“May our futures allow that to happen,” Rut-ki said softly. “If you will excuse me, I have some tasks that require my attention. I will return when I can.”
Rut-ki walked away, leaving the two Federation officers alone on the edge of the cliff. Colonel Rotti walked right up to the edge and peered at the road far below. It was a thin ribbon of hard-packed clay wedged between the sea and the bottom of the cliff, and it extended northwest as far as the eye could see.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” asked the general. “The Lanoirians call this place Hun-lo Heights, and it is where Generals Ruppert and Hanold will be met by their betters.”
“Their betters?” echoed the colonel. “What do you mean? What is going to happen?”
“The vats contain highly-flammable oil,” explained General Somma. “The pipe will carry that oil down to the road and spread it out upon its surface. Once ignited, the entire road will become a blazing inferno.”
“An inferno?” gasped the colonel. “I thought these Alceans were trying to save the lives of the Federation soldiers, not roast them. I will not be a party to such a massacre.”
General Somma frowned at his subordinate. “You still have not learned to trust these people, Rotti. Everything they say and do is in earnest. That is very much unlike anything we Zarans are used to, but I expected more from you. If you were an Alcean colonel, and the Federation had captured you, what condition would you be in right now?”
“Dead,” Colonel Rotti answered without hesitation. “Or held captive awaiting torture,” he added after a moment of thought. “I understand that I am lucky to be alive, General, but I would rather be dead than to watch a senseless slaughter. I thought we were here to aid in a surrender.”
“We are, Rotti,” the general said soothingly. “We are. Look at the waterline alongside the road. If you look closely you will see that a shelf runs alongside the road. According to Bin-lu, the road used to be twice as wide, but the outer half sunk over time. The soldiers will be able to flee the flames by jumping into the sea, but they will have nowhere to go. It is shallow enough that the men will not drown, but it is also narrow enough that they will have no room to maneuver. Lanoirian soldiers will block both ends of the road, and they will be demanding a surrender. It will be up to Generals Ruppert and Hanold to decide the fate of their men, and that is where you and I come in. Our task is to get them to choose life over death.”
“There will be twenty-thousand men on that road,” frowned the colonel. “Can’t they just wait until the flames die out?”
General Somma shook his head. “The vats are large enough to keep the oil flowing for days, but the Alceans will not let that much time go by before attacking on their own.”
“So there is a time limit to their benevolence?” scowled the colonel.
General Somma sighed deeply and shook his head. “I do not know how you can be so stubborn in the face of so much evidence. The Alceans are doing everything they can to save OUR people, and you continue to find faults with their methods. They are risking the lives of their own people by even giving Ruppert and Hanold a single day to decide. I would not be so generous if I were in their position.”
Colonel Rotti frowned in confusion.
“This is day nine of the invasion,” General Somma continued as if explaining something to a child. “That means that Ongchi is another four days march from here, and that is where this Lanoirian army must go next. Have you forgotten that Generals Kolling and Gertz are closing in on Ongchi from the east? The Alceans have not forgotten. The Lanoirians do not have the massive armies that we Zarans have. These soldiers around you will be the very same men pitted against Team Barouk.”
The colonel gasped in understanding. He was so used to dozens of Federation armies that he had forgotten that the Alceans had few troops. The sense of urgency suddenly became all too clear.
“Is there no trap set for Team Barouk?”
“Only delaying tactics,” answered General Somma. “They hope to slow Kolling’s armies down enough to give time for the Lanoirian soldiers to gather. The five-thousand men that met us along the Chi River will be the first to arrive. Their task will be to buy time for the men here to get to Ongchi. It is a risky proposition at best.”
“So the Federation might win after all?” asked Rotti.
“The two forces will be evenly matched,” answered the general, “at least in terms of numbers. I have not seen the Lanoirians fight yet, so I can not gauge their worthiness on the battlefield, but I know Kolling to be a shrewd strategist and a bulldog when it comes to giving up ground. I truly do not know how it will turn out, but I will do what I can to minimize the bloodshed. I would like to think that you would join me in that endeavor.”
“I will,” vowed Colonel Rotti. “I am sorry for the way I have acted, but I have had a hard time understanding these Alceans. I kept looking for the real reasons for their actions, not realizing that I was already seeing the truth. Tell me how I can help.”
General Somma smiled fatherly. “General Ruppert’s army should be in the vanguard. I will place myself at Bin-lu’s service and try to negotiate the surrender of the 13th Corps. It would be helpful if you joined Rut-ki at the other end of the column. She will be trying to get General Hanold to surrender the 26th Corps. Hanold is a reasonable man, but I do not think he will surrender unless Ruppert does. Treat him with respect. Do not push him unless Rut-ki decides that the time has come to do so.”
* * * *
Prince Oscar entered the library and closed the door. King Arik, Alex, Balamor, General Gregor, and Prince Midge all turned to see who was entering the room, but they quickly returned to their discussion of the trap being set for Artimor, the last Claw of Alutar.
“Stop talking,” Prince Oscar said loudly. “I do not want to hear your plans yet.”
“Why not?” asked Alex. “This is your plan that we are discussing.”
“I understand,” replied the prince, “but I do not want to know any details just yet. I just need a minute to speak with General Gregor before I leave.”
“Before you leave?” asked King Arik. “Where are you going?”
“To buy a new pair of boots,” smiled Prince Oscar.
“Is that wise?” asked Alex. “Remember that Artimor is a demonkin of great power. We have no idea what he can do.”
“But we do have some idea of some of his capabilities,” retorted the prince. “K’san was able to see through the eyes of Red Swords and hear through their ears, and K’san was inferior to a Claw of Alutar. I highly suspect that Artimor is doing exactly the same, but on a much grander scale. That is why I needed to talk to General Gregor. I want him to speak to several soldiers about the king’s visit to the estate, and I want him to warn those soldiers that the information is very secret. They are not to talk to anyone about it. Do not discuss our preparations at all. Only the people in this room are to know, with the additions of Jenneva, Tanya, and Theos.”
“You think Artimor will learn the secrets?” asked Balamor.
“I do.” The prince nodded. “I expect that he has dozens of unwitting moles inside the Royal Palace.”
“Then why is there a need for you to visit the shop?” asked the king. “I do not like the idea of you putting yourself in danger needlessly.”
“There is a need,” answered the prince. “I think Artimor may have far more spies than he can juggle. If he does not expect anything extraordinary to happen, he will not go looking for the secrets we wish for him to discover. My visit should be enough to spur him to look deeper into what is going on in the palace. I am a high profile noble, and he will no doubt sift through my thoughts when I enter his shop.”
“He will learn that we are planning a trap?” frowned Prince Midge. “Was your mother an ogre?”
Alex coughed loudly, and the fairy prince gazed at him to see the Knight of Alcea shaking his head in warning. Prince Midge noticed that the king was not laughing at his joke and suddenly realized that he was besmirching the Bringer’s grandmother. He blushed bright green. Before the embarrassment could become the topic of conversation, Prince Oscar responded.