Doom and the Warrior

by Lexy Wolfe

  “Remember I said that gods are not omnipotent or omniscient? It was moreso for us since the temple had been broken shortly after the war. Without the central temple, the temples were isolated, and our perception of them and the world weakened and fractured.

  “Most believed my siblings and I equally broken or gone entirely, which spiraled into a decline in those who believed in us, which degraded our ability to influence anything in this plane. Your mother happened to pray to me. She sought a mate who could defeat her in combat because no others were capable within her tribe. I confess, her blunt manner and matter-of-factness intrigued me. I remained on this side of the veil through your first year of life. Foolish of me, because I could barely see much less do anything when I returned. Sulnar kept vigil for me, but it was only when you took shelter in one of our lost temples outside of Shurakh Arln’s wards that you roused our notice.”

  He reached for the pendant Doom wore, holding it in the flat of his hand. “And only because you kept the coins we gave you could we keep track of you. I dread imagining what would have happened to you if you’d not listened to your half-brother and never went to Dragons Gate.”

  Doom looked up sharply. “Half-brother? I have a half-brother?”

  “Yes. Gareth Tavarius.” He shrugged, unapologetic. “I have a soft spot for strong females of any race who yearn for a strong mate as passionately as they had.”

  Stunned, Doom asked in exasperation, “Exactly how many siblings do I have? Is Tiwaz my sister?” Before Keth could answer, Doom frowned, focusing inwardly. “Wait. No, she can’t be. You all seemed to be confused by her. Sulnar and Veridian both insisted I abandon her.”

  “You are correct. She is not your sister. Part of the magic in those glyph shackles were the same as what has been placed on that estate. After Sulnar removed them and we could see Tiwaz for who and what she was, we realized what Alimar has been doing.” Keth’s eyes flashed brighter in repressed fury. “He has been capturing the young of any race bereft of gods who also possessed very large magical capacity. In that way, when he told you there were no gods, he spoke the truth as most understand the divine.”

  Doom blinked. “Oh, Ti.” Keth tilted his head, expression quizzical. “Ti always believed Alimar spoke the truth. Lies would have given her hope.”

  Keth closed his eyes, sighing. “Too often, truth is merely in perspective. Neither of you were raised to pray to any gods, much less to the Dragonway gods. And it would not have mattered for your friend, regardless.” Doom was gratified to see his own anger mirrored in his divine sire’s eyes. “There was no one your Tiwaz could have prayed to for aid. No one could have heard her prayers because of those glyphs she bore. She may as well have been shouting from inside a sealed jar.”

  The younger male turned towards a large boulder and punched it. A crack raced away from the point of impact and the halves shifted slightly in two different directions. Keth put a consoling hand on his son’s shoulder. “Thrahx Vaug, I am not here simply to tell you about the past.”

  “You aren’t?” Doom regarded him dubiously. “Then why?”

  “I am here to teach you how to use your own magic.” Before Doom could counter that he had none, Keth pointed out, “Gromeks have magic like dragons do. They simply only use it for flight because they prize physical prowess higher than mental pursuits. But you are my son, and if you are going to keep your promise to Tiwaz, you will need to be able to disguise yourself to reach your enemy.” He looked him up and down frankly. “You are incredibly distinctive.”

  “My promise?” Doom straightened. “To live to see Alimar dead.” Keth nodded, a mirthless smile on his lips. “Don’t gods usually frown on killing others?”

  “Believe me,” Keth replied grimly. “Every god, good or evil or otherwise, wants his arrogant throat ripped out.” He flared his wings. “I was not there for you when you were a child. No matter my power, I cannot change the past. But I can be as much of a father to you now as you’ll allow me.”

  Doom turned away, gazing out over the forest in silence. Keth waited silently. The tip of his tail twitched, betraying his apprehension of his son’s response behind his otherwise impassive expression.

  “Ti, I know you hate magic,” Doom murmured. “I hope you will be able to forgive me.” He turned back to Keth, meeting the dragon god’s eyes. “I always considered myself a gromek. I don’t know that I will ever see myself as anything else. But…I am also part dragon.” His visage darkened in a scowl. “I told Alimar I would be his doom. Before he dies, I want him to know I did not lie. Teach me. Father.”

  THE GIANT BLACK panther sat at the base of the ancient tree, waiting with tail lashing impatiently. I do not understand you, my aceri. And given the spiritual and mental bond we share, that is saying something. His feline eyes followed Tiwaz as she dropped from the low branch to the ground. Every day, you climb the highest tree you can find to watch him practice flying. I know you yearn for his company. If you miss him, why do you not return to him?

  Tiwaz flashed an irritated look at Ky-Lar. “I have told you the same thing every time you ask. While I have been away, he has been free of every reminder of his life in slavery.” She stalked into the forest. “How can I inflict the past on him now that he is well and truly free by reminding him of those terrible times with my presence?”

  Why do you assume your presence would cause him more pain than your absence? Ky-Lar’s ears turned back, a frown settling on his feline features. Because your former master told you this?

  The woman spun back to face her companion, her fists clenched at her sides. “Alimar was many things. He was cruel. He was evil. He was manipulative. The worst thing was he was not a liar.” Ky-Lar’s posture spoke volumes to his confusion. “If he was a liar, even some of the time, we could have had hope that what he said was wrong.” She turned away to stalk further into the trees. “He did not even leave us that.”

  The great panther followed his bondmate in silence for a time. Perhaps he did not lie. But it does not mean he was right.

  “Your panther friend is quite right,” an oily voice whispered from the shadow of a pile of rocks. “Alimar was wrong about you. He thought he was strong enough to keep you shackled.”

  Tiwaz spun towards the darkness, Ghalnecha drawn and ready. “Kragen,” she spat.

  Ky-Lar’s snarls filled the air. You know who this is?

  “Of course she knows who I am, Ky. She knows more about Alimar than anyone alive. Come, my pet. Put up your weapon and speak with me. I have an offer you will be quite interested in.”

  “I am not your pet, Kragen! I do not associate with demons! Especially not one in league with Alimar.”

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” the voice purred. “Is that any way to talk to your guardian protector?” She scowled more, silent. “Ah, I have your attention now, don’t I, my pet? You know if I was able to attack you, I would have already. I have a request to make of you.”

  Ky-Lar leapt to put himself in Tiwaz’s path. You are going to meet with a demon? Are you insane? There is nothing that would stop him from—

  “He can’t touch me. I know demons cannot cross into this world unless called, and they cannot be called unless their name is known. There is no one here who could have called him.” She lowered the two-handed blade slightly, moving cautiously forward. “And he is right. If he was on this side, he would have attacked me already. There must be a mirror he speaks through.”

  Dark laughter drifted in the air as they neared a fissure in the rocks. “Not only beautiful and skilled, but intelligent as well. Alimar was a fool, allowing you to witness the practice of his darkest, most secret arts. And allowing you to know of me. His carelessness will be our future victory.” The pair pushed their way inside to find a black, mirror-like surface with jagged edges that indicated it was a natural formation. In the inky depths, a demon regarded the woman with a lurid expression. “I see freedom agrees with you, my pet.”

  “What do you want, Kragen?” she demanded coldly.


  “You,” he replied simply. His lip curled in a sneer when she spat on the mirrored surface. “Alimar’s foolishness in denying you as one of my tithes will be his demise.” He held up a forestalling hand when she raised Ghalnecha to smash the smooth surface. “I want you to kill Alimar.”

  She hesitated. “Why not do it yourself? You are the great and powerful Kragen,” she mocked with insulting tones. “Mighty demon king of the Fifth Abyss. If you are too weak to kill Alimar yourself, how do you think I will be able to do it?”

  Kragen’s expression twisted with rage, the demon hitting the mirrored surface with a fist before he reclaimed his calm. “I cannot because he holds my contract. Unless he breaks it, which he has not done yet in over five thousand years, I can do nothing against him.”

  “Words?” Tiwaz could only stare in utter disbelief. “You are telling me mere words are keeping you from killing Alimar?”

  “A great warrior you may be, my pet, but words have a power greater than you are willing to accept.” He crossed his arms, shrugging one shoulder. “In fact, most of your people are extremely careless and negligent in realizing their power.”

  “'My people?’ I have no people. You know this better than anyone!”

  He waved a dismissive hand. “Mortals. The collective, so-called intelligent races of your plane. Even before the planes broke and allowed us to cross to this side freely, the willful ignorance of so many has been a delight for demons for millennia. Those with the will and power have always been able to call us to your plane through agreements that bind us to them. Typically, their greed or desire for revenge or whatever makes them careless in their agreements. Either they break the agreement, or they neglect to ensure they are protected from harm. And always, they leave the knowledge to call us for others to find.

  “Alimar, to my irritation and disappointment, is not one of those so ignorant. Nor has he been careless or negligent for far too long. If he had been, I would have dragged him to my dungeons to torment a very long time ago.”

  “So, you made Alimar immortal, and now you want me to clean up your mistake?”

  “Ah, my pet, you do not understand. But how could you? You are so young, impetuous, and ignorant.” Her teeth bared at the last word spoken more as an insult than statement. “He is over two hundred fifty times older than you are, yes. But he is not immortal.” He frowned faintly. “You are not surprised?”

  “He had hinted at it enough times, you only confirmed what I suspected.” She narrowed her eyes. “But how can he not be immortal if he is so old?”

  “He is ageless. There is a difference. When most short-lived mortals ask for immortality, they neglect to realize it does not mean they do not age. By the time they realize the error of their wish, they are begging us to kill them to put them out of their misery, willing to do anything for relief of the torture of a body aged beyond what should be endured.” Kragen sighed. “No. Alimar asked for the god-touch.” He explained at her irate confusion, “He wanted to be able to manipulate more than one type of magic.”

  “Dragons can do that,” she pointed out. “So can others.”

  “Of course dragons can. Dragons are native to this particular world, so all of the magicks are a part of them. Most races are not, nor have they adapted very quickly. At best, some are born able to manage one, maybe two.” Kragen waved a hand. “The god-touch is when a mortal is born bearing all magic energies. If they also discover enlightenment, they become a god themselves.”

  “Alimar is no god!”

  Kragen chuckled. “No, he is not. He could have been. He is the closest there has ever been who was not born with the power. It might have been interesting to see Alimar as a god.” The demon arched a brow. “Oh, don’t look so horrified. There are gods with darker hearts than his. Not many, but they give other gods purpose for their power. What is good and evil than the perception of those who define it?”

  Tiwaz opened her mouth to respond, then snapped it shut, glowering. Taking a firm hold on Ghalnecha, she raised the blade that glowed with the eagerness to strike the demonic window. “I already planned on killing Alimar. I won’t be doing it for you, and I don’t need your help to do it.”

  “I protected you because I need your help to kill him.” Kragen’s eyes remained fixed on the sword that stopped a hairbreadth from the mirror-like surface. “You know Alimar’s mind better than any alive. Did you not think it odd that he has not sought you out? You witnessed yourself how death has not protected any from his torment. If he had looked for your souls, he would have known you and your gromek lived.”

  Lowering the sword, Tiwaz put a hand on Ky-Lar’s shoulder, the giant panther’s snarling quieting to a low, hateful growl. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Protecting me would be going against Alimar. I thought you said you could not because of this contract between you.”

  The demon’s smirk returned. “Diffusing his desire to hunt you and your gromek friend both endangers and protects him. Since the interests conflict each other, it only limits me, not prohibits me.”

  Tiwaz raised Ghalnecha again. Kragen quickly explained. “The moment you broke through the power of the glyphs he placed on you, you became a danger to him.” She lowered the sword slowly, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “The moment your gromek friend grew a spine when he chose to escape with you made him a danger as well.”

  “I did not ask you to protect us.”

  With an air of nonchalance, Kragen pointed out, “You agreed to the debt to the dragon god after the fact.”

  “Because I would have agreed to the offer had I been conscious. Doom recognized the dragon was not evil like you and agreed on my behalf.” She spat to the side. “What point would there be in exchanging torment by one demon’s hand for another?”

  Kragen laughed. “Ah, my pet, how I adore your quick mind. Such a challenge.” Mirth faded into seriousness. “Nevertheless. I want Alimar more than dead. I want his soul irrevocably crushed and obliterated. I wish to make a contract with you to see that it happens.” The demon drew back when Ky-Lar lunged towards him and raked his claws across the mirrored surface, leaving a trail of grooves. “You should hear the terms before you dismiss them.”

  “Ky-Lar,” Tiwaz called. “Let him speak.” The panther turned an incredulous look towards her. With his ears flattening back against his skull, he moved to stand behind her. “I know what contracts with demons entail. You always seek a way to break them. What makes you think I would agree to anything you have to offer?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Because I am the one who wants something, so the risk of breaking it is on me, not you.” He crossed his arms. “I do not simply want Alimar dead. I want his soul so I can crush it out of existence. He disrupts the balance between your plane and mine, and his mockery of me encourages other demons to attack my stronghold because they think I am weak.”

  Tiwaz crossed her arms and regarded Kragen with a dubious expression. He snorted. “I know what you believe. That the goal of demon-kind is to destroy the universe. Not all demons want that. We like living as much as you. You feed on plant and animal bodies; we feed on the same and the energy of fear and pain.” He pointed out, “Much as mortals despise our existence, without us, you would have nothing to live for, because you would neither appreciate what you had nor have any reason to strive for more. You become your own demons without us.” His lip curled in a cruel smile. “You know this is true.”

  “Believe what you want, Kragen. You can fetch Alimar’s soul once I’ve killed him.” She returned Ghalnecha to the sheath across her back and turned to leave.

  “Do you not think he is powerful enough he won’t come back to take his revenge?” Tiwaz’s foot slid with the abruptness of her stop. “I said he was not careless. He knows he has many enemies, and he prides himself on protecting himself from all of them. He wards against gods. Any demons who could touch him have no means to reach him because none know their names to be summoned. He is careful not to cross powerful mortals and crushes tho
se unable to defend themselves or who he believes are threats.” Tiwaz met the demon’s eyes as she turned around. “You and your gromek are his first mistake.”

  “Explain,” she snapped.

  “Alimar has one flaw. He wants to prove how powerful he is. He wants to prove his power is dominant. So, he has taken to seeking out others with a great deal of native magic strength and then forcing them to submit to his will. To his chagrin, the more powerful they were, the more ingrained and disciplined they were, and most preferred death to his brand of servitude. Even the more primitive cultures where their ability was untapped and untrained would die in captivity. He saw this failure as an insult instead of the warning of the risk he was taking.”

  Ky-Lar looked up at Tiwaz in concern when she put her hand to her temple, closing her eyes, expression reflecting physical pain. “I remember Alimar speaking with Gilhadnar…something about the reason he hunted children.”

  “He saw children as more malleable. Untrained, weak and spineless. Even then, you both fought against captivity.” Kragen laughed. “Hells, you know you would have died.” He subsided, staring at her. “Alimar is also an idiot for believing love, caring and compassion are weak emotions.” Tiwaz’s suspicion colored her eyes when there was no derision or mocking in the demon’s voice. “When you protected your gromek, and your gromek in turn protected you, he considered it simply a tool to control you. You both endured everything he did to protect the other.” He smirked. “He blinded himself to the truth. It made you stronger than you would have otherwise been.”

  “If you knew that I would be a danger to Alimar, why didn’t you tell him?”

  Kragen laughed again. “That is the beautiful part. I did tell him!” His eyes moved over her body, licking his lips. “Why do you think I kept insisting he tithe you to me?” He crossed his arms, shrugging. “It is not my problem if he was so arrogant he believed he knew why and never asked. The more I demanded, the more he gloated because he refused me.”