The lucky Storyteller

I wasn't afraid, but I felt a weight in my chest, a sad foreboding. I moved as if in a dream, and I could hardly believe that it was all real. My heart skipped a beat even at the sound of my own footsteps, which seemed to me to be pounding down the long, narrow corridor. I could hear whispers, which scared me at first, until I realized that those corridors formed some kind of dome.

"So that's why the halls and corridors are so high," I thought. "It's a dome, and the acoustics are quite special. Sounds are transmitted along the wall, bypassing the dome. Even whispers can be heard perfectly intelligibly. That's why Bezmal had spoken so loudly in the great hall. This is like the Golgumbaz dome in Bijapur that I had read about a few years ago, except that the sounds here come right from the other side of the rooms, not from the opposite side of the dome. Fascinating! How did they do it? Can they hear me if I speak from here?"

I didn't dare try. I kept going.

The corridor sometimes seemed to turn right, but there I saw another portrait that was leading to another room. Apparently, if I stood on tiptoes and reached the black glass eyes of the portrait, I could see what was going on inside, and even hear quite well, but only if I was close to the recess in the corridor where each portrait stood. When I heard the voices of the servants inside, I couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"The new heroes show great potential," said a dark voice with a slight hoarseness. "A lot of nobles will want to support them and hire them as guardians of their houses."

"I heard there were nine heroes summoned," said a woman.

"Nine? But the guards and priests announced that there were only eight, and we served food in eight rooms."

"The ninth hero is already dead," the woman answered again.

"How? Why? Wasn't it to the king's advantage to have as many protectors as possible for the kingdom?"

"Not just any protectors… Enough, let's not talk about it anymore. You don't want to end up like… the ones down there. You ought to know that the walls have eyes and ears here."

An ominous silence fell. I waited a little longer, hoping to catch some more information, but no one was talking of anything else, except about the food that was to be served in the great throne room. All I could hear was the clink of cutlery, slamming doors, and the orders given to servants.

I moved on. I needed to find an empty room, with a bathroom, to wash off the poison and get my thoughts in order, but all were occupied. My fingers were turning black and I was starting to feel pins and needles in my hands, even my veins were turning a dark purple. Was it too late? Had I exposed myself too much to the poison? I didn't even know what kind of poison caused such reactions, but I knew it would become extremely painful, and moving around so much would only make things worse. I took a deep breath. I had to calm myself down and slow my heart rate.

Suddenly, I heard music and hesitantly headed in its direction, reaching a crossroad. The dark corridor on the right stopped after about two meters and I could slightly see the shape of a door on the right wall, while the one in front of me continued straight ahead. I decided to check the door on the right, since it wasn't hidden in a painting like the others I had met along my way. Just as I was reaching for the doorknob, I froze at the sound of voices inside. Flashes of heat and cold shot through my guts, but somehow I managed to kneel down and look through the keyhole. Bezmal was there, talking to a man in very opulent clothes, which looked similar to the ones of the portrait in my room. It was the king, but he looked nothing like the handsome young man in the portrait, but a man who had gained a lot of weight and was wearing a wig to hide his baldness. From the way he looked, I doubted he could move freely through the secret corridors anymore, without feeling claustrophobic. Bezmal was talking loudly enough for me to understand over the music, and the king was talking just as loudly. Was he somehow a little deaf? Most probably.

"Did you get rid of that?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I've taken care of everything."

The king began to pace the room, tugging at his long mustache and glancing from the floor to Bezmal and back again.

"You have no reason of concern, Your Majesty. The ninth invocation was a prank of the forgotten goddess, or maybe not even that, because accidents can happen in such rituals. But even if it were her hand, she has no power. You have the protection and blessing of the other eight gods, I offered them the sacrifices and they received them with delight, I would say. It is the first Harvest so rich."

"I saw, but won't the world suspect anything?"

"It doesn't matter. We declared them traitors and deserters. We can say that it was their fault because they opposed the royal decree."

"But I also sacrificed their families..."

"Innocent blood was needed to bring guilty blood into this world. I have already given orders to get rid of the corpses that served in the ritual."

"Guilty blood... And are you sure that these heroes will obey my orders exactly?"

"Yes, as long as we offer them gold, titles and attention. They are just as you asked for. Individuals with great powers, egotistical, and with no mercy. We just have to make sure their loyalty is only to us. Power has the gift of intoxicating the mind, and these heroes are greedy for wealth, power and recognition."

"And the ninth..."

"Her abilities are useless to us, even inferior to an ordinary human, and since we can't send her back to her world, investing anything in her would be a waste. And we can't afford to waste valuable resources to pamper an utterly useless being."

"But won't the other heroes ask about her?"

"I doubt it, but if they do, we'll tell them we sent her back to where she belongs."

"And if they still ask questions? I suppose they are not all that dumb as you made them look. Or worse, what if some of them want to go back too?"

"Then all we have to do is change their memories a little, just like we did to the precedent Harvest. While their powers are still in their infancy, we can... influence their memories, although, I don't think it will be necessary. I will take care of absolutely everything, Your Majesty. You have no reason to worry. Now, it would be best if you returned to the dinner in the great hall, otherwise the nobles might worry. The queen can't handle them all. Besides, Your Majesty knows why they came here for."

The king nodded and motioned for her to leave. Bezmal bowed and quickly came right to the door I was standing next to. I didn't have time to run or hide, because she was already opening it. I stood frozen behind the door, waiting for her to discover me. She almost crushed me against the wall, but she let the door close behind her, the priestess's veils quickly disappearing into the corridor from which the music was coming, by the time I came to my senses. She probably didn't suspect that someone else had discovered the secret passages. The jingling of her bracelets stopped after a short while. I held my breath. I didn't know whether to run after her, to quickly hide from the king, who could've come at any moment from a niche next to one of the paintings I had passed, or to wait for the opportunity to enter the king's room, after I made sure he was leaving.

I decided to try my luck with the latter option and peeped through the keyhole again. The king stood as still as a statue, his arms folded across his chest. He seemed to be thinking about something, then he moved quickly to two large doors that led to a separate room containing his clothes and began rummaging behind them. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the room. Before I knew what I was doing, I opened the door slightly and ducked behind the large curtains that were decorating the columns of the room, just in time, for the king had stopped what he was doing and was looking over his shoulder, frowning. Had he sensed something?

"Is anyone there?" he called, coming to the middle of the room. "Bezmal?"

His voice almost made me jump, but I forced myself to remain still and silent, in the shadows. He picked up something from the desk and strode toward the door I had just entered. He opened it and checked the corridor, even behind the door, then locked it. I knew immediately that my pink pajamas would definitely catch his eye, because if he turned around he would see the moving curtains if I had tried to hide beneath them, so while he was working on the door, I ran and hid under the four-poster bed, my heart pounding so loudly that all I could hear was its beating in my ears. The king pulled the tassels that were keeping the curtains folded, and the secret door disappeared. Then, he returned to the middle of the room and stopped, grimacing. He smelled something he didn't like, literally. He frowned and opened his mouth, but just when I thought he was going to call for the guards, he sneezed loudly, then went back to the wardrobe room.

He looked around the room for a few seconds, and I was afraid that he may have the brilliant idea of checking right under the bed, but, luckily for me, he shook his head, and went back to his wardrobe room. My suspicion was that he had something important there, something he wanted to make sure was well hidden. He had no luck, however, as a knock on the main door made him curse, slam the set of keys in one of those closets, and close the door to his wardrobe, quickly running to sit at his desk before inviting anyone who might disturb him inside.

A man in armor and a red cloak entered. He bowed briefly and said,

"Your Majesty, all the guests have arrived. Some of the lords have become quite agitated. They want to see the Harvest and are anxious for the auction to begin."

"Very well, Captain. Let's go."

The king put on his crown, then left, accompanied by the captain. Behind them I heard the keys turning in the door, then silence.

I was safe, for now.