Brian's Adventures Ch. 17

"I see that. Good work." I complimented her.

"Thank you, but with all the extra hands around here, that shouldn't take long." Chezeleste said and looked at me with an expectant look. "I was wondering Captain, what you planned to do next?" She asked with a curious look.

"I guess that depends on Felleona, doesn't it?" I said with a bare snicker. "Walk with me won't you." I said and pointed toward one of the great doors as we started to walk. "How well do you know Felleona?" I asked with a curious, inquiring expression of my own.

"I thought I knew her well, but now I don't think I ever really knew her." Chezeleste said with a sorrowful look that showed that she truly felt betrayed.

"I know what you mean but I mean as a leader of troops. What do you think she will do next?" I asked and again waited for her response, which she took a moment or two to gather herself together and reply.

"Well, she is in a tight spot and I guess that we could count her as out, but I think she's far from it." Chezeleste said with a sigh. "She has always found a way to make the best out of any situation." Chezeleste finished and looked at me to read my reaction.

We had now passed outside one of the sets of great doors and were walking down the road between the fields leisurely. We were walking, talking and taking in the scene around us of Guards working here and there. I smiled and greeted the odd Guard as we generally toured the grounds of the Kincaid Quad while we chatted. I could see that the attitude of my Guards had changed, while yesterday a number of them looked at me through skeptical eyes. Today it seemed that I had earned a small measure of their respect, and that was a comfort to me. Though I knew that I had a long way to go before I could say that I had earned the right to be Captain. I was on the right track it seemed, and was glad that my Guards didn't blame me for the loss of Felleona and her band.

"The greatest trouble that I see is that she knows where we are but we have no clue where she is." I said with a frustrated sigh and looked at Chezeleste who shared my worried expression.

"Yes, she may even be on her way back here to attack." Chezeleste replied with a troubled tone.

"Nah." I said dismissively. "She ran from here with only two hundred Disciples, we have a fortified Quad with over nine hundred troops, she would be insane to attack." I finished with a shake of my head.

"But we wouldn't expect it, surprise can go a long way." Chezeleste said with a warning tone.

"True enough, but not that far, if she didn't overwhelm us quickly we would finish her off sooner or later." I replied with a shake of my head. "It would be easier for her to take one of the other Quads or towns in the area." I said as I looked off into the distance at the ocean and paused to think things over.

"As soon as she did that though, we would be on her fast. Without reinforcements she would quickly loose what she gained, that would be stupid on her part, and she's not stupid. I say that she will probably just hide out and build up her strength and try again later, when she is stronger." Chezeleste said with a voice of authority and wisdom.

I admit that I might do that were I in Felleona's shoes, but something tells me that she was not going to sit around. I knew that she was committed to The Mistress and I had told her too much. I had hoped that Felleona would give up once she knew that The Mistress was doomed. However the reaction I got was quite the opposite, in fact it was pure determination and outrage. Those are two qualities that are a dangerous combination in such a strong and capable woman.

"Yes, that would make the most sense except for one thing." I said while still looking out across the ocean.

"What's that?" Chezeleste asked curiously.

"She knows where The Mistress is and that she's in trouble." I groaned with a twinge of regret. "Thanks to me." I sighed sheepishly while looking at Chezeleste with a look to match.

"You don't think she would be dumb enough to attack Teroncia do you?" Chezeleste asked with an incredulous and shocked look that told me she simply couldn't accept my suggestion.

"No, of course not, but she might try to sneak in and rescue The Mistress." I said and turned to face Chezeleste and the look on her face told me that I probably was not that far off the mark.

"She wouldn't stand a chance, she might try but she wouldn't be able to pull it off, it's impossible!" Chezeleste huffed and shook her head.

"In any event Lochel must be warned. He must know what has happened and what to prepare for." I said with a certain look of my own, though I regretted telling Lochel of the escape of Felleona.

"True, but what do we do in the mean time?" Chezeleste asked while nodding her agreement.

"If Felleona wants rest, then we'll give her anything but!" I smiled with a slightly wicked grin. "Leave two hundred Guards here but take the rest and scour the area for her!" I smiled and Chezeleste smiled back at me with the same wicked grin. "Keep her on the run, find her and catch her!" I finished with a grin that we both shared.

"With any luck we should find her before long, I mean there can't be that many places around here that you can hide two hundred troops without anyone noticing anything!" Chezeleste replied with a chuckle. "What are you going to do?" She asked curiously with an inquiring look.

"Well, now that we have Kincaid I don't see the sense of keeping Greatfoot under lockdown." I replied with a straight face. "I'm going to move our operations from there to here." I finished with a plain tone of voice.

"You're going to what? Are you sure that's wise?" Chezeleste asked with a shocked tone while trying not to sound disrespectful. "What about the prisoners?" She added with a queer look.

"Well, for one thing Kincaid is easier to defend. Second of all, if she does cause trouble in Greatfoot or any of the other surrounding Quads we can be there within a day to take it back." I said and paused for a moment before continuing. "Second of all, it will give us less to worry about and those poor people in Greatfoot have been under the crushing control of the Guards for far too long now. It's time they had their town back." I said with a shake of the head. "Besides, the Prisoners will have plenty of work to do around here and it will help in their recovery." I finished with a calm yet firm tone as I finished with a smile.

"I see Captain." Chezeleste said with a reluctant nod and a troubled look. Clearly she was unconvinced as to the wisdom of my plan but went along with it in any event.

With that we then set about the task of putting my plan into practice. I sent a detailed letter to Lochel reporting to him everything that had happened up until then. I made sure to let him know, that in my belief she would try to rescue The Mistress next and implored him to execute her as soon as possible. It was a long and dry report but in the end it was a necessary letter. After all, I didn't want Felleona to find an easy target in Teroncia.

As for giving her a hard time in case she was still in the area, Chezeleste ensured that the bulk of our Guards were out on patrol at any given time. It was a vast area that we searched but we were unable to find any trace of her and that was frustrating to everyone. It was beginning to seem like she just vanished into thin air. There were whispers amongst the Guards of her using 'evil powers' to conceal herself. Still we kept up our patrols, widening the area we searched with each pass. We were intent on catching Felleona and never thought that she would evade us forever, after all on an island there are only so many places to hide.

Next I knew that Felleona might find other towns an easier target, other Commanders did not know exactly what was going on. I knew that lack of information in such troubling times could breed the worst enemies of all, fear and suspicion. So I sat down and for the first time dispatched a letter to the Commander of each and every detachment of Guards. I explained everything that was necessary for them to know about the Disciples, The Mistress and of Felleona. I sealed each letter and personally addressed each letter to each Commander with instructions that they alone open them. I knew it was a risk and that some Commanders may yet be loyal to Felleona but it was a risk that I had to take.

The time for sneaking around was over it seamed, war was almost upon us, and Civil War at that. I wanted Felleona to find no easy targets on Tania under my watch! I wanted to give her as much hell as I could! I wanted to prevent her from stirring up anymore trouble and keeping everyone informed was a small part of that. The chance for a bloodless solution was fast evaporating but I would not ignore the opportunity to save lives if I had the chance. Regretfully Felleona and I seemed to be locked on a collision course and I hoped that Tania would survive the coming struggle.

As for dealing with Greatfoot I saw to that personally and I rode out as soon as I could. The organizing of the search, starting the cleanup efforts and writing and dispatching of the letters took time as you can imagine. It was over half a week before I could find the time to get away and the change of pace was a welcome change. I made sure that Yeoline at my side, but in truth I don't think she would have let me leave her behind again.

We arrived at Greatfoot around the time for the evening meal and the Guards at the gates were happy to see me. I guessed that a few of them thought (or hoped) that I would not survive the attack. We dismounted just inside the door and walked from there, I had hoped for a quiet evening without much fanfare. As we walked slowly toward the town hall I was greeted by a number of Guards and townsfolk alike.

Nearing the grassy clearing in front of the town hall I saw a group of Guards going through some sparring exercises. Two Guards were sparing while the rest of the group stood in a circle and watched. I could hear the instructor giving pointers and tips to the fighters as she closely watched the match. I recognized the instructor at a glance and smiled as I neared the group. We approached from an angle that my wife didn't see me, as I didn't want to distract her from the match she was overseeing.

"C'mon now put some spirit in it you two!" Jealile shouted at the two Guards who continued to hack away at each other hitting only sword, shield or the occasional armor. "My grandmother could hit better than you two!" She finished with a disapproving tone.

"Yes Lieutenant." The Guards replied in a droll tone as they continued their match with only a marginal improvement in their aggression.

"If I was fighting either of you I would have had your heads by now!" Jealile growled in frustration and anger.

"I'll attest to that Lieutenant, but I wouldn't advise it. I would hate to see you waste a pair of good Guards for no reason." I said with a smirk and Jealile spun on the spot to look at Yeoline and I with a shocked look on her face that quickly turned to a broad smile as she ran the short distance to me.

"You're back!" Jealile shouted with excitement as she threw her arms around me giving me a large hug.

"Yes dear!" I said with a smile as big as my face as I kissed my wife hello. "Did you ever doubt that I would return to you?" I asked with a playful look as I held Jealile's head in my hands and kissed her forehead.

"Well, I was a little worried but I'm glad to see you still in one peace." Jealile said with a beaming smile.

"Lieutenant, just when can we greet the Captain like that?" Inquired one of the Guards Jealile had been instructing with her voice full of teasing and a smirk on her face.

"Only when you're marred to him Larissa." Jealile replied with equal cheek as she glanced at the chuckling Guards out of the corner of her eye.

"I'll keep that in mind, after all the Harvest Festival is coming up you know." Larissa replied with an innocent look about her while trying to catch my eye in a most alluring fashion. "Hello Captain." Larissa smiled with an obviously alluring tone in her voice. "It's so good to see everything is still where it should be." Larissa finished with a wink and sultry smirk in my direction.

I had to admit that I took a moment to look over the cheeky Larissa. She was a pretty woman and in good fighting shape with an athletic build to her. Her chestnut brown hair was long and tied back in a single braid, as was the custom with Guards. Although her hair was longer than most women's hair, that much stuck in my mind. Her figure was most womanly and fine while still having a menacing touch to it. She looked like a woman who could be a woman in private but also could be deadly on the battlefield. She had a confident presence about her but still had a healthy sense of humor, that much was obvious.

"Ha, ha, Ha." Jealile laughed with a dry, barely a laugh kind of laugh. "Quite funny." Jealile added with a light scowl in the direction of the group, and Larissa in particular.

"A girl can dream can't she?" Larissa asked with a look of polished innocence. "Right girls?" She asked to the group of Guards who stood around her and got a number of approving giggles in reply.

"Yes, dream on Larissa." Jealile chuckled as she kissed me again. "Dream on." Jealile said as she looked over at Larissa with a quite contented look while still holding me.

All this while Yeoline stood by without saying a thing even though she was just a few feet away from me. She didn't get angry or otherwise but in, instead she just stood there and patiently waited for Jealile to notice her. At this point Yeoline had lost her patience it seemed and quietly cleared her throat.

"Yeoline, don't think I forgot about you." Jealile said as she loosed her grip on me and embraced her friend that she had not seen in a short while, greeting her with a kiss.

"I was beginning to wonder." Yeoline cheeked while wearing a bright smile as she returned the kiss that Jealile had just given her.

We had a late dinner in private with our closest friends, just the Band of Misfits, I needed to discuss some delicate matters. In short Jealile, Yeoline, Shelea, Treabilla and Rialtige were there but Pelluluka was not. We kept the meal quiet and in our room so as not to arise suspicions. In truth I needed a night where I was just Brian and not the Captain.

"So how have things been here?" I asked to the group in general and was curious to know a few things before I told them what I had in mind.

"Quiet really." Jealile replied after swallowing a mouthful of food. "How was Kincaid?" She asked in reply and held a curious look in her eye.

"Well the attack was quick and relatively painless." I said with a sigh before continuing. "We took the Quad and lost very few Guards. We managed to capture about fifty Disciples but Felleona got away." I said with a still sadden look about me. "How has Pelluluka been as Commander? Is she alright?" I asked with heightened interest, wanting to know if my instincts about her were correct or not.

"We heard about Felleona, that is frustrating but expected I guess, given her experience and the time she had to prepare for the attack." Jealile said with a sad tone of her own before putting her hand on my shoulder. "Don't let it get to you, you took Kincaid with few casualties on both sides and that is what you really wanted isn't it?" Jealile finished with a look of compassion and understanding.

"Yeah, you avoided the massacre we were afraid of didn't you?" Treabilla added with a smile of understanding of her own.

"I was there and there was nothing more you could have done Captain." Yeoline added with a gentle look and touch of her own.

"Don't call me that, not tonight." I sighed with a shake of my head. "Tonight I want to be just plain Brian." I finished with another sigh.

"Fair enough, Brian my friend." Rialtige interjected quickly before Yeoline could respond. "Relax for you are among a most welcome company of those who see you as plain, ordinary, dreary and dull." Rialtige said in his usually lively and warm voice, though his face wore a smile to match his cheeky wit.

"Thanks. . . I think?" I replied with a questioning look, as at the moment I didn't know if I had been complimented or insulted. The group erupted in uproarious laughter at that point and I managed a chuckle or two. "Well it sounds like you made the best of a bad situation, you had a difficult balance to maintain yet somehow you did it." Rialtige said as his humorous demeanor settled into a more serious one. "That's not something I would want to do." Rialtige added with a somber look on his usually smiling face.

"Thank you, all of you for your kind words." I sighed with an attempt at a smile but only managed a weak one. "But what about Pelluluka?" I asked again and looked around the room hoping for some good news.

"She's been fine by all accounts." Treabilla said assuredly with a pleasant nod of her own. "There has been little excitement around here but she has done her job well and nothing out of the ordinary happened." Treabilla added and fell silent, in short she has been a fine Commander but not really tested you understand.

"Well, there was that incident with that Disciple/Guard don't forget." Shelea added with a look to the group.

"Excuse me?" I asked with a concerned look, now worried that I had placed my faith in the wrong person, again.

"No, no. It's not what you think." Shelea emphatically assured me as she looked at my furrowed brow. "Not long after you left did a newly transferred Guard, (or so she said) approached Pelluluka in private. Apparently this Disciple/Guard told her that she was a Disciple and came here to help out their Mistress." Shelea paused to catch her breath before continuing. "Well without hesitation, Pelluluka talks her up all friendly like and they go for a walk. She walked that Disciple/Guard right over to the jail and locked her up!" Shelea then broke into a chuckle at the memory of it. "I don't have to tell you that the Disciple/Guard was not pleased at all and still doesn't have anything nice to say to Pelluluka.

"Well, that's good to hear, I only hope that it wasn't staged for our benefit." I said with a sigh as I tried to figure out that very point.

"Not much pleases you these days does it?" Shelea inquired with a screwed up face and a queer look.

"I'm sorry but a lot is at stake, I can't afford to have someone leading Guards that I can't be absolutely certain about." I said with a worried sigh. "Too much is at stake." I finished while looking at everyone around the room in the eye at least once.

"There's no great risk, we're here to keep an eye on her in case she does start to falter." Treabilla added with an assuring look but she started to look worried when this did not comfort me. "Aren't we?" She asked curiously and everyone else in the room listened more intently at this point.

"Well, we have taken Kincaid and regrettably none of the families have been found yet so that means there is a great deal of extra space at Kincaid." I said and paused for a moment. "I don't see the sense of keeping this town under our heel any longer than we have to. I just think that we should let them get back to their normal lives. We can still do our work from Kincaid. Pelluluka and her Guards will be here to keep this town safe." I said and then fell silent to hear the reaction of my friends around the room.

"I can see why you were so concerned about Pelluluka, but let me assure you, she will be fine." Treabilla finished with a comforting smile.

"I agree Brian. These people are fast loosing their patience with us. Some of the Merchants are a few days away from poverty. You're right when you say this town needs to return to normal, they need that mine reopened and the gates opened once more. In short this town needs trade and quick!" Rialtige said with a somber look about him, and I could tell that he knew well the troubles of the people of this town.