Richard Tuttle - Star of Sakova

HawkShadow slid back to StarWind and whispered to her, “That guard must have seen us enter from where he was in the grove. I do not understand what is happening or why he sent the patrol away. Should we kill him and make a dash for the building?”

StarWind studied the guard, who was standing on the path starring in their general direction, but not right at them. She squinted and cocked her head as she watched the guard smile broadly. He waved his hand to summon the Sakovans out of their hiding spot and StarWind stood up and walked towards him. HawkShadow’s eyes widened with shock and his mouth refused to close as he watched his partner give herself up to the enemy. His arm drew back, star in hand, to wipe the smile off the guard’s face as he watched StarWind approach.

“HawkShadow,” she called softly, “hurry up. There is no time to waste.”

HawkShadow’s arm froze before releasing the star. With a great deal of skepticism, he rose and followed StarWind towards the Imperial Guard. He heard StarWind speaking to the guard and hastened forward.

“I don’t know if I can divert them again when you are done,” the guard was saying, “but signal me and I will try. Don’t dally because that patrol’s confusion will only last for a while.”

“Get yourself out of here, Fisher,” ordered StarWind. “You are taking too big of a risk. Either the Mayor will give us safe passage out, or we will not be leaving.”

HawkShadow halted alongside StarWind and gazed at the Imperial Guard with shock. “Fisher?” he questioned. “How in Kaltara’s name did you get in here?”

“Why would anyone keep an Imperial Guard Captain out?” grinned Fisher. “Hurry along. Another patrol is due shortly and the first may return unexpectedly.”

HawkShadow nodded, pushed his questions out of his mind, and raced for the building with StarWind close behind. He swiftly tossed his rope over a balcony railing post and tested its firmness before climbing up. When StarWind reached the top, HawkShadow hauled the rope up and dropped it to the floor. Looking back towards the grounds, he noticed Fisher had already disappeared and he turned his attention to the door barring his entry into the building.

StarWind flashed a thin piece of metal, but HawkShadow shook his head as he eased the unlocked door open. The black-clad duo stepped into the room and slid the door closed. HawkShadow waited stiffly for a few moments as his eyes adjusted to the darker interior and then scanned what appeared to be a bedroom. A lone figure occupied the bed. StarWind shook her head and led the way to another doorway leading into the main part of the mansion.

Torchlight penetrated the darkness as StarWind cracked the door open. She peered into the hallway before easing through the door with HawkShadow right behind her.

“How do you know where to go?” HawkShadow whispered.

“I don’t,” admitted StarWind, “but I do know that the Mayor lives on the third floor. The first floor is for offices and the second hosts guest bedrooms. We have to find some stairs.”

HawkShadow nodded and swiftly led the way down the hall, his figure moving like the shadow of a hawk, giving credence to his name. As they reached the end of the hall where it intersected with another corridor, HawkShadow heard someone approaching and backpedaled to the nearest door and tried the doorknob. It was locked.

As he raced to try another, he saw StarWind produce a star and shook his head at her. The second door was also locked and HawkShadow sped back to the intersection of corridors, as the footsteps grew louder. He silently signaled his intentions to StarWind and waited until she acknowledged him before crouching down next to the wall. The Sakovans waited in silence as the footsteps approached. A shadow of the approaching figure, cast by the light of the torches, preceded the man and HawkShadow timed his lunge carefully. Just as the man reached the intersection, HawkShadow flung his body forward from his crouched position.

The man never saw HawkShadow and stumbled over the assassin’s body, crashing loudly to the floor. StarWind leaped to the fallen man and hit him over the head with the butt of her knife. HawkShadow jumped to his feet and ran to the nearest door in the new corridor and tried the doorknob. It was locked and he was about to try the next door when StarWind appeared at his side with a thin piece of metal and proceeded to pick the lock. HawkShadow left StarWind to her task and returned to pick up the unconscious man and carry him back to the door. StarWind had the door unlocked and was easing the door open when HawkShadow returned.

“It’s some kind of storage room,” she whispered as she looked at the stacks of furniture. “Just put him on the floor.”

HawkShadow deposited the still form on the floor and the Sakovans returned to the hallway and their search for stairs. The new corridor appeared much like the last and StarWind stopped to ponder which way would be more likely to contain stairs.

“At the end of this corridor will be the front of the building,” HawkShadow whispered. “We must have missed the back stairs somehow. Either that or there aren’t any.”

“There must be,” frowned StarWind. “Let’s head back the way we came. I do not want to risk the front of the building. There will surely be guards there even at night.”

HawkShadow nodded in agreement and they started retracing their steps back the way they had come. He moved swiftly but silently with StarWind right behind him. They passed the door of the room they had used to gain entrance into the hallway and continued along the torch-lit corridor. HawkShadow halted abruptly in front of a door and StarWind had to brace herself on the wall to avoid colliding with him. He reached out and turned the doorknob and eased the door open. With a grin he nodded to StarWind and proceeded through the door.

“All of the other doors were evenly spaced apart,” explained HawkShadow as he started up the stairs. “This would have had to have been a pretty small room if it wasn’t stairs.”

They reached the third floor and emerged into another hallway, but this one had fewer doors than the downstairs corridor. “Now what?” HawkShadow quizzed.

StarWind glanced in each direction. There were only a few doors along the hall facing the outside of the building and the inside of the building was void of openings except for the door they had exited.

“My guess is that his suite takes up most of the floor,” mused StarWind. “We need to find a door towards the center of the building. Do you want to split up?”

“No,” HawkShadow replied softly. “Pick a direction.”

StarWind nodded and headed in the same direction they had gone downstairs. Again they came to an intersection of corridors, but this new corridor halted abruptly at a door.

“This must be it,” she whispered as she tried the doorknob.

The knob turned and she eased the door open to reveal darkness. The corridor continued for a short distance, but no torches lit the way. The Sakovans crept forward in the dark and came to another corridor. StarWind led the way as they proceeded through the suite and came to a stop before a set of ornate doors. She looked to HawkShadow and he just shrugged. Silently her hand went to the doorknob and turned it. She felt a whisper of wind as she entered the large bedroom, which was illuminated with a pale light. She looked up and saw a skylight, its panes open to the night air.

“It might have been easier that way,” grinned HawkShadow softly.

StarWind shook her head and surveyed the room. A huge bed occupied the far wall and she could only detect one person in it. Two other doors led off from the room and they were both closed. She motioned to HawkShadow and he moved towards one of the doors while StarWind approached the bed. She studied the sleeping form briefly as she heard HawkShadow tapping wedges under the doors to make sure they remained closed. Finally, she looked around for a dark place to stand in. Next to a tall hanging closet was a patch of blackness and StarWind merged into it and nodded to HawkShadow.