by Pedro Urvi
“Row for your lives!” she cried.
The ship began to move, leaving behind the port where the rest of the Executors were now arriving. The other two triremes, useless now, continued to burn.
Ikai staggered to his feet and made sure Volte was still breathing. He did not know whether he would recover, but at least he was alive. He went to Albana at the guardrail and watched the fire which was destroying the Shelter. A great column of smoke rose to the sky from the interior of the island.
“Do you think they’ll have made it?” he asked her.
Albana looked back at him. “Let’s hope so.”
At that moment Kyra was swimming across the pass. The others had all crossed, and she and the last few men were swimming towards the beach where they were waiting. She looked back, fearing she would see the Executors, but there was no-one.
She spat salty water. “Thank you, brother,” she murmured.
When they reached the beach she moved on among the refugees, who were waiting to continue their flight, soaked and terrified. The beach looked like a shipwreck, with the refugees as the castaways of a sunken dream which would never now be made real. At the edge of the forest she stopped to decide which way to go. To the east along the coast, or through the woods to the west? The woods would be safer, though it would be hard going for those poor souls.
She turned to tell the expectant refugees, but at the same moment she remembered something. She looked toward the edge of the forest, searching for the two watchmen. They were not there. She looked all along the beach, but did not find them.
“No…” she muttered under her breath, and turned to the forest again.
From among the trees thirty Eyes-of-the-Gods appeared, spread out along the entire beach. They advanced with their right hands extended. In the middle, standing out, was a figure in black which froze her blood.
“Oskas… the Master spy…”
Before she could react, the Eyes opened their hands. Held on their palms were Discs of the Gods. Kyra reached for the dagger at her waist.
A dreadful roar, like the thunder of a great storm, filled the beach. It came from the discs. Just as in a storm, lightning followed. From the discs came bolts of light that aimed for the bodies of the Senoca. Kyra stared in horror as the flashes reached her people, leaping from one to the next. She saw Idana fall amid spasms. Romen covered the two little girls with his body, but the three were hit and fell. Urda resisted amid convulsions, but ended up falling too. Solma crumpled to the ground beside Urda.
“Mom!” cried Kyra an instant before she was hit.
And darkness overcame her.
Chapter 25
“Kyra!”
“Ugh…”
“Kyra, wake up!”
“Ugh, my head…”
Kyra opened her eyes slowly. Her head and body hurt as if a herd of wild horses had stampeded over her. She put her hands to her temples, hoping the pain would subside, but it did not. She was lying on the ground, and through a row of bars she could see a circular silver ceiling. She stretched out her head and saw that the floor of the room was silver too. One of the Enforcers’ prisons. Her stomach shrank, as if icy water had been poured on her navel. She half-rose, holding on to the bars, and looked around. Forming a perfect circle, she saw a dozen black spheres with bars at the front. Each sphere held a prisoner.
It’s impossible! I’m in the Dungeons of Oblivion!
“You’re awake at last,” Urda said from another of the spherical cages.
“What happened? What are we doing shut up in here?”
“They captured us, don’t you remember?” Idana said from another sphere.
“Yes… I remember… but how did we get here?”
“They brought us in a huge trireme, full of Eyes-of-the-Gods and Enforcers,” Urda said scornfully.
Kyra ran her gaze along the other spheres, trying to identify the prisoners inside. They were all from the Shelter. A handsome face smiled at her. “Welcome to the waking world,” Romen said with his characteristic smile as their eyes met. “You took your time.”
“Romen, why don’t I remember anything?”
“Unfortunately he paid special attention to you.”
“Who?”
Urda spat to one side. “The monster in black with the helmet that steals souls.”
Kyra remembered the sinister figure in the ambush at the beach. “Oskas! The Master Spy!” A shiver ran down her back, and she had to shake it off.
“He did something to you… to keep you unconscious the whole journey,” said Idana.
“Why?”
“He’s not exactly one for explanations,” Romen said. He sounded low-spirited. “I begged him to wake you up. We were afraid for your life, and by the grace of Oxatsi he didn’t strangle me.” He showed her his neck, where there was a nasty bruise.
With a start, Kyra noticed that Solma was not there with them. “And my mother? Where’s my mom?” Asking the question made her feel so sick she thought she was going to throw up.
Romen bowed his head. “He took her…”
“Where? Why?” Kyra shook the bars fiercely, trying to get out to help her mother.
“We don’t know,” Idana said. “We’ve been here for days. Calm down, for goodness’ sake, or you’ll hurt yourself. Escape’s impossible. You must calm down…”
“How can I calm down when they’ve taken my mother? I have to get out of here! I have to help her!”
“Idana’s right,” Romen said, looking defeated. “We’ve already tried forcing this sphere-cage. We’ve been trying for days, but there’s no way …”
Kyra looked to Urda for support.
“I’ve already tried, but I couldn’t,” her friend said, and shook her head decisively.
“Well, I won’t give up! I have to get out of here and find my mother!” She shook the bars again with all her strength, kicked the back of the sphere, leaned her whole weight against it and tugged. She tried everything, furiously and energetically, but in vain. Deep inside herself she knew perfectly well she would not manage it ‒ she had already been caged in there ‒ but her spirit forced her to keep trying. Exhausted, beaten, she had no choice but to give up. She sat down and took in deep breaths of air.
“You had us all very worried,” Idana said. “We couldn’t wake you up. I don’t know what Oskas gave you, but your body needs rest. Don’t over-exert it.”
“I feel weak, empty… but I’ll feed on rage.”
“Better save it for later,” Romen said, and winked at her.
“And my brother? And the others?”
Nobody answered.
Urda spoke at last. “We don’t know anything about Ikai and the warriors. They might have survived.”
“My brother has survived. I’m positive about that.”
“He went to fight the Enforcers so we could escape,” Romen said. “That was daring, brave and honorable, but I wouldn’t be too hopeful. Nobody survives a confrontation with the Enforcers…” His voice was so soft it was almost a whisper.
Kyra shook her head. “Nobody had ever escaped from the Boundary before. Nobody had ever reached the Eternal City. Nobody had ever returned from there. My brother did all those things, He’s alive, I’m sure of it.”
“We all hope so,” Idana said. “Ikai’s noble and brave. We need him, the Senoca need him. He’ll have survived, so don’t lose hope.”
Kyra nodded. “And the rest of the refugees?”
“They’ve taken them all,” Romen replied. “If I’m not mistaken, to the lower caverns. It doesn’t bode well. We’re kept here in one of the upper ones, for some reason…”
“I see our guest of honor has woken up at last,” said a voice so cavernous that Kyra leapt to her feet. At the entrance of one of the two tunnels which gave access to the chamber, Oskas appeared. He was followed by three Eyes and several Executors.
They all turned to him, filled with fear and wariness. All but one: Kyra, who glared with hatred.
“Guest of honor? What do you want of me, you mangy dog?”
“Be silent and show some respect, you filthy slave!” cried the shrill voice of one of the Eyes.
“If you want me to shut up, come and make me,” Kyra said defiantly, and raised her fist.
Two Executors took a step toward her.
“Stop!” Oskas ordered.
“My lord ‒”
The master-spy raised his hand. “I’ll deal with her.”
“As you wish, my lord.”
“You should be more careful with that tongue of yours,” Oskas threatened her. “It’s going to cause you a lot of trouble.”
“Hah! You’re not the first one to tell me that.
“You should listen to advice. It’s a valuable virtue.”
“And you should go back to the Eternal City to lick your master’s boots.”
“How dare you!” shrieked another of the Eyes. He took out a disc.
“No!” said Oskas firmly. “She belongs to Lord Asu. She must not be marked.”
“I don’t belong to anybody! Much less to that filthy scum!”
“Show some intelligence, girl. You should never speak of a Golden God like that, least of all the one I serve. It’s one thing to be brave, quite another to die for not thinking about what you say.”
“I’ll speak however I want to about whoever I want to.”
Oskas folded his arms over his powerful torso. “In that case you’ll end up as food for worms. And you’ll have achieved nothing.”
“Maybe yes, maybe no. We’ll see.”
“Let me remind you that you don’t have Lord Adamis here to save you.”
“I don’t need anybody to save me. If you don’t let us leave, I swear I’ll tear your guts out, and do the same to that pig of a God you serve.”
“You can threaten me all you want, girl. But I can’t let you offend my lord in public. I’ll have to teach you a lesson, because I can see you’re too pig-headed, and some lessons are only learnt with blood.”
Kyra straightened. “You don’t scare me.”
“That’s because you’re just a child who knows nothing. Because I assure you, you ought to fear me.”
Kyra made a face and stood staring at him with folded arms.
Oskas stretched out both his arms and then let them drop at his sides, open. The lifeless helmet shone briefly. A blackness began to form in the monster’s hands, enveloped them and then uncoiled downwards to the floor, forming two vipers. Kyra watched in awe. She swallowed. She knew the punishment she was about to receive would be terrible. Me and my big mouth. Why can’t I keep quiet? I’m going to pay for this.
Oskas’ hands rose to the ceiling, and with a sudden movement he whipped them down. The vipers moved straight towards their prey, growing as they moved forward. Kyra closed her eyes and waited with her whole body in tension. But it was Idana who screamed. Kyra opened her eyes in horror to see that one of the vipers had slipped between the bars and was coiled around Idana’s neck. The other was coiled around Urda’s. Her friends were trying to breathe as the gaping jaws of the vipers threatened to bite their faces.
“No!” she cried. “Please! Stop!”
Oskas was controlling his terrible creation with his outstretched hands. “How would you prefer to see them die? Asphyxia or poisoning? I recommend the second option: the bite barely hurts, and they’d die at once. Strangling’s longer and more traumatic …”
“Please, don’t kill them!”
“You’re not so brave now, are you, little girl?”
Idana fell to one side, her face purple. Urda was fighting the viper’s head, trying to avoid being bitten.
“I’ll do whatever you want, but don’t kill them!”
“I’m just asking you to use your head instead of your fury.”
“I will, I will! Leave them, please!”
Oskas shook his arm hard and freed the two girls. The vipers returned to his hands and coiled around his forearms.
“I trust you’ve learnt your lesson.”
“I have, don’t worry,” Kyra said. She was controlling the wrath streaming through every pore of her body as she watched her friends on the floor, trying to get their breath back.
“Self-control is one of the most precious virtues. Anyone who lacks this quality will soon reach the end of his way, since it will be a short one. Fear, rage, love, pain, can all be controlled, if mind and willpower are strong enough.”
“Why do you preach to me? I’m not one of your Shadows.”
“I see you know of me, and my disciples. Only one person could have told you… someone very close to me… someone who betrayed me.”
Kyra realized her mistake and bit her tongue.
“My dear disciple will pay dearly for her betrayal. I will find Albana, as I found you, have no doubt about that. Her betrayal was painful. It’s still very fresh. Her punishment will be exemplary.”
“You’ll never find her.”
“There’s a long road ahead of you if you’re to find the control you need. Unfortunately your time is up. As for Albana, I’ll deal with her in due course. Such treachery as hers cannot be forgiven. It shows weakness, and I have none of that. You must understand that those who get in the way of my master’s wishes cease to exist. That’s one of my functions, and I never fail. I’m here to make sure Lord Asu’s wishes come true, and the wish of my lord and master is to have you.” He jabbed his finger at her chest.
“If it’s me he wants, if you’ve come for me, all right then,” she said, and spread her arms wide. “Here I am. I won’t resist. Let the others leave. Let my mother leave.”
“That’s impossible. They’ve broken the law of the Gods. They must be punished.”
Fear clawed at Kyra’s stomach. “Where have you put my mother?”
“You’ll see her soon.”
“What have you done to her? Why have you taken her away?”
“I haven’t said I’ve done anything to her. You should pay more attention.” Oskas made a sign to the two Executors, who took Kyra out of her cell with brutal efficiency. Each of them took one of her arms and lifted her like a straw dummy, then took her away without her feet touching the floor. She kicked and cursed with all her might.
“Let her go!” Romen shouted.
“Don’t harm her!” cried Idana.
“Silence, slaves,” snapped one of the Eyes.
Urda ignored this. “If you hurt her I swear I’ll kill you!”
Kyra turned her head a moment before leaving the chamber and saw two Executors hitting Urda.
“You filthy swine!” she cried helplessly.
They took her down a long, narrow tunnel. After several turns the passage opened out into a strange triangular hall. The floor of the chamber was black, and a rectangular monolith with polished surfaces rose in the center. It was as black as a moonless night, nine feet or so tall. It gave off a strange hum, like a swarm of bees. It seemed to have a life of its own.
Oskas stretched his arm and put his hand on its marble-like surface. A white flash came out of the monolith and illuminated the chamber. Kyra stared wide-eyed, not understanding. The floor began to change color, slowly turning crystal clear.
Suddenly she was able to see the floor below, as if ceiling and walls had turned to glass: not only what was directly under her feet but the whole underground complex. She saw a labyrinth of dungeon-cells, linked by tunnels and filled with sphere-cells. What is this nightmarish place?
The floor vibrated and they began to descend, as though they were on a platform descending into the depths of a mine. As they went down, she was able to see each sub-level, and the horror was repeated again and again: each one was packed with dungeons. They went down five levels more before stopping at the deepest. I can’t believe it. Every floor of this insane place is made up of an infinity of dungeons filled with sphere-cells. She sighed deeply, puzzling over this. These dungeons are gigantic. There must be thousands of our people in here. But what for? This thought, si
mply the idea of how many slaves must be imprisoned there, filled her with such unease that bile came up to her mouth.
The Gods can’t be planning anything good in these catacombs. I fear the worst.
Oskas made his way into that deepest level, and as they went on Kyra noticed something different. On that final level, the dungeons did not contain sphere-cells as in the other, higher levels, but pods. Pods which Kyra recognized immediately, since she herself had been inside one of them before ‒ in Notaplo’s laboratory. They were the pods the Gods used for their experiments…
I’m getting a worse and worse feeling about this place… it’s sinister…
They reached the first of the chambers, and here Oskas stopped. The two Executors holding Kyra left her on the floor. In the chamber were a dozen pods which formed a perfect circle around a monolith in the center. This was rectangular, more than fifteen feet tall, black as night. A pipe, equally black, linked each of the pods to the monolith. It was guarded by two Eyes-of-the-Gods.
Oskas turned to Kyra and pointed to one of the pods. Not understanding, she narrowed her eyes to try and make out what was inside it. And then she saw a human figure. She stepped forward and recognized it.
“Mom!”
“Kyra!” came Solma’s muffled cry from inside.
Kyra ran to the pod.
“Are you all right?” she cried. She struggled to open the crystal cover, or else break it open. But it was impossible.
“You can’t free her. The pods are unbreakable.”
“Why’s she there? What do you want to do to her?”
“What I want with her is none of your business.”
“Let her go, she’s only a child,” Solma begged Oskas.
“In your eyes she may be, but not in mine. She’s a young woman who’s powerful, both in blood and in spirit. But she needs to learn a lesson in life, a lesson my master wishes her to learn.”
“What lesson?” Kyra asked. She was fearful after what she had seen Oskas do to Idana and Urda.
“A rule which can never be changed: by the grace of the Golden Gods we exist, and to them we belong. All of us: Slaves, Enforcers, and Hybrids. This is an unalterable truth. To them belongs the land we walk on, and everything upon it.”
