Chapter 2

Part 19

Clialia's death, following on the heels of Jellala's, rocked the royal family hard.

As life continued, sadness became Moai's constant companion. Despite all her strength, it etched itself into her very soul. It covered her like a black cloud and reshaped her countenance into a mask of grief. The effort to serve and to live robbed her of the strength to do all else. She had taken to avoiding the Lady Aurella; she had grown weary of the Lady's blatant attempts to cheer her up.

Thus she stumbled through her days until, finally, pain and hunger took its toll and she passed out in a hall near the Queen's apartments.

As consciousness returned, she found herself laying down, with her head in someone's lap, and that someone was staring down at her. "How are you feeling, milady?" that someone asked. She laid there quietly for nearly a minute before realizing that it was the Prince - and he was talking to her.

"Your highness..."

She was torn - she found herself completely relaxed and at peace with her head laying in the Prince's lap, but she knew that the familiarity of the act invited excruciating punishment. She was saved from indecision by the Prince. "I assume, milady, that you are here to see my mother, the Queen?" he asked, gently moving her to a sitting position as he rose.

"Yes, your highness. I have an urgent message from her sister."

He nodded and smiled at her. "Very good. I expect she will be along shortly." He gestured to a tray of food and drinks. "Please make yourself at home. I must leave you to attend to Chara's business. Good day, milady." He bowed graciously, his face uncharacteristically alive with a big smile.

Completely at a loss for words, Moai stared at the retreating form, forgetting to give any sort of acknowledgement.

Part 20

The Sentinel lurked in the doorway, unnoticed, as Moai passed by on one of her various errands, accompanied, as she often was, by the Lady Aurella.

"My child?" the old man whispered hopefully.

The man's countenance was unlike anything that she had ever seen. "Yes, my Lord?" She answered with a start.

Their eyes met, and it felt like he was peering directly into her soul. His expression changed from weary hope to recognition and then joy. "It is good to see you, child." He said.

He moved closer, gently taking Moai's hands in his own. Though the skin was rough and scarred, she sensed his caring more than she did the texture of his skin. "What is your name, my dear?"

"Moai."

He recognized the word - he and Chara were undoubtedly the only people now living who were alive when that language was last in use. The meaning of her name was not lost to him, and, for a moment, the irony of Chara's little joke made him laugh.

Surprising Moai, he then turned to the Lady and bowed deeply to her. "Lady Aurella, it is very good to see you."

After she courtseyed formally in response, the pair grinned and then grabbed each other in a friendly hug.

"It is good to see you again, Mother."

Moai didn' know what to make of the unkempt and worn looking man. He seemed alive and yet, if the Lady were his mother, that would make him impossibly old.

"Moai," the Lady began, "allow me to introduce you to my youngest son, Naurack. He was high priest to Felana when she was overthrown by Chara."

"Well, Moai, hope has returned." He regarded her with an amused smile for a bit before his demeanor turned serious. "There is still much left to do, but a time will soon come when you will need help and only I can give it. You have but to speak these words: 'Sentinel, help me.' and I will come.

"For now, I must depart before my presence causes you trouble. Fare thee well, Moai," he said, bowing respectfully to her. "It was good to see you again, My Lady." His business concluded, he left quickly.

The strangeness of the encounter left her nearly paralyzed with puzzlement and before she could react, the man was gone. His words though, had lifted her spirits, leaving her strangely happy. Even the pain of the imminent training session with Brayla could not dampen her her mood.

Shortly after the encounter, Chara's attention happened to catch the Sentinel walking away from the palace. She hadn't seen what he'd been up to, but the smile on his face meant that whatever it was, she knew that she didn't like it.

Part 21

Ja'ed was an old priest who had been in Chara's service for more than sixty years. He had learned to read Her moods and to respond in a manner that pleased Her. Thus had he earned his spot in the College of Fathers.

Her mood had taken a sudden turn into unfamiliar territory. He and the other fathers worked to cheer Her up but despite their efforts, She seemed... nervous. Reluctantly, he suggested a sacrifice.

Once broached, the idea spread like fire through the college, and Chara relaxed. Yes, a nice sacrifice would be just the thing.

Ja'ed just hoped that one of the available candidates would come through.

Part 22

A lone figure sat at the top of the largest structure in the world. From a distance, Felood thought that it looked like a mammoth collection of children's blocks, carefully stacked to form a monstrous tower.

He knew full well that there was nothing childish about this structure. He had carefully calculated the number of blocks at least five times over the years. Currently there were 248,714. His research showed that as many as four new blocks a year were added to the structure, giving it an age of more than 60,000 years.

As a younger man, he had often wondered how the massive structure stood - the bottom blocks were far from strong enough to support the load that they bore. Now, as Chief Sorcerer, he could clearly see the lines of magical force that supported the structure. The older blocks, bearing the heaviest loads, showed the strongest spells.

He also knew that the College of Fathers were, at that very moment, preparing to add yet another block. Struggling not to think about what that meant, he fled Chara's tower, the carefully practiced look of bored indifference returning to his face.

During his trip, he happened to meet the young slave girl. Although their greetings were formal and perfunctory, the encounter brought a hint of a smile to his face - until he remembered the upcoming ceremony. He attended them only because his presence was expected. The carefully crafted cruelty left an increasingly bitter taste in his mouth.

Unfortunately, the ceremony was a complete failure. The entire stock of available candidates, eight young women, all failed to get through even the first third of the Rite of Sacrifice.

The entire palace could feel Chara's rage.

The Prince felt only an impotent anguish.

Part 23

A beautiful spring day, several months later found Moai out walking with her mistress, desperately seeking a sense of calm. Ever since the night of the failed sacrifice, things at the palace had become decidedly unpleasant - especially for anyone connected with the royal family.

Her mistress' path happened to take them past the strange old man who had called himself the "Sentinel". Without thinking, she gave him a quick bow and greeted him, "Good day, my lord."

The man gave her a happy smile and returned her greeting.

It took Moai nearly a minute to realize that her mistress had stopped suddenly and was now staring at her, alarm etched on her face. "Why did you speak to him, Moai?" Lady Garia whispered nervously, moving up next to her.

"Well, that man..." she began replied, as she turned to gesture towards him. Her Lady did not allow her to complete the turn or the reply. She grabbed Moai's arm, and rushed her down the street.

Much later, the Lady Garia, satisfied that they had not been seen, stopped and whispered in her ear. "Did you not recognize the crest of Felana on his robe?"

Surprise and puzzlement filled Moai's face. "No, milday, why?" She whispered back.

"Felana was an ancient demon and Chara's sworn enemy. Though Chara defeated her many centuries ago, it has been said that some of her minions have survived. It is death to even acknowledge their existance."

Surprised understanding lit Moai's face.

Looking about carefully, the Lady Garia continued, "My warning is in earnest, though. It is one of a handful of secret commandments taught only to nobles. The form of execution for this crime is extreme. Members of the court must exercise considerable caution when greeting anyone that we don't recognize immediately."

She couldn't help her curiousity. "What are the other 'secret' commandments, my Lady?" Moai's question slipped out of her mouth before she even realized that she was speaking.

Nervously her lady whispered in exasperation, "Your curiosity will get the better of you one day," she warned the young girl. After a second of thought, she continued, "Most of them would never apply to you anyway, though perhaps the first of them might. 'It is forbidden for the head of a man to touch any part of a woman and likewise, for the head of a woman to touch any part of a man.'"

Memories of life on the farm came back to her. Though casual sex was allowed amongst the slaves, their masters always made it completely clear that the man must always enter the woman from behind her. It still didn't make any sense, but at least it was consistent.

Her mind then flashed forward to her two encounters with the Prince. The first, she had nearly run him over in her haste, he touched her lips with his finger. The time that she passed out in the hallway near the Queen's chambers, when she awoke, her head was laying in the Prince's lap! The sudden realization that she had committed a major crime against Chara, twice no less, nearly made her start.

She suppressed the thought, though, and grabbed her Lady's arm, signaling that she wished to resume their walk.

Part 24

The Great Mother was acting completely non-maternally today. She had spotted the Sentinel again and Her nervousness had returned, merged with Her anger and frustration over the failed sacrifice. As she continued to consider what the Sentinel might be up to, She fell into the grip of a sudden, raw panic.

The College of Fathers was completely unable to sooth Her jangled nerves.

She did know, however, that She needed something to clear Her mind and lighten Her mood. With nothing presenting itself, She decided to make up a new rite. She bade the priests to place into a box twenty white beads and one black. Each noblewoman present at court would draw a bead, show it to the priest and then return it to the box.

She wasn't quite sure yet what to do with the women who drew black beads, but She knew that it would be long, painful and, eventually, lethal.

She felt better already.

Part 25

As his younger sister, Foyaly, was led away to what he was sure was a certain death, an unfamiliar feeling inflamed the young Prince, both body and mind. Without conscious thought to direct him, he wandered aimlessly through the castle where every one he met, seeing his state, gave him a wide berth.

Everyone except Moai who, by chance, was out on an errand for her Lady.

The pain etched on the Prince's face exceeded anything she had ever seen. She knew that she would have to stop him, so she got directly in his path and waited for him to run into her.

At first, his legs continued moving, gently pushing her back, so she put her arms around him and turned so that he would be pushing her into a wall. His feet continued moving for another minute before he conciously realized that the rest of his body wasn't.

Moai was probably the last person he was expecting, but the sight of her broke loose the worst of his grief. He cried hard for a good five minutes before his pain and sadness burned itself out, leaving him nearly calm and suddenly aware of where he was and of the soft, feminine arms holding him.

He felt, through her arms, strange, foreign emotions, things that he had never felt before, emotions for which he had no name. Whatever it was, though, he liked it and so for another minute, he was content to stand there and let this girl hold him.

Looking up to ask her, his eyes met hers, their faces scant inches apart. Without thinking about it, her lips darted forward, touching his briefly. Such a simple thing, this touching of the lips, yet it caused a considerable amount of heat to flash across his entire body. Her face was flushed as well.

The sudden fire from her touch broke the spell of the moment. His years of training took over forcing the Prince to jump back. Not knowing what to do or say, he ran down the corridor leaving a suddenly distraught Moai in his wake.

She turned to find the Lady Aurella watching her, wearing a secretive, happy smile.

"He'll be fine," she assured Moai. "Remember, Moai, he's been trained since birth that touching any part of another's person's head was strictly forbidden."

The realization that, for the third time, she had broken that very same commandment drove all worry over the prince's reaction from her mind.

Part 26

The priest had been sure that Chara intended that the three women would die, but when the Presence departed without giving him instructions, he was at a loss to decide what to do. He sent an assistant to get a senior father.

They talked it over in hushed whispers and finally decided that, without clear and specific instructions, it was not safe to act. Knowing that they could find the women again if needed, they released the women back to their families. For now.

Knowing that her brother would be concerned about her, Foyaly first went to his chambers. She wasn't disappointed. Seeing his sister alive, despite his worst fears, erased his worry about the encounter with the slave girl. He silently thanked Chara for her mercy.

Part 27

Two weeks passed, and Chara answered no one. The priests tried every ritual that had ever been documented. They would have been happy to see any reaction, but their efforts brought only silence.

It was during the frantic search through the archives that Ja'ed stumbled accross an ancient, secret prophesy. The language dated it to the Before time. It was so vaguely worded that he wasn't entirely sure, but it seemed to offer a possible explanation.

If he was right, though, Chara's priests had a serious problem.

He thought about it some more.

Ok, maybe it wasn't a problem, maybe it was an opportunity - but only if understanding of the ancient, vaguely worded document was correct. He left the library and went looking for the members of the royal family. A very delicate inquiry was the first thing on his agenda.

Part 28

Under a dark cloud of universal suspicion and mistrust, life slowly returned to something near normal in the court.

Brayla's training was completed - she was ready. With two weeks remaining before the ceremony, Moai and her lady were satisfied that she would acquit herself well.

Moai, though, was still frantic with worry. Chance encounters with various priests plus the gossip running through the palace pointed to one very scary conclusion - the priesthood was blaming the royal family for Chara's silence. There didn't seem to be any reason for them to believe that the royal family was actually responsible, but reason didn't appear to be relevant.

What really worried Moai was that Brayla was the only girl in this induction from the royal family. She was certain that, if none of the others slipped up, that Brayla's efforts would be judged unfairly and the poor young girl would end up as the priests' gruesome sacrifice.

She discussed her fears with the Lady Aurella. The ancient ghost woman merely smiled and offered her vaugely worded assurances that "things will work out". Clearly, the former queen knew something important that she was unwilling to share. Moai found it exceedingly annoying.

Part 29

Ja'ed had been discretely seeking out and speaking to the royal family about Chara's silence. They were understandably reticent - the last time the church had investigated the royal family, eighteen people were executed for crimes against Chara.

Not that his plans were exactly in the church's best interests. If any hint of what he was doing got out, not only would the entire plan unravel, but it would likely make him the object of the harshest punishment that his fellow priests could possibly dream up.

Watching the various royals at court proved to be more productive than direct interrogation. He was able to almost conclusively rule out more than half of the possible suspects before finding what he sought.

The next suspect on the list, the Queen's second son and, by birthright, Chief Sorcerer, was overseeing a minor ceremony. Everything seemed normal until a young slave girl belonging to the Queen's sister, Lady Garia, happened to come in, looking for the Queen. The old priest's eyes caught the prince's unguarded reaction - a flicker of joy - before his discipline reasserted itself. The girl's eyes caught those of the prince and, not being trained to hide her feelings, that same joy lit up her face.

Now that he knew who the key players were, the old priest retired to his chambers to plan for the fulfillment of last part of the prophesy.

Over the next three days, he investigated every aspect of young Moai and the family that she cared for. By the evening of the third day, he had figured out the most probable chain of events, but realized that he had no control over how they would unfold.

A pleasant surprise broke his reverie. The young prince knocked on his door, looking for him.

"Greetings Father Ja'ed," he said politely.

"Your Highness, how very nice to see you," replied the priest. "Please come in and sit down." After the prince sat, he continued, "Now what can I do for you today?"

The prince was understandably hesitant, Chara's priests tended to be a particularly bad choice for those needing help. "I'm very concerned about what is happening with Chara and how this might affect my family," he eventually began. "I've seen some very disturbing signs." He had, in fact seen several, but the one that surprised him the most was the gradual unraveling of the spells holding up Chara's Tower.

"Why are you asking me, rather than one of the other priests?" He wanted to be sure of the prince's motives before confiding in him.

A worried look and an even longer pause was the immediate response, but finally he whispered "Whenever I have seen you at work, or dealt with you in any way, you have always been fair and reasonable. You have never meted out harsh punishments except for harsh crimes and you have never knowingly allowed innocents to suffer more than necessary."

The Prince was smarter than he expected. Ja'ed had cultivated an appearance designed to mask his real feelings, but the young man saw through it easily.

Satisfied that the prince was a sound ally, he whispered back. "Something exceedingly unusual is happening. If even a hint of the truth were to reach the wrong people, things would get far worse than they are now. For your own safety, I will tell you only what you need to do and you will have to trust me that what I ask is both necessary and important."

Felood examined him carefully through narrowed eyes, searching for any sign of deceit. Reluctantly he responded, "What is it that you need me to do?"

Moving his lips close to the Prince's ear, he whispered, even softer than before, "You must watch over your aunt, the Lady Garia, and also her children and the young slave girl, Moai. It is vitally important that they not be harmed in any way before Brayla's induction ceremony."

He sensed that the priest somehow knew about his encounters with Moai, but as he hadn't brought them up, perhaps he was mistaken. Just as he was thinking about how the request would give him reason to see more of Moai, the priest continued.

"You must also keep a very close watch on yourself and young Moai. It would be death for you both if anyone else realized how you feel about each other."

Obviously, then, the priest knew what was going on, probably even more than he was letting on.

It would be hard, he thought, to be with her constantly without allowing his feelings to show. It would be even harder on Moai. He nodded mutely, assuring the priest that he understood what was needed. He stood, bowed and silently departed.

In all likelihood, they would all die a horribly painful death very soon. Then again, sometimes the universe was prone to sudden, unexpected turns.

Part 30

As the Lady Garia had always been his favorite aunt and he had often spent time with her in the past, no one found it odd for him to spend time with her now. The hardest part, therefore was heeding the priest's warning. Despite his effort to maintain his usual public face and repeated warnings to Moai that they were on very dangerous ground, he was sure that his aunt knew how they felt. He knew that she would be discrete, but he redoubled his efforts.

Several times, over the next week, priests came to call on them. Twice, he was forced to insist, invoking his authority as Chief Sorcerer, that the priest's investigation was unwarranted. The priesthood was getting desperate and had already executed six of his cousins. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to protect his aunt and her family.

Part 31

The Sentinel decided to chance one final visit to the palace to visit the Lady Aurella. With the ancient prophesy half fulfilled, he knew that this would likely be his last chance to see her. He wanted to say goodbye.

With both of them fully aware of the danger, their meeting was brief. Neither spoke. Despite being fluent in at least 6 languages, no words that they could think of were sufficient to express the joy they felt at the end of this long, dark period. Neither could they convey how much each would miss the other with their final parting at hand.