Cang then shifted his attention towards Eric. ‘Now, Master Pot, I am very glad to see you here andto observewhat potential you also have. It disappoints me that your friend Master Goodfellow did not make it. He could have been useful in the coming days, but it’s true he was little more than a crutch that was holding you back. He was the voice of reason to temper the fire in your bellies, but perhaps he outlived even that usefulness. I would not have thought the two of you would have sacrificed him so easily, but seeingthatyou did, I can only surmise you had realised the same. Even I thought it was a little callous of you to lose your friend for the sake of destroying Ghant, but I can’t say I blame you. Yes, yes. All of you shall have something to offer me.’
Eric was also red-faced with anger, enraged by the comments of their host. ‘Why would you do such a thing? Why are you saying this to us?’
Cang’s gaze shifted back to Eric without any change in his visage. ‘What’s this? Still a little fight left in you, Master Pot? That won’t last much longer, I’m sure. Why did I do all this? To save the world, of course. You have all been made aware of the impending end of this Age, yet all of you chose to ignore my call. The time has come for us to shore up our defences and ready for the return of the demons of legend. Yet, they are not legend,they are real and they will be here very soon to devour the world and everything you find precious. I could not make you believe me, and so I have brought each of you here to see for yourselves what will happen if we do not take action.’
‘Here? To this god-forsaken corner of the world?’ the Emperor said with disdain. ‘Why bring us all the way here to tell us this?’
‘To let you see for yourself. To let you believe. I can conspire and contort your fates all I like, but I can never force you to believe what I have to say. You must make that choice for yourselves. And the things that will decide your minds are here, in this temple and in this valley. You have already seen some of them.
‘The desert itself is the result of the demon’s birth, so many years ago,as all deserts are the results of man’s foolishness, in one way or another. Once rich with forest and pasture, this land has been made inhospitable since that first day when hell was literally unleashed. This valley was the birthplace of the Demon King, Lin, himself, and the violence of his making formed this sunken canyon. With your help, we plan to lure him back here. Those first few moments when he returns to our worldareour only chance to strike. Only then is he vulnerable. Only then can we destroy him. Only then can we be free of this infernal cycle of decimation.’
‘You think that between us we can destroy a god?’ Samuel asked.
‘No. I am not so imbecilic, but I have a plan to destroy him. He must be lured here and we must have our weapons ready. Your roles are to assist with this.’
‘Why should we help you? Why should we even believe you?’ Eric asked.
Cang cocked his neck from left to right, andhisbones played a crescendo of cracks each time. He took his time and seemed more comfortable when it was done. When he was ready, he continued with his explanation. ‘Did you see those temples as you entered the valley, each crumbling and fallen into dust? In each Age since the demon was born,a temple has been built, of varying shapes and design-all built to weather the years, but similar in contents. In each temple is the recorded history and wisdom of mankind. When theDemonKingreturns, almost the entire population of this world will perish, but the temple remains-its knowledge carved into stone, waiting to be found. In this way, the wisdom of the Circle of Eyes is passed along and the Circle can remain unbroken. This is our only hope, that one day the Demon King can be destroyed. Each Age, a new temple is built with the contents of the last painstakingly copied across, and the results of the current Age appended. This temple is now complete and contains all the knowledge of the past Ages and this. The time has come and our hope is preserved. If we fail, we will all die and be consumed, but this temple and the unbroken and ever watchful Circle will be our continuing legacy of hope.’
‘Do you mean to say that those ruins out there were once like this?’ the Emperor asked.
‘Oh, yes. Each temple was once new and complete. Around the circumference of this valley, there is room for twelve such buildings, and this temple you are sitting in is built on the ruins of one before it.’
‘Thirteen thousand years?’ the Emperor said with disbelief, calculating the sum of each building.
‘I presume it is actually much longer, for some Ages are much longer than others. We really have no idea how long this dreaded cycle has been repeatingitself. It is possible that the temples have been built upon each other many times over. We have no way to know with any certainty for,although the knowledge we passonis immense, some is always lost. We only know that some three thousand years ago, the then members of the Circle came up with a plan-or perhaps they,in turn,had found it from somewhere else, we will never know-to kill the Demon King. For that plan to work, we had to find two unique relics that had been created in the time of the Ancients,two sources of power that, when coupled together, act to call the Demon King into being. My servant, Ash, was responsible for finding the first such item.’
Samuel’s thoughts immediately turned to the ring in his pocket. ‘Is that why Ash was sent to Tindal?’ Samuel asked.
‘Partly, yes,’ the bony magician replied knowingly, ‘but he almost destroyed the relic in the process. Luckily, despite Ash’s treachery, we now possess the first precious thing we need.’ And he gestured towards Samuel.
Samuel was horrified that his secret had been given away, but there was little he could do about it now.
‘What is he talking about, Samuel?’ Eric asked.
Desperately, Samuel struggled against his magical bindings, until he finally managed to get his hand into his pocket. On contact with the cold metal of the ring, the spell around his arm seemed to slip free. He gently drew the Argum Stone out of his pocket and held it up for all to see, to which Cang only smiled smugly.
‘So you have found one of the objects then. What of the other?’ the Emperor asked.
‘I know where the second relic now sits, but I am not capable of taming such a force. Despite my knowledge, I am not capable of putting the two together. The secret of such things is beyond me and is something we have yet to discover. This is not just a matter of brute force. If it were, I could have dealt with the matter myself long ago, or summoned the Lions to see to the task.’
‘You’re suggesting the Lions were also involved in your schemes?’ the Emperor asked, incredulously. ‘Ridiculous!’
‘Not directly, my good friend, but they served me just as well as they served you, in one way or another. Very few are actually ever in the knowledge that they are serving the Circle. As you have seen, I have the ways and means to set people to my needs, despite their own intents.
‘Now, the final part of my plan is not far from realisation. Once you arrive at the heart of the desert, you will surely find the second relic in the hands of the Desert Queen herself. I charge you to go there and face her. Then, you must return the two devices back to me in readiness for my plan. Accomplish this, and the people of the world will live. Fail, and everyone will die. This is the only possible way.
‘We magicians do not father young, but we have a very different burden to bear-the very well-being of humanity. The lost souls of the Ages before this have been calling for this moment and now we, for the first time, have the chance to accomplish the impossible. I know you have all been brought here under false pretences, and no doubt you all have grudges to bear, against me and my servants, but there are no choices from this point on. We must act, or perish.’
‘But what about my ring?’ Samuel asked with concern. ‘Are you allowing me to keep it?’
‘Of course. You will need to keep it. I cannot send you out defenceless and you seem to have become rather dependent on the thing.’
The Emperor had been listening intently, but now spoke up. ‘But you said we are supposed to keep these infernal relics ap
art at all costs. If we go there with the very thing we are supposed to keep separated, won’t we be risking the return of the demons ourselves?’
‘The relics must be put together in a special way. They cannot be forced or coerced so easily. I doubt even the Paatin Queen couldcompel them together, and she is an expert in such convoluted and difficult tasks of trickery. No, it is a subtle secret that requires time and great care. You must go before her and face the trials of her city. Then, before you can return to me, you must wrest her prize from her grip and return with the two devices safe and sound.’
‘We should just destroy the thing now,’ Eric stated. ‘Why take such a risk? If we destroy one relic then the other is useless. How could they possibly be put together then?’
‘The Demon King is much more cunning than that, Master Pot. His aeons of planning are much more capable than your one poorly devised suggestion for,if one is destroyed, the other becomes undone at the same moment-but they will be spontaneously remade again somewhere upon the earth. Perhaps that would gain us some time, but we are here, now, and we are ready. Seeking and destroying the relics has not succeeded in any Age before and it will not save us now. Wewantto bring the relics together. Wewantto open the demon gate, in this, the time and place of our choosing. Then, and only then can we kill the abomination that is Lin.’
‘Then what is my role in this?’ the Emperor asked. ‘And theirs?’ he added, pointing to the Koians.
‘We all have roles to play, my dear friend. I cannot say more, for the very nature of your being will foretell what role that is and,in the telling, I could spoil that precious but fragile potential.’
The Emperor rubbed at his chin. ‘And what will you do while we are busy enacting your master plan?’
‘I mustpreparethe other components. The moment you return here, we will act. Timing is vital and I must have the spells ready for exactly the right moment-vast spells that have taken years of preparation and require many months more.’
‘When is that right moment?’ Eric asked.
‘When you return.’
‘Howwillyou know when we will return?’ he persisted.
‘Because you will arrive,’ Cang answered without humour.
Eric scowled, for the man spoke in the same riddles as Master Celios, but Samuel took the opportunity to speak. ‘So, Master Celios was complicit in your plan all along. Obviously, Balten also knew what was going on. Does the deceit end there? Who else amongst us has been aiding you? If we must help from our own free will, I don’t want any more secrets.’ In that, he looked directly at Canyon, and he was not disappointed in Cang’s reply.
‘Are you looking for someone on which to focus your frustrations, Samuel? Very well, then that serves a purpose, too. Ambassador Canyon is worthy of your attention in that regard,’ said the devious Cang, twirling his intertwined thumbs around each other. ‘Or why else do you suppose he is being so silent? Even now, the events that led up to today are running feverishly through his mind as he desperately thinks of ways to explain his involvement. He had all the little pieces of his plan worked out, but never did he think he would be put on the spot quite like this. Am I right, Ambassador? See how his pulse races and his skinreddens, despite his efforts to keep himself calm. It seems he is not the master of deception that he imagines. Almost, but not quite. He thought he was first in line for infinite riches and power or something of the kind, I presume, for why else would he be complicit in the destruction of his entire nation,of betraying his own god,of bringing her halfway across the world in effort to satisfy his own greed? Perhaps he even thought to gain favours from the Devil King as reward for helping with his return?’ At this, Canyon, shook his head desperately with denial. ‘Even I am not guilty of so much cruelty. I must admit Ambassador, that you are the only one here who has actually met the end of his usefulness. If the others chose to beat you to a bloody pulp with their bare hands, I would not interrupt them.’ Canyon looked broken and began to sob into his hands. The sight was pitiful, and Samuel had never seen the man so disturbed. ‘If you want to lie down and die,I am sure no one will object. Perhaps, your god will assist you to end your life?’
‘But the Circle promised me everything!’ Canyon blurted out. ‘The Circle promised me power!’
‘Of course I did, you fool, and you believed me. And power would have been yours, but I said nothing about murder and treachery and all the terrible things you have done. I said nothing about genocide,about the rampant destruction of your own people and culture. That was all your own vile nature at work. In truth, I regret that you were even recruited, for you have caused more suffering than I can stomach. I am saddened that my envoys in Koia chose so poorly, but at least the final result has been as required. You are here now, and you have done all that you were asked.’
‘That’s enough!’ the Emperor roared. ‘It’s one thing to deceive us and use us like this, but why torture us all the while? You act as if to befriend us, then you set us against each other. You kidnap and kill our loved ones as if their lives meant nothing. We wouldhave helped you if you had been truthful to us. All you needed to do was ask. You are an animal!’
But Cang only smiled dispassionately and shook his head. ‘No,’ he said. ‘No, that is not the way that people behave-not at all. You would never have believed me, and you know it. None of you would. Indeed, with many of you Ihadtried already and Ihaveasked, but you each ignored my beckoning.’
‘Damn you, Cang,’ Samuel cursed. ‘We will get your damned relic. Just let us out of here so we can see to our work!’ Samuel hoped the others would agree with him, if only so they could leave the room.,He wasfilledwith disgust, but the one who spoke next surprised everyone in the room.
‘Magician Cang,’ said the Koian woman for,so far, she had been silent and still in her usual way.But now she pinned the knotty magician with an icy gaze that shone out from beneath her hood. ‘It seems we have been manoeuvred into a place of yourchoice, at a cost beyond description, but I have heard and considered all that you have said. I do not know your full intent, but we will do as you say.
‘Since coming to this land, you have all insisted that I am not a god and perhaps that is even so, but let me just say that Ambassador Canyon is mine to do with as I wish. He will come with us and not die until the time of my choosing. His punishment for his actions willalsobe of my choosing. We will return your trinkets for whatever you intend, and we may even help you destroy this demon that you speak of, but know this-when we are finished, whether we are successful or not, you will die, too.’
Cang actually appeared entertained by her remarks and he clapped his hands with a look of glee. ‘Well done, my girl! I see there are the makings of a woman inside that heartless shell, after all. I accept your terms, but all of you know this in return. Of all the people in the world, I am the only one who can fit the pieces of this plan together. Once we are done and the world is safe, I will be happy to die, for my life will have no meaning once that goal has been achieved. Still, to give you some motivation, there will be a reward waiting for each of you upon your return. I am the only one who can give each of you what you most desire. Each of you has a secret craving,a meaning that you have been seeking your entire lives. When you come back, I will give it to each of you.’
‘There is nothing you have that I would want,’ she spat out with unbridled disgust.
‘That’s not what I have been led to understand, my fine young puppet. I have heard of something you want most beyond anything else in the world. Would you not like to have it back-that thing which you have lost-your name?’
At that, the Koian woman froze. ‘You lie,’ she said. ‘I have no name. I am a god.’
The brown-robed magician sitting before them only sneered. ‘You are not a god, you are a pathetic tool for Canyon and his likes, used to exploit your people and keep them under your ruler’s thumb. You do have a name and not even Canyon had forethought enough to discover it. But I did. You were taken from your mother while she was
shouting and screaming,and she called your name for years to come, until she went mad with despair. My ears and eyes are everywhere and I know your name well. Before I die, I may even tell you, but you are charged to complete your task first.’
She looked at her ambassador. Her hard exterior now looked brittle and she was trembling upon her seat. ‘Is it true?’
‘You may have been given a name-I don’t know. You were brought to the temple when you were only a babe. We never asked. It never mattered. Our god has no need of names.’
The woman composed herself and returned her glare to Cang, but he ignored her completely. Instead, he put his back to her and looked at Eric. ‘Master Pot, I know what you desire. Return successfully and it shall be yours.’
‘I want nothing of yours,’ Eric retorted with disgust.
‘As you say, but I know what lies in your heart. Please me, and it is yours. Samuel, yours is the most obvious and easiest of desires to grant, for I know exactly the one who killed your mother.’
‘I have already slain that demon, Cang,’ Samuel stated. ‘I killed Ash long ago.’
‘Of course,Ash was in command that day, and I know you feel you have avenged yourself with his death, but it was not Ash who did all the frightful stabbing on that fateful eve. There is one last living member of Ash’s witch hunters, for all the others have now perished. You slew Bardick, his accomplice, and the others in that band have met their own fates in different ways over the years. I have your mother’s killer squirrelled away safely for you. Only I know his hiding place. Complete your task and I shall give him to you.’
‘You lie,’ Samuel said.
‘Again, believe as you wish. His name is Cadin. He has a particular way with words and a nasty habit of chewing Fiskian tobacco that has since cost him most of his teeth. He was a magician of sorts, with a talent in scrying for magic, but he abandoned that life years ago to pursue a career in petty thuggery.’
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