by Joey W. Hill
Uthe lifted a shoulder as if it was of no consequence. "Humans have always fought over religion. They fight over Jerusalem still. If we could have looked into the future and seen that, I've often wondered if the Crusades would ever have happened. Though now we can look back in time and see the same folly and wisdom in hindsight, and it still doesn't seem to matter. The fighting continues. It's not much more than common sense, realizing the relics would only increase the conflict. It's best for them to remain legends."
He spoke matter-of-factly. Since magic was such an integral part of Fae life, Keldwyn would expect that type of pragmatism from one of his own. Hearing it from a former Templar, a devout one, and a vampire who had as much magical ability as any human, was unexpected. No. Extraordinary. Putting that aside, he returned to the main point. "So this is why you said you often had separate missions from the rest of your Templar brethren."
"It was the charge given to me above all others," Uthe agreed. "When we discovered the head and the relics, Hugh prayed about what we should do. As faithful as he was to the Pope, he revered God more. He was ahead of his time, understanding that no man's heart was above corruption. He spoke to a wise woman about it. She was a village peasant woman and, much like Joan of Arc, tapped into the mysteries of the divine through the simplicity of her faith. Her views on God, faith and love were similar to that of Marguerite Porete, who would not be born until over a century later. As a result of their discussion, he called me before him and told me the head and relics must remain hidden together until we found the means to release the spirit of the Baptist and the innocent. He left me with that charge, because he knew I would live for centuries and the answer might take that long to find. I was to hide all of them where no one else would know about them, even Hugh. We never spoke of it again, though I reported directly to him and he authorized all of my travels and need for resources when necessary.
"When the gold was delivered to the Pope, Hugh made no mention of these things. The Pope rewarded Hugh for the riches by supporting the Order fully at the Council of Troyes. The Templar order mushroomed from there, though Hugh died shortly thereafter. Thank God, so he never saw what the Templars later became."
"The Pope never knew you'd found something far more powerful and valuable than gold."
"Again, thank God." Uthe went silent. Keldwyn sensed he was studying the symbols again, for he shifted, then dropped his head back to follow a string of markings up along the ceiling. Keldwyn accommodated him, wrapping his arms around Uthe's lower abdomen and chest, tipping his head to look up with him at the maze of symbols whose meaning was incomprehensible to him, but not to Uthe. "The village woman...what she told Hugh... 'It begins and ends with the mind.' I wonder..."
Uthe straightened, nearly bumping Keldwyn's chin as his head snapped around so he could look at a blood-colored string of words on the left side of the chamber. Then to the right and back to the ceiling again. He clamped a hand on Keldwyn's leg. "There. There it is. Right there above me. Ah, dear God, Fatima. There it is."
He surged up abruptly, though Keldwyn was amused and touched that the vampire reached back to steady Keldwyn from the violent motion. His eyes never left the code Fatima had left him as he did it. Reaching up, he traced the crimson symbols. His face was drawn as he lowered his gaze to Keldwyn, though there was a grim humor there, too.
"It's in her head. Actually in her head. She placed the spell craft there with a trigger to unlock it when necessary. This is the animation spell we will need to use when we get to the other head, and from there it is a matter of contact and containment."
He rubbed a hand over his face. "So now she's probably laughing at me, for being in such a rush to build a cairn over her body. I've created extra work for myself."
"I will help you uncover her. And I will remove the head, if that is easier for you. She was your friend."
Uthe focused on him then. A muscle twitched in his jaw, and he inclined his head, not accepting or denying the offer, but acknowledging the kindness. "I will pray over her before we remove the head. Are there any magics you have that can help us transport her...discreetly?"
"If the magic is malleable, I have a containment spell that will allow us to compact and transfer the energy into another vessel." Reaching out, he grasped the Templar Seal Uthe wore. "I will place it in this, and it can be called forth with the same trigger. It should not impact the magic already there, but I will examine the head closely to be sure. If that decision exceeds my own knowledge, we can always take it to Queen Rhoswen."
"Is that wise? I do not mean offense." Uthe added. "I've guarded this secret for a long time, because there are many who would misuse it."
"Your relics are items of magical purpose, and those types of things are littered throughout the Fae world, though admittedly these sound like objects of exceptionally strong power. Yet...yes, my lord. I trust Queen Rhoswen. Her capriciousness usually has more to do with unresolved issues about family than the way she rules her kingdom. At one time that was not so, but..." Keldwyn nodded. "She is a good Queen, a fair female. You can trust her as you do me with the knowledge. If you do, in fact, trust me with the knowledge."
Uthe's gaze glinted in amusement. "You seem to have little interest in riches or stolen power, my lord. You have ever struck me as the type of male who will not allow attachment, loyalty or personal gain turn you away from what must needs be done. No matter how much you try to portray yourself as a selfish, overly fashion conscious Fae."
The compliment was sincerely meant, despite the jest. Keldwyn looked mollified, though he tossed Uthe a narrow expression for the clothing barb. "Does the head possess any unusual powers beyond what you've already identified?"
"The demon and the Baptist can speak, dispense wisdom or guidance, or deception and misdirection, depending on whose voice it is offering the counsel." Uthe paused. "The Baptist still has the power of foresight and the demon can manipulate and lead a weak soul astray, in the twisted way that demons have always possessed to secure souls. You've seen that in the demon's reach."
"Understood." Keldwyn frowned, already crafting the binding he'd use for the sorceress's weapon. "Let's examine the head and see what we can do to leave here under the cover of darkness."
* * *
Keldwyn verified the carefully wrought magic embedded in the sorceress's head would not be impacted by his ability to rearrange its matter. He had his hands cupped around her smashed and decomposing face as he made the determination, feeling, probing intently. When he was done, he gently slid his fingers from around her skull. "I will still need the head to be severed from the rest of the body. Would you like me to do it, Lord Uthe?" he asked again.
He could see that Uthe did, which was why the vampire of course didn't relinquish the responsibility. Keldwyn knew he would have done the same. Uthe removed the sword from his pack. He took a couple practice swings, and then decapitated the body in one brief stroke. The expression on his face, the flash of soul deep pain, made Keldwyn wish he'd done it before Uthe could tell him no. The vampire dropped to one knee beside her, hand clasped on the sword pommel, his other palm on her chest. As he offered a plea for her forgiveness and prayers to lay her to rest, Keldwyn knelt by her severed head and began to do his part, speaking the words of magic in a murmur so as not to disturb Uthe. When Uthe finished, Keldwyn didn't want him to have to see the head there, detached from her body.
He'd taken the disk Uthe wore around his neck and cradled it in his palm. The warmth of Uthe's body lingered in it. As the head dissolved into light, it streamed into that target. Keldwyn caught the bright flashes of the magic it contained and power vibrated through his arm. He hoped these were optimistic signs the sorceress's weapon would work. A freed demon could wreak havoc. He understood why, knowing he was being besieged with Ennui, Uthe had felt such urgency to resolve the matter. Which, regrettably, could bring more stress and increase the hold of the Ennui. But Uthe had Keldwyn with him. He was determined to help the vampire however possible
.
The Fae Lord tugged the silk wrap up over the neck so the body was shrouded fully once more. When Uthe finished his prayers, Keldwyn put the disk around Uthe's neck, rather than handing it back to him. Kel rested his hands on the male's shoulders, gauging the tension there. "Let me help you rebuild the stones over her," he said.
The two of them worked in silence for a few moments. "Whenever I see you do magic, I wonder that you don't do everything that way," the vampire said. "Levitate rocks, or get dressed in a blink."
"All magic requires energy and forethought, and it is wise not to waste it on what your body and mind already give you the power to do. Then there are things like this, actions that should be done by the sweat of your brow."
"Yes."
Keldwyn let the silence draw out. "It must have been very isolating, being the only one who knew all you know," he said at last. "Working to protect...everyone."
"You make it sound very noble. I never thought of it that way. It was simply what I was charged to do, and I had allies like Haris, Shahnaz. At first, I was foolishly stubborn. Soon before his death, Hugh warned I would not be able to continue my association with the Templars if their responsibilities expanded into armed military campaigns. He said I couldn't take the risk of falling in battle, but I pointed out my life or death was God's will. He did not argue with that, but he did say that the Lord expected us to have common sense."
Uthe's lips curved. "The compromise was he allowed me to stay on the detail to guard pilgrims. But when Hugh died, the subsequent Grand Masters did not know my primary charge. Hugh had left specific instructions as to what freedoms I had to come and go, different from my brethren, and those remained unchallenged, but he'd left the decision about fighting to my judgment. As time stretched out past his demise, I was eventually treated as one of the others. Gerard paid no attention when I joined the battle for Hattin. I respected Hugh's wisdom, and had tried to abide by it mostly, but I could not allow my brethren to fight without me against such incredible odds. But it was also the battle that told me how foolish I'd been, the risk I'd taken, all for the pride of saying I'd stood with my brothers."
Uthe fingered the silver disk around his neck. "However, it was also the decision that brought me in contact with your world, and gave us the chance to place the head beyond human reach. Until that time, I'd left it back in the tunnels beneath the Temple, since I was the only one who could reach it there. But though we were far from modern day drilling equipment, I could foresee it might not be safe there indefinitely. Particularly since the Pope never revealed that the gold was found, so there were those who still sought it. Also, while the desert countries were not overrun with vampires, who was to say one would not eventually think to seek the gold in a place beyond where men could reach it?"
Uthe lifted a shoulder. "So it is hard to say which of my decisions was God's will and what was pride. We do the best we can, my lord, and hope we serve the highest good. And when we know we did not, we ask God's forgiveness 'in such a manner that the words reflect the heart'."
At Keldwyn's quizzical look, he offered a humorless smile. "If a Templar missed formal prayers, you would say your paternosters wherever you were and, if they were said in a manner that reflects the heart, it was considered sufficient. It brought focus and comfort both."
A vision rose in Keldwyn's mind, of Reghan's serious mouth and warm eyes. His laughter, his ferocity in battle, his gentleness to Rhoswen. The pain her suffering brought to him when Magwel turned her against him. His anger and sorrow with Keldwyn when Kel refused to accept his love for Masako. Those memories caused Kel pain, guilt and regret, but he'd learned to manage them with the truth Uthe had just spoken.
Sometimes asking forgiveness--in a manner that reflected the depth of feeling in the heart-- was all that could be done.
Chapter Nine
On the way back to the plane, they stayed alert for ambushes. Instead, they found a trail of bodies. Cai still wasn't permitting Rand to hunt with him, for death had come from snapped necks and bashed skulls, not the rending of teeth. Since Cai and his wolf had fed on one of them the night before, the demon had apparently only had the reach to poison a select few of those dispatched directly against Uthe and Keldwyn at the sorceress's cave. To play it safe, though, they went by the vampire and wolf's cave to warn them, but found neither there.
They could hear Rand howling in the distance, and the tone of it was a farewell, not a distress call. Cai had decided his purpose had been served and wasn't big on goodbyes.
Given the urgency of their mission, Uthe knew he should castigate himself for that unexpected coupling with Keldwyn in Fatima's cave, yet the break had relaxed his mind enough he'd figured out the clues she'd left him. Uthe had solved countless puzzles. He knew the importance of diversions when the mind was overtaxed. He'd denied himself the opportunity because it served other, more personal pleasures. Keldwyn had taken the decision from him and hence here they were, closer to the overall goal.
Faith, the Fae unsettled and distracted him. He also helped him. It was a curious conundrum between purpose and desire.
It concerned him that the demon had been able to use the Saracens to do his will, but it only confirmed they needed to get to the Shattered World as soon as possible. Was it the possibility of it drawing to an end giving the demon extra fuel? Had he been reserving his power, in anticipation of this day?
When they reached the plane, they found Keldwyn's protection spell on the plane and pilot had not been breached, though the pilot reported some Saracens had circled the area. Confused by the sense that something was there, but unable to detect anything, they'd eventually left, frustrated.
Tricky wind currents made the flight out of Syria bumpy and loud, discouraging conversation. Despite their immortality that made the likelihood of dying in a plane crash slim, Uthe thought Keldwyn looked as relieved as he did when they landed and made the transfer to the Council's larger charter jet which would take them back across the ocean to Savannah. Keldwyn had determined it was best to enter the Fae world at a portal there, because the magic they were carrying would be blocked elsewhere. Securing the proper permissions from the Fae Queen for a different portal might take as much time as the plane ride.
Uthe didn't question it, trusting his judgment. Dawn was coming, so he bade Keldwyn good morning and then closed himself away from the Fae's speculative look in one of the several compartments designed to allow a vampire to travel by air during daylight. He stripped, putting the dagger away in the folded clothing. He wouldn't deplete the richness of the blood he'd been given faster than necessary by taking advantage of its protections. He could handle this part without magical aid.
Behind the walls and ceiling and beneath the floor, rich earth was packed to form a cocoon around the cot and small space. It made the air stifling, but would cushion him from the rays beating on the plane's flanks. Uthe closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep, knowing that was the best way to make the time pass.
Think I don't see you, vampire? Think you can send me back to my Maker? The demon wasn't ready to let him sleep. Uthe grunted.
I do not understand your resistance. After all these years, you should be homesick.
I will not return from whence I came without dragging the prophet with me. Nothing you do can prevent it. It is inevitable. Either it will happen when you err, applying the sorceress's dubious wisdom, or you will have to leave things as is. After the loss of your mind and your inevitable death, I will be under no one's watchful eye. There is much that can be accomplished in the Shattered World. There is far more potential here. Chaos is possible in a world of Chaos.
It cackled, a decidedly unpleasant noise.
"I am sleeping, demon. Your words mean nothing."
They will not mean nothing when you face me after all these years. Your cowardice has kept you from fighting me as a true warrior would.
"A true warrior does not fight the walls of a fortress with his sword. He uses battering ram, fire, wate
r. The right weapon is what is needed."
A man fights with sword and shield. The bow and trickery are dishonorable.
"You are a dishonorable enemy, requiring dishonorable tactics."
As his tormentor kept nattering on, Uthe sighed, dragged himself off the cot. He knelt in the narrow space next to it to pray. When the demon was in this mood, it was the only thing that silenced him. Uthe was grateful for the other voice in his head that joined him, strengthening the prayer, drowning out the nefarious beast. Bless you, Madman. John seemed fond of the moniker, as fond as he seemed of anything. He was a somber, complicated spirit, and had never encouraged idle chatting. Uthe did not fault him for it. He could only imagine what the Baptist had endured, sharing the same space with the demon all these years. The Lord willing, he could end his trials soon.
Uthe wouldn't face the crossover into the Fae world hungry. Keldwyn's blood had been strong and nourishing. While Uthe still had mixed feelings about taking it, knowing the Fae world's opinion of feeding a vampire, Keldwyn hadn't seemed to be holding his nose at the time. It shouldn't have mattered to Uthe either way. At any other time he'd have wielded his considerable self-discipline and dealt with those feelings, shut them down. The problem was the Ennui could play havoc with his self-discipline. Or was it Keldwyn himself? He had no way of knowing. Something else he could not control.
The Lord will often send us impossible obstacles as further proof that we must trust His Will. Trust in him, pray for comfort and strength from his mother, the blessed Virgin.
Uthe was devout in his faith but not mindless about religion. Most of them were just sale tactics for their brand of God. He knew that. It didn't make what lay behind them, what their illusions were built around, any less real and solid. He didn't care what God was called; he served that energy. The demon had been right about that much. Without that purpose, there was simply the abyss. Uthe had come to God from the abyss. His version of divinity might be an illusion, but it was an illusion he preferred to the chaotic darkness in his own soul.