When Santiock arrived, the fire was spreading rapidly, the magical flames igniting the moist jungle foliage. He looked down at Xavo hacking away at the corpse and made an instant decision. He reached down and grabbed Xavo’s feet and started pulling the mage free of the fire. Several other soldiers immediately leaped in to help, and Xavo was pulled clear of the fire. Santiock stared at the burning corpse of Aakuta as Xavo shoved everyone away and staggered to his feet.
“What have you done?” snarled Xavo. “I wanted his head. I almost had it cut off.”
“I will verify Aakuta’s death,” replied Santiock. “His head was not worth your life. Look. See how his body burns. No one can deny you the rewards that Vand will bestow upon you. It is better that you are alive to receive them.”
Xavo snarled an obscenity and pushed his way through the crowd of soldiers that were trying to extinguish the fire. Santiock shook his head in amazement at the mage’s lack of gratitude. He took one last glance at the burning corpse and followed Xavo out of the jungle.
* * *
Lady Mystic sat on the beach, her back to a slanting palm tree. She stared blankly out at the ocean swells as she thought about the mess that she had made of her life. Aakuta had been right about her father. Vand had totally rejected her as if her relationship meant nothing to him. All of her life she had looked up to her father, blind to what everyone else had been able to see. She recalled the taunts that the other children had thrown at her when she was little. They laughed when they told her how her father had had her mother executed. She had never believed the stories, until now. While everyone had sworn that it was the truth, she had steadfastly refused to believe that her father was capable of such an act. How wrong she had been.
It was all so clear now. Every slight and insult that her father had thrown her way came pouring back through her mind. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she saw what a fool she had been. Her whole life had been a sham, and now she had ruined Aakuta’s life as well. It was bad enough that she had betrayed him once, but the second betrayal would remove him forever from her life. She wished she had a chance to do it all over again. This time, she would actually help the elf king to escape.
Lady Mystic swallowed hard as she thought about Aakuta. He was the only person who had ever actually loved her, and she discarded him for her father. The Emperor’s daughter smashed her fist into the sand alongside her. The action did nothing to make her feel better.
Lady Mystic’s mind whirled with thoughts of Aakuta. She wanted to find him and help him in some way, but she knew that it was not to be. Thousands of soldiers and mages were already looking for the dark mage. She would not stand a chance of finding him alone. And even if she did find him, there was no way that Aakuta would forgive her a second time. She had had her second chance when she discovered that Aakuta was lucid, but she squandered that chance by betraying her lover one more time.
Lady Mystic started bawling loudly. She threw herself face first into the sand and ripped at her hair. That was when she heard the horns sounding the retreat. Lady Mystic sat up and listened carefully to the horns. There was no mistaking the sound of retreat echoing through the city. That sound could only mean one thing; Aakuta had been found.
Lady Mystic rose and brushed herself off. Her mind whirled with a thousand thoughts as she wondered if it was too late to save Aakuta. If the dark mage had been captured, the soldiers would bring him before Vand. If she truly cared for him, now was the time to show it. She could run to the temple and magically attack the soldiers bringing Aakuta in. She could free her lover, and they could escape into the jungle to live in peace.
Lady Mystic ran towards the temple. Curious people were already beginning to line the streets in anticipation as columns of soldiers and mages entered the city from every direction. The soldiers lined the streets, keeping the rest of the citizens off the roads. Lady Mystic jostled the crowd to get a position where she could see the captive being brought to the temple.
A ripple of confusion ran through the crowd as no squad of soldiers marched along the parade route. Only a single mage walked between the lines of soldiers barricading the route. Lady Mystic scowled when she saw the mage’s face. It was Xavo.
When Xavo passed, the soldiers dropped their barricade and let the citizens roam freely. Lady Mystic shook her head in confusion. She desperately looked around for someone that she knew that would still speak to her. She saw Santiock, a high officer in Vand’s army. He had always been friendly towards her in the past. She pushed her way forward and softly called his name. Santiock’s eyes scanned the crowd looking to see who had called him. His eyes landed on Lady Mystic and he frowned. He hurried towards her and grabbed her elbow. He guided here away from the milling crowd to a place where they could talk privately.
“So even you are afraid to be seen talking to me?” frowned Lady Mystic. “Is this my reward for years of loyalty to Vand?”
“One does not tempt the hand of fate around Vand,” Santiock shrugged indifferently. “Why did you call my name?”
“I must know what happened today,” declared Lady Mystic. “Why was Xavo marching the route with no soldiers and no prisoner?”
“He alone survived,” explained Santiock. “His squad managed to track the escapee into the jungle and kill him.”
Lady Mystic frowned at hearing Aakuta called the escapee. It rubbed a raw nerve.
“His name was Aakuta,” snapped Lady Mystic, “and I doubt that Xavo has the power to kill him.”
“Aakuta was powerful,” Santiock’s brow knitted with agreement. “Never has one so insane been able to use magic effectively. His strange spells of light left little of Xavo’s squad.”
“I thought none of the soldiers survived?” questioned the Emperor’s daughter.
“They didn’t survive,” replied Santiock. “What I meant when I said his spells left little was just that. The remaining pieces of Xavo’s soldiers were small and unrecognizable. Their bodies were entirely shredded.”
“And yet Xavo remained alive?” Lady Mystic pushed skeptically.
“He was apart from the soldiers by twenty paces of more,” explained the officer. “While Aakuta was shredding the soldiers, Xavo attacked Aakuta with a fireball. It was a fatal attack.”
Lady Mystic’s heart skipped a beat as she heard the words. She did not believe that Aakuta was dead.
“So Xavo says,” retorted the Emperor’s daughter. “Xavo always plays the part of the great mage. Where is Aakuta’s head if he is dead?”
“Xavo is a pompous braggart,” agreed Santiock, “but not this time. I was close by. The brilliant light drew my attention even before the screams of death were heard. I saw the soldiers’ body parts fly through the air. I saw Xavo deliver the killing blow. I helped drag Xavo out of the fire that erupted in the brambles. He was intent on cutting off Aakuta’s head, but he would have died trying to get it. The flames grew at an astonishing rate.”
Tears welled up in Lady Mystic’s eyes and Santiock shifted uncomfortably.
“I am sorry, Lady Mystic,” consoled the officer. “I know that you cared for Aakuta, but loving a traitor is not a wise thing to do these days. I must go to the throne room in case there are questions surrounding this incident.”
Santiock waited a moment for a response from Lady Mystic, but there was none. The officer turned and strode towards the temple. He hurried along to catch up to those heading for the throne room. He did not want to miss a minute of the session because Vand was often known to freely give out boons after a victorious mission.
The throne room was crowded as everyone sought to be in Vand’s presence in case spoils were awarded. Santiock squeezed his way towards the front of the room, earning him more than one jab in the ribs. He did not care. Unlike the other pretenders in the room, he had helped Xavo flee from the fire. That at least should give him some standing if rewards were showered on anyone.