“I can do that,” assured SkyDancer. “Still, only killing the three outriders will not slow them down. You are risking your life for little gain.”
“This is only the first step,” explained HawkShadow. “While it alone will not slow them down, you must trust me that this army will move cautiously in a day or two.”
“I do trust you,” smiled SkyDancer. “I like to think that I am good at what I do, but I know a master when I see one.”
“You are excellent at patrolling the Sakova,” HawkShadow smiled back. “You will have a chance to prove it really soon.”
“I know,” frowned SkyDancer. “They never can manage to leave us in peace for long, can they?”
“They cannot even manage to rule their own country,” replied HawkShadow. “They have chosen yet another Katana that is eager to shed the blood of their young men.”
“I hope that I am called upon to help you with more than just burying bodies,” SkyDancer said.
“You will be,” assured HawkShadow. “There is one part of their bodies that you will not bury though. I want their tails cut off and saved. Preserve the ribbons as well.”
Most Omungan soldiers wore their hair quite long. Some had long braids hanging down their backs, while others merely tied the long hair back with a white ribbon and let it hang behind them.
“What do you want with their hair?” puzzled SkyDancer.
“These men will react to our strikes with bravado,” explained HawkShadow. “While we are killing these three today, we will not in the future. I plan to make it known to the Omungans that we can strike anytime and any place we want.”
“You plan to attack some of them and merely cut off their tails?” questioned SkyDancer.
“Not just me,” grinned HawkShadow. “You will also get in on the fun. It will be hard for a soldier to maintain his bravado when his fellow soldiers see him without his tail. At first, the victims will be ridiculed, but when we have struck enough of them, fear will spread through their camp like a downpour.”
“A brilliant plan,” frowned SkyDancer, “but how are we to get close enough to them to cut their hair?”
“That is the challenge,” smiled HawkShadow. “We will talk about strategies tonight after we do the simple chore scheduled for today.”
“Simple chore?” chided SkyDancer. “Do not get a swelled head out here. That can be fatal. There is nothing easy about picking off outriders from a group of a thousand soldiers. Each kill carries the chance of death along with it.”
“I understand,” HawkShadow nodded solemnly. “My talk is for my own self-confidence, not to impress you. I will be careful.”
“Still, shouldn’t we send for more help?” asked SkyDancer. “Just the two of us against a thousand is long odds.”
“We will do fine,” replied HawkShadow. “I have sent a message asking Goral to come out, but it will be a while before he gets here.”
“Goral is hardly a stealthy type,” responded SkyDancer. “He is more the hit-them-over-the-head type. Why did you choose him?”
“Goral can be frightening in his own way,” smiled HawkShadow. “Besides, he can carry an awful lot. I plan to collect more than a few tails from these Omungans.”
“Now you have me looking forward to tonight’s strategy session,” chuckled SkyDancer. “I can’t imagine how we could get more than a handful of tails without dying.”
“I bet you can,” countered HawkShadow as he slid back down the slope that was hiding them from the Omungan army. “Let’s get this task out of the way.”
Chapter 13
Offer for Alamar
“Can we get through please?” LifeTender asked sweetly.
Two large women watching FalconEye stand on the table turned to stare at the source of the melodious request. One of the women nodded and moved out of the way, but the other’s eyes narrowed as she stared at LifeTender.
“Who are you?” asked the women. “We have been standing here for an hour waiting to see what is going to happen. You can’t just push your way to the front.”
“We must get up there,” StarWind said over LifeTender’s shoulder, “although I would prefer not to have to push. We are friends of FalconEye.”
The woman’s mouth opened in confusion. Her brow wrinkled as she stared at StarWind.
“We are all friends of the Sakovan here,” she finally said. “You will be able to hear just fine from where you are.”
Lyra squeezed between StarWind and LifeTender. She smiled up at the woman.
“I am sorry to trouble you,” Lyra said, “but we are not here to listen. We are here to talk. We are Sakovans.”
The woman gasped and stared at the three newcomers. Speechlessly, she nodded vigorously. She turned around and tapped the person in front of her.
“Make way,” she said loudly. “Make way for Sakovans.”
“Merge into the crowd,” Lyra said softly to StarWind and LifeTender. “I did not expect to become a spectacle before we reached the table.”
StarWind swiftly stepped backwards, and LifeTender squeezed to the left and hid behind a tall man. The large woman smiled as she turned around.
“Where did the others go?” she asked. “I have a path cleared to the table.”
“Only I need to go there,” Lyra smiled in reply. “Thank you very much for your help.”
Everyone stood on their toes in an attempt to see the Sakovan moving through the crowd. People between Lyra and FalconEye jostled their neighbors to create a corridor for the Sakovan. Lyra scooted through the openings as quickly as she could. No one complained about the temporary discomfort, and FalconEye extended his hand to Lyra to help her onto the table.
“The mayor and the general are here,” FalconEye whispered.
“Don’t point, but tell me where they are,” replied Lyra as she hugged FalconEye.
“Better than that,” FalconEye whispered back as he turned slightly as he hugged Lyra back. “You are looking right at them. They are in the front row.”
“I see them,” Lyra said as she broke the embrace.
Lyra separated herself from FalconEye and gazed out at the huge crowd. She felt tremors of anxiety ripple through her body. She took a deep breath and held one arm high above her head. The crowd fell into silence.
“People of Alamar,” Lyra began. “I want to thank you for saving FalconEye. I heard that he was near death, and that citizens of this great city nursed him back to health. I want to thank you for that.”
“Are you Sakovan?” shouted a man near the front.
“I am Sakovan,” answered Lyra. “In fact, I am Lyra, the Star of Sakova. I am the leader of my people as the Katana is yours.”
While Lyra spoke she kept an eye on the general and the mayor without appearing to. She saw the general stiffen when she announced who she was. Her nervousness increased.
“I know the people of Alamar have had a rough time recently,” she continued after the murmurs of awe died down. “I am happy that my people have been able to share our food with you. I would like to continue doing so.”
Thousands of people started cheering. The noise was deafening. Lyra smiled broadly and turned slowly to gaze at all of the people. It took several minutes for the noise to die down, even after Lyra raised her hand for silence.
“I do not, however, want to sacrifice my people to deliver it,” she continued. “I know that you all heard of the ambush that killed five of my people. I also know that many hearts in Alamar went out to those victims of senseless slaughter. I heard about the flowers and jewelry that some of you left with their bodies. I am very touched by your generosity and warmth.”
Lyra paused as she noticed tears on some of the faces in the audience. She felt her own eyes moisten as she continued her speech.
“The Sakovans who traveled far to bring the food to Alamar spoke highly of the people of here,” the Star of Sakova continued. “SpringThaw was especially thrilled to meet so many new and loving people.”
Quite a few citizens were openly crying now. Lyra saw the general making gestures to some his men.