‘She’s gone, Leopold,’ Captain Orrell told him, calming Leopold’s hand. He gently closed her eyes with his palm.
‘No, no, she can’t be,’ Leopold said assuredly, sniffing. He lifted her arm, stroking her skin to awaken her from her sleep.
‘She’s gone, Leopold,’ the captain repeated firmly.
Leopold released her. Shivering with sadness and rage, he stood. He drew his stained dagger again from his belt and squeezed it tightly, determinedly in his trembling, bloodied hand.
‘What are you doing, Leopold?’ Jessicah asked him.
Wordlessly, he stepped into the dark, towards the fires of the hell hounds, still playing with the meal of the nightmarish gibbon.
‘Leopold!’ Captain Orrell called from behind. ‘Where are you going? Stop this! It is madness!’
The Emperor ignored their calls to return and strode through the darkness, his eyes locked onto the creatures, the dagger in his hand.
‘You cannot hurt them, Leopold! Don’t throw away your life!’ Daneel pleaded at volume.
‘See how you like it without me, Magician,’ Leopold muttered. ‘There will be no one left to aid you, Samuel—no one to help you save your son!’
The beasts turned their heads to face him as he neared, and deep growls issued from their throats, fire lapped from their jaws. Muffled squeals of delight and anticipation shuddered from their throats.
‘If I can’t live without love, I don’t want to live at all.’ He stopped as the creatures left their kill and encircled him. Strange animalistic laughter passed between them. ‘Do you hear me, Samuel?’ he cried, raising his voice to the sky, and for a moment the creatures balked at his din. ‘She’s dead! I know you can feel it. You were right! She died. But what good is life without love? I will not have it! The world can do its best without me. I’ve had enough. Lomar was right.’
‘Very well,’ sounded a grim voice. It was Samuel, last Magician Lord, standing beside him. The lightning in the sky continued to flicker and stream without him. ‘I get your point, Leopold. I have come. What do you want?’
‘What good is winning without her, Samuel?’ he pleaded, still tearful.
The fire hounds were momentarily startled by the magician’s appearance, but now tiptoed closer, growling.
‘It is life, Leopold. You knew this was coming. I gave you ample forewarning. You had time to prepare. There is nothing I can do for her now. She has crossed the Boundary. She is dead.’
‘It’s not good enough!’ Leopold declared angrily, tears in his eyes.
‘It will have to do,’ the magician replied.
‘You told me you were close to being a god, Samuel, that the last obstacle for you to overcome was that between life and death. Why can’t you send her back? ’
‘It’s not that simple, Leopold.’
The nearest of the beasts looked set to jump. Samuel raised his palm and a ball of lightning erupted amidst the pack, setting them all to fitting, their flesh popping and splitting apart. As the spell calmed, other shadowy creatures darted in and pulled the carcasses into the darkness, dragging the light of their burning bodies behind them.
‘You can heal—I’ve seen you. And I’m sure you have her spirit. You wouldn’t let that slip away from you. You take anyone who dies in your presence.’
‘I do have it, Leopold; I need all the power I can get. But healing a body and reincarnating it are two different things. I have been learning all this time to release my spirit from my body, not put another into theirs.’
‘Is it really that different?’
The magician looked set to disagree, but a calm came over him, a sense of realisation. ‘You’re right. You’re right, Leopold. It’s not. But what you are asking is no simple thing. To bring her back now would cost us dearly. It will consume much of my strength, when that is exactly what I cannot afford to lose at this time. Do you understand what that means, Leopold?’
‘I do, Samuel. The demons will come.’
Samuel, Saviour of Cintar, nodded solemnly. ‘Then so be it. Let humanity decide its own fate. Perhaps this is what it has been about all along.’
Leopold was surprised to find himself suddenly beside Kali. The others were equally astounded to have Leopold and Samuel appear amongst them.
Leopold crouched down and held onto Kali’s hands, while the magician stood opposite him, eyes closed. Something happened immediately; the wounds on her body began to right themselves, sealing and closing, the skin pressing together.
‘He’s healing her,’ Daneel declared.
When he was done, Kali looked as she had before—whole and unbroken, peaceful … resting. But that was the easy part. Samuel clenched his jaw. Sweat poured down his face. He dropped to his knees, groaning, fighting to release his power. ‘Give me strength!’ he called aloud.
‘What Great Spell is this?’ boomed the voice of Lomar from the darkness. ‘You have no time for such folly. Why play into my hands?’
It was then that the shaking that possessed Samuel eased. He climbed unsteadily back to his feet, panting, drenched with sweat. ‘It is the greatest spell, Lomar,’ he called back. ‘One you will never comprehend. I have brought life from death. I crossed the Boundary, I found her, and I brought her back with me.’
‘No,’ came the voice, echoing from all around. ‘Impossible. No one can bring back the dead! Only gods may cross the Boundary, and you are not a god! Not yet!’
‘When will you finally start to believe, Lomar? Open your eyes and see for yourself. She wanted to live. I merely showed her the way. Behold! She returns!’
A tiny point of light coalesced in the air before Samuel, and it descended over Kali, disappearing into the dead girl’s open mouth. Some vibrant energy then passed through them all, sending shivers up their spines and making the hairs on their arms stand on end.
A sudden crack split the glass beneath her with a sudden sharp snap, and Kali took a great gulp of air. She opened her eyes in a panic, and she fought against them, with Daneel, Leopold and Captain Orrell working to keep her down before she hurt herself.
Samuel fell to his knees again at that same moment, and screamed aloud as if skewered through the chest. Blue fire burst from beneath his skin, pouring from under his clothes and running over his face and hands, evaporating the sweat instantly.
‘Calm down!’ Captain Orrell told her. ‘You’re safe, girl. You’re alive.’
‘Listen to them, Kali,’ Jessicah called also. ‘It’s all right.’
Slowly, she eased her struggling, and remained flat on the broken glass, panting to regain her breath.
‘Kali?’ Leopold asked her. ‘Are you well?’
Her lips moved as if trialling the sensation, as if readying to form words she was not sure would come, then, ‘Yes,’ she said, ‘I am well. But ... what happened? There were things in the darkness, then he came.’ She glanced at Samuel. ‘He took my hand and led me here … beside the light.’
‘Think nothing of it,’ Jessicah told her. ‘You were hurt, but now you are well. That is enough.’
Kali sat up with their help, gaining her unsteady feet. ‘I feel so strange.’
‘I’m sure it will pass,’ Jessicah said.
‘Leopold?’ she said, looking at the Emperor beside her. ‘Were you calling me? I’m sure I heard your voice.’
‘I was,’ he said, wishing to take hold of her, but she was stiff and aloof.
‘Oh,’ she said flatly. ‘I thought so.’
Leopold longed to embrace her. Resisting doing so burned his soul, but the woman was as emotionless as before, and he could not bring himself to do it. She barely glanced at him since returning to life. There was no love in her heart, and he would not force it upon her.
‘What of Samuel?’ Captain Orrell prompted.
They all looked towards the burning, struggling man, but Samuel seemed unable to speak, and waved off their efforts to assist him. His lips were in constant motion, incanting some mantra under his breath.
‘You fool, Samuel!’ the voice of Lomar bellowed. ‘You waste what power you have remaining. Your defences have fallen. Your plan is ruined!’
Samuel grunted, a stifled laugh. ‘I granted your wish, Leopold. The shadow has come and passed. The darkness is gone. You were right.’
‘What does he mean?’ Kali asked.
Leopold shook his head sullenly. ‘It is nothing.’
Salu’s body, ignored during the excitement, flew away and landed amongst a group of beasts in the dimness. They leapt upon it roaring and slavering, fighting over it. Captain Orrell was quick to move, bounding out and wielding his sword like a whip of liquid lightning.
‘David! Wait!’ Daneel called, chasing after him.
‘Stay here!’ Samuel shouted, straining, unable to move.
Kali looked set to run after them, but her legs were still unsure of what to do. Leopold would not have let her go anyway if he had any choice in the matter. She would not be much use until she fully recovered.
Two dark beasts leapt for the captain. He sidestepped and cut the head from one and the other creature clean in two through the middle. They had the bodies of lions, leathery black skin, and mouths far too large for their bodies—although their flesh was soft and easy to pierce, a smooth grey paste inside.
As Orrell arrived at the pack, one beast raised its head to consider him, Salu’s body hanging slack in its munching jaw. One of the old man’s legs was dangling down to the ground, hanging by a sinew.
‘Put him down!’ Orrell demanded of it, not slowing as he came. The creature munched on regardless.
It made no attempt to avoid him as his sword came down upon its head, cutting right through to Salu’s body. It dropped dead without resistance, but those on either side of it, having casually observed the captain’s approach, took the opportunity to leap in upon him, knocking him to the ground with their body weight, sounding deep resounding roars of excitement.
‘David!’ Daneel called, swinging his sword, slicing off pieces of the beasts, hacking them apart.
In moments, the pack had fled, and Captain Orrell was left bloodied on the ground. Old Salu was torn to pieces, a mess of minced flesh in rags littered across the ground. There was not enough of him remaining to put back together.
Daneel wasted no time and grabbed the Captain’s arm, pulling him sliding back towards the group. At least the glass made him easy to drag, and the man grimaced and groaned with the pain, leaving a slick trail of blood behind him.
Jessicah called shrilly and dropped down beside the captain as he returned. ‘David!’
His torso was torn open and his eyes were full of surprise. He coughed and thick blood came flooding from his mouth.
‘Samuel! Do something!’ Leopold said.
The magician opened his eyes, for he had closed them in concentration, struggling as he was against the unholy, magical fire that threatened to consume him. ‘Do I have to save you each one by one? I can do nothing else until I calm my demons. Do the best you can.’
Daneel was pressing his hands over the deepest wound. Dark blood welled between his fingers.
‘The best we can is not good enough,’ Leopold declared. ‘Look at him! He’s dying!’
Samuel glanced down for just a moment to observe the injured man. ‘Yes. The shadow is coming.’
Captain Orrell laughed to hear it. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ he said. ‘I’m happy to go. We did our best.’ He looked at Jessicah, leaning over him. ‘It is only you I regret leaving, my dear Jessicah. Our time together was short … but heavenly.’
She shook her head defiantly. ‘No, David. Stay with me.’
‘We have to staunch the flow!’ Daneel said. He tore off his shirt and bare chested he stuffed the cloth upon the wounds, pressing firmly. The white cloth, long stained brown from their adventures, bloomed ruby red as it sponged up the blood.
Leopold was beside him, pressing his hands on the deep punctures that were pouring blood. The fluid was not spurting out now, simply pooling and flowing as his heart lost its vigour.
‘You have lost your precious vessel, Samuel,’ the voice of Lomar sounded from the dark. ‘Without the body of Salu your plan is worthless. What will you do now?’
‘Damn you, Lomar!’ Samuel returned ferociously, and there was anger twisted on his face. ‘You did not have to do that.’
‘Oh, I did. You brought the girl back from death, but for nothing. You only wasted your power, for she and the others will die anyway. You cannot revive them all. Not even you have the strength for that. One such crossing was too much for you. Come, your son approaches and you must ready to face him. I can feel your demons rising. Perhaps they will lend you some of the strength you are lacking? The timing is perfect. They must be cackling in your ears even now. Let them out to play, Samuel. I’m sure they will enjoy themselves immensely.’
The boy they once called Toby, the vessel of Marrag Lin—Demon King—began fitting savagely once more.
‘What’s happening?’ Kali asked, her eyes wide, and she crawled to his aid, holding him down.
He bucked and thrashed on the glass. Grunts and moans barked from his throat, while Kali tried to keep him from harm. It lasted only moments. Then, he gasped one final time and lay still.
The beasts in the darkness yelped and flashed from existence, dispelled back to wherever they had come.
‘He’s here!’ Samuel declared, in pain.
The moon was now almost free of the horizon, an hourglass with its doppelganger hanging from its bottom edge, reflected in the glass. Something soft and cool slapped onto Leopold’s cheek, and he realised it was raining—rain from a clear desert sky. The moisture fell as a gentle spray across them all, across the midnight landscape.
They looked up in wonder. Even Captain Orrell, gasping in pain, did his best to raise his head.
The glass became slippery. If they moved their feet and lost the tiny grains of sand from underneath it became treacherously difficult to remain upright. The reflection of the stars on the surface shimmered in the wet. The moon’s twin began to waver.
‘Where is it coming from?’ Leopold asked, but no one, least of all Samuel, had the mind to reply.
A sphere of energy appeared, too thin to be noticed at first, made of a pale light that gathered from the horizons. It reduced in size, intensifying as it shrank, solidifying, until it was the size and shape of a young man. He turned to his father with the gladness of one who unexpectedly meets a friend. It was Marrag Lin, a young man—about the same age as Leopold—appearing as he had on that day long ago when he had become a god.
‘Darrig ... Father, I have returned.’
Samuel looked around. Everyone was frozen. The rain itself had become still, each droplet suspended in the air, tiny beads of clearest crystal. The fire had vanished from his skin, and for the first time since he had last been in his casket, the demons were calm, their voices lulled to a barely audible whisper. The pain left his body, and he stood tall.
‘Marrag, my son,’ he greeted the newcomer.
‘I have stopped the world for a short time, Father,’ responded the King of Demons. ‘I know you wish to speak with me, and I feel much has changed.’
‘I would ask what you plan to do,’ Samuel stated.
The glowing figure looked to his father with infinite compassion. ‘I will finish gathering my power and then return to my task, as I have so many times before. There are many souls on this world to gather. I will unleash my hordes to assist me and be done as quickly as I can. The world must be protected.’
‘Much has happened in your absence, my son.’
‘It always does,’ Marrag Lin agreed.
‘This time, it is different. Your minions are gone—Rei, Thann and Poltamir. I have absorbed their strength and severed their bond to you.’
‘Ah,’ said the Demon King, not at all upset.
‘There has been a scheme.’
‘I know.’
‘So what will you do?’ the father aske
d.
‘All I can do—proceed as usual, consume as many souls as I need to, save as many lives as possible,’ replied the son. ‘I will recruit other sentinels to leave behind—more helpers to assist in my absence.’ He passed his eyes calmly over Samuel’s party, each one of them stiff and unmoving. ‘They seem sufficient. Would they help me?’
‘You cannot go on with all this,’ Samuel told him. ‘These endless deaths are demonic in themselves. No matter what the reason, we must find another way.’
‘What alternative do you offer?’ Marrag asked with interest.
‘I have something in mind. The end of magic.’
Marrag Lin paused, searching. ‘I feel there are few magicians left upon the world. The relics, too, are few and far between. Have you been destroying them?’
‘Yes.’
‘I suppose that is good. I tried to make the burden of magic as painless as possible. I thought removing the greater emotions would make up for the grief of such responsibility. How wrong I was, but I forged on regardless. Tell me more of your plan, Father. The spark of magic is within all people. It cannot be contained. You know that, most of all.’ He paused, intrigued. ‘Ah, I see your idea, to hide amidst the darkness. A worthy idea, but evil knows we are here whether we are illuminated by our magic or not. The door is open and the Ancient Ones would return if it is left unguarded. The task can never be abandoned, for the sake of this world and those upon it.’
‘Have faith in me, my son. Although your wisdom spans countless eons, I have thought this well through. Please believe me.’
The god nodded. ‘What would you have me do?’
‘Step down. I free you from your burden. I will take the load from your shoulders from this point on.’
‘This is not a small thing that you ask, Father. The weight of my role is smothering and the price is despair. If you falter for even a moment, the world is lost forever.’
‘I know.’
‘Then if you are sure, I agree. I will pass my legacy to you, and I will cease to exist.’
‘You can return to life,’ Samuel said, gesturing to the body of Toby, lying peacefully on the stones. ‘I had another vessel prepared for you, but it was lost.’ He glanced towards the raw flesh of Salu. ‘If you are quick, you can enter the child before the corpse is rendered useless. There are only—’
The Ancient Ones (The Legacy Trilogy Book 3) Page 55
