Do the Gods Despise Us?

by Jeff Henrikson

  Xander stood there dumbfounded as Seker chuckled and moved on to Tristan. “Tristan, the proud and valiant warrior, you have lived a brave and selfless life, but you never worshipped a god, so there is little hope one will come and claim you now.”

  Tristan did not even try to raise an objection. He simply hung his head and resigned himself to his fate. Seker could feel his pain, and he reveled in it. “The time grows short for the two of you. Soon you will be mine.”

  Fear poured over every part of Xander’s body for one of the first times in his life. In his heart of hearts he knew Seker was right. He had lived a selfish life, stealing from those around him, clinging to Fortuna when it had suited him. He had not always relied on the wisdom of a coin toss for the decisions in his life. He realized Fortuna would not come for him. The realization hit him like a tidal wave; he felt like he was drowning in an ocean. He staggered about, unable to breathe. Had he but known the torture that awaited him in this place of death, he would have acted differently during his life. He had to make a deal for himself while he still could. Looking around, he knew there was no way he could exist in the horror of what he saw.

  He spoke up, knowing he had little to lose, grasping at the one idea that came to him. “God of the Dead, I will give you my soul now and forfeit the rest of my time if you will give me a pleasant life in your kingdom. I am a man of many talents and would serve you well.”

  Tristan looked up from his despair and glared at Xander. “Xander, are you insane? You can’t barter with a god. Your soul is worth more than a few creature comforts. Where are your pride and dignity?”

  Xander would hear none of it, his mind made up. “It died back at the Krone fortress. Say what you will Tristan, but I’ll live here in comfort while you burn in one of the seven hells.”

  Seker laughed out loud at the two of them. “I wish all mortals were as entertaining as the two of you. Xander, you seek to negotiate for your soul, but I have seen your life. I know Fortuna is not coming for you. So I can afford to be patient. Why should I barter with you for something I am going to get for free? However, if you choose to tell me what I want to know, I could make your life in my kingdom easier.”

  Xander didn’t hesitate to speak up. “What do you want to know?”

  “Tell me, has Jefon ever talked of receiving visions from his god?”

  “Yes, absolutely.”

  “Tell me what Jefon has shared with you.”

  “Well he doesn’t …” Xander was cut off by a hard shove from Tristan.

  “Say no more, Xander; this god is evil. He is asking you these questions so he can hurt Valihorn and Evisar, who are still alive. Don’t sacrifice their lives for your selfish gain.”

  “To the seven hells with them, and you.” Xander pushed Tristan away and turned toward Seker. “Jefon doesn’t tell us much about what he sees and hears, but it is apparent …”

  Tristan drew his sword as quick as lightning and said, “You will say no more or I will kill you where you stand.”

  Xander looked at Tristan with contempt. “We’re already dead, Tristan, so go ahead and take your best shot.” He turned toward Seker and continued once again, “Like I was saying, there have been at least two times where Jefon has been in direct communication with Martel. The first time he saw a vision of everyone dying at the hands of Lord Shetley. In the end, Jefon arrived just in time to save us from …”

  Xander heard Tristan yell. He turned in time to see Tristan lunge for him and freeze in midair. Seker commented casually, “Continue, Xander. What else has Jefon seen?”

  Xander was in awe of the power. To freeze someone in midair with only a thought was something he had never dreamed possible. Xander shook his head and looked back at Seker, not giving a second thought to his frozen ex-companion. “The second time was when Jefon fought a Krone warrior at the base of the fortress. He said his god saved him; I tried to find out how, but he wouldn’t say anymore.”

  Seker smiled at him and said, “Very good, Xander. I only have one more question and then you will be assured a place of ease and comfort in my kingdom.”

  “And what is that, my lord?”

  Seker looked down at him for the first time with his red eyes and said, “Where did you hide the gem that contains the High Wizard of Kentar?”

  Xander didn’t want to answer. He also didn’t want to be damned for all eternity, but none of that compared to the searing pain in his head. There was only one way to stop the pain. “I … I hid it in Darkwood Forest.”

  Seker pressed on with his eyes. “Where? Where did you hide it in Darkwood Forest?”

  “I hid it beneath a tree on the edge …” Suddenly Xander vanished from Seker’s kingdom. Time slowed down as Seker flung open the book of the dead and flipped to the last page. Jefon’s name had already disappeared from the book as expected, but as Seker watched, Xander’s name faded from the page until it disappeared as well. Seker sat back on his throne with a sigh and knew with a certainty what had just occurred. It did not happen often, but it did occasionally happen.

  Anger flooded through him, and he needed to torment someone. He freed Tristan with a thought and said, “Your two friends have irritated me more than anyone else has in a millennium. Luckily, the time to claim your soul has passed. Now I have you to torment for all eternity.” Seker looked down at Tristan with his searing red eyes from atop his throne. Tristan’s screams filled the darkness as the souls in the floor ripped into his flesh and tore his memories to shreds.

  Chapter 60: Tables Turn in Favor of the Dead

  Evisar awoke the next morning; at least he assumed it was morning since there were no windows in the dungeon. He awoke with all the aches and pains one would expect from sleeping on the stone floor of a prison cell. The guards fed them a breakfast of maggoty oats and cockroach-infested vegetable soup. As they ate, Valihorn told Evisar in whispered tones about his visit to Malachite’s lair during the night, including the ring that Valihorn needed to find in order to settle one of his continuing debts to the creature.

  Evisar was overjoyed at the thought of escaping the fortress, and the promise of a dragon was no small thing, but he couldn’t help worrying about the increased debt he and Valihorn were accruing. He was quite certain the dragon was toying with them for his own amusement, but what other choice did they have? They had to move quickly to escape before Gram or the Krone killed them. They didn’t have the luxury of learning the mannerisms of the guards or using a hidden spoon to dig their way out. They needed to escape now, and the dragon seemed to be the only way out.

  As Evisar ate and struggled to keep his breakfast down, he tried his best not to look at his brother’s dismembered body sitting in a heap along the wall with Tristan and Xander. Somehow the search for the First Heir, which had seemed improbable but remotely possible, now seemed like a colossal undertaking. With his brother, he didn’t have to worry about being a strong leader or voicing his uncertainty over his plans. Jefon had always listened, given his counsel, and respected Evisar’s decision after it was made, just as a younger brother should. Not only that, but his brother had finally started to become the archer he had always wanted to be. Evisar’s gaze unconsciously went to his brother in the corner and then to the bow beside him.

  “If you had just told me what I wanted to know last night your brother would still be in one piece.” Evisar looked up to see Gram, Gaston, and Arun coming down the stone steps. “And if you had just surrendered when I asked, or better yet, not come to my fortress at all, then he might still be alive today.” The casual truth of Gram’s words made Evisar’s blood boil, but he continued eating his breakfast and refused to give Gram the entertainment he sought.

  When Gram reached the bottom of the stairs, Evisar looked up and said, “And if you hadn’t taken Valihorn from us for your little experiment, I wouldn’t have had to come to your fortress.”

  Gram turned to Gaston and said, “You see, this is the problem with surface elves, they are all liars.” At the mention
of being called a liar Evisar dropped his breakfast, came to his feet, and moved to the bars. Gram looked back at Evisar, took a step forward, and matched steel with steel. “Xander told us you came here to find an entrance to the Underworld, so do not tell me you came to my fortress to get Valihorn back. You would have come here regardless.”

  Evisar couldn’t deny it.

  Gram crossed his arms and shook his head, “There is no way I could have let you pass into the Underworld and you know it. Your mission is at odds with mine, as it has been ever since your father was killed.” Gram turned away from Evisar, giving up the debate, and walked over to Xander’s body on the floor. “In any event, we are not here to argue. This morning we are going to find out where the gem is hidden and retake what is ours. Guards, place Xander’s body back in the shackles.”

  After the guards were through, everyone stepped away and Gram turned to Arun and said, “My dear, if you would be so kind.” Arun moved to within a few paces of Xander’s shackled body without her usual air of arrogance. The beautiful priestess of Evona gritted her teeth and prepared herself for the difficult task to come. Evisar had read stories about the most powerful priests in Tellus bringing the dead back to life, but he had assumed it was all legend. It was unnatural to bring someone back from the dead.

  Arun pulled a fist-sized diamond out of a pouch and held it in her hand as she chanted four divine words over and over again. Nothing happened for a long time, but then the room changed subtly, becoming a shade darker and colder as the magic began to take physical form. Shadows became longer and a chorus of voices rose up from the background. The voices seemed to come from all around as the souls of the dead looked on like murky shadows in a dream. Evisar watched as a wisp of smoke left the nearest torch and slowly move toward Arun. The wisp of smoke grew in size and took on a humanoid shape as it continued to move toward the diamond. Arun chanted the same four words over and over, willing Xander’s soul to leave the afterlife.

  Valihorn pierced the din of background voices and yelled, “Xander, do not listen to her! Run away!”

  The specter stopped its march toward the diamond and looked at Valihorn with fear and confusion. It turned to pull away into the safety of the shadows, but Arun’s chanting became more insistent. The whisp of smoke drew ever closer until it stopped in front of Arun and bowed its head. Arun continued to chant louder and Evisar could see she was sweating profusely. The featureless smoke slowly started to morph into Xander’s form, assuming his facial features and skin color. When the specter was fully formed, the diamond suddenly flashed with brilliant light and Xander’s spirit was literally thrown back into his body. He shook wildly and glowed with an unnatural light that began to fade with the same intensity as the gem. As the diamond went totally dark, it exploded into shards that hit every stone in the dungeon, but none of the people standing mere feet away.

  Arun turned to Gram, utterly exhausted and hardly able to keep her feet. “It is done. He lives again.”

  Gram quickly reached out a strong but tender hand and caught the priestess as she began to fall over. Arun finally seemed to notice she had not fallen on the ground and looked into Gram’s eyes. Gram held her steady with one arm and gently put his other hand up against her cheek and said with a tenderness that seemed out of place, “Well done. You may go rest if you wish.” The normally feisty Krone didn’t even say a word. She simply nodded her head slightly and left to begin the long, hard climb up the dungeon steps.

  The sound of shackles clanking against the wall brought everyone’s attention back to Xander’s resurrected form. His eyes were closed and his head thrashed about as he muttered nonsense under his breath. “Please don’t keep me here, I’ll do anything. Fortuna will come for me. She won’t forsake me, you’ll see.” Suddenly Xander’s eyes flew open as he realized he was back among the living. He seemed lost as he looked around the room, and his eyes eventually settled on Evisar. “Evisar, what’s going on here? What moron chained me to this wall? The last thing I remember was being in some sort of purgatory with the God of the Dead.”

  Evisar smiled inside as he remembered how abrasive Xander could be, removing any doubt that Arun had connected the right spirit with the right body. “Your old friends from the Talon Guild have brought you back from the dead to find out where you hid the gem. Once they have the gem they will kill me and keep you and Valihorn for some spell that Gram is conjuring with all of the magic-users he has abducted from the surface.”

  Gram stepped into Xander’s vision from the left and waited until he had Xander’s complete attention. “Evisar is mostly correct, although all things are on the negotiating table. Hello, Xander. Welcome back to the Guild.”

  As comprehension came to Xander, Evisar expected to see fear and apprehension about being captured by the Guild he escaped and stole from, but if he was intimidated he did not show it. “I presume you are the infamous wizard known as Gram.”

  “You presume correctly. I am sorry we have not met until now, but you were with our organization for such a short time, and I am one of the Thirteen. I had a reputation to uphold.”

  Xander nodded his head in understanding. “Your reputation in the Guild verges on legend. It’s rumored you were one of its founding members. The thieves still tell stories of your supposed victories against half a legion of elite Kentarian troops supported by Sorcerers and your defeat of the lich in the crypts of Locus.”

  Gram inclined his head on both counts. Xander said, “Those victories for the Guild don’t impress me; do you know why?”

  “Do tell.”

  “There are many more rumors of your devious nature. The disappearance of friends, enemies, and Guild members who get in your way. Does everyone here know you are capable of insufferable politeness even when you are twisting the knife in their backs? Is that Gaston standing next to you? Is he the next friend to die?”

  Gram looked at Gaston and said, “It is hard being so misunderstood.” Gram smiled and continued with Xander in a cordial tone. “People do tend to change over a three-hundred year span. When the Guild began, we were not as secure as we are now; more draconian measures had to be taken.”

  “Draconian measures that found you ever closer to the Guildmaster. So what’s your great plan this time, Gram? Crippling Armena by killing the King wasn’t enough? What spell are you concocting that you need so many magic-users? Are you going after Kentar this time? Maybe the Kentarian King is next?”

  Gram nodded his head once in respect. “You have a keen grasp of politics and strategy. I am beginning to see how you made it out of Locus with the gem and continued evading capture against our best agents for the last few moons. No, I am afraid killing the King of Armena is not going to be nearly enough. The greatest thieves guild in Tellus has far larger plans than the killing of one little king, and those plans require that I get the gem back. Tell me where it is and save yourself a great deal of pain and suffering.”

  Xander did not even consider it for a moment. “I know what the gem holds, and I know why you want it. If I tell you where to find it my friends and I will be of no further use to you.”

  “I told you that all options are up for negotiation. If you help me recover the gem, then I will let you and your friends go free.”

  Xander looked at him incredulously for a moment, trying to tell if Gram was lying. Eventually he said, “Thanks, but there is no way for me to tell if you are sincere, and you don’t have the most honorable reputation.”

  Gram looked at Gaston and threw up his hands. “Why is it that no one trusts my word? Do I not have an honest face?”

  Gaston chuckled back in good humor. “Perhaps it is the company you keep.”

  Gram nodded seriously. “Perhaps. Xander, think on your position. Time is on my side. Either way, you will tell me where the gem is. It is only a question of how much pain you will go through first. I can torture you as much as I want and Arun can always make you whole again.”

  “I won’t tell you where the gem is no matt
er how much torture is involved. You may as well save yourself the trouble.”

  Gram sighed and said, “You leave me little choice, Xander.” He turned to Gaston and the guards and said, “Let us begin, shall we?”

  With a spring in his step, Gaston went over to the nearby fireplace and withdrew a red-hot poker. Xander didn’t look scared, so much as determined, when Gaston walked back toward him with the scalding hot metal. Gaston wasted little time as he brought the red-hot poker right next to Xander’s arm. Xander winced with discomfort but did not scream out, even when Gaston touched his bicep with the metal. Gaston moved the poker up and down Xander’s arm. Xander involuntarily flexed against the chains that held him to the wall, but still he did not scream out. Finally, irritated by the lackluster response, Gaston touched the red-hot metal against Xander’s cheek. Xander could not help but scream out in agony as the skin around the poker bubbled against the heat.

  Evisar watched over the next two days as Gaston and the guards tortured Xander under Gram’s direction. Xander would cry out in pain as bones were broken and fingers crushed. When it seemed to Gram that Xander was getting close to death, he would send for Arun and she would heal him whole once more so Gram could begin again.

  Evisar had often questioned Xander’s motivation in the past, and he hated his secretive nature, but not after two full days of torture. He lasted longer than Evisar thought he could have under the same circumstances, but eventually time took its toll. A person can steel himself against anything for a limited amount of time, but the realization that the unbearable pain could go on forever, knowing you can make it stop by giving them what they want, becomes an irresistible combination.