Gods and Guardians

Chapter 38: Last of the Thiocians

Lord Camron could easily pass as one with very loose morals. This was because very few people knew him well. Lord Camron was the type that could disappear for months. In those times, he could either be in meditation, or away on extended journeys.

Lord Camron's palace was the largest and most extravagantly furnished home in Simsee, perhaps second only to that of the king. With over a hundred bedrooms, it was a community of its own. Courtyards, stables and carriage houses were numerous as well. He had every opportunity to indulge in luxury as his whims may so choose. Perhaps no one in Zainox understood lessons of luxury like Lord Camron. Yet, his life was not one-sided. Mystics found it hard to understand whether his intelligence was a result of living in abundance or something else.

Being so wealthy, he couldn't sit in his palace all day. His wine was brewed and sold all over Zainox and Kainon, almost a monopoly. He inherited the business from his father and grew it into what it was today. Lord Camron's wine was sold throughout the three kingdoms... which means, even in Meinz as well. And in Meinz, they sold for more than double the prices they sold for in Zainox and Kainon. One thing many didn't know about Lord Camron was his philosophy of live and let live. Like he cited the story of the lizard and gecko, he would never want a lizard to encroach into his area and tell him how he should live his life. That was why he argued a lot with Mystics.

Lord Camron himself was a very meditative person. And his dinner with King Dasirus was after his long contemplation of their action of voting that Zainox send a messenger to Meinz. The messenger has returned, and the Lords would be sitting soon. He had to be present.

***

The last eight Thiocians were held for a day or two in the same cave where Phrazius had died. In this darkness, day and night was the same. They hardly spoke. They could only hear their breathing. They were anxious, anxious of what exactly. Of pain and torture, they should have no fear. And they truly did not. But yet they feared.

Silva was alive. One of the rebel leaders was alive. They have failed The Enlightened Soul. He has not manifested as promised because of this. But how did they go wrong? Omnipus could feel their silence demanding an explanation of this. Why and how was Silva alive? But he had no answer. He was glad they did not speak.

The eight contemplated the consequences of dying without fulfilling the wishes of the Enlightened Soul. They had kept all his ordinances from the beginning. They prayed and hoped for his manifestation. In their meetings as initiates they did everything they were told by the emissary. They submerged themselves in the depths of pain and soared to the heights of pleasure.

Even if they occasionally had to kidnap their subjects for religious rituals, it was for good. The animals they have used were also blessed, for they'd be reincarnated in their next existence as not just humans, but as Islanders. They've cut their flesh and drunk their blood in ritual concoctions. Bathing in putrid mixtures of blood, beer, medicines, and urine was a regular part of their rituals. They learned lessons from being flog upside down. They've endured fasting and cannibalism. These were sacred religious rituals. The mark of the Thiocians branded in hidden areas of their bodies was a mark of divine selection. They were privileged and blessed above all other Islanders to be so chosen.

They've continue by this to progressively unshackle their minds from the limits set by the ordinary world. Experience was the sole groomer of the soul. Only the teachings of The Enlightened Soul went beyond it. An abundance of experience was the primary ingredient of growth and spiritual edification. The Enlightened Soul taught that this was superior to meditation. All of these was leading to his physical manifestation. But then had tarried, reflecting a shortcoming on their part. They didn't know until that night how they've failed shamefully to carry out a simple order.