The Elephant Gate

The close fighting wasn't as bad as he had feared, although he ended up losing more than winning. After he rested, they walked over to a building all by itself at the far end of the complex.

"This is where we store the firearms. Most of our own stock, what little we had, was taken on the battlefield by those damned Anachak, but we've been taking them back from skirmishes."

Kevin looked around. There were rows of rifles, propped up against the wall, barrels pointed up and a chain running through the trigger guards. At a nod, the guard unlocked the chain and pulled one out for Kevin to look at.

"Hmm, it looks like around a .308 bolt-action rifle." He pulled back the bolt to make sure nothing was chambered before examining it closely. "Solid sight, built in cleaning kit. Are there any clips?" At their blank looks, he amended his question. "The piece that holds the bullets."

The guard nodded and walked over to a large wooden box. It contained boxes of cartridges as well as the holders. Kevin talked almost to himself. "Ten-cartridge magazine, standard size."

He looked up at the men watching him closely. "This is a pretty standard gun. How many experts do you have to train people?"

"We have some men that were trained as soldiers, but no instructor. They were also casualties during the fighting." Thadchai responded. "We are hoping you could help us with some of the training as well."

Kevin felt the pressure of those men in the room, but standing out among them all was the man who raised him despite knowing nothing except he was a strange boy from somewhere else.

Briskly, Kevin nodded. "Of course. Every rifle will need to be cleaned and inspected to make sure it is operational. Are there handguns, too?" Khun Preem nodded.

"Not as many, but we do have some. They appear to use different bullets than these, so they are housed in a different location. We have approximately five hundred of these, and some 50 handguns."

Well, thought Kevin, it's a start, for all of them.

* * *

They stayed overnight in one of the small cabins near the main barracks. Kevin was amazed at the organization. There were about a hundred men training in the complex, plus support staff to feed and house them. Supplies were brought in about once a week.

After the training, the men were sent back to their families and towns and the next batch was brought in. Slowly, every able-bodied man in the entire country was being trained for combat beneath the enemy's very nose.

"We hope to have everyone cycle through by the end of this year. It has taken a long time to reach this point. With our rulers in hiding, we have to keep our spirits up as best as we can."

Kevin voiced a question. "Where is the royal family? Are they all okay?" Thadchai answered.

"We have several safe houses, and they are moved every few months to avoid detection. And yes, although the king and queen are old, they are still hale and hearty."

"And, Suri? Princess Surikitiyia?" he amended. The name brought a sharp bark of laughter from Khun Preem.

"That one will be the death of us. The princess has insisted on some of the combat training, and is our main liaison to the royal couple. As a female, she is able to roam through the cities and towns much more easily than us. In fact, most of our intelligence is gathered by our women, and she does most of the coordination." Preem took a drink of his water. "But many of wish she would fulfill her other duties."

"Such as?" Kevin asked.

"Marriage," was the blunt response. "An alliance with a country friendly to our plight and with more resources can tip the scales in our favor. Plus, as the only child of the current monarchs, all our future hopes rest with her and her children. She needs to learn to rule"

Kevin realized with a jolt that his childhood best friend was, in fact, the Crown Princess. In all their play, it had never been an issue. Now, as an a.d.u.l.t, he wondered how she was. From the conversation, she certainly was no fussy princess, and he felt a burst of pride for that. Even when they were playing, she hadn't worried about a dirty dress or a skinned knee.

"I would like to see her sometime." He said pensively. Thadchai nodded.

"Right now, they are working on a project and have gone underground. But within the next several weeks, we will be able introduce you to the royal family again." He sounded anything but happy at the information, and Kevin wondered why.