"My Pharaoh! The Gumis! They're all dead! According to what the soldiers say, they were killed in the same way that Prince Attila was killing the people of the Ice!"
Sean exchanged a complicit glance with Kurtin, before turning back to Mycon.
"You're not implying that Prince Attila killed the Gumis, I hope."
Mycon glared at Sean.
"Of course not, my Pharaoh. Prince Attila would be incapable of such barbarity. We suspect that the Ice People have infiltrated our midst, taking advantage of some distraction... We don't know how they got into a place protected by fire magic and we suspect that they have a spy among us, who found a loophole in our routine and then..."
"No more assumptions, Mycon!" Sean said impatiently. "What do we do now? Can they be replaced?"
Mycon became pensive and looked at Sean in a mysterious way.
"They must be replaced, Pharaoh. However, you won't appreciate the way the Gumis are produced."
"Produced? We make Gumis? Aren't they people the people choose to represent them?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. But they wouldn't be useful Gumis if they didn't possess magic to absorb the will of the people as they walk among them."
"I didn't know that. No one ever told me."
"You don't know that for two reasons. Firstly, the Gumis are centenarians. They don't die a natural death until they've served at least five Pharaohs and that makes teaching about them obsolete, since our prediction is that they would only need to be replaced after your son, Pharaoh Sean, begins to reign. And secondly, you fled before this subject was, even superficially, covered in your studies. Prince Attila, for example, knows a lot about the Gumis." He finished scathingly.
Sean continued with a calm countenance.
"And how do they acquire this magic that absorbs the will of the majority of the people?"
"That's the part I'm afraid you won't like. Only after they enter a woman who possesses the Pharaoh's magic in her blood will they..."
"No." Sean said before he could finish that sentence with his face transformed by rejection.
"There is no other way, Pharaoh."
"We can live without the Gumis." Sean retorted, but he wasn't sure.
"We can't. The Gumis are the balance of your kingdom. Without them, the people will rebel against the crown. Against our laws."
Sean nodded.
"Call a public meeting. I'll speak to the people." Sean said resolutely and got up, left the men in the office and left.
Kurtin and Mycon watched as he went upstairs.
"He won't last long. Sean is weak." Mycon said to Kurtin.
"He'll surprise you, Mycon. I've been here a long time and I'm curious about the outcome of this story. You know as well as I do that there have never been two gherders with the potential to be Pharaoh. But what you didn't know... Is that their strength and magic, that of Sean and Attila, cannot be compared to that of any Pharaoh who came before them. And they are so similar to each other that I still wonder why they weren't born from the same womb."
"If the kingdom is divided, there could be a fight that will never have a winning side."
"Yes. We are entering a new era, my friend. Two good men, two righteous Pharaohs, and if they're not well guided, it could be the most unjust era with their own people?" Kurtin asked and walked away.
...
Yuki approached the door anxiously when she heard the lock being picked, but it was a young Mahagahrian woman who entered.
They stared at each other for a long time, before the woman who entered bowed.
"My Farida." She said and, rising, saw Yuki's inquiring eyes and decided to explain. "Pharaoh ordered me to come and serve you."
Yuki looked at her simple dress, her bare feet and her messy hair and frowned.
"Who are you?"
The young woman's face turned red.
"I'm... I was the Gumis' offer."
"I didn't know Pharaoh could free you."
"He said that it was his wish that I and all the women who came after me should remain in the service of our Faridas."
Yuki almost smiled. She would have smiled if she hadn't been so worried about her daughter.
"I'm glad everything's okay." Yuki said and went to Farida's closet and took out one of the most expensive dresses and threw it to her, pointing to the bathroom door of her room. "Take a shower and change, please." Yuki ordered and sat back down.
The young woman looked at the dress in amazement.
"I can't wear that dress, my Farida."
"Why not?"
"I'm a servant. This dress is sewn especially for Farida. Pharaoh Sean's Farida. If I wear it, I'll be condemned to death, even if I try to justify myself by saying that it was my own Farida who ordered it."
Yuki took a deep breath.
"I'm amazed at how these people cared about such insignificant details when they were making their laws and letting innocent women be abused by a bunch of bald old men for so long." Yuki said angrily and went to her trunk, where she took out her clothes and threw them to her. "I don't think they'll mind if you wear simple jeans and a T-shirt."
The young woman picked up her clothes and headed for the bathroom.
"What's your name?"
The young woman stopped and looked at Yuki.
"I'll be your Simpatica, ma'am."
"I want to call you by your name."
The young woman smiled.
"My name is Janethe."
"Nice to meet you Janethe, when it's just the two of us in this room, you should just call me Yuki."
"It's nice to meet you too, Yuki." She said and went into the bathroom.
The lock rattled again and this time Sean walked in.
He paced back and forth in silence, and Yuki was afraid to interrupt him, even though she had to hold herself back.
He finally stopped and faced Yuki.
"You can leave the room, walk around the palace, whenever you want, but to leave this palace, you must ask some soldiers to accompany you. We're at war and I don't doubt that you'll be one of the targets." He said without looking her in the eye and walked away to the door.
"What about Selytha?"
Sean thought for a few minutes.
"She's in the palace dungeon. You're not allowed to visit her." He said harshly and left.
...
Yuki got up immediately and ran to the door. The lock opened this time and she stepped out of the room. She looked both ways down the corridor. Sean had disappeared. The guards weren't there either. She headed for the stairs.
As soon as she disappeared from the corridor, Sean left the room where Selytha had stayed for a while and watched with a stern look as Yuki disappeared down the stairs. He knew where she went. And he needed to hear what would be said. He waited until she had time to go downstairs and followed her.
Yuki asked one of the palace staff where the dungeon was.
"To get down to the dungeon, Farida will need to go down the garden stairs." One of them explained, looking at her puzzled.
Yuki didn't mind the curiosity in his eyes.
"I've never seen a staircase in the garden. Take me there."
"Wife Ra, I..."
"Now!"
He led the way and Yuki followed him to the bronze sword-shaped fountain. He pointed to the staircase that was camouflaged by garlands of steel-colored flowers.
Yuki descended the stairs and entered an environment she would never have expected for a dungeon. There was a cozy living room, with comfortable sofas scattered around and one of which seemed to separate the room from the other rooms, a kitchen equipped with the most modern appliances, a bedroom on one side and another bedroom on the other side and in the center of the kitchen there was a small wooden table with four chairs around it and a steel basin on top of it. But Yuki didn't see Selytha and was starting to leave, believing there must be another dungeon, when he heard the Host's voice calling for Selytha. There they were! She went further into the dungeon and began to notice that there were no signs of people living there, even though everything was very organized and clean. The Host's voice became louder in the kitchen and she followed him there, but there was nowhere for him to hide and as soon as he shouted again she looked up startled. The voice was coming from inside the basin! She approached in fear and saw the Host as if looking at a television screen.
"Can you hear me?" Yuki spoke almost in a whisper.
The host looked up.
"Farida?"
"Can you see me?"
"No. But I can hear you."
"I can see you through a basin on a table."
"Uh... Yes. I believe you're in the bronze sword dungeon, right?"
"What does that mean?"
"That's dark magic, Farida. The Pharaohs avoid using it and only do so when they believe they've been betrayed."
"Sean believes I betrayed him, but that's not true. I had strong reasons for omitting my story..."
"I'm not the one who needs to hear this, my Farida."
Yuki took a deep breath. Sean didn't want to hear it.
"But are you all right? Selytha?"
"Yes. We're fine, but... We've been thrown into a dark prison. You won't be able to find out where we are and it's already surprising that you can see me at all."
"But are you in the palace?"
"I think so. I've never been arrested before."
"I want to talk to Selytha. Where is she?"
He looked puzzled as he frowned.
"You don't see or hear her?"
"No. You're alone..."
The host bent down and then stood up again.
"And now you can see her?"
"No."
"Curious."
"What is it?"
"Selytha is in my arms."
Yuki felt tears run down her face.
"She... Oh my God! Tell her I love her."
"Don't worry, Farida. Nobody stays trapped in this place for long. Sean will free us soon."
"Can I do something to make him do it faster?"
"Yes. You can consummate your marriage. He won't let Selytha leave until you... Well, I think she's safer here. Without the Gumis, more and more people will ally themselves with the Ice People and those who stand by Pharaoh won't accept traditions being broken. E... When the Gumis are chosen by the people, there will be a search for the blood of Pharaoh's old one, and Selytha..." He took a deep breath, but didn't finish the sentence.
"I was never far from her on her birthday." Yuki said mournfully.
"I promise, if you manage to consummate your marriage, in the days that remain until the big party, I'll take Selytha so that you can spend the night of her birthday with her."
"Can you get out of there?"
"For a few hours, but I'm magically bound to the Pharaoh and I can't disobey him, but a few weeks ago, my Farida sent me an invitation and ordered me to attend the big party and take Selytha. I can't disobey her order."
Yuki straightened up.
"I'll do my best."
"No, Farida. The possible is too little. Do the impossible."
Yuki nodded and hurried back to the palace.