Do the Gods Despise Us?

by Jeff Henrikson

  Evisar let out a long sigh and changed the subject. “At least we both had the same aspiration. I wanted to be a hero of legend as well, but not by finding the First Heir. Before my exile, my only goal in life was to take my father’s place at the King’s side. I wanted the respect and prestige that came with being the highest general in the land and bodyguard to the King. Do you know that someone in my family served as a high advisor to the king for three generations?”

  “No, I did not know that.”

  “I thought my destiny was decided at birth. You would have thought I would have rebelled against that kind of planned service, but in truth, nothing would have made me happier. I would have been the fourth generation in my family to honorably serve my King.”

  “And what of Jefon? What was he destined to be?”

  At the mention of his brother, Evisar closed his eyes and let his head fall lifelessly against the back wall. “I’m not sure what Jefon would have become, but I know he deserved better than this. He was always the idealist, and he deserved a hell of a lot better than to be dismembered, thrown against a dungeon wall, and denied a proper burial.”

  “Every day that I knew your brother, he seemed to gain more confidence in himself.”

  “You are more right than you know. When Jefon was young, he was as passive as a field mouse. Our father would have been proud of the elf he became, and I will miss never seeing the elf he could have become.” Evisar’s statement seemed to end that part of the conversation. Both elves rearranged themselves into a more comfortable position and sat quietly for a time.

  This time, it was Evisar who spoke first. “What about you? Why did you want to travel with us? Your loyalty to my quest was always so absolute that I never asked why you agreed to help.”

  “My parents were killed, and my entire village was wiped out by barbarians when I was ten years old. I wondered into Wessex starving and half a corpse. Austen recognized my potential talent as a wizard and took me into his tower. When I was safe and old enough to understand what had happened to my village, I vowed to fight naked ignorance. Strength alone does not make a person right. The people in my village were innocent of any crime. The barbarians swept over the hillside and took what they wanted, not because they were the hand of justice, but because they could.”

  “So you joined our quest to recover the First Heir because it was the right thing to do.”

  Valihorn nodded his head. “There was also the fact that you and your brother were fellow elves who I liked immensely. I was curious to learn more about my elven heritage.”

  “Who destroyed your village?”

  “I do not remember much. I just remember seeing men on horseback come riding down the hillside adjacent to our village.”

  “How did you survive?”

  “My parents sacrificed themselves for me. At least that is the way I remember it. It is all a blur now. Of course I did not know what was going on. All I remember is being fascinated by the large number of men streaming over the hillside on their mounts. I had never seen a proper warhorse before. My parents saw the barbarians, grabbed me, and ran in the opposite direction. I thought we had gotten away, but five horsemen came out of the brush and chased us down. My parents threw me into a river bed and ran in the opposite direction. The horsemen chased them down of course, but they must not have seen me hiding in the river bed because after my parents were slaughtered, the five horsemen rode back to the village.”

  “So I guess you could say we are both exiles in our own way.”

  “I suppose you could look at it that way.”

  There was nothing left to say. Both companions took a nap on the stone hard floor, wrapped in the blanket of a clear conscience.

  Chapter 57: Questioning the Dead

  Evisar sat in the back corner of the cell for the rest of the day, lost in his own thoughts and self-pity, when the dungeon door opened and closed. When Evisar looked up he saw Gram, Gaston, and Arun standing outside the cell.

  Gram said, “Have you given any thought to what I said? All you have to do is tell me where the gem is.” Gram waited patiently outside the cell, but after a time he finally sighed and said, “I thought not. Let us continue then, shall we? Guards, place the dead half-elf in the shackles along the wall.”

  Evisar watched with empty eyes as the guards strung Xander’s dead body up in the same shackles Jefon’s body had been in only a short time before. Evisar spoke out softly, not caring whether he was heard or not. “Mutilating Xander’s body won’t get me to speak. You’re wasting your time.”

  Gram turned on his heels with a smile on his face. “Ah, I am glad to see you are coming out of it. I was worried I might have driven you insane. No, no, I am afraid you do not understand. Arun is going to question Xander from beyond the grave. Normally, my second in command, Ramon, would perform such a task, but since you killed him I have to consider other options.”

  Evisar hardly batted an eye, not caring. “Sorry to put a kink in your plans.”

  “It is a pity because Ramon was powerful enough to guarantee Xander’s cooperation, especially since we can only question him once. Now we will have to see if Arun is up to the task. Arun, if you would be so kind?”

  Arun scowled at Gram but said nothing. Evisar watched as the female Krone came to stand directly in front of Xander and closed her eyes. She began to mumble a divine prayer to Evona in the language of the Underworld. Her concentration seemed unbreakable and her voice rose in volume as the chant began to consume her. Eventually the divine magic in the room became palpable as the air thickened and the walls took on a subtly darker tone. As Arun continued chanting, a spinning gray vortex opened up in the floor between Arun and Xander, and a ghost-like figure came out of the swirling gray mist. The ghost seemed to have Xander’s features and was both there and not there. The ghost looked around shyly and tried to dive back into the vortex in the floor, but Arun’s chanting called him against his will to rise and merge with his dead body. The ghost was absorbed into Xander’s dead form and his body shook violently as he took in his first breath.

  His voice was raspy and angry, as if he had been awoken from a deep sleep and didn’t know where he was. “Who has called me back? Why do you disturb my slumber?” It was definitely Xander’s voice, but his personality seemed to be missing. He stared off into space as though he lacked the ability for independent thought.

  Arun opened her eyes and answered him with command in her voice. “My name is Arun, and I have called you forth by the power of Evona to answer my questions. You will submit.”

  Xander thrashed around for a moment and then gave in. “Very well, bitch of the Underworld. Ask your questions and leave me in peace.”

  Before anyone else could say anything, Valihorn interjected, “Xander, can you hear me? Do not listen to her. Run away.” Xander continued staring at Arun and did not seem to hear Valihorn’s plea.

  Gram turned around and said, “You really are a young wizard? Xander has ears for no one but Arun. Now shut up or I will have you killed.” Gram turned back to Arun and said, “Ask him why he and his companions came to this fortress.”

  Arun looked at Xander’s animated body and said, “Why did you and your companions come to this fortress?”

  Xander twisted his head from side to side in obvious pain. A moment later the compulsion of the spell broke Xander’s will and he responded, “We came to rescue Valihorn.”

  Gram prompted Arun again, “What is the other reason you came to the fortress?”

  At this question Xander snapped his teeth at Arun. “I won’t tell you. I won’t.” This time it took longer for the compulsion spell to work, but eventually Xander succumbed, saying, “We heard there was an entrance to the Underworld inside the fortress.”

  “Where is the gem?”

  Xander threw himself against his chains, trying to break free. “You don’t control me. No one controls me. Especially not some Krone bitch.”

  Gram chimed in, “Arun, what is the problem?” />
  Arun looked at Gram. “His will is unusually strong, and he very much doesn’t want to tell us anything. Now shut up and let me work.” Arun raised her voice and repeated the question with more force. “Xander, where is the gem?”

  Xander swung his head against the stone wall again and again with a force that would have knocked a living man unconscious, willing himself to remain silent. He finally said, “You’ll never find it. Never!”

  Arun said, “Xander, I have brought you back by Evona’s hand. I am your master; I command you to tell me where you have hidden the gem.”

  Xander stopped thrashing suddenly and looked Arun dead in the eyes. “Go back to your queen, you Krone bitch. My time here is finished.” With this last statement Xander’s body went limp once again and his head fell forward to his chest. The shadowy ghost quickly left Xander’s body and disappeared back into the gray vortex from which it came. Soon after, the vortex closed and the spell was over.

  Gram turned to Arun. “What just happened, Arun?”

  Arun accepted her failure and looked at Gram with an air of resentment. “He will not reveal the location of the gem. His will against us was so strong he was able to end the spell and return his soul to purgatory.”

  Gram reached out with the back of his hand, slapped Arun full across the face, and grabbed her by the throat. “Damn it, Arun, we cannot summon him again. How are we supposed to find the gem now?”

  Arun struggled in Gram’s grasp and spoke defiantly. “You can’t do this to me. I’m the Matron Mother’s First Daughter. You know she will have you killed if anything happens to me.”

  Gram snarled at Arun and pushed her away as he let go of her neck. Arun staggered to one knee and took a moment to recover. Gram said, “We have no choice now. You will have to raise Xander from the dead. It is the only way to find out where the gem is. If you bring him back, we can torture him until he gives up its location.”

  Arun rose to her feet and gave a look of steel to her lover. “Raising the dead is a difficult spell. I need time to pray to Evona in order to gain her favor. I can attempt the raising in the morning. Until then you can go to one of the seven hells.” Evisar watched with some satisfaction as the female Krone turned on her heels and almost ran up the stairs leading to the surface.

  As the steel door slammed home, Gaston turned to Gram and said, “You tread on dangerous ground with that one, my friend.”

  Gram seemed mostly unconcerned and answered by saying, “Krone women have this antiquated notion that they should rule the Underworld, but that philosophy is wrong. The strongest should rule, without exception. Arun is a powerful priestess, but her power cannot compare to mine.”

  Gaston wasn’t convinced. “I’ll be the first to admit you are powerful, but going up against the Matron Mother of Evox and her first born daughter is a recipe for disaster.”

  “They need me, and that means I can do as I please.”

  Evisar couldn’t help but laugh openly from inside his cell. “Is this how the Talon Guild operates? No wonder you can never get anything done; all of that infighting must occupy a lot of your time.”

  Gram retorted with something Evisar had not expected. “What an interesting observation, little elf. I always thought the same thing about surface elves. You coddle each other and waste time and resources on your sick and dying. Often times you allow the weak to rule, or are leaderless altogether. Any of my friends in the Guild could easily destroy the average surface elf.”

  Evisar rose to his feet with renewed spirit. “Just give me my weapons and a fair fight against either one of you and we’ll see who is the strongest.”

  Evisar could see Gram wanted to accept his challenge, but in the end he put the smirk back on his face. “Well said, little elf. You give me hope that your race is not entirely lost, but I see no reason to kill you yet. Perhaps soon you and I can engage in honorable combat.”

  Evisar didn’t miss his chance to add insult to injury. “Then I will call you a coward until that day comes.”

  Gram gave an all-knowing smile and said, “Enjoy your evening, for tomorrow we will raise your friend from the dead.” With that, the two Guild members walked up the stairs, leaving Evisar and Valihorn with the four human guards and an unconscious Falon in an adjoining cell. Evisar stayed up late into the night trying to think of a way to escape, but even after the guards returned to the two alcoves at either end of the dungeon and they were left alone, no solution came.

  Falon eventually woke up from his earlier beating and the three elves talked for a time. He was still out of view two cells over, so Evisar and Valihorn could talk to the ex-Royal Guardsman, but they couldn’t see him. It turned out that Falon had been teleported away from the battle that killed his father at the same time as Devin. The Royal Guardsman had been brought to the Old Shetley Foretress unconscious and did not know anything useful. Evisar told Falon what had happened to them and to Armena since his abduction. Falon listened carefully to the depressing details and then there was silence. Evisar and Valihorn ended up falling asleep on the hard, stone floor beneath the torch light.

  Chapter 58: Debt Called In

  Valihorn woke slowly in the middle of the night to the strange smell of acid in the air. He opened his eyes in the dim light and realized he was no longer in his cell. He moved his arms as he shook off the sleep and thought he heard the sound of coins moving about. He breathed in a deeper breath of air and began to cough uncontrollably. That was when Valihorn realized he had been here before. All thoughts of sleep vanished as the pace of his heart quickened; he bolted upright and climbed to his feet. The cavern burst forth with light, revealing the green dragon, Malachite, in all of his glory. Valihorn gasped anew at the sights around him. Treasure that defied comprehension lay carelessly about as if forgotten. Pile upon pile of platinum and gold lay thrown about in drifts as tall as a house.

  Malachite chuckled. His laughter filled the cavern as it reverberated off the walls. “Valihorn, it seems you and your friends have gotten into a little trouble. You arrogantly attacked a fortress and now you are locked in a dungeon. Gram is going to kill you. You know this to be true. He may kill you slowly, or he may kill you quickly, but you will die. I can free you from your prison if you are willing to pay the price.”

  “And what price is that, Mighty Malachite?”

  “You and Evisar must each swear to do my bidding at another time of my choosing.”

  Valihorn went reverently to one knee and spoke in the Drakion language. “Mighty Malachite, I will gladly owe you another debt for my freedom, but how can I speak for Evisar?”

  “You can and I will hold you to it, but do not despair, one of your debts to me can be fulfilled almost immediately upon your freedom.”

  “What would you have me do?”

  “Underground, not far from your cell, is a ring of immense power. I want you to find the ring and bring it to me. The Krone witch who used to control the fortress stole it from my hoard one hundred years ago, and now it is time to settle that debt. Bring me the ring and one of your debts to me will be fulfilled.”

  Valihorn kept his head down as he asked, “If this ring is guarded by a Krone witch, I doubt if I have the power to take it.”

  Malachite chuckled. “Too true, too true. The witch would destroy you utterly, but luckily for you she died long ago. She is locked away in her room, and it is sacrilege for any Krone to enter her sanctuary. If you promise to bring me the ring, then I will free you and Evisar from your prison, and you will both owe me another favor of my choosing.”

  Valihorn thought about his choices for a moment, and while he hated to owe this dragon another debt, he also knew he did not really have a choice. “I am honored, Mighty Malachite. If you fulfill your end of the bargain, then I will do my best to find this ring.”

  Malachite smiled a toothy smile. “Excellent. I will attack the fortress when the time is right.” Before Valihorn could say another word, the world around him dissolved into nothingness and he was back
in his cell with Evisar. Valihorn did not sleep the rest of the night as he lay awake thinking about what he had done. He thought about waking Evisar and telling him his story, but it could wait until morning. There was no reason to rob his friend of an uncomfortable night’s sleep on a dungeon floor.

  Chapter 59: Justice for Xander and Tristan

  Seker stared at the spot where Jefon and Martel had stood just a moment ago. That had not gone well. Damn those elves. He needed to know what gods were in play here. The only useful nugget Jefon divulged during his questioning was of the visit from the ancient elf, who sounded like a member of the Philosopher Council of Wizards. This probably meant Invictus was involved, and that did not bode well for Seker’s plans. He turned his head to look at the frozen forms of Tristan and Xander. Perhaps he could get some of what he needed from these two, or at least have some fun tormenting them. Seker let the two companions go with a thought. Tristan and Xander stumbled forward, not knowing what had happened.

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  Xander looked around the chamber and noticed Jefon was missing. Seker spoke and answered the question before he could ask it. “Jefon has been judged and is no longer here to help you.” Xander wanted to ask where exactly Jefon had gone but didn’t dare. The God of the Dead continued, “The time for the two of you grows short. If a god does not come to claim either of you soon, you will be mine for all eternity.”

  Xander accepted the weight of Seker’s words and stood tall. He had worshipped Fortuna since he was a little boy. He unconsciously reached into his pouch, pulled out his Fortuna coin, and flipped it in the air. Xander caught the coin with practiced ease and flipped it over onto his wrist. Surely Fortuna would not forsake him for all eternity.

  Before Xander could lift his hand off of the coin to see if he was favored in his god’s eyes, Seker laughed at the false hope to which he clung. “Ah, Xander, I see you are holding out hope that Fortuna will come. Don’t get your hopes up. You have led a selfish life and the Lady of Luck is a fickle goddess. Perhaps you had better look around the chamber and become accustomed to your new home.” Xander ignored the jape and took his hand off the coin and was devastated to see he was not favored in his god’s eyes.