The House of Lumièreiris

The two travellers were finally growing tired of their heavy burden. Hamiathe did not want to admit it, but she did not think that she could last much longer. Beads of sweat lined their foreheads and their muscles ached under the weight of Gabrielle. It was terrible in the sunlight for the sun was scorching them.
It was mid afternoon, and Gabrielle's breathing was getting shallower. Hamiathe was afraid that she would not make it to Lumièreiris, where the great Lord Lumièreiris himself would heal her. He was still many miles away, and Gabrielle needed her treatment right now. And that was when Lyra fell to the ground, too tired to go on.
"Lyra, get up and walk," commanded Hamiathe. Lyra did not move. "I commanded you to walk!" Hamiathe leaned closer to Lyra. "I am not going to let you do this, Lyra. You have a responsibility. You must help Gabrielle. Her life lies in our hands! If you give up now, her last hope could be wiped away, and the grief and shame would be set on your shoulders. I do not ask something of you that cannot be done. I merely ask you to guide our dear friend to the safety of the house of the Lumière. Will you do this, Lyra? Will you save Gabrielle?"
Lyra stopped breathing heavily, and slowly got to her feet. She could not look Hamiathe in the eye, but she picked up her end of the stretcher, and Hamiathe took the other end, as before. And together, the two set off once again at a steady pace.

Kerrij was almost there, he could feel it in his wide wings. The wind was changing, the breeze was fresher, and he knew that he must be getting closer than ever to his destination. Soon he could see two tall towers materialize out of the dense fog, and sunshine suddenly came pouring through, as if from nowhere. The towers were a beautiful white, and the sunlight glinted of the tall walls.
But, it was the inside that was the most beautiful of all the wonders and awes of the towers. It was an atmosphere of humming insects and swaying flowers, green grass and massive, colourful butterflies. The air was alive with the sounds of all the hummingbirds and bees; there were also many large, ancient trees. It was harmony for the little bird that had just come from an encounter with a Demon.
Kerrij looked around him, and his beady eyes searched for the one particular person he was looking for. He suspected that he must be in the house somewhere, and the doors were thrown open. Without hesitation he flew through them, and into a hall of stone and crystal, and then into a large room with a man in the centre of the room, reading a large book.
This was no ordinary man, for he was many, many years old, though he looked much younger. He had on a long white and crimson robe, and his black hair was braided and set around his shoulders. His bronze eyes were like those of an eagle. On his forehead was set a thin gold crown of beautiful delicate golden leaves.
Kerrij sighed in relief as he had finally found the man he was looking for. As he flew in, the man looked up and smiled, and the lines on his forehead disappeared as he looked at the massive eagle. Kerrij flew over and perched on the arm of Lumièreiris.

Hamiathe and Lyra could tell they were almost there. It was getting cooler and the wind felt good on their sweating faces. And then they saw the towers. They rose majestically out of the distance; beautiful and tall. But they still had a long way to go before they actually reached them.
And so they tread wearily on into the dark foliage of the trees and bushes. Their feet and hands were blistered; their faces were scratched from the sharp little branches that were sticking out every so often.
Hamiathe was turning thoughts over in her head. She fought every muscle in her body that just wanted to lie down and sleep. Sleep. But, she fought this thought; over and over until she had doubled her pace and was working Lyra so hard the poor woman was about to drop once again. She took some pity on her, but was careful that the slower pace did not cause her to want to once again lie down and sleep.
She also knew that they were both weakening. They would not make it to the house of Lumièreiris tonight. It was impossible. It was too far away, and they were slowly growing much more weary of their burden, and Gabrielle remained in the same state.
Hamiathe was just about to give up and abandon all hope, when there was suddenly the sound of hooves. A steady beating, growing louder and louder, ringing in her ears. It must be someone, good, she thought to herself. There is no way that a Demon would be sitting astride a horse. Or that would be some horse.
Soon they could hear voices shouting in the distance, telling their horses to stop. Hamiathe breathed a sigh of relief, and could hear Lyra fall to the ground and sink into unconsciousness behind her. And then suddenly the bushes parted and eleven figures, all dressed in grey to blend in with their surroundings, stepped out, all armed with long flexible bows. Their skin was smooth and unmarked, some faces white as the pale moonlight, and some as black as the night surrounding them. They were all men and women of Lumièreiris, and that was what mattered.
"Joyoko! Joyoko! Lee freh dun ad leigh!" Hamiathe breathed out a greeting as she crumpled to the ground. The soldiers looked at each other and one of them nodded. The bodies of the three companions were set on horses and brought to the house of Lumièreiris.

Hamiathe woke with a start, puzzled by her surroundings. She lay in a soft bed with long white drapes around her. She was propped up on many richly embroidered cushions of many different colours. Sunlight was pouring in through a huge gold window. Beside the bed was a small table with a glass vase filled with the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen. And then she remembered.
After she had fallen the rest was a daze. She was brought to a horse by strong hands and rode double with someone whom she could not see. She didn't really care either. Lyra had done likewise, and Gabrielle was brought between two horses. All the horses were very beautiful, many different colours. She remembered hers being a dazzling black stallion.
Soon after they came to the house. It was very dark, and she didn't care what it looked like at the time. A very nice woman, with a dark face and long black hair, dressed in a pale yellow dress, helped her out of her stuffy clothes and into a simple nightgown. She remembered having asked the woman what had become of her friends, but she merely replied with a smile that they were being cared for as well as she was now. Satisfied, Hamiathe had laid down and slept.
She looked around, wondering what to do. She had to be in action as she had lain around too long. On a chair was a long forest green robe that fit her perfectly. She then used the silver handled brush and comb that were lying there to care for her hair. A little bell beside them lay there. She knew that this was for a maid, but having been there before when she had been on her way to Kir-ta, she knew her way around a little bit and did not call the maid.
It was difficult though once she was in the hallway, for the place was very vast and long. She also had a small suspicion that it could go on forever, by magic of course. Or perhaps it was only her imagination.
Hamiathe soon found herself in the very same room that Kerrij had entered only the day before. It was almost bare with just a stand for the huge dusty old book that sat there. Suddenly she felt an immense wave of loneliness, as there was no one to guide her. She now wished that she had called for the maid after all.
"Joyoko Hamiathe! Why do you look so lost?" asked Lumièreiris, in his quiet but the firm voice, startling her into turning around. She turned, and there was the King of the Lumière.
"Your majesty," she said quietly, dropping to one knee. The white king often had that effect on people for he was such a magnificent sight. "Forgive me, but I was feeling lost."
"In my house, it does not matter which way you turn, for every door leads to a wonderful place, whether big or small." He looked down on her and smiled. As she rose and they began to stroll the halls, Hamiathe and him talked of lost times. They soon talked a great deal about what they were going to do regarding Hamiathe's mission.
Lumièreiris also informed her that he had seen Gabrielle. He told Hamiathe that she would live and would be fit enough to travel again in ten to fourteen days. This was bad news for Hamiathe as she had hoped that it would not take that long. However, just the fact that she would live filled her with a wondrous feeling of immense relief and felt a load of guilt suddenly lift off her shoulders.
They soon came to a white archway that led onto a balcony overlooking the beautiful outdoors. They did nothing but look and wonder and see and think for a long, long time.
When someone finally spoke, it was because the pretty maid had come by to tell them that Gabrielle had finally awoken, and that Lyra was already by her side. Hamiathe, relieved, asked to see her at once. Lumièreiris nodded, and the maid showed her to a small room, much like the one that she had been in, except that it had many blood-soaked and clean linen bandages. Hamiathe hurried over beside Lyra, showing concern in her wide eyes.
Gabrielle was sitting up in bed, helped by many fat, silk cushions. She was eating some hot soup, which was a good sign. Of course, there was no reason to doubt Lumièreiris, when he said she would live.
"Gabrielle, my dear friend," whispered Hamiathe, taking Gabrielle's hand. "How do you feel?"
"Starved," said Gabrielle, giving her a tight smile. "I haven't eaten for two days, and my body's working hard trying to recover. It all adds up to equal a hungry appetite."
Hamiathe smiled sadly. She was still deathly white and her hand was still icy, as Gabrielle had lost a lot of weight and blood. Nevertheless, she was conscious, and under the great skill of Lumièreiris she would recover well.
Hamiathe decided that it wasn't really that bad that they must wait ten days to continue their journey. She reminded herself that Gabrielle would be dead by now if the King had not helped them, and then they wouldn't be going anywhere until they got over their grief. She had gotten 'lucky', though she did not believe in luck or chance.
Gabrielle had finished her soup and once again fell asleep. Her breathing looked shallow, but the maid, whom she learned was named Paola, assured her that it was normal for someone in her condition and her breathing probably would not be completely back to normal for a few days. Hamiathe, after realising that there was nothing more she could do, left with. Lyra.
The two walked along a small winding path that led to a bridge, admiring the beauty around them. Lyra walked over and sat on the rails, and Hamiathe leaned on the side and gazed into the clear, reflecting water. It was a mirror. There was a completely different world under there. It looked the same as the one she was in now, but it was different.
"Hamiathe, I have a confession to make," said Lyra quietly. Hamiathe waited expectedly. "I could have prevented Gabrielle's injury. While you fought, I could have defended her, but while you were courageous and killed the Demon and Gabrielle fell to the ground, I just stared, stared stupidly into nothing because I am nothing. A coward."
"Do not think those terrible thoughts, Lyra," said Hamiathe quietly. "For if you continue on this way, then you will eventually convince yourself that it is true, when you know that it is not. Nobody could have stopped what happened to Gabrielle, the Demon took us by surprise. No one could prevent it. It was to be."
"Perhaps," sniffed Lyra through tiny sobs. "But, I am a coward, you can't deny that."
Hamiathe chose her words carefully. "We were all shocked when the Lightening Demon caught us by surprise. You cannot blame yourself for those actions."
"You fought."
"Yes, but when I defeated Karinna five hundred years ago, I made a vow to kill both her and everyone of her hideous Demons."
Lyra looked down at the white painted wooden planks of the bridge. Hamiathe knew that Lyra did not believe her. Hamiathe would have to just leave it be, and perhaps Lyra would soon regain her self-confidence. She turned around and walked back to the house, leaving Lyra to ponder on their discussion.
Lumièreiris was waiting for her at the entrance. She fell into step beside him, two light figures, each one thinking their own thoughts. But, they were similar. They were both thinking about the journey in the years that were to come.
"I have come to a decision," he said after a short period of silence. "I am going to send two of my finest men to go with you." He waved his hand to Hamiathe, silencing her protests. "After what has happened, you have made it clear that you need help. Gabrielle was injured and could be dead. Lyra may be next. You must be careful. I know that you are a born warrior Hamiathe, but though your friends are very courageous they are not warriors you. You have five hundred years on your shoulders. They do not." At this, Hamiathe fell silent, remembering the conversation she had just had with Lyra, and decided that Lumièreiris was right and that it was the only wise thing to do.
"Whom will you be sending?" she asked after a pause.
"My two generals, Ay and Horemheb. They have many years of experience behind them as well as lots of experience. They were personally trained by myself and have fought in many bloody battles in the west. They will protect you well."
There was nothing else to say and the two went their separate ways. Hamiathe just stood and looked into the distance. She could not tell the future, but she was once again having a feeling that somewhere along the way something drastic was going to happen. Someone was going to die. She did not know whom.
*** Hamiathe was walking along the path with Gabrielle. It had been seven days since they had arrived to the wonderful hospitality of the Lumière. They did not talk much as there wasn't much to say. They just admired the beauty around them with Gabrielle limping slightly on her still weak legs.
Hamiathe was relieved that her friend could walk. On the advice of Paola, they took many long walks to get her strength back followed by much stretching. She was making wonderful progress having just gotten out of bed the other day.
There hadn't been any news yet on the two generals, Ay and Horemheb. Hamiathe secretly despised the two of them. She did not like the idea of making their small party any bigger than it already was. It just meant more people for the enemy to target.
When they had finished their walk, they entered the house for luncheon at the huge oak tables that were laid out in the huge dining room. It was Hamiathe's favourite room with delicate crystal chandeliers, shining small rainbows across the walls. The tables were covered in dark, rich green tablecloths. The silverware and dishes were all silver, with goblets being lined with emeralds and sapphires. The oak chairs were covered with soft, green velvet cushions. It was magnificent, yet Hamiathe felt homesick as she thought of her small little kitchen with the round oak table and three chairs.
After a lunch of salads filled with crisp lettuce, tomato, cheese and apple slices with fresh fruit for desert, Hamiathe headed to the balcony where Lumièreiris and two men were standing. They were both immortals; their skin flawless, their cloaks smooth and their arrows and swords sharpened, much like Hamiathe is. She knew that they were Ay and Horemheb.
"Might I introduce you to Ay," said Lumièreiris, gesturing to one of the men. Ay was tall, slim with light skin and long fair hair. He had the look of someone who had fought in many battles. He acknowledged her with a curt nod. "And Horemheb." Horemheb was dark with his black hair cut closely to his head; he had one thin braid dangling on the left side of his face. When he smiled, he showed his perfect white teeth that stood out from his very brown face. He looked like a good-humoured person who tried to make the best of even the worst of situations.
"They will travel with you first to the mountain, and then if you wish to the land of Karinna. They will protect you, and fight any monster that stands in your way. They are loyal and trustworthy. They will fight to their deaths."
"I thank you, my lord," she said respectfully. "For I know that they will prove themselves the most worthy of all men. I also know that you may find it difficult without your finest generals. This is very generous of you." She bowed her head and left.

Hamiathe was furious now. Lumièreiris was a good and just king; he was pure and good, but he had hurt her pride terribly. He made it sound as if she were not one of them, but a common girl who did not even know how to hold her father's sword. She felt as if she was nothing, nothing at all, and it left her furious.
She stamped into her room and threw open the doors in her frustration. She looked around at the beauty of it all and became even angrier, and threw herself down and wept.
"I wish that I was never born into this wicked world," she whispered to the walls. "I wish that I had never become immortal, and never defeated Karinna." She rolled over and thought fully as she looked at the ceiling.
"How selfish and stupid I am," she said out loud. "It is not the fault of the generals that they must accompany myself and my companions. I pity them for having to risk their lives for someone like me." She closed her eyes and sighed. "If I had never stood up to Karrina, the world would still be under her rule, with blackness at every turn."
Hamiathe got off the bed and knelt on her knees praying for forgiveness from Lafédel, and then from Gontour, for these were her gods. She vowed to herself that she would defeat Karinna in any way that she could, even if it meant sacrificing herself.

It was the tenth day. Gabrielle was fully recovered, and they planned to leave that afternoon. Everything was ready, from the smallest loaf of bread to the sharpest of arrows. Hamiathe breathed in the crisp cool air of the early morning. She was already dressed with her cloak over her shoulders and with Lafédel in her sheath. Her auburn hair was held back in small braids and the rest of it fell thickly around her shoulders. The light wind blew it so that it was streaming behind her, as she stood tall and proud on the steps of Lumièreiris.
She had eaten earlier in the morning, as the servants had put out the food at daybreak. So now she descended the steps and walked over to the trees, not following the path, walking straight into them.
She soon found herself in a small clearing where a patch of sunlight could shine through. In the middle of the clearing was a huge rock, and when she touched it she could feel it burning like coals straight from the fire. But, the sun was not heating it. Rather, the gods were heating it.
Hamiathe walked over, and suddenly felt a pure white light, like that of the beautiful gates of the Lumière. Yet, it was different, and she could hear words coming through to her.
"Likël tae hanna fen hoomkadige. You are protected by gods. Jandia likëline heayder. Follow your heart. Truthine la derine fa. The truth will be harsh. Do not abandon your mission." And then the words were gone, with Hamiathe leaving the rock.

Hamiathe, Gabrielle and Lyra were with Lumièreiris. They were this time inside in the huge round room with the book, where he told them that the book was sacred, for it revealed many things. He called to Lyra, and whispered a few words in her ear. Her face was expressionless when she returned. Gabrielle left, and she stayed much longer. When she came back she also had no expression.
And then Hamiathe went.
"Likël wan sache fin tae truthine, a i wan die harneesh," was the few words he spoke in her ear. "You will find the truth, and it will be harsh." The words scared her making her wish that she had never heard them. She wished that she had never known of such a thing.
The three came out. Lyra was the first to speak. "Did the words he spoke to you speak of fortune or misfortune?"
"I do not think that I should share that with you, Lyra," said Gabrielle quietly. "His words were meant only for the person he spoke to. No one else."
Lyra turned away. She had asked a foolish question and she knew it. Hamiathe looked down. The words told to her still haunted her. It scared her even more that the gods had spoken almost the exact same words when she was at the rock in the woods. So it must be true, right?

Hamiathe turned to take one final look at the huge white house with its massive stonewalls and majestically spiralling towers. She would miss it. Especially if those few words in her mind were really true.
"You will find the truth, and it will be harsh."
She knew that she would spend many a night lying awake, thinking of those haunting words. She must find the truth and do whatever it commands.
Lyra and Gabrielle appeared, both dressed in cloaks from the Lumière very much like Hamiathe's. Soon after Ay and Horemheb came as well, leading five beautiful horses.
The two generals mounted beautiful white mares, bare back and with no bridles. Lyra and Gabrielle each had horses with copper coats and the saddles and bridles, for they did not know how to ride otherwise. Hamiathe jumped upon the black stallion she had come to the house with ten days earlier, also bare back. She turned to lead the way. She was determined not to look back, like she had done with her small cottage way back in Kir-ta,

Karinna's fortress was now a place of complete doom and cruelty. She had prepared a place in her fortress where, in her temper, she crashed the ceiling in so now it was open to the world. She then ordered wood. Wood that was for burning. Where her Demons got the wood in the desert place nobody knows, but they came with piles of wood.
Karinna knew what had happened to the child and his poor mother. She knew that they had been saved; she had been furious. And so, she ordered the wood brought in after getting a wicked idea after the breaking of the ceiling. She then went out and gathered fifty select humans and tied their wrists together so tight that they bled. The small children she had picked whimpered with a few screaming because of the stinging.
The evil queen them threw up her arms, and suddenly the edges of the wood caught fire. The people tied together looked at it in horror, knowing what was happening. Their eyes bulged, their lips dry and cracked. Karinna was burning her wrath by burning them alive.
And in all this, the queen herself was watching, looking on as if it were all a humorous scene before her eyes. The children shrieked, and the old ones closed their eyes and held them close, their blistered lips moving in prayer. It seemed as if they were being punished for something they had no knowledge of, and they felt terrible for whatever it was. Many actually fell to their knees, praying that their gods would save them. Karinna's lip curled, snorting in disgust at this scene. She knew that Lafédel would not venture into the smoke. Lafédel would corrupt and die from the evil greyness of it, for she was too pure. But, Karinna was much too ignorant to realise that smoke was not a barrier for the dead, for their spirits would always be free in the heavenly place of the gods.
However, Karinna did not know this, and the people did not know this. And that is why she was laughing out loud; the people heard her and cried louder, and the walls of her fortress were that of doom.
Soon the air was thick with blue smoke; the centre of the room was ablaze with fire reaching up and into the grey sky. Eyes watered and voices coughed, but Karinna did none of this. She just laughed and laughed. Her shrieks of laughter chilled the red-hot walls, and even the Demons cringed in terror of their insane queen. She thought that the peeling of flesh and the blackened skin and the pouring blood was funny. She thought that the blazing fire and the broken ceiling was funny. She thought the fact that Lafédel could not come was funny. She was insane.

It was many, many hours before the flames finally burned down. The last person was nothing but black and grey ashes. The last few blue tendrils of smoke wisped across the room. Karinna looked at it all in grim satisfaction, she had just burned three hundred innocent people alive. She had left hundreds of families devastated. And she had plunged her Demons into a sea of fear.
Things soon seemed to go back to normal, but with a tight string of tension in the air. Everyone was apprehensive, but Karinna didn't really mind. They were much quicker to answer to her wishes, fearful that her next move would be to strike out at one of them.
She had done it once, just to see their reaction. They were once again returning to their old ways, slowly but surely. She caught an Earth Demon sleeping on guard. She merely smiled however, and kicked him with her foot.
"Did you not have enough sleep last night?" she asked, almost curiously.
"N-n-no your highness," said the guard, terrified, trying to stifle a yawn.
"I heard that many of the troops had trouble sleeping last night," she said understandingly, nodding her head.
"That's the truth your grace," he said, almost relieved. Perhaps he would not get into as much trouble as he thought.
"Well, that's not a good enough excuse," she snarled meanly. "Especially when you have a bottle of Green Beer by your side! Now smarten up. And if I ever catch your lazy butt sleeping on the job again, you will have a total of three hours on the torture rack, minimum! Now move!"
The terrified Demon glided away as fast as he could, afraid to look back to see if the queen was watching. The troops could all feel when Karinna's icy glare was upon them. She could just stare at their back, and they would know she was there. It was as if her presence filled the room with coldness deeper than cold itself, fear following her wherever she went. They lived in a cowardly fear of their powerful and mad queen with her fortress of doom. They hated her and they were proud of her, feared her and obeyed her. She was a symbol of symbol of fear, wretchedness, and darkness.
Karinna walked over to her throne and sat down calmly, her hands once again folded, her hood as usual draped over her head with silk threads dangling in front of her face. No one even really knew whether she was male or female, for she never removed her hood and named herself Karinna so everyone just assumed. She was a mysterious black creature, somewhere between human and Demon, sane and insane. She fed her soldiers fried eggshells and Green Beer, and paid them yearly. But, they paid even more. Many times, it was her Demons who were under the cold whip, and the slaves got a break. She would sometimes sit in her chambers and merely look out the window, lost in thought, and other times she would be patrolling the ranks, Demons and slaves, whip in hand. If someone dared to open their mouth, or protect one of their loved ones, they would be instantly dead as the queen grabbed their neck and twisted with her terrible strength. There were many words for Karinna: hideous, cruel, disgusting, hateful, painful, sad, revolting, terrible, but one word described them all.
EVIL.