The God in the Shadows (The Story at the Heart of the Void Book 1)

by TorVald, Nikolas

  “How can a man be alive after twenty thousand years?” Mattle broke in in a hushed whisper.

  Aren’s smile seemed to be a thing of cold frost but it was tinged with sadness, “Because he is no longer a man at all. Looking for a way to bring back his love he consorted with powers that twisted his soul into something which no man could ever recognize.”

  “Why would he do that?” Selth asked, horrified.

  “What can madness drive a man to do?” Aren said sadly, “And what can drive a man mad faster than the loss of love? Ancarth the Black consorted with a power that we know nothing about but even that was not enough to bring back his dead wife and now he cannot die at all. I believe that when the magi of the last battle struck him with the bolt of lightning, which was powerful enough to destroy a mountain, Ancarth came back to himself momentarily. He still could not die, he still cannot die, but he cast aside his staff and stopped himself from completing the final destruction of humanity. Many disagree with that theory, wanting to believe instead that the magi were powerful enough to stop him and still will be if he comes back, but they are fools. If Ancarth the Black moves against humanity again we will all die. No mage living today can do a tenth of what a mage in the Age of Legends could do and it took a thousand of those to stop him. There are barely a thousand magi alive today. No, Ancarth is restless and that is why we are going into the Mountains of Endless Night. It’s the only place where there might be something powerful enough to throw him back if he comes again.”

  “Like what?” Selth hissed, “What could possibly be powerful enough to stop a man who can’t die?”

  Aren looked around at all of them and spoke in an even lower voice, “Ancarth’s staff for one.” Kant’s, Mattle’s and her jaws each dropped, “And other magical items that might be even more powerful. The Mountains of Endless Night have not been explored by any but Ancarth the Black and that was when they were not cloaked in darkness. None know what might be there now but if there is to be any hope against him we must find something.” With that he stopped talking and waved off all the questions Selth and the others directed his way.

  Finally, the three of them realized that he wasn’t going to answer any questions and in silence they finished their meals. The four of them left the common room when the sun had been below the horizon for barely an hour. None of them felt like talking or enjoying themselves after what had transpired. When Selth entered her room, she threw herself onto the bed, hardly pausing to strip to her underclothes, and tried to fall asleep. It was impossible, images of Ancarth the Black kept rolling through her head. Unstoppable hordes of nightmare creatures that would destroy humanity as it was known.

  Finally, giving up on sleep, she stalked over to where her cloak hung from a peg and threw it on. Stepping lightly, she slipped through the window that was set in her room and climbed onto the roof, lying down so that she could observe the stars. She realized that she hadn’t talked to Mattle about their past in Redtower but calm washed over her before the thought could take root and the stars were calling. She decided that discussion could wait. With the light of the stars shining into her face, she fell into sleep and danced in fields of light until the sun peeped over the horizon. Slipping quietly back into her room she dressed and moved out to meet with her companions.

  Mattle and Kant were already awake and with a sort of vengeful pleasure Selth prodded Aren awake with his own staff. Then the four of them slipped quickly and quietly out of the inn, collected their horses and rode out of the town before anyone else had stirred from their beds.

  17

  The Road to Mardule

  Ruination went back to Az’emon today. I do not blame him, this festering group of Order touched entities leaves me sick to my stomach, but I play the long game and Az’emon is the one we need worry about first.

  – Journal of Selthraxadinian

  After they were past Gideon's Pasture, Selth decided that she had to confront Mattle about their time together back in Redtower. Kicking her horse so that she pulled level with him she whispered, “Hi Matt.”

  He jerked up from his slump and looked at her as though seeing her for the first time. Then he sighed and shook his head morosely, “Hi Sara.”

  Selth laughed softly, “It’s been a long time since anyone’s called me that name.” she gave him a piercing look, “You were the last person to do so actually.”

  He looked up sharply and didn’t say anything for a long time, “Yeah, well, sorry. I should have come back for you. Okay. Is that what you want me to say. I’ve thought about the fact that I didn’t nearly every day now since I went back to look for you and found you gone.”

  Selth breathed in sharply, “You went back to look for me?”

  Mattle gave her a curious look, “Of course I did. As soon as I was able. But Kant didn’t let me leave his side for three weeks. I finally convinced him to let me look for you but when I reached the slums you were missing. I thought someone had killed you,” he swallowed visibly, “or worse.” he glanced up and at down her, “I certainly didn’t expect this.”

  She frowned in annoyance, “Well I don’t know what you expected. I wasn’t going to survive three weeks in the slums just through begging.” she gave an uncomfortable shrug. “I gave up on you after I ran out of food to eat. I had to leave the slums and I had no money so I stole a squash,” As she said it, Selth felt the memory come back as though it had just happened yesterday, “I joined a gang of thieves and eventually fell in with Aren when he came to our door. Since then I’ve just been hanging onto his coattails.”

  Mattle gave her an insulted look, “Thieving, walking around with magi. Did you even try looking for me?” she shrank back in her saddle but gave a small shake of her head. He deserved that much at least. Mattle shook his head in disgust, “I looked every week for two months but I never found you. Eventually I had to give up because my studies with Kant were so intensive. Studies for a profession that will be of some benefit to Andin, not just hanging onto the coattails of a mage.” Selth opened her mouth to speak, furious at him for treating her that way, but he spoke over her. “I don’t know what I was expecting but I can tell you that I was dreading having this conversation since I first saw you. You didn’t even recognize me and now you’re some sort of master fighter, probably think you’re above everything I do.” Giving another disgusted shake of his head he kicked his horse and rode up beside Kant.

  Selth looked at his back with shock written plainly across her face. Aren reigned in so that she could catch up to him and sighed sadly, “Sorry, Selth. I had no idea that was how he was going to react, especially not after helping with the horse the way he did. I thought he would be all smiles and joy.”

  She snarled, “Well it he wants to act that way then it’s up to him. I’m happy to oblige.” she closed her mouth with an audible click and refused to talk the rest of the day. Aren tried to draw her into conversation a few different times but when he realized that she wasn’t speaking he shook his head sadly and rode up to join the Inquisitors.

  Selth was stewing internally; it was unthinkable for Mattle to treat her that way! He was the one who had abandoned her not the other way around. And how was she supposed to have searched for him with him spending every moment tied to the side of an Inquisitor. And to insult the things she had done! Sneering at her for spending time with Aren just because he was a mage as though that were a bad thing. She’d bet that she had done more good for Aulternanden than he ever had or would just by killing the Díryen in the underground.

  Locked up in her thoughts Selth didn’t realize that they had stopped to make camp until her horse nearly ran into Aren who was dismounting from his. Angrily shaking herself from her reverie she leapt off the back of her horse, landing in a crouch on the ground. Looking around, she saw that Mattle had already disappeared into the forest to gather fire wood and Kant had left to go hunting. Aren calmly walked towards the center of the clearing and sat down on the most comfortable looking part of the clearing. S
elth followed and sat down across from him so that they could talk.

  He gave her a surprised look. “Ready to put that nasty business with Mattle behind you?” he asked as though he wasn’t sure what outcome to expect.

  She took a deep breath and nodded, “If he wants to act that way then it’s up to him, just like I said. I won’t let his thick headedness get in the way of me enjoying myself on this journey. Besides, it’s not like what he thinks of me is important. We went our separate ways a long time ago and I’m not going to bring our pasts back into the present just because I can’t reconcile myself with this new Mattle.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Aren smiled, “I was afraid we were going to be stuck with you stewing again. At least for the next couple days.” Selth glared at him but he gave her a friendly wink to show he was joking, “Now, we haven’t had much time to discuss what happened to you in the forest and with Kant and Mattle both gone now seems as good a time as any.”

  She raised her eyebrows in surprise, “You want to talk about me after what you dropped last night about Ancarth the Black?”

  “Why not?” he shrugged of his shoulders, “Ancarth the Black can be discussed with everybody but I don’t think anyone’s noticed your powers outside of martial combat. Even if you did smash Kant about fifty feet through the air.

  Selth gave an embarrassed shrug of her own, “I think the others were in too much shock over that to actually process the implications it had about my powers. They certainly haven’t questioned me about it.”

  “Yes, well, I did wipe both their memories of what you did as soon as I was able to.” Aren said with a completely guilt free look on his face, “Now, let’s talk about what happened to you.”

  She thought for a moment then told him everything which had happened to her that she could remember. She talked about dancing among the stars each night and what had happened when she tried to mess with light. The only thing that she left out was the voice that had spoken in her head, both when she was knocked unconscious by the pain of bending light and again when she put a wall around her power to prevent herself from using it. Aren might accept a lot of weird stuff but that crossed a line into normal human craziness that could make things uncomfortable for the rest of the trip.

  When she had finished he was nodding thoughtfully, “I’d just like to know if you can summon those swords you described to me now that you have this power again.”

  Selth looked at him in surprise, “Don’t you think that would be dangerous? It could do the same thing as when I tried to bend light to my will.”

  Aren shook his head before she finished her statement, “I don’t think so. I think that the blades are more a part of you, like your daggers, than the power you’re trying to use. You described twisting light around you in the same way you describe twisting shadows, you have to reach out to them. I’ve never heard you describe your daggers that way. With your daggers it’s as though they’re just a part of you.” The old mage frowned thoughtfully, “No, I don’t think you’d go into agony if you summoned your swords.”

  She returned his frown, what he had said made sense but it didn’t change the fact that she was terrified to try, terrified of feeling that same pain. Rolling to her feet Selth looked over at Aren, “Be ready to help if I start screaming.” He gave a reassuring nod of his head, which was somewhat undermined by the uncertain look on his face, and, holding out her hands as though she held two swords, points to the ground, she conjured up an image of the swords as she remembered them from her dreams. Aren gave a small gasp and when Selth looked down she saw the shimmering blades just as she had remembered them. “Valeirenin and Draxos.” she murmured softly, enraptured. She wasn’t sure where the names had come from but she knew them for truth as she held the swords in her hands. Valeirenin, the blade of light, shone pure white in the darkness of the night and strips of the purest black twisted and shifted their way around and up the blades. Draxos was Valeirenin’s mirror image, with a blade blacker than the blackest night, burning with a dark fire; strips of pure white light crawled and twisted up it.

  Selth let go of the blades and they vanished into nothing, Aren was staring at where they had been. “That was beautiful,” he whispered, almost to himself. “But best if you don’t summon them again.” he shook his head, unable to tear his eyes from where the blades had cut through the night.

  “Is everything okay Aren?” she asked cautiously.

  He jerked upright and looked at her. “Yes, yes. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s just,” he swallowed visibly, “That was the purest representation of power I’ve seen in my life. Ever. There was unhindered magic moving along those blades; I could bring a mountain to dust and raise it back into the air twice as tall again without even touching a tenth of the power in one of those.”

  Selth glanced in surprise at the space where Valeirenin and Draxos had been. She supposed that she had felt the power burning through them but next to the pulsing pit of power that was walled off in her mind the swords had seemed like nothing. If what Aren had said was true then the amount of power she contained must be enough to bring a world to ashes. That was not a comforting thought. She looked at Aren, “I won’t bring the blades out again.” she said, her voice giving a tremor of fright, “The daggers have always been good enough in the past and the swords will raise too many questions with the others.”

  Aren nodded, evidently completely out of the stupor the swords had put him in. “Good idea,” he said with an attempt at cheer, “I don’t want to be tempted to try and reach out and touch them again, either. I’m pretty sure doing so would burn me to ash and I’m not sure I could resist a second time.” He took a deep breath and gave her a pained look, “You’re one strange creature Selth. Sometimes even I don’t know what to make of you.”

  The two of them sat on the ground in silence, waiting for Mattle and Kant to come back. They both leapt up when the older Inquisitor arrived back at the clearing. “Where’s Mattle?” he asked before either of them could say anything. A brace of rabbits was slung across his back.

  “We don’t know.” Selth and Aren said at the same time. Then Aren continued talking, “We lost track of time a bit.” he dropped his voice and muttered under his breath. A small fire that burned without any wood appeared in front of him and Selth, who looked around in some surprise. It was already night; she hadn’t noticed how dark it was. Everything had seemed as sharp as it did in daylight since she had revealed the swords to Aren. It wasn’t the same thing as when shadow allowed her to see the outlines of objects in gray. Instead, she could see every single color as clear as if it was daylight. She looked up and was relieved to see the black night sky with stars stretching across it, at least that hadn’t turned blue. She didn’t think she could stand it if she wasn’t able to see the stars at night.

  Kant looked at the two of them in disgust, “You didn’t notice that several hours had passed and the person collecting firewood hadn’t come back?” Aren and Selth looked at each other then back to Kant. They both shook their heads. “Great,” he said, “Well, if the boy’s run off for the night that’s his problem. Let him go hungry, hopefully tomorrow he’ll have gotten some more sense through his thick head.”

  Aren looked at him in surprise, “Aren’t you afraid he won’t come back?” he asked. Selth kept her mouth shut but she shared the same sentiment as Aren.

  “No,” Kant said, already spitting the rabbits to cook them over the fire, “There’s nowhere he can go but with us. If he abandons us he’ll be hunted down by Inquisitors and killed.” Selth gave him a shocked look but he retained his stone-faced grimness, “He swore an oath when he became my apprentice. He had a choice to back out and he didn’t. If he breaks that oath now he has to die; he knows too many Andian secrets to be left alive.” Kant switched to a more reassuring look, “But it won’t come to that. He probably just wants a little time to himself after what happened on the road today.”

  Selth scowled at him, feeling the last comment as a personal
attack, “It’s not my fault he took it so badly. He’s the one who did most of the talking anyways. If he wants to skulk like a pathetic fool then fine, that’s up to him, but I won’t be blamed for it! The fault is with him, not with me.”

  “I couldn’t agree more actually.” Kant said, making her eyes widen in surprise, “that’s why I’m cooking a meal for us instead of looking for Mattle. He can figure this out on his own; it’s stupid and petty and not something an Inquisitor should get himself stuck up on.”

  Aren and Selth sat in astonished surprise as Kant finished cooking the rabbits he had caught. Neither had expected him to do anything other than take the side of his apprentice but apparently the Inquisitor was a bit more complex than they had given him credit for being. When the rabbits were finished the three of them ate in silence for several minutes. Then Aren put out the fire and all three of them went to sleep.

  When they woke up there was still no sign of Mattle and Kant seemed worried by that. “Let’s wait an hour,” he said, “If he’s not back by then I’ll go looking for him and if he’s gone into hiding I’ll have to send a note to the Inquisitors when we reach the next town.” He sighed heavily, “I hope that’s not the case.”