The three Torak soldiers walked softly up the stairs and entered the lord’s suite. They passed through his sitting room and into his sleeping chamber. The lord’s wife awoke when they entered. She sat up with a look of horror on her face, but she did not scream. She reached over and woke up Lord Grentle.
“Who are you?” Lord Grentle asked with a sigh.
“I am Cortain Talli of the Torak clan,” answered the cortain. “I have come to seize your estate in the name of Lord Marak.”
“Does this have to do with the guest troops that we have been housing?” asked Lord Grentle.
“It does,” nodded Talli. “Those troops have been destroying Lord Marak’s caravans.”
“I had a bad feeling about them,” sighed the Nordon lord. “Will you spare my wife? Surely, she can cause no harm to you or this Lord Marak?”
“I have instructions to avoid harming anyone,” smiled Cortain Talli. “If it can be avoided that is. I think you will find that Lord Marak does not believe in punishing the innocent.”
The cortain made a quick signal with his fingers and the two soldiers that had accompanied him immediately left the room.
“Where are they going?” asked the lord.
“To awaken Marshal GeHert,” answered Talli. “Lord Grentle, this whole process will be easier if you are willing to cooperate.”
“What is it you wish me to do?” asked Lord Grentle.
“Swear Vows of Service to Lord Marak,” answered Cortain Talli. “Lord Marak also demands that each person on the estate swear Vows of Service to him.”
“May I rise?” asked Lord Grentle.
Talli nodded and the lord rose and padded to his window. He gazed out upon the dozens of Torak soldiers below. He nodded as he saw that the barracks had been barricaded.
“I have little choice in this matter, Cortain,” said Lord Grentle. “You have apparently overrun this small estate with surprising ease. I will swear the vows that you request of me and order my people to do the same, but I will offer you some advice before I do.”
“Very well,” nodded Cortain Talli as the marshal was ushered into the room. “What is your advice?”
“You obviously know that this is a Nordon estate,” Lord Grentle stated. “I am sure you are also aware that Lord Patel is a member of the Lords’ Council.”
“I am aware of both of those facts,” agreed Cortain Talli.
“Cut off with the speeches, Lord Grentle,” growled Marshal GeHert. “The point is, Cortain, that you are sealing your own casket. The Nordon clan will descend upon you like an eagle swooping down on an ant. You will be lucky to see the shadow of the army that crushes you. Why don’t you just mount up your men and ride over the mountains into Fakara, because there will be no place in Khadora for you to hide.”
“Is that what you were going to say, Lord Grentle?” Cortain Talli asked as he tried to keep a smile off his lips.
“More or less,” shrugged the Nordon lord. “I would have chosen different words, but I am sure that Marshal GeHert got his point across. The Torak clan is performing an act of war against the Nordon clan. There is little time for the Torak clan to run and hide before Lord Patel’s armies arrive.”
“We will discuss this some more after you have issued your vows,” smiled Cortain Talli. “Perhaps over the morning meal?”
* * *
Botal was guiding the Torak squad through the night. Their route appeared to be a confusing tangle of turns on lesser trails, some not more than an animal track, and never included a main road. Katzu knew Khadora fairly well, but even he became disoriented. He was sure that they were still somewhere in the Imperial Valley, but beyond that he was not sure.
About an hour before dawn, Botal suddenly halted on the narrow trail. He held up his hand to bring the column to a stop, and then waved Lord Marak forward. Katzu followed Lord Marak to the head of the column.
“Are they ours?” asked Lord Marak.
“They are,” nodded Botal. “I wanted to halt the column to make sure that our men did not overreact.”
“Good thinking,” nodded Lord Marak as his hand rose and his fingers moved in a signaling fashion. “Lead on, Squad Leader.”
“What was that all about?” Katzu asked softly as the column moved forward.
“In a moment,” Lord Marak whispered back. “Silence for now.”
Several hundred paces farther along the trail, a Torak soldier had placed himself in the middle of the path. As Botal led the column forward, the Torak soldier pointed towards the forest on the southern side of the trail. Botal nodded and turned to the right. There was no discernible trail through the forest, but Botal picked out the easiest path through the trees. Several minutes later, the column entered a large clearing. Over a hundred Torak soldiers were camped around the clearing. Botal smiled and ordered a halt to the column.
“Now I can answer your questions, Katzu,” smiled Lord Marak as he dismounted.
“These are all Torak soldiers,” frowned Katzu. “Two cortes at least. Where have they come from?”
“They have been stationed here for some time,” Lord Marak answered vaguely.
“And where exactly is here?” inquired the mediator. “Your path through the forest has me disoriented.”
“We were in no hurry,” explained Lord Marak. “Botal’s main objective was to get here before dawn without using any main roads. While the roads are not used much at night, it is along the roads that most people live. We did not want to be seen between here and Khadoratung.”
“That explains the path of our journey,” nodded Katzu, “but not our location.”
“Follow me,” grinned Lord Marak as he headed out of the clearing to the south. “Maintain silence.”
Katzu nodded and followed Lord Marak through the forest. A short ten-minute walk brought them to the edge of a small rise. Lord Marak crouched down and signaled for Katzu to do the same. Two Torak sentries watched them approach, but said nothing. As Lord Marak reached the edge of the rise, he dropped onto his stomach and patted the ground beside him to indicate that Katzu should do the same.
“Do you recognize it?” Lord Marak asked softly.
It took only a moment for Katzu to recognize the estate. The nearly full moon illuminated the distant mansion, and the mediator shook his head in disbelief.
“That is Lord Patel’s estate,” frowned Katzu. “Surely you are not planning to attack it with only these two cortes? That would be suicide, Lord Marak.”
“Perhaps,” shrugged Lord Marak, “but I do have the right under the law. The Nordon clan viciously attacked my caravans. You have witnessed that yourself.”
“You will have no argument from me on that,” agreed Katzu, “but being within the law does not shield your men from death, nor your clan from extinction. Lord Patel has a vastly superior army to yours, and the best of them reside here on his main estate. Do you have more armies coming down from Fardale?”
“Hopefully, I will only need these two cortes to accomplish my goals,” Lord Marak said with a hint of nervousness in his voice. “I have spent many days planning this, Katzu. That alone does not ensure success, but I think my odds are fair enough to proceed. Would you prefer that the Torak clan merely forget the heinous act perpetrated against us by Lord Patel?”
“I would prefer a solution that does not destroy the Torak clan,” Katzu shook his head. “While I cannot, and will not, play favorites between the clans, I cannot help noticing the change in the attitudes at the frontier. What was a hotbed of hatred not long ago is now a thriving area where everyone gets along well with their neighbors. I cannot help but think that you had a hand in that change somehow. Why throw it all away now?”
“The changes that were made around Fardale,” declared Lord Marak, “did not just happen. The hatreds that existed were snuffed out one by one. I will admit that luck may well have played a large part, but I have also used the aggressiveness of my neighbors to my own advantage.”
“I thought as much,” Katzu nodded. “I have always been curious about our first meeting. The Sorgan and Litari clans filed a grievance against Fardale, but you seemed to have solved the problem before I arrived. Just what exactly happened there?”