“I know,” agreed General Stemple. “I now understand all of the dwarf sightings of the past few days and the spread of rumors in Valdo. The Alceans are playing mind games with our men, and they are winning.”
“You think they are bluffing?” asked Colonel Pierce. “Are they trying to get us to surrender because that is the only way that they can win?”
“I am not sure,” answered the general. “I would have readily said yes before, but that would not explain how they managed to defeat Gattas and Montero. The truth is, we don’t know how strong the enemy is. What we do need to understand though is how weak we are. Ritka thinks he still has twenty-thousand men under his command.”
“And you disagree?”
“Strongly,” General Stemple said with a nod of his head. “Look around, Pierce. These men are all scared out of their wits. More than half of them would bolt given the slightest chance, and I am not sure about the other half. Given a strong dwarven charge, or even an effective use of battle magic by that black-cloak they have, and these armies would collapse. The flow of Federation blood would be immense.”
“They must have more than one mage,” frowned the colonel. “The black-cloak was not present when we met with the mercenaries, and that is where leaving the swords in the eastern part of the valley was mentioned. It does seem like the Alceans have outsmarted us, but none of this will change General Ritka’s mind. He will never surrender.”
“Then perhaps it might be time for Team Gortha to have new leadership,” the general replied softly.
The colonel’s eyes grew large as he understood the meaning of the general’s words. The only way that General Ritka could be replaced as head of Team Gortha was if the Spinoan general was dead.
“You can’t be serious?” balked the colonel.
“Pierce,” the general said in a serious tone, “there is more than a good chance that you and I will both die today. If Ritka orders an attack, and we both know that he will do so, half of the men in this valley will refuse to fight. They are more afraid of the dwarves than they are afraid of Ritka. How will Ritka respond to that?”
“He would not stand for it,” the colonel answered without hesitation. “He will order the shirkers seized and punished.”
“So we will have our very own civil war here within the valley,” declared the general, “while the enemy still waits for us to emerge. Or better yet, the dwarves can enter the valley while we are fighting among ourselves. They have us beat, Pierce, and they didn’t even have to unsheathe their swords to do it.”
The colonel nodded in agreement.
“What are you going to do about this situation?” asked General Stemple. “Are you ready to watch your men die needlessly?”
“You want me to die so my men can surrender?” frowned the colonel. “That is what you are asking of me. You must realize that. If I kill General Ritka to save the men, I will be hung. I would rather die fighting the dwarves.”
“If Ritka orders an attack, you won’t live long enough to see another dwarf,” retorted General Stemple. “Mutinous men will kill their officers first. Besides, there is no reason for you to die. With Ritka dead, I would inherit the position of team leader, and it would be my right and duty to pass sentence on you.”
“And you would spare me?” questioned the colonel.
General Stemple smiled. “I would reward you. In fact, I think you would make an excellent replacement as general of the 21st Corps. You could claim that Ritka had lost his senses, and I would praise you for noticing it and taking action. Who is going to argue against us?”
“And what good would a promotion do me?” questioned the colonel. “I would only lead the 21st Corps for an hour at most as the men lined up to surrender.”
“The Alceans promised to repatriate us,” the general pointed out. “You would return home as a general. A defeated general to be sure, but we will all return home defeated in any event.”
“Unless the Alceans fail to defeat the remaining teams,” argued the colonel.
General Stemple shrugged. “If Omirro manages to defeat the Alceans, he will rescue us from wherever the Alceans imprisoned us. Then you will return home as a general of a victorious force. You have nothing to lose, Pierce. It is the only way that either of us will survive this day. Do you have the guts to see it through?”
For a long time, the colonel remained silent. Eventually he nodded. “I do not care much for this solution to the problem, but I can find no better. Ritka would expend the life of every man in this valley rather than bend his knee to the Alceans. I cannot let such senseless pride be the cause of such massive destruction, but I will handle this my own way. Dismiss the squad when you reach your tent, and stay away from Ritka. Find an excuse not to meet with him. I do not want him to know anything about the southern exit.”
General Stemple nodded in agreement, but he raised an eyebrow at the request. Colonel Pierce turned his horse and headed back towards the southern exit without an escort.
Chapter 38
Generals
Colonel Pierce rode through Hendy Valley towards the southern exit. As he rode through the camp, he watched the men closely. He noticed many of the men moving towards the western side of the valley, and he noted that they had all seemed to have lost their swords. He shook his head at the effectiveness of the Alcean plot. Up until now the officers had worried about the men fighting over scraps of food, but a deadlier game was about to unfold unless he acted quickly. Soon it would be those wishing to surrender against those loyal to General Ritka, and the squabbles would be bloody.
When he reached the exit, he halted and dismounted instead of riding up to where the Knight of Alcea stood. He signaled for Tedi to approach him alone. The Knight of Alcea hesitated, but he eventually complied with the request.
“I do not want my words heard in the valley,” the colonel said in a whisper. “Instruct your black-cloak of my desire so that we may speak plainly.”
“Our words are only between the two of us,” Tedi assured the colonel. “What is it that you wish to speak about?”
“I need your help. General Stemple and I have agreed to surrender, but General Ritka must die for that to happen without greater bloodshed.”
“And you don’t want to kill him yourself?” asked Tedi.
“Would you want to kill your superior officer?” countered the colonel. “I am a soldier, not an assassin.”
Tedi hesitated to reply. He stared at the colonel for a moment and then gazed blankly at the ground before returning his eyes to the colonel.
“If I kill General Ritka,” asked Tedi, “do I have assurances that both the 21st Corps and the 29th Corps will surrender?”
“General Stemple has already agreed,” answered the colonel. “He will become the leader of Team Gortha upon Ritka’s death.”
“And you agree as a colonel of the 21st Corps?”
“You have my word,” replied Colonel Pierce. “I will find an excuse to bring him here.”
“No,” Tedi said quickly and firmly. “We have extended what amounts to a flag of truce here. I will not attack an enemy under those conditions unless he attacks me first. Can you get General Ritka to do that?”
“No,” frowned the colonel. “He would never be so foolish as to draw his sword surrounded by your archers.”
“I didn’t think so,” replied Tedi.
“Then you will not help save my men?” the colonel asked, his voice soft with disappointment.
Colonel Pierce saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to see a beautiful saddled horse walking towards Tedi.
“Mount up, Colonel,” Tedi said. “We are going to see General Ritka.”
The colonel turned to the Knight of Alcea, his eyes wide with awe. “You are going to ride into a Federation camp alone and kill the commanding general?”