The Chronicles of Heaven's War: Burning Phoenix (99 page)

“As you have been already informed, we
intend to foul up our enemy’s plans by preempting his strategy,
making war on him first. By appearing to focus all our attention on
MueoPoros, he may well believe our attack is an all or nothing
attempt to regain that planet, he also knowing the value of Eden’s
Gate. This he must stop at all cost, so he will bring the weight of
his military down on us there. Prepare for another possible Day of
Tears being fought both in the skies and upon the ground when that
happens.”

Another audible groan rose from the
assembly.

Trisha lifted her hand, shaking it,
exclaiming “Death and destruction are likely, true, but that coming
day will not end as the previous disaster did. There will be no
running battle ending in a mutual withdrawal from the contest. No!
This time we will stand our ground and force our adversary into
retreat! We will hold our position to the last ship, the last
soldier! Our enemy will find he faces the unchained beast from the
fathomless depths.
We,
yes,
we
are to
become the panther on the prowl, tearing at front and flank,
ripping apart his worlds,
and this time we shall not stop until
his kingdom lies in smoldering ruins!
”

Trisha put a hand to her chin and began to
pace. “Now here is what we believe will happen: Asotos will attempt
to distract us from our hold on MueoPoros by attacking our colonies
across our Empire, thinking such attacks must be answered by
pulling our MueoPoros forces away to offer defense to those
colonies. Believing we have taken the bait, he will advance his
remaining armadas against us at MueoPoros, feeling we are
sufficiently weakened there to permit him delivering the telling
blow upon us. What he does not know is that it has already been
determined that those colonies are
expendable
, anything of
any value having already been withdrawn to safer havens.”

“Do not think that we will merely walk away
from our cities and territories! No! We shall fight doggedly to
protect them with the limited forces available. This will convince
him that we have stretched our resources to the limit,
over-extended ourselves to take one little planet. Then, while
keeping up the pretense of supporting Legion’s defense of Memphis
and his planetary empire, Asotos will transfer the might of his
machine to overrun our territories. When we see that power of his
released upon them, we shall begin an organized retreat while
maintaining an aggressive defense wherever possible.”

Trisha stopped and looked up at her
audience. “We intend to stretch our enemy’s line thin, make him
overextend
his
reach! We, for our part, shall continue to
compress our line, falling back further into our Empire,
strengthening our defenses while preparing to drop the hammer upon
our enemy when the hour is right.”

She smiled. “We will give our adversary no
break in this upcoming contest, forcing him to remain continually
on the hunt. Like the fanged viper, our opponent will quickly learn
how unwise it is to release his grip, even if it be for just a
instant. We will stretch
him
...” The field marshal wrung her
hands, spreading them, grinning garishly. “
stretch
him,
until he is spread out like a broken web on a breezy day. That’s
correct! Then, when our enemy is stretched to his limit, we shall
roll back over him like the angry ocean returning to reclaim its
abandoned sea bed!”

“
Then!”
She shouted triumphantly
.
“With the wind at our backs and the WolfPack Marauders and
privateers nipping at our foe’s heels, we shall smash through our
enemy, riding high on our tsunami of retribution, driving him
forever
from our worlds!”

Slamming her fist into opened palm, Trisha
cried, “All that awaits our enemy in that day are the black flames
of midnight’s fury and the howling, fanged hounds of Hell’s
furnaces! Look and see!
We
are the demons born in the depths
of Avaddohn’s Abyss! Deformed and twisted we have become, vengeful
and filled with delirious rage! We will tear away the flesh and
gulp down the blood! We take what we wish, when we want, and how we
will!”

Trisha paused, hand lifted high as she
stared over into Lowenah’s troubled face. Lowenah silently sat
there, staring back. Eventually her head slowly sank in sadness,
she nodding her approval.

Trisha then shouted.
“For
we
, united under our holy banner, are become the
children of Heaven, Men, and Hell!”

Jebbson jumped instantly onto his feet,
applauding, shouting, “Amen! Amen!”

In only moments, all those delivered from
the Realms below were on their feet, voicing their support, quickly
followed by many of Lowenah’s younger children. Then, slowly at
first, the remainder of those in assembly stood, adding their
support to the riotous tumult.

Lowenah closed her eyes, fighting back
tears. ‘So it has now come down to this. The Sea of Rhiannon turns
red with the blood of my loyal saints. Through damnation must
salvation come and I… I have released the storm, and raised the
dead to destroy my world so that all my children may live. I’ve
loosed the chains holding back the Kraken to the ruin of all
ships...and me. And I unable to return it to its prison...’

Trisha quietly made her way into the
shadows, slinking into a dark corner of the room. Rumor had it that
those she passed saw tears trickling down a distraught face,
accompanied by the sounds of soft sobbing. The field marshal’s
inner voice believed Mother could little contain her sadness,
sharing her feelings with Trisha as the two stared into each
other’s souls.

Gabrielle drew the crowd’s attention to
other issues at hand. She concentrated on the mechanics of upcoming
operations, sticking to anticipated objectives during the months
leading up to war and expectations immediately following its
inception. It was late into the evening by the time she was
finished.

Casting her watchful gaze across the
audience, Gabrielle could see half-closed eyes, many yawns, and
even a few people dozing. Well, it was late, had been a long day,
and the information presented weighty. The people should be excused
to take their leave. Glancing over at Lowenah, she was about to
dismiss the crowd when recalling her earlier conversation with
Zadar. Was it really such an important matter the boy had to
discuss that the entire party should suffer the lateness of the
hour to hear it? She wondered.

Searching tired faces, Gabrielle finally
found Zadar sitting far off in the shadows next to the field
marshal, his troubled mind and heart reflected in his anxious gaze.
What was she thinking anyway? Zadar was no
boy!
Countless
times he had demonstrated his valor, both on the field of battle
and within the haunted council chambers. The man was quick of
tongue, but only at lighthearted times. A practiced orator he was,
and only spoke up on serious occasions when prompted or out of
need.

Gabrielle sighed, weary, surrendering to the
moment. She lifted a hand toward the crowd. “I know the night is
late, but further business must be concluded here. Our brother,
ZadarFehyVel, finds need to address us. He has promised to be
brief, but on him you must wait to have secrets revealed. Please
give your undivided attention to this trusted counselor.”

Zadar hurried up to Gabrielle, squeezing her
hand in appreciation. After waiting for her to take a seat, he
began. “My brothers... My sisters...” He turned and addressed
Lowenah. “Mother...”

The people looked into the face of a man
waxing grave, his smile long since melted away. Clasping his hands
together, his eyes searched to find one particular person. When
their eyes met, he slowly lowered his head, looking down at the
floor in remorse. Silently he lifted his gaze until again he stared
into a distraught face. That person slowly nodded as if in great
pain.

Zadar began, “An evil man I am for
tormenting the soul of my trusting sister. I have ruined her in
mind and body, yet it has not been out of malicious intent I have
done so. A demon vision I conjured from her through the sharing of
the blood grape. So badly did I harm my sister, I believed her
kilt, carrying her to Mother, hoping for a cure. She lives - not by
my will - but because so strong a constitution she has so as to
resist death. Ever am I in her debt, for so damning are the secrets
of the Snake she has delivered to us this night!”

Needless to say, there were no longer any
sleepy eyes in the room, everyone wide-awake, with ears tingling.
Whatever Zadar was about, it was worth a good listen. Why, even
Mother was sitting up, ears cocked so as not to miss a word.

Zadar stared into Darla’s face, his eyes
pleading, “Rumors I had heard of the contest between my sister and
the Worm - rumors that hinted at a mind share, or rather, a probe.
Visions of this man’s powers I have had born to me through the
dreams of my sisters, they relating a mind with such abilities that
it, alone, can induce love’s ecstasy by projecting its thoughts
into the mind of another. I, for my part, then, began to wonder if
he had done the same when attempting the seduction of my
sister.”

“So I approached my trusting sister with my
concerns, sharing my reasons for a dream share, hoping beyond hope
such a thing might reveal hidden secrets sequestered deep within
the subconscious of her mind. Feeling a dream share would not
unlock any secrets hidden there, the act only releasing visions
that one wills, my sister offered to me the blood grape wine aged
in the Wizard’s Lair under Palace City. Powerful it is, allowing no
escape from the visions it creates.”

Zadar frowned, sad. “I was swept, to my
terror, into a world passed, filled with such unspeakable malice so
as to make a soul cry out for death, seeking it as the promised
reward for sacrifice and faithful works. Through the eyes of our
king, when her heart was still filled with innocence and mirth, I
watched the sadistic savagery of Asotos unleashed upon a mind
seeking love’s romantic rhapsody. I watched - no –
endured,
through sight and feelings, the abominable acts committed against
our sister-king until I, too, wished only for the fields of
everlasting death.”

He shook a finger high, toward the crowd.
“From that day hence, I have not been able to shake those sordid
visions from my head, my sleep being fitful at best...and this for
me being only witness to what our sister-king endured. But, for my
poor sister, Rachel, that child became our sister-king for those
agonizing hours that the grape held us in its spell. How she has
survived to be with us here is beyond my understanding, for I
believe that no woman, or man - other than Gabrielle or PalaHar -
should ever endure such a contest and retain their sanity!”

Mihai did not hear Zadar’s final words, she
already having shrunk back in her seat, tears of remembrance
running down her face as hands covered red, swollen eyes. Darla sat
motionless, staring down at the floor, seeking escape from the
thoughts of this world by forcing her mind to retreat to more
pleasant places, a game she often played when in the company of the
ignorantly scornful. It helped little, but a little was better than
none at all. At least her demon slept, or silently hid. This was
Mother’s house. Her Spirits would allow no abomination of such an
unholy manifestation to intrude here in this sanctum. Darla
breathed a weary sigh of relief feeling that to be so.

Tears filled Zadar’s eyes as he continued.
“As I watched with sickening dread the desecration of our
sister-king as her body, soul, and heart were torn asunder, I
wondered how my darling sister, Rachel, could possibly be living
this same torture through visions so vivid. It was not until in
later quiet hours as I pondered the earlier visions that reasoning
and understanding revealed to me what some of you already know, but
there is more yet to be disclosed that I doubt any are privy
to.”

“For those wondering, this matter of
Michael’s attack on the anniversary of her coming of age
celebration I shall offer this bit of information: It is believed
by some that Asotos injected into our sister-king’s body a virus of
sorts, an abominable creation of some kind, an invention of the
man’s sordid mind, a twisted and corrupted manifestation of an
earlier gift from Mother - a gift to be given to our sisters by
their god-king so that for all time they might carry a living
remembrance of him in their hearts and souls. Never would he be far
off from any of them.”

Looking into concerned faces, Zadar
admitted, “Much more I could say about this matter but for the
hour, and I have promised to be brief. Allow me this little bit
more: The demon virus appears to have found its way into our
sister-king’s blood, eventually seeking refuge within her brain,
there to wait upon the hour to ravish mind and spirit. Yes, I
believe it was not the death of Michael that Asotos sought that day
before my birthing, but the eventual ruination of our sister-king’s
mind and soul as the demon cancer slowly consumed her.”

The audience was aghast at this revelation.
True, some already believed this to be so, but the general
consensus was that Asotos had attempted Mihai’s death that day, not
her damnation.

Zadar raised a hand to hush the people. “So
it is that I believe that while still living within the host’s
blood, Darla came near to our sister-king and drank her sweet
elixir of life. What is milk other than blood filtered through the
dregs of the body? So my sister, Rachel, drank her fill, revealing
to others the demon living within our sister-king’s mind, but the
demons entered within her remained undetected for some time to
come, yet enter her they did, and remain alive with her down to
this day.”