~*~
Lisa made her way down the ramp and saw Sandra talking with Milton at the end of it. The Brane Child's communications officer was wearing her invisibility cloak draped over her shoulders, unclasped and with the hood down, which, according to what Milton had told them, meant the 'magic' was not turned on. Brax was there, too, with his magic sword at his waist. The large man standing next to Milton also wore a sword. Lisa recognized his face as one of the men in the king's reception hall four days ago when she had laughed off a presumably powerful magical attack by one of their most accomplished wizards. He must be the commander of the hundred or so men maintaining a respectful distance behind him. The ship blocked the rays of the rising sun, casting a long shadow over them, but she saw that they also were armed, and most wore outfits more or less alike including red jackets and bullet-shaped helmets. They must be soldiers. The scene looked like something out of a movie, but it felt real enough, and she, apparently, still had a role to play.
She strode up to Milton, trying to get into the character of the powerful sorceress she was supposed to be. The apprentice magician appeared nervous, but Lisa didn't think this was because of her. He mumbled a respectful greeting, which, she thought, included just a touch of awe before introducing the man next to him.
"Commander Chang, may I present General Sevritas, commander of His Majesty's army." Milton turned his head to the man and offered a matching introduction. "General Sevritas, this is Commander Chang, leader of the adventuring group Peacekeepers and proven master of counter-magic."
The officer replied with a slight dip of his head. "Commander, Milton has advised us of our part in your plan, but it is my duty to suggest that rather than tying the orcs, as the young mage claims you have requested, we simply dispatch them while they are still under the effects of your powerful magic. This is not only for the safety of my men, but it seems to me it would also provide a simple and long lasting solution to our orc problem, which is, after all, what King Genrex has commissioned your group to help us solve."
Lisa could not deny that part of her also considered this a better idea. For one thing, it would take less time to stab an orc than bind one. Also, if they failed in their attempt to subdue the mind flayer, they would still succeed because it would no longer have any orcs to command. Added to this was her persisting belief that none of this was real, which meant that in some way the orcs, the people, and everything else around her were imaginary. But, real or not, the ultimate reason she could not agree with him was that the things she did made her the kind of person she was. It determined how she thought of herself. She did not feel like someone who could condone violence for the sake of expediency, and she did not wish to become such a person. This might be selfish. It might put the soldiers at risk for the sake of her self-respect, but she believed that Doc's knockout gas made the risk minimal. The orcs, once the gas had had its effect, would essentially already be captives, and ethical people did not harm captives.
She consciously contorted her face into what she hoped would be taken as a sever sneer of resolve. "The orcs will be bound, General. You and your men will not harm those unable to fight effectively. There will be consequences, unpleasant consequences, otherwise. I hope I make myself clear."
General Sevritas nodded, but a sly grin ghosted across his lips as he answered. "I understand. Those that cannot fight won't be killed."
Why the stupid grin? What had she missed?
"It's a side effect of the spell, General," Brax interjected. "It only works if the target is not in peril of his life. It's part of the magic. If your men do intend to harm them, you won't be going into a field of sleeping orcs; you'll be going into one full of large angry ones."
Of course! She had qualified her order. The general would simply kill the orcs and claim afterwards that all had offered resistance.
"And, I might add," Lisa said, "that the spell should be effective on all those in range. I will find it a matter worthy of investigation and my personal attention if you find any who did not succumb to it. And, I assure you, I will find the explanation."
"I see," the officer said. "In that case, I will ensure that my men are so instructed. I have already warned them about the residual effects Milton mentioned, and all will be wearing scarves over their faces. I trust this will be sufficient."
"It should be," Lisa said, hoping this was true. Doc had been uncertain about this aspect of the plan. He said the gas would dissipate quickly outdoors, but he could not be sure of how much would remain in the air when the soldiers arrived on the scene. She glanced behind her and noticed him giving her a barely perceptible nod.
"Good, we're all set then," Brax said. "We'll be lifting off in a few minutes. You and your men should all move away from the ship, General. As soon as we're clear, march toward the orc camp, but don't go in until you see our signal. Milton told you about that, right?"
"He said it would be a shower of sparks in the air," the general said.
"That's right. You should see it not long after we get there. Good luck."
"To you, too. We will do our part, and I look forward to hearing about your success in yours."