Chapter 34

For the second day in a row since the incident with Tarras, Q'yros avoided contact with the Emperor. He did not need any distractions from "that oaf on the throne" as he now thought of the man. Even when Z'haas sent a message demanding an audience to learn the state of security of the Imperium, Q'yros responded by parchment.

The Mage had no further patience for the Emperor. His focus was to protect the Imperium, but not necessarily protect the man himself. He felt little remaining loyalty to Z'haas, but he had been entrusted with an important task, and he intended to see that through to the end.

And then there was his obsession with catching Janna in an act of sabotage or espionage.

The shimmering image of Rithas V'honna stood regally before Q'yros in the Mage's chamber, arms folded over his massive chest, narrowed eyes looking down on the Mage from a haggard and cold face. The man towered over Q'yros' form, but the Mage hardly noticed, raising himself to his full height and casting his own hard look back.

"I must say, Q'yros, I have some doubts of the wisdom of deploying my troops in the lands surrounding the palace," said Rithas in a dismissive tone. "It was intended that these two legions form part of the southern spearhead into Colosian territory."

The Mage warned himself to remain calm. Rithas was filled with ego and self-assurance. It took patience to deal with the man. "I am well aware of this, as you have mentioned it numerous times. But the fact remains that this is how the Emperor wishes his forces to be deployed."

Yes, and let's make sure he knows exactly who is truly in charge of these troops of "his", Q'yros thought. He felt bitter that he defended a man in whom he had no faith.

Rithas raised an eyebrow. "Be that as it may, it has been rather difficult keeping the men convinced that we are to head off into battle as a second front. We..."

Q'yros frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

A supercilious smile spread across Rithas' face, as if he relished the fact that he knew something that Q'yros did not. It still grated on him that he had to take marching orders from a Mage. "It was Emperor Z'haas' idea, to keep the Urisi contingents in line. Though their regiment commanders are still grumbling about not being part of the lead force, so I am not sure how effective the ruse is."

Q'yros considered for a moment.

"Really, Q'yros, is there a reason for us being held back? Personally, I agree with the Urisi. We should move out and join the main force. They are only five days out. We could..."

"General, there is a reason for you being held back, a very good reason," the Mage interrupted loudly. "The palace will likely be threatened with attack shortly. Perhaps in less than a quarter moon."

A speculative look came over Rithas' face. "I find that hard to believe."

"Nevertheless, you will believe it. And you will make the Urisi believe it as well."

"Oh? I am to tell them that there is a rebellion they need to help quash for the Emperor?"

Q'yros shook his head. "No. You will tell them that we have learned that the Colosians have managed to slip a contingent of troops across our border in a desperate attempt to catch the Imperium off-guard."

Rithas frowned. "Are you serious?"

"Serious about the idea of Colos attacking us? No. Serious that I want you to tell them this, yes."

"Are you saying there is a valid threat to the Imperium?"

Q'yros took another deep breath and forced himself to remain patient, though there was a growing edge to his voice. "Yes, Rithas, that is what I have been saying all along."

Rithas gave a single bark of derisive laughter. "And what am I to tell them when they see the approaching army flying the colors of a Noble Lord?"

"I have faith you will think of something. Perhaps it is simply a ruse to sow confusion in the ranks, that sort of thing."

Rithas smirked, setting the Mage's teeth on edge. "You are the purveyor of magic here, not me," he said with another laugh. "All right. I will keep the Urisi in line as much as possible and in the dark concerning the real situation. May I at least have some intelligence as to the forces I will be facing?"

"I do not have that information yet, General. I should soon from the Imperial patrols."

"The ones you are commanding, Q'yros?"

The disdain in Rithas' voice made Q'yros gaze turn icy. "Do not concern yourself with that, General. I have it well in hand."

"Do you? I am unaware of your past military experience. Do enlighten me, please."

Q'yros could tell this was someone hand-picked for the job by Z'haas. He shared a lot of the same infuriating qualities as the Emperor. It was clear that V'honna was hoping to become Z'honna in the future.

"It is simply a matter of being more clever than the enemy," Q'yros explained with forced calm. "For example, I modified the patrol schedules yesterday. They should be using the new ones today."

Rithas raised an eyebrow. "Again?"

"Yes, again! I thought this would meet with your approval." Not that I need it, you stupid oaf, Q'yros added in his head.

The General considered. "Well, varying your patrols is indeed a valid strategy. But soldiers are creatures of habit, Q'yros. They do better with things that are repetitious. It is hard to have them change so often. Expect some mistakes and gaps."

"I will leave it to their commanders to prevent such things."

Rithas shrugged. "Very well. Please inform me if you have any further news on our potential enemy. Or better, send a Mage to cast some illusions that the enemy is a horde of rabid Colosian peasants."

He laughed heartily at his own joke as Q'yros made a vicious slashing motion with his hand and terminated the Farview.

Q'yros now he needed to deal with one last thing. The remaining ten Lords at the Palace had to be cleared out. He knew Z'haas would not tolerate them remaining until dusk.

Which meant that he had one last chance to catch Janna in the act.

The first full day of the march had been productive. Not only had the patrol schedules been true and allowed them unmolested and undetected passage, the weather had been very good, and they had covered more ground than they had expected.

Now the second day dawned bright and clear, and it appeared they would gain more ground. If this continued, Yollon could shave a complete day off his original estimate and get to the Imperium in four days instead of five.

His army had just begun the day's march, the column of men like a giant snake twisting down the path into the valley, when Yollon received the Farview summons.

Yollon did not slow his pace. He continued to guide his horse as he blazed the trail before his army. He turned his head to the side before he said, "Accept summons."

An image appeared to his right, out of the horse's vision. "General Yollon! This is Scout Patrol Two! Imperial patrol sighted!"

Yollon frowned. "Where?"

"We spotted them at the hilltop outside the town of Hellas. Moving west by northwest down the Hellas trade road that crosses Kennen field."

"Were your men detected?"

"No, General. We had sufficient cover on the hilltop and waited until they were out of sight of us before pulling back. Your orders?"

Yollon paused in thought, but not for long. "Stand by, Scout Leader, remain where you are unless you're out-flanked. You are not to let them spot you under any circumstances."

"Yes, General!"

Yollon gave a curt nod as the Farview faded. He called out for his adjunct.

Donlas spurred his horse and came alongside the General. "Yes?"

"Scout Patrol Two encountered Imperials. Hellas road towards Kennen Field."

Donlas' jaw dropped. "What? But... that doesn't make sense!"

"Is that a significant deviation from the patrol schedule?"

"That's an understatement, General."

Yollon nodded once. "Which means the schedule has been changed."

"Hellfire... are you going to stop the march?"

"Get a report from the flanks at the end of the valley," Yollon ordered. "If they give the all-clear, we continue at least through the valley and out the other end. I don't want to waste a day's march if we don't have to."

"Yes, General. But if the schedule has changed, we can't go very far before we are eventually discovered. Not without knowing the new schedule."

"Understood. I will contact Lord Duric at once."

"We will need to vacate the palace today, Tarras," said Lord Uras as he walked with his fellow Lord down the corridor leading away from the cafe.

"Yes, it is surprising to me how many of our lot have hung around this long, especially when there was the initial mass exodus," Tarras commented lightly.

"I have to admit..." Uras paused as they passed yet another guard. He lowered his voice when he spoke again. "... I am getting antsy myself to get out of here. I do not care for being so scrutinized in this manner."

"And it is best we are not here anyway for other reasons."

"Hrm, yes. I hope that is well in hand."

"I certainly hope so as well. Though you must not stray too far from the palace."

Uras waved a hand in annoyance. "Yes, yes, you have no need to tell me that! I will have my entourage make camp half a day's travel from the palace, and I have arranged for a merchant to deliver us a few days' supplies. I will be ready when needed to occupy the throne temporarily."

"My apologies, Lord Uras. I simply want to make sure everything is covered."

Uras nodded. He grinned. "On a far more pleasant note... where is the fair maiden that is your right hand these days, hmm?"

Tarras smiled. "Do not let her hear you call her a fair maiden, Uras."

Uras laughed. "Why do you think I mention it now when she is not here?"

Tarras chuckled. "She left the meal early. She said she was being Farviewed."

Uras' good humor quickly evaporated. "It had better not be bad news!"

Tarras stopped walking as he looked down the corridor ahead of him. "Unfortunately, I believe we are to find out that this is not the case."

Uras frowned as he spotted Janna running towards them. She came to a stop before them, panting. "I have to talk to you, now," she said. She glanced at the guards. "In private."

Tarras nodded and quickly shepherded the three of them to his room. As soon as he closed the door behind them, Janna started talking furiously.

"Duric told me that his army encountered a patrol. His general thinks the patrol schedule was changed."

"Hellfire," Uras muttered and went looking for the liquor.

Tarras sighed. "Perhaps, then, our ruse was not completely successful. Is Duric's army now stuck?"

"He said they can march today but they need an updated schedule to avoid them tomorrow."

"How far out from the Palace is his army, Janna?"

"Four days. Tarras, he wants me to see if I can get the new schedule for him."

"Absolutely not!" Uras declared as he lifted a goblet to his lips. He paused to take a long drink. "It was close enough of a call the first time!"

"And what is Duric supposed to do?" Janna demanded hotly. "Just let his army founder? Or alert the Emperor too early?"

"The Emperor will learn of the impending attack eventually, Janna," said Tarras.

"I know that, but every day we delay that means that much more advantage to Duric, doesn't it? You told me there are multiple directions from which someone could approach the palace. Being able to hide what direction you're coming from means they have to spread their defenses out in a perimeter, like I saw on that map."

Tarras nodded slowly. "Indeed, true. But what it comes down to, Janna, is this: do you want to go through with it again?"

"Yes, I do. Duric is depending on me. We came this far. I can't just abandon him."

Uras frowned deeply. Tarras stepped up to Janna and put his hands on her shoulders. He gazed into her eyes and saw determination there, the kind that had attracted him in the first place. He also saw fear. Not a debilitating panic, but a healthy fear, the kind that tends to keep one alive.

"Janna, if you truly feel the need to do this," he said, his voice edged with concern, his eyes betraying his own fears. "Then you should do it."

"You are both insane!" Uras cried, throwing up his free hand and causing a few drops of brandy to splash out of his goblet. "How are you going to pull it off a second time? Simulate another attack on your person?"

Tarras shook his head. "No, we need a bigger distraction than that."

Uras made a face. "Well, I wager firing a cannon in the cafe might do the trick, but you can see the obvious flaws in that plan," he said in a mocking voice.

"Lord Uras, really, we don't need this sort of thing."

"I am simply trying to convince you of your folly! How are you going to pull the guards away from the tower this time around?"

Tarras looked thoughtful for a few long moments. He folded his hands behind him and strolled around the room. Finally he turned towards the others. "We give Z'haas a small taste of his worst nightmare."

Janna's eyes widened and exchanged a look with Uras. "I beg your pardon?" said Uras.

"Lord Uras, how many Lords are remaining?"

"Including us? Ten. Why?"

"How would you think Z'haas would react if nine Lords suddenly descended upon his throne room loudly demanding an audience?"

Uras nearly choked on his brandy. "You truly are insane! He would likely think it was a palace revolt!"

"Yes, and that would bring every guard running, wouldn't it?"

"And risk our necks in the process!"

"Then I suppose you need to ask yourself, Lord Uras: how important is it to you to get Z'haas off the throne? How important is it to the other Lords? Or have you forgotten my words at the Caucus about whose blood might spill?"

Janna kept looking between Tarras and Uras. She was not sure she wanted the other Lords involved. She did not want to risk anyone else's life, but she was out of options herself. Without someone to draw away the guards, she did not have a chance of pulling it off a second time.

Uras glowered, took a long drink of his brandy, and then gave a windy sigh. "Very well. I will summon the other Lords."

"I would suggest this," began Tarras. "Talk privately to each Lord first and appraise him of the situation. Then be obvious about your intentions in the halls. Let the guards see and hear that something is up."

"I better get into position, then," said Janna. She tried not to let her anxiety show. "I just hope no one spots me going along the side of the palace in broad daylight."

Uras managed a smile. "My dear, I can only hope that if someone did see you, they would be so astonished by your nudity, or so taken with your beauty, that they will not be able to act."

Janna blushed, giving Lord Uras a small smile.

"My Lord, he has gathered several of the Noble Lords now and is continuing to rouse the remaining ones. I think they may be planning to head for the throne room."

Q'yros had already heard of a ruckus among the Lords and was rushing as fast as his aged frame could go. He was panting lightly and his joints screamed. "Have you informed the Emperor of this yet?"

"No, my Lord, I was to do that after I have finished informing you."

"Belay that. Do not inform him under any..."

"I am sorry, my Lord, but Emperor Z'haas gave me explicit orders himself that he is to be notified of any possible hostile movements by the Noble Lords."

"When did he tell you this?"

"Yesterday, my Lord."

Q'yros grumbled a curse. Already the Emperor was starting to go over his head. "Very well. But give me a few moments to get to my spell room. And send a contingent of guards to that location as well!"

"My Lord, I'd prefer to have every available man to..."

"Blast that! I need some men! That's an order!"

"Yes, my Lord, at once!"

Q'yros cut the Farview as he began panting in earnest. He walked with a slight limp, his gout having acted up again that morning. He was almost drained of magical power. He would be bedridden if he kept this up for much longer. But if his suspicions were correct, he would have plenty of time to rest after that morning.

The Mage entered the room and closed the door with a thunderous slam. He waved his staff over the broken table. "Show me! Where is Lady Janna?"

The image shimmered to life, but it was even dimmer, and some of the edges were fuzzy and indistinct. The dot appeared in the gardens and wavered.

Q'yros gritted his teeth and held out a shaking hand, trying to channel more power to it. The image became a little more solid, the dot steady. And as before, it was not moving. It remained rock-still.

The Mage thumped his staff once and the image dissipated. He headed out of the chamber just as two guards marched down the corridor towards him. "So, two whole guards? Could he spare it, I wonder?" Q'yros said sourly. He sighed and shook his head. "No matter. Follow me."

Janna did not bother with stealth. As bright as the day was, she simply moved as fast as she could along the south side of the palace. She reached the portico in what seemed a rather short time to her. Everything looked different during the day. It almost seemed pleasant.

She was about to pull herself up when she heard footsteps. She waited. Despite the chill of the morning, the sun felt warm on her naked body. She had to squint in the bright daylight.

She heard the footsteps retreat and fade. She pulled herself up, vaulted the railing, and dashed behind the central column. When she heard no sound for some time, she crept out from behind it and stepped up to the right side of the entrance. She leaned forward and peeked out enough just far enough to confirm that a guard was still posted at the entrance to the tower.

Janna quickly returned to the column and waited.

Q'yros calmly stood at the end of the path with his hands folded over the end of the staff as the two guards waded into the foliage. Finally, one of them looked down. He bent over briefly and came up with a woman's dress. The other guard stepped over to him and reached down as well. When he straightened up, he held a petticoat.

Both guards, appearing a bit bewildered, turned to Q'yros.

The Mage nodded. "As I thought. Bring them here."

Oh, so clever of you, my dear Janna, Q'yros thought. So very clever.

As the two guards picked their way through the bushes, Q'yros heard the jingle of armor. He turned his head in time to see one of Z'haas' personal guards approach.

"What is it now?" the Mage demanded.

The Imperial guard came to a stop. "My Lord, you would not answer a Farview..."

"I was busy."

"The Emperor wishes you in his presence at once."

"It will wait. I do not have time for..."

"I am sorry, my Lord, he insists on it. He is being besieged in his inner sanctum and demands protection." He gestured to the other two guards as they stepped onto the path. "I am to take these two to join the others. He is summoning all the palace guards to his side."

The Mage snorted as he took the pieces of clothing from the guards. "A group of aging Noble Lords with soft bellies and no weapons is hardly going to be besieging anyone! And I need these guards!"

"I am sorry, my Lord, but the Emperor commands and we must obey."

Q'yros narrowed his eyes. "Wait a moment. He is summoning all the guards? Even the ones guarding the towers?!"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Argh!!" Q'yros growled. He thrust out his hand and gave the Imperial guard a magical push that sent him sprawling. The Mage stormed away.

"Wait, my Lord! The Emperor! He summons you as well to... !"

But Q'yros ignored him, and was soon gone.

Lord Uras came to a stop and held out an arm to signal the other Lords to halt as well. Before him, the passage to the throne room was barred by a line of guards.

Commander Gruth stepped forward. "You are to go no further, my Lord."

Uras stepped forward as well. Guards on either side of Gruth placed their hands on the hilt of their swords. The Noble Lord ignored them. "You will stand aside, Commander," Uras said calmly. "We have business with the Emperor."

"I am sorry, my Lord. No one is to see the Emperor. This is by his command."

"The voice of the Nobility will be heard!" Uras declared, which was met with a round of supporting calls from the Lords gathered behind him. "The Emperor cannot ignore us!"