Princess of Zenina Read online

  After four months in Zenina, Niall’s body hair began to fall out and he no longer needed to shave. After five months his skin colour started flickering, he heard some peoples’ thoughts in his head. Two weeks later he went into full colour-shock. His skin began changing colour. First his skin darkened to a metallic red, then he passed through the colours of Green and Blue, he hovered for a time before his colour finally settled as Silver.

  Colour change is a traumatic experience. Children experience mild discomfort and tiredness from change even to the higher colours of Silver, Ebony and Gold. Adult transformations are more problematic. For a young adult in good health a change to Ruby, Green or Blue will be exhausting. Changing to Silver or Gold without the mental assistance of a Doctor is dangerous with the odds stacked against the person changing. Healthy men and women died during transition to Gold even with expert assistance. The shock of the physical changes resulting from colour change was often too much for the body. Death from brain haemorrhage was instant but some had a slow and lingering death from brain fever that never reached climax.

  Father O’Flaherty was not a young man, but he was a tough one. Abstemious by nature, he had lived on poor rations and had a hard life. If he had lived a more sybaritic life, it is doubtful he would have survived colour change. His host took him to Princess Vellina, Head of Zeninan medicine as soon as he began his transformation. Vellina believed he would not survive, but she and her senior staff coaxed him through change and the subsequent brain fever that racked him. After four days he regained consciousness. As his symbiotes kicked into action he made a quick recovery. One of the symbiotes’ benefits was the regenerating ability of Zeninan bodies. The main disadvantage was the reduction in fertility of males, particularly those of the lower colours.

  Vellina tested his new mental capability, finding he had missed Gold only by a couple of points. She was convinced if he had made Gold, he would not have lived. Death increased exponentially with each point of brain capability. Intelligence is valued within Zeninan society so his host was proud of her guest’s new colour. So Father O’Flaherty began an adult changers’ training course to learn to control his new found psychic skills, another benefit of the symbiotes. He had nearly finished his course when his answer arrived from Earth.

  “Father O’Flaherty should continue to spread the word in Zenina; he is well-placed to the glory of God and the advantage of the Roman Catholic Church.”

  After completing his course, he continued in the Blue lady’s household for over 30 happy years. Then she was killed in a brawl and her oldest daughter had no further use for him. He sought advice from his college tutor, she asked him to assist with teaching a musical Ebony child who was the despair of his teachers. The child, an eight year old girl, hit it off with him immediately. Their mutual love of music composition won her over to his side. Her truculence disappeared as he walked through the doors and her tutors gasped at the miracle. So Father O’Flaherty began his new Zeninan life as a tutor.

  Chapter Sixteen –Queen’s slave

  Niall found he could now support himself to a higher standard of living than he had ever before experienced. He commissioned the making of a new Irish harp and a less mobile pipe organ which dominated his sound and mind shielded rooms at university. The ebony child grew up to be one of the sweetest tempered Ebonies in Zeninan history and a Concert Organist on the Zeninan pschycia-organ of great renown. He taught her until her public debut at fourteen. Then he assisted at the college with other pupils, specialising in music and languages for twelve years paying his own way; although officially he was owned by the Ebony’s mother.

  Then the musical daughter’s five year old son proved impossible to handle and he was asked to deal with the imp. Another Ebony child, named Gabriel, who absolutely adored him, he taught the boy for three years before his direction became clear. Whilst teaching, Father O’Flaherty also preached his faith. His twice weekly sermons from the university concert hall were packed solid, with youngsters enthralled by the beauty of his voice. Some of his sermons were relayed through Zenina and he became a minor celebrity. The Zeninan authorities tolerated his religious ramblings, whilst keeping a maternal eye on him. He drew a few converts to him, a solid core of twenty or so.

  The majority of his audience dismissed the content of his speech as superstition, but they came to hear his melodious, lilting voice without caring about his beliefs. Many young people found his quiet advice, when troubled, of lasting value. Father O’Flaherty was heard with respect and treated with affection. His hair which had been very thin on top before colour change had re-grown and was now black. His wrinkles had softened, but not vanished and he was as fit as a fiddle. Yet he did not look like a young man, so he stood out in a sea of perfect perpetual youthfulness.

  He taught at the university for two more years, tutoring young people of all colours and abilities. Then a wealthy Gold bought him to teach her Platinum daughter and removed him from the College. Calzina, his new owner forbad his sermonising at the College, for she was a Fertility cult Priestess. His religious activities were completely curbed, as he had preached against the Fertility Cult. His religious books were destroyed and he was punished, if he prayed or recited religious passages to himself. In a telepathic household even one’s private thoughts might be heard. He lived the most miserable years of his life in Calzina’s household and despite risking punishment prayed daily for release.

  Even when he had been a Kurgian slave, he had never felt so degraded. He was not beaten, but he despised how she treated her other slaves. The young Platinum daughter loved him dearly, even though he was unable to tell her his Bible stories, she believed in him and his faith. He lived for ten years in Calzina’s household, praying in secret and meeting his converts with his charge’s collusion.

  Father O’Flaherty started sending regular reports to his Bishop, when he first arrived in Zenina. They were intended to keep him in the Bishop’s mind, wishing he might allow him to return home. After surviving colour change he knew his death would not be soon. He hoped his bishop was unaware, that Zeninans lived longer than the men of Earth.

  He continued this correspondence, to add purpose to his years of exile. Replies came sporadically, sometimes years after his letters. He no longer pleaded to return home, he had outlived all the people he knew on Earth. Even the children he had baptised would be long buried. The bishops changed every five to ten years and Niall wondered what they looked like, those imagined faces so far distant. Finally after a regular visit of envoys from the Federated Planets, of which Earth was a very junior member; an Ambassador from the Vatican arrived in Hemithea. This Ambassador sought tolerance for his religion throughout the Zeninan Empire, protection and permission for catholic missionaries, offering the friendship of the Most Holy Pontiff, Pope Matthew-Timothy the third. Having asked all these things, he requested.

  “Please can I be taken to our ‘envoy Father Niall O’Flaherty,’ who I believe is still living, although he must be over one hundred and sixty years old. Where can I talk to this miraculous, saintly man?”

  “Ambassador, we will consider your requests with our ministers. If you would please withdraw, you will be informed of our decisions,” Queen Kerina declared and the Ambassador withdrew to await her decisions. When he was no longer in hearing range, she informed her council of her decisions.

  “Tolerance, I am prepared to grant on behalf of Zenina, but I will insist permission is sought from each government of our planets. I think Zenina should provide the protection of a Zeninan battle-ship; the Ambassador’s itinerary need not disrupt the times of regular army patrols. I am prepared to welcome the hand of friendship from rulers, no matter how small their territory might be. So I think we can graciously accept the Holy Father’s kind offer. It might be a good idea to send a Zeninan envoy to this planet called earth with instructions to establish a consulate somewhere, not necessarily in Italy,” Kerina decided with her Council.

  “Who and where is this ‘Reverend’ Fat
her O’Flaherty?” Queen Kerina asked. At first no one had any idea.

  “Find him and bring him to me,” she demanded.

  After some investigation, Niall O’Flaherty was discovered in the household of her majesty’s mistress of the bedchamber. He was swiftly brought before the queen. He was dressed in only a loincloth, which even Queen Kerina’s court realised was unsuitable for meeting the Ambassador. Protocol had already resulted in the queen and her court wearing more clothing than normal. There remained the matter of his treatment by Calzina. It was felt that if he complained, this would cause discord between Zenina and her new found friend.

  Father O’Flaherty understood the situation. “I swear solemnly not to drop you in it, on condition,” he sardonically remarked.

  It took a mental translation of his remarks by the royal herald, into more diplomatic language, before her majesty understood what he meant.

  “What conditions?” She asked.

  “If you agree to tolerate the Roman Catholic religion through Zenina, I promise not to discuss the treatment of slaves or myself here, but only if I am freed from my owner.”

  Father O’Flaherty should have been clearer on this point. He sought his religious freedom and liberation, whereas her majesty believed innocently he required a kinder owner. So she promptly purchased him from Calzina. Father O’Flaherty met the Ambassador wearing a hastily concocted black tunic which fell to his ankles. He was happily expecting the paperwork confirming his freedom to be soon processed.

  The priests talked to each other, they heard each other’s confessions and cracked a few jokes. Father O’Flaherty was pleased to hear the Chinese overlords had lost control of Eire. However he was dismayed on discovering the Pan-American Alliance now had control of all Europe. The Chinese had retreated to their Asiatic holdings and a very nasty war was in progress. A few days’ later the Ambassador set off to visit other Zeninan Empire planets. Father O’Flaherty settled into his new quarters in the palace, where he was given everything he requested and no demands were made on his time.

  Over the next few days he asked various officials for his liberation papers, but he was fobbed off or ignored. The palace servants gave him anything else he asked for; he could come and go as he pleased. No-one stopped him from meeting his friends and converts so he restarted preaching at the university. The Queen, he saw not at all, despite residing in the Palace. In spite of his liberation papers not appearing, his life had improved so he made the most of it. The throne room was usually empty and had particularly fine acoustics. He practiced his sermons from the dais, roaring them out to the empty hall. Six months after the Ambassador’s visit he headed to the throne room to try out a freshly written sermon on the passion and ascension of Jesus Christ. The guards stood aside to let him enter. If he had looked up from his notes, he might have noticed a glance of amusement pass between them.

  He opened by belting out a favourite Easter hymn.

  “There is a green hill far away…” in his rich tenor voice.

  “Zeninans, that song tells the story of Jesus Christ, my saviour’s sacrifice for all us sinners. He died that we might be forgiven; he died to make us good, that we might go to heaven, saved by his precious blood.”

  He continued to tell his imaginary audience of Jesus’ sacrifice for all people, even Zeninans and how especially for them, living as they did in perpetual sin and fornication. How they must love one another purely and love Jesus above all. He expounded the Easter story, telling of the empty tomb. After an hour’s exposition he shuffled his notes together and descended the steps.

  A wall hanging of brightly painted silk rustled back, disclosing an office, a familiar figure stood in the doorway, applauding his performance. Father O’Flaherty sank to his knees. His heart racing, but here was his opportunity to remind her of her promise of his freedom. Her majesty dressed in loose light tan leather trousers and boots had apparently been riding. The upper part of her body was naked, but her long hair hung loose around her covering nearly all her flesh, giving the illusion she was decently attired. She still had the grace and looks of a young woman even if her waist had thickened a little from the legendary two hands’ width of her youth.

  “Please your majesty, can I have my liberation papers?” He blurted out to the queen, she was genuinely surprised.

  “Are you not happy in my service? Have you not been given everything you wanted?”

  “I’ve been treated wonderfully, but if your majesty would give me my liberation papers as we agreed, I’ll be absolutely happy and go on my way.”

  “I brought you from Calzina, because you asked to be freed from her. I never promised you your freedom. I was very impressed by your rhetoric. It was a most entertaining performance,” she said, softening her refusal. “Few of my councillors have such wonderful control over the expression of spoken words. I understand why you’ve made converts.”

  Father O’Flaherty realised there was no point arguing about his freedom and tried to bow himself out.

  “There is another matter, I wish to discuss with you, father. Please follow me,” she said disappearing into the hidden office. The office was occupied by an Ebony woman and on a large mahogany-coloured wood desk were strewn a number of drawings for some projected building.

  Father O’Flaherty entered the room, bowing at the waist as he did. The plans were not like anything he had seen before, but on the top of each was written the word “Chapel” together with a number indicating the drawing’s position in the series of drawings.

  “What do you think of these?” Her Majesty enquired.

  “Very pretty”, he replied carefully.

  “Yes, I thought so too. But would any of these designs serve the purpose.”

  “That would depend on the exact purpose of the building, ma’am. The drawings have chapel written at the top. They do not look like churches of Earth, but religious worship can be conducted in any free room. If these were designs for a purpose-built church, I think it’d be better to work out what you’re aiming for before starting. Now where would be the sacristy on these drawings?”

  “Sacristy?” said the Queen looking at the Ebony.

  “I don’t recall being told of a “sacristy” in the specifications I was given. The brief was rather vague, your majesty.”

  “I suppose that’s my fault for delegating the matter,” said Kerina.

  Both the architect and Father O’Flaherty politically denied it could be so, but she waved their protests aside.

  “How many converts do you have Father?” she asked.

  “Around fifty or so, your majesty.”

  “Then design the church to seat 500 and liaise with Father O’Flaherty as to the design and decorations. It is to be his church, so it’d better please him,” she replied magnanimously.

  Kerina dismissed both architect and priest with a hand’s wave. Over the next three weeks, the designs of the church were agreed between them, the plans approved by her majesty, her councillors and the Town Council of Hemithea. A plot was cleared and a week later building commenced. Father O’Flaherty went every day to see the building’s progress and ten months from cutting the turf, he was handed the keys to his new Church.

  Father O’Flaherty had no idea when Christmas and Easter should be celebrated. He visited the Royal Astronomer and explained his problem. Zenina had a longer day than Earth. It worked out at about 27 Earth hours long, but it had fewer days to the year, 332. He had no idea how long it would take for light to travel from Earth to Zenina, if it could or what other factors would decide when Christmas should fall.

  The astronomer considered it a complex mathematics problem rather than an important aspect of faith, but she compared the equinoxes and solstices of Zenina, the phases of Zenina’s three tiny moons which rose at different times of the evening. Eventually they made an arbitrary decision as to when Christmas should be, and the rest of the Church calendar was slotted in accordingly. Niall wrote a timetable of the Zeninan Christian year and sent it to the
Vatican, as he was no longer certain to whom he was directly responsible. Until he received approval he decided to continue from their calculations which meant his first formal mass was held for All Saints’ Day, when he dedicated the church to St. Patrick and consecrated it in his Bishop’s place, whoever he might be. He doubted any Bishop would expect him, to wait for a bishop to come to Zenina.

  The Church was packed solid for the first mass. Nine hundred souls somehow packed into the building which was surrounded by soldiers guarding the exits to protect Queen Kerina. It was a serious fire risk. Niall found it difficult to persuade the Queen, only converts could take communion and accept a blessing in its place, but it was done with good humour on all parties. The collection generously overflowed so Father O’Flaherty had no need to seek further funds to maintain and supply his church.

  A hundred would-be converts came forward during the following month. Some did not make it through catechism and half fell by the wayside in the following years, but his small flock remained firm and slowly increased. Her majesty attended mass erratically, she was observed joining in with a rousing hymn or two, but she never again attempted to receive communion.

  Occasionally he was called upon to tell a story or two or to play his harp to entertain the Queen and her courtiers after dinner to fill the slightly longer nights of winter. The names of Lazarus, Peter, Paul and Patrick became familiar to Zeninan ears. Some even named their offspring with the outlandish names of his favourite saints. It should not be construed the mothers of young Bridget, Saviour, Ignatius and Columba were converts of anything but the magic of Father O’Flaherty’s truly silver tongue.