by Mikkell Khan
* * *
Of course, sometimes he wondered, if the Architects lead us away from that galaxy, and wiped most being’s consciousness and memories of its existence, then why would taking everyone back there be a good idea? In his mind, it made sense that the galaxy only deserved the most faithful and the most committed.
* * *
He fell in that category very well in his opinion.
* * *
“If I choose to teach you, you will have to swear to secrecy. Anything I can tell you is far too important and dangerous to be shared with anyone else. I doubt you will understand at first, but you could eventually if you last during my lessons long enough to realize it.”
* * *
“I would do anything to know magic,” the young girl’s eye glistened with desire and ambition, she was almost in a trance, a daydream like a state while listening to her grandfather describe the dangerous allure of magic.
“I will test you before I decide whether or not you are worthy,” Gudrunn told her. The overly dramatic tone was going to prepare Amadalia for the gravity of the situation plus he really did have to do a test. The Enixar had to accept her in order for their magic to be possible.
“I will call you when I have time to start.”
“Thank you grandfather, I can’t wait!” Amadalia exclaimed excitedly and left the room after thanking him over ten times and before closing the door.
* * *
Gudrunn looked at the miniature sun clock on his desk equipped with a tiny shining yellow orb hovering over it providing its “sunlight”.
* * *
Soon he thought, he would have the Dragonette in his possession, the power to return to the Prime Galaxy and a successor to oversee his kingdom. The day seemed to shape up quite nicely, he thought.
Chapter 2
Meriaus climbed up the last set of stone stairs and sat down at the top breathing heavily clutching his chest. He was totally exhausted from climbing up what seemed an endless number of stairs. After regaining his breath partially he looked up and squinted his eyes to protect them against the setting sun sinking behind the lush green hill in front of him. He had been climbing for the past half hour with very few and short breaks. Despite cursing the Silent monks for living in a monastery on top of a ridiculously secluded hill he had to admit that they had a phenomenal view to enjoy.
* * *
"Welcome back,” a voice from behind greeted.
Meriaus turned around and saw the Abbot of the monastery with the blissful smile of a man who had not just climbed up a countless number of stairs. The Abbot, who was named Finn, was a very fat man. This was rather unusual for a Silent monk who had given a vow of abstinence from earthly pleasures and that meant sticking strictly to a very minimalistic diet. Meriaus was just itching to ask him about that but the matter of the Abbot’s body shape seemed too personal. Finn was wrapped in meters and meters of the bright red toga traditional for the Silent monks. He looked so content and welcoming that Meriaus understood instantly why these men had been left up to their own devices by rulers of the kingdom for literally thousands of years.
* * *
“Abbot Finn,” Meriaus greeted him back as he jumped to his feet swiftly. ”How is the listening going?”
“Ah, as well as always,” Finn answered. The silent monks were named so because of their ancient practice to listen to the world around them so intently that, according to their teachings, one could hear the sounds coming from the galaxies nearby.
“Heard any interesting gossip lately?” Meriaus made a joke and immediately regretted it from fear of offending this radiant man. But if the Abbot was so easily offended he wouldn’t have been elevated to his current position.
“Hahaaa...well sometimes we can’t help but hear this or that, but we mostly ignore gossip and focus on the sound of nature,” He bowed to Meriaus slightly as a greeting and Meriaus did the same. They began walking towards the monastery entrance.
“But I take it you have not returned to us so soon just to enjoy the view. There is another reason. I have a feeling the nature of your second visit in such a short period of time is not of a spiritual one,” the Abbot concluded in a soft voice, almost a whisper. He had such a relaxing effect on the people around him.
“I am afraid not,” Meriaus conceded and stopped in his tracks. Finn also paused and turned to face his confidant. The commander continued, “I spoke with the Lord and I explained the situation as best as I could. He… is adamant. He wants you to give up control and adhere to his command. That would hardly disrupt your day to day life. I honestly would advise you to do what he says. It will save you a lot of problems.”
The Abbot sighed heavily and looked around at the area surrounding the entrance of his domain. It was a gorgeous day- the sky was brilliantly blue, the birds were blissfully unaware of politics or power struggles and the lush trees were rustling softly in the light breeze.
“Do you see that nest, commander?”, he signaled with a nod to a nearby tree, “Are the birds in it required to give me their eggs because their nest is in my monastery? Of course not. We live and let live. We respect all beings and their non destructive ways of life. Why then is The Lord forcing us to do what is against nature?”
“I think you are misunderstanding the situation. He doesn’t want any of your possessions, trust me,” Meriaus ensured him. “This is merely a...let’s call it a formality.”
“He has taken many things from many people under the guise of this formality.”
“I see you truly can learn a lot by listening,” Meriaus observed with slight admiration in his eyes. “Yes, technically he will be entitled to anything you own. But… between me and you- he already is… he is far more powerful than any other person in the world. He is essentially offering you the easy way of doing things.”
“Indeed. I will have to think on this.”
She gingerly walked up the mountain road as she usually did. She was accustomed to this, taking flowers and pastries to the Abbot and his high priests. She would never forget how the Abbot assisted her grandmother all those years ago when she was a sickly young woman.
* * *
“Abbot Finn!” She called, now seeing he was in the presence of another man, she gasped, “Oh my, I’m so sorry….”
* * *
Both Meriaus and the Abbot turned to see the young woman. They were sitting and having a natural herbal tea together, grown and brewed directly from the Monastery garden. The notion that Meriaus was even offered such a beverage spoke to the closeness he had with the Abbot and his brothers.
* * *
In fact, Meriaus admired them, these thousands of years, holding their own against the desires of several lords of Gramadon and now the ultimate king of the land. And using what? Nothing but peace and providing information of the Universe to the curious lords.
* * *
Meriaus wondered why his own Lord did not care for their wisdom. Perhaps, it was that his origins were still widely unknown to this followers and he believed he knew more than these faithful monks.
* * *
“It’s alright Jessika,” the Abbot waved over to the shamefaced girl, “Please, come sit with us. I was just telling my good friend Meriaus about the good-hearted people of the village,” He pointed to Meriaus with a wink; he knew it was a tale to let the girl feel better about the interruption. “You’ll live long my child, since we were practically talking about you just before you showed up.”
* * *
Jessika blushed, “Thank you Abbot Finn, I’ve brought some pastries for your good self and the brothers. The flowers to add to your wonderful garden. I hope it pleases the Monastery.”
* * *
She was beautiful, Meriaus thought. Plus, she was kind hearted. Why would the Lord feel so threatened by the Monastery and the its influence on the people. Sometimes he truly wondered about his motives… However, he was the king and was to be respected as such.
* * *
“It does m
y dear. Thank you for this,” the Abbot replied, receiving the goods.
“Grandma sends her regards, she wished she could make it but the trip can sometimes have a toll on her.”
“It’s understandable my child. You grandmother has my blessings.”
She nodded, acknowledging his favour. From an Abbot that was something to be held in high regard. She looked over to Meriaus and noticed his King’s seal.
“Hello, my good lord Meriaus, I see you work with the King,” She felt the need to say something disruptive but then continued on a lighter note, “My sister actually works on the council. Imagine that, a woman in such a high place of his trustees. Her name is Tenaria Pascal, do you know her?”
Meriaus chuckled at the spunk of this woman, very smart and subtle in her insult of the King, something she could not be condemned for but a jab everyone could understand. “My dear lady, yes, I know Tenaria very well, we both knock heads on the council from time to time but we all want the same thing… the best for the nation and its people.”
Jessika smirked, “I’m quite glad to hear that.”
Meriaus smiled, he knew Tenaria as close as someone could know a colleague, a strong and fierce soldier who never mixed matters when it came to honour. Her family helped Gudrunn overtake the kingdom and in return they were given position on the council. Tenaria was thought to be an only child so she took up the role.
* * *
However, Meriaus noted she never mentioned her family even once to him. Perhaps for good reason not wanting the lord to know about them.
* * *
“I will send her your regards when I return, and I will ensure she travels back more often. She’s such a dedicated soul, I would think her home was the palace.”
“I know… Please do! Her family misses her,” Jessika scoffed, “I know travelling to bring flowers and pastries isn’t high action, but sometimes I think the downtime would be good for her.”
They all shared in a hearty laugh and spoke some more about the Kingdom, the Monastery and their thoughts on events of the land.
Finally, it was time for Jessika to head back down the mountain trail.
“It was very nice meeting you Meriaus,” she nodded and he nodded back. “Abbot Finn, bless you. Next time I come I shall bring grandma, I promise,” With that, she was on her way.
Both men watching the girl leave in the distance, the Abbot broke the silence,
“You have a way with our country folk Lord Meriaus,” he observed. “They feel comfortable, and happy around you.”
“Your conclusion based on my interaction with one woman Abbot?” Meriaus responded.
“We’ve known each other for some time… in the grand scheme of things a short space of time… but enough time for me to learn what kind of man you are,” Abbot Finn replied as he turned to Meriaus. “And I can tell the sign of a born leader.”
Meriaus was shocked, the Abbot was accustomed speaking his mind, but he had to be careful to speak out of turn. He was speaking to a man on the King’s council after all.
“Surely, you jest. Did you place some intoxicating flowers in that tea we had earlier?”
The Abbot smiled and lightened the mood, “Perhaps I did Lord. But know this, had there been a request to show loyalty and join the kingdom under different circumstances… we may have had a shorter and more pleasant conversation on it,” He put his cup in the air,
“And would have had more time for tea.”
The Abbot waved at Meriaus as he walked down the long flight of stairs to return to his horse at the foot of the hill. Finn’s smile dimmed a bit and he hastily headed off to the Big Room in the monastery. There he found the 13 high priests sitting on the floor with their legs crossed. They were in deep meditative prayer. Finn went around them without making a sound- the floor was covered with a soft mat. He walked over to the big crystal clear disk hanging from a frame and picked up a big gold hammer. The Abbot aimed for the center carefully hit the see-through gong once with a well-practiced movement. The ring hung in the air and made the dust particles shake in their places for a moment or two. One by one the 13 priests “woke up” and focused their gaze on the Abbot.
“Brothers, we have to make a decision.”
“Regarding whether or not we accept The Lord’s rule over our monastery?” enquired one of the men.
“No. That is decided. For the sake of survival and preserving our sanctuary, we will have to accept him as our Lord as have done countless other sovereign areas. The decision we are faced with is regarding the Dragonettes egg.”
The room fell, it was always silent but now the silence was tense.
“I think…” said one of the priests in deep consideration, “...him having the egg would not be a good thing.”
“Of course not. that is precisely why I woke you from meditation. He is too power hungry, too … powerful as it already is. We have to hide it somewhere. If he were to add Dragonettes to his arsenal... it would be almost impossible to ever stop him. And such imbalance of power is never a good thing, it leads only to catastrophe.”
“Where do you propose we hide the egg?”
“In one of the caves in the mountain. Even if he found out about our plan it would take him longer than any lifetime to search all of the caverns to find it.”
“What about the stasis? Won’t it hatch if we move it?” asked brother Seng, a priest at the far end of the room.
“We will set up the new stasis area in the cavern we choose as a hiding place and then move the egg, of course, brother Seng. We start looking for a hiding place immediately.”
Chapter 3
Amadalia was sitting in her room in front of the mirror. She was admiring her appearance- the tanned vibrant skin, the dark brown hair running straight down her shoulders. She picked up a Jade pendant and started flipping it around by the string nonchalantly.
A sudden knock at the door made her jump up and drop the pendant. As it was about to hit the stone floor and shatter she turned around to look at it. The little green disk stopped dead in its tracks just an inch above the ground and hung there. She bent down and scooped it up just as the impatient knock repeated.
“Just a moment!” she yelled and adjusted the shimmering tiara on her shiny hair before shouting,
“Come in!”
“The Lord requested your presence Lady Amadalia,” the guard announced as he entered the room.
“Oh! Alright. Where is he? In his study?” she wanted to know.
“No, he requested that you meet him in the wine cellar,” the guard informed her.
“Uhh...all right.”
Amadalia put on a white fur robe because the cellars were notoriously windy, damp and cold and headed down the endless staircases until she reached the big circular door leading to the cellars to the basement. The door had a diameter twice as tall as her height, clearly to accommodate her grandfather’s large physique. A guard on duty opened the door just enough for the slender girl to pass through. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the Rada dust torches lighting the countless rows of bottles of wine, brandy and mountains of whiskey. Her grandfather, with all his discipline in the art of magic and politics, loved his alcoholic beverages and cigars.
* * *
As she moved through the area, she remembered the stories of all the wonderful things he brought to the people, one of them being the Rada dust torches. Almost infinitely lit through the power of essence in the air, the people now had a new method of low power and heat for their cold and dreadful winters. With all the ‘gifts’ Gudrunn brought to this world, there was almost no surprise that the countrymen accepted him supreme leader after a bitter but quick skirmish amongst the top rivals.
* * *
“Amadalia,” came an unexpected voice from behind her back. The girl turned around and saw her grandfather sitting and smoking a cigar in the twilight amongst the company of thousands of liters of premium quality alcohol.
“Yes...my god you scared me,” she panted. “What ar
e we doing in the cellar? I don’t drink yet, remember? At least not officially..,” she murmured the last part under her breath.
“We are not staying,” he turned to assess her as he walked by, “but we have to pass through here to get to our destination.”
“Really? Why?”
“Consider this your first lesson. To keep possession of exorbitant amounts of power you have to keep it well hidden,” Gudrunn answered and walked towards a gigantic barrel laying on its side. He placed his palm over the tap and there was a bright flash in the darkness. Something clicked and the top of the barrel swung open to reveal a passageway.
“After you,” he said. Amadalia looked at him and thought about hesitating or turning back only for a split second. But then she promised her grandfather that backing down was not an option for her.
The two of them entered the passageway and started walking down the round corridor.
“I don’t need to ask where we are going, do I? You aren’t going to tell me yet?” Amadalia asked.
“Exactly,” Gudrunn responded.
* * *
They walked for another five minutes and the tunnel was descending slightly. The pair reached the end and were faced with a stone wall.
“Wait, step aside,” he ordered his grandchild. She made room for him to stand in front of the wall. He held his hands in front of him and said,
