The Corin Chronicles Volume I: The Light and the Dark (28 page)

The room remained quiet for a few minutes, while everyone gathered their thoughts.

“That will be all, ladies and gentlemen of the council,” Oncelot said, breaking the silence. “We will meet again in two months. At that time, I will offer my only son as the first sacrifice.”

With the session transiting back into a state of hysteria, the King took his wife’s hand and started to leave the room, looking in the eyes of each one of his trusted council members. Their gazes remained gentle, compared to the glare he received from Mariam. He noticed, though, that Abaros had a look of satisfaction and content on his face, which made him wonder when exactly he had completely lost his kingdom to his former advisor.

4.2

A
NOTHER
W
AY

T
he waters remained clear, the leaves continued to grow, and the Corin sun shone as brightly as ever. Mariam walked through the vast garden in her castle, passing several women, who crouched on the ground seeding different types of plants and watering those already in the ground. The smiles on their faces brought about great joy within her, the joy of having what she considered to be the perfect family and servants who loved as well as served her.

Although a sight she had seen many times, the uniqueness of each and every plant continued to fascinate her. She admired the sight of the Fiminish, a rare species, also grown within richer households in Corin. An extremely long plant, its bright scarlet spathe valves made it extremely striking. The flowers were typically followed by translucent, flashy berries. Its most distinctive feature, however, was its single, large, oval-shaped eye, which opened whenever anyone passed within a few feet. Stroking her hands against it, she marveled at how the dark pupil within the eye followed her hands, occasionally glancing into her face.

Immersed in the experience, Mariam caught sight of a shadow on the ground and immediately knew that her firstborn son, Ramon, had answered her call. Promptly rising from the ground, she gave him a deep embrace and studied his face. She stroked his curly hair, then suddenly retracted her hand, as it filled with sand. Layers of sand suddenly began to emerge from Ramon’s face. Screaming, she held her hands in the air. Her son grabbed her wrists, and she felt his strong grip loosen, as more sand replaced what had just been his hands. Looking back at his face, she saw no eyes, mouth or nose—just the continuing emergence of sand that poured out and covered his tunic, his whole body.

Unable to contain her emotions, Mariam slumped to the ground, as the sand began to pile onto her body, rising steadily. Screaming louder and louder, she looked on as her servants ran to her aid, trying to pull her away from the growing sand dune.

“No,” she cried. “I must not leave him. He is my only son. I will never let any harm befall him.”

The servants continued to pull her, but she refused to budge. With the sand now up to her waist, two male servants appeared, diving into the sand to grab her legs.

“No,” she screamed. “I must save him! I—”

In a panic, Mariam rose from her bed, for a moment unsure of where she was. Her reflection in the mirror showed the pain on her face. Her hair appeared bedraggled, the circles around her eyes dark. Since King Oncelot’s decree, she had not been able to sleep once without having the same dream of Ramon being consumed by the Hyper Lord of Sand, Simus. As she lay in bed, her pain and fear transformed to anger, anger for what her husband planned to do to their son. The fears she always harbored of Oncelot doing whatever he felt was necessary for the good of the planet was finally coming true, but never did she expect him to sacrifice her only son in the process.

It was now almost the second month since her husband’s decree, and Mariam felt that she might need to take drastic action to save her family. Though it was the middle of the night, she decided to summon both of her children.

With the winds bellowing across the palace windows, Queen Mariam did not hear the faint knock on the thick, red doors of her palace quarters. She gently caressed her golden locks, hoping for a way out of her family’s predicament. Although stubborn like his father, she knew that Ramon was as patriotic as he was loyal. Serving in the front line of Oncelot’s army, along with his role as liaison to the council, meant that he was forced to grow up before his modest twenty-one years. If there was one thing she knew about her son, however, it was that, like his father, he would always put the well-being of his planet before anything. As far as Ramon was concerned, sacrificing himself was the will of the gods.

The knock came again, louder this time, followed by the voice of Mariam’s daughter, Alexis. The Queen raced to the door and opened it. Alexis ran straight into her mother’s arms, with tears spilling down her face. Sparing a glance at the tall frame of her son, Ramon, standing beside the door, Mariam held on to her daughter as if running out of time to display her affection and love. She remained happy that Alexis, three years Ramon’s junior, was still below the acceptable age to take her place in the council, like her brother.

Alexis’s powerful personality, accompanied by her measureless beauty, caught the attention of the numerous men of Corin. Such was her appeal that Abaros himself made no secret of his wishes to marry her once she came of age. Along with Oncelot, Queen Mariam forbade such a union. Oncelot had gone as far as warning Abaros that any advances toward his daughter would end in execution.

Looking down at her sobbing daughter, Mariam lifted her face up. “Do not cry, my child. We will be fine.” Mariam desperately tried to ease her daughter’s pain and anguish. Holding on to Alexis, she noticed her son still standing in the hallway, with a serious look on his face. He entered the room, his tall frame rigid and straight, his thick chest out in a proud, almost patriotic stance. He looked as if he were ready to go to battle and die for his planet.

“Oh, Ramon!” Mariam could not keep the tears hidden any longer. “You are so like your father, always staying strong for the sake of Corin. It is okay to be scared.”

“Fear is for the weak, Mother,” Ramon said dryly. “You raised me better than that.”

Mariam put her hand to Ramon’s face, letting her fingers caress his short, curly, dark hair that only partially hid his almost pointed ears. “Come, my children,” she said. “Let us talk inside. It might be the last time we get to do this.”

She glanced at the tall, slender frame of her children’s carer, Merchanta, the daughter of a slave killed by an escapee from the Dark World. “Thank you, Merchanta. That will be all.”

With an elegant curtsy to her Queen, Merchanta left the room and returned to her quarters. Alone with Ramon and Alexis, Mariam shut the door to her chamber.

“What are we going to do, Mother?” asked Alexis. “Father has already gathered all of the firstborn children, and the summons starts in a few days.”

“We have to convince your father and the council that there is another way,” said Mariam. “We have to give them something. I just fear that your father is playing right into the hands of that animal, Abaros.”

“Mother, I cannot stand here and let you speak that way of a high-ranking servant of Corin,” interrupted Ramon. “As a council member, I have to remind you that it could be construed as treason,” he said, almost nonchalantly.

“Ramon, I do not believe you!” snapped Alexis. “Mother is trying to save your life, and that is all you can say to her?”

“Please, children, you must not argue.” Mariam wiped small tears from her eyes. “Ramon, all I am trying to say is that we have no guarantees that this will work. We know that only the master of a hyper lord can choose a suitable human host, so everything your father is doing could be in vain. You and all these other poor young men could die for nothing. You also know that even if successful, the transformation is permanent. You will be lost to us forever.”

“If it is the will of the gods that I die to gain our freedom, then that is what I must do,” said Ramon.

“But what about us?” said Mariam. “Do you find it so easy to desert us? Would you gladly give up your life, just like that? We must find another way.”

“Mother is right. We have to convince father to reconsider,” said Alexis. “Think about it. If this does not work, then Father could be killed for taking the lives of innocent people for his own pleasure.”

For the first time during the conversation, a look of worry passed across Ramon’s face, as he started to see beyond his blind patriotism. “Mother, you could actually be right,” he said. “It might anger the gods if we do this. A mere king, making the decision that only a god should make. This is now starting to worry me.”

“But you know what you must do, my child. Talk to your father, and explain to him what you have just said to me.”

Ramon walked toward the window. “No, Mother,” he said. “Father will not listen. He is losing the council, and if he backs out of this, they will start to lose faith in him. No, we need to go to someone who has the ear of the council, the very one who pushed Father into this decision in the first place.”

“No, that is not an option.” A scowl appeared on the Queen’s face. “I will not let you go to Abaros. You cannot trust him. He will twist it to his advantage. All he cares about is himself.”

“I know, Mother. But you know that Father cannot afford to back down without appearing even weaker than before. If we go to Abaros and reason with him, he will have no choice but to speak to Father. Otherwise, this tragedy will be on his head as well. Let us give him some of the responsibility by telling him our concerns.”

“Your father will consider that a betrayal, Ramon.”

Ramon knelt in front of Mariam. “It is for Father’s own protection. Besides, he has never objected to me counseling with Abaros in the past.”

Mariam tugged at her hair, twisting it into a knot. “I do not trust that man,” she said. “But I trust you, my son. Go to Abaros if you must, but take General Kratz with you. In fact, have Kratz set up the meeting.”

“But why, Mother? Why can I not go to Abaros myself?” Ramon rose to his feet, with both palms outstretched.

“Because, my son, General Kratz is just like your father. He is the only senior member of the council who will put the interests of Corin above his own, and with him present, Abaros will have no choice but to do what is right for this planet.”

“As you wish, Mother.” Ramon approached the door. “But I must leave now. I will speak to General Kratz without a moment’s delay.”

“Wait, my son,” said a very proud Mariam. She edged toward Ramon and held on to both of his hands. “May the gods watch over you.”

Ramon gave his mother and sister a serious but affectionate look before walking out of the chamber, his steps full of purpose.

4.3

S
ECRETS AND
S
CHEMES

S
harpening his sword, General Kirin Kratz glanced up at the Corin sun, which remained, as always, bright and unmoving throughout the days and the years. There were times he longed to see it disappear behind the hills, as legend said it once did, so that he could experience just one evening of darkness. It was a common fantasy among the residents of Isotap, his town of birth.

The winds blew and howled across his beloved city, but his keen ears made out the footsteps of an approaching Ikrenum. The sharp talons on its furry four legs made a distinctive clicking noise with each step it took, and glancing out the window, in the distance he could see the gigantic, unmistakable frame and hunched back of the half-man, half-beast. As it came closer to the general’s bungalow, the long, curly, dark hair on its head fell backward in the wind, exposing its expressionless brown eyes.

The hour was very late, and Kratz was not expecting a friendly visit. He grasped his sword and stepped out of the house. But as the footsteps of the Ikrenum came closer, he noticed the blue flame aloft the half-man’s head, indicating that the visitor was of royal ties. And soon he could see the curly locks of Prince Ramon appear in the midst of the blue light.