The Punishment Of The Gods (Omnibus 1-5)

by Jake Yaniak

  Against Fahsro all the efforts of Marin were now focused, for by the summer of that year that city alone still stood against them in support of Dadron. Lady Amera was slain in battle and the Eastern army of Marin was driven back to Kolfa. Nerria came against it also from the north, and nearly perished. For there was at that time in the city of Fahsro a man named Ehrmas. He was dark-haired like a Noras, but tall and wise like a Knarseman. Seeing the perils that would come, he had fortified the city, preparing for the coming of Marin. 'We may not be able to stop them, but we will make them pay for their injustices even as they commit them.'

  When at last Ollitov's army had come, and Nerria's had joined with the eastern army, the assault on Fahsro was renewed. This was in the late autumn, when the air was beginning to turn cold. Nerria's army battered the gates of the city from the east, Ollitov's army battered it from the west, and ships came up the river from Kolfa, reigning arrows of fire into the city. But for all this the men were undaunted. They withstood them for yet another four months. Finally, in the middle of Paschest, Ehrmas made a bold move, rushing from the city in the middle of the night and falling upon the encampment of Nerria, slaying nearly a thousand soldiers in one night, and many more hirelings besides. Nerria and her army fled before him and were scattered into the darkness.

  Thus for nearly a week the men of Fahsro were given hope, and the fame of Ehrmas spread throughout the region. The army of Ollitov came at last to the aid of Nerria and made a great slaughter of the men of Fahsro. Ehrmas, cornered and trapped, asked for the honor at least of facing the Monster himself. Thus came Natham to face the hero of Fahsro.

  'I know not what hell you have been summoned from,' Ehrmas said to him, 'But return thence, if there be any power in Tel Arie that you yet fear.'

  'Whether I come from hell or no, I know not, nor do I care. There is one thing for which I fight, one thing that your people have refused to give me.'

  'What prize do you seek?'

  'The freedom of the Blind-Maiden, Lyris of Marin, who your lord Olver has taken from her people without right.'

  'My lord? Olver?' he began surprised, 'No such -' but at that moment an arrow struck his throat, the shooter of which was never discovered. Thus perished an honorable man so that the charade of Marin might be preserved.

  Fahrso fell soon thereafter and all the land moaned under the heels of Marin's warriors and the ravages of the hirelings. No more had the army of Marin to fear from the people of Daevaron, and all that remained was for them to begin their assault upon the mighty city of Dadron itself.

  Chapter V:

  Return to Noras

  The Remnant Prepares

  More than a week passed ere Daryas stumbled at last into Ram-u-Nar, weary, thirsty and filthy. He could never thereafter recall what had passed in the days since he fled the Nunnery of Sten-Agoni, nor could he recount the reason his return was so delayed. What he ate, where he lay to sleep - if he slept at all - how he came to find his way back to the camp and many other details were shrouded in confusion. Those days were lost to him.

  When he failed to return to their encampment, Dynamis sent out scouts to find him. Revere was able to trace his steps to the Nunnery, and so the men of Ram-u-Nar became aware of this ancient holy place of Agonistes. 'He entered,' Revere said, 'And he departed in great haste and with great force. But beyond this I cannot tell. I think he went west from the valley, perhaps into Heyan.'

  When at last he returned and after he had eaten a large meal and drank a great deal of water, he told his brother alone all that had befallen him in the Nunnery. He spoke openly to all, however, regarding the peril that now faced the city of Dadron in which the faithful men and women of Noras now took refuge under the care of their kinsman Olver Galvahirne. 'The sons of the devil Agon mean to strike at the seat of their ancient foe, even against the god of Noras, Pelas the blessed, who in ages past lent his strength to our father Galvahir. To this end, I perceive, has the allegiance of Cheftan Ponteris been attained, to break the arm of Galvahir and to keep the mighty men of Noras from coming to that great city's aid when at last the men of Amlaman march to their war of vengeance. But hidden from their dark counsels is the Remnant of Galva in Ram-u-Nar, the hidden dagger of the Noras people. Let the men of Amlaman strike - and break - against the invulnerable walls of Dadron, and let this mighty dagger smite them in the flank, scattering their armies and dashing to pieces their bold ambitions and evil designs!'

  This course of action was quickly agreed upon by all, and the preparations for war were begun. Blades were sharpened and arrows crafted. Shields were strengthened and helms were decorated with brilliant plumes of horse hair and feathers.

  But all this preparation was deemed insufficient by Dynamis and those men of Noras most acquainted with war. Five thousand men, even of Galva, would certainly trouble the ranks of Amlaman, but they could not hope to have victory without help. Nor was it thought that Olver would long withstand his assailants bereft of all hope. It was therefore decided that a messenger should be sent to Dadron to assure Olver of the coming of the army of Galva and to gather from under the canopy of Noras whomever was yet faithful to Biron.

  The Departure of Daryas

  By lot, by election, and by volition alike, Daryas Galvahirne was chosen to carry the message of the Galva Remnant into the east. Dynamis, it was decided, must remain in Ram-u-Nar to lead the army to war and oversee the training of the warriors and all the other preparations. 'Take with you Novai,' he insisted, 'for she will bear you away from danger in an instant. She will also, to those who have eyes to see, bring hope to the hidden allies of our father.'

  'I cannot take Novai, brother,' Daryas protested. 'I was a sorry guardian of her hitherto, and I would be ashamed to press her loyalty any further, though further I have no doubt it runs.'

  'Nay, brother,' Dynamis said, patting the horse on the back, 'I will have less need of speed than you, and be in less peril. It would greatly comfort me to know that you were accompanied by Novai, she, compared to whom all other beasts may be accounted faithless.'

  'This is a gift beyond anything you have hitherto given to me, brother,' Daryas said taking his brother's hand in farewell.

  Revere also was sent with him, riding upon a black horse that had been purchased in Soleya. 'Guide and guard your master's son, Revere the Treacherous,' Dynamis warned him, 'Your debt to the house of Biron is far from repaid.'

  'I figure,' Revere said soberly, 'that no deed of valor or faithfulness can ever blot away my betrayal. But I will not willingly add to my shame any further injury against the master of Peiraso.'

  Dynamis looked fiercely into his eyes for a moment, as if by merely looking he could tell whether the scout spoke the truth or not. After a moment he nodded, and Revere almost believed he could, just by his glance, tell whether he would do as he was commanded. 'HIS look,' Revere thought within himself, 'I believe truly can make one truthful.'

  On the twenty-third of Ornus these two departed under a clouded sky. Rain soon covered their tracks and they rode south and east, coming after several days to the valley of Eaduf, which winds around the foothills of Mount Coronan. They passed through this empty land and came at last, on the First day of Primus, to the Amla Gap, through which they passed into Falsis under the guise of furriers. By Revere's cunning they were able to avoid the eyes of the Amlamani guards altogether and had only to deal with the men of Daevaron in the east, who were, though troubled by the news of Marin's conquests, unworried about merchants and beggars from the west. They warned them of the dangers but gave their entry no objections.

  From there they traveled first to Amdela, a city in which such travelers would find welcome. The rumor and excitement of war was thick in the air when they entered the famous Gapland Inn, where all those who traveled betwixt the lands of Amlaman and Falsis came to rest.

  Built into the very mountain wall itself, the Gapland Inn combined the pragmatism of the Noras with the civility of Amlaman, as well as the mercantile spirit of the
Daevaron. The Inn was four stories tall, almost a tower to anyone who has not seen the Magic City of Lapulia. The lowest level was occupied by a great number of shops and merchants, some who rented space by the day, and others who owned their own little corner of the Inn. The second floor housed the Dining Hall, which advertised its delicacies far and wide. The Inn was famous for its Red Ale, which was spiced with Kharku pepper. They did not have any of this ale when Daryas and Revere entered, however, for no merchants dared enter Falsis with the necessary spices while Marin's army controlled the docks.

  The third and fourth floors of the Inn were reserved for guests, the highest rooms also fetching the highest prices. Though the common people of Falsis knew little of Amlaman, and though the Amlamani generally remained aloof from the east, where the legends of the elves were yet strong, the merchants went to and fro through the Amla Gap without much difficulty, and did most of their trading at the Gapland.

  As they stabled their horses Daryas marveled at the paltry number of furs for sale. When he pointed this out to Rever, a shopkeeper answered him, shaking his head, 'Not much comes from Noras these days. Most of these furs come from the farmlands south of Dadron.'

  'Not from Noras? But why?' Daryas asked, the concern obvious in his voice.

  'We have heard,' Revere began, attempting to cover over Daryas' careless speech, 'that there is a blight on the deer in Noras. Is this so?' As he spoke he attempted to make himself sound as greedy as possible.

  'A blighted lord is more like it,' the shopkeeper said with a sneer. The Oastermen are ruling things these days, the merchants say. And what furs they haven't taken for themselves, they tax so much that merchants don't bother to make the northern trip.'

  Revere grinned and sold the man twelve furs for a good price. 'Come, Daryas, you must see the Gapland!'

  'We are not here to celebrate a good deal,' he said when they had left the shopkeeper behind.

  Revere looked at him and smiled, 'I have not forgotten our mission, Daryas. But if we wish to pass into Falsis and then into Noras as merchants, we must act the part. There are many eyes in Amla Gap - most of them out for easy gold, but some,' he paused and shook his head, changing his tone, 'Do you think the lords of Amlaman would not keep spies in Amla Gap? If we are merchants, and not spies ourselves, then we will not rush past the Gapland in the dark of night. To pass by the Red Ale of Gapland without a taste would be very suspicious indeed!'

  Revere seemed to know the Inn pretty well, though the innkeeper, a large man named Arbon, called him Hastano. Revere introduced Daryas as Melis Gotvirne and ordered tall jugs of ale for them both, and some roast beef and bread. His disappointment upon learning that there was no Red Ale at the Gapland was visible on every inch of his face. Daryas politely refused his drink, saying, 'My dreams are troubled enough; I dare not despoil my waking mind of its clarity.' Water was poured for him instead. Revere sat in silence for a minute, then his face broke out in a grin.

  'What is it?' Daryas asked.

  'Nothing, pay it no mind,' he quickly answered. It had just occurred to him that of all the perils and trials facing Weldera, the shortage of Red Ale at the Gapland had most upset him. 'It surely is not the worst thing,' he thought to himself, 'but for a man with no kin or country…' They passed the rest of the evening in silence.

  From a man of Daeva City in the Dining Hall they learned of the ravaging of the east and of that strange beast that marched amidst the ranks of the Marin army.

  'No she-warrior is he!' the man, who was named Dasen, said as he held his mug aloft. 'The women of Marin are hardy enough, they say, but this one - this Monster, is as tough as an army by himself. They say he was found in the wilderness of Olgrost, beyond the Marin Fortress where the devils roam and rule.'

  At this the room was filled with laughter and praise, laughter at what they believed to be exaggeration and praise at what they believed to be storytelling.

  'Laugh away,' he said, waving his hands in front of him, 'But they say he has brought all of North Daevaron under Marin's heel. My own beloved Daeva City has been taken away from us. Even as we speak it is crawling with those burly women and those pathetic she-men they fill out their army with. My cousin saw him with his own eyes on the hill of Vaduas, just outside the city. "Dasen," he said to me, "We were marching down the northern side of the hill, cutting down the Marin soldiers like grass, when all of a sudden, this ghastly shape rises up before us. He looked like a tower," my cousin told me, "standing behind a shield the likes of which I've never seen. His spear was like a tree, but he wielded it with ease, skewering all those who dared to face him. Five horsemen came against him at once, but he killed two of them in one blow, cast two off their horses in another, and shattered the skull of the last rider's horse with a mighty punch with his knuckle. I figure," he said, "many more of our poor fighters met their ends this way. For my part, I knew it was time to run back and flee with wife and wealth ere the Marin army with its monstrous captain trampled the whole city to dust."'

  Revere raised his glass and laughed, but Daryas was troubled. 'What doom do we march to?' he said soberly.

  'To doom?' Revere laughed, his ale overtaking his melancholy. 'You needn't worry yourself young master Gotvirne, such monsters are born more often at the bottom of these mugs than in distant countries. But you are wise, and you forgo the poison of liquor; therefore you avoid such monsters. Rest assured, my friend, it is more likely the man has had too much to drink!'

  Nonetheless Daryas was troubled. 'We must leave here at once,' he told his companion. 'We need to find out what is happening in the north. If the might of Marin is set against Dadron from the east we may leave behind us all hope of victory.'

  Revere sighed, 'Very well, master Melis,' he said as he took one last draught from his mug. 'Off we go to chase our fates.'

  The Curse of Evna

  In that evening, even as they slept under the roof of the Gapland Inn, Daryas' dreams returned to torment him. But these were not the dark illusions that Pelas' servants had sent to him. These were like waking memories, overtaking him while he was yet awake. He would be thrown into fits of terror, his fingers clawing the ground and his feet stomping the floor.

  The events of the night when first he beheld the Siren of Sten Agoni returned to his mind with fresh vigor, burning themselves as if anew upon his mind. 'Leonara!' he cried out, much to the surprise of Revere, who slept in another bed beside him.

  At first Revere, believing these to be mere dreams, thought to mock him, but when he saw his open eyes and the look of terror and anguish therein, he thought better of it. He had learned early on that the younger son of Biron was made of softer matter than the elder. Dynamis was a terror to his enemies and a lord to his comrades. But Daryas, though his appearance was like unto the rest of the Galvahirne, had a more contemplative spirit. Though Dynamis had given him a position of command in the Galva Army, Daryas never commanded anyone to do anything if he could avoid it.

  The result of these outbursts was that Daryas was forced to disclose to Revere the events of that fateful night in the valley of the Sacred Virgins - the contents of his nightmares. 'Every moment a doom seems to lie upon my breast, like a weight of iron, dragging me beneath crashing waves. Sleep with its nightmares is now my only release.'

  'You call nightmares release, Biron's son,' Revere marveled. 'What then troubles you during the day?'

  Daryas could not bring himself to say more.

  To his great surprise, Revere found himself moved to pity - a sensation still somewhat strange to him. He said to himself, 'If only there were some way that I might lighten this man's burden.'

  The next night Daryas had another dream, if it can be said that he had slept at all. To his eyes he looked at first upon the darkened room in which he lay. But all at once he heard the sound of the ocean and the darkness of the room melted away. He was on a boat, and the waves crashed against it, tossing it every which way. He took paddle in hand and set all of his will toward rowing to the shore.
Before him loomed that island of which he dreamed upon the cold stones of Mount Coronis, when threat of death hung upon all the men of Galva.

  Much to his delight, however, he found a harbor and brought his boat at last to rest upon the shore. But when he ascended the sandy shore and came to the top of a ridge he could see before him nothing but a dark and treacherous jungle. Poisonous serpents crawled about his feet, birds of prey the likes of which might pluck a man from the field like a rat, and dreadful beasts of hideous strength roamed about him and encircled him on every side. He cried out, and in answer a voice came, mocking him. 'Shadow!' it called him, and 'weakhearted', 'no man at all, a hopeless fool'. He turned and looked. There beside him was a woman with fire for hair and venom for words. So contorted was her face that he could scarcely discern whether she was human or not.

  'Who are you?' he asked, trembling.

  A voice said, 'I am she whom thou deservest not; even my ugliness is too great for thee.'

  'Who ARE you!?' Daryas demanded in a broken voice.

  'I am she to whom thou shalt ever be wed, for by Siren's song thou art enthralled and by Vanity the Siren is forever mine. I am Evna, and beside me all other gods and men are but shadow.'

  Another voice called out at that moment, saying, 'Return to me, my love, and take me far from this place!' It was the voice of Leonara, sweet and refreshing.

  But Evna warned, 'Show thy face upon my mountain unmarred, son of mud, shining as the sun of heaven, and I shall be to thee a goddess forever. But if thy smallest finger hides behind it any darkness, even the slightest hint of shade, then I will make thee a slave, like the shadows of every candle and every wisp of flame that dance upon the wall, ever jumping, leaping and writhing about in desperate flight, never escaping the fire to which they belong.'

  His heart grew cold at that moment and he found from that day forth, that the darkness was more pleasing to him than the light. For the light always reminded him of the goddess' words. Late into the night he would always remain wakeful, enjoying the silence of the dark. And early in the morning he would awake, clinging to the last chill of night, almost hoping the sun would not rise to light upon his misery. But of these visions he spoke to no one. Howbeit, within him there now burned a deep resentment toward both his tormentor and his own person.