The Ninth Prophecy

Reddish-pink clouds rose above Nox as Faris returned from his successful campaign in the south. The entire midlands were dressed in melancholy as winter was setting in. Faris was welcomed by Maedur and Dokal, whom he left to run the city while he was absent. Faris came in good spirits. The news of his brother’s success had already reached him. The realm was finally governed by the Kulins, from the south up. He was eager to hear more news from Karos. “Has anyone of my brother’s party arrived yet, Maedur?”

- “No, my lord, we are still waiting for complete news. We know that your brother has taken over the city and that he is well. We have heard rumors about Daors being dead, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Different news have reached us in the past days, but they are too contradictory to make anything out of it.”

- “All right. Then we will wait for a proper messenger to arrive. I am surprised Yon hasn’t sent one yet. That worries me.”

Two hours had passed before Faris was called to the gates. A rider was galloping into the city, a rider from Karos. Faris went to hail the messenger. Much to his surprise, the messenger was no other than Sheda. He was nevertheless glad to see her, although he wouldn’t allow himself to give it away.

- “Noble Sheda, how good it is to have you back. Please, come in.” Sheda was visibly excited. She was breathing hard and she was exhausted. “No time, my lord…no time…”

- “No time for what? Speak up, Sheda!”

- “No time to rest. Your brother will be coming here soon, within a fortnight.”

- “Well, that is good. Then we will welcome him!”

- “Your brother knows you have taken over Baan Senicore.”

- “Ah, good! He must be very pleased!”

- “No, he is not pleased at all. A spy came from Nox as soon as the news reached midlands. He gave Yon the word.”

- “A spy?! Yon was spying on me?! How stupid is that?!”

- “He thought it was a good idea. He was furious when he heard that you disobeyed his order and took over Senicore. He sees it as an act of treason. He thinks you want to rally the troops to dethrone him!”

- “Oh, come on Sheda. You can’t be serious!” Faris spoke, still relaxed, thinking that Sheda is fooling with him. But that feeling didn’t last for very long.

- “No, I am very serious. You obviously haven’t heard what your brother did!”

- “For God’s sake, what did he do - kill the prophecizers,” Faris said and laughed. Sheda remained silent. Faris observed her, as if trying to read her face. He turned pale.

- “Speak up Sheda, what did Yon do?!”

- “He did…he killed the prophecizers, and all of the order of the Illuminators too. I am the only one left.” Voices were raised in Faris’s chamber of judgment, which they had reached by the time Sheda spoke of Yon’s deeds. The noise echoed through the castle. No one could believe what they were hearing.

- “What?! You must be joking Sheda! Why would he do that?!”

- “He killed the prophecizers because they declared Daors’s death to be a willing sacrifice. You see, Daors lowered his blade and allowed Yon to kill him. Yon was not happy. He said that he killed Daors in battle, that it was no willing sacrifice and he ordered all other witnesses to say so…”

- “Wait just a moment, Sheda. Why does it matter to him how he killed Daors?!” Dokal stepped in.

- “Because of the prophecies,” Faris replied in a serious tone, looking deep into Sheda’s eyes. “Because of the prophecies - If the throne’s master is to be decided by a willing sacrifice instead, fog will be replaced by thick darkness," Faris recited the sixth prophecy.

- ”A willing sacrifice shall then open ways to diverse outcomes of which only the last two of the destinies hereby proscribed are to be certain,” Sheda filled in, quoting the seventh.

- “My lord, I forgot what the last two prophecies were,” Maedur whispered.

- ”The king of this time shall stand alone against the might of the new light…The one on the throne when the Tunnel of the Red Rock opens will be the master of all the world. These are the last two, Maedur. It now all comes down to the ninth prophecy. The one to fulfill it will be the absolute ruler of the world. Yon can have it if I am to be asked. Why did he kill the Illuminators?”

- “Vengeance, my lord. He called my people Daors’s filthy servants of darkness. He will come to ask for your surrender now.”

- “Why would I surrender?! He is my brother, not my enemy! Why does he do this?! What did Goras do? Did he object to my brother’s bloody campaign?”

- “Yes, he did. He refused to follow, along with the rest of the Dabor army.”

- “The little straightwalkers are honorable,” Raavi said in respect of the Dabors.

- “That’s good. I hope Goras will put some senses in Yon,” Faris seemed relieved.

- “That’s just it. Goras can’t help. He is in need of help,” Sheda spoke out again.

- “What do you mean, Sheda?”

- “When Goras refused to listen to your brother, Yon had him shackled and thrown to work in the Red Rock mine, along with all other Dabors. He wants to make that ninth prophecy come true, and he will stop at nothing to make it happen. He showed enough mercy to have Goras work at the entrance of the mine and not inside, in the dark pit. He is there - Goras - outside of the shaft, just besides the gates of the city, emptying carts full of rocks coming out of the mine. Yon said that it is a good reminder to all who come in or leave the city of what happens to those who question king’s authority. All Dabors are on the three-finger thick chain that runs through the mine all the way out to the rock piles.”

Faris was shocked. He almost cried listening to how his brother humiliated their faithful friend, Goras. Shock turned into rage. “By the name of The One, he has gone completely mad! He has become the very thing he swore to fight against! All right. If he wants a fight, he’ll get it!”

A guard then rushed into the chamber, interrupting the discussion. “My lord, another group comes! They carry king’s banner. They are not numerous, maybe some twenty men.”

- “It might be Yon. Let them in!”

The party rode in confidently. The man at the helm was not Yon. It was general Darion. He kneeled before Faris.

- “For the sake of The One, stand up man. Why are you kneeling,” Faris said, annoyed by this Darion’s unusual gesture.

- “I am sorry, my lord. Your brother ordered that all men shall kneel before a Kulin, including you.”

- “Where is my brother, Darion?”

- “He is in Karos. He will come to Nox soon. He wants to know where your allegiance lays. He wants you to know that he is angry because you took over Baan Senicore, but he is pleased to know that his banners are cutting the skies. He still sees it as your attempt to gain support at his expense.”

- “What support, for what?”

- “For your challenge for the throne. Forgive me, but I don’t need to hear what you have to say on the matter. He will come to settle it with you, lord. I have arrived to announce his coming.”

- “And if we were to kill you, Yon would then know that he is coming to a hostile city, is that right? He sent you to see what we will do with you.”

- “That might be the case.”

- “So, what do you make of all this, Darion?”

- “Yon wants to rule with a firm hand. He wants to leave no loose ends at the start of his reign. However, he is making mistakes along the way. Let’s hope that he calms down and rethinks everything. I hope you can influence him the most, Faris. Reason with him, try not to argue too much.”

- “Try not to argue?! He has killed the prophecizers and the Illuminators. He has enslaved Goras, for the sake of The One! How do you reason with a man whose mind is poisoned?!”

- “We all hope you will find the answer to that question, my lord.”