Authors: Laszlo,Jeremy
Sara
Sara’s book was not divided as were the previous books she had studied. Finding references to Ishanya in several places in the index of her tome, she read one section, and after she finished it, she would return to the index to locate another section. Following this process, she continued reading until she had gleaned every ounce of information contained in the book about Ishanya.
Seeing that Seth had not yet finished she decided to once again scan through the index for anything else that might be useful. Running her fingers across the page she found a heading that caught her attention. The words read “The Heavenly War” and, noting the page number, Sara thumbed through the book until she found it. She read through the passage quickly as it was not lengthy, and by the time she had come to its end, Seth too had completed his task. They closed their books and placed them back on the floor. It had taken several hours but their task was finished. They each took a moment to organize their thoughts before sharing the information they had learned. It was Seth who spoke first.
“So, up to this point we have read that Ishanya is at best an unpredictable goddess. She generally has had few followers throughout history, but those she did have were very loyal to her and many of them were blessed by her. Her blessings were for the most part blessings of physical prowess to one degree or another. Sometimes the blessing was a combination of several different attributes. Each of those was a physical blessing bestowed upon a worshipper without the gift to control magic. Instead of a magical ability, they were given abilities to enhance them physically, increasing their prowess in battle. However, I think none of those qualities are what the goddess has in store for me.” Seth narrated his last sentence in barely a whisper.
“Why is that, love?” Sara asked, compelling him to explain.
“Borrik said that Ishanya told him that one day I would reward him with strength and a long life. If I am to be able to reward him with such then I see it unlikely she will bless me with a physical trait if I choose to serve her. Besides, I also apparently have the gift, and so I think I am better suited to one of her other blessings. From what we read she has only blessed a few of her followers with gifts of magical power. I think this is due to most people with the gift choosing to serve the more popular gods of magic. What we do know is that those she did bless with the gift were very powerful, but if I interpret what I have read correctly, it seems as if their powers were unreliable. It is almost as if she chooses to channel her power to her followers as she sees fit, not as they require it. Those she had blessed with her power were also intended for battle, and their various blessings were more powerful than those of other gods. So it would appear that though she has not blessed anyone in several hundred years, as far as these records show, her blessings are formidable. I wish we had more information to go on,” Seth sighed, finishing his narration.
“I think I found something that puts it in a better perspective,” Sara announced, a small glimmer in her eyes.
“What is it, angel?” Seth asked.
“In this book it tells of a war in the heavens. It is a war in which the gods fight for dominion over our world. But they do not fight one another openly, instead they use their powers to bless those of their followers to wage war here. It also mentions several theories as to why the gods’ gifts vary so much and why some gods no longer have many followers. Let me see if I can summarize it without losing the details.” Sara paused for a moment. Gathering her thoughts and recalling the passages she had just read before starting anew. “The gods’ power, the book states, is determined by how many worshippers the god has. Each of the gods worked together to create our world by giving all living things a portion of their power, thus bringing life to the world. Each god seeks to regain the power that every living creature contains. They gain claim of the power through worship. The more followers they have the more powerful the god becomes. The god then chooses to bless some of his followers with that power which in turn usually brings more followers. However, a god can choose to retain his power instead of giving blessings. I guess they would do this to bide time while the other gods struggle with one another, wasting their strength, so to speak. I think this is what Ishanya has been doing. As the more prevalent gods have been warring silently and expending their power, she has been waiting for an opportunity. I think that maybe, Seth, you
are
that opportunity. Maybe the gods that are in ascendancy now have spread themselves too thin, and though they have many followers feeding them power, they are siphoning that power back down into those they have blessed. It is all just theory and speculation, but it makes sense to me. Does it seem likely to you?” Sara asked.
Seth thought it over for long moments. It sounded possible. It could be the very piece of the puzzle that they were missing. He mulled over what they had learned, piecing details together within his head to create a bigger picture. He now added Sara’s speculations and finally the situation appeared more clearly. The goddess had been biding her time for hundreds of years. She had waited patiently as the other gods waged war, thinking her already defeated. Their arrogance had indeed led them to overstretch themselves, at least those that battled here in Valdadore. Seth could recall eighteen magnificent temples lining the temple row. Each of them equal in grandeur, each of them worshipped openly and freely by many. He also could recall one temple hidden amongst the others, a temple only visited recently by three people. Ishanya was the underdog. She was outdated and outnumbered. Few now lived who even knew her name, yet she had chosen to return to the world. She had chosen Seth to be her champion. Of this much Seth was nearly certain. It was odd, however, thinking that the gods had given life to the world, giving each life upon it a small portion of themselves. But now they wanted those small pieces back. They used the races of men and even perhaps beasts as pawns to wage wars and kill each other’s followers in order to gain strength. It was sickening, yet in some way it all made perfect sense. Shaking his head to clear it, Seth again retuned his focus to the world beyond his mind.
Taking a deep breath, he nodded as he smiled to the small woman he loved.
“My angel, you are a genius.” Seth stated knowing if it hadn’t been for her he may have never found the explanation he sought. “I know now why Ishanya has chosen this time to return.”
“Why, my love?” Sara asked intrigued.
“The kingdom is at war, and with The Choosing ceremony many will be selected to serve in the ranks of the army, the knights, the druids, even the mages. Many of those will be blessed by their gods to enhance their chances to win the war. Those blessings will cost the gods who give them dearly. It will take time for people to recognize the new blessings for what they are, and longer still for people to join in worship because of what they witness. So it seems there will be a period of time after The Choosing, yet before the end of the war, where several gods will be weakened temporarily. Ishanya is choosing this time to make her move towards a seat of power. It’s perfectly logical, yet I think she has not foreseen one problem in her plan,” Seth said, grinning widely to himself.
“What is it, Seth?” Sara asked in wonder, amazed by his new understanding of the gods.
“Me,” Seth answered simply. “She does not see that I have no ambition to join a religion. I have no want or need to worship a god. I am happy being me just the way I am. I would like the gift of magic. I feel like it is something I must pursue, but I will not trade my freedom for it. That, my angel, is the flaw of her plans.” Seth said with determination in his voice.
“You know what that means don’t you?” Sara asked, her face changing to an expression of concern.
“What is that?” Seth asked.
“It means that you hold the power to change the world. If you stand by and do nothing, the war will wage on for who knows how long. Thousands will die and eventually one god will triumph over another just to then be attacked by another god’s followers. But if you choose to follow Ishanya, you might forever change the history of the world. You could maybe even stop the war. I don’t know what Ishanya wants of you, but perhaps it is worth it, in the end, to at least find out what she desires.” Sara watched Seth’s triumphant smile fade into one of disgust.
“Why can the gods not leave us all alone to live as we choose?” Seth asked. “Why is it we must pay with our lives for their ambition and greed? It seems I have no choice in the matter. I have to at least do what you say. If nothing else, maybe I can use my opposition as leverage to gain some advantage on the goddess. If I play my cards right, maybe I can gain her blessing without swearing myself to her, maybe even I can do some good after all,” Seth said more to himself than anyone else.
It was a suffocating feeling, being tangled in the web of a goddess. Seth felt like the world literally rested on his shoulders. No matter which direction he chose there would be consequences. He decided then that the direction he did choose would be for the betterment of man, not of a god. He looked to Sara, the one person who shared this knowledge with him, and vowed once again to himself to do all he could to protect her. He would do what was right to make the world she lived in a better place.
Seth sat silently for a long time, thinking to himself about the predicament he was in. He wanted nothing to do with the gods, though now he knew he had no choice. He tried to imagine how his future would play out. In his mind he imagined the world as a set of scales. The scales weighed dozens of different armies, different outcomes. Seth stood at the center of those scales. A movement in any direction would cause an unbalance in the strained equilibrium that now existed. If what he believed and what he felt was the truth, then how could he choose who the winners and losers would be? Thousands or perhaps tens of thousands would die in a drawn out war among the gods. Seth was not familiar with all the other races of man, but he knew it was not right to condemn them to death. No matter which choices might lay before him, none of them were the right ones. None of them were true and just. Each and every outcome Seth could think of led to bloodshed. Each of them evil.
Seth tumbled within the darkness of his mind. Consumed by the grief growing within him he was lost for a moment. Lost to the world, lost to his senses, lost to himself. It was only when Sara came to his side and wrapped her arms around his neck that Seth sought to free himself from the dark thoughts. Returning his mind to the physical world, Seth came to a final decision. He knew well that each and every choice would be one he would regret. However, he undertook to choose the quickest, less costly path to an end. This he hoped might spare lives, and in turn not make him the monster the goddess planned him to be.
Focusing on Sara to keep his mind from wandering to darker thoughts, Seth rose to his feet. Sara stood up with him and the two stayed for a long moment in each other’s arms.
“I think it is time to adjust your mood,” Sara said, her teasing smile appearing on her lips.
“Is that so?” Seth asked innocently, his dark thoughts fading as he looked to her angelic face.
“Yes, let’s go to bed.” Sara replied as she turned and strode across the room, exaggerating the sway of her hips as she went.
“To sleep?” Seth asked, already knowing the answer.
“Perhaps at some point, my love,” Sara called over her shoulder, still walking away.
Seth couldn’t help himself. Smiling, he too crossed the room to his side of the bed and began to undress. Unbuttoning his tunic he revealed the small, leather-bound tome that was his gift from the goddess. Not wanting to dwell upon his bleak future yet again, he tossed the book upon the floor and, using his foot, slid it beneath the bed.
Undressing quickly, Seth crawled into their bed and pulled the covers over himself. He settled into bed just in time to watch Sara pulling the silky top over her shoulders. She faced away from him and he took a moment to admire her beautifully shaped body. Sara turned to face him, once again revealing her barely disguised figure. Seth smiled as Sara crawled into the bed like a graceful feline. She slid beneath the covers with him and inched her way across the remaining distance to be next to Seth. Rolling to her side, she wrapped one leg loosely over him and laid her head upon his bare chest. Feeling her small warm body pressed against his own, Seth fought his body’s urges. As Seth tried to sway his changing blood flow, Sara slid her hand up his side and began to dance her fingertips across his bare skin. With a loud sigh of defeat, Seth let go of his inhibitions and in spite of himself he grinned as Sara watched his face, quietly giggling.
The night passed for Seth and Sara much like the previous night. For long hours they experimented pleasurably with one another’s bodies, finally finding sleep when their eyes could remain open no longer.
Garret
Late into the night, Garret and Ashton stumbled back through the front door of The King’s Herald. Garret swayed this way and that uncontrollably as Ashton attempted to guide and support him to little effect. They precariously made their way through the building and up the stairs to their floor. Guided by his smaller friend, Garret stumbled through the door to the room they shared as Ashton strained to lead him through the room. Brought to his bed, Ashton let him fall heavily upon it. Within mere seconds Garret began snoring, the world around him lost to darkness.
The intoxicating effect of ale and rum was not enough to spare Garret from what sought him this night. Deep in a drunken slumber, Garret dreamed lazily about the things he had done and seen previously in the evening. He watched once again as beautiful women swayed and twirled before him in perfect rhythm, dancing to the music of a nearby group of minstrels. Garret’s dream changed focus as he again visited a booth in the street with his friend. The booth was filled with carved wooden puppets each unique in its design. A small man stood inside the booth smiling, revealing several missing teeth.
The dream changed once more and now he stood outside the magnificent temple of Gorandor looking up at its intricately carved walls. Garret stepped towards the temple’s entrance. He walked through the door that stood open into the evening air and paused patiently to let his eyes adjust to the light within. He looked around the temple as it came into focus. The temple’s rows and rows of pews stood unattended as Garret walked between them towards the far end of the room. He noticed a man kneeling before a statue of Gorandor. As he neared, the man stood and turned to face him. He was a tall man, taller than Garret by a head. He too was thickly muscled with bulging limbs and a thick neck. He had a strong jaw and was clean shaven. His hair was black as night and curled loosely upon his head. Atop his head amongst the black curls sat a shimmering crown of gold studded nearly to entirety with gems. The man stood with a welcoming smile as Garret closed the distance between them. He looked familiar to Garret yet he could not recall the name of the man nor where they had met. Then the man began to speak. At least it looked as if he were speaking. The man formed words with his lips but Garret could not hear them, and thinking that he whispered, Garret leaned ever closer in an attempt to decipher the words. No matter how near Garret got, no word escaped the man’s moving lips. As Garret tried in vain to hear the soundless conversation the world again heaved and the temple and the man vanished.
Darkness swirled around Garret for a moment and his stomach turned awkwardly. Fighting back the bile that rose in his throat Garret commanded the whirling nothingness to retreat and, as if obeying his command, it did. When the misty blackness subsided Garret once again stood upon a battlefield. This time was much like a previous dream he had had. Looking across the body-littered field, Garret watched as black masses coagulated across the field from him like pools of aging blood. Realizing he had seen this scene before Garret then turned his attention to the men beside and around him. They were dressed in the armor of the Knights of Valdadore. Behind him more knights formed rows, and as he met their gazes, each nodded to him. Garret then extended the sweep of his eyes to include those further away than the knights. Behind them thousands of men in various types of armor stood ready for battle. Garret could not distinguish any familiar faces, so he turned his scrutiny elsewhere. Seeking out something familiar, Garret looked through the front lines of the massive force until his eyes fell upon a face he had seen every day since his birth. Seth stood mere yards away, facing the enemy across the field. He was easy to recognize though his face had changed tremendously. He looked tired, worn out, a withered image of himself. His clothing too was different. Instead of a tunic and leggings as was usual for him to wear, Seth wore a long robe made from a black fabric, a cowl pulled over his head. He did not notice Garret’s gaze, he stood focused across the field as if concentrating.
Confused and concerned Garret tore his eyes from his brother and again tried to scan those around him. He quickly located what he sought. Sara stood beside Seth. He could not see much of her, his view obscured by his brother, but she was there at Seth’s side, refusing even in the threat of battle to leave the man she loved. Garret nodded his approval silently to himself as he noticed the mood of the men around him change. As he turned to seek out the cause of this shift, he noticed Seth pulling up his sleeves and extending his hands as if to point toward something across the field. Following his brother’s motion, Garret looked to where the enemy faced them, only now the enemy rushed across the field as bolts of green lightning began to rain down among them. Garret faced his coming enemy and began to mutter words he himself could not distinguish as his body began to shimmer. Everything went black, and the intoxicating effect of all the liquor he had consumed earlier in the evening returned and refused to let him awaken. Garret snored heavily, sleeping uneasily until morning when he woke with a pounding head and uneasy stomach.