by Phoebe Brown
“You must all learn the history of our world and become the best leaders you can become. The kingdom needs you to submit to your king and obey his commands.”
Still, the others remained silent and enchanted by his words. She wondered if this was some kind of power the gods had given to them without telling them.
“There is an old saying that to obey your masters is to be wise. I know I have wise students here today.”
He looked over at her pointedly, but she held her chin out. Her defiance came from somewhere deep within. She was suddenly aware that someone else was in the room. Turning towards the exit, she saw Lu Radock waiting there with a look of concern. He faced the old king and motioned for him to come forward.
“Just a moment,” Solomon said,
The older man walked down from the raised platform and walked through the rows to get to the back of the room. Gaia observed them as they spoke for a few minutes. The old king’s face was impassive as he took the news. There was something in Lu Radock’s eyes that told her he was afraid. Not long after, Solomon walked back to the front of the room.
“We will have to end our classes early today.” He said, “The king and his council are being called to an emergency meeting.”
There was an eruption of whispers around the room and Gaia watched as Solomon strode out confidently. Something big was happening and she wanted to know what it was.
Chapter 15
As the other students began filing out of the classroom Gaia stood and began pacing.
“We need to get into that meeting,” Kirk whispered.
Tafari raised a quizzical brow but said nothing. Helen and Khar pretended to look out the window. She ignored their nonchalance because deep down, she knew she wanted to get into the meeting just as much as he did. What Kirk was suggesting would be dangerous if they got caught. She knew from the secret meetings held by the Templars that, whenever the king called one of these meetings, leaders all over the world would be on edge.
“I think we should try to get in.” She said finally, “Do you know how?”
“We should go,” Tafari said standing suddenly.
Khar flashed her a knowing look and stood; Helen did the same. She took this as their warning to be careful. The others walked out ahead of her and Kirk into the hallway. Without another look, they took off towards the training yards.
“Come with me.” He said pulling her in the opposite direction and away from the training yards.
“Won't the other students notice we’re missing?” She asked.
He shook his head.
“Tafari will tell the others to cover for us.” He said, “Tafari knows what to do in situations like these.”
Kirk led her down a few corridors in the direction of the throne room. As soon as they passed the double doors leading to the large room, he turned sharply and opened a hidden door. To her surprise, it led down another set of corridors. This was a portion of the palace that she hadn’t seen before. He led her towards another set of doors and opened them gently.
The room was narrow but long and rectangular. On both sides of the walls were framed portraits of men. They all had a similar resemblance and she knew they had to be the familial line of the royals. She could tell by the dust that covered most of the things in this room that it wasn’t visited regularly.
As she walked briskly past one of the paintings something caught her eyes and she thought for a moment she recognized the man on the wall. She thought he resembled the man she had seen in the clearing on the Tarion Mountains. Before she could say anything, Kirk tugged at her hand to urge her forward.
He led her towards the back of the room. There was a small door that she almost mistook for a small bookshelf. He opened it and ushered her in. She hesitated for a moment and shot him a questioning look.
“Trust me.” He said.
She didn’t know why his words made her so uncomfortable, but she didn’t question him. She simply ducked down and went into the small space. Once inside, she realised that it was a short hallway that led to stairs that ascended into the palace. Kirk came in behind her and the door closed behind him blanketing them in darkness.
“If you feel against the wall it will help.” He said, “The stairway is pretty narrow going up.”
She didn’t know what to say and so she took the first step up the narrow stairway. After some time, they came to a landing. Kirk reached up and placed a hand on her shoulder in the darkness which stilled her.
“We should stop here.” He whispered.
She hadn’t noticed the sound of voices over the pounding of her heart. As she settled down, she began to recognize the sound of muffled voices in the distance.
“We’re just beneath the council meeting room.”
In the dark, she felt even more aware of his closeness and the shallowness of his breath.
“Settle down!”
The sound of the king’s command drew her attention back to why they were sitting there in the darkness.
The muffled voices silenced, and she waited for someone to say something.
“Ankor, your assessment.” The king said referring to his chief strategist
“Yes, my Lord.” A man said.
She had never heard his voice before, but he spoke with a calm measured tone.
“The location was assessed and I’m afraid the prince indeed was attacked. I tracked the steps, there were at least fifty men dead in the clearing. I estimate another hundred pursued them on foot.”
“Fifty dead.” someone else said in shock.
“All indications show that this was a planned attack rather than a random mobbing.” Ankor continued, “The attackers were highly skilled, I’m not sure how they escaped.”
“It must have been that Cenobyte girl.” She heard someone else say, “Say whatever you want about their meditations, they damn sure can fight.”
There were collective groans of agreement around the room.
“Are there any murmurings among your peers on who could have planned something like this?” Kieron asked.
There was silence and Gaia knew that the next bit of news would be unpleasant.
“I can't be sure.” Ankor said, “But I would hazard a guess that the Abyssinians are back.”
The statement was followed by cold silence and the tension in the room radiated through the walls.
“You can't be serious?” Kieron said.
“I was a part of the team of Cenobytes who hunted them down in the latter part of Solomon’s father’s reign.” Ankor continued, “I know their methods, and this is their common mode of attacking a high-value target.”
Still, no-one spoke.
“What gives you that idea?” Solomon asked.
His voice was like a hot knife cutting into ice.
“I found their symbol on the scene. It was hidden in the cloak of one of the men. They only carry the symbol if a high-ranking member is present with them. I assume this man was a leader amongst them.”
She heard footsteps and wondered what was happening
Although she couldn’t see Kirk, she could tell he was anxious. Reaching over, she tried to rest a hand on his shoulder but instead, she found his hands. Without hesitation, he opened them and held hers. The gesture was small and innocent but suddenly her hand felt as if it was on fire. She tried to pull away, but he held hers firmly.
“Here is the article of clothing your majesty, one of my men identified the insignia.”
The room was suddenly in an uproar and Gaia cringed when someone bellowed out a curse.
“Why are they back?” Kieron asked, “They haven’t been seen or heard from in over twenty years.”
“I think they pose a threat to the kingdom and the royal family. The attack on the prince is only the first of many to come.”
Kirk squeezed her hand.
“We need to assign guards to the prince.” Someone said.
“Yes, we’re arranging that as we speak,” Ankor said reassuring the group of m
en.
“I would like to take care of the protection for my own family.” Solomon insisted. “I kept them all safe thus far, I can continue.”
There was no defiance to his wish, but deep down she prayed someone would oppose him.
“Do you think we should cancel the Gitreg day gathering?” Someone else asked.
“No,” the king replied, “this news doesn’t leave this room. We will continue with the gathering as we do every year and we will show the kingdoms that we are strong, and we are powerful.”
There was a collective shout of approval around the room.
“We will set up extra security around the palace and amongst the students. No matter what, nothing can happen to them.” The king continued. “I need you all to ensure that you keep this silent. Tell the teams that they’re doing extra work to prepare for the incoming guests but until we have confirmation of the threat, we cannot cause panic.”
Gaia thought it was wise of Kieron, but she was concerned about the danger they were suddenly facing. She had never heard of the Abyssinians which was why she didn't understand the fear that could cause an entire room of powerful men to grow silent.
“Do you plan to seek out the Abyssinians?” Someone asked.
“We will work with the Cenobyte commander to develop a plan to combat the threat.” Kieron replied, “For now, you must all be on your guard.”
There was murmuring in the room.
“I must now conclude the meeting to meet with the commander alone.” He continued, “I will see you all in a week for the Gitreg day gathering.”
There was shuffling in the room above them and she felt Kirk’s hand tightening around hers. He tugged at her and she knew he was ready to go. They made their way down the steps and down towards the door where they had entered. Gently, Kirk pushed at the doorway and the slab slid open quietly. They crossed the empty room quickly and made it through the door without getting caught.
Without a sound, Kirk led her down a different path opposite of where they had come. Surprisingly, it led directly back towards the courtyard. She saw where he was leading her, and she knew she had to tell him what she knew before they met with the others.
“Stop,” she said tugging on his arm to stop him.
He turned to face her, and she saw the confusion on his face.
“What’s wrong?” He asked in a low voice.
“I have something to tell you,” she whispered.
There was no-one around and she wondered if maybe the servants would pass by them at any moment.
“Come with me.” He said as if reading her mind.
He led her towards the pavilion where the others were training. Instead of going on the outside, he led her to a secluded portion of the yard where no-one could see them.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“It’s your grandfather.” She said
“Solomon?” He replied looking at her quizzically.
“The first night I came, I got lost wandering around the palace.” She began unsure of how he would take her news, “I went into the library and began looking around. While I was there, I had a sudden urge to hide. I did but soon after, your grandfather came in. He was talking with Lu Radock about some conspiracy.”
“To do what?” He asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied shrugging, “they were focused on me, and you and your father.”
He looked away for a moment and then back at her. her insides churned as she awaited his response.
“Are you sure you weren’t just hearing things?” He asked.
“I was there,” she replied, “I didn’t conjure this up in my mind.”
His eyes turned to her and his piercing glare told her that he was having a hard time believing her.
“Do you think he could be?”
She knew what he was asking, and she didn’t know how to respond.
“I don’t know.” She replied, “I have no idea what the Abyssinians are.”
“They’re not like us.” He said, “In the Kingdom, we worship Lod and the five gods, the Abyssinians worship another God. One who was never allowed on Earth.”
Gaia paused for a moment to take in what he had just told her. She knew nothing of another God. She had been taught about the different Gods who had walked amongst them many generations ago before returning to Illyica. The stories were plentiful and beautiful but there was never any mention of another God being forbidden to walk the Earth.
“The Abyssinians worship him; they want to demolish the kingdoms of the other Gods and make this God the ruler of all.”
The way he said this left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“How do you know this?” she asked
“Not many people know of them,” he replied, “they’re a well-kept secret especially after what they did so many years ago.”
“What did they do?” she asked.
“They killed my mother.”
Her eyes shot to his and she finally understood his reluctance to believe her.
“I’m sorry.” She said softly reaching up to touch his hand, “I didn’t know.”
“It’s fine,” he replied, “I was alive for only a few minutes before it happened. She died without holding me.”
They remained silent for a moment and the sound of students training on the grounds below them drifted to where they stood.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they killed your mother and are now trying to kill you.” She said, “I think you may have always been a target.”
He shrugged and gave her a knowing smile.
“I’m hard to kill.” He said, “Especially now with you by my side.”
She blushed, but she was still unsettled by everything she had learnt so far.
Suddenly, the words of the old Seer came to her and she began to wonder if she was also being called on to usher in the coming of the Kahli. There was no better time for him to arrive than now.
A ringing bell caught their attention and she realised that the classes were resuming. Their little break was over.
“Are we telling this to the others?” he asked
“We can tell them about the Abyssinians but nothing about my grandfather,” he replied, “We have to keep that to ourselves until we can be sure. They will panic.”
The thought of a panicking Helen flashed to her mind and she smiled.
“You’re right.” She replied.
“Let’s make a pact here.” He said taking her hand, “I will trust you no matter what, and I would like you to do the same.”
His eyes were earnest, and she realised he had lived a life shrouded in mystery. There weren’t many people he trusted and even less he liked.
“I trust you.” She said without much hesitation.
He released her hand and she let it fall to her side. As they walked away, she hoped there would never come a time where she would have to betray his trust.
Chapter 16
They waited until the end of their next session before talking to the others. The class was taught by a Dorylus who was doing her best to teach them about healing with leaves and bushes in a hurry. Although the woman did her best to captivate their attention, Gaia’s mind was too far away trying to unravel the plot to focus. When the class ended, she was more confused than she had been when it began.
When they reconvened there was an unmistakable tension in the air. Gaia’s throat was closing but she fought off the unease. Whatever was happening to her body could be controlled and so she repeated a calming mantra in her mind.
“What did you hear?” Tafari asked breaking the silence.
“There is a group of people called the Abyssinians,” Kirk began, “the council think they targeted us, well me personally.”
Tafari’s face lit up animatedly.
“The Abyssinians are unbelievers.” He said confidently.
Gaia looked at Kirk who shrugged. The fact that Tafari knew who they were was surprising.
“He also has a great memo
ry. He can remember anything if he’s read it at least once.” Kirk said in his friend’s defense.
“They don’t believe in powers.” he continued, “In fact, the earliest leader vowed to destroy all those with powers.”
“I thought as much,” Kirk replied.
“They were disbanded and many of their leaders were executed many centuries ago.” Tafari continued, “A group calling themselves by that name surfaced nearly twenty years ago but they were quickly silenced by High Lord Solomon.”
“Clearly not if they’re the ones who came after us.” Helen chimed in.
“I have a plan,” Kirk said, “I think we need to leave the palace and go into the mainland to figure out if anyone there knows anything.”
There was silence all around the table. If Gaia had known this was his plan, she would have told him no. After being a temple dweller all her life she wasn’t excited to experience her first day in a large city searching for enemies.
“There are things we will never discover in this palace out in the sea.” Kirk said enthusiastically, “If we can get a vessel to take us into the city and back before morning, we can try to figure out if anyone knows anything.”
The plan was already falling apart in her mind. There were too many of them to account for, the territory was unfamiliar and at night things didn’t usually go as planned.
“I’m not saying it’s a bad plan.” She began, “But anything done at night is already destined to be troublesome.”
He shook his head,
“I’ll track you guys.” He said, “I can see you all from great distances.”
“And what if they come looking for us in the night?” Khar asked.
“I have my ways.” He responded with a sly smirk.
She didn’t want to know what his ways were. In fact, she mostly wanted to be back at the temple where she had been safe and relatively normal. Now she was planning a palace break and exhibiting signs of the Dorylus.
“I’m up for it.” Tafari said, “It can’t hurt.”
“He has the right idea.” Kirk replied, “come on you guys, we have a real chance here to find out about the Abyssinians. Why are they here, what do they want and why are they after me?”