Alutar: The Great Demon (9 page)

“I do not know,” admitted the colonel. “The knowledge is not widespread, but both Jaar and Kyrga know of the results. The generals appear to be as much in the dark as I am. Could there be a spy among your people?”

“No,” Clint replied assuredly. “Were there a spy in our ranks, our methods would not have been a surprise to the invading armies. They must have another way to communicate with someone in Alcea.”

Colonel Taerin almost offered to sniff around and try to discover the secret, but he did not. The colonel was torn about his loyalties. While he detested what the Federation had become and how it was being used, the union that his grandfather started was a grand ideal. Could he really be an honorable Baroukan and still seek to destroy the Federation that his father ruled? General Forshire’s words tore the colonel away from his musing.

“Why did Emperor Jaar want General Ross to be the Commanding General?” asked Clint. “He does not seem to be the typical Federation general.”

“Ross was my suggestion,” answered Colonel Taerin. “I see General Ross as owing loyalty to Barouk, the emperor and then the Federation, in that order. I saw that as a plus compared to the other generals, many of whom are interested only in themselves.”

Even as he said the words, their meaning struck hard at the colonel. Was he not just trying to prioritize his own sentiments? How could he prioritize another’s leanings so easily and stumble over his own.

“Were you to become emperor,” asked Clint, “would you still raise Ross to be the Commanding General?”

“Without question,” replied Colonel Taerin. “General Ross is a competent general and decent man.” After a moment of hesitation, Colonel Taerin frowned and continued, “Or at least I looked upon him as competent. What happened to him in Alcea? How did you manage to defeat him?”

“He never got to see battle,” Clint replied. “His capture had nothing to do with his competence. More to the point, his capture was due to Kyrga’s incompetence, but now is not the time to go into such details. I will not reveal much more about our victories in Alcea while there are still battles to be fought.”

“So the war is coming to Zara,” sighed the colonel. “I suspected as much from your earlier words. Be careful in your enthusiasm, General. Kyrga still has 140,000 men under his command.”

“No sane man is enthusiastic about war, Colonel. What is the large tent on the grounds for?”

Colonel Taerin shook his head at the sudden turn in the conversation. He hesitated before saying, “I am not sure. It was said that it was for strategy sessions for the new armies, but it makes little sense to me. There is plenty of meeting space within the walls of the Imperial Palace, but no one else seems to question its purpose.”

“Perhaps we should take a walk and find out,” suggested General Forshire.

“I would avoid it if I were you,” warned the colonel as Clint stood up to leave. “It is a restricted area for some reason. If you wish to keep your presence here a secret, you should not go near it.”

Clint sat back down, making a mental note to ask Colonel Donil to check out the tent. Turning his thoughts to the false emperor, and who might be behind him, Clint asked, “Which noble has been in to see the emperor a lot?”

“Quite a few of them have,” Colonel Taerin replied, wondering where the conversation would go next. “Ever since the elves attacked the soldiers stationed in the Badlands, the mines have been shut down. There is tremendous pressure on Emperor Jaar to reopen the mines, but he seems disinterested. I suspect the news from Alcea has him quite distracted.”

“And so it should,” Clint stated with a slight smile. “You have little time to choose your side in the coming conflict, Taerin. I suggest you think hard about what your legacy might be for the Baroukan people. The Federation is going to collapse in short order, and where you stand is going to make a great deal of difference to thousands of Baroukans.”

“Thousands will die no matter which path I take,” frowned the colonel.

“Your words are true,” nodded General Forshire, “but there is also the question of magnitude. Unless you can get a hold of your country, we are going to crush it mercilessly. King Arik does not wish such a beginning to our future relations, but he is committed to destroying the Federation.”

“Future relations?” scoffed the colonel. “No king is going to defeat the Federation and leave the Empire of Barouk in place. Despair will be pillaged and burned.”

“You know too little about Alcea,” sighed Clint. “Keep your eyes and ears open. You will learn the truth about King Arik before your final decision must be made. I have to go now. Stay safe, Colonel.”

* * * *

The suite at the Palace Keep in Giza was luxurious, and Natia enjoyed being in it after having spent several weeks on the road in Alcea. Her first task was a nice hot bath and she was barely done with it when she heard the knock on her door. Tedi had left almost as soon as they had arrived to do a walk around the city to see what he could learn. It was far too early for him to be returning to the room. She quickly pulled on a robe and cautiously cracked the door open. She smiled broadly and opened the door wider to admit Colonel Fisker.

“You must have the gate guards watching for me,” Natia chuckled. “I just barely had enough time for a bath.”

Colonel Fisker grinned. “Actually,” he said, “I have one of the clerks downstairs watching for you. There are too many gate guards to compensate them all.”

Natia laughed. “Sit down and give me a few minutes to get dressed.”

The colonel nodded and closed the door while Natia retreated to the bedroom and dressed. When she returned to the sitting room, she found the colonel waiting patiently.

“I do have to apologize for imposing on you the very minute you get into the city,” the colonel began, “but I am anxious to learn if anyone has found the elven children yet.”

“I do not think anyone is even looking for them,” Natia replied. “They are old news. Why are you so interested in them?”

“I am not sure,” admitted the colonel, “but I think they hold a clue to what is going on in the Federation.”

Natia stared at the Federation colonel for a long time without responding. Colonel Fisker stared at the covert agent knowing that she was having an internal debate about revealing something sensitive.

“You know that you can trust me,” the colonel said. “I would never see harm come to you.”

“It is harm to you that I was dwelling on,” Natia said softly. “The elves do hold a key to what is going on in the Federation, but I do not know where your true loyalties lie.”

The colonel opened his mouth to respond, but Natia held up her hand to stop him.

“Do not try to impress me with false bravado, Colonel,” Natia said. “I have a question to ask you, but before you answer, think hard about the truth within yourself. You will lose no favor in my eyes regardless of the answer, but it is a question that you must acknowledge to yourself.” The colonel nodded seriously, and Natia continued, “Given your king, your general, your country, and the Federation, in which order do you owe your allegiance?”

The colonel was quick to respond. “Are they not all the same thing?”

Natia merely smiled. The colonel frowned and rose to his feet. He paced the floor and ended up staring out the window. Natia sat silently waiting for the colonel to make his decision. Eventually, the colonel turned around and stared at Natia.

“Despite your words earlier,” the colonel said sadly, “I do not think I will continue in your good favor. Can I at least have your vow of secrecy on this matter?”

“I wish no harm to come to you, Colonel,” Natia replied, “and no harm will come to you through me. In fact, you do not even have to give me your answer to the question. It is enough that you have made the choice within yourself.”

“No,” the colonel replied. “You have made me look within myself for a reason, and I suspect that the reason is important. There is no greater love within me than the love I hold for Aerta. I know that disappoints you, but it is the way I feel. Being an Aertan, I next owe my allegiance to the king, whether I agree with his actions or not, for without the king, there is no Aerta.”

“And your general and the Federation?” pressed Natia.

“General Antero is a good man,” answered the colonel. “Were it not my duty to obey the king, I would choose Antero over King Anator, but generals are not due the loyalty that a king is. I am afraid that leaves the Federation on the bottom of the pile. I am sorry, but the Federation has not treated Aerta fairly. In fact, you are the only bright spot that I see in the Federation.”

“And what of General Alden?” asked Natia. “Where does the heir fit in?”

The colonel’s eyes brightened and a hint of a smile came to his lips. “When General Alden takes the throne, Aerta will be a much finer country than it is today.” Colonel Fisker halted and frowned. “Merely those words could doom me,” he said worriedly. “To wish the king to die is treason. Remember your pledge.”

“I will remember it well,” smiled Natia. “You asked about the current trouble in the Federation, Colonel. I am prepared to discuss it with you now, but I need your vow of secrecy. Should portions of what I am about to tell you be repeated, we both could die.”

The colonel’s eyes widened in surprise as he had expected Natia to reject him after his statement about his loyalties. He nodded his head exaggeratedly. “You have my vow.”

“The Federation is about to disintegrate, Colonel,” Natia declared. “They have lost the war in Alcea, and they have lost it badly. The Alceans hold 175,000 Federation soldiers prisoner. The rest of the invasion force is dead. The Alceans won every battle.”

The colonel gasped and sank into the couch. He stared at Natia in disbelief, although he knew in his gut that she was telling the truth. “General Alden?” he asked hesitantly.

“He is alive and well,” smiled Natia. “A cohort of mine spoke to him recently. He will be returning to Aerta in the future.”

Colonel Fisker frowned. “A cohort of yours? You said that the Federation is disintegrating. What side of the split are you on?”

“It is more than a mere split, Colonel. Emperor Jaar has not been in control of the Federation since the celebration. There is an evil power pulling the strings of the Federation for its own pleasure. That evil power feeds on misery, and that was the sole purpose of invading Alcea. Demonic forces wanted the tears of millions to awaken the Great Demon. To accomplish that goal, misery was allowed to infest the cities of the Federation, but that was not enough, so they unleashed the military might of the Federation on a nation the size of Zara.”

“But the invasion failed,” noted the colonel.

“Yes, it failed,” confirmed Natia, “but the danger still exists. It will continue to exist until the Federation is destroyed, and that, Colonel, is where you come in.”

“Me?” balked the colonel. “I do not understand. Surely, you do not expect me to destroy the Federation? I am but a lowly colonel.”

Natia smiled broadly. “I do not expect you to destroy the Federation, Colonel. I expect you to save Aerta.”

Two captains from the 33
^rd
Corps were touring the city of Giza. Their assignment was to gain a familiarity with its geography and note any areas where malcontents might gather. A sergeant led a squad of soldiers behind the captains as a protective detail, but the soldiers merely looked around and took in the sights of a city that was foreign to them. They sensed no danger from the decrepit residents of the slums. Anyone in the path of the small column immediately moved out of the way to avoid contact with the soldiers. The soldiers, who feared catching a strange disease from the citizens, encouraged such movements. All in all, it was a pretty boring exercise for the men of the 33
^rd
Corps. The column turned a corner and entered a narrow street that was totally devoid of human life. Not a single person was in sight, and one of the captains frowned.

“I don’t like the looks of this,” he commented softly. “Why is no one on this street?”

The answer came in the form of two bow snaps. An arrow pierced the chest of each of the captains, and their bodies tumbled from their mounts onto the street. The sergeant shouted for his men to dismount and take cover as his eyes rose and scanned the rooftops. He caught sight of one of the assassins on a roof and ordered a charge into the building. Leading the charge inside, he halted and ordered four men to the roof. He then directed the rest of his squad to search the entire building and arrest everyone in it. The minutes dragged on as the sergeant waited impatiently. Eventually, all of his men returned, but they had no prisoners.

“There is no one to arrest,” reported one of the men, “and there was no one on the roof.”

The sergeant fumed in silence for a few moments and then ordered the building to be torched. Within minutes the building went up in flames and an alarm sounded somewhere distant. The sergeant ordered his men to gather the bodies of the captains, and the column retreated from the slums.

A few minutes later, across the city, Colonel Corry raced into the office he shared with Colonel Fisker.

“Darned if you weren’t right, Fisker,” panted Colonel Corry. “Someone just killed two captains of the 33
^rd
Corps. The sergeant of the protective squad ordered the burning of the building the archers had fired from. How did you know?”

“The officers of the 33
^rd
Corps treat the citizens like dirt,” shrugged Colonel Fisker. “You should spend more time in some of the seedier taverns in the city. You would learn a lot.”

“I think I will leave that task to you,” chuckled Colonel Corry. He suddenly turned serious and frowned. “Someone is going to be made to pay for this attack, Fisker. We might have riots on our hands tonight.”

“You are right,” Colonel Fisker nodded. “Handle things for me for a while. I am going to speak with General Antero.”

Colonel Fisker dashed out the door and made his way to the Royal Palace where General Antero had his office. On his way through the gates he saw General Hedstorus approaching the palace. The colonel quickened his pace. When he reached the general’s office and saw the door open, he breathed a sigh of relief. He moved swiftly into the office and shut the door behind him, ignoring the outrage from the duty officer outside. General Antero looked up at the slamming of the door and frowned heavily.