heated currents of the desert air and the sands would stretch out below them.

  Cefiz ran low and snatched the sentry’s saber from the ground as he raced past his disabled countryman. Its blade raked the hillside with a metallic scrape.

  The sound of metal on rock snapped Vieri’s mind from memory. Worried, Vieri chanced a glance back to see the insufferable gray haired Guardsman. He glared at Vieri from fifteen yards behind. He clenched his teeth as his legs churned up the steep hillside. He had retrieved his comrades saber and held it tightly in his right hand. Vieri would never give him the chance to use it. This Zodrian was no match for the speed with which Vieri could crest a dune, let alone a Northern hill that didn’t betray your footing with shifting sands. The assassin ascended halfway up the hill and felt the cool North wind stream over the summit. Anger filled Vieri. Cheated from the target once more by this Guardsman. Vieri pushed on and called back to the pursuer.

  “You’re a bane to my existence, Guardsman! Go back to your pots and pans and leave me to my business!”

  Cefiz nearly stumbled as the woman’s voice floated back down the hill toward him. Lilywynn had said many of the Borz’s finest warriors were women, but the lieutenant never thought of this assassin as anything other than an enemy. She was near the top now. He knew the outcome of this chase, but he wouldn’t give up.

  “I’ll leave no servant of Izgra to their business, Windrider!” snarled Cefiz. “Their only business is death!”

  The assassin’s head jerked back and she glared over her shoulder just as she topped
the hill. The night wind swirled around her and once again the midnight wings unfolded before Cefiz. Venom poured from the eyes behind the silken mask, as the Windrider gave Cefiz one last look then ran down the far side of the hill from the Guardsman’s sight.

  Cefiz crested the hilltop and looked below to a huge, lush valley stretching out before him. A great black bird skimmed the treetops of the forest stretching across the valley. She moved fast and low, rapidly putting distance between herself and the campsite. Cefiz followed her with his eyes until she dipped into the tree line several leagues from the hilltop. The lieutenant frowned and turned on his heels to restore order to the camp below.

  Vieri dropped into the woods below and delicately alighted upon the soft moss covered floor. She heaved from the exertion of her sprint up the hill and rapid flight across the valley. The gray haired Guardsman’s vigilance once again delayed her plans. Vieri admitted it was a trait she admired in Borz countryman, but in an enemy it was a danger she wished to avoid.

  Vieri’s discovery of the group’s scouts was also upsetting. That young woman and her counterpart were a wrinkle Vieri hadn’t anticipated. The Windrider stripped the silken mask from her head and let her long, midnight hair fall across her shoulders. The sweat on her dark skin glistened in the diffused moonlight. That Elven girl was able to roam the landscape virtually undetected. Vieri could never be sure if her next attempt on the boy’s life would be compromised. The Elven girl needed to be removed from the equation. But how?

  Perhaps Vieri could find a way as they approached the Scythtar Mountains. If the group continued to head North, they would be in range of the Ulrog shortly. The Ulrog would certainly take care of the problem for Vieri. It would require the proper messages at the proper times. The Ulrog were known to be whipped into a frenzy easily.