The Fall of Saar (Once Upon a Saturn Moon Book 2)

by Edward Antrobus

  Vaamick stood up to greet the girl. “Lig, I heard the news about your brother-in-law,” he lied. “I am truly sorry. Please consider this your new home. I hope that you will come to see me as family.”

  Lig eyed him suspiciously. “What, you want to be my daddy? You look less than half a Saturn-year older than me,” she spat.

  “No, no,” he shook his head. “How about a cool older brother? I know the princess and can get you into the royal parties,” he added with a smile.

  She snorted. “Royal parties? You’re just saying that to get in my tunic.”

  Vaamick took her hand in his. “I promise you that you are perfectly safe from unwanted attention in this temple.” He let go of her hand.

  Lig bit her lip. Her features contorted as a series of emotions flashed across her face. Finally, she dropped her arms to her side and asked, “Will you let me drink?”

  He chuckled. He shot her a smirk and shook his head. “That’s highly inadvisable in your condition.”

  She frowned and crossed her arms again. “How do you know about that?”

  “My dear, Bara whispers into my ear,” Vaamick responded. “That’s how I knew to get you. I know who the father is and why you don’t want to reveal him, even after his death.”

  Lig softened. She pursed her lips and squinted as tears welled in her eyes.

  "Your secret is safe with me. Nobody else has to know," he assured her.

  "Can we just not talk about it?" she pleaded.

  "Of course," Vaamick replied. "The matter is closed." They stood there in awkward silence for a while.

  A knock sounded at the door. Vaamick opened his mouth to speak, but the door swiveled open. He glared at Kaarg when the older man revealed himself in the doorway.

  Kaarg withered under the gaze. He blinked twice and straightened. "Uh, sir. I didn't think this was something you wanted to wait."

  "Well, what is it?" Vaamick hissed. "I'm busy." He stomped over to Kaarg, perching himself on his toes to match the other man’s height. “It had better be good.”

  A delicate hand appeared on Kaarg's shoulder. Kaarg allowed himself to be moved to the side revealing Lorinth. "Hi, sweetie."

  “Sweetie?” Lig squeaked. She poked her head around Vaamick’s body.

  Lorinth’s smile faded. “Oh dear, I didn’t realize you had company.”

  “Is-is that the princess?” Lig’s voice was noticeably higher than it had been a minute ago. “You weren’t lying when you said you knew her.”

  “Vaamick, you told her about us?” Lorinth accused him. “What happened to being discrete? I’m engaged to be mated!”

  “I told her I knew you and could get her into parties,” Vaamick snapped. “You are the one who told a complete stranger about our affair.”

  “Wait.” Lig’s eyes bulged. “You’re together? Like ‘together’ together? Wow.”

  A sob caught in Lorinth’s throat. Vaamick looked at her as tears welled in her eyes. He held out his hand to her but she turned and ran off. Vaamick turned back to Lig. “If this gets out, a lot of people could get in trouble and I wouldn’t be able to keep you safe. You know a very grownup secret now. Can I trust you to keep it?”

  Lig stood there with her mouth open. The weight of what she just learned seemed to hit her. She gulped and nodded.

  Vaamick placed his hand on her shoulder and nudged her towards the door. “Come on, let’s go find Lorinth. I guess it’s time the two of you were formally introduced.”

  Kaarg had been standing by the door silently during the entire exchange. Vaamick scowled at him. “Take Lig’s bags to her nook. Then take a vacation. I don’t need you screwing anything else up for a while.”

  As Vaamick and Lig walked the tunnels, Lig asked him, “Why were you so mean to Kaarg? It wasn’t his fault that I found out.”

  Vaamick took a deep breath and sighed. “But he knew that you were there and that I don’t like people just barging in. I conduct sensitive temple business in that office. Would you have liked it if he let somebody in while we were discussing your pregnancy?”

  Lig shivered at the thought. “No, I guess not.”

  “And that was just the latest. I sent him to Biimp because Bara told me that your uncle was in danger. But he couldn’t prevent his death.”

  Lig stopped. “But it was an accident. He died in a cave-in.”

  Vaamick stopped a few paces in front of her. “Maybe it was and maybe it wasn’t. I don’t know. I just know that Bara wanted me to keep an eye on him and Kaarg didn’t do enough.”

  Her eyes hardened. “If somebody was responsible for my family’s death, I will destroy them.”

  “Remember, Bara teaches peace, not vengeance.”

  “I don’t care. If Bara can’t keep my family safe, I’ve got no time for her.”

  Vaamick grabbed her with both hands on her shoulders, his finger digging into her flesh.

  “Oww, you’re hurting me,” she cried.

  Instead of relaxing his grip, he squeezed harder. “Now listen here,” he hissed. “You live in her house now. You will respect the goddess or you and your baby are out on your own. I don’t care what your personal thoughts are. When you are in a public place, you serve Bara. Do you understand me?”

  She sniffed and then nodded. Vaamick straightened up and relented. “Good. Now, let’s go.”

  Vaamick started walking again but Lig didn’t move. “Look, I understand your feelings. I really do. I’m in love with an incredible woman and Bara is letting another man take her from me. In private, I’ve complained and begged, but in public, we all have our roles to play. As long as you can play your role, we will get along fine, and you will never want for anything.”

  Lig pouted. Vaamick felt his annoyance rising and took a couple of breaths. This was a delicate situation and if he didn’t handle it well, she would tell his secret. Besides, if she was to go digging, she would find out who was really responsible for her family’s death. “I’m sorry that I scared you. I tend to be over-protective of Bara. It’s kind of my job.” He smiled.

  She stood for a moment more, breathing heavily, and Vaamick was sure she might make a run for it. As he reached out to her, she flinched, so he dropped his hands. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’m scared too. There’s no instruction manual for being the head priest of Bara. I mess up sometimes. I can be too intense. But that doesn’t excuse my behavior. If you can help me find Lorinth and assure her that you aren’t going to tell the King about us, I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

  Finally, she spoke. “That really hurt.”

  “I’ll never lay a hand on you again. I didn’t mean to do that.” Vaamick looked down.

  Lig stood for a little longer, then she looked up. “So where are we going to find the princess? This seems like a big place.”

  “I think I know where she went. Come on, let me show you the shrine.”

  When they reached the shrine room, Vaamick wasn’t surprised to find the door locked.

  “I guess we’ll just have to wait for her?” Lig asked.

  Vaamick let out a little chuckle. “What kind of head priest would I be if I didn’t keep a key to the holiest place on Bara?” He reached inside his robes to pull out a silver key hanging around his neck. He slid the key into the lock and turned it slowly, giving the door a little shove, and it swung open effortlessly.

  Lorinth sat on the floor by the statue, tears flowing freely. A gasp escaped Lig’s lips at the sight.

  Lorinth turned to see her audience. “Go away,” she sobbed. “You’ve ruined my life.”

  Vaamick went to her. “Now, now. Everything is going to be okay. Lig isn’t going to tell anybody, is she?” He added the last part as he looked up at the young woman by the door.

  “Um, no. I’m sorry I scared you before. I was just surprised.” Lig stayed at her spot in the hallway. Vaamick motioned her to come forward. Lig hesitated and then stepped into the room.

  Vaamick made a shooing motion. Lig interpret
ed this as a signal to leave and made her way back to the hallway.

  “No, the door. Come in and close the door,” Vaamick whispered.

  Lig nodded and followed his instructions. Lorinth let out a series of raspy sobs as she attempted to control her breathing.

  "Umm, hi. I'm Lig." She held out her hand to the other woman. When Lorinth ignored it, she continued. "I guess we didn't meet under the best terms. But I've always been a huge fan of yours. You are so pretty."

  Finally, Lorinth got her breathing under control. She pulled a small cloth from her dress and blew her nose. "Ha, I'm sure you don't think that now."

  "No, no," Lig reassured her. "You are still spectacular. I didn't look half as good when I learned that my family died."

  Lorinth looked down at her wrinkled dress. "My dear, you must have looked a mess." She laughed.

  Lig frowned as though remembering that day not so long ago. Then a grin broke through. "Oh, that's for sure." She held up a hand over her mouth as she let out a giggle.

  Lig held out a hand to help Lorinth up, but Lorinth pulled her down instead. The two laughed as Lig crumbled into a heap on top of her.

  Vaamick just shook his head and smiled. One crisis averted. For now at least. “Well, ladies, I see you have some talking to do. If you need me, I’ll be in my office.”

  5 B.W.

  "Jeef is an idiot and a bore of a man," Lorinth exclaimed as she entered the shrine room. Vaamick looked up from his work at the base of a giant statue of Bara. He used his body to block her view of his work as he slid a cover over the hidden speaker he'd just installed.

  “I won’t disagree with you there,” Vaamick snorted. “He's one of the few nobles that haven't visited the temple yet. Even the ones who don't believe come to parade their so-called faith to the masses." He stood and gave Lorinth a brief hug. "What did he do this time?”

  She collapsed on the cushions at the statue's feet. "My father complained during lunch, that I was spending too much time at the temple. Right in front of him, Jeef boasted that he'd wear me out so much I'd never leave our nook."

  Vaamick sat down beside her and shook his head. "Wow. How did your father react to that?"

  "Oh, you know how daddy is," she sighed. "He just said that it wasn't appropriate conversation for meal time and kept eating."

  Vaamick laughed. She glared at him. The laugh died in his mouth. "I'm sorry. I know it's frustrating. But Jeef has said much worse. If your father hasn't risen to the bait by now, he probably never will."

  "You're probably right." Lorinth frowned. "He just hasn't been the same since mother died. Jeef once said that he couldn't wait to be king and fix the mistakes of his predecessors. Daddy just agreed and went back to the report he was reading."

  "One mistake I'd like him to fix was the decision to sell you off for mining rights," Vaamick said. "Do you think Jeef will fix the mistake of letting himself be the next king?"

  Lorinth smiled for the first time since arriving. "I'll be sure to petition him on the matter once he takes the throne beside me."

  She leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence, determined to enjoy the limited time they had together.

  "Have you given any thought to who will perform the ceremony?" Vaamick asked.

  Her smile faded. She looked away from Vaamick. After a few moments, she turned towards him and sucked in her breath. "I want you to do it."

  "What?" He shouted. "Why? I don't want to watch you marry him, let alone be in charge of it." He backed away from her.

  A hurt expression crossed her face. She sniffed. He glared at her, but it only seemed to make her angry. "I don't want this wedding any more than you do. But if I'm going to get married, then I want the man I love to at least be in the room." She pounded on his chest with her fists.

  Vaamick took the abuse silently as she sobbed. "Please, Vaamick? For me? I need you there. I don't think I'll be able to do it if you aren't there."

  Vaamick took a deep breath. "I..." The words fell off.

  She looked him in the eye. "Don't forget the honor and prestige that would come from officiating the royal wedding."

  A tear escaped his eye. "I'll do it," he whispered.

  4 B.W.

  There hadn't been a royal wedding since Lorinth's parents got married over a Saturn-year ago. It seemed like half the moon's population squeezed into the temple’s cavern. Holo repeaters were set up so that those who couldn’t fit inside would still hear the ceremony. Normally, Vaamick would have done all he could to convert the multitude into congregants and donators. But today the entire sight just sickened him. He wanted nothing to do with the crowd; he rather hide in his quarters until a page fetched him.

  Vaamick walked slowly to the pulpit at the head of the main hall. The gait probably gave the impression of pomp and ceremony, but the reality was that he wanted to delay the inevitable as long as he could.

  At last, he reached the dais and took his position. The room fell to silence. He felt weak and gripped the pulpit for support. He wasn’t sure he could do this. But failure would make him an enemy of the royal family and look a fool to thousands of people. He took a deep breath.

  “In Bara, all things are possible,” he intoned. Except to be with the woman you love, he thought bitterly.

  “Bara helps those who help themselves,” the crowd returned.

  “We are gathered here together to celebrate the joining of two to be one under Bara,” Vaamick continued. And tear apart the two that should be one. He finished the opening part of the ceremony and then introduced the groom.

  Jeef strode forward to the dais. He wore a soldier’s uniform, complete with ceremonial knives and a shield that had been useless since the dawn of laser rifles back in a time when humans were learning to use stone tools. Jeef looked ridiculous in it.

  Since Bara had united under the banner of Saar, only Lun served in the army. But Lun couldn’t marry—Jeef was certainly no Lun. Instead, he wore the uniform as the future commander of the army. Jeef would be able to assume that title after this wedding and King Toorin’s death, but right now, he looked like a child playing dress up.

  The crowd threw small blue flowers at Jeef’s feet and cheered as he passed. The flowers were said to only grow where Bara had walked across the face of the moon and were only used to honor great men. Vaamick hated their smell.

  Jeef reached the dais and turned to face the crowd. He gave a deep bow and then straightened, grinning at Vaamick, which the priest returned with a frown too small for others to notice.

  Calling for silence, Vaamick waited until the crowd quieted, before deep notes of a wind instrument played the somber tune of the bride’s march. Toorin accompanied his daughter into the room. Unlike Jeef, Toorin had a right to the uniform, but instead wore a simple brown tunic and a heavy jeweled crown. Toorin’s blue hair had black streaks, showing his age and the stress of his position.

  Lorinth’s arm was looped in Toorin’s. Her only adornment was a tiara with gems depicting the outline of father-Saturn. She was dressed in a black gown, denoting her purity. For the first time today, Vaamick smiled. He’d taken that purity just a few feet away.

  The flowers came anew, piling in heaps along the length of the carpeted aisle, as the entire room started chanting her name. Vaamick’s pages were going to have a horrible time clearing the crushed petals out of the material in the morning.

  Lorinth looked past Jeef and beamed a smile at Vaamick, which he returned. Jeef, of course, mistook himself for the smile’s intended recipient and smirked.

  When the king and princess reached the dais, the entire room knelt. Toorin held out his down-turned hand, and Jeef and Vaamick kissed it.

  As they stood, Jeef subtly jabbed Vaamick in the side with his shield. Vaamick wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction. He just sucked in his breath and smiled inwardly at the fact that Lorinth loved him, instead of the fool she was marrying. Jeef faced the crowd once more.

  Vaamick breat
hed deeply, filling his large chest cavity. He started to hum—a deep throbbing sound. Lorinth joined in; her hum had a higher pitch that sounded musical to him. Toorin added his note and the rest of the room joined the chorus. Jeef blinked and remembered that he was supposed to participate. Forgetting to breathe first, he rushed to hum with the rest of the crowd.

  The entire room buzzed with the sound, a repetition of two descending notes. The walls vibrated from the noise. For a brief moment, Vaamick worried about the cavern collapsing. But the walls he’d built could withstand a bomb blast. They would hold. And if they didn’t…well, then Vaamick wouldn’t have to live with the torment of his love being married to another man.

  Jeef ran out of breath and had to take another. The rest of the room continued. This ancient call to Bara, a plea that transcended and predated words, continued for ten minutes. When the sound ended, the room fell to hushed quiet. The rest of the ceremony would be in complete silence. Vaamick noticed Jeef panting.

  A page brought up a bucket of freshly excavated soil from the surface. It steamed slightly as the ice inside sublimated in the warmer air. Now only the ceremony of the couple joining themselves in Bara remained. Vaamick poured the dirt into a basin and nodded at the couple. Jeef grabbed Lorinth’s hand and yanked it toward the basin. Lorinth seemed to barely suppress a yelp at the forceful move. Together, they plunged their hands into the icy soil.

  Vaamick knew that Lorinth had been practicing the ritual and took the cold with poise and grace. Jeef seemed to have decided to go the route, assuming he could simply take the cold. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, and more than one couple had brought bad fortune upon themselves by breaking the silence during the ceremony. Vaamick suppressed a grin as the taller man shivered. Jeef grimaced. Vaamick held his breath, willing Jeef to make a sound. Seconds passed as Jeef’s face went through a series of contortions.

  They pulled their hands from the basin. Bits of the sepia dirt flecked their skin. They raised their joined arms as they faced the crowd. It was over. Lorinth and Jeef were married. The princess and the new crown-prince marched past the crowd towards the exit.