The air shimmered with heat from the burning forest as the vanguard of the Motangan army came into view. The Motangan soldiers walked warily, expecting an ambush at any moment. Their fears were fully justified.
“Charge!” shouted Lord Rybak as he pointed his sword at the enemy army.
Hundreds of hooves pounded the ground as the Khadoran cavalry charged into the vanguard of the enemy army. Arrows flew by the horsemen as the Motangans reacted rapidly, but their targets were moving swiftly. Lord Rybak had seen the Motangan armies from many hills since the invasion began, and he knew their numbers were vast, but his perspective leading the charge was entirely different. As he charged into the enemy ranks, his eyes saw nothing but an endless sea of red before him.
Lord Rybak slashed left and right with his sword as he made contact with the Motangan soldiers. The first row of soldiers slashed back, and Lord Rybak felt stinging cuts to both of his legs, but he ignored the pain as he tried to ride deeper into the enemy army. His horse balked with nowhere to go. The Motangan ranks were so thick that many of the enemy soldiers could not raise their weapons to fight. The Motangan advance faltered as the northernmost columns turned southward to confront the ambush.
Lord Rybak’s horse backed slowly as the Motangan army pressed forward. The Situ lord could feel the horse’s unsteady footing as it stepped over bodies on the ground. Lord Rybak delivered another killing blow to the neck of a Motangan solder as he felt his horse going down. Fear briefly swept through his mind as he threw himself off the dying horse. Lord Rybak landed on top of a Motangan soldier, knocking the man off his feet, but there was no room for him to fall to the ground. Lord Rybak swung his sword into the necks of the Motangan soldiers around him even as he felt the sharp blades penetrating his body. His body suddenly felt limp and refused to respond to his commands. His sword fell from his hands, and his vision turned to darkness. The sounds of battle slowly faded to nothing, and Lord Rybak issued his last prayer to Kaltara.
* * *
“Are you sure of this?” Goral asked HawkShadow as the assassin adjusted his black cloak.
“I have never been surer of anything,” replied HawkShadow. “Stop asking me that.”
“Sorry,” Goral said sheepishly. “As much as I want StarWind back, I do not want to lose another friend. Perhaps I should go with you?”
“And what would we disguise you as?” asked HawkShadow. “A krul perhaps? Look, Goral, I understand your concern, and I appreciate it, but I am not throwing my life away. I am the best chance of escaping that StarWind has.”
“I know that,” nodded the giant, “but even you must admit that this mission is impossible.”
“Improbable,” corrected the assassin, “but not impossible. I will just have to be careful.”
“You will not even get past the sentries,” frowned Goral. “They almost stopped StarWind, and in a way, I wish they had. She would have been close enough for me to go to her aid then.”
“Stop punishing yourself, Goral,” HawkShadow replied soothingly. “You should have no guilt over this episode. StarWind is the best at what she does, but that does not make her infallible. She knew that as well as you and I do.”
Goral remained silent as he gazed up at the dark night sky. HawkShadow finished his preparations and stared at the dimly lit encampment.
“I will not be walking into the encampment if that eases your mind a bit,” HawkShadow offered softly.
“What do you mean?” asked Goral.
“I am going to sneak past the sentries,” explained HawkShadow. “You could be of help if you promise not to endanger yourself.”
“I will do anything I can to help you,” offered Goral. “What do you want me to do?”
“I could use a diversion when I get close to the sentries,” answered HawkShadow. “Nothing big and alarming. Just something to draw the curiosity of the sentries when I get close to them. I do not want the whole camp alerted.”
“I understand,” nodded Goral. “How will I know when to act?”
“Give me an hour,” replied the assassin. “Make the diversion slightly to the east of the sentries. I only need them to look away for a few moments.”
“I will provide what you need,” assured the giant. “Good luck.”
“Give me your prayers while you wait for me to return,” smiled HawkShadow. “I have found them more effective than wishes for luck.”
Goral smiled broadly as the black-cloaked assassin faded into the darkness.
HawkShadow moved stealthily down the hill and dropped to his stomach when he reached the bottom. The assassin knew the terrain of the Sakova better than any other person, as his main task had been to patrol this land for the past few years. He crawled silently until he found the small gully that he needed to make his approach to the enemy encampment.
With painstakingly slow and deliberate movements, HawkShadow crawled along the gully towards the sentries. While his eyes could see nothing but the gully, HawkShadow’s ears were attuned to the noises of the forest. He listened intently as he crawled.
Well within the hour he had requested, HawkShadow reached the area of the sentries. He listened carefully to the subtle sounds of the sentries and waited for Goral to make his diversion.
HawkShadow smiled when he heard the distant howl, the noise sounding like a wounded wolf. Immediately the closest sentries started moving restlessly. HawkShadow waited patiently. Moments later the howls came again, but this time they were considerably closer.
“What is that?” one of the sentries asked softly.
“Some wounded animal,” shrugged the other sentry. “What are you worried about? Do you think the animal will attack us? It is probably afraid of humans. It will run as soon as it gets our scent.”
Moments later the howl came again, much louder and obviously much closer.
“Its nose must be clogged then,” one of the sentries declared sarcastically. “That thing is heading straight for us.”
“Look!” the other sentry said excitedly. “Look at the size of it! It is almost as large as a krul.”
“That is no wolf,” the first sentry said softly. “It looks almost human. We should sound the alarm.”
“And end up looking like fools,” spat the other sentry. “Do not include me in your plans. Just keep your eyes on it.”
HawkShadow smiled and started crawling past the sentries.
“I can’t see anything but a dim outline,” frowned the first sentry. “It does look human, though.”
The voices of the sentries faded as HawkShadow continued crawling along the gully. When he reached an area where no human sounds reached his ears, the assassin rose and stuck his head up. He looked around quickly and saw that he was in the middle of a group of tents separated by the small gully. Smoke still rose from some of the campfires, but no one appeared to be awake.
HawkShadow climbed out of the gully and brushed the dirt from his cloak. He took a moment to get his bearings and then walked between the tents to the large pathway that Goral had pointed out earlier. When he reached the path, he turned towards the center of the encampment and walked purposefully. Several soldiers moved along the pathway, but they paid no particular attention to the Motangan mage. HawkShadow thanked Kaltara for their lack of curiosity.
The encampment was huge, and HawkShadow walked for over an hour before he found the large tent that was his target. He did not even know if StarWind would be inside the tent, but it was where he had to start his search. On his first pass, the assassin walked past the tent, noting the four guards stationed in front and behind it. A smaller tent alongside the big tent also had two guards posted outside its front entrance. He wondered about the need for guards on the smaller tent, but he appeared uninterested as he walked by it.
HawkShadow made a second pass in front of the two tents, memorizing the faces of the guards that he could see. He knew that was all the passes he could get in a short span of time without arousing suspicion, so he strode off to check out some of the rest of the encampment.
One area of the encampment was awake and alert, their campfires burning brightly as soldiers sat around the flames talking softly. HawkShadow noted its location and continued onward. As he approached the perimeter of the encampment, he saw a makeshift fence of black fabric attached to posts in the ground. The makeshift fence even had a gate in it. His eyes narrowed with curiosity as he approached it.
HawkShadow bit his lip and moved swiftly behind a large tree when the gate opened and two black-cloaked men emerged. What he saw when the gate was opened caused a chill shiver to race up his spine. The area within the fence was loaded with black tents, and the few people he saw moving about inside the fence all were adorned with black cloaks.
HawkShadow stood immobile as the two magicians passed by. They were talking softly, and the assassin could not make out what they were saying. HawkShadow waited several moments after the two mages disappeared before stepping out from behind the tree. Looking at the night sky to determine the time, he decided it was time for another pass by the large tent.
HawkShadow’s eyes constantly scanned his surroundings as he walked through the encampment. He noticed that fewer people were awake and moving around. The camp was asleep. He smiled inwardly as the big tent came into view. When he gazed at the sentries in front of the tent, he noticed they were different soldiers than before. Making a quick decision, HawkShadow turned and walked straight for the door flap. The sentries stiffened at his approach.
“The premer is asleep,” announced one of the sentries. “You will have to come back in the morning.”
HawkShadow halted before the two soldiers and stared at the one who had spoken.
“I have not come to see the premer,” HawkShadow declared. “I have come to interrogate the prisoner.”
“You mages are not supposed to get her until morning,” frowned one of the sentries.
“Morning?” echoed HawkShadow as he made a point of gazing up at the stars. “I was told that she would be available the next day. The next day has already begun.”
The sentries stared questioningly at each other. One of them shrugged indifferently, but the other remained skeptical.
“When a prisoner has information that may speed the destruction of our enemies,” pushed HawkShadow, “we do not wait for the sun to come up. I have been sent to gather her.”
“It matters little to me,” shrugged the skeptical sentry as his eyes glanced at the small tent not far away, “but she is not here. She has been taken to the generals’ dining tent. The premer would never sleep well with a spy in the same tent.”
“Understandable,” nodded HawkShadow. “I hope she has been kept under guard?”
“There is always a man inside with her,” nodded the sentry, “but I understand that she is securely bound in any event. She is not going anywhere.”
HawkShadow nodded his appreciation and spun around. He marched directly to the two sentries standing before the small tent. They not only saw him coming, but they noticed where he was coming from. He smiled inwardly as he marched up to the sentries and halted before them.
“I have come to interrogate the prisoner,” declared HawkShadow. “Do not bother telling me to wait until morning. The premer said she would be made available to us the next day, and technically, that day has begun.”
“Are you taking her away, or just questioning her?” asked one of the sentries.
“What difference does it make to you what my orders are?” scowled HawkShadow. “It is none of your concern.”
“I meant no disrespect,” cowered the sentry. “Our orders are to guard her until morning. If you wish to merely interrogate her, then you may enter, but to take her out of this tent will require an order from our superiors, and I am not anxious to awaken them.”
HawkShadow let his deep frown soften and nodded sympathetically. “I will try interrogating her in this tent,” he promised. “If she needs to be moved, I will give you sufficient notice to alert your superiors.”
“Thank you,” the sentry sighed with relief.
“You will move your positions several paces further away from the door flap, though,” HawkShadow said sternly. “We do not allow people to listen to our interrogations.”
“But there is…” began one of the sentries.
“I know,” HawkShadow interrupted. “I will deal with that problem separately.
The two sentries nodded and moved a few paces away from the door flap. HawkShadow moved the flap to one side and entered the tent. A soldier inside the tent immediately rose from his chair and snapped to attention. HawkShadow ignored the soldier as his eyes scanned the dark interior of the tent.
“She is sleeping in the corner,” pointed the soldier.
HawkShadow moved towards the corner of the tent that the soldier had indicated. He saw a form in the darkness on the ground.
“Shall I light a torch for you?” asked the soldier.
“No,” replied HawkShadow, “but you cannot be allowed to hear the interrogation.”
“I am not permitted to leave the tent for any reason,” objected the soldier as HawkShadow stooped next to the sleeping person.
“Then you will be allowed to remain,” HawkShadow declared. “Get me some bread and water.”
The soldier nodded as HawkShadow reached out and touched the sleeping form. He felt the person move, but he could not be sure that it was StarWind. A black sack covered the person’s head and a blanket covered the body. HawkShadow peeled the blanket back and saw the black cloak of a Motangan magician. His heart skipped a beat as he began to believe that it was actually StarWind.
“There is some meat available as well,” offered the soldier as he held out a flask of water and a loaf of bread. “There is not much of it, but enough for you to ease the hunger. Would you like some?”
“I am not hungry,” HawkShadow said as he rose to a standing position and turned to face the soldier. “The bread and water is for you. I want you to dampen the bread and stuff it in your ears. Keep adding more until you can no longer hear my voice.”
HawkShadow watched closely as the soldier complied with the order. He kept talking softly, saying nothing in particular. Eventually the soldier nodded and indicated that he could not hear. HawkShadow turned and bent towards the sleeping body. He gently removed the black sack from the prisoner’s head. He felt as if a jolt of lightning was racing up his spine as he saw StarWind’s face staring at him with wide-open eyes. He smiled broadly and winked at her.
Dropping the sack on the floor, HawkShadow rose and spun towards the soldier. The assassin’s straight rigid fingers stabbed into the soldier’s throat before the man could understand that he was in trouble. The soldier’s eyes bulged from his head, and his mouth opened wide to scream, but nothing came out except a desperate wheezing. HawkShadow’s hands streaked out and grabbed the wrists of the soldier. The soldier fought to free his hands, but only for a few moments. HawkShadow lowered the dead soldier to the ground and turned back to StarWind.
“Are you crazy?” she whispered. “Do you have a plan to get us out of here?”
“No to both,” grinned HawkShadow. “Roll onto your stomach so I can cut the ropes binding you.”
StarWind immediately complied and HawkShadow’s knife sliced through the ropes holding StarWind’s arms behind her back. She sat up and rubbed her wrists as HawkShadow pulled the blanket completely away.
“Mages are only allowed to enter or leave via the mage section,” whispered StarWind. “That is what got me caught. I came in the wrong entrance.”
“Then we shall leave through the mage section,” smiled HawkShadow. “I already know where it is. Move out of the corner.”
StarWind rose and moved away from her makeshift bed. HawkShadow lifted the dead soldier and placed him where StarWind had been. He pulled the black sack over the man’s head and then covered the rest of his body with the blanket. He turned to find StarWind rummaging through a sack in the other corner. He smiled as he saw her slipping knives under her cloak and into her boots. He waited patiently until StarWind was reequipped and ready to leave.
“If I try to remove the prisoner,” explained HawkShadow, “the sentries outside will not allow it without approval. So this is my plan. I am going to go out first. Wait a short while and then follow me. I will not be in sight when you exit the tent. Just turn to your left and walk calmly until you find me. Okay?”
“If you hear a fight,” nodded StarWind, “get yourself out of here. There is no sense in giving them two prisoners.”
“I am not leaving without you,” declared HawkShadow. “If you start a fight, expect me to rush to your side. My advice is to avoid the fights. Let’s just go home.”
StarWind grinned and nodded. HawkShadow smiled and moved to the door flap. He opened it slightly and stepped outside. The two sentries immediately turned to see who was leaving the tent. HawkShadow marched angrily towards them.
“Why didn’t you tell me that another mage was already interrogating the prisoner?” scowled HawkShadow. “Are you trying to make me look like a fool?”
“I didn’t know anything about it,” one of the sentries said defensively.
“We just came on duty a short while ago,” added the other. “We truly did not know. Will this cause trouble?”
HawkShadow maintained his glare for several seconds before sighing loudly and shaking his head.
“It could cause trouble,” HawkShadow said conspiratorially, “but it doesn’t have to. The other mage has already put the prisoner into a sleep spell, so I was not able to interrogate her. Listen. Avoid the other mage when she leaves. Try not to make eye contact with her or talk to her. If you can accomplish that, perhaps all of this will blow over and be forgotten. One word and her nasty temper will draw everyone’s attention to you. I have to go.”
“We will say nothing to her,” promised one of the sentries as HawkShadow made a left and walked calmly along the path.
Moments later, StarWind nervously moved the door flap aside. Both sentries immediately turned away from the door and stared into the darkness. StarWind did not bother to be curious by their behavior. She immediately turned to the left and walked into the darkness. She walked for several minutes before a dark shape moved from behind a tree and started walking alongside her.
“What was all that about?” StarWind asked.
“I will tell you later,” answered HawkShadow. “For now let’s concentrate on getting out of here. I didn’t want to mention it before, but exiting through the mage section makes me very nervous. They have constructed a fence of black cloth around their campsite. Everything inside that fence is black, even the tents. I fear they may have the ability to recognize their own people.”
“And we will stand out,” nodded StarWind. “There may be something to your feeling. I was captured by a mage, not the soldiers. Perhaps we are better off leaving the way you came in?”
“That is not workable,” HawkShadow shook his head. “I needed a diversion from Goral to get in. We cannot get back out that way.”
“Poor Goral,” frowned StarWind. “He begged me not to come here, but I insisted. I bet he is blaming himself.”
“Of course he is,” shrugged HawkShadow. “Logically he knows that there was nothing he could do to save you, but he still feels responsible.”
“I will make it up to him somehow,” promised StarWind.
“It is too early to make such promises,” warned the assassin. “Think about it after we get out of here.”
“I will not be taken prisoner again,” StarWind said with determination. “If we are discovered, expect me to fight to the death.”
“I will be by your side,” HawkShadow declared. “We will take as many of the Motangans with us as we can.”
HawkShadow grabbed StarWind’s hand and dragged her off the path when the black fence came into view. They stood beside a large tree and stared at the gate.
“I know little of what is on the other side of the fence,” admitted HawkShadow, “but I doubt that we can change our minds once we pass through that gate.”
“What time is it?” asked StarWind
“A couple of hours before dawn,” answered HawkShadow.
“We have little choice then,” shrugged StarWind. “If we are still in this encampment when the dawn arrives, we will be dead.”
“Then let’s do it,” HawkShadow said more confidently than he truly felt.
The two Sakovans stepped back on the path and walked towards the gate. HawkShadow tried to open the gate, but it would not budge. He frowned and tried to pull harder, but it would not open.
“Magically locked?” StarWind suggested softly. “We cannot stand here like fools trying to open it.”
HawkShadow nodded and grabbed StarWind’s hand again. He led her back to the large tree, and they stood in the darkness.
“I am really making a mess of this rescue,” he frowned. “We will have to find another way out.”
“I still can’t believe that you came to get me,” replied StarWind. “You must have known that your odds were slim?”
“The odds were acceptable,” HawkShadow replied vaguely.
Unexpectedly, a black-cloaked mage appeared on the pathway. StarWind grabbed HawkShadow’s hand and led him onto the path behind the mage. As the mage approached the gate, he waved his hand and muttered some unintelligible words. The gate swung open. HawkShadow and StarWind quickened their pace and walked through the gate before it closed. The mage in front of them immediately lowered his hood and bared his head. HawkShadow gazed around the dark campsite. Very few people were moving about, but all of them had their heads bared.
“Everyone has their hood down,” whispered HawkShadow. “I do not like the looks of this.”
“Not to mention that the exit gate will also be magically sealed,” added StarWind. “I did not think of that until we were already through the gate. We may have just made a very big mistake.”
“Will anyone recognize you?” asked HawkShadow.
“Only one mage saw me,” answered StarWind. “We will stand out if we keep our hoods on. I am willing to risk it. Lower your hood.”
The two Sakovans lowered their hoods as they walked through the black campsite. None of the other mages walking around appeared to take notice of the two Sakovans. HawkShadow tried to steer a path away from the magical lights that dotted the campsite, but it was impossible. Most of the lights were along the pathways, and walking between tents would arouse suspicion.
“Do you suppose the black fence is to stop the light from being seen outside the campsite?” asked HawkShadow.
“It is possible,” shrugged StarWind, “but I think there is another reason as well. The mages are considered the elite of Motanga. They look down on the soldiers as beings that are barely human, and the soldiers resent it greatly.”
“I sensed as much on the Island of Darkness,” nodded HawkShadow, “but I did not think it was so widespread.”
“There is the exit gate,” StarWind said with joy evident in her voice.
“And how will we get through it?” asked HawkShadow as he slowed his pace. “There is not even a safe place to hide and wait for someone to open it.”
HawkShadow’s eyes roved around the enclosure and came to rest on the black fabric of the fence.
“I need to check the fence,” HawkShadow whispered. “If it is only cloth, we can cut it and run.”
“It may be magical as well,” warned StarWind. “Be careful.”
HawkShadow nodded and moved to a section of the fence away from the exit gate. He cautiously stretched out his hand and touched the fabric of the fence. A searing jolt raced up his arm and his body was thrown backwards. Immediately the air filled with the sounds of blaring horns. Shouts rang out from every direction as the mages of Motanga scurried to defend their campsite.