Alutar: The Great Demon (3 page)

“We know you as Garala,” the dwarven king said reverently. “While we were not in Alcea for the fulfillment of the Prophecy of the Dwarven Ruby, we are here now. The people of Tarashin are in your service. If you wish us before the walls of Giza, then we shall be there.”

King Elengal of the Dielderal rose quickly and knelt beside the dwarf. Prince Saratoma was taken by surprise by his grandfather’s quick movement, but he hastily rose and followed the elven king.

“And we call you Valon,” declared King Elengal. “As with the Elderal and the Sorelderal, the Dielderal are yours to command. Be mindful of our blood, but spend it where you must. If we are needed before the walls of Giza, we will be there waiting for you.”

King Arik smiled with surprise as he gazed down on the kneeling monarchs. “Your service is noted and warmly received, but there are other tasks awaiting both of your peoples.”

“Our task lies far in the future,” objected the dwarven king. “There will still be time for us to accomplish what needs to be done.”

“There is another task that I have planned for the dwarves of Tarashin,” replied Garala. “It will not be an easy one, but it is one well suited for your people. We will speak of it later.”

The elves and the dwarf rose and sat back down. Baron Ohmson of Zarocca rose.

“There will be no need to move the portal,” he announced. “I will provide three thousand Occan mounts for your Red Swords. It will take a few days to get them here, but the two thousand lancers that will be herding them will be joining your Red Swords on the march to Giza. I also believe that crushing the Federation now is the only true path to a lasting peace. In the spirit of the Warrior King, I will also lead my men into battle.”

As if a dam had burst, shouts of agreement flooded through the room as other Occan barons pledged their support. Baron Stikman eventually sighed heavily and nodded in agreement.

“We are one,” Baron Stikman declared. “Tell us about this mysterious passage through the Sands of Eternity.”

Kalina asked for a map and one was quickly spread on the table. She leaned over the table and began explaining the path through the desert. As everyone focused on the map, Garth and King Arik split to speak to different groups. Garth cornered Clint and dragged him away from the commotion.

“You are going to be rather busy for the next few weeks,” Garth declared softly.

“Do you think I will have to keep the 1
^st
Corps bottled up that long?” the Ranger asked.

“You will not be going up against Tauman,” answered Garth. “The 1
^st
Corps needs to be annihilated, not tied down.”

“I thought we were trying to spare lives?” frowned Clint. “What are you not telling me?”

“You can save more lives in other areas,” Garth replied. “There are two groups that we cannot afford to play around with. Tauman’s 1
^st
Corps is one of them. The other is the Black Citadel. You are going to be used where cunning and deceit can save more lives than battle can.”

“We are not going to use the A Corps in battle?” balked General Forshire. “Are you one of those who thinks my men are still misfits?”

“You know me better than that, Clint,” Garth smiled. “The A Corps will have more than one chance to bloody their swords, but you will accomplish more through other means. Your men are going to be moving nonstop for the next few weeks so it is advisable to give them some rest while you are gone.”

“Gone?” asked Clint. “Where am I going?”

“To the Cordonia that doesn’t exist,” answered Garth. “General Forshire is going to meet secretly with General Ross of Barouk and General Alden of Aerta. I think their help is going to be needed before all of this is done.”

Across the room King Arik spoke softly with King Drakarik of Tarashin.

“What is the task you have for my people?” asked the dwarven king.

“Your people might be better suited to handle Camp Destiny,” answered the Warrior King. “Do you have good archers among your people?”

“Dwarves are renowned for their throwing axes and battleaxes,” the dwarf answered, “but we always use bows for hunting game. We have many a fine archer among our ranks.”

“And magicians?” probed King Arik.

“Aye,” frowned the dwarven king. “We have a number of good magicians, but our best has gone missing. Dorforun just disappeared one night.”

“If you need more we will supply them,” promised Arik. “Let me tell you what we need to accomplish.”

The noise level in the room suddenly increased, and King Arik turned to see people moving away from the long table. The map was rolled up and the participants went in search of others to speak to. Baron Stikman focused on Garth Shado. He crossed the room with long strides and arrived just as Garth and Clint were finishing up.

“I want to apologize for my stubbornness earlier,” the baron said to the Knight of Alcea. “I was not really opposed to your plan as much as it sounded, but I will admit to having second thoughts. You do realize that any spies in Herinak will not miss the amassing of twenty thousand lancers?”

“Since when are you concerned about spies in Korocca?” retorted Garth. “You have always behaved as if it was impossible.”

“I did,” the baron admitted with a sigh. “I guess I have been foolish in more ways than one. King Myer informed me that his Patriots discovered three Federation soldiers trading in their uniforms for the garb of merchants and boarding the monthly ferry from Ur. My men were waiting for them when they arrived. It took some doing, but each of them finally admitted their guilt. You are welcome to witness the execution in the morning if you wish.”

Garth did not respond immediately, and when he did, it took the baron by surprise.

“I would like one of the spies,” stated Garth. “Hopefully one of them whose body does not show the signs of a strong interrogation.”

“You want his body?” balked the baron.

“No, Baron,” Garth smiled tautly. “I want him alive, and I need a tailor if you can summon one.”

“These men are spies,” retorted Baron Stikman. “They must be executed.”

“The man you give to me will die,” Garth promised, “but I intend to make his death worthwhile to our cause.” Garth turned to Clint and grabbed his arm before he could leave. “I need the badger brooch that you carry. Do you have it with you?”

Clint nodded as he reached into a pouch and carefully extracted the golden brooch. “Be careful with the pin,” he warned. “The poison kills quickly.”

Lord Zachary smiled at Queen Samir and leaned back in his chair. He looked around the room casually one last time to make sure that there were no servants in the room. The queen of Spino had sent the guards away quite a while ago, leaving the two of them alone to discuss the upcoming wedding of Prince Samuel to the Vinafor nobleman’s daughter. Lord Zachary knew that the minor breech in security was because of the sensitive nature of their discussions. The queen didn’t want anyone to suspect that she was making Prince Samuel marry so that she could seize a large portion of the Vinaforan’s wealth. Her greed pleased Lord Zachary.

“I think we have accomplished a great deal today,” stated Lord Zachary as he rose. “There is more that I wanted to cover, but I must not take up all of your time. I will leave you with a listing of the assets that I will be transferring to you on the day of the wedding. Please look it over so that we can finalize everything tomorrow.”

The queen’s eyes grew large as Lord Zachary placed the papers on the table. The Alcean spymaster knew that the queen wanted to read the list immediately, and that is why he had saved it until it was time for him to leave. He suspected that Queen Samir would not recall her guards or call for servants until she had read the complete list and hidden it from prying eyes. Lord Zachary turned and left the small sitting room without further conversation.

Just down the hall from the queen’s small sitting room was a waiting room. Its purpose was to allow visitors a place to sit comfortably while waiting for one of the many functionaries in the palace. It was seldom used, but the Alcean spymaster expected a particular sergeant to be in the room. Sergeant Batt had been instructed to stand in the waiting room and stare out the window every day at this time of day. Lord Zachary careful eased the door open and saw the back of the sergeant where he expected to find him. He looked around the small room to make sure that they were alone before entering and walking up behind the sergeant.

“Do not turn around, Sergeant Batt,” Lord Zachary said softly to the sergeant.

The Spinoan sergeant stiffened at the command, but he did as he was told. He continued to stare out the window.

“The queen is alone in her small sitting room just down the hall,” the spymaster instructed. “She will remain alone for the next five minutes so you do not have a lot of time, but it is more than sufficient for what you have to do. Did you remember to bring the Ertakan tunic?”

The sergeant merely nodded.

“Remain as you are,” ordered Lord Zachary. “Count to one hundred when you hear the door close and then be quick about your business. The three soldiers who recruited you will meet you this evening with the rest of your gold.”

Sergeant Batt trembled as he listened for the closing of the door. When he heard it close, he started counting while taking off his Spinoan military tunic and pulling on an Ertakan one. When he reached a count of one hundred, the sergeant let out a long nervous sigh and turned around. He exited the small waiting room and proceeded along the hallway until he reached the queen’s small sitting room. He eased the door open and walked in.

“I am not to be disturbed until I call for you,” snapped the queen without even looking up to see who it was. “Leave me.”

A throwing knife slid into Sergeant Batt’s trembling hand as he slowly crossed the sitting room to get closer to the queen. He did not want to miss his target. Unexpectedly, Queen Samir’s head snapped up and she glared at the soldier.

“I said to leave me,” she shouted.

Sergeant Batt had no choice now that she had seen him. He threw the throwing knife at the queen’s chest, and the queen screamed as the knife struck. Shouts immediately rang out along the hallway outside the sitting room, and Sergeant Batt panicked. He turned and bolted out of the room, hoping that the only thing anyone remembered seeing was his Ertakan military patch. The plan called for him to kill the queen silently and retreat to the waiting room to change tunics once again, but he never made it that far. A soldier tackled the sergeant, and they both slid along the floor. Before the sergeant could get to his feet, a dozen soldiers surrounded him with their swords pointing at his chest. With bells clanging loudly and horns sounding in the distance, the soldiers dragged Sergeant Batt away. A short distance away, Lord Zachary watched it all happen, confident that Sergeant Batt would never equate the Vinaforan Lord with the Ertakan sergeant who had hired him.

When the commotion was over, Lord Zachary turned and walked towards the main doors of the palace. He was not surprised when guards at the door informed him that the palace was sealed and no one was allowed in or out without the permission of General Vladin. The Vinaforan noble was escorted to a large dining hall where dozens of other visitors were already waiting to be interrogated. An hour later, Lord Zachary was escorted to a small office where Colonel Fodor sat behind a desk. The two guards who escorted the noble left the room and stood in the hallway outside.

“What is the purpose of your presence in the palace?” asked the colonel.

“To visit with Queen Samir,” answered Lord Zachary.

The colonel had appeared weary and bored when Lord Zachary entered the room, but his demeanor instantly changed with Lord Zachary’s mention of visiting the queen. He sat up and stared at the Vinaforan.

“What business do you have with the queen?” asked the colonel.

“We were discussing the wedding plans for Prince Samuel,” answered Lord Zachary. “Can you tell me what this is about?”

“Were discussing?” echoed the colonel. “Are you saying that you already spoke to the queen?”

“I spent an hour with her,” replied Zack. “Ask her yourself.”

The colonel called for the escorts outside the door, and they immediately entered the room.

“Take this man to General Vladin,” instructed the colonel as he held out a hastily scribbled note to the general. “He will want to perform the interrogation personally.”

Zack was escorted down the hall to a large office. General Vladin waved the Vinaforan to a chair and ordered the guards to wait outside. He read the note from Colonel Fodor and nodded before turning his gaze to Zack.

“I understand that you spent an hour with Queen Samir today,” stated the general. “When did you leave her sitting room?”

“About an hour ago,” replied Lord Zachary. “Will you tell me what is going on, General, or do I have to ask the queen myself?”

“You will not be asking the queen anything. You will sit and answer my questions.”

“Queen Samir has authorized me to be admitted to her presence at any time,” scowled the Vinaforan lord. “I will not be interrogated by a soldier without understanding why. I find it quite rude. We would never allow such behavior in Waxhaw.”

The mention of Waxhaw struck a chord with the general, and he slowly nodded. “You are Lord Zachary?”

“I am,” bristled the noble.

“I apologize, Lord Zachary,” sighed the general. “I have only seen you from a distance before today. What is going on is that someone assassinated Queen Samir about an hour ago. We are interrogating everyone in the palace.”

Lord Zachary gasped and his expression showed a practiced mixture of shock and sadness. “You have not found the assassin?”

“The assassin was captured almost immediately,” answered the general, “but we are searching for any accomplices he might have had. How long had you been out of her sitting room before the alarms went off.”

“Not very long at all,” answered Zack. “I had not even made it to the palace doors yet. I did witness a scuffle in the hallway. Some of your men wrestled an Ertakan soldier to the floor and hauled him off. Was he the assassin?”