Richard Tuttle - Army of the Dead

“Even for a chance at Clarvoy?” frowned Fisher.

“Even for that,” nodded Marak. “I intend to defeat Vand with or without Clarvoy. I can only do that with the clans of Khadora united behind me. Lord Chenowith has made that possible in the past, and he continues to make it possible now. I could not ask that of him.”

“I understand,” Fisher nodded with defeat.

“Do you?” smiled Marak. “Fisher, I believe in you. Perhaps I believe in you more than you believe in yourself. I cannot ask of Lord Chenowith what you request of me, but you are resourceful. I have full confidence that you will snare Clarvoy.”

Fisher brightened at the Emperor’s words of encouragement. He smiled at the Torak and retreated from the roof of the palace.

* * *

The Walkan clan of Khadora had one of the largest estates in the Imperial Valley. It was one of the ancient founding clans of Khadora and had produced some of the country’s most notable lords. One of those notable lords was the late Emperor Bagora. The Walkan clan also had one of Khadora’s largest armies whose uniforms were red and blue, not too different from the red and black of the Ronan clan, seeing as the blue used by the Walkan clan was a deep, dark blue. The enormity of the Walkan army also allowed for officers that were not familiar with every single soldier on the estate.

As fate would have it, Fisher just happened to own a Ronan clan uniform that he had worn on the day Emperor Mirakotto and Lord Garic had mysteriously died. He now wore that red and black uniform again as he moved through the fields of the Walkan estate.

Fisher had been to the Walkan estate numerous times, posing as a merchant. He knew the layout of the mansion fairly well. In fact, he had managed over the years to gain entry to just about every major room in the mansion. Of course, there was one room that he was never allowed to enter. It was through no great feat of intelligence that Fisher knew his destination within the mansion. The question was how to enter the forbidden room without being caught. If he were apprehended, Lord Chenowith would be extremely irate. He would demand justice from either the new court system or from Emperor Marak. Either way, the Torak would find out, and Marak would be forced to punish Fisher. The spy knew that the Emperor would have to demand an execution in order to salve Lord Chenowith’s fury.

Dying to save Khadora did not trouble Fisher. He already assumed that he was near the end of his days, and he believed in the cause he was fighting for. What troubled the spy was the impact that his death would have on Marak. The Torak would undoubtedly blame himself for Fisher’s death, and that Fisher could not allow. To alleviate the problem, Fisher had brought poison with him. He had vowed to swallow that poison if he was captured during this mission. He was confident that he would not be recognized by Lord Chenowith or anyone else on the estate. His body would be buried, and Marak would never hear of it.

Fisher exited the field and walked along the path that led to the mansion. The moon was bright, but the grounds of the estate were quiet. For a large clan, the army presence on the estate at night was minimal. Of course, the current political climate in Khadora did not require a large security force for protection from your neighbors, but Fisher had expected to see more soldiers. The lack of patrols began to disturb him as he neared the mansion.

When Fisher rounded the rear of the mansion, he stopped and stared at the reason for the lack of patrols. The grounds were a mess. Cut trees dotted the landscape, and dozens of new wooden huts were in various stages of completion. At first Fisher was confused, but then he remembered hearing about the Sakovan resettlement program. Evidently, Lord Chenowith had his army working all day to create homes for the Sakovans. His appreciation for the man soared.

“Kind of amazing isn’t it?” came the female voice behind him.

Fisher spun and saw a beautiful young woman leaning out of a window of the mansion.

“It is amazing,” nodded Fisher. “It is heartwarming to know that Khadora has such a lord. When will the Sakovans arrive?”

“Not sure,” replied the woman. “Lord Chenowith wants the huts completed as soon as possible in case the war breaks out in Khadora. You guys are great for the way you are working. I am surprised to find you still awake after working all day. How do you do it?”

“I didn’t work on it today,” shrugged Fisher. “I am just in from the city.”

“Oh,” smiled the woman. “Has my father come home?”

Fisher frowned as he tried to figure out what the woman was talking about. He wanted to ask who her father was, but he didn’t dare. Her father could be an important officer, or even the seneschal, which any Walkan soldier would recognize.

“I came alone,” he finally answered.

“Oh,” frowned the woman. “Since he was elected to the Lords’ Council, I hardly get to see him any more.”

Fisher swallowed hard as he realized that he was talking to Lord Chenowith’s daughter, but he also realized that Lord Chenowith was not in residence.

“Well, I should be moving along,” Fisher said anxiously.

“Do you want some tea?” asked the woman. “I don’t seem to be able to sleep tonight, and someone to talk to would be nice.”

Fisher could not refuse. To do so would be an insult to the lord’s family. He nodded his head, and the woman smiled.

“I will unlock the back door for you,” offered the woman just before she disappeared.

Fisher debated making a run for it, but he really wanted the information from Bagora’s journal, and he would never get another chance. He walked to the rear door of the mansion and entered. Thankfully, the woman had only lit one torch in the kitchen, so the lighting remained dim enough for her to confuse the uniform with a Walkan one. The woman set two cups of tea on the table and settled into one of the chairs. Fisher slid into the other chair and smiled.

“You are a quiet one, aren’t you?” smiled the woman. “What is your name?”

“Some of my friends call me Scarab,” shrugged Fisher.

“And I thought Elly was a bad name,” chuckled the woman. “Where did you get a name like Scarab?”

“Elly is a fine name,” smiled Fisher. “How could you think it is bad?”

“Do you really think so?” she asked.

“I do,” smiled Fisher as he rose. “I have to attend to something right away. I guess this tea filled me up. Will you wait here for me?”

“Sure,” smiled Elly. “I will make some fresh tea. This pot is a little stale.”

“That’s great,” smiled Fisher as he slipped out of the kitchen.

He walked to the back door of the mansion and opened and closed it without passing through it. He quietly moved along the corridor until he came to Bagora’s room. The door was locked. He swiftly removed a strip of metal from his belt and worked the lock. The click sounded tremendously loud in the silence of the mansion. He opened the door and slipped into the room and closed the door.

He dared not light a torch in the room, but the moon was just past full, and moonlight flooded in the window. He walked to a corner of the room where several metal boxes were placed in a row. He saw one that had been broken open and immediately moved towards it. He opened the box and peered at the papers inside. There were more than he had anticipated. Knowing that he did not have time to find the proper papers, Fisher grabbed them all and put them in his pack. He closed the box and moved swiftly to the door. He slowly opened the door and eased into the corridor. Fisher moved to the back door of the mansion and opened and closed it again. He smiled as he walked into the kitchen and sat down.