Richard Tuttle - 13 Day War

“I had some things that needed to be taken care of,” apologized Alex. “Has Jenneva arrived yet?”

“No,” frowned Queen Tanya. “The fairies assured me that she has been notified.”

“Time is getting scarce for all of us,” mused Alex. “I suspect that we are all running a little tight on time right now. It is not going to get any better. There are more coming from Zara. I took the liberty of asking the guards to have the others report directly here instead of going straight to the meeting.” The Knight of Alcea nodded to Theos, and the mage nodded in return. “Has Theos been introduced to everyone yet?”

“Not yet,” answered King Arik. “I was planning on doing that at the meeting.”

“Do not introduce him as Tyronian,” suggested Alex. “It is not that I expect any of the group to betray a confidence, but it would be better if no one slipped and called him the Tyronian mage.”

“Good point,” nodded the king.

The door opened and Zack Nolan, Wylan and Sheri entered the room. Directly following them was Jenneva and Clint McFarren. The Ranger was still dressed in his Federation uniform.”

The Tyronian’s eyes widened nervously.

“That is sure to get some attention at the meeting,” quipped the queen. “How did you get past the guards?”

“I had to vouch for him,” chuckled Jenneva.

“Even though they knew who I was,” complained Clint.

“I am surprised that you found time to leave Zara,” commented King Arik. “I thought you were hurrying your army to Despair to free the emperor?”

“Plans have changed,” frowned the Ranger as he turned and faced Jenneva. “I think a mage has taken over the emperor’s body. I need to know how I can verify that.”

“Tell me why you suspect such a thing,” replied Jenneva.

Clint detailed his conversation with Colonel Taerin and added in his suspicions based upon the emperor’s behavior. Jenneva nodded increasingly as he spoke.

“It sounds very much like Reflecting Pool,” stated Jenneva, “but it could be some variation of it that we are ignorant of. If it is Reflecting Pool, getting the emperor to cast a spell will break the illusion, but it must be done at an appropriate time. Once the illusion is broken, there is nothing to stop the mage from reconstituting it. If you wish to reveal him to someone, make sure that person is present before you force the mage to cast a spell.”

“Like the emperor’s son,” stated Zack.

“That will not be necessary,” smiled Clint. “I have made contact with the heir of the Empire of Barouk, but now is not the time to discuss that. There is more important news. Grand General Kyrga has ordered the movement of troops. The 9 thCorps of Barouk and the 25 thCorps of Aerta are already on the move. They have received orders to report to Camp Destiny. The war is starting soon.”

“How soon?” asked the king.

“About two weeks,” replied the Ranger. “It depends on where General Kolling and General Gertz have stationed their troops, so I can not be positive of the timing, but the fairies will surely report their arrival in Camp Destiny.”

“We cannot wait for their arrival in Camp Destiny,” the king replied anxiously. “We have our own troop movements to accomplish. Why are they starting so early? Has spring arrived earlier in Zara than here?”

“The northern portion of Zara is having one of the worst winters on record,” answered Alex. “There is no hint of spring there.”

“I agree,” offered Theos. “I have never seen a winter so severe.”

“But that is not true in the south,” retorted Clint. “And it is in the south where their armies are massed and waiting for orders.”

“What about near Camp Destiny?” asked Jenneva. “That is farther north and it is close to the Barrier.”

“I do not know,” answered Clint. “I can check it out when I return to Zara.”

“The fairies can handle that,” interjected Alex. “You have too much on your plate already. Do not spread yourself too thin. Where is the A Corps now?”

“They were marching on Despair,” frowned the Federation general, “but I stopped that. If Emperor Jaar is not going to honor our agreement, and he will certainly not if he is dead, there is no reason for my troops to go to Despair. I turned them around and headed them towards Ramaldi Pass to aid in the liberation of Vinafor.”

“We should get to the meeting and let the others know that the war is coming sooner than expected.”

“There is more,” warned Clint. “The Federation has continued to grow their army. It is hard for me to get accurate information as I am not supposed to be in Despair, but the best estimate that I can come up with suggests that they have added another sixty-thousand troops.”

“Sixty-thousand?” gasped the king. “Are they coming here?”

“I can’t be certain,” answered Clint, “but I suspect that they are not. There has been no formal announcement of the new armies, and the new generals seem interested only in training their new troops.”

“They are for crowd control,” suggested the Alcean spymaster. “Whoever is planning on taking over the Federation is gathering the armies to ensure that he is not foiled in the attempt. If I am correct, expect to see those armies stationed in the major cities of the Federation, especially Despair.”

Alex nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense, Zack. The usurper is planning to seize control while the bulk of the Federation armies are in Alcea. The new armies are to counteract any resistance from the home guard.”

“And that is why they needed to replace Jaar,” agreed Clint. “It does make sense now. Jaar had gotten out of hand, and they could not afford to attempt a coup with eighty-thousand loyal troops in Despair. Those troops would unerringly follow the heir, but I suspect these new troops will be under the control of Grand General Kyrga. The new generals will owe their allegiance to him alone.”

Alex paced wordlessly to the window and stared out at the blustery winter scene. The others turned and stared at his back, wondering what he was thinking about. The king opened his mouth to ask that very question, but the queen stopped him with a slight touch on his arm and a shake of her head. The room stood in silence as Alex pondered the ramification of the new information. Eventually, he sighed heavily and turned to face the others.

“Do not send your troops into Vinafor, Clint,” commanded Alex. “They may be needed in eastern Zara.”

“What do you mean?” scowled Theos. “The liberation of the western countries was promised. You cannot just walk away and leave those patriots under the heel of the Federation.”

Alex looked the Tyronian mage in the eye. There was no reprimand in the gaze, only sympathy. “The western countries must all fall in succession, and they will, but only when success is assured. We are now facing one-hundred-forty-thousand troops when we expected only eighty-thousand. Even that lower number left us woefully outnumbered. Now we are facing odds that require a reassessment of our strategies.”

“If the liberation of the western countries is timed properly,” suggested Zack, “some of those new armies would be forced to respond. Perhaps that might be the key.”

“Clint?” prompted Alex.

“General Tauman would probably be the first to respond,” declared the Federation general. “The 1st Corps is considered to be the finest army in the Federation, and Camp Destiny is close enough to arrive in Vinafor quickly.”

“He wouldn’t leave Camp Destiny unguarded, would he?” asked Wylan.

“That depends on timing,” answered Clint. “As long as he thinks the Doors are still working, no, but if he discovers that he is guarding nothing important, he would eagerly respond to an uprising. He certainly will not keep his army tied down in Camp Destiny if it is worthless there.”