Vrin: Ten Mortal Gods (3 page)

I gazed in wonder as she drew me along. There were no cars here, only sturdy horses and an occasional cart. As the villagers scurried about tending to their nightly routines, I noticed that the colors of their clothing matched the green and brown hues of their surroundings. Their expressions reflected a general look of contentment. They stopped and bowed slightly as we passed. I wondered if this was a standard greeting, or an acknowledgment of station
.
Either way, I decided to bow back. I did take note, however, that my companion did not.

An old man looked down at us from his second story stoop. He rocked back and forth and smiling a toothless grin. An unsettling feeling washed over me. He was out of place in this fantasy setting. The scenery around us was without blemish, oddly unaffected by age or weather, but this man had a measure of decay. I looked about. Where were the rotting logs and dead branches? Aside from this one old man the village was perfect-- too perfect to be real. We continued on.

We rounded a bend. Towering before us with majestic grace stood the palace in all its splendor. Carved out of a tree much larger than the rest, thick branches traveled off in all directions. Ornamental carvings wrapped around the trunk in fantastic designs. A set of polished stairs traveled deep into its heart.

The young lady dropped my hand and flashed a brilliant smile. “So, what do you think?” she said with her arms spread wide.

“It’s
magnificent.
You
made
all this?”

“Yes.” She giggled.

“It must have taken forever!”

Her lovely eyes lit up. “It did take awhile, and I must admit my first few attempts were rather poor. But the villagers were very supportive.”

“The villagers were here before you?”

She nodded. “I stumbled upon their village quite by accident one night. They were familiar with who I was, so I was treated like a queen. That is why I decided to stay. That, and the fact that they needed my protection from
Rath,
the...”
Her jaw tightened and she leaned in close, “
the
nastiest,
most
vile,
spoiled rotten little...”

There came another rumble from the sky and the villagers quickly retreated into every nook and knothole.

“
Oh, now that hurts my feelings, young blood.”
A deep voice resonated across the open area.
“How many times do I have to tell you, Kitaya, if you blaspheme my name, I will make things most difficult for you.”

The voice unnerved me to my very core.

“Rath!” Kitaya clenched her delicate fingers into fists of rage.
“Where are you?
If you hurt my people, I will make you pay! I swear!”

“
Easy, young one,”
the voice boomed out.
“You might burst a vessel in your head. Then where would you be?”
I looked up to see a giant disembodied head filling the sky. It was aglow, and there was a twisted smile upon it.
“Who’s your friend, strumpet?”
The voice dripped with arrogance.
“He doesn’t look like much from up here.”

I felt a presence breeze by my shoulder, and turned to see a man whose face matched the image in the sky. Instinctively I looked back up. And immediately regretted it. A hand grabbed my throat and my back slammed hard against the matted ground. Rath hovered above me, his hand still on my throat.

“
Leave him alone!”
Kitaya screamed.

“If you do not interfere, little one, I’ll stop the games for a bit,” he stated smoothly, never taking his eyes off mine. I reached up to pry his hand free from my neck-- but his strength was enormous. “You’re not going to give me any trouble, are you, newbie?” He smirked, re-emphasizing his hold on my neck.
“I
am the ultimate ruler of this world. If you resist me, you will
die. That
is rule number one.” He released his grip and moved away.

I caught my breath and arose cautiously, eying him in case of further attack. I tried to take a non-threatening stance, so as not to invoke any further hostility to my neck. Or any other part of my body for that matter.

He paced back and forth with hands on his hips, an ominous figure of a man, yet unnaturally charismatic. He wore a strange suit of black and red rubber armor. His curly blond hair rested against his padded shoulders. And a scar ran diagonally across his right cheek. His eyes, like mine, were blue metal spheres. Cold and lifeless.

“
Conspiracy!”
he said, glaring at me and pushing his finger toward the sky.
“You,
with us no more than an hour and you’re
already
conspiring against me!

“Y-You must be mistaken.”

“
Silence!”
He drew up his shoulders. “I will not be made a fool! I know conspiracy when I see it!”

“You see conspiracy in
everything,
Rath!” Kitaya yelled. “All we want is to be left alone!”

He snapped around to face the girl. “Then why is it your troops stand on my border this very minute prepared for invasion?”

She stared at him in disbelief. “They are not there to
invade!
It is a defensive line. And it would
not
be there if you would stop your silly games!” Her lovely almond shaped eyes glared at him.

“Oh,” he said unexpectedly, his expression taking on an air of sudden understanding. “My apologies young lady, my mistake,” he said insincerely.

A horse materialized beside him and in one motion he spun and lifted himself onto its back. His cold eyes met mine as he leaned forward in the saddle. “I’ll be watching
this
one,” he stated with finality. The horse bolted off leaving a flurry of needles in its wake.

We watched until he was out of sight. “Wow,” I said, beating at my clothing to get the needles off. “That’s the second time I’ve been accosted since I arrived.”

THE CHILD KING

001001011001110

Since I wasn't quite ready to be on my own I decided to take Kitaya up on her offer to stay the night in her palace. She informed me that we didn't require sleep, so I figured this would be a good time to push for answers. I gathered she knew the condition of my memory and I hoped we’d be able to spend several hours discussing the questions plaguing me, questions like: who am I, who are you, and
why don't we need sleep?

She left me in what she called her “living chambers” while she attended to her nightly routine, so I looked about and took in my surroundings. In the center of the large room was a huge stone fireplace, magnificent, though apparently unused. I circled the enormous structure. All four sides opened like insidious mouths complete with teeth running across the tops and bottoms. An immense chimney reached to the ceiling high above.

The rest of the room reflected the artistry and earthy motif of the village. The walls were alive with vines and vibrant flowers. A small stream gurgled along the base of one wall, emptying into a fountain in the corner. At the far end of the room thick glass doors stood slightly opened, revealing a balcony. The doors merged perfectly with the surrounding walls as though finished glass were a natural part of an outdoor scene. It was nature with structure, a work of art, and I wished to compliment the artist.

A servant brought a platter of delicacies for me to sample. I thanked him, he departed, and once again I stood waiting. I was anxious to find out what Kitaya knew about this world. I thought back to what Sajin had asked of me. He wanted to meet with Gaza because he thought Gaza could stop the war between Rath and Armadon. I wondered if Kitaya would agree. I also wanted to find out more about Rath. He was obviously unstable and apparently had a particular interest in me. This did not settle well in my stomach.

Kitaya entered and my thoughts evaporated. Again I tried desperately not to stare. She had changed into a thin silk evening gown with iridescent fabric clinging gently to her small curves. She gestured and I turned to see two comfortable chairs next to a crackling fire.

Impressive.

We settled in and I gazed at her radiance, desperately trying to bring my mind back to the questions at hand. She raised her arm slightly and began making a circular motion with her finger. Presently a cup and saucer materialized in her gentle grasp. The smell of sweet tea reached my nostrils, so I decided to make a cup of my own. First I visualized a cup and saucer, the threads formed the frames. I then added material, black porcelain with gold trimming. And finally the tea, Earl Grey, hot.

Kitaya spoke. “Are you feeling any more relaxed?”

“As relaxed as possible under the circumstances.” I took a deep breath. “I’ve been tense since I awoke-- but somehow in your company...” I gave a warm smile. “ I feel much more at ease.”

“That is good to hear.” Her eyes lit up. “You must have questions.”

“Indeed. Unfortunately they all fall into the same category of urgency, I hardly know where to begin. I guess, first and foremost, I’d like to know who I
am.”

That's odd,
I thought,
the butler at the mansion called me Tardin.

“You mean because of the village? I created this village more for the people’s sake than for my own. Trees are wonderful and I like nature and all, but I would not consider myself connected to it in any way.” She shrugged and took a sip of her tea.

“Hmm. Probably not. I did not have time to be. Rath was on me from the beginning.” She tilted her head. “But that is a long story, you probably would not want to hear it.”

“On the contrary, if you wouldn’t mind telling it.”

“Very well...” She sat up straighter and furrowed her brow. “Well, when I first became aware, I was in a large, lavishly furnished tree house.” She paused and her eyes took on a distant look. “I was reaching into a kitchen cabinet to get something but I could not remember
what.
I felt strange and everything looked so
funny.”
She paused a moment, then gave her head a little shake. “Anyway I heard someone knocking so I found my way to the front door and looked out. Just outside standing on a large branch was this
magnificent
looking man in dark glasses. When I opened the door he greeted me with a bow. I was instantly taken in by him, he seemed harmless enough, so I invited him in.” She looked at me and smiled. “After all I had a lot of questions.

“But listen to this. He convinced me he was a
genie
and that I had called to him in my dreams. At first I thought he was nuts, but then he took off his glasses, and, well I think you can understand why I believed him. He wove this elaborate tale about how he was genie to the throne and how his search for a bride had led him to me. He said he did not want to be too forward but he wished to court me. It would be a long courtship and in the end, if I was not completely taken with him, he would return me to my planet with whatever riches I desired.” She raised her eyebrows. “That sounded like a good deal to me.”

“So,” I interjected, “you didn’t doubt him at all?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I did not. He was very convincing and
very
handsome.” Her gaze drifted away again. “--No, I did not doubt him. So we traveled to the castle to meet the 'royal family' to whom, he
said
he owed his service and loyalty. And of course our means of transportation was a flying carpet. This made me believe him even more. He brought me into a room full of lavish gowns and expensive jewelry so I would be 'presentable' when he announced my arrival. I put together the most exquisite outfit: an elegant silk dress, white gloves, diamonds... When I was ready he escorted me to two enormous doors but before they were opened he gave me a blindfold. He
said
it was customary for the royal family to look upon the bride-to-be before she was allowed to look upon them.

“Finally when he opened the doors I could hear the voices of what I
thought
was the assembled nobility. He led me forward several paces into the room but then stepped away. As I turned to reach for him someone shoved me hard and I landed on my chest with my face pushing deep into something foul! I slid downward until finally I stopped and tore the blindfold from my head.
Thousands
of eyes were looking down at me from row upon row of a
huge
amphitheater. I was
mortified!

“What did you
do?”
I said, feeling shocked and somewhat thankful for my own experience.

“I did not know
what
to do! Then this man who I thought was my
friend
announced, ‘BEHOLD, THE GODDESS KI' JANU!’ I swear the whole arena shook from the laughter. I struggled to my feet in the slippery mess, wiping the crud from my arms, and looked behind me. I had slid down a slide covered with what I think was grease and human waste! Into a pool of manure!”

“You must have been livid!”

“Oh I
was!
And my anger must have ignited something because all of a sudden the room went dark and all of the voices fell silent-- except
Rath's
, he laughed louder! But then I noticed that my hands were
glowing
orange! Now
I
had to laugh because I thought,
I
am a genie! But I was so humiliated and hurt and
angry!
I opened my arms and currents of electricity shot out toward him.”