Chapter 4
Manhunt
Hannibal Castle, Kingdom of Hannibal
No one who valued their well-being wanted to see the Queen displeased. She had a way of dealing with her displeasure swiftly and brutally and if the object of her displeasure was not close at hand, she would whet her appetite on lesser offenders until she found satisfaction.
Four of the eight Captains-General of Hannibal were lined up knelt before her. Sir Cyrano, as always, remained close to the Queen's side and the other three Captains-General could not be called away from their fortresses in the marchlands.
Facing the throne, from left to right, there were Captain Jibril of the Black Guard, Captain Yael of the Dragoons, Captain Bomilcar of the regular knights, and Captain Leopold of the Hannibal Legion.
It was Lord Bannon who addressed the Captains-General on the Queen's behalf rather than the Lord Chamberlain, for this was foremost a military affair.
"Gentlemen, a calamity has befallen our kingdom. Although we succeeded in capturing the Witch from Beyond the Sea, it would seem that we underestimated her power. Yesterday the Hanno gaol, where she was being held, was attacked. The entire complement of the gaolers and five men of the Black Guard especially assigned to keep watch over the Witch were butchered and all the prisoners freed, to include of course the Witch herself, who was the target. Now, the common criminals are a minor concern and the Witch's powers have been sealed, so it should be easy enough to recapture her. The reason you have all been summoned here is because she has a confederate, a man you once called comrade: Tobias Barca, Commander-General of the Armies of Hannibal."
None of the Captains-General could be said to harbor any warm feelings for the young Commander-General, but with the exception of Captain Jibril, the news clearly came as a shock.
"Are you quite certain, my lord?" Sir Bomilcar asked. "I cannot imagine that boy doing such a thing."
"Do not let you affection for the traitor blind you to the truth, Sir Bomilcar," Lord Bannon warned. "There was a lone Guardsman who survived the attack on the gaol. He described a man matching the description of Commander Tobias arrayed as a common knight acting in the Commander-General's name seeking the release of the Witch by deception. Commander Tobias' page reported that he left his quarters clad armor of his old order and his horse was taken from the palace stables. The ferryman also reports having delivered a knight and his mount to the Hanno docks at that time. What more evidence could you possibly require?"
Sir Bomilcar was silent.
Lord Bannon continued, "We do not know where Commander Tobias and the Witch mean to go or what they mean to do, so I am hereby ordering every available man in the Queen's name to find them. Leave no stone unturned. Find them and any who would give them aid and comfort."
"And what shall we do when we find them, my lord?" Captain Yael asked. "Shall we execute the Queen's justice then and there and return with their heads as an offering to Her Majesty?"
She seemed to relish the prospect overmuch. Some would say it was her savage blood, while others would propose that of all who envied Commander Tobias, her jealousy was the bitterest.
The court sorcerer Tallan Melchior stepped forward and said, "Shall a man honored with the name Barca be killed in the streets like a dog? May it not be so. It would bring a curse from him whose namesake you dishonor. Let the young Tobias be taken alive to face judgment here. If his deeds are born of a wicked heart, he may be properly stripped of his title according to all the necessary rites. It may be that he has been ensorcelled by the Witch. If so, shall a man die for the deeds done not of his own will?"
Lord Bannon looked to the Queen, and though she seldom spoke in court, she saw fit to speak on her own behalf.
"Malta will face the judgment of Baal and her ancestors one day. Let it not be said that she found offense in their eyes. The traitor Tobias Barca and the Witch from Beyond the Sea shall be taken alive and brought before me. But fr any who would offer them succor on the way, they shall surely die."
"May the Queen's will be done," Lord Bannon replied with a bow. He then turned to the assembled Captains and said, "Captain Yael will search the south of the River, from Ydom to Kartbyrsa. Captain Bomilcar will take the north of the River, from Utica to Zareh. Captain Leopold will search the heartland: Hanno, Taher, Nakum and Jbeil. Captain Jibril will take the east of the Lake, from Kartbyrsa to Birut. And the northern marches go to Captains Boodes, Tyrus and Reinwald.
"Remember, the traitor Tobias and the Witch are to be taken alive at all costs, but any who would aid them or impede your search, they must die. Swear in Baal's name you will obey."
"In Baal's name, we will obey," the four Captains replied as one.
"Then go forth and do not return here until you have succeeded."
The four Captains rose, saluted Lord Bannon and the Queen, and then departed.
* * *
Once they had been dismissed, Captain Bomilcar made his way to an uninhabited corner of the castle where might not be disturbed. As much as he resented Tobias for being elevated above him, he never wished for anything like this.
He could not help but remember that day sixteen years ago, when the monsters came down from the mountains to attack Utica. He and his sworn brother Desiderius fought side-by-side. They had been friends and rivals ever since they were boys and much as Bomilcar hated to admit it, Desiderius was always better. However, on that day, it was Desiderius who suffered a mortal wound fighting the creature people called the Mountain Beast.
As he lay there dying in Bomilcar's arms, Desiderius clutched at him with his waning strength and said, "Promise me... Promise me, Bomilcar. You'll watch after my boy."
"Of course," Bomilcar told him.
He would have said just about anything under circumstances. What more can you do for a man in his dying moments? It almost seemed that Desiderius knew this, because he pulled Bomilcar closer and told him, "He's more than just my son. Swear on your life, on your honor."
Bomilcar took Desiderius' hand in his own and vowed, "I swear it, Brother, on my life, on my sacred honor, with Baal above as my witness."
"Swear by my God as well," Desiderius insisted.
"By your Lord, I swear it."
Having secured Bomilcar's oath, Desiderius' strength left him. It seemed that his wife's name was the last word on his lips before he died. The kingdom lost one of its greatest knights that day.
Bomilcar took his oath seriously. He took in the young Tobias and raised him as his own, taught him the ways of knighthood, did everything he could to be a father to the boy in Desiderius' stead. There were times when he was ashamed of the envy he felt for Tobias. If the boy was honored, did not he have a share in it? And yet, there was a shade of the envy he felt for Desiderius magnified in his son.
He punched the wall. He hated himself for his weakness, for what it had cost him. Part of him wanted to mend what had been rent between them, but how could he do that now? How could he honor his oath?
"Desiderius, what would you have me do?" he asked the empty air. "Your son is a wanted man, a traitor."
Of course, Desiderius was long since gone, so there were no answers for him.