Chapter 4 Chapter Three Prisoners

The sound of Ke Xiu's footsteps came along the corridor of the hut, steady and calm.When she appeared at the door of Arha's room, her tall and heavy figure just filled the door frame. She knelt down on one knee and bowed her waist to salute. The figure shrank accordingly, and then enlarged again after standing upright. "hostess." "What's the matter, Kosuke?" "To this day, I have been empowered to take care of certain matters in the realm of the Unknown for many lifetimes. You have known these things before, but have not remembered them in this life. Now it is you who know, learn and take charge of the care of these things, if you will. It's time."

The girl had been sitting in her windowless room for a while, looking like she was meditating, but she wasn't thinking or doing anything.After listening to Ke Xiu's words, it took a while for her usual haughty expression to change.Although she tried her best to hide it, her expression was indeed different from usual.She asked slyly, "To the Great Labyrinth?" "We don't go into the Great Labyrinth, but we have to go through the Great Tomb." Ke Xiu's voice had a tone of fear, or he was pretending to be afraid, trying to scare A'erha.But the girl got up slowly, and said calmly: "Very good." In fact, she was overjoyed; when she followed the heavy figure of the priestess of the God King, she kept shouting in her heart: "Finally! Finally! Finally, I will see my own territory! "

At that time, she was fifteen years old, and she had held her coming-of-age ceremony more than a year ago. Since then, she has become an adult. At the same time, she began to have all the powers of the first priestess of the Etuan Mausoleum, becoming the supreme among all the high priestesses of the Karg Empire, even Even the God King himself is not allowed to boss her around.Now all kneel to her, even stern Saar and Kosuan.When speaking to her, everyone respectfully obeys.However, everything is the same as before, nothing has changed, and nothing new has happened.As soon as her "consecration ceremony" was completed, life became as usual as before: there was wool to be spun, black cloth to be woven, millet to be milled, and rituals to be performed; "Nine Odes" would be sung every night. , Every door must be blessed, and the tombstone is sprinkled with sheep's blood twice a year, and the "Dance of the Black Moon" is danced in front of the "empty throne".After a whole year like this, it was no different from every year before.Do I have to live like this every year for the rest of my life?

The boredom in her heart was sometimes so strong that it was almost terrifying, and it grabbed her throat tightly, and she felt almost out of breath.Not long ago, she was finally annoyed enough to speak out.She thought to herself that she would be crazy if she didn't say it.The person she poured out on was Manan.Pride kept her from telling the other girls, prudence kept her from telling the older priestess.But Manan was insignificant, just an old and loyal caretaker, and it didn't matter what was said to him.To her surprise, Manan gave her an answer. "Little man, you know," he said, "a long time ago, before our four islands were united into one empire, before the god-king ruled over our four islands, there were many little kings, little princes, little chiefs, etc. on each island. These people often have disputes with each other. When disputes arise, they come to the Etuan Mausoleum to pray for settlement. Among these people, there are people from our Etuan Island, people from Karigou Island, and people from Erni Ni Island. Most of the people on Hurhu Island are chiefs and princes who come with their servants and troops. They will ask you what to do. You will go to the "Empty Throne" and tell them the opinions of the unknown people. Well, then It was a long time ago. After a period of time, the "Priest King" began to rule the entire island of Carrigo, and soon took the island of Atuan into his rule. Finally, the king of gods ruled all four islands and merged them into one The empire has been in existence for four or five generations. Because of this, the situation has changed. Now the god king can suppress the rebellious leaders by himself, and he can also handle disputes by himself. It should not be difficult for you to understand that since he is a "god", he will not It is necessary to consult the opinions of the unknown for many lifetimes from time to time."

Arha stopped thinking about it.On this desert island, beneath this unchanging tombstone, "time" means little, and life has been lived in the same way since the creation of the world.She wasn't used to thinking about things in flux, old ways dying and new ones emerging; seeing things that way made her uncomfortable. "The power of the God King is far less than that of the Nameless One I serve." She frowned. "Of course...of course...but, baby, no one would say that to a 'god'. Certainly not to a priestess of a 'god'." Facing Manan's twinkling earth-colored eyes, she thought of Ke Xiu, the high priestess of the God King, and immediately understood what Manan meant.Ever since she came here, Ke Xiu had always frightened her.

"But the god-king and his people neglected to worship the tomb. No one came to worship." "Oh, he sent prisoners here as sacrifices, and he was not sloppy in this matter. He didn't forget the gift that should be offered to the unknown for many generations." "Gift! His temple is repainted every year, the altar in the temple has a load of gold, and rose oil is used to burn the lamp! And look at the throne room!! The roof is broken, the dome is cracked, and the walls are full of mice, owls, Bats... But anyway, the Throne House will outlast the God-King and all his temples, and outlast all the kings after him. The Throne House was there before them, and even if they were all gone, the Throne House would last forever Anzai. It is the center of everything."

"It's the center of everything." "There are treasures in the Throne Hall. Sar would sometimes mention to me that the treasures would fill ten Temples of the God-King. They are all gold and trophies handed down from ancient times. It may have been a hundred generations—who knows? How long has it been. These treasures are all locked in underground caverns and burial chambers. They won't show me to see, let me wait and wait. But I know what it looks like. The underground of the throne room, the underground of the whole area where the tomb is Under the ground where we stand now, there are many storage rooms. Under this ground is a huge network of tunnels: a big labyrinth. It is hidden under the surface of this hill, like a huge dark city, filled with Gold, swords of old heroes, old crowns, bones, ages, and silence."

She talked on and on, as if in a trance and ecstasy.Manan watched her.The flat face was not very expressive, but there was always a dull, cautious sadness.At this time, his face was more sad than usual. "Yes, and you are mistress of those treasures," he said, "including silence and darkness." "I am mistress, yes, but they won't let me see anything except the above-ground rooms behind the throne. They haven't even shown me the entrance to the subterranean realm, only mentioning it now and then. They put I am separated from my realm! They keep me waiting and waiting, why?"

"Little man, you're still young, and maybe..." Manan said in a hoarse tenor voice, "maybe they're afraid. After all, it's not their territory, it's yours; it's dangerous for them to go in there .There is no one in the world who is not afraid of the unknown.” A'erha didn't say anything, but his eyes lit up.Marnan once again directed her to a new way of seeing things.To her, Saar and Kersun had always been harsh, cold, and powerful, and it never occurred to her that they could be afraid.But Manan was right, they were afraid of those places, they were afraid of those powers, and Arha was the incarnation of that power and one of them.They are afraid to go into those dark places, they are afraid of being eaten.

Now, she and Ke Xiu stepped down the steps of the hut and climbed up the winding and steep path leading to the throne hall. On the way, she recalled her conversation with Manan, and she couldn't help but feel arrogant again.No matter where they took her, no matter what they showed her, she was not afraid.She knows her way. On the path, walking not far behind her, Ke Xiu said: "My mistress knows that one of her duties is to sacrifice a certain class of prisoners, criminals of noble birth. , committed a crime against the God-King." "Or violated the nameless person of many lifetimes." Arha said.

"That's not bad at all. However, if the victim is still young, it is not appropriate for her to take this responsibility. But now, my mistress is no longer a child. There is a group of prisoners in the chain room, a month ago Our Lord God King sent it from his city Avabas." "I didn't even know that a batch of prisoners had been sent. Why didn't I know?" "According to the ancient rules of the mausoleum, the prisoner must be sent secretly in the dark. Now please change the path along the wall, my mistress must follow the secret path." Arha turned around and left the original sloping road, and instead walked along the big stone wall that surrounded the tombstone behind the Dome.This stone wall is made of huge rock blocks, the smallest one is larger than a grown man, while the largest rock is as big as a four-wheeled carriage.Although uncut, adjacent blocks fit together and are well connected.However, in a few places, the height of the wall dropped sharply, and the rocks were piled up in shapeless formations.It was something that had taken a long time to do, a hundred years of alternating hot days and freezing nights in the desert, plus the slight movement of the mountains themselves. "It's easy to climb over this wall of tombstones." Arha said as he walked along the bottom of the wall. "We don't have enough men to build the ruined parts," Corshun replied. "But we have enough men to guard." "Only slaves. They are unreliable." "Make them fearful and they will be sure. If they are not guarded enough, let strangers set foot on sacred ground within the walls, and give them the same penalty as the stranger who treads." "What kind of punishment?" Ke Xiu asked knowingly.She had told Arha the answer a long time ago. "Beheading before the throne." "Is it my mistress' intention to send someone to guard the wall around the tombstone?" "Yes." The girl replied.Inside the long sleeves of the black robe, her fingers clenched tightly with pride.She knew that Ke Xiu had no intention of assigning a slave to guard the wall, such a futile task. After all, what stranger would come here?It is impossible for anyone, whether inadvertently or deliberately, to wander anywhere within a mile of the tomb without being seen;But sending a slave here to guard it is the honor due to this wall, and Ke Xiu has no objection, and she must obey Arha. "Here we are." Ke Xiu said in an indifferent voice. Arha stopped.She had walked around the wall of tombstones in the past, so she knew the area as she knew every foot of earth, every rock, every bramble and thistle in the place.Now, to her left, stood the great stone wall, three times her height; to her right, the hills descended into a low, barren valley before climbing up again to the foothills of the mountains to the west.She looked around the ground nearby, seeing nothing she hadn't seen before. "Under those red rocks, mistress." A few yards from the slope the ground showed a spot of red lava, which formed a step, or rather a small ledge of the hill.Arha went down to the lava, and stood on a flat ground in front of the rock, facing the rock.Then she realized that the four-foot-tall red lava looked like a rough opening. "What should I do?" She knew long ago that unless she knew how to open the door to a sacred place like this, it would be futile to try. "My mistress keeps all the keys to the dark places." After the coming-of-age ceremony, an iron ring began to hang on her belt. The iron ring was connected with a small dagger and thirteen keys. Some keys were long and heavy, and some were as light as a fishhook.She picked up the hoop and spread out the key. "That one." Ke Xiu pointed to the key, then stretched out his fat index finger and placed it on a surface crack between two dented pieces of red lava. The long-handled key was of iron, and had two trim pieces.Stretching it into the crack, feeling stiff and difficult to move, A'erha twisted it to the left with both hands together, and finally turned it away smoothly. "What about again?" "Work hard together—" They pushed the rough rock face to the left of the keyhole, and some irregular stones of the red rock moved inward. Although the rock was heavy, it moved quite smoothly without making too much noise.Immediately afterwards, a narrow gap appeared, and the inside of the narrow gap was pitch black. Arha bent down and went inside. Ke Xiu was a big woman, and she was wearing a thick black robe, so she had to squeeze hard to get through the narrow entrance.As soon as she entered, she immediately leaned against the stone door and closed it with difficulty. It was completely dark inside, with no light at all.The darkness created a sense of oppression, as effective as the humidity in the cave. They bent their bodies almost halfway, because the place they were standing at this time was less than four feet high, and it was so narrow that when Arha groped with his hands, he immediately touched the wet rocks on the left and right. "Have you brought a candle?" She whispered, the way people automatically lower their voices in the dark. "No." Ke Xiu replied behind her.Ke Xiu also lowered his voice, but there was a strange tone in his words, which sounded like he was smiling.Ke Xiu never smiled.A'erha's heart beat faster, her blood throbbed in her throat, and she said fiercely to herself, "This is my place, I belong here, and I'm not afraid!" But outwardly she was silent.She started forward.There is only one road, leading down to the interior of the hill. Ke Xiu followed behind, panting heavily, his robe brushing against the rocks and the ground. Suddenly, the roof became higher, and Arha was able to stand upright, spreading his arms wide without touching the walls.The originally stagnant air with an earthy smell now feels cool and humid, and the air is slightly flowing, bringing a sense of emptiness.Arha carefully walked a few steps forward in total darkness.The slight sound of a pebble touching another pebble under the sole of her sandals echoed.Judging from the many, small, and distant conditions of the echoes, the cave must be deep and wide, but not empty: some invisible object or the surface of the divider in the darkness shatters one echo into a thousand tiny echoes. "This must be directly under the tombstone." The girl whispered.Her slight voice spread out in the empty darkness, and immediately burst into fine voice lines like spider webs, which lasted for a long time. "That's right, this is the Great Tomb. Go on, I can't stop here, go along the left wall, and go through three openings." Ke Xiu muttered softly, and the subtle echoes also muttered.She was afraid, she was afraid.She didn't like standing among so many nameless ones, in their graves, in their caves, or even in this endless darkness.This is not her place, she does not belong here. "I should bring a torch." Arha said, continuing to guide her forward by touching the cave wall with her fingers.She marveled at the grotesque shape of the rock, with its indentations and protrusions, its delicate curves and edges, rough as lace by moments and smooth as brass.It must have been carved, perhaps, the whole cave is the work of ancient carvers. "It is forbidden to light lamps and fires here." Ke Xiu whispered softly, but his tone was stern.Even though Arha said that just now, he knew in his heart that light must be forbidden here.This is the home of darkness, the very center of night. Her fingers brushed the three openings of the cave in the darkness.The fourth time, she felt the height and width of the opening before walking in, followed by Ke Xiu. This tunnel slowly ascended again, they skipped an opening on the left hand side, and then took a branch road on the right hand side: here is a dark underground, and there is only a deep silence underground, and they feel everything by touch.Walking in this kind of passage, you must keep reaching out to touch the sides, otherwise you will inevitably miss a certain opening that must be counted, or ignore the fork in the way.Here touch is the only guide; the path is invisible to the eyes, and is held in the hands. "Is this the Great Labyrinth?" "No. It's a network of smaller tunnels, directly under the throne." "Where is the entrance to the Great Labyrinth?" Arha likes this kind of game in the dark, she hopes to have a bigger puzzle to test herself. "There is the second opening in the tomb we just walked through. Now check to see if there is a door on the right hand side, a wooden door, maybe we missed it!!" Arha heard Ke Xiu's hands brushing against the rough rock, and hurriedly touching the wall.She herself continued to lightly touch the rock with her fingertips, and immediately felt a smooth wooden surface underneath.She pushed it, and the wooden door creaked easily.She stood in the light, momentarily blind. They entered a large, low room with walls of hewn stone and lit by torches on a chain.With no smoke vents, the air in the room was clouded with torch smoke.Arha's eyes were irritated and filled with tears. "Where is the prisoner?" "there." It was with some difficulty that she realized that the three piles of things in the far distance of the room were three people. "The wooden door is unlocked, is there a guard?" "No need for guards." She stepped in hesitantly, squinting her eyes to peer through the thick smoke.Each prisoner had chains around both ankles and one wrist in a large ring nailed into the rock.If one wanted to lie down, the handcuffed arm had to be suspended.The prisoners' hair and beard were tangled, and with the dim shadows, their faces were completely unclear.The three prisoners were naked, one half-lying, and two sitting or squatting. The stench from their bodies was more pungent than the smoke. One of them seemed to be watching Arha.Arha felt as if he saw the light in those eyes, but he wasn't quite sure.The other prisoner didn't move, didn't even look up. She turns around. "They're not human anymore," she said. "They have never been human. They are demons and beast spirits. How dare they plot evil and want to take the sacred life of the god king!" Ke Xiu's eyes were shining brightly, reflecting the bright red torch. Arha took one more look at the prisoner.She asked with awe and curiosity: "How could a mortal attack a god? How did he do it? You, how dare you attack a living god?" The man stared at her through the clump of black hair, but didn't respond at all. "Their tongues were cut off before they were sent from Avabas." Ke Xiu said, "Mistress, don't talk to them, they are dirty things. They are yours, but don't talk to them, don't Look at them, and don't think about them. They are offerings that you have sent to offer to the Nameless Ones of ages." "How to sacrifice them?" Arha no longer looked at the three prisoners, but turned to Ke Xiu, so as to draw strength from Ke Xiu's huge body and cold voice.She felt dizzy, and the smell of smoke and filth made her ill, but seemed able to think and speak calmly.Hasn't she done the sacrifice countless times before? "The mausoleum guardian priestess knows best which way of death will please her mistress. There are many ways, and the choice is hers." "Let the captain of the guard, Gaoba, cut off their heads, and the blood will be sprinkled in front of the throne." "Like sacrificing a goat?" Ke Xiu seemed to be mocking Arha's lack of imagination.Arha was speechless.Ke Xiu continued: "Also, Gao Ba is a man, and men are not allowed to enter the dark place in the tomb. I believe the Queen still remembers this? If a man enters, he cannot get out..." "Who brought these three prisoners in here? Who fed them?" "The two stewards who serve in my temple, Dubi and Wutu, are eunuchs. They can come here as long as they work for the unknown for many generations, just like me. The soldiers of the god king tied the prisoners Outside the walls, I and two stewards lead them in through the "prisoner's door," the door hidden in the red lava. It's always been done that way. Food and water come from a room behind the throne. The slatted door is lowered." Alha looked up.There was a square plank in the ceiling beside the chain from which the torches were hung.The opening was so small that it was impossible for a man to climb out of it, but if a rope were lowered from it, one of the three prisoners could just reach out and grab it.She jerked her head back again. "Stop asking the stewards to bring food and water, and stop lighting the torches." Ke Xiu bowed to lead the show. "After they die, what happens to their bodies?" "Let Duby and Uto bury them in the big hole we just walked through, that is, the mausoleum." The girl's speaking speed gradually increased, and her voice rose. "It must be done in the dark. My mistress will eat their corpses." "As you are told." "How about this arrangement, Ke Xiu?" "That's a good arrangement, mistress." "Then let's go." After finishing his sharp words, Arha turned around and quickly walked towards the wooden door, and hurriedly stepped out of the chain room and entered the dark tunnel.This piece of dead darkness is completely impenetrable, without a trace of light, just like a night without stars, it is as quiet and pleasant.As soon as she plunged into the clean darkness, she moved forward at a rapid pace, like a swimmer who plunges into the water and swims forward.Ke Xiu speeded up to follow, panting and dragging his pace, falling further and further behind.Arha didn't hesitate at all, according to the way she came, skipping what should be skipped, turning what should be turned, she walked around the empty and echoing tomb, crawled through the last long tunnel, and reached the locked rock door.She bent down to feel for the long key on the iron ring around her waist, and found the key, but couldn't find the keyhole anywhere.The invisible wall in front of her had no pores for light.Her fingers ran all over the stone wall, looking for a keyhole, latch, or knob, but found nothing.Where should the key be inserted?How is she going to get out? "hostess!" Ke Xiu's panting call was amplified by the echo, and it boomed in the distance behind her. "Mistress, that door cannot be opened from the inside, there is no way out, no way back." With his back against the rock, Arha remained silent. "Ah Ha!" "I'm here." "come over!" She put her hands and knees on the ground, and crawled along the aisle to Ke Xiu's skirt like a puppy. "Turn right, quick! I can't stay here any longer, this is not my place. Come with me." Arha stood up, grabbing Ke Xiu's robe.The two walked forward, following the strangely carved stone wall on the right hand side of the great cave for a long way, and then entered a still dark tunnel in the darkness.They went up the stairs of the tunnel, the girl still clutching Ke Xiu's robe, her eyes closed. There was light, and she vaguely saw red light from the slits in her eyes.She thought she was back in the torched, smoke-smelling chain room, so she didn't open her eyes right away.But the air here smells sweet, dry, musty, and familiar, and the steps are as steep as a ladder.She let go of Ke Xiu's robe, opened her eyes, and there was an open trapdoor above her head.She followed Ke Xiu through the door and entered a room she knew well: a small stone room with two chests and some iron boxes, one of many rooms behind the throne.The skylight projected on the corridor outside the door, faint and gloomy. "The 'prisoner's door' can only be opened to the tunnel, not to the outside. This is the only exit. If there are other entrances and exits, I don't know, and Sar doesn't know either. If there are other passages, you I have to think about it myself, but I don’t think so.” Ke Xiu still spoke in a low voice, with a malicious tone.The fat face in the black hood was rather pale and wet with sweat. "I don't remember how many turns it takes to get to this exit." "Let me tell you, there is only one turn. You must remember that next time I won't accompany you in. It's not my place, you have to go in alone." The girl nods.She gazed at the elderly woman, and thought her face looked strange: although pale with a fear she had managed to control, she still exuded triumphant arrogance, as if she felt a sense of Arha's weakness. gloat. "Next time I'll go by myself." After Arha finished speaking, he tried hard to turn around and leave Ke Xiu, but he felt his legs go limp, and the room turned upside down.She collapsed into a little black heap at the feet of the priestess. "You will remember," Ke Xiu said, she was still panting but stood still: "You will remember."