Demonkin (47 page)

“I understand,” Colonel Magee said.

General Forshire split from his small column and headed for the most expensive inn in the city. After he got settled into his suite, he went to the common room for the evening meal. He sat at the end table so he could watch everyone in the room. Moments later, he saw a familiar face, and she saw him. She walked directly to his table.

“Good evening, General Forshire,” smiled Natia. “Do you mind if I join you?”

Clint smiled broadly. “I wasn’t aware that you were in Giza. Please, sit down.”

Natia sat across from Clint. “I only arrived this morning. What are you doing here?”

“Parading my army through town,” chuckled the Ranger. “I will be leaving the morning after tomorrow. Are you all prepared for the big day?”

“Hardly,” frowned the Knight of Alcea. “I just got Tedi settled in Valdo. Now I have to get myself settled in here. There is much to be done yet.”

“And so little time.” Clint nodded sympathetically. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I don’t think so,” replied Natia. “I will have the help of Headman, the leader of the thieves in Giza, but I haven’t figured out how to get them out of the building yet.”

“What about out of the city?” asked the general.

“I think our plan for that will work well, but there is always a certain amount of risk involved in such a plan.” Natia fell silent for a moment as she ran through the plan in her mind. After a few moments, her eyebrows rose as a thought entered her mind. “There is something that you can help me with.”

“Name it,” smiled Clint. “If it is in my power, you shall have my help.”

“I just realized that I do not have a fairy. I am so used to depending on Button, but she stayed with Tedi. Could you send Peanut to the island and get me one?”

“I will send Peanut this evening,” promised Clint. “From what I have heard, we have quite a few of them lingering on the island. Anything else?”

Natia shook her head as the waiter came to take their order. Clint described what his plans were while they waited for the food to be delivered. While they ate, Natia talked about her plans, especially the parts that had not been completely developed.

“I can see your main problem,” sighed Clint. “If an alarm goes off in the city, the wagons will not be allowed to leave. You have to find a way to get into the building, get the children out, and leave the city without anyone knowing about it. It seems an impossible task.”

“I have been inside before,” stated Natia, and I might be able to get in again, but I can’t kill all of the guards by myself.”

“What about the thieves?” asked the general.

“Possibly,” frowned Natia, “but that would mean getting the guards to open the door a second time. I know there is an angle to this that I am missing.”

Clint’s eyes narrowed as he gazed past the gypsy princess. “Do you know any officers in Giza?”

“I have met a few,” Natia replied with a questioning frown. “Why do you ask?”

“Because there is a colonel a few tables away, and I am certain that he keeps looking at either you or me. Could you possibly be under investigation here in Giza?”

“If I am,” Natia fretted, “the new moon will be a night of great disappointment for everyone. Is he still looking this way?”

“With great interest.” Clint nodded. “Why don’t you go for a walk for a moment so I can see if it is you or me that he is interested in.”

Natia nodded almost imperceptibly and rose from her chair. She turned and started to walk away from the table, her eyes casually scanning the other patrons. When her eyes landed on the colonel, she halted in recognition.

“Colonel Fisker,” Natia said cheerily. “What are you doing here?”

“I try to eat a fine meal once in a while,” smiled the colonel. “It is hard on my salary, but the inns sometimes give free meals to officers so we respond quickly to any problems that they might have. I see that you are already engaged for the meal, or I would invite you to join me.”

Natia’s eyes narrowed as she considered the impact of Colonel Fisker seeing her with Clint. Suddenly, she smiled broadly. “Have you met General Forshire yet?”

“Forshire? No, I cannot say that I have. Is he based in Giza?”

“Goodness, no,” replied Natia. “He takes orders directly from the emperor. Would you like to meet him?”

Colonel Fisker was taken aback at the offer. While meeting a general might help his career, he was not sure of the relationship between Natia and the general. “I would not want to intrude on a romantic dinner.”

“Romantic?” chuckled Natia. “There is no romance between General Forshire and myself. Come and I will introduce you.”

Natia led Colonel Fisker to General Forshire’s table. The gypsy princess winked at Clint, and the general’s face hardened as he stared at the colonel. Colonel Fisker saluted smartly, but the general showed no sign of acknowledgement.

“General Forshire,” Natia said in a businesslike manner, “this is Colonel Fisker. Colonel, General Forshire is the Commander of the A Corps.”

General Forshire nodded stonily, and the colonel began to feel a bit awkward. Natia watched the colonel with a feeling of satisfaction as he fidgeted and averted his eyes from the unimpressed general.

“General,” Natia continued, “Colonel Fisker is a friend of mine and has been very helpful to me during my trips to Giza.”

“Ah,” General Forshire said with interest as his stony demeanor softened into a smile. “Perhaps you would care to join us, Colonel?”

“I don’t want to intrude,” the colonel said hesitantly.

“A friend of Natia’s is a friend of mine,” smiled the general. “Have a seat.”

“My meal has just been served,” replied the colonel. “Allow me to get my plate and bring it to the table.”

The general nodded as the colonel departed. “Where are you going with this, Natia?” whispered Clint.

“Fisker is the one who got me into the reeducation center,” Natia quickly replied. “He thinks that I am a spy for the emperor. Letting him know that I am a close friend of an important general will reinforce that thought.”

“How will that help you?” asked Clint.

“I am not sure,” Natia admitted, “but it certainly won’t hurt.”

“Then we shall impress him with the importance of your friends,” grinned Clint. “Here he comes.”

“I am grateful for the chance to share your table, General Forshire,” the colonel said as he sat next to Natia. “I must admit that I have never heard of the A Corps. I thought all armies were identified by numbers.”

“Normal armies are indeed numbered,” the general replied in a friendly manner. “There are a few special forces under the control of the emperor that carry letter designations. A Corps is the largest and most important of them.”

“Impressive,” the colonel replied earnestly. “If you don’t mind me asking, what does the A Corps do?”

“The A Corps is responsible for the security of the Federation,” stated the general. “We track down spies, rebels, and others who work to subvert the rule of the Federation. Most of what the A Corps does is secret, of course, so I cannot expand too much on our duties. Little of what we do ever reaches the ears of the people.”

Colonel Fisker nodded in understanding. “Just this evening I heard something on the way here. Some officers were talking about the capture of three rebels in the Dark Forest. Was that the A Corps?”

Clint smiled thinly as he realized that Colonel Magee was already spreading the fame of the A Corps throughout the city. He nodded slightly. “Captured is not exactly accurate. We destroyed the rebels. One of them was a very powerful mage, and that required us to completely annihilate them. If only General Tauman had arrived earlier, I could have used his mages to capture the rebels alive. Nevertheless, the others will be tracked down and eliminated”

The colonel’s eyes grew to impressive proportions. He knew that General Tauman was Commander of the First Corps, and many considered him the best general in the Federation, but General Forshire acted as if he had the authorization to summon General Tauman at will. He suddenly realized how important Natia’s friend was.

“I will let you two talk,” Natia said cheerily. “I was on my way to my room when I saw you, Colonel. I think I should complete that journey now. I will be back in a little while.”

“She is quite a woman,” the colonel said after Natia was out of hearing range.

“She is a very effective operative,” declared the general. “Were she a man, I would make her a colonel in a heartbeat and have her assigned to the A Corps, but I do not think the emperor would approve. She is far more valuable in her current position.”

“What is her position?” asked Colonel Fisker.

“I cannot comment on that,” smiled the general, “and you should know better than to ask. The fact that she has befriended you will do wonders for your future, and you should not jeopardize that friendship by trying to get her to reveal too much. A person in her position cannot afford to be open with anyone not under the direct control of the emperor. Never take her secrecy personally. It is a function of her position.”

“I understand,” the colonel said softly. “Will you be helping her here in Giza?”

“Natia doesn’t need my help right now,” answered General Forshire. “There are times when our investigations overlap, but this is not one of them. I will be leaving Giza as soon as my army catches up to me. They should be near the city tomorrow night.”

“Well,” the colonel smiled thinly, “if there is anything that I can do for you during your stay, please let me know.”

“I appreciate such offers.” General Forshire nodded to the colonel. “There are times when a competent local officer is unofficially needed. I will keep your name in mind.”

“I hope you two were not bored during my absence,” Natia said cheerily as she returned to the table.

“Not at all,” General Forshire said as he rose to his feet. “I have to go and meet with Colonel Magee. I hope both of you will forgive my rudeness.”

Natia smiled broadly, and Colonel Fisker rose to his feet and saluted the general. As soon as the general left, the colonel moved his plate to the other side of the table and sat opposite Natia.

“He must be a very important general,” the colonel said to start the conversation going.

“He was the Commanding General of Tyronia,” answered Natia. “Emperor Jaar had him brought to Despair to prepare him to be King of Tyronia, but the general refused the offer. Instead, he formed the A Corps, and I know that the emperor has been happy with his decision. He is quite a special person.”

Colonel Fisker’s eyes widened when Natia mentioned her intimate knowledge of the emperor’s feelings. It reinforced his earlier feelings that she was someone special and high up in the hierarchy of the Federation. On her previous visit to Giza, the colonel thought Judge Julius was the emperor’s man in Giza and Natia had merely been sent from Despair to help him, but now he knew otherwise. It was Natia who was calling the shots, and Judge Julius who was merely cooperating with her.

“What brings you to Giza?” probed the colonel. “Perhaps there is something that I can help you with?”

Natia frowned in silence for a moment and then turned to see if anyone was close enough to be listening to the conversation. “Perhaps there is something that you can help me with. I would like to get personnel records of a unit, but I do not want to request the records officially. Doing so might draw too much attention to what I am working on. Is that information that you are capable of getting?”

“Depends on the unit,” answered the colonel.

“The unit that protects the reeducation center,” Natia said softly.

“City guards.” Colonel Fisker nodded. “I can get those easily, but my request will be noted.”

“That might do more harm than good.” Natia shook her head. “It was nice of you to offer, but maybe I should just request them officially.” Natia sighed with disappointment, and the colonel frowned.

“How important is this?” questioned the colonel.

“I do not waste my time on trivial matters,” retorted Natia. “I cannot say any more without your vow of secrecy.”

“I will not tell anyone,” promised the colonel.

“When I say secrecy,” frowned Natia, “I truly mean it. That means that you will never speak of what I say for any reason. Not to your superior officer, not to Judge Julius, not to someone investigating those men, not to anyone. The information I am after is needed on a much higher plane than anyone in Giza is entitled to.”

Colonel Fisker swallowed hard as he listened to Natia. There was no doubt in his mind that he was about to hear something that might shake the foundations of the army in Giza. “You have my word,” vowed the colonel. “I will never speak of what you are about to say.”

Natia stared at the colonel for several minutes before nodding slightly. “General Forshire obtained some information from the rebels he cornered in the Dark Forest. The information indicates that the rebels have been paying soldiers in Giza for some undefined services. While it may have nothing to do with the reeducation centers, he believes that the rebels have been paying for elves.”

“Paying for elves?” frowned the colonel. “What for?”

“I am sure that you have heard the rumors about young elven women being taken from the centers during the night,” Natia explained conspiratorially. “The women never return, and the rumors lead the elves to believe that the women were being fed to demons.”

“I have heard those rumors,” scowled the officer, “and they are preposterous.”

“You may think so,” retorted Natia, “but it hardly matters what you think. What matters is what the elves think. As you are aware, the elves have a choice when they reach the age of maturity. They may return to Elfwoods, or they may join the Federation as any other citizen. General Forshire thinks that the rebels seek to drive a wedge between the Federation and the elves and thereby weaken the Federation. As the emperor hopes to fully integrate the elves as willing members of the Federation, any friction between the two groups aides the cause of the rebels.”

Colonel Fisker raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I see now that my initial reaction was not well thought out. I also see why you would not want to officially request the records. How soon do you need the information?”