Read Online Heirs of the Enemy by Richard S. Tuttle - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Richard S. Tuttle
Ads: Link
but Tauman could be trouble.” The noble sighed in exasperation. “Why was Kyrga fired?”
“The emperor discovered his part in the raid on Elfwoods. I suspect the emperor was troubled more by Kyrga’s deceit than the actual raid, but I am not sure. Perhaps this would be an ideal time for you to seize the throne.”
“No,” the noble stated sternly. “To replace Jaar now would be a grievous error. Such a move now would only invite others to scheme against me. The war must be fought first. When both armies are totally devastated, the people will welcome me as a savior. No one will stand against me.”
“You expect both armies to be destroyed?”
“Of course,” sneered the noble. “A million tears are required for Alutar’s return. Do you think that will happen if we merely crush Alcea? Thousands upon thousands of Federation soldiers must die as well. Emperor Jaar will not be seen as the great victor, even though he will then control both Alcea and Zara. The deaths will be too much for the people to bear. No one will oppose me then. In fact, they will welcome me and cheer me when I depose Jaar.”
“No Grand General will be happy with such results,” frowned the priest.
“Kyrga must not know of our expectations,” warned the noble.
“Kyrga?” questioned K’san. “Have you decided to keep him then?”
“I think that is safest.” The noble nodded. “It is too late in the game to change horses. I want you to get back together with Kyrga and solve his problem.”
“I told him to return to the palace,” replied the priest.
“Take this.” The noble handed the priest an invitation to the celebration. “No one will question my going back there. I told the gate guards that I needed a walk to clear my mind. They will surely remember me.”
“You want me to enter the palace?” the priest asked with a puzzled expression.
“Of course I want you to enter the palace,” scowled the noble. “Did I not just tell you to take care of Kyrga’s problem? Take Kyrga to see the emperor and get our Grand General reinstated.”
“Forcefully? We cannot hold him captive for the entire celebration. It would be foolish to attempt it.”
“Do what you can for now. One thing I require from you is the secret location of Jaar’s family. Once we have them, Jaar will do anything we tell him to do.”
“It shall be as you command,” the priest replied with a bow of his head.
“There is one other item that we need to attend to,” the noble continued. “I want the war against Alcea unveiled during the celebration.”
“Is that wise? Kyrga will protest. He is most adamant about keeping that secret.”
“I do not care what Kyrga wants. He is a fool and a tool. We are dealing with what I want. The Alceans already know that we are coming. It is only our own people that Kyrga is hiding it from. I want all of the petty monarchs and generals to be in on the planning of this war. The more the merrier. Let them all sit down and decide how best to destroy the Alceans.”
“You want the portals revealed as well?”
“No,” answered the noble. “The generals will need to know of them, but not the others. I am willing to suffer tremendous losses on the battlefield, in fact, I encourage it, but the Federation must win the war in the end. The portals must remain secret from any Alcean spies, but the war itself is to become public knowledge. Let Jaar and Kyrga delight the masses with their predictions of untold wealth and conquest. The more they build it up, the easier they will fall when the time comes. Then I will step in and rule the whole world and Alutar will reign supreme once again.”
“It shall be as you wish, Master.”
“Let me return to the palace before you. Wait here for a while.”
The priest bowed, and the noble stepped out of the alley and headed for the palace. K’san waited for half an hour and then followed in his master’s footsteps. The gate guards looked surprised to see the priest with
“The emperor discovered his part in the raid on Elfwoods. I suspect the emperor was troubled more by Kyrga’s deceit than the actual raid, but I am not sure. Perhaps this would be an ideal time for you to seize the throne.”
“No,” the noble stated sternly. “To replace Jaar now would be a grievous error. Such a move now would only invite others to scheme against me. The war must be fought first. When both armies are totally devastated, the people will welcome me as a savior. No one will stand against me.”
“You expect both armies to be destroyed?”
“Of course,” sneered the noble. “A million tears are required for Alutar’s return. Do you think that will happen if we merely crush Alcea? Thousands upon thousands of Federation soldiers must die as well. Emperor Jaar will not be seen as the great victor, even though he will then control both Alcea and Zara. The deaths will be too much for the people to bear. No one will oppose me then. In fact, they will welcome me and cheer me when I depose Jaar.”
“No Grand General will be happy with such results,” frowned the priest.
“Kyrga must not know of our expectations,” warned the noble.
“Kyrga?” questioned K’san. “Have you decided to keep him then?”
“I think that is safest.” The noble nodded. “It is too late in the game to change horses. I want you to get back together with Kyrga and solve his problem.”
“I told him to return to the palace,” replied the priest.
“Take this.” The noble handed the priest an invitation to the celebration. “No one will question my going back there. I told the gate guards that I needed a walk to clear my mind. They will surely remember me.”
“You want me to enter the palace?” the priest asked with a puzzled expression.
“Of course I want you to enter the palace,” scowled the noble. “Did I not just tell you to take care of Kyrga’s problem? Take Kyrga to see the emperor and get our Grand General reinstated.”
“Forcefully? We cannot hold him captive for the entire celebration. It would be foolish to attempt it.”
“Do what you can for now. One thing I require from you is the secret location of Jaar’s family. Once we have them, Jaar will do anything we tell him to do.”
“It shall be as you command,” the priest replied with a bow of his head.
“There is one other item that we need to attend to,” the noble continued. “I want the war against Alcea unveiled during the celebration.”
“Is that wise? Kyrga will protest. He is most adamant about keeping that secret.”
“I do not care what Kyrga wants. He is a fool and a tool. We are dealing with what I want. The Alceans already know that we are coming. It is only our own people that Kyrga is hiding it from. I want all of the petty monarchs and generals to be in on the planning of this war. The more the merrier. Let them all sit down and decide how best to destroy the Alceans.”
“You want the portals revealed as well?”
“No,” answered the noble. “The generals will need to know of them, but not the others. I am willing to suffer tremendous losses on the battlefield, in fact, I encourage it, but the Federation must win the war in the end. The portals must remain secret from any Alcean spies, but the war itself is to become public knowledge. Let Jaar and Kyrga delight the masses with their predictions of untold wealth and conquest. The more they build it up, the easier they will fall when the time comes. Then I will step in and rule the whole world and Alutar will reign supreme once again.”
“It shall be as you wish, Master.”
“Let me return to the palace before you. Wait here for a while.”
The priest bowed, and the noble stepped out of the alley and headed for the palace. K’san waited for half an hour and then followed in his master’s footsteps. The gate guards looked surprised to see the priest with
Similar Books
