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Authors: Richard S. Tuttle
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heard the slap of a palm upon flesh and a muffled cry.
“You are angering me, Donil,” said an authoritarian voice. “I have no desire to harm you, but I will if you do not please me. Speak!”
“I have told you,” Donil replied stubbornly. “I know nothing about any women. I know nothing about the A Corps attacking anyone in the west, and I have not heard anything about any losses from battle. What can I tell you when I know nothing?”
“Forshire has undoubtedly told his men not to speak of the women,” said a third voice, “especially here at the Imperial Palace. This one will need some cutting before he realizes that we are not leaving without the location of the women.”
“Where is Forshire right now?” asked the authoritarian voice.
“I am not exactly sure,” answered Donil, “but I would suspect that he is in Olansk. The general does not tell me what his plans are. He demands that I follow his orders.”
“And what are his orders?”
“To wait here for his return. Nothing more.”
“Liar!” scowled the third voice. “A colonel is not assigned to sit idle and do nothing. We will have those women back. Where are they?”
“I truly do not know what you are talking about,” sighed Donil. “Look, I am an ex-convict. You should know that I would not endanger myself by refusing to give you what you want. If I knew where these women were, I would readily tell you, but I don’t even know what women you are looking for. If you want, I will ask around and try to get you information, but you have to give me an idea of what you are talking about. I want to cooperate. Truly, I do.”
The third voice started to talk again, but the authoritarian voice cut him off.
“Quiet! I will ask the questions.” There was a short pause and the voice spoke again. “You had a mission a short while ago, Donil. You and a band of your misfits visited a certain estate in the foothills of the Barrier. You should remember the stench of the bodies on that estate. Either you tell me where the women are right now, or you will end up like Colonel Jurgon. Do I make myself clear?”
The sound of a sword being drawn drifted to Colonel Taerin’s ears.
“You are wrong,” Colonel Donil replied. “I have been in Despair for only a short while. Before that I was posted to a mission with the 1st Corps. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Colonel Dorfan of the 1st Corps. When I returned to Despair, I saw General Forshire for only a few hours before he left for Olansk. I have no knowledge of his activities or what the rest of the A Corps has been doing in my absence. I was gone for almost two months.”
“You went to Alcea?”
“You are well informed,” replied Colonel Donil. “I was assigned to Force Targa.”
The sound of the sword being sheathed reached Colonel Taerin’s ears, and he knew that the interrogation was over. The question in Taerin’s mind was whether they would kill Donil before they left or leave him alive. He feared the former, and he refused to allow that to happen. Colonel Taerin turned and raced into the trees. He brought a whistle to his lips and blew it loudly. Almost immediately the whistle was relayed all over the palace grounds as guard units rushed to respond to the alarm. He knew that the intruders, whoever they were, had very little time to flee. He hid in the darkness until he saw three shapes slip into the stand of tall trees beyond the barracks. Colonel Taerin raced out of the trees and around the barracks to the front door. He threw open the door and stared into the dark interior.
“Are you alive, Donil?”
“Colonel Taerin? Did you sound the alarm?”
“Who were those men?” demanded Colonel Taerin.
“I have never seen them before,” answered Colonel Donil, “but they certainly wanted me to believe that they were Badgers. Each of them wore a golden badger pin.”
“Stay in this building, Donil. You are not to leave until I say so.”
Colonel Taerin slammed the door
“You are angering me, Donil,” said an authoritarian voice. “I have no desire to harm you, but I will if you do not please me. Speak!”
“I have told you,” Donil replied stubbornly. “I know nothing about any women. I know nothing about the A Corps attacking anyone in the west, and I have not heard anything about any losses from battle. What can I tell you when I know nothing?”
“Forshire has undoubtedly told his men not to speak of the women,” said a third voice, “especially here at the Imperial Palace. This one will need some cutting before he realizes that we are not leaving without the location of the women.”
“Where is Forshire right now?” asked the authoritarian voice.
“I am not exactly sure,” answered Donil, “but I would suspect that he is in Olansk. The general does not tell me what his plans are. He demands that I follow his orders.”
“And what are his orders?”
“To wait here for his return. Nothing more.”
“Liar!” scowled the third voice. “A colonel is not assigned to sit idle and do nothing. We will have those women back. Where are they?”
“I truly do not know what you are talking about,” sighed Donil. “Look, I am an ex-convict. You should know that I would not endanger myself by refusing to give you what you want. If I knew where these women were, I would readily tell you, but I don’t even know what women you are looking for. If you want, I will ask around and try to get you information, but you have to give me an idea of what you are talking about. I want to cooperate. Truly, I do.”
The third voice started to talk again, but the authoritarian voice cut him off.
“Quiet! I will ask the questions.” There was a short pause and the voice spoke again. “You had a mission a short while ago, Donil. You and a band of your misfits visited a certain estate in the foothills of the Barrier. You should remember the stench of the bodies on that estate. Either you tell me where the women are right now, or you will end up like Colonel Jurgon. Do I make myself clear?”
The sound of a sword being drawn drifted to Colonel Taerin’s ears.
“You are wrong,” Colonel Donil replied. “I have been in Despair for only a short while. Before that I was posted to a mission with the 1st Corps. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Colonel Dorfan of the 1st Corps. When I returned to Despair, I saw General Forshire for only a few hours before he left for Olansk. I have no knowledge of his activities or what the rest of the A Corps has been doing in my absence. I was gone for almost two months.”
“You went to Alcea?”
“You are well informed,” replied Colonel Donil. “I was assigned to Force Targa.”
The sound of the sword being sheathed reached Colonel Taerin’s ears, and he knew that the interrogation was over. The question in Taerin’s mind was whether they would kill Donil before they left or leave him alive. He feared the former, and he refused to allow that to happen. Colonel Taerin turned and raced into the trees. He brought a whistle to his lips and blew it loudly. Almost immediately the whistle was relayed all over the palace grounds as guard units rushed to respond to the alarm. He knew that the intruders, whoever they were, had very little time to flee. He hid in the darkness until he saw three shapes slip into the stand of tall trees beyond the barracks. Colonel Taerin raced out of the trees and around the barracks to the front door. He threw open the door and stared into the dark interior.
“Are you alive, Donil?”
“Colonel Taerin? Did you sound the alarm?”
“Who were those men?” demanded Colonel Taerin.
“I have never seen them before,” answered Colonel Donil, “but they certainly wanted me to believe that they were Badgers. Each of them wore a golden badger pin.”
“Stay in this building, Donil. You are not to leave until I say so.”
Colonel Taerin slammed the door
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