“They have not entered the city yet,” replied Wyant. “I would have known about it. Are they going with us?”
“They are,” confirmed Rejji. “There are eight of them coming from Khadora. Another four will be coming from the Sakova.”
“A large party,” Wyant responded with raised eyebrows. “What is the purpose of this trip?”
“There are several purposes,” explained Rejji. “One is the need to learn more about the prophecies that we must deal with. We must know as much about what is to happen as we can. How long will it take you to get ready?”
“Less than an hour,” answered the marshal. “I will have Yojji take over for me here.”
“I am sure you will have more notice than that,” smiled Rejji. “I imagine that the Torak’s party will want to rest overnight when they arrive.”
A tribesman ran into the building. He saw Wyant and ran over to him.
“A party of foreigners is approaching the city,” he reported. “We counted eight of them.”
“Go back and escort them to the inn across the street,” ordered Wyant. “I will wait for them there.”
The tribesman nodded and ran out of the building. Rejji shook his head and looked at Wyant.
“Do you keep track of everyone coming and going from Meliban?” he asked.
“Anyone who arouses any suspicion,” nodded Wyant. “Or special people,” he added with a grin. “I was informed of your arrival as well. The advance notice gave me time to get things cleared up before you arrived here. Shall we cross the street and wait for Emperor Marak?”
Rejji, Bakhai, and Wyant crossed the street and entered the Kheri Inn. The common room was huge and hosted dozens of long tables. Most of the tables were occupied with workers taking a break from the workday. Wyant walked up to the innkeeper, Tutman.
“Special guests are arriving in a moment,” the Marshal said softly. “There will be eight of them. Make sure that their every wish is granted.”
“It will be as you wish, Wyant,” nodded the innkeeper. “I will even prepare a special meal for them.”
Wyant turned and stared at the tables in the common room. “Should we get a table for our guests?”
“I would wait and let them choose,” answered Rejji. “If I know Marak, he would want the corner table, and it is already occupied.”
“Why the corner?” asked the Marshal.
“So his back is not exposed,” shrugged Rejji. “He never says much about security, but he is constantly thinking about it. Even the way he walks is subconsciously calculated to avoid being trapped. He is a very careful man.”
Wyant nodded and marched towards the corner table. The occupants looked up when he arrived.
“Marshal,” greeted one of the men. “Sit down and join us.”
“I am afraid that I cannot,” smiled Wyant. “I am with the Astor and need to discuss some things privately. I was wondering if I could talk you men into moving to a different table. We are expecting some others.”
“Rejji is here?” asked one of the men as he rose and turned to look. “I would like to say hello to him. I am done with my meal anyway.”
The other men nodded and stood up. Those who had not finished eating moved to another table while those who were finished walked towards the door and greeted Rejji. A serving girl immediately arrived at the now empty table and gathered the dishes. She came back and cleaned the table just before Gunta and Halman entered the room. Rejji broke off the conversation with the tribesmen and welcomed Marak to Meliban. Mistake hugged Rejji when she saw him. Eltor’s brow creased as he watched the affectionate embrace, but he did not say anything. Rejji guided the party to the corner table, and everyone sat down.
“Quite a city you are building here,” complimented the Torak. “You must be proud of your accomplishments.”
“I am proud for my people,” nodded Rejji. “They are the ones rebuilding Fakara. How was your trip?”
“I would like to say uneventful,” frowned the Torak, “but that would be a lie. We were attacked several times. We are getting better at avoiding the attacks, but I am afraid the family at the Western Woods became involved more than I would have cared for. We have avoided your string of inns since then.”
“Crawford?” asked Wyant. “Is he alright?”
“He is,” nodded the Emperor. “He and his girls were fine when we left, but he had a great deal of cleaning to do.”
“You have been camping then?” asked Rejji.
“We have,” answered the Emperor. “In fact, I would like to take a route towards Ghala that is not traveled much. Is that possible?”
“We could go up the Meliban River and through the Valley of Bones,” nodded Rejji. “There are no inns along that route. Is that what you want to do?”
“Yes,” replied the Torak. “I think we will be attacked no matter which way we go, but I prefer to keep innocents out of harm’s way.”
“Do these hellsouls know where Angragar is?” asked Wyant.
“I doubt it,” Marak replied. “I think they are just watching all of the trails for me.”
“Then I can be of help,” grinned Wyant. “I know the area along the Meliban River quite well. It is the area my tribe used to call home. I can take us along trails that will not be watched by anyone.”
“Excellent,” Emperor Marak replied as Tutman arrived with plates of food.
Each plate was filled with a wasooki steak, slices of clova, and a thin strip of fish. Two girls followed the innkeeper with several large bowls of vegetables.
“A meal fit for a king,” announced the innkeeper as he gazed at each of the visitors and tried to figure out what was so special about them.
His eyes hesitated on the hooded man, but Tutman finally shrugged and returned to the kitchen for more plates. When he returned, Emperor Marak smiled at him.
“Your service is the best I have had on this journey,” Marak said. “We would also like to have four rooms for tonight. I would like the rooms together, but with two on each side of the hallway. Can you accommodate me?”
“Of course,” nodded the innkeeper as he grinned because of Marak’s compliment. “I will give you rooms at the end of the hall so others do not disturb you.”
“Excellent,” smiled the Emperor.
“Introduce us to the rest of your party,” urged Rejji after the innkeeper had left.
Emperor Marak started introducing everyone to each other. Rejji shook his head and stared at MistyTrail when she was introduced.
“So Mistake does have a sister,” Rejji grinned happily. “That makes every step up the mountain to see the Sage worthwhile. I am so happy for both of you. I would like to talk to both of you after the meal if that is acceptable.”
“Acceptable?” balked Mistake. “I would be sorely disappointed if you had not asked. I have so much to tell you. Bring Bakhai with you. We can talk in our room.”
Both elves frowned at the turn in the conversation. Marak saw the tension building and continued the introductions by presenting Eltor and Caldal.
“Elves?” Rejji said with surprise. “Real elves? How can this be? I thought they were a people of ancient history. Where have they come from?”
“We come from the land of elves,” Caldal replied brusquely, refusing even to mention the name of Elvangar. “We will soon be returning there. We will be taking Mistake and Misty Trail with us. They are elves just like Eltor and myself. They have no place in the land of humans.”
A deep frown fell over Rejji’s face from both the tone of Caldal’s speech and the content of his statement. His mouth opened to speak and the Emperor abruptly stood up.
“While this is a magnificent meal,” he announced, “I am quite tired from the day’s journey. I am sure the rest of you are as well. Perhaps we should retire to our rooms and prepare for an early start in the morning. Wyant, some in our party are in need of swords. Can you pick some up at the marketplace for me?”
“We have quite an assortment in the administra
tion building,” answered Wyant. “We can meet there in the morning, and each person can choose for himself.”
“Good,” the Emperor nodded curtly. “Let’s retire to our rooms.”
Halman and Gunta immediately stood up. Axor and the Fakarans did as well. The elves stared across the table at Mistake and MistyTrail and finally rose. They turned and walked away silently to get their key from the innkeeper.
“What is wrong with them?” frowned Mistake. “I thought Caldal’s attitude was improving, but he sounded quite put out. I wonder if the food does not agree with him?”
Chapter 7
Air Tunnel
“And that is what I have been doing since I left Fakara,” Mistake said as she concluded the tale of her adventures since leaving Ghala.
“You have had quite an adventure,” Rejji replied as he rose and walked around the small room in the Kheri Inn. “It is hard for me to imagine the Island of Darkness. I could not stand to live in such a place.”
“They plan to bring that culture here,” warned MistyTrail. “How can we possibly hope to defeat a million man army?”
“Fakara is much stronger than it used to be before Rejji took over the Free Tribes,” Bakhai pointed out.
“But it is still fractured,” countered the Astor. “The Jiadin are still scattered over much of the land. Fakara’s armies are half of what they could be.”
“You need to conquer the Jiadin,” suggested Mistake. “You cannot hope to defeat Vand’s armies with the Jiadin at your back.”
“I cannot even hope to defeat Vand’s armies with the Jiadin eliminated,” frowned Rejji. “If I try to eradicate the Jiadin now, all that I will accomplish is more death and destruction. The Free Tribes will be less of a force than they are now. I want a time of peace and prosperity in Fakara. These people deserve a break from the ages of warfare.”
“What they deserve and what you can give them may be two different things,” cautioned MistyTrail. “The Sakovans yearned for peace, but it could never happen until Omunga was conquered. Isn’t the Astor of Fakara supposed to be like the Star of Sakova? Didn’t Kaltara send you to free these people?”
“I don’t know what I am supposed to do,” Rejji admitted with a frown. “I opened the gates of Angragar. That is all that I have done.”
“You have accomplished much more than that, brother,” interjected Bakhai. “You have united the Free Tribes and begun the restoration of Fakara. No other person could have accomplished that. You destroyed Grulak’s army and halted the total domination of our homeland by Vand’s people.”
“What has Kaltara told you to do?” asked MistyTrail.
“Told me to do?” echoed Rejji. “What do you mean?”
“You haven’t spoken to Kaltara?” gasped MistyTrail. “Tell me that you are not serious. Have you talked to Kaltara?”
Rejji stopped pacing and stared at MistyTrail. “How am I supposed to talk to him?” Rejji asked.
“Through prayer,” explained the Sakovan. “You must to talk to Emperor Marak about this. How can you expect to know what to do if you have not asked Kaltara?”
“Has Kaltara spoken to Emperor Marak?” asked Bakhai.
“I am sure that he has,” nodded MistyTrail. “Kaltara has even spoken to me. Why wouldn’t he speak to the Astor?”
“Kaltara has spoken to you?” queried Rejji. “What did he say?”
“Many things,” MistyTrail said guardedly as she remembered the days she spent in prayer when Mistake had run away. “If he had not instructed me, I would not be here today.”
MistyTrail walked to the bed and sat down next to Mistake She lovingly put her arm around her sister and smiled.
“You two look so much alike,” Bakhai noted as he stared at the sisters. “I can’t imagine having the two of you around here. It will be interesting.”
“They won’t be staying,” frowned Rejji. “Didn’t you hear the elves earlier tonight. Mistake and MistyTrail are going away with them.”
“To Elvangar,” nodded Mistake as she stared at Rejji. “Why does that bother you so much?”
Rejji sighed and sat on the floor facing the women. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess I always took your presence for granted, but since you have been gone, I have thought of you constantly. Not a day has gone by that I had not wished to see you by my side. Now you will be leaving once more. I will probably never see you again.”
“Nonsense,” smiled Mistake. “We are just going to see the land of the elves. It will be an exciting trip. Maybe you should come?”
“That is not possible,” replied Rejji. “The elves would not even name their homeland in front of me. There is no way that they would allow me to go.”
“How do you know that without asking them?” retorted Mistake. “Eltor and Caldal are good friends. They are quite eager to take MistyTrail and me there. Why wouldn’t they let you come too?”
“And that is the problem,” Rejji nodded sadly. “You call them good friends, but they wish to be more than that. Didn’t you see their reactions when you invited us up to your room? It was a look of hatred for Bakhai and me.”
“Nonsense,” Mistake shook her head. “Caldal just has trouble sometimes dealing with humans. He is getting over that. It must be your imagination.”
“They are in love with you,” interjected Bakhai. “At least they think they are. Even one who has not spent much time around humans can see that easily.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked MistyTrail with sudden interest.
“You are not aware of their feelings for you?” questioned Bakhai.
“No,” MistyTrail shook her head. “I meant the part about someone not used to being around humans.”
“Bakhai was raised by animals,” explained Rejji. “It is only recently that he has spent much time among the people.”
“Really?” the Sakovan said excitedly. “There is much that I would love to ask you. I have spent my life trying to understand how animals in the Sakova act so that I could mimic them. It is one of the tricks that I used to remain invisible while guarding the forest.”
“You two need to spend some time in the forest alone,” laughed Mistake. “I can just see MistyTrail trying to sneak up on Bakhai. I wonder who would win such a contest?”
“Bakhai, without a doubt,” answered Rejji. “He would have all of the forest animals spying on MistyTrail.”
“Can you really do that?” MistyTrail asked Bakhai. “Do the animals really tell you things?”
“They do,” nodded Bakhai, “but not as you might expect. Animals don’t think like you do, and each species is different, but quite a lot of information can be determined by what they say. I would certainly know where you were hiding in the forest, but I might not be able to tell if you were planning to attack or merely sleeping.”
“We must test this out on the trip to Angragar,” MistyTrail said excitedly.
“Speaking of the trip,” frowned Rejji, “it is getting quite late. We should all get some sleep before the dawn comes. We can talk more on the way to Angragar.”
Rejji and Bakhai said goodbye and slipped out the door of the room. Mistake waited a few minutes before talking.
“Do you really think Eltor is in love with me?” she asked MistyTrail. “He has never said so.”
“Nor has Rejji,” smiled MistyTrail. “I am not sure how Eltor feels, but Caldal won’t leave me alone. I think he would cry if Marak managed to get another horse for me to ride.”
* * *
Emperor Marak and his two shadows stepped out of the Kheri Inn and into the predawn streets of Meliban. Dozens of men were already moving through the streets towards the waterfront. The Emperor watched curiously as the citizens moved quickly but quietly. Across the street the door to the administration building opened. Marshal Wyant strode across the street and stood in front of the Emperor.
“You are up early this morning,” greeted the marshal.
“I had a good night’s sleep,” smiled the T
orak. “Your city appears to waken early.”
“Only when a Khadoran ship comes to port,” replied Wyant. “We try to unload it as quickly as possible. The captains have told us that they must move with the tides until the harbor is dredged, so we oblige them.”
“I am sure that they are grateful,” Marak replied distractedly. “Do my ships still go to Ghala?”
“Only one a month now,” answered Wyant. “Ghala has become self-sufficient. The ships go there only for trading purposes now. Pretty soon the same will be said for Taggot and Meliban. Your mages have worked wonders with the fields and forests. Fakara’s future is bright today because of you.”
“I only gave help where it was needed,” replied the Emperor. “It is the Fakarans who should be credited with winning back their country. You have been a great help to Rejji. I am glad that you saw the light so early in the war.”
“Even that is partially due to you and your shadows,” Wyant chuckled as his eyes darted to Gunta and Halman. “I still remember that night that you saved me from the slavers’ caravan. I thought my life was over then.”
“Your life is what you make of it,” smiled the Torak. “You have chosen wisely. I know that Rejji depends on you a great deal.”
Marak turned and stared at the backs of the citizens as they moved towards the waterfront. He turned and touched Halman on the arm.
“Go speak to the captain of the vessel,” he ordered. “Tell him that I am in the city and that I don’t want him to leave without my authorization.”
Halman turned and ran towards the waterfront. Wyant stared with curiosity and then looked questioningly at the Emperor.
“I would normally be loathe to utilize one of my ships for personal reasons,” the Emperor explained without being asked, “but it sounds like there is no longer a great need to supply Fakara. I am thinking of using the ship to get to Ghala. It will save us from a long trek through unfamiliar territory, and it would not disturb the shipping schedule a great deal. Perhaps the next ship to Ghala would be a day late.”
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