Council of War (16 page)

"Garth warns that twenty thousand soldiers have been sent to comb Kyber Woods," answered Button. "He urges you to make haste for the pass and avoid the soldiers."

"That is easier said than done," frowned the Knight of Alcea. "A visitor last night brought us some disturbing news. Fakir said that Sebastian Pass is closed unless everyone's papers are validated. Seeing as we do not have any papers, it makes getting through the pass almost impossible."

"Fakir?" Button frowned suspiciously. "Fakir Aziz?"

"You know him?" Karl asked in surprise.

"He followed Natia and Tedi out of Giza," stated the tiny blue woman, "and he stayed in the camp the next day while they waited for the others. I don't think anyone trusts him."

"Interesting," mused Karl Gree. "We also were suspicious of him, but he did nothing that caused alarm, other than setting off the trip line a couple of times."

"He did that at our campground as well," shared Button, "but he did not even seem to be aware that he had done so. Natia was also concerned that the old man was inspecting our weapons. Perhaps your people should check their weapons."

A green fairy soared out of the trees like an arrow streaming towards a target. With an aerobatic flip, Peanut landed alongside Button, and he immediately wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Ah," grinned Peanut, "this must be my prize for concluding a speedy mission."

"In your dreams," retorted Button.

"Yes, there, too," Peanut said romantically.

Karl laughed and shook his head. He never tired of the antics of the little people, but his laughter died as quickly as it began.

"I believe the conclusion of a mission includes a report," he said seriously.

"Oh," Peanut replied as he dropped his arm from Button's waist and stiffened to attention. "The old man is correct," he reported. "There are thousands of soldiers in Sebastian Pass, and there is a long line of people waiting to get through. That line extends down the Kyber Road for over a league, but the soldiers do not seem to care. No exceptions are being made, and some merchants are turning around to return to Zinbar rather than letting their cargo spoil."

"There is no good news in what the two of you bring me this morning," sighed Karl.

"Perhaps the old man had the right of it after all," commented Max Caber. "There is nowhere else for us to go other than directly north."

"So it would seem," nodded Karl. "Button, return to Garth and tell him that we are going to turn to the north and head through the Forest of Death towards Korocca. We will try to catch a boat to Tyronia from there."

"Your message will be delivered before the sun sets," promised the blue fairy before she leaped into the air and disappeared among the trees.

"Peanut," ordered Karl, "find us a way to get across the Aranak River. We are leaving as soon as you return."

* * *

The Federation Highway started sloping upwards before the walls of Farmin came into view. The trees of the Dark Forest, previously only visible on the horizon beyond the Aertan fields of grain and vegetables, now reached the edge of the road.

"Ertak has only a little more than ten leagues of seacoast," explained Morro, "but they have still managed to host a viable port city. It is a most unusual city in many respects, but I will leave you to discover it on your own. We will bypass the northern gates and enter the city through the western gates."

"Why?" asked Garth.

"The north and south gates are always manned," answered the elven thief. "The west gates enter the slums of Farmin, and they are seldom manned. Mind you, if Kalina destroys something important, they will seal the city just as well as Giza, but I have made it my practice to keep my comings and goings unnoticed whenever possible. Besides," he added with a grin, "this will give you an opportunity to experience the essence of Ertak."

"I'm not sure that I want to know what that means," chuckled Natia.

"Just remember not to eat in the poor section of town," warned Morro. "You will get sick if you do."

When the walls of the city did come into view, Garth was quite impressed with the size of the city. The road forked a ways before the northern gates with the main road going through the city. The group took the lesser road, which curved westward around the city. Halfway along the bypass, Morro led the group through the western gates. They were immediately assailed with the stench of Farmin, but that was far from the worst the slums had to offer. Garth stared incredulously at the scarecrow-like figures moving along the streets. Many of the people were in various stages of nudity, not by choice, but rather from the rips and tears of their threadbare garments. The citizens were emaciated. Their ribs stood out, creating harsh furrows across their flesh, and their eyes were sunken. Open sores marred most bodies, and Garth felt his stomach churn with sympathy for the people.

"How could any ruler accept such conditions in his kingdom?" scowled the Knight of Alcea. "I have been to every major city in Alcea, and even during the worst of the Great War, no people were ever forced to live like this."

The condition of the buildings of the slums was not much better than that of the people. Shacks were built with anything that one could find, and all of them appeared likely to blow away in a stiff wind. Garth curled his hands into fists and clenched his teeth.

"There is only one way to help these people," Kalina said softly, "and it is not the way that you are thinking about right now. Calm yourself."

Garth turned and glared at Kalina, but slowly the tension eased from his face. He took a deep breath and brought his emotions under control. Morro watched all of this with curiosity.

"I will get you through this section of the city quickly," the elven thief said suddenly as he moved out in front of the others. "Follow me."

Morro picked up the pace and led the group on a path that weaved its way through the mad warren of dead-end streets. Eventually they reached an area of the city that was poor, but somewhat maintained. That area soon gave way to the commercial establishments that lined the main fork of the Federal Highway. They crossed over the Federal highway and continued eastward. A few blocks later, they entered an area of stately homes. This area was as large as the slums and continued on for many blocks. The final section of town was the old resort area. Palatial estates lined a wide boulevard, and elegant carriages moved about at a leisurely pace. Morro turned right onto the boulevard.

"This is the old resort section," announced the thief. "Anybody who is anyone has a home along this street. It runs for over a league in each direction."

"Where are we going?" asked Tedi.

"The Bluff House Inn," answered Morro. "It is the finest inn in Ertak, and it is right next to the Royal Palace. It has a magnificent view of the sea."

"I thought this was also a fishing village?" questioned Natia.

"It is," replied Morro, "and a major port on the Sea of Tears. You can't see that section of the city without entering one of the buildings on our left or using one of the six ramps leading down to the shoreline. Farmin is actually two cities. The main city is up here on the bluff, but far below us is where the maritime activities occur. You will see what I mean when we get our rooms. That is the Royal Palace coming up on our left."

The palace was a large white building with a metal fence around it. The structure rose four stories up from the street and occupied enough land to displace a dozen of the other palatial homes. Guards manned the gates, and roving patrols could be seen marching around the grounds. Garth found himself studying the security of the palace until Kalina gently touched his arm. Just beyond the Royal Palace was the Bluff House Inn. Unlike most inns, the Bluff House had its stables on the side of the building instead of in the rear, and they were shielded from view by tall walls. Morro led the group through the tall archway of the always-open gates and around the side of the building to the stables. A staff of uniformed stable hands immediately greeted them and took care of the horses. Morro led the way into the inn, and Garth asked for three rooms. Morro spoke up and added that the rooms should have a sea view and the clerk nodded.

Garth's suite was as lavish as any he had seen in Zara. Kalina immediately led Garth onto the balcony to see the view. Far below were the docks of the city, and boats dotted the harbor. The view of the sea was breathtaking, and Garth inhaled deeply, catching the scent of the sea.

"Feel better?" Kalina asked.

"Yes," Garth nodded. "Thank you. You know me too well."

"I also feel as you do," she smiled, "but my training with Egam stressed emotionless control, and I am good at it."

"I guess I am not," replied Garth.

"You are better at it than most non-mage people I have known," Kalina replied. "Very seldom do you get the look on your face that I saw earlier today. You wanted to head straight for the palace and assassinate the king, didn't you?"

"Guilty," conceded Garth. "I cannot imagine any human being so insensitive as to allow his subjects to live in such misery. And to make it worse, we had to ride by the Royal Palace. What a cruel irony that such an insensitive person should live where he does."

"Our task is to defeat that king in battle," stated Kalina, "but not just him. There are others just like him, and they must all be defeated. Killing the current king would solve nothing."

"I understand that well," sighed Garth. "I do not need a lecture."

"I am sorry," apologized Kalina. "I just don't want you getting into trouble when it can be avoided. We can do nothing right now for those people."

"Fine," Garth replied curtly. "Then let's go down to the common room and gorge ourselves. I am hungry."

Garth turned and left the balcony. Kalina followed, but at a distance. While Garth left the suite and proceeded downstairs, Kalina knocked on the door to Tedi's room. Natia answered the knock.

"Garth and I are going down to eat," Kalina said. "Why don't you and Tedi join us? I think we need to support Garth until he calms down. Seeing those starving people has really riled him."

"And so it should," replied Natia. "Tedi and I will support Garth in whatever he wants to do about it."

"That is not the kind of support that I was talking about," frowned Kalina. "I am talking about keeping him calm and not letting him get into trouble that can be avoided."

“Some trouble just can't be avoided," smiled Natia as Tedi joined her at the door. "We are going down to eat now," she said to Tedi. "Lock up the room."

Natia headed for the stairs, leaving Kalina and Tedi behind. Kalina shook her head and rolled her eyes as she thought of what might happen next.

* * *

Lyron led the group away from the ford and the Aranak River. For the first half league, he could see no difference in the terrain, but eventually the mahogany trees gave way to large twisted trees of a variety the elf had never seen before. The huge lower branches were devoid of leaves, and the roots were gnarled and snaked all around, above and below the ground. As a result, the ground itself was not smooth, but rather a series of lumps and troughs. The long lower branches also made it difficult to maintain a straight course, as he constantly had to weave between the trees. The farther he went into the Forest of Death, the more difficult it became to maneuver, as the strange trees grew more numerous, and their branches reached out to touch one another. Lyron grew frustrated as he tried to lead the group northward, but the feeling behind him was more one of concern.

"I have been in many a forest over the course of my life," commented Clint, "but this one is downright strange. I don't know what about it is bothering me, but something isn't right."

"There are no sounds," declared Karl Gree. "There are no birds chirping, no small animals rustling through the leaves, no large game at all. This forest is dead."

"And it smells odd," added Prince Rigal. "It smells of rot and decay."

"I have never seen trees like this," added Shawn Cowen. "I have been in forests where tall trees only have leaves near the canopy, but they usually lose their lower limbs. These branches defy nature, and I haven't been able to identify a single plant yet."

"I thought you knew every plant," quipped Max Caber.

"So did I," frowned Shawn.

"Gerant," ordered Karl, "take over for Lyron for a while. He must be rather frustrated trying to keep a steady course through all of this. And find us a clearing as soon as it starts to get dark, sooner if you find a large one. I don't want us riding through this in the dark."

The elf nodded and rode forward to relieve Lyron. The riders continued their silent ride through the eerie forest until the sky began to darken. Just before Gerant called a halt in a small clearing, Lyron saw a deer in the distance. It had been the first sign of life that they had seen all day.

The group quickly set up the camp, but the lack of a stream represented a small problem. Having come from the desert, they were still carrying excess water flasks. Karl ordered the use of some of them to water the horses, but he became concerned when he realized that they had not crossed over a stream since the Aranak River. Watering the horses each night could soon get to be a problem.

"Watch it!" shouted Max. "You'll start a fire in here."

Karl whirled and looked towards the disturbance. The fire pit was showering sparks into the air, and the sailors who had been building the fire had all retreated away from the pit. Max ran to the fire and stomped on the sparking log. Karl frowned and approached the pit.

"What is the matter?" he asked.

"The wood is not fit for burning," replied the Ranger. "This piece was giving off sparks like a wagon axle dragging along a stone street."

"Then let's get some wood that is fit to burn," sighed Karl. "Where are Lyron and Gerant?"

"Gerant is over there," pointed the Ranger, "but I heard Lyron say something about getting a deer."

"Take Gerant with you then," said the Knight of Alcea. "Try to find something that doesn't spit at us."

Max walked towards Gerant while Karl pulled the logs out of the pit and tossed them to one side. The sailors moved back to the pit and began feeding some more kindling into it. Karl stood staring at the discarded logs as an eerie feeling crept through his bones. Karl was a hunter from a family of generations of hunters, and he had never seen or felt a forest so alien before. He turned and walked uneasily to where Clint and Shawn were feeding the horses.