Eldion did not quite understand what the healers meant by the third tier, but assumed that it meant a level in the temple where the Orchid Queen resided. He had joined Casser and Wen to the pond where they made sure that Noha was well fed. The carabao had been doing very well in the pond and gave a satisfied bray upon seeing Casser and company descending the mild slope towards the edge of the water. There were plenty of water plants for Noha to feed on and the part of the pond where she stayed was under a canopy of trees where it was cool and breezy.
Casser greeted the carabao and sat at the edge of the water to keep the carabao company. Eldion and Wen decided to sit on a bench under a tree not too far away. The weather was clear and the breeze was cool. There was a waterfall nearby that continuously fed water to the pond while the surrounding bushes were dotted with colorful flowers. Eldion quickly understood why Rokuhari was called a garden of the healers.
“Thi
When the travelers were ready, they followed Retta as she walked silently around trees and bushes along a gravel path. Unlike the straight and level paths of Alnoc, Eldion saw that the gravel path led them around existing plants and trees rather than having them cut down. Many times, they had to duck or push low lying branches to get through.The sun had traveled close to the western horizon and Eldion wondered how far they were from the temple. He did not know how vast Rokuhari was, but after walking on the twisting path and on upward slopes, he realized that it was far bigger than he thought.They came to a small spring and Retta stopped at one side to wait for the others. The spring was surrounded by flowering shrubs that filled the air with a
Eldion saw a room with bare walls and an unadorned ceiling when the man in white robes stepped aside. There was a soft gasp which Eldion realized came from Wen. Her eyes were wide open as she gazed to the floor of the room. Eldion followed her gaze and saw piled on top of one another scraps of clothing that had either lost color over time or covered by a thick layer of dust. As Eldion looked closer, he realized that there were bones within the clothing and that he was actually staring at a pile of old corpses.“They are those who tried to enter the temple with impure intentions,” explained the man in white robes. He took three cups from a recess on the wall and handed one to each of the travelers. Then, he picked up a clay jar and filled the three cups with green translucent liquid.
The travelers climbed the steps that encircled the pyramid and reached the middle level. The sun was closer to the horizon and its rays shone on the pyramid such that the stone gleamed. Casser was able to catch up with Wen and led the group towards the opening midway up the pyramid. Casser peered inside the short passageway that was lit by the setting sun and found no one. Instead of entering the passageway, he looked at the exterior of the pyramid as if finding of any other access points.“What are you looking for?” asked Eldion who had arrived ahead of Mira.“Stairs. Maybe we can just skip this level and go ahead to the top,” explained Casser.The stone was golden under the weakening light of the sun. From Casser’s vantage point, he could not see any steps that would let them skip the middle level.“What are you doing?” asked Wen after seeing his two companions looking up at the pyramid. “Aren’t we s
The three travelers went through another narrow passageway before ascending a few steps to outside the pyramid. The sun had sunk lower and they knew that it would soon be twilight. They were told by the healer to hold on to their cups and they each carried their cups as they climbed towards the third level.“So, what does that mean?” asked Eldion. “What does the candlewax say about our own desire?”“Nothing!” replied Casser. “Do you really think wax solidifying on the most delicious tea I’ve tasted would say something about what you desire? I desire delicious tea. That’s what I want right now.”“I don’t know either,” Wen answered Eldion, ignoring what Casser just said. “The healer did say that only the holder of the cup could decipher the meaning of the candlewax.” Wen tried to make sense of what the healer said, but try as she might, she really could not understand what it
The temple was bathed in the golden light of the setting sun and Eldion was amazed at how the light had changed the color of the stones and the small plants that had managed to grow in the crevices. He looked at his own hands and the faces of his companions and noticed the slightly pinkish glow because of the fading sunlight. Even the surrounding forests had changed color from bright green to a darker shade that seemed to anticipate the darkening of the sky.The three travelers made it to the entrance of the third level. It was more beautiful up close, thought Eldion, and he observed the tiny carvings on the stone pillars that were not visible from the base of the pyramid. There were flowering vines and other small plants that crawled around the pillars, softening the contours of the stones and adding color to the brownish gold of the surface.Between the pillars, Eldion noticed a wooden door with carvings of plants, not unlike the vines that were growing around the te
Eldion turned away and looked at the wide expanse of tree tops that had grown another shade of darker green as night approaches. She thought about what Wen just said about the Orchid Queen. He felt excited to be there and finally see the Orchid Queen to ask her for advice and possibly to give him answers about his loss of memory and the possibility of restoring what he knew. All he could then was wait and hope that the meeting with the Orchid Queen would tell him something more about himself.Wen also kept silent as she tried to think about what Eldion said. It’s true that no one had seen the Orchid Queen, but it seemed everyone who did talk about her were quite consistent of her beauty and her ability to provide answers to their questions. She had expressed her doubts a while ago to her travelling companions about the healers and how no one had returned her feather bag to her. She would have to ask the Orchid Queen about it.The woman healer approached them and
Every step that Wen took gave her a bigger view of the chamber that lay beyond. She looked at the high pyramidal ceiling that was adorned by gold and gemstones that sparkled in the light. There was an oculus through which the last rays of the sun entered and provided the light reflected by the precious stones and gold adornments of the chamber.Upon reaching the last step, Wen was astonished at the sloping walls that eventually joined to become the ceiling. Viewed from outside, it was the pyramidal structure that formed the topmost portion of the temple. Wen was amazed at the enormous amount of wealth that covered the walls from the carvings that were inlaid with gold to the gemstones that were set on the stone surface. As she looked up, she realized that the gemstones were meant to mimic the stars on a clear night sky.Wen dropped her sight and saw the carved stone flooring. It was of colored green marble that also tried to capture the colors and texture of a gr
Wen never thought that the Orchid Queen could be so heartless as to let the City of Sorrelia perish by taking its pearl. Wen had believed the Orchid Queen to be caring and loving over all individuals and had devoted her life to teaching her healers to cure people of their ailments. How could she have become so selfish, Wen thought.“I appreciate all that you have done to help people by teaching us the healing arts, Your Highness,” Wen began. “But I hope you would reconsider taking the pearl from the people who need it most. You have lived in isolation for many years and have prevented the intrusion of the outside world. If you will, I would return the pearl to Sorrelia with the promise that I would do all I can to tell people not to encroach upon your domain.”There was melodious laughter that echoed in the large chamber as the Orchid Queen expressed her amusement at Wen’s statement. “You would tell people not to encroach upon my dom
The director placed the back of his hand over his forehead and closed his eyes. He seemed that he was going to faint, but he quickly dropped his hand after a moment and stared at the scene before him. The star dancer was able to sit on the floor, but she was still crying and holding on to her ankle while the other dancers crowded over her. The singer was kneeling before the dancer with his hands clasped tightly together as if praying that everything would be alright.“Do you think you can dance tomorrow?” the director asked the dancer.The dancer tried to stand up with the help of her fellow dancers, but when she tried putting some weight on her injured leg, she gasped and fell on a heap. The dancers gasped and crowded over the injured dancer.“Obviously, not!” said the director. “Quickly get her to the healer and pray that her injuries would heal soon.” Then, to himself, “Or pray that you’d dance at least half as
It was early afternoon when the three men arrived in the center of Dagos. Gent held the reins up and the horses pulling the carriage stopped by the entrance of an imposing wooden building. The door of the carriage opened and a servant garbed in the green garments of local peasants came out. He bowed low while keeping the carriage door open for his master. After a few moments, a man in bright red and purple clothes descended from the carriage.Lankko appeared regal in his red shirt and crown of glorious blonde hair. The heavy gold chains around his neck as well as the sparkling jewels on his fingers completed his attire. He played the part of a wealthy merchant quite well and walked with his chin high, barely looking at the ground. At first, he made a slight tumble upon stubbing his foot on a protruding rock, but Enzir and Gent were quick to steady him.“Thank you,” said Lankko to his servants as he recovered his elegant pose. Then, he wiggled his arms to re
There was a coded knock on the door and Lankko peeked through a hidden peep hole before removing the latch. Lankko insisted on the additional precaution, knowing that it would be very dangerous for his master as well as himself should they be discovered by the Imperial soldiers hiding in the cabin.Lankko saw that it was Gent standing at the door and he was holding several woven baskets. He appeared to be alone. Lankko opened the door to let his cousin in and immediately closed it behind him.“Are you sure no one followed you,” asked Lankko as the metal latches clicked, effectively locking the door. Then, Lankko slipped a thick wooden bar across the door.Gent nodded at Lankko. He then walked towards the kitchen where he placed the woven baskets on the table. Then, he methodically removed the contents of the baskets one-by-one, revealing them to be different food items for Lankko and Enzir. Lankko followed his cousin to the kitchen and helped h
Enzir remembered the Imperial soldiers whom they fought at Remuel’s den. Those he hit with his energy bolts collapsed to the ground and turned into dust as smoke rose to the air. He also remembered how those whom he thought to have been stunned and lay unconscious would suddenly stand up when an Imperial officer held up a glowing necklace in his hand.Enzir was filled with concern as he realized the forces that he would be up to if he joined the resistance to topple down Terdu’s regime. “What can we do then, Lankko?”“I have to admit that I don’t know, Jad Enzir. Terdu has become too powerful that I don’t even know if it is too late to resist him,” answered Lankko.“You mentioned that the people could rise against him. Why don’t they?” asked Enzir.“As I said, Jad Enzir, people are afraid. They need a leader to rally them into action like Rodan did during the time of Sukram, however&n
“If those healing stones really do work, I think it’s bad that there aren’t many of them left,” remarked Enzir.Lankko nodded. “I don’t know if you still remember, Jad Enzir, but we used to have a lot of sun stones at the fortress. You place them under the sun during the day and they will shine at night when activated, replacing the need to burn candles or oil.” Lankko’s face brightened as he remembered how it was when the use of magical artifacts was ubiquitous.“I remember that. I had a lot of those in my bedroom,” said Enzir.“When Terdu banned the practice of magic, I think we lost a lot of our simple joys and freedoms,” said Lankko, hanging his head.“Why did he ban magic in the first place, Lankko?” asked Enzir.“You really don’t know, Jad Enzir?” asked Lankko, scratching his bald head. “I thought your teachers in magic history covered
After serving breakfast and washing the dishes, Lankko decided to go to work in extracting energy from an old healing stone that he was able to get his hands on. It was an old magical artifact that he got from his cousin who also managed to get it from an old friend. According to Gent, the stone worked by rubbing it vigorously between the user’s palms and placed over the painful area. The stone would produce enough heat to warm the area it was applied on and helped in the healing process. Lankko that there was not enough energy in the healing stone to extract but still went on the laborious process of finding out how it worked and develop a method for extracting its power. After several tries, Lankko was finally able to discover that the stone drew energy from the sun and placed it outside. He then directed several mirrors towards it before dropping the stone inside a glass vessel filled with a mixture of salts and minerals. Only then did the stone start to create bubbles that
The following morning, Enzir woke up early with the sound of Kora’s nervous clucking. He looked out his window and found that the chicken was not without company. A rooster was walking around her excitedly and after flapping his wings, gave out a loud crow that could have woken even the heavy sleeper. Enzir smiled as he saw the two chickens eyeing each other and flapping their wings in some form of dance. Slowly, Enzir lowered his window to give the chickens some privacy.There was the sizzling sound of frying along with the delicious smell of garlic being fried. Enzir stretched out his arms and then got out of bed to see what Lankko was cooking. He walked to the kitchen and saw Lankko busily adding ingredients on a frying pan where there was already a steaming pile of rice.“Good morning, Jad Enzir!” said Lankko to his master after giving him a quick glance. “Did you sleep alright?”“Slept like a log,” replied Enzir. “W
Dinner with Lankko’s family was a rowdy affair, but Enzir did not mind. After all the chaos and not being able to eat at a proper table in the past few weeks, he realized that dining with other people on plentiful was really a luxury. He remembered the many times that he did not even recognize the efforts of his own cook who feisty as she was still made the most wonderful dishes that he had ever tasted. Lankko and Darla tried to control their children, especially the little ones who kept on arguing while trying to outdo each other in telling stories of their journey to Dagos. The children really do miss their father, thought Enzir. He had not really thought of Lankko’s family and failed to recognize that his Keeper of Secrets did have his personal life outside his work. Enzir did make Lankko work a lot, especially after he discovered that he could extract energy from the magic artifacts to make an elixir capable of infusing power to whoever drinks it. He had Lankko
“What are you saying, Lankko?” asked Enzir, his voice rising as he felt his blood rushing through his veins. “What do you mean my mother may still be alive?”Lankko suddenly felt warm. He felt sweat forming on his forehead and he wiped it off with his hand. He could not look at Enzir whose eyes seemed to drill into his own. “I have to apologize, Jad Enzir. Your father forbade everyone to speak to you about your mother and I had to obey his orders.”Enzir felt weak. He wanted to shout at Lankko and destroy everything he could have his hands on, but there was nothing to break, nothing to smash against the walls.“Aaahh!” cried Enzir. He finally managed to pick up a rock and threw it hard towards the lake. He felt his breathing quicken and he stood on the slope watching the rock he threw fly through the air and landing on the water.“Please, Jad Enzir,” pleaded Lankko. “Please don’t be angry wit