Authors: Laszlo,Jeremy
“I would enjoy that. Thank you, Ashton.”
As best as Zorbin could tell, it was a draw. The girl seemed to like Ashton and what he was doing as well as him and his stubborn ways. It was better than nothing, he supposed. Perhaps in time she would grow weary of the healer and have Garret be rid of him. Such was often the way of women. They held all the true power after all.
* * * * *
Anna could actually feel the animosity in the air. The dwarven knight and human healer were at odds for the king’s favor, though she knew that both were needed allies to both—her and his causes. She could use this mutual hatred to her advantage if she needed, though at present could see no reason to do so. Both had a purpose, and both served the man who more or less worshipped her. Everything was going as planned. She would soon have her revenge on the woman who attacked her, making her the monster she was. As a bonus, Garret was more than tolerable. Besides his bout of depression-induced insanity, he was kind, gentle, and loving towards her. She meant him no harm, in fact was rather enjoying the time spent with him. She knew she had to be cautious though. No matter what her heart might desire, she had a mission and it came before anything else.
Turning her attention back to the men, she knew she had to focus if she was to get exactly what she wanted in the end.
“So, Lord Zorbin, I am told you have several projects of your own.”
“Tis true, m’lady. I have been overseeing the repairs to the city wall and the addition of more ballista towers as well as some new defensive systems we have been developing.”
“Is that so? It sounds rather interesting. And Garret tells me that we are to hold another Choosing ceremony soon?”
“That is correct, m’lady. Dispatches have been sent all over the realm and we expect to have all preparations made by the next moon.”
“How many do you think will heed the call?” Anna asked, wondering how many young would be brought that could go missing with little notice.
“It is hard to say until our messengers return, though we be hopin’ for several thousand.”
“So by the end of another four months, my love, you could command another several thousand human troops as well as several thousand of your hybrid troops.”
“That is our hope,” Garret said with a grin.”
“I know it is not my place to be involved in matters of the military,” Anna began,”but do you yet have eyes and ears in Drakenhurst to see what preparations your brother might be making for invasion?”
“We know that he is rebuilding the capital,” Garret answered.
“He has taken it already? Was it destroyed in the battle?”
“Yes, he is king of Drakenhurst, but no, the city was not destroyed. It simply was not built for war and as such he is erecting defenses, though reports say he has not been seen in months.”
“Any idea where he might have gone?”
“No,” Zorbin interrupted. “But we know that several leaders of his neighboring nations have either declined to meet with him, or march to visit his keep as we speak.”
“Then he is gathering allies,” Anna exclaimed. “Should we not do the same?”
“The dwarves will send us aid if we are again attacked, but they are the only nation with which we have an alliance. To the south lie the lands of orcs and goblins and there is nothing to the north but ocean,” Zorbin exclaimed.
“So we are alone?”
“It would seem so, my inquisitive Anna,” Garret answered.
Tucking in his wings and stepping beneath the arched doorway, Seth entered the throne room, remembering his last visit with a grin. Candles by the hundreds had been lit and lined the walls to either side, casting their wavering light upon the room like a living cloak that swayed and moved. Without the desire to sit, and without seating for them all, he simply turned to watch as Sara strode into the room confidently. Tracking the aura of his most trusted friend, he knew already that Borrik had seen him and was making his own way upon great leathery wings towards the keep. What he hadn’t expected, was that Xander approached as well.
Waiting patiently, he smiled in greeting as Borrik ducked through the door, followed closely by the knight captain.
“Greetings, friends,” Seth said as the great wooden doors were closed behind them. “I am happy to see that you are doing well.”
“My king,” Borrik bowed.
“Better than well, my king,” Xander added, “The city is truly beginning to thrive.”
“And your son?” Seth asked.
“Running and playing. He wants to be one of your knights someday.”
“I am happy to hear it, Lord Xander,” Seth smiled. “But there is an important matter to discuss, though I suppose that first I should see just what you know about me.”
Seth looked to Xander, putting his thoughts in order to make it an efficient exchange. Knowing the man had been in constant contact with Borrik and Sara, meant that he had likely asked many questions over the months past, but there was no telling exactly what he knew without asking directly.
“What do you know of me and my purpose?” Seth asked the knight.
Xander shifted in his armor slightly, organizing his own thoughts before making a reply.
“I know you are the brother to the king of Valdadore. I know that at one time you served the goddess Ishanya. I know that you have unparalleled powers, and that you no longer serve a god. I also know, that you believe that the gods only gift us with power so that we may kill each other more efficiently and as such reclaim the power they lent us. I know you wish to change the world for the better.”
“Like everyone, my understanding of the world and the gods changes as I learn more about them, and even more about myself,” Seth began. “Your statements are, or were, true. For all purposes, Garret Derringer, king of Valdadore has been my brother. I did indeed serve Ishanya’s cause. I do not trust the gods and I do want their hold over our world dissolved so that we may know freedom and peace. But there is more that I will now share that does not leave this room under any circumstance. Even if our enemies take your son and begin pulling out his guts, this goes with you to the grave,” Seth said, watching Xander’s unblinking eyes.
“Yes, my king.”
“Then let me begin by first explaining that which I now know to be true. The gods are all beings of creation and as such are limited in their abilities. They have free will, similar to you and me, but are bound to creationism and as such cannot destroy. They can create the want or need to destroy in a man, but cannot do it themselves. They can create champions designed to destroy en masse but there ends their ability. You see, the only reason we people do as the gods wish is our greed. Our desire for power, land, gold, or anything else for that matter has been used against us by the gods. They offer to make us stronger, better, more efficient and in return, we destroy on their behalf. That is why they create champions of men, to sow the destruction that they are unable in order to reclaim the life that they have gifted us. Our worship makes them stronger and our deaths make them more powerful.” Seth said, pausing a moment to let his words sink in. “It has taken too long for me to discover, but I now know that I am unique among those born to Thurr. Unlike you and unlike the gods, I am a creature of destruction. It does not make me inherently evil, in fact, the only ill I have done upon the world was for a god that I thought I needed allegiance to. It was her will that I destroy her enemies’ followers and gather new worshippers to her cause. I know now that I do not need her. My power comes from the world and destruction, just as hers comes from the seed of creation. The gods fear me, because I can steal from them that which they so desperately seek. The gods have to wait for us to die to take the spark of life lent to our mortal bodies, but I don’t. This very instant I can wipe the city clean of life if I wish and gather all the power unto myself. They fear me because I have free will and I know that I am not bound to them nor to destruction. But that is not all.”
Seth thought back to the last day he had spent hunting in the forest with his brother. He recalled the mountain trails and the sounds of water rushing down a mountain stream. He could see the homes in Vineleaf and smell the stew cooking in the kitchen of the inn they had been raised in. It was a fond memory, but so too was it a lie.
“Though I have known for some time, it never felt relevant until now. The truth is, that although we were raised together as brothers, Garret and I do not share blood. This was revealed to me by my surrogate father the night before Garret and I left for the Choosing. As the story goes, I was birthed the same night that Garret was born, and abandoned at the inn we were raised in. My mother arrived all but nude, and vanished without a trace. I know now, that my mother was not a mortal. Just as Gorandor presented himself to me, now four months past, Ishanya donned mortal flesh and using her affinity for creation, impregnated herself with a being unlike any other created. The goddess who seemingly sought me out to deliver me into service to her cause, had created me and given me life on her own. From my first breath I was bound to her, as unlike any other, I did not share life given by all the gods. I was different. I was outside the original plan of creation. Born with the seed of destruction within me, I was made an abomination. Ishanya’s plan was well devised and with my birth she sought to overthrow the heavens. Sadly, I fell for her every ploy up until recently, and have nearly won her the war.”
“So you actually are a god?” Xander interrupted.
“No. I don’t think so. Gods are of creation. I am something different.”
“Like an anti-god?” Sara suggested.
“Perhaps. The word for mortal children of gods is actually a demigod, but I am not one of those either, as even
they
are creatures of creation.”
“If you and Garret are not brothers, what does that mean?” Borrik asked, his deep voice sounding almost like a growl.
“For him and me, nothing, I suppose. We were raised as brothers, and I love him as a brother, but in all honesty it is of little importance now. I’ve come to a realization. I know why all the gods now have such keen interest in me. I am the key to everything at present. Sure, there are others that can tip the scales, but it is in my hands to let Ishanya win, destroying the other gods, or save them, and ruin her reign even before it begins. That is why you were allowed to return to me when captured, Sara. That is why Gorandor risked coming to me in mortal flesh. They are losing. They are dying. And they want me to save them.”
“A seed of destruction to save that of creation?” Xander asked.
“It would seem so,” Seth answered.
“And what happens if we let Ishanya win?” Borrik asked.
“There is no way to be certain. Perhaps she will create monsters to rid the world of us for nearly forgetting her. Maybe there will be no more war and she will be satisfied with her victory, though I doubt it. Perhaps, like long ago, she will take up a mortal body and rule the world in person. I have no way of knowing. All that is certain, is that she will want to wipe the world and history clean of me so that I cannot cause her any more problems.”
“And if we help the other gods?” Sara asked.
“War as usual. Ishanya might be defeated once again and perhaps even destroyed, but wars will wage on.”
“But you think you have the answer? Sara continued.
“Yes. I want to kill them all and I have a plan that I think will get us started in the right direction.”
* * * * *
Sara found herself more than just a tad astounded at Seth’s revelation. She had never even fathomed the possibility that Seth and Garret were not brothers. They looked alike, acted alike and even spoke alike. She supposed that most of their similarities were due to their upbringing, but found the whole thing hard to swallow. If all that Seth had discovered were true, and she didn’t doubt it was, it meant that Ishanya had been planning this for a long, long time.
If the goddess had guided Seth towards a path she had ultimately designed, had it been the goddess’s intention to pair Seth and herself? It was already known that Borrik was a piece of the puzzle put into play by the goddess, but he had foresworn her, and now served Seth. It stood as an unanswerable question, what events were perpetrated by the goddess, and which were due to free will. She couldn’t imagine a way to sort them out. One thing was for certain, however, no matter if their meeting had been orchestrated by Ishanya, or had been by chance, their love was true and real, as was the loyalty of Seth’s closest friends.
Turning her attention back to the discussion, she listened intently as Seth laid out the beginnings of the plan he was developing. It did not take long for Seth to explain, and as such she grinned at the simplicity of the whole thing. In one fell swoop they would destroy the vast majority of those who wished them dead, if, of course, it were possible to kill a god.
Just when things appeared to be wrapped up, a great booming sound erupted from somewhere outside the keep and bright light illuminated the sky, casting its rays through the windows.
“It seems some of our guests have arrived,” Seth stated with an angered tone. “Borrik, with me. Xander, muster your troops.”
Without another word Sara watched as both her husband and Borrik raced out of the room and took to the air. Following them on foot, she bent low after clearing the doors and leapt, summoning the power of her boots with a word. Lancing up and over a wide swathe of the city, she watched as huge fireballs were unleashed, not towards the armaments or those who manned them, but up and into the sky.
Looking about, she found the dark silhouettes of her winged husband and Borrik above and ahead, racing like lightning towards the source of the magic. Turning her attention below as she plummeted from the air, she again wished she had wings, and landing sprang once more.
It was less than three minutes before she broke the walls of the city to sprint atop the snow-covered ground towards where Seth and Borrik now settled to the ground. It was only a minute later when she slid to a stop, digging her heels through the snow and into the soil to regain her husband’s side with a wicked flash of her fangs.
Drawing her blades, she listened to the exchange taking place between the newcomer and her husband, the king.
“I wish you no harm, but if you do not cease this threatening display, I will be forced to cease it for you,” Seth shouted, lending power to his words. “Your gods hold no power here!”
“You invite us to come only to insult our beliefs?” a giant of an armored knight boomed across the narrow expanse that stood between them.
Sara looked across at those who stood as their opposition. There weren’t many, perhaps two hundred, but nearly every one of them was enormous, blessed with abilities common to those who worshipped Gorandor. Those who stood at common height, threw balls of fire and bolts of lightning into the air, illuminating their slow but steady approach.
“It is no insult. It is the truth. And if you would hear more truth, I warn you to recall your blessings and dine with me in the great keep of Drakenhurst.”
“If our gods hold no power, then why not take our blessings yourself?” the lead armored man thundered in reply.
With a series of loud pops, Sara watched as those across the small field from them shriveled to average size and ceased were the magics used to frighten them and illuminate the field. The man had asked for it, and her husband had delivered.
“Very well, King of Drakenhurst!” the shout came across the snow covered field. “Your point has been proven. Let us dine and discuss what it is you propose for a treaty.”
Sara had not expected such an easy surrender, and supposed there would be other groups similar to this in the days to come that would be more difficult to convince. Then again, the possibility remained that it was simply a ruse to get close in order to kill her husband. She would have to be watchful. With the way her husband saw the world, and planned to change it, only time could tell what such a meeting would bring.
* * * * *
It was mere hours after their meeting upon the field outside the city when Borrik settled down to the grand table beside his king, looking over a handful of delegates across from him, including the very king of Dragonthorn to the west. He was a small man in his normal form, shorter than most, though more stocky. Borrik couldn’t help but wonder if he was sired by a dwarven father and human mother, such were his attributes. Though he wasn’t about to ask and offend the man, either.
Piled upon the table were platters filled with warm bread loaves, freshly baked, and spit roasted lamb with various vegetables harvested from the city’s now thriving grow houses. It had been uneasy over the last two hours as Seth led the contingent of foreign troops through their city, pointing out the newly built defenses and those still under construction. He showed them everything, which would normally be a terrible military maneuver. Never show your cards. Ever.