The Thief

by Rama Nugraha

  “He sure does. And the surprise is to give me a mission for Royan Two, which is something he shouldn’t have done,” Datan moved around restlessly. “Can you just let this one slide, Irirana? I’ve been waiting for so long. It gets boring here. I want to put on the night attire.”

  “You can spend your time practicing or reading older Royans’ journal in the library so that you could understand their experience better in the field. You can learn so much, Datan,” Irirana said. “I am going to assess the mission Kanas gave you myself, then I’ll tell you my decision.”

  Datan grumbled like a child.

  Irirana paid him no mind. She took Datan to her messy desk. Piles of documents he did not understand and books were scattered here and there, most of which are about the Great War and the exploration of the Underworld.

  Irirana apologized for the mess as she cleaned her desk. She stacked the papers neatly, closed the books after inserting bookmarks and have them placed elsewhere. She left one thing on her table though, an ivory document sealed with an obsidian ribbon. II was written on the cover.

  It was a copy of Datan’s document mission.

  Irirana walked to the kitchen in the corner of the room to prepare some fresh coconut water, which then she placed between them. After all the hustle, she finally allowed Datan to sit down and got straight to the point.

  “I asked for a copy from Jaco,” she started. “Let’s see what you should procure, shall we?” Irirana untied the ribbon seal. She arranged the papers inside on her desk, inhaling deeply.

  Datan’s heart raced at her every move.

  For a moment, Irirana examined every page. “Wow,” she sipped her coconut water. “It’s Zu—the stone.” She lifted her head to stare at Datan in awe, then she gave the document another look. “Have you heard of it? I’ve read about it years ago.”

  Datan shook his head.

  Iriana gave him an illustration of the jewel from the papers and Datan examined it. It was truly fascinating. Though, it also made Datan shivered. It was not an ordinary stone. The form itself was cryptic. It took the form of a rhombus and it has indented spots all over it. The surface was bluish and in the middle was another rhombus shape, this time in black, surrounding it was dark strokes like crimson veins.

  Datan breathed slowly. He felt a sudden rush of passion in every bit of his body. He was laughing in his head. He remembered clearly, Thar Ubaga put on the stone in the celebration of his birthday back in Fardas.

  “Are you alright?” Irirana asked, clearly concerned. Her eyes were glued at Datan who could not take his eyes off the illustration as his body trembled like he had an overdose. “I think you should focus and stay alerted during this mission, Datan.”

  Datan finally lifted his head. “Oh, I am very focused, Irirana,” he said seriously.

  Iriana admitted that none of his acquaintances knew the whole thing about Zu, which was thousands of years old. Even the investigation team of the League had yet to find out every information there was about the stone, despite having looked into it for years. Despite their effort, they could not gather more news from anywhere.

  Datan loosened the button of his shirt. “Who owned it for the first time?”

  Irirana gave him other pieces of paper. “According to the recorded history,” she said. “Zu was firstly owned by Alamu Arka, the founder of the third realm. In the midst of his expedition, he found Voronya tunnels, which is later believed to be the only door towards the Abyss.”

  Cold wind scratches his skin. The image of the dark realm of nothingness flashed in his mind. A chill crept upon his system, so he decided to drink his share of coconut water. The Abyss was known as the unreachable. The legend said that in the history of documented Neena civilization, there was only one person who could walk on its surface.

  “Arka said that he found Zu inside a crack in a trail made of black soil, which is as cold as ice. That gemstone came out of nowhere like it actually wanted to be found. Arka believed that Zu was not the result of a natural phenomenon. An expert made it, and it somehow ended in the Voronya tunnel,” Iriana continued. “The discovery of Zu made Arka doubt himself, he wondered if he was truly the first man to discover Voronya… or was there another who found it before him and may or may not accidentally left the stone there.”

  Irirana then added that Zu has been passed from one person to another countless time as time passed. In the Age of Three Realms, its wonder charmed Queen Shika of Niska around the 1300s AoTR. She was so bewitched that she asked her troops to hunt for it. Though she only had it for three weeks, as Liyla, her own servant killed her to obtain the stone.

  The merchants of Serma along the Road of Tanjung Sermabiru, which was the connector between Natuna and Urimenil in 2105-2410 AoTR, got into the chaotic clash as they fought for this stone. They found the Zu’s value unmeasurable, also, they believed that it would bring luck to the owner. Some said that few merchants even got killed in the event.

  Datan finished his coconut water, his eyes never looked away from Irirana even for just a moment. He flushed at the sight of serious Irirana.

  “And now,” Irirana proceeded. Once in a while, her eyes glanced at the documents about Zu, seeming to try remembering the facts about it. “Sarayan Spirit once published an article about Zu in 0018 AoR. One of the journalist, Dilik Fatah, was intrigued by the Zu which was very popular among the collector, and also because it has a rather… brutal history.

  “The stone had an insane unfathomable price! No one even knows where it came from!” she stopped for a while, reading the notes in the paper, frowning. For some reason, she looked concerned, it was as if her intuition had just prophesized something bad. “There are so much more to it, Datan. There was even a source saying that the Zu was missing several times for a long period of time before it appeared to the public face out of nowhere.”

  Irirana stopped, glaring tensely as she looked at Datan who was holding back his breath. Datan felt his nerves tensed. His eyes moved from one paper to another. His excitement piled up. He might have not said anything yet but his mind had wandered afar, speculating crazy things. High mountain wind blew mercilessly outside. He had not realized that the sun had set and nighttime had come.

  The sound of footsteps was heard from the floor above him. Irirana looked at the pendulum clock in her office. It showed that it was exactly seven o’clock. She was startled as she remembered something. She put down the notes.

  “We need to take a break. I have to prepare dinner for the children.”

  Datan lifted his head which was still lost in the cloud. He just simply nodded. Then Irirana stood up, reaching for his hand which was still holding the documents. She wanted him to join them.

  ◆◆◆

  Filia helped Irirana cook dinner. For almost ten minutes, Iriana arranged every spoon, napkin, plate, and glass on the dining table. The dish was rather simple. Most of them were seafood (Datan saw fire cuttlefish for the first time. He was cautious as he scooped some to his plate. The dish was literally on fire). All of Irirana’s children dressed nicely. As for Irirana herself, she changed into a simple lemon-colored gown.

  “Why, Lady? You look like the Light Princess descending from the attic,” Datan commented.

  Benji kicked Datan under the table, glaring sharply at him. Filia mustered a smile. Whereas Irirana laughed like she had accepted those words as a compliment. The Light Princess was a character in Haedin children’s fairytale. It was about a beautiful witch with glowing gold hair, who descend from the sky to help those in need.

  Benji led them to pray and praise Unum before they started eating, just like Aunt Fira back home.

  “For the Great Unum, the Giver of everything good. Thank you for the cuttlefish, sweet potatoes, watermelon, brown sugar, and everything You provide us tonight,” Benji prayed, lifting his head down and crossing his hands on the table. “Thank you, O Unum.”

  Datan always found the prayer hilarious. Had it not been for his father’s slap, the reminder not
to underestimate things that were unseen, he would have laughed for sure. Datan doubt that Unum was real. Who knows? Well, he had not interested in it.

  Yet, along with the small family, he chanted, “Thank you, O Unum.”

  The dinner went well, to say the least. Petan and Irirana were ecstatic.

  “Mother, do you know? I heard an Ingran could find a needle in a haystack at night,” Petan said excitedly, his cheeks puffed. He chews like someone who had a cavity.

  “That’s not true, sweetheart,” Irirana responded softly, then turned to Datan. “Right, Datan? It is impossible to do such a thing.”

  “You underestimate me, Lady. It is only impossible for many people,” Datan claimed. “But Petan is right. It is possible. All I have to do is to burn the hay.”

  They laughed at that, even Benji smiled wryly.

  Petan squirmed next to Datan. The boy with silver hair and puffy cheeks, who was very generous with his smile, was wearing an attire as colorful as a rainbow. Every now and then he asked Datan what he liked, what subject he hated, how his parents were, why Datan joined the League, and why Ingra people were such rare sights.

  Datan moved his feet as he tried to answer.

  “He doesn’t have time to answer all of your question, Petan,” Benji muttered flatly. “He had a business to discuss with Mother. We have to finish the food fast.”

  Benji was not wrong. After dinner, Irirana took Datan back to her workplace. Filia was in charge of accompanying both of her brothers reading, meditating, and self-reflecting in the backyard—and also unscheduled playing around—before they went to bed.

  “It was fun talking to Petan,” Datan said as they climbed down the stairs. “It felt like I have gotten older. Benji, though… is he always that serious?”

  Irirana smiled it off. “He’s just jealous,” he said. “He’s always like that every time I got close to any man.”

  In the room, Irirana lit the fireplace, sprinkle a handful of glowing red pebble into the fire. It was Puta Pebble, which was known for its vast shade of colors and fragrant. The moment the smoke was created, the scent of red seagrass filled the room. They came back to her desk and proceed with the documents once more.

  “Alright then, let’s continue with the pattern.”

  Datan frowned. “Pattern?”

  Irirana told him that regardless of the owner, Zu was always transferred from one owner to another in full moon. There were many stories about it and of course, no one knew why and how. People thought that the strange power inside Zu was a form of old magic, a kind of which even wizard and witches were not familiar with.

  Datan walked around in front of Irirana, trying to calculate what was about to happen. This time, both of his hands were on his head, gripping it to stop it from trembling.

  “Do you want more coconut water?”

  “Will you tell me, Irirana? Stories of Marrans at night.”

  Irirana was taken aback, he placed the documents back and leaned her back to the chair. “Why?”

  “I don’t know,” Datan shrugged. “I’m just curious. You are all the elder ones. You are the ruler of the earlier eras.”

  Irirana blinked confusedly. “There are too much to tell, Datan,” she uttered. “Tradition differs from place to place. As time passes, tradition changes along with it. Some of them are completely forgotten, even.

  “Some people believed that the night of full moon is the Night of Healing, which can heal anyone showering under the moonlight. Some others believed that it is the Night of the Wizardry, where the Energy Universe blazes in glory. There is also the tradition of Silent Night, a night believed to be the best moment to meditate and to connect with Unum the Creator to get epiphany from Him. There’s also—“

  “Hold on, Irirana,” Datan cut her, what she told him was not what he wanted to know. “You don’t need to tell me every single one of them. Just tell me the oldest one. A myth. A legend. One that you think is the beginning of all. Usually, it’s the most nonsensical.”

  Irirana stilled as she stared at Datan who patiently waited for an answer. Datan acted as though he was a journalist hunting for a story. For a while, Irirana was bewildered. She stood up, both of her hands were in his waist. Then, it was her who walked around. Datan wondered if she imitated him.

  “Ancient Marra people in Borneo who lived in Mois Waar believed that…” she mumbled, looking hesitant. Her expression showed clearly that she did not completely understand what she was about to say. “The night of full moon is the Night of the Creation of something else… an entity that shall exceed us Neena’s. They have bestowed perfection, even more than Anag. They are the oldest of all who had walked on the realms…”

  Silence fell upon them. Datan muffled laughter, clearly mocking what he just heard.

  “This is not a joke, Datan.”

  Datan’s eyebrows were furrowed, his face tensed in denial. He dragged his steps, then threw himself to a sofa. He was stunned for a while like he was just heard a news that Ludaj could actually speak. The anemone in the gigantic aquarium danced as it watched over him. Its short tentacles made weird noises similar to the sound of gulps.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s… unacceptable.” He stared at his interlocutor then laughed. “Entity that exceeds us, really? We are the highest of the highest, Irirana.”

  “There are many things we don’t know in this world, Datan.”

  “Who told you all of these?”

  “Old books, our ancestors,” Irirana listed, then her face lit up as she remembered something. “Wait, why does Kanas want you to do this mission?”

  “I assume it’s because this mission takes place in Fardas,” Datan answered. “I know that place inside out, more or less.”

  “Thar Ubaga?”

  “Yes. That man is the current owner of Zu.”

  Irirana went through the documents again. Her eyes shifted, frantically trying to find something. “Something is missing,” she exclaimed. “The files about the guards are incomplete.”

  Datan narrowed his eyes. “How do you know that?”

  “Because I know all of the Thars in the Surface,” she claimed calmly like those figures were mere perfume sellers. “I know Thar Ubaga. When I’m not on duty, I was known as the Lady of the North, not as the Kahisar, the leader of League of the Royans.”

  His jaw dropped. His eyes popped out as if Irirana just glowed a moonlight. The Lady of the North was a familiar name amongst the merchant of antique items in Tormera. A mysterious merchant respected for her expertise in trading. Anything she sold was never bigger than the size of a hand, yet they were always extremely useful like the Never-Forget Earrings, or Laziness-Eating Rings.

  “You are known to sell items with crazy price.”

  Irirana shrugged. “Well it makes sense, doesn’t it?” she said lightly. “Special things worth special price.”

  Datan sighed, feeling small. He almost forgot that the lady before her was a famous figure. She was not a meek, innocent crybaby just because her pet died. Datan was washed over by amazement, yet deep down, he was scared. She could have easily manipulated him.

  Irirana took one piece of paper and a quill. She dipped the tip into a bottle of ink, then she wrote something: ‘Bring me the full documents. The list of Thar Ubaga’s guards in Fardas, including his bodyguards.’

  Datan became restless. He shifted uncomfortably as the Kahisar approached mahogany bookshelf which was stuck with colorful oil paper. She moved a tiny hidden lever between two books. Something was then heard, a mechanical crackling sound of turning gears.

  A small room was exposed behind the wall next to the shelf, just like his secret closet.

  Behind the wall was another door. It was like cupboard inside of a cupboard, which was labeled “My Toys”. In the bottom of it, in the side of a floor made of red bricks were holes of colorful pipes covered by acrylic paint. There were ten of them, each of which was named after different rooms. Next to it was a small basket of ove
rhaul glass balls.

  Irirana took one ball, then pulled them apart into two parts, inserting the piece of paper she wrote on earlier and put the ball back together again. She opened the glass over and threw the ball into one of the pipe, a brown one labeled Reception Room.

  The ball was sucked in and disappear in an instant.

  “Why didn’t Kanas give me the complete documents?” Datan asked curiously.

  “Hopefully because he forgot.”

  Jaco delivered the documents himself to Irirana’s office around ten minutes later. That man still carried the oak crutch, panting heavily. He nodded politely at Irirana and Datan, giving them the documents, reporting the business in the Reception Room briefly, then asking for permission to leave the room. He was truly an efficient man.

  Irirana examined the new document thoroughly. Whereas Datan tensely sat, waiting, his mouth shut. He had a bad feeling about this.

  “As I thought,” Irirana exclaimed. “Apparently my memory is not as bad I thought.”

  “Is there something wrong?” Datan felt his heart thumped frantically.

  Irirana lifted her face, staring at him closely before nodding surely. “We’ll cancel this mission,” she stated. “You can perform other Royan Two mission. Anything but this one.”

  Datan felt as though he was choked. “Take a deep breath, Irirana. Slowly,” he suggested, fanning his face with his palm. “Take a deep breath, I—”

  “Thar Ubaga Jarhal, Datan,” Irirana ignored him completely. “He was guarded by Joris Meik. A hundred-and-two-year-old maniac. I’ve met him. That man is mental. Without prior experience, I just cannot let you meet such man.”

  Datan chuckled dryly. “Oh, I’m honored!” he exclaimed. “Are you worried I’d be tricked by a grandpa’ Irirana?”

  Chapter 18

  Arriving in Fardas

  Datan left Irirana feeling cranky and underestimated.

  The Kahisar did not allow him to go just because of an old wizard, really? Unbelievable. They even had spent a lot of time talking about Zu. And now, all of those talks were for nothing. Datan had tried to coax and persuade Irirana, but she was having none of that. That woman surely was stubborn.