by Oxford, Rain
“No, it’s Vido, which is the language most spoken here. You’ll be able to tell the difference soon enough. That’s a sample menu. This should be the place. Remember not to speak until I say.” She slid the door open and we stepped in.
The place was much bigger on the inside than the outside, but not enough to make it uninviting. On either side of the door were four-foot-tall, dark red, wood dragon statues. The restaurant smelled like really nice incense and had a smoky, dark atmosphere with music playing quietly, which sounded very similar to the glass harmonica. The four main walls were flat black, the floor was dark, soft wood, the ceiling was low, and there were no (normal) overhead lights.
The light source consisted of small, colorful, glowing spheres everywhere from on the walls to in the eyes of the statues. Decorated paper lamps hung from the ceiling full of the small glowing spheres, which made the patterns on the lamps appear three dimensional.
There was a glass bar to the left, lit up with a dull light that was slowly changing from red to blue. Behind it was a glass case of different drinks in wine bottles. A man in a ninja uniform without the headgear was cleaning the wine case with a white rag.
There were ten little round rooms, barely more than stalls and just large enough for a table and bench seating, each with a half door and patterned paper shutter that pulled down. Every booth had a stone or wood statue three feet tall of a mystical looking creature to the right of the door. The statues all had the little glowing spheres as eyes.
Divina pulled me over to the bar, where metal strips with slots and black buttons were evenly spaced across the glass. Divina and I approached one and when Divina pushed the button, a section of the glass in front of us, about a square foot, turned bright, opaque white like a computer monitor. Words fluttered across the screen and Divina tapped the glass like a touch screen. The words cleared and two small, light blue rectangles appeared next to each other, a few inches apart.
She pressed her thumb against the one on the left and it turned red. She then looked at me expectantly until I reached over and pressed my thumb against the other one. It didn’t turn red and Divina frowned. Then, almost a minute later, it finally turned red. I withdrew my thumb and the screen changed again to display many pictures of different drinks in wine bottles, side by side, with writing under them.
“I’ll pick a drink for us.”
I heard her voice in my head, clear as day, but her lips never moved. The man at the case stopped cleaning, turned to Divina, said something, and pointed to a white sign above the case with black writing. Divina bowed slightly and said something in response. He returned her bow.
I was fairly sure it was about not using magic because she didn’t explain. She drew her finger across the glass and the bottles slid with it, revealing new drinks. She mumbled and tapped one of the bottles. The other bottles disappeared, the one she clicked magnetized to about six inches tall, and writing appeared next to it. She pressed the bottle and until the screen returned to the bottles. Then she pressed the button, the screen went clear, and a little card popped out of the shot.
I desperately wanted to ask questions. Divina took the card and steered me towards a booth. There was a notch in the door that I pulled to open it and found a round, cushioned seat surrounding the small circular table. Divina sat on one side and I sat on another, then she pulled the paper top down and sighed.
“Now we can talk. There’s nothing wrong with your fingerprint, the man told me I couldn’t use magic by the bar, and the drinks are nonalcoholic.” She answered my three main questions before I could ask them.
“How did you know what I wanted to ask without using magic to read my mind?”
“It was written all over your face when you thought them.”
“You weren’t looking at my face,” I said.
“I have very good peripheral vision. What would you like to eat?” she asked me. Either she was purposely changing the subject, or I was too suspicious.
“Something local, good, and meat,” I said. The sudden knock on the door made me flinch and hit my elbow on the table. Unfortunately Divina opened the paper curtain as I barked out a cuss word.
The man from the bar gave me a worried look as he handed Divina a glossy menu, which didn’t quite look laminated. There were many pictures of food followed by words in varied colors. He then handed her the bottle she picked out at the bar and two glasses shaped like short, wide wine glasses. He left and Divina shut the shade.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. As far as he’s concerned, you uttered a nonsensical sound.” She set the menu in front of me. “Does any of that look good to you?”
Many of the pictures were what I would see at a restaurant on Earth, not that I’d been to many of those. There were no hamburgers and fries, but there was steak- though who knows what the meat was. The majority of the selection was pieces of meat in colorful sauces. There were soups, noodles, fish, vegetables, omelets with red sauce on them, and what looked like sushi.
“Nothing looks bad. Can you pick something?” I asked, sliding it back to her. She looked it over for a few minutes.
“What about yoksu? It’s very common in many places, but the flavor varies greatly. It’s particularly good in Mijii. It’s also a big hit in Anoshii; almost every restaurant there has it.” She looked over the menu again. “There’s fugan. It’s only served in West Mijii.”
“Sounds fine.”
“It’s also poisonous.”
“What?”
“It won’t hurt you,” she laughed. She slid the card into it a small slit next to the door. “Quiet now.” There was a knock on the door just a couple seconds later and Divina opened the shade. He asked something to me, possibly expecting me to order, but Divina answered easily.
“Kiyode yoksu ed fugan go iyeto.”
“Arasone yoksu ed fugan gozenai,” he said with a bow before walking away.
Divina shut the shade again. “Did you catch what I said?” she asked. I nodded. “I said that I would like yoksu and fugan for two. When you go to restaurants that use the card, they’ll serve you based on your serving size. So if I only asked for yoksu for two instead of fugan as well, they would have given us twice as much. The information imprinted on the card estimates an appropriate serving size for you. I gave the information based on what you ate on the ship. It also keeps you from accidentally ordering something you’re allergic to.”
“But it’ll let you order something poisonous?”
“They still drink alcohol on Earth. It’s terrible for you and makes you sick, but you are still allowed to buy it. Duran used to have alcohol before they found ways to get the good without the bad. They make some drinks out of plants that are good for you, relax you, and makes things not seems so bad. Actually, there is still wine, but it has so little alcohol in it that it’s nearly impossible to get drunk on it.”
“Why do they drink it?”
“It is a status symbol for some people. Anyway, there’s a poisonous fish called fugan. Although the poison sack is removed, there’s still a trace in the meat. The poison makes you relax and it’s good for your blood pressure, and the meat is very good for healing, your heart, and your skin.”
“And what if, because of my luck, they puncture the poison sack and don’t realize it?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Then you die.” She laughed at my expression, which made the room seem a little brighter. “Don’t worry. They always inspect the food.” She opened the bottle and poured the burgundy liquid into the glasses, then held one out for me expectantly.
I had no reason to trust the inhumanly beautiful woman who forced me to drink a horrible potion, let me handle something that could destroy a ship, and tricked me into battling a super powerful Guardian. I took a small sip of the drink and found it tasted like some kind of berry juice with a little bit of green tea and something else. It was very good. Divina drank some of hers and we sat in silence for a few minutes.
“What language is Edward
’s name in?” I asked.
She looked up. “What do you mean?”
“His name is Kiro. I know it’s written in Sudo, but I was wondering if it’s a Sudo name. I know a lot of U.S. names originate in other countries.
“Well, most names are in Sudo, unless they’re from an old family that originated in a certain area. Most of the major lands have a main language, either Vido or Modo, but like on Anoshii, they use Sudo because everyone learns it in school. Kiro’s name is a very old form of Sudo that has the same roots that Modo came from. His name was originally Kimivo. In modern translation, his name would be Kirosado. Yatunus is a noble name in many places, but in others, it’s infamous.
“Before the Reformation, almost two thousand years ago, the world was divided by the main lands, which were called nias. It’s a word meaning structure and unity. After the Reformation, people stopped calling them that and now just call them judas, liem, or kura, meaning great lands, in the three different languages. Before the Reformation, every land was divided, developed, and ruled by religion. They all worshiped the twelve gods, but many also worshiped minor gods. Tumordii worshiped the sky gods, who gave them rain and sunlight. Zendii worshiped the land. Shomodii worshiped the four elements, and they had a pact with Banjii, who felt like all should cherish all life. Banjii and Mijii believed that even inanimate objects had spirits that should be respected, but Mijii put the welfare of animals and nature above sago. You can see it now, all the effects. Shomodii is still ruled by untamed, beautiful but deadly elements, Tumordii is still ruled by the sky, and Mijii is still a very unsafe place to live for sago, filled with untamable creatures and flesh-eating plants.”
“What was Canjii ruled by?”
“Discipline and order. Still is, in fact, but without the help of gods. Actually, remind me to tell you about the rebellion of Azes.
“Before the Reformation, every land had two ruling families; one of politics, and one of religion. The families were sure to intermarry to avoid confliction between them, but even that failed and caused bribery and murders to occur. Then, the princess of the Shomodii ruling religious family was arranged to marry the prince of the political family. Neffal was the prince, next in line for the throne, and his father was about to die. Leila grew up with Neffal and loved him like a brother, but would rather die than marry him. She was an adventurous spirit but was not allowed to explore because people could kidnap her. In fact, her sister was beheaded for trying to kill her. Leila snuck onto one of her father’s ships and landed in Banjii. Kimivo Yatunus was a young prince, third in line for the throne. He wasn’t Kiro,” she explained when my eyes went wide.
“Another Kimivo Yatunus?”
She smiled. “Kimivo’s older brother and sister recently fell ill under plague, but Kimivo did not want the throne, so he boarded a ship, hoping to sneak away. There, he met sweet little Leila. They fell in love and decided to run away together. They found their way to Tumordii, where they built and lived on a farm. Three years later, happily married and still head-over-heels in love, they had twin boys, one they named after the goddess of love, and one after the god of freedom and spirit. But that was the end of their peace.
“A young man, laden with the plague, found them and asked for their help, which, of course, they provided. Leila personally nursed him to health and then he was on his way one morning with no word or letter. Less than two weeks later, Neffal arrived with a small army and demanded Leila return as his queen. The boy they had helped knew Leila’s face and told him where she was and who she was with. She refused, and he killed Kimivo. Leila was captured and brought back to Shomodii, but her sons were never found. Neffal arranged a huge wedding in front of thousands. Before she would marry him, she turned to her people and told them that she had found her freedom, her spirit. And then she called upon her power and killed herself.”
“Her freedom and spirit?” I asked. Then it dawned on me. “Kiro was named after the god, right? Edward and Ronez were Kimivo and Leila’s sons?”
Divina nodded. “Kirosado, which originated from Kimivo, was named after both his father and the minor god of freedom and spirit. That is another reason Kirosado goes by Kiro now; the story of his mother and father is like the story of your Romeo and Juliet. It is famous and beautiful and sad. While Kiro appreciates the name he was given, he doesn’t want that image of love and loss.
“After the failed wedding, war broke out. The ruling families all stepped down and the world eventually united. Every land has a king but he is ruled by the people, for the people, and religion is optional to be expressed by everyone the way they personally want to express it.”
“Kimivo and Leila changed the world for the better, and now Edward and Ronez are Guardians,” I concluded.
“And now you are as well.”
“If the Erono and Tiamat didn’t take Edward and Ronez, what would have happened to them?”
“Neffal would most likely have killed them on the spot or raised them as his own. Don’t get me wrong, even after the war settled, it took hundreds of years for Duran to find the peace it has now.”
“But war doesn’t bring peace. I cannot believe that people should fight for peace.”
“I agree, and they weren’t fighting for peace, they were fighting because they didn’t like how things were. Peace came when they stopped fighting. In fact, Canjii tried very hard to resist the Reformation and in the chaos of war, they decided to take over the world and reform it under strict laws where government and religion was a single unit, which controlled everyone unconditionally. This attack is known as hanran no Azes. The rebellion of Azes.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes while I absorbed and assimilated the new information. “Does the entire world use the same type of money?” I asked.
She laughed at my change of subject. “Yeah, but how much it’s worth depends on where you live. For example, the money’s worth little in Shomodii, but a lot in Anoshii. Go easy on that,” she said, pointing to my drink.
I had already drunk most of it without realizing it. “I’m thirsty.”
Divina pulled the card out of the slot and held it out to me. “Here, you keep this. It makes for a useful souvenir. Mine has run out, since it only lasts for a year, so I signed us both onto this one. When you buy something at certain self-service places, hotels and restaurants, they’ll ask for your card. There will be a place to slip your card and it records what you owe, which you’ll pay when you leave.”
There were a couple more minutes of silence where I let my mind wander. “What was Edward like when you met him?” I asked.
She shrugged. “He was friendly… Quite friendly. He was teaching some little brat who thought she was the best magician since Kemak Deorda.”
“Who was---”
“Kemak Deorda and his sister, Ydath Sora were the rulers of two of the strongest armies Duran ever knew. Long before the Guardians were born, when dragons ruled the skies and every person had the potential for mastering magic, Ydath tried to crush magic and slaughtered every practitioner. Kemak gathered his own army, with the help of the dragons, and destroyed his sister. He believed magic and religion were related, though. What came of their battles were the two ruling families.”
“Why does Duran have dragons and battles of magic and Earth has… King Arthur? I feel like we were ripped off.”
She laughed. “Anyway, we were talking about Edward and the little… Edward was ready to let her go but she had a huge crush on him,” she grinned evilly, “so I decided to help him out and sent her running. He had no idea the girl was in love with him, so dense. Also, he was really hot tempered and even got in a fight with a wizard over some girl. He never said who she was, but I never saw him with a girl.”
I didn’t mean to laugh, and I definitely didn’t mean to do it so loud. In the seventy years they were friends, she didn’t figure out Edward was fighting over her. “Sorry. Continue.” She poured me another glass. “Thanks.”
“He was always interesting to t
alk to, not just because of all the things he’s seen, but how he perceived them. He did seem just a tiny bit ditzy some times, but after a while it just went away. Kiro was super smart, too chivalrous, and very wise. Ronez, on the other hand, was fun, mischievous, and headstrong. He really liked women. The first words out of his mouth when we met were ‘she yours?’ to Kiro. He said no and Ronez was all over me. For a holiday gift he got me…” She grinned again. “Never mind.”
I really wanted her to tell me. On the other hand, I was having too much fun just listening to her sweet voice; I just wanted her to keep talking. “Did Ronez like Duran?”
“Well, he grew up here, so the gravity only bothered him when he was gone for a long time. He said that the girls were more fun on Earth. He also seemed to like the cultures more, but he didn’t like how people acted. All the wars over religion and money. Intolerance and bullying. He found them fascinating but I think he thought them all as little children.”
“Compared to Edward and Ronez, they are children.”
“Compared to me, you’re a child,” she said.
“Sorry, but you don’t look a day over seventy.”
She beamed. “Thanks, sweetie. It’s great to talk like this before you pick up Kiro’s negative, ancient view on life. We can become better friends when you get used to me.”
“Yeah, it’s been a whole two minutes since I thought, ‘Damn, she’s pretty’…” I blinked and pushed my empty drink away. “I think I’ve had enough of this.”
Divina laughed but refilled my glass. I realized that there was no soreness in my muscles. The knock on the door made me jump and reminded me that we were at a restaurant. This drink was not a good one to have in such a confined space with a woman as attractive as Divina.
Divina opened the shade again and the waiter handed us two large platters of food, two regular sized plates with a little bit of leafy vegetable garnish on them, a large white serving spoon, two white cloths, and two pairs of wooden chopsticks. I was extremely happy about the chopsticks; those I could use. The man said something, bowed, and left. Divina closed the shutter and pushed one of the small plates towards me.
