The Fifth Codex

by J. A. Ginegaw

  Her back to him, Cynisca continued to walk toward her horse and mounted it. Only then, did she turn and look upon this soldier. Next, she gazed upon the nineteen still fleshy faces staring back. None with the courage to blink, they would surely beg for their lives if the minds that controlled their lips were not so frightened.

  “As I did promise to be merciful … swing away with sharp aim and good speed, my friend. The Grim is waiting.”

  *****

  Queen Cynisca rode to the crown on the wave of war. It was now time to enjoy a prosperous peace. By her will and for the good of all, might and magic had torn through, torn apart, and torn asunder Terra Australis. The battles won and the dried blood washed away, this broken world needed mending. And once mended, Cynisca could then mold their world to her liking.

  With each crack of her whip, she demanded ever more progress. Her subjects in this spellbinding form as if mules, Sapiens made immense strides. Knowledge, and in turn wisdom, that would have taken countless centuries to gather in their former form was learned in a handful of decades. That which seemed impossible just a few years earlier became only difficult. Just a handful of years after, what appeared difficult became simple.

  As if the gods had given each animal a purpose, some submitted to Sapien will and taming. Most others found their way to the feasting table. Brilliant new methods of how to prepare the land for the raising of crops came with each new planting season. Enterprising miners learned to quarry below ground for metals and jewels while clever architects invented tools and methods to build structures with the near limitless black granite and marble that made up the Guardian Mountains to the east. With the massive Kauri trees making up the dense Agathis Australis, wood was plentiful and many pursued woodworking. Entranced by the seas, others built the first fishing ships. These at first appeared crude, but eager mariners soon excelled at shipbuilding as well.

  Two decades after Queen Cynisca’s rule began and over 1,500 strong now wrapped inside her kingdom, the time had come to put sharp minds and broad backs to good use. Budding greatness required a tidying up of sweeping sorts. To pursue this, she summoned the wisest and most driven among them. These two dozen men and women became the first group of nobles, and their queen respected them as such. Once gathered, Cynisca and her first royal court discussed a number of far-reaching plans and goals.

  “Homes, workshops, and other buildings sit scattered anywhere and everywhere. A great people need a great city!” an elderly noble declared. His long, flowing robes of blue and white trimmed with red displayed with flair his high rank.

  “Sapiens rising – let us build a city worthy enough to rise with us!” another shouted. Claps and nodding heads followed.

  Buildings of mud and wood ready to lay down their lives for those built from granite and marble; the downfall of past random methods was at hand and a new dawn of planned building winked from afar. The site selected by Cynisca herself, builders would begin work on a true city owning the grandest of plans: Elkabydos. Set to the north against the sea, the eastern walls of the planned capital would nestle up nicely against the swathe of charming bogs that separated it from the Agathis. Its western walls would bump up against the lush highlands where giant pandas roamed freely. To the south rolled the golden prairies of Lapith Fields. A grand city forthcoming, there was still more to discuss.

  “A thirst for both learning and how to apply it sparkles in the eyes of every new life!” another noble announced. This male was younger than most of the others. His excited voice talking out of turn and green tunic with black sash said as such. “As well, a most hurtful hunger rumbles in our bellies to document the history of our kind. Let us feast so we may quench this thirst!”

  “And drink and feast to your heart’s content you shall!” Cynisca agreed. She had often told Patremeus how she loved such spirit. In a glacier white stola with threads of gold woven into it, she moved with a fluid purpose, as if ripples of water across the sea. As she did now, Cynisca often kept her fair hair and arms covered beneath her silk, gold-colored palla.

  “I will set forth our most learned to scour the land and collect every text and written work they can find. One grand structure to house these and bring forth darkened minds into the light – one repository to teach them all!”

  A central location for every Sapien to have access to learning judged the highest priority, the Great Repository of Knowledge would be the grand result.

  “The capital city of any kingdom needs a palace, of course!” Patremeus declared as he scribed away. A general no more, soon after becoming queen, Cynisca had chosen him to serve as the first Sapien historian.

  “Quite right, Father, quite right,” Cynisca agreed.

  This palace complex would also serve as the administrative center of the city. So all could admire these granite and marble towers from afar, they would be built in the direct center of Elkabydos. The Great Repository of Knowledge would connect to the western end of the palace. Structures nothing more than stone and the sweat of labor to meld its blocks together, Cynisca’s real reward for uniting the Sapien tribes drew close to her outstretched fingers.

  That she had become the most powerful mystic their world had ever seen was by no means random. Her mother a skilled mystic, but of all their kind, it was Cynisca’s grandmother who first mastered magic fully. Mysticism ran strongest in certain families. In addition and more far-reaching, there was one other quirk in regards to the field of charms and trickery: Magical abilities were far more common with females than males. Soon after the Knowing Time began, a male dominated society quickly transformed into a matriarchal one – Queen Cynisca was simply the finished result of this trend.

  For now, most Sapiens failed to see this as much of an issue. But a few wise others saw a creeping danger to such a gender imbalance and rightly warned as such. Patremeus and Cynisca had discussed this in private many times. It became clear to them that a primary duty of both this queen and those regents to follow was, and always would be, to ensure that the world of men appeared as prosperous and rewarding to them as it did for women. A ruler would be most foolhardy not to keep watch for signs of conflict. To be wary easily said, such wisdom was easy to dismiss. And even easier to forget.

  “An army trains as one to wage war as a unit,” Cynisca lectured to the nobles. “Why should we mold sorcerers and sorceresses any differently? The most gifted wielders of magic need to be brought together and be in constant league with their own!”

  Deafening applause shook the room.

  “A guild of mystics is needed to match the glory of our realm,” more than one noble declared. “You have our blessing, my queen. Make it so!”

  For Cynisca, there could be no sweeter words. She had long ago planned and formed the rules for a sweeping concept: the Magic Guild of the Sapien Realm. To house such ambition, they would build a temple not to the gods, but to the most gifted among them. Set behind the palace on the other side of a wide avenue, architects swiftly set to work. The goal simple but the vision grand, builders would make this the tallest, most spacious structure in Elkabydos.

  Upon swearing to dedicate their lives to perfecting their magical gifts, members of this magic guild faced the prospect of shorter lives, but this would be for the benefit of their race. There could be no higher calling. As mostly females stood ready to fill these positions, there was an additional benefit to this. The masses would see and be pleased that those of the softer gender – not only males who made up the army – put themselves in danger for the greater good. Cynisca dearly hoped that such shared sacrifice would help temper brimming male versus female tensions. At least that was the plan.

  Soon after this first gathering of nobles, Queen Cynisca married. Her husband was referred to as a king and given all the proper pomp and privilege, but of who dominated the other there was little question. For married rulers of the future, however, such defined roles would most likely be less clear. Just as well, a man as king could certainly become the dominate monarch.
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br />   Fully aware of this, Cynisca sought to tip the scales a bit. Quite a lot, actually. In the years ahead and through sheer talent, she foresaw that the Magic Guild would become powerful, influential, and perhaps even able to act as an ally against a regal husband who craved power. For her, this was the greatest, truest purpose of the Magic Guild of the Sapien Realm. Power struggles were near certain. Mystic might, Cynisca believed, was even more so. For the one who held sway over the Magic Guild would hold sway over all. There were no rules, however, as to how one might earn such control.

  And in regards to the one who would ‘hold sway over all’, an eight-legged revelation approached from the Agathis Australis. Sapiens were about to discover there was another creature that shared their fruitful minds, but in no way such weak, fleshy bodies….

  The caretakers of the wooded lands, the Arachna Majora.

  Chapter Thirteen

  GORGYNNA’S GAMBIT

  I can see it in her eyes. The moment it all comes together in her mind, those eyes tell me first. A brilliant concept, a daring overreach for even more power – this plan consumes Queen Gorgynna once the path forward becomes clear. Her grand solution by way of a fantastic creation, this brilliance is as if a brush dipped in lacquer. Combined with the comfort of knowing she can force her will upon the Elites, this brush paints bold strokes across her being. Vain smugness ripples through her; purposeful avarice becomes her … my queen gleams as if a column of gold.

  – Apadimex, Sapien Historian

  – Early Spring, Year 1,098 KT[14]

  A month into her 187th year, Queen Cynisca lay dead. In a manner much more tragic than sad, the mystic conqueror wasted away by the hand of her own power. At her peak just three decades earlier, dark magic had captured her fancy and thrust the first queen into ruin.

  Soon after uniting the scattered Sapien tribes, Cynisca plunged headlong into the deepest depths of magic few mystics from that age dared to consider let alone boldly pursue. For this sorceress, there was still more to know and she had to learn it. No matter the consequences. Cynisca’s steady hand turned cruel, her sharp mind descended into madness, and her strong, supple body turned rancid from the inside out. She even murdered her own husband. As the shadows of Cynisca’s mind waltzed gleefully about with each horrid deed, her body – and maybe even her soul – paid the ghastly price for each dance. Patremeus’ heart broken by the precipitous fall of his eldest child, he died only months later.

  The nobles next handed the crown to Cynisca’s only daughter. So young and so unprepared, the crown did not sit atop her head for long. Two weak kings (her brothers, both deposed), another weak queen, and one murdered queen followed. That Cynisca’s line was not broken after such upheaval a near miracle; a capable monarch finally stood ready to rule once more. The long, curious reign of Gorgynna’s mother over upon her death in year 1,087 of the Knowing Time … the world suddenly became interesting again.

  Neither ugly nor pretty, Queen Gorgynna stood taller than most. Neither skinny nor heavy, she owned the same dark brown colored hair of most other Sapiens – just a tad curlier. Along with her height, one other aspect of her appearance was notable. Despite owning a heart that could pound heated bronze, she gazed at her world through soft, amber-colored eyes. It may bewilder the senses to hear such words used to describe his queen, but Apadimex had no choice. None other than Queen Gorgynna herself had demanded this.

  “A queen who lies for nothing more than saving herself is as weak as the rabble she rules!” Gorgynna announced upon her first day as regent in her 108th year. Seated in her throne and in full command, she appeared as if born there. “The throne, first and foremost, this is worth protecting most. This is what a queen defends above all else. Above even herself.” She looked at each noble who surrounded her and then turned to her aging historian. “Hear me now, Apadimex – honest accounts of deeds and events of this world I now rule are all I care for. For every setting, spoken word or action, from beginning to end, truth is to always ring true. Hurt feelings are the problem of those who suffer their sting. Unlike those who have ruled before me, I desire no embellishment of either me or my reign,” she flashed him a sly smile, “because I will not need it.” This one a master at dealing with others, Queen Gorgynna wielded many faces, but hid her true nature from none.

  Sapiens continued to make great strides in all areas of knowledge. The Great Repository of Knowledge brimmed with works. Just as Cynisca had so dearly desired, the Magic Guild of the Sapien Realm busily molded the most gifted mystics. Nearly 5,000 Sapiens now called the capital city home. This greatness and growth was not achievable, however, without a price. Elkabydos hungry for more monuments, buildings, fountains, and roads, greedy eyes gazed east. Majestic lands and plentiful resources cringed back. The Guardian Mountains held quarries of near unlimited amounts of granite and marble. The Agathis Australis would provide all the Kauri wood they ever needed. All this and more ready for the taking – a single, very rigid obstacle stood in the way.

  A pike tall and nearly two long, Arachna Majora were now twice as large as when first discovered. To a Sapien, these very hairy spider-like creatures were both wondrous and frightening. With its mouth to the ground and fangs tucked in, they appeared more handsome than fearsome. Rearing back on their hindmost four legs and fangs exposed in all their clear colored, goo-dripping glory – not so much.

  As Sapiens sought out new swaths of forest to mow down, Arachna fought them at every turn. As if each side sought to win favor from these vast riches, the two kinds slashed and sliced at each other as they shouted aloud why such natural wealth was theirs.

  “For progress, to build!” Sapien soldiers shouted as they surrounded their enemy and moved in for the kill.

  “My home, to protect!” Arachna warriors growled back in their native language.

  Short swords drawn and shields at the ready, a handful of Sapiens against a single Arachna suggested barely a fight. Armor a hand thick, four shields banded to the front four limbs, two pikes, each one gripped by a rear limb, and holstered throwing axes begged to differ. An Arachna victory or even a draw not to be, one deciding factor often smashed outmanned hopes: the secret of bronze working. Sapien soldiers wore and wielded bronze armor and weapons. Arachna Majora warriors still used only copper.

  Clashes with Arachna outside Elkabydos were not all that nipped at Sapien heels. Trouble brewed inside the city walls as well. With each passing century, tensions between men and women grew steadily worse. As battles for the resources east of Elkabydos wore on, those injured or killed were male soldiers, not mostly female mystics safe behind city walls. That it appeared one gender served the other, this had all the makings of civil war if not dealt with.

  Keenly aware of this, Queen Gorgynna grew desperate to find a solution. Gifted and powerful in the ways of magic herself, she was the first regent who also served as a Triumvirate member of the Magic Guild of the Sapien Realm. On the day marking the eleventh anniversary of her reign, she called upon the other two Triumvirates to meet in her throne room. Once together, these three masters of the mystics mulled over a number of ideas. They stood before Gorgynna while she stayed seated; as always, Apadimex shadowed his queen.

  “Strong and loyal – we need a type of servant to help our men,” Gorgynna began. “Aside from our good historian and you, my friend,” she nodded in the male Triumvirate’s direction, “they appear to grow meeker by the day. Any suggestions?”

  “Burn the Agathis to the ground – all of it!” the other Triumvirate, a fiery female suggested. Curious looks begged her to continue. “With nowhere to live, the Arachna will have no choice but to serve us! There are other forests from which to cull wood. After their daily duties at Elkabydos are done, under the stars and at their leisure, they can replant the Agathis!”

  Such an idea was certainly bold, but shortsighted. Yes, other forests offered wood, but only the Agathis Australis offered them their coveted Kauri wood.

  “I don’t know,” the male Triumvirat
e drawled with a shiver. “The molting … and how they eat.…”

  Smirks suddenly turned into howls. A male Sapien with a surplus of mystic ability was indeed rare. For this one, however, his gifts by way of magic had stolen much of his common sense. He was talented enough, yes, but no more gifted than any of the other Elites were. Nonetheless, when it came time to fill this position a few years ago, Gorgynna chose this one. To those with just a smidge more sense than him, most Sapiens saw this for what it was – a clear attempt to appease men. That the witch who truly deserved this promotion had vanished without a trace simply made Gorgynna’s intent more clear.

  Apadimex watched his crafty queen as the other two laughed on. Her eyes in another world made it obvious to him that Gorgynna’s mind raced with ideas. In spite of the complex problem they faced, her plan appeared to come into focus rather suddenly.

  Magic cloaked in mischief – what could go wrong?

  “A helper, mystically enhanced if need be, to turn aside these bitter divisions between the genders,” Queen Gorgynna said softly. “Tell me if you would my fellow Triumvirates – what are the two noblest creatures in all of Terra Australis?”

  “Orcas?” the male suggested.

  “On land!” the two females shot back in unison. His proud look swiftly departed.

  Gorgynna chuckled off this soft rebuke. “Unless we plan on living in the sea, of course!” she added playfully. Her tone then turned more serious. “Still, one cannot deny their raw power – no creature that wanders the northern waters is safe from those jaws. Made of striking black and white markings, not a speck of camouflage paints their being. And why should it? A killer so swift and deadly, it is as if they wish for their prey to know they are coming. Despite watching this charging death approach – even from afar and no matter its efforts – this next meal is powerless to stop it.”