by Pedro Urvi
Ikai could not take his eyes off Albana. Having her with him after all this time apart filled his heart with an immense joy, and at the same time with worry about the dangers they faced. He was perfectly aware that nobody was more able than Albana at looking after herself, but he could not avoid worrying every time she faced an Enforcer.
“Clear,” Kyra said after combing the area.
Albana came back a moment later. “The whole area’s free of Enforcers. The Dungeons are ours.”
“Fine,” Ikai said. “Now we have to save those poor souls in the pods.”
“Shouldn’t we free the city first?” Kyra asked. “It wouldn’t do to be found out, and for them to suspect something’s wrong so that a thousand Executors suddenly fell on us ...”
“There’s only three of us,” Ikai said doubtfully.
Albana nodded. “For the three of us to go out into the streets and take on the Enforcers would be too risky. There must be hundreds of them in the city, and if the alarm’s sounded they’ll all be on top of us.”
“We wouldn’t be able to manage against all of them,” said Ikai, who was already trying to think of an alternative.
“But I know how to fix this problem,” Albana said. “I’ve done it before. I’ll need an assistant, though.” She eyed him mischievously.
“All right then, you can count on me. Kyra, you watch the Erudite. Don’t kill him. We need him alive to save the people in the pods.”
“And if he tries anything…”
Ikai shook his head. “Just don’t kill him, we need him. Please.”
“All right,” Kyra said. Her shoulders sagged.
It was midnight when there came a deafening noise in the main square of the capital. It rose to the sky and spread throughout the streets of the city. The Great Monolith of the Gods had fallen. Albana winked at Ikai and smiled. The mission of sabotage and destruction had been a success.
“You’re wonderful,” he said, and kissed her.
She smiled broadly. “Hmm, I like it. I’ll have to plan a few more secret missions just so that you kiss me like that.”
“You know I’ll kiss you anyway, mission or no mission.”
“That kiss had an extra charge of emotion in it.”
“Don’t know why you say things like that. I always kiss you with all my heart.”
“I know, silly, but I like to make you blush.”
“But why?”
“I like messing with you,” she replied. Her smile turned mischievous.
“One day you’re going to drive me crazy. You’re impossible.”
Albana laughed and kissed him again, with all her heart. “I love you.”
“And I love you too.”
“Because I destroy monoliths and kiss so well?”
“Yes, exactly because of that,” he said with a smile. He stroked her cheek. “Come on, let’s get back before Kyra loses her patience with the Erudite.”
Two Executors appeared in the square. Ikai tensed and Albana drew her two daggers, but the Executors passed them by without noticing them. They walked aimlessly, looking up at the moon, lost.
“It worked,” Albana said. “Without the Monolith they’re harmless.”
“Let’s go back.”
They found Kyra on the last level of the Dungeons. She had a dagger in her hand and was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed. In front of her the Erudite was tied to the monolith. Kyra’s protective sphere was raised.
“Kyra…”
“Take it easy, brother, we’re playing a game of truth or death.”
“I love that game,” Albana said.
“What game is this?” Ikai asked. He had the feeling that they were both making it up.
“It’s a very simple game. I ask a question and he answers. He can choose between truth and death.”
Ikai looked at his sister in puzzlement. “And who decides whether or not he’s told the truth?”
“I do, of course.”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course. This is going to end well, for sure.”
The Erudite stared blankly at them. His face showed the terror he was feeling.
“I don’t think he relishes being a prisoner in the hands of slaves,” Albana said. She was toying with one of her black daggers.
“Do you like the idea?” Kyra asked him.
No…No… the Erudite replied.
“Good. He’s told the truth. I believe he’s beginning to understand the game. Tell me: how is it that a couple of Gods have got their hands dirty coming all the way here?”
The Erudite hesitated. I… I should not…it is top secret.
“Oh yes, you should, believe me,” Kyra assured him.
Prince Asu will kill me if I speak, he muttered.
“And what do you think I’m going to do to you myself?” said Kyra. “And I’m here and itching to tear your guts out.”
The Golden trembled. All right then…Prince Asu sent us himself…
The three exchanged puzzled looks. “Why? He already has his Enforcers to do the dirty work.”
This is a very important job… He sent Lord Beru to direct the operation himself. And he sent me to ensure that the extraction was done with all guarantees. Only an Erudite with advanced knowledge can handle the monolith and operate the pods correctly. The Enforcers would not be capable of it. They lack the necessary intellect. He raised his head.
“Don’t get all haughty with me, or else I’ll carve that “intellect” of yours out of your head,” Kyra threatened, and the Erudite cringed in terror.
Albana tilted her head inquiringly. “And there’s something else you’re not telling us, isn’t there?”
I… well… it is a rumor…
Albana motioned him to go on speaking. “Tell us more.”
It is said… that Prince Asu…. is doing all this behind the back of the High King, his father.
The three looked at each other again, this time with concern.
“That’s very serious… how did he dare?”
The Prince has his own plans…the Erudite said, and fell silent, as though he had committed an act of treason.
“That’s interesting,” Albana said. “Very, very interesting …”
Ikai stepped in at this point. “How do we take all those people out of the pods without them losing their lives in the process?”
The Erudite thought before answering. I can do it. I can bring them out of the state they are in and revive them. But in exchange I beg you to spare my life.
Kyra stepped forward and put the dagger against his eye.
“Kyra, stop it,” Ikai said.
“We’re not negotiating with this murderer. He’s already killed hundreds of people.”
Ikai crouched down beside the Erudite. “If you revive them and help us get them out of here, I’ll spare your life.”
“Ikai, don’t!” Kyra protested.
“But if you betray us and anything happens to them, I’ll let my sister cut you into little pieces.”
“That’s better,” she said.
It… will not be… necessary. I will help you… I will free them. They will all come out alive.
“They’d better,” Kyra said fiercely. She mimicked cutting his throat.
They untied the Erudite and allowed him to set to work. Albana and Kyra did not take their eyes off him. Erudite or not, he was a Golden, and this made him dangerous, But the God was so terrified he did not even glance at them. Instead he concentrated on manipulating the monolith or “fountain of knowledge” as he called it. It took him some time to calibrate it and prepare the process. They had not meant to revive the prisoners, so the process for doing so had not been foreseen. He had to create it from scratch. Kyra raged and cursed, and Albana had to calm her. The Gods never wasted an ounce of energy or power on something they had no intention of using, and this was just another example of it. Unfortunately.
Finally, after hours and hours of work, the Erudite announced he was ready to begin the process. I
kai moved closer to him.
“For your own good, I hope you don’t fail. I won’t be able to stop them” ‒ he gestured towards the two women ‒ “if you do.”
I…I will try with one person first. And if it is a success I will proceed with the rest, he said, and went to check the nearest pod on his right.
“I think that’s a very sensible idea.” Ikai agreed.
“Inside that pod there’s a human being,” Kyra said threateningly. “A good person who had never done any harm. You’d better get her out of there alive.”
The Erudite shot her a glance, then looked away. Albana smiled at the sight of the Golden in terror. She winked at Kyra, who nodded. The Erudite activated the process. The Monolith flashed, and in that first pod the process of revival began. Fortunately for all, the experiment was a success. The first person recovered. It was a young woman. They helped her out; she was weak and shivering with cold, and they covered her with a blanket.
“We’re going to need help,” Ikai said when he saw the state she was in.
“I’ll deal with it,” Albana said, and left.
The Erudite began to revive the remainder of the people in the last floor. Ikai and Kyra helped them out of the pods and tended to them. After a while Albana reappeared with a hundred elderly men and women carrying blankets, water and food.
“I spread the word around. We’ll soon have a thousand people to help us.”
“That’s great!” Ikai said. His admiration for Albana grew day by day. Whatever she set her mind to, she managed to accomplish one way or another, however difficult or hard the task.
“I’m going back to the surface, to organize everybody,” she said, and disappeared again.
The brunette remained on the surface assembling a human chain of help and organizing provisions and supplies. Before she realized, there were more than two thousand volunteers ready to do whatever was needed to help. Ikai took charge of organizing things inside, keeping a close eye on the recovery of the unfortunate prisoners they were liberating from the pods, and making sure someone was assigned to help each one of them. Kyra meanwhile watched over the Erudite as if she were his shadow. It took them four days and nights to free and evacuate all the people.
At nightfall on the fifth day Kyra, Albana and Ikai were having something to eat around an improvised camp fire in the middle of the gardens, above the Dungeons of Oblivion, They were utterly exhausted, and had simply dropped down there. None of them spoke. They were eating the food that had been provided for them and drinking fresh water from a jug which a kind old lady had brought them.
Ikai turned to several old people who were hovering nearby, trying to serve them.
“Don’t worry about us. Make sure everybody’s looked after and find them somewhere to stay in the city. Let them rest and recover before they set out for their own villages.”
The old people protested, since they wanted to thank the three for all they had done for them, but Ikai insisted. In the end he succeeded in convincing them, and they left.
“You’re a good man,” Kyra told him.
Albana smiled. “The best in the world.”
Ikai blushed. “It’s the most sensible thing. We can manage.”
Albana crawled across to him and kissed him on the cheek. “I wouldn’t change you for anything.”
“I wouldn’t change you either.”
They kissed as if they had just realized how much they loved each other.
Kyra tilted her head. “Hey, you’re not alone,” she joked. “Behave yourselves.”
Albana and Ikai laughed. The three shared a moment of affection and camaraderie, sitting by the fire with the moon shining in the sky and a gentle breeze caressing their hair and faces. They enjoyed letting their tired bodies relax, forgetting how sore they were, as if this were a night to enjoy and forget all their woes.
Ikai fell asleep with a piece of bread in one hand and a slice of cheese in the other. Albana covered him with a blanket, kissed his forehead and went to sit beside Kyra.
“What news of Adamis?” she asked.
“Nothing… and I’m worried. Have you heard from him?”
“No. Nothing. But if he hasn’t got in touch, he’s not in danger. That’s what we all agreed.”
“Yes, but he won’t get in touch even if he is in danger. I know him well. He won’t want to endanger us. He’d rather sacrifice himself, the idiot. And knowing that is eating me away inside.”
“That does him credit. It’s very noble of him.”
“He’s an idiot.”
Albana smiled at Kyra and hugged her. “Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s all right.”
“He’d better be, or else he’ll have me to contend with,” Kyra said sulkily, and threw her piece of bread into the fire.
The two friends fell asleep leaning against each other. They were all so tired that they slept well into the morning. Neither the sun, nor the singing of birds, nor the last elderly people leaving the walled precinct woke them. At last Ikai managed to open his eyes and went to see if there was anybody left inside to evacuate. He found no one. Everybody had gone to safety. He felt an immense relief.
Albana went to check the warehouses beside the dungeon entrance to see if she could find more food and blankets to take to the people they had freed. Kyra woke up and went to check whether their prisoner was still in the same place. They had locked him up in the last sub-level under threat of cutting him to pieces if he tried to reach the surface. Imprisoning a God was a complicated business, but if you scared him enough it was not impossible. She found him by the monolith; he had not moved at all.
Ikai was gazing up at the blue sky, wondering what their next move should be now that they had freed all the Boundaries, when Albana came out of a huge building she had been inspecting.
“You’d better come and see this,” she said, her face grave.
Kyra and Ikai hurried to follow her. In the half-light they found hundreds of crates perfectly stored, ready to be transported.
“It’s a huge warehouse…” Ikai said.
“They’ll have food stored,” said Kyra. “That’ll come in very handy.”
Albana shook her head. She pointed to a crate she had opened. The other two looked inside.
“By Oxatsi!” cried Kyra.
“It’s filled with charged discs!” said Ikai. He picked up one and examined it.
Albana opened several more crates. “They’re all full,” she said hoarsely.
Ikai was looking towards the far end of the huge warehouse filled with crates. “I can’t believe it!”
“If all those crates are full,” Kyra said, holding her head in her hands, “that means thousands of discs.”
“Imagine what Asu could do with all this,” Albana said.
“That must be his plan.” Ikai half-closed his eyes. “With all these discs he could launch a war against everybody: men and Golden.”
“If he wins,” said Kyra, “he’ll put all of us in pods to squeeze our lives out of us and get hold of more discs. We’d never see the light of day again.”
“There can’t be any doubt about it,” Albana agreed. “This technology changes things completely.”
“Do you think he’d dare start a war?” Ikai asked, without much hope of getting a negative answer.
Albana nodded. “With those discs there’d be no stopping him. His soldiers would be able to fight all day and replenish the energy they’d consumed without any fear of shortening their lifespan. A Golden’s greatest fear is of growing old. That’s what holds them back when it comes to using their Power. With the discs, their soldiers would go out to fight with nothing to fear, using all their Power. The other Golden won’t do it. They won’t be able to balance the explosion of Power they’ll be hit with, and for that reason they’ll lose.”
“But they’ll fight with all their might when they see that’s what the others are doing,” said Kyra.
“But by the time they do, it’ll be too late. Asu and his troops w
ill hit them by surprise and with all their Power. Full blast. And they’ll be able to do that for as long as they want. All they have to do is use the Discs, so as not to lose life.”
Ikai was deeply concerned. “Yes, I can see that …”
“And the worst thing is… these discs will make Asu immortal. He’ll live forever.”
Kyra raised her fist. “Nonsense. His days are numbered. I’ll cut his head off.”
“Count on me!” Albana said, and winked.
Ikai was looking thoughtful. “I need the Erudite, I want to ask him something.”
“I’ll bring him,” Kyra said, and came back with the Erudite. His golden face had turned very pale, and there was fear in his eyes. He walked with bent head, dragging his feet. He no longer looked like a God.
Ikai gestured at the open crate. “Why didn’t you tell us about this before?”
You did not ask… he replied, eying Kyra. I told the truth about everything you asked me, he added in haste.
“Are there more discs than this?” Ikai asked.
No, these are all there are.
“How many have you already sent to Asu?”
A few crates, to be tested among his own faithful.
“You mean to say we’ve got all the discs here that have been harvested?”
Yes. These are all there are.
“Why are they here, and why haven’t they already been sent?”
They were going to be sent when the moment was right. Prince Asu will send someone he trusts to pick them up. There are many spies inside and outside the House, and the Prince does not want to risk his secret being discovered.