"It is the matter of freedom," Ariakas admitted. "This tower has become our palace, but it has also become our prison! Don't you yearn, just a little bit, for the sounds of civilization, the press of a crowd or the bustle of a great marketplace?"
She shook her head, and he was startled at the raw honesty of the gesture. "No," she replied, "I don't. But I see now that you do, and that is what is important… to us both."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that it is time for you to remember your promise-do you?"
"Of course." His pledge, to perform a single task for her without question, remained fresh and vivid in his mind. "It's a pledge that I shall honor! Is it your com shy;mand that I remain here with you?" Though Sanction had begun to loom in his imagination, he would not have been heartbroken to agree.
"No-if only it could be that simple!"
Now he studied her in surprise, for he sensed that she was on the verge of tears. "What is it, Lady-what is your command?" he pressed. For the first time he felt a vague but growing disquiet. "Tell me, and it shall be done!"
"Tomorrow will be soon enough," she said, and there were tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "For now, tonight, you must hold me and love me."
That night passed, and with the dawn Ariakas remem shy;bered her words. "Now tell me," he begged. "What is your command? Tell me so that I can demonstrate my love!"
She rose and went to the great sword-the two-handed weapon he had claimed from the ogre he had slain his first night in the tower. After months of tender care, the blade was as keen as any on Krynn, the weight
sufficient to crush bone. Bringing the weapon to him, she extended the hilt toward his hand.
"My command to you, Lord Ariakas," she told him somberly, "is this: You are to take this blade, and with it you must slay me."
For a moment he reeled backward, certain that his ears had deceived him. The determined look in her eyes-it was no longer sadness, but instead a kind of grim accep shy;tance-told him that he had heard correctly.
"But-why? How can you ask this-the one thing I can't do!" he protested.
"You can, and you will!" she retorted. "Take it!"
Dumbly he took hold of the hilt, and she pulled the long scabbard away with a jerk of her hand. "Now, kill me!" she cried.
"No-tell me why!" he demanded.
"Because she commands it!"
"She? Who?" His temper exploded into fury.
"My mistress! She who has given me the power to heal, to feed-even to love you," she cried. "It is the price she exacts, now."
"Tell me the mistress you serve!" Ariakas demanded furiously.
"You will know soon," the lady said. "But it is not for me to tell you. Now, I command you-in the name of your promise to me-kill me! It was a promise you made freely, and remember, Lord Ariakas-you pledged that you would carry it out without question!"
"Wait," he said, his own tone softening, grasping for some shred of sanity. "Forget that I suggested we go to Sanction. We'll stay here all summer-for all the sum shy;mers to come, and we'll be happy. I… I can't do what you ask!"
"You must!" she insisted. Almost scornfully she tore the bodice from her dress, exposing her breasts in a brazen challenge. "I command you, Lord Ariakas-in the name of the pledge you have made! Slay me!"
A furious passion took possession of him then, lower shy;ing a kind of blood-fog over his mind, numbing the sen shy;sations of grief that nevertheless racked him. He knew that she was right; he had made his pledge, and he would honor his word.
He stabbed her through the heart, his blow powerful and true, the blade penetrating her rib cage and emerg shy;ing from her back in a shower of blood. With an agoniz shy;ing yank, he pulled the weapon free, and waited for her to fall.
Thick liquid spurted from the wound, splashing onto Ariakas's boots and quickly pooling onto the floor. He reeled in shock; the blood that spilled down her belly was verdant green in color. It pooled between her legs, a surreal puddle of false paint. Ariakas gagged in shock and revulsion.
The lady kept her dark eyes upon him, and he stared into them with anguish in his heart, waiting for his vic shy;tim's vision to glaze with the fog of death he had seen so many times before.
But she didn't fall!
"Again!" she commanded, her voice as strong as ever. Sickened, he thrust once more, chopping at her throat and releasing another shower-but this time the liquid was bright blue. Unquestioningly he hefted the blade, thrusting it through the center of her torso in another surely fatal blow. This time crimson blood showered forth, quickly gushing into a pool on the floor. His next thrust cut her deeply across the stomach, and blood of pure, midnight black spilled forth.
"Die! Why don't you die?" he choked.
He attacked again, slashing wildly with the great sword, chopping her head from her shoulders with one brutal slice. The bright white liquid erupting from the wound like thick milk was a final, grotesque horror. Overcome, he turned away and retched the contents of his stomach over the floor.
Yet still, as her head thudded to the flagstones and his heart broke within him, her body did not fall. Instead, it seemed to shrink, as if the multicolored blood had inflated her skin, as if the very stuff of her body flowed outward from the gaping wounds.
Ariakas stumbled backward, noticing that the blood flowing around her was no longer liquid, no longer col shy;lecting in sticky pools on the floor. Instead, it became like smoke, swirling upward into the air, forming serpentine columns, coiling into five great snakes. Each slinking form was the color of one shade of her blood.
The sword fell from his nerveless fingers as the snake-like shapes writhed, spreading and encircling him in their coils. He saw wicked heads take shape at the end of each snake, each with a pair of eyes that glittered wisely at him. Five horrific mouths gaped, and the smoky snakes thickened in the air until they seemed solid and real. Yet he sensed in the depths of his soul that these things were not real, that he beheld a presence that came from beyond Krynn. It was only the sacrifice of his lady that allowed this grim creature to appear, to reach out and speak to him.
"Tell me, Lord Ariakas," commanded one of the snakes-the red one-in a voice that was sibilant and heavy with might and power. "Do you know, yet, whom you serve?"
He could only shake his head.
"Take up your sword, warrior," commanded the crim shy;son serpent.
Numbly, he reached down and raised the weapon. He noticed, with distant surprise, that the blade was a clear, unblemished white in color.
"Do you know that I have been with you for many years, Lord Ariakas?"
He nodded, believing it. "When I woke in the night and knew someone had been through my camp.. had stolen the locket…?"
"Yes, it was I who awakened you," hissed all the dragon heads. "And I have been testing you for years, and you have measured full to my standard."
"Testing?" demanded the human boldly. He gestured to the place where the lady had finally fallen. "This … this was butchery!"
"This was the final test, warrior-and once again, you passed. Know this, Ariakas: I shall give you power beyond your dreams … make you strong, stronger than you have ever imagined! You shall have women-all the women you want or desire! And you shall serve me well for all the years of your life."
Ariakas listened mutely, holding the great sword against the ground.
The voice took on an iron edge. "But remember, war shy;rior-you were to obey without question!"
Racking pain seized Ariakas by the bowels, constrict shy;ing his insides into an agonized mass of tortured flesh. With a cry of pain he slumped to the floor, sobbing and thrashing as the pain worked its way through his veins, upward into his neck, pounding like a great warhammer against the inside of his head. He knew that he was dying-no man could hope to survive such pain. And then, as quickly as it had begun, the agony ceased.
"Remember well, Lord Ariakas, the cost of disobedi shy;ence."
He nodded weakly, gasping as he climbed t
o his hands and knees. The pain was gone, but sweat still rimmed his head, and the memory of the punishment was nearly enough to send him cringing to the floor.
"Now rise," she continued. Her tone was no longer harsh, and, slowly, he obeyed.
"Take that blade as my talisman," continued the voice. "You have passed my tests and proven yourself worthy. For many months you have known the wealth of my beneficence-and now, today, you have learned the depths of my determination."
He could only listen, his heart pounding in over shy;whelming awe.
"You will go to Sanction, and there you will work in my name. You will be my servant, as this woman was my servant-as the moneychanger Habbar-Akuk is my servant, and a thousand others who are my agents.
"And you, of them all, shall sit at my right, Lord Aria-kas-this I know, and I pledge."
"But-why did she die? Why did you make me kill her?"
"Fool!" The fury of the retort sent him reeling back shy;ward, flailing for balance. "She was a tool-her purpose was to find you and to begin your training. Know this, Lord Ariakas: for as long as you live, as the gift of my generosity and the price of my favor, you shall have any woman you want-but each woman who gives herself to you shall perish within the year! As with this lady-her purpose will be done, her time past. But for you, Lord Ariakas-your time is just beginning!"
Ariakas tried not to succumb to his awe. His mind reeled between dark visions of horror, and wild fantasies of erotic fulfillment. She would offer him one and make the other her price… and yet, he knew that he would be willing to pay.
"Why do you send me to Sanction? What do you expect of me?"
"In that great city you shall go to my highest temple. They will know you there, and teach you. … In time, you shall become my exalted-first among my high-lords! But you have much to learn first, and they will teach you in the temple."
"They already expect me?" wondered the warrior in disbelief.
"You carry my talisman in that sword," replied the five-headed serpent with a hint of rebuke. "That blade will be the key to your teachings and the tool of your success. It shall serve you as faithfully as you serve me."
Ariakas looked at the pure white blade, impressed in spite of himself with the flawless perfection of the sheen. "This talisman … what does it do?"
"You shall find out when you need it," the vision replied. "But remember this command, Lord Ariakas- and keep it close to your heart, lest in the end you fail me." Here the words took on a deep and rhythmic tone, and the force of the command riveted Ariakas to the spot. "This sword is my symbol, and with it you shall rule over vast hosts! But remember this thing, if you would achieve your lasting glory: Hold the blue blade, war shy;rior-for in the heart of the world it shall set fire to the sky!"
His mind reeled with the import of the words, though they mystified him-and he dared not ask for explana shy;tion. Instead he bowed in humble acceptance.
"Tell me, then," he inquired instead, forcing every measure of his courage into the words. "Who are you- whom do I serve?"
"I am known by many names. but when I have made my return, I will choose to share the one by which all Krynn shall know me. You, noble warrior, will pave the path of that return!"
"But what is your name?" demanded Ariakas.
"You shall call me Takhisis," hissed the crimson ser shy;pent while the four other heads chortled in agreement. "But within your lifetime all Krynn shall tremble before me! And the masses will know and fear me everywhere as the Queen of Darkness!"
Part Two
Corruption
Chapter 10
City of Smoke and Fire
Perhaps because it stood on the brink of destruction, Sanction was a city more vibrant, more alive, than any place Aria-kas had ever been. As he sat on a bench in his garden, slightly uphill of his sprawling, many-roomed house, he looked at the volcanic Lords of Doom and felt a great sense of awe … and destiny.
Below him, Sanction filled the steep-sided valley that lay between the three great volcanoes and a steaming, lava-scarred harbor. The waterfront faced a finger of the Newsea that dared to probe into the forbidding Doom-range. The fiery mountains smoked and rumbled, dor shy;mant only to the extent that they did not now spew flame and rock into the sky.
Great cracks on the face of the northeastern summit emitted twin rivers of slow, remorseless lava into the val shy;ley. The widest of these streams was joined by flaming spillage from the southern mountain, creating the great Lavaflow River. Dull crimson, the molten rock seethed and bubbled through the heart of the city. The flow was spanned in several places by wide stone bridges. At night, Ariakas found the massive, inexorable river strangely compelling. Then its radiance reflected from the glowering cloud cover-an ever-present mix of sea mist and volcanic ash, casting the city in an eerie and pervasive light.
The waterfront was a steamy, stinking collection of buildings smashed shoulder to shoulder like patrons pushing into a crowded tavern. Numerous small ships filled the wharves and docks, the lot nestled between two natural breakwaters formed of hardened lava. Beyond the breakwaters to either side sprawled flat, steaming deltas of fiery fury, boiling water hissing away from contact with the slowly expanding shelf of liquid rock.
Around this sweltering waterfront sprawled alleys and courtyards, great manor houses and teeming slums. Even the marketplace of Khuri-Khan paled in compari shy;son to several of the thriving bazaars in Sanction. As the only natural harbor in the entire eastern expanse of the Newsea, Sanction drew restless souls like a magnet. It also stood at the terminus of the only road through the Khalkist Mountains. This wide valley opened onto a pass between Sanction and cities to the north and east- productive mercantile centers such as Neraka and Kala-man. This valley and port linked to form the only connection between eastern and western Ansalon.
The population of Sanction was far and away the most diverse gathering Ariakas had ever seen. Tall plainsmen from Abanasinia traveled with painted Kagonesti elves, while humans from Solamnia sold all manner of goods to merchants from places as far as Neraka and Balifor, or even bartered with minotaurs, Kayolin dwarves, and an occasional, regal Silvanesti elf. The scampering kender were ubiquitous. Other short folk-smaller even than kender or dwarves-went about the city cloaked in dark robes. Ariakas noticed that many citizens gave these robed midgets a wide berth.
From a distance, most of the buildings of Sanction blended into a melange of brown, black, and gray blocks. A great plaza sprawled along the riverbank, rended by steaming fissures and chasms. Several noble manors stood on higher slopes, crowning the city's skyline. One of these now belonged to Ariakas: in Sanction, nobility was purely a matter of wealth, and Ariakas was a very wealthy man indeed. In fact, after only three days in this metropolis, the warrior had gained for himself all the trappings of nobility, most obviously symbolized by this splendid manor on the southern heights of Sanction valley.
Three structures in the city loomed proud and solitary over even the great villas and mansions, bowing only to the mighty volcanoes themselves. These were the Great Temples, of which Ariakas had heard a little. Built at the time of the Cataclysm on the lower slopes of each Lord of Doom, the temples consisted of walls, buildings, and subterranean chambers. Each was an impregnable fortress, and each held commanding position over a great section of the city. The mightiest, the Temple of Luerkhisis, stood to the northeast.
Upon entering Sanction, however, Ariakas had been strangely reluctant to approach the great temple. Instead, he immediately sought the moneychangers, several of whom bid frantically for the locket and gems. By night shy;fall of his first day he had been a rich man, and by the next day he had purchased a grand house.
The stone-walled residence consisted of two dozen large, airy rooms gathered around a teak-lined great hall, the whole ringed by a perimeter of balconies and columns. Outside, a wide courtyard encircled two sides, with a large stable in another direction and the once-lush garden to the rear. The fountains in the courtyards had been dry for
years, and the hedges reduced to tinder-brush and thistle, but Ariakas had plans to restore the place to its former glory. And still the garden offered wide walkways and several good views, overlooking much of the lava-ravaged city.
After settling his house purchase with the formerly impoverished seller, Ariakas had enough money left over to purchase several fine horses, and then to hire a dozen servants, contracting them through the year. Tonight he had eaten a splendid meal cooked in his own kitchen, and then he retired to the garden for a stroll. For the first time since leaving the tower, the frantic pace of his travels had eased, and he found himself with no clear task before him. At the same time he felt profoundly rest shy;less, agitated. Looking across the valley to the highest temple, he knew without question the source of his dis shy;comfort.
Takhisis, Queen of Darkness, awaited him.
At times he had come close to convincing himself that his sojourn in the tower-and especially the memories of his last hours there-were the products of some delu-sionary dream. Of course he knew the truth, but a part of him had urged during the long hike to Sanction that he abandon the calling cast his way. He hadn't chosen any test-and why should the plans of others matter to him?
Yet never could he rationally embrace this urge. The events in the tower had been branded into his mind and his soul. He had made the vow and slain the lady, had witnessed the vision of a goddess he'd thought long dead. A destiny had been laid upon him there, and it was a fate he could not think of avoiding.
He felt he deserved a certain sense of pleasure and accomplishment after his arrival in this great city. His brief forays had shown him taverns, casinos, brothels, and smoking dens aplenty. Yet now he was completely disinterested in such common entertainment.
Still, across the wide valley loomed the Temple of Luerkhisis. It was positioned on a gentle slope, a com shy;manding yet contained presence. Resembling the half-submerged head of a crocodile, the structure leered from the heights like a huge, monstrous reptile, its serpentine snout pointed straight at Ariakas. Two vast cave-nostrils led into entry halls, and round temple buildings perched like bulging eyes on the ridge above the maw. On dusks such as this one, the rays of the sun penetrated the ash cloud, illuminating the sinister bulk of the temple with a surrealistic glow.
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