Island of Darkness (32 page)

The general turned and stormed into the building. The mayor started to follow him when Chargo shouted his name. He turned and faced the sailor.

“Are you with us or against us, Mayor Reaker?” shouted Chargo.

The mayor stared at the crowd briefly before answering. “I want what is best for the people of Alamar,” the mayor said loudly. “If you truly want to be part of Sakova, then I will stand with you, but I warn you that it is a dangerous path that we are embarking upon.”

Cheers erupted from the crowd as the mayor turned and entered the building. Lyra followed him in. A hundred Imperial Guards were gathered inside the doors. They were awaiting orders to quell the disturbance. None of them looked very happy at the thought of beating their friends and neighbors.

Lyra followed Mayor Reaker to the general’s office. More than one Imperial Guard bowed his head slightly as she walked by. She smiled at each of them. When they entered the general’s office, Lyra half expected to find the general throwing something against the wall. Instead she found him sitting calmly in his chair behind the desk. The mayor silently ushered Lyra into one of the chairs before the desk and then sat in the other one.

“I really did not want this to happen,” Lyra said, breaking the silence. “While I would love to have Alamar on my side in this war, I would prefer that there was no war at all. I asked Duran and Zaramilden to defect precisely because they are so remote that the Katana would not waste his armies conquering those cities. Alamar is different.”

“That is what bothers me,” sighed the general. “The sailor is right in everything that he said. Omunga does nothing for Alamar. It never has. We are Omungan because we have always been Omungan. There has never been a choice. You, Lyra, have brought that choice to us. Were it a decision that could be made in peace, it would be easy to decide, but that is not the case. The Katana cannot stand idle with half the country defecting. He will forget about conquering the Sakova and concentrate on punishing those who have deserted. That is what the sailor does not understand.”

“I think he does understand,” replied Lyra. “I mentioned as much to him, but it fell on deaf ears. I think seeing how Omunga treated the remote cities is what got him worked up. I know that I was devastated walking through those streets. I would not let an enemy suffer as those people have.”

“You bought those cities with food, didn’t you?” asked the general.

“That was my plan,” nodded the Star of Sakova, “but I could not go through with it. I ordered the food shipped in before I even talked to them. I could not stand to see them suffer. You must understand me, General. I am Omungan, or at least that is how I was raised. I grew up north of Gatong in my father’s academy. I knew nothing about the Sakovans until Kaltara chose me to lead them, but I know their hearts well now. None of my people would want to see anyone starve to death. If we had not enough food for ourselves, we would give half of it to others who were less fortunate. I cannot stand to use food as a weapon.”

“Your generosity is well known here,” smiled the general. “I cannot begrudge the people of Alamar for wanting to be part of a society that truly cares about them. It is my inability to see a way that they can survive in the face of what is to surely come next that bothers me. My men are from this city. If I gave the order to leave, most of them would stubbornly defy me and stay behind to defend Alamar. I cannot order my troops to crush the rebellion for the same reason.”

“Would you really order that?” asked Lyra. “You do not seem to be a cruel man.”

“I would not,” admitted the general. “I want what the people want, but I am wise enough to see the folly of such an action. A thousand men cannot stand against the armies of the Katana. There is no way.”

“I think there is,” countered Lyra. “If you are sincere in your desires, we can make this work.”

“How?” asked the general. “What do you know that I do not?”

“I know that the citizens will work hard to help you,” explained Lyra. “That means that you are no longer a force of just a thousand men. I also know a way to keep the Katana’s siege engines from bearing down on your walls. Inside these walls, General, your people can remain safe and well fed.”

“We will not remain well fed if we have to stay inside the walls,” argued the general.

“But you will,” smiled Lyra. “I will arrange for food to be delivered by ship if any army is approaching. You can even afford to burn the fields outside the city if that need be done.”

“If you can supply us by ship,” brightened the general, “and stop siege engines from reaching us, I can hold this city for a long time. I can exhaust their troops until they turn tail and head back to Okata. Can you really do that?”

“I can,” nodded Lyra. “I will guarantee it.”

The general stared at the Star of Sakova a long time before speaking. His first thought was to argue about her ability to guarantee such a thing, but as he thought back on all that had transpired, he realized that Lyra would not guarantee something that she cold not deliver. Slowly, he realized that Alamar could actually be defended against the armies of the Katana.

“You have just earned yourself a third city,” smiled the general as he rose and bowed formally to the Star of Sakova. “I sincerely hope that we can find a way to avoid bloodshed, but my men will stand as one to repel the Omungans if it comes to war.”

The four elves huddled in the shadow of the mountaintop crag. A cold blustery wind tore across the face of the mountain, penetrating their thin clothing. The irritating blare of hundreds of horns reverberated off the rocky face of the mountains. The alarms came from every direction, and tiny figures could be seen far below scurrying around in their search for the escaped elves. Mistake gazed down at the island far below and shook her head.

“There are thousands of them,” she frowned as she watched the distant kruls searching the island. “It is only a matter of time before they decide to search the mountain peaks. We must get back to that small cave.”

“Kruls will not venture up to the peaks,” Eltor responded, “but the soldiers will. The spreading of the alarms will surely bring the army into play before long. Still, I think it is best to wait for the dark of night before continuing. If anyone notices us moving against the skyline, we will be doomed for sure.”

“I am not sure that Caldar can wait that long,” frowned MistyTrail as she cast another healing spell on the injured elf. “His body is trying to respond to the healing spells, but the cold is weakening him. If we don’t get him out of this wind soon, I fear we may lose him.”

“Do you have any more clothes in your pack?” asked Eltor.

“I already added your old slave clothes and the spare uniform to what little he was wearing,” MistyTrail shook her head. “There is nothing left to cover him.”

Eltor nodded solemnly as he stripped off his army uniform and handed it to MistyTrail. She looked curiously at the near-naked elf.

“It does no good for you to freeze,” MistyTrail said. “There must be a better solution.”

“I will survive,” insisted Eltor. “We have only a few hours until sunset. Put the uniform on him and continue to heal him. He must survive.”

MistyTrail nodded as Mistake reached out and pulled Eltor close to her. Mistake wrapped her arms around Eltor to warm him. MistyTrail smiled inwardly as she slid the uniform onto Caldar.

* * *

Lady Mystic and Aakuta walked slowly through the forest. They watched the kruls running in every direction with curiosity.

“This is most unusual,” commented Lady Mystic. “The kruls can usually lock onto the scent of an escaped elf with little difficulty. They appear to have no inkling of which direction to search. Perhaps we erred by waiting so long to issue the alarm. Vand will be incensed if they are not found soon.”

“Why would he get worked up over such a trivial matter?” questioned Aakuta. “It is not likely that the elves will go anywhere. They will be found in due time. He must have more pressing matters to occupy his time.”

“You do not yet understand the nature of Vand,” Lady Mystic frowned as she stopped and stared at the dark mage. “He portrays himself as a god. He cannot afford to show any fallibility. Even something as minor as an escaped elf can cause doubt in the minds of his followers. He cannot allow for even the tiniest shred of doubt. His power lies in his absolute infallibility.”

“Portrays himself as a god?” echoed Aakuta. “There is a hint of something more in what you say. You know more about his nature than you are willing to let on.”

“Do you truly believe in gods?” shrugged Lady Mystic. “I thought you were much more intelligent than that.”

“I do believe that there are higher powers than man,” replied Aakuta. “The power of man cannot explain all things. Therefore, there must be something greater.”

“So you do believe that Vand is a god?” Lady Mystic asked questioningly.

“No,” Aakuta shook his head. “I suspect that Vand has great powers, but he is as mortal as we are, although I am intrigued as to how he has managed his longevity of life.”

“He has the ability to take another’s life for his own,” Lady Mystic responded. “Others can do as much, but only once. Vand has the knowledge to do so as often as he wishes. It is his most closely guarded secret.”

“Is that why you are so close to him?” asked Aakuta. “You seek to learn his secret?”

“Never say such a thing,” warned Lady Mystic. “To do so is to dance with death.”

“You truly fear him,” the dark mage retorted with surprise. “You just said that he was only a man, and yet your fear is palpable. Why?”

“Vand may not be a god,” Lady Mystic answered softly, “but he is protected by a higher power. Do not think of trying to cross him. Your life would surely be forfeit.”

“But you have indicated that you do not believe in gods,” countered Aakuta. “Now you speak of higher powers. You confuse me.”

“I confuse myself,” admitted Lady Mystic. “What people believe in as far as gods go, I find humorous, yet you were correct in saying that there are powers far greater than man. I do not know how to classify such supreme powers, but I know that they exist.”

“How do you know they exist?” pushed Aakuta.

“Because one controls Vand,” answered Lady Mystic. “Vand is a very talented and powerful mage, but I have learned to recognize one who is serving a greater master. That is why I have been so lenient with you. It is clear to me that you serve no master. I do not have to worry about you interfering with Vand’s plans on the orders of anyone else. You serve no one.”

“But Vand does?” mused Aakuta. “Who does he serve?”

“I do not know,” admitted Lady Mystic, “but I have seen the proof of it many times. There is a chamber inside the temple where none are allowed to go. Only Vand is allowed to enter the secret chamber. He goes there daily, and I have seen dramatic changes in him after he returns. Whatever exists inside that chamber has vast power. Vand fears it.”

“And you have not thought of entering that chamber to see what resides within?” asked Aakuta.

“Death resides within,” responded Lady Mystic, “and not just a simple death. It is a lingering death of excruciating pain.”

“How do you know this?” inquired Aakuta.

“I have seen those foolish enough to stumble through the wrong doorway,” answered Lady Mystic. “Most of the victims were merely fools who did not know where they were going, but one was a mage of extraordinary skill. His death still haunts my dreams. His screams echoed through the temple for over a fortnight. He begged people to kill him, but it was forbidden.”

“Surely, he could have killed himself,” posed the dark mage. “Perhaps he could have thrown himself off the roof of the temple?”

“He tried that and many other ways to kill himself,” replied Lady Mystic as she started walking again. “None were successful.”

“Do you mean he could not bring himself to jump?” questioned Aakuta.

“Oh no,” Lady Mystic shook her head. “He jumped just fine, but he did not die. Nor did he die when he entered the huge bonfire, but his pain increased greatly. Whatever entity decided that he should pay for his transgression, it had power enough to keep him alive to suffer for his errors.”

“Yet Vand can enter unharmed?” asked Aakuta.

“He can enter unharmed,” nodded Lady Mystic. “In fact, I believe that he is required to enter that chamber daily. He never misses a day even when he is involved in something important.”

They reached the edge of the forest and stopped walking. Aakuta gazed up the barren mountains above him as something tugged at his mind. A group of kruls moved swiftly through the forest towards them. When they reached the edge of the woods, the kruls growled softly and shook their heads. They stumbled into each other in their attempts to leave the area.

“The kruls are acting very strangely today,” frowned Lady Mystic as she turned to follow the small group. “I cannot understand what has gotten into them.”

Aakuta bent down and examined the carcass of a dead rabbit. It appeared to have been gutted by a knife, but something about it bothered the dark mage. He bent closer to inspect it, and a strong smell of garlic penetrated his nostrils. He rose and stared up at the bare mountain peaks again, his eyes searching for any sign of the elusive elves. With a nod of sudden understanding, he turned and hurried after Lady Mystic who had disappeared following the kruls through the forest.

* * *

StarWind dropped the air tunnel and sat silently in the Campanil park for several moments as she digested the news from StarCity. Things were moving much faster than she could have imagined. The news about Duran and Zaramilden defecting to the Sakova was surprising, but not unthinkable. She knew that food could be a persuasive negotiator with starving citizens, but Alamar was no longer in danger of starvation. StarCity had been unable to provide the details of how Lyra managed to get Alamar to defect, but the Sakovan spy master did not doubt the proclamation.

StarWind stared at the mayor’s building across the park and inhaled deeply. As many times as StarWind had walked into the enemy’s strongholds, she never quite got used to the feeling of risking her life in such a passive fashion. Steeling her nerves, the Sakovan spy rose and started walking towards the mayor’s building. She mentally reviewed what she knew about Ferde, the mayor of Campanil. She remembered the nighttime visit that she made with HawkShadow, and how they had silently penetrated the defenses and caught the mayor asleep in his chamber. It had been a risky plan, but it was necessary to avert a war.