“A gift?” General Kolling smiled broadly. “Now those are the type of Lanoirians I want to find more of. Dismount, Captain.”
“The horses are meant to carry you and General Gertz to a parley,” the captain said as he dismounted and handed the reins to General Kolling. “I do not believe them to be a gift. General, there is a woman up there calling herself Rut-ki. She claims to be a Knight of Alcea, whatever that is. There is also a tent with three men inside. Rut-ki claims that they are generals, but she would not allow me to see them. I don’t like the meeting from a security standpoint. Your safety cannot be assured.”
“How do you know that there are three men inside the tent?”
“The sun is illuminating their silhouettes. The men appeared relaxed, but I get an uneasy feeling about the whole affair.”
“We will take a squad of archers with us,” stated General Kolling as he handed the reins of one of the horses to General Gertz and then mounted the other horse.
“I left a squad within range,” replied the captain.
General Kolling merely nodded. “Come, Gertz. It will feel good to ride again.”
The two generals galloped off towards the vanguard, the column of soldiers spreading apart to allow the riders through.
“Magnificent beasts!” General Kolling shouted to General Gertz. “I think they are Occans. I wonder where the Lanoirians got them.”
If General Gertz replied, General Kolling never heard it, but it mattered little. All too soon the tent came into view, and the generals slowed their horses to a walk. General Kolling’s eyes immediately took everything in, and he shook his head at the foreignness of it all. As he rode slowly past the squad of Federation soldiers, he warned them to be alert. The generals halted their horses just past the squad of Federation soldiers and surveyed the scene. The woman stood staring at them, her face emotionless. She carried no weapons, and General Kolling’s eyes moved on. He saw the silhouettes of the generals and let his eyes linger on them for a moment. The men did not appear poised to attack, but their presence disturbed General Kolling for some reason. Perhaps it was because a parley should be a momentous occasion, and the men could not be bothered to exit the tent when they heard the approaching horses. The Baroukan general had no doubt that they had heard his approach. Lastly, General Kolling scanned the trees on both sides of the road. He could neither see anyone waiting to ambush him, nor did he see signs of heavy traffic to and from the road. He nodded with satisfaction and rode slowly forward. He moved near the tether line and dismounted, General Gertz mimicking his moves. Both men tied their horses to the line and turned to face the woman.
“You are Rut-ki?” asked General Kolling.
“I am,” the woman replied. “Come and sit. I will pour you some tea.”
The woman turned her back to the Federation generals in a trusting manner and poured three cups of tea. When she was done, she sat on the rug and waved her hand as an invitation to join her. General Kolling raised an eyebrow and did not move.
“Just who are you, Rut-ki?” he asked.
“I am a Knight of Alcea,” answered the woman. “Are you familiar with the term?”
General Kolling shook his head.
“It means that I am authorized by King Arik to speak and act in his behalf,” Rut-ki explained. “There are a few others like myself. Come and sit, General Kolling.”
“You know my name?” questioned the general.
Rut-ki smiled. “I know much about you and General Gertz. The two of you have been in my country the longest of all of the teams sent by the Federation. You have already had ten days to explore the beauty of Lanoir. What do you think of it?”
General Kolling frowned deeply, not because of what Rut-ki knew, but rather because of her carefree attitude in the presence of a powerful enemy. She was treating him as if the parley was a social gathering and it was time to mingle with newfound friends and acquaintances. It seemed absurd to him. He turned and gazed back towards his armies. Twenty-thousand men stood idle while this woman invited him to tea.
“Your men will not be attacked while we meet,” offered Rut-ki, “if that is what you are concerned about.”
General Kolling spun to face the woman. “As if your armies could afford to attack me. What game are you playing at, Rut-ki?”
“This is no game, General Kolling,” Rut-ki answered. “Your Federation has sent you here to conquer and destroy my homeland. I do not consider that a game. I am here to talk to you with hopes that we might avoid further bloodshed. Is that not worth a few minutes of your time?”
“Further bloodshed?” echoed the Baroukan general. “If you consider picking off a few of my foragers as bloodshed, you are truly in for a rude awakening.”
“Perhaps Rut-ki is talking about surrender,” interjected General Gertz. “If she has the authority of the king to do so, it would avoid further bloodshed.”
“Actually,” Rut-ki replied, “I am talking about surrender. It is the only thing that makes sense for you. Your men are starving, and they are footsore. You are behind schedule, if that even matters any more. You have lost your battle mages and your horses. Why persist on a campaign that can bring nothing but death to your men?”
“How audacious of you!” snapped General Kolling. “You think you can serve tea in the middle of the road and then demand a surrender from a vastly superior force? I told you before that this is not a game that we are playing. I will take great pleasure in reducing Ongchi to rubble when I get there, and I will make sure that you are around to watch. You have no idea what you are up against. You cannot even fathom the forces that are gathering to crush your entire country. Take your pitiful generals and retreat to Ongchi while you still have a few days to offer up your prayers.”
Rut-ki rose slowly and walked to the tent. She threw the flap open and then turned to face General Kolling.
“We know exactly what we are up against General Kolling,” Rut-ki said calmly. “In fact, we know far more about the situation than you do. These are not my generals in the tent but yours.”
General Gertz gasped as he watched the three Federation generals walk out of the tent.
“You would be well advised to hear her words, General Kolling,” stated General Ruppert. “The Alceans know every little detail of our invasion plans, and they have known about them for a long time.”
“You traitors!” spat General Kolling as he noticed that the generals still carried their swords. “How could you sell out to the Alceans?”
”None of us sold out,” declared General Somma. “The Alceans had months to prepare for our invasion, and they used that time wisely. Listen to Rut-ki, Kolling. She truly wants to save the lives of your men, not destroy them.”
General Kolling opened his mouth to continue his tirade, but General Gertz gently touched his arm to halt his words.
“Let us hear what happened to the other teams,” General Gertz suggested.
The rage fell from General Kolling’s face, and Rut-ki let out an inaudible sigh.
“I will leave you to talk among yourselves,” Rut-ki said softly. “I will remind my three captives that I do not accept surrender a second time.”
The Knight of Alcea turned and walked away from the tent.
“What was that supposed to mean?” scowled General Kolling.
“She was warning us not to attempt to rejoin the war by returning to the 9th Corps with you,” answered General Hanold. “We have surrendered and the Alceans have accepted our surrender. To go back on that agreement would be dishonorable.”
“Dishonorable?” recoiled General Kolling. “You have weapons and horses. To refuse your sworn duty to the Federation would be dishonorable.”