Island of Darkness (48 page)

“Will you be able to find the correct spot to aim your air tunnel?” he asked.

“I think so,” nodded SkyDancer. “I will extend it until I no longer hear the sounds of the camp. That will let me know that I am at the edge.”

“And it will be at a right angle from HawkShadow’s penetration point?” pushed the giant.

“It will be right where he requested it,” comforted SkyDancer. “Do not be so nervous. My part in this is minimal, but I can execute it flawlessly. You will have to move swiftly to get into position when you are done here.”

“Bertha can get me where I want to go,” smiled Goral.

“I can’t believe that you named your choka,” chuckled SkyDancer. “How do you tell her apart from the others?”

“She is the largest choka of all,” grinned Goral. “She is the only one I ride.”

The conversation died as SkyDancer tried to catch sight of HawkShadow through the dark forest. Even though she knew where he should be, she was unable to detect him. She wove her air tunnel into the camp and then slowly moved it at a right angle to HawkShadow’s intended path. She listened to snores and soft conversations as she moved the air tunnel. Finally, the nighttime noises of the forest were all that she could hear. She pulled the air tunnel back until she heard the first human sound. She kept the tube pressurized so that the tunnel was hearing only and would not transmit her voice or Goral’s.

“The air tunnel is properly positioned,” SkyDancer announced quietly. “Can you see HawkShadow?”

Goral did not respond for several minutes as his eyes peered into the darkness. The only light penetrating the dark forest came from the Omungan camp. Although the fires burned low, the illumination was relatively bright compared to the surrounding woods.

“I see him,” Goral finally said. “He is ready to take the sentry. Open the air tunnel for me.”

SkyDancer reversed the pressure in the tube and tapped Goral on the arm.

“What was that?” Goral bellowed. “It looked like a ghost. Did you see that person floating over the ground?”

SkyDancer immediately reversed the flow and listened in. She chuckled softly as the Omungan sentries reacted with alarm. The alarm spread rapidly through the camp until every waking sentry knew that something was amiss on the perimeter.

It was precisely at that moment that HawkShadow struck. He had managed to get within a dozen paces of the selected sentry. He leaned out from behind the giant fargi tree and let his Sakovan star fly through the air. It struck the sentry in the side of the head just behind his eye. The sentry wobbled briefly and then fell to the ground.

HawkShadow dropped to the ground and silently crawled to the fallen sentry. He had chosen this particular sentry because the man was not visible to his own troops. HawkShadow slid next to the body and checked it for signs of life, although he already knew the man was dead. He quietly stripped the man of his uniform. HawkShadow dressed himself in the sentry’s uniform and then stood up. While the sentry’s position had not been visible to the other sentries, HawkShadow moved slightly so that he was visible. He stood in the open waiting for any response that might come. While he was ready to bolt at the first sign of a problem, neither of the nearest sentries appeared to be alarmed when they noticed him.

HawkShadow stood in the open for half an hour, pretending to be a bored sentry. Long after the camp had quieted down from Goral’s announcement of a ghost, HawkShadow stuffed a pipe with bocco and set a striker to it. He inhaled deeply until the bocco glowed red, a small cloud of smoke rising lazily upward.

“Put that out,” one of the closest sentries called softly. “The general will hang you for that.”

HawkShadow gazed casually at the sentries on each side of him before dumping the contents of his pipe on the ground and stamping it out. He waited five minutes before proceeding with his plan.

“I have to have a smoke,” he whispered loudly. “Cover for me for a few minutes. I won’t be long.”

HawkShadow grinned at the hesitation of the nearest sentry. He swiftly turned and strode into the camp before the sentry could object. The hairs on his neck rose to attention as he walked casually into the encampment. He knew at least one of the sentries was watching him, probably with foul thoughts on his mind.

HawkShadow suddenly changed his course to put a tent between him and the sentries. He turned again and knew that the sentries would return to their boring duty once they lost sight of him. He walked casually through the camp as if he was a soldier who had trouble sleeping, or maybe one on the way to relieve himself. No one paid any attention to him. He moved constantly towards the center of the camp and finally saw the towering tent that must belong to the general.

HawkShadow walked past the great tent nonchalantly as he sized up the security. There were two Imperial Guards standing at the front flap, but the other three sides were unprotected. The assassin turned perpendicular to his previous path and walked on. He made two more widely spaced right turns until he was walking towards the rear of the great tent. His eyes roved over the surrounding campfires to see if anyone was awake. He saw no one stirring and smiled inwardly.

HawkShadow stopped at the rear of the general’s tent and fumbled with his pipe. While one hand moved exaggeratedly with the pipe, his other hand slid a knife into the fabric of the tent. He pulled the knife upward, slitting the material of the tent. He dropped the pipe when he heard the sound of a tiny bell and felt the knife rub against a metal wire. He cursed inwardly as he realized that General Valdey had taken precautions against such an entry. HawkShadow immediately moved around the corner of the tent and approached the front. He did not have long to wait before an Imperial Guard came around the corner. The Sakovan assassin was ready for him. HawkShadow extended his arm swiftly and shoved a knife into the throat of the Imperial Guard. The man gurgled as his body sagged. HawkShadow pulled his knife free and let the body fall to the ground.

The assassin immediately turned around and moved towards the rear of the tent. He heard the other Imperial Guard breathing heavy where the canvas was cut. HawkShadow stepped around the corner as if he were the missing soldier. The Imperial Guard looked up from where he was crouched down examining the tent and saw HawkShadow’s face. His mouth opened to shout an alarm, but HawkShadow’s foot rose faster. The assassin kicked the Imperial Guard in the face and dove on top of his body as it fell. HawkShadow’s knife dug into the man’s throat as his free hand covered the man’s mouth. The Imperial Guard struggled briefly and then fell silent.

HawkShadow rose hesitantly as his eyes scanned the nearby area. He wanted to hide the bodies of the Imperial Guards, but he knew that he was out of time. He walked around to the front of the tent and entered through the flap. HawkShadow moved swiftly to the general’s bed and slit the officer’s throat. He removed a Sakovan star from his pouch and laid it on General Valdey’s chest.

As HawkShadow exited the great tent, he heard a cry of alarm from behind it. One of the bodies had been discovered. The Sakovan assassin tried to put as much distance between the great tent and himself as he could, but the whole camp was coming alive. In desperation, HawkShadow fell to the ground behind a small tent and pretended to be asleep. Soldiers started shouting and running as the intruder alarm blared through the still night. The horns started in the center of the camp and quickly spread outward. Only moments after he had feigned sleep, soldiers were kicking him and shouting for him to get up.

HawkShadow rose and pretended to look around with drowsy eyes. He searched desperately for some way to justify heading in the opposite direction of the other soldiers who were racing towards the great tent. He smiled when he saw still-sleeping soldiers between him and the edge of the encampment. He moved swiftly towards them and began kicking them and shouting for them to get up.

A new horn sounded in the distance, its tone more urgent as if it was a call to battle. HawkShadow knew that it was the diversion that Goral promised. He continued kicking soldiers and shouting at them to get up, but he was running out of targets. The whole camp was alive as Imperial Guards grabbed their weapons and raced towards the blaring horns. The Sakovan assassin was near his entry point when he saw the sentries staring at him. He waved to them and boldly walked towards his previous post.

“What is going on in there?” asked one of the sentries. “It sounds like we are being attacked.”

“I think you are right,” HawkShadow replied softly. “You would think they could at least wait until my smoke was finished.”

“You are lucky to be alive,” spat the sentry. “Don’t ever walk off like that again. If you do, I will report you myself.”

HawkShadow shrugged and turned his back on the sentry. He slowly moved towards the hidden position the original sentry had maintained. When he was sure that he was hidden, HawkShadow dropped to the ground and quickly shed his white uniform. He crawled away from the perimeter as fast as he dared to. Before he managed to return to where SkyDancer was waiting, he heard shouts from the two sentries. Evidently they had discovered the dead Imperial Guard. HawkShadow heard the two Imperial Guards racing through the woods shouting about an intruder. He rose and ran for his life.

As HawkShadow neared the small clearing, he heard the song of an arrow race past his head. He heard a cry from behind him as he raced into the clearing and saw SkyDancer nocking another arrow to her bow. She let the arrow fly, and he heard another anguished cry.

“Let’s ride,” SkyDancer said as she dropped her bow and leaped onto a waiting choka.

HawkShadow raced to the other choka and jumped onto it. The warbird leaped forward as if startled, but it quickly recovered and ran after SkyDancer’s choka. They sped away from the encampment without looking back. Half an hour later they arrived at the rendezvous point and dismounted to wait for Goral. HawkShadow paced the small clearing as the appointed time for Goral to arrive came and went.

“Calm down,” urged SkyDancer. “Goral can take care of himself.”

“My attack was sloppy,” scowled HawkShadow. “The tent was alarmed with a small bell. I had to leave the bodies of two Imperial Guards for others to discover. I will not forgive myself if Goral had to pay the price for my mistake.”

“That is why you like working alone, isn’t it?” SkyDancer asked with compassion. “You worry more about others getting hurt than you do about yourself.”

“I suppose I do,” HawkShadow nodded after a while. “I see the risks I take as necessary, but I can stretch too far sometimes. I am willing to take the risks myself, but when others are involved I find myself choosing the safest path. That is not the way I like to work.”

“You need to learn that others are more than willing to assume the same risks that you are,” smiled SkyDancer. “Goral and I may not have your skill, but we push hard in our own endeavors. Do not try to protect us. Do what Kaltara has chosen for you. He will watch over us.”

“I hope he is watching over Goral right now,” sighed HawkShadow. “I would not have escaped without his diversion. I owe my life to him.”

“Get your mind off him,” urged SkyDancer. “It only makes the waiting harder.”

“I can’t,” HawkShadow shook his head. “How can I think of anything else?”

SkyDancer smiled as she groaned and felt her side. HawkShadow frowned as he rushed to her. He ran his hand under her tunic and felt the wound.

“Your wound is heating up,” he said anxiously. “It may be infected. How do you feel?”

“I feel as if your hand belongs there,” grinned SkyDancer.

HawkShadow blushed as he pulled his hand away. “I did not mean any disrespect,” apologized the Sakovan assassin. “I am just concerned about your health.”

SkyDancer turned and gazed into HawkShadow’s eyes. A smile spread slowly across her lips as they stared at each other.

“I love you, too,” SkyDancer said softly. “Just so you know.”

“Am I interrupting anything?” Goral asked as he walked into the clearing leading Bertha.

HawkShadow and SkyDancer turned as one. Each of them was embarrassed by their failure to detect the arrival of the giant.

“What happened to you?” HawkShadow finally asked.

“Bertha took an arrow,” shrugged Goral. “I could not stand to ride her hard. Will you look at her, SkyDancer? You at least know some healing magic.”

“Certainly,” smiled SkyDancer as she winked at Goral on her way to the choka.

“I was worried about you,” HawkShadow said casually.

“And I about you, assassin,” grinned Goral. “I was glad to see that you were in good hands when I finally did arrive.”

HawkShadow grinned at the gentle giant and slapped him on the back.

* * *

The column of Imperial Guards sat around the campfire a short distance from Fortung. A short distance away from the fire, General Papper sat talking to the Star of Sakova.

“Do you really think that they are waiting for me in Fortung?” asked Lyra.

“I am not sure,” admitted General Papper, “but we will know soon. The two men that I sent on ahead are good men. If the Imperial Guards in Fortung have been given orders to arrest you on sight, they will discover it.”

“I appreciate your escorting me,” smiled Lyra. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I felt as if I did,” the general responded. “I know how I would have reacted to your arrival if I was forewarned of it. I suspect that General Smythe will react the same. At least with our escort, they will not dare to attack without knowing why we are here first. That will give you ample time to flee.”

“You sound like you do not trust General Smythe,” commented the Star of Sakova.

“I trust the general,” corrected General Papper. “Smythe is a good man, but he takes his duty seriously. If General Manitow was not able to convince him of the need for Fortung to defect, Smythe will be a stubborn adversary.”

“And if General Manitow did get through to him?” posed Lyra. “How will General Smythe react then?”

“I am not sure,” conceded the general of Gatong. “I suspect that he will not be totally convinced without talking to you first, but he may be receptive to such a conversation. It is hard to predict reactions to things that were unthinkable only days ago.”