Chapter 13
Sara met with the local business people and heard their concerns and thoughts during her day in Shelbyville. She had even heard a couple of things that she was going to look into when she returned from the mission. There was something about Mayor Matthews that she just did not trust. He seemed to be trying too hard to impress her. She was careful to always keep an eye on him and of what she said around him. They Mayor had prepared a feast in her honor. She was thankful for the distraction and also because it had given her a chance to talk to the veteran she saw when she first arrived in Shelbyville. She had encouraged him to tell stories of the Great War with Queen Hellicus. This had kept the crowd entertained and gave her a chance to relax a little. The dinner party went on for a while, but finally she said her goodbyes and prepared to leave for the garrison. It was then that Mayor Matthews had made an issue about the Queen's accommodations.
It took Sara some talking to convince Mayor Matthews that she needed to stay at the garrison and not in town at the best inn. She did not want to insult the man's hospitality. She assured him that she would not have to share accommodations at the garrison. It was obvious that he did not like the idea of her staying there, but he reluctantly accepted it. She was relieved that she did not have to force the issue with him. The only way her plan was going to work was if she stayed at the garrison with the troops. Stealth required privacy and she would not be able to get any privacy if she stayed in town.
Being that Shelbyville was on the boarder of Carriland, the Carriland army had a garrison there. Its primary purpose was to protect the surrounding communities from raiders from the mountains and hills to the north. It might not have been the largest or strongest fort from which to launch the mission, but its location was strategically the preferred choice. Since Sara decided to take the war to Queen Hellicus instead of waiting for the war to come to her, this garrison had been fortified. Troops and supplies had started pouring in on a weekly basis. The garrison that had only held a couple hundred troops now swelled to several thousand. Makeshift compounds of sleeping and eating tents had begun to spring up around the original garrison. It had grown so fast that the only permanent buildings where in the original part of garrison. Construction had just begun on new barracks and a larger common hall. Even for the highest ranking officer, the conditions were cramped and rustic at best. With the new troops came new commanders and captains. Since the troops were doubling up in accommodations, so did the commanders and captains.
It was not until evening that Sara managed to make it to the garrison. Because time was so short, she and General Lateaf had decided to brief the men and women for the mission that same evening. Up to this point all they knew was that it was a very dangerous mission for which they were volunteering. General Orrand had been correct about the number of volunteers. To avoid any issues, General Topher Lateaf had gone to select men and women and personally asked if they would be interested in the mission. Not a single person he asked said no. As such, the 18 men and women, plus Colonel Holms, were handpicked by Topher and were the best of the best the Carriland army had to offer. The only people he did not pick were General Allison of the Delland army, Captain Walch of the English army who would be joining the mission later, and Private Corval. He had no control of the General and the Captain being on the mission. He did not trust General Allison and would make sure someone was always keeping an eye on him. He knew nothing of Captain Walch but would also keep an eye on him. He did insist on approving the Private before he accepted her as part of the mission. This was a very dangerous mission and he needed the best people on it. He could not afford to have some inept Private along that he would have to play nurse maid to. Sara had objected at first but when the general told her that he would be able to make a determination of the Private by debriefing her on the events that occurred at the elven city of Atel, she agreed.
Later that evening, Sara and Topher assembled everyone into the existing common hall for the briefing. The room was setup for utility and not for comfort or aesthetics. The benches and tables had been removed before the meeting. The walls were bear and painted green. Sara sat in a plain chair on a small dais at the head of the room, Topher stood on her right while Colonel Holms stood on her left, one step down. The only decoration in the room was a Carriland flag that was pinned to the wall behind the dais. This gave the effect of Sara sitting in the middle of the Carriland flag. Topher had the men and women line up in two lines of 9 each. The Queen made sure that General Allison understood that on this mission he was just one of the soldiers. Although not happy about this, he agreed. Aside from the people on the dais, General Allison and Private Corval, everyone was surprised to see the Queen at this meeting. Topher had placed guards outside both doors to the hall to insure privacy.
When he felt everyone was ready, Topher began by stepping forward to address the troops. "You each have volunteered for a very dangerous mission. The details for this mission have been kept from you for security reasons. There is a very good chance that some if not all of us will not come back from this mission. This is your last chance to back out. If you do not wish to join this mission, speak now. You know nothing of the mission and are free to go. It will not be held against you if you choose to leave now. Understand, if you choose to stay, there will be no going back. You will be committed to this mission. Speak now."
He paused and looked at each of the soldiers before him. He did not expect anyone to back out of the mission; after all he had picked these people personally and knew them well. He was not surprised. "Very well." He paused as he stepped down from the dais.
"There are events that have transpired in the past couple of weeks that have a direct bearing on this mission, events that you need to be aware of." He stood at his full height and barked out, "Private Corval! Step forward!"
Sara had thought his tone a little harsh to use on the Private, especially after all she had done for Carriland, but she also understood what he was trying to do. He only had this one briefing session to try to size up the Private's readiness for this mission. He needed to see how the Private would react under pressure.
Jenny stepped up in front of the general. "Private Jenny Corval, Sir," she said snapping a sharp salute.
Topher waited a few seconds before returning the salute. He did not however release her from full attention. "Tell us about the events that transpired at the elven city of Atel."
Topher paced in front of her as she recounted all that had taken place at Atel, starting from her arrival at the city with the Duke. He tried to look suspicious and annoyed with the Private as she spoke.
She told of their arrival and of the Duke's pressure on the wizards and alchemists to find what they were looking for. She told of their success and of the ambush by the Emos army. It was here that Topher interrupted her.
"Tell me Private," he added emphasis on her rank. "When these men used their magic wands, did you see if they moved their hands over the wands between each sound?"
Jenny thought for a minute and then said, "No Sir."
"And did all the wands look the same?" he further asked, raising his eyebrows to her.
She did not take as long to think this time. "No Sir. Some were longer 'dan my arm while others fit in your hand, like 'dis." She made a fist with her right hand only pointing her index finger straight out.
"Hmm." Topher said in thought. "Continue."
She then told of the dragons who looked like giant dragon flies, that also cast spells and how they were controlled by the Emos men inside.
Again he interrupted her. "Private, and what was the skin of these dragons like?"
Again she thought before she spoke. "It was not natural skin. It was like it was protected by some type of armor. I saw one of our men use a wand against one of 'dem but 'de spells seemed to have no effect, only making sparks like a flint on a stone."
"And these men inside the dragons, controlling it, where they eaten by the dragons?"
"I don't 'dink so sir. 'Dere was an opening, like a door, in 'de side of 'de dragons and 'de men could climb in and out of 'de beast."
Topher took a moment to assess how the men and women in the room were taking the news of the dragons that their enemy seemed to now possess, but everyone in the room was too well trained to show any such disbelief. Any doubts they had would be met with guarded suspicion. These were good soldiers who all had learned to accept the unexpected. He then turned back to the Private. She was holding up under his interrogation very well. He would have to turn up the heat on her to see what she could take. He could tell that she was uncomfortable with the interrogation. After a long stare down he finally said, "Continue."
She continued by telling of her meeting with the Duke and of the mission he gave her. She told of her escape from the Emos army and of her journey to the Queen. She even told of her stealing of the horse and of its subsequent return.
When she had finished her story, Topher paced a couple of more times in silence in front of her. He finally stopped right in front of her, turned to face her and said. "So, you abandoned the Duke? You left him to be captured or even killed just to protect your own sorry neck? Is that what you did, Private?" He was just inches from her face staring directly at her. He could see the pain and anger building inside her. He could tell this was an open wound for her and he had just poured salt into it. The question Topher needed to know was how she would react. Would she stay a soldier or would she break down?
After taking a moment to use every bit of self-control she had to keep from either breaking down in tears or attacking the general for accusing her of such a thing, she stared right through the general and said with gritted teeth, "I was given a direct order by 'de Duke. When I expressed my concern for his safety, he told me 'dat 'de mission was more important 'den his safety. I obeyed his order, SIR!"
Topher could tell she was about to explode so he stepped back and said, "So you should have." He started pacing again. He took a moment as he thought about this young private. For a young recruit, only weeks out of basic training, she was conducting herself very well.
His response surprised her and helped cool her down a bit.
"Private," Topher continued. "Tell me what you know about magic."
She took a moment to regroup before she answered, "Only what is taught in 'de army training. 'Dat 'de elves left behind magic items. 'Dat 'dese items are highly sought after by all armies."
"Yes," he interrupted her. "But do you know how to use these magic items?"
"No sir. 'Dat was not part of 'de basic army training."
"Can you cast a simple spell?"
"No sir," she answered flatly, looking straight forward.
"Private, look at the other soldiers in this room."
After turning inquisitively at the General, she turned to look at each person in the room. She then stood at full attention again, looking straight forward.
"Each of the men and women in this room are highly trained in a wide variety of skills. This includes the use of magic. This mission is dangerous and will require these skills. Do you think it is fair that they should have to cover for someone who does not know how to use magic?" He looked straight at her. He could see that her countenance was falling. "Everyone's life could depend on your ability to use magic and if you do not know how, it could mean a complete failure of the mission. Is that fair to these soldiers, Private?" he asked.
Jenny could find no argument against what he was saying. She knew he was right. With deep sadness and for the first time, lowering her head from full attention, she said, "No sir." She had resigned herself to not being on the mission.
A wry smile crossed Topher's face. "Then let us hope you are a fast learner."
Jenny looked up with a quizzical look on her face.
Topher quickly removed the smile from his own face. "You are to report to Colonel Holms first thing in the morning to start your training. I will not have a soldier on this mission that does not know how to use magic. We only have a few days before we head out, so you better learn quickly."
A smile from ear to ear was now on her face. "You won't be sorry sir. I learn fast, you will see."
"We will see, indeed," Topher said. "Return to your place in line."
Still smiling, she turned and walked back to her place in line.
Topher then turned to the Queen. He gave her a subtle nod as he returned to his place on the dais.
After Topher had taken his place, Sara took a moment to review the men and women before her. Other than General Allison of the Delland army, they were all in Carriland uniforms. Most were majors and lieutenants and sergeants but there were a couple corporals. Of the twenty soldiers before her, eight were women and eleven were men. All looked to be well seasoned soldiers. She could tell General Lateaf had chosen well. She took a moment to size up each soldier, looking for any sign of fear but found none.
Finally, she stood up to address them. "Soldiers, before I begin, I want you to all understand one thing. The success of this mission is of the highest importance. It is more important than your lives." She paused to let that sink in, but saw that no one even blinked at that. "It is even more important than MY life." This brought a look of surprise on a few faces.
"As you have already heard, war is coming to Carriland. Queen Hellicus is on the move again and is stronger than ever. The difference this time is that we are taking the war to her first. We will not sit and wait for her to come to us. I was just at a meeting with King Kolker and King Childs. We are combining our forces to attack Queen Hellicus. As you have heard from the Private, Queen Hellicus has some new magic. Our spies have found out that she also has a magic citadel. We believe that this citadel is the source of this new magic. It is our task to destroy that citadel. What the Duke had the Private deliver to me is a weapon we can use against the citadel, a weapon that will destroy it." Assuming I can figure out how to use it she thought to herself. "If possible, we will also rescue the Duke, but our first priority is to destroy the citadel. I am the only one that understands the magic of this new weapon so I will be joining the mission. My presence on this mission must be kept secret. While on this mission, I will wear a uniform like the rest of you and I will have a rank of Commander. You will address me as Commander Sara Crisson and treat me as such. To anyone not part of this mission, I will be just a Commander and advisor to General Lateaf. General Lateaf will be in charge of this mission. He will be the commanding officer for everyone. As you can see, we have a guest of the Delland army that will be part of this mission. It has already been made clear to him that he will also answer to General Lateaf. This mission is a concern to all three kingdoms so we have a member of the Delland army. Will be adding a member of the Doorshire army as well."
"I cannot stress enough the importance of this mission. We depart in 4 days and we will have just one month to travel to the land of Emos, sneak into their homeland, find the citadel and destroy it. In one month's time, the combined armies begin an all-out offensive. This offensive will act as a diversion and give us a chance to attack the citadel." She paused to look at the soldiers. "Any questions?"
Major Westfield spoke up. "Yes sir, if keeping knowledge of your participation on this mission is important, how will you explain to the people of your disappearance?"
Sara smiled. This soldier had a good tactical mind, thinking ahead of possible outcomes. "We will slip out during the night, so no one will see us. If they do, they will only see soldiers heading into the woods. The next morning, a member of my personal staff, who looks very much like me, will ride to Athos in my carriage, posing as me. Once there, she will stay in the castle so that people will only see her from afar. It will be assumed that it is me. The ruse should work long enough for us to complete this mission. Any more questions?"
She was greeted with silence. She then turned and giving a small nod to the general, she returned back to her chair.
Topher stepped forward. "Since this is a multi-country mission, we cannot very well go marching through the woods in different uniforms. Tomorrow you are to report to Colonel Holms for a new uniform as well as training. This uniform will not bear any country marking, just your rank. General Allison's uniform will bear the rank of Commander. Any questions?"
After a moment of silence, he said, "Very well. We have a lot to do and a very short time to get ready. Pack to travel fast and light." He pause a moment. He then turned and to his colonel and said, "Colonel Holms."
Colonel Holms stepped forward and barked out, "Listen up soldiers. Report here at seventh bell tomorrow morning to begin training. Private Corval, be outside my tent at fifth bell for your magic lessons." He paused long enough to see that each soldier understood, and then he said "Dismissed!"
The soldiers piled out of the room quietly with only a couple of people saying anything at all.
After all the soldiers had left the room, leaving just Sara and Topher, she said "She's not your ordinary private, is she?"
A smile crossed Topher's face. "No she is not. I am very impressed. When this mission is over, I am going to have her moved to my command. She has a lot of potential and I think she will make a great leader someday. Even patrolling these woods, I have not run into that many Wood-folk. I wonder if they are all made of the same stuff."
"I do not know." Her tone turned more somber. "What do you think our odds of success are for this mission?"
Topher took a moment to think. "Well, if this Captain Walch does know of a way into Emos then we might just stand a chance. I do not know anyone who knows that land. It is too far north for anyone in Carriland to be familiar with it."
"Let us hope he is all that King Kolker has promised us."
"I do not trust General Allison. He is King Childs' right hand man."
"I do not trust him either, but I could not very well say no when King Childs offered him. This mission affects Delland as much as it affects us."
"Still, I am going to have someone assigned to shadow him, keeping an eye on him at all times."
"I hate to waste the man power, but I have to agree. King Childs is up to something." Sara stood up and said, "Good night General."
"Good night my Queen."
She walked out of the hall, leaving the general alone with his thoughts.
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