The Eighth God

by Paul S. Lavender

  ‘Oh, I’ll teach you to tumble, but you don’t need acrobatics when you’ve got wings.’

  ‘Wings...did you say wings...Tierra looked over her shoulder slowly. Sprouting from her back were the most beautiful golden yellow wings, ‘...wings...I’ve got wings... they’re gorgeous. But how will I sleep? I’ll be pretty obvious walking through towns and cities.’

  Saethryth shook his head. ‘I don’t know, but there will be a word or words that will make them vanish. While I’m out, you can try and find out what they are. Now let’s see how well you fight.’

  ‘Aren’t you worried I might kill you, the net, the coins. They're dangerous, I don’t want to kill the only friend I have left.’

  ‘You’re forgetting one important thing.’

  ‘What’s that’?

  ‘I’m immune to metal, come on let’s get on with it.’

  They spent an hour sparring together, her net whirling, throwing coins at him, while for his part he would dance, spin, jump, and block.

  Then the unthinkable, a lucky throw and the net was over him, he didn’t move as the net passed harmlessly through his body as if he were a ghost to end up on the floor of the training room.

  ‘See, no harm done. Now let’s spar some more.’

  He picked up the net and passed it to her. At some point, Saethryth removed the armour that covered his upper body, and his chest was glistening with sweat. Tierra couldn’t help noticing how heavily muscled he was considering how lithe he was as well.

  24: A History Lesson

  They both sat at the large dining table, the remains of their meals in front of them. Saethryth let out a contented sigh as he stood up. He had been lucky in that he had found some plates and cutlery made from fine Ashen Falls glass. ‘Just let me get these plates sorted, and I’ll give you a quick history lesson.’

  Tierra gave him a nod, ‘You know that you don’t have to clear up after me?’

  Saethryth smiled, ‘It’s nice to look after someone, I've spent a long time on my own recently.’

  He picked up the plates and took them into the kitchen, then returned.

  ‘I’ll wash them up later.’

  ‘Typical man!’ Tierra stood up,’ Come on we’ll wash and dry together and talk while we do.’

  Saethryth sighed and pivoted on his heels back into the kitchen, Tierra close behind.

  ‘You washing or drying?’ He said as he started to fill a tub with water.

  ‘I’ll dry, can’t stand washing plates, that’s why I eat out…a…lot.’ She felt herself begin to cry and give herself a mental slap.

  ‘Look, Tierra, I don’t expect you to become a hard arsed Knight overnight. You’ve had a shock and that takes time to get used to, today you can cry, and tomorrow we can go and get revenge, eh?’

  Saethryth stopped the water and opened a metal box. Taking a thick glove, he put it on his hand and reached into the box. Retrieving a black rock, he put it into the cold water, which soon started to bubble slightly.

  Taking the glove off, he began to clean the plates.

  ‘Right, what do you know about the Knights?’

  ‘About as much as everyone else, bearing in mind I was a battle mage, just the usual myths and legends, and of course the fact you don’t exist anymore.’

  ‘Ha, I would love to know who started that one! Well as you now know there are tw…err…three of us. In the beginning, there were seven Knights, I could tell you their names, but it’s not important. They were given their powers during the last aitu war, when they were surrounded by an army and about to be decimated. They maintained that they were given their powers by the elven gods themselves. Needless to say, the church were none too happy with that idea and accused them of heresy, so the seven, plus a human woman – who was pregnant at the time - went into hiding.’

  He handed Tierra a washed pot before continuing.

  ‘Eventually, they ended up in Ashen Falls, they were here for a few years, and they built this house and created the magic racks for the weapons and armour. Eventually, they were betrayed and found themselves on the run again. They barely escaped in time, as they now had the woman and a toddler to look after. They fled to the only place they knew they would be safe from the elves that wanted them so badly.’

  Tierra could only speak in a whisper ‘Go on, where?’

  ‘Helekose.’

  ‘The city of Helen?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Helekose, it’s old tongue for the City of Helen.’

  ‘Odd, the aitu call it the City of Bones.’

  ‘That’s Helokose. I guess we just lost something in translation over the years.’

  ‘Aye, anyway it was also the very place they were going to when they became the Knights, so they decided to return there. Six of them set off with Helen and the child, and one stayed behind to be a caretaker to the house. Over time the suits of armour and weapons have returned to the stands, sitting there until someone comes along with a desire for vengeance against the aitu.

  At some point the last of the original seven Knights set off for Helekose, things quietened down, the church stopped looking and then rescinded the heresy. Then as the peace has held, vengeance has become rarer and rarer. And now there is you, Erekose and me.’

  He handed her a plate to dry.

  ‘Did you know that there are more cities north of the aitu lands? There are at least three that I know of that are a lot less dangerous, but the area is littered with old buildings.’

  ‘Really? Have you ever been to them?’

  His face clouded over, and his voice became choked with emotion as he spoke ‘Aye, I've been to them all, even Helekose. Lost many a friend too, and learned a valuable lesson.’

  ‘What, tell me!’

  He winked at her.

  ‘I’ll tell you later!’

  She swiped at him with the drying cloth, hitting him on the shoulder. He retaliated by splashing water on her. They started laughing, and before she could help herself, she had leant into him and was kissing him. She started to pull back. Why would he want her after what she had done?

  His arm came around and held her head in place, and his tongue slid into her mouth. His armour began to disappear from his upper body, and she began to will her armour away too, and soon she was leading him back to the dining area.

  25: On the Road

  The rain had blown over an hour ago, leaving the sky to turn rapidly dark as night began to set in. Birds were tweeting their night songs, and the bats had just started to come out, hoping to catch an insect or two. The plate clad figure’s horse slowed in the middle of the road, ‘Where the hell had his quarry gone?’

  He went to scratch his head, but his fingertips just brushed the side of his helmet instead. He forced the mount around in a circle, the warrior looking in all directions. When he came back around to the direction, he had been facing Melress sat on his horse facing him.

  ‘Someone once told me that when you look in all directions at once, you see in none. I guess they were right. Now, why are you following a captain of the battle mages, soldier?’

  The warrior slowly raised his hands and removed his helmet.

  ‘Gods Ellowe, I thought you were still unconscious! What do you want now, another fight?’

  ‘Hold Melress, I was feigning when you came to see me. I was too ashamed to speak to you in the infirmary. I was wrong to pick on you the way that I have, I wish now that I had been your friend rather than your enemy. I know that if not for you I would be dangling from the noose. You have shown the nobility of the house of Melbrugess, a nobility I should have shown you, and I thank you for it…And hope that I can return the favour. I want to help you with whatever your mission is, please let me, I can be of use to you.’

  Melress stared at Ellowe, ‘Ellowe, I appreciate your candour, but where I am going, it will be very dangerous. Does anyone know you are here?’

  Ellowe whispered low, ‘No.’

  Melress sighed, ‘Then you’re a deserter no
w... unless… Okay, you can stay with me, when we stop tonight I will write a letter for you to carry, it will say I commandeered you for this mission, that will at least stop you from a hanging...again.’

  Ellowe looked at Melress aghast. ‘Why would you do that for me, your tormentor for years?’

  Tears began to streak down his face.

  ‘Ellowe, sometimes I don’t know why I do things, a voice inside me is saying to trust you, that that trust will be rewarded. I never wanted this damn enmity in the first place, you’re the one who asked for it. I will give you your absolution, your one chance to be my friend. Don’t let me down.’

  Melress nudged his horse forward and held out his hand. Ellowe took it like a man drowning in a storm-swept sea. ‘You won’t regret this, captain.’

  ‘Melress, Ellowe, my friends call me Melress.’

  ‘Melress.’ Repeated Ellowe as if it were like ambrosia on his lips.

  ‘Right, let’s hope to reach the aptly named battle mage Inn before it gets too dark. After that, it will probably be camping all the way to our destination.’

  From a nearby tree branch Caw, the raven, watched and then took to the darkening skies.

  26: Alone

  Bazak had run for his life, ran until he could run no more. He had bribed a squad of city watchmen to open one of the postern gates to let him out of Ashen Falls, and then had carried on running.

  Eventually, he had stumbled into a small clearing with a small brook running through one side of it. He settled himself down in his cloak with his back against a tree, the only extra precaution he could take under the circumstances. Time to find out what his father knew about the elven assassin who had very nearly killed him. Taking out the small chest, he opened the lid and removed the talk-stone. He just hoped his father had his handy.

  Bazak gazed at the talk-stone willing a picture of his father’s face into his mind and then projecting it into the stone, soon his father’s image appeared in the stone, his eyes were closed, and he appeared preoccupied. Suddenly he let out a low moan. Fuck, thought Bazak, he’s being tortured.

  Then his father spoke, ‘That’s it bitch, swallow the lot.’

  ‘Oh great’, Bazak though, ‘that’s even worse.

  Wish the old fucker WAS being tortured now.

  Soon his father opened his eyes and then he saw his son watching him, ‘Gettin' tips eh lad? Still plenty of juice in the old man, yet.’

  Bazak looked sick, ‘Sorry father, things have sped up a bit here in Ashen Falls.’

  ‘Looks a bit rural for a city, boy.’

  ‘Ah yes, well, I’ve had to leave in rather a hurry.’

  ‘Why?’

  Bazak filled his father in on what had happened, about the battle mage heading for Knight’s Perch and the elf that attacked him.

  His father looked perturbed by the elf, asking him several questions about the elf and his brooch.

  ‘What’s the significance of the brooch father?’

  His father pulled his lower lip, ‘I don’t know, but we found one on the ambassador when we killed him and his delegation.’ It was a throwaway comment as if nothing untoward had happened.

  ‘You’ve killed the ambassador, are you mad?’ Bazak was confused and angry.

  ‘Watch your mouth, son. Yes, we’ve killed him. I have an army ready to go through the pass at Knight’s Perch. We are going to war, the war band that took you through will be attacking within a fortnight. Once Knight’s Perch has fallen we will march on the rest of the empires. More Chief’s will join our cause as we become more and more successful, soon all the lower lands will be in our hands. Orcs don’t do peace, orcs do war, and soon we will get it.’

  ‘But killing the ambassador will warn them surely?’

  ‘Ha, don’t worry there, son. I am in control of that.’

  ‘How, father?’

  ‘Not telling you, now get to Knight’s Perch, and get in contact with our spy. He’ll look after you for now.’

  ‘How will I know this spy?’

  ‘Oh, you’ll know him when you see him!’

  With that, his father cut the talk-stones connection.

  Bazak nestled in his cloak to get as much sleep as he could. At first, he found sleep elusive, he could have sworn that the sword had said his father’s name. Perhaps he misheard, as he was preoccupied with staying alive at the time, yes that must be it. His father was alive and well, he had just spoken to him. Eventually, he managed to fall asleep.

  He dreamt that night that the sword had sung his father’s name and that he had been declared chief, and he woke up happier than he had in days.

  27: Into the Fortress

  Saethryth had left Tierra trying to find the right words to get her wings to retract.

  She would be in for an uncomfortable night if she couldn’t work it out, he thought. Still, it had made for some interesting positions.

  Keeping to the alleys and darker shadows, he crept towards the outer wall of the battle mage fortress. The problem with five thousand years of peace, he mused, as he somersaulted onto a lean-to, was that people started to get complacent. Areas cleared for archers started to sprout sheds, shacks, hovels and then tenements. This allowed nimble folk like himself to get to places rather too easily.

  He jumped from the top of the lean-to and grabbed onto an edge of a ramshackle house. Pulling himself up onto the roof, he scanned for any signs of life. Nothing. Thirty metres away was a taller building, he made his way over to it, and started to climb the side, like a spider, his hands finding little nooks and crevices that allowed him to always move up. It also helped that little hooks would form on his gloves; hooking into wood and brick, they made climbing effortless.

  Soon he found himself hunched down, five metres from the battlements of the fortress. He spent two hours watching the guards from his vantage point, making a quick note of how often they walked past his position. When he had decided the time was right, he walked back a few paces and ran for the battlements, jumping high into the air as his foot landed next to the ledge.

  He lived for this, looking down at the drop to the cobbles knowing that if he got it wrong, he would plummet. He could have shouted and laughed if he hadn’t been on a mission.

  As it was, he wore a beaming smile. He flew through a gap in the crenellations and came to a stop on the walkway behind. As he looked down, he saw that the tips of his toes dangled over the edge of the walkway. Turning to his right, he made for the commander’s office.

  Saethryth knew the commander from when he was a youngster. He had been a friend of his fathers, meeting when his father had been a soldier. The pair had apparently gotten into all sorts of scrapes together as youngsters, but that had been before Saethryth’s departure, and he didn’t know how Arande would receive him. Anyway, Saethryth didn’t want too many people to know he was around, his secrecy was very important to him.

  The commander’s window was partially open when Saethryth approached. As he considered the room beyond he could see the commander sat at his desk, hunched over it, his head moving imperceptibly as he scanned a document. Saethryth placed a finger on each side of the window and slowly pried them apart enough to let him into the room. Moving in total silence to stand behind the commander he looked over his shoulder, the commander was holding the investigation into Ashalone’s death and disappearance. It didn’t tell the commander much, hell it didn’t tell Saethryth much either, and he had been there.

  ‘Are you going to stand there all night, if you’re going to kill me get on with it.’ Arande said. He sounded tired, worn down by the rigours of command.

  ‘Commander, look at me, I’m not here to kill you,’ said Saethryth moving out from behind him.

  The commander turned to the elf beside him, ‘Who are you? What do you want if you aren’t here for me?’

  ‘Come on commander, think, you know me. Many’s the time I ran around this office with a wooden sword in hand.’

  The commander seemed to awaken, a spark of rec
ognition on his face. ‘Saethryth? Is that really you lad? Your father and I had thought you dead. I must let him know...’

  ‘Father’s dead, commander.’

  ‘No, no, he isn’t he is still ambassador to the orcs.’

  ‘Trust me, Sir, he’s dead. His armour is back at the house. I know my father had trusted you with his secret and that you turned down a chance to be a Knight, but you know what his armour returning means.’

  ‘Yes, Saethryth, it means five thousand years of peace are about to come to an end, and I’ve just lost one of my best captains, disappeared without a trace and nothing for the priests to track. It seems that the orcs are making a bold move already, taking the battle mages out one by one, and I have barely started my counter attack.’

  ‘Sir, did you know something was about to happen?’

  ‘What do you know about Knight’s Perch, Saethryth?’

  Saethryth was surprised by the question. ‘Border keep. Large stone statue. Not much more than that.’

  Arande sighed. ‘All right, all the border keeps keep watch on the passes between the orcs and us. Each keep has a rather bizarre name, Knight’s Perch, Maiden’s Watch and so on, each keep has a statue depicting said name, and each statue is alive.’

  ‘Eh?’

  ‘Each statue is alive, each one is actually a golem, a creature of stone in this case, and they all watch. If they need to, they will come alive and defend the pass. Some time ago an orc war band crossed through the pass, and yet neither the keep nor the golem was alerted. I believe someone at Knight’s Perch let them through and used magic to prevent the golem from operating.’

  ‘So, you’re saying that we have a traitor, AND we have a band of orcs marauding around in our lands?’

  ‘Yes, we have a traitor, but the orcs haven’t marauded, at least not yet. They have gone into hiding somewhere, probably waiting for a signal. Guessing we had a traitor, I have dispatched a captain to Knight’s Perch, I also have a soldier missing, and as we have no body, I am assuming at this point that he is with the captain. You're b..’ the commander stopped