by Pedro Urvi
“You’re right.”
Kyra walked between the pods, looking at the people inside. “Obviously it’s not to turn them into Enforcers. I wonder… why would they have them like this if it weren’t for that? What other evil can they have thought of?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t think the Gods are the kind of people who’d waste resources. If they’ve got them like this it’s because they get something out of it.”
He banged one of the lids, trying to wake the person inside, but there was no way he could. He tried with several others, searching for Maruk.
“And that disc they all have attached to their foreheads?” Kyra asked.
Ikai stopped to look at a woman in one of the pods. She was very pale and extremely thin. He studied the crystalline disc on her forehead. It left a very unpleasant impression on him, but he chose to say nothing to his sister.
He gestured toward the way out. “Maruk isn’t here. Let’s keep looking.”
They left the chamber through a tunnel which led them to another, similar chamber. It too was full of pods. Maruk was not there either. They went into a third chamber and came face to face with a patrol of three Executors. Kyra and Ikai stopped dead, and it took the Executors a second to react. Kyra took advantage of their confusion and used her Power on impulse, hurling two of the Enforcers against the ceiling. Ikai drew his knife and sword and faced the third. He would not have time to use the disc. The two Executors hit the floor with brutal force in the same spot where they had been a moment before. They did not get back up. Ikai blocked the Executor’s spear with his knife and buried his sword in his neck with a lightning stroke. The Executor stepped back but did not fall. Ikai was readying himself to strike again when Kyra hurled his opponent against the ceiling.
He turned to his sister. “I already had him.”
She bowed her head and smiled, then brought her hand down. The Executor crashed on to the floor.
“I’ve learnt not just to lift them or hurl them around but also to aim them. I like that. They get such a shock they don’t even cry out.”
Ikai rolled his eyes.
“You should try it sometime, it’s most effective.”
He sighed. “I wish I could, but I don’t even get the chance to use the disc, much less use it like that… It takes me an eternity to concentrate so I can use it.”
She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’ll learn.”
They went through all the chambers of the first level, a great deal more carefully. They did not find Maruk. What they did find was chamber after chamber filled with pods with people in that same comatose state, all of them with a disc attached to their foreheads.
“We’ll have to go down to the lower levels,” Ikai said resignedly.
“Come on, then. We’ll find him.”
They followed a long, narrow tunnel. After several twists and turns it opened into a triangular hall which they both recognized. The floor of the chamber was black, and a rectangular monolith twelve feet tall rose in the center. The strange hum that came from it told them it was active.
“Do you think you can operate it?” Ikai asked.
She shrugged. “We’ll have to try.”
Ikai made way for her. She stretched out her arm and placed her hand on the night-black surface of the artifact of the Gods. Nothing happened. She concentrated, trying to bring her Power to bear. Nothing.
“Use Adamis’s disc,” he suggested.
She did so, and on the third attempt the monolith let out a flash which lit up the whole chamber.
“I got it!” she cried in triumph.
“It looks as though you need the disc to activate objects of the Gods,” he said thoughtfully. “Your power isn’t enough.”
Kyra nodded. She was annoyed. “A pity….”
The floor lost its black color and turned crystalline. And as she had expected, they were able to see the floor below, as if ceiling and walls had turned into crystal.
“What’s happening?” Ikai asked restlessly.
“Take a good look. We’re going to see the whole lower level, all of it.”
“It’s a labyrinth,” he said in wonder. “With dozens of chambers connected by tunnels.”
“And they’re filled with pods. There must be thousands of them…”
The floor vibrated. “We’re going down, don’t worry.”
They began their descent to the lower levels. As they went down they discovered that the horror was repeated on each sub-level: dozens of chambers with hundreds of pods in them. They went down five sub-levels more before they stopped at the deepest.
“This place is a nightmare,” Ikai said.
Kyra, who had lived through all this before, snorted in disgust.
“I thought I’d never see that horror again. But I have an awful feeling that this is going to be even worse. They have thousands of our people in here, filling those pods, and it can’t be for anything good.”
“This explains why there wasn’t a single young person in the whole Boundary. They’ve got all of them here.”
“Let’s find Maruk and find out what’s going on here. That scum Asu is planning something horrible. I can feel it in my gut.”
The last floor was a single huge chamber. Before them more than a thousand pods were lined up in rows of ten. Between them was a long corridor, and in the middle a red monolith. They started toward it, eyes wide, looking between the pods, all their senses alert. Kyra walked with her throwing dagger in her right hand and Adamis’s disc in her left, Ikai, sword in his right hand and disc in his left, walked behind. The chamber was completely silent except for the strange hum which came from the pods. It was as though they were in a beehive.
When they were ten paces from the monolith, Maruk appeared suddenly in front of the artifact.
“Maruk!” Ikai cried.
With eyes filled with terror Maruk cried: “No!” and raised his hand to block their way.
Kyra and Ikai stopped.
A figure appeared from behind the monolith and laid a hand on Maruk’s shoulder. A golden hand.
Welcome. I was expecting you, the God said with a triumphant smile.
Kyra raised her hand to the back of her neck. It was the God who had attacked her in the temple.
“You!”
Yes, me. Now give me the weapons and the discs.
Kyra glanced at Ikai. Fight or surrender?
A thundering on the floor, like an earthquake, told them what was approaching. From among the pods a hundred executors appeared and surrounded them.
Surrender. I shall not repeat that.
Kyra and Ikai exchanged a glance, then let their weapons and discs fall to the floor.
Chapter 20
Adamis gazed up at the night sky. It was clear, with barely a light breeze in that section of the Second ring. His right leg hurt. I wish I could say I am already used to something suddenly hurting, but the fact is, I cannot get used to it. He rubbed his leg, although he knew it would be useless. These were certainly not the best conditions for a secret mission into the house of his hated enemy, but unfortunately he had to take the risk. If Sormacus’s information was correct, something important was to happen that night, and he needed to find out what it was.
He used his Power, and a near-transparent mist issued from his body. He blended into it and passed over the high walls of the Prince of Fire’s palace. The gardens were closely watched, with Custodians every ten paces, but in that form he was invisible to the eyes of the Enforcers. The gardens were decorated for the party in scarlet and gold. He passed by a fountain of fire surrounded by three incandescent rings, where servants were erecting golden awnings. At the far end, in another, more elevated garden, was a waterfall of lava which fell into a lake of magma. The image of the burning liquid falling with its golden radiance against the background of the night was beautiful. Beautiful and dangerous. Do not forget where you are.
He moved on toward the eastern wing of the great palace.
He could now hear the guests arriving at the party. They came to the regal entrance, shaped like the mouth of a giant nightmare beast, in elaborate carriages that appeared to burn as they moved. Adamis knew they belonged to the nobles of the House of the Second Ring. The fame of Asu’s parties was well-known. The term “magnificent” was one often used to describe them. On one occasion Adamis had been invited, and he could bear witness to the fact that he had never been to any other party to rival it in luxury, extravagance, lust and the squandering of wealth. Asu was a pompous imbecile who boasted of his position and power whenever he had the chance, in the most ostentatious possible way. Unfortunately he was as dangerous and insane as he was vain, and that was bad for everybody.
He could now hear the sound of music coming from the hall. It was mingled with the insincere laughter of the guests as they were announced at the entrance and greeted acquaintances. The parties of the nobles and the powerful families of each house were spectacular, not just in their ostentation and waste but in their falsehood and gossip. And above all, they were the stage where the deeply dangerous game of politics was played out. Every one of those present had a goal in mind: to avoid losing their social position, and to seek to climb the House’s pyramid of power. Political backstabbing while smiling in one another’s faces was a constant. But this became truly lethal when it occurred between members of different Houses. The parties attended by members of the different Houses were fertile soil for espionage, intrigue and political maneuvering. The fact is that I do not miss this whole false world of plots and counterplots. From what Sormacus had been able to gather from his sources, a group from another House was to attend this party. Someone important, whom Asu seemed intent on pleasing. They had to find out why.
A few steps short of the wall, Adamis was forced to stop. The building was surrounded by Asu’s personal guard. These were not Custodians but Warrior-Gods, and they were huge. There were around a hundred of them. What was worse, there were also several Lords on guard duty: powerful Lords who posed a serious problem, as they could pick up his Power. The bloody paranoiac. If he was found out he would be in serious trouble. Confronting them was not an option; they would sound the alarm and half the ring would appear in the blink of an eye. In addition, this was a spying mission, and if the alarm were raised he would not get the information he was searching for.
He examined the structure of the palace, searching for somewhere he could enter by without being detected. All of a sudden the walls began to burn, as if the palace had caught fire, with intense red-orange flames. Yet the Warrior-Gods remained at their posts, unflinching. Adamis snorted. This is another of Asu’s frivolities, to impress his guests. Unfortunately the display made it more difficult for him to slip into the palace. I hope my partner in crime is luckier, he thought as he went around the building, looking for some other way in.
Ariadne went into Asu’s palace through one of the many lesser entrances behind the grandiose building. The Commoners had to use that entrance, while the nobles and guests used the main one. She saluted the Warrior-Gods on duty by the great doors with a slight nod and went in, gazing humbly at the floor as she went. She had to be very careful, since as a Healer of the Fifth Ring, the House of Water, she was pretending to be a Healer of the House of Fire. Should she be discovered, she would be accused of espionage and would end up in prison, or dead. Most likely dead, bearing in mind the cruelty of the leaders of the House of Fire.
The Warrior-Gods did not react to her salute, they simply remained on watch, like imposing golden statues. In fact they did not worry her too much. The Warriors were not capable of picking up the essence of Power of a Golden, nor were they particularly intelligent in general, so that for the moment she was safe. But a powerful noble was a very different matter, and there would be many of them at that party.
She passed a mirror stretching from wall to wall and took a surreptitious glance at herself. She was wearing a low-necked red gown embroidered in black, with a simple necklace in the form of a plain silver chain from which a single pearl hung. She herself thought the outfit was beautiful. She barely recognized the image the mirror showed her, although compared to the gowns the nobility wore it was discreet and of very ordinary quality.
She went into a great hall where the guests were enjoying the best and tastiest food imaginable, accompanied by delicious elixirs, most of them alcoholic, in many colors and fruity flavors. She glanced quickly around and counted more than a hundred guests in that great over-decorated hall, most of them belonging to the House of Fire and the nobility. She felt suddenly nervous, and there was a queasiness in her stomach. She took three deep breaths, trying to restore her calm. There were several thousand Golden in the Second Ring who in all likelihood did not all know each other. There was no reason why they should recognize a healer of the commoners like her. In any case the nobles rarely took any notice of the commons, even those of their own House. But even so, she was nervous.
She went over to one of the tables where servants were busy preparing drinks with exquisite care, taking a good look at the hall and the guests. There was luxury everywhere around her, from the curtains of the finest silks to the gold-embroidered cushions, not forgetting the spectacular gowns of the ladies of the nobility. She must not allow herself to become dazzled by so much splendor, she was there to obtain information and so she would. She looked around for Asu, but could not see him. She had to find him.
“I do not think I have had the pleasure,” came the sudden mental message from someone close by. Ariadne turned slowly, her body tense. Beside her was a nobleman of the House of Fire, and his orange-crimson eyes were fixed on her.
“My Lord?” Ariadne said demurely, eying the Golden who had spoken to her. He was young and handsome, and radiated great power. He wore a luxurious red tunic with exquisite golden embroidery.
“I believe we have not been introduced. I would remember your beauty.”
Ariadne forced herself to smile engagingly. “You are right, my lord,” she said, lowering her gaze. “We have not been introduced.”
“We must right this wrong,” the nobleman said with a charming smile. “I am Lord Erre, first cousin of His Royal Highness Prince Asu.” He paused, waiting for Ariadne’s reaction to his high social position.
The Healer cursed her bad luck. At once she bowed elaborately. “It is an honor, my Lord.”
“The honor is all mine,” said he, watching her with growing interest. “A beauty out of the ordinary. I believe I am very much taken.” He took her hand gently.
She glanced aside. “You are making me blush, my Lord.” To her utter surprise she had indeed blushed.
“You have the hands of a Commoner,” he said.
Ariadne could not breathe for fear. If he should examine her Power, he would certainly find her out.
“What class do you belong to?”
“I am a Healer, my Lord.”
“Ah! An honorable profession. Giving away one’s own Power to heal and alleviate the pain of others. I have always admired that, it is deeply selfless. Doing good by donating Power shortens life greatly. I must admit that I am not sure whether I could do it myself. It requires someone very special. Well done.”
“You are most obliging,” she said. “I am sure you too would do it, but you have far more important obligations. She hoped he would leave her alone. Of all the ladies at the party, why had he noticed her? It put her in danger; already a multitude of eyes was fixed on them. For a Noble of such high birth to show interest in a commoner was almost unthinkable. All she wanted was that he would leave her in peace so that she could lose herself among the guests and go on with her mission. But for some reason her wish was not to be granted.
“You have not told me your name…”
“Oh, forgive me, my name is…Ariela,” she lied.
“Delighted to meet you, Ariadne. Would you like something to drink? A blue elixir, perhaps?” He waved to one of the servants.
“No thank you, Healers must not drin
k; we never know when we might be needed.”
“Ah, that is true. How clumsy of me. I am not used to dealing with Healers.”
Nor with Commoners, Ariadne wanted to say, but she held back.
“Everybody to the hemicycle! Come, you will not want to miss the show!” Asu’s mental message reached her with such power that it burnt the mind. She half-closed her eyes and protected her mind.
“It would seem that the Prince demands his guests’ attention,” Lord Erre said, and offered her his arm. She took it (in the circumstances she could hardly refuse him) and went with him to a round hall in the form of an amphitheater. The upper floor, where they were, was a great round grandstand where everyone sought places to watch the event. Below, in the lower tier, was a great metallic cage on the floor of red marble with white veins. Guards surrounded the cage completely. In the middle was a very tall, massively-built slave. His upper body was protected by a coat of chain-mail, and his muscular arms and legs were protected by protective guards of steel. On his head was a helmet without a visor. The door of the cage opened, and another warrior went in. This one’s skin was green, and he was much thinner and wirier. He carried a long knife and a short axe and wore leather armor on his torso.
Ariadne was afraid of what was about to happen. “They are not going to make them fight, are they?”
Lord Erre looked at her in surprise. “Yes, it is one of the Lord of the House’s favorite entertainments. He calls them “slave fights”. And they are to the death.”
She could not hide her distaste. “To the death! I cannot believe it!”
“You are not in the habit of attending the parties of court members, do I gather?”
She swallowed. “No, I am nothing more than a simple healer. Commoners are not usually invited to the parties of the nobility …”
“True. Very true. It is rarely done in my House… But my dear cousin Asu loves to be magnanimous and invite a few Commoners to his extravagant parties.” He gave her an odd smile. “He loves to give cause for admiration.”