Cataindar

CHAPTER THIRTY

Luisa stayed composed. She sat at the end of the bed and regarded the abbot coldly, waiting for him to speak.

I’m not saying a damn thing.

They looked at one another for quite some time before the abbot drew a long breath.

“Cataindar is my home Princess.  I love these walls, our people.  I love every carving in every majestic corridor. I love the beauty of the flames that flicker across our fine stone.” He looked down for a moment, “As a kitain I used to explore Cataindar and with every discovery I would thank our forefathers for making us such a beautiful home. Yes, this is a beautiful place. Filled with a wonderful spirit.  Even in times of great hunger, I was thankful for the clarity of mind that the absence of food brings. The claims, though terrible, guide us to cherish our time with one another. Cataindar has a great soul and I know it has a great destiny.  But Princess, Cataindar has come from a place of ancient darkness. It is these echoes of early shames that stain our existence into our present.”

Luisa stayed very still, listening intently. The abbot looked at her with wide intense eyes.

“Many, many lifetimes ago our forefathers did not build this place as a home for the catains.  They built it for a purpose far more… sinister.  Cataindar was an underground prison.  It was a breeding house so our forefathers could build a great army to rule the lands above.  The Ratains were kept here.  Shackled and broken.  We kept them as slaves.  We bred them, ever larger, ever stronger to use as an ultimate weapon against our foes.  Cataindar is covered in the evidence of this past.  The subordination carving in the Great Cavern, and the wall holes in each chamber, a child's game now, but used to link through shackles and chains. It is to my shame that even our royal quarters were a place of torture.”

Luisa sat still while her mind scrambled. Her throat felt tight, but managed to let out a small,

“What happened?”

“The Ratains we had created turned against us. They managed to escape.  The great Ratain rebellion began and the whole land was engulfed in war.  At first we inflicted devastating losses on the Ratains.  In our arrogance we thought it would be a short war, an extermination of an experiment gone wrong. They were few, they were slaves and we had armies, yes great armies Luisa.  But we had bred them to be strong, fast, aggressive, intelligent and resilient. Slowly, the tables turned.  Eventually the Ratains won their first battle.  And then they began to gain the upper hand.  They began to wipe us out.  In the years of war this place, this laboridy, was forgotten.  All the while our very species was being destroyed by its own creation.  They sought to kill every last catain.  All those that surrendered were killed and eaten, every shred of their existence consumed. A group of catains had realised all was lost, and had begun to look only at survival. They took our most sacred objects, our finest weapons, ancient texts, our stones of dewin and the royal chamber.  This small group, our ancestors, came here to hide.  Slave masters no more.  They came here as a species on the brink of extinction… and they hid they did. Eventually the rest of the catains were gone. So our forefathers stayed here, and we began to rebuild our race from within these walls.  This is how the Cataindar we know now came to be.”

Luisa took all this in. The huge carving was a giant message to the Ratains that were once enslaved. Wow. She was not surprised that catains had decided to cover it up.  She mentally tore the grip on her throat. This was her place too. She wanted to know more, but she had other questions first.

“I have found out that it was my aunt that was a princess before me abbot.  She just disappeared at home and no one knew why.  But I know she died here. I need to know the truth about what happened to her.”

A great look of pain spread across the abbot’s crumply face.  “Princess, please, that was a long time ago, and…”

“Abbot. I can’t help Cataindar if I don’t know what has happened before I came.”

The abbot clasped his paws together and looked down.

“We were sure that Princess Anne was to be our saviour, like the ancient journals spoke of.  She was very special.  She was so gifted, she was loved and in her time here it was like a great light shone upon our lives. With all her power she thought she could reason with the ratains… and… she was killed.  She made her only mistake, a grand and awful mistake that cost her her life.  We lost many others.  It was such a terrible, terrible time. Her death was the most terrible tragedy for us, after which the Great Wait began.” The abbot sniffed and a small tear worked its way down his lined face.  He took off his thick spectacles and wiped his face with a patchwork cloth.

Luisa shook her head.  She couldn’t even imagine trying to talk with a ratain.  She thought of what they looked like, nine-feet tall, bred to tear creatures limb from limb.  They must be horrifying.  Despite this tragedy a small feeling of envy also worked its way into her like an evil worm.  A tiny voice inside her spoke. Her aunt may have well been better than her at everything, but at least Luisa knew for sure she wouldn’t be as stupid to go and talk with a ratain. 

At least I have that going for me.

The abbot continued,

“But we would be better to focus on your reign Princess.  All is not well in Cataindar.  Our journals have been burned.  We have lost a great deal of our past.  Myself and the other readers will re-write what we can.  We have many of our traditions memorised and it is vital we keep to the traditions to keep the prophecy alive."

“What is the prophecy abbot?”

“It is simple, that one from the royal line will save us.” The abbot said with a small smile.  “That one day we will return to the surface and be victorious.”

“Who came up with this prophecy?”

“The ancient catains. They knew many things princess.  Many things that have since been lost. But let me continue.  I had begun to tell the catains what they needed to hear in the Great Cavern Luisa.  Despite what Finn believes, there is no other evidence to suggest that Garner did not kill himself.”

Luisa made to interrupt but the abbot held up his paw to silence her.

“But still.  I will concede that it does not have a good feel to it. I have had nightmares Luisa.  Dark dreams of a Cataindar tearing itself apart.  I did not like the way that the tapestry fell.  To do that we need a strong leader, one with everything she needs to rule.  We cannot let conflict among us happen.  Like a stone we are only strong when we are a whole. If we let cracks appear, we will be crushed to dust. If we were to make some mistake, if we were not focussed on staying hidden, on defending Cataindar, and if the ratains found us!”  The abbot closed his eyes. He spoke darkly, “They would murder us all in our beds.  They would eat our children. They would skin us and boil us alive.  But! Enough of this talk. I believe in you princess. I believe you are beginning to find your place here.  You are beginning to trust your royal instincts, find your dewin and know your stone. To lead us and bring us together.  A sap that grows too fast may be tall but is weak and will die once winter comes.  It is better to grow slowly and be strong.”

Luisa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Overwhelming pieces had begun to fall into place.  Despite the nature of what she had learned, and the terrible things the abbot had told her she felt relief. She nodded.

The abbot dipped his head, impressed. Behind the thick lenses his feline eyes shone.

“Luisa, I have one more secret to tell you.”

--

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