Heirs of the Enemy (75 page)

“I checked every army stationed in Barouk. All of their men were accounted for. The only army I could not verify was the A Corps. Supposedly they are stationed in Olansk with General Forshire having only a single squad here in Despair, yet the soldiers carried patches for the A Corps. Kyrga interrogated Forshire, and he bought the general’s explanation that the men were rejects, but I don’t believe it.”

“You think General Forshire is working for the emperor?”

“I do. Lord Kommoron and Kyrga do not, but I think they are foolish to make such an assumption. I did discover that General Forshire investigated Kyrga for the emperor on a previous occasion. It makes sense the Jaar would trust the same man to find his family.”

“But the A Corps are misfits.”

“Any man can fire an arrow. The brilliance of the attack on my men rested on the timing and location of the attack. That took a true strategist to set it up, but even misfits could carry it out.”

“So you want to pursue General Forshire?”

“It is a matter of honor.”

Issa did not respond. He stared at the fireplace as his fingers twirled his large mustache. Eventually, he returned his gaze to Franco.

“Lord Kommoron is playing a cautious game. He sent a priest to steal the mind of the emperor, but the priest mysteriously disappeared. Now I understand that Emperor Jaar has free roam of the Imperial Palace again. It might be possible that General Forshire is working for Kommoron and not Jaar.”

“You think Kommoron staged the rescue of the women to avoid paying us?”

“It is possible, but it is only one of the possibilities. Our first priority is to fulfill our contract, with or without Kommoron’s help. From now on, you will report to me before speaking to the client. If he is using knowledge of our movements to defeat us, we will not keep him informed.”

“What about Forshire?” asked Franco.

“Find the women first. I will make some inquiries about General Forshire. If he is the one who attacked your men, he will pay the ultimate price for his actions, even if we have to destroy his entire Corps of Misfits.”

* * * *

The isolated level of Herinak Castle had come to be known as the Lair among those who were familiar with its purpose. The entire level was sealed off with sentries posted at each stairwell. A special troop of trusted servants kept dozens of suites clean and kept the inhabitants of the Lair fed. In addition to the suites, the level included several rooms set aside for common use. One of those rooms was a large dining room converted for use as a meeting room. In the center of the room was a long table with chairs around it. Additional chairs lined the walls, and bright lanterns illuminated the room. In the dead of the night, the door to the meeting room opened, and three men entered and took their places at the table. King Wendal sat at the head of the table. Baron Stikman and Sigfrid each took a seat near the king. The first guests to arrive were Tedi, Natia, and Morro, and they saved a seat for Garth next to Baron Stikman.

Outside the room, in the long corridor of the Lair, Garth Shado quietly ushered the other guests to the meeting room, making sure that none of the occupants of the forbidden level were disturbed in their sleep. King Myer of Tyronia, who also had a suite in the Lair, made his own way to the meeting room, while Garth directed Boric of Karamin and Yortana of Atule’s Maze. King Elengal and Prince Saratoma of the Dielderal entered alongside Drakarik, the dwarven king of Tarashin. Baron Ohmson escorted King Persimon of Zarocca, and Karl Gree followed arm-in-arm with Althea of the Tyronian Patriots. Sidney Mercado escorted Queen Romani of Vinafor. They stopped just outside the door to the meeting room, and the merchant addressed Garth.

“Everyone is accounted for.”

“You two go on ahead,” Garth replied. “I will wait for Clint.”

Sidney frowned. “Is it wise to reveal him at this point?”

“If we cannot trust those in this meeting room, our mission is doomed. The emperor’s offer to end the war must be discussed, and there is no one better to do it than Clint.”

Sidney nodded and led Queen Romani into the meeting room. As the Vinaforan queen’s constant companion, no one objected to the merchant’s presence in any of the meetings. King Wendal smiled and nodded as they entered and sat down. Moment’s later, the door opened again and a Federation general filled the doorway. There were several gasps around the table, but only Baron Stikman reacted by jumping to his feet. Garth entered right after Clint and smiled at the Prince of Korocca.

“This is General Forshire, the Imperial General of the Federation,” Garth declared calmly as he closed the door. “He is also known as Clint McFarren, an Alcean Ranger.”

Baron Stikman sighed with relief and nodded. “You could have saved a few years of my life by removing the uniform before coming here. What is an Imperial General?”

“It is a new post recently created by Emperor Jaar,” Clint replied as he took a seat at the table. “The position exists outside the normal chain of command. I report directly to Emperor Jaar and not Grand General Kyrga, who is now considered my peer. The writ is irrevocable, although I am sure that Kyrga will think of ways to terminate the agreement.”

“By killing you no doubt,” frowned Baron Stikman.

“No doubt.” Clint nodded. “As for the uniform, I was hoping to speak with Janay after the meeting. It would be best if she saw me in this uniform.”

“You had not mentioned that to me,” frowned Garth. “Are you sure that is wise?”

“Janay is not aware that you were responsible for her being brought here,” interjected Morro. “Wouldn’t it be better to leave it that way?”

“Emperor Jaar now knows my true allegiance,” replied Clint. “Hiding it from his family will mean nothing. I am hopeful that I can extract her son’s location from her.”

“You have tried that before,” noted Queen Romani. “It didn’t work then, and I have been unable to even get her to broach the subject. Why do you think you will be successful now?”

“I know the emperor’s secret mark,” answered Clint. “Sharing this knowledge with Janay will assure her that I have the emperor’s confidence.”

“I will leave that to your discretion, Clint,” stated Garth. “Let’s talk about the emperor’s offer.”

The door opened again and Wylan entered the room, his staff testing the floor before him.

“There is a seat next to me,” Karl offered loudly. Wylan nodded and turned towards the sound of Karl’s voice. “Seven more paces,” Karl continued. “The chair back will be just to your left.”

“Thank you,” Wylan said softly as his hand reached out and felt the chair. He eased his body into the chair and smiled. “Prince Bultar is sleeping in Sidney’s bed. The fairies are keeping him asleep.”

“Thank you, Wylan,” said Garth. “Clint was just about to tell us of the emperor’s offer.”

“The offer is simple and straightforward,” said Clint. “I am to take the A Corps to Despair and free the emperor. In return, he will cancel the invasion of Alcea.”

“And what about the horse countries?” frowned Baron Stikman. “With three hundred thousand men under his control, he will merely turn them against us. Are the Alceans willing to trade our destruction for their peace? Is that the type of allies the Alceans are?”

“We are allies until the end,” Garth replied sternly. “King Arik will not abandon the horse countries or anyone else at this table. We seek the destruction of the Federation.”

“Then why even entertain the emperor’s offer?” asked Baron Ohmson.

“There are other ways to destroy the Federation,” explained Garth. “The heirs that we have been gathering to rule after the war could also be used to tear the Federation apart without nearly as much bloodshed. Indeed, if there is to be bloodshed without an invasion, it would be contained within the Federation itself as individual members fight one another.”

“Clever,” smiled King Persimon. “If the countries of the Federation all withdraw, the emperor is left only with his Baroukan armies to battle his neighbors. Do you think that can be accomplished?”

“It would not be easy,” answered Garth, “but we would help it along. Before we get too far into contingency plans, I have doubts about the sincerity of the emperor’s offer. Clint will continue to play it out, but my plans remain unchanged. We have set out to gather the future leaders of the Federation. With the addition of Prince Bultar, that mission is complete.”

“We are still missing the heirs for Barouk and Aerta,” interjected King Myer.

“General Alden of Aerta is a decent man,” stated Sidney. “He has neither the greed nor lust for power that his father has. I believe that he would be a just ruler if he survives the war.”

“Are we to take a gamble on your word alone?” asked Baron Stikman.

“My people have also investigated General Alden carefully,” replied Garth. “I agree with Sidney’s evaluation, but Aerta will be ruled peacefully no matter what happens. If General Alden does not wish to rule according to our terms, the throne of Aerta will be taken from him.”

“By force?” asked King Wendal.

“The forces of the horse countries will attack Giza during the invasion of Alcea,” explained Garth. “If General Alden refuses to cooperate, Aerta will be given to someone else to rule. I have promised the Aertans that the people would have a leader acceptable to them. If they can find no one acceptable, I could see the descendents of Sirocca taking over and making Olansk the new capital. It is something to be discussed by all parties after the war.”

King Wendal and King Persimon glanced at Baron Ohmson, and Garth grew curious of the connection. He turned a questioning gaze towards the Zaroccan baron.

“I am Siroccan,” explained Baron Ohmson. “My family was visiting Zarocca on the day the world shook. King Persimon was gracious enough to allot us a grant of land to resettle in his kingdom.”

“Baron Ohmson is the highest ranking Siroccan alive,” explained King Persimon. “If there is to be an Occan king of Aerta, the crown will be his.”

“You will receive no objections from the Alceans,” promised Garth, “but General Alden will be given the opportunity to rule should he survive the war.”

“I accept that,” agreed Baron Ohmson. “I would much rather have a friendly neighbor than rule a defeated populace.”

“You indicated that the horse countries would be invading Giza,” frowned Baron Stikman, “but there is no way to get our armies down there.”

“Kalina has discovered a way to move your armies south,” smiled Garth. “I will let her explain it when she rejoins us, but I know that you will be passing through Olansk. That is why Clint has made that city the base for his army. His troops will hold the way open for your army.”

“Interesting,” Baron Stikman replied with a raised eyebrow. “I eagerly await her return. Where is she?”

“She is helping King Arik plan some surprises for the invading armies. I suspect she will require most of the winter to prepare, but we will meet again before spring arrives.”

“And what of the Empire of Barouk?” asked King Wendal. “We do not even know who the heir is?”

“The empire is the root of all our problems,” answered Garth. “While I would like to see the empire survive as a friendly neighbor, we will destroy it totally if that is necessary. That would mean killing all of the nobles who live in the Sanctum as well as the ruling family. That is not a solution that I look forward to, but peace cannot be achieved if we leave a hornet’s nest in our midst.”

“Jaar’s father was a just ruler by all accounts,” interjected Clint. “He started the Federation as a peaceful way to cope with the devastation brought on by the Collapse. I am hopeful that Jaar’s son will be more like his grandfather than his father.”

“That would be ideal,” frowned Garth, “but is it realistic?”

“I do not know,” conceded Clint, “but I intend to find out. I have a few days to spare before I need to make an appearance on the way to Olansk. I intend to spend them with Jaar’s family to learn what I can.”

“Not in that uniform,” frowned Garth. “The Lair is now home to the heirs of the Federation. That uniform must not be seen here.”

“I will wear the uniform only long enough for a short visit to Janay,” promised Clint. “I will then explain the need to change. The others will never see a Federation general.”

Garth nodded with satisfaction. He let his eyes scan the faces of the others before continuing. “The real purpose of this meeting is to determine how best to handle the heirs. From the preliminary reports I have received, some of them seem to be agreeable to ascending the throne and ruling their people in a beneficial way, but sometimes power changes people, and not for the better. We have a unique opportunity here to shape future relationships. Are there any suggestions as to how we should do that?”

“I think nature is already lending a hand,” smiled Queen Romani. “Prince Harold has grown very close to Bonnay, and Prince Samuel is taken by Princess Jeanel.”

“It is true,” agreed King Myer. “My daughter does not know the true identity of Samuel, and I have warned her not to reveal her ties to the throne of Tyronia, but they are getting along rather well. From what she has told me, the prince is a gentle man. If he has the backbone to retain the throne when he gets it, he will rule his people well.”

“Prince Samuel will have the backbone necessary,” offered Wylan. “He is as strong inside as any man can be. He had the integrity and strength to oppose Queen Samir when he needed to. While I might not have taken the same approach to the problem, it worked for him. I have had long talks with Samuel. Given the opportunity, he will rule with the people’s benefit in mind.”

Baron Ohmson glanced at King Wendal questioningly. “You did not mention that my daughter was getting involved with Prince Harold. What sort of man is he?”

“Bonnay accidentally discovered the prince one day,” offered Baron Stikman. “It was my fault, but I could not afford to let her leave the Lair once she had seen him and the Alcean elf who was treating the prince. No harm will come to her. I promise you that.”

“Prince Harold is unsure of himself,” interjected Queen Romani. “His heart is certainly in the right place, and he is quite intelligent, but he needs someone to build his confidence. I think Bonnay is doing that. I think it would be a mistake to remove her from the Lair.”