StarWind signaled with her hand and SkyDancer brought over plates of food for the youngsters. “Many centuries ago,” StarWind started, “the whole area you know of as Omunga was the home of the Sakovans. They were a peaceful people who tilled the land and fished the sea as they had for untold centuries before. They had no army; indeed they had no fighting skills whatsoever. Even hunters were a rare breed in Sakova as their culture had little use for meat or hide other than the wasooki and clova they herded.”
StarWind smiled as the youngsters dug into the offered food. They were no doubt starved, she realized, as the healing process demanded fresh energy from their bodies. “One day,” StarWind continued, “a vast army appeared on the shores of Sakova, bent upon conquest of the land they had discovered. They found the local Sakovans easy prey who were unable to defend themselves.”
A hint of a tear formed in StarWind’s eye as she related the tale. “The Omungans, as they called themselves, proceeded to destroy the villages along the coast first. The Omungans were not content to take over the villages and enslave the people. They killed every living soul, man, woman, and child. The slaughter was devastating. The Sakovans inland heard the stories from a handful of people who had fled the carnage and the word spread quickly, but there was little to be done.”
“Couldn’t the inland people organize and resist the attack?” asked Antello.
“Perhaps given time that might have worked,” reasoned StarWind, “but there were complications. The Sakovans not only lacked fighting skills, they also possessed no weapons. A further complication was the Scroll of Kaltara. Only months before the invasion, the leader of the Sakovan people was murdered in his sleep. The God of Sakova was angered by this event, for God always chose the leader of the Sakovan people, and the murder was a blatant crime against God’s rule. A priest, on a journey to attend the funeral of the leader, was stopped along the Kaltara River by God and given a scroll to deliver to the people. It was the called the Scroll of Kaltara and it prophesized the destruction of the Sakovan people for their crime against God.”
“So the Sakovans knew that the invasion was preordained,” rationalized Syman.
“Correct,” StarWind declared. “The scroll accurately predicted the devastation of the Sakovan people and told how they would no longer be fishermen and farmers, but have to kill their food to survive. It stated how the Sakovans would be scattered across the land and how they would be hunted down and killed by their enemies, a price upon each of their heads. Some of the people fled into the mountains, but others stayed and died as the Omungans moved inland and hunted them down. The Omungan conquest was extensive and eventually only a small fraction of the Sakovans survived the attacks.”
“But some still exist to this day, centuries later,” interrupted Lyra. “What does this have to do with us?”
“The conquest never ended,” explained StarWind. “The Omungans today, and ever since that day, still seek to wipe out the Sakovan race and finish completely the conquest they began. For generations the Sakovans have hidden in a stronghold that the Omungans have been unable to find. There they have devoted their lives to perfecting their warrior skills so that when the day came for them to reclaim their land, they would be ready. The Scroll of Kaltara tells that eventually God will send the Sakovans a new leader and when he does, we shall retake what is rightfully ours. Continually through the generations, the Omungans have sought this last stronghold of the Sakovans. The Sakovans have become a warrior culture and we have defended the Sakova from the Omungan incursions, sometimes at the cost of many lives.”
“But we are not seeking your stronghold,” argued Lyra. “Why do you need to kill innocent people who merely trespass?”
“We didn’t originally,” admitted StarWind, “but the Omungans are clever. The Sakova is a very large area and they seek to narrow their search. After every successful incursion into the Sakova, the trespassers were seized by the Omungan government and interrogated. By our allowing innocent travelers the freedom to move through the Sakova, the Omungans were able to determine large portions of the Sakova where the stronghold was not. Each time they find a spot where the stronghold is not, they narrow down where it can exist. Over time, they would be successful in finding the last remaining Sakovans and destroying them.”
“So if you let us go,” surmised Syman, “we would unwittingly be helping the Omungan government find your people.”
“Precisely,” nodded StarWind. “We have tried hard over the generations to paint a picture of the Sakova so dark and bleak that no ordinary traveler would dare set foot within it. It was the only way that we could think of to protect innocent travelers from being killed, because once they did enter the Sakova, we could not afford to let them leave. Our very existence hinges on retaining the secrecy of our stronghold.”
“So it is not us you fear,” Lyra summarized, “it is the knowledge we have gained by not finding your stronghold where we traveled?”
“Yes,” conceded StarWind. “Contrary to what you may believe, Sakovans do not enjoy killing innocent people, but it is preferable to the extinction of our race. Each fighter knows that coldhearted performance of his duty is the only thing that safeguards the Sakovan people he loves so dearly. Every year we get Omungans penetrating the Sakova to learn what they can. They are not always stern looking men dressed in battle armor. They may be old or young, strong or feeble. The Omungans have tried every guise to learn the location of the stronghold.”
“How can you know that?” protested Lyra. “Perhaps you merely think they are spies and you are killing innocent travelers.”
“I know it because it is my job,” StarWind stated. “I spend many months every year living among the Omungan people. I am part of a group who opens their eyes and ears in Omungan cities to ferret out the spies of the Omungan government. I know because I have identified such spies before they ever arrived in the Sakova. I also know that I am incapable of learning about all of their spies and so, like my predecessors, I adhere to the Sakovan policy of accepting no strangers within the Sakova.”
“And yet you have allowed us to live,” interjected Antello. “At least so far.”
“Is it because of the ring?” Lyra asked.
“Yes because of the ring,” answered StarWind. “It is more than that though. Our leader feels that there is something happening in Omunga that our spies have failed to detect. He thinks you are a central part of whatever is happening and our lives depend on knowing what the enemy is up to. Never in all of his days have so many assassins been sent in search of one individual and never has that search entered the boundaries of the Sakova. He wants to know why they are after you and what it signifies for his people.”
“But what if we can’t tell him?” Lyra asked. “I know nothing about the Omungan government and what they want.”
“He will have us killed after he learns what he wants, won’t he?” interrupted Syman. “So why should we tell him anything? I mean he treats us as the enemy. Shouldn’t we treat him as our enemy then?”
StarWind stared at the youngsters before answering. “I do not know what he will do,” she confided. “I will tell you this. I will speak on your behalf. There may be options open for you that have not been investigated yet. Perhaps our security may be upheld by just not allowing you to leave the Sakova. We will have to wait and see what can be done. As I have told you before, I have never known of any Omungans being brought into the stronghold. It is against our law.”
“But we have to leave,” declared Lyra. “I must get to Uncle Temiker in Alamar. I must.”
StarWind rose and shook her head. “Take things one step at a time,” she suggested. “We are less than a days ride from the stronghold and we will be there before dark. I urge you to think on what I have told you and what your information may mean to the Sakovan people. I know you are being brought against your will, but I have stated my intention to speak on your behalf. It is up to you to present a favorable image to our leader. The image you present may well determine your fate. Get ready to move out now.”