Samuel felt weak.
‘What does he mean?’ the Koian woman called faintly from her bed. ‘What is he saying about our baby?’
Samuel was still struggling to grasp what Cang was saying. ‘But, why would this happen to us? He is just a baby.’
‘Now he is but a baby, but he will grow. Inside him is the spirit of a demon. Already, he is learningabouthis new surroundings: growing accustomed to the light, the sounds, the smell of us and the room. He will grow as a normal child, but his thoughts are already that of Lin. It takes time to grow into a new body, but he is in no hurry. It is hardly a moment for him. He will grow as a normal boy, watching and observing the world. Once his body is ready, and once he decides the time is right, he will begin his work.
‘The world is already in turmoil and thosedepartedsouls that have already joined the ether will be his for the taking. He will kill those who remain and add them to his strength. Then, once his grim task is done and only a few of us remain, he will depart and the next Age will begin. Did you think the Demon King would descend from the sky, bathed in flames and hurling bolts of lightning? I’m afraid not, Samuel. This is how the world ends. There is no need of hell-spawn and demons to assist him. The wars of man are sufficientfor himto procure the food that he needs, although I am sure he will do his best to help. He will walk the earth unchallenged and fell armies with his blows.’
‘I don’t believe you,’ the Koian woman said from her bed. ‘This is my son. He is not what you say. It is you who are the demon!’
The head midwife had not understood anythingof what Cang was saying in the Old Tongue, and she had already taken care of the afterbirth and tied the child’s cord and placed the babe back against its mother. Wiped and cleaned, wrapped in a soft cloth, the child wriggled on her chest. She offered the baby her nipple at the direction of the midwife, but it squirmed and smacked its lips and would not take anything into its mouth.
‘He will not feed,’ Cang said, ‘nor drink. He has no need of air or sunlight or any of the things we require for life. He cannot be killed. All he will do is grow and develop until he is ready to take back his kingdom. The spell that destroyed Hol would have turned his mother to ashes around him, but he would have survived. Only Starfall, the greatest spell ever conceived, has the power to defeat him.’
The Koian struggled with the babe, but it wailed reluctantly and turned its head erratically as she attempted to thrust her nipple between its lips.
‘How can you be so sure?’ Samuel asked. ‘You’ve said yourself that man has tried many times to avert this fate. What if you are helping to achieve exactly what Lin desires? What if you are the one who has brought about his return with your damned plans? Perhaps this is the way it always ends?’
‘I have spent my life studying the remains of other Ages, Samuel. I admit that most ancient history is unknown eventome, but I am willing to bet that none hasever achieved a plan of such sophistication. This half of the world will be cleansed of all life. Such a thing has never happened before.’
There was a flash of magic and Eric reappeared within the main chamber, visible through the doorway and standing in the middle of the stone circle. Cang started out and Samuel and the others followed, leaving the Koian with her child.
‘Did you know of this, Balten?’ Samuel asked with concern, marching up beside the tall magician.
‘Not all of it, Samuel. Cang kept the details to himself to keep his plan safe. I did not know most of what he has said until recently. I am sorry it has come to this, but there is nothing we can do.’
‘How was your journey, Master Pot?’ Cang asked of Eric.
Eric looked quite excited. ‘I made it. I found another chamber just like this, lined with blue tiles. It was empty, so I came back. We can leaveatany time.’
‘Wait a moment,’ Samuel told him. ‘Before you do anything to help them, we need to settle something with Cang.’
‘There’s one more thing you should hear, Samuel, before you do anything rash,’ Cang announced. ‘You may have noticed that you have lost much of your wonderful magic. Lin now has need of it and has called it back unto himself. Mother and father are no longer required to care for him. You could throw him into a ditch if you felt the inclination and he would still survive, although I would guess he would be mighty angry about it, flailing about in the dirt for years-but I doubt that has ever happened. Asforyou two, the instinct to care for him is natural and his parents would always have felt the need to care for him. But,if I were you, I would be careful what you do from this point on. You will find you are no longer nearly as powerful as you were. Any curses or blessings that Lin had granted you have been taken back. You are nothing more than a common man and she, a common woman. You can live and die separately as you wish, for that part of Lin’s legacy has now ended. Any powers you have left are what you may have cultivated yourself over your short life. I can see already that is something, but you are now nothing more than an ordinary magician.’
‘I still don’t believe you, Cang. Your words are poison and,even if it were true, his fate is not decided. People can change. Perhaps he will be the saviour of the world and not its destroyer. Everything you know you have learnt from stones and books. They could be wrong. They could be nothing but stories for all we know.’
But Cang only scoffed. ‘Of course not! He is the King of Demons. He will not throw down his crown and be a humble farmer or a poet, no matter how hard you may wish for it. His only purpose is to harvest us and devour our very souls!’
‘To what end?’
‘He is absolute evil! That is the only reason he needs. He has already begunpreparing himselffor the task. Have you guessed why you and the woman seemed to lack all presence, Samuel?’ Samuel looked at his hands and, despite the fact that he could no longer see magic, he could sense power shimmering around his skin-something he could never do before. ‘You have lost that blessing and we can sense you now easily enough. As magicians, we can sense other living things. Everything has energy within it. It is the boundary of their selves, where the extent of their life force ends, and what we can feel are the vibrations that occur at the edges of this energy.
‘The boundary of my power is larger than most and,to see it,I must stand in an open space, where the walls do not get in the way, for it is only the edges that give themselves away. I can then see it, shimmering around me like moondust or glitter. Lin had left half of his power to you and half to the girl-a vast reservoir of energy. To see such power,you would need to look to the horizon, or further, out to the edge of this world, towards the stars. You had access to almost limitless supplies of power, the remnants of every soul who has died since the last Age, gathered and awaiting Lin’s return. You were not invisible, Samuel, but hidden at the core of a power that surrounds this very world. Now that power is his. If you had known how to properly harness it, you could have been something akin to gods yourselves. But,as you have found, it takes the experience of a god to wield such power, and you seem to have enough trouble dealing with your own petty woes and worries. Now, I have dallied enough. I must kill you, for I had hoped you would be completely powerless once the demon was born, but it seems you did develop some skill by yourself. I can’t risk you escaping away with that demon. He needs to wait here for his end.’
Cang raised his palm without further ado and Samuel had only that instant to prepare himself. He cast up a shield of spells, but was startled when nothing appeared before him. In the moment it took to remember that he could no longer see his magic, a blast from Cang had him flying onto his back and he screamed with pain upon the stones.
‘Eric!’ he cried.
But Cang kept the other back with a warning glare. ‘Stand back and do not interfere, Master Pot. I have no need of you, either, although I would not readily see you dead. Now I have witnessed your Journey spell,I can cast it for myself. Do not tempt me.’
‘You may not need me, but I can still cause you some grief,’ Eric called out, and summoned a fi
stful of magic into each palm. He was still on the dais, and he aimed his spells at the stones beneath his feet. ‘Harm Samuel and I will destroy the circle. You may have learnt the Journey spell, but you still need this circle to focus on your destination.’
‘Damn you, boy! Don’t be foolish. I have been to the other temple many times. I don’t need some rocks to find my way.’
‘That may be so,’ Eric responded, ‘but if you have only just learned my spell,then you have had no time to master its details. It is quite tricky, as you can understand. It took me years to perfect. If I were you, I wouldn’t risk burying myself inside a mountain. Even the slightest mistake can be fatal.’
Cang was enraged and the floor around him crackled black as furious magic seethed from within him. ‘Damn you twice, boy! Very well. We will not harm him, but the demon child must stay to meet its fate.’
Meanwhile, Lomar, quiet all this time, crepttowhere Samuel lay upon the floor and helped him to his feet. ‘Ready yourself, Samuel. I will save the child and its mother, but you and Eric will need to distract Cang and Balten while I get them away. When I call to you, do whatever you can. If I can get them to the dais, we can escape. Then, I will return for you.’
Samuel nodded and Lomar backed away, bound for the birthing room.
‘You’d better take care, Cang, or you will find yourself stranded here beneath your star,’ Samuel called and Cang again spun round to face him.
The knotty magician made a cruel smile. ‘Then so be it. I was hoping to escape and help the survivors of this mess to recover, but if you insist that we all need to die, then so be it-but whatever happens, I will not allow the demon to leave this valley.’
Lomar then came stepping out of the side room. He had his cloak bundled up andhemoved stealthily, but Cang immediately turned towards him and knew what was happening at once. He seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.
‘What are you doing, Lomar, you insolent fool! Put the child back with its mother!’ he roared and that was when Samuel struck.
He knew he had little power left, but he had not spent the last few minutes being idle. He had spent his time crafting a subtle Sapping spell. Blindly and numbly he had acted, fumbling with magic by feel and from memory, when normally he could have cast such a spell in an instant. He had enshrouded the thing within the best concealment spells he had learned from Grand Master Tudor and across the floor he sent it. He attached it to the leg of Cang and it began nibbling cautiously at his power.
The stream of power that came back into Samuel revitalised him. He took a few refreshing gulps and then he sent out a blast of magic towards the leader of the Circle. The spell struck Cang without effect, for the cunning magician ever had his defences in place. He took the blow without flinching and, turning from Lomar, he sent a spell of his own back that evaporated Samuel’s hastily crafted barriers in a single swipe.
At this, Balten seemed to lurch into life and came forward to assist his master, but Eric in turn struck out against him, sending a spell into the man’s back that made him spin around with a grimace. The two fought, trading spells that whistled and roared, but Balten had to take care not to damage the circle. Eric, however, was under no such limitation.
Samuel opened his Sapping spell further, for the thing had rooted itself deeply within Cang and had a tight grip. He started gulping at the power and only then did Cang realise what was happening.
‘Damn you all thrice!’ he howled and struggled to disrupt the spell, stamping his legs and blasting at the elusive magic with magic of his own.
Samuel took the chance to send more spells hurtling at the old magician, using the wiry man’s own power against him, and Cang howled in rage as he deflected the blows with one hand.
A shadow caught Samuel’s eye and he was relieved to see that Lomar had finally gained his place beside Eric, with the child moving about inside his robe. It was Master Celioswhogave him away, for he came running up behind Lomar laughing and clapping.
‘The King is here! The King is here!’ he cried, like a buffoon and,in response, Lomar acted. He twirled about like a tornado, once in full circle and with the deftness of an acrobat. Something had glinted in his hand amongst the blur of flying black cloth and Celios froze on the spot, clutching at the red line across his throat.
‘What in blazes are you doing? You fool!’ Cang called aloud.
Lomar’s hand then reached Eric and he gripped on and hugged close. Eric looked as surprised as Samuel at the deftness and ferocity at which Lomar had dispatched of Celios, for the seer had been more of a pest than a threat. Still, Eric’s spell hadanticipatedthe plan, and his second Journey spell snapped out around the both of them and they were gone.
Cang stood wide-eyed with disbelief. The room was quiet, with smoke rising from scorched pieces of stone where spells had landed astray. Only Master Celios’ gurgling and final coughs of blood broke the silence, until he, too, was quiet, lying still on the floor.
‘What has he done?’ Cang stammered and snapped Samuel’s Sapping spell with a final shake of his leg.
Balten had wandered onto the dais, but Cang rushed past and pushed him aside.
‘Get outofthe way,’ Cang ordered and,with that,he forged his own Journey spell, bringing it into being around himself with impressive speed and skill.
Samuel could no longer see the weaves in play, but he could sense the magic falling into place. He could feel the designs as if they were scars upon reality, but they were intangible to his eyes.
‘There!’ Cang called as he finished the final segment, and he released the spell at once. He should have disappeared along with the spell as the magic flashed from existence, but something went terribly awry. His right hand had vanished, while the rest of him remained. He held the stump before him and roared, but more from anger than anything. No blood issued from the wound,andCang was too powerful to be worriedashe turned to face Samuel, full of rage.
‘Do you see what you’ve done? The Demon King has escaped and we cannot follow him. Your fool friend has broken the stones at the other side. We are trapped here!’
Several shrill screams sounded from the birthing room and Samuel felt magic at work from within. He forgot Cang and went to rush away, but the Koian woman had already come running out and was tying a sash around her waist. She had new clothes on, of the Paatin-style, and,remarkably, she looked refreshed and vital. She looked as lithe as she had in the year past and was obviously having no difficulty in moving about, despite the trauma of having just given birth.
‘Where is my baby?’ she called.
‘Your demon spawn is gone!’ Cang called. ‘Escaped!’
She looked content with the news and came over tostandbeside Samuel. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, pushing her face into his chest. ‘That’s good. Then let us go and be with him.’
‘What have you done?’ Samuel asked her, pushing her away so he could look into her face. ‘Where are the midwives?’ he added, looking back towards the room.
‘I couldn’t just wait in bed,’ she replied. ‘I needed them. If we were all going to die anyway, what does it matter?’
Samuel had no time to argue with her. In the end, he supposed it was true; they had no time to let her rest in bed. It was only her flagrant disregard for the livesof othersthat bothered him.
‘How can this be?’ Cang said to himself, still raging. ‘What has he done? Lomar has ruined everything!’
‘Lomar has tricked you,’ Samuel said. ‘Eric will be back for us, but your plans are finished.’
‘Back? My dear Samuel, Iamcertain that by now your friend Eric is dead. Lomar is the most devilish servant of the Circle I have. I just can’t imagine how he thinks to profit from ruining our plans. He must realise this means doom for us all.’
‘What do you mean?’ Samuel asked.
‘Who do you think kidnapped the Empress and brought her here in the first place? He was the one who secreted her away, keeping her hidden in Ghant andsurrend
eringher to the Paatin. He delivered the Paatin Queen’s poison to your School of Magic and ensured it would thin the Order ranks. That was Anthem’s punishment for tampering with Chancellor Donovan’s affairs, and the Chancellor’s payment for services rendered. Lomar has been on top of this whole affair since the start. Why do you think he has been standing with his mouth clamped shut all this time, while we have been making revelations that would attract comment from even the most dim-witted of magicians? I will tell you why. Of all my minions, Lomar was my oldest and most trusted. He already knew everything there was to know! Lomar was supposed to carry on with my plan if I fell. See how skilfully he killed poor Master Celios? What kind of magician can do that? He has been an assassin since he was barely nine years old.’
‘That’s ridiculous.’
‘My, how you have been fooled! Balten’s task was to intimidate you when required, but Lomar was charged with befriending you. He was there from the very beginning, or don’t you remember? After I first heard rumours of your presence in Marlen, he was the first man to be sent to the scene! It was he that called in Ash and his team to do their dirty work upon your family. Lomar has been steering you all along.’
‘No, you lie,’ Samuel said, in complete denial of Cang’s words.
‘It is true, Samuel,’ Balten said. ‘If you think deeply, you will realise that he has always been leading you towards this path. Lomar is much more diabolical than he seems. He is my superior within the Circle.’
Cang grit his teeth in anger. ‘He would have made a worthy successor, but now, he has done the inconceivable and deceived even me.’
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