Richard Tuttle - Winged Warrior

“It ensures that the Khadorans will no longer be ignorant about the Chula ways,” nodded the Emperor. “This has turned out much better than I had anticipated. What about Lord Padro? I am afraid my treatment of him has created an enemy for life.”

“He was already your enemy,” shrugged Lord Chenowith. “Little can be done to change that, but his co-plotters have agreed to drop their claims against the Sookie. Their attitude was one of having lost a gamble, so I do not think that Lord Padro will be able to sway them in the future.”

* * *

The floor of the throne room in the temple on the Island of Darkness was splattered with blood. Xavo watched where he stepped as he made his way towards the front of the room, lest he slip and look like a fool. The soldiers were dragging a body out of the chamber while the inner circle of the followers of Vand gathered for a daily briefing. Emperor Vand’s dark visage lightened as he looked up and saw Clarvoy enter the room.

“Welcome home, Clarvoy,” smiled Vand as he signaled for the doors to the room to be closed. “What news do you have for me?”

The spymaster’s eyes scanned the room, as they always did, before answering the Emperor.

“Some of the news is confusing,” admitted Clarvoy, “but there are gems as well. On the confusing end is Marak’s reaction to our attack at Duran. His reaction was fairly swift, but I cannot determine its significance. He made a great show of sending thousands of soldiers south towards Duran, but they never arrived. Our spies lost track of them somewhere around the Kalatung Mountains.”

“They lost track of thousands of soldiers?” frowned the Emperor. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know,” conceded the spymaster. “I have put extra spies to work in that area to find the lost armies. I will report any progress to you.”

“What else?” frowned the Emperor.

“I have been successful in infiltrating the inner circle of the Star of Sakova,” declared Clarvoy. “Much can be learned from this spy. The city of Zaramilden is being abandoned. The entire population is being evacuated to western coast cities.”

“Interesting,” mused the Emperor. “Is this significant enough to alter our attack plans?”

“I am not sure yet,” replied Clarvoy. “I wish to speak to the generals about this. Using Zaramilden as a base would allow us a complete city between the Khadorans and the Sakovans with easy access denied to both. It has possibilities, but it would require changes to the plans we have already agreed upon.”

“I have faith in you Clarvoy,” replied Vand. “Talk with the generals and report back to me. We will discuss this again at length.”

“I have also learned much about the Sakovan defenses,” continued Clarvoy. “They are hiding the bulk of their armies in the forests beyond Alamar. I have not yet determined the purpose of this, but it is only a matter of time until I do.”

“So there is no plan for them to repopulate Duran?” questioned the Emperor.

“None at all,” replied Clarvoy. “I think the evacuation of Zaramilden verifies that. They are planning on defending Alamar and the west coast.”

“Alamar will fall the first day,” retorted the Emperor. “Find out what those reserve armies are for. I was hoping to crush the bulk of their forces in Alamar. Now it sounds like they will not be there.”

“I will find that out and much more,” promised Clarvoy. “This new spy is the closest we have gotten to the Star of Sakova. It will be a rich vein that can be mined for more information than we dreamed possible.”

“Can this spy kill the Star of Sakova?” asked Vand.

“That is possible,” frowned Clarvoy, “but I would urge against it. Right now we have a source of information that will guarantee the defeat of the Sakovans. If that asset is used to kill the Star of Sakova, it is highly likely that our source of information will be shut down. I do not like being blind, not even for the life of the Star of Sakova.”

“Your point is well taken,” sighed the Emperor. “I do not know what I would do without your services, Clarvoy. You are the one Motangan that never fails me.”

“I always try my best,” bowed the spymaster.

“What of the Fakarans?” asked the Emperor.

“Chaos,” shrugged Clarvoy. “I expected the free tribes and the Jiadin to still be fighting, but that is not happening. It appears that the free tribes have disappeared from the new cities that they were building. The Jiadin now infest Meliban and Taggot.”

“The free tribes are too numerous to disappear,” frowned the Emperor. “Someone knows where they are.”

“Quite true,” replied Clarvoy. “It is said that they have fled to Angragar, but no one knows where Angragar is. I have spies searching all of Fakara.”

“Angragar,” Vand mused troublingly. “That would make sense. It will be the place of the Astor’s last stand. He is fortifying it against our armies and leaving the Jiadin out as treats for our armies. Why should he try to battle the Jiadin when my armies will do it for him?”

“What if we called the Jiadin in to be our allies?” asked Clarvoy. “They accepted the position once before.”

“Oh,” smiled Vand, “we can call them allies, but the Jiadin will die along with the rest. They are all descended from the ingrates who abandoned me long ago. I swore that I would extinguish every one of their spawn from the face of the world, and I shall do so.”

“Still,” suggested Clarvoy, “we can use the Jiadin before we kill them. Let me try to turn them against the Astor one more time.”

“You have my blessings on this matter, Clarvoy,” nodded the Emperor. “Go to Fakara and the sow the seeds of chaos among our enemies. Use one against the other, and let death rain on their families even as they wait for the final judgment that my armies will deliver unto them.”

Xavo left the throne room when the meeting was over. He walked casually through the temple and onto the streets of the city. His walk carried him to the waterfront, and he turned to stroll along the beach. The beach near the city was usually used for people wanting to get away from the city, so it was not surprising to see other people on it. Xavo walked past them all to the point of the peninsula jutting off into the sea. The point was an unofficial demarcation line of sorts. Strollers never wandered past the point, but Xavo kept on walking. He walked all the way along the far side of the peninsula until he came to the spot where he had found Lady Mystic. It was a fairly short walk from the temple if one used the path through the jungle, but Xavo did not want to be seen by Lady Mystic on this day.

His eyes scanned the jungle trail and then the beach in both directions. When he was satisfied that he was alone, he wove an air tunnel and directed it towards Raven’s Point. He smiled as he felt an air mage grab the opposite end of the air tunnel. Breaking his own rules, Xavo modified the pressure of the air tunnel so that it worked in both directions.

“This is a nice beach on the island of Motanga,” Xavo said softly into the air tunnel. “The pressure is equalized, but do not speak unless asked to, and keep your voice soft when you do. Who am I speaking to?”

“Polema,” came a soft reply. “Your voice is wrong.”

“Is Rhoda nearby?” asked Xavo.

“I am here,” came a second female voice. “Who are you?”

“My voice has been altered,” declared Xavo. “You must rely on the keyword that I mentioned the last time. Listen carefully. I have made this air tunnel equalized because I must be sure that you understand my instructions. Send Polema away and then listen well.”