It was only a day and a half journey to the western coast on horseback, and by late morning Nurlan could just make out the line of the ocean on the horizon. He dug his heels into his steed, wanting to arrive before the noonday meal was served to the troops. Outside the small town, a camp of soldiers' tents were erected around a larger tent and cookfire in the center. Reaching the edge of the camp, Nurlan dismounted and headed for the largest canvas building.

"General Nurlan!" The senior officer inside the tent stood and greeted the newcomer. "We have been expecting you." Both Nurlan and Junayd outranked all but the highest commander in the military. They each held the title of General. Had they not wished to be the personal guards of the Emperor and Empress, they could have had shining military careers.

"You have a large group here," Nurlan observed as the men sat down to discuss business. "Have you run into any trouble since you got here?"

"No sir," Lieutenant Mund said. He was a slight man, but had a booming voice. It was a little like hearing a lion's voice come out of a mouse, and Nurlan lowered his own voice to match.

"Very good. Report, lieutenant." Nurlan leaned back comfortably in his chair, but his mind was focused.

"As usual, the pirates were gone before we arrived. No one wants to talk to us. They are very afraid. We have set up a perimeter and brought them supplies to rebuild, but I am not sure what else we can do." Mund gave a report of their actions. He was glad that Nurlan was there. Every town they had been to either rejected or only tentatively accepted their protection. He knew they feared retaliation or another attack as soon as the soldiers moved on. If Nurlan could find a permanent solution, then they could make a real difference.

"And the mayor?" The bulky soldier asked as a servant brought in two piping hot bowls of food. Each man graciously received his and ate.

"That is the most puzzling part. The mayor says he knows nothing, and I do not think he is pretending. Every mayor has the same story…" Mund's voice trailed off.

"I would like to speak with him. After I finish this delicious food, that is. Give the cook my compliments."

Just then a loud bang caused the ground to shake slightly. Nurlan was on his feet at once, but Mund sighed. "Not again," the lieutenant mumbled.

The two men exited the tent and found a boy putting out a smoldering pile of ash with a bucket of water. "Renat! What the blazes are you doing?!"

Renat stamped at the last bit of smoke. By his thin, lanky frame, Nurlan could guess that he was not a solider. "Sorry, Lieutenant! It got away from me. I almost have the mixture right." Renat stood straight and saluted.

"You know you cannot do that inside the camp. What if you caught the tents on fire? What if the townspeople start to complain about your mishaps? And besides, weren't you supposed to be cleaning up from lunch?" Mund's words all ran together. It seemed this was a regular occurrence.

Renat defended himself. "The dishes are all cleaned and stored except for yours and the general's. And I will not do it inside the camp again, sir. I promise."

"You have said that before…" Mund muttered as he rubbed his forehead, but he let the matter drop. "General Nurlan, this scrap of a boy is Renat. At our base, he is one of the kitchen boys, but out on assignment he is the camp cook."

Nurlan raised an eyebrow at the nineteen-year-old. "So you are the creator of that delicious dish just now? It was quite impressive."

Renat put his hand behind his neck and scratched. "Cooking is just a hobby really. Science is my passion."

"And what is this magic you have going on?" Nurlan bent down and sniffed at the charred ground.

"Science, sir," Renat corrected without thinking. Fortunately the general did not seem to mind. The correction actually intrigued him.

"Science or magic….What is the difference?" Nurlan asked, placing his hands behind his back and relaxing his stance.

Renat gave a weak smile. "Science can be explained, examined and repeated. Magic is just a fairy tale:"

Now the General was highly amused, "When you have lived as long as I have, I think you will redefine what is and is not a fairy tale, my boy."

Renat did not understand, but he nodded. "Yes sir."

"Clean up this mess, now!" Mund ordered the cook. To Nurlan he said, "Whenever you are ready, I will take you into town, General."

Nurlan gave an affirmative gesture. "I am ready now. Let's go." He turned to the boy. "We should talk more about your science later."

"Please excuse Renat," Mund said as they walked toward town. "He has a lot of big ideas."

"He is an inventor?" Nurlan asked.

"Of sorts. Though his things are just as likely to explode as they are to work—as you saw." Mund frowned. He just realized that his favorite chair had been where the pile of ash now was.

"But some of them work?" The general wanted to know.

"Oh yes, some come quite in handy. The hand pump he made that takes the salt out of water is my favorite. We don't have to traipse all the way to a river to get fresh water anymore."

"We could use someone like that at the palace."

Mund nodded. "And you can have him. It will cause me far less trouble if I don't have to worry what will catch fire next. All I ask is that you find me a new camp cook that is decent …and leave me the water pump."

—————————

"As I told the lieutenant, I don't know how the pirates took control of the town. I have no memory of what happened." The mayor squirmed in his seat.

"I find that hard to believe." Nurlan placed one hand on his hip, conveniently close to his sword.

"It is true. I swear! Ask anyone in my family. The last thing I recall was a knock at my door in the middle of the night and then…nothing."

"Nothing at all?"

The mayor scrunched his face. "Well that is not exactly true. I do remember a light. A ball of light too beautiful to describe. It reminded me of a star. But that couldn't be, could it? It must have been a dream."

Nurlan knew of a few magical objects, but none of them matched the description just now. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"The light was pleasant. So pleasant I didn't want to eat, sleep or move. When I finally came around, I was so famished and tired that I was completely useless for a whole day. The townspeople woke me and my family, saying we had been missing for two weeks. I only know about the pirates from their stories." The mayor's eyes were wet with tears. Nurlan looked at the man's clothing. The once portly man had lost quite a bit of weight. His tunic was sagging on his body.

After questioning the mayor's wife and children, Nurlan was even more convinced that something magical had happened. After the meeting, Mund confirmed that other town leaders had similar stories.

"What do you think happened?" The lieutenant asked.

Nurlan eyed him carefully. "Do you believe in fairy tales?"