by Mario Routi
“What does my father have to do with you?”
Marcus moved forward in a blur of speed and Ricky swiftly found his chin connected to a nine-millimeter gun.
“Answer the question!”
“Please...” Ricky trembled. “My dad was a great man who started out working every waking hour in a waterside bar. The bar eventually became his and years later he turned it into one of the best boat-building companies in the world - a business that he passed down to me.”
“Do you want to know his real past?”
Marcus dropped a folder onto the desk in front of him. Ricky looked down at it. It had his father’s name printed across the top of it.
“Go ahead, take a look,” ordered Marcus. He then sat down and placed the gun on his lap, waiting patiently once more. Ricky opened the folder, snatched the papers up and began to read. Once he’d finished, he sighed and looked at his bodyguard.
“As I said, my dad was a great man, and though some people might have believed him to be ruthless, there’s no way he could have been responsible for any of this.”
“Your father was part of something a great deal bigger than this little business of yours.”
“Little?” Ricky exploded.
“Okay, hear me, Soblett, if you interrupt me again, I’ll shoot you!” Ricky swallowed and fell silent. “As I was saying, your father was involved in something so big that it affects the entire world. The information that you have just seen leaves you with the following choices: You may choose to prove yourself like your father did before you and finally take his place in the world, or you can die in that chair right now. Which will it be?”
“How do I prove myself?”
“You kill a couple of hundred innocent people. They die and you are anointed the next leader of your Sartani family, having access to possibly the most important secret in the history of creation.”
“Sartani? My dad was a Sartani leader?”
“Indeed. And now, Ricky, your answer please.”
“And you expect me to be responsible for taking the lives of so many people?”
“It’s either you or them.”
“And how am I supposed to kill them?”
“You are going to bomb a boat.”
“Just a random boat?” He gestured at the pictures and models of boats that decorated the walls and surfaces of his office.
“No, we have a particular boat in mind. If you accept, then you will wake up tomorrow morning with a formal invitation in your mailbox. The address will be there.”
Ricky shrugged as if the answer was obvious. “Then I accept.”
“Now, that’s my boy,” Marcus laughed sarcastically, standing up and patting Ricky patronizingly on the cheek. “We were sure you would go for it, just like your father did. You will retrieve the bomb from a coffee shop as instructed. If you fail to retrieve the bomb, if you are seen with another person while you retrieve the bomb, or if you send someone else to pick up the bomb for you, then we kill you. I hope I have made myself clear.”
Marcus picked up the file that lay open in front of Ricky and left the office.
3
Utopia, The Land of the White Sun
The thunderous sound of trumpets burst into the room as Leylah opened her eyes. She could smell breakfast cooking downstairs but she wanted to lie in bed for a moment longer. She always loved the feeling of waking up in the morning, gradually stretching and losing the stiffness of the night while contemplating what might lie ahead, especially on such a momentous day.
She looked up at the wooden ceiling of her room and watched as dust motes danced in the beams of sunlight. The door creaked and footsteps made their way to the foot of the bed. In a flurry of movement she pulled the blankets over her head to try and protect herself from the attack she knew was inevitable. Turgoth, her father, jumped onto the bed, holding her down as she squirmed beneath his tickling fingers. Leylah thrust out her foot, trying and failing to push him away and save herself from his morning tickle torture.
“Dad! Dad! Stop it Dad, please... I’m sixteen years old, stop with the...” Her shouting turned to uncontrollable giggling as her mother joined in, the two of them pinning her to the bed. She was helpless to save herself until they finally chose to stop, all of them gasping for breath.
Turgoth climbed off the bed and pointed wordlessly to the door, which she knew meant, “Downstairs, breakfast, now!” and his daughter emerged out of the warm, crumpled blankets.
Rebecca put her hand on her daughter’s arm as she passed her, her face growing serious. “Listen, Leylah, please don’t make any more fuss about the fact that I haven’t allowed you to join the War Games today. There’s plenty of time for you to do all that in the future, after you’ve had some real training. These Games can become dangerous sometimes and I don’t want you to get hurt just trying to prove how good you are.”
Leylah nodded sweetly at her mother, her meekness taking Rebecca by surprise. She had expected her daughter to put up more of a fight than that.
“Come on then,” she said, relieved but still not sure that she trusted Leylah not to be planning something, “let’s go eat breakfast.”
Leylah put her clothes on and hurried after her mother. Bebi, her beloved bulldog, was already sitting next to her plate as usual, his patient eyes following her as she walked down the steps. Her plate was stacked twice as high as her parents’ and Bebi licked his lips in anticipation.
Leylah sat down next to him, and looked at him questioningly. Bebi placed his right paw on her leg. Leylah made a pouting, frowning face. Bebi then put his left paw on her leg. Leylah faked a grimace at the weight. Bebi removed both paws and turned his back to her, quickly jerking his head round to stick his tongue out at her.
Turgoth and Rebecca laughed at the ritual morning squabble, pleased that their daughter did not think she was too grown-up for such childlike games. The four of them enjoyed their breakfast, their joyous mood continued as they prepared for the ceremony.
***
The sound of trumpets filled the air once more. Leylah patted Bebi on the neck and walked into the stables. Her horse was sitting in the hay when she opened the stable door and he rose to strike a dramatic pose, elegantly flipping his mane on the way up. Leylah beckoned him forward and mounted in one swift movement, galloping out of the stable with Bebi and Larry the lion running at the horse’s heels like bodyguards.
Her parents accepted the obvious challenge and rode close on her tail as she raced through the paths of Utopia, streaking past the houses and leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. Her mother was closing in fast on her right as they left the Museum of the fortress behind and Leylah pulled her horse towards the area designated for tethering the horses, forcing her mother to slow down.
Turgoth cut in from her left as they came closer to the amphitheatre. Leylah shakily stood up on her horse’s back while the others drew closer. With one athletic leap she jumped into the air and landed by the posts where the horses would be tied, just in time to see her father finish tying his horse and raising his hands triumphantly in the air.
Leylah felt a gigantic hand land her on the back and a low gruff voice muttered in her ear, “You’ll get him next time, Leylah.”
Leylah turned to find her large Cyclops friend grinning broadly at her. “Oh, Mo, you made it!”
The Cyclops swept her off her feet and engulfed her in a mighty hug and she found herself gasping for air for the second time that morning. Eventually, he released her back onto the ground and shook hands with Turgoth.
“So, how have things been lately?” asked the Cyclops.
“They have been well and a little boring,” she grinned. “Are you participating in the War Games this year?”
“I always try to participate. You know that,” Mo said, lightly jabbing a finger into her belly. “The
real question is...” he whispered conspiratorially, “are you?”
Leylah gave him a mischievous smile. “Mo, what do you mean? Of course I would never do something as reckless as that,” she said loudly, for her mother’s benefit.
“No, of course not,” Mo followed her lead. “How foolish of me to think that you would participate in something soooo dangerous!”
Leylah could hear her father chuckling as he helped a worried-looking Rebecca dismount.
“Run along you two,” Rebecca said. “Time is passing.”
Mo and Leylah joined the crowd at the entrance of the amphitheatre, mingling with Amazons, Sharkans, Porth, Orizons, Centaurs and Cyclopes as they all jostled to get through the newly constructed gateway. Turgoth and Rebecca had disappeared round the back of the building.
“So, how furious is your mother going to be?” Mo asked as they shuffled their way forward.
“What do you think? She’s going to be absolutely livid. I’m more worried about Alexander though. At least I know my mum won’t accidentally stab me.”
Mo chuckled. “You’re right. At least, when she does it, she’ll have good reason.”
“I’m sixteen years old and she still acts as if I am a fragile little girl,” Leylah complained. Mo shrugged and grinned and she felt momentarily annoyed that her friend didn’t seem to be giving her the sympathy she felt she deserved.
The crowd was pressing in around them and Mo put his arm around Leylah like a shield so that she wouldn’t be smothered. She forgave him for not taking her predicament seriously and rewarded him with a grateful smile, both of them enjoying each other’s company.
Bebi arrived panting and pushing his way through the countless legs before brushing his head against Leylah’s knees as they emerged into the open space inside. He then darted towards the front row seats and laid himself across two of them as if reserving them. Leylah and Mo laughed and made their way over to join him, settling down comfortably.
Every head looked up as Pegasus swooped in from the sky and flew around the amphitheatre carrying Lord Leiko and Lady Felicia on his back. The crowd cheered as they landed and Leylah could see her mother standing next to them on the stage. She wondered where her father was.
“Hey Mo, can you see my father? He’s not where he usually is.”
“Where is he usually?”
“Where else? Standing next to my mum!”
“Maybe they’ve decided to change things a bit?”
“You think so? They don’t normally modify the ceremony at all.”
“Well, they might feel the need to make changes just for fun.”
“Mo, ‘fun’ is not a concept any of our rulers are very familiar with.”
Mo gave her a light dig with his elbow. “Ah, well, then it should be amusing to see how badly they mess it up if they choose to try.”
Leylah laughed but continued to search the amphitheatre for a glimpse of her father.
4
The amphitheatre grew quiet as the last of the stragglers took their seats. Felicia walked briskly onto the stage and held out her arms to the crowd. She wore an emerald dress which was neatly fitted together at the shoulder. She looked as beautiful as ever, easily capturing the attention of the whole amphitheatre as she started to speak.
“As you all know, this is our twenty seventh year of peace. Due to this fact, some of us may no longer see the need for training but, on the contrary, this is the moment when we need to be at our best and most alert. It is during periods of peace that Evil has the time to make its next plan. Evil never stops working to find ways to undermine and defeat Good. This peace will only last for as long as we stay strong and vigilant and the moment will inevitably come when we will need to rise up in force to vanquish Evil once again!”
She paused as everyone let out a roar of applause. As the cheers died down, she smiled and continued.
“During the last few years our War Games have reached a new level. In the past we always trained for the day when the King of Beast would bring his army to our gates and we would need to defend the Sacred Flame. However, with the help of our Gods, we forged a revolutionary path of peace between us and all of us joined forces when a greater enemy, in the shape of the Titans’ army, attacked us. United, we managed to crush them!”
The crowd let out another roar of triumph and agreement.
“Since then we’ve faced no serious challenges but through hard and continuous training we have kept ourselves in top form. With the War Games, each of us strives to show what we have learned in our training. There are no losers or winners here, only those who understand how far they have come. It is also, of course, a spectacular show, which I know you’re all looking forward to. With that in mind, I would now like to ask our young trainees to come to the stage.”
Young Orizons and Sharkans emerged from the crowd and walked towards the stage from all directions, forming lines like marching ants as the crowd kept a steady storm of applause, clapping in time to their marching feet.
Lord Leiko raised his voice above the thunderous beat: “Today, we graciously accept these boys and girls into our family. May the Flame guide you to always serve Good and to defend it with all your might.”
Doctor Afterland stepped out onto the stage bearing the Flame in his hand. He administered it to each of the young people in turn, pausing to allow them to bask for a moment in the rapturous reception of the crowd as they received the Flame.
“Was it difficult for you to choose the Flame?” Mo asked Leylah as they clapped and cheered.
Leylah smiled up at him. “What would I do without a Mo by my side?”
He laughed. “No, but really, was it difficult?”
“Honestly, it wasn’t. I was actually very excited and looking forward to it. If I had to make the choice over again, I would still do the same.”
Mo nodded thoughtfully. “Being mythical creatures, we Cyclopes don’t need the Flame to gain immortality but, if I ever had to choose, I would opt for the Flame. My people lived through the Lomani wars and we were finally rewarded. Now we even have our own Kingdom. There’s no way any of us would simply give all this up to do the same thing we were doing under Turgoth’s rule. No offense.”
“My father went through a lot in the struggle to get the Flame for his people,” Leylah said. “I don’t blame him for the drastic measures he had to take in order to do so. I’m proud of my father.”
“And so you should be. He’s a great man.”
Once the last trainee had received the Flame, Rebecca switched places with Felicia on stage, pausing to allow the ceremony to finish before she began talking.
“I came to this land nearly thirty years ago. At the time, all of our people were at war. Since I was new here, I had questions about why our Kingdoms had been fighting for so long. King Turgoth, who is now my husband, had to kidnap me in order to get me to listen to him. Talk about a charming first date, huh?”
Everybody laughed, although they had heard the joke many times before and were more than familiar with the history of Rebecca and Turgoth’s great romance.
“Not long after I met Turgoth, the Gods went to war with the Titans and we were all deeply affected during that war, as well as after it. Today, all of our Kingdoms sit happily united in the same amphitheatre. Sometimes, it takes even more love to listen to your enemy than it does to defend your loved ones. We all share the same benefits now and it is our responsibility to ensure that the Flame does not end up in the hands of real Evil.”
Rebecca paused for a breath before continuing: “Alas! Evil still exists on Earth and we transmit our love to those living on that planet to help them combat it. Thanks to their efforts, the Dark Side activity on Earth has decreased lately, but do not think even for a moment that it is not still there, looking for ways to grow stronger. We stand here today to make sure that i
t never triumphs and that the Titans do not escape their prison. We thrive together! We defend the Flame together! And we will crush Evil every time... together!”
A deafening pounding of feet and hands rose up from the amphitheatre as Felicia replaced Rebecca on the stage.
“Thank you, Princess Rebecca. Now, this is why we are constantly accepting more warriors into our already mighty family. We are here to combat the Evil that the Titans bring to us, whether it is here in the Land of the White Sun or down on Earth.”
Felicia paused to look at the crowd, ensuring she had their full attention before continuing: “Newcomers who have never seen the Land of the White Sun before will soon be arriving from Earth. They will need to receive all the support we can give them in order to learn all they can about our world. We would like volunteers who are willing to welcome and accept these children with the love we share among us. If you would like to volunteer, please see Princess Rebecca, Bull, Doctor Afterland or me after this ceremony. Now, let’s all go have fun at the arena. Good luck to all the participants!”
They all continued to shout, chant and clap as they left the amphitheatre and headed towards the arena.
5
Felicia waited patiently outside the amphitheatre entrance for volunteers to make themselves known to her. Rebecca was also waiting there for Leylah.
“Goodbye for now, Mo,” Leylah said, giving her friend a hug before going to her mother, “I’ll catch up with you later at the arena.”
“Leylah,” Rebecca said as they walked together, “I think you should volunteer this year.”
“I should volunteer? It would be my pleasure, Mum, but why are you telling me this now?”
“Gregory and Anna will be arriving this year. Gregory is Bill and Samantha’s son and Anna is Sergei and Tamina’s daughter. They were my best friends when I first came here to the Land of the White Sun and I’m sure that you’ll become just as good friends with Gregory and Anna.”
“Okay, but I’ve never volunteered to help with the training of the newcomers before. What would my duties be?”