A Broken Throne

by Jordan Baker

  "Where is the book?" he said, turning to the mage, who stood silently next to him.

  "The book is here," Yanick said, with a dreamy smile upon her face.

  Cerric swung his hand and struck her, his unnatural strength unleashed like a thunderclap, sending her flying across the temple. The mage hit the stone wall in a mess of broken bones and black cloth, then she fell with a thud, in a heap to the floor.

  "Where is the book!" Cerric yelled, looking around the temple.

  The mage priests bowed their heads, hiding beneath their cowls and Cerric reached out through the magic that bound them to him and searched their minds, searching for some sign that the book had been tampered with. Finally, he saw something in one of their memories, a mage standing before the book, talking with the woman, Yanick. He stalked across the chamber to where she lay on the floor and reached down, grabbing her by the back of her robe. Cerric lifted her up and her head lolled to the side, her cheek bloodied and broken where he had struck her, and her neck twisted around at an odd angle with the mindless smile still upon her face. The eyes that had looked at him from the pages of the book only moments ago were now lifeless and empty as was the husk of flesh that hung limply in his grip. He tossed her aside and walked back to the book.

  "Post a guard inside the temple," he said to the remaining mages. "No one is to approach this book. No one."

  Somehow, someone had switched the book for a lesser copy. It was a clever trick and one that would make things more difficult for him, but it would not matter. He was fairly certain it would not stop his plan, for the spell was already in place and the magic should no longer require the book, and the copy that replaced it would still allow him to direct the working of the magic. It was an inconvenience, but the real problem was that an original copy of the book was now gone, which would make such a spell difficult to replicate, and he wondered who might have taken it for he had not sensed the power of any of his adversaries that roamed the world. He cast his thoughts out to the other copies, and found that only one was open at the moment, the focal point for a group of mage priests elsewhere, working a similar spell. Cerric spoke in the mind of one of the mages, alerting him that guards should be placed around the book, that no one should be allowed in its presence, save for the mages and those he had given command. There were a few mages who had eluded the power of the book, and a few who could travel from place to place, which was an aggravating talent, one he had hoped to steal long ago. Still, he was sure that his mages would hear anyone who would use such magic and Cerric was fairly certain that they would be sufficient to fend off anyone who would try to steal from him.

  *****

  Stroma closed the book and stuffed it back in his robes. He quickened his step along the mountain trail and caught up to the girl Ehlena, who was walking alongside the confounding young man, Aaron, who was the cause of much worry. The others were a little further ahead on the trail but the old Ansari, Ashan, stopped and turned, staring at the god, with a questioning look. The rest of the group, the mages, Stavros, Calthas and Willem, along with the girl, Tash, the young Darga, Lexi, and the Ansari woman, Kasha, all stopped as well.

  The old Ansari had been in the middle of a discussion about the nature of Ansari power, but he had somehow sensed the shift in Stroma's mood and it irritated the god that he was so perceptive. Even though Stroma was powerful and could hear the whispers and echoes of countless voices in the world, it had always unnerved him how Ashan could see even the subtlest changes in energy. It was almost as though the old Ansari could almost read his mind, but thankfully, the old man appeared to be the only one among his people whose ability was so refined, that he could discern the moods of a god. However, the Ansari was apparently not the only one who could sense his unease.

  "What is it, Stroma?" Ehlena asked, her voice echoing faintly with the power of the goddess. While it irritated Stroma that Ashan could sense his moods, he felt strangely comforted that Ehlena could as well, for she had inherited all the knowledge of the goddess Ayra who had been his companion through the ages, and it seemed she had her intuition as well.

  "It appears that Kenra has discovered that the book is missing from his temple," he said, setting aside his thoughts and memories of the goddess as she once was, and focusing on the matter at hand. "It had hoped he would not notice, but now that he has, our time to collect the books quickly grows short."

  "What will the dark god do now that he knows?" Stavros asked.

  "That I do not know," Stroma said. "Kenra's thoughts are intermingled with this Cerric, so it is more difficult to discern his intentions through the book, and I have had to be very careful to mask myself when viewing its pages. If it was risky to open the book before, it is far more dangerous to do it now. He is suspicious and has turned its pages to the dark power, the shadows that are at his core. The protective power I cast over the book to hide myself from being seen was absorbed by it almost in an instant. I was not seen, but he likely knows that we seek the books, though it is likely he would believe that our purpose is to stop the magic he has created."

  "Is that not our purpose as well?" Stavros asked.

  "No," Stroma said. "That spell has already been cast, and it can only be stopped by confronting Kenra directly, and we cannot fight him until the books have been gathered. With nearly every mage under his control, he is already too powerful. We must first break that spell, then the others will follow."

  "You said there were three more books to collect," Aaron said. "What if we were to split up and go after them?"

  "That will not be necessary," Stroma replied. "You must carry on with your training, Aaron, if you are to come to terms with your power. Stavros and Ashan should be equal to that task and, if I am correct about the reason Kenra cursed you with the shadow, the safest place for you right now is with the Ansari."

  "And who will find the books?" Aaron asked. "If we can stop the dark god by destroying the books like you said, then maybe his power will die."

  "If we destroy the books, it will free the mages and cut him off from their magic, but it will not completely stop his power. When the time comes, we will have to fight him, Aaron." Stroma looked around at the group, at each and every one of them. "Kenra has made himself a king, and this man, Cerric, who he has become, commands an army and is building his strength even now. He controls legions of powerful mages and all of their power is at his fingertips. Let us understand that he will not be defeated easily. We must find and destroy the books, but that will only be the first step on this path of conflict."

  "It will be a battle then," Stavros said.

  "It is already a war," Stroma replied. "Ehlena and I will seek the books, for we can travel quickly and avoid being seen. Calthas and Willem, you will travel to Maramyr and do what we discussed. Stavros, you and the Ansari must help Aaron to counter the shadow within. Kasha and Ashan, I hope you will both use your influence with your people and convince them to fight against Kenra, that they will stand against the shadow as they have done in the past. Impress upon them that if the other lands fall, the desert will fall under threat, and by then, Kenra's power may be too great for even the warriors of Ansari."

  "I will speak of this with Ansari," Kasha said.

  "As will I," Ashan added.

  "Very well," Stroma said. "Ehlena, let us say our goodbyes here, and meet again once we have the books."

  Ehlena turned to Aaron.

  "I hope the Ansari will help you," she said. "Whatever you do, Aaron, whatever happens, never forget who you are. Always remember."

  "Of course," Aaron said, but he knew she was not merely giving him advice, she was speaking of the shadow and what it could do to him, and he wondered at the similarity of her words to what Zachary had said before he had left. There were things the people around him were not telling him, but they were giving him hints. He nodded. "I understand."

  Ehlena put her hand to his cheek and smiled. Her fingertips were cool like a light breeze and the feeling of her touch was both
soothing and stirred something deep inside of him. Aaron saw her gaze turn, looking past him as she removed her hand and he knew she had looked toward Kasha. There was some kind of tension between them, and Aaron suspected it had to do with him, but he was not sure what to say or do about it. Perhaps, he thought, there was nothing he could do at this point.

  "We must go," Stroma said.

  Ehlena turned away and then she stopped and looked at Kasha.

  "If you find troubles, call for me on the wind," she said. "I will come."

  "Thank you," Kasha said.

  A brisk wind whipped through the trees and the air crackled with lightning and in a blinding flash, Stroma and Ehlena were gone.

  "I suppose we had better take our leave as well," Calthas said, clapping Willem on the shoulder, then he turned to Lexi, Kasha and Tash and bowed deeply with a smile. "My three lovely ladies, it saddens me that we must part, for Willem is a poor substitute for such strength, beauty and charm as I see before me now, thus I am now most jealous of Aaron and Stavros. Do not let either of them cause you any trouble."

  Lexi looked confused and Tash giggled, while Kasha shook her head and smiled.

  "We will try, mage," she said. "Good travels to you. May the winds be gentle and the sands cover your tracks."

  "And to you. Good journey and may you fare well," Calthas replied.

  "Do you remember everything Stroma has instructed you?" Stavros asked him.

  "Of course, Stavros," Calthas said, and then he squinted and scratched his head. "Well, I think so. At any rate, I suppose we will find out."

  "That does not inspire much confidence, Calthas," Willem said.

  "Don't worry," Calthas said. "Stroma will protect you, whereas I will have to survive by my own cleverness. Luckily, I am somewhat clever."

  "Let's hope so, for both our sakes," Willem said.

  "This is perhaps not as fancy as a couple of gods can muster, but here goes," Calthas said and air around the two mages began to waver and, with a loud crack, the two mages were gone.

  "Well," Stavros said. "We'd best get moving if we're to make it back to the desert lands anytime soon."

  "Why must we walk there?" Aaron asked.

  "Aaron, you have some things to learn before you face the Ansari warriors," Stavros told him. "If you are not ready, if you cannot control the shadow within you, then the Ansari will have no choice but to kill you."

  "Then are we even going back to the desert?"

  "Ashan believes you can learn from the Ansari, and I agree with him," Stavros told him. "It is also the safest place for you right now."

  "The Ansari likely want me dead, and you call that safe?"

  "Ansari do not wish you dead, Aaron," Kasha said. "We are sworn to destroy the shadow."

  "The leader of your people wanted to kill me," Aaron said. "And it looked like every single one of the Ansari did as well."

  "I don't want to kill you, Aaron," Tash said.

  "Thank you, Tash," Aaron said.

  "I will kill anyone who tries," Lexi said, scowling at Kasha.

  "Thank you, Lexi," Aaron said.

  "You are under my domain, Aaron," Kasha said. "That means that anyone who wished to do you harm would have to fight me first."

  "You said that before," Lexi said. "You said we were all under your domain."

  "You are," Kasha replied. "I am responsible for you, and you are under my protection among my people."

  "I know that, but I don't want to cause problems for you with your people," Aaron told her. "I get the feeling that you may be in some trouble for disagreeing with the Ansari leader."

  "I have made my choices freely," Kasha said. "I stand by my decisions."

  "And if the shadow prevails?" Stavros asked. "What then?"

  "Let us not peer into the future," Ashan said. "We are all agreed that Aaron should learn to use his power that he will find a way to remove the shadow from himself. I believe he can do this, as do the gods."

  "If I fall to the shadow, I want you to promise that you will stop me," Aaron said, looking around at all of them. "With Ashan's help, I have learned more about the nature of the dark magic and it is a terrible power. If it claims me, if what happened in my fight in the Ansari camp happens again and the shadow truly takes hold of me, then I will no longer know you. I will no longer see you as friends, nor even as enemies. It is a mindless power, one that will destroy everything and everyone. It must be destroyed, no matter what. If it comes to that, promise that you will do what needs to be done."

  "It will not come to that," Kasha said.

  "I hope not," Aaron said, but he was not sure.

  As upsetting as was the idea of putting them in such a position, he was glad that, at least, if the worst were to happen, then at least he would fall to people he cared about, and who were powerful enough to keep him from causing harm, however, what worried him was that they would face the power within him, both the fire and the shadow. The last thing he wanted was to put any of them in danger and he wished there was another way. For now, he would just have to focus on overcoming the shadow.

  Aaron unbuckled one of the swords that hung at his waist, the sword he had taken from a thief, a strange man named Jax, what seemed like a long time ago, in a different life. Aaron held the blade and its scabbard out to Lexi.

  "Lexi, you will need a proper weapon," he said.

  "I cannot take your sword." She frowned and crossed her arms.

  "Then I will lend it to you," he offered. "It isn't really mine anyway."

  "Whose is it?"

  "It belongs to a thief, if he still lives." Aaron shrugged.

  "A thief?"

  "He was definitely a thief. I caught him stealing from the Xallan Ambassador, a man named Rees."

  "I know him," Lexi said. "He is very fat and pink."

  "Yes, he was."

  "Rees was a pig, always wanting more of everything, food, gold, jewels," Lexi told him. "My mother said it made him predictable and easy to control."

  "I suppose it would," Aaron replied.

  He had never given such things much thought, and he wondered what it must have been like being raised by someone like the Xallan Queen, or even Cerric for that matter. Ariana's uncle, as it turned out, had arranged to have her killed, and that was even before he had joined with this dark god, Kenra. Aaron shook his head, that people would do such things. He wondered how much of what was happening in the world was due to the god or the king, but Aaron figured it did not really matter, for they both wanted power and were willing to destroy anyone who might stand in their way, and from the sound of things, Lexi's mother was little different. These were dangerous people they would face, powerful adversaries, and one of them had the power of a god, as well as an army at his command. If that was to be their path, then at the very least, Lexi should have a decent sword. He held it out to her.

  "Lexi," he said. "If we run into your mother's soldiers or have to fight against Cerric, you should have a sword. I already have a sword and you can give this one back to me later or perhaps give it back to the thief if he ever turns up."

  Lexi sighed and uncrossed her arms.

  "Fine then. I will give it back to you," she told him. "Or the thief."

  "Good," Aaron said. "It's a good sword, almost identical to mine."

  "Then you can kill the shadow god with the one you carry and I will kill Calexis with this one," Lexi said, flashing her sharp, pointed teeth as she reached out her hand.

  "Agreed," Aaron said as she grasped the sword.

  *****

  "Where is Dakar?" Cerric demanded as he walked into the royal apartment.

  "Isn't he one of your toys?" Calexis asked, not even looking up from the goblet of wine in her hand, her leg slung lazily over the arm of the chair upon which she sat. "Have you misplaced him?"

  "I know he has been to see you," Cerric said. "It is strange that your conversations with him are so dull. You sit here and speak of nothing."

  "Perhaps we enjoy each other
's company."

  "Nonsense," Cerric scoffed. "No one enjoys Dakar's company. He is a sniveling snake."

  "Perhaps we spend our time commiserating," Calexis said, swinging her leg from the chair and rising from her seat. "Is there something wrong with that? Dakar is as loyal to you as I am. Does his magnificence, King Cerric require constant bowing and scraping? Should I kneel and worship you as befits a god? Is that what you would like?"

  Calexis bowed her head and leaned forward, holding her wine glass precariously in front of her. Cerric could tell that she had already consumed a lot of wine.

  "It is unbecoming of you to indulge so heavily," he said.

  "Unbecoming? You are drunk with power and I am drunk with wine," she said. "What difference does it make?"

  "Very little," Cerric said and he turned to leave.

  "Pathetic," Calexis sneered.

  Cerric stopped and he turned at her laughter. Irritated by her, he swung his arm toward her, the same way he had swatted the mage priest in the temple, but unlike the black robe, Calexis did not move. Holding her wine in one hand, she had caught his arm with her other and stopped him. The wine spilled a little, running over the pale skin and dark scales that ran up the back of her hand, but she ignored it, staring at him with her sultry eyes that seemed to be even more reptilian and predatory than he remembered.

  "You are stronger than before," he commented.

  "Am I?" She let go of her grip on his arm. Cerric saw that her sharp, pointed fingernails had left scratches on his flesh, which repaired itself almost instantly. "Perhaps I simply allowed you to manhandle me when you treated me better. I told you never to touch me again."

  "Calexis, you continue to amuse me," he replied, ignoring what she had said. "Perhaps I made the right choice when I made you my queen."