Heirs of the Enemy (5 page)

“The Zarans have hundreds of mages,” Jenneva declared without humor. “I presume that they are well versed in battle magic, and I expect that they will accompany the Federation armies.”

“So once again the odds are against us,” frowned Prince Oscar. “Is there no bright side to this dilemma?”

“We just have to fight smarter than they do,” replied Alex.

“Do you have any suggestions?” asked Governor Mobami.

“I always have suggestions,” smiled Alex. “For one, if you are increasing the size of your armies, do not make it appear so to the public. While the Zarans are aware that we know something of the coming attack, they know very little about how much we know. That gives us many chances to surprise them. In Alcea we need to feed them false information. Purposely understate the size of your armies. Disperse your armies so that spies cannot count them.”

“Won’t that let the Zarans think that we will be easy to conquer?” asked Governor Mobami. “Wouldn’t it be better to portray great strength to make them reconsider an invasion?”

“The Federation will not be deterred by the size of our armies,” answered Alex. “In my mind, the ideal misinformation would be two-tiered. I would want the Federation officers to be overconfident, but I would want their soldiers to be fearful of us. This will drive a wedge between the officers and their men. The soldiers will learn to distrust their officers, and they will hesitate to follow orders when the officers show anything less than full confidence. It will then be the job of our generals to take advantage of those hesitations.”

“A tricky proposition,” mused the spymaster. “Do you have a plan to accomplish this?”

“No,” sighed Alex. “I said it would be ideal, but I am not sure if it is practical. In any event, that is something that must be handled in Zara. It is not something for the people in this room to concern themselves with.”

“I agree,” stated the king. “Why don’t we break for the midday meal and meet back here in an hour?”

As the advisors filed out of the Council Chamber, the king and queen dallied as they talked to Alexander Tork. Zack Nolan quietly pulled Jenneva aside and talked softly to her. When Alex noticed Jenneva shaking her head vigorously, his eyes narrowed and he grew curious. The spymaster finally gave up trying to get whatever he wanted from Jenneva and left the room. Jenneva returned to Alex’s side, but she did not say anything about the altercation. With the room empty except for the two couples, Tanya invited her parents to join them in the King’s study for the midday meal.

“That is a great idea,” smiled Alex. “Why don’t you two go on ahead. Jenneva and I will be there as soon as we freshen up from our journey.”

The king and queen agreed and left the chamber. Alex turned to look at Jenneva questioningly, but she said nothing.

“Out with it,” Alex said with a chuckle. “Aren’t you going to tell me what he wanted?”

“Does nothing escape your attention?” Jenneva retorted with a smile.

“I always pay attention when strange men flirt with my wife.”

“Flirt?” balked Jenneva. “You know Zachary better than that.”

“I do,” Alex admitted seriously. “He is one of the finest Rangers I have ever known, and I would trust my life to him, but he wanted something from you that you refused to give. I am curious. Don’t make me beat it out of you,” he added with a chuckle.

“As if you could,” laughed Jenneva. “I would have you frozen before you could move.”

“Probably true,” laughed Alex. “So, what did he want?”

“You are persistent if nothing else. He wanted me to mind probe him, Alex.”

“What? Whatever for?”

“He wants to go to Zara and spy on the Federation. To do that effectively, he needs my knowledge of the continent.”

“And you refused.” Alex nodded in understanding. “Yet you did it for Stan Fargo. Why not for Zack?”

Jenneva sighed heavily. “I had no choice with Stan. Someone had to replace Shawn, and there was simply no other option.”

“What is different about Zack?”

“He damaged a lung saving Price Oscar’s life the day they assassinated Queen Marta. He is not physically fit to go to Zara. Besides, no one could take his place as spymaster of Alcea. He is needed here.”

“There is truth in your words,” frowned Alex, “but his request makes sense in light of the questions he was asking during the meeting. He is correct about Clint not being able to do everything by himself.”

“You can’t be serious? We were extremely lucky to get Clint into the palace. We can never hope to duplicate that feat.”

“Probably not,” sighed Alex, “but if it was possible, Zachary is the one man I would bet on. Let’s go have our meal with Arik and Tanya.”

“I thought we needed to freshen up first?”

“For Tanya and Arik?” chuckled Alex. “I just wanted time alone with you.”

Jenneva playfully swatted Alex as he opened the door for her. Together they walked through the corridors of the palace until they came to the king’s study. The Red Swords posted outside must have been told to expect them because one of them opened the door for them. The two Knights of Alcea entered the study and saw King Arik sitting behind his desk, but the queen was not there.

“Where is our daughter?” Jenneva asked as the door closed behind them.

The king didn’t answer, and Alex and Jenneva approached the desk with puzzled expressions on their faces. Jenneva spoke again, and Arik remained silent. The hairs on the back of Alex’s neck suddenly rose, and he silently drew his sword. Jenneva noticed the motion and swiftly erected shields around them. That is when they heard Tanya’s giggling. Alex whirled to face a large couch that sat at the side of the room facing away from them.

“If this is a joke, we are not laughing,” Alex said sternly.

Tanya’s face showed over the back of the couch and it held a broad grin on it.

“I told you it wouldn’t fool them,” Arik said as he also rose from behind the couch.

Jenneva shook her head and laughed as she dismissed the shields. Alex slowly sheathed his sword.

“Explain,” he said tersely.

“Fredrik has been teaching me some of the illusion skills that Balomar taught him when they were on the road with the Mage. They are quite impressive.”

“Tanya thought it would be fun to see how long it took you to notice,” added the king. “I told her it was a bad idea.”

Jenneva laughed and nodded appreciatively, but Alex was slower to soften his mood. Tanya came around the couch and embraced him.

“You are too tense, Father.”

“He just doesn’t appreciate magic well enough,” giggled Jenneva. “Where is our food?”

Queen Tanya made a show of flicking her wrist towards the desk. The image of the king disappeared and four plates of food appeared on the desk. The king rounded the couch and urged everyone to sit.

“You will have to teach me that spell,” Jenneva said as they sat down and began eating. “I never spent too much time on illusions.”

“I would be happy to,” smiled the queen. “What did Zachary want with you?”

“Is nothing secret in this palace?” Jenneva asked with mock offense. Her words were met with smiles and she continued. “He wanted me to mind probe him so he could go to Zara. I refused.”

“Why?” asked King Arik.

“He is needed here. Besides, a spy in Despair would need to be in top physical shape. The palace is well guarded, and Zachary is not fit for the task. If he was being chased, he would never be able to escape.”

Tanya and Arik exchanged knowing glances, but neither of them spoke.

“What are you not telling us?” asked Alex.

“Something that has never been spoken of in this city,” the king said as he placed his fork on the desk and pushed the plate away. “After the Battle of Tagaret, most of the heroes returned to their homes, but Zalaharic remained in the city for several months. He and Zachary became very good friends. When the elven healer learned of Zachary’s disability, and the pain it caused our spymaster to be confined to a desk, he attempted to heal Zack.”

“Was he successful?” asked Alex.

“He was,” nodded the king, “but we agreed to keep it a secret. Everyone knows that Zachary is our spymaster, but our enemies do not focus on him other than to see who he is meeting with if they can. By keeping his healing secret, Zack has been able to surprise many of our foes. They look upon him as an invalid, and that mistake has been fatal for quite a few Snakes.”

“I understand,” Alex replied. “Neither Jenneva nor I will breathe a word of it. You have our promise.”

“I would not have said anything today if I did not already know how you would respond,” smiled the king.

“Why did you mention it?” asked Jenneva. “You could have continued to keep us in the dark.”

“Because he wants Zachary to return to Zara with us,” stated Alex. “Am I wrong, Arik?”

“You are perceptive as always, Alex,” replied the king. “He and I have already discussed this, and I think he is our only chance of getting the information we need. We agreed not to discuss it further until we heard from you, but your news from Zara did not answer the questions we need the most.”

“What of his work here?” asked Jenneva. “He is invaluable as Alcea’s spymaster.”

“Prince Oscar will assume the duties,” answered the king. “He will work closely with Larc to handle what needs to be done. We will miss Zachary, but we need that information from Zara. I would like Jenneva to agree to the mind probe, but I will not order her to do so. I understand that it is something that she does not enjoy, but it would be helpful for Zack when they walk through the portal.”

“They?” questioned Alex. “Who else is going?”

“Will Stanton and Terris Orba.”

“Spiders? Why them?”

“I do not even want the Rangers to know about Zack,” answered the king. “The secret must be kept for as long as possible.”

“Terris is a redhead, and Will is black,” frowned Alex. “They are both exceptional men, but I would have thought that Zachary would want to keep a low profile. The three of them together will stand out quite a bit merely because they will be memorable.”

“I agree,” sighed the king, “but they are the best suited for the task.”

“Are all three to be mind-probed?” asked Jenneva. “I am not comfortable with this.”

“Call for Zachary,” Alex said. “If we are discussing this, he should be involved.”

The king nodded and rang a bell. The door opened and a Red Sword entered. Arik sent the man in search of Zachary Nolan and a few minutes later the spymaster joined them in the study. Alex looked at Jenneva before speaking, and she nodded slightly.

“I can supply you with two men in Zara,” offered Alex. “They are both native Vinaforans, and they will be loyal to Alcea. Is that acceptable?”

“Are they skilled?” asked Zachary.

“They were caravan warriors when I met them last year,” answered Alex. “Their courage is spoken for. They helped me infiltrate the Royal Palace in Waxhaw, and I spent many a night sparring with them. They are good warriors, and they have the aptitude to play a role, but you might need to train them in that area. More importantly, they understand the culture of the Federation in ways that Jenneva will not be able to help you to know.”

“I know Zaran culture through the eyes of a merchant,” explained Jenneva. “I can share that point of view with you, but caravan warriors see a different side of everything. They will be more familiar with the seedier parts of the cities, and their mindset will be closer to the average soldier than a merchant would experience. I think it is a good idea.”

The spymaster scratched his chin and stared at Alex. “You two have been on the scene for over a year now, and I value your advice greatly. If you think it is a good match, I will accept it. Who are these men?”

“Their names are Cobb and Bork,” answered Alex, “and you can trust them. I will also arrange for unicorns for the three of you, but you must not reveal their existence. That is imperative. Too much of what we are doing would be compromised if the Federation knew about the unicorns or the fairies. I assume that you will need a fairy too?”

“Actually,” smiled Zachary as he gently patted his breast pocket, “Flea has been with me for some time now.”

Alex glanced at the spymaster’s pocket and saw a pair of tiny eyes staring out at him. He laughed.

Ships from all over the Sea of Tears sailed towards Despair. Each ship was filled with generals, monarchs, and notable citizens of elite status, and they all were bound for the Imperial Palace for a weeklong celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Federation. The excitement of the occasion did a great deal to temper the feelings of defeat brought on by the disappearance of the Dielderal elves. In fact, no one seemed inclined to speak of the seemingly impossible emptying of the reeducation centers. This was especially true of the ship carrying General Forshire and eight other Federation generals from the port of Giza in Aerta. In addition to the seven Aertan generals, General Marashef from Tyronia was also onboard.

Clint leaned on the starboard rail watching the coastline of the Empire of Barouk pass by. General Marashef was on his left and Generals Antero and Whitman were on his right. All four men stared at the magnificent mansions that lined the cliffs north of the city of Despair.

“I have been in and out of Despair many times,” commented General Forshire, “but I never knew that these huge estates even existed.”

“The elite of the empire do not reside in the city of Despair,” General Antero replied. “Oh, they do have mansions in the city as well, but it is here along the coast where they really live. There is enormous wealth among those estates.”

“The Coast Road swings inland north of Despair,” added General Marashef. “Some say the whole road was moved further inland many years ago to ensure privacy for those estates. I do not doubt it for a minute. Those nobles are the true power of the empire.”

“Of the empire, perhaps,” scowled General Whitman, “but not the Federation. The Empire of Barouk is only one of the countries of the Federation. Aerta has plenty of powerful nobles, too.”

“Be civil,” General Antero warned softly. “We are here for a celebration, not to disparage our partners.”