Two hundred and fifty years ago, Dardas had led his mighty army with instincts he had honed to gleaming sharpness all his life.
Your assistance has been valuable, Weisel now said.
Dardas replied, graciously, You solved the problem on your own, General. I merely helped you to see it.
With your aid, this war will be won.
Then what? But Dardas kept the thought to himself. Once more, Weisel had obviously not thought it through. Dardas knew that he himself would no longer be useful to Lord Matokin once this war was done. Apparently, Weisel was unaware that the same was true of him. Matokin would have no need of Weisel after the Isthmus was fully conquered.
Perhaps the Felk general planned to retire gracefully, ceding his position of power and importance, allowing the bureaucracies of the empire to replace the vigorous animation of the military. Perhaps Weisel was happily anticipating this. If so, he was an even greater fool than Dardas suspected.
A war commander was nothing without a war to sustain his existence.
Dardas had been giving a good deal of thought to his own peculiarly sustained existence. His resurrection was not entirely stable. It needed to be maintained through rejuvenation spells. He had already experienced one close call, when death had come to reclaim what had been taken from it. A mage had come from Felk, through the portals, and had brought Dardas back from the black brink.
But Matokin controlled that mage. Kumbat was his name, the same one who had evidently been responsible for resurrecting Raven inside the delectable body of Vadya.
How much better it would be for Dardas, how much more secure he would feel, if Mage Kumbat were under his control.
Weisel set his aide Fergon to summoning the senior staff, no doubt to unveil his grand plan for the conquest of Ompellus Prime. He would bask in his officers' accolades, feeling for that moment as if he truly was this army's legitimate leader.
Dardas wouldn't spoil his fun. It was best if Weisel was distracted by his "progress" in learning the craft of war. Meanwhile, Dardas had serious plans for tonight.
Raven was obviously expecting another session of torrid lovemaking. Dardas noted her flushed color, the quickness of her breath as her sublimely shaped breasts rose and fell. In her eyes was a lascivious glimmer that she didn't try to hide.
"Raven," Dardas said, "how good of you to join me."
"I serve at your pleasure, General," she said in that throaty purr as she sashayed across the length of the pavilion toward him.
It was very tempting to just seize her and toss her down onto the bed and mount her in that eager violent fashion she seemed to find so agreeable. But there were other matters of import to attend to tonight, and that night, like the day, wouldn't last forever.
When Weisel woke this would be his body again. Dardas didn't have the will or sway to successfully challenge his host full on. Not yet, anyway. Each night, however, Dardas tested his control to its limits. Maybe he could eventually unlock Weisel's command of this body.
Better still, of course, would be to eliminate the Felk nobleman's consciousness altogether. However, Dardas had no idea how or if that could be accomplished.
"We have work to do tonight," Dardas said to Raven.
She halted before him, angling her body just so, to give him a pleasing view of her outline. "What work would that be, General?" she asked in a mock-coy tone that was quite sensuous.
Dardas pushed aside his baser impulses and said, "Work for my chief of Military Security, Raven."
Raven straightened, the wanton light leaving her eyes. "Yes, General Weisel," she said, seriously now.
Dardas nodded. "You fully understand your authority as the head of Military Security, don't you?"
"I... believe so, General."
"You wield a great power, Raven. It supersedes even rank. You are this army's defense against treason."
Raven lifted her elegantly molded chin. "I shall do everything I can to live up to that."
"I know that." Dardas smiled. "But what if you were to receive information that a visiting dignitary, a high-ranking mage under Lord Matokin's command, was in fact a traitor to all of Felk?"
Raven blinked, but her expression didn't waver. "I would first want to know the source of this information," she said evenly.
Dardas nodded. It was a good answer.
He said, "I am the source, Raven."
"Then I would trust your word utterly, sir."
"Good." Dardas had been sitting. He rose now. "I have summoned this mage here. He will be arriving at any moment. He believes he is here on a... medical emergency."
Now a small frown pinched Raven's lips. "Medical?" she asked. "Is someone injured?"
"The mage in question," Dardas said, "is here to administer a rejuvenation spell."
Raven plainly recognized the term. But she looked confused.
"Administer it to whom?" she asked.
"Why"—Dardas blinked—"to you of course, my dear."
She digested that a brief moment, then nodded. "I am the bait then?"
"You are."
"And who is the quarry?"
"I think you may already know the answer to that," Dardas said, quietly and significantly.
Raven drew a long breath, then let it out. "Mage Kumbat..." she murmured.
"Correct."
"The wizard responsible for my resurrection," Raven said, stunned.
"Again, correct."
For a moment, she was lost in thought. Then she gathered herself and looked Dardas steadily in the eye. "What do you wish me to do with him when he arrives, General?"
Dardas smiled appreciatively. This girl was indeed something special. He told her the plan. She nodded as she listened.
Raven saluted. "It will be done, sir."
He returned the salute. "I'm counting on you, Raven."
Kumbat arrived a short while later. He bustled into the tent after being passed through Weisel's personal guard. The wizard's black robe twirled as he looked all about, seeing only the general present. He frowned.
"General Weisel," Kumbat said, "I was told specifically to report to your tent. Where is Raven? The spell must be delivered as soon as possible."
Dardas stood casually, hands clasped easily behind him.
"Why the hurry, Mage Kumbat?" he asked.
Kumbat gaped. "By the sanity of the gods, General, you yourself know what she must be going through. It's a very traumatic experience. The rejuvenation spell will end her fear and discomfort. Now, please, where is she?"
He was a conscientious wizard at least, Dardas noted silently. Matokin himself had received the coded Far Speak communication in Felk and had ordered Kumbat hastily Far Moved here.
"Is it unusual that Raven should require the spell so soon after her resurrection?" Dardas asked, his manner still relaxed.
"Well, yes, I suppose, yes, but—" Kumbat fumbled. "The magic requires a great effort on my part, General. I must prepare and administer it."
"You see, that's interesting," Dardas said, ignoring the urgency of the situation. "I myself know so little about resurrection magic and rejuvenation spells that when you mention any minor aspect about them it's completely fresh news to me. It's very specialized magic, isn't it?"
Kumbat was blinking rapidly, totally off guard.
"It... it is," he said.