Istar put a hand on Haziel’s forearm. He looked at her and nodded as she spoke up. “Who crafted it?”
“We do not know,” Villia said, “but it seems like someone was trying to drive us to conflict. Let me ask you this. Does it seem like a good idea to attack Jezreel’s manor as you were planning to do earlier today?”
Istar gave Jez a hard look. She didn’t like him, there was no doubt about that, but after a second, she sighed and shook her head. “I see your point. They very nearly succeeded. What do we do about it?”
Jez allowed himself to let out a breath of relief that they seemed willing to listen. “A working this big that lasts so long would need more than a circle.”
Villia nodded. “You are right. In fact, the circle would not be needed after it had been crafted, not so long as the working was being powered.”
A chill ran down Jez’s spine. “So this working could have existed for a long time, maybe even years. If someone wasn’t feeding power into it, it would remain dormant?”
Villia gave him a slow nod. “That is possible. What are you thinking?”
“We found one of Dusan’s workings that spans the entire city. It had been hidden by an illusion until recently.”
“When it became active,” Villia guessed. “They would not even have to remain in the basement. As long as they were within the influence of the working, they could keep it powered.”
“Who could do such a thing?” the king asked.
Before anyone could answer, a gruff-faced man poked his head in the tent.
“Excuse me, Your Majesties. A messenger has arrived. She says it’s urgent.”
“Who?” Haziel asked. “Someone the masters sent? Why didn’t they use a speaking stone?”
“I’m sorry. She didn’t say. She wasn’t from the mages, though.” The guard looked at Jez and cleared his throat. “She said she came from Sharim.”
CHAPTER 19
Jez’s form blazed, his sapphire robes emitting a blinding light as he shed his human form for that of the Shadowguard Luntayary. The sword hanging at his waist crackled with power. His flesh sizzled, but in his anger, he barely noticed. He drew water from the air, and it swirled around him. The guard had paled, and when Jez turned his attention to him, he looked like he was going to pass out.
“Sharim sent one of his demons? And you didn’t banish it?”
“N... No, sir. It wasn’t a demon. It was a woman. She gave her name as Mirel.”
“Mirel?”
Lina’s voice was practically a shriek. Jez echoed her anger and drew more deeply of Luntayary’s power. The ground shook. The guard was paralyzed with fright, but before Jez could do anything else, Villia stepped in front of him, her eyes glowing violet, and the rage drained out of him.
“You have lost your shield.”
It caught Jez off guard, but she was right. He’d only lost it for a second, but that had been enough for the working to magnify his own, already significant, anger. He took a deep breath. As Luntayary, it was even easier to fortify his mental shields, and it only took a minor effort for him to protect Lina again. Like himself, her anger lessened, though it didn’t fade altogether. With Mirel involved, though, that didn’t surprise Jez. The king and queen were staring at him, looking almost as fearful as the guard. Istar had a hand on her sword, though she hadn’t drawn it.
“Who’s Mirel?” she asked.
Lina spoke through clenched teeth. “She’s an afur who came to us a year ago. We thought she’d come to help, but it was all a trick. She led us into the abyss.”
“I’m not fond of overly dramatic claims, Baron,” Haziel said. “What did she actually do?”
“Look into their eyes,” Istar’s voice was quiet, and Jez thought he heard a hint of fear in her voice. “They’ve never been more serious. She literally led them into the abyss.”
Haziel’s eyes widened. His voice was barely above a whisper. “I heard stories...”
Jez nodded. “It’s not really the sort of thing we spread around.” He turned to Villia. “How did she get out anyway? I thought no one could leave the abyss if they went of their own free will.”
“Sharim got out,” Villia said, “and he has both knowledge and power. He may have found a way around that restriction.”
The tent flap rippled in the wind as Jez groaned. “That seems to happen a lot. I’m starting to wonder why the rules even exist.”
The afur nodded. “We must decide what to do.”
“What do you advise, Villia?” the king asked.
“Go out and talk to her.”
“What?” Jez said.
“She was a Lightgiver. Whatever else she has done, there are certain parts of her nature that she cannot change. One of those is her inability to tell a lie. We may be able to use that.”
“That didn’t stop her from tricking us,” Lina said.
Jez wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thought the lantern darkened in response to her mood, and he wondered if the working was somehow making her lose control over her illusions.
Villia inclined her head. “True, but you had reason to trust her then. Now we know where her loyalties lie, and we know to be on guard against her. We can ensure she speaks straightforwardly.”
“More to the point,” the king said, “the decision is not yours to make, Baron.”
Jez stiffened. “You promised Daziel...”
“The Lady Lina has told me that the high lords have become mentally unbalanced. I acted on his instruction, but how can I stick to that, knowing what I do now?”
Jez stared at him over the table. He wanted to argue, but he could think of nothing to say. Haziel was right.
“We would, of course, welcome your presence at this meeting, Baron,” Istar said. Haziel gave her a questioning glance, and she nodded. “He has more experience with both Sharim and this messenger. We’d be fools to ignore that resource.”
Haziel inclined his head. “Yes, of course.” He turned to the guard. “Tell Mirel that we will meet her here.”
The guard looked like he wished he could be anywhere else. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but she said she would not come. You are to go to her.”
Haziel’s face reddened, but he managed not to shout. “And who does she think she is to think she can summon me?”
The guard swallowed. “She said that if you ask that, I am to tell you that she is the one whose master has a demon army ready to take Rumar.”
The color drained from Istar’s face, and the king’s jaw dropped. He spun to face Jez. “You said he would come here.”
For a moment, Jez was struck silent. “We assumed he would. The high lords are here, and it was the center of Dusan’s power. There are still workings laced throughout the barony that we don’t understand, but that he almost certainly learned from Sharim. After we sent Shamarion away with Maries’s cage, we didn’t think he had any reason to go to Rumar. Where else would he go but here?”
“Most of our army is in Korand. Rumar can’t stand up against a force of demons.”
“We never could,” Istar said. “Not without the gathered power of the mages.” She banged her fist on the table. “It’s just like two years ago, and again, I’m far from home.”
“We should have gathered there,” Haziel said.
The queen clenched her fists and took several deep breaths. Her next words sounded like they were dragged from her throat. “We may have to forget about Rumar.”
“What?”
“Rumar would be of strategic importance if we were facing a normal foe. Sharim is capable of going anywhere and summoning his army. He could’ve done it within the walls of the city itself.” She raised an eyebrow. “As he did before. Our army would’ve come to nothing then. No, Haziel, this was the right decision. Now, we need to focus on minimizing the damage.” She turned to the guard. “Sergeant Hury, please lead the way.”
CHAPTER 20
To Jez’s surprise, the king and queen didn’t call for an escort of gu
ards. Rather, they seemed happy to have him serve in that role. He wasn’t sure if he should be honored or insulted by that, but he decided he should just go along with it. Lina accompanied them with neither permission nor objection from the monarchs, and she kept close to Jez. They didn’t bother to get horses, and it took them half an hour to reach the lone figure who stood in the middle of the road. The tall grass swayed in the wind all around the road, and the wind carried the verdant scents from the forest to the north. Jez closed his eyes and concentrated, but to his surprise, she wasn’t the source of the mental working. He shook his head at the others, and they approached.
Mirel’s pale skin and golden hair almost seemed to shimmer in the night. Her eyes were a shade of yellow Jez had never seen in humans. She wore the yellow robes of her former order, and as soon as she saw them, shining wings seeming to be made of light, rose from her back, casting odd shadows onto the road. She met Jez’s eyes and smiled. Though there wasn’t anything overtly threatening about the gesture, he found himself closing his fist around empty air as he prepared to summon his sword. Mirel let out a musical laugh, and Jez clenched his teeth. The king and queen seemed not to notice his reaction and moved to stand in front of Mirel, though they stayed several yards back. Istar kept her hand on her hilt.
“You are the afur called Mirel?” the king asked.
“I am.”
“Why did you want to see us?”
Mirel raised a hand. “Perhaps we should wait until the others have arrived before we begin.”
“The others?” the king asked.
Mirel grinned. “Of course, my dear Haziel.” Haziel reddened at the address, but Mirel went on. “There are three factions here, and my master sent me to address them all.”
Absently, Jez turned to the north. The forest covered the horizon, and after a few seconds, he could make out movement. Two figures ran across the plain, moving like the wind. Even at a distance, Jez recognized Osmund’s hulking form. The being next to him ran on four legs and towered over him. His head was surrounded by a crown of fur, its golden color barely visible in the moonlight.
It only took a few minutes for Osmund and Galine to arrive. Osmund had a peculiar glow about him, and heat seemed to radiate from his body. Jez found himself wondering if it was truly Osmund that stood before him, or if it was Ziary. He didn’t exhibit the violent tendencies he had in the past, but neither did he seem to be entirely Jez’s old friend.
Galine, for his part, looked wilder. He had never claimed to be civilized, but he had always had a certain kindness to him. That was gone now. His coat had grown rougher and was full of snags. A low growl rose from his throat as he breathed, and he glared at Jez as if trying to decide whether or not he was prey. Jez started to greet him when a shadow passed over them, framed by a bright light. Jez looked up to see the orange-robed Illeon gliding down at them. As he landed, the grass at his feet rippled, and when he took a step, flowers bloomed in his footprints.
“Now we can begin,” Mirel said.
“What do you want?” Jez asked.
She glanced at him for a second before turning her back to him and facing Illeon. “Jezreel,” she said without looking at him. “You were not invited. You should count yourself lucky that I allow you to remain.”
“Baron Jezreel is a member of my court,” the king said. “He may accompany me whenever I wish him to, regardless of what the representative of a usurper says.”
“It does not truly matter,” Mirel said. “I am here to dictate the terms of your surrender.”
“Surrender?” Illeon glared at her with a look that Jez would’ve thought belonged on a Shadeslayer, not a Lifebringer. “You would dare come here and demand we surrender to that abomination, after all the people he has killed?”
Mirel smirked. “And what is your alternative, afur? Stay here and grovel before the high lords so they can feed you their scraps? Their time is over. Soon, my master will claim their power. What will you do then?”
“The battle isn’t lost yet,” Jez said. “Not by a longshot.”
Mirel laughed. “You are foolish to think you have a chance.” Her wings brightened, and her body dimmed until she seemed to be nothing more than a shadow with wings of light. A sparrow that had been hiding in the nearby grass flew into the night. When Mirel spoke, her voice sounded deeper, like that she’d used when she wore the guise of the demon Enki. “My own presence should prove that to you. Even the abyss cannot keep things from Andera.”
“If that’s why you came,” Jez said, “I think it’s safe to say you can turn around and go back to Sharim. No one here is going to surrender.”
Osmund nodded in agreement, and Galine growled at the messenger. Illeon just stared on. Haziel clenched his fists so tight his knuckles went white, but he didn’t contradict Jez.
“You have not yet heard what Andera offers,” Sharim said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Jez said.
Mirel wasn’t listening to him though. Instead, she looked right into Illeon’s eyes and spoke so softly Jez could barely hear her. “He will restore you. Andera will claim the Keep of the Hosts. There is not strength enough in the whole world to stop him. It is only a matter of time. Once that is done, those of us who were cast out of the Keep of the Hosts will be restored if we only follow him. We can once again be what we were meant to be. What do the high lords offer you that compares to that?”
Illeon’s jaw had dropped from almost the first moment Mirel started speaking. By the time she finished, he was shaking his head but wouldn’t meet Mirel’s gaze.
“I do not believe you.”
Mirel let out a hearty laugh. Illeon took a step back, and the queen drew her blade a few inches, but after a second, she stopped and let it drop back into her sheath. Mirel still smiled as she spoke and lifted a fold of her robe, displaying its shimmering yellow color.
“I was a Lightgiver. I am not capable of lying if I wished to.”
“Then Andera is. He lied to you, and you believed him. Now, you are just repeating his lie.” Illeon sounded desperate.
“He has given me his sworn oath.”
That brought Illeon up short, and he suddenly seemed very small in the moonlight. Jez didn’t need mental magic to know what Illeon was thinking. One of the few things limiting demons was they had to obey their sworn oath. Jez didn’t know if being in human form would allow Sharim to violate that, but Illeon obviously didn’t think it did.
“He is deceiving you, somehow. He must not have said what you thought he did.”
Mirel raised an eyebrow. “We cannot lie, but we are experts at manipulating our words to make it seem like we are saying a thing while actually saying another. Do you really think Andera could easily fool someone like me with that kind of deception?”
Illeon took a step back, struck silent by Mirel’s words. Istar drew her sword and stepped closer to Mirel. The afur sneered at her, and Istar’s face reddened. She held herself in a stance, ready to strike. At the thought of Istar attacking Mirel, a chill that had nothing to do with the coolness of the night ran through Jez.
“You said you wanted to wait until we were all here before you spoke,” the queen said, “and yet all you have done is given a blasphemous proposal to the group who is least a part of this world.”
“I was not just speaking to him.” Mirel met Villia’s eyes. “His offer extends to you as well. You were kind to Andera when he pretended to be your apprentice, and he regrets the conflict you had a few years ago. He earnestly desires to have you at his side.”
“What?” the king cried out, but Villia had already raised her hand.
“I made my choice long ago. If Andera had paid attention all those years, he would know that.”
“A pity.” Mirel turned to Osmund who almost seemed to blend in with the shadows. “Where is Welb? He would want to hear this offer as well.”
“I’ll tell him,” Osmund said. “I wouldn’t expect too much. He was there when Sharim attacked the valley.”
Galine bounded forward. “That wasn’t a misunderstanding. He tried to kill Aniel!”
“Actually, he tried to take Aniel’s power. That is not exactly the same thing.”
Galine roared and leaped at the afur. His claws moved in a blur. Just before he hit, there was a flash of light. When it faded, Galine stood in a circle of burned earth. Mirel appeared a hundred feet away, wearing a contemptuous smirk. She’d used that defense before. It was a sort of summoning, only instead of calling a being from another place, it summoned one to a place nearby. In effect, it was an emergency escape, though one only open to spiritual beings like afur. It was an extremely useful working, but the circle needed for it could only be used once.
Osmund was apparently thinking the same thing. His body burst into flames, and when they had gone out, Ziary stood in his place, a flaming sword in hand. He streaked across the field, but before he arrived, Mirel raised her hand. Half a dozen circles, previously concealed by the tall grass, burst to life all around them. In each stood a chezamut, one of the soldier demons of the abyss.
Each stood seven feet tall and was covered in red scales. Their legs ended in cloven hooves, and their knees bent backward. Their arms ended in wicked looking claws. Ziary turned in the air as Istar drew her sword and slashed in one quick motion.
Chezamut skin was stronger than steel, and mortal weapons couldn’t easily hurt them, but to Jez’s surprise, the weapon pierced the demon’s skin. It had to be magical to have such an effect, though he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised that the queen of Ashtar would have such a weapon. Jez didn’t bother to transform. He threw his hands forward, and a beam of silver light shot out, impaling the nearest demon. Silver cracks spread through its skin, and it crumbled to dust a second later. He swiftly dispatched another. By then, both Ziary and the queen had banished the remaining two, but when he looked around, Mirel was gone.
CHAPTER 21
Lifebringer (Pharim War Book 6) Page 10