The Ninth Prophecy

Days were growing shorter and shorter. Darkness was taking up most of the day. With it, the news of the rising dark threat reached Karos. In Karos, everyone was soon sure that they were filling the grip of a shadowy hand which had slowly crept up on them. The scouts Faris had sent out several days earlier returned with more news. They approached Faris cautiously. One of them spoke: “Our king, we bring you news from far...from the Doomed Dome.”

- “Speak up.”

- “Our population near the Dome is growing restless. News are spreading of their leader - a sorcerer - who was in hiding all this time. He seems to be raising a mighty army...creating it, I should say.”

- “First of all, there are no such things as sorcerers. Don’t say that again. Secondly, how do you mean that he is ‘creating’ an army?”

- “Well, my lord, he...this not-sorcerer is said to be interbreeding the Servarians with the Koprites somehow. They say he is creating an army of a new breed. They are as tall as any Servarian, but now they can breathe outside of the Dome. Several villages have been annihilated. It is said to be the deed of this new army. The people call them urhs. That’s because they can’t speak and they only mumble these voices which sound like an ‘urh’. They say that one huge urh destroyed a village by himself. It is said that they are driven by our works in the mine. It appears that they believe it is somehow connected to their destiny.”

-“Well, if villages are annihilated then who is telling the stories? Never mind, deliver the order that all of the bordering population is to move behind the line of the Devil’s Tooth. They will be safe closer to the city. As for the mine, it seems that the darkers have set their eye on the ninth prophecy themselves. Maybe they think that they should fulfill it!” Faris said mockingly.

- “It doesn’t seem to be quite like that, my king. It is more like they see the breaching of the tunnel as a sign of their doom. They are motivated to do everything they can to prevent it.”

Axion then approached Faris: “My lord, Faris, your decision to give all of the Galian metal and the metal of the Illuminators for making better ploughs is admirable, but maybe it is now time for you to consider taking some of it back and forging weapons.”

-“No, Axion. I will do no such thing. Our soil is rich with metal. The new ploughs dig deeper therefore and the soil is more fertile. Because of this our harvests are richer and people live better. The mining tools made of the same metal have the same effect. They strike stronger on the rocks, speeding up the works and making them easier. I will not trade the welfare of my people and I will not allow fear to rule over our lives. Whatever happens in the end, the people must be provided for. Our way of life shall suffer to warfare never again. War brings what it brings. It endangers and takes lives. But we must always remember this: life is overrated. It is living which is of value.”

- “All right. You are the king. We will have it your way.”

* * *

Faris was worried about the welfare of the kingdom. Days later he was still just as burdened by the violent past they had just left behind them. He invited Axion for a ride outside the city walls. Axion could feel the anxiety that was eating up Faris: “Tell me, Faris, what do you have on your mind that is such a heavy burden for your shoulders?”

With a touch of insecurity, Faris spoke up: “I don’t know, Axion. I often wonder if I did the right thing. Just look at everything we did, Yon did. Maybe we were not destined to rule the kingdom. Maybe we misinterpreted the prophecies. People tell me that I am not responsible for my brother’s deeds, but it still doesn’t feel right.”

- “You are right. It is not true that there is no such thing as joint responsibility. We are all responsible for the choices we make. We chose your brother as a projection of our weaknesses, our hatred towards the Baranthams and the Koprites. There might be no joint guilt, but there certainly is a shared responsibility for we delegated and empowered Yon to do what he did. Your brother is guilty of the deeds he committed, but it is us who are responsible for enabling it. He only had the opportunity to execute the plan because of our support. But, the point is, we did it in belief that we were doing the right thing. The only choice we have is to accept that we made some bad choices. The sooner we recognize it, the sooner we repent, the sooner will we be able to recover. We need you to recover, to be strong. You must be strong when the time comes.” Then he continued, now referring to the old prophecies:

- “You know, about Thyon and Valir - when they interpreted the old prophecies in favor of the Baranthams….they were right. I knew it deep inside myself, but I couldn’t understand it. I just couldn’t cope with it. Now I do. At the end it all comes around. But, it would be unjust if I was to say that they were wrong and I was right. They just went with what they saw, I couldn’t. Those prophecies now brought us to this position, the restored rule of a Kulin, a just Kulin who questions his own decisions and listens to his consciousness.”

- “Thank you for your honesty and for the encouragement. I needed it. Don’t spoil it now with further elaboration.”

- “Oh, I am not going to spoil it. Actually, I am going to reinforce it, with some very concrete...things.”

- “What do you mean, speak up?” Faris said impatiently, rubbing his hands in the cold air.

Axion turned to the side and pulled out a big sword which was hiding under a bundle of garments on the horse’s back. The sword was beautiful. It was fully engraved all through the length of the blade. Under the fading winter sun its color turned from fiery reddish-orange to yellowish-white.

- “What’s that?” Faris spoke, looking at the sword the way a child looks at a toy it wanted the most.

- “This is a prime example of my craftsmanship...with the aid of several blacksmiths from the city. It is a sword forged of two opposites. Two extremes brought to harmony. It is a sword forged of a combination of Galian metal and the metal of the Illuminators...I managed to steal a bit of each. I hope you don’t mind.”

- “But how...how did you bring and forge the two together?” Faris asked in amazement.

- “Don’t ask me that. Some secrets of the prophecizers must remain secrets. If we lose the secret, we lose the urge to search.”

- “There is some inscription. I do not know it. Can you help me?”

- “Yes. You see, this sword has its identity, a personality if you will, so it was only appropriate to give it a name. Back in the time of peace, we managed to decode some of the old language writings. The Illuminators did most of the work, to be honest. One of these languages in particular interested us. Many books were written in it, although it was said to be extinct even long before the lights of the knowers, those who lived before, were extinguished. With my weak knowledge of the language, I tried to put it to use and I named the sword Ex Causa Liber!”

- “What does that mean, Axion,” Faris asked turning the sword around and examining it curiously.

- “Well, if I got it nearly right, it should mean something like: From the Source of Books. It is supposed to mean that both its origin, its power and the driving force for its use should be the thing which is the source of all books. And do you know what that is, Faris?”

- “Knowledge, I guess,” Faris replied like a schoolboy questioned by his teacher.

- “Well, that’s not quite right. Knowledge is what should be displayed in a book, but the real source of a book is always curiosity - wish to explore and uncover the unknown. The quest for the unknown is the source. The knowledge acquired is what is laid before you as the destination of the path one chooses to take. But it is the choice of the path which ultimately defines what the final outcome will be.”

- “Thank you my friend, both for the wisdom you share and for this wonderful gift. I will take good care of it, of both!” the visibly thrilled Faris spoke.

- “The sword carries great power with it. Keep it in its sheath and for as long as you can reframe from using it. Once taken out, it attracts all metal from around. You have to master the art of controlling it before you can use it. The effect can be temporarily neutralized if you follow my instructions. I’ll give you these stones. If you rub it off these stones before battle, the attracting effect of the sword will be diminished. It will still be a strong weapon and it will break all other metal, it will only not attract it with such force.”

Their talk was interrupted by Hadera and Goras who were walking in the nature. Goras was still enjoying his people’s and his own retained freedom.

“Hey there, my savior!” Goras hailed Faris cheerfully.

- “Hello, my dear friend. How are you. And what are you doing with Hadera? You two definitely don’t look like a couple to me!” Faris replied just as joyously at the sight of the two.

- “Well, maybe we don’t, but someone else might. Since you appointed me the master of the Red Rock mine, I have little time for pleasure. My dear Axion, I wish to discuss some fishing matters fishing with you. Would you mind joining me?”

The two men went away, leaving Faris with Hadera. The two continued on foot. Mostly, they discussed issues of security of the city. They talked about some private matters too, such as Yon’s destiny and how it affected them both. Yon’s tragic ending seemed to bring the two closer together in their grief.

However, they were not to enjoy the time of peace for much longer. The shallower the sound of the pickaxe striking on the dirt and rocks of the Red Rock got, the more imminent the darker threat became. Everything was made clear when a horion rider sent by Faris to scout the area didn’t return to the city. The spies only recovered rider’s bloody cloak. The stories turned out to be true. Soon, a voice came from the Devil’s Tooth that a fearsome darker army was advancing towards Karos. The voice came in just before the Tooth fell.