A.R.Yngve
DARC AGES:
City Of Masks
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Chapter 16
In the early morning, the frightened host knocked frantically on their door.
The dwarf opened, half-awake, eyes half-shut, and the host told him the news. The dwarf started and quickly went to alert the others.
"Prepare yourselves," he told them. Kensaburé rubbed his eyes, and staggered out of his bed. Awonso groaned and stirred in his cot at the other side of the room.
"For what?" asked Kensaburé.
The dwarf grinned. "Your flying friends are in town. The distress call came through. We can finally leave."
Kensaburé dragged Awonso out of his cot. They rushed up the stairs and stepped out into the street, ignoring the host's pleas that they "must wear a face".
The sky above the city rumbled with passing jet aircraft. Warships and transporters from the Yota and Orbes clans circled and descended on the palace courtyard.
Kensaburé and his party made their way to the palace ruins and were greeted by his older brother Saburé; and a contingent of Yota troops.
The Orbes brothers greeted each other in their own inimitable manner.
"Little brother! Do I always have to come and change your soiled underpants for you?"
"Sit on this sword, Saburé!"
"And screw you too!"
Then they shook each other's hands vigorously and clenched their fists, testing who would stop first. Then they challenged each other to a lightning round of Rock, Paper, Scissors - and after both brothers had won and lost, they embraced.
The formalities over with, Kensaburé immediately began to recount the events of their mission to his older brother. Saburé listened. A sorrowful frown grew on his hard, square-jawed face when he learned that their servant Jacob had been killed in action.
"He died braver than I, brother," Kensaburé said and ended his account.
His older brother nodded. "You have been tested, and you have passed most honorably. We shall go to the nearest cathedral and pray for all those who fell, for dear old Jacob, and also for your opponents who fought bravely."
"He asked for his overdue pay to be sent to his family."
"They shall have it, and a lifetime's pay as well."
A messenger delivered a letter to Okono, from her family. She read it out loud to Threo: "We wish to share our concern for your safety abroad, and we pray for your safe return to your home province in Castilia."
She laughed, and it sounded like the first laugh of her entire life. "They have forgiven me!" Okono tittered like a much younger woman. "They are not ashamed of me anymore!"
Threo frowned. "You read all that from such a formal message?"
She smiled at him. "I want you to meet my father."
Threo backed away one step. "He will surely cut my head off when he hears of my intentions for you... and that my father used to be his enemy who defeated him."
"No, Threo. He respects you because of it. And... the nobility often arranges marriages with rival clans to settlefeuds and disputes." She gave him a subtle wink.
Saburé, wearing his mechanized battle armor and standing taller than his younger brother, greeted the others.
"Kensaburé tells me that this city is filled with Lepers, who refuse to take your vaccinations because they pretend they are not Lepers. I have never heard such utter shite in my life... pardon my language, my lady." He nodded to Okono. "But I have my orders: either the citizens accept unconditional vaccinations, or we drive them out of Vanitia by force. What do you suggest we tell them, Doctor Threo?"
Threo looked out from the palace ruins, at the damaged city and its aging towers. Was it too late to save this place?
"First, the ultimatum. I would tell them: Unconditional forced vaccination of the entire population, or the city will burn. The work should take me a week, at most two weeks to arrange." The dwarf groaned when he heard the words "two weeks."
"But," Threo went on, "we do not call them Lepers. They must always be referred to as Vanitians or citizens. Then, the work is done, and we leave." He called for the dwarf. "Sarastos. You should have the honor of giving the citizens a parting speech, before you leave with us."
The dwarf gaped. "But what on Earth can I say that they would want to hear?"
Threo leaned down and gently put a hand on the dwarf's shoulder. He looked the little man in the eye. "Whatever you do - do not talk to the mask."
(To EPILOGUE)
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