The Eye of Luvelles

by Phillip Jones

  Geylyn lowered his head. “What would you ask of me?”

  Meanwhile, Ancients Sovereign

  The Hall of Judgment

  Lasidious addressed the gods. “I’ve called you here to establish the rules for retrieving the third piece of the Crystal Moon.”

  “Where’s Celestria?” Mosley interrupted, taking note of the goddess’ absence.

  “She’s coming. Don’t worry yourself about such things, Mosley. We have much to discuss about the continuation of our game. The third piece of the Crystal Moon has been hidden.”

  Yaloom responded. “Our game? We haven’t played your game for many Peaks now.” The God of Greed stood and adjusted his burgundy shirt. As he did, his rings that were filled with assorted gems complemented the cloth. He moved to a more powerful position behind his chair and placed his hands on its back. “You haven’t given us any information about the next piece of the crystal’s whereabouts for more than 100 Peaks.”

  Of all the gods in the room, Lasidious hated Yaloom the most. “As always, you’ve managed to annoy me, Yaloom. But despite your aggravating attributes, your team has managed to capture the first two pieces of the Crystal Moon. If you succeed in retrieving this third piece, the worlds will fall under evil’s control.”

  Mosley stopped licking himself long enough to interject again. “I imagine this conversation will include the location of the crystal?”

  Lasidious looked at the wolf and winked. “It may. I haven’t decided yet, my friend. First, we need to discuss the rules.”

  The Book of Immortality floated over and lowered onto the table. He had a mug that was filled with freshly-squeezed nasha in his hand.

  Now, fellow soul ... allow me to explain what nasha was. This pear shaped fruit only existed on Ancients Sovereign. It could be harvested from the Collective’s version of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil—similar to the one used by the gods of Earth when populating that world, only this tree had an additional benefit. Nasha fruit was also capable of restoring life.

  Gabriel took a drink and swished the liquid around inside his rosy cheeks. “It’s your game, Lasidious. I’d love to hear the rules that you would ask us to play by.”

  “As would I,” Mosley confirmed.

  Lasidious took a deep breath. “Each team will need to pick one being to go after this third piece of the Crystal Moon. This being can be anyone on the lower two worlds, but they cannot be one of the three brothers in control of Luvelles. There’s no need to start another war over the crystal’s whereabouts.”

  The Mischievous One leaned back and put his feet on the table. “Of course, we need to live by the laws that are written on Gabriel’s pages and observe the sacred right that all mortals have free will, but other than that, there are no more rules. You now have the moments necessary to determine your choice. I will call another meeting to divulge the crystal’s location.”

  “Why not tell us now?” Yaloom snapped.

  Mosley shook his furry head. “Because you want him to. He’s doing this to anger you.”

  Lasidious watched Yaloom reclaim his seat in a huff before he turned his attention to the rest of the gods. “Are there any other questions?”

  “Yes!” Yaloom barked. “Where are the first two pieces of the crystal ... the ones George collected on Grayham? And where is he now? And why haven’t the pieces been put back inside the temple on Grayham?”

  Mosley responded before Lasidious could. “George is on Luvelles, and so is Kepler.”

  “How do you know this?” Yaloom demanded. “How could George be on Luvelles?”

  Mosley snorted his disdain for the god’s ignorance. “George is a most clever leader of his pack. Perhaps you should ask Lasidious the same question.”

  Yaloom redirected his stare. “Well?”

  Lasidious crossed his feet on top of the table and then leaned back in his chair. After putting his hands behind his head, he responded. “I have no idea how he got to Luvelles. Perhaps you should ask him that question. Better yet, ask Brayson Id. I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t know he was on Luvelles. I’ve been looking for him since the war on Grayham began.” The Mischievous One redirected his gaze. “Mosley, are you sure that’s where George is?”

  Yaloom rolled his eyes and listened to the wolf’s response.

  “I heard Sam question Kepler’s brothers before he ended Koffler. I heard Keller tell Sam that George and Kepler left for Luvelles and caught a ride with the Merchant Angels.”

  Lasidious continued his ruse. “I wonder how he made that happen? Perhaps one of us should speak with the Head Master.”

  “I shall speak with Brayson,” Alistar responded. “I would very much like to know this answer.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Mieonus added, “since Brayson serves me.”

  Lasidious leaned forward and clapped his hands. “There’s always a fool who’s willing to serve you, isn’t there, Mieonus?”

  Before the goddess could reply, Lasidious raised his voice. “So ... are there any other questions regarding the retrieval of this next piece?”

  Though annoyed, Mieonus’ response was brief. “Your rules seem simple enough.” The goddess stood, adjusted her bosom to a more ample position within her royal-purple gown and then crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “Are we finished here?”

  Alistar also stood, “I just want to confirm what you’ve said. We can choose anyone, as long as it’s not one of the brothers, or anyone from Harvestom, Trollcom or Dragonia.”

  “That’s what I said,” Lasidious confirmed. “You can only choose beings from the lower two worlds, and you cannot choose the brothers.”

  “Anyone ... no matter what?” Bailem, the God of the Sun, interjected.

  “Yes, no matter what,” the Mischievous One affirmed.

  Alistar looked at Mosley. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “I am. We need to take a trip to Brandor. But we should give it a Peak or two. Shalee has lost her cub.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful!” Mieonus cheered. “I’m glad the baby passed. Shalee has far too much potential to be bothered by something as trivial as motherhood. It’s the best thing for her, really.”

  Mosley growled as he lowered to the floor, “I disagree!”

  The goddess smiled. “Come now ... let’s not let our differences of opinion spoil my moments, wolf. I wish to savor the thought of her pain.”

  Mosley shook his head in disgust. “You’re the most annoying being I’ve ever met.”

  Before the Goddess of Hate could respond, Celestria appeared in front of the group. “It’s finished, my love. The third piece of crystal has been hidden.”

  The goddess had cleaned the moss and filth of the swamp off of her dress—all except a small spot on the bottom, toward the back of her gown.

  From where the goddess appeared, only Mosley noticed. The wolf lifted off the floor and walked around her. As he did, his keen sense of smell took note of the unique aroma. The wolf then nodded his head and the spot disappeared.

  Mosley put his front paws up on the edge of the table. “Lasidious, I shall be waiting for your disclosure of the crystal’s location. Until then, I request that those on my team meet at my den. We have plans to make.” The wolf adjusted his gaze. “Celestria, as always, it has been nice to see you. Perhaps we shall have ample moments to speak on some other Peak.” With that, Mosley vanished.

  “He did not give me the chance to respond.” Celestria chuckled and then took a seat. “How are the rest of you?”

  The members of the wolf’s team acknowledged her presence and then vanished. Yaloom’s team was all that was left.

  Lasidious looked at Yaloom. “I can’t believe Mieonus would allow you to retake control of your team. Your last display of leadership was void of any form of real thought. I have no doubt you’ll waste this opportunity as well. Vexatious is as vexatious does.”

  Yaloom grumbled, “Hmpf, I can handle this with ease. You underestimate my ability.”
>
  “I doubt it. Face it, Yaloom, you’re an idiot. I would wager that you’re dumbfounded. Your team has no idea whom they’ll choose. But that doesn’t surprise me. I would’ve expected as much, considering your inability to lead your team to an informed decision. I’m sure you’ll—”

  Yaloom cut the Mischievous One off. “Lasidious, you’ve made this an easy choice. We shall choose George, your pet creation.”

  As soon as Yaloom finished speaking, the Book of Immortality lifted from the table and sent a brutal wave of power that flew across the table and smashed into the God of Greed’s chest. The deity was thrown backward and crashed into the marble wall. His body hit so hard that his spine cracked as he fell to the floor.

  Gabriel floated overtop of Yaloom and relieved the screaming god’s pain. Once his cries subsided, the Book spoke. “Your words have broken the Rule of Fromalla. You are now a mortal being. You’ll no longer be allowed to stay on Ancients Sovereign. This will be the last series of moments your eyes will bear witness to the glory that is this world.”

  Yaloom began to sob. He realized what he had done.

  The others, however, were astounded and confused. They began to shout questions.

  Mieonus, on the other hand, knew full well the promise Yaloom had broken. She was present in the Royal Theatre of Brandor the Peak that Sam disemboweled Double D. It was on that Peak that Lasidious, Mosley, Yaloom and the goddess entered into the pact of Fromalla.

  Now, fellow soul ... in case you have forgotten, Fromalla was a rule, or rather, a law that was voted into existence by the gods and written on the pages of the Book of Immortality. It was created due to the overwhelming lack of trust that was growing within the Collective after the God Wars ended. Though the gods had fought at each others’ sides, a battle of a new kind started once the wars were over. Each deity needed followers to increase their power when the worlds were populated. While building this group of worshippers, the gods would reveal each other’s secrets to undermine each others’ campaigns.

  It was Bassorine, the late God of War, who called a meeting where he suggested they vote to pass the Rule of Fromalla. The law was long and covered most any angle, but it basically meant—if two or more gods shared a secret under Fromalla, they could not divulge the information disclosed within the pact to any of the others who were not present without penalty of being made mortal.

  The Book of Immortality was made responsible for enforcing this rule. It did not matter if the slip of information was subtle or accidental—the rule was clear—information shared under the Rule of Fromalla was sacred.

  Mieonus held her hand up to silence her team, “There’s nothing to question. I was there when Fromalla was invoked. Yaloom has broken our sacred law. From now on, I shall lead our team. Let’s meet at Yaloom’s old abode. I claim it as my own.”

  Mieonus turned her attention to the fallen god. “No offense, but I’m not sad to see you go, Yaloom. You did us all a favor. We no longer have to deal with your incompetence. I’m so going to enjoy my new home. I’ve always envied the way the water runs through it. Now it is mine.”

  Yaloom screamed, “This isn’t over! I’ll have my revenge, Mieonus!”

  Lasidious walked over, leaned down and smiled. His eyes turned red and his teeth to sharpened, fine points. He hissed with an evil that made those in the room tremble. “Oh, but it is over! You’ve lived more than 930,000 seasons. In a few Peaks from now, you’ll be nothing more than a pile of dust. No one will remember your name once I personally see to it that every trace of your existence has been erased from the worlds.”

  Lasidious stood and took Celestria by the hand. The last thing the Mischievous One heard before he teleported them home was Yaloom’s sobbing.

  Mieonus dismissed herself. “I trust I’ll see the rest of you in my new home shortly.” She vanished, leaving behind an echo of laughter. Moments later, the rest of Mieonus’ team disappeared without even saying goodbye to the fallen god.

  The Book of Immortality looked down at Yaloom. “How could you make such a mindless mistake?”

  Yaloom looked up and found the Book’s eyes. “You’ve got to help me, Gabriel. You have enough power to control the gods. Please forgive me, and allow me to stay. I’ll give you anything. I’ll even serve you.”

  The Book’s response was cold. “What’s done is done. Where would you like to live out the rest of your Peaks? I suggest you choose wisely since they’ll be short.” A disgusted look appeared on the Book’s face. “According to the laws on my pages, you’re to be granted one final request. What will it be?”

  Yaloom thought for a long series of moments. Eventually, a smile appeared on his face. “I still have a significant amount of power, despite being stripped of my immortality. I also have my memories. I may not be able to seek vengeance in this life, but I can steal my soul from your pages and seek revenge in another.”

  The Book lowered to a height level with Yaloom’s eyes. “I assure you, once I have your soul inside your designated page, it shall remain there until the moment arrives for your rebirth.” The Book crossed his arms. “You have failed to answer my questions. What is your final request, and where would you like to live out the rest of your Peaks?”

  Yaloom thought for a moment on how to articulate his request. “I would like you to harness what is left of my power and the memories that I shall list. Put them into a vial in the form of a potion. I wish to be taken to Sam’s throne room on Southern Grayham and left with this vial in my possession.”

  The Book frowned. “Yet again, the Collective has failed to implement laws to govern another matter of great significance.”

  Yaloom’s eyes darkened as his smile spread. “Yes, but the law states that you must grant my final request as long as I do not ask for the return of my immortality. You must give this to me, and you cannot tell the others what I’ve done.”

  Gabriel sighed. “List your memories, and then I’ll take you to Brandor.”

  The World of Luvelles

  The Kingdom of Lavan

  Just East of Crystal Lake

  Gage stood on a hillside, looking down at the village that he hoped to make his new home. This can’t be it, he thought. It looks abandoned. The structures are uninhabitable.

  But it was not his displeasure with the condition of the village that made the badger nervous and sick to his stomach. He knew that without the permission of the Ultorian King, he would not be allowed to stay. His only option was to make his descent to the beach of Crystal Lake at nightfall. This was when the Ultorians would leave their underwater city to come ashore.

  The badger tapped his cane against a rock near his foot. I hope I haven’t made a mistake.

  Ancients Sovereign

  Lasidious and Celestria’s Home

  “Do you think Mosley saw the stain on your gown?” Lasidious questioned as he sat near the green flames that burned inside their cube-shaped fireplace.

  Celestria took a seat in her lover’s lap, “It appears the residue on my dress is gone. I wasn’t the one who removed it, so I would wager the wolf saw our clue and got rid of it before the others could notice.”

  Lasidious smiled as he removed a flower from the vase sitting on top of the table. He caressed Celestria’s cheek with its petals, and after a soft kiss was exchanged, he responded. “You’ve got to love that wolf. He’s perceptive. But can you believe Yaloom’s idiocy? How could he make such a mistake? I knew he wasn’t the cleverest of minds, but to be made mortal over something as trivial as a poor choice of words is ridiculous.”

  The goddess purred as she bit the top of the Mischievous One’s ear. “Yaloom wanted to use your creation against you, my pet. He wanted to rub George in your face to get a reaction. It appears you were under his skin even more than you anticipated. Now we can forget about this part of our plan and move forward. I’m just glad it’s over. He would’ve only complicated things.”

  Celestria took a moment to glow in her enjoyment of Yaloom’s demise. “I kno
w we spoke of getting rid of him, but I never imagined it would happen without working for it. I just love it when they do our dirty work for us, my sweet.”

  Lasidious could only smile. “As you know, Gabriel won’t be able to draw from either Yaloom or Bassorine’s power when the moment comes to stand against us. Whomever the Book chooses to replace Yaloom will be far weaker beings. This bodes well for us. We have only one more inconvenience to purge. Are we still in agreement that with him out of the way, we’ll be able to draw from Garrin’s power to hold the Book under our control?”

  “We are.”

  “Then we just need to give Garrin the moments necessary to mature.”

  “Yes. It’ll be delightful to watch his power develop, my love.”

  Lasidious enjoyed the thought. He took a deep breath and then chuckled. “There’s one other matter that we need to discuss. I believe Mosley and Alistar are going to choose Shalee to go after the crystal since her power has grown so quickly. This is an unexpected twist we should use to our advantage.”

  “Agreed,” Celestria confirmed. “Let’s plow the road before her feet. I’m sure she’ll follow it to the crystal. Do you think you can convince her to abandon her morality?” The goddess moved to stand before the green flames of their fireplace and then rolled her hands overtop of one another. “I do hope she chooses a darker path.”

  Lasidious tapped his fingers against the table. “Shalee is bitter after the loss of her child. She’s vulnerable. There’s no better series of moments to tempt her than now.” The Mischievous One changed the subject. “Whom did you find to hold the crystal for us ... someone that’ll be grateful, I hope.”

  Celestria oozed. “Oh yes, and he’s gorgeous, my pet. His name is Geylyn Jesthrene. He’s a hunter from Hyperia. Geylyn was quite debonair, and he handled himself like a true gentleman ... even inside Grogger’s belly. He addressed me in a proper manner. I gave him the crystal and fixed his wonderful head of hair.”