Unexpectedly, Lyra’s choka slashed out at something and leaped into the air. Lyra opened her eyes to see what was happening.
“Keep alert,” yelled StarWind. “We do not want to lose you.”
“What was that?” Lyra asked.
“A skeleton tried to rise in front of you,” replied the Sakovan spymaster.
“Goral missed one?” frowned Lyra.
“He has missed quite a few actually,” StarWind answered. “We have been running over skeletons since the fighting began. It is impossible to get them all, but I think they are starting to get wise. I think that one intentionally laid down so it could rise in our midst.”
“I will stay alert,” promised Lyra. “I was distracted watching Myka die. It won’t happen again.”
StarWind frowned as her eyes shot skyward for an instant. She shook her head sadly and returned her attention to the fight ahead of her.
“Sakovans,” shouted Goral, “prepare to form a perimeter. The lake is at hand.”
The order was quickly spread back through the column, and the Sakovans began to push outward as Goral slowed the pace. The column bunched up and resembled a horseshoe with the flat end against the lakeshore. The creatures continued attacking as Lyra leaped off her choka and ran to the water’s edge.
“He sees us,” pointed HawkShadow. “He is swimming towards us.”
“Our Torak was wise to remain far out in the lake until someone came to assist him,” smiled StarWind.
“I wish I had thought to tell him we were coming,” Lyra berated herself as her eyes turned and looked at the fighting going on behind her. “My people are dying back there.”
“I don’t think we will get back to the forest so easily,” frowned StormSong. “Look at them massing between us and the woods. We will have to fight through at least four times as many skeletons.”
As Lyra turned and watched the fighting, her heart sank and tears came to her eyes. The elven archers were firing as fast as they could and still great hordes of creatures were approaching the Sakovan warriors. The chokas were constantly slashing out with their fore claws, but their efforts were in vain. They could easily kill by slashing an opponent’s skin and puncturing organs, but there was nothing to pierce on the skeletons. The Sakovan warriors were constantly swinging at the creatures’ necks, but Lyra knew that they could only keep it up for so long. Unlike the skeletons, humans tired after a while. Lyra started crying loudly.
“Marak would have lived if I had not brought everyone out here,” bawled Lyra, “but now everyone will die.”
StarWind stepped in front of the Star of Sakova and placed her hands on Lyra’s shoulders. She shook Lyra harshly and spoke softly, but firmly.
“Calm yourself,” ordered StarWind. “You are supposed to bring your people hope, not despair. Do not let your people hear you talking like that.”
“But it is true,” Lyra whimpered. “I have failed you all.”
“Nothing is true until it is over,” retorted the Sakovan spymaster. “You will continue to have hope until you stop breathing. You will bring hope to your people. They need your optimism right now to live. Don’t take their will away from them even if it is hopeless. Do you understand?”
Lyra nodded as she tried to dry her tears. StarWind stood directly in front of the Star of Sakova so that no one could see her face. She waited for Lyra to calm down.
* * *
Rejji sat in the middle of the Jiadin tribe. The red-scarfed horsemen stretched away to both sides of him as they sat in a long line staring across the plain at the mass of skeletons. Far off to the Astor’s right, the free tribes were also lined up. The line of horsemen stretched for leagues, but everyone’s attention was on the battle in the sky. High over the plain, the dragon and her rider battled the demon.
“Who is riding the dragon?” asked Harmagan. “I thought only the king could ride one?”
“That is Emperor Marak of Khadora,” answered Rejji. “He is also known as the Torak.”
“And you let him ride your dragon?” asked Jaker. “How can he do it? You are supposed to be the only one.”
“Marak is a special man,” smiled Rejji. “Besides, it is not my place to allow anyone to ride a dragon. It is the dragon that allows it. The Torak is probably the most capable fighter in the world.”
“Is he the one who defeated the Jiadin in Khadora?” asked Niger.
“He is,” nodded Rejji.
“Then curse him,” spat Niger. “I hope he falls off.”
Rejji’s hands moved faster than he had ever felt them move before. His staff flew outward and pressed tightly against Niger’s throat, and the Astor’s eyes turned to ice as he glared at the Jiadin.
“I would sooner die myself than to see Marak fail,” spat Rejji. “You will apologize for your words.”
“I am sorry,” Niger uttered softly as his eyes filled with fear. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Don’t be harsh with Niger,” pleaded Harmagan. “He doesn’t understand, but I can explain it to him.”
Rejji withdrew his staff and, after a final glare at Niger, returned his attention to the battle in the sky.
“The fact that this Marak defeated the Jiadin in Khadora is a testament to his skills,” Harmagan said to Niger. “The Jiadin have always admired the skills of great warriors, and this Marak appears to be the greatest of all. I know men who were at the battle of Balomar. It was a tiny estate and should have been easy pickings, but Marak turned back twenty thousand of our men with a vastly inferior force. Do not wish him harm. If anything, I would love to meet him, and not on the battlefield, if you know what I mean.”
“I am sorry,” Niger repeated. “It was a dumb thing to say. I truly am sorry.”
“The dragon won!” shouted Jaker. “Hah, those demons don’t look so tough now.”
“It looked like a tough fight to me,” remarked Bakhai. “Myka’s wing is damaged. I would say that they were pretty evenly matched.”
“Then trouble is on the way,” pointed Harmagan. “Two more of the creatures are coming out to play.”
“Two?” gasped Rejji. “This is not good. How many of them are there, Scarab?”
“Six altogether,” answered the Khadoran spy. “I heard the other three are looking for Angragar, but they might even be back by now. I do not know for sure.”
“Marak has fallen!” shouted Wyant.
Everyone focused on the Emperor of Khadora as his body tumbled down and fell into the lake.
“Did he survive?” asked Rejji.
“I can’t tell from here,” answered Wyant, “but if he did, he has a long swim to shore. He went down somewhere near the middle of the lake.”
“What will he do?” Bakhai asked his brother.
“I am not sure,” answered Rejji. “I know he swims well. We spent some time swimming in the surf when he came to Ghala.”
“But the lake is surrounded by those creatures,” Harmagan pointed out. “He can’t go to shore, and he can’t swim forever.”
“Try reaching him with an air tunnel, Bakhai,” ordered the Astor.
The shaman spent several minutes probing the surface of the lake with an air tunnel, but he received no response.
“Look towards the woods south of the lake,” Jaker said urgently. “Something is going on down there.”
“Chokas,” remarked Bakhai. “Remember the warbirds we saw in Fardale? Those are Sakovan chokas. Nothing else looks like them.”
“They are making a run for the lake,” commented Harmagan. “They have guts, but they will never make it.”
“Why not?” asked Niger.
“Look at their column,” answered Harmagan. “There can’t be more than a thousand of them, fifteen hundred tops. There has to be thirty to fifty thousand skeletons between them and the lake, and what are they going to do when they get there? They are going to have to turn around and run away from the creatures. That is what they are going to have to do. They don’t stand a chance.”
“They are obviously trying to rescue Emperor Marak,” stated Wyant. “They must know that he is still alive. We must do something to help them.”