Master Go’s snake mirror no longer seemed that frightening. After his visits with him, Jokon merely felt exhausted. Nao also worked with him in a pragmatic, matter-of-fact manner. Of course, Nao was capable of turning him into a mirror at any time. Still, Jokon almost felt safe with Nao. The young man had a self-confident air about him that made him stand out from all the others. What made Nao so different?
Jokon thought of Aleti. The servants knew everything about the house’s residents. He sought out Aleti, spoke with her a bit about their old hometown and skillfully questioned her about Nao. Aleti was more than happy to chat about Nao. Like many of the servants, she had a crush on the attractive, affable young man. Apparently, Nao was a noble; a high-ranking one from the venerable House Kirasa-Poetoni. He had been sent to serve Master Go after Go had provided the royal family a special service. No one knew any details, but there were rumors there had been a vote against a change in the order of succession desired by the Crystal Chamber and many of the nobility.
Aleti also had quite a bit to say about Kai and Tur, but very little of it was flattering. Only Master Go’s express order to ensure the servants were still able to work protected them to some degree from the whims of the two Reds. Still, the servants tried to avoid being noticed by them. The house had a thousand eyes and ears. The servants knew only too well what happened behind the doors in the Red corridor. They knew what was hanging behind the wall hangings in the Reds’ tower room. They knew what the Reds did with the younger students. They were the ones who comforted the crying children. They were the ones who lit the funeral pyres. And they had all once been students themselves.
Isito was the first to notice. The Blues were suddenly being decimated. First, the young women. Gavila was the only female Blue left at the end of the second monsoon season after Jokon had ascended to the Greens. Of the young men, only Martei, Tasao, Pereon and Krudion remained. Martei and Pereon had changed their names after their last visit with Master Go. They wore fire-red sashes and insisted on only being addressed as Mar and Per and proudly announced that they were now candidates for adept status.
Gavila seemed increasingly nervous. On his now rare visits to her room, Jokon had noticed that she had stopped working on her paintings. Jokon started to observe her. She retreated to the roof more and more, simply lying down and looking at the sky.
Mar and Per, however, became very moody. Their lessons were relaxed and easy one day and boring and incomprehensible the next. Sometimes they would study like they were possessed, and, at other times, they would simply send for a few servants to pass the time. They didn’t just summon the servants. They also called for the female Greens.
Krudion also participated in this particular pastime. He was especially fond of Thealina. Krudion seemed to enjoy the fact the he disgusted her, and she only obeyed under protest. More than once, Thealina did not return to her room at night. More than once, she appeared in class the next morning, her eyes swollen from crying, her thin arms marked with blue bruises.
Marada watched this go on for a while, then she took Thealina under her wing. She tended to her wounds, listened to her incoherent reports and encouraged her. Finally, she spoke to Master Go. After that, Thealina was still summoned to Krudion, but she no longer came back with bruises. However, Mar and Per started summoning Thealina more frequently.
Jokon, who didn’t understand what was going on at all, finally asked her directly during their secret lessons. Thealina instantly broke into tears. The girls in the room exchange knowing looks. Gavila took it upon herself to explain the difficult situation.
“I have already told you that we Blues can sap your energy. That works best with a mirror, of course. But there are other methods. If there is a strong emotional relationship, the stronger partner can exploit the weaker partner’s energy. That’s further amplified by a physical union.”
“I doubt Thealina loves Krudion,” Jokon added sarcastically. “She’d be more likely to love old Karados than Krudion.”
“Love isn’t necessary. Just emotions. Hatred is just as good a love, perhaps even better.”
Fireworks went off in Jokon’s head. That is why Kai and Tur tormented and tortured him so! He had involuntarily given them the best energy by reacting so angrily. They were harvesting his hatred and desperation. Kai and Tur had been the greatest horror for him, as Krudion was for Thealina.
“Why now? Why not before? And why do they want Thealina, of all people, most often?”
“Thealina has become the strongest of the Green girls in the past few months. They can harvest the most energy from her now.” For a moment, it seemed Gavila didn’t want to say any more on the subject, then she continued.
“You must have noticed there are only a few of us Blues left. The others,” she shuddered, “The others were all turned into mirrors. Master Go chose us personally. When the Blues complete their apprenticeships and are promoted to Red adepts, he will test us. The weakest will remain as instructors for the new Blues. He turns the average students into soul mirrors. The best three are promoted to candidate status and are allowed to shorten their names. They have to fight duels against the Reds on the first moon after the monsoon season starts. The victor of the duel continues on as a Red adept. The loser,” she shuddered again, “also becomes a mirror; a soul mirror belonging to the Red. In the last duel season, none of the Blues managed to defeat a Red.”
For a moment, Jokon didn’t know why that was so much worse than becoming one of Master Go’s mirrors, then he remembered how he felt when he came into contact with Tur’s and Kai’s mirrors. A look around the group confirmed they all felt the same way. Everyone looked pale and depressed.
Tevi asked, “There are three Reds. Do they all fight? Then Master Go will have to choose another Blue.”
“Mm hmmm.”
“Oh!” Tevi got it. Gavila feared she would be chosen. Two Red men, so far only two male candidates, one Red woman.
Tevi realized something else. “If Blues and Reds sleep with the girls and young women, why don’t any of them have children?”
“Have you ever seen a baby in this house?” Thealina asked. She looked nervously at Gavila, who simply nodded at her. With a dry gulp, she continued. “No child has ever been born here. The mirrors absorb free energy. Every one of them. The larger ones are always covered so they don’t draw too much energy from the living. There are little mirrors everywhere in the house. They are scattered everywhere around the house; set into the walls. They are like collectors. Then there are the large mirrors in the tower. No unborn life is strong enough to withstand the pull of the mirrors. Marada explained it to me. No one in this house will ever have a child. None of us. None of you will ever sire a child.”
She stopped.
Jokon was appalled. In his village, having children was considered the greatest blessing of the gods, for only children protected the souls of the ancestors from wandering aimlessly after death. Those who had no children, whose ashes could not be provided a place in the walls of a close relative’s home after death, were cursed to become wandering spirits, pitied by all.
“That,” Gavila added, “is also why Master Go immediately consumes the small children he brings into his house. They would die anyway. This way, he gets the most use out of them.”
Jokon’s stomach turned. He thought of little Lira. Her big, round eyes, how she had cried, how Jacitin had held her on the cart and rocked her to sleep. Use. They were all nothing but useful. Material to be consumed. He stood up and left without a word.
Tasao, not Gavila, was chosen as the next candidate. He returned from a session with Master Go four days later, his chest puffed up, wearing a red belt sash, and announced his new name. Tas. A thousand-pound weight was lifted from Gavila’s shoulders. Krudion, however, disapproved. He had been with the Blues three years longer than Tas. Shouldn’t that honor have been bestowed upon him?
The next day, Master Go summoned the entire group of rebel Greens and Gavila to the tower. That had neve
r happened before. Jokon was too scared to look at the others and they seemed to feel the same way. They stood in a semicircle before Master Go like a bunch of contrite sinners.
He paced back and forth a few times and then stood before them. “So, you have all joined forces. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. You may be able to fool the Red adepts, but not me.”
Jokon wished he could melt into the floor. Would the master turn them all into mirrors in his rage?
Master Go continued, “You are the best in your group. The most skillful sorcerers, the most intelligent thinkers. It would be a waste to punish you for that. I am promoting you all to Blues.” He laughed quietly, but it wasn’t a friendly laugh. “Don’t think I am doing you a favor. As Blues, you are my adepts’ direct, future competition. They will keep a close eye on you now. They will challenge you. You will challenge each other.”
He took a step toward Gavila, lifted her head with his hand and looked her in the eyes. “The new Blues will challenge you!”
Then, he turned back to the others. “If you are skillful, you will survive the coming moons and become Reds yourselves one day. If not, the tower will gain a few excellent new mirrors.”
Just as he had back then in his village, Jokon raised his head to look into the master’s jet-black eyes. He no longer had to tilt his head all the way back. Master Go was only a half a head taller than he was. But the terror he evoked had grown far more menacing.
Jokon, Tevi, Thealina and Isito moved into the Blue corridor. In rapid succession, Master Go promoted six other Greens to Blues over the next few days: Sacan, Kobo, Miramee, Tirana, Migra and Sistero. Krudion was now the senior Blue below the adept candidates, which greatly stoked his ego. Officially, this made him their leader, but Gavila handled all of the organizational work alone. She scheduled lessons for the Greens. She made sure Marada received the lists to furnish their rooms. She chose the experiments for the Blues’ lessons and wrote the reports Master Go expected. Krudion was inept. He ordered everyone around, enjoyed the feeling of making everyone dance to his tune and continued to act as a messenger for the Red adepts. That was his entire contribution toward the work.
For a while, Master Go gave the adept candidates private lessons. The Blues didn’t have lessons at all. The scent of change was in the air. You could practically cut the tension with a knife.
Decisions
Ioro raised his sword and ended the practice fight with the required salute to the sword master. Sachmesoto smiled, which meant a lot coming from him, and declared, “My Prince, you have performed extraordinarily well today!”
In fact, Ioro had managed to touch Sachmesoto’s thigh with his practice sword. In a real fight, that would have been a serious injury.
Content with himself and the world, Ioro carried his equipment back to the armory and went to the baths. A pretty bathing servant was already waiting for him and helped him take off his tunic. Then, she lathered him up in the tub. She clearly enjoyed it. Ioro looked very mature for his fifteen monsoon seasons.
“They say you really had Sachmesoto on the ropes,” she chirped as her hands slid across Ioro’s chest. The constant training had toned his muscles in all the right places. Ioro hummed contentedly and laid his head back against her breasts. If she wanted a bit of fun in bed... He had no objections. Later. First, he enjoyed the hot bath.
Tolioro wanted to jump up and pace. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible; at an audience, he had to sit as still as a statue and listen to his father. The same, boring supplicants, over and over. Didn’t a king have better things to do? That farmer there, in the front, what had he just said?
“...and the harvest was very bad, for the fourth time in a row. We simply can’t raise the tax money. Please, Your Majesty, be merciful and defer our taxes!”
“I have done that for three years now. Who can assure me you will pay next year? In fact, why is your harvest so small?”
“Sorcerer Ta wasn’t able to stem the summer floods. Every year, there have been terrible storms just before the harvest. The river broke its banks and destroyed the fields,” the man explained.
Kanata furrowed his royal brow, then declared his verdict. “You will pay your harvest debts next year. However, since your sorcerer failed, he will pay a third of the debt. If your harvest fails again next year, Sorcerer Ta will have to pay all of your debts. If, however, you have a good harvest, but you do not pay your debt in full, you shall forfeit all of your property and kin to the crown and become slaves.”
The farmer’s face went pale. Even if they had an extraordinary harvest, he would never be able to pay two-thirds of all of the taxes for five years at once. But he didn’t dare object and instead, simply bowed deeply and walked backwards out of the hall.
Tolioro smiled. Serves him right. How dare he bother the king with such trivialities? Then, his face went back to its frozen, neutral mask. The next supplicant had stepped forward. It was going to be a long, boring afternoon.
Kanata’s hand stroked Miomio’s chest. Despite having borne him four children, her figure was still attractive enough to tantalize him. She also wasn’t as demanding and boring as his royal consort who spent half her time complaining about the servants, the food, the weather or her migraines.
“Your son, Tolioromehme, grows more and more like you each day, My Lord,” murmured Miomio. “He will be fourteen monsoon seasons soon and should be able to assist you by now. Do you already have duties in mind for him?”
Kanata’s hand hesitated for a moment and then slid lower. Miomio responded with a lustful shudder. “I can’t quite decide, my butterfly. Perhaps I should put him in charge of the lower courts. Or I could assign him to the palace guard.”
Miomio winced involuntarily. Ioro was an officer candidate in the palace guard. She forced herself to relax, but Kanata had noticed her reaction.
“Little butterfly,” he said gently, “perhaps you would like to make a suggestion?”
“Your honorable consort loves Tolioromehme very much. I fear she loves him so much; she spoils him a bit. Wouldn’t it be better if your son were sent to the priests at Ganae Elisam for a while? I have heard you once had the opportunity to deepen your knowledge of people and politics there.”
Kanata laughed. “Clever, clever little butterfly. I know my heir is still a bit impulsive, and he bullies our Ioro. I understand you want to protect our son.” As quick as lightning, his hand jerked up to Miomio’s throat and squeezed. “However,” he continued, all traces of laughter disappearing from his face, “I am the king! No one manipulates me without being punished.” Miomio twisted desperately beneath him. He abruptly let go of her throat and violently thrust himself into her. When he was finally finished and stood up, Miomio lay there, motionless, with her eyes closed.
Kanata slipped on his crimson robe.
Before he left the room, he looked back at Miomio. “Little butterfly,” he said, “I think Tolioro would be in good hands with the priests at Ganae Elisam. In fact, both of my eldest sons would be in good hands there. I will send Tolioro and Ioro there, together.”
Miomio’s eyes fluttered slightly.
*
There were no lessons on the day the adepts were challenged. Krudion summoned all of the Blues to the tower before breakfast. Tevi quickly wriggled his way down the corridor to Jokon. “Do you know what’s going on? Did Gavila tell you anything?”
“No,” Jokon was irritated and curt. Not only because he had no idea what awaited them, but the buzzing in his ears had also grown stronger over the past several days. They must have been performing magic with powerful mirrors almost non-stop in the tower.
Tevi kept talking blithely. “Kobo said that Krudion said we would witness a miracle. The greatest sorcery the tower has ever seen.”
Jokon looked his friend askance. “I’d like to know what Master Go would have to say about that!” he growled gruffly.
They had reached the tower. A rectangular hole had opened up in what was usually a seamless, cobbled
floor. A steep stairway led underground. Krudion snapped to conjure a ball of light and quickly descended the stairs. The ten new Blues followed in a single-file line. Gavila brought up the rear, also carrying a ball of light. The stairway was long. Jokon stopped counting at two hundred eighteen steps. It seemed like they had been climbing down the steps for an eternity when the stairway unexpectedly came to an end. Jokon stumbled briefly, but quickly caught himself. When he looked around, he saw a large platform surrounded by a semi-circular railing. Beyond the railing was a gigantic, gaping, black cavern. The two balls of light they had brought with them barely illuminated the area. The Blues crowded together. No one dared get too close to the railing.
A small point of light appeared in the darkness. It quickly grew larger and revealed itself to be Master Go. He floated over to them, landed on the platform as softly as a feather, stood directly behind the railing, arranged his yellow robe, and hurled his ball of light in the air as he murmured a command. The ball ascended and grew blindingly bright. Jokon realized they were in a huge natural cavern. From the platform, halfway up the wall, they could see an enchanted landscape. The whole cavern sparkled like a thousand mirrors. White crystals covered the ceiling, floor and walls. In some places, they formed pointed, arm-thick, more than man-high structures. For a moment, Jokon was so astounded, he forgot where he was and leaned over the railing.
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