The Gods' Games Volume 1 & 2: Graphic Edition (The Gods' Games Series)

by Quil Carter

  “As you wish, my lord.”

  14

  “These are wonderful. How did you ever come up with the idea to fry them in oil like this?” Malagant asked with a mouth half-full of a fried cheese sandwich. The former knight was already eyeing up the last one in the cast iron frying pan they had on the fire pit.

  Ben swallowed his food and smirked at his new friend. “I have a lot of recipes just you wait.” But with a stricken glance from Teal, who Ben suspected was telepathically telling him to shut up, Ben backtracked. “My family loved inventing food.”

  Teal gave Ben a narrow-eyed look but said nothing out loud.

  Ben was enjoying the company of their new friend Malagant. Besides being a wonderful physician he was also excellent company. He had a sense of humour unmatched and was quite animated and charismatic. It hadn’t taken them long at all to become friends.

  Like Ben had originally guessed Malagant was twenty-one, two years older than Ben and a little over three years older than Teal, who would be eighteen that winter. He had been living in the area since escaping from the Knights of Alcove, where he had served as both knight and medic during the war.

  “Inventing food, eh? Well feel free to stuff me with as much of it as you want,” Malagant said before giving Teal a huge grin when he handed him the last sandwich. He took it before sucking in a sharp breath like he was in pain. The oil still sizzling on the golden brown bread explained why. “I can’t cook for shek, that was always Josiah’s thing. It’s a wonder Dad isn’t as big as a house now.” Then he glanced over at Teal who had fished his old dog-eared map out of his pack. He craned his head to take a look at it. “So what’s your plan, Teal? Were you two going to stay here during the winter? It’s going to get cold really fast, you know this climate.”

  Teal smoothed out the old map and looked at it intently. “I was planning on crossing through Alé, then stopping off in Lelan to try and get a hold of the Anean Prophecies. If the weather is already bad we were going to spend the worst months in Little Lelan, but I was really hoping to make it to the Lazarius Plains so we could avoid having to take so much time off.”

  “Are you going to tell King Korivander who you are once you’re in Little Lelan? You know he’d be more than happy to give you a copy of the prophecies; we are a part of the prophecies now,” Malagant said, but when he noticed Teal’s nervous expression he added: “You know he’d never tell anyone who you are. We could stay in his castle, a hell of a lot better than a rented room in an inn.”

  Teal’s lips disappeared into his mouth. “I suppose it would be safer to stay in the castle considering Tseer did escape and someone must’ve sent him to try and get the jewel. Perhaps he will be so happy to see you he’ll completely not acknowledge my existence.”

  Malagant laughed. “I will indeed steal the attention away from both of you, so don’t you worry my little hibrid friend. My uncle and cousins will be too busy lavishing me with attention and begging me to tell them my harrowing tales.”

  “Your uncle?” Ben asked confused.

  Malagant nodded as he put his hands over the fire and started rubbing them together. It was starting to get chilly; the sunlight above them was fading. Night came quickly to the Forest of Jare, even in the small oasis that had become their temporary home.

  “King Korivander is my uncle, his wife was my mother’s sister, both of whom have since passed on,” Malagant explained as the orange flames licked his palm. “I haven’t seen him or my cousins since I escaped from the now Serpent Knights of Alcove. He’s a good king and has been staying in the Lelan Hold of Alcove to help Alcove’s residents. He even led the operation to smuggle King Calin out of the Frey.”

  “Wow,” Ben said, his arm gave a painful twinge as he pulled his cloak closer around him. “So there are a lot of families hiding out then?”

  Malagant nodded soberly, the last half of his second sandwich seemingly forgotten in his hand. “We hope they’re in hiding, they could be dead.” He let out a breath. “We have whole Houses disappearing. I was in Azrayne in the spring and I heard half the members of House Tonnis have all up and disappeared. Not to mention the Runes, the Kehlers, the Korstones… the list goes on.”

  “Really?” Teal said surprised, then looked over at Ben. “The Tonnis’s are highborns. King Calin’s wife Jynell was from House Tonnis.”

  Malagant popped the last bit of sandwich into his mouth and wiped his fingers onto his black cape. “I thought things were hellish before but it seems worse now. Everyone has just given up it seems. No one wants to fight, they just want to protect their Houses and what legacy and pride they have remaining.” He then rose and started spreading the coals on the fire. Ben got up as well sensing it was time for all of them to head inside.

  “Even the military Houses, Alcove’s pride and joy: House Jauss, House Athandrion, House Harren, ones who have gone on for centuries with their heads held high, have all bent a knee,” Malagant said with a shake of his head. Luckily Malagant didn’t notice the guilt-riddled expression on Ben’s face.

  “Erick destroyed everyone’s fight long ago,” Teal said bitterly, making the heaviness in Ben’s heart grow. “We’re just all beaten down now.”

  But then Malagant smiled; he hopped up onto the porch and turned to Ben and Teal with a beaming grin. “At least the gods have finally answered our prayers,” he said brightly. “We have the Jewel of Elron now and a prophecy that will lead us to victory. We have a chance!”

  Ben laughed at this, it seemed like their new friend wouldn’t let a bad mood take him down for long. Ben decided to play back in hopes of lifting spirits that had taken a dark turn. “No, my friend, we have a knight – now we have a chance.”

  Teal gave Ben a hurt look. “We were doing fine I thought.”

  Ben put his hands up defensively as they walked inside the cabin. “We were doing fine. I’m just saying now we have two elves with weapons. You know as well as I do I’m useless with a sword right now.”

  Teal’s hurt look turned into a glaring one. Ben was about to question why when Malagant’s voice piped up from inside the cabin. “You can’t use a sword?” he asked surprised.

  Ben swore and put a hand on his forehead; he turned from Teal to see the former knight giving him a quizzical look. “You’re nineteen years old, yes? Were you raised by monks?” Malagant tilted his head to the side. “I was given my first wooden sword when I was three.”

  Ben cursed himself internally for being such a loud mouth. The next time Teal had him alone Ben was sure he was going to get his neck wrung. Malagant might be a friendly, funny elf to be around but if the humans were as hated in Elron as Teal had hinted at, he might turn on Ben in an instant.

  “I’m – I’m from Galan,” Ben said slowly.

  Malagant stared at him. “Two things my new hibrid friend: I’m not a moron, and you’re a terrible liar.”

  Ben felt a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t say anything to him, Ben. I’ll explain it later on – he’ll eventually have to find out.”

  This, of course, brought forth an alarmed look from Malagant, though an instant later it disappeared as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Ben. “You’re from Kal’Koah aren’t you? Is that why you have such an odd name?”

  Teal laughed before Ben could reply and started walking towards the woodstove, a stack of wood in his arms. “No, he isn’t from Kal’Koah; you’re just going to have to wait. Don’t worry too much about it – he isn’t dangerous.”

  Malagant crossed his arms and swept Ben with his gaze, as if the answer to his question could be revealed if he looked long enough. “He looks like a normal hibrid all right. You know my father can turn into a fox through his sunmagic, perhaps you were a fox or a cat and the demigod turned you into a hibrid? Now wouldn’t that be something.”

  There was a temptation inside of Ben to tell Malagant that he was indeed onto something, but with a sharp look from Teal who was putting wood into the stove behind Malagant, Ben decided to clamp his mouth shut
and let Teal handle the future conversation.

  How would Malagant take it? Ben wanted to hope that Malagant would understand but he really didn’t know what to expect. Would Malagant hate him just for being a human? Even if he had nothing to do with the humans who had done so much harm in Alcove?

  The demigod wouldn’t have sent Malagant to help them if he was just going to run Ben through with his dagger upon learning his origins. Ben was sure of this. So with that in his mind he grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the woodstove.

  Later that night, with Ben sleeping soundly above them in the loft, Teal and Malagant sat in front of the open woodstove. Teal was busy stuffing a slender metal pipe with a dried leafy substance and Malagant was nibbling on Teal’s bag of candied fruit.

  When the pipe was packed to his satisfaction, Teal took a small piece of kindling and lit it with the fire then used it to light the pipe. He took a couple puffs and passed it over to Malagant.

  “Ben doesn’t know I have this,” Teal said as he blew the smoke out of the corner of his mouth. “He’s had problems in the past with alters and I’m worried he’ll fall back into it. I want to keep these sort of things from him for as long as possible.”

  Malagant looked down at the pipe. “Sinji? It only relaxes you and makes you eat half the house – I’ve seen much worse in Dashavia.”

  Teal handed Malagant the re-lit piece of kindling and watched while he lit the pipe. “I don’t… I mean, I haven’t known him long enough to know… to know what he would do if he knew the strong alters we have. It’s nothing like where he’s from. I mean – he’s from here but, I mean…”

  Malagant chuckled quietly. “Yeah, you do need this stuff.” He handed the pipe back as he exhaled.

  With a sigh, Teal nodded and took it back. He rapped the pipe against his knuckles. “I haven’t talked to another elf in months. I don’t even know how to communicate with my own species anymore.”

  Malagant let out a loud hah and pointed a finger at Teal. “I knew he wasn’t from here! I knew it the moment I laid eyes on him. He walks differently than a hibrid and his body language is completely off. He talks funny and says words I’ve never heard of. Not to mention he was petrified when I heard you two outside of Malla. He was shouting bloody murder about wanting to go home.”

  Teal shrunk down in his seat, the pipe tip inside of his mouth.

  Malagant continued, “Kal’Koah, right? We’ve never made proper contact with the Koahns. Is he the first? Was he given the jewel and you had to bring him to Alcove?”

  Teal, looking green and uncomfortable, shook his head.

  Malagant took the pipe back, the sinji starting to hit him in all the right places. The calming alter was not only making him excited about unravelling the mystery of his new friend’s origins, it was lighting his mind up like a fire beacon, filling him with all sorts of outlandish conspiracies.

  He decided to bring voice to the most outlandish, if only to attempt to work backwards if Teal told him he was wrong. “This is a prophecy so he could be extremely important. Is he a god? A replacement for Schrael? Or perhaps a demigod?”

  Again Teal shook his head. He took the pipe back from Malagant and took in an especially deep toke, then he exhaled with a sigh.

  “Ben’s a human.”

  The snapping of the fire sounded like thunder cracks with how quiet the cabin was after Teal spoke.

  Teal glanced up to see Malagant staring back at him, his eyes wide and his body frozen it its spot like time had forgotten to bring him along. For a moment Teal worried that perhaps he had broken Malagant’s mind.

  Then finally he spoke. “A real human?” Malagant stammered. “How? Why? Is he dangerous? But he’s a hibrid. How… how!?”

  At least he isn’t running towards the ladder with his long dagger in hand, Teal thought to himself, but his nerves were so frayed that was of little relief to him. He had a feeling that by the time this conversation had concluded most of his sinji supply and half of his desoni would be gone.

  “The demigod…” Teal said, his voice a whisper so quiet it was almost consumed by the dead silence that had descended on their previously lighthearted mood. “He – he came to me one night in a tavern when I was staying in Winterlight. He told me I had to go to the human realm and bring one of them back – a special one.”

  An overwhelming rush of relief flooded Teal as Malagant looked at him with excitement and awe in his eyes. He seemed enchanted with the idea and not at all angry; perhaps the demigod did know what he was doing when he directed Malagant to them.

  “What’s it like there?” Malagant asked, his eyes shining in such a way Teal knew that behind them lay a thousand more questions. “Is it like here?”

  Even with the sinji was hitting him, it wasn’t enough to stop the shiver that weaved up Teal’s back like a serpent made of ice. “It’s very different, Malagant,” he whispered, “and scary – terrifying.”

  Teal wrapped his arms around his chest and stared blankly into the fire; a plume of smoke breaking up the orange and red flames as Malagant took another puff of the pipe. The stove was the only light they had in the cabin, and its reflections danced on the walls, making their own paintings against the bare wood.

  “I have to know,” Malagant said, his tone suddenly becoming subdued, “is he dangerous? We’ve all heard the legends… like me you must’ve been raised on the story of the Stillborn God.”

  “No, he’s not dangerous – he’s just a product of his environment. Everyone there is. It isn’t like the stories at all. I met a lot of good humans in that world,” Teal said.

  The relief on Malagant’s face was palpable. He handed the pipe back to Teal and motioned for him to take more. By now the air around them was full of the smell of sinji, a mixture of skunk cabbage but with the hint of cinnamon and cloves.

  After several puffs of the pipe Teal continued, “He wasn’t happy where he was – a lot of bad things happened to him which made him think he was going crazy. Though even before I arrived he was troubled. Kelakheva wanted me to prepare Ben for him coming to Alcove and made me… mentally toy with him for a while. Once Ben came here, he had several breakdowns and anxiety attacks. He’s just starting to normalize now.”

  There was a mumble from above them; both Teal and Malagant glanced up where they knew Ben was sleeping. “He seems okay now, considering,” Malagant said. “Why wasn’t he happy before? Is life hard there?”

  Teal frowned, his fingers fidgeting with the pipe. “This sinji is to get me to talk, isn't it?”

  Malagant smiled. “You said it yourself, you’re not used to being around other elves, and I know this stuff makes one chatty. I enjoy speaking with you as well. We have a lot in common.” Then he glanced up at the wood ceiling again. “You said he was special and that’s why Kelakheva said it had to be him – how is he special?”

  To Malagant’s surprise this question brought a dry and rather pathetic laugh from Teal. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  Malagant narrowed his eyes; he took the pipe from Teal and lit it. “Tell me,” he said with the pipe between his teeth.

  Teal shook his head, as if not fully believing it himself. “He’s King Erick’s younger brother, Malagant. Erick’s a human too.”

  Malagant began to choke on the smoke, before doubling over in a coughing fit. Teal removed the pipe from Malagant’s hand, then took one last inhale before placing it on a grate resting on the stove.

  “You – are you serious?” Malagant rasped. He had stopped coughing but he was rubbing what Teal knew must’ve been a burning chest. “Erick is a human? That guy –” Malagant pointed to the ceiling where Ben was sleeping above them. “– is his brother?”

  Teal nodded. “Don’t ask me how Erick got there, or why Kelakheva wanted Ben’s brother here, because I don’t know. All I was told was to bring him here and take the jewel to the Garas Islands.”

  Malagant wiped his hand down his face. He looked like he was going to pass out or throw
up; instead he just shook his head and exhaled slowly. “I knew when the demigod spoke to me that I would be helping in important events – but I never thought it would be this big. This is it; this is why we were born… what my father sacrificed so much for. Who would’ve figured it had to do with two humans coming back to Elron?”

  “I wasn’t prepared for this either,” Teal said quietly. “I might’ve been born to be in the prophecy if that’s really what your father said but…” Teal roughly threw the kindle match he had been using into the open stove. “I’m useless. I was more use in Ben’s world than I am here. I almost killed him today.”

  “You used that cneen rather well and escaped.” Malagant pointed out. “That’s not useless.”

  “That was the demigod helping us escape,” Teal said. “I can’t work the jewel, only Kelakheva can when he wants. It didn’t help me earlier with Tseer, did it? I feel so unworthy of holding onto an artifact that’s been touched by a god. Not just a god, the Elder God; my god.”

  Teal let out an exasperated breath and buried his face in his hands. “I’m so overwhelmed by this. I swear I want to just stay in this shack and live out what time I have left. Except now I can’t since the malkah knows we’re here.”

  Malagant smiled slightly as he let his new friend ramble on.

  “I almost got him killed today, for the fourth time now – fourth time that I know of anyway. And this wasn’t just a close call, Malagant. He’s mangled and I’m mangled, and–”

  “–I got there in time,” Malagant said, cutting off Teal, “and I know you can do it because you’re a part of this prophecy as I am. We were born to do this. You’re strong.”

  “This… this has been so hard,” Teal whispered. “I’ve spent so much of my life hiding from everyone, living away from everything. Then one night I get visited by Kelakheva.”

  Teal stared at the fire, fear and worry both prominent emotions on his face; two emotions that were as a part of Teal as his golden blond hair and dark red streaks. “I didn’t want this, Malagant. I don’t want this on my shoulders. Before I went to get Ben, I hadn’t even had a conversation with someone in five months. Ten years I’ve been surviving and living on my own.”