“What is it?” inquired Lyra.
“Vand is amassing an army of over a million,” reported Emperor Marak.
“A million?” gasped the Star of Sakova. “That is impossible.”
“Not impossible at all,” responded Emperor Marak. “Vand lost more than that when he defied Kaltara at Vandegar Temple. When that army hits our shores, starvation will be the last thing on the minds of your Omungans. Listen to Kaltara, Lyra. He is trying to guide you wisely. You may not like what he has to say, but believe that it is the truth. He would no more cause unnecessary suffering than you would. Convert those cities to Sakovans and do it quickly.”
“I will,” Lyra promised with a new sense of urgency.
Lyra heard another commotion in the corridor beyond the cell door. Keys jangled in the lock to her door, and Lyra swiftly cast a spell. A blue cylinder shimmered in the dim light as it formed around the Star of Sakova. The door to the cell burst open and the Imperial Guards stood staring at the Sakovan mage. General Papper pushed his way past the soldiers and entered the cell. He stood staring at Lyra and the shimmering blue cylinder around her.
“What is going on in here?” he demanded. “What is that?”
“Who is there?” Emperor Marak asked anxiously.
“It is General Papper,” Lyra replied. “He has come to pay me a personal visit.”
“Are you protected?” asked Emperor Marak.
“I am in good hands,” smiled Lyra. “Kaltara surrounds me now.”
“Drop that blue thing, whatever it is,” demanded the general. “Who are you talking to?”
“You will make no demands of me,” retorted the Star of Sakova. “As to who I am talking to, it is Emperor Marak of Khadora. Would you care to chat with him, or are you prepared to surrender the city?”
“Do not try my patience woman,” snarled the general. “I will not for a minute believe that you are talking to the Emperor of Khadora.”
“You had best believe her,” Emperor Marak said loudly. “I believe that you are wise enough to surrender your city to the Star of Sakova and immediately release my crew. If you do not, I will immediately launch an invasion of Gatong. Unlike Lyra, your starving masses will mean nothing to me. I will crush your city like a ripe grape under the heel of my boot. Do I make myself clear?”
“I think he got the message,” smiled Lyra. “Cut the air tunnel now, Emperor Marak. I do not want to be distracted while I am discussing the future of Gatong with General Papper.”
“Contact me later,” requested Emperor Marak. “I want to know the status of things down there.”
“I will,” promised Lyra as the air tunnel broke.
“That was all some type of magical trick,” scowled the general. “I will not be swayed by such foolish things. Guards, seize her. Destroy that blue thing.”
“Wrong response,” Lyra said as the blue cylinder winked out, and her hand rose swiftly.
General Papper and the two Imperial Guards suddenly flew backwards. Their bodies slammed into the far wall of the corridor and collapsed on the floor. Lyra walked into the corridor and away from the bodies. The general groaned as Lyra’s hand came up again. She pointed a finger at the lock of the next cell. A stream of bright light flared from the tip of her finger, and a hole was blasted through the door, obliterating the locking mechanism. She kicked the door inward and saw two members of the crew from the Khadoran ship.
“Lock up the general and his soldiers,” instructed Lyra as she moved to the next cell.
Again Lyra’s hand came up, and again the lock was blown clear from the door. She repeated the spell on each door until the entire crew of the Khadoran ship was free. Lyra watched as the general and the two Imperial Guards were thrown into the cell. The door was slammed and locked. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs and motioned for the crew to get behind her. She was ready to strike when the mayor rounded the corner. He was huffing loudly and came to an immediate halt.
“What is going on?” he asked as his eyes swelled to enormous proportions as he gazed past Lyra.
“I have decided that I no longer wish to talk to General Papper,” smiled Lyra. “He was not listening properly. Perhaps I will have better luck with you. If you can guarantee the safety of my friends here, we can talk in the comfort of your office. If not, we will discuss matters right here.”
“Where is General Papper?” asked the mayor. “You did not kill him, did you?”
“Not yet,” replied Lyra. “He is locked in my old cell with two Imperial Guards. He may be a bit sore, but he is unharmed.”
“Come to my office,” said the mayor. “I will guarantee your safety. As for your friends, arresting them was a mistake. I did not realize what I was doing and I sincerely apologize.” The mayor looked past Lyra to the captain of the Khadoran ship. “I truly mean that, Captain. I thought it was a Sakovan ship. Even then I was probably out of line, but I would never serve such an insult to Khadora. You and your crew are free to go. Go shopping in the marketplace. I will pay for whatever you wish to buy and take home.”
“We will accompany the Star of Sakova,” declared the captain.
“As you wish,” agreed Mayor Robit as his baldhead started sweating. “Let me lead the way so that I can make sure that the Imperial Guards do not react improperly.”
“That would be wise,” replied Lyra. “I am loath to take human life when it can be avoided, but I have not been treated well so far in your city.”
The mayor nodded nervously and led the way to the stairway. They proceeded up a flight of stairs, and the mayor stepped out into a corridor. Several Imperial Guards were marching by, and the mayor waited until they had passed before continuing. He led the group along the corridor to his office. Two Imperial Guards were stationed outside his door. They looked strangely at the group of foreigners following the mayor.
“Is everything in order?” one of the Imperial Guards asked the mayor.
“Everything is fine,” responded the mayor. “I am seeking to get to the bottom of this food delivery. I do not want to be disturbed by anyone. Do you understand?”
The mayor stood to one side as the foreigners entered the office. The Imperial Guards watched with suspicion.
“Should one of us be present in the office?” asked one of the soldiers.
“That will not be necessary,” assured the mayor. “Maintain your post outside.”
The soldier nodded but it was clear that he did not like the looks of what was going on. The mayor closed the door as he entered the office and then walked around the desk to his chair and sat down.
“I apologize for the lack of chairs,” opened the mayor. “I must admit that I am rather confused about what is going on today. As I have indicated, the crew of the Khadoran ship is free to leave at any time. I made a terrible mistake in judgment and do apologize for it. I hope that Emperor Marak can understand my mistake.”
“I will notify him of our freedom when our ship is safely at sea,” declared the Khadoran mage.
“Notify him of your freedom?” the mayor asked nervously. “You mean when you return to Khadora, don’t you?”
“She means exactly what she said,” interjected Lyra. “Emperor Marak is already aware of the seizure of his ship.”
“That is not possible,” swallowed the mayor. “The seizure just happened. How could he possibly know.”
Lyra smiled and nodded to the Khadoran mage. The mage walked to the window and opened it. She wove an air tunnel to Khadoratung. Emperor Marak was waiting for it.
“What is the situation down there?” asked Emperor Marak.
“The crew of the ship and the Star of Sakova are in the office of Mayor Robit,” reported the mage. “The mayor has declared the crew of the ship to be free to leave. I told him that I would inform you when our ship was safely at sea.”
“That is wise,” replied Emperor Marak. “Anyone who would seize another country’s ship is not to be trusted too far. Is Lyra safe?”
“I am,” Lyra said loud enough to reach the air tunnel. “We will not trouble you any further, Marak. I merely wanted to convince the mayor that we are capable of contacting you whenever we want to.”