by Pedro Urvi
Unfortunately they do not last very long, said the Erudite, who was examining the monolith.
How many have we lost during this harvest?
A little over a hundred. It could have been worse.
Very well, Beru said. Look for replacements,
There are barely any useful adults left in our Boundary, my Lord.
Then we will have to look elsewhere. He turned to Ikai. And our three rats know where to find more slaves. They will take us to them.
Kyra bowed her head. The repercussions of all they had discovered were so terrifying, so disheartening, that she could barely breathe. But come what may, they would never doom any human being to the harvest. Rather than that, they would die.
She raised her head, chin high. “Never!” she said.
Beru looked at her with amusement. We shall see, my little rat, we shall see. Take them and lock them up. I shall enjoy playing with them. When I have finished, you will have told me everything I wish to now, in one way or another.
Chapter 22
The trapdoor opened, and footsteps sounded on the stone stairs. Adamis raised himself in the cot and gave Ariadne a warning glance. The Healer withdrew until she had vanished into the shadows of that back chamber in the basement.
“I have some news,” Sormacus said suddenly.
Adamis shook his head. “You forgot to give the warning.”
“Oh… that’s true…such a hurry…”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“You do not look well… your lips are black…”
“Oh, well, a lot of tension, yes. I had to take a tisane to calm down. Well…several tisanes, actually.”
“I do not know what they are, but maybe those tisanes are not as good for you as you think.”
“They sooth me, which means a lot.”
Ariadne emerged from the shadows. “Well, your face and those black lips say that your body does not like them too much.”
“All right, I will bear it in mind.”
“So, tell us what is up?” Adamis said.
“Bad news.”
“Even worse than before?” Ariadne said, shaking her head.
“There is a great commotion in the First Ring.”
Adamis closed his eyes and snorted. “What is it about?”
Sormacus shook his head, “I could not find out. But it is serious. Several Houses have sent ‘Witness Delegations’.”
“Witness Delegations?” Ariadne repeated. “To the House of Ether? That is not usual at all.”
“That is why I have run back here to tell you.”
Adamis got to his feet with a grimace.
“Where is it?”
“At the Square of the Heroes, in front of the great statue.”
“I will go.”
“No you must not, Adamis,” Ariadne said. “I will go myself. A Commoner is less conspicuous.”
Sormacus put himself forward. “And a priest even less so,” he put in,
Adamis smiled gratefully.
“Nobody could wish for better partners in such turbulent times. You offer your lives when any danger arises, without hesitation. I am deeply grateful, and so I am sure are Aruma and your Wise People. But no, it is my domain, my House, and I must be the one who goes to find out what is happening.”
“It might be very risky,” said Ariadne. “They must not find you there. We need you.”
“If something serious is going on I must be there so as to understand why, and above all to see the High Kings’ reaction.”
Sormacus was shaking his head. “We are dispensable…”
“Nobody is dispensable,” Adamis assured him. “I used to think that way, when I was a self-absorbed prince, but Kyra showed me that every life is sacred, irreplaceable.”
Ariadne was not convinced. “‘Witness Delegations’ are only sent when there is something really serious which the Houses all need to witness, or to be more precise something which they wish to come out into the open.”
“That is exactly why I must go. Besides, I have to warn Notaplo of what we have found out. He has to know that Asu is plotting behind the backs of the Five High Kings to start a war and bring them down.”
“Do you believe he will tell the High King of Ether?” Ariadne asked. “I know he is your trusted Erudite, but the High King will want to know where he got such serious information, and he might use very painful means to get hold of it.”
“I trust Notaplo completely. He will not reveal the source, not even under torture. Anyway, I do not believe my father would go that far.”
Ariadne pointed to his stomach, where the dagger had penetrated. “Are you sure of that?”
Adamis kept silent and pondered the situation. He could not stay still and do nothing while Asu carried out his plan. He had to warn the High Kings; only they could stop him. And of the five, the only one he could reach was his father. He also needed to see Notaplo and warn him, not only of the danger they all ran but of the danger the Erudite himself was already in. His appearance at the Celebration of Intellectual Enlightenment had earned him some very powerful enemies, among them Asu. Enemies who would not hesitate to sabotage his experiments, or something even worse.
“I have decided,” he announced. “I will go and see what is going on and join Notaplo.”
“All right,” Ariadne said reluctantly. “But I will come with you, just in case.”
Adamis nodded, grateful for the support. “Sormacus, can your contacts reach Notaplo? I do not want to risk communicating with him. My father might pick up the message.”
The Priest gazed up at the ceiling and gave this some thought, “I think it might be done.”
“Well, then, let us be on our way.”
The journey, in the small cargo boat from the temple which served as their lair in the Fifth Ring to a secondary pier of the First Ring, was completed without notable incident, apart from the encounters with the Guards at each Ring. Sormacus, who had a safe-conduct to let him carry out the works of the Golden Dogma throughout the city, led the way. On this occasion the three of them were dressed as priests. Adamis felt somewhat uncomfortable in this disguise, but he had to admit that they aroused no suspicions. In addition, he could walk with his head down as was the custom among the Golden of faith, which his body was grateful for.
After they had docked, trying to pass as unobtrusively as possible, they approached the area of the tumult. It was roped off, and a crowd was watching what was happening. The Witness Delegations of the four Houses were already there, demanding explanations from the representatives of the House of the First Ring. Adamis did not understand what was happening. Carefully they made their way through the curious throng until they could see what had created so much ado. When he finally saw it, he understood at once. Beside the giant foot of the granite statue was a dead body: the corpse of a Golden.
Golden blood has been shed! Unthinkable! The High Kings will not let this go unpunished. Now he understood the reason for the Delegations; they wanted to be present during the investigations. The horror and discontent all around was growing all the time, together with rumors spreading in whispers. He tried to find out what else was happening. He opened his mind and allowed the hundreds of conversations around him to enter it. A chaos of sentences and disconnected words reached him. And one caught his attention completely: Hila.
Puzzled, he fixed his eyes upon the corpse and made his way to the Custodians who guarded the area. He had to be sure. He saw the clothing, the pallor of the golden face, and he knew: the dead body belonged to the banished House of Hila, the House of the Necromancers. It cannot be. They are forbidden to set foot in the Eternal City, under penalty of death. They would not risk a diplomatic incident. It made no sense. And why in his own House? His father loathed the House of Hila. He would never have allowed one of its members to set foot in the First Ring.
“Nobody is to touch the corpse!” said the Lord of the Delegation of the House of Earth as h
e saw the Healers of the First Ring approaching the body.
“We must remove the body,” said Teslo, the Champion of the House of the First Ring. “It offends all those here.”
Recognizing Teslo, Adamis took a step back and hid among the crowd. His stomach gave him a stab of pain at the point where the Champion had stabbed him. The mind gives one some bad moments.
“We have the right to examine the body,” said the Lord representing the House of Air. “So says the Golden law.”
“No one will stop you from examining it,” Teslo told him, “but in a more private and appropriate environment.”
“How do we know that you will not tamper with the body?” the Lord of the House of Fire demanded. “Or that you will not hide any proof of what has happened here?”
“Nobody will do any such thing,” Teslo said defiantly. “And the mere insinuation is an insult to this House.”
“We all believe in the House of Ether’s impartiality and good faith,” said the Lord representing the House of Water.
“Speak for your own House,” said the Lord of the House of Fire. “We do not believe anything. This Golden belongs to a Banished House. Who of the House of the First Ring was he coming to meet under cover of night? What are the House of Hila and the House of Ether plotting? Could it be a forbidden alliance?”
“How dare you!” cried Teslo, and unsheathed his sword. At once a hundred Warrior-Gods came to stand behind him.
Panic began to spread among the spectators.
Adamis understood the game now. A very well-thought-out game. At a moment of maximum tension between the Houses, that corpse implied an argument between the House of Hila and that of his father, or what amounted to the same thing: high treason. The identity of the murderer was not important; the suspicion of intrigue would fall on his own house.
“Would you like us to come back with our Warriors?” the Lord of the House of Earth said threateningly.
“That will not be necessary,” someone said in an authoritative voice. Adamis recognized his cousin Atasos, who went to the body and looked at it for a moment. Then he turned to the delegations. “The House of Ether has nothing to do with this subject, nor with his death. High King Laino grants you permission to examine it. As for the curious, I must ask you to continue enjoying your day and refrain from spreading inappropriate rumors until what has happened has been explained.”
“That is better,” said the Lord of the House of Fire.
“Teslo, have them set up a closed military tent so they can inspect the body in private. Make sure it is a large one. The Delegations will want to verify everything.”
“At your command, my Lord.”
Atasos raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Everybody satisfied?” Nobody complained, and people began to leave.
While the slaves busied themselves putting up the great tent in the form of a marquee, Adamis watched the last Golden set off for the higher section of the city. Among them he recognized an old man who was walking slowly, head bent, leaning on a staff: it was Notaplo.
“I am going to speak to him,” he told Ariadne.
“It is too dangerous. In broad daylight you will be recognized!”
“Do not worry, I know this Ring and my old Erudite very well.”
Before she could protest again he had set off, holding himself as straight as he could, toward one of the streets which rose toward the upper part of the Ring.
Ariadne turned to Sormacus. “I hope they do not find him out. He is running too great a risk.”
“He is brave, and upright, something very rare among the nobles. What are we going to do?”
“We must warn the Ancients of this new event.”
“Who do you suspect of killing him?” Sormacus asked.
She shook her head. “His identity is the least of our problems. This will precipitate things. If the House of Ether has allied itself with the House of Hila, that is high treason. And if it is a trap, if they have dared set up a trap for the great House of Ether … either way, it leads me to believe it has lost power. It might not be in control of its own Boundary.”
Sormacus nodded. “I will find out.”
“Meanwhile I shall inform our people.”
“Be careful.”
“You too.”
Notaplo stopped in front of the garden of the Thousand White Roses. He inhaled their sweet fragrance, then left the path that led to the noble area and went in to contemplate that wonder. He walked slowly, lost in delight, until he reached one of the huge fountains in the form of a radiant sun.
“You could never resist it, could you, old friend?”
The mental message took the Erudite by surprise. He looked everywhere without seeing who had spoken.
“Behind the fountain.”
Notaplo stepped forward, and as he rounded the fountain he saw Adamis. His expression of amazement and delight filled Adamis with joy.
“Your Highness!”
Notaplo fell clumsily on Adamis and hugged him.
“My Prince … how? What are you doing here?” Suddenly his face changed from joy to fear. He glanced in every direction.
“Do not worry, we are alone. I have made sure of it.” Adamis’ eyes lingered on the old man. He wore the same white robe and carried the same silver staff as always, and though his kind face had withered somewhat, his clear blue eyes, deep, filled with understanding and wisdom, shone with the same intensity. “I see you are well, my good friend.”
Notaplo nodded and let go of Adamis. He looked at him with misty eyes. “I cannot believe you are here. It does not seem real.”
“Believe it, my good old Erudite,” said Adamis, “it is me. Or what is left of me,” he added jokingly.
“How do you feel, my Lord?”
“I am fine, my old friend. Do not worry.” Adamis put his hand to his stomach, where he had been stabbed. “I have learnt to live with it.”
“To suffer with it, you mean.”
“It is still living, and I would never change it for the alternative.”
Notaplo shook his head bitterly. “You are strong, in spirit and in mind alike. So you have always been, ever since you were little. It saddens me so to see you like this.”
“We cannot change past decisions, you taught me that,” Adamis said with a smile. “I have no regrets. I did what I believed was fair, and I still think it was the right thing to do. I will take the consequences.”
“I am not one to judge you, my Prince, but I am with you.”
“I am no longer your Prince, or your Lord…”
“For me you will always be. And I am too old to change.” Notaplo smiled happily.
“What do you know about Kyra?” Adamis asked, anxious to hear good news. “Or about the others?”
“I do not have much news to give you, my lord. I know that the New-Shelter continues to grow and prosper. They have still not been discovered, although the High Kings keep combing the continent in search of them. The House of Water is desperate, they are calling upon too much Power in order to find them. If they do not succeed, it will be impossible for them to save face before the other Houses. Luckily my little invention works and is keeping them hidden.”
“Little invention?” cried Adamis incredulously. “You are a genius!”
“Oh, not at all. A lucky inspiration. When the Boundaries were created as prisons, I thought it was a regrettable idea. I have always wanted to turn them into something positive. And the occasion happened to arise.” The Erudite shrugged.
“If it were not for you they would have all been caught already, or something far worse. They owe you their lives. And do not think I do not know that you are risking your own life every time you help us. My father will kill you without hesitation if he finds out you are helping us. He will never forgive that betrayal, just as he did not forgive mine. I am deeply grateful, and I know I speak on behalf of all.”
The old man blushed. “It is nothing.”
“And what of Kyra? Have you heard anythi
ng?”
Notaplo shook his head. “I know nothing of my dear little shrew. Nor of her brother. But I have heard rumors…”
“What rumors?”
“Two more Boundaries have been liberated.”
Adamis clenched his fists in a gesture of triumph. “The two of them?”
“Yes, I believe they are Kyra and Ikai’s Boundaries.”
“Fantastic news!”
“They are only rumors, but by now nobody would dare talk about this unless there was some truth behind it.”
“Every night I am tempted to communicate with Kyra…”
“Do not do it!”
Adamis looked at him in surprise. Notaplo was not given to being startled.
“I do not know the reason ‒ do not ask me ‒ but your Father, the High King, is listening. I have seen him using his Power in the chamber of knowledge. He was trying to intercept messages from the continent.”
“That is not like him. Why would he be doing that? It consumes a great deal of Power… trying to pick up messages is wasting power in vain… my Father would not consume life without some powerful reason… and in the continent?”
“I do not know the reason. But he does it.”
“Thank you for the warning. My Father would recognize a message from me at once. His Power is enormous.”
Adamis put his golden hands on the old Erudite’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I am worried about your wellbeing.”
“I am perfectly well, my Prince.”
“You should not have spoken about your advances with the hybrids with power, before the Five Kings. They will not understand, and what is more, they will never either accept it or let you go on investigating. You have put your life at risk. I would never have allowed you to do it. It is too dangerous. Did my father not warn you not to make it public?”
“In life there are times when one has to make difficult decisions which will bring serious consequences. It is the only way of moving forward. Yes, your father warned me that making it public would create great controversy. He had his doubts about the appropriateness of talking about it, although I believe that deep down he approves. In the end he gave me his permission to do whatever I deemed best. And that is what I did. My power is running out, I am already very advanced in years. It is time for others to join my project. The path toward eternal life, toward the glory of our civilization, involves understanding why the hybrids with power do not age. I am fully convinced. That is the path we must follow, all of us, not the technologies they showed, several of which would lead us to destruction if we do not stop their development.”
