Arm Of Galemar (Book 2) (35 page)

Marik started to admonish Dietrik not to tempt Fate. 
His words were lost beneath thunderous hooves.  Keegan and Ferdinand,
neck-to-neck, charged past the four like an avalanche.  Several dozen yards
away they slowed their mounts to a halt, then began walking them toward the
handlers waiting to take back the horses.  Both kept their eyes locked on the
pages, who in turn were listening to an official.  After a moment, the one with
Keegan’s number stepped firmly to the line’s head while Ferdinand’s took the
runner-up place beside him.

Keegan, a smaller man who was nevertheless
well-muscled, raised both fists high while baring his teeth in a victorious
grin.  Ferdinand, expression sour, turned his mount firmly away from the pages.

Moments later, Delouen brought his mount across the
line in a far more stately manner.  He never glanced at the pages, instead
taking his horse straight over.  Further down the track, Hilliard and the other
rider settled into a steady trot, apparently secure in their positions and
taking the opportunity to converse.

When they drew near the finish line, the other five
riders emerged from the trees all at once.  Appreciative roars from the crowd
greeted them as the five forced their horses to greater speed, weaving all
across the track in their efforts to block each other.  This was what the
spectators wanted to see.  The contender events would only truly become
exciting after the numbers were reduced.  With the knowledge that the last two
across the line would be disqualified, the five were giving the spectators a
contest to cheer about.

Hilliard crossed the line with number one-eight-two,
who Kerwin revealed to be Duncan Crossley.  Marik dashed across the open track
with the others to rejoin their charge.  Most of the other bodyguards were
standing idly in the track’s inner island, clustered together under an awning
erected for them.  The lack of a decent view from there had prompted the
mercenaries to the other side.

Their young future-baron slid off his mount and handed
the reins over to a handler.  His face was flushed with excitement from the
ride.  “Oh, hello,” he greeted them.  “I will see you later then, during the
next event.  Farewell,” he called over to Duncan, who nodded and waved in
return.  “He’s a decent man,” he redirected toward his bodyguards.

“Making friends in the middle of a race?” Marik asked.

Hilliard met his eyes, the first time he had done so
since the attack on the chapter house.  “One should never pass up an
opportunity to form new friendships,” he commented.  His excitement at having
competed in the tournament, as he had always dreamed of doing, overrode his new
unease around Marik.  “But that long wait and the riding has made me very
hungry.  I saw a stall selling roasted chickens this morning, with a liberal
seasoning of rosemary by the smell.  Let’s go and see if we can find it again.”

He turned before Marik could voice his opinion they
should return directly to the inn.  Landon shrugged, yet seemed inclined to
agree with Hilliard.

“Oh, fine,” Marik caved in.  “That did smell good. 
Let’s talk to the officials and see if we need to stay any longer.”

A quick word reassured them they had done their part
for the day, then they waited long enough to cross the track without being run
down by the reckless charge of the final five.

In the dry heat of the Tullainian afternoon, General
Adrian contemplated his world.  Reports were strewn across a desk once
belonging to Markis-gune.  Matters sat ill at ease with the leader of
Arronath’s formidable armies.

Several matters, in fact.  First, he’d been charged by
his king to discover whether these lands, the perpetrators behind the brutal
torture of his emissaries, might be the source of his seers’ unease.  The
knowing tone present in that command implied that the knowledge was already
gleaned and that Adrian’s true mission was to locate the evidence supporting
that knowledge.

When Adrian had halted the army’s advance across
Tullainia in order to secure their position, several promising leads had
beckoned.  All of which, so far, had led nowhere.

He yanked a velvet bell pull.  Within moments, his
personal aides swarmed into his office.  Each held new reports the bearers
indubitably yearned to expand on in person.  Except first word was always the
senior-most officer’s, and they waited for it.

“First, updates on our investigations into the dark
threat.”

One aide, he could never remember their names, inched
forward through the cluster.  “I received the latest reports from the cesspit
crews this morning.”

“And?” Adrian demanded when the man paused, waiting
for a response.  This aide was new, replacing one who had died of food
poisoning.  If he kept forcing Adrian to jerk information from him, he would
not be around much longer.

“Still nothing of substance to report in regards to
anything suspicious.  The men digging through the lower reaches have uncovered
bodies but they all look to have been dumped there by locals after being
stabbed.  Questioning the townspeople have led the investigators to round up
the less savory cutthroats.”

“Nothing else?”

“No, sir.  The cesspit seems to be a natural hole with
no caves branching off.  Several of the men assigned to dig through the garbage
have been struck with illness.  The Healers assure us there is nothing amiss. 
It is only the normal consequence of digging through such filth.”

That lead evaporated away.  One less possibility in an
already thin investigation.  “Any progress on this wandering seer?”

He expected nothing.  His hopes rose slightly at the
response from a different aide.  “Perhaps so, sir.  Word has come in from the
town of Uusar from Sub-Major Guthree.  He says that along with the rest of the
town citizens, they have a madman in custody.”

Adrian scowled.  “A madman?”

“So he says, sir.  Sub-Major Guthree says the man
exhibits no fear of them or the Taurs, but he also spends each night standing
in the town square staring at the moon until it sets.  The sub-major only
informed us because he received our orders to find a seer and this madman
spends most of the day when he isn’t sleeping shouting about ‘the forests
stretching to take over the world as monstrous terrors crawl out from cracks in
the earth’.”  The aide lifted his gaze from the sheet in his hand.  “Those are
his words.”

A sigh escaped the general as he rubbed his eyes. 
“Send word back to the sub-major to have the madman brought to Kallied.”  He
had little hope the man might prove useful.  Still, he needed to be thorough.

From the other side, a new aide spoke up in the
silence.  “Our attempts to infiltrate Galemar still haven’t met with success. 
Their border guards are turning back everyone they can.  The few men sent able
to speak the Traders Tongue have all been recognized by Tullainians crowded at
the border.”

The aide did not say so, yet Adrian knew that the men
recognized by the terrorized populace were dead.

“On a separate note, we have been questioning the
Galemarans we were able to capture.  A few new possibilities have cropped up.”

“Oh?”  The general took his hand from his temples to
study the man.

“Yes, sir.  Their ruling family has been in power for
over six centuries.”

“That is a long stretch for a single house to hold sway.”

“So it struck our analysts as well, sir.  We’ve been
gathering as much history in relation to Galemar as we can.”  A quick glance at
his papers before he continued.  “Their past is filled with revolts and
violence, as you would only expect from these barbarian kingdoms.  Several
times the ruling family was a hair from being overthrown.”

The general nodded.  “You are correct.  I am not
surprised by such a history.  What relevance does it bear?”

“Only this.  When looking at it from an outside
perspective, several points seem overly suspicious.  Several times, the revolts
organized in the kingdom’s earlier days were of a magnitude that nearly
guaranteed their success.  Other times, their neighboring kingdoms would make
forays across the borders in attempts to increase their land mass, organizing
forces that should have overwhelmed the locals.  But each time, the Galemarans
under the ruling house managed to work a miracle and put them down in the end. 
The number of times this has happened makes us suspicious.  Other factors may
have been at work behind the scenes.”

Adrian felt his interest peek.  He leaned closer to
ask, “Have you uncovered any corroborating rumors to this end?  Anything to
suggest the ruling house has more than men to call into service at need?”

The aide shook his head.  “As far as we have
discovered to date, they have the usual number of mages.  Nothing beyond that.”

Cutting in, the first aide spoke from the group’s
other side.  “Perhaps I have something.  A report…”  He held a paper stack
thicker than the others and spent a minute shuffling while everyone waited. 
“Yes, here.  A report in from Colonel Harbon.”

Adrian’s mouth tightened at the name.  “And what does
he have to report?”

“He has been running the southeastern operations
during the reinforcement.”  The aide overlooked Adrian’s terse voice.  “During
his investigations, he has uncovered a startling number of rumors concerning
the forest across the mountain range further to the east.  Most of these come,
by and large, from merchants with business across the borders, but they all are
similar.  Matching them up with bits of local history regarding past attempts
to expand the border, we have confirmed at least a portion of the tales.”

“What tales?” Adrian was forced to ask when the man paused
again, waiting for only the gods knew what.

“They vary.  The running component in each is that
anyone who enters the forest tends to come to a bad end.  Enough accounts have
been found in the historical records kept in this city to verify that the forest
warrants closer attention.  I’m sure we would have discovered this long ago if
we weren’t forced to rely on the locals to translate their records for us.”

“With all the might of our army at work, this is what
we have to show for months of effort?”  Adrian’s mood degraded rather than
lifted at the news.  “Rumors and wives tales,” he barked.  “That is all we, the
best our Arronath can offer, have been able to discover!”

“Colonel Harbon has a footnote to his report,” the
aide added in an effort to counter the general’s mood.

“Does he?  And what might the colonel wish to add?”

“Well…he suggests that any force we send into the
forest must proceed with caution,” the aide added limply.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“He also requests he be assigned to the taking of this
forest.  He states that as he has gathered the most intelligence regarding it,
he would be the best choice.”

Adrian raised his brow.  “The colonel has taken a
particular interest in this worrisome forest.  Now why might that be?”  The
last had been said as a private musing, but the aides struggled for an answer. 
Before they could stray from the issues, Adrian ordered them to continue.

With no other news at hand regarding the
investigations, the updates on the army followed.

“All of the Taur provisions are in place, as are the
units.  Holding forces in each town have the citizens under control.  Our
supply lines are moving stores to the predetermined supply zones.”

The next aide took over.  “Wyverfly units are still
patrolling but the lack of caves is beginning to take its toll.  The wyverflies
we attempted to house in large buildings have begun to die.  With the units
stationed within the caves we
have
found, we don’t have enough to both
adequately cover the ground forces and scout ahead at the same time.  With the
majority still stationed at the Citadel, we can’t take full advantage of the
aerial elements until it is moved closer to the front lines.

“Reports from the wyverflies able to scout still
support the previous assessments.  Most nearby towns lie abandoned and the only
serious resistance we should meet will be around the cities of Jabberzian,
Huundok and Ael.”

Adrian studied the newest maps handed to him with
marks representing his forces covering it.  He demanded, “Why aren’t the
Thirty-Fourth and Thirty-Seventh Regiments in place?  They should have been on
station days ago!”

“A problem with the soldiers,” another aide
responded.  “During the march, they drank from a town well which turned out to
contain tainted water.  Almost all the men are down with the flux.”

“Find the mage who was assigned to them.  Send a
reliable mage to replace him, then order him to report to Kallied and answer
questions about his negligence of duties.  What’s this?”  Adrian pointed to a
red number covering a town southeast of Kallied.  “Why has the Twenty-Third
Regiment split off from its posted station?”

“Colonel Mendell ordered them too, sir.”

“Explain!”

“Apparently a white-robe was killed there.  Her body
was found with her throat slashed.”

The general grimaced.  “Hardly surprising.  That sort
of petty resistance must be expected.  Round up the locals and question them to
find out who is dissatisfied enough to challenge our authority.”

Given the hesitant expression crossing the aide’s
face, Adrian knew the situation must be complicated.  “Sir, the colonel has
already moved a regiment to question the residents.”  He gestured at the map.

“So I see, and the colonel overstepped his authority
in doing so.”

“After questioning them personally, he uncovered a
conspiracy running through the entire town to sabotage our supply lines once
the frontline has advanced.  They attacked him once they realized the truth was
known, and he responded in kind.”

“He what?”  Adrian’s voice dropped to a lower octave
than normal.  “By what authority?”

“He was defending his men against the local
militants,” the aide explained.  Judging from his tone, he saw nothing at all
wrong with this.

“How many of the townsfolk are still alive?”

“Well, none sir, I believe.”  He consulted his sheet. 
“The fighting spread until everyone was caught up in it.”

Silence loomed for a long moment before Adrian
continued.  “What else?”

They spent a further candlemark reviewing the forces
he commanded in King Lambert Soieel’s name.  When they covered all that needed
to be dealt with, he sent them away after receiving a stack of dispatches
addressed directly to him, bypassing the aides and analysts.  Most dealt with
minor matters until he found one with a red wax seal.

Breaking the seal, he read the note with little
interest.  A standard paragraph dealing with a trivial matter.  The real
message lay in the envelope and its seal.  Jide was letting him know he had
returned.

Excellent timing, as always.
  Over his professional career, General Adrian had
made only two close friends.  The second had been his king, a friendship that
had developed over many years of service to the eleven-point crown.  Now his
son Lambert sat upon his throne.

The friendship with the old king had been well known. 
His friendship with the less reputable Jide was one they had both taken great
care to keep secret.  As far as anyone knew, Jide was only one more man serving
under Adrian’s command.

Going to the door, Adrian pointed at the first man he
saw.  “Find Jide.  I need to loosen up.  Tell him to meet me in the sally.”  He
rolled his shoulders to make the point.

The aide rose from the desk and left his work behind. 
Adrian followed him to the outer office before turning in a different
direction.

Adrian felt like a man chasing his own shadow. 
Nothing added up.  In his campaigns against the Herrigorn kingdoms or the wild
Taur tribes, he had never been given such vague objectives.

He passed an elaborate door guarded by no less than
six heavily armed soldiers.  Behind that door could be found Markis-gune’s bedroom,
currently reoccupied by the one-time owner of this semi-palace.  The high-lord
had proven to be a fountain of political knowledge regarding Tullainia.  As
such, Adrian had decided the best course in regards to him would be to treat
him with respect.

The general could hear talking from within, meaning
the high-lord must be answering fresh questions from his investigators.  Though
a prisoner, Markis-gune’s bearing was still stiff with pride and
self-confidence.  If the Tullainian king proved to be too troublesome, Adrian
thought Markis-gune might be a good candidate to replace him once King Lambert
decided to return these lands to local rulership.