The general’s eyes grew large as he studied the map. His head shook noticeably from side to side as he looked at each coin and its location on the map.
“There must be some mistake,” balked the general. “Those positions are untenable.”
“You wish to dispute my father’s wisdom?” scowled Lady Mystic.
“Certainly not,” the general swallowed hard, “but it is my duty to make sure that the Emperor is acting with the best information possible. Each of the chosen positions yields the high ground to a potential enemy and by dividing my forces I would further endanger them. If the elves are marching northward from the southern cities, they may strike any one of these positions and cost us two thousand good men. Further, my armies will be well outside the limits of being able to respond to an attack on Vandamar. Surely, there has been a mistake in the translation of the orders. I am sure that the other generals would agree with my assessment. I beg of you to ask for their advice.”
“You are assuming that the elven armies will march north,” Xavo responded, “but they will not. As for the safety of your men, that is the reason that your armies are being sent out of the city.”
“I do not understand,” admitted the general.
“That much is obvious,” replied Xavo. “Your armies are being hidden, General. That is precisely why they are being split into smaller groups and being sent to low-lying valleys. When the elves arrive by ship, your armies will receive orders to move northward and flank the elves.”
“Vand’s spies discovered documents that have been delivered to the elves by one of the officers in Vandamar,” interjected Lady Mystic. “Those documents lay out all of the standard defenses that would be erected during an invasion. It is imperative that your armies be absent from the city when the elves attack.”
“Your men will be the saviors of Vandamar,” nodded Xavo. “The elves will be smug about their knowledge of our defenses, but your men will surprise them.”
“A spy in our ranks?” frowned the general. “That is unbelievable.”
“To a loyal patriot like yourself,” nodded Lady Mystic, “but the evidence is irrefutable.”
“Which is exactly why your armies have been chosen to hide outside the city,” interjected Xavo. “Vand has complete trust in you. You will not mention your destination to anyone until you are well away from the city, not even the other generals. I must stress this need for secrecy. Do you understand?”
“Completely,” nodded the general. “The chosen locations make perfect sense for armies that are trying not to be noticed. They are well off the normal routes and their low elevation will keep them hidden from anyone passing by. One problem still bothers me, though. We have no mages detailed to us. How will our orders be communicated in time for us to flank the elves? We will not even be able to communicate between the five groups.”
“That is precisely why your men must be stationed precisely where I have indicated,” answered Xavo. “Lady Mystic and I are familiar with those places and we will personally send the orders to each group. Obviously, if your men are not there, the orders will never be heard. You must ensure that you follow these directions precisely. You are the only hope we have of surviving this elven invasion.”
“You can count on my men,” the general assured Vand’s disciple. “We will be out of the city within the hour.”
The general saluted and left the library. Xavo sighed with relief after the general left.
“I must go out to the balcony and contact Marak,” said Xavo. “He will get those locations sent to the elves. You send for the next general.”
“Shouldn’t we wait a while to let the first army get out of the city?” questioned Lady Mystic. “We don’t want both armies tripping over each other as we send them to indefensible positions.”
“Good point,” nodded Xavo. “I hope the elves don’t run out of arrows before they reach the city. What are we to do with the third ten thousand men? They will never believe the need to abandon the city.”
“I don’t know,” admitted Lady Mystic. “I cannot think of anything that would make the last army leave the city. Perhaps the best that we can do is to make them believe that the attack is not coming after all.”
Xavo brightened as he smiled at Lady Mystic with appreciation. “That might work,” he smiled. “We can tell the last general that the other two armies have engaged the elves in the south and defeated them.”
* * *
The light of dawn increased steadily as Xavo and Lady Mystic stood on the beach near the jungle trail. Their eyes scanned the horizon until they found the ship of mages.
“There it is,” pointed Lady Mystic. “It is farther out than I had expected.”
“It must be far enough offshore to prevent any of the mages from reaching land,” replied Xavo. “Are you worried about the range?”
“Not at all,” balked Lady Mystic. “If I can see it, I can hit it. What do you want me to do?”
“Waves would be nice,” smiled Xavo. “Can you create havoc with the sea?”
“I could,” frowned Lady Mystic, “but it would take considerable power and a great deal of time. How would waves help?”
“I plan to puncture the hull with light blades,” answered Xavo, “but the holes will have to be above the waterline. The waves will cause the ship to sink.”
“While I like your light blade spell,” Lady Mystic shook her head, “it is best used on large groups of people. Why not merely cause the ship to explode?”
Xavo looked at Vand’s daughter questioningly. “The wood in the ship must be old,” he frowned. “Surely the saps have been dried out by now. How will you cause the explosion?”
“The ship is brand new,” corrected Lady Mystic. “It came out of the shipyard after the invasion had already been launched. Besides, you can expand the air captured inside the wood as well as the saps.”
Xavo stood silently for a moment and then finally nodded. “I had never thought of that,” he admitted. “You certainly do think differently than anyone I have ever known. I will take the liquids,” he offered. “You expand the gasses.”
“So it is a race then?” chuckled Lady Mystic. “I accept the challenge. I will start at the stern.”
Xavo grinned and turned his attention to the bow of the ship. The two mages fell silent as they gathered the power and concentrated on the ship. Several long minutes passed without disturbance of any kind. The sky grew lighter, and a soft wind began to herald the rising of the sun.
Suddenly, the silence was shattered by distant sounds of explosions. The bow and stern of the mage ship exploded in a shower of wooden splinters, large clouds of mist appearing at both ends of the ship. Shouts of alarm immediately followed as the huge ship started sinking rapidly. Several people jumped from the sinking ship, but it went down so quickly that few of the mages ever made it to the deck before it slipped under the surface of the sea.
“We need to separate somewhat,” cautioned Xavo. “No one must survive the sinking of the ship. Kill anyone trying to get to shore, but keep yourself hidden. If I see anyone trying to retaliate against you, I will focus on him. You do the same.”
Lady Mystic nodded silently and moved along the beach to put some distance between Xavo and herself. Xavo moved in the opposite direction as his eyes scanned the surface of the sea looking for survivors.
* * *
The Star of Sakova walked through the wet encampment, rainwater still dripping from the canopy of the giant fargi trees. She knew that the sun had risen, but it was hardly noticeable in the Sakovan heartland. The tall fargi trees blocked much of the light, and a morning mist lingered from the storm that had passed through during the night. She made her way through the camp and headed for the large tent that sat prominently in the center of the encampment. Long before she reached the tent, deep creases marred her brow.
Hundreds of Sakovans were stretched out on the ground. Healing mages, too numerous to count, were threading their way through the area, stopping to check on the condition of each of the wounded. Lyra’s eyes began to dampen, and she willed the tears to cease. Many of the wounded wore the old uniforms of the Imperial Guard of Omunga, but there were native Sakovans there as well. She recognized all too many of the faces as she headed for the tent. LifeTender saw Lyra approaching, and she hurried to intercept her before the Star of Sakova could enter the tent.