by Pedro Urvi
That evening in the palace, as they were finishing the preparations for the great journey, the tattoo on Ikai’s arm suddenly turned red and the tree awoke, giving out a red mist.
“The Witch of the Lake,” Albana warned him as she caught sight of it.
The icy cold in his arm had already alerted him.
“What can she want now? Is it about Kyra? Is she all right?” Concern for his sister’s wellbeing tightened his stomach into a knot.
The mist gradually showed them an image. In it they could make out a figure lying down, with another beside it. At first Ikai could not recognize them, but after a few moments they became clearer and then turned completely real, as if they were in front of them and he could touch them with his hand. Except that he knew they were many leagues away.
“Kyra, are you all right?”
She gave him a wide smile. “I’m very well, brother.”
“But what’s happened? Where are you?”
When Albana spoke, her voice sounded strange. “Ikai… look who’s with her…”
Ikai was so happy to see Kyra that he had not noticed. He looked behind his sister and on a bed of white marble he saw Adamis stretched out. Ikai felt deeply sorry for her, she had still been unable to say a last goodbye to him, and then all of a sudden the God-Prince turned his head towards him.
He gave a start. “By Oxatsi!” he cried. Albana reached for her daggers.
“Take it easy!” said Kyra. “Everything’s all right! And more than that!”
Adamis smiled. “Forgive me if I do not get up, but my head is all I can move. The rest of my body is paralyzed, or rather dying.”
Ikai could not believe it. He glanced aside at Albana, and in her eyes he saw the same surprise.
“But… you were dead… the dagger… the color….”
“Yes, the King Slayer. It will eventually kill me. Most of my body is decaying with that poison. But thanks to the Witch I shall live a little more. She has managed to delay that ending. She is a very special woman… a wise one.”
“We owe his life to her,” Kyra said.
“Where are you?” Ikai asked.
“We’re in the Witch’s dwelling, under the lake. In reality it’s a very ancient underground temple of the Gods. The Witch” ‒ she was silent for a moment and looked around her before she went on in a whisper ‒ “is really one of them, and she wanted Adamis’ body. Not for anything evil, as we’d feared. Far from it. She wanted to save his life.”
“Why should she, if she’s one of them?”
“It’s complicated … the Witch is one of the Ancients, one of the leaders of the Children of Arutan, a group persecuted by the High Kings, a group that seek to bring them down. Hence her interest in Adamis. She wants to save him and is doing everything she can. For the moment she’s managed to give him back some life and delay his death. There’s hope.” She was unable to hide her joy, even though there was concern in her eyes.
Ikai considered this and was thoughtful. “So are you well? Are you safe?”
“Yes, don’t worry.” She kissed Adamis’s forehead tenderly. “I’m where I want to be, with the person I want to be with.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Albana said, seeing them kiss.
Kyra stroked Adamis’s face, which had lost its natural golden glow and looked gaunt. “I’m staying with him. I want to be at his side.”
“I have told her to go back with you,” Adamis said, “but she does not listen.”
“Be quiet, you disinherited Prince. Now you can’t give orders, only take them ‒ and only from me.”
Ikai smiled. “It won’t be me she listens to!”
Kyra laughed. “Of course not!”
Ikai and Albana laughed with her, and Adamis smiled, unable to take his eyes off her.
“We’re going towards Mother Sea,” Ikai said.
“When Adamis is better, we’ll go in search of you” Kyra promised, and her confidence was such that Ikai did not dare doubt her.
He nodded. “Very well, little sis. See you by Mother Oxatsi’s side.”
“See you there, then!” She waved in farewell.
The mist began to fade, and with it Kyra and Adamis.
“She’s all right, and that’s what matters,” Ikai said.
Albana stroked his cheek. “Come with me,” she said, and offered him her hand. “Tonight we’ll forget about all the problems, all the responsibilities. Tonight there’s just you and me in this world, and we’ll love each other until our hearts spill over.”
And the great day arrived.
From the top of the hill Ikai looked out ahead. Behind him, in the valley, the whole Senoca people waited. Thousands of men, women and children, filled with hope, anxious to leave that land of slavery and suffering and reach Mother Sea to begin anew. Free, happy, without fear. They carried a few belongings and all the supplies they could, since the journey would be long and dangerous.
Ikai gazed into Albana’s eyes.
“Are we going to make it?”
“I’m absolutely sure,” she replied. There was a flash of determination in the look she gave him.
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because you’re guiding us.”
Ikai kissed her and smiled. “Thank you. And I mean it.”
Albana winked at him and took his hand. “Give the order, then.”
Ikai turned to face his people, raised his arm and shouted:
“Let’s go! On our way!”
And the Senoca people began the great exodus that would take them to Oxatsi, Mother Sea, where they would once again be the People of the Sea, where they would live a new future, in peace and freedom: a future full of hope.
---THE END BOOK 2---
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REBIRTH
Pedro Urvi
Contents
The Secret of the Golden Gods
Books in this Series
Other Books by Pedro Urvi
To my father, my number one fan, always.
ORIGIN
Contents
Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
---END-BOOK 1--
REBELLION
Pedro Urvi
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34<
br />
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
---THE END BOOK 2---
REBIRTH
Pedro Urvi
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Note from the author:
Acknowledgements
Author
Books in this Series:
Other Books by Pedro Urvi
Prologue
“Look out! A ship’s coming from the east!” called the sentinel on duty on the cliff-top.
When Ikai turned, he saw the vessel coming into the bay at a speed which surprised him. It was not a Senoca ship; this one was graceful, her sails very elaborate. On the prow a decoration like the head of a sea-serpent could be made out. It was vaguely familiar. Suddenly something inside him told him he needed to flee. And he saw it: a slender figure in rich blue silk clothing standing halfway down the ship, his uncovered face and arms revealing the golden hue of the Gods.
“It’s a Golden ship!” cried Albana, and the alarm in her voice turned their blood cold.
Ikai swallowed and tried to react. It’s a ship of the Gods, we’re dead.
“Run!” he shouted to his men with all the power of his lungs
The half-dozen Senoca explorers who were accompanying Ikai and Albana in their expedition ran toward the forest as if death itself were after them. The group reached the trees just as the ship was dropping anchor in the bay. They made their way into the dense vegetation and hid, panting heavily.
“Everybody keep still,” Albana ordered.
The Senoca did as they were told, and lay amid the undergrowth like corpses.
“Have they seen us?” Ikai asked her in a whisper.
From up in a tree, the brunette scanned the white sands of the beach.
“They’re landing.”
“Landing? Then they must’ve discovered us. How many are there?”
“The problem isn’t how many, Ikai my love. The problem is that…”
“I don’t understand you, sweetheart.”
“A God has landed. By his clothes and the insignia on the sails I guess he’s from the House of Aru.”
“A minor God sent on a mission to find us? That’s new, they’ve only sent Enforcers before.”
“No, it’s much worse than that. It’s a Lord-God. A Noble. And his bodyguards are with him: two giant Warrior-Gods and twenty or so Custodians.”
“It can’t be true! I never imagined they’d get their hands dirty coming for us themselves.”
“Me neither. Something’s going on in Alantres, something that concerns us. And there’s something else…”
“Something else?”
“They’ve unloaded two huge cages.”
“Oh, no…”
“Yes. Run! Follow me!” Albana cried. She leapt down from the tree and into the forest in a flash.
Ikai followed an instant later. An image was engraved on his retina: five massive beasts with bodies like wolves and eyes which flashed gold. They ran toward the east, chased by the pack of beasts which soon picked up their trail. They fled, leaping over brush and undergrowth, their legs driven on by the fear in their hearts.
“Run for your lives, and those of all the Senoca!” Ikai urged them.
The beasts entered the forest. They were far faster, and they had already detected them.
Albana glanced quickly behind her. “We won’t be able to shake them off, they’ve picked up our scent!”
Ikai pointed toward the southeast. “The Boundary’s very close, we’ve got to get to it and cross over. It’s our only chance!”
“If we don’t make it they’ll discover the New-Shelter!”
“We’ll make it!”
The beasts were gaining on them with each stride and in the blink of an eye were almost upon them. They came out of the forest and crossed an open area toward the cliffs.
“Straight ahead!” said Ikai. “Come on, we’re nearly there!”
“Quick, they’re right behind us!” shouted Albana.
She and Ikai reached the invisible barrier and crossed it at a run without feeling any adverse effects. They turned to watch the chase, anxiety gnawing at their chests. Five of the Senoca crossed after them like runaway horses. But the last one tripped and fell, two paces from the barrier.
“No!” Ikai yelled, and could only stare at him helplessly.
The first two beasts were almost on top of the unfortunate man.
“I’m going to get him!” Albana said.
“Don’t!” Ikai cried, but the brunette had made up her mind. She activated her Power and disappeared, to appear again beside the fallen man, who was struggling to his feet. She seized his arms and dragged him back with all her strength. The jaws of the first beast closed on the boot of the unfortunate Senoca, who screamed in pain. The second beast leapt for Albana, its jaws searching for her neck. With absolute poise, she gave a last tug and crossed the barrier. The beast’s fangs brushed her face. Albana and the explorer crossed the Boundary.
“By a hair’s breadth!” Ikai cried.
Albana got to her feet and watched the beasts. They were staring in her direction and roaring with rage, but in the end they shook their heads and retreated.
“They can’t see us or hear us behind the barrier,” Ikai told his group, who were scared to death.
“But they know we’re here,” Albana said. “Luckily the barrier repels the beasts. They’ll go, a few at a time.” She gestured at the pack of monstrous golden wolves which had gathered in front of them.
And she was not wrong. Amid roars and growls, upset but fearful, they moved back and stopped ten paces or so from the Boundary.
“You shouldn’t have taken a risk like that,” Ikai scolded her.
“If they’d caught him, they’d have found us all,” Albana replied, and pointed behind her.
Ikai turned to look at the New-Shelter of the Senoca. Around an immense white inlet and the adjacent coastline were thousands of tiny fishing-huts. Dotting the great blue of Mother Sea Oxatsi with white, the fishing boats toiled under the breath of the winds. Further inland, toward the north, fields of crops and farms extended as far as the eye could see. At the top of the cliff, like a huge beacon, rose a monolith, translucent and protective, which hid the Senoca from the Golden Gods.
Ikai nodded. “You’re right.”
“They’ll soon be here.”
“We’d better be prepared for the worst. You,” he said to the men, “run to the New-Shelter and bring all the armed men you can find. Quickly!”
He knew that the reinforcements would not get there in time, but it was the most logical option, so he took it. He and Albana moved back and hid behind a boulder on the edge of the cliff.
“They’re here,” Albana warned him.
Ikai watched them
as they approached, with the two Warrior-Gods in the lead and the Custodians surrounding the Lord-God. They walked as if they owned everything around them, and an incontestable aura of power enveloped them. When they reached the beasts they stopped. The Golden-Noble seemed to be displeased; his golden forehead was creased, his thin eyebrows arched. He gave an order to the Custodians, who goaded the beasts. But instead of approaching the barrier they ran in the opposite direction.
The Lord-God moved forward, a look of suspicion in his blue eyes. At once the two Warrior-Gods came to stand on each side, protecting him. He went on, toward the barrier, toward them. Ikai swallowed. He can’t see us, he can’t detect us, the barrier was designed for this, he said to himself, trying to calm his nerves. If they were discovered it would mean the end of the entire Senoca people. The Golden took one more step forward and stopped. He was two paces from the barrier, searching the horizon, and something seemed to have aroused his suspicions.
Ikai held his breath. If he takes two more steps, that’s it, for all of us.
The Lord-God looked up at the sky, then ahead of him, and shook his head with a grimace of disgust. He turned and left the way he had come, his escort with him.
Ikai blew out his breath so strongly he had to cover his mouth with both hands.
“That was close!” he said to Albana in a whisper, his heart beating like a drum.
“Yes, this time ‒ but what about the next?”
Ikai looked at the New-Shelter for an instant, then at the backs of the disappearing Golden as they made their way deeper into the forest.
“You’re right. Sooner or later they’ll find us and we’ll all die.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll call a meeting of the Council, it’s time to face up to this.”
***
A week later, by torchlight under the great translucent monolith, the Council of the Senoca gathered. Around a rough round table inside a cloth tent, with the Shelter in the background and the tiny lights of the huts shining like an image of the night sky, the counselors took their seats.
Ikai presided as leader of the Senoca. On his right was Albana, on his left Idana. In front of him sat his sister Kyra, who had just arrived. Beside her, inseparably, sat Adamis, wrapped in a hooded cloak so as not to be recognized. Finally Maruk arrived and took the last seat.