Council of War (51 page)

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The cabin sat in a small patch of woods in the remote section of upper Zarocca near the headwaters of the Traginak River. It wasn't much of a cabin to look at, but the roof didn't leak, and the trees provided an effective windbreak from the blustery cold winds that swept down off the mountains of the Barrier. The cabin had no windows, and the front door fit snugly when it was closed, which wasn't very often. Outside the cabin were four huge dogs that were gentle as lambs until someone other than the owner of the cabin came near. On those rare occasions the dogs became fierce protectors of the area. They snarled and growled and gnashed their teeth as if they wanted to tear your flesh off your bones. The few hunters in the area had learned to give a wide berth to Zynor's cabin, and strangers seldom came this far up the river, but Zynor was not a lonely man.

Zynor had devoted his life to studying plants and animals, and he considered them his friends. Not all of them returned that friendship, but Zynor understood that there would always be conflict of one sort or another. It never slowed him down on his endless quest to learn everything there was to learn about his friends. While some had once considered him the smartest man in the world when it came to plants and animals, Zynor knew that his quest was still far from over. That was the way he preferred it to be because he knew that once the quest was fulfilled, his life would end.

While Zynor was inside the cabin taking his time over a meal of honey and apples, the four dogs outside sensed something in the forest. They rose agitated and began to prowl the clearing that the cabin stood in, their noses high and sniffing the air. Shapes moved in the darkness, and the dogs noticed it right away, but they didn't snarl, and they didn't growl. Instead they cocked their heads in unison and stared in wonder as an old man led four horses out of the trees. Actually, he didn't really lead them as he didn't hold their reins, but they followed him nevertheless. The dogs laid down quietly and stared at the old man. As he passed by, he bent down and patted each of them. The dogs rolled over on their backs, their tails beating a merry tune upon the ground.

Fakir Aziz stepped up to the open doorway and gazed inside the dim cabin. A single candle illuminated the interior, and it did a poor job of it at that. Fakir could see that the room held no furniture. There were no chairs, no tables, and no beds. A couple of blankets were placed in one of the corners for sleeping, and several piles of books stood in another corner. There was a fireplace with half-burnt logs in it, but the hearth was cold and had been so for some months. Sitting on the floor near the fireplace was Zynor with a book in one hand and an apple in the other. A small candle sat on the mantle nearby, and its puny, flickering flame danced gaily across Zynor's balding head. Fakir stepped into the cabin, but Zynor did not even look up. The historian crossed the small room and sat on the floor before Zynor, but still there was no sign that he had been noticed.

"May I light the fire?" Fakir asked loudly.

Zynor looked up with a start. "What?"

"May I light the fire?" Fakir asked softly.

"Yes, of course. By all means, please do."

Fakir proceeded to start the fire while Zynor put down his book and stared at the intruder.

"A bit of a chill in the air tonight," commented Fakir.

"Is there?" asked Zynor as he subconsciously reached for a blanket in the corner behind him. "I guess I hadn't noticed. What were we talking about?"

"Nothing," replied Fakir Aziz. "You were reading."

"Of course I was reading," frowned Zynor. "I meant before that."

"I have only just arrived," smiled Fakir. Zynor had a troubled look on his face, and Fakir smiled again. "The dogs are fine. You needn't worry about them."

"I must be going deaf," Zynor said in a rambling sort of way. "I don't remember hearing them when you arrived. Who are you?"

"You may call me Fakir Aziz," answered the historian, "and you would be Zynor, the nature man of Zarocca."

"I have been called that," nodded Zynor, "but it was a few years ago I think."

"More like a few hundred years ago," smiled Fakir Aziz. "The days when people would trek to these woods to seek your wisdom ended a long time ago. I don't think anyone knows that you still exist."

Zynor frowned. "I don't suppose that matters. They always came asking for information, never bringing it with them. They were a distraction from my studies."

"Some brought you books," Fakir nodded to the stacks in the corner.

"Books," nodded Zynor. "Yes, books are full of information, but I have read them all."

"Some information is not written about," stated Fakir Aziz. "You seek to learn everything from the pages written by others, but what about the things that no one has yet written about? How can you learn everything by remaining in this cabin?"

The balding man frowned in thought as he stared into the flames of the fire. His eyes began to glow with a clarity that had not been seen in many years. He turned and stared at Fakir Aziz.

"I know you."

"And I know you," replied Fakir. "You have set yourself upon an impossible quest, for nature is constantly changing around you. You cannot learn by words alone. You need to smell, feel, and touch."

"You are right," Zynor nodded with new determination, "but how do I begin? Where do I go?"

"Those questions are irrelevant," replied Fakir. "What is the real question?"

Zynor threw off his blanket and stood up. He walked to the door and gazed out into the night. The four dogs were sitting contently staring at the cabin, and the four unicorns stood beside them. He frowned in confusion and turned back towards the fire.

"Those unicorns have no horns," Zynor stated.

"Then how did you know they are unicorns?" asked Fakir Aziz.

Zynor shrugged. "They are unicorns. What happened to their horns?"

"They are hidden," smiled Fakir. "Unicorns have not been seen in hundreds of years. The people today believe they are mythical. Sometimes it is better to let people retain their myths."

"Why have you come for me?" asked Zynor. "My studies are not done."

"For the answer to that question," replied Fakir, "you must ask the real question."

Zynor frowned again. He probed deep within his own mind, but his memories were a veritable jungle of plants and animals. He subconsciously raised his arm and pointed at the ceiling. With a snap of his fingers a mage light appeared suspended in the air above him. It showered light all over the inside of the cabin, and Zynor walked to the stacks of books. He moved the closest stacks away and bent down next to the stack all the way in the corner. He effortlessly lifted the tall stack with one hand and pulled out a small book with the other hand. He placed the stack back on the floor and stood up.

The book he held in his ancient hands was a children's book and seeing it again brought a smile to his lips. His eyes glowed with the flare of youth as he paged through the book. With a wide smile he placed the small book on the top of the stack.

"What is knowledge for?" Zynor asked.

"To make the world a better place," smiled Fakir Aziz. "Come, we have days of travel ahead of us before the next stop."

"How long will I be gone?" asked Zynor.

"For most men the time would be long," answered Fakir. "For an ancient it might seem short, but it might also be forever. Do not worry needlessly. Your dogs will survive as dogs do. I have some interesting insights regarding dogs that you might be interested in hearing. We can talk about it on the way."

Garth and Kalina bade farewell to King Persimon, King Myer, Queen Romani, and Sidney. The Tyronian merchant offered to see them down to the stables for a brief moment of private conversation before the Alceans departed Traginak.

"I am once again sad to part company with you," Sidney smiled wistfully. "Have you had any word from Clint? Edmond was supposed to be taking the ferry to Tyronia when we fled the country. I am worried about him."

"Peanut arrived this morning," replied Garth. "Edmond arrived safely."

"It was not the boat journey that I was worried about. How are things in Ur?"

"As to be expected," answered Garth. "The Tyronian army has been disbanded, and the Federation is accepting recruits. Food rationing has been instituted and those without a family member in the army will receive little in the way of food. Most of the Tyronian soldiers are enlisting in the Federation army, but their hearts aren't in it. They are doing so to feed their families. So far the merchants have not been harassed. I suspect the Federation will leave them alone as they need the trade avenues to remain open to transport their booty back to the empire."

"They could just seize the wagons and do it themselves," posed Sidney.

Garth chuckled. "Who would you be more likely to trust with food deliveries, merchants who respect the safety of their cargo, or starving soldiers forced into service?"

"Good point," conceded Sidney. "Does this mean that Edmond and my men will be spared the wrath of the Federation?"

"Most likely," nodded Garth. "In fact, I understand Edmond was contacted to caravan a large food delivery to Giza. Clint asked him to use every available wagon for the caravan so as to create a shortage of wagons in Ur. He thought it might slow down the depletion of the food supply."

"Clever," smiled Sidney. "It is helpful to have Clint in a position to help the Tyronians, even if he has to do so covertly. How can I help you with the task set out for you by Baron Stikman?"

"I am not sure that you can directly," Garth frowned in thought. "I still intend to visit Valdo and Despair posing as your Special Agent, but I cannot think of anything you can do that you have not already done."

Sidney pulled a small pouch from his belt and handed it to Garth. The Knight of Alcea opened the pouch and whistled softly when he saw the two large diamonds inside.

"These are worth a fortune. Why would you part with them?"

"They were to secure an estate here in the horse countries," smiled Sidney. "King Wendal has extended an offer for King Myer, Queen Romani, and me to live in Herinak Castle. I will have no need for an estate until this business with the Federation is resolved and then I will be returning to Ur. I think you might make better use of the funds."

"I am honored by your faith in me," Garth said with sincerity. "I will use them wisely."

"Where will you go now?" asked Sidney.

"We will ride east today, but tonight we head south over the Sands of Eternity. It is time to raise some armies for the Council of War."

"Farewell Sidney," Kalina said as she sensed the conversation coming to an end. "May we meet again under sunnier skies."

Sidney embraced Kalina and then the Knights of Alcea mounted their unicorns and rode through the castle gates into the courtyard. Ted, Natia, Karl, Max, and Shawn were waiting for them in the courtyard.

"Runt arrived back from Alcea," Tedi said softly to Garth.

"We will talk once the city is behind us," Garth replied. "Let's ride."

The Alceans rode proudly through the city streets of Traginak. While no one threw flowers in their path, many of the citizens waved or nodded in respect. The guards at the city gates opened the gates when they approached, and the Alceans left Traginak with warm feelings for the Zaroccans they were leaving behind. They rode eastward for over an hour before Garth called a halt in a small stand of trees alongside the road.

"What did Runt have to say?" Garth asked immediately upon dismounting.

"Runt managed to get to Alcea before the ship," answered Tedi. "King Arik was setting up to track the deployment of the Doors."

"Track them?" asked Kalina. "Is he aware of the danger of leaving those Doors intact?"

"He is," nodded Tedi. "They are hoping that by letting the Doors be deployed, they will be able to determine where the others are."

"The others?" asked Garth.

"The Doors were numbered," reported Tedi. "The three Doors on that ship were numbered sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen."

"Why would they number the Doors?" balked Kalina. "That seems so unnecessary."

"Unless they have a large number of them," frowned Garth, "and it appears that they do. When it comes time to attack, they want to be sure that they know where they are going. They cannot afford to get confused about where the troops will emerge. The numbering makes perfect sense to me. Everything the Federation has done so far speaks of excellent organizational skills. I suspect somewhere in the bowels of Despair is a map of Alcea with little numbers on it. Those numbers will indicate the locations of the Doors."

"How are things going back there?" asked Kalina.

"Runt reports that the Bringer is doing well," replied Tedi. "Arik and Tanya had just broken up a ring of Snakes in Trekum. There is also a plan for fairies to start traveling between Alcea and Zara using the Zaran ships part of the way. Runt told them to report to Squirt on the Isle of Despair. That was the only location that he could think of that was sure to have a fairy present."

"Runt has done well," smiled Garth. "Where is he?"

"Fast asleep in Karl's pocket," answered Tedi. "He searched all over for us. He did not expect to find us up here in Zarocca."

"Then I will assign Peanut permanently to Clint," nodded Garth. "Is that all right with you, Karl?"

"Of course," nodded Karl Gree. "Peanut will do fine in a covert mission."

* * *

Kalmar was still a young man, but he was already one of the most prosperous citizens of Herinak. The Koroccan was widely known as The Healer, and his potions and elixirs were sold to the most prominent people in the horse countries. Customers sent their servants from hundreds of leagues away merely to purchase what Kalmar sold. The king of Korocca invited him to balls, and the most important people in the city liked to boast that he was a personal acquaintance. To say that fame had gone to Kalmar's head was an understatement. The prices for his potions rose every few months merely because his fame allowed him to command any price he charged.