The Secret of the Golden Gods Omnibus Edition

by Pedro Urvi

  She said nothing, although she would gladly have shouted out a firm yes.

  The Master Hunter looked her up and down and crossed his bow on his back, arranging it so it would not get in his way when he walked. He thrust his head forward and relaxed his shoulders.

  “Do you know who I am?”

  She nodded.

  “What are you doing in the Fifth County? Where are you heading for?”

  His only answer was silence.

  “On this side of the river there’s only the forest and… and the Boundary…” Lonus fixed his eyes on Liriana, then looked in the direction of the Boundary. “No, it can’t be. The rumors can’t be true.” He gestured at the blond Hunter, the younger of the two. “Go and follow their tracks. Which way did they go?”

  The Hunter left at once. It was not long before he came back at a run. His tense face and his fearful eyes showed that he had found something very strange.

  “Sir, they’ve… they’ve… crossed over.”

  “That’s not possible! The slaves can’t cross! It’s no more than rumors and lies from that group of foolish rebels! Only we Hunters can do it, by the grace of the Gods!”

  “There’s a group of men and women still unconscious on the other side, Master. They’ve crossed…”

  “By the Golden Gods! This I have to see with my own eyes!” He started to walk towards the Boundary. “Bring her!” he ordered, and the two Hunters seized her by the arms and dragged her with them.

  Lonus reached the Boundary and his wrist began to shake. He stopped less than a pace from it. He looked at the dozen unconscious bodies, then turned his gaze to the bushes beyond.

  “Are they alive?”

  “Yes, Master, they’re breathing,”

  “How is it possible? How have they managed to cross over and stay alive? Where are the others? There were about thirty in the group.” He turned his back on the barrier of the Gods and glared at Liriana. “You’d better talk. I want to know how you did it, or I swear that neither you nor them” ‒ he pointed behind him ‒ “will live long enough to serve as the public example the Regent is going to make of you.”

  Liriana felt bile rising in her throat, but she swallowed it. Keep calm, she told herself. She looked at the dozen who had not recovered in time to escape. Her eyes searched for Romen, but could not find him… He’s safe, and half the group with him.

  “Uncover her face. I want to see it before I take her eyes out.”

  Liriana freed herself from the blond Hunter and delivered a tremendous right punch to his nose. He fell to the ground. At once the other hit her on the head hard and knocked her down. She struggled with both Hunters like a lioness, kicking and hitting with all her strength.

  “Let me go, you bloody swine!” she shouted, so forcefully that her voice must have been audible for several leagues around. All eyes were on her. The two Hunters managed to subdue her with blows. She ended up lying on her face with her hands and arms held, her body aching, bleeding from the nose and one brow.

  And smiling.

  Lonus saw her smile, and frowned.

  “Why the hell are you smiling? What…?” But he never finished the sentence.

  “Now!” a voice sounded behind Lonus, and two figures rose swiftly from among the unconscious bodies of the fugitives.

  There was a bright burst of light, and a trembling hand crossed the Boundary behind Lonus. Before he could turn, the hand closed on his bow yanking it away, and with it Lonus, who was hurled backwards. Before the other Hunters could react, their Master was crossing the Boundary backwards. Lonus began to shake violently in the arms of a huge woman, tall as well as massively-built, with mahogany eyes and blonde hair cut to stubble. The young woman held him aloft, preventing him from falling and at the same time using him as a shield. A dagger in her right hand threatened the Master’s life.

  The two Hunters readied their bows.

  “Careful with those bows,” said a figure on one knee beside the big woman, holding a loaded bow. “It wouldn’t do to let one little slip finish off your Master’s life.”

  The Hunters looked at each other, not knowing which of the two threats to aim at.

  Lonus stopped shaking and fainted.

  “Your timing… is perfect, my friend,” Liriana said to Kyra with a broad smile from the ground, where the senior of the two Hunters was holding her down with his foot on her neck.

  Kyra smiled and turned to her huge companion. “If either of those two makes a move, cut his throat.”

  “It’ll be a pleasure,” Urda replied, and pressed the dagger against Lonus’ neck.

  Liriana eyed the Hunters. They were nervous, the tension was increasing by the moment and the whole tricky situation might turn into a blood bath in the blink of an eye if they were not careful. Luckily the Hunters were not used to making crucial decisions. That was their Master’s responsibility, and now their Master could not help them.

  “Now you’re going to drop your weapons,” Kyra said, sounding authoritative and self-assured, as if she were in full charge of the situation.

  “In your dreams,” said the Hunter who had Liriana on the ground

  “Make him see his error…”

  Urda pressed the blade, and a trickle of blood appeared on Lonus’ neck.

  “Wait!” the blond Hunter cried.

  “Drop your weapons, or the Master dies. It’s very simple, and it’s not negotiable.”

  “No way,” the veteran Hunter said. “If you kill him you’ll die with him, and she’ll be the first.” He pressed his foot down harder on Liriana’s neck.

  At the sight of this, Kyra felt rage burning inside her. Without a word she aimed at his chest, then released the string. The arrow flew through the barrier of the Gods. There was a flash, and circles of waves appeared on the translucent surface around the arrow, like those in a lake when you throw a pebble into it. The missile strayed from its course as it crossed the barrier. It reached its target, but struck the Hunter’s thigh instead of his chest. Surprised by the impact, he tripped over Liriana and fell to the ground with a cry. Kyra stood, spun round and hid behind Urda, back to back. She nocked another arrow.

  The younger Hunter tried to get Kyra, but Lonus’ body was in the way.

  “I’m not going to repeat it. Drop your weapons or I’ll tell my little friend to slit his throat. Final warning.”

  There was a moment of tension. Liriana feared they would not make it. The game might go wrong any moment; the stakes were very high.

  The two Hunters exchanged looks. The senior one, with his knee on the ground, assessed the situation for a moment, then finally grimaced and nodded slowly. They lowered their weapons and let them fall to the ground.

  Liriana sighed with relief and got to her feet.

  “Good choice,” Kyra said. Coming out of Urda’s shadow, she aimed at the Hunters.

  Liriana picked up a bow. “On your knees!” she ordered. Reluctantly, the Hunters obeyed.

  “What are we going to do with them?” Kyra asked. “We don’t have anything to tie them up with, and we can’t let them go free.”

  “I have an idea,” Liriana said. There was a twisted smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes.

  Kyra looked at her in puzzlement.

  “Hunters, cross the Boundary!”

  With the three Hunters lying on the ground, naked and unconscious, the group went into the forest to carry on their flight. Urda led them with Romen bringing up the rear.

  Liriana glanced at Kyra from the other side of the barrier.

  “That was close…”

  “Yes, very close,” Kyra said with a wink. “For a moment there I thought we weren’t going to make it. That was a good distraction you put up.”

  “I recognized Urda lying with the others. I knew you’d be near.”

  “It was the only thing I could think of. We were coming to get you when we found Romen hiding the refugees in the forest, and he told us what had happened.”

  Liriana smile
d. “Good plan. Pretty risky, but it worked.”

  “Ikai will be furious, really furious. He doesn’t want me to take these risks… he doesn’t like me to handle the matter of transporting refugees.”

  “He has a point… This time we were very close to not being able to tell him about it, too close… We’ll have to drop this route, it’s not safe anymore. How’s your… brother?” Liriana asked, blushing a little and trying to hide the fact.

  “He’s very well. Very busy. The Shelter’s growing, and he doesn’t stop to rest. And every day you send us more refugees.”

  Liriana nodded. “I only send those who are condemned by the Gods. Each group we manage to bring to the Shelter safe and sound means that hope grows among our people. The rumors are getting stronger and reaching further all the time. Everybody’s talking about the Seven Heroes, and the story’s spreading from county to county. Soon all the Senocas will know it.”

  “It seems like an eternity ago…”

  “Yes, but it’s only a year since we escaped from the Eternal City.”

  “A pretty intense year.”

  “Yes, for all of us.”

  Kyra looked thoughtfully at the three Hunters. “We ought to kill them. Sooner or later they’ll hunt us again.”

  Liriana shook her head. “It’s time for the rumors to become an open call. They”‒ she pointed at them ‒ “are witnesses to the fact that we exist, that we can cross the Boundary. The time has come for them to talk about it, to let it be known openly, for the people to have hope. It’s time to come out into the light. It’s time to act.”

  “You know you can count on me,” Kyra assured her.

  “I know, and we’re deeply grateful.”

  “Don’t you want to come and see the Shelter?”

  “No, I can’t, but I appreciate the invitation. I’d love to see it, and your brother… and the rest…. But I have too many responsibilities on this side of the barrier, and I can’t leave them unattended. Gedrel needs me. But don’t worry, Romen will tell me when he comes back.”

  Liriana turned around and looked into the night. On the plain, walking slowly towards the river, she could make out a dozen silhouettes.

  “It’s time to go our separate ways. They’re coming.”

  “The rest of the pack?”

  “Yes, they’re coming to look for their Master.”

  “Well then, good luck, my friend. Don’t let them capture you.”

  Liriana nodded. “I wish you the same, and may Oxatsi be with you.”

  Chapter 2

  From the highest point of the island Ikai watched the small single-sailed boats coming into the turquoise waters of the sheltered cove. They were returning with the catch of the day, all except the largest, which would not return from out at sea until the end of the week. Watching his fellow countrymen sailing on Mother Sea, Ikai felt a deep pride, and his heart sang.

  “The Senoca are back again sailing the seas, after more than a thousand years,” he commented, more to himself than to his companion.

  Albana shaded her eyes with her hand to protect them from the evening sun and looked at the tiny boats far below.

  “Who could have guessed?” replied the mysterious young woman with jet-black eyes and hair. She looked as if she found it hard to believe.

  “You know that we mostly owe it to you, don’t you?”

  The young woman looked him in the eyes. “I only helped you settle here, that’s all. I owed it to you… for what happened at the Eternal City… The credit is all yours.”

  Ikai glanced around the wonderful place Albana had taken them to after they had left the lands of the Senoca. It was so beautiful it left him breathless. He inhaled the fresh, brine-tasting air and allowed the beauty of the landscape to take possession of his senses. The bare hills which surrounded them were covered with an intense tropical green. Further down began the dense forests between the mountains from whose heights rivers ran down to the lower valleys. Cliffs flanked the entire edge of the great island, protecting those valleys from the winds. But what most impressed Ikai was Mother Sea, who in her grandeur surrounded them completely, turquoise blue as far as the eye could reach, as far as the distant horizon.

  Albana smiled at him. “So, what do you think? Was it worth it, climbing up here?”

  “It’s awesome… of course it was worth it. From up here you can see the whole island.”

  “I’ve tried to show you more than once, but you’re always too busy with the village and the refugees to pay any attention to me,” she said with a touch of sarcasm.

  “Don’t say that. You know I’d have loved to explore this place, but I haven’t been able… there’s so much to do… so many needs to meet…”

  “Better late than never. You should get to know the environment you live in. It might save your life.”

  Ikai gave her a grateful smile. “That’s why I have you. You didn’t tell us you were bringing us to an island. I can’t get used to this dream of a place. It still seems unbelievable that we’re here.”

  Albana smiled. “Not surprising, after everything we’ve been through. I told you I’d bring you somewhere wonderful, secluded, far from Gods, Enforcers and corrupt men. Near the sea.”

  “Yes, I remember, but I hadn’t imagined it would be such a beautiful place, and much less in the sea itself.”

  She smiled. “It’s certainly beautiful. Very beautiful. But it’s not exactly an island, and we must be careful not to forget that.” She bent over and put her bow to one side, then took an arrow from the quiver at her back and with the metal tip drew the shape of a thick horseshoe on the ground. She pointed the tip towards the inner part of the horseshoe, then at the boats approaching.

  “The north side, where the cove is, looks onto open sea,” she said. Ikai’s gaze followed her directions. “The east and west sides are protected by the great cliffs,” she went on, pointing with her arrow to the sides of the horseshoe, “and surrounded by the sea in every direction. From there the island is inaccessible.” He listened attentively. This world was still new to him, and he did not know it well. “But the south side” ‒she pointed at the curve of the horseshoe‒ “although you can’t see it, is joined to the mainland.” She drew a long parallel line behind the horseshoe.

  Ikai turned and gazed behind him at the distant beaches of the continent, the line Albana had drawn.

  “By the underwater passage.”

  Albana nodded. “That’s right.” With a short line she joined the lower part of her drawing to the coast. “At high tide it disappears under water. But when the tide goes out according to the plans of Father Moon, the rocky passage joining the island to the coast is revealed. We must always watch it, and not let ourselves be carried away by the illusion of being safe in an inaccessible island. If it were discovered, someone or something might reach us through that passage. There are only five hundred paces between us and the coast of the continent.”

  “I set the Arkens to watch it. Colem and his sons Telmas and Volte take turns day and night. It’s well covered, don’t worry.”

  “Well, I do. There are too many refugees arriving. Each new group puts us in danger, puts this place in danger.”

  Ikai nodded slowly. “I know. But I can’t refuse them shelter… they need our help… Gedrel asks us to welcome them, they’re condemned families… If we don’t accept them, they’re doomed.”

  “Well, you should refuse them,” Albana said with her characteristic cool objectivity. “One day they’ll betray us, either voluntarily or otherwise, and that’ll be the end of us.”

  The cat-like brunette was right, and he knew it, but he could not turn his back on his own people. Besides, Kyra would never accept it. His sister was doing her best to help the refugees and had taken on the job of guiding them to the island. But Albana was right. They would have to take the greatest care, or else her words of warning would turn into reality. The truth was that she was right in many things.

  “I haven’t said it in al
l this time, but I’m grateful… I’m grateful for all your advice… and everything you’re doing to help me… to help us…” he said, a little ashamed, as he gazed at the enigmatic young woman. In all the time they had spent together since their flight, Albana had gradually become essential to the group. In clear contrast to his sister Kyra, who was too impulsive and always followed her heart, which made her end up making wrong decisions, Albana was far cooler and more cerebral. He trusted her with reconnaissance, vigilance and protection. He had also given her the responsibility of teaching the able-bodied refugees to use the bow. The fact was that he counted on her advice in all important matters. She had become the one he trusted, his right hand, on her own merits. He thanked Oxatsi for granting him this wonderful partner. Distrust and betrayal had been left behind, buried by growing friendship and trust.

  Albana smiled wryly. “If I were to let you make all the important decisions, you’d sink this island and everyone on it in less time than a rooster takes to crow.” She gave a taunting laugh.

  Ikai burst out laughing at her comment and nodded slowly. “You’re right enough there.”

  “You’re doing very well,” she said. “We’re still in once piece.” She elbowed him affectionately. “So far, anyway.”

  “Don’t let me go wrong.”

  “Don’t you worry,” she said mockingly. “I’ll be your shadow, and every time you put your foot in it I’ll make sure you don’t forget it for days.” She winked at him.

  Ikai shook his head, although in his heart he was grateful for her support.

  “We’d better go back. I want to see how the fishermen have done and what news they’ve brought.”

  “Very well. I’ll let you get on with your chores, but first I’ll race you to the waterfalls. Try not to fall over a cliff!” she said, and ran off like a black panther.

  “Wait…” But it was already too late, he would lose again.

  With the sun beginning to set in Oxatsi’s lap and its splendor turning an orange-pink which painted the sky with hope, Ikai walked along the narrow wooden jetty. Here he came upon Ilas and his work team, who were strengthening part of the still-unfinished structure. For months they had been working without pause to build modest moorings at the western end of the great bay, but there was still work for weeks. Ikai sighed; there was still so much left to do in the whole island…