“You mean that he is not indicative of a Khadoran Lord?” HawkShadow asked.
“No,” chuckled Gunta. “In fact the other Khadoran Lords would love to see him die or disappear. He threatens their way of life and they do not like that.”
“You mean they fear he will attack them?” inquired StormSong. “I could be wrong, but he does not appear to be the aggressive type.”
“They do not fear his armies, although they should,” responded Halman. “They fear the changes to their culture. Lord Marak does not buy into the Khadoran culture. The changes that he has made are revolutionary and threaten the Khadoran Lords.”
“Like what?” quizzed HawkShadow. “What changes could affect other clans?”
“He does not believe in slavery,” explained Gunta. “He has freed every slave in his five clans. You must understand that Khadoran estates are built on slavery. The Lords do not wish to pay for the services performed by their subjects when they can have them for free.”
“He has appointed women to positions of power and influence,” added Halman. “The Khadoran Lords scoff at the idea of a woman holding power. They tried to refuse to deal with the women that Lord Marak appointed, but he stood firm, even when it meant a great loss of money to him.”
“And he accepts the indigenous people of Khadora as equals,” Gunta pointed out. “The other Lords fear and despise the Chula. You can begin to see why the other Lords want Marak dead. They were quite happy with the way things had been going until Marak showed up.”
HawkShadow stared off into the forest in the direction of the stream and tried to visualize the culture these men had come from. He had never thought that the person coming for the meeting might have had a problem with the Sakovan leader being a woman, even though the Sakovans had never had one themselves. People were so thrilled that Kaltara finally sent them a Star that they did not question who it was. Yet there were some similarities between the two lands as well. The Chula had been driven from their land much as the Sakovans had and they also fled to the interior of the country and guarded it tenaciously. Small wonder the other Lords wanted him dead.
“Is that why you came in that old fishing boat?” HawkShadow asked. “Will there be problems if Marak is discovered out of Khadora?”
“Yes,” sighed Gunta. “If they find out he is gone, I would expect them to attack in his absence.”
“They will also send an army down here to kill him if they know he travels with only the two of us for an escort,” added Halman.
“There are not just two of you escorting him anymore,” assured StormSong. “We will be entering the mountains tomorrow morning and be in StarCity before nightfall. Let their armies come. They will not leave the Sakova alive.”
MistyTrail smiled inwardly. She had approved of Lord Marak from the first day, but StormSong had always despised anyone not Sakovan. To hear the female warrior stick up for the Khadoran Lord was the best recommendation any outlander could have. Still, she had to wonder what the purpose of the meeting was. Lord Marak’s holdings in Khadora were small and he had problems of his own up there. His armies, no matter how skilled and dedicated, would be of little help in Omunga, far from his home. In fact, he dared not remove his armies from Khadora or he would not have a home to go back to. She shook her head in dismay as she realized that there was little help to be had from the enigmatic Khadoran Lord.
She looked up as Lord Marak entered the campsite whistling a merry tune and smiled at him. He walked as if he belonged in the Sakova, cheerful, carefree, and happy to be among friends. His coming to the Sakova may not aid the Sakovan people in their troubles with the Omungans, but MistyTrail was very glad that she had had the pleasure of meeting him.
“Let’s turn in,” she ordered. “I would like to be on the trail before first light.”
HawkShadow bowed to her and issued a mock salute as he sauntered off to bed with the others.
Chapter 31
Delusions of Doubt
MeadowTune walked into the empty dining room and veered towards where Lyra, LifeTender, and Temiker were sitting. She brushed at her short crop of black hair absentmindedly as she crossed the room and sat next to LifeTender.
“You should be moving into RavenWing’s office,” she said to Lyra. “Not everything we talk about is good for everyone to hear.”
“There is nobody in here at this time of day,” nodded the Star of Sakova. “Besides, I do not feel as though RavenWing’s office is appropriate for me. Every time I go in there, I feel like I am trespassing.”
“Nonsense,” contradicted MeadowTune, her melodious voice smoothing the edges of any harshness evident in the statement. “MistyTrail will be back with Lord Marak this morning and it would not seem proper to greet him in the dining hall.”
“I will try it again,” conceded Lyra. “What news this morning?”
“Nothing good I’m afraid,” the resident spy frowned. “The Mayor of Campanil is calling for government action to invade the Sakova because of the watula field incident. He has a rather influential voice in Okata and our agent in Campanil thinks the government will oblige, especially after they have labeled the assassination of the Katana as a Sakovan act.”
“Great,” Lyra said softly, her lips pressed tight with nervousness. “Any more on the whereabouts of the armies?”
“Yes and it is not good either,” sang MeadowTune. “They are spread out around the Sakova inside the coast road. It appears that they are attempting to surround us, although access is still open in the North and there are pockets where we can still get through. If you are worried about StarWind, she will get everyone through the army blockade.”
That was a concern,” Lyra admitted, thinking as much about her father as StarWind, “but I am also concerned with their intentions and how we defend against their attack.”
“Perhaps a meeting of our best strategists would yield some answers,” suggested LifeTender. “Let everyone know what the problem is and see what suggestions they come up with.”
“Would outlanders be allowed in such a meeting,” questioned Temiker with a sick look on his face.
“You are not an outlander as far as I am concerned,” responded Lyra. “Besides we need all the suggestions we can get and I am not fussy where they come from. There is something bothering you Temiker. Something other than the Omungan armies. What is it?”
Temiker met Lyra’s eyes and toyed with his beard. “I am worried about Malafar,” he finally admitted. “StarWind’s last message said they were going to drug him to sneak him out of Okata. I wonder how he will react when he wakes up.”
“You are also worried about how he will react to finding you here,” realized Lyra. I am also worried about that and more. It sounds as if his dislike of Sakovans has turned to hatred and he is still a very powerful mage. I wonder if I am making a mistake by allowing him to come here.”
“But he is your father,” interjected LifeTender. “How can you refuse to let him come here?”
“I am also the Star,” reminded Lyra, “and like it or not, I am responsible for everybody’s safety here. I should not let my personal desires interfere with the safety of StarCity.”
“Kaltara will protect us,” retorted LifeTender. “Even a powerful mage cannot stand up to God.”
“Perhaps,” Lyra said, “but Kaltara wants me to make the decisions, otherwise He would be leading the Sakovans Himself. I do not intend to just go through life making decisions with the attitude that Kaltara will not let me make a wrong one. When will StarWind return, MeadowTune?”
“I can not tell for sure,” MeadowTune stated. “She will probably push hard just in case the armies start inland. She would not want to get caught in the fringes of the Sakova. With horses instead of chokas, she could still be here by tomorrow or the next day.”