Champion of the Gods Box Set

by Andrew Q. Gordon

“Your Majesty,” Jagwin whispered.

  Farrell swallowed and lifted his head. Guards blocked the doorway and a dozen more stood between it and Farrell. The room was free of dead bodies and blood, and the furniture had been reset. Jagwin looked resolute, but tears welled at the sides of his eyes.

  “You were right,” Farrell said as he stood. He lifted Greigel and shook his head when someone tried to take the body. “This is my fault. I should have let you do your job and post the guards you wanted.”

  “Though I have chided you much in the past, this time it was not your fault.” Jagwin held out his arms. “I ignored your objections and posted the guards I thought appropriate outside your rooms. This happened in spite of that.”

  “Thank you.” Farrell handed Jagwin his friend’s body. “I want him to have a hero’s funeral. He saved our children.”

  “Of course.” Jagwin nodded once and left.

  “I want her taken alive,” Farrell said and faced his grandfather.

  Kel passed his staff in front of Farrell, and Greigel’s blood was gone. “As do I, but that may not be possible.”

  “Even if she succeeded, what did she expect?” Miceral asked before Farrell could follow up on what his grandfather said—or didn’t say. “She didn’t target the people who would figure out she was behind this. Why do it?”

  Farrell ignored Miceral’s questions. “Why might it not be possible?”

  “We missed a spawn of Neblor.” Kel held up the Eye and handed it back to Farrell. “Before you berate yourself, I believe this was Neldin’s doing. When you spoke to Him, you rightly questioned who had killed the demon. The answer was no one.

  “The creature you thought you killed survived, in a manner of speaking. When its body blew apart, it reverted to its most basic state—a dark spark of life. It waited for the right host. Someone vile enough to help it grow. When you brought Foria to Trellham, she drew its attention.”

  “Are there any more?” Farrell asked. “What about the other four?”

  “I have searched using every skill at my disposal.” He shrugged. “If there are more, I don’t know how to find them.”

  “I still want her alive.” The cold edge to his voice surprised him.

  “As do I.” The glint in Miceral’s eyes helped Farrell reconcile his feelings.

  “Agreed,” Kel said. “I’ve asked Rothdin, Nerti, and Heminaltose to help. Heminaltose is on his way, and you need to open a Door for Nerti and your father.”

  They moved quickly through a hallway leading to Respital’s area of Haven. Bendict, as regent, ordered the soldiers to leave the wing to the royal apartments. A few hesitated, and Nerti read their minds to ensure they were loyal. The queen had compromised two men, and they were taken away. Bendict told them to expect the guards outside the apartments were loyal to the queen.

  Jagwin assembled every royal guard to protect the kings. The death of four guards under his command, including his second-in-command, made it personal. Farrell intervened only to ensure his family was safe. Even there, Jagwin called in favors from Colograd and Fracturn to cover that assignment.

  “No dwarf wants to be left behind,” he’d told them.

  Heminaltose froze the company of guards outside Foria’s rooms to prevent more bloodshed. Although they supported the queen, they weren’t the ones Farrell wanted.

  Farrell didn’t bother to knock before entering. This wasn’t the queen, so the niceties of decorum didn’t apply.

  Foria sat on a large couch holding her youngest child while King Wrenford and his sister played near her feet. If they surprised her, she didn’t show it. The king looked up but continued to play with the toy soldier in his hand.

  “He’s not right,” he said to Nerti. “Can you tell what she’s done to the boy?”

  “When we finish I will have Hesnera help me examine him.”

  “For crimes against the kings of Trellham, Foria, queen mother of Respital, you are under arrest,” Jagwin said. “If you resist we will use all force necessary to subdue you.”

  “All force necessary.” Foria laughed. “Little being, you don’t have the strength to hold me.”

  “I do.” Farrell stepped forward.

  “So you’ve finally accepted your fate.” Foria’s voice deepened and took on a raspy tone. “Neldin’s Champion will enjoy tearing you apart.”

  “Perhaps he will, but you won’t be around to see it.” Farrell tapped his staff on the floor.

  A bubble surrounded each of the children, and he pulled them away. Kel grabbed the baby and Heminaltose collected Wrenford and his sister.

  Again the queen laughed. “You think taking the children will make it easier? They mean nothing to me.”

  “How little you understand us.” Farrell separated his staff. “If you won’t come quietly, I’ll be happy to make you leave.”

  “I see now why Holy Neldin sought to turn you to His side.” She licked her lips and stood. “But you lack the spine to do His bidding. You would fail your first test.”

  “No, I wouldn’t, because I would never serve Him.” He moved closer and created a second shield.

  She pointed her hand at him and then closed her fingers into a fist. Farrell fired two bursts of energy at her using a spell Kel had taught him. Her body splattered against the wall. Farrell focused on a bit of dark matter that glowed in his wizard’s sight. Targeting the speck, he sealed it in a ball of energy and then burned it until it popped.

  “That felt too easy.” He closed his eyes and tried to find any trace of energy.

  Pushing out as far as he could, he felt something at the edge of his senses. Focusing on that lead, he followed it until it grew stronger. He continued to track it through the mountains. He emerged near the western gates of Trellham.

  “By the Six!” he said a moment too late to block it from its intended target.

  A low rumble shook the furnishings around them.

  “What happened?” Miceral and the others asked at once.

  “Remember those times I thought I felt something and we dismissed it as my being tired?” Miceral and Heminaltose nodded. “They were spells left by Neldin to expose Trellham to outside forces. She blasted the western gates wide open.”

  “And an enormous army of Chamdon is heading that way,” Miceral said.

  A pair of dwarves inspected the fitting where the left side of the western gate had hung. The spell had blasted out the stone around the hinges. Farrell didn’t see how to fix it without magic.

  “Much like the Six have been planning for millennia, Neldin appears to have done the same,” Kel said. “My guess is His followers set the spell while I sent the dwarves into the void. We had them walled off to the west of the city.”

  “But I felt two echoes, one on each side.”

  “Were they the same?” Heminaltose asked.

  Farrell tried to remember, but this far removed, it was impossible to say. “No and yes. It had the same feel, but I can’t say they were the same.”

  “It may have been what destroyed the gates outside Haven.” Heminaltose pointed to the broken wall. “When I arrived, the couplings at the top looked much like those.”

  “But the gods weren’t at war then,” Zenora said. “Why would Neldin’s servants release the spell prematurely?”

  “Who can say,” Heminaltose said.

  “I could,” Farrell said. “If it mattered.”

  “It does,” Kel said. “If there are other spells outside Haven, you do not want them to be used during your fight.”

  Farrell nodded and removed the Eye. He asked a series of questions, but the Eye didn’t reveal anything. “Nothing.” He held it out to Kel and Heminaltose. “Would either of you like to try? Maybe I asked the wrong questions.”

  “I doubt that,” Heminaltose said. “But I’ll check if you want me to.”

  Letting another use the Eye had become easier since the first time he gave it to Kel. He opened his fingers and let his former master take the gem. A pang of loss struck
him when the blue stone left his hand. It remained with him the entire time Heminaltose stared into the Gift.

  Heminaltose held on to the Gift longer than Farrell expected. Soon he began to fight the urge to snatch it back, but he kept himself under control—barely. Finally Heminaltose lowered his arm and returned the Eye.

  Once he had it back in his possession, Farrell wasted no time returning the Gift to his endless pocket. “Did you see anything useful?”

  Heminaltose nodded. “Yes, but I didn’t find any more hidden spells.”

  “What did you find that was of use?” Kel asked.

  “I was curious if my theory was correct regarding the northeast doors.” He searched their faces and stopped at Farrell. “And I was loath to give the Eye back, so I continued to use it to see something else.”

  Kel laughed. “It does have that effect.”

  “I don’t know how either of you so easily part with it, even for a brief moment.” Heminaltose didn’t smile. “Back to why you let me use the Eye . . . it was one of Neldin’s spells that broke the gates to Haven.”

  “What set it off?” Farrell asked.

  “I didn’t see why it went off, only what caused them to break.”

  “I don’t know that it matters,” Farrell said. “We need to figure out how to fix these gates.”

  “Putting the door back in place is easy enough,” Kel said. “That won’t solve the problem. The spell is a marker—Neldin’s marker. Only the Six could erase that, and I’m quite certain they can’t do that now.”

  “Because I accepted?” Farrell asked

  Kel nodded. “Exactly. This is part of the final conflict. Just as Neldin couldn’t stop the Six from leaving things for you to use, They can’t stop Him. I would recommend we prepare to meet Meglar’s army.”

  “We spent our time and energy on the east and the real threat comes from the west,” Heminaltose said.

  “No, that’s not true.” Farrell ran his hand over the broken edge of the massive door on the ground. “The real threat is still Meglar, and he and I will meet in the east.”

  “Exactly,” Kel said. “The rest of us will prepare to meet this army.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Miceral barely followed the strategy his father laid out. He saw the pieces move around the map and heard the names, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Like so much about this war, there were too many unknowns. The lack of an accurate troop count made it difficult to devise a battle plan. Not knowing the mettle of the troops, however, was worse.

  Though he had met the Arlefors on the Seafoam Rose, no one had a firm idea of how many they were bringing to the fight. As formidable as they appeared, Meglar had swallowed the population of four cities. Unless Rastoria had more troops than Farrell believed, they would not tip the scales enough to ensure victory.

  The Bendari were numerous. Farrell and Kel praised their skills in battle, but they were human. Miceral didn’t want to count on them to do more than harass the rear of Meglar’s army.

  That left their other allies, particularly Dumbarten, as their best hope for additional troops. A hope that went unfulfilled. Word had come that Meglar’s fleet sailed for Dumbarten, and that stayed Markus’s hand. Wilhelm and the other princes agreed to send their navies to help Dumbarten. In exchange Markus sent additional legions to reinforce Marisa’s army. But it was well short of what Miceral had hoped to receive.

  Kel reminded everyone the war would not be won or lost with swords and arrows. Nothing Meglar’s armies did would matter once Farrell defeated him.

  Walking back to his suite, Miceral couldn’t get that last bit out of his thoughts. Kel had said once Farrell defeated Meglar, not once he won. Had Farrell been right about the weapon?

  “Your Majesty seems preoccupied. Is something wrong?” Jagwin’s voice cut through the fog surrounding Miceral’s mind.

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Miceral said. “Nothing other than the obvious.”

  Jagwin nodded and looked forward. “As you say, Your Majesty.”

  The formal response demonstrated to Miceral how the current situation affected everyone, including himself. The spark of life was missing from his captain’s eyes, and his step lost its bounce. He’d told Jagwin to take time to mourn his friend. The emphatic rejection of the offer didn’t invite discussion.

  The weight of Greigel’s death extended beyond the guards. Farrell blamed himself more than usual. It didn’t matter his foresight to magically seal the nursery was all that saved their family. His friend’s sacrifice had hardened Farrell’s resolve to save everyone else.

  Farrell’s guards were absent when Miceral arrived at his rooms. The prospect of an empty suite didn’t appeal to him, but he didn’t want to be around other people, either. Hopefully Farrell wouldn’t be gone long.

  He ran his fingers across the keys of the piano and remembered better days when Farrell played for him. The notes sounded harsh and angry. They weren’t, but his mood distorted everything.

  Moving on, he sat at the bench by the window. Another favorite place he and Farrell often shared. He chided himself for letting morbid thoughts affect him. He tried to focus on the battle plans drawn up by the war council. It didn’t work.

  The complex and uncertain future cried for more attention, but he couldn’t shift his thoughts. He knew Farrell would survive, but fear maintained its incessant pressure. Staring at Gharaha didn’t help.

  “Hey, handsome.”

  Miceral jumped at his partner’s voice and turned away from the window. Farrell smiled and leaned against the doorway to the music room. “I didn’t hear you. How long have you been there?”

  “I just arrived.” He pushed off the wall and walked over. “What had you so lost in thought?”

  “What’s coming.”

  “Hmm.” Farrell sat on the bench next to him. “You can’t worry about it. We’ve done all we can to prepare. It’s time to find out which side has the better plan.”

  Miceral raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what I expected to hear from you.”

  “I know and I’m sorry.” He took Miceral’s hand. “Greigel’s death finally made me accept I can’t control everything. Kel, Heminaltose, Sanduval, my mother, and everyone else have done all they could to prepare me. I don’t feel I was lax or lazy in my training, and the Six are satisfied I’m ready. There isn’t anything else to do except let fate unfold. Even if we won’t like the outcome.”

  Miceral ran his thumb across the back of Farrell’s hand. “It’s that last part I struggle with. There is only one outcome I want.”

  “Trust me, there is only one I want, too.” He smiled and brought their hands to his lips. “But I’ve made plans in case a different result happens.”

  “Plans?”

  “If things don’t go how we hope, all regular doors and gates into Haven will disappear. The eastern gate of Trellham will turn back to rock. The western gates will remain open to allow your army to get inside. Then they will revert back to their natural state. I’ve given the trigger spell to every wizard in Haven. The last one through the entrance can seal it behind them.

  “It won’t keep Meglar out forever, but it will give everyone time to find a Door to somewhere.”

  Much as he wanted to protest and say it wouldn’t happen, Miceral knew Farrell needed this to be at peace. “Is that what you were doing all day?”

  “Most of the day. I helped Kel send Meglar another challenge.”

  “Kel? I thought . . .”

  “Meglar probably suspects Kel isn’t the Champion. This keeps alive that small seed of doubt. It also doesn’t tell him who is the Champion. It’s a tiny edge, but I’ll not throw away any needlessly.”

  “Smart.”

  Farrell twisted so his back pressed against Miceral’s chest. Miceral wrapped his arms around Farrell and squeezed gently. They sat until the shadows crept toward the far end of Gharaha.

  “He’s gone,” Farrell said.

  Miceral tamped down his irritation at the va
gue statement. “Who’s gone?”

  “Kel. He left after your meeting.” He traced a finger up and down Miceral’s arm. “He’ll be back soon, but he wants to speak to our allies one last time.”

  “Is he able to help you?”

  “No, Meglar and I have to fight alone. Kel is coming back to help you and the others.”

  “Does Meglar know he’s supposed to come alone?”

  Farrell snorted. “I’m sure he’s been told. He won’t follow the rules, but don’t worry. I’ve planned from the start that he’d try to cheat.”

  “How can he break the rules?” Miceral’s fears returned.

  “Stop worrying.” Farrell patted his arm. “Neldin won’t allow anyone to help Meglar.”

  “Neldin? You mean the Six?”

  “No, I mean Neldin. If Meglar breaks the rules, the Six get to act—directly. If that happens, the fight’s over and Neldin loses. Trust that Neldin won’t allow Meglar to give the Six that opening.”

  “Ah.” Relying on Neldin to act didn’t comfort him as much as it seemed to calm Farrell.

  “Did you and the others come up with a suitable strategy?” Farrell asked.

  Miceral smiled at the obvious attempt to change subjects. “We refined things, but the plan is the same as you heard after the battle with Qurol.”

  “I wish Sanduval would stay in bed.”

  Miceral laughed too hard to talk. Farrell tried to get up, but Miceral held tight.

  “Don’t laugh.” Farrell smacked Miceral’s hand. “I’ve never gone to a wizard’s fight three days after suffering injuries like that. No one would let me out of bed.”

  “This is the most important fight in the war. They need him.”

  “Need him or not, he’s still recovering. He could die.”

  “Everyone could die, Farrell.”

  “I know, but he’s injured. It takes the chances from might or could to probably will.” Farrell shrugged. “I understand why he’s doing it; the others were counting on him for the fight. But I still wish he wouldn’t.”

  “You know better than I, but the discussion I heard said Meglar has more wizards than anyone knew. Well, anyone who isn’t Kel.”