Alutar: The Great Demon (55 page)

King Mectin laughed. “I truly wish they had let me keep you as the Commanding General of Tyronia, Forshire. You understand me better than most. Marashef, on the other hand, is rather prudish. Perhaps you and I will share some entertainment after dinner tonight.”

“I think I would enjoy that,” smiled General Forshire. “Do you have quarters for me? I feel the need to get the road dust off my body.”

King Mectin pulled a cord and a moment later the door opened. A colonel entered the office and waited for the king to speak.

“You remember General Forshire, Craz?” asked the king. The colonel nodded. “He will be staying with us for a while. He is to be afforded every hospitality of the castle as my personal guest. Show him to his quarters and arrange a bath for him.” The king turned to Clint with a smile. “You might want to rest after your bath, Forshire. It might prove to be a long night. Dinner will be served one hour after sunset. I will see you then.”

Colonel Craz led Clint out of the room and through a maze of corridors.

“You are the commander of the A Corps now?” asked the colonel.

“I am,” answered Clint. “I am also the Imperial General of the Federation. Has the king told you that Tyronia is under attack?”

“Not yet,” answered the colonel, “but I did hear it from some of Marashef’s men. Will the A Corps be going out to meet the enemy?”

“No,” answered Clint. “We are to stay in Ur and protect the king. Marashef’s entire army will be going out to battle the enemy. I am afraid that my men are more useful behind a wall than they would be in the open field. Their only skills are those of archers.”

“Will they be defending the keep?” asked the colonel.

“That will be up to King Mectin,” answered Clint. “I personally think that is the best use of my men, but it is his castle, and his wishes will be respected.”

The colonel nodded. “If the threat is real,” the colonel said, “the king will bring your men in. I am not sure how strong the rebels were when you left Ur, but I fear that they are very strong now. Your men would not last long on the streets of the city if the rebels decided to strike while the 32
^nd
Corps is out of town.”

“There weren’t any rebels when I left Ur,” replied Clint. “I left shortly after the arrival of General Marashef.”

“Here we are,” the colonel said as he opened a door to the suite Clint would be staying in. “If you need anything, there is a cord in the room. Just pull on it and someone will attend to you. I will arrange for your bath.”

“Thank you, Colonel,” replied Clint. “How close is the nearest tower? I would like to look out over the city before it gets dark.”

“There is a staircase at the end of the hall,” Colonel Craz pointed. “Take that up to the top level and then turn left. The tower will not be hard to find.”

The colonel followed Clint into the room and picked up the door key from the table. He handed it to the general and then nodded before leaving. Clint immediately left the suite and headed for the tower. When he reached the top of the tower, a guard stared at him questioningly.

“General Forshire?” asked the guard. “I hadn’t heard that you had returned.”

“Just arrived a while ago,” Clint said with a smile. “I thought I would take a look at the city before my bath. Is everything quiet?”

“It is always quiet,” answered the guard. “I do not know what the rebels are planning, but they have not been very active of late. I think many of them may have drifted off to other lands. It is kind of silly for them to think they can breech these walls. Maybe some of them finally realized that.”

“Indeed,” nodded Clint.

The Ranger had wanted to go to the tower in hopes that Peanut was searching for him. He feared that the fairy would not find him deep inside the Old Keep, and it was dangerous for him to try. While the black-cloaks would be leaving with the 32
^nd
Corps, the demonkin would not, and Clint didn’t want Peanut to run into K’san.

“Maybe I will come up later to catch the view by night,” he said to the guard as he left.

Dinner with King Mectin was a quiet affair. General Forshire was the only guest to share the meal with the king. King Mectin spoke softly throughout the meal. He seemed to have a keen interest in Despair and the Imperial Palace there. Clint answered the questions openly until the questions about Alcea began. At that point, he began to form his answers carefully.

“We received messages from Karamin and Vinafor recently,” stated the king. “They talked about huge losses in the war against Alcea. Do you know the truth of the matter?”

“I know more than most,” General Forshire replied hesitantly, “but it is a subject that the Federation is not eager to divulge much about.”

“That means that there is truth to the messages,” stated the king. “Did we have any victories over there at all?”

General Forshire sighed and placed his napkin on the table. He hesitated for a moment, and the king waited patiently.

“We had no victories,” General Forshire eventually said. “Grand General Kyrga appears to have underestimated the Alceans, but I will deny saying that.”

“And now the Alceans are attacking here in Zara?” questioned the king.

Clint nodded. “We have confirmed the presence of the Alcean Rangers in Karamin and Vinafor. They are Alcea’s elite corps, and they should not be taken lightly. The Red Swords are usually not far behind the Rangers. That is why General Marashef decided to take the entire 32
^nd
Corps southward.”

King Mectin nodded. “Why would they attack Tyronia?” he asked.

“They seek the total destruction of the Federation,” replied the general. “It makes sense to conquer the western provinces first and then march through the passes. Tauman’s 1
^st
Corps might be able to hold one of the passes, but he is ill equipped to hold both.”

“And Candanar’s puny forces will add little to the Federation’s benefit,” nodded the king. “Why then is the A Corps here in Ur? Why aren’t you guarding the other pass?”

“With the A Corps?” scoffed the general. “They are not a real army, King Mectin. I only have two thousand men and they are not sword fighters. As I mentioned earlier, put them behind a wall, and they will be effective, but they could not hold a pass against Alcean Rangers. No, the Rangers must be stopped here in Tyronia.”

“So you really do want your men inside the keep,” King Mectin said with a hint of accusation in his voice.

“That was the plan,” admitted Clint, “but I understand your desire to express your independence here. I have little doubt that General Marashef has taken over most of the responsibilities of running Tyronia. That is typical of the Federation. This castle is the one place where your word is truly law. I can understand your hesitancy to invite outsiders inside these walls.”

“Yet you disagree with my decision,” retorted the king. “I can see it in your face.”

“It is a setback to the plan to defend Ur,” stated the general, “and it creates greater risk than we had anticipated, but I recognize your right to do as you wish.”

“Risk to your men or mine?” asked the king.

“Both,” Clint replied without hesitation. “Without a wall to shield my men, they will die quickly. Once they are dead, your men will follow. Five-hundred men will not be enough to stave off the Rangers.”

“The Rangers?” echoed the king. “I thought we were talking about a revolt. Marashef will handle the Rangers.”

“While I hope that is true,” Clint replied with a frown, “General Salaman in Karamin and General Nazzaro in Vinafor did not fare well against them. Both of those armies suffered severe casualties before surrendering the remainder of their men. Perhaps Marashef will be more fortunate, but I do not like to leave things to chance.”

King Mectin nodded as he rose and tossed his napkin on the table. “We will discuss this more later,” he said. “If you can convince me, I will order Colonel Craz to admit your men, but they will be under my control, not yours.”

“That is acceptable as long as you will heed my advice during the battle,” replied Clint. “I will even state that the victory was yours, but I want to make sure that there is a victory.”

King Mectin smiled. “Come, Forshire. It is time for some delights.”

The king led the general out of the dining room and along the corridor to his suite. Two guards stood outside the door to the king’s chambers, and they nodded to the king as he led the general through the door. The first thing Clint noticed was the thickness of the door. It was at least three times thicker than the average door, and it was padded on the inside. The second thing he saw was a monstrous bed that filled a third of the room. King Mectin noticed Clint’s mouth hanging open, and he laughed as he closed the door.

“I have had some improvements made since you left Ur,” snickered the king. “Sound does not escape from this room. Come and let me introduce you to tonight’s entertainment.”

On the wall adjacent to the entrance was another padded door, and the king walked to it and swung it open. He left it open, and General Forshire followed the king through it. What the general saw in the room sent a shiver of despair rippling through his body. Six women had their hands and feet manacled to the wall, and several of them sported numerous bruises about their bodies. General Forshire stifled a gasp as his eyes fell on one of the women. She was Althea.

“Select one,” offered the king. “Or two if it pleases you.”

Althea’s head rose at the sound of the king’s voice, and she glared at him with hatred. When she finally recognized Clint, her eyes clouded in confusion, and Clint quickly stepped between her and the king so that Mectin would not see her expression. He knew that King Mectin was fairly good at reading people’s expressions, and Clint dared not let the king know that Althea held his secrets within her mind. The king would spare no effort to make her talk.

“I think this one will do,” General Forshire stated while winking at Althea to let her know not to say anything.

“Ah,” the king shook his head. “Anyone but that one. She hasn’t been tamed yet. She will be mine tonight.”

Clint sighed with nervousness and merely pointed to the next woman. The king nodded and unlocked the manacles from both women. He grabbed Althea and shoved her through the doorway. Clint took the hand of the other woman and gently led her into the bedroom. She moved like a broken woman, her movements automatic as if her mind was somewhere else. She offered no resistance, nor did she display any sign of hope. King Mectin threw Althea on the bed. Clint watched in disgust as his hands began to curl into fists. The Ranger wanted to stride across the room and strangle the king, but there was too much at stake. He had to get the A Corps into the keep before attacking the king. If he did not, someone else would step up and seize the throne, and the new king would be less likely to admit the A Corps inside. Clint turned his back to the king and sat down on the edge of the bed. He pulled the woman down to sit beside him, and her body obeyed without thought.

“Get involved, Forshire,” chuckled the king. “The night may be long, but there is no sense in wasting it.”

“I am a slow starter,” Clint said softly, refusing to turn and acknowledge the king.

Clint felt the king jump onto the bed and then he heard the howl. Clint jerked his head around and gaped at the sight before him. King Mectin knelt over Althea holding his hands over his face. Blood ran between his fingers, and two of Althea’s fingers were covered in blood.

“I am blind,” shouted the king. “She stabbed my eyes. Kill her”

Althea moved quickly. She pushed herself out from under the king and rolled across the bed. She pulled a dagger from Clint’s belt and rolled back to the king. Before Clint could tell her to stop, she raised the knife and slit the king’s throat. Mectin’s howling died with him. His body fell limp on the bed, a quickly spreading pool of blood soaking into the sheets. Clint rose and stared at the sight before him, his mind whirling as he tried to figure out a way to salvage the mission. Althea sat up on the bed. She threw the bloody knife towards Clint. It landed on the bed near him, and he picked it up and wiped it clean before sheathing it.

“He was about to let the A Corps into the keep,” Clint said softly. “Now he cannot.”

“Do you expect me to say that I am sorry?” snapped Althea. “Well, I am not sorry. That swine should have died years ago.”

“You will get no argument from me about that,” sighed Clint, “but he would have died tomorrow anyway.”

“So I should have let him abuse me?” scowled Althea. “I think not. Get out of here while you can, Clint.”

“And leave you behind?” Clint shook his head. “I cannot do that.”

“I came here to die,” she spat. “Do not make it harder on me than it already is. There is no way they will let you take me out of this keep. Women only leave here when they are dead. Get out quickly before someone comes in and discovers what I did.”

Clint rose and walked to the large closet. He opened it and peered inside. Rummaging through the clothes, he pulled out a long white robe and threw it to Althea.

“Put that on,” he ordered. “I am going to take you back to my quarters. We can think there without the fear of someone walking in on us.”

“We could stay here and talk,” frowned Althea. “This room lets no sound escape. We might be overheard in your room.”

“Then we shall have to whisper,” shrugged Clint. “I need to get outside so that Peanut can find me. Without him we have no contact with the patriots, and I am not going to abandon you here. Put it on.”

Althea rose and used the basin of water to rinse the blood off her body. She put the white robe on and tied it. When she was done, she walked to Clint who was standing near the door to the hallway.

“Act submissive,” Clint said softly as he reached for the door.

Clint opened the door and pushed Althea before him. Both guards looked puzzled, and one of them peeked through the open door before Clint closed it. All he saw was a woman sitting on the edge of the bed.

“The king is feisty tonight,” smirked General Forshire. “You would think with a bed that big that he could share it, but not when he has three women for himself. I am going to my own quarters. Make sure that no one disturbs the king before the morning. Whatever he is celebrating, he will be busy all night.”