The Godling Chronicles : Bundle - Books 4-6

by Brian D. Anderson

  Gewey recalled the visions he had been shown when visiting the Oracle’s hiding place in the forest. Linis had featured in two of these: once as a friend, and once as foe. But in both visions Gewey had betrayed him.

  Since being told of these, Linis had never yet openly questioned whether Gewey would have the strength to remain loyal and true. Even so, Gewey knew that such thoughts must have passed through his friend’s mind. Sharply aware of what he might have to face, he’d certainly wondered the same thing himself.

  “You know that whatever happens, I’ll protect you and Dina with my life,” he said.

  Linis leaned back and gave him a sideways grin. “You're thinking about those bloody visions again, aren’t you? Kaylia told me they still torment you.” He lowered his head to meet Gewey at eye level. “I trust you. I do not think you will betray me, my wife, or the people of this world. And if there was ever once a chance of such a thing happening – which I doubt – what you saw has now prevented it.”

  Gewey was surprised at how easily Linis could tell what he was thinking. It was probably why in both visions Linis was either his friend, or at least, had once been.

  “You’re right, of course,” he said. “And I don’t dwell on it as much as I used to.” He paused and looked down at the deck planks. “But there are things I can’t ignore. In both visions Kaylia was no longer with me, and that’s what keeps it fresh in my thoughts.”

  Linis waved his hand dismissively. “That means nothing. You said yourself that Ayliazarah told you these things need not be.”

  “True,” he agreed. “But I wish she had told me how to avoid them. My father used to tell me that fate is a trickster. The path you take to avoid it has a way of leading back to where you never wanted to be.”

  Just then, Dina’s angry voice called out. “Linis! Come here now!”

  Linis smiled. “Speaking of fate…”

  They both laughed as he hurried off to his wife.

  Gewey listened to the sounds of the sea and wind, smiling as he did so. The life that emanated from the sea, together with the company of Kaylia and his friends, were going to be his only pleasures during a long journey that would be cramped and uncomfortable. His experience of time on board ships was limited to the elf vessel that had taken Aaliyah and him to the desert. Things this time were very much different – gritty and harsh.

  He had heard several tales of the brutal discipline handed out on board human ships, and before the sun had set that first evening he was to witness it for himself. A young sailor had left a rope unsecured on deck, and apparently this was not his first offense. The chief mate decided that a lesson was necessary and immediately ordered two other deckhands to rip away the offender’s shirt and tie him face first to the mast. The chief mate then produced a long leather strap, the last few inches of which had been split into six knotted strips.

  The first strike cracked loudly across the man’s bare back, leaving ugly red marks. He grunted and ground his teeth hard together against the pain. By the fifth lash, blood was oozing from rips in the poor wretch’s skin. Gewey could bear it no longer. Using the flow of the air, he tore the strap away from the chief mate’s grasp.

  “Do as you wish when I’m not aboard,” Gewey told him sternly. “But while I am here, the beatings will cease.” He pointed to a nearby sailor. “You. Untie him.”

  The sailor stood fear-stricken for a moment, but after a quick glance at the chief mate, obeyed. Gewey snorted with satisfaction and returned to his seat. He could hear murmurs of anxiety and alarm spreading rapidly throughout the ship. Men were asking what might happen if Darshan’s anger were to grow beyond control.

  A short time later Kaylia joined him. He could feel her displeasure long before she arrived.

  “I hope you do not intend to cause terror among the crew for the entire journey,” she scolded.

  Gewey shrugged. “I’ll not see people tortured. And if it stops from fear of me…so be it.”

  The sun was setting as Kaylia grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

  She led him below deck. The interior was not much different from Aaliyah’s ship, though with just a few faded paintings of various vessels and bits of old netting hanging along the walls, the décor was not nearly as pleasing to the eye.

  The captain had relinquished his cabin to them, in spite of both Gewey and Kaylia’s objections. Now though, he was glad of it. Everyone they passed eyed him with suspicion and fear, and the captain’s private quarters was the only place he could escape this.

  “Lee told me before we left that human sailors are extremely superstitious,” said Kaylia. “Better you not unsettle them if you want us to have a quiet trip.”

  The cabin was meagerly furnished and designed to serve as the captain’s dining room, bedroom and office all rolled into one. A single bed at the rear of the room was directly beneath a row of small windows overlooking the ocean. Four chairs surrounded a square table in the center, and a desk was pushed into the near left corner. There were no books or items of clothing other than the packs Gewey and Kayla had brought in with them. Most likely, the captain had removed his personal belongings before they boarded.

  Kaylia climbed onto the small bed and motioned for Gewey to lie beside her. “Close your eyes,” she said in a soothing tone.

  Gewey did as she asked. At once he felt her spirit calling him to her. As they became one he sensed something he had never felt before. A tiny ball of pure light darted and danced, melding with them both. It was the essence of love and the wind of spirit.

  “Our child,” said Gewey. “That’s my…my son.”

  He had felt the baby’s life-force before, but only as a pulsating beacon – a formless spirit that he instinctively knew was his child. Now though, it had a substance. And he could feel that his son already knew him to be his father.

  “When did this happen?” he asked. His heart was filled to bursting with joy. Even the closed eyes of his resting body were filled with tears.

  “When you went to Shagharath,” she replied. “His spirit is the strength that kept me from completely losing my mind. He saved us both.”

  Gewey watched in awe, losing all sense of time. Never had he imagined such powerful emotions possible. Not even his bond with Kaylia could compare.

  “Shagharath helped me to banish my anger,” he finally said, more to himself than anyone else. “Now my son has helped me to conquer my fear.”

  It took a great effort to pull away and open his eyes. By then, many hours had passed and the sun was rising. He could hear the bustle of the crew going about their duties.

  He rose from the bed, his face aglow with happiness. “I think I’ll work on deck today. Maybe that will ease the crew’s reservations.”

  Kaylia sat up and gazed out of the windows at the dim morning light. A few lingering stars were still visible in the cloudless sky. “I think that is a good idea. As for me, I would like to rest.”

  Gewey leaned down to kiss her forehead before leaving the cabin and going up on deck.

  Using the knowledge he had gained while aboard the elf vessel, and without bothering to ask, he began helping the sailors with their morning work. Many of the tasks differed from what he had learned, but they were similar enough for him to quickly adjust.

  Initially, no one would even look him in the eye, let alone speak. But as the day wore on the men relaxed and accepted his help without hesitation. In fact, Gewey’s tremendous strength had some sailors calling him over to assist them with particularly difficult tasks. This did not sit well with the chief mate, but he was not about to voice his displeasure. Not after Gewey’s recent display of power.

  Linis joined him about midday. Dina was still mightily displeased with her mother, and it was only after several outbursts at Linis, who simply lowered his head and nodded while trying not to smile, that she eventually calmed herself down. Her mother had insisted on helping the ship’s cook, so Dina decided to join her in
the galley. By mid-afternoon, an aroma was drifting up on deck that had the men’s mouths watering and eager for the evening meal. When the time arrived, they jostled roughly for position in the line forming below deck. Crew manners were usually crude at best, but one firm look from Nahali soon had the desired effect. No one was going to risk upsetting the woman responsible for such delicious new mealtime offerings.

  After dinner, Gewey took some time to relax at the stern and watch the sun ease its way to the horizon.

  “This is a hard life,” said a gruff voice behind him.

  Gewey looked over his shoulder to see Captain Carnwell standing there. He was wearing a long brown coat and worn black trousers. His unruly salt and pepper hair blew wildly in the stiff breeze. His dark eyes were unyielding and told of a man who had lived through many hardships and dangers.

  “I’m sorry, Captain,” Gewey said unconvincingly. He knew the officer was referring to his intervention with the chief mate. “But beating a man bloody will never inspire him to do better.”

  “I’ve been sailing for forty years,” he shot back, not in the least intimidated by Gewey’s power. “I do know how to run my ship…and my crew. And I would thank you not to interfere.”

  Gewey couldn’t help but respect Carnwell for having the nerve to confront him. “I understand your position, but I refuse to allow senseless violence.”

  The captain sneered. “After the many men that Saraf has taken to the depths, I find it odd you would be so squeamish about such things.”

  This sparked a moment of anger in Gewey that he quickly forced back. “I am not Saraf. And if I were, I would tell you that I have nothing to do with the death of sailors. The gods are not what you think them to be. They do not choose men’s fates.”

  Carnwell huffed a disdainful chuckle. “Then what good are they?”

  Gewey turned, not knowing what to say next. But the captain was already walking away.

  What good are they? The words repeated in his mind, again and again.

  “Now that’s a good question,” he said out loud to himself.

  Just then a strong wind blew in from the north, causing the ship to roll and the sails to snap tight. Gewey looked skyward. A thunderhead was looming toward them. On the deck he could hear orders being shouted and the ship’s bell ringing repeatedly. Another gust of wind blew in, this time with even more severe force.

  The chief mate bounded up the stairs to the platform where Gewey was now holding on tight to the railing, his expert sea legs unaffected by the ship’s increasing instability. “You should get below,” he shouted.

  “I can help,” he called back.

  The mate stared at Gewey, then threw up his hands. “Then get to it! Help secure the deck.”

  Gewey sprang into action, almost knocking the man over as he passed by. From the stories the elves had told him, storms at sea could come up without warning and smash a ship to splinters in mere minutes.

  Lightning split the sky, and very soon giant waves were tossing the ship about like a child’s toy. Swells broke over the bow, soaking both the deck and the crew. In only a few minutes the sky was pitch black, the massive storm clouds appearing momentarily like vicious behemoths with each new flash of lightning, then vanishing once more into the blackness.

  The captain was on a platform atop the main cabin, hands gripping the wheel tightly while struggling to keep the ship’s bow turned into the swells. He spotted Gewey just as he was seizing a rope that had come loose from the main mast.

  “Can't you do anything?” the captain yelled, sneering and glancing up at the sky.

  Only Gewey’s enhanced senses made him able to hear the captain’s words over the clamor of the storm. He secured the rope and then stumbled to the port railing.

  He could feel Kaylia sending him encouragement and strength. She was below helping Weila, Linis, Dina, and Nahali, all of who knew nothing of ships or sailing, to secure the cargo and galley.

  Several more flashes of lightning revealed the rest of the fleet bobbing in and out of view. They were being scattered further and further apart, and Gewey could feel the dread and anxiety of the men on board as the storm continued to build in strength. The swells were rising ever higher. Some were already half as tall as the ship’s main mast.

  He drew in the flow of air and water, allowing it to rage through him. He could feel the unrelenting power of the storm surging in all directions. His body rose skyward until he was well above the main mast. At first he was uncertain how to proceed. Causing wind to blow or water to move was one thing. This though was vast and beyond his comprehension.

  At first he tried to use the flow of air to force the storm into retreat, but it was like trying to resist an incoming tide by standing in the surf. Any column of air he created was simply blown back in the direction it had come as the tempest enveloped it. He widened his control to shield the length of the ship, and for a moment this seemed to be working. The wind lessened. But then a furious blast, so strong that it felt as if it had spawned from the Creator herself, easily overcame his latest efforts. The shield vanished and the gale blew even harder, as if enraged by Gewey’s attempts to control its power.

  Join with it. A whisper in the back of his mind eased its way into his consciousness. Become as one.

  The voice alarmed him for a moment, but the creaking timbers and frightened sailors drew his attention. His vision penetrated the darkness and he could see that one of the other vessels had already capsized. Those that were not trapped within the ship were clinging desperately to its hull. He knew that the ship would be lost and all aboard likely perish if he didn’t act quickly.

  In one great effort he combined air and water in order to right the vessel. The ship heaved and rolled, and slowly the edge of the deck became visible again. The sailors clinging to the hull scrambled to grab at the railing, but most were thrown into the sea long before they could reach it. Gewey could see them desperately thrashing about in the waves.

  As soon as the ship was fully righted he drew away the water on board and then, one-by-one, lifted the drowning crewmen back onto the deck.

  A feeling of satisfaction and pride took hold of him. But this was short lived. Four other ships were also in serious trouble. He needed to find a way to deal with the storm quickly or hundreds of people would die.

  Become one. The voice echoed in Gewey’s mind again, and this time he knew who it was and it filled him with dread.

  “Melek,” he muttered.

  Your flesh is unimportant. Only your spirit matters.

  Melek or not, he had to do something. Summoning all of his concentration, Gewey allowed his spirit to drift out into the tempest. The complexity of nature’s raw power was unfathomable. The flow that saturated it was disobedient and wild. He pushed with all his power, yet even now his efforts were achieving nothing.

  Become the storm. Do not contain your spirit. Allow it to grow.

  All at once, Gewey understood. The ‘body’ he saw himself in when his spirit traveled was not real. It was a creation of his mind. Jubilation washed over him as he let go, allowing himself to spread out in all directions at the same time. Instantly, he was larger than the storm. At first it was alarming. His vision expanded to encompass mile upon mile of ocean and sky. The entire fleet was laid out before him. He was below the clouds, and yet at the same time, above them.

  Calming his nerves, he concentrated on the storm. Suddenly, its complexity was diminished and he could grasp its every movement. He wrapped himself around it and drew its power within his own. And, just as Melek had told him, he became the storm. It was not the mindless rage he would have imagined. Instead, it was a flawless power, devoid of passion and yet full of intent. It existed simply to exist. There was no malice toward those who were unfortunate enough to be in its path. But neither was there love or benevolence.

  It was simple to assert his will, because there was now nothing to oppose him. Gradually the wind died and the seas calmed. He dispersed the clouds until th
ey were an invisible mist.

  As Gewey’s spirit withdrew and condensed he heard a cacophony of cheers rising from the deck of his ship, as well as cries of relief and praises to the gods from the rest of the fleet.

  During the moments his body drifted back onto the deck he could feel the presence of Melek ever more keenly.

  There is so much more, Darshan. Wonders such as you have never dreamed.

  And then…he was gone.

  Linis, Dina and Kaylia were standing a few feet behind him. Linis had the look of approval splashed across his face. Dina and Kaylia…worry.

  “That was magnificent,” Linis cried joyously. “I had never imagined such a thing possible.”

  Gewey glanced at Kaylia. He was uncertain how to feel. He had saved lives, but only with the help of a bitter enemy. He forced a thin smile. “Neither had I,” he told Linis.

  The crew were still shouting their praises and thanks. The name Darshan rose like the storm he had just banished. In the midst of all this, a sudden fatigue shot through him; he stumbled with the sway of the ship. Kaylia rushed to his side and caught his arm.

  “It seems that took rather a lot out of me,” he said with a chuckle.

  “I don’t doubt it,” said Dina, her eyes narrow and unblinking.

  Linis grabbed her playfully around her waist and pulled her to him. “Come, my love. Let us stroll to the bow and bask in the air of this clear night.”

  Dina looked at him sideways, at first resistant to his hold on her. But then she relaxed and allowed him to lead her away.

  “She worries whether you can control such power,” said Kaylia. Pulling Gewey's arm over her shoulder, she walked him toward the main cabin door.

  Gewey looked back. Linis was holding Dina in his arms and whispering into her ear. Her eyes softened and a sweet smile crept its way to the corners of her mouth.

  “Should I speak to her?” asked Gewey.

  “No,” Kaylia replied. “Her fears will fade in due course. Don’t forget that she is a historian. If history tells us anything, it is that power corrupts, and that those who wield it cannot be trusted. It will take time for her to know that you are different.”