Champion of the Gods Box Set

by Andrew Q. Gordon

  Mindful of his duty to guard Haven’s army, Farrell was about to check the main force when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. When he looked back it was gone, but he knew it was real. He summoned the Eye. “Show me what Tixel is hiding!”

  An aura far brighter than Tixel’s superimposed itself over the one Farrell had seen with his wizard’s sight. It faded in and out, but it was anchored to Tixel.

  He put the Eye back in his pocket, drew his staff, and ran toward Nerti. In a practiced move, he soared onto her back. “Make for Tixel! It’s a trap. He’s channeling for Meglar!”

  Without a word, Nerti launched herself forward. Farrell aimed his staff at the chariot, but before he could fire, Nerti veered off in arch.

  “We are being summoned back.” She sounded apologetic, but didn’t ask if they should comply. “Glendora insists we must not engage Tixel.”

  “Ignore her. The others have no idea what they are facing.” Despite his plea, Nerti didn’t change her course. “Nerti, please! They’ll die!”

  “I’m truly sorry, but she speaks for the Holy Mother in this. I cannot disobey her.”

  Farrell was about to launch himself skyward and proceed on his own when he felt another presence in his mind. “Nerti, take control of his mind! He must not go to them!”

  He threw up his defenses, but Nerti swept them aside like thin parchment. Her grip felt like a vise, and he couldn’t find an edge to attack.

  “Please, Nerti. Let me go!” He pounded against her hold and felt it weaken. Fear and rage fueled his efforts, and he attacked again. A thin crack appeared, and before she could seal it, he exerted his will and shoved. Nerti staggered under the strain but quickly recovered.

  “Stop fighting me, wizard!”

  “I’m sorry, Nerti, but I won’t let them die.” Without warning, he hit her hold again, and it shattered. He jumped off and gathered a stumbling Nerti into a cocoon of energy.

  “You stupid little boy!” Someone slapped him from the side.

  He turned with a powerful killing spell on his lips.

  Glendora slapped him again. Gone was the calm, gentle priestess. The Glendora he knew had been replaced by one imbued with power he’d never felt before. “You were told not to interfere, not to get involved. The moment Tixel arrives, you cast aside all our warnings.”

  She raised her hand to strike him again, and he fired a ball of energy that should have stunned her. It detonated inches from her, revealing an image of Lenore surrounding the priestess. It had, however, prevented her from landing her blow.

  Farrell backed away and pointed his staff at her again.

  “You have no idea what you have done!” he shouted. “Tixel is channeling for Meglar. They don’t have a chance. They’re going to die. Don’t you care?”

  “Even the best intentions do not excuse your willful disregard of all our requests.”

  “Your request? Who are you to order me to do anything?”

  “I speak for Lenore!” He’d never seen her this angry, but his rage equaled hers.

  “I’m Her Champion! I don’t take orders from you or any save the Six!”

  “Farrell, stop!” Nerti said, moving closer.

  “Stay back!” He shifted his staff back and forth, pointing it at the pair. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I’m not going to let you stop me.”

  “Please listen to me. They don’t need your help.” The finality in her voice surprised him.

  “How can you say that?”

  “Because they are not who you think.” Glendora sounded exasperated but resolute. “Join with me, and I’ll show you the truth.”

  Chapter Nine

  Farrell flinched when Glendora reached for him.

  “You have my word I shall do nothing to harm you.” She put her hand out, palm down. “Let me show you why you have nothing to fear for your friends, even with what Meglar has done.”

  He glanced at Nerti, and she nodded. Either he accepted the invitation, or he resumed his fight against two he considered part of his family. Slowly he extended his hand, and once he clasped hers, Glendora spun him about so he faced his friends. Farrell’s enhanced vision spell was still in place, and he saw the sneer of contempt on Tixel’s face as he squared off against his foes.

  “Look well, child of the House of Kel. Peer beyond what you think you know and see the truth.”

  Farrell saw his friends working together to thwart Tixel’s attack. “Their powers are no greater than ever. Even their ability to complement each other will not be enough against Tixel and my father.”

  Glendora squeezed her bony hand tighter around his. “See the truth through my eyes.”

  His vision wavered, and he had trouble focusing on his friends. He concentrated on “seeing the truth.” The images solidified, and the auras of the three master wizards he knew became those of three grand master wizards he had known.

  “That’s . . . that’s not possible.” Farrell tried hard to reconcile what he knew to be true with what Glendora’s eyes revealed. “They’re . . . they’re dead. I watched them die.”

  “Did you actually see them die?” The calm manner in which she dispensed the accusation stung like she’d slapped him again. “Did you find their bodies? Do their remains lie beneath the markers you placed high up on the mountain?”

  Tears welled up in his eyes as he confronted her. “What sick game are you playing?”

  “This is no trick or game. You see the truth that has been hidden from you,” she said gently.

  She removed her hand, and the new auras he saw remained. His knees weakened as he realized the epic scale of the lies he’d been told. Not just lies—foul, unforgivable deception.

  “Why?” No, that wasn’t what he most wanted to know. “How could she do this to me? All these years I mourned her . . . them, and they stood there pretending to care.”

  “Of course they cared.”

  Farrell stood tall and faced Glendora. “No they didn’t! I made a fool of myself grieving for them, and they let me.”

  He thought of those times he’d cried his eyes out in front of them. Told them how much he missed his mother. They’d given him false words of understanding and encouragement.

  “Push past the pain and remember your own words.”

  “What would those be?” he spat. “That I missed them? Oh wait, they were right there deceiving me. I made a total ass of myself, and they let me suffer thinking they were gone. And worse, they let me think I failed them. Do you know how many times I wanted to give up because I thought I failed everyone who mattered?”

  “Didn’t you also say you would give anything to see her again?” She raised an eyebrow as the sting of her words sank in. “I have it on good authority your mother was given a choice. She could leave you and enter her eternal rest, or she could come back as Cylinda. If she chose the latter, she could never reveal herself until the Six decided it was time.”

  “She . . . what?”

  “Yes, Farrell, she loved you enough to reject a well-deserved gift so she could be here for you. Even if she could never hold your hand or tell you the truth, she wanted to be there to help you any way she could.”

  Tears rolled down his cheeks as he tried to see his mother in the woman he’d called Cylinda. He sniffed and wiped his nose. “She did.”

  “Yes, child, they all did.” Glendora used the sleeve of her robe to dab the edges of her eyes. “Do not think for an instant that she escaped this deception unscathed.”

  “Who . . . who else knew?”

  “No one save me until you nearly died.” She glanced at Nerti and back to him. “Your mother risked never seeing you again to come to your aid. Rothdin, Nerti, and Miceral learned the truth in that moment.”

  “Miceral? He knew?”

  “Before you berate your mate, the Six prevented him from telling you. I could not tell Klissmor, nor could Rothdin tell Hesnera.”

  “But why was this even necessary?”

  “The reasons are many,”
Glendora said. “Look at the fight unfolding, and you can see one of them. Meglar came looking for the wizard who has been annoying him to no end. What he will find instead are his three greatest foes still alive and well.”

  Everything she said made sense, but he had to ask, Why couldn’t I know? The Six could have prevented me from revealing this truth just like they did Nerti and Miceral.”

  “I know the Six had their reasons, but for now accept the truth and understand why you must not get involved.”

  “I’m sorry too,” Nerti said. Farrell felt her remorse and oddly, he didn’t blame her.

  “I . . .” He looked back at the battle raging across the field. Tixel still had the same smug expression and didn’t seem concerned by his opponents. Erstad—or whoever he was—led the attack followed by Cyl—his mother and Wesfazial. Tixel’s shield easily dispersed the assault. The fall of Yar-del flashed before him. His mother and Heminaltose didn’t have the power available to defeat Meglar. Neither would they today.

  “I must go to them.” He saw the disapproving look and shook his head. “I promise to stay out of the fight, but they need me and my link to the Source if they’re going to survive.”

  “Farrell, what did we just—?”

  “My mother and Heminaltose lost because they couldn’t match Meglar’s access to energy. They’ll lose again today if something doesn’t change that. Only I have access to our Source. I promise I will keep far enough away and not become part of the fight. Nerti only needs to get me close enough for me to link with them.”

  Glendora didn’t look convinced, and he could tell she was about to deny his request. A blinding flash stifled her response. They turned to see Tixel directing a stream of energy at Wesfazial. The blaze of energy against the shield was so brilliant that it obscured all four wizards for a time. When the light cleared, Wesfazial was unharmed, but he looked shaken. Erstad and Cylinda renewed their attack to give their colleague a break.

  “Please! I’ll keep my mind open to Nerti so she can take control if I try to enter the fight again.”

  Glendora looked to Nerti, who nodded vigorously, causing her mane to flop up and down.

  “Very well.” She squeezed her lips tight and her eyes narrowed. “But, Nerti, in Lenore’s name, I charge you to make certain he does not reveal himself to Tixel or Meglar.”

  “You have my word, priestess, that I shall not fail the Holy Mother.”

  Farrell mounted, and the two were off before Glendora could change her mind. He readied a link as Nerti streaked toward the battle. “Can you contact them and tell them to link to me so I can give them access to the Source?”

  He didn’t wait for her to respond before he reached out for the Sources before Haven’s gates. This far away, it would have been difficult to establish a link, except Farrell had placed markers at strategic locations around Haven to make it easier. He found the closest marker and grabbed on to it. With a clear pathway open, Farrell drew power like a thirsty man would drink from a cold brook.

  “They are reluctant to reach out to you, wizard. I do not want to press the point lest I break their concentration at an inopportune moment.”

  He anticipated they’d be unwilling to let him see them use their real powers. “Can you let them hear me?”

  “Speak to me and they will hear you.”

  He hoped he could hear them if they responded. “Listen to me, you three stubborn old goats. Take the link offered and draw power from the Sources. If you fear you’ll reveal your true identities, don’t. I already know you’re alive, Mother.” He let his words sink in, then reached out to each with a link. Cylinda grabbed first, followed by Wesfazial and finally Erstad. Farrell connected the link to his staff and used himself as the conduit to the Sources.

  Immediately he felt a drag on his power. He quickly replenished the energy in his staff from the twin Sources. With his armor full, he kept spare capacity in his staff in case he drew too much.

  Surveying the battle, Farrell recognized the strategy his mother and teachers employed. Tixel faced Erstad, while Wesfazial and Cylinda stood at right angles to their friend. Farrell couldn’t tell if Tixel sensed their burgeoning power reserves, but he looked worried.

  The two sides studied each other following the attack on Wesfazial. He understood why his friends waited; they were assimilating their new energy and reworking their plans. Tixel’s lack of activity puzzled him.

  Nerti stopped away from the fray, and Farrell surrounded them in a powerful shield. Linked to his friends, he could now hear what they heard.

  “This day has been a long time coming,” Erstad said. “After three centuries you’ve run out of places to hide.”

  Tixel squinted at his enemy and glanced at the others. “I’ve never hidden from you. You’re delusional, wizard.”

  “You and your cowardly master have seriously miscalculated this day,” Wesfazial said. “Unfortunately, it will be a mistake you won’t be able to walk away from.”

  Farrell reinforced his binding on the area so Tixel couldn’t open a Door and escape. Tixel would need to kill Farrell to release the hold, and any attempt to do that would invite an attack from his friends. Like it or not—and Tixel clearly did not—he was committed to this fight.

  “Who are you? And where did you suddenly get so much power?” Tixel glanced in Farrell’s direction “How—”

  He pointed his staff at Farrell, but Cylinda used his distraction to attack. Wesfazial and Erstad joined her, and Tixel’s full attention was back to his defenses.

  “Come now, old enemy.” Erstad held up his hand to pause the attacks. “Surely you remember me. You spent centuries avoiding me.”

  Erstad lowered his hand, and the attacks resumed. Their spells were crude and lacked anything approaching what he knew his friends could summon. Farrell didn’t understand the strategy. Never toy with a wounded beast, lest it savage you in its attempts to flee.

  When the energy faded, Erstad sent a hail of yellow stars at his enemy. Heminaltose had devised this attack centuries ago, and he’d only taught it to Farrell and Sanduval. Tixel’s face went from confusion to shock.

  “You’re dead. Meglar killed you at Yar-del.” He looked at Wesfazial and Cylinda, and his eyes opened wider. “This is not possible.”

  He shuddered, and his face glowed. Meglar’s visage was suddenly overlaid atop Tixel’s.

  “What deception is this? Heminaltose died by my hand along with that bitch from Yar-del.”

  “Nice to see you again, too, Lar.” Cylinda slammed her staff down, and her appearance reverted to the one Farrell knew so well. “You’re not as clever as you think.”

  Farrell dampened his aura and blurred his face. He hoped learning Heminaltose and Zenora were alive was enough to keep Meglar from paying too much attention to him and Nerti.

  “Does your aura make it as difficult for others to read me as it is for me to read you?” Farrell asked.

  “I don’t know. Why do you ask?”

  “If Meglar looks this way, I’m blocking my full powers and blurring my face, but anything you can add will only add to his confusion.”

  Meglar continued to examine the three wizards he thought he’d killed, but after a moment, he turned his gaze on Farrell. His friends turned as well.

  “Your mother said I make you completely unreadable. To her you appear like an avatar from the Six.”

  Without meaning to do it, Farrell smiled at this statement. Whether it was the smile or that he couldn’t understand who or what Farrell was, Meglar howled in frustration before sending a massive attack at Erstad.

  With the power Farrell provided, Erstad didn’t have to divide his energy between offense and defense. That made his shield nearly impenetrable. He stood still, as though the attack was of no consequence. Through Tixel, Meglar made similar attacks on Zenora—now that she looked like herself again, that was how Farrell thought of her—and Wesfazial. These had the same effect they had on Erstad.

  Though some mistakenly calle
d into question Meglar’s skills as a wizard, he was without peer in channeling power. But power without purpose was almost always thwarted by power and skill. Enraged after the failed attacks, Meglar upped the power levels and maintained a steady assault at all three. Farrell ensured he drew enough power from his own Sources so they had ample resources at their disposal to counter his father’s brutal assault.

  Stymied again, Meglar’s rage bordered on insane. When he tried to increase the level of his attack, a shimmer returned to Tixel’s face.

  “Master, stop! It is too much power for me to handle.” The assaults on Zenora and the others stopped, and a struggle ensued between Tixel and Meglar.

  “Master, you must stop! It! Is! Too! Much!” The frantic wizard put his hands to his head and screamed.

  No matter what he did, Meglar wouldn’t be able kill his enemies from Zargon, but it appeared he would not be denied. If what Farrell knew about his father was true, his fury likely pushed all rational thoughts aside. He cared nothing for the pawns who served him, something Tixel had learned too late.

  With a last, desperate push, Tixel yelled between clenched teeth, “Stop!—Too!—Much!—Power!”

  He seemed to shove back mentally against Meglar. At first the two faces alternated their supremacy over the body; then both were there together for a brief moment. Both screamed in agony just before Tixel’s body crumbled into a pile of gray ash.

  “Great angry gods!” Wesfazial shouted. “The poor bastard was consumed by the raw power Meglar tried to shove down his gullet.”

  The normally compassionate Erstad snorted. “I have no pity for that foul wizard. He tortured countless innocent people in pursuit of his dark arts. It’s fitting his end came at the hand of the only wizard fouler than he.”

  Nerti was back in Farrell’s mind. “Wizard, Klissmor says we are needed on the battlefield.”

  She didn’t wait for him to agree before she raced off at a full gallop.