Novel 3. The Last Autumn

— What about the lack of strength? — Master Carlon asked. — You said you couldn't storm the island.

— Several squadrons of the Republic fleet will join the Irutava fleet at sea, — the Chancellor turned to him. — Many ship captains and regimental commanders trust me enough to execute the order without delay. But they will need an excuse after the battle. That's what we've organised, as a matter of fact.

He ran his fingertips along the smooth tabletop, touched the wine goblet next to him, but did not take it. He continued:

— The plan is simple — the fleet gathers around Tattorubaku, isolates the island. When ordered to do so, it will storm the island. The assault itself has been planned for a long time. After the battle, the Irutava troops leave immediately, leaving the island under the protection of the Senate forces. Soon detachments of other clans arrive there to organise joint management of the mines. During the assault, you may engage in your own hunt for outsiders. I will give the order to storm the island as soon as any of the captured assassins start to speak.

— A good plan, lord. — Valria sat up straight, squaring her narrow shoulders. — But I must make some clarifications.

— I'm listening, Captain.

— Aliens are good at running away, — she said, folding her palms on the table. — I've had the pleasure of seeing it for myself. There's no place for them to run off the island, but if you storm the island, they'll probably try. We must strike at their lair, at their leadership. And to do that, we need to know exactly where the alien headquarters is. The island is not a three-room peasant's hut.

— Doesn't messier Alex know?

— No, — replied the defector. It was the first time he had been invited to a meeting, and the alien from the other world listened to the discussion with genuine curiosity. — I never got there.

— You'll get in, then, — Valria smiled at him.

— What do you mean? — The alien didn't understand.

— Carlon and I thought of something today. — The elfess laced her fingers together, her smile turning sly. — I was inspired, and Carlon helped me formulate my thoughts. The aliens aren't aware that Alex has changed sides. The very possibility doesn't seem to occur to them. They probably think he's dead. We also have a radio. We can no longer eavesdrop on the aliens' conversations, as they change the encryption every week, but Alex can send a distress signal in the old cipher.

— He will report that his squad was almost killed, but accomplished the task, — Master Carlon said glumly. The Imperial mage didn't even hide the fact that he was uncomfortable with the plan. — He has one of those who destroyed the portal and a local mercenary with him. They must be taken back to base immediately.

— I'll be the prisoner, and I have a convincing wound, — the elf explained, touching her chest. — Don Armando is the mercenary. Because he's the least memorable of the bunch.

— Well, thank you, — de Gorazzo hummed.

— You can't argue with facts. — The girl waved her hands with feigned chagrin — even lowered the tips of her ears guiltily. — The defenders of the portal couldn't describe the don, and only him. Isn't that right, Alex?

— Yeah. — The alien coughed into his fist. — But let's say this works out. We get evacuated. What are the three of us gonna do at the base? Kill everyone there and walk away, ignoring the explosion behind us?

— No, of course not. — Valria took her goblet from the table, held it to her nose, and sniffed the wine. She clenched her eyes shut for some reason, and said with her eyes closed. — We will sneak into the enemy's lair with magical markings. Armando's story awakened my strategic muse. We don't have rockets, but we have dragons. The kind that can even fit indoors.

— Dragons cannot see the flow of magic, but young Lady Akira can. — Master stroked his beard, contrary to tradition, managing not to pull a hair out of it. — When the assault on the island begins and the defenders are distracted, she can lead a flock of dragons into the aliens' lair. That is, of course, if you approve, sir taiko.

— It sounds risky, but interesting, — admitted the Chancellor of the Republic. — But wouldn't the magic marker be seen by all the mages in the neighbourhood? There are half a dozen battle mages in the garrison, though they have a hard time near the iron veins.

— Normally, yes, but there is a trick to it. — The mage paused for a moment, choosing his words. — Blood magic is harmful and dangerous, and yet sometimes it's the only way. I once used it to save Sergeant Dallan's life, for example. If you create a mark using a mage's blood, only that mage can see its signal. Harm is inevitable, but tolerable — a couple of drops.

— And you are capable of such a thing? — Taiko raised his eyebrows.

— No, sir. The blood of any mage will do, but the one who will create the amulet itself must be at least of the second stage. You have such mages. I will explain the ritual to them.

— Well, so be it, — Taiko nodded.

— Wait, — Dallan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. — But between Valria's arrival on the island, the start of the assault, and the arrival of help... time will pass. A lot of time. Not even minutes.

— Yes, the three of us will have to be dodgy, — the captain agreed, smiling charmingly. — I hope they put me in the dungeon and not shoot me on the spot. And then you can get your favourite commander out of there, it won't be the first time. Armando and Alex will be safe if they don't set themselves up.

— I'm coming with you, — the sergeant said simply.

— No, — Valria said. She added in a softer tone. — Look, I don't really want to speak in captivity. What if they start questioning me right away? I'm stubborn, I'll hold out until help arrives. But if they start torturing you in front of me, I'll tell them everything, you bet I will. I love you. Don't you forget?

— I didn't forget. Neither have I forgotten you. — The green-eyed girl carefully removed the glove from her left hand, pulled a narrow, straight dagger from its sheath, and... without the slightest hesitation, stabbed it through her palm. The bloody blade came out of the back of her hand.

— What the...! — Armando shrieked, jumping up from his chair.

— Anna, goodness! — Lady Maria jumped up too, grabbing one of the purses on her belt.

Alex was dumbfounded and said something in his native tongue, only Master Carlon, Boyarin Yuriev and Chancellor Irutava remained silent. The elfess, surprisingly, sat stone-faced, her lips tightly pressed together. The sergeant, meanwhile, pulled the blade from her palm and slashed herself on the outside of her wrist, ripping open the sleeve of her jacket. She said in a slightly shaky voice:

— Here. I have a... convincing wound now, too. You're not going in there without me. That's enough.

— You've been strange since you were a child, but now you've gone completely mad! — Lady Maria, always mild and infinitely polite, roared angrily as she walked round the table. She took the dagger from the sergeant and threw it on the floor. Taking a strip of clean cloth from her purse, she hastily bandaged her companion's palm. Or was it not just her mate? "What do you mean, since childhood? — thought Armando, who had already recovered from his astonishment. — Maria grew up in the palace... So the sergeant too? And why 'Anna'?"

— All right, — Valria finally gave up. — Let's go together.

— Maybe I should ask, too. — Master Carlon grinned, not taking his eyes off the green-eyed girl. While Maria fiddled with her arm, the sergeant sat straight as if she'd swallowed a stick and didn't even look at the Lady Guardswoman.

— That would be lame, — the captain sighed. — Alex could lead a regiment of soldiers to the island, saying he'd taken them all prisoner. With guns and artillery.

— Your sergeant's loyalty is impressive, — sir Irutava said, turning to the elf. — Believe me, we Erdosians can appreciate it more than anyone else.

— Yes, yes..., — the pointy-eared girl said. — So the four of us will infiltrate the enemy's lair. Carlon stays with the fleet, Maria with him... Do you think the dragon will pick up Corporal Green? I think so. Green with Akira and the dragons on top. That's the distribution of forces.

— Ahem. I want to remind you about this here thing... — Alex gently touched his finger to the exploding collar.

— We'll take it off, of course, — Valria assured the alien.

— And what will guarantee my loyalty when we find ourselves among my former comrades? — the defector asked bluntly.

— Nothing. — The golden-haired elf smiled in a way that warmed even Armando's chest. — Let's bring a little trust into our relationship.

Chapter 15

The iron belly of the helicopter was uncomfortable and noisy. The hard bench on which Armando was sitting was shaking, which soon made the don feel sick. The girls, on the other hand, were feeling noticeably better. Though their hands were shackled in light steel shackles, they made little attempt to play the downtrodden prisoners. The captain whispered with the sergeant, occasionally glancing at the alien guards on the other bench. Alex occasionally exchanged a few words with them in his native language, while Armando kept silent and stared out the window, fighting nausea. Behind the window the grey sea was passing by from below, and above — the same grey shroud of clouds. The alien flying machine seemed to glide between the two planes. To distract himself, the former bailiff mentally repeated the verbal portraits of the alien leaders.

— There are five people in total in the expedition leadership, — Alex said before leaving. — But we are interested in two of them. Messire Fulcanelli is the most important leader. He has a black suitcase, called a laptop. The suitcase holds information recorded by... er... electrical signals, so to speak. Fulcanelli's briefcase contains all the codes to activate the atomic bombs. But the laptop itself is locked with a password that only its owner knows. No one in your world can crack it, so all you have to do is remove Fulcanelli and the suitcase turns into a pumpkin. Figuratively speaking.

— And the other one? — Captain Valria moved her ears.

— Messire Nicola. Responsible for delivering and placing the bombs in the field. He should now know just from memory the codes to several bombs in the warehouse. They were scheduled to be placed at new key points in the near future.

— Not as important, but worth taking care of, — the elfess summarised.

After the meeting, she caught Armando in the corridor and, making sure there were no extra ears around, said:

— Don, my orders to you as company commander are to keep an eye on Dallan if possible. All right?

— I'll try, — Armando nodded gravely. — I didn't expect her to be so... unbalanced.

— Dallan's attachment to me is... sometimes excessive. — The pointy-eared girl wrinkled her nose. — I don't want to bore you with the details, but... I've spent years trying to instil a little selfishness in her, to teach her to love herself. But I didn't want to push her away from me. And, well, that's what happened. I'm not very good at healing the wounds of the soul. Sometimes love and care aren't enough. If things get bad, don't let her do anything stupid, Don. Dallan won't hesitate to die for me, and I don't want that. Do you understand?

— I see, — De Gorazzo nodded again. And, deciding that he might not get another chance, he asked: — So the sergeant's real name is Anna?

— No. — The captain sighed. She pressed her long ears to her temples. — Anna was the name of a girl from the Elvartian Guard who had been executed for breaking her oath. Anna was dead. Dallan is Dallan.

— I don't understand anything now, — Don admitted.

— It happens. — The elfess patted him on the shoulder, turned on her heels, and strode away without turning around.

The next morning, the "Elena" dropped the four spies off on a piece of bald rock in the middle of the sea, where Alex had signalled a distress call. Just a couple of hours later, a helicopter arrived to pick them up — big and pudgy, unlike anything Armando had ever encountered before. Apparently, the aliens had learnt from the loss of the ship sent for the last group and had sent their own transport. Alex spoke briefly to the soldiers who had landed on the island, gestured that the companions could load into the belly of the vehicle. And now, they were hurtling through the air towards their goal with unimaginable speed.

— Get ready. — The defector pushed the don with his elbow to his side. According to the "legend" they had become almost friends during their adventures together, so Alex held himself more freely than usual. — The pilot says the island is already visible.

The coastline of Tattorubaku flashed below. The helicopter headed for the tall black mountain in the middle of the island, hovered over a steeply sloping platform. It descended smoothly onto it. Alex immediately slid the door sideways and jumped out. De Gorazzo had only to follow him. Deeply breathing in the cold air, faintly smelling of sea salt, the don immediately felt better. He was finally able to swallow the lump in his throat. As the guards took the girls out of the transport, Armando looked around. The round stone pad would have been big enough for four helicopters, but he could see only two — the one that had brought them, and another one, just as big. The site was surrounded by steep cliffs. There was a tunnel leading deep into the mountain, and some huge panels of what looked like glass glistened up the slope.

— Solar panels, — Alex explained to Don. — They generate electricity from the sun's rays. It looks like the base is bigger than I thought. And it was built a long time ago.

The former bailiff rubbed the bronze belt buckle. The top part of it, easily detachable, was the magic mark. The girls were not trusted with it because their clothes might be taken from them in captivity, and Alex was not trusted with it because no one knew how it would react to the proximity of a stranger. That left de Gorazzo. It was not a responsibility that pleased the Don, but on the other hand, it was not a bad thing to be a beacon for reinforcements.

— Let's go. — Alex confidently headed towards the tunnel. Although he was also here for the first time, the defector obviously knew what to do. At the back of the corridor there was a grate guarded by a soldier, but the newcomers passed it without any problems and found themselves inside the alien base. To Armando's disappointment, the tunnel looked quite ordinary, except that the light was provided by whitish tubes under the ceiling. But they were not much different from magical lamps. The bare stone walls still bore the marks of pickaxe and trowel blows. At the branches leading off to the sides hung papers with inscriptions in a foreign language. That was all.