“What are you two doing here?” he asked softly, but firmly. “You were told to head west.”
“It was my idea,” confessed SkyDancer. “I understand why you wanted me to come with you instead of returning to StarCity. I am very grateful for what you did, but I will not let it interfere with Goral helping you to survive this night. I will stay out of the way.”
HawkShadow opened his mouth to respond, but the giant held his hand up for silence.
“Now is not the time or place to discuss this,” Goral declared. “I take it that you have already had a look at the enemy’s camp. Is there a way in?”
“There is always a way in,” replied HawkShadow, “although this one will be tight. They have a solid ring of sentries surrounding the camp. They may not have fought like they were afraid of the Sakova, but their encampment belies that. They are very nervous.”
“How will you enter?” asked Goral.
“I am not sure yet,” admitted HawkShadow. “Crawling in is out of the question. While I am sure I can get past some of the sentries, I know that I cannot get past them all.”
“And how will you get out?” interjected SkyDancer.
“One step at a time,” frowned HawkShadow. “First I have to find a way in.”
“I offered to be a distraction tonight,” Goral reminded the assassin. “I meant it. I will go around to the other side of the camp and show myself. Will that give you enough time to get in?”
“It would,” nodded HawkShadow, “but I forbid it.”
“You have no right…” Goral began.
“Save it,” interrupted HawkShadow. “I am not trying to keep you out of the action because I think I can do this alone. You cannot be the diversion for me getting into the camp because I may very well need you to get me out. This is much more difficult than I had hoped.”
“So you need two diversions?” questioned SkyDancer.
“Don’t even think about it, SkyDancer,” warned HawkShadow. “You are far too weak. It is bad enough that I am willing to risk Goral’s life for this lunacy. I will not risk yours, too.”
“She may be able to help without endangering herself,” mused Goral. “What if she used an air tunnel to create a diversion and yet remained far away from the encampment?”
SkyDancer’s eyes brightened as HawkShadow thought about the suggestion instead of immediately dismissing it. Finally, HawkShadow smiled mischievously.
“It will take both of you to get me in,” HawkShadow explained. “The air tunnel is a brilliant idea, Goral, but I need a man’s voice to make it work. You will be that voice. After I am in, you will need to move swiftly to the opposite side of the encampment in case I need a diversion to get out. SkyDancer will be able to communicate with you via the air tunnel to ask for your help if it is needed.”
“I can do that,” nodded the giant. “What is the plan?”
“There is something more important to discuss before the plan,” HawkShadow said seriously. “This is more than male bravado, Goral. I do not want you to endanger yourself by creating a diversion. You are a warrior and I am an assassin. I understand the risks that I take performing my task, but you are a warrior, and an excellent one at that. In the coming days, we need warriors more than assassins. Do not give up your life to spare mine. I must have your absolute promise on that before this goes any further.”
“I am not eager to end my days just yet,” replied Goral. “I know how to create a diversion safely, and I will try to do so, but there is always some risk involved. You understand that.”
“I do,” nodded HawkShadow, “but I worry about you some times. You almost sounded eager to sacrifice yourself earlier today before StormSong left.”
“You misunderstood me,” countered Goral. “I know that someday I will be called upon to give my life for the Sakova. That does not bother me any more. It did before Kaltara sent us the Star of Sakova, but my mind is now at peace with the idea. That does not mean that I wish to hurry it along. I will always do what I think is in the best interests of Kaltara. That does not mean surrendering my life without a fight.”
“Fair enough,” nodded HawkShadow. “Here is what I have planned.”
HawkShadow spent the next half hour detailing his plan of attack. Goral’s mind whirled with awe as he listened to the detailed movements that the assassin would make. He had always admired HawkShadow’s skill at penetration, but he had never realized how much planning went into it. It was as if HawkShadow considered every little thing that might go wrong and then planned what his actions would be if they did.
“Is everyone comfortable with this?” HawkShadow finally asked.
“I am,” answered SkyDancer. “You have thought of everything.”
“I hope that I have,” frowned the assassin, “but no one can anticipate everything. Give me a half hour head start.”
SkyDancer nodded, and HawkShadow immediately slid out of the clearing. As soon as he was gone, Goral caught SkyDancer’s attention.
“Will you be able to find the correct spot to aim your air tunnel?” he asked.
“I think so,” nodded SkyDancer. “I will extend it until I no longer hear the sounds of the camp. That will let me know that I am at the edge.”
“And it will be at a right angle from HawkShadow’s penetration point?” pushed the giant.
“It will be right where he requested it,” comforted SkyDancer. “Do not be so nervous. My part in this is minimal, but I can execute it flawlessly. You will have to move swiftly to get into position when you are done here.”
“Bertha can get me where I want to go,” smiled Goral.
“I can’t believe that you named your choka,” chuckled SkyDancer. “How do you tell her apart from the others?”
“She is the largest choka of all,” grinned Goral. “She is the only one I ride.”
The conversation died as SkyDancer tried to catch sight of HawkShadow through the dark forest. Even though she knew where he should be, she was unable to detect him. She wove her air tunnel into the camp and then slowly moved it at a right angle to HawkShadow’s intended path. She listened to snores and soft conversations as she moved the air tunnel. Finally, the nighttime noises of the forest were all that she could hear. She pulled the air tunnel back until she heard the first human sound. She kept the tube pressurized so that the tunnel was hearing only and would not transmit her voice or Goral’s.
“The air tunnel is properly positioned,” SkyDancer announced quietly. “Can you see HawkShadow?”
Goral did not respond for several minutes as his eyes peered into the darkness. The only light penetrating the dark forest came from the Omungan camp. Although the fires burned low, the illumination was relatively bright compared to the surrounding woods.
“I see him,” Goral finally said. “He is ready to take the sentry. Open the air tunnel for me.”
SkyDancer reversed the pressure in the tube and tapped Goral on the arm.
“What was that?” Goral bellowed. “It looked like a ghost. Did you see that person floating over the ground?”
SkyDancer immediately reversed the flow and listened in. She chuckled softly as the Omungan sentries reacted with alarm. The alarm spread rapidly through the camp until every waking sentry knew that something was amiss on the perimeter.
It was precisely at that moment that HawkShadow struck. He had managed to get within a dozen paces of the selected sentry. He leaned out from behind the giant fargi tree and let his Sakovan star fly through the air. It struck the sentry in the side of the head just behind his eye. The sentry wobbled briefly and then fell to the ground.
HawkShadow dropped to the ground and silently crawled to the fallen sentry. He had chosen this particular sentry because the man was not visible to his own troops. HawkShadow slid next to the body and checked it for signs of life, although he already knew the man was dead. He quietly stripped the man of his uniform. HawkShadow dressed himself in the sentry’s uniform and then stood up. While the sentry’s position had not been visible to the other sentries, HawkShadow moved slightly so that he was visible. He stood in the open waiting for any response that might come. While he was ready to bolt at the first sign of a problem, neither of the nearest sentries appeared to be alarmed when they noticed him.