The All-Seeing Eye

by Rae Else

  ‘There’s not much time,’ Eirene said. ‘Maybe it’ll look better on.’

  El stood shell-shocked. The bodice concealed the bare minimum of her torso and the singed fabric showed her ribcage. Eirene had styled her hair in waves and pinned it back in an attempt to hide the blonde roots. Apart from its red colour, it didn’t look half bad. Eirene now applied red and grey smoky eyeshadow.

  Yia Yia’s voice sounded from behind them. ‘You look ravishing, my dear.’

  ‘More like I’ve been ravaged,’ El said.

  ‘You’re dressing to impress,’ Yia Yia continued. ‘It’s not enough to be beautiful. As my successor, you need to intimidate.’

  El eyed the rips in the fabric, seeing them in the light that Yia Yia did. The scorched material, along the core part of El’s body, was a not-so-subtle reminder of how much power was within her … a warning that, at any moment, she could unleash it.

  When she turned to see Yia Yia properly, El observed that she was also dressed to overawe. Her gown was aquamarine, red coral sea fans sweeping up its contours as if moving in a current. Their pattern and colour reminded El of veins of blood. Her white coral crown, chunky armband and bracelet looked like bones. Staring at Yia Yia, El was reminded of how much blood this woman had spilt. And that was precisely what Yia Yia wanted an observer to see: that she wouldn’t think twice about dispatching anyone who crossed her.

  Soon they were walking up the avenue with the rest of Yia Yia’s retinue, as well as Luke, Eirene and Alex. Theon, Laius and Andreas’ tunics and trousers bore elaborate motifs with kerykeion too, mottling their design with movement.

  A scene of the winged boy, Icarus, adorned Theon’s tunic: the terracotta boy became brighter as if he were drawing ever closer to the sun. Laius’ forest green jacket bore a design of a tree, a coiled serpent wrapped around its trunk. Andreas’ tunic was detailed with cresting waves, the white surf converging into a herd of galloping horses.

  Luke was simply attired in the blue tunic and trousers that the Order guards wore. Alex had opted for the same blue outfit to blend in.

  The fire line was ahead of them and the earth behind. Talus and his graeae brethren were already in the amphitheatre. Contingents of Order guards continued to flank them on the way up the avenue. Noticeably fewer were in yellow today as any Waseem in their ranks had been taken into custody. The All-seeing Eye would look into their timelines once the ceremony was complete and decide their fate.

  The first thing El heard as they approached the amphitheatre, was a chorus of siren song. Although … it wasn’t exactly song. She could feel the same energy and emotion pulsing through it, but there weren’t any words. Instead she heard guttural cries, arcing calls and low chants. As Zhu and his entourage strode through the archway ahead of them, the siren cries and screeches grew, and the thunderous applause of hundreds rang.

  It was almost their turn to enter. El fidgeted with the feathers of her skirt.

  Beside her, Luke leaned close and whispered, ‘You look gorgeous – especially the boots.’

  She flushed with pleasure and grinned, pulling up her skirt and flashing her military boots. It had been her one act of defiance in dressing this morning, refusing to wear the heels left for her.

  They proceeded through the colossal entranceway. As they came out of the shadowy tunnel and into the glittering sunshine, the rumble of the crowd ensnared them. Siren calls rang through the applause like the ocean’s roar. The sheer volume of arete in the arena gripped El. Her eyes roved the tiers, which rose skywards, each of them crammed with ostentatiously dressed arete, smiling and cheering. Thousands of Order members. Scattered throughout the flamboyant arete were grey-clad graeae, conspicuous in their simplicity.

  El and the rest of the retinue followed Yia Yia towards a section of the arena where the arete were predominantly dressed in blue: each type of manipulator had gathered in one section. El felt a droplet of water on her bare arm and then another and looked up to watch a myriad of shimmering creatures undulating through the air. A winged horse soared above them, followed by a mermaid, then a turtle. The crowd of water manipulators were greeting Yia Yia and her entourage with these elegant creations.

  El saw that Zhu and his retinue had taken their seats in the first tier. Yia Yia, El and the others took their place in the front row opposite. Finally, Gregor and his entourage entered to more applause and the low chants of sirens. Beneath their feet, the earth manipulators shook the ground: their salutation to their head of line.

  Similar to the Council chamber, a giant depiction of the All-Seeing Eye adorned the centre of the arena floor. Raw elements were positioned throughout the space: boulders, a channel of water and lit torches decorated the edge of the arena, which was open to the sky above. There was a second entranceway opposite the archway through which they had entered.

  The sole empty tier, in front of the sea of yellow-clad arete, was conspicuous. El could feel the anticipation building in the waiting crowd as everyone looked to the immense archway, expecting the air line to enter.

  Gregor Sailes rose to speak. As his voice broadcast around the stadium, it grew more audible as the typhon next to him manipulated the air currents.

  ‘It is my duty to announce that we, the Arete Council, have disqualified the Waseem line from participating in the selection of the new Triad. Samir Waseem has broken his sacred oaths. He is currently in custody and will be held accountable for his actions after the Convergence of the All-Seeing Eye. Their first duty will be to decide on his fate.’ Gregor looked directly at the assembly of air manipulators opposite him. ‘It is unclear how deep the rot goes. However, if the Waseem line is found unfit to hold the privilege of sitting on the Arete Council, a new honourable line will be anointed to represent the interests of air manipulators.’ With a respectful bow to the air lines, he continued, ‘Now to the presentation of the Triad.’

  A stark silence fell over the audience as the attention of all the spectators fell to the air manipulators, unsure of how this news would be received or whether there would be unrest from that section of the audience.

  Zhu stood up, his voice leaping around the stadium, hurrying the proceedings along. ‘We arete of fire, who manipulate the terrifying energy that drove the swift sword of Perseus and that which blazed in the gorgon’s dreadful eyes, present Liang Liu.’

  El noticed Yia Yia smirking as Zhu likened the fire power to the gorgon’s dreadful gaze. She was probably thinking about how the full power failed to manifest in Zhu’s line but often did in hers.

  Lots of the fire manipulators directed ribbons of flame above them, fed from lighters they held aloft. Others nearer the front used the lit torches around the arena to conjure fiery spectacles: dragons, phoenixes and chimaeras shot up, their flame-drenched wings smothering the blue sky. Liang Liu morphed into the present in the very centre of the arena, she bowed and stood there as the applause died down.

  It was Yia Yia’s turn to rise. Her voice was borne by Theon’s current around the stadium.

  ‘When Perseus flew over the sea carrying the gorgon’s head, her blood rained down and mingled with the ocean. Her blood gave the corals of the Red Sea their vibrancy.’ She touched her skirt theatrically. ‘We of water, born of blood and the ocean’s might, present Talus Carras.’

  Shimmering entities painted the sky and Talus gradually morphed into the present, standing beside Liang.

  Finally, Gregor stood up and El prayed that he’d keep it short.

  He announced, ‘It is said that when the gorgon’s blood fell upon the deserts of Libya, nests of vipers were born. We who come from the earth, and recognise its eternal cycle, present Ethan Sailes.’

  Ethan accompanied by low vibrations of quakes beneath, manifested next to Talus.

  ‘Now for the fun bit,’ Theon murmured to El.

  She looked at him quizzically as three Order members proceeded into the arena, each holding a basket. They set them down at the edge of the arena.

  Zhu’s graeae w
as up first. The others morphed out of time once more as Liang stepped towards her head of line.

  His voice was once more audible, ‘Do you, Liang, swear to protect the Order from those who would do it harm, to elucidate its path so that it shall remain, now and forever?’

  ‘I do,’ Liang swore.

  Zhu nodded to the Order member who stood before the basket, he tipped it over. A bright red snake, with bands of yellow and white, thrashed out and onto the ground. The Order member stooped down and stared into its eyes.

  El’s stomach twisted with nausea as she thought of how many years her grandma had told her to treat animals with care and consideration. The brightly coloured snake reared up to meet the Order member’s eyes, entranced. It looked about five feet in length.

  El frowned and murmured to Theon, ‘Liang’s not going to kill it, is she?’

  Theon shook his head. ‘Each graeae has to catch the snake without being bitten. My Mum,’ Theon continued, ‘used to like telling us the story of Kali, a graeae she witnessed put forward for the Triad who got bit.’

  El frowned. ‘What happened to her?’

  Theon raised his eyebrows. ‘She died.’

  ‘But empousa blood would—’

  ‘Yes,’ Theon whispered, ‘but kind of mucks up the symbolism of catching and subduing the snake. If you can’t do it ceremonially, how can the Council trust you to protect the Order in reality?’

  Yia Yia threw them a black look and they fell silent, holding their breath as the snake hissed and started to weave its way quickly across the arena … towards Liang.

  Luke was on the other side of El. She squeezed his hand as the snake lunged at Liang moments before the graeae flickered into a shadowy figure. The snake went straight through her but swept around to look for her again. It tried a new tactic and coiled, burying its head in its body while raising its tail. When Liang phased back into the present and solidified, the snake lunged at her, its fangs glinting. Liang didn’t phase out entirely this time but her shadowy hands grasped the snake, just behind its bulbous head. She didn’t let go. It thrashed its tail and body, coiling up around her arm, but she held it tight.

  The fire manipulators erupted into applause as she returned the snake to the basket. She gave a swift bow and phased out.

  As soon as Liang had completed her challenge, Talus manifested before Yia Yia.

  She spoke, ‘Do you, Talus, swear to protect the Order from those who would do it harm, to elucidate its path so that it shall remain, now and forever?’

  ‘I do,’ Talus vowed.

  An Order member released a bluish-grey snake from the basket. It had greenish bands across its body.

  ‘A Beaked Sea Snake,’ Luke whispered to El. ‘See its paddle tail?’

  Its flattish tail was notable as it undulated across the marble arena. Again it looked about five feet in length. The Order member was already manipulating it, the snake rising up.

  In a moment, it was weaving across the floor towards Talus. He remained where he was; he was slightly shadowy but looked more solid than Liang had. El’s heart pounded. Had he phased out enough? As the snake lunged at Talus, its fangs failed to find its mark. It leapt again but couldn’t latch onto Talus’ hand. The third time it tried, Talus fastened his hand behind its head, raising it up and looking at the crowd of water manipulators. The crowd around them roared into life.

  Luke whispered, ‘Lucky … those sea snakes are some of the most venomous in the world.’

  El barely realised that the Sailes graeae was up, her heart still pounding at the thought of the snake lunging at Talus. It wasn’t until the thick sinuous body was making its way towards Ethan that El took notice. It was a deep tan colour, with dark brown spots along its body. It was darting across the floor in a series of S-shaped-loops. Letting out a stupendous hiss, it leapt towards Ethan. El winced but the snake’s snapping jaws didn’t manage to take hold. Ethan successfully grasped it. Its thick, heavy body proved more powerful than the others, and Ethan’s face was strained as he carried it to its container.

  With the snakes caught and subdued, the three heads of line stepped down into the arena. They all carried a goblet of wine, which they presented their graeae with. Each then slit their palms with a blade, allowing droplets of their blood to fall into the goblets.

  The three heads spoke the same words in unison, ‘I give you my blood with perfect trust, as a symbol of my faith that you will guide us with clarity.’

  The three graeae drained their goblets before the heads of line took them again and returned to their seats.

  The graeae congregated in the centre of the arena. The anticipation mounted as a hush fell over everyone. The graeae raised their solid hands and stood palm to palm. El realised this was it: Talus was about to become part of the Triad.

  ‘The First Convergence of the Triad will now take place,’ Gregor announced. ‘They will become masters over all facets of time and the way of the Order will be restored.’

  Each graeae stood on one corner of the triangle on the floor, containing the All-Seeing Eye within, and now … the new physical manifestation of it.

  They spoke in unison, their voices buoyed by the air manipulators in the three retinues. ‘Like the snake that sheds its skin, I cast mine off, renewing the Triad so that it shall be now and forever.’

  A scream pierced the arena from near the entrance as heavy footsteps resounded. El’s gaze flew to the shadowy entryway: Samir Waseem and his golden-clad contingent were obscured as currents of air began to whirl. How had they got past the Order guards along the avenue?

  Shouts started to rise throughout the spectators. El whipped around as shrieks rang from behind her. Arete were attacking each other in the crowd. The enemy arete weren’t bothering with elemental manipulation either: they had daggers. They were stabbing Order members in the back, in the torso, anywhere. Discord and confusion erupted through the crowd, sending them spilling onto the stairs, unsure of friend or foe.

  The infiltrators in the crowd were ferocious, battling to get down the tiers … El realised they were fighting to get to the heads of line … to them.

  Whirling around to face the central space, El saw that at the opposite side of the arena, a group of hostiles in the green-clad tiers had captured and blindfolded Gregor.

  Yia Yia was shouting down into the arena. ‘Converge!’

  El realised Talus was still solid in the centre of the amphitheatre, along with the other graeae. What was he doing, staying in the present?

  Yia Yia shouted, ‘There’s nothing you can do here! Go!’

  Over the screams and stampeding arete, Talus bellowed back, ‘We can’t! Something’s stopping us!’

  Panic flooded El. Talus couldn’t phase out. Why?

  - Chapter Thirty -

  The Die is Cast

  El watched Talus in the centre of the ring, circling with his brethren. They had drawn blades. The golden arete were continuing to pour into the arena. There were so many of them: hundreds … and they kept coming. When would they stop? Many of the arete who had escaped the crowd were fleeing the arena. Some turned to fight the invaders.

  Zhu was already sending fireballs at the Waseem. Judging by the flames in the crowd of red-robed arete, he and the other drakon had taken out the hostile arete who had hidden in their section. It was unclear yet whether the hostiles within the spectators belonged to the Waseem or the Opposition: they weren’t dressed in gold like the invaders but seemed to be the grey-clad graeae who had been scattered throughout the crowd.

  A roar of wind span through the arena, catching up arete who were trying to flee, churning them up and spitting them out. Screams and thuds ricocheted around the stone tiers. The attackers in the rows continued downwards, working their way towards the heads of line.

  Yia Yia, El and the others defended against the onslaught. Laius ripped up a lump of limestone and hurled it towards the attackers with colossal force. Theon kept up a maelstrom, while Yia Yia, Luke and Andreas fought back wi
th torrents of water. Eirene had pushed Alex behind her and was sending spurts at the enemy too.

  It was clear that some of them were graeae, those who relied on their blades, but others possessed elemental powers. El ducked, narrowly avoiding a lashing of water as her fire was doused. She peered back at the centre of the arena. Talus and the other graeae had been forced to dive to the floor, trying to stay low and out of the maelstrom created by the Waseem army. El had to get to Talus.

  Zhu was sheltering in the front tier, firing at the Waseem from the defensive position he’d managed to attain. His red robes swirled about him with each fireball he sent out, the orange dragon on the front of his robes glimmering.

  El took courage at the sight of the drakon and, casting her gaze at a torch burning nearby, pulled out a burst of flame, lobbing it at one of the attackers in the upper tiers. He rolled out of the way. The next flame he escaped too, launching skywards in a current of air. As the twister circled above her, her eyes manoeuvered the blaze upwards. The enemy screamed as she enhanced the golden fire above to blue. The whirlwind above perished as his blackened body crashed into one of the tiers.

  A loud crack deafened El; she cast her gaze to the other side of the ampitheatre where a few ladon had ripped up a chunk of tiered limestone. They hurled the rock, bringing it down and crushing a group of golden-clad arete. Some of Gregor’s retinue were still fighting. And Zhu and his arete were going strong. Maybe they still had a chance against the invaders.

  The thunder of breaking stone, and the roar of fire, wind and water ricocheted through the arena until the sky darkened. A rippling vortex grew, amalgamating into a huge cyclone. Was this the Waseem? Had they concentrated their power to end them once and for all? It seemed that the twister would devour them all, that it intended to take the whole arena. Everyone was forced to dive to the floor, straining to keep a grip on the limestone and anchor themselves to the earth.