“I have ordered a meal to be prepared for you and your men,” stated Captain Ergard. “Will you be spending the night?”
“No,” answered the general. “How is my brother?”
“He has not gotten any worse than he was on your last visit,” answered the captain.
“Nor any better?”
“I have noticed no change.”
The general stared into the captain’s eyes, trying to determine what it was that the captain was afraid to say, but he could determine nothing.
“Bring him down,” ordered the general.
The captain started sweating profusely. Most of the visits by General Montero were just to speak with the captain and discuss the health of Prince Harold. It was rare for the general to actually see his brother, and he had never before ordered the sickly prince to descend out of the tower.
“I do not think it is wise to ask the prince to make such a journey,” the captain said nervously.
“Why not?” the general asked sternly. “What are you not telling me, Ergard?”
The captain swallowed hard as his eyes widened in fear. He thought he would be able to act calmly when the general visited, but it was obvious that General Montero knew something was amiss. Delaying the truth could only make things worse.
“Prince Harold is not here,” the captain answered meekly. “The king sent soldiers to take him to be healed.”
The general’s hand moved so swiftly that the blow took the captain by surprise. He stumbled backwards and collided with a chair. Both the chair and the captain tumbled to the floor. When the captain rolled over to get back to his feet, there was a sword extended towards him, and the tip moved towards his throat.
“This had better be an amusing story,” spat the general. “I am not in a kindly mood.”
“A colonel from the 11th Corps arrived with a full regiment,” the captain replied in a quaking voice. “He had orders from the king to have the prince inspected by a black-cloak. I resisted at first, but it was made clear to me that the king’s wishes would not be denied. I still tried to arrest the colonel, but the mage attacked me. That is when the colonel explained the situation in clearer terms.”
“Clearer terms?” the general echoed in disbelief. “What are you talking about? Why was I not told about this immediately?”
“The colonel explained that the king specifically forbade anyone to tell you. He claimed that he did not want you to worry on the eve of war, nor did he want you to think that Prince Harold would take your place while you were away. I finally agreed to let the mage examine him.”
“That does not explain his absence,” snapped General Montero.
“I am getting to that,” stammered the captain. “The black-cloak examined Prince Harold and thought that his illness was curable, but it would require moving the prince to another location. I told them that such a thing was impossible and would not be agreed to, but they had already proposed the trip to Prince Harold, and the prince had agreed to go with them. They promised to return him before anyone noticed him missing.”
“Before anyone noticed?” balked the general. “Do you mean other than the company of men stationed here? You are not only a fool, but you insist on making me look like a fool.”
“No.” The captain shook his head vigorously, and the general had to retract his sword slightly to avoid slashing the captain’s throat. “No one knows. I had all of the men assemble in the rear courtyard for an inspection while the colonel’s men carried the prince out. No one knows that he is not here. His meals are still delivered and his room is still tidied. I altered the staff’s schedule so that there is always a plausible reason for the prince to be out of his room. No one knows that he is no longer residing here.”
“Except my father and a regiment of the 11th Corps,” scowled the general. “What was the colonel’s name?”
“Colonel Belasko,” answered the captain.
The general frowned and shook his head. “I have never heard of Colonel Belasko. Are you sure he was with the 11th Corps?”
“I am positive,” answered Captain Ergard. “If he was not with the 11th Corps, I would not have believed that he was sent by the king. They guard the Royal Palace.”
General Montero sheathed his sword and turned away from the captain. He paced across the room and stood staring into the fireplace. The captain hesitantly got up off the floor and quietly stood at attention. A few minutes passed in silence and then the general turned around and glared at the captain.
“You have failed me, Captain Ergard,” the general said threateningly. “Do you know what the punishment for your failure is?”
The captain swallowed hard and nodded barely perceptibly. The general had stressed the weight of the responsibility on him many times in the past, and the captain knew that it was futile to try and run.
“I beg you to give me another chance to serve you. I will find Prince Harold and restore him to his room upstairs, even if I have to seize him out of the Royal Palace.”
“You will do exactly that, Captain,” replied the general. “You have one-hundred men under your command. You have three tasks to accomplish and only three weeks to accomplish them. The first is to bring my brother back here and guard him, if he is still alive. And he is not to leave when you return him to the tower. Not for any reason.”
The captain nodded exaggeratedly. “If he is alive? Do you think the healing attempt might kill him?”
“Healing attempt?” The general snorted derisively. “Prince Harold has been kept here to keep the king from killing him. Nothing that Belasko said changes that. I fear that my brother is already dead. No doubt the king plans the same for me, but I know how to play this game as well as he does. You will do my bidding while I am away at war. The king will not expect anything to happen while I am in Alcea.”
“I shall,” the captain replied with eagerness. “What are the other two tasks to be accomplished in your absence?”
“You will kill my father’s two bastard sons.”
* * * *
Lord Kommoron entered the emperor’s office in the Imperial Palace in Despair and sat in the chair before the desk, not bothering to bow. Emperor Jaar looked up with a scowl upon his face.
“You must show respect to the emperor,” complained the black-cloak appearing as Emperor Jaar. “Do not abandon your conditioning at this stage of the game. You might slip up in public.”
“Do not lecture me,” the Lord Kommoron replied testily. “I have been playing this game since you were but a youth. What do you have to report?”
“Report?” echoed the impersonator. “This is the most boring task I have ever undertaken. I never imagined that being the emperor could be so lonely. Everyone is afraid to talk to me. I would discover more by skulking through the corridors at night and listening to the chambermaids chatter.”
The Chosen One sighed and rose to his feet. He glanced at the emperor on his way to the door. “You will not skulk the halls at night. You stick to playing the part given to you. I will get my information elsewhere.”
Lord Kommoron really needed to visit the emperor only to create a reason for coming to the Imperial Palace. His real goal was to meet with Grand General Kyrga, but he knew that such a visit had to be seen as incidental to avoid rumors spreading about a secret alliance with the Grand General. Fortunately, Kyrga was in his office and the noble did not have to suffer through an embarrassing wait. He waited until the guard retreated and closed the door before speaking.