False kings and jealous gods

Chapter 7

And when I'm finally brought to my senses

Parade the rain on my parade

Before I'm back to my defenses

To watch the whole thing escalate

(Poets of the fall - Passion colors everything)

The next day started alarmingly. Sybil woke up just because she was thrown off her bed. Being at a loss, she got up, but the house was shaken by a powerful thrust again and it seemed that the whole planet was trembling of it, and the girl fell down one more time knocking against the floor. Hardly having dressed, Sybil managed to get to Yakko. The guy was watching the news on his portable holo-visor. There on the picture everything was exploding and rattling.

- What is going on? - Sybil asked.

- Something in the subsoils of our planet, - her brother replied. - Natural disasters. A powerful earthquake with an amplitude of eight points. The second continent is almost destroyed. We've been luckier by far, but who knows what happens next? Some of upper levels of Narama are ruined. Rhatie the Eigth has made a speech and promised to do everything possible to restore the city. But people really ran scared.

- And what will happen now? - the girl was terrified.

- The end of this world, - Yakko foretold gloomily. - As the ancient used to say - Apocalypse.

- And will we die?

- I don't know, - he hugged the girl and held her tightly. - Don't be afraid.

At this moment the news was over and advertisement began and Sybil saw her own face in holo-projection. It was said that she was an extremely dangerous criminal, which had to be caught by any cost.

- R'udaak'h gwarzz'i*! - she exclaimed. - Damn it!

- Weren't you prepared for it? - Yakko asked.

- I also found a tracking device on me, - Sybil confessed. - Some u'gand'u** attached it to my hair!

- I hope you've destroyed it? - he asked and the girl nodded. - I bought you a hair dye and eye lenses. Come on!

And so Sybil began changing her image. At first she had to cut her long hair and then she dyed it. At seeing the result she was ready to strangle Yakko.

- It's green! - she shouted, making him look at her. - Green like frogs!

- And? - he was imperturbable as usual. - You are in trend, baby.

Lenses turned out to be black and when Sybil finished her make-up, her so-called brother hardly could recognize her.

- Excellent, - he took a notice. - And now it's time for us to get out of here. Let's go and do not fear anything. Until I'm with you, I'll protect you till my last breath.

***

In this morning in the mines Eoll and his buddies had made a descent to the lowest level when the earthquake started. Eoll had always anticipated that something like this could happen, that's why he was scared. He knew that rhatians didn't care much about their workers safety and it was unlikely that someone would have saved him if he got under avalanche in his mine.

In these terrible moments when the ground began to shake and all of them were scattered in different corners of the catacomb, all his life, as they say, was streaked before Eoll's eyes. He remembered himself as a small boy, that had been found at the ashes by an older boy, who, having felt sorry for this baby, took care of him and shared with him a shelter and a little food. This was Morpho, who really was like a father to Eoll. Morpho taught Eoll to play the guitar and brought him in the band. Morpho instilled the idea of the free Maalakh in his mind.

And also Eoll remembered Sybil and that hug of good-bye they had shared. Now he felt sorry, that he didn't kiss her lips. He surely wanted it very much, but for some reasons she pulled off him, as if she saw a ghost. Memories of her eyes full of amazement couldn't leave him alone.

And now when he was ready to say farewell to his life, something really wonderful happened. The ground cracked with a terrible sound and opened up right before Eoll, absorbing some of his buddies, and a big iron slab appeared from the depth.

- Holguer! - Eoll cried, somehow understanding, what it was. The shield was brought to him and he took it in his hands, pleasantly sensing its heaviness. Now he knew, that he was not supposed to die and what was more - he had gotten something that might protect the goddess.

***

Sybil jumped because of her comlink buzzing. She didn't want to answer, but still she did.

- This is Ayla, - she heard. - Hi. Remember me?

You bet! Sybil remembered her very well. And even better she remembered her mother and that damned necklace...

- How did you know my contacts? - she asked instead of hello.

- You have left me them, so I could give you "Poets of lower levels" music, remember? - Ayla asked. Sybil couldn't remember that, but she might have a lapse of memory after an empire jail.

- So, you want to give me their music? - she asked.

- Yeah. May be we could hang out together and have fun?

- You see, Ayla, - Sybil started, choosing the words carefully. - I don't think that we should meet after all that happened.

- And what happened? - Ayla took an interest quite innocently. Sybil didn't know if she could trust this girl, but she really wanted to. She had never had any girl-friends and sometimes she wanted too much to have somebody with the similar interests, tastes and opinions...

- Wasn't your mother robbed that evening? - she asked.

- Yes, but the necklace was returned immediately, - Ayala replied. - And she has already forgotten about it.

Great, Sybil thought. At least for this woman everything went absolutely painfully.

- What about spending some time at the lower levels? - she proposed.

- It would be awesome, - Ayla said dreamily.

- Will you be able to go? - Sybil asked. - Although I guess your parents shouldn't know at all where you go, because we're gonna get down t the very bottom of Narama.

- Aw, that is so great! - the girl's voice was full of inspiration.

- And you aren't afraid at all? - Sybil was surprised.

- Who? Maalakhish guys? I dream of meeting with them, - Ayla confessed. - Rhatian guys are so boring, you can't imagine.

- I can. Well, then get ready, babe, 'cos it's gonna be an unforgettable evening!

__________

* a rhatian curse

** another rhatian curse