Soul Under the Mountain (Legend of Reason Series)

by Guyton, David J.

  "Yes, Rommus, it does. We haven't been walking passed the same ruined buildings over and over; I would have noticed. I pay attention to details like that. I have been carefully keeping track so that we didn't get lost."

  "Well, I don't know what's going on, but that looks like the doorway we came through."

  The doorway was adorned with carvings that were very specific, unlike the identical doorways they encountered earlier. It had a carved depiction of Demeos at the top, and carvings of the two giant statues on the sides. The carvings were not quite as detailed as the actual statues, but there was no mistaking them for anything else. Rommus was almost certain that the doorway was the same doorway that led them into the void.

  Rommus bit his lip. "Maybe this city is much bigger than we thought and when we get to the edges, we are somehow transported to other parts of it. I know you said we haven't been walking by the same buildings, but you have to admit that everything does look almost the same everywhere. Whatever the case, if there's an answer to be found, it should be here. If we can't even get away from this door, then there's something we are overlooking."

  "Well what could it be? I can't think of anything."

  Rommus stroked his chin. "Maybe the light. There's no real light here, but it's not dark. If the Triultti were telling me the truth, then the light in here is the light of souls. Maybe there are souls here, and we're just not seeing them."

  "Well if we can't see them, what good does that do us?"

  Rommus ignored the question and spoke to the air. "Are there any souls here?"

  The air suddenly changed. Streaks of light began to form into luminous clouds before them. They swirled and tumbled and some began to separate into individual orbs of light hovering in the air. The light that emanated from these orbs illuminated some of the ruins nearby, and everywhere the beams touched them, they became solid structures instead of ruins. It was like looking at two different worlds at the same time. One world was old and destroyed, and one was brought to life with light. Rommus was dazzled by the sight.

  He spoke to the hovering orbs. "I seek the part of my soul that was lost. Can I find it here?"

  There was no spoken answer but the balls of light wove erratically around each other. A hissing sound came from the orbs as the glowing light around them wavered and took on a sickly yellow color. Eventually they returned to their original state, but several of the lights trailed away and some went out.

  "What does that mean?" Song asked. "Are they trying to tell us no?"

  "I guess so. But your guess is as good as mine. I can't say I have had many conversations with balls of light before."

  "Yeah, same here. What else can we ask?"

  "I was hoping you had an idea."

  Song looked to the ground as he thought. "Can any of you help us to restore Rommus's soul?"

  Once again the colors changed and several of the lights fled. Only a handful remained hovering before them, and their luminance was fading. It seemed that the souls were losing interest in answering their questions, or they were somehow offended. Whatever the reason, it looked like there would only be one more question that they could ask.

  Rommus hurried to think of what to ask before the remaining lights went out. "Can we find Arius here? May we speak with the god of war?"

  The lights grew brighter as they danced in elaborate patterns. Their speed eventually got to the point where they seemed to be a single light and not several. Other lights appeared nearby and joined them, making the ghostly glow even more intense. But the searing radiance did not hurt their eyes, and they did not need to look away from it.

  Inside the light was a faint figure of a man. He slowly walked toward them and when he finally stepped out of the light he materialized into solid form. The light of the glowing doorway of souls went out behind him, but an odd glow still remained on his features. He was abnormally tall; taller than Tannis even. His hair was black, and somewhat longer than the typical Medoran style. It waved gently on the breeze, but appeared as if it was flowing under water.

  "Arius?" Rommus asked.

  His voice thundered through the gray realm. "I am Arius, Rommus of the bloodline Tirinius. I am the god who has fallen so that you could rise."

  "I had no part in that, Arius. I swear I did not ask for any of this. I was murdered with your sword. It was not of my doing."

  "Take ease, Medoran. You clearly do not remember the time you spent here in the void when that sword pierced you. We have spoken before. Do you not recall?"

  "No, I'm sorry. I don't."

  "I know your godhood is not of your own doing. I know you were forced into the position just as I have been forced into mine. It was the work of those vile gods of darkness and their compliant human slaves who have brought about this fate."

  "Can it be reversed?" Rommus asked. "Can you return through the doorway with us and reclaim your godhood? I would happily surrender it back to you."

  "Rommus, I cannot bear that burden ever again. I could not pass from this world into another even if I desired to. I am trapped here in this world for the remainder of all time."

  "Time!" Song yelled, reaching into his pocket to pull out the star of Tachion. "I possess the star of Tachion. I can travel to whatever point in history I need to keep Rommus from getting killed with that sword. I can reverse all of this."

  Arius turned to Song and lowered his head to meet his gaze. "No, Erratus of the bloodline Ridoria. That must not be attempted. You would not be able to prevent Rommus from being killed, but you would be able to warn me in the past. In your later years, you will encounter me as the god I once was. It is imperative that you not warn me of my fate."

  "But he can save you," Rommus said. "If he can prevent your death and rid me of this curse, I would prefer he do that."

  Arius turned to Rommus again. "That is not the fate laid before us, Rommus Tirinius. If I am warned of my death, you will never take my place. Replacing me was your destiny. It had to happen."

  "But why? I am not a god; I am a man."

  "A man who comes to the void to restore his godly powers."

  "I assure you I don't want to be a god. I have only come to the void to try to retrieve the missing part of my soul so that the other gods cannot assassinate me."

  "Rommus Tirinius, you are the only being in any realm that has any chance of saving the souls in those realms. You stated that you are not a god but a man. Do you understand the impact of that statement?"

  "I'm not sure what you mean."

  "There are strict rules among the gods. The most important rule is that no god may harm another god. It is not just a rule; it is impossible. Being that you are something in between god and man makes you uniquely suited to the tasks that lie ahead of you."

  "What tasks are those? Saving Medora?"

  "While your efforts to save your people and their way of life are valiant and honorable, there are other important issues you will need to eventually deal with. By this point Terinopus has certainly warned you that the gods of darkness wish to kill you. Your death grants them greater power than the gods of light, but there is another reason that they want you eliminated. That foolish Oderion would even allow them to do it."

  "What is the other reason? Am I a threat to them?"

  "Yes, Rommus Tirinius, you are. You are a threat to them that I could never be. That is why I must not be warned about my fate in the past. You must take up Archenarius and become the god of war, or all is lost."

  "How can I possibly be any threat to the other gods? I don't even possess the powers of a god. And when I did possess them, I didn't even really know it. I am really no more than a man."

  "And that is the threat, Rommus Tirinius. You are a man who is not bound by the laws of the gods. You are not restricted from harming the other gods, but that same coin has two sides. They are not restricted from killing you either. They fear you, Rommus. They know you can harm them."

  "So my fate is to kill off the remaining gods? I don't really desire to ki
ll them."

  "I do not know the full story that will be your life, Rommus Tirinius. But what I do know is that if I had remained the god of war, I would not have the same powers that you do. Your powers of man, in a sense, are far greater than the powers of a god."

  "Well the missing part of my soul down here in the void is a real problem. Without it, I don't have any protections from the other gods. They can kill me with ease; and so can any human lucky enough to strike me with a sword. I need to find this missing part of my soul if I am going to survive any attempts on my life."

  "I can help you to recover this lost part of your soul, but it comes at a price. It is a price that I do not know if you are willing to pay."

  "What is it? What do I have to do?"

  "It is not a question of what you must do. It is a question of what you are willing to sacrifice. You see, to restore your soul completely, it needs to be taken from this world. If it is removed from the void, it will have no way to return Morendiir or to this world of the void at your death. In essence, you will be giving up everything. You will no longer have a place to reside in this realm or any other.

  "However, this only applies if you die as I did. If Archenarius should happen to pierce your father or any of your offspring, your soul will be lost forever instead of residing here in the void."

  "What about death by other means? Can I be killed even with my powers restored?"

  "Death by other means does not necessarily send a soul here. There are other worlds, like Morendiir, where most go after death. In your case, there will always be a danger of death by normal means. Swords and spears will still be able to kill you, although you may be granted some resistance to them. Your armor will protect you from these things, so wear it always. But death by normal means will not send you to this world. Your soul will be intact and safe if you meet your end by sword, arrow, spear or old age. You will go on to a grander world than the void.

  "Your powers will not truly rival any of the other gods while there is another Tirinius living. When your father moves on to another world, assuming you do not have offspring, you will be granted the full power of the god of war. This will make you immortal and unstoppable."

  Rommus thought it over for a moment before answering. "I will take my chances. I don't really have a choice in the matter. If I want to save my people and have any chance to maintain freedom through the ages, I have to take the risk. If gods or man kill me and send me to some grand afterlife, I will have failed the world. I will risk my soul being erased if it means I can help mankind."

  "You have to be sure, Rommus Tirinius. This cannot be reversed. Are you sure that you understand what you are committing to?"

  "The total annihilation of my soul if Archenarius causes my death, but a normal death at the end of any other blade. Do I have it right?"

  "Yes, that is correct. But you must understand that it will not be long before the gods of darkness and their cohorts realize that killing your father is the best chance of killing you. You will need to get back to your world swiftly and be there to protect him from the sword. But as long as it is in your possession there should be little threat."

  Rommus gulped. "It was stolen. I have not been able to get it back yet."

  "Stolen!" Arius yelled. "How could you permit such a thing? This adds tremendous complications to your cause."

  "Two twins attacked me. They were much stronger than me and they came at me with war hammers. They were not men; they were more like animals. I couldn't fight them off."

  "War hammers? Was their skin an odd color purple?"

  "Yes."

  "The hounds of Maeris. You must return to your world as soon as possible and retrieve that sword. With your powers restored, the sword cannot harm you directly, but they are hunting down your father. I am sure of it. They possess eye of Indahinar, which allows them to spy upon anyone wherever they are. There is no hiding from those fiends. Do you still wish to risk your soul to regain your powers?"

  "I do."

  "Then let it be done."

  Arius stretched his arms up to the gray firmament and called down dark cords of black lightning. It tore up the earth around them as he screamed. The air crackled with energy and a tremendous roar of thunder followed. The whole void trembled under the power that Arius called forth, and the ruins nearby began to topple. All of the dim light of the void began to swarm in streaks and veins toward the area until it gave color and light to the black lightning. Soon the bright shafts of light were all that could be seen in the darkness surrounding them.

  When the light went out there was only a tiny floating spark hovering between Rommus, Song and Arius. The tiny light entered Rommus's chest and his whole body began to glow slightly for a moment. He felt alive and awake; complete for the first time in many months.

  The gray light of the void began to return, and this time thousands of the bright lights of souls of the void came with it. They hovered gently nearby, casting their lights onto what once were ruins. Their radiance showed the world for what it really was. It was not the terrible emptiness of death; it was a world alive in its own way.

  Rommus looked around as he spoke. "Are they happy here? Is this place a prison?"

  "It is a sort of prison, but these souls are not tortured. There is happiness here carried over from the preceding worlds."

  "And you, Arius? Are you happy here?"

  "No, god of war, I am not happy here. But this is my fate. Happiness is of no consequence."

  "You are a hero, Arius. You could easily have us return to the past and warn you about your death, but you remain here for a chance for me to save mankind. That is an honorable thing to do. I am not used to the gods caring for the fate of mankind."

  Arius put a glowing hand on Rommus's shoulder. "Do not judge all of the gods by what you have seen thus far. Oderion and the gods of darkness may be indifferent to the trials of man, but the gods of light are not so foul.

  "But these are things you will need to discover on your own time. You must return to your world and prevent the sword from being used to kill your father. You must hurry."

  "What about the guardian of the void?" Song asked. "How can we get back into our world without being destroyed?"

  "I do not know that answer. But there is one more thing about the hounds of Maeris that you must know."

  Chapter 40

  Gorin swung his hammer at the bristling line of spears and shields. Every time he was lucky enough to break a spear, another took its place. Several had stabbed him and the pain made attacking the phalanx difficult. His brother suffered similar injuries, but they continued to fight on.

  The Bhoors were terrified of them, and so they stayed as far away from them as possible. This made it difficult to attack the phalanx as a unit, as the twins could not break the line on their own. It was understandable; since the Bhoors had just watched the twins hack through hundreds of their countrymen just to get closer to Tannis at the front line.

  But the Bhoors still crashed against the Medoran shields farther down the line. Their efforts were almost useless, but on occasion they would injure or kill a Medoran. They had finally come up with the idea of crafting spears longer than the Medoran spears in order to reach the men behind the shields, but their length made them difficult to control. The Medorans either batted them away or snatched their shafts, yanking the spear from the grip of the Bhoors or pulling them into Medoran spear points.

  "Use the sword, brother," Gewin yelled as he fought.

  Gorin shook his head. "It is too dangerous. We cannot risk losing it."

  "But it will bring these mortals down instantly. Show them the blade and put fear in their hearts."

  "No, brother. We cannot risk them taking it from us."

  "Then the hammer. It is time for the hammer."

  Gorin paused conversation but not his attack on the Medorans. "We can do it without the hammer. That is something that cannot be undone."

  "We have nearly captured the older Tirinius. We must use
it now before he escapes us."

  Gorin stopped swinging his war hammer and backed up a few steps away from the line. He looked long and hard at his treasured war hammer, flipping it over to see all the scars on the surface from long-forgotten battles. He gripped it firmly but tenderly, trying to memorize the feel of the perfectly balanced weapon in his massive hand.

  "Now brother!" Gewin roared.

  Gorin stepped closer to his brother and they held their mighty war hammers up to the sky. Suddenly the wind picked up and the clouds thickened, boiling faster and faster overhead. When the brothers crossed their long war hammers, a tremendous boom echoed across the battlefield. Many soldiers on both sides fell, and nearly all of them made an attempt to cover their ears.

  But when the hammers finally touched, an even louder sound, loud enough to wake the dead rang through the land. No sound could be heard after it except the piercing ring of temporary deafness stabbing through every skull. A blinding light came with the sound, and any soldier who looked directly at it could see nothing in his vision but blurry streaks of white.

  When the light faded, the clouds rolled back and the sun lit the battlefield once more. Disoriented soldiers fought to get to their feet and resume the battle, but some were unable to keep their balance or wits. The majority of Medorans at the front line were able to get the shields of the phalanx in position, but there were a few holes.

  At Gorin's feet, stuck in the mud, was the hammer. It was not the war hammer that he had held moments before, but a much more powerful weapon. It was larger than his own hammer, as it was both his and his brothers combined. Gone were the scars of war, along with the blues and purples of hardened steel. This new hammer was flawless. It was bright, shining gold; the same as the golden sword of Arius.

  The twins who had been split from a single man thousands of years ago had possessed the hammer of Maeris for their entire lives. It too had been split, just like the twins, in order to protect it from discovery. The golden artifact of the gods was far too dangerous to allow to fall into the hands of man. With such a weapon any man could lead an army to victory over any other. It made an army fearless, and it ensured that every soldier would act for the benefit of the collective, and not himself. Fear would be eliminated from every soldier, and every last man would sacrifice himself for the greater purpose of the collective. That purpose would be decided by whoever held the mighty hammer of Maeris.