1 day left
They fought for several hours and worked together much more synchronously. Skamtos was still subdued but worked well with the team since he had no wine.
The Emperor and Avso descended the endless caverns. Avso’s entire body was sore from training an hour ago, and each step made him wince slightly. The lack of Uk’s Otu enhancing his movement made Avso feel sluggish.
Avso stared at the walls, the endless mysteries. Maybe one day, Murok would allow him to understand and know all these mysteries.
“Where are we heading?” Avso asked.
“It is to where you must see. You must see that I am following Murok’s commands, doing what you told me to. We are heading to the dungeons.”
Avso’s stomach rolled. And his skin went clammy.
“OK ...” Avso’s voice was hoarse. The Emperor didn’t notice.
As they walked, Avso built up the courage to speak. "Emperor, on the day your ritual cements, we must meet. We will meet at the Guha Labyrinth."
The Emperor nodded. "It would be an honor to meet you."
They reached the cavern. "Come, see what we have done." The Emperor opened the door.
The scene that awaited him was horrible. People chained up, dismembered, bloody, dead.
But the worst part of it all was the bloody man he saw directly in front of him.
It was Luif Moodi.
He was chained up from his wrists, hanging from the ceiling. Bloody cuts stringing across his body. His entire figure was a shiny red. He didn’t move at all; he didn’t even sway.
Avso had to fight off the urge to throw up.
“it is good, is it not? You do not look pleased. This is what you wanted, no?”
“I ...” Avso fought with himself. “Let us leave this room.”
“Yes, blessed one. I should not have tainted your eyes with such unholy sights. I apologize.”
Avso nodded and stared at the floor as he left. His stomach felt as if it would explode at any second as if a non-believer was driving a knife straight into his chest and twisting it.
Avso barely noticed that he was hyperventilating.
The Emperor put a warm hand on his back. It made Avso tense in ice-cold fear.
“Blessed one, are you OK?”
“Why—Why … Why was Luif Moodi in there? Why was he dead?”
The Emperor ran his massive hands through Avso’s hair. His voice was silk-soft. “He was a traitor for Ilan—Murok told me. He was not the only one.” His voice filled with sudden wrath, and the air seemed to tremor. “No, he was not the only one. There were forty other Murkali warriors in line with Ilan. I had them all captured and tortured to death—like you told me to. They screamed for hours on end; I made sure of that.”
Avso almost threw up, and his eyesight blurred in front of him.
“To think that there were traitors for Ilan in the heart of Murok’s land, to think that I let them live in Murkali. Worse, I sense there are more. I sense there are more traitors everywhere. Murok is always whispering. They must all die; this is only the beginning. I will not stop until every non-believer is dead.”
Avso could hardly breathe to say anything.
“Come, blessed one. Let me take you away from this place.” The Emperor lifted Avso in gentle hands.
They went to a smaller rock room. There was a thin slit in the wall. Through the door-like opening in the cavern was darkness. Avso could make out what looked like an army of mud soldier sculptures through the darkness. He wondered how many were in that room and why it was hidden.
The Emperor must have seen him examine it because he said, "I don't know what's back there. Only the Elders may view that room. Although I believe it is the source of the Otu dampening here."
"What do you mean?"
"The Otu here is dampened. You must not be able to sense it because of your lack of Otu."
Avso nodded. Once again, they sat.
"You have called upon me at a good time. I have a dilemma. My teacher, Wiseman Ohvocdu, is ... not forthcoming with his wisdom. He avoids me. The last time I saw him, he was in such a state. He is a frail thing. But the look in his eyes when we looked at each other was not feeble. It was that of a powerful man.
"I always knew him to be strong, but I did not like the look in his eyes. It was decisive for the wrong reasons. It’s the same look I see in the eyes of nonbelievers. I do not like that look."
Avso didn’t know what the Emperor meant but tried to sound wise regardless. “Why do you think Ohvocdu had that look?”
“I do not want to know. But I fear I must. He was the one who taught me Murok’s will. But I fear he has lost touch with it. He was never one for tradition like I am. He always wanted different things. I fear ... I fear he is conspiring with Ilan.
“I do not wish it to be true, but… I can no longer ignore the signs. Oh, how I wish the signs were false.”
“But .. why do you think he’s conspiring with Ilan?”
“He is not forthcoming at all. He does not tell me anything. And worst of all, he moved to Emek City. He lives there now. He resided in Murakli his entire life, but after we took Emek, he was among the first to leave. This is not something to be taken lightly, is it? Why would anyone leave the birthing lands for the desert? There is nothing to be found there.
"Murok first touched the earth here. Why would Ohvocdu want to spend his last years anywhere other than where it is most holy?”
Avso didn’t have an answer. He feared he would lead the Emperor to the wrong answer like he did last time. He just needed to gain the Emperor’s trust. That’s all he needed. His job was to gain his trust. Then everything would be fine. “Why do you think he left Murkali?”
“I think he went there for the rioters. But now I hear he travels to Zemkoar. I have no idea why he may want to do so. He is betraying Murok for Ilan. Murok has hinted at it …” The Emperor trailed off.
Avso waited for him to continue.
“Murok-blessed, I can tell you Murok’s words, right?”
Avso nodded, unsure of what he was saying.
“Thank you.” It was a whisper. “I did not know. You see, Murok has gifted me the ability to hear his words. I figured he would gift only me because he does not want others to hear. You are Murok’s will, though. You must hear the words, too.
“I hear his name whispered. I hear his name when I am closest to the mud and send my thoughts to Murok to hear all he needs to know. It is like a whisper behind my neck; it makes me shiver. The voice—I cannot describe it—is not Murok’s. I think I know that. But it is of Murok. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Avso didn’t understand.
The Emperor nodded. “Why would Murok tell me Ohvocdu's name? I have the answer. It’s because he is fighting against what I have. Murok warned me. Murok wants me to know.”
The Emperor let out a breath. He sat there for a while; his eyes seemed empty. “Ohvocdu…” His words trailed off.
Avso’s breath suddenly whisked out of his body. The air whipped around the room, crackling. There was a deep buzzing, a tremor, and a crack. The ground shook underneath Avso. He couldn’t breathe. Great gasping breaths. There was no air.
The Emperor’s face was twisted in fury, hair floating, gold shimmering in candlelight. Avso’s heart clenched.
Avso suffocated. He was dying. There was no noise anymore. No great roaring of rage, silence as he died.
Then it stopped.
Avso lay on his back, heaving in great gulps of air. The Emperor grabbed Avso's head with trembling hands.
He couldn’t hear the Emperor’s words, only his gasping breath.
After a while, Avso’s breathing calmed, and the Emperor cradled him. The Emperor’s arms were strong and mighty—enough to crush stone to dust. Yet they wrapped around Avso with care to protect him. The Emperor cried great, heaving sobs that resounded across the room.
“I am sorry, blessed one ... I am sorry ... Murok, forgive me ...” He repeated this over and over, his body trembling.
Avso was stone-still. He couldn’t move, afraid the Emperor would crush him to dust. Murok’s mercy was at its limit for Avso.
Avso stayed like that for what seemed like forever. The Emperor went on crying, and Avso lay stiffly in his arms. But he began to relax after a while. His heartbeat calmed, and his hands stopped trembling. Maybe the Emperor was not so horrible. He seemed to genuinely care for Avso. He respected him.
The Emperor stiffened, and his head raised as if he heard something. His head swiveled, and his eyes were wide and gaping.
“Blessed one,” the Emperor said, “did you hear that? Did you hear Murok’s voice?”
Avso didn’t want to lie. He couldn’t lie about hearing Murok’s voice, right? But he thought about what would happen if he said no. If he told him that he had heard nothing.
“Yes, I heard it.”
The Emperor smiled. It was not a nice smile. It was cruel. It was evil. It was full of everything that made Avso’s bones tremble and snap in two. His heart crushed under the weight of that smile.
“So it is then. Murok has decided. We will march on Zemkoar City. Ohvocdu will die tonight.”
