LIGHTS IN THE SHADOW

by Rana Demiriz

  “The Die is Cast. To Victory, Fortune Favors the Bold. Another Day Wasted. Day of Wrath. Fortunate Fall. To Eternal Life.”

  I was familiar with a few of them from my lessons, and some of them were Latin sayings. I wondered the reason behind these words. I turned to Rio. “What does it all mean?”

  “Did you know Latin?” He asked.

  “What does it all mean?” I repeated impatiently. I could feel the cold sweat trailing down to my back from my shoulders.

  “This is the prophecy itself. No one could ever solve its mystery completely.”

  “Is this the prophecy you mention? I didn’t get it.”

  “There are more words written on the walls, look!” said Freyja. I completely forgot she was there.

  I looked through the walls a bit more. These words caught my eyes: Faber est suae quisque fortunae. Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt: Every Man is the Architect of His Own Fortune. Fate leads the willing soul but drags along the unwilling one. I thought about it for a while. I thought it was nonsense. I didn’t shape my own destiny. I didn’t choose to be the ‘lightning bolt’ symbolized on the platform.

  “Isn’t there something more clear?” I asked while I was examining the walls.

  “Well, the writings over there are relatively clearer in context.”

  I walked towards the wall he had been pointing at. There was a long text written on it, and it was easier to understand just like he said.

  “Chaos will take over. The deities will go astray. A new race will be born from its ashes, and the newborn will change sides. After that, two brothers will turn against each other. They will fight to gain followers. The deities will be on their side. The middle child of the deviant shall be their savior. And she shall be blessed as The Divine Being. She shall be the mistress of whichever side she pleases to choose. Darkness or Light? To win or to lose?”

  I was about to faint. The rest of the text was formed by unrelated sentences.

  O wretched man, whose very joys are crimes. They have mouths and speak not: They have eyes and see not: In the kingdom of shadows.

  Right under these, there were a few more sentences related to Light, I suppose:

  Post Tenebras Lux. Quid me nutrit, me destruit. Quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris. Per aspera ad astra. Numero deus impare gaudet. Post hoc ergo propter hoc.

  “Light after darkness. What nourishes me also destroys me. You are dust, and to dust, you shall return. A rough road leads to the stars. God rejoices in the uneven number. After this, therefore, because of this.”

  I walked through the wall. There were more sentences about the war.

  Para bellum.Quo fata ferunt. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Vi veri veniversum vivus vici. Veritatem dies aperit. Quod medicina aliis, aliis est acre venenum. Pacta sunt servanda. Nil Desperandum. Mutatis mutandis.Ordo ab chao.

  Prepare for war. Whither the fates carry us. Who will watch the watchmen? By the power of truth, I -while living- have conquered the universe. Time discloses the truth. One person's medicine is another person's poison. Agreements must be kept. Never despair. Order out of chaos will change what needs to be changed. There was a golden block, the same size as the other rocks, a little far ahead.

  On it it said:

  Auri sacra fames. Fiat lux! Florebo quocumque ferar.Nondum amabam, et amare amabam. Sic transit gloria mundi. Si visamari, ama. Suum cuique.Ultima ratio regum: Soli sol soli. Nomenest omen. Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed. Nomini tuo da gloriam!

  Accursed hunger for gold… Let there be light! Will flower everywhere I am carried. I was not yet in love, and I loved to be in love. Thus passes the glory of the world. If you wish to be loved, just love. May all get their due. Last argument of kings: To the last Sun of the earth! The name is a sign. O Lord not unto us, but to your own name gives glory!

  I didn’t get anything. Actually, most of the phrases were familiar. Some of them were sayings, and some of them were quotes of famous people from history. They were all known for centuries. Was the prophecy a combination of all of them? I couldn’t see the whole picture.

  I sighed and walked up to the golden throne. Even though I struggled with myself, I failed in the end and sat on the golden throne. A phrase written right across the throne grabbed my attention:

  Acta est fabula: The game is over.

  It sent shivers down my spine. Rio stood right in front of me, and Egeria and Freyja followed him. “You look like you belong there. This throne must be made for you,” said Rio. I had a strange feeling in my gut.

  I said, “Whatever,” and left the throne. I walked towards the golden platform. I read the sentence written above the lightning bolt engraving.

  “Visita Interiora Tellus Rectifacando Inveniens Occultam Lapidem.”

  I asked, “What does it mean?” to Rio.

  “Visit the center of the world; you will find the hidden stone there,” he said.

  “I got that, but I don’t know what it actually means. Nothing written here makes any sense.”

  “It means that every person can find the truth within,” said Freyja. For the first time, I agreed with what was written. But how was it connected to the lightning bolt or me?

  Rio hugged me before I saw it coming. “I love you,” he whispered into my ear in such a manner that others could not hear.

  “Rio, I thought we talked about this.”

  “Dum spiro, spero,” he said. It meant: As long as I breathe, I hope.

  He was showing me off with his Latin. I pushed away his arms. “Rio, please. Tu secanda marmora Locas sub ipsum funus; et sepulchri Immemor, struis domos,” I said as his eyes opened wide with surprise, Those were Horace’s words, but I used them figuratively. It meant: Day is driven on by day, and new moons continue to perish. You, at the very grave, contract for marble stones to be hewn, and unmindful of the tomb, are building houses. He smiled at me and got back in front of the lightning bolt engraving.

  I gave my back to the golden rock and started to examine the throne with the lion statues. What was that? Did the emeralds on the eyes of the phoenix glow? I must have been going crazy, but I could almost swear that the emeralds glowed. I could feel something bad was about to happen. “Please, let’s get out of here,” I was still looking at the golden bird.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Egeria.

  “I want to get rid of these stupid shoes,” I said, lying.

  “I think they look great on you,” said Freyja.

  “No, they don’t. Let’s just get out!” I yelled. Startled by my sudden outburst, they all turned to me. I turned towards the exit, which meant that I was facing away from the throne. Freyja covered her moth with surprise when she saw me. Egeria was staring at me strangely. Rio ran to me. “What do you sense?” he asked. I guess my eyes turned to Azurite blue, which explained all the fuss. And I felt that something strange was bubbling inside me. It was as if the milk was about to spill over. It was only a matter of time.

  “I…I… Let’s get out!” I exclaimed. I fell onto my knees. My white dress was getting dirty, but who cared? Rio held my hand. I was trying to balance myself with the help of his grasp and the solid feeling of the floor.

  I raised my head and saw him: He was standing by the door, looking magnificently handsome. He didn’t belong here. No, he didn’t belong to this world. He wasn’t like any of the gods or goddesses. He was something more and different than that. His face was more beautiful, more handsome, and masculine than I could even imagine.

  He bowed in front of me with grace and spoke with a thick Spanish accent that I hadn’t heard for a long time.

  “Mia! It’s been a long time…”

  I heard Rio whisper, “No,” near my ear and the only thing that spilt out of my lips was:

  “Good Lord…”

  CHAPTER 17

  I was looking into his smoke-colored eyes. Did I say smoke-colored? The last time I saw him, his eyes were pitch black. His eyes were only focused on me. He wasn’t bothered with anyone else around
him, or he just simply ignored them all. I didn’t know how long we kept looking at each other, but I gathered myself together when Rio tightened his grip on me. I forced myself to look away from him and turned to Rio. He seemed so angry because of the other man’s arrival. I mean Alejandro. The Master of Darkness. Here, for me: The Mistress of the Light.

  Rio held me by the arm and pulled me up, so I could stand on my feet. He pushed me slightly back, and possessively kept his hand on me. When I felt the warmth of a breath, I realized that Egeria and Freyja were standing behind us, but I didn’t feel like talking to them. I was too busy gazing at a magnificent being beyond this mere mortal world. He seemed so kind but still…

  “Mia. Rio.” He greeted us with a nod. The way he said my name… My heart was about to beat out of my chest.

  Why couldn’t I help myself resist him? I felt like he was the only person in the room. I was nearly enchanted. I had to pull myself together.

  He kept speaking without breaking eye contact with me. “Mia, you look luminous. How quickly you adapted here,” he said after noticing the peacock feather on my dress, which Hera gave me. I was hypnotized. I became speechless. He took a step forward towards us. With that step, Rio pushed me completely behind his back.

  “Leave, Alejandro. Do not corrupt here with your darkness.”

  He turned his gaze to Rio like he forgot he was even there. “I will, my little brother, but not alone,” I looked back at me. “I will take Mia with me!”

  Rio was tightening his grip on me. I was glad he did that because the mild pain helped me clear my mind. “No, you won’t. Remember the agreement. You can’t take away the Mistress of the Light.”

  Alejandro’s deep laugh filled the room. Oh God, his voice was so thick and rich…“This condition is valid as long as she is the real Mistress of the Light.” He took a glance at me. “But as far as I can see, Mia is not yet the Mistress of the Light.”

  I heard Egeria and Freyja whispering behind my back, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying because my mind was already troubled with a question. What did I have to do to become the Mistress of the Light? I heard Rio whispered, “Damn it!” before he answered. “Mia stays with me.” But this time, his voice came out weak.

  “You’re wrong, Rio. Mia will come with me, won’t you, darling?” he said to me.

  He took a few more steps. Rio threw himself forward and pushed me back a little further. He must have thought that Egeria and Freyja would protect me. Meanwhile, Alejandro was keeping his cool and moving forward, taking provoking little steps one at a time. He stood by Rio and stepped to his side. He was so close to me now. He stood across me and offered me his hand invitingly. Once again, the goddesses, Rio, the throne room, everything was erased from my mind.

  “Leave before anyone gets hurt, Alejandro,” said Rio.

  “Actually, that’s the point,” said Alejandro sarcastically.

  “You came here alone, so leave alone!” The anger in Rio’s voice startled me for a moment.

  “Who said I was here alone…” he said. His smoke-colored eyes were getting darker. He slowly lowered his head. I think he was getting angry. “If Mia doesn’t come with me, I will not leave, and I can’t guarantee that there won’t be bloodshed.”

  “Mia stays,” said Rio.

  We all jumped with Alejandro’s outcry. And after that, he unsheathed a long sword from his back, which I hadn’t noticed before. He put the sword on Rio’s throat. Rio backed up. He was caught unprepared. On the other hand, the other women and I couldn’t even find the strength in ourselves to scream. Alejandro was suddenly turned into a war god. Even though a little part of me wished to keep watching him, I had to move fast because he was the Master of Darkness, and we weren’t sure how far he was willing to go; I took a step forward.

  “If I am the one you want, then take me. There won’t be bloodshed!”

  “Mia!” Rio yelled. Alejandro smiled pleasedly. He lowered his sword and offered me his hand. He was being polite again. No matter how much I wanted to take his hand deep inside, I was supposed to be careful.

  “I don’t come unless you put the sword back on its sheath,” I said.

  “Mia!” Rio repeated once more. Alejandro narrowed his eyes. He gave me a calculating look. Maybe he was just cautious in case I’d decide to use the self-defence moves I had done in my dreams. One way or another, he put back his sword and offered his hand once more.

  “I…” Think fast, Mia! I said to myself. He was the Master of Darkness. I couldn’t join him. I looked into his eyes. He was standing there with his perfect features, his dark hair sweeping his shoulders, his tanned, smooth skin…

  Maybe I could join him after all.

  No! I had to pull myself together. What was happening to me? There was no way I was mesmerized by him that much. Was that kind of spell or something?

  I had to stay with the Light. That was the right thing to do. Why were we attracted to the people who were wrong for us?

  “Can I at least say goodbye to them?”

  I pointed at the goddesses behind me. Maybe it was as dumb as it sounds but this could give Rio some time to act.

  Rio was watching me, confusedly. He was almost more surprised than Alejandro. I couldn’t give any hints to Rio without being caught by Alejandro. Before I turned my eyes away, I had seen that he got me as he slightly nodded. At the same time, Alejandro clutched Rio’s throat.

  I screamed and backed away towards Egeria and Freyja, but I lost my balance and pumped hard into one of the lion statues near the throne. I hit my back to the stairs leading to the throne as I fell, but I quickly recovered myself and got back on my feet. Alejandro and Rio were still fighting. It was hard to tell who was winning. They were both incredibly fast, but neither of them could die; It was an endless fight.

  I heard Rio said, “Enough courtesy!” Then I heard the meaty sound of a powerful fist hitting Rio’s face. With that last impact, Rio hit hard on the golden platform. He collapsed and I ran to him. It was a mistake. The moment I kneeled to help Rio, Alejandro grasped my wrist and pulled me hard to himself. This was the first time he touched me. I’ve never imagined this moment would be that violent. He nearly broke my wrist.

  “You’re coming with me, Divine Being!” he said, looking straight into my eyes. His smoke-colored eyes were darkened. Like the night sky, but without stars. Frightening yet intriguing. You knew that the lights are somewhere there even though they were out of sight.

  “But she is the Mistress of Light,” I heard Freyja said. Egeria didn’t protest. She was probably frightened.

  “I know she is not the real Mistress of Light. Ask your master why. He will tell you; if he can explain himself, of course,” he said, pointing at Rio, who was lying on the floor. Rio was in such a bad condition that he couldn’t straighten himself up. Interestingly, he wasn’t bleeding at all, just like Alejandro; but Rio seemed like he was about to lose consciousness.

  “We are leaving. Don’t follow us, or the limited number of gods and goddesses on your side will pay for it!”

  “Let her go!” Rio yelled. I tried to free myself from his grip as much as I can. It was the same as trying to break free of steel handcuffs. He kept holding me effortlessly as I struggled desperately.

  “Make me,” said Alejandro, and then he turned towards Egeria and Freyja. “Look at her closely. Next time you see her will be during the war.”

  He tightened his grip -he wasn’t just holding me- and led me to the exit or rather dragged me because I was trying to resist, but it was just useless. It was like trying to withstand a walking boulder. He was not even a little bit affected, even though I kept struggling. His only reaction to my frustrating attempts of getting away was holding on to me even tighter. My wrist was definitely going to be bruised by tomorrow morning; if I could live to see tomorrow.

  “Mia! No!”

  Rio’s shriek filled the room. No matter how much I tried to escape from his grip, he didn’t even budge. But I wasn’t going
to give up that easily. He had to know that I was unwilling to go with him.

  Even though I stopped at every step, he kept dragging me along the way. After my last attempt to break free from him, he turned around and looked at me before I could figure out what was going on.

  “Why are you even bothering to resist? Forget it. You can’t escape from me!” I narrowed my eyes. My favorite for of self-defense was to be stubborn.

  He was getting on my nerves. “No,” I said with a low but angry voice.

  He laughed. His voice filled my ears. “You will learn to obey me.”

  “Never!” I said with the same tone.

  “Are you sure?” he said, parting his lips slightly. “I can almost taste your desire.”

  Oh, God. My cheeks were burning. What did that mean? Did he really have that kind of talent? If he could enter my dreams…

  “It is not desire you moron; it’s hatred!”

  “That attitude is not suitable for the Divine Being now, is it?” he said and smiled. I tried to pull my hand away, but it was no use.

  “We’re back where we started. Ah, Mia. When will you learn?” he said. He shook his head in pretense.

  “It’s quite simple, actually. I won’t,” I said and echoed his smile. It was a challenge.

  “Are you challenging me?” he said like he read my mind.

  “Yes, you should have guessed by now.”

  His eyes gleamed with mischief. “We’ll see who’s going to win.”

  “I bet my money on you, sir.”

  I paid all my attention to the voice. She was standing on top of the stairs, wearing a mini skirt. Her black hair was cut short, and her entire outfit was leather. Actually, she looked like more fierce version of Halle Berry from Catwoman. She walked towards us, seductively with her knee-high leather boots. The grace in her steps proved the Catwoman metaphor right.

  “Ah, Eva! Darling, you look fantastic tonight.”

  “Thank you, master,” Eva said. Her expression was unreadable.