A SPARTAN'S WAR

MOUNTAIN CITY

No one spoke as they stood on the platform high above Mountain City watching Martin walk among the bodies of the dead. They had been laid out reverently by the High Elves under orders of Tareif, each genome and human body cleaned of any blood and dirt and wrapped in silk cloth. Tony was on one knee by the body of a close friend, Julie sitting by the body of another, tears streaming down her cheeks. Danny stood behind her, his face a mask of unreadable emotion. The Dragoons who had fought beside them sternly guarded the three lifts to the platforms, allowing no one entry as the dead were mourned. There were two ranks of Dragoons standing silently behind Tareif as well, their mood somber and quiet. Tarifa was held in her mother's arms, their eyes focused on where Martin slowly walked among the bodies.

Anja could no longer stand it seeing the dead men and women she had only just started to get to know, and with tears in her own eyes and she rushed forward to where Julie sat on the platform. As soon as Anja touched her, Julie burst into uncontrollable sobs and slipped into her arms. This in turn caused Danny to kneel behind them both and lay his head on Julie's shoulder as the sobs could be seen wracking his body now.

"How… how did this happen?" Tarifa asked turning to her father, tears clouding her eyes.

"They had help." Tareif replied turning to look at her. "They killed our scouts before they could report to us about the mercenary battalion that was moving through the mountains north of us. When we realized that we were about to be attacked, Kenneth issued an emergency evacuation, but the attack commenced almost immediately after he issued that order."

"How could they have avoided our scouts and get so close to us without knowing our safe travel routes?" Tarifa asked.

"As I said daughter… they had help." Tareif spoke.

"Find out who helped them!" Tarifa screamed startling both her mother and father. "I want to know who caused this! I want to know who among our people helped these butchers!"

Dysea turned from Tarifa's verbal explosion, Leland holding her close. Her heart had sung with joy when she realized Leland and two others of her party had survived the attack. All that joy evaporated when they discovered what had happened. She could almost feel Martin's pain from across the platform, and it washed over her unlike anything she had felt before. It was almost as if she could sense his emotions within her own mind, and she left Leland's arms to go to him.

"No Dysea." Walter's voice stopped her. "This is something he must confront himself. He has never suffered so many losses in a single battle, and he will either conquer his demons, or he will succumb to them, but he must do this alone."

"Holy One… he needs the support of those who…" Dysea stopped her eyes going a little wider as she realized what she was going to say.

Walter stepped up to her and smiled as he took her hands. "Yes… he will need the support of those who love and care for him." He told her, his words carrying to all within range of his voice. What was stunning was when Tarifa stepped up next to Dysea and took her hand tightly in her own and they stood together, their bodies touching as they watched Martin.

They did not turn at the commotion by one of the lifts, nor did they notice when Raloa and Treblar burst through the mass of Dragoons with several other ministers in tow. Raloa's face was a mask of anger and he unleashed it without regard for what was happening.

"I told you!" He exclaimed. "I warned you that this might happen!"

"Raloa now is not the time." Treblar began to speak.

"Now is the time!" Raloa snapped. "They have brought this upon us! These half breed animals have brought this—"

Raloa's words ended quickly when Dysea spun around in the blink of an eye and placed the barrel of the K12 directly to Raloa's forehead.

"Another word Chief Minister and you will not take another breath!" Dysea growled.

It happened quickly and the Dragoons all around brought their weapons up and leveled them at the Queen of the Wood Elves. Tareif's own pistol was leveled at her blond head and he snarled at her.

"Lower your weapon Wood Elf!" He growled. "You are within our lands now!"

Dysea didn't take her eyes from Raloa's face. "Do you think you can stop me from killing this dog before you take me down War Master Tareif?" She spoke the words firmly. "I don't think so."

"No Dysea" Tarifa's soft voice filled her ears. The eyes of everyone in the area grew wide when Tarifa spoke and they watched her step in front of Dysea and reach up to touch her face gently. "Not this way Dysea. Remember what we spoke of."

Dysea's glaring emerald eyes went to Tarifa's face and everyone saw the look of hostile intent immediately fade from her beautiful features. "I do this only for you Tarifa." Dysea said softly. She reversed the K12 in an instant and Tarifa took the weapon from her hand.

Raloa immediately began again, even angrier than before. "Arrest this wench! Seize her immediately! She is the Queen of our enemy, and we allow her to defile our very city!"

Two Dragoons began to step forward but Tarifa's voice stopped them in their tracks. "The one who lays a hand on her will be dead three seconds after." She spoke in a menacing tone as she turned to face Raloa.

"Tarifa!" Palina gasped.

"Daughter what are you doing?" Tareif echoed his wife, his eyes wide.

"This wench and these half breed animals have brought ruin upon us!" Raloa barked out.

"They have brought hope!" Walter yelled turning to look at Raloa. "I see no ruin here! I see the bodies of those who fought to defend this city."

"The mercenaries would not have come here if not for them!" Raloa screamed pointing at where Martin stood. "Three of our soldiers would not be dead if not for them!"

"I may be mistaken Chief Minister," Tarifa stated. "But I see over three hundred of Martin's dead stretched before us. Not High Elves!"

"It was only by the skill of your father that they did not attack the city itself!" Raloa barked at her. "The Alliance has never been this bold! That Wood Elf whore has led them directly to us!"

Tarifa glared at Raloa and stepped closer to him. "Call her by that name again Chief Minister and it will be I who kills you where you stand!"

Raloa's lips clamped shut in horror at her words. "You… you threaten me?" He gasped.

"It is not a threat Chief Minister." Tarifa told him. "It is a promise." She turned to look at Radama. "Radama… see to it that Dysea is provided quarters and every comfort we can provide. The same quarters will be available to Martin and the others as well."

Radama nodded his head without question. "It will be as you order my Queen." He told her. Radama bowed his head in respect to Dysea and motioned with his hand for her to precede him. Dysea smiled warmly at Tarifa before heading for the lift that would take her down.

"What are you doing?" Raloa asked as soon as the lift was descending, his eyes still wide.

"I'm acting like a Queen." Tarifa snapped back.

"You allow these animals to remain within our city? That puts us at extreme risk to further attacks!" Raloa exclaimed. "You endanger all of us!"

"So now the men and women who saved my life and the life of countless High Elves are animals?" Tarifa spoke.

"They have always been animals!" Raloa spoke. "I warned you this would happen! I told you this would happen!"

"Minister Treblar you will call a special session of the Council of Elders immediately." Tarifa ordered. "And you will remove this sniveling man from my presence before…"

"You have prisoners?" Martin's voice carried to them.

They turned and saw him standing directly behind them, his hands folded behind his back, his face a mask of calm. A mask that sent shivers down Tareif's spine.

Tareif nodded his head and motioned to the six humans who were kneeling behind the last rank of Dragoons, being guarded by four Dragoon Elves. "We questioned them." He spoke. "They know nothing and there are no officers among them."

Martin stepped around the Dragoons and they respectfully moved aside as he came up to look at the prisoners. His eyes searched the faces of the men as they stared defiantly back at him. Martin stopped in front of one of the men.

"This one is an officer." Martin spoke his eyes never leaving the man's face.

Tareif moved a little closer to him. "Impossible! We searched all of them!"

Martin reached down and touched the corners of the man's fatigue top. "If you look here you will see the holes from where he had his rank pinned on."

Some of the Dragoons murmured to each other as Tareif moved closer. "How can you be so sure?" He asked.

"I'm sure." Martin replied looking at the man. "Aren't I bub?"

"I will tell you nothing dog!" The man spat. "You are an elf lover! You are the thing we have…" The man's eyes bugged out of his head as Martin's hand closed around his throat and he lifted him from his kneeling position. The man clawed at the iron grip that was slowly squeezing the air from his lungs, his face beginning to turn blue.

"Who gave you the information you used to plan this attack?" Martin asked, pulling the man closer to him, his eyes turning to the yellow and black orbs. When the man saw this, he voided his bladder in his pants, soaking his legs as Martin's teeth extended to their full length. He shook his head madly, his fingers trying to pry Martin's grasp from his throat. "That is a shame." Martin spoke casually before turning and heaving the man's body across the platform where it disappeared over the edge. His scream echoed for several moments as he fell a over thousand feet to his death, and then there was silence.

Tareif stared at Martin wide eyed. "You said he was an officer!" Tareif barked. "Now we will learn nothing!"

"I learned a great deal." Martin spoke looking at the remaining five men. "Who would like to learn how to fly next?"

"I will not allow you to…" Tareif began but his words cut short as four of the remaining five men were all looking at the man third from the end.

Martin squatted in front of the man, his fangs giving his face an extremely frightening appearance. "That wasn't very nice making your soldier wear your uniform to protect your sorry hide."

"I will tell you nothing elf lover!" The man screamed. "I know who you are Martin Hunter!"

"See now that is where you are wrong." Martin spoke calmly as he looked at the man. "You took part in an attack that killed almost three hundred innocent men, women and children; people who were under my care and protection. You took part in an attack that killed over half of my team; men and women who I consider to be my family. You will tell me absolutely everything I want to know friend, and unfortunately for you, you will not live to remember it."

"Tarifa we must talk?" Palina spoke softly as she watched her daughter dress in her room.

"There is nothing to talk about mother." Tarifa spoke as she pulled on the much more comfortable dress over her newly showered body.

"Tarifa this is your mother speaking to you." Palina said. "I have never questioned what your heart has told you to do, but since you have met Martin, you are different."

Tarifa looked at her. "Is that a bad thing mama?" She asked.

Palina stepped closer to her. "This Queen of the Wood Elves Tarifa; she is our enemy?"

"No mother." Tarifa spoke calmly. "I have discovered many things while I have been gone. And the most important one is that Dysea is not and never has been our enemy. A point I am going to make to the Elders in a short time."

"What is happening daughter?" Palina asked.

"We have traitors within our midst mother." Tarifa spoke, "Traitors that have sold out our people, and Dysea's people. They have been pitting us against each other from the start and the Alliance has been helping them."

Palina looked at her, and knew from the expression on her daughter's face that what she was telling her she believed deeply. Palina however could not grasp that idea, the idea that Elders on the Council would betray their people to the Alliance. She and Tarifa had never kept secrets from each other, and over the years it had made them become so much closer than just mother and daughter.

"Tarifa… you… you have proof of this?" Palina asked.

Tarifa nodded. "I do. And I will present it to the Elders. Dysea and I had a chance to talk while we were together. Our peoples have so much in common. The Wood Elves are not so unlike us mother. The Holy One knew this, which is why he guided Dysea to begin looking for answers that were not directly in front of her."

"Tarifa I do not understand." Palina said. "What are you trying to say?"

Tarifa met her eyes. "There is at least one Elder on our Council that is working with the Alliance, if not more than one. And the same can be said for Dysea's Council of Elders as well."

"This information you present is all very troubling Milady." Treblar spoke.

Tarifa nodded as she looked at the Council seated before her. "Yes it is." She spoke. "I was stunned to discover this is happening."

Raloa looked up form the data pad he was reading. "This could very well be nothing more than an Alliance trick." He stated calmly. "While I will grant you Milady that it is very provocative, no one is mentioned by name. Your investigations… which you conducted without the permission of this Council I might add… could they be tainted in any way? Perhaps the individuals you chose have themselves been tainted and have given you false information."

Tarifa looked at him, maintaining control of her temper. Raloa was the traitor, of that she had little doubt, but she could not accuse him without proof. "That is extremely unlikely." She replied evenly. "Yes I conducted the investigations without the Council's permission, but then again they were concerning matters of military attacks against our people and therefore I was well within my rights to order them. The results are unequivocal in every way. No matter how it is displayed, the Wood Elves were not responsible for the attacks on our villages, and in fact Dysea has admitted her own investigations have concluded the same thing in regards to her villages that were attacked. Someone is playing our two peoples against each other. And they have had help in doing so."

"Do you accuse one of us of such an act?" Raloa demanded.

"I accuse no one." She replied. "What I want is a full investigation by this Council into this matter to determine who the traitor is."

Thimina nodded. "I agree." She said quickly.

"We can not begin investigations without cause." Another Elder spoke now.

"This is not cause enough?" Treblar asked stupefied. "I too agree to an investigation. I also move that we reserve judgment or action on the presence of Dysea in Mountain City until such time as we have been able to conduct this investigation."

"Word will get out that she is among us." Another Elder spoke.

"Very few saw her on the upper platforms." Treblar spoke again. "We can order the Dragoons to secrecy if we have too, and she will remain in the quarters she occupies until such time we are prepared to speak with her."

Raloa nodded quickly Tarifa saw. "I will lead the investigation." He spoke quickly, Tarifa opening her mouth to protest when she saw Thimina nod.

"I will co-lead the investigation." Thimina spoke. "It must be quick but thorough."

Tarifa was satisfied with that. She trusted Thimina to be accurate and trustworthy. "I wish to thank the Elders." She spoke.

"We should thank you." Treblar spoke. "For if there is a traitor among us… I want a piece of their hide as well."

Tarifa smiled and nodded her head. Perhaps things would work out in her favor after all.