The Khadorans glanced at Lyra when she addressed the Emperor with familiarity, but she merely smiled in return.
“Very well, Lyra,” replied Emperor Marak. “Contact me when the situation in Gatong is stable. I have already given an order to ready an army to send down there, but I do not want to disrupt their training any longer than necessary.”
Lyra nodded and the Khadoran mage broke the air tunnel. She closed the window and returned to stand with the crew.
“That was not a trick, was it?” the mayor asked nervously. “Was that really Emperor Marak of Khadora?”
“It was him,” declared Lyra, “but that is not important for the needs of our discussion.”
“Not important?” gulped the mayor. “How can you say it is not important? He has already been notified that I seized his ship. Can’t you at least tell him it was a mistake?”
“I could,” smiled Lyra, “but I promise you that it is totally unnecessary. He is either going to send his armies, or he is not. The deciding factor will be what I tell him about the outcome of this meeting.”
“I don’t understand,” responded the mayor. “Why is it that you have such a close relationship with the Emperor of Khadora? Why would he send armies on your behalf?”
“Because we are allies,” declared the Star of Sakova. “Emperor Marak has unified the Khadorans and the Chula. I intend to unify the Omungans and the Sakovans. It really is not hard to understand.”
“Does that mean that if we agree to be at peace with the Sakovans in exchange for food, that we will also be at peace with the Khadorans?” asked Mayor Robit.
“That was this morning’s offer,” Lyra shook her head. “That was what I was going to ask for before you imprisoned me and seized Emperor Marak’s ship. Things have changed now.”
“What is your new offer?” asked the mayor.
“Your surrender,” Lyra stated. “Gatong is to become a Sakovan city. In return for your allegiance, food will be shipped in on a regular basis. Mages will arrive to rejuvenate your diseased fields. In short, the people of Gatong will be treated as the rest of the Sakovans are. You will be loved and cared for. You will be well fed and well trained. What is your response?”
The mayor’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. He stared at Lyra as if she had three heads. Finally, he closed his eyes and shook his head. When he reopened his eyes he sighed deeply.
“You can’t be serious?” posed the mayor. “If Gatong defects, the Katana’s armies will march here with a vengeance. It would be a slaughter. General Papper’s troops cannot be expected to stand against the major armies of Okata.”
“You are in a rough position, Mayor Robit,” Lyra replied. “General Papper’s troops cannot stand up to the Katana’s army. They also cannot stand up to the Sakovan armies, and certainly not to the Khadoran armies. No matter what decision you make, you are going to offend a nation whose armies will have little difficulty in destroying your city. All things being equal, which choice guarantees you enough food to be able to survive until the armies arrive?”
“Eating a last meal is hardly something that matters much when everyone is going to die,” frowned the mayor. “Why can’t you just leave us alone? I will make sure that General Papper’s troops do not attack Sakovans, and you can forget about us.”
“That is not acceptable,” Lyra shook her head. “My next stop is Fortung. I will not leave Gatong behind me as an enemy city. Your choices are limited. Either you surrender peaceably, or I will defeat you. I prefer that I not be forced to kill the people of Gatong. I will also point out that I will be working my way towards Okata. Any armies from the capital will have to go through me first. Therefore, your risk is small. If I die, you merely have to swear your allegiance to the Katana. If he dies, you need do nothing but eat the food I provide. What could be simpler?”
“You present a good case,” the mayor swallowed hard. “There is still one small matter that must be attended to.”
“What is that?” asked Lyra.
“General Papper,” replied the mayor. “We will need his confirmation for this to work. While the Imperial Guards may take some orders from me, it is ultimately the general that they will obey.”
Lyra nodded and frowned. She turned to the Khadorans.
“It is time for you to leave the city,” she said to the captain.
“I think we should stay until this is resolved,” objected the captain.
“Your portion of this is resolved,” Lyra said adamantly. “I want you out to sea before General Papper is released from his cell.”
“You will end up back in a cell,” warned the captain.
“I will not,” assured Lyra. “If the general so much as tries to harm me, I will destroy this city by myself. You do not want to be here.”
“You must be kidding,” replied the captain, as his eyes grew wide with disbelief.
“She is not joking,” interjected the Khadoran mage. “The damage to the doors in the prison was such a small effort on her part that she did not even need to concentrate. Believe her and give her the keys to the cell.”
The captain nodded and handed the keys to Lyra.
“Thank you,” smiled Lyra as the crew turned to leave. “Have a safe voyage home. Send in one of the Imperial Guards when you leave.”
The crew left and an Imperial Guard cautiously entered the room. Lyra tossed the keys to him.
“General Papper is locked in a cell downstairs,” stated Lyra. “Please free him and bring him to the mayor’s office.”
The Imperial Guard looked to the mayor for confirmation. The mayor nodded and the soldier left the room.
“I hope you know what you are doing,” the mayor said with concern. “General Papper will be furious when he arrives here. I would not be surprised if he immediately attacks you.”
“I would not be surprised either,” Lyra said as a blue cylinder suddenly surrounded her. “I do expect you to calm him down before too many Imperial Guards get hurt.”
“Before they get hurt?” questioned the mayor as he stared at the blue cylinder. “Were you serious about destroying this city by yourself? Can you really do that?”
“I have never tried destroying a city before,” confessed the Star of Sakova, “but I have never met a task I could not accomplish. I certainly do not wish to experiment on Gatong.”
“Nor do I want you to,” agreed the mayor. “You have not lied to me yet. I suspect that your words are true. What does the blue cylinder do?”
“It protects me from harm,” answered Lyra. “Any attempts to harm me will be disastrous to those who try.”
Chapter 25
Resolution at Gatong
The door to Mayor Robit’s office flew open, and General Papper stormed in with four Imperial Guards. He glared at the Star of Sakova with obvious contempt.
“Seize her,” he shouted.
“Stop,” shouted the mayor. “We are here to talk, not fight.”
The Imperial Guards halted and glanced from the mayor to the general.
“I gave an order,” shouted the general. “Obey me.”
The first Imperial Guard moved forward and reached out to grab Lyra. His scream roared through the room as his arm passed through the blue cylinder. The soldier spun away from Lyra, clutching the stump of his arm. He stumbled several feet before falling on the floor and writhing in pain. The second soldier watched in horror as he halted, his hand mere inches from the blue cylinder.
The general swore and pulled his sword. He shoved the second soldier aside and swung his sword towards Lyra’s neck. He stared with disbelief as the blade of his sword vanished. He pulled the sword back expecting to see the blade reappear as if the whole thing had been some type of illusion. He stared at the shortened blade and then looked up at Lyra.
“Can we talk calmly now?” she asked.
“Sit down, General,” offered the mayor. “Any attempt to harm Lyra will only result in more embarrassment. I have had a long talk with the Star of Sakova during your absence. She has something to say that you must hear.”