by L. M. Roth
“What shall we do with Bimo?” Felix asked Marcus.
“What do you mean?” Marcus returned.
“Well, we will need to continue our journey in order that you may complete your task. But Bimo will need instruction and guidance, even as we did. What would we have done without Xenon to mentor us?”
It was a question that caught Marcus unprepared. He was disconcerted to realize that he had given no thought to Bimo. And yet he knew Felix had spoken the truth: Bimo could not be left to struggle on his own.
“I do not know, Felix,” Marcus answered candidly. “What you say is true, yet the decision is really Bimo’s to make.”
They soon arrived at the hut and joined Bimo and their companions who were preparing to leave for the celebration. Marcus found the atmosphere somewhat tense; Dag paced the floor of the tiny hut, while Cort kept picking up objects aimlessly only to drop them. Elena was pale and chewed her bottom lip, and Kyrene moved her lips silently as she stared into space.
Marcuse realized she was praying and thought it a good idea to join her.
“Let us come together, shall we?” he said as he extended his hands.
They gathered around him and clasped hands with one another.
“Be of good cheer,” Marcus reassured them. “Dominio has never abandoned us, even when men are angry with us, and seek to kill us. Trust in His faithfulness and cling to one another. If we stand together nothing can tear us apart or bring us down.”
Kyrene nodded agreement.
“Yes, let us praise Dominio for His faithfulness. He delivered us from a sentence of death in Jytte’s Land.”
“And protected us from the wrath of the Khalaman,” added Felix.
“And saved our lives in Trekur Lende,” Cort piped in.
“Yes! Yes,” Marcus encouraged them. “If Dominio is for us, who can stand against us?”
“No one!” they shouted in chorus.
All except Elena who dropped her eyes and smiled demurely.
“Come, it is time to leave,” Bimo announced.
The sun had set completely and they made their way with care to the mountain. Bimo led them on a more direct route than that which Felix and Marcus had taken earlier. A footpath that rose from the beach and up the mountainside climbed to the summit, where Yudo and Intami stood in the center of a circle made by those who lived in the huts. The little band of friends slipped in behind the circle and quietly observed.
Yudo and Intami were adorned in long garments the color of flames on a winter night, the orange stones clasped around their necks. Intami shot a glance at Marcus that did not bode well for him; possibly it was an offense to arrive late for the celebration.
The moon had now risen to its full and hung in the ebony sky like a silver white pearl. Strange, Marcus thought, but it seemed larger and closer here in this land than in Valerium. There were no clouds to obscure its brilliance, making it easy to see everything surrounding them in vivid detail.
The top of the mountain was not grassy as it was lower down the slope, but formed of some smooth black stone that glistened in the clear moonlight. There was also a rumbling noise, and intense heat they did not at first notice in their haste to reach the summit. Now they became aware of it, and also an orange glow that lit the sky above the crater of the mountain, casting an unearthly light that lent a sinister air to the ceremony. Yudo and Intami suddenly appeared menacing, their features sharper, and their eyes hooded and malevolent.
Intami raised her arms skyward, and her robe rippled like a river of flame. She lifted her eyes to the crater and began to speak in a low voice whose vibration mingled with the rumble of the gaping hole in the mountaintop.
“Sacred Diono, we call on you,” she intoned, as Bimo whispered in translation. “Hear our cry, and grant us life!”
A small girl wearing a robe similar to those worn by Yudo and Intami walked solemnly toward them. In her hands she carried a small basket, and from it Yudo drew the flaming flowers Marcus and his friends had noticed on their arrival. He handed them to Intami.
She walked slowly to the top of the mountain.
Marcus heard Bimo catch his breath sharply, and turned to find his friend pale, his large dark eyes riveted on Intami. She raised the flowers of flame over her head and spoke. But Bimo refused to translate her words for his friends.
“For it would be sacrilege to Dominio as Intami is offering worship to a false god,” he explained.
Suddenly, the deep rumble rose in volume, and Intami threw the flowers into the glowing crater. She laughed in exultation, but before she could speak, the ground beneath her feet crumbled, and she fell into the yawning hole of flame.
Her screams chilled Marcus and his heart stopped for one terrifying moment as he beheld Intami’s fate. But there was no time to ponder for the rumble increased to a deafening roar as a fountain of orange glowing flame erupted from the crater.
The villagers screamed and began to scramble down the slope toward safety.
Marcus, however, to his own astonishment, found himself prompted to stop them and speak.
“Wait!” he shouted.
To his utter amazement, Marcus found himself speaking the language of the Cahyala. Truly, this was a miracle from Dominio! Emboldened, he proceeded to speak.
“You believe that your god Diono accepted your sacrifice. Yet, I tell you that he does not exist, and the death of Intami was in vain!”
Murmurs broke out among them as they heard the words of Marcus. Judging by the glares cast at Marcus, his statement was not only understood, but not well received.
He continued speaking as the rivulets of flame streamed down the mountain side.
“I serve the One true God, Dominio. And I tell you He has conquered the flame, for it was He who created it. He can stop the flow of fire, and show you He is greater than Diono!”
The murmur now became an angry buzz as the villagers listened.
Marcus found himself wondering just how he would escape death if they chose to vent their anger upon him. He took a deep breath and found words spring to his mind and spill from his lips.
“In the name of Alexandros, I command the fire to stop its flow!”
A loud crack sounded overhead as a torrent of rain fell from the sky. Like a river it fell, blinding them, beating on their bodies. For several minutes each one present forgot about the challenge that Marcus had flung at Diono, as they hunkered down where they stood in an effort to shield themselves from the pelting rain.
When it at last ended, there was no trace of fire to be seen. Where moments before a flow of flame had cascaded, there was now only shards of some glassy black stone to be found.
Marcus blinked, and then turned in jubilation to his friends.
Felix shouted and clapped him on the shoulder. Dag beamed as Kyrene laughed and raised her hands to Dominio. Bimo hugged Cort and Elena closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.
But the villagers did not share in their joy. They muttered in angry tones among themselves and cast menacing glances at the Alexandrians.
Then they picked up the glassy black stones and weighed them in their hands.
Felix was the first to assess their situation and act.
“Run!” he shouted as he acted on his own counsel.
The others followed him, sprinting as rapidly as they could, the villagers racing behind them.
“To the boat!” Felix yelled as he led the way.
The villagers were gaining on them quickly and just as they reached the foot of the mountain one of them threw a stone that caught Elena on her shoulder.
She cried out, and Dag pushed her unceremoniously in front of his large body.
“Oh, Dominio, come to our aid!” Kyrene implored.
The heavens above them opened up once more, and the rain returned in greater intensity than before. It caught the villagers by surprise as they put down their stones to shield themselves.
For Marcus and his friends, however, the rain impeded their progress as it
blinded them and made the sandy beach a stretch of muddy grit that shifted beneath their feet.
It was Bimo who came to their aid.
“Hold hands and follow me!” he shouted above the roar of the rain.
They grasped at one another’s hands and ran abreast behind Bimo. He led them to the cave that Marcus and Felix had discovered earlier, from which they had removed the sacred stones.
“In here!” Bimo shouted.
They crowded in behind him, and shook themselves. Water flew as they slapped their clothes and stamped their feet.
“Ah,” Dag sighed. “This is good. But they will come soon.”
“No,” Bimo smiled as he shook his head. “Come.”
He walked to the back of the cave, where they could faintly detect a narrow slit, just large enough for a man to enter sideways. A shelf of stone protruded next to it, and Bimo ran his hand over the top of it. From it he took a wooden pole and a bundle of old rags. He wound the rags around the pole and handed it to Felix, who stared at it blankly.
“Hold this, please,” Bimo smiled into the puzzled eyes of his friend.
He stooped to the floor of the cave and picked up two stones, which he proceeded to rub together until they sparked in the blackness. Gradually they produced a flame which Bimo applied to the rags. He then took the torch from Felix.
“Quickly!” he prompted them. “We have little time for the torch to last!”
They followed him into the narrow opening, squeezing themselves through the slit. They were surprised to find themselves in a tunnel, just large enough for two to walk abreast. They each grabbed the hand of the one next to them and followed Bimo.
The tunnel was cold and damp, and in the torchlight they glimpsed beads of moisture along the walls. They walked rapidly, saying nothing as they followed their guide along the stony passage. The tunnel wound its way for a considerable distance until at last they came out into moonlight on a beach. The rain had ended once again.
“Where are we?” Marcus inquired.
“You are on the beach where we found you when you arrived on the island,” Bimo explained. “I found this tunnel years ago and it became my special place, known only to myself.”
Marcus glanced around, then gestured with his arm to the others.
“Over there is the cave where we stowed the boat,” he said.
Indeed, it was a mere ten yards from where they stood.
“How providential that we stowed it here!” he laughed.
The others joined in his elation until Bimo put up a hand to stop them.
“Yes, it was the hand of Dominio who led you here,” he agreed. “But you must leave now or the villagers will find you. And they will not leave you alive.”
Chapter XXIII
The Cliffs of Albinium
They were instantly sobered by Bimo’s words. It was true. The furious villagers would let none of them live after they had unmasked Diono as an impotent counterfeit, and not a god at all.
Marcus turned to Bimo.
“What of you, my friend?” he inquired with anxious eyes. “We cannot leave you here or they will kill you.”
“That I know well,” Bimo nodded his head in agreement. “Yet, I do not know where I will go.”
“Come with us and journey a while,” Felix suggested on impulse. “It may be that Dominio will reveal to you what you are to do, even as we travel.”
This was quickly agreed on as good counsel, and they carried their boat out of the cave and to the water’s edge. They stowed themselves quickly, thankful that their provisions and clothing were still in them due to the haste of their capture. There would be some food for the voyage, as well as clean clothes for all.
Before they departed, Marcus clutched Logos to him, relieved to be reunited with the Sword after so many days of separation from it. He removed it from its scabbard to assure himself it was still there. Faintly, words etched themselves on its gleaming blade:
“Dominio will not share His glory with another;” followed by “Our God is a consuming fire.”
Marcus and the others puzzled over the meaning of these words. It was Felix who provided the answer.
“When Intami called on Diono to grant them life, it was one of the Astra who answered her, in the desire to receive adoration. Being evil, however, it took Intami herself, and not merely her offering. Dominio would not tolerate her worship to the false god, and when the mountain rumbled and caved in beneath her, He did not protect her because she called on one who was not God. Had He saved her at that moment, it would have appeared that Diono saved her, since it was he that she called on.”
They pondered these words in a grave silence.
“He is holy,” Felix said, nodding his head to affirm his own words. “We must never forget that.”
The current carried them north again. Soon they left the hot sultry weather behind and encountered cooler air, although still warm in the fullness of August. With sunny skies and calm waters they continued their journey at the leading of Zoe.
As they sailed along they spoke much of Alexandros to Bimo, and further instructed him as they had been taught at the feet of Xenon. He was a bright pupil, and continually amazed Marcus with his quick grasp of principles that he himself had struggled to comprehend. Whereas Marcus had to discard so many beliefs from his own culture that had hindered him from fully understanding the teachings of Alexandros, it was as though Bimo’s brain was a fertile ground, ready to receive the seed that would be planted deep to produce a bountiful harvest of the fruit of Dominio’s Spirit.
The days passed pleasantly until they spied cliffs on the horizon. They drew nearer and saw a glint of gleaming white towering ahead of them.
“Marcus,” Felix exclaimed. “Look! The Cliffs of Albinium! We are back in the boundaries of Valerium!”
Marcus rejoiced also, until a sudden thought sobered him quickly. He still needed to obtain one more object for the fulfillment of his quest, and doubted that it would be found here.
For Albinium was a mere outpost in the Valeriun Empire. It existed purely as a resort for the wealthy that flocked to its shores to escape the heat of the cities. All summer long it rang with the laughter of children, and paid host to those who came to sail her waters as a pleasant pastime, and dine on the fish caught fresh every morning.
It lacked the culture and refinement of Lycenium. Surely it had no secrets to reveal, for all was frank and open; a place merely to unwind from the pressures of Empire life and to enjoy simpler pleasures.
Still, Marcus reflected to himself, they were in the outpost of the Empire, and that much closer to home.
They stowed the boat at the pier along the marina, and gazed up at the pristine cliffs, famous in Valerium for their dazzling purity.
“Oh, how good it is to feel land again!” Cort exclaimed. “I want to run! I want to jump and race in circles!”
“Well, do not do that here,” Felix advised him. “Otherwise the inhabitants will recognize you for the little barbarian that you are!”
Dag scowled at Felix, and Cort turned a puzzled glance at him. Felix laughed and gave Cort a friendly punch in the arm.
“It was only a jest!” he assured Cort, whose frown quickly relaxed into a smile of relief. “But I do advise you to restrain yourself, for the citizens are rather sedate, and you may astound them with such behavior.”
“Such astounding may do some of them good,” Marcus commented as he lifted an eyebrow. “But I agree with Felix that we must do nothing to draw attention to ourselves. Therefore, let us proceed with some caution.”
They sought an inn where they could seek shelter from the coming of nightfall; for the day had sped along and the white cliffs were now touched with the rose and gold of the setting sun. The fishermen were bringing in their boats for the evening, as were those who had been sailing for the enjoyment of it, and weary children were reluctantly joining their parents and ceasing in their play on the beach. A breeze rippled in the air, sending a pleasant shiver
down the spine. Soon the heat of summer would end, as the first hint of autumn chilled the descending twilight.
After a brief search they quickly found lodgings in one of the humbler inns that accommodated the ordinary citizenry, and not the more ornate establishments that catered to the whims of the wealthier patrons. Marcus and Felix hoped that rooms were available, but they were quickly assured that there were plenty to spare, as some of their guests were leaving with the advent of cooler weather looming in the next few days.
After a delicious meal of fish fried to perfection and loaves of bread newly baked, accompanied by crisp apples and hearty cheese, they bade each other a goodnight and went to their rooms in hope of a good sleep under the shelter of a roof.
The next morning Marcus woke with the dawn and lay still, not wanting to disturb Felix or Bimo, who still lay in the arms of slumber. Dag and Cort occupied the room next to theirs, and Kyrene and Elena shared one further down the corridor.
As Marcus lay quietly he pondered on the events of their journey thus far. Four objects, the Empress had commanded. Bring back four objects that she desired to procure the freedom of his parents. Three he had found: the Fountain of Youth, a star from the sky, and the Rays of the Sun. Could it be that Zoe led them to Albinium to find the secret of life? Or was that to be found elsewhere?
Marcus decided that he was too restless for slumber, and that a walk along the shore would be just the remedy to revive him. He inched carefully out of his bed, and swiftly dressed in the dark, having laid his clothes by the bed the night before. Silently he crept out of the bedchamber and down the stairs to the floor below. He nodded good morning to the heavy-eyed proprietor who was stoking the fire in the common room for the comfort of early risers.
Marcus found the refreshing breezes along the shore exactly what his spirit had craved. He suddenly felt as one with the pounding surf and felt for the first time that he understood the rhythm of their ebb and flow, the compulsion to fling itself upon the shore, only to be cast away, back into the sea. Abruptly he realized that he was weary of the constant travel and close company of even his friends. How good it was to enjoy solitude! Just himself, the sea waves crashing on the coast, the cry of gulls, and the awareness of the presence of Dominio, there with him always.
