Island of Darkness

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Still,” LifeTender swallowed hard, “the soldiers will seek to kill us.”

  “Of course they will,” agreed Ukaro, “but they will not find us. Each of your mages has a hiding spot. I will distract the soldiers while your people disappear. Do not worry. This will be a great victory for the Sakovans.”

  “Won’t the Omungans just rebuild their siege engines?” asked one of the Sakovan mages.

  “I suspect that they will try,” conceded Ukaro. “I am hoping that they decide to build them near Alamar. You can regroup there and harass them again while their troops are starving. Just remember to choose your terrain well. Each mage must have a good hiding spot.”

  “You will not be coming to Alamar?” asked LifeTender.

  “No,” Ukaro shook his head, his long mane swaying gracefully. “I want to meet up with the Star of Sakova as soon as we are done here today. I suspect that my talents will be useful to her elsewhere.”

  “I heard that she is on her way to Fortung,” commented LifeTender. “That is rather far away even with a choka.”

  “I have other ways to travel,” grinned the Chula shaman. “I will catch up with her.”

  “Here they come,” a Sakovan mage said with excitement. “We should take our places.”

  “Do not let nervousness distract you,” Ukaro said loudly to the group. “Think like an animal and let the soldiers be nothing but a distant noise. We will have a long wait for the siege engines. Just relax in your hiding spots. LifeTender will give the signal when it is time to emerge.”

  The Sakovan mages nodded and scurried off to their individual hiding places. Ukaro and Life Tender watched with pride as they disappeared.

  “You have a great group, LifeTender,” smiled Ukaro. “They will serve you well.”

  “They all admire you,” smiled LifeTender in return. “I hope that you will stay around for a while after the war is over.”

  “My future is not clear,” sighed the Chula shaman. “So much is happening in so many places, and we have so little time to prepare for what comes next. Whatever happens, I think the bond between the Chula and the Sakovans is strong. Our peoples will now communicate frequently as we should have all along.” He smiled at LifeTender and then looked once more at the approaching army. With a slight nod of his head, he said, “Take your place now. I will let you know when it is time.”

  LifeTender nodded silently and slid under a small outcrop of rock. She cast a spell, and the open side of the outcrop shimmered slightly before the image of a pile of rocks replaced it.

  “Excellent,” Ukaro said softly. “It is so natural looking. That is something that I can take home with me. It is amazing how our magics developed differently. I will be back to alert you when it is time. Relax.”

  LifeTender did not answer as Ukaro walked away and stood on top of the outcrop. The air around the Chula shaman shimmered and distorted as he cast his transformation spell. For a short time the shaman totally disappeared, but a tiger soon replaced him. The tiger slid down to the ground and lazily licked his paw as his eyes focused on the road below. He waited patiently.

  The wait was several hours long as the Omungan army rode by. A few soldiers’ eyes glanced up the forested slope above the road, but they did not see anything to alarm them. When the tiger saw the siege engines emerging from the city of Tanzaba, he rose and moved behind a large tree. A moment later Ukaro appeared. He moved stealthily towards the outcrop where Life Tender was hiding.

  “The time has arrived,” Ukaro said softly. “Make no sudden movements when you emerge.”

  The vision of rocks blinked out and LifeTender slowly slid out of her hiding spot. Her eyes immediately scanned the road below. She saw the siege engines coming and her eye twitched uncontrollably.

  “Calm your nerves,” Ukaro advised softly. “At Alamar you will be the one to stay alert and observe the soldiers. You must learn to control your body.”

  “I am trying,” LifeTender replied.

  “You will do fine,” smiled the Chula shaman. “This battle will help you overcome your nervousness.”

  “Should I alert the others now?” asked LifeTender.

  “I will leave the timing up to you,” replied Ukaro. “I alerted you rather early so that you could make that decision. If you alert the others too early, you risk premature detection, too late and you will miss your targets. The decision is yours.”

  “I will wait a bit,” decided LifeTender as she focused on the first of the siege engines. “If the first few are totally destroyed, the others will not be able to get by the debris. We will not miss them.”

  “Good decision,” grinned Ukaro. “It will not be a long wait.”

  LifeTender watched the Omungan procession carefully. She observed the demeanor of the soldiers as they rode by. Her confidence grew as she realized that the soldiers had no idea what was about to happen. She pictured them in disarray when the attack began. Slowly, she nodded to herself with confidence.

  When the lead siege engine was almost directly below her, LifeTender emitted a high-pitched screech as she mimicked an osprey. She made the call three times in succession and then mentally started counting. When she reached a count of thirty LifeTender cast her first spell.

  The ball of light streaked towards the trebuchet that led the procession of siege engines. The ball flattened as it flew towards its target, long blades of light spinning outward from its cortex. LifeTender heard shouts of alarm from the Omungan army as the blades of light struck the lower portion of the trebuchet’s carriage. The blades sliced through the wood of the carriage, and the trebuchet instantly lurched violently. It wobbled slightly before leaning to one side and crashing to the ground.

  Suddenly, the entire forest erupted with balls of light streaming downward. The soldiers of the Omungan army shouted and moved around in confusion as the blades of light struck the string of siege engines. Fireballs followed the initial volley, and the siege engines began burning brightly.

  The Omungan soldiers just before the siege engines began to rally. An officer shouted orders and formed a column to charge up the mountainside. LifeTender ignored them as she surveyed the damage to the Omungan siege weapons. She screeched loudly again as a signal for the mages to hide as she sent three successive fireballs to feed the fire in one area that was not burning sufficiently. Satisfied that her mission was accomplished, LifeTender turned her attention to the charging soldiers.

  Ukaro stood on a boulder several hundred paces east of LifeTender. She watched as he sent balls of light towards the charging Omungans. She stared in awe as the balls flattened and tore into the soldiers. The blades of light sliced through the Omungans like a knife through pudding. Blades passed through one soldier and continued onward to slice the next. Body parts flew through the air as blood sprayed into the wind and hung like a mist over the slope. She could see that Ukaro would leave nothing for her to attack, although she knew that other soldiers would soon be along to investigate. LifeTender cringed with pity for the Omungans as she slipped into her hiding spot and erected her illusion.

  * * *

  The Sakovans regrouped in a small clearing deep inside the Sakova. Healing mages ran around and surveyed the wounded. Warriors tended to the chokas, wiping the blood from their feathers and tending to broken claws.

  “I need a healing mage here,” shouted HawkShadow as he bent over SkyDancer. Speaking softly he addressed the wounded warrior, “You will be fine in a moment. Just lie still and concentrate on controlling your breathing.”

  SkyDancer clutched her side and nodded weakly. A healing mage knelt next to HawkShadow and StormSong appeared, towering over everyone. HawkShadow pointed out a gaping wound on SkyDancer’s side to the healing mage and then stood.

  “She is cut pretty bad,” HawkShadow said to StormSong.

  “She is in better shape than most of our people,” frowned StormSong. “We can no longer continue this fight. There are just too many of them.”

  “I know,” agreed HawkSh
adow. “You cannot expect a hundred warriors to stand against ten thousand. We have gotten the best of them, but this last pass was too much for our warriors. We will heal who we can and order the retreat to StarCity.”

  “Why not send for reinforcements?” asked StormSong. “We have thousands of warriors in StarCity. Why not bring them here?”

  “Even thousands will be no match for this Omungan army,” answered HawkShadow. “They are not sufficiently frightened as they should be. I spent too much time scaring the smaller army.”

  “You spent the minimal time possible to achieve your objective,” countered StormSong. “Any less and they would not have retreated. Do not blame yourself.”

  “Half of our people are dead,” frowned HawkShadow. “Who am I to blame for that besides myself?”

  “Blame the Omungans,” suggested StormSong. “You have done everything that you should have. I could not have done any better.”

  HawkShadow stared at the tall female with wonder. StormSong never falsely praised anyone. He knew that her words were sincere.

  “Regardless,” HawkShadow shook his head, “the Omungans have gotten the better of us. We must heal these people quickly and get them on the road to StarCity. Our fighting in the Sakova is over for now.”

  “It is not over yet,” warned Goral as the giant approached. “The Omungans are searching for us. In fact, we are surrounded. Unless they drastically change their search pattern, we will remain surrounded until they stumble upon us.”

  “Those are not words that I wished to hear,” sighed HawkShadow. “How much time do we have?”

  “An hour or two,” shrugged Goral. “The longer we wait before trying a break, the better their chances of overwhelming us. We should move out soon.”

  “We shall have to break their encirclement in the direction of StarCity,” mused HawkShadow. “To do otherwise is to risk another entrapment.”

  “But that will point them in the direction of StarCity,” countered StormSong. “Are you sure that is wise?”

  “We have no other choice,” nodded HawkShadow. “Look around you. These warriors are beat. If they have one more battle in them before they collapse, that is all they have.”

  “We could sacrifice ourselves for the secrecy of StarCity,” suggested Goral. “You know that we would all do that.”

  “I do know that,” sighed HawkShadow, “but that is not my plan. General Valdey has been on a direct course towards StarCity since he entered the Sakova. I do not know how, but I believe that he already knows the location of our city. I will not sacrifice fifty of our finest to keep secret what is already known.”

  “I agree,” declared StormSong. “The other Omungan armies always acted as if they were searching for StarCity. General Valdey does not. His approach has been direct.”

  “Besides,” added HawkShadow, “finding StarCity and conquering it are two different things. StarCity was meant to be defensive from its inception. You will be able to hold off this Omungan army for weeks easily, maybe months.”

  “Me?” questioned StormSong. “And where will you be?”

  “I will be of little use inside StarCity,” replied HawkShadow. “I plan to do what I was trained for.”

  “Assassination?” questioned Goral. “Who are you going to assassinate?”

  “I will get General Valdey tonight when they camp,” answered HawkShadow. “After that I will try to team up with Lyra.”

  “You are crazy,” Goral shook his head. “General Valdey will be surrounded by his men. You will not get anywhere near him.”

  “HawkShadow will get to him,” interjected StormSong. “This is his land, and he knows it well. If anyone can get to the Omungan general, HawkShadow is the one.”

  “If anyone can,” echoed Goral, “but I suspect that no one can. I will stay behind to help you.”

  “Help me?” inquired HawkShadow. “You are capable of many things, Goral, but I do not see you crawling into the enemy encampment.”

  “I can be a diversion if you get in trouble,” insisted Goral. “At least I can provide a chance for you to escape.”

  “He can be a diversion,” chuckled StormSong. “Besides, he is better off joining up with StarWind than being cooped up inside StarCity. Take him with you.”

  “Very well,” nodded HawkShadow, “but no others. Leave the unburdened chokas here when you break out. I will teach Goral how to climb these giant fargi trees and wait until the Omungans pass by. Hopefully they will avoid our warbirds and not try to kill them.”

  “I think they will give the chokas a wide berth,” nodded StormSong. “The warbirds have claimed almost as many Omungans as we have.”

  “I have done the best I can for her,” announced the healing mage as she rose from SkyDancer’s side. “She needs rest, lots of it.”

  “She isn’t likely to get any today,” frowned StormSong. “We are moving out in a few moments.”

  “I will be ready,” SkyDancer said with determination as she stood up. “It was just a scratch.”

  “A scratch?” HawkShadow asked incredulously. “I am amazed that you can stand. You know,” he hesitated, “I think it would be good to have SkyDancer along with me and Goral. She will be able to take over for me if I run into trouble.”

  StormSong gazed at HawkShadow and was about to argue with him, when she suddenly smiled and nodded her head knowingly. “That is a great idea,” she said. “Do you need help getting her up in the tree?”

  “Goral and I can handle it,” HawkShadow replied with a smile directed at StormSong. “Teach them a lesson when you depart, warrior.”

  “They will be sorry that they ever entered the Sakova,” StormSong smiled back. “Mount up,” she shouted loudly to the rest of the Sakovans. “We are breaking out of this trap and returning to StarCity. There will be no waiting around for stragglers, so when we attack, ride through them as fast as you can.”

  StormSong turned and headed towards the group mounting their chokas. She quickly checked on the wounded and then mounted her own choka. She led the way out of the clearing towards StarCity.

  The chokas padded softly and quickly through the forest. Within half an hour, StormSong held her hand up for a halt. She strung her bow and held it high so everyone could see it. The Sakovan warriors immediately mimicked their leader. One of the healing mages rode alongside StormSong.

  “Are we close?” she asked softly.

  “Very close,” StormSong replied. “I can hear their horses in the distance.”

  “I was thinking,” said the healing mage. “Several of us could use air tunnels as a diversion as we charge through. We will be making quite a racket when we charge. If we can spread that noise out to the flanks, the Omungans will be confused as to where we are attacking.”

  “I like it,” grinned StormSong. “Find another mage and direct the noise as far off each flank as you can. Make sure that you keep up with the rest of us. I do not want you falling behind.”

  “We will keep up,” promised the healing mage. “There is no need to be real accurate with where the air tunnels go so we will not need to concentrate on it.”

  “Good,” nodded StormSong. “Get ready quickly. We are about to attack.”

  The healing mage swiftly talked to another mage and divided the task. StormSong inhaled deeply as she pulled three arrows from her quiver and held them in her bow hand. She nocked one of them and looked around at her fellow warriors. With a nod to those behind her, StormSong started forward. The chokas picked up speed until the Sakovans were charging towards the Omungan army. When the Omungans came into view, StormSong let out a war scream. The rest of the Sakovans also roared as they charged into battle.

  The mages wove their air tunnels and spread them far to each side of the charge. The Omungans reacted with confusion. The charging Sakovans fired off a barrage of arrows as soon as the enemy was within range. After the third barrage of arrows, the Sakovans dropped their bows and switched to Sakovan stars. After three Sakovan stars, the warriors pulle
d their swords.

  The projectiles had created a large hollow in the Omungan force as rider less horses ran away from the battle. StormSong led the charge into the gap. Her long sword swung from side to side felling the nearest Omungans. The choka used its claws to slice into anything that got close, man and horse alike. The rest of the Sakovans followed in a wedge formation. As StormSong broke clear on the other side of the Omungans, the wedge collapsed as the Sakovans raced through the hole.

  The Omungans immediately gave chase, but their horses could not keep up with the Sakovan warbirds. StormSong rode for half an hour before she called for a halt. She took a quick count of her fellow Sakovans and frowned.

  “How many did we lose?” asked one of the warriors.

  “Sixteen more,” frowned StormSong. “It is a much smaller war party returning to StarCity than the one we left with. Check and see if anyone needs a healer. We rest for five minutes.”

  * * *

  HawkShadow watched the Omungans pass the clearing below. As StormSong had anticipated, they gave a wide berth to the group of chokas in the clearing. He waited for over an hour before deciding to climb out of the tree. He dropped to the ground and walked to the tree that Goral and SkyDancer were in. No sooner had he arrived then SkyDancer was lowered on a rope. HawkShadow untied the rope and Goral dropped the other end. The giant soon appeared on the ground as he dropped from a low branch.

  “What now?” asked SkyDancer.

  “Now, you two head for Campanil,” ordered HawkShadow.

  “That was not the plan,” frowned Goral. “I was to be your diversion. Remember?”

  “That was before,” HawkShadow shook his head. “I do not want SkyDancer to be a diversion. She needs to heal. Take her with you to StarWind.”

  “If you did not need me for something,” scowled SkyDancer, “then why did you keep me from returning with StormSong?”

  “Because you would not have made it through the Omungan army,” answered HawkShadow. “I pray to Kaltara that some of them made it through. You say it is just a scratch, but I saw your wound before it was healed. You are lucky to be alive. Go with Goral and heal. Your talents will be sorely needed in the future.”