The Secret of the Golden Gods Omnibus Edition

by Pedro Urvi

  “Gods or no Gods, I’ll gut them all!” Kyra cried to the heavens.

  Ikai looked at Adamis. Seeing his sister’s pain, his own heart broke for her. This was something he could not protect her from, and he knew she was going through an agony of torture.

  “I’m so sorry…” was all he could mutter under his breath.

  The two of them looked on helplessly, wishing they had some way of taking away her tremendous pain, but knowing there was no way they could.

  Lost in the moment, Ikai barely noticed the sting in his right forearm. But it grew in intensity: a cold pain, almost freezing, as if he had been cut with ice. He glanced at his arm and saw the tattoo of the tree. I’d forgotten about this… the tree, over the wound. He blinked hard, as the pain was becoming intolerable. A shiver ran down his spine. Suddenly the tattoo turned red and the tree seemed to waken, giving out a reddish mist that slowly took the shape of a cloud in front of him. He had no doubt now. The mist spread, and when Idana noticed it she moved back in fear.

  “Don’t touch the mist,” he warned her. “It might be poisonous.”

  A figure appeared in the red mist, and he recognized her at once. Thin, wearing a brown robe with strange green runes, with her head covered by a hood. Her face was hidden by a mask in the shape of a tree. Unmistakable silver hair came down to her feet.

  “The Witch of the Lake…”

  The figure finally materialized fully in front of him.

  “I see you remember me well, young tiger,” the Witch said in her cavernous voice. “I can barely recognize your face under that great scar, but I know your blood well.”

  “Has the moment come?”

  The Witch nodded. “When the tree of life awakens on your arm,” she reminded him, “then the moment will have arrived.”

  He nodded.

  “The time has come to pay the price specified in the deal we made.”

  Idana and Kyra watched the Witch warily, not understanding what was going on.

  Kyra got to her feet and wiped away her tears. “What price? What deal?” In the same movement she readied a dagger.

  The Witch repeated the exact words of the pact: “The price is this: One day I shall summon you, and that day you will leave everything and everyone and do whatever I command. Whatever I wish.”

  Ikai sighed heavily. “I’ll honor my part of the deal, since you did yours.”

  “No way!” cried Kyra and threw her dagger at the Witch. It was aimed straight at her heart, but on impact it simply went through the figure as if it were smoke.

  The Witch laughed darkly. “The tigress has guts.”

  Ikai moved to put himself between the two of them. “Don’t hurt her. I’ll honor my word.”

  “I’m not going to hurt your sister.”

  Idana passed a branch through the image. “She’s not physically here,” she said.

  “What do I have to do?” Ikai asked. He could not help his stomach tensing.

  The Witch nodded. “It’s very simple. You will bring him,” and she pointed at Adamis with a leather-gloved hand.

  There was a moment of silence while they all looked at the God’s body.

  “Never!” Kyra cried. “You’re not going to lay your dirty hands on him!”

  Ikai narrowed his eyes. He did not understand the request. “What do you want with him? He’s dead, and it won’t do you any good. Leave us to honor him and give him the funeral he deserves.”

  “There are many things you know nothing about. There are many things you don’t understand. That’s my request. I’m not going to explain myself.”

  “You won’t take him away!”

  “Think well, young tigress, for your brother’s life is at stake.”

  Her eyes filling with new tears, her fists clenched in rage, Kyra looked at her brother. Ikai said nothing. He left his fate in his sister’s hands. He would not cause her more pain. She had already suffered enough.

  “I’m waiting for your answer,” the Witch said sharply. “The God, or your brother’s life.”

  Kyra looked at both of them for a moment, took a deep breath and unclenched her fists.

  “Take him with you. Let my brother live.”

  The Witch nodded. “A good choice.” She turned to Ikai. “Bring him to me at once and your debt will be paid.”

  “I’ll set out at dawn.”

  The Witch waved her hand, and the mist began to fade.

  “I want him intact.”

  “Don’t worry.”

  The mist vanished, and the Witch with it.

  Ikai went to his sister’s side. “I’m so sorry…”

  “It’s not your fault. Let me say goodbye, then you can take him.”

  Ikai and Idana left Kyra alone with her woe. Her bitter weeping accompanied them until it was muffled by the singing and joyful cheers of the rebels.

  Epilogue

  The days which followed the taking of the capital and the fall of the Regent were days of glory and utter disbelief for the Senoca. Victory had made the people awaken from a thousand-year nightmare, and they were beginning to enjoy the sweet fresh scent of a feeling they had long forgotten: that of freedom.

  Wide-eyed, hearts overflowing with joy and spirits soaring to the skies, they gave themselves over to that wonderful feeling that filled their battered souls with pure joy and hope. Hope for a better tomorrow for their children and the generations to come.

  As for Sesmok’s body, it was tied to the great Monolith and left for all to see, as a trophy of victory, as a call to all Senoca to awaken. The rebels took the Dungeons of Oblivion and freed those who were still imprisoned there. The voice of victory spread throughout the Six Counties with the speed of fire through dry fields in the summer. Soon the people of every farm, village and city were celebrating the wonderful news. Thousands of Senoca cheered, cried, shouted, leapt, wept, unable to contain their inexhaustible happiness.

  The impossible victory of the rebels had brought them their longed-for freedom, but the cost had been terrible. Tens of thousands of Senoca had perished in the revolt: good, brave men and women who had given their lives for the freedom of their people. The sacrifice, the feat they had achieved, would never be forgotten, would remain in the hearts of the Senoca for all eternity. Many of the leaders had fallen, and the few who had managed to survive called a great ceremony to choose those who would guide them in the new era opening before them, to decide what course the people of the sea should follow. There was much to decide and still more to do in the future which was opening out before them. Word of the event’s importance was sent out to each county. Each family would send a member to the great meeting so that every Senoca was represented there.

  The ceremony would take place on the return of the Heroes, since Ikai had left to fulfill his promise to the Witch of the Lake, accompanied by Albana. Kyra had insisted on going with them, and no matter how much Ikai tried to dissuade her, it had been in vain. Albana advised her against it as well, trying to spare her friend the pain she would go through on the journey. But Kyra was not prepared to say goodbye to her beloved, and there was no way they could dissuade her. In the end Ikai had to yield, even though it broke his heart to see his sister so lost, and he would have given anything to spare her that unnecessary agony.

  They took Adamis’s body to the Witch’s dwelling in the shadowy valley at the foot of the Dark Mountains. The Witch was waiting in the center of the lake. She greeted them, and did not seem very happy to see Kyra. She took the God’s body, barely allowing Kyra her last farewell. After freeing Ikai from his obligation to her, she took her leave and vanished with Adamis in her arms, sinking into the silver depths of the lake. Kyra wept disconsolately as she yelled curses at the Golden.

  Several days went by, but she did not seem to recover. There was no way she could be persuaded to leave the lakeshore, and she went on weeping and cursing. Ikai, feeling powerless to help his sister, did not want to leave her suffering there, but he was aware they had to get back as soo
n as possible for the good of the Senoca. The great ceremony awaited, and time was against them. Albana suspected the Gods would not be long in taking action, and that action would be catastrophic. They could not remain there suffering with Kyra, mourning the departed Adamis. In the end Ikai and Albana said goodbye to her and with great sadness went back to Osaen, where they were needed.

  As soon as they arrived, the great meeting of unification was called. It took place in the main square in front of the Great Monolith. And for the first time the Regent was not presiding, although his dead body hung from the artifact of the Gods. Thousands of Senoca from the six counties filled the square, the surrounding streets and practically the whole city. They were all eager to know what would become of them now. Many found it hard to believe, most were hopeful, all were uneasy about the consequences the rebellion would bring, and most of all about the devastating punishment the Gods would surely impose on them. Fear and happiness mingled in their hearts, and none could get rid of the bittersweet taste in their throats.

  The assembled people called for the Heroes, who came to stand under the Monolith honoring their wishes. Albana, Idana, Maruk and Ikai came before the Senoca, aware that every family was represented there. At once the people showered them with gratefulness and love. All chanted the names of the Seven, remembering the fallen Heroes too, honoring them all. When they heard thousands of throats cheering for Liriana and Urda, the survivors could not avoid being overwhelmed. Maruk burst into tears, and Idana comforted him with her own eyes full. Ikai’s eyes looked for Albana’s, and in her smile he found some ease. An ovation full of devotion and respect was paid to Gedrel, who from that day on would be known as the Father of the Rebellion, the one who dreamed it was possible to attain freedom when everybody else thought it impossible and who had given his life to achieve it. Thanks to him it had been done; they would no longer be slaves, and the Senoca would never forget that.

  When the moment arrived for choosing their new leader, there was no hesitation among the Heroes or the people. The Heroes turned to Ikai and the people knelt before him, chanting his name to the skies. Thousands of throats cheered him, and a bitter, heavy feeling came over him, a mixture of honor and a sense of enormous responsibility. The lives of all those men and women would be in his hands, and for a moment he forgot to breathe. But he recovered, took a deep breath and called upon his sang froid and pragmatism. He asked the people to rise, but they did not do so until he accepted, which in a firm voice he did. He knew it would be the best choice for the Senoca at that moment, and he would fulfill it, however asphyxiating and burdensome the responsibility might be. When he spoke the words they all rose to their feet with joyful cheers. Albana gazed at him with pride, while he for his part did his best not to be overwhelmed by the whole business.

  The first decision he made as the new leader of the Senoca was to create a council to help him. This would be made up of the four remaining Heroes and the leaders of the six counties. He asked them to choose new leaders for each county, but did not intervene, and nor did the other Heroes. He left the people to choose of their own free will, without interference. The debate and election did not take long, for born leaders and loyalties had been more than shown on the battlefield and during the horrors everyone had been through. And so the council was formed. Ikai was aware that nobody could rule alone, still less rule well. His past experience at the Shelter would now prove invaluable to him. He remembered his mother beside him at the old council, her wise lessons, and begged Oxatsi to take good care of Solma in her eternal realm.

  He called the council there and then. He wanted the people to witness how it would work, how decisions would be made in the future, with transparency, consensus, honor. One by one the six leaders of the counties went up the stairs to stand beside Ikai and the Heroes. And before all the Senoca gathered there, the first decisions were made. It was decreed that they would not pursue and kill the Hunters, Guards, Proxies and members of the nobility who had managed to survive and were now hiding as if they were Pariahs. They would be given the opportunity to lay down their weapons and join them. The same offer would be taken to the capitals of the six counties where the majority of Proxies and officers of the Guard had gone into hiding to avoid being lynched. The winners could not let themselves be carried away by hatred and spite. A new tomorrow in freedom and harmony could only be forged through forgiveness and coexistence. They were all Senoca, all children of Oxatsi.

  This measure did not please everybody. Resentment was deeply rooted after too many years of submission, of privileged classes and slaves. The council let the discontented speak and listened to the protests of many gathered there. Those in favor of the measure also spoke and in the end, reluctantly, the people accepted the decision. The leaders of each county would take upon them to carry out the decree and ensure the peaceful surrender of the capitals, with no lynching.

  Night fell over Osaen, and the meeting had to be suspended until the following day. The people did not go back to their villages, but made themselves comfortable and slept right there in the streets of the city, huddled against each other, longing for the new dawn to come soon so they could continue this deeply important meeting.

  Come morning Ikai and the members of the council renewed the session. First they made sure there were blankets and food for everyone there. It was not difficult, since the stores of the Regent’s palace were full, as were the lesser palaces of the nobles, and supplies were shared out between all. As one of the first measures, they decreed a great funerary ceremony of farewell for all the fallen in the rebellion. This would take place by the great river, as tradition dictated, where the fallen leaders would be sent downriver toward the bosom of Mother Oxatsi, and all the other brave Senoca who had died for freedom would burn in pyres. The supply of food and water was also guaranteed, as well as other urgent assistance for the neediest villages. And on that second day Ikai and the council made a decision which was both symbolic and (as it would turn out in the end) crucial. They decided to pull down the Great Monolith, a symbol of the power of the Gods and an arcane artifact hated by all.

  On the dawn of the third day, with the square cleared, a thousand Senoca with ropes pulled on the monolith with all their might to topple it. Ikai and Albana watched the work from the palace entrance. For a moment it seemed it would be impossible to bring it down, however hard they pulled on the ropes; it would not yield. They called another thousand men to join in the effort. All of a sudden there was a hollow noise and the Monolith vibrated. A moment later, under the pressure of two thousand men pulling with all their might, the Great Monolith came down. With an ear-splitting crash it fell to the ground. To everyone’s surprise it broke into a thousand pieces, as if it were made of black glass and not solid marble. The crystal shards were scattered all over the square.

  If that surprised them, what happened next stunned them. Suddenly the Enforcers who had survived began to appear, wandering lost and senseless through streets and fields. As if they were lunatics, they went hither and thither without direction or purpose, gazing at the sun, totally lost, unable to think or act, awaiting an order that never came. But something still stranger and more significant happened after the fall of the Monolith. The Boundary, the barrier of the Gods which had kept them prisoners, fell with the artifact. Ikai sent explorers to the six counties, and all reported back that the barrier did not exist anymore. It had vanished. The Senoca were at last fully free, since they were no longer trapped and could go out into the outside world. The news delighted Ikai and Albana, who were well aware it would have taken Maruk a lifetime to free all the Senoca from their Rings.

  On the fifth day of the great meeting Ikai assembled the council, and for hours they debated the most important decision of all: whether to stay and rebuild or leave. Before his assembled people, he and the council finally reached a decision of enormous significance: they would leave those lands and find another beginning returning to Oxatsi the Mother Sea. The news was not received well by all.
Many applauded and cheered, since they wished to leave behind the land where they had suffered so much and find a new life far away from there. But others were not convinced, and protested loudly. A debate began. They did not want to leave, this was what they knew, this was where their homes, their farms, their means of subsistence were. To leave all that for the promise of a better life was deeply risky. Now they were free and had brought down the Regent. There would never be another Regent, nor Proxies or Guards, not even Enforcers. Why leave, then? Why not rebuild? After all, they had lived their whole lives there, and now those lives would once again be full.

  Ikai stood back to let Albana address the people. Her words were harsh, cutting, but they had to be said. The Gods would never forgive that effrontery, they would punish them, and their wrath would be apocalyptic. Staying would mean waiting for the punishment of the Gods to come, as eventually it would; of that there could be no doubt. And when it did, it would leave nothing standing. They would destroy everything: cities ruined, fields laid waste, bodies burned, unparalleled death and destruction for all who stayed. Remaining there would not only be foolish, it would be suicide. Even though it was their land and the life they knew, if they did not leave they would be wiped out mercilessly. Albana made her point powerfully and added one last warning: time was running out, and if they did not leave at once, they would not be able to do it later on. The Golden Gods and their wrath would soon arrive.

  Albana’s words had an impact among the Senoca, and the argument died down until the agreement to leave was practically unanimous. Ikai proclaimed the exodus, and the council ratified it. They would leave after the great funeral. The crowd dispersed and with hearts filled with hope the people went back to their families to prepare for the great migration. Ikai sent five expeditions to prepare the way, under orders to reach the very edge of the continent. From what Albana had told him, he knew this was not too far from where Mother Oxatsi was waiting for them.