“You have my blessings on this matter, Clarvoy,” nodded the Emperor. “Go to Fakara and the sow the seeds of chaos among our enemies. Use one against the other, and let death rain on their families even as they wait for the final judgment that my armies will deliver unto them.”
Chapter 20
Xavo
Xavo left the throne room when the meeting was over. He walked casually through the temple and onto the streets of the city. His walk carried him to the waterfront, and he turned to stroll along the beach. The beach near the city was usually used for people wanting to get away from the city, so it was not surprising to see other people on it. Xavo walked past them all to the point of the peninsula jutting off into the sea. The point was an unofficial demarcation line of sorts. Strollers never wandered past the point, but Xavo kept on walking. He walked all the way along the far side of the peninsula until he came to the spot where he had found Lady Mystic. It was a fairly short walk from the temple if one used the path through the jungle, but Xavo did not want to be seen by Lady Mystic on this day.
His eyes scanned the jungle trail and then the beach in both directions. When he was satisfied that he was alone, he wove an air tunnel and directed it towards Raven’s Point. He smiled as he felt an air mage grab the opposite end of the air tunnel. Breaking his own rules, Xavo modified the pressure of the air tunnel so that it worked in both directions.
“This is a nice beach on the island of Motanga,” Xavo said softly into the air tunnel. “The pressure is equalized, but do not speak unless asked to, and keep your voice soft when you do. Who am I speaking to?”
“Polema,” came a soft reply. “Your voice is wrong.”
“Is Rhoda nearby?” asked Xavo.
“I am here,” came a second female voice. “Who are you?”
“My voice has been altered,” declared Xavo. “You must rely on the keyword that I mentioned the last time. Listen carefully. I have made this air tunnel equalized because I must be sure that you understand my instructions. Send Polema away and then listen well.”
Xavo nodded to himself when Rhoda softly said that she was alone.
“This message is for the ears of Fisher and Marak only,” Xavo continued. “No one else must hear of it. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” replied Rhoda, “but I doubt your identity.”
“Do not make me mention your birthmark,” Xavo smiled. “I found it necessary to adopt another persona. Just listen. Clarvoy has a spy in the inner circle of the Star of Sakova. He knows that the Sakovans are positioning armies deep in the forest, and he is trying to discover the reason for such positioning. Lyra must thwart this spy without letting on that she knows about him or her. My life depends upon it. They also know that Zaramilden is being evacuated. That knowledge may make them alter their attack plans. I have no understanding of why that is.”
“Hold,” Rhoda said softly.
Xavo stopped talking as he imagined Rhoda writing down every single word. Her thoroughness was the reason that he wanted to speak directly to her.
“Continue,” whispered Rhoda.
“Clarvoy also has been snooping around Fakara,” Xavo continued. “He does not know the location of Angragar, but he knows that the free tribes have fled to there. He is planning a trip to either Meliban or Taggot to recruit Jiadin to work against the Astor. Rejji must be informed. Have you got all that?”
“Yes,” Rhoda replied after a moment.
“Officially, Aakuta is dead,” Xavo declared. “Warn the Torak that this information is known to only a few people. If I am compromised, I will not be able to continue. He will understand. I hope to talk to you again soon.”
Xavo immediately dropped the air tunnel as he heard a noise on the jungle trail behind him. He plopped down on the beach and gazed out to sea, pretending to spend a quiet moment with his thoughts. A few moments later, Lady Mystic appeared on the beach.
“Fancy finding you here,” greeted Lady Mystic. “What are you doing?”
“Just thinking about us,” smiled Xavo. “Sit.”
“Why this particular spot?” asked Lady Mystic as she lowered herself to the sand.
“It is where I found you on the beach,” smiled Xavo. “I was hoping that I might bump into you. You have not been answering my knocks on your door.”
“You do not lie well,” retorted Vand’s daughter. “I saw you leaving the temple earlier. You went out of your way to get to this very spot. You could have just walked through the jungle.”
“I guess that I did not plan on coming here when I started the walk,” shrugged Xavo. “Still, this is where I ended up, and I did hope to bump into you before I left. Why do you mistrust me so?”
“Because you are a phony,” answered Lady Mystic. “You still want something from me, but I have not figured it out yet. You are too much like me, Xavo. You are not capable of this love you proclaim for me.”
“How can you say that?” balked Xavo. “Were you not in love with Aakuta? That shows that you are capable of love, so why can’t I be?”
“I was in love with Aakuta,” Lady Mystic replied as she frowned deeply, “but I did not know what it was. I betrayed my lover. That only proves that I am incapable of dealing with it.”
“You are too hard on yourself,” smiled Xavo. “You truly did not understand your father and what motivates him. You were blind to how Vand would react. I am sure that Aakuta would have forgiven you.”
Lady Mystic stared at Xavo and did not speak. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him. After a few moments, Xavo turned and saw Lady Mystic staring at him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Did I say something to offend you?”
Lady Mystic blinked and shook her head. “Did they teach you the air tunnel yet?” she asked.
“Oh yes,” nodded Xavo. “I guess it could be a useful tool for directing people over a wide area, but I would not get too excited about it. I think it is overrated.”
“Oh?” replied Lady Mystic. “Then they only told you about one of its uses?”
“What do you mean?” frowned Xavo. “What other uses are there for it?”
“The original spell only sends messages,” explained Lady Mystic. “That is what I discovered by watching Aakuta, but the spell can be altered to allow messages to flow in either direction. I would have thought that being a Disciple of Vand would have allowed you to be privy to such knowledge.”
“Who discovered the variations?” Xavo asked with concern.
“I did,” smiled Lady Mystic. “I had to think of something to take my mind off of Aakuta.”
“Have you told anyone else yet?” Xavo asked anxiously.
“No,” replied Lady Mystic. “Should I?”
“I wouldn’t in your position,” Xavo inadvertently sighed with relief. “I mean, after what your father did to you, I would not help them ever again. Of course, I am speaking from your perspective, not mine.”
“But you are a Disciple of Vand,” Lady Mystic said with raised eyebrows. “You should be urging me to disclose what I know.”
“It is not that important of a discovery,” shrugged Xavo. “I guess I don’t want to see you abused any more than you already have been.”
“That is so considerate of you, Xavo,” smiled Lady Mystic. “I would really be impressed with your love and dedication to me,” she paused for effect and added, “If I believed a word of what you are saying.”
“What do you mean?” frowned Xavo. “Why do you have such a hard time believing that I love you?”
“Because you are not being honest with me,” replied Vand’s daughter. “You don’t trust me enough to be honest with me. I can’t say that I blame you, but that does stop me from believing you.”
“What can I say to you that you will believe?” asked Xavo. “Ask me anything you want?”
“And you will answer truthfully?” questioned Lady Mystic.
“Of course,” Xavo nodded confidently.
“Do you know how to use variations of the air tunnel spell?” she asked.