“Any sign of StarWind?” HawkShadow asked softly as he reached the corner that Mistake was standing on.
“Not yet,” answered Mistake. “Aren’t you nervous about being in this city?”
“I do not care much for being in any city,” shrugged HawkShadow as he gazed over Mistake’s shoulder. “Here she comes now.”
Mistake started to turn around, but HawkShadow’s hand shot out and landed on her shoulder.
“You do not need to see StarWind for her to arrive,” smiled HawkShadow. “It is better to notice things without appearing to. Just act as if we are old friends who have met by chance. We will be ignored that way.”
Mistake nodded to HawkShadow as StarWind stepped up alongside her.
“Nothing,” smiled StarWind as she gazed beyond HawkShadow. “Did you have any luck?”
“Same as you,” shrugged HawkShadow. “Nobody has seen General Didyk or anyone resembling him. You would think that someone would remember him. Perhaps Khadoratung was not his destination.”
“Oh it was,” grinned Mistake.
HawkShadow and StarWind both glanced at the diminutive Fakaran.
“Explain,” HawkShadow said.
“He arrived three days ago,” reported Mistake. “He spent one night in an inn and then left, but he did not leave the city.”
“How do you know this?” inquired StarWind.
“I had a long conversation with one of the merchants,” answered Mistake. “He seems to know everything that goes on in Khadoratung. The general asked a lot of questions about the Lords’ Council, as if he was seeking an audience with one of its members. Wendal could not tell which lord the general was searching for.”
“Where is this merchant Wendal?” asked HawkShadow.
“He has gone home for the day,” shrugged Mistake. “I do not know where he lives, but his stall is in the canter of the last row of stalls. He sells expensive art objects.”
“How does he know that the general is still in the city?” questioned StarWind.
“His horse is still at the inn that he stayed at the first night,” replied Mistake. “Some men came to get him the second day he was here. He has not been back since.”
“And this merchant just happens to…” StarWind began.
“You have done well, Mistake,” interrupted HawkShadow with a broad smile. “Keep your ears open. If you hear any more, let us know.”
“Where are you staying?” asked Mistake.
“We haven’t decided yet,” answered HawkShadow. “I suppose one of the inns around the marketplace will do. Where are you staying?”
“I think I will stay at the Wine Press,” answered Mistake. “They treated me well at the midday meal today.”
“Perhaps we will stay there, too,” nodded HawkShadow. “Maybe we will see you there for the evening meal.”
“That would be nice,” Mistake said with a slight frown.
Mistake knew enough to understand that she was just dismissed. She smiled slightly and turned to visit the merchant stalls that were quickly closing for the day. HawkShadow took StarWind’s arm and let her away from the marketplace.
“Why did you cut me off back there?” StarWind asked when they were alone. “Don’t you think it odd that a merchant keeps tabs on the horses of guests at the inns?”
“Most assuredly,” declared HawkShadow. “This Wendal is more than a merchant. Of that I am sure, but Mistake does not understand that. I do not know why he confided in her, but I did not want to poison that relationship. If we put our doubts about Wendal into her mind, I am sure that he would detect her change in attitude and stop giving her information.”
“All right,” agreed StarWind, “but I want to know more about him. Who is he working for? And why did he share information with Mistake?”
“Very good questions,” shrugged HawkShadow. “We will take turns observing him tomorrow.”
“If General Didyk is meeting with the Lords’ Council,” frowned StarWind, “it may mean that the truce between Omunga and Sakova will not last long.”
“I doubt the Lords’ Council would meet with an Omungan general,” mused HawkShadow, “but he might get an audience with a member of the Lords’ Council. From what I have heard, Khadora is little different than Omunga in the way that the powerful people vie against one another.”
“The question is what a lord of Khadora would have to gain from such a meeting,” posed StarWind. “Omunga has little to offer Khadora. There can be no leverage in dealing with Omunga that one lord could gain over another.”
“That is what bothers me the most,” HawkShadow said pensively. “Dealing with Omunga means little to Khadorans, so the general’s worth is in what he can do for Khadora. What can he do for Khadora?”
“He is not here to find an ally to aid Omunga in taking over Khadora,” shrugged StarWind. “Nothing would force the Khadoran clans to join together quicker than a threat of invasion from Omunga. He would find no ally here.”
“The last thing Omunga would want is a united Khadora,” nodded HawkShadow. “That is something the Omungans fear.”
“Which is exactly what Lord Marak is trying to do,” StarWind pointed out excitedly. “The general is here to warn the lords that Lord Marak is working against the Khadorans. Perhaps he is telling them that Lord Marak is working with the Sakovans. That way the lords will seek to eliminate the only person capable of uniting the country.”
“There is no way that General Didyk could possibly know about our relationship with Lord Marak,” HawkShadow shook his head. “That would mean that we have a spy deep in StarCity. I cannot believe that.”
“That is the beauty of it,” StarWind explained. “Didyk doesn’t have to know about Lord Marak and us. He can just make it up. Do you think the Khadorans would ask for proof?”
“Then whichever lord General Didyk is meeting with, he is Lord Marak’s enemy,” nodded HawkShadow. “We must find out where the general is.”
“Let us turn in for the night,” suggested StarWind. “Tomorrow we will keep watch on Wendal. I have a feeling that he will lead us to General Didyk.”
“That sounds like a plan,” agreed HawkShadow. “Let’s keep Mistake out of this, though. This game could get rough before it ends, and I don’t want her hurt.”
“You like her, don’t you?” smiled StarWind.
“Very much so,” grinned HawkShadow. “She is much like MistyTrail. That can also be a problem. Sometimes MistyTrail has a little bit too much faith in other people. It may get her killed someday.”
“She was right about Lyra,” StarWind pointed out. “Maybe she has better sense than you give her credit for.”
“I hope that is true,” conceded HawkShadow. “I have grown quite fond of her.”
A block away, a woman merchant was packing up her stall and bumped into Mistake.
“Sorry,” said the merchant. “I didn’t see you there. Did you want something before I close?”
Mistake sighed and dropped the air tunnel she had been using to spy on the Sakovans. She smiled at the woman and shook her head.
“No thank you,” Mistake said pleasantly as she turned and headed for the Wine Press Inn.
* * *
“Time for the evening meal,” announced Lord Marak. “Let’s go sample the foods of Khadoratung.”
“The soldiers are not allowed to eat with you,” Latril pointed out. “They must eat downstairs.”
“Then we shall all eat downstairs,” shrugged Lord Marak. “What is the problem?”
“While you may feel like one of the soldiers,” Latril frowned, “you are not. You are the lord of the Torak clan. You cannot win the hearts of the other lords by acting like a soldier. You must mingle with them and learn about them. Only then can you learn what motivates them.”
“I fear that I already know what motivates them,” frowned Lord Marak.
“She is right,” interjected Botal. “You are viewed as an outsider here. Not only an outsider, but a strange one at that. Eat with the other lords. Talk with them. Joke with them. For all appearances, become one of them. Only then will they listen to any of your words.”