by Pedro Urvi
“Where are we going?” she whispered to the two maids beside her. They eyed her apprehensively and put a finger to their lips.
I don’t know why I even bother. I’ve been with them for a week, and the only thing I’ve managed to understand of their strange languages is their names. Moa, ruby-skinned, smiling and joyous when the Gods were not present. Zita, fearful and restless, with that unbelievable green skin. The two of them beautiful, much prettier than she was herself.
They seem nice girls. They’ve been here for quite a while serving in the palace. But fear never leaves their eyes. I need to find a way of communicating with them so I can learn everything they know. Perhaps they have some idea of what’s in store for me, even though for the moment they haven’t been much use. I need to find Yosane and Idana. Where could they be? At least I’m still alive, and I hope they are too. Yes, they must still be alive, by Mother Sea.
They reached the end of the great avenue and entered a huge round plaza. It looked like a giant amphitheater. Every few steps, on the tiers, were merchant stalls in the shape of small limestone buildings. Two groups of musicians were playing, one in the northern part and the other in the southern, vying to carry their pleasant melodies to the center of the grand plaza. It seems the Gods like music… I can hear flutes… and harps… and drums…
Approach, slave, came Adamis’ distinct mental voice. Her mind had grown used to receiving the God-Prince’s messages, even though her pride screamed with rage every time he called her “slave”.
She sighed deeply. I must control my temper. Be smart. Think like Yosane, act like Ikai, she reminded herself, and went to stand on Adamis’ left. Rotec, on his right, gave her an unfriendly look, raising an eyebrow as he did so. Kyra ignored him and turned her gaze toward the center of that incredible plaza.
Today is market day, a day for the enjoyment of the senses, Adamis said with a smile, and with a wave of his hand he showed her the flamboyant stands where the merchants delighted the Lords. The stalls were like tiny palaces where each golden merchant presented his exotic wares, smiling ceaselessly at the curious divinities.
“What… what are they selling?” she asked, rather too loudly.
Adamis shook his head. Keep your voice down. It is not allowed for a slave to address a God. We are drawing attention to ourselves, and I prefer discretion as far as possible. As long as you remain close to me you will always be able to listen to the conversations of the Gods around us, as I do. I am certain that you will find them interesting.
She made an effort and lowered her voice to speak to him, but control was not exactly her strong point. “All right,” she said in a whisper. She looked on without understanding all the incredible objects, exotic materials, and unusual animals exhibited there. She had never seen anything like them. A series of sweet, stirring smells reached her from different directions on the gentle breeze, intoxicating her senses.
Adamis gazed at her with his intense gray-blue eyes and smiled. What your eyes behold are the richest silks of the most unusual hues, the dresses with the most intricate embroideries, the most exquisite jewels crafted by the finest master goldsmiths, the most exotic birds from lost paradises, spices and products which only exist in the remotest corners of the world, and of course weapons and armor of every kind and power. It is a market of delicacies where everything hard to obtain and desirable is sold at an exorbitant price.
Two Gods in elegant brown silks, followed by their retinue, passed in front of them and greeted Adamis with a bow. He and Rotec returned the greeting respectfully. Kyra saw distrust in the Champion’s eyes.
And these Gods and their retinues, who strut like peacocks, stopping at every stall to gaze at the wonders exhibited and at the same time showing off their social status, are the wealthiest and most powerful of the nobles.
She shook her head and gazed at the Lords at the stalls. “I don’t understand… you’re Gods… they lay everything you could dream of at your feet… you swim in abundance, in luxury. In the palace there’s enough food to feed three Counties, the statues in it are made of gold, the walls of the best and purest marble decorated with golden runes, the curtains are of such delicate silk I’m afraid to touch them.” She shook her head again, looking around at the giant city with all its splendor and ostentation. “All this immense city is made of gold and silver. Even the floor we’re walking on is rich marble.”
Adamis nodded. Indeed, but even Gods cannot have everything, he said, his eyes on her. To be more precise, not all Gods can have everything, because that in itself is impossible. We swim in abundance and we surround ourselves with infinite riches, it is true. That is our right as an advanced and powerful civilization. And we assume that right. But not everything is infinite, there are things which are finite and unique and hence become more desirable, since not all can make use of them, even though they might wish to with all their soul or power. He looked long into her eyes, then turned back to the plaza. This market gives the most powerful and richest of us the chance to obtain those precious objects.
“I thought the slaves provided everything the Gods wanted. That such was our place in the world, our sole reason for existence,” she said, trying to minimize the note of irony in her voice.
Adamis half-closed his eyes, guessing her intention. And so it is, he went on. Practically all. The slaves are the basis of our economy. More than a thousand years ago our Erudites planned a complex socio-economic and political system which would guarantee wealth and the basis of stable government for our society. Since then we have progressed towards new intellectual goals, leaving behind mundane tasks in order to dedicate our time to more elevated objectives. A prosperous economy is the foundation of an advanced society. The economic system we adopted guarantees practically infinite prosperity.
Kyra could not hold herself back. “Enslaving the rest of the world,” she said.
Adamis shook his head. Follow me. Let us enjoy the market. And try to restrain that tongue of yours.
For half the morning they went from one stall to another. And she saw amazing things: from animals whose name she would never know to jewels and dresses so exquisite they left her speechless. She would never have anything like that herself. Adamis exchanged greetings and chatted with other nobles. Kyra watched every detail, just like her brother would. She had noticed one significant thing: the colors the Gods wore seemed to indicate the House they belonged to. A Lord in shades of blue approached to talk to Adamis. Kyra nodded toward him and held up three fingers to Zita and Moa. The two maids shook their heads almost imperceptibly. Moa held up five fingers. Kyra understood: this Lord belonged to the House of the Fifth Ring. But there was something else about that Lord which had caught her attention: he was the one the sphere had assigned Idana to, Lord Saxti. Now she knew Idana was in the Fifth Ring, and that knowledge gave her hope.
Nearby, she saw a Lord dressed in clothes of striking red and orange, and raised her eyebrows at her two companions with a nod. Zita held up two fingers. The same colors as the ruthless Lord who had taken Yosane: Lord Asu. Her friend was in the second ring; now she knew. And that knowledge encouraged her to find out even more about that world, with a single purpose: to survive and escape.
Adamis said goodbye to the Lord and turned back to her. Lord Saxti says I am too permissive with my slaves, that I should be very careful. He warns me that the nobles speak badly of me behind my back… It is not at all well-regarded among the Lords that I should take so much interest in you, and of course they do not approve of this behavior in a Prince. What do you think, slave?
“That they’re right,” Kyra replied uncomfortably.
Adamis was amused by this. Kyra saw him laughing for the first time, and somehow his humor made him more human. Rotec turned, scandalized, and tried to hide his Lord’s conduct so that the other nobles would not notice that the God-Prince had laughed with a slave.
Adamis regained his self-control. Still with a smile on his lips, he said: You asked me what I want of you, w
hy I give you special treatment. I will tell you. It is because you intrigue me. You are not like the other slave girls; you have indomitable character and personality, and that makes you very interesting. Nobody has made me laugh like that in a long, long time. Of that you may be assured.
“Well, if you want to know anything about me, you’d better remember my name. I have one, and you know it.”
Adamis threw his head back and raised his eyebrows. Very well, Kyra.
“That’s much better.”
Adamis nodded. It is a very pretty name.
“Thank you.”
Adamis frowned, though only the trace of a golden line appeared on his forehead. Anyway, I advise you not to chance your luck with me… the whims of Princes may be trifling…
She swallowed. She would not try to take things any further, but at least she had obtained some small satisfaction, and her rebellious soul was shouting with joy. Suddenly the center of the plaza began to clear, and those present stopped browsing at the shops to pay attention to what was happening. Lord Adamis commanded his retinue to withdraw a few steps, while in the center a rectangular podium was slowly being erected. Two Eyes-of-the-Gods stood beside it. Custodians appeared amid the crowd, leading a line of slaves. They were chained, and belonged to different races. They were led to the elevated platform. Something caught Kyra’s attention: many of the men were extremely strong, as much so as the guards themselves, although there were also some older men among them, and the women were notably beautiful and delicate. She felt ugly and ungainly in comparison.
“What are they going to do to them?” she whispered to Adamis.
Watch.
Two Custodians made the first man get on the platform, and one of the Eyes joined him. The Eye-of-the-God showed the slave to the audience: he was mountain-sized, with straight blond hair and skin white as snow. He wore only a loincloth. Kyra saw several of the Lords raise one hand. She frowned at Adamis.
It is an auction. They are bidding for him.
“For a slave? I don’t understand, they have thousands of them!”
It is the same concept as with the other objects and animals sold in this market of wonders. They are precious objects. We have thousands of slaves, it is true. Each of the Five Houses has them. They ensure economic stability and allow us to grow showing our splendor to all rival Houses. We are powerful, and with that power comes vanity, and unfortunately it tends to take over. If one House raises a statue to the heavens, the others will soon build one taller, more beautiful or more exotic, to demonstrate their power to their rivals and ensure that they never forget it.
“It’s insane.”
Adamis nodded slowly.
It might be, but that is our culture, our society, and so it has been for a long time.
Kyra watched another slave being auctioned. “And what are we?” she asked. “Have we no value?”
Of course you have value. All living things have value.
“But not the same value.”
Adamis sighed and considered his reply, as if it were a difficult question for him. Until that moment Kyra had never seen him in doubt.
No, not the same value. Not here.
“We’re just ants who produce so that the Gods can enjoy infinite riches without lifting a finger. If we stop working, if we complain, then we’re crushed mercilessly.”
Unfortunately the law of the strongest reigns. This is a maxim which is true in every civilization. It is one of the laws of Mother Nature. Look at those two chained slaves, one black as the night, the other red as the sunset, both of them powerful warriors. Little over a thousand years ago, when we decided to enslave men, these two men’s races were killing each other. They killed, raped, plundered whole villages and took slaves, since there is always one people stronger than the rest, and so there always will be. Yet now there is no bloodshed. They are slaves, yes, but there is no war between their peoples.
“Changing one evil for another doesn’t make things any better.”
True. They all serve us and enjoy long life if they do what is expected of them: which is to be slaves, neither more nor less than that. There are no wars now, and here, in this city, there is no sickness either. It has been practically eradicated.
“Are you really saying that justifies the slavery of an entire world?” Kyra was glaring at him and her fists were clenched.
Adamis stood very erect.
Let me remind you that I have nothing to justify, since as far as you and your people are concerned I am a God. A God-Prince. But I will tell you one thing: if your people were not a slave people, it would have been annihilated by that giant’s people a long time ago. He nodded towards the slave being auctioned at that moment, a hulk of a man with black hair, dark skin and such a stern face it seemed sculpted out of hate.
She felt a strong desire to smack the vain God’s face. If she could somehow leave a mark on his beautiful features, her happiness would be complete.
Suddenly the giant managed to elude the Custodians and jumped off the platform, screaming like he had gone crazy. Kyra’s heart skipped a beat. The giant ran to one of the Lords and his retinue. The Lord, dressed in brown, threw his head back in surprise. The giant lunged at him, his manacled hands reaching towards the God’s golden neck.
Kyra watched in fascination. She saw Rotec take out his sword and cover Adamis with his own body.
The Lord who had been attacked murmured something. At once the ground opened before him with a loud crack, and a claw of rock rose suddenly and closed on the giant like a granite pincer. The Lord took a step back. Three of his Custodians moved forward and stabbed the imprisoned slave to death mercilessly.
Kyra could not hold back a cry of horror.
The Lord murmured once again, and the rock pincer turned into sand and fell to the ground. The Custodians dragged the dead slave away. The auction went on as if nothing had happened.
Don’t fool yourself, that’s what’s in store for you too, Kyra said to herself. Adamis is no different. One thing, though, had caught her attention. The Lord defended himself, he feared for his life. And a doubt came to her mind, a crucial doubt.
“Can you Gods die?”
Adamis turned to look at her in surprise.
Of course we can die. We all die. Gods or not. That is an important law of Mother Nature. We are not immortal, if that is what you are asking, although we would like to be. This is what our Erudites have been searching for, for several millennia, without results so far.
“Even at the hands of a slave?”
The face of the God-Prince grew sterner.
Do not imagine so much, slave. As you have seen, it is practically impossible for a slave to lay a hand on us, much less kill us. If I so wished, I could put an end to your life right where you are with a snap of my fingers.
She realized her mistake and pulled back.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I’d never dare raise a hand against a God,” she lied, taking care to soften the expression on her face. “It’s just that the High Priests have always told us the Gods are immortal and eternal. That’s why I was surprised by what happened. That was all,” she finished in a level voice.
Adamis eyed her for an instant as if he were trying to assess her sincerity. At last he smiled.
All right, but do not forget my warning.
A question suddenly came into her mind. The answer to it might be a great help to her. She considered carefully how to phrase it to avoid offending him.
“That Lord has used the Power of the Gods,” she asked at last. “Hasn’t he?”
Adamis stopped watching the auction.
Yes, he used the Power. One of the types of Power, he clarified.
She softened her expression, not quite smiling, and curled her red hair around her finger.
“The same Power you used on me?”
Adamis half-closed his eyes.
No, it is not the same Power. Each House is in tune with a certain type of Power, but all come f
rom the same basis: Mother Nature.
“Nature?” she asked innocently.
Yes, from Arutan, our Mother Nature. The Lord who used his Power belongs to the Fourth House, and is in tune with one of the five basic elements of Arutan: Earth.
She had to hold back her desire to ask him another hundred questions, but she did not want him to guess she was interrogating him and then stop answering. So she decided to calm down and try to find out what she really wanted to know.
She took a deep breath and said:
“What I don’t understand is… if the Gods are so powerful… what do you need us for, us slaves? Can’t you simply create the food, the wine, the riches?” Her intuition told her there was something which made this impossible. She had not seen any God do anything of the kind. In fact now that she came to think about it, she had not seen anyone using the Power openly, which was really strange if they were as powerful as that… She had to find out why, because there, in all probability, was where these creatures’ weak spot must be.
Adamis threw his head back and watched the sky thoughtfully.
Kyra was afraid she might have gone too far with her question.
But Adamis answered her. No, unfortunately our power has its limitations, he said with a long sigh, dragging out the words reluctantly as if aware he should not be revealing such things to a slave. Our Power is nurtured by Nature, by the five elements which form her, and makes use of them. But our Power cannot create life, objects, not in that way. We can only manipulate the five basic elements and their natural power.
Kyra risked herself further. She had to understand. “When I saw the Power at work, I thought it was all-powerful.”