by Farah Cook
Loud drumbeats kick off the music in the central royal court of the magnificent palace. Located high on a hill next to the ocean, Slotsplads overlooks the City of Skies. Its many tall pointy towers and turrets make it look like a majestic crown.
The white stone palace walls are glistening in the hot summer sun under the smooth gray roof. There are 200 rooms spread across the four sides around the central quadrangle; Slotsplads hosts a small number of servants and one Empress – Benedikte. A large abode, and perfect for someone that’s in hiding.
The palace was named Slotsplads by its architect, Pilgrim Kern, and he built it as a statement that represents the Empire’s old status and symbolism – not praiseworthy as it once may have been, but passive, hidden and almost forgotten representing nothing but a memory of what it once was. Glorious.
On the opposite balcony to the far right the same lady who directed me to the Elite Raider wardrobe the other night smiles at me. She wears a beautiful silver suit and sparkling emerald necklace. She nods gracefully and I shy away from her. There is something empowering about her that makes me nervous.
To the left, in the bay, members of the Sovereign Republic, and next to them several members of the senate. Out of the crowd I recognize Frederick’s dad, Lord Wilhelm. His eyes are scarlet, and his face so pale, he almost looks dead. His long gray ponytail is tucked into his black silk cloak, and he’s stealing looks at the lady in the green necklace and silver suit. With her face turned away, she seems rather uncomfortable.
She begins to drum her index finger on her beautiful red lips. Why is she so nervous and thoughtful? I have to find out who she is. I turn my face away.
“Who is the lady in the silver suit with the large green necklace?” I ask Maja. She stares at me for a while her expression stiffens.
“That’s Empress Benedikte,” says Maja and furrows her eyebrows.
“Oh!” I say and keep quiet. I should have known, the way she approached me. In fact, I should have known and not asked. Someone of her character and presence can only be of significant importance. She carries herself so gracefully, and yet has the ability to blend in so effortlessly with her surroundings. Though from where I’m sitting I can see she’s growing more and more uncomfortable right now.
“Have you ever met her?” My curiosity pushes me.
“She’s seen me, on occasions,” smirks Maja. “Empress Benedikte is well known for her intellectual powers and articulate abilities, but she’s also known to be a very private person.”
A private Empress indeed who needs a magnificent palace to hide in. But what is she hiding from?
“Why is she here then?” I look in Empress Benedikte’s direction. I sense that she continues to feel uncomfortable. Though she sits gracefully like an Empress. I turn to look at Magnus who is busy staring at members of the Republic – including Lord Wilhelm. They project brutality and arrogance.
Suddenly seven shadows in silver masks appear, and I suspect it can only be the Lumini Lords. I feel as if my back is on fire and try not to let the burning sensation bother me too much. I train my mind to ignore the painful feeling even though I know Yggdrasil is trying to communicate with me. What is it that she wants to show me? I see nothing, and my vision is hollow for a while.
All the muscles in Magnus’s face grow tense. His eyes find comfort in those of the Empress – his face drowning in a thousand emotions veiled across his glowing face. Something is going on and I can’t quite understand what. I don’t want to ask too many questions as it makes me appear stupid, but Maja has detected my troubled mind.
“The Empress looks forward to knighting you Nora,” says Maja. “It’s a great honor to have another elite join our circle.” I peel my eyes away from Maja to look at Magnus again – and as I do Yggdrasil gives me a clear vision of what I could not have seen. Magnus is Empress Benedikte’s son.
Shouts of joy and loud music bustle through the magnificent royal court during this opulent ceremonial affair. Dancers, entertainers and athletes join together for the grand opening of the sports games. The first of the four main events this year is about to take place. The games are meant to encourage raiders in their missions. First discipline, sword fighting. This should be interesting. Two tall and skinny-looking opponents face each other in the hot red dust of the court.
One is dressed in a simple gray shirt, and a pair of slacks with a thin sword tied to his waist. His long strawberry-blond hair is pulled back straight and tight. The other wears similar attire, in a darker shade, his sword clutched tight between his trembling hands. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
The loud beating of a drum starts up while all other sounds are silenced. As the anticipation grows, Magnus, who is sitting next to me, whispers in my ear.
“Let’s take a break.”
“A break now?” I whisper, trying to hide my annoyance.
“Now,” he says firmly. I sense there’s a pressing issue on his mind. So, I toss my silver cloak around my neck and walk quietly out with him. When I turn, I feel Frederick’s eyes burning through my back and prodding the bones in my spine. He’s been watching me with steady eyes from the other side, but I’m trying to shut him out of my mind. I don’t want to think about him, or to look at him – I might drown.
5
MAGNUS AND I walk through the grand hall, and I follow him into a room. It’s a library, circular shaped. The ceiling is high and leaves a lot of room to marvel at the beauty that surrounds the walls lined with books. The shelves are high and the ladders sit in intervals between the shelves.
In front of me a big mahogany table holds bundles of books. They look unusual and remind me of the discovery I made in Eldor with Frederick. Beautiful leather, silk and velvet-bound. Some have locks, and the hinges are sparkling silver.
I take a book into my hands and begin to study it. The spine has a similar symbol to the one I carry on my wrist – interlacing triangles – and it’s studded in tiny crystals and with a silver script. Most of the books look old, and smell musty. When I turn the book over in my hands, it reads Tales of Viking Assassins, by an unknown author. I put the book down, and crack my knuckles. Why would there be books about Viking assassins in the imperial library?
“So, this is where you take all Jarl Raiders for a chat before they’re knighted,” I say and try to relax. But my nerves are unsettled, and on the verge of exploding.
“The library is the only quiet place in the arena at this time,” he says. His mind seems to stand still, and my mind wanders off, but I bring it back to center and focus on what could be so important that Magnus has pulled me away just before the first discipline of the games.
“I’m missing all the action,” I say and smile carefully. “I’ve never seen the sports games, not even on TV when I used to live in the East.”
“Nothing I haven’t seen a dozen times before,” retorts Magnus condescendingly. “Besides, you have time. You’ll be here for a while unless you’re planning your escape.”
Escape? Something is definitely on his mind. Why would I be planning an escape? I only just got here. I want to provoke him back.
“Is that so – your highness?” I say and dance my fingers over a pile of books. Magnus’s glare gets sharp and uncomfortable. I detect he is furious, that his life, honor and pride as a Jarl Raider are on the line, and I don’t even have the decency to hear him out. That I owe him.
“You’ve lost your chance to listen to what I had to say,” he’s definitely angry. His face turns scarlet.
“Words of wisdom?” I continue, hoping he’ll calm the boiling in his blood.
“Advice, Nora Hunt. Wise men once told me: keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.”
“I’m not the enemy, Magnus.”
“Frederick Dahl is,” he sighs. “Is your friendship with him a benefit or a threat?”
“My loyalty is to the Jarl Dynasty. How dare you question me?”
“Nora, do you know why I let you join the Jarls?” says Mag
nus. “Not because you’re smart, or beautiful.” I raise my eyebrows. I’m disappointed.
“Why did you then?”
“You’re fearless, and fearless raiders have fewer emotions.” His face is twisted. “You are lucky that we’ve accepted you to join our elite circle. It’s an honor and privilege to be knighted by the Empress.”
Now I’m just upset. What makes Magnus believe I’m drained of emotions and don’t deserve to be here? I walk angrily toward him. My heart palpitating.
“I have plenty of emotions. I just don’t show them easily,” I blurt out and realize I’ve released a bag of bad feelings. I hope he gets my point.
“That’s all I wanted to know,” he says, looking rather amused.
“You can trust me, Magnus. I’m not going to desert if that’s what you fear?”
“I have no choice but to trust you.” he says condescendingly.
“And I have nothing to hide. Do you?” I’m curious now.
“You already know all that I am,” he states like it’s a fact.
“So, it’s true. Empress Benedikte is your biological mother?” The expression on his face changes and he seems surprised.
“It doesn’t change anything,” says Magnus justifying his response. “I know who I am. Do you?” He pauses. “People from the East are known for many things, but in particular they’re known for not having a sense of belonging. They call themselves free-spirited. Hippies.”
Now he’s just being cruel. I want to tell him something to punch back, but years of living as a Judith has taught me that all good things come to those who wait, and wait I will to say the things to hurt Magnus back, but at the right time.
“I was never one of them,” I express the sadness in my eyes and before I get to say anything else Maja pushes open the door to the library. Her face is flushed.
“What are you doing in here? You must come urgently. The Empress…”
“What happened?” asks Magnus worriedly.
“There’s been an attack on her. Magnus, you’ll need to take the secret corridor to make it to her chambers and wait for her there. Nora, return to your seat, now!”
“What is going on?” I shout. “Maja?” I take hold of her arm.
“The Empress has had to retreat from the awakening ceremony. Lord Wilhelm has said that he will be knighting you instead.”
I swallow a gulp of air, hard. Heavy thoughts begin to occupy my mind, as I walk briskly back to take my seat in the balcony. What does it all mean? I will not be knighted with the others during the ceremony? And what happened to Empress Benedikte? She looked tense and nervous when Lord Wilhelm stared her down. Could he have done something to her to control the awakening?
The next event is on the discipline of battle, where a small group of warriors will fight against a giant one by one. The game begins and the giant heavily waddles into the arena. He looks tired and bored, and the young men and women in their glorious silver armor look scared to death.
They spread out and take their positions. They are in battle to win the title as the strongest warrior. But really, they should be fighting as one joint force to defeat the beast if they all want to survive. The wildly excited crowd scream in hope of seeing one warrior rip apart the giant’s heart.
To conquer a giant’s heart leads to enormous powers, as it passes its strengths to its opponent. A giant may be strong, but it is also stupid because it acts on rage and impulses enough to kill the group of men and women. But the day giants start thinking strategically like in a game of chess – will be the day they become undefeatable.
For now, I’ll enjoy watching the giant being slayed. I don’t happen to know a lot about giants, but I did slay one in Eldor – though I never claimed its heart because I was afraid what it could mean to have the strength of a giant, while others would happily give their lives to gain such power. That’s the thing about being a Judith, we follow what’s right and not what makes us better than others. While, I keep my eyes locked on the action-packed entertainment, my mind wanders off some place far away.
Maja returns to her seat and pinches me lightly. I turn my head. Tove and Tene are not in their seats. Frederick is not in his seat either. Something is going on and I intend to find out what.
“Keep your eyes and thoughts concealed,” she whispers. “We’re exposed easily by our rivals.”
They read worry and concern from people’s faces in no time and have body language interpreters watching us. Maja’s eyes roll over to the crowd of people next to the members of the Republic. Amber-eyed hawks in black cloaks and shadowed faces. They see and sense everything across the sports arena.
I hang my head to avoid any sort of eye contact with these frightful watchers standing next to the what I believe are the legendary Lumini Lords hiding behind their scary metal masks. They’re the most powerful dark shadows that control the Triangle.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.
“You’re vulnerable and still learning about our ways of life. Try not to question things too much to start with. Questions lead to an open mind, and the more you know the more they will know.”
Maja motions toward the Republic. A dark cloud hangs above them and Wilhelm’s eyes are rotted and pale like his soul. His lipless mouth wizened and stretched over his white teeth. When he looks at me it feels like he’s poking me with an ice shard. Death mourns him already, and yet he’s here and alive wishing he knew who I am.
“Is that what happened to the Empress?”
“The Empress Benedikte keeps to herself because she’s afraid the Lumini Lords will read her mind and steal her thoughts. Especially Lord Wilhelm – as a high-ranking member of the Veran Viking clan he’s always trying to break into her mind. They’re supporters of the Rognvald Raiders and follow the dark ways. They use ancient black magic – a powerful weapon we can’t quite defeat,” says Maja. “Some use it, while others abuse it.”
“Do you know who attacked her?”
“Well, our rival of course. We live in a time of a silent war. Whenever new raiders join dynasties, tension among rivals grows in quest for power and raids.”
Maja’s eyes stay fixated on Rognvald. Frederick is still not back in his seat. I excuse myself quietly from Maja and say I’ll be right back. I rush out, following my intuition. Where could he be? I walk past the lower seated mob, and keep my thoughts clean and closed.
Suddenly someone pulls my arm and drags me to a corner off the sports arena. I hear people shouting and cheering in the center court. The crowd has gone mad. When I remove my silver hood that conceals much of my face, I see who it is.
“Allan?” He’s been drifting while I was at Dock Harbor and has made it to Slotsplads. What is he doing here?
“Nora, you must be careful. The ceremony is a trap. Get out of here.”
“How do you know?” I shout past the roaring audience who are getting more and more excited by the brutality of the warriors. The giant now lies flat, filling the ground in the arena, and the warriors work together as a team attacking the rare captured beast.
“Have I ever failed in giving you the right advice?” He pulls the hood back over my head. The dusty hot wind blows in from the arena. I cover my eyes with my arm, my silver cloak turns reddish. Allan yanks me to the side and blows the dust away from my face.
“What will happen if the Empress doesn’t get to knight me?” Allan’s eyes shy away. “Tell me the truth.”
“Your awakening will not happen,” he says. “The awakening will give you a powerful raider weapon to protect yourself and you’ll be less in danger of joining darker forces. Unawakened hearts are extremely vulnerable.”
“Allan, Karen didn’t tell me anything new when I went to see her, but Solvej did and I think you know what I am talking about.”
“She might have been too afraid to lose you again,” Allan grabs my shoulders and pins me against the wall. I try to shove his hands off me, but he keeps them pressed forcefully. “I told you to stay away from Frederi
ck Dahl. He knows more than he should and he could easily expose you to the Sovereign Republic. Have you ever thought about what would happen if he did?”
“He wouldn’t, Allan…”
“Don’t be so sure. I just heard what happened to the Empress. If she were to carry out the ceremony and awaken Frederick’s heart there would still be a chance he would keep your secret. But now his own father stands to conduct the awakening ceremony. If Frederick agrees to be awakened by his own father he will perhaps forever be among the dark raiders.” My heart suddenly sinks into my stomach.
“There’s no way I can save him from that,” I say, disheartened.
“He shouldn’t matter, Nora. What should matter is that you collect the Viking assassin weapons. The Empire needs you to destroy our enemy before they destroy us or steal the map that will lead them to the nine worlds.”
“What about Frederick?”
“The sooner you accept that he is your enemy the better you’ll feel, especially if you are given the task to…”
“Don’t say it,” I shout. “Allan, where’s my mom? I’ve got to speak to her.”
“Listen to me. Your elite band already knows who you are – a descendant from the Viking assassins. They are less powerful than you and need you, and your main duty is to protect the Empire. Soon they’ll ask you to carry out assassinations as part of your duties, which you cannot deny. But first you have to gather all the weapons.”
I stop for a moment to take on board what Allan has just said and feel weak. They’ve known about me all along. Perhaps that’s what their discussion was about that night after the assembly.
“What if I’m just another regular girl? A nobody?”
“We don’t have time to discuss your insecurities. See if you can speak to Empress Benedikte. Her knowledge and power stretch back for centuries to the Viking realm and only she should knight you. If you let Lord Wilhelm do it, your awakening will be at risk – you could become a dark raider and the weapon you are meant to receive as an elite…” I shake my head.