Seth had never seen their like before but knew the creatures to be some breed of large pale bat. Seth studied them as more continued to enter the chamber. Their flesh was not so different from his own, appearing as skin stretched over bone and muscle, though nowhere on their bodies could he discern any hair. Each of the bats had two hind legs, but their forward legs, or arms, were incorporated into their wings. At the centermost joint of the wing there was something akin to a clawed finger, and each of the other bones of the oddly shaped appendage made ribs within the wings of the beasts. Though easily four to five times the size of any other bats Seth had ever seen, they belayed their size with near effortless flight, and he was impressed with the creatures.
Having studied the bats, scrutinizing their every detail, Seth then switched to his vision of the gods to analyze them further. What Seth found surprised him more than any other discovery this day. Each of the bats appeared to have two separate auras, which was perplexing enough, but what was more astonishing was that each of the bats contained one aura that was identical to every other bat’s, but their second one varied in size and intensity. With Seth’s new knowledge of auras, he was quickly able to establish at least four different variations of the bats’ second auras. If that discovery alone were not enough, as Seth watched, each of the bats’ second auras began to change. Within an hour they had managed somehow to alter their second auras and make them identical to their original, which they then each consumed as their second aura's became one with their first. It was astonishing to observe, and had Seth seen the process even the day before, he would not have understood it. Now Seth believed he had witnessed the bats absorbing stolen life forces from some other beings. These creatures, however, had some mechanism in place to process the life power before consuming it, for Seth knew that if they did not, each of them would have altered physically. Now Seth was really intrigued. But wanting a closer look, he now had to do something that was generally against his beliefs.
Seth slid out from beneath Sara’s body and gently laid her upon the floor. Picking up her small crossbow from the pile of discarded armor and weapons, Seth drew the bow. Placing a bolt upon the slide, Seth looked up and took aim. Closing his eyes, Seth pulled the trigger and listened as with a shriek the bolt met its target. Ricocheting off the stone ceiling, the bolt hit the ground a fraction of a second before the beast landed, flapping its wings wildly and trying to flee but unable to sustain flight with a large tear in its right wing. Seth had pulled off the shot flawlessly. He wanted the creature alive in order to study its aura up close, but he needed it unable to fly so that he might experiment with it a bit. Knowing bats were supposed to be blind, Seth removed his tunic and attempted to toss it over the head of the beast that now scurried around on the floor in a panic. After three attempts Seth succeeded and pounced upon the small, injured creature, pinning it to the ground beneath him. Careful not to hurt the beast further, nor release it, Seth wrapped his tunic about the beast snuggly. He tied the arms of his tunic in a knot securing it around the creature’s mid-section, binding its wings to its sides. Satisfied Seth released the large hairless bat, and returning to Sara he sat once again upon the stone floor.
Seth reached out with his god-like vision to inspect the bat's aura in detail and found that, although still quite complex, its inner workings were slightly simpler than those of humans. Taking his time Seth repeated the process he had recently gone through and, piece by piece, he memorized and cataloged each pattern of the bat's aura within his mind, discovering along the way several similarities between the bat's and Sara’s auras. Seth felt that the discovery made sense seeing that both the bats and humans had four appendages, a torso, neck and head with two eyes, two ears, a nose and a mouth. Seth too assumed the bats had a somewhat similarly functioning digestive tract, so the many likenesses made sense. But the bat did possess patterns that he and Sara did not, and vice versa. Several minutes into his study Seth noticed that the bat's aura was, like Sara’s, fading at an unnatural rate, and assuming he had injured it worse than he thought, Seth recaptured the creature to unbind it so that he might see the wound.
No sooner had Seth unwrapped the small beast than without warning it sprang into the air and took flight on two perfect wings with a screech that caused Seth to jump. Amazingly the creature had healed in as little as a quarter of an hour an injury that should have taken days, if not weeks, to mend properly. But Seth could see the cost of the creature's healing, for back amongst its peers it had the weakest aura among them. Seth believed these bats to be amazing creatures. They could consume others’ life forces, as Seth could, but unlike Seth these creatures had the ability to alter the power before they absorbed it. Also the bats could apparently heal themselves through some inherent means using the power of their own spark of life. Seth’s mouth falling wide open, he formulated a plan. It would take time and he knew he could afford no mistakes. He would have to experiment and test and experiment some more, but he believed now he could save Sara. Hurrying back to the side of the woman he loved, Seth again drew and loaded the crossbow.
* * * * *
Borrik ran along through the countryside in long, loping strides. The body Seth had made for him was incredible. He was able to run for hours and hours without feeling any strain, even fully armored, and when he did sweat, his short layer of downy fur held the moisture to his skin allowing his body to cool quickly. His legs pumped hard over the uneven ground as he raced below the midday sun. Borrik’s troops ran parallel to him on both sides, spread out wide to cover as much ground as possible. Borrik held little hope of finding Seth out in the wild somewhere, but hoping to make Raven's Hold by nightfall, he saw that searching in this manner would cause no harm.
The fact was that Borrik had no idea where to look for his master, and so had sent his captains in every direction in the hopes of seeking him out. Their plan was simple. Find every human civilization they could, question those who lived there and continue the process until they found Seth. It might be a search that lasted weeks, months or even years, but Borrik cared not how long it took just so long as the deed was accomplished. Together with his band of wolf troops he swept across the countryside through the foothills of the mountains to the south, heading north, deeper into the land of the humans.
Hours passed swiftly and silently as the scenery passed all around Borrik and he wondered how his men would be received among the towns and villages they came across. Realizing a possible problem he sent a mental image to his captains, spread far and wide across the lands, letting them know that no humans were to be harmed. Waiting several minutes as he raced along through the tall grasses of the hills, no response came to his order. Either his captains were too far away to communicate with, or they had received the order and felt no impulse to reply. Either way Borrik was sure he had done as much as he could and imagined that his men would simply defend themselves and flee if needed, rather than bring harm to the humans they once walked among. After all, they were not savage beasts. They were men and women with perhaps slightly skewed instincts.
The day had come and gone and still Borrik continued to run. His men had not slept since before leaving to join the army. Now, days later, he knew that they would soon need rest. Throughout the day his men would one by one fall back to stop for a drink, or run a hare to ground for a quick meal, but after they would hastily catch up. Only a dozen and a half miles away from Raven's Hold now, Borrik knew that his men would find some well-deserved rest. They could resume their search tomorrow if Seth were not located in the castle. Borrik stared ahead at the horizon knowing that at any moment the uppermost parts of the castle of Raven's Hold would grow upon it. However, he discovered something else instead.
Far in the distance, over the rise of a hill, Borrik watched as two graceful figures sped over the land a few miles ahead. Covering wide swathes of ground with each graceful stride, the wolf man recognized the figures instantly, even in the failing light. There were only two creatures of this kind upon the face of
the world. Only two of the graceful and beautiful beings had Seth created. They had been girls once, sisters in fact, not quite to the age of adulthood, but both fully physically matured. Though they were beautiful, affectionate and mysterious, Borrik had to fight the urge to run them down and sink his teeth into them. This he imagined was his wolf instincts at work. For though he could overcome the urge, it was the dog in Borrik that wanted to chase the two girls who were now just as much feline as he was canine. Borrik hoped none of his men would take up the chase, but couldn’t help loosing a bark-like laugh at his thoughts.
Never again in the evening did Borrik catch sight of the girls, but twice he spied tracks that were theirs and also picked up their scent. Shortly before the last rays of light had left the land, Borrik raced up to the gates of the black castle city that was Raven's Hold. In the hours prior he had telepathically told his troops of their destination and, as he neared, his troops had closed the distance between their alpha and themselves, so as Borrik arrived those men he led were on his heels. Slowing himself and his men to a walk, Borrik strode directly to the small gate in the castle wall. The portcullis remained open to the full, its spikes looming above the opening in the massive stone wall.
As Borrik approached, the guards at the gate snapped to attention, remembering him as one of Seth’s guards when they had visited a few days prior. Seth had garnered quite a following from this castle, in fact he had acquired the majority of his troops here just days before and had transformed the untrained humans into feral fighting beasts along the road on the way to the battle itself. Some of the men and women now with Borrik had been living here on the streets, having been rousted from their homes by goblin and orc raiding parties who razed whole villages, raping and killing all who were not able to flee. Some of his troops may even have family or friends here, but Borrik knew not how their current visages would be welcomed even by those who may have once loved them. That made Borrik think twice about letting his men enter the city. Turning to face the guard at the gate, Borrik saluted as was their custom by banging his fist to his chest, allowing the man to return to a more comfortable position. Borrik asked the guard if he had seen or had heard of Seth returning to the castle, the battle having been won to the south. Much to his dismay, but not to his surprise, the guard replied that he had not. This information at hand, Borrik then turned to face his troops gathered behind him.
"This is not a social call," Borrik began. "We are here for one purpose, and one purpose alone. Split up, scour every inn and tavern in the city for any word of Lord Seth’s whereabouts. Do not seek out those you know, not even if they were once your family. I will go to the palace to see if they have heard word of the battle, or have had any news or sign of our master's whereabouts. Feel free to gather supplies and feed yourself, but return here in two hours’ time for we will not be staying within the castle."
Reaching inside his armor Borrik grasped a pouch tied to his clothing. Tugging it free he removed it and handed it to one of his soldiers. Borrik was a priest in his soul, a soldier at heart, and the will to lead others ran through every fiber of his being. Handing over the coins and trinkets he had scourged from the dead upon the battlefield this very morning, he wondered which part of him had allowed him to rob the dead.
"Split it amongst yourselves. Buy only what we need," Borrik commanded.
Turning on his heel Borrik began to stride through the streets thick with the bodies of the homeless as well as livestock and beasts of burden. The giant of a wolf man, clad in black menacing armor, did not have a hard time negotiating the streets for man and beast alike cleared a wide path for him to stride down the center of the cobbled roads. Entering the gate, his men likewise searched every inch of every street within the city over the next two hours, stopping frequently to ask of Lord Seth.
Two hours later, Borrik passed back beneath the southern gate of Raven's Hold to find all of his men awaiting his arrival. None of them had news of Lord Seth, but each carried a pack or a sack loaded with goods. Borrik hoped one of them had bought some soap. His enhanced canine sense of smell had located his troops long before his eyes had. Those in Raven's Hold had seen a wolf man before, or at least some of them had, but Borrik could not hope to enter any other human town or city reeking of dried blood and gore, along with sweat and who knew what else. Their physical appearance alone was enough to frighten most people; they did not also need to deter them with their stench.
Needing speak no command, Borrik sped off around the keep, circling around to the north. He raced his troops the few remaining miles between the castle and the ancient forest where only days ago hundreds of wolves had been gathered to create his troops. Making the tree line he slowed his pace and sought out a small clearing beneath the immense trees suitable for a good night's sleep. Having no need of tents or blankets, all those who followed him simply found a spot upon the ground, and digging into their packs they each passed around various foodstuffs they had purchased. Everyone including Borrik ate their fill, and only minutes after posting guards to keep watch, Borrik and the rest of his pack slumbered upon the cool ground swallowed by the darkness of the night. High in the trees above them, two pairs of golden eyes watched from the branches, lending to the night the sound of their soft purrs.
* * * * *
Garret rode near the front of the procession of king’s advisors and councilors in a terrible mood. He looked at no one and spoke to no one, simply riding along in silence. The members of the king’s court had left the battlefield before the common troops could even break camp. Having been given orders those troops on foot would follow soon enough, and with any luck would arrive back at the castle city of Valdadore a few days behind those on mounts. Garret could only imagine what loomed ahead. He knew Borrik and Seth’s other troops had fled the battlefield to seek out his brother, but Garret would not likely be spared the courtesy to do the same. He knew a new king would be chosen, and several other positions would need to be filled too, but the politics were beyond him. Garret focused on the few tasks that he himself would need to take care of. First and foremost, he would need to give the news to Sasha of her fallen husband Sirus and explain to the poor woman that it was Seth that had ultimately killed the man she loved. When and if Garret survived delivering that particular news, he would need to approach whomever was chosen as the new king to see about Seth’s pay and lands that he had been endowed on becoming a lord and member of the king's court. The money and deed for the land Garret would then send to his father with news of the battle, though Garret knew not if he should lend his father any hope that Seth may yet live. It was a daunting task, one that Garret mulled over time and again, lost in his own miserable thoughts as he rode mindlessly north with the king's men.
Chapter 3
Trial and Error
Seth stood poised to strike down another of the large, pale bats. Crossbow in hand he took aim at one and, closing his eyes, squeezed the trigger. Within a fraction of a second Seth heard the bolt sail through the air to reach its target with a screech and a thump. Opening his eyes, Seth witnessed the creature plummet the last few feet before striking the ground with a crack and a splat.
"Oops," Seth said.
Realizing this was not perhaps the best use of his resources, he decided to take a different approach. Seth had already studied a good portion of the bat's intricate aura and believed he had a sound understanding of how the swirling maelstrom worked to create life. Reaching out with his mind Seth isolated the life force of one of the great bats. Carefully seeking among the building blocks of its life, Seth delicately grasped with his mind just one small portion of its aura; one single, small pattern swirling within the creature’s spark of life. Giving it a slight tug, he separated that portion from the greater whole of the bat's inner life. As he had hoped, the creature plunged from the ceiling and Seth managed to catch it, using his tunic as a makeshift net. He acted quickly to subdue the beast, but the act was in vain, for as he pinned its wings to the ground with his knees he
realized that the creature no longer had an aura of life within it. Whatever it was that he had removed was apparently crucial for survival. This, it seemed, was not going to be an easy task.
Seth made a mental note of the failure and, reaching out again, singled out his next target. This time he located a piece of the puzzle of the bat’s life far from the first he had removed. Giving this piece a pull, he removed it from the bat, and though the beast still clung to the ceiling, he could see its spark of life swiftly failing. Hurriedly Seth snapped the small swirling pattern back into place and watched as the creature recovered, although now it would not live nearly as long as its brethren. Seth delved into the same creature again, this time trying a different tactic. On the two previous failures Seth had tried to remove one of the smaller patterns that worked to bind the larger pieces together. This time, however, Seth grasped one of the larger patterns. Plucking it away he watched as the small creature began to squirm and squeal as its flesh-covered wings began to wither, disappearing altogether within its body. In a panic the malformed bat released its hold upon the stone ceiling and plummeted down towards the floor below. Seth was so thrilled with his success he nearly failed in catching the creature as it fell.
Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) Page 62
