Richard Tuttle - Elvangar

“She must be an incredible creature,” Marak said admiringly. “Can I meet her?”

Rejji hesitated for a long time before answering, “I will ask her permission first, but I think she will agree to it. She knows a great deal about what we are trying to accomplish. I don’t think she likes the idea of Vand’s people coming here. When I told her about that old prophecy that Yltar found, she actually became enthusiastic about helping.”

“The Dragon Prophecy?” asked Marak. “I thought Yltar said its authenticity was in doubt?”

“That was what I was led to believe,” shrugged Rejji, “but Myka disagrees. She says the prophecy is real, but that the humans who recorded it just didn’t understand it properly when they recorded it. It matters little at this point. Myka is fulfilling the prophecy in any event. If it works, the Jiadin will be ready to fight on our side.”

“Excellent,” smiled Marak. “I plan to stay for a few days in Angragar anyway. See what she says about meeting with me.”

Rejji nodded and moved on to other guests. Marak took Lyra’s hand and led her out of the room. Gunta and Halman did not even try to follow the Torak. They stayed and mingled with the others.

The Torak and the Star exited the palace and walked to one of the many parks that dotted the ancient city. They settled down on the grass and started talking.

“Do you think it is wise to let those two girls go back to the Island of Darkness?” asked Marak.

“They are not exactly little girls,” smiled Lyra. “I bet they are older than me, maybe even older than you.”

“I am not much older than you,” grinned Marak. “Can’t be more than a year or two.”

“I do worry about them going,” admitted Lyra, “but it is not our decision. It is their father that is imprisoned.”

“But they are the elven princesses,” retorted Marak. “The king and the two princesses could die on that island, and you heard what they said about their mother.”

“What you really mean is that it would lessen the chance of the elves joining in our struggle,” frowned Lyra.

“It would indeed do that,” agreed Marak, “but that is truly not what I was thinking. I was thinking about the elven people. Mistake and MistyTrail are kind of wild right now, but I know they would do what is best for their people if they were thrust into a leadership position. Some good people must survive this coming conflict, Lyra, and I am not too sure that we will be among those who survive.”

“Have you lost faith in Kaltara?” asked the Star.

“Certainly not,” Marak shook his head, “but I also know that the result of these coming battles does not rest on Kaltara. He made that clear to me at Changragar. Vand is human and it is for humans to destroy him. That’s you and me.”

“Among others,” nodded Lyra.

“Many others,” agreed the Torak, “but you know what I mean.”

“Yes, I do, Marak,” replied Lyra. “You are worried about what is to come. We all are. Our lives have been shaped by this time we live in, and death will have many chances to claim us in the near future. What if by some miracle we do defeat Vand? What do you see as our future?”

“Do you mean us?” asked Marak.

“No,” laughed Lyra. “Oh, I am willing to discuss that at some point, but I meant everyone, the world.”

“A valid question,” mused Marak. “I have not given that any thought at all. We will have three great nations that are finally united after centuries of petty rivalries. I suppose the future could be bright indeed. Of course there would need to be a ruler who is capable of keeping it all together.”

“You?” asked Lyra.

“No,” Marak shook his head. “I am not interested in ruling people. I only got involved in all of this because I could not stand the inequities that existed. They are practically gone now. After this war, my skills will no longer be needed.”

“That’s funny,” replied Lyra.

“Why is that funny?” frowned Marak.

“Because I feel the same way, but I suspected that you didn’t,” answered Lyra. “You always seem to be the perfect ruler. You always have an answer to any question asked, a solution to every problem. I never wanted to be the Star of Sakova. In fact, I fought it in the beginning, until I discovered that you can’t fight Kaltara and win.”

“We are so much alike,” grinned Marak.

“Don’t say that while MistyTrail is still around,” laughed Lyra. “She will gloat.”

“I bet she would,” laughed Marak. “She always said we would make a nice couple.”

Marak sighed and stared up at the sky in silence for a while. Lyra reached over and took his hand, and Marak realized that he had not had a private relaxing moment in years. He tried very much to put all of his worries out of his mind, but he just could not. He stared at the clouds and saw meanings in each of their shapes. Suddenly, he sat up.

“I can’t just relax,” Marak declared. “How about a walk up the river. I will show you the new boats we are building.”

“Let’s go,” Lyra readily agreed as she hopped up.

The Torak and the Star strolled through town and then along the bank of the river to an area that was only known to the Qubari and a few select others. The Qubari warriors on guard smiled to the Torak and let him and Lyra pass through.

“Why the guards?” asked Lyra.

“This is the most secret thing we are hiding from Vand,” explained Marak. “I am having the boats made here because the Qubari tell no secrets to any outsiders. They are also excellent woodworkers.”

They passed through a narrow stretch of jungle and emerged in front of a large lake. Scores of frameworks dotted the shores of the lake. There were more Qubari guards, and they looked to see who had entered the area. They waved, as did some of the workers. Marak led Lyra over to one of the finished boats and pointed to it proudly.

“It is called a skimmer,” Marak said. “It is Captain Mynor’s design.”

Lyra looked at the tiny craft and shook her head. It appeared much like a canoe, but it had a giant crossbow on each end and a mast in the center.

“What do they do?” asked Lyra.

“These are the boats that are going to attack Vand’s navy,” explained Marak. “They are two man crafts, although they can easily hold four men if necessary. That was important in case one of them is sunk, another can pick up the survivors.”

“And the crossbows?” asked the Star of Sakova.

“We hope they will be strong enough to pierce the hulls of Vand’s ships,” answered Marak. “They haven’t been tested yet.”

“Don’t you think that is rather important?” frowned Lyra.

“Extremely important,” nodded Marak. “If the crossbows don’t work, the whole idea is unsound. We have tested the stability and speed though. They are amazing little boats. They had a small keel for stability and yet they are still light enough to carry up on the beach if needed. They have extendable rudder boards that enable them to turn quicker than any boat I have seen. In short, they are very maneuverable.”

“But they can only be used if we know when Vand is going to attack,” Lyra pointed out.

“Quite true,” frowned Marak. “Fisher’s spy on the island has been unable to find that out. I don’t mean he can’t find out the hour of the attack, he doesn’t even have an idea of the month. That is a problem for us.”

“I believe that you mentioned the last time we were in Angragar that you wanted some of these positioned in the Sakova,” stated Lyra. “Is that still true?”

“Very much so,” nodded the Torak. “We can carry dozens of these on one of my larger ships. I want to build them first and then move them. Your only seaports are cities that used to be Omungan. I am fearful of spies.”