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.
Xavo hesitated too long with his answer, and Lady Mystic got up to leave. Xavo reached and gently grabbed her arm.
“Please, don’t leave,” he pleaded. “I truly do love you, but I am willing to accept the fact that you will not love me back. I understand. I still want to be near you when I can.”
“When you can?” asked Lady Mystic. “What do you mean by that?”
“I don’t want to be seen with you,” answered Xavo, “but I want to be with you.”
“Ah,” Lady Mystic nodded as she sat back down. “At least that is truthful on your part. We are making progress. I do not blame you for not wanting to be seen with me. That would draw Vand’s attention to you in ways that could be deadly.”
“I am glad that you understand,” Xavo smiled tautly.
“I understand a great deal more than you think I do,” retorted Lady Mystic. ”I understand that no one on this whole island would understand the concept of forgiveness in the manner that Aakuta understood it.”
“As much as I taunted him,” nodded Xavo, “he was very intelligent.”
“He was,” agreed Lady Mystic. “He also loved me dearly even though I twice betrayed him. He would be a fool to trust me a third time. That is something else that I have come to understand.”
“I am sure that he would forgive you again,” countered Xavo.
“He would want to,” replied Lady Mystic, “but he would be afraid to. Aakuta cared about some things even more than his own life. Not only did I betray him, but I also harmed those things he cares about dearly. As much as he wanted to be with me, he would never again endanger those things. I have also come to understand that.”
“You do understand a great deal about the man,” smiled Xavo.
“Yes,” smiled Lady Mystic, “but there is one thing I do not understand about him.”
“Oh?” asked Xavo. “And what is that?”
“I do not understand,” stated Lady Mystic, “how he survived that day in the jungle.”
Xavo’s eyes clouded over with concern as he stared at Lady Mystic.
“What do you mean?” he asked. “He didn’t survive. He died. You don’t have to take my word for it. There were other witnesses.”
“Yes, I know,” nodded Lady Mystic. “I spoke to Santiock that day. He said that he saw Aakuta die to a fireball. He said that he pulled your body out of the fire while you were trying to sever Aakuta’s head.”
“That is correct,” nodded Xavo. “What is there to understand?”
“How he managed to take your body?” smiled Lady Mystic. “Your fireball should have killed him instantly. Why didn’t it?”
Xavo frowned and said nothing. His fingers drew figures in the sand as his mind raced to find an answer that Lady Mystic would swallow.
“Thinking of your daughter?” asked Lady Mystic.
Xavo gazed at Lady Mystic and saw her staring at the sand. He looked down and saw that he had subconsciously drawn a star in the sand. He quickly brushed the sand away, destroying what his fingers had drawn.
“You might as well tell me,” sighed Lady Mystic. “It is obvious that I already know. What more harm can come of speaking the truth?”
Xavo sat silently for a moment and then slowly nodded.
“Master Malafar had been nearly killed twice by fireballs,” Xavo explained, “once in the back and once in the chest. Had you ever seen him without his clothes on, you would have seen the masses of scar tissue that covered his body. Indeed, Xavo’s fireball was powerful enough to kill, and it did indeed fatally wound Aakuta, but the scar tissue softened the blow just enough to allow Aakuta a few moments of life before he succumbed. Because Xavo was convinced that he had killed me, he was careless in verifying his kill. The fact that the fire was spreading rapidly also added to his haste. When he bent down to slice my throat, I struck. My hands grabbed him by the shoulders as I cast the spell that would allow me to invade his body. He never realized what happened to him.”
“Excellent,” grinned Lady Mystic, “but the first few moments after using that spell the caster becomes dizzy and disoriented.”
“So I found out the hard way,” nodded Xavo. “Fortunately, Santiock was nearby. He saw Aakuta felled by the fireball, and he saw Xavo go down with his knife. When Xavo did not immediately exit the fire, he raced over and pulled me clear of the flames. He truly did save my life that day.”
“So Santiock was not lying,” mused Lady Mystic. “I thought he made it up to get a promotion.”
“He told the truth,” replied Xavo. “I think Vand would have detected the lie. He was more skeptical of Santiock’s story than mine, but once he believed Santiock, he could not possibly question the validity of my story.”
“I would love to see Vand’s face when he learned what a fool he has been,” grinned Lady Mystic.
“Lady Mystic,” Xavo said pleadingly.
“Forget it,” Lady Mystic waved dismissively. “Believe it or not, I have truly learned my lesson. Vand will learn nothing from me ever again.”
“I hope you understand my actions,” Xavo sighed. “I truly do love you, but there are things that are more important than myself. Were it just about me, I would have exposed myself to you, but I will not endanger others for my own gratification. I just couldn’t tell you the truth. I am sorry.”
“You also couldn’t hide the truth,” smiled Lady Mystic. “It is your love for me that gave you away. It is so out of character for Xavo that it puzzled me day and night. It also helped me to understand the air tunnel better.”
“How?” frowned Xavo.
“With a new body comes a new voice,” explained Lady Mystic. “What purpose is there on this island for a spy who cannot communicate his findings? You could still cast an air tunnel to the mainland, but no one would believe that it was Aakuta. The only way that you could continue to spy on Vand, was if the air tunnel could work in both directions. That way you could answer questions that only Aakuta would have the answer to. You could, in essence, validate your identity.”
“You are clever,” smiled Xavo. “Have you told anyone about the air tunnel?”
“You know that I told Vand when I first discovered you using it,” admitted Lady Mystic, “but I have told no one about its variations. And I will not tell anyone. I promise you that.”
“I am relieved,” sighed Xavo. “That knowledge would destroy all hopes of defeating Vand. You took a great chance trying to expose me just now. Suppose you were wrong, and Xavo ran to tell Vand about your discovery?”
“I took no chances,” smiled Lady Mystic. “When I saw you leave the temple, I figured out what you were up to. I wove an air tunnel to this spot on the beach and listened in. I did not approach until it sounded like your conversation was over.”
“Yet you acted as if you still believed in Xavo,” he frowned. “How can that be?”
“I was not sure that I actually wanted to confront the truth,” admitted Lady Mystic. “I did almost leave when I realized that your secret might be better kept if you thought it was still unknown. I could not leave, though. I had to know how you survived.”
“I am no good at this spy business,” frowned Xavo. “I would prefer to just go into the temple and start blasting all of Vand’s top people, but that would accomplish little.”
“You are much better at it than you realize,” replied Lady Mystic. “Just look at the duration of your stay in Motanga. No one could expect a spy to last that long here. And you have even infiltrated Vand’s inner circle. What more could anyone hope for in terms of spying?”
“I suppose,” shrugged Xavo. “What do we do now? It is far too dangerous for me to be seen in your presence too often, yet I want to be by your side constantly.”
“We will figure something out,” grinned Lady Mystic. “The important thing is that we have been given another chance. Let us cherish whatever time together we can arrange.”
“You could take over another body,” suggested Xavo. “It would give you a fresh start in life. You would no longer have to be Vand’s daughter.”
“I thought about that,” Lady Mystic shook her head, “but I would then be under someone’s control. While I am ostracized as Vand’s daughter, everyone will leave me alone. It will give me greater freedom to gain information for you.”
“Gain information for me?” echoed Xavo. “Why?”
“Because I have hurt your cause,” explained Lady Mystic. “Now I will try to make up for that. As a disciple, you will learn many things that the ordinary person will not, but there are still some things that you will not be privy to. I know a great number of people on this island, and I know a great deal about them. I will get information for you that no one else can supply.”
“Like what?” questioned Xavo.
“Like how far along the shipbuilding schedule is,” grinned Lady Mystic. “Or perhaps where the ship is sailing to that next carries Clarvoy. How long they plan to be away from the island. There are many things that I can find out.”
“Alright,” conceded Xavo, “but I do not want you endangering yourself. If Vand finds you spying on him, he will be able to figure out too much. He will discover about the air tunnels and me. We cannot allow that to happen.”
“If Vand does get suspicious,” promised Lady Mystic. “That is when I will take another body. I will never tell him anything. I promise you this. Even if he throws me to Dobuk, Vand has gotten his last bit of help from me. I will give him no more.”
* * *
The lectain who entered the Emperor’s office wore the colors of the Ragatha clan. Emperor Marak smiled and shook his head as he waved the officer to his desk and dismissed the guards.
“Not good enough,” smiled Emperor Marak. “You still walk the same.”
“I will have to work on that,” smiled Fisher. “I have important information for your ears only. Is it safe to speak?”
“It is,” nodded the Torak. “Where is the information from?”
Fisher handed the Emperor a paper and let him read it.
“The message was delivered to Rhoda via an air tunnel,” Fisher stated. “It is the exact method of communication that Aakuta uses, but the voice was different. The keyword was given, and the air tunnel was equalized so that the sender could hear responses. He stated that he had done so because of the seriousness of the message.”
“What else was said besides what you have handed me?” asked Emperor Marak.
“These are his words verbatim,” assured Fisher. “No one knows anything about this except you, me, and Rhoda. He was very explicit about this to Rhoda. He would not even allow Polema to hear the conversation.”
“Does he distrust Polema?” asked Emperor Marak.
“I don’t believe so,” answered Fisher. “I think he is just being extremely cautious. He knows that Rhoda would never reveal the message if she were captured. I think they bonded during her captivity on the island.”
“That makes sense,” nodded the Emperor. “He wished to speak to the mage who had already resisted torture and survived it. Alright,” he mused, “we can assume that Aakuta had to take another body to survive on the Island of Darkness. That is why his voice is different, and we know that Vand’s mages have that capability. Zygor used it to take over Lord Damirath’s body.”
“Rhoda said that she knows of no one else who would be aware of her birthmark,” added Fisher. “At least not anyone that she knows of. There was a period of time when she was naked and unconscious on the Island of Darkness, but she also said that Aakuta used to tease her about it. The voice also used the keyword that Aakuta had previously specified. I feel confident that this new source is indeed Aakuta.”
“Then let’s assume that is true,” accepted the Emperor. “His message is very grim. If there is a spy in Lyra’s inner circle, all of our plans are in jeopardy. She must be informed.”
“In such a way that she does not reveal the origin of her knowledge,” Fisher pointed out. “I don’t want to lose Aakuta as a source. His information is becoming more valuable every day. If we inadvertently expose him, we will have no idea what Vand knows or is up to.”
“This creates a serious problem,” frowned the Torak. “We know that Vand’s mages can assume another’s identity. If that is how they managed to infiltrate Lyra’s inner circle, the spy will be someone that Lyra knows and trusts. It could be anyone. How do we narrow it down? We cannot even ask StarWind or HawkShadow to investigate. It could be one of them. It could be anyone.”
“Except the Star of Sakova,” nodded Fisher. “The message would have been much different if they had taken over her body.”
“I doubt that Kaltara would allow that,” Marak shook his head. “I am sure that she must have some protection against such magic, even if we are not aware of it.”
“So she is the only person that we can trust south of the Kalatung Mountains,” sighed Fisher. “This is a serious problem.”
“It is,” agreed Marak, “but you have just given me the solution.”
“I did?” chuckled Fisher. “And what solution is that?”
“Ukaro,” answered Marak. “My father is well respected and accepted in the Sakova. He is also not possessed by Vand’s mage. I will send him to speak to Lyra privately. It will be his task to uncover the spy.”
“That might work,” nodded Fisher, “but do not have him expose the spy. We can use Vand’s tool against him by providing disinformation.”
“That is assuming Ukaro finds the spy,” nodded Marak. “That is a rather tall task for anyone to accomplish.”
“Were I a wagering man,” smiled Fisher, “I would put my gold on Ukaro. You do not get much past a Chula shaman, and Ukaro is one of the best.”
“What do you make of this mention of Zaramilden?” asked Marak. “Why would that potentially change their attack plans?”
“I don’t know,” admitted the spy. “I was puzzled by that on my way here. It is possible that they were going to attack the city to gauge your response a second time.”
“I don’t think so,” frowned Emperor Marak. “I think attacking Zaramilden had been part of their plan. I just can’t imagine why evacuating the city would alter anything. I can see it as one less objective, but the message implies more.”
“It does,” agreed Fisher. “It would be nice to bounce this off of others, but we must be careful about revealing what we know.”
“I agree,” nodded Marak. “I will not endanger Aakuta, whoever he may be right now. Our failure to get the information he just sent would have resulted in a massive disaster in the Sakova. I want more information out of him, not less. Forget about Zaramilden. That will be my problem to decipher. I am sure that you have other things to keep you busy.”
“I have a lot on my plate,” admitted Fisher. “I may be out of touch for a while. If you need me, contact Rykoma. I will try to check in with him regularly.”
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at Fisher, but he knew better than to asked where the spy was going. If he had wanted Marak to know, he would have said so.
“Travel safely, my friend,” smiled Emperor Marak. “May Kaltara keep watch over you."