by Oxford, Rain
“You already know what I would say. You’re a god.”
“Quite right; however, I want you to tell me yourself. And keep in mind the life of your companions.”
Crap. “What… What does giving up my soul entail? What would that do to me and what would I have to do?”
“Dylan… your soul is more important than Kiro’s life,” Ronez said. “If Vretial takes his life, he dies and goes to wherever it is we go, but if Vretial takes your soul, you’re stuck here as a slave. It is much worse than death.”
Vretial ignored him. “You’d be just like Tomie and Krael. You’ll be my servant, still having free will except where I say otherwise. You can travel the worlds without the books. Because you’ll be my servant, I’d teach you great magic.”
“Don’t even consider it, Dylan.”
“You’re not very polite, dead Noquodi. You don’t fear me.”
“I’ve feared ex-girlfriends more than you. Of course, that’s not saying much; I always did like the strong ones.” There he went, going on about women again. “More to the point, I’m still Dylan’s father, so, according to the rules when I was growing up, I own his soul until he’s married. And I could get a lot of money for that pretty face.”
I groaned.
“I would offer to buy him from you, but you wouldn’t sell him, and I have nothing to use as currency. So either he gives me his soul, or I kill him, and you. I’ll destroy you just because you don’t fear me. However, because I am kind, I will give you a choice. Do you want to go first, or do you want me to take care of your son first?”
“Leave him alone,” I demanded. “Your stupid servant already took his life, just leave him alone.”
“Don’t worry; you, your master, and your father will all be together soon. I will kill you now and send you both to the Land of the Dead. You’re lucky I’m in such a merciful mood,” he said.
I suddenly noticed something profound and sort of expected; he was changing. It was so subtle, only enough to keep him from making a decision.
“Why do you need me to fear you if you will have four worlds full of people who fear you?”
“Because the point is to unite them under my command. I won’t leave anyone forgotten. There cannot be balance otherwise. Either you fear me or you can’t live.”
He was repeating himself. I could stall. I could find a way to help the others.
“I’m fading, Dylan, I can’t stay for much longer,” Ronez said.
“Why can’t I go and live on another world?”
“Because I would have to kill you then, when I take over that world.”
“Then do I at least get a last meal? Or last prayers? Or a last wish? Do I at least get some famous last words? I have a goodbye speech in my bag that I wrote a few days ago. It shouldn’t take more than a half an hour.”
“You enjoy messing with me, don’t you?”
“Absolutely,” I answered.
“You’re not just trying to rid the people of bad things, you’re getting rid of love and joy. Why don’t you try getting rid of greed and hate?” Ronez asked.
“You cannot cleanse a people of certain traits like that. Everything in the universe intertwines inevitably. For example, love for people and things incite greed and jealousy. Those kinds of combinations even the gods cannot control. Also…” he trailed off.
His eyes grew dull and he touched his temple for just a moment in pain. When he let go, there was hate in his eyes. Suddenly, he raised his right hand, black fire burst from his palm, and I had no chance of dodging it. I must have had the deer in the headlights look when I froze. Then Ronez was in front of me. It hit his unreal body and he started to burn from the inside out. His skin and clothes crackled and glowed red.
“No!” The scream burst from my lips and I found myself reaching for him. Since I knew for a fact he was not corporeal, I was startled when my hand met real skin. He slipped down and I held him. It didn’t matter how I was able to touch him, just that I could. “No,” I moaned. “You can’t leave yet. I need to get to know you.”
He smiled and brushed his hand against my cheek. “You do know me. You’re such an extraordinary kid.” He struggled to swallow. “I need you to do one thing for me.” His voice was weak.
“What?” The fire had reached his chest.
“I need you to tell Kiro… tell him that he’s… very passionate.” I blinked in surprise and he grinned again, as strained as it was. “It drives him crazy. I’ll haunt you again, son.”
“Yeah. Later. Drop in any time.” I didn’t know what else to say. He was my father and I knew him for less than an hour. He still smiled, but it was probably to cover up the pain as the burn reached his throat. The burn wasn’t hot to my touch, but his skin dried and flaked like ash. I saw the warmth in his eyes slowly die and realized that the bond I was afraid to reestablish had been reopened from the moment we locked eyes. It didn’t leave an emptiness in me; it felt like he was still here, just away.
He was my father. He was killed by someone as worthless as Shio, then Divina brought him here to let me meet him, and then Vretial took him away again. I glared at Vretial, who no longer looked angry. There was something seriously messed up with this god.
“Anyway, aren’t we falling further and further off subject?” he asked calmly.
I had no clue what the subject had been. I didn’t care. I wanted him to be human so I could kill him. I never wanted to really hurt a person before, but Ronez was my father and Edward’s brother. How could he kill someone so important?
Vretial sighed. “Grieve over your father later. Are you going to give me your soul or am I going to have to go through the motions of killing you?”
Something inside me stirred among the anger… Something that needed to punish the god for what he did. If no one had arrived to stop me, I don’t know what I would have tried to do.
“Don’t give him anything,” Edward said, suddenly standing beside me.
It took a lot to control my sudden relief, but when I saw his fierce expression, I was glad I had. The anger that radiated from him made my blood cold.
“Hello, Noquodi. I was wondering when you would join us. I admit I’m a little disappointed. When will Tiamat be joining us?”
“When she’s done destroying the body of my brother. This is my apprentice; you will leave him alone. You and I need to have a little chat. You sent Shio to kill my brother,” he said.
Vretial smiled. “Yes, I did.”
“I’ve already killed Shio. I want to destroy you myself, but I can’t.”
If word of Shio’s death bothered Vretial at all, he hid it well. I myself was upset that Divina was destroying the body of my father. I felt the sudden and foreign desire to have been the one to kill Shio myself; he killed my father, and Vretial sent him. I wanted to hurt them.
“Then what are you doing here?”
“I am protecting my apprentice.” He looked at me. “You have that look in your eyes that Ronez had; the eyes of a warrior. You want to kill Vretial, don’t you?”
“Yes.” I was still shaking.
Edward nodded. “You can’t. Vretial is too powerful, and he isn’t a part of your fight.”
He sounded like the wise person he was expected to be. He was my mentor, and my uncle. I trusted him. Ronez was my father, but he was Edward’s twin brother. I was angry, but Edward’s pain was much deeper.
“I get it,” I said.
“Good.” He turned back to Vretial. “You’re screwed up. The universe relies on balance, which means that there is something as powerful as you, fighting against you. Neither you nor the force against you is good for the people.”
“I am perfectly balanced. What makes you decide what is right for the people?”
“I am the people. Dylan is the people. We live on these worlds with the other inhabitants. You don’t. You look at a little girl crying and you offer to remove her ability to feel pain. Why not offer to remove her problem?” Edward demanded.
; Vretial calmly sat down in his chair to listen to Edward thoughtfully. “My way is quicker. What makes your way better than mine?”
“The little girl does. And if you don’t believe it, ask her,” Edward said.
I wasn’t following along too well, but it sounded like he was talking about Tomie.
“Well, I can’t very well do that, now can I? You took away her memories.”
“I made it so she can start over. Divina gave her back her emotions and we took away her immortality. She’s free now, so don’t try to come after her.”
“I had no intention to do so. It took many years to make her what I wanted and the fact that you washed it all away so quickly is quite frustrating. I would have broken Shio in also, if you hadn’t killed him. So frustrating. I would kill you, except that I think it would be a waste. I think it’s only fair, since you took two of my servants, that you become my new servant. You’re amusing as you are frustrating to me. Your apprentice would die, though. Too bad you couldn’t protect him.”
“I haven’t failed to protect him yet. Oh, and one more thing; I’m not only here to protect Dylan, I’m also serving as a diversion.”
“For what, if you don’t mind my asking?” Vretial smiled.
“For me.”
Tiamat
To say I was sorry for the way things turned out would be an understatement. Everything I touched was ruined, everything I loved was lost to me, everything that once made sense was so wrong. My brothers thought power was all that mattered and that they were better than the beings they created. In all honesty, we began creating creatures for entertainment and scenery, and then as competition with each other. I was the youngest, the most different, and therefore, my brothers believed I was the weakest… all but my oldest brother. Vretial encouraged me and taught me to outshine my brothers. When the universe was still young, he taught me to see beauty in it. When the gods each created a world, I took my time. I wanted the most beautiful world with the most incredible creatures and vegetation. I made mistakes, but my brother would laugh it off.
Most of my brothers hated Vretial. They said his power was wrong. Erono thought it would be a great idea to close the gates between worlds and create books instead. He convinced us all after some unwanted pests learned to walk freely from world to world.
When Vretial attacked our brother, I was devastated. At first, I refused to believe my eldest sibling would do such a thing, but he confessed to me. I told him to never talk to me again. My brothers banished him and worked together to trap him to the two worlds he controlled. Avoli had been the only other brother who cared for me, but he would see no one. He was just as hurt by the betrayal.
Despite my warning him to never contact me again, I kept an eye on Vretial. He changed. The power changed him, poisoned his mind. This is when I created the body of a sago to live in. While the body of flesh dampened my powers greatly, I discovered something so much better and more beautiful than power; life.
For that matter, I was also changed, and I became weaker in the eyes of my brothers. When I became infatuated with my own Guardian, I thought there would be no greater shame. I was wrong.
All through time, there were rumors of powerful people and prophesies of master magicians. None of these amounted to anything to the gods. When the ancient beasts of the void started whispering of a new Noquodi, we turned a deaf ear. The idea of a child who could overpower every other Guardian was preposterous.
Ronez’s youngest son created a ripple in the structure of all things the moment he was born. He was impossible. I had my suspicions immediately about what he was. After the fire in his bedroom the night of his birth, my brothers believed that the balance of the universe would end the little child. They believed he would die before he became a threat.
Ronez was killed and I could not stop it. Living contently in a sago body on Duran, I was not fast or perceptive enough. And then I had to go and fall in love with his son.
I could blame my emotions and love on the body, but more likely, I was just too adapted to living a real life. This is the only explanation for being willing to give up this life. I was willing to kill the only family who ever loved me or die myself for the life of my new Guardian. My brothers were right about me.
* * *
Arriving in the outlands was like sinking into the middle of the ocean. This body would suffocate in the energy swarming, but my being wanted to drink it in. Yes, the power was wild and uncontrolled, but I was a god.
Dylan stood between me and the snake inhabiting the body of my former Guardian. While I was adapting to the shock and the magical current, Dylan did not know that Ronez was actually his father. I focused on the fact that they would soon be reunited, even if only for a small amount of time. Vretial arrived, smug and more insane than ever. When Vretial grabbed Dylan’s arm, I angrily told him to let Dylan go, but there was nothing I could do against my more powerful brother. He took my arm and flashed us into an elaborate bedroom.
The room was dim but full with a large bed and wall-to-wall bookshelves. I sat down on the soft bed, covered in a burgundy satin blanket and watched my brother hesitantly.
“You will stay here,” he commanded. He was nothing like he once was, but so very powerful.
“For how long?” I asked.
“Forever. You will stay here and I will keep our brothers away. You are the only one I liked, anyway. You can even be my second in command as I overpower the others.”
“Why would I do that?”
“You are my sister.”
“But you are not my brother. The power you gained by taking control of two worlds has broken your mind. Why did you do it?” I asked.
He grinned, but it was not a happy grin, and I suddenly knew I was not the only one to keep secrets in our family. Then he flashed out.
I felt around the compound. This structure was made half from man and half formed naturally. Dylan was being led towards Kiro by Shio. Tommie and Krael were walking together. I needed to get Dylan by himself to meet Ronez. I knew Dylan could handle Shio, but then Kiro started heading in Dylan’s direction. I had to keep them apart; if Kiro got to his apprentice, he wouldn’t leave Dylan’s side. I felt bad about keeping Kiro from his brother, but Ronez was going to have enough trouble with the wild energy. Kiro’s energy would push him away. Besides that, Kiro had other matters to attend to.
“Kiro, wait,” I sent to Kiro’s mind. “It’s not time. Dylan can take care of him. You need to follow Krael; he has Dylan’s book. You’ll get your chance with Shio later. Trust me.”
I sighed with relief when Kiro headed towards Krael. Krael, now alone, was headed towards me. I could feel that he desperately needed to talk to me. Luckily, Dylan was able to deal with Shio very quickly.
I knew Kiro was going to growl at me for this. “Go, now to finish off Shio.”
“I haven’t gotten the books yet,” he answered predictably, with frustration.
It occurred to me to confuse his senses, but he needed them at full strength for what he would face. “I know. Not now. Now is your chance to kill your brother’s murderer.” He started towards Shio as Dylan headed away. Unfortunately, Dylan went straight for Tommie. “Dylan? You have to turn around. Dylan!” No response. Dylan could not hear me, probably because of Ronez. It was okay. I could feel Ronez’s presence grow strong with Dylan. My young Guardian was protected.
But Kiro felt that Dylan was with the evil girl also, and he turned to go to his apprentice. Absolute worst timing. “No! Dylan is taken care of! Let him handle it!” I yelled.
“He’s my apprentice; I’m not letting that thing kill him.”
Foolish, stubborn Guardian never listens, just like his damn brother. “Have faith in him.” I encouraged.
“It isn’t about faith! He has barely had any training. I don’t care about timing or faith. He’s my apprentice and my brother can rest uneasily for a few more minutes for me to protect my apprentice.”
“He’s taken care of! If you interfere now
you’ll make things more complicated! Let him be, I swear she won’t so much as scratch him. Trust me!”
Kiro stopped. “Why?! Why should I?” I didn’t have an answer. “When this is over, you will explain to me how you know what you do and why I should trust you.”
“By the time this is over, you will know.” This I knew for sure. My secret was too big now. Kiro continued on his path to find Ronez’s murderer. Just in time, a gentle knocking came to my door. “Come in.”
Krael walked in and shut the door softly behind him. “How likely is it that you can defeat Vretial?” he asked without preamble.
“Very unlikely,” I answered honestly.
“What about your friends? Can they help you?”
“Less likely. Do you want me to defeat Vretial? Are you willing to stand up to him?”
He sighed and leaned against the door. “He took my sister from me. I used to think he had a good idea, a plan for a simple and peaceful life for all. If he wants to make others like my sister, he is wrong. I plan to lose against him, but I cannot stand by and do nothing. Ronez was my friend.”
It was the last part I believed. The longing I heard in his voice… Ronez was an amazing man who inspired loyalty and courage to do what was right in everyone. “Give me the books,” I said.
He nodded and pulled out my book. “I do not have the other one; Vretial took that one himself. However, I might be able to get it. I know where Vretial keeps both of his.”
I thought for a few minutes. It was a good thing I was also keeping an eye on the others. Dylan and Ronez were headed for the books, but they would run into Kiro, who was still with Shio, first. “Good, but I need you to do something else, first. I need you to keep Dylan away from Kiro. Intercept him. I myself cannot go after the books, as Vretial would immediately be onto me.”
“Right. So, I need to keep the young Guardian away from the other Guardian and then try to get the books.”
“Yes. Can you do it?”
“I can try.” He left.
No wonder I could not stop Ronez’s death; keeping track of three people was difficult enough. This body made me sluggish and less capable.