Suddenly, a horrifying scream rent the air. Lyra did not recognize the voice, but it was obviously female. The only female Motangans that anyone had seen were mages, and they were not known to scout out enemy positions. Sakovans emerged out of the darkness and began encircling the Star of Sakova.
“Who was it?” Lyra asked softly.
“HawkShadow and DarkBlade are checking now,” replied StarWind. “StormSong and the others will be along shortly with the chokas.”
Loud growls emanated from the dark forest and were immediately followed by the sound of a struggle. Lyra stared into the darkness as she listened intently. She saw something large moving, but she could not identify it.
Unexpectedly, light flared in the dark night as LifeTender threw a fireball in the direction that Lyra had been looking. The light illuminated a ten-foot-tall creature that resembled a hairy ape. The fireball slammed into the creature, and it howled hysterically. The creature was soon engulfed in flames, and it illuminated the woods around it.
“There are more of them,” shouted SkyDancer as she drew her sword.
“Those must be the kruls that MistyTrail described,” Lyra said in shock as she stared at the dozen pairs of illuminated eyes staring at her from the sevemore forest.
HawkShadow and DarkBlade burst into the clearing, their swords dripping blood.
“Get the Star out of here now!” shouted HawkShadow as he took up a fighting stance between Lyra and the creatures in the woods. “It is not safe here.”
DarkBlade moved to HawkShadow’s side, leaving enough room between them to avoid cramping their fighting space. StormSong and a dozen other Sakovans arrived with chokas. StormSong quickly handed the reins to another Sakovan and drew her sword. She moved forward and took up position on HawkShadow’s right just as the creatures charged. Lyra threw a force bolt at one of the charging creatures while several of the Sakovan mages threw fireballs. The force bolt slammed into a krul blowing a hole clear through his body. The creature toppled to the ground as two others burst into flames.
“Move the Star!” DarkBlade shouted angrily. “This is not a fight for her to stay for. There are hundreds of these things in the forest. Get her out of here now!”
StarWind needed no further encouragement. She forcibly picked Lyra up and placed her on the back of a choka. She quickly mounted her own choka and shouted commands.
“LifeTender, Goral, and SkyDancer stay with HawkShadow and the others and fight until we are clear,” the spymaster shouted. “The rest of you mount up and form a cordon around the Star. Move now!”
The Sakovans burst into action. Everyone mounted except the six chosen to remain behind and delay the creatures. StarWind started the procession, but the kruls seemed to understand what was going on. They ignored the fighters facing them and raced for Lyra. DarkBlade, StormSong, and HawkShadow leaped forward and engaged the kruls, two-handed swords swinging into the flesh of the creatures.
Goral grabbed his huge maul and raced to head off the kruls. He caught one of them with a swing to its head. The crack resounded through the forest as the creature’s skull burst open. LifeTender and SkyDancer threw fireballs at the kruls closing on Lyra. Two of them burst into flames, but one continued onward.
StarWind turned aside as she waved the others forward. She rode directly towards the lead krul, her sword swinging free from its sheath. The krul tried to run around StarWind, but the choka was much too fast to be avoided. The large warbird ripped into the krul with its sharp claws, while StarWind’s sword sliced into the creature’s neck. The krul screamed in agony as its bloody body tumbled to the ground.
HawkShadow, StormSong, and DarkBlade attacked the kruls from behind as StarWind’s choka turned and raced after Lyra. Goral waded into the still advancing kruls swinging his heavy maul from side to side, while LifeTender and SkyDancer continued to incinerate the creatures with magical spells.
The clearing was lit only by the light of the flaming krul bodies, and long shadows danced across the battlefield. Shadows and kruls seemed almost indistinguishable as more creatures emerged from the trees.
“We are being surrounded,” warned HawkShadow as he sliced the legs out from under a krul. “It is time to go.”
The four warriors started fighting their way towards the two mages and the chokas. Sevemore cones started popping as the burning kruls littered the forest floor. Unexpectedly, a wounded krul on the floor of the forest reached up and grabbed DarkBlade’s leg as the warrior was retreating. DarkBlade swiveled and brought his blade down onto the head of the creature, splitting its skull. As he pulled his leg free of the dying creature’s grasp, another krul grabbed DarkBlade’s head from behind. The krul viciously twisted its large hands, and DarkBlade’s neck snapped. The krul lifted DarkBlade by his head and brought it to its mouth. LifeTender incinerated the krul with a fireball as HawkShadow and StormSong reached the mages. They turned to learn of DarkBlade’s fate.
“A fire is starting,” SkyDancer warned urgently as she pointed to where a krul’s flaming body was wrapped around the base of a sevemore tree.
“Good,” snarled StormSong as she glared at DarkBlade’s body. “Maybe it will kill these foul creatures.”
HawkShadow leaped onto his choka and urged the others to follow suit. The five Sakovans fled from the Motangan creatures as fast as the chokas would carry them. When they had ridden for ten minutes, HawkShadow ordered a halt. He sat listening for any sounds of pursuit.
“Do you think they will follow us?” asked LifeTender. “Tonight, I mean.”
“I do,” nodded HawkShadow. “MistyTrail told me a bit about these creatures. When they are unleashed in search of someone, they never stop. They are also quieter in the forest than most humans. That is how they got so close tonight. These kruls are a real problem for us. I fear them more than the whole Motangan army.”
“They are animals,” added Goral. “They will not be fooled by clever Sakovan tricks. They will track us as an animal tracks its prey.”
“They burn well,” commented SkyDancer, “although their screams are hideous.”
“I would rather hear their screams than ours,” retorted StormSong.
“I agree,” nodded HawkShadow. “I am about to recommend something that I have spent my life trying to avoid.”
“A fire?” questioned SkyDancer. “That will destroy the Sakova. You can’t be serious?”
“I think it is brilliant,” interjected LifeTender as she gauged the direction of the wind. “The sevemore trees burn hot and fast. The fire will spread faster than the Motangans can run”
“Do you realize what you are saying?” frowned SkyDancer. “The Sakova is our home. You are talking about destroying it. You don’t really want to do that.”
“Isn’t that exactly what we are asking the Omungans to do?” asked Goral. “We want them to burn their farms and cities to deny them to the Motangans. How is this any different?”
“All of the Sakova will not burn,” LifeTender explained. “The sevemore trees will burn, but the fargi trees will not. It takes a long sustained fire to burn a fargi tree and that won’t happen. The sevemore trees burn much too quickly.”
“And the Motangan armies will be caught in it,” added Goral. “It is the perfect way to reduce the size of their armies.”
“StormSong?” asked HawkShadow. “What do you say?”
StormSong looked at each of her fellow Sakovans before answering. She locked eyes with SkyDancer and saw fear in her friend’s face. She knew that a burning forest was every Sakovan’s worst nightmare, or it had been until this night.
“Burn it,” StormSong replied adamantly.
* * *
Premer Doralin awoke to the shouting. He quickly rose and hurried out of his tent into the predawn darkness. He stood for a moment listening to the shouts coming from the forward most area of the camp. As he stood listening, his nose crinkled with irritation. He inhaled deeply, smelled the smoke, and frowned. General Valatosa was soon by his side.
<
br /> “What is the matter?” the premer demanded to know.
“The krul are returning,” answered the general. “They are returning in a panic.”
“I thought the smell of smoke was too heavy to be from the campfires,” the premer replied worryingly. “Only one thing truly scares the kruls, and that is a forest fire. The kruls will be unstable. We will need mages to calm them. Find out how severe this forest fire is.”
“The mages are already on their way,” reported General Valatosa. “As for the fire, it is severe. Already the eastern horizon is lightening, and it is not because of the approaching dawn. We are in trouble, Premer. With the current winds, we are in the path of the fire.”
“And if this dawn is similar to the others that we have experienced in the Sakova,” nodded Premer Doralin, “the winds will increase significantly.”
“Exactly,” the general swallowed hard. “We will not escape in time.”
“Do not panic, General,” the premer responded calmly. “We will start an orderly retreat of our rearmost forces. They are to move well west of the edge of the forest. Make sure that it is orderly. I will not tolerate hysteria. I want your army to organize it. Keep a steady flow of men moving out of the forest at all times.”
“What about you?” frowned the general. “I cannot abandon you to die in this forest.”
“I have no intention of dying anytime soon,” the premer said confidently. “I will order the armies around me to begin felling the trees around us and removing them from the area. We will create a firebreak around us. You may personally return here after you have instructed your men.”
The general turned and ran to organize the retreat. The premer shouted orders, and several generals promptly responded. Doralin issued his edicts, and the generals left to carry them out. Within minutes the sounds of felling trees carried on the air. As soon as a sevemore hit the ground, scores of men ran forward to carry it away from the camp. Within an hour the sky lightened considerably as sunlight flooded the sky. Doralin turned slowly measuring the amount of defoliation.
“The evacuation is under way,” reported General Valatosa as he returned from the rear of the camp. “I also sent a man forward to gauge the speed of the firestorm heading for us. I told him to report here.”
“Well done, Valatosa,” smiled the premer. “Now it is merely a race against time. Given six hours, we will be able to avoid the brunt of the storm. If we can survive in this firebreak, we will have fooled the Sakovans.”
“Fooled the Sakovans?” puzzled the general. “What do you mean? Do you think this fire was deliberately set?”
“Of course it was,” replied the premer. “The Sakovans continually manage to outwit us. First it was the fishing fleet that sank our ships, and then it was the poisoned rations. Now they hope to chase us out of the forest with this fire. The Sakovans know that they cannot survive by standing up to this army, so they will use any trick that they can think of to whittle us down. They are clever, but they will not win this battle of wits.”
“And how are you going to fool the Sakovans?” asked the general.
“With the troops you are evacuating,” smiled the premer. “They will believe that we fled from the fire. I have no doubt that they probably have spies behind us outside the forest. Those spies will report our retreat while we move forward and close the distance to our enemies. When the Sakovans are forced to face us, they will die.”
“If we have six hours,” frowned the general.
“If we have six hours,” echoed the premer. “We must hope that we do. Anything less will be a disaster for us. We are several days into this forest. Without a six-hour head start, we would never reach the plains before it consumed us. That is why we also need this firebreak.”
* * *
Xavo left the temple in Vandamar and hurried toward the secret clearing in the jungle near the beach. Lady Mystic was waiting for him.
“A short meeting?” she asked as Xavo entered the clearing.
“Vand may be going mad,” nodded Xavo. “His mood swings were tremendous this morning. One moment he was smiling, and the next he was shouting.”
“Did you discover where the ships left for last night?” asked Lady Mystic.
“I did,” nodded Xavo. “It appears that the Sakovans managed to raid Duran and poison the food. Doralin lost thousands of men before they realized what was going on. Premer Tzargo has sent ten thousand men to safeguard the new supplies in Duran.”
“Tzargo’s own men?” inquired Lady Mystic. “That is most unusual. He only has five armies under his direct command. He must feel confident about our defenses if he is willing to part with a fifth of them.”
“Aren’t there other armies here for defense?” asked Xavo.
“There are city garrisons,” nodded Lady Mystic, “but Vand likes to deal in overwhelming strength. I am surprised by Tzargo’s move. He must truly expect the Sakovans to return to Duran.”
“I suppose,” frowned Xavo, “but there is more. Tzargo is leaving for Fakara today, with the rest of his men.”
“Fakara?” puzzled Lady Mystic. “Are things going poorly for Vand there?
Do they need reinforcements?”
“No,” Xavo shook his head. “Cardijja’s force landed in Meliban without opposition. It makes no sense to me, but Vand was extremely pleased about it. I have been ordered to report to the docks today. I am being sent to Fakara.”
“No,” Lady Mystic frowned skeptically. “Does Vand suspect you?”
“He has given no indication of suspicion,” replied Xavo. “I tried to inquire why I was being sent, but the question was ignored.”
“I do not like the sounds of this, Xavo,” declared Lady Mystic. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I will not leave the island,” promised Xavo. “I have unfinished business here. The ships will sail without me.”
“Good,” smiled Vand’s daughter. “What else did you learn?”
“Vand’s mages have discovered how to equalize an air tunnel,” sighed Xavo. “I knew it was only a matter of time before they stumbled upon the answer. This information has already been disseminated to the battle mages on the mainland, so I must be careful with my report today. We do not know who controls Raven’s Point right now.”
“What will you do?” asked Lady Mystic.
“I will weave an air tunnel directly to the Imperial Palace in Khadoratung,” replied Xavo. “I want you with me when I do it so that you can learn the location. If anything should happen to me, you must carry on what I have started.”
“I will not listen to such talk,” balked Lady Mystic. “I will learn what I must, but you will not talk about dying. Will the mages at the palace take a message from you? I though only Rhoda was allowed to do that?”
“If I am not on the ship today,” shrugged Xavo, “Vand will already suspect me. I will no longer have anything to hide. When I contact Khadoratung, I will merely announce who I am and demand to speak to Emperor Marak.”
“Clarvoy is in Khadora now,” warned Lady Mystic. “You are taking great chances.”
“The chances must be taken,” replied Xavo. “As for Clarvoy, Vand has not heard from him. He is not happy about that.”
“I wonder if he got caught up in the battle?” mused Lady Mystic. “That is what must have happened. There is no way that the Khadorans would ever catch Clarvoy. He has been spying on them for years. He has dozens of personas there.”
“What I would give to know those personas,” sighed Xavo. “Without Clarvoy, Vand is blind and deaf.”
“Not any longer,” disagreed Lady Mystic. “The air tunnel now solves much of the problems of communications. Still, there is something to what you say. Vand has depended upon Clarvoy to present him the truth. Without him, Vand may get more information, but he will not know the value of it.”
* * *
The firebreak was long and narrow, and a hundred thousand men were trapped inside it. Soldiers, mages, and kruls squeezed tightly togeth
er to avoid the roaring flames and the blistering heat. The raging firestorm tore through the sevemore forest with amazing speed, trees exploding from the rapidly expanding sap. The strong winds spread the fire from tree to tree, but even the heat helped the fire to spread.
Premer Doralin watched one tree spontaneously combust, its needles shrinking from the heat, and the air rippling around it, until it just burst into flames. In seconds the tree was gone. Sparks flew into the firebreak, and people tried to duck as the fiery particles headed towards them, but everyone was packed too tightly to move. Shouts and curses filled the air as soldiers felt the burning particles sear their skin.
Suddenly, screams came from not far away from the premer. Doralin turned and saw a krul, his long hair burning rapidly. Soldiers tried to push away from the beast, but they could not, so they drew their swords and attacked it, trying to drive its body out of the crowd. Some of the soldiers’ uniforms caught on fire and pandemonium ripped through the tight crowd. Seconds later another krul burst into flames.
“Kill the kruls,” shouted a general. “Kill them before they burn us all.”
Doralin tried to cancel the order, but the soldiers had heard what they had wanted to hear. The orders soared through the long crowd of soldiers faster than the raging flames. Not only had the soldiers heard the orders, but so had the kruls. In the midst of the firestorm, the Motangan soldiers and the kruls attacked one another. The soldiers had difficulty drawing their swords and using them effectively in such a packed environment, but the kruls had no such limitations.
Premer Doralin watched in anger as scores of soldiers were thrown into the flames outside the firebreak. He shouted for the fighting to stop as he watched kruls burst into flames and surge deeper into the crowd.
“It is too late to stop it,” General Valatosa declared loudly alongside the premer. “You cannot negotiate with a crazed krul. Once they heard the order to attack them, the fight was joined to the death.”
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