The Secret of the Golden Gods Omnibus Edition

by Pedro Urvi

  He went a little closer and his suspicions were confirmed. A thousand ships filled with Warriors and Enforcers and led by Lords were heading toward the First Ring. They were currently halfway between the two rings. He was saddened to see that they were attacking the docks and the front row of buildings of the Ring of the House of Ether with elemental explosions. And if that were not serious enough, what he saw next left him breathless. Further to the east, three thousand ships from the House of Air had taken their positions. They were attacking the First Ring, supporting the House of Fire’s offensive.

  Adamis took a deep breath. He felt a terrible unease. Now he understood. That is why he cannot go to help the House of Water. He is being attacked by the Houses of Air and Fire. The situation was far more serious than he had imagined. An alliance between the Houses of Fire and Earth was deeply worrying, but with the addition of the House of Air it would be impossible to stop them. The Houses of Water and Ether found themselves in a clearly weaker position, and because they were both being attacked at the same time they could not help each other. A pang in his stomach forced him to double up. He straightened up immediately; he would be found out if he did not behave like a Lord of the House of Fire. He had to make an effort to keep back the sickness he felt.

  “Give them no breathing space!” shouted the Warrior in command. A hundred paces away, Adamis recognized him and stopped. He had not done so before because his face was hidden under the war helmet he wore: silver, as was appropriate for Warriors. But there was no doubt about it: it was Iradu, Asu’s Champion, the one who in time of war was responsible for leading the army of the House of Fire. Adamis saw that the giant champion’s body was marked by huge burn marks. Something had happened to him which had almost cost him his life.

  He shivered involuntarily at the horror and destruction before his eyes. Asu had planned and executed his coup with masterly skill. Adamis had to admit that Asu was proving to be far more intelligent than he had ever thought he could be. He knew his rival was reckless to the point of insanity, but he never imagined that in his delirium of grandeur he would dare go so far. Unfortunately he had. Golden and Men would suffer a fate of horror and death.

  Thinking about Men, he turned toward the catacombs, which were in the inner part of the city, a long way from the docks. They would be keeping the slaves there. He could imagine them, utterly terrified, unable to understand what was happening. When the troops landed, the horror would reach them and they would be unable to hide from destruction and death. Unfortunately it would reach them all. They would be the victims in this fratricidal war: the war between the Gods.

  The combined attack upon the House of Ether intensified. Adamis was trying to find a way to reach the First Ring, but without success. A Lord in war armor arrived at the command post. Adamis came as close as he dared without raising the attention of the hundred Warriors on watch duty around the post. At first he did not recognize the Lord. He used Notaplo’s bracelet to intercept the communication.

  Iradu greeted Asu’s cousin respectfully. “Lord Erre.”

  “Champion of the House of Fire,” replied Lord Erre with equal respect.

  “What are my Lord’s orders?

  “The High King wishes to intensify the attack on the House of Ether.”

  “And the battle on the House of Water?”

  “It is won. It is just a matter of a little more time. The forces of our allies from the House of Earth have surrounded the Royal Palace. Without the help of the House of Ether they will not survive. That is why it is crucial to increase the pressure on them.”

  “I understand. So it shall be done, when they are on the point of falling. The High King and his people will flee through the Royal Portal to the Palace of the High King of Ether. We will not be able to capture them.”

  “That does not matter. Even though they hide in the House of Ether, they are doomed. Once the Royal Palace of Water is overthrown the army of the House of Earth will join ours and that of Air in the First Ring, and we will finish them off.”

  “Very well. I will give the order to intensify the attacks.”

  “I will join the invasion force. Clear the way for me. We must make them retreat deep into the city.”

  “Do not worry, they will,” Iradu said confidently.

  “And one thing more … High King Asu wants to know whether the plan is ready.”

  “It is. I will carry out his order personally.”

  “It is essential that you do not fail. The stakes are high.”

  “I have never failed at anything, my Lord. I will not fail today.”

  “Very well.”

  Lord Erre gestured, and his personal bodyguard joined him. At the docks he boarded an impressive warship which was waiting for him.

  “Destroy the defenses!” Iradu ordered the attacking forces.

  The last ships were leaving to invade the First Ring. Adamis saw several Lords boarding smaller, more graceful vessels. These were the assault troops, He searched for one without a Lord in command and found it at the end of the dock.

  “Lord on deck!” the officer said, surprised to see Adamis coming on board.

  “I am taking command,” Adamis said confidently.

  “Of course, my Lord,” said the officer. He moved aside so that Adamis could stand astern in the center.

  “Follow the assault forces.”

  “At your command, my Lord,” the officer said, and signaled to the helmsman.

  At the point half-way between the two rings the battle was at its thickest. The warships of the House of Fire were attacking the coast with blasts of fire which generated intense flares whose aim was to destroy the House of Ether’s defenses. But the thick fog did not allow them to see whether they were being successful or not. Several heavy ships, loaded with Warriors, Enforcers and a few Lords, had penetrated the waters of the First Ring on their way to the main docks to finish the job of destruction. Suddenly a giant gray-black silhouette emerged from the water. It had no definite shape. Giant eyes of horror were all that could be distinguished. The spirit, of monstrous proportions, hurled itself at the ships like some creature of nightmare. Adamis knew perfectly well what it was, and what it entailed. His Father’s Lords had combined their Power to create a giant Voracious Spirit, devourer of life.

  The ships of the House of Fire sank amid cries of horror from those swallowed by the spirit. From the ships at the rear came an attack on the creation of Ether with fiery spheres, arrows and spears. But the Spirit, though wounded, was attacking even more voraciously. It went on devouring Golden and Enforcers, destroying the enemy ships. Adamis was encouraging it from deep within himself, while at the same time his ship moved away from the monster so as not to capsize. From land the House of Fire increased the attack on the area the monster had emerged from. Adamis hoped that the Lords of his House had managed to get to safety, but knowing the destructive power of fire he feared the worst.

  At the same time he noticed something that raised his spirits. The House of Ether was fighting off the invasion. New Voracious Spirits appeared and fell on the ships. They were accompanied by a deathly fog which spread from the shore. The ships which penetrated it reached the shore with all their crew members dead. The poison of the fog finished off the Golden. The few ships that reached the shore intact were received by a horde of spirits of agony. The creatures fell on the Warriors of the House of Fire and devoured them. Adamis could not have been more proud of his people’s masterly defense.

  But not all was good news. Although the ships of the House of Fire were losing the battle, things were different with those of the House of Air. In the paths of the ships the Lords had created a number of typhoons which headed toward the coast, destroying everything they found in their way, both on sea and on land. The spirits were dispersed by hurricane winds. The deathly fog was dispersed by great gusts of wind created by the Lords. And what was even worse, on dry land the first line of ships were beginning to create great tornadoes which cleared the landing are
as and forced the army of Ether to fall back. Adamis swore under his breath. Ether’s natural enemy was Air. It could defeat the other elements, but as for Air…

  The ships of the House of Fire began to pull back while they waited for those of the House of Air to clear a path. The battle went on until nightfall, when the troops of the House of Ether were finally forced back to the royal castle. Adamis had left the ship by now. Surrounded by warriors of the House of Fire, he watched his home being destroyed. The lower part of the mountain, scattered with translucent crystalline buildings, which formed the first ring, was being razed to the ground by countless whirlwinds, tornadoes and hurricane-force winds which were toppling buildings and Golden alike and making their way to the upper levels. Amid protective flames the great army of Fire was landing, and soon that of Air would follow. His detachment began to take a higher position and was fiercely attacked by the retreating defenders.

  The fog now covered only the higher part of the First Ring, where the royal castle and his family were. The invading troops secured the lower areas, then fell back awaiting orders. The troops of the House of Air took up a forward position, forming the first line of attack and defense, half-way up the great mountain. They were protecting the troops of the House of Fire from the attacks of the House of Ether, which fell on them from the summit. During the whole night reinforcements continued to arrive from both Houses. The attacks on the summit did not cease. Relentlessly they battered the walled positions under the covering of the fog so as to pave the way for the assault which would come with dawn.

  Adamis, with an ever-growing knot in his stomach, could not see how they could possibly get out of their quandary. And when dawn arrived, his faint shred of hope vanished completely. The navy of the House of Earth arrived victorious and joined that of the House of Fire at the docks. This meant that the House of Water had fallen. And now the House of Ether would fall too. Three massive ships docked, and from them issued the three regicide Princes. The first was Asu, unmistakable in his showy red and gold war armor. He was followed by Lurra of the House of Earth. Last came Aize, of the House of Air. They made their way to a fortified command post before the intent gaze of all, followed by their guards of honor. They marched like all-powerful peacocks: erect, chins held high, showing off all their power and glory.

  Very carefully, Adamis went closer. He was surrounded by about a hundred elite warriors of the House of Fire. He activated the bracelet, although he hardly needed to. Asu was so sure of his victory that he did not even take the precaution of hiding his conversation.

  “Victory is ours!” he said. He was staring up at the top of the city, which was being bombarded with elemental explosions.

  “They are not even counter-attacking,” Aize commented.

  “They are preparing for the final defense,” said Lurra. “The same thing happened in the siege of the High King of Water’s palace.”

  “And see how it served them,” Asu said, and guffawed with laughter. “Nobody can stop us, we are the future of the Golden.”

  “The High King of Water, most of his Lords and some of his forces have fled through the Royal Portal,” Lurra said.

  “Do you think they have taken refuge up there?” Aize asked.

  “Without a doubt,” Asu replied. “Those two shriveled old mummies will want to fight and defend their thrones together, to the end. They will not give in. But do not worry, we will grant them their wish. We will kill them together.”

  Aize’s eyes turned to his troops. “If they have taken shelter up there, it will complicate our assault.”

  “That conceited Laino thinks he will be able to resist on his precious crystal mountain, the fool!” Asu said arrogantly. “He has no idea how mistaken he is. Nobody resists my plans.”

  “He does not want us to reach the Great Central Monolith,” Lurra commented. “He is denying us its Power.”

  “I have sent several patrols to the monolith through the four passes,” Aize said.

  “And?” Asu demanded.

  “They have not come back.”

  Asu was plainly upset at this answer. “The old lunatic is planning something.”

  “Who cares?” said Aize. “He will soon be dead.”

  “We must not underestimate those old mummies,” Lurra said, sounding doubtful. “They have stayed alive for so long because they are intelligent.”

  Asu swept his gaze over the troops. “Whatever he may be planning, he will not be able to stop us. Nothing can do that now. When all our forces have finished landing and preparing, we will attack.”

  They nodded.

  “Follow my orders, and we will win. Everything is going according to plan. The victory is within our reach. Do what I say, and we will be the three sole High Kings.”

  “I am with you,” said Lurra.

  “And I,” said Aize.

  “Now let us prepare the final attack,” Asu said breezily.

  A few hours later there came strong explosions, followed by the sound of tumbling rocks.

  “What the hell is going on?” snapped Asu.

  “The passes to the Monolith have been sealed, my Lord,” came Iradu´s reply. He had already disembarked.

  “Laino is planning something.”

  Accompanied by their Champions and their escort of elite warriors, Aize and Lurra hurried to the command post.

  “What on earth …?” Aize demanded.

  “Better not stop to find out,” Lurra said.

  Asu clenched his fist tightly. “Attack the damned mountain. Do not leave a stone standing in the royal castle.”

  “And what about the two High Kings?”

  “Give the order to kill them. Whoever brings me their heads, I will overwhelm him with riches. Pass the word to the troops.”

  They left at once. The army of Air made its way up through the crystal buildings, which were already no more than rubble. They were followed by the army of Earth, with the army of Fire bringing up the third line. They made up three concentric rings surrounding the mountain, on whose summit the survivors of the Houses of Ether and Water had taken shelter.

  As the three invading houses ascended, they pounded the summit with explosions and missiles. From below, the Lords sent elemental storms to the summit to make the soldiers’ way easier. Adamis created a storm of fire of very low intensity and sent it to the summit. Asu’s guard of honor was nearby, and he had to act like a Lord of Fire. Seeing his enemy so close, he thought for a moment of killing that fool, but he had to set the thought aside. Asu was protected by Iradu, his cousin Erre, and his guard of honor. He would not be able to fight all of them, still less with the whole enemy army so near. It was best to wait and search out an opportunity to get into the palace and stop Asu somehow, although at that moment it seemed impossible to him that he could manage it.

  The forces of the House of Air came within a hundred paces of the castle wall. The tornadoes and hurricane winds that went before them were pushing the deadly fog toward the castle, protecting its own warriors. Suddenly there came a roar and the earth shook. A giant creature of ice, humanoid in shape and more than a hundred and fifty feet tall, rose up from the castle. It lifted one of its immense feet and stepped over the wall. The ground shook under its weight. They attacked it with tornadoes and whirlwinds. The creature was buffeted violently, so that for a moment it seemed it would lose its balance and fall, but it regained it and opened a huge icy mouth. From this came a tremendous freezing gust which froze everything it touched for more than a hundred paces. The tornadoes were petrified into ice, as were those warriors of the House of Air who were struck.

  Confusion overcame the warriors. They began to attack the creature with electric javelins and stormy discharges. But they barely managed to scratch the giant’s ice body as it continued its advance, using its breath to freeze all the soldiers who were attacking the walls. The Warriors regrouped for the attack, and the second and third lines began to launch balls of fire and missiles of rock against the creature. Once again the
ground shook, and a second elemental appeared before the gates of the city. As colossal as the first, this one was of Ether and had the appearance of a gigantic, tormented spirit.

  Asu was beside himself with fury. “Great Elementals!” he cried.

  “How can they be so huge?” Erre asked, dumbfounded.

  Asu looked behind him, then up at the sky. Alantres, the Eternal City, was enveloped in darkness; it had stopped radiating light with the Power of the Golden. “The city has been extinguished. They have deflected all the Power of the Great Monolith. They have used it to create those elemental monstrosities!”

  The two colossal creatures began to spread death among the enemy troops. Warriors and Enforcers of the three Houses leapt on them, trying to harm them with their own elemental weapons, but barely succeeded in making any impact. With huge sweeps of arms and legs, the two giants sent the soldiers to their death.

  Every step they took down the mountain made the ground shake and toppled the enemy units.

  “You accursed old dotards! You will not defeat me! Not today! Not ever!”

  “What are your orders, my Lord?” Iradu asked.

  “My Lords! To me!” Asu called.

  A hundred Lords came to present themselves. All of them wore claws on their right arms. They formed a circle around Asu, spreading their arms wide, touching each other’s fingertips.

  “At my command!” said Asu.

  The Lords closed their eyes and concentrated. Asu spread his arms and gave the order, and the Lords transferred all their Power to their Lord. Every last drop. So as not to die, they immediately activated their claws and injected into their own veins the slaves’ essence of life which was stored in the discs. They fell to the ground in exhaustion, senseless. Asu, charged with the Power of his Lords, roared out:

  “Nobody can stop me! Nobody!”

  There came an enormous amber flash, and a Great Elemental of Fire came to life. It was as gigantic as its rivals.

  “Finish them off,” Asu ordered.