Tenashar asked if Osinthaph understood how these ancient screens of light that show text and moving pictures were made, but she shook her head and said that the skills needed to make them were lost to time. “The librarians who preserve the ancient records don’t have, or won’t reveal, these secrets,” she said.
“Why not simply ask A-amar how he was created?” Osinthaph suddenly asked Tenashar.
“Tansatei, a friend of mine, once said that Sharzeens have no memories of how they were made. They just come into being,” Tenashar replied.
“I once heard that Sharzeens have their memories kept by the master who created them,” said Marhidium.
“What are these Sharzeens? Are they living beings?” Osinthaph asked.
Osinthaph said, “Sharzeens have to come from someplace. Everything has to have some type of origin.”
Marhidium had no answer for her.
They wondered if the Sharzeens and Orbs were connected in some unknown way. From Tenashar’s experience during his journeys, he had found that Ilaythesia and Nainashari, who had great wisdom and power, were familiar with both the spheres of life and Sharzeens.
“You mentioned them before.” Osinthaph nodded. “You called them Aura-Laei-i. The Sahaynaiviums have always considered Aura-Laei-i scholars or scientists.” Osinthaph sat still with her fingers on her lips in anticipation.
“You have to understand that scholars and Aura-Laei-i are different. Don’t think of them as the same,” said Tenashar.
He shook his head with a smile.
“So, scholars are only thinkers. But some scientists and scholars, with innate talents and powers, developed devices like the flying ships,” reasoned Osinthaph.
Tenashar could see she was grasping the truth. “Yet you have to realize, an Aura-Laei-i is different. You reasoned that they are scholars of a very different type, a type beyond the intellect and wisdom of the Sahaynaivium scholars and scientists,” said Tenashar.
Marhidium spoke up then. “I think that the people in your old texts must have been Aura-Laei-i, rather than present-day scholars.” Marhidium had a steady gaze with her hands on her hips.
Privately in his own thoughts, Tenashar connected to the truth, believing that the developers of ancient Sahaynaivium were Aura-Laei-i. He wondered if the people inhabiting the continent came from Sahaynaivium, or if the continental people colonized the islands.
Siytai opined that the Aura-Laei-i might have created Cashmakil. This made some sense to Tenashar and Osinthaph. It was clear that Geithelasa was looking for the Aura-Laei-i. They decided it was a good thing that she didn’t know that Tenashar was an Aura-Laei-i in training—otherwise she would probably keep him a prisoner.
“Tenashar? Are you an Aura-Laei-i?” Knode’s curiosity was aroused.
Tenashar said what he felt. “I am not sure. If I am one of these people, then I must be very careful with what I say to the council. But I believe that the council is already aware of this, and they don’t think I am one. And besides, I may not be an Aura-Laei-i. Who knows.”
He was feeling uncomfortable knowing that the Himoicum council could detain anyone against their consent. Only a court convened by a council of four, experts in Sahaynaivium law, had the authority to hold a person against their will. This was only theory, the idea that a person could not be held without the consent of the higher courts. But in reality, the lower government officials were known to detain people at their will for as long as they wished. Marhidium told Tenashar to be cautious, that the council could force him to tell them anything.
“If the council or scholars want information from you, they will ask you questions, but you don’t have to answer them,” Marhidium reassured him. “Tenashar, the council will decide what to do on the basis of what you choose to tell them.”
The door opened, and Hedariad told them to come back into the room.
As everyone sat down, Tenashar found the council chamber nearly deserted. Obsiesa, Geithelasa, and Kouxisphi were the only ones still present.
They gave Tenashar every encouragement to speak again. But he could see what they were trying to do, so he remained silent.
This time it was Marhidium who asked the questions. “In Isedium, no one asked us what had happened to our crew. The authorities there seemed to have no concern for our lost crew, no sympathy. Why?”
Geithelasa responded coldly. “You know a flood destroyed a large part of Isedium.”
It quickly became a debate between Marhidium and Geithelasa. Marhidium didn’t accept the explanation. She retorted that they were all prisoners kept in a tunnel. Geithelasa’s reply was that it was a way of keeping them safe. Then Marhidium shot back about the aeronauts who weren’t trusting of the authorities or elders.
Patience on either side wore out.
It was time for Obsiesa to intercede and stop the argument from becoming too heated. Geithelasa gave him an insulting remark, telling him to keep out of it. But Obsiesa silenced her, saying that if she continued this disobedience, she would be removed from the council and would not be welcomed back until he decided she was worthy to rejoin the council again. Geithelasa quieted down at once.
Obsiesa accepted her acquiescence. “Marhidium and her friends are here at the council meeting as our guests and should be treated with respect. They are visitors from other lands. When we treat people well, it reflects on our entire council.”
With effort and compassion, Obsiesa explained, “Word has come from the council in Honazal that several aeronauts perished near the mountains of Athenathiy. When I heard these words, I didn’t know where Athenathiy was. I was personally saddened by the event because I was once an aeronaut and have also lost companions.
“All the necessary arrangements have been made with their families to honor their memories,” said Obsiesa.
Marhidium asked if they were able to obtain circles of light for the memorial—a Sahaynaivium way to console the souls of departed and guide them to the spiritual world. The circles of light would be arranged in a succession of rings to create a tunnel of light. Each circle represented a phase in the life of a human being.
Tenashar saw that Knode, Siytai, and Marhidium were delighted that Obsiesa and the council had arranged the ceremony at the request of Athtap. All Sahaynaiviums valued the circle of light ceremony for the deceased.
Obsiesa’s words became more personal as he talked about the circle of light ceremony. Kouxisphi made only a slight indication of his emotions, though he seemed to feel some compassion.
Siytai hung his head. Knode, Marhidium, and Siytai talked about their memories of Naydiacar.
Obsiesa had sensed all along that it was Naydiacar. Obsiesa thought it might have been Marhidium’s sister, but instead she was a Veazith child—related to Jarviashar in terms of culture and blood.
Jarviashar asked, “Obsiesa, where is my father, Leineha? Why wasn’t he at the council?”
Obsiesa said, “I can only suggest there might be some reason he was detained—perhaps by something more pressing. I am not sure what this problem is. Later on, our leader, the Salseth, will meet with the council again. In the meantime, I’ll try to find out if your father is in Himoicum.”
Obsiesa declared that the council was concluded. Knode was clearly disappointed by the lack of answers about the abductions. Feiadysium escorted them outside and left them free to do as they wished.
Yet there was still no fulfillment in Tenashar’s heart. They were left with no answers and felt as if they had become unimportant insects. But one thing was clear—the Orbs had a connection to the Aura-Laei-i, Cashmakil, and the Sharzeens. Tenashar looked to A-amar for answers, but he didn’t say anything.
“Tenashar, do you know who made your race?” A-amar asked.
Tenashar remained silent while he thought. Then he said, “I have no answer. It had to be the gods who created human beings. No one has ever been able to answer this.”
“You’ve answered my question,” A-amar said smugly.
chapter
27
The Wonders of Himoicum
While Tenashar and his friends were being questioned at the council, they didn’t realize that they had stayed up without sleep for two days and two nights. When Obsiesa finally dismissed them, it was noon of the third day.
Hedariad escorted them outside and then disappeared.
“What do we do now?” asked Tenashar, fingers on his chin.
Knode thought for a moment. “I don’t know what we should do next. The council let us go, but they may need us. They’re so unpredictable.”
Marhidium said, “I suggest that we go to the place where aeronauts wait for their assigned ships—a Yesixiaf. It’s the only place to live while we are here in Himoicum.”
On their way to find a Yesixiaf, they passed by open areas similar to what they had seen in Honazal. All around them were people in brightly colored, elegant clothes, contrasting nicely with their typical black undergarments.
Marhidium pointed to wide streets, which was nothing new to Tenashar. But there was something strange, something he hadn’t seen before—wagons traveling under their own power, without the need of animals. Machines that looked and acted just like people amazed him all over again. At first, Tenashar thought these were a type of Sharzeen. But when he observed them closer, he saw that they were mechanical.
Even A-amar and Una-sei stopped and stared.
“This is some type of magic. I thought that Sahaynaiviums couldn’t make a Sharzeen. Are these things mechanical?” Tenashar’s eyes were filled with wonder when he saw these strange things walking around.
“Our technicians don’t know how to make Sharzeens,” Marhidium said. “We call them artificial beings, and they are purely mechanical. They have no spirits and no minds.”
Tenashar quickly looked at Marhidium and said, “You mean they work just like the flying ships?”
“Yes.”
Jarviashar asked about the self-moving wagons.
Marhidium smiled at her. “You have to understand that these wagons work on the same principles as the flying ships. These vehicles have only been on the roads of Himoicum for the past fifty years or so.”
Siytai prodded Tenashar and Jarviashar along. They needed to find a place to rest.
They had walked a long distance through the city when they finally found an interesting place. It looked like a large, oval cocoon with ribs going across it, held together with strong tubes.
Inside the building, other aeronauts were sitting and tinkering with devices to get them ready for flight. Tenashar felt like they weren’t welcomed by any of the aeronauts. Marhidium told him that everyone was too busy, because any moment they might be assigned to fly.
Knode was able to get a room for his friends because of his rank—a place they could live for the duration of their stay in Himoicum. The Yesixiaf was so immense that there was enough space for hundreds of aeronauts to reside there.
Once inside their room, they relaxed and slept. After a long sleep, they started talking.
Marhidium lay on the floor on a cushion, playing with her hands and staring up at the ceiling.
“I’m sure that Geithelasa was holding something back. She made great efforts to conceal her knowledge,” said Marhidium.
“What knowledge are you speaking of?” Knode asked, but she couldn’t answer. He looked at her as he waited for an answer and put his fingers on chin in deep thought.
Osinthaph then chimed in. “If the Orbs were the creation of ancient Aura-Laei-i, then the people who built Cashmakil must have been people with special powers. You ask yourself, why did those people die? Or were they destroyed by their own creations?”
Osinthaph looked around the room at everyone as she sat on the bed cross-legged, waiting for an answer.
“Earlier, there was talk of a child who was in control of the Orbs,” said Marhidium.
“The same thoughts came to me, that the people of Cashmakil destroyed their own culture,” Tenashar agreed. “But I didn’t say anything more to the council. I had a vision of what appeared to be a baby in a sack of fluid controlling something. Pushing levers. It clearly knew what it was doing. It was very strange to see this, even as I stood in the council chamber. I didn’t dare say anything to them because Geithelasa was staring at me.”
“I had the same vision,” said Osinthaph.
Jarviashar said, as if in a trance, “For many years, or maybe even centuries, people have said that there was a legend that circulated around Honazal and Veazith about a child who controlled the worlds for its own pleasure.”
“What were these Orbs made for then?” Siytai was puzzled. “If these Cashmakil characters invented the Orbs, then why didn’t the things hurt the people that lived centuries ago instead of the people now, who have no connection with them?”
Tenashar said, “They may have been sleeping. Otherwise the world would have been plagued with the Orbs a long time ago.”
Marhidium said to Tenashar, “I’ve heard you talk about a child named Cadica who you say is from the future.”
Tenashar knew what Marhidium was aiming at. Could Cadica be the child controlling the Orbs? He believed that she wasn’t knowledgeable enough to control the Orbs. Tenashar didn’t know if Ilaythesia was an Aura-Laei-i, but he considered her to be one. There were a multitude of questions about who this child was or whether it even existed.
Everyone agreed that Geithelasa had some idea of this child. If this were true, then she was probably looking for it.
Knode at last stopped the discussions. “There is more to learn, so it is appropriate to listen.”
chapter 28
Truth in the Fading Light
Tenashar looked at his companions and said, “We have to find out what the Orbs really are—and soon. Sitting around waiting for the next council won’t bring the answer.”
“Why don’t we see if we can find Hedariad and the scholars?” said Knode.
“That sounds like a good idea,” Tenashar said. He glanced at Knode, who was frowning. “What?” he asked.
“The scholars are the ones holding back information. I don’t trust them.”
“Come on,” Siytai said. “We don’t have to trust everything they say.”
Although the sky was already becoming dark, it wasn’t too late to find a scholar or someone to lead them to some truth about the Orbs. They walked out into the night with no direction, not knowing where their steps would take them. Yet without guidance, they headed to Hedariad’s home.
They walked up to a huge towering structure that looked like spheres stacked upon one another, gradually becoming smaller further up. It stood alone in a wide expanse of grass and tiled pavement.
How anyone could miss such an anomaly, as Hedariad’s family home, was strange. Yet it was easy to overlook any strange building because there were so many in Himoicum. Some of these buildings were so individualistic that there seemed to be no planning in their construction. Yet they were all well designed. For someone like Tenashar, who came from a small Senetha village, the strange buildings all blurred together.
Knode called out to Hedariad from the door, but there was no answer. Knode continued to call his name.
Feiadysium appeared. They were all surprised to see him at the door, but he let them in without hesitation. He told them to wait, saying that Hedariad was on his way.
Hedariad entered the waiting room with another person that surprised them—Obsiesa.
“We were waiting for all of you to come.” Hedariad smiled at his cousin.
“How did you know that we were coming?” Knode asked.
Hedariad replied, “I’m your cousin, and you always seek me out, so we waited.” For the first time, Feiadysium smiled. “We know why you came here,” he said. “To discuss the Orbs and the problems they are causing in the world.”
Obsiesa also acknowledged their presence with a silent nod.
Knode said, “I don’t understand why Feiadysium is present.”
“Although Feiadysium has a cold e
xterior, deep down he’s a very warm man,” Hedariad began. “He has to keep this side of himself hidden away from Geithelasa. Remember, Feiadysium is a close confidante to the Salseth. If Geithelasa knew about it, it could break the council apart, so he keeps this relationship a secret.”
Finally Obsiesa sat down and told them what he felt. “I suspect that the Orbs might be controlled by someone on the council, or perhaps one of the scholars. I do not know the reasons why someone would desire to control the Orbs. If they are not in control, then these scholars are truly helpless and are now frantically looking for ancient texts on the use and function of the Orbs. I believe that the scholars and scientists are like children playing with fire. They do not know how to tame this immense power. That is why so many lands are being visited and destroyed by these Orbs.
“The Orbs are the reason for the delay of the groups from Honazal, Veazith, and Sovazal. I’ve recently heard the oceans are becoming rough again. I believe that an Aura-Laei-i could be searching for a way to dominate the Orbs. Who this Aura-Laei-i is, I have no idea.”
Tenashar gasped. He realized if this was true, then their dying world was in the hands of humans.
With hesitation, Tenashar began the story of his stay in the desert world of the future and how, because the Orbs had done their damage in the past, he had found a dead but beautiful world coming back to life through the skills and wisdom of Ilaythesia and Cadica.
“Cadica is a beautiful person, and she has created many beautiful Sharzeens. I believe that she sent A-amar and Una-sei to the past to help us in some way,” said Tenashar.
Now they were shocked. They said that Cadica might be the child controlling the Orbs. “What you saw may not have been her true form. Perhaps her world and everything was an illusion, something she put in your mind.”
“I don’t think Cadica is the one,” Tenashar answered. “She’s a real girl, not strange children figure in a sack of water. I understand your concern that she may not have shown her true form to me.” He went on to tell them about Cadica’s family and her father, Saitha.
Journey to the Grassland and Sea Page 19