“I thought Lady Mystic was rebuked?” retorted the senior mage.
“You are correct,” nodded Xavo, “but Vand has changed his mind. Do you wish to argue with him?”
The senior mage frowned, but he did not speak. Xavo continued with his speech.
“It is believed that the elves utilized false air tunnel messages to take over the three southern cities,” declared Xavo. “Vand also believes that a huge army of elves is currently heading towards Vandamar.”
“We will be ready for them,” shouted a mage in the back of the room. “With thirty thousand soldiers and a thousand mages, we could conquer Elvangar, wherever it is.”
“A bold statement,” frowned Xavo, “but the elves are not interested in defeating our armies.”
“What do you mean?” questioned the senior mage. “Why else would they attack Motanga?”
“To kill you,” Xavo answered as he stared at the questioning mage. “The reports coming out of the southern cities indicate that the targets of the elves were the mages housed in the temples. I suspect that that will be true in Vandamar as well. They will avoid our thirty thousand men if they can, but they want to annihilate every mage in Motanga. Our knowledge of air tunnels is the gravest threat to their existence. They will sacrifice whatever they must to see us all dead.”
“Let them try,” sneered one of the mages. “They will be sorry to have misjudged us.”
“Indeed they will be sorry,” Xavo grinned as his eyes passed over the mages. “Vand has developed a plan to crush the elves completely. It requires your immediate action and without delay.”
“What is this plan?” asked one of the black cloaks.
“All of you are to board a ship within the hour,” explained Xavo. “Take nothing with you. The temple is to appear as if you are still in residence.”
“You want the elves to attack the temple thinking that we are still inside it?” asked one of the mages.
“Exactly,” nodded Xavo. “Once the elves commit themselves to the attack, you will be brought to land to attack them from behind. You,” Xavo said authoritatively as he pointed at the senior mage who had been asking all of the questions, “are to organize the elements of the attack. I would suggest five groups of two hundred mages each, but the choice will be yours.”
The chosen mage swelled with pride and immediately lost his skeptical glower. “Do we expect the elves to attack by sea or by land?” he asked.
“While we cannot be sure,” Xavo smiled inwardly, “I suspect that it will be a combination of the two. I think their land forces will be meant to distract and engage our military forces while the bulk of the attackers arrive by the sea. Your ship will be around the western edge of the jungle. They should not be able to see it when they approach.”
“And how will we know when the time has come for us to attack?” asked the mage. “You have already ruled out the use of air tunnels.”
“Either Lady Mystic or I will go to the beach and signal the captain of your ship,” explained Xavo. “The two of us will be remaining on land to spy on the elven movements.”
The senior mage smiled and nodded. Xavo spent a few more minutes answering questions that were easily handled then he ordered the assembled mages to head immediately for the docks where a huge troop transport was waiting for them. It took an hour for the ship to load and sail out of the harbor.
“How did it go?” asked Lady Mystic when Xavo returned to their secret cove.
“Much easier than I expected,” smiled Xavo. “Now we have to deal with the generals. I hope Marak’s plan works as well as he thinks it will.”
Chapter 19
The Tasks of Mages
Xavo and Lady Mystic watched as the mage ship sailed out of the harbor and rounded the western point of land. Within minutes its lanterns were lost to sight as the ship sailed behind the jungle just west of the city.
“How long will it take?” Xavo asked softly.
“Providing they all have a drink of the water,” shrugged Lady Mystic, “they will be asleep within the hour.”
“It’s risky,” frowned Xavo. “Not all of them will drink at the same time. Some are sure to notice the others falling asleep. They will be alerted and search for the cause. Those mages are not stupid.”
“I never suggested that they were stupid,” smiled Lady Mystic, “but they are used to being pampered. I made sure that the captain took on fresh food for the voyage. I even suggested that he host a feast for the mages as they would soon be called into battle.”
“How nice of you,” Xavo replied dryly. “So now they will be well fed when they come storming back ashore.”
“Hardly,” chuckled Lady Mystic. “The food supplied to the captain was indeed food deserving of a royal banquet, even if it had been prepared with a bit too much salt.”
Xavo stared at Lady Mystic with a puzzled expression, but his features softened as the impact of her statement registered. Within seconds his face bore a wide grin and he laughed.
“I imagine that they will all drink at the same time,” he chuckled. “You are a devious one.”
“As if you hadn’t already known that,” smiled Lady Mystic. “Let’s go deal with the generals.”
Xavo smiled and took the hand of Lady Mystic. Together they walked away from the docks and towards the temple. When they got within eyesight of the temple, Xavo let go of Lady Mystic’s hand and fell back a few paces to let her approach the front temple guards on her own. As Lady Mystic purposely mounted the long stairs leading to the front door of the temple, the guards stiffened and moved to block her entrance to the temple.
“You are not allowed inside the temple,” declared one of the guards.
Lady Mystic glared at the guards and her mouth slowly opened to speak. Xavo quickly halted alongside her and addressed the guards.
“Perhaps you have not been informed yet,” Xavo said loudly, “but Vand’s daughter is back in the good graces of the Emperor. For the continued good health of the temple’s security force, you had best make sure that word of this spreads quickly. I am afraid that even Vand’s disciple would be at a loss to discipline Vand’s daughter if she were to become enraged by your careless questioning of her rights.”
The guard’s face registered shock as he realized that his life was in danger. He quickly bowed low to Lady Mystic and offered his sincerest apologies. He remained bowed while his partner moved quickly to open the doors to the temple and hold them while the two dignitaries passed through. Xavo smiled as he realized that word of Lady Mystic’s return to prominence would spread through the temple faster than a raging fire.
The traitorous duo made their way to the temple’s library and sent a soldier to summon the first of the three generals. While they were waiting for the general, Xavo got a map of the island and spread it out on a large table. The map was an exquisite work of art that overflowed the table. Xavo stared at the detailed markings of terrain and elevation. He was so engrossed in studying the map that he almost missed the knock on the door. Fortunately, Lady Mystic went to the door and opened it. The general entered with a look of apprehension evident upon his face.
“Join me at the map, General,” Xavo said as he waved the general towards the table. “The Emperor has been updated regarding the elven invasion. He has sent very specific instructions in regards to the movements of the armies left here for the protection of Vandamar.”
“Movements?” questioned the general. “Our plan is to fortify the city and defend it.”
“That is your plan,” snapped Xavo, “but not the Emperor’s. Your army is to move out of the city within the hour.”
“Where to?” asked the general, clearly unhappy with the turn of events.
“Your army is to head south towards the center of the island,” answered Xavo as he tapped his finger on the map. “You will divide your army into five groups of two thousand men each. I have placed coins on each of the five places where your men will make camp.”