The Corin Chronicles Volume I: The Light and the Dark (9 page)

Inside the Shallows, space and time folded upon itself, so she did not realize the amount of years that had passed when she finally emerged on Tyranis. In the Shallows, it had been like one never-ending and hellish night. But she had been told that five years separated Corin from Tyranis. She also knew that, nature permitting, she would make that journey a thousand times to secure the safety of her son.

Sitting inside the long, brown carriage on the outskirts of Calcara with her young son resting on her lap, she thoroughly enjoyed the feeling that came with sleeping in a safe place, where she did not fear waking up to see that her life or that of her son was in danger. She welcomed the taste of clean, wholesome food, especially for Siroco, who had spent half of his natural life within what she could only describe as purgatory. Amid the icy winds, the Tyranis sun, which had already started to emerge in the sky, differed significantly from that of Corin’s, fluctuating between darkness and light through counter-rotating rings. She noticed that the leftmost ring brought brightness when rotating, with the rightmost ring casting shade across the planet, just before the complete emergence of its green moon.

The horses became suddenly restless, and the sound of their stirring brought a halt to Selena’s wonder of the strange planet she now inhabited. She peeked outside her carriage, but the general silence of the morning remained, no matter how hard she tried to listen for the galloping horses of Kirinki and his men. A hint of worry emerged on her face, and she spared a look at Gertrude, who had remained seated in the same position for the last few minutes, gently caressing Siroco’s hand. She found it surprising that her son had taken to another so quickly, but as she focused on Gertrude’s broad smile, she began to understand why. Dressed in the same long, red dress as the night before, Gertrude looked like a beacon of joy.

“Do you think we came out here too early?” Selena asked after a few more minutes of silence.

“I am of the opinion that we came here at just the correct time, my lady.” Gertrude spoke rapidly, and Selena had initially found it difficult to understand her, but as the night had gone on, it became easier. “We came here in very good time. Master Kirinki should be here shortly.”

The previous silence crept back into the carriage, but it did not remain for long before the sound of numerous horses approaching brought Selena to her feet. With haste, she opened the cloth at the tail end of the carriage and looked out to see who was approaching. She immediately made out no less than ten riders and wondered why there were so many.

Reining his horse, Kirinki quickly dismounted and stood on the edge of the carriage. “I trust you had a good sleep, my lady,” he said gently. “I apologize for being late myself, but it appears that I was more fatigued than I had initially thought.”

“That is quite alright,” replied Selena, smiling. “Why are there so many men with us? Are they all coming?”

“Yes, my lady.” Kirinki handed his horse to one of the other riders and watched as his men assumed positions in front of and behind the carriage. “There has been word of Auphora’s troops in the villages near Goneca, so I thought we could do with as many men as we could spare.” To Selena’s surprise, Kirinki started to board the carriage himself, signaling his men to start making their way toward Goneca. “We must leave at once, my lady. Not another second can be wasted.”

With a nod Selena gave her approval, and the horses started to pull the carriage toward the River Kinetic.

They continued deep into the forest, moving from town to town, trying to avoid the continuing massacres that had been sweeping across eastern Tyranis. Using his vast knowledge of the planet, Kirinki managed to avoid most of the checkpoints set up by Auphora’s soldiers. But when they were only a few miles from the River Kinetic, a small unit of riders began approaching on horses.

Upon noticing them, Kirinki’s men came to a complete halt and signaled the driver of the carriage. Samma studied the riders and, even from that distance, could see that the group was four humans and a single Monoroi. He knew that even that sole Monoroi was capable of killing every one of them. Only Kirinki could decide what to do now.

Samma thrust the cloth at the back of the carriage open, which drew a short scream from Siroco. He still had the veil over his face, having never removed it, even while sleeping. “Five riders approaching,” Samma said. “One is a Monoroi.”

Kirinki remained in the same position, with his hand on his chin. Selena edged closer to him. “What does that mean?” she asked. “Is there another way we can go?”

“No, my lady,” interrupted Samma, “this is the only way left to get to the river. Every other way has a full checkpoint with hundreds of soldiers. We must go this way. Besides, whatever secret you are protecting cannot be too great that they would purposefully harm a woman and her child.”

“Do you not understand?” snapped Selena. “We cannot be seen by a single Monoroi.” She turned her gaze to Siroco, who still trembled. “He must not be seen. Please do whatever you can, but they must not run their eyes past us.”

“But what do they want with you and your son, my lady?” Kirinki asked. “You must agree that I have asked no questions thus far. Instead I have trusted your every word. But I need to understand your predicament, if I am to risk my men’s lives any further and confront one of Auphora’s most deadly warriors.”

“All right then,” Selena said, her voice weak. “I will speak to you alone, outside the carriage.”

Kirinki rose and approached the entrance of the carriage, prompting Selena to follow him. But Samma stopped her. “Whatever you have to say, my lady,” he said, “make it quick. For Auphora’s men draw near.”

Standing a few feet from the carriage, Selena paced back and forth, sweat rising on her face. “What I tell you now, I do because there is no other way,” she said. “Telling you this is putting a burden on you. One I wish on no one.”

“I agreed to help you, my lady, and no matter what you tell me now, I will uphold my promise.”

“My son is different, unique in some ways,” she said. “Do you know the story of the Anointed One?”

“The story is known to me, yes,” he replied. “But what has that to do with your son?”

“Just after the divide of Corin,” she continued, “rumors started to spread about the identity of the Anointed One. Some said he was a man. Some said he was a boy. Both men and children were captured in the search for him and, some say, slaughtered for bearing a resemblance to the person foreseen to bring an end to Auphora’s kingdom. My son also bears similar appearance to the One described in the legend, which is why I must hide his face, especially from Auphora’s soldiers.”

Kirinki also started to pace, occasionally glaring at Selena. “Is your son actually the Anointed One?” he asked.

“You dare ask me that?” Selena almost barked her words. “I am from the house of Simpa, an honorable and gods-fearing house. My husband was an honest man before meeting his death for daring to protect his son. Siroco is not the Anointed One, nor will he ever be anything of the sort.

“Master Kirinki, I am desperate. Enough to surrender everything I own to ensure the safety of my son. I beg you to help me. If they see him, they will not even request that he takes off his veil. They will simply strike him down.”

Kirinki looked squarely into Selena’s eyes a moment before Samma rushed toward him. “The Monoroi is only a few moments away, Master. If we are going to act, we must do it now.”

“Bring the boy immediately. Hide him and his mother inside that cave.” Kirinki pointed at a narrow opening in the cliff, just a few feet beside them.

“I cannot thank you enough, Master Kirinki.” Selena took his hands in hers.

“Do not thank me yet, my lady. There is still much to do.”

After a moment, Samma returned with a terrified Siroco running behind him. With mother and son now in the cave and safely out of sight, Kirinki returned to the carriage and ordered his men to continue toward the river. It was not long before the horses came to a stop once again, and Kirinki knew that Auphora’s riders had reached them. Listening to the flurry of voices outside, he heard a number of people dismounting. He could not tell who was who until he heard the heavy footsteps approaching the entrance of his carriage. One of the sounds was that of metal colliding with the ground, and he realized he was in the presence of a Monoroi warrior. He held on to the hand of Gertrude, who had not yet lost her warm smile.

As the carriage door swung open, it was not the face of the Monoroi that greeted Kirinki, but that of a human soldier. He assumed the man was a general, judging by his plain black tunic and the gold emblems on the top right of his chest, just above a bronze star and crescent—the mark of Auphora. “Is it with Master Kirinki I speak?” asked the human soldier.

“Yes, I am Master Kirinki from the house of Shamana.” Kirinki gestured toward the still-smiling woman, seated opposite him. “And this is my wife, Gertrude.”

“Shamana?” asked the soldier. “You would not be related to General Kraipo Shamana, would you?”

Kirinki shifted his gaze toward his feet. “He was my brother,” he said finally.

“He was a great leader,” said the soldier. “He was one of the very best of men, and I am proud to have fought by his side.”

Kirinki raised his head and looked at the soldier, the white in his eyes slowly turning red.

“Please pardon me,” said the soldier, “but I must insist that you accompany me outside.” He maintained an expression of extreme concentration.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kirinki made his way outside, closely followed by Gertrude, but the man quickly held out his hand. “The lady may remain in the carriage.”

Directly outside the carriage stood the rest of the human soldiers, and just behind them were the rest of his men. But Kirinki only looked for one: the Monoroi himself. He could see no sign of him. “So how can I be of assistance?” Kirinki asked.

The man in the black tunic did not answer at first. He walked around the carriage, inspecting every detail of the horses before returning to Kirinki. “I am General Aspac. You may have heard my name before.”

“I am afraid I have not,” replied Kirinki. “But then again, I do not make it my business to know much outside my own house.”

“On the contrary,” said the general dryly. “I have heard about you, and I believe you know a great deal about everything of importance here in Tyranis. Your brother spoke very little of you, which I found curious, but I make it my duty to know of those who might not serve the cause I follow.”

“I am afraid you are mistaken,” said Kirinki. “I am but a simple man who offers my services to those who require it.”

“But how far would you go?” The voice did not come from the lips of any that stood in front of him. Glancing to his left, Kirinki saw the glow of the metallic body as it emerged from the side of the carriage. Wearing a solid gold mask that revealed only piercing, jet-black eyes and fangs, the Monoroi stared directly back at him. “Would you protect those who betray our Father? Does your greed know no bounds?”

Gulping, Kirinki slowly regained his focus and tried to remain calm. “I serve only the righteous,” he said. “And by the grace of our gods, I shall continue to do so.”

“The righteous you say?” The Monoroi continued to approach Kirinki, who tried his utmost to hide his nervousness. “Since when do mercenaries know anything of righteousness? I fought alongside your brother when Baran fell, and I saw such righteousness in his eyes. But you would protect the Father of Evil himself if the price were high enough.”

Kirinki knew the words he wanted to say, but he could not bring himself to speak. His men were skilled in combat, but he knew that even if he were to defeat a Monoroi, he would lose some good men in the process. He finally opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by General Aspac.

“You must learn to understand Thane,” the general said. “He knows only honor and looks down on anyone who will do anything for a price.” The general held his hand out toward the Monoroi, who slowly relaxed its shoulders. “I have but one question for you,” the general said. “After answering, you may continue on your way.”

“Please, ask me anything,” said Kirinki. “I will answer to the best of my knowledge.” He heard Thane loudly huff in response to his words, but he could not find the courage to glare at the Monoroi as he wanted to.

“Very well,” said General Aspac. “Have you come across a particularly secretive woman traveling with a young child? The child would have been no more than ten years old and would most likely have been covered from head to toe, in a feeble attempt to shield his identity.”

Kirinki remained motionless, aware that the Monoroi was watching his every movement. He feared the slightest gesture, even blinking, would give away his thoughts. “I have not met any such person in my travels,” he said. “I have merely provided transportation to men and their wives. I have sometimes carried slaves also, but no children as of yet.”

“Are you absolutely sure of this?” Thane spoke firmly. “The boy we seek is like no other. He bears the mark of Pyro, a deep scar beneath his right eye. As prophesied by illegitimate priests within Corin, he is the Anointed One, the one to raise the army of Baran. Anyone protecting him will be considered an enemy of Auphora and will be struck down, along with the boy.”

Samma and the rest of Kirinki’s men exchanged worried glances before focusing their attention on him. They seemed surprised to see their master completely unflustered.

“As I said to General Aspac,” Kirinki said. “I have seen no such person.” His face remained expressionless.

“Very well, then,” said General Aspac. “We shall interrupt your travels no more. I wish you a pleasant journey, and hopefully our paths will not cross again, because if they do, it would mean that you have lied to us.”

“And you would not like the consequences of deceiving us,” Thane added sharply before rushing back to his horse, closely followed by the other soldiers.

After a few minutes, when General Aspac and his soldiers had ridden out of sight, Kirinki motioned his men to return to their horses. Then he returned to the cave for Selena and Siroco. “I demand to see his face at once,” Kirinki shouted. Siroco flinched at the words.