Star of Sakova

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Oh no,” MistyTrail quickly responded. “If you mean could he be a spy, the answer is no. He is just a curious person. His mind is sort of like a sponge I guess.”

  “So you trust him then?” the Star questioned.

  “Oh yes,” MistyTrail nodded vigorously. “I like him. He is very handsome too. He would make good children.”

  “Have you tried?” chuckled Lyra.

  “No,” MistyTrail answered as her brow wrinkled and her eyes grew large with the shock of such a question. “Not me,” she continued defensively. “I was thinking what a nice couple you two would make,” she grinned.

  “Thank you, MistyTrail,” laughed Lyra, “but I am not in the market for a family just yet.” The Star shook her head and waited for her laughter to subside. “Do you see any way he can help us in our conflict with the Omungans?” she inquired.

  “Sure,” replied MistyTrail. “His people all adore him and would follow him anywhere. Get them all to move down here and our ranks would swell dramatically. The Omungans would not dare attack us then.”

  “And we could make beautiful children together,” chuckled Lyra. “Nice try, MistyTrail. Go keep him occupied some more, but you can tell him that I will see him shortly.”

  MistyTrail frowned as she rose. “You will like him,” she called as she darted out the door of the room and Lyra began laughing again.

  “What was that?” StarWind queried as Jostin showed her in.

  “Just an elf in heat,” laughed Lyra. Jostin hung at the door to find out who would follow Temiker and Lyra waved him away. “I am so glad you made it out of Okata, StarWind,” Lyra said as she motioned the Sakovan spymaster to a chair.

  “Me too,” StarWind replied. “Nice touch with the room. I like it much better than how RavenWing had it.”

  “How is Master Malafar handling the trip to StarCity?” Lyra asked skipping over the niceties.

  “Not as bad as I feared,” StarWind responded. “Goral had a talk with him and gained his cooperation on the trip in, so that was not bad. It was touch-and-go when he saw Temiker, but at least they are talking now, although it is still strained somewhat. I cannot tell how much effect the drug still has on him. He is a very confused man right now and that is what bothers me the most. He is much too powerful to be an enemy to us and remain here.”

  “I agree,” concurred the Star of Sakova. “I am seeing Temiker next. He should be able to judge how much of the old Malafar remains. I do not know what to do with him if remaining here is not an option though. I cannot just let my father be captured by the Omungans.”

  “Perhaps that decision will not be necessary,” suggested StarWind.

  “Perhaps,” mused Lyra. “I want a strategy meeting tonight regarding the Omungan problem. I would like you there to brief everyone on what has happened and where we stand. Can you do it?”

  “Certainly,” agreed StarWind. “I think it is a great idea. We should invite the outlanders as well. Maybe their perspectives will let us see things from a different angle. I know that it will not hurt for Malafar to see things from our point of view.”

  “Good idea,” Lyra said. “Can you get me the report to read before tonight? I want to make sure that I understand everything you will have to say.”

  “I just finished it this morning,” noted StarWind. “I will see that you get it immediately. If you have any questions on the contents, send Jostin for me. I will just be relaxing this afternoon.”

  “Good,” replied Lyra. “You deserve a bit of a rest after your trip. Have Jostin send in Temiker and tell him to wait outside. I am not sure who I will see after Temiker.”

  StarWind nodded and left the room. Temiker entered immediately and helped himself to a chair. “What happened to you?” he questioned. “You had the whole city worried.”

  “Nothing serious,” smiled Lyra. “How is Malafar?”

  Temiker sighed and pulled on his beard. “He has had a rough time of it,” he finally said. “He is still as stubborn as a wasooki, but he is not sure what to be stubborn about. He finally believes that it was not my student who killed Alfred, but he cannot let go of the hostility he feels towards me because he had thought it true. Alazar fed him so many tales that he does not know what is truth and what is fiction.”

  “Is he a danger to the Sakovan people?” Lyra asked pointedly.

  “I don’t know,” sighed Temiker. “I have been trying to be his constant companion so that I can watch him, but he wants to be alone most of the time and does not welcome my company.”

  “I don’t know what to do with him,” conceded the Star. “I wish I could put him back into his Academy and bring Rhodella back to life, but that is not possible. I can’t let him be taken by the Omungans and I fear to have him here. What can I do?”

  Temiker nodded and stared at the floor. “I have been wondering the same thing,” Temiker admitted. “I thought about taking him back to Alamar with me, but they will be hunting him and that would not work.”

  “Does he know about me?” Lyra asked.

  “No,” Temiker answered. “He knows only that you are sick and nobody is permitted to see you except the healers. He argued at first, but we managed to make him see reason after a while. You should talk to him.”

  “I will,” agreed Lyra. “I have been hesitant to do so, because I do not know how he will react, but it must be done and the sooner the better. Tell Jostin to fetch him.”

  “Do you want me here for protection?” Temiker asked.

  “No,” Lyra responded after a moment. “If he is inclined to kill Sakovans, then let him start with me.”

  Temiker frowned as he rose and hesitated on his way to the door, but with a look back at Lyra, he continued out of the room. Jostin flew in and placed a stack of papers on Lyra’s desk and darted back out again. Lyra looked at the papers and saw that they were StarWind’s report. She sat scanning the papers while she waited for Master Malafar and didn’t get far before the door swung open. She looked up and saw Master Malafar standing in the doorway and she rose and went towards him.

  “They told me that I was going to see the Sakovan leader,” Malafar said softly. “What kind of deception is this?”

  Lyra halted on her way across the room and stared at him as if weighing her course of action. With an imperceptible nod, she continued across the floor and hugged Malafar’s stiff wooden body. After a few silent moments, Malafar softened and hugged Lyra back. With tears in her eyes she led him over to a chair and he sat down.

  “You were not deceived,” Lyra said as she walked around the desk and sat down, “at least not by the Sakovans. I am the leader they promised you would see.”

  Malafar’s body stiffened again and he sat ramrod straight in his chair. Lyra held her hand up in a gesture for him to let her explain, but the dark scowl on his face did not soften.

  “This is not a decision that I made,” Lyra explained, “and do not blame Temiker, or Rhodella, or the Sakovans. Nobody made this decision except Kaltara.”

  “Kaltara,” spat Malafar. “What nonsense have they been feeding you? Just how did some nonexistent deity make you the leader of the savages?”

  Lyra found her fingers tapping rapidly on the desktop and she consciously calmed herself. She looked down at the mark on her finger and rose. Leaning across the desk she extended her hand towards Master Malafar. “See for yourself,” she said softly.

  Malafar rose and took her hand, running his finger over the gemlike blue star fused with her skin. “What is this?” he asked.

  “A good question,” responded Lyra. “I didn’t know what is was, but it was predicted in the Scroll of Kaltara. It is the sign of the Star of Sakova. I fought believing in it, as you do now, but I no longer have any doubt that it is genuine and that Kaltara has chosen me to lead the Sakovan people.”

  “Preposterous!” exclaimed Master Malafar. “It is probably some freak accident. A reaction to something perhaps.”

  “Father,” Lyra asked softly, “can you tell me o
f a single example of Sakovan savagery that you personally have witnessed?”

  “I do not have to witness atrocities to know that they exist,” fought the old mage. “The history books are full of examples.”

  “The Omungan history books are,” agreed Lyra, “but the Sakovan books tell a different story. Have you ever read anything that you did not believe?”

  “Of course,” argued Malafar. “If I read your Sakovan history books I am sure they would be littered with lies.”

  “Then perhaps the Omungan ones are as well,” Lyra pointed out. “Alazar lied to you. You know that, don’t you?”

  A pall of confusion fell over the Master mage. “I was confused,” he finally responded. “He might have lied, but he also told me many truths.”

  “You were confused because he drugged you,” Lyra said harshly. “He admitted that he lied to you when he said he made up the story about Alfred’s death. I have never lied to you, Father. Who do you choose to believe in now? Your good friend and confidant who tried to kill you, or your only daughter?”

  I…I do not think you are lying to me,” stammered Master Malafar. “I am sure you really believe what you are saying, but it is all so preposterous.”

  “Is it?” queried Lyra. “Perhaps I can see how preposterous it is if I allow myself to be objective about it.”

  “Then do so,” commanded Master Malafar. “I have always taught you to be objective when considering things.”

  “I will if you will,” smiled the Star of Sakova. “I am hosting a meeting tonight to present our situation to the Sakovan people and get their input on what we should do. I want you to attend and I will welcome your input as well. Will you come?”

  Master Malafar stared at his daughter as if seeing her for the first time. She was not the little girl he remembered who tried to sneak out of his magic lessons. He saw Lyra for the first time as a woman, a woman who was capable of reasoning and turning his own words against him. The confusion came back to him and he found himself unable to comprehend what was going on. He nodded blankly and continued staring at his daughter.

  “Good,” smiled Lyra. “There is one other promise I must have out of you. You are an extremely powerful mage and capable of massive destruction. I want your solemn oath that you will not harm the Sakovans while you are visiting with us.”

  Malafar squinted and nodded slightly as if dismissing the topic.

  “Not good enough,” insisted Lyra. “Whether you believe in me or not, these people do. I am responsible for you being here. I want to know for sure that you will not harm them. Swear to me on Alfred’s soul that you will not harm them.”

  Master Malafar scowled when his son’s name was brought up and he rose to his feet, his hands shaking with anger. “How dare you invoke Alfred’s name in the same breath as the Sakovans,” he growled, his face contorting with rage.

  “I dare because Alfred was Sakovan,” retorted Lyra, darkness enveloping her features as well. “I dare because Alfred would ask the same thing of you that I am asking. I dare because my mother would stand by my side in demanding the promise, if she were still alive to do so, if you had used your power to save her.”

  Master Malafar and the Star of Sakova faced each other on the brink of a deep chasm, their faces matched in darkness and fury, their spirits determined to win their point or perish in the attempt.

  “Swear it!” Lyra screamed. “Swear it or strike me dead!”

  Chapter 33

  Ancient Magic

  Master Malafar shook with rage as his daughter’s words echoed through his mind. She challenged him! Taunted him and used the memory of Alfred to goad him into sparing the Sakovan savages. Even the memory of Rhodella was tarnished by the young whelp. Confusion whirled through his mind. Lyra shouted at him. No, it was the savage leader whom he confronted, not his sweet young Lyra. Where was Lyra? What had they done with her? The last remaining member of his family and he was not going to surrender her to the barbarians. It was a trick he was facing, an image nothing more. Well he knew how to shatter illusions, he grinned to himself. The savage mage would be sorry he had tried to trick Master Malafar. Or he would be except that the Sakovan would not be able to feel sorrow after he was dead.

  Master Malafar’s eyes narrowed to slits and he zeroed in on the false image of Lyra as he prepared to strike. His hands started to rise and he felt the tremendous power surging through himself. He heard himself cackle, as if he were listening to another person in a remote place, as he rose to the challenge. Total annihilation, thought Malafar. Obliterate the barbaric mage and leave no trace of him for the Sakovans to scrape up.

  He felt the power build to unprecedented levels and yearned to cast the spell off, but furrows creased his brow as his arms refused to rise. He shook his head wildly and gritted his teeth as he tried to force his arms upward and outward, but they would not move. His arms started shaking uncontrollably and he felt them being pushed downward against his will. He howled in frustration as his body refused to cooperate.

  The door to the room slammed open and Temiker and StarWind, alerted by Lyra’s scream, raced in and slid to a halt. They stared open-mouthed at the confrontation occurring, each of them able to feel the enormous concentration of energy in the room. Master Malafar and Lyra stood facing each other and neither acknowledged their entry into the room. Lyra appeared glassy-eyed, standing stiffly, her hands at her sides. Her brow was creased and her lips compressed, her jaw set in determination. Malafar’s body, however, was contorted, slightly hunched over with his knees bent and his forearms extended slightly and he was shaking like a bush in a thunderstorm.

  Temiker cautiously walked further into the room to look at Malafar’s face and gasped when he saw it. StarWind slid swiftly over to his side and her face fell in shock. Malafar’s face was a dark visage of fury and rage, his eyes barely open and his facial features contorted, his skin rippling back and forth.

  “What is going on?” StarWind whispered.

  “Damned if I know,” scowled Temiker. “I am glad I asked you to join me outside though. Something is happening and I do not like the possibilities I see forthcoming.”

  “What can we do?” asked StarWind.

  “I haven’t a clue,” replied Temiker. “It appears that they are battling. I cannot conceive of Lyra matching Malafar’s power though.”

  “Perhaps his confusion has diminished his power,” suggested the Sakovan spymaster.

  “No, look at his skin,” retorted Malafar’s brother. “He is tearing himself apart. His power is so great he will kill himself.”

  “But if we get Lyra to stop,” StarWind argued, “Malafar will be free to strike.”

  “I don’t even know what she is doing,” frowned Temiker. “I have never seen anything like it.”

  “It seems to me that she is foiling his attempt to attack,” StarWind said. “There is no fury in her face, only concentration. Somehow she is hindering Malafar’s attempts to act.”

  Temiker stood and pawed his beard as he watched the confrontation. He spun at the sound of a noise and saw Goral enter on the run.

  “I heard a scream,” the giant explained. “What is wrong?”

  “The best we can tell,” StarWind said rapidly, “is that Malafar is trying to attack Lyra and she has managed somehow to not allow him to. The problem is that Malafar will destroy himself trying to overcome whatever it is she is doing to him. We cannot figure out how to get them to stop. If we stop Lyra, Malafar will strike.”

  Goral barely nodded and mumbled under his breath, “Mages!” He spun around and grabbed a chair and splintered it over Malafar’s head. The old mage collapsed to the floor, his body wracked with spasms as he writhed before the desk. “Get LifeTender,” Goral commanded.

  Jostin was standing outside the room in the hallway and shouted that he would get LifeTender. Lyra snapped out of her trance and sank into her chair, exhaustion clearly evident in her face and StarWind raced to her side.

  “Quick thinking, Goral,”
complimented Temiker as he knelt beside his brother. “I still do not understand what happened here.”

  “I tried to get Malafar to promise that he would not harm anyone while he was here,” Lyra answered weakly as she slumped into her chair. “I am afraid I goaded him too far.”

  “Okay, but how were you stopping him from acting?” quizzed Temiker. “He was destroying himself trying to break your spell.”

  “Perhaps that would have been best for everyone,” sighed Lyra. “I need to go lie down. Get some mage manacles on him before he wakes up and give Lord Marak my apologies.”

  StarWind had to help Lyra out of her chair, but the Star of Sakova gently waved the spymaster away and retreated from the room. Jostin returned with the healing mage and StarWind sent him to fetch the manacles. LifeTender knelt next to Malafar and inspected him.

  “He is close to dying,” she said softly. “What happened to him?”

  “We are not sure,” answered StarWind. “He was trying to magically attack Lyra and she was using some spell to prevent him. He kept fighting the constraints imposed by Lyra until Goral hit him over the head with a chair.”

  LifeTender looked up at the giant and nodded. “You probably saved his life, Goral,” she stated. “His heart is not beating properly. We need to get him to his room. Can you carry him?”

  Goral nodded and bent down and scooped the old man up with as much effort as if he was retrieving an empty box off the floor. Temiker watched them leave and shook his head. “I still don’t get it,” he murmured. “Where would Lyra get such knowledge? Is there a Sakovan spell that does what she was doing?”

  “Not that I know of,” admitted StarWind. “RavenWing would be the person to ask though. We can go see him after we get the manacles on Malafar if you wish.”

  “I do wish,” nodded Temiker as Jostin came racing into the room with the magic-inhibiting bracelets.

  StarWind took the manacles and led Temiker to Malafar’s room. LifeTender was still getting Malafar situated and Goral stood quietly in the corner observing. LifeTender did not object to the manacles being put on her patient, but she did appear impatient to be back to task of trying to save him. StarWind got the cuffs on quickly and left the room without comment. Temiker followed her and soon they entered RavenWing’s chamber.