empire’s wisest and most humane minds are born. Their second god, Alintepel, is the god of military fortune. When two equally strong warriors meet in combat, victory is often decided by chance. It can turn on something so small. Even an experienced warrior can find himself helpless in the face of a terrible stroke of bad luck that cuts through his lifeline like a sword…”
“You know so many interesting things. It’s a pleasure to hear you talk,” said the attractive brunette with a fine profile and unusually beautiful, emerald eyes who had been walking for over an hour with Uni along the winding pathways of the gardens of Archomena, enjoying the warm evening breeze, the deepening red sunset and her erudite companion. Uni had been surprised at how easy it was to interest the unattainable heroine of his dreams – all he had to do was tell her, one after another, all the things he had learned while reading in the archive.
“This is going well,” Uni thought to himself. “I’ll tell her about the bride selection ritual of Torgendam, and then it will be time for the main event: Dearest Siana, I have known so many lovely women from beyond the seas, but none of them – and none of our empire’s fair women – can compare to you, not even the princesses of past ages. You are the princess of my soul. You are its queen, and my eyes are locked on you forever…”
She turned her smile on him. “I’m glad you found time to walk with me. I know you’re busy working for the Emperor.”
Uni blushed. “As a matter of fact, I am a little pressed for time. You see, His Majesty is expecting an important report from me tomorrow. It’s a secret, you know. Yes, there are some things that His Majesty can only trust me with. I try to find time for him. There are plenty of other workers at the archive, but he needs someone who truly understands the matter.”
“How right you are! My father is the Heavenly Throne’s treasury secretary, and he is always complaining about the difficulty of finding good people. There are so many dishonest people out there who only think about how to put money in their own pockets. Can you imagine? They buy houses, boats, fine carriages and expensive paintings, but their heads are absolutely empty!”
Uni sighed. “That is a sign of our times. Money without culture and culture without money. In the ancient world, the leaders were enlightened. They took wise men as their advisors, and their governments and their people prospered. When wisdom is separated from power and power from wisdom, the country becomes like a body that is missing its head!”
“You always put things just the right way!”
“I am but a simple fisherman who spends his days chasing after the truth with the tattered nets of his thoughts,” Uni replied. “I’m not the first person to realize that powerful people ought to pay attention to those who have great knowledge. When wise men are ignored by those in power, they always turn their voices to the rabble, becoming leaders of the mindless crowd, whose animal instincts drive it to destroy the foundations of a civilized society. It is a shame that our self-important civil servants do not wish to see what is right in front of their faces: it would be better to spend one hundred leros today to hire a handful of wise men than spend a thousand leros tomorrow to put down a revolt!”
Siana smiled happily. “I agree with everything you say, but remember that not everyone is as thoughtless as you think. My future husband, Semilius Torvey, has the greatest respect for talented young people. He says that the empire stands on their shoulders.”
“Your future husband?” Uni felt a wave of hot blood rise to his head. He froze. A black mist clouded his vision. He put his hands to his head.
“Of course, it would be more correct to say that he is my fiancé, but the matter has already been decided. I thought you know him. Semilius is one of the commanders of the Solar Sentinels. I expect you’ve seen him at the palace.”
“No, I haven’t. I mean, of course, I’ve heard of him. Have you known him long?”
“Three months. Remember when you met me at the square in front of the Imperial Court? He was standing next to my father. He’s tall and strong, and his face is very fierce, with such a manly profile! You know, I’ve never been a very emotional person, but when I saw him for the first time, I felt like a wave knocked me off my feet. Something just pulled me to him!”
“I see.” Uni’s face was as hard as stone. He sighed, folded his hand behind his back, and started walking again, trying to look like he wasn’t dying inside. “He sounds like the perfect hero. I suppose all the girls dream of a brave young man like that saving them from a dragon…”
Siana gave a little frown. “He’s fifteen years older than I am, so he’s not exactly a young man. I’d say he’s a man in his prime. And he’s very, very smart. Just listen, I haven’t told you everything yet. Semilius told me that after we are married, he wants us to host a salon of the most intelligent people in the empire. He always says exactly what you just did: educated book-lovers shouldn’t be allowed to mingle with poor people. There needs to be a place where they can come and discuss their ideas while they drink and eat and have a good time. We are going to host elegant dinner parties like that. Just imagine: philosophers sitting around our table having heated discussions! I hope you will come and take part.”
“Me? Thank you for the invitation. I doubt I’ll come.”
“What’s wrong with you, Uni? You’re such a nice boy. You should think about your career. If you spend time with the best people in the empire, you’ll get noticed much faster. Wise men and leaders around the same table! That’s just what you were talking about, isn’t it?”
“Of course.” He paused. “Siana, you are always telling me how smart you think I am, but you’re wrong. Today, for the first time, I realized that you are the smart one. I’m a fool. That’s the truth.” Uni’s voice wavered as he stared off in the distance.
“How strange you are! How could I ever be smarter than you? You’ve read so many books, and you know more things than I could ever imagine. I may know a little bit about a lot of things, but my only chance to really learn is when I talk to people like you!”
“Will I ever see you again?” Uni asked, easing himself into the role of martyr.
“Of course! Come by during the week and tell me more about the Arincils. My father says we will be at war with them soon, but Semilius doesn’t believe it. What do you think, which of them is correct?”
For a moment, Uni said nothing, but then he gathered all of his strength and mastered the wave of despair that was drowning him. “I believe your eminently respected father is closer to the truth.”
“I think so, too,” the girl said, leaning toward him trustingly. “But please don’t tell Semilius. He doesn’t like it when I disagree with him.” She glanced at the setting sun. “It’s time for me to go. The sun is down. Time always flies when I’m with you!”
“Let me walk you home.”
“No need. There’s a palanquin waiting for me at the entrance to the gardens. Goodbye, Uni. It was so nice to spend time with you.” With an elegant wave of her wrist – encircled with a gold bracelet in the form of a grape vine – the girl left Uni standing alone in the ruins of his unfounded expectations.
“My dear boy, I can’t understand why you ever had any hopes. What were you thinking?” The heavy-set young man walking on Uni’s left was the absolute picture of sarcasm. He was only a hair taller than his tragic friend, but he made himself more noticeable with his smug bearing, brightly colored robes, and
