Two Imperial Guards came up behind the Star of Sakova as she approached the gates of Fortung. They split apart, each taking hold of one of Lyra’s arms. Lyra did not look at either of the Imperial Guards. Her eyes were focused on the gates ahead, which had just come into view. The trio marched silently as they approached the gate, and they slowed with hesitancy as the soldiers manning the gates came alert.
“Dragging women into the city now?” quipped one of the soldiers manning the gates.
“Not just any woman,” retorted one of the escorting Imperial Guards. “This is the Star of Sakova.”
The gate guards suddenly stood erect and stared at Lyra as if she were some mythical beast. They backed towards the sides of the gate as the trio passed through unmolested. There was no further discussion.
The Imperial Guards escorting Lyra marched her through the city streets and up the steps of the headquarters of the Imperial Guard in Fortung. They threw open both doors and marched into the entry foyer. There were several Imperial Guards passing through the entry foyer from one corridor to another, but they paid no attention to the new arrivals. The Star of Sakova was herded to the long counter that occupied the center of the room.
“What have you got?” the officer in charge asked with obvious boredom.
“This is the Star of Sakova,” announced one of the escorts.
All movement in the room suddenly halted as everyone turned to stare. The officer’s eyes grew large as he gazed at Lyra.
“I will have someone take her from you and put her in a cell,” the officer eventually said.
“She is to go directly to General Smythe,” objected one of the escorts.
“Instructions are to put her in a cell and then notify the general,” the officer shook his head.
“Our orders come directly from the general,” the escort declared emphatically. “We will escort her into General Smythe’s presence.”
“From the general?” echoed the officer. “Very well then,” he added after a moment’s hesitation. “Take her to General Smythe,” he added, waving his hand towards the leftmost corridor.
The escorts nodded and herded Lyra off towards the corridor that contained General Smythe’s office. The trio marched along the corridor until they came to a doorway with two sentries posted outside of it. They stopped in front of the doorway, one of the escort’s hands coming to knock on the door.
“Hold there,” ordered one of the sentries. “The general does not wish to be disturbed. Is this an emergency?”
“I would say it is,” nodded one of the escorts. “We were ordered to deliver the Star of Sakova to General Smythe at once. Perhaps that is why he does not wish to be disturbed.”
“The Star of Sakova?” questioned one of the sentries. “Her? She is barely older than a girl.”
“So you think her age should stop us from carrying out the general’s orders?” quipped one of the escorts.
“No, no,” balked the sentry. “Go on in.”
The other sentry knocked quickly and then opened the door. The two escorts guided Lyra into the office. General Smythe looked up with annoyance as the sentry closed the door.
“What is the meaning of this intrusion?” scowled the general.
“The Star of Sakova, General,” announced one of the escorts.
The general’s face softened as his eyes left the escort and lighted on Lyra. He stared at her for a long moment before breaking the silence.
“You two may leave,” the general stated.
The escorts looked at each other with indecision. Lyra pulled her arms free and took one step forward in a dismissive manner. The escorts shrugged and exited the room.
“So you are the Star of Sakova,” opened the general. “I have heard much about you. How do I know the validity of your claim?”
Lyra slid the Sakovan ring off of her finger and held the finger up so the general could see the blue star imbedded in her skin. The light from the window reflected off the star and cast flickers of blue light on the walls of the office.
“That is the mark of Kaltara,” answered Lyra.
“Very well,” nodded the general. “You appear to be rather young to lead the savages.”
“The Sakovans are hardly savages,” countered Lyra, “and Kaltara did not seem to think that my age was a problem. Nor do the thousands of Sakovans who trust me to lead them properly.”
“Their trust in you is not my problem,” replied General Smythe. “I understand that you are seeking to annex Omungan cities into the Sakova.”
“Shouldn’t the mayor of Fortung be present for this conversation?” asked Lyra. “He does rule the city after all.”
“The mayor will do what I say,” replied the general. “I see no reason to involve him at this stage.”
The general had not offered the Star of Sakova a chair, so Lyra remained standing not far from the door. She was a little concerned with the general’s tone, so she kept half of her concentration on the door behind her. She remembered her mistake in Gatong and was not about to repeat it. If the door opened, Lyra would instantly cast the spell that created the blue cylinder of protection.
“I am seeking to annex the cities of Omunga into the Sakova,” Lyra stated. “The Sakovans did not ask for this war, but we are fully engaged in it now. I would prefer to have Omungans join us without bloodshed. That is what brings me to Fortung. I understand that you have had conversations with General Manitow of Alamar.”
“Indeed I have,” nodded the general. “Manitow informs me that the major cities of the east have sworn allegiance to you. I suspect that is due to the food caravans you sent to feed the people. It is a very clever strategy to force people into submission through the use of food. Starving people can hardly resist.”
“Your Imperial Guards halted our caravans to Fortung,” replied Lyra. “Were that not the case, Sakovan food would still be arriving here.”
“There is truth to your accusation,” frowned the general, “but that was not my doing. Those orders came direct from the Katana.”
“Yet you carried them out,” Lyra responded. “Does it not seem strange to you that the Katana seeks to punish the Sakovans by starving his own people?”
“It did at the time,” admitted General Smythe, “but it does not now. Perhaps he was wise enough to see how you would use the food caravans to enlarge your holdings. If his policy had been adhered to, the eastern cities would still be Omungan.”
“Perhaps,” shrugged Lyra. “It is really hard to tell for sure. When a leader cares so little for his own people that he allows them to starve to death, I cannot think of many reasons why people would still want to follow him.”
“The food shortage was to be addressed after the Sakovans were conquered,” explained General Smythe. “Surely you do not think the Katana is so heartless that he would allow his people to starve?”
“I do believe that he would let them starve,” retorted Lyra. “I know Larst much better than you do. I have had several secret meetings with him. We planned a peace between the Omungan and Sakovans that would endure forever.”
“So you say,” frowned the general, “but then you must not have known him well at all. If you had, there would be no war.”
“Not true,” countered Lyra. “If Larst were still alive, there would be no war.”
“What are you saying?” scowled the general. “Do not play games with me.”
“No games, General,” replied Lyra. “I do not have proof that a magician took over Larst’s body the night before he was chosen to be the next Katana, but I know in my heart that is what happened. I can tell you that the historian that has spent so much time with the former First Minister disappeared that very night. I can also tell you that his identity has been refuted. No such historian ever existed according to the cities that he said he came from.”
“Without proof,” retorted the general, “you have nothing that interests me. I will not entertain such thoughts.”
“Who the Katana really is has no bearing on this discussion,” conceded Lyra. “What is important is the fate of Fortung. I have a ship loaded with food just over the horizon. I would like to bring it into port. Would you allow that?”
“A ship of food?” questioned the general. “I was not aware that the Sakova had a navy.”
“It doesn’t,” the Star of Sakova said without elaboration. “Will you allow it to dock so that your people can be fed?”
“What are the conditions attached to the food?” the general asked warily.
“The food is strictly for the people of Fortung,” declared Lyra. “That is the only stipulation. It cannot be used to feed the Katana’s soldiers.”
“My soldiers are the Katana’s soldiers,” the general pointed out. “Do you expect my men to see a delivery of food and not partake in it?”
“Of course not,” smiled Lyra. “I was hoping that your men would owe allegiance to me before this conversation was finished, but I am willing to consider your men to be citizens of Fortung. Is that fair enough?”
“So we cannot ship any food to Okata or Gatong?” inquired the general. “Is that the statement that you are making?”
“Actually,” smiled Lyra, “the forbidden cities would be Okata, Tanzaba, and Campanil. Gatong is a Sakovan city.”
“Gatong is Sakovan?” questioned the general. “That is hard to believe. What did you promise General Papper to get such an agreement?”
“I promised him nothing,” answered Lyra. “I made my case to General Papper and Mayor Robit, and they chose wisely.”
“Bah,” snipped General Smythe. “Papper cares only for himself. Without you promising him something, he would never join with you. In fact, even if he joined with you, I would not trust him. He would just arrest you the first chance he got when your back was turned.”
“I think you misjudge him,” Lyra replied. “He has had every chance to renege on his agreement, and he hasn’t. Do you attribute to him what you yourself would do?”
“I am not someone who is wrapped up in myself,” declared the general. “My actions are for the good of the people of Fortung. They always have been, and they always will be. That is why I do not need the mayor here. He will agree with my judgment.”
“And what have you decided?” asked Lyra. “Will you join with the Sakovans in peace?”
“Frankly,” the general said, “I see no point in joining with the Sakovans. Oh, Manitow made it all sound so rosy, but I know differently. As we speak, General Romero is leading his army to crush Alamar. The citizens of Alamar are going to pay dearly for Manitow’s foolish decision.”
“The people of Alamar are growing fat while yours starve, General,” countered Lyra. “As for General Romero and his army, they will retreat before Alamar falls.”
“Ten thousand men against one thousand?” balked the general. “You are too young to understand what you are saying. Manitow doesn’t stand a chance.”
“That is where you are wrong,” smiled Lyra. “General Romero has already lost all of his siege engines. The fields around Alamar are barren, while the city is supplied by ship. And we are not talking about one thousand defenders. You see, General Manitow did not decide to become Sakovan. The citizens of Alamar made that decision, and they are willing to help defend the city against General Romero. The Katana’s army will retreat in defeat, and they will die of starvation during that retreat unless they surrender to General Manitow.”
General Smythe stared at Lyra in disbelief. He mulled over her words in silence for some time before he spoke.
“I do not know whether to believe you or not,” he finally said, “but the strategy is sound. If Romero had no food and no siege engines, he would be in for a rough siege, but do not underestimate him. He can build new siege engines.”
“Quite right,” agreed Lyra, “and they will be destroyed as the last ones were. There are forces at work in Omunga that you are not aware of, and I will not divulge them to an enemy, but I assure you that General Romero will never bring a siege engine to bear on the walls of Alamar.”
“You have confidence,” the general noted. “I grant you that. Perhaps you are too confident. I believe that you would have marched into this office on your own if you had not been captured.”
“Captured?” grinned Lyra. “I would hardly call my coming here a capture.”
“What would you call it?” the general asked with genuine confusion. “I saw you escorted into this room myself. Are you telling me that those Imperial Guards merely responded to your request to see me?”
“That is precisely what I am saying,” smiled Lyra. “Those Imperial Guards were from Gatong, General. They were escorting me under orders from General Papper. You had issued orders to have me imprisoned. That was not an acceptable entrance for me. I have seen the inside of a cell before, and I will not see one again.”
“A very bold statement,” replied the general. “I should have realized that their faces were unfamiliar to me. I may not recognize every man under my command, but I know most of them. I am surprised that General Papper did not order them to arrest you. Perhaps you left Gatong too quickly for orders to be issued?”
“Hardly,” replied Lyra. “General Papper escorted me almost to your city gates. He was adamant about sending men into the city beforehand to determine what kind of reception I was likely to receive here.”
“I may have misjudged Papper,” conceded General Smythe, “but that is not the issue here. Regardless of what happens in Alamar or Gatong, I will not subject the people of Fortung to the wrath of the Katana. I am much better off defending against any Sakovan attack. Frankly, I don’t expect that there will ever be one. Surely you know that General Valdey must be deep inside the Sakova by now. This war may be over sooner than you think.”
“The war is already over for General Valdey,” reported the Star of Sakova. “While his army is still roaming around the Sakova searching for StarCity, the general is dead.”
“Valdey is dead?” questioned General Smythe. “Am I to take your word for this?”
“Again,” insisted Lyra, “this discussion is not germane to the future of Fortung. You can believe it or not, as suits you, but I believe what my people tell me. General, you state that you can see no reason to join with the Sakova. Do you not care for the plight of your people? How do you plan to feed them? Surely you do not expect the Katana to send any food this way?”
The general frowned and stared silently at the Star of Sakova. Lyra could almost hear the thoughts passing through his mind, so it was no surprise when he finally answered.
“I will accept your offer of food for the city,” declared the general. “A ship load will ease their starvation for a time. That is still not reason enough to abandon our country.”
“The food will only last for a few days, General,” frowned Lyra as she sought a way to move the stubborn general. “What will you do when it runs out? I have the means to restore your fields to health, and I can supply food by ship until the fields are ready to harvest. What possible reason can you have to refuse me?”
“A number of reasons,” responded the general. “In fact, I can think of ten thousand of them.”
“Are you referring to General Kapla’s army that is advancing towards us?” asked Lyra.
The general’s brow creased in confusion. He wondered if Lyra did have information about Omungan troop movements, but was confused about the generals’ names, or she was just bluffing.
“General Kapla is the Minister of Defense,” the general stated as he tried to discover the extent of Lyra’s knowledge. “As such, there is little reason for him to leave Okata.”
“Generally that is true,” smiled Lyra. “I think you are probably expecting General Didyk’s army, but you will be surprised. General Kapla’s army is coming instead.”
“How can you possibly know this?” questioned the general.
“Surely you know the answer to that question,” replied Lyra. “We have the ability to talk over great distances. Did we not arrange for General Manitow to speak to you from Alamar? Did you think that we would not have spies in every Omungan city? We know where every Omungan army is and what their orders are. You will see when General Kapla arrives.”
“General Kapla or General Didyk,” shrugged General Smythe. “It makes little difference in the end. The point is ten thousand Imperial Guards will be here in a few days. They will march through Fortung and crush the rebellion in Gatong. Your days are numbered. In any event, I see no reason to continue this conversation.”
“I disagree,” declared Lyra. “You have not yet agreed to give me your allegiance.”
“After what I just told you,” balked the general, “you expect me to accept your request to defect?”
“It is not a request, General Smythe. I am demanding your surrender.”
“Do not push me, woman,” scowled the general. “I have been kind to you. I have allowed you to stand here and talk to me. I could have had you imprisoned at any time, but I gave you the courtesy of presenting your position. The sad fact is, you don’t have a saleable position. I will do what is best for my people, and right now that means staying with the Katana.”
“That is not acceptable,” countered Lyra. “There are still factors that you have not weighed. I wish to continue this discussion.”
The general rose, his arms shaking with anger. He glared at Lyra before speaking.
“You are a young woman in a man’s world,” scowled the general. “You do not understand that you are out of your depth. I could kill you right now, and the Sakovans would be leaderless. I have not made a move against you, but you are provoking me now.”
“Nor have I made a move against you, General,” smiled Lyra. “Do you think that I am foolish enough to walk into your office without knowing that I could defend myself? Let us continue talking.”
“Defend yourself?” echoed the general with disbelief. “You are out of touch with the real world. You are standing in the headquarters of the Imperial Guard in the center of the city. Just how do you plan to defend yourself? What weapon do you think you could use to harm me? You are powerless.”
Lyra’s arm rose and pointed at the outside wall next to the general’s desk. A burst of power flashed from her hand and slammed into the wall. Stones flew into the city streets as the wall of the office blew outward. A cloud of dust clogged the air, and people outside the building shouted. Lyra heard the door opening behind her and immediately erected her blue cylinder. The sentries came rushing into the room.
“Stop!” shouted Lyra. “I do not want to harm you.”
The two soldiers slid to a halt and looked to the general for instructions. The general stared with wide eyes at the huge hole in his wall. He turned to look at Lyra and the blue cylinder surrounding her.
“What is that around you?” he asked nervously.
“It is a protective shield,” replied Lyra. “It will destroy anything that tries to pass through it. Please instruct your men to retreat. I do not want them losing an arm through foolishness.”
“Anything?” the general asked.
“Anything,” nodded Lyra. “If you doubt me, as you always seem to do, ask one of your men to gently move his sword into the cylinder, but warn him to stop before his hand reaches it.”
“Do it,” the general ordered the sentries. “I want to see what happens.”
One of the sentries pulled his sword. He hesitantly pushed it towards the blue cylinder and gaped when he saw the tip of the sword disappear. He pulled the sword back and held it up for all to see.
“Amazing,” commented the general. “Wait outside and close the door.”
The sentries retreated as people in the street stopped to gawk at the hole in the side of the building. The general ignored them.
“You are an amazing individual,” the general remarked as he sat down in his chair. “Where did you learn to control such power?”
“Kaltara gave me certain gifts,” Lyra replied, “but that is not what we are discussing.”
“Very well,” nodded the general. “You said there were things that I had not taken into consideration. Were you talking about your powers?”
“No,” replied the Star of Sakova. “We were talking about what is best for the people of Fortung, but you are not even aware of what you are up against. I have withheld some things from you in hopes that I would not have to reveal them, but I will now.”
“Good,” replied the general. “I would like this matter behind us. As you have not tried to kill me, can I assume that you will not try to when you leave?”
“I will not shed unnecessary blood,” declared Lyra. “If I am allowed to leave Fortung unmolested, I will leave peacefully. If you break that bargain, I will destroy this city, and you won’t be able to do anything about it.”
“I think I will believe you this time,” the general replied with the hint of a smile. “Tell me why my people are safer under your protection than the Katana’s.”
“The army coming to your city under General Kapla will not attack Sakovans,” declared Lyra. “In fact, they will stop any Omungan soldiers from reaching Fortung. The Katana is incapable of exacting his wrath on you.”
“Incredible, if true,” remarked the general. “How can I possibly know the truth of that statement?”
“General Kapla will reveal it himself when he arrives,” stated the Star of Sakova. “His first act upon arrival will be to come to your office to determine if you have defected.”
“And if I have?” questioned the general.
“Then General Kapla will as well,” replied Lyra. “His concern is that I would hang the generals after they defected. He was told to enter this city under a flag of truce to see if you were still in power.”
“But I know that you would not hang them,” replied General Smythe. “I have spoken to Manitow so I know that you are not in a hurry to rid yourself of generals. What will he do if I am still allied with the Katana?”
“Then he will camp outside your city and isolate it,” answered Lyra. “I am not going to attempt to explain his reasoning, but I have told you what will happen.”
“Fair enough,” nodded the general, “but you have also told me that General Kapla will not attempt to sack my city no matter what path I take. That hardly speaks in your favor.”
“But it does,” smiled Lyra. “If the Katana cannot take revenge upon Fortung for defecting, then your choice should be easy. Defect and feed your people.”
“That makes sense only if I think that the Sakovans will eventually win this war,” responded the general. “While Kapla may stop the Katana from exacting his revenge right now, that army will eventually go away. What makes you so sure of victory? Give me one clue as to how you positively know that you are going to win this war, and I will defect.”
“Very well,” smiled Lyra. “You asked before if the Sakovans had a navy. I said we did not, but that is not what you should have asked.”
“What should I have asked?” questioned the general.
“You should have asked whose navy is bringing the food to your city and all of the others,” grinned Lyra.
“I will bite,” sighed the general. “Whose ships are delivering the food?”
“The ships are Khadoran,” answered the Star of Sakova. “In fact, they are owned by my good friend and ally, Emperor Marak of Khadora.”
“Friend and ally?” echoed the general. “Are you saying that the Khadorans would send troops on your behalf?”
“Emperor Marak has already offered numerous times,” nodded Lyra. “So far I have not seen the need for Khadorans in this war, but as you already know, I can communicate my desires instantly. Surely you must realize that the Katana cannot possibly win against the combined forces of the Sakova and the Khadorans.”
“That is something that I can agree with,” exhaled the general. “Is this something that you can prove?”
“I can do so in two ways,” nodded Lyra. “I can allow you to speak directly with Emperor Marak, or you can ask the captain of the Khadoran ship when it docks. Which would you prefer?”
“Either would suffice,” replied General Smythe. “If I can verify that the Khadorans are your allies, even if they never enter this war, Fortung will be your city. With such allies, the Katana will not dare to attack us.”
“Then let us go to the docks, and I will summon the ship,” suggested Lyra. “There is no reason to keep the people waiting for the food that will fill their bellies.”