Emblems of Power

by C L Patterson

  “I am his half brother. I am the blood of his blood and flesh of his flesh. I alone can kill him and no one else.” The man smiled and laughed.

  “That book of yours is a real treasure. Now, have you figured out who I am yet?”

  “Based on the story that I read in the book, and what you have told me so far, I think so, though I don’t understand why. You are Zenith, the Second Head Teacher of the School of the Faye.” The man clapped his hands in congratulations.

  “That wasn’t too hard to figure out now was it? How are you going to kill me?”

  “You tried to kill your son with an altar and fire made from the Faye, a knife and your own blood.”

  “Good!” Zenith said. He smiled again and began to walk further into the island. Kosai followed him. As the pair walked, the island began to change. The tropical trees transformed into tall, thick evergreens. Kosai looked up, unable to see the tops of them. The soft, warm sea breeze shifted, and then stilled. The smell of rotting undergrowth and tree sap filled the air. Kosai looked behind him and the beach was gone. There were only trees behind trees.

  All was quiet. There were no birds, no waves, no breeze, no rustling branches, no insects, nothing. The only sound was his breathing and his footsteps. Sunlight beamed through the branches and pine needles, as if they were walking through bars of translucent gold.

  Zenith stopped when they reached a small clearing. In the clearing was an altar with sticks around it. A fire was already burning, though Kosai couldn’t tell if the boy from the story was in the fire or not.

  “You’ve already guessed how to defeat the Dark One,” Zenith said. “When the time comes, you must kill him in room that I created.”

  “I figured so, but why? Why does his death have to be so… so, methodical?”

  “Many, many reasons. Mainly because of that cursed vial I gave to his mother.” Zenith kicked the ground and was silent for a moment. “Only the blood of his blood and the flesh of his flesh can kill him now.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.” Kosai said flatly.

  “I admit it didn’t look right that I was killing my only son. The room that I made, the altar, the circles of power that hid the room as well as lit the torch, all of it, was done through the power of the Unspoken that only I knew. That way there would be no interruptions. I should have bound him to the altar. It was my mistake to put him to sleep instead.”

  “You still haven’t answered my question,” Kosai said, raising his voice.

  “Have you learned nothing of patience?” he yelled. Kosai blushed and looked down. “Patience is the answer to all things; you would do well to remember that first lesson.” Zenith was quiet again and kneeled down on the ground. Kosai did the same.

  “There was a very specific reason the Women of the Water appeared to me, and the things they taught me, I withheld from everyone. Seeing as you are the one to kill the Dark One… I suppose I will answer your question, but it is not a concise answer.”

  Kosai nodded and waited for Zenith to continue.

  “When the world was first created, the cognitive energy that we call the Faye created primitive man. Over time, man changed into a more intelligent being, and became as we are now. The Faye, which flows in all life and gives power in our world, saw fit to create four beings to aid and assist man. These beings you and I know as the Women of the Water. They were supposed to teach man how to make medicine, machines, and tools. They were supposed to develop their minds, and teach them about the Faye and its purpose.”

  “Teach religion and science then?” Kosai interjected.

  “Yes. As the population of man grew, the Women of the Water were unable to assist man by themselves. Together, they decided to create another race of man, one whose blood was of the Faye. These men and women were the beginnings of the conduits and were known as pure conduits. In them was the knowledge of the Awakening, as well as the Unspoken. Over time, these people of the water mixed with man, and from them came conduits. After the fifth and sixth generations of the women of the water had passed away, the knowledge of the Unspoken and the Awakening were lost, and all but two of the bloodlines were mixed.

  “Anna, your mother, was the last of one of those bloodlines. She was not Awoken, and if she was able to commune with the Faye, she hid that talent very well. I was the other who had pure blood of the Faye. Our son, the Dark One, is a direct descendant of pure conduits, tracing back to the Women of the Water.

  “Though the Women of the Water are immortal, the race they created is not. The People of the Water die natural deaths, and can only be killed by one who shares their blood. When the boy took the knife from me, it already had his blood on it, and when he stabbed me in the heart, that blood pulsed into my body, and I died.

  “The reason for the altar and the Unspoken is because of the cursed talisman that I gave to Anna, which she gave to her first born. The word for binding is used to subdue the Dark One so that he may not use the vile. The word for breaking is what will destroy the talisman. Only the Unspoken has power enough to break the circle of power on the vial. Kosai, you are the last descendant of Anna, and though your blood is mixed, there is enough of the Faye running through your veins to put an end to the Dark One.”

  “Is that why I am able to swim so easily?”

  “Yes, because you are a half descendant of the Women of the Water. The ocean, streams, lakes, they are natural to you.” Kosai stared at the ground, and then back at the fire.

  “Why don’t you teach me the words that I need for the Unspoken? Then I wouldn’t have to find your secret room. I could just make my own, or I could meet him anywhere in the desert and build the altar.”

  Zenith let out a short, hard laugh.

  “If I taught you the words, the moment you spoke them, you would die. You are not strong enough. The first time the Faye flows through you, you will understand.” Zenith stared into the fire.

  “You’ll have to teach me the words sometime,” Kosai said. “How else am I supposed to open your room at least? And why wasn’t any of this put into your book? Isn’t it supposed to contain all your knowledge?”

  “What I have told you, you will not find in any book. Though it is my knowledge, I did not place it in the book in fear that the Dark One might find it. That book is a powerful tool, and he would destroy it if he knew it held the secrets to his defeat. I have come here, as your object, for the purpose of teaching you the Unspoken. Right now, as I said, you would die at the first utterance. It takes years to build up a tolerance to the Faye, and only then would you be able to learn the Unspoken, and only then will you be able to destroy me.” He chuckled. “I guess I mislead you earlier, but only somewhat. It is going to take you a long time to build that tolerance, time that we don’t have. That is why you must train, and when you are ready and have built up your tolerance to the Faye, then and only then, will I teach you the three words of the Unspoken that you need; one for opening, one for binding, and one for breaking. When you go to Anteperil, those are the only words you need to defeat the Dark One.”

  Kosai had read the past four hours about the importance of a strong will when channeling the Faye and the theory on how to do it, but the books never mentioned building a tolerance.

  “Mearto didn’t mention anything about a tolerance. Usually, she throws every book on a subject, and anything that relates to that subject, at me and demands an oral report two hours later. Do forced conduits need to worry about tolerance? What if the Dark One attacks before I am ready? How am I supposed to lure him to Anteperil? What motive would the Dark One have to come to his death chamber?” Kosai asked frantically, one question right after another.

  “You are that motive,” Zenith said, smiling. “The Dark One is aware that you are the only one who can kill him. He will do all he can to remove you as a threat, even if it means going to that room.”

  “And what about attacking before I am ready?”

  “That is the time we don�
�t have,” Zenith shook his head. “That is why you need to train, hard. You need to build your tolerance. You know what’s at stake if you don’t.”

  Kosai nodded and stared at the fire. Each moment, each opportunity spent not training, was a small victory for the Dark One. Kosai placed himself in the Dark One’s position, and tried to decide when and how he would attack.

  “I don’t know why he has such a disposition to do evil,” Zenith spoke more to the fire than to Kosai. “Perhaps it was because of how he saw others treating his mother.” He picked up a stick and threw it onto the pyre. “I wish I had more time to study. The Faye knew he was evil, they even warned me of him and gave me a commission to kill him, yet they allowed him to live, to be born even, and for what?” Zenith picked up another stick and threw it more violently. It hit the burning fire and knocked off some of the embers. They quickly died out and turned to sand. Kosai looked at the small clump of sand for a moment and then turned back to Zenith.

  “Do you think you created the Dark One by trying to kill your son?” Kosai asked.

  “No,” Zenith said calmly. “He was a conduit, the most pure and attuned I ever saw. Inside him though, when I looked into his eyes for the first time, was darkness and evil that made me shiver. For the first time, in a long time, I was truly afraid, and of a child no less. No, I didn’t create him. He would have done what he did to become what he became, even if I hadn’t intervened.”

  ***

  There was a hand on his shoulder. Kosai jolted out of his meditation and looked up, seeing Mearto standing behind him.

  “You have done well,” Mearto said. “Your concentration and focus was incredible. I guess that is why you are called the Wolf of the Capital Barracks.”

  “I have a good teacher.” Mearto smiled slightly. Kosai thought about both the Captain and Mearto. Through his physical training at the Barracks, Kosai was able to keep his mind focused and sharp for any task. Through the knowledge imparted by the books Mearto assigned for him to read, as well as her instructions during the Awakening, he was now a Conduit.

  Together, the three of them were close to putting an end to the betrayal of the caravan routes. After that, Kosai and Mearto would work together to put an end to the Dark One. Kosai knew for himself why he was the only one that could do it and he could prove it to the Captain. His blood injured the Dark One because their shared the same mother. The Captain refused in the past to talk about her, but now he would have to.

  CHAPTER 18

  The Captain walked down Capital road, glancing up at the flapping banners as the fabric snapped in the wind. He scheduled a meeting with the Council soon after he received his report from Kosai, and surprisingly, received a quick response.

  “Hypocrites,” he said to himself as he looked away from the emblem on the flag, the fist holding the wheat. Children were pouring out of the maze of cement buildings, running from each other and heading towards the fountain. All were underfed, all were dying of hunger. Wasting no time, the Captain began to jog up to the Capital building. Officials and clerks moved to the side as he ran by them and said nothing. When he reached the entrance to the Council room, the guards saluted him, and then stopped him.

  “You’re early,” one of the guardsmen said. “You aren’t supposed to see the Council for another fifteen minutes.”

  “Who says I’m here to see them?” the Captain replied. The guards were silent and then stood at attention. “Has the council had any other meetings this morning?”

  “They have had one with the syndicate, something about how another transport company was started by some of their members, and then they have had a couple meetings between themselves, nothing more.”

  “Do you know exactly what the syndicate was complaining about?”

  “They wanted to know if there was some way to file a lawsuit against them or something. Their complaint was quickly dismissed.”

  “Good,” the Captain said. “Just so you are aware, I am not going into this meeting just to report my investigation.” The Captain leaned in closely and lowered his voice. “Kosai has found the individual who is betraying the trade route information. We suspect that he is associated with the Council. I am not sure if it is a few members, or the whole, but part of this meeting will answer that. If I speak correctly, I could bring out some evidence that can be used against them. Right now, neither Kosai nor I have enough of a case to do anything about it.” Both guard’s eyes were wide open, yet still held the rest of their face and figure in at attention.

  “And if the whole Council is behind the betrayed routes?” Terynn asked.

  “Then I will find people to replace them and we will impeach them. It is our duty to the people.” The two guards nodded. “That is why I have needed you to listen to every meeting as best you can. Continue to do so and keep me informed.” The Captain straightened himself and stared at the large double doors. “Who is the Council meeting with now?”

  “They have called a Grand Council meeting to talk about the limited success the caravans are facing,” one of the guards said. “They also want to know why the syndicate is so successful with their caravans.”

  “At least now we know that not all of the Council is behind the betrayal. Do you know who called the meeting?”

  “I’m not sure,” Terynn said. “Hemmel is on duty in the Council room. I’ll ask him when I get a chance.”

  “And while you’re at it, ask him if he remembers if there was any division and who was on what side.” Someone began to yell inside the Council room, though the Captain couldn’t hear what was said. “And make sure he remembers that,” he said pointing at the room.

  “Yes sir,” the guards said. The room quieted and the other guard came out.

  “The Council will see you now sir,” said Hemmel. The Captain walked in and glanced at the representatives dressed in their red, blue, gold, and green colored robes. He then looked up at the council. Rodrick was red in the face, Steran sat with tight lips, Simmons had a wide and wicked smile, and Nicóla looked sideways at Kevyn. Kevyn looked at the back of his nails and tore loose flakes of skin from his fingers. The Captain smiled.

  “Captain, how goes your investigation,” Rodrick said calmly, though hoarsely. His cheeks were still red.

  “I have spent my time investigating the syndicate at every point. I have infiltrated their society using a ring from one of their members, took possession of financial records, met with high ranking officials to the lowest street sellers.”

  “Oh good,” Councilor Steran said, smiling. “And what have you discovered?”

  “Nothing.” When the Captain said this, Steran’s smile went straight to a frown. “There is no evidence of contracting nomadic tribes, or any reference to them having any type of access to the trade routes. All of their money is accounted for and backed by receipts.”

  “But… but…” she stammered. The Captain raised an eyebrow.

  “But what ,Councilor Steran?” Councilor Rodrick asked.

  “I was sure that they were behind it, positive. Are you sure you didn’t miss something?”

  “Not unless you wanted me to find something,” the Captain replied.

  “And what is that supposed to mean?” she responded, she shifted in her chair and rolled her shoulders. The Captain looked back at Hemmel who gave a short nod back.

  “Captain,” Councilor Rodrick said, not even acknowledging Steran’s comment. “The capital will increase funding of the Guard to aid in the discovery of who’s at fault for betraying our routes. Tensions are high in the city and among us as you can see.” He shot a cold look over to Steran. She glanced at him and then looked away. “Are there any other groups or individuals you can think of that may be considered suspects?”

  “My guards and a few other people that I closely trust are looking as we speak.”

  “Whatever the cost of your investigation, we will cover it. If you need a warrant, anything you need, just ask. The sooner we come to
the end of this, the better.”

  “Thank you,” the Captain said. He turned to leave the room and looked at Hemmel. He nodded again and closed the doors behind the Captain.

  “What’s the word sir?” one of the guards asked.

  “Steran knows something. She wanted me to find something against the Three Brothers and was surprised that I failed. She went on the defensive when I exposed her desires. From that, I can gather that she wants me to focus on the Three Brothers until I find something, or she attempted to frame them and expected me to find something against them. Councilor Rodrick, on the other hand, will fund my investigation and has given me his full cooperation until I can find the bottom of this. Keep up the good work.” Both guards saluted and the Captain returned to the barracks.

  He oversaw the recruits during their training exercises, correcting some of the younger students in their strikes and blocks. After, he did a demonstration on disarming an armed opponent and countering with a throw. He gave a few more instructions to Lieutenant Nuevon on other exercises he wanted done.

  “After this training session, I need to speak with Deakon and Ulryck,” the Captain said. “I have an assignment for them.”

  “Yes sir,” Nuevon said, frowning. The pair was sparring not too far away from the Captain and his lieutenant. Deakon was attempting to deflect a wooden knife from Ulryck. He was able to change his position to let the knife slide by him, but when he punched Ulryck’s wrist, the knife stayed.

  “No harm will come to him,” the Captain said. “I just need a set of inconspicuous ears out in the city this evening.”

  “He is small and weak,” Nuevon said, shaking his head. “I let him join because of his spirit. He wants to help the people, and protect his family. Each day, he is covered in bruises, and his confidence as a guardsman lessens.”

  The Captain and Nuevon watched as the pair began the exercise again.