The Fifth Codex (14 page)

And in regards to the one who would ‘hold sway over all’, an eight-legged revelation approached from the Agathis Australis.  Sapiens were about to discover there was another creature that shared their fruitful minds, but in no way such weak, fleshy bodies….

The caretakers of the wooded lands, the Arachna Majora.

Chapter Thirteen
GORGYNNA’S GAMBIT

I can see it in her eyes.  The moment it all comes together in her mind, those eyes tell me first.  A brilliant concept, a daring overreach for even more power – this plan consumes Queen Gorgynna once the path forward becomes clear.  Her grand solution by way of a fantastic creation, this brilliance is as if a brush dipped in lacquer.  Combined with the comfort of knowing she can force her will upon the Elites, this brush paints bold strokes across her being.  Vain smugness ripples through her; purposeful avarice becomes her … my queen gleams as if a column of gold.

– Apadimex, Sapien Historian

– Early Spring, Year 1,098 KT
[14]

A month into her 187
th
year, Queen Cynisca lay dead.  In a manner much more tragic than sad, the mystic conqueror wasted away by the hand of her own power.  At her peak just three decades earlier, dark magic had captured her fancy and thrust the first queen into ruin.

Soon after uniting the scattered Sapien tribes, Cynisca plunged headlong into the deepest depths of magic few mystics from that age dared to consider let alone boldly pursue.  For this sorceress, there was still more to know and she had to learn it.  No matter the consequences.  Cynisca’s steady hand turned cruel, her sharp mind descended into madness, and her strong, supple body turned rancid from the inside out.  She even murdered her own husband.  As the shadows of Cynisca’s mind waltzed gleefully about with each horrid deed, her body – and maybe even her soul – paid the ghastly price for each dance.  Patremeus’ heart broken by the precipitous fall of his eldest child, he died only months later.

The nobles next handed the crown to Cynisca’s only daughter.  So young and so unprepared, the crown did not sit atop her head for long.  Two weak kings (her brothers, both deposed), another weak queen, and one murdered queen followed.  That Cynisca’s line was not broken after such upheaval a near miracle; a capable monarch finally stood ready to rule once more.  The long, curious reign of Gorgynna’s mother over upon her death in year 1,087 of the Knowing Time … the world suddenly became interesting again.

Neither ugly nor pretty, Queen Gorgynna stood taller than most.  Neither skinny nor heavy, she owned the same dark brown colored hair of most other Sapiens – just a tad curlier.  Along with her height, one other aspect of her appearance was notable.  Despite owning a heart that could pound heated bronze, she gazed at her world through soft, amber-colored eyes.  It may bewilder the senses to hear such words used to describe his queen, but Apadimex had no choice.  None other than Queen Gorgynna
herself
had demanded this.

“A queen who lies for nothing more than saving herself is as weak as the rabble she rules!” Gorgynna announced upon her first day as regent in her 108
th
year.  Seated in her throne and in full command, she appeared as if born there.  “The throne, first and foremost,
this
is worth protecting most. 
This
is what a queen defends above all else.  Above even herself.”  She looked at each noble who surrounded her and then turned to her aging historian.  “Hear me now, Apadimex – honest accounts of deeds and events of this world I now rule are all I care for.  For every setting, spoken word or action, from beginning to end, truth is to
always
ring true.  Hurt feelings are the problem of those who suffer their sting.  Unlike those who have ruled before me, I desire no embellishment of either me or my reign,” she flashed him a sly smile, “because
I
will not need it.”  This one a master at dealing with others, Queen Gorgynna wielded many faces, but hid her true nature from none.

Sapiens continued to make great strides in all areas of knowledge.  The Great Repository of Knowledge brimmed with works.  Just as Cynisca had so dearly desired, the Magic Guild of the Sapien Realm busily molded the most gifted mystics.  Nearly 5,000 Sapiens now called the capital city home.  This greatness and growth was not achievable, however, without a price.  Elkabydos hungry for more monuments, buildings, fountains, and roads, greedy eyes gazed east.  Majestic lands and plentiful resources cringed back.  The Guardian Mountains held quarries of near unlimited amounts of granite and marble.  The Agathis Australis would provide all the Kauri wood they ever needed.  All this and more ready for the taking – a single, very rigid obstacle stood in the way.

A pike tall and nearly two long, Arachna Majora were now twice as large as when first discovered.  To a Sapien, these very hairy spider-like creatures were both wondrous and frightening.  With its mouth to the ground and fangs tucked in, they appeared more handsome than fearsome.  Rearing back on their hindmost four legs and fangs exposed in all their clear colored, goo-dripping glory – not so much.

As Sapiens sought out new swaths of forest to mow down, Arachna fought them at every turn.  As if each side sought to win favor from these vast riches, the two kinds slashed and sliced at each other as they shouted aloud why such natural wealth was theirs.

“For progress, to build!” Sapien soldiers shouted as they surrounded their enemy and moved in for the kill.

“My home, to protect!” Arachna warriors growled back in their native language.

Short swords drawn and shields at the ready, a handful of Sapiens against a single Arachna suggested barely a fight.  Armor a hand thick, four shields banded to the front four limbs, two pikes, each one gripped by a rear limb, and holstered throwing axes begged to differ.  An Arachna victory or even a draw not to be, one deciding factor often smashed outmanned hopes: the secret of bronze working.  Sapien soldiers wore and wielded bronze armor and weapons.  Arachna Majora warriors still used only copper.

Clashes with Arachna outside Elkabydos were not all that nipped at Sapien heels.  Trouble brewed inside the city walls as well.  With each passing century, tensions between men and women grew steadily worse.  As battles for the resources east of Elkabydos wore on, those injured or killed were male soldiers, not mostly female mystics safe behind city walls.  That it appeared one gender served the other, this had all the makings of civil war if not dealt with.

Keenly aware of this, Queen Gorgynna grew desperate to find a solution.  Gifted and powerful in the ways of magic herself, she was the first regent who also served as a Triumvirate member of the Magic Guild of the Sapien Realm.  On the day marking the eleventh anniversary of her reign, she called upon the other two Triumvirates to meet in her throne room.  Once together, these three masters of the mystics mulled over a number of ideas.  They stood before Gorgynna while she stayed seated; as always, Apadimex shadowed his queen.

“Strong and loyal – we need a type of servant to help our men,” Gorgynna began.  “Aside from our good historian and you, my friend,” she nodded in the male Triumvirate’s direction, “they appear to grow meeker by the day.  Any suggestions?”

“Burn the Agathis to the ground – all of it!” the other Triumvirate, a fiery female suggested.  Curious looks begged her to continue.  “With nowhere to live, the Arachna will have no choice but to serve us!  There are other forests from which to cull wood.  After their daily duties at Elkabydos are done, under the stars and at their leisure, they can replant the Agathis!”

Such an idea was certainly bold, but shortsighted.  Yes, other forests offered wood, but only the Agathis Australis offered them their coveted Kauri wood.

“I don’t know,” the male Triumvirate drawled with a shiver.  “The molting … and how they eat.…”

Smirks suddenly turned into howls.  A male Sapien with a surplus of mystic ability was indeed rare.  For this one, however, his gifts by way of magic had stolen much of his common sense.  He was talented enough, yes, but no more gifted than any of the other Elites were.  Nonetheless, when it came time to fill this position a few years ago, Gorgynna chose this one.  To those with just a smidge more sense than him, most Sapiens saw this for what it was – a clear attempt to appease men.  That the witch who truly deserved this promotion had vanished without a trace simply made Gorgynna’s intent more clear.

Apadimex watched his crafty queen as the other two laughed on.  Her eyes in another world made it obvious to him that Gorgynna’s mind raced with ideas.  In spite of the complex problem they faced, her plan appeared to come into focus rather suddenly.

Magic cloaked in mischief – what could go wrong?

“A helper, mystically enhanced if need be, to turn aside these bitter divisions between the genders,” Queen Gorgynna said softly.  “Tell me if you would my fellow Triumvirates – what are the two noblest creatures in all of Terra Australis?”

“Orcas?” the male suggested.

“On land!” the two females shot back in unison.  His proud look swiftly departed.

Gorgynna chuckled off this soft rebuke.  “Unless we plan on living in the sea, of course!” she added playfully.  Her tone then turned more serious.  “Still, one cannot deny their raw power – no creature that wanders the northern waters is safe from
those
jaws.  Made of striking black and white markings, not a speck of camouflage paints their being.  And why should it?  A killer so swift and deadly, it is as if they wish for their prey to know they are coming.  Despite watching this charging death approach – even from afar and no matter its efforts – this next meal is powerless to stop it.”

As the echoes of these admiring words drifted away, Gorgynna let the incoming silence sink in.  Just as her two unequal peers appeared ready to focus again on her question to them, she leapt to her feet.

“Regal lions and soaring
eagles!”  Two impressed nods confirmed Gorgynna was on the right track.  “To successfully combine, temper their savage will, even make tame these two majestic animals – the result would be genius!  A sturdy and steadfast creature, with a bit of teaching, they will serve us forever,” Gorgynna finished breathlessly.  Perfectly manicured hands painting arcs in the air as she spoke froze in place.  Another few silent moments passed as they considered such brilliance.

“Could the Magic Guild pull it off?” the female Triumvirate asked cautiously.  “And if so, would the Elites even agree to such a task?  A powerful magic needed – more powerful than anything we have ever seen – I shudder to think of the consequences to come after.”

Queen Gorgynna beamed.  Apadimex had seen this before.  The Triumvirate’s caution did nothing more than amuse their queen.  A cackling laugh further drove home this point.

“And
that
is why the three of us won’t be participating.”  Gorgynna’s lips drew thin and both eyes narrowed into equally slim slits.  “As for the Elites,” she drawled, “leave them to me.”

As if the other two Triumvirates sensed their queen’s will to dominate was about to break through, they simply bowed as if servants themselves.

*****

The next two mornings were of great importance.  The first morning, Queen Gorgynna would disclose her plans to the members of the royal court to gain their favor.  Although a small number of families made up this court, they controlled most of Terra Australis’ known wealth.  Gold, gems, land, livestock, and other valuables rightly earned by the efforts of ancestors who deserved such comforts, the idiots these ancestors left behind simply sat on the winnings.  To create wealth was outdated, to hoard it the style of the day.  Cursed with too much wealth, centuries of life, and free time – meddling incompetence usually followed close behind.

Owners of few skills worth more than a carriage without wheels, how else were these nobles to spend their days and efforts?

Thieves who had not the courage to steal honestly, murderers who had not the stomach to do so with the blade in hand – these were the nobles of today.  Powerful masters of the grandest design, yet meek slaves to their every petty whim – these would be the nobles of tomorrow.  And it would be on this coming morn when Queen Gorgynna needed the aristocrats more than ever.  Pampered, wretched beings whose greedy souls craved importance, but whose minds were always mindful of their ultimate insignificance … these ‘noble’ souls would finally get their chance.

Gorgynna’s grandmother – infamous for her dislike of the noble class – had long ago died a mysterious death.  She sought to give the masses a greater say.  The nobles sought otherwise.  Near worthless alone, collectively they served to keep in check the one who ruled. 

Long before Gorgynna became queen, Apadimex had repeatedly warned her that to fight the system would only lead to her own early end as well.  His words taken to heart, she played within this system, but changed the rules.  Once crowned, the nobles made clear to her that their greatest wish was to control the commoners just as they had in days of old.  Wisely, Gorgynna let them.  In return,
she
controlled the nobles.  As these fools lacked the humility to realize it, she rendered the aristocrats clueless as to how she used them.  The first regent to do so since Cynisca, Queen Gorgynna
truly
ruled over all.  A group with many heads but one mind, these petty, shady beings practically begged her to do so.

Starved wolverines slobbering over a bloodied feast – they loved her proposal.  Hoped for cheers received and this day out of the way, the second morning would set forth her will into motion.

*****

A sun-bathed dawn each Elite would curse every day after had arrived.  True to her word, Queen Gorgynna stood ready to cast their souls into darkness – for the greater good of the Sapien race, of course.  As directed, the male Triumvirate called upon the thirteen mystic mules at daybreak and they now shuffled into the throne room.  As would the densest fog, cautious whispers and murmurs as to why their queen had summoned them hung over the gifted group.  As the Elites filed past her throne, Gorgynna looked on.  Darting, eager eyes contrasted with her renowned pout.  In two rows in the shape of quarter circles and one behind the other, the Elites sat before her and were still.

“As there is much work to be done,” Gorgynna told the two Triumvirates, “be gone and begin.”  Their blank stares suggesting they were a bit stunned by this sudden dismissal, they exited the throne room.  Apadimex, however, was not stunned in the least by such a demand. 
This
queen wanted the full attention of the Elites on her and her alone.