The Sword Of Angels eog-3

by John Marco

  Lahkali grimaced. ‘I don’t know, Lukien. You already have the amulet to keep you alive.’

  ‘But I don’t want to be alive! Now more than ever, I just want to. .’

  He stopped himself, biting his lip. He felt Lahkali’s hand tighten on him.

  ‘Cassandra will wait forever for you, Lukien.’ Carefully she pulled him forward. ‘Come. We’re close now.’

  Lukien relented, giving himself over to her guidance. They walked quietly, neither of them speaking, cresting a hill of wildflowers until a little valley was revealed, laying in the shadows of birch trees. Among the shadows stood a stone tomb, not particularly grand, its grey surface overrun by moss and creeping vines. No bigger than a shack, the tomb had a single, iron door and a symbol hung over the threshold, carved of the same weathered rock. Lukien peered at it from the place on the hill, noting the symbol with a wry smile. It wasn’t a blade that marked the sword’s resting place, but a single, expertly carved torch with flames that leaped off the surface in relief. Lukien turned toward Lahkali.

  ‘Life?’

  ‘Eternal,’ explained Lahkali. ‘That must have been what Malator requested. The tomb has been here a thousand years, Lukien. It’s built, rebuilt and repaired, but always the torch has remained.’ She smiled at him. ‘Are you ready?’

  Lukien took a breath. ‘I’m ready.’ He hesitated. ‘What now?’

  ‘Now you go inside. The sword is waiting for you.’

  ‘Inside? But how? That door must weigh a hundred pounds.’ Lukien studied it from the distance. ‘And look — it must be locked.’

  ‘It is locked, Lukien. But you are here to claim the sword. If as you say Malator is waiting for you. .’

  Lukien understood without really knowing how. He had long ago accepted the Akari magics. Opening a long locked door was hardly a task for them at all. ‘Will you come with me?’ he asked.

  ‘No,’ said Lahkali. ‘You’ve come a long way, Lukien. You should go the rest of the way on your own.’

  She reached up on her tiptoes and put a kiss on his cheek, then retreated back with a smile. Lukien regarded her with open admiration. They both knew he’d reached the end of his journey, and that soon he would be going home. But there would be no tears from this strong young woman.

  ‘Wait here for me,’ he told her, then turned and started down the hill. The flowers crunched beneath his boots as he hurried, carried down by the gentle slope. At the floor of the valley he felt the cool shade of the birch trees touch his face, and for a moment he slowed, taking in the ancient tomb. It looked every day of its thousand years, crumbling in places, its rocks patched with new mortar, its roof slanted with age. The hinges of the iron door had long ago rusted shut, almost falling to dust. The portal itself seemed unmovable. Lukien sized it up as he approached the crypt. It would be impossible to move alone, he decided.

  ‘But I won’t be alone, will I?’ he whispered.

  This time, he wasn’t talking to Amaraz. Behind the door waited Malator, and despite the thick iron between them, he could almost hear the Akari’s voice, urging him onward. Lukien placed his hands onto the metal portal, feeling its cold sturdiness. There was no handle to the thing, and only the barest space between its edge and the stone. Confident, Lukien put his fingernails into the narrow gap, digging in as best he could.

  ‘All right, Malator. I’m ready. Help me!’

  Then, closing his eyes, Lukien pulled. His fingers slipped, but held just enough to move the door a fraction. Amazed, he tried again, this time getting a stronger hold, and when he pulled the door creaked open, giving a screech like a wounded animal as the antique hinges shattered. Lukien’s muscles shook as he pulled, using his weight to pry the door open. He felt it grinding forward, crushing the earth beneath it. Lukien gave a triumphant shout, then used his shoulder to push the door aside. It fell with a loud crash to the ground, and suddenly the thousand year-old air rushed out of the tomb. Inside, shrouded in darkness, stood a single, plain looking altar, almost the twin of the one used to make the story stones. Dust had settled thickly over its smooth surface, obscuring the object sitting atop it. Lukien held his breath, taking one small step inside. As his sight adjusted to the darkness, he saw the point of the sword sticking out from the altar’s edge.

  The Sword of Angels rested in the dust of eons. It didn’t glow or burn with fire. It didn’t sing or call to him. Looking like an old, discarded weapon, it merely waited atop its humble altar, letting the years dull its shine. Lukien inched deeper into the tomb, gazing lovingly at the sword. Its simple workmanship touched his heart. Endless generations of spiders had weaved their silken homes around the crypt, and the air smelled foully of must. Amid all of this, the sword rested patiently, not complaining. Lukien reached the altar and hovered over it, his light breath disturbing the dust. He could see the sword clearly now, and knew it for its Akari craftsmanship. The blade was straight, long and slender and double-edged. The cross-guard, made of simple steel, curved upwards at the edges. The grip, so time-worn it showed the finger grooves of its master, had been made of something like onyx, still with a sheen despite the years of dust. But it was the pommel that caught Lukien’s attention, the only grand part of the sword. Used as a counter-balance, this pommel had been perfectly formed into the likeness of a lion’s head. Lukien stared at it in amazement. He had expected the Sword of Angels to take his breath away. Instead, it merely pleased him.

  ‘Malator?’ he whispered. He looked up from the sword, gazing around the chamber. ‘I am Lukien of Liiria. I’ve come a long way to find you and your sword, and how I mean to claim it. Your brother is at work in the world again. He’s very far away. You probably don’t even know he’s awake.’

  Lukien paused, listening. Malator did not speak, yet Lukien could feel his presence all around him.

  ‘I tried to defeat him,’ Lukien explained. ‘I wasn’t at all prepared for it. Your brother has a friend of mine, you see. My friend — Baron Glass — he’s a good man. He is, really, but he’s taken the Devil’s Armour for himself and now your brother Kahldris has corrupted him. Malator? Are you listening?’

  He had only to ask, and the sword on the altar began to vibrate. Slowly at first, the steel of the blade began to hum, shaking the dust and singing with a strange, metallic music. Lukien laughed with delight.

  ‘Malator! You see, Amaraz? It’s not so hard to speak to me!’

  He knew he should take the sword. He knew the singing was Malator’s signal to him. Lukien prepared himself, unsure what would happen when he touched the simple hilt. The sword was his; Cassandra had promised him that. And now Malator too seemed to insist the same thing. Lukien reached out carefully and took hold of the sword, wrapping his fingers around the onyx grip and gently lifting it from the altar. It came up easily, weightlessly, slipping through the air without any effort at all. Lukien grinned at the blade’s perfect balance, the way his hand moulded to its timeless contours. At once he felt the power of Malator coursing through him.

  ‘I’m ready, Malator,’ he declared. ‘Show yourself to me, I beg you.’

  Outside, the sky began to darken. Or was it just the tomb itself? Lukien turned toward the door and watched as the shadows from the birch trees crept up on the threshold, blanketing it until the chamber went black. Unable to see, Lukien waited, feeling the sword grow warm in his grip. Just as he had with Amaraz, he felt his head began to swim. The ground beneath him turned to water, and the walls began to bend with light. Bracing himself, Lukien shut his eyes. When he opened them again the tomb was gone, and he was alone in the Story Garden.

  He looked around, unsure if this was the same garden he had entered with Lahkali. Night had fallen, and the flowers had vanished. The birch trees remained but they were different somehow, with moonlight trickling through their leaves. Malator’s crypt was nowhere to be found, yet it felt to Lukien as though he were in the same valley. Up in the sky a few tendrils of clouds moved across the moon. A steady breeze rambled across the green. Luki
en looked around, confused but unafraid. He knew that this was Malator’s doing, and that the dead Akari would soon appear. Still holding the Sword of Angels, he began to wander among the trees. The hill where he’d left Lahkali was still there, but of course the girl was gone. He was not only in Malator’s world — he was in Malator’s death world. Lahkali wouldn’t be born for a thousand more years.

  ‘Malator?’ called Lukien. ‘I’m ready to meet you. Please.’

  From the corner of his eye Lukien glimpsed movement in the trees. He turned and saw a figure among the birches, almost hiding behind one of the trunks. The man wore a white shirt that flared out at the bottom, cinched with a wide belt of tan leather. A long coat hung from his shoulders, battered from years of riding. He leaned against the tree trunk, his green eyes shining, his lips curled in a shy smile. His hair was white, his face elfish and lightly boned. His spidery fingers clasped together over his belly as he watched Lukien wordlessly. Lukien stepped toward him, not really sure who he was seeing.

  ‘I know,’ said the man. ‘You expected someone grander, didn’t you?’

  ‘I’m. . not certain,’ stammered Lukien. ‘Are you Malator?’

  ‘I am. And I don’t look very much like my brother!’

  ‘I’ve never seen your brother,’ said Lukien, ‘but I’ve seen his armour. And you’re right — you’re not what I expected.’

  Malator grinned and stepped away from the tree. He walked with a lilt that surprised Lukien, but even in his shining eyes a hint of remorse remained. ‘You found my sword,’ he told Lukien. ‘You wouldn’t have come if you didn’t need it.’

  Lukien nodded. It was all so surreal, yet he couldn’t help himself from telling the Akari everything. ‘It’s like I said in the tomb. Did you hear me? Your brother has a friend of mine under his spell. Call it magic, call it whatever your word is for it. I want to save my friend, Malator.’

  ‘And you tried already? Tell me about that.’

  ‘If I must. It’s not a pleasant memory. I was told the armour was invincible, but I didn’t believe it really. I do now. I was left for dead after the fight. Only my amulet saved me.’

  Malator’s eyes leapt. ‘Yes, your amulet! I can feel the one inside it. He’s very powerful.’

  ‘He’s an Akari, like you,’ said Lukien. ‘His name is Amaraz.’

  ‘I know of Amaraz,’ said Malator. His tone grew serious. ‘He was a great summoner, even before I left for Torlis. He was far greater than I was, or my brother. May I see your amulet?’

  Lukien removed the Eye of God from beneath his shirt, holding it out for Malator to inspect. ‘It was given to me after a battle,’ he said. ‘It keeps me alive. It’s the only thing that saved me after fighting the armour.’

  Malator studied the amulet intently, leaning forward but not touching it. He was quiet for a long time, sometimes nodding, other times glazing over as if lost in thought. ‘Amaraz speaks to me,’ he said softly.

  Lukien scoffed. ‘Good. He speaks to everyone but me.’

  ‘Do you know why? Have you figured it out yet?’

  ‘I think so,’ said Lukien. He stared at Malator. ‘Because you’re to be my Akari.’

  ‘That’s right. You won’t need the Eye of God any more, Lukien. While you carry my sword, you will have life.’

  ‘Incredible,’ sighed Lukien. He looked down at his amulet, saw the red gem pulsing with light, and wondered what it all meant. ‘If I take this off, will I live?’

  ‘Take it off,’ said Malator with a grin. ‘Find out.’

  Lukien laughed. ‘You’re a jester. You’re the great warrior Kahldris thought would save your people? I can’t believe it.’

  ‘I’m stronger than I look,’ joked Malator. ‘I helped you move that door, didn’t I? Go on — take off the amulet. You have the sword.’

  ‘Ah, but this is the world of the dead. .’

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Malator insisted. ‘In my world, in your world — it’s the same. I will keep you alive, Lukien.’

  Lukien accepted the challenge with glee. ‘All right, then,’ he grumbled, taking the amulet from around his neck. He let it dangle at the end of its chain. ‘I don’t want to live anyway. I want to die, once and for all!’

  ‘Toss it away, then!’ urged Malator.

  ‘I will!’

  With a shout Lukien tossed the amulet as far as he could, watching as the Eye tumbled toward the trees. He raised the Sword of Angels above his head and taunted the sky to strike him down.

  ‘Hold on to the sword,’ warned Malator. ‘Keep it close.’

  ‘What if I forget it one day?’ asked Lukien, taunting him. ‘What if I leave it behind and go for a ride?’

  ‘It won’t be that easy,’ laughed Malator. ‘If you don’t renounce me, you’ll live. Why are you so eager to die, fool?’

  Lukien lowered the sword. He felt perfectly fine, and doubted it was just a trick. ‘No man should live forever,’ he said sullenly.

  ‘I have,’ countered Malator, ‘and I have loved every moment of it.’

  ‘Sure you have, because you’re here in paradise. Nothing can touch you here. No one you love dies.’

  Malator considered this with a frown. ‘You have a story to tell me, Lukien? I would enjoy hearing it.’

  ‘Maybe,’ said Lukien, not really wanting to tell the Akari too much yet. He spied the trees where he had thrown the Eye of God. ‘Back in the real world I’m still wearing the amulet, right?’

  ‘That’s right. But you can rid yourself of it, if that’s what you wish. I told you — you have no need for it any longer. I’m your Akari now.’

  ‘And Amaraz knew that all along,’ said Lukien bitterly. ‘He is a bastard not to have told me.’

  ‘No, Lukien, that’s not the way things work. Amaraz knew you would find me someday. That’s is why he would not bond with you. But it’s not his place to tell you the future. And what does it matter now? We will bond, Lukien, you and I!’

  ‘That is a frightening prospect,’ drawled Lukien. He let the sword droop in his hand. Looking around, he could not help but laugh. ‘All of you Akari — all you do is play these games! What if I don’t want to play anymore? What if I just want to walk away?’

  Malator shrugged. ‘You could do that. But you haven’t done it yet, and I don’t think you will.’

  ‘Oh, I will, Malator, I promise you. Just as soon as we are done with your wicked brother. Then I will be done with you as well, and I can die in peace.’

  ‘If that’s what you wish,’ said Malator, though Lukien’s promise clearly concerned him. ‘But you’ll have to tell me why. I want to know all about you, Lukien.’

  Lukien thought about the Akari’s request. ‘It’s a long way back to my land,’ he said. ‘We’ll have all the time in the world to talk.’

  He should have been happy, but he wasn’t. He had found the Sword of Angels, the means to defeat Kahldris at last. So why wasn’t it enough? Malator smiled kindly at him, as if reading his mind.

  ‘You don’t want to go?’

  ‘Not anymore,’ said Lukien. He looked away. ‘It’s your Story Garden.’

  ‘Oh,’ sighed Malator. ‘Now I understand.’

  Lukien shook his head. ‘No, Malator, you don’t. You have no idea what I’ve been through to get here, or what I’m leaving behind. Someday you might understand, if I decided to tell you. But right now all I want from you is the means to save my friend. And I want you to take me back to the land of the living. Now, if you please.’

  Malator stepped up to Lukien at last, putting a slender arm around his shoulder. ‘I can do anything you want me to do, Lukien.’

  ‘Can you defeat your brother?’

  ‘Yes, I can do that. Or at least I think I can.’

  ‘How?’

  Malator’s smile was mischievous. ‘Let’s save that for the long ride, all right? It’s time for us to get to know each other, my friend.’

  ‘We’re not friends, Malator,’ said Lukien.

&nb
sp; ‘We will be,’ promised the Akari. ‘Once you get to know me, you’ll be glad you did.’

  ‘Take me back, please. Will you do that for me, friend?’

  ‘Of course,’ said Malator, and once again the world went dark.

  49

  King Baralosus of Ganjor sat at a table beneath the desert moon, balancing himself on a chair as it sank into the warm sand. Around him sat a bevy of advisors, all of them tired from the long day of travel. The sun had gone down hours ago, and the fourteen-hundred soldiers who had accompanied them from the city had begun to bed down for the evening, unwrapping bed rolls among the hastily erected tents. The drowa rested uneasily in the distance, their noise and smell carried to Baralosus by the breeze. He could hear the grunting of the discontented animals over the voices of his men. It had been a good day of travel, completely without incident, and Baralosus was pleased. He had not thought an army could move so effortlessly. Baralosus studied the faces of the men gathered around the table as they drank wine and filled their bellies with food. To the king’s right sat Minister Kailyr, his old comrade. Though Kailyr was not a military man, he had insisted on accompanying his king. And he still insisted there would be no battle with Aztar. Kailyr picked up his goblet, listening to General Rhot’s argument.

  ‘He has no archers, either,’ Rhot continued. ‘Even if he does decided to fight, we can pick at him for hours if we choose.’

  Rhot’s man Kahrdeen nodded in deference, as did the others around the table. Minister Kailyr lowered his goblet and licked the red wine from his lips. He looked tired, but refused to let the argument lapse.

  ‘How do you know he has no archers? That’s not what Jashien said. Jashien said he didn’t see any archers. Why would he? Do you think the Voruni can’t use bows, General?’