Chapter 8
Dead Dog
Az-Zaidiyah, Kingdom of Libni
14 Olon BE 001
Captain Boucher was dead, along with the company's entire command section when the masjid they were occupying came down on their heads. If anyone survived the building's collapse, they were promptly lynched by the town's enraged Razis. The two sections sent in to capture the primary and secondary targets were were almost completely wiped out as well. That just left the remaining three sections spread out over an eight-kilometer perimeter with little choice but to pull out once everything went to Hell.
And this was how Lieutenant Benfouad found himself facing the Effendi to account for their failure. The surviving officers opted to draw straws to decide who would deliver the report to their employer and he came up with the short straw.
The Effendi was known by many names. The Khalifa of Crime, the Sultan of the Midland Sea, the Underworld Kaiser, and so on. To live up to such titles, the Effendi had an audience chamber that rivalled the King's own throne room. It would take a throne fit for a king—possibly two or even three kings—to bear the Effendi's great bulk, not that anyone who valued their lives would give voice to such a thought. Even thinking it felt dangerous as the Effendi's pets encircled him. Lieutenant Benfouad thought mind reading was nothing more than a carnival trick, but if it really existed, he could believe the Sheherazade Sisters were capable of it. He had seen the way they moved in perfect coordination without a single word or hand signal. Some people believed that twins, triplets and such had some sort of sixth sense, and the Lieutenant prayed that was not being directed at him.
The Effendi made a gesture to invite Lieutenant Benfouad to speak, saying simply, "Explain."
He did not express any particular emotion, which was honestly more frightening than if he had been whipped up into a frothing rage. The Lieutenant swallowed hard and his mouth moved wordlessly at first before he found his voice.
"Ah, we, ah... We arrived at the town, ah, Abou El-Rachid, ahead of the target and, ah, we requisitioned the local masjid to serve as our headquarters. Good central location. And Sergeant Benali wanted to use the minaret as a sniper's nest. Lieutenant Nacereddine and I were charged setting up a cordon around the town, so I do not have a first-hand account of what happened inside the town."
The Effendi nodded, his way of telling Lieutenant Benfouad to continue.
"Ah, yes, well, the intel we were given indicated that the Protectors were using two teams, one with the real Child of Promise and one that was a decoy. We did not know which was which, so First Section was sent to acquire Target One and Second Section was sent to acquire Target Two. It seemed simple enough. A six-man team should have been all that was needed to neutralize one Protector and even if it was not, there were two more six-man teams on standby. Eighteen against one, with one of the best snipers in the Magreb on overwatch, roadblocks in place at the four main points in and out of town, a cordon of the outer perimeter, mines set around the inner perimeter of the two target locations just in case they tried to escape... It could not have been easier..."
Lieutenant Benfouad was going to then add "Or so we thought," but before he could do so, the Effendi spoke, saying, "And yet, instead of Captain Boucher here with my prize, it is you... empty-handed."
Though it was not the custom in these lands nor any of his own personal experience, Lieutenant Benfouad found himself bowing his head low, like you would see in some parts of the East, bending at the waist more than than ninety degrees, to the point that it was a wonder he did not tip over. Somehow it felt like the only appropriate response.
"We have failed you, Effendi!" he quailed. "We underestimated the Protectors. Even one was more formidable than we could have imagined and there were more of them in the town than we anticipated. One was a sniper at least on the same level as Sergeant Benali, perhaps even better. The masjid was destroyed—we do not know how or who was to blame—but it caused a riot. Whoever was not killed when the building collapsed was killed by the rioters. If we engaged, it would have resulted in a slaughter, so Lieutenant Alvarez assumed command and ordered us to pull out and regroup. Only 63 of us remain. Of the rest, how many were killed, how many are missing, how many deserted, we do not know."
"You say Lieutenant Alvarez assumed command," the Effendi noted. "Then why is he not here giving report?"
It would seem that Lieutenant Benfouad had unwittingly thrown his fellow section leader under the bus. While the consequences of this failure might be visited upon them all equally, if Lieutenant Alvarez received a worse share and lived to tell the tale, he would almost certainly blame Lieutenant Benfouad and seek vengeance for it. Was there any way to salvage the situation?
"It, ah, it was agreed among us that I would give report, Effendi. Although Lieutenant Alvarez assumed command on the scene, there is no clear seniority among the officers who remain."
Even though they were mercenaries, date of rank could be used to establish seniority among officers of the same rank just as it would be done in a conventional military, but Lieutenant Benfouad was not lying as it was not as clear-cut in the less well-regulated mercenary company.
The Lieutenant was still bowing, but he heard the creaking of the Effendi's seat as he rose up and the slow plodding steps of him walking toward the Lieutenant. He could feel the Effendi's powerful presence even before a heavy hand rested on his shoulder.
"Lift up your head," the Effendi said.
Lieutenant Benfouad slowly straightened himself back up.
"All the surviving officers should have come to me," the Effendi said, "but they thought to make you a sacrificial lamb, hoping that you would bear the brunt of my wrath. They would make you a lamb, but I shall make you a lion. This failure was the work of the late Captain Boucher. He bears the blame and the judgment has already come down upon his head, quite literally it would seem. You are Captain now. Do you understand me?"
"Me, Effendi?" Lieutenant Benfouad asked. "Captain?"
"Yes," the Effendi said. "Your first task is to recruit, to restore the company to its full strength. More even. I want you to be 200 strong at least."
"Yes, Effendi, as you will, but it will take time to find the men, to train them."
"You have one month. You can train as you go, but I will have you strike again before the Child can cross the Narrows. It would be better still if you could intercept them as they are passing through Libni. If they are not here by now, they will be soon."
"I, I will do what I can, Effendi."
"You will do what you must, Lieutenant—no, Captain."
"Yes, Effendi."
The Effendi patted Lieutenant Benfouad on the shoulder and told him, "You have a lot of work to do, so I will leave you to it. You are dismissed, Captain."
"By your leave, Effendi," Lieutenant Benfouad said, bowing his head.
He then straightened himself up to properly stand at attention, rendered a salute, and when the Effendi waved him off, he promptly did an about-face and marched outside of the room. Perhaps it would have been a greater mercy if he had been killed outright, but though he may have eluded Death one more day, he would be feeling the Grim Reaper's cool breath on his neck in the days to come. What was it they would say? Out of the frying pan and into the fire? He was cooked either way.
* * *
Suri Sheherazade looked on Lieutenant Benfouad contemptuously as he exited the Master's audience chamber. Her sisters shared her expression, but the Master knew they were simply reflecting her and so he addressed her directly rather than the three of them.
"You disapprove, my flower?"
"You do as you will, Master," Suri replied, "but that man will only fail you."
"Perhaps," the Master said, "but there are times when a second chance is called for. If Captain Boucher not been crushed under rubble or torn to pieces by some mob, I would not have been so merciful."
"They trusted too much in their numbers to get them results," Suri said. "It made them unwieldy, a bigger target."
"Do you suggest that fewer could do better?"
"If the fewer are better, Master."
"Can it be done?"
"You need but command it, Master."
"Then I command it," the Master said. "Bring me the Child, and his Protector if you can. Do not be hasty. Make certain you have identified the Child and not his decoy. Arrange a situation where the Protectors' strength cannot be used against you."
Suri and her sisters went down on one knee as she vowed, "It shall be done, Master. We will not fail you."
"I trust not," the Master replied. "Do what you must and get me the Child."
