Chapter 24. Eyes in the Darkness
Grana is the flesh of my body.
Eat of it and be saved.
And do not taste the forbidden salt.
For in it is everlasting death.
From the Book of Isarie.
Egmar had heard that the mate of her son, was gravely ill. She did not run to her side, to say a prayer over her, or send any Handmaidens to comfort the King. It was not, what the Holy Mother of old would have done, she was no longer that woman, now she was held tightly in the grip of an evil that had no name.
She lay on her soft resting chair, and in the dim candle light, she listened to the gentle singing of her servants, just outside her chamber. Beside her on a low table, was a golden bowl full of sweet fruit, and beside that was a large cup of aged Po. She wore an embroidered robe of dark green, set off with a large silver necklace, on her scarred fingers, were many rings set with precious stones.
As she listened to the music sung by her Handmaidens, her mind was filled with thoughts, about her son and his mate. Why should I care, what happens to the half-soul woman, she is not one of the chosen, and he is not my son. The Holy Mother rose slowly from her chair, and began to move about the ornate chamber, inside the great tent. She walked to a large wooden chest that had once belonged to Obec, the last High Priestess of the Madrigal. It had been stored away with other things that had once filled the chamber of the traitorous old woman. Egmar ordered that it should now be placed in her quarters.
The chest itself was finely made, with carved sides, and a lid with golden fastening, at the corners. There was a large golden disk on the lid, with the symbol of the twin suns Karus and Micos, forged into it. If it was offered for trade, it would bring a high price, and its cost would be equal to many Sagar tooth necklaces, and a number of Rimar horns.
Egmar did not see the worth of the chest, she only saw the great black spider that now rested upon it. She watched its glowing red eyes, as she drew near, then she bent down to whisper to her dark companion.
“What have you brought me?” she asked with a smile, it was not her wish to have the great chest brought before her, it was the will of the small demon. The black spider slowly moved across the top of the wooden box, and down its side, making a soft rattling sound as it did so.
“There is a great treasure inside, waiting for you”, it spoke above the noise it made.
The High Priestess bent her knee, and taking the golden latch in her hands, she lifted the heavy lid and looked inside. There was not much to see, just a few robes, whose workmanship left much to be desired, along with a pair of sandals that were much too small for Egmar's feet. She lifted the garments and tossed them on the floor, then she took the sandals, and threw them across her chambers.
“Baaa, there is nothing here”, she said angrily.
The spider moved up the side of the chest, and into it. Then it crawled to one corner, and tapped gently with one of its feelers, onto a small lever that could hardly be seen. “There, look there”, it said.
Heeding the words of her familiar, she took her hand and lifted the small device, there was a “clicking” sound, then a hidden chamber in the box, opened up.
The old witch had secrets; Egmar thought, looking inside, the Holy Mother saw a small silver container. Without stopping she removed the vessel, she put it on the table, near her resting chair. She sat down and looked at the small treasure that was now hers.
In design it was not all that remarkable, just a box, about as large as one's hand. There were no markings or inscriptions, or any sign of a mystic symbol that might give some hint, of what lay inside.
Why would old Obec wish to hide this? She asked herself, there was only one way to answer that question, she lifted the smooth lid and looked inside. Its contents, brought a gasp from the Holy Mother, the container was filled with the forbidden crystal of Isarie.
Tran, Obec was hiding Tran; Egmar had suspected that the old crone was prolonging her miserable life in some way. She never suspected that Obec used the glowing crystals. Seeing them now, she realized that the forbidden mineral, was now hers. Slowly, she took out a pinch of the powerful crystals and held it in her thin fingers.
The book of Isarie, tells us not to partake of the crystal salt, for in it is everlasting death; then she looked over at the spider, now sitting close to her hand.
“Isarie is a false God”, it said to her, “a greater one is coming”.
Hearing this from the black creature, she put the Tran into her mouth.
Endo was not sure how long he rode in the back of the great wagon, he knew that he was now deep inside the earth. The air hung heavy with Eul dust and sweat, there was also a sweet sickening fragrance that the Sandjar knew well.
Death; he thought; this is the home of the dead. He could not see any dead bodies, but his nose told him that somewhere near was a feast, waiting to be eaten. Endo had been raised by Humans, but he was still a Scavenger, and being so, he could not drive certain instincts, from his mind. The one instinct that Sandjar relied on most, was their ability to find food, be it alive or dead, rotting flesh or fresh meat, it was all the same to them. That instinct, was now trying to take control of Endo, he fought against it with all his might.
I am not a savage! He screamed in his mind; I am a civilized being! Using all his intelligence, he fought down the primitive instinct, and focused his thoughts on what lay ahead.
The Karrack continued deeper into the earth, then Endo heard the Norgonie guards, shouting at one other, they barked orders that he could not understand, then the huge wagon stopped moving. The Sandjar boy waited for what seemed like an eternity, then he again heard voices and more sounds from above. He looked up to see a large wooden ramp, moving into view. He waited, then heard sounds of moving wheels and a shower of Eul rock.
It began to tumble onto the wagon's floor, slowly filling it up, and sending up a great cloud of dark dust. At once Endo began to cough, as the choking powder entered his lungs. I must get out of here; he thought; if I do not, I will be buried alive! He began to claw his way up the side of the steel bin, all the while watching it fill, with more and more, black rock.
Endo dug his powerful claws into the metal sides, and managed to gain enough of a grip, to allow him to climb up to the rim. He looked over carefully, and seeing no Norgonie close by, he pulled himself over and dropped to the tunnel floor. Once there, he looked about again, then ran to a hiding place, amid a structure of Balbar wood. He huddled there catching his breath, and trying to figure out what he had gotten himself into.
I was a fool to come here; he thought; and a fool has no one to blame but himself.
Then came a loud clanking sound that filled the air, along with the barking of Drogs. There were also shouts from the Norgonie guards, and shrills cries, as if someone, was being beaten. From where he crouched, he could not see much, so he moved as quickly as he could, to another vantage point. It was several meters away, from where he last stood, and was a massive metal container of some sort. He kept himself hidden in the dim shadows, moving, until he gained a clear view of the Karrak he had traveled in, and the overhanging ramp. When he looked up again, he was astonished at what he saw.
There in the dimly lit bowels of the earth, were dozens of Sandjar.
They were pushing and pulling metal mining carts, filled with Eul. Beside them at various points, were Norgonie guards, some holding whips in their hands, while others held the chains of yelping Drogs.
Slaves! Endo thought; they are using my people as slaves!
The people of the forest, were indeed using Sandjar as slaves, from their point of view, they made perfect workers. They were strong and with their keen eyesight, they could work in the dim tunnels without any problem. They were also easy to feed, for they ate almost anything, and would consume food that was rotten or unfit for a Norgonie. Most importantly, they were NOT the chosen of the Gods. According to the teachings of Arm-Ra, they were made to serve, and when they died, they had no soul
to enter the Afterlife.
To Endo, they were his brethren, maybe not as civilized or as intelligent as he was, but still of the same species, knowing this made his heart ache, when he saw them, being treated in such a degrading way.
I must help them; he thought; I am just one, and they are many; that was indeed true, what chance did he have, against armed warriors and savage Drogs? He would be killed. or rip to pieces in an instant. Knowing this, he shut his ears to the cries of his people, and looked for a way back and into the sunlight. He moved out of his hiding place, carefully making his way around the Karrack that was being loaded, then down a small adjoining tunnel.
There was very little light there, but his scavenger eyes adapted quickly. Soon, he could see as well as if the corridor, was bathed in the glow of a hundred Washa’s. The cries that had filled his small ears faded away, and the tunnel grew narrower. Water seeped from the walls, gathering on the floor in small pools, although he was thirsty, he dare not drink the brackish liquid. Relying on his directional sense, he moved carefully, trying to stay in the general heading of the way he came in. Try as he might, he could not find a corridor that would take him into the sunlight. He came to a junction in the tunnel, with many smaller tunnels, running in different directions. He stopped moving and sat down on a large chunk of Eul.
There must be only one way in and one way out; he thought. Without anything else to do, he sat quietly, thinking of what his father would do, when he found out that his son, was never going to return to their tent.
Osh didn't know that his son was not by their wagon, he was still talking with a man, who had lived many lives.
“After all this time, you have still, not been able to decipher, the language of the Overlords?” It was the old man who said this, Vatranius had told him, the secret to the power of the planet, lies in solving the riddles, carved into the stones he had gathered.
“That is correct,” said the Holy Man, “and I will explain why”. He rose from the table where he and Osh sat, then began to move about the room. “I call them the Overlords, for I cannot find a word that would properly describe them. The closest I ever came, was “us”, or perhaps “we”, they considered themselves, the only truly intelligent creatures of the Outer Rim”. He moved to a large stone carving nearby, “you have seen these stones scattered over the lands of Gorn have you not?”
“Yes I have”, said Osh.
“Have you ever, been able to understand their meaning?”
“No I have not, because no two, have ever been alike”, replied the old man.
The Holy Man nodded his large head, “correct, and I will tell you why, the Overlords communicated by a strong telepathic mind link, needing no words. This mind-link is also present in the indigenous humanoids of this world, although to a much lesser degree.”
Osh nodded his head; it is one of the great strengths of the Nomads.
“When they did set down their findings, they used a written tongue of sorts. Each Overlord had their own language, known only to them, so when that information was transcribed, it meant nothing to anyone else”.
Yes that would explain much; Osh thought, then he realized something, “ surely the Overlords did not write in stone. They must have used some highly mechanized form of mind transfer”.
The High Priest smiled, “yes I am sure they did, and from what I have deduced, they used much the same kind of Mindlock that we employ. Far more sophisticated of course, based on the same principle of brain impulses, to data formatting. The stones, were carved by others, I will explain that later”. Then he moved closer to his companion, “that is why I need your help”.
“My help? You were known as one of the great minds of the Outer Rim, why would you need my help?”
Vitranius sat down in his chair once again, “I have been here a very long time, and when I found that my life span was coming to an end I had two choices. I could die or consume the Tran, to prolong my life at a price”.
“A price?” The old man asked.
The High Priest's face showed a slight smile, “consuming the Tran holds death at bay, it also diminishes my mind power. Not so much as to make me a frailleg, but enough, to keep me from deciphering the complex writing that I gathered together. I made some progress but with each passing cycle, I grow weaker. I am also sure that during the ages that I have been gone, there must have been significant advancements in language deciphering and translations. I need your wisdom to continue my...our work, will you help me?”
All his life, Osh had interfaced with computers and calculating mechanisms, of the Outer Rim. He understood how they worked and malfunctioned, they always spoke the truth to his mind. He also knew that humanoids like him, were capable of lying, his time with the Nomads had conditioned him, to look into a person’s eye, and know, when he was not speaking the truth. Now as he looked into the eyes of the Holy Man, he saw a mask of deception. “You said that you wanted to unlock the secrets of the Overlords, so that you could become the wisest of all Callaxions. I have found that great power, only brings great tyranny”.
“Then you will not help me?”
Osh rose from his seat, “I cannot”.
Vitranius' face did not show anger, on the contrary he smiled. “Very well, I had hoped we could work together in friendship. If that, is not possible, I will have you as my slave.” Clapping his wrinkled hands together, he called out to a dark corner of the room, “take him to the catacombs”.
With those words, Osh turned to see several, tall Norgonie Holy Men, coming forward, he knew he was a prisoner, but there was still some defiance left in the old Callaxion.
“I have been in prison cells before, another will make no difference”, he said as he was being taken away. For all his bravado, he knew that he was just an old man in the hands of a great power.
As he watched Osh being taken away, Vitranius sat down and took a sip from his wine cup. I have waited a long time; he thought; I will not wait any longer.
At that moment, Endo would have traded all his knowledge for a good chamber rifle, or even a warrior’s ax. Alone in the darkness, without anyway of escape, he felt like his life was at an end.
Why did I not listen to my father, and stay by our wagon?
As he wallowed in self-pity, he picked up the strange scent that had first drawn him into the underground. He lifted his head, flaring his nostrils. He tried to detect, from where, the odor was originating. After several lungs full of the strange scent, he detected that the smell was strongest from the tunnel on his left. Having no other plan, he began to walk down the corridor. With every meter, the odor grew stronger, and he continued to follow it, until he heard sounds coming from ahead. He moved to a corner in the tunnel and slowly looked around it.
Before him lay a vast underground chamber, it was cut or a better word would be “mined” from solid rock. There were many, different levels around the perimeter, and at its center was a pit that seemed to vanish into nothingness. It was lit by many torches and firepots, in the warm glow, could be seen hundreds of Sandjar slaves. They wore ragged garments that were torn and filthy with Eul dust. They held digging implements, and as they worked, they made mournful sounds. It was a song that had no words, it held a vast sea of pain and suffering, to Endo it was as clear as the singing of the Handmaidens.
They are without hope; he thought; they live only to die.
After a moment, he turned to face his surroundings once more. He saw a narrow causeway, running from the bottom levels to the top, it was used by the miners, to push steel carts filled with the burning rock. The filled carts, were moved along this pathway, into tunnels, where they disappeared into the darkness.
This must be the main supply shaft; Endo thought; from here they take the Eul to the great karrack, then it is drawn to the outside.
The Sandjar boy, had heard how the Ergan-Mar, the Grana miners of Koto-Car, dug for the precious green salt. They traded it with the Nomads, for stone bread and females. He had also listened to his father, w
hen he told him about the many, different cultures of the Outer Rim and how they used workers to build their great civilizations. He knew, some of them used slave labor to accomplish that end, now he could see firsthand, how the Norgonie would have used him. He heard a noise from behind, in an instant, he realized that it was the sound of warriors, heading his way. There was only one thing for him to do now, gathering up his courage, he moved slowly into the great chamber.
The slaves hardly looked up when he moved towards them, for he was covered in Eul dust. Their minds had been beaten down by the whips of the Norgonie, they knew it was better not to question. To the guards, he was just another Sandjar, who all looked alike, to them. When one of them noticed that he was not holding a digging shovel, he went over to where he stood and raised his whip.
“Get to work!” he shouted, bringing down his lash on Endo's back, cutting his dirty robe and marking his back with a red welt.
Although the pain was intense, Endo did not cry out, he held in his agony and his anger. He knew that resistance was futile, and he would surely die if he resisted. From that point onwards, he bore a great hatred for the Norgonie, he vowed that someday, he would have revenge. For now, he would do as he was told, he took up a long metal iron that was lying on the ground and began using it, to dig into the wall near him. The guard that had struck him, cursed loudly then moved away, he was left alone.
As Endo began working, he looked around him, he was standing between two other Sandjar. They wore dirty strips of cloth, about their waists, they were covered in filth and dust from head to foot. One was old and had several deep scars across his thin back, a sure sign that he had once resisted the Norgonie. Now he was old, and the inner strength that had once enabled him to fight, had long since been beaten out of him. The one on other side, was tall for his kind, he was very thin and it was easy to see that he was being starved. He was missing a finger from his left hand, and one eye. There were many more workers, forming a line that stretched around the level he was on. The sound of their hammers and shovels filled the air.
It was then that Endo wished, he had listened to his father. Then he remembered his own words; a fool has no one to blame but himself.
How long he worked, Endo did not know, it must have been for a very long time. His arms ached and his back felt like it had a Trofar sitting on it. Just as he thought he would drop from exhaustion, he heard a loud bell ringing. At the sound of the bell, the workers, around him, laid down their digging implements, and began to slowly shuffle along the pathways. The guards made sure that none of them kept their diggings tools, they did not want them, to be used against them. The Sandjar moved like creatures in sleep, not looking right or left, only at the ground. They walked along slowly, all the while, Norgonie guards watched over them, now and then, striking one on the back for no reason, other than to see the Sandjar cry in pain.
They moved onward out of the great chamber into a tunnel. This rocky corridor led to more tunnels and shafts that held more slaves. As he passed, Endo could see that many of them were no more than children, with them were females, young and old.
The Norgonie raise them from infants; Endo surmised; and when they are old enough to work they put them into the mines, there they stayed until they died.
Everything that the Sandjar boy told himself, was indeed true. The Norgonie bred them as slaves, keeping them underground all their lives. They had done this for centuries. Generation after generation, all forced to work as slaves, if any of them resisted, he or she, was tortured for the amusement of their masters. When they grew tired of hearing their screams, they were killed. To most Outlanders, it was not something to shed tears over. They considered the Sandjar as uncivilized creatures, fit only to roam the Outlands, living off the dead and having no God to look down on them.
Endo knew that this was not true, someone who cared for him, had taught him how to live, and had raised him. Although Osh, was not of his world, he loved him never the less, he also loved his mother. Andra remained distant from him, and although she was kind, he knew that deep down she did not love him. However, now was not the time to think of such things, he saw that they were being forced into a large holding chamber.
With shouts from the guards, they moved into what looked like a gathering area, it was lit by many torches and several more fire pits, all of them using Eul as fuel. The walls of the cave had been dug out with hundreds of small alcoves. Starting at floor level, then going up the walls, until they disappeared into the darkness overhead. Each level could be reached by a series of wooden ladders and walkways. The huge complex, could easily hold hundreds of workers perhaps more. At the center of the cave, was a water trough, cut from hard stone. It was kept full by an underground spring, the run off fed into a small stream that dropped into a catch basin, it was carried away by a crack in the floor.
There were several large iron bowls, placed against the walls, they measured several meters in length and were as wide as a man was tall. Above each of them, was a large metal pipe that jutted out from the wall, then angled down into the caldrons. The bowls empty at the moment, emitted a strong odor.
Following the crowd of workers, Endo moved along, trying not to be noticed. When all the slaves were inside, two large steel gates closed behind them. He watched as a large Norgonie, took a key from his belt, he used it to turn the lock in the door.
Now, there was surely no escape for Endo; if only I had listened to my father.
As soon as the door shut behind them, the Sandjar slaves ran for the water trough and began drinking deeply. It was then that Endo realized they had been working for a long time, his species could work hard, and go without water for a day or more. Now they fought for the life giving liquid, as if they had not seen it for days. Like all creatures, the strong pushed the weak aside, so that they could quench their thirst first. It was then that Endo noticed a very tall, strongly built Sandjar, striking an older Sandjar, who had dared move in front of him. The Scavenger slave, was known by the name of Mog, and he was feared by the other slaves. He was cruel and did not hesitate to kill anyone who got in his way.
He was a head taller than Endo, had a long scar over his left eye that must surely cause some blindness to that side. Half blind or not, he was still strong, and now he forced the old Scavenger out of his way. He drank deep of the water, then when he was done, he moved to the large iron bowl and waited.
Although Endo was larger than most of his brethren, he did not force his way to the head of the mob. Instead he waited his turn, then slowly drank from the trough, as he did he turned to see a small female by his side. She was thin, the bones of her arms could be seen under the emaciated flesh. She wore a dirty garment that barely covered her frail body, she had bright eyes that told Endo that she had not yet yielded, to the harshness of her surroundings. As he looked at her, something in his mind began to move him, perhaps it was the kindness that he had received from the father that had adopted him? Maybe it was the way she looked at him, whatever the reason, he felt compassion for her. Unlike the other Sandjar, who now pushed and shoved their way to the water, Endo moved away, allowing the small green female, to have his place in the line.
At first, she did not know what to do, she had never been shown kindness in her life. It was not something that Scavengers did, they considered females to be second in all things, caring about their feelings, was not in their nature. After a moment or two, she moved past her benefactor, she drank from the trough, when she had enough, she turned back to the tall green boy at her side.
The Sandjar had no real language, they communicated mostly in broken words and body gestures. Endo had learned this, when he had spent time with his kind, before being found by his father. Now that knowledge became useful, the female nodded her large head, making slow grunting sounds that told him she was grateful. Before he could stop himself he replied in the language of the Outlanders. “You are welcome”, he said.
When the young female heard him, speaking the words of the Norgonie, s
he became very afraid. Because the other Sandjar were too busy drinking the cool water, they did not hear Endo, using words that were only used by their tormentors. The green female, quickly moved away from Endo, disappearing into the crowd. He tried to follow her but soon lost contact, so he gave up the chase. There was nothing more to do, but wait for whatever was going to happen next that came very quickly.
The chamber filled with a grinding sound, as if, some kind of hatch, was being opened. As soon has this happened, the mass of slaves, raced for the large bowls, surrounding the cavern. They crowded in close, filling the air with sharp yelps and grunts, some fought each other, to get closer to the front. There came another sound, then from out of the end of the metal pipes above each bowl, a mass of foul smelling food began to flow.
It was a mixture, of cast off body parts, from slaughtered Trofar, rotten fruit and any garbage that the Norgonie didn't want. There was also, a great deal of mouldy Kasha-wheat. In addition to this foul smelling concoction, were the remains of dead Sandjar. Scavengers would eat their own kind if necessary, if the choice, was that or no food.
Once more the strong pushed the weak aside, some older ones were trampled underfoot. As soon as they fell to the ground, they were set upon by others, who quickly tore them to pieces. Those that had the scavenged flesh in their hands, were also attacked by other hungry slaves. It was a sight that cut deep into Endo's heart.
My people have become animals; he thought, he knew it was not their fault. Any creature human or otherwise, would soon revert to its primitive level when face with such appalling conditions. As he watched them, he saw the small female whom, he had helped. She was trying to push her way through the howling mass, trying to snatch a small portion of food for herself. She managed to grab a handful, but then she was attacked by Mog, who wanted the scrap of meat himself. She resisted, but he took hold of her arm, twisting it, until she dropped the food to the ground. Then to vent his rage, he struck her on the side of her head, sending her flying.
Seeing this, sent Endo into a rage, before he could stop himself, he ran the short distance between them and fell upon the Scavenger. His initial attack caught Mog off guard, and they both fell to the ground, biting and clawing at each other. They rolled over and over, others quickly moved out of their way, least they too, were hurt by the fierce fighting.
Endo was not as big as his opponent, and as the battle continued, it was the larger Sandjar who started to gain the advantage. Although Endo, let his fury loose, it was no match for the superior strength of Mog. With a hard blow to his ribs, Endo was forced to the ground, he looked up, to see a clawed foot, coming down onto his face. At the last moment he moved to one side and rolled away unhurt. The other Sandjar were now screaming for blood, they knew that either way there would be more food to consume. As Endo turned to face his adversary once more, he tried to calm his mind.
He is bigger and stronger than you; he thought; you cannot defeat him with strength alone; he noticed again that his opponent had only one good eye; he will be blind from the left.
With this new knowledge, Endo planned his next attack, he stood up, moving in once more, this time, he came from the left side, without vision on that side, the big Sandjar was helpless. Once, twice and more, he struck the tall Scavenger with his clawed hand, soon he was bleeding from numerous deep cuts to his face and body. After several more minutes of being struck, the tall Sandjar gave up, he lay on the ground defeated.
There was a silence in the chamber, no one had ever seen Mog loose a fight. When they realized that the young stranger was victorious, they let out with a wild cry, the word “CORAW” over and over again.
Endo hadn’t heard this expression in a long time, not since he was with his own people as a young child that was where, he learned the meaning of the word.
LEADER.
It was not what he had been looking to become, when he defended the female. Now that the title was his, he would try his best to live up to the honour. As the cry of “Coraw” echoed over and over in the great chamber, he made a vow to himself.
I will see my people free or I will die with them.
It was a vow that would someday change the face of Gorn.