The Balance of Power (Godsland Series: Books Four, Five, and Six)

by Rathbone, Brian

  Every globe was retrieved in the lull after the attack; the runners did nothing else. With speed and efficiency, they were back within the shelter of the shields before the remaining demons and soldiers regained their senses. From the ships charged a new volley, and that alone might be enough to secure an unlikely victory. Sinjin had no time to react to the fact that he recognized Kendra within the ranks of the runners; how she had come to be there was a mystery, but he had no time for conjecture.

  By the time the crossbows were loaded, the dark-haired girl had regained her feet and stood at the center of the destruction. Her armies were in tatters, and already many of her dragons were dead; she was defeated, yet she didn't look the part. Defiant, she strutted forward, her arm raised and her fist extended. A fierce wind blew back the smoke and cleared the air, making the girl easy to see. She was plainly dressed in what looked more like boy's clothes, and it was clear that she'd been through a great deal. Sinjin wondered what could have led her to such a place, but she would accept no empathy from him, that was clear. Within her eyes raged a maddened fire that spoke of unyielding conviction, and few things were as dangerous as unyielding conviction.

  "I will not let you beat me!" the girl shouted through her tears.

  Sinjin wanted to console this girl, wanted her to understand that they were not enemies. He could see in her face and posture that her heart was broken, and despite his greatest desire, there was nothing he could do to fix it.

  Then she did the most terrible thing imaginable. She reached into the land and turned it into a weapon. It was not the soil she called upon, but everything that lived within. And she did not ask these creatures for their service; she yanked them from where they hid and hurled them over the row of shields. Snakes, lizards, scorpions, stinging insects, spiders, mites, and a host of others lashed out at whatever was nearby. Screams erupted from within the ranks. This girl was subverting nature itself. Sinjin realized how great the extent when he saw wolves loping from the trees. They would be beset from both sides.

  Trinda also saw the attacks coming, and Sinjin could see the word forming on her lips. He wanted to shout, to tell her no, but he was too late. "Fire!" she shouted.

  The second volley raced toward where the girl stood tall. Sinjin watched the fiery globes race toward her before slowing. They were doomed; the girl would use their own potent attack against them. Something happened then that defied explanation. A dark shape burst from the tree line, driven by the wolves and other animals sent to attack the combined forces gathered there. Low and sleek, this shape continued, avoiding man and wolf and heading straight for the girl. She still held the globes in the air over her head, and she looked as if she would lob them back at any moment until she saw the shape approaching. For an instant Sinjin thought the girl would blast the poor creature out of existence, but something changed in her expression. Was that recognition?

  The shape slowed then and approached the girl with its trembling body hugging the ground. What Sinjin saw was a sizable but terrified cat. The girl stood motionless, caught between two worlds, caught between two selves; Sinjin could see the struggle on her face. The herald globes slowly drifted down and gently came to rest in the sand around her, illuminating her and the cat for all to see. Tears fell to the sand. After closing the last distance between them, the cat tentatively head-butted her leg.

  A mournful wail formed on the girl's lips, and it cast a spell of silence on the rest of the world. Regret, remorse, pain, and longing all mixed together and brought tears to all who heard it. The cat stood on its hind legs and pressed its head into her hand, and she scratched behind its ears as if by reflex. Movement in Sinjin's periphery caught his attention. An old man limped out of the trees. The wolves and other creatures were already dispersing and paid him no mind, nor he they. He limped slowly but with single-minded purpose onto the battlefield and toward the girl and the cat.

  "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?" he asked.

  The girl turned upon hearing the words and sobbed when she saw him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

  The man looked as if he would say something more, but the girl didn't give him a chance; instead, she reached down and picked up the cat before turning and running back into the desert, back toward the jungle, and Sinjin could not believe his eyes.

  The old man turned to him and shook his head. "I do believe that girl just stole my cat."

  Epilogue

  Beneath the Terhilian Lovers met the Council of the Known Lands, a newly formed body meant to foster peace in the world. Sinjin looked at those around the huge table, which had been flown in for the occasion, and he could imagine no more unlikely allies.

  "The girl's a good kid," Thundegar Rheams said during his testimony. "She lost everything she had, and I think she just snapped. That cat gave her something to hold on to, something to believe in. Before anyone goes in there after her, I'd ask you to think about that." The conviction in his words spoke as strongly as the tears rimming his eyes.

  "I make a motion to declare peace with Allette Kilbor," Jharmin Kyte said, "until such a time as she initiates hostile action."

  "I second the motion," Trinda Hollis, the child queen, said. Afterward she cast Sinjin a look that said, I, too, deserve forgiveness."

  She had a point. Sinjin gave her a smile and a nod.

  "All in favor say aye," the lord chancellor said.

  The provisions had been mostly agreed upon months prior to the meeting, but it was a relief to have them formalized.

  "Within my power as lord chancellor of the Heights," he continued, "I do commit all resources, including our dragons and their riders, to the defense and support of the Council of the Known Lands, which shall meet here biannually to reconfirm this commitment."

  Sinjin tried to imagine what the world look like now that they were all connected and could communicate with each other. Already trade relationships were forming, and there was talk of a common message delivery system. Change was a certainty.

  "As lord of Wolfhold, I, Jharmin Kyte, do commit all my resources and power to the cause of the Council of the Known Lands."

  Sinjin smiled; his uncle wasn't one to overburden a subject.

  "I, Trinda Hollis, guardian of Dragonhold, do commit all my resources toward the defense and support of the council, but I must retain the sovereignty of my hold, for that is my charge. I welcome trade but I must reserve the right to refuse entrance in the absence of sufficient cause."

  Sinjin tried to forgive her, but she had certainly duped him, and he couldn't help the sting. And now she would risk the treaty by denying him access to her hold.

  "We've all heard the argument," Nat Dersinger said, not sounding much happier than when he'd committed his resources to the cause. "I personally object, but I'll not stand in the way of a vote."

  "I make the motion to grant the lady the right to sovereignty unless this body deems necessary," Sinjin said, surprising even himself.

  Trinda cast him a hurt look.

  "I second the motion," Lissa Kyte said. Sinjin tried not to stare at her. They still hadn't officially met, which was no accident.

  The Midlands and Madra of Far Massing committed themselves without qualification, and Sinjin knew this was the beginning of a new age. Kendra sat beside him, but he tried not to look at her either. One wrong move could get him decked, and that wasn't the image he wanted to project to the council. She was a fiery woman, of that there could be no doubt. Her appearance on the battlefield had been a complete shock, and though Sinjin was sorry to hear of her mother's demise, he was grateful it had allowed her to come back to him.

  Never would he have guessed that she would bond with the second clutch. This was in ways even more of an honor than being in the first clutch. What Kendra and her clutchmates had were proof that regal dragons were a viable species and could reproduce on their own. There had been much worry that regal eggs would be sterile, but Gerhonda, Kendra's dragon, had proven them all wrong when she hatched.

/>   Sinjin smiled at the memory of telling her how he had bonded Valterius and the look on her face when the same thing worked for her. Seeing Kendra with her dragon never ceased to put a smile on Sinjin's face; passion and life had returned to her eyes.

  "In the massive power granted to me as someone cast into the Cloud Forest to die, I, Thundegar Rheams, do commit my considerable resources to the Council of the Known Lands. Oh, and if you do happen to run across the girl, tell her I'd appreciate having my cat back. I rather liked that cat."

  * * *

  Life at Windhold suited Sinjin, and he began to feel more at peace. There were questions that might never be answered, but he accepted some of the mystery. Rebuilding their lives, fortifying Windhold, and maintaining their newly established responsibilities were challenges that kept him busy and kept his mind from darker thoughts. Still some things nagged at him; he could go all day and not think about the past, but as he laid himself down for sleep at night, those fears and memories visited themselves upon him.

  On this day he needed to deliver a message to Nat Dersinger. A distasteful task, perhaps, but the time alone with Valterius was worth it. Flying had become more and more natural to Sinjin, and he found that he no longer minded the sudden movements. Just like his grandfather had told him about horses, you could usually see the next move coming if you watched the body language; it had just taken a while for Sinjin to learn the language. Now he could lean in to turns and work with his dragon instead of responding after the fact.

  Valterius had been unusually placid for this entire day, and Sinjin wondered if perhaps his dragon was simply happy to be with him as well. It seemed less likely when Valterius flew over the Falcon Isles and never slowed, ignoring Sinjin's request to land and do what they had come there for--at least what he had come there for. His dragon, it seemed, had other ideas. Knowing how much work awaited him at Windhold, Sinjin couldn't hide his annoyance. Valterius ignored him.

  The longer they flew, the more concerned Sinjin became. Surely he could trust Valterius by now, but Kendra would worry if he didn't return when he'd said he would, and that was a sure way to get decked. Still Valterius flew and Sinjin let his anxieties go. Somehow, no matter what, everything would be all right. That feeling lasted until Sinjin saw a spire of black stone rising from deep water. There was nothing else for leagues in any direction, and he knew this must be where Valterius wanted to go. The place looked ancient, and he could see no doorways, windows, or other openings. Valterius circled over the ominous spire, and there appeared to be no way to get in from the top either. Crying out, Valterius continued to circle.

  For a long moment, nothing happened. Then the seas around the spire started to roil. Some force sent water flying away from the stone tower, and a gap opened in the waves. Deeper the gap grew as more and more water was cast aside, revealing a gaping hole in the side of the black keep. Sinjin wanted nothing to do with that quick route to death, but Valterius was making the decisions, and he trimmed his wings, sending them into a steep dive, as he seemed to do any time Sinjin opened his mouth to object.

  The waves continued to yield to the unknown force, and Valterius swooped into the darkness. Once within, he immediately changed direction and shot straight up. Not terribly far above, he alighted on a stone roost that seemed to have been custom made for just such a purpose. Water rushed back in to fill the keep below them, and Sinjin knew the keep was sealed along with his fate. There would be no escape unless whatever it was that had let him in decided to also let him go.

  Valterius turned his head and looked at Sinjin as if to say, Get off. Sinjin had seen that look before. After unbuckling himself, Sinjin slid down to the stone and took a moment to stretch his sore legs and back. He often told Valterius that dragons made lousy furniture. The regal dragon looked at him as if her were daft then pushed him toward the massive stair leading from the chamber.

  Realizing there was no sense in delaying the inevitable, Sinjin climbed the wide stair, feeling insignificant amid the scale of the architecture. He couldn't help but wonder how and why anyone would have constructed such a place, and who or what might live there. After crossing what seemed a too-large landing, Sinjin saw something very unexpected. Plush carpets lined the wide halls, and row after row of shelves held books of all description. An oversized fire filled a gaping hearth, and elaborately carved sofas and chairs awaited nearby where the air was just the right temperature.

  Trees grew amid the carpeted halls, and freshly fallen fruit lay uneaten. Light filtered down from above, and Sinjin wondered what could be the source. He'd seen no openings in the roof of the place, yet it felt like the light of the sun on his face. Another staircase spiraled up from that room, and Sinjin was shocked to see a mighty stag standing on the masterfully cut stairs. Part of him wanted to see where the stairs led, but something pulled him forward; perhaps it was the sound of running water. Regardless, he found himself moving in that direction.

  Around a bend he found the source of the sound; within a chamber whose ceiling was lined with moss-covered stone was what looked like a wading pool, like someplace one might expect to see a fountain. There was no fountain, but there was a figure sitting there with its back to Sinjin. He approached slowly, despite knowing that he had been allowed to enter by whomever this was.

  Then the figure stood and turned and pulled back the hood of her robes. Clear, translucent hair fell alongside a beautiful face, one that Sinjin could never forget.

  "I'm sorry," Catrin said.

  Sinjin was dumfounded and stood in mute shock.

  "I'm sorry you grieved for me. It was the only way I believed I could save you. Only by making the ferals believe I was dead could I give you a chance at life, and look at what you've done for yourself!"

  Sinjin tried for a moment to understand how she could know what he had or hadn't done.

  "Please, sit with me."

  Doing as his mother asked, Sinjin tried to figure out if he was livid, grateful, happy, or all those feelings at once.

  "I've done what I can to help you and to nudge events in the right direction."

  Even that justification fell flat.

  "Kyrien knew of this place," his mother continued. "It was among the only places where the ferals wouldn't be able to find me. Fortunately, it's a well-kept secret."

  "Getting in and out is no treat," Sinjin grumbled and Catrin laughed. Hearing that laugh lightened his soul, and he couldn't stay angry with her for long. Doing what he should have done the instant he saw her, Sinjin wrapped her in an embrace and refused to let go. "Don't ever do that to me again," he said, giving her an extra squeeze. He noticed when she sat that she favored her right leg.

  "It only hurts when it's wet outside," she said in response to his look, and he couldn't help but laugh.

  After sitting back down beside the pool, Sinjin noticed for the first time the tree that grew closest to the pool, it was little more than a sapling, but it bore two deep green leaves encase in crystals.

  "A gift," his mother said.

  It was then that Sinjin really looked at the pool. What had looked like a simple fish pond changed as he gazed within. He began to think of Dragonhold, and within the fountain, the Godfist came into view. It was unmistakable from above. A glance at his mother revealed her grin. "It's one of the seven great magics of the last age," she said.

  "Seven magics?"

  "This is the Well of Sight," his mother said, and just hearing her voice restored him. "The Staff of Life is another, and the Statues of Terhilian are considered one. The Keystones you've seen as well; they allow communication over great distances."

  "That's only four," Sinjin said, and his mother nodded.

  "Some mysteries, my son, still remain."

  About the Author

  Born in Salem, New Jersey, Brian spent much of his childhood on the family farm, where his family raised and trained Standardbred racehorses. Brian lives with his wife, Tracey, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Brian loves to conne
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