by Pedro Urvi
“Cross now, Mother.”
“Where are you taking us?”
Adamis took her hand and smiled. “To a secret place, to try something impossible.”
And they went through the Portal. Adamis’s last thought before leaving Alantres forever was of Notaplo. Thank you, my old friend.
Chapter 38
Kyra stared out desolately at the battlefield. Thousands upon thousands of men and women of all five races had lost their lives. In the midst of the clamor of the fighting she had not realized how many casualties they had suffered. At the sight of the plain in front of the New Shelter, covered in corpses, her soul wept.
Albana tried to cheer her up. “You have to just think that we’ve won.”
“I do, but the price we’ve paid is overwhelming.”
Albana nodded. “It makes your heart sink, I know. But nobody thought we’d be able to defeat the Golden, and we did. The slaves have defeated the all-powerful Gods.”
“Thousands have sacrificed themselves so that we could make it.”
“And that makes them real heroes. They knew most of them wouldn’t survive, and yet not one of them stepped back.”
Tears filled Kyra’s eyes. “I know, we owe them our freedom.”
“And we’ll always remember that.”
The two friends embraced.
Ikai, who was organizing the transport of the wounded, came over to where they were standing.
“I’ve spoken with the leaders of each People, those who have survived. We’re organizing the care of the wounded and the search for supplies. Night will fall soon, and we need blankets and food.”
All of a sudden Kyra’s bracelet began to flash. They watched an image taking shape before them amid a mist. A moment later Kyra recognized who it was.
“Adamis! Are you all right, my love?”
Yes. Do not worry, little shrew, the new High King of Ether said. And how are you all? he asked with real concern.
“We survived. With massive casualties, but we defeated the army sent by the Golden.”
Adamis stared at her in astonishment. You defeated them? That … it is … incredible. You never cease to amaze me.
“I’ll tell you everything when we’re together. When will I see you?”
Adamis’s face turned somber. Well, my love, the situation is very complicated. That is why I am communicating with you.
“What’s happening?”
Are Ikai and Albana with you?
“Yes, we’re here.”
Good. I will explain what has happened.
He went on to tell them everything he had been through: the war between the Houses, the betrayals, the death of the High Kings, the fall of all the Houses, the appearance of the House of Hila and the triumph of the House of Fire. Then he explained what Aruma and the Children of Arutan had done.
Kyra shook her head, unable to believe what he was telling them. “It’s impossible!”
Ikai was equally shocked. “What they’ve done is completely insane.”
“I can’t believe they’ve gone so far with their radical ideals.”
Believe me. They are going to kill all the Golden and create a new Rebirth.
“But Aruma would never betray us, she’s our friend. She helped us. We defeated the army of the Golden thanks to her and her weapons.”
Yes, but she follows her own goals, and nothing is going to stop her. The poisonous cloud has spread over the whole Eternal City. No Golden is going to survive. It continues expanding as we speak. It is on its way to the mainland and will soon reach you.
Kyra shook her head vigorously. “I refuse to believe it. It can’t be, she’s not crazy enough to do anything like that.”
“Do we need to be afraid of this cloud?” Albana asked.
No, it only affects the Golden.
Kyra suddenly realized what he was saying. “And you?” she cried. “Tell me you haven’t been infected. Tell me you’re at a safe distance from it. You are, right?”
Adamis shook his head slowly. We are all infected. We will die tomorrow evening.
“Nooooo! Nooooo!” Kyra cried in despair, and burst into passionate weeping. “I can’t lose you a second time! Noooooo!”
“There must be something we can do,” Ikai said.
Thank you, Ikai… I do not think so…
Albana narrowed her eyes. “You said it yourself, we’re unbelievable, we have to be able to do something. We’ll help you in any way we can.”
I have a plan…
“A plan?” Kyra stopped weeping at the prospect of new hope.
Yes. It is crazy, but we are going to try…
“We…?”
Yes. I have taken all the poisoned refugees to a secret temple. We are all there now.
“We’ll help you,” Kyra said eagerly.
It is not safe for you. The Golden are still at war.
“I don’t care, we’ll help you!” Kyra insisted. And Ikai nodded. “Of course we will.”
“You need us,” Albana added.
Finally Adamis gave in. Very well… I will send you the location of the secret temple I am in. Bring out the map I gave you.
The three used their discs, and Adamis marked the place. He gave them the combination of runes needed to activate the portal and reach the temple.
“What is this secret temple?” Ikai asked.
It is the secret Hibernation Chamber of the Five High Kings.
It took them all night to reach the secret temple. They finally arrived at dawn after making part of the journey on foot, part of it using the Golden Portals. It took them some time to recalibrate the last of these so that it would lead them to Adamis. The Five High Kings had made sure that the combination of runes needed to reach the place could never be activated by accident. It was three times more complicated than that of a normal leap to another temple.
They emerged from the portal in the underground temple and went forward into a strange ante-chamber. The room was round, with shining black walls. The ceiling, also black as night, was carved with an unknown constellation, which shone brightly as if they were outside looking up at the night sky. Inside they found a great round door, sealed from the other side. The door was full of Golden symbols, and in the center was a strange round gap, like a keyhole.
Ikai bent close to it. “A big disc or a round jewel would fit in here…”
Kyra pointed to the center of the chamber. “Look, how strange…”
A marble dais dominated the chamber. On it two large squares were carved: one decorated in gold, the other in silver.
“It looks like an altar,” Ikai said.
Albana took a closer look at it. “It looks as though it was made to fit two large books.” She closed her eyes and concentrated. “I feel Power. It’s imbued with Power. It has some specific purpose.”
Suddenly the round door opened.
It is to shut this chamber, came a friendly voice.
“Adamis! My love!” Kyra hurled herself into the Golden’s arms with such impetus that he felt an intense pain in his side.
Argh…
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was so looking forward to seeing you,” she murmured, and smothered him with kisses and caresses.
Adamis smiled. It has been a long time without seeing you, little shrew. Too long.
The two lovers fused into an embrace so deep and intense that it looked as if it would swallow them up, body and soul. Ikai and Albana shared in the joy of the reunion. Then Adamis hugged them both fondly. They exchanged hugs and greetings, like true friends and comrades. For a moment the suffering, the war, death, everything, was left behind them and the four young people enjoyed the happiness of meeting again after such a long time and so many tribulations. Kyra and Adamis embraced again and devoured each other with eyes filled with passion. It took them some time to break away from each other. Neither wanted to leave the other’s arms.
Adamis led them to the inner chamber through a long narrow corridor.
T
his is the Hibernation Chamber, he announced.
And what they saw left them speechless. The chamber was round and very large. The floor and the ceiling formed two golden rings. The walls were slightly concave, and golden. Floor and ceiling were translucent. A huge transparent golden sphere with Golden symbols carved all along its surface was spinning above a solid silver pedestal, with a purring sound. But if the chamber was surprising, what was going on in it was even more so. A dozen dead Golden lay on one side. With the aid of a Healer one of the Erudites was examining a Golden as he lay on a marble table, still alive.
“Has it already begun?” Kyra asked uneasily.
Adamis made a reassuring gesture. No, these are volunteers.
“For death?” Albana asked in puzzlement.
Erudites and Healers have tried to fight the toxin. They have tried to purge the body, but without success. They have also tried to attack it with the Power, but that turned out to be even more harmful. The more Power the body uses, the faster the toxin spreads through it, killing it in a matter of moments.
“And using Power from outside?” Albana asked. “I mean, not the patient’s?”
You mean another person’s Power?
She nodded.
The toxin divides and multiplies. Every time a Healer tries to heal using his or her Power, the toxin replicates and death comes more quickly.
“Damn you, Aruma! Why?” Kyra muttered.
Ikai pointed to the still-living Golden. “And this one?”
He is alive, but barely. And that gives us hope. Knowing that the toxin and the Power are related, we have tried the process the other way round. We have reduced the use of Power in the body to the minimum, to a thread that holds on to life, nothing more. He is alive, but his body is not functioning. Erudites and Healers have established that in this state the advance of the toxin is almost stopped. Their conclusion is that it spreads via the use of the Power our bodies create.
“Fascinating,” said Albana.
“Twisted and insane,” Kyra protested.
“That’s why it only affects the Golden, not men,” said Ikai.
Exactly.
“What have you thought of doing?” Kyra asked.
Adamis told them the plan: The idea came to me when my father revealed his secrets to me during his final moments. You see, the Five High Kings built this chamber to develop the technology of hibernation. They succeeded in the end. The chamber, I am told, is completely functional. More than that, it is so big that it has room for all the refugees.
“I don’t understand what you want to do,” said Kyra.
There is no antidote for Aruma’s poison. We will all die when the sun sets today. The toxin is already spreading through our bodies…
Ikai interrupted him: “But in hibernation… you slow down the advance of the poison…” He looked at the Golden patient, realizing what Adamis meant to do.
That is the idea. Hibernation slows down all the bodily functions until they almost cease altogether. It is as if the body were switched off. Time, in terms of the body, practically stops. And the same thing happens to the Power the body consumes, it reduces it to the minimum that can sustain it.
Albana nodded. “In that case the toxin will stop spreading at the present rate and change to an almost imperceptible one. It might work…”
“But until when?” Kyra asked.
Adamis sighed. The Erudites have assured me that all natural toxins die with the passage of time. We only need to wait for long enough for that to happen. They are working on a way of measuring it. As long as there is still venom in the body, hibernation will continue. When the measuring device registers that no trace of the toxin is left, hibernation can be stopped and those asleep can be wakened.
“How long?” Kyra asked again.
I am afraid it will be a long time… Adamis said. His voice sounded defeated.
“How long?” Kyra insisted, her gaze steady.
As far as they have been able to study the toxin and its longevity, bearing in mind the way it works on our bodies, it will take about three thousand years to die out.
Kyra stepped back as if she had been hit with a club. “Three thousand years! We’ll all have died, everything will have died!”
Adamis nodded. The toxin has a long life, Aruma has ensured that nobody will be able to outlive it. When the body is in hibernation the whole process is slowed, so that the lifetime of the toxin is lengthened as well. Unfortunately the thing which saves us is the same thing which obliges us to wait for so long.
Ikai considered this carefully. “That makes sense. Your plan ought to work. It’s a matter of waiting for the toxin to die during hibernation.”
“For it to die before it kills you,” Albana put in.
It is a crazy idea, I know, Adamis said. But there is no other way, and we have no more time left.
“I’m not going to lose you again!” Kyra cried furiously.
There is no other solution. It is either that, or dying when night falls. The toxin is in my body, it will kill me.
“No! There has to be another way!”
I am sorry, little shrew, but there is not.
Kyra hammered on his chest with her fists, tears running down her cheeks. “I can’t lose you!”
Be strong. As long as you live you will know I am down here with my people, where I belong.
Kyra burst into tears, and he tried to comfort her. They came together in a desperate embrace. Adamis kissed away her tears.
I love you, my little shrew.
“And I love you, with all my soul. That’s why I’m coming with you!”
He stared at her blankly.
“I’m going to hibernate with you!”
Adamis moved a little away from her and stared into her eyes. You cannot! It has only been tested on Golden. We have no idea what effect hibernation would have on your body.
“I’m half-Golden, don’t you forget that. I’m a hybrid with Power.”
Even so, it is too dangerous. I cannot risk your life.
“It’s my decision.”
No, Kyra, not this time. The decision is mine. I decide who hibernates, and the answer is no. I will not risk your life without a reason. You can live a full life here, with your people. He looked at Ikai and Albana, who made no attempt to speak. You can fall in love again, have a family, be happy. You only have to leave me down here, knowing that I will be thinking of you forever.
“Let me come with you, Adamis.”
He shook his head. No. My decision is final.
Kyra protested and cursed furiously, but he remained firm. He would not risk his beloved’s life. Seeing she was not calming down, Albana took her to one side and tried to make her see reason. Adamis looked at Ikai, who nodded gratefully.
“Where are the rest of your people?” he asked the Prince.
Adamis pointed to the floor. Through the crystalline surface they could see the Golden in hibernation. They were floating in the lower chamber in a strange golden substance. The image left him speechless. It looked as though they were sleeping in the midst of a sea of golden water.
They have all gone in now. They did not want to lose a single moment in case the toxin accelerated its working. Only the Erudites remain. He gestured below. Beside the great sphere five Erudites were working tirelessly. Adamis waved at them. Time was running out, and they were finishing their preparations.
They will work until the very last moment. Then they will go into hibernation themselves. They will be the last.
“I see,” said Ikai.
I need you to seal the chamber when you leave. And then secure the temple. Nobody must ever find out that we are down here. Not now, not ever.
“We’ll make sure of that,” Ikai said. “Don’t worry. Nobody will disturb your rest.”
Adamis thanked him warmly. If the hibernation is interrupted, the toxin will continue its advance and we will all die.
“I’ll watch over your sleep.” Albana promised him. “And when
my time comes I’ll make sure that others go on with the task in secret.”
They will help you seal the chamber, Adamis said, and showed them the Three Guardian Priests who were waiting stoically in the shadows, at the end of the chamber.
“Who are they?” Ikai asked.
Guardian Priests, whose mission is to preserve the Tomes of the Sun, the Moon and the Medallion of Shadows which seal this chamber. I will explain everything before I go into hibernation myself, but know that you are not alone, that they will watch and protect the process of hibernation. Thus my father planned it. I have also manipulated the medallion so that the summons, the awakening, will occur when we are free of the toxin, not before.
“Very well.” Ikai was looking closely at the Priests, who with their white hooded robes, hidden in the dark, looked more like spirits of the shadows.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Adamis said with a small bow. I know it is too much to ask you, to ask Men to protect the Golden from extinction, but that is the point we have reached.
“Surely things have turned round,” Kyra said with narrowed eyes. “If it weren’t because you’re going in there yourself…”
“Kyra…” Ikai knew it was her rage talking, not her heart. “We’re not going to commit genocide, nobody’s going to. You have my word of honor, Adamis. The secret of the Golden will be safe with us.”
The new High King of Ether nodded in acknowledgement.
“Who would have guessed it, us saving the Golden,” said Albana. “Fate never ceases to surprise us.”
“Fate, and the actions of Golden and Men,” said Ikai.
Very true, said an arrogant, condescending voice behind them. Although there is still one final surprise that will put things back to where they should be.
They turned, and the blood froze in their veins. In the ante-chamber, on the other side of the corridor, Asu, High King of Fire, was waiting. Beside him, his cousin Lord Erre and Iradu, the Champion of the House of Fire.
Chapter 39
They were watching them from the ante-chamber, in the shadows of the dark hall.
Asu! Adamis cried, and all the muscles in his body tensed.