Gods and Guardians

Chapter 24: Letter to Sairus

The emissary brandished his sword. They were all in a wide enough clearing in the bush, having fought for a while. The emissary's two opponents were not amateurs. They went on, swords catching each other in the air. Suddenly, the emissary lost his sword. Two swords pointed at him, forbidding him to try and pick it up.

How do they capture him now? He sensed a little hesitation and confusion and defied them by picking up his sword. He received a slit in the back, but he was up in no time, taking to his heels. They pursued him to the edge of the cliff overseeing part of River Dahira. He could hear the river. His pursuers would soon catch up.

'There's no way,' one of the men said. 'Just give it up?'

'You think so?' he said. Knowing his life was more important to them than his death, he decided he would protect his masters' identities by dying.

He jumped off the cliff and hit a rock in the shallow river, breaking his skull. He also drowned soon afterwards.

***

When the cue woke King Sairus up this morning, he thought it was too early. Perhaps he drank too much last night. He sat up for a while to clear his eyes, after which he went to the gathering and returned to his chambers. One of his first rituals every morning was to savour the morning sun from the balcony.

Even though standing here was supposed to dredge up ugly memories, he had somehow learned to manage it. He looked down and saw Nimrod — Denny. Denny with his friend, Savion, were chatting with Sharzah, his son. He remembered the rebellion. Then he shoved the ugly memories away. For a moment, he preferred to think of Denny's eyes. Those amber eyes...

The king realised later that he tarried too long on the balcony today. Perhaps he was anxious about the letter from Zainox and Kainon. This sort of kept him away from the cylinder. He wanted to open it, yet he didn't want to at the same time. The message would be a turning point in the history of the three kingdoms. It was only normal to be anxious. After all these teneries of silent enmity, after the apparently failed attempt by late King Themius of Zainox, a letter had finally arrived. Broken communication restored in the enigmatic cylinder lying on the judgment table. Could this be the message of unity?

Sairus looked up at the sky. He adjusted the blanket around himself. He muttered the keyword to himself:

ZAMRAO. Zainox And Meinz Reunited As One.

That was comforting. He turned and entered.

***

'That lady... ar... Gayna, is it?'

'It is,' Sharzah replied, checking the reins on his horse.

Nimrod could tell what the prince was thinking from the telling smile on the latter's lips.

'I mean, that lady is surely an exceptional dancer.'

'Of course. Of course. Everyone certainly thinks so.' He stroked the horse's mane.

Nimrod assumed Sharzah already knew where he was going. Couldn't Sharzah be kind to just lead? 'Does she live here in Zoan?'

Damian thought Nimrod should be asking whether the missoline was reality or a fable. He had not approved of anything Nimrod did ever since the expensive joke with King Sairus and Selina yesterday.

Sharzah finally budged, offering information to an anxious Nimrod.

'Gayna is not married, but she is betrothed to Captain Palimus, we hear.'

Nimrod blushed now. 'No, I wasn't... I wasn't asking about whether she was married...'

'Gayna is a highly sought-after lady here in Zoan, especially since she won the dance last spring. She has quite the reputation for being very rude and sassy. Many suitors have tried and withdrawn, but the case with Palimus appears to be different. Well, he is the most distinguished level-1 captain here in Zoan. You see, he was bestowed the ring of the wolf.'