Lyra woke with a throbbing headache. She raised herself up on one elbow and looked around the room. She was in a small dank cell. She could see the flickering of a torch through a small barred window in the door and a slight beam of sunlight through a small window near the ceiling. She got to her feet and walked towards the window, but it was too high for her to see out. All she could glimpse was a cloud-covered sky.
Lyra thought back on how she had come to be in the cell. She mentally kicked herself for being so foolish. She had let herself get lured into complacency by the easy victories that she had scored at Duran and Zaramilden. Now she was stuck in an Omungan prison with few options available to her. Her first thought was to weave an air tunnel to StarCity, but she quickly dismissed it. If the Sakovans found out that she had been captured, they would storm the city of Gatong. Thousands of people would die in the battle, and the Sakova would be left unprotected. It would be the end of her people.
She thought briefly about using her magic to smash the walls of the prison. She had never attempted such a thing before, but she felt confident that she could do it. There were two problems with that approach. First, she might end up bringing the stone walls down on herself. Second, and worse, if she did managed to escape the cell, she would most assuredly alert the Imperial Guards doing so. All she would accomplish would be to get herself into the middle of an enemy city and be forced to defend herself.
She shuddered at the thought of taking on a thousand Imperial Guards. Her power was strong, but everything had limits. Even if she survived, she would end up doing exactly what she had been trying to avoid. How would the people of Gatong ever unite with the Sakovans after she had killed a thousand of them? That was not the solution. In desperation, Lyra fell to her knees and prayed to Kaltara.
Lyra was not sure how long she had been in prayer, but a commotion outside the cell door attracted her attention. She heard people talking as they were shoved into cells. Her ears perked up as she heard a female voice. She recognized it as belonging to the mage from Emperor Marak’s ship. When the commotion had died down, Lyra wove an air tunnel into the corridor and listened for voices. She adjusted the air tunnel and zoomed in on the voice of the mage.
“This is Lyra,” the Star of Sakova whispered. “I am in one of the cells not far from you. What happened?”
“They seized our ship when we docked,” came the reply. “They arrested all of us and are now unloading the food. I have already reported it to Emperor Marak.”
“He is not going to send armies down, is he?” inquired Lyra.
“I do not know what his course of action will be,” replied the mage. “He is very angry. I could tell that from the tone of his voice. He promised that we would not linger long here.”
“Where is he?” asked Lyra.
“He is at the Imperial Palace in Khadoratung,” answered the mage. “Do you want me to contact him again?”
“I would like to speak to him privately,” answered Lyra.
“Not a problem,” came the reply. “I will contact him from this cell so he knows the location. He can vary it enough to find you. Sing a song or talk quietly to yourself. He will pick up on it.”
“Thank you,” Lyra responded as she broke the air tunnel.
Lyra stood reciting poems for several long minutes as she waited. The voice when it came startled her.
“A lovely poem that is,” said Emperor Marak. “Why are you in prison?”
“Because I was headstrong and foolish,” Lyra replied with embarrassment. “I took my bloodless victories in the east too lightly. General Papper recognized me and had me arrested before I could even speak.”
“And why is my ship in port?” inquired Emperor Marak. “I thought the plan was to obtain their surrender before delivering the food?”
“I could not do it,” confessed Lyra. “The people here are starving. I cannot use food as a weapon. I just can’t.”
“You must,” asserted Emperor Marak. “While it is hideous to think of denying food to starving people, you do not help them by giving it for free. If the people of Gatong do not become Sakovan, they will all die. The same is true for every other city in Omunga. Your actions will only feed those people for a few days. What will happen when the food runs out again?”
“You can send more,” suggested the Star of Sakova. “Why must I subjugate these people to feed them? They are not my enemy.”
“They are your enemy until Omunga is defeated,” retorted Emperor Marak. “Lyra, I admire your compassion, but it is misplaced. You must begin to look at their long-term welfare, not just their immediate suffering. They can solve their hunger with a simple declaration of allegiance to you. Is that too much to ask of them?”
“No,” Lyra sighed. “Yes. I mean I just don’t know. It is easy for you to say such things in Khadoratung, but I am here gazing upon their emaciated bodies. When I see the condition of the people, I just cry. People are not meant to starve to death.”
“No, they aren’t,” Emperor Marak agreed soothingly. “I understand the strain that is being put upon you, but you must learn to trust me. The Omungans that come under your rule will be treated far better than they have ever been treated before. In a sense, you are right. They are not your enemies, but the government that rules them is. All you are asking them to do is to disavow that government. What is so difficult about that?”
“You know that Larst will not ignore such a rebellion,” replied Lyra. “With Zaramilden and Duran it was easy. The Katana’s armies can hardly march to those cities. Alamar was a little trickier, but I had no choice in that matter. The citizens chose it for themselves. I think Alamar will be all right, though. I have made arrangements for the Omungan siege engines to be destroyed before they get to Alamar. The west coast here is entirely different. There is a fine road leading from here directly to Okata. The Katana can have his armies outside this city’s walls within a week of learning of the defection. Maybe sooner if the armies are closer than Okata.”
“You must meet those armies sometime before you crush Okata,” replied Emperor Marak. “If you can control the timing of the news to Okata, it will aid greatly when it comes time for battle. You have a choice to make, Lyra. The Katana will either learn that Gatong has fallen to the Sakovans, or he will learn that the Star of Sakova has been executed, and the Sakovan people are committing suicide for their failure to protect her. Which message do you want to send?”
“Neither,” Lyra answered as she shut her eyes.
“That is not an option,” retorted Lord Marak. “You must demand the surrender of Gatong and every other Omungan city before they get food. You must trust me that the people will love you for it. Their fond memories of your free food deliveries will die with those people when the evil arrives if you do not demand their surrender. I do not know how else to put this. You really have no options. You must conquer those people. You may not like to do it, but it is what Kaltara requires. If you do not believe me, ask Kaltara.”
“I did,” Lyra replied softly. “I just finished praying about it.”
“And?” prompted Emperor Marak. “What was the answer?”
“He instructed me to contact you,” admitted Lyra. “I am just not up for this task. Why was I chosen to lead the Sakovans?”
“Because Kaltara chose you,” Emperor Marak replied with the hint of a smile in his voice. “You are a wonderfully compassionate person, Lyra. It is a quality that will be required to heal the rift between the Sakovans and the Omungans, but that compassion will be required later. Right now you are being called upon to be victorious. You cannot do that from inside a cell. I would be glad to send my armies down there to do this for you, but that is not what Kaltara wants. He wants you to do it. You have the privilege of hearing his voice and speaking to him. Why do you not listen to what he has to say?”
“I don’t know,” sighed Lyra. “It is not my nature to hurt people. Kaltara has chosen the wrong person.”
“Kaltara is infallible,” replied Emperor Marak. “He did not choose the wrong person. You are resisting his orders because you do not see clearly what the future holds. I have received some intelligence that you might find disturbing.”
“What is it?” inquired Lyra.
“Vand is amassing an army of over a million,” reported Emperor Marak.
“A million?” gasped the Star of Sakova. “That is impossible.”
“Not impossible at all,” responded Emperor Marak. “Vand lost more than that when he defied Kaltara at Vandegar Temple. When that army hits our shores, starvation will be the last thing on the minds of your Omungans. Listen to Kaltara, Lyra. He is trying to guide you wisely. You may not like what he has to say, but believe that it is the truth. He would no more cause unnecessary suffering than you would. Convert those cities to Sakovans and do it quickly.”
“I will,” Lyra promised with a new sense of urgency.
Lyra heard another commotion in the corridor beyond the cell door. Keys jangled in the lock to her door, and Lyra swiftly cast a spell. A blue cylinder shimmered in the dim light as it formed around the Star of Sakova. The door to the cell burst open and the Imperial Guards stood staring at the Sakovan mage. General Papper pushed his way past the soldiers and entered the cell. He stood staring at Lyra and the shimmering blue cylinder around her.
“What is going on in here?” he demanded. “What is that?”
“Who is there?” Emperor Marak asked anxiously.
“It is General Papper,” Lyra replied. “He has come to pay me a personal visit.”
“Are you protected?” asked Emperor Marak.
“I am in good hands,” smiled Lyra. “Kaltara surrounds me now.”
“Drop that blue thing, whatever it is,” demanded the general. “Who are you talking to?”
“You will make no demands of me,” retorted the Star of Sakova. “As to who I am talking to, it is Emperor Marak of Khadora. Would you care to chat with him, or are you prepared to surrender the city?”
“Do not try my patience woman,” snarled the general. “I will not for a minute believe that you are talking to the Emperor of Khadora.”
“You had best believe her,” Emperor Marak said loudly. “I believe that you are wise enough to surrender your city to the Star of Sakova and immediately release my crew. If you do not, I will immediately launch an invasion of Gatong. Unlike Lyra, your starving masses will mean nothing to me. I will crush your city like a ripe grape under the heel of my boot. Do I make myself clear?”
“I think he got the message,” smiled Lyra. “Cut the air tunnel now, Emperor Marak. I do not want to be distracted while I am discussing the future of Gatong with General Papper.”
“Contact me later,” requested Emperor Marak. “I want to know the status of things down there.”
“I will,” promised Lyra as the air tunnel broke.
“That was all some type of magical trick,” scowled the general. “I will not be swayed by such foolish things. Guards, seize her. Destroy that blue thing.”
“Wrong response,” Lyra said as the blue cylinder winked out, and her hand rose swiftly.
General Papper and the two Imperial Guards suddenly flew backwards. Their bodies slammed into the far wall of the corridor and collapsed on the floor. Lyra walked into the corridor and away from the bodies. The general groaned as Lyra’s hand came up again. She pointed a finger at the lock of the next cell. A stream of bright light flared from the tip of her finger, and a hole was blasted through the door, obliterating the locking mechanism. She kicked the door inward and saw two members of the crew from the Khadoran ship.
“Lock up the general and his soldiers,” instructed Lyra as she moved to the next cell.
Again Lyra’s hand came up, and again the lock was blown clear from the door. She repeated the spell on each door until the entire crew of the Khadoran ship was free. Lyra watched as the general and the two Imperial Guards were thrown into the cell. The door was slammed and locked. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs and motioned for the crew to get behind her. She was ready to strike when the mayor rounded the corner. He was huffing loudly and came to an immediate halt.
“What is going on?” he asked as his eyes swelled to enormous proportions as he gazed past Lyra.
“I have decided that I no longer wish to talk to General Papper,” smiled Lyra. “He was not listening properly. Perhaps I will have better luck with you. If you can guarantee the safety of my friends here, we can talk in the comfort of your office. If not, we will discuss matters right here.”
“Where is General Papper?” asked the mayor. “You did not kill him, did you?”
“Not yet,” replied Lyra. “He is locked in my old cell with two Imperial Guards. He may be a bit sore, but he is unharmed.”
“Come to my office,” said the mayor. “I will guarantee your safety. As for your friends, arresting them was a mistake. I did not realize what I was doing and I sincerely apologize.” The mayor looked past Lyra to the captain of the Khadoran ship. “I truly mean that, Captain. I thought it was a Sakovan ship. Even then I was probably out of line, but I would never serve such an insult to Khadora. You and your crew are free to go. Go shopping in the marketplace. I will pay for whatever you wish to buy and take home.”
“We will accompany the Star of Sakova,” declared the captain.
“As you wish,” agreed Mayor Robit as his baldhead started sweating. “Let me lead the way so that I can make sure that the Imperial Guards do not react improperly.”
“That would be wise,” replied Lyra. “I am loath to take human life when it can be avoided, but I have not been treated well so far in your city.”
The mayor nodded nervously and led the way to the stairway. They proceeded up a flight of stairs, and the mayor stepped out into a corridor. Several Imperial Guards were marching by, and the mayor waited until they had passed before continuing. He led the group along the corridor to his office. Two Imperial Guards were stationed outside his door. They looked strangely at the group of foreigners following the mayor.
“Is everything in order?” one of the Imperial Guards asked the mayor.
“Everything is fine,” responded the mayor. “I am seeking to get to the bottom of this food delivery. I do not want to be disturbed by anyone. Do you understand?”
The mayor stood to one side as the foreigners entered the office. The Imperial Guards watched with suspicion.
“Should one of us be present in the office?” asked one of the soldiers.
“That will not be necessary,” assured the mayor. “Maintain your post outside.”
The soldier nodded but it was clear that he did not like the looks of what was going on. The mayor closed the door as he entered the office and then walked around the desk to his chair and sat down.
“I apologize for the lack of chairs,” opened the mayor. “I must admit that I am rather confused about what is going on today. As I have indicated, the crew of the Khadoran ship is free to leave at any time. I made a terrible mistake in judgment and do apologize for it. I hope that Emperor Marak can understand my mistake.”
“I will notify him of our freedom when our ship is safely at sea,” declared the Khadoran mage.
“Notify him of your freedom?” the mayor asked nervously. “You mean when you return to Khadora, don’t you?”
“She means exactly what she said,” interjected Lyra. “Emperor Marak is already aware of the seizure of his ship.”
“That is not possible,” swallowed the mayor. “The seizure just happened. How could he possibly know.”
Lyra smiled and nodded to the Khadoran mage. The mage walked to the window and opened it. She wove an air tunnel to Khadoratung. Emperor Marak was waiting for it.
“What is the situation down there?” asked Emperor Marak.
“The crew of the ship and the Star of Sakova are in the office of Mayor Robit,” reported the mage. “The mayor has declared the crew of the ship to be free to leave. I told him that I would inform you when our ship was safely at sea.”
“That is wise,” replied Emperor Marak. “Anyone who would seize another country’s ship is not to be trusted too far. Is Lyra safe?”
“I am,” Lyra said loud enough to reach the air tunnel. “We will not trouble you any further, Marak. I merely wanted to convince the mayor that we are capable of contacting you whenever we want to.”
The Khadorans glanced at Lyra when she addressed the Emperor with familiarity, but she merely smiled in return.
“Very well, Lyra,” replied Emperor Marak. “Contact me when the situation in Gatong is stable. I have already given an order to ready an army to send down there, but I do not want to disrupt their training any longer than necessary.”
Lyra nodded and the Khadoran mage broke the air tunnel. She closed the window and returned to stand with the crew.
“That was not a trick, was it?” the mayor asked nervously. “Was that really Emperor Marak of Khadora?”
“It was him,” declared Lyra, “but that is not important for the needs of our discussion.”
“Not important?” gulped the mayor. “How can you say it is not important? He has already been notified that I seized his ship. Can’t you at least tell him it was a mistake?”
“I could,” smiled Lyra, “but I promise you that it is totally unnecessary. He is either going to send his armies, or he is not. The deciding factor will be what I tell him about the outcome of this meeting.”
“I don’t understand,” responded the mayor. “Why is it that you have such a close relationship with the Emperor of Khadora? Why would he send armies on your behalf?”
“Because we are allies,” declared the Star of Sakova. “Emperor Marak has unified the Khadorans and the Chula. I intend to unify the Omungans and the Sakovans. It really is not hard to understand.”
“Does that mean that if we agree to be at peace with the Sakovans in exchange for food, that we will also be at peace with the Khadorans?” asked Mayor Robit.
“That was this morning’s offer,” Lyra shook her head. “That was what I was going to ask for before you imprisoned me and seized Emperor Marak’s ship. Things have changed now.”
“What is your new offer?” asked the mayor.
“Your surrender,” Lyra stated. “Gatong is to become a Sakovan city. In return for your allegiance, food will be shipped in on a regular basis. Mages will arrive to rejuvenate your diseased fields. In short, the people of Gatong will be treated as the rest of the Sakovans are. You will be loved and cared for. You will be well fed and well trained. What is your response?”
The mayor’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. He stared at Lyra as if she had three heads. Finally, he closed his eyes and shook his head. When he reopened his eyes he sighed deeply.
“You can’t be serious?” posed the mayor. “If Gatong defects, the Katana’s armies will march here with a vengeance. It would be a slaughter. General Papper’s troops cannot be expected to stand against the major armies of Okata.”
“You are in a rough position, Mayor Robit,” Lyra replied. “General Papper’s troops cannot stand up to the Katana’s army. They also cannot stand up to the Sakovan armies, and certainly not to the Khadoran armies. No matter what decision you make, you are going to offend a nation whose armies will have little difficulty in destroying your city. All things being equal, which choice guarantees you enough food to be able to survive until the armies arrive?”
“Eating a last meal is hardly something that matters much when everyone is going to die,” frowned the mayor. “Why can’t you just leave us alone? I will make sure that General Papper’s troops do not attack Sakovans, and you can forget about us.”
“That is not acceptable,” Lyra shook her head. “My next stop is Fortung. I will not leave Gatong behind me as an enemy city. Your choices are limited. Either you surrender peaceably, or I will defeat you. I prefer that I not be forced to kill the people of Gatong. I will also point out that I will be working my way towards Okata. Any armies from the capital will have to go through me first. Therefore, your risk is small. If I die, you merely have to swear your allegiance to the Katana. If he dies, you need do nothing but eat the food I provide. What could be simpler?”
“You present a good case,” the mayor swallowed hard. “There is still one small matter that must be attended to.”
“What is that?” asked Lyra.
“General Papper,” replied the mayor. “We will need his confirmation for this to work. While the Imperial Guards may take some orders from me, it is ultimately the general that they will obey.”
Lyra nodded and frowned. She turned to the Khadorans.
“It is time for you to leave the city,” she said to the captain.
“I think we should stay until this is resolved,” objected the captain.
“Your portion of this is resolved,” Lyra said adamantly. “I want you out to sea before General Papper is released from his cell.”
“You will end up back in a cell,” warned the captain.
“I will not,” assured Lyra. “If the general so much as tries to harm me, I will destroy this city by myself. You do not want to be here.”
“You must be kidding,” replied the captain, as his eyes grew wide with disbelief.
“She is not joking,” interjected the Khadoran mage. “The damage to the doors in the prison was such a small effort on her part that she did not even need to concentrate. Believe her and give her the keys to the cell.”
The captain nodded and handed the keys to Lyra.
“Thank you,” smiled Lyra as the crew turned to leave. “Have a safe voyage home. Send in one of the Imperial Guards when you leave.”
The crew left and an Imperial Guard cautiously entered the room. Lyra tossed the keys to him.
“General Papper is locked in a cell downstairs,” stated Lyra. “Please free him and bring him to the mayor’s office.”
The Imperial Guard looked to the mayor for confirmation. The mayor nodded and the soldier left the room.
“I hope you know what you are doing,” the mayor said with concern. “General Papper will be furious when he arrives here. I would not be surprised if he immediately attacks you.”
“I would not be surprised either,” Lyra said as a blue cylinder suddenly surrounded her. “I do expect you to calm him down before too many Imperial Guards get hurt.”
“Before they get hurt?” questioned the mayor as he stared at the blue cylinder. “Were you serious about destroying this city by yourself? Can you really do that?”
“I have never tried destroying a city before,” confessed the Star of Sakova, “but I have never met a task I could not accomplish. I certainly do not wish to experiment on Gatong.”
“Nor do I want you to,” agreed the mayor. “You have not lied to me yet. I suspect that your words are true. What does the blue cylinder do?”
“It protects me from harm,” answered Lyra. “Any attempts to harm me will be disastrous to those who try.”