Chapter 13
Hard Lessons
Lyra stepped forward and reached out to grab the first choka when suddenly an arm wrapped around her neck and dragged her back. She tried to scream, but the arm tightened, crushing against her throat and she started gasping for breath. She felt the body of her assailant against her back and tried to reach for him, but her arms felt leaden as her mind began to cloud with dizzying thoughts.
“MistyTrail said you were smart,” her assailant whispered, “but I have to wonder now. Sending your two friends off to die in this foolish attempt was not an act of intelligence.”
Lyra shivered with fear at the thought of being caught attempting to escape. Her cloudy mind was sifting through explanations for her behavior that she might offer the Sakovan when she heard the blood-curdling scream. The scream was definitely Syman’s she realized and the sound tore at Lyra’s soul. Someone was not content with killing Syman quickly, as the screams continued to reverberate through the ancient forest as her friend suffered pain after pain and tears started pouring down Lyra’s cheeks.
“That should be the dark-haired one, Syman,” her captors chilling voice whispered. “A leader does not throw her friends lives away so foolishly. You were warned.”
Lyra tried anew to struggle and quickly gave up. She could find no purchase against her strong captor and Syman’s screams drained the strength out of her. Suddenly she heard screaming in the other direction.
“And Antello,” whispered the death behind her. “He really needed to learn some caution before venturing out into the world. Many more experienced men have tried to slit my throat and failed.”
Lyra fought to regain consciousness as she realized that it must be HawkShadow holding her, but then who was killing Syman and Antello? She tried kicking back with her foot, but HawkShadow merely tightened his grip and defeated her attempt as she fought to breathe. The air filled with painful screams from both directions as HawkShadow dragged her back to camp. Hands grabbed at her from all directions upon entering the clearing and her weapons were stripped from her body. HawkShadow tossed her to the ground and she felt relief as the pressure against her throat was released. She looked up through her tear-filled eyes and saw the Sakovans looking down at her.
“Why don’t we finish them?” StormSong asked. “They were warned and it is obvious that we cannot afford to take outlanders into the stronghold. They have no honor and do not value their own word. How can we accept the risk to our people with the likes of them?”
Lyra heard the cries of Antello and her spirits lifted as he was dragged feet first into the clearing by little MistyTrail. With help from Goral, MistyTrail tossed the rope tied to Antello’s feet over a branch of the tree and hoisted Antello so he was suspended over the campsite dangling by his feet. Lyra could see scraps and bruises all over his body and one of his eyes was swollen shut, but she was thankful that he was still alive. He whimpered softly as his body swung at the end of the rope, dangerously close to the campfire, and Lyra lost her feeling of hope as Antello sank into unconsciousness. She wondered if he would last the night. SkyDancer emerged from the woods carrying the limp body of Syman. She laid the body on the ground next to Lyra and turned away. Lyra’s hope shattered as she caught a glimpse of Syman’s body. His clothing was shredded as if a thousand knives had sliced him. The exposed flesh visible underneath the ruined fragments of his clothing was similarly mutilated and looked as though someone had deliberately tortured him to death by peeling off strips of his skin.
Anger and fury raged through Lyra as she looked at the smug Sakovans and the destroyed remains of her friends. Casting deep within herself for the needed strength, Lyra leaped to her feet. StormSong was on her in a flash and extended her sword towards Lyra in a threatening fashion. The hatred filled scowl on StormSong’s face infuriated Lyra and the bonds of fear and caution snapped within her. She strode towards StormSong purposely until she felt the tip of StormSong’s sword touch between her breasts.
“Well, mighty Sakovan warrior,” Lyra spat, “here is your prey. What are you waiting for? All you have to do is shove and you can strike down a despicable outlander. Never mind that she is but a youngster and bears no arms. That shouldn’t matter to one who holds honor so highly. I am sure when you return to StarCity, or whatever hole you call home, they will write ballads about your bravery for this fine deed.”
StormSong hesitated, taken aback by the young girl’s fierce words and Lyra leaned forward, feeling the tip of the sword bite into her flesh.
“Be quick,” Lyra growled. “Or do you prefer to mutilate your victims first? We are guilty, after all, of stepping foot upon your precious land and threatening your very existence.” Lyra shook her head and laughed. “The mighty Sakovan warriors! Their very existence threatened by three youngsters running for their lives. You are pitiful. Need I run into your sword to join my friends? Do it StormSong! Earn your ballad. Kill me and be done with it,” she screamed.
HawkShadow reached forward and grabbed Lyra by the neck and dragged her away from StormSong’s sword, dumping her on the ground. Lyra’s reserve broke and she burst into tears, crying hysterically in the dirt as the Sakovans watched. StarWind stepped to the center of the campsite and started issuing terse orders, but Lyra neither heard nor cared what they were doing. Exhaustion from lack of sleep, and the release of a multitude of emotions, hammered at Lyra as she lay crying. She gave into her weariness and let the darkness overtake her.
When she awoke it was daylight, although daylight in the fargi forest did not offer much light. She realized she was back on her blanket at the edge of the clearing and the events of the night lanced back into her thoughts. Swiftly she sat up and saw Antello sitting next to her, watching her.
“You slept so soundly that I did not have the heart to wake you,” he soothed.
Lyra stared at Antello and he looked as normal as he had the night before, prior to their foolish escape attempt. She twisted her head and saw Syman lying on the other side of her, covered by a blanket. She detected his breathing and was thankful that he was still alive, although she was determined not to lift the blanket and see the extent of his mutilation.
“You’re both alive,” she smiled. “I thought I had led you to your death.” She reached over and hugged Antello tightly.
“It was not your fault,” Antello stated as he hugged her back. “We agreed to the plan freely and you should not bear the weight of any of our decisions. If anything, the fault was mine. I greatly underestimated the Sakovans and I will not be so rash in the future. Instead of slitting HawkShadow’s throat I was humiliated by that little MistyTrail. I never stood a chance against her and she is the smallest of them. She tossed me around as if I was lighter than air. I have never seen anyone move so swiftly. Whatever happens to us from now on, we should not attempt to tangle with these Sakovans again. We are no match for them.”
Antello hung his head in shame and Lyra kissed him gently. “I know,” she agreed. “We will do as they say from now on.”
Syman stirred and they turned to him as he sat up. He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck and greeted his friends with a tight-lipped smile. “I feel like I was run over a herd of wasooki,” he grumbled. “There is still one stomping inside my head.”
As Syman sat up, the blanket covering him dropped and his bare chest was revealed. Lyra gasped as his smooth skin was uncovered and there was no sign of the mutilation she had seen the night before.
“We healed them,” explained StarWind as she seated herself across from the three youngsters. “Say nothing yet,” she cautioned as Lyra’s mouth opened to spit venom. “I have some explaining to do and you need to listen.”
“First off,” she started when she saw that she had the youngsters’ attention, “we did not mutilate your friends. Syman had the misfortune of not knowing that the chokas are trained warbirds. Their talons are razor sharp and only Sakovans can approach them unless they are instructed otherwise. You would have been in th
e same shape if HawkShadow had not grabbed you in time, Lyra.”
Lyra stared anew at Syman’s chest with wonder. She remembered the shredded remains she had seen the night before and shuddered at the thought that they had been riding these animals for the last two days without comprehending what it was that carrying them. For just a moment, she was grateful to HawkShadow for grabbing her.
“Antello can tell you his own blunder if he wishes,” StarWind continued, “but it is not important. You made some stinging accusations last night, Lyra. While there is some truth and logic to what you said, you need to know the whole truth about us. To allow you an insight into the Sakovans though I must go back many centuries.”
StarWind signaled with her hand and SkyDancer brought over plates of food for the youngsters. “Many centuries ago,” StarWind started, “the whole area you know of as Omunga was the home of the Sakovans. They were a peaceful people who tilled the land and fished the sea as they had for untold centuries before. They had no army; indeed they had no fighting skills whatsoever. Even hunters were a rare breed in Sakova as their culture had little use for meat or hide other than the wasooki and clova they herded.”
StarWind smiled as the youngsters dug into the offered food. They were no doubt starved, she realized, as the healing process demanded fresh energy from their bodies. “One day,” StarWind continued, “a vast army appeared on the shores of Sakova, bent upon conquest of the land they had discovered. They found the local Sakovans easy prey who were unable to defend themselves.”
A hint of a tear formed in StarWind’s eye as she related the tale. “The Omungans, as they called themselves, proceeded to destroy the villages along the coast first. The Omungans were not content to take over the villages and enslave the people. They killed every living soul, man, woman, and child. The slaughter was devastating. The Sakovans inland heard the stories from a handful of people who had fled the carnage and the word spread quickly, but there was little to be done.”
“Couldn’t the inland people organize and resist the attack?” asked Antello.
“Perhaps given time that might have worked,” reasoned StarWind, “but there were complications. The Sakovans not only lacked fighting skills, they also possessed no weapons. A further complication was the Scroll of Kaltara. Only months before the invasion, the leader of the Sakovan people was murdered in his sleep. The God of Sakova was angered by this event, for God always chose the leader of the Sakovan people, and the murder was a blatant crime against God’s rule. A priest, on a journey to attend the funeral of the leader, was stopped along the Kaltara River by God and given a scroll to deliver to the people. It was the called the Scroll of Kaltara and it prophesized the destruction of the Sakovan people for their crime against God.”
“So the Sakovans knew that the invasion was preordained,” rationalized Syman.
“Correct,” StarWind declared. “The scroll accurately predicted the devastation of the Sakovan people and told how they would no longer be fishermen and farmers, but have to kill their food to survive. It stated how the Sakovans would be scattered across the land and how they would be hunted down and killed by their enemies, a price upon each of their heads. Some of the people fled into the mountains, but others stayed and died as the Omungans moved inland and hunted them down. The Omungan conquest was extensive and eventually only a small fraction of the Sakovans survived the attacks.”
“But some still exist to this day, centuries later,” interrupted Lyra. “What does this have to do with us?”
“The conquest never ended,” explained StarWind. “The Omungans today, and ever since that day, still seek to wipe out the Sakovan race and finish completely the conquest they began. For generations the Sakovans have hidden in a stronghold that the Omungans have been unable to find. There they have devoted their lives to perfecting their warrior skills so that when the day came for them to reclaim their land, they would be ready. The Scroll of Kaltara tells that eventually God will send the Sakovans a new leader and when he does, we shall retake what is rightfully ours. Continually through the generations, the Omungans have sought this last stronghold of the Sakovans. The Sakovans have become a warrior culture and we have defended the Sakova from the Omungan incursions, sometimes at the cost of many lives.”
“But we are not seeking your stronghold,” argued Lyra. “Why do you need to kill innocent people who merely trespass?”
“We didn’t originally,” admitted StarWind, “but the Omungans are clever. The Sakova is a very large area and they seek to narrow their search. After every successful incursion into the Sakova, the trespassers were seized by the Omungan government and interrogated. By our allowing innocent travelers the freedom to move through the Sakova, the Omungans were able to determine large portions of the Sakova where the stronghold was not. Each time they find a spot where the stronghold is not, they narrow down where it can exist. Over time, they would be successful in finding the last remaining Sakovans and destroying them.”
“So if you let us go,” surmised Syman, “we would unwittingly be helping the Omungan government find your people.”
“Precisely,” nodded StarWind. “We have tried hard over the generations to paint a picture of the Sakova so dark and bleak that no ordinary traveler would dare set foot within it. It was the only way that we could think of to protect innocent travelers from being killed, because once they did enter the Sakova, we could not afford to let them leave. Our very existence hinges on retaining the secrecy of our stronghold.”
“So it is not us you fear,” Lyra summarized, “it is the knowledge we have gained by not finding your stronghold where we traveled?”
“Yes,” conceded StarWind. “Contrary to what you may believe, Sakovans do not enjoy killing innocent people, but it is preferable to the extinction of our race. Each fighter knows that coldhearted performance of his duty is the only thing that safeguards the Sakovan people he loves so dearly. Every year we get Omungans penetrating the Sakova to learn what they can. They are not always stern looking men dressed in battle armor. They may be old or young, strong or feeble. The Omungans have tried every guise to learn the location of the stronghold.”
“How can you know that?” protested Lyra. “Perhaps you merely think they are spies and you are killing innocent travelers.”
“I know it because it is my job,” StarWind stated. “I spend many months every year living among the Omungan people. I am part of a group who opens their eyes and ears in Omungan cities to ferret out the spies of the Omungan government. I know because I have identified such spies before they ever arrived in the Sakova. I also know that I am incapable of learning about all of their spies and so, like my predecessors, I adhere to the Sakovan policy of accepting no strangers within the Sakova.”
“And yet you have allowed us to live,” interjected Antello. “At least so far.”
“Is it because of the ring?” Lyra asked.
“Yes because of the ring,” answered StarWind. “It is more than that though. Our leader feels that there is something happening in Omunga that our spies have failed to detect. He thinks you are a central part of whatever is happening and our lives depend on knowing what the enemy is up to. Never in all of his days have so many assassins been sent in search of one individual and never has that search entered the boundaries of the Sakova. He wants to know why they are after you and what it signifies for his people.”
“But what if we can’t tell him?” Lyra asked. “I know nothing about the Omungan government and what they want.”
“He will have us killed after he learns what he wants, won’t he?” interrupted Syman. “So why should we tell him anything? I mean he treats us as the enemy. Shouldn’t we treat him as our enemy then?”
StarWind stared at the youngsters before answering. “I do not know what he will do,” she confided. “I will tell you this. I will speak on your behalf. There may be options open for you that have not been investigated yet. Perhaps our security may be upheld by just not allowing you to leave the S
akova. We will have to wait and see what can be done. As I have told you before, I have never known of any Omungans being brought into the stronghold. It is against our law.”
“But we have to leave,” declared Lyra. “I must get to Uncle Temiker in Alamar. I must.”
StarWind rose and shook her head. “Take things one step at a time,” she suggested. “We are less than a days ride from the stronghold and we will be there before dark. I urge you to think on what I have told you and what your information may mean to the Sakovan people. I know you are being brought against your will, but I have stated my intention to speak on your behalf. It is up to you to present a favorable image to our leader. The image you present may well determine your fate. Get ready to move out now.”
StarWind turned and strode off to gather her own gear, leaving the youngsters to ponder their fate as they hefted their packs and cautiously carried them to the waiting chokas. Syman in particular had a hard time approaching his choka and SkyDancer came over and strapped the packs on for him.
“It will not harm you now,” she instructed. “It knows that it is to carry you and it will do so peacefully.”
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