Richard Tuttle - Army of the Dead
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- Название:Army of the Dead
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“As am I,” the spy quickly nodded. “I will gladly meet their mages on the field of battle, but I am not foolish enough to attack them single-handedly. Will the dragon see us returning to Vandegar?”
“We will use illusions to hide ourselves,” Pakar shook his head. “The sun is already rising high in the sky, and the heat that bakes the plain will cause shimmering anyway. We will not be detected.”
* * *
The black-clad Sakovan rode his large warbird back along the forest trail until he saw the Sakovan column coming towards him. He halted his choka and silently raised his arm, his hand moving in the air to form a large circle. Without comment, the large column of Sakovans began to spread out and set up camp. HawkShadow sat on his choka and watched silently until Lyra, StarWind, and Temiker reached him.
“Why are we camping here?” asked StarWind. “There is time to make more progress today.”
“We are ahead of schedule,” answered the assassin. “I promised that our detour to the west would not slow us down. Now you know that I was correct. We are but a half-day’s ride to Lake Jabul.”
“I still don’t understand why we came so far to the west,” frowned Lyra. “From the maps we looked at in Meliban, we could have been in Vandegar already.”
“We would also have been seen approaching the ancient temple,” replied HawkShadow. “The forests have not completely recovered in Fakara, but if we follow the Jabul River, we can reach all the way to Lake Jabul using the concealment of the trees.”
“HawkShadow is correct,” interjected Temiker. “The Motangan maps that we looked at in Meliban are poor. While they depicted most natural features of the land, they did not include the changes that the Chula mages have made in their attempts to rejuvenate the land of Fakara.”
“And how did you know this, HawkShadow?” questioned StarWind.
“I am just clever,” grinned the assassin.
“Actually,” Temiker interjected, “I spoke with Angragar. I asked them for the safest approach to Vandegar, and they detailed the route that we should take.”
StarWind shot HawkShadow a piercing glare, and Lyra laughed as the assassin tried to appear innocent of any wrongdoing.
“You could have told me, HawkShadow,” StarWind said accusingly. “Why the mystery surrounding our route?”
“That is my fault,” Temiker said in an attempt to forestall the bickering. “Yltar was not entirely sure how much the forests had grown this far to the west of Angragar, but he thought that following the Jabul River offered the safest route. I asked HawkShadow not to depend upon natural cover for the entire trip.”
“This is not a subject that I wish to waste words on,” declared the Star of Sakova, putting an end to the conversation. “The only question I have regarding our route is what do we do when we reach the south end of Lake Jabul. Surely there will be no cover for our journey around the lake, and we are only five hundred strong.”
“We will not proceed any farther than the end of the forest,” answered HawkShadow.
“We will not press on to the ancient temple?” frowned Lyra.
“No,” HawkShadow replied. “The Sakovans came to this land to destroy the garrison at Meliban. That was the task that the Torak requested of us. We have accomplished our mission. Our journey to Vandegar is to give aid to our allies in the final battle. I think the best way that we can accomplish that is to remain hidden until we can determine where we can be of help.”
“An excellent plan,” stated StarWind. After a short pause to allow her husband a few moments of gloating, she continued, “However, the Star of Sakova must join with the Torak and the Astor to defeat Vand and Dobuk. While our tiny forces may not be decisive in the coming battle, we cannot simple hide and wait to see what happens. The five hundred Sakovans around us are merely the escort of the Star of Sakova. We are to get her safely to the ancient temple at Vandegar.”
“A valid point, HawkShadow,” sighed Temiker. “We did not consider that in our plans.”
The assassin had a pained expression as StarWind’s words struck him like a smith’s hammer.
“It is a long way around the lake,” HawkShadow eventually said, “and our presence will be obvious to all if we are riding our warbirds, but there is no time left to find an alternate route.”
The Star of Sakova stepped away from the group as her three closest advisors continued to discuss the best way of reaching the temple. She found an isolated spot in the woods and wove an air tunnel to the palace at Khadoratung.
“This is the Star of Sakova,” Lyra said after an air mage had accepted her air tunnel. “I must speak with the Torak immediately.”
Within moments she heard the voice of Marak.
“Be careful what you say,” warned the Torak. “We cannot trust the safety of the air tunnel at this late stage.”
“I understand,” replied Lyra, “but we have a problem. Our primary task is complete, and we have traveled far from that port city. Our problem now is one of the best approach to our next target. Do you remember the day that you showed me the skimmers in Fakara?”
“A day that I will never forget,” Marak smiled as he remembered the lake outside of Angragar where the secret skimmers had been built.
“We are in a similar position today,” continued Lyra. “It is a beautiful place somewhat reminiscent of the Sakova, but not for long. We are unsure how best to proceed from this point.”
The Torak put the clues together and realized that the Sakovans were in the forest south of the lake.
“I think you have progressed far enough for now,” replied Marak. “There is no certainty of what is to greet us, and I would not wish for you to be involved in the early stages. Let’s wait to see what develops.”
“Just sit and wait?” frowned the Star of Sakova.
“Do not make it sound like a punishment,” chuckled the Torak. “In fact, some old friends will be joining you shortly.”
“Friends?” questioned Lyra.
“Certainly an old friend of HawkShadow’s,” grinned Marak. “Some of her new friends will be with her, too, not to mention my relatives and some of their relatives.”
“Now that is exciting,” Lyra brightened. “Is this by chance?”
“Kaltara never leaves much to chance,” chuckled Marak. “Sit tight, Lyra. He will guide you. I have to go.”
“I love you, Torak,” Lyra said quickly before the air tunnel was dropped.
“I will love you forever, Lyra,” Marak said and then the air tunnel was gone.
Lyra’s face was aglow when she returned to HawkShadow, StarWind, and Temiker. Her three advisors halted their conversation and stared at the Star of Sakova as she approached.
“Are you alright?” asked StarWind.
“I have never felt better,” beamed Lyra. “HawkShadow, notify our sentries that we will have visitors soon. Warn them not to be too quick with their weapons. The visitors are friendly.”
“Friendly?” echoed the Sakovan assassin. “Who is coming, and how do you know about it?”
“The elves and Chula will be joining us,” declared Lyra. “Marak says that we should remain in the forest until we see how things go in the initial skirmish.”
“You used an air tunnel?” gasped StarWind. “You do know that Vand may have the ability to intercept such communications, don’t you?”
“Of course I know,” replied Lyra, “but Marak and I share many memories that are not common knowledge. Nothing was said that would give our enemy any comfort.”
“The same way that Rhodella and I used to be able to talk in front of people and not have them understand what we were saying,” smiled Temiker.
“So it turns out that we are exactly where we should be,” HawkShadow said with an air of triumph.
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