And suddenly, she stood before him, claws out and tail whipping. One pair of claws tore through his ruined garments and his flesh and this time Uldyssian could not entirely heal those wounds. He wanted to fall over, but knew he could not.
His hand caught her wrist just before the second pair of claws would have raked his throat. He twisted Lilith around and threw her high into the air toward the statue of Bala. Lilith struck the top hard, cracking the head off.
But even as the huge chunk of marble crashed to the floor, the demoness vanished, reappearing behind Uldyssian. Both her hands thrust forward, seeking his spine.
However, Uldyssian had already sensed where she planned to materialize and so turned before that. He seized her hands in his own, clamping them together before sliding down to take the wrists tight.
“It ends now, Lilith,” he stated flatly.
A rumbling arose, one that shook the entire temple. Those followers of the cult who were still conscious and able to move began fleeing through the exits. They had no more reason to stay, after all. There was no sign of the true Primus, and Lilith had at last been revealed as their manipulator.
“Now dear, sweet Uldyssian—”
She got no further. A huge, marble hand grasped her, pulling her arms to the side and against her body. She squirmed and wriggled, but could neither vanish nor escape. Uldyssian dared not permit that to happen again.
His breathing grew more ragged. This had to be done quickly. Uldyssian even had his doubts that he would be able to save himself, but that would be a small price to pay.
The hand pulled the demoness high above him. Another joined it, grasping over the first. The two remaining statues had the demoness imprisoned.
“It ends now,” Uldyssian repeated to her.
Lilith bowed her head in defeat…and more than a dozen of the quills that were her tresses shot forth.
Already teetering, Uldyssian allowed his powers to guide him. Almost of its own accord, his hand came up. A golden light formed in front of him.
Borrowing from the evil of her brother, Uldyssian sent the quills back. Lilith could do nothing. Wherever she was visible, they pierced her scaled hide. Two in her stomach, three in her chest, more in her shoulders. Even her throat.
A green ichor splattered the statues’ hands. Lilith let out a gurgling gasp, yet even then she still did not perish.
“My sweet Uldyssian…” the demoness called out. “Think what you’ll do without my…my embraces…”
His expression did not change. “I already do.”
A fierce tremor shook the temple. Many of the Triune had already fled, but others still fought their way out. What neither they nor those who had already left had yet to realize was that all outer entrances had been sealed off.
“Do you recall the last time we were in such a place, Lilith?” he managed to say without once pausing for a desperately needed breath. “Do you remember?”
She said nothing, but her eyes burned with hatred. Her tail weaved back and forth, a sign to Uldyssian that, despite her own condition, she was very much a danger yet.
“The last time, it was only by the strongest will on my part that the building held long enough for my people to escape.”
By now, he could hear some of those beyond the chamber shouting and clamoring for anyone to let them out of the temple. They would shout to no avail. Uldyssian had made certain that no one could come to their aid.
He took a very deep breath. “Now, even if it’s the last thing I can manage, I’m going to bring this one down.”
The rumbling magnified a thousandfold. Veins spread like fire over all the walls, the ceiling, and even the marble floor. Great chunks started to fall.
“Goodbye, Lilith. For the very last time.”
She hissed.
Her tail, stretching impossibly, reached all the way down to snare him. Caught unaware, Uldyssian fell on his back.
But his own spell had already come to fruition. The entire roof—and all three towers, Uldyssian knew—collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of tons of stone and wood fell upon the chamber and all else. The shrieks of the faithful momentarily outdid even the roar of the collapse.
Lilith, too, shrieked, as Bala and Dialon tumbled into one another…and on top of her in the process. Her tail unwound from around Uldyssian, flopping madly before vanishing into the rubble left in the wake of the demoness’s destruction.
Uldyssian could pay no more mind to her fate. He struggled only to keep himself alive. Even as marble pieces ten and twenty times his size sought to crush him, he fought with all he could to keep a shield all around him.
But the stone kept pressing and pressing and Lilith’s deeds had sapped him of more strength than he had let on to her. The effort of bringing down the gigantic structure was too much. Uldyssian felt the stone pushing closer, tighter—
And then…the pressure eased. Uldyssian took advantage of that easing, straining to make his shield stronger, larger. Despite his body screaming to let it lie there, he shoved himself to his knees, then, when that worked, to his feet.
Only then did it come to him that, other than the dust, the collapse was over.
The ruins lay sprawled for as far as he could see. The dust made it impossible to know more about the destruction he had caused, but Uldyssian sensed a wave of emotions coming from the north. The capital, just beyond his physical view, had felt the collapse and now, no doubt, saw the cloud rising above to obscure the stars. It would not take long for riders to come out to see what had happened. The mage clans likely already knew.
Uldyssian’s legs almost gave way. Fearful that he would leave matters incomplete, he quickly surveyed the area for any living sign of Lilith. After a moment, he sensed her trace some distance from him…a trace that faded away as Uldyssian monitored it.
She was dead.
It was over.
The son of Diomedes let out a sigh…and fell. As he did, his fading mind wished that somehow he could return to the others. That was all that mattered, returning to them.
And so you shall…came the voice of Trag’Oul. And so you shall…
Twenty-Three
There had been many losses, but many more lived who should not have. Mendeln and Serenthia saw to the comfort of all the edyrem, feeling that, in Uldyssian’s absence, they should do whatever they could.
Despite the blood, despite the losses, there was an aura of joy among those there. They had vanquished their enemies. The few Peace Warders and priests to survive had fled into the deep jungles, their wills broken. They had nowhere to go, for everyone had felt the sudden destruction of the great temple. Jonas, climbing up a tree, claimed to have seen a dark cloud obscuring part of the sky in that direction. Daylight was coming soon, but no one needed to verify his claim…for suddenly Uldyssian himself was back among them.
Although Uldyssian appeared alone, Mendeln knew that the dragon had lent his brother aid in the return, a second startling act by a being who insisted on complete secrecy when it came to his existence. Truly, Mendeln thought then, the Balance must have seen the good need for Uldyssian.
He and Serenthia came to Uldyssian’s side. The merchant’s daughter brought Mendeln’s brother something to drink. Uldyssian nodded his thanks, then, when he had taken as much as he could, he eyed the two and said, “You know?”
“Yes…” answered Mendeln. “You are free of her.”
But Uldyssian shook his head. “Never.” He suddenly looked around. “Achilios?”
It was Serenthia who responded to this. “He was here…and then he was gone. None of us saw when he left.”
Mendeln remained quiet.
Nodding, Uldyssian reached for a helping hand. With their assistance, he stood. Around the trio, the edyrem—summoned silently by Uldyssian—gathered.
“The Triune is crushed,” he stated bluntly. There still existed some minor temples, but the cult had depended upon the main temple for their influence. Well aware now how things worked, Uldyssian knew that w
hat little remained would fade away.
“The Triune is crushed…and now the Cathedral awaits.”
No one cheered. No one lamented. They accepted both parts as fact, nothing more. Whatever Uldyssian wanted of them, they would do their best to achieve.
“Clear the dead away and send to me the wounded,” he next ordered. “Then, everyone sleeps.” As they left to obey, Uldyssian looked at his brother. His eyes went to the wounded arm.
An arm Mendeln again wore whole.
“It shall be explained,” replied the younger brother.
“The dragon?”
“Rathma.”
Nodding, Uldyssian asked, “Will they help us more? Or is it just us, again?”
Mendeln considered before answering. “I believe that they have seen that they must. I believe that the scales tip in favor of our needs. The Balance will demand it of them, just as it demands much of us.”
That satisfied Uldyssian, even if all his brother had said was not exactly clear to him. “Then, tomorrow we march.”
Both his brother and Serenthia bowed their heads in agreement.
“Tomorrow,” they repeated.
With that Uldyssian turned to help his people, but although his face showed only pride and concern for those who had followed him…it was the face of Lilith that would burn forevermore in his mind.
And in that, at least, the demoness had triumphed.
Rathma materialized atop the rubble that had been the temple. He had come to determine the truth as to whether or not his mother was actually dead. More than most, Rathma knew Lilith to be a cunning vixen. She might fool Uldyssian into believing her no more, but he did not believe that she could do so with her own son.
Yet as he looked over the ruins, he found nothing more than the mortal had. Rathma located where Lilith should have been buried and when he probed, he found a still corpse. Not much was left of it and by the time this land was cleared—assuming that Sanctuary would still exist—there would be nothing recognizable as inhuman.
“So it is very much farewell this time,” he murmured. “I would say I am sorry, Mother…but we know the truth.”
With that, he disappeared. There was no time to mourn the dead, especially the dead who did not deserve it. Rathma had other concerns.
He still had a father, after all…
He was gone. She had fooled even her ungrateful wretch of a child. Despite her horrific wounds, Lilith managed a smile.
The body that he and Uldyssian believed hers had been that of a minor priestess. Lilith had managed to save herself at the very last moment; then, with her will pushed to its limits to shield her, the demoness had managed to crawl free of the devastation. Still, even she was willing to admit to herself that it had been luck for her to survive, much less keep the two from noticing her.
But Lilith would turn that luck back in her favor. She would regain her strength and this time she would repay Uldyssian and his companions with the most insidious tortures. Even her son would learn what it was to earn her wrath—
A shadow fell across her…a shadow that made the demoness start, for she had sensed nothing. Yet, Lilith knew exactly to whom that shadow belonged.
She tried to move, tried to escape…but his power held her fast.
“Release me!” Lilith hissed. “Release me…Inarius!”
AFTER I HAVE DONE SO MUCH TO SAVE YOU?
“Save me? Ha!” But even as she sought to deny it, the demoness realized that he spoke the truth. All her good fortune made terrible sense. Lilith had believed herself responsible, but no…
The angel stood above her in all his glory. Lilith both hated and desired him. YES, SAVED YOU, MY ONCE LOVE! I DID PROMISE, THOSE MANY CENTURIES AGO, THAT I WOULD NEVER STRIKE YOU DOWN NOR LET ANOTHER DO SO!
Yet, he had done even worse, in her opinion. Lilith vividly recalled the emptiness, the void in which she had been sentenced until her fortunate escape.
Hissing, the demoness tried to attack, but it was like a fly seeking to batter a horse. Inarius dismissed her weakened assaults as less than nothing.
I WOULD NOT EVEN LET OUR OFFSPRING FIND YOU, FOR HE WOULD HAVE FELT OBLIGATED TO FINISH WHAT THE HUMAN THOUGHT DONE! The hood shook back and forth. NO CHILD SHOULD SLAY HIS MOTHER, NO MATTER HOW UNGRATEFUL THAT CHILD NOR HOW EVIL THAT MOTHER…NO, IT IS ONLY I, ALWAYS, WHO MUST METE OUT JUSTICE WHERE YOU ARE CONCERNED…JUSTICE WITHOUT DEATH, OF COURSE, AS I PROMISED!
“S-Spare me your sermons—”
AS YOU WISH. Inarius raised one palm. In it formed a gleaming sphere so transparent that it was almost invisible.
The demoness’s expression turned to horror. “No! Inarius! Don’t—”
But in the next second, Lilith floated inside the tiny sphere, her size reduced accordingly.
I HAVE REMEDIED WHAT WAS DONE INADEQUATELY BEFORE, the winged being said without emotion. THE MISTAKE SHALL NOT BE REPEATED. GOODBYE, MY ONCE LOVE.
She spat at him although the sphere prevented it from having any result. “You think Sanctuary yours? You see what this human has wrought! He’ll bring you down, too, Inarius!”
HE WILL NOT, FOR IT IS THROUGH MY EFFORTS THAT HE HAS DONE YOU IN. Before she could argue more, Inarius added, FAREWELL, MY ONCE LOVE…FAREWELL…
Lilith screamed and cursed, but her voice—as well as she—grew tinier and tinier. The sphere became a marble, then the size of a pea.
And then, for all mortal purposes, shrank so tiny as to become nothing.
CONSIDER YOUR FATE FORTUNATE, MY ONCE LOVE, Inarius said to the emptiness. CONSIDER IT FORTUNATE, COMPARED WITH THAT AWAITING THE MORTALS WHO WOULD DARE THINK THEMSELVES MORE THAN THEY ARE! He spread his astonishing wings wide and took to the air, staying above the wreckage of the temple only long enough to peer in the direction of the mortal, Uldyssian ul-Diomed, and his naive supporters.
THEY WILL FIND OUT THAT NOTHING HAS GONE ON THAT I HAVE NOT COMMANDED…BUT THEY, LIKE YOU, WILL FIND THAT OUT ALL TOO LATE…
And with that, he soared off, unseen, to his sanctum, to decide the fate of his world.
The Sin War
Continues in
The Veiled Prophet
www.SimonandSchuster.com This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
© 2007 by Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Diablo and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the properties of their respective owners.
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For all my readers serving in the
Armed Forces—the true heroes.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
About the Author
Prologue
…And with the destruction of the main Temple of the Triune and the vanishing of its master, Uldyssian, son of Diomedes, and his edyrem then spread across the land, purging the last major traces of that sect. The flames of justice and vengeance burned bright together to devour much of what remained of the Cult of the Three.
But there still stood the Cathedral of Light, and in the vacuum left wherever the Triune had once preached, there came the missionaries of the Prophet. Never did they confront the edyrem, but ever were they there afterward to help rebuild and give relief.
Focused on his growing powers and certain that the Cathedral could not stand against the righteousness of his cause, Uldyssian blinded himself to what he considered such menial efforts. Having fought zealots and demons, he did not understand the subtle works of the angel, Inarius, who was known to the masses as the handsome, youthful leader of the sect. Even the dragon Trag’Oul and Inarius’s own estranged son, the nephalem, Rathma, were ignorant of the angel’s aid to their struggle against the Triune.
But if that was their sin, then so was it also Inarius’s, for he failed to realize that others had taken notice of the struggle for the soul of the world called Sanctuary…others who might desire to take for themselves the prize, or choose instead to destroy everything.
And no one, not even the veiled Prophet or Uldyssian himself yet understood just what the son of Diomedes was gradually becoming….
From the Books of Kalan
Twelfth Tome, First Leaf
One
The man in the middle of the pentagram shrieked as Zorun Tzin deftly used his magic to peel away another area of skin. The patch, a tidy three inches by three, methodically rolled back without hesitation. It left in its wake a bleeding gap that revealed the muscle and sinew underneath. Streaks of blood flowed from the gap down the naked figure’s body to add to that already decorating the floor.
The gaunt, bearded mage was not at all bothered by the splatters on the stones. They would be gathered later for other uses having nothing to do with the dark-skinned Kehjani’s current interest. The Council of Clans had managed to cease their feuds long enough to implore him to discover what he could about the fanatics pouring across the land, fanatics with powers unbelievable.
Diablo: The Sin War Box Set: Birthright, Scales of the Serpent, and The Veiled Prophet Page 63
