“Why?”
“Because Mother Ganz was alone,” she said. “I need to retrace her actions in reverse. That means I must put on the robe to retrieve the chest. Alone.”
Deserting her didn’t feel right. “I don’t like it. There is so much we don’t know.”
“I agree, and that is why you need to listen to me. This is my leap of faith.” Her face reflected the strength of her words. “With all my being I know Seritia wants to help you. But I also believe there is nothing you can do to change my fate. Either I will survive or I won’t. Your presence won’t change that. But if Seritia requires my sacrifice, you will needlessly die. That can’t happen.”
Other than because he wanted to control things, there was no good reason he could think of to stay. “By . . . I’ll not swear in front of you, but if you’re harmed by this, They’ll need to find a new Champion.”
“’Tis well you didn’t swear.” She smiled warmly and pulled her arm back. “I love you, too, Farrell. Now go.”
At first he resisted her tug, but he saw her resolve and released her fingers. He forced himself off the ground and drifted out of the affected area. He reached into his pocket as he moved higher and retrieved the Eye.
“Show me Jolella.”
The familiar distortion filled his vision. It cleared enough that he saw through the jumble of rubble that blocked his view. Jolella peered up and smiled before she looked down at the objects at her feet. Tentatively she reached for the pale pink cloth draped over the small brown wooden box.
Farrell exhaled as her fingers scrunched the fabric and lifted it off the chest.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
They cleared the top of the rubble, and Farrell flew them back to Khron’s temple. Father Aswick waited on the steps, his head twisted as he searched for them. Farrell kept the invisibility spell around them as they landed.
“We’re behind you, Father.” Despite Farrell speaking softly, Aswick jumped at the sound.
“Yah!” He spun around. “Child! Don’t go scaring an old dwarf like that!”
“Sorry.” He wasn’t. Tweaking his spell, they were visible to Aswick. “Allowing others to see us would’ve defeated the idea of sneaking in and out.”
“Yes, true.” Aswick shifted his gaze and his eyes opened wider. “You were successful!”
“Indeed.” Jolella smiled and stole a glance toward the entrance. “But we need to go somewhere private.”
“Of course.” His beard swayed as he nodded. “Come in. Come in.”
They followed Aswick as he led them inside. At just past tenth hour, attendance in the temple was sparse.
“Remember, Father, only you can see us.”
“Oh, right,” Aswick put a hand over his mouth. “Right.”
Walking with two invisible guests seemed to throw Aswick off-kilter. He constantly scanned their surroundings and glanced back to see if they were following. When they reached the door, he stepped back to let them walk inside.
Although Farrell knew the chest was meant for him, Jolella held it in her lap as she sat. He resisted the urge to ask her to give it to him, deciding she would relinquish it when it was time.
Aswick shut the door and turned with a huge smile. “Shall we open it?”
Everyone looked at the trunk. The long pause reminded Farrell of the reaction others had when confronted with a Gift. Farrell worried she might hang on to the trunk.
Before that thought took life, Jolella stood. “Much as you said about the robe, I’m not drawn to this.” She held it out to Farrell.
Farrell extended his arms. The chest was lighter than he expected. Its smooth wood and cool metal bands gave nothing away as to its contents. He ran his fingers along the rim and found a spot under the latch. Before he lifted it, he set the box on the ground.
He slid his index finger under the catch and pushed up. The hiss of air startled him, but he didn’t let go. He inched the top open. A long crystal vial rested on a cushion of seaweed-colored fabric. When he reached for the Gift, a burst of light flared up from the wooden chest. The image of a middle-aged wizard hovered over the crystal. Although the man looked familiar, Farrell was certain he’d never met him.
“Greetings, I am Velchuck.” He spread his arms and bowed. “Honorus directed I deliver this message. I don’t know why or for what purpose, but when the avatar of my God gives me an order, I am wise enough to do as I’m told.
“I faithfully put His words to paper and will give them to you in a moment. No doubt you want to know what’s inside the chest, but I don’t know. I assume it has to do with His message. If you’ve made it this far, you must know the Seven each created a Gift to give to the world. Each Gift represents a different aspect inherent in all beings: sight, hearing, energy, life, skill, love, and wisdom.
“Imagine being able to see or hear anything, even things secret within ourselves. To gather power on a scale no one can match, and then to use it with unrivaled skill. What would you do with boundless energy if your judgment was always correct? Think of the good you could do if your capacity to love knew no limits. My mind is full of such thoughts, but I digress. Hear now the words of the Holy Father Honorus.”
His body stiffened and his eyes unfocused. “My Siblings and I have given the world seven Gifts. By themselves each is a mighty talisman for any person to possess. Collect them all, and they are so much more. Whoever possesses all seven will have the power to do almost anything they can imagine. Doors that can take you someplace you’ve never seen, cities that float in the air, walls not even the dwarves could breach, the possibilities are endless.
“There are of course limitations. You cannot create life, bring back the dead, or change the past. You may not use the Gifts to kill or destroy that which We have created, nor may you use them to directly harm others. You can’t use them to make someone fall in love with you or change their mind.
“Since the temptation to misuse such power is immense, you may only use it once. After that, if you wish to use all seven again, you must first give them all away and collect them anew.”
Velchuck’s posture changed back to what it was when he first appeared. “That is all I have to impart. I hope it proves useful. If you had hoped I would tell you where to find the Gifts, I cannot. I’ve never possessed one, nor do I know where they are.” The image paused and Velchuck laughed. “Not that I would divulge it if I did.
“I pray that whoever hears this will use the knowledge well. There is enough suffering in the world already. Though I daresay, if you possess all seven Gifts, you must already be capable of wonderful—or terrible—things. May the Seven bless you and your labors.”
The image disappeared, and the three continued to stare at the space above the chest. Finally, Farrell closed the lid and reopened it. He waited for Velchuck to reappear, but nothing happened.
“It appears you were right,” Jolella said.
“I was?” Farrell looked up. He never expected to find Velchuck or get such a clear message.
“Yes. The Gifts as a whole are more valuable together than individually.” She smirked. “I wish I could see Kel’s face when you tell him.”
Aswick chuckled. “Such talk, Sister. You make it seem as if Lord Kel will be unhappy his grandson found the answer he needed.”
“You weren’t there, Brother.”
“What did I miss?” Aswick shifted his gaze between the two. “Did something happen?”
“My grandfather all but called me a fool.” He tried not to smile too wide. “He did not share my belief there might be more to collecting the Gifts than having them individually.”
“Perhaps I want to be there, too.” Aswick clapped his hands once. “This calls for a celebration.” Aswick crossed to a cabinet and removed three cups and a pitcher. He poured liquid into the three and brought two over.
“Before you complain, it’s apple juice from Fracturn.” He winked at Jolella. “I already know you don’t drink ale, so ordered something we all could enjoy.”
>
Farrell took a sip and set the cup down. He dipped a hand into the chest and removed the heavy crystal vial. If there was anything inside, he couldn’t see it. There wasn’t even a tiny air bubble. He turned it over and twisted it around. Nothing. He couldn’t even tell if it was a solid crystal or filled to capacity with a clear liquid. He held it out for Jolella and Aswick.
The prelates glanced at each other and then Aswick held out his hand. He held the Blood in his palm and brought it closer to Jolella. “It looks like a solid crystal.”
“It is,” Farrell said. “But I don’t know how to use it if there’s nothing inside.”
Jolella laughed. “If you opened a vial of liquid at the bottom of the ocean, what would happen to the liquid?”
“That’s true, but then how does it work?”
“I don’t know,” Jolella said. “It is for Arritisa’s Champion to find the answer.”
“Wonderful.” Farrell shook his head. “I’ve nothing else to do at the moment.”
“I’m confident you and Mother Burcia will find the answers you need,” Aswick said.
Farrell wasn’t so certain, but he nodded anyway. He didn’t have a choice.
Farrell floated beside King Clayden and surveyed the army assembled before them. Unlike human armies, Arlefors gathered in three dimensions, not two. He’d raised the issue with Clayden, but he assured Farrell it wouldn’t affect their ability to fight on land.
Hovering to Farrell’s right, Mother Burcia seemed nervous. He understood the feeling. Attempting something that had never been tried before was unsettling. There were risks to the thousands of soldiers before them, and she knew it.
“Arritisa would not have given me Her Blood and the book on how to use it if it would harm your Arlefors,” Farrell said. After he finished, he realized how condescending he sounded. “I’m sorry. You don’t need me to lecture you. I’m not as calm as I’d like to believe.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, Chosen; you are correct. I am nervous.” Her forced smile only made her pointy teeth more menacing. “Done correctly there is no danger, but we are fallible beings, not gods.”
Farrell knew his failings better than any. “The instructions were clear; I hold Her Gift and you invoke Arritisa’s will. All who are willing will be transformed.”
“Having held other Gifts, it must seem so simple to you.”
Nothing that involved the Six was simple, but he didn’t want to damage her shaky confidence. “Like the Blessed Mother, I’ve total confidence in you.”
“How is one little object going to affect an entire army?” Clayden asked.
“Size has no meaning when dealing with something touched by the gods,” Farrell said. He had no idea how it would work, but he didn’t worry it would “run out” before it altered everyone. “If the Blood works the same as Khron’s Arm, there is no limit to how many Arlefors it can reach.”
“How will we know if it works?” Teberus asked.
“If we follow the instruction, it will . . .” Farrell shifted his gaze to the long crystal in his hand. How could they tell if it worked? If it didn’t, the Arlefors would be far from water when their time ran out. Too far.
“Not to pour sand in your cut, but are you sure you’re doing this correctly?” Teberus asked. Farrell hadn’t processed the first question as he struggled with the new one. “Shouldn’t we be doing this out of the water?”
He sought out the older wizard. “Out of the . . . water. You don’t think it will work in the ocean?”
“If I understand the instructions correctly, no, it won’t.”
Farrell closed his eyes to think things through. He’d assumed it would work—no, he knew it would work—because the other Gifts worked. Teberus’s other question was the heart of the matter. If they did it wrong, it wouldn’t work on these soldiers and they’d die.
“The Blood will do what we need it to do.” He opened his eyes and found Teberus staring at him. “But only if we use it in the right way.”
Teberus nodded. “You see my question.”
“I don’t,” Clayden said. “You said it was simple.”
“I did and it is.” He turned to find Burcia. “You were right to be apprehensive.”
“Perhaps it was the Blessed Mother nudging us away from disaster.”
He nodded. If Arritisa could do that, why didn’t She handle the transformation? How nudging didn’t violate the rules he couldn’t say, but he didn’t have the time to spare to understand.
“Can someone explain what has happened?” Clayden asked.
“If we use the Blood while the soldiers are in the water, the transformation will not work,” Farrell said. “Or if it does, it will only last an instant.”
“Or they will all die,” Teberus said.
Farrell had enough experience with Arlefors and their facial expression that he recognized Clayden was still confused.
“This far below the waves, a being that needed air to survive would never reach the surface in time. As best we understand how the Blood works, it’s land or sea, but not both. And once a being returns to their regular home, the effect is gone.” Farrell saw a glimmer of understanding. “I suspect it will work, but one breath of water will negate the effect.”
“But no one has any experience with this process,” Teberus added. “If we fail, our soldiers will find out too late to get back to the ocean.”
“Then we can do this on the surface before we meet our enemy,” Clayden said.
“Can we?” Farrell asked. So much for Arritisa making this easy. “How do we know that being half-in and half-out will work?”
No good solution came to mind. Doing it on the ocean would require magic to keep the Arlefors out of the water. If they did it on land, they’d need a large open space close to the battle, but that created a logistical issue.
“What is your plan to keep your Arlefors hydrated?” he asked Teberus.
“We are going to create a wall under the entire army and keep it covered in water. That should give our soldiers enough water to prevent them from drying out.”
What Teberus suggested would be an epic bit of magic. Farrell didn’t question if they could do it. He needed to find a solution to the first problem. Arritisa and Lenore would have taken this into account when they selected the location. There had to be something he didn’t see. Pushing out a bit of magic, he created a map of the area around Pelth. “This is where we are going.”
The image grew to show the high cliffs where the allied forces planned to make their stand. Farrell’s plan had been to move the Arlefor army to the ocean below and use the water to ferry them up to the plateau.
“Can you show us more land?” Farrell recognized Argus’s voice.
“What specifically are you looking for? It will help me move the image.”
“A safe place to assemble and invoke the Blessed Mother’s will,” Argus said. “Preferably something large enough for the entire army so we can do it just once.”
Farrell moved the map around. They were missing something. Everything happened for a reason and every place had significance. Shifting the Blood to his left hand, he used his right to retrieve the Eye.
Show me the position of the armies around Pelth. His vision shifted and he had a view from above. He transferred what he saw onto the map and pulled back to put everything in context.
“This shows the position of our forces.” He highlighted the three different armies. “And this is our enemy.”
Even with reinforcements from Haven and Dumbarten, they barely outnumbered Garreth’s forces. If Meglar’s wizards turned them into Chamdon as Farrell expected, they’d crush Wilhelm’s army.
“We should marshal here.” Clayden used his sword to poke at a spot just north of Pelth but south of Garreth’s army. “Once transformed, we can attack from the rear.”
Farrell directed the Eye to show him the Arlefor army where the king indicated. The troops covered a large area, more than enough to turn a likely defeat
into an almost certain victory. He set all five armies in motion, projecting as best he could their movement. That’s when he saw it.
“You knew it just from looking?” Farrell asked Clayden.
The king nodded. “When they turn to attack the army they’ve been chasing, we will block their retreat and crush them.”
Since Chamdon followed the last command given to them, it would take time to turn them around. Ordinary soldiers made good use of the transition time. Arlefors would decimate the Chamdon.
“Now we know,” Burcia said.
Farrell smiled. “Yes, we do.”
“I gave Teberus a modified version of Vedric’s cloaking spell,” Farrell said.
“You did what?” Kel asked.
Farrell had stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth and held up his hand until he finished chewing. “It was a good spell. I’m not sure I’d have found them without the Eye.”
“And they thought it failed.” The laugh started softly before it built up to something louder. “That’s irony on an epic level. I applaud you, Grandson.”
“I wasn’t going for ironic.” He swallowed another bite. “I needed something that would be easy to create and would cover a large area. With a few changes, this worked.”
“They will never expect you to use a spell that they believed failed, which is what makes this all the more satisfying.” Kel slid some extra cheese onto Farrell’s plate. “Finish eating so you can get some sleep.”
“Sleep?” He covered his mouth to stop from spitting food. “I don’t—”
“Stop!” Kel snapped his fingers shut in front of Farrell’s face. “We have eight hours before we need to be there. I sent Nerti, Flemin, and Rojas back to Haven yesterday so they could travel with Heminaltose and the Muchari. Pfellcuk will help me if I need anything, but you will burn out at a critical moment if you don’t rest.”
The more Farrell ate, the harder the pull of sleep tugged at him. They weren’t going to let him miss the deadline, and he’d set a wake-up spell of his own. “You’re right. Leave me at least two hours to get ready.”
Champion of the Gods Box Set Page 209