2.19 The Lies That Bind

        "Can you remember what happened to your head?" Nulu pried gently from across the breakfast table. "Do you remember how you ended up in that tunnel?"

         Images of the faded sign and flashbacks of that fatal debate returned to haunt Zara the moment Nulu asked about it. "The sign over the tunnel said it led to Hellias" Zara replied as more images returned, images of the cell she had escaped. "I was in the TLS Program…"

         "TLS Program?" Nulu frowned, this was new lingo.

         Zara felt her heart pounding, hard,  just thinking about it. "Yes… I don't know…" Struggling between nightmare and reality, still in shock from the Unicorn dream, she wasn't entirely sure now which parts of the adventure had been a nightmare. "I can't remember everything... I don't remember... I'm really confused... There was a sign saying the tunnel went to Hellias but I thought I was going there anyway." The terrifying encounter with Aquilla returned soon after, with vengeance. "Oh my God..." she felt light headed just thinking about it, it couldn't possibly have been a nightmare, she had been wounded in the fall. "Oh my god... Aquilla almost KILLED me!"

         Nulu could tell the encounter had been traumatic, she squeezed her hand gently, hoping to ease her nerves. "How did you arrive at the tunnel?"

         Then, out of the blue, images of Medena slicing off Orien's head obliterated Zara's mind. The dam burst and she collapsed into sobs, all the stories began to pour out in a slurry jumble. The career, the Breeding Program, the Floggings, the Foreman, Dion's Salon, the Grill, the Garbage Tossers, the Golden Goblet, it all came out in one giant mashup.

         Nulu listened with horror and handed her a clean handkerchief, noticing her voice rising higher and higher in pitch as the stories unleashed from captivity.

         "…They even said that being a Cow Goddess was the Greatest Honor!!! I never even got to MEET Orien" she wailed, blowing into the clean soft cloth. Learning that perhaps Orien’s life didn't have to end came with a whole new sort of agony. "Why? Why didn't I listen to my feelings and GRAB him that day?"

         It was becoming apparent to Nulu that Zara’s Phoenix was alive and well. Perhaps this strong flame explained her timely arrival in Lemuria. "Why didn't you?"

         Rattled, Zara thought about it for a moment only to realize, with aching regret the argument in her mind. "I told myself not to... I told myself I just had to accept it..."

         "Why?"

         "Because that's the right thing to dooo.... Because that's what everyone does!" Now the handkerchief was getting all twisted in her hands, Nulu could see glimpses of a painful history, lurking deep within.

         Now Zara was being side-swiped by flashbacks of the Moha Lab and Lochia. "I was even PAID for him" she broke out in sobs again. "Like my womb was some kind of STORE FRONT!!! I thought it was right, I thought everyone thought it was right. I don't know what's worse. That I let them kill him, or that I accepted gold for his life!"

         Speechless now, Nulu handed her a clean handkerchief. She had heard rumors of slavery, they knew about the practice of blood sacrifice, they knew it still went on, Vikkar and his Nefilim kept them informed, but she never heard anything like this. They were sacrificing children? Buying and selling them? Zara's story was worse than she imagined, much worse than Vikkar or his men had described. It was troubling on many levels. "Had you heard of Anur before you arrived in Lemuria?"

         "No.. never!" Zara replied, calming as she wiped away her tears, determined to find Orien more than ever now. "We learned rubbish about Lemuria, it was on the map, but we were told it was Hellias. We were told the dogons would savage us if we went there, that it was a Barren Wasteland. The thing is, we could all see it in the distance, but no one ever asked why it never looked like barren wasteland!"

         Nulu knew about the Dogon feud with Atalon, it was ancient history, she didn't realize it had morphed into such an absurd reality, however. "Our worlds weren't always this divided" she assured. "Our tribes were torn apart many years ago. Many deceptions have poisoned the people of Gaia, we were once a great civilization, blossoming together, tribes and races alike, we weren't slaves, we worked together. Until the Archon's arrived. That was the beginning of the Great War that divided us."

         "Archons?" Zara echoed. "Who are the Archons?"

         It gave Nulu hope to see Zara wanted to learn; it meant she stood a chance of recovery. "It's a long story. You can learn the whole story at the Crystal Temple if you like."

         Zara had an idea already that there was more to her world than she had been taught in Culloom, she had learned about the Great War, the war against the evil savages that used to roam the land and how it had shaped the Atlan Empire; there was no mention of Archons. It was history, there was nothing anyone could do to change it, however so far, her Architecture education was missing a huge chapter, all those evil stories that had made her fear and dread Lemuria were yet to reveal themselves and Dogons turned out to be dogons; a pack of twisted lies. She wanted to know why.

2.18 Ultimate Evil

        Zara stirred from sleep as a ray of morning light danced across her face, and for a moment she felt relaxed, happy, comfortable and cozy under the soft down quilt...

         Then it all came back. She sat up with a jolt, sending her head into a dizzy spin followed by a wave of pain, she had such a huge headache. Steadying herself on the edge of the bed, she rubbed her eyes in hopes her memories of the last few days were also just a nightmare, then collapsed in a heap of defeat. She didn't even have to open her eyes, she could smell it, she just knew. This Lemurian nightmare was real!

         Curled in a fetal position, she pondered whether some of the preceding events had been a nightmare. Feelings of disbelief, anger and wonder collided inside, was this some joke? 

         As amazing aromas of real coffee filtered into the room, she pulled herself out of bed and lifted back the curtain to look out the window... It was a sunny paradise outside, the crystals hanging in the trees sparkled in the light, it was as if she was in some fairyland from some textbook they forgot to give her. How could reality be so twisted? How could this place be Hellias?

         More beautiful clothes had been placed neatly on a chair beside the bed. She picked them up with great caution. They were of a rustic weave but silky to the touch, the fabric was heavy, warm, they smelled sweet, fresh and clean… These so-called Savages offered nothing but comfort and warmth, they had done nothing but help her feel better.

         Aromas of delicious food soon harmonized with the coffee, the ancient goddess had been up for a while. Moments later she appeared, opened the curtains and invited Zara into the kitchen, where tea and freshly baked muffins awaited her on the table, another beautifully ornate hand carved antique that looked like no table she had ever seen before.

         "You look much better already" Nulu's eyes sparkled when she spoke. "How does your head feel?"

         Zara sat down at the table, easily tempted by the comforting aromas. "It's a bit better" she replied. "But not really... I'm sorry... My confusion is getting worse. I keep seeing images of home, but they make me feel sick. Everything here seems to be making me better but it’s supposed to be bad. Everything’s backwards, nothing makes sense… In fact, sometimes it’s so bad, I wonder if I might have died in the tunnel!"

         Nulu listened with great concern, she could see the fear and confusion tormenting Zara's mind, she had witnessed her disturbed sleep, that she even knew where she came from was unusual. "You're the first one to escape that actually has memories of home" she disclosed. "None of the others can remember anything. We've had quite a few refugees emerge from that passage over time."

         As Zara reflected upon the worn path through Aquila’s lair, chills ran down her spine. "Really?"

         "Yes" Nulu smiled kindly. "Whatever happened to them left them so fragmented, many of them died because they believed they were already dead."

         Zara felt light headed again, the wondering whether or not she had in fact already died was still very active in her mind. She reached for a muffin, broke off a corner and sampled the warm bread. It tasted so good, like everything here it was sweet and warm. There was only one conclusion to be had; Serpent Sorcery was some kind of Ultimate Evil so as to hide behind this paradisiacal façade. It was just so confusing.

         Images of Orien's head on the golden platter flashed by out of nowhere, choking her, a chunk of muffin flew out of her mouth. Embarrassed, she lurched for the napkin and cleaned it up.

         "I’m so sorry, Your Honor!"

         "It’s alright" Nulu reached for her hand, noticing the sweat beading in her palm. "You can call me Nulu."

         Thoughts jumped from the sacrificial boy to the children in the street. "Do you sacrifice your Products?"

         Nulu found the Gen language very disturbing, too, it wasn't something that a bath could fix. "No, we don't do any sacrificing of children in Lemuria."

         "You don't sacrifice them?" Was it another shocking lie or was it the truth? "But doesn't Medel punish you?"

         "We don't believe in Medel."

         "WHAT?" Zara gasped, horrified. It was the cruelest, most heinous thing she had ever heard in her life, now the picture was becoming clear, rage blazed hot inside. "Is that why Atalon says you're evil?"

         Nulu smiled, reminded of the childish feud. "It's a long story." She noticed Zara’s wide eyes, her trembling hands, that she even remembered who Atalon was offered hope of some disclosures. "I assure you, you will be safe here. After your breakfast, I'll take you back up to the Crystal Temple. There you will learn why we don't sacrifice our young or believe in Medel."

         Even though she had hardly eaten anything, Zara couldn't finish the muffin. It was true, this was a huge evil trick, if these people didn't believe in Medel, they were absolute evil, there was nothing that could forgive them. NO truth could forgive them. She knew the truth. This was why they called it Hellias, it wasn't a lie, she just had to learn this new concept of evil. She scanned the room again in growing disbelief, the façade was crumbling... This was why the houses had been destroyed at one time, this was why they never studied their architecture in school… This place was Hellias disguised as the Promised Land... This was the Unicorn sorcery applied on a massive scale…

         But the truth at the same time, was that this was the first time she had ever felt loved or cared for and she was a complete stranger to them! These people just took her in and made her feel so welcome and well again, they gave her this warm bath, this comfortable bed, these beautiful clothes and kind, sweet words... It just made no sense at all. "Can I take the muffin with me?"