by J D Franx
“Originally, it was the Duchess Vakaran,” he said and turned to Corleya. “But she had a legitimate claim. You know there are two interpretations of the law.” The Princess nodded but gave the monk a frown. “Sorry, off subject. Her army was outside the gates when the attack on the castle began. Whether she led a quick but stealthy and decisive strike or whether it was someone else, we do not know yet.”
“Vakaran scum,” Alia growled and spat in the dirt.
“I am well aware of your history with the family, Madam,” Brother Donis said. “But not all children are the same as their siblings.” Again, the mercenary spat to the side as she turned her back on the monk.
They reached the gate to Nobility Row, and Brother Donis got them through without any trouble. Kael let his senses linger at the gate as they walked into Corynth’s wealthiest district, but the guards went about their normal business without any suspicion.
It took minutes to walk to Mylla’s temple, and Kael stared in awe at the castle across the road.
“Impressive sight, is it not?” Donis asked.
“Very,” he said. A waterfall poured over the mountain cliffs on either side of the castle. Both powerful waterfalls fueled the castle’s moat. The separate waterways circled the castle and came together to form the river that ran out into the city. “Never see anything like that back home.”
“I imagine not. Now, come,” the monk said as they turned and entered the temple. “I’ll take you to Zaddyk. Pillar? Can you take the Princess and her lady to the kitchen? Their rumbling stomachs are making even me hungry—it has only been an hour since my last meal.” He laughed, and his instant change in personality was astonishing. As if more relaxed to be back in the temple, a harmless but mischievous aura rose from the monk. “Shall we?” he added, leading the way.
Kael nodded and trailed Brother Donis around the prayer room and to the dorms at the temple’s far side. The monk stopped at a room guarded by two other monks. Unlike Brother Donis’ excessively wide frame, both were extremely fit and corded with muscle.
Brother Donis noticed him looking. “They will keep anyone out who is not welcome. At least until we know how the monarchy settles out. Come,” he said and entered the room.
Kael stepped into the bedroom and winced at the sight before him. The young man on the bed suffered from incredible agony. His body twisted and contorted as it rippled through him. The intense pain bled into his aura like a physical being and Kael knew Zaddyk’s life would be measured in months if it continued without reprieve. The prophet opened his eyes, and as if he sensed Kael’s thoughts, he turned his head and smiled. The waves of pain melted away.
“You found your way back,” Zaddyk said.
“If you say so,” Kael answered. “You’re not as insane as I was led to believe.”
Zaddyk laughed. “We are not talking prophecy, yet, Kael.”
“You know me?”
“Of you,” the prophet said as he sighed. “At least, I hope I know of you. The currents of time are tricky. You could be one of many yous.”
“You know why we’re here, then?” Kael asked.
“Do you?” Zaddyk countered.
Kael frowned. “Donis said you might have a way into the dungeons where they’re holding King Bale.”
Zaddyk glanced past Kael’s shoulder and nodded. Brother Donis bowed and left the room. “I cannot tell you how to get there, but I might be able to show you.” The prophet offered his hand.
“If you really know what I am, then you know that’s a stupid idea,” Kael growled. “I cannot control the mind of a prophet. My magic will eat you alive in defense if your magic doesn’t swallow my mind first.”
“Does it matter?” Zaddyk asked. “I have little time left.”
“I sensed that, and I’m sorry,” Kael said. “But you cannot fathom how much time I have left. Having my brain scrambled by a prophet—”
“Sorry?” Zaddyk interrupted. “To give your life in the service of your beliefs is what it means to live a full life, Kael. My goddess touched me for the sole purpose of helping Talohna, and together we have. She will not let us down. Your mind will be safe with me. Sit,” he said, gesturing to a chair. “Please.”
“This is a dumb idea,” he repeated as he sat in the chair beside Zaddyk’s bed.
“So was fighting your way back to the living.” Kael frowned at the prophet, not sure if he heard the young man right, but it did not stop Zaddyk from continuing. “A prophet can also see into the past. It is where I hope to give you the answers you seek.”
“What do I do?” Kael asked as he leaned forward.
Zaddyk lifted the amulet from around his neck and held it in his palm. “You are also god-touched, Kael. Hold my amulet with me, and my god will do the rest.”
Kael hesitated and Zaddyk placed his other hand on Kael’s. “You have every right not to trust anyone in this world, Kael, but sooner or later you will have to,” he said. “I have seen things I cannot explain because of the prophet’s madness, and before long, it will swallow all of my mind even when I am conscious. It is a price I pay willingly for using my goddess’ power because it is the only way that I can help my country. We both know what is coming, I have seen hundreds of futures—you know what will happen if the Blood Kingdoms are not led by a strong Cethosian monarchy in the coming years. The bulk of Talohna’s military power lies here in Cethos or else in Ellorya and DormaSai in the south. Ellorya will side with the enemy.”
“Just tell me how to get into the dungeons so we can get this over with,” he whispered. “My mind is barely my own now. The thought of giving up what little control I have is not a pleasant one.”
“I understand,” Zaddyk replied, nodding. “But you will never understand what I see if I tell you. You have to see it for yourself.”
“Tell me,” Kael said. “Tell me what you see.”
Zaddyk closed his eyes and sighed as he began. His voice shifted, taking on a monotonous edge. “Surrounded by piles of dusty past, death stalks the long entry forged by wars abandoned…” Zaddyk opened his eyes and coughed to clear his throat. “That is how prophecy and memories of the past are affected by madness, Kael. What I see and what I speak are not the same. Did you understand what I said? Do you know where to go?” Kael shook his head and glanced at his feet as the prophet carried on. The last thing he wanted was to give up control.
“Trust me, please?” Zaddyk offered his hand, again. The amulet sat in his palm. “I can show you where you will find what you need and how to realm jump there safely.”
Kael nodded and firmly grabbed Zaddyk’s hand, trapping the amulet between their palms. Strange magic rushed upon him, and his mind scattered like leaves on a strong fall wind. What Zaddyk showed him was not a way into the dungeons.
The prophet’s voice rolled through his mind as if it were a physical force, and Kael screamed from the pressure inside his head.
I apologize for the pain, but you must see this. After many millennia, the Lost Light prophecy has been revealed in its entirety. The third and final piece has been given to me, and Talohna needs to know the truth. Only a god can reveal the future to the mortal world—you are close enough, my new friend. It won’t make sense to you when you see all three pieces now, but it will, soon.
Souls of six collapse the glyph of old magics.. The lone genocide survivor shifts a soul to watch with a single passion... to purge or protect the blackness of aeons ahead.
As Tyr slams his shield upon brother Aegeus’s back and rushes to Mylla’s rock, three moons invite the Bloods’ blackest-born bonds. Revulsion accounts one lost while Dathac reaps the willing. The impending approach will guide reprisal toward both crua as capacity for mercy fades. All last offers live in the dreams of those kept by Dathac. The Bloods’ blackest dawns the light’s last and will see Black’s poured blood, returned to times past:
Dark towers rule over fallen cities. From the sea, from slavery, from magic and death, and from the oldest blood the dogs cry for war. Onc
e united by the birth of blackness, the dogs of war push back against the darkest power. Pray the dogs welcome the blackness before they, too, fall to the darkness while men and gods alike wage war on creation and the darkness, it hides beneath soaring towers.
With darkness covering Talohna, the dogs of war howl as innocent blood flows from mountain rivers. Can a god really die? Pray, Talohna. Pray the blackest god never dies.
CORYNTHIAN MOUNTAIN RANGE
BALE’S FOLLY
Kael stepped from the realm jump with Princess Corleya, Lady Alia, and the Pillar, whose name only seemed to be the Spy. He had never been so happy to be out of a city in his entire life. Though it seemed like hours, he and Zaddyk had been under the prophet’s magic for a matter of minutes. In that time, Kael quickly learned that Zaddyk’s true motives had nothing to do with finding a way in to the secret prison entrance. Although the prophet did eventually show him a way into the dungeon, Kael’s sanity felt just as unstable as Zaddyk’s.
He shook his head to dispel the thoughts and images taxing his mind from the prophet’s dream. He had to focus on the task at hand. They would have to cover six miles of tunnel littered with traps and god knew what else. There was not time to lose his mind. The images he needed finally came back to him as he focused. At the five-mile mark, the tunnel branched with the right leading to certain death and the left leading to their desired destination. Neither Kael nor Zaddyk could see what was on the right path, but Kael’s magic told him that if they went that way, they would not get out alive.
The jump magic snapped shut behind him as the last traveler exited the magic and a chorus of moans followed.
“I hate you, wizard. Damn, I hate you,” Alia sputtered as she heaved.
“My head hurts,” Corleya whined. “Does this ever get any better?”
The fourth Pillar dropped to a knee. “No...”
Though he felt the Pillar was plagued by nausea, Kael was impressed to see her regain her footing so quickly and force the discomfort aside.
“The entryway has to be here,” he told them as the memory of the rock-fallen valley Zaddyk showed him flashed through his mind. “Here,” he added, pointing to several sets of flat stones stacked over five feet high. “Piles of dusty past.” The prophet’s words began to make sense.
“Behind the stacked rock?” Corleya asked while she stood uneasily.
Kael nodded and shoved the first pile over. The motion took two more towers of stone with it and exposed a partially collapsed tunnel. The fourth Pillar did the same to her right and the tunnel opened completely before them.
“Ready?” he questioned and glanced at the three women. Each nodded, and Alia handed him a lit torch as he went in. Near the entrance, Kael stopped and inspected a massive rusty metal blade lodged between the walls.
“Trap,” the Spy stated.
“Yeah. We knew there might be traps. It looks like this one was pressure sensitive,” he said while he pressed down on a loose stone with his boot.
“What if some of these are still active?” Corleya asked.
Kael chewed his bottom lip as an idea came to mind. “Plug your ears and use your masks,” he said, He lifted the mask attached to his Orotaq cloak and turned to make sure all three women did the same. “You should probably open your mouths as well.”
Once they were protected, he stared along the tunnel ahead of him and put his hands together. Opening his arms from wall-to-wall, he unleashed a massive wall of compressed air. It popped his ears as it howled away down the shaft, kicking up a storm of dust. Somewhere up ahead, he heard stone crack and break apart. When the dust settled, and they moved forward, he frowned at the massive hole where the floor had fallen into the earth.
Kael approached the pitfall cautiously, cracking his jaws to relieve the pressure inside his ears. “That is a long way down,” he muttered as he stared down the hole.
“At least sixty feet.” Alia guessed. She tossed a fist-sized stone into the hole. “Hmm… eighty.”
The Spy grunted her agreement. “At least there is a way to cross,” she said and pointed to the left side where a foot-wide walkway remained.
“Is it safe?”
“Yes, Princess,” the Spy answered. “The walkway along the ledge is carved from the wall’s stone. Kael is right. It is a pitfall trap, likely lined with spikes at the bottom.”
Corleya stared at the Spy, her eyes wide. “Because a, eighty-foot fall can’t kill you dead enough?” she asked in a mutter, and the Spy shrugged.
“I’ll go first,” Kael offered and crossed over the narrow ledge without incident. The others followed, and they continued onward.
The way ahead was slow going for over two hours. Kael used both his physical magic and esoteric senses to check for more traps. He was forced to trigger one more active pitfall, followed by three bladed traps. A handful of others had been triggered over previous years. One set of crossed spikes had claimed the life of what Corleya called a ruin scavenger. The ages-old skeleton was held together by the corroded spikes and what little rotted cloth and sinew remained.
“Death stalks the long entry,” Kael said to himself, shaking his head at the impaled skeleton
“What?” Alia asked and gave him a suspicious stare
“It’s what Zaddyk told me he saw. I think I’m starting to understand the way his madness sees things.”
“Crazy understands insane,” Alia quipped.
Not in the mood to fight, Kael tossed her the finger.
“What?” she asked. “That means what?”
He shrugged and lifted his hands in mock confusion as he turned. Squeezing passed the intersecting blades without disturbing the skeleton, he led the way further into the shaft. Another ten-minute walk and they reached the branch in the tunnel he had seen through Zaddyk’s magic.
“You are sure we go left?” Corleya asked while staring to the right.
Kael could sense her uneasiness, and it mimicked his own. “Feel that?” he replied, turning to the others.
“Yes,” Corleya answered. She rubbed the back of her neck, clearly nervous .
“Magic,” the Spy stated. “Older than that used to create the Pillars of Rule.” She turned to Kael. “Do you recognize it?”
“No,” he said. “It’s not the way forward anyway. Zaddyk was adamant—if we go that way, none of us will get out alive. I have little doubt that what lies that way will be far more than we could handle even if we had an army behind us.”
“To the left then?” Corleya asked, though Kael knew the question was rhetorical.
He nodded and led the way forward. “Not much further now,” he told them.
REAR ESCAPE TUNNEL
BROKEN BLADE SANCTUARY
Savis Ephemeral released his inherent magic and stepped from the shimmering air with Merethyl Bellas at his side. The two assassins watched silently as the group disappeared into the left tunnel branch.
“They sensed us. It was if the Spy’s senses were boosted by his,” Merethyl said.
“At least they were smart enough to go the other way.”
“And trigger the last of our active traps along the way, Savis,” she growled. “Who are they? And how did they know the tunnels were here?”
“You sensed the wizard, too?” he asked. “Wasn’t sure at first. Intriguing.”
“Barely sensed him,” she answered. “Yet he has magic we have not seen before. I’m beginning to wonder if helping Sythrnax was the dumbest thing we could have done. With two seals open, more and more unknown magics seem to be awakening all over Talohna. Who knows what might be next?”
“It would be rather simple to take them from behind. They would never see us coming now that I can cloak both of us both in full invisibility.”
Merethyl scoffed. “Has your rashness taught you nothing?” she snapped and tapped his stomach. The massive wound from Kasik’s sword had healed with a thick ugly scar. “Sythrnax is not here to put you together this time.”
“You don’t think…
not another one...” he asked, trailing off.
“You know of any other kind of wizard who can hide his magic like that? I can barely tell he is a wizard. If he had not just used his magic, I probably wouldn’t have.”
“Assani’s blades.” Savis cursed. “If there is another DeathWizard in Talohna Sythrnax needs to know about it.”
“Agreed. Sythrnax will be in Ellorya or else already marching on DormaSai. Go to Soena and take command of the Dyr’s Blade. Sail to Avalera and let him know. Hopefully, you can reach him before he attacks DormaSai. I’ll let the Ghul know what he’s been looking for might just be right under his nose.”
“Very well,” he said. “Are you gonna let them go?”
Merethyl nodded. “I know Sythrnax wanted the Bales off the throne, but it matters little to us who rules Cethos. If they can find a way into the old dungeons, they will likely never get out alive.”
“And if they do?” Savis asked, pressing the issue further.
Merethyl laughed. “Then that will be the Ancients’ problem, not ours. I do not believe it is in our best interest for Sythrnax to have his way completely unrestrained anyway. Now, go, and while you are in the Southern Kingdom, keep your ears open about our traitor.”
“The one last seen in Northern Ellorya?”
“Yes,” Merethyl said, nodding. “Desiree Star has eluded us long enough.”
“What of Yrlissa?” he asked. “You wanted me to track down proof that she is alive.”
“You are sure you saw her? It was not just the delirium of dying with a sword in your gut?”
“I know what I saw. I talked to her.”
“We have no presence in DormaSai, and it is the only place she will go to feel safe. The Whiteblood and Caballa Famlies will know the moment you cross the border. See what Sythrnax says. Perhaps he can shield you from them long enough for you to confirm she is alive and where she might be hiding. But if the White Cabal catches wind of you, get out of DormaSai, immediately. I will not have them resume their vendetta and continue their hunt for our guild, again. Understood?”