Council of War

by Richard S. Tuttle

  The man entered the government building and reappeared less than five minutes later. Natia waited for the man to turn the corner before crossing the street to enter the building. As soon as she stepped through the door, she found her way blocked by a wooden barrier. A score of soldiers stood guard in a large entry room, and an officer immediately approached her.

  "What is your business here?" he asked.

  "I am here to see Judge Julius," smiled Natia.

  "On what business?" asked the officer.

  "It is of a business nature," Natia said softly. "I do not think the judge would appreciate my speaking of it to anyone but him."

  "You hardly look like a man of business to me," the officer retorted with a smirk on his lips. Several of the soldiers chuckled softly.

  "And you hardly look like an officer who would risk besmirching the judge's reputation," scowled Natia. "Perhaps we should let the judge decide who may be allowed to see him?"

  The officer straightened as if he had been slapped. "The judge had better vouch for you," he warned quietly as he waved two soldiers over to escort her upstairs. "I will not be made to look like a fool."

  "There is no danger of that," Natia replied cryptically as she smiled.

  Natia was led upstairs and told to wait. One of the soldiers knocked on an ornate door and opened it upon permission.

  "We have a woman here that purports to have business dealing with you," announced the guard.

  "Woman?" balked the judge. "I have no dealings with women." He was in the process of waving the soldier away when he asked, "What is her name?"

  The soldier turned and gazed out at Natia as he waited for her response.

  "Natia," she said. As an afterthought, she added, "DeCardia. Natia DeCardia."

  "Natia DeCardia," repeated the soldier.

  The judge's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Send her in," he said.

  "Should we search her first?" asked the soldier.

  The judge shook his head and waved for the woman to enter. The soldier held the door and waved Natia into the room. The judge's eyes brightened as Natia crossed the room. As the soldiers closed the door and departed, the judge waved Natia into an overstuffed chair.

  "I was just thinking of you," smiled Judge Julius. "You don't happen to have any more DeCardia figurines do you?"

  "I am afraid not," answered Natia, "and my name is not really DeCardia. I was afraid that you would not remember me."

  "I shall never forget you," chuckled the judge. "I have had a couple of people in my office this morning trying to buy some of my figurines. Do you know anything about that?"

  "The price for DeCardia figurines has risen substantially," replied Natia. "I understand that there are buyers now willing to pay five-hundred gold for one."

  "I knew it!" he said as he slapped his hand on the desk. "Those buzzards that came around here tried to make it sound like they merely wanted to give some as gifts, but I knew there was more to it than that. They wanted to buy mine and resell them at a profit."

  "That is how the business world works," smiled Natia.

  "Indeed it does," agreed the judge. "You must come to me first if you manage to get some more DeCardia items for sale."

  "I will do that," promised the gypsy.

  "What brings you to see me today?" asked the judge.

  "As you know," Natia began, "I work for a special agent for Sidney Mercado. We deal with small, high-priced items, and that requires employees with impeccable skills and reputation. Sidney is anxious to expand his use of special agents, but that will require building an education center."

  "And that center is to be built in Giza?" questioned the judge.

  "No," Natia shook her head. "Although the location has not yet been chosen, I would suspect that it would be built in Ur."

  "Then why come to me?" frowned the judge. "I can do nothing for Sidney Mercado in Ur."

  "Building an education center is a bit like building a school," explained Natia, "but it is also very different. Because of the nature of the school, security is extremely important. The staff will be dealing with very valuable items, and they must be thorough in discovering those who would present an unacceptable risk to the business. I am sure that you can see where this is leading."

  "Actually," the judge confessed with a frown, "I am a bit lost. Why would the teachers use valuable items for training, and what does this all have to do with me?"

  "The students will be taught secret ways of hiding valuables," stated Natia. "As a stone does not possess the same qualities as a rare ruby, one cannot substitute one for the other. For example, a ruby sewn into a hem will be more prone to movement than a rock. Its facets are smooth and polished whereas the rock will break through the cloth after sufficient rubbing because it is coarse."

  "Ah," nodded the judge. "I guess I have never given much thought to such things."

  "As to why I am talking to you," smiled Natia, "you have the ability to give me great knowledge. I sat wondering where I could find a similar school to better understand the security concerns when I realized that such a school already exists. You have one right here in Giza."

  "Here?" question Judge Julius.

  "The elf reeducation center," stated Natia. "It is a school that has existed for years, and I understand that it has never lost a pupil. If we could copy such a fine institution, I am sure that it would yield success for the project."

  "I suppose it would," frowned the judge, "but visitors are not welcome at the centers. That is one of the security measures."

  "But surely I would not be looked upon as a visitor?" posed Natia. "It is not as if I want to go there to look at elves. I am only concerned with the business aspect of it."

  "Perhaps," mused the judge. "I could probably get you inside, but it would cost me a favor or two. I am not sure that the time is right to collect such favors."

  "I would be willing to offer some favors of my own," smiled Natia. "I have asked DeCardia to make two figurines for me. It may be some time before I get back to Zinbar to pick them up, but I would be pleased to give them to you when I next visit Giza."

  "You would suffer a loss from your own pocket to please your employer?" the judge asked with surprise.

  "It would only be a temporary loss," replied Natia. "Sidney would reimburse me, but I would have to wait for DeCardia to make some more. I am willing to forego my immediate pleasure to ensure that I serve Sidney in the best possible manner."

  Judge Julius stared at Natia for a moment before scribbling a note and pulling a rope for an attendant. A soldier entered the office, and the judge handed the note to him. After the soldier had retreated, Judge Julius smiled at the gypsy.

  "A colonel will be here in a minute or two," stated the judge. "He will escort you to the reeducation center. He will be informed that you are inspecting the center on my behalf. Do not mention Sidney Mercado or any business proposition. In fact, the less you say the better. I trust you will know how to handle yourself?"

  "Perfectly," grinned Natia.

  The colonel arrived within minutes, and Judge Julius gave him orders concerning the inspection of the center. The colonel led Natia out of the office and down the stairs.

  "I am Colonel Fisker," the officer stated as he held a door open for Natia to exit the building. "Might I enquire who you are?"

  "You may call me Natia," the gypsy replied.

  "It is a nice name," smiled the colonel, "but I am a bit more curious than that. I have never known Judge Julius to employ women."

  "Actually," Natia smiled, "I am sure that he would prefer that most people continue to believe that he does not employ women. There are times when a government must do things that others do not expect. I suspect that he chose you as my escort because you are an officer that he knows to be trustworthy. Am I wrong?"

  "You are not only right," chuckled the officer, "but you have confirmed my suspicions. I often suspected that the judge was more powerful than he let on. I know enough to understand that you are no
t from Giza, and that tells me that Judge Julius has other duties for the Emperor than just being the judge of Giza."

  "Oh?" smiled Natia.

  "A city judge has no interest in a reeducation center and its security," explained the colonel, "but the Federation does. I suspect you were sent here from Despair to inspect security because of the problems that we are having with the rebels. As tight as security is in Despair, the Emperor could never send an inspector out to Giza without word arriving here before the inspector. Unless, of course, he had a secret administrator already in place."

  "I am impressed with your skills in deduction, colonel," replied Natia. "May I presume that you will not share your wisdom with others?"

  "You can count on me," promised the colonel. "As far as the soldiers in the reeducation center are concerned, they will not even hear the name of Judge Julius mentioned during your visit."

  "I shall remember your name well when I reach Despair," smiled Natia. "It is always helpful to whisper one's name to the right people."

  "I would be most appreciative," smiled the colonel as he opened the door to the reeducation center.

  The colonel's rank was sufficiently high to allow for unimpeded access to all areas of the center. Colonel Fisker went to great lengths to make sure that Natia's visit was most productive. He not only wanted Natia to pass along a good word on his behalf, but he also was proud of the stringent security precautions that they had instituted. By the conclusion of the tour, Natia had to admit that the Federation had done a magnificent job of securing the facility. She was impressed.

  As the colonel was escorting Natia towards the exit of the center, a loud explosion split the air. Three more explosions followed quickly, and whistles began blowing within the center. Scores of boots slammed on the floor as the soldiers within the center raced to secure the entrance. As the colonel halted Natia, a fifth explosion shook the city.

  "What is it?" Natia asked.

  "I am not sure," admitted the colonel, "but this facility is closing down. I must get you out of here now, or we will be locked inside."

  The colonel led Natia to the entrance door and opened it. He quickly pulled Natia through the door just before it was slammed shut and barricaded. The sounds of whistles echoed all over the city, and the colonel turned to gaze at a gray cloud rising from the waterfront.

  "There is trouble near the shipyards," he said to Natia. "I must respond to it. Which inn are you staying at?"

  "The Palace Keep," Natia answered.

  "I should have suspected," chuckled the colonel. "Come. We will have to run, but I will see that you get there safely before I head to the waterfront."

  As she ran along with the colonel, she saw hundreds of soldiers racing towards the harbor, but it was the sight of a K'san and six black-cloaked mages that sent shivers of fear coursing through her body. Fortunately, they also were heading towards the harbor, and the colonel safely deposited her at the Palace Keep Inn before racing off.

  * * *

  Tedi was concerned about Natia's plan as he watched her leave, but he tried to push it out of his mind. He knew that she could take care of herself, but that didn't quell his need to worry about her. He dwelled so much on his thoughts of her that before he knew it, he had reached the area of the city where the garrison was located. He looked around and entered the first inn he could find. There were scores of soldiers in the common room, and he could barely pick out a clear word in loud din. His sensitive ears ached from the noise, and he quickly left. Two other inns were on the same block, and he peeked inside each of them before moving on. Each of the inns was equally crowded, and Tedi surmised that the soldiers from the night shift were enjoying their free time.

  Tedi moved to the next block and found another crowded inn, but the crowd was not as boisterous. He moved into the common room and took a seat alongside some of the soldiers. The soldiers glanced at him with curiosity at first, but Tedi pretty much ignored them. He sat with his eyes cast down as if he just wanted a drink and some time to think about a weighty problem. When the serving girl came, Tedi ordered a pitcher of ale. One of the soldiers raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything to Tedi.

  The Knight of Alcea drank his ale in silence as he listened to the conversations going on around him. A lot of the conversations were about the typical things soldiers like to talk about. There were talks about women, lousy postings, bad food, and unfair officers. Boasting and challenges of arm wrestling were the loudest distractions, but once in a while he caught wind of current events. There were many mentions about the rebels who had attacked the fleet of ships and the search parties that were hunting them down. Men spoke of having just come back from the Pyres, and they complained about the foul air of the volcanoes.

  "You going to drink that ale or just stare at it," quipped a nearby voice.

  Tedi whipped his head up and saw a soldier across the table staring at him.

  "Woman troubles?" asked the soldier.

  Tedi nodded. "Help yourself to the ale if you wish," he offered. "I probably don't need it as much as I need a kick in the head."

  The soldiers laughed, and one of them grabbed the pitcher and filled his mug.

  "I think your problem is that you try too hard to understand them," chuckled the freeloading soldier. "It's far better just to agree with them and then do what you want. Thanks for the ale."

  "I suppose you are right," Tedi agreed as he refilled his own mug.

  "It could be worse, lad," said one of the older soldiers at the table. "At least you can sit here and drown your troubles. They are sending my squad deep into the Sands of Eternity tomorrow. We probably won't see another ale in weeks."

  "Not to mention the grit all over everything," complained another soldier. "Everything you eat and drink crunches between your teeth. I hate the desert."

  "Why in the world would you go into the desert?" asked Tedi. "There's nothing out there but sand."

  "I wish you were my officer," laughed one of the soldiers. "We've been saying the same thing for weeks, and it seemed to have worked so far, but I guess our luck ran out. There is no way the rebels could have a base in the desert. They would burn to a crisp the first day. The whole idea is crazy."

  A loud cough immediately stopped the banter. Tedi looked up and saw an officer staring at the soldiers. His expression showed that he was none too happy with their conversation. The soldiers started talking about other things, and Tedi lowered his eyes to the table again. The officer moved away and left the inn about an hour later. The soldiers started talking about him the moment he left, and Tedi had to smile inwardly at the things they said about him.

  Tedi sat at the same table for several hours. Soldiers rose and left, while others came in and took their places. Eventually he was accepted as one of the men. Of course, buying the pitchers of ale helped, but each soldier thought that Tedi was a friend of one of the other soldiers. They spoke freely about their postings and the search for the rebels. None of the information was really strategic by itself, but from listening to a lot of the conversations, Tedi began to get a feel for the search, and what he learned was not pleasing. If the lost city of Aranak were discovered, no one would leave there alive.

  Tedi drained his mug and was about to stand to leave for another inn when an explosion split the air. The common room immediately fell silent. Three more explosions followed in quick succession, and every soldier rose to his feet. Before the fifth explosion split the air, soldiers were already racing out of the inn. Whistles echoed all over the city, and Tedi heard several of the soldiers mention the harbor.

  "You had better get to your room and stay there," one of the soldiers at Tedi's table said. "This sounds big."

  "Why my room?" asked Tedi.

  "Because the city is about to be closed," answered the soldier. "No one will get in or out until the culprits are caught. Anyone on the streets will be taken to jail and questioned for hours. You don't want to have to go through that. Get to your room and stay put. Sooner or lat
er someone will come to your room to question you. Just stay there and wait."

  Chapter 3

  Underground

  Morro pulled Garth away from the alley and pushed him through the doorway of a closed shop. Garth looked around in the dim light at the remains of a small bakery. It appeared as if the shop had not been used in sometime.

  "Head for the rear of the shop," Morro urged as he closed the door to the street. "There is a stairway leading down. Use it, but be careful. I will be down in a moment."

  Garth moved to the rear of the shop and saw the narrow stairway. He eased onto it and cautiously moved down into the darkness. The basement was so dark that he could see nothing, so he remained frozen at the foot of the stairs. Even underground in the darkness, Garth heard the explosion that shook the city. Three more explosions followed quickly, and the Knight of Alcea knew that Kalina was at the heart of the commotion. A few moments later a fifth explosion shook the basement and dust flew into the air. He closed his mouth to the dust as he pulled a cloth from his pack and wrapped it around his face. Several minutes later, Morro descended into the basement and lit a torch.

  "That was close," the elf said. "Whatever you were doing in that building, it was a trap. Soldiers were waiting for a call to action, and they had the whole block sealed off in mere moments. Come, we need to get away from here before they expand their search."

  Garth followed Morro as the thief moved deeper into the cellar. Morro squeezed into a dark corner and bent down after handing the torch to Garth. The Knight of Alcea watched curiously as the elf picked up a small square section of the wooden floor. The elf flattened himself against the wall and waved Garth into the hole in the floor. Garth quickly complied and found a metal ladder in the hole. He climbed down the ladder and then held the torch high as Morro entered the hole and eased the wooden panel back into place. The thief quickly descended and took the torch from Garth. The Knight of Alcea crinkled his nose at the pungent odor of the sewer, but he certainly didn't complain about it. He followed the elf as Morro started walking away. Morro silently led Garth through a long procession of tunnels and turns until the Knight of Alcea was completely disoriented. He also felt as if he was being watched during the entire journey and that feeling irritated him, as he had not actually seen anyone. After about an hour, the elf stopped and handed the torch to Garth.