by Pedro Urvi
Nothing can defeat me! I am a God! I am invincible!
Kyra saw the sickly swollen veins in her enemy. Realizing what was happening, she smiled.
He opened his mouth insanely wide, threw his head forward and with an animal roar sent a cone of sustained fire at her, like the breath of some fiery creature. The heat began to melt her defense of ice. She reacted by instinct and roared with all her might. From her mouth issued a frozen cone of ice, like the breath of some giant of the icy mountains. Ice and fire met and fought to gain the upper hand. Asu roared, increasing the intensity of his cone of fire, but Kyra’s ice was more powerful. Water defeated Fire. Little by little the cone of ice gained ground on fire, until it devoured it.
Curse you! Asu yelled, angered beyond belief to see her overpowering him.
He began to move his arms and utter words of Power. But he stopped. He doubled up with pain and suffered a spasm. But his rage prevailed, and he pressed on with his attack. She guessed something really bad was coming. She was just a step away from him. She could see the madness in his fiery eyes.
Behind you, came Adamis’ voice.
She turned. Adamis appeared from the mist. He threw her his sword: the sword Aruma had given him.
It is now or never, he said and fell helpless on the floor.
Asu smiled when he saw Adamis appear. His eyes shone with the gleam of victory.
You are mine at last! he cried in ecstasy.
Kyra seized the sword by the hilt in mid-flight. A moment before a meteor of rock and fire fell on her, she used the sword with a well-judged stroke aimed at Asu’s neck. The Golden did not flinch; his face showed only pure satisfaction and confidence.
Steel can do nothing to me!
But to his infinite surprise, the sword went through the defensive sphere and its tip pierced his neck.
At the same moment the meteor fell on Kyra with tremendous force, destroying her defense and leaving her lying on the floor, writhing in pain amid rock and fire.
Asu took two steps back, gaping at the sword which was buried in his neck.
It is… impossible… he stammered. He stumbled, but recovered. You cannot kill me…
“You’re wrong there,” came a voice behind him. He turned. Out of the shadows came Albana. She seized the sword by the hilt and plunged it in sharply.
No! he cried, eyes staring in terror, his hands reaching for his neck. He stepped back, recovered and drew his sword. He threw it on the floor.
Albana went back to Kyra and helped her to her feet.
Asu covered the wound with one hand. This will not kill me!
He tried to use his Power, but a spasm of pain made him fall to the floor, where he began to shake.
Noooooo! What is this? What is happening to me?
Kyra limped up to him, bleeding from many cuts, with Albana at her side. “This is the end for you.”
Asu stretched out his arm. The sickly veins had taken over his body.
I am a God, the most powerful of all!
“You’re nothing,” Kyra said. “You’ve used your Power freely, thinking that the Claw and the discs with the life-essence of the slaves would cancel the price that needed to be paid for the use of the Power. And it’s true, you won’t age. But in your absolute arrogance and utter stupidity, you didn’t consider that your body was poisoned, yours and those of all the Golden. And every time you used your Power, Aruma’s poison spread faster through your body.”
Nooooo! Again Asu tried to use his Power, but he began to shake.
“The toxin is killing you,” Albana said. “It’s lucky we hybrids are immune.”
I will kill you! he howled, but the poison had nearly killed him. From his open mouth, black blood began to dribble.
“No,” Kyra said, “you’re the one who’s going to die.” She went over to Adamis and helped him to his feet. “And I want you to die knowing that Adamis and the other hibernating Golden will be saved.”
No! Arghhhh! He began to cough blood.
I offered you my hand, Adamis said. I gave you the chance to save yourself.
To hell with you! I will kill you!
“Go, my love, save yourself,” Kyra said to her beloved.
He nodded and left the chamber.
Seeing himself defeated and his enemy heading toward salvation, Asu cried out with all his remaining might:
Noooooooooo!
Overcome by a fit of rage, he began to shake and cough up blood until he died.
“For my mother,” said Albana.
“For my mother,” said Kyra, “and for Yosane, Idana, Urda, Liriana, Maruk and all the others.”
The two friends looked at Asu’s body for a long moment. Then they exchanged a glance of satisfaction, took the sword, and with a long, two-handed stroke they cut off his head.
Chapter 40
And the moment arrived. It came before they expected it. Time flew by while the Healers and Erudites treated the wounds of the group in the Chamber of Hibernation.
We need to hurry, the oldest of the Erudite said. We must go into hibernation now, or it will be too late.
Adamis stood up with a grimace of pain. Very well.
Everything is ready, the Erudite went on. He indicated the great golden sphere in the center of the room, which was spinning with a rhythmic murmur, barely audible. The inner chamber will close and remain sealed. Nobody will be able to go in or out of it until the moment comes. He gestured in the direction of the door at the far end, which gave access to the inner chamber where the rest of the Golden had already gone into hibernation.
Thank you. I understand.
The Erudite indicated the crystalline floor. Our brothers are waiting for us.
Ikai gazed at the sleepers through the crystal floor. The underground chamber was immense, vanishing into the depths. The Golden floated amid a golden luminescence, sleeping peacefully so as not to die, waiting for the day when they would be reawakened to go back to the surface.
Once the door is closed, there will be no way back, the Erudite said.
“We will seal the antechamber,” Ikai reassured them. “Nobody will ever reach this place.”
One final detail. Adamis made a sign to the Priests, who came closer. These will be the watchers of sleep, he told them, with a wave toward Ikai and Albana. The three Priests solemnly handed them the Medallion of Shadows, the Tome of the Sun and the Tome of the Moon.
The two books fit into the pedestal in the antechamber and the Medallion in the round door, Adamis explained. Once the three are located in their places, use the Power to activate them and they will seal this chamber from outside. Nothing and nobody will be able to open it. When you do this, take the objects away and hide them. They must never be found, since they are the means of getting here and re-opening it. The only means.
“We’ll protect them with our lives,” Albana assured him.
He nodded. Thank you, both of you.
The three Priests, the Erudites and the last Healers passed through the circular door and into the Chamber of Hibernation.
“Good luck,” Ikai said.
Adamis was the last Golden remaining to cross. He looked beneath his feet and sighed deeply.
I hope we survive, he said, It would be a sad end for our civilization.
“You will survive, the secret will be safe with us,” Ikai promised.
Adamis was moved by this farewell. Thank you… for everything… I do not know how to…
“There’s no need. We’re friends,” Ikai said, and embraced him. The High King of the House of Ether embraced him in return. Then he embraced Albana, who kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear: “I’ll take care of Kyra and keep the secret of the Golden.”
I will never be able to repay this… you have given me so much…you have taught me so much… we have been a race of foolish self-obsessed maniacs…
Kyra kissed him with all her heart.
“Not all of you,” she said, smiling broadly. “There are one or two among you
with good hearts who deserve a second chance.”
I love you.
“And I love you too, my arrogant prince.”
Promise me, my love, that you will live a full life, that you will not waste your life over my memory.
She forced a smile through the tears that were running down her cheeks. “I promise. As soon as you go into hibernation I’m going in search of another prince.”
Adamis laughed at this. You are impossible.
“That’s why you love me,” she said, and held him tightly once more.
For that, and a thousand reasons more.
They kissed passionately in a last heart-wrenching embrace. Suddenly there came a crack and the door to the Chamber of Hibernation began to descend.
Kyra nodded towards the door. “Quickly.”
Adamis gave her one last kiss and went to the round door, which was inexorably descending. He turned to wave goodbye and went in. The door would close in one more moment.
“Sorry brother, I love you both, take care of yourselves!” Kyra said suddenly, and hurled herself under the closing door. Her body slid along the crystalline floor and under the door a second before it shut after her.
Ikai ran to the door “Nooooo!” he cried. But the door had closed and was sealed. There was no way he could open it.
“Kyra!” he called.
Albana hurried to his side and took his hand.
“We have to do something,” he said. “We have to get her out of there.”
“No, my love. It’s her life, not ours.”
“But she’ll die in there.”
“We don’t know that. It’s her decision, not ours. We must respect it.”
And as they spoke, beneath their feet they saw Kyra and Adamis floating, hand in hand, with a look of utter peace and happiness.
Ikai sighed and let his sister follow her heart.
Epilogue
Dawn found Ikai gazing out at Oxatsi, Mother Sea. His arms were around his beloved, and he was lost in the beauty of the sea at daybreak.
Suddenly he felt an icy pain in his forearm. Surprised, he saw that the tattoo of the tree had awakened and was giving out a reddish mist.
“The Witch of the Lake,” Albana said in warning.
“Yes, Aruma…” he said as the mist began to show him an image. As it cleared, it showed them Aruma. She was under the Great monolith in Alantres, in the High Chamber where the Five High Kings had met, surrounded by two rings of acolytes. The first and larger ring included most of them. They were all dead, consumed. The second, made up of a dozen elderly Golden, were still alive. These must be the Ancients, the leaders.
“What can she want?”
“I have a feeling that it won’t be good news.”
The image finished forming. The young tiger and his companion the panther, Aruma greeted them. I am glad to find you alive.
“What do you want of us?” Ikai asked.
I wanted to say goodbye.
“Why? Why us?”
Ah! My young tiger, because you two are very special. You, Ikai, are very special.
“Stop playing games. We know you’ve used us for your own purposes.”
The same way you used this old crazy witch for yours. Or didn’t I save your mother, or Adamis? Or didn’t I help you when you fought the Golden?
“But in the end you betrayed us.”
Me? Betray you? No, my dear tiger, I have never betrayed Men.
“Well, you betrayed the Golden,” Albana put in.
The panther has a point. But it’s not a betrayal, it’s a new dawn, a rebirth. A new era which will change the fate of Golden and Men.
“You could have relied on us.”
Could I? she said with a grimace, as though she were considering it. I don’t think so.
“You never asked, so you’ll never know what our answer would have been.”
Luckily I’ve been on this earth for many years ‒ too many ‒ and I can guess what your answer would have been.
“Even so,” Ikai insisted.
This is the dawn of the Rebirth, she said, spreading her arms wide. Her face was jubilant. A glorious day. The Golden, as we knew them, have ceased to exist. Let me show you.
She showed them an image of Alantres. Thousands of Golden lay dead throughout the eternal city. The image was apocalyptic. The five rings were covered with corpses.
Ikai shook his head. “How could you cause a horror like that?”
To be fair, most of them died because of the war, which I had nothing to do with.
“And the survivors?” Albana accused her. “Those you did kill?”
Those degenerates of the House of Hila were killing them, to use them in their abominable rituals of death. They’re corpse-eaters. They wouldn’t have left many alive, none at all in the long run. The image now showed them a large number of dead Golden, all dressed in black robes. They were members of the House of Death. To be honest, I’m not sorry they’ve died. They worshiped death. They were an aberration.
“And the other innocents?” Ikai asked. “They didn’t deserve to die.”
They’re the price that has to be paid for a new beginning. A great good requires a great sacrifice.
“I don’t approve.”
I know, my young tiger. But perhaps you will approve of this. The image changed to show thousands of slaves on the shores of the continent. Their faces were joyful, their arms raised, and they were shouting jubilantly.
Albana recognized their clothes. “The slaves of Alantres!”
Yes, Aruma said. She smiled broadly. I liberated them from the catacombs. My people led them to the Royal Portals, and we’ve taken them to the mainland so that they can return to their homes.
Ikai was puzzled. “Thank you … that’s wonderful, but I don’t understand. Why?”
Because it’s the right thing to do. There will be no slaves in the Rebirth of the Golden. Both men and Golden will live freely, respecting the laws of Mother Nature.
Ikai and Albana exchanged blank looks.
Aruma gave them a strange smile. And now what? Am I still a heartless murderer?
Ikai was trying to avoid getting mixed up with the game the Leader of the Children of Arutan was playing. “We’re grateful to you for saving the slaves.”
This old witch is sure the panther ‒ she indicated Albana ‒ would approve of killing all the Golden in order to free the slaves. Isn’t that what I’ve done? Wouldn’t you approve, Albana?
The brunette was about to answer, but thought better of it and remained silent. Her eyes met Ikai’s.
You see, young tiger I’m not evil, and neither am I good.
“I don’t approve of what you’ve done,” Ikai said, “but I give you credit for saving thousands of slaves. That I won’t forget.”
Oh, but you will.
“I promise you I won’t.”
And I promise you will, Aruma said with a malicious giggle.
He tensed. Albana reached for her two daggers.
“What do you mean?” Ikai asked.
I must make sure you won’t hunt down the Children of Arutan. The Children of the Rebirth.
“Those who’ve survived… the ones who are immune to your poison.”
Yes, those. Only you know they exist, and only you could go after them and kill them.
“We won’t do that, I give you my word.”
I’d like to believe you, but unfortunately I can’t. So many things might happen in the future.
“I assure you…”
I can’t take that risk.
“What are you going to do?”
The old witch laughed, a cold, grim cackle. The last step for the Rebirth has come. It’s time to erase all trace of the existence of the ancient Golden so that the Rebirth can be complete. We’ll start again from scratch, as if we had never ever set foot on this earth.
Ikai was doubtful that this could be done. “How are you going to manage that?”
I’m going to destroy Alantres and er
ase all memory that the Golden ever existed from the minds of men.
He was still trying to understand what she meant to do. “No! Wait!”
It’s decided. No-one will remember anything of what happened here. Farewell!
The image centered on Aruma, who turned to face the great monolith. She made a sign to her people, and all of them sent Power to the monolith. The Power of the dozen Leaders of the Children of Arutan passed from their bodies to the Monolith. The first of them fell, consumed, and a discharge of power ran along the artifact as if it had been struck by lightning. One by one the Ancients sacrificed their lives, charging the monolith with their enormous power. Each sacrifice caused it to accumulate power, so that large flashes ran along its entire surface.
Ikai and Albana stepped back.
“It’s going to explode!” she said.
“It’ll be devastating!” As he spoke, he covered his face with his forearm. The image was so real and shocking that it seemed it was taking place right there in front of them instead of in Alantres.
Only Aruma remained standing now. She raised her arms. The Great Monolith began to flash in pulses, each more powerful than the last. She sent all her Power and fell to the ground, consumed. She was dead.
“No!” Ikai cried. But it was inevitable now. Irreversible.
There came a colossal throb. A gigantic wave of energy issued from the Great Monolith and spread in all directions. A moment later it imploded, then detonated outwards in a devastating explosion. Ikai and Albana covered their eyes; it was as if the sun itself had burst apart. The explosion completely devastated the city. Buildings shattered and flew into the air. The five rings were destroyed in a single moment. The violence of the explosions wiped out Golden, rock and sea for leagues around. Everything was razed to the ground, nothing survived.
Alantres, the Eternal City, disappeared into the ocean.
“She’s destroyed the world of the Golden!” Albana said in disbelief.
“The wave’s coming this way!” Ikai said uneasily.
The wave ran through sea and earth at an unnatural speed, reached the mainland and swept across it.
