Shadow of the Otherverse (The Last Whisper of the Gods Saga Book 3) (15 page)

“Where are the rest of you? The women?”

“When the bargain was made, it was decided that twenty select elders from our tribe would make the journey to this distant continent with the four wizards who sought to build the library. Because we did not intend to establish a colony, the women remained behind to raise the young and continue to breed. What has happened to them, I do not know. Of those who came here to care for the library, we are the only ones who remain. Illness and accident have claimed some of us. Age has taken a few more. And, on a previous visit, Justin of Fire slew one of our number. For that reason, we used our magic to create an exclusion zone that blocks energy from the Otherverse. No elemental magic can function within that zone. If Justin of Fire ventures here, it must be as a normal man.”

That explained some things but there was still much that needed exploration. Of special consideration was the unique kind of magic the elves wielded. If she could learn how to block energy from the Otherverse… That power in and of itself might be sufficient to end the war and stop any threat Justin could pose.

“How many humans have come here since the library was built?” asked Alicia.

“In the beginning, there were many,” said an elf who had not yet spoken. “Wizards mostly but also regular scholars. A few came by ship but most traveled using the elements. Travel by fire is especially effective since it is instantaneous. Then your gods removed magic and the flood of visitors dwindled to a trickle then to none at all. For nearly nine centuries, the only humans to reach these shores were treasure hunters and the vast knowledge of the library went untouched. We preserved but wondered if those many tomes and scrolls would ever again be read. Then the one who called himself Ferguson arrived. He came twice with a break of five years in between visits. He was a first-rate scholar and spent years living with us and using the library. Since his departure, there has been only Justin of Fire and now you.”

A turn of phrase in the elf’s discourse caught Alicia’s attention. “Wait - you said ‘my’ gods. Aren’t they ‘your’ gods as well?”

“We have no gods,” said the elf who had suggested Alicia not be admitted to the library. “Or at least none that would hear our words or care about our existence. To the extent that we venerate amorphous powers, we honor the Ancient Ones, those who are said to have created the beings you name gods. If they still exist, they do not answer prayers or respond to pleas. It may be that they have passed beyond the universe or that they
are
the universe. We have no clear or specific theology and care for them as little as they care for us. Some elves have from time-to-time worshipped your gods but whether those brothers and sisters still exist as tribes, I cannot say. According to Ferguson, the elves have withdrawn from human lands and society. He did not know where they have gone and we are no more enlightened. It may be that we eight are the last of our kind. When we are gone, perhaps the elves will have passed beyond this realm.”

“What of the library then?” asked Alicia.

“It will decay until there is nothing left. You have come at an opportune time, Alicia of Water. The Yu’Tar Library has reached its last years. Yours may be the final eyes to see its contents in their fullness.”

Alicia nodded. Plundering the library is why she had come. But she wondered if perhaps the knowledge of the elves might be a greater treasure.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE PULL OF THE NORTH

Their pace was considerably slower than Sorial had hoped it would be. Although the rock wyrm was moving more rapidly than the fastest horse, its progress was slowed by the need to keep Myselene, with her inexperience, and him, with his physical limitations, from falling off its back. So, instead of taking two or three days to reach the foothills of the western Broken Crags, they were six days out of Basingham before they entered the mountains. By now, Basingham had become the second city in Justin’s empire and The Lord of Fire was probably re-loading for the cross-continent march on Earlford.

Grim thoughts had taken hold of Sorial’s imagination. Alicia was missing. Not only was he unable to contact her directly because of the mirror’s sabotage but he could no longer pinpoint her using his magic. This concerned him greatly. Although it was possible that the vast distance between them made confirming her location difficult, he hadn’t been experiencing problems until the day before. Since then, it was as if she no longer existed. There were no collateral indications that a wizard had died but Sorial recognized that his understanding of how to read such signs was limited. It was incomprehensible that she might have perished without him being aware of it but, if she was still alive, where was she?

Beyond his concerns about Alicia, there was something else… something Sorial was having difficulty pinpointing or defining. It was a vague sense of unease coupled with a growing conviction that, by going directly to Obis, he was making a mistake. Since becoming a wizard, Sorial had learned to ignore this kind of magical intuition at his own peril. Wizards could sense things of which normal humans were unaware.

He and Myselene were camped for the night. Even though the season was technically still Summer, there was a distinct chill in The Crags, even at the lower elevations. It was a reminder of what was to come. After so many years of seemingly endless heat and drought, Sorial wondered how he would adapt to an extended period of cold. His magic would protect his body but that didn’t mean he would be unaware of the weather - only that freezing to death wasn’t a worry.

Rather than lighting a fire, Sorial drew up a chunk of molten rock from deep below the ground. The magma solidified as it came into contact with the air but it continued to exude sufficient warmth to keep the travelers comfortable until they curled up together in their bedrolls. The rock wyrm had disappeared to hunt a meal as was its wont after dark; it would return some time during the night to stand guard. Sorial had instructed it not to feed on men, so it had to range far enough to find a bear or similarly large creature. This was not an area of the continent where prey was abundant.

“It’s a strange creature,” said Myselene, referring to their means of transportation. She was sitting cross-legged near Sorial’s warm stone rubbing her sore inner thighs. Riding a rock wyrm was fast but it took its toll on the body. “Looking at it, you’d think it was the most ferocious monster to roam the world. Like a dragon without wings. But it’s actually quite docile.”

“That’s my influence. The first time I met this particular rock wyrm, it tried to kill me. The attack was responsible for the death of Lamanar, my surrogate father. Warburm shot it in the eye; that’s what drove it off. If he hadn’t brought along the pistols, it might have killed us all. I wouldn’t want to face it in battle.”

“Will it fight for you?”

Sorial nodded. “It joined me in attacking the efreet. Without its aid, I would have died. When it comes to the final battle, wherever and whenever that is, it will be there with me.”

“Rock wyrms used to be plentiful in the North but no one has seen one in decades, if not centuries. The common belief is that they’re extinct. Is it the last of its kind?”

“No. There are others, although they don’t spend much time above ground. There was a period when they were aggressively hunted by men so they learned to live where the spears and arrows couldn’t reach them. I don’t know how many are left. They’re loners by nature, seeking others only to mate. They don’t travel in packs.”

“And, assuming you can locate them, will these others also fight?”

“If I can compel them. My relationship with the creatures of earth is difficult to describe. I can speak directly into their minds. I don’t dominate them but I influence them and they defer to me. They recognize I’m the master of the domain in which they live. In the past, there were other creatures of the earth that might have made valuable allies. I thought them all dead but Justin’s recruitment of djinn and a dragon got me to rethink it. Finding them will require time, though, and that ain’t something we’ve got much of at the moment. Maybe once you’re settled on the throne in Obis.”

“You speak of that as if that was a given thing rather than the long-shot it really is.”

Sorial admittedly hadn’t paid much attention to the frequent discussions between Myselene and Gorton regarding the politics of Obis. Although a member of her council, there were areas in which he was out of his depth and that was one of them. What did a lad raised in a stable know about court gamesmanship? He understood she would face resistance but he had assumed her status as Rangarak’s sole surviving child would trump all other concerns. He saw his role as the hammer to shatter any pockets of resistance. When he voiced this opinion, she was quick to disabuse him of it.

“We should have talked about this in detail earlier but better to formulate a strategy now than when we’re standing in the shadow of the city’s walls. Gorton should have taken you under his wing for a period of intense tutelage, but I suppose the opportunity wasn’t there. In a normal situation, someone in my position who makes this kind of power play would be many times more likely to be assassinated than to successfully complete the gambit. You’ll have many roles in the weeks to come but the two most important ones are protector and assassin. You’ll be my tool - sharp and precise at times, blunt and bruising at others. Circumstances will define your role, not me.”

“You ain’t considered the heir apparent?”

“Women in Obis are never considered ‘heirs apparent.’ It’s not like in Vantok where the eldest child takes the throne regardless of whether it’s a man or a woman. There have been queens in Obis’ history but they’re exceptions and usually exceptional. Even if I wasn’t the queen of Vantok, the throne wouldn’t have fallen to me after the untimely demise of so many of my family members. To take control, I have to marry a well-placed and respected man - someone lacking the connections to make a genuine play for the throne on his own but who has sufficient influence with key members of the military to deliver a sizeable portion of the army to me. In Obis, no king or queen can hold the throne without the backing of the generals. They worshipped my father but that allegiance won’t be easily transferred to his daughter. Above all else, I’m going to have to show a penchant for ruthlessness and that means eliminating other claimants. Anything less won’t be respected.”

“Who’ll try to kill you?”

“Practically everyone. Or at least everyone who believes their position could be adversely impacted by my ascension to the throne. Many of the nobles. Some of the generals. And, of course, all those with designs on Obis’ rulership. Gorton and I speculated that, had things not gone wrong in Vantok, I would need to be on the watch for assassins. Those seeking the throne in Obis know I’m
somewhere
out there and that makes them uncomfortable. Some will see my emergence as an opportunity. Succession wars like this often last for years and there are historical examples of those that have lasted for generations. This one has been brewing since Grushik died but, in order for us to have a chance to stand against Justin and his expanding army, it has to end in a matter of weeks. Your powers, judiciously applied to eliminate opponents, will speed things up.”

Sorial said nothing. He had always known one of his roles in Myselene’s drive for the throne would be the systematic removal of her rivals. He hadn’t realized her position was so tenuous, her chances at capturing the throne so uncertain. His assumption was that she would be solidifying an established position, not carving one out where it didn’t exist. Was it that he hadn’t recognized how difficult this was going to be, or had he pretended otherwise to himself?

“I never wanted to be queen of Obis and I still don’t want it. I’ll take the title in name because I need it in order to be able to marshal the army. But once Vantok is retaken, my place will be there. It may surprise you but, in less than a year, I’ve developed a greater fondness for my adopted city than I ever felt about the place where I was born. My ‘husband’, whoever he may be, can rule Obis secure in the knowledge that Rangarak’s daughter is a great distance away. Gorton, of course, will want me to unite the cities and establish a joint throne at the stronger base - meaning Obis, of course. I’m sure there are others who feel the same way.”

“Like Ferguson.” Sorial’s voice dripped with ill-concealed distaste.

Myselene nodded. “Like Ferguson. He preaches the benefits of unity now that the gods no longer exist. Men, according to him, must learn to work together or they will perish divided.” She paused. “You hate him. Why so much rancor?”

“You know my story.” He felt certain anyone familiar with his history would understand why he viewed Ferguson as an enemy.

“Most of it,” said Myselene. “What Azarak and Alicia told me. I understand that he manipulated your life but is the result so bad? Tell me honestly: Would you rather be who you are now, The Lord of Earth, the third wizard of the new age, or some common farmer or stableboy who likely would have died at Vantok? Can you tell me that Ferguson’s arranging of your life didn’t turn out better for you? He gave you things you never would have otherwise had: power, influence, and Alicia.”

Beneath the mask, Sorial grimaced. Myselene’s questions were ones he had spent long hours pondering on his own. He had long ago concluded that he owed a debt to Ferguson for making him a wizard. That was one reason he had permitted the man to live during the weeks when he had controlled the prelate’s fate. Azarak wouldn’t have stopped an execution. But the ledger wasn’t balanced. There were too many crimes that had gone unpunished.

“Did Alicia ever tell you about Annie?”

Sorial could tell by Myselene’s expression that the name meant nothing to her. So few knew about Annie now. In her lifetime, men had come from far and wide across Vantok to be served a mug of ale by her and catch a glimpse down the gaping front of her blouse. Now, no one remembered her except perhaps him, and the specifics of those memories were fading. Even their first night together, for years a vivid jumble of images and sensations, was losing its clarity as time worked to erode it.

“Annie was a barmaid at The Wayfarer’s Comfort. I can’t say when she started but, for me, she was like a surrogate mother or older sister. My… interest… changed as I got older. She took my virginity shortly after my Maturity Day and we became bed partners for a while. My proposal of marriage led to her death, although I didn’t know it at the time. Even though she was nearly ten years older, she was a perfect match for a penniless stableboy. She made me laugh, which no one else did, and when I was with her, I could forget my obsession with determining the secrets my mother was hiding from me. We talked of leaving Vantok and starting anew elsewhere, especially after Warburm voiced his opposition to the match. At that point, everything seemed possible.”

“And Alicia?”

Sorial shrugged. “A bratty girl who lived in a big mansion with her father. Pretty to look at though - almost heartbreakingly adorable. She kept showing up in the most unlikely of places. I never thought much about that at the time but, later, I understood why. Everywhere she went, she was shadowed by her hulking bodyguard. Actually, I liked Vagrum. In him, I sensed a kindred spirit, but that was when becoming a mercenary seemed a likely career path. He died for her and, in a way, for me, and it was because of Ferguson. My feelings for Alicia were conflicted at the time but I always recognized how unrealistic it would be for someone who mucked stalls to end up with the daughter of one of the city’s most prominent nobles. Annie, on the other hand, wasn’t so far above my station that I couldn’t have her. But the people controlling my life, chief of those being Ferguson, didn’t like the idea.”

Myselene with listening with rapt attention. Sorial could see her eyes glinting catlike in the firelight. Her expression - a girl mesmerized by the words of a storyteller - reminded him of her youth. She was younger even than he was, if only by a matter of seasons. If her plans regarding Obis came to fruition, she would be married, widowed, and re-married before turning eighteen. For now, she was his lover, but only while the necessity that fueled their coupling remained. He also had to remember that, although her youth encouraged bold, imaginative actions, it could also result in impetuousness and poor judgment. Not that he was any better in those areas. Looking back, there were a multitude of things he could have done differently at Vantok that might have changed the result. The
if only
s of life could be devastating to consider in detail.

“They wanted me to marry Alicia. They had invested a lot of effort into pushing us together so we’d fall in love. Ferguson was the architect of the scheme, believing love to be a powerful motivator. Carannan and Warburm were both in on it. But no one counted on Annie. Warburm initially thought she was a good distraction for me but he became concerned when it was obvious our attachment was more than temporary. She went from sneaking into my room at times for a quick fuck to spending whole nights there to practically moving in with me. Warburm advised me to break it off with her but I wasn’t prepared to listen to his advice. After that, he tried bribing her to leave but she wouldn’t go. She didn’t understand how momentous that refusal would be. So, without really exploring other options, Ferguson took the expedient route and ordered her killed. He was convinced that, with Annie out of the way, his plan could move forward. As it turned out, he was right, but I don’t think he ever recognized how that one act on his part defined his entire character in my mind. He wanted me to be his tool - a subordinate wizard who would act as he saw fit. Killing Annie destroyed any possibility of that.”