“I don’t see how we can stand against Grulak,” declared Blaka. “The odds are just too great. I do not mind a good battle, but this stand is suicide. None of us are going to survive this.”
“I am,” Adger said. “That is why I asked the two of you here. I have come up with a brilliant plan. I trust both of you like brothers, so I wanted to share it with you.”
“If you have a way out of this coffin we are living in, I definitely want to hear about it,” nodded Yojji. “Just so it doesn’t involve going over to Grulak’s side. I would rather die than fight for that vermin.”
“As would I,” added Blaka. “What is your plan?”
“We will not only leave Ghala,” explained Adger, “but we will get rich doing it. You understand that Grulak plans to attack Khadora after he wipes out Ghala, right?”
“That has been his plan all along,” agreed Yojji.
“Well I propose to fight for Khadora,” Adger said.
“Preposterous,” scowled Blaka.
“And what clan is going to have us?” asked Yojji.
“We will be our own clans,” detailed Adger. “We know much about Grulak’s plans for Khadora. The information we have is worth a tremendous amount of gold to the Khadorans. We can tell them which clans have conspired with Grulak and the fighting capabilities of his different armies. We can warn them of the approximate time that Grulak will attack and which passes he will use. Think about it.”
“Okay,” argued Blaka, “we have valuable information for the Khadorans. So they give us more gold than we can carry. What do we do then? Gold will do us no good back here in Fakara. Not with Grulak still around.”
“You miss the point, Blaka,” lectured Adger. “We don’t just sell them the information. We point out the clans that have been working with Grulak and demand their estates. The Khadorans will happily help us wipe those clans out. Look at it from their perspective. They get rid of three clans that were going to be part of an attempt to seize the whole country and replace them with three clans that will fight on their side.”
“Do you really think they will go for it?” asked Yojji.
“I know they will,” smiled Adger. “I have been corresponding with them via the Khadoran ships that have been delivering the food here. I received their answer today. They will help us defeat the clans loyal to Grulak and give us their estates. In addition, they will donate one thousand gold for each man in our armies.”
“Count me in,” declared Yojji.
“Me too,” nodded Blaka.
“There is a catch,” stated Adger. “We have to be in Khadora well before Grulak. We will need the time to battle the clans and then regroup for Grulak’s attack.”
“So we leave tonight,” proposed Yojji.
“We can’t leave until I accept the proposal,” sighed Adger. “That means we must wait for the next ship before leaving. If our armies cross the border before they receive the acceptance, they will treat us as hostile forces and attack us.”
“But they may make it too late,” protested Blaka. “We have no idea if Grulak is already marching his army this way.”
“It might not be so bad,” offered Yojji. “Rejji has discovered a fruit that gives you boundless energy. It allows your army to travel day and night without tiring. In fact, it fills you with energy and makes you stronger.”
“Well, I am glad for Rejji,” scowled Blaka, “but he is not about to give any to us, especially when he finds out we are leaving.”
“No he wouldn’t,” chuckled Yojji, “but that won’t stop us from taking it. He sent a man out today to retrieve two wagonloads of it. Well, actually two wagons tied together. Takes four horses to pull it. I will send a couple of men out to make sure the driver has an accident.”
“Excellent,” grinned Adger. “Have your men leave the wagons and horses in that stand of sevemore trees where the river bends. You know where I mean?”
“I know the place,” agreed Yojji. “It is a perfect place to hide it. Nobody would see it from the road and it is not too far out of the way.”
“Once our armies get to Khadora, Grulak is finished,” declared Blaka. “I would give a great deal just to see his face when he realizes that he has been outmaneuvered.”
“No doubt about that,” laughed Yojji. “He might as well dive off that pyramid of his. With his allies gone, Khadora ready for him, and our armies in place, Grulak is history.”
“Let’s not celebrate until we get there,” admonished Adger. “We still have to wait for the ship to arrive before we can leave. That could be up to a week. Just keep your men making normal war preparations and nobody will notice anything.”
Brakas heard the chairs moving as the three tribal leaders stood at the end of the meeting. He rose swiftly and hurried back through the stockade and climbed to the platform that ran along it. He watched Yojji signal to one of his men. The man nodded and gathered five others. They mounted their horses and rode out through the gate in the stone wall. Brakas turned and sat with his back to the wall. He mentally calculated how long the walk would take him to get to where the wagons would be left.
Brakas rose and went back through the stockade gate to the new section of the city. He wandered around seemingly aimlessly while always getting closer to the stone wall. When Yojji’s men returned through the gate, Brakas smiled. He allowed them several minutes to leave the area and then proceeded directly to the gate.
“Open the gate,” ordered Brakas.
“You are leaving the city on foot?” questioned one of the guards.
“I am going for a walk as Yojji suggested,” scowled Brakas. “Do you have any objections?”
The guard shook his head and opened the gate. Brakas walked swiftly through the gate and along the road leading away from the city. When he was out of sight of the wall, he ran to the stand of trees where the river bends. He slowed as he entered the trees and cautiously approached the wagons. He looked around for the body of the driver and could not find it. Chuckling inwardly, Brakas climbed onto the seat of the wagon and headed west.
He wasn’t quite sure where he would find General Winus, but he knew the wagons made enough noise to be heard and were too large to miss for anyone keeping watch. He rode for several hours before being halted.
“It is Brakas,” he called out. “I must speak with General Winus immediately.”
One of the sentries jumped up to the seat of the wagon and directed Brakas along a trail to the Jiadin camp. They entered the camp and Brakas halted the wagons outside the general’s tent. Winus exited the tent as the noise of the wagons reached him.
“Brakas,” greeted Winus, “you have been gone a long time. Are you pedaling fruit these days?”
“Very funny,” Brakas scowled as Zygor walked over to see what the commotion was. “This fruit may very well save the day for the Jiadin. These wagons must get to Grulak immediately.”
“What is so special about the fruit?” questioned Zygor.
“It provides unlimited energy and strength,” promised Brakas, “and Grulak will need it to get to Ghala in time.”
“In time for what?” questioned Zygor. “And what interest does Grulak have in a destroyed fishing village?”
“Ghala is no longer a fishing village,” boasted Brakas. “It is the largest city in Fakara and home to the free tribes.”
“You have seen the free tribes there?” asked Zygor.
“Every one of them,” smiled Brakas. “Rejji is there too. In fact, he is the leader of Ghala. It is his city. He has food brought in on ships and stored in warehouses. They have great herds of wasooki and clova and more grain than they can eat. Thousands of homes have been built in the last few weeks. They also have a great stone wall guarding the entrance to the city now.”
“You have done well, Brakas,” smiled Winus. “This is what we have been waiting for. Everything in one neat package, just waiting to be taken.”
“Indeed word must be taken to Vandegar,” agreed Zygor. “The fools think a stone wall will protect them. If it were a mountain, it would still fall to the might of the Jiadin. That still does not explain the need for the fruit.”