Alutar: The Great Demon (21 page)

“Another attack force?” queried General Forshire. “Where are they being sent?”

“I do not know,” admitted the colonel, “but the 37
^th
and 38
^th
Corps went through the portal. After it was over, I went down to your bench by the sea and found Colonel Donil sitting there. He also wanted to find out where the armies had gone. He talked me into distracting the tent guards while he slipped into the tent and through the door. He never returned. I have waited for you to arrive every night since. I began to fear that you would never come.”

General Forshire rose and began pacing the floor, his thoughts about Donil’s safety growing dark, but his major concern was determining where the portal went. Kyrga had sent twenty-thousand men to attack someplace, and Clint needed to know where that place was. He suspected that it might be Alcea, but it could also be the horse countries.

“I need to get through that door,” General Forshire said with determination. “I must know where it comes out.”

“If the location was obvious,” frowned the colonel, “Donil would have returned immediately. I feel confident that you will not know where you come out. Besides, the armies that went through might have left guards on the other side. That might explain Donil’s inability to return.”

“I don’t have to see much on the other side to learn where the portal goes,” retorted the general. “There is a time difference between Alcea and here. While we are a couple of hours before dawn, the sun is well into the sky in Alcea. If it is still dark on the other side of the portal, then I would guess that it comes out in the horse countries. I must learn that much at least.”

“And you want me to distract the guards?” sighed Colonel Taerin. “I can only do so much to help you before Kyrga learns of it and begins to question my loyalty. I was admonished for providing the distraction for Donil. If I get caught again, I may not live long enough to bring peace to Barouk.”

General Forshire turned and stared at the colonel. A broad smile came to his lips. “I like the tone of your words, Taerin. To hear you speak of bringing peace to Barouk is a melody that warms my heart. No, I will not ask you to provide a distraction. I am the Imperial General of the Federation. The guards will not dare to stop me.”

“But Kyrga will have you brought before the emperor,” warned the colonel. “If you are correct that my father is already dead, your life will be forfeit. The only way your title has any value is if you never see Jaar again. Is the location of the portal that important?”

“More important than my life,” General Forshire replied solemnly. “Neither Alcea nor the horse countries are expecting another attack. Twenty-thousand men can kill an awful lot of innocents before they even meet up with an opponent. I must do all that I can to halt such a slaughter. Stay in your room, Taerin. This is something that I must do, but you are needed here in Despair.”

Without a further word, General Forshire turned and let himself out of Taerin’s quarters. He had not wanted to tell the colonel that only the regular Alcean Army defended Tagaret. While those young men had received training from the Red Swords, they were not battle proven yet. None of them had been involved in the battles in Alcea. Clint shuddered as he thought of those poor lads going up against two Federation armies and their battle mages. Even worse, they would have no knowledge of the advancing army and no time to prepare unless Clint walked through that portal. As he exited the rear of the palace, he called Peanut out of his pocket.

“You are not going through the portal with me,” declared Clint. “If I am not back within the hour, you are to find King Arik and tell him of my conversation with Colonel Taerin. If I do come back, I will have additional words to be carried to the Bringer. Find a place to hide and wait.”

The fairy wordlessly leaped into the air and disappeared. General Forshire strode purposefully towards the large tent, and the two guards snapped to attention. They moved their bodies slightly to block access to the tent when they realized where the general was heading.

“Step aside,” General Forshire ordered in a commanding voice as he approached the two guards.

“We can not do that,” one of the guards replied. “We have strict orders from Grand General Kyrga. No one enters this tent without his permission.”

“I do not need the permission of Grand General Kyrga,” snapped General Forshire. “I am the Imperial General of the Federation. I do not report to Kyrga or any other officer. I report directly to Emperor Jaar, and you will yield to my authority or you will die for insubordination. Now step aside.”

The guards trembled in fear because they had never heard of an Imperial General, but the officer facing them was well known about the palace. They hesitated to move aside, and General Forshire appeared ready to draw his sword and deliver his punishment on the spot.

“He truly is the Imperial General of the Federation,” stated a voice from the darkness. All three men turned towards the sound of the voice, and Colonel Taerin stepped into view. “I have seen the proclamation myself. General Forshire reports directly to Emperor Jaar and no one else.”

The guards stepped aside and General Forshire entered the tent and disappeared from view as the tent flap fell back in place. Colonel Taerin stood calmly watching the two guards.

“We never heard of an Imperial General,” offered one of the guards. “How were we supposed to know?”

“He is the first Imperial General,” replied Colonel Taerin. “I do not blame you for not recognizing him. That is why I offered to verify his identity. I think he was prepared to cut you down where you stand.”

“Could he do that?” gasped one of the guards.

“If you mean does he have the skill to do it,” Colonel Taerin smiled slightly, “I have heard that his sword skills are exemplary. I certainly would not want to try my hand against his.”

“That is not what I meant,” frowned the guard.

“Ah,” Colonel Taerin nodded in understanding. “Well, he would have to account for his actions to the emperor, but I understand that he gets along quite well with Emperor Jaar. I think his title speaks plainly enough in that regard.”

“What is Grand General Kyrga going to say when he finds out about this breech in orders?” asked the other guard.

“I am not sure,” mused Colonel Taerin, “but I suspect his reaction might be quite similar to General Forshire’s. He will be livid that you ignored his orders. I suspect that your punishment will be quite severe.”

“But you vouched for him,” scowled one of the guards. “Surely, you will speak on our behalf?”

“I did not urge you to ignore your orders,” retorted Colonel Taerin. “I merely said that General Forshire was indeed the Imperial General. I surely did not want you to make such a decision without knowing who you were facing. As for speaking in your behalf, what would you have me say? Should I confirm that you allowed General Forshire into the tent?”

The two guards looked at each other, and they both began sweating profusely. Colonel Taerin felt cruel toying with the men, but he could not afford to have it noted that he had once again interfered with the tent guards and their duty to keep people out of the tent.

“What are we to do, Colonel?” asked one of the guards. “We do not want to become involved in a squabble between Kyrga and Forshire.”

Colonel Taerin made a point of gazing around the area before turning his attention to the guards. “I suppose it would be better for everyone if this incident never happened. As for me, I am off duty and am merely strolling the grounds. I have no part in this affair. I certainly feel no need to make a report of it.”

“But won’t Kyrga find out about it from Forshire?” asked one of the guards.

“I do not think the two of them speak to each other very much,” shrugged Colonel Taerin. “Do you really expect General Forshire to march into Grand General Kyrga’s office and brag about forcing his way into this tent?”

The guards looked at one another with hope in their eyes. Colonel Taerin nodded farewell to the two guards and left the area as if continuing his casual stroll around the grounds. Several minutes later, General Forshire emerged from the tent. He let the flap slide back into place and then turned to look at the two guards. He stared silently at them for a moment as if making some decision regarding their fate.

“We are sorry for not recognizing you earlier,” one of the guards offered in a trembling voice. “General, we are not anxious to get caught in a row between you and Kyrga. What are we to report about this incident?”

“Incident?” echoed General Forshire. “I know of no incident that requires reporting. Do you?”

Both guards shook their heads vigorously. “Thank you, General,” one of the guards said with relief in his voice.

General Forshire smiled and nodded to the men before turning and heading towards the bench near the waterfront. Before he reached the bench, Peanut shot down out of the night sky and landed on Clint’s shoulder.

“Tell the Bringer that the portal goes to Alcea,” General Forshire said softly. “It was too bright to see any stars, but the foliage and terrain reminds me of southern Targa, or perhaps northern Sordoa. That is the best I can tell from my short visit. The portal is located in a tiny hunter’s cabin. The floor of the cabin has been destroyed by the heavy traffic passing through it. Also, the troops headed south after arriving. That would place the cabin north of some road. Carry the message with haste, my little friend. Do not bother coming back here. We will meet on the road in Vinafor.”

Peanut shot straight up into the predawn sky and banked to the north. He soared high over the Sea of Tears and looped past the Pyres before heading out over the Sands of Eternity. He gazed down at the evenly spaced lakes spread across the vast desert and saw a great host gathering around one of them. It was not until he was gliding towards the Bringer that he realized that the sun was already on its way to the western horizon. As he landed on the Bringer’s shoulder, King Arik was talking to Baron Stikman.

“This is incredible,” commented the baron. “And you say that there are six more of these lakes?”

“We will stay at one of them at the end of each day’s journey,” nodded King Arik. “Each of them is already provisioned with more than enough food to sustain our men and mounts. Excuse me while I see what brings Peanut to the desert.”

King Arik turned his head towards the fairy on his shoulder. “Has the turnover to the dwarves gone badly?” he asked with concern as Baron Stikman and Colonel David Jaynes looked on.

“No,” Peanut reported. “That went well, but there is a problem that requires your attention. There is a portal in a tent on the lawn of the Imperial Palace in Despair. Clint reports that it goes to southern Targa or northern Sordoa. He cannot be more precise than that, but it comes out in a hunter’s cabin north of a road.”

“Clint is sure of this?” asked the king.

“He has gone through it,” nodded the little green man, “but he could not stay long. There is more. The 37
^th
Corps and the 38
^th
Corps of the Federation have already gone through the portal along with battle mages. Bringer, there is another attack force in Alcea!”

“And we have left little in the way of defensive forces,” frowned Colonel Jaynes. “We could be back in Herinak in a week. When did the Federation armies depart?”

“Days ago,” frowned the fairy. “I do not know the exact date, but I think it may have been a week ago. That is how long Colonel Donil has been missing, and he followed the enemy through the portal. Should I return to Despair and ask?”

“No,” King Arik shook his head. “Where is Clint now?”

“He is heading for Vinafor,” answered Peanut. “I am supposed to meet him there.”

“Then rest before you go,” ordered the Bringer. “Your mission is accomplished.”

“Your homeland is under attack again?” questioned Baron Stikman.

“It would seem so,” answered King Arik as if he knew what the baron was thinking, “but that does not change our plans. I gave my word to your father that I would lead this army to the gates of Giza, and I will not break my vow.”

“But Tagaret will fall,” protested David Jaynes. “If Herinak was under attack, would you even think of stopping the baron from turning his forces around? I know that you would not. In fact, you and the Red Swords would be turning around with him to help save his city.”

“That is enough, Colonel,” King Arik stated brusquely. “The Red Swords can no more save Tagaret than the Lanoirian army can. You are riding Occan mounts, not unicorns. There is not enough time for you to get to Tagaret.”

“But there is time for you to go,” Baron Stikman said.

“I promised your father,” King Arik declared.

“That you would lead this army to the gates of Giza,” smiled the baron. “I know. I was there. Still, Colonel Jaynes is absolutely correct. If Herinak was under attack, we would be turning around, and you would not object. How then can I object to your returning home to rally your defenses? As for your promise to my father, Colonel Jaynes and I will lead this army through the desert and beyond Olansk. There we will wait for you on the Zinbar Trail. Go, my friend, and return victoriously.”

It took over six hours for King Arik to get to Herinak on his unicorn. It had already been a very long day for the king, and he would liked to have spent some time sleeping, but dawn was fast approaching when he arrived in Tagaret. The Red Swords guarding the portal were surprised to see the king, but they scurried to obey his commands. Chaco was taken to the stables to get some rest, but others in the Royal Palace were awoken early from their sleep. The king took only a few moments to freshen up, but by the time he reached the library, most of his advisors were already present. The king wasted no time waiting for the others to arrive.

“We have a serious situation here in Alcea,” the king declared as he entered the library. “There is another Federation attack force somewhere in Alcea. The best estimate I have is twenty-thousand men and eight battle mages. I want fairies sent out in every direction to locate this army, but I want them to concentrate on lower Targa and upper Sordoa first. Clint McFarren thinks that might be where they came out, and the Ranger knows his land features fairly well. He is the man Alex requested to map Zara.”