by Pedro Urvi
Broken-hearted, she found the bodies of the other Selected, and panic overcame her. She knelt beside them and found Yosane. Her face was ashen, her small body damp and covered with bruises. Beside her she found Idana, whose face showed there was no life in her.
“Help me, Ikai, please!” she cried, and began to pull them both. Ikai helped her. They brought them outside and laid them on the sand. Kyra put her hands on Yosane’s face, and her tears fell on the eyes of her fearful and intelligent friend. She held Idana’s cold hand in hers. Kyra thought her heart would burst into a thousand pieces.
She turned to Notaplo. “I beg you, save them,” she pleaded, sobbing. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me, but save them!”
Notaplo came to her side. I do not know if I can.
“Please try.”
Only those who drank the reactive with you have a chance. The rest, I fear, have gone now. There is no life left in them.
Kyra understood what had saved her: the reactive. She looked at Notaplo, who nodded.
You chose well… the Erudite said.
“Both of them drank with me, I’m sure, and the fourth one was… Urda,” she said, pointing to her.
“I’ll get her,” Ikai said, and brought Urda to where Yosane and Idana lay.
Notaplo looked at his master for permission. Adamis nodded.
I will try, but there is no guarantee… Notaplo said.
From his tunic he brought out three discs, all of them with a golden nugget in the center. He knelt carefully, leaning on his staff, and placed them on the girls’ foreheads.
They all watched in silence. The same process which had taken place with Kyra was repeated with the three Selected. When it had finished, Notaplo withdrew the discs and put them away. There was a moment of tension when nothing happened. And then Yosane began to convulse, Idana followed her, and finally it was Urda’s turn to shake uncontrollably. Kyra watched speechless, with such a tight knot in her throat that she could not swallow, and could barely breathe.
Yosane’s eyelids moved, and her small gray eyes looked up at the sky.
“Yosane!” Kyra cried euphorically, and threw herself at her.
“What… what’s happening?” muttered the little constructor, with a look of wonder.
“Yosane! You’re alive! Alive!” Kyra was shouting, hugging her with tears of happiness running down her cheeks.
Idana sat up and looked around with her prominent blue eyes. There was a look of astonishment on her pale freckled face. Her curly hair was a mess of dirt.
“Where are we?” the apothecary asked in confusion, gazing at the sky.
Kyra got to her knees and embraced Idana.
“Idana, you’re all right! Oh, how wonderful!” They hugged and cried with pure happiness at being together and alive.
“I can’t… believe… we’re together again…” Yosane murmured, her eyes still filled with tears, staring at the faces of her two friends.
“Survive and escape, I told you,” Kyra reminded Yosane as she dried her tears with her sleeve. “Survive and escape!”
Yosane smiled and took Kyra’s face in her hands.
“I was always telling myself that, particularly at the worst moments… I remembered your words, and they gave me strength to go on. Survive and escape!” she said with a sweet smile.
“I hadn’t lost hope… I always wanted to think we’d survive… somehow… I always kept the hope,” murmured Idana.
Kyra ruffled her tangled hair. “You’ve always been kind, generous and willing, and your great heart has room for all our hopes.”
Idana, Kyra and Yosane threw their arms around one another. For some time they did not move, locked together in a fraternal embrace, as the horrifying experience had made sisters for life of the three girls.
Ikai watched them with joy in his soul at having found Kyra and seeing her happy, even if it were only for one tiny moment in that universe of hostile, ruthless Gods.
Kyra looked for her brother and smiled at him from the bottom of her heart. Then she saw Urda, sitting with her shoulders slumped, at the opening to the temple, gazing in silence at Lian’s corpse. Kyra went over to her and gazed at the bodies of the remaining twelve: Lian, Kata, Lirune, Jismen, Miru, and the others.
“They didn’t deserve this…” Urda said sadly.
“No, they didn’t deserve it,” Idana said, coming over to them. “I’d give anything to have been able to prevent their deaths… Why them and not me is beyond me, but I’d gladly have given my life for theirs.”
“That does you credit,” Yosane said. She put her hand on the apothecary’s shoulder.
Kyra turned to Notaplo. “I beg you, if there’s anything that can be done for them…” she said, her soul bleeding for the loss of her companions.
Notaplo shook his head. They are gone now. There is no life in them. There is nothing I can do for them. I am sorry.
Yosane knelt before the fallen. “Let’s say our farewells,” she said tearfully.
The four survivors knelt in silence. Idana chanted an ancient prayer from the Senoca funeral rites, one to Mother Sea and the other to Father Moon, so they would gather the departed into their bosoms. Then, crossing her arms over her chest, she prayed:
“Oxatsi, watch over them, daughters of your chosen people, let them dwell in your infinite kingdom.” She turned with arms spread out towards Mother Sea. Behind her Kyra, Yosane and Urda followed her example. “Protect them from all evil and ensure their eternal happiness, Father Moon, that which they could not find among men. May this short earthly life become infinite and joyful in the arms of Mother Sea and Father Moon.” She raised her arms to the sky, and the other three girls did the same.
They were silent for a long moment.
Yosane rose to her feet with tears in her eyes, not only of sadness but of rage. “Before the bodies of my murdered companions I swear I shall never fear again, that my legs shall never again tremble, nor my spirit fail before horror and injustice! I shall gather strength from their memory when fear assails me, to fight, for them, for their courage.”
Kyra smiled at her. “That’s a good funeral vow. You honor the tradition.”
“And I’ll keep it. I’ll never again be the frightened, defenseless little animal I used to be. Never again.”
Urda nodded at her in recognition.
The sea breeze blew strongly, bringing moistness and a salty tang on its invisible wings, buffeting all those on the beach.
Lord Woz straightened and looked out at the horizon. He frowned. What I have witnessed here today is truly fascinating, he said with his hands behind his back. This Erudite of yours, Adamis, is a true eminence, I must admit. All the same, we prefer the dead to the living. They are much more useful to us…
We shall always disagree about that, Adamis replied carefully.
Lord Woz gave a small guffaw. I smell a storm, one which will soon fall on this beach, he said as he looked at the sky. So, my dear cousin, I am very sorry, but I must kindly ask you to leave our island and take your “living” with you. It is time for us to harvest our dead.
We are in the House of Hila and its laws we respect. We are leaving, Adamis said with a small bow. He looked at Kyra and beckoned her discreetly to follow him.
An ominous gust of wind hit them.
Not so fast! came a fierce, booming voice.
They all turned towards the sound. Three figures were walking towards them from the portal. Kyra gave a muffled curse, and Yosane’s blood ran cold.
It was Lord Asu, and his eyes glittered with fury!
32
Lord Asu came toward them along the beach with flaming eyes, the scales of his golden armor shining with each step and his cape burning, whipped by the sea breeze. Beside the Prince of the House of Aureb came his giant Champion Iradu, wearing heavy crimson combat armor. Behind them followed a figure in dark clothes and a helmet with a mirror visor. They came to within five paces of Adamis and Rotec, who were watching them tensely, their fac
es grim. Kyra, Ikai and the rest of the group watched from several paces behind the two Gods of the House of Eret.
My dear Lord Asu, what an unexpected pleasure! Lord Woz said ironically.
Lord Asu gave him a hostile look and grimaced. He pointed a finger at him.
This is of no concern to you, or your House, he said.
That may be so, cousin, but I think you should remember where you are…
I know perfectly well which cursed sands I am treading and whose House they belong to, you do not need to worry about that. Now, if you will forgive us, I have a debt outstanding with these treacherous vermin. His finger stabbed at Adamis.
Lord Woz folded his arms. I shall be watching, he said, glancing along the beach, for though it is true this is none of my business, it does affect me, as this is my house…
Lord Asu nodded. His fiery gaze met that of Adamis. Oskas, my Master-Spy, he said, gesturing at the man in dark clothes, has informed me of an inconceivable betrayal perpetrated by the heir of the House of Eret himself. I did not want to believe such an accusation, but Oskas is infallible in his work, and when he discovers an undercover action he is rarely mistaken. I had no choice but to check the information myself. And what my eyes see — he glared at Yosane and her friends — is high treason, punishable by death.
Adamis straightened. There has been no treachery. That accusation lacks validity.
How dare you! Do you think I am blind? Or stupid perhaps? thundered Lord Asu. Those slaves are Selected!
They might be, but even so, no treason has been committed, Adamis said calmly. Rotec and Iradu on the other hand were tense. Their hands had gone to the hilts of their swords.
The law forbids any interference whatsoever with the Ceremony of Vivification. Those four slaves should have been consumed until there was not a single drop of life in their bodies for the good of our Fathers, the High Kings. If they are alive it is by your doing, and for that, death awaits you!
Or perhaps by some hazard of life, Notaplo intervened. It is not the first time a slave has survived the ritual…
Shut up, old man! No slave has survived in more than eight hundred years, since we finished perfecting the process of vivification!
Be that as it may, Adamis said, with the same calm his gray eyes conveyed, your accusations have no value without proof to back them with. You may take them before the Council, but the Five High Kings, now recovered with the vital essence of the Selected, will not be benevolent if you accuse a Prince of a rival House without proof.
They are my proof! Give them to me!
I am afraid I can do no such thing.
Kyra looked at her bracelet, then at Yosane. “The bastard is demanding Adamis to turn us over to him.”
Yosane stepped forward. “Never! Never again! You won’t imprison me again, subject me to your experiments, kill me the way you did with Gersa! Never!” Yosane shouted with her fist raised threateningly, her fear forgotten forever, the strength of determination and courage filling her heart.
Kyra in turn caught her friend’s fire, and her warrior spirit cried out for justice. “Someday you’ll pay for all this, for the thousands of defenseless lives you’ve sacrificed, for all the suffering and pain you’ve caused to men!”
Asu’s face twisted, and his eyes flamed so hard it seemed they would leap out of their sockets. How dare you address me like that, you filthy slaves? he yelled, beside himself with fury. Me! You shall pay for this affront with blood! I shall make you suffer until you lose your sanity. You will beg me to end your lives, but I will not, I shall inflict more pain, much more! So overwhelming was the Prince of Fire’s cry of wrath that the four girls received a brutal mental blow and fell to the ground.
I will not let you harm them, Adamis said. His gaze had turned fierce.
I can do what I please with them. They are slaves, and you are nobody to deny me my right.
The slaves were selected for one purpose, and they have fulfilled it. Now they are under my protection.
Lord Asu gave a hollow laugh. You have always been a weak prince. All the Houses say so: the prince who likes the company of slaves. Perhaps they would understand if it were a matter of the flesh; pleasure, after all, seduces all of us. But that is not your case, is it? No, it is much worse, you fraternize with those filthy cockroaches only because you are weak, repulsive, like them.
Your insults reveal only the weakness of your character.
Lord Asu clenched his jaw so hard that it almost broke. This is my last offer. You can keep your slave if you want her so badly, but the rest are coming back with me. Accept it, or blood will spatter the sand of this beach with red. And believe me, I am more than willing to prove how much more powerful the Prince of the House of Fire is than the Prince of the House of Ether.
When he heard the threat of bloodshed, Lord Woz tensed.
Lords, Princes…
I told you not to interfere, Lord Asu told him with undisguised hostility, then glared back at Adamis. Your final answer?
Adamis turned to look at Kyra. She understood what his look asked her. He could save her, but her friends would perish, and Ikai with them. No matter how much she might want to leave, she could never do so by condemning her friends and family. Kyra held Adamis’ sincere gaze for a moment, then shook her head. The Prince sighed, and his eyes showed deep sorrow and resignation. He nodded at Kyra and faced Lord Asu. Kyra understood in that look the magnitude of what she had asked of Adamis. The Prince did not have to do it; she was nothing to him, a mere slave, a passing entertainment. He won’t confront Lord Asu or any other God for me. He won’t do it. I’m nobody to him, nothing. It would be madness. And she realized they were all doomed.
So? Lord Asu demanded.
A tense and deadly silence grew between the two princes. Adamis looked up at the sky and replied:
The slaves are under my protection.
Stupid fool! You have given me the excuse I was hoping for!
Adamis murmured a word, and before Lord Asu had finished his sentence an ethereal sphere enveloped the Prince of Eret. At once Rotec drew his sword and activated the huge round shield of his gauntlet. Iradu, imitating Rotec’s moves, drew his sword and armed his shield of fire. Asu twisted his hand, and a sphere of fire surrounded him. At the same time a fiery ball appeared on his palm.
Notaplo stepped back, pulling Kyra and the others with him.
Let us run to the Portal!
“Up!” cried Ikai, and they ran towards the higher part of the beach, where Lord Woz was watching as he withdrew from the Gods across the sand.
Asu turned towards Oskas. Capture them and kill the old Erudite.
The Master-Spy nodded at his master and ran after the group.
Asu exchanged a glance with Iradu. Kill his champion, he ordered. Iradu nodded. Leave me Adamis. I want to enjoy tearing out his heart.
Rotec immediately murmured a word of Power, and his sword turned translucent. Iradu caused his own sword to burst into flame. They saluted each other respectfully, like the Champions of their Houses they were. This was going to be a combat to the death, as they both knew. The two best warriors of all Alantres were going to fight, and only one would remain as the unchallenged Champion. Iradu charged Rotec with the speed of lightning, his cape flaming with wild intensity, propelled by the combustion of air behind him. Rotec met his assault, protected behind his translucent shield of ether. Iradu’s sword of fire hit Rotec’s shield with colossal force, but Rotec withstood the assault without yielding a step. The two warriors exchanged master-strokes at amazing speed: cuts, strokes followed by backstrokes, counterstrokes in the form of flashing traces of light which appeared and disappeared in an instant. Such was the skill of both Champions, and so evenly-matched were they, that neither could manage to break the other’s defense. The swords met and the shields rejected attacks and thrusts. Two God-Warriors fought with unrivalled skill.
Next to the Champions, Asu surrounded Adamis with flames. A circle of fire of overwhelming i
ntensity enveloped him. Beneath his feet he saw the rune of the eagle of fire, and he knew the flames would devour everything they met upon the circle. The Prince of Ether concentrated and sent more Power to reinforce his protective sphere. Through the translucent surface and the voracious flames which were consuming everything, he could see the ruthless face of his enemy, the Prince of Fire. He had given Asu the excuse he needed, and for a long time the Prince of Aureb had wanted to kill him. The frozen finger of fear reached his spirit, but he rejected its touch. Asu was the most powerful of the Lords, and that made him a formidable adversary. But it was not always the strongest who achieved victory; sometimes it was those with the quickest wits.
Iradu moved his shield aside and pronounced a word of Power. A scorching flame erupted in front of Rotec. The Champion protected himself behind his shield, but the tongues of fire surrounded him, reached his armor and burned his body. With a grunt he took a step back and raised a mist of essence, which surrounded him. The flames advanced toward Rotec, but sputtered out on contact with the mist. Iradu narrowed his eyes and drew back his head. With a bestial roar he sent a cone of fire at Rotec, who countered it by sending an ethereal breath against him. At the touch of fire and ether, the fire weakened and went out.
Twisting his sword, Iradu threw a ball of fire against Rotec. The shield stopped it, but it exploded on impact. Rotec was thrown back, and hit the ground hard. Iradu gave an extraordinary leap. In midair, with a twist of his sword, he sent a fiery thrust at Rotec. Adamis’ Champion rolled and dodged it an instant before it hit him. Iradu stood over him and tried to run him through with his sword of fire. From his position on the ground, Rotec deflected the thrust with his shield, then with his sword sent an ethereal dagger towards his rival’s face. Asu’s Champion did not see the thrust of Power in time. The translucent dagger reached his eye, but at the last instant he sensed it. He moved his head sideways, and the dagger cut him deeply from the corner of his eye to his ear. He took a couple of steps back and put his hand to his wound, which was bleeding profusely. Rotec leapt to his feet. Iradu pronounced a word of Power, and a burning rune took shape beneath his opponent’s feet. The rune exploded with a blast and Iradu was launched into the sky by the explosion, leaving behind him a wake of fire.
