King Arik nodded as he absorbed Alex’s words. He still felt a great void in his heart at the loss of Wylan and Sheri, but their deaths now held more meaning for the king. He tried to shut out his feelings, but he kept seeing their faces.
“Now,” Alex said in a conversational tone as if the previous discussion had not taken place, “I would like a briefing on where we are at. It is obvious that we will have to make some adjustments to the plan, but I think we are flexible enough to get that done. Give me a summary of what is happening in each province, and we can work together on the plans.”
Queen Tanya opened her mouth to reply, but Jenneva nudged her daughter to stop her from speaking. She knew that Alex was purposely taking the king’s mind off Wylan and Sheri. King Arik nodded and rose to his feet.
“I guess we should start with Lanoir,” stated the king. “Bin-lu and Rut-ki appear to be on schedule…”
Chapter 15
Stranded
Colonel Nyack stretched his arm upward to halt the 5th Corps of the Empire of Barouk. Behind them on the snow-covered Cordonian road, the 14th Corps of Ertak also came to a halt. General Ross and General Haggerty had been riding together in the middle of the two armies, and they glanced at each other questioningly.
“It is too early for the vanguard to be making camp,” frowned General Ross. “I am going forward to see what the problem is. Join me.”
The two generals rode past the halted columns of soldiers until they reached the vanguard. Colonel Nyack sat astride his horse waiting patiently.
“We are an hour short of camp,” stated General Ross. “Why have you halted the column?”
The colonel waved his hand towards the distant hill. “Something is not right here, General. There should be a farm here, but it is gone.”
The two generals turned and stared at the level area before the distant hill. Snow covered the landscape, but it was certainly not deep enough to hide a farm. General Ross turned and gazed at the path before the column of soldiers. That land was also snow-covered and unblemished.
“Are you sure that we are on the road to Kantor?” asked General Ross. “It was fall when you were here last. Things will look different when everything is coated in white.”
“I am sure,” declared the colonel. “I know the features of this land. There should be a farm right here.”
“Bah,” scowled General Haggerty. “The very fact that the farm is not here disproves your words about knowing this land. Have you gotten us lost?”
General Ross turned to General Haggerty with a stern, disapproving expression on his face. General Haggerty immediately lost his scowl and looked away from General Ross, seemingly losing interest in the conversation. General Ross calmly returned his attention to the colonel.
“How do you explain the lack of a farm?” General Ross asked Colonel Nyack.
“I cannot,” frowned the colonel, “but the barn was quite large. Even if it collapsed under the weight of winter snows, the debris would still be visible. Something in not right here.”
“Were there other structures?” asked General Ross.
“A three-story farmhouse with a stone chimney.”
“Take a squad and investigate the farm,” ordered General Ross. “Return when you are satisfied.”
The colonel nodded and called for a squad to form around him. The soldiers rode off into the snow, and General Haggerty returned his attention to General Ross.
“I do not understand why you indulge him so,” complained General Haggerty. “We are wasting valuable time standing here.”
“Colonel Nyack is an extremely talented officer,” General Ross responded softly. “He is well aware of the need to maintain our schedule. He would not halt this column for a trivial matter.”
“But farms do not just disappear,” retorted General Haggerty. “The colonel is merely mistaken in his recollection of this land.”
“I will be the judge of that,” countered General Ross, exerting his authority as the leader of Force Cordonia.
“I would expect no less,” frowned General Haggerty, “but the lack of a farm is hardly a significant factor in our conquering of Cordonia. The more likely problem is that we are not on the Darcia-Kantor Road at all. This whole blasted land is covered by snow. We can’t tell a road from a gully, and if we are lost, we will need as much daylight as possible to find the hidden cache of supplies. We cannot afford to dally here while your favored colonel tromps around in the snow.”
“You also had a colonel visit this land last fall,” replied General Ross. “Send him on ahead to verify the hidden cache.”
General Haggerty watched as Colonel Nyack and his men started returning towards the column. He shook his head. “That would only waste more time. It would seem that Colonel Nyack is already coming back.”
The two generals sat silently waiting for the colonel and his squad to return. The colonel ordered the squad to halt when they neared the column. He continued onward and approached the generals.
“There is no sign of a farm,” Colonel Nyack said softly. “I cannot explain it, General, but something is dangerously wrong about this whole situation. I thought it odd that the inn was deserted when we came through the portal this morning, but that could be explained away by a number of possible reasons. There have been a few other irregularities along our route, but they were not significant. The lack of a farm here is most disturbing. I do not think we are where we are supposed to be.”
“You mean we are lost?” quipped General Haggerty.
“No,” the colonel replied adamantly. “I know exactly where we are, but this land is not the land that I visited in the fall.”
General Haggerty opened his mouth to offer another quip, but General Ross’s glare forestalled his words.
“Colonel, take your squad forward to the campsite. Verify the cache and return. I will lead the column behind you, so leave a well-marked trail.” General Ross waved dismissively at the colonel and turned his attention to General Haggerty. “General, send a couple of plainly-dressed men back to Darcia. I want a report on both portals, and I want to know what the people of Darcia are doing. Specifically, I want to know if our presence here has been reported to anyone.”
* * * *
The squad leader led his men stealthily northward, away from the Barouk-Ongchi Road and the safety of the encampment of the 9th Corps and the 25th Corps. He was tired of only catching small game, and one of the men had seen a small herd of deer in the distance. As he approached the small glade where the deer had been spotted, he gave the signal to halt. The twenty Baroukan soldiers stopped and listened. The forest was deathly still, and no deer were in sight. Still, the thought of fresh venison whetted the appetite of the squad leader. He signaled his men to fan out and surround the glade. If there were deer in the fringe surrounding the glade, his squad would get them. Of that he was sure.
The squad leader waited patiently for his men to get into position. He could not see any of his men, so signals were out of the question. He based his movements on time alone, and when he felt enough time had passed for all of his men to be in position, he stealthily moved forward, arrow nocked and ready to strike a killing blow. He proceeded slowly through the trees, pausing frequently to listen for any sounds of movement. Occasionally, he thought he heard sounds of his immediate flankers moving towards the glade, but he could not be sure. The sounds had been faint as he would have expected from his men. They were, after all, professional hunters.
Eventually, the squad leader reached the glade. It was empty. He sighed with disappointment at not finding any deer, although there was evidence of their recent passage. As he waited for his men to join him, the squad leader wondered if he should try tracking the deer, or return closer to camp and settle for rabbit and squirrel. He debated the pros and cons for a moment before his brow furrowed. Suddenly aware that he was alone, he wondered what was keeping his men. They should have arrived around the same time as he did. With a shiver of nervousness, the squad leader softly called out to his men. No one answered. He called louder. Still no response.