Meanwhile, Southern Grayham
The Entrance to the Cave of Sorrow
When George appeared with the Brayson outside the Cave of Sorrow, Celestria was sitting on Kroger’s gigantic, stone lap. The goddess had cleaned the debris off the ogre that had accumulated over the last season. Her legs were crossed, and she was leaning against the beast-man’s belly.
“Good morning, Celestria,” George said as he removed his hand from Brayson’s shoulder. Taking note of the goddess’ black leather pants, red blouse and red leather boots, he added, “You look amazing on this Peak. Lasidious is an idiot for turning his back on you.”
“I agree,” the Head Master added. “You look stunning.”
Celestria leaned forward. “Thank you, but Lasidious is an idiot for betraying us all ... not just me.” The goddess teleported off of Kroger’s lap and appeared on the ground. “It’s up to us to teach Lasidious a lesson.”
Nodding, George bent over and picked up the piece of the Staff of Petrifaction that had been jammed under the ogre’s fingernail on the Peak the warlock accidentally turned the beast-man to stone. “Brayson is still wrapping his mind around Lasidious being the bad guy. It wasn’t long ago that I convinced him to serve Lasidious’ lying ass. Hell ... with Brayson’s help, I convinced the majority of Western Luvelles and a large portion of Southern Grayham to worship the bastard.”
Using the sliver, George tapped its end against the nub of the ogre’s broken arm. “I don’t know about Brayson, but I’m tired of serving gods who constantly betray my confidence.”
Brayson cut in, speaking to George. “What assurances do we have that she won’t do the same?” He focused on Celestria. “I mean no disrespect, Goddess, but how do we know you speak the truth? How do we know you won’t betray us as Lasidious has?”
The Goddess of Beasts smiled. “There’s nothing I could say at this moment to ease your mind. You must do what your heart believes is right.” She looked toward the trees that lined the top of the pass. “I don’t require the beings on this world or any other to worship me.”
“Then what do you require?” Brayson queried.
The goddess dropped her gaze and found the Head Master’s eyes. “I require nothing. I’m seeking vengeance for Lasidious’ betrayal, and as you know, that is not the only reason I’m here.”
Brayson nodded. “Yes. You’ve claimed that Garrin is your son.”
“I claim nothing!” Celestria snapped. “I speak the truth!” She paused to collect herself. “Please forgive me. The boy is of my womb. I wouldn’t lie about that.”
Brayson frowned. “Even if that’s true, the depth of the gods’ manipulations has no bounds. I no longer believe in anything the gods teach or say, and I’ll never pray again. My faith could never be restored to the point that I could utter a god’s name without doubt filling my mind.”
Celestria reached forward and placed her right hand on Brayson’s left shoulder. “I cannot fault you for your loss of faith. Any man’s beliefs would suffer after what you’ve learned.” She paused and then redirected the conversation. “Rest assured, Brayson, none of this is George’s fault. Mieonus and Lasidious manipulated him ... just as you’ve been manipulated. How could he have known the truth that I was Garrin’s mother when the child was placed in your family. Even his mind was manipulated.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Brayson responded.
“How could you?” The goddess turned to walk away. After a few paces, she reclaimed Brayson’s eyes. “Garrin is my son whether you believe it or not. You may not be able to reclaim your belief in the gods, but you can still find it in your heart to believe in a mother’s love, can you not?”
Brayson took a moment to ponder the goddess’ question. “I suppose it makes sense that even the gods need love. Knowing what I know now, I believe the gods are just as flawed as I am. The only thing that separates you from us is the extent of your power.”
Celestria chuckled. “Oh ... my dearest Brayson, I adore you, and I also adore your ignorance. I wouldn’t be so quick to make assumptions if I was you. There’s so much more that separates us than my ability to control the arts.”
“Here we go,” George inserted. “I can sense a lengthy explanation coming.”
The goddess nodded. “Indeed.” She reclaimed Brayson’s eyes. “As a mortal, you employ magic like a tool. You channel it through your being, and over the seasons, you’ve learned to master the outcome of how you intend to use it.”
Brayson crossed his arms. “How’s that different from the way you employ the arts? My father taught me that magic is not prejudiced and treats every being the same.”
A large smile spread across Celestria’s face. “I hate to be the one to disagree, but your father was wrong.” With the Head Master waiting for her to continue, the goddess took a moment to search for the best way to explain. “Allow me to say it this way. Throughout your life of more than 700 seasons, you’ve simply employed the uses of magic, whereas I, throughout my existence of 392,471 seasons, have been, and always will be, the essence of magic. I am a magical being. I do not summon it, nor do I employ its uses. Magic exists because I and the other gods exist. We are the beginning, but we are not the end.”
Brayson shook his head. “I don’t understand. If you’re not the end, what is?”
“A wonderful question. First, I will say, if the gods were to cease to exist, magic would not perish with us ... despite us being its essence.”
“How’s that possible?” Brayson urged. “If the gods are the essence of magic, how could the arts continue to exist if the gods were to perish?”
“Not perish, Head Master. I said, cease to exist.”
“Explain the difference,” Brayson demanded.
Once again, the warlock tapped the broken piece of the Staff of Petrifaction against the nub of Kroger’s broken arm. “You guys are killing me!” he barked. “All I’m hearing right now is blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. We don’t have the moments at our disposal for this conversation. I’m sure you could spend all Peak explaining this garesh before Brayson would be able to wrap his mind around it. Hell ... I’d even bet the two of you would end up in a big ass debate about the differences between how mortals and gods employ the uses of magic for more Peaks than I could even count.”
Grabbing both ends of the broken piece of staff, the warlock placed it behind his neck. “How about we all focus on what we came here for? Celestria, I need you to help me fix this big lug. If I’m going to Hell, I’ll be damned if I only take a handbasket with me. Kroger is going to need both of his arms to protect me while I’m there.”
Celestria pulled her eyes away from the Head Master. “We’ll continue our conversation about this later, Brayson.” She looked down at the rubble that was lying on the ground. “Now ... regarding your friend, I can attach the pieces to make his arm whole. I can even restore the ogre’s flesh. But as you know, I cannot retrieve his soul from the Book.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that. That’s why I brought Brayson with me. I’m sure you know that his position as Head Master allows him to restore life once per season.” The warlock reached out and patted Brayson on the back. “Ain’t that right, stud?”
Brayson nodded. “I find it interesting that a mortal, a being who isn’t the essence of magic, is able to restore life when a goddess who claims to be magic itself, cannot.”
Celestria smiled as she reached down to pick up a chunk of the ogre’s arm. “Yet another topic of conversation that will have to wait.” She tossed the chunk to Brayson. “As always, it appears George has thought of everything. Shall we stop our debate long enough to work together?”
With the Head Master in agreement, the goddess motioned for them to step aside. She reached out and placed her hands on Kroger’s right knee and then closed her eyes. It was not long before the rubble lifted off the ground and turned to dust. The dust floated toward the nub of the ogre’s appendage and assumed a shape that matched the proportions of the beast-man
’s good arm.
George elbowed Brayson and whispered. “I can’t wait to see Kroger’s expression when he opens his eyes.”
The Head Master whispered a response. “I’ve never restored life to a being of this size before.”
“Does size matter?” George queried. “I hope you can still do it. I’m going to need him.”
Brayson’s sigh filled the morning air. “I suppose we’ll know as soon as the goddess has finished.”
A moment later, the glow surrounding Celestria’s hands intensified. Starting at Kroger’s outermost extremities, the grayness of the statue began to fade. First, the end of his fingers and then the tips of his toes softened. With the pace of the change happening so slowly, the Peak of Bailem arrived before the ogre’s body eventually slumped over onto the dirt.
As Kroger’s head thumped against the ground, George cringed. “Damn! It’s a good thing he’s still not alive, or that would’ve hurt.”
Brayson shook his head. “You jest, but he may be angry with you when he wakes. I don’t believe I’d be in a forgiving mood if the man who turned me to stone was standing over me when I woke.”
George smirked. “Like you said, we’ll know soon enough. Besides, the last thing he said to me before he passed was that he still considered me a friend. He knew I didn’t turn him to stone on purpose. I just hope he remembers that.”
With the ogre’s transformation complete, Celestria dropped her hand. “It is finished.” The goddess took a step back and motioned for Brayson to step forward. “I believe it’s your turn.”
Brayson closed the gap and placed his hands on the ogre’s belly. He looked to the sky, took a deep breath and then closed his eyes. A moment later, he dropped his hands to his side and turned to face Celestria. “I’m lost without my faith. The power to restore life was given to me by my lord. How can I restore breath to the ogre if I no longer believe?”
Celestria had to laugh. “Oh, Head Master, your ignorance is to be cherished. You don’t need to pray to Lasidious or even Mieonus to retrieve the ogre’s soul. All you need to do is demand its return.”
Brayson’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“Nor could you, but this is not the moment for explanations. All you need to know is that many, many seasons ago, the gods agreed that the position of Head Master would be allowed the request to restore the life of another. Your god doesn’t give you this ability. The Collective gave you the right to restore life. The being responsible for returning the ogre’s soul has nothing to do with your beliefs or how you pray.”
The goddess pointed to the clouds. “Lift your voice, Head Master. Shout to the heavens and demand that Kroger live...”
Ancients Sovereign
The Book’s Hall of Judgment
Late Bailem
With the gods taking their seats around the heavy, stone table inside the Hall of Judgment, Gabriel floated into the room. He was still in the form of a book, and he had no intention of divulging his true self. But the decision had been made to acknowledge the existence of the archangel Michael before the end of the meeting. Together, they would announce to the rest of the Collective that the Source was creating a new Heaven.
“Good evening, Gabriel,” Sharvesa said as she spread her wings and then lowered onto her seat. “I do hope this meeting will be short. My attention is required elsewhere.”
“I’m sure Mosley won’t pass before you find your way back to Harvestom,” the Book grumbled. As Gabriel floated by the demon-goddess, his face was stern. He stopped above the center of the table and then lowered into a hovering position a half-pace above its surface near his golden stand.
“You look vexed, Gabriel,” Hosseff remarked. “Are you a bit out of sorts?”
The Book turned to face the shade. “I’m fine!” he snapped.
Kesdelain pushed his dreds clear of his face and nudged Hosseff with his elbow. “That’s the kind of fine I am when I want to end someone.”
As Hosseff’s chuckle emanated from the nothingness beneath his hood, Gabriel realized his tone would not be productive for the meeting. He took a moment to adjust his attitude. “I’m sorry for how I spoke. I simply have many things on my mind and an agenda I hope to accomplish.”
“Don’t we all?” Hosseff responded.
“Yes, but what I intend to propose may be the difference as to whether or not this collective continues to exist.”
Alistar leaned forward, crossed his arms on the table and smiled. “You sound so serious, Gabriel. And I thought this meeting was going to be boring.”
As most of the gods chuckled, Celestria was busy staring at Lasidious’ empty seat. Her heart still longed for the Mischievous One. Despite his betrayal, her anger was not strong enough to overshadow the pain of how much she missed him.
Mieonus could see the suffering on Celestria’s face, but rather than make one of her snide comments, the Goddess of Hate stood from her chair and walked around the table. After placing her hand on Celestria’s back, she bent over and kissed the top of the goddess’ head. “I’m sorry for your loss,” she comforted. “I can only imagine how you must feel. Ten thousand seasons of love should not be lost in a matter of Peaks. If there’s anything I can do to help ease your pain, I want you to know I’ll be there for you.”
The others of the Collective fell silent as they heard the Goddess of Hate’s comment.
Celestria stood from her chair to embrace Mieonus. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
The others were astounded to see that the Goddess of Hate was capable of an actual sentiment of caring.
Mieonus’ loving countenance was evident as she held Celestria close. “There, there ... it’s okay, dear.”
“How could he just leave me like that?” Celestria whimpered. “I gave him every part of me.”
Mieonus’ response was soothing. “None of this is your fault.”
“Then why did he leave?”
“A man’s logic is often hard to understand.” Mieonus placed her right hand on the back of Celestria’s head and gently pulled the Goddess of Beasts closer. “You can’t blame yourself for Lasidious’ actions. We’ve all suffered loss, and you know as well as I that love isn’t prejudiced and favors no one. Even gods can be victimized by the hand that love wields.”
Sniffling, Celestria responded, “I know, but I would’ve followed him anywhere. I’m lost without him.”
Again, Mieonus gently squeezed. “There, there ... let it all out.”
As Celestria’s crying intensified, the Goddess of Hate kept her nestled in her arms as she rubbed her back.
Right about the moment when the others were beginning to believe the Goddess of Hate’s gesture, a sinister smile appeared on Mieonus’ face as she placed her chin on top of Celestria’s head. “I feel for you, dear. It’s not your fault that you weren’t enough woman to keep a man of Lasidious’ quality from wandering. You had to know it was only a matter of moments before he would abandon you. It had to end.”
Appalled, the Goddess of Beasts pushed clear of Mieonus’ embrace as her laughter filled the room. “How could I have been so foolish?” Celestria sneered. “I should have known you were up to something and had no real concern for my well-being! I despise you!”
Mieonus’ grin cut like a knife. She would have responded, but Lasidious appeared beside her.
As if it had been planned, Lictina, Calla, Owain, Jervaise and Celestria gasped as the tension shrouding the meeting was instantly heightened.
The Goddess of Hate and Celestria parted in opposite directions, each taking a few steps back from the Mischievous One.
“You have a lot of nerve showing your face here!” Mieonus chastised. “But I’m glad you’ve come. Your harlot can’t stop blubbering about how you abandoned her.”
Alistar stood from his chair. “Have you no shame, Mieonus? Shut up, and sit down!”
Mieonus shot a nasty glance down the length of the table. “You don’t own me! I’ll sit when I’m ready!”<
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As the members of the Collective began to shout curses at the Goddess of Hate, Lasidious did not respond to the mood of the room. Instead, he held Celestria’s gaze as he walked past Mieonus and stopped in front of his love. His voice was soft and inviting as he reached out to caress her chin. “Did you truly believe that I would abandon you, my love?”
The Goddess of Beasts was about to respond, but the Book of Immortality cleared his throat to capture her attention. “Choose your words wisely, Celestria. I need not remind you that a promise has been made.”
Refocusing her attention, the goddess’ voice trembled as she spoke. “Where have you been? And why have you done this to me?”
“I have done nothing that cannot be fixed.” Placing his hands on Celestria’s shoulders, Lasidious gently stroked the length of her arms. “I have done nothing other than take the moments I needed for myself. You can’t truly believe that I’d abandon so many seasons of bliss.”
Celestria was unable to respond. The emotion of Lasidious’ return was too much. She rushed into the Mischievous One’s arms and allowed herself to be held as the intensity of her sobbing filled the room.
Again, Gabriel spoke out. “Why have you come, Lasidious?”
“Yes, why?” Mieonus jeered. “Did you miss your plaything?”
Rather than respond, Lasidious allowed Celestria the moments to collect herself as she kept her head buried in his chest. When finally the goddess pulled back, he gently kissed her lips and then led her to her seat.
“Must we wait all season before you tell us why you’re here?” Hosseff questioned. “I have better things to do with my moments than watch your reunion.”
Though the Book of Immortality was unnerved, Gabriel could not allow the Mischievous One to see his weakness. He had no idea whether or not Lasidious knew he had the power to destroy the members of the Collective, but he had to find a way to overcome this fear and portray strength. “You have a lot of gall showing your face here, Lasidious. The way you’ve treated Celestria is inexcusable.”
The Tear of Gramal Page 51
