Bleist closed the office door behind him and turned towards the vestibule. During his meeting with the Grand Master and the Marshal, more people had arrived in the waiting room. First and foremost, General Leigher was standing at the clerk's desk, dictating something to an official. Behind the commander of Darius's formation stood two officers of the Azure Guard, laden with papers. They seemed to have been working continuously for a very long time, as both had dark circles under their eyes and pale complexions.
As soon as the door closed, the marquis glanced over his shoulder and fixed his gaze on Darius for a few seconds. Then, with a subtle movement of his head, he pointed to the alcove nearest the office entrance. There was no choice, it was an order.
Earl nodded and moved to the place indicated by his superior. For a moment, he watched the general dictate and sign some documents. When he was finished, Leigher approached the office entrance with the clerk, but stopped him from announcing his arrival. He left the clerk and his subordinates at the door and approached Bleist.
His hazel eyes scanned the colonel, and a shadow of a grimace appeared on the general's tired face. It was difficult to tell what it was. It seemed that the marquis, like his companions, had not had the most peaceful night. Fatigue weighed heavily on him.
'You've been given a rotten job,' Leigher said quietly enough that only Darius could hear him. 'The whole of Bushtabhar is a veritable breeding ground for problems. And I'm not talking about the murder.' He glanced over his shoulder. 'Quel-naza has been very active there for some time now. I didn't have time to report it, but their movements changed about a month ago. Several high-ranking members vanished, which caused quite a panic among the rest.' The marquis paused for a moment.
'Do we know whose doing this is, General?' Darius was somewhat surprised by his superior's attitude. Until now, Bleist had had the impression that since he became Military Advisor, Leigher had treated him as a necessary evil. To put it mildly, he didn't like him very much. However, now it seemed that the irritation and malice had disappeared from the commander's tone.
'Unfortunately not,' the general shook his head. 'What's worse, while gathering all the data from the region, it turned out that several of our informants and two field agents have also disappeared. In general, the unit dealing with North Africa is now in chaos. They are trying to find out what happened and, more importantly, when it happened. We have conflicting information.'
'Do you suspect internal activity?' Bleist asked with slight disbelief. He didn't want to believe that someone would work against the Guard from within. It was not possible.
'No, probably not,' Leigher muttered. 'More likely someone who figured us out locally. Since this morning, we've been... No, since yesterday, we've been checking information from all our posts, but something like this only happened in Bushtabhar. Something bigger is going on there. The problems between the Watch and the army are only superficial.'
'It seems there's also a problem with the governor there.'
'With that idiot?' The general snorted, not even trying to hide her contempt. 'Show him his place and tell him to stand at attention. I assure you, that's the least of your problems.'
Darius, however, remained of a different opinion. He did not think much of Warrant Officer Murphey, but his actions spoke volumes about his hot-headedness and lack of common sense. Add to that his father pushing the whole family down the hole dug by his son, and you couldn't expect anything good from this man. Throw in his paranoid tendencies, and you had an explosive mixture.
One could only hope that his subordinates had more common sense and self-preservation skills. Only that could save the enclave from a repeat of Irving. It was hard to swallow, but that's what the facts presented to Darius indicated.
'Never mind him.' Leigher waved his hand and then summoned one of the other officers of the Azure Guard. Bleist knew him only by sight and remembered that he was in charge of the African region. The general took a thick stack of documents held by the Guard, bound into a single set, and several sealed letters that looked like official authorisations, and then sent the officer back. 'This is a summary of everything we have learned about Bushtabhar, both on our side and on the Shehed side. Read it as soon as possible, because you will certainly find it useful.'
'Thank you, General.' Darius took the documents. It was difficult to say whether he had expected this or not, but certainly not in such a situation.
'Don't thank me, just take care of everything on the spot.' Leigher rubbed his tired eyes and looked over his shoulder again at the office entrance and the impatient clerk. 'Where is Secretary Daughtry when you need him?' he asked rhetorically, and Darius barely refrained from replying that he was probably asleep at home. 'Never mind.' He turned to the Earl and looked him in the eye. 'I know you'd prefer to take your own soldiers with you, but remember, Bleist, that a uniform alone can open more doors than force. You are a colonel of the Azure Guard, so use your privileges.' Unexpectedly, the general patted his subordinate on the shoulder and headed towards the Grand Master's office. 'I almost forgot... Rex is waiting for you downstairs,' Leigher called out before the door closed behind him.
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As soon as Darius emerged from the palace, he saw Rex standing before him in full armour. The Guard was wearing a blue field uniform – a quilted coat with spiked sleeves, armour gloves, leather half-armour covered with slightly shiny runes, and an open helmet on his head. On top of that, he had a belt weighted down with a handy satchel, a sword and two pistols, and in his hand he held a spear with a golden crystal sparkling in the heart of the spearhead. Right next to him crouched a chimera, looking slightly sleepy. The monster was slightly larger than a bess, with a lion's head, a broad, strongly built torso somewhat resembling that of a bull, paws similar to those of a jaguar, and a long scorpion tail equipped with a venomous sting. The entire creature was covered with short grey-brown fur, except for its tail, which was covered with chitinous plates. A majestic, light brown mane waved slightly around the chimera's head.
Bleist did not like these creatures because of their venom, which killed in a very slow and painful way. It was also difficult to find an antidote for it, which further deepened his aversion to chimeras. Ironically, it was not the spike on the tail that was the most feared. The toxin injected by it paralysed the victim, allowing the fresh prey to be carried back to the lair. The chimera could spit deadly venom from its mouth, and thus its bites also allowed the terrible poison to enter the body.
The monster raised its head and took an interest in the approaching officer. Rex immediately turned and saluted.
'Good morning, Colonel.' The Guard stood up straight. He did not look well-rested either, which seemed to be the norm for members of the Azure Guard. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his blue pupils did not shine with their usual enthusiasm. His complexion, usually olive, was sallow and somewhat worn. His long face seemed a little sunken, which only added to his fatigue. On top of that, Rex's raven-black hair stuck out carelessly from under his helmet, demanding not only a wash but also a haircut.
'Good morning,' Darius nodded to the Guard and glanced at the chimera once more. The monster sat up a little, watching Bleist with curiosity. Its earlier drowsiness and apathy had disappeared, making the creature even more terrifying. Only now did the earl notice the bridle in the creature's mouth and the saddle placed on the narrower rear part of its torso. Both elements were connected with a wide collar studded with spikes. Along the spine, under the chest and across the sides, there were additional straps that stabilised the structure and allowed for the mounting of armour. Considering the chimera's resistance to blows from blunt weapons, it could be assumed that the monster's equipment included chain mail or plate armour.
'In accordance with General Leigher's orders, I have been permanently transferred to your command, sir.' Rex pulled out a sealed document, which was probably the relevant decree.
Considering the commander's previous behaviour, Darius began to seriously wonder if their interactions so far had been marked by something other than the earl's perceived dislike. Walking back through the palace building, he had time to think about it a little, but he couldn't figure out what the general was really up to. At the very beginning, when Bleist first joined the Azure Guard, he had no problems. He worked so efficiently and persistently that he received several commendations from his superiors and a quick promotion. Everything started to go wrong when he was appointed Military Advisor to the Grand Master. That was the moment when Leigher began to treat him with... Well, what exactly? It was difficult for Darius to say now. He had the impression that it wasn't dislike, but he still needed time to sort everything out and draw some conclusions.
'I look forward to working with you again.' Bleist shook the Guard's hand. A hidden relief appeared on Rex's face.
'Me too, Colonel.'
'You've only just been transferred, and already we have a task in the provinces.' Darius shook his head.
'If I may...' Rex looked uncertainly at the stack of documents held by the Earl. 'I was only informed that I was to report here with full combat gear, but I know nothing about the task ahead of us.'
'We'll talk on the way.' Bleist looked towards the crystal rising above the city. Light was slowly beginning to emanate from it. 'We have a lot to discuss.'
'I'll tie Diozen to the back of the carriage, if I may.' The corporal nodded towards Ed'heer's carriage.
'Go ahead.' Darius just waved his hand and moved inside.
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It turned out that Darius and Rex had more to discuss than they had initially thought. The first document Bleist looked at was the order to transfer the corporal under his command. Everything in it was correct, except for the additional information that ten Guardsmen had been assigned to the earl along with the non-commissioned officer. The order also included a note informing him that the other members of the unit had been instructed by the command and would be waiting for Darius at the gate they would have to use to get to Bushtabhar.
The second surprise was the detail of the information provided by Leigher. It included planned routes, maps of the enclave with detailed descriptions of specific locations, summaries of reports on the murder they were officially supposed to investigate, personnel reports on important individuals, and meticulously detailed field reports from Bushtabhar and the surrounding area.
The map of the enclave gave Darius a rough idea of the area they would be operating in. Bushtabhar was a medium-sized magical territory in the form of a mountain valley surrounded by vertical walls and shaped like a circle. It was mostly covered with savannah, and closer to water sources with bush. It contained one city, of the same name, located by a lake in the center of the region. The reservoir was fed by underground springs and seasonally by three rivers. Four agricultural villages were located within a day's walk of the city, each in a different direction. They relied heavily on water supplied by aqueducts for their functioning. Further away, on the outskirts of the enclave, almost three days' journey from the city, there were several smaller settlements described as mining centres. In addition to these, the borderland also included three small castles, which served as border and customs posts. They protected the entrances to the enclave from outside attacks and served as army garrisons.
The city itself stretched along the southern shore of the lake. It was divided by city walls into smaller areas, such as the port, the bazaar, the residential district, and the like. In the heart of Bushtabhar, a mighty citadel was erected, serving as the headquarters of the troops stationed in the enclave. Interestingly, various notes indicated that Lieutenant Imar Al-Satar was the commander-in-chief of the garrison. It seemed that Warrant Officer Murphy had been appointed governor, but his authority was significantly limited. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that, in addition to the Atlantean army, he had his own soldiers and mercenaries at his disposal.
Opposite the citadel, the map marked the governor's palace, a temple complex, and a group of official buildings. These were important points of interest if they were to visit the city.
Nevertheless, Darius hoped that it would not be necessary to venture into Bushtabhar at all, as the problematic murder had taken place in one of the agricultural villages, and the other problems tended to occur in more remote areas.
The murder seemed... a bit strange. The report sent from the enclave contained information that was almost contradictory. On the one hand, the room in the inn rented by Caim Rocha had been completely demolished, and the victim himself bore signs of torture on his body, but on the other hand, there were no witnesses who even mentioned hearing anything disturbing, even though the place was full. The City Guards who accompanied their friend on his journey testified that he behaved normally, yet they were unable to say when he left them on that fateful evening. Army representatives pointed out again that there was no permanent military presence in the village, and that a patrol had passed through two days earlier, yet around noon on the day of the murder, the victim had been seen arguing with another soldier. Many things did not add up, and Bleist already had a bad feeling about the whole affair.
The situation regarding Quel-naza did not appear to be any easier. Fanatical militants made themselves at home in Bushtabhar, adopting a tactic of keeping out of sight of the army. They were doing quite well, as they operated mainly outside patrolled roads and garrison locations. As a result, they mainly clashed with mercenaries and the governor's soldiers. They quite openly carried out propaganda campaigns aimed at inciting the local population and recruiting new members. However, since the disappearance of the local leaders of the organisation, chaos had crept into its ranks, and its actions had become not only less coordinated but also more driven by emotion than by the militants' doctrine. Quel-naza in Bushtabhar had turned into more of an armed gang looting whatever they could under the guise of a higher purpose. The lack of organised leadership was plain to see.
The last problem that needed to be addressed was the disappearance of the Azure Guard's informants and field agents. While spies could be exposed and eliminated for one reason or another, the Guards were not so easy to deal with. Even if they were exposed, they were magicians with significant combat abilities. Disappearing without a trace was out of the question for them. Especially since their latest reports indicated that they wanted to investigate something in the savannah surrounding the city. The third issue only raised more doubts.
'I have a feeling this isn't going to be easy,' Rex muttered when he finished reading the last report.
Darius looked up from the map. He had been studying the locations marked on the reports for quite some time. It was difficult to find a common denominator other than the fact that everything had happened outside the city.
'The more I learn about this, the more it stinks,' agreed Bleist. 'Too many unknowns, coincidences, and conflicting testimonies.'
'I think it could be dangerous,' said the corporal, shifting uncomfortably as the carriage slowed and turned into the Ed'heer gate.
'Unfortunately, you may be right,' Darius sighed heavily. He wasn't happy about it at all. He thought he had enough problems, but it turned out that they were just beginning. 'That's why they're sending us there,' he smiled wryly.