33 years before June’s arrival in Quetza
In Quetza, all citizens had something to eat and drink. Everyone was encouraged to follow the national sport, pit fighting, or follow any of the other sports or forms of entertainment. Work was paramount and virtually everyone had a job. Not one law-abiding citizen went to bed hungry. That was a mandate of the Emperor. These laws had kept the Falesto Royal Family in power for 486 years. Eat, drink and keep the people entertained. With that recipe, the Emperor kept the masses in a collective mental coma. On the other hand, the peddlers, orphans, thugs and thieves had a hard time finding food. But they had ways to survive. They had no love for the Emperor. Law-abiding, tax-paying people had the right to live, while all others were considered as free fodder for the Hagos, regardless of how or why they ended up in their situations.
The Tolenko family was one of those good, honest families who earned an honest living. They did what was right even when no one was looking and they had their place in the community. They were truthful to a fault, but they all had special, kind hearts. Nevertheless, the Tolenko family was unusual. Every single member of the family was ‘different’. As a family, they held a collective secret and were proud of their family’s strangeness. But a secret was a secret for a reason. And although they would always be a very noble family, they kept their secrets hidden away, because their very lives depended on secrecy.
The Tolenkos were eerie by birth. They attracted the mysterious and peculiar. They married bizarre and quirky counterparts and they gave no excuses for their eccentricities. On the positive side, this family was loud, happy and united.
Furthermore, this family displayed idiosyncrasies and traditions aplenty that set them apart. One of the many family traditions was one thousand years old. It started with Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great (who knew how many greats) Grandpappy Achaimus Tolenko. Good old Grandpappy made an Eternal Vow of Fealty and Charity, and his wife, Grandmomma Shashi Tolenko, made a Promise of Fealty to the God of Truth and Life. Her promise was that there would always be a member of the family who would learn to sing the Song of Life, to protect the entire Tolenko family from the evils of greed and avarice.
The Helathy religion embodied the God of Truth and Life. It was as much a lifestyle as it was a religion. One where the people used to worship the God of Life and live for the benefit of the community and nature. Unfortunately, the Falesto family won the Great War against the Geners almost five hundred years earlier, beginning their unbroken reign as both Kings of Vanyan and Emperors of Quetza. One hundred years into the reign, the Falesto Emperor of the time abolished all religious gatherings.
In the Kingdom of Vanyan, the old ways were almost forgotten. Only a few of the people knew the real way the land used to be ruled. The Tolenkos were one of those families who held the knowledge of the old ways. They had the ancient books of the Helathy, they kept the traditions, and they received and bestowed blessings. That was why ever since their ancestors had made both the Promise and Vow, the Tolenko family had renewed both of these oaths in a big summer celebration. They did this every year, pledging themselves as a family and with great joy. They did it because they knew that one day—maybe not today, but someday—things would be different. So, they lived with and kept the secret.
Another secret they kept for over four hundred years was that at least one Gift-Vessel was born in the Tolenko family every generation. The family kept a close eye on the throne. Every generation, one of the members of the Tolenko family fostered a place near the Judges. If the four Judges and the eight Gifted were to start coming together, the family would bring their Gift-Vessel family member forward to complete the eight.
To have a Gift-Vessel in the family was one of the greatest blessings the Creator and Giver of Life could bestow on the Tolenko family. The reason they had to keep this a secret was because the family knew the king would eliminate the entire Tolenko family if he even suspected their secret. The king would deny the allegations, but the family knew better.
In the years prior to Emperor Klastos assuming power, when his father Megalo was still Emperor, Chaim Tolenko, and his three sons—Cliff, Clifton and Peter—were in Tarra, the capital city of Vanyan. The Tolenkos earned a living as traveling merchants. It was a fine tradition for the Tolenkos, because trading allowed them to move around and keep an eye on the throne. They traded textiles, healing herbs, and all sorts of pottery. They arrived at Tarra City with goods and looked for news of the Blue Companion Judge. Everything was quiet. They heard no news about the gathering of the Gifted. The people thought the Gift-Vessels were oddities who were supposed to serve the land and people, and thus the Emperor of Quetza. So, naturally, they believed it necessary to bring the Gifted to the King’s Palace.
Miracle-Magi Coventry was the first Gift-Vessel to have come from the nobility in 150 years. She was the daughter of the King’s older sister, Princess Ester, and her husband, the Grand Duke of Tilo, Lord Yowan. Emperor Megalo’s eldest son, Prince Gaston, was promised to be married to Princess Coventry. But Chaim found out the Gift-Vessel Coventry, the Miracle-Magi, was believed to have died. Some said she was murdered by her brother, Lord Yang Laine, while others speculated another of the Emperor’s sons, Prince Klastos, killed her. But the evidence stood and she was nowhere to be found.
Certainly, Princess Coventry’s disappearance was more than rumor. Emperor Megalo had concocted a war against the king of the land ice spires, the Koddy lands. This war was called the War of the Foul. The Emperor had his knights going around the land, recruiting soldiers to advance on the land of the Koddy, mostly to cover up the disappearance of his niece, Princess Coventry. But all news about the Gift-Vessels was shrouded in secrecy.
So now, Chaim needed to know if the rumors were true. Because for this year’s assembly, the Tolenko family had been blessed with two Gift-Vessels. They were Chaim Tolenko’s very own twin sons, Cliff and Clifton. This year, Chaim Tolenko had more to lose. He didn’t want to place his children in harm’s way. Without the Red Trees, a Companion Red Judge couldn’t emerge. Chaim had hoped there could be another way to have a Red Judge, but for now, the Red Companion was dead.
Having concluded his business, Chaim (Pop) Tolenko, saw no need to stay longer in the city. However, on their last day in Tarra City, it was an exceptionally hot day and the streets had almost emptied as the population was taking an extra-long afternoon break. The city was constructed next to the river of Gong that fed the lake. But now the air from Gong Lake, usually refreshing, was trapped within the enormous walls surrounding the city. The air lay heavily over the streets, suffocating any who dared to walk about. The city’s bathhouses offered cold water to cool off their patrons, while the rest of the people stayed in the underground taverns. These underground bars were several degrees cooler than on the street level. It had wenches who were always eager to make a few coins under the sheets, even in the middle of the day.
Just as they were preparing to leave, in the late afternoon, the Tolenkos met someone exceptional. Down the main street, this young man came running, being followed by five big men. Clifton saw this and he had to help. He was a Defender-Magi. Defending the weak and small was his Gift, so he grabbed Cliff and they chased the men. Pop Chaim and Peter Tolenko rolled their eyes in exasperation and they too had to follow the group.
The rabbit of a young man ran faster than a mountain hare. He was weaving through the bending stands and ducking and hiding when he could. He was trying to evade the five big men. The chase became intense as the five men spread out and tried to flank the young man. But the young one remained one step ahead and kept running.
One of the burly men jumped down from the top of a building and almost smashed the sprinting youth, but instead he landed on top of a cart full of melons. Prompting the vendor to come out of his home and start cussing and screaming for the guards to arrest the hooligans. But the guards were cooling off like all the other people from Tarra City.
The chase continued over, under and around closed carts of goods. Finally, one of the men stepped out of the shadows and forced the young man to make a right turn into an alley, but it was a dead-end. He had no place to go. The alley ended in a big open plaza, with several doors leading to homes, but all doors were closed.
The young man said, “this is going to hurt.”
“This is going to hurt a lot,” The youth man moved left and right like a trapped mouse.
Apparently the five men wanted his money and the young man’s compliance. But just behind them were Pop Chaim, Cliff, Clifton and Peter Tolenko.
Clifton said very calmly, “Hey, little brother, any of these jokers bothering you?”
“Oh, you have a brother, little guy. What? Is he a squirrel like you?” asked one of the thugs.
However, when the stupid, burly man turned around and saw the Tolenkos, his brave face turned to fear.
Then Cliff looked at all five of them one by one, casually standing with his hand on his dagger.
“Any of you five have business with our younger brother? Why are you chasing him?” Cliff asked.
Pop, Cliff and Clifton were very tall men. Peter was young, but he was already over five-foot-ten. The other four men turned around and saw the four tall men standing behind them. They just stammered a few words and then Pop said,
“Go now. My sons and I will forget you even exist.”
The five men ran in the direction they had come from. All the Tolenkos started laughing at the same time. None of them wanted to fight; they wouldn’t hurt a fly. But they could never stand and do nothing in the face of injustice.
“I’m Chaim Tolenko and these here are my sons Cliff, Clifton and the young one is Peter. You all right, boy?”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll continue breathing. I’m Thaim Graham.”
“Why were those five chasing you, son?” asked Pop.
“They dislike the way I breathe,” said Thaim.
“Funny! Pop, I think this kid is a Discerner-Magi Gifted,” said Peter.
“Peter, why don’t you say it louder! I think some of the people on the fourth floor couldn’t hear ya,” said Cliff.
“And you two are Gift-Vessels!” said Thaim, pointing at Cliff and Clifton.
“Listen, son, Gift-Vessels are all but extinct. A type of rare human. Do you think the Creator would place two in one family?” Pop was getting a bit nervous with this young man.
“Yeah, well, you know your two sons are, and I’ll tell you more. I have two Gift-Vessels sisters as well,” said Thaim with a big smile.
“You need to be quiet,” said Clifton.
“I’m a discerner Magi. Is good to know when I’m surrounded by as good a people as the morning sunshine. It is good to be a Discerner-Magi when clean Vessels are nearby.” Said Thaim.
Pop stopped everyone from talking. He took the four young men to a safe place where they could talk and absorb what they had just heard. They went to the Tolenkos’ camp upstream of the Gong River, well outside Tarra City.
The last of the bread and butter was consumed and all the wine was gone. The four Tolenkos and Thaim were singing and talking happily. Clifton played the lute and Pop could sing a million songs if they let him. But it was late and they had much to talk about still.
Clifton kept playing the lute to muffle their voices. Cliff and Peter kept their Gifts sharp to feel for the presence of intruders in the valley.
“Look here, son, you said you have two sisters who are Gift-Vessels. I have two sons who are Gift-Vessels. You said you’ve been in Tarra for a few months and you were working as a guard at the palace. Do you know where the other four Gift-Vessels are? Do you know where the elemental Gifted are?” asked Pop Tolenko.
“Sir, all I know is that Lady Coventry, the Miracle-Magi, was supposed to have been killed by her brother, Yang, and the Stone-Magi Seamus. The three elemental Magi were living in the castle, as was customary, but after Lady Coventry died, two of the Elemental Magi disappeared. Lord Ethos, the fire Gift-Vessel, is the only one serving the Emperor.
“They say Angel, the water Gift-Vessel, helped Lady Coventry run away and then she went back to her land in the western Kingdom of Heron. Some say Lady Coventry was killed, but others say she was only hurt and her brother Yang only managed to break her Vessel,” said Thaim.
“If all you say is true, we must get someone into the Castle of the Judges,” said Cliff.
“The what? Why?” asked Thaim.
“Son, do you know about the old way of choosing a leader in our land?”
“Yes, the Gift-Vessels would get together and bless the House of Falesto by choosing one of the children of the Falestos to rule.”
“Son, there is more to the choosing than the octet of Gifted. In the years before the war against the Geners, choosing a leader was meant to be by the will of the people with the wisdom of God.”
“Sir, we are not supposed to gather and talk about our faith.”
“I’m speaking to my sons. The law allows me to teach my children whatever I want. We saved your life today. I called you son and my boys called you brother; our words make you family.”
“Yes, I guess you are right!” said Thaim, giving Pop a big smile.
“Listen, before the war, there were supposed to be eight Gift-Vessels, four Judges, and one Helathy tributary Priest. These were the ones designated to select the next leader and that leader would serve for only forty to sixty years. At the end of those years, a new octet of Gift-Vessels, Judges and a Priest would step forward and choose the next leader.
“That way of government worked for hundreds of years. But then the Gener War started, the people became fearful and they began to lose faith. The Judges entered the war against God’s wisdom and half the Gifted took sides. The country was divided and the Falestos saw the opportunity to maintain their hold on power.” Said Pop.
“Then, where are these Judges? Who are they?” asked Thaim.
“They are none other than the King’s Legion.”
“WHAT? No, I’ve listened enough. You are crazy. Those are murderers raised to serve the King and kill.”
“Calm down and listen. My dad is telling you the truth. Sit down and hear the whole story. Pop, you need to explain this better; you’re making the kid very nervous,” said Cliff.
“I’ll explain this in detail. Peter, we better get some strong tea going. We are going to be here all night, boys,” said Pop Tolenko.