by Pedro Urvi
And at that moment he realized what it was that did not seem to fit. There are no young people! He scanned village and surroundings again, looking for anyone young, and could find none. How odd! He was puzzled. This was not normal at all. Even when there were massive Summonses, for the mines or the fields, they did not take all the useful population of a village. There were always young people left behind so that the community could survive, so that they would go on producing. This made no sense. His sense of something ominous intensified.
Nor did he find any trace of either Guards or Enforcers. The best thing to do would be to look into this. It was a small village, not much more than a hamlet, so there ought not to be any enemies. Slowly, letting himself be seen, he came out into the open, walking with his arms out at his sides and his hands empty of any weapon, so that they would know he had no ill intentions. He had left behind his sword and satchel, hidden beside a tree, but in case things turned ugly he had his knife ready at his waistband, behind. When he was very near the square he slowed down even further.
Suddenly one of the children saw him, stood still, put his hands to his forehead and screamed. Straight away the other children did the same. Ikai made soothing gestures to them, but the children ran away until they had disappeared on the far side of the village.
From the door of one of the red adobe houses in the square an old woman was watching him. She was dressed in dark yellow, with a black ribbon around her wrinkled forehead. Her eyes were large and pale. He recognized fear in them.
He kept his hands up and showed her his palms. “I won’t hurt you,” he said.
The old woman gazed at him in silence. A gray braid hung over her right shoulder.
He went up to her very slowly. “My name is Ikai. Don’t be afraid.”
The woman raised her hand.
He stopped. “I’m just looking for information. Honestly. I’m not going to hurt you.”
The old woman said something in a language he did not understand. Slowly, so as not to scare her, he gently tapped the communication bracelet on his right wrist.
“Can you repeat what you just said? I couldn’t understand you.”
“Go away.”
The bracelet was working, and he could understand her now. “Why are you rejecting me?”
“You’re not from these lands.”
“No, I’m not. I’ve come from a long way away … What’s going on here?”
“Go back the way you came.”
“I found deserted villages. What’s happened?”
She shrugged and lowered her gray eyes.
“Have they made the people disappear?”
The old woman put her finger to her lips.
“I understand. You’re afraid of talking.”
She nodded. “We all are.”
“Can’t you tell me anything?”
She shook her head.
“Maybe I could help you somehow.”
“You’re young and strong, but you’ll die if you try to help us.”
“Where are the young ones, the men and women? Working?”
The old woman shook her head. Her wrinkled face showed deep sorrow.
“Aren’t they working for the Gods?”
“No.”
“This Boundary is still under the power of the Gods, isn’t it?”
She nodded very slowly.
“So where are they?”
The woman pointed toward the east.
“In another village?
She shrugged and lowered her gaze again. “They took them away.”
“They took them away to work? A Summons?”
“No.”
Ikai did not understand the answer, what it meant. A very unpleasant feeling came over him.
“Are they… are they alive?”
The old woman sighed deeply and shrugged again. But the gesture was so sorrowful that he felt it meant no.
Seeing he was not getting anywhere, he made a desperate attempt to get some information. “I’m looking for a friend, perhaps you’ve seen him. He came here some time ago, the same way I came here today.” He indicated the forest behind him.
She nodded.
“Maruk. His name is Maruk.”
“Yes.”
“You know him, is he all right?”
She shrugged again with the same melancholy gesture.
“Where is he?”
She pointed east again. “With the others.”
“Can’t you tell me anything else?”
“Go.”
“But…”
“Now. Go. Or this’ll become a ghost village like the others, and it’ll be your fault.”
Before the harshness of her words, he hesitated. He wanted to beg her to give him more information, but she had disappeared inside her dwelling, closing the door behind her. He tried to find someone else who might be able to shed some light on the situation, but all the doors were shut to him. However much he tried, nobody would speak to him. They were deeply afraid. Not wanting to force matters, he decided to continue east. He would find answers somewhere else. He said goodbye and went on along the path. As he was leaving he had the feeling that many eyes were on his back.
He walked on for many days, following the path. The landscape was beautiful, which he was thankful for. Walking alone through the world was a feeling he could not entirely get used to. A friendly landscape comforted his spirit. He was surrounded by wide green fields and forests of beech and ash. The land was mainly flat, with barely a hill in the distance. The breeze was gentle and warm, and although the sun shone high above, it did not burn the skin. The climate seemed to be a good one in that Boundary. It rained enough, because there was verdure and yet not too much of it, and the temperature was very mild. It was a beautiful place to live. There was only one problem: he did not meet anyone. He had already passed another deserted village, and the old woman’s strange words echoed in his head. He had no clue as to what was going on there, but it was nothing good. He had to find out and he had to find Maruk.
What’s happening here? And the uneasy foreboding settled on him again like a heavy tombstone.
Chapter 14
The portal flashed twice and became activated. At the third flash a bent figure appeared in the middle of the silver platform. Immediately the Eye-of-the-God in charge of the portal turned toward the new arrival and challenged him.
“Who goes there?” he shrieked. There was surprise in his voice. Three Custodians on duty by the portal turned, spears and shields at the ready.
The figure straightened slowly, but its face was not visible under the hood that covered its head. The Enforcer stared at it, trying to puzzle out who it might be, but the stranger was wrapped in a brown cloak which hid his body.
The Eye checked in the silver logbook he carried. “There’s no transport designated for this hour,” he said,
The figure said nothing. It looked around, as if trying to identify this place.
The Eye closed the logbook. “This is very irregular. I haven’t been informed. I need to communicate with my Lord and ask whether this transport has been authorized.” At once the three Custodians pointed their spears at the new arrival.
Is the good Lord Urdin still in charge of the Portals of the Fifth Ring? the stranger said in a mental message. At the same time, with a casual wave of his hand he let the Enforcer see that his skin was golden, the golden hue of the Gods themselves.
The Eye-of-the-God was utterly baffled. Realizing that this was a Golden, the Enforcer bent in submission. The Custodians stood to attention.
“Lord Urdin has been replaced by Lord Ura. It is to him, my Lord, that I must report…”
And so you should. I wish you to take my greetings to my good friend.
The Eye, still with his head down and without daring to look at him, sought to excuse himself.
“Forgive me, my Lord, nobody informed me…”
Naturally. This visit was not planned.
The Enforcer opened his silver
book. “Who should I announce to my Lord? It’s a little late for a visit…”
The figure gazed up at the starry sky.
True. It is rather late for a formal visit. Yet this is not one of those.
“I don’t understand, my Lord. Doubtless you belong to the House…”
Oh, I forgot to mention it, I am not of the House of Water.
The Enforcer began to straighten up slowly. The Custodians were suddenly on the alert.
“You are not from the House of Water? Which House do you belong to, my Lord?”
Hmm, interesting question. I had not thought about it. I no longer belong to any House.
“But… my Lord… that’s impossible.”
For a being like you it is, since for you it is inconceivable that a Golden should not belong to any of the Five Houses. But let me assure you that it is so.
The Enforcer did not know how to react. He was in the presence of a Golden, one of his masters, but one not of his own House, and from what he had said, one who did not belong to any House. There was no room for this in his logic.
Confused?
“My Lord… who are you? Who should I announce?”
I am sorry, but you must not announce anybody, since I cannot reveal to you who I am.
The Enforcer closed his book and stared at the stranger, at a loss. After a moment his priorities seemed to come back to him.
“If you’re not of the House, you can’t be here without an express invitation at this hour of the evening.”
The stranger nodded.
“I must ask you to identify yourself to my Lord, Lord Ura.”
Unfortunately for you, and for these three Custodians who are already looking at me suspiciously, I cannot do so.
There was a moment of silence. The Enforcer turned to the Custodians.
“Arrest him,” he ordered.
The three huge warriors took a step toward the portal. At the same time the stranger’s body shone, and three translucent spirits issued from his chest. The spirits, their faces twisted with horror, fell on the Custodians. They entered their bodies, and before they could take a second step they fell to the floor without a sound and died, their souls devoured by the three terrible spirits.
The Enforcer stepped back.
“That kind of Power is that of the House of Ether,” he said, his shrieking voice trembling.
I see they are making you with greater intelligence all the time.
“Please, my Lord, don’t kill me.”
Curious, I thought your function was to serve us. You should be happy to die for a Golden. If I were to tell you to, you should gladly take your own life,.
The Enforcer searched among his logic for what to do next. On the one hand what the stranger said was true, but on the other hand he had no wish to die.
“You are from a rival House, I can’t follow that order.”
Well parried. I am indeed of a rival House, and therefore you do not belong to me and I cannot order you to take your own life.
The Enforcer nodded.
Unfortunately, although I appreciate your intelligence, I cannot let my arrival be known. And I know you will hasten to inform your master, as the pip of Power embedded in your brain instructs you. That is why I am deeply sorry, but I cannot let you leave.
The Enforcer turned to run. The stranger snapped his fingers. Before he could take a single step, a transparent mist enveloped the Enforcer. A moment later he fell to the floor, dead.
My name is Adamis, the stranger said. I am truly sorry, but I cannot let my presence here be known. He walked slowly forward between the corpses.
With the stars shining above, glancing furtively around in case any more Custodians on duty should appear, he came to a square with a fountain in the center in the shape of a ship sailing the seas. A figure was waiting there in the shadows, hiding its presence behind a tree. Adamis stopped. He tried to straighten himself up; he must pretend to be a powerful Golden, a Lord. But a sudden intense pain in his stomach made him bend double. He endured the suffering and stood tall, like a noble of that ring. He stared at the figure hiding in the shadows. It did not move, it simply watched him.
There was an impasse. He was not sure whether to move on or not. He used his Power to perceive the essence of the figure and make sure he was not heading into an ambush. Water, he sensed the element of water, which did not surprise him as he was in the fifth ring. Whoever it is has a great deal of Power. He needed to be ready, as it represented a threat. But then he perceived something else: it was as if there were traces of the other elements mixed in with the element of water, as if they were blended together. Hmmm, this is unusual. The Power develops with an affinity to a single element, but I have come across this phenomenon before…And then he knew who was waiting for him.
He went up to the figure.
“Welcome, Prince of Ether,” the message came to his mind: a young, feminine voice which he recognized.
“I am no longer a noble from a powerful House, now I am a nowhere man, stateless. Let us forget formalities and speak like commoners.”
“As you wish,” she said with a small gesture of acknowledgment.
“Besides, you and I already know each other, Ariadne, Healer of the Caste of Commoners.”
“I see the memory of our meeting beneath the Eastern Temple the day before your exile remains intact.”
“There are things one never forgets. But just in case, I brought you this.” He showed her the pearl she had given him at that meeting.
She smiled as she recognized it. “My pearl.”
“Although I did not need it, I recognized you from your essence. I remember it well.”
“Keep the pearl, you might need it.”
Adamis nodded and put it away. “I see you no longer wear the tree-mask of the Children of Arutan. You are a woman of remarkable beauty.”
Ariadne blushed. “Wearing it when I walk around the Fifth Ring attracts too much attention.”
“Particularly if you are pursued.”
She was suddenly concerned for her leader. “How fares my revered lady? Is she in good health?”
“Aruma is well. Very well, I would say. Do not worry. I have a message to you from her.”
From the northern side of the park there appeared six Custodians doing their rounds. They were heading towards the square.
“It will have to wait. We must move,” Ariadne said urgently.
“Once they reach the Portal they will raise the alarm,” Adamis said, glancing in its direction.
“Then let us hurry. This way.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Do not worry, I know this ring intimately. I have lived here all my life. We will be safe.”
Adamis gave a slight smile of acceptance and nodded.
The two Golden set off. Adamis was trying to keep up with the pace Ariadne set, but he found it impossible. His battered body would not let him go so fast. The young woman slowed down when she realized the Prince’s predicament.
“Stand straight,” she whispered to him. “The taller you stand, the less attention we will attract from the Custodians.”
He nodded and tried to stand tall and straight. Holding the position was torture for him, but he was determined to endure it. Ariadne led him through parks and streets which were practically deserted, always keeping in the shadows, avoiding the better-lit parts, where there would be patrols. Just as she had said, the young woman knew the place perfectly well. They arrived at an area of waterways and saw two figures waiting for them beside a boat tied to a small, swaying wooden pier.
Adamis hesitated when he saw that these were massively-built slaves.
“They are trustworthy,” Ariadne assured him.
They climbed into the boat and headed south, threading the labyrinth of channels of that section of the Fifth Ring. In this ring, the kingdom of the House of Water, where there should be cobbled streets and avenues there were canals and rivers instead. The two slaves guided the boat s
killfully, seeming to know every nook and cranny of that extraordinary world of canals and lakes within the ring.
Adamis half-closed his eyes and tried to see as far as his sight could reach by the lights that lit up the ring. He had always been impressed by what made up the kingdom of the House of Water. Buildings in soft blue floated amid artificial lakes. Palaces and squares were ornamented by waterfalls at different levels which seemed to come down from the sky itself. Exuberant fountains and high geysers decorated magnificent palaces whose walls appeared to be of pure water. He knew these were the residences of the noble families, and that the further away from them they went the safer they would be. But he could not but wonder at the insane design of that beautiful world where rock was water, and wherever you turned your eyes, you found yourself surrounded by it.
The small boat sailed the silent night. Nobody spoke, and after a while, in the soft light of the lamps which lit their journey, he began to feel as though he was on some funerary vessel, as if they were heading for a burial at sea. He shivered, but shook it off. You already knew that coming back home involved great risk. There is no way back now.
Ariadne pointed ahead. “There is our destination.”
Adamis half-closed his eyes and managed to make out a building which was set apart amid the network of canals and small lakes. Seeing it, the emotion he had been feeling became even stronger. The building was spherical, completely covered in gold. The double, concave doors which gave access to the interior were lit by two enormous braziers. He recognized it at once: it was a temple.
“A Temple of the Golden Dogma?” he asked Ariadne. There was deep concern in his voice.
“I know it must seem strange to you, but it is the safest place.”
“There will be priests of the dogma. They are your sworn enemies.”
Ariadne smiled and bowed her head.
“What better place to hide than in your enemy’s own house?
Adamis stared at her uneasily. The risk was enormous. The temples were under the control of the priests, for whom the Golden Dogma was everything, and they reported to the leading house. It was madness.