Raksha waved his paw at the guard. “Bring the goblin and this golem to us immediately.”
The guard’s face looked pained. “Sire,” he pleaded, “the golem is monstrously large. We cannot guarantee your safety.”
Raksha looked at Glissa. “I will guarantee your safety, Lord Raksha,” she said. “I would stake my life on it.”
“Go. Bring them to us,” Raksha said. After the guard left, the leonin observed, “They will hold you to that promise. Now, tell us what you learned in the Mephidross.”
Glissa began her story. She told of the early attack and their discovery of the golem. She also told Raksha about the controllers and how she found out about their leader, Geth.
“We can behead their armies by killing these controllers,” said Raksha. “We had often pondered on the question of who controlled the nim.”
“There are problems, though,” said Glissa. “The controllers look much like nim with their cowls up. The nim follow the last order given them, so they will continue to attack even if their controllers are dead.”
“Still, this is useful information,” said Raksha. “What of this Geth you mentioned?”
Before Glissa could answer, the throne room door opened and Slobad walked in, followed by the golem. Raksha looked them up and down.
“Great Dakan,” he said. “It truly is huge.” He pushed the massive throne back and strode around the table, circling the golem while Slobad looked on.
Seeing the large leonin leader dwarfed by the metal man made Glissa keenly aware of its immense power. What did they know about the golem? Its previous owner could be the one intent on killing her and Raksha.
Raksha studied the golem from all sides before retuning to his throne. “Perhaps it would be advantageous for us to find quarters for your metal friend,” he said to Slobad. “We believe its presence could cause alarm.” He turned to the guard, who had stood silent but was obviously ill at ease. “Find our guest suitable quarters.”
The guard nodded and turned to leave.
Slobad said, “I stay with him, huh? Keep golem from trouble for Raksha. No problem. Keep from trouble.” He led the golem from the room, following the guard down the corridor.
Glissa continued her tale, telling Raksha about her confrontation with Geth and her subsequent sighting of the dome-headed, robed figure. “I believe he was the one paying Geth to make the attacks,” she said. “The robed figure paid Geth with vials like this.” Glissa pulled out the vial of blue liquid. “It is called serum. Do you know where it comes from and what it does?”
“We have never seen such a thing,” said Raksha. “Perhaps Ushanti can help us.”
“Will she help?” asked Glissa. “I don’t think she trusts me.”
Raksha laughed. “That is true,” he said. “But we have informed her that she must aid you in any way she can. Besides, if you have stopped the nim attacks, we all owe you a debt of gratitude … even Ushanti.” He stretched. “The sun is almost above us. We shall feast first, then visit Ushanti.”
* * * * *
The feast turned out to be part ritual and part meal. Raksha led Glissa and Slobad into the main courtyard, where a throng of leonin awaited. The Kha moved to the center of the courtyard and took his place next to the statue of Dakan. He raised his shield toward the yellow moon-their sun-and positioned it to reflect the light onto the flame Dakan held in his hand. The leonin warriors attending the feast encircled their leader and used their shields to reflect the moon’s rays onto Raksha, bathing him and the statue of the first Kha in a pearly glow. Raksha tilted his head back and roared at the sky. The circle of warriors joined in, and the noise echoed across the Glimmervoid.
Afterward, leonin cubs and females brought out huge silver platters filled with meats. Glissa wondered about the role of females in the society. She had seen no female defenders, but she had also seen no male skyhunters or healers. Their society seemed to be highly rigid in its sexual caste system. She didn’t feel she would be comfortable living with the leonin any more than Slobad had been when he lived here.
During the feast, Raksha made the mistake of asking Slobad about the golem. The goblin spent the rest of the meal telling the leonin how he had fixed the golem, going into minute detail about welding and reconnecting metal sinew. “I do everything, huh?” he said. “But blasted pile of metal lay lifeless. Even kick a few times, but nothing help. Not even kicking, huh?”
“But Glissa told us that you brought the metal man back to life just in time to save you both,” said Raksha in between bites. He was obviously enjoying the tale more than Glissa.
Slobad beamed. Glissa thought he was going to jump onto one of the platters as he continued. “Amazing thing happen,” said Slobad, waving his arms. “Amazing. I crouch behind golem. Reaper stomping around chimney. Slobad notice Dross oozing from golem’s ear. Open golem’s head; clean out Dross. Eyes snap open and look at Slobad, huh? Amazing. Just clean Dross. All there was to it.”
“But,” said Raksha, “Glissa informed us that it didn’t speak until it saw this … this serum?”
“That’s right,” said Slobad. It say ‘Memnarch.’ We not know what it means, huh? Maybe golem’s old owner. Maybe where it from, huh? Could be robed figure. We not know, and golem not say more, huh? Strange-”
Glissa interrupted. “Whatever ‘Memnarch’ means,” she said, “it must have some connection to the serum. We need to find out what it is and how it’s tied to both of us.”
“We shall talk to Ushanti about it,” said Raksha.
* * * * *
Raksha led Glissa into the smoky chamber of the seer while Slobad retired to his room to tinker with the golem-at Raksha’s gentle urging. The female healers met them at the door once again. Both bowed immediately when they saw Raksha. When they rose again, Glissa felt their steely gazes rest on her. Neither looked happy to see the elf. Glissa thought she saw a glint of something other than hate in Rishan’s eyes as their gaze met, but it might have just been the smoke.
“Welcome, Kha, to the chamber of Ushanti,” said Rishan, bowing low. “We are honored by your presence.”
Raksha waved her up. “Rise, Rishan,” he said. “We played in the square together as cubs. You need not bow to us.”
Rishan straightened, but Glissa thought the young healer looked uncomfortable with the special treatment from her Kha. She turned abruptly and led them through the maze of curtains back to Ushanti’s cauldron. Upon seeing her ruler, Ushanti dropped a handful of sand back into its bowl and hobbled over to greet them.
“Ah, Glissa,” she said. “We knew you were coming. You have something to show us, don’t you?” Ushanti held out her hand.
Glissa noticed Ushanti again showed no reverence to Raksha, and she did not trust the healer, but she had no choice. The serum was the only connection she had to the robed figure and the death of her family. She needed Ushanti’s help.
“How did you know I was coming with this?” asked the elf as she pulled out the vial.
“Mother has been in a trance since you left,” said Rishan. “She just returned from the fire this morning, saying you had come back.”
“Did your vision provide anything that might help us against this new enemy?” asked Raksha.
“We have seen much but understand little of the events that are coming,” said Ushanti. She took the vial from Glissa and held it up, examining it in the light of the brazier. “The fate of the world resides within these vials. We are caught up in a maelstrom we cannot control.”
“Speak sense, woman,” snapped Raksha.
“We cannot.” Ushanti opened the vial and stared at the serum, as if looking into the depths of a blue sea. “The fire provides only glimpses of the truth.” She dipped a claw into the blue liquid and brought it up to her lips.
Ushanti’s tongue snaked out and touched the glistening claw. Suddenly her eyes widened and her dark pupils shrank to pinpoints. “We can tell you this, my young ruler,” said Ushanti in a strange, stilted voice. “Your rule shall see the end of this world unless the elf dies. She may not destroy the world, but she will become the instrument of the one who does.”