Chapter 17

Jack leaned back in his office chair while the tahtel curled up in his lap. Sitting across from him was Colonel Michel Konambaye, on the ground commander of the U.N. Mission to the Twilight Lands. Sitting next to him and crowding everyone in the room was the resort’s head of security, Avi Cena, troll and film noir aficionado. The beaten fedora looked much too small for his head.

“Thank you for your patience, Colonel,” Jack said. “Please begin.”

“At dusk this evening, about 18:45, a white pickup truck was observed approaching Checkpoint Alpha. As the vehicle drew near, it slowed. We observed three individuals slip out of the rear and disappear into the brush. The vehicle stopped at the checkpoint and produced the proper papers for a private courier delivery. We did a full scan of the vehicle, searching the truck bed and the undercarriage. We found nothing amiss.

“At the midpoint between Alpha and Beta, the vehicle was stopped by a mixed platoon of magic folk and our liaison officer. The orc officer declared an unusual smell was emanating from under the hood. When the driver was ordered to shut down the engine, the man proceeded to gun the engine while shoving the vehicle into gear. One of the soldiers used one of those big magic staves, shoving it into the front right wheel well, blowing the tire clear off the truck, disabling it.

“Someone declared “gun” and more staves were coming to bear when the truck exploded. Several soldiers were killed instantly, and the rest were injured, including our liaison officer. The border locked down instantly from both checkpoints.

“However, I am reporting we have not located the three individuals seen slipping out of the truck bed. Obviously, we have patrols sweeping the area and I am confident we will apprehend the individuals. Nonetheless, I am requesting that you implement the next level of security for your facility.”

“Do we know anything about the driver?” Jack asked.

“We think he is Pakistani or Indian descent,” the colonel said. “We are reviewing the Alpha Checkpoint recording presently for more information. The manifest originates out of the U.A.E., which tells us nothing out of the ordinary; a goodly amount of the manifest coming through the border originate from the gulf states.”

“What are the chances the three individuals made it across the border?” Avi asked.

“They had at least a half hour to gain entry,” the colonel said. “We were aware of them, and we are already moving to apprehend them.”

Avi nodded, scratching his chin. “What is the likelihood that the truck bomb was a diversion, and the three individuals are intending to be the primary threat?”

“We are following up on all possibilities at this point,” the colonel said.

Avi snorted, which was loud enough to make everyone else jump. There was nothing small about trolls, including their opinions. “There are plenty of spaces with hidey holes for them to go to ground. If you didn’t find them, then they are out there, and you bunch of mooks ain’t gonna find them. I’m gonna need to wrestle up a couple of possess to canvass this side of the border. Maybe we can acquire some kishi hunters for a few days to track their scent.”

“Kishi?” the colonel asked.

“Ugly-ass hyenas,” Avi said. “The savanna orc tribes raise ducks to hunt them down.”

“Ducks can kill hyenas?” the colonel asked with incredulity in his voice.

“Spitting poison with razor teeth and eight-fingers long claws,” Avi said, “Yes, they do the job nicely.”

“This place is insane,” the colonel said. “That’s an unofficial opinion.”

“They taste pretty good with a roasted chestnut sauce over greens,” the troll said. “They could be a lucrative export if you humans could learn to manage them.”

The colonel looked at Jack and Jack just shook his head. “Sorry, Avi, no takers tonight. Let’s get our patrols out circling the property. Inform Soren you will need unicorns on long leads; I’ll sign off on it. Go ahead and arrange for the kishi and get them over to the border ASAP.”

“They cost a pretty penny,” Avi said.

“Losing a guest or an employee to a shooter would cost all of us dearly,” Jack said. “The entire Compact could come crashing down around our ears, Avi. Let’s err on the side of caution.”

“You’re the boss,” Avi said, rising from his seat. The cushion looked like it was done for, and the arms of the chair were slightly askew. “Sorry, boss.”

When the troll shut the door after leaving, Jack turned back to the colonel, “How likely are these men the terrorists that the sheik sent for revenge?”

“That’s the working theory,” the colonel said. “They are battle trained more than likely. They were smooth and were only tripped up by the magic.”

“We can hope that the Twilight Lands kill or maim them before they get this far,” Jack said. “I don’t want to put any energy into hope or luck, though. We have a dragon in the resort for the next day or so, but I have no idea what a dragon does against an AK47 or something like that.”

“I agree with that sentiment, and we do train for this scenario,” the colonel said. “Anyway, since I am here, is there any chance I can score some twee-honey?”

“I saw a fresh pot in the kitchen this afternoon,” Jack said, stroking his chin. “What do you have to trade?”

“I got a 25-kilo bag of raw peanuts in the shell on my horse,” the colonel said. “I’m told the local tavern has taken a liking to them.”

“Yes, we can do a trade,” Jack said. “The lounge goes through vats of peanuts at the bar even though the guests are not big consumers. I can’t even blame the hobbits for the disappearing inventory because they are not allowed in the room until the guests leave. Still, we are going through cases of nuts, and I know the other suspects.

“I can move your sack of peanuts; you have done your homework. Let’s go to the kitchen, but you will have to leave your firearm with the front desk. However, if you have a big, frickin’ knife, you need to strap that fucker on your hip for everybody to see.”

“Ah, the women like the size of my knife?” the colonel said as they left the office.

“Nah,” Jack said. “The chef does, and he likes to fuck cows. He is also a homicidal maniac and goes ga-ga over any human implement of destruction. Should you have such a knife, your presentation on your person will buy us time in the kitchen before he goes on the attack. Let’s go get your sack.”