As far as prison cells went, this was the best one Alnur had ever been in; arguably it was the only one he had ever been in, but still. If not for the armed guards, lack of windows, and terrible food he could almost forget that he was currently being held against his will. There was even a working toilet, that had been a welcome surprise.
The Ono were treating him well. That would all change after the trial however. It was only a matter of time until the All Mother descended from her golden palace in the stars and deemed Alnur guilty of some crime or another. He had handed the Court the perfect opportunity to impose their own will upon the Coast and his people. He could only imagine the headlines, ‘Heretic king murders innocent noble in his own home,’ the Empire would eat it up.
It had already been a month since his arrest, a month of that horrible collar sapping him of his connection with Tayla. He felt numb, his body lethargic and unresponsive. The link was more than just a means of communication, it contained a piece of his very soul itself and now he was reeling from the pain of losing that fragment of himself.
There was a knock at the door. Right on time.
A sour looking Ono woman escorted Alnur from his prison cell as she led him through the corridors of the coliseum. It seemed odd to house a prisoner in such an historic building, but the laws were ancient when it came to the rite that Alnur had called upon. Apparently this was standard procedure.
Once a week a different Ono would come to escort Alnur to his regular checkups; he hadn’t been found guilty yet so they had to still give him at least that much respect. The long walk to the Meliorem Vitam was the only chance Alnur had to breath a bit of fresh air. Instead of staring up at the dizzying tower of gold that loomed above, he spent his time looking at the marble below.
It wasn’t the intricate stonework that caught his eye, but instead the subtle notches in the stone itself. To any other passerby it would seem Alnur was casting his eyes down in shame, but the reality was that he was merely catching up on the news from the past week.
The marks were a coded message from Bynard, a detailed report of what was happening while Alnur was under arrest. Zo and Bynard had found lodging while avoiding Duval and his agents. The hybrids outside the city had nearly rioted when they were informed of Alnur’s arrest, but it seemed that Bynard had managed to calm them down by mentioning that this was all part of Alnur’s grand plan.
He couldn’t exactly mention the part where this was the furthest thing from his plan. Every step he took accelerated his schemes by leaps and bounds; he knew what had to be done, but his missteps were costly. It was only a matter of time until something he cared about had to pay the price for his mistakes.
As he continued reading he stopped in his tracks. He reread the mark again and again.
TAYLA SAFE. ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT FAILED.
The sounds of the bustling street faded until they were a distant murmur, he stood there staring at the ground in disbelief. They had tried to kill his sister, and he hadn’t even known. He reached for the shredded remains of the link, fumbling as he tried again and again to stir it to life. Each prod sent a shiver of ice down his spine as the collar swatted away his attempts. He had been blissfully unaware of the danger his sister had been in, if she had died would he have even felt it?
The Ono handler placed a hand on Alnur’s shoulder as she shook him gently out of his stupor. When he looked up the battle hardened warrior’s face went pale as she took a step back and placed a hand on her weapon. It took him a moment to realize that he wasn’t hiding his emotions. His face was contorted in boiling rage, his teeth sank in his lips as trickles of blood ran down his chin. He stared at the Ono with all the hatred he could muster.
With a concentrated effort he took a long shuddering breath as he forced his rage back down into its usual hiding place. Gone was the inferno, in its place was the quiet smouldering flame.
“When were you going to tell me that my sister was attacked?” Alnur said aloud.
The Ono blinked in surprise. “How did-” She looked around in confusion before glancing at the stones below. If she noticed anything she didn’t show it. “I wasn’t ordered to tell you.” She said simply.
“I see.”
Alnur resumed walking as he gestured for his captor to continue escorting him. On the stones he had stood on were a pair of scorched footprints that were etched deep into the marble.
“You look like shit.” Alnur opened his eyes to look at the old man beside him that had spoken.
“You’re one to talk.” Alnur said as he tried to smirk. The best he could manage was a grimace. The two men were hooked up to various tubes and devices that were administering cocktail after cocktail of strange medicines in the hopes of saving their lives. They were the only patients on this whole floor, a sign of their importance in the eyes of the Court.
The old man was wrapped in silks around his thinning frame, each week there seemed to be less and less of the man. Though he still had a fire in his eyes as he regarded Alnur. “What’s on your mind my boy?”
From anyone else Alnur would have taken offence from being called ‘boy’, but the man beside him had earned that right. Alnur cast a glance at the small side table that sat between the two men, and the pair of crowns that laid on its surface.
“Apparently, the Court didn’t see it necessary to mention that someone tried to kill my sister in my absence.” Alnur said.
“What?” The old man’s friendly demeanor dropped as he sat up a fraction of an inch. “Is Tayla alright?”
Alnur smirked through the pain of his treatment. He had never told the other man his sister’s name, it was a testament to the man’s character that he made it his business to know the goings on of his neighbours. Behind the old man’s eyes were a flurry of calculations as he seemed to consider the wider ramifications of the action and how it could affect his own homeland.
Clearing his throat, Alnur said. “She’s okay. Apparently.”
“I’m relieved to hear that.” The most puzzling thing was that the old man seemed to genuinely mean what he said.
“Even if calamity falls on the Coast, Fulcrest will survive.”
“I’m not worried about Fulcrest; I promised your father Wren that I would keep an eye out for you and your siblings.”
Alnur managed to turn to face the old man. “You did what now?”
The old man struggled to keep his eyes open as he sunk further into his reclined chair. The poison being pumped into his veins was killing the man, but hopefully it would kill the cancer in his lungs before he died.
He seemed to flutter along the edge of consciousness as he reached up to scratch the cap he wore over his newly bald head. “Wren came to me, he said that you three would be left alone to fend for yourselves, he asked me to watch from afar and offer aid if I could.” The old King chuckled. “Samantha told me that it wasn’t our duty, but your father had always been a fair and kind man. I miss him.” The light was fading from the man’s eyes as he slowly lost the battle to stay awake. “That was why I gave Fel my ship…”
At the mention of his sibling, Alnur slowly turned his full attention to the King of Fulcrest. He quickly glanced around to be sure that the nurses’ and the guards hadn’t heard the man’s confession. No one seemed to notice. Alnur leaned over as he lowered his voice. “You helped Fel? To what end? Where were they going?”
“They… They were heading north to find a girl.”
“A girl? I thought they were after a weapon?” Alnur whispered.
“They had been searching through birth records for any child of the All Mother of a certain age. They must have found the one they were looking for.” The man’s speech was slurring as he struggled to stay awake.
Alnur tried to piece the convoluted puzzle together, the Nightfather, a child of the All Mother, thieves stealing an artifact; try as he might he couldn’t understand what was going on behind the scenes. The other king had fallen asleep as he wheezed in anguish. Alnur didn’t mind the man, King Rowen was a kind and well natured man that had traded with the Coast for decades without issue. The fact that the two kings were in the same room for their treatments once a week was nothing short of a minor miracle.
Alnur sat over the edge of his bed as he grabbed Rowen’s chart, he flipped through and confirmed what he already knew to be true. The man was dying. The cancer in his lungs was too far advanced, and while the Court had given him a fairly advanced treatment of chemo, they had stopped short of using the truly miraculous machinery that could have saved the man’s life. It was yet another example of the Gods hoarding the marvels of the old world for their own gain.
Glancing over to make sure the nurses and guards weren’t looking, Alnur placed a hand on the older man’s chest. He breathed deep as he focused his power. The king had done his family a service, and Alnur wouldn’t let that go unrewarded. He channeled his gift into the man’s chest as he coaxed a flame to pass through the sick man’s chest. The Nightfather’s gift worked like radiation, sort of. So why couldn’t it be used to help the man?
The flames were not the violent kind, no they were a gentle wave of warmth that spread to the corners of the man’s being as it expunged the evil that was eating away at him. Alnur pulled his hand back as he noticed the nurse's approach. With a deft hand he grabbed the wastebin and cradled it like a newborn.
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The nurse shot him a look. “Feeling nauseous sir?”
Alnur nodded while placing his face in the cold steel bin to sell his excuse.
The nurse soon left after offering him some medicine for his stomach, as she walked away Alnur checked his work. There were some trace amounts of the cancer, but it seemed to be dormant now.
Rowen would live.
Alnur leaned back and allowed his own treatment to continue. They were hard at work trying to scrub his body of the bloodstone that was still growing. Considering he would most likely be given a death sentence for the murder of master Hawk, it seemed almost a waste. Yet he liked the chance to get out of his cell for a short while.
From the hall he overheard some of the guards talking to each other.
“It’s true, thousands of the freaks have just up and left without a word.” One said.
Another chimed in. “Good riddance, the city is better without those monsters lurking outside the gates.”
It sounded like Bynard was having success with his part of the plan. It wouldn’t be long until the Empire and their makers were dragged from their seats in the heavens.
A group of elderly Ono moved into view as they spoke with the guards quietly. Alnur couldn’t help but notice that the three grey haired warriors were pointing at him. Sure enough the three made their way into the treatment room despite the scowls from the nurses and doctors. The oldest one pulled up a chair with a shaking hand as he sat beside Alnur.
Ono didn’t die of old age, or at least, none had ever done so before. That spoke to the venerable man’s station. He looked at Alnur with yellow slits from between the folds on his face. When the man spoke there was no hint of weakness. “So we finally meet.”
Alnur raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been under Ono custody for weeks now, what was stopping you from visiting me before?”
A woman in heaps of furs leaned forward and stared through Alnur’s soul. “We had to verify some things.” She placed a piece of paper with a list of names. “Where did you get these?” She demanded.
“What makes you think I know about these?”
The third Ono pulled out a knife, faster than the eye could follow he placed the tip of the blade against Alnur’s throat. There was no malice in the man’s voice as he spoke softly. “No more games, child. You list names of the forgotten, you carry a blade of the First captain, you speak of rituals and traditions that have been lost to all but our most ancient ones. What are you?”
“My court mage was supposed to entrust a letter to your unbloodied. They should have returned with it after the great hunt.”
The first Ono pulled out a piece of paper from his breast pocket. “You mean this letter? Yes, we have looked it over. It was quite the shock to see such ancient oaths called upon. Some of which have even been lost to us all together until your letter outlined where to find the information. Which is why we must ask again, where did you find this information?”
Alnur had hoped to have this conversation in privacy, somewhere he could outline the whole of his plan and try to win over the Ono and their people to his cause. The question was, how much should he show of his hand?
“What was Lost, will return.” He said simply. The knife pressed deeper into his skin as he held his breath.
“Young man, you skirt the edge of heresy.” The seated man said.
“I simply have faith.”
“In who?”
“The Nightfather, and the unseen hunter.” Alnur said.
The knife wielding man raised an eyebrow. “And the All Mother?”
“Of course.”
The three Ono sat in silence as they seemed to weigh Alnur’s words. The problem with dealing with heretical topics was finding out just how heretical the other party was, if he overstepped he would be meeting the Nightfather much sooner than he hoped.
The Ono shared a look as they relaxed slightly. They turned to leave without another word.
Alnur was surprised as he called out. “Wait, what of my proposition?”
The oldest turned as he ate the letter whole. “What proposition?” The three left just as quickly as they had arrived. Leaving Alnur to try and think if he had succeeded in winning them over to his side. Even if he hadn’t, he had laid the seeds of doubt in their minds. One day it would pay off, even if he didn’t live to see the day.
◆◆◆
As Alnur was led away from the medical wing he let himself get lost in thought. He was so deep in his schemes that he barely noticed that the lift was going up and not down. It wasn’t until he was guided to a mysterious room that he finally realized something was amiss. The chamber was circular with panes of coloured glass on every wall. The center of the room held a raised dais that was etched with an untold number of runes and glyphs.
He tried to ask his escort but they merely motioned for him to stand on the dais. With a shake of his head he walked up onto the cracked stone as he stood in the center. Despite his prodding, he couldn’t get an answer as to what this room was. He had never dreamed of this place in his many lifetimes of sleep.
Without warning the room thrummed to life as arcane power poured into the dais from below. Alnur tried to scramble away but it was too late as his entire being was bombarded with blistering light.
Atom by atom he was torn apart, his every fibre laid bare for the universe to behold. It was over in an instant, it had been nearly painless; nearly. As Alnur fell to his knees he gasped for air, his skin smouldering slightly as he tried to get his bearings.
He was still on the dais, still in the same circular room. Though there was no sign of the guard. He rose on uneasy legs as he walked towards the door, it slid open to reveal corridors of etched metal. Every surface was covered with scripture and holy nonsense that hurt the eyes. Alnur blinked as he tried to figure out what had happened. The hallway floor lit up as a series of coloured globes appeared to guide him.
Something felt off, like he was back on the Keel.
With no other option presented, Alnur limped onwards as he followed the lights. It didn't take long for the winding path to reach a massive set of doors. Sensing his arrival, the doors opened to reveal a lone figure sat upon a modest throne. Alnur couldn’t care less for the godling in the seat, his mouth fell at the sight of the glass behind the figure. They showed the vast emptiness of space, the infinite night that beckoned to Alnur’s soul. The entire left side was taken up by the massive blue sphere of the planet below.
He was in orbit aboard Caelum Prime, he was standing in the palace of the Gods.
It was the worst place for a heretic like him to be.
The figure seemed content in watching Alnur’s panic as they sat in silence. Realizing what was happening, Alnur shuffled on uneasy legs as he approached the throne and fell to a knee.
The moments dragged on as the figure refused to speak. The seconds turned to minutes as Alnur worried that perhaps he should speak first, though it could all be a trick to get him to break protocol and execute him.
Just as he was about to snap and try to speak, the God-like being cleared her throat. “You have put me in a troubling position, child.”
Alnur fought the urge to weep as the genetic programming of the All Mother tried to overwhelm him, it demanded he grovel and serve. He bit his lip as the Fury rose to protect him. “My humblest apologies oh holy one, I know not what you speak of.”
The being raised an eyebrow, she had probably expected Alnur to break from their influence. “You invoked the rite of communion, yet I’m afraid our maker cannot oversee your trial. So I must take her place for the time being.”
The sheer eye watering glow radiating from this being was so much that Alnur had struggled to even glance at them without burning his retina. He had wondered if this was the All Mother herself, but he had his answer, this was her Avatar. The right hand of his so-called maker. As far as divine powers went, this was the closest he had ever come to a true Celestial; and it was terrifying.
From the corner of his eye he saw them as a Tideborn woman, they looked to be in their early thirties, but he knew that the powers of the divine could help them slow their aging. She wore a loose dress that covered a scant amount of skin. Their long hair coiled around the throne as they stared at Alnur with their hauntingly beautiful face. He saw the sickening light inside their eyes shift and squirm.
“I know my actions were wrong, I admit to killing my host.” Alnur said. “He poisoned me with the All Mother’s bounty, knowingly breaking the law in doing so. I was forced to defend myself.”
“And yet.” The Avatar said as they shuffled in their seat. “You survived ingesting taboo food.”
Alnur cursed in his mind. They were on to him. “I was lucky, my mutation allowed me to erode the poison, though not before it caused me great harm. I would request our Mother’s mercy, so that I may continue to serve her as her loyal subject.”
“Our Mother isn’t here.”
“She’s away?” Alnur said as he looked up in confusion. The Avatar wasted no time making him regret that action as she raised her hand slightly. A sudden and terrible force drove Alnur into the metal floor as his body was pressed flat.
“You are not owed an explanation.” The force disappeared, and with its absence Alnur found himself kneeling again like he had never moved. A cold sweat ran down his spine at the casual nature with which this Avatar bent reality.
The Avatar continued. “You will be granted a chance to cleanse your soul of your sins.”
Alnur gulped. “You are truly kind and merciful, oh holy one; name your task and I will see it done.”
A crease formed in the corner of the Avatar’s mouth. “You will undergo the Trail of Faith and Blood.”
Where had Alnur heard that before? He wondered. With a start he remembered Duval using that same name as he sent the guards from the gate away. With a gnawing dread, he wondered if he had a better chance of trying to kill the Avatar here and now than trying to complete whatever trial they had in mind.
“I am eternally grateful for this chance.” Alnur said as he lowered his head.
The Avatar waved for him to leave, his heart pounding in his chest, Alnur turned to do just that. Though as he reached the door the Godling spoke once more. “By the way, have you heard from your sibling Fel?”
The casual tone caught Alnur off guard as he turned with his mouth agape. “Uh… No, no I haven’t, oh holy one.”
“Hm, interesting.” The Avatar said as they left the conversation to die there.
Alnur bowed as he made his way back down the hall. His mind was racing, he wasn’t going to die immediately, but this trial sounded like an execution with extra steps. He thought about trying to sneak around the station, but he knew all too well that if he took even a single step out of line he would be erased from existence before he could think. Walking up the dais again he thought of the Avatar’s words. She had said that the All Mother ‘wasn’t here’, that meant that the All Mother was planetside. Something about Rowen’s words came to mind, that Fel had been looking for a girl.
As Alnur prepared to teleport again, it dawned on him. The All Mother was reincarnating, and for whatever reason Fel was looking for them. The Nightfather had sent them after the new host.
His body was ripped apart again as Alnur grinned from ear to ear, he saw his grand plan, the years and years of slow work in the shadows. With this new piece of information his plans began to shift and change. What should have taken him years could be completed in months.
The only thing left was for him to survive his trial.
