“Yes,” said Tower. “It’s filled with many types of equipment. And, on the final page, anything I write is instantly duplicated in a matching book in the monastery. They may also add items to their book for my use.”
“And that’s how you’d trigger the X sanction?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Don’t you think it’s creepy that we’re working with someone who’s kinda, sorta dead? I mean, I never got along with my father, but I didn’t think he’d get involved with necromancy. I especially didn’t think the church would go along with something like this.”
“The needs of a king and the needs of the church don’t always overlap,” said Tower. He looked toward the faint glow of the caldera. It had been especially calm ever since the eruption. “Of course, sometimes they do. The church hates all primal dragons. The king wants this island for its natural wealth.” He waved his gauntleted hand toward the forest. “Think of the navy that can be built with such an endless supply of large trees. We’ve long ago exhausted all useful timber on the Silver Isles, and now the forests on the Isle of Apes are producing fewer and fewer large trees. Anywhere the king searches for new resources, he finds primal dragons standing in the way. But, plans have now been set in motion to rid the world not just of Greatshadow, but of all the dragons. In the not so distant future, King Brightmoon will face no barriers at all in his quest to expand our great civilization.”
“Hmm,” said Infidel, running her hands along the seams of his chest plate, tracing the joints lightly with her fingernails. “I suppose ruling the world does excuse a little necromancy.”
Tower stared deeply into Infidel’s eyes. “And you, my lovely princess,
you
are the last surviving link to the bloodline of your father. Our children will have the sole claim to inherit the crown. Think of it, my darling: the product of my seed and your womb will hold dominion over the earth!”
Infidel met his gaze, and said, “This is quite a vision.”
“A grand vision,” said Tower. “And a true one. I believe with all my heart that our story is the central narrative of the One True Book. Our life and love are the very core of history. It is destiny. Our destiny.”
Infidel turned her back to him. “You’ll pardon me if I need some time to think about this. This is quite a lot to swallow.”
“Would it help if you had something sweet and cream-filled to swallow first?” Tower asked.
At first I assumed this was the worst sexual innuendo I’d ever heard, but Tower surprised me by turning to a new page in the book and tapping it. Instantly the night air was cut through by the scent of vanilla. Infidel’s nose twitched as she peeked back over her shoulder. Her face lit up with a huge grin as she spun around.
Tower was holding a silver plate on which set the tallest slice of cake I’d ever seen. The dessert was composed of seven inch-thick layers of golden cake separated by velvety frosting as white as fresh snow. The whole plate was dusted with confectioner’s sugar and delicate daisy petals composed of frosting. As Infidel stared at the pastry, I felt a surge of delight to see her smiling so after such a long period of sadness, then a surge of jealousy that I wasn’t responsible for her joy.
“I wrote the monks and asked them to hire the finest bakers. They placed the result into my book only hours ago. Enjoy!”
Tower produced a fork as he spoke, but it was too late. Infidel had already snatched up the confection with her fingers and was shoving it into her mouth. She might have been raised in a palace, but she’d had fifteen years in Commonground to shed any table manners. I hoped that Tower might be turned off by the sight of such messy hunger.
Instead, his own eyes as he stared at her frosting covered lips told of a deeper hunger still.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THRONE
T
HE WAR DRUMS
ended at dawn. Silver mist covered the black stones of the courtyard as the sunbeams seeped through the trees. The dragon-hunters woke to a breakfast of dried sausages and bananas.
Father Ver unrolled the golden map on a section of lichen-covered column. Everyone gathered around, chewing their sausages as they looked at the gleaming scroll.
Aurora was the first to break the silence. “So this is really going to happen. We’re going face to face with Greatshadow.”
Lord Tower nodded. “We’ve paid a steep price to come this far. Yet, when I look around this courtyard, I’m certain we shall succeed. Never before has the dragon faced a band of adventurers with our combined power.”
“It isn’t power that will guarantee our victory,” said Father Ver. “It’s the rightness of our cause. We’re the champions of truth, pitting ourselves against the living embodiment of falsehood. We must not fail.”
Zetetic opened his mouth, inhaling to speak.
Ver cut him off with a raised hand. “We know your thoughts on the matter.”
“Not all of them,” said the Deceiver. “You’ve dragged me back from the grave for this mission. That’s an admission that you can’t do this without me. I’d like to name my terms.”
“You’ll do what we tell you,” said Father Ver, “or you will die.”
“You admit I do have a choice,” said Zetetic.
“You won’t disobey,” said Tower. “You’ve proven your instincts for self-preservation.”
“Which is why I’m not thrilled about being drafted for this suicide mission. But, let’s pretend for a moment that there’s one chance in a million we’ll beat Greatshadow. Our goal, while unlikely, isn’t impossible. Assuming we come out of this alive, I have certain demands.”
“You’re in no position to issue demands,” grumbled Father Ver.
Tower said, “I’d like to hear them.”
Father Ver raised his eyebrows. Even the Deceiver looked surprised.
Tower said, “Believe it or not, Zetetic, I’d prefer you were a willing member of this party. If there is something you want that we can provide, tell us.”
Zetetic looked off balance, as if he hadn’t expected Tower to actually listen. He cleared his throat. “Very well. Of all the reasons I’ve heard for doing this, Relic’s motive is the only one that makes sense to me. Look around you. We’re standing in the middle of a fallen civilization once more advanced than our own. Within Greatshadow’s lair, we’ll find artifacts of these people. Our understanding of the world could be forever changed by what we learn of their science, their religion, and their art.”
“The fact that their civilization failed is evidence that they had nothing of value to offer us,” said Father Ver.
“Nonetheless, if we do survive this, I don’t want to see the artifacts simply looted. I’ll promise my willing cooperation on one condition: I get to review each item we recover for cultural, historical, and magical significance. I don’t want to unearth these treasures merely so that the king can use the jewels to decorate his toilet.”
“We cannot grant this,” said Father Ver, wasting no time to consider the offer. “We shall bring in monks to catalog the treasure. The mercenaries will be compensated according to their contracts, and what remains will be divided between the church and the king.”
“The church and the king are wealthy enough,” said Zetetic. “The king will get the island and its natural wealth. The church will grow as it boasts of an evil vanquished. The only treasure I seek is knowledge. I’ve traveled the world, driven by my hunger to learn more. I’ve explored palaces beneath the waves, and studied in cities built upon clouds. Greatshadow’s hoard is a doorway to a new land: the distant past.”
Father Ver shook his head. “We know all we need to of the Vanished Kingdom. The thing we are most certain of is that these poor men followed mistaken religions. Time has erased their failed gods from memory; should any idols of these false faiths be found, we must destroy them so that no weak-minded men can be led astray.”
“Your church claims to honor truth above all,” said Zetetic. “Yet you seek to erase the truth of earlier times. We should document and study—”
“Enough!” Lord Tower slapped the Gloryhammer into his gauntleted palm. “Father Ver, the Church will remain the final arbiter in distributing the treasure. However, I find no problem with granting the Deceiver what he’s asked for. Not control of the treasure, but the opportunity to study it. We must catalog the treasure anyway; Zetetic may oversee this work.”
“This had better not slow down our pay,” said Menagerie.
“It won’t,” said Tower.
“I’m surprised you’re capitulating on this, Tower,” said Zetetic.
“Surprised or not, I’m giving you my word,” said the knight. “I want you to fight with your full heart. I want you” — he glanced around the gathering — “all of you, to understand the importance of our mission. As Reeker’s death reminds us, Greatshadow’s malignant intelligence spies upon mankind through every candle, waiting for any moment of carelessness to strike. After we slay the dragon, mankind need never fear fire again.” He looked around the tangled jungle, and shook his head. “A once great kingdom, buried beneath a hostile wilderness. Such a waste, and Greatshadow is to blame. Here, life is brutal and short; the civilized concepts of mercy, compassion, and justice have failed to take hold against these twisted roots. These noble ideas are what we are truly fighting for. When Greatshadow falls, we shall tame this land. The world will no longer have any place where the wicked may hide from the righteous.”
“I appreciate the attempt at inspiring us,” said Aurora. “What I’m not hearing is how we’re going to actually kill the dragon. Your hammer couldn’t even touch the fire-drake.”
“The drake was nothing but flame. Greatshadow has a body.”
“True. But he’s not just a body. Assuming we can kill the big lizard part of him, how do we touch his spirit?”
I knew she was digging for information about the Jagged Heart, but Tower didn’t give her any satisfaction. “An excellent question,” he said. “We will launch our assault on the beast from the ancient temple that lies below.” He tapped a star-shaped chamber on the map.
“Why is that going to make any difference?” asked Menagerie.
Zetetic said, “Despite Ver’s insistence that his religion has all the answers, all temples are imbued by the collective energies of their worshippers with special properties. The veil between the material and immaterial is especially thin in these places. Thanks to my metaphysical flexibility, I can manipulate the temple energies to open a door to the spirit world. Father Ver is in possession of a Writ of Judgment. I will send him into the spirit world to confront Greatshadow’s soul.”
“He’s that powerful?” Aurora asked.
Father Ver shook his head. “Even if I weren’t reading the scroll, the sentence of death written upon it comes from the highest earthly power of the church, the Voice of the Book. The beast’s soul will fade when confronted by his truthful verdict as frost retreats before sunlight.”
Aurora looked dubious; frost sparkled on her cheeks as the morning brightened.
Lord Tower said, “With Greatshadow’s soul destroyed, slaying the beast’s body will be my duty.”
“Buhuh pluh?” asked No-Face.
Menagerie nodded. “Your plan does seems a little... spare. What happens if the priest fails? What happens if the dragon fries you?”
Tower nodded. “If needed, I may also travel to the spirit realm, since I have a weapon that my harm the dragon’s spirit. As for Greatshadow’s body, you killed two dragons in Commonground. You’re the back-up plan.”
“I appreciate your confidence,” said Menagerie.
Tower looked back at the map. “Of course, there are challenges before we reach the dragon. Most of this palace used to be above ground. Lava flows have covered much of it; earthquakes have wiped out entire sections of a complex that once covered two square miles. Previous explorers have wiggled through a maze of narrow tunnels to try to survey what they could. However, if the monks have interpreted the map correctly, the depression in the center of the courtyard was once a ceremonial well before it was filled with debris. We can dig straight down one hundred feet through the courtyard to reach deep passageways that may still be intact, then follow these to the temple.”
Tower pointed at the spot in the courtyard where they’d have to dig. Menagerie looked at the jumbled boulders then said, “I hope the Gloryhammer can turn into a Gloryshovel. Even though I have a mole tattoo, digging through a hundred feet of rock might take a while.”
“We can be down below in ten minutes, if Father Ver doesn’t screw with me,” said Zetetic.
“Behave and he won’t have to,” said Tower. “Show us what you can do.”
“Very well.” Zetetic glanced at No-Face, their gazes locking for the briefest of seconds. “I possess the ability to move rocks through pure mental force.”
He held his hands toward the rock pile, his brow furrowed. Everyone looked at the rocks, anticipating a show. Seconds passed, stretching into minutes. Father Ver turned his back to the Deceiver, scowling deeply. Still, nothing happened. Aurora shook her head. You could tell she didn’t think Zetetic could do it.
No-Face kept staring. I floated over the boulder-filled pit. I held my ghost breath, catching hint of a faint rumble below. Without warning, fist-sized stones beneath me began to dance, bouncing into the air a few inches at first, then a few feet. A stone the size of a watermelon stood on end, then slowly rose, wobbling, until suddenly it shot out in a long arc over the jungle, vanishing from sight. The ground trembled as stone after stone rose; chunks of rock as big as rowboats were lurching heavenward. Waves of dust rolled over the courtyard as uncounted tons of stone sailed out of sight.