The Secret of the Golden Gods Omnibus Edition

by Pedro Urvi

“Hah! Already over, he says,” Honus protested as he wiped his face. “If it hadn’t been for us all this would have been lost. Not much doubt about that!”

  Kyra winked at the giant, who had fought the flames like a whirlwind. He responded with a friendly nod. Karm, Romen and Urda had also done their utmost to stop the catastrophe. The truth was that they had arrived just in time.

  “Miratos, get a move on and help Idana,” Kyra ordered the Surgeon. He protested under his breath, but at a glare from Honus he did as he was told.

  “Have you seen Mother yet?” Kyra asked.

  Ikai shook his head. “No, I couldn’t. I got here in the middle of the fire. I was just going to…”

  “You’d better take a break. You look dreadful.”

  “I have to go now, before I collapse. I don’t think I could get up once I do.”

  “Right then, let’s go.”

  Romen offered his hand to Ikai and helped him to his feet.

  Brother and sister looked for Idana and Miratos, then went to the watermill. A small crowd had gathered there after the fire, on both sides of the river. Inside the mill they found Solma lying on an improvised bed of grain sacks, with one of the village women tending to her.

  “She’s resting quietly, but she’s very weak,” she said as soon as she saw them arrive. “I’ll leave you with her. She’ll be so glad to see you.” She smiled affectionately at the two siblings as she left.

  Solma woke at their arrival. Seeing her children, her eyes filled with joyful tears. “Kyra, Ikai, you’re back!”

  Kyra kissed her mother’s face tenderly as Ikai bent over and held her in a tight embrace.

  “My children, my dear children, with me again,” she said between sobs.

  “We’re going to get you better,” Kyra said. “I brought the best Surgeon among the Senoca. And Ikai got hold of the Witch’s potion. We’ll get you better.”

  She smiled gratefully. “Whether you manage that or not, no mother could ever feel more proud of her children.”

  Kyra glared vindictively at the Surgeon. “Miratos, examine her, and you’d better cure her if you want to see another dawn.”

  “There’s no need to threaten me. I’m very much aware of what’s at stake for me here.”

  Ikai moved back and let Miratos get on with his work, but kept a close eye on what he did. Idana whispered in his ear: “So you’ve opted to start with the Surgeon rather than trying the Witch’s potion?”

  “It’s logical. I thought about it, and I believe it’s the most sensible thing. That’s what we agreed,” He looked towards his sister.

  “I agree too, I think it’s the right thing,” Idana said. “You should rest. You’re both exhausted and you’ll collapse any moment now.”

  “I want to keep an eye on him.”

  “I’ll do that. Trust me. In any case, you don’t have enough knowledge to detect whether what he does is correct or not. I’ll deal with it.”

  He hesitated.

  “Idana’s right,” Kyra said, her shoulders drooping. “No matter how much we’d like to, we won’t be able to watch everything he does…”

  Ikai gave way. “All right then, I’ll leave it in your hands, Idana. At the slightest sign of anything wrong, come and get us.”

  “Rest easy.”

  Kyra and Ikai did not even make it to the door; they collapsed on to a pile of sacks of grain on the other side of the mill-wheel and fell asleep immediately.

  Idana woke them up gently.

  “What happened?” Kyra asked as she struggled to wake.

  “Is everything all right?” Ikai asked. He could hardly stand. His body felt as though a giant had hit it with a hammer.

  “Everything’s fine,” Idana said in her most soothing voice. “You both needed to rest. You were on the verge of collapse. Here’s something to eat. You must be famished.”

  “How long have we slept?”

  “Its past noon.”

  “So late?” Kyra said in disbelief. “It was just a while ago!”

  “Well, rather a long while,” Idana said with a smile.

  “How is she? Ikai asked.

  “Better. I’ll bring you to her now. We moved her to my house. Luckily my scruffy old home was spared by the flames.”

  “Let’s go, then.”

  Idana put her hands on her hips, trying to keep a stern face. “Eat something first. Apothecary’s orders.”

  Kyra burst out laughing. “Idana, who are you trying to fool with that face? You’ve got a heart of gold.”

  “Well, authority might not be my thing, but I don’t want you fainting in the middle of the village. Eat, or I’ll be very upset.”

  Ikai reached for the food and smiled at the apothecary. “The last thing I want to do is upset you. We’ll eat.”

  After doing full justice to the food and the berry juice, they went through the village towards Idana’s house. As they went, they watched the villagers busy with the rebuilding of the houses: men, women and children, all helping according to their own capability. Some were cleaning and carrying away the rubble, while others were already beginning to put up wooden structures to start building the burnt houses again. They were busy everywhere, working without pause, with hope on their faces.

  “They’re… they’re truly remarkable,” Ikai said at last. He was filled with wonder at the way they were all working together after the catastrophe.

  “They’re so brave,” Kyra said. “They fill me with pride. I’d like to hug them all, one by one.”

  “With all they’ve suffered already,” said Idana, “and they’re sacrificing themselves all over again, without a second thought.”

  As they passed, everyone stopped to greet them and thank them for their leadership. Ikai tried again, unsuccessfully, to tell them they themselves were the heroes, for their devotion, their courage. Kyra started to hug the closest ones, leaving them breathless. Urda, Honus and Karm came out of one of the houses and joined them.

  “Who’s watching Miratos?” Ikai said when he saw them.

  “Don’t worry,” Idana said. “Albana’s keeping a close eye on him.”

  “Have the watchmen gone back to their posts?”

  Idana assured him. “Yes, there’s nothing to report, all quiet.”

  “Thank you for taking charge.”

  “Oh well, you were all out. It’s my duty, although I’d rather be healing people.”

  “Any casualties?”

  “Unfortunately there was one: we lost Ilos to the flames. But seeing the scale of the fire, it seems to me we’ve been very lucky. There were a lot of burns, and smoke intoxication, but only that one casualty.”

  Ikai nodded. He remembered Ilos well, a tough, good-humored farmer from the Second County.

  “It’s a pity. He was a good man.”

  Idana turned to look at the others. “Think of all that were saved.”

  Ikai nodded, grateful for her encouragement.

  In Idana’s house they found Miratos sitting beside the bed where Solma was resting. They were greeted by a voice dripping with sarcasm. “So the sleepyheads decided to wake up at last!” Albana was sitting on a table at the end of the room, sharpening her black daggers.

  Kyra laughed, waved at her and hurried to her mother’s side.

  “How are you, Mom?” she asked with a hopeful smile.

  “I’m fine, my dear. Miratos has worked a miracle. I’m not coughing any longer or spitting blood, and I feel much better.”

  Kyra turned to the Surgeon.

  “Have you cured her? Have you really cured her?”

  Miratos got to his feet slowly, with everyone staring at him. It was a moment before he spoke, and to Ikai it seemed an eternity.

  “I’ve treated the illness. It’s a very rare one, seldom seen among our people. The blood of the patient herself is poisoning her body, which is rejecting it. The result is a vicious circle which ends up undermining the health of the sufferer with the passing of time, until finally death occurs.”


  “But you’ve cured her?” Kyra insisted.

  Miratos raised his hand. He craved his moment of glory, and he was going to enjoy it.

  “Luckily, this is an illness I’d already encountered once, a long time ago, when I was younger and had a brilliant future ahead of me. A future which as you know came to pass and carried me to the top of my profession as Surgeon to the Regent.”

  “If you don’t tell me whether you’ve cured her or not, I’ll tear your head off, you pompous old man!” said Kyra threateningly.

  Miratos shook his head disapprovingly.

  “As I was saying… I was confronted with this extremely rare illness. I studied the patient for five years, trying different treatments, deeply intrigued by its strangeness and bent on finding a way to defeat it. I have to admit that I was, and still am, rather obsessed when it comes to defeating illness. I don’t give up, nor did I then, and now I see a new reward.”

  “Miratos…” growled Kyra.

  The Surgeon ignored her and went on with his explanation. “At first I focused my efforts on extracting and purifying the patient’s blood to transfer it back into the body. But that wasn’t the right approach, since the body simply poisoned the blood anew. After many experiments I finally found a way to treat the condition, to make sure that the body didn’t reject the poisoned blood. Unfortunately it was too late for my patient, who died shortly after I discovered the cure.”

  In the face of this ominous commentary, nobody said anything.

  “But in Solma’s case, I came in time. I gave her a tonic, and she improved almost immediately.” He indicated several phials on Idana’s working table, with different liquids in them. “So my reply to your question, young lady, is: yes, I have cured her.”

  Kyra jumped with joy, almost to the ceiling. Ikai could not believe it. Solma was going to be all right. She was going to get better!

  Happiness burst out, and everyone hugged and congratulated each other. Kyra and Ikai embraced Solma, who was smiling happily. Idana on the other hand —Ikai could not help noticing— held back a little. At that moment Albana spoke.

  “Tell them about the but, you self-opinionated Surgeon.”

  Kyra turned to Miratos like a tigress. “But? What but?”

  Miratos sighed deeply. “The but is that the cure is only temporary. For a while Solma will be perfectly well, better than ever before in her life, since her body will resist the poisoning. But eventually her blood will poison it again, and she’ll fall sick again.”

  “Why?” Kyra demanded.

  “Because her blood will change, and in the process her system will be poisoned all over again.”

  “Isn’t there anything you can do to stop it?” Ikai asked.

  Miratos bowed his head. “All my attempts at manipulating the blood have been in vain. That’s the root of the illness, and I can’t alter it.”

  “What about creating a new tonic?” Kyra asked. “Like you did now?”

  “It took me five years to create this one. Creating a new one might take me another five or more, and by then the patient will have…”

  “Damn!” Kyra exclaimed.

  Ikai was looking at his mother. “How much time do we have?”

  “I don’t know… I couldn’t really say. Two years, maybe, or perhaps two seasons. Only her body knows the answer.”

  “Damn it!” Kyra cried.

  “My child…” said Solma, trying to sooth her.

  “There’s still one option left,” said Ikai. He raised his hand to his neck.

  “The Witch’s potion?” Albana said. She sounded distrustful.

  He nodded.

  “We’ve gained time for her,” Idana said quietly. “Do we want to risk it?”

  “The Witch swore it would cure her.”

  Miratos preened himself like a peacock. “I don’t believe in tales of witches. Science is what can save her.”

  “Science or tales of witches ‒ it might be the same thing,” Kyra said. “I saw a lot in the Eternal City. Incredible things, which to you would be witches’ tales but for the Gods were science.”

  “The decision is yours, Mother,” Ikai said.

  Solma gazed lovingly at her children. “What do you think is best?”

  Brother and sister considered their answer carefully.

  “The Witch’s potion,” Kyra said.

  Ikai agreed with a nod.

  “Then I’ll take it.”

  Carefully, Ikai uncorked the phial and offered the potion to his mother. Without hesitation, Solma took it from her son’s hand and gulped it down. She smiled at both of them. Suddenly she arched and stiffened. The veins in her arms and legs started to blacken.

  “Mom!” Kyra cried in horror.

  Ikai held Solma, trying to comfort her, but she was unresponsive.

  The veins in her neck too began to turn black. They crept up her face to her forehead as if a plague had infected her. Ikai knew that if she were to die it would be his responsibility, his fault, and he would never forgive himself. Solma began to shake, then collapsed into his arms. Idana came over to them immediately to offer her help.

  Solma woke up at dusk. She opened her eyes wide and looked around, without seeing anybody in the room.

  “Mother, how are you?” Ikai asked.

  “Well… very well… don’t worry, I’m fine. I don’t know what happened, but I feel all right.”

  Idana examined her and was surprised to find no trace of the horrible black veins, nor any other physical problem. “She’s better than ever,” she said.

  “Did the potion work?” Kyra asked. “Is she better?”

  Idana shrugged. “I wouldn’t know how to verify that.”

  “But I would,” Miratos said, in his self-satisfied voice.

  “Go ahead,” Ikai said, and gave him a warning look.

  At Idana’s table Miratos prepared a mixture of liquids and powders in a bowl, then took Solma’s hand. Looking around at everyone so they could see him clearly and would not stop him, he made a cut with a small dagger. Ikai and Kyra tensed, and he made a soothing gesture. Blood began to flow, and he put the bowl under the cut.

  Turning to everyone he announced: “Blue: she’s cured. Green: she’s still poisoned.”

  All eyes were fixed on the silver liquid in the bowl. The color began to change with the blood. Miratos stirred it with the knife, and they could all see the new color of the liquid.

  It was Blue.

  Chapter 24

  It was midnight, and in an infinite sky, dotted with countless stars, the moon gave a sheen to the waves which bathed the quiet beach. Ikai, sitting on the fine sand, had withdrawn to think about the whirlwind of events of the previous few days. Things had happened so fast he had had no chance to stop and think, and for him that was unheard-of. I need to put my ideas in order, or else I won’t get any peace of mind.

  He watched the water licking his bare feet on the sand and thought how grand and divine was the Goddess Oxatsi, who cared for her children the Senoca. Thank you, Mother Sea, for saving your daughter Solma. A mother like you, who loves her children and who’s given everything for them. He was filled with joy, his mother was saved and there was no greater satisfaction for him than this. I didn’t think we’d make it. It was a risky bet, but it worked. Sometimes in life there’s no choice but to risk everything for those we love. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but unless you put everything you have into it, with all your heart, there’s no way to salvation.

  The hushing of the sea and the sound of the waves breaking on the beach made up a melody which charmed his ears. Sitting there, in that little paradise, evil seemed distant, almost non-existent… But evil’s out there; the Gods, the Enforcers, Sesmok and his Guard and Hunters are all there. And they’re all looking for us, to kill us. I have to prevent that. I have to look after my own people, look after this wonderful place, this shelter for our people. I know it’s not my responsibility, that it’s a load I never asked to carry, but I’ve
taken it on. I have to use every means possible to care for this little corner of peace and keep it safe from the evil of the Gods.

  This worried him deeply. The betrayal by Isaz, a friend whom he had trusted, had affected him and made him feel he had come to a crossroads. No matter how much I love this refuge, the truth is it might very well be compromised., In his treachery Isaz might have betrayed us to Sesmok or the Enforcers… Doubts about what he should do tormented him: stay and rebuild, or gather everything together and go somewhere else, leaving behind all their hard work, all the hopes they had set on that shelter? I have to make a decision, and it’s a hard one. I can’t afford to be wrong in this. He looked up at the moon and wondered…

  A voice spoke behind him. “Difficult decisions, leader of the shelter?”

  He recognized both voice and seductive tone at once. His heart turned a somersault.

  “Lurking secretly in the dark, Shadow?” he replied without turning his head.

  Albana let herself fall on to the sand beside him, with the lightness and stealth of a feather swaying in the warm sea breeze which enwrapped them.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked as her eyes gazed out at the immensity of Mother Sea.

  He inhaled the salty breath of the ocean. After letting it out slowly he said: “I’m wondering whether to call a meeting tomorrow, to decide whether we stay and rebuild or leave in search of some new home that’s safer than this one.”

  Albana nodded slowly. “I guessed that if you were here it was to think over difficult decisions. I see I was right. Would you rather I left you alone?”

  Ikai put his hand on her arm. “No, please, stay,” he said urgently. He did not want her to leave; he wanted her to stay with him, for company and help.

  She gazed at him and nodded, understanding what he needed. As their eyes met, Ikai felt anew the desire and passion he had felt the night before when they had kissed on arrival at the Shelter. He felt his heart racing, beating with the strength of war drums, and feared she would notice, even though he was sure the enigmatic brunette could read him like an open book.

  “I think they’ve already made the decision for you. They’re rebuilding. I must admit they have an unshakeable spirit. For all the pain and suffering they’ve been through, nothing stops them. They’re still clinging to the hope of being able to live in freedom.”