Lyra nervously entered the pentagon and stared at the mass of faces looking at her. She turned to scan them all before turning to meet RavenWing’s gaze.
“Lyra also saved my life today,” RavenWing declared. “She killed the assassin before he could finish me off. This young woman has not grown up as a Sakovan although she is the spawn of a very special Sakovan. Those of you who knew WinterWind know how special she was. Unfortunately, WinterWind died before she had determined that it was Lyra’s time to return to us. Thankfully, Lyra did manage to arrive here safely and if I had not broken the law, she would not have made it here at all. That would have been a great tragedy, not only for her, but also for us.”
Lyra grew embarrassed standing in the center of the room and longed for RavenWing to indicate that she could step out of the pentagon.
“You have heard the reading of the Scroll of Kaltara today as you always do at meetings here,” RavenWing continued. “I hope none of you ever takes the reading passively because our very lives depend on each of us revering its every word. As I lay dying just a short while ago, I saw something that brought tears to my eyes. Sakovans, I saw a reflection. I believe it was the reflection prophesized.”
Excited murmurs flew through the crowd and Lyra wondered if RavenWing had forgotten that she was still stuck in the pentagon while he had gone on to another subject. She thought about casually walking back to his side when his eyes smiled at hers.
“Lyra,” addressed RavenWing, “you wear the Ring of Sakova given to you by your mother, WinterWind. Remove it.”
Lyra froze. Her whole body blushed as she stood rooted in the pentagon. Every eye in the chapel bore into her and she knew she could not remove it and reveal her deformed finger. Frantically she searched for some way to refuse. She fumbled with her fingers but made no move to comply with the Sakovan leader’s order.
“Lyra, Child of the Sakova,” smiled RavenWing, “remove the Ring of Sakova.”
“I cannot,” Lyra whispered. “I cannot remove it. Ever.”
LifeTender looked at Lyra quizzically but nodded for her to comply. Buzzes and murmurs shot through the assembled Sakovans and RavenWing sat there and smiled. Tears started to well up in Lyra’s eyes and she wanted to run and hide. Finally Lyra thought to put her hand in her pocket and remove the ring. Then she could return it to the Sakovans with her other hand. No one need see her deformity. RavenWing read her intentions and smiled as he shook his head. Defeated, she slowly slid the ring off her finger.
As she felt the ring slide off her finger, a brilliant flash of blue light shot out of her finger and illuminated the room. The Mark of Sakova on Lyra's finger sent a stream of blue light in each direction, painting a blue star on each of the five walls of the chapel. She watched in amazement as the blue stars rose up the walls towards the ceiling. As the five blue stars converged at the apex of the ceiling, the embedded blue star of the roof burst into brilliance and started to resonate. The resonance built, rising in pitch as it grew in volume until the sound resolved into the ringing of a bell. The ringing was so clear and so loud, Lyra could feel its vibrations resonate through her body.
Lyra tore her eyes away from the ceiling and saw that everyone in the chapel had fallen to their knees. Only she was left standing and RavenWing sitting. Finally the ringing stopped.
“Forgive me, my Star,” RavenWing said quietly. “I fear that I cannot bow with my present body. I ask your forgiveness,”
“What?” Lyra asked as she looked around to find whom RavenWIng was addressing. “What is going on? What is happening RavenWing?”
“You heard the reading of the Scroll of Kaltara,” RavenWing replied. “It foretells of your coming, Lyra. The Star of the Chapel has verified your authenticity as I knew it would. Sakovans have waited for this day for centuries. Kaltara has returned to us and sent us his Star. The bell will tell the world of your coming.”
“No,” Lyra shouted. “I am not the Star. I am just Lyra. This is a mistake. I did not even know of Sakova until days ago.”
“God does not make mistakes,” the priest intoned from his kneeling position. “The bell rings as it has at the coming of a Star ever since the dawn of time. While you may not realize what this means yet, there is no mistake. You have been chosen by Kaltara to lead the Sakovan people. The fate of our nation is in your hands.”
“I am just a girl,” cried Lyra.
LifeTender looked at RavenWing questioningly and the stricken leader nodded to her. LifeTender rose and walked over to Lyra and put her arm around the girl’s shoulders. “You are just a girl,” soothed LifeTender, “but you have also been chosen by God to serve Him as our leader. Be strong. You are among friends and we will help you do what must be done.”
Chapter 21
The Star
SkyDancer halted the column as she heard the bell pealing. The Sakovans all sat with expressions of shock on their faces and Temiker rode up next to StarWind.
“What is it?” the old mage inquired.
StarWind blinked and turned to Temiker. “It is a prophecy fulfilled, wizard. It is a sound that I have hoped for every day of my life and yet one I never expected to hear. Kaltara has sent us a new Star. The Sakovans have a new leader.”
“No more hiding in the wilderness,” StormSong declared. “It is time for the Omungans to fear being caught.”
“We shall see,” StarWind cautioned. “If we had been minutes earlier, we might have seen the Star of the Chapel glow. Come, let’s ride.”
The returning Sakovan column was indeed just minutes short of the tunnel into StarCity and they galloped to the cave entrance. Once through the tunnel, they raced for the palace and noticed the streets empty. StarWind led the way onto the palace grounds and they abandoned the chokas to race up the stairs. They reached the roof only to find it mobbed with people.
“Whoever it is, he must still be in there,” SkyDancer suggested.
“It is not a he,” Jostin stated his red head poking out of the crowd before them. “It is that outlander girl you brought in, Lyra.”
“Lyra?” StarWind echoed with amazement.
“I told you she was special,” smirked MistyTrail. “Good thing I didn’t let HawkShadow kill her.”
“I’ll be damned,” HawkShadow shook his head. “Give that elf a clova chip.”
“I am not an elf,” MistyTrail insisted. “There are no elves.”
“Quiet back there,” someone shouted. “We are trying to hear what is going on.”
Because everyone could not fit in the chapel, news of what was happening was relayed back through the crowd and MistyTrail and HawkShadow ceased their bantering. Temiker, who had been left behind in the mad dash to the roof, finally arrived. StarWind heard his panting and turned to him.
“You niece is the new Star,” StarWind reported. “There is no way we can get into the chapel, so we will have to wait until it is over to find out what has happened.”
“Sounds like a mighty burden for a young woman,” Temiker stated, “but if she is as tough as Rhodella, she will do fine.”
“She’s coming out,” Jostin shouted.
The crowd parted and Lyra appeared with LifeTender at her side. The Sakovans dropped to their knees as she approached. StarWind and the rest of the Sakovan hunting party dropped to their knees with the rest of the people, but Temiker stood staring at his niece with wonder.
“On your knees Temiker,” StarWind ordered. “She be your niece, but she is our Star.”
Temiker got down on his knees and watched Lyra pass. Lyra did not notice him or anyone else. Her eyes were misted over with tears as LifeTender led her through the crowd.
As soon as Lyra passed them by and started down the steps, StarWind grabbed Temiker’s arm and indicated that he should follow her. StarWind ran down the stairs and saw LifeTender steer Lyra towards her room. StarWind followed and entered Lyra’s room with Temiker in tow before the door closed.
“Forgive my boldness,” StarWind apologized, “but I have
brought your uncle back with me.”
Lyra spun and saw Temiker and ran to him and hugged him. “Uncle Temiker,” she cried.
Temiker comforted her and led her over to the bed and sat her down. “What is all this about you leading the Sakovans now?” he asked.
Lyra raised her right hand and showed her deformity. “It was an accident,” she explained. “I was trying to learn to cast a fireball and the ring interfered and scarred me.”
Temiker gently took her hand and looked at it while LifeTender and StarWind crowded around. “That was not caused by any fireball spell,” he declared. “I have never seen anything like it, but it was not caused by your spell.”
“It was,” Lyra insisted. “My hand burst into flames. MistyTrail had to heal me.”
Temiker ran his finger gently over the inlaid star on Lyra’s hand. “It shines like a gem and looks like a gem, but it feels just like skin. Lyra, I have practiced magic all my life and I have seen every kind of accident there is. This mark was not caused by your spell.”
“How then?” she asked.
“Kaltara chose you,” LifeTender interjected. “For whatever reason He has, He has decided that you are the person He wants to lead the Sakovans after centuries of abandonment. Perhaps He has been waiting for a person with your qualities. I cannot begin to suppose why He does what He does. We must accept what He gives us. You must accept it too, Lyra.”
“Lyra,” StarWind added, “you are special. MistyTrail sensed it and refused to kill you. RavenWing sensed it and sent me after you. He broke the law in bringing you here. That is how strongly he felt that you must come to StarCity. All of us have treated you differently from all other outlanders. Perhaps Kaltara has been guiding our thoughts to make sure that the Sakovans received their new Star.”
“But I am only half Sakovan,” Lyra protested. “Why should the Sakovans follow me? I don’t even know most of you. There must be someone better qualified.”
“Lyra,” LifeTender stated, “you heard the reading of the Scroll of Kaltara. Three times we refused to follow His Star and we have paid very severely for those failures. There is not a Sakovan alive who will not follow you. We have learned our lesson the hard way. Every man, woman, and child will die this time before we spurn you. We will never make that mistake again.”
“It would not matter if you were a clova,” StarWind offered. “Half Sakovan, full Sakovan. It makes no difference to any of us. You are a gift from Kaltara. Why would we care what your ancestry is?”
“But how will I lead the Sakovans?” Lyra asked. “I know nothing about leading people. It is fun to play at being a leader, but if I decide wrongly now, people will die because of it.”
“Kaltara would not send you to lead if you were not capable,” LifeTender answered. “He will guide your thoughts. You will also have the advice of anyone you wish. The combined wisdom of the entire Sakovan nation is at your command. I have tutored you for some time now. You are sensible and logical, perceptive and honest. We could hardly ask for more than that in a leader. You will do fine.”
“You need only to purge your own self-doubt,” added StarWind. “I should go and check with MoonFlow to see if anything important came up while I was gone. I will report to you when I am done.”
“MoonFlow is dead,” informed LifeTender. “She died when Mekin attacked RavenWing. I am afraid that RavenWing is paralyzed and may die.”
“Mekin?” StarWind asked with tears in her eyes. “The son of GoldenEar? When did this happen?”
“The same,” LifeTender said, “or least that is who he was posing as. Lyra stumbled onto his deception. MoonFlow was talking to RavenWing about him when he attacked. Lyra and I got there just in time to stop him from finishing the job. Lyra killed him before he could finish. It was RavenWing who noticed the Star’s reflection while I was tending to him. He understood what it meant.”
“So that is how he knew,” Lyra nodded. “My ring slipped off when I was chilling the water. I didn’t think anyone noticed. Why did you shout not to kill him?”
“Fear among other things,” LifeTender stated. “I saw his arm and understood what had happened. I was afraid that the same thing would happen to you. It was so quick that I did not realize you were using your left hand. I also thought we might find out who sent him if he was captured alive.”
“So I already made my first mistake,” frowned Lyra.
“Hardly,” smiled LifeTender. “If you had waited as I wished, RavenWing would have died. I had thought he was already dead when I shouted. As I said before, He will guide you.”
“I agree,” StarWind stated. “The only thing Mekin would have told us is who recruited him and I am sure that is not who we are after. We interrogated one of the assassins sent to capture you. Klaarg has been hiring them, but the real power is someone high up in the government.”
“The government kidnapped my father?” Lyra asked.
“Someone high up in it,” nodded StarWind. “I intend to find out who, but just knowing what we do now, I have a decent idea of where to look for Master Malafar. The Imperial Palace has holding cells that are magically blocked. It is the perfect place to hold a mage.”
“Perhaps you should check the intelligence reports now,” LifeTender suggested. “Let Lyra visit with her uncle for a while. We can come back later.”
StarWind nodded and rose and left the room with LifeTender right behind her. “Who would have believed it,” mused StarWind out in the corridor. “A young woman as the new Star. All of the Stars have been men so far.”
“About time Kaltara got sensible,” chuckled LifeTender. “She will do fine. I should have known myself I guess. I have never seen anyone with such power in magic. She sent a force bolt clean through a practice block, with her left hand at that. She put a like hole through Mekin too. I wouldn’t like to be the one to clean that up.”
“That is powerful,” StarWind agreed. “I mourn for MoonFlow. She was a close friend. I try to keep myself distant from my contacts to avoid this sort of grief, but I guess it is impossible to insulate yourself if the Omungans can come into StarCity and kill us.”
“She will be missed by many of us,” nodded LifeTender. “Too many die and I fear that number is about to increase. The Scroll says that we will retake our homeland now. I fear a great many will die.”
“The number of dead will depend on Kaltara,” StarWind stated. “May He be merciful. Where will I find RavenWing?”
“He will be in his bed,” LifeTender stated sadly. “I will see to having devices made so he can get as much mobility as possible, but that will be some time from now. His body has had quite a shock. He will never walk again if he does survive. Try not to bother him today. I want him to rest.”
StarWind nodded as she descended the steps and went to her office. She resisted the urge to stop in RavenWing’s office and see MoonFlow one last time. Better to remember her alive, StarWind thought. She unlocked the door to her office and sat at the desk. Quite a few messages had come in while she was off dealing with the assassins and MoonFlow had categorized them all efficiently. She berated herself and pushed MoonFlow out of her mind. She would deal with her loss tonight after her work was done.
Most of the messages were routine reports, but there was a disturbing theme running through them. Normally mention of Sakovans was only heard in official circles, but the new batch of reports indicated that the general population was talking about the Sakovans. StarWind knew that there was no reason for this unless someone was causing it. She had an ill feeling that someone was trying to direct Omungan public opinion regarding the Sakovans.
Then she came across reports from two different operatives in Campanil. Both reports described the burning watula fields and the general commotion in the city regarding a Sakovan attack. She shook her head and then pushed her wavy brown hair out of her eyes. There had been no Sakovan attack on Campanil. She knew that, but someone had obviously burned the fields and blamed it on the Sakovans. This was serious. She w
ondered if RavenWing had been apprised of this information and remembered LifeTender’s admonishment to let him rest. She decided that she would have to visit Campanil herself and see what she could find out.
StarWind spent several hours reviewing all of the reports and writing some messages to be delivered to agents. She locked up her office and went out to the perches to find Jostin. The red-haired boy was always around. He even slept with the birds. Jostin saw her coming and scampered over to meet her.
“That was some surprise today, wasn’t it,” Jostin cheerily greeted the Sakovan spymaster.
“Yes, Jostin it was,” StarWind answered. “It is exciting to be alive during the time of a Star. You will remember this day the rest of your life.” StarWind did not add that she would remember it for more than one reason.
“Even out on the roof we could see the flashes of blue light,” the boy ecstatically related. “The sound was deafening, but nobody minded. Everyone is so excited.”
“Times are changing,” StarWind nodded. “I have some messages that must go out tonight. If there are any replies before morning, I want to know about it immediately. I will be leaving in the morning, so if they come in later just …”
StarWind stopped talking and bit her lower lip. She needed someone to take MoonFlow’s place while she was gone and Jostin had to start sharing information with Lyra instead of RavenWing.
“MeadowTune will be my new assistant,” StarWind stated. “You will need to keep Lyra apprised as well. RavenWing should not be disturbed without LifeTender’s authorization. I am not sure how Lyra wants you to handle information for her. You will need to talk to her about it, but I would not do so today unless it is urgent.”
“Of course,” assured Jostin. “I already figured that I should go to Lyra if anything came up. I am sorry about MoonFlow. I liked her a lot and I know you did too. At least she is with Kaltara now. I prayed for her when I found out what happened.”
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