Heirs of the Enemy (41 page)

“Have the men set up camp where they stand, Sergeant.”

Sergeant Nekra saluted and retreated towards the small group of Federation soldiers that waited in one of the few stands of trees in the area.

“Do not be hard on him, Clint,” Morro said softly. “He is a fairly good tracker for a city boy. The truth is, I am not much better than him. I have spent far too long away from my people.”

“I understand,” Clint replied tersely.

“Do you?” frowned the elven thief. “We have spent days tracking the kidnappers and most of the way was difficult. Those men took great pains to hide their tracks. We are lucky to have followed them this far.”

“Has the track been consistent?” asked Clint.

“Far from it. They weaved all over the place, taking advantage of every stream and riverbed they could find. Wherever there were patches of rocks, they used them to change course. The men that we are following are professionals, and they don’t want to be followed.”

“Anyone can be tracked,” Clint replied distractedly as he stared at a gully far off to the north.

The general’s unicorn suddenly turned towards the north and walked away. Morro quickly mounted his own unicorn and followed. When they reached the gully, the light was beginning to fade. Clint slid off the unicorn and moved forward on foot. He knelt and examined the ground, nodding with understanding. He rose to his feet and returned to his unicorn.

“We start tracking from here tomorrow,” declared the general.

“How did you know where to look?” asked Morro.

“Rangers are taught to avoid leaving tracks,” explained Clint. “Once you know how not to leave tracks, you also know how to find them. The next time you lose their trail, stop and think where you would go next if it were you trying to make it hard for the tracker. More often than not, that is where the track picks up.”

Clint mounted his unicorn, but he did not turn around and head back to camp. He rode out of the gully to the north where a stand of trees stood nearby. He halted again at the edge of the woods and dismounted. Morro watched curiously as the Ranger walked into the woods and knelt once again. He also dismounted and joined his friend.

“What are you looking at now?”

“A Federation soldier, or soldiers, spent some time here not long ago,” Clint answered softly. “I think it was a sentry of some kind.”

“I can see the signs of someone having been here,” frowned Morro, “but how could you possibly know that it was a Federation soldier?”

Clint rose and nodded upward. “Unless I am mistaken, that piece of torn cloth up there is part of a uniform. Why don’t you go up and retrieve it?”

Morro’s eyebrows rose in surprise as he stared at the small piece of cloth hanging from a limb. He scrambled up the tree and grabbed the cloth. He returned to the ground and handed the scrap to the Ranger.

“You do not miss much,” Morro said in awe. “Are you suggesting that the kidnappers were soldiers?”

“I don’t know,” answered Clint. “Someone spent some time here watching the barrens. It might have been someone trying to detect a tracker following the kidnappers to waylay him, but it could also have been someone else not connected with the attack.”

Clint stuck his finger in his pocket and woke up his fairy.

“Reporting for duty, General,” chirped Peanut. “Have I a mission?”

“A secret mission,” smiled Clint, “one we have discussed before. I think it is time to find the remnants of A Corps. If you cannot find them tonight, return by dawn. Start your search to the north.”

“Consider them found,” the fairy replied, his tiny chest bulging proudly. “Shall I have them report for duty?”

“Just Colonel Hardi. The others can remain hidden.”

The fairy leaped into the darkening sky and disappeared.

“Colonel Hardi?” asked Morro. “Was he the one in command of getting the elven children out of Despair?”

“The same,” nodded Clint. “I told him to take his men into the hills and hide until I called for them. At the time I feared that Kyrga would saturate the forests searching for the elves, but that never happened. Once they found Elfwoods deserted, the search ended.”

“And you think that scrap of cloth might be from one of your own men?”

“It is possible.” Clint nodded. “Colonel Hardi would make use of such a vantage point to see if anyone was searching nearby. Let’s return to camp. We will know by morning.”

* * * *

Peanut caught a hint of wood smoke and lazily banked to his left. Even though there was enough moonlight to give the forest a ghostly cast, the fairy could not see the smoke, but the smell grew constantly stronger. Rising out of the trees was a hill of rock, and the fairy headed straight for it. Only when he was hovering directly over the small opening could he see the gray tendrils drifting skyward. Peanut started circling the hill, dropping in elevation with each spiraling circuit. He eventually found a small opening, cleverly hidden behind a thicket. The fairy darted into the opening, keeping well away from the small fire burning in the center of the large chamber. He recognized the men as members of the A Corps, but the colonel was not among the cave dwellers. He snuck out of the cave and continued his search. Two hours and two caves later, the fairy found Colonel Hardi. As he hid in the darkness, he thought about ways to deliver his message without revealing himself.

Before long, the soldiers started drifting off to sleep, including the colonel. Ignoring the outside sentries, the fairy started moving around the cave, casting his sleep spell on the soldiers to ensure that they did not wake up. When everyone was asleep, Peanut daringly dove at the colonel and tugged on his ear. Colonel Hardi’s hand reflexively swatted at his ear, nearly striking the fairy. Peanut darted away, grimacing with frustration. He was tempted to jump on the colonel’s nose, but he could not afford to be seen, and he wasn’t about to get swatted off the man’s ear. Peanut hovered over his target, his tiny eyes gazing down at the slumbering giant. Suddenly, his eyes twinkled and a devilish smile split his face.

Peanut cast an image of General Forshire standing not far from the colonel’s feet. When he was happy with the appearance of the image, he darted to the colonel’s hand and sank his teeth into Hardi’s thumb. The colonel bolted upright with a gasp of pain spilling from his lips. His eyes focused on the image of General Forshire and his mouth hung open in surprise. Peanut quickly searched his memory for snippets of Clint’s speech.

“Colonel Hardi. Come. South. Alone. Barrens. Now.”

While the colonel stared in confusion, Peanut dropped the illusion, and the image of General Forshire disappeared. Colonel Hardi rubbed his eyes and looked around the cave. Peanut clung to the shadows, hoping that the colonel did not return to sleep and forget the instructions. For several minutes, nothing happened then the colonel pulled on his boots and rose to his feet. He moved quietly through the cave and saddled a horse. Leading the horse out of the cave, he halted where the sentries could see him.

“I am going for a ride,” the colonel said softly. “I should be back tomorrow night. Maintain a tight vigil in my absence.”

“Shouldn’t someone go with you?” asked one of the sentries.

Colonel Hardi hesitated before answering. “No,” he said with a nervous sigh. “It was probably just a dream, but there is something to the south that I need to check out. If I am not back by tomorrow night, organize a search party, but remember my orders. The safety of the group is more important than any one man. Any search party must remain undetected.”

* * * *

The screech of an osprey drifted to the camp, and General Forshire’s men woke immediately and scrambled for their weapons. Before they could form a defensive posture, another screech drifted in from farther out. General Forshire strode swiftly towards the sound and soon found the sentry responsible for issuing the alarm.

“That might be Colonel Hardi out there,” Clint said softly.

“He did respond with our own alarm,” whispered the sentry. “What do you want to do?”

“Maintain a defense,” answered Clint. “I am going out.”

Clint moved off at an angle to approach the intruder from a different direction. As soon as he moved out of sight of the sentries, he felt a familiar weight on his shoulder.

“It is the colonel,” whispered Peanut. “I stayed with him to make sure he didn’t get lost.”

“Well done, Peanut,” smiled Clint. “Into your pocket.”

General Forshire stepped into the open and called for the colonel to come forward. Colonel Hardi appeared almost immediately, leading his horse. Clint led him into the camp and passed the word that the alarm was over. As soon as the colonel’s horse was tethered, Clint took him aside, and they sat near the edge of the camp.

“Are you a magician?” asked Colonel Hardi. “I had a vision of you earlier tonight. It told me to come here alone.”

“I know no magic,” smiled Clint, “but I am glad that you came. How are the men?”

“All safe and sound, General. There never was any kind of pursuit. I have the men training during the day. At night they split up in different caves.”

“Do you still maintain sentries beyond the caves?”

“Of course. It is the only way to ensure our safety.”

“Did you happen to see a large group come through this area recently?”

“Not personally,” answered the colonel, “but one of my men did. There were about a hundred riders. They were soldiers of a sort, but they didn’t wear any uniform that I am familiar with. They dressed entirely in black, but they also had something shiny upon their chests. At least that is the report. I can’t imagine dressing for stealth and then advertising your position with something that reflects light so clearly.”

“Were there captives with them?”

“Three. The captives were hooded and bound. My man reported that he thought they were female, but he was not sure. He didn’t dare try to get a closer look.”

“Where did they go?”

“Straight into the Barrier. The lookout feared that they might be attempting to surround us, so he followed them as far as he could. He said that they entered a ravine at the foot of the Barrier and didn’t come out again. What is this about, General? Are they looking for us?”

“No one is looking for you,” replied the general. “When they found Elfwoods empty, they abandoned the search. The group your men saw are mercenaries, highly skilled mercenaries if the stories are to be believed.”

“They were well skilled if the sentry was accurate in his telling. Who are the prisoners?”

“Emperor Jaar’s family, but do not repeat that. Do any of your men know this area well?”

“Sergeant Treman knew where we would find caves, but I am not sure how well he knows the area. I didn’t bring any of my men with me tonight. Should I return and get him?”

“Tomorrow,” answered General Forshire. “You deserve some sleep. Have the sergeant and the sentry who saw the kidnappers return with you tomorrow.” Clint turned to leave and then turned back to the colonel. “Your sentry left a scrap of his uniform in a tree not far from here. Explain to the men the necessity of covering their tracks when they go out.”

* * * *

The morning sun shone brightly on the castle sitting atop the hill in the Dark Forest. Federation soldiers could be seen in the two towers flanking the main portion of the castle. Another dozen soldiers manned the wall on the sides closest to Garth Shado, but those very walls obscured the courtyard inside the gates.

“What does it look like?” Tedi asked softly.

Garth sighed and handed the telescope to the gypsy prince. “I can’t really see enough of the defenses from here, but I can estimate based upon what I have seen so far, and it doesn’t look pretty. If we figure two-dozen men on the wall alone, I would expect a detachment of at least one-hundred, probably more.”

Bacar, one of Juggler’s thieves, whistled softly. “And you plan to attack that with just the nine of us? I said that I wanted to be a warrior, not a corpse.”

“The soldiers don’t appear to be very attentive,” Tedi stated, ignoring the thief’s banter. “We would have to go in at night. We will not get close to that place during the daytime. They have a clear field of view covering all of the approaches.”

“I am not planning a frontal assault,” replied Garth. “I will get us inside the castle. The trick will be in getting out.”

“You plan to just march into the castle?” questioned Natia.

“No,” smiled Garth. “We are going to ride in.”

“I would feel more comfortable if I understood the plan,” sighed Bacar.

“Perhaps,” mused Garth, “but the plan calls for you to be ignorant of our mission, and I want your part played properly. You just have to remember that you are the corporal in charge of your men. You do not have a single independent thought in your head. You take orders either from Colonel Belasko or the captain of the company. Make sure that the rest of the men behave as well. I made Tedi a captain because I want them to believe that we have five squads with us and that we are only the advance team.”

“So we are just for show?”

“If everything goes well, yes, but if the fighting starts, the façade will be abandoned quickly. You and your men won’t need much instruction at that point. Just follow our lead. Inform your men that we will be moving out in a couple of minutes.”

“That was a bit harsh,” Natia said softly after the corporal had left. “These men are risking their lives for this mission.”

“It was necessary to keep them alive,” Garth replied. “The men will make fine warriors. I have little doubts about their abilities in that area, but they are not soldiers, and other soldiers will pick up on that if we are not careful. For now, they will just have to trust me.”

“I agree with Garth,” interjected Tedi. “The less Bacar and his men say, the better for all of us.” Tedi turned and looked at Garth. “If your method of entry fails, I still think we have a chance at a nighttime entry, but it will be bloodier.”

“Let’s strive to avoid that. Natia, you will say nothing inside that any of the defenders can understand. You can mumble nonsense if you wish. In fact, that might be wise at times, but I don’t want them to hear a woman’s voice. If you need to alert Tedi or me, use your fingers. I will try to keep Tedi by your side at all times if I can arrange it.”