“What is in it for us?” Ellen asked as she turned around to face the two men again.
The visitor looked over at Ellen, but he could not look for long. Her cold glare frightened him. “A new regime in the Eluan Empire. Eluan needs new leaders and we have them in place. We will make a new Royal Council, with you two on it, of course.”
“What will become of Heric and Nikali?” Seres asked.
The man looked over at Ellen again. Her expression had not changed. “Enemies of Eluan are executed.”
“So be it,” said Ellen. “Nikali has failed.”
Down below on the stage, the island was sinking into the water, and stagehands began throwing buckets of water like never before. The floor in the attendance area was becoming flooded with inches of water, but nobody seemed to notice. They cheered as Nikali roared over his victory at the Tcher Islands.
The stranger pulled out a piece of parchment from his coat pocket. He handed it to Seres. “I am in Myrus for a few more days. This is where you will find me. Memorize it and discard it. The paper will disintegrate in water.”
Seres looked at the location then quickly crumpled the paper.
“If I don’t hear from you again then I will assume you are not a part of the plan,” said the man. “But I would not make an enemy out of us, Seres.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Seres answered. Then Seres dropped the wad of paper over the balcony railing. It landed in the chaos of the flooding down below and withered away into nothing.
When Seres looked back at his newest ally, the disguised man was gone. Seres and Ellen were alone once again to finish the play and speculate on the future of the Eluan Empire.
Chapter 20
Nikali’s walk through the palace took considerably longer than usual. He walked in a zigzag pattern. Every step forward took five steps to the left then another five steps to the right. The only things that kept him going in a straight direction were the walls that he collided with.
For the first time in a while Nikali felt like his old self again. Or even better. His world was spinning. The floor felt as if it was rising up then it would dip down suddenly. It was like the world was being steered by an invisible hand and Nikali was gladly taking the ride.
He stumbled into Heric’s chambers. The nurses gasped at Nikali’s sudden and disquieting entrance. When Nikali entered the room he collapsed onto the floor. But his legs kept moving like he was attempting to simply walk back to a standing position.
The nurses came up to Nikali and surrounded him. They were unsure of what to do. They did not want to risk disturbing their emperor.
“Get out of his way,” said Alma. She waved the girls away to stop crowding Nikali.
Nikali looked up at the nurse. He smiled. His vision was blurry and he only saw half of her face.
“How is Heric?” Nikali asked almost out of instinct.
“The same,” said Alma. “What is wrong with you?”
“The same,” laughed Nikali. He started to scoot himself across the floor toward Heric’s room. Alma did not try to stop him. She merely walked along side him.
“Leave us,” said Alma to the other nurses. “Get some food in the kitchen.” The girls did as they were told. They began to leave the area.
Alma came up to the door leading into Heric’s room. She opened it for Nikali who was still slithering across the floor on his back.
“Thank you,” said Nikali once he made it to the opened door. Then he rolled over and climbed back to his feet.
Nikali looked inside. For a split second everything stood still and he saw Heric clearly still lying in bed in a coma.
“There is still no sign of improvement from Emperor Heric,” said Alma. “Whatever it is you are doing is not working?”
“It’ll work,” said Nikali. “I’ve got something new.”
Then Nikali entered the room. The door swung out of Alma’s hand and slammed shut. She sighed then made her way to the kitchen. She was in need of a short escape as well.
“I have a surprise for you,” said Nikali gleefully. He knelt beside the bed of Heric’s. “I found more power. I haven’t felt this good in a long time. This isn’t like the avadons. I can control this. I can level it off. I can heal you, now.”
Nikali placed his hands on Heric’s head. Then he opened the flood gates of his arcan. He pushed into Heric’s faded thoughts. He connected with Heric like never before. Memories started to come to Nikali like forgotten flashbacks.
Nikali saw murky darkness and a light at the end of a flooded cavern. He saw the citadel on the Tcher Islands. He saw himself stabbing Aldrin the Ageless through the heart with his sword. Then he saw Abigail.
“Wake up,” demanded Nikali. “We have enemies to face.”
Heric’s body seized uncontrollably in his bed. Nikali held him down as he continued to sift through his cousin’s mind. He sent pulses of energy into every inch of Heric’s body. Heric’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. Sweat drenched his clothing and moistened Nikali’s grip.
Then Heric’s eyes opened wide. It was followed by a blood curdling scream. Nikali was caught by surprise. He tore away from Heric and his painful cry.
Then it was gone. Heric’s scream died along with his gaze. He faded back into oblivion.
Nikali pounced back onto Heric. “Nooooo!” Nikali screamed in objection.
He pounded against Heric’s chest several times. Nikali could feel his power drained once again. He couldn’t keep going. Heric was unmoved.
Nikali continued to force Heric awake with his fists of rage. He laid several more strikes against Heric’s chest and upper body.
Finally, Nikali was out of energy, and Heric was left with several welts across his body. Nikali sat against the side of the bed defeated once again.
It still wasn’t enough. It was more. But it wasn’t enough. Nikali could not heal Heric.
But the Blood Beauties had promised him more. They had only given him a taste of what they had. He needed to get more from them. He needed more power.
The Blood Beauties’ words echoed in Nikali’s thoughts. He needed to harvest from the people. He needed their blood. He needed their energy. He needed their souls.
Chapter 21
Two days after the awful play Seres was forced to sit through he made his way through the Myrus streets unaccompanied by any of his personal guards. A cape and hood were enough to conceal his identity as he walked through the remaining filth of his city.
The location of the home base of the Eluan rebellion was located in a less than ideal spot. It didn’t surprise Seres a bit once he began his walk. Many parts of Myrus had not yet been touched. They were of less notoriety and thus didn’t need any attention for the moment. Fixing up the slums was not going to bring the royal class back to Myrus.
Beggars were at every corner. Some were looking for work. Others wanted a drink of people’s Tamor Blood. Seres shoved past them with little interest. Even just the talk of Tamor Blood was starting to irritate him. The crazed power was becoming a bigger problem ever since Nikali returned from Louson. Stronger drinks were spreading across Eluan. Despite what certain people thought arcan was not something that you could control. It was something that had to be unleashed, and Seres did not like that idea.
The building Seres was looking for was up ahead. It had seen better days. Scorch marks covered the entire building. Wood planks and debris were stacked in front of the windows to create the illusion of abandonment, but in truth it was for privacy.
Seres remembered the building well. It was the former prison of Myrus, and before it was a prison, the building was a theatrical playhouse. The main floor of the building led into a basement maze. The original designer of the building was one of the former Myrus senators, and a mad man, as the stories went. He built the maze to entice the royal class to enter and fulfill their deepest dreams. The deeper you went into the maze the darker your desires could get. After the war between Prial and Tcher, Eluan took over Myrus and the
playhouse was no more. The building was still structurally sound so Eluan repurposed it and turned the rooms scattered throughout the maze into prison cells.
Seres remembered meeting with officials there several times. He even met Heric and Nikali there on one occasion. It seemed fitting that this was the location that was going to birth Eluan’s downfall.
The main entrance to the former jail opened with ease. Seres stepped inside to the dark building. He looked around. There was nobody present. The commander of Myrus let out a sigh of disappointment. Had this all been for nothing?
Then right on cue a man dressed in rags stumbled out of one of the rooms. An empty jug dangled in his fingers. He shook his body as if waking himself up like a dog. Then he looked over at Seres.
“Who are you?” the man asked with a gravelly voice.
“I’m looking for somebody,” answered Seres.
“Who are you?” the man asked again. “Are you alone?”
Seres eyed down the bum. He had to make a judgment call. Seres removed his hood and revealed his face. “I am Francesco de Seres. I thought I would check up on things in my city.”
The man grew startled at Seres’ words. He suddenly stood up straight and gave a poor salute at the Myrus Senator. “Oh, I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”
“That’s fine,” Seres forgave the man. “Now, I’m looking for somebody.”
“I know,” said the man.
“You know?” asked Seres.
“Of course,” he answered. “We’ve been expecting you.” The man’s voice changed. It became smoother. His posture changed. He was standing up straight. He bowed with elegance; a complete transformation from the man that was just a few seconds ago stumbling to greet Seres.
“Who are you?” Seres asked.
“My name is Jordon,” the man answered. Seres began to recognize the voice. It was the same man that had met Seres at the play. He looked different without the disguise.
“What is going on?” Seres asked. “This is your rebellion?”
“It is dark times, Francesco,” said Jordon. “We have to be cautious. The powers that be will stop at nothing to stop us.”
“And who are you exactly?” Seres wanted to know.
“We are the Suraya,” said Jordon. “Follow me. I will show you our operations.”
Jordon turned around and returned into the door he came out of. Seres stood there for a second. He contemplated just leaving and returning with one of his legions. One man and a derelict building was not an operation. But Seres’ curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know more first before he started killing.
Seres followed Jordon into a dark room that continued on to a staircase. Down below in the basement a torch was visible. Jordon passed it and kept walking. Seres hustled to catch up to his guide.
“When did you take over the prison?” Seres asked.
“After the fire,” said Jordon. “Those of us that survived the avadon attack needed a new place to resume our plans. With the majority of this building underground it worked perfectly. It had little damage compared to the rest of the city.”
Jordon continued to lead Seres down several hallways. Right. Left. Left. Left. Right. Right. It was becoming dizzying for Seres. A door came straight ahead, and Jordon finally stopped.
“Welcome to the Suraya,” said Jordon. Then he opened the door.
The opened door revealed dozens of people. Many of them sat along the walls on cots and stools. They were simply going about their day. Jordon walked past them with little acknowledgement. Seres eyed down every one of them. There indeed was some kind of rebellion forming right under his nose.
Jordon lead Seres over to a table. The table was carved to replicate the Eluan Empire. The map would have been impressive if the information it portrayed wasn’t so depressing. Dozens of towns and cities were marked as destroyed. Military pieces were shoved off to the side. Eluan’s armies were decimated during the war against Tcher. A piece representing the Capitol’s army was left randomly in the middle of the board out in the open. The state of Eluan looked bleak in such a simplistic view.
Seres looked away from the table and he began to scan the faces of the people around him. He didn’t recognize the people at first. Then his gaze fell upon a burly man in a more formal wardrobe. Suddenly, it all made sense.
“General Kayl,” Seres said. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Like wise,” answered Seres’ former mentor. “I’m glad they finally brought you in.”
The two men shook hands. The familiar face put Seres more at ease. If the Suraya had a former Royal Council member on their side then the operation was more legitimate than Seres previously believed.
“Yes, Kayl highly recommended you,” said Jordon.
“Good,” said Seres. “I trust then that I can start getting more answers. You’ve lead me into the middle of your territory. I think it’s time you started trusting me. What am I doing here?”
Jordon smiled. He nodded at Seres’ confidence. “It’s been the Suraya’s goal for over a decade to bring down the Eluan Empire. We believe in a free world not run by one family.”
“How do you plan to topple Eluan?” Seres asked.
“There was a plan in place,” said Kayl. “But things got out of hand. Alexus was our leader. He had been working on this for far longer than the Suraya has been around.
“He hated Eluan. Emperor Nikali was responsible for a tragedy that Alexus never talked about. Ever since then he wanted revenge. He had been working with Louson and Tcher to form an alliance. He was going to use his servant girl, Abigail, as the center piece. Her real name is Farrah. She’s the granddaughter of Aldrin. Alexus promised her to the Louson prince. Together they would unite the families and take down Eluan together. All the while he was responsible for tutoring both Heric and Nikali. He molded the two cousins into hating the politics of the Eluan hierarchy. He was forming instability from the inside.”
“Where did it go wrong?” Seres asked.
“His plan was to take out Emperor Cyrus. Which he did. But something happened while in Louson. Alexus died. And Marina Arraw returned with Heric. Marina was never a part of the plan officially. Her ambition got the better of her. She joined with Tcher in an attempt to reignite the plan to overthrow Eluan. But without the backing of Alexus or Louson, or even us in Myrus, Tcher was on its own.”
“Then Nikali became more powerful than any of us imagined,” followed up Seres.
“Yes,” said Jordon. “Nikali has thrown in a new wrinkle to our plans.”
“Why didn’t you all join the war?” Seres asked. “Why didn’t you contact Louson?”
“That is the fault of Alexus,” said Jordon. “He was too close to Emperor Cyrus, and he needed to be careful. He kept many secrets from us, including how to contact Louson. He lied about the location of the original treebridge that made the crossing of the canyon possible. Only one other person knows of its location.”
“Who?” Seres asked.
“We don’t know yet,” said Jordon. “I am heading to the Capitol to find out. Whoever it is was still there last year after Alexus’ death. The last message we received from him was telling us to stand down for the moment. Then the war broke out and we haven’t heard from him since.”
“So where do I come in?” Seres asked.
“Nikali has brought a lot of chaos to Eluan,” said Kayl. “If there is any time to fight back it is now. Nikali does not have the loyalty that Heric or Cyrus had. The Royal Council is weak at the moment. You are the strongest army left in Eluan. If you break off and fight back others will follow.”
“What about the Capitol army?” Seres asked, gesturing at the piece in the middle of the board.
“We don’t know where they are,” said Jordon. “Intercepted reports have them scattered all around the empire. It’s like they simply vanished.”
“So say you find this second in command in the Capitol,” began Seres. “What then?”
“We use th
em to make contact with Louson,” said Jordon. “They will aid in toppling Eluan.”
“With what alliance?” Seres asked. “Alexus had this hinged on a marriage.”
“Farrah is still alive,” said Jordon. “We’ve gotten reports of a woman named Farrah out in the east. She is using arcan to heal people. A following is growing. We will bring her in as well.”
“You’re going to try to unite the three sides again,” said Seres confirming what Jordon had explained.
“Yes,” said Jordon.
“It will take time to get to Louson and have their army join us,” said Seres.
“We know,” said Jordon. “That is why we have come to you. We know about your history. You’ve wanted power and pushed to join the Royal Council several times. Every time you’ve been pushed away. Perhaps it’s time to do something about that.
“Are you strong enough now? Do you think you can challenge Nikali directly?”
Seres looked down at the Eluan board. The empire was weak. Nikali was letting the Capitol fall into disarray from his inactivity and disdain for the actual royal class. The armies were weak or nonexistent. People were looking for a new leader. Seres smiled.
“I’ve seen what Nikali can do. I can beat him.”
“Good,” said Jordon. “Then you’re going to become the first line of defense against Nikali. When the time is right the Royal Council will curse your name.”
Chapter 22
Nikali’s caravan traversed through the streets of the Eluan Capitol. The Red Cast were each on horses surrounding the Emperor’s carriage.
Nikali was on the roof overlooking the crowd. He was joined by Cassandra on the top of their carriage. Polished crowns donned Nikali and Cassandra’s heads. They wore their new titles proudly for all of the citizens to see.
Every block Nikali would throw out coins for his people to collect. The Emperor’s coin rained down on its people. They cheered. They cried. And they fought. Mob pits formed as the people wrestled each other for what little they could get their hands on. When the money was finally gone the crowd had no choice but to follow Nikali and his carriage.
Eluan Falls: A Whisper of Fate Page 11