Demonkin (67 page)

“You know him?” asked Tedi.

“Valdo is my city,” grinned the thief. “I make it my business to know everyone in it. Besides, his potions did wonders for some of my people.”

Sergeant Tinker led his patrol around the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Despair. The sergeant was weary and thankful that his shift was almost at its end. Patrol duty was always boring as nothing ever happened on the grounds of the palace, especially in the middle of the night. Rare were the nights when his squad even encountered another person. So it came as a surprise when a general walked out of the rear door of the palace. He immediately recognized the officer as General Garibaldi, the general from Vinafor. The sergeant raised an eyebrow in curiosity as the patrol drew near to the general. He saluted as he passed, and although he was sure that the general had seen him, there was no response or indication that the salute had been noticed. The sergeant shrugged with indifference and continued leading his patrol around the grounds.

A few minutes later, another squad of soldiers appeared. Sergeant Tinker was grateful that his shift was at an end. He handed off the patrolling to the new squad and dismissed his men. As was his custom, the sergeant strolled towards the docks to sit on a bench and relax for a few minutes before heading off to the barracks. While strolling around the grounds during the day was frowned upon, no one ever bothered him at night. It was in the dead of the night that the sergeant enjoyed the grounds. He walked along the deserted pathways as if he were the one who lived in the palace and gave out the orders. It was easy for him to lose himself in his fantasy for a few moments, and he found it always made him sleep better.

Sergeant Tinker was almost to his favorite bench when he saw General Garibaldi again. The general was heading straight for the sergeant, and Tinker began to worry about being admonished for strolling around the grounds. He immediately changed the direction of his travel and headed towards the barracks. As he passed into an area of dense shrubbery, the sergeant halted and turned around. He watched the general leave the path and head for the side of the palace. Suddenly curious, the sergeant decided to follow the general to see what he was up to. The general headed towards the tall hedge that ran alongside the palace. Sergeant Tinker moved stealthily after the general, but when it appeared that the general would turn around, the sergeant moved swiftly to the cover of a gazebo.

Sergeant Tinker sighed nervously. He did not know what had possessed him to follow the general, but his close call was enough for him to end the dangerous game and return to the barracks. He peeked around the corner of the gazebo to see if it was safe to flee, but the general was gone. Frowning deeply, the sergeant rose from the cover of the gazebo and stared towards the hedge. There was no one in sight. He glanced at the side of the palace, even though he knew the general could not possibly have run that far in such a short time. General Garibaldi had simply disappeared like a ghost.

* * * *

Clint finished sewing the V Corps patch on his uniform and put it on. He walked around his room in the Emporium until he had perfected the peculiar style of walking the Vinaforan general had displayed around the palace. When he was satisfied with his performance, he sat down and waited. Not long after he sat down, a fairy flew in through the balcony door.

“How did it go, Peanut?”

“General Garibaldi was noticed,” reported the fairy, “but my memories of his speech are not sufficient for the task.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can create a perfect image of the general, but I can’t make him say things that I have not witnessed. A few soldiers saw me walking the grounds of the palace, but I had to avoid them. If they had asked me a question that required something other than a greeting, I would not have been believable.”

“That poses a problem,” frowned Clint. “What good is the image of General Garibaldi if no one believes it?”

“It convinced Sergeant Tinker that the general was up in the middle of the night,” answered Peanut. “I also led him to the secret door that Grand General Kyrga uses to leave the grounds, but he did not explore it as I thought he would. Couldn’t someone else make the general’s orders clear?”

Clint pondered the fairy’s words. While it was not imperative to frame Garibaldi for the disappearance of the elves, it was highly desirable. Suddenly, he saw the fairy’s words in a new light. A smile crossed his lips.

“Someone else indeed,” Clint grinned. “That is exactly what we will do. I will not even need to perfect the general’s slight limp. I will go to the center on horseback. Peanut, I doubt that any of the men at the center have ever heard Garibaldi speak. If I keep my distance from them and speak softly, they should not be able to tell the difference. What I will be saying will be shocking enough as it is. You merely need to cast the illusion and keep it in place. Remember that the illusion is to appear only to outsiders. My men must see me as I really am. Can you do that?”

“I can cast the illusion between you and the people you wish to see it. Those near you will see General Forshire, but those at a distance in front of you will see General Garibaldi. Is that acceptable?”

“That will do nicely.” Clint nodded.

A knock sounded on the door, and Clint waved at the fairy as a signal to hide. He walked to the door and cracked it open. When he saw Scorpion in the hallway, he opened the door to let the thief in. He closed the door quickly, and the two men retreated further into the suite.

“It is a shock to see you in that uniform,” opened Scorpion. “I notice that you are wearing one of the patches I got for you. Do you think anyone will mistake you for General Garibaldi?”

“That is exactly what I expect,” smiled Clint. “I cannot explain it now, but I will need a horse for tonight, preferably one as close in markings to Garibaldi’s as possible. Can you do that?”

“I can,” frowned the thief, “but it is a change in plans. What are you up to?”

“I think I may be able to pull this off without a diversion,” answered Clint. “I still want your people to be prepared to create one, but do nothing unless you are told to.”

“Told by whom?” asked the head thief of Despair.

“Any voice that mentions my name,” answered Clint, “even if you cannot see the person speaking.” Scorpion opened his mouth to press for more information, but Clint pressed onward. “Don’t ask. It would just complicate this night. You are going to see me leading a large force of soldiers tonight. They will be my men, so do not get alarmed. I still need your people to get the children across the city. Is that all set to go?”

“We are waiting on you.” Scorpion nodded.

“Good. One last precaution, once the children leave the center, the soldiers inside should remain inside, but they might be suspicious. If one of them should happen to venture out and head in the direction of the Imperial Palace, make sure that he has an accident. I need all the time I can get to send the children on their way.”

“If you can get them out of the city,” promised Scorpion, “I guarantee that you will not be pursued until morning.”

“Excellent,” smiled Clint. “Bring the horse to the abandoned shoemaker shop near the center. I will be inside with my men.”

The head thief of Despair nodded and retreated from the room. Clint made one last inspection of his uniform and then donned his hooded cloak. He exited the suite and headed for the shoemaker shop. Two-hundred and fifty men saluted as he entered and took off the cloak.

“Any problems on the way here?” asked General Forshire.

“Not a one,” answered Colonel Hardi. “Other than the other soldiers treated us with disdain, no one even spoke to us.”

“Excellent. From now on, all of you will address me as General Garibaldi, at least until this mission is complete, and that is defined as delivering the elven children across the Despair River and escaping from whatever net the emperor casts to regain the children. You men were chosen because you are among the best of the A Corps. I expect each one of you to complete this mission and return to the main force. If that becomes impossible, you are to avoid capture at all costs. The A Corps cannot, and must not, be implicated in tonight’s mission. Is that clear?”

“The general means no surrender,” Colonel Hardi clarified. “If you do get into a fight, make sure you win it or die trying.”

“That is correct,” agreed the general. “Now that you understand the rules of engagement, if anyone wants to sit this one out, I will allow it.”

A moment of silence filled the room as the soldiers each looked around at his comrades. Finally, one of the soldiers spoke.

“There isn’t a unit in Despair that can track us down and defeat us,” boasted one of the soldiers.

“We are the A Corps,” added another.

“With V Corps patches,” grinned the general. “Remember that until they actually start chasing you. Also, remember to behave as if you are really in the V Corps.”

“A question, General,”

Clint turned to face the questioning soldier and nodded for him to proceed.

“We are supposed to be the V Corps, but no one will mistake you for General Garibaldi. How is this going to work?”

“They will mistake me for the Vinaforan general,” promised Clint. “I cannot explain it now, but you must trust me on this. They will believe that I am General Garibaldi.”

General Forshire’s promise was enough to satisfy the men. With no more questions, Clint explained to his men their part in the plan. When the knock sounded on the door, the fake V Corps was ready to go. Colonel Hardi answered the door, and Clint promptly walked out when he saw Scorpion’s man with the horse. He mounted the horse and waited while his men formed a column behind him. When everyone was ready, the general led his men to the front door of the reeducation center. Corporal Sayman had been chosen as the designated aide to the general. He stepped forward and banged loudly on the door and then backed up to stand alongside the general. The window in the door slid open and someone gazed out at a general on a horse and the army behind him. The window immediately slid closed and muffled shouting erupted inside the center. Moments later the door swung open and a captain saluted.

“General Garibaldi,” asked the captain as he nervously eyed the soldiers outside, “is there something wrong?”

“Not yet,” answered General Garibaldi, “but there will be if you do not listen closely and direct your men in an appropriate manner. Our time is short. Or I should say, your time is short.” The captain appeared very nervous, and Clint continued before he asked too many questions. “We have captured a large band of rebels north of the city. This center is the only facility in Despair capable of handling such a large number of rebels in a secure manner. That means that the children have to be moved immediately, and the center has to be made ready for the rebels.”

“Move the children?” balked the captain. “I would not know where to move them to.”

“I will handle their relocation,” stated General Garibaldi. “That is the purpose of the troops behind me. You and your men need to ready the center. That means that the bunk beds will need to be disassembled, and the spare rooms opened up. Every room must be closely inspected to make sure that there is nothing these rebels can use for weapons. There is also a mage among the rebels. You will need to set up one room that has no openings at all. The window in the door will need to be sealed, and the door itself will need to be padded.”

“How many rebels are coming in?” asked the captain.

“Over three hundred,” answered the general.

“It will take days to get the center ready,” frowned the captain.

“You have mere hours,” retorted the general. “Grand General Kyrga will personally inspect the facilities at sunrise.”

“That is impossible,” pleaded the captain. “It can’t be done.”

“It must be done,” declared the general. “I suggest you quit whining about it and get started. Grand General Kyrga does not reward failure. Have your men gather the children and make sure that they are ready to travel. The sooner we get the children out of the center, the sooner your men can get to work.”

The captain hesitated for only a moment. He whirled around and shouted orders to his men. As the captain’s men raced to get the children ready, the general turned his horse and rode back through his assembled men. The captain turned around to say something to the general, but like a ghost, he was gone. He looked questioningly at the general’s aide.

“Does the general have orders for this move?” asked the captain. “I should have something to show Grand General Kyrga.”

“He has orders,” answered Corporal Sayman, “but I am not sure I would want to be the one to ask for them right now. General Garibaldi is in a rather foul mood. He is not one to leave the comforts of the palace, if you know what I mean. Being wakened up in the middle of the night to do Kyrga’s bidding has not made him any easier to get along with. He has already demoted three officers tonight, and we have not even started moving the children yet.”

“Demoted three officers?” gulped the captain. “What did they do?”

“I don’t know about the other two,” answered the corporal, “but one of them merely asked why we had to escort the children instead of your men doing it. What is your concern, Captain? Surely, you do not think you have to present a copy of Kyrga’s orders to the Grand General himself?”

The captain sighed deeply and stared at the ground for a few seconds before bringing his eyes back up to meet the corporal’s gaze.

“The V Corps does not exactly have the finest reputation in Despair,” stated the captain. “I do not want to be held responsible if something happens while you are escorting the children.”

Corporal Sayman laughed, and the captain frowned at the response.

“At least you are honest, Captain,” chuckled the corporal. “None of us could believe that we were being given a second chance. The rest of the army would rather spit on us than talk to us, but you have a good point. Write something up, and I will sign it for the general, but be quick about it. The general will not delay taking the children just to deal with paperwork.”