The Commanding Stone Part 14

"Then you shouldn't have attacked us," said Gerin. "We're not your enemies."

For the first time since her capture, Gerin saw tears in Nyene's eyes. "That fool Loar has ruined everything," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

"I'll tell you this," said Gerin. "Our mission will benefit every nation in Osseria, not just Khedesh. If you truly love Threndellen, then you won't try to thwart us."

"I still do not believe you," she said. The tears were gone, her expression hard. "The truth will come out."

"Yes, it will. And if you are present to witness it, you'll be quite surprised."

The One G.o.d's messenger was staring at the sunset and the pink-splashed sky surrounding it. "It is beautiful, is it not?"

"Yes, very," said Gerin.

"That will change if the Adversary achieves his goals."

"That's why we're going to the Watchtowers. So we can find the Words of Making." A sudden thought occurred to Gerin. "Wait! Do you know where they are?"

"I do not. There are many things hidden from me, and many others I am forbidden to speak of."

Gerin's excitement drained away. He doubted now that Zaephos would prove to be much help at all.

"I have another question for you." Gerin described the attack by the Vanil that killed his father. "We know little about them. How could one appear now, after so many thousands of years? And why did it kneel to me?"

Zaephos scowled, and that alone sent a shiver down Gerin's back. He'd never seen the messenger show displeasure before.

"Many of the Vanil were servants of the Adversary," he said. "They warred violently with one another, until those who followed the Adversary were victorious. The defeated Vanil left this world through doors now long shut. The victors worked to help their master enter the world, but when they realized that he would not emerge for tens of thousands of years, many of them followed their brethren and left this world for others.

"But a few remained behind, unwilling to forsake their goals. They fashioned barrows where they could sleep until the Adversary finally arose."

"So that's what awoke it?" asked Gerin. "The Adversary achieving physical form in this world?"

"Perhaps. But I also said your sword's creation helped the Adversary. It may be that the Vanil who appeared to you was drawn by the power of your sword and believed that you, too, were a servant of its master. Or it may have wished to acknowledge you for awakening it."

Gerin felt light-headed. "So I'm the one who awoke it?"

"I cannot say for sure, but I think it likely."

He turned away from Zaephos, his chest tight. Hollin and Abaru had proposed this very idea to him, but he had not been convinced by their argument, and the interruption of the akesh drove it from his thoughts.

But now Zaephos confirmed that his sword had drawn the Vanil.

He felt cursed, that every choice he made was doomed to turn against him. First Reshel, now his father. I'm responsible for his death. G.o.ds above, what other tragedies will I inflict upon my family? He wondered if those who believed he called the demon to kill the king were so wrong after all.

"What is it?" asked Elaysen, who saw him walking past. "You don't look well, my lord." Gerin had commanded everyone not to refer to him as "Your Majesty" or make other references to his station because of Nyene. Regardless of her feelings toward her Threndish rulers, he did not want her to know that she traveled with the King of Khedesh.

Gerin opened his mouth but could not speak. How could he make her understand the magnitude of what he had done? It was unimaginable. It was too much; words failed him. He shook his head and walked on, his heart drumming in his chest like something broken, the image of his father's dead body seared into his mind like an accusation.

Gerin was quiet and withdrawn as they crossed the wide plains of central Threndellen, heading north toward the Hollow. Elaysen repeatedly tried to get him to talk about whatever was bothering him, but he refused. Finally, in frustration, she asked Zaephos to tell her what he had said to the king, but the messenger would not say. "If he will not speak of it, neither will I."

The plains gave way to more rugged lands in the north, the steeply sloped hills capped with copses of dark-needled pine. They wound their way through the gullies that twisted through the hills, hemmed in on both sides by walls of exposed rock.

Gerin and Elaysen managed to spend a few evenings together talking, but they did not speak of dalar-aelom. It was too strange to talk about religious practices when a divine being of the G.o.d being worshipped was a few feet away. Zaephos remained steadfast in his refusal to discuss or sanction the practices of dalar-aelom. It left Elaysen feeling frustrated and unsettled, doubting her beliefs.

"Why not a.s.sume since he hasn't criticized any of your father's teachings that they're right?" said Gerin.

"Because he hasn't criticized Aidrel, either!" she snapped. "I'm sorry, my lord. I know it's not your fault. But my father and Aidrel both can't be right. If he's silent about both, what am I supposed to think?"

"You have to remember that he's a different order of being. He's not like us. He may seem human, and his body may be human, but his mind certainly is not. His point of view is vastly different from our own. He is frustrating, I readily admit that. But I don't think it's purposeful on his part. It's simply part of his divine nature."

"You people are mad," said Nyene. "You travel to an empty land for no reason and claim that the servant of a G.o.d walks among you." She pointed at Zaephos. "That is no G.o.d, or creature of a G.o.d. I've spoken to him. He's suffered too many blows to his skull. He speaks nonsense."

"We have a very good reason for going where we are," said Gerin.

"Which you will not tell me."

"I've told you what I can. What would you do if our situations were reversed?"

She laughed. "I would have killed you rather than take you with me, so in that regard I'm glad you are not me. Perhaps you are a fool, but at least it is to my benefit."

"I'll release you when we come within sight of our destination," said Gerin. "I hope you return to your lands and make no attempt to thwart our return."

"What will you do?" asked Elaysen. "Where is your family?"

Nyene's face twisted with anger. "They are not your concern. You will not speak of them again."

The hills ended at a tree-speckled plain that stretched to the southern tip of the Ozul Mountains. "Is that where we're going, my lord?" asked Balandrick, pointing toward the peaks on the far side of the plain.

"Yes," said Gerin. He'd been studying maps the night before and was certain it was the Ozuls across the plain. "We'll be there soon."

When they reached the foothills of the mountains that afternoon, Gerin said, "Nyene, you may go. Keep the horse as a reward for honoring your word."

"I would go with you a bit farther," she said. "I would see where this mad quest of yours is to end. Do you really intend to go into the Hollow?" She gestured toward the flatlands on the western side of the range.

"Yes. Our destination lies within it." He considered her request. "If you still wish to accompany us, I won't forbid it."

"Why do you hide your powers from me?" Nyene asked.

"What do you mean?"

"The two who bind me with spells each night have bleached skin and green eyes. It is a mark of their magic, obviously. You look the same, yet you perform no spells. Why? Who are you that you do not wish to reveal such things to me?"

Before Gerin could reply, a Taeraten outrider galloped toward them from the east. "My lords, an army is coming this way!"

16.

How far off are they?" asked Gerin.

"Not far enough," said the soldier. "Their vanguard is made up of cavalry and is just beyond that low rise. About five hundred hors.e.m.e.n. The rest are well-armed infantry. My lords, we must hurry. We're exposed on this plain."

Gerin glanced around. There was nowhere to hide, and the Ozul Mountains were still several miles away.

"Who are they?" asked Balandrick.

"I did not get a good look, Captain. I was trying to avoid being seen. But I don't think they're Threndish. I believe they might be Havalqa."

"G.o.ds, I thought we wouldn't have to worry about those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds this far west," said Balandrick.

"Who are these Havalqa dogs?" asked Nyene. "I've heard rumors that they've conquered parts of eastern Threndellen-"

"My lords, we need to move now." The soldier's expression was urgent.

They heard a piercing cry from the east. Armored hors.e.m.e.n had crested the rise, spotted them, and now were coming at a full charge.

"Shayphim take me," muttered Balandrick. "Ride!"

The company took off at a gallop. "Is there anything you can do to slow them down?" Balan asked the wizards.

"Not yet," said Hollin. "They'll have to get closer."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," said the captain.

They reached the mouth of the Hollow. The soil was thin, hard, covered with spa.r.s.e pale gra.s.s that barely concealed the rocks and stones beneath. Few trees grew there, and most that did hugged the lower slopes of the mountains.

The Havalqa cavalry entered the Hollow behind them, riding fast and hard.

The pursuit continued for several miles, with the followers unable to close the gap appreciably. Gerin wondered how far it was to the Watchtowers. The maps were maddeningly imprecise, their location varying from one to another by tens of miles. It might be just beyond the next spur of the Ozul, or it might be a score of miles distant.

He sensed a strange emanation of power behind them. Not wizards' magic, but definitely power of some kind. "Hollin, Abaru!"

"Yes, we felt it!" shouted Hollin. "I don't know what it was!"

A tickling between Gerin's shoulder blades made him look up.

Creatures of some kind were flying in the air behind them. Spiderlike limbs protruded from slender bodies, the arms thrust forward, claws grasping, the shorter legs held out straight behind them. Leathery wings propelled the creatures through the air at an incredible pace. They emitted a piercing shriek that made the Khedeshians flinch.

This answered the question of who was following them. It had to be the Havalqa. The Threndish had no means of summoning demonic beings.

Above them, the demons shrieked once more, then folded back their wings and dived for the Khedeshians.

The three wizards frantically fashioned Wardings between themselves and the demons. A second later the foremost creature struck a Warding with enough force to shatter bones, but it did little more than stun the thing. Gerin felt the spell's power waver as the demon thrashed about, trying to claw its way through the invisible barrier.

To his horror, the demon was able to work its way through the Warding, shredding the power with its claws as if the spell were no more substantial than a canvas sail. Once through, it resumed its dive toward their party.

The demons that struck the other wizards' barriers had either gone through or around them. They created another set of Wardings to slow the creatures down, but at this rate the demons would be upon them in minutes.

After his second Warding failed, Gerin fashioned a death spell and managed to strike the creature dead center in its slender chest. The spell hurt it-the thing shrieked again and thrashed in momentary pain-but it did not die.

"G.o.ds above, what can we do to kill these things?" he called out to the other wizards.

Abaru tried to Bind one of the things and succeeded for several seconds. The demon's wings crumpled against its body and it fell from the sky like a stone. But it exerted all of its strength and managed to break the spell. The shock of the breaking caused Abaru to cry out in pain and nearly tumble from his saddle.

Though it had broken the Binding, the demon was too close to the ground to avert a collision. Its wings unfolded to their full width just as it slammed hard into the ground.

Gerin hoped the fall had killed it, but he watched in horror as the demon slowly straightened, flexed its wings, then took to the air once more.

Hollin spoke a Word of Reflection, a powerful convergence of dangerous magic that if not carefully controlled could easily kill them all. It began as a point of golden light in the air above them that rapidly expanded into a translucent disk of energy a hundred feet across. Its edges curled upward to form a shallow bowl. The power then inverted itself, releasing a concussive force of magic directed up at the demons. A funnel of energy the color of burnished bronze erupted through the air and engulfed all but one of the creatures.

The shockwave that hit the ground nearly tumbled them from their saddles and flattened the gra.s.ses around them. Gerin had heard of such spells but had yet to work one, and was startled by its potency. He glanced at Hollin and saw that the wizard was slumped against his horse's neck, barely conscious.

The demons writhed within the vortex of energy, unable to escape it. He saw one of them vanish in a flash of dark light, and his heart leapt with hope.

The power of the Reflection began to fade. Within seconds it was gone. The remaining demons shrieked and renewed their pursuit.

"Do you know how to do what Hollin just did?" Gerin shouted to Abaru. "It's the only thing that's worked so far!"

"Yes! But if I use it I won't be able to do anything else. It's too draining."

"If we can't get rid of them it won't matter. Do it!"

Abaru nodded, then began the incantation.

Gerin drew Nimnahal from its scabbard and pointed the weapon at the closest demon. The d.a.m.ned things were almost upon them. He released a searing stream of unshaped magic through the sword, adding his own power to the magic contained within the blade itself. The magic struck the demon's wing and splashed off it. Gerin swore in frustration. It should have incinerated the whole wing. The force of the magic spun the demon about, causing it to tumble from the sky until it could regain its balance, but otherwise it seemed unharmed.

Abaru's Word of Reflection erupted, catching seven of the demons within its vortex. This time two of them winked out of existence with dark flashes of light before the power of the Reflection faded.

Then the rest of the demons were upon them.

The things swooped down low from behind, slashing at the Khedeshians with their outstretched claws. They terrified the horses; Gerin had to fight hard to keep his mount from throwing him.

One of the demons latched on to a Taeraten and lifted him from his horse. The frantic soldier tried to slash at the demon with his sword, but the thing had him from behind and he had no leverage with his weapon. The demon carried him straight up with several powerful beats of its wings. It shrieked, then ripped the man's arms from his sockets. He fell screaming, blood spurting from the ghastly wounds in his shoulders. He struck the ground with a bone-shattering crash and lay still. The demon flung the severed arms away, then dived toward them again.

"It looks as if your quest is about to end badly," said Nyene.

Gerin had no time to reply. The demons were back for a second pa.s.s. Three more Taeratens had fallen to the creatures. The horses were frantic, barely controllable. He risked a glance behind him and saw that the Havalqa cavalry had closed the gap between them considerably.

One of the demons swooped in behind Elaysen. She saw it coming and threw herself from her horse an instant before its claws would have sunk into her back. The creature raked its claws across the horse's neck, nearly taking off the poor beast's head in a gout of dark blood.

Gerin wheeled about and charged back for her. Balandrick shouted at him, but he did not hear what his captain said, nor would he have listened. He would not leave Elaysen behind.

She sat up in the gra.s.s, cradling her right arm as Gerin reined to a halt beside her and thrust out his left hand. "Quick!"