Chapter 10
I left Castle Cameron and the town of Washbrook on foot. I considered taking a horse, since I meant to return to Albamarl, and the idea of using one of my teleportation circles there had lost its appeal. My experience at the working end of a Sun-Sword had taught me more caution and I didn’t want to risk another confrontation. With the armor I had on, the enchanted flames would be less of a danger to me. The greater risk was that I might hurt one of my former friends.
I had a better mount in mind anyway.
Once I was several miles from the nearest farmer’s cot, I brought out the small figurine that was linked with Gareth Gaelyn, his aystrylin. Holding it in my hand, I sent my thoughts into it, I need your wings. Come to me.
I couldn’t be sure of how distant he was, but I knew he could cover most distances within Lothion in less than a day. Even flying from its most remote border to the opposing side would take less than two days. The dragon was fast.
My own flying method, using my enchanted stones, was potentially even faster but I wanted to talk to Gareth anyway.
While I waited I spent the afternoon experimenting with my new condition. I had drawn on the power stored within the Iron Heart Chamber. I had started slowly, unsure of myself despite what Karenth had said. When I reached the point at which I knew I should have been at my normal limit, I became exceedingly nervous. The caution I had developed during my years as a wizard was difficult to abandon. When nothing untoward happened to me, I drew more power. It had taken me hours, drawing it first in small portions but then later in huge gulps as I grew more confident.
I now held virtually all of Karenth’s former strength within me.
The biggest disappointment had been the lack of feeling. I had hoped that perhaps since the aythar had originally come from human worshippers it would restore my emotions, which were again beginning to fade. Apparently the aythar needed to come directly from the source for that to happen. Acquiring it second hand seemed to strip it of whatever quality it was that produced the passion, the vitality, of a living human being.
In short, I would still need to feed directly from people to maintain my moral and emotional state.
I removed one of my gauntlets to look at my hand again. Physically it still appeared to be normal, but to my magesight it was like looking at the sun. I no longer looked like the shiggreth. Rather than an empty void, my magical appearance was more similar to that of a being made of pure liquid sunlight. I wore the armor now to make it easier to hide my presence. Without it, shielding myself enough to avoid detection would be much more difficult.
What would happen if I took the power from the God-Stone as well? I wondered. Following that line of reasoning, I could do the same with Millicenth and Doron as well, if I could find them. Would the strength of all four be enough to face Mal’goroth on even terms? I mentally considered the vision Penny and I had both witnessed when the gods had physically crossed over into the world. I had gained a clear understanding of their relative strengths at that time, and they had been dwarfed by Mal’goroth. I couldn’t even make a reasonable guess, but I had a lot of doubt. I can’t afford to risk everything in a head to head confrontation. Dead, immortal, whatever I am, I need to stack the deck in my favor. A lot of people were still depending on me, whether they realized it or not. I could probably survive just about anything now, but the people relying on me needed more than that, they needed me to win.
A shadow fell over me, followed by a rush of wind as the dragon descended to land in front of me. Gareth Gaelyn stared for a long minute before he spoke, “What have you done now?”
“I had a conversation with one of the Shining Gods. I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse,” I said cryptically.
“And he climbed into that suit of armor with you?” The dragon’s facial expressions were limited, but if he’d been using a human face, one eyebrow would have most likely been lifted.
I grinned, “Not a chance. The only thing in here is me. I sent what was left of him on an errand.”
“I cannot decide whether your fortunes are rising or falling,” retorted the dragon. “You keep bad company.”
“Gods and dragons?”
“The latter does not cancel out your association with the former,” replied Gareth.
Who would have imagined a dragon that enjoyed a bit of banter? I thought. “Enough,” I said, abandoning the topic. “I need transportation—and advice.”
“Tell me where you wish to go, and I will take you. My advice is to return my aystrylin when we arrive,” he answered immediately.
I glared at him, “I’m not ready to forgo your services yet.” Then I climbed up his bent foreleg and situated myself at the base of his neck, slightly forward of his shoulders and massive wings.
“Your power is such at this point, that I would think friends would be more valuable to you than servants,” observed the dragon that had once been human. Without waiting for instruction he launched himself into the air, using powerful wing-strokes to gain altitude. He immediately began heading south, although I hadn’t given him a destination yet.
Now that we were airborne, the rushing wind made it difficult to be heard so I sent my thoughts directly to the dragon. Am I meant to believe that you wish to be friends? I asked with a sarcastic mental inflection.
That would be unlikely, he returned. I meant your current tactics in general. Your predominant actions of late have been to compel obedience, first with me, now with the gods. Meanwhile, you have forsaken your friends and family.
I didn’t like the judgmental turn of his observations. I didn’t forsake them, they forsook me. I am still working to protect them.
Semantics, Gareth disagreed. You never gave them a chance to make an informed choice.
They made the same choice I would have, I thought back bitterly. I’m dead. I’m a monster.
I’m not so sure about that, speculated the dragon.
Which part, me being dead, or me being a monster?
The dead part, there is no doubt you’ve become a monster, he responded dryly.
Then it hardly matters whether I’m alive or not.
I don’t know, said the dragon, being a monster isn’t so bad. I think I would miss being alive more.
***
This is good. Set down here for a bit, I commanded.
We had been flying for a couple of hours, making our way back toward Albamarl, when I had spotted an isolated cottage. My emotions were still functioning, albeit at a much lower level than when I had been alive, but I didn’t want to let them drop below the point I considered safe. I had decided to feed before I was too far gone again.
“Why are we here?” asked Gareth aloud. Apparently he preferred the use of his voice when the wind was no longer a problem.
“I need to feed,” I replied bluntly.
“You already have as much aythar crammed inside you as one of the gods. Are you so greedy that you must take even the tiny amount these people have?” he asked me.
I made my helm permeable to aythar, so that my magesight could function normally. As Gareth’s words had alluded, there were several people in the nearby home, five, to be precise. Given their relative ages and genders, it appeared to be two parents and their three children.
“It isn’t really the quantity that matters to me,” I told him, and then I proceeded to explain what I had discovered about my condition and its relation to human aythar. He seemed to accept what I told him calmly enough.
“You have definitely become a monster,” stated the dragon.
“Your amazing clarity and succinct analysis never cease to amaze me,” I replied drolly.
Gareth snorted, “I could care less whether you value my opinions, just don’t touch the children.”
“What?”
“I wasn’t whispering,” said the dragon calmly.
Every time I thought I had a solid understanding of the draconic archmage, he surprised me. “Was that a threat?”
“Do what you wi
sh with the adults, but if you wish to retain my assistance, don’t touch the younglings,” he reiterated.
Now that I thought about it, he had also insisted I leave my son behind when I had first awoken from my transformation. Did the dragon have a soft spot for children? I pulled out the small figurine in my pouch. “I still have your aystrylin. Have you considered the consequences of arguing with me?”
“I have my limits. Some things cost more than the threat of my aystrylin will buy you,” said the dragon, rebuking me.
“I thought you cared nothing for human beings,” I stated, but the sentence was phrased more as a question.
He turned his scaly head away. “Go. Feed. Just remember the consequences of your choices.” His body language made it clear that our conversation was over.
I shook my head and began making my way toward the house. I never intended to harm any children, but his sudden protectiveness is interesting, I thought to myself. Reaching into one of my pouches, I brought out the diamond cubes. Might as well test these now, on something small.
It took me several minutes to set them up, moving from position to position around the building, but once I had everything in place, it worked flawlessly. The amount of power required to activate the cubes was fairly large, even for an area as small as that occupied by the small cottage, but I was able to reclaim the power once I was finished with the enchantment.
As planned, it rendered everyone within helpless, while I was still able to move freely. I drew heavily on the man, but not quite as much as I had done with Myrtle. Hopefully his family would be able to cope without him for a few days while he recovered his strength. Stopping was difficult, but since I began with a clear plan and the conviction that I wouldn’t kill, it was easier than the last time.
When I had finished, I deactivated the cubes and carefully packed them away again. Using the dimensions of the cubic volume I had tested it on, along with a rough estimate of the amount of aythar I had used to activate the enchantment, I was able to do some crude mental mathematics, comparing the reality to my previous calculations. It’s going to take something close to a full Celior to use them at the fullest area I designed them to cover, I concluded. A Celior was what I had named my unit of measurement for aythar. It represented the amount of aythar I had started with when the God-Stone had first been created. It was also close to the same amount of aythar I had drawn from the Iron Heart Chamber.
My thoughts were interrupted when I reached the clearing where I had left the dragon.
“What the hell was that!?” he asked in a tone that almost reeked of panic, if a dragon’s voice were capable of conveying such an emotion.
I lifted one eyebrow and gave him my most nonchalant expression, “Just a little test—something I created a few years ago.” I realized too late that he wouldn’t be able to see my face inside the helm I had on.
“For what purpose?” He seemed thoroughly unsettled. “Surely that wasn’t what it appeared to be?” He stopped short of naming the enchantment.
I decided it couldn’t hurt to be honest for a change. “I originally created it with the intention of using it to capture one of the Shining Gods if one came calling, but I abandoned the idea later as impractical.”
“Impractical? It shouldn’t even be possible! It’s insane…,” he spluttered.
It was amusing to see one of the most powerful creatures in Lothion, not to mention the only dragon in the world, get so flustered. I didn’t make much of an effort to hide my humor. “Yes, impractical. The problem was that it would take the power of a god to fully activate it. I also worried that if anything went wrong the feedback might free Celior as well as whichever one of his siblings I was keeping under lock and key.”
“You’re a fool Mordecai Illeniel! Did you not stop to consider the other consequences?” the dragon roared at me. He had finally lost his calm.
“Which ones?”
His eyes seemed to glow. “When Moira Centyr defeated Balinthor, the energy released destroyed Garulon, creating an inland sea! What would happen if such a thing were to occur again? What if it involved the power of two gods? Your foolishness could destroy the world!” The area the dragon was referring to was indeed now appropriately named the ‘Gulf of Garulon’. It was a fact I was already well acquainted with.
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” I retorted dryly, thinking of my first transformation into an earthen giant, “but that is precisely why I never used it.”
“That’s hardly comforting.”
“I’m dead,” I told him. “I’m not well suited to comforting people anymore.” Having just fed, my emotions were more sensitive than before, and the words brought a painful sting. After a brief pause I added, “Still think I need friends?”
“After what I just witnessed, I think you need to be murdered in your sleep, if such a thing is possible. The world will never be safe so long as you are in it,” he announced.
The seriousness of his words struck a humorous chord within me, bringing a laugh to my lips. It was a direct contrast to the darkness that lay over me. “I couldn’t agree with you more, Gareth, and as soon as I’ve removed Mal’goroth and restored Lyralliantha, I would consider it an honor if you would find a way to release me.”
I had already climbed into my customary riding position, and the rushing wind as we took off almost kept me from hearing his next words, spoken as softly as they were.
“You need friends now more than ever.”
Chapter 11
My return to Albamarl was greeted with a noticeable lack of fanfare. Likely because no one knew I had returned. They’d probably have done their best to provide a huge reception if they’d known. A very warm reception indeed, I told myself silently. Perhaps I’m becoming cynical. I don’t think this ‘living death’ thing really suits me.
I still wore the armor to help shield me from magesight. An illusion gave me the appearance of a middle-aged farmer, but anyone that brushed up against me would quickly realize something was wrong. Without the armor, I’d have been visible to any wizard within miles, a blazing beacon of aythar.
As it stood, I would most definitely attract Walter’s attention if I came within range of his normal magesight, or within range of his children, but at least I didn’t glow like the sun. I wasn’t particularly concerned about being captured, not anymore, but a confrontation might lead to injuring one of my former friends.
I really should have run away with the circus, I observed, this wizarding thing hasn’t worked out well for me.
I had left the dragon several miles from the city before venturing in on foot. He seemed glad enough to be quit of me for a while. Not that I could blame him. Witnessing my latest magical innovation had apparently made him very uncomfortable. Before we parted I made sure he knew to remain within the area.
In less than an hour of entering the city, a stranger found me walking along one of the larger streets. He matched my pace, and soon enough we were walking side by side. His face was unfamiliar; regardless my magesight had already identified him.
“Would you like to find a quiet place to discuss matters?” the now diminished god asked me.
I glanced over at Karenth. He was disguised as an old man, wearing clothes that would seem appropriate on a dock worker. His grey beard and weathered skin spoke of countless days spent under the harsh sun. I couldn’t help but admire the quality of his illusion. “Do you think we would be less likely to be overheard?” I said, responding to his question with one of my own.
“Probably not.”
“Then let’s talk while we walk. The weather is beautiful, and I have nowhere better to be. What have you discovered?”
“The peaceful calm you see around you is but a thin veneer overlaying a city close to erupting in violence,” he informed me without preamble.
“And the main actors?”
“There are several; the four churches have become re-energized. Their more devout followers have been filtering into the city in small groups. O
thers seem to be doing the same, though their allegiances are harder to identify,” he began.
“Any guesses?”
“The Shaddoth Krys, or those owing allegiance to the Duke of Tremont, or both,” replied the former god.
Shaddoth Krys was a term meaning ‘shadow-blade’ in Lycian. It was also the name of Mal’goroth’s secret organization of assassins and more devout followers. If they were involved, their god might not be far behind. “Where did you find your information?”
“Primarily from listening to conversations between Hightower and the King,” answered Karenth. “They seem well informed, but I doubt the King realizes the extent of the danger, especially from the churches.”
I frowned, “What’s got them so stirred up now?”
Karenth smiled, “Celior and Karenth’s auspicious return, along with your death. Doron and Millicenth’s followers also seem to be experiencing a resurgence of miracles and divine appearances.”
I patted the pouch containing the God-Stone and my link to the Iron Heart Chamber. “Celior is still safely contained, and I’ve not given you permission to make public appearances since releasing you. How is this possible? Charlatan priests?”
“Possibly, but I suspect it is worse than that,” he replied. “I can feel Mal’goroth’s presence hanging over the city like a dark pall. He may be subverting my followers along with devotees of the other churches.”
“Is he able to gain power from their prayers?”
Karenth chuckled, “No. In fact I’ve noticed an increase in the aythar I’m receiving now, probably as a result of the increased activity.”
“That makes no sense. Why would he help you?”
“If it is him, he may not care. My power is vastly diminished now. It would take decades, if not longer, to restore what you took from me. Nor would he be worried about my siblings. His strength is far beyond ours now.” Karenth paused for a moment, searching for words before continuing, “Have you ever seen a cat, once it has caught a mouse or bird? I think this may be something similar.”