“But Vand does?” mused Aakuta. “Who does he serve?”
“I do not know,” admitted Lady Mystic, “but I have seen the proof of it many times. There is a chamber inside the temple where none are allowed to go. Only Vand is allowed to enter the secret chamber. He goes there daily, and I have seen dramatic changes in him after he returns. Whatever exists inside that chamber has vast power. Vand fears it.”
“And you have not thought of entering that chamber to see what resides within?” asked Aakuta.
“Death resides within,” responded Lady Mystic, “and not just a simple death. It is a lingering death of excruciating pain.”
“How do you know this?” inquired Aakuta.
“I have seen those foolish enough to stumble through the wrong doorway,” answered Lady Mystic. “Most of the victims were merely fools who did not know where they were going, but one was a mage of extraordinary skill. His death still haunts my dreams. His screams echoed through the temple for over a fortnight. He begged people to kill him, but it was forbidden.”
“Surely, he could have killed himself,” posed the dark mage. “Perhaps he could have thrown himself off the roof of the temple?”
“He tried that and many other ways to kill himself,” replied Lady Mystic as she started walking again. “None were successful.”
“Do you mean he could not bring himself to jump?” questioned Aakuta.
“Oh no,” Lady Mystic shook her head. “He jumped just fine, but he did not die. Nor did he die when he entered the huge bonfire, but his pain increased greatly. Whatever entity decided that he should pay for his transgression, it had power enough to keep him alive to suffer for his errors.”
“Yet Vand can enter unharmed?” asked Aakuta.
“He can enter unharmed,” nodded Lady Mystic. “In fact, I believe that he is required to enter that chamber daily. He never misses a day even when he is involved in something important.”
They reached the edge of the forest and stopped walking. Aakuta gazed up the barren mountains above him as something tugged at his mind. A group of kruls moved swiftly through the forest towards them. When they reached the edge of the woods, the kruls growled softly and shook their heads. They stumbled into each other in their attempts to leave the area.
“The kruls are acting very strangely today,” frowned Lady Mystic as she turned to follow the small group. “I cannot understand what has gotten into them.”
Aakuta bent down and examined the carcass of a dead rabbit. It appeared to have been gutted by a knife, but something about it bothered the dark mage. He bent closer to inspect it, and a strong smell of garlic penetrated his nostrils. He rose and stared up at the bare mountain peaks again, his eyes searching for any sign of the elusive elves. With a nod of sudden understanding, he turned and hurried after Lady Mystic who had disappeared following the kruls through the forest.
* * *
StarWind dropped the air tunnel and sat silently in the Campanil park for several moments as she digested the news from StarCity. Things were moving much faster than she could have imagined. The news about Duran and Zaramilden defecting to the Sakova was surprising, but not unthinkable. She knew that food could be a persuasive negotiator with starving citizens, but Alamar was no longer in danger of starvation. StarCity had been unable to provide the details of how Lyra managed to get Alamar to defect, but the Sakovan spy master did not doubt the proclamation.
StarWind stared at the mayor’s building across the park and inhaled deeply. As many times as StarWind had walked into the enemy’s strongholds, she never quite got used to the feeling of risking her life in such a passive fashion. Steeling her nerves, the Sakovan spy rose and started walking towards the mayor’s building. She mentally reviewed what she knew about Ferde, the mayor of Campanil. She remembered the nighttime visit that she made with HawkShadow, and how they had silently penetrated the defenses and caught the mayor asleep in his chamber. It had been a risky plan, but it was necessary to avert a war.
This time StarWind would be going in alone. She would not have HawkShadow to watch her back, or Fisher to distract the Imperial Guards. This visit was also not one of averting a war. The war had already been declared, and StarWind was the enemy to the people in Campanil. Even Mayor Ferde might turn StarWind over to the Imperial Guards when he saw her. While he had been helpful the last time, much had changed since the fall of Alazar.
StarWind exhaled slowly as she left the park and crossed the street to the entrance gate. She tried to appear nonchalant as she approached, but she could not help noticing how the Imperial Guards stiffened at her approach. They became instantly alert as their eyes watched her carefully. Campanil had never been so dangerous for a Sakovan spy as it was now. StarWind subconsciously rubbed her palms against her tunic to wipe the sweat from them.
“What business do you have with the mayor?” snapped one of the Imperial Guards as StarWind halted before the gate.
“My business is personal,” replied StarWind as she tried to force color into her cheeks. “I am an old friend of Mayor Ferde’s.”
“What is your name?” demanded the Imperial Guard.
“I prefer not to give it,” StarWind replied knowing that any name she made up would mean nothing to the mayor. A false name would just make it easier to dismiss her.
“Without a name,” scowled the Imperial Guard, “you are just wasting our time. Run along.”
“Wait,” ordered the other Imperial Guard as he inspected StarWind closely. “She looks familiar to me. Perhaps we should hold her and check the board for criminals.”
StarWind smiled and tried to shrug casually. “You will not find my picture on the boards,” she stated as her mind tried to concentrate on some of the most embarrassing moments of her life. “Look, this is embarrassing for me. I met Mayor Ferde on one of his trips to Okata. We spent some time together at the Palace Arms in the capital. He said that he would visit me the next time he came to Okata, but he has not returned. All I want to do is talk to him for a little bit.”
StarWind succeeded in producing bright red cheeks, and one of the Imperial Guards snickered under his breath.
“You look old enough to know better than to believe the promises of the high and mighty,” the Imperial Guard shook his head. “Run along now. No doubt he has forgotten you long ago.”
“You may be right,” sighed StarWind, “but I have to know for sure. Is it too much to ask one of you to whisper in his ear? Just mention that his friend from the Palace Arms is outside and would like just a few minutes of his time. If he says no then I will leave and not bother you any longer. Please?”
“There is a war going on in case you hadn’t noticed,” replied one of the Imperial Guards. “Mayor Ferde has no time for such things now. Run along.”
“Oh, let her message through,” retorted the smirking guard. “She is not harming anything while she waits here. I will keep an eye on her.”
“I am sure you will,” scowled the serious Imperial Guard. He gazed at StarWind again and finally shook his head. “Alright,” he said, “I will send your message, but you will leave promptly when his reply comes through.”
“I promise,” StarWind smiled weakly.
The serious Imperial Guard turned and called for a runner. He whispered in the runner’s ear, and StarWind watched the man’s face break into a grin as he nodded at the instructions. As the runner turned and raced into the building, the serious Imperial Guard returned to his post. He pointedly ignored StarWind as the other Imperial Guard continued to stare at her. The Sakovan spy kept her eyes glued to the front door of the building. She knew that one of the possible responses would be a squad of Imperial Guards racing out of the building to arrest her. She mentally planned a course of action that would afford her a small chance to escape.
The wait was long, and StarWind grew increasingly nervous. She felt her skin begin to dampen and realized that she was nervously tapping the ground with her foot. She chided herself and stole a glance at the two Imperial Guards. One was still ignoring her, but the other was grinning openly. Finally, the runner emerged from the building. StarWind was slightly surprised to see him without an escort of Imperial Guards. She sighed and let the nervousness subside somewhat. The runner ran up to the Imperial Guards and said something so softly that StarWind could not hear the words. The gate swung open.