The Carrier – Episode Five
Willan Ellis
Copyright 2015 Willan Ellis
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Luia -Night
It has been almost fifty turns since she had been this close. Looking around she started toward the wall, and with a quick breath stepped foot inside the temple surrounds, and waited for that familiar feeling.
The quick pulse shot through her, and she smiled – it seemed her invitation into Luia had not been revoked. Empe suddenly felt as nervous as a Tyro on their first day, she smiled as the excitement grew as she weaved across the courtyard toward the stairs that would lead up and into the Mother Temple. Robert and she were lucky to escape their small cottage when the city guards had suddenly appeared on the plains surrounding their home. The guards had not been polite in the search of it – they managed to destroy almost everything. But that was the least of her worries, they had taken something she wanted back, no, something that she needed back.
The guards had taken the message runes, and if the Mother Sovereign used them with the other set she had, it would lead them straight to the Estrus and the journal. Empe lowered her head. She had failed her mother. She thought of Alexander and Teanne, and hoped they had avoided any trouble, but knowing her nephew he was probably right in the middle of it.
Empe jumped back into a doorway as a group of temple guards approached. Catching her breath she quietly moved away from them making sure she kept close to the shadows, and accidentally kicked over a bucket. She held her breath as she looked back toward the guards. No one turned. She sighed and started off again, this time moving a lot more carefully and admonishing herself not to draw any further attention.
Pushing the large temple doors open she stepped into the hallway, and was thankful it was dimly lit, and that no one was around. Closing her eyes she called for the message runes. Moving quickly down the hall, she noticed that nothing had changed in all the turns she had been gone, and it made her happy for some reason.
Empe stopped at the door of the Great Study. She turned the door handle - It was locked – of course it was. Summoning a short blast of power she heard the lock snap open.
As she entered and looked around the room, all the memories came flooding back. She had spent many days and nights in this room as a young. Empe moved toward a table and lightly dragged her fingertips across its top; this room had always brought so much pleasure -it had been her sanctuary. She recalled the days spent here with her nose buried in a book – it was here that she learnt everything about Luia, its teachings, its beliefs. The lies.
‘So the traitor finally returns.’ Empe turned quickly toward the door as the shadowed figure stepped into the light,
‘Hello Rebecca’
The Mother Sovereign sauntered across the room not taking her eyes from Empe. Her mouth was firmly set in a scowl, ‘I am not known by that name anymore Empe’ her voice was cold and Empe’s name was drenched with hatred. Empe watched her as she walked past, and moved to the other side of the table dragging a chair out loudly. She sat down and clasped her hands in front of her, lifting her gaze. Empe found she cowered a little under the stare. ‘I was wondering how long it would be before you came back. You are either brave or… foolish.’
Empe sat down across from the Mother Sovereign and willed herself to meet the other woman’s heavy stare, ‘I have come to take back what is mine …Rebecca’
‘There is nothing here that belongs to you. Everything here belongs to Luia’ she paused, her voice suddenly venomous ‘or to me.’
The Mother Sovereign chuckled ‘Of course I guess your nephew is yours, have you come for him?’ Empe felt the anger rise as she slapped her hands onto the table,
‘What have you done with him?’
Ignoring her, the Mother Sovereign leaned forward, ‘How long did you think he would go undiscovered?’
Empe panicked, and rose from her chair leaning across the table, struggling to settle her voice, ‘What have you done with him’?
Dismissing her with a wave of her hand the Mother Sovereign sat back in her chair,
‘He has been accused of treason – the sentence has yet to be decided. A pity, he was such a talented young man, but like many before him, has fallen for all your lies.’
Empe raised her wrist and pointed it toward the Mother Sovereign summoning the power burning to be released. The woman simply smiled and waved her finger.
‘Now now don’t be so rude Empe. Sit down’. Slowly and not knowing why, Empe complied. ‘I have a proposition for you Empe, if you are interested in hearing it’ Empe moved forward in your chair, cautious to not provoke the Mother Sovereign. She nodded for her to continue, ‘My daughter came across a stone, and we believe it maybe the Estrus’
Empe tries her best to look surprised as she raised a hand to her mouth – she hoped it would convince the Mother Sovereign she was genuinely surprised. The Mother Sovereign smiled satisfied.
‘I want you to authenticate the stone. In exchange you can leave.’
‘What about my nephew?’ Empe replied quickly, the Mother Sovereign cackled,
‘You leave. He leaves – either why I don’t care. But only one’. Empe sighed, she knew this game – it was a favourite of Rebecca’s when she was younger. Choose freely, but you only get so much. Although Empe was close to 30 turns older than Rebecca, she quickly became a favourite, and was often in the younger girls company, as a playmate, a servant or simply someone to vent her rage upon. Together, Empe progressed with the younger sovereign through the ranks and teachings of a Sister of the Flame – both were equal in skill and learning. However when Empe began to develop skills beyond the other, Rebecca quickly showed her where she belonged and the only reason she was allowed to learn what she had was because the sovereign had allowed it. She was stripped of rank and returned to the village where she grew up. On occasion Rebecca would send for Empe, and excited she would rush to her companion’s side, only to end up being bullied or teased. Empe left Luia, when she discovered the journal written by her mother. Empe was deemed a traitor when Rebecca learned of her leaving.
‘Rebecca, I have not come here to bargain, I simply want what is mine – I will leave immediately.’
The Mother Sovereign rose from her chair and walked to the window. Empe swore she could see the anger rising from her silhouette, ‘I understand Alexander coming to you, but why did you involve my daughter’?
Empe began carefully. ‘Your daughter was not involved in anything Mother Sovereign.’ Well technically that was the truth she thought, it was Teanne that had come to her not Kera.
The Mother Sovereign turned quickly, ‘Then why is she in the cells awaiting sentence’? The Mother Sovereign quickly crossed the room and looked down at Empe viciously ‘What lies have you told her?’
A violent surge rose from Empes feet to the tip of her head, she felt her body rise, an invincible grip grabbed her throat – she tried to grasp air, but the hold on her throat tightened. She pleaded with her eyes to the sovereign to release her, but the evil smirk spreading across the Mother Sovereigns face showed she was not going to. Empe could feel her arms flailing at her sides, and couldn’t lift them to retaliate. The grip of the Mother Sovereign was firm. Suddenly she felt herself fly through the air, and crash into the opposite wall, a few heavy bound books toppled on top of her – she tried to rise, but it was no use.
‘You decided your own fate the day you swore to believe in your vile mothers beliefs’ The Mother Sovereign yelled in a mocking tone.
She began pacing around the room yelling, her arms waving above her ‘merge the roots, harmony bla bla bla… lies all lies, and now you condemn my own flesh by getting her involved in all your misguided falseness’ the mother sovereign stopped and leant over Empe ‘You are a traitor, and you will pay’. Empe looked up at the Mother Sovereign as she stood over her yelling. Her eyes were dark.
A sudden blow to her face and the room went dark.