Lee grunted and doubled over, eyes watering and pain shooting through his entire body. Kaylia immediately pulled herself free and sprang over to where her weapon had fallen. Forcing back the pain, he chased after her. Kaylia’s hand had barely touched the hilt of her blade when Lee’s weight fell on top of her. Once again he seized hold of her wrist and pulled her arm back. Using his body mass to keep her face down, he quickly trapped her other arm. Still Kaylia screamed and fought, but Lee’s half-man strength was too much – though only just.
“Help me!” Lee yelled out to anyone who might be within earshot. If this went on for too much longer, he had grave fears that she would hurt either herself or the baby.
Gewey’s body was only a few feet away from where they lay. Kaylia looked over and began to struggle even harder.
“Do not burn him!” she screamed out over and over again.
“Remove yourself from her at once, Lee Starfinder!” came a commanding female voice.
In the entrance stood Maybell, her hands firmly on her hips, her face red with anger.
“If I let her go, she’ll kill us both,” he shouted back through several grunts of exertion.
In a move Lee could have never anticipated, Maybell produced a short dagger. With surprising speed, she stepped forward and pressed the cold steel to his throat.
“And if you don’t let her go, I will kill you myself,” she said, her tone calm and measured.
At first Lee did not respond. But as Maybell increased the pressure, he felt a trickle of blood running down his neck. There was also a fiercely determined look in her eyes that told him she would most likely carry out her threat.
Reluctantly, he released his hold on Kaylia, who immediately scrambled away to retrieve her knife. Lee expected the elf to renew her attack, but Maybell removed the dagger from his throat and placed herself between the pair of them.
Kaylia stood tensed and ready while Maybell stared silently into Lee’s eyes. He could see quite clearly that this was not the same woman he had met and traveled with. She was now burdened with great purpose and filled with unrelenting determination.
“You should leave,” she said with imposing authority. “Now! I will speak to Kaylia alone.”
Lee was compelled to obey. As he left the tent he realized that Maybell was no longer wearing her priestess’ robes, but a simple blue dress.
Linis, Dina, and Millet were immediately outside. Jacob, Bevaris and the elves were only a few yards away.
“Where did she come from?” Lee asked, trying to make some sense of what had just happened.
“She just walked straight into the camp and demanded to know where Gewey’s body was being kept,” Linis replied.
“How the hell did she know about Gewey?”
Lee’s question was met by silence.
“What should we do?” asked Dina.
“Wait,” replied Lee. “What else can we do?”
Chapter 7
Gewey found himself alone alongside a tiny stream. The air was fresh and clean as it blew in from the distant snow-capped mountains, and the deep emerald colored grass was like walking on feather pillows. The water of the stream, sparkling from the light of the noonday sun, was given an even more delicate beauty by the multicolored pebbles scattered along its bed.
Gewey bent down to touch the water. It was cold almost to the point of being painful, yet it still brought a smile to his lips. It was at that moment he realized Melek was no longer with him.
Gewey called out his name.
“I am here,” Melek said. He was standing beside him as if he had been there the entire time.
“Where are we?”
“Exactly where we were before.”
Gewey looked confused, but Melek gave him a reassuring smile.
“This is an image of your memories,” he explained. “An image of heaven.”
Gewey’s eyes widened. “Heaven? This is heaven?” He scanned the landscape. “I have no memory of this place.”
“Of course not,” said Melek. “Gerath saw to that. But you still have the…the impression of it, if you like, locked away inside of you.” He looked around with approval. “And it is a better image than I expected.”
“Image?”
“Your human self could never fathom the majesty of heaven. And even now it is that part of you that dominates your being. You see heaven in a way you can understand it.” Melek waved his arm in a sweeping gesture. “And this is what your mind tells you it looks like.”
Gewey creased his brow. “Actually, I’ve never thought about what heaven would look like. And now that I have, I must admit I’m not impressed.”
Melek chuckled. “I am. You transformed Shagharath into a thing of beauty. Even if it is only for a short time.”
“So what is it that I’m supposed to see?”
Melek pointed to a small ball of light that had appeared just a few yards away on the other side of the stream.
“What is that?” asked Gewey.
He placed his hand gently on Gewey's shoulder. “Watch and you will see.”
The light hovered for a few seconds before drifting gracefully down to the stream’s surface. Then, just as it touched the water, it flew skyward for at least twenty feet. On reaching its zenith, the shining ball finally descended slowly back to earth. Gewey started to get the impression that it was playing a game.
A mist formed just behind the light, and from out of this two figures stepped forth. Gewey recognized them at once. It was Gerath and Ayliazarah. His father was clad in a shimmering silver robe, tied at the waist by a red sash. Ayliazarah wore a blue silken gown that flowed freely around her curves.
Gewey stared in awe, unable to move or speak.
“How long will you let this continue?” asked Ayliazarah. Her voice was as musical as Gewey remembered, even while scolding Gerath. “You cannot keep it in ignorance forever.”
Gerath looked intensely at the light and shook his head. “I cannot. I need more time.”
The light began to dance and bob. It flew toward Ayliazarah, circling her as if excited. The goddess laughed and held out her delicate hand, allowing the light to brush against her fingers.
“You should not encourage it so,” said Gerath, clearly displeased. “It is bad enough that you allow it to see you.”
She flashed Gerath a fierce look. “I do as I please. That you cannot reconcile with your own heart is no reason for me to leave the innocent alone and afraid.”
“Do not try to shame me, sister.” Gerath’s voice was low, yet the ground trembled.
Ayliazarah was unmoved by this display. “And you, brother, do not try to cow me. You are not my master. And you do not hold sway over my choices.”
Gerath lowered his eyes. “I am sorry. I did not mean to suggest….”
Ayliazarah reached out and took Gerath’s hand. “I know why you are so distant. Your heart has always been transparent to me. Though mortals name me the goddess of fertility and love, it was always you who cared too deeply for your own good.”
Gerath gave her a sideways smile. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. “If only the others understood me the way you do.” He fixed his gaze on the light. “They would know why I have yet to complete it, and they would not chastise me so.”
She pulled her hand away. “I may understand you, Gerath, but I do not condone what you are doing. Make no mistake, I stand with the others. You are abandoning your obligation to us, to the Creator, but most of all, to your child.”
Gewey caught his breath. His child? The next thought bounced painfully around in his head. Then the ball of light. It was…it was me. And....
“And Gerath could not bear the sight of you,” said Melek, finishing Gewey’s thought.
The sharp sting of rejection stuck in Gewey’s chest. But surely he didn’t continue to feel that way, he told himself. He remembered the kindness and love coming from the essence of Gerath when they had spoken in the Black Oasis.
“Do no
t be deceived,” warned Melek. “The heart of Gerath is as black as the darkest night. Soon you shall see.”
Gewey took a deep breath to steady himself before returning his attention to the vision.
“At least make him aware of you,” suggested Ayliazarah.
Gerath took a long look at the light. Finally, he gave an almost imperceptible nod. At once the light hung motionless. After a few short seconds it eased its way closer to its father. At first Gerath did nothing. Then he raised his hand and touched it with the tip of his finger. The light glowed brighter and brighter until Gewey was forced to shield his eyes and could no longer watch.
“No!” Gerath’s voice thundered.
The light withdrew a few feet and dimmed.
Ayliazarah leaned in close to Gerath. “He knows who you are,” she whispered.
“He?” scoffed Gerath. “It is neither he nor she. At least, not yet.”
The goddess flashed a girlish grin. “I have a sense about these things. He has no form as of this moment, but once he reaches the earthly plain…yes…definitely a son.”
“It makes no difference,” he countered angrily. “I will not love this child.”
The light began to approach its father a few inches at a time - stopping and hovering, then moving again. Just as it was within arm’s reach, Gerath clapped his hands sharply together. The air shattered in a sharp crack and the light was pushed away. After a few moments it once again tried to move closer, but it was now being held firmly in place by an unseen force.
Gewey looked on in horror. He’d expected Ayliazarah to intervene, but she did not.
“And hurting him is the answer for you, it would seem,” she chided. She turned away, shaking her head.
Perhaps in an attempt to escape whatever was holding it, the light began changing color. First it became a shade of green, moments later it became red, and then just as quickly it was back to green again. As it continued to quiver and struggle, Gewey thought he could hear a cry. But he wasn’t sure if this was real or imagined. Even his own body was beginning to feel constricted as he watched the fire in Gerath’s eyes increase.
“Petty and cruel,” said Melek. “That is your father. He is, as he always was.”
After a short while longer, Gerath released the light. It immediately fled from him, but only traveled less than one hundred feet before stopping and settling on the grass.
“So is your intent to make him hate you?” asked Ayliazarah.
Gerath clenched his fists. “I do not know. The Creator forgive me, I do not know what to do. I never wanted this. I never wanted…him.” The word ‘him’ passed his lips like a curse.
Ayliazarah threw her head back in laughter. “Since when does the mighty Gerath get to choose the service given to him by the Creator? No, my brother. You cannot delay for much longer. A father you are, and a father you must be.”
Gerath made no response to this. Pausing only to glance at his sister for the briefest of moments, he walked off back into the mist.
As soon as he was gone Ayliazarah moved with graceful strides over to where the light still rested on the grass. She knelt down beside it and reached out, but withdrew her hand an instant before making contact. “He may be right,” she said quietly. “The Creator forgive me, he may be right about you.”
The images faded and Gewey found himself back inside Melek’s house staring out of the window. The barren wasteland was even more horrible to behold than before.
“What did she mean: He may be right about me?” he demanded. “Right about what? None of this makes sense.”
Melek left Gewey’s side and sat down at the table. He took a sip of wine and then nodded toward the chair opposite him. After a final lingering look out of the window, Gewey came across.
“What you saw was the real truth about the gods,” said Melek. “Their hatred and malice knows no bounds. Not even when it concerns their offspring - or their parents.”
Gewey saw a flash of rage pass over Melek’s face, but it was quickly gone.
“Why would Gerath do this?” he asked. “Why would he reject me - and hurt me?” His fingernails clawed their way into the wooden table. “And why would Ayliazarah not come to my aid?” He laid his head in his hands. “I don’t understand any of this.”
“These are things you were never supposed to see,” Melek told him. “That form – that ball of light – was you before you were given true consciousness. You were then simply a being of life and emotion.” He shook his head. “How Gerath could have left you that way for so long is beyond my understanding.”
He took a deep breath before continuing. “When my beloved wife and I gave birth to the gods, we knew that such an existence would be unbearable. Possessing emotions without the intelligence to govern them is a nightmare. Gerath had you endure what he never had to. We gave our children a mind the moment they came into this world.”
“I still don’t understand,” said Gewey meekly. His reason was slipping away. “That was me…and yet it wasn’t?”
“It was you,” affirmed Melek. “It was your spirit. Your essence. But until Gerath allowed his own spirit to make full contact with yours, you were without a rational mind. You could feel, but you did not have the capacity to make sense of your emotions.” He sighed. “It was the same with all of my children. But as I said, we did not leave them to languish in limbo: that would have been cruel. We knew that for every joy, there is also sorrow and fear.”
“How long was I left like that?” asked Gewey.
Melek shrugged. “It is impossible to say. Time in heaven is not measured as it is on earth. But even a short time would have seemed like an eternity.”
Gewey was grateful he could not remember. This feeling merged with a growing hatred for his father.
“I understand,” said Melek. “And in time you will face him and exact your revenge.”
Gewey no longer minded that Melek was again reading his thoughts. His words were comforting. Yes, I would like revenge, he thought, almost involuntarily.
“But none of this explains why,” he said aloud.
“Because of what you are,” replied Melek.
“What I am? I’m a god, just like them.”
“Like them,” said Melek. “But also like me. You have the light of the Creator within you. It is why they fear you. It is why, even if you were able to serve their needs, in the end they will not suffer you to live. Like me, you will be betrayed.” He poured them both another cup of wine. “That is, unless you heed my words and stand by my side when the time comes.”
Gewey found himself nodding without even thinking about it. Then, somewhere in the recesses of his mind, a moment of doubt crept in. There were questions he needed the answers to, but couldn’t form the words.
Sensing this, Melek drained his cup and smiled. “But there is more for you to see before you make your decision.”
“What happens then?” asked Gewey. He felt anxious to see more, but also afraid of what he might discover.
“Then we will leave this place,” he replied. “Together, you and I will right all the many wrongs done to us both.”
The house faded, and now they were inside a circular chamber. The floor was made from flawless white marble. In stark contrast, the walls were hewn from a black stone with gold threads running through it that appeared to pulse and flow as blood through veins. Standing in a semi-circle around the edge of the chamber were nine figures clad in the purest white robes. Gewey knew instinctively who they all were.
From left to right stood: Saraf - God of the Oceans; Islisema - Goddess of the Moon and Stars; Helenasia - Goddess of Healing and Knowledge; Dantenos - God of the Dead; Gerath - God of the Earth; Althetas Mol - Goddess of Wisdom and Compassion; Pósix - Goddess of the Dawn and Light; Hephisolis - God of Fire; and Ayliazarah - Goddess of Fertility and Love.
All were staring intensely at the small globe of light in the very center of the room.
Gewey could not have averted his eyes, even if he had
wanted to. Their sheer beauty and majesty, enriched by a soft golden aura, was irresistible.
“And there they all are,” said Melek, not hiding his contempt. “My children. My greatest accomplishment - and my greatest blunder.”
Melek’s bitter words broke the mesmerizing spell holding Gewey. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “What are they doing?”
Before Melek could respond, Althetas Mol stepped forward and faced the assembly.
“Gerath,” she said accusingly, pointing her finger. Her voice echoed throughout the chamber, each repetition of her brother's name sounding louder than the previous. Then, all at once, there was silence. “Why is your child still unborn?”
Gerath appeared unaffected - almost bored. “As this is my child, I see no reason to explain myself to you.” He glanced left and right. “To any of you.”
“But the child is not yours alone,” corrected Hephisolis. “The Creator was directly involved. Defying her is not wise and could impact us all.”
“I am not defying her,” he replied, with only a hint of emotion. “I am merely proceeding in my own fashion.”
Althetas Mol took a step forward. “Do you think us so easily deceived? You intend to forgo the sacrifice. Do not bother to deny it.”
This time Gerath was unable to contain his irritation. His lips twisted into a snarl. “And if I do, that is still my decision to make.”
This brought murmurs of disagreement from the others.
“I do not think our brother intends to defy the Creator,” interjected Ayliazarah. “He would not risk her wrath being brought down upon us all.”
Althetas Mol huffed. “Always it is you who takes up his banner. Have you no mind of your own?”
Ayliazarah smiled at the comment. “Of course I do, my sweet sister. And as it happens, I agree that Gerath should complete what he has begun. However, I am not eager to accuse him of endangering us - as you seem to be. In fact, was it not you who screamed like a mortal girl when you were told that the child would be born? Goddess of wisdom indeed. You said in no uncertain terms that this would be the end of us all.”
“And I still believe it to be so,” she countered. “We all know what will happen once these events are set in motion. Even still, I obey. Though my faith is shaken, I will carry out the will of our Creator. And I am prepared to suffer the consequences I am sure will follow. Are you?”
The Godling Chronicles : Bundle - Books 4-6 Page 40