“I am Halman,” he proclaimed, “and I am escorting Lord Marak. May I ask who you are?”
HawkShadow stared at the man for a moment, studying his obvious military posture, before responding, “I am HawkShadow. This is StormSong and the little one is MistyTrail. We have been sent to meet you.”
“I am the leader,” chirped MistyTrail, shooting a look of annoyance at HawkShadow. “Tell the others to come up so we can leave quickly.”
“I understood that we were to meet Lyra here,” Halman objected. “Are there others nearby?”
“No,” answered MistyTrail. “We are going to take you to see her.”
“This is not what was arranged,” the Khadoran stated. “Why was a change made?”
MistyTrail looked puzzled and HawkShadow interrupted. “The Omungan Katana was assassinated after this meeting was arranged,” he explained. “I objected to our leader leaving the stronghold for safety reasons and she agreed that it would be safer for all if the meeting were held in StarCity. I hope this is not an inconvenience for Lord Marak.”
“I will find out,” Halman nodded as he grabbed the rope and disappeared over the edge of the cliff.
“Sorry, little one,” HawkShadow apologized after Halman left, “but we cannot keep an eye on the other two as long as we are distracted by this one. Better for all of them to be in the same place.”
“At least you didn’t introduce me as the elf,” smiled MistyTrail. “They certainly do appear to be cautious.”
“More so than I gave them credit for,” admitted StormSong. “That Halman just walked into the jaws of death for his lord. He makes me appreciate the fact that this lord is taking quite a risk as well by coming here.”
Within moments, Halman returned up the rope and waited while the other two black-clad figures ascended. The tall blond man with the cape stepped forward and held out his hand to MistyTrail.
“I am Marak,” he smiled. “I understand that you will lead our escort to StarCity, MistyTrail. I am pleased with the opportunity to see how the Sakovans live rather than meet in the wilderness.”
MistyTrail blushed slightly and straightened her posture as if suddenly aware of her short stature. “We are pleased to be given the honor of escorting you, Lord Marak,” she smiled.
“You must be StormSong,” Marak smiled as he extended his hand to the tall female Sakovan.
StormSong took his hand but merely nodded at the introduction and Marak turned towards HawkShadow and introduced himself.
“You have already met Halman,” Marak continued. “This is Gunta, my other escort. Are we going to ride on the famous Omungan birds?”
“Omungan?” spat StormSong. “An Omungan would not know a choka until it had ripped his throat out.”
“Sorry,” Marak apologized. “I guess the books that I have read tend to call everything on this side of the Kalatung Mountains Omungan. I would appreciate it if you would enlighten me whenever I chose the wrong words, StormSong. It would not speak well of me to make such mistakes when talking with your Star.”
StormSong’s brow furrowed as she tried to figure out if Lord Marak was sincere in his comments or making fun of her. In either case, she was not his tutor or babysitter so he would have to learn on his own. She wondered briefly about the books Marak had read and smiled when she thought about the difference in reading about something and actually confronting it. The choka might very well be Lord Marak’s first lesson on Sakovan hospitality.
“The trip to StarCity will require a longer stay for you, Lord Marak,” declared MistyTrail. “We should leave immediately so that you can return in time for your appointment with the boat.”
Marak nodded and followed MistyTrail through the trees to where the chokas were left. He stopped as soon as he sighted one and stared in wonder. He had read descriptions of the giant warbirds but had never seen one before. His eyes scanned the features of the ten-foot tall bird, especially the sharp claws at the end of its short forearms.
“Those claws look very sharp,” he noted. “How do they know friend from foe?”
“They know us,” HawkShadow answered. “They can also sense how we are feeling towards others around us. They will let you ride them because that is why we brought them, but if you were to try to steal one, it would kill you.”
“I will definitely not try to steal one then,” chuckled Marak. “Lead the way.”
HawkShadow held a choka while Marak mounted and then did the same for Gunta and Halman. Marak’s two escorts had not said a word since the Lord had reached the top of the cliff. They were silent shadows, observing everything and giving nothing away as their faces remained expressionless. MistyTrail signaled for StormSong to lead and rode alongside Lord Marak. Gunta and Halman followed closely with HawkShadow bringing up the rear. MistyTrail fought the urge to ask the thousand questions she had bundled inside as she observed the rules of trail silence and the column moved swiftly and quietly throughout the day.
Lord Marak also fought the urge to ask questions, questions that had been bottled up inside him since he had first read about Omunga. He had jumped at the chance to meet with the Sakovans, in part, to learn more about them. The books that he had read never spoke of the Sakovans, but Marak was beginning to think that the tomes were attributing the characteristics of the Sakovans to the Omungans. Before the trip was over, he would know the differences between the two peoples.
Sometime after high sun, Marak began seeing some of the huge ancient fargi trees that in Khadora were only found in the areas occupied by the indigenous Chula. Most Khadorans had never seen a fargi tree, but they were indirectly responsible for Lord Marak’s rise to power when he was given control of an estate where the previous leaders had been massacred for trying to clear a fargi forest on Chula land. By sunset the sevemor trees had vanished completely and the group rode through a dark and ominous forest populated with the old giants. That was when MistyTrail called for camp to be set up.
“May we help with the duties of setting up camp?” Marak asked as he dismounted his choka.
“We make a simple camp,” MistyTrail answered, “and I have stopped early tonight because I thought you would be weary from your long day of travel. StormSong and HawkShadow will have everything set up in no time, but thank you for asking. What did you think of your first ride on a choka?”
“It was thrilling,” beamed Marak. “If they are as good in battle as I have read, they would easily be my choice of a mount instead of a horse.”
“They are very much like having a partner in battle,” smiled MistyTrail. “You do appear to be enjoying yourself on this trip. I guess it is like a vacation for you.”
“Hardly,” Marak frowned. “I mean I am enjoying the trip and I anticipate learning a great deal about the Sakovans, which excites me, but it is hardly a vacation in which I can enjoy myself without thinking about the problems I have left behind. As much as I would have taken this trip just to learn about your people, my real reason is to discuss our mutual problems with the Omungans. Your news that the Katana has been assassinated disturbs me. Can you tell me if it was a Sakovan who killed him?”
“It was not,” frowned MistyTrail without her perpetual smile. “It is being portrayed as such though and there is really little difference when it comes right down to it. The Omungan government will use the excuse to wage war upon us. We should leave such weighty discussion to the Star though. It is not my place to speak of such things and I am curious about your homeland. Can you tell me what it is like?”
“I can try,” offered Marak. “I am not sure anyone can offer a short discussion of Khadora because the culture is so complex but I will do my best if you will reciprocate.”