The Godling Chronicles (Shadow of the Gods, Book #3) (32 page)

“
My men are at your command,” said
Lousis. “I would not leave them otherwise.”

“
As are the elves who are remaining,”
added Theopolou.

“
Good,” she said, and smiled. “When do
you depart?”

“
I have already sent word to gather the
kings and queens together,” Lousis replied. “I only have a few more
things to attend to, then we will be away.”

“
I ask you one last favor,” said
Selena. “Though I cannot attend, I would like Ertik to witness the
council and represent me in all matters. Unless there is some
protocol that will not allow it.”

“
Actually, I think that is wise,” said
Lousis. “Your presence carries weight and will be missed. But as
you cannot attend, your proxy should suffice. I will see that all
know that he speaks on your behalf and is afforded all due respect
and courtesy.”

“
Thank you.” Selena pushed her food
away. “I have no appetite. So if there is nothing
further?”

Theopolou and King Lousis excused themselves,
and Selena sat for a minute staring at her unfinished plate. She
knew Ertik would resist the idea of leaving her side, and did not
look forward to telling him.

The rest of the morning she walk about the
halls seeing that things were attended to and in order; though with
Ertik about this was nearly a pointless exercise, and only served
to keep her distracted. He had been busier than she thought any man
capable. When she finally cornered him and told him he would be
leaving with King Lousis, he nearly broke down in tears. He begged
not to be sent away. It was only after she promised to have an elf
guard with her at all times did he relent.

Kaylia had made no secret that she intended
to remain near her side, having chased away several soldiers who
were in awe that they stood in the presence of the High Lady of
Valshara, leader of the legendary order of Amon Dähl. At first, the
admirers didn't bother her, but soon questions about the Dark
Knight arose, and his time within the Order. These were subjects
that she didn't care to discuss, and Kaylia had become adept at
knowing when it was time to tell them to move on.

At midday, Selena and Kaylia sat quietly in
the High Lady’s chamber. A light meal of fruit and bread had been
brought in. As they ate, Selena could tell that Kaylia had
something on her mind, but whatever it was, something prevented her
from speaking.

“
Kaylia,” said Selena. Her voice was
calm, yet humorless. “You must not think me frail. If you wish to
speak your mind, you must do so.”

Kaylia sat her plate on the small table
beside her chair. “I do not think you frail. Nor am I afraid to
speak. I simply did not want to cause you more grieve so soon after
so much tragedy and bloodshed.” She fixed her eye on Selena’s. “I
cannot help but wonder why you do not speak of the Dark Knight’s
time in Amon Dähl. Surely, this knowledge may be valuable to our
cause.”

Selena nodded. “It would, without doubt. But
sadly, I know very little. When the Dark Knight first came to
power, he all but destroyed this order, including all records of
who he really was. Those who might have known him cannot remember
anything specific about him. Even those who were among us at the
time of the betrayal.” Her face was grave. “You must understand
that the Sword of Truth wields a power beyond your imagination. My
guess is that he used it to mask his true identity from the minds
of those in the order who knew him.

“
When I first joined the order I had
heard of a great knight of unparalleled strength and valor. He had
aspired to be the protector of the Sword. But his efforts failed,
and another was chosen. Enraged, he abandoned his vows and sought
out the Sword’s resting place.” She rose wearily to her feet. “That
is the limit of my knowledge. The rest you already
know.”

“
Then why not tell people this?” asked
Kaylia.

Selena sighed sadly. “You ask me to speak of
what has brought Amon Dähl its greatest shame. For thousands of
years we were guardians and protectors. Now…”

“
I understand,” said Kaylia. “I will
not ask you again.”

When it was time for the King and the others
to depart, Selena, Kaylia, along with most of those who would
remain behind, gathered in the courtyard to see them off. Selena's
eyes wandered repeatedly to the prisoners against the wall. She
wanted not to hate them. She wanted to believe her decision was
right and not vengeance.

“
Do not heed my earlier words,” said
Theopolou. Clearly, he could see she was in self-doubt. “I spoke
from the perspective of my longing for peace. This is war, and I
would do the same. You cannot afford to second guess yourself in
these times. You will act wisely. Have faith in that.”

King Lousis took Selena’s hands and kissed
them fondly. “I will eagerly await our next meeting, high
lady.”

Selena blushed. “As do I, your highness.”

Once the farewells were said, she watched as
the party departed. Cheers erupted from both human and elf as they
passed through the shattered gates. Ertik looked back at least four
times before disappearing out of sight. Theopolou’s words still
echoed in her mind.

She called to Lord Jeffos Windermere, who the
King had left in charge of the Althetan forces. “I want you to have
your men take the prisoners to the temple basement. There you will
find an empty wine cellar. It hasn’t been used in many years and is
large enough to house them, for the time being.” Windermere threw
his fist to his chest in salute, and marched away.

“
I must not doubt,” she whispered
softly.

Chapter 20

The reflection of the desert sun on the sands
made navigation increasingly difficult as Gewey and Aaliyah made
their way back to the shore. Each dune looked the same as the last,
and Aaliyah could no longer sense the direction of her ship. Though
their pace started out fast and determined, after only a few hours,
signs of the poison working its way through Aaliyah's system was
beginning to show. Gewey did his best to keep the air around them
cool with the flow, but each time Aaliyah would stumble or pause,
he found it difficult to concentrate. On more than one occasion a
blast of hot air washed over them, making it nearly impossible to
breathe. He couldn't imagine living in such a hellish place.

By mid-afternoon their pace had decreased to
a slow walk. Beads of sweat formed on Aaliyah's brow, her skin was
pale, and her breathing was shallow and quick. Gewey took her arm,
but she pushed him away.

“
No need for that,” she said, weakly.
“It would seem the poison was stronger than I anticipated. I think
I will rest for a moment.” She eased herself onto the sand. “If you
would just keep the air cool, I think I will be all right in a few
minutes.”

Gewey could tell she was lying. He tried once
again to heal her, but again his flow was thrown back. He clenched
his fists with frustration. “There must be something I can do.”

“
There is nothing, I'm afraid.” She
reached in her pack, pulled out a blanket, and used it to cushion
her head as she lay down. “I just need to rest.” She closed her
eyes.

“
You must fight it,” Gewey pleaded.
“You must stay with me.”

She reached up and touched his cheek. “I have
fought, and it would appear I have lost. But do not be sad. I am
content to have lived to be part of your story. I have seen our kin
reunited, and for all of this I am thankful.”

“
Don't talk like that,” said Gewey,
fiercely. “I will carry you, if I must.”

“
There is no time,” she said. “I will
be gone in a few moments. I can feel it.”

“
Please.” Gewey's voice cracked. “I
can’t let you die.”

Aaliyah smiled sweetly. “This is beyond your
power.” She closed her eyes. “Tell Nehrutu that I am sorry. Tell
him I only did what I had to do. Tell him...I...”

Gewey lifted her head and cradled her in his
arms, tears flowing freely. Her body grew limp as life slipped
away. He tried desperately to reach her, but still could not.
Throwing his head back, he let out a primal scream. The sand
exploded all around them and the earth trembled.

The ground settled and Gewey closed his eyes
and allowed his spirit to drift to her. The light inside her was
fading and the warmth of her spirit was growing colder. He could
not bear to see her fade and he drifted skyward. Just above where
they lay, he could see himself holding her limp form in his arms.
It was the first time he had ever seen himself in such a manner.
The scene threatened to shatter his heart. He could see his own
life force burning brightly, and watched as hers flickered and
vanished.

Then, as if from far away, he heard the sound
of a child’s laughter. First, only one, then another and another,
until he heard dozens and dozens of mirthful voices all laughing at
once. Not in a clamor of incoherent sound, but in the purest of
harmony. Gentle at first, they grew louder and stronger until the
sound surrounded him with magnificent wonder. In between each sweet
voice, the tinkling of tiny bells increased the harmony. A wave of
joy washed over him, causing his heart to swell with unmeasured
happiness. It was as though bliss were tangible; a treasure one
could possess.

He looked back down at his body holding
Aaliyah's. He looked the same, but her body was surrounded by a
million tiny points of light twinkling and swirling in rhythm with
the laughter. The light moved closer and closer together until they
began to take form. At first it wasn't clear, then slowly he
realized it was the figure of Aaliyah. She glowed and shimmered
with the light of a thousand stars. Her face beamed at him as she
drifted away from her body.

Gewey reached out. It was then he felt a
burning on his breast. He looked to see the specter of the
medallion Gerath had given him that still hung around his neck.
Heat upon heat burned into his spiritual flesh, until he thought he
could no longer bear it. He tried to scream, but no sound came from
his lips. He could see Aaliyah drifting farther away, above him.
Her spirit was fading. He called to her. She stopped. Right then he
understood.

He concentrated on the sound of the laughter.
In moments it took physical form. It appeared as a shimmering mist
that surrounded everything. It was everywhere. Gewey could not
believe he had never seen this before. He knew this was the spirit
of the flow. The very soul of the earth.

He reached out to Aaliyah's spirit and
shepherded it back into her body. He drifted back into his own, as
the laughter grew distant, then went silent. He looked down at
Aaliyah. Almost imperceptibly her chest move up and down as life
returned. He reach out to her, and this time met no resistance. The
poison was gone. He allowed his energy to flow into her, slowly at
first, then more and more, until he could feel her strength
returning.

“
That is enough, Gewey.”

Her voice shocked him back into reality. She
was smiling up at him, eyes closed, gently stroking his arm.

“
How do you feel?” he asked, brushing
her hair away from her face.

“
Thanks to you, I feel alive,” she
replied. “But weary. I should rest until morning, I think.” She
squeezed him tight then slipped back onto the desert sands and
nestled her head in the blanket. “You felt it, didn't you?” she
whispered. “The spirit of the earth.”

“
Yes,” said Gewey. “It was beautiful.
Like nothing I could have ever imagined.”

“
I wish I could have seen it.” She
sighed, and fell into a deep, restful sleep.

Gewey watched over her until the dawn broke,
keeping the chill night air around them warm. When she awoke, the
sun was just peeking over the horizon. She looked at him and
scowled.

“
You have not slept,” she scolded,
though not convincingly.

Gewey took out a piece of flatbread and his
flask, and gave it to her. “I'm fine. I've lived with less sleep
before. And after a swifter pace.” He recalled his journey from
Valshara to the house of Theopolou.

“
Still, what you did for me could not
have been easy,” she countered.

“
Actually, it was.” He tore off a piece
of bread. “Though I'm not sure I could do it again.” He remembered
the medallion and reached to his breast. It was gone. “It was the
gift of Gerath that showed me how.”

Aaliyah touched his chest where the medallion
once hung. “Such a sacrifice.”

Gewey smiled. “I don't need it anymore. The
power that was in it, is now inside me. I can feel it.”

“
How does it feel?”

He shrugged. “It's hard to explain. It’s not
much different than when I touch the spirit of another person, only
much more intense. It lacks the negative emotion and uncertainty of
the mortal spirit. When your spirit left your body, I could see you
join with it...in a way. Do you remember?”

“
No,” she said, sadly. “I truly wish I
did. I remember fading, as if falling asleep. Then waking up in
your arms. I knew you had found a way to save me.”

This brought a smile to Gewey’s lips. Aaliyah
jumped to her feet, listening intensely. Immediately, Gewey heard
it, too. The sound of footfalls barely audible in the sand, even to
Gewey's heightened senses, were just about to crest a nearby
dune.

“
An elf,” Aaliyah whispered.

“
Better than the Soufis,” said Gewey,
relieved.

Then, at the top of the dune, Weila
appeared.