Island of Darkness

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Sometimes,” shrugged the Chula shaman. “Cats have a hard time opening doors for themselves, and I did not dare to drop my disguise inside the palace. The time for that will come later.”

  “So you feel as I do then,” nodded Temiker.

  “How do you feel?” SunChaser asked questioningly. “What are you saying?”

  “That the battle for Omunga will come down to killing the Katana,” Ukaro replied.

  “More than that. Lyra has to take control of the Omunga government,” interjected Temiker. “It is the only way to rein in the huge armies. The government of Omunga must kneel before the Star of Sakova. No other result is acceptable.”

  “I guess I agree,” sighed SunChaser, “but I cannot imagine how we will accomplish that. HawkShadow is delivering a note right now to General Didyk. If it works, the last major army will leave this city by morning. Still, this Katana does not make public appearances. I fail to see how a handful of us can storm the Imperial Palace and take control of the government.”

  “Well we have time to work on a plan,” shrugged Temiker. “Lyra is coming here, isn’t she?”

  “She is,” answered SkyDancer. “StarWind and Goral will also be coming. Everyone else is fighting the Omungans.”

  “So there will be eight of us,” remarked SunChaser. “It is not much, but we will do what we are called to do.”

  “Nine,” smiled Ukaro. “Do not forget that Kaltara will always be with us.”

  * * *

  The door flap to the great tent flew open and the officer hurriedly entered. General Romero looked up from his desk with annoyance.

  “What great victory have you come to report this time?” the general snapped sarcastically.

  The officer slowed his approach and walked to the desk cautiously. He knew better than to challenge the general’s mood when Romero was sarcastic.

  “They destroyed our siege engines again,” reported the officer.

  “I ordered you to create them far from our encampment,” shouted the general. “How would the Sakovans even know we were building them? Did you manage to take any prisoners this time?”

  “No,” the officer shook his head. “The Sakovans vanish as soon as they attack. I had men strung out in the forest as sentries to detect their approach, but no one came or left. It must be some kind of magic that we do not understand.”

  “Did they use that magical light again to destroy our machines?” asked General Romero.

  “They did,” nodded the officer. “Some of my men tried to block the light with their bodies. The blades sliced right through the men and continued onward to destroy the siege engines. We have no defense against such spells, General.”

  “Well start all over again,” bellowed General Romero. “I must have siege engines to get past their walls. Get out of here before I have you whipped.”

  The officer hurried out of the tent, relieved to be out of the presence of the general. As soon as he left, a senior officer, who had been in the tent listening to the report, walked over to the desk and sat before it.

  “Don’t take it out on the men,” the staff member said soothingly to the general. “They are doing everything they can. The fact is, General, that we have been outmaneuvered this time. Without siege engines, we will never defeat General Manitow.”

  “Without food,” snapped General Romero, “we cannot even retreat to Tanzaba. We must get into Alamar now, or this army will die.”

  “Then it is time for negotiations,” suggested the staff member. “Perhaps you can barter food for the retreat of our army?”

  “If they even have enough food in there to feed my men,” sighed the general. “It is not a bad idea, though. I know Manitow. Perhaps I can bully him into surrendering. That would certainly shorten this siege. Ready my horse.”

  “You are going yourself?” the staff member said with alarm. “Is that wise?”

  General Romero snorted and stared at the senior officer as if the man’s fear was misplaced. He did not want to admit that he could not trust any of his men to go into the city. The general knew there was a good chance that whoever he sent would never return. Who could blame a starving man for staying where there was food to eat?

  “I am not afraid of Sakovans or Manitow,” declared General Romero. “Ready my horse.”

  The officer nodded and left the tent. General Romero straightened his uniform and gathered what he would need for the trip. When he stepped out of the tent, the officer was waiting with the general’s horse. The general mounted his horse and rode towards the city walls.

  General Romero thought briefly of a defender shooting him with an arrow, but he quickly dismissed the fear. As he approached the city, he could hear shouts rippling along the wall. It was obvious that the general had been recognized for who he was. Few officers had only one arm, so he knew that he was easily identifiable. He rode straight for the closest gate. As he neared the walls, the gate opened to admit him into the city. The general rode through the gate and stopped when a wall of pike men confronted him.

  “If the general will dismount,” stated an officer of Alamar, “I will take you to General Manitow. Your horse will be cared for until you return.”

  General Romero felt awkward inside the city of Alamar. He was grateful for the officer’s welcome as it gave him a chance to retain his dignity while crawling to the enemy. As the general was guided to the headquarters of the Imperial Guard, his eyes wandered in every direction. He observed the number of men upon the walls, and the state of their armor and weapons. He was dismayed to find no faults with either.

  General Romero had never been to Alamar before, but he felt as if the officer was taking too many turns to reach the headquarters. Still, he had no choice but to follow. The tour wound its way through the marketplace, and the general nearly stumbled as he failed to watch where he was going. He halted and stared at the stalls of the market. Food was heaped upon the tables, and the prices were ridiculously low. His eyes widened as he watched a butcher carving up a large wasooki.

  “Sorry, sir,” the officer said disrupting the general’s thoughts. “I should have warned you about that rough spot in the street. Are you all right?”

  “Fine,” snapped the general. “I am just fine. Lead on.”

  Although the general could not see it, the officer was grinning as he continued to lead the general through the city. The next thing the general noticed were the tradesmen that dealt in weapons. Thousand upon thousands of new arrows were piled high in front of the shops. New swords, axes, maces, and pikes were stacked thickly along the sides of the stalls. The general shook his head and followed the officer.

  The general continued following the officer while seeing everything that he could. He noticed a lot of warriors were out of uniform, and he wondered why. He finally decided to ask the officer.

  “Why does General Manitow allow those soldiers to appear in public without their uniforms?” he asked. “I thought the general was more intelligent than that. Doesn’t he realize what that does for the morale of his troops?”

  “The people without uniforms are not Imperial Guards,” answered the officer. “They are part of the Citizens’ Brigade.”

  “What is the Citizens’ Brigade?” asked General Romero.

  “They are normal citizens,” answered the officer. “They only take up arms when the security of the city is threatened.”

  “Preposterous,” the general shook his head. “What is the purpose of such a foolish thing?”

  “The purpose, General,” smiled the officer, “is to enlarge the army of Alamar by five times.”

  “Five times?” echoed the general as he halted in the street and stared at some of the warriors passing by. “Are you telling me that there are four thousand citizen warriors defending Alamar?”

  “In addition to the one thousand Imperial Guards,” nodded the officer as he urged the general to keep walking. “Many of them are quite skilled. In fact, the Citizens’ Brigade often defeats the Imperial Guard
when games are held. They are quite impressive. Ah, here we are.”

  General Romero looked up and saw the headquarters of the Imperial Guard. The officer escorted him into the building and along a corridor to the office of General Manitow.

  “The general is not in at the moment,” announced one of the sentries outside the office.

  “I will let General Romero get situated,” answered the officer, “and then I will go find him. Right this way, General.”

  The officer ushered General Romero to a chair and then retreated from the room.

  Chapter 33

  Generals

  The officer closed the door to General Manitow’s office, leaving General Romero alone. The officer immediately went to a room across the hall and entered without knocking. General Manitow looked up expectantly as the officer entered.

  “Did General Romero get the tour?” asked General Manitow.

  “The full tour,” grinned the officer. “He nearly stumbled in the market place and actually stopped and asked me about the Citizens’ Brigade. I feel confident that his impression of Alamar has changed drastically since entering through the gates.”

  “Excellent,” smiled General Manitow as he rose. “Wait outside my office to escort him back to the gates. If I do not mention that he is defecting, make sure that your path to the gates takes in the harbor. There are two Khadoran ships in today. I would like him to see them on his way out.”

  The officer nodded and grinned as General Manitow crossed the room and opened the door. He stepped to the door to his office and opened it. He closed the door quickly and marched to the chair behind his desk. He sat down and locked eyes with the Omungan general.

  “General Romero,” greeted General Manitow, “welcome to Alamar. What is the purpose of your visit?”

  “Straight to the point as usual, Manitow,” noted General Romero. “You should learn to ease into such negotiations.”

  “Negotiations?” echoed General Manitow. “What is there to negotiate?”

  “The surrender of Alamar?” tested General Romero.

  “I think not,” General Manitow shot back. “You may have more men at the moment, but that is sure to change soon. Alamar is built for defense. We will never surrender. If that was the purpose of your visit,” Manitow said as he rose from his chair, “I will have you escorted back to the gates.”

  “Why the rush?” objected General Romero. “Surely the war can wait a few minutes while we discuss things?”

  “You may have idle time,” General Manitow said as he towered over General Romero, “but my time is at a premium. In addition to my army, I have to rule over the citizens of Alamar. I know the citizens are only trying to be helpful, but you should try managing thousands of people who want to help the war effort.”

  “I heard about your Citizens’ Brigade,” replied General Romero. “Is it any good?”

  “The Citizens’ Brigade is a potent fighting force,” declared General Manitow, “but that is not what I was talking about. I was talking about the women and children who want to pamper my soldiers by bringing them food, or singing them songs, or help in any way they can. I was talking about all of the Khadoran ships waiting off the coast for a chance to dock. I was talking about people listing their homes for visiting Sakovan dignitaries. You can’t imagine how much time all of this takes.”

  A deep frown fell over General Romero’s face. He looked up at General Manitow with confusion.

  “Khadoran ships?” asked the Omungan general. “What does Khadora have to do with Alamar?”

  “You don’t know?” asked General Manitow. “They hide more from you than I imagined. The Sakovans and Khadorans are allies. The only thing stopping the Khadorans from invading is that the Star of Sakova feels that we do not need them. All they do now is send shiploads of food and supplies.”

  “Incredible,” sighed the Omungan general. “Alright, Manitow, sit down and let me get to the point for which I came.”

  General Manitow hesitated a moment and then made a show of sitting down impatiently.

  “Thank you,” General Romero said. “Somehow your people continue to manage to destroy my siege engines. It is getting quite tedious now. I am willing to make you a generous offer.”

  “And what is that?” asked General Manitow.

  “Share some of that Khadoran food,” smiled General Romero, “and I will order a retreat. We can both put this foolishness behind us.”

  “I see no reason to feed my enemies,” declared General Manitow. “If you wish to retreat, you are free to do so.”

  The Omungan general stared at Manitow with disbelief. The Omungans were offering to turn away from Alamar, and Manitow was acting as if he could not care less.

  “We can’t retreat,” snapped General Romero. “We have no food. Look, I am offering to end this siege. What is a little food to you when you have so much? Your people won’t have to man the walls any more. Your city can get back to normal.”

  “And let your army return to Okata?” General Manitow shook his head. “I cannot allow that.”

  “What are you talking about?” bellowed General Romero. “What do you care about Okata or western Omunga? They have nothing to do with you.”

  “That is where you fail to grasp what is going on,” retorted General Manitow. “There is no Omunga any more. There is Okata and Tanzaba, and there is the Sakova. I cannot allow your army to return to defend Okata, because that city will fall soon. The Sakovans like your army right where it is.”

  “You can’t be serious,” gasped General Romero. “How could the Sakovans defeat the west? Where did they get their armies?”

  “From Omungan cities,” answered General Manitow. “You know, General Romero, a country can only expect so much from its citizens. The Katana left the people of Omunga to starve to death. He showed how little he cares for them. Do you find it so surprising that so many Omungans have defected to the Sakova? My own citizens here in Alamar demanded to join the Sakova. They were willing to fight my Imperial Guards to defect. I imagine that the citizens in all Omungan cities would react the same, except for Okata. That is where the real battle will take place. So now you know why I cannot allow you to retreat.”

  “Allow me to retreat?” echoed General Romero. “That is preposterous. Will you listen to what you are saying? You cannot disallow an adversary to retreat.”

  “You can when that adversary is starving to death,” General Manitow said softly. “You have a choice to make, General Romero. You can surrender to me or die. For now that choice is yours. I urge you to seriously consider your position.”

  “What do you mean that the choice is mine for now?” questioned General Romero. “Why would that change?”

  “You have the option of surrendering to me now and ending this mess,” declared General Manitow. “If you refuse, I will make the same offer tomorrow directly to your troops. I have no doubt what their reply will be. The question you should be asking is what will they do to you when they defect.”

  General Romero’s eyes dropped to the desktop as he pictured the chaos that would result if General Manitow followed through on his threat. Inwardly, he agreed that his control over the army would shatter as thousands of storming men threw down their weapons and raced to the gates of Alamar. Finally, he lifted his eyes and met General Manitow’s gaze.

  “I surrender,” General Romero said so softly that General Manitow barely heard it. “I expect that my men will be treated with respect and fed promptly. Are you agreeable to that?”

  “You and your men will be treated well,” promised General Manitow. “In fact, I think you will enjoy being a part of the Sakova. Let’s go gather your men.”

  * * *

  The two black-clad figures stole along the alleyway a block away from the central square of Okata. When they reached the mouth of the alley they stopped and gazed at the building across the street. One of the figures raised an arm and pointed to a window three stories up. The window was remarkable because of the flic
kering light passing through it. In the dark city of Okata on the moonless night, the torchlight passing through the window was a beacon.

  “Are you sure that is his office?” asked HawkShadow.

  “I am positive,” replied SunChaser through the cloth of the black hood hiding her long golden hair. “He stays there many a night when he has a bottle to sip. Rumors say that he gets so drunk that the soldiers find him collapsed in his chair in the morning.”

  “Not much of an officer,” replied HawkShadow. “Why doesn’t he go home and drink? Surely he’s not spending his hours planning the orders of his troops for the next day.”

  “He lives with his brother,” answered SunChaser. “I am not sure why he stays in the headquarters of the Imperial Guard, but maybe he doesn’t wish to share his alcohol.”

  “Especially the bottle you had delivered to him this evening,” smiled HawkShadow. “It looked very expensive.”

  “It was outrageously expensive,” replied SunChaser. “Still, the money will be well spent if he stays up and drinks it all.”

  “I am sure that he is drinking it,” quipped HawkShadow, “but I will not guarantee that he will finish the bottle. You should return to your home now. Thank you for showing me the window.”

  “I will wait here,” countered SunChaser. “A number of things might go wrong. It would be safer for you to have someone watching out for you.”

  “It would be safer for me,” nodded HawkShadow, “but more dangerous for you. Your identity in this city is still a secret. Do not throw it away by trying to save me. If I fail in this mission, you will need to assassinate him another way.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” replied SunChaser. “I have been spying in this city for a long time. I know how to keep out of trouble. Get going.”

  The Sakovan assassin nodded and rechecked the street before darting across it. When he looked back for SunChaser, she was already gone from where he had left her. HawkShadow gazed up at the building and plotted his course. He chose a section of the wall not far from the lit window, but not directly near it. His hands rose above his head, and his fingers felt the smooth stone for a hold. He tightened his fingers on the small sliver of stone presented by a seam in the wall. He pulled his body upward as his feet sought a perch.