“Saraf!” called the second figure. “I am warning you. Threaten him once more and I will end this immediately.”
He cast her a sideways glance. “You are right, of course. My apologies, dear sister.”
He smiled over at Jayden. “Ayliazarah can be quite protective at times. Particularly in matters involving Darshan. It was all we could do to keep her from revealing herself to you before now. The one wise thing your father ever did was to forbid our interaction with you and your sisters. A policy that, until now, I would have upheld.”
“So why have you broken it? So far, you have only tried to kill me. Why come to me now?”
“Because I realize that my initial reaction was incorrect. I should have been more diplomatic. Darshan’s actions are not your fault.”
“What exactly has my father done that is so terrible? How is trying to spread peace a reason to kill him?”
“First of all, we have not killed your father.”
“That’s only because you can’t,” Jayden snapped back.
“That may be the case. I can’t truthfully say one way or the other. To be sure, he is extremely powerful. And in the history of time itself, only Melek has ever killed a god.”
The name was unfamiliar, though Jayden thought he saw a flash of anger on Saraf’s face while speaking of Melek’s accomplishment. But it was gone in an instant.
“Whatever the case,” he continued. “Darshan is now incapable of doing any further damage. The two races will be allowed to find their own destiny without his interference. They will stand or fall untouched by divine influence. Unfortunately, we were unable to convince your father to leave the world alone and join us where he belongs. Where you belong.”
Jayden stiffened. “What are you saying?”
“I am saying that you will soon be faced with a choice. One for which the consequences are dire indeed – for both you and for those you love.” He looked over to Ayliazarah, who gave a nod of consent. “I take it you have never seen the vision your father had during the war against Angrääl?”
“No. I have heard about it, though. It supposedly shows me conquering the world.”
“That is one interpretation, yes. But looked at another way, it could just as easily suggest that you will save it.”
He waved his arm in a sweeping circle. All light instantly faded. Jayden leapt up, fists clenched.
“Do not fear,” Saraf told him. “I only mean to show you the reason why you have been kept ignorant for your entire life.”
A flash behind Jayden had him spinning around. The forest was no longer there. In its place was a barren landscape riddled by mountains of rubble and lit by thousands of raging infernos. Splitting this scene down the center was a shattered road, its bricks broken and large portions scattered about. In the road were three figures, two of them kneeling with heads downcast. Between them stood a towering warrior clad in black armor and wearing a gold circlet on his brow.
At first Jayden did not understand the significance. Then, as he looked more closely, he saw that the armored warrior bore his own likeness. It was older and hardened by battle, but there was no mistaking whom it was meant to depict. Instinctively, he knew those kneeling beside him were his mother and father. They were weeping, begging him to stop. Pleading for him to lay down his sword and come home.
“Darshan believed that you would not be able to resist the temptation of power and conquest,” Saraf went on. “And he knew he could not bring himself to stop you.”
Jayden could feel the heat radiating from the fires. The stench of ash and decay filled his nostrils. “Where are my sisters in all this?” he asked.
“Not everything has been revealed. Perhaps they are dead. Or perhaps they are not a part of it. There is no way of knowing. What I can tell you is that the vision you see is not what it appears. Where Darshan saw only doom and destruction, I can see hope. You, Jayden, have it in your power to prevent any of this from happening.”
The cries of those who had perished drifted on the wind, their pain stabbing at Jayden’s heart. He finally understood why he had been kept ignorant. Though he was seeing only a small portion of it, this vision was depicting the entire world. All lands were to suffer the same fate.
His legs became weak, forcing him down onto one knee. “None of this will happen,” he cried out. “I have no desire to conquer. I don’t want power, I swear it. All I want is for my father to come home and my mother to get well. If this is the price I would pay for leaving my home, then you have my word that I will stay on the farm and never leave.”
He felt a hand on his shoulder. Saraf was standing beside him, gazing down with a sad smile.
“It’s true, you are so much like your father. You feel as mortals do. You experience their pain in a way the gods cannot. It is for this reason that you must listen to me now.”
Jayden allowed the god to lift him to his feet. “What must I do?”
“Nothing that you will not do eventually anyway. All I want is for you to join us. Return with me to heaven and leave this mortal world behind.”
“Leave? How?”
Saraf took a long breath. “That is the hardest part, I’m afraid. Though you possess the blood of a god, you are not fully divine. The part of you that is mortal must perish.”
Jayden stepped away. “You’re saying I have to die?”
“It is only mortal death,” he explained, his tone kind and soothing. “A fleeting moment of fear and pain. But followed by life everlasting.”
“What about my mother and my father? What will become of them?”
“They will live on,” he assured.
“I told you to speak no lies!” Ayliazarah’s voice roared with almost physical force.
Suddenly, she was standing beside Saraf, her form clear. The flowing white dress she wore accentuated her ice-blue eyes. Her flaxen hair fell loosely to her shoulders, and her ivory complexion was flawless. Jayden had never beheld such beauty. For a brief moment, all else ceased to be. He was utterly enthralled.
“They will not live on as you say, Saraf.” Her voice was like steel, yet still musical to Jayden’s ears. “They will be consigned to oblivion.”
“You do not know that,” he shot back.
The goddess’s final few words shattered Jayden’s entrancement, bringing him sharply back into the moment. “Oblivion?” he repeated.
Ayliazarah’s stare never left Saraf. “My brother would have you believe that if you do not agree to his terms, what you have seen is a certainty. But there is something he did not tell you – that it was this same argument that drove Darshan into action to begin with. Your father hoped to spare you your fate by bringing peace to the world before you discovered your true nature and learned of your power.”
“You dare to blame me?” Saraf shouted.
“Who else is there?” she responded. Though the air was still, her hair whipped wildly, as if caught in a stiff wind. “Was it not you who warned Darshan of the dangers? Was it not you who begged him to leave the mortal world? Was it not you who told him that only peace could help his son escape his fate? A fate that no one is sure is real.”
“I did not tell him to masquerade as one of us. I did not tell him to attempt to alter the fate of the world. We are not the Creator. Destiny lies in Her hands, and Hers alone. He had no right to take matters so far.” He turned to face Jayden. “Do not be deceived. There is only one way for you. Though it is true I do not know what will become of Darshan or your mother, neither does my sister.”
“Can you at least tell me where he is?”
“I have already told you what you need to know,” Saraf replied. “If you choose to continue in your defiance, more than the fate of your parents will be in peril.”
Jayden looked to Ayliazarah. “And what do you want from me?”
“Unlike my brother, I trust Darshan,” she told him. “It was he who saved us. And it was he whom the Creator chose to be the instrument of Her will. Though I admit I did not condone hi
s direct interference with mortals, his connection to their world is as strong as his connection to the Creator. What my brother and those who have sided with him have done is wrong. I would have you oppose him. I would have you save your father.”
“But where is he? I can’t save him if I don’t know how to find him.”
“Only Saraf knows that,” she replied, casting her brother a furious look. “And I cannot force him to say. All I and those who still stand by Darshan can do is to prevent Saraf from harming you directly. You must be the one to find the answers.”
“Can you at least tell me if I am heading in the right direction?”
“I can only say that you should trust your instincts. Your heart will guide you rightly.”
Saraf huffed. “And I will tell you this. Should you somehow discover where your father is, you will not like what you see. All attempts to free him will fail. What’s more, you will certainly doom yourself and all those you care for.”
Jayden knew what his choice must be without thinking. “I cannot abandon my father,” he stated.
The god’s face contorted into a vicious snarl. “Fool. Then so be it.”
Ayliazarah smiled. “A fool he may be. Even so, I believe he will succeed. And when he does and Darshan returns, I am sure he will be quite eager to see you…brother.”
Jayden could see the sudden fear jump into the god’s eyes. It drew a stifled laugh.
“I shall enjoy watching you suffer,” Saraf growled. “But not before all those around you curse your name.”
With this final threat, his form began shimmering like ripples on a pond, eventually fading away to nothing. Ayliazarah remained, her face etched in sorrow.
“I do not want you to think that my brother is evil,” she said. “He truly believes that what he is doing is right.”
“And you? What do you believe?”
“Only that Darshan needs your help. Your father saved us all, and for that he has my loyalty. And his love for the world has earned my trust. You must find him. For the sake of us all.”
“Surely there is something you can tell me that will help.”
“Sadly, no. Saraf was very careful to conceal his actions from us. Not even his allies know details of what he has done. However, you are definitely going in the right direction.”
“How can you know that?” he asked.
“Because Saraf is moving to stop you. By creating the Vrykol, he has violated a long-held agreement never to do so again. From here to the desert, your path is beset with peril. Seeing as the way west is clear, I can only presume he prefers you go that way.”
“What can he do to stop us?”
“Nothing directly. Ever since the death of Gerath, the balance of power in heaven is even. Four of us support Darshan, four oppose him.”
“Death of Gerath?”
Ayliazarah waved a dismissive hand. “That doesn’t matter. What is important is that this even balance prevents Saraf from harming you directly. While it exists, the most he can do is to send his followers to attack you. If you are clever, you’ll be able to avoid them.”
Jayden suddenly regretted not having Linis with him. If anyone could avoid detection, it was the old elf. Of course, having him here was not possible. That would leave his sisters alone in an unfamiliar wilderness. Anyhow, he was quite adept in the woods himself. Though nowhere near as skilled as Linis, he was better than most elves at navigating the forests.
“Sayia intends to help me mask my human side,” he said. “That should help.”
The goddess laughed. “Human side? You have no human blood within you, child. Your father is not mortal. He only chooses to appear as such, as do I at this moment. When heaven was opened, his human form became a product of his will. He can appear as anything he desires.”
“The power of heaven,” he muttered. “Is that what I felt?”
“Yes. It is the love and splendor of the Creator herself. But be warned: you must never deliberately seek it. In your moment of need, you were able to hear my voice and reach across the divide. But you are only able to wield this mightiest of all powers for a few seconds. Any longer would annihilate your mortal blood entirely.”
“What would happen?”
“Your father was already powerful when heaven was opened to him. That’s why he is able to remain. But you are not. Your mortal blood binds you to this realm. Lose it, and you will ascend. Once that happens, there is no way to know when you will be able to find a way back. A thousand years might have passed, and all you know and love will be dust. And your father will be lost.”
Her form began to shimmer in the same way Saraf’s had. “I am running out of time. Quickly, touch my hand.”
Jayden extended his arm, then drew back as tiny flecks of blue light began to dance around Ayliazarah’s celestial flesh.
“Please hurry,” she urged.
Taking a deep breath, Jayden stepped forward once again and did as instructed.
The instant their hands touched, it felt as if his blood had become molten rock. Searing pain raced around his entire body, paralyzing his limbs. He crumpled to the ground.
“What have you done to me?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“The same as you were about to attempt with the elf woman.” Her voice sounded distant.
Bit by bit the pain lessened until he was finally able to prop himself up on his knees. Ayliazarah was gone. Even before he saw Sayia still sitting across from him, he instinctively knew he had left the spirit realm.
The elf was on her feet in an instant. “What happened to you? Are you hurt?”
Jayden took a moment to gather his wits. “I’m fine.”
Sayia rounded the fire and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You didn’t sound fine when you screamed. I thought you…” Her eyes suddenly widened. “How…how did you do this?”
Brushing her hand away, Jayden forced himself to his feet. Though the pain was now completely gone, he felt renewed fatigue in his muscles. “How did I do what?”
“If I didn’t know better, I would believe you to be an elf,” she replied. “It should have taken several lessons from me to accomplish this. How did you do it on your own?”
Aside from the fatigue, he felt no different. This must have been what Ayliazarah had done when she touched his hand. She had concealed his nature, allowing only the elf side of his heritage to come through. But it was just a façade. He could not sense Sayia’s presence whatsoever.
“I had help,” he explained.
He then told her of his experience in the spirit realm. Sayia’s face gradually darkened as he recounted the words of Saraf.
“Then he doesn’t know,” she muttered when he was finished, sounding quite relieved.
“Know what?”
She waved a hand. “Nothing. I was just thinking about your sisters. It doesn’t seem like he has any interest in them. For that I am grateful.”
Jayden threw up his hands in exasperation. “That’s enough! Whatever it is you’re hiding from me, I wish you would just say it and stop treating me like I’m a dolt.”
She seemed unmoved by his display of frustration. “If I had information I thought you needed, I would tell you. So whatever I am keeping to myself does not concern you.”
“But you keep hinting that there is something behind all this,” he countered, unwilling to back down. “What is it?”
“You know what is behind it. Unless what you told me was not true, it is the gods who are moving events.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”
“Do I?” This time there was anger bleeding into her tone. “What is it exactly you think I know? Am I not permitted to have secrets? Must you know everything that is in my mind? Do I not deserve at least some private thoughts? I am here to help you. Should that not be enough?” She planted her fists on her hips. “And what of you? Will you tell me all of your secrets? Or do you not have any? Surely you do.”
“I didn’t mean to suggest you tell me ev
erything,” he said, feeling himself wilt under her gaze. His mother had done the same thing to him when he was young. In truth, she still did. Was it an elf trait to make him feel like a little boy caught up to mischief? Or did all women have this talent? He held up his hands. “I wasn’t trying to offend you. It’s just that I can’t help but feel as if you’re hiding things from me.”
“Perhaps I am,” she admitted. “And perhaps you should trust that I am older and more experienced than you. If you need to know something, I will tell you. Is that clear?”
They locked eyes. After a few seconds Jayden found himself cracking a smile. Gradually, this became half-stifled laughter. “I really hope you get to meet my mother,” he said. “The two of you would get along wonderfully.”
Sayia was not amused. “I’m sure I will,” she responded. “And now that you have no further need of the flow of the spirit, we’ll begin with the basics instead.”
She turned and took her seat by the fire. Jayden was weary, but the stern expression on her face told him that she would not be refused.
He leaned down and massaged the muscles in his thighs. “What then? Fire?”
“Earth,” she replied. “Your father was the son of Gerath. It seems the best place to begin.”
As he took his place and resumed his steady breathing, the revelation that Gerath was dead flashed through his mind. He had left this detail out of the story. This caused a tiny smile to form. Now he had a secret. Petty as it might be, it felt satisfying to know of this while Sayia remained ignorant. His mother would have scolded him for such childish behavior.
There was a moment of melancholy. He missed his mother so much. Even the scoldings, which were frequent. Whatever obstacles were placed in his path, he would not fail her.
Chapter Twelve
The first lesson was hugely frustrating. When he was calm, he could feel the flow entering Sayia, but was not able to draw it into himself. The rhythm of the earth that she had described remained stubbornly absent. Yet exasperating as this was for both of them, and given her previous short attitude, the elf woman remained surprisingly understanding and patient.
The Godling Chronicles Page 20