by Jordan Baker
"Interesting," he said, and Dakar once again heard the distinctive rumble of the voice of the god. "Kandara is a mighty land, rich in minerals and dark magics. It has been many years since I have set foot upon it. Perhaps we should visit the front, to oversee the war directly."
"We have made arrangements for a royal escort to leave at your pleasure, your highness."
"Where is my queen?" Cerric said, his voice that of a man and not a god.
Calexis had been sequestered there since the wedding ceremony, awaiting the moment when she and the god-king consummate their vows, and she had been frustrated that Cerric, under the influence of the god, had almost completely ignored her.
"I believe she is in the royal chambers, awaiting your pleasure," Dakar replied.
"Good. It has been far too long since I felt the press of flesh and am in the mood for some sport, and some wine before we travel."
The rumbling power in his voice had returned and Dakar wondered what might be in store for the Xallan Queen, whether she would receive the attentions of a man or a god.
*****
The Maramyrian wine was weak and Calexis wondered if it had been watered. A servant replenished her cup as quickly as she drained it while she luxuriated in the steaming waters of the bath, hoping the heat and the wine would relax her. She had married the king of Maramyr and all that remained was to consummate the ceremony and by Xallan law, she would become the queen of both lands, an empress. The only problem was, Cerric had disappeared, neglecting his duty to finalize their marriage by giving her the pleasure she was due. Of course, Calexis had not expected the ritual of the mage priests to result in her new husband apparently being possessed by a god, so she had made an effort to be patient, but such was not one of her strengths and her anticipation was only piqued by the thought of coupling with a being of such power.
She felt it almost immediately, like the energy in the air during the rise of a storm, the power that emanating from Cerric filled the space around him and it excited her. Her own powers, which had changed with her Darga transformation, had become more instinctive, more animalistic in ways, and her senses had become more attuned to many things, especially the power of the god who was now her husband. She felt his approach, hot and powerful like the flows of molten rock that spewed from a broken mountain, radiating power from just below its jet black surface. The door opened and Cerric entered. Calexis tracked him with her eyes as he walked toward her, his gaze fixed upon her, smoldering with a fire she recognized. He stood behind her, looking down at her exposed body, spread out beneath the surface of the water and she tilted her head back to look up at him.
"Is my husband finally ready to take his lady wife?" she asked, unable to suppress the slight note of impatience in her voice.
"You are an interesting creature," he said, his voice low with the power of the god within him.
"As are you," she replied. "Do you think yourself the only one with ambition? We are much the same, you and I. We both seek power and know the joy of it."
"Of that I have no doubt, Calexis, though your ambition exceeds your reach. You would be wise to tread carefully with me."
"Or what?" she asked as she leaned back, closing her eyes in quiet defiance. She would not show him fear, no matter how powerful he had become. "Will you kill me? What a boring proposition. It would serve no purpose except to make your life less interesting."
Cerric laughed. This woman was intriguing. He could sense that she feared him, but such feelings as she had were miniscule in comparison to her towering arrogance. The lustful haughtiness of this queen did indeed mirror his own ambitions and he knew she would make an excellent companion to him, so long as she never lost sight of the truth of his power, a force to which she could not even begin to compare. Calexis sighed deeply, as one of her hands slid deep into the water between her thighs.
"If you're not going to kill me, then pleasure me," she told him. "Or did the god take your manhood?"
Cerric laughed deeply then he reached down and grabbed her by the hair on the top of her head. Calexis scrabbled around in the sloshing water, dropping her cup into it as she was dragged from the bath. She hissed and struggled as her wet feet hit the cold, stone floor and slid across its smooth, polished surface toward the bed. She grabbed at his hand trying to stop the pulling at her scalp but his strength was implacable and, a moment later, she was lifted off the floor and thrown onto the vast and luxurious bed. Calexis began to laugh as her wet, naked body hit the cushioned surface. Cerric stared at her for a moment from the edge of the bed then, almost as though he had moved with unnatural speed, he was upon her. She felt the heat of his power radiating from his body as it pressed up against her and she felt his manhood pressing insistently at her through the fabric of his clothing as his face brushed up against hers.
Calexis hissed, her fanged teeth glinting sharply as she reached up and grasped his head, her sharp, pointed fingernails that had become almost clawlike, digging into his scalp. She pulled him toward her with one hand and pressed her full lips against his. With her other hand she tore away his clothes, her nails cutting through fabric and revealing the heat of his flesh. A moment later, he was within her and her body shuddered as the terrifying power that ran through him as it coursed and pulsed within her. Calexis wrapped her legs around him as he thrust himself deep inside her and she reveled in the knowledge that he was hers, and that he was so much more than just a man, or even a king, but she now knew the truth of him and she felt the power of a god.
*****
The whole palace shook and the city of Maramyr felt the rumbling beneath the ground. People in the streets ran for cover, unsure of what was happening, and soldiers readied their weapons, wary of an attack but Dakar ignored the sounds and tremors beneath his feet, for he knew very well what was causing the disturbance. He had stayed behind at the Academy library to look over some of the records that were kept by the librarians and had made a discovery. Someone had altered the ledgers that indicated the locations and of the many books that were housed in the library and it had been done using magic. Dakar was surprised that none of the mage priests had noticed the differences when they had begun removing book of magic from the many shelves, following the wishes of the one god.
There was something that Kroma wanted, and Dakar was determined to find out what the god was searching for. Whatever it was, it was important and probably something powerful, for it had something to do with the third age, which he had surmised from the books the god had already searched. He had compared the records his mage priests had made of the confiscated books with the ledgers at the library and though they matched, he had spent much time in the library and knew that books were missing. All of them pertained to the third age, the time when the gods still walked in the world, an age that had ended when the gods departed the world for a heavenly realm that some called Etherium, a place to which the priesthood had opened a portal, allowing their god to return. Dakar knew of the existence of such a place from his own studies as a young mage, and he remembered mention of it in numerous books in the library at Blue Island, books that he knew would have copies in the Academy library, but he could no longer find any of them. Someone had quietly removed every reference to the third age and the heavenly realm of the gods, and he wanted to know why.
Dakar made his way to the temple square where the enormous structure the priesthood had built towered over the aging temples of the old gods and he stopped outside the temple of the god, Kroma. It had occurred to him, when the god had first appeared, fusing with the body and mind of Cerric, that all this time the priesthood had been working to glorify a god they believed to be the one and true deity, which was what the book had told them, or at least how they had interpreted its messages.
In their earnest belief that this was the truth, the priesthood of mages had actively discouraged worship of the old gods, suggesting for years to the people they encountered in their travels that the old gods had abandoned the world, then, after that idea
had taken hold, promoting the idea that the old gods might have never existed at all. Dakar himself had come to believe the truth of this, feeling the power of his connection to the Book of One, the link to the god he had worshiped and who now walked in the world, but the god had revealed himself to be one of the old gods, which created a conflict for the mage. If the one god was really the old god, Kroma, then what of the other gods? Did they too exist?
*****
"You've got some nerve, sailing straight into the pirate's lair," Lanos yelled as the crew of the Al-Andor threw lines to the many pirates that had gathered along the harbor docks of Meer Island when the ship had appeared.
The pirates tied off the ropes and the crew of the ship hauled at capstans, pulling the lines tight and slowly moving the ship closer to the dock. Sten leaned on the rail of the ship and wondered how much trouble he and his crew might be in, for the man who stood on the raise portion of the docks, along with the pirate men and women who accompanied him, looked to be well armed and none too pleased to see an Aghlar ship coming to port off at their dock.
"You're Lanos-Meer?" Sten asked.
"Aye, that's me," Lanos replied. "And what fool might you be?"
"The name's Sten, first mate of the Al-Andor."
"First mate? And where's your captain? Why does he not speak for the ship?"
"He's back at Aghlar, we sailed without him."
"A mutiny then?" Lanos was intrigued. Aghlar ship would be a welcome addition to the Meer pirate armada.
"Nay," Sten told him. "Captain Carlis is still our captain. We're just on an errand for the Lady."
"And which lady would that be?" Lanos asked.
"You can ask her yourself," Sten said, then he hollered to a few of his crew to extend the gangplank, then he turned to Ehlena. "Are you sure about this? They're pirates, these people of Meer Island, and they've been our enemies for many years."
"I will be fine, Sten," she said. "The Lady is with me."
Sten took a deep breath shrugged, for even though his thoughts told him that it was pure folly for the young girl to walk down the plank into the crowd of pirates, for some reason he knew she would not be harmed. Still, there was some wisdom in having some protection.
"Let me come with you," he said. "Take an escort, just in case."
"What would you do, Sten? What would an escort do, except cause more problems. If you were to fight these pirates, they would win for they outnumber us by many. No, I will greet them alone. Do not fear. Nothing will happen to me."
"Well, we've come all this way on your say so," Sten said as he scratched his head.
"Thank you, Sten," Ehlena said and smiled at him then walked over to the heavy wooden plank that had been extended over to the raised dock.
Ehlena took a deep breath and stepped out onto the notched wood of the gangplank and walked toward the motley group of pirates assembled on the other side, their swords gleaming sharp and the points of their daggers at the ready.
"Maybe Sten is right," Ehlena said in her mind. "Look at those pirates."
"I am with you," the Lady replied. "They will know this, as do the crew who have faithfully brought you to this place."
"If you're sure. But they look very dangerous."
"I am sure. I am a goddess, after all, as are you."
The pirates stepped back as the wind stilled and the cloudy skies above parted and Ehlena walked toward them, a vision of light, almost glowing in the blinding light that shone from above. Ehlena felt the power of the goddess fill her to the brim, as though her radiant light might overflow and spill out of her. It was a strange and overwhelming feeling but not in a terrible way. She could not help but smile at them, for she felt free like the wind in the sky, the kind of strong and goodly wind that would fill the sails of ships and make for perfect seas. The pirates felt it too and they knew that the young woman who walked toward them was more than just a girl. They put away their swords and daggers and parted way for her, all except their leader, Lanos, who struggled to stand his ground, even though something deep within him responded to the young woman the same way as the men and women he commanded.
"You are Lanos-Meer," Ehlena said, her voice like a warm breeze, powerful yet playful.
"Aye," Lanos replied.
"I ask that you and your people afford safe harbor to the crew of the Al-Andor for they have come at my request and hold no ill will toward you."
"Aye, milady," Lanos found himself saying, though he knew not why he did so. The young woman who stood before him was barely a slip of a girl, yet she had the presence of a woman, the likes of which he had never before encountered. Something about her made him feel as though he could fly, or sail the world with perfect winds forever. He tried to shake off the feeling but found himself enthralled by the girl.
"Thank you, Lanos-Meer," Ehlena said. "There is a storm coming. In the times ahead, if the seas turn against you, call upon me and I will do what I can to gentle them."
"Thank you, milady," he said and then he stepped aside as she walked past him and made her way down from the platform and up into the streets of the town.
The sky returned to grey but the winds stayed gentle in the island port as the crew of the Al-Andor worked with the pirates at the docks to secure the ship safely to its moorings. Sten walked over the gangplank to greet the man named Lanos, who he understood from the second part of his name to mean that he was the leader of pirate island.
"She's quite the lass," he said.
Lanos shook his head and blinked his eyes as though waking from a dream.
"It's been a strange time here," he said then he looked at the first mate of the Aghlar ship, his gaze regaining its former skepticism. "I can't say I'm pleased about it, but you've got safe harbor."
"And we're grateful," Sten said. "It was a raging storm we passed through a few days past, with fearsome tides, though the winds were fair to us, despite the rolling seas. We've the luck of the Lady with us, to be sure."
"Some kind of magic," Lanos muttered. "I've had my fill of it of late. I'll be glad when all these mages and wizard women are gone. Nothing good can come of all of it."
"You still do not know," Sten observed. "'Twere a blessing you just received, from the Lady herself."
"The Lady?" Lanos scoffed. "I don't keep hold to old legends. That girl worked some magic upon me, and used her tricks to make me grant you safe harbor. I know when I've been magicked, but there's naught I can do about it since I've already granted my word and all my people heard me say it."
"So you'll honor it?" Sten asked.
"Aye," Lanos told him. "You've safe harbor, but once you break port your ship will be fair spoils, so you'd better hope she's got fast sails."
"Oh, the Al-Andor is fast enough, and faster with that girl aboard. With her blessings, there's no ship that could catch us."
"I think you'll find the pirates of Meer Island have plenty a fast ship," Lanos told him then began walking away. He glanced over his shoulder at Sten. "Keep the peace in the town and you'll have no trouble, at least none while you're at port."
CHAPTER FIVE
Fire. White, hot fire, blazed, setting the world alight and spreading flames of red, blue, orange and yellow, like the sun, burning everything. Fear. The dark eyes, hateful and angry, silver and black, reflecting in the cold, sharp steel, afraid as the flicker of doubt was burned to flame. Water. Cool hands pushing back the heat, the night air soothing as the screams faded into the distance.
Aaron saw faces in the darkness, silhouetted in the orange glow of the flames. A child cried out as a woman screamed and men shouted. He did not know where he was, but the man with the dark eyes was gone and he was no longer afraid, and yet the heat of the flames licked around him, hurting him. Loud noises came from somewhere close, pounding then a crack, followed by another. More shouting.
A face he recognized. Tarnath. He reached out to him and saw his beard begin to smoke. Another face. No, it was the same. Tarnath smiled at him. Aaron heard other v
oices, ones he knew, but they were fading as the light of the fire died away.
The night was cool and the stars bright overhead. The peaceful rhythm of a horse, riding over cobbles then pounding softly upon earth. The breeze carried the scent of evergreens, the hint of salt from the sea, the smell of black earth, the fresh droplets of rain. All was quiet.
He was in the cottage. It was summer and the night was warm. Fireflies danced among the trees and a grey owl stared back at him with golden eyes then disappeared silently into the night. He heard a voice he knew. It was his uncle, Tarnath, talking to himself. Aaron tried to rise but he could not and he found himself outside, in the darkness, staring up at the stars and unable to move. A shadow drew near and a flash of cold steel moved in the darkness. Eyes, dark and piercing drew closer. He was afraid.
A shout. Warm light and woman's face, one he knew but did not know why. The dark eyes turned and the woman screamed and ran toward the steel. She reached out and bled from her hands as it cut her. Another face he knew but did not know appeared. A man with a sword, stepping from the light into the darkness. The dark eyes turned and stared. The steel was raised high and the woman screamed.
Fire.
"How is he?" Zachary asked. Stavros looked up from the book on his lap, an old tome he had been studying that spoke of an ancient time and pathways to magical realm. Carly, who was sound asleep on the floor nearby did not stir.
"The same," Stavros told him.
"I have tried everything, but he is in a dream that will not end. It only repeats itself."
"At least we know his mind is still there," Zachary said, trying to sound hopeful. "If we can get him to wake, then hopefully he will be all right."
"If we can get him to wake, then we will discover if he is truly sound."