Disclaimer: I'm a teacher which means that I don't earn much. Please don't sue me. :)
Cassie
ooooooooooooooooooo
CAP. XXXVII – The Fifth Season
Wind swept over the courtyard of the Sith Temple and Peetah looked in the direction of the mountains in the distance, shuddered, and then went back inside through the back door, carrying her broom in her hand. Tyananna came out a few moments later and stared in the distance, crossing her hands on her chest. It all seemed like a distant memory. The Jedi Temple, Waak, her life as a Jedi... as though it happened in three centuries ago. So much happened in the meantime, so much has changed. She never felt more alive than here in the Sith Temple and her days have never been so full. She surprised herself, as she seemed to be managing everything just fine.
It was three days before the Fifth Season and already now she could feel it coming. The skies went gloomy grey and the scent of rain was in the air. But the sky looked different and she could already note that it was getting darker despite of the fact it was daytime. The Fifth Season was a phenomenon occurring every five years and the world transformed during those few weeks. The emissaries from the many countries hurried home after the meeting, but many of them would have to face the Fifth Season while travelling.
The Dark Lord did not intend to show his new allies the power of the Dark side. But it happened anyway. His rage, when unleashed, was too terrible to behold. All around him answered to it, it rose in indignation and the Dark side was unleashed in all of its horror. It turned over tables, set the curtains on fire, shattered glass and smashed lanterns, made the torches explode with flame which went right up to the ceiling, making the whole hall look as though it was on fire. The Dark side might be a powerful tool in the hand of a Sith; but when directed at foes, it showed its ugly face, its destructiveness and horror.
The Dark Lord ordered his new allies to start rallying soldiers and after what they have witnessed, none of them even considered to disobey him. For a moment that tall, serious man transformed into a black hole of rage which threatened to suck everything and everyone in, and they left Gotan convinced that this Sith was perhaps even worse than the Dark Lord of the Second Age.
"I offer you all a chance," the Dark Lord said to the frightened people, "to follow me and to be my allies in this war. In return you shall have my protection and my support, as I promised. Do not think for a moment that you can betray me; that you go to the Jedi Temple and tell those monkeys who I am. For I would hear it, I would know it. I would not rest until I hunted you down. And then… death would be too good for you."
Tyananna wondered for a while whether the information about her would reach the ears of the Jedi. She doubted it, despite of the fact that there were many people who heard her story, as she spoke to that former Jedi knight in the garden of the Court. But it mattered little; for now there was no going back and she did not want to go back, even if she could.
"Tiya," said a voice next to her. She jumped, turning around and spotting the smiling face of Lady Tarralyanna.
"Lull before the storm?" she said quietly, coming to a stand beside her and lighting up a cigarette which she miraculously pulled out of her very wide cloak which resembled, in Tyananna's opinion, a bed sheet with a hole for the head. Lady Tarralyanna loved wide clothes.
"The Fifth Season always frightened me," Tyananna said quietly. "Though I suppose it will be a relief not to see the suns for a while."
"Yes," Lady Tarralyanna nodded. "But you will experience it for the first time through the Dark side. And it will be beautiful, I can assure you."
"It is something to wonder at, after all," she went on conversationally, her sapphire eyes glinting with excitement. "Astronomers of old have tried to solve the mystery and explain why this phenomenon occurs, but to no avail."
"It is a common belief that the Fifth Season comes when god Narywath turns his eyes away from the world and forsakes it," Tyananna said, remembering that perhaps Lady Tarralyanna did not know about this, though it was common knowledge.
"Nonsense," Lady Tarralyanna said, giving a laugh and waving off. "It is an astronomical phenomenon, nothing more. I have learned astronomy from the great Caelian scholars and they made a study of it."
"Where have you learned about astronomy from the Caelians?" Tyananna asked, surprised.
"Master has their manuscripts," Lady Tarralyanna said simply. "Horukaan, as a planet, revolves around the twin sun system of Cyrron and Luth. However, the Caelian scholars believe that a deviation in its orbit is the reason why during the Fifth Season we experience two weeks of complete darkness. The reasons for this are still unclear. Some believe that the Fifth Season occurs only on this side of the planet; some believe that it can be observed everywhere. Be it as it may, the Fifth Season is a relatively new concept, since it did not occur in the First Age, for instance. The reason for this – and it sounds perfectly plausible to me – is that the Cyrron sun is exponentially growing and that the Luth sun is getting smaller and smaller. Common people ascribe various fantastic meanings to this phenomenon and since its first occurrence it has been an inspiration to many, what resulted in legends and strange beliefs. Hence this silly belief that the god Narywath forsakes the people during the Fifth Season. There is no Narywath."
"You believe so?" Tyananna asked dreamily, not looking at her.
"The Dark side, as well as the light side, is an emanation of one source of creation, which is beyond our comprehension," Lady Tarralyanna said seriously. "And this source of creation does not have a name, nor does it have a face. It exists on a plane we cannot touch or perceive. It does not exist in the way we interpret existence; and yet its existence is indisputable."
"It sounds logical," Tyananna said. "Though I cannot understand what you just said."
"You have not read the last two books of the Sith Code, have you?" Lady Tarralyanna asked, smiling at her.
"No," said Tyananna, "I am still reading the fifth. They are very demanding, you know. I cannot exactly read it while having coffee."
"Quite," Lady Tarralyanna said. "But in the last two books, when you get to them, you will find the theory of creation written by the Dark Lord of the First Age, along with his presumption that the growth of one sun will cause fantastic changes on Horukaan, which will happen in a few thousand years. He called it 'the long night' and 'rest from the garish daylight'. It depicts the Fifth Season very well, do you not think so?"
"Is it just me, or were all Sith so very clever and talented?" Tyananna asked, baffled.
"They were," Lady Tarralyanna said, leaning against her. "Not anyone can be a Sith, as you know. The demands are great – Force sensitivity, of course, willpower, devotion to work... Thus it should not surprise you that each Sith excelled in one field, be it combat, science or something else. The Dark side inspires us; but it also gives us the power to further develop our talents and to follow our path."
"Why has it chosen me, then?" Tyananna asked. "I do not know much about anything; I am not good at calculations and I do not know everything about the anatomy of all races on Horukaan. I am not that good at combat skills, though I try really, really hard."
"I had no idea what I was good at while I was a child, either," Lady Tarralyanna said, shrugging. "Give the Dark side some time and your talents with come forth."
"Oh, I forgot why I to talk to you in the first place, so silly of me," Lady Tarralyanna said suddenly. "Master has given us permission to go out on our free day – and it is also the last day of the Fiery Season. Tammutyen and I wanted to go on a trip in the mountains and we want you to go with us. You can bring your lute and play music for us! Tammutyen loves it, though he never told you."
Tyananna went red as Lady Tarralyanna mentioned him and the other Sith squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
"He made his offer to you because I told him to do so," she said, staring at her. The way everyone knew what Tyananna was thinking about was driving her crazy. "Our system of right and wrong only accepts everything that benefits us and helps our advancement as right and everything else as wrong. You are a Sith – you do not need to be afraid of the vengeance of some thought-of deity, because no such thing exists. You should only be concerned about the Dark side and the Dark side does not approve of weakness and status quo. I am sure it is hard for you to get rid of all of the things you have been taught and indoctrinated with; but you must at least realise that it really makes no sense, no matter what your upbringing would say about it."
"But..." Tyananna stuttered. Lady Tarralyanna clapped a hand over her mouth and lifter her eyebrows.
"It is just some stupid rule you have been brainwashed with," she said seriously. "I hope you realise that?"
Tyananna managed to nod.
"Think about it. You need to act, soon," Lady Tarralyanna added. Tyananna nodded again and sighed as the other Sith withdrew her hand and smiled at her.
"Now come on," she said, grabbing her hand. "Let us go to the library and finish our work. We have been wasting our time long enough by standing here and talking."
They found Lord Tammutyen in the library, who had unrolled a large scroll and spread it across his table. He stared at it with his brow furrowed and looked up when they entered.
"Finally," he said, beckoning to them. "Come here."
They environed the table and glanced over the scroll. It was a very detailed chart of their star system and beside the drawing of each planet, sun or moon were Sith glyphs and Sith digits.
Lord Tammutyen tapped a finger at the minute scribbles beside the drawing representing Horukaan.
"What does this mean?" he asked impatiently.
"Those are estimates," Lady Tarralyanna said knowledgeably, leaning over the scroll. "This, for instance, is the speed with which our planets turns around its axis. This indicates how many Cyrron and Luth hours we averagely get during all four seasons."
"And this?" Lord Tammutyen demanded to know.
"That is the equation estimating Cyrron's growth, meaning its mass and its brightness," Lady Tarralyanna said promptly.
"We know how much it weighs?" Lord Tammutyen asked, surprised. Lady Tarralyanna flashed a smile at him.
"Yes, we do," she said, nodding. "Of course, it is an estimate, for we cannot find scales big enough to put it on to see for ourselves."
"Very funny," Lord Tammutyen growled, obviously jealous of her knowledge.
"But with digits that large, every error can be safely neglected," she said smartly.
"Who drew this?" Tyananna asked, glancing over the scroll in awe. To her, it was like revelation. She had no idea some of these things were known and yet they could stand so calmly beside this priceless chart whereas some people would kill for it.
"Master," Lady Tarralyanna said simply. Then she pointed toward a distant shelf, where Tyananna could see similar large scrolls with labels sticking out. "All of the star charts are there, including maps of the planet."
"What is this?" Tyananna asked suddenly, pointing at a small dot marked with a Sith glyph which stood for 'the unknown'.
"That is a part of Master's theory, which he formed after he studied all of the work of the Dark Lord of the First Age," Lady Tarralyanna said, crossing her hands on her chest and sighing, as though she wished she could do that as well. "According to his calculations, because of the fluctuations in the magnetic fields of the planets and moons, there is a moon or an asteroid which has not yet been charted."
"This is… fascinating," it escaped Tyananna, who sat on the unoccupied chair and stared down at the chart with her eyes glinting. "Simply fascinating."
"I was actually looking for a clue on the Fifth Season," Lord Tammutyen said, as though feeling a little neglected.
"Here it is," Lady Tarralyanna said readily, pointing at a cluster of glyphs beside Horukaan. "The deviation, calculated – and it lasts exactly twenty-four days and eleven hours."
"You always have an answer to everything, do you?" Lord Tammutyen said grumpily. Tyananna felt him brush against her and she shuddered, suddenly forgetting what she had been thinking about until then.
"But does it explain the other phenomena which occur during the Fifth Season, except for the two weeks of darkness?" Tyananna asked. This time, Lady Tarralyanna shook her head.
"No," she said quietly, as though this was her own failure.
"That is one mystery to solve for our know-it-all," Lord Tammutyen said with a smirk. Lady Tarralyanna threw him a filthy look.
"Then what is this?" Tyananna asked, pointing at the chart again.
"That is a part of another Master's theory, which he chose to write down for us to consider, come to our own conclusions and then take the matter further," Lady Tarralyanna said, little more brightly. "He believes that our planet passes through a cloud of space dust, what would account for the unnatural darkness and all other strange phenomena occurring during the Fifth Season."
Tyananna stared at her, bewildered.
"But I have not yet had the time to make any calculations or observations which might corroborate his theory. I do not know whether Master has any news on the issue."
"Have all Sith known so much about astronomy?"Tyananna asked.
"No," Lady Tarralyanna said with a laugh. "We all have our strengths. I learned mathematics, physics, astronomy and geology since I started reading. Tammutyen on the other hand was taught anatomy and history. He also knows a lot about healing, potions and herbs. That is why I always go to him when I feel unwell or when I have pains. He has an answer to everything."
"Battle tactics also," he said, nodding. "That has always been a passion of mine. But also, poetry and music. Tarra does not appreciate music."
"I most certainly do," Tarralyanna said in indignation, snorting at him. "I like listening to it and I can appreciate it. But I think that to start learning how to play an instrument would be just going too far. I would be horrible at playing it."
"Poetry?" Tyananna asked, surprised. "Do you write it or read it?"
"Both, actually," Tammutyen said.
"Will you let me read something you have written?" Tyananna asked, grinning. She missed her books and poetry which she loved to read while she lived at the Jedi Temple.
"Perhaps," Lord Tammutyen said mysteriously.
What was he writing, Tyananna asked herself? She had to try to get her hands on some of it, at any cost. Somehow the fact that he appreciated music and poetry changed her opinion on him.
ooooooooooooooooooo
When Tyananna came back to her chambers she found Peetah changing her sheets, who seemed to be rather embarrassed about it.
"Should have come earlier," Peetah said, swaying across the room to fetch the freshly laundered sheets. "I am so sorry, miss Tyananna. Husband and I were busy in the garden, we were putting torches for the vegetables to be able to grow during the Fifth Season."
"What is it like here?" Tyananna asked, not paying the slightest attention to her apologies, because Peetah apologised about everything. "I have never lived so far up north and I have no idea how the Fifth Season is like here."
"Ooh, miss, I do not like it," Peetah said, shuddering. "That strange darkness... it makes me feel very uncomfortable. And the smells are strange. But what I do not like about it the most is that it is so quiet; it seems as though all animal life has gone to sleep. There are no animals around here during the Fifth Season."
"What do your people say about it?" Tyananna asked, busy with her plait.
"That it is a time to go to sleep, because everything else does," Peetah said, looking flattered that Tyananna wanted to know what the Malaskians thought about the Fifth Season. "But it is frightening, miss, for us. Not for you, certainly. Sith like darkness; Sith have no fear, unlike we poor humans."
Tyananna laughed.
"You know, I said something of the sort only a few days ago," she said, taking her sad'khai off. "I said I wished I was not human, so that I would not have to feel either distraught or frightened."
"But you are not human, miss Tyananna," Peetah said sincerely, with a dose of surprise. "You are a Sith, one of the great warriors who do not know fear or doubt."
"I know fear, Peetah," Tyananna said quietly. "Much better than I would want to."
"You do not," said Peetah with a wide smile. "Do you fear the Dark side?"
"Why would I fear the Dark side?" Tyananna asked, surprised. "I think I am well past that stage of being afraid of the one thing which I call home."
"If you do not fear the Dark side," Peetah said, wearing an expression of admiration, "then you do not fear anything, child. Ah, you powerful cannot understand what it is like for ordinary humans! There are certainly people who would like to be so powerful – but they are too afraid of the Dark side. To be a Sith, one must have no fear whatsoever. That I have learned during the years I spent with Lady."
She left Tyananna standing in the middle of her room, thinking about this. She was no longer afraid of the Dark side, true – and why? Because her Master once meditated with her and since then everything changed. Now when she meditated she immediately delved into the Dark side without further ado or second thoughts.
oooooooooooooooooooooo
Head still full of preparations for the Fifth Season, Tyananna departed very early with Tarralyanna and Tammutyen to the mountains, her lute carefully packed. The unnatural gusts of wind ceased and were replaced by complete immobility of the air. It looked almost as though the whole world was frozen in time.
The light of the Cyrron sun already looked very faint and its rays cast eerie shadows on the ragged mountain cliffs. The sky was rapidly growing darker and darker, whereas Tyananna spotted only a few animals along the way, which seemed to be in a hurry and as though they had more important things to do than stare at the three Sith. It felt as though something was coming to an end and this strange emptiness was a little unsettling. And yet the Dark side was there as always, which was why the Sith seemed as little perturbed with this change as possible, if one would exclude excitement.
"It is Droddian belief," said Lord Tammutyen from up ahead, "that the Fifth Season is a time for warriors to prepare for a new year and new challenges, for new battles. It is a time for gathering energy, for mulling over what happened in the past five years and preparations for new challenges and new life. The story of Rhahtah, the great warrior of Droddia – which later fell apart and split into several smaller kingdoms – is closely related to the Fifth Season as Droddians see it. He died in the eve of the Fifth Season, killed when turned with his back to his foes, ran through with a sword. It is said that people were so afraid of him that they thought the safest method of dealing with him was to kill him when he would not be looking and would not be able to defend himself. On the first day of the next year he arose once again and challenged those who killed him in such a cowardly way. He killed them and avenged his own death in that way. Hence the Droddian laws of battle to which they adhere to – that no honourable warrior should ever kill his foe while defenceless. It is said to bring the curse of Rhahtah upon one and that whoever does not act honourably in battle would die in their sleep and in great pain, whereas their bodies would be carried off by birds of prey and scattered all across Horukaan. For those without honour deserve no proper burial."
"Such a wonderful legend," Lady Tarralyanna said. "So what do they do during the Fifth Season?"
"Droddians generally throw away their old weapons and make new ones, believing that the hand of Rhahtah shall bless them and empower them with his strength and that such weapons could defeat anyone. But only if they vow never to fight anyone unworthy, meaning weaker than they are; that they would act honourably; that they would never cheat in battle, conceal a weapon or something like that. There is a great feast in the honour of Rhahtah which takes place at the end of the Fifth Season, before which everyone in the family who made new weapons, tosses them into the fire which they set up in front of the house, and before it, swear that they would act as honourable warriors of Droddia, bring it glory and defend its name. It is a custom to eat bears or lions, as it is the case with Dankaar's Kingdom. I believe I remember also that no vegetables are allowed throughout the whole Fifth Season – because the warriors are gathering strength and they do not wish to be as weak as plants, which anyone can pluck out and break."
"Well, that is silly," Lady Tarralyanna said. "But you know, you respect most of the Droddian traditions. Have you noticed?"
"I am not doing that on purpose," Lord Tammutyen said. "It is just the way I am. But unfortunately there will be no fresh meat for me today. All the animals are gone."
"Well, there is plenty of food for me and Tiya. Look at these berries, for instance!" Lady Tarralyanna said.
She raised a hand and wrapped the fingers of the Dark side around a branch of the bush beside the road, catching a handful of berries as they flew at her. She swallowed them without further ado.
"I hope I will not become as weak as the berries, for someone to pluck me out," Tyananna said, riding behind her.
The road led steeply upwards, which had been swept clean by the vicious wind which raged during the past few days. Now it was ghostly silent and it stretched like a long snake in front of them. A dark cloud loomed up in sight as they passed by a tall cliff – it was dark violet with a tinge of black. All life has gone to sleep, even the sky, Tyananna thought. Why was this so frightening? Was it because it was unnatural? The birds were gone and the usual sound of the fluttering wings was absent; not a croak of a raven could be heard, not a crack in the bushes indicating that there was a lizard slithering about; nor a rustle of leaves, indicating that there was a worm crawling underneath. And while all sleeps and flees before darkness and the change which is about to take place, she thought, we, the Sith, remain here.
"Let us camp here," Lady Tarralyanna said, jumping off her horse when they reached a handsome plateau at the side of a mountain. "Such a wonderful view!"
Mountain ranges were everywhere and the little silver flowers shaped as stars which grew throughout the whole of Gotan dotted the grass, undisturbed by the wind. The grass was light green and scarce, but even this was a great improvement for the kingdom of Gotan. In the distance shone the white peaks of the Go'Tror, the great mountain range which was not so high, but rather stretched like a long snake northward, in the direction of the land of Gnath. This mountain range indicated the border of Gotan and it was rightfully called 'the Wall' by the old settlers of the Kingdom of ice and snow. They believed that Far-Meh-La created it in order to protect the people of Gotan from the unknown horrors of the Land of Gnath.
Lady Tarralyanna pulled out a wooden board from her saddle bag and Lord Tammutyen brought a small box, grinning broadly.
"What is that?" Tyananna asked, turning away from the fantastic view.
"A game we like to play," Lady Tarralyanna said. "Sit; I shall explain the rules to you."
The wooden board was circular and circles of various colours were drawn on it, with Sith glyphs written inside each circle. There was a triangle painted red which occupied the centre.
"Here," Lady Tarralyanna said, tossing a small piece of rock she found underneath her feet at Tyananna, who caught it in the air, and turned it over to see what was so special about it. "That will represent you. Each player is one rock."
"You mean, pawn," Tyananna said in Albinian, suddenly reminded of an old Albinian game which was played on square boards, using carved figurines to represent the players.
"I am quite unfamiliar with the meaning of that word," Lady Tarralyanna said unconcernedly, grabbing the box from Tammutyen's hand.
"Now, this," she said, taking out what was in it, what turned out to be a small object made out of wood, with Sith numbers all over it, "is Plaph. We keep it in a box so that we would not misplace it – we already lost eight or nine of those and they are not easy to make."
"Ten," Lord Tammutyen growled, "You threw one at me and it got swallowed by a volcano."
"Right, ten," Lady Tarralyanna said cheerfully.
Tyananna took the Plaph in her hand and examined it. It was far more complicated than she first thought, because it was not shaped as a cube, as she expected it to be. It had twelve sides and all of them were equal; on each one of them there was a Sith number. Traditionally, Sith numbers were composed of dots and straight lines. If there was a vertical line, it meant that the dots around it were meant to be added, whereas a perpendicular line designated multiplication, something that was very useful with large digits. But the confusing part, for Tyananna, was that there were only three numbers – one, two, three. All other numbers were derived from the three, by the means of addition and multiplication. Obviously, most numbers could be written in many different ways, but the Sith preferred simplicity, and thus chose the simplest version of the number. The Plaph might have looked and sounded like a funny little thing to Tyananna, a play toy, but the truth was that it seemed terribly complicated to make. It would explain why the two have been counting the number of misplaced Plaph. But what puzzled Tyananna was – how was it made? Obviously it was very important that all sides were of the same size.
"It is a geometrical body," Lady Tarralyanna answered readily, when Tyananna asked her about that. "It represents the machinery of the world. We have twelve planets around Cyrron and Luth; and thus we have twelve sides of the Plaph. Each represents a planetary force, or an aspect of one's personality. It is a part of the game, as you will see."
"And the moons?" Tyananna asked. "Why not use the moons?"
"Because planetary forces are more powerful," Lady Tarralyanna said simply, putting the round board on the ground before her. "Horukaan's moons are too small to make a difference, but planetary forces are not to be ignored. You will find all of the planetary forces, in one way or the other, present in your personality."
"That is very interesting," Tyananna mused.
"It is also said that some planetary forces have been more present in all Sith than the other."
"Which ones?" Tyananna asked curiously.
"Well, R'Loth'Mat –" she started, but stopped as something occurred to her. "You do know the names of planets in Sith, do you?"
Tyananna shook her head. She was still reading the book about the Caelian customs the Dark Lord gave her.
"Oh well. It is the third planet." Tyananna quickly nodded. "It represents will, stubbornness, defiance, passion for challenges, inner strength of character and courage; its negative sides would be self-destructiveness and inability to deal with failure. Then, there is Gah'Tyah, the eighth planet, which represents proneness to anger and passion for battle and conquest. Its negative sides would be fear, irrational hostility, inability to control one's emotions and to find any peace unless one is engaged in battle of some kind. You will note that these are the main predispositions for successfully controlling the Dark side and that we have all encountered its negative effects."
Tyananna nodded, fascinated.
"Then there is Pon'Yal, the first planet, representing thirst for knowledge," Lady Tarralyanna went on. "The desire to understand the universe and intellectual curiosity. Also in some cases one can notice the influence of Quah'Ree, the sixth planet, which represents creativity and love for art."
"I am pretty certain I have some of the characteristics you mentioned," Tyananna said thoughtfully.
"You can ask Master to analyse you," Lady Tarralyanna said.
"I would like that," Tyananna said, intrigued. "How is it done?"
"You must answer a series of questions, that is all," Lady Tarralyanna said. "But we did this when we were eighteen – perhaps Master has invented a different approach. By the way, how is your new tattoo? Does it itch?"
"How do you know I have one?" Tyananna asked, startled.
"You do not carry your M'Hoor on your back," Tarralyanna said smartly, winking at her. "Which is how any reasonable Sith would carry it. And I have seen you wince from time to time. I know you have not injured yourself during any of your trainings, because I was present as well, and therefore I must conclude you have a new tattoo."
"You are horrible!" Tyananna exclaimed, laughing. "Yes, I have a new one. But it still all bloody and strange, it does not seem to be healing at all."
"Shall we play now?" Lord Tammutyen asked.
As Lord Tammutyen was again looking at her in a way which made Tyananna exceedingly uncomfortable, she welcomed the change of subject. Lady Tarralyanna started explaining the rules of the game to her and Tyananna soon came to the conclusion that it was not a game of luck, but a game of logic. After two hours of playing the game, she was having a serious headache.
Tarralyanna and Tammutyen wanted her to play her lute for them and it was not exactly hard to persuade her. She took it out of its box, brushed her hands against her cloak and began to play it.
Tyananna began to play a mournful, dreamy suite, for which she was certain that it would appeal to the the two. Lady Tarralyanna seemed to enjoy it, judging by the way she moved her head in the rhythm of the music, whereas Lord Tammutyen merely stared without blinking at her, drinking in every tone Tyananna's fingers were producing. But to Tyananna, who was immersed in her task, her own music brought comfort and was there to remind her that some things would always be there for her, that some things never changed.
"I love the part when you keep your finger on one string for a while," Lady Tarralyanna sighed, motioning with her fingers. "Such a wonderful sound."
"Do you know what the music is about?" Lord Tammutyen asked seriously. He seemed to be sincerely touched with Tyananna's music.
"It is a... story about two lovers who were forbidden to see each other," Tyananna said confusedly.
"Really? I think each one of us has their own stories which would fit the music," he said, fascinated.
"I am flattered that I have managed to play music which inspired you," Tyananna said before she could stop herself. "It is an honour to be able to inspire people; and something I never experienced before, though I tried."
"Then people are blind and deaf," Lord Tammutyen said, staring fixedly at her.
Tyananna swallowed and looked down on her lute.
"This world of the Dark side seems to be the only world which makes sense to me," she said quietly, putting away her lute.
Lady Tarralyanna wanted to play the board game again, but upon the very thought Tyananna felt another headache coming and suggested to teach them a game which she often played at the Jedi Temple. The two Sith were delighted and Lord Tammutyen went to find suitable fruit which they could use instead of a ball. Tyananna explained them the rules and they caught on pretty quickly. She first threw the "ball" to Tammutyen, who readily caught it and threw it in her direction, looking delighted. However, he seemed to have miscalculated himself because their ball flew right over Tyananna's head and disappeared somewhere in the gorge. The two booed and shouted at him and Lady Tarralyanna went to fetch another fruit with which they could play. When the game was finally in full swing, Tyananna concluded that she was far better at the game than she used to be and that her new well-trained body was serving her exceedingly well.
Given that all the two Sith knew was training and combat it was understandable to expect them to take a similar approach to this game as well. Lady Tarralyanna happily performed flips before catching the ball and Lord Tammutyen sprinted after it and kicked it hard toward Tyananna. Whereas Tyananna mostly ducked to avoid getting hit instead of trying to catch the ball, Lord Tammutyen took a more aggressive approach to the matter and grabbed it no matter how close it was or how fast it was flying toward him. It was interesting to try out all of the things they ever learned while playing this game, mostly because they were not under pressure to do everything flawlessly. Lord Tammutyen jumped high and turned twice in the air whenever he scored and he was quite amusing to watch.
Thus if anyone would have been watching them play the game, he would have no idea the Sith were actually playing a game, because it certainly did not look that way. Each one of them considered winning as something they had to do no matter what and it more resembled strange competition than a game.
ooooooooooooooooooo
As darkness spilled over the world and the sun of Cyrron retreated to its celestial bed, the three Sith headed back to the Temple. The glowing, scarlet dot which was supposed to be Luth, or a rather poor memory of it, was slowly advancing toward west as well, rushing after his big sister to retreat for the next two weeks. For the first time, Tyananna witnessed the coming of the Fifth Season through the Dark side and it was something very different than what she had already felt and seen.
Within minutes it spilled over the sky and everything went ghostly quiet. Horukaan was transformed – all of the stars were gone, except for Heh'Glah, which now looked like an ordinary star, but was still there, as a last token of familiarity in this unfamiliar sky. This stillness spread like a disease through the watery mass which stretched toward the Third Continent and all movement ceased. The ocean licked the shores of the Empire of Larria for a few more times and then ceased moving. There was no more tide, as the faces of the moons of Horukaan lay hidden behind the powerful cloak of this new force which enveloped itself around it, and for once, the rhythmic turning of the wheel of life, as Tyananna called it, ceased. Was it resting? Or has it died?
The great meadows of the Land of Montague, once crowded with a hundreds of horses, now lay abandoned and silent, for all of the horses were locked up in the stables and were lying on their beds of hay, their eyes twinkling in horror as they felt a change take over the world. The shamans of the Second Continent were sitting beside their fires, speaking quietly and watching the skies. If Horukaan could speak, they asked themselves – what would it say? If they could see its face, the face of mother Horukaan, how it would look like? The Droddians of Mangora retreated into their mines and started feverishly making new weapons which had to be ready before the grand feast.
The Jedi accepted this as the way of the Force and went about their business as usual. But even the masters could not shake off the feeling of unease, which reminded them of the Dark side as they saw it. The disappearance of the three Jedi was still eating at every single Jedi living in the Temple and they felt that this time the Fifth Season also brought a hint of terror with it, which everyone could feel.
The Head of the Jedi Order, the great, wise Jedi master Quallath, a pureblood Albinian who was now eighty-three, caught himself aimlessly wandering through the Temple once all those Jedi who were sent in search for the missing three came back and reported to him. Their disappearance was a mystery, even he had to confess, the more with the fact that they were on a quest of finding master Bakku's imaginative Sith Lord. Master Quallath could not help himself but wonder whether it might have been true. Would he choose to believe these fairy tales, these strange stories of the coming of a new age, the age of Darkness, seeing omens in cloud patterns and the way the wind blew? Or would he shake his head and ignore this nonsense? The Force felt the same as ever; and yet at times he could feel a strange presence in it, which felt nothing more than a fleeting whisper. It was something strange he could not put a finger on. But he knew how the Dark side felt, or so he believed – and that was not it. By the time he passed by his own office for the third time, master Quallath reached a definite conclusion. Until he feels a hint of the Dark side – and he would most certainly be keeping his Force ears and eyes wide open – he would not act.
'But the evil never sleeps; it merely watches from the shadows,' rang in his mind as he walked down the corridor, watching little Padawans eat through the large window. Just because he does not see it – does it mean it is not there? He read and reread all of the documents written since the beginning of the Great War, trying to put his finger on any observations which might correspond with his own, to pinpoint the source. There were a few matches – though he felt it was all too vague and insufficient. Standing so and staring at the innocent, laughing children eating their lunch, he was approached by a servant, one of the many who helped to keep the Temple clean and cooked for the Jedi.
"There are people wishing to see you, respected master Quallath," he said, bowing a little. "They are emissaries from the Oceanic Land of Caelia."
The master looked away from the window and nodded at him, telling the servant to bring the visitors to the council room while he hurried to summon the whole Jedi Council, sensing that the Caelians would either confirm his fears or not. But at last he would know.
"Greetings, Jedi masters," said the Caelian representative, who only now lowered his hood, when he entered the circular hall where all of the members of the Council were seated, staring at the newcomers.
The Caelians never, or on very special occasions, left their domain and came ashore on either of the Continents. The Caelian's white eyes were a sign that he was old, which was to be expected. His white hair was falling right down to the floor, adorned with strange Caelian crystals which reflected the light. His skin had a bluish tinge to it and it looked fragile, whereas his head was almost brushing off the ceiling of the circular room. His face was long and oval, as though it had been stretched. In fact, that was how their bodies looked like in general.
All of the Jedi stared at the Caelian in disbelief. As old as many of the members of the Council were, most of them have never seen a Caelian pureblood with their own eyes. The Caelian leader – for the rest of them stood behind him in silence, with their hoods still on – was dressed in long white robes which were traditional among the priests of the Fraternity of Caelia. He was carrying a beautiful staff with a milky-white orb at the top. He had no facial hair, including eyelashes and eyebrows, what was common for their race, and his white hair looked almost unnaturally straight. He wore several pendants which tinkled as he walked around his neck – this was insignia which denoted his status in the strict hierarchy of the Fraternity, the Jedi knew. The Caelians had no king, queen, or any ruler at all. Instead, the White Fraternity took care of important matters and brought decisions. However, as they were not a race which strived toward wealth and as they kept to themselves, there was no need for radical action. They had no money and they did not trade; instead, they shared all they had among themselves and considered everything as the property of everyone. The accumulation of wealth was considered shameful and disgraceful among the Caelians.
This Caelian, the Jedi noted, judging by the pendants he wore around his neck and the colour of the hem of his robes, was probably one of the higher-ranking priests of the White Fraternity of Caelia.
"My designation is Lannthalthedre," the Caelian said, his white eyes sweeping the room and making the Jedi shudder, for it seemed as though he was blind. "I am the Fourth Qwoo of the White Fraternity of Caelia."
"Please sit down, Your Eminence. We welcome you to our Temple," master Quallath said promptly, pointing at one of the many armchairs which have been quickly dragged to the council room so that the guests could have a place to sit. When the Jedi spoke to the Caelians throughout history, only the Qwoos visited them. They have never seen any priest ranking higher than a Qwoo, though, as the Caelians revealed to them, there were quite a few. Qwoos spoke all languages spoken on Horukaan, they knew a lot about different cultures and were sent on errands, when they were necessary, to act as spokespeople for the whole of Caelia.
Without a word, the other Caelian priests swept past the Qwoo and seated themselves. It was only then the Jedi realised they were women. They were curious, beyond doubt, for none of them have ever been to dry land, especially the younger ones, and they seemed to be studying the Jedi, what was making them very uncomfortable. The Caelian priestesses wore what looked like feathers in their hair, large beads around their necks, according to the size and colour of which, the Jedi supposed, one could tell their rank. They, however, wore their white or blonde hair (depending on their age, because their hair, just like their eyes, was getting whiter with age) wrapped up in large buns atop of their heads, reminding the Jedi of vanilla puddings.
"Our arrival undoubtedly took you by surprise," the Qwoo said, putting his staff away, crossing his very long, thin legs, hidden under layers and layers of shining white robes. "But perhaps our visit is a little tardy."
"Something very important sends you here, Your Eminence," the Jedi master said, now feeling that indeed all of his worst fears are about to be confirmed.
"Indeed," the Caelian said placidly. "Our House of Diviners has seen things which have been deemed important for humans – and thus we departed to share their readings with you. We rarely meddle in human affairs. But so it has been decided."
Why is it, master Quallath asked himself, that the Caelians act as though they have all the time in the world? If I lived four hundred years, perhaps I might act likewise, he thought.
"The Fifth Season brings something more to this world than absence of light," the Caelian spoke slowly. "It brings the clouds of ruin and pain. It brings destruction."
"Do you perhaps speak about the Dark side?" Quallath asked at once. The Jedi exchanged glances. Their Head of the Order certainly seemed to get straight to the point today.
"We give no names to forces," the Caelian replied vaguely. "The Diviners have seen a Tower of Ruin; they have seen blood moistening the soil of Horukaan. And the danger lies in you. You are the ones who need to ask yourselves what is happening with the world – and only when you choose to accept whatever is coming your way, you will see the truth."
"We most certainly appreciate your visit and your good will, but we need something more specific than that," master Quallath remarked. The Caelians liked to speak in riddles, everyone knew that, but this time they were not welcome. This is a serious matter, he thought, and I do not have time for this.
"What should we do?" he asked.
"The knight of Light should be patient," the Caelian said, obviously meaning master Quallath, and waving with a frighteningly long-fingered hand without a single nail. "The truth cannot be comprehended by impatience. This your riddle to solve, not ours."
"But you came here to tell me about it," master Quallath said shrewdly. "So you must intend to do more than just tell me about it, or else you might have sent a messenger and spared yourselves the trouble of travelling."
"You are correct," the Caelian said, looking mildly impressed with master Quallath's deduction. "We are to remain here until we are able to offer you details you might use for immediate action. Divination concerning such, for you, serious matters, should be best done in your own domain and not in ours."
"Well, I am very grateful for that, Your Eminence," master Quallath said, palpably relieved.
Now the Jedi could understand why the priestesses who came with him looked so very different than the Qwoo. Naturally all Caelians dressed the same, whether they were women or men, it did not matter. It only mattered to which Office or House they belonged to. The priestesses were Diviners. Different Offices had their own clothing preferences, with the help of which they recognised each other, and the Diviners were dressed in light blue robes. As it was a known fact that there were no mixed Caelian Offices, the Jedi concluded that the House of Diviners was a female Office.
"We shall adapt to your domain," the Caelian said, suddenly rising. "And you need not to worry about our comfort."
The Caelian obviously knew that humans liked to accommodate their guests the best they could, and honoured guests as they were, they knew that the Jedi would most certainly give their best to do so. However, master Quallath knew that they considered luxury of any kind, food, drink or clothing, disgraceful, and that they shunned it at all costs.
"Kindly give us an hour to prepare your chambers," master Quallath said, rising from his chair as well.
The Caelian nodded, what looked more like an attempt to avoid colliding with the large chandelier which hung dangerously close to his head, and swept from the room with dignity, in a long, slow pace. As soon as they were out, the Jedi burst into talk.
"Matters are graver than we thought, apparently, if Caelia chose to meddle in," master Quallath said.
"What is it, that the Force cannot see, master?" asked an old, round Malaskian half-blood Jedi master, looking up at him.
"It cannot Divine, it cannot tell us the future," master Quallath said gravely. "But perhaps there was a person who could hear the Force speak about the future after all. Master Bakku."
His eyes wandered around the room, until they settled down on his feet. This felt like his own personal defeat, his short-sightedness, and he did not know what else to say, but to regret that master Bakku was gone. He went in search for a secret – perhaps he found it and had to die for it.
oooooooooooooooooooo
Across Horukaan, the Sith were getting ready for a ceremony held in honour of the Dark side. Tyananna was given a strange robe she was told she should wear for the ceremony and for once she put it on without problems. It was wide and made of some flowing material resembling silk which made the robes very comfortable to wear. As all clothes worn by the Sith, it was black and the only thing that was different about it was the fact that the hem was silver. Tyananna noted that Peetah had also sewn her name in Sith on one of the sleeves using a silver thread.
Wearing such wide clothes Lord Tammutyen looked bigger than ever, whereas Lady Tarralyanna merely looked elegant. Her eyes twinkling, she grabbed Tyananna by the sleeve impatiently and told her to hurry, because the Dark Lord was already waiting for them in the Temple.
Tyananna was in the beginning uncertain what this Temple was, but she at once recognised the room where she once meditated with the Dark Lord. She grinned. As soon as Lady Tarralyanna knocked loudly on the door, they all heard an answering knock from the depths of the Temple, which meant that the Dark Lord was ready and was waiting for them. They stepped inside, with Tyananna following Lord Tammutyen and again trying not to trip over her robes.
The Temple itself looked quite different this time. It was very warm inside as fire was burning in dozens and dozens of steel bowls hanging from the ceiling. A welcoming, mysterious scent permeated the Temple and Tyananna breathed in deeply. She loved that incense. What was it?
There was a large black bowl adorned with red jewels which were glittering ominously in the middle of the Temple, but there was no fire in it. Behind it, steps lead up to a veil in front of which stood the Dark Lord with a staff in his left hand. Tyananna had no idea the Dark Lord had a staff – she thought it was a Caelian thing. But as she looked more closely, it became apparent that a flame was steadily burning on the top of his staff – a black flame. Tyananna knew what that was and she wished she could see it up close. She knew that the Dark Lord brought the famous Black Flame from the Land of Gnath with him, but as it was burning atop of his tower, she had no idea how it looked like from up close.
The Dark Lord, who stood still as the three Sith approached him and came to a stand behind the black bejewelled bowl, watched them without a word. Now, however, he descended the steps leading up to the veil and lifted his staff.
"We are here to honour the changing of the Seasons," he said. "And to celebrate the power of the Dark side. Gather round."
The three of them spread around the bejewelled bowl and Tyananna stared at it. It was too high for her to see what was in it, but as the Dark Lord lifted his staff and gently inclined it toward the bowl, it sprang to life. A little uncertain whether she should back away, she threw a surreptitious glance at Lady Tarralyanna, who stood with her hands crossed before her and watched without blinking. So Tyananna concluded it was all right. When she next looked up, she noted that the bejewelled bowl now contained a beautiful black fire, which however did not behave like a normal fire. It simply burned steadily and did not flicker or move about as it was the case with ordinary fire. Fascinated, she stared at it and concluded with surprise that the black fire was not emitting heat.
"The beginning of a new year denotes the beginning of a new cycle," the Dark Lord said. Tyananna looked around herself and noted that the four of them stood in a circle surrounding the black fire and she felt proud at the fact she was standing there as one of them. "But the Fifth Season has always been celebrated as something special among the Sith. The whole world withdraws into their safe cocoons and hides before it. It is something the world does not understand and it fills people with dread. But the Sith love challenges and we do not run and hide. We stay and fight."
"After centuries of sleep, the Dark side has made its first move," he went on in an impressive voice. "The dragon has woken from its long sleep. This is the beginning of a great war and we must prepare ourselves for it."
He closed his eyes and lifted his arms. Tyananna watched, transfixed. When he next spoke, Tyananna understood what he once meant when he said that he was 'the voice of Darkness on this world'. His voice did not sound like his own and Tyananna felt as though her every cell vibrated as he spoke.
"I am a dragon which has awoken. I am the rumble from the depths and the cry from the heights. I am power, beauty and knowledge. I am Darkness; and my power is immeasurable. Let my power be yours."
"Join hands," he whispered next.
To Tyananna's right side, Lady Tarralyanna reached out for her hand whereas Lord Tammutyen grabbed her left hand. When the circle was complete, the black flame soared high and Tyananna held her breath. Tyananna never felt more like a part of the Sith Order than now. She could feel something strange coursing through her and she stared at the flame as though hypnotised. The very air seemed to be crackling with power.
"I, the incarnate Dark Lord of the Sith," the Dark Lord went on loudly, "today and here swear again, together with my apprentices, that I shall execute the will of the Dark side to rule Horukaan. I shall be the scourge of the Dark side on this world and I shall destroy all those who dare to cross our path and hinder us. Our will shall be done."
Lady Tarralyanna and Lord Tammutyen repeated the last sentence and Tyananna hastened to do the same. Oaths seemed to be a serious matter in the Sith Order but Tyananna felt joy at giving this particular oath. She was not certain she was ready for war, but she was certain where she wanted to be when the war broke out – standing beside the Dark Lord.
"And now, my apprentices," the Dark Lord said, as he let go of Lady Tarralyanna and Lord Tammutyen. His eyes were twinkling. "Let us go after our duties again. And while everyone trembles in fear before the Fifth Season, the servants of Darkness work. For we know no fear."