The Dark Sister

     Sarex stepped out into the balcony of the Governor's Palace and looked out over the city of Queenstown.  It was quite early, and usually, the streets were quiet, but the locals were making preparations for the upcoming eclipse.  To him, it was orbital mechanics: the Dark Sister passed in front of the Light Sister, blocking some or all of its light.  To the locals, it held a religious significance that he couldn't quite fathom.  Not that he went out of his way to get an explanation.  He didn't care about what the locals or anyone else believed as long as they worked hard and paid their taxes on time.

     Sarex smoothed his dark brown fur and went inside to his study.  Once there, he pulled the bell rope a couple of times and sat down at his desk.  Moments later, Imral, his native housekeeper, entered the study and bowed.  "You called, Excellence," she asked.

     Sarex glanced at Imral, noting the spots of mange on her left arm.  "I wish to eat.  Please have the cook prepare Kalquo eggs, sliced Soek meat, and some fruit.  Also, have my physician look at that mange.  One must take care of oneself."

     Imral bowed again.  "Yes, Excellence.  May Kyros bless you."  She turned to leave and said over her shoulder, "I almost forgot, Noaj is waiting outside."

     Sarex nodded.  "Send him in, and don't forget to see the physician."

     Imral left and Noaj entered, carrying his writing set.  He was young, with the long fur common of those from the Northern Continent.  He had been Sarex's secretary for the past five years and was a capable assistant.  Sarex thought he'd make a fine Governor one day.  He waved Noaj to one of the chairs in front of his desk.  "What are today's concerns?"

     Noah sat and placed his writing kit under the chair.  "Some of the usual complaints about the locals from the Soek ranchers and the clergy."

     Sarex grimaced. The clergy have been trying to get the locals to forsake their gods and worship Panex, to no avail.  He didn't understand their desire to convert the locals any more than he did the religious rites of the locals.  Why couldn't the clergy tend to the followers of Panex and leave everyone else alone?

     They discussed the complaints, suggestions for improvements to Queenstown, and a host of other matters until a knock came at the door.  "Come in Imral.  That will be my breakfast.  Would you care to join me?"

     "No thank you," Noah replied. "I stopped at the Golden Cup on my way here."

     Imral entered the study and placed a tray on the desk.  "Someone is here to see you.  She came in on the ship this morning."

     Sarex stabbed a fork into a slice of Soek meat and raised it to his lips.  "Send her in," he said, biting into the meat.

     Imral bowed and went to the door.  "His Excellence will see you now."  She stepped out of the way as a tall female with bright orange fur streaked with gray entered the room.  She wore the dark blue robes of a Diviner of the Followers of Panex.  She bowed.

     "Governor Sarex, I am Diviner Capac.  I have orders from the High Ordinator himself."

     "And what is the nature of these orders?"  Sarex asked, taking a bite from his Kalquo eggs.  He had heard that High Ordinator Vindex had recently died and knew that new High Ordinators liked to make their mark in history as soon as possible.

     "His Eminence wishes to put an end to the local religious practices, particularly those about the upcoming eclipse.  All temples in the province are to be closed and placed under guard as soon as practicable.  The temple in Queenstown is to be closed immediately."

     Sarex choked on a piece of fruit.  "But Diviner, the upcoming eclipse is of extreme religious importance to the locals."

     Capac's fur stood on end, betraying her anger.  "His Eminence does not care about the superstitious nonsense of these heathens.  They are to be brought into Paxec's divine light by any means necessary."

     Sarex flattened his ears.  "They will not take this easily.  Like all indigenous peoples we have conquered, they have been allowed the freedom to follow their own religions so long as they do not interfere with the processes of government.  This policy has kept the locals complacent for years."

     "This policy has kept the light of Paxec from illuminating the world and our new High Ordinator wishes to remove that particular obstruction.  We will no longer coddle these fools, turning a blind eye to their blasphemies."  Capac turned and walked to the door.  "You will accompany me to see their shaman and together we shall inform them of the High Prelate's decision.  Their sad little religion ends now."

     Sarex glumly followed the Diviner through the dusty city streets towards the Local Quarter.  He worried about how the locals would take Capac's actions.  They were good people, hard-working, and law-abiding.  Would those qualities falter at the callous destruction of all they held dear?

     Eventually, they reached the dwelling of the local shaman, Danac.  His house was only slightly larger than those of ordinary locals.  Sarex pulled on the bell cord and the door was answered by a youth with mangy black and yellow fur.  Capac pulled out a perfumed cloth and held it up to his nose.

     "We wish to speak with Danac," Sarex said.

     The youth took them to a small garden at the back of the house.  There, weeding the garden, stooped Danac.  He had grey fur that was neatly trimmed.  He stood as the youth announced the visitors, appraising them with steel-grey eyes.  He smiled as he recognized Sarex.  "Ah, Governor, it is good to see you.  What brings you to my abode?"

     Sarex bowed.  "This is Capac, Diviner of the Followers of Paxec.  I'm afraid that he has bad news."

     Danac again regarded Capac.  "Oh, and what news is this?"

     Capac produced a scroll.  "By order of the High Ordinator, I am to close all temples of the Dark Sister, beginning with the one here in Queenstown."

     "That is bad news indeed, but I cannot allow you to close the temple.  We have rituals of the utmost importance to carry out or else face divine vengeance."

     Capac's fur bristled.  "Paxec's wrath is the only vengeance you need concern yourselves with.  Your gods are nothing compared to Paxec.  They allowed you to be conquered, did they not?"

     Danac's eyes took on a righteous glow.  "You indeed conquered us, but only because our gods advised us we could not prevail against you.  Our sacred duty is to protect this world, a task we could not undertake if we were lying bleeding in the fields."

     "Such insolence is unbecoming of a conquered people.  You should show deference to your betters.  The High Ordinator has spoken and this audience is over.  We shall be placing guards at your temple in two days."

     "But that is the day of the eclipse, we must be allowed to complete our rituals!  You don't understand the severity of-" Capac struck at Danac, cutting off his words and knocking the shaman to the ground.  Sarex raced to him and helped him up, glaring at Capac.

     "I will hear no more of it!" Capac screamed, spittle flying from her lips.  "Your ways are finished.  You'd better accept that."  She turned on her heel and left.

     Sarex produced a hankerchief and dabbed at the scratches the Diviner had made on the shaman's face.  "I'll send my physician over to look at those.  Are you alright?"

    For a moment, Sarex saw genuine fear on Danac's face, which was quickly replaced with a tired smile.  "You are kind Sarex, kinder than most of our so-called betters.  Capac doesn't realize the mistake she is making, the doom that she will bring down upon the world."

     "I don't understand.  It's just the Dark Sister passing in front of the Light Sister, making a shadow that crosses part of the world.  What is the danger in that?"

     "You do not know all of our ways and I don't have the time to teach you.  I can only say that the Dark Sister poses a threat, a threat that we have held at bay for thousands of years with our rituals.  We must be allowed to perform our sacred duties!"

     Sarex sighed.  "I've seen her type before.  Zealots don't listen to what they don't want to hear.  To them, faith is everything.  She will not heed me."

     Danac looked into his eyes.  Sarex felt fear emanating from those grey orbs to encompass him.  "We shall do what we can, but this eclipse will not end well."

***

     The day of the eclipse arrived, the sky was bright and clear.  Sarex had spent part of the night trying to convince Capac to relent, stopping only when the Diviner threatened to replace him as Governor.  Sarex stood on the temple lawn.  Behind him were arrayed the Royal Guard.  Capac stood beside him, a look of triumph on her face.

     Up above them, the Silent Sister began its journey across the face of the Light Sister.  Danac and some of his clergy walked up to the temple lawn.  "This is your last chance.  Allow us to perform the rites or the world shall suffer the consequences."

     Capac glared at Danac.  "How dare you threaten the representative of Paxec!"  He turned towards the guards. "Guards!  Do not let a single one of these savages near the temple!"

     Sarex decided to try one last time to sway the Diviner.  "Please reconsider.  Let them perform their rites.  Is it not said that all religions and the myriads of gods are just reflections of Paxec?"

     Capac bared his claws and struck Sarex in the face, ripping into his flesh and casting his blood onto the flagstones.  "Do not speak such blasphemies to me!  Must I deal with your disobedience as well as the defiance of the locals?  These rituals must not be performed, they are offensive to Paxec.  Speak to me again and I shall kill you where you stand."

     Sarex turned to Danac.  "I am sorry, I have failed you."

     "Do not trouble yourself. You have always treated us fairly and respectfully.  We have made some preparations in case this cleric was unbending.  It will not stave off the upcoming doom, but it may blunt its impact."  He looked up at the sky.  "It begins."

     Capac glared at Sarex.  "You fool!  The eclipse begins and nothing is happening.  You have thrown away your career for a group of savages!  You shall be dragged before the Ordinator's court where you shall pay for your blasphemy."  He pointed to a guard.  "You there!  Arrest the Governor!  Take him to the dungeon until my ship departs."

     The guard moved to obey, but something made him look towards the sky.  His eyes grew wide and his ears flattened in fear.  His sword slipped from his fingers to the ground.  He raised a trembling hand to the heavens. "Look!" he cried.

     Sarex looked up.  The Silent Sister was fully in front of the Light Sister, leaving only a ring of fire.  As he looked, the ring began to grow smaller, as if the Silent Sister was growing larger.  The ring disappeared completely, leaving only the stars.  Something was very wrong.  It was only when the Silent Sister started to block out the stars that Sarex realized that the Silent Sister wasn't growing bigger, it was coming nearer.

     Tendrils of the deepest black sprouted from the Dark Sister as it drew nearer.  Two malignant red eyes opened, glaring down at the city.  The guards dropped their swords and began to run in all directions.  The tendrils reached out towards the fleeing guards, plucking them from the streets, lifting them up to dash them against the ground or deliver them to a slavering maw filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth.

     The air was filled with the screams of the dying soldiers, the wet thuds of bodies hitting the ground, and the sounds of shredding flesh and breaking bones.  Above it all was a high-pitched keening that rolled across the city.

     "Danac was right," Sarex screamed at Capac.  "You have doomed us all!"

     Capac's haughty demeanor collapsed as she took in the ghastly scene playing out in front of her.  "No!  Paxec will protect us!  His light will-"

     Her words turned into a scream as a tendril of night wrapped itself around her and lifted her kicking into the air.

     Sarex fought an impulse to run.  If his doom was at hand, he was determined to face it as bravely as he could.  A tendril wrapped itself around him.  The ground fell away as he was lifted up to one of the Dark Sister's red eyes.  He felt as if the Dark Sister was staring into his soul.  He bit back a scream, determined to show no fear and die with dignity.

     After a few moments under that malignant stare, Sarex felt himself being gently deposited on the ground in front of the temple, where Danac was standing, his head bowed in prayer.  

     "How," Sarex stammered, looking at the chaos unfolding around him.

     "We prayed for you, appealed to the Dark Sister to spare you and others like you.  She has deigned to answer our prayers."

     "When will this end?" Sarex asked.

     "None of us know for sure.  This is the first time in thousands of years that the Dark Sister was allowed to roam free across the world.  She will travel the world, devouring those she deems unworthy."

     The keening began to grow softer as the Dark Sister moved away from Queenstown to visit its wrath on the rest of the world.

     "Come," Danac said, heading towards the temple. "There is much to do.  We must travel in the wake of the Silent Sister, gathering those she has spared to rebuild our world.  Maybe this time we can make something better."

     Danac entered the temple.  Sarex took a last look at the Dark Sister's work and followed.