The Gods' Games Volume 1 & 2: Graphic Edition (The Gods' Games Series)

by Quil Carter

  The terrain had gotten rougher but it wasn’t the Forest of Jare so Ben didn’t complain. Even when they had to dismount off of the horses to lead them across a river, or direct them up sharp inclines not a complaint left his lips. The winter sun was clear above them, surrounded by puffy white clouds and at night the stars shone their brilliance, no longer being choked by the twisted fingers of the black trees.

  It was nice to be on the road and the companionship of Lord Gorat and Lordling Grady made Ben feel safe at night and during the day. Even the singing was welcome, in all respects Gorat’s booming voice would probably scare every wild animal from here to Azoria and the bandits as well.

  Though even with his contentment being back on the road the ache in Ben’s heart still stung him like a thorn in his boot. His mind always seemed to travel to Tav and the words that Kelakheva had spoken to him. He found himself going over the conversation many times during the hours he spent sitting in his saddle, wondering to himself if he should really heed Kelakheva’s warning and never return to his world.

  He had told Teal he’d stay here with him, and he would, but – maybe Tav would like it here once he came?

  “I can always tell you’re deep in thought, because it looks like you’re in physical pain from thinking so hard,” Malagant chuckled beside him. He pulled up his horse so it was riding close to Ben’s. Lord Gorat was leading the small group with Grady behind them, always riding further ahead or trailing back to make sure no one was following them.

  Ben laughed too and shrugged one shoulder. “Just thinking about the words Kelakheva said. When we’re not killing Serpent knights or going to festivals my mind starts to wander back to Tav. I can’t get him out of my head and I don’t like what that’s telling me.”

  Malagant nodded understandably. “When I lost my best friend Thierry it was the same thing with me. He was always on my mind and the fact that I couldn’t save him weighed heavily on my conscience, and it still does.”

  “Did…” Ben paused, wondering if it was something he should ask, but he decided he knew Malagant well-enough by now to do so. “Did you love him?”

  Malagant sighed but he shook his head. “I don’t know. I never had the chance to find out and now I never will. He’s been brainwashed for so long there would be no retrieving his mind. I suppose it is the same as you then? We’ll never get a chance to find out because we are no longer holding those cards in our hand.”

  Ahead of them Gorat started singing another song. Ben watched him. “Would you give your request from the demigod to get him back?”

  Malagant’s tooth found his lower lip. A look of shame crossed his face before he shook his head. “No… I – I already know what I want from him.”

  “What is it?”

  Malagant’s hand reached behind his head to scratch his neck. “It’s stupid… and he’d hate me for doing it…” He sighed before, in true Malagant fashion, he laughed nervously and gave a dismissive wave.

  “Now you must tell me,” Ben said. He looked around to make sure no one was around to listen in, but even Teal was riding beside Gorat and the lord’s singing would drown out anything and everything.

  “My father Anagin… he’s had a painful life full of heartbreak. He lives with my brother Josiah being miserable and alone, though he’d never admit it. My wish was…” Malagant shrugged. “I want him to find someone to make him happy. I want the demigod to… to give him someone who would love him, so he doesn’t have to be alone anymore. Anagin gave up his entire life for the prophecies and he’s gotten nothing in return but two kids he never wanted and an injured hip that makes him need to use a cane.”

  That was surprising. Ben assumed it would be something more Malagant’ish like the ability to fly or become the most powerful mage in all of Elron, not something incredibly sweet like wanting his father to be happy.

  “That’s so thoughtful, mine seems selfish now,” Ben admitted. “You wouldn’t mind having a stepmother?”

  Malagant snorted at this. “Mother? Oh, no, my friend, my father is chayle, don’t ask me to tell you that story it’s a complicated one. He married my mother out of pure hatred and revenge for his ex-partner. I was born through chayling, same with my brother.” Then Malagant’s attention turned back to Gorat who had just finished singing Al’Anea’s Alcove, for the fourth time in the last hour. “Ho, Gorat! Don’t you know anymore damn songs?”

  Gorat and Teal both turned around. Gorat laughed. “I know plenty, I just always had a soft spot for this one.”

  “Sing another one then, that one’s starting to lose its charm,” Malagant said. “I can almost recite it backwards.”

  “I have a song,” Teal said suddenly. He was sharpening his sword with a whetstone.

  Malagant looked at him surprisingly. “You don’t seem like the singin’ type…”

  “Tee’s a wonderful singer.” Ben smiled as Teal slowed down his horse so he could ride beside the two. “He would sing to me when I was unconscious when I first–” Ben paused, stopping himself just in time. “– when I was sick. Sing that song I woke up to you singing.”

  Teal flushed, not making eye contact with any of them. “You were supposed to be sleeping through all of that.”

  “Aw! I wish I would have been there. That’s precious. What was it, Ben?” Malagant asked.

  Ben tried to think back, it seemed so long ago since he woke up to see Teal singing softly by the fire.

  “Oh sing, oh sing… oh Alcove sing to me.”

  “The green forest shakes with the jaaaare caaaat’s screammm,” Malagant started to sing.

  Teal pulled his cloak over his head out of embarrassment. Of course this only fuelled Malagant.

  “You could sing that? You wouldn’t have the range! Only elves can sing,” Malagant teased. “You must’ve woken up to him torturing a squirrel.”

  Teal pulled his cloak down, his eyes shot daggers at the grinning Malagant.

  “I have a song for you, Malagant,” he said with a cool edge to his voice. “Listen and memorize it, Ben, we’re going to make this our new anthem.”

  Teal cleared his throat.

  Who’s the handsomest thing around?

  Who can beat accalites to the ground?

  A hibrid can, a hibrid can!

  Who’s the best swordsman is the land?

  Who can kill a jare with his bare hands?

  A hibrid can, a hibrid can!

  A hibrid’s an elf that fights from dusk ‘til dawn,

  When we’re around the competition is dead and gone,

  We’re hibrids – We’re hibridsssss!

  Teal’s ringing voice carried the last note. When it faded he looked at Malagant and gave him a smug smile.

  “I like it!” Ben said with a clap. Gorat started to laugh beside them.

  Malagant didn’t look nearly as impressed. He waved a hand with scoff. “What an egotistical song, like a hibrid could beat an accalite to the ground.”

  “I could start singing Al’Anea’s Alcove again if you like, Malagant?” Gorat suggested.

  “How about we ride without singing? We have been doing that for a long while. I see nothing wrong with doing it now,” Malagant said, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat.

  “You just can’t sing,” Teal said airily. “It’s alright to admit it. Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  “I can sing, you little midget, and a lot better than you,” Malagant hissed.

  “I’d like to see that, as long as you don’t scare the horses,” Teal said crossing his arms. “If they hear anything that resembles a jare shriek, they’ll probably take off.”

  Ben choked and doubled over laughing. Oh, Teal was growing up so fast.

  “I can and will,” Malagant said. He cracked his knuckles in a cocky manner before clearing his throat.

  He started to sing, and he wasn’t a bad singer; he was actually pretty good.

  My name is Malagant, I’m the best in the land,

  I can fight eight jare
with my bare hands,

  I can also hit a malkah from three hundred feet away,

  Much better than a little hibrid!

  If you cross me any time of day,

  If you challenge me I’ll never run away,

  ‘cause I am Malagant and in everywayyyy,

  I’m better than a little hibrid!

  Malagant drew out the last note and ended it with a fancy arm twirl. Gorat, Ben, and Grady, coming back from his patrol, started to clap.

  “How do you like that, midget?”

  Ben, looked over at Teal who had turned a fascinating colour of red.

  “That’s good, Malagant. Did you just make that up?” Teal asked, his voice thick with sarcasm.

  “Actually, yes,” Malagant said, flicking his black hair back in the most cocky way possible, “another of my many talents.”

  “I think we should stick with Al’Anea’s Alcove before they start drawing their blades,” Ben said to Gorat with a grin.

  “Those two certainly are characters that’s for sure,” Gorat said. “How do you manage?”

  “With a lot of silverwine, my friend.” Ben smiled. “And as soon as I can find a Dashavian in an alleyway, I’ll be loading up on the alters too.”

  Gorat chuckled and promptly started to sing Al’Anea’s Alcove again.

  Like every night since they started back on the road over a week ago, they made camp. They chose a nice spot a quarter league into the woods, one in a small clearing. A bright and roaring fire was lit to keep the animals away and Grady started on making stew for dinner.

  The group was also pleased to find a river not too far away from their camp. Teal was already excited about catching some fish for their breakfast before they continued on the road towards Rhastt.

  Just to annoy Teal, Malagant kept singing his song the entire time he helped make camp. He even named it The Ballad of Malagant the Great and was in the middle of trying out a second verse.

  Teal, not looking that impressed, sat by the fire with a stony expression, poking the embers in a way that suggested he was imagining it being Malagant’s face.

  “You know, he’s just doing it to annoy you,” Ben chuckled as he sat down beside his friend.

  “Oh, I know,” Teal sighed. He gave a burning log a vicious poke before twisting the stick into the red coals. “I’m planning on shoving this stick down his throat, damage his vocal cords a little. Will you help me?”

  Ben laughed. Teal grinned in return and gave the stick several more jabs into the embers.

  “You must admit, it is rather catchy,” Ben said, then he started to sing quietly. “If you cross me I’ll slink away. If you challenge me I will run away. ‘Cause I’m a flea-bitten tosser and in every way… I’m nothing compared to a hibrid!”

  “Now that’s a song I could sing,” Teal said. He looked over at Malagant who was humming his song as he took out spices from his bag. Grady sat beside him, chopping a few carrots into the pot, and Gorat was tending to the horses; a large cigar sticking out the side of his mouth.

  Grady soon put the pot of soup onto the coals and in no time at all everyone was dished up and eating happily. Having hot food inside of their stomachs and a roaring fire seemed to improve Teal’s mood. The cold of winter and the monotony of riding on horseback for days on end seemed to weigh on the group, especially at the end of the day. The fire and food were always a welcome break.

  At least it hadn’t snowed since they’d left Lelan. The air was biting and dry but there was almost no snow on the ground, just small patches that crunched whenever you stepped on them, and in the mornings, frozen puddles that quickly shattered under the mason horses’ hooves.

  Later that night, when the two Firemanes had gone to bed, the three of them sat around the fire, warming their hands and eating sweets.

  Ben yawned and rested his head on Teal’s shoulder. Teal handed him a piece of toffee string he had been chewing on. Funny enough, Grady Firemane had a huge sweet tooth and had talked his way into a whole canvas bag full of sweets from the castle kitchens. It was now resting open behind them, away from the fire. Ben had discovered wonderful Alcovian delicacies since digging into that bag; ones such as toffee nuts, wine chews, caramels, and twilberry sticks.

  Ben took it and popped it into his mouth. “I love that elf. If there is one thing I miss in my world, it’s all the damn candy we had.”

  “A lot of people in Ben’s world are fat, because of all the candy they have,” Teal laughed, reaching behind him and digging out a small bag of wine chews.

  “Not just candy, deep fried food, fast food, processed food, pizza, fries, hamburgers.”

  “I know some of those words,” Malagant said, catching the bag of candy as Teal tossed it to him.

  “You wouldn’t believe the crap we had in my world, Malagant,” Ben said. “Lots of food I would eat was freeze-dried. You added water and put heat on it to make it puff up and rehydrate, then you eat it.”

  Malagant looked at him with the odd glazed over, confused expression he got when he was trying to process something about earth that Ben was trying to explain.

  “Example,” was all Malagant said back.

  Ben swallowed his mouthful and pulled his log closer to the fire. In the background the Firemanes were snoring several yards away in their canvas tent. They had started doing watches and it was Gorat’s watch next. “We have dried processed noodles with dried peas, dried chicken, and dried carrots, and a powdered processed soup stock. You add boiling water to it and it makes soup.”

  Malagant shook his head. “It’s no wonder everyone there is on drugs. I would be too if I had to eat pretend food.”

  Ben chuckled. “Not everyone is on drugs, just well… the guys I hung out with. We were lowborns if you could call it that.” He let out a sigh and smiled whimsically to himself. “I remember the first time I got Tav high, just seeing the look on his face when it hit was a high in itself.”

  A silence fell over the three of them, Teal and Malagant had even stopped chewing. Ben felt a bit awkward, but he just stared at the flames, his eyes heavy. Like it had many times since speaking with Kelakheva, his mind travelled to Tav and his old world. Ben decided to speak his thoughts out loud.

  “You know, drugs… the ones we used, numb you… maybe he just numbed himself?” Ben whispered, staring into the flames. “I’ve been giving it some thought. You know, perhaps he just medicated through me missing? It just doesn’t make sense he would move on so quickly.”

  “Maybe,” Teal whispered, his voice cracking.

  “I can’t get him out of my head and I’m starting to think perhaps I was being too hasty.” Ben shrugged, not picking up on Teal’s odd tone. “I’m going to give it some more thought. If I go for just an hour and talk to him… and he’s open to coming here with me that’s great, and if not, at least I’ll have some closure.”

  Teal shifted his shoulder away from Ben’s head. Ben looked over at him as Teal pulled his cloak closer before getting up and stepping away from the fire.

  “Tee?”

  “I’m going to check the river out, see if there is any fish in it,” Teal said quietly. There was something off with him, he had a strange expression on his face and he was clutching the cloak to him like it was a security blanket.

  Ben gave him a funny look. He was used to Teal getting uncomfortable when he spoke about going back to his world, but he’d already settled that with him a while ago. “I’ll come back, Teal.” Ben stood up, watching his friend walk off. “I’m staying here with you and Malagant like I promised. I’d never leave you. You’d like Tav, he–”

  Ben stopped talking as Teal vanished into the woods.

  “I’ll go see what’s up,” Malagant said as he rose as well. He put on his leather gloves and grabbed a luma lamp.

  “I’ll come back,” Ben said again. He threw his hands up into the air and let them drop to his sides. “I’d make sure the demigod agreed to that first. What’s wrong with him?”

  Malagan
t shrugged, adjusting the lamp. “He always gets scared when you talk about your world, you know that. You’re his first friend; he’s probably afraid you won’t want to come back once you’re there again.”

  Ben let out an exasperated breath and rolled his eyes. “Then he’s being stupid. I already told him I’ll come back. He’s being a neurotic idiot.”

  Malagant stepped over the log they had all been sitting on and grabbed some candy sticks from Grady’s bag. “Everyone in Teal’s life has either died or left him, Benny. Come on.”

  Ben bit his lip, realizing right then he was indeed the one being an idiot. “You’re right, want me to go instead?”

  Malagant shook his head and started walking towards the area that Teal disappeared into. “No, I’d be afraid of you getting lost or him getting upset and leaving you behind. The woods are relatively safe but still… stay with Gorat and Grady. I’ll bring him back and you two can talk it out like adults.”

  Ben looked into the dark woods, although it was rather ominous and shrouded, it was still nothing compared to the Forest of Jare. “Thanks, Mel. Sometimes I forget how much my world affected him too. Tell him I’m sorry.”

  With his lamp in hand, Malagant gave Ben one last reassuring smile, before he also disappeared into the woods.

  Ben sat down, and picked up the canvas sack of candy. He dropped it right beside the log, and picked up a large handful.

  Malagant held the lamp off to his side, trying to avoid night blindness. These lamps were meant to light rooms and hallways, not so much dark forests. He had swiped it from their quarters in Lelan. His uncle wouldn’t mind, he was his father’s son, it would’ve been strange for him to not steal at least a few things. Heck, he would be challenged to find a valuable item in his childhood home that hadn’t been stolen, salvaged, fenced, or ‘borrowed’. His father had been orphaned at a young age and raised by the few kind folks in the small village he was born in. He went out to find his fortune when he was barely ten and had lived as a rogue until getting caught trying to dodge the draft. After that he had been tossed into military service to serve as a mage in the war between Alcove and Evercove, where he won over the highborn Commander Cruz Fennic.