ANUNDR: THE EXODUS (44 page)

It was late in the afternoon when Kalani saw the shadows come in. She knew she would die before the night was over. Her weakening body and dizziness told her that. It was too much of an effort battling with sleep. Maris sat by the bars, his head between his hands as he rocked himself. The shadows stood by her cell door. She held the bars and pulled herself to her feet.

‘Can you see them?’ she asked Maris.

‘See what?’ He raised his head.

‘The shadows in front of me. I’m not afraid of them.’ She reached out to touch them.

Maris squinted his eyes and said, ‘I don’t see anything.’

‘That’s because they came for me. It’s almost time.’ She dropped on her knees and gasped for breath.

‘I don’t want you to leave me here.’

‘It’s too late.’ she said. ‘If you had a wish, what would it be?’

‘To kill Akasha and the Rahmon.’

‘I mean before all of this.’

‘That I wasn’t a rahi and you weren’t a god’s daughter when we met.’ He sighed. ‘But wishes change nothing.’

Kalani couldn’t imagine it. It was too much for her—a life different from theirs. She stretched out her hand through the bars and he stretched his but only their fingertips touched.

‘Farewell.’ she said. The gates on their corridor screeched open and Akasha appeared with four soldiers.

‘I hope you’ve said your goodbyes.’ he said, opening her cell. Two guards held her arms and led her out.

‘Kalani.’ Maris shouted.

Akasha opened his cell and two guards dragged him up.

‘Let me go!’

‘You’ll join the other prisoners
.
You’ve had your time with her.’ said Akasha. ‘You don’t look well. Is it your health or heartbreak?’

Maris spat at him and Akasha struck him in the face. ‘You never learn. Take him away.’

Kalani was taken outside to a waiting cart. She kept her eyes on the sky. A cold wind blew past bringing more shadows with it, crowding the grounds. She shivered. She felt the expectation in the air. As the cart rode out with her, the shadows followed.

                                                                      ***

Celeste gave a folded parchment to Inna and said, ‘Give this to my daughter when I’m gone.’

‘I will, my lady.’ Inna bowed and left the room. Celeste settled in her bed and closed her eyes. There was a knock on her door. She opened her eyes as Natalia came in. Her heart raced.

‘Natalia, my child.’ she said, opening her arms.

‘Mother.’ Natalia smiled and embraced her. ‘I thought you were dead.’

‘I am a stubborn one.’ said Celeste.

Natalia sat on her bed and looked away. ‘Mother, how could you betray the man I called father?’

Celeste gasped.
How did she know?

‘Natalia, it isn’t easy to explain.’

‘Then who is he?’

‘I cannot tell you.’

‘Do I know him?’

‘Yes, you do.’

Natalia got up and said, ‘So you cannot tell me who my father is?’

‘Natalia, what—’

There was a knock on the door and a guard came in.

‘My lady,’ he said to Natalia, ‘you are needed.’

‘Wait for me outside.’ Natalia turned to her mother, ‘We’ll finish this later and you will tell me everything.’

She strode out of the room and closed the door behind her.

‘What is it?’ Natalia asked the guard.

‘The Rahmon has escaped with a band of rahis. He’s hiding in the temple.’

She sighed and said, ‘Gather the men and tell them to bring fire. We’ll burn that temple down.’

He bowed and she watched him leave. She looked at her mother’s door, then at the exiting soldier.
She had to finish that battle first
. She followed the soldier.

King Meldric and his soldiers were at the temple when Natalia got there. The rahis and rahais held hands around the temple, making incantations. Akasha stood on top of the roof, shouting, ‘Don’t be afraid, children of the gods. Today, the gods shall find us a place.’

The temple shook and rose from its foundation. The archers fired arrows but it bounced off an invisible barrier and struck the shooters. Akasha raised his staff and threw fire at them. The army scattered. Natalia closed her eyes and thought of the Ikan. She heard the bird’s cry within moments. The soldiers cheered as the bird soared over the temple, bringing clouds with him. Fire blazed out of Akasha’s staff as he darted madly around in the bird’s direction. The Ikan screeched and lightning struck the barrier. The temple fell, quaking the earth. The rahis and rahais slumped on the floor and Akasha plunged through the caving roof.

Natalia dashed into the temple despite hearing the king shouting for her to stop. She drew out two swords and killed any rahi that ran towards her.

‘Where is he?’ she asked her talisman.

Machish’s Lair
.

That was one of the few places she had never been in. She found the stairs and bounded up. She reached the corridor leading to the lair. It was empty. She edged to the temple door and opened it. Akasha was on the floor, rising from the rubble in front of the altar.

Natalia stormed in and said, ‘You cannot escape judgment.’

He turned to her and laughed, rising with his staff.

‘You are like a fly here—so small and easy to kill.’ He raised his staff. Natalia found herself rising and being thrown on the floor, head first. She groaned. Her cheekbone ached and blood dribbled down her cheeks and lips. She heard a spark in Akasha’s direction. She saw flames rising to the roof on the altar behind him.

He smiled and said, ‘You should have known not to play into my world.’

He raised his staff and she rose upside down. The talisman fell from her neck before she could stop it. Natalia felt the crushing of the bones in her legs. She screamed, clawing at the floor. He flung her against the wall, cutting open her forehead.

                                                                      ***

‘Janus.’ Celeste said, wiping her tears.

‘My lady.’ He bowed and sat by her bedside.

‘It’s been so long. What of your queen?’

‘She died in battle.’

Celeste gasped and covered her mouth. ‘No. Why didn’t you save her?’

‘I did my best.’

She shook her head and wiped away fresh tears. ‘Janus, you bring more bad news when everything is falling apart. My daughter hates me.’

‘No, she doesn’t. She’s hurt that you haven’t been truthful.’

‘But where would I start?’

‘From the beginning.’

‘I cannot, that’s why I’ve written her a letter.’ she said, pulling out a folded parchment and giving it to him.

‘My lady, why don’t you read it to her when she returns from the temple?’

‘The temple? Why did she go there?’

‘She went to fight Akasha.’

‘No, she cannot.’ she said, scrambling out of bed. She stumbled but Janus caught her.

‘My lady, you are weak.’

‘My daughter cannot face him. Janus, you must let me go.’

‘But you will need help.’

‘Yes, the Anundr’s help.’

‘No, but—’

‘Take me to her. This is not a request.’

Prince Meldric gulped down his wine as he watched the colorfully dressed crowd through narrowed eyes. The festival had begun. In the middle of the court was a giant round earthen pot filled with wine and temple water. Two poles with ropes stood by its sides. Meldric knew who they were meant for. He took a swig from his refilled goblet.

‘Brother, what troubles you?’ said his youngest brother. ‘You’ve had more wine than anyone in the room and you don’t seem ready to stop.’

‘Ilianus,’ said Sigrun, on Meldric’s other side, ‘This is the festival of new life. He may be making up for all the years he didn’t drink.’

Meldric chuckled and said, ‘I’m only making merry.’

‘With a face as stormy as that you claim to be merry.’ said Croesia while Mesianus sat on her lap eating from her plate.

‘That brings about a great question.’ said Ilianus. ‘Does a man drink more because he is merry or because he is sad?’

‘You are such a scribe, little brother.’ said Sigrun, laughing. ‘You should be a rahi.’

‘If father would let him.’ Croesia said.

Rinosius strode through the great door. People cleared the way for him to pass.

‘Behold the spawn of Galian.’ he said, gesturing behind him. The guards dragged a bald woman, clothed in nothing but red paint while her face had been painted white. Her eyes were red and dimming. The people gasped and hid their faces. Meldric rose from his seat, outrage welling up in him.

‘Father, what is that?’ Mesianus asked.

Meldric turned to Croesia. ‘Take my son away from here.’

She hastily carried him out of the hall. Meldric looked at his father. Meino was smiling, while the queen wore an expressionless face. He couldn’t understand his father’s pleasure. The guards put her in the pot of wine and tied her hands to the poles but she should barely stand. She was submerged halfway. Her back was turned towards the throne and Meldric saw the whip marks. Some were swollen and oozed out blood while some others were darkened and dry.

Kalani took deep breaths through her mouth as she looked around her. The eyes on her were enough to feel her with self-hatred but she refused to cry. Even after the rahis had reopened her wounds, she had held herself from crying. She smiled.
She would go with dignity
. The shadows filled the hall. She saw three slowly approach her. She knew when they reached her, she would be dead. She looked up. She wished she could see the moon.

Rahis surrounded her, making incantations. She gasped and shivered as blood gushed out from her wounds into the wine. The crowd was silent, watching her.

King Meino rose with his goblet and said, ‘Do I see pity in the eyes of my people for the spawn of Galian? Don’t forget that we were called the weakest, but look at us now. We have conquered Galian through her. Tonight begins our three nights of celebration and what better way to thank our gods than to sacrifice her. If we drink of that wine, the gods have promised, we will be the greatest kingdom in Calderon, which means more gold for all of us. Why should a girl, a weakling, stand in the way of a kingdom’s greatness? I am willing to be greater than this.’

His steward filled a jug with wine in the earthen bowl and poured it into the king’s cup. Meino raised it and said, ‘To the greatness of King Meino and to your greatness if you drink.’

‘To our greatness.’ the people chorused.

Meino gulped down the wine and said, ‘Eat and drink for the festival has only begun.’

The people cheered and many went to fill their goblets with the wine. The steward poured some for the queen and the princes. Meldric pushed it aside. He had lost his craving. He watched Kalani as she heaved in and out, her face turned upwards.

Kalani looked down and saw the shadows floating over the pot towards her. She looked up again. Her breathing grew heavier. She needed to let go, she needed to scream, just one more time. She opened her mouth and screamed as hard as she could as the shadows reached her. The ropes broke and she closed her eyes, falling into the wine. It splashed on the rahis.

Meldric cringed when she screamed and the building shook. Huge rocks fell from the ceiling to the grounds, knocking people down. Screams escaped from the crowd as people ran in confusion. A large rock fell on the king’s lap, pinning him to the chair.

‘Father.’ Ilianus shouted. Another rock fell on the queen’s head as she turned to her husband. Meldric and his brothers rushed to their parents.

Rinosius shouted to Akasha, ‘Take her body out of here. I must get to temple.’

The guards carried the king and the queen. Meldric saw Akasha pulling the dead body out of the pot with the help of the other rahis. He rushed towards them and took her from them, carrying her out of the court and avoiding the falling stones.

‘Where are you taking her?’ he asked Akasha when they were out of the castle.

‘To the altar close to the city walls.’ he replied. The earth trembled. They looked up and saw stars shooting down towards the kingdom.

The guards brought the wagon and she was placed within while Akasha took the reins. Meldric looked at the body and felt a stab of guilt.

‘Hurry.’ he said. Akasha hit the reins and rode off with the guards.

Meldric’s mind went to his son. He turned to run back but stopped. His hands trembled and he couldn’t control it. He dropped on his knees. His eyes burned and his vision blurred.

‘No!’ he said, but it wasn’t his voice he heard. The last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was the splitting sound of his clothes and the voice of guards running towards him.

                                                                      ***

Maris rocked himself in the cell. His head pounded and his sweat soaked his robes but he focused his mind on how he would kill Rinosius. It helped him control the trembling, though it filled him with more rage. The prisoners in the other cells hadn’t stopped talking since he had arrived.

‘Never in my life have I seen a rahi behind a cell door.’ said one of them.

‘He must have done something beyond murder.’

‘What is your name, boy?’ said the hoarse voice opposite his cell.

His name
. Maris was not his name. Rinosius had given it to him. Just the thought of it disgusted him.

‘Did you not hear me, boy?’

‘I have no name.’

‘Nameless, he says.’ said another prisoner.

‘Are you playing?’

Maris looked up to see the frown on the skinny old man opposite him.

‘No, I’m not. The name I bore was given to me by a murderer.’

‘Well, you had better get a name. A man without one doesn’t yet know who he is.’

The earth quaked, shaking the prison and throwing everyone to the floor. The floors cracked and the cell doors broke open. The prisoners pushed open their cells.

‘We’re free.’ the prisoners shouted.

‘Men,’ said the old man, ‘take whatever weapons you find. We leave this place now.’

They ran down the corridor, breaking free those who were still locked in prisons.

Maris followed behind them and watched as they fought the guards, some losing their lives in the process. As they got out in the open air, he saw the guards with arrows turned towards them. The grounds were getting brighter. They looked up and saw stars falling, one was heading towards them. Maris ran back into the temple and down the flight of stairs. He knew there was another way out.