When you are entrusted with a secret, you must guard it with your life.  Your sacred honor is at stake.  Hold it close to you and keep it forever safe.  This is the duty of those entrusted with words that must not be spoken.

Adir Radd, Hope in Darkness

The Valkyrie broke out of hyperspace in orbit of Adrakaya.  Daru studied the sensor display for the Mista.

“We’ve beat him,” she said.  Her shoulders relaxed, and she sighed.  “The Mista will have to use the gate.  We should position ourselves to intercept him.”

“Why did he come here?”  Maya asked.

Daru didn’t know if she should say anything.  It was hard enough for her to hear Ianus’ plans, much less to have to explain them.

“He had said something about exploring the Forbidden Lands,” said Pryor, “He wanted to find the A’nath-ari for some reason.”

Maya’s face went pale, “The A’nath-ari?”  She said in a whisper, “Why would he want to find them?  He doesn’t,” she nodded at her brother, “Does he?”

“No,” said Pryor, very assertively, “That isn’t the reason.  I’m sure he would have mentioned that.”

Daru glanced back and forth between Maya and Pryor, “What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean?”  Maya asked, in a cold steady voice, “I can’t answer a question without knowing the subject.”

“What did you just ask Pryor about?”

“I shouldn’t say this,” Maya closed her eyes, “And I’m sorry I can’t tell you everything, but just remember this.  The A’nath-ari have not been in hiding.  They move in secret, never being seen by the eyes that watch all.  Sometimes it is better not to know some things, than it is to know them.”

“Is that it?”

“I can’t tell you anymore, I’ve already said more than I should.”

“More than you should?” Daru tossed her hands in the air, “You haven’t said anything.”

Pryor shook his head, “If you are going to make your life in the Chian’niu, you must learn to see the words between words.  We have chosen to live our lives in the shadows, subtlety is the trademark of our kind.”

“Subtlety?”  Daru rolled her eyes, “You mean being down right enigmatic.  The more time I spend around you older makers, the more I feel like I’m trapped in a labyrinth of misleading words.”

“You’ll learn,” said Maya, “When I first joined the Jade Moon, I thought the people were incapable of coherent speech.  Eventually, I got used to it.  You will too.”

Khensu Min looked up from his displays, “The Mista has just received gate clearance.  They should be emerging any moment now.”

“Hail her,” said Maya, “It’ll be easier to start a dialogue now.”

Daru signaled the ship, and waited for the reply.

Ianus’ voice broke over the intercom, “You shouldn’t have followed me.  If I had wanted you to come, I would have asked.”

“If you didn’t want us to follow,” said Daru, “You should have talked to us before you ran off to Adrakaya.”

“You won’t stop me.  I have made up my mind.  I have to do this.”

“The Mista is exiting the gate,” said Khensu.

“Move to intercept,” said Maya, “Keep us between him and the planet.”

“You are aware I can hear you?”  Ianus asked.

“We have no secrets from you,” his mother said gently, “We are not against you.  We are your friends and family.  You can talk to us.”

“You will just try to talk me out of it again.  I have to do this.”

“Then let us come with you,” Daru spoke before she thought.

“I’m not going to risk you.  You all know the likelihood of returning from Tai-wer is slim to nil.  I can’t ask you to take that kind of risk.”

“You haven’t!”  Maya’s voice quivered, “We’re volunteering!  We can either go in with you, or go in after you.  That is the only choice you have in the matter.”

“No one gives me any options anymore!”

“We just did.  ‘Where one is in danger, all are in danger.’  That is what Tien Shaa said.  We care for you.  Please come aboard.  We’ll talk about it, and I give you my solemn word, we will allow you to do whatever you decide to do.  But you have to give us the same courtesy.”

There was silence.  Maya scratched at her eyebrow, and watched Daru’s lips move in silent prayer.

“The Mista has stopped her approach to the planet,” Khensu expected jubilation, but there was only relief.

“Please, Ianus, if this is how it ends,” Daru gulped, “we can’t let it end like this.”

“Very well, prepare for docking,” Ianus sounded defeated, “I was only hoping to spare you from whatever unpleasantness lies before me.  I was at least, well intentioned.”

Faroh paced around the bridge of the Tengu ship.  Cythraul sat comfortably in the captain’s chair in the middle of the room. 

“Where are we going?”  Faroh asked, anger filling his words.

“Adrakaya, my dear boy.  We are going to Adrakaya.”

“Are we going after that Akeru?”

“No, his fate is in his hands now.  No, we have our own business to attend to.”

“You seem quite sure that he won’t survive Tai-wer.”

Cythraul leaned back in his chair, “He won’t be able to get past the gate, and even if he does, he won’t survive what lurks behind them.”

“You sound like you know from experience.  Have you ever been to Tai-wer?”

“I have,” Cythraul grinned, “Many times over the centuries.”

“You made it back unscathed.  What makes you think he won’t?”

“He won’t.  My prescience may fail me from time to time, but I don’t need to have my talent to know that.  I am allowed to come and go as I please.  They won’t even allow him entry.”

Cythraul stared at Faroh.

Faroh felt like something was tearing through him.  His mind rested heavy within his tingling head.  He wanted to close his eyes, but he resisted.

Cythraul smiled, “What first attracted you to the teachings of Dov Lavan?”

“There is too much anarchy in the galaxy, and the immorality of the public is getting worse.  There are so many flaunting their abominable lifestyles.  So much wickedness, and it is spreading like a plague.  They have turned liberty into license.  This can’t be allowed to continue. Someone had to do something.”

“And you are the one to make things right?”

“Not necessarily, I know the way.  I can show the way to others.  They are the ones who insist on having a democracy.  In time, we will have the majority, and when that happens we will set things right.”

“And the people who get in your way?”

“They are not in my way, they are in the way of the Holy One.  Ara’lu Lavan pronounced their sentence ages ago,” Faroh stared at Cythraul with cold, bloodthirsty eyes, “If I am the instrument of justice, then so be it.  The law is quite clear:  ‘Suffer not a heretic to live amongst you, or their poison will spread among the people.  Cut out the cancer!  Better the heretic should die, then for the righteous to fall from faith.’  I know the way.”

Cythraul sat up, “I see that you do.  You are faithful, quite faithful.  You hold to every word, don’t you?”

“There can be no error in the words of the Holy One.  Every word is there for a reason.  We must obey.  Submission to authority is the greatest sign of faith.  Lavan’s interpretation of the song is the only way.”

“Your periapt, it is a replica of Ara’lu Lavan’s, is it not?”

Faroh held out his right hand, “Yes it is.  It is one of six replicas.”

“Do you know what happened to the original?”

“The real one was lost when that lunatic Tien Shaa murdered the Ara’lu.”

“What if I told you that I know where the real one is?”  Cythraul leaned forward in the chair.

Faroh laughed, “I would say you are crazy.  No one knows where it is.  After Lavan was martyred, his body disappeared.  He was taken into the heavens with all of his personal effects.”

“I’m sorry to tell you, but that isn’t exactly true.  I know where he’s buried, and where his periapt is.  That is, if you’re interested.”

“Heresy!” Faroh thundered, “The Ara’lu was translated after his death.  There is no tomb.  I knew you were a fraud.  I should kill you now.”  Faroh formed a sword and leered at Cythraul.  He couldn’t move.  His muscles were locked in place.”

“Well, come on boy,” Cythraul mocked, “I don’t want to wait too long to die.”  He laughed, “What’s the matter?  Can’t you act on your petty little threat?  I told you who I am and you have seen what I am capable of doing.  Don’t throw your life away over a minor detail of your faith.”

“Minor?” anguish filled Faroh’s voice, “If there is no ascension then my faith has been in vain!”

“My poor child, you know the truth.  How does the fate of one man affect the truth?”

Faroh was dumbstruck.  He wanted to argue, but he couldn’t.  “The Holy One is greater than any one person.”

Cythraul smiled, “Then your faith should not be in jeopardy.  I will take you to the tomb.  You can see for yourself.”

“How would you know where the tomb is?”

“I told you, I am Hlachar Cythraul.  After he died, I stole his body and placed it in a tomb that I had prepared for him.  You still don’t believe me, do you?”

“You are a powerful maker, that much is clear, but it is hard for me to believe that the Hlachar Cythraul would show so much interest in me.”

“Who would ever believe that the great Faroh Raanan would have a humble streak in him?  Are you telling me that you are not interested in having it?”

Faroh held his breath.  He didn’t believe Cythraul for a minute, but this was an opportunity he could not pass up.

“I have been looking for someone for a long time,” said Cythraul, “If you are not interested, I wish you would let me know.  I have work to do.”

“I’m not saying I don’t want it, but...”

“Look at it this way.  If I can bring you to the Ara’lu’s periapt, I am who I say I am.”

“Then take me to it.  If you really are Cythraul, then you must know what you’re doing.  If you are not, you will die by my hand.”

“Good.  If that’s the way you want it, so be it.  There is one thing that we have to do before I take you to it, but it is on the way.”

Ianus stood outside the door to the bridge.  Every fiber of his being cried out against going in.  He wanted to run back to the Mista and dart down to the surface, but he knew that they would follow him.  Their loyalty was commendable.  He didn’t want to be responsible for what might happen.

Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t wait outside forever.  He entered the bridge and waved at them.

Daru ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck.  Stepping back, “I’m so glad you came back to us.”

“I had to.  If you are going to risk your lives for me, the least I can do is be there with you.”

“So, you have accepted the fact that we’re coming with you?”  Maya asked.

“No,” Ianus sighed, “But what else could I do?  I suppose Daru explained everything to you.”

“She said that you wanted to find Usekht Maati,” said Pryor, “A foolish thing to do, but it sounds like a lot of fun.  A great adventure to find the place where it all began.  I wouldn’t miss it for the world.  I’ve spent so much time on passenger liners lately, a good jolt of life-threatening danger will be a wonderful change of pace.”

“He’s always been an adventurer at heart,” said Maya, shaking her head.  “But he is right.  Do you have any idea where Usekht Maati is?”

“No,” said Ianus, “I was hoping one of you did.”

Khensu stood up from his station, and hesitantly raised his hand, “If I might.  No one knows the location of anything in Tai-wer.  The Enmadra decreed that all maps of the region had to be destroyed before the wall around Tai-wer was finished.”

“There’s really a wall?”  Ianus asked, “I thought that was just a legend.”

“It encloses all nine point four million kilometers,” said Khensu, “There are only four gates, one by each of the rivers.”

Ianus looked up at the image of the planet on the main view screen.  “Maybe we can narrow down the search area.  Scan Tai-wer, and display the results on the screen.”

Everyone took up their stations.  A flat map replaced the image of the green and blue orb.  The wall appeared on the map, snaking through the mountains and around the countryside.  It made a rough square in the heart of the largest continent, but the interior was black and shapeless.  There wasn’t even any topographical data on the map.

“Is something wrong with the sensors?”  Ianus asked.

“They seem to be all right.  I’ll run a diagnostic,” said Khensu.

“What’s going on?”  Ianus asked, “How come we can see the walls and the surrounding area, but nothing on the inside?”

“I don’t know,” said Daru, “Let me try something.  I’m pulling up the visual sensors.  There we go.”

“We can see everything.  Zoom in.”

The image grew larger and clearer, then the screen went black. 

“That’s odd?”  Daru furrowed her brow, “Why did the sensors black out?”

“They seem to be jamming us, to keep us from getting details,” said Maya.

“How could their system be so precise?”  Ianus asked.

“The Enmadra are a much older race than any of our peoples,  some say they were flying between the stars while we were still living in caves.  No one really knows for sure.  They are powerful makers.”

“Are they still on Adrakaya?”

“Maybe,” Daru said, “When I was young, we heard stories about people who had claimed to have seen them, but there is no evidence that they are still around.”

“They are so mythic,” said Pryor, “Many people see them in visions and confuse that with real life.  When something is part of your religion, they become part of your life whether they are there or not.”

“Diagnostic complete,” said Khensu, “The sensors are operating within normal parameters.”

“Scan the planet again,” said Ianus.

Again, nothing appeared within the walls.

“I have an idea,” said Daru, “I’ll be right back.”

Excusing herself, Daru left the bridge.

Ianus sat down in the captain’s chair and stared at the viewer.

“We’ll find a way,” said Pryor, “This is important to you, isn’t it?”

“Yes.  It was the last thing Ihy asked me to do.  I have to know why.  Something is waiting for me there, even Arun remembers that.”

“So you talked to him,” Maya smiled, “That’s good to hear.”

“All of the paths of my life go here.  Maybe I am running off to my death, I don’t know.”

“You are following your destiny.  We can all understand that, but don’t forget.  Your choices make your destiny.”

Tara wandered the corridors of the Valkyrie, trapped behind a wall of doubt and fear.  Her every instinct told her to run, to escape, to get as far away from everyone as she possibly could.  The darkness clouded her mind.  Obedience challenged her newfound sense of independence.

She hadn’t slept well for weeks.  She felt guilty for all that she had done, but she didn’t know what she should do.  Even worse, she didn’t know who to trust.

Rounding the corner, she stopped.

“Hello, Daru,” she said, bowing as Daru marched past her.

“Tara,” Daru nodded, “You were raised on Adrakaya weren’t you?”

“Yes, I grew up in a little town on the shore of the river Gihon.  Why?”

“Follow me,” Daru charged off down the hall, “We are trying to find Usekht Maati, and I thought maybe you might have some ideas where to look.”

“No, I’m sorry.  The Holy Books say that it is in the place from which the four rivers flow.”

“I know, but with over nine million square kilometers of area to search.  We have to narrow it down, or it’ll take forever.”

“No it won’t.  The A’nath-ari will find you before you find them.”

“That is precisely what I want to avoid.

“What?  Do you think they’ll treat you any differently if you find them before they find you?”

“I don’t know, but maybe if we can meet them on our terms we’ll be in a better position to negotiate with them.”

“Where are we going?”

“I am going to prepare a probe for launch.  They are jamming our sensors, so I thought I could equip a probe to broadcast on all frequencies, maybe one signal will get through.”

“What if they’re blocking the sensors instead of the signal?”

Daru stopped and turned to face Tara.  “If that’s the case, then we’ll have to try something else.  I don’t know what, but if that’s what they’re doing we may just have to try to land somewhere within the walls.  What other choice would we have?”

“Do you need my help?”

“If you have time.  I don’t want to keep you away from what you were doing.”

“I was just trying to think through some things.”

“Aren’t we all?”  Daru said and started walking again.  “What’s the problem?”  

“I was just wondering what I should do.  I feel trapped, caged.  The world has passed me by, and I don’t know how to catch up.”

“What’s wrong?  Is Barami still ignoring you?”

“No,” Tara hung her head low, “He has been paying much more attention to me lately, but I doubt my vocation.  I’m not sure whether I am where I should be.  Maybe this wasn’t the life I was called to.”

“If you weren’t here, where would you be?”

“I don’t know.  There is so much going on here, I need to be somewhere quiet.  I have to find myself.”

“Can I give you a piece of advice?  Nothing in this universe is permanent.  Everything changes, even you.  If you set out to find yourself, you will be searching for the rest of your life.  It is a quest without end.  Seek out friends and family, you will find them.”

“Why would you say that?”

“A couple of years ago, I went out to find myself.  Pryor saw what I was doing and thankfully intervened.  If he hadn’t, I know I would still be looking.  I know who I am now, but I know that I will grow and change.”

“Evolution must be served.”

“Something like that.   The only way to define something is to freeze it in time, but after a while it will break out of its cage and be undefined again.”

“Break out of its cage,” Tara muttered under her breath.  “All my dreams have turned into nightmares.  I don’t look forward to anything anymore.”

“Just let go.”

“Let go?”

“If nightmares are holding you down, you have to just let them go.  Go past them, or they will control you for the rest of your life.  If you are not in control, you will always be a slave to someone else.  You have to get past them.  Face your fears, you will survive.”

“But what if I don’t?”

Daru smiled, “You will.  I have faith in you.  You will be stronger on the other side.”

Tara smiled and hugged Daru, “Thank you.  I have to go.  I have a lot to do.  Thank you, I will see you on the other side.”

Ianus sat in the captain’s chair, staring at the empty black void in the large continent.  Maya and Khensu were huddled over the sensor displays.  

Pryor sighed, and turned to Ianus.  “What are we going to do if we can’t narrow down the search area?”  He asked.

“I don’t know.  We have to go down, we’ll find a way.  Fate would not have led me to this place only to abandon me now,” said Ianus, desperate to believe the words.

“Tien Shaa taught us, ‘Silence is the voice of fate when we must look into the heart of darkness.  The darkness empties our hearts and prepares us for the new harvest.’  Maybe this is our time to face the darkness,” said Maya.

“I can see the darkness,” Ianus pointed at the main view screen, “Now what?”

Daru entered the bridge, “I’ve prepared a probe for launch.”

“Will it work?”

“What other choice do we have?”

“We could always fly in closer, and take a look,” said Khensu.

Ianus bit his lip, “Launch the probe.  I don’t want to have to fly blind.  If the probe doesn’t work, we’ll have to think of something else.”

“Probe launched,” said Maya.

The door slipped open, and Aashen ran in gasping for breath, “The To’asaa...  the To’asaa has been stolen again!”  He yelled.

Ianus’ and Daru’s eyes met.  “Tara,” they said in unison.

“What did you say?”  Pryor asked, “Why would Tara steal the To’asaa?”

“She is the one who stole it before.”

“Did she attack Ihy!”  Maya roared, venom dripping from her words.

“No!”  Ianus and Daru said together.

“The probe is entering the atmosphere!”  Khensu shouted over the murmuring.

The ship lurched violently.

“What was that?”  Daru asked.

“The Sangrida has separated, and is departing,” Pryor answered.

“Hail her!”  Ianus shouted.

The display began to flicker.

“She must have put a virus in the system,” Maya gritted her teeth.

“The communication system is down,” said Pryor.

Ianus slipped out of his chair, but he didn’t hit the floor.  He floated in the air, so did Daru and the others.

“Gravity has failed,” Khensu held onto his station, “The engines have lost power.”

Everyone began to drift toward the port side of the bridge.

“The ship is listing!”  Pryor’s voice cracked.

“Our orbit is decaying!”  Khensu pulled himself closer to his station.

“Somehow we have to get the engines back online!”  Ianus ordered.

They all swam to a station, and struggled to get the computer to respond.

“How could Tara have caused all this?”  Aashen asked, “That is why Ihy wanted the Kishanu, they’re as good as having backups.  If something fails in the main system, they can take over those ship functions.”

“Well,” said Ianus, “If the Sangrida just departed it stands to reason that the Kishan Sangrida was aboard, and Arun is hardly in any condition to take over.”

“But that still leaves Mista.”

“Give her time.  She’ll restore function.”

“But how could Tara have done all this?”

“She didn’t!”  A raspy voice broke over the comm, “We did!  This land is forbidden to all outsiders.  Intrusions will not be taken lightly.  Leave now!  This is your only warning.”

“We have business with the A’nath-ari!”  Ianus yelled.

“The A’nath-ari do the business of the Enmadra, we do not know you!  Leave now, before it is too late for you.”

“We must see you!”  Ianus said, “Or at the very least speak with you.  We have come so far, do not send us away now.”

“The Bahn Se’leen should know better than to send probes into our land!  Do not try our patience young one.  We do not serve you!  We walk these lands alone.  Turn back or be destroyed.  We will not tell you again!”

Suddenly the gravity returned.  They all fell to the ground with a terrible crash.

“I don’t think they want to talk to you,” said Daru.

“For once in my life, this is not about what they want, it’s about what I want.  They will talk to me!”