The Twisted Gate

by Matt Glicksman

  "Who?"

  The jester kicked at the bushes. "You know, the Zaidon."

  "The Zaidon? That was from my memory of the Assault."

  "Makes sense. He was there. He was another of the five greaters before he got himself cleansed at the Assault. But, he's been around as long as the Devil. Lots of knowledge. I mean, without him, Verago would've been years behind in creating his army. Few centuries back, before I joined up with Alejjir, I got to see Umaro Lijjo in action. Incredible stuff. Anyway, the reason I mention him is because he was a master of unholy energy, including, I might add, healing of demons. Aha!" Flinch located his missing limb and scooped it up. The jester demon hobbled over and handed Erynion the severed arm.

  The demon lord hesitated before accepting and studying it. "So, you think I can heal you?"

  "I certainly hope so. A purge would just make my injury worse." Flinch forced a smile. "And we really have nothing to lose. You need to use energy, and I need to get my arm back on. This would take weeks, months for me to regenerate. What do you say?"

  "I'll try, but I've never cast a spell even as a human, or at least I don't think I have."

  "I might be able to help with that. A crash course in spells, if you will. No matter how physically focused an iymed is, we all learn at least one spell. It's the summoning spell for our weapons. What we're taught is that it's all about visualization. You have to see yourself pulling the weapon from the other side." Flinch brought his fist across, revealing first the handle and then the blade, inch by inch, until it reached its point.

  "Seems simple enough. How do I know what my weapon looks like?"

  Flinch reversed the direction of his hand and sent the blade back to the Depths. "Just like your identity, it's locked in your memories. But as for healing, you understand how that works, right? This arm belongs here." The jester patted his right shoulder.

  Erynion stared at him blankly.

  The jester took his arm back from the demon lord and held it in place. "Just hold your hands over it. Imagine your energy flowing into my shoulder and connecting my arm back to my body."

  "Nothing to lose, right? I'll see what I can do."

  "Well, not so much 'see' as your eye should probably be closed, but—" Flinch sensed Erynion wasn't amused. "Yup, I'll stop talking."

  The demon lord shut his left eye and held his hands out as directed. Flinch kept his arm in position and quietly hoped this would work. He wasn't certain if he'd be able to outrun Erynion's purge. Black smoke wafted from the hands of the demon lord. The cloud gradually became more dense and enveloped Flinch's torso. The energy swirled around him, and as it rose higher, he lost sight of Erynion. Even the stars overhead were soon obscured by the dark cloud.

  The jester dared not move lest he disrupt the healing process, not that there was anything to see anyway. He couldn't even feel if his arm was being reattached. As time slipped by, his thoughts drifted back to Sonojj. Flinch knew that returning to help Erynion was the right choice, but now that was over. It was time to save his friend. Of course, he would need both arms. The quiet hours that followed allowed him to imagine all the possible rescue scenarios. He had been to Royal Oak when he was a human, but that was centuries ago. Would he be able to navigate the city now and complete his mission? What if Sereyna was right and they had already cleansed Sonojj?

  The short iymed squinted as the haze began to evaporate. The trees and bushes were dead, and Erynion lowered himself to his knees.

  "I don't believe it." Erynion lay down on the ground.

  As the mist cleared, Flinch moved his shoulder up and down. "Hmm, well, it's certainly attached."

  The jester demon grabbed his right wrist and flung it to the side. The arm swung back and forth like a pendulum.

  Erynion mumbled a few indiscernible words, but he was already asleep.

  "Well," Flinch said with a crooked smile, "at least I won't lose it now."

  Chapter 23

  Detained

  Millan gasped as he jolted awake. With the help of the morning light, he inspected his body for injuries but was unable to find any. The young priest flopped back on the pillow and chuckled. The angels had surely been watching over him. With a sigh of relief, he dragged himself out of bed and threw on his robe. When he attempted to open the door, he failed. Millan anxiously rattled the handle, but it refused to budge. He pounded on the door and called for help. Someone must've locked him in by accident. Seconds became minutes before he gave up. The priest plopped down on the mattress and wondered how this could have happened.

  The blessing had taken a lot of energy out of him. Millan slipped his hand into his pocket to search for Skully's gift. When he felt nothing, he let his fingers slide along the crease. Still nothing. He frantically checked his other pocket, but the result was the same. He scoured the small room for the object until he heard someone at the door.

  The young priest stared at the lock as the key turned, and then the handle. When the door opened, Millan hastily knelt as a woman dressed in a pristine white robe and a long red scarf entered the room. His lips parted, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth.

  "Don Millan, please rise."

  The Nesinu priest obeyed. Behind the Prima stood a paladin dressed in golden plate armor with a sun imprinted on her breastplate. The helmet matched her ornate armor and covered much of her face. Millan couldn't help but think she seemed too thin and frail to be such a decorated fighter.

  "You may leave us," Mashira said to the paladin.

  "Yes, Your Luminescence."

  When the door closed, Millan asked, "Is she a Champion of the Light?"

  "Yes. Lady Sundancer is a champion bloodseeker. I've asked her to accompany me as my bodyguard."

  "Sundancer? That sounds like—"

  "Para Paya. Yes, she was once a part of that community."

  Most of what Millan knew about these people came from his parents. The Para Paya were free-spirited individuals who lived on the west coast of the kingdom. They were considered outcasts, though never formally exiled like the Death Gods. The Para Paya followed no official laws, and their code of ethics were astonishingly simple. Don't harm another soul.

  Millan pressed on with the issue at hand. "When I awoke, I was locked in here. Am I in trouble?"

  Mashira was quiet, and the silence worried the young priest. His thoughts immediately turned to Exclusion. Perhaps he could contact Eriph and be accepted into the Death Gods.

  The Prima interrupted his panicked train of thought. "These past few days have been chaotic, to say the least. And you always seem to be at the center of it all. Is there something I should know?"

  "I'm not sure what you're referring to."

  "Millan, there have been four attacks in four nights and you've been at three of them. Is there some connection between you and this new demon?"

  "I…I don't understand," he stammered. "Are you saying that I'm causing all of this? The demon lord is following me?"

  Mashira waved off the notion. "No, no. We're just trying to figure out what's been happening. You were there at Nolka. Last we heard, this demon's objective was to kill the king. And yet, instead of marching to Light's Haven, he moved south to Malarekita and now Royal Oak. Is there anything we should know?"

  "I'm sorry. I've just been following orders. I don't know any more about Erynion than you do."

  "Following orders? If I'm not mistaken, your orders were to go to Light's Haven." She grabbed a nearby chair and sat in front of him. "Please, sit down. Tell me. What compelled you to come here?"

  Despite the feeling that he was about to be punished, Millan felt calm in her presence. He lowered himself onto the bed. "Forgive me. I had every intention to travel to Light's Haven today. I had never seen Royal Oak. Eriph was traveling through and recommended it."

  "Eriph. I see. We're all disappointed by the decision Eriph made, but that was his choice, and he's already left for Alovajj. He's gone. A critical decision lies before you today, and I want you to realize this, since
I personally have come to speak with you. Do you know how often I reprimand dons?"

  "Not often?"

  "Never. But given the situation, and the loss of Don Skully, I thought it crucial I speak with you directly. Understand?"

  Millan nodded quietly.

  Mashira fished around in her pocket and pulled out the star. "Do you know what this is?"

  "It's the conduit Don Skully gave me at my Acceptance."

  "Not exactly. An ordinary conduit can be any object used to facilitate any blessing. This is no ordinary conduit. Do you know where it came from?"

  "No."

  Mashira flipped the trinket over in her hands. "During his tenure, Primus Ayristark gave each of his five advisors a gift, enchanted conduits that allow the user to augment a specific blessing of their choice. It's very powerful in the right hands. Is there a particular reason Don Skully passed this on to you?"

  "I was always fascinated with it. The night I decided I wanted to become a priest, I saw Don Skully use it to kill a large iymed. I remember being terrified. The demon was huge. I thought, 'how could this old man stop it?' But he did, and it was awe-inspiring. Even after he saved the town, the adults still gossiped about him. My father forbade me from studying with him, but that didn't stop me. When I turned sixteen, I went to Don Skully. I told him about that night and how I hadn't stopped thinking about becoming a priest since that moment."

  "You wanted to train specifically with him?"

  "I suppose it sounds strange. No one else would stay with him. I had friends who left Nesinu to train in other cities or towns, but it was different for me. I wanted to be taught by him. My mother blamed my father for letting me watch Don Skully fight the demon that night. He used the Ultimate Blessing."

  "The Ultimate Blessing?" Mashira asked.

  "Yes. Don Skully said it's the most powerful spell a priest can wield. The caster creates wings of light and a blade blazing with holy energy."

  "Ah. The one you performed last night?"

  "That's right. He only started teaching it to me a couple of months ago. It was more taxing than I expected."

  The Prima pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm not sure where to begin. Do you realize how close you came to death last night?"

  Millan jerked back. "What?"

  "That blessing has a rather controversial past. Originally, it was called the Blessing of Verago, because he was the one who first performed it as an angel. However, after his betrayal of humanity, it was renamed to the Blessing of the Fallen Angel. Don Skully was correct. It is the most powerful spell ever conceived for priests. But, this is because it draws on the life energy of the caster to the point where misuse or inexperience could lead to death. For this reason, we've always restricted those allowed to train in it and use it. The priest must be at least the rank of an archdon, and permission must be granted from the standing Prima or Primus."

  The background of the blessing interested Millan, but this last part caught his attention. "Archdon? Permission?"

  "Yes, I'm afraid Don Skully was teaching you a blessing that you're not supposed to be casting."

  "I…" Millan's jaw trembled. "I didn't know."

  "I know. But promise me that you won't cast it again without proper training."

  "Yes, Your Luminescence. I promise."

  Prima smiled. "You know, you actually remind me a lot of myself."

  "Really?"

  "Yes, I was always very ambitious, ever since I was a squire. I suppose it runs in the family. When my brother became an archdon, he received permission from Primus Ayristark to learn the Blessing of the Fallen Angel as part of his specialization training."

  "You're talking about Founder Mortis?"

  Mashira bit her lip. "That's him. Mortis learned the Blessing of the Fallen Angel from Archdon Omana, well Advisor Omana at the time. After his Ascension, I begged him to teach me that blessing. Despite his eventual departure from the guild, he abided by our laws. I was persistent, though. Every chance I had, I asked him to teach me."

  "And did he?"

  "Nope. No matter what I said or did, he never relented. Finally, he told me a story about a young girl who joined the Whisper guild. Don Skully taught you about them, correct?"

  "Yes, Your Luminescence."

  "Good. So, many years ago, there was a young lady who lost her mother. And one day, on the outside of town, she spotted her mother's soul as a wanderer. Distraught that her mother was still trapped on the Surface, the girl decided to help her transcend, and so she joined the Whisper guild. Now, I don't know how much you learned about whisperers, but they had to learn to control their mind, thoughts, and emotions before trying to commune with a wanderer. Without proper training, a spirit can invade the mind and cause serious damage, whether they intend to or not. These were the warnings she received from her mentor when she joined the guild. But seeing her mother linger about, anchored to the Surface for some unknown reason, tore at the girl's heart. All she wanted was to help her mother leave this world in peace.

  "One day, she felt she was ready. Her teacher cautioned her once again, but she ignored the advice. And so, she went to the edge of the forest and used her underdeveloped skills to call on her mother's spirit. The call attracted other wanderers as well. When her mother approached her, the girl opened her mind and began to understand why her spirit was still bound. But the other wanderers refused to stand idly by. A whisperer was in their presence, and this was their chance to finally leave the Surface. They interfered with the ritual and demanded help from her. Wishing for her mother to transcend first, the girl cast the others aside. And when they retaliated, there was nothing she could do to stop them. She was too weak, too inexperienced to hold them back, and the spirits overwhelmed her mind."

  Millan shifted to the edge of the bed. "What happened to her?"

  "They say she went insane. The villagers heard the screams, and by the time they got to the area, she was gone. Haunted by all those spirits, the young girl roamed the forest until she died. And since she was unable to help her mother, she died with regret and became a wanderer too."

  "I understand."

  "I'm glad to hear it. Yours is a unique situation, Millan. I knew there would be a time when I would need to intervene. I'm sure you know of Don Skully's affiliation with the Death Gods. He was as close to being a member as you could be without officially joining. Despite all of that, he had served the guild his entire life, including the twenty years as an advisor. And so, as long as he adhered to our stipulations, I agreed to let him take on a student."

  "Stipulations?"

  "Yes, the Death Gods would stay out of your training, except in a strictly historical sense. You were to be trained as a priest of Candelux and nothing beyond that. I see now he took some liberties with our agreement, but I cannot in good conscience hold you accountable for his decisions. This star is a conduit specifically designed to help in the casting the Blessing of the Fallen Angel. It takes some of the stress off the caster. Using it last night is probably the only reason why you're alive today. But, that doesn't mean it's safe for you to cast. I'm going to return it to you because of its sentimental value, but remember your promise to me."

  "Yes, Your Luminescence."

  Mashira held the trinket in front of him. "I advise you don't carry it into battle. The temptation to use it may be too great. I must emphasize how dangerous this blessing is to the untrained caster."

  The Nesinu priest cradled the star in his hand. "I understand. Really, I do."

  "I'm glad to hear it. Now, there's a second matter we need to discuss. Thanks to you, we were able to capture one of the iymed last night, but we still don't know what they were doing inside the walls. Is there anything you can tell me? Anything they said before you were attacked?"

  "No. I just saw them by the tree. That's all."

  "I see. Well, I'll leave you to get ready. The demon lord is out there, and we're going after him while it's still light out."

  "Yes, Your Luminescence."
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br />   The Prima left Millan alone with his thoughts. He gripped the star, and his fist trembled. When the conversation started, the young priest assumed he would be excluded next. Why had Don Skully taught him what he wasn't supposed to know? Why had he kept so many secrets? Millan thought of Eriph and how he followed his heart. He cared little for the disapproval of the advisors, and journeyed to Alovajj to train with a founder. The young priest recalled Eriph's words the night before they left Nolka. He was a good man and a powerful priest. Remember how he inspired you.

  ✽✽✽

  Sonojj awoke from his slumber in complete darkness. The sun was up. He felt its warmth, though not much of it. He breathed in deeply through his nose. Humans. Everywhere. He must've been captured. The stubs at the end of his arms touched, and he shuddered. The smell and the voice of the priest were clear in his mind. My name is Don Millan. Now, what are you two doing here?

  Sonojj remembered the pain. How did this happen? How was that priest capable of wielding such power? Dons were supposed to be easy, especially when it was two against one. The pan-mage demon sighed as he put his back to the cold stone wall. His mind was blank after the attack. He must've lost consciousness. He took another sniff.

  "Looks like things came up black for Flinch," he thought.

  His ears perked up. Muffled voices were coming from above him, but he couldn't quite make out the words. There were too many conversations mixing together, and it was too difficult to focus on any of them. He needed to rest. He laid what remained of his arms on his thighs. It would take too much energy to regenerate his hands, and who knew what the priests had planned. They wouldn't be able to unlock his secrets with his eyes missing, but inflicting pain would be another issue. He had no choice but to wait.

  The hinges on the prison door squeaked, and footsteps clamored in his ears. His nose was greeted by a mix of scents. Sonojj estimated four or five people, definitely human, most likely priests. The fabric of their robes had a particularly pleasant wool smell. Another squeal came from metal rubbing against metal, but this time it was much closer. The gate to his cell must've been opened, but the demon made no attempt to escape.