Chapter 23
Graiphen thought carefully as he followed the guard through the dungeon corridors, considering what had happened earlier that day. First, the sudden announcement from the temple of Pang that they would be freely taking in new acolytes and that Prince Nassore would be in attendance. That, in itself, was shocking. The imperial family didn’t visit individual temples except in a strict balance, paying equal tribute to all, and the ceremonies were private.
But Emperor Jorek’s decision to remove Nassore by force was even more startling. The scene had been handled quietly, but Pang’s temple was abuzz with Zain’s fury. Graiphen returned to the palace to advise Jorek, but the emperor would receive no one, not even those of his most trusted circle. To make matters worse, the word was that Nassore was being sent on an educational retreat to a distant province.
Despite the dramatic chaos within the Imperial family, Graiphen’s thoughts kept returning to Seba. The clock was ticking. According to Zain, Seba would be dead by the end of this week, part of the plan in assuring Pang’s dominance over Braetin, and that time was only two days hence. Graiphen wasn’t sure how Zain planned to accomplish that or if the issue with Nassore would change anything, but Graiphen couldn’t stand idly by in the wake of that threat.
The guard’s footfalls echoed on the grey stone walls as the pair continued down, the sound of the man’s creaking leather armor and jangling keys grating on Graiphen’s nerves. They went lower and lower into the stony hill under the palace, the only light from flickering torches. Here and there, a thin waft of fresh air would come from some unseen ventilation shaft, but it was not enough to dispel the heavy smells in the dark and gloomy prison.
All of Graiphen’s choices were impossible ones. He could do as Pang asked and kill Octavia. This would ensure him a place by the Spirit’s side and a role in her new dominion, but she was a parasite who would never be satisfied. The uncomfortable thought entered his mind that his own mistress was the same. He’d served her unwaveringly before coming to Durjin, but the more time away from her presence, the more he realized he’d lost his humanity. But Braetin would not let him go. He would only be free upon her death, and that was a circumstance he would not likely survive. She would not want him to.
The third choice, and by far the most ridiculous, was to betray both goddesses, as his son and Octavia wanted. Did they think he could walk in to Pang’s temple and kill her vessel? Octavia objected, but Korbin didn’t seem to have qualms about it. Graiphen could. Possibly. But he didn’t expect he would survive that, either.
His own survival, he realized, was important to him. He’d always been one for battle, never shying from a fight. To give up was inconceivable, to lay down his life like a mere pawn?
A dark mood settled over his soul as the thought that he never had been more than a pawn taunted him. Still, his mind rejected the idea of suicide. He had to choose, then: Pang or Braetin. Neither was a safe option, neither would allow him to sit back and wait. Both demanded completely incompatible actions. Surely there had to be another way, one he would survive.
By the time they arrived at the steel reinforced door that was the last barrier between Graiphen and Seba, he had come no further in his deliberations. The only thing he felt certain of was that Korbin and Octavia were fools for thinking they could take on either goddesses, much less both. They had never experienced the Spirits the way he had, despite Octavia having been in Braetin’s presence. One could never truly know her power until being possessed.
His son and Octavia should do as he intended to do: choose a side, knowing there was no right side. Or run away and pray the Spirits never gained an interest in whatever place they landed. For Korbin’s sake, he hoped they would pursue that option.
The guard looked at Graiphen expectantly. Although the Ultim Qardone hadn’t heard whatever the man had said, he nodded tiredly. The guard reached his meaty hand to the handle and pulled back the locking mechanism.
When the door scraped open, the guard stepped in ahead of him and put a torch in a brace on the wall. Small, dark creatures scurried into cracks in the floor and walls.
Seba huddled in a corner, away from a rancid pile of straw. He turned his head away from the intruding light, revealing bruises on the side of his face and a strange, metal bracket in his mouth that looked almost like a bridle and bit.
“What’s on his face?” Graiphen asked.
“We’ve got orders to prevent him from incanting, Ultim Qardone,” the guard said with a clumsy bow.
“Remove it. I need to speak with him.”
The guard hesitated, but then nodded. He went to Seba and yanked him upright without difficulty. The old man looked as though he had little fight left in him. His hair was matted and his clothes stained and fetid. He had grown thin and frail these past months in prison, not that he’d been a robust man to begin with.
His jailor put Seba’s wrists into manacles which hung on the wall. He turned back to Graiphen. “Are you sure? He’s a witch who killed many with his incantations.”
“I have the protection of the Spirit I serve,” Graiphen said. He reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out a small knife. “And this. If he tries to harm me, I can and will protect myself.”
“I can’t allow no weapon in here,” the guard said. “You shouldn’t have shown me that. I have to take it.”
“Would you leave me, a servant of the Spirit of Shadow, no way to protect myself? And remember, those killings he was convicted of were not of people in the same room with him. It may be your life I save. I doubt he has any love for you.”
The guard looked uncertain.
“Here. I’ll put it away. You never saw it,” Graiphen said smoothly. “Look how weak he is. If he utters one wrong syllable, I’ll call for your aid.” When the guard didn’t immediately begin to do as Graiphen wanted, he added, “I’m the emperor’s spiritual advisor and head of the temple of Braetin, a servant of two whom you would not wish to anger.”
Finally, the man reached over and unfastened the bridle from Seba’s face. When it came loose, Seba coughed and retched.
Graiphen looked on with disgust. “I need him to be able to talk. Some water?”
“He’ll get water with his meal, like always,” the guard said firmly.
With a shrug, Graiphen nodded. “Leave us.”
Once the two men were alone, Seba didn’t even look at Graiphen. His eyes were glassy and unfocused. He giggled strangely and drool ran down his face. This man was a shell of his former self. He looked devoid of reason.
Graiphen felt a surprising lack of victory. Chained up before him was the man who’d ruined his life. Seba attacked him using dark magic, incantations that made Graiphen mad and weak. Only Braetin had been able to save him, thus creating the pact that had forced them all into the position they were in today.
But all Graiphen could feel was envy, even of this husk. Why did Braetin want him? She recently had a conduit under her control, the girl captured at Dramworthy farm. Even Octavia could have been taken much more easily than Seba. She might or might not be as powerful as Seba, but at least she had freedom and would have been much easier to get to, at least before she was called to Durjin. Even under the protection of the emperor, she was more accessible than Seba in this Spirit-forsaken hole.
“I’m here to do the will of my goddess,” Graiphen said.
Seba lifted his head, his features straining with the effort. He growled like a feral creature.
Graiphen put his hand in his robes, and Seba flinched. But he didn’t withdraw the knife. Instead, he found the bag of thorns. “She does not demand you give up your life. She wants your service.”
Seba eyed the bag warily, as though it was full of spiders.
“The senate had decided not to put you to death, which would likely put you under the control of the temple, but the emperor is interfering, calling for your death at the behest of the witch Octavia and Zain, child of Pang. You know who he is?”
Se
ba’s head hung limply.
“We have little time, but I believe there is a chance we will prevail. Zain has acted against the emperor, and I suspect this will put an end to his influence. I have nearly persuaded the witch to leave Durjin, and that will remove the last voices that whisper these things to him. As his new advisor, I likely can convince him to withdraw his urgings to the senate.”
“Why has the frog gone to sea?” Seba croaked.
Graiphen stared and stiffened his resolve. “All that occurs does so because my mistress demands it.” Graiphen hesitated before pulling the largest of the thorns out of the pouch. It vibrated with power when his skin made contact. The sensation caused a deep thirst to build in him.
“A gift,” Graiphen said, pulling back the thin fabric covering Seba’s chest.
The frail prisoner watched, his eyes wide with horror, but he did not shout as Graiphen shoved the sharp thorn into his heart. A gush of blood came from the wound, but the bleeding stopped almost as suddenly as it began.
Seba lifted his eyes and met Graiphen’s. The irises turned black for an instant, then returned to their normal color. He tilted his head. “My servant,” he said, his voice pulsing strangely.
Graiphen bowed. “Mistress,” he said. “I have done as you commanded.”
Seba hissed. “I commanded that you bring this one to me. You have failed me. Why is he chained to a wall with the mind of an idiot when he should have been with me, exalting in my presence? What has been done to him?”
“There is a delay, Mistress. Pang and her progeny have interfered, but I will prevail. Her son has angered the emperor, but I can—”
“You must not work against Pang,” Braetin said through Seba’s mouth.
“But mistress, she works against us.”
“We have a pact,” Braetin said. Seba’s head lolled. Apparently the thorn connection was not enough to infuse him with the goddess’ strength. Seba’s own voice echoed, “Pact, pact, pact.”
“One she intends to betray. She told me she wishes to destroy you. She has even attempted to seduce me to her cause, to betray you myself.” Braetin went silent for a long moment, so long that Graiphen was worried. “Mistress, what of Pang? If I cannot work against her aims, then I cannot free this one.” His frustration was rising.
“She betrayed us. Her vessel must die,” she said.
Graiphen nodded. “I have no doubt you will deal with her duplicity when you are stronger, Mistress. I will do as you command and return this one to you. I have little doubt I can have him released soon. We can be in Vol within a fortnight.” Graiphen did have doubts, but he would not voice them.
But with Braetin’s presence in Seba’s body, she might be able to give some help on that front. He had no idea what her powers might be through this connection, but even giving him a voice of a goddess might be enough. All Graiphen would have to do would be to persuade the guard not to put the bridle back on Seba. The man was a moron. It wouldn’t be too difficult to bribe or coerce him.
“No,” Braetin said forcefully.
“No, Mistress?”
“You will do as I command. Now. I want her vessel dead and her son dead. No one betrays me and lives.”
“Yes.” Graiphen’s mind set to whirring. Killing Pang’s vessel was not without grave risks. Of course he’d considered it, but he didn’t relish the task. Graiphen had no love for Pang, but he was not so foolish as to think she was without power. “She will receive me. I can slip in and out of her chamber without being questioned too much. They will know, of course, but my brothers and sisters in your temple will protect me.”
He wouldn’t be able to go back to the palace if he did as Braetin demanded. The emperor would be forced to allow an investigation. Graiphen’s mind turned, trying to see the problem from every angle.
Finally, he said, “I will take care of Seba’s release first and send him to you. Then I will destroy Pang’s vessel and her son.” Pang’s vessel would be easier than Zain, but he had to plan one thing at a time.
“No,” Braetin shouted, Seba’s spittle flying everywhere. “This one is useless to me. You failed. His magic is dead. His mind is dead. Withdraw the thorn. I will not abide his body any longer. You will kill the vessel and Pang’s spawn, then return to me. I have yet to decide the punishment for your failure.”
“Mistress…”
“Hang their bodies in the temple square or I will do the same with yours.” After a moment she said, “After you withdraw the thorn, put it in your own chest and place the others as you were taught. I do not trust you. I will see that you are doing as I have instructed.”
“Yes, Mistress.” Graiphen’s world was spinning. To be chosen by his goddess was what he had wanted once. Hadn’t he just thought how much he envied Seba her attention?
But looking down at Seba now, Graiphen knew he himself was worth even less to her, and she would discard him at the first opportunity. He pulled the thorn from Seba’s chest. Blood spurted out, and Seba hung limp in the manacles.
Graiphen looked down at the thorn in his hand and hesitated. He took a moment, then put it with the others and closed the pouch with trembling hands. Horrors awaited him in Vol already. The additional punishment for a brief delay in obedience would be insignificant.
He needed to buy time. Pang and Zain would die, that was written in stone. Then he would have to make a choice.
After returning the bag of thorns to the inner pocket of his robes, he withdrew the knife. He plunged the blade into Seba’s heart where the thorn had been, then called for the guard.
Chapter 24
After an hour or so alone together, Jorek had gently asked Octavia to allow him some time to himself. She only hoped this moment of solace had done him some good and not just distracted him briefly from his worry. He was clearly grieving for what he assumed would be the loss of his son, made even more difficult by the fact that he could see the trouble coming but felt powerless to stop it. She doubted many things made Jorek feel powerless.
She acquiesced, and he kissed her again before she left. He made no promises, no protestations of love, but for that, she was grateful, because she wasn’t sure she would have believed them.
Although having drawn comfort from his touch in the moment, now she felt confused and bewildered. And guilty. As a conduit, none approached her or pursued her, but she hadn’t taken time to wonder why. But now, after spending stolen time in the arms of a man she had grown quite fond of, she realized she was not, after all, unattractive, nor did she have a heart of stone.
She returned to her chamber only to find Korbin waiting for her. He stood when she entered, and she self-consciously straightened her robe.
“Is everything all right?” he asked.
“Certainly not. How could it be?” Her voice came out much harsher than she’d intended. Guilt. She loved Korbin, but not the way he wanted her to. Her encounter with Jorek made that clear.
Korbin’s blue eyes reflected his hurt. “So what do we do now?”
“We speak to Graiphen one last time and find out every detail he knows about the portal. I will also speak to the leaders of the Sennestelle here. I’ve been delaying that conversation too long, but it must happen. They may know nothing, but that’s no excuse not to consult them. Then we return to Vol, armed with whatever information we have, and make a plan to infiltrate Braetin’s temple.”
“What about Pang and Zain?” Korbin asked. “Can we really leave them behind and wielding so much power?”
“We’ve discussed this. When we close the portal, both Braetin and Pang will be forced to return to their worlds. We have to do it anyway. Why fight two battles when one will suffice?”
“But that leaves Zain here. He’s not powerless.”
“No,” Octavia relented. “He’s not. But he is human. Should we eliminate him, she could simply spawn more. No, we would be better off going after the portal. Do you think your father will help us?”
“I’m not certain we should rely on him
. He seems reluctant to choose a side, and even if he did so, I would be reluctant to believe him.”
A thought occurred to Octavia. “I can weaken the vessel, perhaps even bind her. I do not know. After all, she is human. But Braetin was able to shield Graiphen from Seba’s influence, so I fear my own power of the One would have little impact. Still, I must try. At the very least, I can fashion some protection for Graiphen if he will help us. I can’t guarantee it, but perhaps if I can bind her, I can prevent her from spawning more children while we face the larger problem. There’s nothing to show she isn’t doing that already.”
“What would you need?”
“Her blood.”
“That should be no problem,” Korbin said, rolling his eyes. “How is my father supposed to get blood from a goddess’ vessel without her or anyone else noticing?”
Octavia shrugged. “I don’t need much. A small prick would do.” But inwardly, she did not feel confident. She recalled how dangerous Graiphen had been when she witnessed that he was possessed of his goddess. Pang might be the Talmoran goddess of love, but Octavia had no illusions that she was less powerful or dangerous than Braetin.
Korbin nodded. “I’ll tell him. I think I saw him earlier today. He may still be here in the palace, although after what happened at Pang’s temple with Nassore, he might be with his brethren at his own temple.”
“Before you go…” Octavia began, but then the words trailed off. She didn’t know how to start the conversation they should have had days ago.
“Octavia, you don’t have to say anything. I’m happy for you. I mean it.” His voice was a little tight. “You deserve to have what you want. We’ll always be friends, no matter that you chose to be with someone else. I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but that’s how life goes, isn’t it?”
She blinked and started to say that wasn’t what she’d been talking about, but his admission startled her. “How did you know?”
Born Of Fire And Darkness (Book 2) Page 19
