Lady Mystic opened the door. She was fully clothed, and her hair was a mess. She stepped to one side so that Aakuta could enter. Aakuta stepped into the room. His eyes landed on the broken chair and the books that had obviously fallen from the shelf. Lady Mystic closed the door.
“What has happened here?” asked Aakuta. “I was in the library reading and soldiers entered to say there were invaders in the temple. Did they enter your room? Are you all right?”
“I didn’t sleep well,” Lady Mystic answered softly as she walked over and picked up the books. “Perhaps it’s those trilling alarms going off. How is anyone supposed to get any sleep around here?”
Aakuta walked over to Lady Mystic and embraced her. He tried to kiss her, but she turned her head. Aakuta frowned.
“What is the matter?” Aakuta asked. “Have I done something to offend you?”
“I don’t know,” Lady Mystic replied coldly. “Have you?”
“I would never hurt you,” Aakuta replied as he hugged her tightly. “You know that I love you too much. You have given me a new life, one that causes me to look forward to the future.”
“I wish that I could believe that,” replied Lady Mystic, tears once again beginning to well up in her eyes. “I have never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. Still, I feel as if you are using me. I do not think your expression of love is genuine.”
“Then you should think again,” smiled Aakuta. “My love for you is genuine. What must I do to prove it to you?”
“You could start by telling me about Malafar,” answered Lady Mystic.
Chapter 34
Dobuk
Aakuta crossed the room and sat down in a chair. Lady Mystic looked at him expectantly, but Aakuta said nothing.
“Tell me about Malafar,” repeated Lady Mystic. “Tell me the truth. You owe me that much.”
“I do indeed,” sighed Aakuta. “How did you find out?”
“I was downstairs tonight when you helped out your friends,” answered the high priestess.
Aakuta nodded sadly and began, “I am Master Malafar of the Omungan Academy of Magic. Or at least I was at one time.”
“At one time?” frowned Lady Mystic.
“Yes,” nodded Aakuta. “I thought that I was happy in my own way at the time, but I was merely deceiving myself. I lost my son first and then my wife. My daughter became the Star of Sakova, leader of the Sakovans, a people that I thought were barbaric savages. I murdered the leader of Omunga, because I was drugged, but even after I overcame the drug, I could not accept my daughter’s people. I also could no longer accept my own. I was a man standing alone against the world.”
Lady Mystic sat in a chair facing Aakuta and urged him to continue.
“I murdered another Katana,” continued Aakuta. “I don’t know whether I did it for personal revenge, or to make amends to my daughter. Whatever the reason, it once again endangered my daughter and her people. I almost died that day, but the Sakovans nursed me back to health. Strange as it seems, even though I caused the Sakovans so much harm, they cared for me. Or pitied me, I am not sure which, and it didn’t matter at that point. I had to leave for good. I decided to take a new identity and disappear. Lyra’s trip to meet with Lord Marak seemed to be an ideal time to do it.”
“Is that when Aakuta was born?” asked Lady Mystic.
“Yes,” nodded Aakuta, “but something also happened then. I met the Chula people who were also known to be barbarians, but they were not. Oh, they dress like savages, but they are a wise people. They helped me understand what a fool I had been all of my life. They explained to me about Vand and the war that was to come. They made me understand what a difficult position my daughter was in, and how special she is, not just to the Sakovans, but everyone in the world. How could that not change my attitude?”
“I have no experience of my own to compare it against,” Lady Mystic said softly.
“Finally,” continued Aakuta, “I met the Khadorans. They were not like anything I had expected. There was no national cohesion like Omunga had. Khadora was a bunch of clans all seeking to outdo the other. Only Marak was different. I realized that I could help him. That is when I started to change. That is when Aakuta was born.”
“Surely that is not what brought you here?” asked Lady Mystic.
“Not directly,” Aakuta shook his head. “At first I just wanted to be left alone to meditate, but Khadoran greed made that impossible. My name became known to the clans, and I saw that I would never have peace in Khadora. I found out about the Jiadin invasion and figured it was Vand’s first move to crush civilization. I made a vow to get involved and help out wherever I could, but even then I had no idea where it would lead.”
“To courting Vand’s daughter,” sniffed Lady Mystic.
“Yes,” Aakuta agreed sadly. “When Marak was imprisoned, I tried to free him, but he refused to flee. That puzzled me at first, but then I realized what he was thinking. He was committed to the death to stop Vand. I had to make the same commitment to save my daughter and her people. I did.”
“That is where Zygor came in?” probed the high priestess.
“And Brakas,” nodded Aakuta. “I figured out what Zygor’s game was, and I beat him at it. When I tracked down Brakas, I realized that Vand would just send a replacement for Zygor, and another, and another. I had to stop that to give everyone time to prepare. When I heard that Smarc was coming, I knew what I had to do.”
“And that brought you to Motanga,” nodded Lady Mystic. “So you have been playing me for a fool ever since, and I did not detect it because you do not believe in Kaltara or anything else. You came here planning to die, didn’t you?”
Aakuta sighed and stared at the floor. The room was quiet for several minutes. Only the grating blare of the horns invaded the silence.
“I guess I did,” Aakuta finally replied. “I had no home any more. I had no future. There was nothing for me to look forward to.”
“And you used me to gain knowledge about Vand’s plans,” accused Lady Mystic.
“I did at first,” admitted Aakuta, “but that changed. It wasn’t supposed to change, but I could not help it. I never dreamed that I would meet someone like you. I wish it had happened before I came here. I would never have gotten in that boat.”
“You could have just stopped fighting against Vand,” Lady Mystic pointed out. “I warned you that I never wanted to choose between the two of you.”
“I couldn’t stop,” Aakuta shook his head. “Vand already suspected me. Even if I stopped, he would find out what I had done in the past. There was no exit for me. Besides, you don’t understand what Vand is.”
“I don’t understand?” balked Lady Mystic. “Vand is my father. I know him better than anyone else alive. How can you say such a thing?”
“You see him as your father,” nodded Aakuta. “That is the problem. You are viewing him through a beautiful morning mist, but you truly do not understand him. You are ever loyal to him and think he will be the same towards you. He will not. You are just as discardable as I am. His only loyalty is to whatever is in that room that he visits daily.”
“My father would never discard me,” Lady Mystic raged. “You are the one who does not understand Vand. How dare you say such a thing?”
“In my position,” replied Aakuta, “I feel free to state the truth as I know it. There is no reason for me to try to deceive myself. That is what I ran away from. I will never do that again.”
“As long as you feel that you must tell the truth,” retorted Lady Mystic, “what do you really feel for me? Do you love me, or was that just part of your disguise?”
“I wish that I could say that it was part of my disguise,” frowned Aakuta, “but the truth is, I really have fallen in love with you. I never meant for it to happen, but it has.”