Read Rise of the Spider Goddess Online
Authors: Jim Hines
Rise of the Spider Goddess (24 page)
As the magical attacks flew toward their targets, their paths were warped. The priests' spells curved around to avoid the prisoners, slamming into Nakor's upstretched hands.
Nakor stood without moving, illuminated by the brilliant light of the attack. Redoubling their efforts, the priests sent more spells forth, only to have them redirected as the first had been.
I don't know exactly what's going on here, but it's a Rule that every fantasy protagonist has to have a Moment of Badass. Regardless of whether or not it makes any sense whatsoever.
Still, Nakor was unharmed. “I said no more,” he whispered. His voice was drowned out by the howl of the magic around him. A priest collapsed unconscious. He had been unable to sustain the spell he had cast.
Soon, others followed. A few minutes later, the remaining priests ceased their attack.
Nakor lowered his hands and looked around. Only seven priests still stood, Lawrence included. Behind them, hundreds of others watched in silence.
“Olara is dead,” Nakor pronounced.
A spear flew through the air, hurled by one of the onlookers. Nakor gestured, and it slammed into the ground at his feet.
“Stop that! Weren't you paying attention to my Moment of Badass?”
“It is over,” he said, carefully emphasizing every word. Then he looked back at the huddled group of people behind him.
“We're leaving.”
Fearfully, the crowd parted before him as he led the others out of the circle. Seeing him leave, a few of the priests sent their magic at the group. But the spells were diverted harmlessly into nearby trees or into the ground.
As they walked, Jenn glanced behind. The crowd was beginning to disperse. Families walked back to their tents and huts in silence, and began packing their belongings. The few remaining priests were tending to their unconscious companions. Moments later, she watched as the first tent collapsed in on itself. Soon, tents were falling all around, as people readied themselves to return home.
It's not so much a deus ex machina ending (look it up) as it is a deus ex WTF?
Satisfaction spread through her, and Jenn smiled. Then she turned and followed her friends away from what was once the city of Olara, the Spider Goddess.
Two weeks later, Nakor and Thomas walked together through the forest. Thomas had come to Nakor's home the night before, and they had talked throughout the night. Now, they were journeying back to Thomas's small church.
“Pynne and Whoo returned to their village?” Thomas asked.
Nakor nodded.
“And what of the others?”
With a grin, Nakor told him. “Gavin, the vampire from Olara's temple, caught up with us a few hours after we left. He wanted to stay with Galadrion, and she agreed. They went off on their own two days ago.”
“Jenn went with Lenora and the other prisoners. Lenora was one of the people who lost a child to Olara. She was willing to help raise Jenn. Jenn was more than willing to go try her hand at a normal, peaceful childhood.”
Children are pretty much interchangeable, right?
He smiled. “I think we gave her enough excitement to last for a lifetime.”
“Perhaps,” Thomas said with a smile.
Nakor turned to look at him, a serious expression on his face. “Thomas, what happened back there?”
“What do you mean?”
Nakor frowned. “What happened to me? Was it Olatha-shyre?” He looked puzzled. “Lawrence threw Olara's dagger at me, I should be dead now. Even after that, how was I able to protect us from Olara's priests and their magic?”
It's a nitpick, but I hate comma splices. Two independent clauses? Either make them two sentences, or use a semicolon. Thus ends tonight's punctuation lesson.
Thomas shook his head as they walked. “I don't know, Nakor. I can only assume that after you cast Olatha-shyre, the magic lay dormant until it was needed. From what you say, the spell acted as a conduit.”
“I don't understand.” Nakor stopped now, to face Thomas.
“Averlon spent weeks in the tunnels, working his magic. For the most part, his efforts had nothing to do with the actual scroll you discovered.”
“I retrieved his journal from the temple the day after you returned. It explains that his spell would allow him to transfer his magic forward in time to the user. Olatha-shyre was merely the means for that transfer. The real power came from Averlon's exploration of the greater art of magic.”
“So when I heard Averlon's voice in my head,” Nakor began, “That was really Averlon speaking to me?” A look of comprehension spread over his face. “Averlon slowed down time to let me catch the dagger.”
“I suspect you are correct,” Thomas answered. “Of course, we will probably never know for certain.”
“But what happened after that?” Nakor asked. “I was trying to protect my friends, but I knew it would be futile. I don't have the power for that kind of defense.”
He looked at Thomas, confused. “But it worked.”
Thomas smiled and began walking once more. “You and Averlon were connected for a time. For a brief moment, you shared his knowledge of the greater art. It allowed you to tap into power beyond what you have known before.”
“What is this greater art?”
“You ask a difficult question, Nakor.” Thomas was silent for a moment as they walked. “The greater art was lost thousands of generations before you were born. We have only scraps, pieces, of records that describe its use.”
“As you know, spells are cast through the caster focussing their own energy.”
Are you kidding me? 50,000 words, and
now
I decide to start explaining how magic works in this universe? In the freaking EPILOGUE?
Nakor nodded.
“The greater art allowed one to tap into other sources of power. It allowed the master to transcend the limits of his individual talents and shortcomings. Illusion, elementalism, healing, all schools of magic were one and the same.”
He patted Nakor on the back. “You, my friend, are the first one to cast a spell of the greater art in two thousand years.”
They were reaching the clearing where Thomas's temple had stood. It was gone. Only a bare field of grass remained where an ancient building had once stood.
“What happened?” Nakor exclaimed, turning to look at Thomas.
“It is time for us to move on, Nakor,” he answered. “It is time for me to move on.”
“But how? How could an entire building just vanish? Even your underground library is gone!”
Thomas laughed softly. “Nakor?”
“Yes?”
“You ask too many questions.” Thomas turned and began to walk across the clearing.
“Goodbye, Nakor Morelain,” he called. Then, in mid-step, he vanished.
Nakor stood there for a long while, staring at the point where Thomas had disappeared.
If Thomas is such a mysterious and powerful figure, why didn't
he
take care of the evil goddess?
The clouds to the east were just beginning to reflect the light of the morning sun. With a shrug, Nakor walked to a nearby tree and began to climb. Once he reached a sufficient height, the settled himself onto a wide branch, leaning against the trunk of the tree.
There, he sat and watched the sunrise, a peaceful smile on his face.
And thus our story comes full circle, ending where it began: with cheesy imagery. For those of you who've read the entire thing, all I can say is, I got better!
Jig the Goblin
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The Princess Series
 THE STEPSISTER SCHEME [
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THE MERMAID'S MADNESS [
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RED HOOD'S REVENGE [
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THE SNOW QUEEN'S SHADOW [
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KITEMASTER AND OTHER TALES [
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SISTER OF THE HEDGE AND OTHER STORIES [
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For free short fiction and sample chapters, the author's blog, fan art, and much more, please visitÂ
http://www.jimchines.com
.
Jim C. Hines' first novel was
Goblin Quest
, the humorous tale of a nearsighted goblin runt and his pet fire-spider. Actor and author Wil Wheaton described the book as “too f***ing cool for words,” which is pretty much the Best Blurb Ever. After finishing the goblin trilogy, he went on to write the Princess series of fairy tale retellings, and is currently working on the Magic ex Libris books, a modern-day fantasy series about a magic-wielding librarian, a dryad, a secret society founded by Johannes Gutenberg, a flaming spider, and an enchanted convertible. His short fiction has appeared in more than 50 magazines and anthologies.
Jim is an active blogger about topics ranging from sexism and harassment to zombie-themed Christmas carols, and won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 2012. He has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a Masters in English, and lives with his wife and two children in mid-Michigan. You can find him online at
www.jimchines.com
.
