The Godswar Saga (Omnibus)

by Jennifer Vale

  “The Green Coats have always been obsessed with Unbound; they’ve been gathering every rogue sorcerer they could find for years now. It shouldn’t be surprising that they finally found a use for all of them.” Darius pressed his lips into a tight line. “I’d just hoped that this breaking technique was more difficult to learn.”

  She nodded pensively, a wide range of emotions flickering across her gray features. “I know you’re wondering why I left,” she whispered.

  “Everyone is wondering that,” Darius said. “Krystia and I expected you to come back after the funeral, but you never did. Then we started hearing reports about a crazy assassin flitting through the shadows and taking down entire Crell units by herself…”

  “I can accomplish more fighting on my own.”

  He grunted. “You don’t really expect me to believe that.”

  “It’s true,” Elade insisted. “Paladins are trained to be self-sufficient, and so are shadow knights. Besides, the less I’m seen working with you, the better. Maybe there’s a chance that Highlord Alric will eventually come around and offer you support.”

  “That will never happen, not as long as Krystia remains on the throne.”

  Elade shrugged. “There are plenty of other factions in Torsia who will be more sympathetic to Solaria if I’m not involved. The vaeyn aren’t exactly well-regarded in this part of the world, and neither are exiled paladins.”

  “You can come up with as many excuses as you want, but that’s all they are: excuses,” Darius said. “I don’t give a damn what Alric wants, and I don’t particularly care about offending a few diplomats, either. My job is to win the war, and you are the most powerful weapon in our arsenal.”

  “I almost got myself killed stumbling into a Zarul trap so obvious a groll could have spotted it,” Elade muttered. “I’m not as powerful as you think.”

  “You know I’m right,” he said. “And I think you owe me an honest explanation. You’ve never been the type to hide your feelings before, and you’re certainly not the type to run from trouble. So what’s going on?”

  “I told you: I work better alone. I’m not a Solarian soldier, and you can’t give me orders.”

  “I don’t care about giving you orders,” Darius said, reaching across the table to touch her arm. “I care about you. What’s going on?”

  Elade stared down at his hand for a moment, her vaeyn eyes glimmering, before she abruptly stood and pulled away. “I’ll be heading out again soon, but I’d appreciate it if you looked after Sabine. She saved my life, and she has no love for the Crell.”

  Darius paused. He was tempted to keep pressing, but he knew better than to try and scale an iron wall. Whatever personal demons Elade was fighting, it was obviously going to take her time to fling them from her back.

  “I’ll make sure she’s taken care of,” he whispered. “You have my word.”

  “Thank you,” Elade said with a forced smile. “I’ll try to get you as much information as I can about imperial troop movements in the west. They were up to something in the Lirisfal beyond just setting a trap for me, and I still want to figure out what.”

  Darius nodded. “Anything you can do to help would be appreciated. But I want you to know that you’ll always be welcome here, no matter what the Highlord or anyone else says.”

  “I know,” she whispered. She remained still for a long moment before leaning down across the table and kissing him on the cheek. “I need some rest. Thank you again for taking care of Sabine…and me.”

  She twirled around and left the room, and Darius stared at the closed door for several silent minutes before finally standing and rubbing a hand across his face. As much as he wanted to chase her down, he knew it would be a mistake. He would give her some time before confronting her again. And he had a meeting to attend with Lennox.

  Taking a deep breath, Darius pushed open the door and returned to the tower war room.

  Chapter Ten

  “Winning independence is hard. Keeping it is even harder.”

  —The Elashi Rebellion by Gideon Farek, Solipean scholar, 1997 A.G.

  “It’s amazing how much difference a few hundred miles makes,” Jason commented as he and the others finally approached the gates of Bal’Aqui, known to most of the world as “Freedom Port.” Crossing the Talisham border had been relatively painless, though in retrospect they probably shouldn’t have been surprised. The Pah and his Al’Rasaad agents were far more concerned with who entered their nation than who left it. “Better weather, nicer travelers…”

  “Prettier scenery, too,” Tam added.

  Selvhara cocked a silver eyebrow at him. “The architecture is virtually the same as in Shanizaar. Bal’Aqui was a Talishite city just twenty years ago.”

  “He’s talking about the women,” Sarina muttered. “You’ll notice that his tongue is hanging halfway down his chin.”

  “I would think you’d be happier,” Tam replied with a shrug. “You don’t have to dress up like a man just to walk outside. But considering how you prefer to dress like a man most of the time anyway…”

  She punched him in the shoulder, though her expression was playful. Mostly. “I’m just surprised you haven’t sprinted off to find one of the whorehouses yet.”

  “All things in good time. If you promise not to hit anyone, you’re welcome to come along. I’m sure we can find you a handsome Borden brute with big arms and a skull full of bricks. That is what Asgardian girls like, right?”

  “Behave, children,” Selvhara admonished. “The Elashi appreciate travelers, but they don’t suffer fools.”

  Gor grunted. “Then perhaps you and I should leave the others here while we look around.”

  “Good idea.”

  Jason rolled his eyes but smiled. After almost two weeks cooped up in a foreign city and another few days trudging through the desert, everyone in the group was on edge. They needed to find a nice inn and separate for a few hours before continuing their search, otherwise he feared their gentle barbs might devolve into actual punches.

  He nudged his sadrix into line behind the numerous merchant caravans attempting to enter the main gates, and the others followed his lead. Freedom Port was the de facto capital of the young nation of Elashi, and the city’s close proximity to Crell and Izaria, not to mention its central location on the Gulf of Zunlai, had made it one of the most important trading hubs in all of Talisham for the better part of the last five centuries. Then a few decades ago, everything had changed. A young woman named Khalina had mysteriously Ascended, and she had led a group of mostly female rebels in a long battle against the oppressive regime of the Pah. Her followers had targeted Freedom Port early on, and after nearly two years of bloody fighting on the docks and streets, they had eventually claimed Bal’Aqui as their own.

  Jason had only been a boy at the time, of course, but his mother had devoured any and all news about the uprising. The Galvian nobility had viewed the Elashi in a very positive light; they’d seen Talisham as the last of the ancient Torsian empires still mired by absurd social traditions. Interestingly enough, however, it had been the Crell—not the Solarians—who had played a vital role in Khalina’s success. While the Alliance and its isolationist Council had decided that Talisham simply “wasn’t their problem,” the Sovereigns had pounced on the opportunity to create a new trading partner in the southwest. The Zarul had secretly supplied the insurgents with Aether-infused arms and armor, and as a result they retained a considerable amount of influence over the current regime.

  Today, Elashi was both independent and wealthy, though Queen Khalina still relied heavily upon foreign support to defend her borders. One of these days, Jason was certain the Talishites would try their luck attacking Bal’Aqui again…and the longer the war between Crell and Solaria raged on, the sooner that day would come.

  “You sure you’re all right?” Sarina asked Tam after they’d shuffled the rest of their sadrixi into line. “You still look pale.”

  “I’m fine,” he insisted.
“Sel said there’s nothing wrong with me.”

  The druid leaned closer and placed her hand on his arm. After glancing about to ensure no one was watching, she channeled a current of healing energy into his body. “You’re still weak, but I cannot determine the cause.”

  “Perhaps your whore gave you a lasting present after all,” Gor commented.

  “That’s not funny,” Selvhara scolded.

  “It wasn’t meant to be.”

  “I probably just need to sleep on a real bed and drink some fresh water,” Tam said, glaring at the chagari. “It’s no big deal.”

  Jason didn’t believe him, and he doubted anyone else did, either. They had never encountered an illness that Selvhara’s healing skills couldn’t treat, let alone identify, but he reminded himself that the Aether wasn’t truly “magical.” It was mysterious and powerful and wondrous to be sure, but it wasn’t literally magic. Selvhara couldn’t waggle her finger and cure every ailment any more than Tam could waggle his and burn down a whole city.

  “Why don’t you give it a try?” Sarina asked after a few minutes. The line into the city, notably, had yet to move an inch. “You’re the one with the Immortal living inside your head.”

  “Perhaps we shouldn’t announce that fact to the entire city,” Jason said through clenched teeth. None of the nearby merchants seemed to be paying them undue attention, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Just because Elashi was an independent nation didn’t mean Zarul agents weren’t crawling all over it.

  “Sorry,” she said, her cheeks flushing ever-so-slightly in embarrassment. “But you managed to restore Sel’s Ascendant bond back when we were in Celenest, and you’ve been practicing other healing techniques for months. Maybe you can figure out a way to help him.”

  “I appreciate the sudden and seemingly random concern for my health,” Tam muttered, “but I told you I’m fine. Really.”

  “Let’s wait until we’re actually inside the city before trying anything,” Jason said. “I’m sure we won’t have to wait much longer.”

  He was wrong. They spent the better part of six hours standing in line, and by the time the sun went down Jason half-expected Gor to leap off his sadrix and start scaling the walls with his bare claws. But once they were finally allowed to approach the gate, he realized what was causing the holdup: the Elashi guards had been almost entirely replaced by Crell soldiers.

  “This isn’t good,” Tam murmured as their sadrixi shuffled forward. “What the hell are the Crell doing here? Was Elashi conquered when we weren’t looking?”

  “It’s more likely the Queen asked for help,” Sarina said, her eyes narrowing. “Or she was ‘convinced’ to accept additional security with the war going on.”

  “We’re a long way from the front lines.”

  “Yes, but the Sovereigns are probably paranoid about the Talishites taking advantage of the war and invading.”

  Jason nodded as a fresh knot of tension twisted inside his stomach. “Smugglers have also used Bal’Aqui to funnel weapons and supplies into Izaria for years. The few remaining rebel groups might have decided to test their luck with most of the country’s troops pressing into Solaria.”

  “Regardless, it’s unlikely they’re looking for us specifically,” Selvhara said, tightening the cowl of her cloak and pulling a veil over her face. “We’re just travelers without any valuable cargo.”

  “Other than gold and gemstones,” Gor grumbled. He clutched covetously at the heavy bags dangling off his mount. “They had best not look too closely.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Jason soothed, wishing he meant it. “Just relax.”

  This time, however, he was mostly right. The Crell rummaged through their belongings more fervently than he would have liked, but the group wasn’t hauling anything overtly illegal or incriminating. He had sold the rest of their haul from Malacross’s tomb in Shanizaar, and all they had left was gold and supplies. The soldiers scowled at Gor—they obviously weren’t fond of free chagari—but Elashi law explicitly forbid any form of slavery. Thankfully, the Crell weren’t willing to push the issue, and ten minutes later the group was finally able to enter the city.

  “We should head into the heart of the city before finding an inn,” Selvhara suggested. “It should make our search a bit easier.”

  “Speaking of, can you still sense that magic trail?” Sarina asked.

  The druid shook her head. “No, there are too many other auras here. The city is filled with Aether-infused arms and armor as well as the queen’s own Bound channelers. Imagine tracking a stag through the mud during a torrential downpour—the prints are washed away nearly the instant they’re created.”

  “That depends on the terrain, but I get your point,” Sarina said. “What about you, Demigod? Can you sense anything?”

  Jason closed his eyes and fought back the flash of annoyance. Apparently she just couldn’t help picking away at this wound over and over. “I sense something, but it’s more like a tremor than an echo now.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “I don’t know, but it probably means we’re getting close. The demon must be here in the city.”

  “If it’s a demon,” Tam said. “I’m still leaning towards it being an Unbound, possibly Crell. It looks like they have a whole garrison in the city, and he could be delivering the Eye to them.”

  “We can speculate all we want later,” Jason said, raising a hand. “Right now we need to find an inn and relax for the evening.”

  Sarina turned and studied the side of his face. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? If our quarry is already here, then we need to find him before he hops on a ship and disappears.”

  “I know, but I’d rather not force a confrontation when everyone is tired and cranky. Besides, I can’t pinpoint exactly where the echo is coming from. It could take hours to narrow it down. We’ll probably have better luck asking around in the morning.”

  “It’s your artifact,” she replied, shrugging. “Just don’t complain when we wake up and it’s already halfway up the coast to Borden.”

  “Oh, he won’t complain—he’ll just expect us to hop in a dingy and row until we catch up,” Tam muttered. “You should know how this works by now.”

  Jason did his best to ignore them as he maneuvered through the crowded streets and into the heart of Bal’Aqui. It took longer than he expected to find an inn with multiple empty suites—much longer, in fact. The city was always filled with travelers from across Obsidian, but he was still surprised by the diversity of the clientele…and the sheer number of imperial soldiers.

  “There are less Crell in Galvia,” Tam grumbled. “And the Elashi aren’t even scowling at them.”

  “There’s definitely something wrong,” Selvhara agreed. “The people are on edge. Bal’Aqui wasn’t like this the last time I was here.”

  “War has that effect on people,” Jason commented after he had paid for their rooms. “I’ll ask around tomorrow morning and see what I can find out, but for now everyone should try to get some rest. It’s been a long trip.”

  Tam scowled as he took one of the room keys. “Please tell me you didn’t stick me in the room next to you and Sarina. The walls in this place are as thin as chagari manners.”

  “It’s safer for all of us to be on the same floor together,” Jason explained as he struggled in vain not to grin. “But I’m sure if you ask nicely, Sel will conjure a sound-proof bubble around your bed.”

  “Forget it—I’m way too sober to listen to the two of you maul each other. I’m going to check out one of the taverns we spotted on the way in.”

  “None of us should risk traveling alone while we’re here,” Selvhara said gravely. “It’s not worth the risk.”

  Tam snorted. “Well, someone needs to come and check out the brothels with me. What do you say, big guy?”

  “I find the concept of leering at half-naked humans revolting,” Gor said, his lips curling up and over his fangs. “But not as revolting as listening to
these two mate. Lead on.”

  ***

  Ten minutes after arriving at the inn, the group had divided up into their rooms. Ten minutes after that, Sarina had secured the windows and door just to make sure that no one paid them an unexpected visit in the middle of the night. And ten minutes after that, she and Jason were so hot and sweaty it was almost like they were back in the desert again.

  “Easy,” Jason murmured as she sank her teeth into his shoulder. “We have all night, you know.”

  “The last time you said that, you fell asleep before midnight,” Sarina purred into his ear. “I’m not willing to take that chance.”

  Pinning his arms to the side, she ground her hips against him until he was buried inside her to the hilt. A euphoric gasp escaped his lips even as the rest of his face winced in pain.

  “You know,” he breathed, “before I met you I had no idea Asgardian women were so demanding.”

  “We know what we want, and we aren’t afraid to go after it.”

  “So you do still want me, then. That’s good—for a while I was starting to wonder.”

  “You have your uses. Besides, it’s not like I have many options here in this backwards country.”

  Jason snorted. “You always know just what to say to make a man feel good about himself.”

  “It’s not my job to coddle you,” Sarina said playfully as she tightened her grip around his wrists. “If you want something, you need to learn to take it.”

  “Good advice,” he said, and with a sudden grunt of exertion he shook out of her grasp and flipped her over on her back.

  Or rather, that’s what he wanted to happen. Instead he flailed helplessly beneath her grip, and when he tried to buck his hips and knock her off, Sarina squeezed her thighs together so hard she was a bit surprised she didn’t snap him in half.

  “Come on, aren’t you supposed to be a demigod?” she taunted. “Show me what you have.”

  She fully expected him to redouble his efforts and eventually knock her over. He was actually stronger than her, at least in the upper body, and with his budding abilities she had no doubt that he could fling her across the room if he really wanted to. But instead of playing her game, he stopped resisting all together.