‘You received letters this past week right?’ asked Olexion.
Elmira nodded, the words of the latter letter surfacing, making her eyes warm and teary.
‘One of the letters claimed Colonel Cid to be deceased?’ suggested Olexion.
‘That’s right,’ she spoke softly.
‘I assure you the letter is one of a kind, it was sent to you and only you, in all probability by Bennam himself. There is no military record stating that Cid is deceased. The information disclosed in that letter is deliberately inaccurate.’
‘You mean the letter is wrong! Cid is alive?’
‘We have no information to indicate otherwise, and we only heard of his supposed death when we spoke to Lord Fredrere. We were a little more than just baffled, so we took it as misinformation,’ said Olexion.
He’s alive! Elmira clamped her mouth with hands, tears of relief in her eyes.
‘Would you like a moment?’ asked Olexion.
‘No, please continue.’
Olexion smiled. ‘From what I’ve read I would not so readily suggest that Colonel Cid’s life is centred on the military alone my lady.’
‘Did you read all my letters?’ asked Elmira incredulously.
‘Yes, and had there been more, we would have read them as well. We do what we need to, and we have the means to reseal them as necessary.’
Elmira knew she would have to let the issue go. She’d like to get her way with anyone touching her personal messages, but the Rangers were somewhat outside the law by all accounts and trying to hold them to that was a fool’s quest.
‘Okay, so Cid is alive and I am glad, but can you please make me understand why Bennam was trying to give me a heart attack and why you are furrowing through my mail?’ said Elmira.
‘We needed to follow all leads. As for Bennam’s intentions, well, twenty-one years ago, before he returned to Lanston as the Commander he served as an operations intelligence specialist in Asheva. It was a bit before my time of joining the Rangers, but I knew from reports and study that the man was wily.
‘Back then he was in charge of an operation called the Scourge, a Kingdom endeavour to rid the capital city of an underground alliance of corrupt families, their sole motivation to overthrow the King and the sovereignty. The details of this saga are truly unimportant in our current matter - Bennam’s methods at the time however, has relevance:
‘Commanding the Scourge, Bennam was in charge of assigning undercover specialists to infiltrate the rebel families. These spies though had little to no contact with Kingdom authorities once they went covert, yet they still required ways to be identified as friendly targets should the need arise for feedback or assistance.
‘As you might imagine the only way to truly pierce deep enough into such a tight knot of families was to have splinter agencies, enlisting men and women who were mostly nobles themselves, yet were not well known enough to be associated with the King, not in any loyal way that is. The idea was for them to appear as low-ranking yet resourceful nobles who wanted to live out their ambitions by joining the rebels.
‘The rebels welcomed this tactic, for it created an open channel and they sent spies of their own deep into Kingdom hierarchies without the authorities knowing of better. The coordination needed to carry day-by-day safe words was not practical and the small but efficient group of rebel spies took advantage of this system. A lot of Bennam’s personnel were dying and some of them actually did end up joining the rebels. The Kingdom intelligence needed some way of communicating loyalty that was standardized, and something that could bypass underneath enemy notice.
‘Bennam came up with the solution, retracting his most trusted and issuing them the means. He thus granted his agents immunity by writing them innocuous letters or certificates, mentioning a specific person in some way or another and putting it into circulation. These letters would easily pass the scrutiny of enemy spies. The ones relating to the men loyal to Bennam however, always had an invisible oil-based stamp on it. Needless to say the right men always knew what these certificates were and tested them against water.’
Elmira was listening intently, and she pulled the letter claiming Cid from her purse. ‘Show me,’ she said pushing out toward him.
Olexion took a few drops of tea from his cup and rubbed it over the corner of the letter. Barely visible, the stain seemed to lift a Sovereign insignia. ‘Oil and water repel each other, thus the oil outline is suddenly in contrast with the surrounding paper,’ explained Olexion.
‘Those unable to be recognized by such a letter would be jailed. There was no ambiguity about this safe word system and ensured the families downfall. This was Bennam’s idea and his signal, the plan was well documented after they eradicated the families. It is something I have studied in full.’
‘What does this make of Cid then?’ asked Elmira.
‘Bennam was waving a flag, a discreet one albeit, he was signalling my lady, so that we may know Cid is not a traitor,’ said Olexion.
‘So, if Bennam was determined to signal Cid as… but then why would he…?’
‘Stelinger’s report claiming Cid as the turncoat, and Bennam’s aver claiming otherwise paints Stelinger as our most likely traitor, I now have reason more than just suspicion to believe this.’
‘Stelinger is in charge of the Lanston forces and he’s the traitor?’ asked Elmira fearfully, ‘and he’s in league with the Fallen!?’
‘Supposing I’m right the Lanston army will be in grave peril I’d imagine,’ confirmed Olexion.
‘Wait; if Bennam had the mind to save Cid from prosecution then he knew there would be betrayal. All along he knew? Did he promote Stelinger to Commander knowingly!?’
‘Yes and more startling, he knew he was going to be killed, in fact he planned for it.’
‘He did? Stelinger was behind it wasn’t he?’ accused Elmira.
‘Extending our assumption, yes.’
‘Why didn’t he tell anyone, why did he do all this?’ asked Elmira.
‘My investigations to thus led me to conclude that Bennam was well aware of a betrayal in the Kingdom, perhaps of one even deeper than just Stelinger. Even as Commander though he was well watched and monitored - haunted even I would say. We Rangers are not the only ones who check letters. He could not raise his voice without someone breathing down his neck.’
‘Piatil,’ said Elmira in realization, ‘I always thought that little man was a menace.’
‘Bennam wasn’t one to go down without having his say though. His unusual display of pulling strings might have seem to be done in ignorance, simply consolidating whatever the enemy’s plan might be, but I would venture as far to say that he was preparing a counter measure, a plan that centres itself around your Colonel Cid and required the old Commander to keep quiet until the Lanston march commenced.’
‘He believed so much in this that he was willing to die for it?’ asked Elmira.
‘Maybe he had little choice, but there is no doubt that his sentiments were noble,’ said Olexion.
‘And his death?’
‘The man knew what he was doing, and the only way he could ensure his plight reached the highest echelons of power within the Kingdom was by making a statement.’
‘By getting himself murdered?’
‘I’m glad to see that you are following. Bennam has long been known as one of the best military and political minds in the Kingdom and was exceedingly clever in execution. He could not contact Asheva directly as you know. So I’d imagine, when the time was right, he’d let slip some indication that he knew of the betrayal in the Kingdom and he was taken out for it before he could warn anyone. This however like I told you, he expected, and he understood his death was the only thing that was going to lure me and my men out to investigate in isolation. When we did investigate our pathologist found an obvious trace of Ramonin poison in his body, a very poor choice for any would-be assassin given its overt symptoms on the skin. Because of this the pathologist took a closer look and continued to dis
cover Bennam’s heart gave out to a much more subtle poison, identified as Wylt, unidentifiable unless someone has reason to cut into the body.
‘He was poisoned twice?’ asked Elmira disbelievingly.
‘Yes, technically it’s still considered murder because the unidentified poison killed Bennam first, the Ramonin though? We can't think that any Assassin would bother using it, even in conjunction with Wylt, which rather leads us to believe that Bennam poisoned himself right before the assassin struck.’
‘What!?’
‘He knew what was coming. It was his way of ensuring that we know he was murdered and not suffered a heart attack like the enemy wanted us to believe. This is our most apt conclusion and it above all else alerted us that Bennam was trying to point us toward something, and all the while lull the enemy into thinking their plan was still on track. To make sense of it, the attack on Bennam must’ve been to keep the Lanston march unhampered. It predicts nothing good and is the reason we started the prolonged investigation in the first place and leaving the killer almost… unimportant,’ said Olexion.
‘Did Bennam leave you anything, something to guide you?’ asked Elmira.
‘Indeed, yet he was still reluctant in showing his hand, possibly in fear of his enemies coming down upon it by chance,’ said Olexion, withdrawing a white king piece from his vestment. Elmira looked curiously at the chess figurine.
‘We of course looked at his most recent war records and diary entries and while we learned much from it we still couldn’t get any decisive information.’
Olexion held up the white King. ‘We found this on his person though. Does it mean anything to you?’ asked Olexion, a hint of caution in his voice.
‘Well no, not personally. But Cid and Bennam used to play chess all the time. It really was one of Bennam’s pastimes and Cid always used to beat him,’ said Elmira, unsure whether she was helping.
Olexion started tampering with the shaft of the piece, twisting it carefully. The piece’s lower foundation came off and Olexion reached into the narrow top to pinch out a slim tapered paper.
Elmira almost gasped in surprise.
Olexion unrolled the paper and angled it for Elmira to read. The writing was tiny, but readable all the same courtesy of the old Commander’s neat handwriting. Its entire surface was used to pen out a few names:
Paul’op of Destinian Blacksmithies
Fredrere of Sagril
Elmira of Merrigil
Cid of Rogana
Stelinger of Priam
Piatil, of none
Brunick, of Masons
Vanapha of Rade’Remar
Lidayel, of Council
Luthren, of Council
Yarea, of Council
‘I don’t get it,’ said Elmira.
‘No one was supposed to get it my lady. These are just names of some very interesting individuals and we have investigated each and everyone since, some in person and others just by the records we have on them.
‘Bennam’s records coincided with each of these names, except for yours of course. These records show that he exercised considerable influence in his last days. For one, he ordered a massive amount of new weapons for the Lanston core infantry all the way from Morshiph, a conspicuous act on its own, let alone the fact that he noted that Stelinger was involved in the decision. For reasons unclear to me as of yet Bennam worked through the business network of Sagril, utilizing their shipping prowess at high expense.’
‘Is that why you were at Fredrere’s?’ asked Elmira.
‘Yes, though I’m afraid both he and his father Lord Salstrice are rather ignorant on the matter save for the transport of the weapons. Not that we are the wiser, we have yet to discern Bennam’s intent with this.’
‘So Sagril might be criminal?’ asked Elmira hopefully.
Olexion gave a one-sided smile. ‘I don’t think so my lady, but they are a defensive lot, rude as well, it might’ve given me great pleasure had I discovered they were underhanded.’
‘And these weapons…?’
‘…are another trail to follow, it’s suspicious on its own and gives us at least a faint hint on Stelinger’s motivation.’
‘So killing Lanston’s finest soldiers isn’t enough for Stelinger,’ fumed Elmira.
‘Yes, to be callous about it, killing a third of Lanston’s active garrison is barely going to hamstring the Kingdom. There is some other motivation I’m sure and the weapons must be central to Stelinger’s plan.’
Olexion looked down at the paper and trailed his finger across some names. ‘These three names; Luthren, Lidayel and Yarea, drew specific interest for us, since they are all well-known Summoners.’
‘Summoners?’ said Elmira in surprise.
‘Yes, the Kingdom dispatched two of these Forgotten Summoners to the warzone to test new magicks on the Fallen. Bennam however, reassigned them to exactly the spot where Cid’s satellite company was sent. This can be no coincidence; for it was here that the companies were supposedly sold out, ambushed and killed. Should Cid have run into these Summoners he might’ve survived, Stelinger’s attempt to have him killed foiled. Bennam’s preoccupation with Colonel Cid makes me think that whatever he was planning he was vesting his hope in your man.’
‘For what purpose? Why all the secrecy, why play along? If he was willing to get himself killed, why not stop the Lanston march somehow?’
Olexion shrugged, ‘that’s what we have to find out. But for now we have abstained from alerting the Kingdom.’
‘How come?’
‘The effort Bennam spent keeping everything as quiet as he could suggests he did not want anyone to know or get involved beyond us Rangers. For now I would respect that notion, as I am confident that the old Commander only sought to do what’s best for the Kingdom.’
Olexion moved on to the next name.
‘This Vanapha is a prominent Valkyrie of Rade’Remar, also part of a detachment issued to Alparack. The involvement of such specific names baffle me, I can only conclude that Bennam had something elaborate in mind.
‘We have looked into all these people by now. Bennam was clearly using the full width of his authority to set something up, and it would be impossible to know what he was planning unless we investigate further. Now; we know how Cid and Stelinger are involved. Which bring us to you.’
‘Me?’ asked Elmira in surprise.
‘Yes, why do you think I would be sitting here and sharing this information with you?’ asked Olexion.
‘Because my name’s on the list!’ said Elmira defensively.
‘And why would it be there my lady?’ asked Olexion.
Elmira shrugged. ‘You checked my mail right? That’s how Bennam planned it, he sent the letter anonymously to an unimportant person like me, the letter passed scrutiny and you got hold of it by seeing my name on the slip. That way you know Cid is not a traitor. That’s it, isn’t it?’
Olexion leaned forward in his chair. ‘Your deduction is correct, but the way I see it, you are one of the few persons Bennam felt he could trust completely and he knew you care about Cid more than anyone else. He must’ve disclosed information to you, or left something with you, anything. Something he couldn’t keep on himself… or put in a letter…’
Elmira shook her head. ‘He didn’t.’
Olexion sighed. ‘There must be some sense to this,’ he said, sitting back and putting his hands behind his head.
‘Why didn’t Bennam trust Cid though? Why would he leave something with me?’ asked Elmira.
‘Everything he did was to keep the game going. Operation Biridian might be compromised, but Bennam was certain he’d get his way in the end. His death for example was set specifically to get the Rangers involved, knowing we would have the means to properly investigate the tidings of Lanston. His secrecy however in each of his actions was designed to my best guess to let the enemy proceed with their plan, ignorant of Bennam’s intentions. I guess
it’s safe to conclude that Operation Biridian was real enough for Bennam and he was going to have his swing at the enemy. His knowledge of the setup made for a rare opportunity, he consolidated the enemy’s plan and in turn it allowed him prepare an exact counter measure. One that would hit the Fallen hard.’
‘Bennam was a fool that way, he could cost much more lives than his own,’ said Elmira angrily.
‘I would like to agree with you, but I knew much of Bennam. He was a man who fought border wars my lady, never did he suggest risking it all, rather declining glory to ensure safety; it was one of his strengths as the Commander of Lanston. The mere fact that he would hatch such a ploy now makes me dually suspicious. Whatever it is he knew, it is something we must discover as well, for it is surely of grave importance to have driven the old man like this.’
‘What I don’t understand is, what could Bennam possibly expect Cid to accomplish? I mean, if Cid is running around without intelligence then what good is he?’
‘That question I would think is to be answered by the Summoners, I take it you know about the Forgotten?’
‘A little,’ admitted Elmira.
‘You see, Lidayel and Yarea are many decades old and are privy to information like you can’t even imagine. They are however, always forced to forget before going onto missions. If Cid could have managed to catch up with these Summoners and they remember…’
‘So maybe they know!’ said Elmira
‘Precisely,’ said Olexion, ‘and I’d think they would be able to supplement the dark spots of our intelligence.’
‘What exactly do you plan to do from here on out?’ asked Elmira, feeling their discussion was coming to a close.
‘We’ll look into the city for the rest of the day, see if we can’t pick up some more leads. By tomorrow morning we will set out for the Alparack valley. We will investigate the situation and if possible in any way make contact with Colonel Cid, his men and the Summoners, and to see if we can support them in securing Lanston’s safety.’
Elmira could not contain herself. ‘Can I come with you?’
Olexion was not used to being surprised this much and it took him a while to shake his head.
‘My lady, we will be travelling on Volje into an active battlefield. It will be neither comfortable nor safe.’
‘And I am promised to wed to a spineless man while the man I love is out fighting someone else’s war, trust me, I think I can bear a little adventure,’ pressed Elmira.