Demonkin (59 page)

“Not even to cast offensive spells?” questioned one of the black-cloaks.

“At no time,” repeated K’san. “I will be the one delivering Balmak’s blessing to the rebel. Move.”

The two black-cloaks nervously moved deeper into the alley. K’san followed several paces behind. As the group rounded the bend in the alley, K’san saw two burning corpses. He promptly ignored them as he tried to focus on the woman, but the darkness hid her features, and the flames from the corpses destroyed his ability to see in the dark. The priest closed his eyes as they moved forward past the pyres. Once he felt the heat of the fires behind him, he opened his eyes and peered into the darkness. The female mage chose that very moment to send a flaming projectile at the group. The fireball flared brilliantly as it impacted the shields surrounding the group. K’san cursed softly as he shut his eyes again. He counted off a couple of seconds and flicked his eyes open, but the woman was assaulting the shields anew. In frustration, K’san’s arm came up, and he cast his own flaming projectile towards the end of the alley, hoping to divert her to a defensive stance. K’san opened his eyes in time to see his projectile flare on the woman’s shield. He tried to focus on her face, but she once again sent a flaming ball towards the group, as if she knew that K’san was trying to identify her before killing her.

“She is talented,” K’san grudgingly mumbled under his breath, “but that will not save her from Balmak’s revenge. It will only delay the inevitable.”

K’san raised both arms and called down bolts of lightning. He snickered softly as he shut his eyes against what he knew would be a blinding strike. The flash was bright even through his closed eyelids. K’san laughed inwardly, but the laugh soon died abruptly. The priest felt the blow upon his neck, but he felt nothing after it. His head separated from his body and bounced off the wall of the alley.

Garth shut his eyes as the pain of the brilliance blinded him. The momentary hesitation of his blade convinced him that he had indeed struck K’san, but he could see nothing. He heard the priest’s body hit the ground, but he feared tripping over it, so he halted until he could see. Loud thunder ripped through the air, and Garth felt suddenly vulnerable without the aid of his sight or hearing. Tense moments of isolation passed slowly as Garth blinked rapidly in an attempt to see. Finally, he picked out two blurry figures before him, but he could not even tell which way they were facing. Without hesitation, the Knight of Alcea leaped forward, hoping that he would clear the body of K’san. The blurry figures moved slightly as his boots landed heavily on the ground, but Garth was already committed to action. He extended his sword before him and twirled it in a figure eight. Screams from the left and screams from the right brought a thin smile to Garth’s lips, but he did not feel secure until two fireballs streamed from the end of the alley. The two blurry bodies erupted in flames.

“Are you alright?” Kalina asked as she raced towards Garth.

“I can’t see well,” he answered. “Are they all dead?”

“Very dead,” answered Kalina. “Let’s get out of here.”

* * * *

Garth was pacing the floor when Kalina unlocked the door and entered the suite. She looked at him and shook her head.

“Stop pacing,” she said softly as she closed the door. “You are making me nervous.”

“They haven’t sounded the alarm yet,” retorted Garth. “I was hoping to get that behind us before we left the inn.”

“There may not be an alarm,” replied Kalina. “The buildings along that alley are deserted. It might be days before anyone ventures in there.”

“But the battle…”

“Was not witnessed by anyone,” Kalina interrupted. “The only thing that would have been visible beyond the confines of the alley was the lightning, and I heard people talking about it. Some said that there was a storm brewing off the coast. I really do not think the bodies will be discovered before we leave the city.”

“Can we be that lucky?”

“You chose the alley because it was deserted,” answered Kalina. “That was not luck. Stop being so nervous. It is almost time for us to leave here.”

“Did you tell the innkeeper that we were leaving?”

“I just did.” Kalina nodded. “I told him that we would be leaving before dawn. He thanked us for the business and said he would be pleased to serve us when we returned. Everything is normal.”

“Well,” Garth said as he stripped off his clothes, “it will not be normal for long. Was the common room busy when you were down there?”

“No,” Kalina responded as she handed the Federation uniform to her husband, “but I think you should sneak out anyway. There is no sense in anyone seeing a general anywhere near this inn. It might cause them to look closer at people who stayed here.”

“I agree,” replied Garth as he pulled the uniform on. “Check me.”

Kalina walked around the general and inspected his uniform. She nodded her approval and stuffed his other clothes into a pack. “Who will you be tonight?”

“General Blackmoor rides again,” grinned Garth. “I kind of like the name, and I doubt we will run into any Vinaforans in the reeducation center.”

“I always liked you in a uniform,” chuckled Kalina. “I will take the unicorns and meet you in the agreed place. May the gods walk beside you.”

Garth kissed Kalina and then walked out of the suite. The Knight of Alcea moved stealthily down the back stairs of the inn and disappeared into the shadows of the night. The general kept in the shadows, but he did not lurk or call attention to his stealthiness. The few people he passed on the streets paid no attention to him. It helped that the only people out and about were those stumbling home from the taverns. Within half an hour, the general stepped into an abandoned shop. The six soldiers lurking in the dark snapped to attention and saluted. Garth smiled broadly.

“I could easily mistake you gents for real soldiers,” he chuckled. “Are you all ready to carry this charade forward?”

“We are ready,” declared one of the soldiers with no hint of humor in his voice. “May we know the name of our superior?”

“For tonight,” Garth answered, “I am General Blackmoor, Commander of the Tenth Corps.”

“That is Omirro’s unit,” frowned Bacar.

“So I have been told,” grinned Garth, “but not anymore. I heard General Omirro died to the rebels up near Sebastian Pass.”

“Is that true?” questioned one of the soldiers.

“Not that I am aware of,” replied Garth, “but it hardly matters. General Omirro can come back to life tomorrow, but for tonight, he is dead.”

“I sure hope this works,” worried Bacar.

“It will work as long as you remember the lessons I taught you,” stated the general. “Stay calm at all times. Protect your teammate, and expect the unexpected. Are we ready?”

Six heads nodded affirmatively, and General Blackmoor spun around and opened the door. He peaked into the street and nodded an all clear. Two of the soldiers scooted past the general and into the street. The other four followed General Blackmoor out of the shop. Once in the street, the six soldiers took up a formation surrounding the general. Together they marched along the street until they came to the reeducation center. One of the forward soldiers stepped up to the door and knocked loudly on it. Nothing happened. The soldier knocked again, louder. After a few seconds, the window in the door slid open and a soldier peered out.

“Open the door,” General Blackmoor said authoritatively.

“Sir?” came a weak response. “It is the middle of the night, General. Is there something we can do for you?”

“I do not need a reminder of the hour, soldier,” scowled the general. “I am General Blackmoor, Commander of the Tenth Corps, and I am here to inspect your facilities. Open the door now.”

The window slammed shut and Garth could hear shouting inside the building. Although the words were unintelligible, Garth could visualize the mayhem inside. Instead of standing guard, most of the soldiers were probably napping, never expecting a late inspection. The soldier on door duty made a point of fumbling with the door lock as he stalled for time. Garth smiled inwardly, but kept a scowl upon his face. The seconds dragged on until eventually, the door was opened. Two of Garth’s soldiers marched in before him. The other four followed. The door guard looked out and closed the door when he saw no other soldiers.

“Lock it,” the general ordered gruffly.

While the guard locked the door, the general ran his eyes over the assembled soldiers. Next to the real soldiers, his thieves looked like polished veterans. The guards’ uniforms were in disarray as if they had just woken up, which many of them probably had.

“Excuse me, General Blackmoor,” said the door guard, “but I thought the Commander of the Tenth was somebody else.”

Garth glared at the soldier and then let his face soften somewhat. “I guess word has not yet arrived to the lower ranks. General Omirro died in a rebel raid up near the Sebastian Pass. His death is a great loss to Ertak and the Federation.”

Garth’s face hardened again as his eyes swept over the assembled soldiers. His gaze landed on a sergeant, and he stared at the man until he began to fidget nervously.

“Your men are a disgrace, Sergeant,” Garth scowled. “Get them into a line. Now.”

The sergeant ordered his men to form up while Garth turned to face his own men.

“Corporal,” he said to Bacar, “take your men through the facility to make sure that everyone is properly assembled.”

Bacar saluted smartly and led his men deeper into the center. The sergeant opened his mouth to object, but the general glared him. The sergeant shut his mouth. Garth still stood with his back to the door, so the guards lined up facing him. He walked to one end of the line and stared at the end soldier.

“Have you been sleeping on duty?” General Blackmoor asked the soldier as he gazed up and down at the man’s wrinkled uniform.

“No, sir,” the soldier lied promptly.

General Blackmoor shook his head in disgust. “Present your weapon.”

The soldier meekly drew his sword and held it out with the hilt towards the general. Garth took the sword and held it up to inspect it. He shook his head with disapproval as he ran a finger along the edge.

“Sergeant, I want this soldier punished for failure to maintain his weapon. This sword looks like it has been used to hack branches off of trees.”

Garth dropped the soldier’s sword on the floor behind him and shook his head in disgust again. The soldier stared at his feet in embarrassment, and the general stepped to the next man in line. The next four soldiers were also embarrassed as their swords were discarded on the floor. Knowing that the farce could only last so long, the general skipped men until he was standing in front of the sergeant.

“Sergeant, you run the most embarrassing detail that I have ever seen. Your men have obviously been sleeping while on duty, and their weapons are a disgrace. I may just have to rotate this group out of the city to give you all an appreciation of what your weapon is supposed to be used for. It is not for hacking tree limbs, and it is not for poking stone walls. A blade is only useful when it is kept in proper shape. What did you expect to do with your weapons? Were you hoping that the enemy would die from being hit with the weight of it? A blade is supposed to cut. It cannot do that unless you keep it sharp. Everyone, put your swords on the floor in front of you.”

The soldiers sheepishly complied with the order as General Blackmoor continued to glare at the sergeant.

“Sergeant, I want each and every man under your command to spend at least two hours every day on his sword. I intend to come back at the end of the week for another inspection. If I find a single dull sword, this entire unit is heading for Sebastian Pass to fight the rebels. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir,” the sergeant said loudly.

Garth saw his men sneaking forward from the rear of the center, and he timed his movement to coincide with their arrival.

“I will show you what a blade is supposed to look like.” General Blackmoor drew his sword and extended it towards the sergeant. “Feel the edge, Sergeant.”

The sergeant hesitantly stuck his hand out and ran his finger over the edge of the sword. He quickly withdrew his hand and nodded to the general. At that precise moment, the thieves attacked from the rear. Garth shoved his sword into the sergeant’s chest and then leaped back, pulling the sword free. A moment of shock paralyzed the soldiers, and Garth took advantage of it. He swung his sword in a wide figure eight as he moved down the line. Some of the soldiers dove for their swords on the floor while others turned and tried to defend against the attackers with their bare hands. In moments, it was over.

“Bacar, make sure that they are all dead. I want the bodies piled at one end of the room and something thrown over them so that the children do not see them on the way out.”

“What about the blood?” asked Bacar.

“There is no time for that,” answered Garth. “Be quick. I am going to talk to the children.”

Garth bent down over the sergeant’s body and tore his key ring off his belt. He wiped his sword clean and sheathed it. While his men cleaned the entry room, Garth moved to the far end of the center and unlocked one of the doors.

General Blackmoor opened the door to the sleeping chamber and stepped inside. He spoke loudly and with authority in his voice.

“Everyone get up! Move! Move! Move!”

Two-dozen elven boys rose groggily and stared at the general in confusion. As the general watched, the boys moved to stand at the foot of their bunks. Although each boy had questions he wanted to ask, no one spoke. Garth watched closely to see which boy the others deferred to. When he knew the answer to his unspoken question, Garth signaled for the boy to approach.

“What is your name?”

“Syran,” answered the boy.

“Everyone get dressed,” ordered the general.

Garth returned his attention to the boy before him. Syran looked old enough to be returned to Elfwoods soon, and that made him someone the other children should look up to. “Syran, everyone is moving out of this center tonight. I could use your help to make things easier on all of us. Are you capable of assuming command?”