Richard Tuttle - Island of Darkness

“That is outrageous,” scowled a man. “Why would he arrest her?”

“He arrested her because she is the Star of Sakova,” answered Shel. “He said that she is our enemy.”

“Enemy?” shouted a man. “No one who sends me food is my enemy. My little girls are wasting away because there is not enough food to eat. This woman deserves to be praised, not arrested.”

Shouts of agreement rippled through the audience. Shel chewed on her lower lip, as the crowd grew boisterous. She looked nervously around the marketplace and saw several Imperial Guards trying to push through the crowd. She knew now that she would surely be arrested.

“There is more,” Shel shouted hurriedly before the soldiers could reach her. “She said that more ships would be coming in the future, but I do not think that will be true after what our leaders have done. Not only have they arrested the Star of Sakova, but also seized her ship. They will not send more food now.”

Shel saw the mayor arrive in the marketplace. He quickly followed the Imperial Guards who were trying to part the crowd to reach the table that Shel was standing on.

“That is not her ship,” shouted a well-dressed merchant. “The Sakovans have no ships. They are landlocked.”

“Not any more,” replied Shel. “Lyra told me that all of eastern Omunga is now Sakovan. Zaramilden, Duran, and Alamar are now Sakovan cities.”

Gasps ripped through the crowd as the Imperial Guards finally reached the table. Two of them jumped up on the table and grabbed Shel while the mayor quickly followed. He raised his hands high over his head for silence, and the crowd instantly obeyed.

“Fellow citizens,” shouted Mayor Robit. “Do not listen to this nonsense. You shall disperse from this table and form an orderly line to receive the food. Those who disobey will be dealt with harshly.”

“We have a right to know what is going on,” shouted the merchant. “If you will not let Shel speak to us then you should.”

“Nothing is going on that concerns the citizens,” replied the mayor. “We have captured the Star of Sakova and seized her ship loaded with food. There is nothing else to say. Form a line or go home.”

“That was not a Sakovan ship that you seized,” retorted the merchant. “Have you no knowledge of banners?”

The mayor frowned at the merchant, who was well known and highly respected. He was not the type of citizen who could be easily dismissed.

“What do you mean?” asked Mayor Robit. “I was told that the Star of Sakova ordered that ship into port. If it is not hers, whose can it be?”

“That ship is Khadoran,” replied the merchant. “The banner belongs to the Torak clan which just happens to be led by Emperor Marak. I know because I journeyed to Khadora not long ago in search of food. The election of Lord Marak to Emperor was talked about everywhere.”

Mayor Robit’s speechless jaw dropped. His eyes opened wide as he stared at the merchant with confusion.

“I heard the captain of that ship declare that seizing it was an act of war,” shouted a citizen. “Are we going to be invaded by Khadorans now?”

The mayor ignored the question and focused on the merchant.

“You went to buy food from the Khadorans,” declared the mayor. “I remember hearing that they refused you. Is it possible that they changed their minds and sent food anyway?”

“Hardly likely,” replied the merchant. “Lord Sevrin was quite exact with his refusal. He stated that Emperor Marak had decreed that no food would be sold to Omungans as long as we were at war with the Sakovans. I find it most confusing that it is the emperor’s ship that has arrived here. It does not make sense that he would defy his own edict.”

Mayor Robit whirled to face Shel. He glared at her and shook his head.

“You said that ship was Sakovan,” accused the mayor. “How dare you deceive me?”

“I never said any such thing,” Shel replied tartly. “I said that the Star of Sakova ordered it into port to give the food to the citizens of Gatong. I never said it was a Sakovan ship. I never saw it before it docked.”

“Then how could you possibly know it was hers?” questioned the mayor.

“I heard her talking to the woman on the ship,” answered Shel. “She was using some kind of magic, but I overheard her plainly enough. She did it from my front door.”

“How could you possibly know if she was talking to someone on the ship?” interrogated the mayor. “She could have been just mumbling to herself. Perhaps she knew that this ship would arrive today and set us up to make a blunder.”

“Like seizing a Khadoran ship?” Shel shot back angrily. “I know she was talking to the ship because I heard the other woman answer her. I also heard the clanging of the rigging in the background and the sound of the sea. I know what I heard.”

The mayor stared hard at Shel for several moments before he lowered his eyes to the table. He closed his eyes as he tried to evaluate the position he was in. Finally, he realized that Gatong was in great trouble. He looked over the crowd and raised his arms high to get everyone’s attention.

“I will discuss this matter with General Papper,” the mayor declared. “When I fully understand what is happening, I will let everyone know. In the meantime, queue up for the food distribution. I expect everyone to be orderly. I will have no riots in Gatong.”

Mayor Robit faced Shel once again and waved a hand dismissively at the Imperial Guards holding her.

“I will not arrest you, Shel,” stated the mayor, “because I think you were only acting for the good of all citizens, but I warn you now. Do not stir this crowd into a frenzy. I will discover exactly how the Star of Sakova and this Khadoran ship are tied together, but I do not need discontent in Gatong while I am doing it. Do you understand?”

“I hear your words,” replied Shel. “I have not tried to incite a riot, but I felt the people need to know about the food. If we do not appease the Star of Sakova, there will be no more ships coming.”

“More ships?” asked the mayor. “Why would more ships be coming?”

“That is what she said,” shrugged Shel. “She said this was only the first ship and that more would come in the future.”

“That is hard to believe,” scowled the mayor. “It makes no sense to feed your enemy.”

“I don’t think she sees us as her enemy,” replied Shel. “I think she wanted to trade peace for food. That is what she wanted to talk to you about. It is why I brought her to your office. Remember those caravans earlier? Those were Sakovan, too. Many of us would have died without those caravans. I wonder why they stopped sending them?”

Mayor Robit gritted his teeth as he turned and jumped off the table. He knew why the caravans no longer arrived, but he dared not to speak of it. They stopped when the Imperial Guards started following them back into the Sakova. The enemy was smart enough to understand the risks of continuing the caravans, so why had the Star of Sakova decided to personally come to Gatong? Mayor Robit decided that he needed to have that question answered. He strode briskly towards the office of General Papper to get his answer.

Mayor Robit paused between the two Imperial Guards stationed outside the door to the office of the general. He did not bother to knock as he opened the door. He found the general sitting at his desk staring at a wall map of Omunga.

“Most people are polite enough to knock before entering,” scowled the general as he looked up at the mayor. “I heard you seized a ship in the harbor. I think you have just given me the perfect avenue to transport the Star of Sakova to Okata. I will have her there before Didyk or anyone else realizes what is happening.”