Richard Tuttle - Winged Warrior

“Oh?” asked Xavo. “And what is that?”

“I do not understand,” stated Lady Mystic, “how he survived that day in the jungle.”

Xavo’s eyes clouded over with concern as he stared at Lady Mystic.

“What do you mean?” he asked. “He didn’t survive. He died. You don’t have to take my word for it. There were other witnesses.”

“Yes, I know,” nodded Lady Mystic. “I spoke to Santiock that day. He said that he saw Aakuta die to a fireball. He said that he pulled your body out of the fire while you were trying to sever Aakuta’s head.”

“That is correct,” nodded Xavo. “What is there to understand?”

“How he managed to take your body?” smiled Lady Mystic. “Your fireball should have killed him instantly. Why didn’t it?”

Xavo frowned and said nothing. His fingers drew figures in the sand as his mind raced to find an answer that Lady Mystic would swallow.

“Thinking of your daughter?” asked Lady Mystic.

Xavo gazed at Lady Mystic and saw her staring at the sand. He looked down and saw that he had subconsciously drawn a star in the sand. He quickly brushed the sand away, destroying what his fingers had drawn.

“You might as well tell me,” sighed Lady Mystic. “It is obvious that I already know. What more harm can come of speaking the truth?”

Xavo sat silently for a moment and then slowly nodded.

“Master Malafar had been nearly killed twice by fireballs,” Xavo explained, “once in the back and once in the chest. Had you ever seen him without his clothes on, you would have seen the masses of scar tissue that covered his body. Indeed, Xavo’s fireball was powerful enough to kill, and it did indeed fatally wound Aakuta, but the scar tissue softened the blow just enough to allow Aakuta a few moments of life before he succumbed. Because Xavo was convinced that he had killed me, he was careless in verifying his kill. The fact that the fire was spreading rapidly also added to his haste. When he bent down to slice my throat, I struck. My hands grabbed him by the shoulders as I cast the spell that would allow me to invade his body. He never realized what happened to him.”

“Excellent,” grinned Lady Mystic, “but the first few moments after using that spell the caster becomes dizzy and disoriented.”

“So I found out the hard way,” nodded Xavo. “Fortunately, Santiock was nearby. He saw Aakuta felled by the fireball, and he saw Xavo go down with his knife. When Xavo did not immediately exit the fire, he raced over and pulled me clear of the flames. He truly did save my life that day.”

“So Santiock was not lying,” mused Lady Mystic. “I thought he made it up to get a promotion.”

“He told the truth,” replied Xavo. “I think Vand would have detected the lie. He was more skeptical of Santiock’s story than mine, but once he believed Santiock, he could not possibly question the validity of my story.”

“I would love to see Vand’s face when he learned what a fool he has been,” grinned Lady Mystic.

“Lady Mystic,” Xavo said pleadingly.

“Forget it,” Lady Mystic waved dismissively. “Believe it or not, I have truly learned my lesson. Vand will learn nothing from me ever again.”

“I hope you understand my actions,” Xavo sighed. “I truly do love you, but there are things that are more important than myself. Were it just about me, I would have exposed myself to you, but I will not endanger others for my own gratification. I just couldn’t tell you the truth. I am sorry.”

“You also couldn’t hide the truth,” smiled Lady Mystic. “It is your love for me that gave you away. It is so out of character for Xavo that it puzzled me day and night. It also helped me to understand the air tunnel better.”

“How?” frowned Xavo.

“With a new body comes a new voice,” explained Lady Mystic. “What purpose is there on this island for a spy who cannot communicate his findings? You could still cast an air tunnel to the mainland, but no one would believe that it was Aakuta. The only way that you could continue to spy on Vand, was if the air tunnel could work in both directions. That way you could answer questions that only Aakuta would have the answer to. You could, in essence, validate your identity.”

“You are clever,” smiled Xavo. “Have you told anyone about the air tunnel?”

“You know that I told Vand when I first discovered you using it,” admitted Lady Mystic, “but I have told no one about its variations. And I will not tell anyone. I promise you that.”

“I am relieved,” sighed Xavo. “That knowledge would destroy all hopes of defeating Vand. You took a great chance trying to expose me just now. Suppose you were wrong, and Xavo ran to tell Vand about your discovery?”

“I took no chances,” smiled Lady Mystic. “When I saw you leave the temple, I figured out what you were up to. I wove an air tunnel to this spot on the beach and listened in. I did not approach until it sounded like your conversation was over.”

“Yet you acted as if you still believed in Xavo,” he frowned. “How can that be?”

“I was not sure that I actually wanted to confront the truth,” admitted Lady Mystic. “I did almost leave when I realized that your secret might be better kept if you thought it was still unknown. I could not leave, though. I had to know how you survived.”

“I am no good at this spy business,” frowned Xavo. “I would prefer to just go into the temple and start blasting all of Vand’s top people, but that would accomplish little.”

“You are much better at it than you realize,” replied Lady Mystic. “Just look at the duration of your stay in Motanga. No one could expect a spy to last that long here. And you have even infiltrated Vand’s inner circle. What more could anyone hope for in terms of spying?”

“I suppose,” shrugged Xavo. “What do we do now? It is far too dangerous for me to be seen in your presence too often, yet I want to be by your side constantly.”

“We will figure something out,” grinned Lady Mystic. “The important thing is that we have been given another chance. Let us cherish whatever time together we can arrange.”

“You could take over another body,” suggested Xavo. “It would give you a fresh start in life. You would no longer have to be Vand’s daughter.”

“I thought about that,” Lady Mystic shook her head, “but I would then be under someone’s control. While I am ostracized as Vand’s daughter, everyone will leave me alone. It will give me greater freedom to gain information for you.”

“Gain information for me?” echoed Xavo. “Why?”

“Because I have hurt your cause,” explained Lady Mystic. “Now I will try to make up for that. As a disciple, you will learn many things that the ordinary person will not, but there are still some things that you will not be privy to. I know a great number of people on this island, and I know a great deal about them. I will get information for you that no one else can supply.”

“Like what?” questioned Xavo.

“Like how far along the shipbuilding schedule is,” grinned Lady Mystic. “Or perhaps where the ship is sailing to that next carries Clarvoy. How long they plan to be away from the island. There are many things that I can find out.”

“Alright,” conceded Xavo, “but I do not want you endangering yourself. If Vand finds you spying on him, he will be able to figure out too much. He will discover about the air tunnels and me. We cannot allow that to happen.”

“If Vand does get suspicious,” promised Lady Mystic. “That is when I will take another body. I will never tell him anything. I promise you this. Even if he throws me to Dobuk, Vand has gotten his last bit of help from me. I will give him no more.”