The Godling Chronicles

by Brian D. Anderson

  The other guests were all shouting out greetings, but Linis only waved briefly to them in return while hustling Dina from the room. Her expression by now was one of deep confusion.

  “A dozen Vrykol are in position nearby,” he whispered. “I am here to take you and Kaylia to safety. We cannot tarry.”

  Confusion was instantly replaced by fear. “Where is Jayden?”

  The waiting Vrykol had now moved beyond his senses, a jolting reminder that time was running out. “I’ll explain about him later. For now we must hurry. They are coming.”

  Dina stiffened. “Kaylia is in her room. I’ll go get the horses ready.”

  “It’s already being taken care of.”

  Without another word, and with Dina right on his heels, he ran upstairs to Kaylia’s room. She was looking much the same as ever: a testament to the quality of care Dina and the elf healer had been giving her.

  “Gather her some clothes,” Dina said. “I’ll get her dressed.

  Linis obeyed without hesitation, quickly rummaging through the dresser and grabbing a few pairs of trousers and some shirts. By the time he was done, Dina already had a loose-fitting pair of pants on Kaylia. For now, her nightgown could serve in place of a shirt.

  Lifting Kaylia into his arms, Linis hurried downstairs. The others were gathered, confusion on all of their faces.

  “Where are you taking Lady Stedding?” asked one of the older hands.

  Linis did not waste time trying to explain. “You should go home,” he ordered, not even pausing on his way to the door. “Bad people are coming. It is not safe for you here.”

  The Vrykol were waiting outside with two saddled horses. Dina froze at the sight of them, clearly recognizing that there was something not quite right about the newcomers.

  “You know these…men?” she asked, a wary look in her eyes.

  “They are here to help,” he assured her. “You have to trust me.”

  Thus far he could not sense any enemy approaching, though that could change in an instant. From where their scout had been positioned, given their enormous speed, they had the ability to be on them in seconds.

  Most of the house guests had followed them outside. “You can’t just make off with her,” protested the hand who had spoken earlier. “Not without telling us what’s going on.”

  “I’ve already told you,” Linis snapped back at him. “Evil men are coming. Men who will kill you without a thought. So unless you want to grab a sword and fight them, go home. Now!”

  The fierce look in his eyes and the steel in his voice was enough to jerk them into doing his bidding. These men were sturdy, and loyal to the Stedding family, but they were not warriors. And even if they had been, the opponents they would face were way beyond the skill of normal men. He was saving their lives.

  After placing Kaylia in the saddle, he climbed up behind her. Dina mounted the second horse.

  “Do not stop for anything,” said Berma.

  Linis nodded, then spurred his horse forward. That they were away before their enemies had mounted an attack was both a relief and somewhat troubling. What were the beasts waiting for?

  Glancing across at Dina, he saw that she was looking understandably nervous. It had been years since she had faced this sort of danger; he’d hoped she would never have to face it again. As for himself, he could not deny feeling a slight sense of exhilaration. Had the lives of those he loved not been at stake, he might have actually enjoyed it.

  He pushed his mount as fast as he could while still maintaining a firm hold on Kaylia. The few people they passed along the way regarded them with a fair degree of alarm. The sight of an unconscious Lady Stedding astride a galloping horse, not to mention the sight of three people running behind them who were easily able to keep up with their mounts, was sufficient to leave most onlookers open-mouthed in astonishment. Village folk did not take well to out-of-the-ordinary happenings, and this would be very difficult to explain. A problem not of particular concern to him at the moment.

  It was just as the outskirts of town became visible that Linis realized why the Vrykol had not yet attacked. Their foes had decided to wait for them in the main square, completely blocking their way through to the docks. This meant driving straight through them.

  Berma and the other two moved ahead, swords drawn. Linis mentally prepared himself to join them in the fray. At this time of night there would be only a handful of townsfolk about, mostly stragglers from the tavern, so at least the fight would not likely endanger innocent bystanders.

  He quickly reined in his mount. “You take Kaylia,” he called over to Dina.

  Berma heard him and halted as well. “No,” he said, turning to look back. “You cannot fight. You must lead them to safety. We will see you through.”

  “There are too many of them,” Linis protested.

  “Our goal is not victory. We can hold them long enough to see you safely away.”

  Linis wanted to argue. The thought of allowing anyone – even these creatures – to sacrifice their lives for him felt wrong.

  Sensing his thoughts, Berma smiled and added: “How else are we to prove that we are not monsters? This is what we were sent here to do.”

  It was hard for Linis to deny the logic of the Vrykol’s argument, or the fact that Kaylia and Dina needed him to stay alive. “Thank you,” he said. “I was wrong about you.”

  Berma nodded, then turned to his comrades. “May Ayliazarah guide our blades.”

  The three of them burst into a dead run, their unnatural speed quickly carrying them far ahead. Linis and Dina urged their mounts on in their wake.

  The street lamps along the main avenue were lit, though most of the windows were dark. As he had hoped, the streets were empty.

  Twelve Vrykol were strung out across the main square waiting for them. They arrived just in time to see Berma, Tylar, and Chase charge into the center of the enemy, the ferocity of their attack rapidly opening a significant gap in the line. Linis had witnessed Lee Starfinder in combat. The half-man had studied under the finest sword masters in the world, and his divine blood had given him strength and speed beyond normal men. Until this moment, Linis had thought he would never see anything to compare. That belief was now shattered.

  Berma moved left, lashing out with a flurry of deadly strikes that took the heads of two foes in the very first few moments of battle. Tylar and Chase split to the right, both swinging their blades in narrow arcs, not slaying any of their opponents, but forcing the gap ever wider. This was the moment. Linis spurred his mount toward the opening, Dina keeping close behind him.

  As they rode into the breach, two Vrykol broke away from the right and ran toward them. Seeing the danger, Berma raced over. Still at a full run, he thrust his shoulder into the midsection of the leading enemy, sending him crashing backwards into the second one close behind. For a few seconds, the way ahead was clear.

  Though he had managed to prevent the assault on Linis and Dina, Berma had left himself dangerously exposed. Glancing briefly behind, Linis saw two blades being plunged into Berma’s back. He felt an almost overwhelming urge to help him, even though he knew that he couldn’t. With Dina now alongside him, he drove his mount on without looking back again.

  The ringing of steel on steel followed them, its intensity easily heard over the clatter of hoofbeats. Even upon reaching the market where the main docks were located, he could still hear the fray continuing.

  Maybell and Penelope were waiting for them, both wringing their hands in agitation.

  “Is the boat ready?” Linis called, pulling up his horse a few yards away.

  Maybell pointed to the lone craft tied to the end of the main dock.

  Dina hurried over to help Linis as he slid from the saddle and pulled Kaylia into his arms. The sisters ran toward them. He was about to shout for them to stay where they were when he saw Penelope’s hand shoot forward. A thin stream of fire leapt from her fingertips, passing mere inches from his head.

  One of the ene
my Vrykol had managed to break away from the battle and was rushing in from the edge of the market. The fire slammed into its chest, instantly engulfing its entire body. Even so, it still managed to stagger on for a few more steps before finally collapsing.

  All at once, the swords fell silent, which could only mean that Berma, Tylar, and Chase had been slain. Linis ran to the boat, carefully laying Kaylia at the bow.

  Two more Vrykol appeared, one badly wounded, his left arm dangling precariously from a thin strip of flesh. Maybell and Penelope dealt with the threat by creating a wall of fire that first barred the creatures’ way, then encircled them completely.

  “There is no time,” shouted Linis.

  But the sisters were not finished. They closed the ring until the Vrykol, in a desperate gambit, tried to make it through before they were totally roasted. They failed, and their charred corpses fell forward with swords still in hand.

  Once everyone was in the boat, Linis untied the rope and shoved hard. It took only a few minutes for him to row across, all the time keeping his eyes sharply on the departing shore. No more Vrykol appeared. Dina helped to steer the craft, while Penelope and Maybell stayed beside their mother, holding her hand. The sisters had elected to release the few boats tied at the dock and set them adrift rather than sink them. The owners might be inconvenienced and angry, but at least this way they could recover their vessels downstream.

  The small jetty on the far bank was empty aside from a single ferry that was at present unmanned. Linis gathered some wood and used the boat’s mooring rope to start constructing a makeshift stretcher to carry Kaylia. It would be grueling transporting her to begin with, but he hoped they would be able to procure a wagon the following day.

  “So the Vrykol were not lying,” Maybell remarked to Linis as he worked. “They really were sent by Ayliazarah to help us.”

  “So it seems,” he replied.

  “Now that we’re away,” Dina chipped in, “would someone mind explaining to me exactly what just happened?”

  Linis smiled. Dina had acted without hesitation, and with the courage he had expected of her. “Forgive me. I had hoped our reunion would be a bit less…”

  “Dangerous?” she completed for him. “Or perhaps confusing was the word you were looking for. Insane, even?”

  “It’s our fault, aunt Dina,” said Maybell. “Those creatures were after us.”

  “Then you will be the ones to tell me all about it,” she said. “That is, right after you give me a proper greeting.” She threw her arms around the sisters in turn. “You were little girls when I last saw you. And now…look at you both.”

  They talked for a short time, each sister telling a part of their journey. Linis kept mostly quiet while finishing his work. It would take even the Vrykol two days to reach the crossing to the south and then make it back to the road. He hoped by then to have covered enough distance to mask their trail. With luck, the three Vrykol who’d made it to the docks were the last to survive. But he had never been one to rely on luck. And even if they had all been destroyed, there might well be more awaiting them on the road ahead.

  With Kaylia safely secured on the stretcher, they continued walking until about three hours before dawn, then found a small clearing a few yards off the road to rest. Maybell gave Dina a spare blanket she had in her belongings while Linis placed Kaylia carefully down near to the fire. The sisters immediately sat on either side of her.

  “I’ve never seen her so helpless,” said Maybell, tears threatening to fall.

  “She’ll be fine,” Penelope assured her, though her tone was unconvincing. “As soon as Jayden finds Father, he’ll make her well again.”

  Linis drew a long breath, uncomfortably aware that the time had come when he had to tell them of what he had seen. Retrieving the book, he turned to the page that bore the image of their brother.

  “So are you finally going to show us what you’ve been hiding?” asked Maybell.

  Linis nodded. He handed her the book and lowered his eyes. “This was made during the first Great War.”

  After only a few seconds, Maybell stiffened. “That’s not possible!” she cried.

  “Let me see,” said Penelope, leaning across.

  Maybell showed her the image, pointing to the caption as she did so.

  “This is the big secret?” Penelope scoffed. “That’s nonsense. A coincidence. It has to be.”

  “I can see no other explanation,” Linis sighed. “What else could threaten to break the bond between your mother and father?”

  “No, it can’t be true,” Penelope insisted. “That would mean our brother has traveled to the past. Not even the gods can do that…can they?”

  “Did Sayia believe it?” asked Maybell, clearly shaken.

  Linis nodded gravely. “She did indeed. Very much so.”

  Dina crossed over to look at the drawing. “I must admit it looks just like him,” she said in a half-whisper. Noticing the second page marker, she turned to the image of Jayden in combat.

  “That’s the battle of Maiden Pass,” Linis told her. “Does Jayden’s opponent look familiar to you?”

  “It’s Gewey,” Dina gasped, covering her mouth. She shook her head. “No. He would never fight his own son.”

  Maybell’s tears fell, while Penelope could only look in stunned silence.

  “I have studied the Great War extensively,” Linis said. “I do not recall ever coming across Jayden’s name. Though details about the Battle of Maiden Pass are few and vague.”

  “What should we do?” Dina asked him, unable to tear her eyes away from the drawing.

  “There is nothing we can do,” he answered flatly. “This has already happened. We can only influence what happens next.”

  Maybell’s anguish turned to sudden rage. She sprang to her feet, glaring at Linis. “You had no right to keep this from us.”

  “I gave Sayia my word. She feared that you would chase after them.”

  “Of course I would have.”

  “And left your mother vulnerable?”

  She opened her mouth but said nothing, simply standing there with fists clenched, the flow racing through her.

  “He’s right,” said Penelope in a soothing tone, even though her own anger was vividly displayed in her expression. “We could not have abandoned Mother.”

  “But Jayden…he…”

  Penelope stood and placed her hands on her sister’s arm. “Jayden is strong. Far stronger than even he can know. We will see him again. If he did somehow find his way there, he’ll find a way home again.”

  “How do you know that?” demanded Maybell. “What if we never see him again? What if that really is Father in the picture? They might both be lost.”

  “I think Mother would be dead if that were true. And Father would never hurt Jayden. We have to trust in that.”

  Her sister’s words seemed to go far in calming Maybell. Gradually, she released her hold on the flow.

  “I am truly sorry for keeping this from you,” said Linis. “I felt I had no choice.”

  Maybell knelt beside her mother, gently brushing the hair from her cheek and then kissing her brow. When she spoke, her voice was quiet yet full of intensity.

  “I don’t care about your promises, Linis. Or your honor. You had no right to keep this from us. And if she dies, it will mean that we are alone.” She paused to look him directly in the eye. “You say that what has happened is over and done, as if the past cannot be changed. But you can’t know that. You made a decision that you had no right to make. So did Sayia. If it turns out you made the wrong choice, I will never forgive either of you.”

  Though Linis wanted to respond, he could think of nothing to say that would make things any better. He wandered off a short distance, yet again wondering if he had made the right decision. His reason told him that the past was the past, and that Jayden had always been depicted within the pages of this book. But was that really true? Had his sisters known sooner, could they have helped him? Or w
ould destiny have ensured that something else intervened to prevent them from doing so?

  Dina’s voice broke into these thoughts. “There is nothing more you can do. Don’t punish yourself. You did what you believed to be right at the time. What’s important now is that we focus on keeping Kaylia safe.”

  Her understanding tone and kind eyes went far to quelling his doubts and guilt. “I almost forgot to do something,” he said, forcing a smile.

  “You mean telling me how much you missed me?” She took his hand and led him to their bedroll. “I noticed.”

  “So long as you know I mean it.” He lay down and pulled her close, basking in the warmth of her body against his.

  “Maybell will be all right,” she told him in a whisper. “Jayden and Gewey will come home safely too. You’ll see.”

  Dina had always been able to say exactly what he needed to hear. This time, however, her words sounded hollow. There was a feeling growing inside him. He knew Maybell well enough to understand that she’d been speaking from sorrow and anger. She would come to realize that he had acted with the best of intentions. But Jayden…

  It was Gewey in the picture fighting his own son. There was no doubt in his mind about that. And no one could hope to stand against Darshan.

  If he had fought Jayden, there could only have been one outcome.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jayden waited beside a small brook, a guard standing on either side of him. The surrounding forest was thick with undergrowth, and the dense canopy blocked out much of the sunlight. Only a skilled woodsman could approach without being heard. A short distance away, the elf gathering was embroiled in a heated discussion over what should be his fate.

  He could recall his mother mentioning the name Theopolou, though only once. He had apparently been her uncle and had died fighting the evil of the Reborn King. Whether this was the same elf, he had no way of knowing, though it seemed unlikely. Then again, just about everything he’d experienced since jumping into the vortex he would have deemed as being somewhere between unlikely and inconceivable. Mostly inconceivable.