“But they can only be used if we know when Vand is going to attack,” Lyra pointed out.
“Quite true,” frowned Marak. “Fisher’s spy on the island has been unable to find that out. I don’t mean he can’t find out the hour of the attack, he doesn’t even have an idea of the month. That is a problem for us.”
“I believe that you mentioned the last time we were in Angragar that you wanted some of these positioned in the Sakova,” stated Lyra. “Is that still true?”
“Very much so,” nodded the Torak. “We can carry dozens of these on one of my larger ships. I want to build them first and then move them. Your only seaports are cities that used to be Omungan. I am fearful of spies.”
“Understandable,” nodded Lyra, “but this location gives me an idea. Can the boats be rowed?”
“Certainly,” replied Marak. “What are you thinking?”
“They could be kept in the Sakova itself,” answered Lyra. “The Tanzaba River and the Elkeltar River have headwaters that are very close to each other, yet the two rivers come out far apart. If we stored the crafts in the Sakova near those headwaters, we could use either river to get them to the sea.”
“So they would be hidden from prying eyes and could exit whichever place the Motangans were not,” nodded Marak. “I like it. I could have my ships deliver them at night, and you could have trusted people cart them away by wagons.”
“That is team work,” grinned Lyra. “You should test the crossbows before we go through all of this trouble, though.”
“I will see to it,” promised the Torak. “How are the Omungans integrating into the Sakova?”
“Much better than I expected,” replied the Star of Sakova. “I think those that could have caused us the most trouble were the generals of the large armies. When we saved General Didyk’s life from the hellsoul, his attitude changed remarkably.”
“Do you think he is sincere?” asked the Torak.
“Oh, yes,” nodded Lyra. “I am sure of it.”
“You tested him, didn’t you?” grinned Marak.
“More than a few times,” Lyra grinned back. “He is really helping out with the planning for the defense of the Sakova. So are General Kapla and General Romero. In fact, all of the generals are being helpful. They are trying to outdo each other, but it is a good spirited competition.”
“Let’s head back,” suggest Marak. “I don’t want to be noticed missing.”
They headed back along the trail through the jungle and along the river. When they returned to the palace, Tamar was showing off his Motangan uniform.
“It fits you well,” complimented Lyra.
“I had the king’s made up the same as mine,” replied Tamar. “From MistyTrail’s description, it should be pretty close.”
“When are you leaving?” asked Marak.
“Before dawn,” answered Tamar. “If my calculations are correct, we should reach that small cove just after dark on the day of arrival.”
“That is wise,” commented Captain Mynor. “You are leaving yourself good leeway in case of poor winds or adverse currents. I have done my best to mark the currents on the charts, but those are only indications of what we observed. They could change.”
“The elven scout ship will be driven more by the winds than the currents,” replied Tamar. “Still, I will take them into account.”
“Is there anything else we can do for you?” asked Marak. “Anything at all?”
“Pray for our safe return,” answered MistyTrail.
“That goes without saying,” smiled Lyra. “Perhaps we should all turn in for the night. I would like to be up to bid farewell to these courageous warriors.”
The party broke up and everyone went to the guesthouses that Rejji had assigned to them. Marak slept fitfully as he dreamed about the coming battles and Lyra’s question of what the world might look like when it was all over. Finally, he gave up on sleeping and crawled out of bed. He left his guesthouse and walked to the temple. The two Qubari guards outside the temple smiled and nodded to him as he entered the building. Marak thought there was a hint of hidden message in their demeanor, but he brushed it off.
He made his way through the dark corridors of the temple, not bothering with a torch. He knew his way fairly well as the same layout was used for Changragar. He reached the prayer chamber and stepped inside. The room was completely black. He moved cautiously towards where he felt the center was and dropped to his knees. His heart felt like it would explode when he heard the voice.
“I am sure glad that you didn’t trip over me,” Lyra said softly.
Marak breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized Lyra’s voice.
“You could give a young man a heart attack that way,” Marak replied. “How did you know it was me? I can’t even see you in here.”
“I can’t see you either,” chuckled Lyra. “Who else would be coming here at this time of night? I am willing to bet that you couldn’t sleep because you were replaying the conversation that we had earlier. Am I right?”
Marak didn’t answer for a long time. He knelt there in the darkness and probed his inner feelings. When he did speak, it startled Lyra.
“I love you,” Emperor Marak declared.
“I know,” smiled Lyra. “I love you, too.”
Chapter 31
Island of Darkness
The seas were calm and the half moon gave sufficient light to see the coastline. HawkShadow and Tamar were wearing the uniforms of Motangan soldiers. Mistake and MistyTrail wore their animal skins. HawkShadow grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows from the deck of the elven scout ship. He moved forward and scanned the shoreline as Tamar guided the ancient ship into the small cove. The sails luffed as the ship ran gently onto the narrow beach. HawkShadow leaped out of the boat and pulled it further onto the beach.
MistyTrail and Mistake jumped to the beach while Tamar gathered up the bows and quivers and carried them to the beach. He handed them to Mistake and turned to help HawkShadow drag the ship fully onto the beach. Mistake searched the edge of the jungle for any signs of a trail. She found a narrow trail and stood at its entrance waiting for the others. HawkShadow picked up the bows and quivers and distributed them to the others. He kept two for himself.
“I know the plan is to leave the bows in the jungle to use for our retreat,” Tamar whispered to HawkShadow, “but why did you bring two for yourself?”
“I didn’t,” replied HawkShadow. “I figured that the king would know how to use a bow. If he is in any decent condition when we escape, his help might be needed. If he is not well, all I have wasted is a bow and a quiver of arrows.”
“The king is an elf,” grinned Tamar. “Even if he is weak, he will know how to use one.”
Everyone gathered near Mistake and she started along the jungle trail. The others followed in single file with Tamar at the rear. The creature noises fell silent as the small party invaded the jungle. Mistake led at a slow and cautious pace, but she soon began walking a little faster as her eyes became accustomed to the dimmer light in the jungle.
They marched for almost fifteen minutes before they heard the noise of something large moving through the growth. Mistake froze, and the others stopped behind her. Everyone remained silent and listened to the noise. It was getting louder, and it sounded like it was coming from behind them. They all turned around to face the beach. Tamar nocked an arrow to his bow.
Suddenly, a huge shape stepped out of the foliage and appeared on the trail. The krul was fifteen feet tall, and its mouth opened to shout when he saw the invaders. Tamar let fly his arrow. It struck the krul between the eyes. Tamar swiftly nocked another arrow, but it was not necessary. The huge creature fell backwards and hit the ground with a loud thump. HawkShadow drew his sword and raced past Tamar to the creature’s body.
“It is dead,” HawkShadow whispered. “Help me move its body off the trail.”
Tamar dropped his bow and raced to help HawkShadow. The two men struggled to move the giant creature. They could not lift it, but they managed to drag it into the foliage alongside the trail. Tamar ripped up some leafy vines and covered the body as best he could. They walked back up the trail to the waiting princesses.