The Cycles of Revelation Series

Artifact of the Dawn: Mathias (A Queer Sci-Fi Adventure)

Episode 11: Jevan brings Ardyn to meet his village leader, Ard Mathias, with the hopes he will give Ardyn asylum among the Medellan people.

Jevan told Ardyn more about Ard Mathias as they walked. He was a gruff older man, who was mostly kind and understanding. About most things, anyway. Jevan only grumbled about how Ard Mathias kept pushing to see him pair-bond with someone. Anyone. For Jevan, the practice of pair-bonding was archaic at best, and a lifelong imprisonment at worst.

Ardyn laughed at Jevan’s grousing. “I don’t know. It doesn’t sound so bad, spending your life with the one person you love.”

“That’s part of the problem. If we’re paired with someone we didn’t choose, we’re stuck with them for the rest of our lives. That’s how it was for my parents,” Jevan explained.

“So, once a pair bonds, they cannot go their separate ways?” Ardyn asked. “Even if they find themselves incompatible?”

“They could, and sometimes they do,” Jevan said. “I’m not entirely sure why my mother stayed in a loveless bonding for so long. However, once bonded, neither of the pair can enjoy the company of another for as long as their bondmate lives.”

Ardyn was about to question that revelation when they crested a rise and saw the village of Yanen in the valley below. It was picturesque, a scattering of homes with red-tiled roofs. Surrounding the village were large tracts of farmland on three sides, and some dense woodlands on the northernmost side.

As they passed by, villagers working out in the fields greeted Jevan with friendly smiles, some asking about his companion. It was clear many had never seen an Athla’naa before, and Ardyn tried his best to give a friendly wave, even as he steeled his nerves.

They approached a road that led into the village. Jevan led them toward the largest of the homes, located around an open market square. Yanen was larger than Ahren, but otherwise quite similar. Ardyn still marveled at how different Medellan villages were, compared to the tree-top homes of his own people.

Once they stood outside of the door of a large house, Jevan knocked on it with his fist. The door opened a few moments later, and an older man greeted them warmly. His hair and beard were white, and his skin was much paler than Jevan’s. Ardyn always marveled at the range of skin colors Medellans had, compared to his own people.

“Jevan! We were expecting you back days ago. Where have you been? I see you’ve also brought a visitor with you. Come in, come in!”

The older man led them inside and into a room that reminded Ardyn of Soren’s living room, with cushioned seating, tables, and a fireplace. Even the smell reminded him of Soren’s home, a mix of wood smoke and food. It surprised him how welcoming that felt after his last encounter in Ahren. I guess a part of me missed Soren more than I realized.

“So, who do we have here?” the man asked.

“His name is Ardyn,” Jevan introduced. “Ard Mathias.”

“Does he speak our language?” Mathias asked.

“Greetings,” Ardyn replied and bowed in respect. “Yes, I speak and understand your language. Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Ard Mathias.”

“Excellent!” Mathias exclaimed. “Come, sit and tell me what brings you to my door.”

Jevan and Ardyn took turns explaining how they met and their ensuing adventures, ending with Ardyn rescuing Jevan and fleeing to Yanen. While they spoke, Mathias said nothing, but as the tale progressed, his expression grew troubled.

After they had finished relating their tale, Mathias rose and paced the room, lost in thought. Then he sat down and looked at the pair of them gravely. “This is bad. Very bad. I wish you had not chosen to return here, Jevan.”

Jevan seemed surprised by this pronouncement. “It raises a lot of questions about the elves, certainly, but — ”

“You don’t understand, Jevan,” Mathias interrupted. “You broke the treaty between our people by escaping your execution.”

“So, you knew about this treaty? Did you also know about the Aria’una, this forbidden zone, of theirs? Why have you never warned anyone to avoid it?” Jevan questioned with a raised voice.

“Because the perimeter lies within elven territory,” Mathias explained. “We’re all cautioned to avoid entering the elven lands. If you don’t trespass on their lands, then you are in no danger of wandering haphazardly into this forbidden area. There are no settlements to trade with near it, so it never occurred to me to give you any special warning.”

“Don’t you remember? I told you that there is a new settlement I discovered that I’ve been trading with,” Jevan reminded him. “I came across their settlement about a year ago and have been trading with them regularly. I was there the day before and they are near the border of the Aria’una.”

Mathias scowled. “The maps I have of the elven territory show no settlements anywhere near there.”

The old man rose and went to a large chest that sat in the corner of the room. He pulled out some scrolls and unrolled them on the low table before them. “See? Here’s the line of those red-leafed trees that mark the border. Here’s Maala’naa. The nearest settlements I knew of were all farther south and west.”

Ardyn had never seen a map before. He gazed at it, attempting to comprehend what Mathias was pointing out. “If this is Maala’naa,” Ardyn said, pointing his finger at the spot Mathias had shown. “Then you’re missing several settlements on this map… here… here… and here,” he pointed to spots where he thought they would approximately be.

“Yes,” Jevan agreed, pointing his finger at a specific spot. “The settlement I mentioned is located here. According to this, it’s quite close to that line of trees.”

Sitting back in frustration, Mathias ran his hands over his face. “I should have asked you for more details when you told me of the new elven settlement you’d found to trade with,” Mathias admitted. “However, something else about this is wrong. Despite the standing order to execute any Medellan who dares step foot inside this Aria’una, they have never carried it out.”

“There is a tacit agreement between us and the Elder Triumvirate. In the past, they would send a party of hunters and rangers to locate and escort any Medellan out of the Aria’una that stumble into it by accident. Then they send the Medellan on their way with a stern warning. It has happened a few times in the past, and they never once carried out an execution.”

“Then why did they capture me and threaten to execute me?” Jevan wondered aloud.

“Most likely, because you lingered and saw things you should not have,” Mathias tried to explain. “There is a reason that area is forbidden.”

Shaking his head, his ears lowered, Ardyn spoke up. “That’s not right. They also forbid hunters and rangers to enter the Aria’una. The Triumvirate would never send us to escort someone out. No one came after us while Jevan and I explored. They were waiting for us outside the border of the bhath’laa’ar.”

“I see,” Mathias said. “That’s not what they recorded in the histories. I can read to you the — ”

Making a sound of frustration, Jevan sat forward. “Do you know what lies hidden there? Why is it forbidden?” Jevan challenged, an edge of anger in his voice.

“Some of it, yes. Not everything,” Mathias admitted. “I didn’t know about the structures you found, but their presence does not surprise me.”

Ardyn was appalled. Jevan’s village leader had also been lying and keeping secrets the same as his own elders had? Could none of their leaders be trusted?

“You knew?!” Jevan yelled, standing up, his face turning red. “Why are you the only one who knows?”

“It’s part of the treaty agreement,” Mathias said. “Only the village ards are allowed to know, and we are mandated to enact laws to prevent our people from finding the truth. It’s worked well enough for centuries to keep the peace between our people.”

“So, what now?” Jevan asked, sitting down next to Ardyn. “Because I’ve seen some things that the Triumvirate didn’t want me to see, you would have let them kill me?”

“If only it were that simple,” Mathias said, standing up and pacing again. After muttering to himself for a few moments, he sat back down and faced Jevan. “No, I won’t just hand you over to them to execute. You didn’t know the full consequences of your actions. However, this could cause an all-out war with the elves if I don’t do something.”

“What will you do?” Jevan asked.

“For now, I’ll ask you to remain confined in your home,” Mathias decided. “Then I will consider my options on how to appease the demands of the treaty without simply sending you to your death. I will hold a public tribunal tomorrow and announce my decision then.”

“A tribunal?” Jevan asked, his voice raised in anger. “All because I found out about some strange buildings, hidden in a remote part of the forest? What are you and the Triumvirate trying to hide?”

“I’m sorry, Jevan,” Mathias said. “I truly am, but I must follow the law if I want to avoid starting a war with the elves that our people cannot win.”

Ardyn looked up at that, his ears raised in surprise. Why does he think his people can’t win against my people? The Medellans had the use of metal, which surely was superior to the stone tools the Athla’naa used.

Before Ardyn could speak up and ask, Jevan looked over at him. “What about Ardyn?”

Looking at him, Mathias asked. “Do you wish to return to your people?”

Shaking his head, Ardyn replied. “No. After helping Jevan escape and fleeing my punishment, I fear they may also execute me if I return.”

“Then you may remain with Jevan for the time being,” Mathias said. “I need to study the treaty and the books of law. I’ve never had to pass judgment on someone who wasn’t Medellan, but I will need to, to appease your people and honor the treaty. If you cannot return home, you will face the tribunal with Jevan.”

Ardyn’s ears flattened back as he bowed his head. None of this felt right, but there wasn’t much he or Jevan could do about it. At least, not right now.

What aren’t they telling us? he wondered.

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