Legend of the Wings
For the first time in his life, he was hearing the greatest secret of the universe. It was the Legend of the Wings, whose very mention was forbidden in the Tower…
Warriors of Transcendence, Part 12
Mahn’s presence was a source of controversy among the dwellers of the Steel Level. It was common knowledge that some of his family members served in the core of the Steel Level, and several had even been promoted to the Sapphire Level. Mahn’s tasks and goals were confidential. He spent his time as an Inviewer, and spoke very little. His piercing eyes were always looking beyond the apparent. He was often seen observing soldiers as they lounged around the many local inns scattered throughout the village market by the inner Wall of Fog. Mahn seemed to be particularly interested in observing the soldiers’ favorite pastime, the Game of Forces.
The Game of Forces was considered a popular game at the Tower. Every child knew the rules. On the upper levels, the game pieces were composed of the same substance as the outer wall, and their prices reached as high as fifty white coins. In contrast, on the Steel Level the game pieces were simply-made of wood and were worth just one or two red coins.
The game board was marked with one hundred and forty- seven checkerboard squares, most of them empty. Other squares contained images of a crater or a thorn branch. Each player started out with forty- nine pieces: Fifteen warriors shaped like sword-carrying soldier pawns carrying arrow bags, ten WireArchers shaped like spiders, six Inviewers shaped like eagles, six Infiltrators shaped like chameleons, six Unifiers shaped like Octopi, five Extrappers shaped like foxes and one piece shaped like a serpent.
According to the rules of the game, each player in turn may position one piece and move a second piece anywhere on the board except on a crater or thorn square.The movement of the pieces on the board was confined to one square per direction. One piece could not be positioned without moving a second piece, nor could it be moved without being positioned.
A warrior could destroy an enemy piece only when joined with the power of five additional warriors, together forming two triangles positioned in the same direction. Alone, a warrior was useless.
A spider WireArcher could destroy an enemy piece from up to three squares away, when he was joined with the power of five additional WireArchers, together forming a crescent.
An eagle Inviewer could only function when in a square formation. Eagles could not destroy enemy pieces, though as long as they held their form, they had the power to protect all pieces in the surrounding twelve squares.
A chameleon Infiltrator could paralyze enemy pieces positioned diagonally up to five squares away.
The five fox Extrappers had the power to create additional craters and thorns when in a star formation, and block the advancement of enemy soldiers in their vicinity.
The Octopus Unifiers prevented the destruction of all surrounding formations and attacks in their vicinity. Only when the Unifier was attacked, did the formation become compromised.
The snake, called the ‘head’, was the most important piece in the game. He was usually positioned in the headquarters. Once the ‘head’ was defeated, the game was over.
The Game of Forces required a high level of concentration and strategy. Also necessary were patience, endurance and awareness. Mahn was skilled in being able to identify a player’s essence through observation of his strategic moves and gaming abilities. Long hours spent sitting by the dimly lit game tables watching the players, enabled Mahn to spot Obliterator-candidates possessed of an inner resistance to being totally obliterated. He was also able to identify potential candidates for high ranking warrior positions by using this method.
Mahn wandered the market streets near the inner Wall of Fog. Colorful stands displaying various foods and beverages obscured the stone floor. He observed three warriors from the Base Level sitting at a low round table, sipping fizzy, purple drinks, deeply focused on the game they were playing. They were surrounded by other warriors who enjoyed watching the game.
A heavyset man sitting at another table conversed loudly with his companion; both were noticeably drunk.
“I tell you, there is no war!” he shouted, banging his fists on the table, “The war ended five hundred years ago in total victory. The Towered City no longer has enemies; there are no longer battles or threats!”
“You are telling me? I am telling you! I keep telling you!” grumbled his friend, “We both know that soldiers are training for war everywhere. How do you explain that?”
“It’s just training,” replied the man, “but not for enemy encounters, because no enemies exist, except for the lowly villagers, weak as flies…Every army needs training, otherwise how would the warriors be prepared for the marches in the Lower City?”
A warrior, overhearing their conversation, approached them and said: “No one is capable of threatening the Towered City. No one has the power to invade its walls. Our City is heavily defended and more secure than you could ever imagine.”
The warrior’s words caused Mahn to feel uneasy. This was no ordinary warrior. The confidence with which his words were spoken resembled the bravado of the Obliterators. Why would it be necessary for an Obliterator to be present in the lower City market? His words, too, made Mahn wonder: Why would a City with no fear of being attacked occupy itself so much with its defense? If no enemy exists- why is so much protection necessary? He shook his head, trying to rid himself of his confusing thoughts and he continued walking.
The stench of sweat mingled with the aroma of drinks, perfume and healing herbs. A colorful array of edibles caught the attention of the passersby. Among the lively, crowded stands, Mahn noticed a smaller stand displaying healing potions and ground herbal powders. An old woman stood behind the counter, ready to examine, for a small fee, the faces of clients in order to reveal to them details about their lives and future events. Mahn detested those healer-fortune tellers, but this one caught his interest due to the unusual crowd she had attracted. Several shaven-headed soldiers in black uniform stood there listening. This sparked Mahn’s curiosity, and he approached the stand as the pungent herbal scents enveloped him.
“I shall tell you about the termination of the Towered City,” he heard the words of the old peddler before he could see her. Her voice, though weak, was clear. Mahn wondered how these old hags were allowed to carry on as they wished. It was true; they added an amusing aspect to the colorful market, entertaining the bored soldiers, but at what risk?! Upon hearing her words, the warriors burst into loud laughter. They tossed red bronze coins into a bowl in the center of the stand, and waited for her to continue.
The old woman chuckled, though Mahn observed that she was not laughing with them but at them, arrogant and full of confidence, as if she knew something they did not know. She shook her head, adorned in a reddish purple cloth, shut her eyes and quietly sang a song that seemed to come from her heart and not her lips: “White is open to all hues…Open and caressing…Listening to all discoveries…The foundation of all colors…Base for all hues…Wellspring of change…The link connecting all tints…Soaring above all…Gateway to the heavens…White”.
The warriors stopped laughing. The old woman continued, unaware of whether or not she was being listened to.
“In a different time, above the water, One will arrive adorned in white, a man of the heart, in the heart of time.”
The words struck Mahn like sharp knives piercing his skull. His sight suddenly blurred, and he felt himself falling into a deep abyss, plunging and crashing to its depths. He reached for a small chair situated by the stand, and sat down heavily. From within his inner silence the words sounded like trembling whispers, reaching him like blinding flashes of light. Mahn understood that for the first time in his life he was hearing the greatest secret of the universe. It was the Legend of the Wings. This same legend, whose mention was forbidden in the Tower, was now being publicly voiced by a fanatical old woman in the open market, and she faced no dispute or opposition. The aged woman described how the fire from the Tower would be extinguished and how its inhabitants would vanish. She described how the color of the sky would change and become purple and how, eventually, a great wave of water would cover the entire earth.“Very few mortals will survive,” she continued, “and those who survive will grow wings and hover over the waters.”
These final peculiar words caused the warriors to lose interest and walk away.
To be continued.
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