Dina began to weep openly. Linis pulled her close.
“Are you sure about this?” asked Lee.
Maybell nodded resolutely. “I am. It is time for me to prove my worth.”
Lee reached out and placed his hand on hers. “My dear, you have proved your worth long before this day. If all the people had your courage, the Dark Knight would fear to tread even a few yards outside his own fortress.”
Maybell couldn’t help but laugh. “I wish that were so. But it is kind of you to say.” Gently, she removed Kaylia’s head from her lap and, wincing as stiff muscles protested, rose to her feet.
The rest stood as well.
Maybell motioned to the near corner of the pavilion where a small stack of letters tied together with a strip of red silk had been placed. “When I am gone, I would have my correspondence delivered. There are things I would like to have said to people who I will never see again.” Her eyes turned to Millet. “Would you attend to this please? When the war is over, naturally.”
Millet nodded and bowed low with deep respect. “It will be done. I swear it.”
Maybell touched Millet’s cheek and grinned. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” she said playfully. “They’re just silly letters from a silly woman to her even sillier friends.” She leaned in and kissed his lips with more than simple fondness, allowing the contact to linger for several seconds. “Ah. So that’s what it would be like. Please excuse an old woman’s one last indulgence.”
Millet blushed, not knowing what to say.
She reached again into her pocket, this time removing a folded parchment that she held out to Dina. “This is how I want the rites conducted,” she said. Dina recoiled, but Maybell pressed on. “Please dear. You are the only one who I can trust to do it properly.”
After a long moment, Dina reached out and took the parchment.
“Now,” said Maybell, with a tone of inevitability. “If you would excuse me, I will speak with Kaylia alone one more time.”
Each in turn gave her a tearful embrace before departing. Dina’s sobs became so uncontrollable that she was no longer able to walk unassisted. Linis was quickly there to hold her tight.
Lee was the last to leave. “You will be remembered,” he said, kissing Maybell’s hand.
She took a deep breath. “To be truthful, I had hoped to live out my life in obscurity. But now I march headlong into Shagharath to do battle with the most powerful creature to ever set foot on earthly soil.”
Lee forced a smile. “I think you will be more than a match for him.” His eyes, however, betrayed his doubt.
“It’s not Melek that concerns me,” she said. “At least, not his power. His prison will make him weak. But his mind will still be keen, and his heart filled with vengeance. I fear that even if I should succeed, Gewey will have fallen prey to his vile nature and lust for retribution.”
“In what way?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But he may need your help when he returns. More than he has ever needed it before.”
“I will watch him closely,” said Lee.
Maybell rubbed her hands together and took a step back. “And now I must wake Kaylia. So if you please…”
Lee gave her a low, formal bow. It was only with a great effort that he did not weep like the others as he turned and left.
Torches were being lit when Lee emerged. Millet and Jacob were standing near to the pavilion entrance. The others were nowhere to be seen.
“What happens now?” asked Jacob.
Lee’s grim expression was carved deep in his face. “We allow Sister Maybell to die a hero’s death.”
Millet bowed his head. “May the gods protect her.”
“I think it is Maybell who is protecting the gods,” corrected Lee.
The mood in the camp soon became tense. Lee told Weila and Lyrial what had transpired, who immediately spread the news of Maybell’s sacrifice.
After an hour or so, a large gathering of elves surrounded the pavilion. Linis and Dina returned, though Dina still had moments when her sorrow completely overwhelmed her. Lee was uncertain if he should enter or simply wait outside for Gewey to emerge. It was just before dawn when the flap finally opened and Kaylia stepped out. Her eyes were red from tears and her posture was bent from exhaustion.
Lee rushed forward, forgetting for a moment that their last encounter had been less than amiable. Kaylia saw him approaching and their eyes met. He quickly saw that the madness had now been replaced by profound sorrow.
“She is gone,” whispered Kaylia. “Her body has turned to dust.”
Lee was stricken by the thought. “And Gewey?”
“She will not fail,” Kaylia replied. She stumbled while taking a step. Lee caught her arm to steady her.
“I am sorry,” said Lee. “I should have…”
“My heart has no more room for anger,” Kaylia told him. “What you did was not out of hate or malice.” She saw Dina and beckoned her over. “Please find an urn for Maybell’s remains. She told me that you would know what to do with them.”
Dina gasped. “An urn?”
“The Fangs of Yajna have destroyed her body,” Kaylia explained. “I will not ask you to collect what is left of her. But I am too weary to find an urn myself.”
Dina stood there for a moment, lips trembling. She then turned and hurried away.
“What did Maybell say to you?” asked Lee.
“What I needed to hear,” she replied. “But after she awakened me, we did not speak very much. At least, not in words.” She lowered her eyes. “Such magnificent courage should never be forgotten.”
“It won’t be,” Lee assured her.
Chapter 9
Gewey looked out on a hill covered countryside. Tiny blue and red wildflowers sprang from the deep emerald turf. The sky was scattered with puffs of cloud that moved swiftly along on a warm and gentle southerly breeze.
In the distance he caught sight of a small figure skipping playfully toward him, occasionally cartwheeling and spinning around. Gewey very soon recognized the image of himself he had seen just after Gerath gave him full-life.
He looked at Melek who was standing beside him and smiling at the scene.
“See how happy you are?” Melek remarked. “Seldom has there been such joy in heaven.”
“Your children never played?” asked Gewey. Seeing himself in a child’s form made him wonder if the others were ever like him – infants playing blissfully and without troubles.
“They were never children as you were,” said Melek. “They did not have the capacity for carefree play and mirthful games. They grew to adulthood not long after they were born. You, however, carry the spirit of the Creator, as I do.”
“So you were a child?”
Melek chuckled. “I was indeed. For longer than you can imagine. Heaven was my playground long before birds flew and beasts walked the earth.”
“When did you grow up?” asked Gewey.
“The moment my beloved wife was created,” he replied. He closed his eyes and sighed. “She was more beautiful than heaven in all its splendor. I knew in an instant that she was to be my destiny. After that I no longer needed childish thoughts.”
Just as the child was only a few yards away, there was a flash of blue light and Gerath appeared immediately in front of him.
“Father!” exclaimed Darshan happily. He ran to Gerath and threw his arms around him. “Where have you been? I have missed you.”
Gerath allowed the embrace, but did not return it. “I have been to the world of humans and elves.”
Darshan released his father and frowned. “Ayliazarah told me about that. It sounds boring.”
Gerath gave him a weak smile. “It is anything but boring. There is much to be discovered there, and much we can learn.”
“What are the people like? Are they as strange as Ayliazarah says? Do they really hurt each other for no reason?”
“Not all of them,” he replied. “And Ayliazarah should not be telling you these thing
s. They will only upset you.”
Darshan laughed. “I am not upset. They cannot hurt us. We are gods, after all. We cannot be hurt.”
“Why do you say that?” asked Gerath. “What makes you think we cannot be hurt?”
“That’s what Dantenos told me. He said that the mortals have no power over us. That the Creator made us to live forever.”
Gerath scowled. “He should not have told you that.”
“Why? Isn’t it true?”
“It is not as simple as that,” Gerath said. “We are as the mortals. We have direct knowledge of the Creator. She gave us the gift of her grace, but this comes at a price.” He knelt to be at Darshan’s eye level. “We are servants. It is our duty to carry out the Creator’s will. This can be…difficult at times.”
“But, father,” his little nose crinkled in a look of confusion, “I have no knowledge of the Creator. I have never seen her.”
“She left us,” Gerath explained.
“Then if she is gone, there is no one to serve.”
Gerath’s eyes flashed with instant anger. “She left us so that we could carry out her will. She left us the moment you were born.”
Darshan lowered his eyes and folded his arms. “Is that why you never want to play with me? Is it because I made the Creator leave? If I bring her back, will you love me then?”
Gerath’s jaw tightened, but then his features relaxed. He stood there expressionless for several seconds before taking hold of his son’s hand.
“There is something I must tell you, Darshan,” he began.
Gewey shook his head. He couldn’t tell me he loved me, he thought.
Melek sighed. “Because he doesn’t love you.”
Gewey had stopped caring that Melek was inside his mind. In fact, with the absence of Kaylia still fresh, it had become a comfort.
Gerath and Darshan strolled at a leisurely pace. Darshan held tight to his father’s hand, swinging it back and forth.
“I am going to take you to the realm of the mortals,” said Gerath.
Darshan frowned. “Why?”
“You have a task to perform,” he replied. “A very important task.”
Darshan’s face brightened. “A task?” He sounded much the same as any human child who was eager to please his father. “Whatever it is, I can do it. I know I can.”
“It means you must remain there,” Gerath continued.
Darshan stopped short. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. “For how long?”
“I don’t know,” Gerath admitted. “For a long time, I suspect. At least, it will seem like a long time to you.”
“Will you be there too?”
Gerath pulled his hand free. “No. You will be alone.”
Darshan looked at his father for several seconds before taking a step closer. “And when I’m done? Can I return then?”
Gerath averted his eyes. “I do not know. Perhaps…if you succeed.”
Tears began to fall from Darshan’s eyes. “Why are you sending me away? What did I do wrong? Whatever it is, I’m sorry. I swear I am. Please don’t make me go. Please!”
Gerath clenched his fists. “Stop this crying at once. You are the son of Gerath, and you will do what is required of you.”
“I won’t” yelled Darshan, suddenly defiant. “And you can’t make me.”
In a blinding movement, Gerath grabbed his son by the shoulders and shook him hard. “You will do as you are told. And if you ever hope to return, you must learn to be strong. Otherwise there will be no hope at all for you.”
This stopped the child’s tears in an instant. His defiance turned to fear. “What do you want me to do?”
Gerath relaxed his hold. “You will discover your destiny in time. For once you leave heaven you will have no knowledge that you were ever here, or even that you are a god. You will believe yourself to be human. You will live as one of them. And like them…you will be vulnerable.”
Darshan began to tremble. “Then who will take care of me?”
“Listen to me, son.” Gerath’s tone took on a fatherly quality that sounded almost loving. “Humans and elves are not the monsters you may believe. They have a great capacity for love and kindness. You must look to them for help and guidance. And though you will not remember any of this, my hope is that the impression of what I say will live somewhere deep inside you.”
Once again Gerath’s hands gripped his son’s shoulders. “I am sending you away because it is your destiny to bring hope to a world that is slipping into darkness. You must become the light.”
“But why must I do it alone, father?” he asked, his tears starting afresh. “Why can’t you come with me?”
Gerath met his question with silence.
Darshan turned his back. “You’ve always hated me. You blame me for the Creator leaving. You blame me for everything.”
For just a moment Gewey thought he saw a hint of regret and compassion in his father’s eyes. Maybe he didn’t want me to go, after all, he thought.
“What prevented Gerath from staying with you?” Melek asked him contemptuously. “Why would he leave you alone and unprotected in a savage world? He had the power to defeat your enemy and keep you safe, yet he left it to strangers to raise you and care for you. You need not have suffered the way you did.”
His words dug painfully into Gewey’s heart, filling it with fury. Suddenly, it all became clear. Melek was right - Gerath wanted him gone. If not, why didn’t he simply come down and smite the Dark Knight? Why make his only son bleed and feel mortal pain? The answer was clear. Because he was jealous. He knew that one day Darshan would surpass him, and Gerath feared that. He feared what his son could become.
“That’s right,” said Melek. “He feared you. He allowed all of this to happen. He betrayed both his father…and his son.”
Gewey nodded sharply in agreement, then returned his attention to the vision.
Gerath was staring down at Darshan, his face no longer revealing his feelings. “You are wrong. I do not blame you. But you are the only one who can do what must be done.”
“Why me?” His voice was a quiet lament. “Why am I the one? Why won’t you choose someone else?”
“If I could, I would,” Gerath replied. “But the choice is not mine. The Creator revealed to me your destiny, and it is through her wisdom you have been chosen.”
Darshan turned to face him. “When?” His once clear and childlike voice was diminished to a hushed whisper.
“Now,” Gerath replied stoically.
Darshan looked directly into his father’s eyes, unblinking for several minutes. Finally, defeated and rejected, his shoulders slumped.
“One day you will understand all of this,” Gerath promised.
His words had no impact on Darshan. He simply nodded. “Can I say goodbye to the others?”
Gerath took his hand. “No. It is best that you do not see them again.”
“If you say so, father.”
A portal opened beside them and Gerath ushered his son through.
Back within the house, Melek poured more wine. “Now do you understand?” he asked.
Gewey sat down at the table and drained his glass. His eyes burned and his muscles flexed. “How do we get free from this place?”
Melek tilted his head slightly and stared intensely at the brooding Gewey. “The question is: What will you do once you are free?”
Gewey thought about this for a time. “First, I will destroy the Dark Knight.”
“Why?” asked Melek. “Are his goals not the same as yours?”
Gewey shook his head. “He’s too ambitious. His campaign to destroy the gods is rooted in fear and a desire to rule. Should I bow down to such a man? Because he would have it no other way.” Gewey’s voice was becoming increasingly powerful; his heart was filling with more and more hatred.
“No,” said Melek. “You will never bow to anyone - ever. If you wish him destroyed, I will help you to do so.”
Gewey snarled. “I don’t ne
ed help squashing this ant. He wants to do battle with the gods? He can begin with me.”
“I would advise caution. This human has stolen great power, and has had many years to learn how to wield it.”
Gewey was taken aback. “You don’t think I can defeat him?”
Melek held up his hand and smiled. “No, of course you can. But why take any risk? Let me fight by your side. Let me help you make the ant crawl. You say he is driven by fear. Together we can show him the true meaning of fear. Before he meets his end he will curse the day he heard your name.”
This brought a sinister grin to Gewey’s face. “Yes. I would like that.”
Melek poured more wine. Gewey took it greedily and drained the glass. Melek smiled with satisfaction and gave him more.
“I would ask for only one thing in return,” said Melek.
“Whatever you need from me, you will have it,” Gewey assured him.
He leaned forward. “Once your enemy is crushed, you will then help me to crush mine. I alone cannot challenge all nine of my children. But together....”
“Together, we will both have our revenge,” interrupted Gewey. “You have opened my eyes. I understand now how gullible I have been, and how I was used by the very beings who now beg for my help. For that, I am in your debt. Gerath may not have taught me anything, but my human father most surely did. He told me: 'Always pay your debts'.”
Melek reached out to take hold of Gewey’s hand, squeezing it tightly and sending intense heat running through his entire body. “And once our enemies are vanquished, then we can undo the evil that the Creator has allowed to thrive in heaven - and on earth.”
His final words gave Gewey pause. He intended to free the world, and to save those he loved from the menace of Angrääl. But what did Melek mean by undo the evil? Once the Dark Knight and the gods were no more, what evil was there left?
Melek released him and poured another glass of wine. “I only meant that we will bring peace. Do you not think the world has seen enough war? Does your child not deserve to grow up without the threat of annihilation?”
Gewey emptied his glass. The cool liquid turned to fire in his belly, sending more waves of heat rushing through his limbs. “Of course, he agreed,” The heat became anger. “Yes. There must be no more war and death.”
The Godling Chronicles : Bundle - Books 4-6 Page 42
