Richard Tuttle - Island of Darkness

“Allow me to retreat?” echoed General Romero. “That is preposterous. Will you listen to what you are saying? You cannot disallow an adversary to retreat.”

“You can when that adversary is starving to death,” General Manitow said softly. “You have a choice to make, General Romero. You can surrender to me or die. For now that choice is yours. I urge you to seriously consider your position.”

“What do you mean that the choice is mine for now?” questioned General Romero. “Why would that change?”

“You have the option of surrendering to me now and ending this mess,” declared General Manitow. “If you refuse, I will make the same offer tomorrow directly to your troops. I have no doubt what their reply will be. The question you should be asking is what will they do to you when they defect.”

General Romero’s eyes dropped to the desktop as he pictured the chaos that would result if General Manitow followed through on his threat. Inwardly, he agreed that his control over the army would shatter as thousands of storming men threw down their weapons and raced to the gates of Alamar. Finally, he lifted his eyes and met General Manitow’s gaze.

“I surrender,” General Romero said so softly that General Manitow barely heard it. “I expect that my men will be treated with respect and fed promptly. Are you agreeable to that?”

“You and your men will be treated well,” promised General Manitow. “In fact, I think you will enjoy being a part of the Sakova. Let’s go gather your men.”

* * *

The two black-clad figures stole along the alleyway a block away from the central square of Okata. When they reached the mouth of the alley they stopped and gazed at the building across the street. One of the figures raised an arm and pointed to a window three stories up. The window was remarkable because of the flickering light passing through it. In the dark city of Okata on the moonless night, the torchlight passing through the window was a beacon.

“Are you sure that is his office?” asked HawkShadow.

“I am positive,” replied SunChaser through the cloth of the black hood hiding her long golden hair. “He stays there many a night when he has a bottle to sip. Rumors say that he gets so drunk that the soldiers find him collapsed in his chair in the morning.”

“Not much of an officer,” replied HawkShadow. “Why doesn’t he go home and drink? Surely he’s not spending his hours planning the orders of his troops for the next day.”

“He lives with his brother,” answered SunChaser. “I am not sure why he stays in the headquarters of the Imperial Guard, but maybe he doesn’t wish to share his alcohol.”

“Especially the bottle you had delivered to him this evening,” smiled HawkShadow. “It looked very expensive.”

“It was outrageously expensive,” replied SunChaser. “Still, the money will be well spent if he stays up and drinks it all.”

“I am sure that he is drinking it,” quipped HawkShadow, “but I will not guarantee that he will finish the bottle. You should return to your home now. Thank you for showing me the window.”

“I will wait here,” countered SunChaser. “A number of things might go wrong. It would be safer for you to have someone watching out for you.”

“It would be safer for me,” nodded HawkShadow, “but more dangerous for you. Your identity in this city is still a secret. Do not throw it away by trying to save me. If I fail in this mission, you will need to assassinate him another way.”

“Don’t worry about me,” replied SunChaser. “I have been spying in this city for a long time. I know how to keep out of trouble. Get going.”

The Sakovan assassin nodded and rechecked the street before darting across it. When he looked back for SunChaser, she was already gone from where he had left her. HawkShadow gazed up at the building and plotted his course. He chose a section of the wall not far from the lit window, but not directly near it. His hands rose above his head, and his fingers felt the smooth stone for a hold. He tightened his fingers on the small sliver of stone presented by a seam in the wall. He pulled his body upward as his feet sought a perch.

Slowly, HawkShadow climbed the exterior wall of the headquarters of the Imperial Guard in Okata. He moved unhurriedly and deliberately as he inched upward, his fingers beginning to feel the strain. When he reached the third floor, his hands grasped the sill of the darkened window. He pulled himself up a little higher and tried to peer through the shutters into the darkened room. He could not determine if the room was occupied.

HawkShadow found a higher perch for his feet and then removed a small thin strip of blackened metal from his belt. He slowly moved the metal between the shutters and unlocked them. He restored the metal strip to his belt and eased the shutters open. He still could not see anything inside the room. It was too dark.

The Sakovan assassin eased his body through the window and quietly slid to the floor. He felt around with his hands and discovered the corner of a desk nearby. Slowly, he stood and closed the shutters and locked them. It took him several minutes to cross the room, each step taking with the utmost care to avoid banging into anything. When he reached the door to the corridor, he placed his ear against it to listen for sounds outside the door. He heard nothing.

HawkShadow eased the door open, flickering light from distant torches illuminating the hallway. He gazed through the crack and saw two Imperial Guards standing outside the next door along the corridor, the door to General Lafor’s office. HawkShadow silently closed the door.

The minutes passed slowly as HawkShadow let his eyes adjust to the darkness again and then inched his way back across the room to the window. He unlocked the shutters and opened them. He gazed down at the city streets for several moments before easing through the window and hanging from the sill by his hands. Again his feet sought a perch that would allow him to reach the middle of the window. He reached for the thin metal strip and set it in place as he closed the shutters. He manipulated it gently until the lock slid into place.

HawkShadow stowed the metal strip and started to inch sideways across the rear face of the building. He moved in excruciatingly small increments until he approached the lit window. The flickering light flowed out the window and illuminated the windowsill. The Sakovan assassin knew he would also be illuminated when he was entering the room. He turned his head and gazed at the street below, his eyes searching for any sign of a witness. He saw none, which was mildly disturbing, as he knew that at least one person down there was watching him. Could there be others?

The Sakovan assassin pushed the thought from his mind as he lowered his body half a pace. He inched rightward until he was under the windowsill and then reached up and grabbed it. He hung there for a few moments, letting his fingers rest as he used his wrists and feet to keep himself from falling.

HawkShadow pulled himself up and peered into the room. General Lafor was the only person visible. The general sat at his desk facing the door and drinking his alcohol slowly. HawkShadow lowered himself below the sill and waited. The assassin mentally kicked himself for not waiting longer before scaling the rear of the building. Now he was forced to hang onto the stones and wait for the general to pass out.

HawkShadow’s muscles started to cramp, and he changed positions several times. Again his eyes drifted downward to see if anyone was watching. He was just about to climb down the building and wait the general out when he heard a dull thud pass through the window. He pulled himself up again and peered into the room. The general’s head was on his desk, his glass was empty and near his hand.