Karl nodded silently as he changed his posture to make it look as if he were talking to the elf. For a long time, nothing happened except the continued darkening of the sky. When the last vestiges of dusk receded, the creature made its move. It charged into the clearing.
"No!" shouted Ecaro as he rose and starting running towards his brother. "It's Alando."
Gerant froze, unwilling to release his arrow into the sailor.
"Shoot!" commanded Karl. "It is no longer Alando."
Gerant released his arrow, and it struck Alando in the center of the forehead. The one-time sailor pitched to one side and smashed to the ground. Karl raced forward, as Ecaro faltered and wailed in horror at his brother's death. The Knight of Alcea didn't hesitate to swing his long sword and sever the creature's head from its body.
"Gerant," called Karl, "come with me as I dispose of this body."
The Knight of Alcea dragged the body out of the clearing as the elf picked up the severed head and followed. Karl dragged the body far enough into the woods so that it could not be seen from the clearing.
"Are we going to bury it?" asked the elf.
"No," replied Karl. "Just throw the head down with the rest. While the sailor deserves a decent burial, this is not the sailor we knew. Alando died last night, not tonight. Besides, I do not want the two of us out here any longer than necessary. I just wanted to get the body out of view of the brothers. Alando's death is already hard enough on them without having to constantly gaze upon his remains."
Karl gazed around the dark forest anxiously and then nodded towards the campsite. The two warriors returned to the clearing where Cirris was comforting his last brother. Karl addressed the group and set up the shifts for guarding the camp. The sailors were tired and drifted off to sleep without prompting, but the warriors were restless and sat silently staring off into the darkness for a while. Eventually, even they retired, leaving the elves to take the first shift. An hour later the distant howling began.
"Wolves," Gerant commented softly. "Perhaps they smell the blood in the air."
"Over the smoke?" asked Prince Rigal.
"Smoke?" questioned Gerant.
"I have been smelling smoke for some time now," nodded the elven prince. "Can't you smell it?"
Gerant sniffed the air and eventually nodded.
"Faint," remarked Gerant, "but smoke it is. I wonder what is burning."
"Whatever it is," shrugged Prince Rigal, "it is not close by."
Gerant suddenly stiffened. "The smoke might not be close by," he said anxiously, "but something else is."
Prince Rigal glanced at Gerant and saw him staring into the trees. He followed Gerant's gaze and saw two eyes staring at him. While he could not see the shape of the creature, the eyes were like two bright stars in an otherwise black sky. The prince slowly grabbed an arrow and nocked it.
"It's gone," whispered Gerant.
"You mean we can't see it any more," corrected the prince. "I do not think it is gone."
A few minutes later Prince Rigal nodded to the right, and Gerant turned to see the eyes again.
"Should we wake the others?" asked Gerant.
Prince Rigal glanced at the sleeping warriors and then shook his head. "If everyone stays awake the entire night," he said, "we will not be able to keep up the pace tomorrow. Perhaps that is why the creature is here in the first place."
"What do you mean?" asked Gerant.
"If you knew that a group was determined to get through your forest," explained the elven prince, "would you attack them the first night? Or would you seek to deprive them of sleep and reason and then attack them when they are weary and sluggish? Even a wolf pack will keep its prey on the run to wear it down before closing in for the kill."
"Surely you do not think those are mere wolves out there?" retorted Gerant. "I have never seen eyes like that before."
"Nor have I," agreed the prince, "but whatever it is, it wants to be seen. Ask yourself why it wants that."
"To spook us?" asked Gerant.
"Exactly," nodded Prince Rigal.
* * *
Morro led Garth through the slums of Farmin in the dark of the night. Not many people were moving about the city as dawn was only a few hours away, but more than a few were sleeping outside in the filth of the alleys. Those were the ones so poor that they did not even have a roof over their heads for the night. Garth tried to ignore the shapes he saw littering the ground, but his battle instincts required that he take notice of everything around him.
Morro halted at the end of an alley. He paused in the darkness for a moment, listening for the sounds of anyone walking about. Satisfied that they had not been followed, Morro opened a door and slid into a dark room. Garth followed silently and eased the door shut. With the door closed, even the scant light given off by the stars was lost. The room was pitch black and could not be traversed without having first memorized it in the daylight.
"Put your hand on my shoulder," Morro whispered.
Garth immediately complied, and Morro slowly made his way through the room. He stopped briefly to open another door and then continued onward. Another room was crossed and another door was passed through, and Garth began to get the idea that they were passing through several interconnected shacks. He thought about the idea, and a smile came to his lips. Soldiers trying to sneak through such an elaborate approach would surely give enough notice of their advance that sneaking up on the thieves would not be possible. He began to admire the thoroughness of the thieves of Farmin. Eventually, Morro halted and reached up to remove Garth's hand from his shoulder. The elven thief placed Garth's hand on the back of a chair in front of him.
"Sit," Morro said softly. "Juggler will be with us in a moment."
Garth eased around the chair and sat down. He could hear Morro doing the same next to him. For several long minutes, the two men sat in total darkness, awaiting the presence of the head thief of Farmin. Garth listened carefully for the man's approach, but he never heard it. The first sound that hit his ears was the man's voice.
"Who is Garth Shado?" asked the voice.
Garth was not startled by the sound because he was expecting it, but he could imagine how someone who was not expecting it might have felt. He automatically turned his head slightly to face the voice, although the effort was fruitless. There was no light in the room to see by, but that didn't mean that Garth could not hit the thief with a Lanoirian star. He had killed men before by locating them through the sound of their voice.
"I am," Garth stated.
"So I am told," the head thief replied, "but just who are you?"
Garth hesitated. The silence in the room was imposing as the thief waited for a reply. Garth sighed in frustration. He knew that the thief would not be satisfied with rehearing his cover story about being a merchant. If he had been willing to accept that story, he would not be pressing further.
"Perhaps coming here was a mistake," the Knight of Alcea stated. "I was told that you could help me with an endeavor that I am undertaking, but I am not prepared to discuss myself any more than you are. I came respecting your privacy in the thought that you would do the same."
Garth silently fisted a star in the lull that followed his statement.
"Fair enough," Juggler finally said. "Morro vouches for you, and that is sufficient for now, but I have to wonder why a merchant from Tyronia should have any interest in the poor people of Farmin."
"Call it a soft heart," replied Garth, "but I cannot stand idly by while so many suffer through no fault of their own. Is it wrong to want to do something about it?"
"It is not wrong," Juggler replied, "but do you really think a one-time operation will really change anything?"
"No," Garth admitted, "but that is the best that I can do for now."
"For now?" questioned Juggler. "Are you planning to help the people further in the future?"
"I am," answered Garth, "but I am not prepared to talk about my future plans at the moment."
"Interesting," mused Juggler. "Morro has not mentioned anything about that."
"Nor should he have," countered Garth. "My interests are not specifically centered on Farmin."
"So," Juggler smiled, "you seek the downfall of the Federation then. Why not share your plans? You must know that I would keep your secret."
"I know no such thing," retorted Garth. "Morro has spoken highly of you, and I trust his judgment, but I do not know you. You on the other hand have already had a chance to observe me and my people, and I have no doubt that you have taken that opportunity. The fact that you keep your face hidden from me shows that you do not trust me. Why then should I trust you?"
"The darkness is for my safety," countered Juggler. "You could be an assassin from the Federation who has managed to gain the trust of Morro."
"If I were an assassin out to kill you," smiled Garth, "you would already be dead."
"Preposterous," balked Juggler.
"Do not ask for a demonstration, Juggler," Morro interjected. "Garth does not boast. If he wanted to, he could kill both of us and be out of here before anyone noticed. You both have many goals in common. Let's forget the games and talk about them."
A moment of silence followed and then the sound of a striker shot through the room. Garth slid the star into his pouch. A candle began to glow, and the room illuminated enough for Garth to see Juggler sitting behind a desk. The head thief was an older man, with more than one scar upon his face. He pushed the candle to the side of the desk and nodded to Garth.
"No games," Juggler said. "I am naturally leery. I have found that it tends to prolong my life."
"I understand," smiled Garth. "Has Morro mentioned what we need from you?"
"He has," replied Juggler. "I have no problem in supplying everything you need, but I confess that I am skeptical. You are a stranger to our city, yet you seem to want to dive right in and get involved. That causes me to suspect your motives."
"My motives are pure," Garth said reassuringly. "I just want to get some food to the people of the slums. I am not foolish enough to believe that it will make a long-lasting improvement in their lives, but it will at least fill their bellies for a day or two."
"And then you will move on?" asked Juggler.
"And then we will move on," Garth said as he stared at the head thief. "The problem of feeding the people will then fall to someone else."
"Fair enough," stated Juggler. "The uniforms are right there," he pointed to a shelf on the wall. "I can have the people assembled within an hour's notice, although I can't imagine how you will be able to determine their schedule ahead of time."
"We can do that," smiled Garth. "What about the map?"
Juggler reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a folded cloth. He pushed it towards Garth, and the Knight of Alcea picked it up and inspected it.
"I have marked the streets and alleys in question," explained Juggler. "It would be advisable for you to walk those areas before the event."
"I intend to," nodded Garth. "Will there be any repercussion on the people of the slums?"
"That depends upon how well you pull it off," frowned Juggler. "My main hesitation when Morro described the raid was because of the potential for the wrath of the Federation to fall upon the poor people. He assures me that your group can handle it in such a way as to alleviate that."
"We can," replied Garth, "but I was worried more along the lines of retaliation after it is over."
"Who would they retaliate against?" grinned Juggler. "Are they going to punish the entire slum? I think not. What can they do to a people who are already on the verge of death? If there is retaliation, it will be against the soldiers who were careless."
"Then I see no flaws in the plan," smiled the Knight of Alcea. "I thank you for your help, Juggler. As to our future relationship, I do look forward to working with you again, but it will be some time before that comes about."
"Perhaps," replied the head thief of Farmin. "You have not left the city yet. You may still need something that I can offer. If you do, let me know. Anything that harms the Federation is something that I can back."
Juggler gave the uniforms to Garth and then blew the candle out. The room returned to darkness. Morro and Garth stood and retraced their path to the outdoors. Morro led Garth to the areas of the city that had been marked on the map. The Knight of Alcea studied them carefully before they returned to the Bluff House Inn to catch a few hours sleep. When Garth woke he heard voices in the other room. He crept to the door and listened. Recognizing Tedi's voice, he opened the door and stepped into the sitting room.
"You are going ahead with this plan?" Kalina scowled as soon as Garth entered the room. "Have you gone mad?"
Garth glared at Tedi, and the gypsy smiled meekly and shrugged.
"I thought she knew," he said sheepishly. “I just came over to find out how you made out with your visit to Juggler."
"It is something that I have to do," Garth said to his wife.
"It is not something that you have to do," retorted Kalina. "If you wish to feed the poor, I can understand that, but do it with your own money. This thing will blow up in our faces."
"It is all under control," Garth replied assuredly. “Besides, we could not afford the bill for the food the people will receive.”
Kalina sighed as she tried to control her anger.
"What are you concerned about?" Garth asked softly. "We have been chased out of cities before, not that it will come to that."
"You had better hope that it does not," scowled Kalina. "We barely escaped Giza with our lives intact. If they shut down Farmin, we may not be so lucky this time. Worse, the Federation will see a pattern developing. If anything at all happens here that arouses their suspicions, you can bet that the next city will be waiting for us. We will have become predictable."
"She has a point," frowned Tedi. "If they suspect that the troubles here in Farmin were caused by Alceans, Valdo will be alerted to expect a visit from us."
"You are jeopardizing our primary mission for this little stunt," Kalina continued.
"It is not a stunt," retorted Garth. "There are people starving to death. I cannot just ignore that. I readily confess that I had not considered the ramifications it might have on our future travel plans, but it is not a meaningless gesture. If those people don't get food in the next day or two, they will die. I simply must do something about it."
"And what will happen when they have had their fill of food?" asked Kalina. "Will you be around to give them more?"
"No," sighed Garth, "but I am hoping that Juggler will pick up on the need to do something about it."
The room descended into a stony silence as Garth and Kalina stared at one another. Eventually, Kalina shook her head and sighed with defeat.
"You are going to do this no matter what I say, aren't you?" she asked calmly.
"It is something that I feel I have to do," nodded Garth. "I know that it may not make a difference in the long run, but I must do it."
"Fine," Kalina replied. "What part can I play?"
Garth's lips slowly spread into a smile. "There is a certain task that must be done outside the walls of the city," he said. "It would be advantageous if we could have it done without the guards seeing any of us riding out through the gates."
"That sounds simple enough," replied Kalina. "How about you explain it all to me over the morning meal?"
"An excellent idea," agreed Garth. "Where is Natia?" he asked Tedi.
"She is off on another adventure," answered Tedi. "She is getting a tour of the elf reeducation center."
"How is she managing that?" frowned Garth.
"She is posing as a girlfriend of that colonel we met on the road," replied Tedi. "Colonel Verle. She told the officer in charge of the center that Colonel Verle had promised her a tour before he was sent north unexpectedly.”
"That is a little risky," stated Kalina. "What if Colonel Verle is married?"
"He is," grinned Tedi. "Natia used Button yester
day to find out about the colonel. The fact that he is married fits her plan perfectly. It is because he is married that Natia is requesting that the tour be kept secret. She said that she doesn't want his wife to learn about it."
"And she thinks the officer will fall for that?" asked Garth.
"He already has," answered Tedi. "I suspect that the officer figured that he might have a chance to woo Natia away from Colonel Verle by showing her the center. I think he also believes that he can use his knowledge of Natia's relationship with the colonel to aid his own advancement."
"Blackmailing the colonel?" chuckled Garth. "He may find that such a ploy can backfire rather spectacularly."
"I think Natia can handle it," stated Tedi. "She will lead the officer on during the tour and then let him down at the end. She also plans to mention as she leaves that she thinks the wife already knows about their affair. In short, she will leave no advantage for the officer to make trouble. I doubt that he will even mention the tour when Colonel Verle returns."
"You've married a wicked woman, Tedi," chuckled Kalina.
"Tell me about it," laughed the gypsy. "She may lead all the men on, but she only poisons the one she loves."
Chapter 12
Kept from the Federation
Karl Gree and Max Caber sat back to back staring into the darkness of the forest. The air was still and the forest was silent. The lack of sounds bothered the Knight of Alcea, but he didn't share his concerns with the Ranger. He sat quietly, his eyes scanning the darkness, but he could not see anything beyond the clearing. The canopy was thick and even the stars were not visible. The world beyond the clearing appeared to be one large black void, until the brilliant eyes suddenly appeared.
"I see those eyes that Clint warned us about," Karl whispered to Max.
"I don't think so," replied Max. "Not unless you are looking over my shoulder. I see them in my sector."
Karl slowly turned around and glanced over the Ranger's shoulder. He shivered as he saw the bright eyes. He quickly turned back to his own sector to make sure that the eyes had not moved.
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