“Is Etta the village that you and Eltor went to when we arrived in Elvangar?” asked MistyTrail.
“Yes,” nodded Mistake. “It is the village where Eltor and Caldal lived. It is small and primitive, but the people there did not shun me.”
“It would get them out of the queen’s eye,” offered Tamar. “I might be able to take a day off here and there and come out and tutor you.”
“It is not a bad idea,” brightened Volox. “The girls would be safe there. I fear that once the queen sets her sights on them, she will try to cause them trouble. It would be better for them to be out of sight.”
“And when the queen has decided to forget about them,” smiled Tamar, “we can quietly bring them back here.”
Anija smiled, but tears were forming in her eyes. “Let the queen forget them quickly,” she said as she wiped her eyes. “I quite enjoying having them here. They have become like daughters to me.”
* * *
The soldier in the brown and white uniform of the Morgar clan peered into the darkness from his perch in an old tree. He was sure that he heard the noises of rigging slapping in the wind, but he could not see the ship. He quietly dropped out of the tree and moved through the trees to the edge of the beach. He squatted down and let his eyes scan the horizon, looking for the absence of stars. After a few minutes, his eyes began to feel weary from focusing on nothing. He blinked and refocused. He thought he saw a star blink out, but he was not sure. He stared again, and excitement grew as the star reappeared. He moved his focus to another star group and waited. He nodded when the new group of stars disappeared. A moment later they reappeared, and he heard the rigging again.
The soldier slid back into the woods and raced along the trail to the Morgar mansion. He ran straight into the mansion and into the Marshal’s suite. He banged loudly of the door to the sleeping chamber. The Morgar marshal opened the door and stared at the soldier with sleepy eyes.
“I am pretty sure that there is a ship off the coast,” reported the soldier. “I could not see it, but I heard it. Something is moving out there that is blocking the stars.”
“Well done, soldier,” nodded the marshal. “Alert the cortain on duty and tell him that I authorized his deployment. I will be along shortly.”
The soldier ran outside the mansion and found the cortain. He passed along the marshal’s message. The cortain quietly summoned his three squad leaders and snapped off curt instructions. Within moments, sixty men were quietly sneaking into the forest along the coast. They readied their bows and stood silently behind trees as they waited for something to happen.
Long minutes passed by as the men waited in the darkness. Suddenly a splash of water was heard above the noise of the surf. The clan soldiers tensed. Shapes appeared along the beach, and some of the Morgar soldiers watched the dark-clad men pass by on their way towards the mansion.
The cortain stood in the middle of the long line of his men in the forest. He counted six shapes pass by. He waited to see any more were coming, but he did not wait long. He knew if there were stragglers that his men further along the line would get them.
“Now!” shouted the cortain.
A hail of arrows flew out of the woods, and the six dark-clad men fell as one. Morgar soldiers immediately raced out of the woods, their swords drawn and held high. The six bodies were quickly decapitated. The cortain walked along the beach until he met the marshal.
“Six bodies accounted for,” reported the cortain.
“Did any go up in smoke?” asked the marshal.
“No,” answered the cortain. “This group was normal.”
“What about the ship?” asked the marshal.
“Never saw it,” answered the cortain. “Some of the men heard it, but it never beached.”
“Keep a squad out there until morning,” ordered the marshal. “I will take no chances with our mages. I must report this to Emperor Marak.”
* * *
Rhoda stood before Aakuta and dropped her robe. The dark mage ran his fingers over the red blotches on her skin and nodded.
“Turn around,” commanded Aakuta.
Rhoda obediently turned around and Aakuta checked her back.
“You are healing well,” Aakuta said. “I have to go upstairs for a while. Hide the robe and get up on the table. I have to strap you down in case someone comes by.”
Rhoda rolled up the robe and stuffed it in a drawer. She climbed up on the table and rolled over onto her back. She put her arms by her side and waited to be strapped down.
“Remember to feign unconsciousness if anyone enters,” advised Aakuta as he tightened the straps over her arms and legs. “I will not be able to help you if it is discovered that you are awake.”
“You cannot protect me forever,” Rhoda replied. “I was prepared to die before. I am still ready. Kill me now and be done with it. I do not want to endure again what has already passed.”
“Be patient,” advised Aakuta. “You are a courageous young woman, not someone to be sacrificed. I will figure a way to get you out of here. Speak no more.”
Aakuta checked the room for any sign that the patient had recovered. Satisfied that nothing was amiss, he opened the door and stepped into the corridor. He closed the door and locked it as he gazed along the corridor at the door to the holding cells. Aakuta hurried upstairs to Lady Mystic’s chambers. She smiled broadly as he entered.
“Right on time,” greeted Lady Mystic as she ushered the dark mage out the door and locked it. “I was just about to step out the door.”
“We are so close in makeup that our timing is as one,” smiled Aakuta. “What is the purpose of today’s session?”
“What is the purpose of any of them?” shrugged Lady Mystic. “Vand wants to express himself. That is reason enough to attend. Have you made any progress with the girl?”
“I have made progress in healing her wounds,” shrugged Aakuta as they climbed the stairs, “but not with information. I cannot interrogate someone who is unconscious.”
“Vand will not be happy,” frowned Lady Mystic as they reached the doors to the throne room. “Perhaps he will be occupied with something else.”
As they entered the room, it quickly became obvious that the session had already started. In fact, it appeared to have been going for some time. Two guards were already dragging out the body of a seaman.
“Ah, the great interrogator has arrived,” Vand snarled as he saw Aakuta and Lady Mystic enter. “Tell me, Aakuta, have you discovered the secret of the air tunnel yet?”
“Not yet,” sighed Aakuta. “Your last interrogator caused great damage to the girl. As I said last time, it is best to grab another Khadoran mage. Getting anything out of this one will be a long shot.”
“It might be easier if you try harder,” snapped Vand.
“I am doing the best that I can,” Aakuta replied in an annoyed tone. “The girl should have died during the last interrogation. The fact that she still lives is miraculous. I have been healing her wounds so that when she does awaken, I will be able to get the information out of her.”
“You have to heal her to talk to her?” questioned the Emperor.
“If I want her to cooperate,” nodded Aakuta. “Were she to awaken in her damaged state, she would welcome death. That is not conducive to getting what we want to know. Of course I am healing her. I want her to cling to life desperately. If I cannot threaten her with something that she holds dear, how then can I expect her to divulge the information? I still advise the capture of at least one more Khadoran mage. It would be quicker than dealing with this one.”
“We have been trying to get another,” shouted Vand as his eyes glared at Aakuta. “Each and every time we send a ship to grab another, there is a trap waiting for them. How do you suppose that is happening?” he asked accusingly.