The Sorcerer's Destiny (The Sorcerer's Path)

by Deskins, Brock

  “Hold or you shall die with her,” Daebian warned.

  “Neither you nor the demon I sense within the gem can destroy me before I kill her.”

  “Are you sure? Can you look into my mind and foretell the moment I decide to strike? No, you can’t, and you have less tolerance for ignorance than I do. Less than total control and absolute omniscience drives you to the brink of madness.”

  “You pretend to comprehend things beyond your understanding. Slay me and she will die. This I know. Once again, we will stand even and continue this war until there is only one still standing.”

  “Which of you will stand in the end? Whose side will emerge triumphant? You were certain of your ability to kill our gods, yet I see only three of you still around and one a thought away from oblivion. Let us end this now. We both know you cannot predict the outcome of my involvement, and it scares you.”

  A silent war waged within the minds of the Scions. Thousands of scenarios played out in an instant, and in none of them were the Scions certain of total victory.

  “We fear nothing, but mutual annihilation does lack logic. We will accept banishment in treaty to end this war. Perhaps this was not our time to return, but that day will arrive.”

  “Can we imprison them?” Raijaun asked. “They were banished once and returned in what is little more than a heartbeat for the gods.”

  Solarian answered, “We predicted this outcome as one of several possibilities and have spent the past two millennia devising a better prison, one with far fewer resources for them to exploit. It will not last forever. Nothing can contain that kind of evil power for all eternity, but it should keep our people safe for a very long time.”

  “Very well, send us away. We will not resist.”

  Ellanee felt the crushing fist holding her body vanish, and she visibly relaxed. The three gods merged their power into a single spell and the Scions faded from view and disappeared as they were transported body and mind to a place of bleak existence. Daebian looked at the naked sword he still held extended in his hand for a moment before sliding it back in its sheath.

  “So, is that it?” Raijaun asked. “Is it over?”

  “We are done here, but there is much rebuilding to do,” Solarian answered. “We will take you home now.”

  “What about Tarth? Where is he?” Azerick inquired.

  “He has found some peace here in this world. He has trapped the mind of a god inside him, and it is best if he stays here where there are no distractions. Do not worry for your friend. I will ensure he is well taken care of,” Ellanee assured him.

  There was no sense of movement or sign of a rift or shimmering gate. Azerick and the others simply found themselves standing atop the hillside in front of the human’s command hall and amongst the bustling people of Valeria. Miranda was the closest and the first to notice their return.

  She threw herself into Azerick’s arms and wept. “Thank the gods you returned!”

  A sharp keening rang out over the battlefield, and the great crystal fortress fell from the sky and shattered onto the greatly dwindling ranks of ravagers. With the Scions banished once again, the citadel and few remaining flying ships lost the magic keeping them afloat.

  Azerick spotted Ellyssa nearby and called her over. “I am glad to see you made it as well. How are we doing with the ravagers?”

  “Most of the wizards are exhausted, but the demons turned the tide of the battle, and most of those not killed have fled. I thought for sure we would be fighting them until the last, but their spirit seemed to finally break. There are still thousands of them on the field, but the soldiers are dealing with them.”

  Azerick nodded. “With the Scions gone, there was nothing but their own vile natures guiding them.”

  “So, you did it? The Scions are truly dead?” Miranda asked.

  “Not quite. One is dead and another is suffering a worse fate. The remaining three have been banished once again.”

  “Banished? We suffered all this and they still live to try again one day?”

  “It was the best we could achieve, and it will be a very long time before they get the chance to return—if they ever do,” Azerick assured her.

  King Miles Ollander trotted his mount up the hill, dropped from the saddle, and knelt before the gods. “Glorious Ones, you grace us all with your presence.”

  “Arise, young King,” Solarian commanded. “It is we who bow to you and your people’s courage. We bow to all the peoples of all the races who set aside their petty differences and joined together to fight a terrible foe. If you truly wish to honor us, then remember all who fought to achieve a victory this day.”

  “We will not forget again.” Miles stood and faced Azerick, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword in a seemingly casual manner. “Azerick Giles, we owe you a special thanks. Without you, we would have been horribly unprepared. I truly wish there was some way I could justly reward your service.”

  “Do not think too much on it, Highness. You have the welfare of the people to think about, and it must take precedence.”

  No one could shake the feeling that there was far more meaning in their words that what was being said. There was a tension in the air like the silence that often precedes a battle. Magus Skinner, the Headmaster’s attentive aide, edged closer to the knot of people around Azerick.

  “Sharrellan, it is time to return all your demons to the abyss,” Solarian intoned.

  Miranda looked out across the battlefield. “But the demons crawled back into the ground and vanished almost an hour ago.”

  “He means me,” Azerick clarified.

  Miranda’s face fell and went ashen. “What? No, the demon is gone now. Daebian removed it from you with the sword!”

  “Klaraxis was only part of what made me what I am. I do not belong here.”

  “Yes you do! You belong with me! I know I said goodbye, but I was wrong. I cannot let you go again!” Miranda turned her furious eyes onto the dark goddess. “You cannot take him from me again!”

  Sharrellan tossed her head back and laughed. “Child, I am a god. I can damn well do what I please. Besides, he was mine long before he was yours. I did not take him, he gave himself to me.”

  “You lie! You are the god of lies!”

  Sharrellan waved a hand and a perfect scene appeared as if they all looked out a window to watch a strange scene happening just a few feet away. A young boy who could be no one except Azerick sat up on a sleeping pallet in some dark room and shouted at the ceiling. “I will be your Hand, goddess of death. I will be your Hand against everyone who threatens me or those close to me! I will send you so many vile, tainted souls you will have to open another circle of hell to keep them all!” The goddess flicked her hand again and the image vanished.

  “You see, he gave himself to me of his own free will.”

  “He was just a child!”

  “And already a killer.”

  Azerick stopped Miranda before she threw herself at the goddess and tried to claw her eyes out. “It’s okay, Miranda. I would never have been allowed to remain here regardless.” He turned his head toward Miles. “Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”

  Miranda looked at the King and saw his face flush. “What do you mean? What were you going to do Miles?”

  “Do not blame him or whoever else may have laid plans to deal with me after this war.”

  “Deal with you? They were going to kill you?” his wife demanded shrilly. “You ungrateful bastards! If you ever try to hurt anyone in my family I will personally strip the crown from your head and shove it so far up your arse the dwarves won’t be able to dig it out!”

  “I did not leave them with any choice, Miranda. I secured my sentence through my actions, culminating in the murder of Lord Atwater. I was too dangerous to exist unchecked. I told you that I feared I was becoming a tyrant, and it was only a matter of time before it came true.”

  “But you are not an evil man! The demon made you angry and influenced your emotions. You weren�
��t in your right mind.”

  “Klaraxis was never the source of the danger I represented. The real threat was the bit of humanity I could not let go. As long as I clung to it, I could not avoid imposing my power if I thought it needed to be done. I already cast aside justice for expediency once, and I would certainly do so again if I felt I must.”

  “But you did those things to save us and protect us.”

  “It is not my place to enforce my will upon others because I think I am right. Every dictator and tyrant who ever existed thought their causes and methods were justified. It is why the gods seem aloof even when they could prevent so much pain and hardship, and I lack the wisdom of centuries of life to check my own power. I understood this, and I made Jarvin understand it too so he and others could devise a way to counter the threat I represented, because I did not trust myself to do it for them. I might live forever, but I still have the heart of a fallible, mortal being.”

  Miranda pressed her face into Azerick’s chest. “Then this is goodbye again.”

  “It is.”

  “Well, Father, it appears you may not be quite as blind as I thought you were,” Daebian quipped.

  Azerick broke free of Miranda’s embrace and faced his troublesome son. “Daebian, I still cannot begin to understand you, but I want you to know that I love you, and I am proud to be your father.”

  Daebian’s eyes became glossy and his voice caught in his throat. “Father, that is all I ever wanted from you.”

  Azerick made to embrace Daebian. “Is it truly? I didn’t understand…”

  Daebian ducked Azerick’s grasping hands and pushed him away. “No, you great damn narcissist! Just when I think you start to see, you open your mouth and say something else stupid. This is why you vex me to no end. My actions have nothing to do with you. I act the way I act and do the things I do because I want to. Not because of you or the demon or any other damn reason. You just never got it. You can’t help but feel like you are the center of everyone’s universe. ‘My son’s a great big pain in the ass because of me’. No, I’m a pain in the ass because I like to be a pain in the ass. You could never just accept me for who I am. You don’t get credit for my greatness! It’s all me and it’s all mine. Now, it’s time for me to go, and I need a horse.”

  Sharrellan stopped the irate young man. “Daebian, you have something that belongs to me.”

  Daebian faced the goddess and looked as though he was going to defy her. With an annoyed sigh, he pulled the blade from its sheath and held it out. Sharrellan clasped her hand over his and smiled when Daebian was reluctant to release it. He finally loosened his fingers enough for Sharrellan to slip it from his hand. As the hilt slid through his fingers, he felt the soul stone come loose. With the deftness of a master pickpocket, he slipped the stone into his pocket, never taking his eyes from the goddess’ smiling face.

  “Now I need a horse and a sword!” Daebian spun, stalked over to the young King, and shoved him hard enough to knock him to the ground. “This is a nice one.”

  Several Blackguards drew blades and charged. Daebian grabbed the wrist of the first one to strike, gave it a twist, took his sword, and shattered his nose with the pommel. “Thank you.”

  “Let him go!” Miles shouted as he regained his feet. His elite bodyguards ceased their attack but held their swords at the ready.

  Daebian leapt into the saddle and smiled at the King. “This place is a wreck. I hope you get it cleaned up. I might like to conquer it someday.” He looked once more to Azerick and held out his hand. “Pirates never work for free, Father.”

  Azerick shook his head as he dug into the pocket of his tattered cloak and retrieved a single gold coin. Daebian took the token and slipped it into his pocket with a smile.

  “I’m starting to get quite a collection of these.”

  “Daebian, wait!” Ellyssa called out. “Take me with you.”

  “Ellyssa, please don’t.” Azerick begged.

  Ellyssa looked at Azerick and Miranda and wiped the tears from her face. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing here for me anymore. I need to get as far away from all this as I can.”

  Daebian reached down and lifted Ellyssa onto the horse’s rump. “When you all start erecting statues to my father and brother and all those you want to portray as the saviors of the world, I hope you have the decency to at least remember that it was I, Daebian the pirate king, who was responsible for defeating the fallen gods.”

  “You’re actions were extraordinary, Daebian, and we cannot thank you enough,” Solarian said.

  “You’re right, you can’t.” He looked at the three gods and made a show of taking count. “There appears to be one of you missing. ‘Daebian, god of the sea’ has a rather nice ring to it. Too soon? Think on it.”

  Neither he nor Ellyssa looked back as they galloped down the hill toward the wreckage of one of his flying ships. Men were gathered around looking bewildered or picked through the destruction in search of their fellow crewmen.

  Tobias!” His first mate shouted and waved from atop the pile of timbers. “Oh good, you’re still alive. Round up what’s left of our crew and find some horses. It’s a long damned way to the ocean.”

  “Aye, sir!”

  “Where’s Eva?”

  “Sorry, sir, she didn’t make it.”

  Daebian turned to look at Ellyssa. “Well, that avoids a potentially awkward situation.”

  Miranda watched her son ride away without a backward glance, leaving an aching void of loneliness in her heart for the second time. “Daebian!”

  “Let him go,” Sharrellan said. “You all have far greater things to worry about.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like what happens when he gets bored playing pirate. Azerick, it is time to go.”

  “One more moment, please.” Azerick took the arcanum door handle from his pocket and gave it to Raijaun. “This will open a door to the old tower. You need someplace safe away from anyone whose fear and lack of understanding might cause them to act foolishly. I think Ancalon will appreciate the company, and so will Tarth. They are very much your family as well.”

  “Thank you, Father. No matter what Daebian says, I know you love us both and did your best.”

  Azerick hugged his son and wife once more. “Say goodbye to Sandy for me. And someone go find Wolf and make sure he’s okay. I doubt he let the ravagers catch him.”

  “I will, Father.”

  Sharrellan opened a doorway to the abyss. Azerick looked out across the battlefield at the fighting, death, and ruin stretching to the horizon and beyond. He could only shake his head and sigh before stepping through the portal.

  EPILOGUE

  Azerick emerged onto the red, rocky surface of the Fifth Circle of the abyss and felt the tension of the past several years drain away into the ground. He attributed it to finally ending the war and knowing his family and the people of his world were safe, but another part, a part he tried hard not to recognize, simply felt as if he had returned home.

  The great, onyx fortress stood before him, nearly covering the wide expanse of the horizon. It looked much as he remembered, but there was some damage evident from what must have been a titanic battle. Colossal black stones the size of small houses lay scattered across the ground, some of them hundreds of yards away.

  As Azerick approached the tall doors, the two insectoid demon sentries crossed their spears. Azerick came to a stop just a few feet from them and stood patiently. The demons exchanged looks, uncrossed their spears, and the doors opened with a silent command.

  The sorcerer strode down the gloomy hall without hesitation, passing numerous demons that immediately ceased their chattering and activities and silently watched him pass. Azerick felt the tension of his presence, but not a single creature sought to challenge him as he navigated the halls and fearlessly entered the vast throne room.

  Occupying the throne was a demon similar in form to a succubus only she was nearly as tall as Klaraxis was, her horns shorter and s
lenderer, and her flesh was an iridescent azure. She relaxed upon the throne of bones and ebony soul stone striking a seductive yet amused pose.

  “Normally, I would have any unwelcome intruder eviscerated on the spot, but your presence and my minions’ reaction to you intrigues me. It is lucky for you I am extremely bored. The gods denied me the pleasure of participating in their grand battle, and I would enjoy hearing its accounts. You will entertain me with the details before I slowly strip the flesh from your bones and dine upon your pleas for an end to your tortures for your trespass.”

  “Who are you?” Azerick asked tonelessly.

  “Your question reeks of presumptuousness, but I shall tell you so that you may know the full terror of what you face. I am Morta’sha, Demon Princess of the abyss and master of the Fifth Circle!” the demon lord grandly proclaimed.

  “Morta’sha, we seem to have a small problem.”

  A wry grin curled the corners of her seductive mouth to reveal rows of fang-like teeth. “What problem would that be?”

  “You are in my chair.”

  Azerick thrust his staff at Morta’sha and struck her with a twisting ray of black and silver power. The beam hurled her from the throne and pinned her to the wall. The demon lord wailed in agony as the amalgamated magic incinerated her flesh until she was nothing but a spot on the wall and a small pile ash on the floor. Azerick climbed the steps of the dais and took his rightful place on the throne. The great chair dwarfed his human body and he shifted about uncomfortably. He focused his will and took on Klaraxis’ natural form.

  Azerick sighed contentedly. “Ah, that’s better.”

  THE END

  A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

  I hope you enjoyed this tale and will try my other works. Feel free to look me up on Facebook! You can also check me out on my blog at http://brockdeskins.blogspot.com. I post release dates, answer questions, and occasionally release some new covers for my books! Feel free to use it or follow the email link on my blog to inform me of any editing errors you find.