Captain Conner walked into the office and saluted. “Sergeant, I mean, Captain Conner reporting, sir.”
Major Rafe saluted back. “Why the confusion, Captain?”
“Getting used to my new rank.” He handed over a folded piece of paper. “My orders, sir.”
“Thank you.” The Major read the letter. That gave Conner enough time to contemplate his situation.
He’d arrived earlier that day at Fort Prairie Bluff. He’d expected a fort on the frontier to be surrounded by walls of wood or stone. That was certainly true in the settled parts of the Seven Kingdoms that he’d been to.
Fort Prairie Bluff was nothing like them. It consisted of a building for the officers to work from, cottages that appeared to be officers’ quarters, two barracks buildings, and a stable. None of the structures were walled in. Indeed there was mostly open land around the whole of the fort.
The fort did seem to be aptly named. It stood on a rise that sat just above the river valley below. The valley was the only change in the landscape of low hills, ridges, and open plains. The color of the landscape around the fort was pale green, with darker shades marking where trees were clustered close to rivers and streams. The open sky was all around, which to him seemed both inviting and a little oppressive.
The rumor around Castle Unity was that some men went mad serving on the frontier. Conner wondered if the scenery played any role in such tales of insanity.
“It’s a shame what happened to you,” Major Rafe said at last, putting the paper down on the table in front of him. “You did good work, so I hear.”
“So I was told, sir,” Conner replied.
“Still, don’t think of this as exile. You’ve been sent out here for a reason. I expect you to do your best.”
“I shall. General Rodrigo didn’t tell me much about why you needed a man like me.”
“No, I don’t suppose he would. There’s an effort to keep our trouble quiet.” Rafe frowned. “It’s been easy to do up to now, but I don’t think it’ll remain quiet the rest of this year.”
“What won’t remain quiet? And why not?”
“The trouble we’re having is a most serious one. Gold shipments from the mountains to the stamp mills east of here are being robbed. Not all the gold is being taken, but enough is being stolen to be worrisome.”
“You’re right, sir, news of that hasn’t gone east.”
“No. Come, look at the map.”
Conner moved around the table. On the wall beside the table was a map of the frontier of the Seven Kingdoms. Rafe pointed at the map as he talked.
“The shipments come from these forts and posts in the mountains, here, here, and here. The gold, silver, and other minerals taken from the mountains comes from those three forts to us. From here they go to Fort Blue River, and then onto the mills.”
“What about all these other forts in the mountains?”
“Valuable and useful ores from those mines go to other forts.”
“The wagons cross a lot of open ground, I see.”
Rafe nodded. “The ranges of the lizard men.” He looked at Conner. “I’ve long suspected them of these thefts.”
“Why?”
“They’re savages, living in tribes.”
“I did some reading about them on the way here. It’s true they don’t like us, for fighting with them and driving some of them back. But they’ve been living they way they have been for generations. They don’t seem to have any need of coins or decorations. Why would they have any need for gold, sir?”
“They don’t like us, Captain. Spite is always a possibility with them.”
“How would they know which wagons to rob?” Conner’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Rafe huffed out a breath. “No.” He went back to the table and sat down. “I want to blame those cold-blooded savages. But they’re not stopping every wagon. Though it could be a rogue soldier or two telling them which wagons to steal from.”
“Couldn’t soldiers be robbing the wagons? Or outlaws?”
“I take it your eyes were open while riding out here, yes?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You see how open the landscape is around here, yes?”
“Yes.” Conner felt small.
“That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of places to hide. That’s also not to say there aren’t places to set up an ambush. But the route the wagons take passes through as much open country as is possible. That’s to avoid surprises.”
“Could these robberies be happening at night?”
“I think that’s the only reason they could be happening. But the men guarding the wagons haven’t reported hearing any strange noises at night.”
“Could it be magic?”
Rafe nodded. “That’s why I think it has to be the lizard men. They must be using some spell, or enchantment, or whatever they call it on the soldiers.”
“Have you questioned them?”
“Sending out a group of soldiers would make it seem as though we’re sending out a war party. That’s why I’m glad you’ve been sent, Captain. One man could get answers where several would only start a fight.”
Conner nodded again. “I understand, sir. May I ask a few other questions?”
“Please do.”
“How many wagons go out?”
Rafe smiled. “That was the good idea we had, Captain. If a caravan of wagons was crossing the plains, the lizard men would think it a war party and attack. What’s more, once soldiers leave the Army they’re free to open their mouths and talk to anyone. A group of criminals could decide to band together to attack a caravan. We’d lose soldiers and a King’s fortune in gold, silver, copper, what have you.
“So instead we send only one wagon with a few guards out. The soldiers only know what fort they’re going to, or that they’re returning here. Some remain here when they get back, and some continue on east. There are even times when soldiers are transferred west on these journeys. They’re not to be told what they’re carrying. They get kegs of ore, load them onto the wagon along with their supplies, and head out.”
“I see,” Conner replied. “Is there some way I can talk to these men?”
“You can talk to some of the men, yes. But only until sunset.”
“Sunset?”
“Yes. A pair of soldiers left with a wagon for the west several days ago. I think it would be best if you caught up with them before they arrive or before they depart.” Rafe waved a finger at Conner. “You talk to whomever you want. I’ll write up orders for you, and a rough map to help you along.”
“That’s very kind of you, sir, thank you.”
After a salute Conner left the Major’s office. The Corporal serving as the Major’s clerk gave him the names of soldiers who had driven the wagons that had been robbed. The only thing they could tell him was that the robberies happened within five days of the fort.
Conner didn’t know much about such robberies, but in pondering the matter as he rode out the next day certain notions entered his mind. The first was that the robberies seemed to be happening at the edge of what was known as the range of the nearest tribe of lizard men. It seemed that robberies closer to where they lived would bring more suspicion on them. Yet it also seemed true that if they were stealing gold, they’d have to be trading it to humans. Robberies happening too close to the fort could get those humans caught by patrols from the fort. It all felt to him like a risky venture.
It also occurred to him that if human criminals were behind the thefts, they’d need a source of information in order to be able to steal gold and nothing else. If that was so then soldiers had to be involved. The question was whether the soldiers were at Fort Prairie Bluff or in the mountains.
Conner had those thoughts in his mind when, five days out from the fort, he came across a band of lizard men. They looked much as had been described to him. Their skin ranged from dark green to dark brown. They were about as tall as the average woman, but as muscular as the strongest men. They had four-fingered hands and four-toed feet. They didn’t have noses on their faces, but instead breathing holes. Their front teeth were pointed but their back teeth didn’t seem to be that way.
They wore a single animal skin tied around their loins. They all carried spears, except for one who carried a staff. Hanging from their necks on leather cords were collections of bones, antlers, or stones. Only two in the group had face and body paint on them.
They stood in a line in front of his path. He rode up to them, dismounted, then walked up to the line. “I am Captain Conner,” he said. “Do any of you speak Common?”
One of the two with paint on his body stepped forward. “We all do, human,” he replied with the sound of rasps and growls behind him.
“How?”
“Magic. We wear speaking objects.”
“I’m glad to know that. I’m from farther east.”
“Why are you here?”
“Were you following me?”
“We sighted you the previous day. We saw you were on the human cart path. We found this place to talk.”
“I see. Has a wagon passed west on this trail? It would be several days ahead of me.”
“Yes. Why?”
“You know my name. I don’t know yours.”
“I am Cold Skin, elder of the Warm-Blood Chasers.”
“That’s your tribe’s name?”
“Yes.”
“How did you come by that name?”
“We are good at chasing the beasts of the plains.”
It was something no one had yet explained. The lizard men were an old folk, far older than the oldest of the human lands. Yet there was no record of other lizard creatures in the settled lands or past the frontier. There were no tales of reptilian cattle, deer, sheep, wolves, or other such beasts. While there were snakes and small reptiles on the plains and in the mountains, there was nothing larger.
The lizard men themselves, when then talked of such things, only said that the beasts seen in their ranges had existed for ages. There was some thought among the Seven Kingdoms that if reptilian cattle or deer had existed the lizard men had hunted them out of existence. Others thought it had something to do with the magic the lizard men wielded. There were in the end only questions and no answers.
“I trust you are good at catching them as well,” Conner said.
Cold Skin let out a rumbling hiss. “We would not be here if we were not.”
“I take it you are a hunting party?”
“We are.”
“Good. I’ve been sent out here to look into the robberies of our wagons.”
“The taking of the yellow rocks?”
“Yes.”
Cold Skin made a sound that felt dismissive. “Major Rafe thinks we take the rocks. Yet he knows we care nothing for such rocks.”
“Humans care for them. You could trade them.”
Cold Skin flashed his teeth. “That would be foolish. Humans talk to humans.”
“I quite agree.”
“What?”
“Do any in your tribe meet with the soldiers driving the wagons?”
“If they are on their path when we are hunting or camping.”
“But you don’t go in search of them?”
“No.”
“Then how would you know where the gold is? A wagon might not have any gold in it.”
“We would not know.”
“Which is why I believe you, Cold Skin. Unless one of your tribe were always speaking with the soldiers driving the wagons, you would not know when to steal from the wagons and when to let them pass.”
“Good.”
“Tell me, have you seen humans meeting with the soldiers driving the wagons?”
“No. We only seen your kind on the paths. Going to the mountains, or moving the carts.”
“None camped on the plains alone?”
“None.”
“Have you told these things to Major Rafe?”
“We speak to his soldiers. He does not listen. But we have no fear of him. Magic and our knowing of our land protects us.”
“There are other tribes before me. Will they tell me the same thing?”
“I cannot say. I speak only for my own.”
“Will they speak with me as you have?”
“I do not know. But as you believe my words, I will send one of us with you.”
“To protect me?”
“So that he may go before Major Rafe and say the Warm-Blood Chasers do not steal the yellow rocks. So that you will say that, to him and to our tribe.”
“I will agree to that. Do we shake hands on this agreement?”
“No. You have not proven yourself. The touch of friendship is not yet yours.”
“Very well.”
Cold Skin commanded one of his party, Short Tail, to go with Conner. Short Tail was told to help Conner survive, give him proper introductions, and give him wisdom about their kind. With that the hunting party cleared out of Conner’s way. They resumed their hunt and he continued westward with his “escort.”
Conner found it strange at first that Short Tail walked while he rode. As they progressed he discovered that lizard men like Short Tail had both the strength and the stamina to keep up with his horse. He asked about that when they made camp that night. Short Tail could only tell him that his folk always hunted on foot.
“You’ve had the chance to obtain horses for years. A few generations, if not more. Why haven’t you?”
“They need water,” Short Tail replied. “Water is here and there but not everywhere.”
Conner was finding that statements like that explained a great deal about life in this land. He’d wondered at the fort why the trails followed rivers, which made them long and meandering routes. It seemed to him that they stuck to the rivers so that there was always water available.
He found that food too was easily found along the rivers and streams. Every creature needed water. That meant there was always some small creature to hunt. Short Tail hunted with a throwing knife and his swift reflexes. That allowed he and Conner to not have to get into their supply of dried meat and fruit.
The days were too warm to waste water on talking. That troubled Conner because he wanted to learn more about the lizard men. He suspected he’d be posted on the frontier for quite some time. He felt he needed to know more about the land he’d be living and working in. But there was only so much time at night for conversation before both travelers were too tired to speak. It meant that some questions on the journey out couldn’t be asked, much less answered.
Five days after his encounter with the hunting party Short Tail had been a part of, Conner came across a second party. It turned out they were from another tribe, that one living some distance to the north. The leader told Conner that the wagon with the soldiers had passed by only a few days earlier. Like Cold Skin, he said that his folk had nothing to do with any robberies, and that they’d seen no humans on the plains except for soldiers and a group of men going west to work in the mines.
Four days later they came to the actual camp of a tribe. It wasn’t much of a sight to see, but it was a hospitable place. The lizard men took the hides from the larger beasts they killed, fixed them together into great sheets, and wrapped these around wooden poles to form tents. Every family had their own tent, as did the unmarried young males and females of the tribe. Conner learned that the tents were easily taken down so that tribes could move with the weather and the migrations of the various animals they hunted.
Again the elders told Conner they had nothing to do with the robberies and saw no one lurking on the plains. This made him all the more convinced that the robbers might not be robbers after all but soldiers. The one difficulty he had with that conclusion was that he couldn’t figure out how soldiers could get raw gold off the frontier and to anyone who might put it to use.
Late in the afternoon after leaving the tribe’s camp a wagon came into their view. Two oxen pulled the wagon and there were two drivers. The older of the two was of average height but stout. The younger was thin and tall. Both men had dark hair and tanned skin.
“Hold up, there,” Conner commanded when he and Short Tail pulled up to the wagon.
The lead driver jerked on the reigns. He sat straighter when he saw Conner. “You’re a Captain, sir?”
“That I am. I’m Captain Conner. I was sent to go with you.”
“Well, sir, I’m Sergeant Mouse. The fellow beside me is Private Harper.”
“Soldiers. The lizard man with me is Short Tail. He’s been most helpful.”
“That so?”
“That is so. If we haven’t reached a fair campsite, let’s continue on until we do.”
“Yes, sir.”
They kept going for what seemed to be another hour or so. It was then, as they came to a stop to camp, that Conner noticed gray shapes in the distance. He checked his map to confirm that they were a day from the mountains and Fort Sunset.
Over supper Conner told the two soldiers of what was going on within the Seven Kingdoms. They told him of some of the goings-on at Fort Prairie Bluff and elsewhere. Once he was sure he had the men at ease he changed the subject. “You fellows haven’t asked why I was coming after you.”
“You’re on your way to a posting, sir?” the Sergeant asked.
“No. I’ve been asked to look into the gold robberies.”
The soldiers exchanged glances. “That so, sir?”
“Indeed. I was told you’d been victims of these robbers. What can you tell me about them?”
“They come at us at night,” the Sergeant said. “They cover the lower part of their faces with cloth.”
“They have daggers,” the Private said.
“Indeed,” the Sergeant said, nodding. “They come up while we’re bedded down. They tell us to empty the box with the gold.”
“They threaten our lives if we don’t.”
“How many are there?” Conner asked.
“At least two,” the Sergeant answered.
“But they say there’s more of them hidden,” the Private added, “with bows.”
“Or crossbows.”
“Which is it?” Conner asked.
“They’ve said both, sir.”
“How do they know you’re carrying gold?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
“You have been told to keep watch for unsavory folk when you arrive at the fort, yes?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What about at Fort Prairie Bluff?”
“No unsavory fellows lurking around there, sir,” the Private said.
“But not that we’d know if there were or not, sir,” the Sergeant said.
“No?” Conner shook his head. “I’d have thought patrols from the fort would have spotted men, or signs of a camp.”
“Men can be clever, sir. Lizard men as well.”
The Private nodded. “They’ve got magic and we don’t, sir. One of their magic-users could be a rogue, sir.”
“There are no rogues among us!” Short Tail snapped.
Conner raised his hands. “Let’s not get to fighting. Let’s also not make accusations without proof.” He looked at the soldiers. “You’ve been helpful. If you recall anything that might help me more, you must tell me.”
The soldiers nodded to him. Conner’s comment, along with the fading sunlight, suggested that the time for talk was over and it was time for all of them to sleep. The night was uneventful. The next morning they broke camp and resumed their journey.
Close to sunset the next day the four of them arrived at Fort Sunset. Conner reported to the officer in command, Major Vernon. He showed him his orders and his letter from Major Rafe. Major Vernon had nothing to tell him, but did agree to show him around the following day.
Fort Sunset in some ways was just like Fort Prairie Bluff. There was a building for the officers, cottages for the officers and their families, and two barracks. The buildings were all constructed of wood. But that was where the similarities ended.
About a quarter of a mile north and just west of the fort, at the foot of a mountain, sat a village Conner was told was named Silver Spring. He learned from his time at the fort that the village was where the miners who worked close by lived. It consisted of a good number of homes and a few shops. Most of the homes were made of wood while the shops were built of stone.
A quarter of a mile south and a little west of the fort sat a complex of stone structures. This was the smelter where ore brought from the mountains was converted into nuggets of gold and silver. Other minerals were refined there as well.
Major Vernon told Conner that the guards at the smelter were given duties on an irregular schedule to prevent thefts. The workers were searched when they arrived and when they departed. Differing officers from the fort would go there each day to weigh out the various ores and metals and write down their observations.
“Nothing has ever happened anywhere near here,” the Major said. “Nothing involving the shipments, anyway.”
“Could there be criminals working from here?” Conner asked.
“No. What criminals are here prey on the miners in towns and villages in the mountains, like Silver Spring. Why challenge the Army and the Seven Kingdoms when you can cheat a miner or two at dice or cards?”
The more Conner learned, the more he suspected that the thieves were in Fort Prairie Bluff.
He and Short Tail had to wait for three days before the next wagon was ready to depart east. Sergeant Mouse and Private Harper were to drive the wagon back to Fort Prairie Bluff. Before leaving Conner looked over the wagon’s bed. He saw that there was a small strongbox filled with gold nuggets and a larger one filled with silver. There were a few baskets of copper and iron bars. There was also a box that held letters, mainly from the fort, as well as a few other items.
“Sometimes we bring supplies out here,” the Sergeant told him. “This time we didn’t but I think next time we will.”
The wagon, with Conner and Short Tail as escorts, departed early in the morning. The journey east was largely uneventful, except that they ran into two rainstorms about six days apart. The soldiers shared post gossip and Conner spoke to Short Tail about the lizard men.
In camp a few days from the fort, Conner was woken up at sunrise by the feeling of a hand upon his mouth. The hand belonged to Short Tail. The youth had a finger over his mouth. He lifted his hand off Conner’s mouth and pointed away from the camp. Conner nodded and got up. He followed Short Tail up a rise almost a hundred paces from the camp.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, whispering.
“They are not as friendly to you on the way back as on the way to the human fort, or at the fort,” Short Tail replied. Conner was amazed that whatever magic the youth had, it was keeping what he heard as low as his own voice was.
“What of it?”
“They have looked around much the day before, then tried not to look.”
“Looked around then not looked?” A moment later the fog lifted from Conner’s mind. “Like they were hoping not to notice something?”
“Or that you would not notice.”
“Did you notice anything?”
“No. But the stream went around a great hill.”
“I remember it. There were lots of trees on the stream side, but prairie on the other. Could there be a camp there?”
“It is a place to stay in the head.”
“Memorable, you mean. Yes. Could you get back to that spot from the fort quickly?”
“How many days?”
“We might be at the post five days.” Conner pointed at Short Tail. “Part company with us when we come in sight of the fort. Try to meet up with us before we get to that hill, or once we’re past it.”
“Beyond the hill will be easier.”
“Do that, then.”
“What am I to look for? A human camp?”
“Anything strange. We’ll talk when we meet on the way west.”
The two returned to camp. The soldiers awoke a little while later, apparently none the wiser about the chat Conner had with Short Tail. The four of them ate breakfast then headed out.
A couple of days later they came in sight of the fort. Short Tail told them he could not go any farther, as his tribe didn’t like Major Rafe. Everyone reported in once they were at the fort. Conner asked for a word with Rafe once the soldiers were gone.
“I spoke to members of three tribes of lizard men, sir,” he said. “They all said they have nothing to do with stealing the gold.”
“What would you expect them to say?” Rafe replied.
“They have no interest in gold or silver, not even for decoration. If they were to steal anything, it would be iron, for spearpoints and such.”
“I suppose.”
“Furthermore, if they were stealing gold, since they have no use for it, they’d be passing it along to humans. How would human criminals be able to evade patrols from the forts for months without even their camps being spotted?”
Rafe nodded. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“The two soldiers on this journey said they were approached by men, humans, at night. Two men with knives or daggers. Men who claim to have bowmen within sight of where the soldiers are camped.”
“Yes?”
“It’s the same tale the two or three other soldiers who have been robbed tell.”
“What of it?”
“For one thing, sir, isn’t it strange that a wagon never arrived?”
Rafe frowned. “I don’t follow you.”
“Wouldn’t someone fight back once? And if the two robbers had allies, they ought to have fired arrows or crossbow bolts at soldiers who resist.”
Rafe shook his head. “I don’t think my men would want the wagons completely looted, Captain.”
“No. But there’s never even a warning shot fired, Major. No proof that the two robbers have friends watching out for them. Isn’t it strange that the soldiers never doubt the word of these robbers?”
Rafe’s eyes widened. “I suppose it is strange.”
“There’s something else about the tale that strikes me as strange, sir. The robbers cover the lower part of their faces with cloth. Why?”
“To not be identified.”
“But the robberies take place at night. In the dark. They could simply order your men not to turn around. Threaten to kill them if they do turn around. I can believe robbers covering their faces during the day. Why do so at night?”
“That’s not quite as convincing, Captain, but I see your point.”
“Here’s one more, sir. The robbers are said to demand the gold. Somehow they know the wagons that carry gold. But only the drivers know that they’re carrying gold the day before they depart. If criminals learn this, how are they following the wagon? Men would be seen if they left a fort heading east. Major Vernon told me such men would be questioned, unless he already knew who they were and why they were leaving after the ore wagon left.”
“They wouldn’t have to depart from the fort or anywhere near it, Captain.”
“And what would they use for water, sir?”
Rafe opened his mouth, then froze in place for a moment. “Water. Yes. Men would have to carry water bags with them.”
“At least two per man, so the lizard man who journeyed with us told me.”
“A lizard man? Where is he?”
“Conducting a search, sir. I won’t know if he finds anything until we meet up on the way west. But I have an idea on how we might catch these thieves.”
“What idea?”
“Instead of placing the gold in the locked box, the gold should be carried in a bag at the bottom of a keg.”
“A keg of liquor?”
“No. A keg of nails. Nails are sent out from the mines, aren’t they?”
“No. The raw iron is.” Rafe suddenly nodded. “But the gold could be put at the bottom of a keg of iron bars.”
“Yes, sir. Just so long as the gold isn’t in the box it’s usually in.”
“To what end?”
“I will go with the soldiers. Send the two who returned with me.”
“Mouse and Harper? Why?”
“I’m suspicious of them.”
Rafe shook his head. “Then why send them?”
“No one will know the gold is in the keg except for myself, the commanding officer at the fort, and the two soldiers driving the wagon. The gold will be loaded into the keg the morning the wagon departs. That way only the four of us could be to blame if the gold is stolen.”
“The four of you?”
“Yes, sir. If there’s a robbery, there will only be four who could know where the gold is.”
“The soldiers could still tell the robbers about the gold in the keg.”
“I know, sir.” Conner smiled. “I know how to deal with that.”
“How is that?”
“I’d rather not say, sir. It needs to be a surprise.”
“A surprise?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll go west with the wagon. But I’ll remain at the fort when the the wagon leaves. I’ll tell the soldiers I’m following a trail in the mountains.”
“What trail?”
“It’s what I’ll tell them. Instead I’ll ride out a few days later. I’ll try to arrange it so they don’t see me. I will try to get back here ahead of them. If they report there’s been another robbery, then they’ll be caught in a lie.”
“But you’re not going to tell me more than that?”
“I can’t take the risk, sir. Neither can you.”
Rafe sighed. “No, not if these robberies continue. What if the two say they weren’t robbed?”
“I expect to have more information, whether or not a robbery takes place.”
“And you won’t tell me that, either?”
“No, sir.”
“I shouldn’t agree to this, but I’m on the edge of a blade as it is. Any plan to stop these robberies is worth trying if it saves me from being forced out of the Army.” Rafe pointed at Conner. “But if it fails, you and I will both be in a great deal of trouble.”
“I quite understand, sir.”
With that Rafe agreed to do as Conner requested. A few days later Mouse and Harper were sent out again. As it was, they’d brought with them a letter from Major Vernon to Major Rafe saying that one of the mines near Fort Sunset had struck a good vein of gold and wagons needed to visit the fort more often for the next couple of months. No was thought it the least bit unusual that they were sent back to Fort Sunset.
The soldiers were somewhat puzzled by Conner joining them. When asked, Conner said, “I was told a man passed through the fort while we were away. A man with more than one dagger on him. He might be meeting with allies in the mountains. Those allies could be our robbers.” That ended the questions from the two soldiers.
Short Tail met up with Conner early one morning. What he told Conner confirmed his suspicions about Mouse and Harper. Conner told him to meet them with members of his tribe along the way.
A few days later the trio came across a hunting party that Short Tail was part of. Conner told the soldiers to keep going. “I’m going to ask them about the man who passed through the fort,” he said. They nodded to him and kept going.
Instead Conner told Short Tail, Cold Skin, and the others the details of his plan to catch the robbers. Cold Skin approved of the plan. He instructed Short Tail to do as Conner asked. Conner gave him instructions. Short Tail repeated them back to him. Conner left the party feeling confident that he’d catch the thieves one way or another.
Upon arrival at Fort Sunset Conner reported to Major Vernon. He told Vernon the same part of his plan that he told Rafe. Vernon accepted the scheme without question. On the morning the wagon was to return to Fort Prairie Bluff, Conner came with a bag of gold and a keg of iron bars. He had Mouse and Harper empty the keg. Conner placed the gold in the keg. The soldiers placed the iron on top of the gold.
“The four of us are the only ones to know that the gold is in this keg,” Conner said as the keg was put into the bed of the wagon with everything else headed east. “This should keep the robbers from overhearing any loose talk.” With that the soldiers drove the wagon away.
A short time later Conner told Vernon his plan as well as all he knew. The Major gave him a hearty handshake and wished him good fortune. It wasn’t until the afternoon that Conner finally headed out.
Not far from the fort he met up with Short Tail. Short Tail helped him survive a day off the main trail. In doing so he was able to tell Conner more about what he’d found at the hill the soldiers had seemed concerned about. Conner told him that night to follow the wagon once it came by, but to keep out of sight of the soldiers.
Now well ahead of the wagon, Conner rode east at a swift pace. He went to the hill and found the place Short Tail described to him. From there he returned to Fort Prairie Bluff. He spent the next several days reading books and accounts and asking questions about life past the edge of the Seven Kingdoms.
The day before Mouse and Harper returned, a soldier told Conner that a lizard man was asking to speak with him. It was Short Tail. Conner took him to Major Rafe to report on what Short Tail had seen. Rafe was unwilling to believe what he was told. It was then that Conner told him what he knew, as well as the full details of his plan. Rafe told Conner he would wait until the soldiers reported to him.
The following afternoon Mouse and Harper returned. They reported directly to Rafe. Rafe in turn summoned Conner and Short Tail.
“It appears we’ve suffered another robbery, Captain,” Rafe told Conner.
“Really, sir?” Conner turned to the soldiers. “What happened?”
“What are you doing here?” Sergeant Mouse asked.
“Following the trail. Do as I order, Sergeant.”
“Yes, sir. Well, we were attacked in the night, same as before, sir,” Sergeant Mouse answered. “We said there was no box of gold. We were made to empty everything.”
“On pain of death,” Harper added.
“Why, that’s quite remarkable,” Conner said.
“Quite scary, sir,” Mouse replied.
“Yes. Scared by ghosts, it seems.”
“Sir?”
“Short Tail was following you.” Conner turned to him. “You saw no one, isn’t that so?”
“That is so,” Short Tail said. “No one pursued them. No one came to their camp in the night.”
The Sergeant pointed at Short Tail. “What does he know? He was probably sleeping when it happened.”
“I was not sleeping when I saw you empty the keg and take the gold to your hiding place.”
“What hiding place?”
“The hiding place I found,” Conner said, “thanks to Short Tail’s discovery.” He turned to Rafe. “We’re prepared to lead a party to that spot. I don’t know if all the gold that was stolen will be there, but there will be the gold from this trip there.”
“Corporal!” Rafe called out. The door opened and his aide stuck his head through. “Get several soldiers here at once.” He pointed at Mouse and Harper. “These two are to be jailed until further notice. Then, prepare horses and supplies for a patrol.”
The aide nodded and left the officer. A short time later the two soldiers were taken into custody. As it happened, below the office building was the post’s jail. They were taken to separate cells and locked inside. The patrol rode out not long after that. A few days later they returned with about half of the gold that had been reported stolen.
“What do we do with those two?” Rafe asked Conner once the gold was recovered.
“They’re bound to face execution for stealing so much gold from the Seven Kingdoms,” Conner noted. “But they weren’t the only wagon drivers gold was stolen from.”
“Spare their lives for a confession?”
“Not just that, sir. Only half of what was stolen was recovered.”
“Spare them to find out who was helping them?”
“There could be powerful criminals back in the Seven Kingdoms with that gold. Who knows what they’ve done with it? Have they forged coins? Bribed friends out of jail? Used it to commit other crimes? I think being spared execution would be a fair trade for that sort of information.”
“Indeed. Well, Conner, you’re probably quite the hero as it is. Get those two to talk and you’ll might get to go back east.”
Conner shook his head. “I don’t know that I want to go east just yet, sir.”
“No?”
“No. There’s something about the frontier that appeals to me. It might be the open spaces. It might be that there are questions that haven’t been answered.”
“What about your prestige?”
“I’ve thought about that as well. Twice now I’ve solved troubling matters. Troubling mysteries. I like that in getting at the truth I’ve served the Seven Kingdoms. I think I’ve served the Seven Kingdoms better than I could as just another officer. I’d like the chance to keep doing that, sir.”
Rafe nodded. “I think I understand what you mean. The decision won’t be up to me, of course.”
“Of course not.”
“But I’ve learned a thing or two from you, and you’ve saved my rank in the Army. Writing in support of your desire would express all the thanks I could.”
Conner grinned. “Thank you, sir. I’ll do my best.”
Rafe grinned back. “Of that, I no longer have any doubts, Captain.”
This short story appears in the collection Captain Conner on the Magical Frontier.
Conner, a soldier in the Army of the Seven Kingdoms, solves a tricky matter and earns a promotion. He’s sent beyond the Seven Kingdoms to the frontier to deal with miners, outlaws, and the lizard men. This collection contains several stories of Conner’s deeds on a frontier of magic and mystery.
Thanks for reading!
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