Richard Tuttle - Winged Warrior

“Sit quietly while I mix you a potion,” instructed the Emperor’s daughter.

“A potion?” questioned the dark mage.

“It will relieve your pain,” nodded Lady Mystic as she began mixing ingredients in a large flask. “It won’t last long, but it will give you a small amount of relief for a time.”

“Mix a lot of it,” Aakuta smiled meekly. “I don’t expect that Vand will allow me to die anytime in the near future.”

“It is highly addictive,” Lady Mystic shook her head. “Too much of it and you will lose your ability to reason. Just be thankful for an hour of peace.”

Aakuta fell silent as he watched Lady Mystic mix the ingredients for the potion. The silence was disturbing, and Lady Mystic felt the need to talk.

“I have been watching you every day,” she said softly. “I had no idea that you could reason. You hide it well.”

“You can imagine what Vand would do if he knew that I could think,” sighed Aakuta. “I knew that I must hide that fact well.”

Lady Mystic’s eyebrows rose as she turned to stare at the dark mage. She pondered Aakuta’s admission and eventually nodded at his logic.

“He would torture you anew,” she declared. “You were wise to hide it from him, but why do you wish to think? You are only making it harder on yourself. I would wager that it is wiser to be without reason in your condition. The insane do not feel the pain as severely as those who can concentrate.”

“My task here is not complete,” Aakuta admitted as he drank the potion that Lady Mystic handed to him. “Ah,” he smiled broadly, “that is a wonderful feeling. I actually feel human again. How long will it last?”

“I am not sure,” replied Lady Mystic. “My guess is around an hour, but I have never had the opportunity to try it on someone in your severe condition. What do you mean when you say that your task is not complete?”

“I have paid a steep price for spying on Vand,” explained Aakuta. “The least I can do to repay him is to complete that task. I must continue to send word to Emperor Marak’s people about what is happening here on Motanga. I must inform them when the invasion will begin.”

“So you truly are the spy,” frowned Lady Mystic. “I knew that you helped Rhoda escape, but how do you get any information to Emperor Marak?”

“I used the air tunnel that your father is so keen to learn about,” smiled Aakuta.

“You know how to use an air tunnel?” gasped Lady Mystic. “You could have used that information to save yourself. Vand would have let you live if you gave it to him.”

“I would rather die than see him possess such knowledge,” spat Aakuta. “Rhoda felt the same way. No matter who interrogated her, they would never have learned the secret of the air tunnel. In fact, she was responsible for the destruction and death of her first interrogator. She had fully expected to die in her own attack. Vand should realize that Marak’s people would never betray him.”

“You would rather die?” Lady Mystic retorted scornfully. “What about what it does to me? You profess your love for me, but have you thought about how all of this affects me? I would rather that you did not die.”

“I have thought a great deal about you,” admitted Aakuta. “I wish that I had never met you. At least that way you would never have become hurt by my actions, but I cannot change history. You are wrong about your father, though. Oh, Vand would gratefully accept my knowledge of the air tunnel, but he would not reward me for it. He would kill me just the same. You truly do not understand that fiend, even after what he has done to you.”

“His action was justified,” frowned Lady Mystic. “I betrayed him. What would you expect him to do? Emperor Marak would do the same to you.”

“That is where you are wrong,” smiled Aakuta. “Emperor Marak, like the Sakovans, is capable of forgiveness. My daughter’s people forgave me for everything that I did that endangered them. I could not understand that attitude at first, but I do understand it now. It is how your father should have reacted to you, but he didn’t. Doesn’t that tell you something? If your father truly loved you, he would never order your removal from his presence. Vand cares for no one but himself.”

“He has to be strong,” argued Lady Mystic. “He is responsible for ruling over so many people. He cannot waver from his duty just because I am his daughter. It is you who do not understand him.”

“I will not argue with you over your father,” Aakuta said with frustration as he rose from his chair. “Mark my words. Your father cares nothing for you. He will use you and toss you by the wayside when he no longer needs you. Emperor Marak is not that kind of person.”

Aakuta turned and walked out of the room. Lady Mystic heard the door to the alley open and then close. She glared at the table for a moment and then swept her hand across its surface, sending flasks and ingredients crashing to the floor. She kicked the chair that Aakuta had been sitting in and then stormed out of the room. For several minutes she paced the floor, full of fury and indecision. Finally, she threw the door to the alley open and stepped out of her home. Off in the distance, she saw Aakuta at the mouth of the alley. The dark mage turned to the right and headed towards the beach. Lady Mystic quickened her step and followed.

Aakuta walked slowly as he pretended to still be in pain. He did not want anyone to know that he could think and function normally while the pain-killing potion was active. His path appeared to be erratic and without purpose, but the dark mage slowly made his way to the desolate stretch of beach where he had first set foot on the Island of Darkness.

When he reached the beach, he looked carefully in each direction to make sure that he was alone. Satisfied that he was not being observed, Aakuta wove an air tunnel to Raven’s Point. He waited patiently until he felt someone at the other end. Aakuta always wove a one-way air tunnel to avoid the noise coming through from the other end, so he had no idea who he had managed to contact. All that he knew was that he had located someone with the abilities of an air mage, and that person was at the deserted cove where he normally sent his messages.

“This is Aakuta,” the dark mage said softly into the air tunnel. “I have been absent for a long time, and I may not communicate again for a while, but I will still try to determine the time of the invasion if I am able to. I must report that Vand has discovered my purpose here on Motanga. That is the reason that my reports may become sporadic, or even stop at any time,” he added.

Aakuta paused as he wondered how much the Khadorans really needed to know about his personal situation. He did not want any Khadorans coming to the island to rescue him; therefore he could not admit the trouble that he was in.

“As a security precaution,” Aakuta continued, “I will always use the word Motanga in the first sentence of any future reports. Vand is keen on discovering the mechanism of the air tunnel, and he may eventually try to use it to confuse you. Be wary. I will try to contact you again soon. I hope that Rhoda made it home safely. I wish her well.”

Aakuta dropped the air tunnel and stared out over the ocean waves. He was not sure how long he remained silently pondering the future, but the noise from the jungle behind him startled him. He whirled around to see Lady Mystic retreating through the foliage. Aakuta raced after her and caught up to her before she could exit the jungle.

“You were spying on me?” he asked accusingly.

“What if I was?” shrugged Lady Mystic. “You seem to think that spying is a noble pastime. Why complain when others do it?”

“It does not need to be like this,” Aakuta sighed. “Can’t we be friends without letting this war come between us?”