The Godswar Saga (Omnibus)

by Jennifer Vale

  “No, just a member of an organization that has worked tirelessly to undermine the Imperium for the better part of two centuries. You’ll excuse me for being cautious.”

  Tenel’s smile faded. He and his retinue had set up camp in a clearing just a few miles south of Breachvale Harbor. They were less than twenty miles from the Galvian border, though Kiersale Keep and the surrounding lands were ostensibly still under Crell control. So far the Solarians and their Galvian allies had remained content to bunker down in Lyebel, but it was always possible that they’d managed to hide a scouting party nearby.

  All in all, however, Tenel had never considered this mission much of a risk. Much could be said about the bizarrely subjective morality of their forthcoming guests, but they weren’t assassins or murderers. At worst, they would turn back and cancel the deal. At best…

  Well, at best he would finally have the weapon he needed to crush the Solarians at Ashenfel and break the will of General Moore once and for all.

  “Sir,” Lieutenant Mirrel called out from behind him. “Our scouts have spotted a carriage approaching.”

  “Right on time,” Tenel commented. “How many riders?”

  “Just the driver and two guards, all of whom are lightly armed and armored,” she told him, her eyes narrowing in thought as she sifted through the telepathic reports from her fellow Imperators further down the road. “Though there’s easily enough space inside the carriage for several other soldiers.”

  “I should hope so. I want everyone to fan out along the road here in escort formation, but keep your weapons sheathed—we don’t want to frighten our guests.”

  “Of course, sir,” Mirrel replied with a nod. “Are you certain you don’t wish me to accompany you in your tent? If something goes wrong, I won’t be able to respond quickly enough—”

  “I’ll be fine,” Tenel assured her. “This is a diplomatic meeting, and I have every reason to believe our friends are ready to negotiate with good faith.”

  “I hope so, sir,” Mirrel whispered before she nodded and strode away. Neither she nor any of the others knew the true nature of this meeting, of course, and Tenel planned to keep it that way as long as possible. Instantaneous magical communication had its benefits, but spreading scuttlebutt across the whole of the Imperium in record time was not one of them.

  “We could have arranged to negotiate inside Breachvale, you know,” Horsch grumbled. “It’s not as crowded as it used to be, and at least then we could have stayed indoors.”

  “The less people know what’s going on, the better,” Tenel said. “For all our sakes.”

  Five minutes later, they finally caught a glimpse of the carriage approaching from down the road. Tenel beckoned for Horsch to follow him inside the command tent, and the two of them waited patiently inside for their guests. The driver backed the carriage all the way up to the flap before opening the side doors, and three heavily-cloaked figures stepped directly into the tent. Tenel signaled for his men to close the flap behind them, and only then did the newcomers pull back their cowls.

  “You must be Admiral Tenel,” the Knight of the Last Dawn said. “We meet in person at last.”

  Tenel smiled and offered the woman his hand. She was younger than he had expected—thirty years at most—and her accent combined with her braided blond hair and bright blue eyes marked her as a Kor, one of the largest ethnic groups of humans in Calhara. As a people, they were nearly as tall and stocky as the Asgardians, though their culture was only a fraction as barbaric.

  “I thank you and your associates for coming, Dame Vohn,” Tenel said, sharing a quick glance with the two male knights flanking her. “Allow me to introduce my top advisor, Colonel Karl Horsch.”

  “A pleasure to meet you, my lady,” Horsch added with a nod of his head. Perhaps today we can take the first step towards repairing the relationship between our—”

  “Let’s just skip right past the pleasantries, shall we?” Vohn interrupted. “The Last Dawn isn’t about to condone the actions of your empire, and there’s no point deluding ourselves by treating this as anything other than an alliance of convenience. We’re here to aid you in stamping out a demonic infestation, nothing more.”

  Tenel repressed the urge to snort. He had never met a Knight of the Last Dawn in person, but rumors of their smug superiority and sickening self-righteousness had spread far and wide across the Imperium. For once, the rumors might have actually been accurate.

  “If that is what you wish, then I am happy to oblige,” Tenel said. “As I mentioned in my correspondence, our forces all across central and northern Galvia have been plagued by both possessions and outright demonic attacks. Our best guess is that the former Galvian General Ethan Moore is responsible.”

  “Yes, we’ve been following his activities ever since one of our members tracked his minions to Solaria,” Vohn said. “We suspect that he has taught others his summoning techniques—I find it hard to believe that one old man could have possibly wreaked this much havoc on his own. If the situation isn’t dealt with quickly Torsia could face another incident like Serogar.”

  “A concern we both share,” Tenel said. “A rising cult of warlocks could cause immense damage to—”

  “Let’s also not get bogged down in false motives and thinly veiled interests,” Vohn cut in again. “I suspect your Sovereigns care as much about neutralizing demonic infestations as they do about stopping slave trafficking in their harbors. The only reason you’ve called for our help is that the demons are interfering with your war against the Alliance.”

  “Don’t be absurd,” Horsch scoffed. “The Imperium has always taken demonic threats seriously. Just last year we annihilated a cabal of warlocks in—”

  Tenel raised a hand for his friend to be silent. “The war is obviously our primary concern at the moment, and I have no intention of pretending otherwise,” he said diplomatically. “But the demons are a problem, and we are willing to take whatever steps are necessary to contain the threat. If we can agree on that point, then nothing else matters.”

  Vohn’s blue eyes darted between them, and Tenel resisted the urge to smile. Horsch wasn’t actually upset, of course; they had carefully choreographed this entire exchange well in advance. Like all moralistic zealots, paladins were notoriously easy to manipulate, and Tenel was more than willing to feed this woman whatever bullshit was necessary to get what he wanted.

  Her stare was remarkably intense, though, and he had no intention of underestimating Vohn or her entourage. Misguided or not, the Knights of the Last Dawn were rightfully feared as the most powerful warriors in all of Obsidian, and he had no doubt that these three paladins could carve a bloody swath through his guards if they so desired.

  Still, after months of standing in the presence of Sovereign Ishthare, the judgmental glare of a mere paladin seemed harmless by comparison.

  “Very well,” Vohn said into the silence. “Highlord Alric believes it is important to eliminate this threat, and so do I. But we will not take sides in the war.”

  “Nor would we expect you to,” Tenel assured her. “The infestation remains strongest within Ashenfel and the surrounding lands, and so far the Solarians have been content to leave the bulk of their forces within Lyebel. You and your associates should be able to enter the capital without any difficulty, and with luck we’ll be able to stamp out the—”

  “We have no intention of entering Ashenfel or any other imperial territory,” Vohn interrupted. “Once this meeting is concluded, we will return to Calhara.”

  Horsch frowned in mostly fake confusion. “I beg your pardon?”

  “I suspect that you are an honorable enough man, Admiral, but unfortunately your superiors are not,” Vohn explained. “I’m not about to take my men into the heart of imperial territory and trust the good intentions of the High Sovereign or his Zarul assassins. I’m sure you understand.”

  Tenel shared a quick glance with Horsch. “I understand your concerns, yes, but without your presence in Ashenfel
I’m not sure how you intend to confront this infestation.”

  Vohn smiled faintly and gestured to one of her companions. He turned and reached back into the carriage. “As we discussed in our correspondences, the Last Dawn has other methods of containing warlocks,” she said. “We’ve brought with us a tool that will allow you to locate and banish any demons you come across.”

  On command, the other knight withdrew a small, rectangular wooden case and set it down upon the table at the center of the tent. Dame Vohn flipped open the lid to reveal a glimmering golden plate with a fist-sized purple crystal inset directly at its center.

  “Interesting,” Horsch commented. This time he was being completely honest; they had known all about the capabilities of this device, but neither of them had any idea what it actually looked like. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crystal that color before.”

  “It is a small shard of Maeleon’s godstone,” Vohn said. “A fraction of his divine energy remains dormant within the crystal, and a handful of properly trained channelers can temporarily bring its power to the surface.”

  Tenel nodded idly as he studied the shard. The swirling purple mists dancing across its surface were oddly mesmerizing, though as a vorhang his ability to appreciate Aetheric devices was limited. “We’re honored that you would willingly share a piece of your god with us.”

  “A small piece,” Vohn clarified. “And before you ask: no, the crystal has no other purpose. It was designed specifically to expose and weaken Void-spawned creatures, and that’s exactly what it does.”

  “Still, we appreciate the gesture,” Tenel told her. “I’m sure it was difficult to convince your superior to part with such a sacred relic.”

  “It is not unique—many other shards were extracted from the godstone four hundred years ago during the Glorinfel Blight. An army of demons had escaped from their prison in Zereloth, and there simply weren’t enough paladins to track and defeat them all. The shards allow regular soldiers to fight what they otherwise could not see.”

  All while not revealing your precious channeling techniques to outsiders, Tenel thought to himself. Not that he really cared—the knights could keep their personal magic tricks all they liked. The Breakers would still crush them eventually, and for now this shard would more than suffice.

  “When properly activated,” Vohn went on, “the shard will reveal any demons within a small radius. This will allow your soldiers to find and exterminate any Void-spawn they come across as well as identify if any of your men have been possessed.”

  “What do you mean by ‘small radius,’” Horsch asked.

  “The range is variable based upon the skill of the channelers who activate it, but you should be able to expose all demons within several thousand feet, perhaps even a mile.”

  “Enough to cover most small towns and even some cities,” Tenel replied, nodding. “Excellent.”

  Vohn waved her hand above the crystal. “The shard will also temporarily suppress the control of any warlock in the vicinity, which means that the demons will likely turn upon anyone or anything nearby. You will need to be prepared to deal with the chaos.”

  “We will be,” Tenel assured her.

  “Good,” she said, reaching into her pack and retrieving a scroll. “These are the instructions your channelers will need to properly activate the device. I would recommend dealing with a small area at first before expanding your search.”

  “Good advice,” Horsch said. “You have our thanks once again, my lady.”

  Vohn grunted softly. “Demons are the scourge of all life on Obsidian, and if we can empower nations to deal with their own periodic infestations, all the better.”

  “Then please extend my sincere thanks to Lord Alric,” Tenel said, smiling. “I know you’ve undergone a change in leadership, and the previous Highlord never seemed particularly interested in cooperating with our government.”

  “Nor should he have been,” Vohn replied matter-of-factly. “And do not expect us to deal with you in the future so long as the High Sovereign remains in power. It is unfortunate that the Alliance has also chosen to follow a renegade channeler. I fear that by the time this war ends, all of Torsia will pay a heavy price.” Her lip twitched, and she seemed to mentally step down from her self-made pulpit. “But politics aside, there are a few more things you should know about the device before we leave.”

  “Then by all means, continue,” Tenel implored.

  The meeting lasted another twenty minutes or so, at which point the paladins slipped back into their carriage and rode off without even sharing a cup of tea. Tenel watched them disappear into the edge of the forest, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips.

  “I’ve half a mind to order our Imperators to attack their carriage,” Horsch grumbled. “I’d pay a Sovereign’s ransom to see that smug superiority burned off their faces.”

  “You would only be sending our men to an early grave.”

  His friend cocked an eyebrow. “We might not have any Breakers, but we still outnumber them six to one.”

  “Never underestimate a Knight of the Last Dawn,” Tenel warned. “Even our Breakers have learned that lesson.”

  “Except that Vohn and her lackeys aren’t Unbound or vaeyn,” Horsch countered. He paused for a moment before waving his hand dismissively. “Anyway, I suppose that went about as well as we could have hoped. Thank the Sovereigns they didn’t insist on accompanying us back home.”

  Tenel nodded. “It will certainly allow things to proceed more smoothly. We won’t have to bother attempting to hide our operations from them.”

  “I have to give you credit, Onar,” Horsch said, clapping his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You’re getting damn good at this. They responded just like you predicted. If I didn’t know better, I would assume you’d been a Green Coat your whole life.”

  Tenel’s smile slowly faded. His friend had obviously intended his words as a compliment, but Tenel wasn’t sure he liked the implication. He still thought of himself as a military man first and foremost. He was a soldier and a patriot, not a Zarul goon. He had taken an oath to defend the citizens of the Imperium and bring peace and order to the rest of Torsia.

  But for all intents and purposes, the Crell Imperium was the Zarul at this point. Sovereign Ishthare had seen to that. And as long as Tenel stood here directing a war in her name, then his coat was as green as the men skulking in the shadows behind his tent.

  “Order the Imperators to deliver the shard to Ashenfel immediately,” Tenel said, ignoring the sudden tightness in his chest. “If our early reports are accurate and the Asgardians are plotting to land troops near Lyebel, then we need to be prepared for a potential attack.”

  Horsch scratched at his chin. “It’s a three-day ride to Ashenfel assuming the roads are clear. Our Imperators should have plenty of time to figure out the device before Moore’s army can seriously threaten us.”

  “Just make sure they only test it in a small area. If Moore does have demons in the city, we can’t afford to tip him off that we have a counter to his best weapon. He needs to be surprised.”

  “I’m sure he will be,” Horsch said. “And so will his Alliance friends when demons start appearing right in the middle of their army. Do you think they’ll hang him on the spot?”

  “I’d rather he be allowed to watch as we crush the last of the Galvian resistance once and for all,” Tenel murmured. “But I will settle for victory.”

  Horsch chuckled. “I’ll deliver the orders, and then you and I need to get back. It’s just about time to spring our surprise at Amberwood.”

  “Yes,” Tenel said, his smile returning. “It is indeed.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “The Godsoul is stronger than we expected. Unfortunately, so is the man who carries it.”

  —Lord Dathiel upon his return to the Watchers

  The indiscernible buzz of muffled conversation gradually wrangled Sarina back into the conscious world. When her eyes opened and she didn’t recog
nize her surroundings, her first reaction was to scramble for her weapons.

  “It’s all right,” a soft, familiar voice breathed into her ear. “We’re all here with you.”

  Sarina bolted upright and instantly regretted it. Her stomach churned and her vision blurred, and she banged her elbow hard against the wooden floor as she tried to keep herself from crumpling over.

  “Take it easy,” Selvhara scolded. She gripped onto Sarina’s shoulders with surprising strength and struggled to hold her in place. “You’ve been unconscious for almost two days. Give your body a chance to adjust.”

  “Two days?” Sarina croaked. “What in the Void…?”

  She trailed off as the memories belatedly flooded back over her. They had been chasing Jason’s artifact across the Elashi city of Bal’Aqui, and it turned out that his “demon” had actually been a living Immortal instead. They had spoken for a few minutes, and then there had been a flash of light…

  “The warehouse nearly collapsed on top of us, and you were struck in the head by a piece of debris after you had been rendered unconscious,” the druid explained. “But Jason managed to defeat the Immortal, and now we’re on a ship headed for Galvia.”

  Pressing her eyes shut, Sarina sucked in a long, deep breath and waited for the dizziness to abate. Her stomach settled a few seconds later, and this time she gradually propped herself up onto an elbow.

  “Jason killed a god?”

  “No, but he and Tam managed to drive Dathiel off. I doubt he’ll return anytime soon.”

  “How comforting,” Sarina muttered under her breath. She took a moment to study their surroundings. They appeared to be inside the hold of a medium-sized cargo ship, though none of the others were currently present. “Galivar’s blood, this all seems like some kind of nightmare…”

  “It could have been much worse,” Selvhara said. “I’m afraid you took the worst of it. No one else was seriously injured.”

  Sarina grumbled under her breath and she searched herself for lingering wounds. Her skin was sticky and gross, but she didn’t feel any scars or lumps. “So not only was I useless in the fight, I also slowed everyone down.”