Dedicated to Anithin, artist of Legend of the Jumi. She translated this story into Thai, so this is officially the only of my stories that have been translated into another language.

Mostly rated PG-13, although a few chapters are rated M. Themes and events include scenes of somewhat graphic violence, rape, torture, suicide, and sexual situations.


LEGEND OF MANA: LEGEND OF THE JUMI


This story is (loosely) based on the Jumi storyline from Legend of Mana. It's a bit AU and contains added characters that were planned but deleted from the original game's storyline, and an AU love triangle of Black Pearl/Sandra/Elazul. It uses the U.S. version of Sandra, and the characters, especially Elazul, are older in behavior than in the game. It does not feature the LoM silent main characters, though there's an allusion to them in the final chapter, which also features Bud, Lisa, and Li'l cactus (best LoM character hands down.)

This story was written over 3 years, so sometimes it's a little like a series of vignettes, and I admit that the plot can be a bit slow. But it does have a complete, over-arching plot with consequences and results, which culminate in Part V.

Legend of Mana is ? Square, 2000.


PART I: ELAZUL


Prelude: Wanderer's Path


The highway of crushed red stones was splattered with blood on that heavy summer day, and the orange air reverberated with the cries and whispers of passing souls. The broken bodies strewn on the stratum served as testimony to the violence that occurred on the road not long ago. A sole witness to the aftermath of the carnage, the young nun traced the winding tendrils of blood trickling beneath the bodies with her eyes, watching them cutting their way slowly through the dust like snaky fingers, almost alive with their promise of death.

A soft noise, the faintest sound of a stir reached her ears, and she realized that one of the men was still alive. She came swiftly over, her body slicing through the thick heat, and knelt next to the body of a man who lay just a little apart from the rest, as if he sought to distance himself from them. He was sprawled on the ground in a contorted position that was almost grotesque, one arm folded underneath his body, his face hidden from view. His cloak, a bleached green like the color of sun-dried sand, half-concealed his body. Dark patches stained the upper part of the cloak, near the collar.

He groaned, a choked sound rattling from a parched throat. She wondered with detachment how long he had remained on the broken red highway in the scorching rays of the merciless sun, slowly drained of his life's blood. Placing one arm under his shoulder and applying a measured amount of force, she managed to turn the young man gently. It still must have been painful, because he emitted curt cries of agony. She could finally see the bright blood that washed down the left side of his face, turning it into a gruesome mask of red and white. She placed her fingers on his chest, just beneath the lacing of the sky-colored shirt. His heart was beating regularly, and there was no evidence of blood anywhere on his body.

Something bothered her- some irregularity beneath her fingers. Although no blood was in evidence, she felt something on his chest, as if an object struck it and remained buried inside. Given this fact, it was strange that there was no blood in sight, and that he was still alive. Still stranger was the fact that this object was smooth and round, rather than sharp and pointed. She immediately parted the lacing of his shirt to examine this puzzling phenomenon. It was a spherical globe, glowing with a clear blue light, halfway embedded into the upper part of the young man's chest.

She stared at it, feeling a shock at this unexpected sight. A Jumi, she thought. A Jumi! And this far from the jeweled city! He is a Jumi, like—

She had no time to think, however, because she saw that the younger nuns from the shrine were approaching the path. She quickly laced the man's shirt to the neckline, and turned around to face the other girls. She then knew that she would not let any of the other nuns touch him. She could not let them discover that he was a Jumi. No one will know that he is a Jumi, she thought; no one except me.

Five days elapsed before the Jumi warrior recovered from his head injury, and the young nun insisted on nursing him exclusively. Medicinal healing was the one task that she excelled at, the one worthwhile aspect of her life in the shrine. The nuns complied with her peculiar wish, although she could very well imagine what the younger ones must have thought of her insistence to attend solely to such a handsome man. Fellow students as they were, she never liked them much. Most of them came to the shrine to learn medicinal skills, and were daughters of wealthy families that sponsored the shrine, with no intention of staying beyond their period of tutelage. But she, being an orphan, was forced to remain, and this fact set her apart, burned between her and the others like a barrier of invisible fire.

The Jumi warrior was feverish for two nights, but then his flush receded and he slept a healthy, sound sleep. His constitution was apparently very strong, and he quickly embarked on an excellent way to recovery. But he only fully awoke and made sense of his surroundings on the fifth morning. When she came into the room on that morning he was sitting up, a cup of water in his hand which he quickly set on an adjacent wooden desk at her entry.

"Where am I?" The question was curt, its tone demanding an immediate reply. She was far from willing to comply with a question uttered in such a way, so she seated herself by the bed and folded her hands neatly in her lap, a gesture befitting a nun. As she did so, she observed him carefully. She knew that he couldn't distinguish her features through the thick veil that concealed a great portion of her face. She was dressed in a nun's pure white costume— hat, veil, long-sleeved shirt, pantaloons, cloak and boots— and all these covered her head and her body, and left nothing visible but her dark eyes.

The dark-haired Jumi knight answered her inquisitive gaze with a serious look. What a handsome young man he is, she thought; my age, I believe, maybe a little younger— and she thought with amusement, no need to look at me in this hard, suspicious way with those blue eyes of yours— I will not hurt you unless I wish to do so.

She finally chose to answer his question, and told him the shrine's name and location. He seemed to relax somewhat at her reply, and leant back against his pillow. "I was attacked on the road. Bandits, I think. I recall seeing the shrine, but I'm surprised that you found me so near since it seemed pretty far off… at least, all I could see was that it was resting on the top of that towering cliff. I think that I managed to kill all the bandits, but I lost consciousness after I got the last one. In fact, I was sure that he had killed me, but I guess that I was wrong." His tone was a little wry now, and something in it made her like him a little better than before.

"I found you, and brought you here," she told him in sedate tones, specifically designed to put him at ease. "It was not the first time, you know, that I met people frantically scrambling up the paths leading to the temple, looking for either medical aid or a safe sanctuary from prosecutors. You are not the first man that I have discovered dying near the shrine, and you will not be the last." Her irrepressible smile tilted the corner of her mouth, although he could not see it. "You were out for five days."

He was silent for a moment, eyeing her, and she sensed that he was taking her measure carefully. Finally, he spoke. "I recall being nursed by nuns these last few days. You all look the same to me, but I'm fairly sure that it was only you. Something about," he hesitated, then reluctantly completed his sentence, "your eyes. I could recognize the same eyes looking at me. It became a little bit of a repeating nightmare after a while." He gazed straight at her again, an expression of inquiry in his face, perhaps a little of wariness— and she understood the unasked question in them.

He is afraid that he was discovered a Jumi.

She answered with her clear voice, her dark eyes, that possessed that ever-present, cynical glimmer of amusement within their depths, twinkling now. "I am flattered to be remembered this way." She couldn't tell whether his suspicions have been lulled, but the ironic tone in which she spoke drew a reluctant smile from him for the first time.

"I never did thank you, did I?" he remarked, leaning forward. "I don't want to seem ungrateful. My name is Elazul, and I'm a wandering knight. And what is your name?"

"My name is Sandra."

He looked down, his fingers smoothing the soft covers of the bed, and remarked quietly, "You are a skilled medicine woman. I did not expect to be restored to health that quickly."

"And why does that surprise you?" she inquired. She already knew about the Jumi healing tears, the reason that the Jumi were hunted and declined, and the reason that they locked themselves inside the remarkable Etansel, their glittering city of jewels. But, as she has foreseen, he avoided her question, murmuring a vague answer.

A silence followed; there was nothing else to say. Sandra understood that he was on his guard again, and that she would draw nothing else from him at the moment. So she rose from her seat and told him that she will be bringing his medicine. This done, she checked on the wound and displaced his bandages with fresh ones. After she performed this operation, Elazul lay back on his bed, his eyes on the wall, lost in thought— no doubt wishing to be alone. She respected his wishes and withdrew.

Sandra thought of Elazul all that morning, all that day. Something drew her to him; not the least being that he was the first Jumi that she has ever seen. She wished to ask him questions about the Jumi, and carefully weighed her options about approaching him in the right way, which would disarm him. It was a complicated matter; but as it happens, she never had the chance to test her plan. Weak as he seemed, the next day Elazul left the shrine without telling anyone, and vanished into the evening mists.

When Sandra was informed of Elazul's disappearance, she was thoughtful for a long while. Then, one burning evening, when the heat was almost unbearable and rippled in the air like a living thing, she seated herself with a pot of ink and a goose feather and composed a short missive on a crisp, cream-colored piece of paper. When she finished, she inscribed a curious address, directed to a person called "A. Reynard".

Three years passed before she met Elazul again.


Chapter 1: Sparkling City of Ruin


The sparkling radiance of this city is beautiful, thought the young knight. A stunning sight to visitors, had visitors ever been allowed onto its shining premises. The clear, colorful stones set into its pavements and walls shine eternally, and provide its shadowy streets with a rich, resplendent glow. Yet their light is, to me, an ominous glare, illuminating a prison cell from which I attempted to distance myself for a very long time.

Dawn was just a few hours away, and the glow of the sun would dim the bright play of lights a little; but in the chilly darkness of the small hours they preyed on the knight's mind, stalking him like tiny will-o-wisps, haunting and tormenting him with morbid thoughts. He halted for a moment, leaning against a luminous wall and perspiring with fatigue. He didn't know why he felt compelled to wander the streets when the city slept. Seeking the darkness, perhaps, the darkness that never existed within that eternally bright city.

You tried to escape once, he told himself. You've embarked on that ill-fated adventure many years ago. And then you returned, scarred and exhausted, straggling like a rag doll into the embrace of these towering walls, the wounds dealt to you by innumerous jewel-hunters scarring your body. You were lucky. Very few of the young Jumi who ventured out returned alive; and, by the decree of Lady Black Pearl, made the law of the city, they were never sought out.

A stealing shadow caught his eye and interrupted his thoughts. He was still leaning against the gemmed wall, and had closed his eyes with weariness. But the fleeting irregularity that marred the brightness drew his attention. Nothing remained hidden for long in the upper levels of Etansel, city of sparkling lights, and sooner or later the merciless glare exposed all things and brought them into view.

Elazul knew that the lurker was a Jumi; no other creatures or races were admitted into the city, nor were any ever known to break through, not even in the time of the great sorcerer war waged on the city when he was a child. Its strong magical barrier kept all non-Jumi out. But he was curious about this person, and a little irritated that they would lurk in the shadows this way, like a thief.

"Show your face," he said in a clear, carrying tone. "And state your purpose."

The figure stepped from the faint darkness into a blaze of colored light. Elazul found himself facing a young man of about his own age, maybe a little younger. He examined the youth silently, and was answered by an equally searching gaze, whose sharp scrutiny seemed to be mellowed by a hint of a smile inside the dark eyes. The white light of diamonds decorating a flanking wall illuminated the young man, and Elazul saw that the stranger was wearing a purple bandanna which wound about his head, concealing his hair completely except for the straight chestnut forelocks that swept across his forehead and into his eyes. He also wore a loose green shirt beneath a dark vest, black pants, and knee-high leather boots. His appearance, on the whole, indicated a foreign style that Elazul recognized from experience, and he felt his interest in the stranger awaken.

"My name is Alex," the youth said, answering Elazul's injunction. "And I was looking for you because—" But here he hesitated, as if unsure of his words.

"What kind of Jumi are you?" Elazul asked. "And why didn't you approach me directly?" His eyes traveled to the laced shirt the young man wore, and he discerned the cantors of a dark stone barely glimmering through. A true Jumi, then. Elazul relaxed. Despite knowing that the city was sealed to non-Jumi, the youth's disreputable appearance made him suspicious, and brought to light a fear that constantly lurked in the recesses of his mind: that one day the city's mystical barrier would weaken, and an enemy will manage to break into the city. Because, for all his burning desire to escape Etansel, Elazul cared about the Jumi greatly; and his experience in the world outside the city taught him that the danger threatening them was not a nebulous mirage, but a very real threat, the policies of Black Pearl not random acts of tyranny, but a practical solution. Somehow the knowledge that the Jumi were safe inside the city, contained within this beautiful structure that was simultaneously their haven and their prison, was, for Elazul, heart-achingly painful but also reassuring.

And still, he was unsure of the power of this prison; because what disturbed Elazul most profoundly was the increasing speed by which the population of the Jumi had been diminishing. Years ago when he walked in the streets at night, he had to take the side-streets and back alleys and upper balconies for peace and escape. But nowadays, on nights such as these, he wandered almost alone. That such a change would be wrought since he came of age, reduce the number of Jumi so greatly, was to him a sickening shock, a realization that struck him nastily when he returned to the city, like a blow to the stomach. People spoke of a recurring illness that had plagued the Jumi city for the last few hundred years, called the Core Waning. The recent outbreaks must have been particularly severe, thought Elazul, to have affected the Jumi population in such a conspicuous way. No wonder that the current Clarius, Lady Florina—

The young man's voice— his name, he had said, was Alex— intruded on Elazul's thoughts. "This is my stone," he said, parting the lace of his shirt at the neck slightly. "It's green by day, but purple by night." And indeed, the stone appeared dark and sullen, refusing to shine in the city's light, as if rejecting, or maybe absorbing, its intense and beautiful glow.

Elazul scanned the stone. The name Alex made sense to him now. It did not, however, detract from the suspicion roused by the youth's foreign style. "Well? You said that you were looking for me. Why? And who sent you? I've been outside the city before, and your style of clothes does not seem like the style of a Jumi to me."

This question was partly asked from curiosity. The youth replied, "Nobody sent me. I—" again, that slight hesitation, although the corners of his mouth twitched in a seemingly irrepressible smile. "It's true— I did spend a long time outside the city, and only returned recently. I asked people for the best warrior in the city, and they named Elazul. I want you to train me to be a Jumi knight."

So he left, like I had done, thought Elazul. He wondered why Alex left the city— maybe for the same reasons that he did; but it showed courage. The city always received dissenter Jumi back without question, because young Jumi knights sometimes stole out before being assigned with a guardian. But these youths left at their own risk. The Jumi did not have the manpower to waste on seeking out young adventurers and rescuing them from any scrape they may fall into. Those who came back stronger for their experience were received without comment and re-integrated into Jumi society; those who did not come back were never mentioned again. Because of this, dissenters were few.

Elazul betrayed none of these reflections to Alex, however. "I didn't know that I had such a high reputation," he said, although he knew that, because of his father, he was always expected to be one of the top knights by the Jumi. "What is the extent of your former training?"

"I was a part of a group of bandits," the youth answered; without, Elazul could tell, the slightest shame. "I survived pretty well. I learned something from them in the way of swordsmanship, but it's below a professional level, definitely not enough to become a knight in this city. But you devalue your own merits, Elazul. People told me that you are one of the best soldiers in the city, who sharpened his skills in foreign parts. I requested for your description and based on it I sought after you for the last few days."

Elazul knew that he should relax at this plausible answer; but something about a sly side-glance, a quirk of the smiling mouth, conveyed the impression that the young man was not telling him the entire story.

Still, he relaxed his hold on the hilt of his sword and slipped it back into its sheath. He was not afraid of this slender youth called Alex, and could not imagine a reason for this boy to have a grudge against him, or have a design on his life. And if Alex sought him out for some undisclosed purpose, well, it was better to have him nearby and under surveillance, than stalking him secretly.

"I'll judge your skills for myself," he said. "If training you is a waste of time, I'll let you know. I won't squander either my time, or yours."

An inexplicable laugh shook Alex. "Sounds good," he said.

"Are you planning to apply for a guardian?" Elazul asked him. Jumi who achieved the appropriate status of a knight or guardian were eligible to form a knight-guardian pair, which conferred greater rights and privileges within Jumi society. Not all Jumi, however, were knights or guardians, and it was a position exclusive to the nobility, with half-Lucidia like Elazul's father, who became knights, managing to scale the social ladder in consequence.

The guardians, on the other hand, were Jumi born with the gift of healing tears, whose source was within their jeweled cores. Most Jumi could not cry; and those who could did not necessarily have the gift of healing. Jumi knights were trained to protect the guardians and their precious tear-source. Traditionally, especially before the Jumi cores dried, women were guardians, men knights. Before the advent of the magical shield, the men were more likely to die in combat, and their average life-span was shorter than the women's. But after the shield was cast over the city, the burden on the women increased, and, unless the population was caught in a war or a plague, more women died than the men. Consequently, and also because healers were rare, men began to participate in guardianships. But women knights were still extremely rare, and, until recently, traditionally forbidden, as the Jumi could not risk exposing their women to the precarious dangers of armed battles.

Only one woman had, in fact, ever been formally trained in arms: Black Pearl herself. She was the knight of the Clarius, which was the title given to the city's principal healer, and was rumored to be the oldest Jumi in the city, holding her position through the death of many Clarius. No one knew or recalled how or why Black Pearl became the knight of the Clarius, but she was an extraordinarily powerful magician and warrior, and even the oldest Jumi only knew the days when she had occupied this position. No one dared to challenge the validity of her status. No one in Etansel dared to cross the Lady Black Pearl.

Elazul himself, whose age was the equivalent of twenty-three years old human, had been knighted a long time ago; but he deterred from applying for a guardian. Due to the intimate relationships between knights and guardians, a pairing between two people were traditionally associated with a subsequent marriage or otherwise a life-long partnership, the only exception being Black Pearl's permanent knightship to the various Clarius of both sexes. The guardianship system was thousands of years old, created by the Jumi's obligation to protect their valued cores. Elazul sometimes wondered whether guardianship had always been associated with marriage, and guessed that it may not have been that way. But the need of the Jumi to control their reduced population caused the society to become rigid and uncompromising, and taking a guardian had become synonymous with a precursor to getting married and settling down. So, although it granted greater privileges, it also meant a deeper integration into the Jumi's social structure.

And this was exactly what Elazul sought to avoid.

Alex seemed surprised at Elazul's question about guardianship. "I want to be knighted first," he answered. "Then I'll consider my next step."

"Then let's test your skills," Elazul said. "Come on, follow me."


The season of Spring poured over the world like an intoxicating draught, or warm treacle. Elazul could sense all that vibrant heat lurking around the borders of Etansel like a creature of prey; and, as in every spring, he longed to leave this city, whose static glitter was set in dead stones. The Jumi sought to distance themselves from the dangerous, uncontrolled energy of the world outside their walls, enclosing their city in an invisible sparkling shell of energy devised by Black Pearl. The shell was designed to protect them— but, Elazul thought with desperate anger, it also disguised a city of dying people.

"Alex," he began one day, as they were practicing their swordsmanship in a courtyard just above the eastern section of the city, the section Elazul preferred to all the others because it received the most sunlight, and seemed to him like one of the relatively healthier places in the city. "I have a question for you."

Alex had been practicing under Elazul's tutelage for several months, and his proficiency at the sword rapidly improved. At first, Elazul tried to teach him to utilize bodily strength in their training, as he, and many other knights, were used to doing. But he quickly learned that this was not Alex's strong suit. His strength, instead, lay in his remarkable agility and speed, which helped him to evade and befuddle his opponents. Elazul found a light sword for him and focused the training on rapid maneuvers and stealth attacks. "Because," he told Alex, "if you can disarm your opponent quickly, it won't matter how much stronger they are than yourself. Once they lose their weapon, it's all over, unless they find something else to use. Which is why you have to take advantage of that space to make your finishing move."

Elazul himself, who had been trained in arms by his strict father since he was a very young child, was blessed with both strength and agility. He was a pragmatic instructor and, although secretly impressed with Alex's progress, rarely complimented the youth and only made corrective remarks when he judged them to be needed. At any rate, he could tell that Alex did not want to be flattered, only to be taught. His slim frame hardened with practice, and although at first his strength quickly wore out, he always set his teeth stubbornly and practiced on, through the long evenings, through nights, and sometimes Elazul found him worn-out and white and sweating with exhaustion.

One night— it was after midnight— Elazul found Alex lying on the floor, face turned towards the ceiling, staring upwards with a distant look. He hurried towards him, thinking Alex might have injured himself, but then Alex's eye met Elazul's and a smile bent the corner of his mouth.

"I can't move," he announced. "My muscles gave out."

"I can see that," replied Elazul, kneeling at his side and peering at him inquisitively.

"I was lying here and dreaming for a long time," Alex continued, his gaze once again turning towards the ceiling. "I had the strangest dream. Want to hear it?"

"No."

"I dreamt that I was in a mountainous valley that glowed in the moonlight. On the peak of the mountain there was a tall tower, with hundreds of sparkling windows. My father was there too, and he told me that it was the looking-glass tower, the tower of Leires, a forbidden tower which no one can enter except those who are meant to enter."

"There really is such a tower," said Elazul.

"Then I saw an angel. It held a blade that burned white, and the angel said— what?"

"The angel said 'what'?" Elazul echoed mockingly. "A funny sort of angel."

"No, I mean, are you saying that there really is such a tower?" Alex's eyes lost their abstracted look, and they searched Elazul's face eagerly.

"Yes."

"Then this must have happened!" Alex, engrossed with this exciting discovery, attempted to leap to his feet, but his sore and exhausted muscles couldn't take the strain and he immediately collapsed. He lay back with a resigned sigh. "Well then, serves me right. But I think, Elazul, that I may have recalled my father telling me of his journey to that tower when I was very, very young, and the story turned into a dream. The part about the angel, though," he added as an afterthought, "really WAS a dream. It must have been because of something that I read when—" But he left the sentence incomplete, and his voice trailed off. Elazul couldn't really tell what he wanted to say; but he had already noticed that Alex had many secrets that he would not share. He did not press him to share. He already discovered one of his secrets, after all— the most important one, perhaps. With Alex, he could never tell.

Now he eyed Alex practicing a new sword technique; but the youth paused. "What is it?" he asked.

"Would you like to leave the city, and journey with me?" Elazul asked. "I'll be leaving soon, within a week maybe."

After a short silence, which might have indicated hesitation, Alex answered, "But I only arrived a short while ago. And I still need to be knighted."

"I'll get you knighted within a month," said Elazul. "It will require an application to High Councilor Rubens, and a test. It's a difficult test, and the council of knights supervise it very strictly, but you'll pass."

"Will Black Pearl test me?" asked Alex.

"No, why should she? She has enough to do without privately supervising the initiation of every new knight."

"I'm just curious to see the Lady Black Pearl, who is such a famous beauty," Alex said with a mischievous smile. "They say that she looks very young for her age because of the magic of her core."

"I've never seen her," said Elazul shortly. "My father stayed away from the court. He was only interested in training me to become a proper warrior. And as for my mother—" but then he stopped. "At any rate, there's plenty of time, and the summer tournament will begin when we return, just in time for you to prove yourself to the public."

"Yes," said Alex. "That's exactly what I wanted to do. Actually, I— well, I was hoping that I could even win Lady Florina's temporary guardianship. But I don't know if I progressed enough for that." Alex was referring to Black Pearl's recent announcement that, in mid-summer, she would temporarily relinquish her rights to Lady Florina's guardianship and pass it to the winner of the annual summer tournament. It was really more of an opportunity for the young knights to show off their skills, and the duration of Black Pearl's absence would be short. The tournament provided food for talk and speculation in the city, especially concerning Black Pearl's reasons for her temporary leave.

The question about Florina's guardianship caused Elazul to eye Alex guardedly. "You're ambitious. You're doing really well, but it will be tough."

"Yes, I know. But I figured I'll try." Alex swung his sword aimlessly. "I heard that the Lady Florina is dying," he said suddenly. "That her core is falling apart because she has to heal so many sick Jumi."

"She is," Elazul replied, his gaze fixed on Alex's sword hand. "And if you keep handling the sword this way, you won't be able to pass the first round."

Alex gave a small laugh, but then dropped his sword arm and directed a full gaze of inquiry on Elazul. "If her core is falling apart, why don't they replace her?"

"Because—" this was a difficult subject for Elazul, a fact that, ever since he understood it, he preferred not to think about. "Because all the older Jumi with the capacity to heal has died, and the younger Jumi are too young. Florina is pretty young too, but she's the only one in our age group whose tears are strong enough. She will serve her hundred years, and then she'll be replaced."

"If she doesn't die first," Alex pointed out, somewhat testily. "Until recently, I didn't know that she was forced to remain a Clarius until her core fell apart."

"I don't like it either," Elazul said shortly. "But that's the law. And if Florina dies before she finishes her one hundred years, they will just have to replace her with the most suitable younger Jumi."

Privately, Elazul wondered that Alex didn't know about Florina. He must have left a long time ago, because she has been serving for almost fifteen years. "Well, then," he said, changing the subject. "Will you accompany me in my travels? You will get a lot of good experience."

Alex tilted his head, looking at Elazul. "You've got a point there. Also, there are people I want to catch up with. I'm good to go."

Elazul only nodded. He recalled that day, many months ago, when he was visiting Alex's flat and found its occupant out. As he waited for him he noticed, among the scattered papers on Alex's desk, a piece of paper on which the word "Sandra" was inscribed in bold, black letters. The name caught his attention at once. It happened to belong to a nun who has saved his life after he was attacked by Jumi hunters. He approached the desk and pulled the letter out carefully. He felt no qualms about doing this. Alex's secretive character justified his caution, and the coincidence of the name was, to him, a questionable one.

The letter was written in a code language, but Elazul's years in the outside world has taught him many things, and it took him very little time to decode the missive. It was very short.

"My dearest Sandra,

"As always, my men are at your service. And although your handsome Jumi knight returned to the city, I hope that your fascination with his blue eyes isn't serious— you know that you are much better off marrying me."

"Your devoted A.R."

Elazul placed the missive down quietly, carefully slipping it into its former place. There was a curious expression on his face. He did not indicate to Alex that he had found it by the slightest change of manner; but, more than ever, he was on his guard.

And as he walked that night down the glittering pavement studded with glowing gems, Elazul thought, so what do you seek here, Alex; and how do you see this city, this dark and bright place that imprisons its own people? What do you think of it, now that you came back with eyes that have experienced the world; do you see it like me— do you think of it as a glowing, beautiful, sparkling city of ruin?


Chapter 2: The Black Pearl


A tall man with dark red hair stood at the door of the decked hall that contained the throne of the Clarius, as if he was, for a moment, deliberating over the decision to enter. The dais was empty, but he could see the back of Lady Diana as she spoke softly to the people seated around a small marble table placed on the side of the dais. He glimpsed her white, delicate profile as she turned to one of the councilors and smiled graciously— to the entire world except a few, Diana, Jumi of Diamond, was the very picture of delicate grace. She did not have the striking, regal beauty of the Lady Black Pearl; but her fair, ethereal loveliness, all painted delicately in soft browns and silvers and creams and snowy-white, made her nearly as memorable. She also decked herself elegantly, her luxurious dresses of silk and lace woven in tasteful, exquisite designs. Her whole appearance conveyed the impression that she was a statue carved in pure ivory brought to life. Only he and a few others— Black Pearl and Florina— discerned the hardness of the core fixed within this dainty faerie-like woman, and fathomed what lay beyond that charming appearance. Rubens was aware that her nature was exacting, sometimes even uncompromising, and still, he could not help but loving her— because of her beauty, because of her intelligence, because her character had a resolution that he himself lacked. Sometimes he wondered whether she truly deserved to be loved, but at other times he glimpsed her weak, frail side, the emotions she kept hidden from others, the uncertainty and pain and even the self-hatred, and felt himself propelled by pity towards this strangely changeable woman. And he could not help but loving her for both her faults and her perfections— at least, he thought, she was not like Black Pearl, who was relentless beyond reprieve— he stepped into the hall.

"Diana," he said softly. His voice was rich and low, and although he spoke quietly she heard him at once and turned quickly. Her face was illuminated with a loving smile for her highest-ranking councilor. Rubens, a Ruby knight of an ancient and well-respected Jumi lineage, was chosen by Black Pearl for this position many years ago, and he never failed to execute his tasks to perfection. He became Diana's knight, she his guardian, and although they never married their love was apparent to everyone who knew them. He was the weak spot in Diana's armor and could soften her with his gentleness and patience where others only hardened her resolve. And yet she used him, as she used everyone else for her policies, and he knew this quite well. He sometimes reflected with amazement that never contained bitterness at how she manipulated him, as she did everyone— and how, for the most part, she managed to completely separate her personal emotions from the business of governing the city. Maybe this is how she maintained her elevated position for so many years, that cold-headed practicality prevailing over the doubts that plagued everyone else. She and Black Pearl are a suitable pair to govern this city, Rubens thought.

To Diana he said, "I can see that Florina is not here. Is she unwell again?"

A delicate frown marred Diana's features. "Yes. She seems so pale lately, the poor child. But I'm sure that a little rest will restore her to full health."

Rubens made no response for a moment. Diana did not wish to hear the obvious fact, that Florina's attacks of fatigue increased lately, and that they were going to lose another Clarius within a few years. Several Clarius died during Rubens' own life; and it was a necessary evil that the Clarius spent their healing tears on all other Jumi until their cores eventually fell apart. Unfortunately, Florina had always been exceptionally delicate, and if not for her powerful tears she would not have been selected for the position.

"I think that she should be resting more," was his only reply. He said it many times with the previous Clarius, and was either always lectured by Diana on the necessary evil of the Clarius's position, or lightly ignored. He knew that Diana did not really mean to reproach him as much as to provide an audible excuse for herself, in order to unburden her own conscience. So he never responded to them, but listened to her patiently, all the while thinking, if I do not watch the Jumi Clarius die, I will have to watch many other Jumi die.

"Rubens." Diana's clear, melodious voice recalled him to the presence. She gave him a gentle smile, and he understood that she decided to ignore him this time. "Florina will feel better soon, so please don't worry."

Rubens became aware that the other councilors were watching them, and he nodded, knowing that he once again submitted to Diana's wishes, avoiding the opportunity to voice his real thoughts, and defeated by his own lack of resolve. He then realized, as always, that maybe he, too, disliked himself as much as Diana sometimes hated herself. He turned towards the door after uttering a non-committed answer, excusing himself from attending the present meeting.

And he thought, I am doing nothing to prevent it, although Florina's father had been my mentor, and the wisest Jumi that I have known. And now, I am letting his daughter to be drained of her life's blood until she is a mere ghost— I am letting a slow murder happen yet again— I am killing Florina as surely as if I have thrust the finishing blow with my own hands.


Summer choked the world, the glaring sun beating on bent heads and dry throats. Elazul, wrapped in the sand-green cape bestowed on him by a wandering knight from the desert to whom he rendered a service, was thankful for its lightness. But he exulted in the harshness of the season, reveling in the sunlight that scorched the earth, and in the sweltering atmosphere that rippled with waves of invisible fire.

Three months passed since Elazul and Alex left the city, and mid-summer quickly approached, signaling the end of their brief freedom. Their exit was permitted, but the shield guards watched their departure in dour silence. Alex's desertion did not surprise anyone, since he was still something of a stranger; but Elazul's renowned swordsmanship raised hopes that he would finally settle down and contribute to Jumi society. When she was reported of the young Lapis Lazuli's second desertion, Black Pearl's only remark was, "Let him go. If his skills are as good as rumored, he will manage to return. But we have no use for erratic Jumi." She ignored the mention of Alex completely.

To Elazul, the brief respite was a balm for a restless spirit, and he savored his freedom. But he felt that he did not come any closer to understanding Alex during their travels. Alex was, superficially, an open book; good-humored, sharp-tongued, cool-headed, with a never-failing sense of humor. But Elazul knew that this was a misleading mask— or rather, an incomplete one. It was an essential part of the youth's personality, but only represented its easily-accessible facet. A hidden streak ran beneath the surface that Elazul sometimes glimpsed, and which made him uneasy. There was a coldness to Alex, an amoral streak that was as dark and as inaccessible to Elazul as Alex's dark jewel, the jewel which shone a clear green in the sunlight but became dim and dark at night, refusing to emit the clear glow normal to a Jumi core.

A hot, beautiful twilight hour, just a few days before they returned to the Jumi city, afforded Elazul a clearer glimpse of those dark undercurrents in Alex's personality.

Alex and Elazul had been traveling, and spied a nearby village, lying dark and snug on the red horizon, towards which they directed their steps. A warm crimson glowed on the horizon and the dormant countryside was completely silent, since the workers left the fields some time ago. But as they passed near a thick cluster of trees growing off the side of the road, Alex suddenly swerved sharply. Elazul instinctively stopped and was about to question Alex, but Alex silenced him with a quick gesture and stood motionless, his dark eyes questing within the gloom of the thicket.

The two youthful warriors heard it now— a quiet groan, on which they quickly oriented. Alex slipped through the bushes into the thicket, seeking out the sound within the darkness lurking beneath the trees. Elazul followed, but he fell a little behind, and when he finally caught up with Alex he saw him hovering over a white figure lying on the ground.

It was a young human girl, sprawling in a pool of blood that sent long trails trickling across the moist earth. Her pale clothes were torn, and her face was washed red with the dripping blood generated by a deep wound that slashed her forehead and cheek. Her long yellow hair, loosened from a dark ribbon, was drenched in the sickly red of the bloody pool in which she lay, and floated upon it like colorless seaweed. But most shocking of all to Elazul's feeling was that she had been effectively gutted; a sharp object had slashed her from her throat to her exposed stomach.

Elazul had witnessed difficult sights during his travels, but the heartless, cruel mutilation of this young girl was almost too ghastly to bear. And the most terrible aspect of it all was that the girl was still alive. Her eyelids fluttered as she sensed the men leaning towards her, and she fixed a blank, tortured gaze on them.

She was young; too young; a fourteen-years-old human girl. "She was raped and left to die," Alex said softly. Elazul could not reply; he merely nodded in response, feeling numb and sick to his stomach. The gloom of the trees closed on them oppressively, and he could smell the scent of decay that surrounded the ravaged body of the girl.

A soft sound escaped the girl's throat, and Elazul edged closer, seeking to give her what comfort he could in the brief time that she had to live. Her pale, bloodied face appeared to float in the darkness, and her mouth opened mutely. But she closed her eyes again after a moment, and Alex, laying his fingers on her heart, caught the fluttering, unsteady beat.

"I don't know how long she's been like this, but she has no more than half an hour to live," he muttered, his eyes dark with anger. Then he rose to his feet and drew his sword. Before Elazul could stop him, he drove the slender blade into the girl's heart with a quick, practiced motion. She uttered a sharp cry of pain and her quivering body became still. Just as abruptly, Alex wrenched the blade free, and knelt in the clearing. He wiped the blood from the silvery edge on the mold that fringed the moist earth.

Elazul had been too stunned to utter a protest; and when Alex rose to his feet and turned around, he found the Lapis Lazuli knight standing opposite with eyes flashing with wrath. Quickly and silently, hands as strong as steel closed on Alex's arms, and he was dragged away from that terrible clearing, from the pool of blood, from the broken corpse of the girl. Alex made no attempt to resist Elazul, and followed him with stumbling steps. Finally, when they both stood behind a cluster of trees that hid the sight of the mutilated body, Elazul hurled Alex onto the ground with a violent gesture, and stood over him with his chest heaving, his words choked by shocked rage.

Alex made no protest at this treatment. He rose to his feet slowly and silently, his fingers sliding across the fabric of his clothes to clear away the dust and dirt. Elazul's voice, trembling with repressed emotions, grated in his ears. "Why? Why did you do it, WHY? She could have lived!"

Alex glanced at Elazul. "No," he replied. "She wouldn't have."

"We could have called a doctor! I could have—" The words died in Elazul's throat. He was shaking, and felt estranged by Alex's calm manner and dark, impassive eyes. His hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword, the fingers curling tightly around it, as if he sought a distraction in the physical pressure that the sharp metal provided.

Alex immediately noticed Elazul's gesture, and his eyes darted towards Elazul's sword-hand as he spoke; but, although he watched Elazul's hand closely, he did not display any fear. "No," he replied, with the same level tone that was to Elazul so repellently rational. "A doctor would not have done much for her, Elazul, and you know it." Despite Elazul's rough treatment, his trained arm maintained a grip on his sword throughout, and he now poised it in a particular way that Elazul recognized as defensive. This magnified Elazul's anger. He knew that Alex's observation was correct; but he couldn't give up.

"And who—" he said hotly, taking a step towards Alex, who instinctively fell back— not a muscle moved in his face, but his stance became battle-ready— "who made YOU an expert?"

For one moment, it seemed like Alex has finally lost his tongue. Then he said quickly: "I— I learned it from a nun."

The reply was like a splash of icy water to Elazul's temper. He was checked in his tracks, his face becoming an impassive mask, revealing nothing. The young Jumi continued, the words slipping off his tongue with stumbling haste: "I— I stayed in the shrine for a long time after— after I was saved from death, and I learned about medical lore."

Elazul felt a constricted ache choking him, and could only say breathlessly, "But—but you shouldn't have killed her."

"She was in too much pain, Elazul," Alex replied. "Killing her saved her another half-hour of lingering agony." He spoke calmly, but his logical tone repelled Elazul. It was the unavoidable tone of fate, of inevitability, the remorseless voice of death.

But Elazul knew what he wanted to say. The words seemed to be forced out of him, spelled out with difficulty, the lessons that his upbringing infused into his blood day by day, drop by drop. "The Jumi— the Jumi are—we are healers— we do not kill. You have no right to take the life of another, even if—"

"Oh, is that so?" Alex's tone was sardonic. "Don't tell me that you are THIS willfully blind, Elazul. The Jumi who force Lady Florina to weep healing tears for them until her core falls apart? And you, Elazul the wanderer— how many men have YOU killed on your travels?"

Elazul was assailed with blind rage at these words; he leapt towards Alex without a warning. Alex had fancied himself to have made a lot of progress in his training, but quickly discovered that he was a poor match for the Lapis Lazuli, both in speed and in strength. Elazul's hand locked around Alex's wrist with lightning speed, and twisted it with brutal efficiency, forcing it to loosen its hold on the hilt of the sword. After a few seconds of struggle, in which Alex attempted to unlock Elazul's grip unsuccessfully, the blade cluttered to the ground. Elazul then twisted Alex's arm behind his back, and Alex found himself forcefully doubled over, Elazul leaning over him, one arm locked over his neck tightly enough to stop his breath. It was over in barely a few moments. The Lapis Lazuli's voice grated in the Alexandrite's ear.

"Well, then, I could kill you NOW, Alex."

Alex remained leaning forward in his forced position, his breath harsh with agony, but refused to reply.

"Would you like to die, Alex?" hissed the Lapis Lazuli.

Panting, Alex replied, "Not exactly— in the same way— that she did."

This callous, cynical answer suddenly eased Elazul's locked anger. His face flooded with red. He released the Alexandrite so quickly that Alex lost his balance and stumbled to his knees. Elazul turned toward the bushes, leant over them, and vomited.

Alex rose to his feet, making no remark. Elazul sank to his knees, his head lowered, his fingers pressed against the earth. "Damn you, Alex," he muttered.

Behind him he could hear the metallic sound of Alex's blade slipping back into its sheath. "We have to report her to the village," he said. "We can't leave her body here. I only hope that we avoid suspicion ourselves."

But Elazul refused to reply.

Alex passed the knighthood test on their return to the city, and left a favorable impression on Rubens and the Jumi council; and he was knighted just in time for the summer contest. He knew that he could not defeat Elazul, but anticipated putting up a decent fight in the tournament. Elazul himself did not mean to compete, but the incident left a coldness between them. Alex accepted this new situation with cool resignation; and, although Elazul would not admit it, he was disappointed at Alex's apparent indifference. He swallowed this emotion, however, and the new situation between them continued. And then, when the day of the contest arrived two weeks later, Alex discovered that Elazul had enlisted in the competition.

He was a little surprised, but not entirely displeased; feeling, as if the gesture was made to compliment him especially. His new rivalry with Elazul did not disturb him in the least; he was actually rather amused by it. He reasoned that provoking a response of any kind was at least better than being ignored, and looked forward to the contest.


On the day of the contest Elazul arrived late, and Alex had barely time to glimpse him before he was hurried into the dressing room to clothe himself in the appropriate uniform. On emerging from the dressing room, the contestants were filed into a neat row and marched into the arena for the opening ceremonies. The number of newly-integrated or young Jumi knights participating in the contest was about thirty, narrowed down by Rubens and the council from the original one hundred or so. Alex, chafing in the chain mail over which a ceremonial red and white surcoat was thrown, was sternly told to stand still. He discovered Elazul just a few steps down from him and tried to catch his eye, but Elazul ignored him resolutely. He now passed his eyes over the arena. Most of the city had assembled to watch the tournament, except the very young and the very old; and Alex, his eyes sweeping over thousands of faces, discovered with surprise, and a strange pang, that the entire Jumi population was very small. This city was fashioned to comfortably accommodate tens of thousands of people, but the total assembled audience consisted of less than ten thousand.

The young knights stood straight and still, facing the platform from which the council members presided. First and foremost among them was the Lady Black Pearl herself, who was the primary judge of the contest. Alex, strongly curious to see her, craned his neck and watched attentively as she was announced.

Black Pearl walked into the pavilion, and Alex beheld a tall woman, upright and slender. Alex knew that she did not show her age, but was still somewhat stunned to see how young she looked— twenty-seven at most. The passage of time that eventually affects all Jumi seemed to have circumvented Black Pearl completely. No wonder, Alex thought, that people say that her core contains dark and mysterious magic, or some strange witchery that keeps her looking young.

Black Pearl's hair was a woven dark gold, resplendent in the afternoon heat, from which the sunlight occasionally drew a rich glimmer that ran across the heavy, coiled tresses like a silent, secret fire. Her clothes were the color of pearly cream, dim gold and dark silver, except for a voluminous scarf encircling her waist and hanging down to the back of her knees, dyed with a red so intense that it gave the impression that it has been drenched in blood. Her eyes were black, and her face was extraordinarily lovely. Alex, who was usually hard-pressed to be impressed by anything, thought that he had never seen a more beautiful woman; and on this thought he glanced at Elazul.

The dark-haired knight was straight and still, his gaze fixed on the regal woman standing just above him, an expression on his face that Alex had never seen before. Elazul's face was drained of blood, and was as white as wax; but the following moment a dark crimson flood mounted into his cheeks. The fingers that gripped the hilt of his sword trembled, and he clenched them again with a furious effort to keep them still, although the movement was unconscious, since he seemed to be oblivious, for a moment, of his surroundings.

The next moment Black Pearl spoke. Alex did not hear what she said exactly, but all the young knights dropped to their knees in front of the pedestal and he followed their cue. His eyes rested for a moment on the earth at his feet, but he couldn't help stealing a look at Elazul's face, trying to determine its expression. Elazul's head was hung low, his eyes fixed on the ground, a distracted, far-off aspect to his countenance. He did not appear to hear anything of the oratory carried above their heads. The words floated above Alex's head as well, and he could barely catch their meaning. His brain was working furiously, mulling over tumultuous feelings.

So Elazul, you can fall in love just like that! On the first moment that you saw her!

His cynicism quickly returning, he thought, if that is even love.

The oration ended, and the knights rose in unison. Black Pearl now addressed the solemn Jumi warriors. She performed her speech in measured accents, and did not waste her time with superfluous expressions. She had a good voice, melodious and clear, and deeper than of most women; but it had harsh undercurrents that lent them an unpleasant edge. Alex decided that he did not like her.

His eyes continued beyond her to the seats just above the platform. Lady Florina sat in one of them, swathed in blue silk. She was small and fragile-looking, and, as far as he could tell, not particularly pretty, especially when compared to Black Pearl's majestic, sphinxlike beauty; she looked ordinary and thin, with hair that, however nicely arranged and tied, was a nondescript brown, straight and plain. Her features, too, were insignificant, with a not-quite-straight although delicate nose, and a small, pale mouth. The pallor of her skin enhanced her frail appearance. Her eyes were of a medium size, and from that distance appeared as an indistinct gray color. But there was something in her expression, a hint of a smile lurking at the corner of her mouth, a twinkle in her eye, that made Alex pay closer attention to her.

His fixed gaze must have drawn her attention, because suddenly their eyes met and she looked straight at him and rewarded him with a sweet, engaging smile, as if she was sharing a joke between them.

The corners of his mouth twitched, but no further look was exchanged between them as he rose to his feet, since the contest was finally announced.

Despite his youth and status of a relatively new knight, Alex defeated his first opponents easily, and ascended to the second round. His ascent to the third proved a little more difficult, but he eventually won against the other contestants, his agility coming into good stead in the battle. During his rest periods he watched Elazul's rounds, and it seemed to him that the Lapis Lazuli's distracted mood lingered. But Elazul was well-trained and strong, and he trounced the other knights quickly. Among the judges, Alex noticed Black Pearl watching Elazul attentively, and he felt irked. A strong wish to defeat Elazul suddenly throbbed within him. He was determined to become Florina's knight— and to prevent Black Pearl from looking on the Lapis Lazuli so favorably. The base quality of this wish brought his characteristic, quirky smile to the corner of his mouth again; but Alex knew himself to be cold-hearted since youth, and he was never afraid to admit this to himself.

He was roused from his reflections as the semi-finals were announced. He was now one of the four remaining knights, and he stepped up against his present challenger. It was a difficult round, and Alex was beginning to tire, his slim body battered by the blows he frequently suffered during the lengthy, exhausting string of encounters. But— and just barely— he finally managed to defeat his adversary.

Breathing a secret sigh of relief, he accepted everyone's congratulations, and seated himself at the bench, wiping his face with a wet towel. Then, fortifying himself with a cold drink, he watched Elazul's round.

The fight was short and decisive. Elazul appeared to have overcome his distracted mood, and his blows were strong and struck true. He easily prevailed over the other knight. And Alex shifted on the bench, the realization striking him; his next fight would be against Elazul. Recalling how Elazul won by virtue of quickness combined with strength during their unfortunate clash, he was resolute to keep on his guard this time. He shot a keen, challenging look at the Lapis Lazuli as Elazul passed through the gate on his way towards the dressing room, intending him to glimpse something of these thoughts. But instead of being answered with the grim look that he expected, and which Elazul so often reserved these days for his sake, he was astonished when the Lapis Lazuli responded with one of his engaging smiles.

Alex lowered his head to hide a stealing smile; but this unexpected behavior on Elazul's part, far from softening him, only increased his determination to win.

The break was over, and the final round announced. Alex, gripping his sword hilt tightly to conceal his slight nervousness, stepped into the arena. Elazul soon appeared. He took his place opposite the Alexandrite. His expression was neutral; he was poised, ready for battle, and did not betray any signs of friendliness. This is it, Alex realized. I am Elazul's opponent, and he will not waste any personal feelings on me. The Alexandrite did not mind this, and in fact, approved of it. It was exactly his own approach to this contest. But he knew that his chances of defeating the Lapis Lazuli were slim.

The signal was given, the battle begun.

The two knights circled each other. Alex was wary, keeping a keen lookout for an opening, watching for a surprise attack. Elazul finally executed the first strike, which Alex immediately parried, before turning and trying to catch the Lapis Lazuli from the left. But Elazul could foresee this, and he evaded the hit. His sword spun for a moment, slashing at Alex's left arm.

Alex managed to slip away just in time, but the sword caught the side of his shoulder. He bit his lips to stop an exclamation. The sword landed heavily, bruising him, but the chain mail assisted to protect him from serious damage. He retreated for a moment, observing Elazul. The Lapis Lazuli stood straight and poised, meeting Alex's gaze steadily.

So Elazul is serious, Alex thought grimly. He means to stop me from becoming the Clarius knight. His dislike of me for that incident had grown that strong.

Gritting his teeth, he leapt towards Elazul. The Lapis Lazuli spun to the side, parrying the Alexandrite's blade; but not quickly enough. The two swords clashed against each other, and Alex, regaining his hold, began to apply pressure on Elazul's sword. For a moment, the two knights were locked together; then Elazul flung Alex off with a contemptuous gesture. Alex was forced to stumble back. He regained his balance with some effort and looked towards Elazul. The Lapis Lazuli was circling him like a wolf rounding up his prey, his strong body relaxed, his dark hair falling into his blue eyes, a slight smile pulling at his mouth.

Alex shot Elazul a wrathful look, his green eyes flashing. He could tell that the Lapis Lazuli was mocking him, or playing with him until the imminent defeat. So he means to humiliate me before all these people, he thought. He tried to rein back the bubbling anger, knowing that it would not help him to focus on this difficult challenge.

Elazul leapt forward. Alex anticipated this and answered the attack. But Elazul pressed on him, applying pressure that forced the Alexandrite into a defensive position. Alex's head began to swim. It had been a long, tiring day and he knew that he could not withstand Elazul's greatly superior strength. The two knights were locked together, Elazul leaning forward, Alex slowly forced to sink to one knee. He managed to withstand the pressure, but it was all that he could do. He could not muster the strength to resist and perform a counterattack.

Elazul leant very close, his body pressing against the Alexandrite's slim physique. His face was close to Alex's cheek.

"Giving up?" he muttered.

Alex had to muster his breath to answer. "Not while I have strength to resist you."

"Good," said the Lapis Lazuli quietly. "It's what I expected of you."

Sweat ran down Alex's face. He didn't know why Elazul was talking to him when he could have finished the contest there and then. "Stop— mocking— me," he gulped.

"What price would you be willing to pay to achieve your goal, Alex?" hissed the Lapis Lazuli, his hand never relaxing its awful pressure on the Alexandrite. "Will you sell your heart? Will you give up your soul?"

The Alexandrite turned his face towards the Lapis Lazuli, his green eyes acquiring a hint of their usual laughter. "Depends on the goal," he answered.

"Well then," said Elazul quietly, "this time you won't have to, Alex. Now, listen closely to me. I will ease the pressure for a moment. Just one moment. And you will perform a surprise backhand. You will win this contest. You understand me?"

Alex was too surprised to say anything for a moment. Then he whispered, "Yes." And then, he was suddenly struck by a realization. Elazul had effectively decimated half of his opponents for him, and prevented him from facing someone who may prove too difficult for him in that final round.

The Alexandrite did not mind this. It was important to him to become the Clarius's knight by any means necessary; and if Elazul was noble enough to allow him to win, he would accept his victory without the slightest pang of conscience.

He rose suddenly, lunged forward, and dealt Elazul a blow with his sword that sent the Lapis Lazuli knight stumbling back, and falling to the ground.

The round was over. Elazul was declared the loser.

Sitting on the comfortable throne with its golden pillows, Florina watched the contest closely. The slender knight with those green, smiling eyes captured her attention early during the ceremony. She was a little surprised at his success, since she judged him to be inexperienced and youthful; but she was pleased at his unexpected proficiency, and the longer he survived the increasingly difficult rounds, the more interested she became in the outcome. But she still had no high hopes for him; she always thought that the knight of Lapis Lazuli, the famous one, the one that captured Black Pearl's attention, will win the contest. The outcome of the final round greatly surprised her.

She glanced at Black Pearl, and she could instantly sense her displeasure. Black Pearl was always questing for potential men for the royal guard. She had been apprised of Elazul's skills, and looked forward to witnessing them because of the favorable rumors. Her lips were compressed into a thin line, her dark eyes frowned; but the shadow passed quickly, leaving the same cool snowy beauty intact, the beauty that Florina so admired and secretly envied. Why can I not be strong like Black Pearl, she thought to herself; yes— even if her way of life, and of all the Jumi is wrong, she is still strong, and holds the power and will to change things, as I do not. I submit to my fate, weak and powerless— I cannot follow my heart, my preferences, not since my dear father died.

Yes, I am weak, Florina mused; but that green-eyed knight is not. I can tell that he is no feeble, vacillating being; and maybe he would be fit to be my knight. And so, as Alex was announced as the winner, Florina rose up higher on her seat. Her fatigue could not deter her; she straightened and watched the fight attentively through, and when the victor was announced she clapped her hands and smiled with delight. Alex, bowing, received the laurel of victory from Black Pearl; and then he knelt in front of Florina.

"Lady," he said. "I will do my best to serve you."

And Florina answered his quirky smile. He is a strange one, she thought to herself. I think that I will like having him as my knight.


Elazul did not congratulate Alex on his victory. He came to the private feast offered to the contesting knight in the royal palace, but wandered across the golden hall, away from the crowd of noblemen and richly dressed ladies, seeking the shadowy corners, and escaping the blazing aura of the sparkling chandeliers. He could see Alex seated with Lady Florina on the other side of the room, both conversing with the ease of long-time friends. Alex watched him as he passed, but Elazul ignored his inviting gaze and made his exit into the soothing darkness of the outer balcony. He knew what Alex wanted to say, but he did not want to be thanked. No, Alex, he thought. I did this as much for myself as for you. We have a common goal, after all.

As he stood in the darkness, looking up into the cool night, a great longing to escape into the world rose within him. And this time he will manage better, use his experience. He had nothing left to do here; Alex will be the Clarius Knight, like he wanted. And yet, Black Pearl, she—

Even the thought made Elazul feel light-headed; and he breathed the chilled air quickly, thinking, I need to get away from here before it's too late.

A deep, steady woman's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Lapis Lazuli knight."

A shocked verve ran through Elazul at this sound, and he turned abruptly. Black Pearl emerged from the golden light, and stood framed by the arched doorway, her form appearing dark by contrast, her clothes becoming gray, pearly shadows. She advanced towards him and Elazul averted his face, his eyes on the marble floor of the balcony. "Lady Pearl," he responded formally; but his faltering voice nearly betrayed him.

She approached the balcony's railing and stood at his side, her fingers resting on them lightly. She looked into the night. The balcony stood at a steep elevation point above the lights of the city, and here, high above the glittering sparkle of gems that constantly challenged the darkness, the night could finally flow clearly, and the stars did not seem as faded.

"Lapis Lazuli," she said, her beautiful, melodious voice accentuating Elazul's title formally. "Your name, I think, is Elazul." She did not wait for him to confirm this, but continued. "I have heard many reports of your skills as a knight, and I have to confess that I was disappointed by your failure to win the contest."

She became silent, and Elazul, feeling that she expected an answer, said quietly: "Then I must apologize, Lady."

"I do not wish for an apology," she said, sharply now, without looking at him; her eyes still gazed into the dark night, as if seeking the faint light of the stars.

"And I do not wish for a pardon," Elazul replied, his quick temper immediately flaring at her icy tones. He did not regret the words even as they slipped off his tongue, but immediately realized how their tempers clashed, and thought, you still do not know her after all.

She glanced at him, as if his harsh reply drew her attention. He expected her to respond to it, but all she said was, "You did excellently throughout, and demonstrated an unusual talent. Your father, I think, had been the best knight this city has known for at least a hundred years, and you seem to have inherited his skills. How, is it, that you lost against that new knight?"

Elazul said nothing, his gaze fixed on the ground stubbornly. He wondered again how she could look so young and yet be the oldest Jumi in existence; a thousand years old, he thought, his head spinning at the realization that this was twice the age of the average Jumi. And then he reasoned, it's probably only rumors, unless her core really does contain unusual magic. His hand was trembling again, but he clenched it into a determined fist. I will not let her influence me this way, he thought with a tinge of resentment, his mind rebelling against his body.

"The reason you lost," said Black Pearl, after waiting for a moment for a reply but not receiving one; "is that you do not want to acquire a guardian."

Elazul was silent.

"I know about your independent spirit—stubbornness, I would call it," Black Pearl continued, her measured accents cutting clearly through the crisp silence. "You've been a knight for many years, but never applied for a guardian. And let me tell you now, Lapis Lazuli: I disapprove of this kind of behavior, and see it as petty and immature. However, although you have disappointed me— and I do not like to be disappointed— I shall let you have one more chance. We need more skilled people for the Royal Guard. I am offering you a post. It is an honored position, and you will be permitted to dwell in the highest level of the city."

Elazul flushed hotly at her rebuke; his first impulse was to refuse, since, he thought angrily, he wanted nothing more than to leave her and this city of hers, that she has imprisoned under her shell of magic; and now that Alex has finally established his position here and forsook him, he felt that he had nothing to attach him to this place. And yet, as he observed the turn of her beautiful profile, he knew that he desired her— and it was a feeling that he could not understand, because, at the same time, he was also repelled by her. And this is why I must leave, he thought frantically, I can't let anyone have such influence over me, or I—

After a prolonged silence, in which he could sense that she expected a reply, he heard himself saying, "Do as you will with me, Lady Pearl— now, if you will excuse me—"

He turned around and left without waiting for an answer. And as he walked through the golden hall, he thought to himself, and still— I can't explain how— I did sense a strange, warm glow from within that black core of pearl. Or maybe it was just my own response to it, my own self-deceiving desire?


Chapter 3: The Silence of Time


The green-eyed girl leant over the large, heavy tome lying open on the mahogany desk before her, her fingers reverently tracing the decorated edges of the gold-laced paper, whose color of old ivory added to its beauty, and testified to its great age. She was an ardent lover of books, and worshiped the beauty of the antiquated volume. She reflected on the great fortune of her birth that allowed her the privilege, imparted to so few of the Jumi, of accessing the great Jumi library in the royal palace. She belonged to a noble family of an ancient Jumi lineage, and she and her three elder sisters were cousins to the Lady Diana herself.

The Clarius Florina sat at her side, absorbed in her own volume, the thin-rimmed spectacles she used for reading sliding down her small nose. The young girl thought that she was both a touching and comical sight. Touching, because the wide-sleeved blue silk dress swathing Florina's body could not conceal its pitiable thinness; and comical, because the sight of the spectacles was strange to the Jumi girl, who had never seen such a device in her life. She watched the Clarius covertly, but her sense of the vision represented by Florina was diffused through a heartfelt respect and reverence for the Clarius, that kind and intelligent young woman who was a great scholar's daughter. She admired Florina's intelligence and envied her scholastic knowledge; and she wished that she could become as wise and as learned.

"Florina," she asked. "Did you find anything in that volume?"

Florina turned towards her companion, and her beautiful smile appeared, the smile that suffused her pale features with a unique attraction all their own. "Nothing concrete, if this is what you were hoping for."

"Oh." The young girl could not conceal the disappointment in her voice. Her hand swept the short, feathery strands of her green hair—she was a Jumi of emerald— back from her face. "You were so absorbed in reading that I was hoping that you found something."

Florina's gray eyes glimmered with amusement at the girl's dissatisfaction. It was so like Emeralda's practical way of thinking to strive for immediate results. "Patience," she said. "If you want to be a scholar, Emeralda, you should learn to cultivate the quality of painstaking patience. It does not take a week, or a month, and not even many years to fully conduct a research, or to arrive at concrete conclusions, at least if you want them to be the correct conclusions. My father devoted a lifetime to researching Jumi history, and years to studying these particular materials. He discovered many clues, but a few crucial pieces are still missing from the puzzle, and these are the pieces that I mean to uncover. But I mean to be patient."

"I'll keep it in mind," Emeralda replied distantly. Her voice, however, did not indicate any resentment. Emeralda's pragmatic nature, mature for her years— which in human terms were the equivalent of a fifteen-year-old girl— enabled her to placidly accept criticism that she considered fair and constructive. She leant back in her chair, her fingers running across the golden lacing of her shirt sleeve.

"Florina," she said. "Do you, as a scholar, think that the legend of the Jumi angel is true? Do you believe that an angel taught the Jumi to use their healing tears?"

Florina corrected her sliding spectacles with a soft motion, her eyes smiling at Emeralda through the obscuring, reflective lens. "It's a three-thousand years old legend, Emeralda. There is definite evidence that it was based on real facts; whether the facts reflect the details of the legend with one-hundred percent accuracy, I do not know."

"That is true," Emeralda responded, reflecting. "For example, the legend says that the angel had 'hair as bright as the sun, and eyes like the sea at summer'. But old legends always describe beings of supernatural beauty this way, with bright hair and blue eyes, so I'm sure that this detail is not really true. But, you see," and now her tone was censorious, "I personally think that no fact can be declared as a 'truth' unless we ARE a hundred percent sure of it. So I think that it's silly to believe in an old legend whose facts cannot, as far as we know, be verified." She observed the Clarius, and a glint of humor stole into her green eyes. "Your glasses slid down again, Florina."

"Well, that is why it's called a legend, Emeralda," said Florina, with indulgent amusement. "And why it's based on belief." She pushed the spectacles up her nose again with a resigned smile. Alex procured them from a human town after he discovered that Florina had difficulty reading words from a close proximity. The size of their frame was unfortunately a little large, and this produced a continual struggle on her part against their tendency to slide down. Florina accepted this with her usual good-humor. She did not mind laughing at the ridiculous, even when she knew that the object of ridicule was herself.

"But I can't disagree with the basic premise," she continued, her eyes twinkling at Emeralda's stern lecture. "I will refrain, for example, from declaring all beings of supernatural beauty as having golden hair and eyes as blue as the sea, unless they are one-hundred percent proven to be so."

"I just think that it's too naive," Emeralda explained. "Everyone knows about the legend of the angel who will return to heal the entire Jumi race, but it's just a children's tale now, and I don't even think that anyone believes it anymore."

"Well, then, this what our research seeks to uncover," answered Florina, passing her white fingers over her brown hair. "There are many clues about the location of the temple in which, it is said, the angel first appeared."

"But," Emeralda continued with her systematic persistence, born out of a limitless curiosity and a strong need to achieve accurate conclusions; "even if the temple DOES exist, what could it mean? It would be extremely difficult to prove that the angel existed— and even more difficult to prove that it still exists."

Florina was about to answer, when a new voice cut into their conversation briskly. "Enough of the tedious crossfire, brat."

Florina's lips quirked at this autocratic injunction. She turned in her seat slightly and watched the shadowed recesses of the library. "I can see that you have been listening to our conversation, Alex. Did you find anything interesting?"

Alex, who had accompanied Florina to the library, and had occupied his time by rummaging through the bookshelves with an energy that appeared to Florina as curiously purposeful, came over, a slim volume in his hand. "I did, but you'll need to decide whether it's useful. I'll skim it before I can tell you.

Emeralda, meanwhile, bristled at Alex's order. She did not mind criticism from Florina, whom she admired for many years; but Alex, with his dictatorial manner, was another matter entirely. "Since you are so interested in the research," she said, "Maybe you'll find a better way to contribute."

"I can also think of a better way to spend my time than plaguing Florina with tedious questions to which she can't possibly have an answer," Alex replied. "And besides," he added, his ready smile appearing, "you should know, Emeralda, that there is nothing more repugnant than a cynical child that tells adults that their beliefs are founded on a silly fable."

Emeralda had a staid nature, and she was not a girl who could stay angry for long. "Are you saying that I'm repulsive?" she said, her eyes glinting with humor.

"You are too logical for your age," answered Alex. He selected a comfortable chair near Florina, and insinuated his slim body into it smoothly with one of his cannily quick movements. "It's irritating. I used to be exactly like you."

"Which means," Florina supplied in assuaging tones, "that he changed with age."

"Exactly. I grew worse. Take it as a warning." Alex leant forwards and opened his volume.

Emeralda looked at Alex with a critical stare. He was a good-looking young man to be sure, rather older than herself— in Jumi terms, he seemed about twenty— with sharp, fine features whose delicate attraction was enhanced by a ready smile and handsome, dark green eyes. But she could not like his acerbic manner, although it contained a rational aspect that resembled her own. "Very well, then," she said. "I'd do anything rather than grow up to be like you."

"Unfortunately, you're already on a fair way to becoming exactly like me."

Emeralda gave up on the argument. She was a fair opponent, and could acknowledge a decent enemy. "Well, then I hope that the volume you found will be useful," she said, choosing to ignore the provoking grin that Alex flashed in her direction. "Florina, how much information do you think we're missing because of the books that the dissenter took?"

"I'm not sure," replied Florina. "But his theft definitely reduced the resources that deal with the angel legend. He was greatly interested in material that involved the angel; particularly the information regarding the location of the ancient sites at which the legend pointed. Some of the volumes he took away may have contained valuable, maybe even vital clues."

Alex stirred now with a somewhat self-conscious air at this last remark; but he said nothing, and continued to pore over his volume. His action, however, drew Emeralda's attention. She examined the young Jumi knight's profile silently for a moment or two, and then her face assumed a deceptively bland expression. "Alex," she began with a deliberate tone— and anyone who knew Emeralda long enough would have immediately known what to expect— "I've been meaning to ask you something. You said that the southern peninsula, where the temple might be located, takes several weeks to reach."

Alex, who was acquainted with Emeralda for only two weeks, but for whom this duration had been adequate to fully evaluate her character, glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, although once we find the old transportation devices, it should be easier to reach it. But, brat, you seem to be getting at something. What is it?"

"Well—" Emeralda's voice retained that suspiciously docile tone— "I thought that you knew this because you once visited the peninsula."

"Which I did."

Emeralda brushed a wayward strand of hair from her cheek again. "I was thinking," she finished, stowing the unruly lock behind her ear and giving Alex a mild look, "that a former bandit may know something about the location of an ancient temple."

An amused look from Alex informed Emeralda that he fully appreciated this underhanded conclusion. "I see that you've been subjecting Florina to one of your inquisitions again." He glanced accusingly at Florina, who immediately bent low over her book and pretended to read it, although a guilty laugh trembling at the corner of her mouth provided all the evidence that Alex needed.

"Well, yes," Emeralda admitted without as much as a blush. "You're an interesting person, and I'm sure that you have a fascinating history."

"I would be flattered by this remark; except that I can already envision you using exactly the same tone to comment on some poor animal whose inner anatomy you examined."

A reluctant smile escaped Emeralda, but she chose to ignore this jab. "Do you know about the temple, then?"

"I already told Florina everything I know," Alex replied coolly. He crossed his arms and leant back in his chair. "I hope this answer satisfied you."

Emeralda leant forwards now, and Alex could perceive that she was not finished— and, to judge by her manner, the most distressing portion was coming. "Tell me, Alex," said the girl, an eager gleam in her eyes, "did you ever meet the famous thief, Reynard the Fox?"

"The details of my past are not something that I am going to discuss with the likes of you, brat," answered Alex.

But Emeralda, scenting blood, ignored his tone. "Don't try to evade my question," she ordered. "You know something about the Fox. I can tell."

Alex glanced at Florina, but she shook her head and refused to look up from the book. "You're a coward, Florina," he said, witheringly.

"Yes, my dear," she agreed placidly without looking up from her tome.

The young man appeared to resign himself to his fate. His fingers ran across the crisp pages open in front of him, a slight smile on his lips. "The Fox," he said, "was the leader of my bandit group."

"This is what I thought," said Emeralda with triumph, pleased at her correct deduction. "Now please tell me, Alex: the Fox's last name is Reynard— isn't it? But what is his first name? It begins with an 'A', but few know it. Do you know it, Alex?"

"Yes," he answered. "I do know it."

"Could his first name happen to be—" Emeralda's tone was insidious, "maybe 'Alex'?"

"If it was, I would be the last person to tell you," Alex answered. He kept his attention on the volume in front of him. Emeralda examined his profile, disappointed at his indifferent manner, and reflected that either her suspicions were wrong, or that Alex was a consummate actor— the latter seemed highly likely. But she gave up on the investigation and settled back in her seat, crossing her arms.

"I wish that I could travel too," she said. "But the furthest I myself will ever get is the university."

"I doubt that you'll get even that far, brat."

"But I will. I'm going to become a scholar, like Florina's father."

"I have a better plan." Alex closed the volume, his teasing smile appearing. "You should make everyone afraid of you, like they are of Black Pearl. Then you can become a knight."

"I don't think that'll work, Alex," answered the girl with her no-nonsense tone. "Anyway, Black Pearl held the title for hundreds of years, and no one can challenge her position."

"You can also become a politician, like Diana," Florina supplied now, apparently deciding to join the fun.

"Diana is allowed to preside over the council because she's the daughter of the late high councilor. She doesn't even hold a title of High Councilor, Rubens does. It's all unofficial. And she took advantage of a pretty bad era."

"Well, at least you should acquire a knight, so you would be allowed to leave the city," Florina proposed.

Emeralda considered this possibility. "That is a good suggestion," she noted, an idea striking her. "I'll tell Elazul to become my knight."

"Nicely said," approved Alex, his green eyes dancing. "If anyone would be able to coerce Elazul to actually come up to this point, I am convinced that it would be you, brat."

"Maybe, but maybe not," a voice responded unexpectedly. Emeralda swerved her head towards the sunlit door of the library. "Well," she said, unabashed, "you don't have a guardian yet, Elazul. Besides," she added, with grave naiveté, "I know that you like to travel. We'll travel together."

"As far as the university, I assume?" asked Elazul, advancing into the room. He was well-acquainted with Emeralda's plans.

"After which she will abandon you to heartache and grief," Florina supplied.

"Well, it's a good plan," said Emeralda placidly, undeterred. "Elazul can use me as pretense to leave the city, and no-one will be able to say that he's a deserter. We'll both profit from the transaction."

"This brat may be able to unnerve even Black Pearl herself," muttered Alex. His expression changed, however, as he glanced at Elazul, and he reverted his gaze to the volume in front of him, pretending to pursue it. Since Alex's elevation to the position of Florina's knight the discourse between the two became nonexistent. Elazul accepted this situation with strained silence, believing it to be an extension of their former coolness, and did not yet guess that it was due to his all-too-visible infatuation with Black Pearl, that Alex so deeply resented that he would not even bring himself to thank the Lapis Lazuli for his service at the contest.

Elazul hesitated for a moment at Alex's visibly cold reception, but Florina stepped into the breach by inviting him to sit at the table. He complied, placing himself at Florina's side. He was strongly drawn to her warm, good-humored personality, and despite the lack of communication between Alex and himself, he managed to occasionally fall with Florina's company, which he liked. To Florina's amusement, this often resulted in disjointed, two-sided conversations when both knights were present, each addressing her but never each other.

"How are you feeling today, Florina?" was Elazul's first question.

"Oh, considerably better," she answered, pleased at his concern. "Alex and Emeralda always cheer me up."

"I do especially— I am Florina's comic relief," muttered Alex with a wry smirk at Florina. She uttered a small laugh, but Elazul, although he smiled reluctantly, kept his eyes on the Clarius. He refrained from responding, knowing that Alex's remark was not addressed at him, and he thought, you still look pale, Florina; pale and unhealthy. He picked up a volume lying in front of him and flipped it over quickly, his eyes pursuing the text inside. "What's this? You're reading history?"

"We're doing research," Emeralda informed him. "Alex and I are helping Florina to look through the books for clues about the southern temple."

Elazul returned the book to the table. "I am glad that you are feeling well, then," he told Florina. "I heard that you suffered an attack just two days ago."

"It's all thanks to Alex's medicines," said Florina. "They work miracles."

Elazul's gaze traveled over Florina's head to Alex. Their eyes met and Elazul, gathering his nerve, was about to address him; but Alex shook his head, as if wishing to prevent Elazul from speaking.

A vexed look stole into Elazul's eyes, but he obeyed Alex's silent order. The next moment Alex rose to his feet. "Florina," he said, "I almost forgot. I have to make more medicine today. I'll be back in an hour." He ignored Elazul's upset expression, and left the library with his quick gait.

Elazul stayed for a few moments more, but then he excused himself. The suspicion that he was looking for Alex, rather than for either Emeralda or herself, lingered in Florina's mind, and she wondered whether Elazul sought to heal the breach between them. She learned about their former friendship in bits and pieces, since Elazul's name was inevitably included in Alex's narratives about his life before he met her. What he kept silent about Florina guessed, especially after she drew from Alex the details of the incident with the murdered girl. After the narration about the incident was completed, Alex awaited her judgment cynically, his eyes challenging her to condemn his behavior; but she refrained from commenting.

Her thin hands now smoothing over the pages of the book before her, and her eyes not really seeing the text, Florina sighed inwardly. She had come to know Alex better— much better, these last few weeks; and she already guessed a few things about the youthful knight that made her feel both apprehensive and sad.

Emeralda interrupted Florina's thoughts with a sober remark. "Weren't Elazul and Alex friends once? I wonder why they avoid each other now. Personally, I think it's because Alex can be very irritating."

Florina smiled at her. She knew that Emeralda's words were not entirely serious. The girl and Alex shared a similar rational streak in their personalities that managed to both clash and provide a strong, unspoken sympathy between them. Her only reply was, "I hope that they manage to become friends again."

"Good luck to Elazul!" said Emeralda dryly.


The summer sunlight blinded Elazul as he emerged from the library, and he blinked, shading his eyes; a retreating blur in his vision pinpointed Alex's location. He hurried after it, but Alex was quick and quiet, and for a few moments he nearly lost him on a corner.

He managed to catch up with Alex near an outer balcony. This confirmed his suspicions. Alex had not gone to prepare any medicine, but was purposely avoiding him. Angry at Alex's stubbornness as well as at his own earlier behavior, which he knew served to worsen the breach unnecessarily, he called out:

"Alex, wait!"

Alex stopped. He did not turn around, but stood with his shoulders straight, his back to Elazul. His reply was detached:

"What is it, Elazul?"

Elazul paused to catch his breath. "Turn around," he said, somewhat roughly. "I can't speak to you like this."

Instead of obeying, Alex walked to the balcony and leant over it, his elbows resting on the railing. He supported his chin with one hand and gazed at the view of the city below, into the dazzling white day that signaled the summer's end.

"I'm listening," he said.

After a momentary hesitation, Elazul said gravely: "It's about Florina."

Alex remained silent, and Elazul could not tell from his reaction whether he was listening. "Alex," he continued, "many people think that you are in love with Florina."

Alex turned his head, glancing at Elazul from the corner of his eye. A derisive smile tugged at his mouth.

"And what does it matter to me?" he said coolly.

"It's Black Pearl," Elazul said with sudden candor. "She doesn't like it, Alex."

Alex's fine features were overcast with a hard look. "And why should it matter to the Lady Black Pearl?"

"She—" Elazul could not help speaking with consternation, "apparently she does not wish you to get too emotionally attached to Florina, because—"

"Florina will die soon?" Alex supplied cynically.

Elazul looked away, but his innate honesty prompted him to answer. "Probably, yes."

"Well," said Alex, averting his face, "I thank you for the warning, Elazul, but you don't have to worry about me. I can handle the displeasure of the Lady Black Pearl. You are deep into her confidence, aren't you?" he added sardonically.

Elazul reddened, but would not take the bait. "Rumors travel quickly, Alex. It's not wise to cross Black Pearl."

Alex said nothing. Elazul hesitated for a moment, then, with one of his characteristically brusque gestures, he approached Alex and leant over the balcony at his side, his eyes searching his profile.

"Listen, Alex," he began. "Let's let go of the past, for the sake of our friendship."

Alex's face was for a moment unreadable. He maintained his gaze on the blinding day. "It was mostly your choice," he answered.

"I am not apologizing for what happened," responded Elazul. "But let's set it aside for the sake of the present."

Alex was silent, the fingers of one hand sliding down the smooth bronze railing. "I didn't ask for an apology, Elazul. And I don't think that I deserve one." He glanced at Elazul now, his ready smile suddenly surfacing. "If I was you, I would have avoided me altogether. People like you can't co-exist with people like me. I am amoral and you are… well, a bit of a puritan, to be honest."

Elazul bit his lip, but would not respond. He had been used to the moral thinking of his upbringing, to the self-searching, self-doubt, and self-correction. This amoral self-acceptance was yet another alien characteristic in Alex. Either I accept Alex the way Alex is, he thought suddenly, or I shall never be able to accept him fully. He hesitated between two choices, and, recalling both Alex's brutal logic and his deep anger on that unfortunate day, he knew that he could bring himself to do neither. He could neither accept Alex nor reject him, and could only live in a present twilight of constant doubt.

It was Alex who therefore made the first motion of conciliation. No doubt he read the conflict in the Lapis Lazuli's averted face, and the bright smile turned mocking. His hand shot out with one of his quick, spontaneous gestures; for whatever Elazul felt, he knew that he, himself, could not afford to lose Elazul.

"Let us shake on it, then," he said cheerfully. "To friendship, Lapis Lazuli."

Elazul smiled reluctantly, and he took Alex's hand for a moment; but then Alex drew back and, unexpectedly, ascended onto the balcony's railing. He seated himself on it, swinging his legs, but a moment later he rose to his feet, poising his slim body on the thin edge.

"What do you think you are doing?" Elazul asked.

Alex grinned at him mischievously. "Look at this."

His fingers moved to his belt and expertly loosened the roll of rope attached to it. He then tied a loop at the rope's end; after he finished, he looked up at Elazul. "Look."

He swayed on the balcony for a moment— then seemingly lost his balance. He vanished off the edge. Elazul, feeling as if something sank to the bottom of his stomach from the shock, leapt after him to the edge of the balcony, intending to try and catch onto anything with which he could save the Alexandrite. But even as he was springing forwards, a rope swung past him and towards the railing of the balcony above him, the loop tied to its end catching onto a large projection just below it and fitting neatly over the upwardly-curved edge. Elazul, leaning over the railing, could see Alex hanging on to the edge of the rope dangling just below the balcony and gazing upwards, his eyes laughing.

"Were you impressed with my performance?" he cried.

Elazul was torn between vexation and relief. "So you're trying to kill yourself?" he asked, glancing at the city spreading hundreds of feet below them.

Alex raised an eyebrow, but his teasing look remained. "Not at all. I'm just challenging Fate a little." He swung the rope a little using the motion of his body, his straight figure hanging to it with wonderful balance. "For most of my life, Elazul, I was confined and told what to do. Freedom feels good— freedom to do just what I like."

Elazul could sympathize with this sentiment, but not with its present expression; and Alex, reading this thought in his eyes, said with mock accusation: "I thought you would be a little more pleased to see that I didn't fall to my death."

"If you don't stop talking, I will cut this rope right now," Elazul answered, although his cheeks turned red with chagrin and he avoided Alex's eyes. Alex stifled a laugh at this reply, but he climbed the rope quickly until he was hanging over Elazul's head; then he jumped back onto the balcony and straightened himself before Elazul.

"Safe," he said. "Pleased now?"

"Yes. Just don't repeat this performance again."


The morning room was suffused with warm September sunlight. Lady Diana, Jumi of Diamond, sat on an antiquated chair, the billowing skirt of her cream-colored gown, adorned with fluttering lace, spreading over the wine-colored pillow and falling down to her diamond-studded slippers. She and Rubens were about to have an informal meeting with Black Pearl, since tomorrow the Knight of the Clarius was to finally embark on her intended journey to the distant mountains. Black Pearl's mission was delayed by Florina. The scholar's daughter had conducted a strenuous and laborious research for a full year in order to translate the runes that opened all the doors in the Tower of Leires. But although she attempted to finish her labors by the end of the summer, she was suddenly unsure of some parts of the chant that opened the final door. Black Pearl, who wanted to ensure that every detail would be correct, told Florina to proof-read her translations. The task was finally completed, and Black Pearl was ready to leave.

The door opened, and Rubens peered inside, watching Diana silently with a glimmer of amusement in his eye. Sitting in the profuse sunlight, she was a pretty, elegant little lady with a certain dignified air to her repose. Yet there was also something almost childlike about her as she meditated on her thoughts, her feet not-quite touching the floor. She noticed his entry after a moment and turned towards him, returning his smile. But then she noticed another person standing beside Rubens; a dark-haired young man clad in blue, that she had grown to recognize. She raised an eyebrow.

Elazul met Rubens as the councilor was walking down the narrow side corridor, and continued at his side for a short, impersonal discussion about some matters pertaining to his evening-duty. He now stopped before the door, not wanting to infringe on the meeting; but he had been standing next to Rubens and noticed his expression as he watched Diana. For some reason it inflicted a strange pang on him as, for just one moment, the shallowness of his own feelings for Black Pearl were suddenly exposed by the depth of the emotions that he witnessed on Rubens' face.

"Sir," he said, trying to contain his sudden embarrassment at witnessing such an intimate moment between Diana and Rubens; the emotions he witnessed were, indeed, so private and personal that he felt as if he had infringed on something without the consent of the participants. "Sir, it was good to talk to you. I'll be leaving."

Diana, however, signaled Rubens to enter with her hand, her jeweled bracelets glittering in the light. "Please come in, and invite that young man with you— I do believe it's Elazul!" She welcomed the Lapis Lazuli with a friendly smile. She liked handsome men, and the Lapis Lazuli knight, brusque and reserved but sometimes engagingly shy, was more to her taste than, for example, Florina's temporary knight, who had an air altogether too cynical and self-possessed, and whose gaze on the ladies was always more critical than admiring. "Do enter, Elazul; there's some time until the meeting begins, and you can continue whatever discussion you had with Rubens."

Elazul made a shortly-uttered acknowledgment to her gracious invitation; but although he followed Rubens a step or two into the room, he hesitated near the threshold, more inclined to leave. "Thank you, Lady Diana, but I think that I have said all that I wanted to say."

Diana slid off the handsome wooden chair and, leaving the sunlight, walked towards the two men with her demure stride. She allowed her large eyes, whose color of clear brown usually conveyed a false impression of softness, to twinkle with artful mischief. "Oh, come now, sir knight! The Lady Pearl will be here soon, and I think that you would not miss on the opportunity to meet her again. She is leaving tomorrow, as you know."

To Diana's well-concealed delight, Elazul could not help the flood of color that stained his cheeks. "The Lady Pearl," he said stiffly, "has my best wishes for the journey; but I should not tarry, Lady Diana."

He was further disconcerted at Diana's inquisitive look of surprise. Rubens, who watched the conversation with some amusement, took pity on Elazul and intervened. "Elazul may leave, Diana; our conversation is finished, and Lady Pearl will be here soon."

Diana shot him a reproving look for spoiling her fun; but a steady voice behind them surprised Elazul into a dismayed start. "Indeed she shall."

Black Pearl stood just behind Elazul. He could not help wondering how much she heard of their discourse, and his face burned. His thoughts raced guiltily; did she hear his awkward words, worse, did she hear Diana's insinuating taunt, did she understand it?

Black Pearl did not look at Elazul, nor made any comment on the conversation she may have overheard. She advanced into the room, ignoring his presence completely. The autumn sunlight coming through the window poured over her tall, stately figure, illuminating the dark honey of her thick, twisted tresses, flaring over the gold and silver and red in her clothes. Elazul, his face averted, could not bring himself to look into her face; but the general impression of her unruffled poise also frustrated him. He muttered some curt apology, not quite knowing what he said, and after bestowing a quick farewell on Diana, he departed.

After the meeting was finished and Black Pearl left, Rubens turned to Diana. She was sitting on her giant chair again, looking deceptively little and dainty. He sighed to himself, but when he addressed her a hint of amusement still crept into his admonition. "Diana, that was heartless of you; badly done. You shouldn't have teased Elazul that way, when anyone can see that—"

"He is infatuated with Black Pearl?" finished Diana with a malicious smile that fully justified Rubens' reproof. "Not just anyone, my dear; to put it simply, just about everyone can see it. He's a fine handsome one," she added coolly; "a pity he's so easy to see through. But I like him very well."

"The real question is not if you like him, but that, if she does not return his feelings, you should refrain from taunting him about it," Rubens replied gravely. "And I hope she isn't inclined to favor him. A woman like her could easily hurt Elazul." Rubens, for his part, never felt that he understood Black Pearl, and could never really fathom the true state of her feelings.

Diana shrugged her pretty shoulders. "I can't tell you anything definite. Black Pearl sees through people much more quickly than they can see through her. As far as fathoming his feelings, I'm sure that she had, a long time ago. Sometimes I envy that perfect control of hers," she added.

Rubens was silent, thinking, and I, Diana, am glad that you are not that much like her. I would have been happier if you did not understand her so well. After a short silence Diana continued, "She doesn't usually take up with his type, however— he's too emotional."

"Well, Black Pearl needs a little spontaneous emotion infused into her life," Rubens remarked dryly, his expression plainly betraying his feelings about the lady in question.

Diana could read them, and she raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe, but he's so volatile— delightful to be sure, but unsteady. He's famous for his repeated desertions, you know, and as for his training that upstart Alex and staging a defeat in the contest—I can't understand that kind of behavior, and I'm sure that Black Pearl doesn't approve of it."

"But he did settle down and entered the guard," contradicted the ever-kind Rubens. "He's an excellent soldier, too; one of the best that I have seen for a while."

Diana's light laugh sounded at this typically naive remark. "Rubens, my dear, let me tell you the reason that Elazul joined the guard: Black Pearl asked him to join. His emotions guided him in this matter, as always. If nothing else, he would have displayed a greater resolution of character if he had refused her summons and stayed away. But he's drawn to her like a moth to a flame— or maybe like a mouse fascinated by the hypnotic gaze of a snake. I pity him, I really do, but I'm not surprised that Black Pearl isn't inclined to receive his attentions. Her previous men had always understood her situation, and if any of them showed a jealous disposition, she got rid of them very quickly. She doesn't have time to deal with all that, and she becomes tired even of the men who follow her expectations. Some of them left her since they could tell that the relationship led nowhere, and they settle down with a willing girl instead. But Elazul— oh, no. She will not touch that fire."

"At any rate, my dear," Diana continued, "not all men are like you." She gave him a loving smile and placed her white fingers on his hand. "I'm glad that Black Pearl did not discover you before I did. She can be dreadfully determined, and manages to get pretty much everything she sets her mind on."

Rubens returned her smile; but he recalled Elazul's conflicted expression and pitied him. No matter what happens in the case, he thought, that young knight is bound to end up experiencing pain.


Black Pearl walked into the golden balcony flanking the side of the royal palace. She looked up into an empty expanse of black sky, where icy stars glared at her. Tomorrow she was leaving the Jumi city, and something inside her seemed to alter at this realization. She felt the frozen night on her skin and her core, at once as black and as ruthless as the night, and as bright as the indifferent stars, somehow responded to it, a throbbing aura like a holy fire pulsing through her with thinly burning currents, almost too painful to bear.

She leant against the balcony's railing, her fingers gripping the intricate patterns of the deadly cold bronze. She did not feel the ache of her flesh against the biting edges, because the emotions flowing from within, pulsing deep inside her core, overpowered all other sensations. A spirit in the distance lured her, guiding her unto a long-lost memory. Far below her, the city of jewels shone darkly; above her head, the barrier she herself had enacted throbbed relentlessly. She felt trapped within, lost, and her breath heaved with an effort, a desire to escape rising in her, a longing to reach that distant, calling glow. She struggled to understand that burning longing, and felt herself trapped by a barrier that blocked the skies above her, a great rift in space and time that left her floating on a wispy island in the middle of nowhere, a mist surrounding her, and she was able to see and hear and sense nothing— and this lasted not a moment, not a day or a year, but forever— a loneliness stretching to all eternity.

Black Pearl's face was livid, over-wrought with the surging emotions. She leant further over the balcony, her eyes black, empty pools in her white face, gazing blankly at the lower balconies stretching hundreds of feet below. A sudden gust of autumn winds flayed her slender figure, and she wavered on her feet unsteadily. The strong currents whipped her long hair across her face, and it disguised her features for a moment. It was then when Elazul, who stepped into the same balcony and perceived the figure of Black Pearl teetering dangerously over the thin railing, leapt forward and steadied her on her feet. His eyes went to Black Pearl's face, and he could see it as the winds swept her long tresses away again; and her expression dismayed him enough to cause his grip to slacken.

The touch of warm flesh on her own returned Black Pearl to her senses. But then she crumpled under Elazul's grip and fell to her knees, the red scarf encircling her waist flowing to the marble floor like spilled blood. Elazul instinctively sank to one knee. She whispered something, and he tried to catch the faint words.

"G-give... me... air..."

"Lady Pearl— please—" he said quickly, his tones shocked. "Should I get some help?"

Black Pearl's voice became more distinct now. "Leave me... be... knight!"

She looked up, and he was momentarily taken aback by the cold animosity in her black eyes. Her very look repelled him, struck a physical distance between them, and when the moment passed he found himself standing a good distance away.

Elazul found that he was shaking with a purely physical shock; and after a moment he realized, with a deeper sense of discord, that he couldn't recall himself stepping backward in any ordinary way. He realized that it was almost as if she has somehow repelled him physically, with the force of her will.

He collapsed to his knees, assailed by a sudden, overwhelming physical weakness; as if Black Pearl's previous incapacity has been transferred to him, directly infused into his body. When he looked upwards again Black Pearl stood above him, a tall shadow, her face disguised by darkness.

"I thank you for your support, knight." The tone was cold, the words rang sharply like a clash of steel. "You are Elazul, I think. The Lapis Lazuli."

She entered the palace, leaving Elazul on his knees on the empty balcony. He raised a shaking hand and wiped sweat from his face. Somehow he knew that the remembrance would not be to his benefit, and wondered whether his acquaintance with Black Pearl, which began in such a strange fashion, would end up bringing him some misfortune.


Chapter 4: Snow


A misty afternoon in early November found Emeralda inside the library, pursuing her assigned pieces in a very heavy volume written in the third century. She was doing this for Florina, who had taken ill to her bed after healing several feverish Jumi and was unable to pursue her research.

Emeralda bent over the volume, her small nose crinkling in deep concentration, occasionally jotting down notes. The writing was old, and the difficult task of deciphering the intricate grammar kept her occupied. She took no notice of the passage of people into and out of the library. The place was quiet, as noise was strictly forbidden, and Emeralda might have continued at her book until the evening; but a pulsating feeling at her core drew her attention from it.

She looked up, only partially distracted, and was about to dismiss the momentary feeling as a false alarm when she perceived a figure sitting hunched over a nearby table.

It was a young man, and he appeared to Emeralda somewhat older than herself, although his figure was so thin and emaciated that she would have had a hard time judging his age if she had not recognized him by his white hair and pale, lean countenance. Everyone knew the story of Snow, the Jumi boy who was cursed by a snow faerie as a child.

From her vantage point, Emeralda could only glimpse the youth's profile. Like the rest of his body it was both sharp and delicate, and had the sickly hue that characterized his curse— or, as his parents insisted on calling it, his sickness; but everyone else called it The Curse.

Snow, the child of Rubens' brother, was born with a Black Ruby as his core. His parents were delighted at first because the Black Ruby was a rare, highly valued gem, and the child was the first Black Ruby Jumi in two thousand years. But their satisfaction did not last long. The Black Ruby proved to be a mixed blessing; the baby's body had trouble adjusting to the powerful core, and he was subject to frequent, burning fevers. There was something wrong with the core, but none of the Jumi healers could assuage the problem, and their healing tears only produced short-term results.

Then, rumors of a Snow Crystal Jumi reached the ears of Snow's parents. Men said that an extraordinarily beautiful Jumi woman, whose core was an Ice Crystal, lived in the Fieg Snowfields. Snow's parents took their dying child on the journey to the mountains, in the hope that the Crystal Jumi will be a healer whose tears might serve to repair the out-of-control flame of the Black Ruby.

But when Snow's parents arrived at the Ice Crystal Garden in the Fieg Snowfields, high atop the mountains, they discovered that the creature they sought was not a Jumi, but a snow faerie named Crystalle.

Crystalle took one look at the baby and somehow managed to divulge the problem. "From today on," she said, "this Jumi child will no longer be called Black Ruby, but Snow." An icy aura surrounded the baby as she spoke, and his parents could only watch in horror as the Black Ruby lost its dark glow and slowly froze into a clear ice crystal. The child's dark red hair turned white, and his golden eyes were drained of color and became a clear gray, the color of the sky over Fieg Snowfields.

From that day on the boy was renamed Snow. He was subject to frequent attacks of colds and ill-health, and his mobility remained very limited for many years because of his frail body; but he managed to survive despite his continuing maladies. Some traces, however, apparently remained of Snow's original core, because his temper always flared quickly, and an over-indulgence by his fond and worried parents decided his character as quick-tempered and edgy. Most Jumi youths avoided him because of it. Emeralda herself had met him very rarely, and she was too busy to notice him in the few times that he ventured out and crossed her path.

She now wondered why she felt a signal coming from his direction. The sensation had been weak enough, and she would have been satisfied to ignore it and return to her studies, when a voice snapped:

"Stop staring at me."

Emeralda realized that she has been gazing at Snow as she was daydreaming his story; a habit she sometimes drifted into, and which most people found rather disconcerting.

"I wasn't staring," she answered.

"Yes, you were," he retorted. Emeralda now had a full view of his face, and she noticed that his eyes were a very deep gray color that, unlike Florina's eyes and other gray-eyed people, had no traces of green or blue in them. This fact interested her, and she barely heard his reply, leaning forward to confirm that impression. This apparently disconcerted him, and he shrank into himself. "You are very rude," he said, the look in his eyes hostile.

Emeralda understood his discomfort now. She leant back in the chair and passed a hand over her hair. "So are you," she replied.

"Just because I am the 'Cursed Jumi' it gives you no right to stare at me," he lashed at her, his eyes flashing angrily.

Emeralda did not have a quick temper, and angry people did not upset her. "It was your doing," she returned coolly. "Your core signaled to mine."

The boy's white face flushed vividly. "It did not. You are lying!"

"I never lie," said Emeralda decisively. She was getting tired of this unproductive conversation and meant to return to her book; but she was unaware that the young man opposite was struggling with conflicting feelings. Suddenly he said:

"I— I shouldn't have said what I did."

"It's all right," Emeralda answered absently. Snow could tell that she was already half-way to forgetting his presence, and said quickly, "What are you reading? It's for the Lady Florina, isn't it?"

This sudden change of subject rather surprised Emeralda, but she made no objection to it. "Yes, it is. How did you know?"

His face turned red again. "I, I've seen you with the Lady Florina in this library before. Rubens told me about the project."

"Oh." She was silent for a moment and he fidgeted, waiting for her decision. Finally she signaled to him to come over.

He obeyed her, his eyes fixed on her with a look that any other girl would have interpreted quite clearly. But Emeralda, with that peculiar innocence that interspersed her logical nature, rarely took things on a personal level. In this she was Snow's complete opposite, since his over-sensitive and self-centered nature always interpreted everything in a manner that affected himself.

He seated himself at Emeralda's side somewhat awkwardly. Although he was seventeen in Jumi terms, his limited interaction with people his age meant that the only girls he had previously conversed with had been the daughters of his parents' friends, in those public meetings that he loathed; and his interaction with them never amounted to more than an exchange of a forced, formal greeting. But Emeralda always struck him as being a little different from the other girls his age. He had seen this young, very pretty Jumi of Emerald several times in the past year, and felt drawn to her grave eyes, set off by a curiously serene, charming little countenance. She always remained blissfully oblivious to his presence, and this frustrated him; but she never rejected him nor forced herself to make friendly conversation like the other Jumi girls. She simply did not seem to be aware that he existed.

He was surprised to see her frequent the library, but had not thought to converse with her until her fixed gaze induced him to utter his sharp, hasty words. But now that the conversation began, he warmed up to the subject. "I read runes a little myself," he disclosed, with that sudden impetuosity characteristic to him.

Emeralda looked perplexed. "You do? I thought that only Lady Florina could read runes."

"I taught myself to read them by studying the volumes written by Lady Florina's father," Snow explained. "My regular lessons are always so dull, so I pursue other subjects as a diversion."

Emeralda was genuinely impressed. "I should have done that myself," she observed. "Then I would've been more helpful to Florina. I think that you should talk to her about it."

"Maybe you should tell her," Snow suggested, his pale countenance flushing again. "I don't think that I'll know how to address her," he added, with engaging honesty.

"That's all right," Emeralda assured him. "I'm sure that she'll be pleased with what you accomplished."

His face lighted momentarily. "I hope so," he said, but his tone was reserved. "I did not learn as much as I should have, but I hope she'll think my reading level good enough. I did study diligently. After all," he added moodily, "I have nothing else to do all day."

"Don't you ever go out?" questioned Emeralda.

"My parents won't let me go around too much. It's this cursed illness," he added bitterly.

"It can't be that bad," Emeralda said bracingly. "You should try to persuade them to let you get out more."

"I wish I could, but like I told you, my parents are over-protective. It's tiresome and humiliating, and it makes me sick of my whole life!" This last pronouncement was uttered with some vehemence; but then Snow sank into a gloomy silence, meditating on his plight.

Emeralda, for her part, felt that Snow was disposed to unnecessary self-pity, an opinion that she immediately made known to the young man in question. His cheeks flushed in anger, Snow declared that Emeralda was the rudest person that he had ever met. This denouncement was followed by a cool suggestion from Emeralda to Snow to spare himself of her company, a suggestion which Snow almost acted on when he belatedly recalled that he still wanted Emeralda to tell Lady Florina about his rune-reading. He turned to address her just as he was about to leave in a temper, an action which amused Emeralda so much that she gave a tiny, uncharacteristic laugh. This disconcerted the unfortunate young man so much that he stammered the rest of his request and seated himself at her side again with a red face, completely forgetting his anger after three minutes, during which he was fervently explaining to his interested audience the history and usage of the runes.

The conversation wandered to other topics, and Emeralda told Snow that she did not mean to stare at him. "Since," she explained, "I was simply mulling over your story. I tend to do this sometimes," she added simply. "I just kind of daydream, and forget that people are around me."

Snow privately considered this habit one of her most charming traits; but he said that he understood that she didn't mean to embarrass him, and even apologized again, rather handsomely he thought, for his outburst. "My temper is still very quick because of the original composition of my core," he explained. "And I am so used to people considering me strange, and an object of pity because of my story, that it was easy for me to conclude the same about you."

"I don't think there's any blemish on you because of your story," said Emeralda. "It's very interesting, although I'm sorry that it had such a negative outcome."

Snow gathered his courage, deciding on a more personal disclosure. "My parents say that Crystalle's actions had malicious intention, like any faerie," he said. "But on the other hand, the Black Ruby did bring me to the point of death. Maybe, although she devalued my core significantly, Crystalle saved my life?"

"That's a good observation," Emeralda admitted. "Suppose it was true?"

"Yes, everyone is so used to thinking of my core alteration as a curse that no-one paid attention to the fact that it might have saved my life," observed Snow with a sudden, genuine smile that, Emeralda thought, improved his appearance considerably. "I still wish the side-effects hadn't been this prolonged indisposition. But between that and the raging fevers that constantly threatened my life, I suppose I'd choose this."

"It's nice to know your outlook on it is improving," Emeralda commented. For a moment Snow thought that she was mocking him, but then he realized that it was her habitually frank way of phrasing her thoughts, and he dismissed his suspicion and smiled at her again.

"My dream is visiting the Fieg Snowfields," he said, "and finding Crystalle. I need to know what she is like, and understand her motivation. Maybe then I can return to Etansel and tell everyone that Crystalle did not curse me, but saved my life."

"A noble aspiration," Emeralda agreed.


Chapter 5: Sapphire


One quiet, blue afternoon towards the end of October, Elazul walked in the mazelike palace gardens commonly known as the Labyrinth. He was off-duty at the time, and sought a little peace; and stopping by a stone wall covered with climbing roses, now a bare, thorny network of intertwining branches, he seated himself on a narrow marble bench just beneath it. His mood was meandering at best, somewhat like the rambling path of the bare garden he traversed, and he was thinking of nothing in particular.

It therefore took him several minutes to notice that he was not alone in that part of the Labyrinth. He gradually became aware of the presence of another figure that he spied from the corner of his eye. The figure, that Elazul recognized to be female, was leaning against a wall whose workings were entirely obscured by trailing ivy. It was small and slight, and Elazul could tell that it was a young girl by her clothes.

Elazul was not particularly acquainted with any young Jumi girls except Emeralda. He was aware that a young man and a schoolgirl not yet of age, found together in a solitary place, constituted a circumstance that many would consider improper, or questionable at best. He weighed between taking the proper course of leaving this section of the garden, against satisfying his curiosity about the reason for this girl apparently roaming alone in the Labyrinth. After a moment, he rose to his feet and decided on taking the latter course of action.

Until that point the girl appeared to be staring vaguely into the garden without paying much attention to anything in particular, and Elazul could barely glimpse her face beyond the dark hair that waved around it; but his sudden movement drew her attention to the fact that she was not alone. She swerved her head in his direction, and on seeing Elazul she turned fully towards him. Elazul found himself looking at a slender girl with the most incredible eyes that he had ever seen, and he could not help staring at her for a moment.

He could immediately see that she was not, as he had previously thought, younger than Emeralda. Rather, he found himself facing a delicate-looking young woman of very small stature. Her schoolgirl uniform indicated that she was not, however, yet of age; they consisted of a long-sleeved blue shirt and a billowing skirt of dark cobalt silk cut just above her knees. Long, thick hair framed her white countenance and fell down her back in rippling waves. Her oval little face was dominated by great eyes with a slightly exotic slant to them, whose beautiful, intense, and very pure blue color was somewhat darker than Elazul's own. Their aspect was distant and somewhat dreamy, and she gazed at Elazul for a few moments without saying anything.

The girl's modest shirt closed up to her neck, and Elazul could not see her core; but from the coloring he guessed her to be a Jumi of Sapphire.

After a moment of hesitation, Elazul decided that conversation was inevitable. The girl's eyes were fixed on him uncertainly; she seemed a little apprehensive, and Elazul immediately guessed that her elders had not sanctioned her lonely venture into the garden.

"Did I startle you?" he asked her. "I'm sorry."

But she only lowered her eyes and fixed them on the rain-drenched grass at her feet without making a response. Elazul did not consider this beginning very encouraging, but he continued to speak.

"I did not mean to encroach on your privacy. I was looking for a little solitude, myself."

She replied now, with a very soft voice. "It's— it's all right. I didn't mind it."

Elazul deliberated over taking the course of action any adult would; of asking her whether she meant to join anyone nearby, a guardian, or maybe a schoolmate. But he did not want to appear in the light of a disciplinarian, a position for which he had little taste; and on the other hand, he was aware that tarrying around this girl would open him to suspicions if anyone found out about it. He now noticed that there was a look of lingering melancholy in her countenance, and it struck him that she did not seem like a particularly happy person. He became uneasy, instinctively aware of a premonition that too much inquiry will lead to some kind of undesired involvement, or a situation that he might not be able to handle. He therefore opted for the easy way out.

"I have to go now," he said, turning and speaking over his shoulder. "Maybe you should consider doing that as well."

And on that parting remark he continued in the opposite direction of the complicated paths of the labyrinth. His wary curiosity about the girl soon subsided before other, more pressing concerns, and since he did not meet her again, he soon forgot her completely.


A gentle evening in the middle of November found Diana and Rubens engaged in a private conversation in Diana's favorite room in the palace, the morning-room. The room was furnished with the rarest and most expensive items in the palace, and decorated tastefully in colors of snow, crimson, and dim gold. Diana wore her official white gown, with the ceremonial golden cloth of office with its saffron patterns tied around her waist and flowing down to her feet. Rubens sat on the white sofa at her side, leaning comfortably against the red pillows. He was holding a glass of yellow champagne, shaking it idly with his hand in gentle, circular motions, barely tasting a sip of the liquid as he listened to Diana recounting the events of the day. They have been conversing since sunset, for almost an hour now, and Diana halted for a moment after she finished her recital. She was gazing at her hands, folded neatly in her lap, and suddenly said:

"Rubens, I wanted to meet you here because I wished to discuss a very specific matter with you."

Rubens watched her with some attention, and the aimless movement of his hand slowed. "Is it something important?"

A slight frown marred Diana's brow, but she said lucidly enough: "Yes and no, I suppose. It concerns the Lapis Lazuli."

"Hmm," was Rubens' non-committed answer. "The Lapis Lazuli again." He was mildly surprised at Diana's tone, but did not feel particularly worried. Elazul had been the talk of the court for months now, and the gossip was getting old for Rubens' taste. He never liked court gossip, and he supposed— and, for the sake of Elazul, also hoped— that eventually the frivolous attention that the Lapis Lazuli knight received would pass in favor of fresher material.

Diana fixed her eyes on the antique lamp that diffused a soft golden glow, and when she spoke again her tone was circumspect. "Think about it," she said. "That young man has successfully resisted being assigned with a guardian for many years now— I suspect, Rubens, that this indicates a stubborn refusal to relinquish his freedom to the city's concerns; and somehow we relaxed the rules for him simply because of who his parents had been, and his exceptional skills as a knight. In my opinion, this was a mistake, because he never learned to shoulder any sort of responsibility for the sake of the city. I am concerned that, now that he became immersed in the highest levels of Jumi society, in which he had not been previously involved, he will end up embroiling himself in some kind of indiscretion."

Rubens could now see that Diana was in earnest about this matter. He leant forward and settled the wine glass on the table, focusing his attention on her. He was acquainted with her for many years now, and knew that she considered any disruption to the social structure, any whiff of a scandal, to be one of the worst transgressions possible; and he felt uneasy for Elazul when she spoke this way. He therefore thought it expedient to object on his behalf. "Surely you don't think— a girl not yet of age? It isn't like Elazul."

"I did not say that," answered Diana. "But I have a premonition that if we don't place a reign over his actions, we will regret the consequences. I previously regarded this situation with some leniency, because I was pleased that he finally began to participate in the affairs of the city. His father had been a very unpleasant man, and somewhat eccentric, but there's no denying that he was one of the greatest knights of his time; and his mother's jewel and ancestry alone would be sufficient to admit him into very high circles. But Elazul resisted our effort to integrate him into the city, and with such persistence that I'm wondering whether it signifies a decided willfulness rather than mere youthful stubbornness." She pondered for a moment, then added: "I also hoped that the situation with Black Pearl might cause him to mature. But he is far from being settled in his habits, and I decided that he requires an anchor to steady him a little."

Rubens now caught the drift of her words. "I see. You mean to coerce him into acquiring a guardian. He will resist it, Diana; I suspect that he will just leave the city again."

Diana uncrossed her arms and shifted in her seat, her fingers pressing against her lips in thought. "He will not, not this time. When he left fifteen years ago he had no parents, no siblings, and no real ties to hold him to this city. But the situation has changed."

"You mean Black Pearl," supplied Rubens.

"Yes, and no," she said. "Black Pearl is one aspect of it; but it would be correct to include Florina, and especially Alex, into the calculation."

Rubens was slightly surprised, but he was not quite sure what this might portend, so he said nothing, and Diana continued:

"Elazul's friendship with Alex is a matter to which I have given some thought. I have to say that I don't like what I have heard about it at all. There is something about this Alex that seems to me unorthodox to an extreme, and from what I understand he holds some kind of curious influence over Elazul. I would call their friendship odd. It seems that it has undergone several ruptures, which always involved Alex upsetting Elazul in some way; but, despite it, Elazul always gravitates back towards him."

Rubens now straightened, his gaze shooting towards Diana. "You're not saying— an aberration of some sort—"

Diana compressed her lips. "I should hope not, since this city does not tolerate these aberrations. But, regardless of his infatuation with Black Pearl, I still don't like it. It's as if a strong bond of mutual empathy formed between those two that Elazul refuses to relinquish despite the strife that it brings him. All this simply shows me that he tends to fixate on people that he cares about, and this kind of possessive streak can be very problematic if it's not properly channeled. And the fact that it's unfortunately directed towards this—" she spoke the name with distaste— "this Alex at the moment makes it worse than otherwise. What we need to do is to have Elazul agree to take a guardian. A new relationship, a responsibility, will divert his attention and time from his other connections."

Rubens was silent. He knew that Diana, with her characteristic thoroughness, had devised the solution to the problem prior to this conversation; and he waited for her to produce her conclusion. Diana now spoke briskly. "Because of the Lapis Lazuli's character, we should proceed about it with some caution, and this is why I need you to give it some personal attention. The guardian will need to be a young girl— just come of age, or a little after it, preferably attractive in appearance. I have already taken the measure of this young man; he is one of those idealistic types that prefer a pure sort of love."

"An old-fashioned type?" asked Rubens with a slight smile.

Diana shrugged. "I suppose that he's a puritan of sorts," she answered.

"And you really think," asked Rubens, "that the mere fact of the knight-guardian bonding will divert him from Black Pearl?"

"If we plan it carefully, maybe," answered Diana. "We'll have him accompany her on a trip out of the city. By the time they return, they will hopefully have spent enough time together to form some emotional attachment. Remember; we need to find a fairly ordinary girl for him, who will still have some special attraction. And it will be best if she's the gentle type that needs his protection, because it is in his nature to be protective, and it will appeal to his compassionate side." Coolly, she added, "One to ten I can guarantee to you that the girl will fall in love with him; and once she bonds with him emotionally he will feel that to pursue another woman at her expense will be a betrayal."

"I can't add anything," murmured Rubens. "You have thought this through, Diana."

"I had to," she answered. "I would be sorry to lose Elazul's valuable services to this city. If he needs a relationship on which to vent his volatile emotions, we might as well channel him in a socially acceptable direction; otherwise, I will not be able to tolerate his presence in this city."

Rubens' smile was wry, and a little melancholy. "You sometimes worry me, Diana, the way you treat peoples' emotions like pieces of a game, to be evaluated and then fitted neatly into their own proper little squares in the chessboard of society."

An amused light now entered Diana's eyes, and the coolly rational expression in them vanished. "Am I too calculating, my dear? It's unfortunately necessary to keep our social structure firmly intact. Improperly vented emotions, diverging beliefs, will destroy it." She examined Rubens' countenance, and could see that he was tapping his lip with one finger in a thoughtful fashion. "What is it?" she asked.

"I believe—" Rubens said slowly, "that I know of the perfect match for your case, Diana."


It was a fine afternoon in the middle of November, a few days after the conversation between Diana and Rubens. The sky glinted with a fresh, icy azure, and the pale sunlight illuminated the gardens surrounding the royal Jumi palace. Knights and ladies sauntered the beautiful green grounds in a leisurely fashion, conversing about the latest news; and young women and girls of the privileged Jumi nobility who finished their study hours in the royal academy strolled the paths together, giggling and gossiping among themselves.

Three of these young women were sitting on the edge of a marble fountain, near a path cut between neatly-pruned rose trees. Two of them were sisters, members of a fairly prominent family in the Jumi hierarchy, since their father was the brother of a previous Clarius. The eldest was a Jumi of amethyst, a fine-looking young woman somewhat younger than Elazul, with eyes of the cool violet color that characterized her core. Her smooth hair, parted across her brow and tied up with an ivory comb decorated with tiny lavender jewels, was a rich purple hue. She was decked in a white gown laced with mauve ribbons, whose elegant cut accentuated her slender figure. Her manner and bearing exuded a cold composure magnified by her consciousness of the elevated stature that she enjoyed in the Jumi society.

Her younger sister was a Jumi of aquamarine, a very pretty girl a little older than Emeralda, with large azure eyes and long, wavy, bright hair. Unlike her sister, whose graceful gown manifested her coming-of-age status, she was wearing a schoolgirl's uniform, which consisted of a woolen sweater of a muted cerulean hue and a short sky-blue skirt. She had a very different character than her elder sister, since she acted flighty and giddy, and appeared somewhat empty-headed.

The third girl was their cousin, a silent young woman dressed in blue, somewhat younger than Amethyst. She barely uttered a word to intrude into the stream of inconsequential talk carried on by the two sisters.

"Ami," the aquamarine Jumi said, interrupting her eldest sister's discussion of some matters pertaining to the academy that she privately considered extremely dull. "There's some people coming our way."

Amethyst shielded her eyes against the bright winter sun. "You're right, Marina," she answered. "And— oh goodness, no! I do believe it's that awful brat, Emeralda."

"I hope that she didn't come this way to discuss her studies with me," said the aquamarine Jumi fretfully. "It makes me tired, how she goes on and on about it."

"I agree," said her sister with distaste. "I could never stand her. She always has this insufferable air of know-it-all about her, even though she was the youngest of our class. But who's that boy at her side?"

"Her prospective knight, maybe," Marina guessed with a titter.

"He's so thin and pale," Amethyst remarked with a disapproving tightening of her lips; but her sister suddenly exclaimed: "Hey— I think that's Snow! You know, Ami, the Cursed Jumi. I didn't know that he went out on these cold days."

"That makes things twice as bad," said her sister, her lip curling. "I never liked him either. They're a fitting pair, all right."

"I don't know," said Marina, staring at Snow with her bright eyes wide open. "He improved."

Amethyst bestowed a disparaging look on her sister at this remark, which produced a giggle on Marina's part; and in the distance, Emeralda stopped when she perceived the three Jumi girls.

"Darn," she said.

Snow halted on cue. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's Sapphire, but she's with her horrible cousins," answered Emeralda. "I want to speak to Sapphire, but I can't stand either of them, especially Amethyst."

Snow never hesitated in these kinds of situations; he always did what he found to be most convenient. "Let's just leave, then," he said.

"Wait, no," Emeralda said, arresting his movement by placing her fingers on his arm. "Sapphire's nice. I want you to meet her."

"I already met her," answered Snow curtly. "She was in some party or other, I don't remember which. I don't think I even heard her voice."

"Sapphire's very shy," Emeralda told him. "She doesn't speak much. She's the daughter of a former Clarius, you know. When her mother died, her mother's brother took her in and adopted her. I pity her, since she had to grow with those horrible cousins of hers. She might even become the next Clarius, because she has the power of healing tears."

Snow, however, took very little interest in these matters, and, disinclined to meet the other two girls, he urged Emeralda to leave; but his attempt was foiled by a voice at their back: "Hello, Emeralda."

Emeralda immediately recognized the voice and turned around to face the speaker. "Elazul!" she exclaimed. "And— how are you, Sir?" She inclined her head towards Rubens with deference.

"Sir," said Snow, flushing and turning to do the same. "I did not notice that you were coming this way."

Rubens came forward and shook his nephew's hand. "How are you, Snow? Elazul and I came this way for a purpose. Emeralda, I understand that you are acquainted with those young ladies?" He indicated the three young women by the marble fountain.

"Yes, Sir, I am," answered Emeralda, a little surprised.

"Good, then," said Rubens, smiling at the young girl. "I would like to introduce Elazul to Sapphire. I've been telling him of her prospective position."

The arrival of the two men meanwhile caused a small commotion by the fountain. Amethyst straightened at once, keeping her figure poised, her eyes fixed on them. "Goodness, it's the Lapis Lazuli," she said curtly. "How do I look, Marina?"

"As usual," answered Marina indifferently. "You won't be able to get him to notice you, you know. Everybody knows about HIM." She uttered another of her small titters and her sister gave her a withering look, but ignored this provocation.

Elazul, approaching the young women, politely came forward and made an inquiry. He recognized Sapphire at once as the girl he met in the labyrinth some weeks ago. If she recalled him, she made no sign of it, but kept her head low and answered his remarks with monosyllables.

During the polite introduction that ensued, Amethyst (without much success, and with the occasional interruption of maliciously insinuative comments on the part of Marina) attempted to draw Elazul's attention from Sapphire to herself. Snow, for his part, stood behind Emeralda and tried his best to appear polite in front of Rubens, but displayed such a clear apathy towards the two sisters that it was lucky that Amethyst was too preoccupied to mind it, and Marina was too busy at gleefully observing her sister's failure in forcing Elazul's attention to care about Snow's behavior.

Rubens' point having been made, he invited Sapphire to visit the palace with Elazul and himself, to which she assented politely enough, although without a display of any particular enthusiasm. Emeralda then took an advantage of a brief pause in the conversation to come forward and, through a brief exchange with Sapphire, succeeded to arrange Snow, Sapphire and herself into a group. Then, inviting Elazul to join their walk towards the palace library, she contrived matters to her satisfaction. "Snow and I will be escorting Elazul and Sapphire, Sir," she announced to Rubens. "Don't worry about them."

This wasn't exactly Rubens' original intention, but he was amused to find that he was not the only member in this ill-assorted gathering with a plan. He therefore gave his consent to Emeralda's statement, and, knowing himself to be more urgently required elsewhere, took his leave. Emeralda then made a polite, concise departure of Amethyst and Marina and led her charges away, leaving neither sister with the impression that their dislike of her was unjustified.

From the various hints dropped to him by the high councilor, Elazul understood that Rubens wanted him to get more particularly acquainted with Sapphire. He was not certain about the reason motivating this request, but his current state of mind included a general apathy towards everything and everyone in the city, and he did not bother to inquire too deeply into it, thinking that it may have something to do with his friendship with the current Clarius and her knight. Since he entered the royal guard he was introduced to many members of the Jumi nobility, and Rubens always gave him careful and specific instructions if any of them happened to hold a position that merited special respect. He therefore concluded that the specific introduction to Sapphire was related to her prospective position as the future Clarius.

Emeralda kept up a steady stream of conversation as they walked towards the palace, but the chief speakers were Elazul and herself. Snow, who disguised his shyness of Sapphire under a slightly moody demeanor, kept himself near Emeralda's elbow; and Sapphire, remaining at the other end of the row, walked at Elazul's side silently. Emeralda, however, was determined to draw her out, since she wanted Snow and Sapphire to become friends; and she quickly contrived to push Elazul to the end of the row and managed an arrangement that consisted of Snow and Sapphire walking on either side of her. She then began by telling Sapphire about Snow's rune reading, and this immediately produced a more animated discussion. Snow, beguiled into forfeiting his reserve at this subject, became more voluble; and Sapphire listened to the conversation carried between Emeralda and Snow with the first appearance of interest that Elazul had seen on her. Elazul, excluded from the conversation as it involved a subject that he did not pretend to understand or take an interest in, found Emeralda's tactics too amusing to resent it.

He observed Sapphire in particular, recalling her behavior in the labyrinth, and, now that he knew about her prospective position, feeling his curiosity about her re-awaken. Emeralda was well-known to him, and Snow, secretly resentful at having to share the company of the two girls with an older man whose appearance was so much superior to his own, did his best to pretend that Elazul wasn't a part of the company— something that Elazul noticed to a certain extent but did not care enough about to mind. He therefore watched Sapphire with some attention, particularly drawn by her beautiful eyes. Sapphire herself was not beautiful, as there was something too wan and even sickly-looking about her white face, but her paleness merely enhanced their beauty.

As the conversation continued, Sapphire gradually became more open. Her manner was not animated, but she began to interject quiet comments into the discussion that both Emeralda and Snow appeared to like, and served to increase Snow's ease of manner around her. By the time they were walking inside the palace, Emeralda, observing that her efforts had produced a success, had a pleased air.

Elazul saw that they reached Snow and Emeralda's favorite hangout, the library, and he stopped, reluctant to enter. "I'll leave you three together," he told them.

Sapphire glanced at him, appearing to notice for the first time that he was still in their company; but she remained silent. Emeralda, however, became aware that her successful scheme had neglected Elazul, and she rejected this suggestion.

"You shouldn't go, Elazul," she declared. "They are having a garden party within an hour or two, and you can stay with us until it begins."

"Unfortunately, being closed up in the library for two hours listening to matters I don't pretend to care about is not my idea of a good time, Emeralda," replied Elazul.

But Emeralda would not have this. "You should stay," she countered. "Snow and Sapphire have not heard about your travels yet, and I know that they would like to hear about them. Sapphire especially."

Elazul was slightly surprised at this, and he glanced at Sapphire. She lowered her eyes, fixing them on the floor, but said softly, "If— if you don't mind, Knight of Lapis Lazuli— I would."

"Call me Elazul," Elazul told her.

She raised her head, appearing disconcerted. "Not 'Lapis Lazuli', Sapphire," he said, smiling slightly. "My name is Elazul."

She made no reply, but seemed embarrassed by this instruction. Emeralda tugged at her arm. "Don't pay attention to him," she said severely. "He's very nice, even if he doesn't always act that way."

"The same could be said about you, Emeralda," said Elazul.

He did, however, agree to stay, and settling himself into a chair, embarked on a brief narration of his travels with the help of Emeralda's instructive questions and comments. Snow was interested at first, but he was not particularly pleased at this appearance of comradeship between Emeralda and Elazul, that excluded himself; and eventually, with quietly-uttered comments addressed at Emeralda, he managed to draw her attention away from Elazul's account. Elazul was left with only Sapphire as his audience. She sat with a lowered head for the first ten minutes; but, her attention slowly engrossed, she began to glance up more, and even intervened with a shyly-uttered question after the first half-hour. At the conclusion of an hour she was his sole listener, asking an occasional question, but for the great part simply attending.

After a while, Elazul suddenly stopped. "I am grateful for your attention," he said, with some irony. "Since you can see that these two—" he indicated Emeralda and Snow— "are too taken up with their own affairs to keep even an appearance of polite interest."

Sapphire glanced towards Snow and Emeralda, who were bending together over a slender volume that Snow produced from somewhere; but her eyes returning to Elazul she said, with a slight hesitation, but with perfect clarity, "You should not think that. I was very interested in what you told us."

"That's good," answered Elazul. He secretly thought that her serene manner and the honest way she had of expressing herself were very engaging; and began to feel more interested in her, and to wonder why she seemed so unhappy.

She did not immediately reply to his remark, but fixed her eyes on the floor. Then she said, very quietly, "You— you traveled a lot. It must have been so wonderful."

"Well—" Elazul leant back in the chair, as if meditating. "In one way, yes, it was an important experience. In another, not always. The Jumi-hunters make traveling extremely difficult and very dangerous for Jumi."

"But you had— you had freedom," Sapphire replied, with a peculiar emphasis on the word in her shy voice. "And you saw so much."

He was beginning to understand the drift of her conversation. "Yes, I suppose that I did get to experience more than most Jumi in that respect. But the city is safe, Sapphire; and this is important too." He glanced at her, observing her down-turned face; and keeping his manner casual he said, "I understand that your mother was the Clarius, Sapphire."

She made a slight nod with her head.

"Did you ever meet Florina, our Clarius?" he asked her.

"Yes— a few times," she replied. "She seemed like a person that I would wish to know better."

Elazul leant forward in the chair, placing his hands on his knees, and giving her a direct look. "You should have told me. I am a friend of Florina's. A meeting with her could be easily arranged."

Sapphire said nothing. Slightly puzzled, wondering about this strangely timid girl, he prompted her: "Well?"

But Sapphire suddenly shook her head. "I— I don't know," she answered almost voicelessly. "I— don't know if—"

Elazul's puzzlement increased at this at this reaction. "What? Why is that?"

She suddenly raised her eyes towards him, their look despairing. "I am sorry I asked. I can't— my mother, she—"

Suddenly Elazul understood. "Your mother," he said, looking down. "Of course, she died of..." He felt suddenly angry, thinking, here is another victim of this policy of ours. It struck him that her expression was distressed, and the look in her eyes was blank, and a little lost; and trying to divert her mind from this subject, that he was sorry for bringing up, he said quickly: "Florina will be glad to meet you, Sapphire. I think that you will like each other."

But Sapphire chose to ignore this remark; and although Elazul met her several times in the next two weeks as she occasionally accompanied Emeralda and Snow, she never mentioned the subject of meeting Florina, and he did not prompt her again.


"Have you heard the latest news, Florina?" Alex said one day in late November. He was visiting Florina, who was translating runes in her bedroom. The open window brought in a refreshing breeze, and the sky glimpsed through it was a chaste blue. The desk by the window was cluttered with various scrolls and ink-pots, and Florina was inscribing runic characters carefully onto a fresh scroll, providing explanations and remarks with her small, neat hand on the margins of the paper.

"I hope it's good news, dear," she said without glancing up from her work.

Alex leant against the wall flanking the window with his arms folded, staring at the opposite wall. At Florina's response, he glanced at her. "That depends on who you ask," he answered. "Diana, you see, had finally decided to reign Elazul in."

Florina glanced up at Alex at this, an eyebrow raised in inquiry. "Reign Elazul in?"

"Yes." Alex's voice was dry. "Madam has decided that the Lapis Lazuli is too restless and needs a socially sanctioned mate of his own."

Florina maintained her gaze on Alex. She noticed that he did not seem to be in a good mood. "Go on," she said slowly.

"The target's name is Sapphire," Alex continued. "I have seen this girl, and I must hand it to Diana; she's a shrewd one. She apparently thought this matter carefully through. Point one: the temptation of fame. This girl is apparently almost of age, and they plan to make her the next Clarius; her position will bestow great honor on anyone who has been her knight. Point two: a socially appropriate companion. This girl is obviously a completely and utterly harmless person. She is nice-looking enough, but not exactly pretty. She is almost of age, and inexperienced. Point three: the appropriate character. There is something heart-wrenching about this girl; she is clearly a lonely orphan, and not a happy one, either. And the heart that Diana means her to wrench is Elazul's. There is something so touching about the susceptible, disconsolate, innocent waif!"

Florina gazed down throughout this lengthy analysis; she did not notice for a moment that Alex had stopped in his tirade and was watching her expectantly. "Well?" he asked. "I can tell that you are thinking about something."

"I am," Florina replied. "I am thinking about Sapphire. It's just that—"

"Go on," Alex prompted, eyebrow raised.

"Sapphire," said Florina, her thin hands smoothing the scroll before her absently, "is, Alex, the daughter of a former Clarius. Her father died when she was an infant. I understand that she was a reserved, shy child, very much attached to her mother; and as she watched her mother decline throughout her childhood, she developed a severe anxiety about losing her. When the moment finally came and the Clarius' core broke, Sapphire, still a child at the time, was present. Due to this event, she lost her voice and wouldn't speak for a whole year."

Alex considered this. "No wonder she seems to be in a state of perpetual melancholy," he remarked.

"She's a good girl," said Florina quietly. "I would like to see her happy. It's shameful of Diana to use her in such a way for the sake of Elazul's services. But maybe it won't succeed. Elazul loathes to be coerced into doing anything."

"Maybe," Alex answered. "But don't underestimate Diana. Please recall that two obstacles remain, but I have no doubt that she has considered them. One is Elazul's notorious unwillingness to be paired with a guardian. The introduction, as you see, was therefore made carefully, to ensure that he sees and gets to know Sapphire before he is informed of her destined role. I can guess that a strategically-placed coercion of some sort just might work to complete that gentle push at convincing him to acquire a guardian. The other obstacle is Elazul's equally notorious infatuation with Black Pearl. But, after all, nobody speaks about love in these matters, right? And since Black Pearl is also notoriously indifferent towards Elazul, Diana hopes that he will eventually let go of his infatuation, and that she has found the socially correct object towards which he will divert his attention. Bravo, Diana! You are a thoroughly canny little bitch. And damn to your meddling."

"I happen to know of a worse meddler than Diana," Florina remarked to no one in particular.

The moody look in Alex's eyes turned dangerous. "Florina," he said warningly.

Florina ignored him. "And I also know of a much worse choice of pairing for Elazul than my poor Sapphire."

"Florina," Alex said passionately, "You are a low, wretched, vile BETRAYER."

"Yes, my dear," answered Florina serenely. "I love you too."

Alex uttered a short laugh. He stared out the window at the cool blue skies. "And yet, I still wonder," he remarked absently.

Florina glanced at him. "What is it?"

"I met Elazul a little over a year ago," Alex said slowly. "He was walking around the city at night, like a caged creature seeking an escape. I even think that he did not wish to return when he left in the spring. If not for his meeting with Black Pearl, I think that he would have been gone again very quickly."

Florina glanced at him. "Maybe. Maybe not."

Alex paused, regarding her with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

But Florina shook her head with a faint smile and remained enigmatically silent. Alex, choosing to ignore her, continued: "But his so-called elevation to the royal guard has given him a renewed distaste for life in this city. I just wonder what he would do if he found out about Diana's latest scheme."

Florina said nothing, and a sardonic smile curled Alex's lip. "I suppose, then, that it's a time for decision again. It's Black Pearl or freedom this time, Elazul."


? Written by Hadas Rose, 2001-2004

Legend of Mana is ? Square, 2000.

Snow, Sapphire, and Saristin were characters planned but never included in Legend of Mana. I created characters and stories for them based on the outlines I found for them.

I tried to soften Elazul somewhat in this revision, as compared to the older story; to keep him as serious, somewhat hot-tempered, and reserved, but not as grim. My depiction of Elazul in this story is a mix of the game character and of Zelgadis from the Slayers anime.

Since everyone asked me about the mutes when this story was first written, here's my version of them. I hope you like it, because they are not going to appear in this story, and will only be referred to in the ending.

Male Mute: His name is Darren. He is a tall, extremely strong, good-natured young man, deeply interested in philosophical treatises and the history of the world. He spends much of his time on research and studying, and in his garden, because even though he is incredibly strong, he is essentially a man who believes in peaceful solutions and in being At One With Nature. He is generally shy around the ladies, and even though he likes Pearl, he is careful not to show it openly. This is because Elazul tends to get a little aggressive at any such suspicion, and Darren is afraid that any skirmish between them might cause him to accidentally break the young hothead in half.

Female Mute: Her name is Maya. She is perky & cute & some suspect that she consumes too much sugar. One of her hobbies is uprooting large trees with her bare hands, a fact which greatly grieves Darren, who believes that trees have souls and so on. Since she tends to throw around anything that comes into her hands when she loses her temper, everyone is always friendly and courteous to her.

(The sprites/mutes in Legend of Mana were obscenely strong.)