The fat military man pushed the door open and stepped inside. “She is expecting me,” he stated. “I am General Kapla, Minister of Defense.”
StarWind’s mind whirled and she remembered SunChaser reporting that he was supposed to come for dinner tonight. “Oh, yes,” smiled StarWind. “Of course. Please come in.”
Kapla entered the mansion and waved the Monitors off as he handed his hat to StarWind. StarWind closed the door and hurried to get in front of the General and direct him to a sitting room. “If you will have a seat, General,” StarWind smiled, “Cherri is probably making herself beautiful. I will tell her that you are here.”
The General barely acknowledged her words as he scanned the room and finally took a seat.
Chapter 27
Message of Doom
The fog billowed around Lyra’s feet and continued growing in size until the sun overhead dimmed, blocking out most of the light.
“Send it off in the direction of the pens,” instructed Temiker.
Lyra felt a slight twinge of panic as she looked about for the pens, but could see only the fog. Instead she closed her eyes and remembered what the practice yard looked like and visualized where the pens should be. Slowly she sent the fog heading towards the pens.
“Excellent,” shouted LifeTender. “Temiker, that spell will make a great addition to our list.”
“Well done, Lyra,” congratulated Temiker. “You learn quickly. What I would have given to have had a student like you.”
“You have me now, Uncle,” Lyra smiled as the fog rolled off towards the pens and Lyra felt the sunshine on her again.
“But for how long?” frowned Temiker. “Your duties to the Sakovan people grow daily. Already the other tasks are interfering with your lessons.”
“Bah,” Lyra chuckled. “Meeting with the elders only took an hour and I had my meal at the same time. I am learning several new spells a day and that makes the Academy look like playtime. I wish I had gotten this type of training from Master Malafar.”
Temiker turned serious and his face lost its smile. “Master Malafar taught you well, Lyra,” he stated. “Without the basic control and concentration he pounded into you, none of the learning we are doing now would be possible. Ask LifeTender how many Sakovan mages could learn at the rate you are. The point is though that you will have less time for training in the future. Your new life carries many weighty duties and they will be time-consuming.”
“I know,” nodded Lyra. “That is why I am spending every free moment learning. I did not mean to imply that my father’s teaching was not good. What I meant was that I could have learned so much more than what he taught me. And Rhodella, I never knew she was a mage. She could have been teaching me too.”
“Rhodella promised your father that she would not use her magic,” Temiker explained. “Malafar has a strange outlook on life. We were raised in Okata as the children of a Minister in the government. Patriotism to Omunga was drilled into us during our childhood. I discovered early that being Omungan did not make you right. I am afraid that Malafar never outgrew it.”
“What does that have to do with Rhodella practicing magic?” questioned Lyra.
Temiker seated himself on a log and patted it to indicate that Lyra should sit next to him. “Your father fell in love with a beautiful young girl,” Temiker began. “Only later did he learn that she was Sakovan. He was furious. People in Okata are taught that the Sakovans intend to drive them out of the country. The history books we used to learn from omitted how we slaughtered the Sakovans when we arrived here. We were taught to fear and hate the Sakovans. I was always a skeptic, even in my young days, but Malafar believed what he was taught as a child. So it came down to what he would do with his newfound love. He didn’t want to lose her, but he wished that she were not Sakovan. Rhodella was very adept at reading people and she sensed what the problem with Malafar was. Eventually she agreed not to practice magic, because it was the magic that gave her away, and she would adapt to being Omungan. Malafar accepted her assurances.”
“WinterWind could never give up being a Sakovan,” interjected LifeTender. “I cannot believe it.”
“No she couldn’t,” agreed Temiker, “and she didn’t promise to, although Malafar assumed she had. She promised to adapt to Omungan life. Those were her words and that is what she did, but she was always Sakovan.”
“Did you know she was a Sakovan?” asked Lyra.”
“Oh, yes,” smiled Temiker. “As I said, I was always more open-minded than my brother. I knew well before Malafar found out and kept it secret. I also know why she chose to live among the Omungans.”
“You did?” Lyra asked with shock. “She told you that?”
“Yes,” laughed Temiker. “Rhodella and I got along very well. I guess I became her Omungan confidant. I won’t say that she confided everything in me because I do not know what everything entails, but whatever she did tell me I kept secret between the two of us. When your father broke off relations with me, it hurt me more because I would miss Rhodella than I would miss him.”
“Did you know about Alfred then?” inquired Lyra.
“Of course,” answered Temiker. “She sent him to me before he came here. I traveled with him to the border of the Sakova.”
“You went along with this even though he was going to be a Sakovan spy?” questioned Lyra.
“Why not?” retorted Uncle Temiker. “I would like to see the Sakovans and the Omungans live together as Malafar and Rhodella did. It is not the Omungan people who are the enemy of the Sakovans. It is the government that you must be wary of. If Alfred could learn something of the government’s plans by being a spy then I think that is healthy. You must put this in perspective, Lyra. The Sakovan people do not raid the Omungan cities. They do not wage war. All the Sakovan people have done is try to survive. It is the Omungan government that keeps trying to eliminate the Sakovans.”
“But Alfred was going to spy on your government,” Lyra pointed out.
“Not my government,” Temiker protested. “I am just a person and I accept other people by their actions, not by what someone else tells me. Rhodella was the first Sakovan I had met and I sure didn’t want to hurt her, so why does the Omungan government want to destroy all Sakovans? I’ll tell you. They use the supposed Sakovan threat to accelerate their own personal goals like politicians use everything. I have a general distaste for people of that ilk, so no, I did not take offense at what Alfred was going to do. In fact, I supported it.”
“Why can you think so enlightened and my father not?” Lyra asked. “You both grew up the same.”
“Every person is an individual, Lyra,” reasoned Temiker. “Master Malafar changed a great deal after Alfred’s death. It was more of a change than just breaking off relations with me and refusing to teach offensive magic. Something inside him snapped. Rhodella feared that his mind might have been damaged in some way because he didn’t act the same afterwards. His mood swings were erratic and he had temper tantrums, which were so unlike him. I do know that Alfred meant a great deal to him. He was so proud of his son.”
“After listening to you, I doubt he would be so proud of his daughter if he knew I was the leader of the Sakovans,” frowned Lyra.
“But he should be even more proud of you,” smiled Temiker. “I know I am. I have missed seeing you grow up. All of those years without seeing you just because Harcad was my student. I still cannot believe that he killed Alfred. The boy had a good heart. He was not an assassin.”
“What did Harcad have to do with it?” interrupted LifeTender.
“Harcad was a student of mine,” replied Temiker. “I taught him the spell he used to kill Alfred. That is why Malafar does not speak to me anymore.”
“Harcad did not kill Alfred,” LifeTender said. “He couldn’t have.”
Both Lyra and Temiker looked up at LifeTender with puzzled looks. “Why do you say that?” Temiker asked.
“I was with StarWind and some of her friends when the mess
age came in about Alfred,” LifeTender explained. “Harcad, as you call him, was one of those friends. In fact, he volunteered to go to Okata to find out what happened to Alfred. He never came back.”
“Harcad was Sakovan?” questioned Temiker. “One of my students was Sakovan and I didn’t know?”
“Many of your students have been Sakovan,” LifeTender chuckled. “You are a very good teacher I hear.”
Temiker just smiled and shook his head.
“Then who did kill Alfred?” Lyra asked.
“I would guess that someone in the government discovered that he was a spy,” offered LifeTender.
“So they made up the story about Alfred being killed while protecting the Katana?” quizzed Lyra.
“Probably,” mused LifeTender. “We may never know what really happened, but he was not killed by Harcad. Of that I am certain.”
Lyra rose and turned as she heard a sweet melodic voice calling her. She watched as MeadowTune ran across the field towards her.
“Lyra, we just received a message from StarWind,” panted MeadowTune as she handed it to Lyra.
Lyra read the message and shook her head. Slowly she started over and reread the entire message and then handed it to Temiker.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me,” she frowned. “Why would Master Malafar kill the Katana?”
“The Katana?” gasped LifeTender. “If the Omungans find out that he is your father, they will have their armies on the way here.”
“Their armies are already on the way,” indicated MeadowTune as she handed another message to Lyra. “This came in almost at the same time. One of our agents saw the three largest of the Omungan armies breaking camp this morning. I asked HawkShadow and MistyTrail to join us, Lyra. They need to set up a careful watch and have troops ready to move. We also need to alert the other camps.”
“The other camps?” inquired Lyra as she read the second note. “What other camps?”
“This is not the only Sakovan stronghold,” explained MeadowTune. “There are many more Sakovans in the mountains. They are mostly nomadic so that their location cannot be determined. Over the years we have grown too populous to live in this one valley.”
“Shouldn’t they be brought into the valley now?” the Star of Sakova asked.
“RavenWing had a plan for when we were attacked,” offered MeadowTune. “He felt it would be better for them to remain outside for two reasons. If we are wiped out, the Sakovan race will still exist in the outlying nomads. Also, they could attack the enemy from the rear if we thought it would break the siege.”
Temiker took the second message from Lyra’s hand and read it. “This does not say for certain that the armies are coming here,” the old mage declared. “Perhaps the new Katana fears his own people and just wants them away from Okata.”
HawkShadow and MistyTrail ran across the field and joined the small circle. Temiker handed the two messages to the tall blond-haired Sakovan assassin.
“I think your course of action is solid, MeadowTune,” Lyra reasoned. “We need to be prepared for the worst. Who is in charge of our army?”
“We do not have an army,” MistyTrail interjected. “We are an army. If we are attacked, we will all fight.”
“What the little elf means,” interrupted HawkShadow, “is that we have no formal army. Every Sakovan contributes whatever skills they have and that is how we have filled positions in the past. As we have never had need of an army before, we have no general.”
“I am not an elf,” MistyTrail scowled. “There are no elves. How many times must I tell you?”
Lyra could not keep a smile off her face, as she thought frantically about how she should act. “Okay,” she finally said, “then who has the best skills to lead an army?”
“Perhaps RavenWing can answer that,” offered Temiker. “There are other problems noted in these messages as well. You still have people hiding in Okata and it looks doubtful that they will get out without help.”
“I am also worried about that,” agreed MeadowTune. “StarWind is not someone whom we can afford to lose.”
Lyra was about to snap that her father was also important, but she realized that MeadowTune was thinking about the safety of the Sakovan people and not just because she liked StarWind. Slowly she nodded and bit her lower lip. “How is RavenWing feeling today?” she asked LifeTender. “Is he well enough to see me?”
“I think so,” LifeTender answered, “but it would not matter if he were not. This is too important for him to put his own condition in the forefront. He would see you if he were dying.”
“What about this Lord Marak?” asked HawkShadow. “This does not appear to have any bearing on the other problems.”
“We need to find a way to get a message to him and tell him to cancel his trip,” Lyra stated. “We will not have time for meeting with Khadorans until we solve our other problems.”
“If possible,” interjected Temiker, “I would try to meet with him. He may be able to help.”
“I do not even know who he is,” declared Lyra. “I can’t imagine why StarWind would set up a meeting with him.”
“I don’t know who he is either,” offered MeadowTune, “but StarWind would never have suggested a meeting if she did not think it would be helpful to us.”
“Lord Marak has made a name for himself in Khadora,” explained Temiker. “He is not like the other Khadoran lords. In fact, he is much the outcast up there, but has managed to unite five small clans into one and that one borders on Omunga.”
“The Khadorans are no better than the Omungans,” HawkShadow sneered. “He probably would march his armies against us as quickly as the Omungans.”
“I don’t think so,” Temiker said. “From what I have heard of him, he favors the small people over the lords. That is why he is an outcast. There is also a rumor that he has good relations with the Chula, the indigenous cat people of Khadora. If the rumors are true, then he would be more likely to march against the Omungans in support of us.”
The Sakovans started laughing and Temiker looked puzzled.
“Welcome to the Sakova, uncle of the Star,” chuckled MistyTrail. “It is said that people’s true feelings often slip out in casual conversation.”
Temiker’s bearded face broke out in a wide grin and his skin flushed right up to his bald head. “I guess they do at that,” he chuckled. “Do the Sakovans accept converts?”
“If they don’t,” smiled Lyra, “they will make an exception for you. I will take your advice and meet with this Lord Marak.”
“I must argue against it,” HawkShadow objected. “Whalebone Cove is too great a distance from the stronghold for the Star to be when the Omungan armies are on the march. You must appoint someone else to parley with him.”
“I think that would be a mistake,” argued Temiker. “This man is also a leader and he risks his life to travel far into unknown lands for this meeting. The message says that he will have only two men with him for protection and I have heard that many Khadorans would like to see him dead. He risks a great deal to meet with you. To refuse to meet with him or to send someone who cannot make assurances for the Sakovan people would be an affront.”
Lyra looked at Temiker and then at HawkShadow and shook her head with indecision. This was not a job for a young girl untrained in leading people she thought. She felt beads of perspiration gathering at her brow and wished she could just dump all the problems on somebody else and run away. She turned as she felt the soft touch upon her shoulder and saw LifeTender smiling at her.
“He will guide you,” soothed LifeTender. “I know what you must be feeling right now, but Kaltara has sent you for a reason and He will guide you. Do not despair.”
Lyra tried to return a smile of assurance, but the result came out more like a grimace. She looked once more at HawkShadow and Temiker and weighed their contradictory advice and took the two messages from HawkShadow’s hand. “Very well,” she stated. “Lord Marak will meet with me then, but he will meet
me here in StarCity.”
She held her hand up to hold off the objections she saw forming on the lips of her fellow Sakovans. “MistyTrail will meet with Lord Marak and bring him to StarCity,” dictated the Sakovan Star. “She has shown that she is a good judge of character and this will give her the chance to find out more about this Khadoran Lord before they arrive here. HawkShadow and StormSong will accompany her. If MistyTrail decides that this man is a threat to us, I am sure the three of you can dispatch some old Lord and his two bodyguards. Any problems with that?”
“HawkShadow and MistyTrail know the Sakova better than anyone,” MeadowTune said. “Their skills are really needed to check for the advance of the Omungan armies.”
“The armies can not move that swiftly,” stated HawkShadow. “SkyDancer can handle the Okata section with a little help and we should be back in plenty of time. I think the plan is a good compromise. I think we should leave as soon as possible so that we arrive before he does.”
“I am leading this expedition, HawkShadow,” beamed MistyTrail, “and I will decide when we leave. Go tell StormSong to get her gear together because we are leaving as soon as possible.”
Lyra laughed along with the rest of the Sakovans as they watched the smile fade from HawkShadow’s face and then reappear in a wide grin. “It appears I have created a monster,” she chuckled. “I must see RavenWing now,” she said turning to MeadowTune. “Will you join me?”
MeadowTune nodded and strode with Lyra towards the palace leaving LifeTender and Temiker to talk about magic. Maybe LifeTender was right, Lyra mused. Perhaps Kaltara would guide her actions and she would do all right. At least she was surrounded by people who could be counted on and who worked together well. Somehow she would learn to rule people the way she learned magic, with help and practice. She just hoped that her mistakes would be small ones.
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