by Matt Heppe
“Akinos seeks dominion. He will say and do anything to get it. He uses Helna’s Gift to create those silver monsters to do his bidding.”
“He wants more than that," Hadde replied. "He wants to transform us all into eternals.”
“What?” Morin frowned and withdrew his hand from her face.
“He wants everyone in the world to become eternal, but he doesn’t have the power to do it. He wants Prince Handrin to do it for him.”
“Akinos is mad.” Morin settled back in his chair. “How can he think such a thing possible?”
“He thinks he has used the Orb to the extent he can. He thinks only a true elementar can wield it to its fullest potential. The Orb’s power is amazing, Morin. I touched it.”
Morin leaned close. “You did? Tell me.”
“It was indescribable. Perfect.”
“What happened when you touched it?”
“Golden light surrounded me. I was frozen by the pleasure of it.”
“Why didn’t you take it from him?”
“What? Take it? I never thought to. And I couldn’t have if I wanted to.”
“You are kind and generous and trusting, and I love you for your innocence. But, you had the Orb of Creation in your hand. You are too trusting. Akinos is using you.”
“You weren’t there,” she said. “I wish I could explain it better. And maybe you’re right and I’m too trusting, but there wasn’t anything evil in the touch of the Orb.”
“I wonder,” Morin said. “I wonder if he will let me touch it and see for myself.”
Chapter Twenty-three
That evening a dozen Eternal Knights escorted Hadde and Morin from their room into the tent’s huge central chamber. Sunlight played across the roof’s multi-hued panels and lit the room below with a soft light. Four tall tent-poles supported the structure, forming the corners of a square reception hall. Brightly patterned rugs filled the area on the ground between the poles. At the edge of the closest rug sat two high-backed wooden chairs.
The eternals filed silently past, forming a semi-circle behind Hadde and Morin. She glanced at him, but he stared impassively at the far side of the chamber. His customary grin was missing.
“Morin—”
“Look.”
Curtains were drawn aside, and four giant capcaun strode into the room carrying a chaise on their shoulders. There sat Akinos on a lacquered wooden throne, the Orb of Creation clutched in his hand. Brilliant golden light shone from it.
Morin drew in his breath.
The capcaun, clad in armor of golden scales, marched onto the rugs and easily lowered Akinos’s chair to the floor. From behind them appeared a dozen Eternal Knights, all in purest white bearing the symbol of the golden Orb upon their tabards. The knights spread out, completing the circle of eternals. The four giants drew great golden-headed maces from their belts and faced outward from Akinos’s chair.
“Akinos bids welcome to Morin, Prince of Salador,” Akinos said. “And to you too, Hadde of Landomere. Please be seated.” He motioned to the two chairs. “Is there anything you need?”
“Nothing, thank you,” Hadde replied. Morin shook his head.
“Hadde, it pleases Akinos to see thee once again. Prince Morin, Akinos is glad to have finally made thine acquaintance.”
“The circumstances are not exactly as I would have chosen,” Morin replied, his voice light. Despite his efforts, Hadde heard the tension in it.
“Understandable. But it is Akinos’s hope to change thine opinion of him. He wishes to prove to thee that he is not the evil creature thou hast been taught.”
“I think your task is nearly complete, Akinos,” Morin said. “Hadde spoke to me at great length today. She was quite convincing. She told me of your meeting and I have great faith in her judgment.”
Hadde's heart thudded in her chest. What was Morin thinking? She knew he was lying to Akinos, but what did he hope to gain? How could he think he might possibly gain the Orb with so many of Akinos’s minions so close?
“That is most pleasing,” Akinos said, smiling at her. “We have the same goals, all of us. We wish to end the pain and suffering of this world. We wish an end to the Wasting.”
“Hadde told me you wish to save us by making us all eternal.” Morin waved his hand at the knights surrounding them. “And I can see the logic in that.”
“A perfect world, a world without desire, without want, is within our reach.” Akinos leaned forward in his chair. “But Akinos cannot do it without thee, Prince Morin. Thou shalt lead us to redemption.”
“I can't say I completely embrace all that you’ve done,” Morin said. “What of the varcolac, and these giants? What is their purpose?”
Akinos sighed. “For centuries Akinos labored to perfect the human race. The capcaun, or giants as you call them, were the first of his efforts. How easy he thought it was when he finished. They are men and women, like you and Hadde, but in all ways superior. Greater in size, and strength, intelligence, and emotion. How proud Akinos was.”
Hadde stared at one of the capcaun as Akinos spoke. The giant stood, unmoving, his arms across his body, the gleaming mace at the ready. His face, partially obscured by his helm, was unreadable.
“But Akinos had failed. The children of the capcaun are the urias. They are large and strong, but their physical form is flawed and their minds are brutish. They are obedient and hard-working, but they are not… well, they are not the capcaun. The capcaun with Akinos now are the last, and youngest, of those he transformed. When they are gone there will be no more of their kind. And, sadly, the children of the urias are urias, but weaker yet. Akinos loves them dearly, as do the capcaun, but they are not perfect.”
“Nobody can be perfect,” Hadde said. “It’s part of being human.”
“Thou art wrong.” He waved a finger at her as if scolding a child. “Akinos came a step closer when he created the varcolac. With the varcolac he did not focus on size, but on… intensity. Akinos wanted to create humans who were, like the capcaun, stronger and more durable than other mortals. He also wanted to give them minds that were more focused… more able to concentrate.”
Akinos grimaced and took a deep breath before continuing. “But they are flawed as well,” he said. “The varcolac are ruled by their passions. They are berserk with emotion. Ah, Akinos was so close! The varcolac are wonderful, blessed children, but when their passions get hold of them there is little that can control them. But ultimately Akinos succeeded. The human race has found perfection in the eternals. They are the salvation of us all.”
“And to accomplish your mission, the transformation of the world, you need the strength of true elementars,” Morin said.
Akinos smiled. “Akinos needs a successor, one with the innate strength of magic that he lacks. And, he fears, in order to achieve what he dreams of, he must die. When Akinos hands the Orb to his successor, five hundred years will fall upon him all at once.”
“And you wish for Crown Prince Handrin to be your successor?”
“He has the strength. And he is young enough that he has not been overly corrupted.”
“And for me and my brother?”
“Thou shalt support Handrin in his endeavors to create an eternal world. A perfect world.”
Morin nodded as if convinced. Hadde glanced at the circle of eternals and the four massive capcaun. Morin couldn’t fight them all. She wished she knew what he had in mind.
“One last question,” Morin said. “How can I trust you? How can I be certain you aren’t simply seeking dominion over the world?”
“Thou wouldst like proof?”
“I would.”
“Then Akinos shall give it unto thee. He will permit thee to peer into his soul. Akinos will prove himself to thee, just as he proved himself to Hadde of Landomere. He will let thee touch the Orb of Creation.”
Hadde glanced at Morin to see his reaction to Akinos’s offer, but she couldn’t read his expression. His lips formed a tight line and there was te
nsion in his eyes. He shifted his weight as if to stand, but Akinos halted him with an upraised hand.
“Akinos places one condition on thee, Prince Morin. If thou lookest into the Orb and see it is what Akinos hath promised, thou shalt swear fealty unto him.”
Morin paused only a moment before standing. “If I see what you’ve promised, and what Hadde has described, I’ll do as you ask.”
Hadde clutched the arms of her chair. She couldn’t imagine that Morin would submit so easily. She knew he wouldn’t. Morin was going to do what had never crossed her mind. He would steal the Orb.
“Then come, Prince Morin. Behold the Orb of Creation.”
Morin took a deep breath. He walked forward, his back rigid and his hands fisted at his sides. Hadde wished she could be in Morin’s place so that she could touch the Orb again. She swallowed as Morin’s hand reached for the glowing sphere.
The air crackled.
An explosion of brilliant light threw her from her chair to the floor. The force knocked the wind out of her, but the rugs cushioned her from harm. Wind whipped through the tent and the air hummed with power. Eternal Knights raced past her with naked blades.
“Stop!” Akinos shouted. The power of his voice caused the tent to shudder. The eternals froze a few strides from Morin, their weapons poised to strike.
Morin and Akinos stared at one other, seemingly frozen in place. Morin’s hand quivered a hand’s-breadth from the Orb. An argent tongue of flame connected his hand to it. A golden nimbus surrounded the two men.
“Withdraw,” Akinos said, his voice full of strength, “or Akinos will destroy you.”
Hadde stared at Morin. He wasn’t truly frozen. His body twisted as his muscles strained against invisible bonds.
“Stop, Morin,” Akinos intoned. “You do not have the strength to steal the Orb. Akinos does not want to kill you.”
Morin’s face grimaced in agony as his hand inched toward the Orb. Hadde pulled her legs under her and was about to spring to his aid when an eternal grasped her arm. “You cannot help him,” the knight said.
She grabbed at the eternal’s silver hand and the strength suddenly seeped from her body. His fingers might as well have been made of stone. “He’s in pain,” she said, gasping.
“The pain does not last.”
The wind stopped and the light dimmed. Hadde turned back to the throne. The silver flame connecting Morin and the Orb had disappeared, but the aura still surrounded him. The tension went out of his body.
“If thou summonest thine magic Akinos will destroy thee. Dost thou understand?”
“I do,” Morin replied. He fell to his knees and partially supported his weight with one hand on the floor. The aura disappeared.
“Akinos pities thee, Morin. He pities thine lack of trust. Thine lack of faith. Now stand—reach out and touch the Orb.”
Morin warily got to his feet. He reached toward the Orb of Creation and froze the moment his fingertips touched its surface.
“Dost thou feel Helna’s grace, Morin?” Akinos asked. “Dost thou feel the hand of the Creator?”
“I…”
“Thou dost not, because thou art resisting it.”
“You ask too much.” There was anguish in Morin’s voice. “I cannot surrender myself to you.”
“Morin, thou hast nothing to fear.” Akinos’s voice softened. “Hadde of Landomere, thou hast felt the Orb, hast thou not?”
“I have,” she responded from where she knelt. The eternal still held her arm.
“Didst thou resist it?”
“No, I didn’t think to.”
“Didst any harm come unto thee?”
“No.” She thought desperately for some way to aid Morin. He was in need and she was helpless. Why did Akinos want Morin to accept the Orb? Why not just touch him with it? She glanced at one of the silver-skinned eternals and it came to her. Seremar had said it. He had accepted Akinos’s touch. Becoming eternal had to be voluntary.
“Hadde, does Morin have aught to fear?”
She drew a breath to shout a warning when the eternal holding her touched her cheek. Golden warmth engulfed her. The pleasure of Helna’s grace paralyzed her. The eternal was with her, in her mind. But this time it wasn’t Akinos’s benevolent aura.
“Tell Morin he has nothing to fear,” the eternal said.
“No!” Hadde pushed against the presence in her mind. “Get out!” For a moment she felt the eternal recoil.
“You’re strong,” he said, surprise in his voice.
Hadde flinched in pain as the eternal clawed back into her mind. “Now do it! Tell him he has nothing to fear.”
She gathered herself to resist, but this time the eternal was prepared. The power of his presence smashed through her mental guards and she succumbed.
“There is…nothing…to fear,” she said. She tried to choke off the words, but it was impossible. The eternal forced them out of her. “The Orb…it is good. I wish…I wish I could…touch it again.”
Akinos laughed a jolly, happy laugh. “Thou shalt, Hadde. In good time.” He leaned closer to Morin. “Do not resist the Orb. Akinos can feel your magic. Akinos wishes you no harm. Hadde felt the goodness of the Orb and it did no harm unto her. Thou fearest becoming powerless? Thou fearest lack of control? Let go of it! Let go of fear, Morin!”
“It isn’t that easy,” Morin replied. The words seemed to cause him pain.
Hadde struggled against the weight crushing down upon her mind. She wanted to break free but the eternal held her too tightly.
“Morin, if Akinos wanted you dead, you would be. He could strike you down at this very moment. Free thine self from the fear that cripples thee. Open thine self. Trust Akinos as you trust in Hadde.”
Morin nodded. “Hadde, is it true?” He stared into the Orb. “Can I trust Akinos?”
She threw herself against the shadow that controlled her mind, fighting to drive the eternal out. For a moment he seemed to give way, and then his will crushed hers.
The eternals turned their silver eyes upon her, as did Akinos. “It is good,” she heard her voice say. “Everything about it…is good. Its touch filled me…its touch filled me with warmth. With healing warmth and with love.”
“Do not resist it, Morin,” Akinos said quietly. “Let it engulf you. Let it become you.” Morin’s shoulders lowered as the tension left his body. The Orb pulsed faster. Hadde felt waves of heat wash over her.
“Morin, dost thou feel the strength of the Orb of Creation? Dost thou feel how it sustains thee?” Akinos asked.
“I do.”
“Dost thou feel the goodness of Helna’s Grace?”
“Yes.” Morin’s skin began to glow as silver rays split the golden aura surrounding him.
“Dost thou always want the strength and the sustenance of the Orb with thee?”
“I… I do.” His voice sounded distant.
Hadde reeled as the eternal released her mind. Gasping, she looked up to see silver veins spread through Morin’s skin. “What are you doing to him?” she shouted at Akinos.
Neither Akinos nor Morin responded. Hadde tried to pull away from the Eternal Knight holding her, but he wouldn’t let go. She struck at his wrist, but it was hopeless.
When she looked back at Morin she cried out in fear. The skin on his face and hands cracked and split. As human flesh disappeared, liquid silver replaced it.
“Morin!” she screamed.
“He cannot hear you,” the eternal said.
“Morin, dost thou swear fealty unto the Orb of Creation?” Akinos intoned. “Dost thou swear to protect it and to serve it?”
“I do,” Morin replied.
“Dost thou swear it now and through eternity?”
“No, Morin, don’t!” Hadde yelled, but it was too late.
“I do,” Morin replied. As soon as the words left his mouth he cried out in agony and fell. Golden fire engulfed his body and the silver veins covering his skin disappeared as he turned completely black.
&
nbsp; Hadde screamed in rage and lunged toward him, but she was held fast by the eternal behind her. Morin lay still on the floor. The golden fire vanished as Akinos collapsed into his chair. The gathered eternals looked expectantly at Morin’s still form. Hadde slumped against the legs of the knight behind her.
Morin’s skin slowly lightened, the black fading to gray. Then silver streaked the gray. Hadde wanted to turn away but couldn’t pull her gaze from his transformation. “What have you done?” she cried out. Hadde pulled forward and the eternal holding her let go. She ran to Morin and cradled his head in her arms. “Morin, can you hear me?”
He opened his eyes and Hadde recoiled in horror. They were silver. No iris, pupil, or whites. Unblinking eyes gazed up at her.
“I’m here. Don’t be afraid,” he said. The voice was weak, but it was Morin’s.
She looked up at Akinos. “What have you done to him?”
“Akinos has given him the greatest gift imaginable. He is eternal. Tell her, Morin. How dost thou feel?”
“I feel life. Power.”
Hadde stared down at him. She still cradled his head in her arms. Silver veins broadened and formed patches on his skin. It wouldn’t be long.
“Thou art the last of Akinos’s children, Morin. He lacks the strength to create more. Our salvation will come at the hands of another. Dost thou understand Akinos’s mission? Dost thou understand what he wishes to accomplish?”
“I do.” Morin’s voice grew stronger. His flesh gleamed, untainted by any blemish. The light of the Orb reflected in rainbow hues that swirled across his silver skin.
He sat up and held his hands in front of his face, flexing his fingers. “I see it now. You’ll save us all.”
Morin smiled at Hadde and then suddenly sprang up, lifting her to her feet as easily as he would have lifted a child. “It’s true. Akinos is our salvation.”
She stared into his unreadable eyes. Was it really Morin? His features were unchanged, but there was no expression. No emotion.
He touched her face with his hand and she felt an instant thrill of pleasure. Power surged through her. Morin’s flesh and the Orb were one and the same.
