“Those two were nothing,” scowled Winus. “This mage has cost me over a hundred men. He throws their lives away as if they were some scat stuck on his boot. I cannot tell you how many nights I have remained awake thinking of ways to rid myself of that evil.”
“You do not appear to be the happiest of Grulak’s minions,” observed Wyant. “Why do you continue to serve him?”
“Truthfully,” Winus said softly, “I have no desire to. Why do you think I am camped so close to Ghala? If I could rid myself of this magician, I would join the free tribes in a heartbeat. Perhaps one of the large tribes heading for Ghala will attack us. Even that offers an opportunity for the magician to fall during the battle. We have known each other for some time, Wyant. We have not always seen things in the same light, but we are not that different either. I eagerly joined the Jiadin because we were going to use our fighting skills to carve out a piece of rich Khadora, not to kill my fellow countrymen or to throw away young Fakarans to please a wizard. Every day I am saddled with this evil man makes my blood boil. Tell me how to get free of him and you will have close to five hundred more men to defend Ghala.”
“Will your men go along with this?” questioned Wyant.
“To the man,” assured Winus. “It is all I can do now to keep them from running off during the night. They despise the wizard and have come to hate Grulak for making us suffer him in our midst.”
“Can’t you send him back to Vandegar for some reason?” asked Wyant.
“The only news that would be important enough for him to make that move, is the information I refuse to give him,” the general said. “If I told him that Rejji, the free tribes, and food were all in Ghala, he would be out of here in a flash. I cannot do that to my countrymen any longer. I would rather my own men die first.”
“I think you have hit upon the solution,” smiled Wyant. “Let me ask this first though. What exactly would Grulak do when he heard the news? And I don’t mean order his army to crush Ghala. What would his troop movements be?”
Winus sat for a long moment before answering, “That depends on how the information is portrayed to him. If he knew that Ghala was a defensive position only, he would ready his army and march east. If he thought that time was critical, however, like if the tribes were to use Ghala as a staging area for attacks, he would rush out with a portion of his elite guard and order the rest of the army to follow. Either way, he would want to be in the vanguard for such a crushing blow.”
“And what would be the state of his army if he were to die?” pushed Wyant.
“Again, that depends,” responded Winus. “There are only around five thousands troops who are really loyal to Grulak, most of the original Jiadin tribe. Of those, one thousand are his elite guards. Unless the elite guards are annihilated, the Jiadin army will remain intact. Someone would just step up and assume command. If you can destroy Grulak and his elite guards, the others will crumble. To be safe, I would eliminate the other four thousand of the original Jiadin. The rest would be harmless.”
“Then I think we have the makings of a plan,” grinned Wyant. “You should keep a sentry out to the east each night. I will see to it that he discovers half a dozen wasooki soon. That should keep your men fed until we can spring this trap. I am almost sure that Brakas is trapped in Ghala. He does not know about me yet, but we will use him to let you know when to release your mage. Think about some task that will require Brakas to stay with your men, so that the wizard is required to go to Vandegar with the important information.”
“But what information will I give the wizard to relay to Grulak?” asked the general. “Surely you don’t want the truth given to him.”
“The information that Brakas will carry, is what we want Grulak to know,” assured Wyant. “I am not sure what that information will be yet, but I am sure we can manipulate Brakas into believing what we want to get to Grulak.”
“I am glad that you were careless tonight, my old friend,” smiled Winus. “Already it feels good to be back on the right side of things.”
“I am going to need a horse to get to Ghala,” stated Wyant. “Mine was lost when your men captured me.”
“Take one of ours,” offered Winus. “We would probably just have it for dinner tomorrow anyway.”
***
Veltar stared over the Vandegar Plains towards the unnatural extension of the sea that covered half the plains. The multitude of anguished souls trapped under the water cried out to him in despair. Veltar closed his eyes as he stood at the edge of the platform atop the Vandegar Temple and imagined the great Vand standing alongside him. He watched as Vand raised his arms and extended his staff skyward, cursing the other gods and defying them. He saw the ground tremble and rise and the waters of the sea boil. Great waves of tumult frothed with fury across the surface of the water and the sea began to ebb. The receding waters whirled in torrents and carved mighty canyons in the face of the plain as the sea was forced back from the land. A great chorus of hatred and vengeance screamed from the newly released souls and Vand cackled as the other gods retreated in awe of his great power.
“There you are,” interrupted Grulak. “Why are you always on this damned platform? I do not appreciate having to come up here to seek your advice.”
“My apologies, Your Excellence,” sneered Veltar as he tried to adjust to the interruption. “I find the platform ideal for the interpretation of my dreams. There is an aura of destiny about it.”
“Hmmph,” scowled Grulak. “Do your dreams tell you where we shall find food for my armies below? I am activating my troops and taking them into Khadora, with or without your dreams. If I do not strike soon, my men will starve and the chance for greatness will have slipped away.”
“No,” shouted Veltar as his eyes widened in anger. “You will ruin everything. My dreams have shown you that you will be totally annihilated by attacking Khadora before the boy is killed. He is your death if you do not kill him first.”
“That may be so, but your dreams have not managed to locate him,” growled the leader of the Jiadin. “I cannot kill someone I cannot find and my army must have food to survive.”
“Zygor is close to him,” promised Veltar. “He was spotted in Ghala, a tiny fishing village in the east. His men destroyed the village, but Rejji managed to escape. It will not be long now.”
“His men?” yelled Grulak. “Since when do your servants assume command of my armies?”
“General Winus’s men,” bowed Veltar. “I did not mean to leave the general out. I just could not remember his name. It is of no import in any event. The point is that Rejji will be found soon.”
“How soon?” questioned Grulak. “Soon, as in after half of my army has died of starvation? I have the largest army ever amassed in recent times and a neighboring country that has riches beyond imagination, and yet I sit here listening to your dreams. I will listen no more. In the morning the Jiadin army will strike fear into the hearts of the Khadorans. We will kill their armies and pillage their cities. If the boy has anything to say about it, tell him to meet me in Khadoratung, where I will be indulging in the fruits of my conquest. I question how one insignificant boy can affect my future in any event.”
“Insignificant boy?” screamed Veltar as his face contorted with rage. “You are a fool, you half-breed son of a Qubari. Did not your mother teach you anything of the prophecies? This insignificant boy murdered your son, your only heir. Are you so hungry to stuff your face with wasooki that you will throw away your chance to rule the entire world?”
“How dare you speak to me like that?” thundered Grulak as he trembled with anger. “Never mention Diakles to me again. And if you speak of my Qubari heritage again, I will throw you from this platform to the troops below.”
“You cannot dismiss your heritage just because it is not mentioned,” argued Veltar as the veins in his face bulged. “The boy is destined to rule Fakara unless he is killed. It is the task I have been sent to complete and I will not let some petty dictator stand in my way.”