The councilors residing in the small cave that acted as the Kurite’s war room raged at each other, the uproar heard from several tunnels over.
“We do not have the manpower to liberate Pyran from Malirran rule,” a rough male voice said. “Our people have no desire to rule that backward kingdom.”
Pahla yelled, “The Malirrans will only return once their army regains its numbers. We cannot allow this Lukar to grab a deeper hold. We must take the offensive.”
“No, absolutely not, Pahla. We won the battle last evening, bu—”
Jaure interrupted, We’ve lost the element of surprise. Our enemy now knows at least some of our secrets. They’ll be ready next time. We have no choice.
Banned from entering the make-shift war room, Skye sat in the hallway and listened to the Kurite leaders. Some of the Kurites in the room were correct; there were not enough Pyranni warriors left inside Gharra to soundly defeat the Malirrans. Wait. An inkling of a plan took root. He sat up with a jerk.
Eiren whispered, You have that look again. What are you planning now?
Remember all the warriors we crossed paths with in the Gais Desert? Have you heard whether they returned to Pyran?
Confusion slithered through their bond. I am not certain. The Malirrans’ presence took precedent, but at least a few scouts must have them within sight.
We need to find out. Can you grab Jaure’s attention?
She huffed. Using Jaure’s guilt to further your own agenda will only work for a short time.
Seeing nothing but her gold eyes in the pitch-black tunnel, he grinned, unrepentant. I’ll use whoever I need to end this war. I’ll explain the beginnings of my plan once everyone is together.
I know, and I do not dispute your tactics. My Lord, any plan you develop should never be doubted. No need to explain before it is time.
Skye pictured the white paka in his mind, not wanting their conversation to overlap into the other two bonds. Chion, where are you and Lara?
He waited until the solid presence of Chion connected with his mind. As Eiren recommended, I took Lara away from the army. She needed time to strengthen her shield. Do you need us? She sleeps at the moment. Skye felt the paka’s concern and hated to add to his worry.
Pausing in mid-thought, he asked, How is she?
Silence met his question, and Skye could almost feel Chion examining the woman in question. I believe the rest does her good. Her shield is stronger than ever, though the battle tested it. She can now maintain her shield while she sleeps. We left as much for her sanity as the Kurites’ safety. One nightmare caught me unaware, and it took several attempts to wake her.
Skye grunted. I’m glad the little time we spent working on her shield made such a difference. Unfortunately, I need both of you back here. I think there may be a way to end this war once and for all. However, I don’t think the councilors will agree without persuasion from all four of us.
A deep chuckle rumbled through the link. Ah, your few words will intrigue My Lady, most certainly. I admit my curiosity is aroused as well. Give us a short time to reach you. Where are you?
Outside the war room, though I doubt we’ll stay here. Eiren went inside to grab Jaure. Most won’t notice her presence unless she desires. He didn’t try to hide from Chion the pride he felt about Eiren’s ability to sneak past even the most vigilant guard.
The idiots still refuse you entrance?
He scoffed. Minds do not change, no matter what we have given to Kureto. At least half of the war councilors acknowledge my assistance; the others still don’t trust me. Lan’Ai bond, or not.
A long moment passed before Chion spoke again. I woke Solara. I want her to eat before we leave the waystation. I will contact Eiren on our return.
Their conversation ended just in time. My Lord, Eiren said, I brought Jaure and two of the war commanders.
Skye rose to his feet and pulled his magic around him. His other sight turned on with what felt like a snap. He rearranged his sword on his hip before nodding to all three of them. Getting to the point, he said, “I think I have a plan to rout out the Malirran army from Pyran, but I need help in bringing it to fruition.”
Skeptical silence met his statement except for Eiren’s hiss of annoyance. He spent the time slamming mirrors around the five of them. The relief was instantaneous. Eiren, he cautioned, we need their help.
I don’t know the plan, and I’m willing to listen. After all we’ve done for them, the councilors still do not trust us. I tire of it. Her indignation made him laugh through their link, though he made sure to keep his amusement from reaching his face.
He reached down and scratched her ear. Chion was the same. You must remember that we’re all bonded and trust each other. Besides, the warriors respect us. Word has traveled through the ranks of our Lan’Ai bond. Haven’t you heard the whispers? And remember, it isn’t all the councilors, simply the most outspoken. He only received a haughty sniff for his trouble.
Marum spoke up at last, “You’ve been listening to our debate, am I right?”
At Skye’s nod, the older man sighed. “I swear on the Goddess we are not always this indecisive.” To that, Skye shrugged. He really didn’t care. Politics made him itch.
When the other man, whose name Eiren provided in a whisper—Ugert, opened his mouth, no doubt to argue, Marum shouted, “Enough!”
The discussion inside the war room went silent. Shifting the mirrors to cover the room, Skye noted when all the men, women, and pakas turned toward the entryway. Marum continued, “We go in circles and more circles. The arguments never change. If we need another individual to bring an end to our impasse, so be it. I have men and women injured that I’ve yet had time to see. My dead need peace and to receive the honor due them. Rites must be attended to before that can happen.”
The man reached out, put his hand on Skye’s shoulder, and steered him into the room without another word. A path opened up for him. Eiren whispered, Chion and Lara are on the outskirts of the army’s encampment.
Skye rubbed his jaw, scratching at the dirt caked in his beard. This didn’t take quite as long as I thought. I thought it would take all evening. I cannot wait until they are here. Keep them updated on the conversation until they arrive?
Of course, My Lord.
Jaure announced to the room, The Lan’Ai, Skye, believes he has a means of defeating the Malirrans. Several of the councilors and their seconds crossed their arms, their rigid stance showing their disbelief.
“Half of you want to end the Malirran threat by marching into Pyran, right?” Skye’s blunt question took some of them by surprise.
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Again, Marum agreed, “Yes, as I’m sure you’ve overheard.”
Skye shook his head once. “The other half wants to end the Malirran threat but don’t wish to rule Pyran. Am I right?”
You are correct, Ai, a male paka spoke from the other side of the room.
“Then use the men not under your command.” He shrugged. “Let the Pyranni warriors fight their own battle. I imagine when Lukar and his remaining men return to Gharra, the Pyranni rebellion will seek the most opportune moment to strike.”
One woman mused, “You are saying to stay out of it. It isn’t our battle.”
Before he could negate her conclusion, Marum rubbed his fist across his forehead and said, “I doubt the young Lan’Ai would ever leave the Malirran evil to rot out his homeland. As we all know, disease in one crop quickly spreads to the entire field.” The man slowly shook his head. “No, I think Skye Silverhand has a far more devious plan.”
Chion’s deep voice rebounded as both he and Lara stepped into the room. My Lord always has a plan. The paka’s grave eyes turned his way. Please, now that we are all here, share your idea. You have the greatest tactical minds in this room. We will need them to accomplish whatever you plan to do.
Taking his cue from Chion’s demeanor and words, Skye bowed to the room. He then turned to Marum. “Sire, I admit I know nothing about planting crops, but I do believe the evil the Malirrans worship and their magic will spread if we don’t stop them.” He looked around the room. “You all know that my old battlemate learned that the commanders and the Malirran king have powers that greatly differ from the Tal’Ai magic Kurites gain. Dane relayed to us that they are stronger and faster than ordinary men. Another Pyranni warrior shared with Dane also, though still unsubstantiated by someone I trust, that they have highly developed senses. Thankfully, not every soldier in the Malirran army have these traits. Otherwise, our attack on the forces that entered the tunnels yesterday might have ended differently.”
A female paka queried, How do we know for certain? Skye was about to answer when she continued, Has anyone determined why only certain Malirrans have these magical abilities?
Lara voice quavered before firming. “No one knows for sure, but we,” she gestured to the four Lan’Ai, “think their powers come from the eating of flesh. I’m talking about human flesh. I think I met this Lukar the first time I escaped from the Malirran officer.” Lara included everyone in the sweep of her head, starting on the right and twisted until she faced the last person by the entrance. “The evil rampant in his body scared me to death, and I was insane at the time. I mean true insanity in every sense of the word. There was not one drop of human thought left in me. His evil far surpassed all my senses for survival. I wanted to run and hide from the black oil that oozed from him. I felt him long before he was within my sight.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, and Skye felt the haunted feeling creep through their bond. He sent soothing calm back to her. The only sound he could hear came from farther down the tunnel. Few people, aside from the two pakas and he, had heard Lara tell of her experience.
After taking a few deep breaths, she apologized, “Sorry, the feeling is like nothing you’ve ever felt before. Where I’m going with this is that I think the Malirran king eats more human flesh than any of the others, though I bet they aren’t far behind him. I also bet that the king subsists only on human flesh and nothing else.” She straightened and nodded to the paka who asked the question. “As to why only a few would do such a disgusting thing. Well, greed for power is common in all countries and people. I’ve definitely seen it happen on my world time and time again. I doubt it is any different here. Just imagine, what better way to control your people and the countries of those you intend to conquer than to hoard such a strong magic?”
Jaure pointed out after a lengthy pause, I must agree with your assessment. Feeding an entire army human flesh would decimate the Pyranni population. After the initial purge of the nobility, the commoners still reside inside Gharra’s walls. My spies also relayed that no Pyranni captives from the surrounding area are taken into Gharra.
Everyone considered the new information. A few shuffled their feet; the rustle of clothing filled the small room. A low murmur took up and quickly escalated into exclamations of disgust.
Marum whistled to regain everyone’s attention before motioning to Skye. “Young Ai, now that we are all aware of the danger the Malirrans represent, tell us your plan.”
Skye tapped the table. “Jaure, are your scouts still keeping track of the Pyranni warriors in the desert, or have the supposed deserters returned to Pyran?”
Yes, they’ve gathered half a day’s walk from here if one takes a direct route across the desert. At last count, there are several hundred, though the number fluctuates as they cross the border to hunt for food.
Pahla—if he remembered correctly—muttered under her breath, “Their choice to stay in the Gais Desert makes more sense. I never understood before.”
Skye let the comment go, choosing to stay on topic. “Here is what I’m thinking. The few Pyrannis I spoke with shared their discontent and their fear. They want to go home. They want to regain their honor. However, they lost their king and all the commanders in the army. No one leads them, and so they wait for when the time is right to fight back.” He rubbed his shoulder, which was still stiff from yesterday’s battle. “They all have their weapons, and many ride kotis.”
He could practically hear the frown in Pahla’s voice. “You want us to approach them and take command of a ragtag group of warriors?”
Slicing his hand in the air, Skye negated, “Not at all. I will approach them and lead them back. Here is the downside. Despite the loss of King Ragnar, I am still an outcast. They will not follow me into battle, even against the Malirrans. If I can entice them to follow me back to Gharra, Dane will lead them in routing the Malirran soldiers without magic.”
Chion, please ask Jaure if I can discuss the trapdoors located under Gharra and in the castle’s dungeon. Before I share the next part of my strategy, I need to know if everyone present should have this knowledge. I gathered from Neal and Cai the information was highly sensitive and known by only a few.
He knocked his fist against the table to keep their attention on him. “This is merely the first part of my plan. I will need help with the second half. Logic dictates that Lukar and the few left of his council can only be terminated by those of us who have magic that can counter or overcome their power.”
He paused when Chion replied, If they do not know already, they will now. Continue.
With a small bow to Jaure, Skye resumed his explanation. “The Tal’Ai pair that took Chion, Eiren, and me to Gharra to rescue Solara grudgingly provided a means of entering the city without ever going through the gates.”
Jaure interrupted, Kurite spies have used the trapdoors hidden around Gharra throughout the war. Tunnels interlace beneath the city. The Ais, Neal and Cai, keep watch at one such trapdoor to gather surveillance information from Dane. It is because of these trapdoors that we learned the Malirrans have magic.
“My recommendation,” Skye continued, “is a two-prong attack. Let the Pyranni warriors provide the diversion in the city of Gharra, removing the possibility that Malirran guards and patrols outside the castle grounds will hear anything untoward from inside. One trapdoor leads directly into the castle through its dungeon. Have a small contingent of Tal’Ais sneak into the castle and kill the Malirran king and his remaining inner circle.”
The noise level stopped him from saying another word. Every head in the room, both feline and human, leaned toward someone else. Tails and ears twitched with restored purpose while heads nodded and arms waved in animation.
Using the Lan’Ai bond, Lara’s words were interspersed with amazed laughter, And there’s the bomb we needed to kill them. Oh, baby, she breathed. Wow. Just… wow.
Skye almost rolled his eyes at the woman’s words, but pleasure rushed through him at making her laugh. They all needed more gaiety, especially for what they intended to do next. From the movies he’d seen, he actually knew what a bomb was for once.
Chion hummed. Devious, indeed. It could work.
Lara stepped up next to him and grabbed ahold of his hand in a fierce grip. You really think we can storm the castle from the inside out.
It wasn’t a question, but he nodded all the same. We’ll need help.
Yes, Eiren agreed.
They waited until the room quieted, and each councilor nodded. Pahla approached the table with a resolute stride. “We need a scribe,” she called to the attendants waiting out in the hall. “We need to coordinate our resources and troops. In this matter, like any war matter, Malkese’s leaders will have final approval for any decision we make.”
Two attendants scrambled into the room with parchment and ink in their hands. They quickly laid out the items before bowing to the room at large. The young woman dabbed at the ink well with the quill and froze, her hand hovering over the parchment.
For the first time today, Skye heard Gerant speak up, “Have your commanders determine which Tal’Ais have offensive magic that can counter the Malirrans. They must have mastery over their chosen weapons. Make sure your officers identify each pair’s ability for both magic and weapons.”
“For the danger this endeavor poses,” Marum added, “I vote that all Tal’Ais we determine capable are given the opportunity to turn down the assignment. Our warriors are not cowards, but this is nigh a suicide mission.”
Gerant barked, “Say nay if you disagree.”
Skye could only hear breathing fill the small room for a long stretch of time.
Whoa, Lara hooted. Did they actually agree to move forward with the planning? I thought it’d take days to convince them. Skye squeezed Lara’s hand, unable to keep his own elation in check.
As they waited, Eiren explained, There is no time to waste. The longer we take to plan our next move, the more time the Malirrans have to prepare and strengthen their position.