Demiourgos (48 page)

“I have heard of them before.” Rose said with a nod, pondering the details thoughtfully.

“They are reclusive so it surprises me that you have heard anything of them. It was those vile disease carrying creatures that made a pact with the first of the arcane tyrants. Leonidus was chief among them; the most powerful and yet the most reluctant to agree to the terms, at first. In the end he traded his loyalties to his allies and even his people to gain power enough to make him god-like. When they began using their powers the trickle was slow first but then they started gaining ground, more power than even the nypthian wizards could have dreamed of. Each of them entered an agreement, a blood bond stronger than any other, to gain access to the awesome might the vermin offered.”

“Leonidus was to destroy the capitol city of our people. The others had their own terms and conditions but to my knowledge only a handful of the original bargainers actually succeeded.” He looked down at Rose and for a moment he was silent. “When the attack came we were caught unaware. Leonidus was a trusted friend and ally of our people and we only vaguely knew about the deal the wizards had made with the rats. Leonidus was the last person we expected to betray us.”

“His spells came like a torrent and a flood of pure magic that overwhelmed even the greatest of our trained sorceres.”

“Sorcere?” Rose echoed questioningly.

“It was a title of honor among our people, a badge won by way of blood and tears. Our revered elders from the mage caste all wore it with pride. A full score of them died before the retreat began. My guard and I stayed behind to make sure that we could get most of our people to safety. Some retreated into the earth and yet others left the city for the surface but all fled. Not all escaped.” His voice took on a hate-filled tone as he continued. “My life and the lives of my royal guard secured the escape for many of our people but we eventually fell.”

“So everything he told me is indeed a lie. I had hoped that there was some truth to his words. I am the subject of his disgusting experiments, his attempts to perfect the Spellrage. Everything about changing the face of the world and saving lives and making things right, all of it was just one big lie.” Rose clenched her hands at her sides and tried not to let herself get angry enough to storm out of the room.

“It doesn’t have to be. You have been given the weapon of our enemies only refined and focused to a sharp point. You could indeed reshape the face of Aragoth. The damage done by the avarice of the original sorcerer lords cannot be reversed in totality but the wounds can be closed.” The undead king put his chin into his hand for a moment to think. “So few of the old powers still exist and of them Rahknand is the strongest by far. That being said, he is not the most dangerous.”

“How do you know which of them still lives?” Rose inquired as she digested the information. She found herself wondering how the trapped creature would know anything beyond these walls.

“Those of us from the ancient times can feel when another titan dies. You will feel it as well Rose and over time you will grow in strength. You may possibly even to rival the sorcerer lords themselves. However I must implore you never to lose yourself. Never become one of them. You are the last I know of that will be able to pass on the royal blood. You and your brother are the only two relatives I have left as far as I know.” If it were possible for an undead creature to sound reverent he was. “I prized my family and friends above all else and you look so much like my queen that it is almost frightening.”

“Thank you grandfather.” Rose smiled as best as she could. “I fear I must cut our visit short. My mission is of the utmost importance.”

As the tired-sounding creature leaned back against his throne his voice began to fade. “I hope you will come visit me from time to time as you promised, my granddaughter.”

~~~~

“I don’t like it.” Liostro said to everyone and no one in particular as they walked through the stone corridors toward the hidden mountain exit. His sword still stood in hand even though they had been guaranteed safe passage through the seemingly empty underground city. “Dealing with undead creatures goes against everything I stand for.”

“Really? I was under the impression you had just taken up that mantle.” Rose jabbed at him while attempting to grin. She hadn’t been very enthusiastic about the creature’s request either but she felt the extra help would do the elves some good. In hindsight the bargain was a little one-sided but the ability to command the scores of undead creatures left in the halls would help her cause.

Avreel was trying to walk casually but any observer could tell she was on edge. Her swinging gait was replaced with a stiff-legged walk. She was sweating profusely and her hand was almost glued to the handle of her flanged mace. “Do you think he’ll follow through on his end of the bargain?”

“He doesn’t have a choice; the ritual we used is blood-bonded. It wouldn’t have worked if he had not been of my lineage.” Rose turned to Avreel and put a hand on the nervous elf’s slender shoulder. “Be at ease, the creatures that roam the halls are all headed to one place and they are all under my command.”

“I still don’t like undead,” Avreel said with an almost apologetic shrug. “Much less bargaining with them.”

The long walk through the echoing hallway became almost unbearable with the encroaching silence and dark passageways on either side of them. Rose in particular was nervous after her last adventure underground and a big part of her wondered why she had agreed to oversee the underground city when she was quickly developing a phobia of enclosed spaces. Whether unsurprisingly or surprisingly the journey through the hall happened with no incidents and the doorway they sought stood before them. Placing her hand on the stone she tested it with one hand and found it solid and unmoving. Dipping into the stolen knowledge she was still sorting through from Leonidus she found the pass phrase to open the door. “Schala fak’neen et Nalfys.”

When the door swung open she breathed a sigh of relief. The sands had not completely taken it and only a small mound of the intrusive stuff spilled onto the sand-free stone at their feet. Outside they could see the remains of the battle in the distance through the dunes shifting in the wind. “The wind seems to be picking up.”

“There’s a storm coming.” Liostro said after a moment of smelling the air and watching the horizon. He turned to Rose and met her eyes. “We can try and brave the wind if you wish it but I doubt we will get far before we are forced to stop and find shelter.”

“Nina grows farther away each second we delay.” She paused for a moment and put her hand across her eyes. It was clear she was attempting not to get any more upset than she was. Once she had composed herself she leaned against the door, staring out at the endless red sea of dust. “We’re no good to her lost, dead or worse. How long do you think it will last?”

“Honestly it’s almost impossible to tell.” Liostro stuck his head out of the door and had another look around.

After closing the door Rose leaned against the wall and sat down hard upon the cold unforgiving stone. She was exhausted beyond all measure and now that she had no choice but to rest she could not even fathom standing. Using her pack as a pillow she lay down on the hard floor and sighed. “Do you think his story was true?”

“Neither of us trusts undead creatures so I doubt we’re the right ones to ask.” Liostro said with a shrug, to which Avreel agreed with a grunt. “In all honesty he could be pulling your chain as much as Leonidus did. That being said, he did sound sincere.”

“There’s that at least.” Rose agreed before shutting her eyes. Not long after she had she felt Liostro settle down next to her and drape his arm across her side from behind. The smile that she found was one of the few genuine smiles she had worn in a long time. She lay there wondering what was next and pondering the implications of her newfound false destiny. Reverie did not come easy with the sound of the wind and sand swirling outside the stone portal.

~~~~

Rose felt her consciousness lift and float away from her body as usual but when she opened her eyes she found herself a little more lucid than normal. It was all she could do to not blink in surprise when she found a smiling Leonidus sitting in front of her calmly with his legs crossed before him. She felt real anger; she had killed him and almost killed herself in the process of thwarting his allies’ efforts to destroy the elves and their homeland. Her first instinct was to attack him but something stayed her hand. “How are you here?”

“Long ago I set contingencies in order to prevent my demise permanently. Unfortunately for me the spells I used were rather unstable.” He crossed his arms over his chest in a gesture of peace and bowed his head. “I did not come to harm or hinder you Rose; I came to help you.”

“So many things could be said right now. Why are you helping me, why should I trust you, more importantly why did you betray your own blood and those who trusted you in the first place. However I am not going to ask those questions. Help me right the wrongs you have put into motion here and regain some of your lost honor.” Rose was near to pleading with him. She knew that she could not finish off a creature as powerful as the sorcerer lord Rahknand. A wellspring of emotion hit her then and she fought against the tears unsuccessfully. “You who were branded the betrayer can at least make a difference in restoring some semblance of order to this world.”

“The first thing I will tell you is that not all of my prophecies were false.” Leonidus stretched out languidly against a nearby wall and sighed. “I destroyed this city and its people because I feared what they would become if they were left unchecked. Every naarabian worth his salt could use some form of magic and the more talented the wielder the more powerful the magic. In the case of your people there were many who could cast as you do and some who were even more powerful than that.”

“I did what I did thinking I was saving the world. When the Nypthian Empire approached us and offered us the ability to channel the might of the source like dragons do we were eager to learn. Your brother Xyroxyss was our mentor and teacher. When he learned of our dark dabbling he warned us against it and tried to make us forsake it but by that time the power had taken hold of our minds.” Leonidus clasped his fingers on the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. “I was young and stupid. When the visions first came I thought they were just bad memories. I had flashes of my people being enslaved and worse. At first I thought it was your people and as such I used my gifts to exterminate as many of them as I could.”

“Now that I have moved on so-to-speak I realize that I made a grave error. The nypthians betrayed us all. It was them I saw not your people.” Leonidus frowned a little and sat straight again looking Rose in the eyes. “I was following the orders of Rahknand the whole time; he had a great hold upon me of which I will not speak. He has ascended further than any of us could have imagined, and while you are powerful I doubt you could match his fury spell-for-spell.”

“So what can I do? He must not go unchecked.” Rose prepared herself for the inevitable, by her reasoning there was a good chance she would not be returning from this endeavor.

“There are things I can teach you, things about the power you possess and the powers you have absorbed over time. Every time you assumed the essence of one of the ancients you gained a measure of their abilities.” Leonidus held out his hands and held them steady, waiting for her to clasp them. “Take my hands and I will teach you what you need to know.”

For Rose the night had been long and arduous. Though her body was rested her mind swelled with new information and the endless but inevitable possibilities. Leonidus had taught her so much that she feared she would not remember it all. Once they had all awakened and started on their way she fought the dilemma of telling them the truth about her encounter or not. As much as she hated her former master for betraying them all she felt he was being truthful and what he had given her would prove to be invaluable. Even with the rest her body was protesting, she felt hungry but ill at the same time and her feet and legs ached with every step but for Nina she pushed onward.

“You seem preoccupied.” Liostro said to her as they trudged through the endless reddish dunes.

“I have a lot on my mind.” Rose replied cryptically. She had not come to a decision about telling them yet, it was too soon. As she walked her eyes closed and she reached out to Nina using her blood and magic. She could feel the young elf over the vast distance. Using what Leonidus had taught her she pushed a little bit of magic into the connection. As she opened her eyes Rose felt the link establish itself. Rose could see an image of what Nina could see superimposed over her own view of the world. It was disorienting enough that she stumbled. Nina was locked away in a dark cage made of metal and stone. Even though it was bright outside she couldn’t see anything. Talisbane lay nearby on Nina’s lap resting but still alert.

“Rose?” Liostro quickly rushed to help her, holding her up by one arm. “Are you sure you’re well to travel?”

“I’m fine I just got a little dizzy.” Rose waved him away and continued walking and used her mental link to attempt to converse with Nina. At first she could not hear anything; slowly the noises around the small elf came into being. There was a low droning that caught her attention along with a sifting noise not unlike sand being shuffled around but in large quantities. It was muffled but she could also hear voices not far from the prisoner. “Nina can you hear me?”

“Rose? Thank the watcher I’m glad to hear your voice!”

A sliver of emotion slipped through the connection and Rose could feel her fear mixed with a slight burst of relief. Rose attempted to calm her via the tentative link. “We’re coming for you Nina, don’t worry.”

“Please hurry. I heard the men say that we’re only a week’s travel to the city and they said they’re going to give me to that shriveled up old relic Rahknand!”

“That’s impossible! They only left yesterday.” Rose was visibly shaken, she knew at that rate they would never catch up to Nina. Her mind was racing trying to devise a way to speed their travel. “I’ll find a way Nina. The link is draining I cannot sustain it for long.”

“Hurry Rose, I’m scared.”

“I won’t leave you to him.” Rose replied as she dropped the link and gritted her teeth to keep from crying. Her mind began crawling through the information she had been force fed the night before. Using the power of the death eater she could morph her body into another form; a flying creature perhaps, but that wouldn’t help Avreel and Liostro. “Nina’s captors have speed on us; I think they’re using some sort of craft or animal to travel the sands.”

“How do you know?” Liostro inquired with an arched eyebrow.

“I can speak to her through our bond.” Rose hid her eyes from his knowing gaze using the hood of her desert traveling clothes. She did not want to answer questions just yet. “I can speed myself along but I don’t know how I would do the same with the two of you. I’m open to suggestions.”

“I am a foreigner to this terrain; I have only seen it in dreams and visions. I find the sand cumbersome and itchy; it will play hell on my hooves.” Avreel replied sounding the part of a spoiled noble for the moment. “In the endless dark we would use varraks or golantha wyvrens.”

Avreel could see she had lost them so with a sigh she explained. “Varraks are gigantic lizard-like creatures that can walk on walls. They are irritable though. They’ve been known to rip limbs off of their riders if provoked. Golantha wyvrens are dragon-like creatures with two legs and wings. They’ll carry riders if educated properly but they too are rather petulant and expensive to train.”

“Without access to horses or camels or something of the like I have no suggestions. The nearest place we could get a dune sifter fast enough to catch them is days away. If the need is dire enough go ahead and we’ll catch up.” Liostro paused for a moment and looked at Rose. When she wouldn’t meet his eyes he hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. “Be careful.”

“I love you.” She said quietly, as if a large audience was watching them. In her heart she knew that there wasn’t much chance of walking away from this confrontation. It was heart wrenching and she wondered if Liostro knew the truth of it. Before she could turn away Liostro embraced her tight and forced his lips against hers. Resistance was futile even when Avreel made a gagging noise behind them.

Once they parted she smiled and clasped hands with the fiery tempered elf. When she was pulled into a rather startling hug she returned it whole heartedly. “I have to go before I start crying.”

Rose turned away from them and spread her arms wide. On the ship while she was fighting Liostro she had used the power on instinct to morph her body around and intercept his blow. Now that she knew how to control it she imagined herself as a Farrak-Nar, it was a bird she had seen firsthand in the forest of the elves. The sensation was pleasant and felt liberating to an extent. Before she knew it she was standing about waist-high to Liostro with golden feathers, a long curved beak, four wings and eyes, and a fanned-out tail. So as not to get sand in her feathers she took off quickly but awkwardly and hovered there for a moment before departing.

With her heart heavy she headed in Nina’s direction as quickly as her wings could carry her. She learned quickly that the bird apparently could sustain flight without much flapping using air currents and up drafts. Once she was airborne it took significantly less energy to fly. The hot sun did not feel so bad on her back and the strong winds were a little cooler up this high so the contrast was quite agreeable. Her eyes were keener in this form and in the distance she could see a plume of sand stretching skyward and since it was in the direction she was heading she knew it had to be Nina’s captors.

Endless sand in every direction met her and caused the day to drag onward. All the while minutes bled into hours and the hours eventually turned into night. Since she was alone it would be dangerous to stop and rest so she used a bit of magic and the extraordinary bird’s odd body shape to continue on while catching short naps between air currents.

~~~~

Not far from the outskirts of the city Rose had landed and morphed back into her original form, it would not do to fly over the city’s wall after Nina’s captors. In her desert clothing she walked slowly toward the only gate into the city of Rahkshas. On the southern side of the city she could see the Ironback Mountains stretching out in two directions, southeast and southwest. The city itself had been built at the base of old ironjaw where the biggest concentration of ore had been found. That was how the sorcerer lord had made his money. Near to the entrance to the mine was the old sorcerer’s palace. It consisted of a multi-leveled ziggurat with a palatial home situated on the top of it; just the sight of it was daunting. Rose had lived her entire life within the boundaries of this city but she had never seen it firsthand. She doubted her reading habits had prepared her for what was going to happen inside but she had to rescue Nina so she swallowed her trepidation and increased the pace of her stride.

Once she reached the walls she noted that the base of it seemed to be rooted in stone as well. It had most likely the work of the sorcerer lord or his apprentices. Rose thought back to the strange sorcerer that seemed to have control over the earth itself and smiled, his abilities might come in handy after all. Once she was within shouting distance of the gate she heard a guard above call down to the guards below behind the door. Rose was too busy looking up at the wall; it had to be at least twenty feet or more high.

“State your business.” The guard at the top of the wall called out to her.

Knowing just a little about the city would at least help; she found it odd that the heavy gate was closed during the day. At night it was too dangerous to open and she had heard tales of travelers dying just outside the walls because the guards would not open the doors for fear of the creatures prowling the evening sands. “It was my understanding that the doors of Rahkshas only closed at night.”

“The norm would stand true if not for the coming celebration, state your business or turn away. Failure to do so will visit harm upon your person.” The guard replied almost off-handedly, sounding uninterested. “Now if you please your business?”

“I have business with Pasha Mara’shanalar, a private transaction.” Rose lied perfectly by using the name of her former master as a ploy. She hoped it would work; it would be difficult to sneak into the city while the guards roamed the walls.

For a few minutes everything was silent then slowly one of the large doors opened and revealed a quad of guards standing at attention. The leader motioned for her to step forward with one hand and moved aside when she entered the city. “I am Captain Northmund; we shall escort you to your destination, your name?”

“Trader Nalfys.” Rose half-lied as the guard inspected her person and belongings from a safe distance.

The lead guard arched an eyebrow and motioned toward her with his chin. “Throw back your hood if you would Seraf Nalfys.”

Rose did as he asked and several of the other people in attendance, mostly guards and a few outgoing travelers, all stopped to give her at least a glance. “May we proceed Captain? I have business to attend to before the day is out.”

Once they were on the way Rose put her hood back up to avoid the stares of the people around her. She was frightened. It had not been her intention to return to the pasha’s estate. She knew that it would be easy enough to slip past the guards if she needed to escape but being one naarabian in a city of mostly humans and a smattering of other races she would stick out like a sore thumb.

She let herself be pulled out of the stupor and take in the sights of the city around her. The buildings were almost all made of the same substances. Most of them looked to be sunbaked mud brick and stone. From the look of it limestone and sandstone were predominant. The primary construction method of the city’s better standing buildings seemed to be a post and lintel style. It was just like the books had said, though they had lacked in mentioning the squalor of the lower ward.

All around her people bustled here and there going about their business, many of them smelled of more than just desert and sweat and her nose was protesting even as she thought about it. At one point a group of children with distended bellies and hungry eyes stepped out of a nearby alleyway to pester the guards and their charge. The guardsmen quickly ran them off but Rose couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow as she spotted a halfling swiping one guard’s purse and disappearing back into the crowd of like-sized humans.

She applauded the diminutive humanoid for his interesting, and effective tactic as they moved on. Here and there people were hawking wares from stalls to the all passersby and everything from food to goods to slaves and other exotic trade could be had. At every turn a new sight or smell greeted her. If she weren’t so nervous she would have enjoyed finally seeing the city she had been tethered to for so long. Once they were out of the lower ward they climbed a long stair upward toward the second tier of the city which was positioned at the top of a large rock plateau. When they crested the top of the walled district she could see it was sectioned off in two areas. One of which looked like a high profile residential district and another that was primarily higher class shops and a large open-air marketplace that was bustling with activity.

She did not have to speculate as to their destination, the guards led her toward the high profile part of the city past buildings made of brick and stone and decorated with carvings, statues and other paraphernalia.  Each one seemed grander than the next as they approached the edge of the district and the beginning of the palace grounds. A large white multi-tiered structure loomed before her and the guards at the gate wore a familiar mark upon familiar armor adorned with hardened leather plates. The gate guards bowed as the city watch passed into the courtyard of the large home and beyond through the large metal-and-stone door that would take her right back into the one place she had never wanted to return to.

Once they were inside of the building she turned to the Captain and smiled sweetly. “I can manage from here Captain, thank you for the escort.”

“The escort was not for your benefit Seraf Nalfys; we must verify your business and the business of every other traveler before allowing them to go on their own way.” He replied sternly while taking pains not to look at her.

Her mind began working through the possibilities of escape. She also needed information on the group of people that had entered the city a mere couple of hours before she had been admitted. “I saw an odd group of travelers entering the city a while before I arrived, were they escorted too?”

“I’m sorry I am not permitted to divulge any information on the business of other travelers.” He replied tersely.