Heirs of the Enemy (8 page)

“There is little time for subtlety tonight. Do you have men that are proven loyal to you above all else?”

“A few,” frowned the Grand General. “What do you have in mind?”

“Summon them. Four will be sufficient, but they must be loyal, or you will die this night.”

Kyrga swallowed hard and nodded. He stuck his head out the door and ordered one of the guards to summon the four men he needed. He closed the door and retreated into the office. “What are you planning?”

“We are going to pay a visit to the emperor,” smiled K’san. “I think he might just relent on the matter of his Grand General.”

Kyrga was speechless. He wanted to say that he thought the idea implausible, but he was uncertain of the priest’s powers. In the end, he decided to say nothing. A few moments later, the four chosen men arrived.

K’san simply said, “Let us go now.”

The four soldiers looked to Grand General Kyrga for instructions.

“We are going to see the emperor,” Kyrga announced. “Lead the way.”

The four soldiers asked no questions. They opened the door and filed into the corridor. Kyrga and K’san followed. When they approached the door to the emperor’s office, the emperor’s guards moved to block the door.

“They must have been warned about me,” Kyrga whispered to the priest.

“Call your men back and stay at a distance from the guards,” instructed K’san.

Kyrga issued the commands, and K’san continued forward. He halted directly in front of the two guards.

“I have been asked to bless the emperor. Will you announce me?”

“Emperor Jaar is seeing no visitors at the moment,” replied one of the guards. “Perhaps tomorrow.”

“I see,” smiled the priest. “Tomorrow it will have to be then.”

The guards relaxed just a bit with feelings of relief at avoiding a confrontation. Their feelings were premature. K’san’s arms streaked out, each large hand grasping one of the guards’ necks. He lifted the guards off the ground and shook their bodies until he heard their necks snap. He dumped the bodies on the floor.

“Have two of your men dispose of these bodies,” K’san said softly. “The other two are to remain on guard here and admit no one.”

The eyes of the four soldiers were as large as coins. They stared at the bodies and then at the priest as K’san opened the door to the emperor’s office and strode inside. Kyrga quickly followed the priest and closed the door behind him.

“What is the meaning of this intrusion?” snarled the emperor. “I left instruction that you were not to be admitted.”

“Silence!” snapped K’san.

Emperor Jaar’s face reddened with anger as the priest’s words. He rose to his feet and reached for the cord to summon the guards. Unexpectedly, an invisible force picked him up and slammed him into the wall. His body slid down the wall and crumbled to the floor. K’san strode across the room and picked the emperor up with one hand. He shoved the emperor into his chair.

“What are you?” the emperor asked fearfully.

K’san put one hand on the emperor’s head, and Jaar’s eyes closed immediately. Kyrga watched the display with disbelief. He had heard stories of the priest’s power, but he had not truly believed them. He stared with a lack of comprehension as to what was taking place. Neither K’san nor the emperor appeared to be moving.

“What are you doing?” Kyrga asked softly.

“Reading his memories,” K’san answered distractedly. “There is something that I need to know.”

“Find out who investigated me,” urged the Grand General.

K’san merely nodded. A few moments later, loud voices came from outside the door. K’san halted his probe and started towards the door. Kyrga held his hand up to stop the priest.

“It is Colonel Taerin,” Kyrga said softly. “You have no need to interfere. He will leave when the guards tell him that the emperor is not accepting visitors.”

K’san nodded in understanding. “The emperor will waken soon. I want two of your men in here at all times until I say otherwise. The emperor is to believe that he will be killed if he defies us, but your men must be told differently. Jaar is not to be killed under any circumstances. They may wound him or bind him, but he must remain alive. The master will not tolerate any deviation from this. Do you understand?”

“Perfectly,” Kyrga replied, “but we cannot keep him locked up forever. If he does not make an appearance during the celebration, questions will be asked.”

“We will distract everyone,” smiled K’san. “You are to reveal the truth about Alcea this week.”

“No,” Kyrga protested. “We must not divulge that yet.”

“The Master has spoken,” retorted K’san. “Do not mention the portals except to the generals who need to know about them, but the coming war with Alcea is to become public knowledge. I suggest you inform the monarchs first and then the generals.”

“They will all want a part in planning the war,” frowned Kyrga. “I already have it all worked out.”

“Let them get involved in the planning if they want to. Your word will be final in the end, but they will be kept occupied in the meantime. Go instruct your men. When they understand the limits placed on them, bring two of them inside. In here you will tell them in front of the emperor to slay him if he strays from your desires.”

Kyrga nodded and left the office. K’san watched as the emperor woke. Jaar glanced around the room. When his eyes landed on K’san, he trembled in fear. Kyrga and two soldiers entered. The emperor quickly focused on them to avoid looking at the priest.

“You two are to guard the emperor night and day,” Kyrga instructed his men. “If he makes any move to leave his quarters or summon guards, he is to be killed. No one will be permitted in to see him without my express permission.”

Kyrga expected Jaar to threaten revenge or death, but the emperor did not even protest. He remained silent and cowed. K’san walked out of the office, and Kyrga hurried after him.

“What now?” asked Kyrga when he caught up to the priest.

“Now you go back to your party,” replied K’san. “I am going back to my temple.”

“That’s it?” frowned the Grand General.

“For now. There will be a more permanent solution before the week is out. Do not worry. The Master has planned for such a problem.”

“What about the investigator? Who was it?”

“General Forshire.”

* * * *

Clint mingled with the Federation generals. General Marashef introduced him to a few, and so did General Antero. Being introduced by a fellow general made it easier for him to gain acceptance from the other generals. Most of the generals had heard about A Corps, and Clint took quite a ribbing about his misfits, but the banter was mostly good natured, and Clint took it in stride. After several hours of talking and memorizing names and faces, Clint was ready for a break. He decided to check in with his men, but once he left the palace, he found himself heading towards the waterfront and ended up on the bench he usually sat upon to think. He learned that there were thirty-one full armies in the Federation. That added up to over three-hundred-thousand fighting men. It was the largest army ever assembled, and it was pointed at Alcea. It was a sobering thought.

“I thought I might find you here,” Colonel Taerin said as he approached and sat down next to Clint.

“It was getting a little stuffy in there,” chuckled Clint. “You did a fine job today with taking care of the arrivals. It was very efficient.”

“Thank you,” the colonel replied in a depressing tone.

“Is something the matter?” Clint asked.

“You read people well,” Colonel Taerin replied distractedly.

“You have always had an ear when I needed one,” smiled Clint. “The least I can do is return the favor.”

“I am worried about the emperor,” Colonel Taerin admitted.

“I can’t imagine that he became ill in the last few hours,” Clint replied. “I saw him soon after I arrived and he seemed well enough.”

“I think your conversation might be the cause of problems.”

“Oh? And do you know the nature of the conversation I had with the emperor?”

“I do,” admitted the colonel. “Emperor Jaar asked me to speak with Captain Kent and verify what you had told him.”

Clint was surprised, not with the emperor sending Taerin on the mission, but rather that Taerin would know where to find Kent. The surprise must have shown on his face because the colonel continued.

“I saw Captain Kent disembark with your escort when you arrived. It didn’t take much to figure out that you were hiding him in the barracks. Do you really plan to let him go free?”

“I would not lie to a man like that,” answered Clint. “Kent did his duty to the best of his ability. He should not be punished for that. Did Kent tell a different story to you than the one I told to the emperor?”

“Not at all,” answered Colonel Taerin. “He confirmed everything.”

“Then what is the emperor’s problem?”

“The last I saw him, he planned on firing Kyrga. In fact, he requested that I send Kyrga to see him. I was also supposed to bring General Ross to see him, but the general had not arrived in Despair yet. It took a couple of hours before I could complete my task. When I took the general to see the emperor, the usual guards were not on duty. In their place were four new guards.”

“I would not be surprised,” stated General Forshire. “If I was planning to fire my Grand General, I would double my guards, too. Kyrga might not take kindly to being fired.”

“The guards that were posted are known followers of Kyrga.”

Clint frowned heavily. “Are you sure of this?”

“I have a knack for remembering names and faces,” replied the colonel. “General Ross and I were refused entry, yet the emperor was expecting me to bring the general to him.”

“Is General Ross to be the new Grand General?”

“I suspect that to be true, but it would be in poor taste to mention it before it was announced.”

“I am not one to spread gossip.”

“Anyway, I became somewhat alarmed by all of this. I told General Ross that I would arrange the meeting for another time and sent him down to party with the rest of the generals. I then snuck through the servant corridors to spy on the entrance to the emperor’s study. I saw Kyrga leave the office, and the priest was with him.”

“K’san?” Clint asked with alarm.

“Yes. I have heard stories about the priest. If he has harmed the emperor, I will kill him.”

“No, you won’t,” cautioned Clint. “K’san is not a simple priest. He is a demonkin. Your sword would never scratch his skin. Besides, he is a mage. You would not stand a chance going up against him. Trust me on this.”

“Demonkin? What do you mean?”

“Demonkin are creatures created by demons. They walk and talk like humans, but they are something else entirely. You do not want to go up against one.”

“I cannot just abandon the emperor to the likes of Kyrga and K’san,” protested the colonel.

“Nor can I,” replied Clint, “but do not be hasty. If they wanted the emperor dead, he would already be dead. There is some other game going on here. Nose around and see what you can learn, but keep clear of Kyrga and K’san. I will see if I can learn anything, and we can compare notes.”

“Thanks.” Colonel Taerin smiled weakly and nodded to General Forshire and then he rose and walked away.

Clint sat for a while longer, trying to figure out what Kyrga’s game was. Realizing that he knew too little to determine anything for certain, he rose and headed for the barracks. Colonel Donil saw him coming and walked forward to meet him.

“Learn anything?” asked Clint.

“Colonel Taerin was here earlier,” reported the colonel. “He demanded to question Kent. He threatened to imprison my man if he was obstructed.”

“Colonel Taerin was acting under the emperor’s orders. He is not a threat to Kent.”

“Then I am glad that he didn’t try to take Kent away. My men have been ordered to fight before that is allowed.”

“What else have you learned?”

“Palace security was increased about an hour ago. It might be because of the large numbers of high profile visitors, but I detected a sense of urgency about it. The men are out now trying to discover more about it.”

General Forshire stared at the barracks in silence for a moment and then nodded to himself. “Kent might be part of the reason. We need to get him to a safer location.”

“We are not setting him free?”

“Not yet. I think at the moment, he would die before reaching the streets of the city. See if you can find a safe hiding spot for him. I will go in and talk to him.”

The colonel saluted and disappeared into the night. Clint entered the barracks and Kent immediately rose to his feet and grabbed his pack as if he were ready to leave.

“You are not leaving just yet,” stated Clint. “We are moving you to a different location.”

“What?” scowled Kent. “You promised me. You spoke to the emperor already. I know. I have done my part in this. I am going home.”

“The only place you are going is to a different hiding spot,” retorted Clint. “It is not safe for you to leave yet.”

Captain Kent continued to complain, but Clint tuned him out. He was not about to explain to the captain that the Grand General was holding the emperor hostage. Within minutes, Colonel Donil and several of his men entered the barracks. The colonel nodded silently to General Forshire to indicate that he had found a safe spot. Clint left the barracks without a word. He meandered around the grounds for a while trying to get his thoughts focused on the problem. Just as he was about to enter the palace, a general walked out the door and stared at Clint.

“I haven’t met you before,” stated the general. “I am General Ross, Commander of the 5
^th
Corps.”

“General Forshire of the A Corps.”

“So you are Forshire,” smiled General Ross. “I have heard bits and pieces about your corps. I am not surprised to see you hiding out here. The other generals must be merciless towards you. They can be a snobbish bunch at times.”

“I am used to it,” shrugged Clint. “The truth is, I am more concerned with how my men see me than how other generals see me. I don’t see myself in competition with the generals.”

“Now that sounds like wise advice,” chuckled General Ross. “I would enjoy talking more with you before this week is out, but right now, Grand General Kyrga is looking all over for you.”