Chapter 8

The landmark the imperial spies were looking for in the forest was a stone statue sticking crookedly out of the ground. Rain, snow, and wind had erased the idol's facial features over the centuries, but the partially preserved sunbeams framing its head suggested that it had once been a statue of the Indestructible Sun. Armando, as was his habit, blessed himself with the Sign, for under the face of the Sun the ancestors had honored the One Creator, not yet knowing that he was not the eldest, but the only true god. Maria, who rode first, dismounted, threw her bridle over a broken stone beam. She began to tighten the straps of the light silver cuirass she had worn in the camp. Master Carlon turned to his companions:

- We are close. We'll go on foot from here. Try not to make any noise.

Armando only hummed in response. He still didn't trust his temporary allies, but he couldn't think how and why they would betray them. The mage had cleverly set the record straight in the first conversation, leaving little room for speculation. Yes, the Imperials do seem to want to cooperate - and they don't hide the fact that they're counting on their own benefits.

- There used to be a road here, - Gotech noted, bending down to hammer a metal peg for a bridle into the ground. There was no room for his war stallion near the statue.

- A crossroads, - the mage said. - The Daert pagans often placed idols of the Sun at intersections. But no one had traveled here since the collapse of the First Empire, at the very least. Let's hurry.

Armando took his trusty crossbow from his saddle, slung his quiver of arrows on his belt, and followed the others into the thicket. He guessed that dawn was approaching, but it was easy to miss it under the crowns of the centuries-old forest.

At first they walked at full height, then ducked, and at one point the master signaled them to lie down and crawl. The way was blocked by a thick brushwood of thorny shrubs, but they found a tunnel formed by skillfully cut or bent branches. Without knowing where the tunnel began, it was impossible to see it, and the people crawling through it were almost invisible. Gotech nodded approvingly, though he had to press himself into the ground as hard as he could. The tunnel ended in a cleared patch of bare ground, where another blond girl was waiting for the group. Short and sturdily built, she still looked very much like Lady Maria. Even her outfit was the same, except that not only her gloves but also her boots were reinforced with steel plates.

- I've brought friends, Dallan, - the mage said to the girl. She nodded to the royal bailiffs as if they were old acquaintances and went back to her former occupation - nestled against the narrow "loophole" plucked by a leaf in the solid wall of bushes.

- This is Sergeant Dallan an Belran, a specialist in... close combat, - Master Carlon introduced the girl. - Dallan, what's the situation?

- While you were away, three riders left the farm, - the sergeant said, not taking her eyes off her surroundings. - Valria wasn't with them. The corporal took a chance and moved slowly toward the barn. I'm watching him from here. So far so good. He's almost to the barn, there was no alarm.

- He's good, - the mage agreed, looking down at his feet. Armando glanced there and found a stack of men's clothes neatly folded on the ground - a long traveling cloak, leather pants, and a sleeveless shirt.

- Had your corporal... gone naked? - the young bailiff couldn't believe it.

- It's more comfortable for him, believe me, Don, - the imp grinned. - Come here, take stock of the situation.

There was barely enough room for the five of them on the bare patch of ground, but they jostled elbows and managed to make their way along the loophole. Beyond the wall of thorns there was a wide clearing. In the center of the clearing they could see a long dwelling house with a gable roof that had collapsed. Around it was a tall barn in much better condition, the ruins of a stable, and obscure rotten poles. Probably a shed had been leaning on them a long time ago. The windows of the house were unlit.

- It looks abandoned, - de Gorazzo said.

- And yet I'd estimate there are at least ten people there now. Well, seven now. - Master Carlon scratched his beard. - Most of them are in the dwelling house. One or two in the barn where they keep the prisoners.

- There's another one on the roof of the house, with a crossbow, - the sergeant added in the bored, monotonous voice of a man discussing news he'd heard a hundred times before.

- I don't see him, - Gotech frowned.

- He's hiding under the roof.

- And where is the corporal? - asked the master.

- Over there. Ten paces from the barn. - Dallan pointed with her finger.

- There's nothing there, - Armando said, shifting his eyebrows as his friend had done.

- That's what it looks like to you. - The mage scraped some crumbs from his beard, tossed them aside. - For my part, I can guarantee that there are no magical traps or alarms in the clearing.

- So what is your plan, honorable master spy? - de Gorazzo glanced at the bearded man.

- Simple, - the imp replied, letting the quip pass his ears. - A quick strike to free the prisoners and destroy the garrison. At the same time. This will require two groups. The first will attack the barn, the second the apartment building. If one can do it quickly, we'll rush to the other's aid.

- And the sentry on the roof of the house? The one with the crossbow?

- Corporal Green will take care of him.

- Green?

- It's a nickname. Don't ask.

- All right, master. Then how shall we form the groups?

- You and Don de Ardano and Lady Maria will take care of the house. You'll be supported by the corporal. The sergeant and I will take the barn. There may be an urgent need for a healer, and I know a thing or two.

Armando was silent for a moment, pondering the Imperial's words. So far it sounded logical enough. He nodded:

- When do we start?

- We'll give the corporal another quarter of an hour. Let him crawl closer.

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For the rest of the time before the attack, the young official kept staring until his eyes were watering, trying to spot any movement near the buildings, but to no avail. Finally, the sun gilded the treetops on the eastern edge, and the mage nodded to the sergeant:

- It's time.

The girl took a wooden whistling toy out of her pants pocket and brought it to her lips. A bird's trill sounded over the clearing - tinkling, cheerful. And at the same moment the grassy bump under the very wall of the barn came to life. The grassy knoll broke away from the ground and turned into a human figure, short, thin, and with a very oddly shaped head. Armando suddenly realized that he had seen the bump all along, but at first it had been farther away from the buildings. Within a quarter of an hour, the bump had moved about five paces closer to the barn, except that de Gorazzo had never seen it move.

- Get ready, - the mage advised the bailiffs, removing a pouch from his belt.

Corporal Green, meanwhile, ran along the barn, crawling to the ground, moving on all fours, found himself under the wall of the apartment building. And... without slowing down he climbed it like a spider. Waving his short tail, he disappeared under the remains of the roof. Tail?

- What... - Armando started, startled, but stopped short. The thin silhouette reappeared in the breach in the roof, shook a heavy infantry crossbow above his head.

- The sentry is done. We can begin. - The mage with a satisfied look took out of his pouch an amulet in the shape of a silver disk, clenched it in his fist. Smirking, he told the royal bailiffs: - When you see a creepy humanoid lizard with green scales and a bloody, toothy face, don't attack it. That's our corporal.

Without giving the officials time to recover and ask a single question, the mage chopped through the bushes with his cleaver and dashed into the gap. Sgt. Dallan dived in after him, drawing her broad sword.

- Please stay behind me, noble dons,- Lady Maria asked very politely, also cutting through the thorns with her sword. Apparently, the bushes had been pruned beforehand, for with one swing of her blade a huge chunk fell out, just enough for a man to pass through. Armando and Gotech only had to run after the warrior who had fled from her seat

The mage reached the barn first. He threw his amulet arm forward and an invisible projectile struck the flimsy boarded gate, pushing it inward and sending a cloud of splinters flying. Sergeant Dallan overtook the master, burst into the barn with sword drawn, and was out of sight.

And from the doorway of the apartment building sprang armed men. The first one toppled over with an arrow in his chest. Three more came after him, and the last one had a crossbow. But he had no time to use it, for a lean figure fell from the roof and fell on the trailing thug, knocking him to the ground. The two remaining men clashed with the bailiffs and Lady Maria. The fight took seconds. One enemy attacked Gotech with a whirlwind of swift blows from a long sword. The giant backed away with his axe, and Lady Maria swooped in from the side. The swordsman, who noticed her in time, hastily swung his blade away. However, the guardswoman fearlessly missed the blow in the chest, taking it on her cuirass, and then lunged back and cut the enemy's neck. Armando had a slightly less skillful opponent - the bailiff and the thug jingled their blades, trying each other's defenses. Neither of them was able to find a gap in the enemy's defense. Corporal Zeleny, who had finished off the crossbowman, jumped on the back of the last enemy, wrapped his arms around his shoulders, and sank his teeth into his throat. As the thug collapsed, choking on his own blood, the corporal hissed, his mouth wide open, full of sharp teeth.

- The Creator of the One and the Prophet! - The de Gorazzo recoiled involuntarily. The creature looked exactly as the Imperial mage had described it. It looked like a skinny, squat man with snake scales instead of skin, his head replaced by the head of a desert lizard. If there are desert lizards the size of a man.

- Shh-shh-shh-shh! - The corporal stared at Armando with round, unblinking eyes as he took another bite from his convulsing foe. The young bailiff took another step back. Fortunately, Lady Maria's voice sounded just in time:

- Gentlemen, help in the barn, please. The corporal and I will check the house.

The lizard understood the girl's words as he darted through the open door. The blonde-haired lady hurried in the same direction. The royal officials looked at each other and headed for the barn.

No help was needed there, however. Master Carlon was dragging the corpses of two guards to the corner, and the sergeant was hurriedly freeing the only prisoner. A completely naked young elven woman was chained to the wall with iron blocks. Her arms were raised high above her head and her feet barely touched the ground with her fingertips. Her tangled golden hair fell over her face, and her fragile young body was covered with bruises. Most of them were on her stomach, thighs, and shoulders. Armando noted to himself that someone very skillful and experienced was at work - the elf had been beaten a lot, painfully, but in such a way as not to cripple her. At her feet were all sorts of torture tools spread out on a piece of burlap, but they had certainly not been used. In addition, the walls of the barn were draped with thick steppe felt, so that the light of several oil lamps did not shine through, and the screams of the tortured could hardly be heard outside the clearing. The interrogation base on the old farm had been expertly organized.

- How was it? - Master Carlon asked briefly, laying the dead man against the wall.

- All right - de Gorazzo echoed him. - And here?

- Also. Better than I feared.

While the sergeant was fiddling with the irons, the prisoner came to her senses. Raising her head, she spoke in a weak voice:

- What took so long...

- We wanted to let you suffer,- the mage suddenly snapped harshly. - To gain invaluable life experience. We thought that maybe you'd learn to work with your head a little bit. You know, think first and then do.

- Ha! Ha-ha-ha... it didn't work - the elfess said with a pained chuckle. - I was... unimpressed with the locals. They beat me with a stick and lectured me. Just like when I was training to be a jaeger, before the war....

- I should have given them more time. - The mage kicked the pliers and knives spread out on the burlap. - I feared for your ears. When Elves are tortured for real, they always cut off their ears first. Who'd want you without ears?

- It's true, by the way,- Gotech said, solidly. - We used to do the same in the war.

- Go to the demons. - The elf's voice grew stronger and she shook her head to get her hair out of her face. It appeared that she had huge bright eyes of a violet hue. In addition, no bruises or abrasions showed on her face. Perhaps the captors were afraid of damaging the girl's fragile jaw. - Dallan will love me without my ears, and I don't care about the rest of them. Right, Dallan?

- No,- the sergeant replied in a steady voice. She finally managed the locks and released first one of the commander's arms, then the other. The elf fell right into her arms. - If you lose your ears, I'll leave the company. Why would I want you without ears?

Having said that, the sergeant hugged the elven woman tightly and kissed her on the lips, not the least bit embarrassed by the men present. The kiss lingered for a good minute, and Armando, coughing uncertainly into his fist, turned to the mage:

- What is this creature you call Corporal? It has devoured two men in the courtyard!

- It's not a creature, it's our employee, - Master Carlon snorted. - A traveler from across the ocean brought it in like a beast. And Valria, our captain, ransomed the poor man.

- So he...

- Yes, a native of Ludria. It's not just humans and jaguars that live in the damp forests there.

- Couldn't you have warned me beforehand? - The bailiff was indignant.

- Would you have believed it if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes?

It was a fair comment, so de Gorazzo changed the subject at once:

- I don't see our liaison here, master. Remember your promise?

- Valria, were there any other prisoners here besides you? - The mage turned to the girls.

- No, all the local servants served only me. - The elfess reluctantly pulled away from the sergeant's lips and looked at the bearded man. - Was there supposed to be someone else?

- We promised these two noble dons that we would find their informant or provide information about the strangers,- the mage explained.

- Oh, gentlemen...- The long-eared girl pulled away from her friend, and for the first time looked at Armando and Gotech. She straightened up, leaning on the sergeant's arm. Her knees were trembling, and there was sweat on her forehead, but she remained standing, even raising her chin a little. - You don't have to introduce yourself. My name is Valria, daughter of Valtrith. I am captain of the Bright Heads Free Company in the service of the Duchy of Elvart. I am authorized to give you vital information, but on one condition-- you give it to Queen Octavia personally. Carlon?

- Yes?

- There's a barrel over there with plain water in it. Give me a drink and then pour the rest over my head.

- Is it cold?

- Yes.

- Then--

- Shut up and do it. - The elf's legs finally failed and she fell to her knees, groaning, clutching her stomach. She exclaimed with tears in her voice: - Can you for once not argue, you pot-bellied barbarian...?