Turn42
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C'tis
"Coochie-coochie coo..."
Laph rushed into the nursery, eyes flickering instinctively to the small clutch of eggs near the center. The cracks were much larger than they had been yesterday, no doubt about it, even than this morning. But the eggs remained resolutely egg-shaped and unbroken. So why the urgent summons...?
"Hey, little fellow, ouch, what sharp teeth you have already," came the voice of a lizard in a black cowl in the corner, next to Esa's clutch. Four little swamp lizards had hatched yesterday, and today all the hierodules were in the high security wing of the hatchery presiding over several clutches of carnivore eggs. No wonder they were too busy to shoo away mysterious strangres.
Laph watched as the mysterious stranger (a distant relative of Esa's, she supposed, several of Esa's eggmates and more distant relations had gone into sauromancy) pulled a small tree branch, wrapped in ivy, out of his robes. He gave it to the littlest lizard, the last one to hatch; Esa had been almost convinced he was another lost one before he had finally poked his head out hours after his siblings had emerged and been cleaned and fussed over and put to nest.
The little lizard was in fact still covered in bits of eggshell, and the stranger was very kindly plucking the pieces off gently, one by one, while the hatchling enthusiastically gnawed on the tree branch. Out of the corner of her eye Laph just noticed that every single piece of eggshell was carefully disappearing into a small green bag...
"Ruli, you sly skink!" said Laph, and the stranger in black turned around sheepishly as Laph pounced on him with such ferocity that he lost his grip on his toy, much to Esa's youngest's delight. He did not, however, let the contents of the green bag spill.
"Well, hi, Laph," said Ruli. "They said you were still sleeping, and since tonight's going to be busy, I figured you should get your rest, and I'd just get to know some of the little guys here..."
"... and replenish your magical stores, don't think I don't remember how you got started on this business," said Laph. "Though I do say you've gotten better at it." Her eyes sparkled with the unexpected arrival of her egg-brother, and just in time, for once in his life.
"I find that not having dragons around considerably improves my ability to concentrate," said Ruli. "So," he added, nodding toward the central clutch of three that Laph's eyes kept darting back to. "How long do we have?"
"A couple of hours, I'd guess," said Laph, not that I'd really know, since I've never done this before, but she took a few deep breaths. No sense panicking now, it was far too late for that.
"C'mon, I know a place, let's get something to eat and you can tell me what's kept you so busy for the last, oh, I dunno, year."
There wouldn't be enough time for that, of course. There never was enough time anymore. And with that thought, Laph realized she was ready to become a parent, after all.
---
Three plates of sugarworms, some candied flies, and several pots of steamed herbs later, Ruli had barely caught her up through the war, and was finally beginning on his recent activities.
"So Hema's off on some strange mission... you know Hema, right? she was one of Lugal's students after I left, but maybe that was after you were gone, too... anyhow, after her brilliant success in communicating with the banelords in the AYE war, she's been dispatched in search of more powerful undead allies. 'course, I can't I understand everything she says about what she's doing, I get perhaps three-quarters of it on a good day, but she's really bright, and I'm sure she'll conjure up something good.
"And it's not just undead. Lugal and I are working on a secret project, it's actually why I'm here," and Ruli jangled the green bag now full of potent life magic. He laughed. "Project Big Snake is very expensive."
"Lugal named it, I presume," said Laph with a smile.
"He wanted to call it Project Snake initially," said Ruli. "I said, why don't we call it something more distinctive, like Project Cobra or Operation Adder, but he refused. Said we weren't summoning adders or cobras, and when I said he was missing the point of a secret code name he starting humming and tapping his feet the way he always does when he's made up his mind. So, er, Big Snake is nearing completion. Lugal even claims he can do this ritual on his own without my help, though I'm skeptical, but it's his hatchling, so what can you do?"
Ruli paused to drink some herb water, and Laph signaled for another tray of cookies. It was nice for once not to have to do all the talking, she thought.
"Oh, and I don't know how much you've heard about the amazons," he continued. Laph looked up sharply at the mention of the foul lizard-slavers whose abomination of nature had roused the nation into war. "Well, we got rid of the old leaders, of course, but some of the younger women have been brought up to use their magical abilities toward the right goals; some of them are quite charming young women now that they've been trained not to," he choked out the word, "ride on lizards."
Ruli took a long drink from his flagon, perhaps wishing it were something a little stronger, before continuing, while Laph nibbled on her cricket cakes.
"Well, anyhow, a few of them have been in contact with another mysterious race of women who can actually turn into snakes. And they've also been doing some interesting and amazing things with vines lately, nothing over the top..."
"You don't want that," murmured Laph.
"There's apparently a long tradition of making humans out of vines, but among some of the more powerful amazons there's talk of reviving some ancient powerful beings made of wood and ivy."
"Kinda like the toy you were playing with," said Laph. "Oh."
Ruli blushed like a chameleon walking on hot coals. "The, er, first attempt was less than successful, although I am assured that there are plenty more ivied royalty where that one came from, and the others will not let rumors of, er, unpleasantness prevent them from taking form. And besides, the little lizards really like to chew on the bits..."
Ruli looked suddenly quite worried. "Ooops. I hope that won't cause any problems for mixed armies."
Laph laughed. "Don't worry, I hear there are a lot of humans in the empire these days. Here, I have a story for you that you may not have heard yet. Just a few days ago a human in fancy robes strode into town and announced himself as the emissary of the Crystal Academy, which has apparently been located in the heart of C'tis for centuries without any lizard having ever noticed its presence. But apparently they decided now was the right time to reveal themselves, and welcome, how did they put it? 'Our new reptilian overlords.'" She laughed. "Now Cole's busy holed up with them talking rocks and making all kinds of grandiose plans for the future. And there are a lot of other humans around, so perhaps your ivy beings won't need to be surrounded by armies of hungry lizards."
"Wait, what armies?" she said suddenly. "And why so much talk of powerful combatants?"
Ruli smiled. "Finally noticed that? I must say, Laph, you've lost your edge, getting slow, oh Elder Egg-sister." He jerked away before her playful swat, then sobered up. "Yeah, armies. Man is poised to invade Pagaea within the month, had you heard?"
"What? Why?" Laph was shocked. Sure, there were a lot of troops on the borders, but everyone had them. And Pangaea? "What in Aetonyx's name have the Pans done to provoke this?"
"According to the draft of their declaration of war, which somehow made its way to Cole's correspondance last week, they are guilty of wearing green tunics and being peaceful nature lovers," said Ruli. "No, really, that's what it said."
"That's their excuse?" sputtered Laph. "For war?" It was like invading a lake because it was so blue and calm. It made no sense. Except...
"Selena's not going to rest until we're all conquered, is she?" said Laph. "She's had a taste for victory and will pick us off one by one, and that's why we're still preparing for war."
"Oddly enough, no," said Ruli. "Well, I can't really say she won't attack us someday. But right now, our gravest worry is to the south. Word is, Marignon's ruler has gone even madder than usual, and that's saying something for the Inquisition."
"Marignon? Our staunchest ally?" Laph felt dizzy.
"Yeah, their god's looking eviler by the minute, and even without that they've always been exquisitely talented at inventing reasons to justify any action they want to take. And their warped views of life and death have always created a little friction between our lands. We're engaged in negotiations with them to salvage the peace, but Cole is not optimistic, and neither am I. A lot of troops are subtly shifting into defensive positions."
"Wow," said Laph. She suddenly didn't envy Ruli's chance to read the dragon's dimplomatic exchanges at all. Sure, the gossip was great; but what good was it to know such terrible things in advance and be able to do so little about them?
"And what about our last ally?" said Laph, giving the final word a sardonic twist.
"Oh, Vethru's up to no good, we're sure of that, but so far his efforts have been mainly directed toward his own people. There are some dark rumors floating around that he has a secret colony of lizards that he tortures into insanity so they can predict the future for him," and Laph shuddered, "but these rumors have an alarming tendancy to be spread by men wearing a curious sun tattoo on their arms, so they are a little, shall we say, unreliable."
"Besides," said Ruli, "it's not like Vanheim has the world's largest army." He stopped talking, took a few bites of his cakes, and set them down again, staring out into the busy midday street.
Laph swirled the leaves in here cup as a cold dark pit rose in her stomach. "Why is it always so grim for us, Ruli?"
"Oh, it's not so bad as all that," said Ruli. "Well, maybe it is, but there's good news, like the fall of Ermor, so that maybe people will stop circulating that vicious lie about lizards corrupting men and being the downfall of us all. And besides, pretty soon you'll have to call me Uncle Ruli..."
Laph stood up suddenly, nearly knocking over the table. She had heard about this, of course, but it was uncanny how she just knew.
"I can feel it," she said.
"They're hatching."
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Ermor
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Man
Just as I had predicted, Pythium is dead. Our lizard allies finished off the final purple province. And I am also VERY pleased to note that the undead nation is almost nearly dead too. It will be a cause for great celebration when the land of Inland is fully cleared of the Ermor blight and thus all purple nations. Cheers for Ulm! Cheers for Vanheim! And even, I must admit, cheers for the Inquisitors!
So, what next?
Well, just as I had been fully expecting for some time, Ralph, my favorite (and only) uncle, waltzed into the Queen’s Chamber with nary a hello. Even though I spotted him in my mirror, and he knew that I had done so, I continued to brush my hair to let him squirm for a bit before I turned and addressed him. “Ah, my dear uncle, welcome to my chamber!”
“Good morning, my Queen.”
OK, so he put me in a good mood with this one. Am I no longer the little girl, his niece? Am I now really the Queen of Man? Apparently so, if Ralph believes this to be true.
I then inquired very cordially, “What news of the world these days?” Of course, I kept myself fully aware of the news of the world, but it would not hurt to repay him the favor to acknowledge him as the Man Minister of State. Those small courtesy things are so easy to do and so often overlooked.
Ralph answered, “Well, Selena, Pythium is dead.” I simply nodded, for he knew I knew that. He continued, “And leaderless Ermor is also nearly dead.” I nodded again, waiting for him to get to the point. He did. “And we are now fully enclosed once again by our neighbors.”
This seemed to need a reply. “I see. And does this mean we now live in peace?” I knew the answer to this one, but I wanted to see what he would say.
“Not necessarily. You see, the rest of the Pretenders still do not acknowledge you as the true God of Inland. You are nothing but the Queen of Man to them.”
“And this is a problem?”
“Of course! How can the nation of Man prove your divinity without the rest of the lands worshiping you? How can we keep the world at peace forever until you are the sole leader? We will always have petty squabbles and war until you are crowned as the Supreme Being of All the World. We MUST continue towards this final goal.”
Now, there was a time (and not all that long ago) when I would have argued against these harsh words. Back when I was living deep in the Forest of Avalon quietly with my mum in peace, I would have never considered such grand thoughts as presented to me by my uncle. I would have been quite happy just to leave the world alone if it left me alone.
But I now know better. The world is a nasty place. Look at Cibragol, who tried mightily to annex the entire land in a HUGE hurry before he was finally called to task and killed. Look at the undead, utterly destroying VAST tracks of my lovely forests. Look towards the Inquisition, who is now complaining at Man (!) because a couple of my death sages decided to summon a few wimpy dispossessed spirits in order to kill off our mutual sworn enemy. Heck, most of those dead spirits died for the second and final time in the many battles anyway.
And look at T’ien Ch’i…
Huh? T’ien Ch’i??? Who the heck are they? I have never ever seen a Chinese soldier. I have never even once met with their reclusive leader, Pasha Tzu, or any of their diplomats such as the odd Prophet Yuck Fu. I have not read a tale from them in years. Heck, they might not even still exist. Perhaps the Overseer News Network is totally wrong about this mysterious race of Chinamen.
I had to smile at myself over this little joke. Of course TC does exist. Of course, Pasha Tzu does exist. And of course, they have NEVER done or said ANYTHING wrong to me or the fine nation of Man. In his death throes, Cibragol tried to enlist the Chinese on his side to save himself. And the wise leader Pasha Tzu showed his intelligence (in accordance with the mysterious Tzu philosophy) by staying away from a losing cause. I even have reason to believe that TC is now helping with the invasion of the blighted lands of Ermor in this righteous Cause to Rid the World of all Purple Banners. No, let’s leave the mysterious T’ien Ch’i off my list of suspects for now. I have no border with them anyway, though ONN does claim to know where they are located.
Now, I had been thinking about this for quite a while and I know what I want. But it never hurts to get the opinion of a man as wise and worldly as my dear uncle. Ralph was waiting very patiently for me to finish my musings. I studied his face, but he was as impassive as a rock. Men…
I began, “Well, Ralph, I have studied the latest ONN map plus our own intelligence reports closely. We are bordered by six nations. Let’s consider them all.
“First and foremost is Vanheim. We have had a border with them from nearly the beginning of time. Back when you and I were leading our army, we went straight to the provinces of Darkwoods and Stone Grave Mountains. We did that to try and seal the mountain pass against the undead horde to our north.
“But Vanheim took affront at being so close to their homelands. Heck, we did not even know they existed over there back then. We only knew about the undead at that point.
“So, Vanheim sent that annoying diplomat and his thinly veiled threats in response. Threats! Against me!!! I surely put them in their place.
“But they were very smart. They recalled that idiot diplomat and sent the wonderful Valkryie Mirima to talk peace with me. What a bold move. What a brilliant stroke of diplomacy. She and I got drunk off the best wine in the land. And more than once too.
“So, we reached an agreement with Vanheim. We kept Stone Grave Mountains as well as the Rockside Spring and Mineral Cave magic sites I found there. We gave up some waste territories in which Vanheim likely found their own magic sites. We even gave them the province of Tenera, which they still have yet to subjugate.
“We had a bit of disagreement over the coastal province of Gintmark. They wanted it, but we took it first. That province then revolted against my righteous rule. You probably recall that I decided that perhaps they didn’t want me as a ruler, plus my army was deep in Pythium territory, so we let it go. Vanheim has since taken it, but that is of no consequence. I had more or less obliquely agreed to let them have it anyway.
“So you see, dear uncle, we have managed to always solve every problem amicably with Vanheim ever since Mirima was appointed to deal with me.” I did not mention the private message Mirima recently sent to me alone. I did not want to hurt my uncle over the fact that Vanheim deals directly with me instead of through our Minister of State like all other nations.
Ralph took my pause as a need to reply. He said, “So, Vanheim is our most steadfast ally. We should not invade them, right?”
“Absolutely correct. Vanheim is off the list for war. Next, we look at C’tis. And here is a very interesting thing: The lizards treat us as we treat Vanheim! Their Dragon King Cole, or leader or ruler or whatever it is that they call him; He deals with you, not me! Just like Mirima deals with me, not you. I find this interesting. So, I must ask you this question because you know Cole far better than I. Should we invade the lizards?”
Ralph considered the direct question. Of course he had already been thinking about this issue for months (just as I had) and probably previously reached a private opinion about the Yellow Banner nation. And now he was going to make his private opinion public.
Ralph said, “Cole is very trustworthy. He is so incredibly powerful physically that he does not have to lie or practice any subterfuge with anybody. He is not afraid to tell the truth to anybody about anything. Thus, I inherently believe everything he says. So, based on my dealings with him, plus my spies, plus his performance in the War Against Pythium, I would offer the very strong opinion that he has no desire whatsoever to wage war upon Man. He can be fully trusted.”
“And their army?”
Ralph answered, “Strong, powerful, dangerous.”
I considered those words. I had not heard this opinion before right now. But his opinion did back up my own private ideas. So I said, “Then, we leave the lizards alone.”
“Yes, we do. And furthermore, based on their performance against Pythium, I would have to say that were we to call on C’tis for assistance in the future, they are likely to help us if it is in their own interests. We definitely should leave them alone. They have been steadfast allies. They did help us kill Pythium.”
“Fine, the Yellow and Red Banners are both off the list. So, what about the other Purple Banner? You know full well that the entire Land of Inland has joined forces to rid the world of all Purple Banners. We should help to the end, right?”
“Not necessarily, my Queen. Ermor is nearly dead. Other nations have already suffered much troop loses subjugating the undead, most especially Ulm. If we join in on mopping up the few remaining Ermor provinces, the nations already at war may take affront that we are taking the spoils without fighting any tough battles.”
I replied, “Besides, their lands are worthless anyway.”
Ralph offered a quick rebuttal. “No, Selena, they are not. Despite having no population, no infrastructure, and no taxable economy, those blighted lands are full of great magical sites. They produce a very nice gem income for whoever takes them. In fact, I find it greatly amusing that Marignon now holds the former capitol of Ermor and ALL the death income that has resulted from conquest of their lands. It must cause a splendid conflict deep within the Inquisition.”
I spoke softly, almost involuntarily, “Ah, the Inquisition.”
Ralph answered gravely, “Yes, the Orange Banner. With the destruction of Pythium, they now have the longest border of any nation with us.”
“Do you trust them?”
Ralph instantly blurted, “Hell no!!” He quickly added, “Um, sorry about the language.”
I laughed, “No problem, uncle, I have heard far worse than that on the battlefield. But do go on.”
“Well, you know they are now complaining at us because some of our sages summoned some wimpy dispossessed spirits. But, I must admit that I do not know who runs that nation anymore. Unlike the powerful Cole clearly in charge of C’tis, the quiet Aftial may have lost control of her own nation. Every since she died in the Mountains of Madness, she has come back from the dead changed somehow.”
I shuddered at the thought. Coming back from the dead? That was the scariest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. It was also one of the major reasons that I do not lead our army anymore. I simply cannot bear the though of this happening to me. I breathed deep, summoned my courage, and asked, “So, who is in charge over there?”
“No one. There are a house divided. In fact, Selena, one of their own religious houses has been secretly practicing their own death magics.”
“NOOOO!”
“Yes, Selena, they have.”
“But they have issued proclamation after proclamation denouncing all use of death magics!”
“Oh yes, they surely have. And so, they could have their own internal revolt. They could begin to fight among themselves. They are highly unstable, I assure you of that.”
“So, we should invade them immediately because they are so unstable?”
“No, Selena, we should not. An unpredictable army is also a dangerous army. An unstable nation is also a dangerous nation. Plus, they are our AYE allies. Perhaps it is better to let them self-destruct and pick up the pieces sometime later.”
These words eerily matched my own thoughts just yesterday. It therefore must be the correct answer. I said, “I agree, Ralph. I have heard their army is so zealous that they always fight to the death. We would take significant losses fighting them.”
“Well, your conclusion is valid, but there is one minor error in your reasoning. Not all of their army is composed of zealots. They can and do retreat and even rout! After all, they let their own Queen die in a particularly rough battle.”
“Yuck! I am VERY glad I am not the Queen of Marignon like poor Aftial. I really do feel sorry for that woman. So, scratch Marignon from the list. What about Ulm?”
“They would be laughingly easy to kill. We could conquer them in no time with practically no losses. It is hardly a test for Cleges and our mighty army.”
“So, we should go for them?”
“We could, Selena, but I see no particular reason to do so. Recall that there were the first of the nations to invade the undead. The Purple Banners to our north were popping up everywhere. If not for that early invasion from the Men of Iron, we likely could not have killed Pythium. We would have had to watch our northern border FAR closer than we actually did. Plus, you have been cheering on Ulm for years now. I know you secretly admire them and all their heroes in the Hall of Fame.”
“Yes, Ralph, I do. It would be slimy in the extreme to kill them after they had done the entire world such a great favor.”
We both went silent, for we both knew there was only one nation left on the list. Ralph voiced our mutual thoughts, “That leaves Pangaea.”
“Ah yes, Pangaea. A very secretive nation.”
“And a very peaceful nation, Selena.”
“I fully agree, Ralph. We have had a border agreement with them for nearly as long as Vanheim. Both Pangaea and Man have fully honored that agreement. They even did not take advantage of our temporary vulnerabilities when we were killing Pythium.”
Ralph said quietly, “So we have nothing against them. They have done nothing wrong.”
I looked up at my uncle and bored deeply into his eyes. I wanted to clearly see his reaction to my next words, “Not true, Ralph. They do not worship me. They actually worship that unknown pretender Vesnaeai. They have not spoken one word to me or to you in many, many years. Have they not?”
“No, Selena, I have heard nothing from them.”
I continued. I could see that Ralph was agreeing with me. “And they have shown that they will always fail to acknowledge me as the Supreme Being. My spies have reported the presence of at least 10 temples erected in Pangaea which were built to honor that unknown failure of a pretender called Vesnaeai. That is a grave affront to me.
“And you know one other thing, Ralph? They fly a Green Banner, same as us! That is truly a slap in my face. That is an affront to our entire nation. And they also have claimed to have the most skilled nature magic. They even erected a Mother Oak in their homeland! BUT WE ARE THE NATION OF NATURE!!!! Not Pangaea.”
Ralph was clearly surprised by my vehemence. He did not know I had it in me. I finished with, “So we should kill them and rid the land of the false Green Banner. We should eliminate them.”
Ralph replied, “It won’t be easy.”
I was momentarily surprised. “No? Surely they will be easier than Pythium.”
“No, Selena, they will actually not be easy to kill. I expect they will be harder to eliminate than Pythium was.”
“But Ralph! We lost so many troops in the Battle of Pythium!”
“We will lose many more in the battle of the Green Banners, if it comes to that.”
“Will we win?”
“Yes, we will.”
Ralph’s quiet assurance of our eventual victory solidified my opinion that had been months in the making. I said forcefully, “Then let’s do it. Send a diplomat to them and inform them that we will invade their homeland in the seventh month of the fourth year of our Lord.”
Ralph was truly shocked at this. He blurted, “But Selena! Why give them a 2 month warning? Our army is already in position because of the Battle of Pythium on their doorstep! Why not go in right now?”
“Because, Ralph, they have indeed been very honorable to us. They have never done anything truly wrong. They might have erected too many temples, and they may fly a Green Banner, and they are truly masters of nature magic. But they can hardly be blamed for doing precisely what they do best. Heck, I likely would have done the same exact things were I the Queen of Pangaea instead of the Queen of Man.
“Ralph, I owe Pangaea full honor. I owe them a fighting chance against us. Without honor, how can we get all other nations, like C’tis and Vanheim and Marignon and Ulm, and even the mysterious T’ien Ch’i to acknowledge me as the eventual Ruler of Inland? Ralph, I will always be honorable in all my dealings with all other nations who share this land.”
I then concluded most strongly, “Issue them the warning.”
“I hear and obey, my Queen.”
“Good. Now, I will prepare the Second Proclamation of Man for all to read. It will be ready before the end of the month. This document will hopefully justify this new war in the eyes of all other nations. And thank you very much, uncle. I do value your opinion highly.”
Ralph smiled at me. I knew he loved his niece. I have always known that. He bowed deeply to me and left my chamber.
Of course, I have always loved him in return.
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Marignon
We fought nine days before the walls of Ermor, the very gate of Hell.
On the first day we laughed at the force sent to meet us -- maybe two score undead and a pack of vile mechanical killing machines -- but as that first eternal night wore on, our laughter turned to shock, and then to weary tears. The ground opened up, became a sea of dead things, the cream of Ermor before the breaking of the world, woke from dreamless slumber for this final battle against the light. For every one we slaughtered another rose from the dust, and for every one of ours who fell, a new warrior joined the foe.
On the second day we pushed hard for the gate. The Tower Guard and the Men-at-Arms, resplendent in their red be-jeweled battle shorts, formed a shield for the solemn priests and their chanted voices which rendered dust to dust once more. But the pride of Marignon faltered and failed before the mass of implacable, unbreaking death, and the guard was dragged down into the parched and frozen earth by a thousand unseen hands.
On the third day I saw my brother druids run out of arrows, and they who I had fought beside for years in the Shadowlands were cut off from where I stood with the priests. I watched them draw knives uselessly over living bone until their blades were dull and their arms were tired and their will faltered and they were trampled to death.
On the fourth day I saw the sun set on Marignon, as the priests grew tired and hoarse and their chanting grew weak. The relentless wall of death advanced. I saw my own untimely end in every lifeless socket. I saw the ruin of Marignon, naught but ancient monuments under a twilight sky.
But on the fifth day I saw Orion and his eternal knights blaze back and forth across the sunless plain. They fought on and on in grim silence, ranging ever upon the field -- a thin line of flame between the darkness and the light.
On the sixth day I saw one of these immortal warriors fall, smashed down by a dozen rusty blades. But his brothers swept in, blowing aside the clouds of death, and Orion came forth. He lay his hands upon the dying man and whispered his release. Then they were gone, swept back into the chaos and the dust and darkness, their fallen comrade sleeping peacefully upon the earth with a smile on his lip.
On the seventh day the Archbishop of Marignon summoned forth two creatures of pure fire to fight alongside the knights. Their flickering warmth brought joy back to our hearts and we cheered ourselves hoarse as bone and shadow melted before them.
On the eighth day I saw the eternal knights finally reach the walls of Ermor and scatter the dark lords there like so much chaff. Brother Henry was there as the knights closed, and he snatched up a sword from the claw of a fading spectator. But the hilt froze his hands and burnt them black. He fell to the ground still clutching the sword, his face in a hideous grimace. We could not pull the damned thing free, for none could bear the pain of its unholy touch.
On the ninth day Aftial descended from heaven. The field was still as she flew out of the clouds, and on the ground beneath came a new army from the East. Ermor issued forth more dark and terrible servants than any we had yet faced, but the flaming sword of Aftial met them in the air and cast them down. From above the confines of the world her voice -- a trumpet -- shook us to our knees: "Oh death, were is your victory! Men of Marignon, this is the cleansing of Ermor as was foretold. A new dominion is arisen and the shadow fades!" In a swirl of blinding light she swept down and towered over the Archbishop of Marignon.
"Atticus, prophet of dread, is vanquished. I slew it with my own hand, and you have scattered the legions of death. Now there is only one dark stone left to overturn. We must march into the heart of shadow and face Ami, She Who Loves not the Light. Then, when her twisted body is consumed with holy fire, we will march upon the Soulgate, unnatural passage to the world beyond!"
She paused for a thunderous roar of approval, but there was no sound upon the earth. Her eyes flickered over the mob of pale, wounded priests, all that remained of Marignon's grand army.
"Marignon, reform the ranks."
"Most high Aftial, I..." he collapsed. Nine days on his feet had been too much. "We need time to regroup before we try that gate." His eyes gazed into that dark maw and the gate built of skulls. On the other side huge shadows and terrible forms moved and mad mutterings and whispers echoed.
The angel's face twisted with fury. "Coward! I would give you victory over your fathers' thousand-year foe and glory unending!" With deft strikes of her sword she disrobed Marignon and plucked his magic armor free. Then she reached forth her hand and the body of Brother Henry flew to her. She lopped off both his hands and grabbed the Wraith sword as it fell. Now, with a fell blade in each hand, she shimmered against the sky-- darkness and light and no color anywhere. She stalked off into the gate of Hell, flinging the guard there aside with great sweeps of her swords. On and on we watched her wade into the night, a bright and abiding flame in the shadow.
Marignon, from his fetal position on the ground, spoke up, "We must go after her, she must... have aid... have someone... there is so much evil there..." He looked around at the assembled fathers of the church and each avoided his gaze and looked instead the the door to death.
"Father Muzel, will you go?"
"No, my lord."
"Lord Spire, will you go?"
"No, my lord."
"Monsigneur Buternot, will you go?"
"No my lord."
"Brother Estorgan, Brother Gebuin, Msgr. Sarr, Msgr. Virtil, Captain Shenlar, Brother Theag?"
Each shook his head in turn no.
Marignon turned his weary eyes to meet mine, and I saw that the head of the church himself, though the world hung in the balance, would not go.
My voice caught in my throat.
"What, Foen?"
"I will go."
I took only my bow and nine favorite arrows. I passed unchallenged through the gate of skulls and followed her footprints into the gloom. They glowed on the bone dust and the horns and tentacles and clawed wings all around recoiled from the brightness of Heaven's glory.
As I walked that path, falling headlong into nothingness, I saw the faces of my mother and my father beckoning me to join them. I felt the hounds of death grabbing me and as I lay, unable to die, I felt them gnawing at my eyes and chewing on my intestines. I heard the cries of a the damned wailing, wailing, always wailing... I hurried on into the night, a glimpse of flame ahead my only hope.
I came at last to a great bridge over a bottomless chasm, but the bridge vanished into space at the far end. Or, rather, into a hole in the air so black I had to shield my eyes. Aftial strode out onto the bridge, light in one hand and darkness in the other, and before her stood a giant black skull with blood dripping from its empty eye sockets: Ami, the Personification of Death.
The skull spoke, "You are too early. God has appointed the time for this fight, and it is not now. Depart, you have no power here. Go back to the living lands, and return in six months, at the end of the world."
But Aftial laughed with the twinkling of bells, and flowers sprang up at her feet, "I am not here to do God's bidding. I am not bound by the old fool's party tricks," and so saying she put forth her light and the shadow of the skull boiled away, leaving a giant angel of light who carried a sickle of flame: Ami, the Harvester.
The Harvester spoke, "Your doom is nigh. Behold, I am the angel of death. I, too, am a servant of the most high, for what is life without death? Light and dark are two sides of the same coin, allies even. And so, even I, I am holy, and your sacred fire cannot touch me."
Aftial swung her flaming sword, and as it clashed with the sickle it went out, falling down into the bottomless chasm beneath. But with her left hand she swung the Wraith Sword, and it melted through the great sickle and into the arm of the Harvester, who roared in annoyance and vanished, replaced by a dark, beautiful lady with pitch black silk robes and no weapon: Ami, She Who Loves not the Light.
"You have fallen far from the LORD, but you still cannot see. You cannot kill death. I am immortal. I was there at the beginning of time, and my ending is the end of all things. You cannot injure me."
Suddenly I saw Aftial sitting on the gates of Heaven, with storm clouds her garb and the world her crown, and I cried out in a loud voice, "I am yours Aftial! I worship thee!"
From the empty chasm under the bridge I heard the same cry, "I am yours Aftial! I worship thee!" and up floated great monsters the size of mountains, a thousand thousand eyes and claws in a shifting mass, and they turned to face the angel and bowed down, repeating their cry.
Aftial turned to Ami. "Here, where I am worshiped, I shall be God, and death shall die." Shadow plunged into shadow and darkness swirled over the bridge. When it cleared, only one paragon stood facing the void, but the voice of Ami floated over the world.
"Poor fool. For so it is written that by killing me your body and soul now hold the gate open, and you cannot close it."
Then she was gone, no more than a whisper of dream on a bright sunny morn. But Aftial, with a smile on her lip muttered, half to herself, "Why does everyone assume I want to close the Soul-gate?" She turned to the void creatures and I, and perhaps the whole world, for her voice echoed from every dell and hill in the kingdom, "Behold, I am become Afti-el, the shining one, and I shall make all things new."
And from every dark place in the unholy sepulcher, and from my mouth too came the cry in response.
"Afti-el, Afti-el Labach'shanic eloi Afti-el, Afti-el Labach'shanic tani"
Then the floodgates of night collapses, and I was plunged into darkness.
Muszinger
999 A.P.P.M. Father Muszinger,
By now you have surely heard that Afti-el has destroyed the armies of death and Ami herself. Sadly, in the battle, The Archbishops of Marignon and Spire proved unable to carry out their duties satisfactorily. Because of this, on Afti-el's orders, I hereby relinquish control of the Inquisition back to you.
Afti-el further orders you to seal the border against the creeping heresy of C'tis and Man and prepare plans for Case Chartreuse, the invasion of the lizard kingdom. Case Chartreuse will be a difficult war. We share borders with the lizards on both the north and the south, and ever since the Treaty of Lapintha we have had peaceful and undefended borders. Afti-el will lead here in the north, and you are responsible for the south. Attempt to keep Man out of the fray as long as possible (word that they will be embroiled in conflict with Pangaea is welcome). We have only six short months to bring the word of Afti-el to as many as we can, by fire and faith and sword!
Her servant, the Archbishop of Avoca
Father Muszinger,
Imictan has fallen, and we will soon be through the walls of the fort at Iron Range. The Vans have learned our trick of using fires from the sky, and have also shot assassin's arrows at us, but so far our losses from such things have been minimal. Still, the situation is not abundantly pleasant. I trust we are done with this war once the fort here falls?
The Archbishop of Wic
Muszigner sat back to gather his thoughts. Both letters were good news on the face of it, but with worrisome undertones. He wished now that he had not insulted Esclave at their last meeting. The boy would no longer answer his letters, but it looked as if he may have been right about Aftial's true name. What was in those prophecies about Afti-el that he had uncovered?
And Wic... a single arrow from the sky could rob Muszinger of his most valuable advisor and warrior, just when he would be needed most against the lizards. Iron Range would be a valuable outpost for fighting them, no doubt, but is it worth the risk? More worrisome, the rumors about young virgins disappearing in the Forest of Wic grew louder every week. But Muszinger could hardly accuse Wic of having a hand in this via letter.
Muszinger read both missives again, and then descended the stairs of the church to the lowest office in the old broken tower where Polgrave had secluded himself. The man was clearly unwell, but it wasn't at all clear what the matter was. Muszinger knocked on the door. Hearing no answer (and being the head of the Inquisition) he entered. Polgrave lay naked upon the table surrounded by well-burnt down candles. On his chest pulsed the ugly purple lines... a five-sided star inside a circle.
"What have you done!"
Polgrave woke with a start, and for a moment, his eyes were nothing more than the whites as the looked at Muszinger, and his tongue seemed forked. Then he was human again, and groveling on the cold stone floor. "Forgive me, forgive me Father, for I have sinned. I have... I am dying, Father."
"The righteous need not fear death old friend. But what have you done?"
"I... I feel death inside me. It is gnawing away at me, taking everything, everything. I thought, I thought, I found this spell in one of these old lizard books."
Muszinger crossed swiftly to the open book. The text was all in lizard-scrawl, but the title of the spell was translated by a shaky hand, Twiceborn. "What does this do?"
"I don't know. I just... I was so close to death. I thought I should try it, it sounded promising. Father, I know it was wrong, I am sorry, forgive me." He clawed at the purple marks, but it soon became clear they were not on his skin, but inside it.
"Polgrave, the LORD forgives all those who come to him. You have used forbidden death magic only out of fear, and not out of a craving for power. Your soul may still be saved, but you must dress now and follow me to church where we shall pray to Aftial... Afti-el for your life."
Muszinger left the room, and though one of Polgrave's eyes still trembled in fear, a cunning smile stole over the other one, and a smile tugged on one side of the frail man's face.
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Pangaea
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Pythium
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T'ien Ch'i
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Ulm
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Vanheim
In which Vethru's tomb-robbing is spoiled by bad news, and Pherios feels the rope.
Vethru
As far as I can tell, the library in Trisia is over nine thousand years old. Not quite as old as me, but still. There's not a chip missing from any of its stonework. There's something preserving it, and that's why I'm here.
It's always the little things that trip you up. I didn't bother conquering Trisia until recently, because there didn't seem to be any civilization here to conquer. Just barbarians. You'd think that as old as I was, I would remember that civilizations rise and fall over the timespans I'm looking at. Oh, well. All's well that ends well.
I'm standing in front of a magnificent stone sarcophagus. It's the final resting place of the wanderer that passed through Imictan many years ago. I now know that his name was Amuttet Furcaisol. He knew a fragment of the code I seek. Elements of it are inscribed throughout the library. It's clear his piece deals with solidity and density. The angel that knew him, or learned from him, turned itself into an animate stone guardian and watched over its code fragment in Birman Highs. Then I came along and removed the "animate" part. When Furcaisol visited Imictan, he changed old Graknor from a shadow of emptiness into solid existential sludge. Here, in Trisia, he preserved his library against time.
And I'm one step closer to his secrets.
"Be extremely careful with the positioning of the wedges," I say. "You'll never chip this stone. Find the seams. That's the only way we'll get the cover off."
They work at it halfheartedly. I ask them what's wrong.
"Lord, what if there's a curse?"
I can't imagine what is in their culture to make them worry about a nine thousand year-old curse instead of the immediate threat that I'll cause them to shrivel into tiny people-raisins. But I'm too excited to slaughter them. Besides, I don't want to lift the cover by myself.
I'm trying to reassure them when Hallixene rushes in. I left him in Vanheim, and he looks like he spent the night on a horse. Not good.
"My lord, terrible news!" he pants. "Marignon has invaded! Imictan has fallen!"
Crap. Well, on one hand, I didn't expect the treaty to last this long. On the other, why the heck aren't they busy conquering Ermor?
"A company of knights," says Hallixene. "They were supported by crossbows and pikemen. The Archbishop of Wic was there! And the Green Knight!"
Double crap. They're serious.
"Belletennares is maneuvering the army. He would not wait for your orders. Also, sire, I have a message." He hands it over.
At least Belletennares was home. Vanheim's forces are almost as mobile as hovertanks, and Belletennares knows how to use them. The roads were probably clogged with units criss-crossing the realm by now. There's something to be said for competent underlings.
The message comes from my secret police. It can't be good news. I look at my sarcophagus and wonder why the message couldn't have come an hour later. Would it hurt to put off reading it until I open the coffin? The workers are looking around nervously. They all heard Hallixene; most of them are probably thinking we're going to rush home without bothering opening the thing.
It started out as such a good day, too. I break the seal and read: "Pherios captured. Told family he escaped. Worry he actually will. Orders?"
It's good advice to treat every problem as an opportunity, but sometimes your opportunities are also big problems.
Well, it could be worse. I was looking for him. Keeping his family off my back is going to be a big problem, but a least he's under control now.
And then "cogito" met "ergo" wandering through my brain, and together they made "sum".
Just before I left for Trisia, I talked to my lizard seer Akkulu one last time. He was going through an obsessive-compulsive phase. All his bones were neatly lined up on the table, arranged carefully by size and shape.
"Hey, boss," asked Ji. "Are you sure the locks work? 'Cuz he's got more bones here than yesterday."
Ji didn't notice that I wasn't limping anymore. I'd finally replaced the foot that was damaged in my fight with Graknor. I found a good use for the old one. As anyone who does magic with body parts knows, if you want the best soup, you've got to get the vegetables out of your own garden.
"What do you see, Akkulu? Will I find what I'm looking for?"
He's not a model of clarity in the best of circumstances, but usually I can understand something. I thought I did.
"Rising sun," he said, after rearranging his bones into a different pattern. "Coming soon!"
Marignon, right? Not exactly. He didn't mean who, or when, but where. From the east. Not the north.
The rest, at the time, I didn't understand.
"Oopsie! Tide's coming in! No time!"
"Something's going to go wrong?" I said. "I won't find it?"
"Just pluck it," he said. "It's on the tree. Be there when you need it. Like the other one."
It made no sense then, but now I see it.
Well. The easy part is done. Endgame is starting. Time to promote a pawn.
I look back at the sarcophagus. One morning, that's all I wanted. One morning to pop open the grave and plunder the body. Was that so much to ask? Apparently so. I sigh.
"Get that back to Vanheim," I tell the workers. "If it doesn't arrive three days after I do, I'm going to feed you to the trolls." Tolls won't eat humans--some kind of religious prohibition--and by next month, they might have a contract somewhere else anyway, but the workers jump to their pulleys and ropes and levers with a will.
I head back home. Time to get my hands dirty.
Pherios
So close. I almost made it.
After talking with my parents, I made my way into the castle without being seen. First I went up to my old turret, thinking I would recover my old notes, but when I opened the door, I found there was nothing there I wanted. That part of my life was over; I would never return to it. I left without even disturbing the dust.
I eluded the guards near Vethru's office. I broke the lock and went in. Before lighting a candle, I checked the sightlines from the windows. "Damn it," I swore aloud, almost setting fire to the papers I examined. No one heard. The dispatches showed increasing concern about Marignon's army in the north. Once Ermor was conquered, they were expected to turn south. Interesting, but not what I came for.
Deep in Vethru's desk, I found it. Files full of papers I couldn't read. An engraved wooden rod. A few cryptic books. I grabbed them all and immediately left. Better not to make a longer search and risk capture.
And I would have escaped had I not chosen a route past the Valkyries' practice yard. An out-of-place spot of white caught my eye as I passed. I walked over to a statue that was apparently being used as a practice target. It hadn't been there when I left. It was a stone angel with a sword, chipped and pitted by the impact of thousands of spears and javelins.
At its base was the body of a large, white bird. I knelt. It was a snowy egret. Her body was cold. She'd been impaled, possibly by a sword. Then I heard the sound of clawing and pecking at stone, and I knew.
"You killed her," I said, standing. "You killed my Galameteia, and you're still in there." I didn't know how, or why, but I knew something was alive and aware in the statue. It quivered as I backed away from it. Good. When I was about thirty feet away, I called down the lightning.
I don't know what I wanted or expected to happen. I never thought this day would come. As I watched the statue crumble, bolt by bolt, I imagined that I could absorb the knowledge of what happened to Galameteia. That I could see how it killed her. That I could somehow make up for her death and everything done to her afterward. The bolts struck, one after the other, the thunder sounded, and I thought, as I pictured her fighting it, that I heard her call my name as she died.
I didn't notice the soldiers. They captured me as I stared at the rubble, and they brought me to this windowless cell. My jailers weren't Vans or huskarls, or even einhere. The were skinshifters, loyal only to Vethru. They didn't speak to me. They left me in the dark.
I sat in darkness for what seemed like a long time, but was probably only two or three days. I thought that at any moment, the door would burst open, and my father, or Belletennares, or Petema would save me. I trusted that my family would come for me.
They didn't arrive in time.
When my cell door opened, it was the skinshifters. They bound my hands behind my back and dragged me up the stairs, out into the courtyard of the ancient, crumbling keep they called home. It was night, but the half moon seemed bright to me, accustomed as I was to total darkness. I struggled to focus my eyes after not using them for days.
I saw a wooden stage. No, it was taller than me, too tall for a stage. A high platform, with a framework on it. Its moon-cast shadow fell before me. There were two upright beams, and an unfinished crosspiece--a thick tree branch, ovate leaves still clinging to one end. What was that hanging from it?
I blinked, and it all became clear.
A rope.
Oh, no.
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