Free Heirs of the Enemy by Richard S. Tuttle Page B

down next to Clint.
    “It was getting a little stuffy in there,” chuckled Clint. “You did a fine job today with taking care of the arrivals. It was very efficient.”
    “Thank you,” the colonel replied in a depressing tone.
    “Is something the matter?” Clint asked.
    “You read people well,” Colonel Taerin replied distractedly.
    “You have always had an ear when I needed one,” smiled Clint. “The least I can do is return the favor.”
    “I am worried about the emperor,” Colonel Taerin admitted.
    “I can’t imagine that he became ill in the last few hours,” Clint replied. “I saw him soon after I arrived and he seemed well enough.”
    “I think your conversation might be the cause of problems.”
    “Oh? And do you know the nature of the conversation I had with the emperor?”
    “I do,” admitted the colonel. “Emperor Jaar asked me to speak with Captain Kent and verify what you had told him.”
    Clint was surprised, not with the emperor sending Taerin on the mission, but rather that Taerin would know where to find Kent. The surprise must have shown on his face because the colonel continued.
    “I saw Captain Kent disembark with your escort when you arrived. It didn’t take much to figure out that you were hiding him in the barracks. Do you really plan to let him go free?”
    “I would not lie to a man like that,” answered Clint. “Kent did his duty to the best of his ability. He should not be punished for that. Did Kent tell a different story to you than the one I told to the emperor?”
    “Not at all,” answered Colonel Taerin. “He confirmed everything.”
    “Then what is the emperor’s problem?”
    “The last I saw him, he planned on firing Kyrga. In fact, he requested that I send Kyrga to see him. I was also supposed to bring General Ross to see him, but the general had not arrived in Despair yet. It took a couple of hours before I could complete my task. When I took the general to see the emperor, the usual guards were not on duty. In their place were four new guards.”
    “I would not be surprised,” stated General Forshire. “If I was planning to fire my Grand General, I would double my guards, too. Kyrga might not take kindly to being fired.”
    “The guards that were posted are known followers of Kyrga.”
    Clint frowned heavily. “Are you sure of this?”
    “I have a knack for remembering names and faces,” replied the colonel. “General Ross and I were refused entry, yet the emperor was expecting me to bring the general to him.”
    “Is General Ross to be the new Grand General?”
    “I suspect that to be true, but it would be in poor taste to mention it before it was announced.”
    “I am not one to spread gossip.”
    “Anyway, I became somewhat alarmed by all of this. I told General Ross that I would arrange the meeting for another time and sent him down to party with the rest of the generals. I then snuck through the servant corridors to spy on the entrance to the emperor’s study. I saw Kyrga leave the office, and the priest was with him.”
    “K’san?” Clint asked with alarm.
    “Yes. I have heard stories about the priest. If he has harmed the emperor, I will kill him.”
    “No, you won’t,” cautioned Clint. “K’san is not a simple priest. He is a demonkin. Your sword would never scratch his skin. Besides, he is a mage. You would not stand a chance going up against him. Trust me on this.”
    “Demonkin? What do you mean?”
    “Demonkin are creatures created by demons. They walk and talk like humans, but they are something else entirely. You do not want to go up against one.”
    “I cannot just abandon the emperor to the likes of Kyrga and K’san,” protested the colonel.
    “Nor can I,” replied Clint, “but do not be hasty. If they wanted the emperor dead, he would already be dead. There is some other game going on here. Nose around and see what you can learn, but keep clear of Kyrga and K’san. I will see if I can learn anything, and we