SkyDancer smiled at the colonel’s answer, but the colonel could not see the Sakovan’s face.
“Understandable,” sighed SkyDancer, “but that does present me with a problem. My plan called for the Katana to call off this war. Now that you have ruled that possibility out, I am stuck without an exit strategy. What am I to do?”
“Surrender,” the colonel stated quickly as he saw the body of one of the Councilors on the floor. “I will promise you a swift death.”
“I am not ready to die just yet,” retorted SkyDancer. “I think I would prefer to hold a meeting of the Katana’s Council. I am sure that these fine men would pass a resolution calling for an end to this unjust war. Perhaps they would even be willing to give a pass out of the city and guarantee that I will not be molested.”
Colonel Zanta wanted to shake his head and laugh at the demands of the Sakovan, but he knew better than to show any emotion. He wondered if the Sakovan was foolish enough to believe that the Katana would care what the Council voted. If she was that naïve, it might work to the colonel’s advantage. He could let the Sakovan think she was accomplishing something and then kill her when she tried to leave.
“If the Councilors are willing to entertain your suggestion for a meeting,” Colonel Zanta said, “I can not stop them, but I warn you now. I see the body of one Councilor on the floor. If you kill another one, all bets are off. I will kill you myself, regardless of what the Council says. Do you understand?”
“I do,” SkyDancer responded in an obedient manner. “I did not want to harm any of them, but that one started shouting before I was ready for you to arrive. I had no choice. Do you wish to stay for the meeting?”
“I cannot be distracted from my work,” Colonel Zanta said as he tried to gaze assuringly at the First Minister as if to ask him to play along for a while. “I am leaving a squad outside this door. Nobody will leave this room without my permission. Have your meeting. Knock on the door when you are ready to talk again.”
“Close the door on your way out,” SkyDancer said. “Those archers appeared to have too loose a finger on the string.”
Colonel Zanta backed out of the room and closed the door. He stood for a moment outside the room trying to determine what to do.
“You are leaving that madman in there with the Councilors?” asked one of his men.
“For now,” nodded the colonel. “There is more than one Sakovan in there. At least two, but there could be more. There is wire running around the necks of all of the Councilors. If we attack, I believe all of the Councilors would die along with the Sakovans. Given that, the Sakovans can do no more harm as long as they are contained within that room. This way we have some time to figure out a way to overcome the intruders. No one goes out or enters that room for any reason. I am going to my office to devise a plan. If there is a knock on the door, summon me immediately.”
Chapter 35
Magical Garden
The Katana’s personal guard consisted of a dozen Monitors. When Colonel Zanta issued the alarm, the Monitors immediately put their security plan into action. They quickly removed the Katana from his personal quarters and escorted him through the corridors to the safest place within the Imperial Palace.
The Katana’s private garden was located in the center of the Imperial Palace complex, but it had only one entrance. It was designed to be defended by a small number of men while the rest of the Monitors were gathered from every corner of the structure to attack the invaders from the rear.
When the group arrived at the entrance to the garden, two Monitors opened the door and moved into the garden. Inside the door, they each went in a different direction around the perimeter and met at the far end of the garden. They then proceeded through the center of the garden and returned to the door. Only then was the Katana allowed to enter the garden. After the Katana passed through the door, the Monitors shut the door, locked it, and took up a defensive stance outside it. There they would remain until Colonel Zanta indicated that the threat was over.
The Katana walked deep into the garden. He held no appreciation for the flowers and pathways as previous Katana’s had. In fact, he looked at the garden as a prison and was impatient to be let out of it. Still, he understood the need to be protected. His task in Omunga was far from over, and he would not allow some fool assassin to shorten his work.
The garden had many stone benches along its winding paths, but only at the very rear was there a comfortable leather chair next to a small bookshelf. The Katana sighed with boredom as he slid into the chair and grabbed for a book from the shelf. He did not select the book by title or topic, but rather grabbed the closest one. His thoughts were on the difficulties the Omungan army was having with the Sakovans, and the book was merely a tool to clear his mind for a short while.
Across the length of the garden, on the wall with the entry door, there was a corner that featured a tall trellis covered with a broad-leaved vine. Anyone with a love of flora would have admired the golden flowers that populated the vine. They also would have wondered when the vine had been added to the garden, as it had not been there the night before. In fact, it was not there now. The vine and trellis were illusions.
Several moments after the Katana settled into the leather chair, the illusion wavered as Goral stepped through it. The Sakovan giant walked silently towards the entry door, his eyes focused on the Katana who was only occasionally visible through plants. When the giant reached the door he placed his hands on it and let his weight brace it so that it remained closed.
The Katana did not notice Goral moving at the other end of the room. His first hint of trouble was the shadow that fell across his book. His head snapped up to stare at two men standing before him. One of the intruders was obviously human, and the Katana’s memory held recognition of the person, although he could not immediately attach a name to the face. The other figure was bizarre. It appeared to be human, but it had the face of a lion with long whiskers protruding over a split lip and a long golden mane. He suddenly realized that he faced a Chula shaman. The Katana leaped to his feet, his arm rising menacingly towards the two figures, even as his feet propelled him backwards and away from the threat. The Katana’s first reaction was to kill, not to summon the help of his Monitors. Fire flew from his fingertips towards the two intruders. The fire impacted on a magical shield and winked out. The cat-like man twitched under the impact.
“Now, Temiker,” Ukaro said softly. “Make it quick. His power is strong.”
Temiker raised his hands and pointed at the Katana. Lightning streaked out of nowhere and slammed into the Katana’s shields. Tiny tendrils of lightning sparkled and spread across the surface of the shields protecting Omunga’s leader. Thunder pealed loudly as Temiker studied the outline of the Katana’s shields.
Outside the door of the garden the Monitors heard the thunder. They turned nervously and tried to open the door. It would not budge. The Monitors put their shoulders to the door, but it still would not open.
Temiker held the lightning spell on the Katana to outline the shields while he cast a spell of resonance. A fury of sounds assaulted the Katana’s shields even as the Omungan leader retaliated with a force bolt. The force bolt slammed into the shields that Ukaro had erected around Temiker and himself. The Chula’s shields shuddered as they absorbed the massive energy blast.
Temiker varied the pitch of his spell of resonance as he watched the Katana’s shields react to the different frequencies. When he found the proper pitch, he held it and let it work in conjunction with the lightning. The Katana’s shields were outlined for all to see, and they were shrinking as the sonic vibrations rattled them.
The Katana’s frustration showed as he realized that Ukaro must be holding a shield around Temiker, while Temiker did the attacking. His eyes narrowed as he sought a spell to defy the enemy’s protection. Suddenly, flames flashed from his fingertips again, but it was not directed towards Temiker. Instead it was aimed at Ukaro. He sighed and bit his lips as the flames bounce
d off and died. The shields were protecting both of the mages against him.
Temiker held both the lightning spell and the spell of resonance in one hand as he summoned a spell of winter wind. A cold column of air began circulating around the Katana. Snowflakes blew in a flurry as the surface of the Katana’s shields first turned white, and then blue as the freezing air pressed hard against the shrinking shields. Ice formed on the shields, even as the lightning sparkled and tried to melt it.
At the other end of the room, Goral put his weight against the door. He grunted from the effort as the Monitors started slamming some hard object into the door to break it down. Goral wanted to shout to the mages that he could not hold the door much longer, but he knew that Temiker was already working as fast as he could. No amount of urging would speed things up. The giant grunted and concentrated on holding back the Monitors.
The Katana raised his arms high over his head. He cast a spell to create a whirlwind, a tornado with enough strength to batter Ukaro’s shields. He knew that the spell might actually kill them all, but he was determined not to let the Sakovans win. Besides, he felt confident that the shields created for the Katana were stronger than anything that the Chula could devise. He grinned victoriously.
Temiker suddenly released all of his spells, dropping his arms and pointing his fists at the Katana. He felt the tremendous power within his body surge into his arms, his skin rippling towards his fists. A huge force bolt shot from Temiker’s combined fists. It slammed into the Katana’s shields, which instantly exploded in a spray of ice and snow.
The shock of the exploding shields rocked the Katana. He staggered backwards as his tornado veered out of control. The whirlwind weakened as it slammed into the stone wall surrounding the garden, throwing a spray of dirt and rocks high into the air.
Ukaro saw the Katana’s shields disintegrate. He immediately threw a freezing ball at the Omungan leader. It struck the Katana and instantly froze him. Temiker was shaking from the exertion of battle. He put his hands on his knees and exhaled loudly.
A loud crack reverberated through the room as the door that Goral was holding splintered. The Sakovan giant groaned loudly as he put all of his effort into holding the split door.
“The door,” Ukaro shouted. “Put a physical shield across the doorway.”
“I can’t,” Temiker shook his head as he stood erect and turned to stare at door. “It would kill Goral.”
Ukaro stared at Goral as the giant struggled to keep the Monitors out of the room. He saw the exertion causing Goral’s arms to quiver.
“He doesn’t have much left in him,” warned Ukaro. “Count to five and erect the physical shield.”
The Chula shaman immediately threw a ball of light towards the door. He shouted for Goral to leap clear, but he aimed his magical projectile towards the very top of the door. The ball of light flattened as it soared across the garden. Blades of light flew outward as it skimmed over the top of Goral’s head and slammed into the top of the door. The blades sliced through the door and over the heads of the Monitors on the other side. They dropped the ram that they had been using on the door and dropped to the floor.
Goral leaped away from the door just as Temiker’s physical shield started to form. He rolled away from the door and remained on his back for several moments letting the muscles in his arms recover. Ukaro walked across the room and knelt by his side. He placed his hands on the giant and mumbled something under his breath. Goral smiled up at the Chula shaman.
“Thank you,” Goral said. “I have never felt so drained before.”
“Your stamina is remarkable,” smiled Ukaro. “Return to your hiding place. There is no need for the Monitors to discover you.”
Goral rose and walked through the illusion in the corner of the room. Seconds later Ukaro disappeared. Temiker smiled broadly as he watched the cat slip under a bench near the door.
* * *
SkyDancer made the Councilors turn around and face the wall. HawkShadow moved towards the door and dragged the bodies of the slain Monitors into a corner. He examined the two Monitors for a moment and then began undressing one of them. He stripped off his Imperial Guard uniform and put on the clothes of the dead Monitor. When he was done he rotated slowly as he sought SkyDancer’s approval. She nodded enthusiastically.
HawkShadow arranged the bodies in the corner so that the undressed guard was covered by the one still in his Monitor uniform. He tore the Imperial Guard outfit into strips and passed them to SkyDancer. She used the strips to first blindfold the Councilors and then gag them.
* * *
Colonel Zanta walked through the corridors of the Imperial Palace, his mind still back at the Council Chamber as he tried to figure a way to save the Councilors while capturing the Sakovan. He reached his office and opened the door. His eyes opened wide as he saw the woman sprawled out on his floor, her long golden hair splayed over the long red dress. His senses went to full alert as his eyes began to scan the room. Suddenly, the woman moaned and moved. Colonel Zanta moved swiftly to kneel at her side and cautiously turned her over so he could see her face. As cold steel brushed his neck, the colonel realized his fatal mistake.
“You should not move,” warned StarWind as she placed her sword against the neck of the kneeling colonel. “I would prefer not to kill you.”
“What is going on here?” Colonel Zanta asked softly.
“I wanted to talk to you alone,” StarWind replied, “but this tramp recognized me. She will live. I only hit her on the head.”
Cherri groaned and opened her eyes. She gazed up at Colonel Zanta.
“Colonel,” gasped Cherri, “Did she get away?”
The colonel looked down at Cherri. He wanted to shake his head, but the touch of the sword at his neck prohibited it.
“No,” he said in a whisper.
“She is a Sakovan spy,” Cherri trembled. “I saw her enter your office and knew that she was intent on stealing information. I tried to stop her. I guess my decision was a poor one.”
“Enough with the reunion,” snapped StarWind. “I came here to talk, not to listen to you two babble. I am well skilled with Sakovan stars, Colonel. I mention this so that you understand that any wrong moves and you will both be dead. I am going to back away so that you can tie this social butterfly up. I do not wish her running out of the office while we talk. Do not try anything foolish.”
StarWind backed away and threw a small coil of rope to the floor near Cherri. Colonel Zanta heard the door close as he gently placed Cherri’s arms across her waist. He tied them loosely and winked at Cherri. She smiled and winked back.
“May I stand and at least see my enemy?” asked Colonel Zanta.
“Better than that,” replied StarWind. “You may sit behind your desk. I have already removed your fine assortment of hidden weapons. Make yourself comfortable. Put the wench in a chair facing your desk first. I do not want anyone to stop in and get the right impression.”
The colonel rose and gently lifted Cherri. He placed her in a chair and positioned it so it faced his desk. Then he walked around the desk and sat in his chair and gazed appraisingly at the Sakovan spy. StarWind stared back at him.
“What do you want with me?” asked Colonel Zanta. “I do not keep information on Omungan troop movements. That is the province of the Imperial Guards.”
“I know more about Omungan troop movements than you do,” chuckled StarWind. “No, Colonel, I did not come here for information. I came for your cooperation.”
“My cooperation?” echoed the colonel. “Cooperation with what?”
“With the surrender of Omunga,” smiled StarWind.
“Forget it,” snapped the colonel as things began to become clear. “You might as well kill me now. I will not betray my country for you. If you think I will trade my life for the Sakovan assassin in the Council Chamber, you are sadly mistaken. She will never leave that room alive. Neither of you will leave this building alive. Throw your star and get it over with.”
<
br /> “Such bravery from a man serving a false government,” chided StarWind. “Look, Colonel, I don’t have time for a long debate on this. The Star of Sakova is outside in the plaza explaining the situation to the citizens of Okata. Okata will fall today. The question is how much blood must flow before that happens. You have within you the capability to minimize that bloodshed. Are you willing to spare the people of Okata from such horrendous consequences?”
“Taking the Katana’s Council hostage will not cause the surrender of Omunga,” retorted the colonel. “Your plan is foolish.”
“You are rather ill-informed,” frowned StarWind. “The Council was not taken hostage to end this war. They were taken to ensure that they observe the unveiling of your false Katana.”
“You will never get near the Katana,” vowed Colonel Zanta. “All Monitors would have to die before you could even get close to him.”
StarWind sighed and shook her head in a show of exasperation. “You really don’t understand the situation, do you? We already have the Katana. We already have the Council. I am looking for your help in getting them out to the plaza without having to destroy all of your Monitors.”
“Inconceivable,” scowled the colonel. “Do not expect me to believe your words when you would not even be able to find the Katana, much less destroy his escort and capture him.”
“Actually,” smiled StarWind, “His escort is still probably whole and standing outside the door to the garden. The Katana, however, I assure you is in our hands.”
The colonel’s eyes widened in surprise at the mention of the garden, but he was still defiant.
“Nevertheless,” he countered, “you cannot harm him. He is well protected by magical shields.”
“Omungan magic is feeble,” snipped StarWind. “Sakovans will not even be slowed down by such efforts. The Katana’s life is in our hands, as are the lives of the members of the Katana’s Council. As is yours for that matter, but we are wasting time here. Will you help end this situation in a painless way for all?”
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