‘It’s good to see you,’ he said. ‘I bet you thought I was dead.’
Eric smiled sheepishly. ‘No. Cang seemed confident the whole time that you were alive, until just before. Then, Celios was stricken as if blinded and could not see anything. There was a great light shining to the east. We ran outside to see it. What happened?’
‘Hol is destroyed: the Paatin Queen and all her people with it. Only the Emperor escaped.’
‘He was here, not long ago, but he looked...different.’
Samuel nodded. ‘There is much more to his story than we will probably ever know.’
‘When we told him we had seen the Empress and Leopold safely to Cintar, he rushed after them before we could stop him. I don’t know how he will manage crossing the wastes by himself.’
‘I don’t think he will have any trouble,’ Samuel suggested.
‘Cang sent her back months ago with a squad of his Circle agents. Word returned later that they had arrived without too much trouble. She wanted to wait here until you and her husband were saved or released, but it was just too dangerous. We did not want to risk a rescue until the time was right. Somehow, the time just never became right.’
‘I can understand. I managed by myself.’
‘Master Celios has also been filling us in on the occasional events in the palace, but mostly he has been focussed on the rest of the world. He has kept us busy cataloguing and dispersing all his treasures and relics.’
‘Why? What has been happening?’ Samuel asked.
‘Lin’s return,’ Cang said, stepping up and baring his jagged teeth. ‘The Demon God’s coming is always heralded by a time of war upon the earth. There are few places now untouched by violence and it will only worsen with each day.’
‘What about Cintar?’ Samuel asked.
‘Under siege for many months, but the city still stands,’ Lomar said. ‘Alahativa’s forces are black around it, but the city is holding well. Since the Empress’ return, the will of the people has rallied. They have access to the sea and more than enough stores to survive many months more. The city has lived up to its reputation, even after its dreadful loss.’
‘What loss is that?’ Samuel asked the dark-skinned man.
‘Forgive me, Samuel. I forget you have been away from us for so long. The Council of Magicians is no more. All the Lords have fallen. Still, the great city perseveres. General Ruardin and his men, along with the remnants of the Order, are holding their ground. You and I are last of the magician Lords.’
Samuel accepted the news without any hint of emotion. ‘Then that is why Alahativa forged her alliance with the Grand Master,’ he mused. ‘No matter what efforts she made, she could not take Cintar. She lured us here to thin the ranks in the city, but still it was not enough.’
‘What’s that?’ Eric asked with interest, picking up on the mention of the old Lion.
‘Anthem was here, in the Queen’s city.’
‘And what else, Samuel?’ Cang said with a toothy, knowing smile. ‘What happened to your old teacher and friend?’
‘I see you already have some idea,’ Samuel replied darkly. He then turned back to Eric. ‘Anthem had made a pact with the Paatin Queen. He was going to give her Cintar.’
‘Nonsense,’ Eric said. ‘Even if it were true, how would he accomplish such a thing?’
‘I don’t know. Perhaps he knows its weaknesses, or some secret that would get them within the walls. The Grand Master and I had something of a disagreement. We fought and he performed a spell of Summoning. In the end, the spell engulfed him and he was lost within it.’
‘He’s gone?’ Eric said with disbelief.
‘Yes. He’s dead.’
Cang ran his tongue over his teeth. ‘I always thought the old fool would meet such a bitter end. Perhaps that is one of the worst deaths, if, indeed, he had the luxury of dying. In some realms, the things that live there would be feasting on him for centuries to come.’
‘But why would he do such a thing?’ Eric asked. ‘I thought he had been in Garteny all this time, seeking a treaty with King Otgart?’
‘We did not have time to discuss his journey to the north, but it seemed he had only just arrived when I met him. As you can see, the Koian woman and I are having a child. Anthem wanted that child and, to that end, he made his pact.’
‘That’s your child?’ Eric said with interest.
‘Of course it is.’
‘I didn’t mean it like that,’ Eric said. ‘It’s just that you are a magician.’
‘The Koian god-woman and Samuel are both unique,’ Balten explained. ‘Joined to any other, they will not produce offspring, but together it seems they are both fertile. A rare and momentous coincidence.’
‘Yes,’ Cang said. ‘So it seems the upstart Anthem has been hard at work with his own plot. Shame on him and his Order for pointing their figures at me so many times over the years! They could not resist themselves when the woman appeared, for it was obvious that the two of you were made from the same mould. They began at once to consider what would happen if it turned out you could generate young. While all magicians eventually lose their eagerness for the opposite gender, it was obvious that you were not similarly affected, Samuel—a thing unheard of amongst magic-wielders of every description.’
Samuel went on. ‘Anthem wanted to take our son and raise him. He believed the mixing of our blood would result in a child powerful enough to end these wars—to end all wars.’
Cang looked pleased. As always, his expressions were not well suited for the situation. ‘He did, did he? See what happens when someone only reads half the story? Did Balten not warn you of the meddling nature of the Order? They cannot help it. They are eternally meddlesome and curious, beyond even good sense. They sent you on this perilous journey, with Grand Master Tudor as your protector, knowing full well that the sultry Paatin witch was curious to see you for herself. I would not be surprised if she was thinking of using you to gain a child for herself.’ To which Samuel did his best not to react.
‘But that seems foolish,’ Eric put in. ‘If everyone wanted them together so much, why wouldn’t they just put the two of them in a comfortable room together and lock the door? Why go to so much trouble.’
‘Alahativa wanted him,’ Cang went on, ‘and she had already forged the deal with Chancellor Donovan and the other conspirators of the palace. They had no idea that the Koians were arriving. They had to send you, for that was part of the pact to be rid of the Empress, but Anthem then had to send the Koian woman along with you once those ideas had started running through his mind. He could not force you together, and so he merely hoped that something would happen along the way; magicians are certainly not renowned for their romantic genius. As it turned out, you made it all the way into Alahativa’s clutches without performing as desired, so Anthem was forced to make his agreement with the Paatin Queen: Cintar in exchange for a child. The Koians were only too keen to assist with everything for, as you know, Canyon was pulling the strings. He was well practised at using the girl for his own schemes, and the promise of riches and power soon helped decide his mind. Putting the two of them together certainly did not clash with his Circle commands.’
‘But there was something else,’ said Samuel. ‘Alahativa began to remember things. It seems she had past lives. She claimed that she and the Emperor were born in the time of the Ancients.’
‘What she said is true. And that is why I am even more impressed that you managed to destroy her, for now, as their king returns, the Ancient Ones are growing in strength. They cannot ever truly be killed, and they can be formidable opponents at their full potency. No doubt, even now she will be in another body somewhere in Amandia, working to overpower her host.’
‘So what was she talking about?’ Samuel asked. ‘Why was this curse put upon them? She was furious, but the Emperor didn’t seem to care about their king or such things.’
‘I suppose even immortality could become tiresome eventually, imprisoned as the
y are, repeating their lives for all time. They lived in the time of Lin and were a part of his accursed rise to power. They raised him to the status of a god and they caused havoc until, for some reason we cannot understand, he left this world. They thought they would be well rewarded for their service, but Lin left them behind, as powerless as mortals. When the Demon King is about to return, the Ancients return to their true selves, to act as his servants. The rest of the time, they are ignorant of their true origins.’
‘The Emperor is an Ancient, too?’ Eric asked.
‘Yes,’ Samuel said. ‘But he turned his back on the others. He said he refuses to serve the Demon King any further.’
‘Ah, interesting,’ said Cang. ‘It astounds me that he made such a decision. Still, it will not last long. As Lin approaches, his hold on his servants will grow stronger. The Emperor will have no choice but to bend to his master’s will eventually.’
Eric looked deep in thought. ‘Then, if the Emperor was already immortal, Master Celios was not responsible for saving him at all.’
‘Correct you are, Master Pot, but good Master Celios here did ensure the Emperor’s spirit went into the vessel of our choosing.’ Hearing his voice, Celios seemed startled, but he had obviously not been following the conversation. After barely a moment, his attention drifted away and he was again staring off into space. ‘Otherwise, it could have gone anywhere, into any random host across the world and we would have lost track of him. I wanted him here, to die along with his master.’
‘So why did you let him go?’
‘He cannot run far enough in one night to escape what will come.’
Samuel became angered by the admission. ‘So it is you who has engineered this entire scheme. Why would you do this to us? What were you hoping to achieve? The relics were false and had no part in the return of the Demon King—the Emperor told me that. Everything we’ve done has been for naught. So what did you have to gain by sending us to Hol? Why put us through all this?’
Cang slowly drew back his lips. ‘My goal has never been to stop the return of Lin, young Samuel, but to ensure it. You and your party were sent to Hol for a few simple reasons, all of which were achieved. We now have everything we need to kill the King of Demons.’
Samuel looked around the vast and empty chamber. There was nothing to which the old devil could have been referring. ‘Where are they? What are these things?’
‘Time was the most important. We needed to ensure he arrived at the time of our choosing...or at least thereabouts. That is why we did not come blazing to your rescue during these past nine months that you were imprisoned, for it was better for everyone that you just stayed put. The other thing we needed to prepare was the method of his destruction. It is no simple matter to destroy a god. It takes more power than all the relics and magicians on earth. Indeed, no power on earth can destroy Lin, but we now have the tool of his destruction at the ready. I have been summoning it to us for the last seventy years. It is above us now, seemingly still but, in reality, it is speeding towards us at an incredible rate and it will strike with the vengeance of all the untold souls that Lin has stolen over the Ages. This will be the weapon of his ending.’
‘The Star of Osirah?’ Samuel asked.
‘That is what the Paatin call it, but I have no interest in naming such a thing. It is only what it can achieve that concerns me. I am no trivial magician, Samuel, as I am sure you have come to learn. I have powers beyond almost every other magician in this world, and still I am not foolish enough to think I can face Lin directly. I have put all my energies into finding and directing this heavenly body, a frozen block of stone the size of a mountain. Inch by inch, I have nudged it towards us, pushing it from its natural course and ensuring it will strike exactly as required. In less than an hour, it will be here. A humble stone to kill a demon. I think it is fitting—like the fables of old.’
‘You will pull a star down upon us?’ Eric said. ‘This is madness. Surely it will kill us all.’
‘Not all of us, but most of us, yes. In truth, it is not a star, but such details matter little. I have scried the heavens all my life and the inner bodies offer little mystery to me. Occasionally, such wanderers come skimming past our world, but this one proved special. It seemed to be in just the right place at just the right time, almost as if it were sent to me for this very purpose. All I needed was time to get the players into their position. That has now been achieved. When it strikes, half the world will be destroyed, engulfed in hellfire and destruction—even Lin cannot survive this. His first few breaths upon our world will be his last!’
‘You are mad!’ Eric said. ‘You will kill everyone!’
‘So would Lin, but this way the demon is destroyed also and he will never return to blight us. Man will survive and claw his way back, as he does after every new Age, but this time, once we recover from the ashes, we will be free forever more.’
‘I won’t allow it,’ Samuel declared, but Cang only scoffed.
‘You have no choice, boy. Look up! Starfall is here. Not even I could prevent it now. This mountain of rock will strike us with such tenacity that the sun will turn black for decades to come. Lin’s fate is sealed. We have won.’
‘But what about us?’ Eric asked, fearful.
‘That is where you come in, my dear boy. Do you think we brought you here for your good looks? Your role is to save us. I am not so valiant as to be a martyr for the sake of a humanity I now no longer understand. I had to remain here to oversee my plan, but now, all the pieces are in place, it is time for us to depart.’
‘My Journey spell,’ Eric whispered with sudden realisation.
‘Of course. Again, opportunity and chance have blessed us with the knowledge of a spell lost for Ages. Our only chance of surviving lies in you transporting us away from here.’
‘But I can’t.’
‘Of course you can!’
‘Not so many of us. I can only take one or two with me at the most.’
‘We can take as many trips as you wish, boy. Everything is ready, so we can now leave at your leisure. The only trick will be focussing on our destination, as we will need to Journey somewhere far away, where you have never been.’
‘That’s not how it works. The spell will only take me to places I am familiar with. We could return to Cintar. That would be simple.’
‘Cintar will be destroyed, dolt, or haven’t you been listening? This valley will be struck directly and the eastern side of Amandia will be turned to molten rock and ashes. The West will be blasted with hellish winds and buried in poisonous soot for a thousand years. Nothing will survive. I will help you visualise where we need to go, far across the world. I have constructed a chamber just like this, in the land of Euda. I had it constructed for just this purpose. There, protected, we will weather the storm and emerge to rebuild civilisation from scratch. We will lay the foundations of a better society, free from the evils that haunt us now.’
‘Is that why you have done all this?’ Samuel asked. ‘To make yourself a king?’
‘Of course not. I have no need for power or riches. I barely understand what such things are about any more. This wretched quest of mine has consumed my very being and all I seek is an end to it all. Then, I shall pass the responsibilities of overseeing mankind to any who are suitable to take them.’
Eric nodded dumbly, as if accepting their fates. ‘Very well. If we have nothing else to do, let us go. If time is as short as you say, we should be away from here while we can.’
‘But wait,’ Samuel said. ‘My son is about to be born. I will go and see how much longer it will take.’
‘I’m afraid that’s not possible, Samuel,’ Cang said. ‘We are not taking your woman or the child in her belly.’
‘What is that?’ Samuel stated, in disbelief. ‘I am not leaving them behind.’
‘Then feel free to stay, Samuel. You have served us well, but we need you no more. In fact, you ceased being useful some time ago and have only complicated matters b
y returning here. By killing the Paatin Queen, you may have allowed her to escape her destruction, but it matters not. We will find her in the end. You have served your purpose and can come with us if you choose, but you must leave the woman and child behind. That is the reward for your service,’ Cang said.
‘What manner of nonsense is this?’ Samuel said angrily. ‘I will not leave them here to die. They are coming with us.’
‘I’m afraid not,’ Balten said, stepping in.
There was an awful silence.
‘Why would you condemn them to die?’ Samuel asked, incredulous at their intention. ‘Has everyone gone mad?’
‘It is not worth arguing over. Time is of the essence,’ and Cang looked at Eric, for the first time showing some urgency on his face. ‘Time is fleeting. Make your spell, boy, or we are lost.’
‘How can I?’ Eric stammered, but Cang stepped over and guided him firmly into the middle of the stones.
‘All you need to do is focus on a room identical to this, but coloured blue as the desert sky. Focus on that and your mind will find the place we seek. The circle stones here and at our destination are cut from the same source. Use that, too, to guide your spell. In all the world there is only one such place unique as that. It should only take you a moment.’
Cang then hurried out of the raised circle and Balten and Celios followed, leaving Samuel alone with his friend.
‘What should I do, Samuel?’ he asked.
‘Go,’ Samuel told him. ‘I will follow. Damn this lot and damn their plans. We will make do.’ And he moved out from the circle of stones, beside the others.
‘I feel the Demon King approaching!’ Celios called out, looking around with alarm, as if the door to hell could open anywhere about him.
‘Very well,’ Eric said and closed his eyes. He began knitting the spell, weaving a lattice of magic around himself. The power that went into the thing was not enormous, for it was a masterpiece of efficiency, based on precision rather than brute force. Samuel took careful note of all around him, and he noted Cang’s eyes darting about as Eric moulded his spell.
She Who Has No Name (The Legacy Trilogy) Page 55