Richard Tuttle - Island of Darkness

“I can,” nodded Lyra. “If you will open the window and then step aside, I will contact a mage in Alamar. It may take a while for her to run to the general’s office, but I am sure that it will be worth the wait.”

The general nodded and opened the window. He then walked to the front of the desk and sat down as he dismissed the Imperial Guards behind him. Lyra watched as the soldiers left the room. A shiver of pity rippled through her body as she thought about the first soldier to attack her. She shook her head sadly and wove the air tunnel to Alamar. Within moments she was talking to one of Temiker’s students, a female Sakovan. She issued her instructions and waited.

“Assuming this is all true,” said the general as he began to breath normally, “what is to stop the Katana’s armies from reclaiming Gatong?”

“The Sakovan armies for one,” answered Lyra. “I move next to Fortung. After that is Campanil. My goal, general, is to topple the Katana. I wish no harm to Omungans, but this war must be ended. I prefer to end it with as little bloodshed as possible, but there will be some. Right now the armies of Okata are trying to infiltrate the Sakova. We will unfortunately have to destroy them, but I am hoping to spare the cities from attacks. I suspect that Okata will have to be attacked in the end, though.”

“General Manitow here,” came a loud voice. “Who am I talking to?”

“Manitow?” shouted General Papper as he leaped out of his chair. “Is that really you?”

“Papper?” replied the voice. “Aren’t you in Gatong?”

“As always,” grinned General Papper as he recognized the voice of his old friend. “I can’t believe that I am talking to you.”

“Nor can I,” laughed General Manitow. “These Sakovans are full of surprises. Does this mean that Gatong has joined the Sakovans?”

“That is what we are discussing right now,” frowned General Papper. “I have been told many stories in the attempt to get Gatong to defect. I suspect that most of them are fabrications designed to win my approval. I am told that Alamar, Duran, and Zaramilden have defected. Is this true?”

“It is indeed,” confirmed General Manitow. “I am not sure how it went down in Duran or Zaramilden, but the citizens of Alamar demanded it. They felt that Okata has never done anything for them while the Sakovans sent food and restored their fields. I have to agree with them.”

“How is it?” General Papper asked cautiously as he tried to analyze the tone of Manitow’s speech as well as the words spoken.

“Couldn’t be better,” General Manitow replied cheerily. “As you could guess, I was skeptical at first, but I am a believer now. The people are well fed and happy. The citizens are volunteering to strengthen the defenses for when Romero decides to return, should that ever happen.”

“So you are expecting to be attacked by Okata?” asked General Papper.

“I always expect the worst, Papper,” chuckled General Manitow. “You should realize that. We will survive if it comes. In a way, I look forward to defeating General Romero. He always was such a pompous jerk. It seems that the big generals in Omunga are chosen by who they know and not what they know.”

“You sound rather confident,” remarked General Papper.

“I am,” replied General Manitow. “The Sakovans are resourceful and generous. They do not ask anything of us that they would not do themselves. I am beginning to believe that Okata will fall.”

“With the Khadorans on the side of the Sakovans,” commented General Papper, “perhaps they are bound to win.”

“Is that confirmed?” asked General Manitow. “I wondered about that. No one has mentioned it before, but I thought it was strange that the Khadorans were supplying the food.”

“I believe that I can confirm it now,” sighed General Papper. “We just seized a Khadoran ship and the crew certainly behaved as if there was such an alliance. We heard a voice through this magic thing that is allowing us to talk now. He claimed to be Emperor Marak and stated that he was aligned with the Sakovans. It makes sense in light of the reports that I have gotten from spies in Khadora. It is well known up there that the Khadorans are not allowed to aid Omunga in this war, not even with shipments of food.”

“I wonder if the Star of Sakova could be enticed into calling upon Emperor Marak to aid us militarily?” posed General Manitow.

“Manitow…” General Papper tried to interrupt.

“I think Okata would collapse in a heartbeat if that happened,” continued General Manitow. “Could you imagine the faces of Romero, Didyk, and the others? The Star of Sakova is the one who can do it, too. Wait until you meet Lyra. She will talk you around in circles until you are wondering which end is up.”

“Manitow,” General Papper said with his voice rising.

Lyra started laughing and General Manitow suddenly shut up. There was an awkward moment of silence before he spoke again.

“I apologize, Lyra,” General Manitow said seriously. “I should have realized that you were probably at the other end of this magical contraption.”

“No apologies are necessary, General Manitow,” Lyra said in a smiling voice. “I created this connection so that General Papper would know the truth of certain matters. Your speaking of your mind is what he needed to hear. Please continue. I will not think less of you no matter what you say. The truth is what it is. Be frank with General Papper.”

Another awkward silence followed before General Manitow said, “I will be frank and open. Papper, this war can only go two ways. Either the Omungans win or the Sakovans do. This will not be like the other attempts to squash the Sakovans because they are finally going to fight back. I feel confident that my city of Alamar will survive the ashes of this inferno. How do you feel about Gatong?”

“I am not sure,” admitted General Papper as he glanced over his shoulder at the Star of Sakova. “I guess I always thought that Gatong would remain outside the battle zone, but I now see how foolish an expectation that was. With Khadora potentially involved, Gatong is instead the center of the battlefield. We would be the first Omungan city crushed in the invasion.”

“Then there you have it,” General Manitow stated. “Come over to the Sakovans. What do you have to gain by staying allied with Okata? Your people will be well cared for and happy. Of that I can assure you if Alamar is any guide. As for yourself, do not for a moment believe that Didyk, Romero, or Valdey will roll over and make a place for you in the capital. You are the general of a remote city, and that is as far as you will ever go in your career.”

“And what place will I have with the Sakovans?” asked General Papper.

“I can answer that,” interrupted Lyra. “There is another war coming after this one. I am going to need the brightest military minds that I can find for that war. While I cannot guarantee that either of you will be chosen for high positions, I can declare that each of you will be invited to give your input and state your case for a position of importance.”

“You plan to double cross the Khadorans?” gasped General Papper. “You must be mad.”

“Our war will not be with the Khadorans,” Lyra replied. “In fact, the Khadorans will be our allies. There is an invasion coming soon. Now is not the time to go into details, but our enemy comes from across the seas. They are a large and powerful force and are intent on conquering the whole continent. The disease of our crops was planted by them to starve the population before the invasion. I also believe that they have used dark magic to replace Larst as the Katana. That is why he is so bent on war, even to the point of blocking food shipments from the Sakovans to the Omungan cities. He is trying to create the greatest suffering that he can so that we do not have time to unite and prepare for the invasion.”