Only a few moments had passed, although it seemed like an eternity to me . 'Let's see if Meridian's trick works!' Without too much hope, I launched the bomb: 'Old Myr of Prax, forgive me, but I must ask: how could you give the Soj Bharah witches and witchers your only daughter?'
I watched as the old man's eyes froze like a snapshot from the Museum of Primitive Technique in Vyrax Central, the capital of the Empire. Then, after a few seconds, the old man's gaze activated the inner eye of distant memory and began to tell the forbidden story. The serum of truth, or whatever that was, skillfully prepared by Meridian, took effect. The Holy Priestess's mental barrier had been bypassed. Meridian was, indeed, brilliant!The other day, when I confronted her about being a Soj Bharah witch, Meridian did not even bother to deny, as I supposed she would. Furthermore, she unexpectedly opened up to me. She told me things I was certain she'd never told anyone before- how harsh and mind blowing her training had been- a constant struggle to win all those horrible games of survival: game after game, after game, trap after trap, after trap. She endured everything with stoicism and she would have ten times more, provided they fulfilled her greatest wish: to let her know the truth about her origin- something which the Holy Priestess would always deny her. She had uselessly tried to make her father tell the true story of her origin. She couldn't. His mind was under Soj Bharah's control. This made her even more determined to learn all the info extraction techniques. Which she did. However, at a certain point, just when she had lost all hope, she suddenly realized that there was still a chance to successfully extract the information she was seeking, provided a certain technique was performed by someone else- a difficult, if not impossible task. But I offered to help anyway. I really wanted to help her. Besides, I was also damn curious about what the old man had to say about all these things. At first, I had serious doubts I could perform, but Meridian assured me that I had it in me to do it.
And it worked! The old man started telling the story as if he was a story-teller from the ancient Decameron:
‘It was the 9th year of the Baktu era. I had just married Rrynne, against all odds, and we were thinking of starting a family together. Genetic compatibility would have allowed us no more than a small home on theSyx5: a planet situated at the very edge of the Sil'Vix Star system, where the terraforming process was about to begin. No offspring permitted for 15 standard years. We knew life was hard there, but we decided to see it and maybe give it a try. After all, it was the only way to seal an official marriage and make a life together. And if we worked hard enough and did our duty to the Empire, we could earn an upgrade in the next few years.’ Have you ever been on Syx5?'
I nodded.
'Well, it really looked as if the edge of the world was hidden there, though, technically, the centre of the Galaxy wasn't far! We knew others had tried to make a living there, but they lasted for no more than one standard year.
However, during the first night on the orbit,something terrible happened: Rrynne vanished without a trace. Authorities said she had fled, but I was convinced she had been abducted.I searched for her without any luck.
She had already been missing for 10 standard months and, although I had begun to lose all hope of finding her, I refused to give up. Thus, one evening, something weird occured: I suddenly sensed an overwhelming presence in the room. It was then when I saw her! She was an imposing and authoritative presence, and it was clear that she was far from being a simple witch, but a high-ranking priestess.
'I can make it possible for you to see your wife again, or even get her back, but you will have to do exactly what I ask you to! '
I blinked in approval, waiting for instructions, which did not take long to come:
'You will immediately go to spaceport 3! You will take the fast travel shuttle waiting for you, docked in cargo bay 7. Here are the coordinates you must follow!You will arrive in five standard hours at these coordinates! There, you will find your wife. She will let you know about the terms and conditions of the agreement between us! ‘
By the time I looked at the coordinates on the pad, the High Witch had disappeared into the thin air.
I set off without delay, and six standard hours later I was in the main cabin on an apparently abandoned planetoid, at the edge of the Soj Bharah Prime system- a planetoid that, according to all known celestial maps, should not have existed. T. It was protected by a force field -some kind of technology I did not recognize. I had no trouble getting on the surface, though. It was very similar with Syx5.
The planetoid was smaller, as if someone had tried to create an exact replica at a smaller scale. Which wouldn't have been surprising at all, given the fact that the Soj Bharah order possessed technology that might have surpassed any kind of technology the Arkastrian Empire had officially developed independently. Or any other Empire , for that matter. In fact, legends say that, centuries ago, the Soj Bharah Order gave technology to all the existing empires, as well as to all known small worlds. Covered in religious rituals and mystical legends, but still….
Well, I landed in front of the dome which was probably a living area, and entered. The interior was modest. At a table, in the middle of the cabin sat, as if waiting for me since forever, my Rrynne. I rushed to embrace her.’ but she stopped me. To my surprise, Rrynne was holding a baby.
Prior to my articulating any question, Rrynne began to speak on a very serious tone, in a way that did not admit reply: to be honest, during the whole trip, the thought that my Rynne was a damn Soj Bharah's witch was killing me- flying through my head like a poisoned arrow; that she would manipulate me with advanced mind control techniques- a very troubling thought I quickly dismissed.
'Myr, you're certainly wondering what happened to me. If I was really kidnapped. Well, I was. Ten standard months ago. Nothing serious happened to me,because the High Priestess, who had been following me for some time, saved me at the last minute. But I can't talk about it anymore, and it's absolutely necessary that you promise me you'll never ask. "
I nodded in surprise, knowing that the discussion would stop there if I didn't. 'The High Priestess gives us what we want most: the chance of a family, despite my belonging to the lower caste of the genetically undesirable and our genetic mismatch.
I looked at her suspiciously: Okay, but why? What does she want, what does he want in return? Cause I find it hard to believe she's only doing it out of the goodness of her heart! Provided she has one!
What she wants, instead, is to raise and protect this child as if it were ours. She will be registered as adopted.’
‘But, beloved wife, should I remind you that we are not allowed to procreate or to adopt? We could barely even get married!
' She assured me that both the child and we had our genetic code cloaked and re-written, so that our petty crime against the Empire would not be discovered. Instead, we will do exactly what we are told regarding our lives and the way we raise our child; and we will not ask questions. We will live here for 5 years, coordinating and supervising the terraforming process, mostly done by specialized robots.. We will receive everything necessary to have a good life and to do our job in much better conditions than other terraformers.'
'What if I refuse?'
'Obviously, you have that right. If you refuse, your memory will be reset and you'll be relocated without further consequences'.
Without any further consequences than to never see you again!'I said angrily. Rrynne, how could you agree with such a deal?
'Rrynne sat staring at the floor, sobbing.
'You know how much I wanted a family with you, Myr. The
child is special. They needed someone to. adopt, raise and protect her for some time. As soon as she turns 5, she will go to school on Soj Bharah 5 where she will benefit from a high level of training. Then, we will be able to return to our native village-planetoid, on Prax 8.You will be given the job of Supervisor of the construction team of the underwater human habitats in the area, while I become the warden of Prax 8.'
'So, in other words, the good almighty Soj Bharah witch shall give us the child we have been longing for, only to take her away from us after 5 years!
And I have no right to ask anything about the child's education, I suppose."
No. It is part of the terms of the negotiated agreement. The child will visit us regularly even after leaving to Soj Bharah. Myr, I am sincerely sorry!I realise how conflicted you must feel right now! But if you truly love and trust me, you will understand that I made the best deal for us, under the circumstances. "And if you don't trust me, then we can't have a life together under any circumstances!'
' This os emotional blackmail, Rrynne!
' I wish it were, Myr!
Rrynne looked deep into my eyes, and I could see all her inner struggle. I knew then that everything she told me was true, that I trusted her, that I loved her and she loved me, but the feeling that I was just a puppet in a game I didn't understand made me feel utter revolt. I hated the witch and everything she represented, though I had to admit to myself that what I hated was, in fact, her power, in contrast to my inability to oppose her. I hated her for what she had done to Rhynne, and it hurt me that Rhynne had to fight a heartbreaking inner fight, and that she had to do it alone. It was killing me that her burden was immense, while I could not carry it for her!
' If we do what she asks, and the imperial authorities catch us, we may end up executed! This isn't a petty crime for us, as the witch stated.' I said with malice.
' Myr, I understand your feelings, but if we put them aside, we have to admit that, what Soj Bharah are offering us, is more than we can hope for from the Empire. '
She was right. After all, Soj Bharah ruled from the shadows not only the Arkastrian Empire, but all known empires and worlds.
'Here! Care to hold her?'
That moment I held Meridian in my arms and she suddenly became mine. I never understood how genetic re-written strings work, but then I felt it. Whatever technology Soj Bharah possessed to rewrite the genetic code, it basically turns you into a new person. Meridian waa mine in an instant, and I knew I had made the right decision!
'Where are we going to settle for the next five years?'
We settled on that very mini planet-the replica ofSyx 5 and everyone wass told we were on Syx5
You know, the five years spent on the replica of Syx5 were the happiest of my life. Then we had to give Meridian away. But no matter how much I hated that witch, I must give her the credit she deserves: she has kept all the promises, whatsoever!
So, you see, Ayden, I didn't give my only daughter to Soj Bharah! Rather, the Soj Bharah gave me an only daughter. She has always been theirs. What exactly that means, I don't know. But what I do know is that, witch or not, her feelings for you are genuine. She has that flame in her eyes, which didn't exist before you appeared in our lives! '
His words disturbed me beyond measure.
' What about her mother? Was she one of them, too?' I asked.
'Truth be told, I've never asked those questions, Ayden. I quickly decided that I didn't wanna know! I chose to be happy with what I was given and make the most of it. So, tell Meridian I' m sorry she went through all that trouble to get the information out of my head, only to find out it had never been there! I never knew more than I've just told you.'
'You knew!' I said, surprised.
He smiled.
A bit disappointed, as I'm sure Meridian would have felt, too, I sympathized with the old man. I gave him the pill.' To counteract the negative effects of bypassing the mind control witch program. Meridian said that if you talked about it without adequate mental protection, you can suffer serious nerve damage.'
That evening, I found Meridian levitating among the phosphorescent jellyfish. on the hanging rocks of Prax 8. I stared at her in fascination, thinking of her old father's story and wondering what occult forces had brought me and Meridian together - two humans who seemed to have nothing in common, caught in incomprehensible strings, stronger than the Universe itself.
"That image of Meridian would last in my mind forever, though I didn't know back then that it would be the last thing I would see before dying on Sil'vix Prime. But then, how could I?
The story of old Myr's journey through a unique life has ended there- just where the story of young Ayden Chrome has just begun…..But that's a story for another time
BIO:
Not much to tell, except Ioana Stocia( jade storm) has been a member of the Aspiring Writers' Society from the very beginning. However, this is her first submission for the E-zine.