The Gods Awaken

Blind as he was, Safar made a striking first appearance before Queen Yorlain and her court.

Dressed in his best ceremonial robes, he rode Khysmet across the sands to where the island queen waited in a portable throne made of rare fragrant wood, decorated with exotic flowers.

Leiria and Jooli walked on either side of Khysmet, their mail burnished to a high gloss. Palimak, dressed in a princely costume, led the way-walking several paces before the snow-white stallion.

Marching behind them was the entire Kyranian contingent. More than a hundred soldiers were spread out in ceremonial procession with Coralean at their head. Mounted on a tall horse, the caravan master was bedecked in flowing robes. Beside him, riding a dainty bay, was Eeda, who was also dressed in her finest. Despite her advanced pregnancy, Eeda looked lovely in her bejeweled gown, her face shining with excitement.

Overhead, the airship circled the beach, stirring music from Elgy and Rabix floating down to enthrall one and all.

Safar held Khysmet's reins loosely, trusting the horse to be his eyes. Once again he marveled at the mystical communication between horse and man. He only had to focus on a thing and Khysmet seemed to flow with his thoughts, anticipating his every need.

Although Safar couldn't see, Iraj's ethereal presence in his body made his senses doubly acute. Every sound was magnified, but not painfully so. Every scent was sharp and clear. The slight breeze fanned his face, making his flesh tingle with increased awareness of his surroundings. He also felt extremely strong and fast, his muscles throbbing with Iraj's added power.

As they approached the queen, Safar heard the murmurs of amazement from her courtiers. Deep inside, Iraj chortled in delight. He said, They know a king when they see one, brother. But what they don'tknow is that there are two of us!

Safar didn't need a signal from his friends to know when he was close enough to stop. The knowledge just suddenly came to him-and at the same time to Khysmet-and the stallion came to a halt, tail lashing, flanks quivering in anticipation.

He allowed a moment for drama before he spoke, turning his face this way and that as if his eyes were sweeping the scene. At the same time he soaked up the sensations, building a picture in his mind.

It was all too familiar. The sound of the palms stirring in the breeze, the hiss of the seas. The feel of the warm sun beating down. The smell of ripening palm fruit-and the distant, acrid odor of the volcano, mixed with the heady scent of the queen's exotic perfume.

Inside Safar, Iraj shuddered as he too recognized their surroundings, as well as the identity of the woman before them. He felt the quickening beat of Safar's heart and whispered a warning: Steady, brother! Itwas a warning meant as much for himself as for the man whose body he shared.

Safar nodded, then lifted his head to speak-centering his eyes on the place where the queen's sweet scent was the strongest.

'Greetings, Majesty,' he said. 'My people and myself will be forever indebted to you for your gracious welcome to your shores.'

He heard a surprised gasp, then graceful movement as the queen rose from her throne.

'But why wouldn't I welcome you, King Safar?' came a puzzled voice. 'Don't you know me? Am I not your sister in misfortune? Have we not danced together in the Vision of the World's End countless times in the past?'

Safar gave a long sigh as answers to questions he hadn't even known existed came rushing in.

'Yes, I know you, Queen Yorlain,' he said. 'But what I didn't know was that you shared the vision that has been tormenting me since I was a boy.'

There was a pause as the queen considered his answer. Then she asked, 'You mean, you have sailed from the other side of the world without truly understanding what was happening and what you must do to intervene?'

'What knowledge I have,' Safar replied, 'comes only from visions, oracles and the Book of Asper.' He smiled ruefully. 'Wondrous events and learned objects to be sure. But you must admit, none of them are noted for their clarity.'

'And yet you came,' Yorlain said, voice tinged with awe. 'Although you were blind to the world's true needs.'

For a moment, Safar thought she'd seen through his ruse. That she knew he was blind, although he'd pretended otherwise. Instinctively, this worried him. He didn't know why, but he felt it was important that he keep his disability from her. But her next words made him realize she was speaking about blindness figuratively and that his secret was still intact.

'Please forgive my ramblings, Majesty,' she said. 'I'm only happy that you've come at all. That we can look upon one another as ordinary mortals, instead of as slaves of that awful vision.'

For an answer, Safar only smiled and bowed low in the saddle. The next question, however, brought him up sharply.

'But where is your brother king?' she asked. 'The Holy Lady Felakia was quite clear that two kings would come to Hadin to awaken the gods. Two royal brothers and a child born of human and demon parentage.'

Thinking quickly, Safar said, 'The child you spoke of is now a grown man. And he stands there before you.' He gestured at the place he was certain Palimak stood. 'His name is Palimak, my adopted son.'

'And the other?' Queen Yorlain pressed.

Safar tapped his breast. 'My brother is with us in spirit, Majesty. And at the right moment he will make his physical presence known to you as well.'

Inside him, Iraj murmured, Excellent answer, Safar. But you always were good at turning a lie on itshead and making it the truth. Hmm?

Safar ignored this. Evidently the truce he and Iraj had agreed upon didn't include insults. He still had no idea how he was going to deal with his old enemy, much less present him to Yorlain when the time came.

More worrisome-on a personal level-was how Palimak and especially Leiria would react when he told them about Iraj. Worse still, he hadn't allowed himself to dwell on the living horror inside him. At the moment, the only course of action he could think of was to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

Queen Yorlain said, 'I pray your brother doesn't wait too long, Majesty. The time is near when we must act.'

'I promise you, Highness,' Safar replied, 'that we'll both be ready. There's nothing to concern yourself about as far as my brother's appearance is concerned.'

'Very well, then, King Safar,' Yorlain replied. 'Let us lead you to your castle. All has been prepared for the work you must do there.'

Safar was puzzled. 'What castle?' he asked.

'Why, the Castle of the Two Kings,' she said, mildly surprised. 'Didn't Lord Asper mention that in his writings?'

Safar remembered the line: ' … Know that Asper knocked at the Castle Keep/ But the gates werebarred, the Gods asleep…'

He smiled. 'Asper only commented on it indirectly,' he said. 'But I think I understand now what he was getting at. At least in part, that is.'

'Will you come with us then, Majesty?' Yorlain asked.

Safar hesitated. 'What of my friends and soldiers?' he asked.

'There's ample room, Majesty,' Yorlain said. 'Actually, it is a castle without inhabitants. A ghost castle, so to speak. No one has lived there since the days of Asper, although it has been kept in good repair.'

Once again, Safar bowed low in his saddle. 'Lead the way, then, O gracious queen,' he said.

There was a rumble of wheels as attendants led a light, two-wheeled chariot across the sands. It was drawn by a matched pair of magnificent ostriches, standing over seven feet high. Safar heard Leiria and Jooli murmur in amazement and wondered what they were seeing.

Then the queen mounted her chariot. She gave the signal and to the sound of blaring shell horns and rolling drums the ostriches started off, drawing the chariot after them.

'This way, father,' Palimak called.

But Khysmet was already moving, following the strange procession. Coralean bellowed orders and the Kyranian soldiers stepped out smartly.