“And the pain will be worse for you than the others because you can think,” frowned Lady Mystic. “You will be more aware of it. I must do something. Can you walk?”
“My arms and legs still function,” Aakuta nodded as he rolled over and got to his knees.
The pain in his newly cracked rib shot through the mage, but he tried to ignore it. Lady Mystic stood and helped Aakuta to his feet. She draped one of his arms over her neck and wrapped one of her arms around him. Slowly she guided him across the street and into the alley that led to her home. When she got him through the door, Lady Mystic guided the dark mage to a chair at the table.
“Sit quietly while I mix you a potion,” instructed the Emperor’s daughter.
“A potion?” questioned the dark mage.
“It will relieve your pain,” nodded Lady Mystic as she began mixing ingredients in a large flask. “It won’t last long, but it will give you a small amount of relief for a time.”
“Mix a lot of it,” Aakuta smiled meekly. “I don’t expect that Vand will allow me to die anytime in the near future.”
“It is highly addictive,” Lady Mystic shook her head. “Too much of it and you will lose your ability to reason. Just be thankful for an hour of peace.”
Aakuta fell silent as he watched Lady Mystic mix the ingredients for the potion. The silence was disturbing, and Lady Mystic felt the need to talk.
“I have been watching you every day,” she said softly. “I had no idea that you could reason. You hide it well.”
“You can imagine what Vand would do if he knew that I could think,” sighed Aakuta. “I knew that I must hide that fact well.”
Lady Mystic’s eyebrows rose as she turned to stare at the dark mage. She pondered Aakuta’s admission and eventually nodded at his logic.
“He would torture you anew,” she declared. “You were wise to hide it from him, but why do you wish to think? You are only making it harder on yourself. I would wager that it is wiser to be without reason in your condition. The insane do not feel the pain as severely as those who can concentrate.”
“My task here is not complete,” Aakuta admitted as he drank the potion that Lady Mystic handed to him. “Ah,” he smiled broadly, “that is a wonderful feeling. I actually feel human again. How long will it last?”
“I am not sure,” replied Lady Mystic. “My guess is around an hour, but I have never had the opportunity to try it on someone in your severe condition. What do you mean when you say that your task is not complete?”
“I have paid a steep price for spying on Vand,” explained Aakuta. “The least I can do to repay him is to complete that task. I must continue to send word to Emperor Marak’s people about what is happening here on Motanga. I must inform them when the invasion will begin.”
“So you truly are the spy,” frowned Lady Mystic. “I knew that you helped Rhoda escape, but how do you get any information to Emperor Marak?”
“I used the air tunnel that your father is so keen to learn about,” smiled Aakuta.
“You know how to use an air tunnel?” gasped Lady Mystic. “You could have used that information to save yourself. Vand would have let you live if you gave it to him.”
“I would rather die than see him possess such knowledge,” spat Aakuta. “Rhoda felt the same way. No matter who interrogated her, they would never have learned the secret of the air tunnel. In fact, she was responsible for the destruction and death of her first interrogator. She had fully expected to die in her own attack. Vand should realize that Marak’s people would never betray him.”
“You would rather die?” Lady Mystic retorted scornfully. “What about what it does to me? You profess your love for me, but have you thought about how all of this affects me? I would rather that you did not die.”
“I have thought a great deal about you,” admitted Aakuta. “I wish that I had never met you. At least that way you would never have become hurt by my actions, but I cannot change history. You are wrong about your father, though. Oh, Vand would gratefully accept my knowledge of the air tunnel, but he would not reward me for it. He would kill me just the same. You truly do not understand that fiend, even after what he has done to you.”
“His action was justified,” frowned Lady Mystic. “I betrayed him. What would you expect him to do? Emperor Marak would do the same to you.”
“That is where you are wrong,” smiled Aakuta. “Emperor Marak, like the Sakovans, is capable of forgiveness. My daughter’s people forgave me for everything that I did that endangered them. I could not understand that attitude at first, but I do understand it now. It is how your father should have reacted to you, but he didn’t. Doesn’t that tell you something? If your father truly loved you, he would never order your removal from his presence. Vand cares for no one but himself.”
“He has to be strong,” argued Lady Mystic. “He is responsible for ruling over so many people. He cannot waver from his duty just because I am his daughter. It is you who do not understand him.”
“I will not argue with you over your father,” Aakuta said with frustration as he rose from his chair. “Mark my words. Your father cares nothing for you. He will use you and toss you by the wayside when he no longer needs you. Emperor Marak is not that kind of person.”
Aakuta turned and walked out of the room. Lady Mystic heard the door to the alley open and then close. She glared at the table for a moment and then swept her hand across its surface, sending flasks and ingredients crashing to the floor. She kicked the chair that Aakuta had been sitting in and then stormed out of the room. For several minutes she paced the floor, full of fury and indecision. Finally, she threw the door to the alley open and stepped out of her home. Off in the distance, she saw Aakuta at the mouth of the alley. The dark mage turned to the right and headed towards the beach. Lady Mystic quickened her step and followed.
Aakuta walked slowly as he pretended to still be in pain. He did not want anyone to know that he could think and function normally while the pain-killing potion was active. His path appeared to be erratic and without purpose, but the dark mage slowly made his way to the desolate stretch of beach where he had first set foot on the Island of Darkness.
When he reached the beach, he looked carefully in each direction to make sure that he was alone. Satisfied that he was not being observed, Aakuta wove an air tunnel to Raven’s Point. He waited patiently until he felt someone at the other end. Aakuta always wove a one-way air tunnel to avoid the noise coming through from the other end, so he had no idea who he had managed to contact. All that he knew was that he had located someone with the abilities of an air mage, and that person was at the deserted cove where he normally sent his messages.
“This is Aakuta,” the dark mage said softly into the air tunnel. “I have been absent for a long time, and I may not communicate again for a while, but I will still try to determine the time of the invasion if I am able to. I must report that Vand has discovered my purpose here on Motanga. That is the reason that my reports may become sporadic, or even stop at any time,” he added.
Aakuta paused as he wondered how much the Khadorans really needed to know about his personal situation. He did not want any Khadorans coming to the island to rescue him; therefore he could not admit the trouble that he was in.
“As a security precaution,” Aakuta continued, “I will always use the word Motanga in the first sentence of any future reports. Vand is keen on discovering the mechanism of the air tunnel, and he may eventually try to use it to confuse you. Be wary. I will try to contact you again soon. I hope that Rhoda made it home safely. I wish her well.”
Aakuta dropped the air tunnel and stared out over the ocean waves. He was not sure how long he remained silently pondering the future, but the noise from the jungle behind him startled him. He whirled around to see Lady Mystic retreating through the foliage. Aakuta raced after her and caught up to her before she could exit the jungle.
“You were spying on me?” he asked accusingly.
“What if
I was?” shrugged Lady Mystic. “You seem to think that spying is a noble pastime. Why complain when others do it?”
“It does not need to be like this,” Aakuta sighed. “Can’t we be friends without letting this war come between us?”
“Not when you continue to work against my father,” Lady Mystic shook her head. “What more must he do to you to make you understand?”
“That is the question that I want to pose to you,” frowned Aakuta. “How many times must he reject you and abuse you before you see him as he really is?”
“You just don’t know him as I do,” retorted Lady Mystic as she turned and walked away.
Aakuta watched sadly as his love retreated towards the city. He sighed with frustration before his mind got around to thinking about what she might have observed while spying on him. Suddenly, his jaw opened in fear. He had been a fool to let her walk away. Lady Mystic might be a fool where her father was concerned, but she was a tremendously intelligent woman. Was it possible that she saw him weave the air tunnel? Would she take that knowledge to Vand if she did?
Filled with terror, Aakuta raced towards the city, uncaring about his appearance to others. He ran into the alley hoping to see Lady Mystic walking along it. She was nowhere in sight. He continued to run along the alley until he came to the door to her home. It was wide open. He entered the house hoping to find Lady Mystic inside. The house was empty.
Aakuta stood in the laboratory staring at the broken glass and ingredients strewn across the floor. He thought about his previous exit from the house and tried to understand his friend’s emotional state and determine what her reactions must have been. Finally, he nodded conclusively when he realized that she would take the air tunnel to Vand. There was nothing that Aakuta could do now to stop her. Instead of wasting time berating himself for his failure, Aakuta gathered up the ingredients that he had seen Lady Mystic use to make the pain-killing potion. He grabbed an old pack off the floor and filled it with what he would need to duplicate her potion.
With the pack in hand, Aakuta left the house, closing the door behind him. He immediately headed to the edge of the city and dashed across the open area to the forest beyond. Once he found a secluded glade, Aakuta sat down and opened the pack. He removed the ingredients and began to concoct a batch of the pain-killing potion. When he was done, he filled four glass bottles with the liquid and put stoppers in to seal them. He dug a hole with his hands and buried the old pack along with the tools used to make the potion. Taking the four bottles, Aakuta wandered through the woods, looking for four different places to hide the liquid drugs.
* * *
Lady Mystic stopped at the front entrance to the temple. The guards immediately stiffened and move their pikes to prohibit her entry.
“You know that you are not allowed in the temple,” stated one of the guards.
“I know,” Lady Mystic nodded. “Send word to my father that I am here to see him. It is extremely important.”
“The Emperor will not accept such a message,” the guard shook his head. “You do not exist.”
“You will go to the Emperor, and tell him that I am hear,” Lady Mystic said forcefully. “If you don’t, I will see that you are severely punished. Tell him that I know the secret of the air tunnel. Go!”
The two guards looked at each other for a long moment before one of them shrugged and stepped through the door. Lady Mystic waited impatiently for his return. The wait seemed like an eternity, but the guard eventually returned with a squad of soldiers.
“You will have an escort,” announced the guard.
Lady Mystic sighed and nodded. She had not expected her father to treat her so poorly, but she knew that everything would change in a few moments. She allowed herself to be escorted up to the throne room. She smiled broadly as she walked into the throne room. It felt like home to her. She gazed up at her father and smiled. The Emperor glared in return.
“You profess to know the air tunnel,” Vand announced bluntly. “Prove it.”
Lady Mystic halted halfway across the room. Half of the soldiers escorting her continued onward unaware of her halting. The other half stopped abruptly in confusion. Lady Mystic wove the air tunnel and aimed it at the Emperor.
“I have succeeded where others have failed, Father,” Lady Mystic said softly into the air tunnel.
A look of surprise illuminated the Emperor’s face. He grinned broadly and nodded. “Approach, Lady Mystic,” he said loudly.
Lady Mystic grinned and felt a shiver of victory course through her body. The others in the room stared in confusion as they wondered what was happening. Lady Mystic marched up and stood before her father.
“Teach me,” the Emperor instructed. “I want to know how it is done.”
Lady Mystic gladly instructed the Emperor in the creation of the air tunnel. He nodded his understanding and experimented with it. First he aimed one at Clarvoy, the head spy for Motanga.
“Now we have something we can use against them,” whispered the Emperor. “We must discuss the implications of this discover. Stay when the others are dismissed.”
Across the room, the head spy merely nodded. Next, the Emperor directed an air tunnel at one of the mages in the rear of the room. He instructed the man to leave the room. While no one else had heard the utterance, the mage nodded and walked out the doors.
“This is wonderful,” announced the Emperor. “How did you learn this magic?”
“I watched Aakuta use it,” grinned Lady Mystic. “Surely you can have no doubts about my loyalty now. He would die if he knew that I was instructing you in its use.”
“He would not die,” frowned the Emperor. “I have not allowed it yet. Why didn’t you bring this knowledge to me before? Why have you waited until now?”
“I just learned it,” answered Lady Mystic. “I brought the knowledge to you as soon as I learned it.”
“Do not lie to me,” shouted Vand. “The insane do not go around casting spells.”
“I am not lying,” frowned Lady Mystic. “I do not understand it, but Aakuta still has the ability to reason. I made up a potion to ease his pain, and he became quite lucid. The first thing he did was to run to the beach and create an air tunnel. I followed him and spied on him. I came here as soon as I learned his secret.”
“You aided the traitor?” scowled Vand. “You will never aid him again. Is that understood?”
“I understand,” Lady Mystic responded, her brow creasing heavily, “but my aid enabled us to discover his secret. Besides, I will never see him again once I move back into the temple. Surely you would not allow him entry.”
“Allow him entry?” balked Vand. “Never. I do not allow the enemy into my midst. Everybody out. This court session is over.”
The people started to leave. Lady Mystic turned to leave, and Vand stopped her.
“Not you, Daughter,” Vand said softly. “I am not through with you yet.”
Lady Mystic turned to her father and smiled. When all of the people had left, Clarvoy stepped forward and stood beside Lady Mystic.
“Lady Mystic has brought valuable information today,” the Emperor said to the head spy.
Lady Mystic beamed with pride as she listened.
“This information has altered my plans,” the Emperor continued. “Aakuta must be found and destroyed.”
“How can we destroy him?” asked Clarvoy. “He is protected from death.”
“Not any longer,” announced the Emperor. “By the time you exit the temple, his protection from death will be lifted.”
“It shall be as you wish,” nodded Clarvoy.
“You are also to go to Lady Mystic’s home,” instructed the Emperor. “Destroy her laboratory. I will not have traitors making potions to aid my enemy.”
“Destroy my laboratory?” Lady Mystic echoed with shock. “Is that really necessary? Couldn’t I just move it to my chambers here in the temple?”
“You have no chambers in this temple,” sneered the Emperor. “You never
will again. I told you before that I do not tolerate traitors in my midst. You are alive only because you are my daughter, but life is all that our relationship buys you. Cross me again and even your life will be forfeit.”
“I am not a traitor,” Lady Mystic fumed. “Who else would bring you the air tunnel? I have done more for you than even Clarvoy.”
The Emperor struck swiftly. He rose from the throne and slapped Lady Mystic across the face. Lady Mystic sprawled on the floor and looked up at her father with hurt and surprise.
“You think that being my daughter makes you immune from my wrath?” laughed the Emperor. “I have had thousands of sons and daughters. You should be grateful that my blood flows through your veins. It is my only gift to you. Get out of my sight before I change my mind and have you executed for my enjoyment.”
Lady Mystic rose, her cheek stinging from the blow and tears flowing from her eyes. What hurt the most as she retreated from the room was the fact that Aakuta had been right all along. Her father was an animal who cared for no one but himself. Lady Mystic cried as she raced down the stairs.
Her first instinct was to run to her house and try to preserve her laboratory, but she knew that that effort was futile. Clarvoy would search her entire home to make sure that everything was destroyed. She wanted desperately to find Aakuta, but how could she face him now? Twice she had betrayed him. No man could possibly forgive her after that. She had had to choose between her lover and her father, and she had chosen wrong. Now she had neither.
Lady Mystic ran out of the temple and through the streets of the city. She wandered through the jungle to the secluded spot on the beach where she had spied on Aakuta. There she threw herself on the ground and cried herself to sleep.
Chapter 3
Society of Mages
The balding mage hurried through the streets of Morada, capital of the elven nation of Elvangar. He looked around anxiously before slipping into the Society of Mages. Once inside the old building, the mage made his way through the reading room, nodding to two of his acquaintances before exiting the room and entering his private study.
Winged Warrior Page 4
