“We are delighted that you would join us, Queen Yara,” said one of the main Agarb lieges. “It is a very serious time for all the new dwellers on Mira. I know that even you have never experienced a night on Mira. It is very unlike the modus of days. It provides the perfect opportunity for the execution of judgment.”
Execution of judgment? Yara’s heartstar began to beat a little faster.
“How so, may I ask, Master Nox?”
Master Nox was a tall, formidable Eld with a commanding presence. He was close to four hundred years old, and was among the most respected of the Agarbs. He seemed to consider her question carefully, as he did all things, before responding.
“The night actually brings light, but in very different forms. Some forms of this light must be respected and never interfered with, as it can be dangerous for creatures to touch. While we have spoken with the honorable Skotad Chief Totek about it, the Photaks do not know of the dangers that lie ahead.”
“Yes, I am aware of this. But isn’t our intention to visit their village and prepare the Photaks, as we have the Skotads?”
“My Queen,” Master Nox responded, eyes narrowed, “perhaps it is my fault that I have not fully explained the position of the Agarbs and the Eld. A creature cannot come against an Eld. It is Eld law. It is the law of Sunstar. These creatures were made by us, and they will be judged by us. They must pay for their sins. We have voted on this judgment, and Sunstar has provided us with the perfect way. The first night is the divinely orchestrated time to ensure the destruction and complete annihilation of the Photaks as the judgment for their crimes against you, my Queen, and against all of the Eld.”
Chapter Two
“What?!” Yara yelped, her heartstar now pounding in her chest.
The Agarbs looked just as stunned as she was sure she did. An awkward silence filled the air as several lieges exchanged concerned glances. Mibery looked down and away, indicating to Yara that she should perhaps tread a bit carefully in the moments to come.
It was Master Nox who broke the thick, suffocating silence.
“Have I been unclear in expressing the will of Sunstar, my Queen?” he drawled.
The subtle hint of dogma in his tone reminded Yara of the only Photak she truly hated, Elder Malek. She mentally shook herself, knowing the connection was likely a symptom of her recent trauma. Master Nox had been kind and fair-handed in his interactions with her over the past week. In fact, she had found his guidance and wisdom to be incredibly helpful as she adapted to her new role.
“Never be reactive, my Queen,” he had told her after her first meeting with the lieges of the Houses of the Eld. “It is important for you to be responsive, but never reactive. The Eld need their Queen to be strong, wise and calm.”
Taking his advice now, Yara took a deep breath before continuing. Beneath the surface of her skin, she could feel Guidestar pulsing slightly, giving her the comfort she desperately needed. She would consult with her Guidestar, but only when she was alone again.
“Master Nox, I pray you do not misinterpret my response as disrespect for the time and energy that the House of Agarb has put into the deliberation of this judgment. However, have you not taught me that it is my duty as your Queen to ensure that the Eld are not rash in their reaction to my life’s story? Not all of the Photaks are deserving of such…extreme…punishment. There are some among them who are good, who were kind to me all of my life. My parents–”
“Your late, adopted parents…” Nox corrected.
“Uh, yes… my late Tribe parents took me in as an unmarked baby with no telling where I came from or how I got here. Many, under the influence of the Elders of the Tribe, assumed that I was a weapon of the Skotads. Despite this, half of those very Elders voted for me to stay and for my parents to care for me. The other half clearly burned fear of the Skotads into the Tribe’s heartstars. I do not believe that any of this would have happened if the Photaks had known the truth about the loving nature of the Skotads. And the little Photak warrior Mila actually worked with Toler, despite the Skotads’ reputation, to rescue me from certain death.”
“A death,” Master Nox said, “that would have ensured the eternal hibernation of the Eld. My Queen, for obvious reasons I do not expect you to know your Eld history, but the Photaks on skywatch the day the evil Hack’amads attacked Mira. They neglected their duties to carry out revenge on the Skotads for their devotion to the Eld, and in particular to our House. We Agarbs were teaching the Skotads our ways because they were humble enough to seek Eld wisdom. It is not only for crimes against you that the Photaks must pay, but crimes that resulted in four thousand years of the cocooned imprisonment of your people.”
Yara had first heard of this in stories that Grandam had shared about the Photaks’ abandoning their duties on that terrible day. Grandam was the old Skotad who had first identified Yara to be a “Ka-Eld” when she was still an unmarked girl. Yara hadn’t realized how true the story was, or how bitter the Eld would be toward the Photak Tribe. Still, the Photaks that committed those crimes were long gone. Photaks lived for an average of a century.
“Make no mistake, Master Nox. My heartstar grieves for the suffering of…our...people. However, the Photaks who live today are not the ones who committed treason against the Eld. These Photaks had no knowledge even of the existence of the Eld–this was kept secret by the Elders, generation after generation. There were rumors of a mutual ancestor between the two Tribes, but only when I came to the Skotads did I attain knowledge of our ancient race.”
There was a unified gasp, followed by a mild uproar as the shocked Agarbs raged over the ignorance of the Photak creatures. They questioned how such creatures could not know of their maker, and of the high treason their Elders had committed. This reaction from the House of Agarb meant the Elders’ offense was unforgivable.
Yara bit her tongue, wondering if she had made things even worse. She knew that while the living Photaks were not guilty of the crimes against the Eld four thousand years ago, they were still guilty of erasing the Eld from their history and corrupting the Photaks’ perceptions of the Skotads. They were guilty of killing her Tribe parents and trying to kill her.
“My Queen, in light of your revelations, I believe we can all agree that our judgment has been accurate, and the Photaks’ punishment must be severe.” Master Nox said sternly. “Let us all take a recess. When we return, we will approve our exact course of action.”
What have I done…
***
Yara ordered her handmaiden to stay behind and hurried back to her quarters. As she quickened her steps through the tunnels, avoiding the inquisitive stares of other Eld, her heartstar drummed through her chest. Her growing panic drew her Guidestar to the surface of her conscious mind just as she reached her tunnel, with an eerily familiar question.
“YaraStar… do you know who you are?”
Yes… I know… I am the Eld Queen. I know it’s my purpose, the whole reason for my death, and my awakening. You’ve told me. They’ve told me. I get it. I’m somehow supposed to be naturally good at this, given my marking, but I’m clearly a mess. I don’t think I can do this, Guidestar. I’ve never led anyone. How am I supposed to lead an entire planet? How am I supposed to proclaim life or death judgments on the lives of others?
“Your place is not who you are, nor is it your purpose… your purpose has only just begun…”
I don’t understand. And are we really back at these riddles again?! Tell me, isn’t my purpose to be the Queen of the Eld?
“That is your place… you must fully discover who you are in order to discover your purpose… to find the answers to where you came from and why you are here.
YaraStar… do you know who you are?”
Lying back heavily into her soft swaddling, Yara felt a familiar sense of being overwhelmed. Her Guidestar was challenging her to an impossible quest. She had been an outcast for her entire life, with every experience reinforcing how much she didn’t belong. She had finally foun
d her people. Yet, as had she surveyed their horror-filled eyes in the meeting, she had felt even more disconnected. Their ways, their traditions, their understanding… those weren’t ideals that Yara had learned from her Tribe parents.
Yara considered the fate of the Photaks and even of the Skotads. During the Elds’ long absence, their bio-crafted “creatures” had evolved into independent races. While the Skotads still honored some of the old ways, the Photaks were unlikely to submit to any power other than their own.
Suddenly, the gravity of the situation became clear to her. The decisions made on this day would determine the course of life for Mira’s inhabitants for years to come. They would determine the fate of the Photaks, like Mila, and even of the Skotads. It didn’t take her long to realize that Guidestar’s challenge was also about who she was as a leader, as their Queen.
A knock at the door interrupted Yara’s brooding. She sighed and sat up, calling out for who she thought was Mibery to enter. Who she saw was an odd but welcome surprise.
“Grandam!” Yara exclaimed.
The old Photak gave a small, eerie chuckle as she entered.
Yara had been angry with Grandam when she was lost in the tunnels with the fake map Grandam gave her that led to her death. But she soon understood why she needed to die, to be reborn. If Grandam hadn’t followed the instructions within the old Eld prophecy, Yara would have never discovered her true nature. She would still be an unmarked girl, and the Eld would still be trapped in their cocoons.
“Ka-Eld,” Grandam said as she closed the door behind her, “I believe I am supposed to give you these.”
In her wrinkled hands were a collection of ancient Eld manuscripts.
Amused that Grandam still called her the Ka-Eld, Yara shot up from the swaddling and walked over to the table on which Grandam was piling her gift. Yara’s hands shook with curiosity as she gently picked up a document. She longed to learn Eldish, both to speak and to read it. These manuscripts could be a great place to start.
“What are they for? And what do they say?”
Grandam shook her head, muttering under her breath before she responded.
“They are for the Ka-Eld. They are about your Queendom… guidelines and virtues that an Eld Queen should have.”
“Guidelines…”
As Grandam sorted through the pile and put the scrolls into some mysterious order, Yara suddenly had a thought.
“Grandam, would there be any guidelines in there about…say… the annihilation of a Tribe?”
Grandam paused, turning swiftly toward Yara, with eyes widening.
“No no, not the Skotads…I meant the Photaks…”
“Ka-Eld, there can be no annihilation of any Tribe! Even if crafted by the Eld, the Tribes are still servants of Sunstar. Why would you want to do such an evil thing?!”
“I don’t! I don’t, Grandam…but Master Nox said that this is the judgment of the Houses for the crimes of the Photaks against the Eld, and against me.”
Grandam stared at her with a comically perplexed expression and then let out a shrill laugh, causing Yara to jump. She then rummaged through the manuscripts until she found the right one. Swinging it in front of Yara’s face, causing a musty shower of dust to fill the air, she uttered the first words of hope Yara had heard.
“The guidelines in this script are the law of Sunstar. As you are the Queen of the Eld, a damning judgment like the eradication of an entire race of creatures lies completely within your jurisdiction. Such an evil act cannot take place without your sovereign approval, Ka-Eld.”
“They didn’t tell me that, Grandam…”
“Of course, they didn’t! They don’t trust you yet, so they are withholding the true extent of your power. But my line has always served in the pleasure of the Eld Queens of Agarb. From all I have read in the past week, my ancestors were loyal to your mother…and as for that and…other reasons…I will honor their commitment by teaching you all I know.”
“Do you know what her name was? My mother?” Yara asked pleadingly. “Do you know anything about her?”
“I am sorry, Ka-Eld, but I do not have such records. The knowledge I hold is about the Queendom more than the Queen. I must leave you soon, before your ever-watchful handmaiden returns. But I will first instruct you on how to speak and what to say. You must repeat my words exactly as I say them for now, until you learn how to speak as a Queen on your own. Your training will begin after your meeting has ended.”
Yara nodded swiftly in agreement, grateful for the guidance she so desperately needed. It did not escape her that there was an underlying message riddled in the way Grandam referred to Mibery that Yara knew she should not ignore.
As Grandam left after giving her detailed instructions, Yara felt growing gratitude for the quaint old Skotad. Grandam had come not only with the best possible solution, but also as an ally.
Feeling a rush of power flow through her, with the deep pulse of Guidestar confirming her realization, Yara knew what she had to do. She said a silent prayer to Sunstar that she would have the strength, and confidence, to pull it off.
***
Yara entered the Agarbs’ room and made her way back to her seat at the head of the table. She remained standing, her jaw set, and raised her arms. The room instantly grew silent. Even Mibery’s expression showed a vague hint of confusion, and fear.
Yara’s voice quivered slightly as she spoke. She tried to steady her voice and project the confidence that Grandam said she must, but she doubted she could manage it without much practice.
“My royal lieges, powerful masters of the House of Agarb, I have considered the…proposed judgment against the Photaks. However, I am your Queen. Does this decision not rest completely within my jurisdiction? The eradication of an entire race of creatures requires my sovereign approval. Is this not true?”
The Agarbs stared at her, some mouths slightly ajar with shock. Yara was sure that everyone in the room could hear the betrayal of her pounding heartstar.
Master Nox broke the frozen silence in the room with a small nod that confirmed her claim. Poorly-concealed panic showed in the faces of the Agarbs. Eyes wide and filled with an emotion Yara could not yet describe, the Agarbs seemed to lower their heads in reverence. This was exactly the sign of submission that Grandam described. A rush of renewed hope filled her.
Yara continued with Grandam’s script, softening her voice in acknowledgment of their respectful bodily cues.
“That being so, I do agree that half of the Photak Elders committed treason against your Queen, and that they all conspired to erase any trace of our history from the Tribe. However, it was done under the assumption, by both the Photaks and the Skotads, that the Eld were vanquished many millennia ago.
“The Tribes moved on to become independent forces as the rightful, remaining inhabitants of Mira, and not just creatures to serve at the pleasure of the Eld. Is it really just to expect their…re-submission…now that, within their minds, they are also people, similar to us? I am not saying that the Eld should not rule this planet. The facts surrounding their creation still remain. But I am saying that under my rule as the Queen of the Eld, this rule must be fair – to all sides. That, my lieges, will be the only approach taken, and that, from your Queen, is an order.”
An almost inaudible gasp rolled from the lips of those present. In the moment after that, “Yes, my Queen,” every Agarb in the room answered in union, making the Sunstar salute.
Yara couldn’t stop the shudder that rippled through her as the tension broke with their unexpected collective submission. Her eyes surveyed their faces, still uncertain as to if their response was real. No one had ever given any credence to her words or validity to her desires in the Photak village. She had never been in charge of anyone, and she certainly was not a leader. Yet now her words, though spoken in the creatures’ tongue, had value to the Eld. They had…
Power…
A series of intense discussions, led solely by Yara, followed. The eventual conc
lusion was to warn the Photak village of the coming night, and to only hold the Elders accountable for the sins of the Photaks. The Elders would have a chance to defend their actions to the Eld before any final judgment. It was a fair approach, and it set the tone of Yara’s perceived strength as a leader. A merciful leader…
At the end of the meeting, before Yara dismissed the Agarbs, she demanded her complete, mandatory involvement in all Eld affairs. It was the final piece of the instructions Grandam had given her.
As the Agarbs left the room, Master Nox and Yara remained seated. When it was only them, Mibery politely excused herself and stood outside.
Master Nox looked at Yara with a strange glow in his eyes.
“You won’t know this, but you were very much like the Eld Que – your Eld mother – today. She had the same fire for fairness and mercy embedded deep within her.”
Yara felt her body beginning to tremble. It was the first time anyone had ever spoken personally about her Eld mother.
“Master Nox, what was she like? What was her name?”
He started, then looked away, as if awoken to the wrong of his oral recollection.
“I am sorry, my Queen, but your questions put me in a compromising position. There are some laws that stand stronger than even your royal requests…But I cannot deny that your need to know is reasonable. It is an unusual situation, with you never having known her, never having experienced your formative years as an Eld. But until an investigation into our prolonged cocooning has taken place and a determination about the choices of your Eld mother is reached, there are some who believe that conversations such as these should be…restricted.”
“Restricted? I don’t understand…What kind of determination…?” Yara asked slowly.
Master Nox sighed deeply.
“My Queen, there are some among the Houses who believe that we were betrayed by your Eld mother. Added to that, there are no real answers surrounding your birth or your existence. The only thing that controls these concerns is the undeniable royal marking from Sunstar – an unshakable declaration of Sunstar’s will.
The Eld Queen (The YaraStar Trilogy Book 2) Page 2