Lacuna - N.R. Walker Page 0,46

leave?” Crow mumbled again.

Tancho thought about Aequi Kentron, the castle itself. There was a moat but no river. So where did the water come from? What source sustained them, the lands, the people? Water was essential for all life, Tancho knew that better than anyone. The only way water could reach them . . .

They both stared at each other, seemingly coming to the same conclusion at the exact same time. They spoke in unison.

“Underground.”

Crow nodded hard. “If they didn’t go out and they didn’t go over, they must have left by ways underneath. It is the only explanation.”

“The water,” Tancho added. “The moat, sustainable supplies of water for consumption, the only way they can survive without a river is for the water to come from an underground supply.”

“It would make sense,” Karasu said from across the room. Tancho looked around then to find all eyes on them, ears listening to their hypotheses. “The archīvum was deep in the belly of the castle, yes?” Tancho and Crow both nodded. “We found Maghdlm there. Whoever tried to kill her was on their way down to somewhere.”

“Caves,” Soko added. “But where do they lead?”

“They need to surface somewhere,” Tancho said.

“To find where they went, we must first ask why,” Crow said. “What are they after? They must require something for their purpose. Someone has something they want. Out of the four kingdoms, which is it?”

Tancho stared at Crow for a long moment. “And perhaps we should also ask who. Who leads the charge? Maybe we should look at each of the elders to see if something lies amiss. Did one betray us? Or all?”

Crow glowered at the fire, his jaw ticking, his mind clearly racing. But then something in his features changed. He turned to Tancho. “What were you taught of the Aequi Kentron? In all your studies?”

Tancho let out a low breath. “That it was always there. It was the founding council of the entire empire. Aequi Kentron means equal centre in the old tongue. For thousands of years, it has been at the very heart of our lands. Equal lands, equal rule.”

Crow nodded. “That rings true for me also. The elders who govern have done so for as long as our histories were written.”

“That in our ancient histories, all four lands were run as their own. There were wars and destruction in a grab for land and people,” Tancho furthered. “Lawlessness and greed drove the whole kingdom into despair. The people starved, and the lack of loyalty killed more leaders in the grapple for the top than any famine ever did. A treaty was reached and the central council was formed. They provided assistance and guidance, and in allowing each land to have its own ruler for its people, yet to live under a communal law, proved beneficial for all.”

“Proved beneficial the most to whom?” Karasu asked. “All four lands receive equal measure, but what do the council receive? What does Aequi Kentron get?”

“Who governs the governors?” Soko furthered.

“They have been our guiding hand for many centuries,” Crow said. “It’s hard to believe it’s all a farce. Yet what we saw with our own eyes . . .”

Tancho studied Crow for a moment. “What were you told of the Golden Eclipse?”

Crow took in a deep breath and shook his head. “I would imagine the same stories as you. That ours was the generation of kings to live through the Golden Eclipse. That the two moons would eclipse the sun together, this once in a thousand years. That we would make a pilgrimage to Aequi Kentron to take part in the Golden Festival, some ritual ceremony to honour the kings of our pasts.”

“Do you not believe that to be true?”

“The eclipse? Yes. The changing shades of the sky are proof enough of that. I believe in things that are proven. I’m beginning to think we followed blindly what they wanted us to believe. They manoeuvred us as chess pieces in a game we were never supposed to win. That is what I believe.”

Tancho took a deep breath and released it slowly, feeling the truth of Crow’s words fill his bones. He held up his wrist, birthmark showing. “If it is all a lie, a fiction for their gain, then what is this?”

Crow shook his head slowly and met Tancho’s gaze. “I don’t know.”

“I’ll tell you what it is,” Soko said. “It was a checkmate they didn’t see coming. When your birthmarks reacted that first night, when they sparked lights under Maghdlm’s