Without a word, Bitsy leaped into the sky and disappeared. Without conscious thought, the Knight of Alcea’s steps altered slightly, his footfalls becoming silent. Kaz also changed his gait, and they approached the mage tent like a pair of wraiths in the night.
The first tingles of fear came over Alex subtly. It began as mere apprehension, which was to be expected under the circumstances. Alex would have never noticed it if he had not been specifically analyzing his feelings with each and every step. The closer he got to the tent, the stronger the feelings grew. He felt his forehead dampen with perspiration, and his feet started to grow heavy with hesitation. Inside his body, he felt a tightening, as if a rope ran vertically through him and someone was twisting each end of the rope in a different direction. His hands began to curl into fists, and his jaw tightened. His breathing changed from a slow, steady rhythm to a shallow, halting pant. Kaz must have sensed the change in his partner.
Easy, friend. Do not let them tamper with your will.
Alex nodded and halted a few paces short of the tent flap. Needing to be silent, he concentrated on his breathing, forcing himself to take long, slow breaths until he felt in control again. He could do nothing about his sweating brow and the feeling of being wound tight inside, but he uncurled his fingers and flexed them. With slow, deliberate movements, he surreptitiously unsheathed his belt knife and stepped forward to the flap. When he reached the flap, he stood motionless for a moment, his senses acute. Time moved excruciatingly slow, but the Knight of Alcea refused to hurry his mission. He needed to know where the mage sentry was standing. Eventually, an audible sniff warned him that the sentry stood directly on the other side of the flap. With a speed honed over the years, Alex threw the flap open and stabbed out with his knife at chest level.
The black-cloak uttered a sharp intake of breath, but nothing more. The aura of fear instantly dissipated, and Alex knew that the mage was dead. Alex felt the weight of the man’s body trying to drag down his arm, as his hand still clutched the knife. He stepped forward and supported the weight of the corpse, letting the tent flap close behind him. He eased the body to the ground and pulled his knife out of the mage’s heart. He wiped the blade clean and sheathed the knife. Crouched in the darkness, Alex reached inside his uniform and extracted the myric quills.
The interior of the tent was not lighted, but the glow from the outside torches was sufficient to make out the sleeping forms of the black-cloaks. As silent as a stalking cat, Alex moved around the tent, delivering a poison death to each of the mages. In seconds, it was over. The Knight of Alcea let a sigh of relief escape his lips as he gathered the used myric quills. Bitsy unexpectedly landed on his shoulder.
“A colonel has exited the large tent,” she reported. “He is not coming this way, but he is staring at this tent.”
“Colonel Pierce,” Alex said softly with a nod. “He is a curious one. He is probably wondering what I tied Kaz to. There was no post outside the tent. I think it is time to retreat.”
“We have succeeded then,” grinned the tiny woman. “I knew that you would feel no fear.”
“I felt it.” Alex frowned as he stooped and buried the used myric quills. “It was very strong. I can easily see how Wylan and Sheri could have succumbed to such a spell. We will discuss it later. Now is not the time. Fly high and keep watch over Kaz and me.”
The fairy darted into the darkness and disappeared. Alex walked to the flap and opened it. He exited the tent and turned before releasing the flap. He stood there for a moment, exaggeratedly nodding his head as if he were having a conversation with someone inside. When he finally closed the flap, he quickly mounted Kaz and turned towards the barricade. Colonel Pierce stood outside the command tent, watching the Ertakan colonel depart the camp. Alex nodded to the man, but said nothing. He continued riding calmly towards the barricade and freedom. The soldiers manning the barricade passed the colonel through without questions, and the Knight of Alcea rode southward along the Gortha-Trekum Road until the camp was out of sight. Once away from the camp, Alex halted and stared up at the lightening sky. Day six was dawning.
“Find Tedi and Natia,” Alex instructed the fairy. “I need to talk to them before we return to Tagaret.”
* * * *
General Gattas and General Montero rode together along the Coastal Highway north of Pontek in Sordoa. Both of the generals gazed at the burning village as they passed by, and neither of their faces held a smile.
“That is the fourth village with no boats,” scowled General Gattas. “Someone is warning the villagers.”
“Undoubtedly,” agreed General Montero, “but Colonel Patrey assures me that the fishermen are not sailing north. Perhaps the villagers can see the smoke from the burning villages behind us.”
General Gattas turned around and gazed southward, but he soon returned his gaze to the burning village and shook his head.
“The smoke is barely visible,” stated General Gattas. “Besides, a distant burning village would not spur these fishermen to loading their families into those leaky boats and setting out to sea. They would only do so if they were aware of the reason for the other fires. It is preposterous to think that the Sordoans know that armies are marching up the coast. Someone must be spreading the word.”
“Does it really matter?” sighed General Montero. “What if the Sordoans do know that we are coming? There is nothing that they can do about it. Look at our armies, General. We have enough might gathered around us to conquer all of Sordoa, and we are but a third of the force that will assemble before the walls of Trekum.”
General Gattas looked proudly at his armies and nodded. Six files of soldiers marched along the wide Coastal Highway, and three files of cavalry preceded and followed them. The column comprised of the 6th Corps and the 15th Corps stretched out for over two leagues. It was an awesome display of power, and General Gattas found himself agreeing with the Ertakan heir.
“I suppose there is little harm in fleeing fishermen,” mused General Gattas, “but I prefer a clean operation.”
“Perhaps we should send the forward scouts out even farther ahead,” suggested General Montero.
“That shouldn’t be necessary,” replied General Gattas as he pointed north. “Once we come into the shadow of those cliffs up ahead, there will be no more villages for many leagues, and once we are past the cliffs, the route turns inland to meet up with Team Gortha.”
General Montero gazed northward. The coastal plain gave way to steep towering cliffs that rose vertically to a height of several hundred paces. At the foot of the cliffs, the Coastal Highway continued northward on a narrow strip of land, but there was no other soil for citizens to build their homes on. The Ertak heir nodded as he realized that they were passing the last of the fishing villages.
* * * *
Southwest of the Lanoirian city of Chi, the 4th Corps of the Empire of Barouk marched along the banks of the Chi River. General Franz and Colonel Kerk rode side-by-side near the head of the column.
“You were right in your assessment, Kerk,” said General Franz. “It is a beautiful country, and a bountiful one. The fields we have passed in just this first day in the country already surpass what I remember of Aerta. There is food enough here to fill a lot of bellies.”
“And this continues for day after day,” Colonel Kerk said. “I have never seen such rich fields, and I have seen most of the Federation.”
“All of this will soon be part of the Federation, Colonel,” smiled the general. “It will be a glorious addition.”
Colonel Kerk’s brow creased with concentration as he tried to think of a safe way to broach the subject that he wished to speak about. With an anxious sigh, he decided to just ask plainly.