Sovereign (The Gods' Game, Volume IV)

by Vider, Rohan M.

  And I am drearily tired, he admitted.

  His essence pool was running low from the two battles they had already fought this day. The others couldn’t be faring much better either. The party wasn’t in any shape for any further fights today.

  “Gaesin,” Kyran called to the youth. “Let’s see if the goblins have anything useful.” The half-elf grimaced, but did not decline.

  After only a short while of rifling through the corpses, the pair gave up. The goblins carried little and none of it was of use. Their arrows were too shoddy, and their rations were too unappealing for even Aiken to consider eating.

  “Adra, we’re done here and starting north again,” Kyran called over the battlegroup as the trio left the battlefield. “Find us on the way.”

  “Wait,” said Adra, sounding disturbed. “We’ve found something you should see.”

  Kyran missed a step and nearly stumbled. “Another hunting party?” he asked.

  “I don’t think so,” she said doubtfully.

  She said no more, leaving Kyran to speculate as to the source of her concern. But if it was something that heralded immediate danger, he was sure Adra would have said so.

  Exchanging a troubled glanced with Gaesin, Kyran followed the yellow-green thread that represented Adra in the battlegroup and led Aiken and the half-elf to the two women.

  The pair were less than fifty metres west of their position. Mirien was scanning the surrounding treetops with suspicion, while Adra was crouched down on her haunches and frowning at something on the ground.

  “What is it, Adra?” he asked, hurrying over to join her.

  “Tracks,” she replied.

  Kyran glanced at the piece of ground she studied. It, like the surrounding area, was scuffed and upturned from the stampede. He scratched his head in confusion. The only clear markings he could discern in the trampled ground was the half-smeared paw print of a gibbon. Adra couldn’t be referring to that, could she? “I don’t know what I am looking at,” he admitted.

  Adra glanced up at him, a brief smile alighting her face. “This is the heel of a boot,” she said, tracing out a shallow indentation that was notable only for the regularity of its shape. She pointed farther west. “And leading that way are more tracks of the self-same boot.”

  If Adra said it was a boot print, he would take her word for it. “Goblins?” he asked.

  Adra shook her head. “No. Whoever it was, was here before the stampede, and they fled west out of the gibbons’ path.” She stroked her whiskers. “Besides, the boot is too large for a goblin.”

  “Who, then?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, her voice uneasy. “But whoever it was seemed to have been watching us.”

  He understood Adra’s concern now. “If you follow the tracks, will you get a better sense of our unseen watcher?”

  “That’s the most vexing part,” said Adra, her tail twitching in agitation. “I’ve already tried that, but once I walked out of the path of the stampede the tracks disappear altogether.”

  “Was the spy killed by the gibbons?” he asked, perplexed.

  “There would have been some signs of that,” she said, shaking her head. Adra pointed down at the half-print of the boot. “No, what I fear is that we have only found these tracks because whoever made them was in too much of a hurry to cover them up.” She swallowed, meeting his gaze. “Our spy, it seems, is too skilled for me to track.”

  A chill rippled through Kyran. He didn’t need Adra to tell him what that meant. How long had they been under surveillance? “Were we tracked through the mountains?”

  Adra shook her head again. “Probably not from that far back. Even the most skilled of trackers would have been hard-pressed to follow us through the mountain’s barren terrain. And to do that, they would have to avoid both our own detection and the ogres,” she reminded him. “No, it is more likely whoever it is has only started tracking us recently. At the earliest, it was when we entered the forest.”

  That was no less concerning. How had the unseen watcher known where to find them? Involuntarily, his eyes slid towards Mirien, but no, he couldn’t believe she would betray them, not after all they had gone through. And why were they being tracked? Was it one of the gods’ agents?

  He sighed. There was not much to be done about their spy. All they could do was remain vigilant. He looked around at the concealing foliage, wondering what further dangers they concealed.

  It had not even been a day since they had re-entered the woods after leaving Celne and already the journey was proving harder than Kyran had expected. Yet he had to admit to himself, even before today their travels in the forest had been difficult. How many battles had they fought altogether since entering the forest? He had lost count. And now they had a mysterious stalker on their trail.

  Was it time to turn back?

  The journey through the mountains had been easier. Perhaps I’ve made a mistake in bringing the party here. It had all seemed so much simpler when he had looked down on the forests from the mountain heights.

  But the reality of the forest was proving more of a challenge than he had bargained for. As much as he wanted to meet Sara again, it would do him no good if he lost half the party during the journey to her.

  “Mirien, how much longer until we reach Crota?” he asked abruptly.

  Mirien turned his way, her face wary. The subject of Iyra’s paladins was still a sore one between them. “We are moving slower than even I expected. It’s been nearly a week since we entered the forest and we yet remain near its southern outskirts.” She fell momentarily silent, lips pressed together. “I’m sorry, Kyran, but I think it will take us at least two months, possibly longer, to get there.”

  Two months. Kyran swallowed. Given the dangers of the forest, a journey that length might very well be impossible for the party.

  But there was no need to make a decision right now. Whether the party chose to leave the forest or continue on, they would not be travelling much farther today.

  “Adra, did you see any signs of other goblin hunting parties?”

  “None,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Alright, then, find us a place to camp for the night,” Kyran said. “We are all exhausted and could do with a rest.” He glanced at Mirien. “Then we can decide our next move.”

  ✽✽✽

  A few hours later, the party made camp.

  Leaving Kyran, Aiken and Gaesin to their supper, Adra and Mirien departed to scout the camp’s perimeter and make sure no threats lurked near before the party bedded down for the night.

  After sating his hunger, Kyran slumped against Aiken and ruffled the great bear’s fur. “How are you doing brother?” he asked.

  It had been a while since he had checked on how his companion fared. The journey through the forest had not been easy for Aiken, and it had been made even harder each time he had been forced to fight on soft ground. Aiken felt the lack of solid rock beneath his feet even more keenly at those times.

  A slow drip of images flowed down their psi link. For all that the bear had begun to verbalise his thoughts, he still found it easier to communicate with images and did so frequently, especially for complex thoughts.

  Aiken was homesick, as Kyran had already known. But to his surprise, other newer emotions coloured the bear’s thoughts too. Both exhilaration and contentment.

  “The deep earth is comforting. Safe,” murmured Aiken, trying to put in words what he felt. “But slow and quiet.” He paused. “Too quiet. Your world spins faster.”

  It seemed that though Aiken missed the mountains and the enclosing comfort of solid rock, he was developing a newfound appreciation for the forest and its teeming life.

  Kyran realised his companion was not only determined to forge on into the strangeness of the aboveground world, he was also beginning to take a liking to it.

  Kyran laughed merrily and ruffled the bear’s coat. “I would have never taken you for a thrill seeker, brother.”

  “I li
ke this forest. We should stay,” Aiken said, sighing contentedly under his companion’s ministrations.

  Kyran’s smile faded. “You are braver than I,” he murmured. “But it is not only you I worry about—it is all of us. The forest may be beyond our means to tackle right now. And both Adra and Mirien think the journey will only grow more difficult the farther into its depths we travel.”

  “You shouldn’t count us out just yet, Kyran,” said Gaesin from across their campfire.

  Kyran glanced up at him. The youth’s face was set in a determined mask. “Mirien, Adra, and I have made the journey through the forest before, and while it was not easy, it is possible. Don’t let your concern for us stop you.”

  Aiken huffed once, indicating his agreement.

  “Thank you, Gaesin,” Kyran said, his face solemn.

  The youth bowed his head, then glanced at Aiken. “How is he?”

  “Coping better than I did in the Labyrinth,” said Kyran with a chuckle. His face grew serious again. “You really think we can manage the journey north through the forest?”

  The half-elf bobbed his head. “We can,” he said firmly. “Provided we move slowly and cautiously, and if we manage to avoid the bigger predators. Don’t underestimate Adra.” He paused. “Or Mirien. Both of them will guide us safely around the worst obstacles.”

  Kyran nodded, then fell silent thinking.

  Gaesin shifted uncomfortably. “Only…” The youth hesitated, seeming uncertain on how to proceed.

  Kyran studied him curiously. “Go on, Gaesin,” he said. “What is it?”

  “Are you sure this the right course?” the half-elf blurted out.

  Kyran’s brows drew down. “What do you mean?”

  “Should we be heading north to meet Iyra’s champion instead of seeking out Mirien’s allies? It’s just that…” Gaesin wrung his hands. “I know Sara is from your planet and you have faith in her. But Mirien is right, Iyra cannot be trusted.”

  Kyran scratched his chin, trying to work out his own feelings on the matter. He would not go so far to say he trusted Sara. After all, he scarcely knew her. But she was from Earth, and for that reason alone Kyran felt a certain attachment to her. Responsibility too, he thought, recalling his failure to save her.

  But what must it look like from his companions’ perspective? He was dragging them across the entire expanse of Crotana, and because of what? A handful of words spoken by Iyra and whatever kinship I feel to Sara.

  He eyed Gaesin with interest. “Are you saying I shouldn’t place my faith in Sara and her goddess?”

  The youth lowered his gaze. “Yes,” he said glumly.

  Kyran considered the half-elf. He knew it had not been easy for Gaesin to say what he had. Unlike Adra, the youth was still overawed by Kyran’s status as a player, and he felt less able to express his thoughts than the older wolven.

  And on this matter particularly, which touched on the Brotherhood, Gaesin was caught between Adra and Mirien, both of whom he respected and admired. Even though Adra had grown to trust Mirien, her attitude towards the whiesper’s organisation had not softened.

  “Gaesin, please go on,” he said. “I promise I will listen fairly to what you have to say and not be offended.”

  Gaesin raised his eyes to meet Kyran’s again. His relief at Kyran’s lack of anger was undisguised. “Mirien is not wrong, you know,” he said with quiet certainty. “The gods are cruel and unjust. Adra… Adra is blinded by her faith in Auriel and has spent most of her life in the wilds. She hasn’t seen what I have seen, what goes on in the cities, and how norms are subjugated, even enslaved.”

  Gaesin stared fiercely at Kyran. “Iyra is no better than the other gods. In many ways, she is worse. Her Hounds…” He shuddered. “Her Hounds are widely feared and if even a small part of what they are rumoured to have done is true, then they are evil.”

  He leaned forward, his passion breaking through his diffidence now that he had begun speaking. “As is their mistress, Iyra. You cannot ally yourself to Iyra, Kyran. Nor should you trust Sara—not if she is Iyra’s champion.”

  Kyran was taken aback. He had known Gaesin’s own views on the gods differed from Adra’s, yet he had not known how strongly the youth felt. Am I being naïve? he wondered suddenly.

  He had interpreted Sara’s presence in Crotana as a reflection of Iyra’s intent to aid him. He hadn’t forgotten the goddess’ words to him in Godshome; she had encouraged him to seek her out.

  Now, he wondered if he had placed too much stock in her utterance. None of his companions seemed to trust the goddess, not even Adra. He clenched Aiken’s coat tightly. Perhaps I have not properly thought through this trip into the forest. Had simple yearning to see another spirit from Earth led him astray?

  It was time he reflected more seriously on his companions’ views. “Thank you, Gaesin,” he said. “You have given me much to think about.”

  Before the youth could reply, the two women returned. Kyran glanced at them. “Everything alright out there?”

  Adra nodded. “No sign of any goblins or our stalker,” she said, her voice heavy with tiredness.

  Kyran studied the pair more closely. Both were covered in grime and weariness dogged their steps. The two had been pushing themselves hard and were in need of rest.

  “Sit. Eat. You both look like you desperately need it.”

  The two sank down at the campfire and dug into their food. After a few minutes of silence, during which they sated the worst of their hunger, Mirien looked up and asked, “You wanted to discuss our plans, Kyran?”

  He waved aside her question. “Tomorrow morning will be soon enough to consider our future course. Gaesin has given me much to ponder in the meanwhile.”

  The two women paused in the eating, and as one turned to look curiously at Gaesin, who ducked his head and refused to meet either’s gaze.

  “I’ll take the first watch,” Kyran said. “Gaesin will stand the second. You two can decide your watches between yourselves.” Rising to his feet—and ignoring Gaesin’s silent plea—he heartlessly abandoned the youth to the women’s interrogation.

  ✽✽✽

  Vyne’s team strode swiftly through the underbrush, heading southeast back towards their camp. The forest denizens in the vicinity had learned better than to trouble them.

  It had been three days since the party’s disastrous venture within Fellmist dungeon and Vyne was worried. Misteria had made abundantly clear that responsibility for any failure in the Crotana endeavour would be his alone to bear. The goddess was known to be particularly inventive in her choice of punishments for those who earned her wrath.

  Already the mission did not fare well. And now there was this complication of the free agent. Who was he? And how had he accomplished what he had?

  Misteria had been light on the details, and Vyne struggled to wrap his mind around a new player, alone and unaided, not only escaping the Labyrinth but also killing Xetil’s champion in the process.

  There was clearly more to this player, and Vyne feared that his already complicated mission had been made nigh-impossible. With Yiralla, Iyra’s champion, and the free agent running around Crotana, how was he going to construct a settlement here in secret?

  He kicked angrily at a nearby rock. One problem at a time. They were nearly back to the expedition’s camp, and with the essence crystals from the dungeon, he could finally establish the settlement and join it to the Island kingdom.

  A shout from up ahead drew his attention. Beside him, Mukara said, “Scouts approaching from the camp.” Hard on the heels of Mukara’s words, two saurians slithered out of the trees and flung themselves at Vyne’s feet in a posture of deep obeisance. They were trembling.

  Vyne frowned. “Rise and report!” he snapped.

  The two scouts jerked upright, and the older of the two—a sergeant—said in a sibilant hiss, “Forgive me, my lord, but we have grave news to report.”

  With a sinking sense of dread, Vyne waited. What new disaster had
befallen now? “Out with it,” he demanded.

  The sergeant’s tongue flicked out nervously before he answered, “The settlement store has been stolen, Sire.”

  A red haze of horror filled Vyne’s vision. “What?” he asked in stunned shock.

  “While you were in the dungeon, a band of thieves snuck into our camp. The captain, he did not expect...” The saurian stopped and eyed Vyne nervously. In the face of the champion’s gaze, fixed unblinking on him, he continued, “The stone was…” The sergeant stopped again, tongue tasting the air nervously. “The thieves made off with it before we could stop them. The captain has been sending out search parties daily, but the miscreants are elusive. We have not managed—”

  The sergeant exploded in a shower of blood and flesh. Vyne hadn’t been able to contain his rage or listen to the fool prattle on with his excuses. The settlement stone has been stolen! What am I going to do?

  Blood-spattered and covered with gore, Vyne turned his regard to the remaining scout. “You, continue.”

  The young saurian looked as if he were about to convulse. “Sire, I b-b-beg you. W-w-we...”

  “Where is the settlement stone now?” he hissed.

  The scout gulped and said, “We don’t know—”

  The saurian detonated.

  Bits of him rained down unheeded as Vyne turned to his vassals, who watched on with carefully blanked faces. “Mukara, lead us to the camp now. No delays,” barked Vyne.

  Yet even as their party raced back to their camp, Vyne knew he would have to communicate this disaster to his mistress, and when he did there was a good chance his own fate would just as unpleasant as that of the two scouts.

  Game Data

  Base skills in air magic, earth magic, and supportive magic have increased to 34. Effective skill: 86.7.

  Base skill in beast bonding has increased to 34. Effective skill: 89.1.

  Base skills in telepathy and body control have increased to 34. Effective skill: 69.4.

  Base skill in light armour has increased to 34. Physical defence: 47.1.