“What are we to do with our patients?” asked Zalaharic. “We cannot just leave them here in the forest. That is unacceptable.”
“Wesik is strong enough to walk now,” answered Podil, “and Wylan can ride Sinora. They can make it to Caldar.”
“And Sheri?” balked Zalaharic. “I will not abandon her.”
Wylan’s heart skipped a beat and he stared at Zalaharic with eyes as large as coins. Podil frowned in confusion. She looked at Sheri’s body and then returned her gaze to Zalaharic.
“What are you saying?” Wylan asked. “Is Sheri not dead?”
“She is not dead,” declared Zalaharic, “nor is she alive. She exists in some state in between, and I am not sure what to do for her.”
“If she is not dead,” scowled Wylan, “why have you not been tending to her? I would rather you save her than me.”
“The rest of you required immediate attention,” explained Zalaharic. “Sheri did not. I have kept an eye on her these past few days. Her condition has not changed. If there is a cure for her condition, it could wait a couple of days until the rest of you were saved from death. That wait is now over, and she must be tended to immediately. I cannot just hope that she remains stable until I come back from Tagaret. I cannot return to the city just now.”
“The Bringer has ordered it,” frowned Twerp. “It was not a request.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment while Zalaharic glanced around the clearing.
“Podil,” Zalaharic said softly, “you shall return to Tagaret. Your skill at battling a plague is as valuable as mine. I must try to save Sheri.”
Podil frowned deeply. She knew that Zalaharic would have to enter Sheri’s body to discover the source of her condition, and she knew that such a session would be extremely dangerous, especially when battling the unknown.
“I cannot let you do that, Zalaharic,” she replied defiantly. “It is too dangerous for you to enter her unmonitored. I have to be by your side in case you become trapped. Remember, it was dark magic that ensnared her. Do not take this danger lightly.”
“There is a risk,” conceded Zalaharic, “but there are also thousands in Tagaret needing help. They cannot be ignored, either. Splitting our efforts is the wisest approach.”
“But you are bound to the Bringer’s service,” frowned Twerp. “You cannot ignore his call. He will punish you.”
Wylan’s hand shot out and grabbed the fairy off of his knee. He brought Twerp close to his mouth and spoke in a low, threatening voice.
“I will not have my Sheri abandoned, not for a million people.”
Wylan released the fairy, and Twerp fluttered back to his perch on Wylan’s knee. He knew that Wylan would never harm him, but the Knight of Alcea had made clear his devotion to his mate. The fairy nodded with understanding.
“I will take the blame,” the fairy offered to Zalaharic. “I will tell the Bringer that I ignored his orders to send you back to Tagaret. He will find you faultless.”
Zalaharic smiled warmly at the fairy. “Lies do not become you, Twerp, but your sentiments are warmly appreciated. I will take whatever punishment Valon seeks for this transgression, but I think if King Arik understood the decision facing me, he would agree with my judgment. A Knight of Alcea is worth extraordinary efforts to save, and I intend to do my best to save Sheri. Take word back to Valon of my decision. Podil will leave immediately for Tagaret.”
“Not immediately,” Podil stated as her eyes gazed into Wylan’s eyes. “If I am not to stay and monitor you, Zalaharic, I will train Wylan to take my place. It is far too dangerous for you to work unaided, and Wylan is just the person to keep you alive, for without you, there is no hope for Sheri.”
Wylan’s eyes grew large as he listened to Podil’s words. A shiver of fear raced through his body as he realized the responsibility being thrust onto him, but he nodded enthusiastically.
“Tell me what to do.”
Zalaharic smiled and nodded. “It appears that we have a solution that works. My only alteration concerns Twerp. Wake Thrip and send her back to Tagaret. Twerp will help Wylan monitor me. Between the two of them, I think I will be fine.”
Podil had great doubts about the situation, but she nodded in agreement with the solution. The thought of a fairy monitoring Zalaharic intrigued Podil, and she filed it in the back of her mind as she prepared to leave for Tagaret.
* * * *
Rut-ki stood on the eastern bank of the Chi River and glanced up at the predawn sky. The stars were bright, and the Knight of Alcea nodded with satisfaction. She had hoped for the skies to be clear on the day of the attack, and it seemed that her wish had been granted. Rut-ki turned away from the river and strode into the Lanoirian army camp. The camp was already stirring as five-thousand Lanoirian soldiers woke and consumed their morning meal. Rut-ki moved through the camp until she came to the command tent. She entered the tent and nodded to the leader of the Lanoirian force.
“Good morning,” greeted Colonel Wu-sang. “Would you care for a cup of tea?”
Rut-ki nodded and joined the colonel at a small table set up in the center of the tent. She took a sip of the tea and then looked the colonel in the eyes.
“The day has arrived,” stated the Knight of Alcea. “Everything must go exactly according to plan. There are too many of the enemy for us to allow for mistakes.”
“I understand,” nodded the colonel. “I have had my men make practice runs every morning. Nothing will go wrong.”
Rut-ki sighed lightly at the colonel’s words. While she had great respect for the colonel and his men, nothing ever went perfectly. She decided to go through the preparations one more time.
“Are the wagons ready?” she asked.
“Five-hundred wagons and their teams and drivers are ready and waiting,” answered the colonel. “Each driver has a map to his designated destination, and another copy of the map is stored under the seat of each wagon. No one will get lost, and the drivers are required to return both copies of the maps so that they will not fall into the enemy’s hands without us being alerted to it.”
“Good,” nodded Rut-ki. “Have your men also been instructed to note the regiment, company, and squad of each man entering the wagons?”
“And they have been told that no more than two men from any single Federation squad are to be put in the same wagon,” replied the colonel. “I have used my own men to practice these procedures. The orders will be followed as you have specified.”
“What about the lifelines?” asked Rut-ki.
“The chains will be rowed across the river as soon as you authorize it,” answered the colonel. “As Cho-sung specified, each chain across the river will be slightly lower than the one before it. He did warn us that the last couple of chains might be so low that they snag debris coming downstream. We have had no way to test that, but it is a concern. If the debris snags on the last few chains, it could create a new dam, and that will endanger my men as well as the Federation.”
Rut-ki frowned and nodded. “If that happens, release both ends of the affected chains.”
“That will doom those men to death,” warned the colonel. “They will not survive the journey to the sea.”
“I understand,” replied Rut-ki, “but that is the best that we can do. We are attempting to save as many of the Federation soldiers as we can, but I will not endanger all of your men to do so. Remember that the primary goal here is to incapacitate the 4th Corps and 18th Corps. If we can save thousands of their men while doing so, that is wonderful, but the primary goal must be met at all costs, even if that means killing all of the Federation soldiers. What about the fairies?”
“They are cute little creatures,” smiled the colonel. “They are not only ready to perform their part, but they are eager to do so.”
“Will one-hundred of them be enough?” asked Rut-ki. “I might be able to come up with a few more if needed, although they are becoming more scarce as we find new tasks suited to them.”