Chapter Thirty-Nine

The Trap

A very obvious idea is never the best plan

Aden

5L 21/21/19/21

"I assume our troops are ready to do the dirty job?"

Marcus was taking a stroll in the magnificently landscaped gardens of his Grand Palace with Michael.

"Yes, Your Highness. They have been trained exactly as you had ordered."

"They must be trained to kill on any little provocation. Even without any provocation. You understand that they are not going to do any humanitarian work over there. They must be ready to go to any lengths to establish our complete authority in that world."

"Yes, Queen-Mother's idea of spiritual sessions was quite a success. Your preachers have brainwashed our troops to see every breathing thing on that planet as their enemies. Their subconscious has been instilled with the fear of the unknown."

"Do you think they will be able to pull off this mission for us?"

"A weapon, no matter how deadly, is only as lethal as the person who wields it. How these troops fare depends on who commands them and I am sure that I am not the one chosen to do that." Michael did little to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"I know how much you want to lead these troops, but I cannot risk going against the Council and lose everything, just like Samuel. The effects of all those theatrics at the Celebration of Unity are gradually dissipating and people have started to see what lies behind the curtains. However, no one has the guts to openly oppose me and I want to keep it that way. And that idiot Paul Andrews is always at my throat. He will stir a storm if I suggest your name for this mission and I don't want to give him that chance."

"You have given him too much freedom. His growing stature is a clear threat to your throne. All he needs is one slip up from you and he will turn the whole of Aden against you. Why don't you do something to silence him."

"Some people call him the common man's king. There will be an Aden-wide rebellion if I even try to pluck a hair out of his head."

"You don't necessarily have to execute him. He can meet an accident or even die in his sleep. After all, he is an old man and you know a thing or two about old men dying in their sleep." Michael's jibe was pretty obvious and it didn't go down too well with his king.

"You are listening to too many rumors."

"Your Highness, let us drop these pretenses and be frank. I think your father had grown too old and was in no shape to tackle the crisis which we are facing. So, it was appropriate that you took over but your timing was awful. Your father died right in the night when he had called an urgent Council meeting to announce his plans for Tenebra. That left a lot of room for wagging tongues and pointing fingers. You should have done, what you eventually did, a lot earlier."

Marcus didn't tell Michael that it was his mother who had done it in the end. "We are not here to discuss my father's death. Tell me how can you help me with Paul."

"I can remove him in a way that no finger will ever point at you."

"Okay, do it. I promise that I will make you the HighMinister of Tenebra once your troops have won it for us. Handpick some of your fiercest and relentless commanders. Promise them high rewards and a lifetime of luxuries. Train them to be ruthless while leading the mission in your absence. Prepare them in a way that your absence isn't felt in that world."

"But your father had promised to send a delegation of ministers on the mission to rein in the army. Our commanders will be no good if your ministers keep overruling them."

"I have already handpicked a few spineless ministers and have them fall in line through lavish promises or dire threats. So don't worry, no one will overrule your commanders. Once they have broken their resistance and annihilated their army I will send you there as my envoy and you will rule that world for as long as you live."

"Okay, Your Highness. The deal is sealed."

"For that to happen you have to first win that world for me."

"That I will."

Marcus paused for a moment, then decided to tell Michael something that was lingering at the back of his mind. "I think I should tell you that I had some bizarre visions at the beginning of my reign. Those visions faded away once I stopped paying attention to them, but they showed some grisly scenes and rivers of blood. I suppose they were some vicious omens that this war will see a lot of bloodshed. Our troops must have guts for gore."

"Don't worry. I will prepare them."

"I also saw people bowing to a young girl who made an ominous thunderstorm disappear in a blink of an eye."

"You mean to say.."

"Yes. I think the amulet is real and a girl has it. She also knows how to use its powers. I assume the girl with the amulet has taken our enemies' side and our forces might have to deal with some supernatural paranormal powers."

The look on Michael's face said it all. Marcus knew that Michael, like many others, had thought that the amulet story told at the Celebrations of Unity was pure fiction to gain public support, but now he was being told that this menace actually existed. A few creases formed on his forehead but he tried to put up a brave front. "We will try and devise some strategy but I don't think we can plan for something so unpredictable. We can provide our troops with the best weapons and all the information and then let them handle the situation themselves."

Marcus nodded.

"I must take your leave, Your Highness."

"Okay, and take care of Paul as quickly as you can."

A sinister smile spread across Michael's face. "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will take very good care of him."

Marcus felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. Paul had been a thorn in his flesh for far too long. If Michael could remove him, he would be able to breathe a lot easier. Michael had never failed him and Marcus was sure that he will be successful in this secret mission as well.

A mission that was going to shake Aden. An assassination that was going to turn the tide in this world.

***

Elisium

5L 21/21/20/1

Christopher was having his customary late-night stroll along the riverbank. During these turbulent times, the cool breeze from the river soothed his nerves and lifted his spirits. Alfred joined him in the walk.

"How are things going at the entry point?" Christopher asked his deputy.

"The Demon's Entrance has been turned into a minefield. No one is getting anywhere near it without getting blown to pieces."

"Good job. Anyone suspicious of our movements around the river?"

"No alarms so far. Our soldiers mostly travel in the dark of the night and stay close to the opposite bank which is always pretty desolated."

"And how many boats are ready?"

"Enough to carry all our existing troops if we want. But I think we will want to leave some of them behind to guard our posts."

"That is great. Just keep increasing the perimeter of the mines. The farther we can keep them from us, the better."

Christopher stroked his chin. Once again he had proved to be a master strategist. When he had proposed this plan two years ago, it looked too overambitious, but there was a solid logic behind it. Elisians were afraid of traveling in water and hence the rivers were never used for navigation. The situation was similar in Aden a few cycles ago, however, the ever-growing need for new modes of transport and the dwindling fuel reserves led scientists to concentrate on utilizing the flow of rivers. Eventually, boats were developed and they became massively popular in just a few years.

Aden's technology was their best bet against the paranormal. When his enemies were guarding the land, Christopher decided to use the water. The two planets were identical, so the water routes that worked in Aden should work in Elisium as well. By using these waterways his troops could avoid the enemy traps and reach the Demon's Entrance, this world's entry point, unscathed.

He first sent out a few scouting parties to ascertain the safety of this route. When they made their return journey without any incident he constructed a boat-building unit near the Bridge of Faith. Thereafter, regular troops traveled to the Demon's Entrance and turned that whole area into a minefield. They laid down interconnected explosive mines and mapped them to ensure that Aden's army could navigate this area, but it would be impossible for anyone else to traverse this minefield without getting fried.

Elisian's bizarre tactics also helped Christopher in achieving his goal. After the successful attack on the storage facility, he had expected relentless attacks, but to his surprise, enemies went into some sort of slumber. Any further attacks would have destroyed his troops' morale, but this period of lull allowed them to get their confidence back. Christopher took advantage of this situation, and after more than a year of careful execution, a large radius around the Demon's Entrance was secured on both sides of the river.

Christopher wasn't sure about the war, but he for sure loved the war games. He had once again outthought his enemies and it was now time to lie low and wait. He had made good enough arrangements to receive the incoming troops and just hoped that his bosses had heeded his warnings and were going to send a big enough reinforcement.

***

George was presiding over a meeting of David's army inside their headquarters. "We are exactly a couple of months away from the turn of the loop. We must now start to prepare for the final war."

David never missed a chance to oppose his father's overly defensive tactics. "It should have never come down to this. We should have kept attacking the enemies after we had rattled them."

"Son, we came out of there alive only because of Jennifer's intervention. You had seen her condition. We couldn't have risked her going through that again."

"We should have attacked the Ruins through the tunnels and finished them off from within. We could have pulled it off even without her help."

Roger intervened in the father-son verbal duel. "That wouldn't have been that easy. There is a much more sophisticated defense system in and around the Ruins. Security alarms, hidden mines, and very sophisticated weapons. With all their troops on high alert, even an army of twenty thousand wouldn't have defeated them inside their fortress."

"Son, those tunnels are good for ambushes, but with their whole army waiting to welcome us inside the Ruins, any full-fledged attack would have been a mass suicide. Even Nathan admitted that our army needed more time and more weapons to be ready for a full-fledged war."

David smirked. "Do you reckon we are ready now? Or shall we wait for the next loop?"

Jennifer was fed up with these regular tussles between her father and brother. Are you sure they are real father and son? It looks likes somebody dropped him at your father's doorstep. "What is going to be our next move?"

Darren, who was brought to the meeting on George's orders, gave an idea. "We must first secure the Demon's Entrance."

"Now will our enemies devise strategies for us?" David reminded Darren of his disgust towards him.

Jacob however agreed with Darren. "You know, that is the most logical thing to do. The looters will have to come out of their rabbit hole and reach this place to do the necessary preparations before the Crossing. They have no other option. If we take control of that area and turn it into a battlefield of our liking we can give them a grand reception whenever they arrive."

James also voiced his approval. "This seems like a solid plan. Generally, they start this process a couple of weeks before every Crossing, hence I guess we have enough time in our hands to make the necessary arrangements. They will stand no chance of defeating us in our tailormade battlefield."

"And once we overcome their existing armies, we can take down their incoming troops in the river itself. Not even allow them to set their foot on this land. It would be such fitting revenge for me. Shooting and drowning the people who had tried to drown me during the last Crossing," Joseph said licking his lips.

Everybody admitted that rather than charging at the enemies, letting them walk into a well-laid trap looked like the most sensible thing to do. And even David, who was always against his father's defensive strategies, couldn't find a fault in this plan of action.

However, once the meeting was over, Roger took David into a corner. "Don't you think this plan is too obvious? We have a saying in the army that an obvious idea is never the best plan. Don't you think Aden's army might have thought about this too? And to be honest, Christopher, your father's duplicate, has a much sharper brain than your father. He outsmarted him, and almost had him and all your men killed in that storehouse ambush. I am sure he must be up to something."

"What could he plan to do without even coming out of his burrow?"

"I don't know. But since this suggestion came from Darren, I think he knows something which we don't. Don't get fooled by his recently developed soft corner for your people. He used to call you worms and wanted to trample you under his feet. That kind of disdain doesn't go away that easily."

"What are you trying to suggest?"

"I am just trying to warn you. In trying to lay down a trap, just don't walk into one. As far as I know Christopher, he won't be just lying down for two years and do nothing – just like your father. He may spring up a surprise on you."

Roger's warning left David with some serious thinking to do. David knew that since his father had already approved this plan, he won't listen to any counter-arguments. All he could do now is to remain extra cautious to avoid getting ensnared by their enemy.

He had no idea that even before they could spread their nets, a trap had already been laid down for them.