by Ania Bo
Amel understood she must be political because it was obvious that neither Shasta nor Dwade would stop questioning their duties. “Yes, they are. But as much as the Zaend King would like to believe they are a powerful race, they do not have the power to protect the Creators from the war that is to come, but the baby or babies will be safe here with the powers of every Reader protecting them. I’ve tried to explain this to the Zaend leaders, but they are a hardheaded race, and they won’t budge on this issue. I don’t know, maybe the King has lost his balance, but no one is qualified enough to judge the other.”
“And what is this war to come? Who is it between?” Shasta asked.
Amel wasn’t expecting so many questions, and she hid her unease the best she could. “The Dvay are in the middle of a civil war. Their head commander and their king are struggling for power. The king is on our side; he wishes to uphold the Balance and keep the races intact, but his commander has an insatiable lust for power. He has set in motion a plan to annihilate one of the races, forcing the Regenerator to give birth. He plans to steal the child for himself and possess power over two races instead of one. That’s what we learned from our sources who work on behalf of peace.” She wasn’t comfortable with sharing that much information but decided to place her cards on the table with the hope of moving forward faster. Most of her cards at least.
Dwade sat thinking quietly as he tried to connect all the pieces. “This commander has enough power to fight against eleven races and destroy one in the process?” he asked in disbelief.
“He won’t be fighting against all eleven races. He has persuaded some of the others to join him—the Jatuks, Tholens, and the Dvays of course—and they are by far physically superior to the other races. I’m afraid even the Readers will have a hard time fighting against them,” Amel replied. “We must have enough people to fight on our side. Though the Dvay King doesn’t support the commander, a king with no army is not very powerful.” She sighed in exasperation. “In the end, it doesn’t matter. If you and Shasta are not successful, the Dvay will force their way into the land of the Zaends, and they will find the baby. If they capture the Regenerator before we can save her, then nothing we do will matter. The Balance will be left in the hands of a mad commander.”
Amel’s tone turned hard with her last words, wondering how far she would have to go to make them understand. Planting seeds of fear and panic might convince them faster, she thought. At the end of the day, Zeus was able to rule mankind thanks to those seeds. She suddenly made a decision and announced, “I have no doubt you will fulfill your destinies, respectful Visionary Reader and Protector. I have something special planned to clear things up for you. I’ve called on the leaders of each race to assemble for a private meeting. You will witness the meeting and hopefully find additional answers to your questions.”
Ivy couldn’t hide her confusion. Such a meeting were secret. But as always, she didn’t question the decision of her leader.
Beside her, Shasta and Dwade appeared satisfied with this new revelation and were anxious to meet the leaders of the other eleven races. For Shasta, it was a great honor to be trusted to attend such a meeting.
Violen stepped from behind Shasta and Dwade, who hadn’t even realized they were there and looked at the Chancellor.
“It’s time,” Violen signaled.
“Very well.” Amel stood from her chair and spoke in a softer voice. “If we are on the same page, there is a stage of this journey I would like to complete for you both before the leaders of the races arrive. We must connect you to one another. As you know, the myth of creation speaks of the connection between every living thing. We Readers feel this deep connection naturally, while humans call this force one’s ‘conscience.’ However, connecting the two of you is something rather different. Will you please stand next to each other? Now close your eyes and set your souls free.”
They did as they were told and gasped in surprise when they were pricked with a knife on the backs of their necks. They winced, but then they felt the Chancellor’s fingers swipe across the wounds. There was a rustle of her gown on the floor as if she was turning, then her fingers returned to the small wounds. Dwade and Shasta both flinched at the connection.
Amel exchanged their blood with the other. Her voice sounded so deep and loud as she repeated three times in a row, “Here and now these two souls exchange their energy to become one. One in the way of the balance, one in the way of the existence, one in the way of the harmony!” Once she finished, they opened their eyes. “That’s it. You two are now connected on a very deep level. May the Balance protect you, just as you will protect it.”
Dwade and Shasta felt a tingling sensation as if ants were crawling through their veins.
What the hell happened? Dwade wondered.
As Violen threw the bloody knife into the fire, a low tone like a bell echoed throughout the room, and Dwade scanned the room to see where the noise had come from.
“You may enter,” Amel said. The glass door opened, and a man of about eighteen entered the room. He was a pleasant youth with dark brown hair, large eyes, and a relatively athletic physique. Unlike everyone else there, he was dressed all in black with golden sun patterns on his robe. When he first entered, Dwade thought his heartbeat sped up, but strangely he realized it wasn’t his. It was Shasta’s. He threw a puzzled look at her. But she didn’t even notice.
“Han!” she exclaimed.
Han smiled at Shasta and gave her a discreet wave. They had been friends since childhood, and he knew Shasta just as well as he knew himself. Consequently, he’d noticed the way her voice gained a melodic quality if he was around and how her eyes grew even larger whenever they crossed paths.
Focused on the task at hand, Han turned his attention from Shasta and addressed the Chancellor. “They are here, Chancellor.”
“Thank you. We will depart shortly,” she answered.
Han left as quietly as he had entered—not giving Shasta another glance to her dismay. But Dwade wasn’t the only one who realized Shasta’s excitement. The Chancellor was aware as well, her small smile giving her thoughts away. Dwade tucked that small detail away for later.
As the Chancellor said, “Follow us please,” Dwade and Shasta left the chamber with the others, walking through hidden gates of the glass pyramid.
Dwade’s nerves grew worse now that the meeting was about to begin. It wouldn’t be long before he and Shasta were on their way to the land of the Zaends, wherever that was. He was about to see all of his childhood stories come to life, and he knew not all the tales were about sweet creatures and hospitable lands. He was lost in thought for a moment and felt as though he was running toward the edge of a cliff with the enemy hot on his tail. Would he take his chances by jumping off the cliff, or would he enter into a battle he could never survive? He already knew his answer. He would jump off this cliff and take his chances. It was better to choose a path where there was hope for survival than to face a destiny where death was certain.
Shasta approached Dwade with a devious smile. “Wouldn’t there be more glory if we died fighting?”
Dwade took a step back from her, shocked that she heard his thoughts, but then again, why should anything shock him? He had seen things in the past two days that his people couldn’t even make up in their wildest dreams; mindreading wasn’t that farfetched anymore.
“Courage isn’t synonymous with stupidity. Courage means to take risks only when no other solution presents itself.” Such words of wisdom from Dwade brought a smile to the faces of Ivy, Violen, and the Chancellor. They were full of hope after seeing that he was not only the Protector but also a philosopher of his race.
Amel looked at the two young, brave souls. “Then let the doors of wisdom open for you now. It’s time to meet the others.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Dwade, Shasta, Violen, Ivy, and the Chancellor walked in a straight line headed down a narrow stone corridor. They were underground and could barely see four feet in front of the
m. Reaching the end of the tunnel, the Chancellor placed her palm on the wall and a door opened in front of them. Inside, the room was dark, and Dwade’s eyes needed time to adjust. Despite all the technology the Readers possessed, the room was lighted by the flames of small candles. In the dim light, he noticed the stone walls bore thousands of hieroglyphs. Transfixed, he picked up a candlestick and approached one of the walls. The light fell on a series of images detailing the universe with four Readers kneeling with their heads turned skywards toward an intricate sun. Something attracted him to the figures, and he reached his hand out to touch the wall’s rough surface. Just as he was about to touch the depiction of the sun, the Chancellor grabbed his arm, her grip strong.
“Not yet,” she scolded.
Dwade jumped back, startled by the urgency in her voice. “I’m sorry.” He was confused by the strange sensation as if he was captured by an instinct to touch the wall. That depiction of the sun was compelling as if a beautiful lover had called him to her bed. He tried to clear his mind from the strange, cloudy haze surrounding his thoughts. Casting a cautious glance back to the wall, he saw the hieroglyphs told of the lives and beliefs of the Readers. But the sun. The sun figure was still calling to him, and he found it difficult to resist.
Amel looked at him curiously then released his arm and turned away. She wasn’t used to being around people who could feel or know more than her. It was an unsettling and unwelcome feeling.
Shasta, noticing Dwade’s trance-like state, approached him apprehensively. She softly touched his shoulder, her energy flowing through his body, relaxing him. Their minds were calmed as they connected, and their souls felt relief, like a cool wind on a boiling hot summer day.
Dwade studied Shasta’s face, eyes closed but still, he searched for any signs of affection. Any hint of what this woman meant to him. Finally, the woman from his dreams was next to him, touching both his body and his soul. Is this what love feels like? He wondered if his father experienced this when he fell in love with his mother. Dwade had never been in love, and he was uncertain how it was supposed to occur. The way he felt for Shasta shouldn’t be love. Since he saw her, he wanted to protect her, he wanted to comfort her, but he never wanted to touch her or kiss her in the way his parents did. Dwade was confused and overwhelmed with all those strange and new sensations. Shasta’s eyes opened, and suddenly he panicked as the realization hit him. What if she reads my mind again? He blushed and quickly turned away, hoping that somehow he had been able to block her from his thoughts.
From one of the dark corners in the room, a man cleared his throat and stepped forward into the light. The dramatic lighting from the candles revealed a serious and intimidating looking man with broad shoulders and a thick neck.
Amel greeted him with a slight nod as she turned to the others. “Dwade, Shasta, this is Mikhal, our commander-in-chief.” Shasta gave the angry-looking man a respectful bow while Dwade shook his hand. Mikhal was the leader of the Dark Readers. He was a very successful commander who never made a move unless it would ensure him a victory.
“Welcome, Protector and Shasta Anes. It is a great honor to meet you.”
“The honor is ours,” said Shasta and Dwade as they bowed together like two stringed puppets. Dwade was imitating Shasta, hoping she knew how to behave. Violen, who had been observing near the door with Ivy, chuckled unintentionally at their excessive formality, while Ivy rolled her eyes and signaled for Violen to hush.
Great! I am such fun for these readers, Dwade thought.
Amel ignored all of them, becoming increasingly impatient. Everything was moving much slower than she anticipated. “Mikhal will stay here with you as you observe the meeting. I must now call the others. Ivy and Violen must leave as they are not permitted to witness such a meeting, but Mikhal can answer any of your questions.” She directed her last statement specifically at Dwade since he had been the most suspicious one, and Dwade gave a sheepish look.
After Ivy, Violen, and the Chancellor left the room, Mikhal approached the wall covered in hieroglyphs and touched the same sun figure Dwade had not been allowed to touch before. The stone wall became transparent, and another room came into view. Dwade walked toward the transparent wall in awe. The room before them was much brighter than the one they found themselves in. The walls rose to a flat ceiling high above their heads where a series of lights hung down like little fireflies trapped in a spider’s web.
There were throne-like seats arranged around a large round table, and they watched as the Chancellor took a seat in one of them. Oddly, there were only eleven chairs. Ten large doors faced the Chancellor, each one having its own mosaic depicting a figure made from thousands of colored stones. Upon closer inspection, Dwade noticed every figure represented one of ten races. The mosaics fascinated him since this was the first time he had seen a physical image portraying the races. Most of the human villages relied on oral tradition, and there were very few drawings or paintings of the creatures from other lands. Now he saw the races were much more alien than he originally thought. Above the mosaics, each door also had a flag that hung above it. It was difficult to see all of them, but one caught his attention in particular. It portrayed two pairs of black eyes that seemed to stare at him as the flag draped limply from its stand.
“Will the leaders be able to see us from the other side?” Dwade asked.
Shasta was thinking the same thing, although she was much more nervous than Dwade to ask. Some of the leaders might find it disrespectful if they knew others were secretly watching the meeting without their permission. This was clearly against the Readers’ rule of transparency, and this whole spying business disturbed Shasta.
As a human that was the last thing Dwade cared about. He was used to sneaking around. They secretly watched the Kree all the time. That was the safest way of hunting.
“No, all they will see is a stone wall,” Mikhal replied.
Dwade waited for the commander to give more information, but he stood stoically, his arms crossed over his chest.
“What about the king of the Dvays? Can’t he cross over to this side?” Shasta asked with an embarrassed look.
“He could, but he won’t. He has no reason to do so. Don’t be alarmed; they are not as capable as they boast of being.”
As the three of them watched, the Chancellor closed her eyes. Her mouth moved as if she were speaking rapidly, but no sound came out.
“What is she doing?” Dwade asked.
Shasta was curious to hear the answer, too. Whatever the Chancellor did was not anything familiar to Shasta. She had never seen a Reader doing such a thing like a spell.
“She is calling on the leaders of the other races,” Mikhal explained. “Their minds will separate from their bodies, and they will meet with the Chancellor in here. A kind of transcendental meeting. The leaders of this world will not risk leaving their respective territories when war is on the horizon.”
So she is doing magic, Shasta thought.
Dwade couldn’t even think of anything because he didn’t understand any word Mikhal just said. Minds leaving bodies, transcendental meetings. These were very intellectual words for a villager. He just didn’t care how it would happen, he only cared about seeing the leaders.
Soon nine of the ten doors opened at once, and the leaders entered in unison. The specters looked faded as if being viewed through a fog. “The doors open together,” Mikhal explained, knowing Dwade was bound to ask. “That way, no one leader is considered more important than the others. In creation, all races are equal, and the Balance comes from this equality.”
“But there are only ten leaders, including the Chancellor,” Dwade said. “Shouldn’t there be twelve?”
Mikhal was impressed by how sharp this human Protector was. He answered him, unable to conceal his guilt. “Yes, this is true, but the Zaend leader never attends meetings since the Founding Agreement was instated. He prefers to stay out of world politics. And mankind does not have a leader to attend the meetings anymore.
Zeus represents both the Olym and the Elesan, also known as the human race.”
“I see.” Dwade stared at the floor for a moment. My people don’t even have a leader to represent them. How could I not have known this? He looked on sadly at the meeting and tried to block out the thoughts swirling around his mind, attempting to keep them from blurting out of his mouth.
The leaders sat in their respective seats, and none of them looked happy. They obviously weren’t pleased that they had been called to this gathering.
Once all were situated, Amel immediately began speaking in a grand voice. “Welcome Leaders of the great races. I thank you all for attending this emergency meeting.”
A woman with tanned skin and bright green eyes sat across from Amel. She wore a heavy beige-colored robe that seemed to wrap around her several times, partially covering her face. “What is so urgent, that you’ve called us with such short notice?”
“Balance, Psamathe. The races have all witnessed a millennium of peace, but that is about to end. The Balance is about to be disrupted. I’ve called you here to fully explain the situation so we may all come up with a peaceful solution. This meeting is a matter of life and death.” Amel looked at each leader in the eyes trying to express the gravity of the situation. “I invite you all to be open. If there is anyone among us who wishes to start a war, please speak now. There will be no judgment. I would only like to resolve this problem here, in this room, instead of with the lives of our people.”
“Yes,” Psamathe purred. “My informants and I have heard rumors of war, and if you have called us all here to learn our sides, I should let you know that I am not against it.” Some of the leaders gave small gasps of surprise while others turned to their neighbors and whispered. Psamathe’s confession brought the reality that these rumors were not the foolish mutterings they previously thought.