The Star Of Saree (GODS OF THE FOREVER SEA Book 3)

by A. J. STRICKLER

  “My lord,” she said with a slight curtsy.

  “What do you need, my beauty?” Serban said smoothly.

  “I just thought I would spend some time with you. I know you were displeased with the results of today’s events. I am sure tomorrow the peasant vermin will die squealing.”

  “It would be wonderful if my commanders had your ruthlessness, Princess. The battle would have had a far better outcome. There was one victory, however. Your brother Dimitri is dead. Once your mouse of a sister is gone, you will be the kingdom’s undisputed queen.”

  Danika laughed. “Pepca is nothing. When the rebel army is destroyed, she can easily be disposed of, then you and I can become the immortal King and Queen of Trimenia and Warmark.”

  “Yes, just as it was always meant to be, my dear.” The baron reached out and caressed her cheek. He didn’t know how long he would keep Danika. He had always been fond of her, but the woman would never be queen. Nor would he ever share his immortality with her. The princess would be far too dangerous to let live, especially as an immortal. When he was sure she was no longer needed, Danika would die, and that would be the end of the Lasota line.

  Captain Snell came striding across the palace lawn. He reached the stairs to the battlements and trotted up onto the wall, giving the baron a quick salute. “My lord, men await you in the throne room.”

  Serban gave his captain a quizzical look, then turned to the princess. “Go wait for me inside,” he said, patting Danika’s hand. “Apparently, I have guests.”

  The princess kissed his cold cheek and flittered away. He waited until Danika was out of sight before questioning the mercenary. “Who are these men Taor?”

  “I am not sure. They claim to be your allies. One wears half a silver mask, and the other looks to be some sort of savage.”

  “I can’t think of who they might be. You haven’t let our enemies inside the palace, have you?” the Baron said mockingly.

  “No, my lord. I assure you they are not with the rebels.”

  “I can’t be too sure of anything you do, Taor, not after today’s fiasco.”

  The mercenary captain’s head dropped and he said no more. Following Snell into the palace, the baron made for the throne room. He opened the doors to find his strange guests surrounded by a number of the palace’s royal guardsmen. At least Snell had seen to something.

  The first of his unexpected guests was dressed as a nobleman, and wore a silver mark over one side of his face. The other had feathers and bones tied in his hair. His look was dark and uncultured.

  “Who are you?” the baron demanded.

  “I am known as Silver Scar, and this is my companion Stone Crow. Vanguard sent us.”

  The baron’s lip curled in a snarl. “All of you, get out,” he said, motioning to the guardsmen and Captain Snell. The soldiers trooped out without ceremony. When they closed the doors, the baron faced the two wizards. He had been foolish to think the Circle would not be watching the outcome of his little play.

  “I didn’t expect Vanguard to be concerned about the goings-on in Trimenia anymore. You are aware he has given me full control. Tragedy assured me the Circle has no interests in Trimenia now.”

  The wizard with the mask gave his associate a quick glance. “We know the circumstances here in Trimenia, Baron. Vanguard just wished to send us to…aid you. We share some of the same enemies. The master of the Circle only sent us as a courtesy.”

  The baron pursed his lips and thought for a moment. He wasn’t sure if he liked the idea of the leader of the cabal of wizards offering to assist him, though the two sorcerers could be of great use. Vanguard wasn’t known to be generous with his services, however. The archmage would want something in return. “I not sure I have any need of you. I believe I have things well in hand.”

  “I thought after today’s battle, you could use us. If not, would you mind if we just stayed to observe tomorrow’s fight? If things change, we will be here for you to call on.”

  “I don’t mind at all. I would like to stay on good terms with the Circle. In the future, we might again do business. Please make yourselves at home, and welcome to Trimenia.”

  Both wizards gave a slight bow. He didn’t like letting the mages stay, but he couldn’t afford any problems with Vanguard right now. He needed to rid himself of the rebels and Strom, and then he would be in a much better place to deal with the Circle’s intrigues. Once he brought order back to Trimenia and harnessed the power of Warmark, he could see to getting the cabal of mages out of his lands for good.

  “Captain Snell,” the baron called.

  The large mercenary entered the throne room and stood at attention, awaiting his orders. “Would you be so kind as to show my guests to the late king’s quarters and tomorrow see that they have a place to watch the battle from?” The baron turned back to the wizards with a sly smile. “Gentlemen, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to join you tomorrow for obvious reasons. However, I will be inside the palace receiving reports.”

  “Your aversion to the sun is a disadvantage. You won’t be able to direct the battle personally,” Silver Scar pointed out.

  “True, but tomorrow when the sun sets, you will see what my advantage is, provided there are any rebels left when darkness falls.”

  The two wizards smiled. He knew their feigned conformity was nothing more than a gesture of etiquette, but they would soon learn why it was wise to fear the night.

  * * *

  The cage had been carved in to the sacred stone of Shadow Dragon Mountain. Deep in the bowels of the great spire, the tiny cave had been chiseled out to accommodate a single immortal prisoner. Steel bars wrought from iron that had fallen from the sky barred the entrance. Ranjan had forged the steel gate long ago, and Cem himself had cast the powerful spells that enchanted the door against the power of any god, and the warded the cell against their gift of teleportation. Tagas, the God of Strength, had tested the bars, and even his might could not bend them nor could Shiavaka’s magic aid her in eluding the prison. No god could escape the cage.

  The light from a pair of torches was all that illuminated the gloomy dungeon. The cavern that held the cage was damp and wet. She could hear the water dripping from the ceiling, and small rivulets ran down the stone walls of her prison as if the mountain itself slowly bled.

  Syann paced like a predatory animal that had been confined. Her armor and weapons had been taken, replaced by a simple white gown. Her loose blonde hair was dirty and she was barefoot. It was not the humiliation of her imprisonment that troubled her, but the lack of information that was about to drive her mad.

  She’d had no visitors since she had been confined in the depths of the mountain. Even Nikodemos hadn’t dared to visit her here. There was no one to tell her what evils Valintina had performed. Syann knew she had been rash. Whatever wickedness the Goddess of Love had enacted would have to be laid at her own feet. The consequences would be hers to bear.

  Here in the dim light of her jail, Syann had come to understand she cared for Kian Cardan much more than she had admitted to anyone, even herself. He was mortal and half-elven, yet she could not contain her feelings. The passions of the gods of the mountain ran hot. Love or hate, the immortals’ emotions were far more intense than those of humanity. It had always been so with the deities of Saree. Controlling one’s desires had never been a strong point of her kind.

  The powerful smell of roses filled the air, causing Syann to scowl. The scent was all too familiar. Valintina stepped into the torchlight and peered at her through the bars. The deep red gown the goddess wore exposed the soft flesh of her waist, legs, and hips. Her arms were adorned with golden armlets and matching bracelets dangled from her wrists. No doubt gifts from Airius. Valintina shook back her perfect blonde locks and flashed Syann a mocking smile. “Enjoying your stay, dear?”

  Syann rushed to the bars, making the smug goddess take a step back. “What have you done, harlot?”

  “It seems your imprisonment hasn’t taught
you any manners. You’re still a savage, Syann. Maybe you should think on different ways to express yourself.”

  “Tell me what you did, you insufferable sow.”

  Valentina’s smiled faded. “That is why I have come. I want you to know what your actions have cost your precious mortal.”

  Syann’s hands balled into fists. “Damn you, tell me what you did to him.”

  “I did nothing to the Slayer,” the Goddess of Love said with a flip of her wrist. “I tried, but my power could not pierce his deranged mind.”

  The Goddess of Justice sighed deeply. Kian’s inhuman nature had thwarted Valintina. The swordsman’s peculiar aspects were a blessing as well as a curse.

  “I see you are relieved that the creature wasn’t affected by my power. It was not so with his woman.”

  Syann could feel her throat tighten. “What did you do to Endra?”

  “I stole her love for that beast and caused her to lust after one of those dreadful mercenaries,” Valintina said, running her hands along the bars. “She can’t seem to keep her legs closed these days, and her new lover is quite pleased with her decadent yearnings. I am afraid the woman is obsessed with her new love, and she has become extremely immoral in her pursuit of the man’s…attributes. Your half-breed will be saddened by the loss of a woman like her, don’t you think?”

  Syann knew what losing Endra would do to Kian. It would shatter his heart. The swordsman would have no idea that it wasn’t Endra’s doing. It was only his love for the mortal woman that kept balance in his tortured mind. The loss of that bond could be catastrophic. “Fix this and I will hold no grudge against you,” Syann pleaded. “It was I that wronged you, not the Slayer.”

  Valintina tilted her head and giggled. “I think this is bothering you more than if I had struck against your person. You feel guilt, Syann, and rightfully you should. Your favorite mortal is in pain and it is you that has caused it. Maybe you will think twice before you attack your betters. Consider that while you rot in here.” The goddess vanished without another word.

  Syann squeezed the bars of the cage and banged her head against the magical steel. Valintina had no idea what she had done.

  She was sitting with her back against the far wall of her cell when the cavernous chamber shook. The pungent smell of fire and death filled her cage.

  A hulking figure stepped into the light of the torches. Her father’s dark eyes regarded her with what looked to be contempt. The huge god’s black hair fell to his massive shoulders, and his fierce visage was unshaven. He wore no armor, only a sleeveless black jerkin laced up the front, with dark pants and boots. From the wide belt that spanned his waist, the sword Tribulation hung, foreboding as ever. Her father’s frightful presence made the hairs on her neck stand at attention and goosebumps spread across her flesh.

  Pushing herself up, Syann walked to the bars with her head down. The Reaper’s face was grim. The mighty God of Death was displeased. “Father, you are taking a great chance coming here. Your presence could be discovered.”

  “What choice have you left me?” his deep voice rumbled.

  “I don’t understand?” Syann said, shaking her head.

  “Do you think I would leave you caged like an animal?”

  “Hesperina has ordered my imprisonment. Besides, the cage is enchanted with Cem’s magic. There is nothing you or I can do.”

  The death god’s eyes narrowed. “Have I taught you nothing? Valintina wronged you and yet you allowed Hesperina to put you in this cage?”

  “It was the queen’s order. I attacked Tobiah and broke her decree.”

  “I know what you did and why. Valintina wants your girl to marry that weakling son of hers. You said no, yet the wedding is still being planned while you sit here in the dark, pathetic and defeated.”

  “I had no right to try and kill Tobiah.”

  “Silence!” he shouted. “There is no right. There is only power, what can be done and what cannot.”

  She watched as the death god took hold of the bars of the cage’s door. The corded muscles in his shoulder contracted and the veins in his colossal arms pulsed with blood. His brow furrowed as he strained against the impossible.

  The enchanted steel squealed against his legendary strength. Syann looked on in awe as the door’s hinges twisted off with a loud snap. The Reaper tossed the broken door aside and stared down at her with eyes black as the deepest pit in hell. “You are free, Syann. What you do now is up to you.”

  Frightened by his power, Syann stood in the cage’s threshold with her knees shaking. The death god took her by the shoulders and pulled her close. “Go to your mortal, name him your champion if you will, then deal with Valintina. You are my daughter, Syann, and you know what must be done.”

  She stared up at her father in confusion. “You know about Kian?”

  “Of course I know of the Slayer.”

  “I didn’t think you would approve. He is half-elven.”

  “Perhaps once, but now that creature is no more elven than we are. It has strength, use it.”

  He cupped her cheek and Syann kissed the palm of his large hand. For a moment, his face softened. “Where will you go now, Father?”

  The death god’s expression turned dark again. “I set a great deal of things in motion while everyone believed I was imprisoned. Now my hand is forced. I can wait no longer and soon must act. You must tell me now. Where do you stand, Syann?”

  “With you, Father. Always with you.”

  * * *

  Tavantis squinted at the gem lying on his desk. The Star was perhaps the most powerful magical item in the world. The stone seemed to pull the light from the room. It sparkled and winked as if beckoning him to use it. The archmage could think of nothing else to try. He had studied the gem and researched his ancient tomes until his eyes hurt, and he had found nothing useful about the gem. Most likely, the elves had been destroyed before they could record the Star’s story. Shiavaka had told him what the Beast had said, but one couldn’t proceed with rumor and legend. On top of it, the god was a liar. Who could really believe what the fiend said?

  “Well, what do you think, milady?”

  Shiavaka stood behind him with a furrowed brow. “We have cast every spell I know, and tested it every way, save directly. My guess would be the stone’s power enhances the caster’s own. There is just no way to be sure. The wards cast on gem are strange, not quite elven in origin. It’s as if they combined some other kind of magic with their own spells to shield it. Whatever the case, I can’t get past their protection spells without a great amount of risk. So we can’t discern the Star’s true nature.”

  “Perhaps the elves used something beyond their own skill to create the wards.” Tavantis chuckled. “I am sure they wanted to hide its power so it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

  “I couldn’t think of hands more wrong than yours,” Shiavaka said with a smirk. “The whole thing makes little sense to me, Tavantis. We aren’t sure of anything, and there can be no mistakes when you face the Beast. The elven mages were a strange lot, but I have never seen anything hide its secrets like this stone.”

  He wanted some wine and started to call for Siro, then remembered the little necromancer had been nowhere to be found when he returned to the tower. Sighing, the wizard picked the gem up. “There is nothing else I can think of to try, short of casting through it, and you said that would be a bad idea.”

  “It is. What if its power is limited, or the gem can only be used once? We can’t take the chance of wasting its power on tests.” Shiavaka ran her hands through her hair, causing the white shock to fall down on her forehead. “If you are determined to go down this path, then there is nothing left to do but retrieve your brother and go to Sidia, if you’re that big a fool.”

  “You sound as if we are defeated already. What’s the worse that can happen? Kian and I will be killed and the Star will fall into the hands of an evil god.”

  The goddess folded her arms. “That is not funny i
n the least. I don’t like this. I am unsure of the Star’s nature or abilities, and as you well know, my brother is merciless and second only to me in his command of magic. There will be no second chance. Perhaps you should wait till we know more.”

  “That would not be any fun. It is much more exciting this way. I don’t suppose you would like to come with me? Think of the suspense.”

  She smiled. “You are truly insane.”

  “It is why you are so fond of me, and I prefer the term daring.”

  “It is not my fight, Tavantis, and you’re still not sure Kia even lives. This could all be for nothing, and I will not risk myself for nothing.”

  “Have it your own way then,” the wizard chuckled.

  Shiavaka reached out and softly stroked the claw-like brand on his face. “Just don’t forget, the stone is mine when this is over, whether you get you mother back or not.”

  “Aren’t you afraid that if I fail, the Star will fall into the Beast’s hands?”

  “I will see that doesn’t happen.”

  “Then you have decided to help us?”

  “No, Tavantis, I going to help myself.” The goddess raised her hand and vanished.

  Tavantis shook his head and stared into the Star. “Typical.”

  * * *

  The Queen of Hell thought the whole thing had been so perfect. Valintina interfering with the Korlest wench and sending her to Kago played right to her plan. The mortal would think it was her that caused the woman to crawl into his bed.

  If K’xarr and Kago could keep from killing each other, they would increase her power tenfold. Crimson Wave and Malice in those two’s hands would be a devastating combination. With an army behind them, the pair of warriors could sweep across half the world. They just needed a little more incentive.

  The Mistress’s smile was smug under her dark veil as she walked the path through Hell. She hadn’t been so pleased in a long time. It wouldn’t be long before she would have all the power she needed to topple Hesperina’s reign. A few more items from Ranjan and she could move forward with her plans for the Slayer. She stopped cold as the Stone of Subjugation came into sight. Ranjan was gone.