He sat on a stone chair, which was raised from the floor on a platform at the back of the room. Behind him sat an enormous mountain. It had been hidden from Nikka and Haumea when they had approached Athadh by both the lie of the land, which sloped away from the town to the foot of the mountain and the failing light. There were windows on all the sides of the hall, bar the one with the door.
The light overwhelmed them at first. The architect of this place had known his craft. The rising sun would be visible in the east window to their right and would provide light all day long until it set, as it contemplated doing so now, behind the mountain. Like the stone that this place was constructed from, the careful placement of the room's features spoke of majesty. The throne, although plain was the obvious focal point of the room.
Nikka walked forward and bowed before the King. He had bowed before kings. He had prostrated himself to his Volni captors to avoid being beaten. He was not too proud to bow and it was expected of him here. Then Haumea followed suit, bumping into the Cerni as she rose.
'I am Nikka,' he said, 'Cerni from the mountain kingdom of Sordir, which lies at the foot of the mighty Rathou mountain, deep in the desert land of Tapasya, and this is my companion, friend and guide – Haumea.' The part about Sordir had been true many years ago, but Nikka figured that this, rather than revealing that he had lived as an outcast half way up the mountain, was more appropriate.
Haumea shifted beside him once more. Nikka had not meant to speak on her behalf and he regretted taking charge. He took a step back and left Haumea to speak, bowing once more, to give the King the impression that Nikka was the Giantesses' servant.
The King inclined his hairless head slightly. His pale skin looked unblemished, perfect and intact, as if the previous night had never happened.
'And why do you wish to see me Giantess. I have been informed that you attempted to disturb my slumber last night. What is so urgent that what little rest I take in these difficult times may be ruined?'
Nikka groaned and drew a glare from the two attendants that sat on the level below the king. Nikka held his breath and waited for Haumea to speak. She shuffled to and fro, and for a heartbeat Nikka thought that her courage might fail her, but then she gripped her staff and spoke.
'I am Haumea from the Plains of Uram, near Eu-Dochas. I bring tidings low and urgent.' One of the attendants began to intervene, but Haumea thumped her bone-white staff on the floor. 'I have been charged by your Prime Glaine, Oinoir to deliver this message and it shall be heard.' But the attendant was not pacified.
'Oinoir is no Prime Glaine,' he said with a note of condescension in his voice. 'There are but two Prime Glaines: Treibhreas and Ionracas. Oinoir was Ionracas' second.'
Haumea faltered for a moment at the mention of Ionracas. Tension rose in her. Her fingers flexed on the staff and reclaimed their grip.
'Ionracas has fallen,' said Haumea. Three simple words passed her lips, but each one contained a barb and they took a piece of her as they left. The King's attendants exchanged glances, but the King spoke first. 'So Oinoir thinks to promote himself, does he?'
Nikka turned towards the window. He did not need to hear what came next. Powerful men did not hear what they did not want too, but Haumea would make him listen. He chuckled to himself when the King started to berate Haumea for her impudence. Then Haumea began to rage. She was a volcano of passion that had lain dormant for years, but the loss of Ionracas had shifted the tectonic plates of her life.
So Nikka let Haumea realign her ruler's way of thinking whilst he looked out over the land of Pyrite. He was the only Cerni who had ever stood here and regarded the northern part of this continent. From here, he could see the town and beyond that, the mountain they had bypassed to get here. But that was not what caught his eye. Below them, way out to the east, there were innumerable trees. The setting Sun sat behind him now and it picked out aspects of every colour imaginable.
He wished he could have witnessed the sunrise here today. What a wonder that would have been, but who could tell what tomorrow would bring? He had spent years under a mountain, in the dark, telling himself that, and one day he had been right.
His first glimpse of the Sun after his imprisonment had altered the Cerni. But it was the final stage in his transformation, the last cut of the blade. Or he had believed so until Wist and Aviti stumbled up his mountain.
Above them, the Ghria Duh emerged from behind a cloud. It made Nikka's flesh crawl with revulsion. Within that touch were echoes of his time as a prisoner. But he found his resolve and he stared it down. He would have to avert his eyes eventually, but he glared at it in defiance.
Nikka blinked when Haumea's staff struck the stone floor once more. Then she shouted at the king, berating him for his inaction. All those around him lied to him, and the King had no appetite for the truth. But what man, Cerni or Giant did?
He looked back to see the black orb appear from behind a cloud in its pursuit of the Sun. The two celestial bodies battled for control of the sky. They cast disfiguring shadows over the land. And then Nikka did quail, for the separation between the west of this land and the east was thrown into sharp relief by the sources of light and dark.
Nikka could see the massive scar in this land. It ran from north to south, from whatever lay past the ruined land before him all the way back to the Sea; all the way back to the coast.
But in his mind, he could follow the line further back, further south, back across the sea to Bohba where they had departed Tapasya. And still his mind raced back over the vast desert; back to his home on the Rathou and then…And then back to Mashesh.
He had never been there. He had only heard Wist and Eliscius' tales of the city. He had also heard Eliscius' tale of Wist's suicide. The unbelievable yarn of moving between worlds had left Nikka unmoved. He did not care if Wist came from another World or if he had attempted or succeeded in committing suicide. He liked Wist and trusted him instinctively, which in itself was a rare enough event, but now the story began to resonate in his mind.
The splitting of the land which Eliscius had described, and was known amongst his people, was visible even here, half a world away. And war raged along the divide. But everything led back to Mashesh.
But no, the place that was not important, the man was. It all came back to Wist.
Wist and Eliscius.
Wist and Aviti.
Wist and Tilden.
The twins that Eliscius had spoken of, and the damnable black sun, that Ghria Duh. When had it appeared? When they were aboard the ship? No, not then, it was the next afternoon. But could it not have been then? Would they have seen it? Could it have appeared when Wist had blown their ship apart?
Tilden and the Waren.
He looked at Haumea who had stopped her tirade. 'I should not have come here,' he said aloud. 'I have erred.'
Wist and the Ghria Duh
Then two streaks of light erupted from the ground: one blue and one red. They flew straight and true up to the sky and the building around them shook. Then they turned and separated and Nikka saw what they were.
Dragons. They were not as big as the one that had attacked him and the others when they rode the Sand-whale, but they were faster. Streaks of coloured light marked their passing and the ground shook as they passed. Rather than abating, it intensified as the moments went on.
They had come out of the broken ground in the region between the two halves of the warring lands.
Then they all watched in horror as the Ghria Duh began to move. It accelerated across the sky, pursuing the setting Sun. But it slowed as the tremors abated. When it stopped, the two discs were adjacent atop the mountain.
The King leapt to his feet and screamed. His body ignited as he walked toward the large window. In seconds, the Giant's fine clothing fell to ashes at his feet. The attendants looked ashamed as they stepped aside, but not surprised.
Durach, the King, screamed gibberish at the Ghria Duh, but his intent was clear. It was hatred, raw and undiluted. A
lthough the dragons had triggered it, it was directed at the black hole above them.
The King stood naked and ablaze, shouting abuse at the sky. Nikka turned to the attendants. 'Get the council, or whatever passes for the people who run the city, or this land.'
When no-one moved, Haumea pointed her staff at the nearest of the two attendants and glowered. 'Do as he says, or so help me, there is no power in this world than will contain my wrath.' The attendant may have towered over the disfigured Giantesses, but he leapt from his perch and ran from the room, followed by his compatriot.
Two new guards came in through the open door. Haumea ignored them and approached her King. Durach stopped shouting, and started to babble. The Giantess held out her free hand to touch his arm. When it connected with him the flame parted for her touch and revealed that, beneath the fire, his flesh was unharmed.
Nikka watched in rapt silence as the flames approached Haumea's fingers. She never flinched as they crept onto her hand, but she drew her hand away to examine them. The tiny flame leapt from digit to digit as if it tried to find a new home. Haumea lifted her hand as it burned. Then she put it on her mottled bone staff and the flame vanished.
So she took a step forward and placed the staff on Durach. The King screamed again and the guards took a step forwards, but Nikka moved between them and Haumea. Together, they could have bested the Cerni, but they stopped and watched Haumea.
The King's distress mounted. He turned from the window to the Giantesses. He screamed at her and the King's saliva showered Haumea, but she refused to back down. She gripped his arm and held the staff to it. The guards shifted once more, but were halted by the King's voice.
'Help me' he said in a weak broken voice. It was no longer the voice of the King but of a mortal. The black-tipped flames receded. They ran from the touch of the mottled staff. Soon they were gone from his torso, and a moment later, they left him completely. Haumea caught Durach before he fell and, with help from Nikka, moved the king back to his chair.
One of the Giants had fetched a robe and he draped it over Durach's naked form. The King recovered quickly from his ordeal. He stood and threw the robe around himself as if it were a garment of state. Then he sat once more and drew himself up. He glanced at his hands then he said, 'I was told. When it first happened, I was told. I could not remember; therefore, I chose not to believe. But my lost hours...waking in my chambers without recollection.'
'This time was different, I could see the flames.'
'When did this start?' Haumea asked.
The King regarded her. Then he inclined his head and a smile spread over his hairless face.
'When the land was shaken by tremors from the south, three centuries past, a wonder was revealed to the Giants. In the north, the land shifted. Mines were ruined, communities destroyed. And a stone was uncovered.'
'It was a bloodstone – Dearg Fola, as it is in our language. Its true size was unclear at first as it resisted all our considerable efforts to remove it. But all who had seen it spoke of it with awe and reverence. The priests spoke of it bringing balance to the World.' The King smiled briefly.
'So I took it upon myself to see this wonder, this miracle and so we travelled north along the scar. And we saw that the land was changed. The land between us and the humans had been rearranged. As if a God in his anger had reached down and thrown the pieces of rock around, the land was now impassable. Waterways ran where none had before, marshes had vanished and the entire land was altered.'
'When we reached our destination I found that those who guarded the stone were not filled with awe, but they were darkened by suspicion and fear. I heard their words and I determined not to reject them immediately. But I had travelled to see the stone, so I left them to wait as I descended into the mine. I went alone for what has a Giant to fear in the dark?'
'There I found it, in a chamber not far from the surface. In the centre, a dull stone protruded from a mass of rock in the middle of the chamber. At first I thought it was a lump of red granite or pegmatite, but as I approached it, it caught fire. Or it seemed so to me. I watched it as the flame lingered within. And so I reached out to take it. But it would not move and the flame died.'
'Decades upon decades went by and I barely thought of the gem, until a month ago when the land was disturbed once more. It was a pale echo of the turmoil our land had suffered before...apart from the Human's city in the mountains, and a few of our northern outposts, which were destroyed. I did later find out that the damage was worse below ground than above.'
'Then I was informed that the Dearg Fola had come alive. The ceiling of the cavern that holds it had split. And the touch of the sun had unveiled new mysteries within its depths, my priest told me. I must go and witness it I was told. I must go.'
'So again I went, but without the hope I had held on my first journey. Again, I found my land changed. The damage was not as obvious as before, but it was subtler this time, more... insidious than before.'
'We arrived and as before I went to see the Dearg Fola alone. The cavern that held it had changed little, but this time I needed no torch to light my way. The sun was high in the sky and the chamber was almost as well-lit as this room.' The King of the Giants fanned his hands as he spoke.
As I approached the Dearg Fola once more, it burned. This time it intensified as I neared it. I reached out and placed my hand upon it and then... and then I woke in my own House.'
'The next day an Intoli arrived. It had been years since we had any visitor from the north and so, despite my disorientation, I agreed to an audience. He told me that they must have it and I knew to what he referred. He claimed that they had to have it to save the world or some such tale. I should have played ignorant and collected my thoughts without giving any answer to the Intoli, but then he threatened me. He said that they would sweep everything aside to have it.'
'I could not agree. Not to such arrogance, not to them. I sent him away.'
'Then the humans started to arrive. The Intoli had not the courage to tackle us directly. I cannot believe there is a race alive that could bring an army over the Urams. Instead, they moved east and south, attacking the humans.'
'But my army have held them at bay and my priests they... advised...' he said.
'Your priests?' Haumea roared. Nikka had not thought her capable of such rage. 'Charlatans and shysters. They protect you to protect themselves. For if you are gone then might not the next King cast your legacy to the wind?
'Is this what Ionracas died for? Did he die for your cowardice? He died facing down an army of Intoli somewhere north of Creidas. But for a miracle it would not be myself and brave Nikka delivering these grim tidings, but the Intoli tearing down your beautiful city.'
The King did not reply. To Nikka he looked like Wist had when he first met him; impaled on indecision.
'Your army is about to be overrun. Ghosa has fallen. You must move now to save our people, my King,' Haumea implored pointing to the trails of light that the dragons had left. 'Abandon the bloodstone – the Dearg Fola. Abandon it and bring your people home.'
'No!' shouted the King. 'I cannot. It is ours. I cannot let the Intoli have it. They will bring ruin to the land.'
Nikka had feared this. The King had proclaimed his will before those that served him. Nikka looked at Haumea hoping that she could sense his fear, hoping that she could somehow find a middle ground.
'Then act now and save my land. Bring all of the Giants to fight the Intoli before they capture the Dearg Fola. The Intoli will doom the land; in my heart I know it.'
The Giants would doom the land if the Intoli failed, thought Nikka.
Giants filed into the room before Haumea could finish her plea, but her words had moved the King. The subtle sibilance in her speech now lent gravitas to her words, where days before it had mocked her. The King, still garbed in the borrowed robes, stood. The one of the attendant Giants rushed to arrange them properly.
Six Giants arrived. They were of mixed builds, sex, colour
s: some looked to Nikka like craftsmen; others looked as if they had never swung a weapon nor a tool. The look on the King's face brought them all to attention.
'We are at War,' said the King. 'And, whilst this War comes unbidden, unforetold and unwelcome, we must answer its call.' There were mutters from the council. They did not like to be summoned and they did not like the direction this meeting was taking.
'And as the War had descended upon our lands, upon our people, upon us all, we have hidden in our glorious city. Let the Warriors die, is the council I hear from some,' Nikka saw a dark-skinned Giantess slide behind one of the other council members at these words. 'And these were my thoughts also.' Durach held out a hand to the council, as if he sought to absolve them of the blame.
'But Ghosa has fallen. And these Intoli, these white demons will sweep us from the land if they are not opposed.'
'Are we not Giants?' asked an older Giant who held a staff similar in dimensions to the one Haumea's, but it was a plain wooden piece. 'Are we not equal to all things?'
'Indeed we are Treibhreas,' said the King, 'Indeed we are. And if this was a simple war then, win or lose, we would leave it to our army. But look at the Ghria Duh.'
'Look at it!' he shouted when none of them moved. 'We need no portent to tell us that if the Ghria Duh devours the Sun, we are all lost.
'But, my Lord, this aberration and the attack of the Intoli, these things cannot be linked in such a simple manner. If you will forgive me for saying so, you have found a cart of apples and a cart of flour and named it a pie.' This comment garnered a ripple of laughter.
'I may have been a fool before,' said the King, 'but I am so no longer, Treibhreas. I suspect that you all are aware of what befalls me when I have been taken ill since I returned from seeing the Dearg Fola.'
'Nothing remains secret for long sire,' said Treibhreas, breaking the silence in the room.
'Then tell me that the appearance of the Ghria Duh, the burning fits which have afflicted me and the onslaught of the Intoli are not linked.'
Treibhreas began to refute the King's claims. But Haumea rapped her staff on the floor again silencing him. The look Treibhreas gave her was part incredulity, part disgust.
The Redemption of Wist Boxed Set: Books 1 - 3: The complete collection Page 52