Aakuta followed the woman warily, his eyes continually scanning the field they were crossing. Thankfully, no one was around the area, and Aakuta breathed a small sigh of relief. He did not need any more unexpected surprises to deal with. The woman led him across the field and past a small farmhouse. The city began just beyond the small farm, and Lady Mystic ducked into a narrow alley.
“No one will notice you this way,” Lady Mystic promised. “If we pass anyone, just act like we are old friends. Most importantly, behave as if you belong here. Most of the inhabitants are intelligent enough not to question anyone who might be in authority.”
“Do I fit that description?” asked Aakuta.
“You could,” shrugged Lady Mystic as she hurried out of the alley and across a street. As she led the way along another alley, she turned and said, “With a little work, you could be made to look official. We will work on it.”
Aakuta shook his head with bewilderment as he followed the strange woman through the strange city. Lady Mystic halted in the middle of an alley. Her hand moved swiftly over the door before she opened it and stepped inside. Aakuta followed the woman through the door and found himself in a small office. A laboratory was visible through another doorway, and Lady Mystic led him into it.
“I don’t have a room for eating,” she announced. “Clear a spot on the table. I will bring you something to eat.”
Lady Mystic disappeared through a doorway at the far end of the laboratory. Aakuta stared for a few moments at the long table occupying the center of the room. It was covered with jars, flasks, small tin containers, and cloth pouches. He picked up a small mortar and pestle and sniffed it. He quickly turned his head as he frowned and held the offending objects at arm’s length.
“That will teach you not to go sticking your nose into my business,” laughed Lady Mystic as she entered the room with a plate of food.
She shoved a bunch of jars out of the way and placed the plate on the table.
“This area is fairly clean,” she shrugged as she dragged a chair towards the table. “Sit and eat.”
Aakuta cautiously sat and stared at the plate. There was a large slab of roasted meat occupying half the plate. The other half was a pile of something green and slimy. He pushed his hood back and felt Lady Mystic’s eyes staring at his face.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Meat and seaweed,” chuckled Lady Mystic as she reached into the pile of seaweed and grabbed a sample for herself. “Are you afraid that I might poison you? Don’t be childish. You interest me too much to want you dead.”
“At least for now,” sighed Aakuta as he pulled a knife from his belt and cut off a slice of the meat.
He chewed on the meat, and his eyebrows rose in surprise. “This is excellent,” he said as he nodded at Lady Mystic. “Wasooki?”
“Snake,” smiled Lady Mystic.
Aakuta coughed and looked questioningly at the female mage. “Where would you find a snake this large?”
“Most of this island is jungle,” shrugged Lady Mystic as she dragged another chair to the table and sat down. “Some of the snakes are over thirty paces long and over a pace around. They are a delicacy, and there is so much meat that they last forever. You won’t find wasooki on this island. Grain is too precious to serve to animals.”
“It is quite tasty,” remarked Aakuta. “At least you have not lied about being a good cook.”
“I don’t care much for liars,” declared Lady Mystic. “A person should say the truth and deal with the consequences, or at least be quiet if the truth is too much for the audience. Now, tell me why you have come to Motanga.”
“To meet Vand,” confessed Aakuta.
“Oh?” Lady Mystic brightened. “You don’t believe in starting small, do you? What if I told you that strangers don’t get the opportunity to meet the God of Motanga? You have to do something extraordinary to get his attention.”
“Would killing Zygor and Smarc be considered noteworthy?” posed Aakuta.
“Oh my,” Lady Mystic inhaled deeply. “I heard that someone had killed Zygor. Vand was quite incensed. I can imagine his wrath when he learns that Smarc is dead, too. You don’t care much for this life you live, do you?”
“Life is meant to be lived to its fullest,” shrugged Aakuta. “Will that be enough for Vand to agree to see me?”
“Count on it,” Lady Mystic nodded seriously. “Why did you kill them?”
“So that Vand would see me,” smiled Aakuta.
“Oh, I am going to enjoy having you here,” grinned Lady Mystic. “I must know more about you before I take you to see Vand, though. You will stay with me for a few days. I love learning about new people, and I probably won’t have the chance to talk to you afterwards.”
* * *
Lyra and StarWind sat in the office of the Star of Sakova in StarCity. StarWind had just finished relating her experiences in Khadora.
“I am glad that you were there to help Lord Marak,” smiled Lyra. “I am even more glad to have you and HawkShadow back in the Sakova. My meetings with Larst have been very fruitful. He has become the new Katana of Omunga, and that means that peace is finally upon us. I am going to need your expertise a great deal.”
“You shall have it,” smiled StarWind. “I am exited to hear about Larst. He will make a fine Katana. What do you need me to do?”
“MeadowTune has a map of the Sakova with some drawings on it,” explained the Star of Sakova. “We are going to be building three roads through the Sakova for Omungan use.”
“Roads?” frowned StarWind. “Is this wise? Once we allow Omungans to start coming into the Sakova, there will be no stopping them. We have spent decades making up horror stories to keep Omungans away. Those stories will be seen as the fabrications that they are. It will be the end of the Sakova.”
“Yet it will bring peace to the Sakovans,” argued Lyra. “I know that we are taking a great risk with this plan, but it is guaranteed to gain the support of the Omungan people. How can we expect to be trusted by the Omungans if we do not in turn trust them?”
“I see your point,” sighed StarWind, “but what if the Omungan generals do not buy into this peace plan? We will be providing them roads with which they can march their armies to the heart of the Sakova.”
“It will not be that bad,” frowned Lyra. “The roads that I am proposing will not come anywhere near StarCity. In fact, they will be in areas that we are sure the Omungans have already explored. I did check with MeadowTune about the routes before I proposed them. Mostly, they cut through the fringes of the Sakova.”
“I will look at the map and give you my assessment,” promised StarWind. “When is this project to start?”
“Not until we have a written peace treaty with the government of Omunga,” replied Lyra. “Another good point of this plan, StarWind, is that it will take years to complete these roads. The veil of the Sakova will not be pierced until we are sure of the Omungan intentions.”
“That is clever,” smiled StarWind. “We can begin the construction in the areas closest to the Omungan cities.”
“Exactly,” nodded Lyra. “There is a more pressing task regarding the Omungans, though. Their crops and animals are diseased. I had Larst supply me with a report of the situation. SunChaser spent most of a day reading it through an air tunnel. We now have a complete copy of the report. I would like you to read it thoroughly.”
“I will make that my first priority,” promised the Sakovan spy.
“Not your first,” smiled Lyra. “Your first priority is to relax and renew your friendships with people here in StarCity. MeadowTune can manage your contacts for a few more days.”
“Thank you,” smiled StarWind. “I would like to unwind from the journey. What do the reports say?”
“It appears that Alamar was hit with the disease first,” stated Lyra. “It has spread rapidly along the coast. Now all of Omunga is infected with it. The animals are sick and dying. The crops are withering in the fields. I have promised Larst that we will send food to the Omungan cities to get them through this.”