“You are crazy,” frowned MistyTrail.
“Why?” asked Mistake. “Because I think I can get the four of them without dying?”
“No,” smiled MistyTrail. “Because you think I would actually leave this foul business to you alone. My sister will never again fight alone. Let me get to the far end of the main room before you make any noise in the kitchen.”
“You plan for me to lure them downstairs?” asked Mistake.
“Remember the stairs?” asked MistyTrail. “There is no way that we can climb them silently. Plus we do need food. Let me get into position and then start gathering the food we will need. Fill your pack. They won’t be needing any.”
“I will take the first two,” grinned Mistake. “You get the stragglers.”
“Done,” replied MistyTrail as Mistake eased the door open.
The door creaked slightly as Mistake eased it open. She ignored the noise and moved swiftly towards the kitchen. MistyTrail slid through the door and crept to the far end of the room. She hid herself in a dark corner and fixed her eyes on the stairwell as she waited. Mistake was entirely too silent as she filled her pack with food. She managed to stuff her pack and tie it tight. She walked to the front door and placed her pack outside. She reentered the house and slammed the door.
Almost immediately the floor above creaked. Mistake could hear the sound of feet hitting the floor. She tried to count them, but could not. She opened the door again and let the dim light shine into the room. She stood in the light and waited. She heard someone starting to come down the stairs. She appeared not to notice and looked around the dark room as if looking for something to steal.
“It’s an elf wench,” shouted a man on the stairs.
Mistake looked up at the stairwell and screamed. She dashed into the kitchen as the man started scrambling down the stairs. She heard others upstairs shouting and then heard their pounding footsteps. She raced to the far corner of the kitchen and waited.
“Don’t kill her right off,” shouted one of the upstairs men. “I want a piece of her.”
“By the time you get to the kitchen,” laughed the first man, ”it will be all over.”
The stairwell came alive with noise as the men raced downstairs. The first man raced into the kitchen. His hand held a long knife and his eyes darted around the dark room as he sought Mistake. From her concealed position near the floor, Mistake tossed her knife upward at the man who was illuminated by the dim light coming from the open front door. The knife sunk deep into the man’s throat. As his hands rose to his throat and his knees buckled, Mistake let out a hysterical scream to cover the man’s death gurgle.
“Hah,” shouted the second man off the stairs. “It sounds like she is giving him a hard time.”
The man raced into the kitchen and promptly tripped over the body of the first man. Mistake instantly jumped on the man’s back and brought her knife across his throat. He cried out in alarm before he died.
“What the heck?” said the third man as he halted at the bottom of the stairs.
He held his knife before him and crept cautiously towards the kitchen.
“Be careful,” he whispered to the last man coming down the stairs. “Something is not right here.”
MistyTrail waited until the fourth man was visible on the stairs. She tossed a knife at the fourth man, and it struck him in the chest. His hands came up to the knife and his eyes looked down in disbelief. His knife clattered on the stairs as it fell just before his body collapsed. MistyTrail waited the required second for the third man to turn around to see what the noise was. She threw her second knife quickly and caught the last man in the throat. His body hit the floor as the fourth man’s body was still tumbling down the stairs. MistyTrail raced across the room and checked the bodies. She crept up the stairs and checked the rest of the house before returning to the ground floor.
“MistyTrail?” Mistake called tentatively.
“I am fine,” MistyTrail replied. “You?”
“The same,” Mistake said as she exited the kitchen. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Not so fast,” MistyTrail shook her head.
“Why not?” asked Mistake. “My pack is full of food. Let’s go.”
“We are taking the bodies with us,” declared MistyTrail. “Why chance someone coming along and finding them. I say we lock this house up tight and dump the bodies at sea. It may just buy us the time we need to get to Elvangar.”
“And it will look as if they took the boats,” Mistake nodded enthusiastically. “I like it. No alarm will be sounded at all. The kruls and soldiers will spend the rest of their lives searching for Caldal.”
Mistake and MistyTrail retrieved their knives and started carrying the bodies to the rowboat. When they were done, they returned to the house and cleaned up the blood. They made sure that all of the shutters were closed and then locked the front door. Mistake strapped her pack on and the two women struggled to drag the rowboat into the water.
“We should have done this before we filled it with bodies,” Mistake complained.
“No plan is perfect,” retorted MistyTrail. “Pull harder. The moon is almost gone.”
They finally managed to get the rowboat into the water. MistyTrail raced back and picked up the coil or rope she had left on the beach. She threw the rope into the rowboat and then pushed it out to sea. Mistake rowed while MistyTrail swam and hung onto the boat. There was no room for her with the pile of bodies occupying most of the space. When they eventually reached the sailboat, Mistake threw a line to Eltor.
“What happened back there? Eltor whispered. “Why are you bringing the bodies?”
“Later,” snapped Mistake. “Get MistyTrail aboard and secure this rowboat. We are going to tow it behind us.”
Eltor shook his head and tied the rowboat’s line to the stern of the sailboat. He helped MistyTrail over the side and then pulled Mistake aboard.
“I thought we had lost you,” Eltor said softly as he adjusted the sail and headed towards Caldal who was standing on the submerged reef. “Caldal and I should not have left you alone on the beach. I won’t ever do that again. How did they discover you?”
“They almost didn’t,” MistyTrail replied. “Mistake had to slam the door to wake them up.”
“Wake them up?” gasped Eltor. “Why?”
“I am sorry that I snapped at you,” Mistake said softly. “I may make light of it at times, but it always bothers me to kill someone.”
“They were your enemies, Mistake,” soothed MistyTrail. “Those four would one day end up in Fakara or Sakova murdering our friends. We did the right thing. Who knows how many sailors those men lured to the island to become slaves to Vand.”
“She is right,” nodded Eltor as he followed Caldal’s hand signals and steered the sailboat towards the break in the reef. “Vand’s people plan to kill a great number of people. If it is your homeland they are heading for, you should want to kill as many of them as you can. I have no doubt that the four of us would die if they caught us.”
Caldal swam towards the sailboat as Eltor sailed through the break in the reef. He grabbed onto the rowboat and pulled himself forward until he could reach the towline. He pulled himself aboard as Eltor raised full sails.
“Souvenirs?” Caldal asked as he nodded to the rowboat full of bodies.
“We will dump them at sea when we are far from the island,” explained MistyTrail. “Hopefully no alarm will ever be sounded.”
“Smart,” nodded Caldal. “I should have thought of that. This wind is strong. The island will be out of sight in no time.”
“Even sooner than you think,” commented Eltor as he pointed towards the moon which was sinking below the horizon. “It will be very dark very soon. Why don’t the three of you get some rest? All of you seem to have had more to do than I did.”
No one objected and soon Eltor was alone at the helm. He sailed into the dark night, letting the strong easterly wind have its way with the sails. He no longer ca
red where he was going, just as long as he put distance between the island of darkness and his sailboat. Several hours later, the dawn woke Mistake. She stretched and yawned.
“How are you doing?” Mistake asked Eltor. “Do you want me to take over for a while so you can get some sleep?”
“No way,” interjected MistyTrail as she rose. “You are forbidden from manning the controls of any boat. You are only allowed to crash one, and you already did that.”
Caldal started laughing as he sat up. “I can’t tell if you are friends or enemies sometimes,” he chuckled. “I can take over for a spell.”
“This is no time for levity,” Eltor said seriously as he pointed off the starboard side. “There is a ship out there. It is barely visible on the horizon.”
“Motangan?” asked Caldal as he jumped to his feet.
“I can’t tell,” Eltor replied. “It is too far away. I think we are both heading pretty much the same place, although he appears to be tracking in from far to the north. I don’t know where on the west coast we left from, so I don’t know how far the northern end of the island was.”
“I think we should turn to the south,” suggested Caldal. “We will watch to see what he does. If it gives chase we will know it is Motangan.”
“Wait,” interrupted Mistake as she wove an air tunnel and directed it at the ship. “I am leery of zigzagging across the sea. Let me see if I can hear anything first.”
Several long minutes passed without anyone on the sailboat talking. Mistake moved the air tunnel over the length of the distant ship and listened to every conversation that she could detect. Finally, a grin spread across Mistake’s face as she spoke loudly.
“Ahoy Khadoran ship,” Mistake said. “This is Mistake, friend of the Astor and the Torak. Where are you headed?”
“Who was that?” came a male voice. “Where did it come from?”
Female laughing could be heard nearby and soon the voice of a Khadoran mage spoke.
“We are heading for Raven’s Point, Mistake,” replied the mage. “Where are you?”
“We are in a small sailboat off your port,” answered Mistake. “If we can reach you, will you allow us to ride with you?”
“Who is with you?” asked the mage.
“Three friends who need to be presented to Emperor Marak,” answered Mistake. “We have vital information regarding the evil.”
There was a discussion going on aboard the Khadoran ship, so Mistake waited patiently for the answer.
“Why do you want to go with them?” whispered Eltor. “That is not the way to get to Elvangar.”
“Because we will be safe on Emperor Marak’s ship,” answered Mistake. “They know where they are going, they are armed for combat at sea, and the Motangans will not be looking for a ship that large. They will be looking for this one.”
“That makes sense to me,” nodded MistyTrail. “I want to stand somewhere where I at least know the people so I can put that island behind me. Emperor Marak will help us get you two back to Elvangar. Trust us.”
“Permission granted, Mistake,” came the mage’s voice from the Khadoran ship. “We will alter course slightly to port. I suggest you do the same towards your starboard. We will meet in a few hours. Is that acceptable?”
“Very much so,” grinned Mistake.
“Time to feed the sharks,” MistyTrail said as Mistake broke the air tunnel. “There is no need for the Khadorans to see these bodies. Will you help me, Caldal?”
Chapter 27
For Love of Gold
SunChaser sat in her private garden in Okata conversing with Lyra via an air tunnel.
“It is going to be very tricky,” declared SunChaser. “I think I can do it, but I may have reveal that I am a Sakovan spy to accomplish it.”
“Try not to reveal that if you can avoid it,” advised the Star of Sakova, “but if you must, do so. I cannot see any other way to accomplish our goal. The Katana directly controls four large armies of ten thousand men each. Even one of those armies could bring the Sakova to ruin.”
“I understand,” agreed SunChaser. “I know General Romero’s army left for Alamar yesterday, and General Valdey’s army is in the Sakova. That leaves General Didyk and General Kapla. Kapla is due here any minute. He is at a Katana’s Council meeting right now.”
“Keep me posted on which one is coming my way,” stated Lyra. “It is crucial to my plans.”
“You will be the first to know,” promised SunChaser as she heard a knock on the front door. “I have to run. I think he is here.”
SunChaser broke the air tunnel and raced out of the garden. She locked the door before crossing the room to answer the front door.
“General Kapla!” exclaimed SunChaser. “You are early.”
“I could not stay away, Cherri,” chuckled the Minister of Defense. “Why are you answering the door? Have you fired your staff?”
“No,” smiled Cherri as she opened the door wide to allowed the general to enter. “The dinner is already prepared so I let them have the rest of the day off. It will be just the two of us today.”
“What a pity,” General Kapla replied sarcastically. “I don’t know if I will be able to control myself.”
Cherri laughed as she closed the door. She led the general into the dining room.
“Sit down,” smiled Cherri. “I had them put the food on a cart. I will get it from the kitchen.”
General Kapla sat in his usual chair and stared at Cherri as she wheeled the cart into the dining room. Cherri watched the general licking his lips and giggled.
“Is that for me or the turkey?” asked Cherri.
“Both,” grinned the Minister of Defense. “Your dinners are always excellent. You should have your staff open a restaurant. You could make tons of money.”
“I already have tons of money,” giggled Cherri as she wheeled the cart to the end of the table so it was between the general’s chair and hers. “You now have quite a lot of it, too.”
“Really?” the general replied excitedly. “Tell me about it.”
“Well,” Cherri grinned as she sat down, “I have been buying and selling watula farms like crazy. I have managed to increase your wealth tenfold.”
“Tenfold?” echoed the Minister of Defense. “That is incredible. I will be able to repay those loans and still retire as a rich man. You cannot believe how nervous I have been about all of this. You know the penalty for defaulting on loans?”
“Public dismemberment,” Cherri nodded seriously. “I cannot think of a worse way to die. I would run away before I ever risked such a thing.”
“Running away is not an option for the Minister of Defense,” frowned General Kapla. “The Katana would surely hunt me down.”
“I bet he would,” Cherri nodded sympathetically. “Well if you want, I will begin liquidating your investments tomorrow. Or would you rather increase them some more?”
“No, no,” the general shook his head vigorously. “Tenfold is far more than my wildest dreams. Liquidate the farms and pay off my loans.”
“I shall,” smiled Cherri. “Would you care to serve us?”
“I would be pleased to do so,” smiled the general.
Cherri watched in silence as the general sliced the turkey and served portions. She removed the bowls of vegetables from the cart and placed generous helpings on the general’s plate and small helpings for herself.
“Anything interesting happen at the Katana’s Council meeting today?” Cherri ask nonchalantly.
“Ah,” sighed the general as he started eating. “This war is getting to be more than we bargained for. Our armies are running all over the place.”
“Well that is what happens in war, isn’t it?” shrugged Cherri.
“Not usually,” replied the general. “In the past all we have tried to do was invade the Sakova, but this time is different for some reason.”
“How is it different?” asked Cherri.
“A number of cities have aligned themselves with th
e Sakovans,” the general whispered conspiratorially. “I cannot imagine why anyone would do such a thing. The Katana will extract a terrible revenge on them.”
“I heard that Duran and Zaramilden defected,” nodded Cherri as she looked at food on her plate.
“How did you hear that?” the general asked with alarm. “No one is supposed to know that.”
“Actually I heard that some time ago,” shrugged Cherri. “That is not much of a secret.”
“It isn’t?” frowned the general. “I just learned of it a couple of days ago.”
“You really need to get better information about this war, General,” Cherri shook her head. “I think the Katana might be hiding bad news from you. There are even more recent rumors going around.”
“What more recent rumors?” probed the Minister of Defense.
“I heard Alamar and Gatong have also defected,” smiled Cherri.
General Kapla dropped his fork and started choking on a piece of turkey. Cherri rose swiftly and raced around the table to pound on the general’s back.
“Maybe I should not be upsetting you while we eat,” sighed Cherri. “Are you alright?”
“I am,” nodded the general as he inhaled deeply. “I am just shocked at how much you know. I heard about Alamar a couple of days ago, but I just found out about Gatong not an hour ago. Where are you hearing these things?”
“Just around,” shrugged Cherri as she sat back down. “Perhaps the Katana does not share the information with you until it is confirmed. Rumors don’t really need any confirmation.”
“That could be,” frowned the general, “but I would hope that the Katana would also share the rumors. I am in charge of moving huge armies around based on this news. I can use all the advance notice that I can get.”
“I agree,” Cherri said forcefully. “The Katana should be sharing everything with his Minister of Defense. That is how it has always been done before. How could he be so forgetful?”
“It has?” puzzled the general. “I forget that your first husband was a minister on the Katana’s Council. You probably know more about procedure than I do. I only served under Alazar and his reign was terribly short.”
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