Blackhand (30 page)

Ru had to build a wall.

Quintel had killed the Agara!

Yuul thought the battle lost when it saw how little control the human had over his power, but the young Abanshi had triumphed. Even with the grief of a god restraining him, Quintel had found the capacity to kill. What a remarkably stubborn people the Abanshi were. Yuul, again, congratulated itself on choosing an Abanshi as a vessel. While the Vaerians and Lanya had each offered one of their own as a host, neither culture possessed the ingrained willpower and war lust of the Abanshi.

Yuul squirmed through the weave of reality, staying hidden from Ru's sight by stretching itself into a thread and hiding behind the atoms in the air. As it stepped away from the ravaged pinnacle of God's Finger, Yuul could see its adversary on the other side of the world, enacting another plan to save himself.

Ru had launched a second army of Thogs, but only a few of them were armed. Instead of weapons, the majority carried armloads of the spherical black batteries that motivated them. Ru was not foolish enough to make the same mistake twice. The Lover of Life was acting upon some new strategy, but Yuul could not tell what it was.

Ru had also manufactured a revised breed of Thog. There were not many of them, but Yuul found the new creatures fascinating. They bore little resemblance to the previous variety, coming in an assortment of shapes and sizes. Some had multiple limbs or even tentacles, several stood nearly twenty feet tall and many were covered in armor plating similar to that of the Agara. But the biggest change Yuul could see were the stones that animated them. No two were alike. Ru seemed to be plucking random shapes from the spiritual ether to add diversity to his creations.

And such diversity had changed their brains. Ru apparently hoped to confuse Quintel by giving the beasts the ability to make decisions. These Thogs had a flicker of reason. As they moved across the terrain, Yuul saw that they were calculating in their movements. Nothing like the mindless versions who now toted the black spheres to wherever.

With so much activity, Yuul knew the time to test its theory had arrived. It had learned a great deal about entering the physical realm from studying the Demonthane. Before, the young god had only considered a human being as a potential host. After seeing how Sirian Ru accommodated the Demonthane, Yuul now knew there was another way to become alive.

Sneaking from molecule to molecule, Yuul made its way across the world and entered Sirian Ru's territory. Ru was preoccupied with the advancing armies on the far horizon and did not suspect Yuul presence. As long as Yuul was quiet and careful, it could move freely.

The god came upon a group of the new Thogs who had broken away from the larger horde.  One of the beasts in particular grabbed Yuul's attention. It was not as monstrous as its companions, having more or less a human shape. And it was lean, with long muscular legs built for running. Although smaller than the other creatures, Yuul saw it had an impressive mental capacity. Peering into its breast, the god saw why. The creature's power source looked like a cluster of oversized grapes welded together to form an improved soul battery. More importantly, the stone was large enough for Yuul to fit inside. At least with a bit of the folding and tucking he had learned from watching the Lanya.

Yuul followed the group for several hours, learning as much as it could about the power stone and the mechanics of the creatures. These Thogs could speak and communicated with one another continuously. The Thog that Yuul came to think of as his was the leader of the group, ordering the others around and scolding them when they fell behind. When Yuul was sure it had seen enough, the god decided to make its move.

During the attempt, there would be a moment when Yuul would become visible. The deity's timing was critical. If Ru saw it, everything would be lost.

Yuul watched Ru at the top of his intricate castle. The elder god was occupied with his own tasks but glanced outward now and then to see if any new developments had arisen. Although Ru's persona permeated the entire world, the Living God could only focus on one thing at time. His senses were trapped within his body until he set them free. The part that kept the world alive was mindless and blind.

Many false starts arose. Every time Yuul gathered courage to move, Ru would look up. At times it seemed Ru was playing with the younger god. The tension was grating. Impatience gnawed at Yuul's will. Excitement and fear grappled within the god's mind and it almost slipped from the safety of its hiding place. Just as Yuul decided to take a chance and plunge forward, another consciousness appeared.

The mind of the Lanya ruler floated before Yuul, not fooled by the god's trickery.

“Wait, young god!” the Lanya said with a thought, and then swooped into the sky. Yuul watched the witch's trajectory and saw Quintel's lumbering senses in the distance, hovering above the clouds of winter like a signal fire. The Lanya showed herself and spoke to Quintel. At that moment Sirian Ru's senses shot across the world to see what transpired between his two enemies.

With Ru’s attention absorbed, Yuul jumped from its hiding place fully visible. The Thogs were resting in a copse of trees and the shimmering silver globe that appeared before them incited mixed reaction. Two of the Thogs bolted in fear, leaving their swords and shields behind. Another jumped to its feet in confusion, trying to figure out if the object meant them harm. Yuul's Thog drew its sword, ready to strike the thing down and figure out what it was later.

Yuul did not give it the chance. With one fluid action, the young god charged its target, piercing the spiritual placenta that gave the power stone form. Yuul felt the infinity of its body fill the container. The Thog's weak, dark power drowned beneath the spirit of the god and disappeared. In between masters, the body fell to the ground and convulsed. Still not entirely within the stone, Yuul contorted its existence to fit the tight confines.  After a few folds, the god was done.

Yuul saw through eyes for the first time. Color and movement danced across its vision. Air filled its lungs and it could smell the grass and trees. Sound came to its ears from many different sources. The god felt the ground against its back. Without thinking about the action, Yuul held up its knobby hands and looked at them, opening and closing the fingers. The god sat up. Movement was easy. Yuul thought it would have to concentrate to get the body to animate, but it could move without thinking. Intent was enough. The god stood up and looked around.

“I am,” it said in the Thog's growling voice.

The god felt the weight of existence, but not like when it tried to enter Quintel. The Thog had no memories, no pain it carried, no hopes or fears to come crushing in from all directions. The artificial soul that had once inhabited the body was gone. There was only Yuul.

Because of the folding and tucking, Ru would not be able to see it upon the spiritual realm.  The Lover of Life would have to be in physical proximity to recognize Yuul.

The remaining Thog stood several feet away, aware that something had happened to its leader. It pulled a battle ax from a sling across its back. Yuul knew the beast was going to attack. The god stooped to pick up the sword the body's previous owner had dropped. The bewildered Thog stepped forward with its ax raised. Before the creature could swing, Yuul thrust the blade into the Thog’s chest severing the nerve fiber surrounding its black heart. The god felt the sword scrape against the stone. The beast collapsed to the ground, a pile of empty flesh.

Yuul felt nothing. No remorse, no grief, no guilt.  Like Quintel, it could kill Ru's creations without regret. There was even a smack of satisfaction in the deed.

The two Thogs who fled stomped through the forest without regard for stealth, returning to see if the silvery globe had departed. With sword in hand, Yuul went out to meet them.

Chapter 35

The wagons arrived first. Placed at the front of the column, they carried the new Vaerian weapons. To Quintel, the mysterious weapons didn't look very impressive; hollow bronze cylinders, twenty feet long, wrapped in heavy bands of iron. He couldn't even tell how they worked. Kegs of soil and jagged iron ingots rode with the cylinders, somehow a part of their operation.

An Abanshi engineer, distinguished by the crest on his armor, hopped off the first wagon as it rolled to a stop. Over his shoulder, he carried a large metal bar that was obviously an oversized key. Offering Quintel a deep bow, the engineer walked over to the hidden tunnel entrance. He knocked away a portion of stone and inserted the key into a hidden slot with a twist. Grinding gears rumbled from within the mountain. In a rain of stone, a massive doorway parted the cliff face, revealing a carved granite avenue wide enough for two wagons to travel abreast.

“Will you be leading us, my Lord?” the engineer asked Quintel.

“No,” Quintel answered. “I will wait here for Queen Aul.” While a part of him did not want to see her, he had to tell her what he had seen over the Forestlands.

The column of wagons and armored men disappeared into the mouth of the mountain; the engineer lit torches along the stone road as they advanced. Thousands of Vaerian and Abanshi warriors walked past as he stood stolid and motionless. Many thought he did not appear human in his stillness. He saw their judgment within the light that glimmered from their souls.

As the day drained away, he sensed Aul growing near. No longer at the rear of the column, she rode somewhere near the middle, giving her troops inspiration and encouragement up the line. Soon she was in his sight.

He felt her heart jump when she saw him. Her feelings of desire were strong, affecting his own. He longed to hold her against his body.

Her horse trotted up the edge of the road.

“You waited,” she said, dismounting. “I had hoped you would.”

He felt the warmth of his humanity rise as she approached. The god in him welcomed the rush.

“You cause confusion within my heart, sister,” he said. “Your love overpowers my will.”

She looked at him, memorizing his eyes and face; her feelings carved a crescent of blue from her pelvis to her throat.

“Let me dispatch your confusion, brother,” she said and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Don't leave my side again. If you wish to lead the march, I will come with you.”

Quintel had no desire to lead the march, but knew he must so he could divert the two armies. The emotions Aul kindled distracted him. He had to stay with the task. The Forestland must not be engaged and he was the only one who could prevent it. There would be a brief opportunity, and if he failed, the outcome would be tragic.

“I will take the lead soon. First I must tell you of the Forestland armies,” he told her. “They are disjointed and ill equipped. Too much faith was put into the Thogs. They have archery towers, but they are no match for your forces.”

Aul rejoiced at his report. She was starting to suspect the range of his powers; uses for it gelled in her mind. A red glow eclipsed the blue crescent.

“That is fortunate news. You saw them with your divine vision?”

Quintel nodded. “The world opens before me like a map.”

“A beneficial talent,” she said. “Did you see an evident strategy for our attack?”

“Yes,” he said. “You should retreat.”

A spike of anger caught in Aul's throat. Among the Abanshi, the word defined a wasted life. In their world, retreating took away your value as a human being.

“Not under my lead,” she said. “Half god or not, I must ask you not mention such ideas again. Our course is set. Now, again, did you see anything that might give us an advantage?”

He had only glanced at the Forestland armies during his search for the Lanya. He had not looked upon their forces with such an eye, only seeing how weak they were.

“No,” he answered. He sensed her teeth grinding. She now realized he was not marching with the Abanshi and Vaerians as an ally.

“If you will not help us, why are you with us?” She asked, trying to veil her anger, but a fire, like that of her passion earlier, burned out her other light. “It was your word that set the march into motion.”

“You were marching whether I joined or not,” he answered. “Without me, the two armies would meet and thousands would die. Every death would feel like my own.  It is Ru I march to face. I travel with you to thwart any conflict beyond that.”

He felt Aul's mind race.

“How do you plan to stop it?”

On that, Quintel was not sure. It was a loose strand. Somehow he must convince the Forestland army to step aside and let them pass.

“I do not know.”

She grabbed his shoulders and faced him. The touch was not gentle.

“Then I recommend a new strategy,” she said. “One with flesh and sanity.” She placed her hand on his face and her voice softened, but urgency still engulfed her. “Fight with us, Quintel. Push down the weakness of the god. Raise your hard-won sword against the Forestlands.”

The thought of his blade passing through a human being sickened him.

“I cannot,” he said and looked away.

Aul's stare lingered but he did not met her eyes or allow himself to see her soul. Her hands fell to her sides. Without speaking, she gathered the reins of her mare and walked into the tunnel beside her troops. Quintel paused to give her distance and then followed.