Page 59 - North Star Magazine 2022

“How fast can you ride to the capital?” Lou asked the courier, a skinny girl in leather armor. “Three days, sir,” the girl replied.
“Excellent. Send this letter to her Majesty, Empress Nessta. If they question you, show them the seal on the envelope. Leave immediately.”
“Yes, sir,” The girl spoke as she ran out the door and to the stable. The beast she rode was a Masai, the fastest animal on land. It had a long neck that sat below a small bald head, black eyes, and a pale pink beak. The animal’s body was thick and feathered and its legs were long and muscular. The Masai’s feet were harder than the hooves of a horse, and more flexible than the body of a snake, which allowed the beast to travel over any terrain, even water given the speed of its run.
An ominous grin spread across Lou’s face.
“There is a dangerous sorcerer hiding in a nearby village. Only my squad will enter the town for the time being. No mention of our occupation will be mentioned outside of this post, or consequences will ensue. Is this understood?” Lou announced.
“Yes, sir,” the guards shouted back in unison.
Lou walked out of the building and looked at his surroundings. What a beautiful place to hide, he thought to himself. The Eastern Plains were so flat you could practically see the ocean’s waves crashing into the bay in the south. To the North the mountain tops rose higher than the clouds, and the west was accented by few rolling hills and plots of farmland. Lou looked back inside the station. The guards were still standing, saluting their superior. He looked back at them and shouted, “At ease.”
Lou called over his second in command. “There’s something you want to ask, I can tell.”
The man in armor got straight to the point, “Yes, sir. How do you know the man is a sorcerer?” Lou let out a satisfied, unholy laugh as three words rolled off his tongue.
“He was lying.”