Inquisitor's Promise (Act Three, Chapter Fifteen)
The Holy League had been united, but the Grey Globe continued to move towards Earth. Aeneas and the members of his inner circle knew they had much to do and little time to prepare.
Chapter Fifteen: Home of the Felinids
When Shaka asked to join Aeneas on his mission to unite the Holy League, he never expected to be a major part of the Church’s effort to defeat the Grey Globe. He was content to just be a soldier, a mere mercenary. But his past had caught on to him.
Shaka could still remember the conversation he had with Aeneas when the Inquisitor had discovered the pathfinder’s heritage as the son of Chieftain Christiaan of the Boer Kraal. It had happened just before his marriage to Kunoichi:
“When were you planning to tell me about your family history?” Aeneas asked. The Inquisitor had kept a cool composure, but it was clear that he was annoyed at being kept in the dark.
“It’s not relevant, sir,” Shaka answered flatly. “The kraalmen of Draka are cattle ranchers. We’re not important at all.”
But Aeneas was not convinced by that answer. “Your father was murdered, and his position usurped. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“I want nothing to do with that place. I am happy to just be Shaka de Boer, soldier for Inquisitor Aeneas Aquilanus,” Shaka declared.
“I appreciate your loyalty, Shaka,” Aeneas said, smiling. “But if I have been in your position, I would like nothing more than to right that wrong.”
“Being an Inquisitor is not my calling.”
“I wonder…”
“In any case, sir,” Shaka began. “This isn’t relevant to our mission.”
“You’re right, Shaka. But you would have made a fine Inquisitor.”
Aeneas’ words had been ringing in Shaka’s mind. Neither his marriage nor his mission had dampened them, but Shaka was not flattered. Painful memories — and guilt —remained in the pathfinder’s psyche, he wished nothing more than to forget them.
At the moment, Shaka and Kunoichi were taking a small airship north towards Fjordsden, the land of the ‘true felinids’ — as they liked to call themselves. As the airship was flying over the northern Europan region, Shaka could see the snow and ice that was all over the city-covered landscape.
Shaka then thought of his wife. Ever since they had agreed on their course of action, she had been very excited about finally seeing her own people. Or rather, seeing them as they should be, before they decided to adopt the hateful worship of Moloch.
The airship was finally close to their destination as can be shown by what looked to be a sinkhole below. But that was no sinkhole. It was the land of Fjordsden, originally constructed by the Dark Age Civilization as an underground facility. Following the Three Days of Darkness, the felinids made it their home.
Picking a place to land for Shaka’s airship was no issue due to its small size. They landed at the closest sky port they could, located at the middle levels of Fjordsden.
Shaka wanted to make haste towards Baersonling, the section at the lower levels that served as the capital of the Fjordsden Tribal Alliance. Meanwhile, Kunoichi was intent on taking her time to enjoy the view. She held her husband by his hand; they both looked across the chasm that was at the center of the nation. Large holes could be found dotted across the walls, but these holes were not arbitrary as they served as the entrances for the various levels of Fjorsdsden. There were also people who lived at the edges of these levels, as shown by the homes they built.
“Look at those houses hanging over the cliff,” the felinid girl said in awe.
“Interesting,” Shaka said.
“It’s more than interesting,” Kunoichi responded. “It’s amazing!”
“I suppose,” Shaka said. The pathfinder scanned the building and saw how they seemed to be hanging dangerously over the air, not exactly a house he’d want to live in. “But how are you supposed to enter it?”
“You just climb, right?” Kunoichi asked in puzzlement.
“Not everyone is a felinid, Kunoichi. We can’t just vertically climb through any wall.”
Kunoichi said nothing in response though she moved closer and drew her husband to a hug. Shaka smiled, he loved how naturally affectionate his wife was.
Making their way to Baersonling, Shaka noticed all of the felinids around him. It had just occurred to him that this was the first time that he had seen felinids whose hair was not jet black like Kunoichi or Bashan Voronin. He saw many with white hair, others have blond hair, then there were those with red.
It did not take long for Shaka and Kunoichi to reach Baersonling. To do this, they had to take the elevator down to the lowest level. Upon reaching this level, Shaka was able to see the sky above and a huge gate in front of him; behind that gate was the Tribal Chief’s Palace. This was the place where Shaka and Kunoichi met the Supreme Chief of Fjordsden.
The true felinids were known to be the information brokers of the Holy League. They told Shaka and Kunoichi that they had been tracking down the numerous sabotage operations made by the clone felinid. Furthermore, they had located the center of the clone’s sabotage operations. So far so good for Shaka until he learned that very location: the Boer Kraal in Draka.
Though Shaka had kept to himself the shock of learning this fact, it did not take long for his wife to notice his discomfort.
“We’re going to your home. Shouldn’t you be happy?” Kunoichi asked.
“Not really,” Shaka answered.
The felinid girl was clearly frustrated but she didn’t say anything in response. Neither did Shaka. There was an awkward silence between the two. Shaka did not want to destroy the happiness his wife had in visiting Fjordsden. After all, she had been babbling so many historical trivia such as how a felinid princess had married into House Aquilanus after the Revolutions of 7001. For Kunoichi, the idea that a felinid was one of Aeneas’ ancestress was enough to bring her out her inferiority complex over her genetic stock.
It was because of these facts that Shaka kept silent as the two of them returned to their airship to make their way towards Draka.