Book of Fates ✔

A great Pachacuti

Anya and Nikk found themselves in a big round hall. There were also statues here, but instead of weapons, they were holding large shining bowls filling the whole place with cold steady light. Anya instantly noticed a beautiful stained glass on one of the white walls—a doorway made of sparkling yellow stones.

"This is supposed to scare us?" Anya drew her eyebrows together.

Manco and his friend were nowhere to be seen now, for an enormous crowd was gathering here around something in the center. The voices blended together in a vague cacophony, making it impossible to say what people were waiting for.

Soon, a man separated from the throng, his long fair hair was neatly pulled back, a velvet cloak of indigo color covered his shoulders. The man raised his long-fingered hand, and the silence hung over the hall.

"I welcome you all," the man spoke in a pompous voice, "on this special day, the day we've all been waiting for and preparing for centuries..."

"I want to have a better look," Nikk made his way right through the priests, gesturing Anya to come along.

They stopped in a first row, next to people encircling the man who was speaking. Manco Capac was standing here as well, his expression exited, his eye—not as pale as Anya remembered, but rather bright green—fixed on the orator.

"...the day when The Book of Fates will be returned to the holy ground of Paititi!" The man waved his hand at the stained glass doorway. The glass beamed like a fire was tamed inside it. Anya froze in astonishment as the stones slowly turned to liquid and started creating an infinite portal.

Everyone in the room gasped. "Magic... Our emperor is a wizard... Oh, great Pachacuti..." were the murmurs.

Only the emperor in the indigo cloak and Nikk stayed indifferent to what was happening, observing the portal forming like it was an ordinary daily routine thing.

As the portal opened fully, a female figure stepped from inside, a deep hood of her white cloak pulled over her head, so her face stayed hidden.

"I greet you, the people of Paititi," she bowed and spoke in a calm, friendly voice, though a hint of loathing flickered somewhere between the words. "Blessed be your city and its citizens."

She paused, expecting the reaction. The horde of the priests exploded with applause.

"How long has it been since we last met?" the woman asked the emperor in a low voice so that the roaring masses wouldn't hear. "Six hundred years? Seven?"

"Seven hundred forty eight years and a few months, give or take," he answered, keeping his fake smile upon his lips. "And you're still as beautiful as centuries ago, Danann."

"You don't look like a dying piece of flesh as well, emperor," Danann emphasized the last word, making it sound like kind of a mockery.

The emperor's shoulders shuddered slightly and the corners of his thin lips turned downwards. "An eternal life is nothing but a curse."

"Or a punishment."

"Do you really believe we're being punished by higher powers, Danann?"

Danann hesitated for a few moments, then said, "No. We were fools to trust in higher powers."

The crowd began to calm down, and the emperor and Danann stopped their informal conversation.

"My friends," the ruler of Paititi addressed to his people, "let us thank the queen of the Nord, lady Danann! It is so kind from her to come here and deliver The Book of Fates personally!" He bowed to the queen and stepped back, allowing her to talk.

Danann gazed upon the crowd, straightening her royal pose. "Dark days came upon our realm, death is crawling among us. Your temple is the last hope for the future of our race. It is the time to leave our former differences behind, unite as one and fight side by side. Thus," from between the folds of her cloak, Danann produced a shining rectangle object, "I bring you the artefact and bind you to keep it safe till the day comes."

Involuntarily, Anya leaned forward as she saw the book in a silvery cover sprinkled with teardrops crystals. A quiver of excitement rushed over her body. "That's it! That's The Book of Fates, Nikk!" She would have fallen on her stomach if Nikk hadn't caught her by the elbow.

"It's just a memory of the past, Anya," Nikk said without taking his own eyes off the cover. "You can't touch the book. No matter how close we seem to be now, we can be miles away from here in the reality. Let's listen to what they talk, maybe they'd give us a hint where to look."

Another wave of gasps and excited roars thundered across the hall as everyone saw The Book of Fates.

"And here we are," the emperor said quietly as he took the artifact from Danann's hands. "Legendary Danann giving up the book she once stole." He let out a bitter laughter.

"Excuse me?" Anya glimpsed woman's bluish eyes flare like coals as she met the emperor's teasing stare. Did Anya saw these eyes before? Or was just her confused imagination?.. "Stole what was once stolen from me?"

The emperor's face darkened. "I saved the book back then."

"I don't disagree. That's why I am here now. Save it once again."

"You've seen the future, you know I will."

"We can only see what can be changed." Without another word, Danann turned around and vanished in the portal, the hem of her white cloak flapping behind her.