Island of Darkness (53 page)

SkyDancer nodded her thanks and smiled. She was just dipping into the salad when she saw the Imperial Guard approaching. She leaped from her chair and pulled her sword.

“Easy, warrior,” chuckled HawkShadow as he entered the room dressed as an Imperial Guard. “Your food will not digest properly if you leap around while eating.” He turned to face SunChaser and asked, “What exactly am I supposed to do dressed this way?”

“Portray an Imperial Guard,” giggled SunChaser. “You do look quite official in that uniform.”

“Is that smart in a city with ten thousand other Imperial Guards?” asked HawkShadow.

“It is if you are to portray a soldier carrying orders from the Minister of Defense,” nodded SunChaser as she opened a drawer in a cabinet and retrieved a piece of paper.

She carefully folded the paper and then sealed it with wax using the seal of the Minister of Defense.

“Is that authentic?” asked SkyDancer.

“Oh yes,” nodded SunChaser. “General Kapla has two. He normally leaves one in his office and one at his home. This is the one from his home. The other is with him up north.”

“What does the paper say?” asked HawkShadow.

“It is marching orders for General Didyk and his army,” grinned SunChaser. “You are to portray a soldier on General Kapla’s staff. You will present this letter personally to General Didyk. No matter what anyone else says, you are to place it directly into the general’s hand. I do not want to take the chance of General Didyk saying that the orders never reached him.”

“Am I supposed to know what is in the letter?” asked HawkShadow.

“Not directly,” answered SunChaser, “but you will be aware of the purpose of the letter. As a member of General Kapla’s staff, you would have knowledge of something so important that orders had to be sent by special courier.”

“Makes sense,” nodded HawkShadow. “What are the orders, and why are they being issued?”

“General Didyk is being ordered to move his army to Alamar in support of General Romero,” answered SunChaser. “He is to leave immediately as General Romero’s army is under attack by Sakovans. The letter will explain how General Romero thinks he can hold out for no more than a week, so speed is essential. He is to leave without siege engines as they would slow his army down.”

“This is brilliant if he falls for it,” HawkShadow said with approval. “What if General Didyk questions the signature?”

“The signature is authentic,” grinned SunChaser. “I had General Kapla sign many blank papers when I was managing his investments. If that letter is placed into his hand, he cannot refuse the order. To do so would be treason.”

“What if the Katana countermands the order?” asked SkyDancer.

“He is the only one who could legally change the order,” frowned SunChaser. “The Katana must not learn of the order before General Didyk’s army has left the city.”

“Will this leave the city without Imperial Guards?” asked SkyDancer.

“No,” SunChaser shook her head. “There will still be five thousand soldiers attached to the city, and several hundred Monitors dedicated to protecting the Imperial Palace and the Katana.”

“Then what does this accomplish?” asked HawkShadow. “We cannot get any Sakovans out of StarCity while it is under attack. We certainly can’t take on five thousand soldiers by ourselves.”

“It gets General Didyk, and the troops that are loyal to him, out of the city,” answered SunChaser. “He is the biggest threat to us right now. General Lafor leads the city garrison. He is rather inept, which is why he has always been passed over when it came to selecting generals for the major armies. When Lafor dies, the soldiers will be rudderless. Their patrols will be sloppy or nonexistent as the soldiers will realize that no one is watching them closely.”

“Aren’t there other officers?” asked SkyDancer.

“Sure there are,” replied SunChaser, “but the city garrison is the graveyard for misfits. Any decent soldier yearns for a position in the large armies. Those who don’t measure up wind up in the city garrison. Even the officers are soldiers who have been kicked out of the major armies.”

“And how is General Lafor going to die?” asked the Sakovan assassin.

“I figured that I would leave that detail up to you,” smiled SunChaser. “The first thing to do is to get General Didyk out of the way. In my stables there is a horse for you in the last stall. There is a chest behind the stall. In it you will find all the trappings to make you look official. Make sure that you tire the horse first. It must look like you have just had a long and tiring journey.”

“I can do that,” nodded HawkShadow. “Where will I find General Didyk?”

“He has an office in the Imperial Guard headquarters,” answered SunChaser. “It is located on the park in the center of the city. You cannot miss it.”

“Show me to the stables,” said HawkShadow as he picked up the letter and put it in his pouch. “I might as well get this over with quickly so I can concentrate on General Lafor.”

SunChaser led HawkShadow out the rear door of the mansion and into an alley. Part way down the alley were the stables. She showed HawkShadow the chest and left him to prepare as he saw fit. SunChaser walked back up the alley and opened the rear door. A stray cat darted into the mansion as she opened the door. SunChaser followed it in and returned to the dining room.

“A cat just raced through here,” SkyDancer announced when SunChaser entered the room. “I didn’t know that you liked cats.”

“I normally have no time for pets,” SunChaser said as she went into the kitchen and set a bowl down for the stray animal. “This one showed up a few days ago. It is the cutest thing and I felt sorry for it. This is probably the only place in town that it can get something decent to eat.”

“You are a soft touch,” SkyDancer chuckled as SunChaser returned to the dining room. “Where was it hiding when we arrived?”

“Oh, it doesn’t spend much time in the house,” answered SunChaser. “It demands to go out every morning and only returns for food. It will want to leave again as soon as it is finished eating.”

A loud knock on the door startled SunChaser. She looked nervously towards the front door.

“Are you expecting anyone?” SkyDancer whispered.

“Not unless it is HawkShadow returning for some reason,” SunChaser whispered back. “Go hide in the kitchen.”

SunChaser waited until SkyDancer left the room before walking to the front door and opening it a crack.

“Temiker?” SunChaser said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Trying to stay out of sight,” answered Lyra’s uncle as he slid through the open door. “I am not sure if anyone in this city would remember me, but I chose not to tempt the fates.”

SunChaser shook her head and closed the door. “That is not what I meant by the question,” she said as she ushered the Alamar mage into the dining room. What are you doing in Okata?”

“I felt the need to be here when Lyra arrived,” replied Temiker. “The situation in Alamar is going well enough that I was not needed there. Am I disrupting anything?” he asked as he noticed the plates on the table.

“Not at all,” smiled Cherri. “In fact, a friend of yours is in the kitchen. Go say hello while I clean up in here.”

Temiker walked into the kitchen and saw SkyDancer at the far end. His face broke into a smile and then he noticed the cat. The mage from Alamar shook his head for a moment and then moved quickly. He cast a freeze ball at the cat.

“What are you doing?” scowled SunChaser as she entered the kitchen and saw the spell go off. “Unfreeze that cat this moment. That was cruel.”

“Not until I know who it is,” Temiker said stubbornly.

“What are you talking about?” frowned SunChaser. “It is a cat.”

Suddenly icicles flew from the cat and it disappeared. Temiker backed up warily and pushed SunChaser backward as he did so. A moment later, a tall man with the face of lion appeared. His split lips were smiling.

“How did you know?” asked Ukaro.

A knife slid into SunChaser’s hand to face the threat, but SkyDancer was laughing.

“Our friendship has caused me to look at animals differently,” smiled Temiker. “Why are you here? Why have you kept your identity secret from SunChaser?”

“I do not know SunChaser,” shrugged Ukaro. “I was afraid that revealing myself would cause her to ask questions that I preferred not to address.”

“Who is this?” demanded SunChaser.

“This is Ukaro,” introduced Temiker. “He is the head shaman of the Zatong tribe of Chula in Khadora. He is down here to help us with the Omungans. He is well trusted by Lyra as well as myself.”

“I apologize for my deceit,” Ukaro grinned at SunChaser. “I also thank you for your care and nurturing since I arrived. For a human who does not have pets, you scratch very thoughtfully.”

“What are you doing here?” asked SunChaser.

“Snooping mostly,” admitted Ukaro. “It is amazing how many places you can go in this city as a cat. I have toured the headquarters of the Imperial Guard as well as the Imperial Palace. Today I managed to get into the Katana’s private garden. I also found a secret entrance to the Imperial Palace. It opens into the office of the First Minister.”

“That could be helpful knowledge,” SunChaser said with appreciation. “Are you able to move with ease inside the palace?”

“Sometimes,” shrugged the Chula shaman. “Cats have a hard time opening doors for themselves, and I did not dare to drop my disguise inside the palace. The time for that will come later.”

“So you feel as I do then,” nodded Temiker.

“How do you feel?” SunChaser asked questioningly. “What are you saying?”

“That the battle for Omunga will come down to killing the Katana,” Ukaro replied.

“More than that. Lyra has to take control of the Omunga government,” interjected Temiker. “It is the only way to rein in the huge armies. The government of Omunga must kneel before the Star of Sakova. No other result is acceptable.”

“I guess I agree,” sighed SunChaser, “but I cannot imagine how we will accomplish that. HawkShadow is delivering a note right now to General Didyk. If it works, the last major army will leave this city by morning. Still, this Katana does not make public appearances. I fail to see how a handful of us can storm the Imperial Palace and take control of the government.”

“Well we have time to work on a plan,” shrugged Temiker. “Lyra is coming here, isn’t she?”

“She is,” answered SkyDancer. “StarWind and Goral will also be coming. Everyone else is fighting the Omungans.”

“So there will be eight of us,” remarked SunChaser. “It is not much, but we will do what we are called to do.”

“Nine,” smiled Ukaro. “Do not forget that Kaltara will always be with us.”

* * *

The door flap to the great tent flew open and the officer hurriedly entered. General Romero looked up from his desk with annoyance.

“What great victory have you come to report this time?” the general snapped sarcastically.

The officer slowed his approach and walked to the desk cautiously. He knew better than to challenge the general’s mood when Romero was sarcastic.

“They destroyed our siege engines again,” reported the officer.

“I ordered you to create them far from our encampment,” shouted the general. “How would the Sakovans even know we were building them? Did you manage to take any prisoners this time?”

“No,” the officer shook his head. “The Sakovans vanish as soon as they attack. I had men strung out in the forest as sentries to detect their approach, but no one came or left. It must be some kind of magic that we do not understand.”

“Did they use that magical light again to destroy our machines?” asked General Romero.

“They did,” nodded the officer. “Some of my men tried to block the light with their bodies. The blades sliced right through the men and continued onward to destroy the siege engines. We have no defense against such spells, General.”

“Well start all over again,” bellowed General Romero. “I must have siege engines to get past their walls. Get out of here before I have you whipped.”

The officer hurried out of the tent, relieved to be out of the presence of the general. As soon as he left, a senior officer, who had been in the tent listening to the report, walked over to the desk and sat before it.

“Don’t take it out on the men,” the staff member said soothingly to the general. “They are doing everything they can. The fact is, General, that we have been outmaneuvered this time. Without siege engines, we will never defeat General Manitow.”

“Without food,” snapped General Romero, “we cannot even retreat to Tanzaba. We must get into Alamar now, or this army will die.”

“Then it is time for negotiations,” suggested the staff member. “Perhaps you can barter food for the retreat of our army?”

“If they even have enough food in there to feed my men,” sighed the general. “It is not a bad idea, though. I know Manitow. Perhaps I can bully him into surrendering. That would certainly shorten this siege. Ready my horse.”

“You are going yourself?” the staff member said with alarm. “Is that wise?”

General Romero snorted and stared at the senior officer as if the man’s fear was misplaced. He did not want to admit that he could not trust any of his men to go into the city. The general knew there was a good chance that whoever he sent would never return. Who could blame a starving man for staying where there was food to eat?

“I am not afraid of Sakovans or Manitow,” declared General Romero. “Ready my horse.”

The officer nodded and left the tent. General Romero straightened his uniform and gathered what he would need for the trip. When he stepped out of the tent, the officer was waiting with the general’s horse. The general mounted his horse and rode towards the city walls.

General Romero thought briefly of a defender shooting him with an arrow, but he quickly dismissed the fear. As he approached the city, he could hear shouts rippling along the wall. It was obvious that the general had been recognized for who he was. Few officers had only one arm, so he knew that he was easily identifiable. He rode straight for the closest gate. As he neared the walls, the gate opened to admit him into the city. The general rode through the gate and stopped when a wall of pike men confronted him.