A Paradox in Retrograde (9 page)

"I would be honored."
The conversation between them for the remainder of the meal
was cordial and factual, but noticeably vacant of substance. Having recognized this, Ananda was convinced there was little they
could share beyond a handful of fanciful mythic legends. This
being perhaps one of the few avenues left open to him he made a
request of Xora. "My dear Xora might you read aloud to your
guests a transcript of one of the ancient manuscripts, as Grunhuf
has suggested." To this idea Xora was most amiable toward. A
smile lit her face as she recalled the works as if they were an old
friend. "By coincidence Ananda, one of the characters in this story shares your name. I wonder if your culture had also known of
this story. I can not however vouch for its antiquity; for this story
is an ancient description of a far older epic poem that itself no
doubt had been copied many times over." From a shelf nearby
she retrieved an old tattered paperback that she had had in her
possession since childhood. Thumbing through its yellowed pages she searched for a specific reference.

"OK, here it is", she said. She then set to reading aloud. "At the
end of a great cycle of ages, there arose in the kingdom of the sea
an unlikely spirit in the guise of a set of young princes. These
unique aberrations born within the form of a child were the embodiment of all the travails and aspirations of suffering and joy.
Of these creatures the first was Amida. He claimed to be the vessel of sacred knowledge and a great teacher unto which a new
world order would be built. As his years advanced into manhood
he had forsaken his birthright of kingship, for his kingdom it was
said did not reside in this world. In a move that both shocked and
terrified his people, he laid down his crown and vestments in exchange for the life of an ascetic. Into this void the balance that
had guided this great nation had fallen. This imbalance was personified in the son of a great warrior and a contemporary of Amida named Ananda. Both of these children were born into great
and powerful families. As children they were the closest of
friends. They attended the same schools. They were similar in
appearance, and though not related by blood they were often confused to be twins. Ananda, like Amida was possessed by a genius
of mind and spirit. So it was thought that as they were as equals,
Ananda's breeding would make him the logical choice to replace
the vacant kingship. However when the planets were once again
in alignment the world was beset by an age of warfare. From the
heavens in great shining ships our enduring enemy, the unnamed
ones came again as in times past to lay claim to this world. As
Ananda stood before the armies of the world on his great flying
chariot, he took the ancient name of Hector. For ten years he led
the armies of the world in a ceaseless string of desperate battles
that raged across the face of the Earth. Hector's genius was his
vision; he could see every move his opponents made. However
this advantage came with a great cost. In the ever escalating
scale of war, he matched atrocity with atrocity. In the end he
was prepared for the sake of victory, to sacrifice the whole of
the world in a bloody game of attrition. At long last his war of
revenge that had raged for a decade was over; the people had
grown weary of war. He had bled his nation dry and as he
looked out upon the desolation that had been wrought in his
name he could do little else. In those days, Hector pleased himself to sit despondent on his throne and preside over his nation's
demise. It was said that Hector had sustained a psychic wound
so deep as to render him insane. It was then that Amida having
heard the terrible news returned to the land of his birth. The
people including Hector's closest advisors begged Amida to rescue them from their despair. Amida then saw the folly of his
ways in ever having left in the first place. He swore he would
then reclaim the throne and reintroduce an age of peace. Amida
then in secret had returned from his journey and conspired to
usurp the power that he had abandoned so many years before.
While Hector was still king the odor of death hung heavily upon
the barren land. Unless he stepped down their society and indeed their world would slip irretrievably further toward the
point of no return. Amida knew it was at best unlikely that Hector would resign of his own accord. So he and his conspirators
would concoct a scheme. Because of their love for him they
were by honor bound not to kill their mighty king. None among
them possessed the strength anyway. They all had seen their fill
of murder; no one had the stomach for it any more. Instead a
spell of sleep would be cast. It was decided that it would be Samantha who with heavy heart would deliver the potent spell. On
the appointed hour hidden within a glass of wine the drug was
administered to the unsuspecting king. She offered him the drink
and he accepted it. He readily drank from the cup and with that
his fate was sealed. Not until the cup fell from his hand would
he ever have suspected such treachery from those heloved and
trusted. Within the walls of his citadel in secret a chamber had
been made ready. Deep in slumber's embrace his limp body was
placed there lovingly into his sarcophagus to forever sleep and to
dream in peace. Amida somewhat reluctantly again accepted his
rightful role as king. With all he had learned over the previous
decade he would help them to rebuild their shattered world. His
ensuing reign would last a thousand years and in his life time the
world order was renewed."

The three audience members clapped with appreciation, "What I
just read to you was an ancient description of an epic poem that is
now lost called the "Song of Hector".

Ananda had listened carefully to the story; none of it brought to
his mind any specific recollections. He was sure hehad never
heard this story, however its general outline seemed somehow
oddly familiar as if he had heard the tale by someancient fireside
of his youth, and therefore held a whisper of its context. Xora
looked on her guest and made a sudden realization.She thought
to herself how oddly some of the circumstances of his fate mirrored that of this fictional Ananda in the story. This would explain his exotic manner and dress. He caught her staring at him
and he reciprocated with a charming smile. She turned away
quickly like a child caught at the cookie jar.

By now an hour had passed Landaus and Grunhuf again would
try to subtly plead their case to be excused. After patiently waiting for a pause in the narrative, Landaus said, "Lady Xora it has
been kind of you to accept us as guests, but I must take my leave
now and make haste back to Breideblic. There is important business that requires our attention." Ananda reluctantly acquiesced.
"Dear sirs I beg you pardon for keeping you so long? It is my curiosity and your good manner that restrains you here. By all
means, take your leave." All four of them then rose from their
chairs and exchanged farewell greetings. "Ananda, I shall escort
our guests to the landing. It won't take but a moment. Perhaps
you wouldn't mind staying behind awhile to admire the view?
Make yourself comfortable." He nodded obediently, returned to
his seat and said, "Madam, I have waited centuries, what difference a few more minutes will make?" So she might see her
friends off and to have a private moment outside of Ananda's earshot, Xora excused herself from his presence. She walked hurriedly to catch up to Landaus and Grunhuf who were now out of
sight. They seemingly were moving with purpose.

As he sat there alone he gazed out unto the sunlit sea. He tried to
picture there those intricately woven characters as Xora had described them in her story. As he gazed there a melody rolled on
the roof of his mouth. With a note as clear as could be made by
a whistle, a simple tune formed upon his lips. Thesound rose up
to match the one now dancing in his head. After a few moments
he realized he did not consciously know this tune, yet some how
it was ingrained upon memory. A vague melancholy seemed to
possess him as flutter of dark images filled his vision.

Xora made her way quickly down the gravel path that led to the
landing. She was out of breath by the time she hadreached Landaus and Grunhuf. They had just a moment before the arrival of
the automatic conveyance and now were preparing tostep into
the vehicle. She noted as she came upon them that they seemed
to be having a bit of an argument. There was a tension between
them that seemed unwarranted. A red face Grunhuf pointed his
finger angrily at Landaus as he spoke. "Landaus you talk to me
of dereliction of duty when you seem to be enamored by the
childish ravings of an enemy hiding in plane sight. It's your duty
to arrest that man and put him in the custody of the guard. That's
the only way we can ensure no harm can come to this city."

"Grunhuf be careful of your accusations. I have complete authority to deal with our prisoner as I see fit. I will give him access to what ever he needs to discover his identity. If my suspicions are correct and he is who I believe him to be, then it is imperative in the time that we have left to us that he should be exposed to as much of this forerunner technology as we can find.
If we hope to survive, we must learn its secrets and master
them." So engrossed were they in their debate, they had failed to
notice Xora's appearance among them. In that short interaction
Xora had absorbed a wealth of information. She was surprised
by the emotional response elicited by the stranger in these usually cool headed men. There apparently was more going on than
she was privy to. So what questions she had she would at least
in the mean time, keep to herself. Grunhuf being first to see her
spoke first, "Lady Xora I did not see you there."
"Gentlemen, what is the purpose of this squabbling? We have the
resources we need. I assure you we will get to the bottom of this
man's identity. We must however be patient. I sense he is on the
verge of breaching the doors that mask his memory." Though
Grunhuf seemed dissatisfied by this course of action, it did offer
them the only realistic opportunity to learn about this traveler.
They tacitly agreed to her suggestions; however Landaus spoke
again to land his point. "OK, do what you can today, but stay
close to him. We can't afford to let him slip away just yet." Confident she did not hear them in their previous conversation he did
not feel it necessary to elaborate any further to the potential dangers. The pair entered the conveyance. Landaus said as the gate
locked behind him, "Don't forget bright and early."

She watched as the car quickly descended down along the side of
the sea mount toward the town. She turned and madeher way
back to the house and her guest as she did; she remembered the
big to do surrounding the arrival of that object from the beach.
She wondered then how much of the anxiety that she sensed
could be accounted to its arrival.

After another moment she found her self again in Ananda's presence. As she approached his back faced her as he looked out onto
the vast expanse of azure sea before him. A light wind born on
the equatorial breeze blew steadily upward and spilled over the
rock barricade. She approached and stood next to him. The warm
air rushing upwards sent the cloth of his robes fluttering. She saw
there upon his face a void of expression less emotion as dark as
the sea. She reached out her hand and placed it upon his shoulder.
The touch as if electric startled him from his melancholic daze.
"Where were you?" She said. "You looked so far away."

The trip down the side of the craggy cliff could be nerve rattling
if the wind was blowing. For Landaus and Grunhuf today's trip
was no exception. Descending quickly with each passing second
the features of the ground below them grew more distinct. During
the uneasy free fall they held firmly onto the metal railing without a word spoken between them. Their unease continued until
the breaking mechanism to their relief brought the vehicle to a
sudden yet soft landing at the bottom. "Infernal machines, I will
never grow accustomed to them." spouted Grunhuf. An incredulous Landaus responded, "So you would prefer to walk along the
ancient paths as we did in our youth? You should be glad to live
in this era of rediscovery. The forerunners have bestowed a
boon upon us. You should be grateful."

"Landaus, there is no other in this kingdom that speaks to me in
such a manner. You should be mindful that I am still the Lord
Mayor."

"This system under which we live has good reason to retain its
checks and balances my friend. Think of me as the governor's
way of keeping you from forming a dictatorship."

"Your wit is unending Landaus. Perhaps you would care regale
me with news from the capitol. You know the capitol, where
your boss resides. Oh that's right you're too busy with your fingers in my pie to remember that you don't belong here."

"Oh you make it plain every chance you get. If you think for
one moment I would want take your job Mr. Lord Mayor then
you are mad. I would be more than happy to take my son and
leave this shit hole. However due to reports of an unending
string of incompetence on your part, the governor has seen fit to
keep me here to personally, oversee the investigation. Do you
know how taxing this whole situation has been on me? If you
could restrain your incessant moaning for half an hour it could
be perhaps tolerable." Grunhuf was at a loss for words as this
exchange had grown more heated than he had intended it to.
"Landaus there was a time when this sparring of ours was good
natured. This situation we have found ourselves in has filled our
minds with rancor. I propose we call a truce for the sake of this
city and for our friendship. I promise I will try to hold my
tongue but you must try also." The pair was tired of this wrangling which had grown more pointed of late, shook hands and
agreed to try to start over. "Grunhuf since this unsettling astronomical discovery several weeks ago, I admit I have been on
edge." "Landaus please forgive for any additional burdens I
have laid upon you."