“But if I am gone,” frowned Rhoda, “they will suspect you. They will kill you. Come with us.”
“I cannot,” Aakuta shook his head. “My work here is not done. Besides, I have no life left on the mainland. I betrayed my own people, and I betrayed my daughter’s people. I have nowhere to go.”
“Lyra would love to have you back, Master Malafar,” stated MistyTrail.
“Omunga and the Sakovan are now one,” added HawkShadow. “There is no need for you to stay away now.”
“There are other reasons, HawkShadow,” frowned Aakuta. “My wife and son are dead. My academy and reputation are ruined forever. It is not just a matter of acceptance. I don’t belong there any more. I will not spend my life as an old aging mage with nothing to do. I have a purpose here. I must alert the Torak when I discover the timing of the invasion. If I can’t do it, no one can. There is no one to take my place here on Motanga.”
“I do not know you,” Avalar said, “but I admire your courage. Thank you for saving us in the cell area.”
Aakuta nodded curtly to the elven king and rolled a scroll across the table. Everyone gathered around to see what was on it.
“This is the best map I could create,” apologized Aakuta. “Leaving by the front door or the rear is out of the question. The alarms will be sounded before you could exit. There are two balconies on the second level. They know that the girls came and went from the library one the last time they were here, so they have magically alarmed both of them, but they are sloppy with their security, as you already know. Otherwise you would not be inside this building.”
“It sounds like they were expecting someone to return,” frowned Mistake.
“Indeed,” nodded Aakuta. “Avalar has been kept here for many years. He has been their insurance that the elves would not interfere with Vand’s plans. They thought that he was the target the last time you snuck in.”
“So how do we get out?” asked HawkShadow.
“They constantly check the alarm on the library shutters,” explained Aakuta, “but that is not true of the other balcony. I disabled that alarm over a week ago. No one has noticed yet. I know because I check it daily. This is the location of the room that leads to the balcony,” he added as he tapped the hand-drawn map.
“A meeting room?” asked Mistake. “Will anyone be in it?”
“No,” replied Aakuta. “It is seldom used. Important meetings are held in the throne room.
MistyTrail stared at Rhoda in her red robe. “Is that all you have to wear?”
Rhoda nodded and MistyTrail reached into her pack and gave Rhoda her uniform.
“It may be a little tight, but it better than nothing,” smiled MistyTrail.
The men turned their backs to Rhoda as she slipped into the uniform.
“I will check the corridor outside the door,” Aakuta said. “I dare not travel with you, though. Are you sure that you can find the balcony?”
“We will find it,” HawkShadow assured the human mage. “Take care of yourself, Master Malafar. I will tell Lyra about your decision to stay.”
“I am not sure that I want her to know,” frowned Aakuta. “She already has too much to worry about. She holds too many responsibilities for one so young. She does not need another.”
“Perhaps not,” MistyTrail said as she hugged Aakuta, “but you must know that she loves you dearly. The Sakovans will welcome you whenever you wish to return. Never doubt that.”
Aakuta’s lips pressed tightly together, and he broke the embrace. He opened the door a crack and peered out. Seeing no one, he opened the door fully and stepped into the corridor.
The six escapees filed out of the room. HawkShadow took the lead and headed towards the front of the temple. He left the lowest floor at the first staircase, heading towards the ground level. He paused to listen at the ground level and then continued up to the second level. He moved stealthily as he stepped out of the stairwell. The corridor was empty and he turned towards the rear of the temple.
When he reached the rear corridor, he halted before turning the corner. He could hear two men around the corner talking. Mistake moved close to him, and he bent down to listen to her.
“An alarm will sound as soon as anyone enters the cell area,” she whispered. “Once that happens, alarms will go off all over this island. We cannot wait for these men to finish their conversation. We must hurry if we wish to live.”
HawkShadow nodded and tapped Mistake’s palm. She nodded as a knife slid into her hand. HawkShadow nodded three times. On the third nod, Mistake ran around the corner and threw her knife. It struck a hooded man in the throat. HawkShadow stepped around the corner, his long sword held before him. With a quick slash, the second man’s head rolled across the floor. Mistake retrieved the knife from her victim as the rest of the group rounded the corner.
The rear corridor ran the width of the pyramid and no one else was in sight. HawkShadow picked the pace up and began running quietly. The others matched his speed. When they reached the far corner, HawkShadow slowed and peeked around the corner. There were two soldiers at the far end of the corridor near the front of the large temple. He pulled his head back.
“Two guards at the front of the temple,” explained HawkShadow. “They are way too far away to attack, and we cannot wait for them. Any ideas?”
“How far is the balcony room?” asked MistyTrail.
“About half way,” answered HawkShadow.
“Do you think they would see a soldier walking the corridor as strange?” she asked.
“Probably not,” shrugged HawkShadow. “What do you have in mind?”
MistyTrail hopped onto HawkShadow’s back and wrapped her arms around his chest.
“Carry me to the room,” ordered MistyTrail. “I will create a fog so that the others can follow us.”
“A fog indoors?” frowned Mistake. “Is that wise?”
“I don’t know,” shrugged MistyTrail. “Do you have a better idea?”
“I can dissipate it when we reach the room,” offered Rhoda. “Perhaps they will not notice it, or they will think they didn’t really see it.”
“I am game,” replied HawkShadow. “Hang on, shrimp, you are going for a ride. Just get off me quickly if they approach us. I will want my sword.”
HawkShadow straightened and turned the corner. He strode close to the wall to minimize the view of the far away soldiers. The two soldiers appeared to be engrossed in their conversation. They did not turn to look, and HawkShadow opened the door to the meeting room and entered sideways to avoid having MistyTrail seen.
“Don’t overdo the fog,” warned HawkShadow as he looked around the room to make sure it was empty. “Just enough to hide our people.”
MistyTrail nodded and cast her spell. The corridor grew misty and opaque. As soon as the soldiers disappeared from view, Mistake led the rest of the group in a run towards the meeting room. The group entered the room and Rhoda immediately turned back to the doorway. She cast a spell and the fog came soaring into the room. She closed the door, leaving the corridor appearing normal.
“Nice,” complimented Avalar. “We have the makings of a fine team here.”
Rhoda smiled at the elven king as HawkShadow opened the shutters to the balcony. He stepped onto the balcony and looked down. He quickly withdrew his head and backed into the room.
“We have three problems,” the Sakovan assassin announced. “We have no rope, and there are two guards below the balcony.”
“No rope?” questioned Avalar.
Tamar shrugged and said, “we left it in the forest when it became apparent that we could not walk through the back door carrying it.”
Mistake looked at MistyTrail and grinned. “We can take care of the other two problems,” she announced. “You guys find some rope.”
The elven princesses snuck out onto the balcony. They peeked over the railing at the two guards standing below. MistyTrail tapped Mistake and pointed towards the distant frameworks of the shipyard. Mistake nodded. The princesses each cast the compulsion spell on one of the guards. The guards looked at each other and then started walking away from the temple. They crossed the clear area and entered a street heading towards the shipyard. When the princesses turned around to reenter the meeting room, they bumped into Avalar.