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  Larc poured himself a drink. “They’re throwing everything they have into this offensive. They have three main army divisions. One is moving on Melbin as you would expect. Another heading for Southland, but I believe that the General’s troops will arrive in time to meet it. The third group is swinging west above the Great Sordoan Desert. They believe this group to be their secret weapon. It is going to march west until it hits the sea. Then it will turn north and attack Dalek.”

  Prince Oscar gulped his drink and poured himself another one. “I was afraid they might think of something like that. The destruction of Dalek could well destroy me. How many men in each division?”

  “About five thousand each,” answered Larc. “It looks like Melbin will be first. They will use their navy in combination with the infantry to secure it. They hope to lure the forces from Southland eastward in a Targan attempt to retake Melbin. If that succeeds, they will take Southland with the second division. If we don’t take the bait, they may join the second and third divisions together to take Southland. This part of the information is a little suspect. I don’t think they have made a final determination on that yet.”

  “Your intelligence is informing, Larc,” interrupted Colonel Gregor, “but how good is it? Where are you getting this information from?”

  Larc looked at Oscar and shook his head. “Sorry, Colonel. I will not reveal my sources. Do not take this as having any bearing on your integrity. I have a working arrangement with my sources. I never divulge where the information is going and I never tell where it came from. You asked me to set up the Spiders as a secret organization. I have done just that. Most Spiders wouldn’t know another Spider if he bumped into him in the street. I even have Spiders spying on other Spiders whom they don’t know are part of the organization. As far as the accuracy of the information, Colonel, it is accurate. You are now better informed of the Sordoan strategy then the fifteen thousand Sordoans who will be implementing it.”

  “I am impressed, Larc,” commented the Colonel. “I understand your secrecy and applaud it. What do you think the Sordoans would do if we sent all of Clark’s men against Southland?”

  “I’m not a military strategist, Colonel, and I don’t have knowledge of any scenarios that the Sordoans have thought of in that regard, but if I were them and detected you pulling that maneuver, I would attack Danver Shores.”

  “You may not be such a bad strategist after all, Larc. That would certainly spoil my party. What of the Cordonians and the Northlands?”

  “Well, Colonel, we have not detected any troop movements from the Cordonians. Our sources in Cordonia are not quite as good as Sordoa. Their General Fernandez appears to be very adept at detecting our agents.”

  “You haven’t lost men, have you, Larc?” asked Oscar. “Do you think we may have a leak?”

  “Oh, I’ve lost men, Oscar. This is not a low stakes game. We’re not losing men because of leaks, though. I’m been very careful to place agents independently of other agents. The only person who could leak that much information about the Spiders, is me. I just think that Fernandez has been playing this game for a long time and he is very good at it.”

  “Larc,” asked Colonel Gregor, “what of the Black Devils? Did you have any success in tracking down the wagons?”

  “Some. I informed Jenneva and Egam and they’re checking it out. Most of the wagons were made in Tor, up in the Boulders. The rest of the wagons were stolen. The shop that made the wagons said he was contracted to do the job over a year ago, so Mordac has been planning this for some time. The craftsman said that he only saw the buyer once and can’t really remember anything distinctive about him. Each month a different person would come and pay for the wagons that were built, and take them away. He didn’t know where they were taken.”

  “How about Lanoir?”

  “They seem to be keeping out of things. They have men on the Sordoan border, but no more than usual. They could be taking this opportunity to strike out at Sordoa because there are no Sordoan soldiers in the south. They’re all committed to the attack on us.”

  “Anything further, Colonel?” asked Oscar. The Colonel shook his head and Oscar continued. “Larc, I have something I need you to do. I have a package that I want delivered to Trekum. I want to store it away from prying eyes, but close to the Palace. I also want a contact in Trekum that I can give to Alex.”

  “No problem, Oscar. Continental Shipping has a warehouse in Trekum not two blocks from the Palace. As far as a contact, I’ll arrange for one to be present at the warehouse waiting for Alex.”

  “Great, Larc. Alex will be there . . . ”, started Oscar.

  “Oscar,” interrupted Larc, “I don’t want to know. The contact will wait for him whether it’s next week or next year. The contact will be there. If I tell my contact when to expect him, someone may find out. Let’s not take that chance. As far as the package to be delivered, get it to Dalek. Marchek Shipping can pick it up and send it overland from Marchek. If you think that may take too long, arrange to ship it to Grakus. Continental can arrange to have it shipped from Grakus to Trekum.”

  “Is it possible to get a small band of armed men to go with it either of those ways? Perhaps as caravan guards,” asked Colonel Gregor.

  “No,” responded Larc. “Caravan guards had to register with the government over a month ago. Any new guards would be extremely suspect. Armed men found anywhere in the country would be pressed into service, if they were not executed on sight. Even cargo boxes are routinely opened and searched, not to mention that whoever was in them would suffocate. Sordoa is mostly desert and in case you haven’t noticed, Colonel, it’s summer. You are not going to get a band of armed men into Sordoa unless you march them through the Sordoan infantry south of here.”

  “Okay,” Oscar said, “let’s meet here again in two days, unless something urgent comes up. Larc, the package I spoke of will be going to Dalek today. It will be on the first ship to Marchek, which I believe will be this afternoon, if they’re on schedule. Larc, why don’t you slip out first. I see no reason that the Colonel and I cannot be seen in public. He is, after all, responsible for my family’s protection now.”

  “Your will, my Prince,” smiled Larc as he disappeared through the door.

  Oscar and Colonel Gregor returned to the war room. There was a great deal of activity in the room and the Colonel knew something major had happened. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “Colonel, Prince,” greeted General Clark, “Melbin has fallen. They were attacked by land and sea. As best we can tell, there are no survivors.”

  “Your plans, General?” asked Prince Oscar.

  “Well, they seem to be consolidating at Melbin and not charging northward. That, in itself, makes me suspicious. They could easily move on to Danver Shores and probably take it just as easy as Melbin. That indicates to me that they have some knowledge of our troop displacement. If they went for Danver Shores, I would have them in a pincer movement with my troops out of Southland. So they know we have a large number of troops at Southland.”

  The General turned to the wall map and lifted a pointer. “There are two things they can be planning. One is to fortify Melbin and leapfrog over Danver Shores directly to Tagaret. The other is to hope to draw our Southland forces eastward so another Sordoan group can take Southland and leave our troops in the middle.”

  Oscar was impressed with the General’s keen mind for strategy. He informed the General of the information he had picked up.

  The General studied the map for a while before speaking. “Not bad on their part. That third group could really cause us a problem. They must have left the entire country south of Lorgo undefended. Sergeant, get this out right away. I want every soldier in the central valley to head for Southland, everything from Kild to Cleb. Another message for Balfour and Cortland to move out immediately to Dalek.”

  The Sergeant left and the General continued to ponder the map. “We thought the big move would be on Tagaret. We were wrong; it’s D
alek they want. They want a seaport on the Targa Sea.”

  Oscar joined the General at the map and stared at the city he had built. “How are you going to stop them, General?”

  “Pretty simple, really,” responded the General. “I’m going to let them have Danver Shores if they want it. I’m going to give them Southland as well, though not without a fight. We’ll allow them to push us out of the city.”

  Oscar was confused. “You are going to beat them by giving them their objectives?”

  “No,” lectured the General. “Those are not their objectives. They want us to think they are, but Dalek is their only objective. Once they control Dalek, they will sue for peace. If they marched directly on Dalek in the beginning, we would have easily crushed them because they would have bypassed the desert and we would see what they are doing. So they fooled us. They led us to believe it was an all out war so we would protect what was most important to us, while they capture what is most important to them. We are not going to give them what they want, though.”

  The General cleared off the table. “Here’s what we are going to do. The Red Swords will remain in Tagaret until the Sordoan Navy is defeated, so we don’t inadvertently give away the hen while they’re trying to get their egg. The three thousand men in Southland will put up a good defense, good enough to cause their third division to pause on the march west. If we get that third division to engage, their cause is lost. Let’s assume that we don’t. Our men in Southland will unexpectedly pull out to the northwest towards Cleb. By the time they get to Cleb, there will be another three thousand men from the central valleys.”

  General Clark started using mugs as the different army groups and moved them around the table. “Our fifteen hundred men from the west coast will join the five hundred from Dalek. Meanwhile the three thousand men from Danver Shores will move west to attack Southland from the East, here. Now, these forces in Cleb will sweep southwest to engage their third division. At the same time, these two thousand men from Dalek will sweep eastward. Their five thousand-man army will be wedged between eight thousand men. The five thousand they have in Southland will not move for fear of being attacked from the rear by the Danver Shores group.”

  The General paused to allow his brilliant plan to sink in. King Byron finally asked, “Why give them Southland in the first place?”

  The General was pleased. It was a good question and one he had asked himself. “Your Highness, they don’t want Southland. If we forbid them to have it by the might of our Army, they will join the third division and sweep into Dalek. We won’t be able to stop them. On the other hand, even though they don’t want it, once they possess Southland they will be reticent to give it up, until it’s too late.”

  Oscar liked this game. It was a bit like outfoxing your business opponent. “Okay, General, what if the first division in Melbin decides to head westward to attack our Danver Shores group. Won’t our men then be caught in a vise?”

  General Clark warmed to the question. “Yes, indeed, Prince Oscar. That is where our Red Swords come in. Should the Sordoans abandon Melbin, the Red Swords will move in behind them. The Danver Shores group can split their attention between the two groups because it will not take much to keep the Southland garrison from moving out. The Colonel will attest that the worst place in the world to have four thousand Red Swords is behind you.” The General laughed heartily.

  “The one potential problem,” stated the General, “is if our naval attack fails. If the Sordoan Navy can reach Tagaret and pin down the Red Swords, we could have serious problems. Admiral Hill, that task is yours and I wish you well with it.”

  “General Clark,” Admiral Hill began, “the Royal Navy of Targa will soon be ready. I am confident that our plan will wreak havoc upon the Sordoans. I have made a slight alteration in the plan since we last spoke. I am going to forego the Red Swords on the small ships and leave them in Tagaret with the rest of their men. I will, instead, be taking the Rangers under Lieutenant David Jaynes. It will be half the number of men and allow the small ships to move even faster.”

  “And what of Captain Tork?” asked General Clark.

  Colonel Gregor cleared his throat. “General, Alexander Tork and ten of his Rangers are going to attack Trekum, the capital of Sordoa.”

  General Clark stared at the Colonel as if he had lost his mind. “You can’t be serious?”

  “Well, actually, he may have the help of the rest of his Rangers if they return from their cruise with Admiral Hill, but, yes, General, I’m serious. He is already on his way.”

  “Well, may the gods be with him,” remarked General Clark. “He is going to need their help.”

  John Secor waited to speak with the Sultan Awa’ri. He had been waiting for days and spent his time painting. The Palace guards were very polite to him and allowed him to paint anything he wanted. They actually enjoyed watching him work and tried to buy his paintings, but John told them they were for his personal remembrance of the trip. The Sultan was obviously putting him off, but John did not mind. It was quite pleasant in the Palace. The breeze from the Sordoa Sea regularly swept through the open Palace and cooled the heat of the hot summer sun. Beautiful women continually served refreshments. John could see their beauty even though light veils hid their faces.

  John had been given a room in the Palace for his use during the stay and he rose before sunrise and painted until sunset. He periodically took his paintings to the shipping depot to have them sent home. Today he was painting the garden in the far southeastern corner of the Palace. It was a beautiful location and John loved working in the fragrant, lush flowerbed. John had the flower garden completed within a half hour and went to find another site for a picture he desired to paint.

  Admiral Raymond Hill stood on the deck of the Cutlass watching his small, hastily converted fleet leave Tagaret Harbor. Seven galleons and six of Oscar’s small frigates had been appropriated from the merchant fleets of Targa and were heading out to do battle with the large Sordoan fleet. Fifty Ranger archers accompanied each of the frigates and each galleon had a company of one hundred Red Swords.

  The forty galleons of the Sordoan fleet were gathered around Melbin, ready to repulse a Targan attack on the Sordoan held city. Admiral Hill’s plan called for separating the Sordoan fleet into smaller groups that could be attacked without the enormous odds of engaging the whole fleet. The six Ranger frigates struck off on a southeasterly course heading for the safety of the Pebble Islands, while the seven galleons lumbered along southward.

  The scout galloped through the southern gate of the fort. He rode up to the Commander’s Office and dismounted. A Corporal led his horse away as he entered the office. “Sir, they are about five miles south. They should be here mid-morning.” He turned and left to catch some sleep. Tomorrow the battle of Southland would begin.

  The Sordoans were pulling their siege machines forward when the cavalry attack hit them. Since sunrise the Targans had hit them with harassing raids all along the line. The mounted soldiers charged the line tangentially and hurled jars of Fire Glue at the siege machines then quickly retreated. Several of the catapults burst into flames, but they could be replaced. It would cost the Sordoans only a little more time.

  The Sordoan plan had been to encircle the fortress as had been done in Melbin, but every time the flanks moved to the east or west, the Targans launched an attack at the center. The Sordoan flanks were pulled towards the center to repel the attack and the Targans retreated. The Sordoans would chase the retreating men until the Targan catapults and arrows started flying towards them, then they would pull back and reform their line.

  The city of Southland had been evacuated and the fortress was well stocked. The stores would be torched when the Targans left. Reports indicated that the third Sordoan division had stalled and was awaiting an indication of the battle results from Southland. Every day’s delay brought the northern Targa forces closer to the battlefield. The Targans continued to toy with the superior Sordoan army until the day arriv
ed when they were to leave.

  The first of the Targan galleons sailed southward just east of the Sordoan fleet at Melbin. It made as if it were going to continue south into Sordoan waters until four Sordoan warships broke off from their main fleet and sailed eastward to intercept the lone Targan vessel. The Targan galleon turned eastward, attempting to outrun the Sordoan ships. The remaining Targan galleons were still over the horizon waiting their turn to run the gauntlet.

  The Targan galleon led the four enemy ships into the night and the next morning showed the Sordoan vessels gaining slightly. Off to port of the Targan galleon was the northernmost island of the Pebble Islands. The Targan galleon headed for the strait between the two northernmost islands where the small Sordoan fleet was scheduled to meet its fate. The six Targan frigates were sheltered in coves of the Pebble Islands awaiting the coming confrontation.

  As the last of the four Sordoan galleons cleared the strait, the six Targan frigates commenced their attack. Sweeping in, three to a side, the small, fast frigates darted among the large galleons unleashing their deadly loads of Fire Glue. As the Sordoan Galleons burned, the Targan galleon turned northward to take its place at the end of the queue of Targan galleons north of Melbin. The Targan galleons would continue taking turns at leading the Sordoan vessels to the Pebble Islands until the Sordoans forced a change in the game plan. Already, another Targan galleon was leading four more Sordoans towards the Pebble islands.

  The Marchek Shipping Company frigate entered the mouth of the Pia River in Lanoir. Alex and ten Rangers, including Lieutenant Mitar Vidson, lay on the deck sleeping. The ship continued up the Pia River to just below Quesig. There the Rangers departed and headed overland towards the Southern Mountains, which formed the border between Lanoir and Sordoa. They climbed up into the peaks and headed southeast towards the Korin Pass. Once they entered Sordoa, the only way they would leave alive is if they managed to get to Trekum undetected and carry out their mission.