Thad opened his magical senses. Everything around his radiated magical energy. Usually there was small lines of magic running through the world around him, but now it was almost blinding. There was not a single place where magic had not permeated. His own body was no different though it didn’t shine as brightly as his surroundings with the exception of his one crystal toe which shined as brightly as the rest of the world around him.
It was odd to see the magic gathering in his body. It had a different feel than the magic he was used to. He had long known that magical energy had its own direction. It wasn’t so much as thoughts but simply a direction for its course. The magic in this world was different…It was much stronger and had a hostile feel to it. Thad could almost see the small pieces of magical energy attacking his body, trying to take it over. He felt as if he just listened a little harder he could hear it as well. Thad had to force himself away from the energy and its almost hungry pull.
Thad began to look at the rest of the world and its eerie crystal structure for answers to his problem. He had always considered himself skilled in magic, but compared to his son and the other gods, he was nothing more than a babe, but he still had one skill that he believed was unmatched, maybe not in power, but at least in drive and ingenuity.
Thad had spent years with different gems, learning how they worked and why. The crystals here had much the same structure to them, though they were far more pure and dense. It was almost like the difference between copper and steel. There were plenty of gems around for him to use. All he had to do was break off a blade of grass and it would be of more use than the purest diamond in his own world. He still needed a body for an enchantment and with nothing in sight beside gems that would be the hard part, but Thad had a few ideas running through his mind. The real question was how to make an enchantment that would draw the energy from his body and not the vast amounts of energy present in the world around him.
Thad wished he had days or weeks in order to come up with a solution, but that wasn’t possible. Every day that passed, the more of his body would be lost and as soon as he lost his foot walking would become a problem. Each passing second was time that he couldn’t afford to lose.
A solution entered his mind shortly after he began to think about the problem. It wasn’t a pretty solution, but it was the only one he had at the moment. Taking out a small knife he had gotten from the village, Thad mentally prepared himself as his fingers tightened around its hilt. After a few moments of heavy breathing, Thad cut his toe from his foot and quickly used the staff’s power to heal the wound. His toe was gone, but so was the crystal and now the magic would have to retake its hold on him.
As the sweat beaded and slid down his forehead, Thad quickly continued with his work. Unable to tap into the magical energy around him out of fear of what it would do to him, Thad focused his thoughts through Thuraman causing the knife’s metal to bend and fold around his discarded toe until it was fully enveloped.
Thad felt tired. Working through the staff was much harder than doing the work on his own as he had to allow Thuraman full access to his mind. The staff always had a link to him, but he subconsciously blocked it from interfering with who he was. Those blocks had to be taken down, making him and the staff the same as long as he was working magic. This was the only way to use his gift without burning himself out. When he was finished and Thuraman was once again out of his mind, Thad felt the lingering effects of the meld. He could see how Thuraman viewed the rest of the world. It was nearly maddening, but after a few seconds the thoughts and feelings passed from his mind and Thad continued with his work.
Etching the spells into the metal was far easier. It didn’t require him to use large amounts of magical energy. All he needed was what was already within his body, though there was still some risk involved, though at this point it seemed necessary.
Thad worked slowly making sure that each spell had a purpose. It required different layers of spells and each one worked with the others. The first layer was simple; it directed the gem to only draw magical energy from him. The second limited how much was to be taken, otherwise he risked it taking too much which would kill him was easily as a dagger to the heart. The third layer of spells directed the magical energy out and into the ground to cause it to harden beneath his feet. It was a useless spell, but it gave a place for the energy to go. The last layer of magic directed a small portion of the magical energy collected to work on his muscles. As he began to crystalize it would allow him to keep his mobility.
If everything worked perfectly he wouldn’t need the last layer of spells, but part of Thad knew that no matter how hard he tried, in the end the magic would take its hold on him. His only real concern was to make sure that he didn’t slow down the others. Thad knew only a little of his son, but he knew that his kind nature wouldn’t allow him to simply watch as his father died; especially considering how long he had worked to free Thad from his timeless prison.
Once everything was done, all that was left was placing the enchanted item somewhere it could stay in contact with him. In truth, it would work as long as it was close to him, but the more contact it had with him the better it would work.
Gritting his teeth Thad tighten his grip on Thuraman and once again opened his mind as he pressed the metal orb into his chest. The pain was immense and more than once Thad thought that he would collapse from the strain that it was putting on him. When the stone only barely showed from his chest, Thad withdrew his mind from Thurman and slumped on the ground. He casually looked around to make sure that no one had noticed his action and found his eyes meeting with those of Humanius. The god only gave him a comforting smile before turning his attention back to his sister. Thad didn’t know if the god knew what he had done, but he suspected that he knew more about what was going on than he would ever admit to.
Thad had learned that the two gods were nothing more than humans who had been born with immense power. It had been regular people who had decided that they were more than that, though Thad could understand why. Not only did Humanius have power he had knowledge and understanding that came with untold centuries of knowledge. The other gods were nothing more than Belaroan’s children. Thad still wasn’t sure what they were, but he was sure they were still nothing more than creatures elevated to godhood by those who worshiped them. Thad felt sad that he no longer believed in a true higher power, but at the same time it gave him hope. If humans had moved as far as this, then completing their task didn’t seem completely impossible though it still seemed unlikely they would succeed with those scion creatures running around.
That night as Thad slept, his dreams were not peaceful, but neither were they so foreboding that they kept him awake.
CHAPTER V
It was three days until they reached anything that resembled the remains of a true city. There were houses, though their form seemed a little odd to Thad. Like everything else, they had long turned to crystal, but they still held their original form.
Thad noticed that Humanius and Belaroan both remained silent during their walk through the village. When they reached the center of the village Humanius led them to one of the larger structures.
“Why are we stopping here?” Thad asked as he walked up to the god. “There is plenty of daylight left for us to continue our journey.”
“We have walked for more than a few days with little rest,” Humanius replied. “You may see us as gods, but here we must rest the same as you. If we had access to our full range of magic it would not be the same, but here we fear tapping into the vast powers surrounding us. If we must, we tap the gems around us, but even that could carry an unknown risk. There is also a chance that we might find some record of what transpired here somewhere in the remnants of these buildings.”
Thad cursed to himself, not wanting anyone to know the reason for his impatience. Over the past few days, the spread of the crystallization had been slowed, but there were places on his foot where small specks had started to appear. Thad figured he had mon
ths before the damage would be noticeable but that wasn’t something he wanted to risk. The sooner this was done with the sooner he could be home and back to safety.
With no other choice, Thad joined the others moving from one building to the next in search of anything that might be of use. The inside of the houses were much the same. Everything inside them had been turned to crystal with the exception of the windows. It would seem that even here the magic couldn’t touch the glass. Thad didn’t know why but he found that piece of knowledge strangely reassuring.
Thad came across many books in his search, but he found them hard to read. Like everything else, they were no long made of paper but of crystal and the words were almost indistinguishable from the rest of the book, and only with a large amount of effort was he able to see them. Most of the books were useless to him though still interesting in their own way, though not worth the headache to read.
After hours of searching, Thad joined the others as the sun began to set. As he watched the fiery orb leave the sky, he wondered if it too had turned to crystal. As night descended, all of them gathered in the large room of one of the buildings. There was no joy or merriment in any of their faces. Every day that Thad spent with them the more he believed that the countless ages had robbed them of most of their humanity and the feelings that went along with it.
For a while Thad listened to the others as they talked, but it became clear that it was the same conversation that they had every night for the past few days. Belaroan told her children about the days long past when the world was in its prime, long before the crystallization. At first, Thad had sat with rapt attention when she had told the stories, but it didn’t take him long to understand that they were all the same and had little to do with their current situation. Now when she started to speak, Thad found his way to his bed wanting sleep more than long stories about a forgotten time and place.
As he did every night, Thad checked his foot. There were a few more dots of crystal than before, but it was still progressing slowly. Before he slept, Thad let his mind focus on Bren and what all the young man had gone through in the past few years and how much more he might have to endure. The magic coursing through his body would keep him alive long after everyone he currently knew was dead. A long life was one thing, but Thad feared that he would turn into a cold being like the other gods.
As he slept, Thad found himself embraced in the cold darkness that he had once found familiar. As the darkness disappeared, Thad found himself back in Farlan in the room he had once shared with Maria. “I see you found out that I was back,” Thad said without turning around, knowing Maria always loved to show herself when she was ready.
“It is really you,” Maria’s voice said in a half whisper. “When we received news that you had returned I didn’t really believe it. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I couldn’t stop myself from looking for myself.”
“Our son has done the impossible and brought me back from the abyss,” Thad said turning around to face his wife. She looked as lovely as he had last saw her. There were a few more wrinkles and a few strands of hair had a slight grey tint to them. Those changes mattered little to him; she was still the lovely young woman he had pledged himself too all those years ago.
“Our son,” Maria said with a dark smile. “If anything, he is your son. I have done everything I could to teach him not to rush off half blind to what is around him and yet, like you, he never listened to me. I swear that he is more interested in an early grave then living a good and long life. Our daughter, on the other hand, follows me much closer than you.”
“How is she doing?” Thad asked moving closer to Maria.
“She is a little spitfire just like her mother. She will make a fine queen,” Maria said wrapping her arms around him.
Thad stood with his nose buried in Maria’s hair for a long time. She still had the faint aroma of lilac that she often wore. It wasn’t long before he felt cold tears dripping on his exposed shoulder. “I missed you,” Maria said in quiet sobs.
“I am sorry,” Thad said. He knew that he should say more, but nothing came to mind. Just like with Bren, a lot of time had passed since he had left. Suddenly the darkness began to close in. Thad knew that his time with Maria was almost over. She still cried into his shoulder, but her grip had lessened.
When Thad opened his eyes he once again found himself in the crystal house he had fell asleep in. He reached his hand up and touched his shoulder where Maria had placed her head and could feel her warmth. The others were still asleep so Thad went outside and sat under the stars. The moon was high in the air though Thad could see a faint glowing on the horizon. The sun would soon be up and once again Thad would find himself marching endlessly across the crystal waste that this world had become.
It wasn’t long before the others began to wake and prepare for their daily march. Thad watched Bren as he did almost every morning, looking for some sign of what the young man was thinking. Thad still considered himself to only be twenty-eight yet his son was every bit of eighteen…Maybe even older; Thad was too embarrassed to ask. If one were to stand the two men side by side, Thad would look more like an older brother than a father.
Thad felt lost when it came to Bren. As he watched Bren lace up his boots, Thad noticed that his son started with his left foot, just as he did. It was something small, but it still brought a small smile to his face.
“Something is coming,” Belaroan said in a slightly raised voice.
Thad quickly strapped on the sword he had procured from the hidden village. The sword felt odd in his hand. It had a straight hilt and blade, and held an edge, but he was used to his sword with its slight curve to it. Thad flexed his fingers around Thuraman taking comfort in its familiarity. “Can you tell what it is?”
“There is only one thing it could be, considering where we are,” Humanius replied. “It will be a scion. What kind, how many, and how strong it is we will only be able to tell when it reaches us.”
“Is there a chance that we can out run the creature?” Bren asked while clutching the hilt of his own obsidian sword.
“There is a chance, but a small one,” Belaroan said. “They don’t need sleep or food so unless we can match their pace without rest it will catch us. I would prefer it to be before they come in numbers and while we are still in a position to fight. If we wear ourselves out trying to escape then it will just makes its job that much easier when it finally does reach us.”
Humanius directed them to take up their positions. Thad, Bren, Humanius, and Belaroan took up the rear, while the eight younger gods took the front. Thad found it more than a little odd that the two older gods who were vastly more powerful and knowledgeable were at the rear with them instead of fighting at the front, but considering who they were had no voice with witch to challenge their decision.
The creatures that came over the hill looked nothing like the scion they had met when the veil had first been torn. They ran on four legs and looked much like wolves, though slightly smaller and made of a dark blue crystal.
Thad counted four of the scions and they were fast and moved with far more grace then their crystal bodies would have suggested. The eight younger gods met the scions and within moments three of the younger gods were down and only one of the scions lay broken. Without the aid of their vast magical powers the gods had to rely on strength and speed and in in that regard they were no different than their children. Thad and Bren moved to join the younger gods at the same time and Humanius stopped them. “There is little you can do to help. You two are what will be needed to close the other end of the gate.”
Thad felt helpless his eyes fixated on the dwarven and elven gods who seemed to be faring better than the others. The dwarven god wielded his massive hammer knocking large chunks off of the scions, but unless they were completely broken they continued to move. Thad let his magical eye look upon the battle. He focused on the scions. They had so much magical energy coursing through their body, but as chunks were broken away, Thad
noticed the fallen pieces turn slightly grey as they lost the majority of their power. The scions were moving so fast that it was hard for Thad to get a good reading on them, but as one of them lunged at the dwarven god he wrapped it in his massive arms and began to squeeze.
Thad watched as small cracks began to splinter across the creature’s body. It was then that he saw the creature’s core. With his normal eye it looked the same as the rest of the scions body, but from his enchanted eye it looked like a shining beacon. The dwarven god gave one finally squeeze and the creature burst apart and the core quickly began to dim like a candle being snuffed out.
“Strike at where their heart would be, that is the only way to stop them for good,” Thad yelled as the last scion hobbling on three legs without its head bore down on the elven god.
Taking Thad’s words to heart, the elven god pivoted on his right foot and danced out of the way of the lunging creature far more gracefully than Thad would have thought possible. Using his long and equally strong limbs the elven god stuck out with his massive long sword, its blade shattering crystal as it dug deep into the scions chest. For a brief moment, the scion stopped and seemed to shutter then its body simply fell apart leaving nothing but a heap of slighting shining blue crystals.
As soon as the last scion was dead, Belaroan ran to her children checking each one. The dwarven god and elven god had come out of the battle with only minor injuries. The dragon god had a massive gash along his right leg, his scale-like skin keeping the worst of the damage at bay. The other five gods lie dead or dying on the ground.
From what Thad had heard and seen of Belaroan, he had thought she would care little of what happened to them, but he saw more than a trace of sadness in her face as she looked upon her dead children. There were no tears in her, but her eyes still wavered as she looked upon their battered bodies. “Sleep well,” Belaroan said as she turned away from them and simply walked away to speak with the three of her children who still lived.
Crystal Throne (Book 1) Page 4
