Chapter Five
Warryn Dywynyx
“Sire, Lady Zephyr has returned,” my loyal servant, Tervaquen announces.
Zephyr, my niece, walks into the room with her usual grace. She is wearing a plain white dress and her hair is twisted back simply, tied with an ivory ribbon. Her beauty and elegance is always astonishing; she is a spitting image of my sister, Criseliania or Crissy as we call her.
“Hello uncle, I’m back from my stay in Surubi, and I’ll go back in a week,” she tells me.
I smile, decide to cut to the chase and outright say, “What information have you collected, what has happened?”
She explains that she is currently working as a maid to the new self-proclaimed queen, a girl named Heruna. Heruna is apparently advised by Eralia. At the sound of her name I scowl; that dastardly woman. Constantly manipulating things, trying to adjust the future for the so-called benefit of “the people” when it’s really just for the Elites. Her husband Kolan as well, the irritating person he is. However, surprisingly Zephyr seems unaware of Kolan and continues on about how Heruna has improved Surubi already. Amazingly, she’s begun restoration quite efficiently. Implementing rules, organizing resources and the people seem accepting of this. I doubt a sixteen-year-old girl could come up with this and execute it so smoothly. I’m contemplating how it is that Eralia and Kolan are pulling the strings on this when Zephyr interrupts my thoughts.
“The only speed bump they’ve hit so far is a small rebellion a few days ago,” Zephyr explains, “some angry people tried to burn down the government building, but the Elites stopped them.”
A rebellion, just the sparks I need to ignite a fire that will burn down Surubi so I can conquer the ashes. I decide that whoever arranged this on such short notice should be invited into my plot.
“Get me in contact with whomever it is that was in charge of this little rebellion.”
Zephyr nods and walks away. I take my phone off the table and dial the Elites’ phone number.
“Hello?” a man’s voice answers.
“Ahem, I would like to speak to Eralia. Who is this?” I say, hoping whoever is on the other line won’t recognize me.
“This is Prescott. Dywynyx? Is that you? Oh, I think it is. Bye!” and he hangs up. I sigh.
***
Later, I am doing my duty as leader of Toire, dealing with the common people. Sisters come in, squabbling about who owns the plot of land their father left to them since he did not specify which of them. An orphan comes and asks for some food and a job as a servant. A prisoner begs for pardon. A man is put on trial for killing his wife, and he is convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
At council, we hold a meeting to discuss what to do about this Heruna girl, but nothing happens of importance and I leave feeling dissatisfied. I decide that whoever started that little rebellion should be encouraged to defeat Heruna and the Elites. The orphan boy, Anthony, is standing outside the door of our conference room, and as I leave, he stops me.
“Sire, perhaps you could send someone to approach whoever it is in Surubi. To befriend this person, and to encourage them and plant ideas in their mind,” Anthony suggests. He is a little younger than Landyn, my son, a boy of seventeen; tall, with daring blue eyes and somewhat curly blonde hair.
I think for a moment and then respond, “Yes, indeed that would be a good idea. When we find out the age of this person, I’ll send someone out. If it’s someone your age, you can go.” I’m positive it won’t be, but if it is I will send him, so technically it’s not lying. He nods, and walks away.
***
We go through much work to find out who started the rebellion. I have Zephyr listen in on conversations, ask around and see who was suspected. In the end, we find our boy, a dashing young man named Zakyas Rymaire. Surprisingly, I end up sending Anthony to go accompany Zakyas and try to encourage thoughts of the demise of Heruna and the Elites. We dress him in Surubi attire, give him a list of priorities, and send him off with nothing but a backpack and hope.
The plan is for him to travel with Zephyr, but then part ways and have him wander and “happen to” meet Zakyas. Zephyr informs me that Zakyas has interacted with Heruna closely, and we hope that he is more conniving than we expected.
We wait for several weeks before receiving news in the form of a phone call. Anthony has been staying at the Rymaire household, and was easily welcomed.
“He has an older sister named Tarynn,” Anthony blabbers. I’m not really listening, so I interrupt his speech on the food and say,
“Cut to the chase. What about Heruna?”
“Well, he’s talked about her. The thing is, it seems more like he loves her than he hates her.”
“Impossible. Why would he set off a rebellion against her if he loved her?”
“I don’t think he did, sir, because he’s not very violent and at mention of the uprising he seems pained… Not to question anybody, but is it possible you got this wrong? I doubt it’s Zakyas. I can make a clean escape; say that you’re my uncle and I’m going to live with you… Sir?”
I pause before saying anything. If it’s not this Zakyas fellow, who could it be? Who could assemble thousands of angry people and set fire to a building within a day?
“Very well, you may leave. I’ll send you out for something else later though. Don’t think you’ve won quite yet,” I say, the last sentence partly directed towards the Elites. I hang up and continue pondering. Don’t think you’ve won quite yet.
Just so you know, tentative sched (yes, sched) for ANTIDYSTOPIA is up on my blog, Random Thoughts. Check it out to see when the next awesome chapter is comin' out.
Hope you guys enjoy it. :)
Mucho Gracias,
Arabesque
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