CHAPTER 5
On the twelfth day after we had met the party going north to the gunpowder plant, we crested the ridge between the interior valley and the great basin which was the southern valley. We started down a long stretch of the roadway that led toward the ruins of the old city.
Well before reaching the city ruins, we could make out a large area of cultivated fields. This area had to be the headquarters the farm factory boss had told us about I thought.
Cain and I decided that we should make camp well off of the roadway in order to avoid any traffic from groups or parties traveling it.
After we had made camp, Cain and I questioned Nate for any information he might have concerning the "Army of the Great Basin". Nate said that he had been too scared and confused to remember the camp sufficiently to make us a map. Nate wasn’t aware of any further information he could add to that which Cain and I had got from the factory boss we had questioned.
Sari and Saam sat and listened to the questioning of Nate. Sari said, "You need to find out more information about this Army. Maybe the information is worth more than any of the things you might loot in the city. How strong are they, how did they find out how to make gunpowder? Have they started to produce guns? And if so, how many men and guns do they have? I’m sure the Three Rivers group would pay for that information."
"Yeah, I think you might be right," I said.
Cain agreed but said we would have to go in alone. We could move pretty freely without detection. Cain and I talked for several hours after eating dinner. We decided if we started to the compound tonight, we could be there by first light.
Cain and I agreed to scout the settlement together for two or three days, then one or both of us would return to camp. I sat with the others and reminded them they could only cook during the day and only with small minimum smoking fires. They should keep their eyes open for any patrols.
As we set out, I explained my idea for entering the compound to Cain. I pulled an old bounty poster from my pouch. I told him I was going to pretend I was on a tracking assignment from the three Rivers district. He could stay in concealment. If everything went well, he could wait for me as I checked in with the settlement trackers guild house.
He could try to free me if something went wrong and I was taken prisoner. Cain agreed with this plan, but said he wished he had thought of it first.
We made our way down the roadway toward the cultivated fields. At the fields we entered a cornfield for cover and continued to advance toward the compound. Two or three times we detected lookouts or guard towers. These we easily avoided without detection. As the sun was rising over the hills to the east, Cain and I approached the compound.
We noted there were guards at intervals along a ruble wall that surrounded the compound. I back tracked to the east out of sight of the guard towers. Then I stepped out onto the roadway and started walking back toward the compound.
As I neared the compound wall, a voice called out for me to stop and drop my weapons. I did as I was instructed, two men walked out to where I was standing. One of the two was the obvious leader. He asked me to state my business.
I told him I was a tracker from the Three Rivers district and that I had business at the local trackers guild. He indicated for the second man to gather my weapons and then bade me to follow them.
We approached a log structure and he told me this was the Guild house. He instructed the second man to stand guard and keep my weapons. I was to accompany the guard when I finished in the Guild house. He told the guard to bring me to him when I was finished here.
I entered the Guild house and walked over to the clerk. I handed him the poster and informed him I was in pursuit of this raider for my guild. The clerk looked at the poster and shook his head. He stated that he had not seen the person drawn on the poster and informed me I was not to roam inside the city looking for him.
I protested that I was on guild business. But I was informed that only the local guild had jurisdiction inside the city.
As I exited the structure, the guard walked up and directed me to follow him. We walked, winding past both wooden structures and tents. Finally, we arrived at another large wooden structure.
Once inside this structure, I was escorted over to a covered area where the first guard waited. Again, I was informed that I was not to look for my man or explore inside the city. I informed him that this was the same information that I was given at the guild house. I told him I would protest this action with my Guild house.
"Be that as it may, you will be arrested or killed if you are caught in the old city," he said.
I was told my weapons would be returned at the compound gate. He motioned to my escort, and returned to his work at his desk. I took this to mean I was dismissed. The guard and I turned and left the room.
As the guard and I walked toward the gate we had used to enter the compound, I laughed and said, "Tight compound you guys run here."
"Shut up and keep moving," he said.
I laughed again thinking, how lucky for him Cain was waiting outside and not being told to shut up.
After we had walked for a few minutes and were well outside of earshot, the guard said, "Sorry about that shut up comment but the officers are very strict about discipline. And I didn’t want to be reprimanded for displaying a lack of authority."
"My name is Jace."
"How many men are here Jace?" I asked.
"There's about 100 soldiers and 500 slaves at this compound. But there are three other compounds down at the ruins of the ancients city, each of those compounds have three hundred or four hundred warriors plus the slaves," he said.
We reached the compound gates where the guard stopped and handed me my weapons. "Take it from me, and get as far from this place as you can," he said.
As I took my weapons and prepared to leave I said, "I think I will, interested in tagging along?"
"I sure would like to, but they hunt down and kill deserters," he said.
"Ok, but remember I’m headed north, you can catch me if you leave tonight," I told him.
He told me he would keep it in mind. Then said, "Go safe and with good speed." "And you," I said, and turned to go.
I walked for 20 minutes or so. I went past several fields of corn and grain and could see slaves working in the fields. Deciding to take a break, I walked over and sat down in the shade of a tree.
After a couple of minutes, I heard Cain whisper from cover of the corn field, "Did you spot them yet Remy? You are being followed. Two warriors are about three hundred meters behind you."
"Well, I guess I’ll wait here for them then," I said. I loosened the hold down on my sword and checked the dagger at my side.
A few minutes later, two warriors walked up to where I was sitting. One was a big redheaded brute. The other was a tall skinny fellow.
"Get up," the redheaded brute said.
"Why, what do you want? I’m here on guild business," I said.
"Your guild business here is finished. Your only business here will be as a worker on a slave gang or as fertilizer," the big redhead said pulling his sword.
With that said, his legs folded under him and he crumpled to his knees. Then his chin dropped to his chest and his body toppled forward. Both his partner and I saw the dagger buried in his back
I drew my sword and smacked the skinny warrior on the side of his head with the flat side of my sword.
I splashed water on the face of the warrior I had knocked out. He came to with a start.
"Who sent you?" I asked. He just looked at me without saying anything.
Cain said, "Remy, this one is mine, you got the last one."
Cain tied a stick gag across the warriors open mouth. He then pulled his dagger and removed the thumb at the first joint from the warrior's non-sword hand.
Cain knelt down and grabbing the warrior by the hair said, "We are going to ask you some questions. If you refuse to answer them or if you tell us lies, I will remove yo
ur fingers. Then I’ll cut off your hand. Next I will start on your other hand. Then I will cut off your feet, toes first. I will continue to remove body parts until you talk. I have all day to enjoy this, so it’s up to you."
The warrior indicated he would talk. Cain cursed and cut the strap holding the stick in his mouth.
The warrior told us that they had been sent to see if I was alone or had a party concealed out of sight. They were ordered to capture or kill me, by General Krak. General Krak is commander of the Army of the Great Basin. The compound I had visited was the main head quarters of the Army. General Krak suspected that I might be a spy or a raider. The General was concerned I might have discovered that they were developing gun weapons.
"How did the general discover how to make gunpowder?" I asked.
"The professor figured out how to do that. He’s figured out how to make lots of things; like the three large steam powered boats for patrolling up and down the coast. This month he discovered how to make a sulfa powder that will fight infection. He’s always working on something. But the only thing the general wants are things that will make him and the army more powerful. The general thinks that by using the guns, we will be able to control the interior valley as well," said the warrior.
"Where can we find this professor and the general?" I asked.
"There is a large wooden structure unlike any I have ever seen. It is made from wood produced by another of the professor's inventions. The general lives there and the professor is kept there as well," the warrior said.
"Kept there?" I asked.
"Yes, the professor is being held there."
"Where did the professor come from?" I asked.
"We captured him near the dry lake east of here," the warrior explained.
Cain and I discussed the next step to take.
We decided I could checkout the compound for any additional information. In the meantime, Cain and the warrior would lay a trail south toward the city. He said they would lay a trail. And even if the trackers weren’t any better than the quality of this warrior, they could locate and follow.
He said he would lighten the trace after a few hours and make it run out in a day, but he would make it look like we were headed for the old city.
Cain said he should be back by late tomorrow afternoon. We agreed we would meet at dawn at the corn field where we had entered the road today.