“The stars never lie, O king,” I said, “there will be an attempt on your life before Luna finishes her next transformation.”
“What else do the stars say Melchior? Do they say who it will be? Or how?” asked the king.
“No, Your Majesty. Sometimes, the stars don’t tell us all the information we want, but they do say is the truth,” I replied.
The king waved his hand dismissively at me and ordered me out. I politely bowed and backed away. As I left, he said to me, “I have many enemies. Someone is always trying to kill me. Come back when the stars have detailed information.”
As I left the palace to go back to the Royal Observatory, I wondered how I could help the king see the importance of the stars’ message. While he was correct that someone was always wanting him dead, the fact that the Ruler and the Chariot were in conjunction was a sign of ill intent toward the highest authority! This would be no regular regicide attempt.
Upon approaching the Royal Observatory, as I was about to greet the guard, as was my custom, an idea came to me.
“Good day to you Guardsman Kabeel,” I said, raising my hand in greeting.
“A good day to you as well, learned one,” he replied formally. Guardsman Kabeel held all of us Magi in high regard when we read the stars and confirmed that his little daughter would not die of the Bloody Cough.
“Could you please do me a favor?” I inquired.
“If it does not interfere with my duties, I would be delighted to assist you learned one.”
“Of course,” I said, “I would never ask you to do anything that would interfere with your sacred duty. The stars say that a major attempt will be made on the king’s life soon. They do not give any other information. I informed the king, but without more specific information, he does not act. Could you please tell the Commander to place extra guards around the king for the next month?”
“It shall be as you say, learned one,” was his reply.
I retired to the library to pour over the old books for any insights into the stars. I cross-referenced all conjunctions of the Ruler and the Chariot with records of noteworthy assassination attempts (and occasional successes). I hoped to find a pattern or perhaps a slight variation of angle that could give me more data.
I had the servants brings me dinner and evening tea, as I continued my research. Once darkness fell, I sprinted up the creaky staircase to the astrolabe at the top of the tower. After making the normal observations and recording them, I carefully double-checked the Chariot, as well as the Ruler. No matter how many times I checked and re-checked those stars, I was no closer to answers than when I began. I decided to call it a night and walked toward the stairs.
CREAK
I stopped. No one else should be in here at this hour, not even the servants.
CREAK
CREAK
It was closer. I tiptoed to the desk where I kept my star-gazing tools. I picked up my secondary sextant. It was made of iron and a had a good weight to it, which is why it was my back-up tool. I made my way over to the wall next to the door and waited for the intruder to appear.
Just as I got into position, the creaking stopped, just outside the door. For a moment, they only sound was my beating heart. Then it snarled.
With a loud bang that caused my heart to stop for just a moment, the heavy wooden door was knocked off of its hinges and hit the floor. A large crocodilian head poked through the doorway and I barely avoided the gaze of its over-sized insectoid eyes. It had a scaly, snake-like body that was held up by several thin legs, each ending in three sharp talons. The front third of it was raised vertically, 5 cubits high, presenting eighteen talons on six multi-jointed limbs to its intended victim, presumably me.
I slammed the sextant into the thing’s side It roared in pain and lashed at me with its claws. I jumped back and only suffered a couple of torn gashes in my robe. It focused both of it horribly alien eyes on me and lunged at me, mouth open wide, ready to devour me whole. The teeth were shaped like tiny scimitars, but they were just as deadly as the full-sized version.
I ducked to avoid it teeth, but I slipped on my robe and hit the ground hard. Its talons scratched up the floor as it hurried to catch me in its claws. I kicked at it, but my sandaled feet bounced harmlessly off its tough hide. It grabbed me with its claws and roared in triumph, as I was pinned helplessly to the ground. It opened its mouth up and prepared to bite me.
I refused to die without a fight, so I redoubled my efforts to harm the beast, but my end was inevitable. I simply could not hurt it in my current position. The jaws came closer and closer. Warm, wet salvia dripped on my face.
Just before the jaws closed around my head, a bright light filled the room from the western window and the monster simply disappeared. A thin layer of ash blanketed me, the only remnants of the thing, other than the scratches upon my flesh. I laid in silence for a moment, the only sound was my labored breathing. I stood up, brushed myself off, and looked out the window.
Up in the sky was a star. A new star, one that should not be there. My inner professional wiped away the strange event that just happened and automatically been pulling out parchment and quill pen to record this new phenomenon. Just as I put pen to parchment, a commotion from the courtyard caught my attention.
I looked down and noticed one of the strange multi-legged monsters mauling a couple guardsmen that were defending the door into the royal sleeping chambers.
With sextant in hand, I took the stairs down, three at a time and made it to the ground floor faster than an angry camel chasing an abusive master. I threw open the door and ran to the aid of the guardsmen. One was lying facedown in a pool of blood and the other was barely keeping the thing’s teeth at bay with his swordplay.
As I approached, the star’s light fell up on the monster and it instantly turned to ash. I shifted from attack to aid. I got on my knees and ripped strips from my robe to try and stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, it was too late. He was passed. I said a quick prayer to the Moon for the fallen guardsman. He died doing his duty and deserved peace in the hereafter.
After my prayer was finished, I asked the surviving guard if the king was alive. He replied in the affirmative. I let out a deep breath and began calling for more guards. However, the commotion disturbed the sleep of everyone in the palace complex, so a crowd soon formed around the royal sleeping chambers. A squad of guardsmen, bloodied and scarred soon came, recounting their own tales of fighting the strange creatures. They reinforced the surviving guard at the door and bade us all to go back to our homes.
I saw unknown beasts in every shadow as I trudged back to the Royal Observatory, but nothing came out of the darkness to harm me. Upon entering, I closed and locked the door. For good measure, I propped a heavy table against the door. The thrill of fighting slowly slipped away and I was dead tired. I dragged myself up to the top of the tower, drawn to the light of the star. It truly was a star of wonder.
Re-invigorated by being (slightly) closer to the star, I carefully took measurements and recorded them. Once, I finished my measurements, I laid down on my desk and fell asleep. Dreams of a great red dragon chasing a young maiden haunted my sleep.
I awoke in the morning and went down to let in the servants. They brought me breakfast, as well as a message to see the king as soon as possible. I quickly ate and went to the audience chamber of the king.
“I have come by thy command, O king…” I began the traditional greeting as I kneeled before the king.
“Peace be on you Melchior. We must talk,” he interrupted, “what happened last night?”
I carefully recounted everything that happened, ending with the measurements taken of the strange star. The king looked me over carefully and I realized that I had not cleaned up from the previous night and I begged an apology for my appearance. The king stopped me and got down to business.
“You spoke truth yesterday. The stars did say that there would be an attempt on my life and there was one. What does this new star say?”
“I do not know yet. The rise of a new star is a special event and will require much research into the old archives. I can only speculate that it is a sign of hope and goodwill toward us all.”
“Then go! Find out what it means. This, your king commands.”
I left the king’s presence and immediately went back to the Royal Observatory. I pulled the oldest books off the shelf and sneezed at the dust flew up my nose. I sat there for 3 days, only taking breaks for the most necessary of physical needs and to double check my observations at night, until I found the answer. I calmly collected my thoughts and went to the king.
I strode in confidently and was received immediately. I (quickly) went through the formal greeting procedure and I began speaking about what I had learned.
“My king, the stars have spoken. The new star to the west is a harbinger of great tidings. In the land of the hated Empire, a young king of a subjugated people has been born. He is fated to rise up and conquer the Empire. There shall be no ending to his rule.”
The king sat stunned for a moment. He waved over his chief servant and whispered in his ear. Then he beckoned me to come closer, which I obediently did.
“Melchior, chief of my Magi, I want you to go west. Follow that star and greet this young king. I want peace between my people and his people. Give him a gift of our highest-purity frankincense.”
“Yes, your Majesty,” I said and left to prepare for the journey to see the child.
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Image at top is "Night Sky" by Tiago Silva is licensed under CC by 2.0
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