Heirs of the Enemy (77 page)

“True enough,” countered Kyle, “but stronger it must be. We will have wasted our time if it collapses with half the army on each side of it.”

“And a removable bridge that cannot be removed is worthless,” stated Laman. “It will have to do as it is.”

Both of the Lavindans looked to the gypsy for his approval or disapproval. Adan shook his head and stared at the bridge again. Eventually he turned to Kyle.

“Is Laman correct that a stronger bridge might be impossible to remove?”

“It is possible,” conceded Kyle, “but it is more likely that this bridge will fail under such heavy use.”

“So?” bantered Laman. “At least half of their army will be stranded.”

“That is not acceptable,” stated Adan. “The entire army must be on the swamp side of the bridge. Anything less is unacceptable.”

“Then you have a problem with no solution,” replied Kyle. “We should have just stayed in Lavinda.”

“And miss this great weather?” balked Laman. “Lavinda is probably under three feet of snow right now.”

Adan ignored the banter as he stared at the bridge. Suddenly, he turned back to the Lavindans.

“There is a solution,” he declared. “We will build another bridge alongside this one. Any general in his right mind would make use of both of them.”

“Another bridge?” scowled Kyle.

“I already have the dimensions used on this bridge.” Adan nodded. “I will have my people start delivering materials tomorrow.”

“So we get off for the rest of the day?” Laman responded cheerily.

“You do,” smiled Adan. “I need to ride further into the swamp to see how my people are making out with mapping the swamp.”

* * * *

Cho-sung was a small, wiry man, but the Lanoirian engineer bellowed like a giant when he needed to. As he stood upon the tall eastern bank of the Chi River, Cho-sung saw the logs of the dam tremble.

“Stop! Clear the dam!”

The Lanoirian workers did not hesitate. They knew that when Cho-sung shouted an order, they were to obey immediately. Hundreds of men, spread out along the massive array of fallen trees, scrambled to comply with the order. Thousands of men along both shores of the river halted work and made way for the workers fleeing the dam.

“What is it?” Bin-lu asked with concern.

“There is instability,” Cho-sung said tensely.

“I saw nothing unusual,” commented Rut-ki.

“You are not an engineer,” frowned Cho-sung. “I am not blessed with the skill to determine the intent of evil men as you are, but I do know the nature of balance, and the structure is unstable. It must be corrected before proceeding further.”

“We are already behind schedule,” complained Bin-lu. “At this rate, we will not be ready by spring.”

“If this dam collapses, it will never be completed. Patience, young one.”

Bin-lu nodded and fell silent as the three Lanoirians watched the men scrambling to get off the dam. One of the last of the fleeing workers slipped in his haste to make shore. The young man’s body tumbled downward, his head smashing against one of the lower logs. Rut-ki, knowing the man would drown, immediately stripped off her heavy belt and dove off the high cliff. Her swift reaction caught even Bin-lu by surprise. He watched as his partner’s slim body soared through the air and sliced deep into the water. An eerie silence enveloped the area as men on both banks held their breath, hoping against hope that the Knight of Alcea would be in time to save the worker. For an agonizingly long moment, nothing happened. Suddenly, the worker’s head popped up out of the water, and Rut-ki’s followed closely. The Knight of Alcea wrapped one arm around the unconscious worker and moved towards the closest point of shore.

Loud cheers erupted from both banks, and men scrambled down to the shoreline to assist Rut-ki. Cho-sung exhaled a sigh of relief and immediately turned his attention back to the dam. He walked briskly towards the huge wooden structure, and Bin-lu followed. The engineer walked out onto the dam, each footstep taken with care as he stared at the logs with a critical eye. He was almost at the center of the dam when he halted and got down on his knees. He leaned his wiry body over the edge, staring down at the foundation logs.

“What do you see?” Bin-lu asked softly.

Cho-sung looked up at the Knight of Alcea. “I need to go lower.”

“Let me do it for you,” offered Bin-lu as he stripped off his special gloves and boots. “I will not fall.”

“You may not fall,” replied Cho-sung, “but you must see through my eyes if you are to find the defect.”

Bin-lu was already kneeling alongside the engineer, preparing to descend. He looked at Cho-sung and nodded in understanding.

“Hang onto my back, Cho-sung. I will take you where you need to go.” The engineer hesitated, unwilling to trust his life to the skills of the Knight of Alcea. “I will not fall,” stated Bin-lu. “Trust me as I trust your skill with building things.”

Cho-sung nodded and climbed onto Bin-lu’s back. The Knight of Alcea’s sticky hands and feet moved slowly down the face of the dam. If the engineer marveled at Bin-lu’s ability, he did not speak of it. When they reached an area three levels down, Cho-sung called for a halt. Bin-lu stared at the logs before him, but he could see nothing alarming. The engineer called for Bin-lu to take him back up, and the Knight of Alcea complied.

“What did you find?” asked Bin-lu.

“The top three levels must be removed.” Bin-lu opened his mouth to protest, but Cho-sung held up a hand to forestall the objection. “This is not negotiable. This dam will fail as soon as the water rises to that level. If you want this project completed, the three levels must be removed.”

“And will it be completed by spring if you remove the three levels? Can you guarantee me that?”

“I guarantee nothing. If you want assurances, pray.”

* * * *

Prince Darok stood atop the Pontek Ridge watching the sunset. As the last rays flickered on the horizon, the dwarven prince made his way to the cave where his workers were sleeping. He stepped past the guards and bellowed loudly.

“Get up, ye goblin-loving scoundrels!
 
There is work to be done!”

Moans and groans filled the huge cavern as hundreds of dwarven miners stirred from their sleep. The cooking fires were lit, and the miners gathered for a morning meal. Prince Darok, satisfied that his team would soon be on the job, turned and strode out of the cave. He jogged along the top of the ridge to the next campsite. Zemo was waiting for him.

“Your group is up and ready for work?” asked the prince.

“Aye.” Zemo nodded. “You have no need to check up on us or the other groups. We each know the deadline for this project. None of us will waste any time.”

“I know,” sighed Prince Darok, “but it makes me feel as if I am doing something about our failure. We will never be ready by spring.”

“Not if we continue at the pace we have been going. Something has to change.”

“As if I didn’t already know that.” Prince Darok sighed again. “The problem is, I can’t think of a way to speed it up. We have a thousand miners working through each night, but that is not enough to complete the task on time. If we added any more workers, they would merely get in the way, and we cannot afford to be seen working during the day.”

Both dwarves turned and watched as hundreds of miners filed out of the cave and moved towards their workstations. Prince Darok glanced up at the gray sky. While the sun had already set, it was not yet dark. There was still a small chance of being seen from below, and the prince knew that he was already pushing the limits on how long a day the miners could work.

“Perhaps being seen is the keyword here,” mused Zemo. “There are other ways to hide besides darkness.”

“We already extend the work hours when the clouds hang on the sides of the mountains,” frowned Prince Darok. “Such extensions buy us little. The workers are already exhausted from a full night of working when the opportunity presents itself. We gain little from such infrequent opportunities.”

“There is room in the caves for more miners,” suggested Zemo. “House more miners here to make better use of such days.”

“That would be an excellent idea if such days were more frequent, but to take men out of the mines to sit idle up here makes no sense. Our skills are still needed to make armor and weapons.”

“So ask Garala for more cloudy days,” Zemo quipped good naturedly.

Prince Darok laughed. “Prince Arik has done many things that no one thought possible, but changing the weather is beyond his scope.”

“Is it?” asked Zemo. “Are you so quick to forget that Garala brought us the early winter?”

“The gods favored him as they have favored no other,” the prince said seriously, “but he is unlikely to return to them with minor requests. Still, you might be onto something. I have seen the mages create fog. If our mages can learn such a spell, we might be able to create a permanent cloud hanging over this ridge.”

“By the gods!” exclaimed Zemo. “I think you are on to something. I do not know how tiring such a spell would be for the mages, but it is worth investigating.”

Prince Darok’s mind whirled, calculations forming and disappearing at a furious pace. As he tried to determine the impact on his schedule, the dwarven prince began to nod.

“Even with such help, it will be close, but I am desperate. Keep a watch on my team while I am gone. I am off to Trekum to catch a ship to Tagaret.”

* * * *

Inside a small hunter’s cabin, deep in the woods northeast of Southland, a Door opened, and an old man stepped through it. He moved aside a heavy curtain as he closed the Door. Running his hand through his thick white hair, the Claw of Alutar stood silently for several moments as if making his mind up about the course to take. With a decisive nod of his head, the demonkin opened the door to the outside world and hobbled through. With a noticeable limp, the old man turned northward and strode through the trees. Several minutes later, he arrived at the entrance to a cave. He hesitated briefly and then walked into the cave. Almost immediately he felt the probing of his mind. He whirled around with a speed belying his age and thrust a hand out before him. Hidden in the darkness of the cave, a figure dropped to his knees and cried out.

“Who are you?” gasped the unseen figure.

“Artimor,” sneered the old man. “I am a Claw of Alutar, and you will never try to enter my mind again. Is that understood?”

“Yes,” gasped the hidden demonkin. “Release me.”

Artimor tightened his fingers slightly before releasing his magical hold on the hidden demonkin. The message was not lost on K’san. The priest rose to his feet and stumbled towards the entrance to the cave where the light would illuminate him.

“I am sorry,” apologized K’san. “I was not told of your coming.”

“Nor should you have been told. I have come only as a courtesy. Your brothers are dying.”

“I have felt their deaths.”

“Then you know that your means of communications are diminishing. The K’san in Despair is dead. The Chosen One is concerned that information from your spy rings might not reach him in a timely manner. He requested that I inform you of the need to personally report to him in Despair.”

“I shall do so,” promised K’san.

Without a word, Artimor turned and hobbled towards the mouth of the cave.

“Where are you going?” asked K’san. “Perhaps I can be of assistance to you.”

“Your kind has not proved to be useful in the past,” scowled Artimor. “I doubt the value of your worth in the future. If your Snakes have plans to attack the Alceans, they had better hurry. Time is running out. Come spring, they will die along with the Alceans.”

Artimor stepped out of the cave and disappeared. K’san spat towards the entrance of the cave, the acidic phlegm sending tendrils of vapor rising from the rock floor.

* * * *

King Arik paced the floor of the newly-rebuilt library in the Royal Palace of Tagaret. Prince Oscar, General Gregor, and Queen Tanya watched him closely from the other side of the room. Lord Markel and Lord Clava sat at the table in the middle of the room staring at a map of Alcea. The map was cluttered with dozens of small markers denoting the potential positions of armies. With each report coming in, the king had grown more despondent until he had turned completely silent. The advisors all watched silently until they could take it no longer.

“It doesn’t help if you turn inward, Arik,” the queen said softly. “Share your thoughts with the rest of us. Perhaps we will have something to offer.”

The king halted and turned around with a look of annoyance on his face. When he saw everyone staring at him, he sighed with frustration, and his facial features softened.

“I am sorry. Every time I look at that map, I realize the hopelessness of our situation. Even if every one of our surprises comes to fruition, our odds of victory are miniscule, and you have read the reports of the progress of our projects. Every one of them is in danger of falling short. I don’t know what else to do. The coming storm is going to tear our world apart, and I am helpless to stop it.”

“That is not the son I raised,” frowned Lord Clava as he looked up from the map and stared at the man he had raised from a child.

“Nor the one I sired,” agreed Prince Oscar. “You were born to lead this country, and you will do so. The gods didn’t choose you just so you could wear a crown and be proud of your past accomplishments. Thousands of people are depending upon you to save them.”

“And they are willing to fight for you,” added Lord Markel. “None of them are ready to give up, so why should you?”

“The people do not know what I know,” retorted the king. “They do not get the chance to gaze at that map every day.”

General Gregor quietly crossed the room to the table. As everyone watched, he slid his arm across the table, sliding the markers off the map. He calmly and deliberately rolled the map up and placed it on the rack near the wall.

“Let us put the details out of the way for now,” the general suggested. “I think we are getting too bogged down in minutiae. One of your main duties is to inspire your people. You cannot do that when you concentrate on failure. Let me handle the details. When it gets closer to spring, I will call for the greatest strategist to ever walk these lands. Together we will work the details to our advantage.”