Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (37 page)

SHALEE
is once again with Helga after sleeping through the night. She still feels weak, and they have decided to stick with simple commands as her training continues. The past few Peaks have been wonderful, despite Shalee’s broken arm.

The rewards Shalee has come to expect from simpler commands are fading as her training continues. Helga explains that Shalee’s magical foundation is building, and from now on, easier commands will only add small extensions to her life.

CELESTRIA
is now with the elven, witch family on the world of Luvelles. She is posing as a distant relative. The story, if asked, is that she has traveled to stay with them until her baby is born.

LASIDIOUS
plans to make an appearance to the Collective. He has sent word for the Book of Immortality to call a meeting inside the Hall of Judgment. The Book has invited the gods to attend, and as expected, with the exception of Celestria, every god informs the Book that they will make an appearance.

Thank you for reading this edition of the Grayham Inquirer

CHAPTER 14

A God Falls

The Book's Hall of Judgment

THE MEETING OF THE gods was held inside the Hall of Judgment, the home of the Book of Immortality. The vanity of the gods had ensured that everything on Ancients Sovereign was breathtakingly beautiful, and the room they held their meetings in was no exception.

The majority of the Collective was sitting around a heavy stone table, but one of the gods, Keylom, was unable to sit. He was a centaur, and unlike the others, Keylom had to stand due to his unique body composition. His hooves clapped against the floor as he shifted nervously while listening to the harsh words that were being thrown around the room.

Bassorine shouted, “I’m outraged by your deception, Lasidious!” He glared at the Mischievous One. “You’ll give back the Crystal Moon, or I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” Mieonus, the Goddess of Hate called out over the top of the God of War’s voice. She leaned forward in her chair. Her long, black hair had been straightened, and the black and red gown she was wearing had a low cut neckline that accentuated her cleavage.

Bassorine was clearly annoyed by the interruption. His eyes narrowed. “I should never have released my hold on the Crystal Moon.”

Lasidious laughed in a taunting manner. “You’re irrelevant! No one cares how you feel, and I’ve broken no laws by taking the crystals.” He scanned the faces around the table as he made his next statement. “This Collective doesn’t call me the Mischievous One without reason. Did you truly believe your release of the crystal’s pieces would be without recourse? Deception is what I do. Besides, it was your vanity that drew you into my trap. You’re pathetic.”

The God of War roared. “My vanity? How was I so vain?”

“You have the biggest ego in this room. It didn’t take much to convince you that you should appear to the mortals after they touched the crystal. You enjoy looking almighty! Your vanity liked the idea, or you would’ve never agreed to it.”

Bassorine tried to speak above Lasidious, but he stumbled over his words.

“Stuttering doesn’t become you. Face it, Bassorine. You’re not the brightest of the gods. When it comes to planning war, you’re slightly above average, but when it comes to thinking beyond the battlefield, you should leave the plotting to the minds of the adept. There would’ve been nothing created if you would’ve been the only one to survive the God Wars. You have no imagination, and you’re useless. Everyone around this table knows I’m right.”

Lasidious could see Bassorine moving toward the edge of his seat as he continued to berate the God of War. “Face it. If you had any brains at all, you would not have allowed the Book to be created in the first place. Not only did you allow it, but you allowed me, of all the gods, to manipulate its creation. I did it right under your nose. I must thank you. The loopholes in its laws are wonderful for creating chaos.”

The awkwardness of the confrontation caused Keylom to shift his weight again. The sound of the centaur’s hooves heightened the tension in the room.

The others exchanged amused glances from their seats as Bassorine reacted. The God of War stood, drew his sword, jumped onto the table, pointed his blade at Lasidious and threatened, “Let’s see what an imbecile looks like when I’m standing over your corpse!”

Bassorine rushed across the table toward Lasidious, but before harm could be inflicted, the Book of Immortality used the power within its pages to send the God of War hurling across the room. Bassorine slammed into the far wall with a thunderous thud, and the hall shook from the collision, damaging the thick, marble wall.

The Book of Immortality rose from its golden stand. It realized the meeting was out of control and the moment had come to establish order.

In all its seasons, since the Collective agreed on its creation, the Book had never used its power. Until now, it had always settled things with logical mediation. Everyone in the room was stunned, even Lasidious, though he had hoped this would happen. It was the God of Mischief’s goal to put the Book in a defensive position, forcing it to protect him.

The Book spoke with authority. “Bassorine, this meeting will not become a battlefield. You won’t be permitted to harm Lasidious. He has free will to say whatever he chooses, just as you do. I suggest you calm yourself before you do something that will require stronger discipline.”

All watched as Bassorine picked himself up off the floor to dust off his long, tan leather coat. The others stood and waited for his reaction. The God of War lifted his head high as he finished brushing off the debris and scoffed as the chunks fell to the floor.

Everyone knew Bassorine was the strongest—capable of destroying each of them, but it was the Book’s job to keep the gods from fighting. Its power was not to be taken lightly, no matter how dominant Bassorine was. Yet Bassorine was the only god within the Collective who wielded a weapon capable of destroying the Book.

Angry, the God of War pondered what his next move would be. He watched as the Book hovered above the table and moved into a position above its golden stand.

Now, fellow soul ... I need to take a short series of moments to tell you a few things. When the Collective created the Book of Immortality, they established two weaknesses. The first was Bassorine’s sword. The gods agreed that they needed a way to take back the control given to the Book if ever it became necessary, but they did not leave room for error.

The Book’s second flaw was a slowed reaction. The problem was … this moment of weakness was minimal, a split moment if you will—extremely narrow. Only Bassorine had the skill necessary to react fast enough to capitalize on this advantage.

Bassorine knew he would have only one shot at destroying the Book. He further knew another governor of the gods could be created if needed. With the Book out of the way, he would be free to destroy Lasidious, and the Mischievous One’s demise would set a precedent. The others of the Collective would be afraid to stand against him, and he would once again be all-powerful. Lasidious’ actions were the perfect excuse to take back this ultimate level of glory—or was this level of glory truly ultimate?