by Pedro Urvi
“Yes, I too believe that. But trying to convince the Five High Kings to abandon their technologies and study what they abhor…”
“I know: they hate hybrids and despise Men. But that is our great mistake, because in them lies the key to reaching eternal life. And I no longer have much time at my disposal. I need other Erudites to join me in this. That is why I decided to take the risk and reveal it.”
“You are a wise man, and a good one. Too good…”
“Thank you, my Prince, you honor me.”
“You deserve that, and much more.”
“It is nothing.”
“Do you remember when I was little and I wanted to go exploring?”
“Of course I do. Your Father forbade it.”
“But I insisted, and kept on insisting. My father did not change his mind, but you on the other hand granted me my wish.”
Notaplo smiled. “You were a very persuasive child. I could not let you suffer locked up in a palace when you so wanted to explore the world.”
“And you built a secret portal for me, in the Chamber of Knowledge, outside my Father’s control, so I could go exploring.”
“Yes, those were times full of joy and hope.”
“The adventures we had! We even went to the great continent. I have never thanked you enough. Those were my happiest years.”
“I am glad this old man could make you happy. I have to admit that I too very much enjoyed our secret escapades.”
“You made me very happy, Notaplo. Very, very happy.”
The old man nodded with a smile, his gaze lost in memory. “Those were the days.”
“But I must warn you about something. In your goodness, you do not see evil in others. What they would be capable of doing to stop you reaching your goals, so that their truth may be the only one. For that reason they will destroy your truth, and you along with it. You must be careful. I do not want you walking around the city on your own without an escort. These are turbulent times, and soon things will begin to take on an even uglier face.”
“What do you mean?”
Adamis told him everything he had heard at Asu’s party. Listening to him, the Erudite’s face turned somber. When Adamis had finished, Notaplo shook his head as though unable to believe what he had heard.
“It is something deeply serious, unthinkable. That disturbed young man, the Prince of Fire, has always worried me, but I never suspected he would go so far in his delusions of grandeur. He has lost his head.”
“So he may have, but it is happening.”
“Do you wish me to tell your father? He ought to know… it is too important for us to hide this from him.”
Adamis considered this for a moment. “Very well. You have a point. But he will ask you how you came by the information. What will you tell him? He must not know I am alive. You will have to lie to your King…”
Notaplo stroked his chin. “Do not worry, I will think of something. He will not know you are alive. I give you my word on that.”
Adamis accepted this with a nod. “One more thing. After the appearance of today’s dead body, I believe there has been foul play.”
“Yes, I believe so too.”
“Warn my Father the High King of this too. I have a feeling that things are going to get very difficult for all of us, very soon.”
Notaplo nodded several times. “Very well, my lord. I will do so, rest assured.”
“Thank you, my old friend.” The two of them embraced, and Notaplo gave him a broad smile of affection.
“I hope to see you back at the palace someday, with your title and honors restored.”
“I do not believe that will ever happen. But do not worry, your friendship is all I want to keep from my past life:”
“That you will always have.”
They embraced again, and Notaplo left, smiling.
A short while later Adamis climbed onto the small boat where Ariadne was waiting.
“Everything all right?” she asked.
“Yes, everything is fine. I am more at ease now. I have warned Notaplo, and he knows what to do.”
“How did you know where to find him?”
“My good Erudite has fixed habits. He always takes the same route when he goes back to the Palace. He always stops at the same places: his favorite spots in the city. At this moment he will be contemplating the city from the Western Lookout. Then he will take the avenue to the Palace.”
Ariadne smiled. “Yes, that is a very pretty place. The views are spectacular.” She cast off with one of the oars.
From the lookout, Notaplo was gazing at the Eternal City shining in the night. That particular view enchanted him. How beautiful Erenal was, how beautiful were the great achievements of the Golden. He was so engrossed in the view of his beloved land that he did not notice the murderer behind him. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck, where the dagger entered his brain, and arms gripping him. His legs gave way and his sight blurred. How wonderful my city is, he thought, and died.
Chapter 23
Kyra tried to force the bars of the sphere-cell, without much hope. She had already ‘enjoyed’ the hospitality of one of those prisons of the Gods and knew it was impossible to force them. But she tried, anyway.
“By the Moon!” she cried, and her voice echoed in the round chamber with its silver floor and ceiling. There were twelve sphere-cells in a circle, filling the room. Only three of them were occupied.
“It’s useless,” Ikai said from another sphere. “Don’t strain yourself.”
“You know me, I had to try.”
He turned to his friend inside the sphere-cell to his right. “How are you, Maruk?”
“Better… seeing you has brought hope to my heart. I thought all was lost.”
Kyra tried to encourage him. “Hold on. We’ll win, you’ll see.”
“For a moment… I thought I was losing my mind…”
“Don’t worry,” Ikai told him. “You’re with us now, and nothing’s going to happen to you. We’ll get out of this one.”
Maruk took a deep breath, then let the air out in a long sigh.
“You’ve no idea how happy I am to see you.”
“We feel just the same,” said Kyra.
“It’s been very difficult. We didn’t know what was happening… the moment I arrived I tried to organize a resistance movement, without success. People kept disappearing… and didn’t come back. Nobody knew where they went or why. They were just taken. Little by little they took all the strong healthy ones. All that were left were the children and the elderly. They even took the Guard and the Proxies… When that happened I realized something truly horrible must be going on. I had to hide. The people were very frightened. In fact they were terrified…”
“I don’t blame them,” Ikai said.
“Now we know what’s happening,” said Kyra.
“And it’s worse than I’d imagined,” Maruk said, and his green eyes filled with tears.
“Yes,” Ikai said. “It’s like a horrible nightmare.”
“Which we’re all going to wake up from, brother. I swear that.”
He nodded. “Yes. We have to stop Asu, or else it’ll mean the end of both Men and Golden.”
Maruk looked at Ikai. “We need a plan.”
“That’s right, brother, think of something. One of your master plans would come in very handy right now.”
He smiled without humor. “Sure… no pressure…”
“For you, this is nothing. A couple of Gods, a hundred Executors and the three of us unarmed and locked up in sphere-cells. Child’s-play for you!”
Maruk could not help but laugh.
Ikai was looking worried. “Finding a way out of this is going to be so easy…”
Kyra glanced at her brother. “Well, that conceited know-it-all Beru’s forgotten one little detail…” He knew what she meant, and nodded.
“He’ll pay for his arrogance,” Kyra said, and her eyes sparkled.
They heard footst
eps. Three Executors and an Eye-of-the-Gods appeared at the entrance. One of the Executors was carrying food on a tray and a jug of water. He offered the jug to Ikai.
“If you open the cells we’ll be able to eat and drink better,” Ikai said.
The Eye let out a jarring sound which distantly resembled laughter. On his hand he wore a gauntlet.
“Eat and drink. Quick. One by one.”
“They must be really afraid of us to be so careful,” Kyra said.
The Eye stood tall. “We serve the Gods. We fear nobody and nothing.”
“Sure, that’s why they’ve fastened a golden pip to your forehead. But don’t worry, I’ll help you take it out.”
The Eye laughed again. “Eat and be quiet, slave.”
But Kyra did not eat. Her eyes were closed. The Eye repeated the order, but she did not respond.
“Do as I say, or else I will make you suffer,” the Eye said. He took out a disc with a golden pip which he held with his gauntlet.
“You see, Enforcer,” Kyra said, “your great master forgot one little detail.”
“What detail?”
“This,” she said, and used her Power. She hurled the Eye against the other three Executors with brutal force. The four crashed on to the floor and stayed there. “I don’t need the disc to use the Power. I can use my own Power. Isn’t that a surprise?” And she hurled the Eye against the Executors one more time as they were trying to get up. She struck each of them with the Eye again and again, until none of them rose.
“Done,” she said.
Ikai was still in a state of shock at his sister’s brutality. “A bit savage…”
“If you want to get out of here alive, we can’t pussy-foot around.”
“She’s right,” Maruk said
“Right… and now how do we open these cells? I don’t think you can do it with your Power.”
“Hmm, no. But I have an idea.” She concentrated and dragged the Eye towards her. All the bones in his body were broken. In his sash she found the key to the cells and held it up triumphantly to her brother.
He had to concede victory to his sister. They opened the cells and took the Executors’ weapons. Kyra searched for the Eye’s disc and found it in a corner. It was not damaged, and she gave it to Ikai.
“See if you can use it.”
“Do you think I can?”
“I don’t see why not. That pip has the Power of a God, most likely one from the House of Fire. If we’ve been able to use Adamis’s disc, we should be able to use the Power in any other disc…”
“Sounds reasonable. I’ll try.”
He concentrated. To his surprise, after a moment he felt the tingling sensation which told him he had interacted with the Power. The disc flashed, showing that it had been activated.
“You see?”
“Just lately you’ve been right about a lot of things, little sis.”
“Maybe I’m growing up…”
The three exchanged doubtful looks.
“Nah, I don’t think so,” she added.
Ikai and Maruk smiled.
Ikai pointed to the way out of the chamber. “We have to escape from here, and it’s not going to be easy. We’re at the deepest level of the dungeons. There are a hundred Executors between us and the surface.”
“And two Gods…” added Maruk in a strained voice.
“But they’re not all on this level,” Kyra pointed out. “That smug Beru sent them up to the higher levels to collect the discs. Besides, a while ago we had the same problem, and then we were locked up and unarmed. Now we’re out of the cells and armed. This is getting better by the moment.”
“That’s true,” Maruk said, more cheerfully.
“Good,” Ikai said. “Now we have to get out without being killed. Which looks like being quite a complicated business.”
“Think, brother, think. We have skills the Power allows us. Let’s use them.”
“If we use them in the open, we’ll lose. There are too many of them. And that’s not counting him… remember he’s very powerful, no less than a Noble of the House of Fire. We can’t fight a God, that’s crazy. And this one least of all. He’d kill us without a second thought.”
“If it’s not in the open,” Maruk said, “we can try a bit of trickery and escape that way.”
Ikai and Kyra gave him all their attention.
“What have you got in mind?” Ikai asked him.
“Well, the central chamber has two corridors crossing it. One goes north-south, the other one east-west. The monolith is in the center.”
“Go on,” Kyra prompted him.
There was a triumphant gleam in Maruk’s eyes. “If we manage to get out through one of the passages without being seen, we might escape…”
“Hmm… let me think,” Ikai said. “I’ve got an idea coming.”
A little later a thick mist which rose three hand-spans from the floor began to spread through the whole level. It gradually spread until it covered all the chambers. The Executors began to gather in the great central chamber, with the monolith and the pods. They did not understand what was going on. By now the mist reached their knees. They watched it through their helmets of horror, not knowing what to do.
One of the Eyes-of-the-Gods came to check on the pods in case this strange phenomenon might be the result of some massive leak in them. He was examining a pod by the monolith, checking what it said in his golden book about the normal working parameters of the pods. Two hands closed on his ankles like pincers. The Eye looked down, but all he could see was the low cloud of white mist that covered the floor.
“What…?” he shrieked in his metallic voice.
He felt a strong pull, lost his balance and fell on his back, so that he was covered by the mist. There was a grunt, and he vanished. Two Executors saw this and hurried to the spot, but could not find him. They began to prod the mist with their spears in search of him, but by now the mist was so thick it was like snow. They did not find anything. The Eye had vanished.
“Where is he?” one of the Executors asked another in his cavernous voice.
Before the other could answer, both of them fell backwards with a dull sound and disappeared into the mist. They did not get up again. A third Executor came from the pods and saw what was happening. He was about to sound the alarm when a Spirit of Agony emerged from the mist in front of him.
“What…?”
The spirit threw itself on the Executor and consumed him. Two more Executors appeared. They were going to help their comrade in his struggle with the spirit, but a brutal force hit their feet and knocked them on to their faces. Before they could get up again another force propelled them, with immense strength, against the walls. There followed a loud crash. The Executors never got up again, and nothing was seen of what had happened. Another Executor appeared on the other side of the chamber. The Spirit of Agony dived into the mist. A moment later it surfaced in front of the Executor. There was a struggle, and both of them died, vanishing into the mist.
A somber silence filled the chamber. The poor wretches in the pods, in their comatose state, were mute witnesses to these strange events. The mist spread to fill every corner, and one by one the Enforcers fell and vanished into it.
Suddenly a voice thundered from the end of the tunnel, at the northern entrance: What is happening here? Enforcers, to me! But there were no Enforcers left on that level. Enforcers, to me! the voice repeated. But the Enforcers could not respond. The God came down the corridor to the monolith. He saw the mist and activated the golden artifact. This is not from the pods. This is…Power!
A new Spirit of Agony appeared before the God. It fell on him, seeking to devour his golden face. The God took a step back and cried out in surprise. He tried to defend himself, covering his face with his hands. A moment later two flares issued from his golden palms. The Spirit of Agony roared in pain, but kept coming. It reached the face of the Golden. And now it was the God who cried out, a cry of horror and agony. The flames consume
d the spirit, destroying it. The Golden managed to recover from the attack and looked around, trying to see his attacker. But all he could see was the low mist, amid a deadly silence.
Show yourself! he demanded. How dare you attack a Golden of the House of Fire in his own domains?
From the mist at the end of the corridor, Kyra emerged. She rose as if coming back to life from the dead and faced the God.
You!
“Hello, Erudite.”
It is impossible! How did you escape?
“I’m very smart.”
You will pay for this! The Erudite spread out the palms of both hands and attacked. From his hands came two flares which went straight for Kyra, who did not move. She closed her eyes and used her Power. A translucent sphere enveloped her. The flames reached it and crashed against the protection.
How can you use the Power? You have no disc!
“Odd, isn’t it?”
I would love to study you, the Erudite said with a gleam in his eyes, while at the same time he kept the flames attacking her protective sphere. Give yourself up and I will pardon your life in exchange for studying you.
She smiled. “I’ve already been studied. And it turns out I don’t need your damn discs. I have my Own Power, and I can use it as I wish.” She strengthened the sphere so that it would not succumb to the flames.
That is not possible!
“It certainly is, my little Erudite. So I’ll make you a proposition. Surrender, and I won’t kill you.”
Surrender to a slave? I am a God!
“Well, you’re an Erudite, which in the ranking order among Gods doesn’t put you very high. A little above the Healers, if I’m not mistaken…”
