False kings and jealous gods

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

No more tragic love for sale in the crooked gallery

High on acid love gone stale seems like fantasy

Just like magic Hubris leads, leads its hounds, hounds to Hamartia

(Poets of the fall - Hounds to Hamartia)

So, that's what you've been up to, that's what you've been preparing for! If Sybil still had questions about the seriousness of Morpho's intentions, now all her doubts were gone. And still Morpho remained a great mystery for her. He seemed to be a genial actor, a man with many masks, writing terrific in its depth poems and busy doing what he liked the most. Why did he need all this anti-empire things? Sybil hoped to ask him herself later. For now she had more serious problems.

Having come back to Yakko, she was painfully thinking about the places where Eoll might be.

- Can't you really help me? - she asked her so-called brother for the umpteenth time. Yakko was sitting and contemplating Nhali's crown.

- I'm not one of them anymore, - he replied sadly. - But if we can trust the dreams, Eoll must play an important role in an upcoming mystery. I won't be surprised if he has found the shield and hid it somewhere...

- As far as I remember these dreams, my heart will be pierced, - the girl noted. - I don't think it is pleasant.

- You won't die, - Yakko said. - You are an immortal goddess.

- That's why you had taken me and raised me all these years, - Sybil said. - And I thought you just loved me.

- I did, - Yakko confirmed. - And I do. You are really like a sister to me. But your destiny is so much more grander than mine, Sybil. You will see it soon. And there is something else, - he hesitated a little. - There's something you got to know. You are not only a Nhali's incarnation, you are also...

A low buzzing resounded at the moment and Yakko fell down with a tiny dart in his neck. It must have flown right from an open window. Sybil got up ready to be a victim of another dart, but everything was calm and silent. Then she leaned over senseless Yakko.

- R'udaak'h! - Sybil cursed. - This is really too much!

Praying hot to all the gods she ever knew for a dart to be not poisoned, she put Ayla's coordinates to her comlink.

- So, you got a real opportunity to prove you are worth my trust, - she told. - Yakko is wounded. You need to get him to a hospital and possibly find out, who is the owner of the dart he has been wounded with.

***

For not to think about the danger Eoll was under and whether Yakko would survive, Sybil began scrutinizing the place where the new Emperor's palace was built.

In spite of all the awful events on the planet Rhatie the Eighth pretended he had everything under his control and he was not going to postpone a ceremonial opening of his another luxurious dwelling. According to tradition, before the palace there was a broad square and a wonderful view to it was open from several buildings along the perimeter. A sniper could find a perfect spot in any of them and Sybil understood, that she had no time to check all of them. And what was more, soon there would be so many guards that no one could ever get inside. She only hoped, that in this case Morpho and his guys wouldn't have a chance to get there either. Although, they might be very inventive.

The day of the opening ceremony came and it began with a strange acid rain. Those who were unlucky to get under it, afterwards complained of hair losing and headaches and some superstitious people supposed it was a bad sign. To Sybil's opinion, lately there were more than enough of bad omens, but Rhatie behaved as if it was normal. Although, he applied a curfew and nobody could walk free now at night without a special permission. Jail and many other scary punishments waited for those, who would violate these new rules. It was only left to impose the martial law. Maalakhish people repined louder with every day. Sybil was sure, if not Morpho, somebody else would foment a rebellion very soon.