Harvest of Dreams (The Gods' Dream Trilogy) (47 page)

He grimaced. “Probably thousands.” Familiar guilt tugged at him.

She raised one eyebrow. “By your own hand?”

“No. Not directly.”

“Then could you kill a woman?”

“Perhaps not just any woman. But Pasinae is Ontarem’s tool, and she’s as evil as the God Himself.”

“Is she? Or is she another victim like you were? Like Indaran was.”

Thaddis ground his teeth. “
Everyone
under Ontarem’s thumb is a victim. But that doesn’t make her any less dangerous.”

“But can you kill her?” Sadie persisted, her grip on his arm tightening.

“I probably won’t know if I can slay her until I have my sword at her throat.”

“Is there some way we can save her? Have her bond with one of the other Gods or Goddesses?” Sadie made a rueful expression. “In my world, we’d say
convert
her?”

Thaddis shook his head. “Although I didn’t realize it at the time, Ontarem is deeply embedded with His people of Penutar. They won’t convert, as you call it, easily.”

“But we can try.”

“Even if we could find a way, I doubt we’ll have time. We’ll be fighting, Sadie. Not just for our lives, but for the lives of every man, woman, and child on Kimtair. We’ll have to kill her the minute we have a chance.”

~ ~ ~

Thaddis’s words sent a chill down Sadie’s spine. Perhaps before, she could have logically agreed about the need for Pasinae’s death, when the act of killing was only a theory. But now she had blood on her hands. While she didn’t regret the deaths and knew she’d had no choice at the time she’d slain the pirates, Sadie felt something within herself had shifted and would never be the same.

And for Thaddis to calmly talk about killing Pasinae, a woman he must have cared about to have as his mistress for so long, even if he’d been under Ontarem’s influence…

The wide gap between their cultures—no, their
worlds
—yawned between them.
He grew up practicing sword fighting to
kill.
I practiced to
compete.

Although, irked that Thaddis had so quickly dismissed the idea of conversion, Sadie tried to think through the idea and figure out another way to present the possibility. Perhaps the concept of changing beliefs and relationships with Deities was just too foreign for him. After all, look at the problems the people of Ocean’s Glory had with switching allegiances to Withea?

For the first time since committing to Kimtair, Sadie missed America with a fierce ache, and she wanted to go home
. If only I had ruby slippers or a fairy godmother.

How ironic to live in a magical world and want more magic to solve my problems.
For a moment, she wondered if there was a portal to a planet where fairy godmothers and ruby slippers existed.

Then she shrugged aside the idea.
Magic didn’t make life…love…any easier.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Standing just outside the light of the fire, Nabric watched the twenty-one men, kneeling in two lines with their arms bound behind their backs, whom he’d identified as missing their tether. A ring of armed soldiers surrounded the group, close enough to respond to a threat, but far enough away to avoid contamination if the situation was contagious. To his othersense, the men looked healthy enough—more so then their companions in arms. While their energy wasn’t strong, what there was of it sparkled with pale colors, reminding him of flickering rainbows.

He’d never seen anything like the othersense of the prisoners. And while the expressions of some looked fearful, they all had a calm aura about them, at odds with the precarious situation they found themselves in.

As much as Nabric searched and poked and prodded, he found not the slightest trace that they’d ever belonged to Ontarem. A search had turned up enough soldiers who’d known each man for a long time, some going back to childhood, which ruled out the possibility of foreign spies. But with his othersense, he could discern two slight indentations on each man’s brain where their tethers should have attached.
What happened? A disease?

Nabric strolled into the firelight, projecting intimidating strength, and stopped in front of the first man, wondering if he needed to apply torture to receive the information he wanted. He crossed his arms across his chest. “You will answer my questions, or you will die, slice by slice, piece by piece. Is that clear?”

The man swallowed. “Yes, Trine Nabric.”

“What has happened to your connection with Ontarem?”

The man glanced down the row. He received faint nods, slight smiles, and looks encouraging him to speak.

Nabric had a sudden feeling these men had grouped themselves into a pack. If he were able to reattach them to the God, he’d separate them so they’d have little contact with each other.

The man he’d addressed had the temerity to smile. “Arvintor severed me from Ontarem,” the man spoke with quiet confidence. “He has filled our hearts with love.”

Love!
Nabric reared back as if struck, the ramifications of Arvintor’s freeing Ontarem’s people racing through his mind. He imagined the seductive enticement of love for a God, not bondage to a Deity. He could lose the whole army to Arvintor without even a fight. Just this kind of knowledge could cause division in the ranks, and he was glad he’d stationed the guards too far away to hear the man’s words.

Would it even do any good to reattach them to Ontarem?
He pulled on his power and raised his hand to start the process. But when he connected with Ontarem, started to convey what was happening, the God gave him a little shake for his attention.

Yadarius is free. He has sunk the ships of the seadogs. The fleet of Ocean’s Glory sails for Penutar.

What?
Nabric shook his head as if to clear it. Feeling as though he’d just been pounded, he walked away from the prisoners, turning his back on everyone and gazing out to where he knew Arvintor and the Che-da-wah dwelled. “We must march to Penutar.”

No!. Send half my army back with Commander Sughar and keep the rest there with you. Attack the Che-da-wah tomorrow and wipe them out.

Nabric had to restrain a curse.
We’ll be fighting on two fronts.
“My God,” he dared protest. “Ocean’s Glory is strong in numbers. Their army might take the city. They may slay many of Your people and thus diminish Your power. We must defend Penutar with all our might. We can return later to finish capturing the Che-da-wah.”

Dare you argue with ME?

Nabric heard the edge in Ontarem’s voice.
No, he didn’t dare argue with Him.
“It shall be as you command, my God.”

I have felt my brother freeing MY soldiers. You will slay each one of his people, making an example of them to the rest. I will feast on their essence.
Ontarem cut their connection.

Nabric exhaled a sigh of frustration.

The commander looked askance at him.

“We’ve just lost half our army. Ontarem has recalled them to the city. We are being invaded by Ocean’s Glory.”

“Only half?”

“Our God is determined to bind His brother and bring Arvintor’s people to their knees.”

“As the God wills,” the man piously intoned, although doubts lingered in his eyes.

“Call your men to arms. You will be in command, while I remain here. Force march your army to Penutar. Don’t bother with supplies. You
must
stop the invasion at the harbor, not let the fighting spill over into the city.”

“Yes, Trine Priest.” Sughar gestured at the prisoners. “What shall we do with…?”

Nabric narrowed his eyes at commander for being too stupid to see the answer for himself. “Kill them!”

~ ~ ~

In the early morning, Pasinae stood at the stern of the seadog ship, holding tight to the rail to stay upright and watching the sails of the Ocean’s Glory fleet inch closer. When darkness had fallen, she’d laid down for some fitful sleep but was up at first light watching for the sails on the horizon. From time to time, she’d glance forward, searching for the land of Louat. A journey that normally would have taken days to make had passed in less than a day.

As soon as she’d seen the fleet, she’d sent word to Ontarem to recall the army from the plain. Pasinae could only hope the God’s blind focus to all but His war with His brother would not extend to the threat of an invasion of His city. Without the army’s protection, the people were doomed. She wouldn’t let herself think about what would happen if Ontarem were rendered powerless by the decimation of His people.

Finally, a dark mass smudged the horizon. With relief Pasinae watched the land loom larger.

She left the stern, and walked hand-over-hand along the railing to reach the bow. From time to time, she’d turn to check on the progress of the ships behind them, but as Ontarem’s power grew stronger the closer they sailed to Penutar, so too could the God push back the other ships. The fleet from Ocean’s Glory soon stopped gaining on them and fell behind.

Yadarius had held back the power of the tidal waves she was sure He’d used against the Triangle Islands. She had no doubt one would soon hit Pentar. But the SeaGod had to be careful of His own ships, and unlike the Triangle Islands with their towns on the shorefront, Penutar was built on the cliffs, with Ontarem’s temple in the middle. She’d be safe once she made it to the top. Or so she hoped.

But will there be enough time for our army to march back from Drayleth?

The dock came in sight—a long stone quay with several buildings used for storage of goods and the housing of the dockworkers and a priest of Ontarem. She was relieved that her God had anticipated her arrival and instructed the priest to have the derli carriage waiting.

As soon as they docked, she moved to the side of the ship by the gangplank.

The captain joined her.

Pasinae hadn’t learned his name, nor did she care to now. “Once I disembark, engage the enemy.” She turned her back on him before he could respond.

The crew rolled down the gangplank. Once they’d secured the end. Pasinae gingerly made her way down to the dock.

A priest strolled out of the building on the quay, a young one she didn’t know. “Welcome home, Trine Priestess,” he called, moving as if he had all the time in the world.

She ignored him and hurried toward the carriage. He’d be dead soon.

Her normal driver, a small, shriveled man, waited on the seat. He glanced behind her searching for her luggage.

Pasinae shook her head and scrambled into the passenger seat without waiting for him to help her up. “Go,” she ordered. “As fast as you can. There’s a tidal wave coming, and if we’re not at the top of the cliff by the time it hits…” She didn’t need to finish her sentence.

Fear leapt into his eyes. He flicked the reins, and the pair of horses began to plod up the steep path. The driver took the whip. “Aha,” he yelled, and snapped the thong over their heads.

The horses picked up the pace.

This time the tip of the whip flicked the horses’ backs, and they pulled away.

Pressed against the seat by the incline, Pasinae twisted to the right to peer over the ocean. To her relief, it seemed as though the sails hadn’t gotten closer.
Good
. She closed her eyes and leaned back, opening her connection with Ontarem.

Just before she touched Him, she realized why the ships had dropped back.
The tidal wave is about to hit.

~ ~ ~

The captain shouted orders, and sailors scurried to lower the sails. When Thaddis glanced at the other ships, he could see the rest of the fleet was doing the same thing.

With the slowing of the vessel, Sadie pushed out of his arms, and moved several feet away, her back stiff.

He missed the close contact with her.

“I couldn’t make out what the captain said. Why are we stopping?” Sadie asked, the first words she’d said to him in hours.

“So the tidal wave can hit the land before we sail too close and risk becoming caught in the pull. Even Yadarius, with His command of the water, will have to expend much energy working in Ontarem’s territory. If He also has to protect our ships…”

She nodded her understanding, but didn’t move closer.

He wondered what was wrong.

“We have tidal waves on my world. And no SeaGod to control them. We call them tsunamis. They can cause such devastation... After the last one, a lot of information about them circulated on the…” She shook her head. “Anyway, I read about tsunamis.” She pointed to the cliff. “If there’s a steep drop off on shore, the wave will build in strength and size. Yadarius may not even have to work too hard…for a God, that is…to make one the size he wants.”

In awe, Thaddis watched the tidal wave build in height, growing higher than the cliff and hoped tsunami, as Sadie called it, would take out the opposition.

Through his othersense, Thaddis felt the SeaGod coil His power.

Yadarius raised His trident, then brought it crashing down.

The wave smashed up and over the cliff. When the water receded, the seadogs’ ship was no longer moored at the dock.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR