Aakuta: the Dark Mage

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “You are mad,” scowled Katzu. “The Nordon clan has large armies at many of his estates. Even if he sends the troops from this estate, he will bring troops here from his other estates to protect him. Your plan cannot succeed. Meanwhile your people in Deep Bend are being set out as a sacrifice. They will be destroyed for sure.”

  “You may be right,” responded Lord Marak, “but I hope not. Every lord surrounds himself with his best troops. Lord Patel is no different. If he seeks to eradicate the Torak clan, he will use these troops. The question appears to be the timing of events. I have arranged for him to receive word of the attack at Deep Bend at midday for a reason.”

  “What do you think he will do, Lord Marak?” asked the mediator. “Tell me what you see Lord Patel doing when he gets word of your attack at Deep Bend.”

  “The first thing he will do,” Lord Marak replied, “is order Lord Marshal Orik to ready his men. He will also try to determine my whereabouts. He will not waste troops just to retake Deep Bend without continuing onward to eradicate the Torak clan. He will find out that I am no longer in the capital.”

  “This is why you left in the middle of the night?” asked Katzu.

  “Exactly,” nodded Lord Marak. “Lord Patel was most curious as to my date of departure from Khadoratung. I suspect that he planned to assassinate me on my journey home. So I wanted to get out of the city without alerting his spies, but I also want him to know that I left the city on the day that I did. He will inquire to determine if I am still in the Imperial Palace and learn that I left a while ago.”

  “You want him to think that you are in Deep Bend?” questioned the mediator.

  “Yes,” nodded Lord Marak. “I had an Imperial guard sent to watch me everyday. He will have noted the day I turned up absent, although he would have no reason to alert anyone other than Marshal Chack. Lord Patel’s spies would have missed me leaving, but inquiries will reveal when I left.”

  “Clever,” nodded Katzu. “What will he do next?”

  “He will see the need for protection here,” admitted Lord Marak. “He will order troops from another estate to report here to replace the men he will be sending to Deep Bend.”

  “Without a doubt,” agreed Katzu, “and that is where your plan fails.”

  “I don’t think so,” grinned Lord Marak. “I suspect that Lord Marshal Orik will see the opportunity to get a good half-day’s march in before dusk. He will order his troops to depart as soon as they are ready. The replacement troops from his nearest estate are over a half-day’s ride. I suspect that they will not ride through the night to get here, so they will not arrive until tomorrow morning.”

  “Giving you the window of opportunity that you need,” nodded Katzu. “What if you are wrong? What if the replacement troops ride through the night?”

  “Then we shall attack them instead,” frowned Lord Marak. “I would prefer not to do that, but I would have to.”

  “Attack them?” Katzu shook his head. “There are likely to be six to eight cortes of replacement troops coming here. You have two cortes. You can’t be serious about attacking them? How will you even know if they are coming?”

  “Oh, I will know if they are coming,” smiled Lord Marak as he thought about StarWind’s assignment. The Sakovan would not only provide advanced notice of Nordon troop movements, she was quite capable of delaying them by destroying bridges or blocking roads. “As for the odds in battle, my men are trained to fight at night. Do you think those replacement troops are?”

  “Probably not,” Katzu conceded, “but the odds are still long. Alright assuming that you can get to Lord Patel, that still leaves you sacrificing your two cortes at Deep Bend. You say that your people are precious to you. Are you so quick to have them destroyed?”

  “I hope to have the attacking troops recalled by Lord Patel,” answered Lord Marak, “but I am prepared for a battle at Deep Bend if it is necessary.”

  “Prepared for a battle?” retorted the mediator. “How do you prepare two cortes to face the bulk of Lord Patel’s army? He will have at least a dozen cortes attacking.”

  “And I will have ten cortes defending,” smiled Lord Marak. “The odds are not so slanted.”

  “Ten cortes?” echoed Katzu. “Where will you get ten cortes from?”

  “How quickly you forget,” grinned Lord Marak. “The Assembly of Lords is over, and everyone is on their way home. The Situ, Ragatha, Sorgan, and Litari clans are traveling with two cortes each. They will be near Deep Bend at the very time that Lord Patel’s troops arrive.”

  Katzu’s jaw dropped as Lord Marak’s words sunk in. “You have planned this well, Lord Marak,” he said. “The Nordon will not even suspect that the other clans owe their allegiance to you. Just the confusion alone during the battle will cost Lord Patel a great number of men. They will not understand what they are up against.”

  “The problem is,” Lord Marak sighed, “I do not wish to kill a great number of Nordon. I would prefer to end this with as little bloodshed as possible.”

  “Agreed,” nodded Katzu. “Do you plan to offer Lord Patel the same deal that was extended to your other clans?”

  “I do,” declared Lord Marak. “That is why it is essential to have you here. Lord Patel will not be easily intimidated. If he thinks he can use the Lords’ Council to invalidate his vows to me, there will be unnecessary deaths.”

  “Meaning you will have to kill Lord Patel?” questioned the mediator.

  “I would have little choice,” Lord Marak frowned as he nodded. “I would have to destroy the Nordon clan. If he knows that you are a witness to his transgressions, though, I believe that he will accept his fate.”

  “I hope you are right, Lord Marak,” Katzu responded. “The Nordon are a founding clan of Khadora. I also see a problem with you controlling two seats on the Lords’ Council. Do you think that is fair?”

  “Is it any different than the alliances that exist today?” countered the Torak lord. “While those alliances may not be bound by Vows of Service, they are just as strong. This will be no different.”

  “You make a good case,” Katzu stated after a moment of hesitation. “There are many different levels of alliance with the Imperial Palace, and Lords’ Council members come and go. You may control two seats after this event, but that is not guaranteed to last.”

  “I will not use Lord Patel to do anything that is not in the best interests of Khadora,” Lord Marak promised. “You will not get that vow from any other members of the Lords’ Council.”

  “You are correct about that,” Katzu said as he pictured the Lords’ Council members. “At least you are trying to solve your problems through negotiations. I do think that you have a future as a mediator.”

  “How did you become a mediator, Katzu?” asked Lord Marak.

  “That is a long story,” frowned Katzu. “My father was the lord of a founding clan. I grew up with all of the education and privileges that such a founding lord’s family was afforded, but I grew disenchanted with the way disputes were solved. Nobody appeared willing to talk about their problems. The first avenue in a dispute was always warfare. My father was no exception, although I knew him to be a kind man. I began to realize that it was not my father’s fault that he acted as he did. It was the culture that we lived in. I wanted so much to change that culture.”

  “Were you first in line for the lordship?” asked Lord Marak.

  “I was,” nodded Katzu, “but I know what you are thinking. You think that once I became the lord of a powerful clan, that I could affect changes by negotiating my own conflicts. I thought that for a while, too, but I soon realized that was mere folly. It takes two to negotiate, and other lords only recognized force.”

  “So what did you do?” asked the Torak lord.

  “When my father became a member of the Lords’ Council,” continued Katzu, “I got to see how it operated. I learned about the mediators and what they did. I made my mind up then that the greatest thing that I could do in my short life was t
o become the best mediator that Khadora had ever seen.”

  “I believe most lords would agree that you have obtained your goal,” smiled Lord Marak. “Your words are never disputed.”

  “No, they aren’t,” agreed Katzu, “but as with Lord Ridak, there are times when my rulings are ignored. You cannot believe how much that bothers me.”

  “I believe that I can,” offered Lord Marak. “Like you, I look forward to the day when all Khadorans will act as brothers instead of scrambling to take advantage of each other.” Lord Marak sighed. “Perhaps we should get some sleep while we can. It is going to be a long day and a longer night.”

  * * *

  It was dark when Gunta woke Lord Marak. The Torak lord rose and gazed up at the sky. Clouds had moved in, and Marak nodded with satisfaction. He had been worried about the light of the moon giving the Nordon troops an advantage.

  “Why was I not woken at midday?” asked Lord Marak

  “There was no reason to disturb your slumber,” answered Gunta. “Lord Patel has received your message. Almost all of his forces left shortly after midday. I estimate that there are only two cortes guarding the estate. I figured that this night is going to be quite tiring for you, and you will not get rest come morning, either.”

  “What about the reinforcements from the other estates?” asked the Torak lord.

  “They were thinking of riding through the night,” replied Gunta, “but StarWind discouraged them. She did not elaborate. They will not arrive before morning.”

  “Excellent,” smiled Lord Marak. “What is the status of the two cortes?”

  “One corte has gone to barracks,” reported Gunta. “Of the other corte, two squads are at the front of the mansion, and one is patrolling. They are not Lord Patel’s best troops. Their patrols are sloppy, and the men appear to sense no danger. I suspect that most of the second corte will retire soon.”

  “That is the problem with only training a select group of your army,” Lord Marak shook his head. “There are times when they are needed in more than one place. When are we due to move out?”

  “On your orders,” replied Gunta. “We could wait a couple of more hours, but I think that decision is best made by you.”

  “Send Botal, Mistake, and Katzu to me,” ordered Lord Marak. “I want to grab a bite to eat before we leave.”

  Gunta nodded and ran off into the dark. Lord Marak grabbed some dried meat and a chunk of bread and sat on a log. Within moments Gunta returned with the people he had been sent for.

  “We will be moving out shortly, Botal,” Lord Marak stated. “I want one corte to leave immediately and make their way around to the front of the estate. They are to remain hidden unless they hear the sounds of battle. Send Latril with them.”

  Botal nodded and disappeared to give the orders to the Torak soldiers.

  “Why do you send the woman with the troops?” asked Katzu.

  Lord Marak ignored the question. He did not want to explain his means of communicating to anyone just yet.

  “Mistake,” Lord Marak continued, “I want you by my side at all times. When I signal you, you are to use a tyrik dart on the person I point to. Remember, speed is not important here. Silence is.”

  “I understand,” Mistake said with an edge of excitement in her voice.

  “Katzu, I mean for you to remain safe and removed from battle at all times,” declared Lord Marak. “It might be best if you accompanied the corte leaving now. They will not be called to battle unless things go wrong. If that happens, you can remain safely outside the estate.”

  “I would prefer to follow you,” Katzu said. “This mediation is already rather irregular. I do not think how I enter the estate is of any importance.”

  “Alright,” frowned Lord Marak, “but I do not wish to enter into the mediation phase right away. I will ask you to remain outside Lord Patel’s presence until I call for you.”

  “That is most unusual,” frowned the mediator. “May I ask why?”

  “Because your appearance will unsettle Lord Patel,” answered the Torak lord. “I prefer that he have some feel for his situation before the gravity of it sets in. I suspect that he will reveal to me just how he intends to invalidate my victory. That knowledge can save lives.”

  “Then I shall comply,” nodded Katzu. “I will remain outside Lord Patel’s presence until I am requested.”

  Botal returned and Lord Marak said, “Our second corte is to secure the barracks and keep those in front of the mansion from coming to the rear. Your squad will be coming with me, Botal. We will take out the roving patrol if it is in the rear of the estate. We will enter the mansion from the rear. I want your men to pay particular attention to the safety of Katzu and Mistake.”

  “As well as you,” Botal retorted. “I will issue the orders and return.”

  Botal disappeared again as Lord Marak checked his weapons. Mistake readied her blowpipe, and the Lords’ Council mediator watched with interest.

  “What is that?” he asked Mistake.

  Mistake looked to Lord Marak for guidance and the Torak lord smiled. “It is a blowpipe,” he said. “Mistake will use darts loaded with tyrik poison to incapacitate certain obstacles. The tyrik poison will induce an instant paralysis. It has no long lasting effects, but whoever is struck by one will be out of the battle for around three hours.”

  “Tyrik poison?” questioned Katzu. “I have never heard of such a thing. What is it?”

  “An animal poison from Fakara,” answered Mistake.

  “You are Fakaran?” inquired Katzu. “How is it that you are here with Lord Marak?”

  “She is Fakaran,” interrupted Lord Marak. “Mistake just happens to be here looking for trade opportunities in Khadoratung. I have known her for a while, and she has agreed to help me with this problem. I would be willing to discuss this further with you, Katzu, but this is not the time for it. For now, let’s just say that with her help, less Nordon clansmen will need to die. I would prefer to poison them for a short while rather than kill them.”

  Katzu nodded although it was clear that his curiosity had not been satisfied. “I am pleased that you take the killing of other Khadorans seriously, Lord Marak. Your attitude gives me hope of seeing an end to the senseless bloodshed that infects our society.”

  “Our goals are the same, Katzu,” smiled Lord Marak. “I look forward to the end of this particular matter so that we might sit down together and discuss the future of our country. There are dark clouds on our horizon. The squabbling that occurs now among us will be nothing compared to that which is coming.”

  Chapter 20

  Mediation

  Botal’s squad hid in the rows of tall corn waiting for the Nordon patrol to pass by. Lord Marak shook his head in dismay when the patrol reached the end of the mansion and turned around. He waited patiently as the Nordon squad marched to the far corner of the rear of the mansion and again turned around.

  “They are only patrolling the rear of the mansion,” Lord Marak scowled. “It is as if they know which way we will approach from.”

  “They are not even aware that we are here,” soothed Botal. “I will admit, however, that I have never seen such a patrol before. I wonder what they are up to?”

  “We could take them all out at once,” suggested Gunta. “Each of us can choose a number. The far side of the patrol will be odd and the near side even.”

  “Could you really be assured of killing them all at the same time?” asked Katzu. “That sounds like you would need a fair amount of luck.”

  “No,” sighed Lord Marak. “This squad can do it. I simply do not wish to kill twenty men for no good reason. Mistake, find out what is going on out in front of the mansion.”

  A puzzled frown fell over the mediator’s face, but Mistake moved back through the cornfield without comment. She only went as far as necessary to ensure that the mediator did not hear any of the conversation. She wove an air tunnel to where she thought the mage attached to the two cortes would be. As she cal
led softly into the air tunnel, she wavered it slightly to cover a larger area.

  “Kaylee,” Mistake called softly. “Can you hear me?”

  When she received no response, Mistake tried a slightly different area. It took her nearly ten minutes to make contact.

  “Mistake?” said a soft melodic voice. “Is that you?”

  “Yes, Kaylee,” whispered Mistake. “There is a patrol constantly guarding the rear of the estate. Do you know why?”

  A few moments of silence passed before Kaylee answered. “There are two squads sitting on the front porch,” she explained. “I guess the rear is the only place that needs patrolling.”

  “Are the barracks secure?” questioned Mistake.

  “Oh yes,” replied Kaylee. “We have been waiting for the two squads to move before attacking them. At this distance, a lot of noise would be made. The mansion would be alerted to our attack.”

  Mistake was about to drop the air tunnel and crawl back to Lord Marak for instructions when he suddenly appeared alongside her.

  “Trouble?” he asked.

  Mistake informed him of the conversation she had just had with Kaylee. Lord Marak frowned thoughtfully for a moment and then nodded to himself.

  “Make another air tunnel to Latril,” instructed Lord Marak.

  Mistake nodded and created a second air tunnel.

  “Latril?” Lord Marak asked softly.

  “Yes, Lord Marak,” answered the mage.

  “I want someone to make a noise on the road,” instructed Lord Marak. “Don’t do it right now. Listen first.”

  “Go ahead,” prompted Latril.

  “The Nordon corte here is static,” explained Lord Marak. “We cannot approach the mansion without a battle. I want someone out there to make a noise just loud enough that it will need to be investigated. Do you understand?”

  “We understand,” Latril responded after a short pause. “When do you want it?”

  “Kaylee,” Lord Marak said, “we are going to draw those troops away from the mansion. I suspect the patrol in the rear will come around to the front. I want them taken out and the bodies hidden as quickly as possible. Capture and immobilize them if possible, but they must be neutralized. Then move towards the front of the estate and capture the other two squads. Coordinate this with Latril.”