“Well those vultures might just die of starvation like everything else in this country,” retorted Wyant. “If you are so sure of victory, why don’t you just let me go? It will only delay my death by a few days.”
“Why are you so eager to die, Wyant?” asked Winus. “You are slipping in your old age. Riding at night alone? Allowing my two men to capture without at least killing one of them? You haven’t even asked why my men were that far from camp.”
Wyant’s face puzzled over as he dwelt on the general’s words. It was true that he had been very careless in getting captured, but the Jiadin men were fairly far from the camp.
“They weren’t sentries, were they?” asked Wyant.
“Very good,” nodded Winus. “No they weren’t sentries. They were out searching for food. Just as I imagine all of Grulak’s men are. Or most of them anyway. I am sure Grulak’s elite are eating well enough.”
“So why didn’t your army seize the food in Ghala when you attacked it?” queried Wyant.
“Brakas told them their mission was to capture Rejji,” sighed Winus. “It appeared that Rejji had managed to escape during the attack, so they gave chase. I doubt the fools even knew there was food there. Brakas never told them the name of the town they were attacking and most of men have never been this far east. I found them before they found Rejji.”
“And why didn’t you go back and get the food?” inquired Wyant.
“I was very tempted to,” admitted the general. “There was one minor problem with that plan. Brakas sabotaged the gates so my men could enter. By the time my army was whole again, I was sure that the gates would have been repaired. Our losses with the gates operational would have been severe. I have less than five hundred men, Wyant. I am saddled with this fool magician who thinks food for an army doesn’t matter. I swear, I don’t think the man eats.”
“Why don’t you just get rid of him?” questioned Wyant. “You do not need a mage for your task.”
“Finally, someone who understands things,” smiled Winus. “The mage is dangerous. He almost killed me with his bare hands. He did kill two of my men who tried to murder him. If I had not known beforehand who they were, I would not have recognized them. Frankly, he scares me.”
“I can’t help you there, Winus,” frowned Wyant. “I know nothing about magic. I have to say though, I would not let him kill my men.”
“Those two were nothing,” scowled Winus. “This mage has cost me over a hundred men. He throws their lives away as if they were some scat stuck on his boot. I cannot tell you how many nights I have remained awake thinking of ways to rid myself of that evil.”
“You do not appear to be the happiest of Grulak’s minions,” observed Wyant. “Why do you continue to serve him?”
“Truthfully,” Winus said softly, “I have no desire to. Why do you think I am camped so close to Ghala? If I could rid myself of this magician, I would join the free tribes in a heartbeat. Perhaps one of the large tribes heading for Ghala will attack us. Even that offers an opportunity for the magician to fall during the battle. We have known each other for some time, Wyant. We have not always seen things in the same light, but we are not that different either. I eagerly joined the Jiadin because we were going to use our fighting skills to carve out a piece of rich Khadora, not to kill my fellow countrymen or to throw away young Fakarans to please a wizard. Every day I am saddled with this evil man makes my blood boil. Tell me how to get free of him and you will have close to five hundred more men to defend Ghala.”
“Will your men go along with this?” questioned Wyant.
“To the man,” assured Winus. “It is all I can do now to keep them from running off during the night. They despise the wizard and have come to hate Grulak for making us suffer him in our midst.”
“Can’t you send him back to Vandegar for some reason?” asked Wyant.
“The only news that would be important enough for him to make that move, is the information I refuse to give him,” the general said. “If I told him that Rejji, the free tribes, and food were all in Ghala, he would be out of here in a flash. I cannot do that to my countrymen any longer. I would rather my own men die first.”
“I think you have hit upon the solution,” smiled Wyant. “Let me ask this first though. What exactly would Grulak do when he heard the news? And I don’t mean order his army to crush Ghala. What would his troop movements be?”
Winus sat for a long moment before answering, “That depends on how the information is portrayed to him. If he knew that Ghala was a defensive position only, he would ready his army and march east. If he thought that time was critical, however, like if the tribes were to use Ghala as a staging area for attacks, he would rush out with a portion of his elite guard and order the rest of the army to follow. Either way, he would want to be in the vanguard for such a crushing blow.”
“And what would be the state of his army if he were to die?” pushed Wyant.
“Again, that depends,” responded Winus. “There are only around five thousands troops who are really loyal to Grulak, most of the original Jiadin tribe. Of those, one thousand are his elite guards. Unless the elite guards are annihilated, the Jiadin army will remain intact. Someone would just step up and assume command. If you can destroy Grulak and his elite guards, the others will crumble. To be safe, I would eliminate the other four thousand of the original Jiadin. The rest would be harmless.”
“Then I think we have the makings of a plan,” grinned Wyant. “You should keep a sentry out to the east each night. I will see to it that he discovers half a dozen wasooki soon. That should keep your men fed until we can spring this trap. I am almost sure that Brakas is trapped in Ghala. He does not know about me yet, but we will use him to let you know when to release your mage. Think about some task that will require Brakas to stay with your men, so that the wizard is required to go to Vandegar with the important information.”
“But what information will I give the wizard to relay to Grulak?” asked the general. “Surely you don’t want the truth given to him.”
“The information that Brakas will carry, is what we want Grulak to know,” assured Wyant. “I am not sure what that information will be yet, but I am sure we can manipulate Brakas into believing what we want to get to Grulak.”
“I am glad that you were careless tonight, my old friend,” smiled Winus. “Already it feels good to be back on the right side of things.”
“I am going to need a horse to get to Ghala,” stated Wyant. “Mine was lost when your men captured me.”
“Take one of ours,” offered Winus. “We would probably just have it for dinner tomorrow anyway.”
***
Veltar stared over the Vandegar Plains towards the unnatural extension of the sea that covered half the plains. The multitude of anguished souls trapped under the water cried out to him in despair. Veltar closed his eyes as he stood at the edge of the platform atop the Vandegar Temple and imagined the great Vand standing alongside him. He watched as Vand raised his arms and extended his staff skyward, cursing the other gods and defying them. He saw the ground tremble and rise and the waters of the sea boil. Great waves of tumult frothed with fury across the surface of the water and the sea began to ebb. The receding waters whirled in torrents and carved mighty canyons in the face of the plain as the sea was forced back from the land. A great chorus of hatred and vengeance screamed from the newly released souls and Vand cackled as the other gods retreated in awe of his great power.
“There you are,” interrupted Grulak. “Why are you always on this damned platform? I do not appreciate having to come up here to seek your advice.”
“My apologies, Your Excellence,” sneered Veltar as he tried to adjust to the interruption. “I find the platform ideal for the interpretation of my dreams. There is an aura of destiny about it.”
“Hmmph,” scowled Grulak. “Do your dreams tell you where we shall find food for my armies below? I am activating my troops and taking them into Khadora, with or without your dreams. If I do not strike soon, my men will starve and the chance for greatness will have slipped away.”
“No,” shouted Veltar as his eyes widened in anger. “You will ruin everything. My dreams have shown you that you will be totally annihilated by attacking Khadora before the boy is killed. He is your death if you do not kill him first.”
“That may be so, but your dreams have not managed to locate him,” growled the leader of the Jiadin. “I cannot kill someone I cannot find and my army must have food to survive.”
“Zygor is close to him,” promised Veltar. “He was spotted in Ghala, a tiny fishing village in the east. His men destroyed the village, but Rejji managed to escape. It will not be long now.”
“His men?” yelled Grulak. “Since when do your servants assume command of my armies?”
“General Winus’s men,” bowed Veltar. “I did not mean to leave the general out. I just could not remember his name. It is of no import in any event. The point is that Rejji will be found soon.”
“How soon?” questioned Grulak. “Soon, as in after half of my army has died of starvation? I have the largest army ever amassed in recent times and a neighboring country that has riches beyond imagination, and yet I sit here listening to your dreams. I will listen no more. In the morning the Jiadin army will strike fear into the hearts of the Khadorans. We will kill their armies and pillage their cities. If the boy has anything to say about it, tell him to meet me in Khadoratung, where I will be indulging in the fruits of my conquest. I question how one insignificant boy can affect my future in any event.”
“Insignificant boy?” screamed Veltar as his face contorted with rage. “You are a fool, you half-breed son of a Qubari. Did not your mother teach you anything of the prophecies? This insignificant boy murdered your son, your only heir. Are you so hungry to stuff your face with wasooki that you will throw away your chance to rule the entire world?”
“How dare you speak to me like that?” thundered Grulak as he trembled with anger. “Never mention Diakles to me again. And if you speak of my Qubari heritage again, I will throw you from this platform to the troops below.”
“You cannot dismiss your heritage just because it is not mentioned,” argued Veltar as the veins in his face bulged. “The boy is destined to rule Fakara unless he is killed. It is the task I have been sent to complete and I will not let some petty dictator stand in my way.”
“What are you talking about?” demanded Grulak. “Sent? Sent by whom? I am the one who chose you for advisor and I am the one who will discard you.”
Veltar’s hand streaked out and grabbed Grulak’s shoulder. A searing, raging pain scorched through Grulak’s body to the surface of the platform and Grulak’s knees began to buckle. The Jiadin leader’s face distorted in agony and blood appeared between his twitching lips.
“Your birth awakened us, half-breed,” sneered Veltar as his eyes glazed over in fury. “The blood lust of your youth called to us, reminding us of our legacy. The savagery of your manhood summoned me here to pave the way for the Time of Cleansing.”
Veltar released Grulak and the Jiadin leader crumbled to the platform. Muscle spasms trembled along the leader’s skin and his head twitched uncontrollably.
“From this point on,” instructed Veltar, “the army of the Jiadin will have one mission at a time and currently that mission is to destroy the Astor. All of your men will be used to hunt down Rejji until he is proven dead. When you have accomplished that, you may invade Khadora with my blessings.”
Grulak’s body seizures slowly subsided and he stared up at Veltar with unbelieving eyes.
“If you do not follow my orders,” sneered Veltar, “I will eat your living heart and select a new a leader of the Jiadin. Do you understand?”
Grulak’s eyes were wide with fear and words failed to utter from his throat. Pain wracked his body as he sought muscles that would obey his commands. The best Grulak could manage was a slight nod of his head. He stared pleadingly into Veltar’s eyes as his vision clouded over and he sank into darkness.
***
“Rider coming,” shouted the Mutang soldier as he placed another stone block atop the wall.
Several of the soldiers raced for their bows and others grabbed swords. Adger strode over to the large hole in the stonewall where the doors were meant to go and stood waiting. Within moments the rider came slowly into view.
“Wyant,” greeted Adger. “Welcome to Ghala.”
“Adger,” smiled Wyant. “I think we should stick to Marshal until our friend has left us for good. Isn’t this a little far from Ghala for a wall?”
“Not since the tribes arrived,” grinned Adger. “The Kheri and the Extala have joined with us to build this wall and a finer wall you will not find. Come let us meet with Blaka and Yojji. I will send a runner for Rejji so you do not have to enter the main part of Ghala. Brakas still roams around it looking to buy a horse so he can escape.”
“What is wrong with his horse?” questioned Wyant as Adger nodded to a soldier and indicated he should get Rejji.
“I am not sure,” laughed Adger. “It seems even his own horse refuses to suffer him these days. He has been thrown more times than the waves hit the beach.”
Wyant looked around as he walked and marveled at the number of homes that occupied the once tiny village. The last time he was this close to Ghala, it was not part of the town. The spot he was standing in was close to where he had hid outside of the town waiting for Brakas. Now it was well within the confines of the new wall.
“I did not imagine the tribes would take up so much room,” Wyant stated.
“You have not seen the tribes with each man having his own home before,” commented Adger. “In addition to the tribes coming here, many villages have picked up and moved here as well. The people still arrive daily.”
“And the food is adequate?” inquired Wyant.
“Rejji is generous with the food,” smiled Adger. “We are still a little light on meat, but that will change as the herd grows. Fishermen also bring in food daily. I have not eaten this well in a long time. I was concerned about all of the tribes getting along here, but there have been no problems. We started up some friendly competitions to provide some sport each night. It started out as tribe versus tribe, but quickly changed to teams that chose the best men, regardless of tribe, in order to win. It has broken down a lot of the tribal mentality.”
“Do you see that as good?” questioned Wyant.
“I would not have a year ago,” admitted Adger, “but I do today. The tribes have really outlived their usefulness I think. When we can accomplish something like this by working together, why should we seek to rule over one another.”
“So there are no complaints in working for the lad?” quizzed Wyant.
“Complaints?” chuckled Adger. “Quite the opposite. Each man has been responsible for building his own house. The men, quite on their own, have volunteered to help each other and I do not mean the men of the same tribe. When we Mutangs arrived, there was not any room inside the stockade. We camped outside the wall along with the Extala. When it came time to build our homes, we had volunteers from over a dozen tribes to help us, along with common villagers. It is a bonding experience to work side-by-side with another man for a common goal. No, if anything, Rejji has gained the admiration of every man here. Without his dreams, we would be starving in the mountains waiting to die at Grulak’s hand.”
“Well dreams are good,” conceded Wyant, “but times will not always be so rosy.”
“It is more than his dreams,” continued Adger. “He fosters good will towards others. He is always open to suggestions and never assumes he knows best, although most of the time he does. He has a good head on his shoulders. He seems to choose people for tasks that they are well suited for. I know times are going to get tough soon and the men know it too. Many of us will die, but we will go into battle knowing that we are not being discarded for someone’s ambition. What matters to Rejji is the welfare of all Fakarans. It is hard to dislike someone with such an attitude.”
“Marshal,” greeted Yojji. “Glad you made it through the Jiadin. We saw one of their armies on the way in.”
“As did we,” added Blaka. “I think it was Winus’s group. They did not appear anxious to engage us.”
“I can imagine that they were not,” smiled Wyant.
Wyant stood and gazed at the instant city. He stood staring down a broad street, which led to the old stockade wall in the distance. Dozens of cross streets intersected the avenue and each cross street ran for ten houses to his right and left before meeting with another street. In between the two rows of houses that comprised each block was a wide-open area, which would have looked like another street except for the gardens that were being planted.
“Why are the houses arranged as they are?” Wyant asked.
“A bright lad named Lakado designed them,” answered Blaka. “Each house is to have room for a garden behind it. Flower or vegetable, depending on the owner’s whim. The blocks are long to make it harder on an invading army. Their forces would be sufficiently divided to be attacked individually. You should see what they are planning for the center of the city. They have left a large area undeveloped for future community buildings. Some thought has gone into this.”
“I would like to see it,” frowned Wyant. “Is there some way we can get Brakas out of the way for a while?”
“We might talk him into trying to mount his horse again,” chuckled Rejji as he arrived with Mistake and Bakhai. “I am sure you could tour the entire city while he is at the healers.”
“That would suit me,” laughed Wyant. “There can not be too much pain inflicted on him in my mind.”
“I am glad to see that you arrived safely,” greeted Rejji.
“Actually, I didn’t,” stated Wyant. “I was captured by the Jiadin.”
“Winus?” questioned Yojji.
“Yes,” nodded Wyant. “He is fed up and ready to join us. I promised him we would send him six Wasooki to feed his men.”
“Send him food?” questioned Blaka. “Why doesn’t he just come in like the rest of us? This does not smell right.”
“Are you sure we can trust him?” asked Adger.
“Yes, we can trust him,” replied Wyant. “He would love to come in and join us if he could. Grulak assigned a wizard to him, or more correctly, Grulak assigned Winus to the wizard. Winus is tired of seeing his men killed for no reason. They are starving and the wizard controls their movements. Winus is afraid his men would be slaughtered if he tried to defect.”
“I believe that,” scowled Mistake. “I have seen this magician in action. His rockslides killed many of the Jiadin when they were chasing us up Mount Kiator.”
“He is powerful then?” queried Yojji.
“Yes,” answered Mistake. “If Winus is sincere, he has reason to fear the mage.”
“I will arrange for the wasooki to be delivered, if you will give directions to the men taking them,” declared Rejji. “How can Winus help us where he is?”
“Well, he will not be attacking us for one,” replied Wyant. “How we can use his forces outside the city is something we should discuss. One thing I think is becoming abundantly clear though, the Jiadin will have to attack us soon.”
“They are starving too?” posed Rejji.
“Yes,” nodded Wyant. “Grulak had hoped to be well into Khadora by now. Ghala now has the three things that Grulak needs to take care of. Rejji, the free tribes, and food are all here in one place. It is a target he can not resist.”
“Is he aware of all this?” asked Rejji.
“Not yet,” responded Wyant. “Winus has figured it out though so it will not be long before someone else does. I think that alone speaks volumes for the mindset of Winus. He could have delivered his thoughts to Grulak and has not.”
“I agree,” declared Adger. “The only reason for his silence is that he has made his mind up to change sides. Good, we can use all the help we can get.”
“Well the wall is almost complete,” interjected Blaka. “That will certainly slow them down a bit. We should make some plans for traps throughout the city and some organization of which tribes will defend which section of the city.”
“Lord Marak indicated that it might be better to take the fight to Grulak,” mentioned Rejji, “instead of waiting for him to arrive here.”
“That would be suicide, lad,” frowned Blaka. “We have a decent defensive position here with the wall and the forest limiting the approach. Out in the open, his superior numbers will destroy us.”
“Not necessarily,” argued Rejji. “I am not talking about abandoning our defenses. Ghala is our last stand and that is why we are building the wall and other things, but Grulak has long march to get to us. Does anyone know how he will approach Ghala?”
“Through the Valley of Bones,” answered Yojji. “It is the direct path from the North Fork to the Ghala River. Any other pass would take him too far out of the way and I gather that, if his army is starving, he will be in a hurry.”
“Once he knows we are all here,” interjected Wyant. “That I think is the key. I believe we can control when he finds out that Ghala is his target.”
“That is what we are holding Brakas for?” questioned Adger.
“Exactly,” smiled Wyant. “We can use Brakas to time the release of the information. We cannot, however, delay forever. It is only a matter of time before another of Grulak’s minions discover us, or one of Winus’s men accidentally slips in front of the magician.”
“So we need a plan and we need it fast,” observed Mistake.
“And we have to deceive Brakas into delivering the information we want Grulak to have,” added Wyant.
“And if we get any of it wrong,” frowned Blaka, “we all die.”