Heirs of the Enemy (66 page)

The two men lapsed into silence for awhile, but the sergeant was still troubled by all of the secrets being exposed.

“The men are puzzled by you, General. We ride in the uniforms of the Federation, yet we freed the elves from the reeducation center in Despair. That made us think that you are really working against the Federation. Now you are rescuing the emperor’s family. Why can’t you explain the truth to us?”

Clint remained silent.

“You must know that we will follow you no matter who you are,” pressed the sergeant. “You are the only officer to ever treat us as humans. Beyond that, you have taught us and trained us. You have made us what we are, and we are proud to have achieved what we have. It hurts not to be trusted by you.”

The silence continued. Long minutes later, General Forshire spoke softly.

“I am proud of the men of the A Corps. You have shown a dedication rarely seen in men who have been abandoned by their own, but I walk a narrow path, Sergeant. I stand on the razor’s edge, and one slip will be fatal. I keep my secrets for several reasons. The men are told what they need to be told to perform the tasks assigned to them. Mentioning anything beyond that is foolish because any one of them could be captured and tortured. That would be fatal for them and for me.”

“That is understandable,” sighed the sergeant, “although the men would die before they betrayed you. Still, you said you had several reasons, but you gave only one.”

Clint sighed heavily. Over one hundred of his men had just died following his orders, but he felt sure that not one of them tried to surrender to save his own life. The A Corps was devoted to him as few military units could be. Did he owe them the truth? Could he afford to tell them the truth?

“There are two thousand men under my command,” the general said softly. “I have to imagine that there are many conflicting loyalties among them. If one single man betrayed me, all of us would pay the supreme price for his betrayal. Are my secrets really that important to you? Can you not just continue to have faith in me as you have in the past?”

The sergeant pondered the questions and eventually nodded. “We will remain loyal no matter what. I think you already knew that before you asked, but your point has been made. I will not pry any further, but I am glad that I did pry so that you understand the only thing about you that can be seen as negative by the men. There is hurt from your secrecy, but not enough to matter in the end. We will fight and die for you no matter where your true allegiance lies.”

Clint frowned. “Tell me, Sergeant, what do the men think of my allegiance?”

“Many thoughts have been discussed,” answered the sergeant. “At first, we believed your tale about demanding loyalty because of the threats from competitive generals, but those thoughts didn’t last long. From then until this mission, everyone thought that you were one of the rebels we were supposed to be hunting. Now we are confused again. There would be no reason for a rebel to go into battle to save the lives of the emperor’s family.”

“The men followed me thinking I was a rebel against the emperor?”

“General,” grinned the sergeant, “the A Corps would fight to put you on the throne if only you gave them the order. Whoever you are, we want you and people like you ruling the land. Is that wrong?”

“You are taking quite a gamble revealing yourself to me like this,” warned the general. “A true patriot of the Federation would be forced to report you to the emperor for such seditious talk.”

“I am taking no gamble. If I am so far wrong with my assessment then waste no time reporting my words. Slay me now.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“We all know how the emperor rules the Federation. Are you so quick to forget that you recruited us out of his prisons? While your authority can be stern and demanding at times, it is never unjust. There is no way that you could support such a repressive regime. That is why we are puzzled with the rescue of the emperor’s family. It makes no sense.”

The general sighed under the weight of the sergeant’s candor. “I fear that if I am discovered so easily by you, that I must also be transparent inside the Imperial Palace as well.”

“No, General. No one understands you like we do. In fact, I think we are the only ones who get to see the real you. I doubt the Imperial Palace has any idea what you do once you leave the grounds.”

“They may soon discover the truth,” frowned Clint. “The men are still carrying the insignia of the A Corps, even if they are not wearing it. I am sure that the Badgers will search the corpses we left behind. They will carry that news back to someone in Despair.”

“Actually, we are also still carrying the insignia for the V Corps. Will that confuse them?”

Clint raised an eyebrow. He had forgotten that these men had posed as General Garibaldi’s men when they freed the elven children.

“It might,” smiled Clint. “It just might.” Clint looked at the sergeant in a new light. The man had been promoted because of his skill and proven leadership of squads, but Clint saw more promise in the man. He decided to confide in him. “I am more than a rebel, Sergeant. I am an Alcean. In fact, I am an Alcean Ranger.”

“Alcean Ranger?” echoed the sergeant. “What is that?”

Before Clint could answer, he felt a weight land on his shoulder.

“The unicorns are waiting,” announced Sparky. “They cannot land on such a narrow ledge, so I am to levitate you onto their backs. Who will go first?”

“Sergeant Treman,” Clint answered without hesitation. “Send Minitari down for him. I will be ready as soon as they leave. Stand up, Sergeant.”

The sergeant promptly rose to his feet, but his brow creased in confusion. Unexpectedly, he felt his body lifting off the ground. The sensation disturbed him greatly, but the general’s smile was reassuring.

“Spread you legs,” ordered Sparky. “You are not supposed to stand on Minitari’s back.”

The sergeant promptly complied and a unicorn glided underneath him. The fairy released the spell and Treman dropped onto the unicorn’s back without Minitari even having to slow down. The unicorn immediately flapped his huge wings as he powered upward. The sergeant quickly grabbed the unicorn’s mane and then sheepishly released it as if it might offend the creature. Minitari sensed the uneasiness of his passenger.

You may hold my mane if it comforts you. There is no pain for me, but I will not let you fall in any event.

The sergeant did not know how to respond. Before the unicorn prompted him further, General Forshire appeared alongside him on his own unicorn.

“I am taking you into my confidence, Sergeant. You will not speak of what you learn tonight without my leave. Is that clear?”

“Very clear, General. You have my pledge.”

* * * *

Morro, Sidney, General Forshire and Sergeant Treman sat around the table in Sidney’s sitting room.

“I am really sorry, Clint,” apologized Morro. “You said to take them someplace safe. I knew that they would be safe from the Badgers here.”

“I do not blame you, Morro,” Clint responded. “You did exactly what I asked you to do. I am appreciative, but it does complicate my mission. I cannot possibly return them to Despair now. They would reveal too much just by reporting that they were in Herinak. I cannot afford for the emperor or anyone else to know that we have such capabilities.”

The door to the suite opened and Queen Romani walked in. She crossed the room and silently sat down.

“What if we take them back before they wake up?” asked the elf.

“The women are already awake,” reported the Vinaforan queen. “Janay knows that we are in the far north. She is already asking how that is possible.”

“That settles that,” frowned Morro. “I am sorry.”

“Stop saying that,” scowled Clint. “You did what I asked. Our time is better spent trying to figure a way around the situation.”

“The Badgers are the only people who know that the women are no longer with their original captors,” interjected the sergeant. “Will they be anxious to admit that they lost them?”

 
“They are more likely to try to retrieve them,” suggested Sidney. “They have a reputation to uphold. As far as I know, the Badgers have never suffered a defeat like the one you described.”

“The Badgers never met the A Corps before,” grinned the sergeant.

“I would not boast of our performance,” frowned Clint. “We lost a lot of good men in the end.”

“The women have to stay here until the invasion,” said Queen Romani. “I do not think that point is debatable.”

“She is right,” agreed Sidney. “Whatever games you play with Emperor Jaar, you can’t return his family right now.”

“Agreed.” Clint sighed in resignation. “Perhaps we should move on to other things, but before we do, I would like to ask you a favor, Queen Romani. Will you try to befriend Janay and find out where her son is? She will claim that he is dead, but I do not believe her. Try bringing up the subject during innocent conversation regarding relatives or family gatherings.”

“I will try,” promised the queen, “but do not expect an answer out of her. The emperor’s family has not lived a palace life. She has been sequestered ever since Jaar assumed the throne. There will have been no family gatherings or relatives visiting. She will hold her secret very close.”

“You know,” mused Morro, “even if Janay does understand where she is, she does not know that you are responsible for her being here. You sent her to safety on your horse. The last thing she would have remembered is falling asleep alone with her daughters. Can’t you salvage this by telling the emperor that you have them safe somewhere without telling him where?”

“What would Jaar do if he knew that his family was safe?” asked Sidney. “Would he abandon his rush to war?”

“He would demand that they be returned,” answered Clint. “His orders to me were to march into the palace and he would handle the rest.”

“Yet he does not know who he can trust,” Morro pointed out. “His plan sounds rather poorly thought out to me. Whoever is above Kyrga might want the family for leverage, but one thing is certain. Kyrga would die if Jaar got his family back. The Grand General would therefore kill Jaar’s family as soon as he saw them. It is his only way to stay alive.”

“I agree,” Clint said. “That pretty much determines my path from here. Morro, you and I have to return to Despair. I need to speak to the emperor again.”

“What about the sergeant?” Morro asked as he nodded at Treman.

Clint grinned broadly. “Sergeant? I don’t see any sergeants. Treman, you are about to become a colonel in A Corps. I have a special mission in mind for you.”

“I am extremely grateful, General. What am I to do?”

“You are going to be the new Commanding Officer of the Olansk garrison. The men there are undisciplined and disorganized. You are going to change that.”

“That is a tall task for a prisoner, General.”

“I have faith in you, Treman. Besides,” Clint added with a grin, “Olansk is where the Federation sends their misfits. You should feel right at home there. I will spend the next day or two bringing you up to speed with what we are trying to accomplish. When I feel that you are ready, Morro and I will accompany you to your new post. Morro will introduce you to Cracker and the thieves, and I will introduce you to Captain Takir, who you will be replacing.”

“What is my goal?” asked the colonel.

“When the war comes, you will be responsible for holding Olansk. That means making your men more loyal to you than to the Federation. I do not expect any major battles to occur in Olansk, but its location is extremely important. Your garrison will have to halt any Federation armies from passing through the city. I will explain exactly how you are going to accomplish that later. Do you accept the challenge?”

“If you have faith that I can do it,” answered the colonel, “then I heartily accept.”

“Is there enough manpower in Olansk to hold off an army?” frowned Morro.

“There will be,” answered Clint. “The thieves will help, and I will try to feed recruits in slowly so that Treman can condition them properly. I think there is a good chance of success.”

“That will delay your trip to Despair,” interjected Sidney.

“Not by much,” replied Clint. “It will only take a few days, I should not be too quick to return to Despair. If any of the Badgers did see me, I don’t want them to start thinking about magical means of transportation. Emperor Jaar will have to wait a few days.”

The blind man made his way along the corridor of the Gateway Lodge in Zinbar, his staff tapping a consistent rhythm on the tiled floor. Halfway along the corridor, the man stopped, his staff rising up as he turned. The staff tapped on the door with a solid-sounding knock. A young merchant opened the door and curiously peered at the blind man.

“You have the wrong room,” stated the merchant.

“Edmond Mercado?” asked the blind man.

“That is me,” frowned Edmond. “Do I know you?”

The blind man smiled broadly. “Your father asked me to pay a call when I arrived in the city. May I come in?”

Edmond immediately grew suspicious and his hand moved slowly towards the knife on his belt. He tried to close the door, but the blind man deftly stuck his staff in the opening and pushed his way into the room. Edmond immediately drew his knife, extending it before him as he turned towards the stranger. The blind man’s staff rose swiftly, knocking the knife from Edmond’s hand.

“Close the door so we can talk privately,” the blind man said softly as he turned and walked further into the sitting room.

Edmond stared incredulously at the blind man as he clenched his fist to take the sting out of his fingers. He closed the door and bent over to pick up his knife.

“A blind man could not have struck me as you did,” Edmond said accusingly. “Why don’t you drop the act and tell me who you are and what you want?”

“My hearing is quite acute,” smiled the blind man as his hands reached out searchingly for something to sit on. “I heard you pull the knife from its sheath. It did not take much imagination to know where it would be. Were you going to kill me?”