Zachania (20 page)

Talon then
followed Chang down along a large stone staircase, the staircase
was barely lit by a few candles and Talon had to look where his
feet were going so as not to fall, once at the bottom Talon gasped
at the sheer size of the cavern he entered and on every wall the
cavern was filled with bookcases, Talon walked over to the nearest
case, he reached out and felt one of the books and noticed how old
they were but still they were in perfect condition.

“Most of these
books are centuries old Talon” Chang commented.

“They are in
such great condition Chang.”

“Yes these
books are given more care than us monks” Chang said smiling.

“What about
that book?”

“That book is
more ancient than any other in the library, it was written
centuries ago.”

“Can we look at
it more closely?” asked Talon.

Chang shook his
head.

“That is the
book of Pang, some say it was written 1000 years ago and no one
Talon, except the Lord monk Mowloon may read it.”

Talon gazed at
the book shelf again, his mind was racing as he found himself being
drawn to the book, even though it was on the top shelf and wrapped
in a gold cloth he could still feel excited.

“A thousand
years old, there must be many secrets in there Chang.” he
sighed.

Chang raised
his eyebrows and gently ushered Talon away towards a smaller
bookcase.

“It is not our
concern Talon, come your books are over there.”

Chang led Talon
over to a large wooden table and ushered him to sit down before
fetching over a few large books then sat down beside him.

“This book was
written in the ancient language” Chang said as he turned the first
page.

“I have never
seen anything like it.” Talon frowned commenting on the strange
lettering.

“This my friend
is a learning book.” smiled Chang.

“Where would I
start?” Talon sighed.

“Don’t worry I
thought the same thing when I first saw this, it looks impossible
but with patience and concentration you will soon see the
light.”

“How long did
it take you to learn this Chang?”

“Ha it took me
four weeks just to turn the first page!”

“Let’s get
started!” sighed Talon

Chang noticed
Talon was looking a bit overwhelmed at the task so he moved closer
and pointed at some of the words.

“What you must
remember Talon is that these books where written many centuries ago
by very religious men, you must try to think as a monk would think,
this language is not like what we speak this is a text based on
basic feelings.”

“How can you
write with feelings Chang, surely a feeling would have a written
description.”

“In a way Talon
yes, but again these books are not written as the books are written
today, this language is a holy language scribed by holy monks,
written for holy monks and explains states of the mind, feelings
that there are no words for, it sounds daunting but you will learn
my friend.”

“I will learn
your language Chang.”

“Yes Talon you
will, I have total faith in you, first we will study the base words
then you will be able to grasp the alphabet then once you
understand this I will show you how the writing is scribed into
feelings.”

For the next
two weeks Talon was tutored from dawn till dusk, he learnt well and
Chang was very impressed at Talon’s progress, he had already learnt
the first page and could more or less grasp the alphabet his only
problem was understanding some words.

It took Talon
six long months before he was fluent, Talon would read everything
he could then one day when he picked a book from the oldest
bookshelf in the library, books that were only used by the most
senior monks.

The book was
about the early history of Kratos and the wars of the gods, Talon
read how the gods once possessed mortal form and lived amongst men
in the regions of the Northwest, Zachania and Zanlia were the
realms of man whilst the southern region of Degrain was home to the
beasts, half man half beast that hungered for the taste of mortal
blood.

As he turned
the pages he learned how the Degrain’s constantly attacked and with
each attack their ferocity increased until a group of Zachanian’s
fought back, soon the whole island was at war, thousands upon
thousands of lives were lost.

The war lasted
for over three decades before one of the gods arranged a summit
between the warring tribes leaders, after days of discussion they
finally made a peace but only at the behest of the Degrain’s that
they kept the land that they conquered, resentfully the Zachanian’s
agreed and once again there was peace.

The peace
lasted for over two decades as the Zachanian’s farmed and fished,
meanwhile the Degrain’s built there armies, with a peace with man
the Degrain’s turned on themselves where huge power struggles among
there leading families battled for supremacy.

The Zachanian’s
unaware about what was going on in the southern region of Degrain
where taken by total surprise when the Degrain’s attacked led by a
new supreme emperor, once again mortal man was slaughtered and
thrown into war.

This time the
war lasted decades, Zanlia was sacked to the ground and Zachania
was on the brink of defeat only to be saved in its darkest days by
the emergence of a holy warrior, from the jaws of defeat this
warrior won many battles and the Zachanian’s drove the Degrain’s
out of Zachania, then on one terrible day over one hundred thousand
Zachanian’s and Degrain’s were killed in the fiercest battle Kratos
had ever seen.

Finally the
gods once again intervened and called another summit, both tribes
were warned that if they continued with this scale of war then soon
they would destroy themselves. One god called Apollo brokered a
peace between both tribes but on the last day of the summit the god
Apollo was slain by a Degrainian assassin.

Outraged the
gods sent a plague that would rid Kratos of all life, a group of
monks went on a perilous journey to the mountains where the home of
the gods was fabled to be, many monks died reaching there but the
ones who made it begged for days for the gods to stop the killing,
pleading that thousands of innocent people were dying.

The gods held a
counsel and granted the monks their wish but if the plague was to
be lifted then both tribes would have to swear a peace.

Swearing a
peace was easy as both tribes had been decimated by the plague
slowly things improved in Kratos as this time the peace lasted.

Talon read how
the next few years saw the Zachanian’s getting back to their
farming and rebuilding the once great town of Zanlia, Talon turned
the page and began the new chapter, a chapter titled The
Empire.

The Emperor
Tash Von Kallick one day arrived on the east coast of Kratos with
thousands of soldiers bringing with him a civilisation far in
advance of the ways of war than the inhabitants of Kratos. The
Degrain’s were the first to be attacked they tried to fight but
were soon defeated, after decades of war and years of plague the
Degrain’s were easily conquered, they surrendered and swore
allegiance to the Empire and its Emperor.

The Empire then
marched west killing everything in its path, when they reached the
provinces of Zanlia and Zachania the emperor sent a wizard to the
Zachanian leaders and gave them the ultimatum surrender or die. The
Zachanian leader tried to negotiate for his people but the Empire
attacked, Zachania was defeated as most of its warriors ware of
certain death retreated to the mountains where they made camps in
the hidden networks of the caves.

For the next
one hundred years the Zachanian’s lived this way, while the
townsfolk lived under bondage and tyranny the mountain clans lived
free, free to attack posts and caravans and trying to wage their
own way of fighting this war.

Legend then
states that Apollo once again became man and became a mentor to
great Zachanian hero who with the aid of the god drove the Empire
from the lands of Zachania.

But the god
Apollo had broken his word to his fellow gods of non-intervention
of the land of Kratos, but Apollo felt sorrow for the Zachanian’s
and he had not forgotten that it was a Degrainian sword that killed
his mortal form before.

Together with
the Zachanian’s he led them to many victories.

As Talon read
on he thought that the Zachanian’s were going to win but he
suddenly found that a few pages were missing, he turned to the next
chapter to find that the Zachanian’s had once again been defeated
by the Empire and driven back to the mountains of Zachania.

Later that
evening Talon lay upon his bed thinking about what he had been
reading about earlier, just as he was drifting into sleep Chang
called out for him to join him at the table where he had prepared
Talon a bowl of broth.

“You seem
troubled Talon” remarked Chang noticing his friend’s silence.

“Just a little
confused Chang, I was reading about the gods today.”

“arh the gods,
no wonder your confused, what was it you were reading.”

“It was a book
about the history of Kratos and the wars of Kratos” replied
Talon.

“And who gave
you permission to read such books.”

“I just
stumbled upon it Chang” Talon replied slightly coy.

“Yes I bet you
did, the library masters must be getting very old, or blind, but no
matter tell me what confused you” added Chang raising his
eyebrows.

“What do you
know of the Zachanian’s Chang” Talon replied after a short
pause.

“The
Zachanian’s came from the north, it is said they were a great
civilisation, men of peace but were forced into war.”

“With the
Degrain’s.” replied Talon.

“Yes I hoped
never to hear that name again, they were a savage race, born to
fight, born to war, born to kill.”

“Why have I
never heard of the Degrain’s before Chang?”

“Good question,
for one the Emperor forbid anyone to speak of their history, the
library’s across the land were pillaged and every book was burnt or
destroyed, the Degrain’s themselves swore allegiance to Emperor and
forgo any claims to their sovereignty, they came from the south
which was once called Degrain but it has not been called that for
hundreds of years.”

“Not all books
were destroyed Chang.” Talon added remarking on the books in the
temple library.

“Be careful
young Talon, some things are better not discussed.”

Talon smiled
slightly acknowledging his mentors comment, he would be careful not
to cause his mentor embarrassment.

“What of
Zachania and Apollo.”

“Zachania has
been forbidden for centuries, no one can go there.”

“Why?”

“I do not
really know Talon, the Emperor forbid it centuries ago and no one
has been there since.”

“Was there any
Pangkor temples there?”

“Yes there was
many, the Pangkor religion has its origins in the north.”

“Is it true
that all the Zachanian’s were ordered to be killed by the
Emperor?”

“Yes the
Emperor killed them.”

“Then what of
the Pangkor temples there, were they destroyed too.”

“Talon you ask
me things that I cannot answer, what I know of this is very vague,
you are asking me things that have been forbidden to speak of for
many years, such silence of tongues has caused many of these tales
to be forgotten or fold into myth.”

Talon rubbed
his brow as he took another spoonful of broth.

“Who’s side
were the monks on?” he suddenly asked.

“We’re not on
anyone’s side.” Chang snapped back “we are monks, our duty is for
peace.”

“And
Apollo?”

“What of
Apollo?”

“He sided with
the Zachanian’s Chang, is this true?”

Chang rubbed
his head trying to keep his patience.

“Talon many
things happened in this islands history, many dark and tragic times
befell this land, yes Apollo was said to fight with the Zachanian’s
but is also said that he was punished by the other gods for doing
so.”

“So the other
gods sided with the emperor.”

“I did not say
that, the god’s side with no one, but it is said that many
centuries ago they tired of the wars, wars that had lasted
thousands of years, finally they intervened and stopped the wars
but our punishment was that they would never again lift a hand to
help Kratos.”

“Not even
against this emperor.”

“This emperor
Talon has kept peace on this land for centuries.”

“Peace or
servitude.” replied Talon.

Chang sighed at
Talon signalling to him that it was now time to retire, Talon
looked back at him and noticed a strange uncomfortable look, it was
a look that made Talon feels the words Chang spoke were not the
true words of his feelings.

The summer
nights of the South-West were sometimes unbearably hot, Talon slept
restlessly tossing the sheets from his bed as sweat began to pour
from him, his eyes flickered as his dream took over his body.

The mysterious
stranger that had visited Talon in his dreams before had once again
returned, this time Talon was standing in a cave with him.

The stranger
led Talon by the hand through many caves until they reached a body,
a body that was frozen in ice, Talon gazed at the frozen being,
then suddenly realised that it was the man who was leading him.

The man smiled
warmly at Talon.

“You must be
wondering who I am.”

Talon did not
speak but he felt warmth, it was warmth that he felt safe.

“My name is
Apollo and this was the body of my mortal form, it has been frozen
as a reminder that I can never again possess it.”

“Why do you
visit me?” asked Talon.

“I have waited
centuries for you my friend.”