Lyra saw Imperial Guards trying to push through the crowd to get to the table she was standing on. The citizens were shoving back. Lyra knew that the situation could turn ugly in a heartbeat.
“There is a way we can work together,” Lyra shouted over the commotion as she turned to face the general. “General Manitow, would you come up here please?”
The general’s face turned beet red. Lyra could not tell if it was from embarrassment or anger. He stood glaring at Lyra while nearby citizens urged him to get up on the large table. Finally, he nodded and leaped onto the table. He walked right up to the Star and faced her.
“I do not know what you are trying to do,” the general whispered, “but I will not have these people rioting in my streets. You are arousing their tempers, and I cannot let you continue to do so. Leave now, and you will be permitted to leave safely.”
“I am offering life and good health to your citizens, general,” Lyra replied. “The group has been extremely well behaved for a starving population. The commotion is only because they know that you ordered your soldiers to make me stop talking. Command your soldiers to halt, and the crowd will behave. Are my mere words so threatening to you?”
“It is not your words that I fear,” retorted the general. “What I fear is what my troops may have to do to restore order after you incite the people to riot.”
“Then I will not incite them to riot,” declared Lyra. “I have no desire for bloodshed whatsoever. Will you halt the advance of your soldiers?”
“No desire for bloodshed?” echoed the general, as the crowd grew impatient to hear Lyra speak. “What would your people do with the twelve soldiers that I have sitting in cells if I released them? Tell me that you would not have them torn apart.”
“I would hope that you would not release them,” replied the Star of Sakova. “They should be imprisoned until an investigation is completed. If they are found guilty of crimes, the government should punish them. If they are not guilty, they should be given a safe escort away from here.”
“That is what you really believe?” the general asked with disbelief evident in his voice. “You would let the murders of SpringThaw escape?”
“It is how I feel,” nodded Lyra. “I happen to believe that those soldiers took it upon themselves to murder innocent wagon drivers. I do not believe that they were working under any such orders, especially not yours.”
“Especially not mine?” questioned General Manitow. “What would you know about my orders?”
“Nothing,” admitted Lyra, “but I have heard that you care deeply for these people. You know that they are alive only through the intervention of the Sakovans. I could not imagine you being so cold and cruel as to punish these people just to kill five Sakovans. Am I wrong?”
“You are right,” sighed the general, “but things are not as easy as that. I warned your people to flee. Ask FalconEye. He was there.”
“I already know that is the truth,” conceded Lyra. “I believe you to be a good man in a hard situation, General. Please halt the advance of your men.”
The general turned with annoyance on his face. He waved his hand and signaled his men to halt. He turned back to face Lyra.
“There is an army approaching Alamar as we speak,” the general sighed with frustration. “Within the week, my men will be outnumbered ten to one. I cannot help you even if I wanted to. Take your people and go home.”
“I wish it were that simple, General,” Lyra responded. “I was serious when I said that thousands of Omungan troops were in the Sakova. The Sakovans have tried to avoid conflict with the Omungans for many generations. It seems that your people have a hard time finding true leaders.”
“I will not stand here and listen to you disparage our Katana,” scowled the general. “While I am grateful for your food and feel sorry about the coming hostilities, this country searched hard and long to select this Katana. He is a good man.”
“Did you ever speak with Larst, General?” asked Lyra.
“I have never had the pleasure of meeting the Katana,” retorted General Manitow. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I have,” replied Lyra. “Larst and I have met secretly for over six months on a regular schedule. We worked together on a plan for peace. It was not a month ago that I promised Larst that I would send food to the Omungan cities. I proposed the building of three roads through the Sakova to aid Omungans with their travel. We had agreed that the Omungans and Sakovans would work side-by-side to build those roads. I last spoke to him the day before he was chosen to be Katana.”
“How can that be?” questioned the general. “If what you say is true, you must have done something terrible to provoke him.”
The crowd was growing restless as Lyra spoke privately with the general. People began to shout because they wanted to know how the Omungans could work with the Sakovans to supply food to Alamar.
“We have done nothing to provoke him,” declared Lyra. “There is another explanation for his turnabout, but now is not the time to discuss it. I am about to make a public offer to you and Mayor Reaker, General. Think hard about your answer before you give it.”
Lyra immediately turned away from the general and walked to the edge of the table. She held both hands high above her head and the crowd instantly fell silent.
“People of Alamar,” Lyra shouted, “I said there was a way that we could work together in solving your problem of food scarcity. I am prepared to continue sending caravans of food to Omunga with only one condition.”
“What condition?” shouted several people.
“The condition is that General Manitow guarantee the safe passage of my people to and from the Sakova,” declared Lyra. “I ask nothing else of the people of Omunga. We will deliver the food for free as long as we are allowed to.”
The crowd roared with approval. The cheering reverberated for blocks as people relayed the Star’s words to those who were not close enough to hear it for themselves. The cheering and shouting continued for many minutes before it finally petered out.
“You know I can’t guarantee that,” scowled the general as he walked up behind the Star. “I trusted you, and now you are starting a riot.”
Lyra turned to face the general. “I have done nothing of the kind,” countered Lyra. “Listen to your people, General. Do you hear any threats being shouted? Or do you hear a starving people weeping for joy?”
“Oh, they are happy now,” retorted the general, “but they won’t be when they find out how you tricked them. You won’t even have time to get another caravan into this city before General Romero arrives.”
“I certainly will,” assured the Star. “Six wagons will be here tomorrow. What happens after that is up to you. If you are going to let the Katana starve your people, I suggest you wait until their bellies are full before you tell them that. Shall we go to your office? There are some things I would like to discuss with you and Mayor Reaker.”
General Manitow gazed out at the cheering crowd and shook his head. He felt he was too angry to speak civilly to the Star of Sakova, but getting her off the streets seemed to be a prudent approach.
“Very well,” he nodded curtly. “We shall go to my office.”
The general jumped down from the table in front of the mayor. He extended his hand to the Star like a gentleman and nudged the mayor to follow. The crowd parted for the Star, some citizens bowing as they would for the Katana. Others cheered as she walked by, and still others tried to reach out and touch her. The crowd surged after them as the general led the way to the headquarters of the Imperial Guard. As the general mounted the steps, a man called out to him.
“We didn’t hear your answer, General,” the man shouted. “They only relayed the words of the Sakovan. Will you give her the guarantee?”
“We are going to discuss it,” snapped the general.
“Discuss it?” shouted another man. “What is there to discuss? She is offering to give the citizens food. If you don’t guarantee i
t, perhaps you and your soldiers should start getting your food from Okata. There won’t be enough here for us to share with you.”
The general grumbled under his breath and stormed into the headquarters. The mayor waited for Lyra to enter before following. The general strode along the corridor and into his office. By the time the mayor and Lyra arrived, the general was already seated behind his desk. The mayor offered the chair before the desk to Lyra and then dragged another one over for himself. The general saw a soldier walking past the door and ordered him to close it.
“A very elegant speech,” the mayor stated to break the silence.
“Elegant?” snapped the general. “Just what do you propose I tell the citizens when Romero arrives? Or better yet, what are you going to tell them, Mayor Reaker? This city will erupt into full scale rioting. All of my men will be busy trying to keep order in Alamar.”
“Does that mean that they won’t have time to come to the Sakova to murder your innocent neighbors?” posed Lyra.
“Enough,” shouted the general. “This is not some game we are playing here. You are fast losing whatever sympathy I had for your troubles. You have shown a careless disregard for the very people that you say you are trying to save from starvation. Romero’s men will not stand for the citizens rioting. He will kill them.”
“What will you do when he starts to kill them?” Lyra scowled. “Will you stand by and watch them die?”
General Romero slammed his fist down on the desk in a fit of rage. The veins in his head bulged and his mouth contorted grotesquely.
“It is a valid question,” Mayor Reaker said calmly. “What can we do when General Romero starts to mistreat our people?”
“He wouldn’t find it necessary to deal with them if I had things under control,” snapped the general. “If she hadn’t stirred them up with false promises, there would be no problem to deal with.”
“My promises were not false,” Lyra said softly. “I am not trying to harm these people, General. I truly want to help them. What would you do in my place?”
The general calmed down as he thought about Lyra’s question. His veins dampened, and he sighed in frustration.
“I am fortunate not to be in your position,” admitted the general. “With all that is going on, why are you so concerned about the people of Alamar? You should be preparing to defend the Sakova.”
“We are preparing our defenses,” declared the Star of Sakova, “but I do not look forward to killing thousands of Omungan soldiers. If only their leaders would listen to reason, their lives can be spared.”
“Meaning people like me?” frowned the general.
“I certainly hope not,” answered Lyra. “I was referring to people like the Katana and his trio of bloodthirsty generals. Romero, Didyk, and Valdey have been pursuing a war with the Sakovans for some time. How it advances their agenda, I do not know, but I do know that General Didyk was just in Khadora recently. Perhaps there is treachery behind his treachery. I cannot know for sure.”
“Didyk in Khadora?” questioned the general. “Why in the world would he go there? Never mind. Didyk is not the problem here. You made an accusation in the marketplace before. You said that the Katana might have a reason for turning away from peace. What did you mean?”
“As I said before,” replied Lyra, “I have had meetings with Larst before he became the Katana. We had a true agreement of purpose between the two of us. Our last meeting was the day before the Katana was chosen. I offered to build three roads through the Sakova as part of the pending peace agreement. He was excited about it. He intended to bring it up at the Katana’s Council meeting the next day.”
“Perhaps he was feigning excitement?” interjected Mayor Reaker.
“No,” Lyra responded. “Larst helped me get my people out of Okata when the last Katana died. He was a man who was truly dedicated to peace.”
“Was?” questioned the general. “What do you mean was? The Katana is still alive.”
“Indeed the Katana is,” declared Lyra, “but that man is not Larst.”
“Preposterous,” bellowed the general. “What do you mean he is not Larst?”
“I mean some magician has stolen his body,” replied Lyra. “It had to have happened the day I last saw him. Once the Katana’s shield are in place, no mage could get near enough to him to assume his identity.”
“That does sound absurd,” interjected Mayor Reaker. “Such a thing is not possible.”
“That is what I thought at first,” Lyra said. “I wondered how I could have so poorly misjudged a man. That was before I learned that such a thing just happened recently in Khadora. A magician took over a lord’s body and brought Jiadin warriors into Khadora from Fakara. As with the Katana, the man looked the same, but his actions were the opposite of what people expected him to do.”
“That is probably just a tale,” Mayor Reaker shook his head.
“No,” declared General Manitow. “I heard reports about the Jiadin in Khadora. They were indeed invited into Khadora by rogue lords. General Valdey mentioned something about it being a wise time to invade Khadora while they were preoccupied elsewhere.”
“Why didn’t we attack?” asked the mayor.
“The Katana’s Council forbade any such talk,” replied the general. “They said that we were a nation at peace and that we were going to stay that way.”
“And who was leading the Katana’s Council that spoke so elegantly for peace?” questioned Lyra with a victorious smile.
“First Minister Larst,” conceded the general. “Look, I will agree that attacking the Sakova makes absolutely no sense to me. And that is coming from a military man, but I am not the one making the decisions.”
“But you are the decision maker for a thousand men,” countered Lyra. “A thousand men and many thousands of Omungan citizens.”
“I only lead them,” sighed the general. “What is it that you expect me to do? Sacrifice my men to General Romero’s army?”
“Never,” Lyra shook her head vigorously, “but there are other ways.”
“What other ways?” asked Mayor Reaker.
“Stall and delay,” answered Lyra. “I will keep this city flush with food for your men and your citizens. General Romero’s troops will have none. How is he going to feed his ten thousand men if you refuse to let him enter the city without proof that his orders come directly from the Katana?”
“That is treason,” balked the general. “I might as well hang myself.”
“How is that treason?” retorted Lyra. “You just said yourself that the orders make absolutely no sense from a military standpoint. Would you not be remiss in not demanding verification of such ridiculous orders?”
“You are good,” grinned the mayor as he looked at the Star. “We could not possibly let ten thousand men into a starving city. They would eat all the food meant for the citizens. Everything would be gone in a day.”
“But General Romero will demand entrance to the city,” the general shook his head. “He will see the abundant stores of food.”
“Only if he gets this far,” argued the mayor. “This is something that we can do, General.”
“How?” asked General Manitow.
“The mage Temiker has a plan for revitalizing our farms,” explained the mayor. “The plan requires the burning of diseased fields, which means all of them. We also have to build large fences to halt the spread of the disease to the new fields. He has asked for the help of the citizens. I have agreed.”
“I don’t see how this helps with General Romero,” frowned the general. “It may help in the long term with our food supply, but there is no long term if his army arrives here.”
“Think in terms of strategic deceit, General,” grinned the mayor. “General Romero is going to see league upon league of burnt fields as he approaches the city. His army will have absolutely nothing to eat. Not even diseased grain.”
“That is not deceit,” Lyra pointed out.
“No,” agreed the mayor,
“but the mounds and mounds of freshly turned dirt will deceive him. What he will see as he travels towards us is burning fields followed by burnt fields with what appears to be massive graves.”
“Disease of the people?” gasped the general as he began to see the picture that the mayor was painting. “He will think our own region is diseased and dying. Only a fool would continue marching his army into such an area.”
“Regardless of his orders,” the mayor nodded enthusiastically. “He may be willing to sacrifice some men by sending them to see what is up ahead, but he will not bring his army to Alamar.”
“We can either turn his scouts back, or hold them for questioning,” nodded the general. “This can work, and we will not have to speak a single untruth. We can let General Romero evaluate what he sees for himself.”
“The Sakovans can help persuade him to reverse directions,” offered Lyra. “If the armies coming into the Sakova from the west run into problems, the Katana will need reinforcements. General Romero’s army will be idle.”
“He will be recalled,” nodded the general. “How does that help your people? You will still end up with the same number of troops invading the Sakova.”
“One problem at a time,” answered Lyra. “Perhaps if I can keep the Omungan armies moving around the country long enough, someone in Okata will find out that the Katana is not really Larst. There is little hope for peace until that happens.”
“I hope you can find a way to expose him,” sympathized the mayor. “I am beginning to appreciate our Sakovan neighbors. I would not want to see you wiped out.”
“Oh, we will not be wiped out,” promised Lyra. “If it comes to war, our armies will prevail. I am trying to promote peace because it is in everyone’s best interests.”
“Prevail?” echoed the general. “Surely, you are joking?”
“Not in the least,” replied Lyra. “Every Sakovan learns to fight at a young age. Every man, woman, and child will fight for their lives. They will never surrender. The Sakovan people have trained for this day for a thousand years, General. We have fervently tried to avoid it, but we are more than capable of defending our homeland. Thousands upon thousands of young Omungan soldiers will die needlessly. Work with me to avoid such a catastrophe for your people.”
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