The Maor batted their hand across their face, with their palm flat and fingers pointing at the ceiling, as a drastically different environment unveiled around us.
Small buzzing insects uncovered and their bodies lit up, glowing against the humid walls of the cavern, the scent filled with moisture and mold. Another alcove appeared close behind the Maor and a huge place, literally impossibly deep and grandiloquent, unraveled further yet. The ward bathed in magic, Maor’s magic and the reasons why this cave had been blessed with such predicaments were completely unknown.
Stunned. We were breathless. We had entered a completely new realm. One second, a huge monster was attacking us and the one after, we were facing an ancient creature that we thought had vanished.
“Humans,” the Maor introduced, their voice low, coming from the throat. Everything was buzzing on our feet, as if they were channeling the last bits of energy this planet had to offer. They had found a water source and managed to survive here, without anyone knowing. Not even monsters. With a glance back, I noticed the entrance of their territory was magically covered by a created veil, to avoid anyone prying inside. “How did you arrive here?” they demanded.
We were still out of breath, full of adrenaline. “Where are we?” Kâl and I finally said, murmured even, at the same time, astonished.
“In Maorat,” they replied. Our exchanged stares sufficed to understand neither of us had heard of this place before. Again, we had never left Kendara until a week ago. And Maors were supposed to have disappeared. “I was reinforcing the protective spells when you two barged into our den.”
They came even closer and we finally saw their face. Long, straight nose, almond shaped eyes, dark pupils and lengthy hair, all white. Their features were harmonious and could have been close to a female, but Maors were gender-less. And closer to creatures than humans.
They waited, towering us, for our answer. “We fled the city,” I started, pondering whether playing the emotional card would do us any good. “We have nowhere to go.”
They glared, face unreadable, until they walked around us and silently continued their spellings. The veil became more and more opaque until an invisible wall, as hard as rock formed instead of the hole. “Our Protector shall want to see you. I am named Shay-In. Follow me.”
We walked close to each other and at a safe distance from the Maor. Humans were not familiar with them, living separated for years and having so little information on them didn’t do us any favor. They moved swiftly, almost navigating through an imaginary ocean. They were fast and precise despite their height and slenderness. Kâl nudged my sides with her elbow to force my attention. “You can understand Maor?”
I frowned. “No, I can’t.” She gave me the same puzzled look but was obligated to watch around, as the space became more and more visible.
What displayed in front of us was too grand and marvelous not to submerge in contemplation; a fictive planet held inside the cave, the lightning bugs creating a sky with stars, the darkness around lessening the temperature significantly. We couldn’t visibly see the expansion nor the limits of their territory and it seemed like they lived in a totally different space and universe.
They grew trees that had never been greener in my recollection of what they should look when sane. I figured they used magic to create such a place, and I wondered why they hadn’t shared with the rest of the Kendarians, if they had been forbidden to do so, or if they just reclused here and thrilled among themselves.
They guided us through a splendid arch naturally formed by the trees’ branches and we arrived in a smaller room that was used as a gathering, since tables and seats were scattered around, with a bigger chair next to the rest. This time, we could see the walls that surrounded it, carved inside the rock of the mountain itself, large and long holes puncturing them from all sides. I couldn’t tell if they were there from the natural erosion of the stones, but by the size of them, and the shape, I figured they had been carved for the Maors to traverse.
Shivers submerged my whole body, and I couldn’t tell if they were coming from admiration or the very much colder temperature. Perhaps their appearance.
They wore elegant pieces of clothing, mostly long robes reaching their bare feet. Vivid colors and various textures, they were also draped in jewels, hanging from their slim and pointy ears, but also around their forehead, fingers, wrists. Their hair was straight and long, in majority, only some had shaved their sides or above their napes, had them attached. Buns, ponytails, braids. They looked otherworldly. Dreamy.
One of them in particular, had a large crown, with pearls along their front, and laces with trinkets and feathers dangling all around.
Their hair was silky, white, and lifted atop of their crown. More pearls decorated the coif and they stood up from their place at our arrival. The larger seat. Shay-in spoke, and all of the other Maors gathered circling the outstanding fireplace at the center. They glared, their faces unreadable and disquieting. Kâl was more interested than frightened, but I stayed focused on each of their movements, still pumped from the hormones liberated for the Saguineri’s aggression. “Protector. Humans have found the entrance of our territory whilst I covered the protection.”
“Humans? In this part of Zelian?”
“They fled the capitol, supposedly.”
The Protector advanced a few steps and we could sense from the magic that misted the place that our pitiful weapons wouldn’t even bruise them. They were inexplicably untouchable. Off-limits.
“The name is Krolea,” they said, their voice even lower, weirdly doubled, the sound echoed inside our ribcage. “What about yours?”
Kâl withdrew the bag from her shoulder and put it down over her feet. “Kâl. And Nolis,” I explained, pointing at each other.
They ogled our gears. “You resembled fighters.”
“We are,” I answered. Our stare clashed.
“No fighting here. That is our one and only rule,” Shay-In interrupted. Krolea smiled broadly and watched us down. “They won’t.”
One simple look with Kâl confirmed we were thinking the same. They were not afraid of us, because they were far more powerful than they transmitted. And if we thought about betraying them, we wouldn’t have time to open our mouths that we would be destroyed. They shared a grin that was worth a thousand words.
The Protector gathered their hands behind their back and straightened their body, showing themselves even broader than they already were. “Your arrival might be the answer to the prayers we have sent over the edge.” We stayed very much silent. Shay-In shared his glance and nodded once. “I see you understand us, human. We can provide shelter for the both of you, if you accept a service.”
Kâl’s gaze was burning my profile but I couldn’t begin to comprehend the significance of all of this. They spoke the same to me. When I heard them. And I spoke the same to them, as I conversed with Kâl. “What is the service?” I queried.
“We will see the details during the feast. Have some food. I am guessing you have to satisfy your primary needs.” The Maors behind started walking along the walls and inside one of the holes.
One Maor lingered on us more than the others and his nose wrinkled at the sight of my face and eyes advising him to stay friendly. Its chin rose and its gaze deviated, at last following the rest of them. Krolea did as well, their rictus still plastered on their face. Shay-In was closing the line and hustled us to enter, Kâl glanced back at me nervously. I only shrugged.
It was marvelous.
They didn’t seem to be numerous, if each of them had assembled inside the room. But they were so large and tall, the impression was something else completely. A marble table, at least what looked like that stone, was offering so many dishes with decorated plates, it was hard to focus on only one of them. Candles were lit here and there, over the table, the shelves, and some were even hanging, floating in the air. I couldn’t remember the last time we used that source of light in Kendara.
Maors talked and murmured while tasting the feast. We tried staying humble, advancing at a normal pace towards the food despite our insatiable hunger but our stomachs weren’t pleased seeing what was laying there.
Insects swimming in a weird white sauce, bugs even darker than their original color, like carbonized and seasoned with red powder, raw and uncooked organs piled up in a small pyramid. Nothing we could digest. Fortunately, I spotted some bread freshly cut into two baskets on each extremity of the table. We threw ourselves onto them and took a mouthful of it. We sighed in relief before realizing it wasn’t only bread. As I saw Kâl’s face become livid, I imagined mine was all the same. But we couldn’t just spit everything on the floor, we were being guests and they welcomed us charmingly. So, we chewed, as fast as we could, trying not to think of the ants crawling on our tongues.
Kâl grabbed two glasses and one pitcher but Krolea paused her movements with their long and thin fingers on her wrist before she could drink. “I wouldn’t advise you to ingest this one.” The way they had shook their head made Kâl understand the point.
She placed everything back on the table and the Protector pointed at another pitcher. “This is Cerya milk, a tree that grows here. The closest to your beverage.”
“Don’t you have simple water?” I asked, a bit impatient and angry.
“We, Maor, are fond of exoticism.” They smiled but it didn’t reach their eyes. Kâl tugged on my sleeve while handling me a glass, begging me to pour her a cup. “Your friend doesn’t seem to speak like us.”
“She doesn’t, no.” I decided now was not the time to admit I couldn’t talk Maor either but for some reason, they dialogued as if.
Krolea turned to her, and said, with much difficulty and slowness. “Humans foreign. Food is divergent.”
She smiled, appreciated the effort. “We understand,” Kâl replied. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
Krolea bowed slightly and I wondered if he understood everything. He continued to use our tongue for her to grasp the meaning. “Listen now. The service.”
“What service?” Kâl asked me.
“They need us for something,” I quickly responded.
Krolea continued with a manner almost funny to hear. This was surreal. “In our library, we have books. Foreign language. Maybe yours. Need it.”
“You need us to translate a book?” Kâl intervened and I figured the Maor had used a mixture of our languages so that both of us could understand. They vigorously nodded.
“Three,” they added, holding their fingers.
The whispers around quieted slightly as the rest of them entered our own discussion. The farthest kept their attention to the feast in front of them. “And when we're done, you’ll throw us out of your sanctuary?”
Krolea bent their head to the side and gathered a soft but meaningful smile. “Evidently not. Violence or cruelty are not in our nature, human. Unless you show us your intentions were different than what you suggested, we have no reason to treat you poorly. Although your kind had proved countless times Maors were not welcomed on this planet, you are welcomed in Maorat. This is a sanctuary for whoever finds it. Which is not so common.”
Kâl watched, powerless. Changed her attention to both of us, waiting for me to translate. I recalled a phrase they had pronounced. “You said you had prayed?”
They nodded, eyes closed. “We did. You must have numerous questions, I understand. I will be there once you have read the works. But they might answer them for me.”
They signed with their hands, before bowing again toward us. “Enjoy.” They added and dismissed themself. Kâl drank her milk and put her glass on the table.
“Care to explain?”
“We are stuck here until we do the job.”
And that might not even be true.
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“Can we talk again about the fact that you comprehend Maor?” Kâl perturbed the silence after we had decided to sit among them and wait so we were told otherwise. They had feasted, shared memories of the past, laughed a lot, but we were too far from them still for me to hear anything interesting.
Besides our drink, we hadn’t eaten much more and our strength had only receded. We had been quiet for a moment, watching with patience. “I don’t.”
“Then explain how you discuss with them.” She insisted.
“I really wish I could.” My body shifted over my seat, uneased. She opened her mouth to continue but Krolea had reached a higher part of the room, and had lifted their long and thin arms into the air, the sleeves of their robe falling over their shoulders.
“My dear people,” they looked at each other with much love and affection. All of them grabbed their cups and I swore I saw red liquid filling them. “We might finally see the end of our misery. Two young humans have found their way here, and it cannot be such an unexpected coincidence. We have waited, enough, for what is rightfully ours.” Krolea glared our way, stretching their hands and fingers in our direction. “Praise Lumnis. Death to Karl. Revenge for the Maors.”
“Did they just say ‘Luminis’?” Kâl intervened and I had no answer for her question. We had left the city, had fled from an uncomfortable and helpless place on our planet to discover that there was much more to it than it occurred to be. My life had been so self-centered, I had never imagined the Maors were still here, let alone had found a sanctuary where they flourished. Never cared. The interrogations were piling up and the fatigue that found my mind and bones weighed much over my shoulders. We hadn’t had a good night's sleep in days. Hadn’t had proper food. Couldn’t shower. Translating old books was the least of my concerns.
With two fingers pinching the bridge of my nose, the heavy sight that escaped my mouth was enough of an answer for Kâl not to repeat. “I need some air,” I responded, standing up and reaching for the exit when Krolea spoke loudly enough for us to hear.
“Our much-appreciated guests will be escorted to their chambers. Hei-Tria will do the honor of showing you what Maorat can offer. We wouldn’t want our saviors to help without their needs fulfilled.”
An older Maor rose from their seat, the one that had watched us strangely before, their hair even longer, and their face much more marked than the rest of them. Their fingers crooked, some missing. Their robe was resplendent, contrary to the other features, with golden linings, jeweled belt, long necklaces hanging from their neck. The Protector continued, “Your task can wait for the morning. Thank you for your cooperation.” And although they had said that with a most sincere smile on their face, I couldn’t help but think we were used.
I maybe wasn’t the Weapon anymore. But I was still a tool.
Hei-Tria lifted his hand and showed the hole for us to traverse, before they would lead the way outside.
The fire had dimed and was almost dead. The bristles of the wind were appealing, and foreign at the same time. Kâl and I gazed at each other, again thinking the same. “Do you think they’ve built this whole place with their powers? Are Maors capable of doing that?” she queried, not really waiting for an answer as I could surely not provide. Hei-Tria turned and slowed their pace, their black eyes watching us from above their shoulders.
“Speak not in your language, human. I need to hear as you complot against our kind.” Their tone was raspy, old. Their lack of teeth disrupted the sound of their pronunciations.
I spoke to them. “Are we prisoners here? Or guests, as your Protector has said?”
“This will depend on your behavior.” They responded. Kâl struggled to understand with the crumbs she could gather.
“Did you create this place?” I decided to ask, rather than continue down the path of menaces lane. Hei-Tria's large steps resumed and we had to double our speed to follow.
“We have been living here for long decades. I am old enough to know the magic resides in the entrance’s protection. But this dome, as we call it, has been our refuge since we were wrongfully thrown out of Fryor.”
Kâl suddenly grabbed my arm. “Fryor? The other planet in our system?” Hei-Tria’s brow shot up and I translated.
“Yes,” they carried on, “it is our natal home. Where we desperately seek return.” The end of their sentences was not engaging in the conversation. But they were already answering more questions than the Protector did. And since there was nothing else to do as we walked toward our habitation, I pursued.
“Who’s Lumnis?”
Kâl understood the word again, and kept her attention to our discussion, focused on every word although she couldn’t comprehend most of them. The Maor sighed but answered. “Your friend is female, correct?”
The word friend made my brows frown before I figured they were talking about Kâl. “Yes. She is.” I blurted while watching her.
“What?” she said. My lips were torn in a smile.
“Lumnis was one of us. From a time most cannot remember. When the Malrys had their Lady, we had her. Until she disappeared. We were then chased from there. Destruction and chaos became our lives.” They talked with their gaze fixated on the nothingness around, seeking old memories inside their gaping wound. We listened carefully, afraid to stop them from informing us on such lore and history we were both enthralled by and completely ignorant of. Maor didn’t fit into Kendara’s climate but they were wrongfully accused of being the detonator. Just like the Kleits, they were different, and it was easier to find a culprit rather than face the consequences of our actions. And they now revealed they had already faced the same fate in their previous settlement.
The creature spoke again after sharing a long sigh. “Since her disappearance, we decided to raise her as our divinity, our hope, our joy, and wait for her to return.”
“Lumnis was a person, a Maor,” I explained to Kâl before asking to Hei-Tria, recalling a name the Luminis had used. “Was she called another way? The Governor?”
The Maor frowned and shook their head. “No. But her presence occurred thousands of years prior to our own birth. And I possess five hundred.” We all finally came to a stop, in front of another hole and a little path inside a much larger aperture. “Who knows how much knowledge has been drowned in the pit of oblivion?” They used each of their hand to show us our options. “This is where you will sleep. And down this path is the Pond of wishes.”
“How did you prepare all of this?” the question floated out of my mouth as I was watching the inside of our beddings. Hei-Tria crossed their fingers and started to leave while he answered.
“We have been waiting for you. Saviors.”
The last word was coated with an underlying meaning. Maybe realizing their only chance was to trust the species that deceived them for numerous years had filled them with bitterness. In their place, I would have boiled with rage.
Kâl let the bag fall from her shoulder to the ground with a loud thud. “Are we safe?” she shuddered, exhausted. One of my hands dragged my soggy hair back, the curls undefined.
As my feet carried me toward the pond, following the path the Maor presented, I answered above my shoulder. “I guess the night will tell us.”
I almost missed it. The little lights accompanied me until a huge rock, with ornamented carvings, appeared in front of me, blocking my way. The dripping sounds were even louder now, but no water in sight. No pond, no cascade, no stream until the glowing buds gathered and outlined the rock, forming an arch where climbing vegetation was apparently hiding the entrance. A soft blue glow was visible through the vines and my hand lifted the green veil to reveal what I was looking for.
A beautiful, out of the world like, pool unraveled in front of me. It was like a cave, a powerful and ancient one, that waited for newcomers and lured them to taste its freshness and purity.
It had been shaped by hands, Maors’ probably, that carved the entrance and created that pool of water and light. It was clear enough the bottom was visible, although the deepness seemed consequent. My eyes were fixated on it. My body needed the sensation of that silk liquid over my skin, as if every single one of my questions were about to get answered.
After fully undressing myself, I tipped my toe and launched inside, not even worried about the temperature, not even thinking there could be dangers from entering it.
When I went back to the surface, a loud sigh of relief escaped my mouth. Complete safeness and relaxation filled me and I forgot all that happened. I swam, dived, swirled, and enjoyed that smooth stroke of the water against my sensitive flesh. My wet hair tingled my shoulders and my hands caressed them naturally. It was like I’ve never truly washed myself before. Like I was being alleviated from all of my sins, my problems, my interrogations. I only needed to focus on the here and now. Something in me was chanting. “Mind if I join?” Kâl’s voice erupted into the cave.
I immediately turned, facing her, still terrified she could get a glimpse of my back.
Although, now, she was seeing my utterly naked front. That I covered with my hands a moment too late. She might not be into men, I wasn’t comfortable showing her anything. “I didn’t think you would come. Now.”
“I reek.” She only responded. She circled the pool and I twirled, wanting to keep my back hidden from her field of view. “Promise I won’t look.” She purposefully went to the opposite of the pool and started reaching for her clothes. I looked away, but didn’t turn around. From my peripheral vision, she didn’t seem to care. The pond was large enough and when she entered the water, what was below our neck, immersed, we couldn’t see.
For a moment we stayed perfectly silent and washed ourselves. Giving the other the space we both needed. Until we were done and had, away from each other’s eyes, slipped on our underwear.
We were sitting close but our minds were so far away. From the last few hours, this moment was the first one calming, safe. And maybe, we both felt the need to simply be present, around that pool, to enjoy peace as the Maor managed to experience for years.
We craved the company, sharing something with someone. Being close. Maybe we needed all of that, without thinking too much ahead, without planning a future.
Away from everything I knew, away from the only place I’ve lived in, away from the only person I was close to, I could imagine a whole new life for myself. “What is happening in that head of yours?” Kâl’s proximity shifted my attention back to reality.
“Only if you share one of your thoughts too.” I negotiated.
One side of her lips curled upwards. “Deal.”
My hands rested on the floor, my body shifting over them. “I’m thinking of what is waiting for me, ahead. And what I’m going to live.”
“Are you afraid?”
“I don’t think I am.” Her gaze drifted away. “You?” I insisted.
She met my eyes back and a weird expression possessed her features. “I wonder if I made the right call.”
My brows frowned. “About what? Leaving Kendara?” Her fingers moved and played with an imaginary string. Seconds past in total silent and for a moment, I figured she would never answer.
“That’s enough questions for today.” She concluded.
“I’ve replied to both of yours.”
“And this isn’t up for discussion.”
Her eyes drifted away from the water to whatever was around us and avoided my stare as much as she could. Even if she showed no mercy to whoever she considered her enemy, she was driven by a purpose she made sure that remained secret. As I knew myself the uncomfortable feeling of having to overshare, the opportunity floated away and I let it. But she spoke again. “I’ve made a lot of decisions in my life, each time having two steps ahead in mind. This is the first time I have no idea what I’m doing and where I’m going.”
“And you’re regretting choosing to stay with me.” I laughed. She splashed me in the face.
“I didn’t know you had that much humor in you, you’re always so grumpy.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It wasn’t a question.” She played. My head cocked to the side and waited for her to respond. “I’m not. Regretting. Yet.”
A smile broke on my face. “Why did you stay with me?” I asked. “You could have fled on your own, with Ven’s help.” Her eyes rendered my own sincere gaze, but behind her irises remained crumbles of unsaid words that seemed to tear her apart.
“I’m sorry, Nolis. It is my fault.”
She didn’t need to say more. For some reason, I stayed silent. Whose fault it was, that was not the point. It happened. And we couldn’t do anything about it. Feeling so powerless destroyed more of me than losing the father figure I had in my life. So many questions were left unanswered because of his premature death and I would never forgive him for keeping the truth and burying it with him. “If you ever feel the need to talk…” she started.
“I’ll think about it.” Despite the bite in my tone, she downward-smiled. Because she saw the struggles in my eyes, and she probably knew how hard all of that was. And when I thought we would move on, she confessed. “I lost my parents when I was a child. The Jalyons had organized an assault in the building we were hiding in. I learned, years later, it had to do with revenge and lost bets. They killed everyone. They slaughtered my parents in front of my eyes,” Nothing on her face could betray what she was feeling relating to her story. As if she had narrated it a hundredth times. “I hid under a table, behind a cloth. But Vishan saw me. He saw me and let me live.”
A dark burning fire trembled inside her stare. Pure rage filled her veins. “I decided that choice would be the worst he had done. And that I would wait until I was strong enough to venge that whole building.”
I stayed quiet as I couldn’t look away from her beautiful face. “And when I had that knife over his throat, when I was struggling to see through the Nyx powder, I hesitated. That one second has cost your father’s life.”
“And almost took yours.” Her light green eyes fell on me. “Why are you telling me this?” I asked. “Do you want me to hate you? To hold you responsible?”
“I just wanted that off my chest. It was too much to bear.” She stared at me. “I’m not looking for your forgiveness.”
“Then what are you looking for, Kâl?”
Her mouth opened and closed several times. “I don’t know anymore.”
My blood was boiling in my veins. I was so sick of the mysteries, so angry I couldn’t have any answers from anyone, having to live with questions tossing and turning again and again and again in my brain. What was the point of all of this? Was she waiting for me to open up in exchange for her confession? Did she want me to punish her for admitting Hidram’s death and all of our escape was her responsibility completely? She knew deep down that this wasn’t true at all. I knew it.
Her eyes widened suddenly and she backed away where the rest of her clothes were. She took everything within her arms and gave a last, worried look. “I’m sorry.” She repeated.
I couldn’t say anything else; I didn’t have it in me. I sighed and looked away, while she disappeared behind that hanging ivy and into the endless night.