Champion of the Gods Box Set

by Andrew Q. Gordon

  When they broke for lunch, Penelope shielded them to give Farrell a rest. Based on how much ground they covered, Klissmor allowed them to linger a bit longer than normal. Even with the added time, fatigue slowly permeated Farrell’s body by midafternoon. He remembered stopping for the night, releasing the spells once Penelope hid their camp, and little else.

  The next morning Miceral woke him just as the sun peeked over the horizon. He left the tent and found everyone busy breaking camp.

  “Why’d you let me sleep so long?”

  Miceral kissed him lightly on the lips and handed him a heaping plate of cold chicken, cheese, and bread. “You don’t really need an answer to that, do you?”

  Farrell’s stomach rumbled loudly before he replied, and Miceral laughed. He kissed Farrell again, then left to take down their tent. Giving in to his hunger, Farrell picked up a piece of chicken and took a bite.

  “We made excellent progress yesterday,” Nerti said. “In truth, we’ve outpaced our initial expectations the entire trip. Klissmor expects to see Agloth by early afternoon, tomorrow at the latest.”

  It took a moment for the magnitude of what she’d said to register. Less than nine days to Agloth from the West Coast? Unheard of, but still welcome news. “That’s wonderful to hear.”

  Another day and a half and then what? Agloth was their goal, but he’d assumed when they reached Seritia’s city they’d be able to rest. Now, depending on when Vedric marched on Agloth, they might find themselves at the center of a fight.

  Farrell glanced around the camp, and although most of it had been packed away, they weren’t ready to leave yet. He pushed a small wedge of cheese into his mouth and set the plate on the rock next to him.

  “You need to eat all of that.”

  He smiled at Nerti’s stern warning. “I plan to, Mother Nerti, but I thought I’d check to be sure Vedric hasn’t left any surprises between here and Agloth.”

  “Let the other wizard handle that. You need to conserve your strength.”

  Farrell slid his hand into his endless pocket. “I’m better suited to this. She doesn’t have the Eye of Honorus. Trust me, using the Eye is practically effortless if I don’t try to make it do something specific.”

  “How is checking for any enemies not a specific request?”

  He took out the purple velvet pouch and undid the string. “Asking it to, ‘Show me any enemies between here and Agloth,’ is simple compared to, ‘Locate this tiny spot and then zoom in and let me listen.’ It’s difficult to explain, but the more detail and the more you try to control the image it shows you, the harder it is to use. If, as I suspect, there is nothing to see, it will show me nothing and it will take next to no effort at all.”

  “What if it shows you something you don’t expect to see?”

  “Then we’ve got a much bigger issue to worry about than me tiring myself out needlessly.” He didn’t wait for an answer and raised the Eye so he could see the blue crystal. “Show me all our enemies between us and Agloth.”

  Nothing happened, so he asked the question several different ways with similar results. Satisfied they could proceed without fear of their enemy lying in wait, Farrell put the Eye away and quickly finished eating.

  Without saying much, the group set out before the sun was fully visible. Like the previous day, they rode longer and took slightly longer breaks. Late in the afternoon, with at least another hour of light left, Nerti ordered a halt for the day.

  Farrell blinked as they rode up to the small clump of trees Grohl had located for them. While grateful to end the day early, he cast out his senses.

  “Why are we stopping?” He hadn’t found anything, but he’d only made a cursory scan.

  “You’ve reached your limit, and we’ve made as much progress as we need for the day.” Nerti moved closer to Klissmor, and before Farrell could object, Miceral lifted him off Nerti’s back.

  “I’m fine. Let’s keep going.” Farrell slipped free from Miceral and tried to remount.

  Nerti spun around and faced him. “This is not up for debate. We are stopping for the night, and you are going to rest. Am I clear?”

  The green of her eyes grew darker, and he took a step back. “Yes.”

  “We shall see the walls of Agloth by afternoon tomorrow.” Her features softened, and she winked at him. “Are you still eager to continue, knowing that?”

  He turned around and noticed Penelope already had their wards up and Miceral and Peter had started to set out the tent. “Perhaps this is a good time to rest.”

  “I thought you’d see it my way.”

  The next morning, despite still being tired, Farrell woke as Miceral and Peter did their best to leave the tent quietly. Much as he wanted to go back to sleep, the anticipation of what the day held left him too excited. He waited until they left to sit up. Rather than rush out, he found the Eye and checked the path to Agloth.

  Finding nothing threatening along the way, he stopped before he put the gemstone away. “Show me Agloth.”

  The savannah quickly gave way to desert, and his mind’s eye entered a sea of endless sand. He soared over dunes toward a vast, tower-rich city in the middle of nothing. He stopped moving while the city still looked small. Several times he tried to move closer, but the Eye would do nothing more than circle the city from the same distance. Frustrated, he stowed Honorus’s Gift and left the tent.

  Armed with another overflowing plate of food, Farrell told Nerti about his inability to see Agloth up close.

  “Perhaps the Goddess does not wish anyone, not even someone who possesses the Eye of Honorus, to peer uninvited into Her city.”

  The idea that the Eye had limitations hadn’t occurred to him. “That makes sense, the part about Seritia being able to thwart Honorus’s Gift. I can’t, however, understand why She’d want to do that. I’m Her Chosen and Her Champion. You’d think She trusts me given that.”

  “Yet, despite being both Chosen and Champion, you are required to approach Her city the same way as every other supplicant. Maybe you can ask Her yourself when we get to Agloth.”

  “An added incentive to eat quickly so we can continue the journey.”

  Once they’d finished eating, they broke camp and began the last leg of their trip. Each step closer to Agloth reduced Farrell’s fear of being attacked. It might not be grounded in fact, but he’d still feel safer inside Agloth’s walls.

  At midmorning they came upon a road that ran north-south. Nerti advised him that this was a trade route from the northern coast to the dwarf realm to the south. Another road would join it from the east just before they reached Agloth.

  Shortly before noon, Farrell glimpsed gleaming spires of Seritia’s holy city. The sight of Agloth, bathed in the light of a perfect early summer morning, sent a chill down his spine. Despite the dangers they faced, he took the time to admire the wonder Seritia and Her followers had wrought.

  Unlike the carefully designed city of Yar-del, where every tower or tall building had been planned or approved, or the controlled sprawl of Dumbarten, Agloth looked like something a child might draw. Impossibly tall and slender towers that reflected the sunlight in dozens of colors popped up next to squat, blocky stone turrets, which sat next to ornate wooden buildings. No two structures were the same. The array of building materials—each building constructed of something different—baffled Farrell, as there was little but grass and sand for hundreds of miles in any direction. Another oddity—unlike most cities Farrell had visited, there were no buildings or structures outside the walls.

  For the next hour, the city grew before them, revealing its true size. If Vedric expected to lay siege to the place, he would need a very large army just to encircle Agloth. They’d passed the northern edge of the city and made for a road that approached Agloth from the east. Farrell had yet to see a way in or out of the city.

  “There is but one entrance to Agloth,” Nerti said, when asked. “The city sees few visitors, and there is no industry to speak of that would requ
ire additional gates to accommodate merchant caravans.”

  “If there is little commerce in and out of the city, how do they feed themselves? I’ve not seen a single farm, let alone enough to feed a city that large.”

  “Haven has no farms, yet no one starves.”

  “True, but we’re a city of wizards. Heminaltose created a series of Doors we use to reach markets.”

  “And could not the Goddess have arranged something similar for Her city?”

  “Of course, but . . .” The stupidity of his question embarrassed him.

  “My apologies.”

  “None needed, Little One. You are overtired.”

  Rather than discuss it further, he focused on the nearby city. They traveled onto the road leading to the entrance, and he saw the front gate. Set deep into the outer walls, a pair of black metal doors shut the city off from the outside world. Closer now, he guessed the walls were at least forty feet tall. He couldn’t see how thick, but given how far back the gates sat, they had to be thicker than he was tall.

  Turning his wizard sight on the surrounding area, Farrell nearly gasped at the amount of magic he found. Every inch of ground between them and the walls bristled with energy. Following a path to the walls, he saw even more magic saturating the stones protecting the city.

  “Vedric is in for a nasty surprise if he thinks Agloth will fall easily.”

  “There is more to this city than a casual observation will reveal,” Nerti said.

  Farrell didn’t doubt her. Agloth was supposed to be Seritia’s city, Her most important temple. Yet no soldiers manned walls or patrolled the perimeter. He saw no merchants, farmers, nor workers enter or leave. They were close enough now that he’d expect to hear the sounds of a vibrant city, but other than four unicorns riding hard, he detected nothing.

  “Brothers, what can you see from your vantage?”

  “The city appears nearly empty,” Grohl said. “There are people going about their day as in any city, but they are few in number and occupy only a very small section of the city closest to the temple.”

  “Where is the rest of the population?” Farrell asked Nerti. “How can Agloth defend itself if it has so few people?”

  “Don’t be concerned about the safety of Seritia’s city. Her guardians will protect Agloth if the need arises.” Nerti slowed in front of a pair of stone pillars. Carved from slabs of black rock, they each had symbols and runes Farrell had never seen before. “This marks the boundaries of the temple proper. We must wait to be invited to enter.”

  “Should I announce our presence?” Miceral asked.

  “That will not be necessary.” Nerti tapped her hoof three times on the stone road.

  Slowly the enormous doors swung open. The polished iron rectangles moved steadily, and as the gap widened, a company of female guards waited at attention. When the doors ground to a halt, the soldiers marched out.

  A tall woman wearing the rose-and-white uniform of Seritia’s temple led the detail forward. When they were only a few paces from Nerti, they came to a halt and knelt on one knee. “Chosen, on behalf of the Holy Mother Jolella, I bid you welcome to Agloth.”

  The unwanted attention left Farrell uncomfortable.

  “Do not tell them to stand up.” Nerti’s words stopped him from doing just that. “They see the hand of their Goddess on you. Not since Kel has a male been a Chosen of Seritia.”

  “And that requires them to bow?”

  “Yes!” Her tone told him not to argue with her.

  “Sisters, on behalf of myself and my companions, I thank you for the . . . greeting.”

  The officer stood up, followed by her guards. “If you follow us, we will escort you to the temple. Mother Jolella is anxious to meet you and your companions, Chosen.”

  “Nice to know we’ve been relegated to being your companions.” Penelope’s dry tone and sour look told Farrell the officer did him no favors with her comments.

  “Come now, Princess,” Miceral said with a smirk. “We had to endure Baron Henric swooning over you and treating the three of us like mere guards. I think you can put on a better face when it’s Farrell’s turn to be embarrassed.”

  “He did not swoon!” Her glare might have cowered another, but Miceral’s smile never waned.

  “If you say so, Princess.”

  As Grohl had said, the city appeared empty. Being the only city on Nendor devoted exclusively to a deity might have something to do with it, but given Agloth’s size, Farrell expected more than the few people he observed walking about.

  Once on the street, he passed row upon row of low, square buildings that had to be homes. They appeared well maintained, and certainly not what he’d expect if the city were largely empty.

  “Does Agloth see many visitors?” he asked the leader of their escort.

  She glanced at him and then quickly faced forward. “Other than sisters from other temples and pilgrims seeking Holy Seritia’s blessings, we see very few visitors, Chosen.”

  “Yet there are homes and shops to support a vast population. Why would Seritia build so much if the visitors are so few?”

  “Questions such as those, Chosen, must be asked of Mother Jolella.” The way she spoke, as if reciting a script, stifled any further conversation.

  Her answer did nothing to satisfy Farrell’s curiosity, but he let it go and examined his surroundings. Unlike the towers that reached above the walls, the buildings they passed were more uniform in construction. The low buildings, made from light-colored clay, lined both sides of the street. They all had doors in the same place and had one large, rectangular window to the side of the door. The decoration that adorned each front, however, changed with each dwelling.

  Vibrant paints, colored tiles, and small pieces of carved wood or stone gave each structure a unique feel. The designs appeared random, but when he looked closer, Farrell saw they were actually small murals. There were epic battle scenes, cities by the ocean, hunting parties, and a couple depicting what looked like a mass exodus. The only common element to all was the people. Dark-skinned men, women, and children with short, curly hair populated all the images. The only exceptions were the odd light-skinned priestesses who appeared sporadically in the works.

  “Does the high priestess know we’re coming?” Penelope’s question broke Farrell’s musing.

  “Of course, Your Highness,” the officer said. “She is aware of all that occurs in Agloth.”

  The idea of another all-knowing person who could and would pull his strings was an annoying reminder of how little control Farrell had over his life. If he turned about and left, he wondered how long it would take for one of the Six to appear.

  The oppressive midday heat didn’t improve his mood. Now that they’d stopped racing across the savannah, Farrell sweat freely. Their guards, however, quick-marched along without complaint, so he kept his tongue. At least he wasn’t walking.

  He wiped his forehead as they passed an abandoned home. The window opened into a dark room beyond. For a moment his mood turned somber, but as soon as he looked away it improved. He almost brushed the feeling off, but something pricked at him. Turning right, he scanned another empty house, and the melancholy feeling returned. He scanned the area for… something but found nothing out of the ordinary.

  Putting it down to fatigue and the heat, he focused on what lay ahead. But the urge to check again proved too strong, and he peered into another vacant home. His gloomy disposition returned instantly. Squinting, he tried to locate the source of the feeling with all the success of using a fork to eat soup.

  “Something wrong?” Miceral’s voice in his head caused Farrell to flinch.

  “What?” Everyone turned toward him, and his face turned red. He couldn’t explain what he felt to himself, let alone to Miceral and the others. “Sorry, I . . . I’m just tired.”

  “It’s more than that. What’s going on?”

  “Do you feel something odd about this city?”

  “Odd? In what way?” From Mice
ral’s answer, it was clear he hadn’t sensed anything. “You mean how empty the city is?”

  “No.” Farrell hesitated to say more. He didn’t want Miceral to worry. Yet he knew it wasn’t just him. There was something in the city. “There is a deep-rooted sadness in this city. Every time I look at an empty house, the feeling intensifies, as if the city itself is in mourning for some horrific loss.”

  Miceral stared into the nearest home. Twisting on Klissmor’s back, he checked out the empty dwellings to his left. “I feel nothing.”

  Rather than pursue the issue further, Farrell shrugged. However, the uneasy mood remained, always hovering just beyond his ability to locate. The combination of the heat, not looking at the houses, and avoiding Miceral’s gaze had him on edge the remainder of the ride.

  Their escort stopped at the base of the stairs to the temple entrance. From the position of the sun, at least an hour had passed since they had entered the city. Another company of guards lined a path up to the large double doors and snapped to attention at their arrival. They lifted their spears and planted them in unison on the stone stairs. A detachment of soldiers appeared on either side of the small group. Two guards stood beside each of the visitors and looked up expectedly.

  “One may not enter Seritia’s home armed without permission,” the officer said. “I assure you, your weapons and staffs will be safe with us.”

  Farrell waved off the woman waiting beside Nerti with her hands outstretched. “Given that prohibition, I fear I cannot enter the temple. I have a vast array of weapons in my pocket that would take hours to remove.”

  The guard shifted her attention from Farrell’s face to his legs. “I don’t understand.”

  Farrell patted the outside of his pants. “Magic allows me to store an entire room of objects inside this one pocket. I couldn’t comply with the request to disarm if you gave me an hour. I’ll remain here while the others go inside. Later, after I’ve changed clothes, I’ll present myself to the holy mother.”

  “But . . .” She peered into the temple and then turned back to Farrell. “The holy mother requested I bring everyone directly to her.”