Alutar: The Great Demon (70 page)

“Impossible,” scoffed the colonel. “There are not that many Dielderal in existence.”

“Now that is true,” retorted Clint, “but you are not facing just the Dielderal. There are ten thousand Elderal among the elves surrounding Despair.”

“Sixteen thousand?” gasped Colonel Taerin. “I must stop Grand General Kyrga from sending that message.”

Colonel Taerin started to rise, but Clint reached out and firmly grabbed his arm.

“What message?” pressed Clint.

Colonel Taerin frowned. He had grown so accustomed to talking with General Forshire in an open manner that he had forgotten that he was an Alcean. He also realized that Kyrga would want to know the source of his information. The colonel sat back down, but he said nothing.

Clint sighed. “I have long told you that the time for a decision was coming to you. That time is now. Your Federation is falling apart. Do you wish Barouk to fall with it?”

“I just heard that King Harowin was assassinated,” Colonel Taerin said. “Do you know who did it?”

“The same group that assassinated your grandfather,” answered Clint. “It was the Badgers, but you are trying to change the topic of our conversation.”

Colonel Taerin sighed deeply and nodded in understanding. “Is there any chance of the Federation surviving?” he asked.

“None,” Clint replied without hesitation. “The Empire of Barouk now stands alone as the sole member of the Federation.”

“What about Spino?” asked the colonel. “I thought they were still a member.”

“Not really,” replied Clint. “King Samuel might not have notified the emperor yet because there are still ten thousand soldiers in Valdo sworn to Grand General Kyrga. It would hardly be prudent for Samuel to make such a statement until the 35
^th
Corps leaves the city.”

Colonel Taerin nodded. “That will be tomorrow morning,” he declared. “The message Kyrga is sending is to call all of the Federation soldiers to Despair to defend against some Occan army. Does any of this make sense to you?”

“A great deal of sense,” admitted Clint, “but the army coming this way is not just Occan. King Arik is leading the army himself, and it includes the Alcean Rangers and the Red Swords. Despair will not withstand its fury, and your city will not receive any reinforcements.”

“But the troops from Valdo will surely get here first,” the colonel frowned in confusion.

“There will be no help from Valdo,” stated Clint. “The 16
^th
Corps will not leave the city, and the 35
^th
Corps will not survive the journey. No one is coming to save your false emperor, Taerin. You do realize now that he is not your father, don’t you?”

“Everything points to that,” admitted Colonel Taerin, “but I cannot help myself. Every time I see him, my heart hopes that he still exists inside somewhere.”

“I am sorry, Taerin,” Clint replied sympathetically, “but that is not possible. If we could get the mage portraying your father to cast a single spell, the truth would appear for you to see. I am working on arranging just that. If you see that for yourself, will you then believe me?”

“I would have no choice,” sighed the colonel, “but what would I do then? Grand General Kyrga would seek to kill me if I tried to claim the throne. So would General Brennus, as he is sworn to Kyrga.”

“What about the leader of your home guard?” asked Clint.

“General Hartz commands the 3
^rd
Corps,” answered Colonel Taerin. “He is in charge of the Imperial Palace. He would stand by me, but I cannot reveal myself to him until my father is proven dead. Besides, we still have not identified the noble seeking to seize the throne. For me to declare myself before that happens would be suicide.”

“We are working on that,” replied Clint. “In fact, we are close to finding out who he is. What would General Hartz say if I told him of my suspicions about the emperor?”

“I think you should not,” warned the colonel. “As the protector of the Imperial Palace, he would never take your word over the emperor’s.”

“Then he must be present at the unveiling of the black-cloak,” nodded Clint.

“Why?” questioned the heir.

“Because all we will have left when the false emperor is uncloaked is a mage,” explained general Forshire. “We have no idea where they might have disposed of your father’s body.”

“Are you saying that what sits in the emperor’s office is not my father’s body?” puzzled Colonel Taerin. “I thought you said a mage had taken over his body.”

“That is not how the spell works,” replied Clint. “I am not the right person to explain it, but think of it as an illusion. Yet it is more than that, but your father’s body is not being used.”

A moment of silence fell over the two men and then suddenly Clint’s eyes widened.

“They haven’t disposed of your father’s body,” he stated excitedly. “They need it. Without proof that the emperor is dead, the usurper cannot claim the throne. Where could they hide it?”

Colonel Taerin sighed. “Perhaps it is hidden the same place that you have hidden my family. How can I trust you when you hold such important information from me. How do I know that they are safe?”

“I am sorry, Taerin,” Clint replied. “I could not tell you before because it might have started the war too early, but I can tell you now. Your mother and sisters are living in Herinak Castle.”

“They are captives of the Koroccans?” scowled the colonel.

“No, Taerin,” Clint replied calmly. “They are guests of the Koroccans. There is an entire level of the castle that is off limits for all Koroccans save a few that need access. It is on that level that Queen Romani, King Myer, King Harold, and King Samuel lived through the winter. None of them were prisoners, and neither is your family. It was never meant for them to go there, but the Badgers attacked my men. I entrusted a friend with getting your family to safety, and he knew that they would be safe there. The bad part of it was that once they were there, they had to remain until the war was over. If the emperor found out where they were, the Federation would have attacked the horse countries. We could not let that happen.”

“And the good part is that the Badgers could not find them,” nodded the colonel. “I understand your caution now. Thank you for keeping them safe.”

“I am more concerned now with keeping you safe,” frowned General Forshire. “If you cannot rely on General Hartz until the imposter is exposed, you do not have any friends in this palace. That worries me.”

“And me,” agreed the heir. “Did Donil tell you that I inadvertently revealed myself to him?”

“He did not,” answered Clint. “He didn’t have to. If I can get the A Corps onto the palace grounds, will you accept their protection?”

“The worst thing I could do right now is to be seen as someone who needs protection,” the colonel shook his head. “Besides, you could not get the A Corps into Despair, never mind onto the palace grounds.”

“I can get them here,” smiled Clint, “and they would not follow you around. They would remain in the old barracks beyond the gardens. If you felt threatened, you could join with them there, and they will spend their lives protecting you. They would also attack the palace if you were seized by Kyrga or the false emperor.”

“The A Corps would do that for me?” frowned the colonel. “Why?”

“Because they would do anything for me,” replied General Forshire. “The only problem I foresee is explaining their presence on the grounds now that the elves have surrounded Despair. Would people believe you if you said that they have been here for weeks?”

“No one goes near the old barracks,” answered Colonel Taerin. “Not even the patrols bother with that sector. It would be possible for them to go for weeks without being seen.”

“Then the A Corps shall return to the grounds of the Imperial Palace,” General Forshire said with conviction. “I want you to think about the Imperial Palace and where they might hide your father’s body. You have access to everywhere in the palace. Should you find the body, we can act to remove the imposter from power.”

“I will search for it,” frowned Colonel Taerin, “but I will move cautiously. There is still the matter of the noble behind the coup attempt. Bring me his name, or I will not be able to move forward.”

Colonel Taerin rose and headed for the Imperial Palace. General Forshire watched him go and then moved quickly to the old barracks area. He entered the barracks that housed Colonel Donil and stared at the modification his colonel had made to the building. At the rear of the large room stood a newly built closet.

“You should rig up a curtain line to hide the closet,” General Forshire suggested. “There might not be many people who would question the addition, but Colonel Taerin certainly would, and he is about to get very curious about how two thousand men suddenly appeared on the grounds of the Imperial Palace.”

“Didn’t you just tell him that the men were coming?” frowned Colonel Donil.

“Indeed I did,” answered General Forshire, “but I did not tell him that you found the Door he was looking for. His mind was focused on more important things, but that will not last forever. Find a way to hide it after the men come through.”

Colonel Donil nodded, and General Forshire moved to the closet and opened the Door. He stepped through the Door and stood in the Royal Palace in Tagaret. Red Swords immediately surrounded him.

“The time has come,” Clint said to the Red Swords. “I am about to move two thousand Federation soldiers through this Door and the other one. I have no doubts about their loyalty, but you might feel better if this location was immediately reinforced.”

A Red Sword captain pointed at one of his men and snapped his finger. The chosen soldier turned and raced along a corridor to get extra men.

“Do you truly trust the men coming through the Doors?” asked the captain.

“They have put their lives on the line for me,” answered Clint. “Besides, the king and queen are not in residence right now. There is little harm they could do.”

The Red Sword captain nodded, and Clint stepped to the other Door in the room. He opened it and stepped through to Tarashin where dwarven warriors guarded the portals. Clint turned and looked around the chamber. All of the other Doors had drapes over them except the Door to Tyronia. He nodded in satisfaction.

“It might be wise for you men to move back into the shadows so that you can still maintain a guard but not be seen by the men coming through,” Clint said to the dwarves. “Perhaps extinguish all of the torches but the one near the portal to Tagaret.”

“Consider it done,” replied one of the dwarves. “How soon will the men be coming through?”

“Within minutes,” Clint replied. “If you need longer to prepare, lock the Door until you are ready.”

“We will be ready,” assured the dwarf. “Bring them through.”

Clint nodded and stepped through the Door to Sidney’s estate just outside of Ur. He walked down the stairs and out the back door of the estate. Camped on the lawn of the estate were the men of the A Corps, and they all rose and stood stiffly as General Forshire exited the door and stood on the porch.

“This is it, men,” General Forshire said loudly. “Within minutes you will be on the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Despair. I want to remind each of you that this is a dangerous mission. We will be confined to a small section of the palace grounds, and we must take every precaution not to be noticed. That is not to say that we attack anyone who notices us. They will not take us as a hostile force unless you allow them to. Be civil and be simple. Claim that you entered the grounds weeks ago and that you know nothing more. Refer any questions to me or one of our colonels.”

General Forshire nodded to Colonel Magee, and the colonel swiftly climbed the steps and turned to address the men.

“Bring all of your gear and foodstuff,” the colonel told the men. “We will not have access to the palace kitchens, so make sure that you have enough to eat. We will be going through one hundred men at a time. When your time comes, step lively. There will be others behind you waiting to get through. Now, line up in the formations that have been assigned to you.”

The soldiers of the A Crops moved quickly, and soon twenty uniform columns were assembled.

“One last thing,” General Forshire said loudly. “You will be disoriented during the short journey. Pay no attention to your surroundings until you emerge in Despair. Any man caught wandering will likely perish.” General Forshire lowered his voice and spoke to the colonel.

“Give me a couple of minutes and then lead the first group upstairs,” instructed the general. “March through any open door you see. Donil will be waiting for you on the other side.”

Fakir Aziz stood alone in the middle of the Sands of Eternity. He looked up at the clear blue sky and nodded in appreciation. Taking the black staff, he shoved it into the sand. Calling forth an ancient incantation, the Mage closed his eyes. The air crackled with magical energy, and a lightning bolt split the sky. The lightning bolt shot downward and struck the Mage’s staff. An intense glow instantly surrounded the area, and the sand around the staff turned blood red. Fakir Aziz mumbled again, and the red sand spread outward in a circle.

Fifty leagues south of the Mage, Atule sat on his unicorn in his assigned spot. He saw the distant streak of lightning and knew that the Mage had begun his ritual, whatever that might be. The mage from the jungle lowered his eyes to the sands of the desert. As predicted, a red haze began to appear on the horizon. As Atule watched, the red haze came closer and closer, until finally he could see that it was not a haze at all. He watched with curiosity as the red sands approached. As swiftly as a fast-moving cloud’s shadow moving across the ground, the red sands spread up to Atule and beyond him. Immediately, Atule felt the movement of sands from his right. He cast a spell and propelled those moving particles off to his left. As he did so, the unicorn began walking forward. The game had begun.

Fifty leagues to the east of the Mage, others also noticed the strange behavior in the sky. Seiko and Jong stared up at the lightning display as they stood upon the deck of the Resurgence, which was moving westward at the pace of a walk.