The Heavenly Lord’s Ambassador. A Kingdom Like No Other. Book 1. Андрей Кочетков

to legend, the throne was made from a single piece of sky-blue lazurite. By design, it was too large for even the tallest man to sit on, so the Emperor sat on a small pillow on top of the throne’s footrest. A large jewel was embedded in the back of the throne (perhaps a topaz or a diamond, Uni had heard several versions of the story).

      The gong rang out again, and the singing grew louder. Now, the singing came from all sides of the great square. Priests in yellow, orange and red robes carrying banners of the Sun stood around the edge of the square. Their voices came together in a single current that overcame all who heard it. Again, Uni swiveled his head back and forth to see everything and almost missed the next event.

      Just in time, he noticed that the crowd around the throne had grown. Dressed in elegant robes, shining cuirasses, or the red garments of the priests of the Sun, they were all part of the Imperial Council, which was the highest authority in the land and comprised 24 of its most influential and respected men. Uni had always suspected that most of them, despite their grand titles, had little to do with the actual process of determining the Empire’s policies and fates. The full council met rarely, and only for official events. It was said that the Emperor occasionally consulted with members of the council at large, but that most affairs were managed by the small circle of council members whom Uni had already seen. As he watched the members, he saw Licisium Dorgoe listening politely to someone he couldn’t see because he was hidden by another member’s golden armor. Just then, the crowd shifted, the owner of the armor took a step to one side, and Uni saw who Dorgoe was talking to: it was Manelius Ronko, dressed in a fashionably fitted, snow-white robe with a bright purple stripe down the middle. He was telling Dorgoe something with great animation when the large man suddenly took a step back, put his hands on his chest, and shook with rumbling laughter.

      “May the Sun scorch me, would you look at that!” Uni thought with a prickling of envy. His eyes landed on another figure. “I wonder who that is? All the soldiers are wearing shining helmets. The one with long, dark hair must be Necium Tameto. He’s violating the dress code, but no one seems to notice. Those nobles don’t dare say a word to the man who protects the northern border!”

      Tameto glanced around haughtily at his fellow officers. Uni recognized a few of them: Enritel Narzey, the commander of the Southern Fleet, Rarocium Hanmo, whose forces guarded Capotia and kept an eye on the Arincils, and Dergedium Lami, who often had to beat back the barbarians of Torgendam. He had heard rumors of money budgeted to repair ships that later disappeared without a trace. He had also heard that the Empire’s foot soldiers wore torn uniforms and were sometimes ”leased” into slavery, where they were glad to be given three square meals a day. He had no warm feelings for Tameto, but his seven-thousand-strong cavalry was considered the best trained in the entire Imperial Army, and its men had an irrational, dog-like loyalty to their brave leader. Uni assumed that the palace bureaucracy put up with the sad state of the rest of the army because it had been twenty years since the last war with the Torgs, the fearsome Arincils were far away, and only the northern border was ever breached by disorganized bands of Sotray nomads. And yet Tameto had left his men behind to take part in the luxury and intrigue of the capital, where backstabbing and infighting made up most of the officers’ combat experience. His interest obviously went beyond protocol. The man turned his hooked nose, and for an instant Uni feared that the scourge of the northern barbarians would strike him where he stood. Oh Heavenly Deity, my imagination is playing tricks on me!

      The atmosphere of anticipation was electric, as if a storm was gathering its forces to rain down on the noblemen’s heads. Uni had been told what would happen, but he was completely unprepared for the experience of seeing it. He turned to the column of Norius and saw that the Founder’s hands where shining with a blue light – that was the effect of quartz-coated bronze mirrors on the hands that shone blue when they caught the sunlight. The effect was a stunning reminder of how Norius had been blessed by the Heavenly Deity when he founded the Herandian Empire four hundred years before. The flames in Norius’ hands flickered with the colors of the rainbow and shone in gold sparks. It was a sight to behold! Uni held his breath. The rainbow light reflected down on the delegation, himself included. Suddenly, he realized how wonderful the sight must be for the people in the crowd, where his mother and his friends stood. His heart filled with a warm joy. He would have liked to look for them in the crowd, but just then, Norius’ palms turned towards each other. A ray of sun shot out from between them and fell on the Imperial Palace, as if Norius were sharing the Deity’s power with his successor!

      The ray of light fell on the throne, and the crystal embedded in it lit up with a blinding burst that made everyone squint. Uni had been looking in that direction to see what would happen next, and he slapped his hands over his eyes. The light from the throne was so bright that it made him dizzy, and the white spots on the backs of his eyelids pulsed with the rhythm of his racing heart. He heard the people around him cry out in amazement and fall to their knees. For the first time in his life, he followed along with everyone else. His only thought was a fear of going blind, and there was something comforting about the crowd and knowing that they were all equal in the face of the Heavenly Deity’s immeasurable power.

      The people around him were whispering, but Uni kept his head down and his eyes closed until he heard a deep voice from up above him call out “Most diligent servant of the Heavenly Deity, protector of his people, tireless guardian of everything under the skies, His Majesty the Emperor of Herandia Kergenius!”

      Seated at the foot of the great throne in a robe that sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow was the man whose name was spoken with awe throughout the Empire and in all of Dashtornis. Every Herandian knew that the true honor and praise were due to the Sun, however, and at just that moment the fire of its eye on the throne was subdued, leaving nothing but a faint golden glow around the Emperor’s head.

      “You are not bowing to me, but to our Lord. I am merely the most diligent of his servants!” Uni recalled the words spoken by Norius. Centuries had passed, but the ceremony remained unchanged, and it still made people quiver in amazement.

      Later, Uni could never remember exactly what the Emperor said during the ceremony. There was something about the Empire’s unshakeable foundations, its great mission to support harmony and peace in the world, and the Emperor’s own duty to ensure the prosperity of his subjects. Uni’s whole being was concentrated on the glowing light around the throne. The man standing before him was not the same man who had spoken kindly to him just the other day; no, he was the steward of the Heavenly Deity! If he could have seen himself, Uni probably would have laughed at his enthusiasm. As it was, he stood motionless, staring at the glowing crystal on the throne, all other thoughts and concerns carried away as if by a river. If he had paid attention, he would have found things to add to the Emperor’s statement of the usefulness of initiating diplomatic and trade relations with the Virilans based on “mutual respect and sincere trust on the part of both parties.” And he would have been interested to hear that the Empire was destined to bring the Heavenly Deity’s light to the world, specifically to Virilan, “like opening the windows in an old house to let the sunshine and fresh air in.” But he did not pay attention, only waking from his happy daydream when the sounds of a march reached his ears and a wave of commotion swept through the rows of people around him.

      Ontius Sanery left the delegation and, ears at the ready, swept up the grand staircase with a dignity that came from decades of government service. Trumpets sounded when the ambassador reached the foot of the throne. Uni expected to see him bow, but Sanery suddenly turned his back to the emperor and spread his arms wide. From behind, a strange object – part helmet, part mask – was lowered onto his head. Once Uni got a clear view of it, he saw that the object was a lightweight frame made of gold wire. The sky above the square fell silent as everyone waited for the culmination of the ceremony.

      “Ontius Sanery, Steward, second class, are you prepared to bear the Great Lord’s will to the leader and the people of Virilan?”

      Uni could not see who was speaking, but it seemed to be the Emperor.

      “The Lord’s will is like the light of his eyes: it is the same for all of us and a source of joy for each! There is no choice but to obey. Our freedom is in his will!”

      “Ontius