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Kojo’s story seems to have tugged at Inez’s and Hugo’s heartstrings as well, because for a while nobody speaks, and we all look sheepish when we make eye contact with one another.
“We’ll leave the borehole open when we return,” Hugo finally says.
Kojo’s eyes light up, but then he grimaces. “You can’t,” he says softly. “The old fella wouldn’t like it if he found out, and I don’t want you getting into trouble on my account.”
We all gawp at Kojo.
“What?” he smiles, looking down at his clothes and sandals, trying to work out what we’re staring at.
“You don’t know?” Hugo croaks.
“Of course he doesn’t,” Inez murmurs. “If he’s been locked up here all this time, no contact with anyone in the Merge...”
“The Departed should have told him,” Hugo says hotly.
“What are you talking about?” Kojo asks.
“Old Man Reap lost the war,” Inez says.
Kojo freezes.
“More than five hundred years ago,” Hugo confirms.
“He...” Kojo clears his throat. “He was killed?”
“No,” Inez says. “We used a snap borehole to send him to the Lost Zone.”
“What’s a...” Kojo starts to ask, then stops. “He’s in the Lost Zone?”
“Yes,” Inez says.
Kojo stares at the walls, then up at the ceiling, as if expecting to see Old Man Reap’s shadow. “Honestly?” he whispers.
“It’s not something we’d joke about,” Inez says.
Kojo leans against a statue, then slumps to his haunches. For a few seconds I think he’s going to cry, but instead he starts to laugh. “Yes!” he howls with glee. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Kojo’s laughter is infectious, and soon the rest of us are laughing too.
“I wish I could have seen it,” Kojo chuckles. “He was a Supreme Regent, so he was able to control all the devisers. He thought it made him invincible, but that power was meant to be used for good for a while, then passed on. I’m glad he was punished for taking such cruel, selfish advantage of it.” Kojo stops laughing. “But the war must have been awful. Lots of people must have died.”
“Yes,” Inez says sombrely.
“And all for nothing,” Kojo sighs. “What a waste.”
There’s a long silence while we reflect on the damage done to the Merge by Old Man Reap. Hugo breaks it again. “So, since the old fella is no longer around to tell us what to do, we’ll leave the borehole open and set a guard outside the room where it’s stored in our palace, to make sure no one stumbles through accidentally, or to alert us if you ever have to cross with an urgent message. We’ve got to go – there’s a tournament we can’t miss, for all sorts of reasons – but we’ll drop in to see you every now and then when we return to Sapphire.”
“Yes,” Inez says. “We’ll tell you what’s been going on in the Merge these past centuries, play games with you, bring you anything you want, toys, clothes, musical instruments, different types of food, as I’m sure you’re bored of...” She stops and looks around the Crypt with a frown. “Where are the mushrooms?”
“There aren’t any,” Kojo says.
“Then what do you eat?” she asks.
“Nothing,” he says. “You don’t need food in the Crypt.”
She blinks. “You’ve gone fifteen thousand years without eating? And you haven’t turned into a hell jackal?”
“That’s the way it is here,” Kojo shrugs. “No sleep. No food. It’s like time stops in the Crypt, and all the things you need in any other place, you don’t need here.” He licks his lips nervously. “Even though you’re not royal, it would be lovely to see more of you if you could spare a few moments every once in a while...”
“We can and we will,” Inez says firmly, and Kojo’s eyes sparkle.
“You could come back with us,” I suggest. “You don’t owe the Families anything, not given the way they left you stranded here for all that time.”
Kojo shakes his head. “I took a vow,” he says, “and the Departed still speak to us, albeit rarely — the last time was maybe a hundred years ago, give or take a few decades. But they do occasionally get in touch if it’s important, so someone has to record what they say. There were times, when it was dark and no one was coming to visit, when I felt like I was wasting my time, but now that I have visitors again, I can easily do another five thousand years... ten... more!”
I smile with awe. I wouldn’t be able to do what Kojo does. I think it would prove beyond the means of almost anyone.
“We’ll ask others to visit you as well,” Hugo says. “I’ll start with Ghita. She’s a princess. I’m sure she’ll be happy to pay you a call. You’ll like her.”
“That sounds great,” Kojo beams.
“What about Pitina and Farkas?” Inez asks.
Hugo pulls a face.
“I don’t like them any more than you do,” she says, “but Kojo’s neutral, so I just thought I’d mention it.”
“Please send them to me,” Kojo says. “It doesn’t matter whether they’re Merged or SubMerged. I enjoy the company of any royal... with one exception.”
Inez raises an eyebrow at Hugo.
“I’ll think about it,” he grunts. “The thing is, we’d forgotten the Crypt. I’ve never heard anyone mention it. If I share news of its existence with Pitina and Farkas, word will spread among the Families.”
“That would be a good thing,” Kojo says.
“Maybe,” Hugo grunts, “but there are forces still loyal to Old Man Reap. They might try to shut down access again, to respect his wishes.” He considers it some more, then shrugs. “The Crypt’s been a secret for five hundred years, so there’s no need to rush. I’ll tell Ghita, so she can visit you in the near future, then we’ll discuss it further when Inez, Archie and I are done with our other business. If we decide to tell the rest of the royals, we’ll look for more Crypt boreholes too, and ask Archie to fix the locks and open them. How does that sound?”
Kojo smiles. “Well, you’re a king, so of course I have to say it sounds wonderful.”
We laugh, then head for the cylinder. The gropsters will be setting off for the Tourney soon, and Hugo has to be there with his teammates.
“One last thing,” I mutter on a whim, just before we return through the borehole. “You said the Departed passed on a message a hundred years ago. Can you tell us what it was?”
“Oh yes,” Inez says brightly. “We’ve never heard from the Departed. What did they say?”
“Sire?” Kojo says, looking to Hugo for clearance.
“I’m sure it’s fine to tell them,” Hugo smiles.
“It was an odd message,” Kojo says. “It was short, but let me make sure I get it right...”
Kojo closes his eyes and concentrates. We wait patiently, wondering what might have moved the Departed to reach out from their spheres to speak to us here.
Kojo finally nods and opens his eyes. “I’m not sure who he was or why they were worried about him, but they said, ‘Beware the locksmith called Stefan.’” He looks at us quizzically. “I don’t suppose you’ve any idea what that might have been about, do you?”