The yellow cast filled his eyes again, and with sudden speed, he reached to grab her.
Laniel’s staff cracked him on the back of his head, and he crumpled to the ground. “Forgive me, my friend,” he said, “but you are not yourself.”
“Bilkarian.” Renda’s voice nearly failed her. “You did not kill him.”
Laniel shook his head.
She was not sure whether she felt relief or disappointment, and the ambiguity filled her with guilt. “Is it because you think he can win?” Having asked, she was not certain she wanted to hear the answer.
He picked the sheriff up easily, like a sleeping child. “Say rather, I hope he can win. We have seen Qorlin defeat the poison of the ha’guaka. Perhaps Lord Daerwin can defeat…this. But I admit, I am not hopeful.”
She nodded and dried her tears. With her father no longer able to command, the duty to keep the duke safe and finish their mission fell to her. She drew herself up and breathed out a shaky sigh.
“We have much to consider, my Lady. In the meantime, I will keep your father safely asleep, and hope it likewise keeps the demonic essence within him asleep. ”
“Very well,” she nodded. Then she turned and trudged back toward her knights, assuming the face and manner of command. They would break camp after sunrise, and they would at last reach Byrandia. Until then, she would try to rest her body even if her mind screamed in terror at what the future might bring.
* * *
Dith sat quietly watching the early gray light take on hints of blue and purple. His head hurt, and his nose had not stopped bleeding since the battle.
He felt Gikka’s hand on his shoulder, her telltale long nail held carefully away from his skin. He reached up and touched her hand, and she sat beside him.
“How is it with you, love,” she asked, looking deep into his eyes. She brushed away the drop of blood that seeped from his nostril. “You’ve not dropped a word, not even as Renda and the duke called conference of us all, as to what that was.”
He nodded.
“Damerien says what you fought in that dead thing was no god. It were not…” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “the Dhanani one, Xorden, the one as Renda and her father fought in the glade.”
“A god? No, but certainly he fancies himself worthy.”
He shook his head. “No, it was just a mage. And he ran.”
“Just a mage. Yes, I suppose in the end, we are each and every one, ‘just a mage.’”
“The best I can tell you,” Dith added, “is that he tried to undo my existence and failed.”
She looked at him worriedly. “Can he do that? Simply unmake a man to his very soul?”
Dith laughed wearily and wiped at his nose again. “He was quite surprised to discover that, at least in my case, he could not.” He stretched the aches out of his legs. “And so he fled.”
“He was no more but so, just a mage who ran away, after all that with taking over a dead body and trying to undo you.” She looked at him, a hint of disappointment in her features. “I cannot think it went so lightly. Come, what really happened?”
“My love, if there was more to it, I would say. But it did not look like anything, and surely not anything that would make sense to you,” Dith said, kissing her hand. “I cannot tell you of great splashes of fire or flashes of lightning. I cannot describe to you exactly what he saw that terrified him so, not in any way you would understand, but he ran.”
“Wittister magic enveloping a vortex in the probabilities is a little hard to describe.”
Especially if Wittister magic was not really enveloping the vortex.
“You mean to say…?”
Dith smiled to himself. If you cannot bend the probability one way, a wise man once said, you must bend it another. He had not tried to make it look like Wittister magic crept through the vortex since he could not possibly guess how it would look to the other mage. He had simply bent the likelihood that the other would see the signs of Wittister magic, which was easier than he had had any right to expect since the other was aware of Wittister mages nearby and feared them.
Gikka sighed. “Well, an you say it’s done, it’s done. A relief, it is, at that. Had it been Xorden, we might not be here to speak of it. We’ve no gods to our side, save you summon up Rjeinar again, and I’m not sure even He could stand toe to toe with the other just now. Certainly not against Him and all those demon generals besides.” She stood. “We’re away as soon after daybreak as possible and into Byrandia at last.” She picked up the ugly rock that sat beside him and handed it to him. “Best make ready.”
“Aye, love.”
The white horse, flank now marked with great green smears of unguent over the cuts left by the demon general, walked toward the east in the predawn gloom, his rider easing him gently over the grasses on the open sandy plain, and stopped.
Strong dark-skinned arms, one encircled with a gold storyskin, lifted a Dhanani blade high in defiance. The sun’s fang gnashed at the blade, defeated again. For the first time, Chul Ka-Dree and his mount had met the sun together, flashing the first Dhanani sunfire into Byrandia in four thousand years. And for the first time, he uttered the name of his Dhanani warhorse, a name of ancient power and one he knew no other Dhanani could ever speak because it was in the Old Voice.
“Ke Dran.” Unflagging courage.
Glossary
Absinthe (A. absinthium) Bitter fermented abstract of wormwood, used as nerve poison.
Aidan Dhanani healer, serves Anado of the Hunt.
Alandro Renda’s brindle stallion, Brannagh Horse-at-Arms.
Anado of the Hunt Dhanani god of the hunt and mercy.
Anatayans One of two aboriginal tribes on Syon, known for having little concept of past or future and a great distrust of magic.
Ano- Prefix meaning “antidote for,” used with poisons.
Arnard B’radikite Priest.
Art Pure magic, also any magical art.
Av’dagnoch Bremondine insult, untranslatable. Nearest equivalent is malignant pustule or disease riddled carrion.
Bakti Chief of the Dhanani tribes. Full name: Bakti Ka-Durga Ba-Vinda.
Beridien One of Gikka’s many identities, wanted dead or alive in Durlindale.
Bernold of Avondale, Sir Knight of Wirthing who kidnapped Pegrine and sold her to Cilder.
Bilkar the Furred Bremondine god of winter, survival, self-sufficiency.
Borowain, Sheriff of Brannagh Known as the Peacekeeper. Died 3324.
Boticlan (C. celeritanium) Also called “Mercy.” Swift, painless shock poison frequently used in suicides.
Botrain Farmer, co-leader of the villagers.
Brada, Duke of Damerien Called the Restorer. Son of Vilmar, father of Trocu. Died 3862.
B’radik Syonese goddess of enlightenment and truth.
Brannagh The sheriff’s castle and lands. Also the sheriff’s knights.
Brannford Large seaport city on the east coast of Syon.
Bremondine Central forest north of Brannagh lands, also the forest people.
Byrandia The continent east of Syon, ruled by King Cragen.
Cardon, Sheriff of Brannagh Called the Ruthless. Ended the first Bremondine Hadrian War. Died 1712.
Chul Vaccar’s son, exiled Dhanani. Full name: Chul Ka-Dree.
Cilder Bishop of B’radik
Colaris Lord Daerwin’s prize harrier hawk.
Corin, Earl of Wirthing Leader of the Knights of Wirthing, ally to Brannagh.
Crimson Lioness Renda’s order of knights.
Crocus, Autumn (C. autumnale) Seeds and corms used to treat gout.
Cuvien the Torturess Bremondine goddess of suffering, pain, catharsis.
Daerwin, Sheriff of Brannagh Leader of the Knights of Brannagh and the Resistance during the war. Father of Roquandor and Renda, son of Vilmar Damerien.
Damerien The duke’s family name, also Castle Damerien.
Damping Mantle Cloak worn by B’radik’s high clergy to protect the faithful
from Her radiance.
Dhanani One of two aboriginal tribes on Syon.
Didian Syonese god of weather, chaos, that which defies prediction.
Dilkon, Sheriff of Brannagh Ended the Dhanani-Anatayan War. Died 2682.
Dith the Merciless Also called the Impenitent, the Blasphemer. Sorcerer, hero of the Five Hundred Years War.
Doucetels (S. doucetelia) Small white flowers of the Sweet Savon tree, used in funerals for virgins and children, occasionally seen in royal weddings.
Dragon of Damerien Symbol of the House of Damerien, one of many nicknames given to the first duke.
Durlindale Large mining market town southwest of the Hodrache Range.
Farras Large city west of the Fraugham Mountains.
Feast of Didian The first day of warm weather, spring.
Finnig of Estrella, Sir Knight of Wirthing.
Fiona One of the keepers.
First Breath The daily challenge to the sun, the morning ritual of Dhanani warriors.
First Rite Ritual to pledge a child to B’radik’s service and to the knighthood.
Five Hundred Years’ War Struggle between the House of Damerien and Kadak the Tyrant for rule of Syon, 3324 to 3862.
Fraugham Mountains Mineral rich central mountains that cut through the Bremondine forests, object of many Bremondine-Hadrian wars.
Galorin Most famous sorcerer in Syon history, allied to the Liberator.
Garamonde Gikka’s lands and mines, also Garamonde Hall.
Gikka of Garamonde Squire to Lady Renda, reformed thief and assassin.
Glaiben Hadrian god of gems, goldsmithing, wealth, generosity
Glasada Bremondine dance for the Feast of Bilkar, modeled, so the story goes, on the careful and agile steps of a person crossing ice. Also the name of Dith’s horse.
Glynnis of Brannagh, Lady Lord Daerwin’s wife, mother of Roquandor and Renda.
Graetna A demonic spy dog used by Kadak.
Greta Brannagh kitchen mistress.
Hadrians A pale race of miners who inhabit the northern mountains of Syon. Also Hodrachians, derived from the Bremondine Hodrachnov.
Ha’guaka Long ax-like weapon with spikes on one side and a blade on the other, usually poisoned, used by Kadak’s demon guards.
Hero Roquandor’s sorrel stallion, Brannagh Horse-at-Arms.
Hodrachnad Bremondine word for Hadrian or Hodrachnian (archaic form).
Hodrache Range High volcanic mountains far to the north.
Ildar, Duke of Damerien The Great Liberator, first ruler of Syon.
Invaders All those outside the Dhanani and Anatayan tribes.
Jath Damerien stable boy.
Javelin Dog Large, swift rodent used by the Dhanani in javelin training.
Jurfaele A fine Hadrian alcoholic brew.
Kadak the Tyrant Called the Evil, the Destroyer, the Ravager. De facto ruler of Syon from 3324 until his overthrow in 3862.
Kadeta Ancient Dhanani goddess of motherhood, protection and combat.
Kanet Syonese god of fertility, the harvest.
Keepers A band of renegade mages sworn to protect the duke.
Kerrick of Windale Knight of Brannagh, son of Taynor, Viscount of Windale.
Kharkara Plains Flatlands northwest of the Bremondine forests, home to the Dhanani.
Laniel Abbot of the Abbey of Bilkar
Lexius, Sheriff of Brannagh First Sheriff of Brannagh, died 935.
Liberator Also, Great Liberator, Ildar, the first duke of Damerien who liberated Syon from Byrandian rule.
Limigar Hadrian child god of misfortune, mischief, bad luck, especially in mining.
Maddock Tanner from Belen, village leader.
Marketday The last day of the Gathering, also the first day of the Bremondine Feast of Bilkar.
Maze Winding Farras slums, Renda’s base of operations during the war.
Mohoro of the Underground Dhanani god of the underground, that which lies hidden.
Montor Hadrian town at the southern edge of the Hodrache Range.
Nara Nun of the Order of B’radik, Pegrine’s nursemaid.
Nekraba Dhanani goddess of the dead, change. Keeps the sun as a pet.
Nestor Damerien retainer, one of the duke’s Keepers.
Noti Ancient Dhanani god of entropy, decay and nihilism.
Order of B’radik Nuns who serve the goddess of truth and enlightenment, usually as teachers.
Pegrine Renda’s niece, daughter of her dead brother, Roquandor.
Pildaro Ancient Dhanani god of conquest and warfare.
Proagh Bremondine term for cousin, but used to denote any deep kinship or lifelong friendship. Also, va’ar Proagh: Dear cousin. Feminine: Pro’chna
Pyran Northermost port city on Syon, east of the Hodrache Range.
Recivalesche Hadrian term for all the temples, metropolitans, cathedrals, monasteries and convents belonging to a single [Hadrian] god or goddess; a god’s kingdom.
Remiar, Sheriff of Brannagh Defeated an attempted coup against Damerien. Died 1058.
Renda of Brannagh, Lady Heroine of the Five Hundred Years War.
Revien Lord Daerwin’s black stallion, Brannagh Horse-At-Arms.
Rjeinar Hadrian god of revenge, justice.
Roquandor Called the Handsome. Renda’s brother, Knight of Brannagh. Pegrine’s father. Died in 3858.
Saramore, Sir Knight of Brannagh, known for his hardiness and valor.
Sedrik Valet to Lord Daerwin, man at arms.
Snowberries (R. consecrate) Rare white berries used in gravesites, thought to poison desecrators.
Storyskin Gold leather sleeve embroidered with stories of a Dhanani’s victories.
Syon Subcontinent ruled by Damerien.
Tremondy Barony of Tremondy southeast of the Hodrache Range, also the House of Tremondy.
Trocu, Duke of Damerien Son of Brada.
Vaccar Chul’s father. Full name: Vaccar Ka-Nira Ba-Dree.
Valmerous Cardinal of Vilkadnazor the Unshod.
Verdura Northern Bremondines, often tricksters and fortune tellers.
Verva Copita Delicate mountain fern from which is derived a strong sedative with few side effects
Verge of Anado Dhanani ruler’s quarterstaff, symbol of the united Dhanani tribes.
Verilion Syonese god of death, peace.
Verinara (R. verinarus) Poison used in Rjeinarian ritual vengeance, gathered from verinara leaves and bark.
Vilkadnazor the Unshod Hadrian god of charity and poverty, social order.
Vilmar, Duke of Damerien Ruler of all Syon, grandfather to Renda, father of Lord Daerwin.
Vringo (G. scoliatus vricola) Deodorizing root, used in Hadrian soaps.
Xindraga A flail-like Dhanani weapon with a forty-foot chain, used from horseback.
Xorden Ancient Dhanani god of political acumen, power, manipulation.
Zinion Gikka’s stallion, son of Revien and a Bremondine mare. Brannagh Horse-At-Arms.
About the Author
For some people, it's the sight of a mountain they haven't climbed. For others, it's all about seeing a stretch of road they haven't run. For me, there's nothing more wonderful or terrifying in this world than a blank page, whether it's an actual sheet of paper or a new file in my editor. "I dare you!" it says. "Go on, then, say something! Assert a truth, give life to someone extraordinary! Create a world!”
Terrifying, as I say. So I spent many years NOT being a writer, NOT rising to that challenge. I suppose I can call those my Hemingway years, spent doing everything BUT writing. I was a symphony cellist and a software engineer, I was an actor and director for the stage and a filmmaker. But my greatest joy still came from writing. There is no greater thrill for a playwright than to see actors bring her characters to life and for an audience to fall in love with them just as she fell in love with them in the writing. It was that thrill that got me to return to writing novels full time.
I currently live in North Carolina with my partner and my cats. When I'm no
t working (and my editor isn't looking), I run, practice aikido, play computer games and remodel my hundred year old house.
To learn more about Jordan or the land of Syon, check out www.jordanmaclean.com
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Table of Contents
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Glossary
About the Author
Guardian Last (Lords of Syon Saga Book 2) Page 45
