"Fine, fine," she said. "If you don't believe me, I'll show you."
Ean was about to protest, but the woman leaned over and placed a single finger on his forehead.
Colors exploded in his mind then everything went dark. His body slumped, but she held him up with a single finger. A second explosion followed, obliterating all thought. The colors became more intense, pulsating faster and faster, until he felt like a man tossed about in a raging sea. The pounding waves punished his mind and body until Ean thought he would break.
Without warning, the colors began to slow, taking the pain with them. Each individual color began to coalesce. Hundreds of nebulous blobs floated in dead space, each a different color. Before his eyes, they sprouted arms, then legs, and took on familiar human forms.
The first he recognized was that of Lane, the first victim of the Creature that had taken over the mine in Rottwealth. In his current state he looked completely healed, no missing limbs or scars. His expression seemed sad, but he did offer Ean a friendly wave.
The second nameless face was the one he had watched being murdered in Rensen forest. A lot of the other figures seemed upset, but the old man seemed at peace. Ean hadn't understood how the man had been so calm when he was murdered and he certainly didn't understand how he seemed so peaceful now either.
Other faces touched his memories, people that he had been unable to save after the bandit attack in Rensen. The rest could have been anyone, but somehow he knew they were all people that had passed away. Which meant that this person had to be Kaz'ren.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the images vanished and he was back in Lurthalan staring at a goddess.
"You're drooling a bit," she said in a pleasant tone. "That sometimes happens, though, so don't feel embarrassed about it."
Wiping his mouth quickly, he leaned back away from her, which ended up making him topple backwards and catch himself on his elbows. Now really looking like a fool, he slowly righted himself back into a sitting position while avoiding eye contact with the deity. Once he had himself completely situated, he brought his head up enough to meet her eyes.
"Why are you talking to me?" he blurted out, then immediately regretted his tone. He was surprised, when instead of destroying him on the spot, she simply laughed.
"Well, you are spirited, aren't you?" She patted him lightly on the cheek. It was all Ean could do to not flinch away. "Good, this would be incredibly awkward for me if you were the type to start bowing and refuse to look at me. We have a great deal to discuss and a short amount of time to do it. So, if you would kindly send your imp away, we can get started."
She did not bother hiding her disgust at the word imp. "He's already in your ear enough, leading you this way and that. I want a little time to talk to you without him lurking about."
Who was Ean to argue with a deity? Turning to Zin, he nodded and gestured with his hand for the imp to leave. The blur that marked Zin's presence hesitated for a moment then melted into the crowd.
"Glad to be rid of the smelly little creature," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I don't know why you keep him around, but I guess I don't understand half the things you do. If dragging an imp around the world wasn't dangerous enough, you decide to keep a Yulari as a pet and let her run all over the place unsupervised as well. Foolish, very foolish."
Shrugging, she moved to her feet and offered him a hand. "It's your decision, of course. I'm not one to judge...much, and it's not the reason I'm here. Come on, it's a nice day and I would prefer to walk about while we talk."
Afraid to refuse, Ean took her hand and she yanked him to his feet so hard that he stumbled forward. In trying to catch his balance, Ean grabbed the nearest thing he could find, which happened to be the goddess's waist. Realizing his transgression, he snatched back his hand, waiting for her to strike him down. Instead she smiled.
"You really think that I offend easily, don't you. Think of it this way: How many times have you offered up a prayer to me?" Ean could probably count that number on one hand. Her smile widened as he remained silent. "Exactly, and yet here I am talking to you, not offended at your lack of devotion in the least. So a little grope isn't more offending than your complete lack of devotion to me."
"I didn't try to grope you!" He hadn't meant for it to come out as a yell, but his mind was racing. Glancing around, he was surprised not to find all of the surrounding people staring at them.
"Oh, don't worry," Kaz'ren said, laughing again. "I've made it so they won't notice us. We can talk about whatever we want, which is good since we're going to be talking about a lot of things that might make other people uncomfortable."
Other people, or humans in general? Ean's nerves were already on edge and this woman, this goddess, kept making him even more nervous. If he could just have a second to process his thoughts maybe he could--wait! She was walking away!
Chasing after her, he thought he might lose her as she entered the crowd of people. Instead, the mob parted around her, not even seeming to notice they were doing so as they crammed themselves together even tighter to give her space. Ean dodged into that space just moments before the mass of people flowed around her.
"Now," she began, looking around and taking everything in as she spoke. "I'm going to start by being honest with you with the hope that it will make our short time together here more productive. Please don't feel rude interrupting if I say anything confusing to you, just try not to stop me every couple of steps. Deal?"
"Yes," was all he could get out.
"Good, so as I said, in being completely honest, I want to start by telling you that I'm going to use you to my own end." That was certainly as straightforward as she could get. "Now, of course, you might benefit from helping me as well, but it's not guaranteed. I just wanted to let you know, because if any of the others had gotten to you first, they probably would have tried to trick you into doing what they wanted. I'd rather keep our relationship an honest one."
"Wait, others? You mean the other deities?"
"Yes, of course, the other deities. They all would use you for one end or another. Well, all of them except Alistar. He would be quite happy to see you dead. I wouldn't go mentioning his name if I were you. You don't want him watching your every move."
"Wait, why would all of you be interested in me?"
"Because of what is under here of course," she said, flicking his right arm. "The last person that wore those same tattoos changed the course of the entire land, first for good and then bad. Like it or not, your existence has the attention of all of us." She flashed him a smile. "You're just lucky that I'm the one that got the chance to interact with you first."
"Why did you get the chance? I'm not complaining of course," Ean said hastily. "I've just rarely prayed to you. I've rarely prayed to any of you, as a matter of fact."
She waved his question a way with a flick of her hand. "Don't worry about that question-- it has to do with how my brothers and sisters interact with each other and the world. Higher being things. Way over your head. Best if we get back to what I would like, yes?"
"Alright," Ean answered, not knowing what else to say. They had crossed the bridge and walked past the temple of Ni'Aren. Ean ducked down in the crowd, not wanting the priests of the temple to see him before realizing that Kaz'ren was doing just that for both of them. He did his best to straighten back up without making it too obvious what he had done. Kaz'ren of course noticed.
"Ah yes, awkward that, when you stopped by her temple. Of course, how could you know that Ni'Aren has been holding a grudge against Ze'an for hundreds of years? As soon as she realized you were going to look for help there, she made a big fuss to her followers about keeping you out."
That certainly explained why the priests had known all about him and the hostility they had shown. But why would a fight between Ze'an and Ni'Aren have anything to do with him? Ean had never prayed to Ze'an before either. It wasn't as if he was running around doing his bidding. As if reading his thoughts, Kaz'ren answered his question for hi
m.
"You wear those tattoos, dear boy, which means you're tied to Ze'an whether you mutter two words to him or not. You do realize what those tattoos represent in the eyes of most people and deities?"
Shaking his head, Ean looked at the ground. "I was told that they would help me grow in strength, be able to summon more powerful creatures." He hoped the tone of his voice didn't show his embarrassment at his ignorance.
"Of course they do that, but it's so much more. As I said, the last person to wear those tattoos caused a great deal of problems for both the people of this land and those they pray too."
"You're talking about the Plague."
"Oh, so you do know something. Did your little imp tell you about that and his former master? That's surprising, although I'm sure he told you after those designs started climbing up your arm. Yes, the look on your face confirms that. I wouldn't completely trust that imp if I were you. Like everyone else, he only has his best interests in mind. You just remember that."
Glancing around, Kaz'ren frowned slightly and grabbed Ean's arm, hurrying him along. Ean looked around trying to see what had caused her sudden haste and felt as if he had been struck in the stomach. To his left, towering over the lake, was a large building made entirely of pure white stone. Very few designs had been placed anywhere on the outside of the building except for one--the half sun with a sword going through it. The same marking the Seekers had worn on their armor.
"Yes, best not to spend any time in front of here. HE can't see you unless you mention his name, but I'm sure he has given his head priest your description and they've passed it around to his other followers. They couldn't see you now, of course, but best not to risk getting his attention." They moved quickly past the building, following the road as it split off to the left and ran around the edge of the lake.
Once they were past the temple, and Ean felt like he could breathe again, what Kaz'ren had just said finally sunk in.
"Wait, none of you can see a person unless we speak your name?" That certainly was a surprise. Ean thought all of the deities could do whatever they wanted. Kaz'ren looked surprised as well, her eyes widening at the question.
"Well, yes we can only find a specific person if they mention us, whether it's in prayer or in idle conversation. Obviously it's not something we like to share, so you just keep that little piece of information to yourself."
She grew quiet, her mood darkening as she kept her eyes on the road ahead. So the deities were not as all-powerful as everyone believed. If Ean learned nothing else today, that undoubtedly was something useful. He would have to take her advice though and make sure Alistar's name never left his mouth again. It was a useful piece of information to have.
Ean found himself smiling now as they walked down the road. It was quiet where they were now. The only building in sight was ahead of them, a three or four story building that had seen better days. Ean wondered what it once had been as they approached.
"Well, this is it," she said, giving the building a good look over. The deity licked her lips as if pushing out a bad taste "This is where you get to help me, and in turn I help you. Although I should count what I've already told you as my side of the deal. Ah well."
Spreading her arms to take in the entire building, the goddess took on a grandiose tone. "I present the Temple of Ze'an, Lord of the Abyss, in all of its glory."
"I don't understand. If everyone hates Ze'an so much, why would they allow a temple to be built to him?"
"Simple. People were not always afraid of Ze'an or the Abyss. There was a time, long, long ago, when Ze'an was worshipped just as openly as any other deity. Then of course, one person had to go and mess everything up for your Lord of the Abyss."
"You're talking about Zin's old master."
"Yes. For a time he was considered a savior to your race. Do you know about the Shadaer Umdaer?"
"No, I've never heard the name."
"Of course you haven't," she said with a sigh. "The Shadaer Umdaer is a strong race of warriors that live to the south, much further than what you call Rensen Forest. They control an amount of land nearly equal in size to Ven Khilada. A long time ago, decades before the Plague, humans and Umdaer met for the first time. With the Umdaer being a race only concerned with fighting and war, they decided that your race and the peaceful Taruun needed to be conquered and made into slaves."
"At this time, your race outnumbered the Umdaer five to one, but that didn't matter as one Umdaer could kill eight or nine well-trained humans on his own. So the Umdaer pushed north, killing or enslaving anyone they came across. Most people at the time still lived in what is now the Plagued Lands, so it only took a matter of weeks for the Umdaer to hold everything south of Lake Melcoi."
She turned and waved a hand, covering the entire lake, temples, and docks that ran along it. "Most of the main temples had been built here at that time, so needless to say, many people and deities were worried about the Umdaer taking this land as well. They had been unsuccessful in even slowing the Umdaer down, so things looked grim. And that is when your imp's former master appeared."
"None of us higher beings knew about him, except for maybe Ze'an himself, but he never really talked to us even back then. As the tribes of the Umdaer marched towards the lake, he came from the Northwest, an army of creatures from the Abyss following him. His forces crushed the Umdaer in a matter of days, which led to the signing of the Treaty of Melcoi. The peace treaty allowed the Umdaer to keep their land to the south and created a wary peace. The man was a hero, and I mean a real Hero, not like the jokers that run around now calling themselves Heroes."
Ean couldn't help being caught up in the story. "What happened afterwards? I mean, why did he suddenly turn against everyone?"
"No one knows for sure, but my guess is that the power went to his head. Power always corrupts, Ean. It's the way of life."
"Even with the gods?" Kaz'ren's face immediately darkened, the edges of her lips twisting downward just as her eyebrows did the same. A tense silence followed. When Ean looked down at his boots, she continued.
"Enough history lessons and pointless questions," she said coldly. "On to why we are here. You want to find that man's old lair. I can not only point you in the right direction but also tell you the most efficient way to travel there. All I ask in return is a little assistance in acquiring one soul that has been out of my reach for too long."
"Wait," Ean's voice went up a notch. "You want me to kill someone?"
"No, no," she replied, her mood lightening slightly. "This soul has already left its body, but it's corrupted in a way that makes it impossible for me to claim."
"And you think I can help you?"
"I HOPE you can help me, but I'm not certain. Let's just call this an experiment. If it fails, I'll still give you the information and you can just owe me some other favor. Deal?"
Ean did not like the idea of "owing" this goddess or any other deity a favor for that matter, but he had little choice. It was doubtful that any regular citizen alive knew where the lair had been, and even if they did, they would hand Ean over to the Seekers if he mentioned anything concerning the Abyss. The Temple of Ni'Aren was a dead end now if the Goddess herself was bent on keeping him out and in the dark. Kaz'ren was his only option.
"You have a deal. What am I supposed to do?"
"Well," she said, her mood becoming slightly cheerful now that he had agreed, "The soul I mentioned is stuck here in Ze'an's old temple. Let's go on in and see what happens."
THE GODDESS PUSHED OPEN one of the doors, and Ean followed her inside. As he surveyed the dilapidated temple, shivers ran up his spine, but it had nothing to do with the neglected interior. A feeling of dread had settled over him, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Just inside the doors the room opened up into the main place of worship. Cracks ran like spider webs throughout the walls, and the majority of the windows had fist-sized holes punched through them. Moth-eaten and barely-hanging banners were spread out all along the
walls, the pictures that had been sewn or dyed into them long faded and indistinguishable. A devastated carpet ran straight from the doors, past rows of mostly rotted out or broken pews, and ended at the foot of a dais. On the dais itself sat an altar in similar disrepair. At one point it had probably been a finely carved work of art, but most of those carvings were either worn down or broken off entirely. Behind the altar were a few doors that likely led to the inner workings of the temple.
The longer Ean stood there with the goddess, the more ill-at-ease he felt, as if some force was making it clear it did not want him there. He stood unsure whether to continue in or flee while Kaz'ren strolled into the building totally at ease. She glanced around a few times and then let out a loud sigh.
"Come on out, Primaren. I do not want to spend all afternoon trying to hunt you down." Turning slightly, she waved Ean to join her in the middle of the room. "It's alright. His presence gives anyone who enters a bad feeling. That's why the temple is still standing and hasn't been torn down. He doesn't let anyone stay here for more than a few moments before scaring them off."
Ean forced himself to stand straight and take the first step towards the goddess. Nothing horrible happened, so he took a few more steps. Feeling a bit more confident, Ean took a few more steps.
And was immediately struck in the back by something small.
"Oww!" he yelled, spinning around and raising his arms in order to defend himself. Instead of finding an attacker, however, he found empty air. A sound caught his attention at his feet and looking down, he found a small piece of stone. Was that what had hit him? "Kaz'ren, I really don't feel comfortable--"
BOOM.
The doors slammed shut so suddenly and with such noise that Ean leapt backwards and fell over one of the pews. He hit his elbow hard on a pew and slammed his shoulder into the stone flooring. Scrambling to his feet, he started to turn slowly, trying his best to keep his eyes out for the next attack.
"Oh, this is so tiring," Kaz'ren said, walking over to stand next to Ean. "He does this to everyone. You would think being trapped here for decades in a place he loves wouldn't have soured his attitude so badly."
Descent Into Darkness (Book 2) Page 12