by Pedro Urvi
But what made her jaw drop was finding what was inside the chamber. In the center there rose a cylindrical column of the same material as the monolith. It went from floor to ceiling, connecting it with the base. Around the cylinder were five singular pods, forming a star. Her gaze was held by them. They looked like royal sarcophagi, intricately ornamented in the lower part, but the upper part was glass. At the foot of each sarcophagus-pod was engraved the emblem of the House it belonged to. She recognized the shield of the House of Eret on the nearest pod and that of the House of Aureb on the next. As she studied the hall, she had the distinct feeling of being in a funerary chamber. She shivered and shook her head.
But something else had her enthralled, it was the golden gleam which came from the head of the pods, intermittently but in an ordered sequence, and went through a tube to the great central cylinder. When it reached this the gleam went up it, transformed into a ring which disappeared into the ceiling. It’s gone into the base of the monolith… What’s happening here?
Adamis came to stand in front of the pod with the seal of Eret, and the whole retinue followed. The silence in the hall was sepulchral. Kyra was growing increasingly nervous. This is the place where I’m going to die. A sacrificial chamber… she said to herself, and wiped her sweating hands on her tunic. Agitation began to run through her body, and her breathing became fast and shallow. I’m going to die… She heard footsteps behind her and turned. She met Lord Asu’s cruel eyes; he was entering the chamber at the head of his retinue as if he owned the place. The Prince of the Second House stood in front of the pod with the emblem of his House, and his retinue took their place behind him. Kyra ran her eyes along the group and stopped at a slave in a yellow tunic. Surprised, she tried to identify her. She was one of the twelve: Gersa. And beside her, wearing an orange tunic, was another slave.
It was Yosane!
Kyra’s heart nearly jumped out of her mouth when she recognized her. With a knot in her throat she tried to call out her name but no sound left her mouth. Yosane! Yosane! She tried again and waved so her friend could see her, but she seemed to have been struck dumb. Then she saw the runes of silver on the walls shimmering slightly and realized that the chamber must be under the Power of the Gods, preventing her from making any sound. She waved with both arms and jumped up and down. Two of the Custodians held her down, but her attempt had been successful. Yosane was waving at her from the other group, her face happy and her eyes moist with excitement. She too was immediately restrained by two Custodians.
Yosane, you’re alive, you’re all right! Kyra’s heart filled with such joy it was about to burst. And at that moment something so horrifyingly wrong dawned on her that her heart sank and she was left breathless. If Yosane is here like me, it’s because she’s going to suffer the same fate… She’s going to die… like me, with me. This thought left her as cold as though she had been plunged into a frozen river in the middle of winter. For a long moment she was unaware of what was going on around her. She had known she was doomed, but she had never imagined poor Yosane would perish with her. The remaining Houses proceeded into the chamber, but she only had eyes for her friend and the horror awaiting them. Was Yosane aware of her destiny?
She noticed that Yosane was not looking at her but at another group passing by. She followed her friend’s gaze and met that of Idana. She was walking at the end of the group of the Fifth Ring, wearing an orange tunic, and was staring at Yosane with eyes wide. Beside her was Kata.
They’re going to sacrifice all twelve of us. The discovery of an atrocity on that scale left her stunned, unable to react. She could not think or hear beyond the beating or her own heart as it hammered inside her head. She felt as if she had been struck on the chin with a stone fist.
They’re going to kill us all.
Ikai came out of the water as far as possible from the grotesque vessels of the Five Houses which were moored at the dock. He ran to the back of the monolith’s base. There were no guards there; they were all guarding the door inside the building. He touched the white surface with the palm of his hand and thought it must be marble. He slid to the ground, his back pressed against the building.
I need to rest. He had made a superhuman effort to get there, swimming underwater as he had never done before in his whole life. He gave thanks to Mother Sea for the countless hours he had spent playing in the river during his childhood, and for the harsh training he had undergone to become a Hunter. Otherwise he would never have gotten so far. We are the Senoca, the people of the Sea, he reminded himself with a bitter smile.
He tried to resist exhaustion with his remaining strength. He wanted to go on; he had to reach Kyra one way or another. He brought the Falcon Eye out and held it with the gauntlet he never took off now, no matter how heavy it was. He touched the necklace around his neck − Kyra’s gift − and thought of her. The Eye activated itself, and the beam of light showed that his sister was inside the building.
I’m nearly there. She’s inside. Hold on, little sister, I’m coming.
He closed his eyes for the briefest of moments, just to recover his breath and rest his shoulders, which were very sore. But he fell asleep, overcome by exhaustion.
He woke up with a start, coming out of a nightmare. He looked up at the red moon and got to his feet, angry at himself. It had only been a moment, and his body had needed it, but it was still unforgivable. I have to go on, no matter how tired I maybe, whatever the dangers or the risk. I have to rescue my sister. I can’t weaken now. I can’t fail. He clenched his jaw and nodded determinedly. Here I come!
He looked at the wall in front of him. It was too high to jump over. He would have to climb it, even though it looked absolutely smooth. This presented a difficulty. Trying to get in through the door was reckless, to say the least; there were several dozen Custodians there. What can I do? He studied the structure in detail, and something caught his attention. The reflections of the moonlight on the white marble wall were not constant.
Interesting… there’s something going on here… His mind puzzled over this discordant fact. He looked at the wall again; it seemed completely smooth. He backtracked five steps and went on staring closely at it. Nothing. He went back as far as the water.
The moon shone on the monolith. And then he saw it. In the center of the wall of the base was an engraving of a full moon with several runes inside it. It was so snow-white that when seen closely, it melted into the white of the wall. If there are engravings, there’ll be footholds. He went back to the wall and felt with his hand until he touched the engraving. There. He began to climb.
It took him time and effort, and twice he lost his footing and almost cracked his head open, but he managed to climb the wall. When he reached the top he lay on his back, watching the moon. But this time exhaustion failed to overcome him, and he stood up as soon as he felt recovered. In front of him rose the great monolith. He went over to it, searching for some opening where he could let himself down inside. After a few moments he found what he was looking for: two large windows which gave on to the chamber.
He threw himself on to the floor and looked through one of the windows.
And he found his sister.
Kyra watched the five God-Priests moving to the center of the chamber. They climbed on to a pulpit, in the shape of a ring around the conducting cylinder, which rose six feet above the ground. The five Priests each turned towards one of the Houses. They raised their arms, and everyone knelt with the exception of the God-Princes, who remained standing with their heads bowed. She came out of her state of stupor. What the hell are they doing?
She looked up at the Priest above her head and had the feeling he must be speaking, even though she could not hear him. Then she remembered Notaplo’s gift and looked at the bracelet on her right wrist. It’s not working. Notaplo said I’d be able to hear the conversations of the Gods, but I can’t hear anything. She tapped her fingers on the central rune a couple of times, and the bracelet gave a small flash.
…begins the sacred Ceremony of Vivification, she suddenly heard in her mind. The voice was that of the five Priests, speaking in unison.
The Five Houses are gathered here today at the moment of the full moon, a Red Moon, which marks the end of one sacred cycle and the beginning of another.
Kyra listened carefully, and her fighting spirit began to recover from the tremendous blow her morale had received. I have to fight. I won’t let them get away with this.
The Five Kings must awake. The cycle of hibernation is over. The sacrifice their Majesties have made for the good of their Houses is over. It is time once more for them to walk among us, their children: for them to rule their kingdoms for the glory of our civilization. So says the full moon of blood. Let us honor the Five.
A chill ran down her spine. She was beginning to understand what was going on there, but not the reasons.
Let the Vivificators be prepared.
Three God-Erudites appeared at the entrance of the chamber. Their heads were hooded, and their faces remained hidden in the shadows. In their hands they carried golden stylized goblets.
Rotec came to her side. Let’s go, he said, and gestured.
And what are they going to do to us now?
She went forward with him until she stood in front of the three God-Erudites.
Wait, said Rotec.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the rest of the twelve Selected coming towards her, escorted by the Champions of each House. When Yosane and Idana reached her, she could not hold herself back. She hugged them both with overflowing joy, mixed with fear, at being reunited. They stayed locked in one another’s arms, tears running down their cheeks. They tried to speak, but were unable to. She wiped the tears off the faces of the other two, smiling and hugging them over and over again in an attempt to pass on some love and warmth to them.
Divide into groups of four, and then let each group stand in front of an Erudite, came the voice of the Priests, in their minds.
Kyra looked around among her companions and met Lian’s haughty face. Kyra gave her a friendly nod, but the blonde threw her a disdainful glance and turned her back on her. Urda, who was beside Lian, saw the nod and shook her head. She walked over to Kyra and offered her hand to her. Kyra looked at the big woman’s face and read in it and in her moist regretful eyes the sufferings she had borne. Kyra shook the soldier’s hand and nodded to her to join them.
Take your places, came the order.
Kyra glanced behind her with some idea of a crazy escape in her mind, but the idea evaporated as soon as she saw the five colossal Champions watching them. Hell! Damn these monsters without feelings! She eyed the three God-Erudites and for some reason remembered Adamis’ words: “When the moment to choose comes, follow your instincts.” But her instincts were saying nothing. Carefully she studied the three Erudites one by one, but could not sense anything coming from them. She moved closer, and as she did she felt a tingling in her right hand, where she wore the bracelet. Taking care not to draw attention to herself, she pointed at each God in turn. When she pointed at the one in the center she felt the tingling again. She decided.
She motioned to her friends, and the four girls came to stand in front of the Erudite posted in the center. Urda closed the line. The rest of the prisoners gradually took their places in front of the other two Gods. Kyra glanced to her right and saw Lian heading the other line.
Take the catalytic, the order came.
One by one they passed by the Erudite and drank from the goblet. Kyra did not notice anything strange when she drank, but she knew from the experiments which had been made on her that the liquid had some specific purpose. She felt it was not likely to be a pleasant one.
Let the sacred ritual proceed, came the order from the Priests.
Rotec took her arm and led her away. She tried to resist, break free, go back to her friends, but the strength of the God-Warrior was amazing. With tears of impotent rage in her eyes she saw Yosane and Idana too being dragged, resisting just as she was herself.
Rotec led her to the pod, and she passed in front of Adamis, who did not look at her. Soulless bastard! At the foot of the pod, on the floor, she saw a golden circle. Rotec left her on it and went to stand beside Adamis. She was about to move when a golden barrier rose from the floor and surrounded her. Furious, she hammered on the barrier with her fists, but it was unbreakable. She was trapped. She looked anxiously for her friends and saw that they too were trapped, like her. Yosane and Gersa were banging on the barrier which held them captive, with no more success. The twelve of them were imprisoned.
Kyra could now see the God-King. He was lying with his arms folded across his chest and his eyes closed. He seemed to be dead. His golden face was withered and discolored. His hair was white and long. Now she understood who the Five were, and why she had never seen the King, Adamis’ father.
The moment has come, the moon is already full and bestows all its power on us. Those Selected for their rare gift are ready. Thousands have been tested at the Summoning, but only a dozen have been blessed with the virtue of serving our revered lords. Let the Vivification commence!
Hearing this anguish gripped her. The floor of the chamber turned black, so that the sea disappeared under the glass. The golden circle under her feet lit up. She had a presentiment of something unpleasant. A hammering buzz penetrated her ears, and suddenly a strong golden light from the floor bathed her from her feet to her head. She began to float in the midst of this luminescence, as if her body had no weight. She realized in horror that she was levitating two hand-spans above the base. The light turned silver, the buzzing intensified and she received a tremendous shock, as if lightning had hit her during a storm. And then she began to convulse amid terrible pain. Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. In the midst of her agony she felt something else taking place underneath the pain, something arcane. She began to feel more and more tired, as if they were taking away her vitality. She managed to look toward the pod and saw her vital energy being transferred to the King.
They’re taking away my life to give it to him!
She felt weaker and weaker. Life was leaving her body.
My life… they’re taking it from me…
She tried to fight with what little strength she still had, but she was suspended in air and her body could not stop shaking. It did not respond to her mind.
The bastards! They’re killing me!
She turned her head to look at Yosane and saw that she too was going through the same ordeal.
You scum! You’ve got no right! It’s our life!
They were draining her, and she could barely keep her eyes open. They were taking the last drops of life from her body.
She looked towards Adamis, searching for help. But the God-Prince lowered his gaze.
She fought with one last effort to avoid closing her eyes and dying, but there was nothing left in her body, nothing but her fighting spirit. All her energy had been transferred to the God-King.
Kyra’s eyes closed and her body went out.
A new cycle begins. Let their Majesties rise!
Ikai, beside himself with desperation, was hammering on the glass of the great window with the pommel of his dagger. Even with all his strength he could not manage to break the glass.
“No, Kyra, no!”
He hammered again and again, but the glass would not break.
“Hold on, Kyra!”
He battered the glass like a madman, and finally managed to make the impenetrable crystal crack.
“I’m here!”
He looked inside and saw the light which had tortured his sister going out, and Kyra collapsing onto the floor.
“Kyra!”
Suddenly the crystal lid on the King’s pod lifted. He watched the King opening his eyes and sitting up, like a dead man coming back to life inside his coffin. Immediately the God-Prince and the God-Warrior helped him out of his pod. He stood up, and the two Gods knelt before the King. He watched the other pods and saw the
same ritual going on at each of them.
Filled with loathing, he realized that the girls had been sacrificed to revive their Kings.
“No, no, no!”
He banged the glass again, possessed by rage and the horror of having lost his sister. The glass was about to break. He would be able to climb down inside.
At that moment there came a hollow clang in the chamber, and the five discs under the girls’ bodies opened. He saw Kyra’s body fall to the void.
“Nooooooooooo!”
They had gotten rid of the bodies by throwing them in the sea.
He turned and ran like one possessed. I lost her! No! Kyra! He reached the edge of the building and let himself down. He dropped and was still running when he reached the water. Without a second thought he dived head-first, with all the momentum of his run, and swam to the bottom searching for his sister’s body.
He swam until his lungs were about to burst, but could not find her. He went back up to the surface, breathed precious air and went down again. But he could not find Kyra or any of the other twelve prisoners. He was at a loss. He resurfaced again to breathe and watched the surface above him which his sister and the other girls had fallen from, but there was no trace of them. From inside the ring he could see the submerged keels of the five royal ships at the dock.
Where are you, Kyra? He went under again and swam towards the keels of the ships, noticing as he did so that it was not five keels he could see but six. He had taken for granted that they would be the five ships of the Five Houses. But no, there were six keels. He went up to breathe and swam with all his strength to the sixth ship. When he was close to it he submerged until he was immediately beside the hull. He surfaced to breathe, taking great care not to be discovered by some guard at the dock.
He stared at the ship, which was a large trireme. Damn, they haven’t lowered the anchor. There was only one way to get on board from the water, a very risky one, but he was too desperate to care about the risk. He looked at the long oars touching the water, motionless, awaiting the order to row. He went to the last one and gave it a tug. He tugged it again. It was fastened in place. He started to climb on it under cover of the shadows of the night. When he reached the end of the oar, through the hole he saw the terrified eyes of a slave. He put his finger to his lips and glared at him. The slave looked back at him for a moment, then nodded. Ikai thanked him with a nod and finished climbing aboard. He sneaked into the forecastle.