It wasn’t until the end of the third day when they were starting to prepare for camp that Bren felt a change in the air. It felt slightly fresher, cleaner than the air he had been breathing for the past fortnight. “Can you smell that?” Bren asked Cass, who was pouring some of the cave crab blood into a small bowl to light the area.
“Yes,” Cass said without looking up at Bren. “I would guess that we are getting close to an exit. Hopefully, it will be the exit you are looking for. I don’t relish spending any more time in this pit than the rest of you.”
“Then why are we stopping?” Bren asked, his voice holding a slight edge to it.
“We are stopping because we have no clue what is at the end of the tunnel. If we can smell fresh air, then the exit has to be close; most likely less than an hour’s walk. I would prefer it if everyone was well rested…just in case there is trouble awaiting us.” Cass spoke with a little hitch to his voice, and Bren could tell that Cass had to force himself not to run toward the exit.
Everything inside of Bren screamed at him to run toward the exit. It was a fierce feeling inside of his gut that twisted his stomach and made him want to vomit.
Bren returned to where Faye waited and took solace in her company. He was so close to his goal, and yet he was being forced to wait. That news more than anything ate away at him.
Bren could tell that Faye knew something was bothering him, but she didn’t put it into words, it was just the look on her face, and she gently stroked his back when he sat down. Bren looked at her and the pain in his chest slowly drained away. He was uneasy still, but not nearly as much as he had been moments before.
That night as he slept, Bren found his dreams as troubled as his waking moments. He dreamed of himself entering the veil and standing in the middle of it was a large shining doorway of light, and on the other side was his father banging against the door his face contorted into screams, though Bren could not hear what he was saying.
Bren rushed over to the doorway and banged against it. Small ripples moved across the doorway like a stone thrown into a lake, but the door of light didn’t budge. Bren tried to pull in magical energy but nothing came to him. He had made it to the very doorway that he had searched for, had bled for, and that his friends had died for, and now all they could do was look through it to the other side.
Large tears ran down his face as he continued to bang on the door. “Father,” Bren yelled as he dropped to his knees, his hand sliding down the golden doorway as the image of his father slowly disappeared.
Thad sat in the darkness still looking at the empty space where he had watched his son not long ago. He didn’t know how much time had passed since the small window into the real world had disappeared, but he had little care to do much of anything but watch the darkness where his son had once been.
“It seems that your son will be in the vail soon,” Humanius said with a mixture of sadness and finality in his voice. “It seems that he is much more resourceful than I gave him credit for. That or my children were not as ready for him as I had hoped.”
“What?” Thad asked slightly taken aback by the god’s words.
“I am telling you that the abyss is about to be destroyed. You, me, my sister, and all those wandering the endless darkness will soon be freed from this prison, and the doorway between your world and the world I came from will be opened. Let us hope that not all is lost due to your son’s decision.”
Thad thought about what the god had said. His son had made it to the vail or would soon be there, and he would be free. He had heard the god talk about it more than once since his son had cost him his source of magic from the other side of the window, though he let the words slip past him at that those times, more worried about his son than what the god was saying. That had changed now that it was coming to pass. He knew that the god was worried that the world would either end or be thrown into a massive war with the dissolution of the abyss, and Thad just hopped that his son’s actions didn’t bring such a thing to pass, but at the moment there was little he could do about it.
As Thad was thinking about what Humanius had said, a strange voice called from the darkness, catching his attention.
“Brother, you don’t look well,” the voice said as a young woman with silver skin and white hair walked into Thad’s vision.
“Belaroan, I figured you would be arriving soon,” Humanius said, looking to his sister. “It would seem that your plan has come to fruition.”
“Yes,” Belaroan said with a slightly twisted smile. “No matter how many times I tried, I just couldn’t get through when one of your toys broke, but once, just once I was able to make a new god. I had tried many times, but since father never told us how it was done exactly, I had to try many different things. I think I have outdone myself though, he has turned out much stronger than either of us.”
“I don’t know why you are so pleased with yourself,” Humanius said with a sneer. “Father told us that no more gods should be made. We are breaking the balance. It was bad enough that you made your children, but this time you have broken the rules.”
“Rules,” Belaroan shouted. “Father’s rules. The same rules that caused the others to turn against him, and that ultimately cost him his life and forced us to leave our home. I told you; I will go back, and I will seek revenge on those that stole our lives and our father from us.”
“You have let the magic sway you too much,” Humanius responded, his voice dripping anger.
“No brother, I have not been listening to the fire,” Belaroan said with a sneer. “Not as if I could here, where I can only get a small sip of magic when one of my sons remembers me. No. I have not been letting the magic get the better of me, but that does not mean that I have lost the rage that beats in my chest.”
Belaroan walked to where Thad sat and ran her fingers down his cheek. “You, my dear boy, have my gratitude. While my sons hid away, afraid for the lives of their own children, you braved the Brotherhood and fought against them, driving them away and giving the others a safe haven, but it didn’t stop there. You broke through the window, and allowed me a slim chance at an escape from this prison, and now years later, that chance is coming about.”
“I didn’t do it for you,” Thad said, pulling away from her cold hand. “And neither did my son. We are not your pawns, nor are we toys to be moved around by your hand.”
“That is where you are wrong,” Belaroan said, giving him a wicked smile. “You carry my blood, and thus you are the children of my children.”
“Sister, enough of this,” Humanius said angrily. “You have won. I just hope that you don’t regret what you have bid upon. If this world dies, then you will have to be the one who lives with that.”
“No brother,” Belaroan replied. “If this world dies, then I shall die along with it. Do not think for a moment that I have not cared for these people as much as you. I have watched them grow for centuries upon centuries just as you have. They are stronger than you give them credit for. If you had only helped me, then now that the door is being torn open, we would be ready for it, so if the weight of the world hangs on anyone’s neck, it would be yours.”
Thad could tell that the goddess’s words struck Humanius hard, and for the first time since he had met the god, Thad felt a slight bit of pity for him. He could understand the god’s decisions, and while he didn’t agree with most of them, he knew what it felt like to find out in the end that all your decisions might have been the wrong ones, though Thad couldn’t really see a right one. Both the gods had made the wrong choices as far as he was concerned. If it had been him, he would have prepared for the war, knowing that the wall might someday fall, but at the same time, he would do his best to keep it from falling. He knew the problem was that to do one, would offset the other, making it hard to follow one course without destroying the other.
“It doesn’t matter now,” Thad said, gaining both of the god’s attention. “Now we need to worry about what comes next. Thinking and arguing about the p
ast will accomplish nothing.” As soon as the words came out of his mouth, they sounded foolish to him, but he knew he couldn’t take them back.
After a few moments, Humanius shook his head. “The boy is right. We might have taken different paths and made different choices in the past, but now we find ourselves standing on one path, and for the sake of this world, we must see it through.”
“So you will help me brother?” Belaroan said with an almost giddy laugh. “I am so happy to hear it. I do so hate it when we fight, and this one has gone on for far too long.”
The two gods didn’t hug, but Thad did feel an easing of the tension that had been in the air. Forgetting for a moment about the two beings that were with him, Thad turned back to where the window had once been and said a silent prayer that his son would hurry before the gods started fighting again.
Chapter 23
Just as Cass had said, it didn’t take long for them to reach the doorway that had been letting in the fresh air. Now the five stood before it, yet they still hadn’t walked through. Bren stood at the front, his hand lightly placed against the door as he remembered his dream from the night before.
“Bren,” Faye said her hand gently resting on his back.
Taking a deep breath, Bren pushed hard on the door, and as it swung open, his eyes were assaulted by the harsh sunlight coming from the other side. As his eyes adjusted, Bren saw a large open field filled with flowers of all different kinds.
After days in the darkness, it was a beautiful sight to behold, and Bren caught himself standing in the doorway of the tunnel just staring out at the field. He felt a nudge from behind him. “I don’t know about you, but I would like to feel the sunlight on my face again,” Brenda said as she pushed him again this time much harder.
As Bren walked into the large flower field, he looked around. The valley was much smaller than he had envisioned. With one look, he could see every side of the mountain wall. Looking straight up, Bren could see the sky, but most importantly, Bren could once again feel the touch of magic. He couldn’t just feel the touch of the magic; it was more like a grip. The magic was so strong it felt as if his head was slightly spinning. Bren shook the feeling aside and followed the source of the magic until he reached the center of the valley.
Unlike in his dream, the doorway he searched for was not made of gold, it was more like the heat coming from a fire slightly distorting the air. Bren reached out his hand and gently touched the wavering air. His hand passed through it as if nothing was there.
Afraid to pull in magical energy unaided, Bren used Thuraman and sent a wave of magical energy into the doorway, but once again, nothing happened. For hours, Bren tried to open the doorway, but nothing seemed to work.
“Give it a rest tonight, and give it another go in the morning,” Cass said once the sun began to fall out of the sky.
Luckily, the valley, while small, was filled with animals. None of them very large, but it was more than easy for them to grab a few rabbits for a stew. Bren had plenty of meat and other things within his pack, but fresh meat was still a nice treat.
For the first time, in what felt like a lifetime, the small group sat around a fire in the open air. Without the walls around them, Bren felt much better than he had in days, and the small amount of moonlight that streamed through the clouds lit up the area just enough so they could see each other without having to strain their eyes.
“I didn’t see another way out of here except the way we came in,” Cass said as he took a large bite of the rabbit stew that Faye had made for them. “I don’t know about everyone else, but you can take all the time you like playing around with your little door. I am in no hurry to go back into that pit under the mountain.”
“I second that,” Brenda said shivering slightly. “After this, I don’t think I will go into another cave for the rest of my natural born life.”
“I think everyone can agree with you on that,” Bren said looking back at the large door that led back into the depths of the mountain.
“Speak for yourself,” Phena said slightly indignant. “I love being underground. It is much more peaceful than being within one of your cities, though admittedly, I don’t look forward to the way back home.”
Everyone became tense around the fire until Phena gave a short barking laugh, then like a sudden downpour everyone joined in her laughter. To celebrate the occasion, Bren pulled a small keg of ale out of his pack that he had been saving, and everyone poured themselves a cup. The keg only held enough for each of them to get two mugs, but after their time underground, it was most welcomed.
After a night a celebration, Bren more crawled back to his bedroll than walked. He was tired, and the alcohol had hit him hard, but at least the voices were gone.
As he lay looking up at the night sky, Bren tried to think of a way to open the door. He had tried physical force, but the simple pass through it was just the wind. Magic was useless as well, or at least all the spells he had tried, and he was limited there out of fear of pulling in too much and losing control, but if things didn’t change, he was going to have to try it. “Have any ideas?” Bren asked inside his own mind.
This is one thing I cannot help you with. I can sense your father on the other side, but other than that, I have no ideas.
“You’re a great help,” Bren said sarcastically.
I do what I can. I will try and probe into the doorway but I don’t think I will be of much use on this task.
Bren tried to think of anything that might work, but without trying most of them he wouldn’t know, and many of them required him to use more magical energy than the staff or the gems in his pack would afford him.
With no other choice, Bren closed his eyes and let himself sleep. For the first time in days, Bren got a good night’s sleep. As he dozed off, he figured that his mother or sister would once again call upon him. It was almost as if they waited for something to happen before they contacted him, but his fears were unfounded.
The next morning, he was the first to wake, which was a new thing for him. Everyone had been so tired that even Cass, who had been keeping watch, had fallen asleep against a large oak. Bren thought about waking his friend but decided that a good night’s sleep wouldn’t hurt him, and now that he was up there was really no need to wake his friend.
The sun had yet to come up, and the moon cast little light on the valley, but there was just enough light coming from the dying campfire for Bren to see a little of the surroundings.
Though beautiful in the light of day, the valley was eerie at night. The gate looked different as well. It shimmered like fog in the candlelight during the dark hours of the night. As Bren watched the doorway closely, he noticed its slight shifting, and for brief moments, he thought he could see something on the other side. Peering closer Bren held his eyes close to the doorway and watched. After more than half an hour of watching, Bren was sure that he had seen another place, a place much like the Deadlands, yet older. His eyes growing strained, Bren pulled back and lifted Thuraman and cast a large bolt of energy at the door, but it passed through it and disappeared. When the lightning didn’t work, Bren tried fire, he tried spell after spell, everything that he could, but nothing seemed to work.
With no other choice, Bren took a small breath and tried to ground his mind as he started to pull in magical energy. It rushed into him like a river braking through its dam. Having felt it before, Bren was ready for the rush of energy and was able to hold it at bay and to keep it from overwhelming him.
Once he had as much energy as he could hold, Bren started forming it into a basic spell then let it loose. A large stream of pure energy the size of a horse roared from his staff and rushed over the doorway, some of it spilling into the mountain on the other side. Bren held the spell until his arms grew tired from being held outstretched. As the spell dissipated and the smoke cleared, Bren found that the doorway had not given an inch; it still looked the same as it had moments ago. On the other hand, where Bren’s magic had hit the mountain
looked as if a large section of it had simply disappeared.
Bren pushed away his anger and tried again, and again, until the sun had risen and had moved halfway through its path in the sky. Exhausted, tired, and angry, Bren let his emotions get the better of him. Bren pulled his sword from its scabbard and threw it through the air toward the door.
When the sword hit the doorway, it stopped in midair and hung there. Half the blade showing and the other was simply gone. Surprised, Bren walked over to the sword and calmed himself. He reached out and took the sword by the hilt and pulled on it. It tore free and came out looking as it had moments before. Curious, Bren cut at the doorway, and for the first time, it looked as if it had been affected.
Bren pulled the sword up and swung down as hard as he could. The blade struck the shimmering doorway and stopped then slowly, as Bren pushed with all his might, it started to move downward. When the sword passed through the last bit of the doorway, Bren lost his balance, and the sword slipped from his hands and stuck into the ground.
Cursing himself, Bren retrieved his sword and moved back to strike the doorway again but found something different. Where there had been one shimmering light, now there were two, and they twisted and curled as if in pain then broke, and all that remained were wisps of smoke.
As the smoke dissipated, the ground started to shake, and the wind picked up, blowing with enough force to rip trees out of the ground. “What in the nine hells is going on,” Cass screamed as he crouched on the ground trying to keep his bearings.
“I don’t know,” Bren replied as his eyes stayed focused on where the door had been only moments before.
Suddenly, the area filled with a strange fog and as it cleared, the small valley was filled with numerous people. Bren looked around and found his father standing dazed and slightly confused near the corner of the valley. Bren started to walk toward him but noticed that two other people stood beside him. Unlike his father, the other two had silver skin, just like him and their hair shined a light grey just as his did.
God Mage Page 17