Mortal Gods (Mantles of Power Book 2)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Of course you were. No plan is perfect, and we always knew the endgame would be hardest. Come on, lets clean you up and settle you down, then I can find a healer who can fix you up.” Sorm soothed her, and slowly he guided her toward the bathing room.

  Despite his calm where Haral was concerned, the sheer rage burning within Sorm was incalculable, and he resolved to ensure that whoever had done this suffered as much as possible.

  “Sit down and relax, you deserve it,” Alserah said, gesturing toward the couches and chairs around the sitting room. Rose gratefully sank into a chair, letting out a soft breath of relaxation, then blinked as she saw Princess Niadra poke her head into the room, looking a little nervous.

  They’d had a chance to bathe and relax after the battle once they’d reached the palace, but Alserah had quickly been drawn away. Kitania had recovered quickly, but for the most part they’d been left alone for the last hour, until Alserah had invited them to visit with her privately.

  “Come in, Niadra. I’m sure you want to ensure that Kitania is in one piece,” Alserah said, smiling slightly. “She didn’t get beheaded this time.”

  “Not for a lack of trying,” Vinara muttered, prompting a smile from Rose, and a snicker from Isalla, who was sitting next to Rose.

  “That isn’t fair!” Kitania protested, looking around the room, at Alserah as the goddess sat on a sofa, and then at Isalla and Rose. It was funny to see the indecisive near-panic on her face, Rose thought, and smiled a little more warmly.

  “Oh? I saw you stop dodging when someone was trying to stab you to yank the arrow off the string,” Vinara retorted, settling into a chair with a happy sigh, then added, “Sure, it was for the best, but it was still terribly dumb.”

  Kitania took a breath to protest, but that was when Niadra spoke, stepping forward to hug her as she asked softly, her voice trembling, “Did that really happen?”

  Hesitating a moment, Kitania visibly debated before hugging the elf and giving her a gentle kiss, then replied simply, her tone gentle. “Yes, though I thought it was for the best. I didn’t want Alserah to be harmed, and I knew I’d get better.”

  “I deeply appreciate what you did, I might add. If you hadn’t done that, and hadn’t taken the bracelet, the damage done would have been immeasurably worse,” Alserah replied, her eyes darkening.

  Rose hesitated, then asked softly, almost afraid to ask but unable to help herself, “How bad was it?”

  “Not as bad as I feared, worse than I had hoped. One fort fell entirely before we could get them the information needed to kill the hellfire worm, and there was immense damage to the cities. It’ll take years to recover from that. Fortunately, fewer people were killed than I feared, but even so, there are thousands dead,” Alserah said, looking down and letting out a soft sigh. “All because some angels doubted our devotion. I believe this will be a dark day in history… but we survived.”

  “That’s all that can be hoped for some days,” Vinara murmured, looking around the room for a moment, then sighed and shook her head as Kitania started toward the sofa. “In any case, my instinct after a near-death experience is to find someone attractive and have sex. I’d consider most of you, but the tension in the room is impressive. Why don’t you figure out whether or not you’re going to share Kitania and be done with it?”

  “What?” Rose asked, a blush rising in her cheeks as the succubus stood, and Kitania froze in the midst of sitting down. The pink-skinned demoness flushed slightly as well, but Vinara simply snickered and walked out of the room.

  “Um… well, that makes this awkward,” Kitania said, glancing down at Niadra, then away as she cleared her throat and stood up. “In any case… I think I owe everyone an apology. Again. I didn’t realize that Isalla would still have feelings for me, or you, Rose. It’s made everything a mess.”

  “Indeed, though I don’t find it quite as off-putting as I anticipated,” Alserah replied, glancing toward Isalla and Rose curiously as she added, “I have no idea on anyone else, but I’m trying not to stir muddied waters, unlike Vinara.”

  “I… I’m trying to figure out what to do. I’m still not happy, you know,” Isalla said, and Rose raised her gaze to the ceiling, having just about had it with Isalla’s attitude. And before she knew what she was doing, Rose spoke.

  “Says the woman who’s been trying to hide the fact she slept with Queen Estalia,” Rose said, glancing at Isalla in exasperation. “At least you knew that Kitania was alive, unlike her. I don’t care that much, Isalla, but would you please try not to be hypocritical?”

  Isalla flushed brilliant red, and Kitania raised a hand to cover her eyes, muttering in a resigned tone. “Mother. Why am I not surprised?”

  Rose surprised herself with a giggle, amused at Kitania’s reaction. Most of the others joined her laughter after a moment, including Alserah.

  Epilogue

  “It would be my greatest honor to serve you, Your Majesty,” Seidrel said, bowing his head deeply as he knelt before Estalia.

  Estalia smiled warmly at him, slowly rising to her feet as she nodded to the angel, speaking gently. “Rise, Sir Seidrel. I would gladly accept you into the ranks of my soldiers, as events of late have been worrying.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” Seidrel replied, straightening quickly as he almost puffed up with pride. Estalia’s smile widened, a little amused at his reaction. Almost half the garrison of Firewatch had chosen to join her followers by this point, and most of the others were wavering on the edge of converting. It was pleasant, and she needed pleasant news after what she’d heard from Vinara.

  The attack on the Forest of Sighs concerned her, as did the attempt on Alserah’s life. It was more than she’d expected of the angels, and it likely meant that their plans were at a critical stage. That being the case, she didn’t have as much time to prepare as she wanted.

  Estalia had already sent out messages to her allies and agents, and she was prepared to act if she needed to. Still, she’d be remiss if she ignored opportunities in front of her. Besides, if Estalia’s aid was truly necessary, Vinara had the means to call for help, and to receive it.

  After a moment, Estalia shook off her concerns, mostly relieved that her daughter was safe, and in good enough spirits to explore more relationships. Even if it was rather startling that she was on the verge of entering a relationship with a goddess.

  “Well, she is my daughter, I suppose,” Estalia murmured in amusement.

  “Your Majesty?” Seidrel asked, sounding a bit confused, and Estalia laughed, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder.

  “My apologies, Seidrel, I was just lost in thought,” Estalia assured him, smiling as she nodded toward the door. “Why don’t we take you to the general, and we can explain what’s going on.”

  The angel nodded happily, and together they headed out of the throne room.

  Five figures sat together around a table, looking at the reports they’d received. After a few moments, one of them spoke quietly, his voice deep. “Isn’t this a fine mess Haral created?”

  “Created? I don’t know that I’d say that. Made worse, yes, but not all of it is her fault. We’ve approved each step of her plans, yet they’ve always failed due to unanticipated factors,” a woman replied, shaking her head as she sighed. “Besides, how many times have our own plans gone awry? I wouldn’t be too hard on her, considering the situation. How was she to know that a demon without a mantle could survive both Alserah’s defenses and being beheaded by a soul-stealing blade?”

  “True, I suppose,” the first man conceded, though he didn’t sound happy. He considered, then sighed. “We’ve managed to keep our plans secret for far longer than I believed possible, and I suppose I just hoped that we could do so until the final stroke.”

  “We aren’t unmasked yet,” another man said, his voice airier than the others, not sounding nearly as serious either. “They still have to figure out what has happened, and none of the angels who’ve disappeared have concrete knowledge of o
ur plans. Peripheral hints, yes… but I wouldn’t be surprised if we can draw things out until it’s too late for them to act.”

  “Fair. How close are we to completing the artifacts?” the first man asked, looking at another woman, and she shrugged.

  “No more than two months out,” she replied, her voice rougher than those of the others. “It’s impossible to give precise timelines, due to the power they require, but that’s the pessimistic estimate.”

  “Excellent,” the last man rumbled, nodding slightly. “In that case, we simply need to delay the interlopers. Once we’ve dealt with the hells, we can turn our efforts to purifying the mortal world. There’s no need to overreact.”

  The group paused for a moment, then there was a rumble of agreement.

  The End

  Thus ends Mortal Gods! I hope you all enjoyed the book, as I rather enjoyed writing it… though I was a little surprised at how long characters were separated for. Now that characters are together properly, the story can progress toward its climax, with Hells Ascendant. I expect it to be explosive in a lot of ways. I’m also expecting the characters to surprise me, and for it to get sidetracked somewhat.

  Even so, that’s for the future. I’m going to be trying to finish out the trilogy, and hopefully it satisfies everyone who has liked this one!

  Thank you all for reading Mortal Gods, I greatly appreciate it! You can find the next book, Hell’s Ascendant, below!

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  If you want to find more of my books, you can find them at the following link.

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  Also, if you’d care to review this story, I’d greatly appreciate it! Again, thank you for reading Mortal Gods. You can find a sneak-peek of Hell’s Ascendant on the following page.

  Hell’s Ascendant Prologue

  Coral stepped into the room, not even pausing as she began speaking. “Lady Anna, I think that Reath needs some personal attention, with how her attitude has been of late, and…”

  The succubus’s voice trailed off as she realized that Anna wasn’t in her usual chair, and the room was otherwise empty. Several documents sat on the polished top of the desk, weighed down by a paperweight, while paintings adorned the white marble walls. Even so, Anna going missing was a bit perplexing, and after a moment Coral put her hands on her hips, looking around in annoyance.

  “Now where did she get off to? And right when I needed her, too?” Coral asked aloud, then let out a soft sigh of annoyance. Anna didn’t vanish often, and when she did it was always for a good reason, so she abandoned the hope of getting help from her superior and chose a different strategy, murmuring. “Maybe I can get some help from Irak…”

  She left the room behind, all the while wondering what Anna was doing. The angel had been acting oddly ever since she’d gotten the most recent dispatches from Estalia.

  The room should have been dark, with as dark as the stone it’d been carved from was. It wasn’t, but that was due to the glowing crystals which dotted the walls. The room was a shallow dome, with polished walls, and crystalline lanterns. Only the glowing portal set into one wall allowed entry, and Anna brushed her fingers over the runes carved into the doorway for the moment, admiring them instead of what was in the center of the room. It didn’t help, not really, but she treasured the moments of peace that it brought her. When she closed her eyes, though… then she remembered the incredibly short message she’d been sent by Estalia, the words seared into her mind.

  Things may be worse that I feared in the heavens. I’m afraid that I may have need of you. Kitania may have need of you. I’m sorry, dear one.

  “You shouldn’t be sorry, my beloved goddess. We both knew the time would come when I could no longer hide.” Anna spoke at last, her quiet words echoing in the musty confines of the chamber. A part of her was grieving for what might happen soon, but at the same time, another part of her was awakening after a long slumber. So she took a deep breath and turned to the center of the room, looking on the items resting there.

  A potion rested in an ornate vial-holder on a pillar to one side of the room’s center, its contents shedding a radiant blue light. The sight of the potion caused Anna’s pulse to quicken, but her gaze rested on it for only a moment, instead she looked at the armor resting on its rack and the cloudpiercer laying lengthwise on display in front of it.

  The armor was for an angel, which was just as it should have been. Unlike almost every suit of plate Anna had seen for a high-ranking angel, though, this suit wasn’t ornate and beautiful. Nor had it been forged of mithral… no, it was made of fine, gleaming steel without ornate patterns or engravings. Only the runes which powered its magic shone, and even those were hidden, as if to heighten the apparent simplicity of the armor, from the boots and greaves to the helm and plates designed to guard her forewings. The armor brought back memories, and few of them were good… but even they paled beside the emotions inspired by the cloudpiercer.

  Anna’s gaze fell to the cloudpiercer, and she felt herself shudder. She took a step closer, then another, feeling her legs almost quivering beneath her. The cloudpiercer was almost as simple as the armor, with a shaft forged of steel wrapped in black leather, right up until one looked at the blade. The blade burned with power, blazing gold runes seared into the silver-blue metal. Power greater than any other weapon she’d wielded surged through the weapon, and Anna let out the softest sigh as she closed her eyes. Memories of the wars she’d fought in rushed through her head, each of them with the cloudpiercer in hand. There were few things she wanted less than to take it up again, and yet… a part of her lived for it. She didn’t like to think about it, but not all the trembling in her hand was of reluctance.

  “For our daughter. For us.” Anna murmured.

  Reaching out, she picked up Infinity’s Edge, and the weapon surged with power, almost joyfully welcoming her grasp. Anna couldn’t help a smile at the reaction, closing her eyes and basking in it, reveling in how… right it felt in her hand.

  “Everything has to end, one day.” Anna said softly, running a finger over one of the runes, the power within it burning at her hands. “However… that doesn’t mean we have to simply accept it.”

  No one answered, but Anna realized her fingers had ceased trembling, and she smiled.

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