“I have seen the Sorelderal elves in action,” Bin-lu said reassuringly to Rut-ki. “Believe what Elandros is saying. The elves are one with the forest. It is their home. Come. We have an evacuation to set in motion.”
“I will wait here for your return,” Elandros said in lieu of a farewell.
Bin-lu nodded in reply as he and Rut-ki mounted their unicorns. The nearest village was less than an hour away, and the Knights of Alcea kept their unicorns on the ground. As they approached the village, Bin-lu requested the unicorns to show their horns. The villagers halted their chores and lined the road to get a look at the amazing creatures. Bin-lu and Rut-ki halted in the very center of the village, and people gathered around to see what was going on.
“I am Bin-lu,” the Knight of Alcea said loudly, “and this is Rut-ki. We are Knights of Alcea, and we bring news from King Arik and Governor Za-chan. Listen carefully for your lives are in danger. A huge enemy army is coming this way, and they will kill every last person they come across. You must gather your families tonight and flee into the woods. Do not travel on the Barouk-Ongchi Road. Move your families at least three leagues inland.”
“Take only what is necessary to survive,” added Rut-ki. “We do not think the army will destroy your village if no one is here, but you cannot afford to be slowed down in any event. That army will be here in the morning, and they will slay anyone who sees them. They do not want anyone to know that they are heading for Ongchi, so they will kill you all.”
“We are to abandon our homes?” asked an old woman.
“Only for a time,” answered Bin-lu. “In a few days the army will have passed by this village, and you will be able to return home, but I would suggest waiting at least a week before coming back. There is a chance that the army might turn around and try to retreat toward Barouk.”
The villagers had other questions, lots of questions, but Bin-lu had little time for repeating the same answers. He eventually explained that he had said all that he could say, and the villagers nodded glumly and returned to their homes to get ready for the journey inland. The Knights of Alcea rode onward, but they did not go very far. Just past the village was a new farmhouse and a very large barn, but the farm was a poor excuse for a commercial enterprise. The land was not yet cleared, and the corral only held eight horses and no cattle. The four men who lived in the farmhouse immediately came out of the house when they heard riders approaching. They stared at the unicorns and then saluted Bin-lu.
“You are the Knight of Alcea?” asked one of the non-uniformed soldiers.
“I am Bin-lu and this is Rut-ki. We are both Knights of Alcea. I trust that you have your wagons ready to roll?”
“Sitting in the barn,” one of the men said with a wave towards the new barn. “Are we to leave now?”
“As soon as we are done talking.” Bin-lu nodded. “I need to make sure that you understand your mission.”
“We understand it,” assured the soldier. “We have a map of the location of the cache and directions to the next unit along the Barouk-Ongchi Road. We will relay your orders to them and then transport the cache to the designated location.”
“You are also to instruct the villagers to flee to the north,” declared Rut-ki.
“Of course,” nodded the solider. “That goes without saying. We will not leave anyone in the path of the enemy. You can count on us.”
“We are counting on you,” replied Bin-lu. “Move swiftly because you have little time to accomplish your mission. The enemy will be here in the morning.”
Chapter 10
Team Barouk
As Bin-lu and Rut-ki returned to the glade to reunite with Elandros and his elves, Shrimp shot down through the trees and landed on Bin-lu’s shoulder.
“Za-chan has been informed,” reported the fairy. “He vowed to put everything in motion.”
“Excellent,” remarked Bin-lu. “Do you need to rest after the flight?”
“Do I smell another mission?” the fairy asked excitedly. “Fairies never tire!”
Bin-lu smiled and chuckled under his breath. “I need you to go to the locations of the two Doors near Barouk. I need a report on any Door usage since the armies came through. I also need to know how many people are present at each location. Can you do that?”
“Am I still here?” chirped the fairy as he leaped off Bin-lu’s shoulder and hovered in the air, waiting to see if there were any further instructions.
Bin-lu waved dismissively and Shrimp shot upward, quickly disappearing into the dusk. A few minutes later, the Knights of Alcea entered the glade and Elandros came out of the woods to meet them. Bin-lu and Rut-ki dismounted.
“Has the enemy encamped yet?” asked Rut-ki.
“They have,” answered Elandros, “and rather efficiently at that. They have taken the time to secure their campsite, if such a large gathering can even be considered a campsite. One doesn’t realize the size of a twenty-thousand-man army until he sees it all gathered together in one place. Their camp encompasses a long stretch of the Barouk-Ongchi Road and the forest on both sides of it. It is huge.”
“How have they secured it?” asked Bin-lu.
“It was an amazing operation to watch,” explained Elandros. “The cavalry arrived first and set up a defensive perimeter. The first regiment of infantry began felling trees to create a clear zone for the bulk of the army. Other regiments joined in as they arrived. They then used those felled trees to build a crude barrier fence delineating the confines of the camp. It is clear to me that this army has had practice with this maneuver in the past. I would expect this to be a daily occurrence.”
“So the army is disciplined and well organized?” asked Rut-ki.
“Very much so,” nodded Elandros. “I had a fairy record it, if you are interested in seeing it for yourself.”
“I would like to see it,” answered Bin-lu, “but it is valuable information for the other Alceans as well. We will need to send your fairy off to Tagaret to report on this.”
“There is time for both,” agreed the elf. “You can watch it and then send the fairy to the king. There are no other armies arriving until day three.”
“Then perhaps we should get started,” replied Bin-lu. “Rut-ki and I have more tasks on the agenda for this night. Maybe we can grab something to eat and watch the fairy at the same time.”
* * * *
The two command tents were set in the center of the campsite, directly on the Barouk-Ongchi Road. The smaller of the two was for General Gertz of Aerta, and the larger for the Team Leader, General Kolling of the Empire of Barouk. A third, much smaller, tent sat not far away from the other two. It was the temporary home of the black-cloak contingent assigned to the armies. Both Federation generals had dined together in the larger command tent and were now discussing their first day in enemy territory.
“We truly have taken them by surprise,” remarked General Kolling. “I expected a skirmish of some kind on our first day, but this land is rather barren of people. The few locals my men came across did not even possess horses. No word of our arrival will precede us to Ongchi.”
“If we can keep up the schedule,” complained General Gertz. “In a way, I wish the locals did have horses. I would gladly seize them to replace the useless mounts supplied to us.”
General Kolling frowned deeply. “I am also worried about that. When you first spoke of the quality of your horses, I took your comment as a petty complaint. I suspected that my men took the best for themselves. That is only human nature, but my own riders have been complaining as well. I suspect that the men General Tauman positioned here in Alcea have made themselves wealthy at the expense of the Federation. I am of half a mind to send some of the cavalry back to that farm to hang Tauman’s men, but it would solve nothing at this point.”