The Ardor - 7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Za’dach nai dar shan su’kral.”

The wolf hunts its prey at night. At least, I hoped that I had said that. Maraki beamed at me.

“Word order’s even better than in my answer.”

I smirked back.

“And it took me only a Part to form that sentence.”

He laughed.

“Speed comes with practice. Your pronunciation is also getting better, by the way.”

The Ogrushkai language had hard consonants and a lot of guttural sounds, most of them sounding like a hissing cat. Keeping those apart was hard work for a native speaker of the Common Language.

“Thanks. How was that tongue twister again?”

“Ch’ach che ch’chen cho chai’chek tshek’tshan ch’choi.”

It translated to: three grasshoppers are taking a sun bath in the moonlight.

“When I can do this, will I be awarded the title of Honorary Ogrushkai?”

He laughed again.

“If we find a way to change the color of your skin, I’ll file a formal petition to the Council of Elders to award that title.”

“Some Tenths more of the food in here will turn me green for sure.”

Maraki’s stomach rumbled on cue.

“Do you think we’ll get something to eat this Cycle?”

Since the incident ten Cycles ago, meals had come at irregular intervals. We had mused whether this was a form of punishment. Though, not having to eat this muck didn’t feel like that. It was harder for Maraki than for me. His massive body demanded more food than mine.

“For your sake, I hope so.”

His stomach growled his approval. I bent over to him and rubbed his belly.

“Poor little tummy!”

Maraki chuckled. It had been a calculated move. My touch distracted him. On one hand, it was flattering how strongly he reacted to it; on the other hand, I was afraid how much power I had over this colossus. Power meant responsibility, and, in my life, I hadn’t excelled in this area. But watching his face shining a little brighter at every fleeting contact made it easy to forget about this.

“I can see the swallows circle.”

My brows lifted up.

“What?”

He grinned.

“It’s an Ogrushkai phrase. Your thoughts are like swallows and I can see them circling around in your head.”

I laughed out.

“I thought you were so hungry that you started to hallucinate.”

He joined me laughing.

“Not yet. Do you want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

Given the nature of my thoughts, I couldn’t share all of them with him. Still, I didn’t want to turn him down, so I selected the most appropriate one.

“I thought about responsibility and the lack of it I’ve been showing in my life.”

Maraki’s face turned serious.

“I don’t think you’re irresponsible. The way you’re treating me, the way you’re behaving in this difficult time is the way of respect. Respect is one of the many forms of responsibility.”

A single sentence of him could give me so much more sense of my own worth.

“I didn’t show that much respect to everyone.”

He looked at me; nothing more, nothing less.

“Do you want to tell me why you left Eleiya Spire?”

It was astounding. Behind that outer appearance of a grim warrior, the most sensitive person was hidden. My answer had been vague at best and he had seen through it to its very bottom.

“’Leaving’ isn’t perhaps the best of words. ‘Running away’ fits better.”

I had expected it to be more difficult to talk about this topic. I credited it to Maraki that it wasn’t.

“Living in Eleiya Spire meant learning. Literature, Writing, Politics, History… name it and I’ve learned it. Obviously, there was one notable exception: the Ogrushkai.”

He grinned.

“When we touched the subject of magic, I was captivated. My uncle told me about the theory only, but even this was more fascinating than all my other studies combined. I devoured the books about the arcane science.”

The memories came, uninvited: the wooden chair, hard and uncomfortable, in which I spent most of the Cycle, the smell of old books, which filled the air in every room, the noises of the servants working, far below the study room. And my uncle, of course. His crimson robe, his long hair like silver, the pipe between his lips, the rings of smoke rising from it, his voice, strong but warm.

“When I realized my powers, it was the happiest Cycle of my life. It was only a matter of time till my uncle would adopt me as his apprentice. I didn’t tell him, because the books had said that a wizard chose his pupil, not the other way round. I wanted to show him how much I was already familiar with the customs of the magical world.”

That had been only five Orbits ago and I had to smile at my own naivety now.

“But the Orbits passed and my uncle didn’t show any sign of interest in me regarding an apprenticeship. When he proposed that I should choose a profession besides my studies, it was clear to me that he’d never do.”

More memories bubbled to the surface: running into my room, slamming the door, trembling of anger, packing the most essential things, leaving in the middle of the night, not looking back once.

“I chose my profession according to my abilities. No book should be involved and it should put shame to the name of my uncle. And I wanted to be as far away from Eleiya Spire as possible.”

I swallowed down the lump in my throat.

“You see: my uncle cared for me most of my life, and, when things didn’t go my way, I left. That’s not responsible, that’s not respectful.”

I let my head hang down. Maraki put his hands on my shoulders.

“Maybe not. But your uncle has disappointed you. Decisions can only be made for the moment, and, for that moment, you decided what was right for you.”

He lifted up my chin, his face blooming with a warm smile.

“You took the responsibility for your life in your hands. That’s even harder than being responsible for others.”

Where his hands were touching me, my skin was burning up.

“You’ve got powers too. You take the broken things in my life and fix them using words only.”

Our gazes locked. I got lost in the golden sea of his eyes, churning with emotions. Maraki had become so much more than a friend. But what did that mean?

The noise of the iron bolt removed snapped me back to reality. That moment between us had passed. Both our heads turned to the door. It was the guard with our food. Wordless as always, he put the bowls on the ground and left.

“It’s earlier than usual. My Ardor won’t come before another two Units’ time.”

He looked at me grinning.

“But I won’t complain.”

One of the merits of the Ardor was its precision, giving us a clear mark in time. Maraki got up and fetched the bowls. He handed me one and sat down again.

“Have a nice meal.”

He started to devour his serving at once. It was still beyond me how he could be so eager for this stuff, but it made me smile every time.

“Have a nice meal.”

I wasn’t even through a quarter of mine when Maraki put his bowl down and wiped his mouth with his hand. I offered him mine.

“Here. You need it more than I do.”

“This time I won’t accept. You must be as hungry as I am.”

He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Don’t be stubborn. I’m glad if I don’t have to eat it.”

He didn’t budge.

“What kind of friend am I eating your food? You’ve already lost weight. Even I can see it.”

He was right. My trousers stayed up by good will alone.

“But… Maraki?”

He touched his head with his right hand. His eyes had lost their focus.

“I feel dizzy.”

His voice was slurred. Slowly, he was bending over to his left side. I grabbed him, but it took most of my strength to stop his fall. My worry for him made my guts knot up.

“Maraki?”

My voice was trembling. He didn’t answer and his eyes had closed. I couldn’t hold him much longer and laid him down as slowly as I could manage. My thoughts raced. The Nur’Zhul had poisoned the food. Was it lethal? No, they couldn’t be sure who ate from which bowl. They couldn’t risk killing me, not yet. But this could only mean… my head began to swim… the floor began to move… or was that me? I felt nauseous and laid flat down on the ground. The wooden door was opened and many feet came down the stairs. I could only tell by the noises, for I couldn’t get my eyes to focus. But when a light blue blur filled my vision, I knew who our visitor was.

“You ate enough to be incapacitated, but not enough to grant you the mercy of unconsciousness, Elyran.”

He paused.

“That must be a most unpleasant experience.”

I could hear the smile in his voice.

“We’re bringing a gift for your Ogrushkai friend. I hope he’ll find it as enchaining as I do.”

The light blue blotch moved away. After an indistinct mumble, I could hear a strange sound: something grinding against stone in combination with a high pitched hum.

“This bolt may look frail, but let me assure you that it could withstand a herd of Genangran elephants pulling on it.”

The rattling of chains echoed through the cell.

“These shackles have been created by the finest blacksmiths in Nur’Khal.”

Something snapped close… once… twice.

“You may ask yourself how a bound Ogrushkai can be a threat of any kind.”

The Councilor was standing before me again.

“Your inmate may not be worth the honor, but those fetters have been enchanted by the Mogul Emperor himself.”

His voice came closer.

“They are indestructible and can only be opened by a single key: your friend’s Ardor.”

I could only speak in a whisper.

“The whip… blood magic.”

“Elyran, you’re such a clever young man. A little annoying, but with great potential. It’s no wonder that the Mogul Emperor takes so much interest in you.”

He got up, his robe rustling.

“The poison will wear off in a half-Unit. The Ardor of the Ogrushkai will begin in one and three quarters of a Unit. So you’ll have enough time to spend one more of those sweet moments you both enjoy so much.”

The noise of feet ascending the stairs, the creaking of the door, the sound of iron scraping over iron.

In the last half-Unit, I hadn’t spent a single thought on me, because the anxiety I felt for Maraki had ousted everything else. The Councilor hadn’t lied about the poison: my vision returned and my stomach calmed down. Maraki was stirring too. They had placed him at the wall in a sitting position. The bolt had been driven into the wall with the water basin on it at the height of my eyes. The chains, dangling down from the bolt, had a golden hue; perhaps, that was a side effect of the magic in them. Maraki’s hands were shackled on his back. The length of the chains wouldn’t allow him to get even a half-Step away from the wall. He wasn’t able to take care of the Ardor himself anymore. I crawled over to him.

“Maraki? Can you hear me?”

His answer was a moan. I moved to the water basin and pulled myself to a stand. Leaning against the basin, I splashed the icy water on my face using both hands. The coldness drove the last remnants of dizziness out of my head. I dipped my sleeve into the water and, supporting me with one hand on the wall, crossed the short distance back to Maraki. With the wet sleeve, I dabbed his fore head. His eyes opened wide and looked around the cell in confusion before they settled on me.

“What has happened?”

His voice was weak.

“The Nur’Zhul have poisoned the food.”

He pulled at the shackles.

“And chained me to the wall? What’s that supposed to be good for?”

His voice had gained in strength, fueled by anger.

“They will open when you’re in full Ardor.”

It took a moment for this information to sink in. His mouth was gaping open and terror spread over his face.

“A’ra’mai shen’ta dai!”

A’ra’mai help us!

I looked at the chain. I grasped it with both hands and emptied my mind. A golden flow moved in endless patterns over its surface. My mind reached out for it. Pain! I let go of the metal. In my palms, the outlines of three chain links were visible as burning marks, already fading away. It had been foolish to try in the first place.

“It has been protected against magic.”

I went down on my knees. Maraki looked at me in despair, his eyes filled with more pain than I had ever seen in them.

“My Ardor will begin soon.”

The panic had found its way into his voice too. I touched his shoulder with my right hand. His gaze followed my hand and rested there for some Fractions. In a jerky movement, he turned his head to face me.

“Kill me!”

Determination had replaced the pain in his eyes.

“What?”

“Strangle me. I won’t resist.”

Both of my hands reached for his cheeks and I made sure he was looking into my face. A searing heat was consuming me from the inside.

“I can’t do that. You’re more dear to me than my own life.”

His determination didn’t waver.

“And I’d be rather dead than living with your blood on my hands.”

“For the same reason, I will not do what you asked of me.”

Rage filled his eyes, which changed into understanding in the next moment. His lips curved up into a smile; all his feelings for me were cramped into it.

“I can only beg for your forgiveness for what I’ll do. Please, stay by my side as long as you safely can. That’s the only thing I can ask of you.”

Calmness spread through my body, reached my mind and put all doubts to rest.

“There is one more thing I can do.”