Colonel Donil of the A Corps sat on a bench overlooking the Sea of Tears. With his back to the Imperial Palace, he could easily be spied upon, but no one would see the tiny green man hiding in the hair near his ear.
“That is all I have to report at this time, Peanut,” the colonel said softly. “Wait. That is not quite true. Inform the general that I have heard mention of a 38th Corps. I do not know the significance of this, but I have never heard of any armies beyond the 32nd Corps which occupies Tyronia. I have also seen more than one colonel enter the Imperial Palace and leave as a general. If you add these two together, it might indicate that Grand General Kyrga is still aggressively expanding the armies of the Federation. Ask the general if I should try to pry information out of Colonel Taerin about this. Do you have all of that, Peanut?”
“I will remember every word,” chirped the fairy. “If you think of anything else, you can tell me in the morning. I am going to spend the night here.”
“Where do you sleep when you stay overnight?” asked the colonel.
“There is a very comfy tree hollow over near the abandoned shed,” answered Peanut. “It is warm and dry in all weather.”
“You are welcome to stay in the barracks with me,” offered the colonel. “There is plenty of room. I have the whole building to myself.”
“Thank you,” replied Peanut, “but I enjoy an occasional night with nature. Fairies were not meant to live in pockets, but we are often required to. I will see you in the morning.”
Colonel Donil felt the fairy’s tiny feet move about on his shoulder as Peanut checked to see if anyone was watching. The colonel sat unmoving until the pressure of the little feet disappeared, signaling the fairy’s departure. The colonel sat for a while longer and then rose to head into the palace for the evening meal. He was not surprised to bump into Colonel Taerin on the way to the palace. Such an occurrence happened far too frequently to be coincidence, and Colonel Donil suspected that Colonel Taerin was probably spying on him.
“Enjoying the sunset again?” Colonel Taerin asked in a friendly manner.
“In a manner of speaking,” smiled Colonel Donil. “While the bench does not offer a view of the sunset, the sky over the Sea of Tears is often painted in beautiful colors. You should experience it some time.”
“You seem to mimic your master,” Colonel Taerin said with a slight smile. “He also liked to sit on that bench and meditate.”
“I will assume that you are referring to General Forshire,” retorted Colonel Donil. “As for the meditation, the bench does offer a secluded place to sit and think, and I find the gentle motion of the water soothing. Were you looking for me?”
“No one is looking for you here, Colonel Donil,” chuckled Colonel Taerin. “For most of the people in the palace, you don’t even exist. I am still confused why General Forshire left you behind when he departed for Olansk.”
“I try to make it a habit never to question General Forshire’s orders.” Colonel Donil smiled as he replied. He knew that Colonel Taerin was fishing for information. It was a game that Taerin often played. The manner was always cordial and friendly, but the questions always showed a bit of suspicion about the A Corps. Colonel Donil decided to take a slightly different tact than his usual bland response. “Perhaps General Forshire was hoping that my abilities would get noticed here at the Imperial Palace. I have heard that there have been a great many promotions lately.”
“I hardly think that is the case,” Colonel Taerin replied with a friendly chuckle. “I have seen your file, Donil. You were arrested for theft, insubordination, and striking an officer. You were fortunate to be merely sent to prison for such offenses. Why General Forshire saw fit to rescue you from prison and make you a colonel is quite a mystery. I hardly think Grand General Kyrga will try to outdo such a feat by making you a general and giving you your own army.”
“Perhaps that would be pressing my luck,” laughed Colonel Donil. “For the record, I did not steal anything. I was accused of stealing, and that accusation was the cause of the other charges. Still, you have a point. I will just have to be content to be a mere colonel.”
Colonel Donil was not surprised that Colonel Taerin had pulled his file and investigated his background. He would have done the same thing if he had the authority to do so. He also knew that Colonel Taerin did not really view him and the A Corps as poorly as he pretended. Others within the palace did, but Colonel Taerin was the exception. General Forshire had been correct. Colonel Taerin’s demeanor was disarming.
“I gather that you are heading indoors for the evening meal?” questioned Colonel Taerin. “Perhaps you would care to dine with me this evening?”
And be subtly interrogated, thought the A Corps colonel. It was an unexpected opportunity, and one that Donil was eager to accept, but he needed to be prepared for such an occasion, and he was not. “I would enjoy that very much, Colonel Taerin, but perhaps another time. I must confess to feeling a little under the weather this evening. I think I will just grab something light from the soldiers’ mess and return to the barracks. Were you to extend the same offer tomorrow, I would readily accept.”
“Then tomorrow it shall be,” smiled Colonel Taerin. “I hope you are feeling better by then.”
Colonel Taerin nodded in farewell and separated from the A Corps colonel. Donil’s presence at the Imperial Palace intrigued him. When General Forshire stayed at the palace, he always had a reasonable explanation for his presence, but he was a general. Colonel Donil had no official reason to be on the grounds other than his stated orders to wait for Forshire’s return. While such an order might be acceptable for a squad leader, a colonel was much too important to waste. That indicated a much more nefarious reason for the colonel’s presence, and Taerin planned to discover the truth.
Instead of heading directly towards the officers’ mess, Colonel Taerin climbed the stairs to the second floor and made his way to a balcony overlooking the grounds closest to the old barracks. He wanted to see if Colonel Donil really did return to the barracks as promised. To his surprise, the A Corps colonel soon appeared carrying a plate of food. Although the balcony did not offer a view of the actual barracks, it was clear to Colonel Taerin that Donil was indeed heading there to eat. With a sigh of disappointment, Colonel Taerin left the balcony to procure his own food.
Colonel Taerin ate in uncharacteristic silence. He politely spurned offers of companionship as his mind tried to solve the mysteries of A Corps. While Colonel Donil’s presence on the palace grounds was certainly odd, he had found the colonel to be surprisingly friendly, hardly what he had expected from a convict. He had enjoyed the colonel’s observations of Alcea and found the man to be quite an intelligent thinker. That made Forshire’s decision to abandon him on the grounds of the Imperial Palace even more curious. Colonel Taerin was convinced that Donil was meant to spy on the Imperial Palace, but why? Who was it that General Forshire did not trust? He had had several confrontations with Grand General Kyrga, but General Forshire always seemed to best the Grand General in the end. The Tyronian also seemed to have the ear of the emperor, and Colonel Taerin could not think of anyone else of importance that Forshire had come into close contact with. It was a maddening puzzle, and it drew on Taerin’s attention like an irresistible magnet.
Colonel Taerin finished his meal and wandered around the halls of the palace for a while. Eventually, he turned in for the night, but his sleep was troubled. Like an attack dog with its teeth sunk deep into the flesh of its prey, Colonel Taerin could not simply let go of the mystery and walk away. Sometime in the middle of the night, Colonel Taerin awoke with a start. He did not know what had awoken him, but one thought was suddenly clear in his mind. Colonel Donil roamed the grounds of the palace during the day with a seeming lack of purpose and direction. The pattern was never the same except for his morning and evening relaxations at the bench overlooking the Sea of Tears, the very same bench that occupied General Forshire’s daily routine. What if Colonel Donil’s real mission was accomplished at night under the cover of darkness? The Palace had night patrols, but they were limited to stopping intruders from the outside. Colonel Donil would have much easier movement at night, although any attempted entry into forbidden areas would still be challenged and reported. Still, the thought nagged Colonel Taerin so much that he rose and dressed.
As the colonel stepped out of the palace, he glanced up at the night sky. The sky was heavy with dark rain clouds, obliterating the moon and the stars. While the rain had not yet started to fall, Colonel Taerin knew that it would soon. Already the damp vapors were licking at the lawn, and the air had a moist chill to it. The colonel stole off into the dark night, not taking a direct heading towards the barracks in case someone else was awake and staring down onto the grounds. He headed for the shoreline until he came to a tall row of hedges and then doubled back, using the hedges to hide his movements. He felt silly in a way, traipsing around in the middle of the night like some great spy, but he knew that he would not be able to get back to sleep until he verified that Colonel Donil was in his bunk sound asleep.
Coming to a break in the hedge, Colonel Taerin slipped through into a stand of fruit trees. He was now beyond sight of anyone in the palace, but he continued onward in a stealthy manner. As he neared the edge of the small orchard, he saw a light in the distance. He halted and stared at the light, trying to make sense of what he was looking at. It was a dim light, and he probably would not have even seen it on a normal moonlit night, but this night was dark and ominous. The colonel knew that he was staring in the direction of the barracks, but the light was too dim to be that close to him. It appeared weak and far away, yet that was impossible. Beyond the old barracks was a stand of tall trees that would block any lights from the rest of the grounds.
Staying in the relative safety of the trees, Colonel Taerin followed the curve of the orchard to get a better view of the mysterious light. A muffled thud split the silence of the night, followed closely by a cry of pain. Colonel Taerin halted again and stared at the light. Only then did he understand what he was seeing. The light was coming from inside the barracks, and someone had left the door slightly ajar, allowing a faint trickle of light to seep outside. As he stared at the light, a dark figure moved across it. The slight sound of the door closing coincided with the disappearance of the light. A thrill ran through the colonel’s body. His suspicions about Colonel Donil were proving to be correct. His activities were indeed taking place at night, and it appeared as if he had confederates on the palace grounds.
Colonel Taerin desired to get closer to the barracks to hear what was going on inside, but he was sure that someone was standing guard outside the door. The figure that closed the door could not have entered the building without first opening the door wider. That had not happened. The colonel stealthily reversed course and moved away from the front of the barracks. He followed the curving orchard until it ended and then dropped to the ground. He crawled slowly across the ground until he was sure he was not visible to the sentry in front of the barracks. He rose and moved silently towards the rear of the barracks. The windows of the barracks were shuttered, and the evening air had been cold enough that no one would bother to unshutter them Indeed, the barracks used for the palace guard often had blankets hung inside the windows to cut down on drafts. He expected the same from Colonel Donil at the old barracks.
Colonel Taerin made his way to one of the windows of the old barracks and pressed his back against the old building. He heard muffled voices coming from inside, but he could not hear the actual words spoken. Picturing the interior of the building and noting which bunk the colonel used, Taerin moved towards the front of the building, hoping that the conversation was occurring in that area of the building. Passing by another window, the colonel stopped at the third one. He heard nothing and frowned. Unexpectedly, he heard the slap of a palm upon flesh and a muffled cry.
“You are angering me, Donil,” said an authoritarian voice. “I have no desire to harm you, but I will if you do not please me. Speak!”
“I have told you,” Donil replied stubbornly. “I know nothing about any women. I know nothing about the A Corps attacking anyone in the west, and I have not heard anything about any losses from battle. What can I tell you when I know nothing?”
“Forshire has undoubtedly told his men not to speak of the women,” said a third voice, “especially here at the Imperial Palace. This one will need some cutting before he realizes that we are not leaving without the location of the women.”
“Where is Forshire right now?” asked the authoritarian voice.
“I am not exactly sure,” answered Donil, “but I would suspect that he is in Olansk. The general does not tell me what his plans are. He demands that I follow his orders.”
“And what are his orders?”
“To wait here for his return. Nothing more.”
“Liar!” scowled the third voice. “A colonel is not assigned to sit idle and do nothing. We will have those women back. Where are they?”
“I truly do not know what you are talking about,” sighed Donil. “Look, I am an ex-convict. You should know that I would not endanger myself by refusing to give you what you want. If I knew where these women were, I would readily tell you, but I don’t even know what women you are looking for. If you want, I will ask around and try to get you information, but you have to give me an idea of what you are talking about. I want to cooperate. Truly, I do.”
The third voice started to talk again, but the authoritarian voice cut him off.
“Quiet! I will ask the questions.” There was a short pause and the voice spoke again. “You had a mission a short while ago, Donil. You and a band of your misfits visited a certain estate in the foothills of the Barrier. You should remember the stench of the bodies on that estate. Either you tell me where the women are right now, or you will end up like Colonel Jurgon. Do I make myself clear?”
The sound of a sword being drawn drifted to Colonel Taerin’s ears.
“You are wrong,” Colonel Donil replied. “I have been in Despair for only a short while. Before that I was posted to a mission with the 1st Corps. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Colonel Dorfan of the 1st Corps. When I returned to Despair, I saw General Forshire for only a few hours before he left for Olansk. I have no knowledge of his activities or what the rest of the A Corps has been doing in my absence. I was gone for almost two months.”
“You went to Alcea?”
“You are well informed,” replied Colonel Donil. “I was assigned to Force Targa.”
The sound of the sword being sheathed reached Colonel Taerin’s ears, and he knew that the interrogation was over. The question in Taerin’s mind was whether they would kill Donil before they left or leave him alive. He feared the former, and he refused to allow that to happen. Colonel Taerin turned and raced into the trees. He brought a whistle to his lips and blew it loudly. Almost immediately the whistle was relayed all over the palace grounds as guard units rushed to respond to the alarm. He knew that the intruders, whoever they were, had very little time to flee. He hid in the darkness until he saw three shapes slip into the stand of tall trees beyond the barracks. Colonel Taerin raced out of the trees and around the barracks to the front door. He threw open the door and stared into the dark interior.
“Are you alive, Donil?”
“Colonel Taerin? Did you sound the alarm?”
“Who were those men?” demanded Colonel Taerin.
“I have never seen them before,” answered Colonel Donil, “but they certainly wanted me to believe that they were Badgers. Each of them wore a golden badger pin.”
“Stay in this building, Donil. You are not to leave until I say so.”
Colonel Taerin slammed the door and ran along the path towards the palace to put some distance between himself and the old barracks. He halted when the first group of guards encountered him.
“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.