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

by A. J. STRICKLER

  “We shall see,” Tavantis shouted back.

  “I see you have brought the creature you made with you,” the Beast said, grinning. “The last Sunblade, what an honor it will be to end such a famed line. I am surprised you have the courage to come here since your master was a well-known coward.”

  Kian bared his on fangs at the mention of his master. “Gildor was no coward, dark thing. Your words mean nothing.”

  “He could not stand against Death though, could he? When he faced my brother, the great Gildor Singollo shat his pants and fled like a mangy cur. It is a shame he couldn’t live to see how far his apprentice has fallen. How many people have you killed, Slayer? It is clear you no longer walk the path of a Sunblade. I hear you’re nothing more than a common mercenary now. What would the great Gildor have to say about that?”

  Kian started for the nearest bridge, but Tavantis caught his arm.

  “Don’t be hasty, brother, not when we have the Star. Besides, we don’t know where he is holding mother.”

  The mage pulled the green gem from his belt pouch.

  “Your time has come to an end, devil,” Tavantis thundered. “Return our mother or I will destroy you where you stand.”

  “Do your worst, half-breed worm. Your race is beneath contempt, as is your mother. The Lord of Evil does not answer to a pair of craven mongrels born of an elven whore.”

  Tavantis held the Star before him and spoke a word. A shining bolt of magic launched from his hand and shot through the gem. The Beast raised a hand and deflected the stone’s power with ease.

  His mouth hanging open like a dullard, Tavantis stared in confusion. Casting a glance at Kian, the mage took a step back.

  “You truly believed you had the Star of Saree, didn’t you?” the Beast said mockingly. “It was I who put the gem in the mountains for you to find, and it was I who cast the illusion of a great power inside the stone, enchanting it so any who gazed upon it would see what I wanted them to see. You and Shiavaka acquired nothing but a pretty rock.”

  The god stepped out onto the bridge facing them. “Did you and your power hungry patron really think I would ever allow the true Star to fall into your hands?”

  “You have had it all along,” Tavantis murmured.

  “Yes, and since it was your folly that allowed it to fall into my lap, I will grant you the mercy of letting you look upon the true Star of Saree before you die.”

  The Beast gestured at the dark pit and up floated the naked body of an elven woman. Her dark hair hung over her features, but both Kian and Tavantis knew it was their mother.

  “Behold the great Elven Star, the only power that could defy the gods,” the Beast shouted.

  The woman hovered in the air near the high ceiling, seemly unconscious as her body slowly spun.

  The Beast ripped off his cowl, revealing a demonic face and eyes black as onyx. “I’m going to tear you both apart and eat you still beating hearts. It is time you face true evil.”

  The god began to take on a form from a nightmare. His size increased to twice the height of a man and his skin became scaly, changing in color to become a blend of red and black. Large curled horns slid out of the god’s head while a pair of bat-like wings sprouted from his back. A long bony tail whipped around in the air behind the diabolical creature as the thing stomped its cloven foot, letting out a spine-chilling growl.

  The monstrous creature charged across the bridge like a battering ram. Kian stepped to meet it while Tavantis hurriedly tried to cast his magic.

  Kian struck with Silence, only to have the Beast fly into the air with a flap of its leathery wings. Lighting flashed from Tavantis’s hand, striking the creature full in the chest. It howled in rage, but shrugged the magic off, unaffected by the mage’s power.

  Landing near the wizard, its clawed hand struck out with the strength of a god and sent Tavantis end over end across the huge room. The wizard smashed into the wall with a sickening thud and lay still.

  Before it could turn, Kian attacked, heedless of the god’s vast strength. Silence’s keen edge sheared off one of the demonic god’s wings. Enraged, it turned and struck with quickness not warranted in such a large creature. Its large bony fist battered Kian in the head, neck, and chest, sending him sprawling across the floor.

  “You are nothing, Slayer, just another weak mortal to be crushed beneath my heel,” it snarled in a deep, grotesque voice.

  Kian stood up, shook his head, and charged the god again. The Beast’s agility was astonishing. The creature avoided every thrust and slash he threw at it. It tore at him with its lethal claws, shredding the elven mail Syann had given him with ease.

  He tried to twist away, but the ghastly monster sank its claws deep into his bare shoulder. The pain was near unbearable, even to his iron will, as the fiend ripped at his flesh. Silence fell from his hand, soundlessly bouncing on the floor. He cried out.

  “Your time has come to an end, Slayer,” the thing growled. It struck Kian and sent him through the air to land hard on his back. It was on top of him before he could rise, snatching him up and slinging him though the air in the other direction.

  Kian smashed against the wall. His head swam and blood ran from his ears and mouth. He saw his sword laying a few feet from him. He lunged out and grabbed the blade, his shoulder singing out in agony from the act.

  “That won’t help you now,” the Beast said, kicking him into the wall near where Tavantis lay.

  The impact snapped some of his ribs and caused him to lose his breath. Kian sat leaning back against the chamber’s stone wall, black blood leaking heavily from the wound to his shoulder. He looked at his mother floating in the air, and then to his brother lying nearby in a bloody heap.

  All that he was—blood, bone, and spirit—cried out for him to stand and fight. Salty rivulets ran into his golden eyes from his sweat-soaked hair as the warrior blinked at the undefeatable evil stalking towards him.

  Using the wall for support, Kian came to his feet. His armor was shredded and his battered and broken body seethed with pain, yet there was something inside him that refused to surrender to the dark god’s evil.

  Black blood ran down his arm until it dripped from Silence’s tip. Gritting his teeth, Kian raised his sword.

  The god stared at him with murderous delight.

  “Admirable, but you are finished, mortal.”

  Kian’s golden eyes fixed on his enemy. The darkness he fought so hard against rose inside him like a tidal wave, straining against the barriers of his mind. This time, he set it free.

  “Never,” he growled.

  The god leapt forward, its massive arms reaching for him. Kian stood his ground, making no effort to keep the Beast from grabbing him. Its claws sinking deep into his torso, the swordsman steeled himself against the pain and slashed his sword across the dark god’s enormous chest, its tip opening a wide gash in the monster’s leathery skin.

  The Beast didn’t relent. Kian could feel his chest compress in the demonic deity’s powerful grip. Just as he thought his bones would snap, Kian felt the god’s the pressure lessen as the creature looked at the wound on its chest. Its fanged mouth agape, the Beast dropped Kian to the stone floor. Its horrible face suddenly masked in fear, it touched a clawed finger to the black blood that dripped from the wound on its chest.

  “What is this?” the horrible god roared as it weaved back and forth, its knees trying to buckle.

  Nearly overcome with pain, Kian sneered wickedly.

  “It is you who are finished.”

  “It is his blood, you ugly bastard,” Tavantis said from behind him. The mage had regained his wits, though blood ran heavily from a wound on his scalp. “It is corrupted with the water of the Forever Sea.”

  The Beast clutched his chest, staggering back with a look of fear in its eyes. “This cannot be.”

  Kian dragged himself up and lunged forward. Silence became a blur as he slashed at the god again and again.

  The Lord of Evil retreated bef
ore the inhuman warrior’s onslaught, but not fast enough. Kian sank the dark blade into the Beast’s bowels. The god howled as the Slayer ripped his weapon free. Teetering on the edge of the vast pit, the god sank to its knees before the swordsman.

  Kian mustered all the strength he had left and kicked the dark lord in the chest, sending it back into the pit. Sickening demonic screams echoed through the chamber as the god fell into the darkness.

  The woman suspended in the air dropped. Kian tried to reach her, but she was too far away. He heard Tavantis shout. The woman abruptly stopped her descent, and once again hung suspended. Tavantis stretched out his hand and the limp form floated towards them. Kian caught the woman and eased her down, taking care to not get any of his blood on her.

  Kia laid before them, her lithe form without scars or wounds. She was filthy and smelled terrible, but their mother’s beauty was unchanged.

  Tavantis looked at Kian. “I told you she lived.”

  Kian said nothing. He only stared at his mother, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

  Tavantis held his hand over her chest and began to mutter. Her eyelids fluttered and Kia’s dark green eyes slowly opened. At first, she looked afraid as she stared up into their bloody faces. “Who are you?”

  “It is your sons, Kian and Tavantis,” the wizard said softly.

  A look of recognition gradually dawned on the elven woman’s face. “My boys?”

  “It is us, Mother. Can you stand?” Tavantis asked.

  She reached up and they helped her to her feet. She trembled and stared at them in bewilderment. “How is this happening? Are you truly here, or is this another of the Beast unholy torments?”

  “We are here and must leave now,” Tavantis said, glancing around.

  Kian could hear them coming even before they entered. The banging of their amour could not escape his keen ears.

  Men flooded into the chamber from two doors on the far side of the room. The first group was led by a large man in bronze-colored armor, a dark sword in his hand. Bearded and cold-eyed, the warrior glared at them with contempt.

  The second group was led by a second man whose face was smooth and beautiful. His dark hair was tied back, revealing the upswept ears of his elven heritage. Ornate black plate armor covered his body, and he too carried a dark blade.

  “It’s King Aram. The other I don’t know,” Tavantis said hurriedly.

  “His name is Ruin,” Kia murmured sadly. “And he is your brother.”

  Kian and Tavantis gave each other a confused glance, but there was no time for understanding. The soldiers moved around the circular room, each group coming from opposite directions.

  “Let’s go,” Tavantis said, pointing to one of the passages behind them.

  “Take Mother. I will slow their pursuit.”

  “Don’t be a fool, Kian, you can barely stand,” Tavantis protested.

  Kian shoved his twin in to the corridor. Staggering to the passage’s arched entrance, Kian held Silence before him. Only two soldiers at a time could attack him in the narrow doorway. He could hold them there for a time.

  “Farewell, brother,” Tavantis shouted. Taking their mother by the arm, the mage fled down the dark corridor.

  The first of the soldiers attacked without hesitation, and Kian quickly cut them down as more poured in from behind. The walls that held back the darkness for so long were gone and there was no sense in holding anything else back now, so the swordsman released the animal from it cage.

  His strength and speed were rejuvenated as the wild creature took hold of him. He slashed and thrust with deadly accuracy, and the Beast’s soldiers died one by one as they came against him.

  Neither of the leaders had yet to come within his reach, but the Slayer could see the elven man glare at him from behind his soldiers. He was planning to take the battle to them when he heard Tavantis behind him.

  “Step back, you mad bastard.”

  Kian quickly cut down the men in the archway and jumped back before two more could take their place.

  Flames erupted from his brother’s hands into those closest to the doorway. Tavantis grabbed Kian’s arm and dragged him away from the fight. As the soldiers moved forward again, the mage uttered a word. The passage shook violently, bringing down the stone archway and part of the ceiling, closing off the hall.

  “We are safe for a moment. They will have to go around to get at us,” Tavantis said, waving dust away from his face.

  “Where is Mother and why did you come back?” Kian growled.

  “I left her just down the hall, and it was her idea that I come back, not mine.”

  They ran a short distance ahead, quickly spotting Kia’s naked frame standing next to a tall woman whose dark hair was broken by a shock of white.

  “Shiavaka, how are you here, and why?” Tavantis asked, stunned by the goddess’s appearance.

  “The shell of protection is gone. I felt it waver as I waited for you in the city, and you know why I’m here.”

  “The Beast is defeated,” Tavantis said proudly.

  “You will have to explain that later. What of the Star?” she asked, the greed in her eyes apparent.

  The two brothers looked at each other, then Tavantis handed her the gem. “It was all a lie set up by the Beast to trick us into coming here. This isn’t the Star.”

  “How did you survive then?”

  “I will tell you if you get us out of here right now,” Tavantis said as the sound of running feet began to echo in the hall.

  Shiavaka looked at him suspiciously, then waved her hand and they were gone.

  Kian looked out over the Adorn forest. Tavantis’s tower was not where he would have chosen to take his rest and heal from the battle with the God of Evil, but it would have to do. His body still ached from the beating the Beast had given him, and his cracked ribs shot pain through his side whenever he moved too much. The injury to his shoulder was the worst—the god’s talon had sunk to the bone and the wound was still inflamed and tender. When they had returned, Tavantis kidnapped a healer from a small hamlet west of the Adorn. The man had treated the wound as best he could. Kian knew even with the healer’s administrations that it would be some time before the shoulder was sound. He thought of riding to see Rhys in Turill. The thought of seeing the good-natured healer again pleased him, but he didn’t want to be the one to inform him of Morgana’s death. Rhys would take the news hard. Besides, now was not the time to be among friends.

  The battle in Sidia had cost him more than a few injuries. The price he had paid to free his mother went beyond the pain of the flesh. The balance of surviving had been what was left of his humanity.

  “What are you doing up here?” Tavantis asked as he came through the small hatch in the roof.

  “I wanted to catch the wind; your home has less than a pleasant odor.”

  “Well, you can blame Siro for that.”

  “Where is the little wizard? I have not seen him since we arrived,” Kian asked idly.

  “Who knows? Off gathering some fresh corpses, I would wager, or some such nastiness. How is the shoulder?”

  “It will mend,” Kian answered regarding his brother. It was surprising that Tavantis had not threatened him over the last two days. He thought maybe after the battle in the Beast’s temple, Tavantis had become a bit unnerved by him. The mage had kept his distance since they had returned.

  “I suppose it will. You seem to heal on your own with time. Another effect of the Forever Sea, I would guess.”

  “Yes, fortitude and poison blood, thank you, brother,” Kian said sarcastically.

  “At least it isn’t poison to the touch; it has to enter the bloodstream before it’s lethal,” the mage said defensively.

  “Another boon,” the swordsman said, leaning against the broken parapet of the tower.

  “I don’t know how safe that is. I haven’t repaired it since the last time we were up here.”

  Kian scoffed. “That was an interesting day.�
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  “When we come together, things do seem to liven up a tad,” Tavantis said, moving to his side.

  “I suppose you have finished with your goddess?”

  “Yes. She blames me for the whole sordid mess. I believe the real reason she is so cross was she fell for the Beast’s trickery just as I did. It was a blow to her vanity.”

  “You said nothing about Mother?”

  “Of course not. If Shiavaka knew she was the Star, she would take her just as the Beast had, or destroy her out of hand. I said nothing of your blood either, though I think the goddess has an inkling of what truly happened. The lies I told her about the battle were farfetched at best, and Shiavaka is no fool. The ramifications of having blood that can kill a god could bring you a great deal of trouble.”

  “I did not believe she lived, Tavantis,” Kian said, ignoring his brother’s warning.

  “The truth is I didn’t either, not really. I just needed an excuse for you to help me take my revenge. Now it seems we have our mother back, and I have a great deal of questions for her.”

  “As do I,” Kian said, his voice low. “Such as who is the man she called our brother?”

  “Aye, a good question, but the things I wish to know go deeper than that. Think on it, the Beast knew what she was, and I don’t believe for a second she was unaware of that fact herself.” Tavantis sighed. “The time has come to find out the truth. She has had time to rest, so let’s see what our dear mother has to say.”

  Kian followed the mage into the tower. He too had doubts, but the thing that troubled him more was why he wasn’t elated by Kia’s return. His heart should be breaking with joy, yet the thing that beat in his chest wasn’t truly his heart, was it? He wasn’t even sure if his thoughts were his own anymore.

  They found Kia in Tavantis’s sitting room. There were divans and comfortable chairs situated around a large fireplace. The walls were decorated with wonderful paintings of lovely landscapes and seascapes. Kian wondered who the brilliant artist was. The skill of the work was astonishing.