201 The Spy Gone North (1/2)
”What did you guys find out?” I asked.
The two squad leaders, both of whom looked bedraggled and tired, gave each other knowing looks.
It was weird how they were suddenly in sync when they were arguing like a divorced couple only a few days ago.
Thom was the first to speak out.
”They're definitely here,” he revealed. ”Hiding to the north, behind our own lines…”
”Shit,” I replied.
Thom took a sip from the water flask in his hand. Then he took a long breath and breathed in the cold desert air.
”After we found them my men and I infiltrated their ranks,” he admitted.
That made sense, I thought. They were drow too so they'd fit in among drow units in the Scarlet Moon's army.
”They've got a hundred thousand soldiers lying in wait to ambush Lord Rah's forces once they're called to service by Great General Garm,” Thom added. ”This was confirmed by the thousand-man commander I managed to kidnap…”
”What else did he tell you?” I asked.
Thom's eyes turned left and then right. He was obviously scanning our surroundings, but seeing as we were meeting at the top of a sand dune east of the reserve army, I wasn't overly worried about eavesdroppers.
We could still see the tail-end of the reserves on our left with the flag of the Foolhardies rising toward the backline.
I had members from both Thom's and Thor's units return to the Foolhardies to get some rest which meant there were only a few of us now who could hear their tale.
”Although an agreement has been made, they have yet to finalize it… I believe a final requirement is yet to be provided from Garm's end,” Thom explained.
He was surprisingly chatty. I expected him to make me work for the information he was readily giving me, but that might be more proof that our situation was direr.
”Garm plans to defect to the Scarlet Moon,” Thom revealed. ”And with his victory in the Westersand, he'll be able to rest control of the entire Westmarch away from both the Trickster Pavilion and the Sunspire Dominion… and then lord over it as a governor for the Scarlet Moon.”
”More like a puppet,” Luca butt in.
I was inclined to agree with him. Whatever they promised him, I doubt they would cede total control to Garm, an outsider.
”I… I can't believe who would go to these lengths to betray my brother and I,” Aura said with downcast eyes.
The frown on her face now was one I didn't want to see.
”What else did this captured commander tell you?” I urged Thom on.
”Agents of the Scarlet Moon have been embedded into Garm's army as their spies,” Thom revealed. ”I don't believe they fully trust the Great General.”
”A traitor can't be trusted no matter what,” Edo growled.
Thom chuckled. ”Well, that's all the intel I have… Unfortunately, my source expired during the interrogation…”
”I went hunting,” Thom pulled out his katana's handle and caressed it with long fingers. ”I thought the hunting of a few commander heads could help sow a bit of chaos…”
”How many did you get?” I asked.
”Nine hundred-man commanders, four five-hundred-man commanders, and two thousand-man commanders,” he boasted. ”You'd be proud, Dean.”
”So you were the reason their guard was up,” Thor said with a shake of his head.
”What about you Thor?” I asked. ”I noticed there are fewer of you that returned.”
”Like the drow, we discovered the enemy in the desert, but not their army,” Thor said. ”Instead, we found small units roaming the north desert… and we engaged them to learn more information.”
”That's why you lost a few people,” I noted.
Thor nodded. ”Some died in the fight, and after we learned what we learned, a few others died in the escape…”
”The escape?” Luca repeated.
”I'm sorry, boss,” Thor said, lowering his head as he did. ”But there were too many enemies for us to fight and although we learned much, I couldn't send you back the intel because we were forced to seek refuge with our right army…”