Island of Darkness (12 page)

“I do wish he would hold court on a lower level,” she sighed. “Such energy wasted on something so insignificant as stairs.”

“Do you make this climb often?” Aakuta asked as he wondered how the woman was able to just walk into the temple at will.

“Not that often,” smiled Lady Mystic as she turned and faced the ornate doors of the throne room. “I usually only have to climb two levels. My laboratory in the city is only used when I am terribly bored. Come, Aakuta. It is time for the show.”

A puzzled Aakuta turned and followed Lady Mystic towards the doors. Over twenty soldiers stood outside the throne room. They all bowed and an officer stepped forward to meet Lady Mystic.

“Does the High Priestess wish an audience?” the officer asked.

“Why else would I be here?” retorted Lady Mystic. “I have brought a foreigner who wishes to speak with the Emperor.”

Aakuta winced as the soldiers suddenly became alert. Their hands went to the hilts of their swords, but no weapon was drawn. The officer nodded politely and slid through the door that another soldier had opened slightly.

“I see there are some things that you did not share with me,” Aakuta whispered sarcastically.

“Perhaps you saw what you wanted to see,” chuckled Lady Mystic. “In any event, you never did ask what I did here. Now we shall see what you are made of, wizard.”

The ornate doors suddenly opened. The officer stood inside and ordered his men into the throne room. The soldiers immediately entered and formed a corridor through which Aakuta would have to walk. Lady Mystic took Aakuta’s arm and led him into the room. They marched between the two lines of soldiers until they stood twenty paces from the throne.

“You stay here,” commanded Lady Mystic as she let go of Aakuta’s arm.

Aakuta heard more footsteps behind him and turned to see even more soldiers filing into the room. When he turned back to face the throne, Lady Mystic was standing beside it whispering into the ear of the man on the throne. Sitting in the throne was a young man, no more than twenty years of age. His pale face and jet-black hair produced a stark contrast. His face was perfectly proportioned. Aakuta wondered how many bodies Vand had gone through over the ages.

“Remove your hood,” ordered the Emperor.

Aakuta reached up slowly and pushed his hood back. The Emperor’s eyes bored into him. Aakuta stared back.

“Grievous charges have been laid against you,” declared the Emperor. “It is said that you have murdered Zygor and Smarc. Is this true?”

Aakuta wanted to retort that a god would know the answer to that question, but he had no desire to die instantly.

“It is true,” Aakuta stated. “Zygor and Smarc were fools, as was Veltar.”

“You have caused me great harm,” snarled Vand. “You shall wish that you had not. You will scream for death for many days before you are allowed to die. Or perhaps, you will not be allowed to die at all. Your pain may supply me with much needed pleasure.”

“I would expect more of a reward than that,” retorted Aakuta. “I was thinking more a position of high power in your court.”

“Reward?” shouted Emperor Vand as his hand rose to point accusingly at Aakuta. “You insolent dog.”

Fire blasted from Vand’s fingertips and engulfed Aakuta. The nearby soldiers leaped backwards to avoid the flames and drew their swords. The flames subsided and Aakuta stood uninjured.

“You dare to erect shields in my presence?” yelled Vand. “You will not die for many years, but you will surely wish you had. Seize him.”

Lady Mystic smiled broadly and whispered in Vand’s ear as the soldiers attacked Aakuta. The Emperor’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Aakuta. The soldiers’ swords clanged as they impacted Aakuta’s shields, each contact causing the shields to glow brightly where they were hit.

“What makes you think that I would reward an attack against my people?” asked the Emperor as the soldiers continued to chip away at Aakuta’s shields.

Aakuta tried to divide his concentration between maintaining the shields and verbally dueling with the Emperor.

“Your people were doing more harm to your efforts than good,” Aakuta stated. “You have suffered great failures in your plan so far. Have you not wondered why?”

Aakuta’s face showed the strain of maintaining his shields, but he did not expect the Emperor to order a halt to the onslaught.

“It would appear that you have been the cause of some of those failures,” the Emperor stated calmly. “What do you know of my efforts anyway? Just who are you?”

“I am someone who can further your cause,” declared Aakuta. “I know of your banishment from Vandegar Temple. I know of the desertion of tens of thousands of your people a millennium ago. I know that we are in the Time of Calling, and if you don’t change your advisors quickly, you will be defeated in the Time of Cleansing to come.”

Aakuta felt his shields beginning to fail. He turned his head with effort and saw several black-hooded men casting spells at him. He knew his time was short.

“You appear to know more than you should,” frowned the Emperor. “You think that my advisors served me poorly. Explain your reasoning.”

“Fakara was a wasteland with hundreds of disjointed tribes,” Aakuta said with effort. “They were a country that your forces could have stepped into and easily conquered. Veltar united them. What everyone thought they would never see now exists. The Astor has united the free tribes into a viable fighting force. That would not have been possible without Veltar’s involvement.”

“That was necessary to attack Khadora,” countered the Emperor.

“Another foolish mistake,” retorted Aakuta. “Zygor followed a plan developed by Veltar. He led troops into Khadora to raise havoc. Just what did he accomplish? Now Khadora is united against you. Once again your plans have suffered a major setback. Call off these attacks upon me! Are you so willing to throw away your chance for supremacy?”

Vand’s face clouded with confusion. For several minutes he said nothing as the mages and soldiers whittled away at Aakuta’s shields. Finally, he waved his hand in dismissal. The attacks immediately halted, and Aakuta breathed a sigh of relief. He had been seconds away from total failure of his shields. He inhaled deeply as his limbs began to quiver.

“If you had not killed Zygor,” stated the Emperor, “he might have accomplished his goal.”

“No,” Aakuta shook his head as he tried to control his trembling. “I wish that I had gotten to him sooner. I struck when I did in hopes that I could forestall Marak’s plans to unite the country, but it was already too late. I killed Zygor to stop any further disintegration of your plans. That is why I killed Smarc as well. He would only have picked up where Zygor left off. Why are your advisors causing you to unite your enemies?”

Emperor Vand frowned as he digested Aakuta’s words. Lady Mystic was grinning broadly from her place alongside the Emperor.

“Veltar’s foolishness vaulted Rejji into his leadership role,” Aakuta offered as he finally regained control of his body. “Zygor advanced Marak to a position of leadership in Khadora. Without those two mistakes, your enemy would still be disorganized today. I shudder to think of what your advisors have planned for Omunga.”

“What would you advise for Omunga?” asked Vand.

“Do nothing,” advised Aakuta. “Right now you have two nations there that despise each other. Already that means that your enemies in Omunga are divided in half. How much further do you think you could divide them?”

“They could be forced to battle each other and kill thousands before I even invade,” declared the Emperor. “Why is that not sound advice?”

“Because they could also unite,” explained Aakuta. “Certainly Omunga would not be the great mistake your advisors already made in Fakara and Khadora, but why continue to follow such poor advice?”

“So you suggest leaving my enemies to their own devices?” questioned Vand.

“That would have been my advice from the beginning,” nodded Aakuta. “Much damage has already been done to your cause. It is time to sit back and analyze your options.”

“And you have come here to offer your services for such planning?” posed the Emperor. “Why?”

“I like power,” grinned Aakuta. “It is obvious to me who will win this contest. Like any sensible man, I aim to be on the winning side. I have much to offer you, but I also expect to be well rewarded.”

“And what do you expect your rewards to be?” asked Vand.

“I want power and prestige,” Aakuta answered without delay. “I am sure that you are aware that I am a mage of considerable skill. I want to expand my knowledge.”

“And take my place?” the Emperor asked as his eyes narrowed.

“I am no fool,” Aakuta shook his head. “You have reigned for thousands of years, and I expect that you will rule for thousands more. To oppose you is to seek an early death. Besides, I want prestige, but I am loath to inherit all of the responsibilities that come with it. Give me power. Give me prestige, and leave me alone to relish both. I will serve you well until the end of time.”

Vand’s eyebrows rose in consideration of the proposal. Lady Mystic again leaned over and whispered in Vand’s ear. The Emperor smiled and nodded.

“Very well, Aakuta,” stated the Emperor. “I shall keep you around. You will gain power and prestige, but you will gain them on my schedule. Be forewarned. You will be watched closely. Any deviation from what is in my best interests will terminate my grace towards you. Do you understand?”

“I understand and am most grateful for this chance,” bowed Aakuta. “You will not be disappointed.”

“Wake up!” shouted MistyTrail. “Hurry!

Mistake opened her eyes. She could just see the rail of the boat and the angry sky beyond it. She sat up and was immediately thrown against the side of the boat. Pain shot through her shoulder as her body was tossed towards the other side of the boat.

“Grab the tiller thing,” shouted MistyTrail.

Mistake fell to the bottom of the boat. She shook her head and crawled toward the stern. The swaying of the boat made her feel queasy as she grabbed onto the tiller. She pulled herself up and managed to slide the bucket under her. A furious wind had the sail full. The boat was being pushed sideways through the water. Mistake tried to move the tiller, but it would not budge.

“It won’t move,” shouted Mistake. “Come help me.”

Mistake hung onto the tiller as she watched MistyTrail crawling towards her. She looked up at the sky and bit her lower lip. Dark angry clouds covered the sky, and it was pouring to the left of her. The chill of the air shivered through her body.

“It’s going to rain,” Mistake shouted over the howl of the wind. “Hurry.”

MistyTrail scurried along the floor of the boat and grabbed onto Mistake’s leg as the boat lurched again. She waited until the momentum of the boat steadied and then she stood and grabbed the tiller.

“Now,” shouted MistyTrail.

They both tried to move the tiller. It slowly started to move, but the boat lurched again. MistyTrail fell on the rail, the top half of her body hanging outside the boat. Mistake let go of the tiller and wrapped her arms around MistyTrail’s legs. She pulled frantically as the sea tried to suck MistyTrail out of the boat. MistyTrail’s hands appeared over the side of the boat. They gripped the rail as MistyTrail tried to pull herself into the boat. They lurched again and MistyTrail’s body flew into Mistake. They both ended up sprawling on the floor of the boat.

MistyTrail’s hands went to her side above the left hip. She groaned loudly.

“Are you alright?” shouted Mistake.

“I am still here,” quipped MistyTrail. “Let’s try that again, but I am not standing up this time.”

Mistake nodded and grabbed the bucket. She threw the bucket towards the bow of the boat and faced the tiller on her knees. MistyTrail crawled to her side seconds later. Suddenly, the sky opened up with a tremendous flash of lightning and a deafening clap of thunder. The rain came down fast and furious as they gripped the tiller and tried to move it.

“Harder,” shouted Mistake. “If we don’t move it, this boat may tip over.”

MistyTrail bit her lip and nodded as she saw the angry swells rising higher and higher as the storm moved closer to them. She pulled with every fiber of her body.

“It’s moving,” shouted Mistake. “It’s moving.”

MistyTrail closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she tried to coax more strength out of her body. Suddenly, there was a loud snap, and both them were hurled against the side of the boat. Once again they were sprawled on the floor of the boat.

“Now what?” yelled MistyTrail. “We can’t steer any more.”

Mistake looked at the handle of the tiller swaying in the breeze. She shook her head and sighed.

“I don’t know,” she said, her voice barely audible above the howling wind. “Maybe we should have lowered the sail first. At least with this much wind, we will end up somewhere.”

The wind suddenly increased as the sky lit up with multiple flashes of lightning. The boat tipped to a severe angle and both women grabbed the rail to avoid being thrown to the other side of the boat. A torrential downpour pounded them with cold water, and Mistake noticed that water was accumulating in the bottom of the boat.

“Get the bucket,” shouted Mistake. “We will need to keep the water out of the boat.”

MistyTrail nodded and worked her way forward without ever letting go of the rail. The boat leaned so much that MistyTrail felt almost vertical at times as she moved slowly forward. All of a sudden, a tremendous crack split the air. The noise was so loud that MistyTrail thought she had been hit by lightning. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain.

“Look out for the mast!” screamed Mistake.

Suddenly the boat lurched severely, and instead of being almost vertical, MistyTrail’s arms strained to keep her from being thrown out of the boat in the opposite direction. She glanced behind her and saw the fallen mast. The mast and sails were in the water; the only things holding them above water were the ropes tied to the rail. MistyTrail swiftly pulled a knife from her belt and cut the closest line. Mistake instantly nodded and did the same to the lines near her. The mast bumped noisily against the boat before sinking from view.