Shadow of the Otherverse (The Last Whisper of the Gods Saga Book 3)

by Berardinelli, James

  “Vagrum once told me that a lot of noble women choose low-born men for their lovers. He said that high-born ‘dandies,’ while suitable for husbands, are too prissy in bed to satisfy their wives. I wonder if he was advocating for you at that time, planting a seed…” Her voice trailed off into a sigh. She gave up trying to talk for a while, although she was by no means quiet. Some of the mice took interest, their ears and whiskers twitching, but none approached.

  When she was done, she slid into the water to swim to play like a fish, splashing and jumping and swimming. Still lying on his stomach, not having moved from his former position, Sorial watched her with an amused expression. At times like this, she was little different from the girl who had frolicked and teased all those years ago. Water could bring out the most dangerous in her but it could also excite her playful nature.

  “Get in here,” she commanded. “You’re dirty again. You’re always dirty.”

  “I think I’ll stay here. Water is your element not mine. I’m the Lord of Earth. I’m supposed to be dirty. You knew that when you married me and I don’t recall it bothering you in the past.”

  “I’ll make you a deal - once in the water, once in the mud.”

  “I’d love to. But I don’t think you’re aware of the kind of shriveling effect cold water can have.”

  Alicia sighed. “Give it a try, stableboy. I can assure you I’ve thought of that. It won’t be a problem. Magic can offer some wonderful remedies for common problems.”

  With a shrug that amounted to an advance “I told you so,” Sorial lowered himself into the river. The expected shock of cold didn’t come. In fact, the water was warmer than the air. Warm and frothy, full of bubbles. Alicia was obviously doing something although he didn’t know what. She drifted effortlessly upstream, against the current, to reach him. Her green eyes shone with a combination of mischief and excitement.

  “I can tell you’re very happy to see me,” she purred.

  He was half-floating, half-standing. The water made it easy to stay upright with only one leg since it buoyed and supported his body. Like a fish, Alicia circled him and began nibbling and pecking at him. She was so like she had been at another time that he almost involuntarily glanced toward the shore to see whether her ever-faithful protector Vagrum was watching.

  “Like the temperature?” she asked. It was getting warmer, almost as if her growing arousal was feeding it. “I could freeze it if I wanted but I don’t think that would suit either of our purposes.”

  Eventually, she came up next to him and he bent his head down so his lips met hers for a long, lingering kiss. What started out gentle and sensuous grew rough and urgent. The churning of the water around them became violent and steam began to rise from the surface. Alicia wrapped her legs around Sorial’s torso and, although he lost his balance, he didn’t submerge. Something kept him afloat. With her chest pressed against his and their tongues dancing and dueling, the current took them on a wild ride.

  By comparison, their second coupling, which happened later on the riverbank, was almost sedate. Sorial lay on his back with Alicia straddling him. The intimacy of his contact with the soil created feedback resulting from his connection with his wife. The earth trembled and vibrated in what amounted to a highly localized earthquake. Sorial and Alicia were too lost in their mutual pleasure to notice.

  It took perhaps an hour for them to recover. Alicia was the first one to rise. Shaking her head as if to clear away cobwebs, she slid gracefully into the river and washed herself clean. Sorial followed suit, although his bath was perfunctory. In the aftermath, they sat together on the riverbank, in much the same place as earlier. To the east, gray was beginning to invade the sky - the first indications of a new day. Their last day in Vantok. Perhaps Sorial’s last day here ever.

  “Wow,” said Alicia. “It goes without saying that we should have experimented more with sex and magic in the past.”

  “That was… incredible. Not like any sex I’ve had before. In the water. On the ground. I wonder why neither of us thought of bringing our elements into it before.”

  “I guess we did the first time but we were so inexperienced with our powers then that we didn’t know what we were doing.”

  “Nothing in the library about this?”

  Alicia chuckled. “The men who wrote those books probably didn’t know that their cock could be used for something other than pissing. Most scholars are ascetics. Sex wouldn’t have interested them. For all we know, they surrendered their sex drives to become wizards. I’m just glad we stumbled on it while we still had time.” Her voice caught at the end. They both knew their first experience of this sort would likely be their last. It made the night bittersweet.

  Dawn found Sorial and Alicia still together on the bank, kissing and cuddling like the two young lovers neither of them physically appeared to be. Both wanted to return to the places they had visited during the night but the sun’s arrival dampened their ardor with a dose of reality. They no longer had the luxury of procrastination.

  IF YOU ARE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO PROCEED, KNOW THAT YOU WILL PROVIDE THE VICTORY I STRIVE FOR AND AS A REWARD, I WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOUL. It was time to test the mettle of the entity that had made the pronouncement.

  * * *

  “This ain’t ‘goodbye, see you in a few weeks,’ is it?” Rexall knew his friend well enough to recognize there was an unspoken message in Sorial’s words.

  “I wish it was. But there’s one more battle yet to be fought before the war is over, and I’ve got to fight it alone.”

  “You sound like you don’t expect to win.”

  “I’m not sure what winning will be,” admitted Sorial. “Or if I’ll even be aware of it.”

  “And Alicia?”

  “She’ll be Magus Prime, the head of the wizards. She’ll need the help and support of everyone around her. I want to know she’ll have it from you. You two have butted heads since you met but I’d like to think she’ll be able to trust you.”

  At one point, Sorial wouldn’t have asked - or, more precisely, he wouldn’t have felt it necessary to ask, but things had changed over the years and what had happened at Ibitsal remained something they had never fully gotten beyond. “She’ll have what she needs, if she’ll take it. She doesn’t exactly adore me.”

  “No,” agreed Sorial. And with good reason. “But no matter how sharp her tongue, be gentle with her. Once I’m not here, she’ll think she’s alone.”

  “When are you leaving?”

  “Later today. Alicia’s bidding her mother goodbye now. After that, we’ll see the queen together then meet up with the rest of our party and head out. No one will know we’re leaving till after we’re gone.”

  “Since you won’t be around, I’ll let you in on a secret, then. I’m getting married.”

  Sorial wasn’t surprised; he had seen Shiree’s devotion and, even though Rexall wasn’t as besotted with her as she was with him, the attachment was mutual. Sorial suspected it wouldn’t be the happiest of unions for either of them. Rexall would stray and his unfaithfulness would hurt Shiree. She was a good-hearted girl who deserved someone more stable. But she had wanted Rexall, had pursued him, and now had gotten him.

  “Is she pregnant?”

  “Possibly. Don’t know for sure but if she ain’t, she will be soon. We ain’t doing nothing to avoid it and, when you consider how… active… we’ve been, it’s bound to happen soon if it hasn’t already. How about Alicia?”

  “She can’t have children.” But Myselene can. “Good luck on your marriage and your future sons and daughters. I always figured if one of us was going to settle down and have a family, it would be me.”

  “I guess things didn’t work out the way we planned them.”

  “I dunno. I married Alicia. You and I both got to go on adventures far beyond Vantok. I guess neither of us figured on magic or a war.”

  “Who’d have thought it - me, the captain of the queen’s personal guard? The highest I used to aspire was runnin
g an inn.”

  “Our old lives are gone, Rex. Just take a look at my wreck of a body for proof of that.”

  “Used to be, the only way I could get laid with you around is if I paid more coin. Speaking of whores, I ain’t sure but I think one of the new wizards… well… I recognize her from those days when you and I went out buying favors together. She was one of the prettier ones and I never forget a face… or other parts.”

  “Excela. I know.”

  “Interesting group, your wizards. A stableboy, a whore, and two Wizard’s Brides.”

  “Be glad there’s no room for a captain of the queen’s guard.”

  “At one time I was envious of you, but now… take care of yourself, Sor. And don’t resign yourself to the worst possibility. You always did that and it rarely happened. Do what you have to do then come back.”

  “I hope there’s a path that ends for me in Vantok, but it seems more like a fool’s dream than a likely outcome.”

  “If you don’t return, I’ll do what I can for Alicia, at least to the extent that she’ll let me.” Rexall paused for a moment, as if considering whether to say more then added, “And I’ll look after Princess Kara.”

  There was no more to say. It wasn’t a time for the idle banter that had once flowed freely and easily between the two men. They grasped each other’s hands firmly then Sorial turned and strode from the barracks. He hoped he would see Rexall again - would get the opportunity to attend his wedding and meet his future children. But Sorial’s quiet inner voice told him to stop wishing for things that would never be.

  * * *

  The parting from Myselene was more emotional. Sorial and Alicia met the queen alone in the private reception room. Kara wasn’t with her mother and, although Sorial secretly would have liked to see, and perhaps even hold, his daughter one last time, he presumed it was for the best. Too great a bond had been created during their single, brief encounter. After a few moments of banal chatter, Alicia excused herself to allow the queen and her husband an opportunity to say farewell in private. Although she tried to hide it, she harbored a flicker of jealousy for what the two had shared while she was at the Yu’Tar Library, but she recognized that they deserved an opportunity to say their final words without her being present.

  “I’m at a loss as to what I should say,” admitted Myselene once they were alone. She rose, came around the table to where Sorial was sitting, and kissed him gently on the lips. Then she returned to her chair. Unshed tears shone in her eyes. “I knew this was going to be difficult, but I didn’t imagine how difficult. You’ve been here for me every step of my journey. Since Azarak’s death, I’ve relied on you more than any other, and you haven’t once failed me.”

  “Believe me, Your Majesty, I’d like nothing more than to remain in Vantok and serve on your council, but in order to fulfill my mandate as the city’s wizard, I’ve got to do this. Perhaps what happens will surprise us all and, in a few weeks’ time, I’ll return in triumph.”

  “If there were gods, I’d pray for that.”

  “This is beyond even written knowledge - or at least any written knowledge that has survived the ages. Once I pass into the Otherverse, assuming I don’t accidentally kill myself in the process, no one knows what waits. The best glimpse anyone has had is what you and I saw in Ibitsal. My mother and brother kept their intelligence and memories but had no corporeal existence. Specters. Will it make a difference if I enter in the fullness of my power? I don’t know. But I suspect the Otherverse and our universe are incompatible and that makes me believe this is a one-way bridge. Once crossed, it may not be possible for me to make the return journey.”

  “I’ll ask you one last time: Are you sure this thing needs to be done now? Wouldn’t another year or two’s worth of studying by Alicia make success more likely? I can ensure that she would have unfettered access to every library across the continent, including the Black Scripture Hall in Andel.”

  “I wish it was possible, Your Majesty, but time is no longer our ally, if it ever really was. We may have wasted too much of it waiting for Justin to make his first move. Once the balance shifts within the Otherverse in favor of either The Lord of Chaos or The Lord of Order, events will happen quickly. And since we don’t understand how time functions there, there’s no reasonable way to measure how close we are to the precipice. It might lie centuries beyond this day, or it could already be too late. To delay is to gamble the future of this world.”

  “Your mind is set, then.”

  Sorial nodded. “I won’t resign my post but if I don’t return, Alicia will take up the dual mantle of Magus Prime and Wizard of Vantok - a post she’ll hold until her days are done.”

  “Go with my most profound thanks. The world already owes you a debt that can never be repaid. When you do this thing, and I don’t doubt that it will be done, that debt will be multiplied.”

  “Farewell, Your Majesty. It gladdens my heart to know that, with you wearing the Crown, the future of the cities, difficult as it may be in the short-term, is guided by the most capable of hands. Azarak chose better than even he imagined, I think.

  “May your empire outlive us both, and our children, and our children’s children so that the world without gods may become at least as stable and wondrous a place as the world was with them.”

  With those words, Sorial rose, bowed, and exited the room. Alicia was waiting outside and, with a full armed escort, they strode in silence through the palace halls on their way to pick up the rest of their party for the journey to Havenham.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: SEEKING THE OTHERVERSE

  The trail to Havenham was different than Sorial remembered, but he attributed that to the absence of the heat bubble. A little less than two years ago, when he had first made this journey, it had been unbearably hot. Now, with Planting about to tip into Summer, it was comfortable, especially at night. The only one who didn’t agree was Lavella, but The Lady of Air admitted to liking it cool. She frequently called up gentle currents of air to fan her as she drifted along ten feet above the ground. Unlike Excela, whose approach to wielding magic was like a warrior striding into battle, Lavella was comfortable with her abilities. She played with them, trying different things and noting when they worked.

  There were five of them - the four active wizards and Dorthik, Sorial’s intended replacement. Although nothing specific had been said about the possibility of this being a one-way trip for the Magus Prime, the others understood that Dorthik’s inclusion in the company was a tacit admission that Sorial might no longer be The Lord of Earth when their task was complete.

  Had it been Sorial and Alicia alone, they could have made the trip in a day or two using Sorial’s earth-burrowing capability. Lavella was comfortable enough with flight that she could have come close to matching that pace. Excela, however, hadn’t discovered how to use fire as a means of travel and Dorthik had no magic to draw upon. Sorial wondered whether he might be able to pull all of them with him but he decided the answer wasn’t worth the risk. And, even if he could ensure their physical safety, it was unclear how they would react to an experience that even Alicia, with her wide exposure to magic, found unsettling. He had no desire to traumatize people who would be needed in peak mental condition once they reached their goal. As a result, the decision was made to travel the “regular” way. They could have ridden but Sorial felt that horses would be more likely to inhibit their progress than enhance it. The mountain trails they would eventually traverse were not friendly to four-legged beasts.

  One advantage to the relative slowness of their movement, which occurred only between dawn and dusk, was that it provided nighttime opportunities to discuss what they might confront at Havenham and, more importantly, for Alicia to play the role of teacher. During those sessions when she shared magical theory with her aunt and the former maid/prostitute, Sorial took Dorthik aside and did what he could to prepare the hot-blooded young noble for the next phase of his life. Dorthik’s ego was matched by a thirst to learn and he
absorbed every idea Sorial presented to him, storing it away for a time when he could try. There was no question about his desire to become a great wizard. What concerned Sorial were the motivations underlying that desire. Ambition was generally viewed as a positive trait for a practitioner of the magical arts but too much ambition when combined with the power of an element could be toxic. One had to look no further than Justin for a recent example.

  The nights out on the southern plains were lonely. Although Sorial and Alicia slept in each other’s arms, they refrained from overt acts of intimacy. They kissed, cuddled, and caressed but did nothing more. They could have crept away to be alone - the others would have understood - but they didn’t. In fact, on the third night out from Vantok, Excela and Dorthik disappeared for a few hours. It was evidence of a growing attachment between the two that had begun with some playful teasing on the first day and progressed from there.

  By day six, they were approaching The Forbidden Lands using a more straightforward path than the one Warburm had chosen, taking the Vantok road to its terminus then following the coast from there. Overall, it shaved two to three days off the trip, getting them to Havenham in a day or two under two weeks. Of course, they didn’t share Warburm’s need for secrecy and, with four wizards in the party, security wasn’t a concern. For that reason, Sorial had declined Myselene’s offer to provide them with a “protective” escort. There was little her soldiers could do that they couldn’t accomplish on their own except complain about marching in full armor in the heat.

  That night, Sorial and Alicia lay together under a low cloud deck, arms and legs entwined as they listened to each other’s breathing. Dorthik was sharing Excela’s fire a short distance away and Lavella, who needed considerably less sleep than the rest of them, was somewhere above, scouting the area and experimenting. Eventually, she would alight nearby and close her eyes for a few hours.