The people hung on his every word; every statement offered a glimmer of hope. Their faces reflected a great yearning as he played upon their desperation like a master musician.
“What I ask for in return is your infinite loyalty and worship. If you treat me well I will return your goodwill tenfold, but if you defy me," he leveled his eyes at them, "I will make things most unpleasant. Now! Behold, as I create our new home and the core of my empire to come!”
With that he turned toward the scorched pit and began creating his new kingdom. He had already designed the buildings and other items he wished to put down. I could see their wire frames floating in the sky. Now it was simply a matter of stamping the objects where he wanted them. In the valley building after building appeared out of thin air. The last of which was his castle, rising from the center of the city like a tall white skyscraper. It shone like a beacon of light, radiant in its beauty. But I knew its insides were dark-- because I knew its creator.
By the end of the day Rath had turned the ugly blackened valley into a paradise of beauty. Those used to living in overcrowded, broken down, hovels were now faced with the proposition of living in brand new homes, with a patch of land to boot.
I followed Rath through the streets as he created large stores of food, necessities, and other assorted treasures. The peasants took what they wanted. It was clear by their excitement they had all but forgotten the injustice and were willing to accept Rath as their new ruler.
My stomach felt uneasy. They were pleased with his gifts and promises, but what would be the cost? I felt sure after the initial excitement died down, they would remember the life they had left behind, and regret their loss.
I had seen enough.
I closed my eyes and blanked out the scene. When I opened them I found myself looking at my companions in the exact same positions I had left them in. “How long was I gone?” I asked.
“Not long,” said Kitaya, “fifteen seconds maybe. How long did it seem?”
“I’d say five, six hours.”
“That is a long time.” She frowned.
“It went by fast.”
“Alright, let me do this before I change my mind.” She stood up and took the box. Gently she placed it against her forehead. Her body tightened and for a few brief moments she was completely occupied. I could only assume she was witnessing the same events I had witnessed, except perhaps from a different perspective.
Her hands dropped and she looked at me in astonishment. “Thank you, Moota. That was extremely enlightening.” Her expression became cold as she turned from us and slowly walked toward the balcony.
“Do you require anything else Ki’ Janu?” he called after her.
“No, that will be all thank you. You may go.” She seemed disoriented.
“Are you okay, Kitaya?” I trailed after her.
“Gaza has not been sleeping,” she said softly, staring through the balcony doors.
“What does that mean?”
When she looked up her face was wet. “A long time ago during the foundation of the world, it is said that Gaza went mad. Creating Vrin was too much for him. The ancient book says he became apathetic and fell into a deep sleep, a pool of forgetfulness. It is that sleep which has protected Vrin from his madness these many centuries.”
“I don’t understand. Why did Sajin wish to speak with him?” I said, half to myself.
“Sajin is a purist,” she said with disdain. “He believes the gods are incapable of fault. He does not believe Gaza is mad. I wish I shared his naivety.” She turned back toward the balcony.
“Kitaya-- what did you see in there?”
She gazed blankly at the glass doors. “I followed a group of Rath’s children into his new castle.” She looked back at me. “I climbed a staircase to a balcony overlooking an enormous library. Down below I could see Rath and another god I did not recognize at first. But when he spoke I realized it was Gaza. They were in a heated conversation. I’d missed the first part but it was clear he was very upset. He said something was wrong with the people of Vrin and something about searching for a perfect match...” She stopped and a look of panic flashed in her eyes.
“Kitaya?”
“He said, ‘Fear me for I am the maker. This world will pass away if I do not get what I want!'”
“He-- threatened to destroy Vrin?”
“Yes.” Her face hardened. “And he said he would return us to the void.”
“The void?”
She nodded slowly. “I have flashbacks from before this place. The emptiness. The loneliness. Floating through boundless space with nothing but the web to keep me company.” She looked up at me in desperation. “I for one, do not want to go back.”
Her description sparked a memory. Nothing but the web. No body. No environment. It made me shudder. “Yes, I remember,” I whispered.
“Then remember the misery and hold it close-- for we are about to do battle over the abyss.” Her eyes turned to the ground and her voice lowered. “And I will probably be the first to go.”
“Why would you say that?”
Her chin trembled. “--Because he saw me.”
CHAPTER 4
THE FACE OF THE ENEMY
001001011001110
The morning sun heated the curtains as fingers of light pierced through the gaps between. The dust particles. They did not swirl about as expected, but merely hovered there, motionless, as if their presence was only for the visual effect. Even when I blew at them, they didn't move. What IS this place?
I stared. And the questions filtered through my mind for the hundredth time. If Gaza was all-powerful, then why did he need Rath’s help? And why would Gaza destroy his own creation? Did I need to contact Sajin? Would it help or hurt for him to know that Gaza’s solution to the problem was not a viable option? Although dissolving the planet would invariably stop the conflict between Rath and Armadon, there would be no one left to appreciate it... Kitaya’s words echoed in my mind. “He is looking for a perfect match.” What did this mean?
Though the long night had brought me no closer to a solution, my path at least seemed clearer. I needed to find out what Gaza was looking for, and why. If I could find the solution to this mystery, perhaps it would bring me one step closer to solving my own.
It became obvious that I could no longer deny the pain in my back. I had been crouching in the corner far too long. I stood, stretched, and shuffled across to the full-length mirror. A bath would have been pleasurable but was unnecessary. I could alter my appearance in any way I chose. I brought up the web and molded clothing similar to those of the townsmen, simple and comfortable. Pleased with the result I headed down to bid good morning to my lovely hostess.
She was on the terrace overlooking the ocean. A warm breeze pushed in as I opened the glass doors. She looked up at me with a lovely smile, her face so young and perfect. Her spirits had apparently lifted a bit since the evening before. “Good morning, Sam.” Her smile brightened. “Do you mind if I call you Sam?”
“You know.” I furrowed my brow. “I thought about it last night and I think I’d like to be called Jason, Jason Tardin. Back at the mansion I was addressed as Lord Tardin and I saw the name engraved on a trophy in the study.”
“Hmm, Jason,” she said, trying it out. “Yes, that is nice. It does seem to fit.”
“Good. Then it's settled. Jason it is.” I sat down and lifted my face to the morning sunshine. “Beautiful day.”
She nodded her agreement. “Did you come up with any solutions?”
“Nothing earth shattering.”
She looked thoughtful. “What I cannot figure is, if the event we witnessed last night took place some time ago, then-- why are we still here?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s still looking.”
“It is possible, but he sounded like he was at the end of his rope.”
“I guess he found more rope. What do you think we should do?”
“I do not know. I have kept pretty much to myse
lf here. I am not familiar with what is going on in the rest of the world. I would not know where to start looking for answers.”
“Is there someone close to Gaza, someone who knows him better than anyone?”
“Well-- there is Humphrey. He was the second. Gaza was still active when Humphrey came to Vrin.”
“Where can we find this Humphrey?”
“Good question. He has chosen to live as a hermit. All I know is that he lives in the woods somewhere outside of Ristol, and that he refuses to use the power. I saw him in an event cell once. What was it he said to Gaza? Oh yes.” She made a stout grumpy face. “I have no interest in playing God,” she said in a deep gruff voice.
I found her impersonation amusing. “So he chooses to live like a regular person?”
“Yes, he lives off the land as much as possible.”
“Independent, I like that.”
The door opened and a woman stepped out onto the terrace. Kitaya looked up, her eyes brightened. “Corel!” she squealed. The woman smiled back with brilliant enthusiasm as Kitaya jumped up and gripped her friend in a warm embrace.
Corel looked to be middle aged but she wore her years well. Her wavy brown hair was swept back in a long ponytail. She was wearing an outfit much like that of a climber, very sleek, and very feminine. Her muscular arms gripped Kitaya around her tiny waist as she lifted her off the floor.
“I have missed you! Where did you go off to?” probed Kitaya.
Corel drew away. “I’ve been exploring again. This time in the Adilian Mountains. The people there have a fascinating culture, and you know me. Besides, I needed a little break from all the crap Tiko was shoveling. Come see what I brought you.” Kitaya shot me a smile as she followed her friend back into the palace.
I sat there, unsure of what to do. I didn’t want to be left out, but I didn’t want to tag along uninvited and appear overly eager. So I decided to create another cup of tea. If they wanted to talk with me, they would call.
Corel had the blue fire in her eyes. It was obvious she was one of us. Was Tiko as well? Apparently there was some friction between them. I hoped it wasn’t as bad as the blood between Rath and Armadon. With this thought I was brought me back to the problems at hand. From what I could piece together, Gaza was very powerful and extremely resourceful. After all, he created this entire world. I doubted I could do the same. If we were going to confront him we would need to enlist the help of the others.
First we needed to know what he was looking for and why. If we knew that we would have a better chance of finding a peaceful solution, if there was one. We also needed to know why he hadn’t let anyone besides Rath know about the search. And why Rath?
I gazed out over the ocean and considered going to find out what Kitaya and her friend were up to, but decided against it. It frustrated me that under more casual circumstances I would have been thoroughly enjoying this place. I wanted to spend more time experimenting with my new powers. I couldn’t wait to fly again, but I couldn't afford to let my guard down. There was no telling what might happen next or what danger lurked around the next corner. I imagined the worst, me, strapped helplessly to a rock in the desert, birds pecking at my face. I shuddered at the thought.
A small movement on my left pinkie made me look down. My ring-- was moving! I let out an involuntary yelp and almost fell over backwards in my chair. I jumped up flailing, desperately trying to shake the ring from my hand. After several seconds of this ridiculous behavior I stopped and held my arm out straight. Reluctantly I moved my hand in to get a closer look. It was still moving. I stared wide-eyed as the little ring unwound itself from my finger and began rubbing its tiny head against my knuckle. I reached out with my other hand to touch it. It was a cute little thing. It wiggled around. I let it into my palm.
“Well, hello,” I said softly.
It responded by lifting its head in acknowledgment.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?” I asked, incredulous.
It nodded in the affirmative.
I couldn’t help smiling. “Do you have a name?”
It paused for a moment then twisted its tiny body into a shape and held the position.
“I don’t understand.”
It repositioned slightly.
“N? Are you making the letter N?”
It looked up and nodded, then outlined another letter.
“O?”
It nodded again.
Next was a T and then what looked like an L. “L?”
It shook its head no.
Then it hit me. “Ohh! One?”
It nodded feverishly.
“N, O, T, One, Not One? That’s your name?”
It shook no.
I was puzzled. “Are you trying to tell me-- it’s not just one name?”
It nodded happily.
“Then what should I call you?”
It appeared to go into deep thought then rubbed its head hard against my palm.
“You want to be called palm?” I smiled.
It shook no madly.
“I don’t know, poke, itch, rub, scratch?”
The last one got a response. It began to wiggle around happily.
“You want to be called Scratch?”
The little creature nodded.
“O-kay. Scratch it is.”
My tiny new friend seemed satisfied but the exertion must have tuckered him out, because he began to slow down.
“You okay?”
He nodded once, then slowly wiggled over to my pinkie and wrapped himself around it. His skin became hard and it was once again, a tiny gold ring.
I pulled the ring off my pinkie and examined it. I never would have known there was anything special about it; it looked just like a regular old ring. As I replaced it on my finger the two women strolled back out onto the balcony.
I stood politely and Kitaya addressed me first. “I am sorry, Sam, I mean, Jason. I should have introduced you. This is my friend Corel. She has been away for awhile. She likes to travel.”
“Good to meet you.” I offered my hand. “I’m the new guy on the block.” I took note that Corel wore a similar ring, and that Kitaya, did not.
“Good to meet you as well.” Corel shook my hand firmly. “Kit has informed me of Gaza’s plan. I find it to be very disturbing.”
“I would have to agree with you.”
“She says you want to try to find Humphrey. I doubt he’ll be very helpful. If you do manage to find him, there’s a good chance he won’t even talk to you. He is very stubborn.”
“In light of the alternative, don’t you think he would at least give us some information?”
“I doubt it.” She looked thoughtful. “I think we need to speak with Armadon. No one knows Rath’s movements better than he.”
“But isn’t he as dangerous as Rath?” I asked.
“He can be but he is a strategist at heart. I’m sure he will at least listen to what we have to say. He understands that information is the strongest weapon.”
“Then let us waste no time,” I asserted.
Corel looked at Kitaya then to me. “We’ll have to join hands.”
As she grasped my hand I felt her power bleed into my body and mingle with my own. With a burst of blue energy we rose in a flash, high above our surroundings, until the world was nothing more than a wire globe far beneath us. The sphere turned until our destination was visible, then, as quickly as we had departed we were once again standing firm footed.
Before us stood a magnificent castle, the architecture unique in its design. The outside was encased not in stone, but in a smooth flawless metal which shone in the mid-day sun. It hurt my eyes to look directly at it. Corel stepped up. “Shall we knock and see if he’s home?” she said smartly.
A deep wide chasm filled with thick mist surrounded the castle. I stared down into the darkness but could not see the bottom. Corel touched something near the edge of the pit and the ground shook as a bridge of land pushed its way across. In no time the w
ay was passable.
We continued on toward the towering entrance and as we approached, there came a voice from the battlement. “Open the gate!” The massive barrier made a tremendous noise as its iron structure slowly lifted to allow us passage. A man scurried out to greet us. I guessed he was from the royal court as he was wearing an outfit of ruby red with bands of gold metal. His head was cocked to the side and he appeared to be talking into his wrist. “Corel, Kitaya, and an unknown sir.”
Corel spoke with authority. “We wish a meeting with your lord.”
The man bowed slightly. “It is my esteemed honor to welcome you, Lady Corel. The Holy One awaits you in his throne room.”
“Thank you. Lead the way please.”
He turned and we followed him through the massive gates. Several soldiers moved about performing various tasks, but I saw no civilians. We traveled up an immense set of black slate stairs and through an enormous set of doors. Cracks between the large stone floor tiles let off a yellow glow, filling the room with a mystical ambiance. To the rear was a magnificent throne like nothing I’d ever seen or imagined. Exotic jewels embedded in its design glimmered brightly in the soft lighting. --I was impressed.
The figure upon the throne was no less impressive, an intimidating hulk of a man, at least nine feet of solid iron muscle. His face was like chiseled stone. Deep dark sockets encased burning blue eyes. Now this guy looked like a god!
As our party approached, Armadon’s voice boomed out. “WHY do you disturb me?”
Displaying cool confidence, Corel explained. “There is a matter of great importance developing. We wish to trade information.”
“Are you in league with children?” he asked deeply.
“We are not.”
“Then continue.”
“We have news of a great darkness which is about to befall Vrin. Gaza is not the angel of peace described in the Marathil. He plans to destroy Vrin.”
“WHAT!” bellowed Armadon, his voice filling the room.
“He is looking for something and has chosen Rath to help him. He told Rath he would send us back to the void if he does not find what he seeks. We have come to you because you know Rath better than any.”
Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods Page 4