The raiders had parked their cars around the cave above the crack. They had caught all the paramilitaries. Two soldiers took Hiram to the top of one of the dunes. One of the soldiers was different from the others. He only had on a shirt, a vest, and pants with straps. He was a big guy with a thick mustache. He aimed two revolvers at him. —What did you say your name was?
—Hiram Abiff.
—How did you let yourself get captured by those wretches? I would have shot myself before going with them.
—I wasn't alone.
—You're lucky they didn't kill you, especially with those strange clothes.
—Who? The pirates or your people?
—Both.
They climbed to the top of the dune. Behind them dozens of men could be seen ransacking the ship like ants. —Nage. —The voice was low and powerful, a mythical tone. —Why you pointing at that man?
—He wants to speak with you, General.
—He's unarmed; treat him as a guest.
—As you command. —He holstered his revolvers.
The general was facing the other side of the dune with his back to them. A white cloak covered him. His clothes were blue, and he wore a tunic that went down to his knees. His sleeves ended with elegant white gloves. He had a ceremonial dagger and two pistols in his belt. He wore tall boots and loose pants. —Get closer.
Hiram walked to his side. —A pleasure.
He was looking at the enormous crevice. —What did you say your name was?
—Hiram Abiff.
—I like that name; I'd like to know its origin.
—Are you the general?
—That's what it seems. Do you know the mech's pilot?
—I travel with him; he's my companion.
—As the story goes, yours were captured while crossing the desert, and when we attacked, yours took the opportunity to escape and activated the mech to flee the ship.
—Just as I told your men.
—Not everyone knows how to turn a mech, much less pilot one. Almost no one does. If you don't work for the High Porte pigs and he's not one of mine... That gives me a lot of choices
Nage said mockingly. —A little bear from Kislev.
—I'm not from this continent.
—So what are you doing here? —A powerful gust of wind lifted the sands; the whispers of the wind covered their voices. Soon it faded. —Is that all?
—Right now, I don't want any trouble; I just want to go back home.
—Where is your home?
—Very far away. —He saw a couple of trucks with big cranes arrive; they positioned themselves around the crevice.
—If you know how to activate a mech, I suppose you also know how to operate a crane.
—I'm an expert in all kinds of machines.
—I can imagine; now I understand why the High Porte captured you.
—I'll gladly help you with anything.
—The pilot, who is he? Does he work with you?
—Of course not.
—So how does he know how to pilot? Did you teach him?
—Under the right circumstances, anyone can accomplish outstanding feats.
—After we finish here, you can join us in the west, away from this desert. It's better than staying with these pirates to die in the desert.
—I'd be truly grateful.
Vanrra's eyes wandered into the shadows behind the light coming through the crack. The walls looked like they had sores that were so deep that something could be hiding in them. He asked Amir. —Hey... Are you calm now?
—Shut up.
—We'll be here a while longer; I don't want to just stare at the wall. Want more water?
—Do you still have some?
—I don't think so, but I can give you some snack bars; you must be hungry.
—Nobody wants anything from you.
He took food out of his bags; it was wrapped in a handkerchief. —Lies, everyone wants my snack bars; try them. They're strawberry.
—What's a strawberry?
—It's a tiny fruit that looks like a red pine nut. It's very sweet and tasty, and I could eat thousands of them. If I had to marry a fruit, it would be a strawberry. —Vanrra started crying again; he looked like a sick little animal. —Did I really hit you that hard? What is wrong with you? Is there anything I can do to help you?
He wiped his tears. —Yes, lend me your weapon.
—It's called a revolver. What do you want it for?
—I want to see it. It looks really nice; I've never seen one before.
—How do you know it was a weapon if you've never seen one?
—Because you pointed it at me earlier, I just want to see it up close. It caught my attention.
—But how did you know it was a weapon?
—Because I know weapons exist, I just hadn't seen one like that before. Please, just give it to me.
—If I had pointed a banana at you, would you have thought it was a gun?
—Please give it to me! Just be quiet and give it to me! —He broke down again; he was having a hard time staying calm. —Damn it, I hate you. You would have killed me up there.
—I didn't want to kill you; I would never kill you.
—You should.
—What's wrong with you? Vanrra, did those guys do something bad to you?
—You can shut your mouth.
—We'll be here for a while; I don't want to be bored, and I also don't want to hear your crying all the time. If you have a problem, you should talk about it. The rocks will not make fun of you.
—Who are you? I don't know you; to me, you're just a damn murderer, a thief.
—I'm not a thief; I just take what belongs to me.
—You're a damn murderer; you had no mercy on those people.
—They would have no mercy on me; I know it very well. I saved your life; you should thank me.
—Save me? I don't thank you for that.
—And you, teacher? I saved him too; you would have dragged him into slavery for your selfish desire.
—He would have understood me.
—Nobody understands you, including yourself. I want to talk and have fun, but you keep crying and being always on defensive.
—I don't know you. I'm not a psychopath like you, and I do not enjoy watching people die. I don't like getting into that thing and being electrocuted almost to death.
—I don't enjoy it; I hate it, but I have no choice. I'm not like you; I don't break down crying. You'll get used to it; as bad as it seems, it doesn't leave any sequels.
—Psychopath.
—I mean piloting. The other thing is a struggle: all for the sake of a greater cause, I'm just a pawn. I feel sorry for you; you could have been the best soldier I've ever faced, but you turned out to be just a hysterical girl.
—Shut up! You don't realize what I've been through. You're an arrogant psychopath, damn heartless bastard! You killed everyone and crushed them with that thing, just like in my village. Because of bastards like you, I lost everything: my friends, my home, everything I owned; everything was gone, my entire life. I've got nothing left. —Amir listened quietly. —I'm not sure whether it was people like you, some of those monsters, or something else. I have no answers; I don't know where to go; I'm not sure what my life is about.
—I've lost everything too; it's been a while now. My parents, my brothers and sisters, and my whole family. I thought everyone was my friend, but they all left me, and I realized no one cared about me. Like a fugitive, I was left alone to wander the desert and hide in the mountains. —Vanrra stopped crying and listened to Amir. —The first few months are always the hardest because you don't know where to go. You'll need a lot of time to get used to it.
—Do you know where to go?
—No, I have no idea. Fortunately, I also had a mentor; thanks to him, I'm still alive. He told me what I had to do and where we had to go. He's like a father to me.
They were silent for a while. Vanrra calmed down almost completely. —Amir… I'm sorry.
—It's all right; if you had been an elite soldier, I would have shot you already.
—How did you get that giant?
—The mech? It was rescued from some warehouses. It's quite a marvel, tough as hell. I was thinking about painting it yellow; I don't like that earthy color.
—I mean, what is it? Who created them? How many are there?
—The wonders of Reason; they didn't fall from the sky. They were created thanks to Holy Reason.
—Holy Reason?
—Don't mock her in their presence. —He pointed at the mechs. —You'll bring us bad luck. I forgot you come from the most remote place in the world, though you seem to know a lot of words for a country boy.
—I know a few things thanks to my teacher, but he never mentioned anything about Holy Reason.
—He must be a heretic; maybe they're stoning him up there right now.
—What are you saying?!
—I'm kidding; we're not like the High Porte; nothing will happen to him. You can't take a joke.
—No, it's just that I'm still…
—Dizzy?
—How was the first time you piloted?
—Nothing nice; I tried for six days straight. I was about to give up. No one forced me to pilot; it was because I wanted to. The pressure came from myself; maybe that's why it took me so long. You were lucky.
—Lucky?
—When someone is under real pressure, they tend to give their all. You unlock limits you didn't know you had. You saved yourself a lot of pain.
—Do you know how that thing works? After the shocks, I felt like I merged with the mech, like it was an extension of my body. I also felt something in the back of my neck…
—I don't know, the wonders of Holy Reason. Did you also get dizzy with the menus?
—I didn't even know what I was doing; I just saw random numbers. They seemed to react to my thoughts.
—I still keep getting lost; every time I get in, I discover something new. Not everyone can get into one; far fewer know how to pilot it; that's why there's no manual.
—Why are you talking to me so calmly? You don't know me at all.
—I don't know; I think you're interesting.
—What do you do, Amir? Steal?
—We're not thieves; all of that belongs to us.
—Sounds like an excuse.
—It's not; the High Porte and its corrupt satraps are the real thieves; they stole everything from the royal family of Ab.
—Royal family?
—The kings of Ab. Don't you know the story?
—I'm just a dumb villager.
He stood on the rock. —Three years ago, the High Porte and a group of bastards overthrew the Fatima dynasty, rulers of Ab. They killed the brave and great king and most of his family. They made people swear loyalty to the new government, but many people refused and stayed loyal to the Fatimas. We fight against the jerks from the capital.
—Do you know where the remaining Fatimas are? Who is their new king?
—Who knows, maybe they're hiding in some cave. The High Porte is still looking for them, so they must still be alive.
—Does that give you the right to steal whatever you want?
—It sounds pretty bad when you put it that way. The people support us; the High Porte are tyrants. If it were up to those bastards, we'd all be riding horses. Holy Reason doesn't speak to despots like them.
—Speak? What exactly is Holy Reason?
—She is… it's a bit complicated to explain. Imagine you have two cows: Holy Reason is a golden cow, and…
—Whatever you say.
—Hey! More respect: are you on our side or with the enemy?
—Do you think I can decide?
—You are free to speak; no one is forcing you right now. Being lukewarm in life is the equivalent of being a worthless animal. If you have a goal to fight for, you will be unstoppable.
Vanrra looked at the strange boy, relieved to know he wasn't the only madman in the world. They weren't very different. —The royal family has never attempted to enslave me; I will recognize them as long as they are legitimate.
He climbed down from the rock. —That's right, now you're a new member.
—Member?
—One of us. —He gave him a strong handshake. —With this, I welcome you to our order.
—Order? What are you talking about? I don't…
—It's nothing bad; we're the Ismaelites, that's what we call ourselves. But don't tell anyone; it's a secret. I'm telling you only.
—Ismaelites? Is that what the men up there are called?
—Yes, it comes from a long, ancient tradition. We are supposed to be descended from someone named Ismael. To be honest, I still don't know the whole story; I don't rank high enough. Just know that our family has been here for thousands of years.
—How many years exactly?
—More or less... about six thousand; it's difficult to calculate. Depends on whether you count the legends.
He got excited. —Do you know a lot about world history?
—Something like that, they taught me, but I never paid much attention.
—Do you know anything about demons? What are they?
—Demons? Do you mean the djinn?
—The blue-eyed beasts.
—Not much; I've only come across three in my entire life. I know the story of how the Fatimas faced... —Large ropes dropped from above. A group of soldiers descended on them.