'Once you yearn for peace, Time will be no more.'
- The last
prophecy left by the sun.
My name is Daretail, and I am a liar. Of course, I don't expect you to believe anything I say, and that's understandable, but the story I'm going to share really happened. And now I want to be as honest as I can while telling this story to you, my friend, as I, the grandmaster of illusions, was caught in a web of lies bigger than me.
But first let me take you to the finest place in the land of Amune - blissful Garden of Mirabilis in the heart of the desert. If you can smell fragrance of night flowers and fresh breeze of lakes, then we are already there. People tend to think up tales about this place (or maybe it was your humble servant to sprinkle some here and there), they say that a mysterious boy once arrived from the desert, and mirabilis flowers bloomed in his wake. People of Amune called him Astarel because of his fateful advent, and he brought them water and a kind word.
If you take a closer look, you could see some ruins around the Garden, yes, those are really ancient ones. Some time ago, nobody remembers when, here was a marvelous palace, where queen Nerida dwelled, oh how beautiful she was! People called her second sun of Amune for her kindness, no, I even dare say they loved her more than our indifferent sun, which can be rarely seen after long cold nights.
Today there were many people here in the Garden of Mirabilis. No wonder, as it was a great day in history of Amune - people were ready to hail their new king - young Astarel. They believed that today all their hardships would end, there would be no more war, the storms would lapse into silence, and Amune would be safe under a reign of the righteous king…
'…who is just a kid? Isn't he too young for ascension?'
I am deeply sorry, my friend, it might be one of those ignorant commoners, let me briefly teach them a lesson.
'You'd better be grateful, you know,' I said, approaching a couple of shady looking people near the entrance to the Garden. 'The two Temples finally came to agreement, you all have food and water, what else do you want?'
They spared me a pitiful look, as if I was a dirty vagrant (not that I wasn't, but it was rude anyway), and burst into laughter.
'You must be a sidekick of prince Astarel? A homeless thief and fraud Daretail. I wonder what Astarel does with all riches you two plundered.'
Here I owe you an explanation, my dear friend. It is true that I knew the prince, well, before he became Astarel. In fact, we both grew in the desert and were homeless. Back then I called him Vi, and Vi has always been the kindest and purest child I've ever seen. While everyone was focused on hating each other, he tried to make things better wherever he was. No matter what, he was always cheerful and optimistic. And talented! Oh, my friend, believe me or not, Vi was excellent at everything he touched. How beautifully he danced! Every time when we came to a new place, we used to make a show, and people watched him dancing to my music. Vi taught me everything I know, from him I learnt how speak and make tricks. And I have defiled this knowledge. In time I began telling lies and used my tricks to steal things. I did it for Vi, because we had to live through this war somehow.
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[Daretail the Liar]
'Let me tell you something, man.' I grinned and stepped into his space. 'At the coronation you will bow your new king and until then I will hear no paltry squeak from you, understood?'
'Very nice. Now Astarel's henchman is suppressing free speech? What a nice start we have.'
I twitched my whiskers in irritation, this was all so hopeless. There is one crucial difference between me and Vi - he is way better than me at liking people and resolving conflicts.
'You'd better watch out, I'm not so merciful as prince Astarel!' I decided to put on a bold, defiant expression. 'Wanna try your luck?'
First they stepped back and frowned at my audacious antic, but after a brief while when my taunt actually got into their slow dumb minds, they took the bait - one of them furiously reached his hand for the belt, but froze halfway.
'Are you looking for this?' I demonstrated a knife in one hand and then raised the other with some bags of coins. 'Or these?'
The commoners hectically checked their empty belts. Of course they got mad and tried to attack me as if they learnt nothing from my show, but hardly there's someone faster than a thief caught red-handed!
They chased me along the streets of the ancient garden, and whenever they started losing sight of me, I teased them from canopies of shining stalls, flashed behind the lightest veils, jumped down with festive rain of petals from palace arcs. Soon they lost me in the crowd, or rather I lost interest in them.
My legs brought me to the sacred hall by the palace or more precisely what was left of it - a pile of debris with no walls or floor or whatsoever, just a giant cracked statue of a furious looking woman. It was representing our goddess Medea, better known to you as our red sun.
People didn't really like Medea. We rarely heard her voice, but every time she deigned to pay us any attention, she spoke things which made our blood freeze - prophecies. Very bad prophecies.
There was a particular one that had been gnawing at me for quite a long time. As it was carved into both a sacred tablet near the statue, it was etched into my very mind since Vi first shared these words with me - 'Once you yearn for peace, Time will be no more.' I don't really know what it means, and whether this foretold any good fortune, but the fact that all Medea's prophecies ended with something bad wasn't so encouraging. I liked the part with peace though, everyone was now tired of searching the truth between the two Temples at the cost of constant battles and life in need. But it was a mystery for me what would happen if time disappeared. Maybe it was just another pompous play of words?
'Darry, here you are!'
I turned around to meet Vi, or should I say, prince Astarel, who was grinning so happily as if… well, actually he was always all happy and smiley thanks to his special skill to find delight in everything his eyes fell upon. Even if you were the thiefiest of thieves like me, you would hardly deserve any other attitude.
[Prince Astarel]
Still beaming, Astarel ran up to me and squeezed me in a hug too friendly for a noble prince. He was now wearing finest silk, and his skin was glittering in shine of moons with no trace of dust. But he was the same Vi I knew, at least this was what my poor ribs could tell.
'Do you like how I decorated the Garden? It was so hard to choose the palette for veils…'
He went on praising his efforts to create a festive mood in Mirabilis, while his gaze was wandering the hall.
'So you decided to pay tribute to lady Medea? That's unusual of you, Darry.' Vi descended onto his knees and gently swept dust from the tablet with divinations.
It's true that I've never been loyal to our goddess, but no one could argue that her prophecies weren't just waste of sacred tablets.
'I was just thinking about the last prophecy. The one about peace, remember? We've done so much to achieve it and now, with this truce…' I went silent for a moment. 'Do you think it's like… about to come true? What does it even mean?'
For some reason Vi didn't look surprised when I brought this up. He just shook his head with no rush to answer.
'I don't know, Darry. But it doesn't really matter, lady Medea shares her wisdom with us so that we could find our way in the Order. It is neither good nor bad.'
I frowned. The idea that everything is predetermined inside the Order didn't seem really optimistic to me.
'Queen Nerida, however, was good at reading prophecies.' Suddenly Vi's features saddened. 'I hope… I hope I will be worthy of her legacy.'
Vi's confession made me scoff. Unlike him, Nerida was definitely not my role model. Temple of the Gale spread a legend, that once she left Amune for the pursuit of Eothranis, a fable land we also call Paradise. They believed one day she would return and take us to a better place, but as I see it, she is taking her time.
'At least you won't run away and abandon your people, huh?' I gave him an encouraging wink. 'Come on, let's go and see what a disaster you turned the Garden into.'
It was obvious that Vi was eager not to show off his masterpiece, but spend some more time with me before the official truce meeting starts at sunrise. He enveloped me with his cheerful chirping and stuffed me with ripe peaches, we were running along the streets and jumping on the roofs of the palace like we used to do as carefree desert kids, and everything seemed to be the same as before. I'm not gonna lie, thoughts about Paradise often crossed my mind, I mean, how cool it could be to finally leave this hopeless planet for something better. But when Vi was near, I sensed some valuable connection to this place, as if it was my true home. So that night I forgot my worries for the time being and gave in to the sweet wait for peaceful future we all deserved.
It wasn't long before the festive show started. Vi stepped onto the stage, followed by two magnificent ladies - leaders of Temple of the Gale and Temple of the Beast, and it was definitely unusual to see them both in one place without trying to kill each other. Meanwhile the prince called me to the stage and I bowed courteously, as opening the show was a great honour Vi granted only me.
There are no words to describe my wonderful show, you should definitely visit it some time, my friend. I am the most skillful when it comes to tricks and illusions, I conjured rain of coins, turned silk kerchiefs into flowers and entertained the audience with my merry songs. Vi was sitting on the front row and watching me his mouth open, there was a childish thrill in his eyes. Yes, he was my most fervent spectator I dedicated all of my shows to.
I was going to move to the next act when I noticed a pretty young lady in a beautiful pastel saree. She offered a drink to the prince with a respectful bow and was on her way back to the kitchens, still having my attention. I descended the stage and pulled Vi's hands before he even could enjoy his drink in peace.
'And now, my brothers and sisters, let's cheer for our treasured prince Astarel with his magnificent dance!'
'Drink! I said drink it!!'
The lady burst into tears and turned away from the cup in my hand, which smelled of strong sedative to my sensitive nose. She shouted that she was devoted to prince Astarel and had always been, and she cried and cried, and cried. I loosened my grip, and she fell to the floor, choking on sobs.
I knew she was innocent. And I knew exactly who put this plan into her head.
It was a long while ago when I started hearing a subtle voice on the back of my mind. You know, the one that provides clear reasoning but still makes people do reckless things. I occasionally saw traces of it in eyes of those who followed Astarel, and those who hold the will of Temples, who was lost alone in the desert or hid behind palace walls. This devil changes faces and approaches you with different names, he might be a priest in the Gale Temple, a warrior in Temple of the Beast, a beggar in the street, a servant, a friend. I call him the Whisperer, and though I don't know where he came from, he is a stranger to hearts of the amune.
And now I was feeling his mocking gaze on me. I hoped to find him not far from his victim as his presence felt clear. I left the street and looked around the crowd when finally I met a gaze of deceptive red eyes. The Whisperer was now a youngster of beauty no poet could capture, he wore finest apparel and held a cane with a shining knob. His eyes narrowed in amusement as if he was reading my mind and turned to the prince to offer him a hand. My heart sank as I saw Vi descending from the stage straight into his arms.
***
I hoped there would be only two of us, but that slippery Whisperer had already joined him first, pretending to be his caring servant.
[The Whisperer]
'Has Your Majesty made any progress with the books I
brought?'
Vi lit up immediately and ran to the treasure chest filled with some old dusty crap, which for some reason was called literature. His fingers danced over the carefully assembled pile before stopping over one particularly thick journal. It was Vi's diary, where he kept the most precious records from his collection.
'Darry, come, I want to show you too.' He gestured for me to approach. 'This one is my favourite!'
I have no idea why Vi likes this stuff, he is just naturally curious about everything, especially science and history. Queen Nerida wrote many manuscripts on how the world works, which made Vi her devoted fan, but most of them were lost in restless sands of Amune, adding even more ardor to his hobby.
'You are incredible, Marc!' Vi exclaimed, as he laid the journal on the floor and opened it for us. Pages started glittering with sandy texture and rippling lines of text in moonlight. 'I wonder where you find all those treasures.'
'Why, I have my ways.'
The Whisperer stole a sly glance at me, he might have felt how I withered him with my suspicious look.
'Illegal ways, Marc?' said Vi suddenly.
An awkward silence settled in. I already started feeling victorious, but after a moment Vi burst into laughter and patted his head.
'I'm kidding, you are too nice to do such things!'
I rolled my eyes, and the Whisperer smiled wryly, fixing his hair.
'As you say, Your Majesty…'
Meanwhile Vi turned to the page where at last something interesting started - pictures. Not that I couldn't read, Vi taught me many times, but I've never been truly into boring letters. Now my attention was focused on a picture of a young girl, holding a shiny amulet in her hands, which seemed to contain light of thousand stars, even though there weren't much colours in the drawing.
Vi smiled and gently touched girl's gorgeous locks.
'Do you know, Darry, why Nerida never used her akhane? She was the first one to notice a shade in the sky, so she was cautious to let amune travel through the space.'
I snorted in disagreement. She did use an akhane once, and precisely to leave us alone with our own problems, which brought wars and desolation to Amune. For you, my friend, it might seem just a pointless group of letters, I know, for the first time I had my difficulties in reading this word too. But akhane, whose picture I described to you, is actually a powerful artifact, able to open doors to distant corners of the universe. Once used, it can take you to worlds beyond imagination. There can exist only one akhane under the sun as a true sign of Medea's acknowledging the ruler of Amune.
For great many years there has been a war between Temple of the Beast and Temple of the Gale just for the sake of the akhane. Medea is getting old, and under her cold and red sun we didn't see our future. According to the legends the next ruler was supposed to become a new star shining bright above, showering us with miracles, bathing us in love. Amune knew no sorrow while it had Nerida's shine.
As Vi turned the page, I expected to see my favourite picture, showing Eothranis - a land of unseen beauty under the bright star, a dream of every amune. There were different pictures made in a form of stained glass, apparently Nerida or whoever painted them was trying to make a better guess what Paradise could be like. Vi gathered them from all the manuscripts he found and made quite a collection in his journal.
Then I was immediately distracted from my drifting thoughts and forced to take a coward step into Astarel's shade - there was no image of Eothranis anymore. Next illustration revealed a hideous monster - a huge serpent with hundreds of heads covered with eyes, it was hatching out of a destroyed planet and devouring patterns of stars.
'Impressing. Your Majesty's insight knows no bounds,' the Whisperer said calmly, but I could notice an exasperated shade dancing on his face - he wasn't ready for such turn of events either. 'This is a forbidden secret, guarded from the eyes of amune since the end of Nerida's reign. What helped you guess?'
I frowned and took a closer look. Now I could see that it wasn't another illustration from any of the known manuscripts the prince owned, as it was newly constructed with tiny scraps of different stained glass pictures. At that time I thought it was so strange that I had never seen it before. When did Vi even manage to make it?
Vi tilted his head back and looked through the hole in the ceiling with thoughtful smile.
'There are less stars in the sky. Less time left to the universe, right?'
I felt cold creeping down my spine. The prophecy from the sacred hall came to my mind, the one describing the disappearance of time. The Whisperer was amused by the way I looked.
'Why, you are right, your Majesty. The god of Time Antalla comes silently - when all the stories end, when there is nothing minutes can measure, when we yearn only for peace.'
Has the story of Amune really come to an end? - it was a familiar, disgusting voice on the back of my mind, and I knew that the Whisperer saw my fear. I could do nothing with it.
However, Vi could. He suddenly jumped to his feet, shining with enthusiasm.
'I want to play! Marc, you owed me the game, remember?'
The Whisperer rounded his eyes, completely thrown off track. But he couldn't disobey the prince's wish, with respectful bow he laid away his cane and began arranging the chess pieces on the checkered floor, which was now their chessboard. I must admit it was a pleasant change of topic, for me at least.
'I am sorry for being forgetful, Your Majesty. Now that things are finally settled between the Temples, we can have a moment of interlude, thanks to your endeavours.'
Yes, this was a long way to go. To be honest, I can't imagine that anyone else apart from Vi could achieve unity among people of Amune again. I must admit he inherited only the best from queen Nerida. He has always been attentive to the world around and he started noticing things that slipped from others. As he kept a close eye to position of stars, we never got lost in the desert. He listened to the ground to find the water, and when we dug wells, flowers of mirabilis were spreading around, awakening from sleep. He watched and remembered the weakest spots of dangerous earth elementals created by Temple of the Beast, and he knew precisely when Temple of the Gale was going to unleash violent lightenings, as before every thunderstorm there was a special smell in the air.
Vi claimed that it was just common knowledge about surviving in the desert, but people of amune viewed him as a saint. Gradually more and more people started following the one who knew where the water was, how to defeat beasts and foresee the storms. They came from both temples - commoners, warriors, priests, homeless, rich and poor, just to find refuge beside Vi. They hoped he would become the next ruler of Amune and finish the war, but Vi wasn't interested in using them to conquer the Temples, he just lent his hand to everyone in need. Until one day, when everything changed. Vi decided to come directly to Temple of the Beast to warn general Addi about the storm - the riskiest escapade on my memory.
Vi bent over the chess figures, excitedly tapping a finger against his lips. The Whisperer was watching him carefully, and I was a witness to the dangerous glint in his eyes.
Finally the prince moved his pawn, choosing a gambit. The Whisperer narrowed his eyes, as if he immediately sensed that something was off. His glance slipped to the picture of Antalla, and he pondered for a bit.
'Your Majesty, can I ask you a question?'
'Of course, Marc, go ahead.'
'Have you ever considered joining queen Nerida in search of Eothranis?'
Vi fidgeted excitedly in his place, grinning from ear to ear.
'By all means, it's been the quest of my life! And I think I've found it.'
'You have?'
'Yes. Our Eothranis is already here.' He made a wide gesture towards the valley, where Garden of Mirabilis was blooming. People were gathering on the square, they laughed and danced hand in hand, it was hard to believe that they could clash in battles just yesterday. 'Paradise isn't a place you can go to. It's time spent with those you love, right?'
Vi lit up immediately and ran to the treasure chest filled with some old dusty crap, which for some reason was called literature. His fingers danced over the carefully assembled pile before stopping over one particularly thick journal. It was Vi's diary, where he kept the most precious records from his collection.
'Darry, come, I want to show you too.' He gestured for me to approach. 'This one is my favourite!'
I have no idea why Vi likes this stuff, he is just naturally curious about everything, especially science and history. Queen Nerida wrote many manuscripts on how the world works, which made Vi her devoted fan, but most of them were lost in restless sands of Amune, adding even more ardor to his hobby.
'You are incredible, Marc!' Vi exclaimed, as he laid the journal on the floor and opened it for us. Pages started glittering with sandy texture and rippling lines of text in moonlight. 'I wonder where you find all those treasures.'
'Why, I have my ways.'
The Whisperer stole a sly glance at me, he might have felt how I withered him with my suspicious look.
'Illegal ways, Marc?' said Vi suddenly.
An awkward silence settled in. I already started feeling victorious, but after a moment Vi burst into laughter and patted his head.
'I'm kidding, you are too nice to do such things!'
I rolled my eyes, and the Whisperer smiled wryly, fixing his hair.
'As you say, Your Majesty…'
Meanwhile Vi turned to the page where at last something interesting started - pictures. Not that I couldn't read, Vi taught me many times, but I've never been truly into boring letters. Now my attention was focused on a picture of a young girl, holding a shiny amulet in her hands, which seemed to contain light of thousand stars, even though there weren't much colours in the drawing.
Vi smiled and gently touched girl's gorgeous locks.
'Do you know, Darry, why Nerida never used her akhane? She was the first one to notice a shade in the sky, so she was cautious to let amune travel through the space.'
I snorted in disagreement. She did use an akhane once, and precisely to leave us alone with our own problems, which brought wars and desolation to Amune. For you, my friend, it might seem just a pointless group of letters, I know, for the first time I had my difficulties in reading this word too. But akhane, whose picture I described to you, is actually a powerful artifact, able to open doors to distant corners of the universe. Once used, it can take you to worlds beyond imagination. There can exist only one akhane under the sun as a true sign of Medea's acknowledging the ruler of Amune.
For great many years there has been a war between Temple of the Beast and Temple of the Gale just for the sake of the akhane. Medea is getting old, and under her cold and red sun we didn't see our future. According to the legends the next ruler was supposed to become a new star shining bright above, showering us with miracles, bathing us in love. Amune knew no sorrow while it had Nerida's shine.
As Vi turned the page, I expected to see my favourite picture, showing Eothranis - a land of unseen beauty under the bright star, a dream of every amune. There were different pictures made in a form of stained glass, apparently Nerida or whoever painted them was trying to make a better guess what Paradise could be like. Vi gathered them from all the manuscripts he found and made quite a collection in his journal.
Then I was immediately distracted from my drifting thoughts and forced to take a coward step into Astarel's shade - there was no image of Eothranis anymore. Next illustration revealed a hideous monster - a huge serpent with hundreds of heads covered with eyes, it was hatching out of a destroyed planet and devouring patterns of stars.
'Impressing. Your Majesty's insight knows no bounds,' the Whisperer said calmly, but I could notice an exasperated shade dancing on his face - he wasn't ready for such turn of events either. 'This is a forbidden secret, guarded from the eyes of amune since the end of Nerida's reign. What helped you guess?'
I frowned and took a closer look. Now I could see that it wasn't another illustration from any of the known manuscripts the prince owned, as it was newly constructed with tiny scraps of different stained glass pictures. At that time I thought it was so strange that I had never seen it before. When did Vi even manage to make it?
Vi tilted his head back and looked through the hole in the ceiling with thoughtful smile.
'There are less stars in the sky. Less time left to the universe, right?'
I felt cold creeping down my spine. The prophecy from the sacred hall came to my mind, the one describing the disappearance of time. The Whisperer was amused by the way I looked.
'Why, you are right, your Majesty. The god of Time Antalla comes silently - when all the stories end, when there is nothing minutes can measure, when we yearn only for peace.'
Has the story of Amune really come to an end? - it was a familiar, disgusting voice on the back of my mind, and I knew that the Whisperer saw my fear. I could do nothing with it.
However, Vi could. He suddenly jumped to his feet, shining with enthusiasm.
'I want to play! Marc, you owed me the game, remember?'
The Whisperer rounded his eyes, completely thrown off track. But he couldn't disobey the prince's wish, with respectful bow he laid away his cane and began arranging the chess pieces on the checkered floor, which was now their chessboard. I must admit it was a pleasant change of topic, for me at least.
'I am sorry for being forgetful, Your Majesty. Now that things are finally settled between the Temples, we can have a moment of interlude, thanks to your endeavours.'
Yes, this was a long way to go. To be honest, I can't imagine that anyone else apart from Vi could achieve unity among people of Amune again. I must admit he inherited only the best from queen Nerida. He has always been attentive to the world around and he started noticing things that slipped from others. As he kept a close eye to position of stars, we never got lost in the desert. He listened to the ground to find the water, and when we dug wells, flowers of mirabilis were spreading around, awakening from sleep. He watched and remembered the weakest spots of dangerous earth elementals created by Temple of the Beast, and he knew precisely when Temple of the Gale was going to unleash violent lightenings, as before every thunderstorm there was a special smell in the air.
Vi claimed that it was just common knowledge about surviving in the desert, but people of amune viewed him as a saint. Gradually more and more people started following the one who knew where the water was, how to defeat beasts and foresee the storms. They came from both temples - commoners, warriors, priests, homeless, rich and poor, just to find refuge beside Vi. They hoped he would become the next ruler of Amune and finish the war, but Vi wasn't interested in using them to conquer the Temples, he just lent his hand to everyone in need. Until one day, when everything changed. Vi decided to come directly to Temple of the Beast to warn general Addi about the storm - the riskiest escapade on my memory.
Vi bent over the chess figures, excitedly tapping a finger against his lips. The Whisperer was watching him carefully, and I was a witness to the dangerous glint in his eyes.
Finally the prince moved his pawn, choosing a gambit. The Whisperer narrowed his eyes, as if he immediately sensed that something was off. His glance slipped to the picture of Antalla, and he pondered for a bit.
'Your Majesty, can I ask you a question?'
'Of course, Marc, go ahead.'
'Have you ever considered joining queen Nerida in search of Eothranis?'
Vi fidgeted excitedly in his place, grinning from ear to ear.
'By all means, it's been the quest of my life! And I think I've found it.'
'You have?'
'Yes. Our Eothranis is already here.' He made a wide gesture towards the valley, where Garden of Mirabilis was blooming. People were gathering on the square, they laughed and danced hand in hand, it was hard to believe that they could clash in battles just yesterday. 'Paradise isn't a place you can go to. It's time spent with those you love, right?'
The Whisperer didn't accept an invitation to look out of the window and committed to the game instead. Judging from his features, he wasn't really convinced.
'Why, your words are sweeter than any flower, my dear Majesty. You've brought your people together and reminded them how to love. But why do you think it will stay the same way tomorrow? Their true wishes are still hiding in the shadows of their souls, and one day they will find another cause for disagreement. Does it mean that your Paradise is just a fleeting moment?'
'If it really is, I want to live in this moment forever.'
Vi closed his eyes dreamily and then returned the admiring gaze to stars.
'We were concerned with quarrels and never looked up into the sky to see how beautiful constellations of each other can be. Why should we see there only darkness?'
We weren't allowed inside the temple, and our warning was met with suspicion. Addi warriors decided that it was a provocation from Temple of the Gale, apparently to withdraw the troops and leave the temple without protection, but Vi stubbornly stayed under the wall. He said that the lightening would destroy the temple, and people would suffer if they stayed inside. I was surprised and even scared to see Vi so calm and easy-going in addressing the most dangerous person in Amune. He saw that nobody believed him, so he suggested proving his words by creating a beast taller than the temple building, as the lightening always strikes tall objects.
General Addi, however, was lingering, greater earth elementals demanded much energy and should be used only as a last resort. Vi's presence was alerting the warriors, and tension began raising between the two camps. From the shade of the nearest dune, my hiding spot, I could see how the malevolent voice was affecting their eyes, and I knew the Whisperer was already there, beyond the wall.
'What you call quarrels is a wonderful trait of amune nature. Their beauty is in diversity of their beliefs, and only in conflict they can challenge each other for growth. This is how all those beautiful stories are born. Do you like theatre, Your Majesty?'
'Absolutely! I admire stories about people,' Vi said with spark in his eyes, while his chess pieces kept pressing curiously to the Whisperer's side of the board. 'Honestly… I find your plays especially captivating.'
Don't take Vi's words seriously, my friend. As I mentioned, he likes literally everything, even cheap shows of that court fool.
Flattered, the Whisperer chuckled and eventually joined Vi in admiring the view of the Garden, not with the same quiet contemplation, but with a strange, I'd even say, obsessive glint in his eyes.
'So why don't we take a look at the world as if it was a huge stage, where your favourite stories unfold? The key point of every story is clash of ideas. If we lived without secrets and in complete agreement, what our life would be like? Isn't it a conflict, never ending challenge, that pushes us forward?'
The Whisperer took Vi's chess piece mercilessly and with this move he delivered checkmate to the king.
I flinched at a sight of warriors unleash on our camp as they took Vi. But I couldn't come for rescue, not yet, I was told to stay behind. Anxiously, I was looking through the blur of brown capes and faces, twisted in hatred, I was searching for him, the Whisperer. I sensed him touching thoughts of the warriors, and I saw how the familiar wicked glint was flaring in people's eyes one by one, approaching the general, who was getting ready to give a command that will decide Vi's fate.
'Maybe you are right.' The prince tilted his head and childishly twisted his face to the side, observing the situation on the board. Finally, he made a move with a pawn. 'But some conflicts can turn into destruction, and destruction never brings progress. Wouldn't it be better for us to unite before we all lose?'
Red eyes flashed right behind Addi's back, and I made a jump. I raced desperately, beating my paws against the ground, dodging everybody's legs, slipping between hems of capes. With a powerful leap I knocked the Whisperer off his feet and released claws into his gown, preventing him from moving. He was fast enough to break free, but a moment of distraction made him lose control over the situation. I tried to chase him, but his trail vanished just like that.
General Addi agreed on experiment suggested by Vi and raised from the distant dunes the biggest earth elemental one could imagine. When it crushed under the deafening lightening, she gave an immediate command to retreat, and all the people were saved, what can't be said about the temple. Knowing Addi's temperament, such move couldn't be left unanswered, but when her people saw that they barely escaped death, no one wanted to continue going to battle. It was the beginning of our way to peace.
The Whisperer frowned at the sight of stalemate on the chessboard. Prince Astarel gave him a merciful smile.
'Conflicts don't work in the same way for everyone, Marc. Maybe for your homeland, but not Amune.' There was an affectionate hint in prince's voice. 'I'll understand if you don't want to stay here after the truce is signed. You have been a good friend, and I liked our games, but I have to let you go.'
I flinched at a sudden thought - Vi knew that the Whisperer wasn't the one he pretended to be. Why did he keep him around anyway?
The Whisperer broke the eye contact with the prince, hiding his thoughts, and nodded slowly.
'I hate the thought that this might be our last game, Your Majesty.'
'Please, don't. Just think of all the pleasure you had during the show!'
Before he looked away, I could notice defeat in Whisperer's eyes, and a realisation crossed my mind why he was constantly stirring up the conflict on Amune.
He knew about the prophecy.
***
There was no tension in the desert anymore, no storms, no earthquakes, just unfamiliar silence. In the valley I could see some commoners, they had greeted us before, and seemed they had forgotten my mischief. There was also a lady in a colourful saree, fooling around with some friends, oblivious of the morning incident. Even high priestess Naera and general Addi seemed to be chatting casually. Maybe it was only me unable to forget.
'So… what's next?'
Vi didn't take his eyes off the valley, looking peaceful and happy as usual.
'Well… I guess nothing.'
I frowned at his response. Suddenly I thought, what would I do if I was a king? Ironically, I would probably do the same thing queen Nerida did - try to find Paradise. And I wouldn't care if my people didn't want to follow me as long as Vi was by my side.
'Wanna play some dice?'
'Sure.' The prince lit up at the invitation. 'Is it going to be that magical set of yours?'
'You know better than me.'
I took out some glittering dice, the only precious thing I had. I used them great many times to cheat other commoners out of every last coin until no one agreed to play with a street gambler.
'Are we making a bet?' Vi turned to me, ready for the game.
'Yes. Your akhane.'
Sadness in Vi's eyes stabbed me, though I held his gaze to show that I was serious. Strange, but I felt that he was ready for this to come.
'Alright, be it as you wish.' Vi beamed again, this time with innocent yet sly smile.
I tossed the dice into a cup and began to shake. But before it could hit the ground, Vi reached out and caught it. I met his gaze and slowly took my hand away - the cup was empty.
'Darry, I know all your tricks.' Vi shook his head in disapproval. 'Why can't you at least once play fair?'
Our privacy was bothered by some servants, and I was left with no chance to explain myself, though I had no ready answer anyway. Vi looked at me apologetically and gave me a tight hug.
'I guess it's time. Wish me luck!'
'Vi, I'm just…'
I cut myself off, watching him go to the palace balcony, while the sunrise was already rippling on the horizon. I nervously looked back at the crowd, gathering in the square to watch ascension of their prince, and there I could see the Whisperer's shade. When our eyes met, I noticed the same readiness in him, and then he guided my gaze to the sky. Medea herself came to bow the new king - the first ray of the rising sun carried a drop of dazzling light, falling into Astarel's hands.
Akhane!
It was my last chance. I rushed to the balcony, skipping steps on my way. My eyes were fixed on Vi as he approached the stairway to heaven, which was weaving beneath his feet out of pure light. When he reached his hand to the shining artifact, his skin began fading, releasing warmest light - he was turning into a star. I was almost there, I pushed off with my hind legs so hard that I could leap across the shimmering stairs right the moment when Vi took hold of Medea's gift. My eyes widened when I saw him pressing it in an abrupt gesture - he was going to break the akhane!
'Don't do this, Vi!..'
Words froze in my throat, and I felt that I could no longer move in the air - the light of the newborn star reached me, and the night ended. I was captured inside the moment when Amune had no more future.
'Don't be scared, Darry.'
Vi caught me into a familiar warm hug. He shone brightly now, but without blinding me. I hadn't realized that stars could feel so luminous and comforting, and I thought that it was the way the sun was supposed to be - full of love. But I sensed danger in that feeling. I was getting too comfortable, too oblivious, and my heart was still pounding with fear, so I tried to pull away.
'Vi, we need to use the akhane and get out of here, now!'
The king released me and took a step back, as he was hiding his gaze from me.
'Darry, I'm… really sorry.'
I stared at him in disbelief.
'Vi, look, there's no time to play hero. I know you don't want to leave those people, but they can't be saved, and we…'
'Darry, it's alright.' Vi’s features softened into calmness. 'There will be no end for Amune. Look!'
Right before my clueless eyes shadows began growing throughout the valley. The red sun was returning to the horizon, which meant Medea's departure or even not arrival. And on the darkening sky stars were appearing again.
'The day when we yearned for peace, when we reached agreement, will now last forever,' said Astarel, grinning blissfully. 'Every day there will be a festival, a performance, a long-awaited truce, the day of our happiness!'
'Are you freaking SERIOUS?!' My fur stood on end, as I rounded on him. 'You want to say that we will live in the single day FOREVER? Vi, you are scaring me. There must be another way, it's… It's just unfair!'
'Darry… My people are tired,' said Vi with a wan smile. 'I have been with them for my whole life, I know what they really want. And I know what you want too.'
He took my hand and placed the akhane in it.
'The shadow Nerida found is spreading, and I just want to protect my people from it. But you are different from me! You are brave and strong, and resourceful. I know you will find the way to save the stars.'
'Save the stars? Me? You are definitely bonkers, aren't you?'
I laughed nervously, growing cold to a realisation - Vi was giving me freedom, but he wasn't going to come along.
'What… what if I don't manage to…' I shrank helplessly into myself. I was scared, I had no idea what was out there beyond Amune. But Vi placed so much hope on me, so I trailed away without mentioning my fears.
'Don't be afraid, Darry, there are so many wonderful worlds to discover, I see it in the patterns of the night sky!' Vi's eyes were shining with excitement, as he turned to stars above. 'The day of peace on Amune is always the same, but not the sky, so I will follow your amazing adventures in your constellation. Who knows, maybe in one of those Dreams we have already reunited.'
He gently placed his hand on my back.
'Don't worry about me, I won't be alone, and I have never been. I've always had a memory of you.'
'This… happened already, right?'
This made now perfect sense. Why Vi was behaving so strangely today, and that game of chess… The Whisperer was trying to convince Vi to change his mind for who knows how many versions of this day and he was the one to feed him with all those ancient manuscripts. But no matter how skilled he was at pulling strings of everyone's souls, he could never touch Vi.
'I guess… I was just selfish and wanted you to be with me as long as you could.' The prince suddenly beamed at me with his usual deceptively happy smile. 'But now it's time to finally let you go.'
I moaned, muting his words and refusing to listen to him.
'Vi, darn, you can't do this to yourself, you can't just get locked in this prison for eternity!'
'Darry, it's fine. This is my home, the place I belong to. Promise not to grieve for me and never try to return and break this day.'
'Promise,' I lied.
'Farewell, Darry, brother of my soul. Find your own Paradise and keep it safe from darkness.'
Shadows twisted around me when light of Amune star pushed me far away, and I could hear the akhane shatter in my wake.
Everything was over when I came to my senses on a deserted planet. Time left no trace of Amune I once knew, there were no temples, no Garden of Mirabilis, not a single stone from my era. And instead of the red sunrise there was only a pitch-black destroyer above. There was nothing left of Amune, nothing left of me.
'Give me your tears, little critter.'
The same disgusting voice appeared on the back of my mind along with hateful tap of that cane. Grief was tearing me apart, but I was holding it to myself, and I didn't let my tears fall, not for that bastard. This isn't the end. One day…
'One day you will return for him, right? When you find Paradise.'
The Whisperer was fidgeting with his cane, watching the black hole idly.
'Go away from my head!' I cried, pressing myself to the ground. 'Who the heck are you?'
'Why, it doesn't matter. But you can view me as an ally of Nerida. Well... The one who used to be Nerida. Now her sun shines red, and she has a different name - Morrah the Mystery, the queen of Eothranis.'
I blinked, trying to think this through. It might have looked foolishly, which amused the Whisperer, and he laughed out.
'Why yes, kitten, you guessed it right, Morrah has found Paradise. She is merciful in her will to bring it to others, who are left to face this crumbling universe.' He turned to the deserted valley and shook his head. 'However, Amune has found another king and doesn't need her blessing.'
[Nerida the Mystery]
My head went round, I had too many questions.
'But what about the shadow? That monster, the god of Time!'
'Ah, Antalla. Well, I'm afraid it can't be helped. Myths of Amune are great, and your tales show many brave heroes, but there's no force that can stop the time, you know. This world is too old and is about to breathe its last, but fortunately there are other beautiful Dreams.'
I have never been eager to believe anything the Whisperer tells, but at that time I needed at least something, a faint hope to cling to.
'Tell me more about Eothranis!'
The Whisperer smirked, he might have been contented to see how pathetic I was.
'Oh, Eothranis, gates to all Dreams! It existed before this world, and it will exist after it is gone. In Paradise we can be free from our constellations and become gods again.'
'Gods? You mean... like Medea?'
He snorted dismissively.
'Stars like Medea could be powerful beyond imagination if they didn't follow the Order blindly. Only those who reach Eothranis are able to gain true might. With it we can free this universe from unfair laws and shape the new, beautiful world where we all are kings.'
I looked at the empty valley, whose sand was escaping into destroyer's deadly eye - everything that remained from Medea, killed by the Time. I didn't want to live in the universe where suns grow old, where time brings withering and destruction. The world where I could lose everything I love.
The Whisperer gave me a merry look.
'What say you, Liar? Are you willing to become powerful enough to bring your Vi back?'
I remembered Vi's last words. Somewhere, there might be the world where we are united, where we have a wonderful life. And I thought that once Amune was a good place. Really. When we were children, we didn't think that there would be anything to sacrifice, we thought our story, our adventures would last forever. Vi wanted to protect that memory of our home, but it wasn't enough for me, and at that thought, I couldn't hold back my tears anymore.
'I'm in.'
The Whisperer nodded approvingly and reached his cane to catch a fallen tear.
'Wonderful!' he exclaimed, feasting his eyes on my soul inside the knob. 'Your skill of lying can prove really useful. Why, this kitten has great potential after all, it won't hurt to teach you some more tricks.'
He clapped, commanding me to follow him. The wind was rising, it was time to leave, and I felt emptiness give way to growing determination. But the Whisperer lingered, unable to resist looking at Amune one last time. His face remained unreadable, but I could sense a hint of bitterness in his voice.
'Silly kid! You may have won for now, but our game isn't over yet.'
It isn't over, Vi. You've managed to fool yourself, but not me. I will return to show you what real happiness is about, the one that you, we both deserve!
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