Star of Sakova

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “I will send him to your office,” suggested Malafar’s brother. “My presence at the meeting would be counterproductive.”

  Lyra stared at Temiker for a moment and then nodded sadly. She abruptly spun around and marched off towards the palace. She ran into Jostin as she entered the palace and headed for her office.

  “StarWind and HawkShadow are returning,” the freckled youth reported hastily. “They are just coming out of the tunnel.”

  “Excellent,” nodded Lyra. “See to their mounts and send them to my office right away. I am anxious to find out how the Mayor of Campanil responded to them.”

  The young boy grinned widely and bowed to the Star as he scampered off to greet the spymaster and the assassin. Lyra chuckled inwardly as the lad left. The Sakovans were not a formal people and nobody bothered to bow to the Star except at ritual gatherings. Nobody except Jostin that is. The red-haired boy delighted with any chance to bring news to Lyra so that he could be in the presence of the Star. Lyra smiled and continued on to her office.

  She saw the ever-increasing pile of papers on her desk as she entered the office and a small sigh escaped her lips. She never knew that so much paperwork was demanded of a ruler. Everybody wanted her authorization to do something or purchase some item. She shuffled through the papers absent-mindedly and finally pushed them aside with a mental promise to appoint someone else to give authorizations for requests. She had not detected any dishonesty from the Sakovan people and she ended up approving all of the requests anyway. Why not let someone else handle the paperwork?

  “Temiker said you wanted to see me,” Master Malafar said softly, interrupting Lyra’s thoughts.

  Lyra looked and smiled at her father, “Yes I did. I am sorry that I have not had time sooner for this. I was just thinking of ways to free up more of my time. Please sit down Father.”

  Malafar walked to one of the two chairs before the desk and sat down. “I hope I have not been too much of a problem for you,” he sighed. “I guess I have made a rather large mess of things lately. I do not understand how I could have been so blind. Rhodella must have laughed at me daily.”

  Lyra sank into her chair and shook her head. “No Father,” she assured him. “Mother would never have laughed at you. You had reasons for your beliefs as she did for hers. Besides, you must not dwell on the past. We cannot bring Rhodella or Alfred back, so we must turn our thoughts towards the future.”

  “The past looks better to me than the future,” frowned Malafar. “I had everything I could ever want and I threw it all away. The future holds nothing for me and that is what I deserve.”

  Lyra bit down on her lower lip and frowned. Malafar was truly despondent. Temiker had been wise to tell her so that she could help before it was too late. Her mind whirled with thoughts, seeking direction for how she could best help her father forgive himself. Perhaps forgiveness should not be the goal, she reasoned. Perhaps a distraction would be better for a time.

  “Father,” she smiled, “your knowledge of Omungan magic is unsurpassed in the world. Would you consider starting an Academy here in StarCity? I would fund any amount you might need to get it started.”

  Malafar’s eyes sparkled briefly, showing the love he had for teaching his art to others, but it faded quickly. “It would not work, Lyra,” he sighed. “These people know all about me. They know that I have brought war and devastation to their doorstop. They know I have spent my life hating them and the god they pray to. No, I can never be accepted here and rightfully so. I have done a great disservice to Rhodella’s people. Each of their deaths will be on my hands. I cannot do it.”

  “Father,” Lyra pleaded, “they will accept you. These are good people and they will understand. You will not have to teach anything offensive, I promise.”

  “Bah,” scowled Malafar. “I never should have stopped teaching offensive magic. Perhaps the Academy could have defended itself if I had taught what I should have. I was too stupid to use my own magic even to save my wife. I have nothing to offer the Sakovans anyway. Temiker has always been a better teacher and a more powerful mage and he is not so full of himself that he demands people address him as Master. No, Lyra, I am not needed here or anywhere else.”

  Lyra opened her mouth to object, but her father raised his hand to halt her interruption. “I am glad that I survived to see you again,” he smiled. “I am so proud of you. Rhodella would have been thrilled to see her little girl as the Star of Sakova. Maybe she still can.”

  Lyra looked towards the noise at the door, wiping the beginning tears from her eyes.

  “Is this a bad time?” StarWind asked. “Jostin said you wanted to see us right away, but we can come back later.”

  “Yes, it is a bad time,” Lyra stated shaking her head vigorously, but Malafar rose out of his chair.

  “Come in,” he commanded. “This news is important. I can wait off to the side while you report. After you are done, we can continue our family talk.”

  StarWind looked back and forth between Lyra and her father, but HawkShadow strode in and took one of the available chairs in front of the desk. Malafar had already retreated to a chair in the corner by the door and StarWind finally stepped forward and seated herself in the chair next to HawkShadow.

  “Very well,” sniffed Lyra as she lowered her head to wipe her eyes. “What did Mayor Ferde have to say? Did you get in to see him?”

  “We did,” grinned HawkShadow. “A little help from Fisher didn’t hurt.”

  “Fisher?” Lyra asked with surprise. “I thought he was on his way to Khadora with Lord Marak.”

  “He probably is now,” chuckled StarWind. “He was on the palace grounds, dressed as an Imperial Guard Captain. He distracted the patrols while HawkShadow and I stole into the mansion.”

  “Amazing,” commented Lyra. “How did the Mayor react to your file?”

  “With a great deal of surprise and skepticism,” StarWind reported. “He said that he knew we believed it, but he will most certainly check it out himself. I threw him the bonus of Klaarg’s whereabouts. I figured getting Ferde to believe us is more important than any benefit we get out of capturing Alazar’s henchman.”

  “Good choice,” agreed Lyra, “although I would love to repay Klaarg myself for the attack on the Academy. Do you think Ferde will help remove Alazar from power and end this war?”

  “No,” interjected HawkShadow. “Even if he believes everything we have shown him, he will raise no hand against the Katana.”

  “Are you sure?” Lyra persisted.

  “We’re sure,” StarWind agreed. “He said as much.”

  “Then the trip was wasted,” sighed Lyra.

  “I don’t agree,” asserted StarWind. “Feeding the people of Campanil is victory enough to justify the trip. They are not our enemy and we should take solace that we were able to help them. Besides, Ferde will stop his call for war and try to convince everyone else that the conflict is not called for. That was the goal of our mission and I believe it was accomplished. There must be some way to either get Alazar out of power or at least hinder his ability to make war on us.”

  Lyra pursed her lips in thought for a moment and then looked at HawkShadow. “Our assassin could visit Okata and relieve the Omungans of their new Katana,” she suggested.

  “No,” StarWind nearly shouted. “That would be the biggest mistake of all. That would ensure that the Omungans need to wipe us out. We must find a way of dealing with Alazar that does not implicate us in the eyes of the Omungan people.”

  Lyra nodded acquiescence and prodded the two Sakovans for a detailed report of their conversation with Mayor Ferde. Interrupted by questions from the Star, the report took over an hour. As StarWind and HawkShadow rose to leave, Lyra noticed that Master Malafar was gone.

  “Darn!” exclaimed Lyra. “Did either of you notice when Malafar left?”

  StarWind turned to gaze at the empty seat in the corner and shook her head. “Guess I was too absorbed in the meeting to notice,” she declare
d.

  “Would you send Jostin to find him when you leave?” asked Lyra. “I need to finish that conversation with him.”

  StarWind nodded and she left the office with HawkShadow in tow. Lyra fidgeted nervously around her desk for a long while and finally her patience ran out. She started to storm out of the office and almost bumped into Jostin as the young boy was charging into her office.

  “Sorry,” Jostin panted as he bowed to the Star. “I have looked everywhere and cannot find him. He has disappeared.”

  “I doubt that he disappeared,” Lyra said softly as she fretted about finding his body somewhere. “Tell Temiker and StormSong that I want to see them.”

  Jostin bowed swiftly and took off at a run. Lyra returned to her desk and paced furiously back and forth until Temiker arrived.

  “Trouble?” he asked looking around the office.

  “Malafar is missing,” Lyra stated. “I think you may have been right about his suicidal tendencies. Temiker, I am worried about him. Jostin can not find him and I am afraid when we do find him, it will just be his body.”

  “Calm yourself, Lyra”, soothed Temiker. “Even if he is thinking along the lines you are worried about, I am not sure that he will do it. Many people stop just before the deed is done and realize what they are doing.”

  “Perhaps,” Lyra began to reply when StormSong came into the office. Lyra looked sharply at the warrior and thought briefly before speaking, “StormSong, I want you to organize a search for Master Malafar. Take him into custody when you find him, but do not harm him. Gather as many people as you need to search as quickly as you can. I want him found fast.”

  “What is he resists?” StormSong asked.

  “Do not harm him,” instructed Lyra. “He has done nothing wrong, but I want him in custody.”

  StormSong nodded and spun out of the office.

  “What did he say?” prodded Temiker.

  “He is full of guilt,” sobbed Lyra. “I tried to talk him into starting an academy here, but he would have nothing to do with it.”

  “Did he just leave?” questioned Temiker. “I mean did he just get up and walk out of the office?”

  “No,” responded Lyra. “StarWind and HawkShadow came to report on their trip to Campanil and he ushered them in and sat in the back while they spoke. I am afraid that I got so wrapped up in the report that I forgot about him. When the meeting was over, I noticed that he was gone.”

  “Maybe he just got tired of waiting,” suggested Temiker. “Was it a long meeting?”

  “I am afraid it was,” admitted the Star. “I needed to know every little detail. Darn, I should pay more attention.”

  “Easy, Lyra,” Temiker said as he put his arm around Lyra to comfort her. “He may have just gone to one of the gardens to think. Let them search before you get so riled up.”

  “You are right of course,” sighed Lyra, “but I cannot help but think the worst. He was so remorseful and full of guilt. He blames himself so much that he could never believe that we forgive him.”

  “That is easy to believe,” soothed Temiker. “Malafar has always been hard on himself, but that is nothing new. You are getting worried over nothing.”

  “You are probably right, Uncle,” Lyra sighed. “You would know him best. Will you wait with me until the search party finds him? I would like you in on the discussion this time. Perhaps together we can get through to him.”

  “Certainly,” smiled Temiker. “He will not be able to resist the two of us together,” he chuckled.

  Lyra’s spirits lifted somewhat, but she still paced around the room with agitation. Suddenly, she stopped short next to the chair at the rear of the room and bent over to pick up a piece of paper that was lying on it. It was a very small piece of paper and she broke into hysterical crying as she read it. Temiker rushed over and pried the slip of paper out of her hands and read it. He stared at the three words for a moment and then turned the paper over looking for more. The reverse side was blank.

  Lyra raced to the door of her office screaming for Jostin. Temiker moved up beside her and put his arm around her and she flung it off hysterically. Jostin came at a run and slid to a halt before the Star. He looked expectantly at his beloved leader and waited for her to stop crying long enough to give him his orders.

  Lyra shook her head wildly as her whole body quivered. She finally managed to squeak out the words, “Tell StormSong to hurry. Now!”

  Jostin took off like a rabbit and Temiker forcibly dragged Lyra to a chair and made her sit. With his strong hands on her shoulders he held her down until she ran out of tears and her body subsided.

  “Why are you so upset?” he inquired softly. “I would think you would be happy to find such a note. It means that you must have gotten through to him when you talked.”

  “No,” insisted Lyra, “it means he is going to kill himself.”

  “Am I missing something here?” quizzed Temiker with a perplexed look. “The note merely says that he loves you.”

  “Exactly,” sobbed the Star of Sakova. “My father has never told me that he loved me. Don’t you see?”

  Temiker stared at Lyra with his mouth gaping open and nodded slowly as the realization of her words hit home. Malafar had never had an easy time of expressing his feelings, even as a child, unless the emotion was anger. Still, he found it hard to imagine that his brother would leave in the middle of a meeting and go out and kill himself. There should have been no urgency for his need and the note, and the fact he remained for part of the meeting, indicated that he wanted to finish the conversation with Lyra.

  “What was the outcome of the trip to Campanil?” Temiker suddenly asked.

  “What difference does it make now?” snapped Lyra. She shook her head and sat in the chair behind her desk. “I am sorry Temiker,” she apologized. “I know you are trying to distract me, but I guess I am not as easily distracted now as I am when practicing.”

  “No,” Temiker said urgently. “That is not why I asked. Something made Malafar act as he did. I suspect the meeting with StarWind and HawkShadow may contain the clue we seek.”

  “Clue?” a confused Lyra asked. “I do not understand.”

  “Just tell me about the meeting,” insisted Temiker. “It will help as a distraction as well and that cannot hurt.”

  Lyra nodded and started giving Temiker a summary of the conversation. She did feel a little better when she diverted her mind from Malafar and her shaking stopped completely.

  Temiker listened to the narration and tried to put himself in Malafar’s place. He was sure that he knew his brother well enough to know that Malafar did not often act on impulse so he listened intently. Unexpectedly, he interrupted Lyra’s narration, “Darn.”

  “What is it?” she asked immediately.

  “He is not going to kill himself,” explained Temiker. “At least not the way we are thinking.”

  “Temiker!” Lyra shouted with impatience.

  “I am getting there,” frowned Temiker. “I think he is going to assassinate the Katana.”

  “Why?” puzzled the Star.

  “Because the Sakovans cannot and the Omungans will not,” offered the mage. “It makes sense. Malafar sees no future for himself and his hatred of Alazar must be intense for destroying his family and his life. Perhaps he sees this as the only way he can repay both Alazar and the Sakovan people. Ferde will explain that Malafar is not Sakovan after it is over and the war will be averted. Alazar will be dead.”

  “So will Malafar,” Lyra snapped. “And Ferde may say nothing leaving us with a war.”

  “True,” agreed Temiker. “He knows he will die in the attempt, but I am sure he figures that he will avert the war by killing Alazar.”

  “Well at least we know what he is up to,” Lyra said calmly as she gathered her emotions, her face taking on a look of determination. “He forgot about my ability to command the Sakovan people. He will never be allowed to leave StarCity. That will make it hard enough for him to commit any ass
assinations.”

  “Don’t rely on the defenses of StarCity to detain him,” warned Temiker. “I would wager that he is already out of the city and on his way to Okata. Any good mage could get out of here undetected and Malafar is a good mage.”

  Lyra stood stunned as StormSong whirled into the office. “He is gone,” she reported. “He is not in the city. He has vanished into thin air.”

  “He is on his way to Okata,” Lyra sighed. “I want patrols out as soon as you can get them ready. Block ever route to the Capital and stop him from getting there.”

  “He will not let anyone stop him, Lyra,” Temiker interjected. “Once he has made his mind up about a course of action, nothing will sway him from his goal.”

  “But he will die and give Alazar the reason he needs to attack us,” protested the Star. “He will not even be able to get into the city.”

  “Do not underestimate my brother,” frowned Temiker. “Now that he is thinking clearly, he will be impossible to stop, not only for us, but for Alazar as well.”

  “What can stop him?” Lyra pleaded. “Tell me what I must do.”

  “Not what can stop him,” Temiker said with a darkness upon his face, “but who can stop him. You are the only one powerful enough to stop him. Perhaps he will even listen to you and you will not need to destroy him.”

  “Destroy him?” echoed Lyra incredulously. “I cannot kill my own father.”

  “You also cannot let him destroy himself and start a war,” reasoned Temiker. “Your choices are not good, but they are the only choices available to you.”

  Lyra was speechless. Temiker thought she would start crying again, but her face clouded over with anger like a massive dark cloud blotting out the sun.

  “Send out the patrols anyway, StormSong,” Lyra ordered. “Also find StarWind. Tell her we are going to Okata and that I want her to organize the group who will be going. Tell her to keep it small.”

  “You can’t go into Okata,” StormSong protested. “The Sakovan people have been without a Star too long. They will never agree to it. Let me go in your stead.”