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

back, Uni saw that a golden mouthpiece had been affixed to the mask on his head, large enough to be visible from the last rows.

      “Ontius Sanery, are you prepared to be the Great Lord’s ears in Virilan?”

      “I am!” Golden ears were affixed to the mask.

      “Ontius Sanery, are you prepared to be the Great Lord’s eyes in Virilan?”

      “I am!” Uni murmured to himself. A sliver of envy began to prickle him in a far corner of his heart. How he would have liked to be the first ambassador to that strange country and to be hailed as the one who opened it for Herandia! It was the world of his dreams – why had it been given to someone else? Uni felt like he was at a wedding where his best friend had stolen his bride and the only role left for him was as the groom’s best man. Why was life so unfair, even at joyous moments like this? Was it trying to show Uni his proper place? Yes, he knew his place.

      I just want too much, he thought. “I’ve already been given a fantastic opportunity. Or is this a dream inside a dream?” His forehead went cold and he shivered. I must keep my imagination in check and praise the Sun for taking notice of me. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

      In a flash, Uni felt that he was willing to pray to anyone’s God if only this tiny sprout of success would continue to grow and eventually bear fruit.

      Meanwhile, Sanery had descended the stairs to the booming strains of a march. He had not looked the least bit ridiculous in his symbolic mask, and now he carefully carried a scroll. Uni knew that such scrolls usually enumerated the powers of the delegation and contained a greeting to the leaders of other states. As always, he had missed the moment when the scroll was handed to Sanery because he was daydreaming about his own glory.

      He shook himself. “I really have to start paying attention! This isn’t the archive. I need to keep my eyes and eyes open at all times.”

      When he reached the square, Sanery gestured for the delegation to follow him. In the pushing and shoving that followed, Uni tried to get closer to the head of the procession, but his neighbors used their elbows to keep him where he belonged. All he could do was give his body up to the stream of people slowly making their way through the streets toward the riverbank, singing hymns as they went. When they finally reached the river, Uni saw that the ambassador’s ship was at the dock. His attempts to find his mother or his friends in the crowd following the delegation were unsuccessful.

      As he turned his head from side to side, something heavy came down on his shoulder. He spun around and saw the closed helmet of a palace guard. The helmet leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “Enel Virando? Follow me. You are expected.”

      “Already? Am I permitted to leave the line?” Uni had lots of questions, but his intuition told him to let it go. As he followed the guard through the noisy crowd, he felt like a criminal until the guard stepped aside and he saw Manelius Ronko standing in a niche in the side of one of the buildings. He was grinning like a cat.

      “Most honorable Enel Ronko, I am pleased to see you!” and Uni did his best impression of the long form of Herandian courtly greeting.

      The Emperor’s advisor nodded with satisfaction and slapped him on the shoulder. “As I am to see you, my friend! I was disappointed that you ignored my advice about avoiding wine, but I was equally delighted that you made such a fast recovery after that terrible unpleasantness. You are well now, I hope?”

      “Yes, Enel Ronko!” Uni tried to look like he imagined a hopeful young civil servant would look. “It was just a dinner with friends. And I’m absolutely fine now.”

      “I’m glad to hear it! I was going to give you some final advice, and then I thought better of it. Anything I could tell you would be empty words. You are the one who bears the responsibility from now on. It was my job to find you, and now that the Emperor has chosen you, my job is over.” He leaned forward with a serious face. “That, Uni, is the best way to manage people. Do not tell them what to do – simply help each one find his place. Do you agree?”

      “Of course, Enel Ronko. You know more about it than I ever would.”

      “Perhaps,” and the man laughed softly. “Is there anything else you want to say to me, Interpreter?”

      “I don’t know.” Uni floundered for a second. “Although there is one thing you might want to know. When you took me to the Emperor’s chambers, I saw someone there. He looked like an Arincil. At least, that’s what it seemed to me. That’s all I know. I thought it might be useful to you, but perhaps you already knew about it…” his voice trailed off.

      Ronko’s attention was aroused. “Wait. Did you say an Arincil? Are you sure about it?”

      “I’ve never seen one in person before, but he looked exactly the way they are described in books. Tall, copper skin, a hooked nose…”

      “I see. Thank you for telling me. Do you know anything else about it?”

      Uni briefly recounted what he had seen in the back room at the palace, wondering what role his crumb of information might play.

      Ronko nodded, deep in thought. “Good. I’ll make use of that. And now,” he said, “it is time for you to go. Your delegation is moving like a regiment of tortoises, but eventually they will miss you.” Then he gave a wide smile that Uni had never seen on him before. He shuddered, but Ronko just winked. “No fear. I have a gift for you. Consider it my thanks for your quick eye.” The imperial advisor leaned over him and held out something with two fingers.

      “A ring?” Uni asked, wide-eyed.

      “That is correct.” Ronko turned it so Uni could see it from all sides. Then he took Uni by the hand and dropped it in his palm. “Keep this as a talisman of your success on this mission. And wear it in good health.”

      “Thank you!”

      The ring was smooth in his hand. It almost felt alive, as if made out of some magic stone rather than metal.

      “I’ll need to find a leather cord to tie it around my neck,” Uni thought. For the time being, he slipped the ring on his finger. It fit perfectly.

      “Just you look at that!” Ronko declared in surprise. “With a fit like that, it must be your fate to wear the ring.” He smiled again, this time with a blend of understanding and even melancholy in his eyes.

      Later, as he followed the rest of the delegation onto the ship, Uni couldn’t shake the memory of that smile. He had a feeling that Ronko could see the future and knew what awaited them all. The man wore his smile like a mask because he was burdened with knowledge. It all made sense.

      As he stood on deck, it dawned on Uni that he was a pawn in a very complicated game – or even a whole series of games with an unknown number of players – but that he was, nonetheless, a very valuable pawn. It was a risky position, to be sure, but it was also his door to real life. Later, when he thought back to that day, he was only sorry that he had not managed to see his mother one more time or waved to his friends. As the ship pushed away from the dock and started to drift down the broad Fela, Unizel Virando looked away from the banks of the world he had always known and turned his eyes to the bow, from which he expected to greet a new world, a new calling, and a chance at a better life.

      Hey there, life! Here you are, carrying me along like the river carries this vessel, and the riverbed itself, in turn, is formed by the hills and the mountains, and those… well, something takes care of those as well. What is the essence of all things being under the Heavenly Deity? How does one even figure it all out? How does one see the world in a droplet of water? Or rise above being that droplet? Hello, Fate! Hello, Good Fortune! Let’s get to know each other!

* * *

      The icy cold water tumbling from the artificial waterfalls cooled the air pleasingly. Red, green, and blue lamps hanging in the trees flickered invitingly from the dark woods. Young girls dressed as river fairies sang and danced on small islands to the enchanting music of sitars