Chapter 11

They gagged me, blindfolded me, and tied me. It would have been better if they had just blindfolded me, but they manhandled me like a carcass. That was where my killing power laid. If eyes could kill, they called it. I definitely could.

Still I slapped myself mentally, because I had not even tried to get mad at the Wilijies, not attempted to protect Lex and myself. They came, knocked Lex out, and took me away. I tried to reason with myself that it was too a small amount of time for me to react, but it was enough. The real cause for me not to kill them had been the simple fact that I had not felt threatened by them. I almost gave myself over to them. I could have put up a fight, killing them faster than they could kill Lex, whom I knew they were bound to kill if I tried.

Why did I not feel threatened by them? I do not know. Perhaps I was slightly affected by Vicdaen, him being half Wiliji and everything. It was not impossible. I dared not think more about it, because it was land to tread carefully, and I always was clumsy. Then... I felt something. I felt something larger than me... something divine. It could have been divine, it could have been human, or Wilijian, just something that took me over as I recognised my vision from much earlier. It had to have a meaning.

So just for that silly feeling I let myself be manhandled by four musky Wilijies, which by the way were not as horrible as the humans had made me believe. Muted, blinded and unable to move they put me on a bareback horse, and I had to ride it for what seemed like ages, but it was no more than a simple sun turn. As the insides of my eyes went dark they carried me away; I heard noises I recognised — those of a training army, and the more substantial sounds of torture — I was at the Wilijies's army camp. I could hear the rattling of metal, the clangs of steel against steel, and words of encouragement, words of discipline.

I was put down, and released from all the bondage, except the blindfold. Then a door slammed shut behind me. I released a shaky breath, and tried to make out where I was. I felt wood under my fingers, under my hands and feet.

I stopped my search when I felt air slip me by, as something passed by me. I was not alone.

"Start", a cold voice said just above me.

"Are you Amram Lothansdaughtir?" My ears twitched, and I turned my head the way the sound came from.

I did not believe that dishonesty would help me now. "Yes... Who are you?" I dared to request.

"Say it", I heard the harsh voice utter as there was a pause.

"I am Hajieelkhe."

Wait. Hajieelkhe rang a bell, a bell that rang too much to ignore. "I recognise that name..."

"Really", he snarled. "Could it possibly be because I am the general of the Wilijian army?"

"Nope, didn't know that", I said impolitely, before I could stop myself. "It's not that."

He sighed, the sound much more close to a groan than a sigh. "It does not matter." But it did, I knew it did. If I could figure it out, I was sure I would gain advantage.

"What is Vicdaen's main priority?" he asked.

"What?"

"What is Vicdaen's goal? What does he want more than anything else?" he said with an urgent tone.

"I don't know..."

"He wants you!" the two voices said at the same time.

I laughed, because it felt so amusing. "No, he doesn't want me... He wants his throne... back..." Now I finally remembered. He wanted his throne back, because they killed his mother. Placident seduced the queen's lover, and then killed the queen. And Hajieelkhe... He was the queen's lover, Placident's lover.

"You're Hajieelkhe."

"No, you don't say."

"No... I know who you are... May I speak with you alone?" I dared to implore.

"We are alone."

"What? No, we aren't."

"She can hear me."

"Yes I can", I said to that cold voice.

"But you're not supposed to", Hajieelkhe said with a voice that barely hid the anxiety of my revelation.

"I will go", she said, and as if I had been covered in a thin sheet of ice, the cold evaporated and warmth flooded to my skin. Why she left, I do not know. It seemed too easy. Either she was still listening, or she really trusted Hajieelkhe. Who was she anyway?

I pulled off the blindfold, and peered at the sudden flash of light, even though it was still dark, the only illumination coming from a simple oil lamp. I rose up, stretching my limbs free of the bonded numbness. As I did so I carefully looked around, finally noticing the tall beautiful man sitting in an armchair. He looked regal, even more regal than Vicdaen and Lex put together. He had the same cold expression Vicdaen had had when I first met him. He was lean, but still on the muscular side. His hairline was high on his forehead, but not in the way of an aging man, because his forehead was magnificent. His lips were pursed in an arrogant, yet humble way, and the colour made all fashionable lipsticks worthless. His skin was pale, paler than Vicdaen's, and looked hard to the touch. This was the first time I saw and analysed a Wiliji up close, Vicdaen did not count since he was half human. I felt as if I should worship his beauty but there was one thing that stopped me. His eyes... His eyes, almost completely hidden by thick black eyelashes, spoke of great experience... and great sadness.

"Well, what did you want to discuss?"

I shook my head. What to say, what to say? I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but I believed it would be hard to persuade him.

"I don't know if it is true, but I believe that Vicdaen's mother must have been wonderful. She must have been beautiful, kind and generous. And I think that anyone who loved her must have been the same... and are the same..."

As I spoke I watched his expression go from cold and uncaring to tender and loving. When I was finished he slid his hand over his face and hid his eyes.

"You did not know her", he said.

"No... But I know Vicdaen."

"Vicdaen killed her!" he snarled.

Wait... Did he? I thought he said that both his mother and he were supposed to be executed, but he got away. Did Hajieelkhe not know that?

"Wasn't she executed?"

"Yes!" He rose up from the chair and walked towards me. "He executed her."

I shook my head in protest. "Vicdaen is no murderer."