The First Five Days: of the Lionean Saga

by John O.

  “My husband, Jorraine, belonged to this group. I saw him for the first time when I attended a healing training put together by HN Sen Rosento. It was love at first sight. Many a time I caught him staring at me. However, he never for once spoke to me. Being an intelligent and handsome man, he naturally began to attract the attention of other girls in the class, much to my ire. That was when I decided I had to do what needed to be done; I walked up to him and declared my feelings. Bold, I know. The interesting thing is he politely told me he had no such interest. Such a sweet liar, that man. I didn’t let up and, in time, he came around to confessing his love for me. The rest is history...”

  “Prisca! Did you hear even a word I just said?” came the voice of a frustrated Ispri who realized Prisca had drifted off.

  “Um… Yes I did,” Prisca replied with a sheepish smile.

  “I’m sure you did not. Can you repeat my last two sentences?”

  “You were saying something about the man doing the courting…and… I’m sorry I didn’t pay attention to the rest,” she admitted.

  The Ispri sighed and said, “I can see that your emotions for Yosi are true and deep. However, should you go to the Helesp at this time, wild gossip will be the inevitable result, and this is not good for you as Ispris and for Yosi as HN. Do you understand?”

  “Yes I do. But no one is going to see me. I need to speak with him. I need him to know that rather than waste investigative efforts on me who has done no wrong, he should focus on capturing the actual responsible party. In addition, I reside very far from the Helesp, and with all those beautiful Spyinmes residing in close proximity to him, I would rather declare my feelings upfront so that he doesn’t end up wedding one of them like his predecessors did.”

  “But can this not wait till morning?” questioned the Ispri.

  “This seems to be the best time. B y now, he must have attended to all pertinent issues and retired to his room for the night. Seeing him now will enable me to have his full attention.”

  The Ispri realized that she had long made her decision, and there was nothing he could do to dissuade her. “Very well. However you need to be extra careful that no one sees you.”

  “No one will. Can you see me now?” she asked.

  “Don’t tell me you’re supposed to be invisible right now. For I can see you as I always have anytime you think yourself to be invisible.”

  “But I am invisible! I do not understand how it is you can see me. Maya could not see me. Even my Aisprises do not see me when I choose to move about secretly. Maybe it’s because you are the Ispri.”

  “All the more reason why you need to assume that there are others who can see you in that form.” He placed his right hand on her shoulder as he finished, “Worry not, child. No matter what happens, it will be well. Now off with you.”

  Prisca gave the Ispri a hug before proceeding to fly out through the window.

  “Husband, I must now retire to my room to prepare for dinner,” Juli said to the Ishe.

  “Do not be gone for too long, you know how much I enjoy your company,” the Ishe replied to the back of his wife who was already halfway through the door.

  Oracion was relieved to see that one obstacle was now out of the way. All that remained was the Legator who would, in time, go for his dinner. While she couldn’t see him directly from her vantage point, she knew he followed a strict meal-time regimen and it was only a few minutes before he would leave.

  Meanwhile, Henri Hart, who was unaware of the imminent threat, stood alert as always as he looked from one guard to another, ensuring they were all alert. It was almost time for his dinner, and he needed to be sure that his brief absence from this post would be of no consequence due to the competence and alertness of his men.

  Prisca flew towards the Helesp and made her way through the open door at the entrance. She slowed to a stop as she observed the women dance to the beat of the drum. Weren’t those two the ones I saw in my dream? she thought as she took a closer look at Mila Thorne and Rahel Ni. She looked around and had the same feeling of recognition when she spotted Rensy Set. She also recognized Sly Zozan whom she had once seen at the temple. From the look of things, to the Ispris, it seemed Yosi may have appointed him a Leade; otherwise he wouldn’t be here at this time. That was when she noticed a problem; the boy was looking straight at her with a stunned look.

  Oh my, can he see me? Prisca was alarmed.

  Zach Sen noticed Sly was staring at open air in amazement. Curious as to what may have intrigued the boy, he asked, “Sly, why do you stare intently at nothing?”

  Sly switched his gaze between Prisca and Zach questioningly, “You mean to tell me that you cannot see that goddess in the air?”

  “A goddess in the air? Sly, has this music altered your senses? I realize Karl is good but I never thought him to be that good,” Zach joked, for he thought Sly was only playing pranks.

  Sly was adamant. “Heavens! You must be blind. Can you not see the lady, blonde of hair, greenish-brown eyes and clad in a blue gown? She’s right there…” His voice trailed off as he noticed she was gone. Surprised, he ran out of the hall to see if she was outside, only to find no trace of her whatsoever.

  He returned with a puzzled look, prompting Zach to ask, “Sly, what’s the problem?”

  “Problem? I just beheld the most beautiful being I have ever seen. The problem is that not only was she air-borne, I can no longer see her!”

  “Are you sure you’re not imagining things?”

  “Zach, she was right there−right above us. She seemed surprised that I was able to see her. Perhaps she fled upon realizing she wasn’t invisible. The odd thing is that she looks familiar, like I have seen her in the temple before.”

  Prisca hid on the roof as she listened to the conversation in horror. Perhaps she should have taken the Ispri’s warning more seriously, she chided herself.

  It was now almost ten minutes past the Legator’s meal time. Oracion was sure he was no longer at his post and as such proceeded to carry out her delicate task. With a knife in her right hand, she slowly and undetectably descended on the Ishe: her feet on his hands, which were placed on the arm-rests of the throne, left hand over his nose and mouth, knife buried deep within his heart. It was a finely executed assassination, for the Ishe died silently within ten counts.

  The guard, who watched from behind the throne, noticed a slight tremble of the Ishe’s body. “Something is not right!” he announced to his colleague who turned around to look at him. “I noticed the Ishe tremble, and now he looks somewhat slouched over.”

  “Let’s go take a closer look.”

  The two guards walked towards the throne to find a knife in the Ishe’s chest, with fresh blood seeping from the oozing wound.

  Shocked, one of the guards all but gasped. “How? Could this be suicide?”

  “I did not see him move his hands. We need to…”

  The two men breathed their last words as a knife each was placed in their skulls. Oracion caught the falling bodies as she marveled at her skills. She gently placed the guards on the floor, retrieved her knives from their heads, and proceeded to alter the crime scene. Removing the knife from the Ishe’s heart, she moved his body towards the door to his safe room and buried the knife in his back. She then moved the bodies and swords of the guards towards the entrance of the room. Satisfied with herself, she flew out of the room and raced for her body.

  Zach Sen made his way up the stairs to the HN’s room. If Sly could be believed, it was possible that his father’s assassin was lurking close by, and perhaps the new HN’s life was also at risk.

  Prisca Foté was peering through every window she could find in search of Yosi. She had never been in the Helesp before, so she was not sure where his room was. Upon looking through the fifth window, she found the man she sought; Yosi Sint appeared to be in prayer. The mere sight of him caused her stomach to swirl, as she was overcome by emotion. Something she must have done caused Yosi to suddenly look towards her, al
though the lack of focus in his eyes clearly showed that he could not see her.

  Just then, Zach Sen walked in unannounced and muttered an upfront apology, “Apologies for charging in, but I thought your life to be in danger.”

  “Why?” asked Yosi.

  Zach proceeded to tell him of what had occurred with Sly Zozan. He finished by saying, “Although my father never saw his attacker, if someone like that was actually here, she might be the assassin.”

  That description matches the Ispris, Yosi thought with disappointment. “This mystery goddess must be around somewhere. Do you perceive it? The fragrance of Rosa Centifolia?”

  “I do. And come to think of it, I also perceived it in the hall at the time when Sly was telling me of her presence.”

  Yosi suddenly launched a knife towards the window which flew right through. What was immediately evident to the men was that the intensity of the fragrance began to dwindle, indicating that whoever must have been present was now gone.

  Prisca had barely dodged the knife and was heading back to the temple in tears. What have I done? How could I have been so stupid? she thought regretfully. She should have listened to the Ispri, for not only had she not spoken with Yosi as she hoped to, she had just given him more reason to conclude that she was responsible for the grave crimes that have gone unsolved.

  Henri Hart had just finished his meal and was returning to his post through the stairway. Upon reaching the balcony, he noticed the guards were not at their post. Concerned, he cautiously walked towards the entrance of the Ishe’s room, hand firmly on the hilt of his sword. To his surprise, he found the guards on the floor with gaping head wounds. Alarmed, he turned towards the Ishe’s throne to find it vacant, with the Ishe lying near the safe room door and a knife protruding from his back.

  It has happened again! he thought with anger and despair as he ran towards the balcony to question the guards outside.

  “Listen up. Did anyone hear anything strange while I was away?”

  The guard closest to him replied, “I thought I had heard Dean and Taj talking about something unusual.”

  “What exactly did they say?”

  “Well, I remember hearing Dean say something didn’t seem right. Unfortunately, I did not hear the rest of the conversation. Sire, why do you ask? Is anything wrong?”

  Ignoring the question, Henri looked towards the gate and summoned one of the Sentors: “Kurt Slen!”

  “Sire!” The Sentor replied and approached the Legator with haste.

  “Inform the HN that the Ishe has been assassinated. Also make sure the information is relayed to the Aishes. Just in case the new HN is not aware, impress upon him that he is now the acting Ishe, pending when the next Ishe is officially sworn to office. Now go!”

  The gravity of what they had just heard caused the guards and Sentors to be poleaxed. Had they failed as sentries? They reasoned that no one had come in or gone out, so who could have done this?

  “Are you deaf, or is it me who did not make myself clear?”

  “Apologies Sire. I am on my way,” Kurt Slen said as he shook off his surprise and went about his task.

  Henri watched him leave and thought to himself, We have all proved ourselves useless once again. Despite the numerous guards, the assassin has bested us all and murdered our charge. With steely resolve, the Legator swore to himself that except he was dead, the assassin would not succeed a third time.

  Oracion returned to her body to find some food placed before her. Famished and depleted of energy, she ate voraciously as her father waited patiently for her to inform him of her success or failure. After a while, the Aishe could not restrain himself any longer. “Did you succeed?” he asked.

  Oracion swallowed a mouthful before replying “What do you think? Ishe Fiten is now but a page in our history books.” She then proceeded to impart upon him the details as she ate.

  “You handled the guards rather well,” the Aishe accredited her.

  “Yes indeed. Even I was impressed by how accurate my knife throwing has become. They did not know what hit them. The important thing is, you are now one step closer to achieving your goal.”

  Smiling, the Aishe responded, “And you alone are to thank, my child.”

  17

  “Does anyone you know match the description of the woman Sly saw?” Zach Sen asked.

  It took about fifteen counts before Yosi replied, “This may sound strange to you, but that description matches the Ispris.”

  Taken aback, Zach considered what he had heard. He had never seen the Ispris before but her beauty had become a thing of legend. Perhaps Sly did not refer to her as a goddess because she was airborne, but instead used the term as a result of her beauty. But why would the Ispris be involved in such dire things?

  “What is your plan?” Zach asked.

  “The same as your father’s: to have Rahel Ni meet with the Ispris as soon as possible.”

  There was a slight knock on the door before it opened to admit Rosi Lite into the room. “Apologies for interrupting. I just received word from the Legator that the Ishe has been assassinated!”

  The two men stared at Rosi Lite in shock. After a moment, Yosi nodded and said to Zach, “Prepare to depart for the Palace. We leave at once!”

  To Rosi, he said, “You are now in charge of the Helesp until we return. Please inform the others of the Ishe’s demise.”

  “Your command, there is one more thing. The Legator wanted it clearly spelled out to you that you are now acting Ishe, pending when Aishe Thorne is sworn to office.”

  “I’m well aware,” Yosi replied as he followed Zach Sen out of the room.

  The dancing in the hall had since stopped as most of the Spyinmes had retired for the night. Karl was deep in discussion with Lena while Sly seemed to be showing Rensy around. Others in the hall seemed content to observe their surroundings in relaxation. Yosi and Zach proceeded down the stairs and walked out of the Helesp.

  “I have an announcement to make,” Rosi began in a loud voice that commanded the attention of everyone in the hall, “Ishe Fiten has been assassinated.”

  The silence that ensued was palpable as the gravity of the declaration sunk in.

  “The HN and Leade Zach Sen are riding towards the palace. They must have heard about the Ishe’s death,” Oracion announced to her father with her eyes closed.

  “How do you know this?” the Aishe asked wide-eyed.

  “I tried to tell you that I have discovered more that can be done with the Rangelica. You see, I do not necessarily have to depart my body to observe people anymore. With my eyes closed, I can focus and see who does what. I have only just begun using this power, so it may be a while before I master its full extent.”

  “Amazing!” the Aishe proclaimed as he thought of new possibilities that this power would bring. “How did you learn of this?”

  “I searched through the Ishe’s vault of forbidden knowledge.”

  “You know its location? He refused to divulge that to even his own sons.”

  “Well, I have known of its location for a while. How I got to know is a story for another time.”

  “This is exciting. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Oracion.”

  She colored at his praise, for oddly enough, that was all she lived for. “Thank you, father.”

  “Please continue to pay full attention to how the officers react at the palace.”

  “I will,” Oracion replied as she closed her eyes, fully enjoying the comfort and convenience that her newfound power afforded her.

  Legator Henri Hart ran through a theory he was forming about what must have happened: The assassin must have climbed up the palace walls, which was no small feat, and entered the compound without being detected. He must have waited until I went for dinner before proceeding to attack and kill the guards at the entrance of the room. The Ishe, upon hearing the noises by the dying guards must have unsuccessfully tried to retreat into his safe room. The assassin probably then threw
a knife into his back to incapacitate him, before proceeding to finish him off with a stab through the heart. The only problem with the theory was that there was no way it could have occurred so silently that no one seemed to have noticed.

  As he tried to make sense of it, a guard announced the arrival of the HN and Leade Zach Sen. Moments later, Yosi Sint and Zach Sen emerged through the door to behold the crime scene. How feeble human life really is, Yosi thought to himself as he recalled speaking with the Ishe only a few hours earlier.

  “How did this happen?” Yosi asked.

  The Legator recounted the events that led him to discover the bodies. He then went further to relay his theory as to how the assassination must have occurred while stating his dilemma as to how silent the entire episode must have been.

  Yosi didn’t blame him for his reasoning, for the Legator was well known to believe in nothing other than logic. But even the Legator could now see that the logic had failed him in this case. To drive home the point, Yosi walked towards the throne, and suddenly fled to near the safe room. He stopped by the Ishe’s body, and then walked out to the balcony where he called out to the guards.

  “Did you hear the sounds of a fleeing man?”

  “Yes Sire,” they chorused.

  “Did you hear any such similar sound in the course of the night?”

  “No Sire!”

  Yosi returned to the palace room and said to the Legator, “Not to be theatrical, but that experiment clearly debunks your theory. Not a single sound was heard and, as such, I am led to believe the assassin placed the Ishe there to mislead the investigation.”