CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
When Boyce and Lloyd returned home, Zoro flew down to his master's shoulder from the mansion's roof top.
"Zoro! There you are!" said Boyce. He had wondered what had become of him, at the cathedral.
They went into the house and soon found Empal waiting for both of them in the room that was Brook's viewing den.
He had come in through the underground passage from the Joenine Forest.
"Empal, our dear friend!" said Boyce, and he and Lloyd shook hands with him.
"I'm surprised that the passages, beneath this place are still in very good shape." he said.
"Have you told the alignment to mobilize for its advance on Phoride?" asked Lloyd.
"That was why you sent me back there, and I have done your bidding."
"Very good, General!" praised Boyce.
"I had also brought some things for you. A gift from Lloyd's father, Harvard." he told them and Lloyd wondered what his father could possibly send to him and Boyce from Besten.
Empal opened the passage door and went in, soon coming back into the room with two large and heavy looking sacks.
"This is yours, Boyce!" Empal said handing him one of the large sacks.
Lloyd took the other one when handed to him, and when they opened up the sacks, what they found was the beautiful sight of armour.
The armour was of gilded gold, bolted onto sweaters made of woven lead and steel, fitting perfectly over the wearer's form, as it was the nature for such armour to behave.
Electrophore-laser rifles were in each sack with two energy cells for each weapon, and to supplement fighting, arm-length tempered sabres were given to them, as well.
Both men received helmets characteristic of their own personalities.
Lloyd had received a helmet made of silver, symbolising steadfast loyalty and promise to serve. it had a low fall to the back and the front, covering the forehead was square and moulded into the figure of a computer.
Three great spikes jutted along the centre crest of the helmet from the frontal section to the hinges of the fall.
Boyce's helmet was also very impressive. It was perfectly rounded and was made of thick gold. The round front section, that covered half of his forehead, had a horizontal, oblong inset of the bluest sapphires that could be found and on the top back of his helmet was a cluster of three long plumes, of straight blue horse-tail hair.
Each single knot of hair was of a slightly different shade and hue of blue, and when the light hit the clusters, they all shimmered like a clear waterfall.
"Your father has exquisite taste!" Boyce said to Lloyd.
Lloyd nodded and Empal continued to help the men to remove a large box from each bag, and the men opened them. Within each box was a shiny cross bow.
"These are beautiful!" sighed Lloyd.
"I wonder if we'll use them?" asked Boyce.
"Where will you keep these things?" inquired Empal and Boyce smiled at him, raising his finger to the air.
He took from around his neck a key and put it into the slot of the cabinet doors and opened them.
The cabinet was empty but Boyce pushed a part of the back panel and the inside compartment swung around to reveal the men's maps and hand guns.
Everything was hung on certain hooks and the entire case was beautiful.
Before Boyce was to close the cabinet, Empal took out of Boyce's sack one more piece of armour. It was a body harness with shoulder protectors made of gold and long strips of black onyx, resembling feathers.
Boyce and Lloyd laughed a little when they saw the beautiful Virunese air command epaulette.
Empal wondered why they were laughing at the gift that he had included for Boyce. He was somewhat irritated and insulted by it until he was told the reason.
"Black feathers jutting, Lloyd." Boyce grinned while he spoke.
"I thought of Zoro when I first heard them say it!" admitted Lloyd.
"I believe that they did, too, but it didn't fit their interpretation.
That's why they called us to talk to them." said Boyce.
He put the epaulette-body brace into the cabinet and swung the interior around to the empty false front, and he closed the cabinets.
"Later this evening Tucker and his cousin Tellis are flying in two eagles for you." said Empal. "He will bring them to the back of the mansion, on the base of the hill. No one will see them there or think of checking there."
Empal conveyed to them the expectant time of arriving invasion force, letting them know that most of the main fighting force would be in Phoride within a week, with the second wave being a day behind.
Zoro cawed. He enjoyed looking at the shiny metals of the armour but the discussion that took place afterwards was making him restless.
When Boyce asked Empal to stay for supper, Zoro flew out the den's window and flew around Pomperaque for a while until he disappeared.