Alutar: The Great Demon (36 page)

“Why?” asked the king.

“Many rich nobles like to display their wealth and brag about their successes,” answered the colonel, “but Lord Zachary does not fit that mold. I am not sure why he holds properties in the names of others, but I suspect he fears people knowing too much about his holdings. May I ask why we are talking about Lord Zachary?”

“General Forshire mentioned him, but I have never heard of him, and I pride myself on knowing all of the rich and famous. He certainly does not attend Lady Ferini’s parties.”

“Oh goodness, no,” chuckled the colonel. “I do not even think he enters Waxhaw more often than once a year. I heard that he loathes cities.”

King Daramoor nodded with satisfaction, and turned the conversation to a different topic. “You said that the A Corps helped at the end of the battle yesterday. How would you rate them as soldiers?”

“I was impressed with them,” stated Colonel Pfaff. “I am sure that you know that they are called misfits, but those men were professional in every way. Their archers were accurate, and their swordsmen were skilled. The A Corps is completely cavalry, and their handling of their horses was exemplary. In short, I would feel confident in battle with them at my side. I would like to ask General Forshire if his men would consider training some of our own when they arrive in the city. I meant to take this up with General Nazzaro when he left your office, but he didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk.”

King Daramoor chuckled inwardly as he thought about Nazzaro leaving his office. “What do you think of General Nazzaro?” he asked the colonel.

“He is the Commanding General of Vinafor,” frowned the colonel. “It is not my place to evaluate him.”

“I am your king,” Daramoor pointed out, “and I am asking you to evaluate him.”

The colonel’s brow creased heavily and beads of sweat appeared on his temples. “He has done nothing wrong that I know of,” the colonel began, “but I see no love for Vinafor in his words or actions. I do not think that he holds a great deal of respect for our country or our king, and he shows no ability to inspire the men under his command. I also think his strategic thinking skills are deficient.”

King Daramoor laughed. “It sounds as if you don’t care much for the man, Colonel.”

Colonel Pfaff smiled. “Let’s just say that I would not be saddened to hear that he had been reassigned to Karamin. May I ask what this is all about?”

King Daramoor hesitated. ”I will be honest with you, Pfaff,” the king eventually said. “I knew nothing about you when you were promoted to colonel. You were one of those up and rising stars of the queen, and I guess I resented you because of that. Major Garibaldi was convinced that you were a spy for the queen, and that did not help your cause at all, but you have pleasantly surprised me time and again.”

It was the colonel’s turn to laugh and the king looked at the officer questioningly.

“I am sorry,” apologized the colonel, “but your mention of Major Garibaldi brought back memories. I know that you and the major were fairly close, but his dislike of me was because I kept catching him when his incompetence was showing. Like the night that General Blackmoor entered the palace. If you had confided in me that night, that false general would never have left the city, but every time I got close to learning what was going on, the major interrupted until you finally sent me to Ramaldi Pass.”

“Really?” the king replied with surprise. “Garibaldi was sure that you would interfere.”

“It was I who brought news of the incident to you at Lady Ferini’s,” declared the colonel. “No one else was suspicious enough to even be alarmed by an unknown general walking the halls of the palace. Were it left up to Major Garibaldi, you would not have known about the incident until the next morning.”

“True,” agreed the king. “I did learn to appreciate your talents when you discovered that Major Pezzola was Crusher. What this talk is all about, Pfaff, is that I have learned to appreciate your efforts, and I am thinking of ways to reward you, but I must be sure of your loyalty to both Vinafor and me.”

“I am loyal to both Vinafor and my king,” declared Colonel Pfaff. “What must I do to prove myself?”

“Kill General Nazzaro,” the king replied with a straight face.

“Is the general a threat to Vinafor or my king?” asked the colonel.

“He is a threat to both,” answered King Daramoor.

“Then the general will die,” stated the colonel. “Is there a particular time frame required for this?”

King Daramoor smiled broadly. “The time frame is immediate,” he said. “I do not wish you to carry out the order, but I am very pleased with your response. General Nazzaro is indeed a threat to me and Vinafor and something must be done about him, but you are not the right person to do it. You, Colonel, will be his replacement. I suggest that you get a good night’s sleep because you will be very busy tomorrow.”

King Daramoor smiled as the colonel bowed and exited the office. He had posed the assignment merely to see Pfaff’s response. In truth, King Daramoor needed no assassin at all. General Nazzaro was an unsuspecting fool, and the king did not need any help to kill one of those. That was a task he had accomplished many times in his climb up the ladder to royalty. One more murder would hardly be noteworthy.

Colonel Rhio and Captain Hahn rode in the vanguard of the 31
^st
Corps as it headed northward towards Waxhaw. The captain had noted that the spirits of the men had risen when the column had turned around, but the men were still frightened and probably would be until they were out of Karamin. He could hardly blame them. The column had lost nearly a third of its men, and they had not managed to kill a single Alcean. His mind drifted to thoughts of what the repercussions would be when they returned to Waxhaw. He suspected that all of the officers in the column would be demoted, but he had no idea what Colonel Rhio’s fate might be. Surely, the worst punishment of all would be reserved for the colonel’s failure to accomplish his mission. He could even be hanged if General Nazzaro was angry enough or if King Daramoor demanded it. The thought sent a shiver up his spine as Colonel Rhio’s steadfast refusal to surrender began to make sense. So lost was the captain in his thoughts that the cries of anguish behind him caught him by surprise. He turned in his saddle to gaze upon the men behind him. He saw fear etched into the faces of the soldiers, but their gaze was directed beyond the captain. Captain Hahn turned forward and stared at the road before him. In the distance, three Rangers sat astride their Occan mounts, and a white flag of truce was planted in the road.

“But we are leaving Karamin,” the captain protested.

Colonel Rhio also was not taking the situation well. He signaled for two soldiers to come forward and then called for a halt in the column. When the two soldiers arrived, he spoke softly to them.

“The Alceans are going to demand our surrender,” stated the colonel. “I will listen for a while and then refuse them. When I turn to return to the column, you are to kill all three of them.”

“You would violate a flag of truce?” gasped the captain.

“I will have those Alceans bloodied before I die,” snapped Colonel Rhio. “If you are squeamish, Captain, you may remain behind with the column.”

Colonel Rhio and his two chosen soldiers rode slowly towards the Rangers. Captain Hahn stared at them in astonishment as he realized what they were about to do. To dishonor a flag of truce was despicable, but Captain Hahn could think of no way to stop it. If he told the Alceans of the planned attack, he would be dishonoring his commitment to the colonel, and it would cost him his life. Yet he could not condone such treacherous behavior, either. Finally, the captain made up his mind. While he could not stop the attack from occurring, he could stop the colonel from riding away from the skirmish. If there was to be a dishonoring of the flag, let Colonel Rhio suffer the consequences when the Rangers strike back, as he was sure they would do. He did not think the two soldiers could kill the three Alceans, and that meant that at least one of the Alceans would have time to attack the emissaries. While it would probably cost the captain his life as well, the men of the 31
^st
Corps would be better off without Rhio’s leadership. The captain kicked his horse and hurried after the other three men of the column. He caught up to them just as they reached the parley. He positioned his horse directly behind Colonel Rhio, so that when the colonel turned to leave, he would not be able to.

“What is the meaning of this flag of truce?” scowled Colonel Rhio. “As you can see, we are leaving your cursed country. Is that not what you wanted?”

“It is what we requested the day you violated the border of Karamin,” replied Mitar Vidson, “but you refused to turn back at that time. Since you were intent on invading this country, the terms changed. I told you this morning that you have only two options, surrender or die. Nothing has happened to change that.”

“We are returning to Federation territory,” snapped Colonel Rhio. “You no longer have a reason to confront us.”

“That is not quite true,” the Alcean responded. “Before you reach Waxhaw, Vinafor will have shed the chains of the Federation. Queen Romani will rule once again, and she is also allied with Alcea. So you see, I can no longer allow your army to endanger one of the free countries of the west. I must demand your surrender.”

“You lying dog,” spat Colonel Rhio. “Queen Romani is dead, and King Daramoor would never leave the Federation. This parley is over.”

The colonel turned his horse to retreat to the column, but he found Captain Hahn blocking the way. The colonel’s face filled with horror as his two escorts surged forward to attack the Alceans. The Federation soldiers only covered half the distance to the Alceans before both of the men fell from their horses, Lanoirian stars imbedded in their bodies. Captain Hahn watched the incident take place as if it were in slow motion. His eyes widened as the Alceans sat calmly on their horses and did not attack the colonel or himself.

“I apologize for this,” Captain Hahn said loudly. “It was a despicable act.”

“Let the colonel return to the column,” Mitar Vidson replied with a steely voice.

The captain frowned in confusion, but he did not need to act. Colonel Rhio turned his horse and spurred it toward the column. Captain Hahn sat alone, staring at the Alceans. He had no idea what to say or do next. As part of the disgraceful attack, his life was the Alceans to take. As an apologist for Colonel Rhio’s disgrace, he doubted if the colonel would let him live long enough to die during the Rangers’ next attack. He sat silently, staring at Mitar Vidson.

“It is a shame to see so many men die because of an officer’s false pride,” Mitar said softly. “I had hoped that you or one of your men would have removed the colonel from his leadership role before we met.”

“It would not have helped,” Captain Hahn answered nervously. “There are four other colonels in the column, and each of them would react the same as Rhio. Is there no other alternative? Will you allow the men to desert during the night?”

“No,” Mitar answered. “The conditions we have placed on your column will not change. To the man, they will either surrender or die. Being apart from your column, you have that chance right now, Captain.”

“I do not,” retorted the captain. “While I would be willing to surrender, I can not leave the men of the column to the likes of Rhio. I would never forgive myself for such callousness. There must be a way to save them.”

“You have already been told the way,” stated Randi Witzak. “Get rid of those who command you and then shove your swords into the ground.”

Mitar Vidson nodded. “While this is the last flag of truce I will offer,” he said, “we will be watching the column. Should all of the men chose to surrender, we will accept it, but be forewarned. Should one man carry a bow or sword, we will not halt our attacks. Go, Captain. Go and save your men.”

Captain Hahn nodded glumly. He was thankful that the Alceans had spared his life, but he knew that the reprieve would be short-lived. He could not take the life of his superior officer any more than he could beat the three Rangers in a fight. He turned his horse and rode back to the column. As he approached the vanguard, Colonel Rhio glared at him.

“You are on notice, Hahn,” snarled the colonel. “When we return to Waxhaw, you will be punished for interfering.”

The captain did not even bother to acknowledge the colonel. He rode past the vanguard and returned to his own company. He dismounted and handed his reins to one of the men in his company.

“What happened out there, Captain?” one of his sergeants asked.

“Rhio decided to ignore the flag of truce,” Captain Hahn replied. “He ordered two of his men to attack the Rangers. They did as ordered, and they died for it.”

“What did they say to you after it was over?” asked a corporal. “It looks like you exchanged words with them.”

“I did,” admitted Captain Hahn. “Colonel Rhio refused to surrender. The Rangers told me that the only hope this column had was to murder the commanding officers and have the men leave their weapons on the road. Failure to do so would result in the complete annihilation of the column.”

“Do you think they mean it?” asked the sergeant.

“They mean it,” answered the captain. “They also said that Vinafor would be free of the Federation before we could reach Waxhaw. That is why they will not simply let us go back home.”

“Do you believe them?” asked the sergeant.

“I do,” answered the captain. “I have always felt that dragging this column away from Waxhaw was a prelude to a revolt there. It sounds like the patriots are succeeding in our absence.”

The sergeant’s face grew pensive and his brow creased with anger. “Which officers need to die?” he asked.

Captain Hahn’s eyes widened in horror as he stared at the sergeant. He knew the man to be a decent fellow, and to hear him asking that question without fear of reprisal struck the captain as inconceivable. Yet there the sergeant stood waiting for an answer.

“I can not be a party to such an act,” he said anxiously. “You should not even discuss such things near me. I will pretend that I never heard your words, but do not repeat them in my presence. If we must die this day, let us die with honor.”