Richard Tuttle - Web of Deceit

“Why wouldn’t we just kill them ourselves?” asked Blaka.

“Because we won’t be here,” smiled Adger. “We will be ambushing the other four thousand original Jiadin.”

“Where?” asked Wyant.

“I do not know yet,” admitted Adger. “Personally, I would like a spot where bows will play a major part. The original Jiadin are not as good as the elite, but they are formidable foes. It also will have to be accomplished quickly or we risk having the regular Jiadin catch up while we are still battling.”

“I think it would be helpful for the battle ground to be on the path of the regular Jiadin army though,” interjected Wyant. “I want them to see the bodies of their brothers. Any losses we have should be removed.”

“You seek to demoralize them?” quizzed Yojji.

“Absolutely,” nodded Wyant. “I want their ranks decimated by desertions. The more of them we can scare off, the less our losses will be.”

“I have an idea,” Bakhai said softly. “The Jiadin will not know that Winus has switched sides, will they?”

“No, they shouldn’t,” Wyant responded. “Why?”

“What if he sent a rider every hour towards Vandegar,” suggested Bakhai. “Each rider could announce to the approaching army how badly things were going for them. After twenty or thirty such warnings, I think anyone would be demoralized.”

“That is an excellent idea,” grinned Wyant. “Each report would be increasingly desperate.”

“And the final warning would be the bodies of the four thousand original Jiadin,” added Yojji. “I think we are on to something here. If they are scared enough, there will not be too many of them at our wall.”

“There shouldn’t be any at our wall,” corrected Wyant. “If we let them get this close, their hunger will drive them on towards our food supplies. I think we should plan for a final confrontation in the Valley of Bones. The valley is huge enough to hold both armies easily and we can block the exit to the east. If we can force them to retreat, they will have to go west. I doubt there will be much left in them to go south to another pass, especially if they would just end up meeting our forces again.”

“Which means the ambush of the original Jiadin should take place on the western approach to the Valley of Bones,” interjected Adger.

“An excellent place for an ambush,” approved Yojji. “Our bowmen would have a height advantage and we could block the western entrance to the valley.”

“There are also sufficient forests in the area to conceal our forces that will attack their rear,” nodded Adger.

“So, we have a plan,” declared Wyant. “There are still some issues to be resolved, but I think we have a much clearer idea of what has to come together to win this war. We will have to start this plan rolling soon, before Grulak decides to start his whole army out this way based on information from someone else. We need the spacing between the three segments of his army and that can only happen if we are the ones to alert him of what Ghala holds within her walls.”

Everyone agreed and the three tribal leaders drifted off toward their armies.

“I would like a dozen of those fruits before we give them to Brakas,” requested Wyant.

“Why?” quizzed Rejji. “You know of the aftereffects.”

“Yes, but they won’t matter for my use,” responded Wyant. “I want to send out scouts to notify us when the segments of Grulak’s army starts moving. The men can sleep all they want when they return. I am fearful that if the timing is not wide enough, that our plan can fall to pieces rapidly. If that happens, I want to know about it as soon as possible.”

“Bakhai will bring some back when he returns,” agreed Rejji.

“Good,” smiled Wyant as he turned to leave. “This may actually work so don’t let my pessimism affect you.”

“Where am I going?” asked Bakhai after Wyant had left.

“I want you to check out the Valley of Bones,” requested Rejji. “It is the one part of the plan that I am not happy with. Two huge armies meeting there may gain us victory, but I fear that we may lose too many warriors on both sides. I have another solution in mind.”

“Why do we care how many men the Jiadin lose?” questioned Mistake. “They are our enemy. We should want them all dead.”

“They are our enemy today,” declared Rejji, “but I fear we may need all the warriors we can find for the Time of Cleansing. It would be foolish to kill them today and wish we could recruit them tomorrow. Bakhai, take Mistake and Mobi with you. I think our jungle friends will help us in this battle.”

“What are we supposed to do when we get there?” asked Bakhai.

“I want you to be familiar with the terrain of the Valley of Bones,” smiled Rejji. “On your way back, set up the wagons of lygrims and bring Wyant his dozen. Come and I will explain my plan to you.”

***

“I will pay you a hundred times the value of your horse,” pleaded Brakas.

“You don’t have that much gold,” sighed Yojji. “Use your own horse.”

“I will give you my horse in addition to the gold,” begged Brakas. “I only need your horse for a day. I just have to get out of this city. It is driving me crazy.”

“It’s a wonderful city,” smiled Yojji. “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to leave it for even a short time. Besides, if you just want to be free of the city for a few hours, you can walk.”

“You don’t understand,” implored Brakas.

“Yojji,” called Adger, “I need to talk to you right away.”

“Sorry, Brakas,” smiled Yojji as he and Brakas walked towards Adger.

“Yeah, I am sorry too Brakas, but this will be a private conversation,” Adger stated seriously. “Perhaps Yojji will pick up your talk later.”

Brakas stopped as Yojji met Adger and the two tribal leaders turned and entered Adger’s house. Brakas stood and pouted as they slammed the door. It was bad enough that nobody would sell him a horse, but now they even excluded him from conversations. Odd, he thought, they never treated him that way before. Brakas looked up and down the street and saw nobody paying any attention to him. Swiftly, he stole across the street to the rear of Adger’s house. He lowered himself to sit below Adger’s window and pretend that he was just resting while he eavesdropped on the conversation. He would find out what was so secret that they would exclude him. He had noticed the preparations for war going on and had a pretty good idea that they would be discussing the war plans.

“Greetings, Blaka,” Yojji said. “I did not know this was a war council.”

“Well war is coming, Yojji,” Adger stated. “There can be no doubt about that. It is only a matter of time before Grulak finds out where we are all hiding.”

“I don’t see how we can stand against Grulak,” declared Blaka. “The odds are just too great. I do not mind a good battle, but this stand is suicide. None of us are going to survive this.”

“I am,” Adger said. “That is why I asked the two of you here. I have come up with a brilliant plan. I trust both of you like brothers, so I wanted to share it with you.”

“If you have a way out of this coffin we are living in, I definitely want to hear about it,” nodded Yojji. “Just so it doesn’t involve going over to Grulak’s side. I would rather die than fight for that vermin.”

“As would I,” added Blaka. “What is your plan?”

“We will not only leave Ghala,” explained Adger, “but we will get rich doing it. You understand that Grulak plans to attack Khadora after he wipes out Ghala, right?”

“That has been his plan all along,” agreed Yojji.

“Well I propose to fight for Khadora,” Adger said.