Chapter 20
Rhaldan called Second Captain Agara to his chamber in the tower. After that insubordinate boy, Protector Kiyarran, fled he had to make do and use the others to spy on the Ulnath. But the boy would be punished, and sooner rather than later.
Only there was no time to think of that now. The creatures were assembling for battle and Rhaldan had nearly ran out of time for trying to get close to Morzu, take control of his mind, and convince him to deliver the Shadow Stone into his hands.
“You summoned me, Head Priest,” Agara said, every muscle in his body tense, betraying just how little he liked the spying. Rhaldan ignored it.
“I wish you to see where Morzu is right now,” he ordered.
Agara’s face lost some of the steely tightness as he obeyed the command.
At least this one still follows me like a well-trained dog.
“I can’t find him,” Agara answered.
Rhaldan narrowed his eyes. Is this obedient dog lying?
“What do you mean you can’t find him?” he asked slowly.
“He isn’t in the chamber where he normally stays, and he isn’t anywhere within that tower either,” Agara replied.
“So, search the rest of the city,” Rhaldan snarled, annoyed that he was forced to spell this command out.
“I can see Oos,” Agara said, making Rhaldan sigh exasperatedly. The man was being cagy and difficult on purpose.
“He has gathered the Red Army in a large courtyard,” Agara continued before Rhaldan had a chance to reprimand him again. “He’s also assembled a few hundred Ulnath warriors, the dog Aneeku and those odd talking animals, but the dragons and those who rode them aren’t anywhere to be found. They are making the final preparations for moving out.”
Rhaldan banged his fist against the table, the pain radiating through his already sore knuckles.
“I didn’t ask about Oos, or any of the other world beings. I asked about Morzu!” He rose stiffly. “You and a few others will accompany me to the square. Oos will know where Morzu is, even if you can’t find him.”
Agara nodded stiffly and turned to lead the way out of the tower.
Rhaldan was livid by Agara’s failure. Unable to locate Morzu? Not likely, it was just more of that silent, barely detectable defiance Protectors all too often availed of when faced with orders they disagreed with. But, as always so it would be this time: the feeble defiance would not work.
Once outside the tower he chose to sit down upon one of the strange stone cubes that seemed Za-xayek’s replacement for regular benches. Though an escort of Protectors had been gathered for him and awaited his further command, he just sat there, brooding. In truth, Rhaldan wanted as little contact with Oos as possible. He only wanted to be around the Ulnath leader if necessary and doing so to find Morzu shouldn’t have been necessary.
“Search the city again for Morzu,” Rhaldan demanded.
Agara loomed over him, clearing his throat.
“I will speak my true mind now, and I hope you will forgive me, Head Priest,” Agara said carefully. “None of my men are comfortable joining this army that the Ulnath have gathered, or participating in whatever battle they have planned. Nothing but a wretched thirst for the bloody murder of men permeates these creatures and their leaders are the worst among them. We took oaths to protect the priesthood, not to engage in bloody wars against men we have no quarrel with.”
The man was standing too far away for Rhaldan to grab his arm without standing up. Words would need to suffice to subdue this mutinous talk.
“I will not listen to such talk from you, Second Captain Agara. You are here to do my bidding and this is what you will do. Letting Protector Kiyarran go as you have has been bad enough. Do not compound that mistake with treasonous words.”
Agara had still not made eye contact with him. Though the set of his mouth told Rhaldan he liked the words not at all.
“Tell me, Agara,” Rhaldan continued. “Have you been able to locate where Kae is by now? Are you any closer to recalling him here?”
Agara shook his head. “No. He is too far away for any one of us to reach him.”
“Understand that he will be forced to remain behind in this world when we leave, should he not return by the time I take possession of what I seek,” Rhaldan warned. “I will not wait for him. Now do as you are told, search the city for Morzu!”
Rhaldan noticed quite a few of the Protectors eye Agara as if his commands were more important to them now than those of the Head Priest.
“That would be a waste of time,” a voice slithered forth from the darkness like a spectral serpent.
The darkness shimmered like calm water invaded by a skipping stone as a cloaked figure appeared before them.
“Morzu isn’t in the city anymore. He left with an escort of 267 Ulnath warriors, not that long ago,” the figure added.
The Protectors reacted to his appearance, drawing their swords, but all did it slowly, belatedly.
The figure paid them little heed, his piercing eyes resting solely upon Rhaldan.
“It is quite rude to listen to the conversations of others without announcing yourself,” Rhaldan said, keeping his voice cool and level.
“Now that sounds odd coming from you, considering your men are quite good at listening to others’ conversations without announcing themselves…tell me...” the figure said calmly, bringing his thumb to his fingers and rubbing them together as if he was anxious to create a clicking sound. “Should I be concerned by the seven who have separated themselves from their bodies and whose translucent, wispy copies are now standing beside them? A bit spooky I must admit…” He paused to glance down at his fingers and thumb as they rubbed together. Rhaldan wondered if he was about to summon some kind of magic. “Although I should tell you I have been around enough ghosts to no longer be scared by them.”
Rhaldan didn’t like what he was hearing one bit, he had been too preoccupied with the Ulnath and the Shadow Stone to even consider someone else might have been watching, but who was this man? Something akin to the Life Force pooled in his chest, but it wasn’t like any Rhaldan had ever felt. It seemed like a book filled with nothing but long and complicated words.
“These men are here for my protection,” Rhaldan countered. “How I use my weapons is my business. Though I am certain the Ulnath know nothing of spying either.”
The figure ran his hand across his smooth as silk cheek. “This city is amazing. The magic I have found in this place makes me feel like a new man. It is good for old bones, wouldn’t you agree?”
Rhaldan pondered on his words. Mysteries always intrigued him, but only the ones whose solution brought him advantage. This man wasn’t such a mystery.
“You’re the one who threatened that Aneeku back at the altar when we all arrived in this world?” Rhaldan said, something about the man’s bearing finally finding a place in his memory.
“Yes I am,” the figure replied slowly. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Voak and you are Rhaldan.”
Rhaldan didn’t care for the insinuation, How much of his private conversations with the Protectors did this Voak overhear?
“What do you want?” Rhaldan asked the man, his voice harsh and gruff.
To this Voak smiled, which only made his features return to the hideous twisted mask he had worn when he had first come to Za-xayek.
“There was once a time when I thought my knowledge of magic was second to none. I can make a tree grow from nothingness and a mountain crumble with a click of my fingers.” He paused and Rhaldan recognized it as a threat, for his thumb was still rubbing upon his fingers.
“But within this city I have seen sorcery I have little knowledge of, the kind that could be of great use to me. Sorcery that may very well be able to control the boy called Morzu.”
Rhaldan decided to tread lightly with this man to be careful. This Voak had physically changed since Rhaldan had last saw him and, judging by his words, it had been because of som
ething within this city, perhaps something the Ulnath gave him, indicating his loyalty was probably to them.
“What are you talking about? I am here merely to assist the Ulnath in their plight.”
This Voak might well be an Ulnath spy and Rhaldan could do no nothing to jeopardize his standing with them.
The smile increased on Voak’s face, a gesture as unpleasant as any Rhaldan had ever seen.
“I understand. I too have only come here to save the Ulnath from the big bad Ebulon king,” Voak snickered, then the smile disappeared from his lips as though he never wore it. “Let’s stop lying to one another shall we? The Ulnath have already lied enough to both of us. They are quite good at it, but not good enough, am I right?”
This Voak was no fool, but neither was Rhaldan. He still had many tricks of his own he could play. The problem was this Voak was either clever enough or lucky enough to be out of reach of Rhaldan’s grasp.
“Or maybe you are lying about being able to control Morzu. After all…” he titled his head mockingly as if in deep thought. “You didn’t do much of a job controlling that Kae boy did you?”
Rhaldan could feel the rage rising inside his chest, but he controlled it as best he could. He didn’t like being manipulated and he wouldn’t allow this Voak to get the better of him.
Rhaldan glanced towards Agara. The Protector had failed him once too often recently, but Rhaldan still considered him an effective tool.
“When we find him, Kae will never again even think of betraying me,” Rhaldan snarled, wanting this truth to serve as a warning to both Agara and Voak.
“You don’t know where he is, but I do,” Voak offered.
“Where?” Rhaldan demanded, his anger seeping through his words.
“He is in Ebulon. Last I saw him, he brought word to this King Yadi about the upcoming Ulnath attack. It seems this Morzu was once known as Viadi, he is actually the son of the man the Ulnath are about to march upon.”
Rhaldan was momentarily distracted by the gasps of several of his Protectors. They didn’t like the idea of attacking a human king. But if nothing else, this battle would be good practice for them. As soon as the Shadow Stone was in his possession, Rhaldan would dispatch them to attack King Ardnan back in the realm.
“I suppose in truth I should be glad that Kae left this city,” Voak continued. “If he hadn’t I wouldn’t have found my way to Ebulon so easily.”
So even Kae’s abilities were no match for Voak’s magic? Or had the creature travelled as just a foul shadow? His magic whatever it was, was a different darkness to the powers of the Ulnath.
“I think you should know,” Voak began. “I wouldn’t have known that Kae was leaving this city if the Ulnath Krovin hadn’t told me about it.”
Rhaldan snarled upon hearing this. It didn’t matter so much if Voak was playing games or telling the truth. Things had gotten complicated, and more complications were the last thing Rhaldan needed.
“Why should I trust you?” Rhaldan asked.
“Let’s speak straight with one another,” Voak retorted, his voice like sharpened stone. “Both of us want the power of the Shadow Stone. But I have no way to guarantee the Ulnath will keep their word to me. But you do. Morzu is the only one who calls this city home that can control the Shadow Stone, so whoever controls Morzu can wield such a power and you can do that.”
Rhaldan didn’t like this Voak anymore than he liked the Ulnath. But Voak represented possibilities to Rhaldan, possibilities the head priest wouldn’t ignore. If this Voak really did have powers that even Kae couldn’t detect, which seemed likely, he could prove quite useful.
“What do you offer for this exchange?” Rhaldan asked.
“I could kill this Kae boy for you. I could kill him quickly or slowly, but he will never see it coming.”
Rhaldan could feel the concern the Protectors were radiating because of such a proposal but he ignored it.
The offer was tempting, Rhaldan had to admit, and Kae’s absence could easily be explained away once they returned home and the Protectors’ memory was altered to remember none of this. It would get rid of Kae for good. Yet Rhaldan still had plans for the boy.
“Thank you for the offer, but I can handle my men,” Rhaldan replied.
This Voak knew many things, but his knowledge wasn’t without gaps. For one thing, a man’s separated self was able to do much more than just hang in the air like a ghost. Rhaldan had allowed his own separated self to appear between them, right in front of Voak’s face and he never noticed it.
Rhaldan steeled his expression as best he could not wanting this Voak to have suspicion over this flaw in his own powers, yet kept his separated self beside the man, letting it wave one arm in front of Voak’s eyes. Surely, if the man saw it, he’d comment on it by now. Rhaldan took a moment to enjoy this secret and slowly closed his eyes, meaning to take a long blink.
He did blink, but it wasn’t long. In fact it may have been the fastest blink he had ever taken. His breath became heavy, his skin as cold as stone. An image had invaded his mind, like the inside of his eyelids had been tattooed. But the image was so real. It was of a Voak, not as the man before him now, but as the twisted round helmet-wearing freak he had once been. The image was of Voak pointing directly at Rhaldan with the most twisted of smiles, like he was mocking him from the inside.
Rhaldan stared long and hard at Voak seeing that serpent smile upon his face.
“Your power is very valuable Rhaldan. I do not want you to be killed in the upcoming battle, so I will do my best to keep an eye on you.”
Rhaldan didn’t know what spell Voak had cast on him, but it had to be sorcery of some kind. The image was too vivid to be a mere conjuring of his own mind. It revealed to Rhaldan the kind of evil he was dealing with.
Rhaldan rose from the strange cube and a weary gasp left his lips. Seeing how youthful and fresh Voak looked now made him wonder if it was worth pursuing to see what the Ulnath had done to Voak to change his appearance so. But there was no time. He had to get to Morzu, and quickly.
Agara seemed on the verge of speaking, but Rhaldan silenced him with a hard look.
“How generous of you to do so,” Rhaldan said to Voak, fighting every urge not to smile. “I think we could be quite useful to one another. So, we have a deal.”
He offered his hand to Voak, knowing it was the easiest way to make physical contact with him.
Voak shook his hand firmly. Rhaldan sent a tendril of his Life Force into the man through the contact. You will not double cross me, such is not your intention, he silently ordered Voak through the touch, trying to place the command deep into his thoughts, along with images of Voak’s skin and features twisting back into the monstrosity he had been when they first met.
“All is well, then,” Voak said and released Rhaldan’s hand. Nothing on his face reveled whether he felt Rhaldan’s Convincing at all. “If you’ll excuse me, it is important to our collective cause that the Ulnath see me fighting on the battlefield and they are now prepared to march. We will talk later.”
“That we will,” Rhaldan replied watching as Voak disappeared in a shimmer of unnatural darkness. But at the last second of fading, he waved his hand in front of his face, mimicking the silent mockery Rhaldan’s separated self had done to him.
So this Voak could sense the Life Force better than he let on, it didn’t matter, just because he could see the axe coming, didn’t mean he was immune to its sharp edge.
Rhaldan now didn’t try to hide his smile. He couldn’t be sure if his powers had worked on Voak but the image of the man was no longer haunting the inside of his eyelids.
“He’s right,” Agara said, interrupting Rhaldan’s thoughts and prompting him to open his eyes. “Oos is on his way here with an escort of guards, by the sounds of it he believes your knowledge of dealing with Errant kings will prove quite useful to him in the upcoming battle.”
Rhaldan kept his smile, this was great news. It seemed
he had finally gotten through to Oos and he didn’t even need the Life Force to do it. But he still had to be careful.
“Hear me, Protectors,” he commanded ensuring that each Protector knew his words. “I have come too far in achieving what I need. Each of you will fight well today, whether you face monster, man, woman or even child. If it is an enemy of the Ulnath, you will slaughter it!”
Grumbled protests rose around him, but none challenged the command directly. Though most glared at Agara to speak, the Second Captain stayed quiet. It mattered not. The Protectors’ presence on the battlefield would be just for show.
Rhaldan had now made deals and promises with Oos and Voak alike and seemingly both believed he would keep his word. But he had no intention of sharing the Shadow Stone with anyone, nor staying in this forsaken world after he got it. Possessing the stone would finally allow him to overthrow the monarchy in the Realm and establish himself as the first Priest King. Just as those who had come before had always planned to do, but never succeeded.