The elder muttered a few incomprehensible words between his clenched teeth. He went up the stairs and left the house, disappearing into the night. When Nod sensed, with her unfailing star eyes, that Malvizio was far away, she placed herself right before Kolinzio and looked him straight in the eyes:
“My lord, thou art wise and prudent. For this, I know how hard it must have been to hearken to this most foul proposition. Notwithstanding, ‘tis imperative that thou acceptest, even if no one knoweth what lieth behind it. Not even Malvizio knoweth!”
“And what would lie behind this proposition, my lady? What reasons be there to justify such an infamous crime?”
His words resounded with great harshness. The sylphid’s eyes were tinged with a deep pain. Her back was now almost as hunched as Malvizio’s, such was her agony. Her glow was now tainted gray, since the day her dress had become soiled with the Hill’s ashes.
“I understand thy sternness, my lord. I have unleashed evil unto this once green, peaceful world! Oh good Kolinzio, woe is me! I thought I had come to do good towards you, from a dreadful fate to save you! Now, I see I have done naught but doom you even the more! For lo! The once mild-mannered giants into fierce warriors turn! They use the iron I have shewn them, not on armour to protect themselves, but on weapons to slaughter others! All their thoughts are spent on fear from the days to come, and they obsess over them! What fruits can be borne out of all of this, but violence and death? These are not the mortals I came down from heaven to rescue! These giants are not dissimilar to the Higher Sylph, who wage savage war in the heavens since Salem, their queen, hath perished! Did I not come down from heaven to flee such wars? And yet, I find myself thrown into the midst of this conflict!”
At that moment, the star burst into tears. She threw herself towards Kolinzio’s strong chest, and he felt the warmth of her tears against his breast.
“Oh if thou knewest, most gentle Kolinzio, how much I tried to counsel Talizima during the last months of his reign, that he would relent! That he would return to full communion with the Council! That he would make peace! But who can cage a lion, after its chains are broken? Yet I never lost hope! How could I? Till now! Talizima standeth not amongst us, and Skillotz is the new king! His heart, and his brow, are both harder than his father’s! Once his mind is set on his goal, not a thing moveth him! I can read hearts, and this is what I have found: Inside this wretched city, there is no pure heart but thine! Thou alone remainest sane in the midst of all this madness!”
She removed her watery cheeks from Kolinzio’s embrace, and fixed him in her eyes once more. The giant felt the star’s moist and warm breath on his face, as she sobbed more than she spake:
“Thou must become king! Only thou, Kolinzio, only thou mayest end this! Thou must extinguish the fire of fear, violence, and hatred from all of thy brethren’s hearts! Thou mayest shepherd the nephilin back to the Council of Peoples! Thou mayest dissuade them from their furnaces, and fetters, and flails! Under thy rule, thy sceptre, oh worthy king, swords will be turned into ploughshares, and spears into sickles! When thou hast thus succeeded, then we shall find a way to save the logizkal from their fate at the hands of the ophalin… together!”
Nod extended her arm over the table where the cocoon laid, where Malvizio had placed his dagger. This dagger did Nod seize. Then she knelt before Kolinzio, bearing the blade with both her hands, as a servant offering a gift to his master:
“Alas, such may cometh true only if Skillotz perisheth. I have exhausted my mind searching for other ways to accomplish this, to no avail! No choice remaineth, but the shedding of blood! For this sole reason have I deceived Malvizio, so he believeth the blood of a king to be necessary for a ritual, which doth not exist. This cocoon thou seest hither is but an abortion: Nothing will come out of it. Notwithstanding, with Malvizio we may deal at a later date. Always alone hath he been, and so shall he remain. Skillotz, though: Skillotz is much a different matter. Much esteemed is he, and acclaimed by the people he was. He must die! No one but him commandeth as much respect amongst the nephilin as thou, oh Kolinzio! Thou shalt certainly be their next choice; thou shalt surely be acclaimed next! Thou shalt be king, but not before Skillotz is no more!”
They stood silent for long moments. Nod had spent all her words. Kolinzio had not, for he had barely spoken. However, it was as if his words were indeed spent. A silence hummed inside his ears, echoing everything the sylphid had said. For many minutes, Kolinzio digested that silence, and those echoes, and his thoughts. At last, he declared:
“You are right, sylphid. There is no other way. For the sake of all, Skillotz must die. And I become king.”
He so said and accepted the dagger in his hand. She sobbed with relief and once more reclined her head on Kolinzio’s breast. Again, her words were spent. But the young giant kept contemplating the blade: Its celestial iron cried for the blood of a king.
“So… I shall go to Skillotz tomorrow…”
“Yea, so thou must. The best time is the soonest: Skillotz always leaveth his house barely after dawn hath broken. Surely he shall receive thee in his abode. I know how to read the hearts of mortals: I know he still harboureth affection towards thee, though ‘tis covered by his heartbreak for thy vote against the Hill’s despoilment.”
“That shall be my excuse, then. I shall go to him, under the pretext of asking his forgiveness, so we may be friends once more. I shall embrace him as we reconcile. And when we embrace”—Kolinzio gestured bluntly with his dagger, as if he was stabbing the air— “then I shall wound him to death. And he will not harm anyone ever again!”
“Oh great Kolinzio! Hope for a better future hath returned to the mansions of the logizkal-loiffol today. Hail, oh great and future king! Hail, oh our true saviour!”
***
Malvizio did not trust Kolinzio, despite his understanding with Nod. For this reason, Malvizio followed the young giant home. He feared that Kolinzio would flee, or warn someone who would be faithful to Skillotz, so he stood by his doorstep till dawn.
When Carmel-sun was above the line of the horizon, its golden light hurt Malvizio’s eyes, for they were too used to the darkness of his library. This pain broke Malvizio’s sleep. Awakened was he also by a soft creaking of the door’s hinges. Getting up on his feet, the elder saw Kolinzio leaving. Here is also what he saw: Concealed inside the pleats of a mantle of auroch skin, the young giant carried the dagger. Malvizio smiled, for this was proof that Kolinzio had accepted his most gruesome chore… and therefore, had accepted the crown.
“It is time,” Kolinzio confirmed. He went for a few moments to a neighbouring home to give instructions to someone of his kin, whom he asked to attend to his son while he was gone. Malvizio did not hear what was said, neither did he care. Then, Kolinzio and Malvizio both went to Skillotz’s house.
The day was beautiful, the sun radiant. No cloud obscured Carmel’s solar face, though there was a grey halo surrounding the horizon all around, as a noose set by a hunter to ensnare a hare’s paw. It was fitting. These were the thoughts troubling them both as they walked: hunters and prey.
They arrived, just as Skillotz was leaving his home:
“Hail, oh most reverend Malvizio. What brings you here?” Looking sideways to Kolinzio, he added, “And with such interesting company?”
Kolinzio, however, would not await the elder’s answer. He was not bothered by his friend’s scorn, and neither would he stand idly while Malvizio justified him. As the king spake, Kolinzio threw himself to the ground, wallowing and wailing at Skillotz’s feet:
“Oh, my king! I come to your presence to ask you a thousand pardons, for I have sinned against you! There was a time when you needed a friend by your side and you did not find me! You trusted me and I failed you! It is my deepest wish to right this evil. I wish to do so today, before Carmel disappears! Give me a seat once again at your right side and you will no longer regret calling me a friend!”
Skillotz was taken aback by these words. As unexpected a
s they were, though, they were like a balm to his heart, healing very ancient wounds. And he was most joyful, so much he could not contain it:
“Oh my dearest friend, dearest than all of Ophir’s gold and all of Enoch’s iron! I see you and I hear you! And how wonderful it is to see you and hear you once more! A thousand pardons I give you, if you so ask them, but would gladly give you a thousand more! As for you, Malvizio, let not my mind slip away from you: a thousand thanks for you as well! Come! Come into my house! Come and feast from the king’s pantries and cellars!”
As he spake, they were already being pushed into his home. But Kolinzio would not wait for the feast. He kept silent only till he passed the door’s threshold:
“Skillotz, my heart is too burdened for me to delay my intent with small talk or banquets! I said: You have not found a friend in me when you needed him most! Let me then give you advice only a friend would give you, and not a lackey! I said: I have disappointed you when you were most in need! Let me now show myself worthy of your trust! I said: I am going to right the evil I caused you when dark took over our city! Let me right this evil before another moment passes! Hark my words…”
The king stood by to listen, for he was moved by his friend’s zeal. One word, though… one single word in the midst of such a magnificent speech, managed to irritate Skillotz.
“You have my ears, good friend. However, your self-imposed isolation might have shielded you from my newest proclamations. No matter: I shall now instruct you. You shall not address me as ‘Skillotz’ anymore, for such is forbidden. I shall be called Faris-Romil, the second of that lineage amongst the pontiffs of Thebel!”
“I am so sorry, my friend… but I cannot oblige…”
For the second time that day, the king was taken aback. This time, though, not out of a pleasant feeling. His old wounds threatened to reopen. His surprise dumbed his tongue, and allowed Kolinzio to proceed:
“I cannot oblige, for my friendship so compels me. If someone sees his friend walk through a treacherous path, filled with traps and perils, with no other end but a cliff where his friend might trip and fall, can an honourable person say to his friend: ‘Go forth, and do as you please, for I am your friend?’ In like manner my friendship compels me to warn you, for the path you now tread has no other end but a terrible abyss!”
For the second time that day, Kolinzio threw himself to the king’s feet:
“I beseech you, reconcile yourself with the Council of Peoples, and bring Lamech into the Republic’s fold! I beg you, cease the hostilities between us and Ophir! I implore you, renounce the name of Faris-Romil, for you are Skillotz, my friend, the one I grew up with from tender childhood! Withdraw from me if you must, but follow this advice, and you will never regret having called me your friend!”
“I regret so now, even if a few moments ago you assured me such would never happen again!”
“Do you seek proof of my friendship? Here it is! I will give it to you!” As he said this, Kolinzio removed the dagger from his mantle, and placed it before Skillotz, holding the blade with both his hands. “See this dagger? This is the proof of the treacherous path you walk! You fear your destruction at ophalin hands, but destruction is at the hands of those who are most dear to you! Do you know who gave me this dagger? Malvizio did, so that I may slay you, for a weak king he considers you!”
“What a slander!” Malvizio immediately cried. “My lord, surely you do not believe this fooltalk!”
“Nod as well,” Kolinzio proceeded, “the sylphid which brought chaos to our once beautiful lands, for she tempted me with your crown! Do you not believe me? Look closer into the proof I give you! Look upon this iron! It is not just any iron, but celestial iron! Who here could possess celestial iron still unsmelted, but Malvizio and Nod, whom I accuse? As for me, I come to warn you, even if I knew I would incur your wrath!”
And for the third time, the king was taken aback. This time, however, the very foundations of his being were shaken. Skillotz looked upon Malvizio, who kept stammering his defense:
“My lord, surely you know how faithful I have been to you, since the birth of all our endeavours! As for this vermin who accuses me, has he not been against you since about the same time? Even now his traitorous tongue insults you and breaks your laws! This same tongue deceived me, for he asked me to get an audience with you, oh king, so he could reconcile with you and expiate his past faults!”
Skillotz did not hear him anymore. He did not hear anyone anymore. His face was burning with a burning red hue. From the top of his lungs, he howled for Nod to appear. As he did so, the air started to condense as the morning dew, and formed the shape of the sylphid’s body, which lit up with a stellar bolt:
“Hast thou summoned me, my lord Faris-Romil?” she asked, as she bowed.
“You were right when you came to warn me last night. Someone has indeed come, bringing the dagger you said he would! It was Kolinzio!”
“It is much unfortunate indeed, my lord… but alas, not surprising at all. After all”—and she glanced at Kolinzio with her two ice-blue eyes—“as much as mortals try to conceal their true intentions from me, my sylphic gaze penetrateth their hearts and readeth their thoughts. Yesterday, Kolinzio tried to seduce me… promises he made, his heart did not intend to fulfill.” She flew around poor Kolinzio, as he shook. “So I came to warn thee, my lord, as soon as he departed, assured as he was of the success of his wicked deeds!”
“Wicked deeds, indeed!” Skillotz agreed. “What now, fiend? What do you say for yourself?”
For the third and final time, Kolinzio threw himself at Skillotz’s feet, keeping the dagger between his hands as a sign of offering:
“How else can I prove my good faith towards you? One needs not sylphic eyes to read hearts! I too read the heart of this sylphid, and the wicked deeds belong to her! She deceived you and led you astray since the first day you found her! Even so, I came here, knowing that I could lose my life, my greatest gift, even more so now I have a child! What else can I give you? Would I gamble everything I have, everything I am, if I was not certain of what I came here to do? What did I profit from it, for I did not for one minute intend to use this dagger to harm you, and have not withheld its existence from your knowledge since I came here? But if you need more proof still that I am not your foe, so be it! If you see me not as the friend I always was, and only see me now as an enemy, then take this dagger and take my life! And may Aigonz wash away the blood of your hands, and protect my dearest son under his wings!”
The king took the dagger from Kolinzio’s hands, which trembled when they felt the lightness of their emptiness. Skillotz’s hands trembled as well, but on account of the weight they had brought upon themselves. The king yearned to finish this quickly. He yearned to silence that voice which always disturbed him, even when it remained silent for years on end, refusing to take part with his glory! Yea, he thought: I must end Kolinzio once and for all! But… if it was so… why was his heart halting his hand?
Skillotz vacillated. The dagger hovered over his head and seemed like it would fall on the king’s nape before it would on Kolinzio’s. There was a glimmer of hope warming Kolinzio’s soul, and he dared to look up to his friend. For the last time, their eyes exchanged pleasant memories and sweet emotions. But this warmth was not to last. The sylphid’s icy breath put it out, as she whispered inside the king’s left ear:
“I read his heart, even now. Even now, he lieth. Do not be fooled, my lord. Inside him, there is but guile! Thou art our saviour, my lord! Only thou canst save the logizkal! Thou must be strong! Thou must be strong for us, my king!”
And she lowered her voice, to murmur even more sweetly:
“Oh new Faris-Romil…”
She so said, and the dagger fell on Kolinzio’s nape and he surrendered his life. This was the first time mortal blood was spilt by another mortal’s iron. The sages so say, at that moment, Mizar spit a most nasty taste from his mouth: The earth had drunk unnatural blood. The Chthonic Sylph wou
ld never forget and he would never forgive that wretched flavour, poured out as it was by the same mortals who had stolen his iron!
Chapter
16
The Son of Blood
Skillotz gazed at his friend’s corpse. No giant had died such an unnatural death before. When the logizkal age beyond their strength, they depart to Mathusal in pilgrimage, and therein slumber till the end of centuries. Skillotz had heard of giants perishing during the war against the monsters, or after an ambush from a saber-tooth tiger. He had heard these stories, and Kolinzio’s state matched the victims of those tales. Skillotz now knew what death was.
Still, this ghastly vision unsettled Skillotz to no end. The blood kept spilling his life away, stubbornly flowing, sullying the king’s feet, indelibly stamping the killer’s footprints on that place. Kolinzio’s vacant eyes made him feel uneasy. His fixed gaze penetrated Skillotz’s soul and sent shivers down his spine.
I must flee this accursed place! Skillotz thought. And so he fled, as if Kolinzio was the murderer seeking to cause him ill.
As for Nod and Malvizio, they stood there, watching over the body. The elder knelt before Kolinzio and grimaced at all that spilt blood. With a sudden gesture, he plucked the dagger from Kolinzio’s still-lukewarm flesh:
“All has been in vain, sylphid!” Malvizio lamented. “We harvested the blood of a weak deer, not the blood of a lion! Blood of a weakling, no king’s blood! How will we nourish Moab’s cocoon with such a watery meal?”
“Do not be small-minded, Malvizio!” Nod replied. Did I not tell thee we should nourish the Gift with a strong blood? Truly, Kolinzio’s blood proveth to be stronger than Skillotz’s. Gather that blood thou seest before thee and thou shalt not be confounded! Thicker than the blood of a king is the blood of an innocent slain by a king’s hand!”
As she finished saying these words, a drop of blood dripped from the dagger’s edge and plummeted to the floor. And lo! A veil of smoke writhed up from where it fell! For the mixture of iron, and blood, and life untimely reaped fell like a seed upon the ground. In an instant it blossomed, and bore its fruit like a shadow growing before them, expelling black vapours.
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