by Pedro Urvi
“I’ve been watching this big guy…”
“Lets be reasonable, please!” Sonea begged them. As she spoke, she moved away from the two big books she was consulting on top of a polished rock dais in the centre of the hall. One was silver, like the moon, the other gold, like the sun. They were perfectly set in the surface of the dais, as if it had been especially shaped to their exact measurements.
“Don’t you realize we’re at the door which holds the Enigma of the Ilenians? We have to find what’s hidden in it.”
“I see Kayti has convinced you too.”
Sonea waved at the sealed door. “She didn’t convince me. It’s always been my intention to unveil the mystery of the Ilenians. I came of my own free will.”
Lindaro appeared from the shadows behind Komir. “That’s true. Sonea and I have always sought to discover the mystery of the Ilenians. It would be an incredibly significant achievement. We’ve been studying them for years, and we just have to find out the enigmas hidden in them.”
Sonea smiled at him happily. “Lindaro, how wonderful to see you! I wanted to tell you, but Kayti wouldn’t let me, she said the expedition had to be secret. I tried convincing her, but there was no way I could.”
“Why, Kayti? Why keep it a secret? What else do you know that you’re not telling us?” Komir accused. He was sure Kayti was acting according to the wishes of her Brotherhood, but he did not know their purpose and he needed to find out. Too long had that secret stayed hidden. But once again Kayti was silent. Her eyes were fixed on Komir.
“Please let’s not argue,” Lindaro begged. He was standing beside Sonea, who was watching anxiously.
“First I need to get the answers I’m looking for. Why are you here, Kayti? What are you looking for in that chamber? What does your Brotherhood know about what’s locked up in there, that you don’t want to tell us about?”
Kayti and Hartz exchanged a look Komir could not interpret.
“You promised me,” Hartz said. His gaze was firm.
She hesitated. “I know…”
“If you love me, if you want to repair the harm you’ve to done me with your silence, now’s the time,” Hartz said. “I’m not asking you to betray your Brotherhood. I’m asking you to trust me, us, or else I can assure you our love won’t pass this final test. This I know, I can feel it in my soul. You’ve already planted the seed of doubt in my heart by not trusting me and not telling me what you knew all this time we’ve been together.”
“Revealing the written texts of the Brotherhood goes against all I’ve sworn to defend, against all I am.”
“I know, but if you love me, you have to trust me. Otherwise there’ll be an abyss opening up between us, one with no way of crossing it. The decision is yours.”
Kayti lowered her gaze, struggling against herself. “All right, Komir. If you want to know so badly, I’ll tell you. Not because I think I ought to, but for him.” She pointed to Hartz. “For his sake, because I love this big guy more than life itself, I’ll reveal my mission to you. But understand this. Do not get in my way once I reveal my final purpose to you. I’m giving you a chance to step aside, for his sake.”
Komir nodded. He had his doubts, but he decided it would be more prudent to hear her out and decide afterwards. He turned to Hartz, and the big Norriel too nodded.
“Thanks be to the Light!” Lindaro said.
Kayti raised her head high.
“My mission is sacred and extremely important. The fate of all mankind depends on it.”
They all looked at her in surprise, Hartz above all.
“In the holy writings of the Brotherhood,” Kayti went on, “it is said that two hundred years ago, Zuline, the Lady Custodian, Patron of the Order and founder of the Brotherhood, made a discovery of unparalleled importance: a strange Object of Power in the form of a medallion, black as night. Little is known of this object or where the Lady Custodian found it, but the importance of the discovery marked Zuline forever, and forged the destiny of the Brotherhood and its members.”
Lindaro looked intrigued. “An Ilenian medallion?”
Kayti nodded.
“That’s what I believe now, now that we’ve found the others. Although when I started on this quest I didn’t know.”
“Why was this medallion special?” Sonea asked with interest. She was looking at the one hanging around her own neck.
“According to our holy texts, Zuline, the Lady Custodian, brought about the Vision of the End of Days by manipulating it.”
That caught everyone’s attention.
Hartz shook his head. “I don’t like the sound of this at all,” he muttered.
“In the vision Zuline saw skies of fire falling on the earth, the seas rising above the cliffs and sweeping away cities and kingdoms, storms and hurricanes devastating the earth and everything upon it, people fleeing the final destruction with nowhere to shelter.”
Komir shook his head uneasily. “What has this vision got to do with us?” He did not understand what Kayti was telling them about, and like Hartz, the more he heard the less he liked it.
Kayti indicated the two volumes on the dais. “In the vision, Zuline saw two evil objects of great power which initiated the great catastrophe: two large arcane books, one golden, like the sun and the other silver, like the moon.”
All eyes went to the two grimoires.
“And she knew with utter certainty that the fateful day would finally come.”
“You mean we’re all doomed?” Sonea asked.
“Not necessarily. Zuline, in her infinite wisdom, was able to foresee something else, something the medallion didn’t want her to discover: a hope, a chance to stop the cataclysm. A Chosen would have the opportunity to end forever the evil that would unleash the catastrophe. That Chosen, the Lady foresaw, would be one of her disciples, someone from the Brotherhood. She foresaw a woman of strong heart, a warrior who would face Evil boldly and prevent it. So Zuline, the Lady Custodian, told her disciples, and so it’s written in the holy texts. From that day on, the Brotherhood has recruited and trained women of strong spirit and steady hand, since it’s written that the day would come. From that moment on we’ve been waiting vigilantly, for more than two hundred years, traveling the world without rest, searching for Objects of Power, for clues of what was to come and has finally arrived. Those are the accursed objects” —she pointed to the books— “and today is the day.”
“That story, this place… it all gives me the creeps,” Hartz said. “What you just told us sounds terrible. You should’ve told me a long time ago, you should’ve trusted me… especially if its meaning is so… so catastrophic.”
“Would you have come with me? Would you have come with me knowing what you now know, knowing the evil power which lies behind this sealed door?”
“Unfortunately, you’ll never know the answer… because you never asked me.”
Hartz’s reproach, so honest, so human, touched Komir. He understood perfectly. Kayti should have told them all this a long time before. For good or ill. Perhaps her goal was noble, but certainly her means to attain it had not been so.
“I know the silver book,” Komir said. “It’s the Book of the Moon we found, but the golden book… Where did that come from?”
Sonea’s eyes were on the powerful grimoire. “I can explain,” she said. “Days ago, from the moment the great battle ended, Lindaro and I immersed ourselves in studying the Book of the Moon. There’s a lot more in it than arcane spells. It also has what I’d call stories or moments. They’re difficult to interpret, as the Ilenians didn’t write the way we do, but I’ve been able to guess some things. Two days ago I was deep in reading, trying to understand the significance of some dates, when something really astounding happened. My medallion flashed, acting of its own accord, and I was scared because I’d already had an unpleasant experience handling an Ilenian grimoire at the Great Library. I know very well how dangerous it is to handle these grimoires, and I assure you I was being very careful not
to activate any spell accidentally. But even so, suddenly an image began to form in my mind, very like when the medallions cast a spell using our energy. But instead of seeing the Ilenian symbols which formed the spell, what I saw in my mind was a place.”
Lindaro was looking at her with great curiosity. “A place?”
“Haradin’s ruined tower. The Book of the Moon had activated the medallion so that it would convey that place to me. Obviously I was very intrigued. I told Kayti, because she’d already told me about her interest in the Book of the Moon and everything to do with it. And now I understand why…” She looked aside at the redhead. “We went to the ruins of the tower together, and something unbelievable happened there. The Book of the Moon began to pulsate with an intense silver gleam and in reply, a golden flash came from beneath the rubble.”
“The Book of the Sun,” Lindaro guessed, his eyes on the golden volume.
“Exactly,” Sonea said, spreading her arms wide. “Its sister volume answered the call. Kayti, with Hartz’s help, dug out the book, and that’s how we come to have it. The Book of the Moon sent me to the tower to look for its lost sibling: the Book of the Sun. For some reason they wanted to be together… at this moment in time… for some specific goal...”
“I think we know its goal,” Kayti said with a frown, “and we must avoid it at all costs.”
Komir turned to her for a moment, then protested in a low voice:
“And you took it? Why didn’t you leave it where it was? Don’t you realize the book belongs to Haradin? What do you think the Great Mage will think when he discovers it’s missing?”
“It won’t matter anymore,” Kayti said with a wave of her hand. “We’ll have put an end to the evil locked up in this chamber. And don’t forget, those two Ilenian volumes are evil Objects of Power. They shouldn’t be in the hands of a Mage, but stowed away safely and guarded by the Custodian Brotherhood.”
“You and your damned Brotherhood. You have no right to take away those Ilenian grimoires. You’re blinded by your beliefs, and you don’t even know whether they’re true or not. Why do you believe the cataclysm will occur? Why now? Why do you believe you’re the one chosen to stop it? They’re no more than beliefs without any basis or logic. You’re blindly following a prophet without any proof.”
“I disagree,” Kayti said sharply, and tension once again grew in the hall.
Sonea cleared her throat.
“There’s something more, Komir… don’t think I didn’t have those same doubts too… but something happened which made me lean towards” —she blushed— “borrowing it.”
Komir looked at her reproachfully. This was not like the Librarian.
“Let me explain. It’s a fact, not a believe, which also answers one of your questions, why now? You see, Komir… when I had those two powerful grimoires with me, something odd and very significant happened. All I’d done was lay them on a table, one beside the other, I didn’t even open them, precisely because I was afraid of unleashing some spell I could not control. I must say that seeing them in front of me I could feel their power, a tremendous power I didn’t want to try for fear my soul would be lost in it. But in spite of my refusal, the Book of the Moon and the Book of the Sun flashed simultaneously several times, and in answer my Medallion of Air shone intensely. A small golden sphere appeared hovering over the two volumes, then began to spin very fast and flash in all directions. It was as if the books had created a radiant sun which was gaining power with every spin and every flash. I wanted to run, to get out of the room. I realized that the grimoires were casting a powerful spell and for a moment I feared the sphere would explode and consume me. And in that moment of panic, the golden sphere gave out a great pulse and I fell into a trance. My mind emptied completely and turned black as night, then I felt the summons. An urgent feeling filled me, something which told me I had to go somewhere immediately. I felt it was a matter of life or death, it couldn’t be postponed. I just had to answer the summons. The call was urgent, and I felt it in every pore of my skin, with a discomfort that was growing all the time. I had to go, had to start, nothing else mattered, there was nothing else in the world for me.”
“Go where?” Lindaro asked.
Komir pointed to the sealed entrance. “Here, to this chamber, to that door over there.”
Sonea’s eyes grew wide with amazement.
“That means you were summoned too! It wasn’t only me!”
Komir nodded slowly.
“That’s why I took the book, Komir,” Sonea went on, “because of the summons. I thought I was the only one who’d been called here, and so I came. I brought both books with me as they’re the key. Or perhaps they’ve used me to get to this place. Whichever way, I’m convinced we need to find out what’s hidden in that chamber, more so now that I know we’ve both been summoned. We’re in front of the chamber which holds the Enigma of the Ilenians. We’ve been called, and we can’t stop now. It’s our duty to find out what mystery is hidden in there, not only for ourselves, but for the good of all men.”
Komir shook his head, unconvinced.
“Certain mysteries are better left alone… whether we’ve been summoned by arcane means or not.”
But Sonea did not give up.
“Don’t you understand, Komir? We’ve come here for a reason… a specific motive. It can’t be just coincidence that we found the medallions, that we discovered the portals… that we were summoned here today. Think about it, there are too many coincidences there. As my dear master Barnacus used to say: In the natural world, coincidences don’t exist, there’s always a reason for them. Find the reason and the coincidence will cease to be one. We’re here for a reason, Komir, and I believe we should find out what it is.”
“Even if what Kayti’s Brotherhood believes is true?”
Hartz turned to Komir for a moment, then lowered his gaze.
Sonea pondered her answer.
“Whatever is waiting inside that chamber is something we don’t know, that’s true. It might be a great danger… well, yes. It might even be as Kayti believes, even though I hope her beliefs, given man’s natural tendency to fear the unknown, have exaggerated the true danger. It’s something that happens in many cultures. The gods of evil, their malign power, are exaggerated to scare mere mortals” —Kayti gave her a disapproving look — “but as a scholar I can’t let this opportunity pass. In there is the key to the disappearance of the Ilenians, and I’ve been summoned to this chamber. We must solve the enigma.”
Komir folded his arms in disapproval. “Really, I don’t know which is more dangerous, Kayti’s religious fanaticism or your academic kind, Sonea…”
“I’m no fanatic,” Kayti spat out.
Hartz stepped in at this point. “Let’s not argue,” he said.
Lindaro, who had been studying the Book of the Sun all this time, raised his eyebrows.
“Very interesting… From what I can gather, the Book of the Sun explains the existence of these chambers and underground temples the Ilenians built, and the portals which link them. I don’t understand much —I’d need longer to study it in detail— but I’m sure that the first part of the grimoire deals with the temples and portals. Sonea, please help me decipher this long passage. If I’m not mistaken, it makes a reference to the Everlasting Chamber.”
“Yes, of course,” said the Librarian, and came to join Lindaro.
Komir meanwhile went over to the sealed door. His unease was growing by the moment. Part of what Kayti had revealed he had already guessed himself, but he was not going to admit it. In any case, he was sure it was a bad idea to open that chamber. Still, and although it bothered him deeply, Kayti was right: they should bring that evil to an end for the good of everyone.
Those doubts troubled him more and more. He had already fulfilled his destiny, had confronted the Dark Lady and defeated her. The Black Army had been destroyed. He did not want to be involved again in anything else of the kind. Sonea was right: there was a reason why the medallions h
ad been found, and that reason had been the destruction of the Dark Lady and her Black Army. That was the reason, not any other. And Komir wanted it to stay that way. But in that case, why did he feel that unease in his stomach? Why had he been summoned there with Sonea?
Lindaro ran his index finger along a page of the volume. “Really intriguing,” he said. “I’ll see if I can translate… The symbols are: Chamber… Everlasting… Eternal… Sleep… yes, that should be right. In the Everlasting Chamber… they sleep… the Eternal sleep… Then there’s a section I can’t seem to understand. Further down it goes on: Wait… Await… What’s this symbol, Sonea?”
The Librarian thought for a moment.
“Wake… or Rise… I think…”
Lindaro smiled.
“It makes sense. Awaiting the awakening… Being awakened… By whom, Sonea?”
She scratched her chin thoughtfully.
“Sons… or Descendants…”
“Yes, yes! That’s it!” Lindaro said excitedly. “By the sons or descendants… the Chosen. We’re translating it! And it goes on: They sleep… poison… magic… How interesting! They sleep the poison of magic. And then: Not… Die… Fascinating! But I don’t see any more references here… although there are several bits I can’t decipher… the symbols are too complex. I’m sorry.”
“Perhaps it’s in the Book of the Moon!” Sonea said. She started to look through the silver pages.
Komir tried to summarize what Lindaro and Sonea had translated.
“In the Everlasting Chamber they sleep the eternal sleep. Waiting to be awakened by the descendants, the Chosen. They sleep the poison of magic in order not to die.”
“Ilenian magic!” Hartz protested angrily. “There’s got to be something wrong here. I’ve got a feeling about it!”
“I don’t like it either, Hartz… not one bit,” Komir said.
Hartz nodded at him, then turned to look at Kayti, who was trying to open the door. She was determined to go inside, come what might. Komir could see it in her eyes; her faith had blinded her. Amtoko had warned him against those people who in pursuit of faith or mystical beliefs turned into fanatics and forgot reason. He had to be careful with her.