The Red Cloak (p. 5)
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | map 5. VALI COLTINA
Zelmorzi rose unusually early to relieve himself. Though it was high summer, the mornings were still quite brisk in the mountains around Monte Peigno. Mists obscured the trees in the distance, blending white fog and black trunk into a uniform gray. The fog receded before him as he trudged away from a campsite that was slowly swallowed up. The latrine was a good five hundred paces away, so as not to contaminate the tiny tributary of the much diminished River Orro that supplied the battalion's water.
The latrine, a good-sized hole dug in the seclusion of a hemlock grove, was already damp from use. Zelmorzi kept his visit brief, then hastened back toward the barely visible tents. The cooks never rose before dawn, so Zelmorzi decided to take advantage of his warm bedroll until hot bacon and a warm sun were ready. Having spent most of his life in the flatlands near the River Carseli, he had no taste for the chill mists that ruled the mornings in these mountain valleys.
When Zelmorzi returned to the meadow where the battalion was encamped, he noticed that another person was up. Flames licked a new log "courtyard" around that nearest fire circle. The Zelmorzi's guess that it was Cappel Rode. Rode atop last night's coals. A single man stood in the man reached up to scratch his nose, confirming seemed absorbed by the mountains rising beyond the River Orro. The cloak of fog turned them into vague blobs of pastel color.
"Morning, sir," said Zelmorzi.
Rode turned, surprised to see his Sergeant up so early. "Morning, Zelmorzi. I was just admiring the view. They don't even quite look like real mountains, do they? It's like some tremendous watercolor backdrop. And when the sun's fully risen ..."
Zelmorzi nodded and put his hands into his nightshirt.
Rode gestured to a sharp cleft in the tors. "There's Vali Coltina. We'll camp on its doorstep tonight."
"It doesn't look like it's a day away," replied Zelmorzi.
"It isn't, but I want to allow a whole day to get through it. Since Monte Peigno is just on the other side, Don Peigno may have set up some surprises for us.
"Ah."
"His father was always trying to find sneaky ways to ruin the Morsines. You never knowwhat the son might do." This was said with a bitter flavor. Zelmorzi sensed that Rode had something against the Peigno family. How that related to the picture he had seen of Lira, he wasn't awake enough to ponder.
"Well, I'll see you at breakfast," said Zelmorzi, trudging through the dew back to the warmth of his tent.
*** Because of the noise that always accompanies an army in the last stages of preparation to march, Zelmorzi didn't hear the courier until it was almost within the soldiers. The man and his horse both wore the navy blue livery of General Dalen Roma. The steed's heaving sides were flecked with foam. The messenger in the saddle looked slightly disheveled from what had apparently been a long, fast ride.
As the man dropped from his saddle, Zelmorzi called for a soldier to see to the courier's horse. The messenger straightened his uniform and brushed a few bits of hemlock needles and chaff from his pants, then saluted. Eyeing Zelmorzi's single-striped brassard, he addressed him:
"Sergeant, I bear a dispatch from General Roma. It is addressed to Captain Cappel Rode." The courier offered a folded sheet of paper.
"This is Captain Rode's battalion," replied Zelmorzi, taking the letter. It was sealed with a huge glob of red wax, impressed with Don Roma's fleur-de-lis and stars. "If I may, I will deliver this to Captain Rode."
The courier returned a relieved salute. "Thank you, sir. I will await the Captain's reply." He then hurried off to supervise the handling of his steed.
Zelmorzi jogged to the front of the near mobile column of men, wondering what sort of message Don Roma might have for Captain Rode. Vali Coltina was too far from Bochi Orro for Rode's battalion to be of much use in case of an attack on the city.
Zelmorzi found Cappel Rode already mounted. Rode gave him an inquisitive look as the sergeant jogged up to the Captain's mount.
"Captain Rode, sir, a dispatch just arrived for you. The courier wore the colors of Don Roma." A hint of worry pinched Rode's eyebrows and mouth. With a habitual scratch of his nose, Rode accepted the letter. After examining Don Roma's seal, he cracked it open.
Rode's worry grew more pronounced as he read over the message. The eyes of Sergeant Melo's division (which formed the vanguard today) were all on the captain, wondering what the holdup was. Sergeant Zelmorzi forced himself not to speculate on what the contents of the letter were.
Suddenly, Cappel Rode let out a laugh. He handed the dispatch to Zelmorzi, who quickly read it.
To Captain Cappel Rode of Battalion 9,
The War is over.
As ofJune 17, 1255, the Republic of Morsia has surrendered to the Guipesan alliance. All military units affiliated with Morsia are hereby ordered to return to Bochi Orro to undergo surrender proceedings. All soldiers who willingly concede will be granted asylum in the restored Peninsular Federation, excepting those convicted ofwar crimes. No further hostilities between Morsine and Guipesan will be sanctioned either by the government of the Federation or the leaders of the former Republic of Morsia. Any individuals who persist in conducting war will be subject to the justice of the Federation.
By witness of the Four Goddesses,
Dalen Roma
Former commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Republic of Morsia.Zelmorzi felt his face grow warm. His damp hands clenched the paper until they left marks. He read the dispatch again, but the message remained the same. After almost three years of war, they were going to have to surrender. That thought was unbearable.
"Don Peigno plays dirtier than I thought " commented Cappel Rode.
Zelmorzi faced him with bewilderment.
"Surely you don't believe that letter's from Don Roma?"
"What?" Zelmorzi thought his captain must be insane. "It's got his seal, and his signature."
"So? Any fool with a knife and a letter from Don Roma to look at could whittle a fleur-de-lis. I'm sure Old Don Peigno got some letters from Don Roma when they were Assemblymen, before the war."
"You think this is a forgery?"
"Think about it." Rode reclaimed the letter to point out his contentions. "June 17. That's only a month after we sacked Bochi Orro. The Guipesans wouldn't have come back so soon. And wasn't it convenient that the courier arrived just as we were preparing to approach Vali Coltina?"
"Well ..." Zelmorzi was lost in conflict The dispatch, and the messenger both looked so real. Yet on the other hand, Cappel Rode maintained that it was a clever forgery by Don Peigno. It wasn't beyond the integrity of a Guipesan to do that. They had, after all, burned his farm for the crime of being on the wrong side of the river. And Zelmorzi had never actually seen anything with Don Roma' s signature on it. If it was a forgery , he wouldn't know, but Rode might.
"Here." Rode handed back the letter. "Tell the messenger I laughed at his message." Zelmorzi took the missive and headed back to where the courier waited for a reply. He felt relieved that Rode had decided that the war was still on. It was unthinkable to have lost a three-year fight without a chance to affect the outcome. It was a balm to his despair to once again have his fate in his own hands.
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