The Godswar Saga (Omnibus)

by Jennifer Vale

  Just like it was possible that his bond could never be restored.

  This time, it was Elade’s turn to flinch. “I worry about leaving Kroll alone with the rebels,” she whispered. “Some of them are getting…antsy.”

  “Right now they’re still in shock from the attack,” Tevek said. “I don’t think you have much to worry about.”

  “For the moment, but I’m not sure how long that will last.” She pursed her lips. “And when the Solarians arrive, things could get worse for a different reason. Kroll could tell the Solarians that I’m Unbound, and if that happens every paladin in the Dawn will hear about it.”

  Tevek nodded solemnly. He prided himself at being a man of his word, but they had managed to keep her true nature secret for nearly four years now. She knew he didn’t regret his decision, but at the time he understood the consequences if it were ever revealed to the others. The Code was quite clear on the matter: Unbound were forbidden to serve in the Dawn. Even the Highlord couldn’t do anything to stand in the way of one of Maeleon’s edicts, not without unanimous approval from the other members of the Conclave.

  His lie had given her a new chance at life, and Elade knew she could never fully repay his kindness. The Dawn had given her power a purpose, and Tevek’s compassion had given her pain a reprieve. She didn’t even want to imagine where she would be without them.

  “I know we still might learn something useful from him,’ Elade whispered, “and I know the Code explicitly forbids the execution of prisoners except for extreme circumstances. But I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that regrets keeping him alive.”

  “You did the right thing,” Tevek told her. “Besides, even if he does speak to the Solarians, they’ll have no reason to believe anything he says. And no one in the Dawn will be able to prove your true identity—you’re still linked with the rest of us.”

  Elade nodded. The situation wasn’t that simple, of course, and he knew it. Once the mere prospect of her Unbound heritage was raised, her life in the Citadel would inexorably change. Suspicion already followed her wake; Alric and several of the other Conclave members already didn’t trust her. She had no doubt that they would pounce on any excuse to banish her, and if Tevek’s role in the deception were ever revealed, he would assuredly be stripped of his mantle as Highlord. He might even be banished right alongside her. The Conclave’s fear of Unbound was palpable, and it could cost her closest friend his career.

  The thought made her clench her jaw in annoyance, and it stirred up memories from her own past. Unlike most societies, the vaeyn did not fear Unbound children. They believed they were a gift, a weapon of unequalled power to be used against the demonic hordes of the Void. The Matriarch Queen of Maz’Belar was an Unbound Ascendant, in fact, and her closest advisors were made up of the most powerful male Unbound in the kingdom.

  As for the rest of the vaeyn, children were identified at a young age and given special training and treatment. Once their potential and loyalty were proven, the females were given a ten-year “exemption” period where they were taken off the front lines and allowed to breed with other unbound. Once they gave birth—ideally to at least five or six children—their offspring were taken away and raised by the older or chronically wounded members of the community. In this way, vaeyn society could exploit a female’s highest period of fertility while still allowing her to serve on the front lines for many decades.

  Human cultures would consider the practice barbaric, of course, and at this point in her life Elade conceded that it wasn’t an experience she would wish to repeat. She could still remember the names and faces of each of the men she had coupled with…and the queen’s inevitable disappointment when she hadn’t been able to produce even a single child. She had been sent back to the front after just seven years, and the stigma of infertility had clung to her like a wet cloak.

  Sighing, Elade buried the memories back where they belonged. Regardless of their other flaws, at least her people didn’t fear her for what she was. In many ways their cold pragmatism made them more tolerant than any other society in Obsidian, at least as far as Unbound were concerned.

  “I wonder if the Solarians will be able to learn anything else from him,” Elade whispered, switching the topic back to Kroll. “Regardless, I did some more exploring yesterday, and the Crell’s response continues to be as bizarre as ever.”

  Tevek raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you become a scout?”

  She grunted. “I’m not saying I stalked around the streets for hours; I mostly just wanted some fresh air away from this place. I actually caught Sarina following me once.”

  “If you saw her, that meant she wanted to be seen. Asgardian hunters can give elysian rangers a run for their gold.”

  “I know,” Elade said. “She was probably wondering what the hell I was doing out there alone, or maybe she was just protecting her territory. Either way, it’s not her I’m worried about. I started thinking about this entire demon infestation and what we know about it so far.”

  “Not much.”

  “Right, it’s all so very…vague. The rebels like to throw around talk about possessions amongst the watch officers, but we haven’t gotten details or particulars. We also know the demons have managed to run interference for these people pretty effectively.”

  Tevek cocked an eyebrow at her. “What exactly are you suggesting?”

  Elade paused a moment, knowing he wouldn’t like the accusation. “What if the rebels are behind it?”

  He frowned and turned his head away for a moment. It wasn’t the reaction she was expecting; had he been thinking the same thing? “I’ve considered that, but I’m not sure it makes sense.”

  “We didn’t sense anything at the compounds or the safe house on 29th, and you’d think we would have if they were involved,” she conceded. “My little scouting foray last night didn’t turn up anything, either. So that would mean if they do have warlocks working for them, they’re somewhere else in the city.”

  “That’s one problem,” he said. “The other is that I know many of these people. I can’t believe they would willingly turn to demons.”

  “Sometimes good people do stupid things when their backs are against the wall,” Elade reminded him. “We’ve both dealt with the Adorei Kel before.”

  “This is different.”

  She sighed and glanced away, folding her arms across her chest. The Adorei Kel—literally “demon lovers” in the vaeyn tongue—were a sect of renegade vaeyn that had formed a few centuries earlier not long before she was born. They weren’t content with simply fighting demons; they believed the creatures must be made to suffer the same enslavement they had inflicted upon so many mortals in the centuries following the Godswar. To that end, they learned how to bind demons to their will, using them as their servants often in humiliating and degrading ways. But perhaps the most disturbing part was that they had spread their teachings far and wide across Calhara and even Torsia. Whoever was controlling the demons in Lyebel may have very well learned his or her tricks from the Kel.

  Elade had always been a little surprised at how relatively few active warlocks there were in Torsia. In Calhara, with the demonic hordes constantly rampaging about the underworld, it sometimes felt as if there were more warlocks than legitimate channelers. While they weren’t as personally powerful as a Bound or Unbound, their Void-spawned patrons still granted them formidable abilities—not the least of which was the ability to command significant armies of lesser demons. The Serogar Gate fiasco had been a perfect example of how much destruction a small cabal of warlocks could unleash upon the unprepared.

  “You’re certain that none of the rebels have ever dabbled in demonology?” Elade asked into the silence.

  Tevek didn’t reply immediately, but she knew the answer from the sudden tightness along his jawline. “One did about five years ago.”

  “Did the others know about it?”

  “No, he kept it from them.” He sighed and met her eyes. “It
was Jason’s father.”

  “Really,” she breathed, genuinely surprised. “I thought he was one of the Hands of Whitestone.”

  “He was their leader,” Tevek said. “He actually started the war by launching a pre-emptive attack on Geriskhad.”

  “You’ve mentioned that before. The attack failed, and the Crell retaliated.”

  “And the Alliance was slow to respond. The Lord’s Council didn’t feel they could get involved because the Galvians had started the war, and once they finally did, it was too late.” Tevek pursed his lips. “Ethan never recovered. The loss of his king broke him, and he grew desperate. But I still couldn’t believe it when he actually reached out to demons…”

  Elade nodded in quiet understanding. “So you stopped him?”

  “No,” Tevek whispered. “Selvhara left him, and she told me not to go after him. I didn’t…and it was a mistake. A few years later, we heard about Tibel, and once the rebels started achieving real successes I knew something was wrong. But before I could send anyone to investigate, the Crell destroyed them.”

  “You’re certain Ethan never taught any of the others his techniques?”

  “There are only a few people here left from those days, and we haven’t detected demonic taint on any of them.”

  “True,” Elade conceded. “What about Ethan himself? You’re certain he’s dead?”

  “Like I said, nearly all of the Hands were wiped out at Tibel.”

  “So you’re sure, then?”

  Tevek’s jaw clenched. “I never saw his body, no. And frankly I thought Kyle and Ria and the others were dead, too.”

  Elade nodded as a cold tingle worked its way down her spine. “I know this is all just conjecture, but it might be worth investigating further.”

  “You’re probably right,” he said under his breath as they heard the sound of booted footfalls and Hassian voices coming down the passage. “Just be careful, and don’t do anything crazy until reinforcements arrive.”

  “I won’t,” she assured, squeezing his arm.

  Tevek smiled warmly. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

  He offered her a half salute, then walked away and joined up with the others. Soon they vanished into the depths of the tunnels, and Elade stood there staring into the darkness for several long minutes, unable to shake the grim feeling that for the first time since she had met him, Tevek Dracian was about to break his word.

  ***

  Later that evening, Elade returned to the dank warrens beneath the rebel compound. She flicked on the farthest glowlamp from the prisoner, and with her light-sensitive eyes she could see that Kroll had propped himself up against one of the walls. His eyes were closed, but he was conscious.

  “I was just thinking about you, elf,” he rasped. He looked more haggard than ever—she had a feeling the rebel guards hadn’t let him get much if any sleep. “I’m trying to understand what could possibly compel you to work with these dregs.”

  Elade inched a bit closer, though she made sure to stay far enough away that the only thing he would be able to see was her glowing eyes. “You mean against the Zarul? Against the Crell?”

  “I mean against anything,” Kroll said. His eyes finally cracked open, and they were thoroughly bloodshot. His wrist and arm were covered in dried blood around the suppression bracelet; he had probably been trying to channel for days to no avail. “They fight against a corrupt government in order to replace it with another. Their concerns are trifling.”

  “I doubt the people who lost their homes in the war feel the same way,” Elade replied mildly.

  He scoffed so hard spittle sprayed from his mouth. “They are weak and pathetic. The only real crime here is that they’ve convinced you to believe in them—you and the other one of our kind living above. It’s sickening.”

  “’Our kind,” she whispered. “Unbound aren’t a race or a culture.”

  “No—we’re much more,” Kroll told her. “We are the only ones truly capable of changing this world. We are the only ones truly capable of bringing order to chaos. But you don’t see it…and I suppose that’s not surprising.”

  Elade folded her arms across her chest. “And why is that?”

  “Because you don’t even know what you are capable of. You play with swords when you could dominate minds.”

  She cocked an eyebrow. “If I remember correctly, you had a sword yourself.”

  “You’re what, five times my age? Six? Seven?” Kroll asked. “Imagine the power you could have mastered in that time. Instead you’re like a child, content with your own ignorance.”

  “You should know by now that you can’t bait me,” Elade said.

  “It’s not bait—it’s the truth. What techniques have you even mastered? Summoning a pitiful shield on your arm? Flitting between shadows? Conjuring sparkling little wings from your back?”

  “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

  “I know that the Knights of the Last Dawn are pathetic excuses for channelers,” Kroll said. “The vaeyn are supposed to be truly powerful, but you are a tremendous disappointment. I could shatter this wall with pure force from my mind. I could create a flame so hot it would vaporize your flesh.”

  “And despite all that, I beat you.”

  Kroll laughed. As before, it was a grotesque sound twisted by bitterness and rage. “You don’t understand. I am nothing, and my powers still eclipse yours. Even the pale-skinned elf witch, a pitiful little Bound, is still more powerful than you. You’re a disgrace to your kind and to mine.”

  Elade felt her cheek twitch. There was some truth in what he said. Ever since her powers had first manifested, they had always been weaker than those of her peers. She was a passable healer, and her defensive techniques were on par with most of the other knights…but she was an Unbound. She was supposed to be stronger than all of them. But the only thing that had ever truly come naturally to her was swordplay. By the time she was twenty she had mastered every vaeyn fighting style; by thirty there wasn’t a single man or woman in the Matriarch Queen’s army who could best her in a duel. Combat had always come more easily to her than channeling; the ebb and flow of battle somehow just seemed more natural than the ebb and flow of the Aether.

  She rarely wasted time dwelling on her own inadequacies, but every once in a while the doubts would gnaw away at the back of her mind. A strong channeler was far more useful to her companions than another sword, and if she had mastered more powerful techniques she might have been able to battle off those human thugs in Tauros. She wouldn’t have been captured, and Varess might still be alive…

  Elade closed her eyes and took a deep breath, thankful yet again that Kroll couldn’t see her. All he wanted to do was make her doubt herself, and it was working. Perhaps she really should turn this interrogation over to the rebels.

  “Without power, there can never be order,” Kroll whispered. “Without order, there can never be peace. The Last Dawn should appreciate that more than anyone. Imagine the tranquility and peace of a truly unified world.”

  “The Imperium has promised Torsia unity for centuries,” Elade said. “Instead it has brought war, death, and rebellion on an unmatched scale.”

  “Forget the Imperium. Forget the Crell. This is about us. This is about the true heirs to the power of the gods.” He shook his head. “Our world is ruled by a lie, a lie that says anyone can wield the power of the gods if they are humble enough, faithful enough, to one person—one person who is no more deserving of that power than they are.”

  Kroll smiled up at her. “The time of the Ascendants is over. The time of pretend gods is over. We stand on the precipice of a new age, and there is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop it.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing I gave you a few days to write that speech,” Elade murmured. “But it could still use some work.”

  “You can be as smug as you like, cunt,” Kroll said. “When the Solarians arrive, I will tell them what you really are. They will lock you away like a pe
tty street criminal.”

  “I don’t answer to the Alliance.”

  “No, but the Dawn has always served as their lap dogs. Once the Solarians know the truth, do you really think your own people will accept you?”

  “They’ve already accepted me,” Elade told him. “Nothing you say will change that.”

  “You’re a terrible liar,” he said, smiling again. “I’ve read Maeleon’s so-called ‘Code.’ I know what the Dawn does to our kind. They have no idea what you really are, and the only way to keep your secret is to kill me right here and now. So what are you waiting for, paladin? Strike me down and you will remain free.”

  Instinctively, Elade’s fingers drifted down to her waist and traced along the pommel of the dagger in her belt. She had certainly killed men for less before. She could have even just let him bleed out on that back alley a few days ago. Now her charity was about to come back to haunt her.

  “You can’t do it, can you?” Kroll whispered. “Killing me would make them right about you. It would validate all their prejudices and preconceptions. The only part I don’t understand is why you care about them in the first place.”

  “The Solarians won’t be as kind to you as I have,” Elade said, struggling to keep her voice even. “They will pluck everything they need from your mind.”

  “Yes, they will…and then they will know the truth. So what are you going to do, paladin? Kill me and be free, or abandon your pathetic principles the moment they become inconvenient?”

  Elade clenched her teeth. Her fingers had curled around the grip of her dagger now. The part of her that was vaeyn commanded her to act; the part of her that was a paladin commanded her to walk away. But Tevek wasn’t here, and neither were the other knights. None of the rebels would seriously complain if she ran this man through. She could even tell them that he’d managed to channel despite the suppression bracelet. The Solarians might not believe her, but accidently killing a prisoner would be far less damaging than the information lurking in his mind…