Storm Holt (The Prophecies of Zanufey Book 3)

by A. Evermore

  ‘I see our utter annihilation.’ Horrified chattering filled the hall in response, but did not disturb Gedrock’s spoken thoughts, ‘and I also see our freedom.’ All mutterings ceased. Gedrock frowned in confusion and his voice dropped to a whisper. ‘I see the spear of death, I see Velistor.’

  The demons hissed. Their red mouths filled with fangs opened wide and snapped shut. Some shook their heads and tugged on their ears. Maggot felt sick and belched loudly. His stomach was the first thing to suffer the effects of fear and nervousness. The gnashing of teeth calmed as a look of understanding spread across and smoothed Gedrock’s face. His long flat nose twitched.

  ‘The Demon Slayer will hunt for Velistor, but in his finding it lies our freedom,’ Gedrock’s eyes shone brighter.

  The king’s advisor Wekurd, a gangly demon whose skin was sagging and pale with age, bent close to Gedrock’s large ear and spoke, his voice thin and whining. Maggot was close enough to hear what he said.

  ‘We all know Karhlusus has Velistor under lock and key and greater demon magic such that none of us could possibly undo, even if we could find the spear.’

  Gedrock looked away from his advisor and nodded slowly, his lipless mouth taut and grim. He remained that way for a while, long enough for ideas to form and whisperings to begin amongst those gathered. Then he spoke in a hushed voice that still managed fill and echo within the hall.

  ‘If the Demon Slayer does not find the spear, the crystal shard says we are doomed.’

  Maggot began flapping his wings, trying to ease the tension and intense emotional heat that filled his body. He struggled to take everything in. Freedom from the greater demons, freedom from the detested Karhlusus who had enslaved their cousins and ever threatened to enslave the Shadow Demons. Freedom from those upon the higherworld with whom they had warred for eternity. Freedom or utter annihilation. The extreme options were just too hard to comprehend. He listened pensively for his king to say more.

  ‘We cannot fight greater demons, and we cannot fight our kin chained by them. We never could,’ Gedrock’s advisor said, coming closer to the king. Gedrock side-glanced at him, nodded slightly, and rested his eyes back on the crystal shard. The light of Zorock fell fully through the opening now and illuminated all the Shadow Demons in green. Zorock was full tonight and the crystal shard would be at its most powerful, another reason why they gathered now. Gedrock lifted his arm and laid a hand upon the crystal.

  ‘Our death awaits us in all directions but one. That’s what the raven showed me, and the crystal shard confirms it. The Demon Slayer, our mortal enemy, must find the spear, and with it slay our other enemy. He will not stop until Karhlusus is dead, he cannot for it’s the only way the Cursed King can be free. And it’s the only way we can be free. All else is our annihilation.’ Gedrock took a deep breath and let his hand drop from the crystal. ‘We must open the demon tunnels.’

  Shock and horror filled the voices of the Shadow Demons as they dared to disagree with their king. Such an act of dissidence would be crushed painfully, but to Maggot’s surprise the king ignored them.

  ‘And we must make a pact with our ancient enemies.’

  The hall hushed into stunned silence. Maggot’s wings beat faster, lifting him off the ground, and he opened and closed his mouth, struggling to comprehend what he’d just heard. The demon tunnels hadn’t been opened since the Demon Wars over three and a half thousand years ago, long before his soul had been dug out of the rocks of the Murk. Since then the tunnels had been sealed by the Demon Slayer who supposedly now walked again upon the higherworld.

  ‘They’ll destroy us all,’ the King’s advisor breathed, his eyes were wide. ‘The Demon Slayer will destroy even lesser demons on sight, we cannot possibly make a pact with him.’

  Maggot’s wings beat faster than his heart and he struggled to control his height, having to roll head over tail to drop lower in the air. Not that it mattered what he was doing, every demon was struggling in their own way and no one was looking at him. All eyes were locked onto the king and his advisor.

  ‘Not with him,’ Gedrock shook his big head. ‘We make a pact with another, the one who speaks with ravens. We must make a pact with the Raven Queen.’

  A squeak escaped Maggot’s mouth, and he clamped his hands over his mouth. How could they even think about talking to one of those ugly, painfully bright, higherworld beings? Humans - their most hated enemy who’d destroyed thousands of demons over millennia and wouldn’t hesitate to do so again. Maggot’s head bonked the ceiling and made his vision go blurry. He did another cartwheel to drop lower in the air, nervous energy refusing to let his wings slow their frantic beating.

  ‘Even so, we cannot open a demon tunnel. Only a greater demon has the power and even they could not break King Marakazian’s seal. Not even Karhlusus could.’ The king’s advisor continued to dissuade him, but Gedrock’s face was firm.

  ‘The crystal shard never lies,’ Gedrock repeated. ‘There is one gate they did not close, and it is hidden by the wizards of the higherworld. There is still one gateway into Maioria. Protected by powerful magic, yes, but closed, no. Once there were even ancient demon tunnels within the earth of Maioria, tunnels that the humans never discovered.’

  ‘But my great King, that gateway also leads downwards to the greater demons in the Pit. It is simply too dangerous, we cannot enter it.’ The advisor shook his head but backed away when Gedrock’s ears began to twitch and his eyes narrowed, a sign he was getting irritated. ‘Perhaps we should speak on this in private?’ Wekurd posed in a high-pitched voice.

  ‘Enough,’ Gedrock roared, and every demon took a step back. ‘All must hear this for it concerns our very future. The crystal shard never lies, and only before the King of the Murk, the true king, does it reveal our destiny. I have seen our future, and there is only death and the sinking of the Murk into the Pit to become one with the greater demons. And we the Shadow Demons, all of us, their slaves. This cannot happen.

  ‘Only a pact made with the one I have seen in the crystal shard, the one they call the Raven Queen, can bring us close to the one that would destroy us all. Through the crystal shard the Storm Holt gate can be reached, and only this gate still links us to Maioria. The wizards of the higherworld never closed this gate because they knew that once they had, they would not be able to test their magic and power against the demons in the underworlds, they would never know how strong their enemy had become if they shut that gate. So they left it open. To reach the Pit they must first reach the Murk. I shall send one of us through the Storm Holt gate to find the Raven Queen. One of us that is the least frightening to the humans ’

  Silence descended upon the Shadow Demons as their king spoke. Maggot did another frantic cartwheel, the action only making him feel even sicker. A belch clawed its way up his throat and out his mouth. It echoed loudly in the silence. The king glanced at him. Maggot clamped his hands over his mouth.

  ‘I shall send Maggot.’

  Maggot’s wings finally stopped beating and he dropped to the stone floor with a thud.

  Chapter 22

  Remembering The Prophecies

  THE wizards looked at each other, their faces a mix of sadness and confusion. Freydel frowned. He’d been expecting a reaction of shock. As if seeing his confusion Haelgon spoke, his deep voice was soothing.

  ‘Master Wizard Freydel, we know the devastating news of Celene. We are all still reeling from it.’

  ‘How do you know?’ It was Freydel’s turn to be shocked.

  ‘The first to know were the Daluni,’ Averen said, worry for Freydel vivid in his face. ‘They said ravens told them. Then we confirmed it for ourselves.’

  ‘But how can you know so soon?’ Freydel struggled to make sense of what he was hearing.

  ‘Freydel, are you all right? Where have you been? Celene fell a week ago,’ Navarr said.

  Freydel sat back in his chair. How could that be? He shook his head as the other wizards looked at him, worry now mirrored in all
their faces.

  ‘I’ve been gone only half a day, a day at most since I first tried to call the Wizard’s Circle.’

  ‘Freydel, friend, tell us what happened. Why did you call the Circle, and why did the first call fail,’ Averen said gently, sensing that was the heart of the problem.

  Freydel nodded and considered where to begin. ‘Initially I intended to call the Circle to discuss Issa, the young woman I talked about when we last scryed together and discussed the rising of the dark moon. As I mentioned then, to put it simply, the events that I witnessed over the past few months all fit exactly with what I knew of the Prophecies of Zanufey.’

  Several wizards raised sceptical eyebrows now as they had when he’d last spoken to them through the orb. For a moment it seemed all the ancient prophecies swam in Freydel’s mind, and he wished he had the time to tell them and show them everything he’d witnessed. He raised his hands in placation.

  ‘Before you judge I would ask you to be open-minded, and try to recall all that you can of the ancient scriptures and prophecies, whether you believe in them or not. You all know the prophecies about the dark moon even though you might have forgotten them. Grenahyme was particularly versed in them, and I too became well-versed after he entrusted many of his prophetic books to me. It was a raven that led me to Issa, ship-wrecked as she was on Celenian shores. You know that the raven is the messenger of the Zanufey. But few people now remember what once our ancient ancestors knew.

  ‘That the planet, our Maioria, has cycles, just like each moon has a cycle and the sun too. We vaguely manage to track these cycles by using the term “Ages,” but our efforts are not so accurate. Nevertheless, my friends, I believe a new age is dawning upon us other than the “Last Age” that was forced upon this planet by Baelthrom. The new age is coming with the rising of the dark moon and the goddess Zanufey oversees this new age.

  Navarr shook his head and spoke his mind. ‘I don’t believe this goddess is with us, if there ever was such a goddess.’

  In the past such open denial of the goddess, in any of her guises, would have caused gasps of disbelief, but the learned men said nothing. Luren and Domenon even nodded in agreement.

  “But the wise men will not believe…” written translations of the Nameless One came to him then. Freydel sighed. Losing belief in the goddess, and the hopelessness that went with it, was a sickness spreading across the known world. Baelthrom’s coming had planted the seeds of doubt, and it had been growing steadily ever since as the prayers of his victims went forever unanswered and the future turned dark.

  ‘A month ago I would have agreed with you,’ Freydel began. ‘But the extraordinary events that have come to pass involving the dark moon and Issa I cannot easily ignore. I would be a fool to ignore. When the raven tapped on my window at dawn all those weeks ago, everything changed.’

  Freydel took a deep breath and told them everything that had happened since he had found Issa and everything that he knew of the young and naive woman from the Isle of Kammy.

  ‘I did not want her to face Keteth, despite knowing the power she could wield,’ Freydel concluded. ‘But my hand was forced by Cirosa, the High Priestess of Celene - and next in line to the Oracle might I add. In matters of the goddess, and of course the goddess’s chosen one, the Temple has the final say.’

  Averen and Haelgon looked intrigued, whilst Luren, Drumblodd and Domenon looked unmoved.

  ‘There are three potential Children of the Raven,’ Domenon said, and everyone looked at him in surprise, including Freydel. ‘But only one will be strong enough to become the Raven Queen. Should such a warrior exist, of course.’

  Freydel gave a half smile, allowing the man a little more respect for his knowledge of the prophecies.

  ‘I, too, am well versed in the prophecies, many prophecies, not just those of Zanufey and the dark moon,’ Domenon said, his eyes lingering upon Freydel. ‘The Raven Queen of prophecy will bear a mark somewhere upon her body. A mark neither there from birth nor made by any weapon. A mark that appears when she’s coming into her power.’

  Freydel swallowed. He did not know these prophecies, and he had not seen a mark upon Issa nor had she mentioned one. Domenon was sceptical about her, so it was unlikely he was making these prophecies up. Though the man would support anything that served his own interests, whatever they might be.

  “The mark of the goddess, the mark of the messenger, the mark of the alter self,” Domenon recounted from scripture.

  ‘I’m not familiar with these scriptures. Who wrote them? Where are the texts?’ Freydel said.

  Domenon smiled as if he’d scored a victory. ‘As I said, I’m well-versed in many prophecies. I have a collection of some of the most ancient books upon Maioria. That quote is from the Book of Ages. A book that compiles pre-ancient literature and fragments of history from ancient inscriptions found on long lost temples. There is only one copy of this book, and I keep it in my private library within Rebben Castle. Perhaps we can arrange for you to visit it sometime?’

  Freydel grimaced then forced a nod. ‘I would like that.’ How he could have missed any book on the topic of the Raven Queen was a source of dismay. That Domenon had such priceless information at his fingertips left a bitter taste in his mouth.

  ‘I choose not to believe in the goddess,’ Domenon continued, adjusting the ruby ring on his finger. ‘At least not in order to enrich my life or bring me the things that I desire. It follows, then, that I am not one for prophecies. The thought of fate makes me feel… unwell. I prefer to live my life as I wish, and learn from my own mistakes and experiences regardless of there being a deity to guide me. Destiny is simply a choker on a spirit who longs for freedom. Whether or not the prophecies are true remains to be seen. Personally I’d prefer not to believe in them or waste my time with them, but it does not make them false or non-existent. I have enough of an open mind to realise that.’

  ‘It’s all nonsense,’ Drumblodd scoffed.

  Luren yawned and Navarr fidgeted as if wanting to get back to his tasks.

  ‘Gentlemen, whether you want to believe them or not, that is up to you,’ Freydel addressed them all. ‘This young woman, barely a beginner in the arcane arts, destroyed Keteth with her abilities. This cannot be denied. In truth I did not want to believe the ramblings of mad men and women, and on this topic I had many discussions with a similarly sceptical High Priestess of Celene.’

  The wizards began talking to each other all at once, so that Freydel could not make out what was said. Only Coronos remained silent. Frowns and nods, sighs and laughs of disbelief filled the air. It was Coronos’ quiet voice that stilled them to silence again.

  ‘It’s very clear to me and all that I’ve witnessed, that Baelthrom and Keteth both felt the power in her, and perhaps the threat or asset she might become to them. Baelthrom desires her so much that he would strain his forces this far south and risk his lands up north.’

  Freydel smiled at the wise man’s words. ‘Indeed, Coronos. Baelthrom is no fool. Perhaps it is foolish old men like us who don’t want to believe there could be powerful magic moving in the world once more.’

  ‘There is definitely a new magic moving in the world once more,’ Averen said. ‘Or perhaps it’s an old magic rekindled with the blue moon that rises. But talk of prophecies aside, for we have talked much on them before now. Freydel, you suggest there is more to your calling the Wizards’ Circle.’

  ‘Yes, I digress,’ Freydel agreed. ‘After Issa arrived, much happened in such a short amount of time…’ He thought back to the time just before he called the Wizards’ Circle. It seemed so long ago now.

  ‘I was in my study on Celene as normal. Everything was as it should be, everything was fine. I used the orb to scry for her, for Issa. I knew Keteth was gone, the Flow told me that. I saw her alive, and the Wykiry were with her. Then I saw Maphraxie war ships and Dread Dragons. They were so close to Celene, it had to be an attack. I had to warn everyone. I called the Wizards’ Circle to warn you all
of Celene and to ask for you assistance…’ Freydel’s voice wavered. Coronos watched him, seemed about to speak, then looked away with a frown. Freydel dropped his gaze to stare at the four orbs, hoping to seek strength from them.

  ‘Freydel, we are all deeply saddened by the loss of Celene,’ Averen breathed.

  ‘Aye, there was little we could have done,’ Drumblodd said.

  ‘What is done is now done,’ Freydel said and told them why the call failed. The wizards listened silently as he described how Baelthrom had chased him, and how he’d lost his staff and become trapped in the astral planes. He told them of the purer power of the orb in the astral, and how he travelled back and forward in time. Worried glances were shared when he spoke about the High Priestess of Celene, and that she may have betrayed them, and of how Yisufalni came to him when he was dying. He wouldn’t be here if Arla hadn’t reached him, and that was they were both here, and thankfully alive.

  The one thing he did not tell them, for good or ill he would never know, was meeting the beings beyond the stars, and of Ayeth. For some reason he could not bring himself to do so, he needed more time to think about what had happened. Perhaps he also did not want them to know that travelling to another planet entirely could be done. He finally fell silent, and the other men looked at each other dumb-founded. Even impassive Domenon looked shocked as he stared at the orbs.

  ‘Can it really be Yisufalni?’ Averen said.

  ‘She was most certainly an Ancient, such as the orbs have shown us of their makers. What do you know of her?’ Freydel asked.

  ‘Yisufalni was the last female to sit upon the Wizards’ Circle, although in the Ancient’s days it wasn’t called that, though I don’t remember what it was called. She was a High Priestess and a princess, daughter of King Fulucia of the Usteralax people. That’s all I know of her for that is all that’s recorded in the old records. Perhaps she watches us from afar, whether from this life or the next, who knows,’ Averen replied, his eyes shone with wonder. Everyone seemed to be considering what it meant.