Richard Tuttle - 13 Day War

“Was that your whistle?” asked the sergeant in charge of the group.

“It was,” replied Colonel Taerin. “There are three assassins on the grounds. They are black-clad and masked. They were last seen entering the old forest section of the grounds. Have one of your men spread the description to the other units. I want them captured alive, but be cautious. I believe them to be Badgers.”

One of the soldiers was dispatched to spread the description and the others hurried towards the last reported location of the intruders. Colonel Taerin turned around and walked back to the old barracks. He opened the door and stepped into Donil’s quarters.

“Make a light, Donil. We have some talking to do.”

Colonel Donil lit a torch and placed it in a wall sconce. Colonel Taerin could see that Donil’s face was bruised, but he appeared otherwise unharmed.

“What is this all about, Colonel Taerin? If this is some kind of joke, I am not taking kindly to it.”

“Badgers do not joke,” Colonel Taerin replied as he sat on one of the bunks facing Donil.

“Badgers are a myth,” Colonel Donil replied, his tone revealing the uncertainty of his words.

“They are no myth. You are lucky to be alive. They usually do not leave witnesses behind, but I suspect that they want word of this visit to reach the ears of General Forshire. It would appear that they suspect the general of interfering in their plans.”

“You heard what they said?”

“I was outside the window.” Colonel Taerin nodded, wondering how Donil would take the news that he was being spied on. “Why did Forshire leave you here?”

“If you were listening,” frowned Colonel Donil, “then you heard my answers to the Badgers. Why ask the same questions when you know the answers?”

“Because I doubt that you told them the truth. The loyalty the A Corps shows to General Forshire is remarkable. There is no way that you would tell the Badgers where the general could be found. That would endanger his life.”

“General Forshire will not be harmed by the Badgers,” retorted Colonel Donil. “Let the Badgers send their best to Olansk. They will be met with the steel of A Corps. They will have to cut through two-thousand men to get close to the general.”

“I could easily believe that if I thought that the A Corps would even know that the Badgers were coming, but they won’t know. They will be caught as unawares as the defenders of the Imperial Palace appeared to be this night.”

“They’ll know,” swore Colonel Donil. “The A Corps will be waiting for the Badgers to appear.”

Colonel Taerin smiled at his small victory. He suspected that Donil had some way of communication with General Forshire, and Donil’s words confirmed it.

“Then the A Corps will be doing the Federation a great service. The Badgers deserve to die, but General Forshire will not be there to witness it.”

“What do you mean?” Colonel Donil asked suspiciously.

“You are going to send a message to the general that he is to report to the Imperial Palace immediately. I want to speak to him personally.”

“You are but a colonel,” balked Colonel Donil. “You do not order a general around. Besides, how can I send a message to the general any quicker than you can? Send your own message.”

“Do not try me.” Colonel Taerin snapped in a most uncharacteristic manner. “I wish to speak to General Forshire alone, and I wish to do so immediately. Do not force me to involve Grand General Kyrga in this because he will have many questions that might prove to be very embarrassing to your general.”

“Even Kyrga cannot order General Forshire to return to Despair,” countered Colonel Donil. “Why is speaking to General Forshire so important to you?”

“Grand General Kyrga can order any general to do anything he wants. Are you daft?”

“Kyrga is indeed the Grand General, but he has no authority over General Forshire. General Forshire reports directly to the emperor. If you want him so badly, perhaps you should speak to Emperor Jaar.”

Colonel Taerin was about to angrily respond when he suddenly fell silent. He let Donil’s words roll around in his head. There was no known position reporting directly to the emperor, yet if there was one, it might explain a great deal about Forshire’s strange activities. He decided to change course.

“Look, Donil, I really need to talk to General Forshire. I am sure that he would agree to the meeting if I could get word to him. I know that you have such a method for doing so. I will not even inquire about your method of delivering such a message, but I ask you to send one as soon as you can. Something is not right in the Imperial Palace, and I think General Forshire can shed some light on it. Tell him that I will meet with him wherever he wants, and I will tell no one else about the meeting, but we must speak. It is urgent.”

Colonel Donil merely nodded, and Colonel Taerin knew that was the best answer he would receive.

“Why don’t you move into the palace, Donil? I will give you authorization to use General Forshire’s suite until he arrives.”

“I could not do so,” Colonel Donil replied. “My orders were explicit. I am to stay here until I am told otherwise.”

“The Badgers obviously have found a chink in our defenses,” sighed Colonel Taerin. “They can easily come back for you. You are not safe out here.”

“I do get that feeling,” admitted Colonel Donil, “but absent permission from General Forshire, I am duty-bound to remain here.”

“Very well,” sighed Colonel Taerin. “I hope some day to learn how Forshire has instilled such loyalty in his men. I suggest you ask for permission to move into the palace when you send my message. I will leave the offer open. All you need to do is come to me and ask to move indoors. Your request will be granted.”

Colonel Taerin turned and walked out of the building. He paused briefly outside as the thought of concealing himself came to mind. If he was clever enough, he might discover how Donil communicated with Forshire, but he soon gave up the thought. Donil would not send the message until he was certain of success without observation. All Taerin would accomplish would be a delay in sending the message, and he wanted it sent without delay. As the clouds opened up and rain started falling, Colonel Taerin ran towards the Imperial Palace to return to his room.

The thunderclap was so loud that it felt as if it shook the bed. Colonel Taerin bolted upright and listened to the sound of the rain pelting the building. He slid out of bed and eased the shutters open. The rain poured down so heavily that he could not see the palace docks. Pools of water dotted the palace grounds and small rivers flowed along the footpaths. He pulled the shutters closed and got dressed. He made his way downstairs to the officers’ mess and found it packed with generals and colonels. He grumbled under his breath. While Despair was usually crowded in the winter because of its warmer weather, many of the senior officers usually stayed up late into the night and rose late in the morning, but the storm must have awakened every last one of them. He turned around and fled from the crowded room. With a slight smile on his face, Colonel Taerin entered the dining room set aside for visiting dignitaries. It was almost always empty. On this particular day, General Fabio sat alone. He looked up and smiled as the colonel entered the room.

“There are plenty of seats in here,” greeted the general.

“So you are aware of the marauding hordes running around the palace?” chuckled the colonel as he sat down at the table.

“One could hardly be unaware. There was a line outside the officers’ mess when I came by. It looks as if the storm woke the entire palace.”