Richard Tuttle - Star of Sakova

HawkShadow circled the bed so that the Mayor was between StarWind and himself. With a sudden move, HawkShadow rolled the Mayor’s body to face StarWind and placed a knife to the man’s throat.

“Now that we have your attention,” HawkShadow whispered, “we want to talk with you. We do not intend any harm to you, but if you try to call the guards, I fear that we will do what we must to escape.”

“And will you do what you must when you are done talking?” the Mayor blustered.

“Actually,” HawkShadow smiled, “I was kind of hoping that you would help us leave after the talk. We have not come to do harm, rather we have come to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. We believe you would desire the same.”

“Who are you?” questioned the Mayor. “And what do you want?”

“If you agree to talk with us and to remain so that you cannot see me,” offered HawkShadow, “I will let you sit up without the presence of my knife at your throat. Are you agreeable?”

“I have little choice in the matter it would appear,” conceded Mayor Ferde. “Besides I am curious why someone would sneak into my house to speak with me. You have my attention and I will not call the guards unless I feel threatened again.”

“Fair enough,” StarWind stated from her position of concealment. “We really mean no harm to you. We tried to see you officially, but I am afraid we were denied.”

“The Imperial Guards have suggested that I see nobody who is unknown to me,” returned the Mayor as he tried to see into the darkness where StarWind was hiding. “There is a fear of assassination roiling through the country since the Katana’s death. It appears that the Sakovans will finally show their true colors.”

“You are quite correct,” chuckled StarWind, “but the colors you see will surprise you. The troubles in Omunga are not due to the Sakovans, Mayor Ferde. In fact, the reason for our visit is to explain just that to you. We are Sakovans.”

An audible gasp escaped from the Mayor’s lips and StarWind could see him quiver. “You and the rest of Omunga have been fed a load of clova chips,” StarWind continued. “The attack on the watula fields was the work of an Omungan, a man named Harac. He was merely a hired hand, but we know who hired him. His job was to make you believe that the Sakovans had burned your fields.”

“How do you know this?” asked Mayor Ferde. “Who is behind it and why should I believe you?”

“The proof resides in your own Records Bureau at the Imperial Headquarters here,” answered StarWind. “As for who is behind it, I am afraid that you will find the answer displeasing, for it is the same person responsible for the Katana’s death.”

“Malafar?” asked Ferde as he tried to peer into the darkness to see StarWind. “Why would he want our fields burned?”

“Malafar was a dupe,” explained StarWind. “He was forcibly abducted from his Academy and drugged until he could be controlled by the true aggressor.”

“You speak craziness,” Ferde said, shaking his head. “You expect me to believe that all of these things are somebody else’s fault? What do you hope to gain by this charade?”

StarWind tossed a folder onto the bed. “Read that,” she instructed. “The details of the raid on Campanil were copied from your own official reports. The proprietor of the Hog’s Tail can tell you about Harac. If you have enough clout in the Capital, you can inquire of the guards at the mage cell block about Malafar’s confinement and release.”

Mayor Ferde struggled to read the papers in the dim light and was slightly shaken when HawkShadow handed him a candle and allowed him to light it. For some time the Sakovans were silent while the Mayor read the reports. Ferde occasionally emitted grunts of surprise or shook his head with disbelief. Finally, he laid the papers on the bed beside him.

“A fairy tale,” he concluded. “Even if these facts are correct, you are expecting me to believe that the First Minister would destroy his own country to gain his advancement. It doesn’t make sense. We found people murdered in those fields with Sakovan stars. How do you explain that?”

The night air sang as StarWind’s star flew across the room and imbedded in the post of the Mayor’s bed. “Look at a real Sakovan star,” she suggested. “You read the report describing the stars found on the bodies. All Sakovan stars have five points, and only five points, because they represent the Pentagon of Life for Sakovans. Our religion is based on the five Principles of Kaltara. Harac was not very efficient in his masquerade.”

Ferde pulled the star out of the bedpost and examined it. “Alright,” he conceded, “suppose I buy into the fact that the fire was not set by Sakovans. It is still hard to believe that Alazar would do this. He is the Katana now and I could not go against him if I wanted to. What is it you expect me to do?”

“I am not sure,” admitted StarWind. “We do not want war with Omunga and we know that you are one of the vocal voices calling for it. Alazar is only too happy to hear you shout for war. We need to remove Alazar from power because he will not stop until he gets his war, but we need to do so in such a fashion that the Omungan people are not offended. Our war is with Alazar only and not the Omungans. Do you understand?”

“It is obvious that you believe the facts you have presented to me,” agreed Ferde, “and so I believe your intentions. I will not take part in killing the Katana even if you are right though. I still must check out these facts before I am convinced of the truth of what you are presenting.”

“Understandable,” nodded StarWind although the Mayor could not see her. “I ask for nothing more than your honest investigation and a halt to calling for war with us until you are satisfied with the results.”

“You have presented a rather compelling case,” admitted the Mayor, “and at great risk to yourself. I will check it out thoroughly.”

“Excellent,” smiled StarWind. “I have heard that you are honest and will accept you at your word. The Sakovan people have given a gift to the people of Campanil to help alleviate their hunger in the coming winter. We have brought forty wagons of watula to Campanil to replace what you have lost in the fire. We hope it will serve your people well.”

“Forty wagons?” echoed Ferde with obvious surprise. “How? Where?” “How much?” he added with a frown.

“There is no cost,” laughed StarWind. “It is stored in the buildings of one of the farms that was burned. I suggest you keep its location secret until you can safely bring it into the city, otherwise people may riot when they learn of it. I have a personal gift for you as well. There is man named Klaarg who has worked for Alazar doing his dirty deeds. We have heard that he can be found in Gatong. If you were to have him arrested by troops loyal to you, I am sure that he can tell you much more about Alazar’s plot than I can.”

Silence fell over the room for a while as the Mayor digested the information StarWind had presented. Finally he nodded his head in satisfaction. “Very well,” he stated. “I accept the grain with great gratitude on behalf of the people of Campanil. I will cease my calls for war and discourage others from doing so while I investigate your claims. I will have this Klaarg arrested and interrogated as well. If your story bears out, I will do whatever I can to see that war does not come, but I will not raise a hand against the Katana.”

“If you find our story true,” pushed StarWind, “will you call for war if we truly do assassinate the current Katana? If the Omungans refuse to remove him from power, then we must, for he will not stop his plans short of our annihilation.”

The Mayor shook his head vigorously. “I do not want to know of your plans for assassination,” he scowled. “I love Omunga and therefore must support my Katana. Do not ask these things of me because I cannot give them.”