The End of the Fantasy (Book #6 of the Sage Saga) (14 page)

“The Yama, why would—oh! Oh! Right! Okay. Listen, usually Tillian does this type of thing. I’m more of the bigger picture kind of guy. My name is Veer.”

“Are you Yama?”

“No! Not at all. I’m…I’m Delilah. Listen carefully. Tillian’s away at the moment. He’ll put you more at ease. He should be back soon. But I can’t have you tearing up the landscape. The machines are very delicate. I don’t need you ripping into a wire.”

“Machines? Wires?” Catherine recalled hearing the word “wire” before, but she couldn’t recall where. Was it the Prattlians? Yes! That was it! In Old Prattle they had a system in place in which they could survey the land in multiple locations from one focal point. They were unable to take their strange technology with them when Thorn attacked, but that didn’t stop their innovation. Their floating cabins and platforms in the new Prattle were a testament to that. She never questioned what made them work. She only marveled at the magnificence of it all. To her, it was no different than watching a Sage unleashing their eidolon for the first time.

“Come with me please,” he asked politely. “You will find that I have the answers you’ve come here for. Your name is…Catherine, right? You look different…”

“Yes,” she said warily, but then her eyes widened in realization as she remembered that she had altered her appearance. She began taking her physical alterations off as Talia craned her neck toward the hole in the ground. “DAISY! STOP DIGGING! WE’RE GOING IN THE FRONT!” Catherine wasn’t sure if Daisy heard the message, but even if she didn’t, she was fine with one more person staying behind in case things went bad.

Veer bowed awkwardly and motioned for them to come with him into the building. Catherine and Talia followed just as Daisy leapt up from the hole, barely landing on her feet. She ended up falling to one knee, but as soon as she was able to adjust her balance, she stood up and followed the senior Sages.

Veer pushed back the clay door and it opened for them wide. Catherine let him go first so that he would gain a few feet ahead of them before they ventured further in. Inside, the room was a large dome in structure with five clay doors at the far end of the room. In the center were two colossal spheres, about eight feet in circumference. One was coming out halfway through the ceiling and the other was halfway out the floor. They were both granite grey with numerous cracks covering the surface like veins, and each vein was humming and glowing, with a faint blue color rushing through each one like blood.

Veer made sure not to touch the sphere on the floor and he made a downward circular motion with his finger signaling for them to go around it as well.

“Please do not touch anything,” he replied. Catherine waited for him to get around the sphere so that she could observe what he was going to do next. It seemed like he was headed toward the five doors at first, but then he took a quick right and headed to a wall that had the outline of a person etched into it. It looked to be built for a tall person with their hands stretched upwards. Veer began running his fingers along the outline as he took a deep breath and turned to his guests.

“If you would follow me into this room at the far right, we’ll be able to talk better in there.”

Catherine nodded and they followed him through the clay door closest to the outline in the wall. She noticed that there were tiny blades, and flickers of fire riddled deep within the outline. She had to squint to see them, but they were there.

“What is that thing?” Catherine asked, not wasting any time once they were through the door. She noticed that the room they walked into was nearly bare. Nothing but clay walls and a few circular wooden levers sticking out of the back end. Catherine made a note to intervene if Veer decided to head toward them.

“This is the best you have?” Talia asked. “There’s not even chairs.”

“This is the least sensitive room,” Veer said. “And I would rather talk inside, where people can’t hear us. We have to talk in private.”

“How is this the Yama headquarters?” Daisy scoffed. “Did that guy in Delahcourt lie to us?”

“No. No,” Veer said, tightening his robe. “Sorry. You arrived when I was still sleeping…but to answer your question…this is and isn’t the Yama headquarters. You see, the Yama are just drones of ours. Soldiers used to carry out what we cannot. We control them all and we give out the orders. In a sense, the Yama don’t exist at all. It’s just the Delilah.”

“So you’re the one slaughtering our people!” Catherine shouted as he winced and cupped his ears. “If you’re in charge, then you’re responsible for all the bloodshed!”

“What bloodshed?” he groaned. “Who have we killed? Tell me.”

“You—”

“—what’s going on here?” Tillian shouted from the door, sticking his head in. Daisy backed up and allowed him to enter as Talia folded her arms and looked to Catherine for guidance. Catherine shook her head slightly, signaling that she should do nothing. Tillian walked in cautiously, past the Sages, and to Veer’s side. He scowled as he saw his friend still in his robe.

“You had one job!” he whispered loudly. Veer rolled his eyes.

“They came earlier than we anticipated. How was I supposed to know they would be walking all night? Goodness. At least I was there to greet them.”

“Oh, and I suppose that hole to Oblivion outside is just a personal project of yours.”

“We don’t have time for your scolding right now. We have guests. And important ones at that. Our work is nearly complete.”

“I’m not helping you complete a thing until I get answers,” Catherine said firmly. “And I better get them. My people are being murdered as we speak. That’s why we walked through the night to get here.
That’s why
we didn’t sightsee in the city. We have work to finish.”

“It’s the current King of Allay that kills you and your people. Not us.”

“You said you control the Yama so that means you gave him that army. Can’t you shut them down?”

“We can’t shut them down once we’ve given them a mission,” Veer replied. “They are on automatic at this point. No different than giving one of your assassins a job. The duty is laid out, but it’s up to the assassin how they complete it. That analogy applies here. And besides, they have a very important mission to complete.”

“And what mission is that?”

“Bastion. He is the key to everything, as you’ve suspected and believed yourself. Someone with the power he possesses…he was destined for greater things than we can ever hope for.”

“What do you want with him?”

“Do you know who the Delilah are?” Tillian asked. “They are not a race as you would deem the Prattlians, Quietus, Allayans or Langorans. The Delilah are a collective of many cultures, who have all decided to give themselves one name and one defined purpose, casting away their prior allegiances and traditions for the future of all. The Delilah is a title given to those under this tent, so to speak. We’ve forsaken the past and embraced each other. I’m sure this is something that appeals to your own personal convictions.”

“It is something I’ve discussed,” Catherine admitted. “Back in our land. But it was decided that each Kingdom should preserve what defined them.”

“And that meant separation, didn’t it?” Veer asked. “It meant division. Conflict. Unnecessary strife. I imagine that it wasn’t a unanimous vote to have the Kingdoms separate.”

“No,” Catherine said with hesitation. “No, it wasn’t.”

“This is a place in which you would fit in perfectly. The Delilah are a peaceful and great people, focusing on completing humanity, and not tearing it down like our ancestors. You’ve seen Delahcourt. How magnificent it is. It is a city that focuses on our advancement. The art and technology. The culture we are forming together. It’s rather beautiful. We only stay out here because of the ugly work we must carry out.”

“The Yama are our creations,” Tillian replied. “A means to an end and nothing more. They fight on our behalf because we have no desire to. We loathe violence, but we understand that it is still a part of many primitive cultures. Sometimes, it is the only language they understand when we’re trying to relay a point to them.”

“We knew you were different,” Veer said with a smile. “We’ve heard great things about you, Catherine. What you stand for…it encompasses all that the Delilah strive toward. And for that reason, we would love to invite you into our collective. We would like you to become Delilah, and we will be offering the same extension to Bastion when he inevitably arrives.”

“There’s still a lot more to talk about before I can even
think
about living here,” Catherine scoffed. “I barely know you, and I know nothing of your true motives. Already, I can see that you’re dodging some of my questions. So listen. I want to know what you intended when you sent the Yama to our shores. I want to know what you want with Bastion, and last, I need to know who else gets invited into this exclusive club of yours. I get the feeling you don’t just allow anyone.”

“Oh, well,” Tillian said, looking at Talia and Daisy nervously. “Of course, those that fall in line with our vision will be inducted in without a problem. Talia, you fit the bill of course. But, um, I’m afraid that the young miss…Daisy. She won’t be invited.”

“What do you mean?!” Talia shouted as Daisy gave Catherine a look of horror.

“She doesn’t fit our code, and I’m sorry to say this, but…we can’t allow her to go back to her homeland either. We can’t have her giving away sensitive information on what we do here. If we are going to continue working together, she will have to be executed.”

“That is not happening!” Catherine shouted as she unleashed her eidolon, the colors of her blade casting a blinding rainbow of lights across the room. Veer and Tillian began backing up in fear but Talia had already appeared behind them, her Sage robe over her shoulders. Tillian and Veer yelped once they saw her and they retreated to the middle of the room where it was safer. Daisy was busy shaking her head and looking at the floor.

“I don’t understand. What’s wrong with me? What did I do?”

“It’s nothing personal,” Tillian said nervously. “It’s just that your youth betrays you. You’ve shown that you are still able to be swayed and we can’t have that. No matter the enemy—future or present—your resolve has to be concrete. And you are not that. You left Bastion when he was at his most critical, jeopardizing all that we worked for.”

“And how was she supposed to know that?” Catherine screamed at him. “What was she supposed to do? One of the people closest to her had just committed mass murder!”

“But what if a great conflict should rise again? What then?”

“I think we should tell them,” Veer said. Tillian punched him in the chest. It didn’t hurt Veer, but he was appalled all the same.

“That’s sensitive information.”

“Those in Delahcourt know the truth, and if they are to live here, we might as well tell them. What’s the alternative? Hope they don’t cut us to pieces?”

“Don’t tell
me
,” Daisy scoffed, backing up. “You might have to execute me sooner.”

“No one is to lay a hand on her,” Catherine said. Tillian nodded.

“We can work something out. Maybe there’s a way she can live in seclusion nearby.”

“That’s not happening either!”

“Catherine,” Talia called out. She tapped her chest. “Remember your heart.” Catherine grit her teeth and immediately sheathed her eidolon. She took a deep sigh and looked at the two men before her. She knew she needed to calm down. Get the information first and then deal with their demands. Catherine glanced over at Talia, who was giving her a blank stare, and then she looked back at the men reluctantly.

“I was out of line,” she said, nodding to the two men. “This is your land. Your people. It is up to you how you all live. I…I am attached to my warriors. But warriors they still are. Should you convince me that Daisy needs to go into seclusion…or give her life, she will do as I ask, and I have always done what is for the greater good.”

“We know,” Veer replied. “And we understand that this is an emotional situation. We also understand that you’ve lost some people. But what if we were to tell you that you would be able to get them back?”

“Tell me,” Catherine said, trying not to break down. What could he possibly be talking about?

“Yeah,” Tillian whispered. “Well…things are a lot more complicated than they seem. But it will all be over soon. Once Bastion is done in your land, he’ll come here. That’s inevitable. He’ll want to take care of the Yama threat. So he’ll be here. And when he does, we would appreciate it if you help us in persuading him to our cause. As Delilah, we hope you’ll do everything you can.”

“And in exchange?” Catherine sighed. He was dodging the subject again. What did he mean earlier when he said that she could get people back?

Tillian took a deep breath, and then he began speaking, as fast as his mouth would allow. “We are the creators of the stones. The stones of power. We’ve used these devices for decades to divide lands that weren’t our own. Our goals were twofold. To see how civilizations would use them, and to identify potential Delilah. We’re not opposed to turning an entire culture into Delilah, but that just hasn’t been the case. Every single civilization, no matter how small, uses the stones for their own selfish ambitions, and as a result, it is very, very hard to find individuals that are worthy of our world. It’s not that we’re tyrants. We just know that in order to preserve our way of life, hard decisions must be made.”

“Like executing Daisy?”

“Executing was too strong of a word,” Veer lamented. “The proper word that the Delilah typically use is ‘processed.’”

“Oh, that sounds a lot better,” Daisy huffed.

“No, no. It’s not what you think,” Tillian replied, staring hard at Catherine. “You think of death as a finality, when we know the truth. When we say processed, for us, it just means that particular person is passing on from one world to the next. No different that you traveling from your land to ours. We know that they have not ceased to exist.”

“Let us explain,” Veer continued. “The afterlife is not at all what you think. You Allayans think of yourselves as souls trapped by physical shells. Shells that are composed of flesh, muscles, and so on. You’re partly right, and that is how you’re able to manipulate the energy of your soul better than any other people you know. You recognize that there is a dual nature inside of you, and not one. The Prattlians often don’t care about the afterlife, and neither do the Quietus. The Langorans believe that they cease to exist after death. Without a full knowledge of the truth, however, none of you can properly work toward the right goals. Your journey of the five stones, for example, was admirable, but meaningless in a sense. On a global scale, it meant nothing.”

“So what is the afterlife?” Talia asked. Veer cleared his throat.

“It is another world, linked to us by a bridge of phenomenal energy. And this ‘afterlife’ is not as mystical as you think. The atmosphere is purely of a different composition. Of course this means that there are different animals, plant life and ways of living, but it’s hardly some mystical land that exists on a plane that we cannot reach until death. It is simply…another world. Another planet. Just like the one we are standing on right now.”

“When someone dies,” Tillian continued, “their shell is destroyed, and without having a body to contain it, the ‘soul’ goes back to what many of you call Paradise in order to survive. There, the soul’s composition is able to sustain itself. Many people think of the soul as this ball of energy inside of them, when really it is you, through and through. When you enter Paradise, you look exactly like you. And you are you. Just in a different state.”

“Then that’s how some were able to come back from Paradise and visit our world for a time,” Catherine said, casting her eyes to a corner of the room. “Whether subconsciously or not, those souls in Paradise are able to travel across this bridge…and come back here.”

“Albeit temporarily,” Veer warned. “And this was also how Thorn was able to capture ‘souls’ of his own. The ether he used was able to block souls from crossing the bridge into Paradise. If the afterlife was truly another dimension, or some unattainable realm, only accessible upon death…this would have been impossible.”

“What about Oblivion?” Talia asked. Veer turned to face her.

“That’s the third and final world. Our world…the one in which we reside, lies in the middle. There was a time, long ago, when all three were one, so to speak. Different planets, but connected like continents. One could freely go from one world to the next easily. But peace usually doesn’t last long. Though the composition in Paradise is the same as that in Oblivion, that didn’t mean the inhabitants didn’t find ways to cause division. Those in Oblivion longed to rule over all three worlds, and so a war was waged. A war that was more detrimental than you could ever realize.”

“I don’t understand,” Catherine said. “You’re saying that the Dark One—”

“There is no Dark One,” Veer interrupted. “Nor a Maker. Not anymore. There were rulers of Oblivion and Paradise, but they have long been uprooted and destroyed in battle. You see, when the worlds were linked, the Langorans had it right. There truly was no afterlife. Just death…
true death
.”

“Is that so bad?” Talia asked, but Veer shook his head violently.

“Are you kidding me? The concept of an afterlife gives the masses hope, and something to not only strive toward but to look forward to. If a loved one dies, they find comfort in knowing that their loved one is at peace, and they are happy in believing that they will be reunited someday. It has a profound effect on the way they carry out their lives. But in that time, when all three worlds were one…if someone was killed, they were gone forever. They ceased to exist. A concept that is hard to accept. Can you imagine, Catherine, if James now ceased to exist? That no matter what, he will forever be nothing more than a memory?”

“That…,” Catherine paused to gulp. “That would be hard.”

“That’s how it was back then. And once Oblivion decided to take over all three worlds, they started the war, slaughtering many and taking them out of existence forever. Paradise had no choice but to respond, and so, as quickly as they could, they used all of their resources and powers to create the bridge. They altered the composition of what is now our world, and made it so that a denser shell was required to live here. By separating the three worlds from each other, they were able to put an end to the war. Oblivion could not reach Paradise, and Paradise could not reach Oblivion, as long as our planet remained in the middle.”

“And so, who is in control of the bridge? You?”

“No,” Tillian said. “We are but servants of the one in charge. There is one who controls the bridge, and there has to be only one, who decides who goes to Oblivion and who goes to Paradise. Not because we want division, but because we have to ensure that the war never happens again.”

“But wouldn’t those in Oblivion be angry?” Daisy asked. “Won’t they feel so rejected that they will want to rise up, and do everything they can to fight against the other worlds?”

“It’s true,” Veer said. “But it’s what we have to do. We can’t please everyone. And besides, that’s where the Emissary, or bridge controller, comes in. No matter how angry those in Oblivion are, they will never be able to break out and plague the other two worlds.”

“Sounds like slavery,” Talia replied. “Or prison.”

“But what’s the alternative?”

“There has to be a better way,” Catherine said.

“You’ll learn that there’s not,” Veer replied with a straight face.

“And this bridge controller…this Emissary…how can you have so much faith in him? What if he decides to just open the gates to the three worlds on his own?”

“When a bridge controller is nearing death, another must be chosen…and the process is very delicate. This is why we were upset with Daisy earlier over leaving Bastion. She could have ruined all of our hard work. And that’s why I hope you will forgive us for all that we’ve done with the Yama. It’s all been for the greater good—to teach Bastion how to embrace his destiny. Again, we are sorry that you have lost some of your loved ones, but at least they are still alive and well in Paradise. In the end, nothing, not even the lives of others, matters when it comes to getting the next Emissary ready.”

“And that bridge controller,” Catherine sighed. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

“Of course,” Tillian said calmly. “Bastion is the heir. He will soon be placed in charge of the bridge, and he will in turn control the fate of us all.”