The Godling Chronicles (Shadow of the Gods, Book #3) (42 page)

Gewey raised an eyebrow and smiled. “I would
think you'd be happy about that.”

“
I am uncertain how I feel,” she
replied. “I will be pleased to see him, but uncertain as to what to
say. Through your communication with Kaylia, he will be aware of
your decision…and my failure.”

Gewey chuckled. “That should make him
happy.”

She looked over at Gewey. “If Kaylia left you
in pursuit of another, would you be happy when she returned?”

“
If it meant we would be together, I
might,” he replied. “You left him out of a sense of duty, not
because you stopped loving him. I’m sure he understands
that.”

“
He does. But I cannot help but wonder
how I would feel if the situation were reversed. Would I be so
willing to return to the one that spurned me?” She smiled. “I am
acting as a child. But matters of the heart make children of us
all. Even the most wise.”

“
Have you reached out with your
spirit?” he asked. “I'm sure it will ease your mind if you
do.”

“
I have more knowledge than you,
Gewey,” she replied. “But I am not as strong. I cannot span such
great distances.”

“
I could help,” he offered.

Aaliyah couldn't stop herself from laughing.
“I am afraid such a meeting would be too personal. But I thank you,
regardless.” She closed her eyes. “Now if you intend to stay under
the stars with me, you must allow me to rest.”

Gewey squeezed her hand and rolled over. The
sound of the ocean swells lapping against the hull was sweet music,
singing him to sleep. As he drifted, he thought of Kaylia. He
considered reaching out to her, but the motion of the ship pulled
him down too fast, and in seconds, his breathing was deep and
steady.

The morning brought the sound of gulls and
the spirited voices of the crew hard at work. Aaliyah was already
busy with the running of the ship and appeared to be in much better
spirits. After breakfast, he returned to the navigator carrying his
cup of water. Taking his place on the deck, he continued the
exercise. This time, after only two tries, he did it. A small
droplet of water floated from the cup. Gewey was elated. He moved
it around, making it rise, fall, and travel in a tight circle. He
allowed the flow to swell, and concentrate within him. He removed
another droplet....then another and another, until there were ten
in all. He formed them into a ring and pushed them above the
navigator’s head. Then, one by one, allowed them to fall.

The navigator turned slowly, her expression
unmoved. “That is enough for today.”

Gewey tried to suppress a laugh. “Don't you
have a sense of humor?”

She turned back around, saying nothing. Gewey
frowned and headed toward the cabin. After only a few steps toward
the door a large ball of water crashed down on his head, soaking
him to the skin. The elves on deck burst into laughter. Gewey
looked back at the navigator who was still facing forward.

“
There is nothing wrong with my sense
of humor,” she said.

Gewey grinned, boyishly. He used the flow to
dry his clothes, then went in search of Aaliyah. He found, her in
her quarters, pouring over a large map that covered the entire
desk. He told her what the navigator had taught him...and what she
had done.

“
She must like you,” she
noted.

“
You'd never know it by the way she
looks at me,” Gewey replied.

“
I've known Drasalisia for seventy
years and never seen her be playful.” She leaned back in her chair
and grinned. “We should arrive just north of the city of Skalhalis
in two days. From there we will cut across country, and arrive in
Valshara the following day.”

Just then a bell sounded repeatedly from on
deck. Aaliyah jumped up and flew from the cabin, Gewey on her
heels. As they made their way up, he could feel the ship
slowing.

“
What is it?” asked Aaliyah, as she
made her way to the bow.

“
A fleet of ships just beyond the
horizon,” said the navigator. “At least fifty.”

“
Can we avoid them?” asked
Aaliyah.

“
We can,” she replied. “But you may
wish to go ashore further north. From their course it looks as if
they are heading for Skalhalis.”

Aaliyah thought for a moment. “No. I want you
to plot a course that has us arriving under the cover of darkness.
Once Gewey and I are away, take the ship as far off shore as
possible, while still close enough to be contacted.”

“
There is more.” The navigator’s
countenance betrayed her worry. She took Aaliyah's hand and they
closed their eyes. After a few minutes she let go and lowered her
head as if fatigued. “Is that what attacked you in the
desert?”

“
It was,” replied Aaliyah. She turned
to Gewey. “It would seem Angrääl has sent more forces. Vrykol are
aboard ships bound for Skalhalis. They will arrive just as we get
to Valshara. You must warn Kaylia.”

Gewey nodded sharply and bolted to his
quarters. Sitting in front of the desk, he reached out for Kaylia,
but her thoughts were presently turned to matters of the flow.
“Nehrutu must be giving her another lesson,” he thought. He pressed
his spirit in even harder. This time he reached her. He explained
what Aaliyah had said, and at once, she broke contact.

Aaliyah enter a moment later. “Did you
succeed?”

The shock of Kaylia pulling away so suddenly,
made him dizzy. “Yes. I'm sure of it.”

Aaliyah walked over to the desk and stared
down at the map. “We will come very close to the ships when we
land, and we still may be seen from the shore if an army is
mustering for war.”

“
Then they will not live to tell of our
passing,” said Gewey, a small fire building in his heart. The rage
returned. It felt good. He smiled fiendishly, and looked sideways
at Aaliyah. “I guess the war has truly begun.”

She placed her hand on his shoulder. “It
would seem so.”

The rest of the day he spent with the crew,
trying to calm himself and keep his mind as far from war as he
could. By now, he had learned quite a bit about the workings of the
ship and offered to lend a hand wherever he could. This was well
received by the crew, who in short order were teaching him elven
seafarer’s songs and telling old tales passed down aboard ships for
thousands of years. Most were about sea monsters and adventure, but
a few dealt with the Gods. Gewey tried to pretend not to be
interested about those, but couldn't help wondering how much truth
was hidden within the fiction. After seeing what secrets the desert
held, he thought that perhaps the stories held more truth than
anyone had guessed.

In spite of all his efforts, his mind kept
wandering to the coming battle. The force that marched on Valshara
would certainly not be enough to defeat fifty ships filled with
soldiers. And he had no idea how many had already landed. There
could be one-hundred thousand troops ready to sweep across the land
for all he knew. If that was so, then the war would be over before
it had begun.

By nightfall, he was dreading what dreams
might come. He knew Kaylia would be making preparations, and would
likely be unable to contact her. Aaliyah could tell he was troubled
and stayed in her quarters with him.

“
Should you need me, I am here,” she
said, as they both slipped into bed.

“
Thank you,” he replied. He rolled over
and squeezed shut his eyes. “I'll be fine.”

“
Do not fear the strength your feelings
bring,” she said. “They are a part of you. That strength saved my
life.”

He sat up and pushed his back to the wall. “I
know. And when it happens, I don’t mind it. But afterwards…it’s as
if I’ve lost part of who I am. I feel it changing me.”

“
It is changing you,” she replied. “I
told you that before. But it should not upset you. You are just
becoming what you were always meant to be.”

“
And what is that,” he asked,
worriedly. “I feel it most when I’m angry. What if that’s what I
become? An angry, vengeful God? Will the world be better off once
the Dark Knight is gone, if I still remain?”

Aaliyah scowled. “You will not become evil,
if that is what you are suggesting. Powerful, yes. Dangerous,
inescapability. But dangerous to whom, is the question? I think not
to those you love and protect.”

“
I hope not.” Gewey slid back down, and
wrapped himself in his blanket. ”Each time, I feel it more than the
last. The name Darshan is becoming more and more natural to me. I’m
just afraid I’ll lose that part of me that is Gewey.”

“
You will not,” she said, her tone
reassuring. “I swear it.”

His dreams were troubled and filled with
visions of hopeless despair and suffering. Human and elf, bleeding
and crying. The whole world trapped in an inferno of chaos and
death. In the midst of it all, he stood, unable to stop it. The
morning was the only thing that brought him a welcome relief.

They would arrive at sunset, so Gewey spent
the morning gathering supplies and checking his gear, then rested
in the cabin until the early afternoon. He wanted to be as strong
as possible when they landed. He only left the cabin twice to take
his meals. When he finally went on deck he brought his pack, the
bow, and staff along with him, and stowed it near the landing
craft.

Aaliyah was already there and ready to
depart.

“
I see you are excited to get
underway,” she remarked.

He shrugged and leaned over the port railing,
and looked out at the setting sun. The cloudless azure sky was
beginning to reveal the night stars as daylight slowly faded. There
would be no moon tonight. He was grateful.

As he waited to depart, the crew came one by
one to bid him farewell. As night fell and the ship slowed to a
halt, the navigator joined him.

“
You will return once your task is
done,” said Drasalisia. “I still have much to teach
you.”

Gewey thought he almost saw her smile, but
couldn't be certain. “I would like that.” He watched her for a
second as she walked away. As soon as his gaze returned to the sea
he felt something strike his head, and water poured down his back.
He spun around to see the navigator enter the cabin.

Aaliyah approached, pack in hand. “Of all the
wonders I have seen, that was the most amazing. Were you an elf,
you would certainly be doomed to be her apprentice.”

Gewey laughed, touching the wet spot on the
back of his head. “So it's time to go?”

Aaliyah nodded and led him to the boat. The
crew lowered it into the water and they climb down. As they began
to move away, Gewey looked back to see the crew gathered along the
starboard railing, waving. He waved back, as did Aaliyah.

Gewey drew his sword and let the flow of the
air rage through him. Soon he could make out the shoreline. The
seas were calm and small waves lapped against the sand. The moment
the boat touched shore they dragged it into some nearby brush and
covered it with branches. He reached out to see if anyone was
about. Approximately, three-hundred yards due east, where the beach
turned to a thin forest, twenty men were moving north.

“
I sense them, too,” whispered Aaliyah.
“And twenty more a quarter mile south of their
position.”

“
If they stay bunched together we
should be able to slip between them,” said Gewey. “Kaylia taught me
to move in the shadows unseen.”

“
A useful skill,” she replied. “Let us
hope it serves us tonight.”

They crept forward until they were only a
hundred yards from the patrol. He could see their armor reflecting
in the light of the torches they carried. One turned toward them,
revealing the broken scales insignia of Angrääl across his chest
plate.

They paused, crouched behind a clump of
reeds, as the patrol slowly moved away. Just as Gewey and Aaliyah
entered the tree line, they sense an all-too-familiar foulness
coming at them from the east.

“
Vrykol,” Gewey hissed. “Only one
though.”

“
It's enough to raise the alarm,” said
Aaliyah. “If that happens, use the earth. Fire will draw even more
down upon us. We should try to avoid that if possible.”

Gewey allowed the flow of the earth to
replace the air. It felt odd, yet invigorating. The earth was so
much more visceral and raw. “If it hears us, I'll knock him over.
Soon as I do, we'll rush it. Hopefully, it won't have time to call
out.”

They moved south, then east. At first, it
looked like the Vrykol wouldn't sniff them out. Then, just as they
were parallel to it, it halted, and began walking swiftly toward
them. Just as it came into view, Gewey could see it held a curved
blade in one hand, and a small, bone horn in the other. Gewey was
just about to fling a fallen log at the beast when it stopped and
raised the horn to the hidden lips beneath its black hood. It rang
out and the beast backed away.

“
I guess they are becoming more
cunning,” observed Gewey. He remembered the elven Vrykol from the
black Oasis. He grinned maliciously at Aaliyah, and charged
forward. Aaliyah drew her dagger and followed.

In moments, he saw the Vrykol, waiting. But,
instead of a sword, the twang of a bowstring sounded. The arrow
whizzed through the air seeking Gewey's heart. Gewey twisted and
dove sideways. Only his incredible speed saved him from being
skewered.

Aaliyah ran straight ahead, slashing at the
Vrykol's neck. The creature was barely able to drop its bow and
draw its sword in time. The sound of metal on metal rang out.
Aaliyah pressed the attack, forcing the beast back.