“You must hear it for yourselves,” he said. “After that, I will take you to see. Until you see, you will not truly understand.”
“Where are we going?” Loor asked.
“First to the Rokador elite,” Teek answered. “They are sharing a final meal with the one who calls himself Saint Dane.”
JOURNAL #22
(CONTINUED)
ZADAA
Whenwe stepped out of the cell, I saw that Teek had brought our weapons. Nice idea, but there wasn’t a whole lot that a couple of sticks could do against an entire tribe of Rokador. Still, it felt good to have them back. I guarantee Loor felt the same way. Teek led us on a quick, twisted journey through the corridors of the stone building. I’m guessing we were in the basement since the hallways looked like the tunnels of the underground. There wasn’t much to see except for stone walls and closed doors. Teek knew exactly where he was going, which was amazing because it all looked like a whole lot of the same to me. We made a few turns, dashed down a few more empty corridors, and stopped at a closed door.
“You must be quiet,” Teek said softly. “Above us is the private dining quarters of the elite. This door leads to a small tunnel that provides air to the building.”
“Who are these elite?” I asked.
“Our leaders,” Teek answered. “They govern the Rokador, pass the laws, and sit in judgment.”
“That’s a lot of power,” I said. “Are they elected?”
“They are descendents of the original Rokador-those who first discovered the underground many generations ago.” Teek stopped talking and closed his eyes. It was like he was suddenly overcome with emotion. “Are you ill?” Loor asked.
“I’m fine,” Teek said after taking a breath. “We can hear what they are saying, but if we are discovered…” He didn’t finish the sentence. I figured that whatever would happen, it wouldn’t be good. Note to self: Don’t get caught.
He quietly opened the door and entered. Loor and I followed. We found ourselves in a space with a ceiling so low we had to duck down to walk. There looked to be two shafts that disappeared into darkness. Teek had explained that these tunnels provided air. I felt a slight breeze, as if the air were moving. But learning how they ventilated this building wasn’t why we were here. Light shone down from above through several small slits that were about a foot long and an inch wide. Teek approached this light source quietly and pointed for us to look. We quickly saw that these slits were the openings through which the room above was ventilated. More important, we were able to look through them and see into that room. Judging from the angle, I guessed that the slits were at the base of a wall. It was the perfect vantage point to peek into the room and eavesdrop on the proceedings.
The room itself was like nothing we had seen in the underground. It was big enough to hold a long dining table. There was artwork on the walls and comfortable-looking furniture. Candles burned everywhere. The dining table itself was loaded with an incredible feast. There were silver bowls heaped with all sorts of strange-looking fruit. On one end of the table was a roast something. On the other end was another roast that looked like a turkey. There were tall goblets full of drinks. It was a pretty fancy feast-not exactly something you’d expect to see in a place where people were desperate for food and water.
Loor and I exchanged looks. I knew she was thinking the same thing I was: Where was the horror Teek was talking about? It sure wasn’t in this room. This place looked pretty sweet. I counted ten Rokador. The ruling elite. I guess I expected to see a bunch of white-hairs who had centuries of experience between them to draw upon as they made the wise choices that helped guide the future of their people.
Well… no.
A couple people looked kind of old. One guy was so ancient he didn’t look like he could get out of his chair. I think he was napping…and drooling. I swear, there was a line of drool dropping from his mouth that formed a puddle on his chest. Nice. But overall it was a totally diverse group. There were three people who looked like adults. Two women and a man. There was a guy and a girl who didn’t look any older than I am. And then there were two little kids. I’m serious. Kids. They all had the pasty white skin and green eyes of the Rokador and wore the familiar white robes. This must have been a special occasion, because they all wore the fancy robes with the gold trim like I wore to the Batu Festival of Azhra.
Everyone was eating quickly, pounding down the food as if it were their last meal. Truth be told, it might have been. They stuffed their mouths with fatty chunks of meat before they had even finished chewing what they already had bitten off. They washed it all down with water from their fancy goblets. I was surprised at first, but that’s before I remembered that in truth, there was no water shortage. At least, not down here.
Oh yeah. There was one other guest at the table. Saint Dane. He sat on one end, watching the elite stuff themselves.
He wasn’t eating. Every so often he’d take a sip of water. The whole event seemed to amuse him. He watched them with a slight smile, like a spider who knew he didn’t have to sweat because all the little flies were firmly trapped in his web. After watching this gluttony for a while, I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. I don’t know if it was because I was scared, or disgusted, or just plain hungry. I think it was all the above.
Finally one of the adult women stood up and addressed the group. “A toast,” she said, holding up her goblet. “To our friend from the far side of the desert. He came to us a stranger, but has grown to be a trusted friend, a wise council, and the angel who will be forever known as the man who resurrected the Rokador. To Saint Dane!”
“Saint Dane!” everyone echoed. They raised their glasses and cheered.
Saint Dane smiled and raised his hand modestly, as if to say, “Aw shucks, folks, it was nothing.”
I wanted to puke. Whatever Saint Dane said to these people, he had them totally convinced he was there to help. It was an eerie feeling. The people in this room loved him. I saw it in their eyes. They offered him a toast, they fed him like a king, they thanked him for all he’d done. They were probably forming plans to build a statue to him. They had no idea that whatever it was he talked them into, it would lead them to ruin. It was chilling. Was this the horrible truth that Bokka tried to tell us about?
Saint Dane wiped his mouth daintily and stood up. “My friends,” he said. “And I am honored to call you my friends. Today marks a new beginning. The wise decision you have made will allow you to put aside the recent dark past and look to a brighter tomorrow. Now, finally, the Rokador will be able to grow and flourish in ways that just a short time ago seemed impossible. After today nothing will be impossible for you. I applaud your courage, and your vision.”
He raised his own glass to them as they applauded. It was a total lovefest, until one of the older guys stood up and raised his hand for silence.
“I share in everyone’s gratitude to Saint Dane for offering us his insight and advice. We are on the brink of a new future. A safe future. But I must admit, I am troubled by the lengths we must go to in achieving it. As we sit here now, enjoying our feast, I think we should ask ourselves one last time if the drastic course we have chosen is the right one.”
There was general murmuring of concern. Some of the people nodded in agreement with the old guy, others were shaking their heads no. The two little kids kept eating. I don’t think they cared one way or the other. I half expected them to start a food fight.
Saint Dane stood again and took control. “You are a wise leader,” he said to the old guy. “Your caution is further proof of that. All I can offer you as assurance is my own experience. My tribe was faced with a similarly difficult choice. Once the possibilities were discussed, we came to a conclusion that could not be denied. Details aside, we had two choices. To survive, or to perish. We chose to survive, and I am here today as proof that we chose the right course. You, the ruling elite of the Rokador, are faced with the same choice. The path you are on is not a pleasant one, I will not deny that. But what other choice do you have? I am the last one who needs to remind you how close you have come to the depths of oblivion. The wheels are now in motion. I suggest that if you do not want to be enveloped by the dark shadow of death, that you choose to break free…and live!”