Web of Deceit (48 page)

“The Mutang are welcome in Ghala,” Rejji smiled. “There is food for your people and soon there will be housing. We will supply the materials and tools needed and show you where your houses may be built. Did Marshal explain the rules to you?”

“He did and they are acceptable,” nodded Adger as he gazed at the stockade. “This may be a fool’s mission to stand up to the Jiadin, but the Mutang will do so. You will have no trouble from my men. I would like to see some fortifications stronger than what you have here though.”

“We were just discussing a stone wall,” responded Rejji. “Do your men have skills with stone work?”

“Many do,” nodded Adger. “The Mutang are one of the few tribes to inhabit the mountains and build stone fortresses. Another is the Extala and they are behind us. They should be here within the hour. Between the two of us, we will build your stonewall. Where should my men go?”

“There is little room within the stockade right now,” answered Rejji. “The wall we speak of will be built behind you, where the forest thickens. Perhaps you should camp near the river for now. As soon as you are settled, bring your people inside. I will have food prepared and you can eat while we discuss your permanent location.”

“We will get camped,” nodded Adger. “Then we will wait for Blaka and his Extala to arrive before coming in. We will be working together on the fortifications so we should discuss it together.”

“That is wise,” responded Rejji. “How many people does Blaka have, so I may make sure enough food is prepared?”

“The Extala are a little larger than the Mutang,” replied Adger. “I would guess around nine thousand mouths in all. Marshal said you had plenty of food. Is that a problem?”

“Only the manpower to prepare it,” Rejji stated. “Let me get it started so that you do not have to wait for a hot meal. Later today, we will deliver sacks of grain to your people so you may prepare your own meals, but it is our custom to prepare the meal at your arrival.”

“Our women would be honored to help with the preparation of the food,” Adger stated. “I am not naïve about the problems of preparing for so many new arrivals. We will not be a burden on the other people already here. Where should they go?”

“That is very understanding of you,” smiled Rejji. “There is a large field between the houses and the river. It is lined with tables. The fire pits are there.”

Adger signaled to his men, who had been listening to the greeting, and they began to move towards the river to set up camp. Adger stared at Rejji for a few moments before speaking.

“I was hesitant to come here,” admitted Adger, “because Ghala is led by one so young and inexperienced. I would not be honest to say otherwise, but Marshal has great confidence in you and my people are starving. Yet you have shown a flexibility normally reserved for those with more years under their belt. Is it true that you killed Diakles?”

“It is,” nodded Rejji. “It was not a great feat. I was only defending myself. As far as Ghala goes, we welcome your input and everyone else’s. We need to all stand together to defeat the Jiadin.”

“Do you really think we can stand against his armies?” frowned Adger. “Look at my people. Their muscle wastes away, and with it, their will to fight. I think Ghala will become a graveyard for many, but the Mutang are committed to making it a valiant stand.”

“It is because of leaders like you,” smiled Rejji, “that we will succeed. You are here because you care for your people more than your pride. Ghala is more than just a last stand for the free tribes. It is a new start for Fakara. It is not only the place that Grulak will see his death, but a place where the tribes will learn that life is more than just pillaging. This used to be a great country and it will be once again.”

“You have optimism and courage,” grinned Adger. “Those are the makings of a fine leader. We shall see where your dreams lead though. Allow this old man to carry your pessimism. I will point out the failings in your plans as I find them.”

“Then we shall work well together,” chuckled Rejji. “I will show you the plans for the city after you have eaten.”

Adger nodded and followed his men while the trio returned through the gates. Rejji stopped inside the gates and let his eye rove over the city that was springing up before his eyes.

“Another nine thousand people,” Rejji shook his head. “It is like all of Fakara will end up in one spot. Are we doing Grulak’s work for him by gathering the tribes together?”

“Brakas would think so,” answered Mistake. “He is so anxious to get out of Ghala and report to Grulak.”

“Where is he?” quizzed Rejji.

“At the healers again,” chuckled Mistake as she looked at Bakhai. “Seems his horse keeps throwing him whenever he gets on.”

“Make sure he doesn’t get too hurt,” cautioned Rejji. “At some point we will want him to escape. How is Karlo making out with the tyrik armor?”

“Great!” exclaimed Mistake. “Once the armor is coated, it is really hard to penetrate and still quite flexible. I haven’t been able to find a dye that adheres to it though, so it is all black like the carganite. I have him playing with designs for headgear so the head is protected in battle. Right now it looks like a sack on your head, but I think he can improve on that.”

“I don’t care much how it looks,” commented Rejji, “as long as it protects. It shouldn’t block your vision either. That could be dangerous. When we get a good pattern, let me know and I will have some made out of tyrik silk.” 

“If anyone can design it, it will be Karlo,” added Mistake. “It is scary how his mind works. He just doesn’t think like most people.”

“That is what makes him so valuable,” responded Rejji. “There is something sticking in the back of my mind, but I can’t get it to come out. Something that Adger said. I feel like it is key to defeating Grulak.”

“You probably have too much on your mind,” reasoned Mistake. “It will come to you when you relax.”

“I guess so,” sighed Rejji. “How many ships are we expecting from Lord Marak?”

“He has every ship he owns on its way to us,” answered Mistake. “He has even started building new ships, but they will not help us much. It takes too long to build them.”

“I wonder if Khadora even has enough food to feed all of the people coming to Ghala,” frowned Rejji. “We must owe Lord Marak a fortune already.”

“Not really,” responded Mistake. “I gave him most of our gold and he is very interested in the armor we are making. He is willing to pay a great deal for it if we are willing to export it. As for the amount of food Khadora has, I wouldn’t worry about it. Just counting the fields at Fardale, they probably have more watula than the whole country of Fakara.”

“That’s it!” exclaimed Rejji. “Food. Where is Grulak getting the food to feed his huge army?”

“He is raiding all of the villages in western Fakara,” responded Bakhai.

“Yes, but he is also destroying the villages,” replied Rejji. “He can only destroy a village once and I am willing to wager that he is running out of villages.”

“So his army is starving as well?” questioned Mistake.

“Of course,” nodded Rejji. “According to his plan, he should already be attacking Khadora and food would not be a problem for him.”

“But the tribes didn’t join with him,” added Mistake. “He has wasted a lot of time trying to track them down.”

“That means he will definitely need to conquer Ghala,” frowned Bakhai. “The food here is as important to him as conquering the tribes. Why does this excite you? I should think it would make you more depressed.”

“Because it is the first weakness we have discovered,” answered Rejji. “He can’t afford to lay siege to us because we have food and he doesn’t. Plus all of the eastern villages between the mountains and us have been abandoned. Everyone has come here so he can’t feed off them while he tries to conquer us.”

“I don’t imagine with the size of his army, that he will have much trouble overpowering us,” responded Bakhai. “I still don’t see how any of this helps.”

“It is a long and hungry march from Vandegar Temple to Ghala,” explained Rejji, “especially if something slows you down along the way. Bakhai, I have a mission for you.”

***

Wyant was feeling good about the task that he had accomplished. For years he had felt that the tribal warfare so indicative of Fakara was destroying the country. For the first time in centuries, the tribes were banding together and he was being a catalyst for it. Every tribe he had spoken to had agreed to join the effort to stop the Jiadin, which was no small accomplishment. Even tribes that had long standing feuds had been willing to shove their disagreements aside. He was so euphoric about the results of his mission that he decided to ride through the night to get to Ghala and tell Rejji the news. The blow that knocked him off his horse came unexpectedly.

Wyant groaned and stared up at the forest canopy. His vision blurred and he berated himself for his laxness. Bad enough that he had been riding at night in unfamiliar territory, but he would have punished one of his men for whistling while he was doing it.

“What have we here?” snickered one of the men. “Look at the fancy green scarf.”

“I thought the Zaldoni had come over to us,” stated the other man.

“He would be wearing red then, wouldn’t he?” crowed the first man as he deftly removed Wyant’s sword. “Let’s drag him back to camp. Maybe Winus will give us something special for capturing him.”

“I can save you some effort,” groaned Wyant. “I can walk.”

“Then you better start doing it,” scowled the second man.

Wyant rose to his feet and one of the men pushed him towards a game trail. He walked along the trail while his two capturers followed. Within a few minutes he smelled the smoke of the campfires and another few minutes brought him to the edge of the camp. The two Jiadin soldiers prodded him towards a large tent and pushed him through the flap before following him in.

“If it isn’t Wyant,” frowned General Winus. “Where did you find him?”

“Not five minutes south of here,” one of the soldiers replied.

“You have done well,” congratulated Winus. “Put his sword in the corner and leave us. Sit, Wyant. I have a lot of questions you need to answer.”

“Are you sure, General?” asked one of the soldiers as he dropped the sword in the corner of the tent.

“I can kill both of you and him before he reaches his sword,” growled the general. “Do I look like I need a minder?”

The soldiers scurried out of the tent and Winus stared coldly at Wyant.

“I heard you were dead,” the general began.

“No, just left for dead,” Wyant replied. “What are you doing so far from Vandegar, General?”

“Searching for the free tribes and some boy that Grulak wants,” answered Winus, “but I am the one asking the questions here. I heard that Brakas and Klavin did you in. Seeing as they botched the job, I have to assume that you are siding with the free tribes against Grulak. Would that be a fair assumption?”

“Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?” asked Wyant. “I will never tell you where the tribes are. Isn’t that what you pay Brakas to find out?”

“Brakas is an incompetent fool,” spat Winus. “Why you ever let him rise in the Zaldoni is beyond me.”

“Because he was clever, sneaky, and persistent,” responded Wyant. “Good characteristics for being a bandit. Things have changed though. As a soldier, he is only a good swordsman.”

“Grulak has me running all over the country trying to find this boy Rejji,” continued Winus. “Why is he so important?”

“Because he is the opposite of Grulak,” smiled Wyant. “He is a builder, not a destroyer. He is the future of Fakara, General.”

“You expect me to believe that the boy will make a difference when Grulak has amassed the army he has?” Winus asked.

“You can believe what you wish, but I believe in him,” declared Wyant. “I do not know what it is about him, but he brings out the best in people. I do believe that he will rebuild Fakara into a great nation and that he will defeat Grulak. Don’t ask me how, but he will do it. Your army certainly hasn’t been able to catch him.”

“Bah,” spat Winus. “Catching him would be no problem if I could get rid of the magician that has been forced on me by Grulak. The fool has no concept of strategy or tactics. He has had my army split in two for weeks. I just finally got them back together.”

“Before or after your little raid on Ghala?” questioned Wyant.

“After,” frowned Winus. “Brakas commandeered the southern half of my army for that little fiasco. You seem to be very well informed. That tells me much about what is going on.”

“How does that tell you anything?” quizzed Wyant.

“I would have to be deaf not to know that Ghala is getting food from somewhere,” smiled the general. “All of the villages east of the mountains are abandoned. My men saw large numbers of buildings in Ghala and heard Rejji’s name mentioned there. Brakas has reported that Rejji is there and trying to unite the tribes. Now you pop up. You happen to know where the tribes are. Oh, you may not tell me where they are, but you know. I have no doubt about that. Now you inform me that you know Ghala was attacked. Put that all together with the fact that we have been seeing tribe after tribe heading for Ghala and what do you come up with?”

“Why don’t you tell me so I can die with a smile on my face?” retorted Wyant.

“What I come up with is the same thing Grulak will come up with,” smiled Winus. “The tribes and Rejji and food are all in the same place. It will not be long before the full army of the Jiadin descend on Ghala like the vultures upon yesterday’s battlefield.”

“Well those vultures might just die of starvation like everything else in this country,” retorted Wyant. “If you are so sure of victory, why don’t you just let me go? It will only delay my death by a few days.”

“Why are you so eager to die, Wyant?” asked Winus. “You are slipping in your old age. Riding at night alone? Allowing my two men to capture without at least killing one of them? You haven’t even asked why my men were that far from camp.”

Wyant’s face puzzled over as he dwelt on the general’s words. It was true that he had been very careless in getting captured, but the Jiadin men were fairly far from the camp.