God of the Abyss

by Rain Oxford

  I opened my eyes to see that the sphere displayed a new image, then tapped Dylan’s hand so that he would look. It showed a magic altar with a sword placed upon it.

  “I know where that is,” Edward said. “You see that sigil on the altar? Ronez used it to protect his things. Only someone who wished him no harm could see what they were looking for when he charmed it, for he used a lot of illusion magic. That must be at his home; although I have never seen that room, I know my brother had many secret chambers.”

  “But we were at his house, and it didn’t look like it had any secret rooms,” Dylan said.

  “Your father was rich. He had houses all over the world, several of which were invisible to people without magic.”

  “Let’s just get the time and we’ll figure it out later.”

  “Why is the sword already in the image?”

  “Because the sword was not hidden in time like the others,” Divina said, studying the sphere closely. “You can take it any time, you just have to be able to get to it.”

  “But I can see the room, so I can flash to it.”

  Divina laughed. “Ronez was very tricky with his magic. Like you, he had a flair for the dramatics, but unlike you, he set traps. He was never afraid to kill someone who threatened him, so he set traps with magic and used illusion to conceal them. That was one of the reasons I had him make the artifacts to begin with; he knew how to hide something better than anyone.”

  “He told me that you told him to create the artifacts. You told me that you didn’t know how to close the gates,” he said.

  It was amazing to see my friend confront a god, though he never had to fear her, for she showed her love for him openly. Now she looked remorseful. “I didn’t lie to you. I just don’t remember.” Dylan gaped at her. “I can see paths of the future easily, but in exchange, I can’t see the past well. I forget things that were when they no longer apply to the future. I forget things I see after they don’t happen. Even gods must follow a path of time. If we didn’t, it would make things too difficult to control. So if I remember everything that will, will not, had, and had not occurred, I would lose my mind. It is too much to remember everything, even for a god.”

  “Vretial said he had memory, instead of good seer abilities.”

  “That’s right. He is the only one with such a memory. Whereas my other brothers and I choose our paths by seeing what they will lead to, Vretial has to make his decisions based on what they led to in the past.”

  “Was that by choice?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then he is brilliant,” Dylan said.

  I expected Divina to be appalled; instead, she nodded. “I know. I have to get back now. Ronez never showed me where he hid the sword, but I believe I know which house he preferred at the time,” she said.

  Ron was focused on his mother when Sammy gripped my arm. I nearly yelped; his strength could have rivaled Nila’s. “Be still. You were warned against returning to Mokii and you didn’t listen. Because of that, I couldn’t have prevented what happened to the dragoness. I’m sorry. You have to make sure that staff is destroyed.” I tried to look at him, but he squeezed my arm in warning. He truly did know his strength.

  The room filled with bright light and when it cleared, Dylan and I were alone in the dark.

  Chapter 12

  Dylan

  I opened my eyes to find it was fairly dark. It was light enough, though, to see a fireplace and that the room was large. I smacked Mordon lightly in the arm and pointed to the fireplace. He raised his hand and fire burst from the wood. The room was nice, if a little chilly. The thought occurred to me a little late, but Mordon didn’t seem bothered by the cold, as he was using his own fire to keep himself warm. Then I noticed he held the crystal staff.

  “When did you pick that up?”

  He frowned at it like he had never seen it before. “I think Sammy gave it to me. He spoke in my mind and said he couldn’t have prevented what happened to Emiko.”

  “He should have talked to me about it. We could have come up with another way.”

  “It looked like Ron wouldn’t let him. He said that I ignored a warning not to return to Mokii.”

  “What warning?”

  He shook his head. “I had a friend at the castle, Jedes. I told you about her before. She met me just before I went to rescue my father from Emiko. She said I had begun a path that leads to pain and loss. Sammy said we had to destroy the staff.”

  I took it from him. “Ron is too much like his mother. He spent his entire life without talking out loud and now he’s keeping secrets.”

  The room was sparsely furnished with two cushioned chairs facing the fire, a cupboard, a table, and a bookshelf. Other than a rug on the floor and a painting on the wall of a skull and mist coming out of an old magic book, there was little character to the room. The walls were brick, the floor was hardwood, there were no windows, and there were only two doors. One of the doors revealed a small hallway with a staircase and another door. The stairway led to a balcony over the living room, a master bedroom with an attached bathroom, and a small study that was the only room that looked even remotely used. A small desk, which contained notes and recipes, and a bookshelf full of very dusty books were the only pieces of furniture in the study. Everything was dusty.

  “I don’t think anyone has been here since he died,” I said, digging around in the desk again. I found a picture of me when I was little. I looked about ten, but I didn’t remember anything about the picture. In it, I was standing on a large boulder with the ocean in the background. I looked happy. When was that?

  “Hey,” Mordon said, finding something else. He held out an envelope with my name on it, which I opened to find a letter and a deed to the house… in my name. I opened the letter.

  Dear, Dylan:

  As I write this letter, I know for sure I will never see you again. I wish that you could know me, and maybe you will after I’m gone. I know that you had a miserable childhood, but I have also seen that your future will be magnificent. You will be magnificent. I hope you don’t hate me for what I was unable to give you. Since you were born, every small amount of contact was risky.

  If you ask anyone, they will tell you I have never been serious a day in my life. Today is a new day. You are ready to become the Guardian, a better one than I ever was. I have seen many paths that I could have taken, but none ever allowed me to be there for you. This is a short letter because I must hurry. A side effect of seeing what will come is that I can hear the clock ticking out. What a lonely sound.

  I know how I will die and I know when. It is okay. This is your time now, and I’m glad. You can never reach your destiny until I am out of the way. Be happy. You will have friends and family that you can trust. I know you will live on Duran, and few things I own will be of use to you, but everything is now yours. Maybe if you need a safe place to escape everyday life, you will come here. This house holds many secrets, as well as many treasures. One more thing my brother may tell you about me is that I have never said goodbye, not a day in my life, and it will not be today. I know you will see me again.

  I have loved you since before you were born, and I will love you when I am gone.

  Love, Your Dad

  Mordon took the letter from my hand and hugged me. It was so hard to just breathe. He sat me down in the chair. “Call for Divina. You need her with you right now,” he said.

  I stared at him, able to focus and remain coherent, but it was a few minutes before I could speak over the pain in my throat. I shook my head. “We need to get the sword and close the…” I trailed off, losing track of my thoughts. Nestled between two huge books, nearly impossible to see, was a small, black, unmarked book. I pulled it off the shelf and my fingers tingled. When I opened it, I saw all the names just the same as in my book. It was identical in every way. I pulled my book out of my bag just to be sure.

  “What is that?” he asked. “Is time screwing up again?”

  “No. I think my dad may
have broken a rule. It is like an echo. It is an exact copy of my book, even with your name in it, but the magic isn’t real. This book was made to be a decoy.”

  “Then why didn’t he give Vretial’s servants that book and get away?”

  Because he thought my life as a Guardian could never begin until his ended. He gave himself up. “I need to lie down. Maybe throw up first.” I put both my book and the decoy in my bag.

  Mordon didn’t question me, he just helped me to the bathroom, but I had nothing in my stomach, so he helped me to bed. It was my father’s bed, and even nearly ten years later, the dark blue blanket still smelled like him. How is that possible? Maybe it was in my mind. Maybe I was going insane, because insanity seemed to run in the family.

  “Dylan, I can’t read English. What did your father say to you in the letter that has you so upset?”

  “I’m not upset, just tired.”

  He sighed, not believing me. “Then go to sleep. I’ll wake you when I find something.” He got up and left.

  I couldn’t tell him I didn’t want to be alone. I couldn’t tell him this house felt colder and emptier than anywhere I had ever been. My father should have been there. I couldn’t say a word as Mordon left, so when he came back to the door, I was startled.

  “Did you say something?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “I thought I heard someone say to come back. Do you need something?” he asked. I shook my head. He frowned, but came to lie next to me. “Alright. You wouldn’t mind if I take a nap, too, then.”

  He crossed his arms, staring at the ceiling and not making even the slightest attempt to get confortable. I laughed. Yeah, he wasn’t planning to take a nap. I fell asleep knowing that my father got at least one thing right; I had family I could trust.

  * * *

  I woke to the sound of drawers being opened and shut. Mordon was digging through the dresser across from the bed. “What are you doing?” I asked. Mordon glanced at me and pointed to the bedside table, where there was a glass of water. I obeyed his unspoken command to drink it as he continued his search.

  “You are very traditional when you’re trying to be sneaky, kind of like a child,” he said.

  “Okay. That explained nothing and insulted me greatly. Maybe I should go back to sleep and try again.”

  He continued, ignoring me. “It occurred to me that your father might be the same way. I figured there was no place more traditional to hide your things than among your undergarments,” he said.

  “Please don’t riffle through my dad’s underwear. I know what kind of life he lived and I’m afraid of what you might find.”

  He looked back at me. “Like a key?” he smirked, holding one up.

  “Oh, my god, did you really find a key in my father’s underwear?”

  “Not quite. It was in the pocket of his pants. Want to help me find out what this key opens, or are you going to sit around all day doing your hair?”

  I tried to pull a lock of my hair forward to see it, knowing full well it was too short. “Why, what’s wrong with my hair? Quick, I need a brush!” He picked up one of my boots and threw it at me, but I stopped it with magic and put it on, then pulled the second one to me with magic before Mordon could take it.

  I got up and we both searched the house. On the second floor, the master bedroom with its attached study and bathroom was separated by the balcony walkway over the living room. On the other side, we found three more bedrooms, a hallway bathroom, and a small library. There were stairs on the far end of the hallway that led to the kitchen. It was a modest, clean kitchen with off-white walls and wooden floors.

  The only locked door in the house was the door next to the stairway, and that is exactly what the key opened. Down the steps of the basement were boxes and crates. The lower ground floor went on and on around corners and down more steps; way too large to be a normal cellar. We came upon an end. Using only flashlights, with which Mordon seemed fascinated, we nearly missed it.

  It was by chance that I waved the light over the wall and saw the sigil. Mordon put his hand on it. “There are no cracks or creases.”

  “It has to be a door. I may not know my father well, but I know a hidden entrance when I see one. Back up a minute,” I said. He backed away and I sent my energy into it with the will for it to open. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to work. I didn’t expect the wall to separate into bricks that rearranged themselves into a doorway.

  The doorway revealed a final room; the magic room that was shown in the sphere, complete with an altar as well as a shelf of magic books and a display cabinet full of staffs, daggers, and swords. There was also a desk with a collection of unusual potion ingredients, a chest full of carefully labeled potions, and a hand-written journal full of clear instructions for preparing and using the potions.

  On the altar was the sword, which I took carefully. I was not a sword person, and I never would be, but I could feel the magic streaming through it. Each of the artifacts belonged to one of my family. I knew instantly that the sword was for Divina. It suited her somehow.

  “Alright. We got what we came for and I think it’s time to get back,” I said.

  “Are you sure there isn’t anything you want to look into while we’re here?” Mordon asked.

  I shook my head. “If I think the house could somehow bring me more closure than seeing my father’s ghost… twice, then I know where to find it,” I said. A sad expression clouded his face and I could have smacked myself. “I’m sorry Divina can’t bring your mother back the way she did Ronez.” Even though it was only for a short time, at least I knew my father a little.

  “I understand. Ronez was immortal and never meant to die in the first place. Besides, I did get to meet her in the spirit world. That was more than I ever expected.”

  I looked around the room. “This is really the only room that makes me think of my father. I think the apartment we saw before was closer to the man I know. Game systems and comfy chairs. But creepy and magical seems to fit, too.”

  “Maybe there are many sides to him.”

  “That would make it a lot harder to get to know him.”

  “Now that you can control your power, you could have Emrys take you back to see him.”

  “No. That would be a selfish misuse of magic… and it would be too dangerous.”

  “Because you couldn’t stop yourself from trying to save him?” he asked.

  Mordon understood me more than anyone else. “Wouldn’t you? You could ask Emrys to take you back to see your mother. You would have a lot better chance at saving her than I would my father. Both of them died for their child and both deaths could have been avoided. I’m a healer; I could save her.”

  He swallowed hard. “You could. I wouldn’t have Rojan, but he would have his family. Shut up, Rojan; we could have stopped them.”

  “It’s a never ending cycle. I want to save that poor boy that the demon killed. I want to save your mother, and my father… but what would I destroy by trying to save someone? How many worlds could a paradox destroy?”

  “How do you know? How do you ever know if it’s right or not?” he asked.

  “That’s why I’m not a time traveler; I don’t know. That’s what I have friends for. When I have to make a decision like that, I have someone to turn to. Someone wiser, like Edward, or more powerful, like my wife, or who knows me better than anyone else in this world, like you. So you tell me, should I start playing god? Should I have the right to decide who lives and who doesn’t?”

  He stared at me for a moment. “Where is the staff?” he asked.

  I had forgotten about it. “In the study next to the bedroom. We left it there last night.”

  “Sammy said we needed to destroy it.” Mordon left the magic room to retrieve the staff. It gave me a moment to think.

  He returned after a few minutes. “I don’t think we should destroy it,” I said, taking the staff from him. I could feel the power in it. “I think we need to find out what Sammy saw. T
hey both sounded pretty adamant that this was dangerous, so either they saw it in his vision, or they know something like it.”

  “That sounds like a good reason to destroy it, to me,” he said.

  I nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” I ran my fingers over the hand-carved wood, over the magic symbols, and across the crystal.

  “But you’re not going to destroy it,” he surmised.

  I looked at him. “They’re hiding something from us. Whatever it is, this may be the only thing we find answers in.” I set it on the altar before pulling Mordon out of the room. Then I pushed my energy into the stones with the intention to lock it. As quickly as it had become a doorway, it returned to being a wall. “There. Now it can’t fall into any wrong hands and it’s there if we need it.”

  “I felt its power. Sammy was right that it could only cause harm.”

  “It isn’t my intention to use it,” I said. Of course, I was lying. It was very much my intention to use it, just not for its power. I knew my boys well enough to know when they were hiding something, and I knew them well enough to know why they would. If my suspicions were correct, I needed the staff.

  “Let’s go. We have work to do,” he said.

  I flashed us back home. Edward was setting out lunch for the boys while Emiko was lying beside the fireplace… she was lying there tied up with a cloth in her mouth. I sighed and held Mordon back. “What did she do?”

  She yelled with outrage, but her words were unintelligible through the gag.

  “I caught her stealing, and then she got mad at me for not allowing her to, so she tried to curse me,” Edward explained.

  I let Mordon go and he took the cloth out of her mouth. “I am a dragon! How dare you tie me up like a servant?! I will kill you for treating me like this!” she screamed.