Council of War

by Richard S. Tuttle

  Runt saluted again and prepared to leap into the air when Garth spoke again.

  "Tell Karl to fly only at night. He is to traverse the Elfwoods to the Barrier and follow that northward until they reach Karamin. Only then should they turn westward."

  Runt shot up into the canopy. An hour later Bitsy and Button returned.

  "The main camp is five leagues north of here," Bitsy reported.

  "Main camp?" asked Garth.

  "All of the bandits do not stay in the same place," nodded Bitsy. "They have camps all up and down the Calusa Road, but the main camp is not near the road at all. It is at the end of a narrow canyon, and there are sentries all along the ridges. It will not be easy to approach."

  "Show me a vision," demanded Garth.

  The fairy immediately complied. A vision of the bandit camp came into view from a perspective of several hundred paces above it. The Knights of Alcea gazed at the narrow canyon and the hill at the end of it. Cut into the side of the hill was a cave opening with an overhang above it.

  "It is a natural fortress," Tedi remarked with disappointment. "We are not going to be able to sneak in there."

  "No, we aren't," agreed Garth. "I guess we will just have to ride in. Let's get some sleep. I want to arrive before sunup, but not so late that they have already started sending out their men for the day."

  The Knights of Alcea bedded down for the night. Several hours before dawn, Garth woke everyone up, and they quickly got underway. Bitsy perched on Garth's shoulder and showed him the way. When they got close to the mouth of the canyon, Garth instructed the fairies to put the sentries asleep. The fairies obediently took off to complete their mission.

  "Tedi," Garth said softly, "You and Natia are to remain behind. If we do not return by high sun, come up with a plan to rescue us. Don't forget that Karl and the Rangers will be coming. If you need their help, wait for them."

  Tedi nodded silently, and Garth and Kalina rode onward. They rode slowly and quietly into the mouth of the canyon. Garth glanced at Kalina and flicked his eyes towards the rim of the canyon. Kalina nodded her understanding of his plan. She immediately erected shields around the two of them. Slowly they made their way the entire length of the canyon and dismounted at the end of it. Staring up at the cave part way up the hill, Garth made his way to the steep trail leading up to the entrance. Kalina followed silently.

  The trail led to a narrow ledge that stretched out under the overhang. Garth and Kalina stepped onto the ledge and walked towards the cave. As Garth approached the mouth of the cave, he held his hand out for Kalina to halt. She stopped and watched as he continued onward. Garth stopped directly in the mouth of the cave and stared into the darkness.

  "Who is in charge here?" he shouted into the cave.

  Shouts rang out from inside the cave and people scrambled for weapons. Garth fully expected some arrows to strike Kalina's shield, but none did. The inside of the cave grew quiet as a voice of authority demanded silence.

  "Who are you, and what have you done to my sentries?" shouted a voice inside the cave.

  "Your sentries are merely sleeping," replied Garth. "I have come here to talk, nothing more."

  "Who are you?" demanded the voice of authority.

  "Mikal Obanik," replied the Knight of Alcea, not wanting to use the name of Sidney Mercado's special agent when dealing with bandits. "I am not from this land."

  Suddenly a young man appeared in the entrance. He stared at Garth and demanded that a torch be lit. Several torches were lit and men crowded around their leader to shed light on the intruder.

  "Where are the others?" asked the leader.

  "My wife is on the ledge beside me," answered Mikal. "I told the others to wait elsewhere for me. Can we talk?"

  "What about?" asked the leader.

  "I have many questions," replied Mikal, "but we could start with your name."

  The young man blinked several times and frowned. "If you do not know me, why are you here?"

  The verbal dueling puzzled Garth. None of the bandits had tried to attack him, and the leader showed no animosity towards him. He began to wonder if they were bandits after all.

  "I am looking for patriots of Karamin," Garth eventually said. "Not the Karamin of the Federation, but the real Karamin."

  The young man's eyes grew wide for a moment and then immediately narrowed with suspicion. "I am Boric," he stated. "Why would you be searching for patriots? Are you a bounty hunter?"

  Garth sighed. "I have already stated that I mean you no harm. If you are bandits, you have not bothered me or my people so I have no quarrel with you. I am searching for patriots to free Karamin from the grip of the Federation. If you are not like-minded people, say so, and I will leave you alone."

  There was no reply, and Garth grew increasingly frustrated. He turned to look at Kalina and saw Bitsy landing on her shoulder.

  "There are men moving to seal off the canyon," Kalina said softly enough that her voice did not carry into the cave.

  Garth nodded in understanding. Boric was no fool after all. He was stalling for time while his men got into position. He turned back to face the bandit leader.

  "You appear not to be the person I am searching for," declared Garth. "My wife and I will now leave you alone. If your men try to stop us from leaving, they will get hurt. Order them to stand down."

  The shock of surprise showed on Boric's face. "What men are you talking about?"

  "The men you sent to seal off the canyon," glared Garth. "Do not take me for a fool, Boric."

  "The men are only for our protection," stated Boric. "If I had wanted to kill you, we already would have, but I will not talk until my canyon is secure. If you truly mean no harm, why would you have a problem with that?"

  Garth sighed again and conceded the point to the bandit. "Alright, your canyon is secure. Do we talk, or do I walk?"

  "We talk, Mikal Obanik," Boric said as he walked out of the cave and glanced at Kalina. Fortunately, Bitsy had already returned to the sky. "Why are you in my Karamin trying to foment rebellion?"

  "I seek the downfall of the Federation," declared Mikal. "It is that simple. Where do you stand on the issue?"

  "As I said," smiled the bandit, "my name is Boric. Obviously that doesn't mean much to you, but I am not surprised. Mikal Obanik is truly not from this land. I wouldn't expect you to know much about my country. King Vlador is my cousin, and he has sold Karamin to the Federation. I want it back for the people."

  Mikal's eyes widened in understanding. "Is that why your men didn't attack us? You are not really bandits?"

  "Hardly," chuckled Boric. "Oh, we do pillage and kill, but only Federation soldiers fall to our arrows. We have no argument with the people of Karamin or ordinary travelers. But you are not an ordinary traveler, are you? There is a large reward on your head."

  Chapter 38

  Misfits

  The sun rose over the canyon as Mikal and Yolinda sat on the ledge outside Boric's cave and talked to the bandit leader.

  "Why is it that the Federation soldiers do not enter the forest to pursue you?" asked Mikal.

  "Oh they do," answered Boric. "If you had spent more time in the forests and less on the Calusa Road trying to get us to come to you, you would know that. We have scores of campsites setup for them to discover. The camps are always small to make the soldiers think that there are only a few of us. When the soldiers come hunting, the men in these camps scatter into the woods. Seldom are any of them caught unawares."

  "That ruse will only hold for a while," cautioned Mikal. "The Federation will torture your men to learn the truth."

  "They have already," frowned Boric. "This place is not known to all the men. Only the unit commanders know the way here. You were very lucky to stumble across it."

  "If we could stumble across it," warned Mikal, "so can the Federation. How many men do you have?"

  "Enough to cause the Federation some trouble," answered Boric, "but not enough to do anything more. You still have no
t said why you are looking for patriots. Someone from across the sea is hardly in a position to do much for Karamin."

  "The Federation will be mounting a massive invasion of Alcea," explained Mikal. "When their troops leave Zara, I plan to hit them here at home, and I do not mean just in Karamin, but everywhere. I am looking for people In Karamin who oppose the Federation to join in that struggle."

  "A noble endeavor," Boric replied, his eyebrows rising. He stared down into the canyon for a while, and Mikal let him dwell on his thoughts. "I would very much like to coordinate with you," he finally said, "but I don't see as how I can be much help unless you are offering to send me troops. I only have a thousand men, and the Federation has over forty thousand."

  "A thousand men can do a lot of damage if you can seize Calusa," stated Mikal. "If we could think of a way to lure most of the troops out of the city before you seize it, you just might have a chance."

  "We can't even get into the city," Boric shook his head.

  "We just entered Calusa with no problems," frowned Mikal. "If it is because you are known, use a disguise."

  "You are two couples," replied Boric. "The army will not stop couples from entering, but they are on the watch for groups of men entering the city. If they are the least bit suspicious, they will arrest your first and ask questions later. I cannot risk my men by marching them into the jaws of the Federation."

  "What do you know about Atule's Maze?" asked Yolinda.

  "It is a jungle," laughed Boric. "What is there to know?"

  "Do you know about the Rhodans?" pressed Yolinda.

  "Oh," Boric nodded as he saw where Yolinda was going. "Yes, I know about the Rhodans. In fact I know more about them than most people. They are the Sisters of Justice."

  "How do you know that?" asked Yolinda.

  "I am not stupid," replied Boric. "Every time we have a border incident it involves three women, but only two of them are fighters. They have been bringing in battered women through Karamin for years. I am surprised that no one else has figured it out, but then again, no one really cares. By the time they get the battered woman this far, she has already been forgotten about in the city she was taken from."

  "Does King Vlador know about them as well?" asked Yolinda.

  "I doubt it," Boric answered. "Vlador is only interested in himself. If he saw a Rhodan in Karamin he would attack her just as quick as he would attack me, but he hasn't put the Rhodans together with the Sisters of Justice yet. I doubt that many people have. The Rhodans were actually pretty good about getting around our patrols, which was fortunate for Karamin. The Rhodans can be quite efficient killers when you get in their way."

  "How do you feel about them as neighbors?" asked Mikal.

  "I have no quarrel with them," shrugged Boric, "but Vlador would like to exterminate them all. He has a slight limp from an encounter with them. He tried to stop them from returning into the jungle one time. The Rhodans fought to get home. They only wounded the patrol in their way. That was a big mistake for them. They would have been far better off if they had killed Vlador back then. As prince he instituted the policy of patrolling the border with instructions to kill any Rhodan sighted. It has been that way ever since."

  "Is it safe to assume that you would be entitled to claim the throne if Vlador was thrown out with the Federation?" asked Mikal.

  "That is my goal," nodded Boric, "but it is an unrealistic one. Still, I will fight to the death to achieve it."

  "Would you be willing to enter into a treaty with the Rhodans?" asked Mikal.

  "What kind of treaty?" asked Boric.

  "Safe passage across Karamin," answered Mikal.

  "With their charges," added Yolinda.

  "I would have no problem with that," frowned Boric, "as long as the women they were taking with them were going voluntarily. I would not turn a blind eye to abductions. I would also not stand for their killing of men in Karamin. If there is a complaint about the treatment of a woman, it should be brought to the king's attention, not acted upon by those who proclaim to know better. Why are you asking about this? My ascension to the throne is a near impossibility."

  "It says much about the kind of king you would be," smiled Yolinda. "I was just thinking that maybe the Rhodans could enter Calusa where your men could not."

  "No," Boric replied without hesitation. "A group of women entering would be just as bad as a group of men. They would be immediately arrested."

  "I meant as couples with your men," stated Yolinda.

  "You mean work together with the Rhodans?" frowned Boric. "They have been persecuted by Karamin. Why would they help us?"

  "To put a king on the throne who would enter into a treaty with them," smiled Yolinda. "Would you be willing to cooperate with them?"

  Boric stared into the canyon again. His lips pressed tightly together in thought, and he began to slowly nod his head. "I would, although I can't imagine how it will ever come to pass. It is forbidden to even set foot inside Atule's Maze. Whoever went to seek the treaty would never return."

  "I cannot say if they will agree to the treaty," replied Yolinda, "but I am willing to go talk to them."

  "You would risk your life to see me on the throne?" Boric asked skeptically.

  "It is not just to see you on the throne," answered Yolinda, "although I see that as a very positive step in healing Karamin."

  "I said before that we are trying to organize this fight against the Federation," interjected Mikal. "We have formed a Council of War to organize the struggle. It is imperative that everyone works on the same schedule, otherwise the attacks will fail. Are you willing to be a member of the council, and are you willing to time your attacks along with everyone else?"

  "Who is on this council?" asked Boric.

  "All of Zara except the five Federation countries bordering the Sea of Tears."

  "Are you including the horse countries?" asked Boric.

  "Yes," nodded Mikal. "Vinafor and Tyronia as well, plus some other peoples that I am hesitant to mention outside the walls of the council chamber."

  Boric's eyes narrowed as he stared at Mikal. "You are obviously talking about an elf rebellion, but that will never happen. The Federation keeps their children locked up in the cities. Even if they told you that they would join this council, it will not happen."

  "I can say nothing further at the moment," retorted Mikal, "but I am always sure of the commitments that I receive. That is why our questioning of you is so thorough. The Council of War can only succeed if we can depend upon one another."

  "I want so much to believe in you, Mikal Obanik," Boric said, "but it is difficult. Your optimism is so much brighter than any other voice in the land. You almost make it seem believable that we can defeat a quarter of a million soldiers."

  "Most of those will be sent to Alcea," replied Mikal. "Boric, there is only one way to look at a situation that you are willing to die for. You have to believe that victory is achievable. I know the odds are steep against us, but I refuse to let that dissuade me from my goal. We will defeat the Federation. Will you join with us? Will you join the Council of War?"

  Boric breathed deeply and then a smile spread across his face. "I will join with you, Mikal Obanik. I have already dedicated my life to this struggle, why not try to do it the best way possible."

  "Then we should be off to Atule's Maze," Yolinda said as she got to her feet. "Let's see if the Rhodans feel as I do."

  Mikal and Boric also rose. Mikal turned to face the bandit leader.

  "Besides the other couple, we have three more men on the way to join up with us. Do not be disturbed by their presence. They are also Alceans. We will return as quickly as we can."

  * * *

  The small column of Federation soldiers rode through the gates of Despair. While columns of soldiers riding through the city were common sights, people stopped to watch this particular column pass. Perhaps it was because a general was being escorted, or maybe because the general rode an Occan horse. Some might have sugg
ested it was the preciseness of the column with each horse stepping in unison and each soldier sitting perfectly erect. The soldiers' eyes stared straight ahead, yet they seemed to be aware of what was going on around them. Whatever the reasons, the people took notice of the passing column.

  The citizens were not alone in taking notice. Other soldiers stared with wonder, and officers grew curious about the special squad of soldiers. Whispers abounded about an elite squad entering the city led by a general no less. It was indeed an unusual sight, and word spread quickly through the city. Had the elite squad headed directly to the Imperial Palace, they would have beaten the whispers, but their path was a curious tour of the city that eventually ended at the gates of the Imperial Palace. By the time they reached their destination, officers were lined up to watch their approach. Even Grand General Kyrga was curious as he stood on a balcony of the palace and observed the squad enter the grounds. He turned to an aid.

  "Find out the name of that general," he commanded. "I want his file on my desk in ten minutes."

  Two stories below the highest ranking officer of the Federation, a colonel was greeting the new general.

  "I have orders to report to Grand General Kyrga," stated Clint. "I am General Forshire."

  "Of course, General," saluted the colonel. "If you will follow me, I will see you to your quarters."

  "What about my men?" asked General Forshire, making no attempt to dismount.

  "They can stay at one of the city garrisons," replied the colonel. "I will have someone see to your horse."

  "This squad is my personal detail," retorted Clint. "They will not be sent to a garrison to mix with the dregs of the army, and they will be taking care of my mount personally."

  The colonel frowned and gently bit his lower lip. Eventually he looked up at the general again. "There are empty barracks on the grounds. They are overflow barracks used to house troops in times of trouble, but they are empty now. I suppose there would be no problem with them staying there for a day or two. Do you know how long your stay will be in Despair?"