“The joke is on you, Wyant,” smiled Bakhai. “The one you call Scarab is really named Fisher. He is Emperor Marak’s personal friend and spy. The real question is what is he doing here?”
“Fisher?” echoed Wyant as a crimson tone spread across his face. “But how could Harmagan possibly believe that Fisher is his brother?”
“He doesn’t believe it,” replied Rejji. “Obviously, Fisher has some hold over Harmagan.”
“More likely,” interjected Bakhai, “Harmagan owes his life to Fisher. Whatever the reason, we should not let on that we know who Scarab is.”
“I also owe my live to Fisher, or Scarab, or whatever you want to call him,” nodded Wyant. “If he is Marak’s spy, there may be a chance that he could assess the situation at Vandegar. What is the harm in letting him try?”
“I think it is an excellent idea,” grinned Bakhai. “If nothing else, it would stop Harmagan from wondering why we are moving so slowly each day. We can say that we must allow Scarab the time to fully scout out the Motangan armies.”
“True,” Rejji nodded vigorously. “The free tribes are already questioning our pace. I do not need to add the constant questioning from the Jiadin. Call Scarab over.”
Wyant returned to the campfire and requested the presence of Harmagan’s little brother. Scarab smiled tautly and joined the group.
“Thank you for not exposing me,” Fisher said softly. “Scarab is a persona that I could not duplicate.”
“I can well imagine the truth to that statement,” smiled Rejji. “When this is all over, I want to hear the full story.”
“So you shall,” grinned Fisher.
“Can you really infiltrate the Motangans safely?” asked Bakhai.
“Safely?” echoed Fisher. “Nothing that I do can be done safely, but I am the best at what I do.”
“What do you truly hope to accomplish at Vandegar?” asked Wyant.
“There are several pieces of information that will be essential to see this matter closed,” answered Fisher. “We need to verify that Vand is indeed at Vandegar. We need to know what surprises he has up his sleeves, and if he has other forces that could be brought in behind us. The man seems to have an uncanny knowledge of our movements, and that causes me to worry about his strategy.”
“Do you need help?” asked Rejji. “I am sure that I could find others with the necessary skills to accompany you.”
“I work best alone,” Fisher shook his head. “It will be hard enough to get away from Harmagan without him sending an escort with me.”
“Does he know who you are?” asked Rejji.
“He does,” nodded Fisher, “but he will never tell anyone. He will maintain that I am his brother until his dying breath.”
“Impressive,” acknowledged Wyant.
“Get your gear together and leave when you are ready,” ordered King Rejji. “I will keep Harmagan occupied with other matters.”
Fisher nodded gratefully and ran off into the Jiadin encampment. The three Fakarans returned to the Jiadin campfire and sat down with Harmagan, Jaker, and Niger.
“Your brother is a most amazing man,” smiled Rejji as he sat down. “His courage and dedication speaks volumes of the bravery of the Jiadin.”
Harmagan and the other Jiadin beamed with pride, and the Jiadin leader signaled for Jaker and Niger to follow Scarab.
“Stay,” ordered King Rejji. “You have not been dismissed yet.”
“They are going with Scarab,” objected Harmagan. “He needs someone to watch his flanks.”
“Have you so little faith in the skills of your brother?” questioned Rejji. “Besides, I have decided to ride the rest of the way to Vandegar with the Jiadin as my escort. I would like Jaker and Niger to be my personal escorts, with you at my side of course.”
A look of surprise spread over Harmagan’s face, but he beamed with pride. Even though the Jiadin had ceased their war with the free tribes, they still felt like outsiders.
“It would be our pleasure,” Harmagan said with a bow of his head. “I could arrange for others to ride with Scarab.”
“Scarab just rode out of camp,” smiled Wyant. “I do not think he needs any help in what he plans to do. You must be very proud of him, Harmagan.”
“I am,” Harmagan conceded worriedly. “All Jiadin are proud of him, but I worry for his safety. Let me send someone after him.”
“The night Scarab saved my life,” Wyant shook his head, “he told me that he prefers to work alone. I think I understand why now, but we must allow him to do what he does best.”
Harmagan stared into Wyant’s eyes trying to determine if he knew Scarab’s secret, but the marshal was stone-faced. Finally, the Jiadin leader nodded in acquiescence.
“It will only be for a day,” Harmagan sighed.
“It will be two days,” corrected Rejji. “We will continue to ride half days. We must allow Scarab time to assess the enemy before blindly charging forward.”
“You are right,” agreed Harmagan as the Fakarans got up to leave.
The Jiadin waited until the king and his party had left before talking among themselves.
“What happened?” asked Jaker. “I know something is going on, but I cannot tell what it is.”
“Why does the king want us to ride with him?” questioned Niger. “Why did they speak to Scarab alone?”
“And why are we riding half days?” added Jaker.
“You ask too many questions,” bellowed Harmagan, but those very questions were rolling around in his own mind.
“Are we wrong to question things?” asked Niger.
“No,” Harmagan sighed heavily. “Scarab is a convincing person. I am sure that he insisted that he could spy on the Motangans and that he could do so alone. The king obviously agreed.”
“And the king is riding with us to spy on us?” posed Jaker.
“I don’t think so,” replied Harmagan. “He has no need to spy himself. He has many under his command that could do that for him. I suspect that he wants to completely heal the rift between the tribes. Maybe this is his way of doing that.”
“Alright,” conceded Niger, “but what about the half day rides? He says that is to allow Scarab time to spy, but the free tribes have been doing half days since the Valley of Bones.”
“Now that is a true mystery,” granted Harmagan. “I want you two to filter through the camps of the free tribes and find out what you can. No Fakaran horseman rides half days when a battle is ensured at the end of the trail. There is a reason for the king’s pace, and he has not yet revealed it to us. I want to know his secret.”
“You can count on us,” grinned Niger as he and Jaker rose eagerly from the campfire.
Chapter 40
The Gathering Storm
Fisher dismounted at the western edge of the woods and set his horse free. He did not intend to ride into the enemy encampment, and the sight of a free horse roaming the plains would cause a curiosity that he preferred not to happen. It was still a long walk to Vandegar, but the sun would be setting soon. If he encountered no difficulties and kept up a decent pace, the spy could be in Vandegar when the sun rose in the morning.
Fisher stripped off his Jiadin disguise and pulled a Motangan uniform from his pack. He had last used the uniform on the Island of Darkness and it was in good shape. He rolled his Jiadin clothes up and shoved them to the bottom of the pack in case anyone wanted to give a cursory inspection of his belongings. Attired as a Motangan soldier, the spy stepped out of the forest and headed westward.
For the first several hours, Fisher’s mind wandered. He walked through the dark wondering what he would find in Vandegar, but when his musings turned to thoughts about whether or not he would survive the coming incursion, Fisher knew that he was in trouble. One lesson that the spy had learned early in his career was never to go into a situation doubting the successful conclusion of the mission. To achieve success in such a daring profession, there could be no room for doubt.