Secrets of the Stonechaser (The Law of Eight Book 1) (10 page)

She took her eyes from Nerris and addressed the worrying crowd. “I am Queen Qabala Aeterna,” she told them. “I am the answer to prayers which have gone unheard for almost thirty years. The New Gods are fled or dead, but there is one coming. One who will take us in his embrace, one who will envelop the world, smite the wicked, and spare the faithful. Eversor will come, and I stand here as his herald!”

She wasn’t sure how she knew this, but then realized it was the godstone. It had made sure she knew exactly what to say. The men in the room broke into a cheer, but Nerris backed away, looking pale and sick. She met his eyes again. What was he so upset about? She spoke the truth, and truth was the source of all healing.

“What shall we do with him?” Falares stepped forward and pointed to Chalis.

“The blood of the wicked will serve to send a message to all who oppose Eversor,” Meznas said. “My Eternal, give him to me, I beg you.”

“No,” Qabala said. “Though he could not hurt me, he who would lay a hand upon the Aeterna forfeits his life. But it is the task of a Dume to carry out the law.” She looked at Nerris. “Nerris Palada, I would name you Dume-General. Do what must be done.”

Nerris looked up at her. “Qabala, he is barely a boy. If you would truly wish to make a new world, then make it a merciful one.”

Qabala’s eyes flashed. She did not know Nerris held such attachment to this soldier. Why would he defend a man who had been willing to kill his beloved? She accorded him a great honor. He owed her more than insolence. “This is an order from your Aeterna,” she said. “Do it now.”

Several guards came forward and took Chalis from Rade’s grasp. They forced him forward on his knees, giving Nerris the perfect position to strike off this traitor’s head. Nerris rounded on her. “If you bear the love you say you do for me, for your country, for humanity, do not ask this. I will not condemn a man to death without even a trial.”

“What need is there for a trial?” Qabala asked. “Every man here witnessed his attempt on my life. But as you wish.” She scanned the room. She could not ask Rade; he held attachment for this man as well. Lukas looked as if he might bolt from the room at any moment. Finally, her gaze fell on Falares. “Falares, come forward.”

The big man’s eyes lit up and he went to a knee before Qabala. “My Eternal?”

“I would raise you to the rank of Dume-General,” she said. “Will you accept by carrying out my will right here and now?”

Tears streamed down the brutish bodyguard’s face. “I will, my Eternal. Thank you.” He drew his blade and approached the man.

“You know the words of the Sentence?” she asked.

Falares nodded. “Ever since I was a boy.” He pointed his blade at Chalis’s defiant face. “I, Dume-General of the Order of Peacekeepers, constant watchman of the welfare of Yagolhan, bringer of justice and administrator of law within the realm, try you for sacrilege of the person of my Eternal, Queen Qabala Aeterna, and find you guilty. I hereby sentence you to death.”

With a great overhand stroke, Falares separated Chalis’s head from his body. His neck spurted blood, spraying the men holding him with a crimson mist. Falares drew a rag from his pocket and wiped his sword clean before sheathing it and bowing once more before Qabala.

“He was a good man,” Nerris said. “You could have spared him, won him over to your side. You didn’t need to do this. You say you wish to be all-powerful, yet you lash out like some petty child.”

Qabala glanced at the faces of those around her. “Nerris, hush. We will speak on this later.”

“We will speak on this now!” Nerris shouted. “You wish me to become your consort because I am a man of honor. There is nothing honorable about this.”

“You would speak to me of honor?” Qabala hissed at him. “This, coming from one who stole into the walls of this very keep and slew a defenseless man? A word of advice, Nerris... do not use honor for your shield. You have nary enough to cover even your breast.”

Nerris had nothing to say to that, and fixed her with a cold stare. Nobody else moved or spoke as the two kept their eyes locked. Finally, Nerris spoke. “You’re right.”

He turned on his heel and marched for the doors. The guardsman looked uncertain if they should bar his way or not, but Nerris unsheathed his Miagamese blade, and the men at the door scrambled to get out of his way. His reputation still exceeded even the presence of an Aeterna, it would seem. She did not know whether that made her want to laugh or cry. Qabala let out her breath. Stubborn, stupid Thrillseeker.

“You would let him defy you in front of your faithful, you who are now greater than he?”
The Tattered Man spoke to her, his tone monotonous as ever, but his words conveyed enough of his meaning.

Qabala closed her eyes, willing herself not to shed tears. She had stepped in it. She had gotten carried away, and now her true love was lost to her.

“Despair will not serve. He will forgive you. You are the Aeterna, after all. Men will bend before your whims. But first, an example should be made.”

Nerris had already left the hall, but Qabala strode down the dais and past the body of Chalis, which was pooling blood onto the floor. Officers and guards alike scrambled to get out of her way, and she knew what they were thinking. If she could survive a thrust to the belly without even a scratch to show for it, what other powers did she possess?

Qabala marched down the entry hall, toward the doors which led to the bailey. Her heart despaired as she walked. She feared she had lost her chance at true happiness. Yet she was Aeterna now. The Doom Rock was within her, empowering her. There was nothing she could not do. She would apologize to Nerris later and make it all right, make him understand, but she had to do this to save face. He could still be hers. He should be hers. She would still have him!

As she exited the great hall and stood upon the steps leading down to the bailey, she caught a glimpse of Nerris a few dozen paces away. His back was to her. “Where are you going?” she called.

“To find where I left my honor,” Nerris answered. “It will not do to walk around with so small a shield, after all.”

“Nerris,” she said, her voice shaking. “Please—”

She reached out to him, and Nerris turned around. For the first time, she was sure he truly did care for her. She saw it in his eyes. She could tell he wanted to walk back to her, but something was stopping him.

Qabala became aware of many voices behind her. All her men had come to see how this confrontation would turn out. Qabala righted herself, stood up straight and cleared her throat. “Guards!”

A small company of guardsmen rushed past her and positioned themselves in front of Nerris. He shot her a look of disgust and turned toward the guards, brandishing his katana.

“Don’t do it, Nerris,” came Rade’s voice. “Remember what I said to you. We can work this out.”

“Sorry, Rade.” Nerris tightened his grip on Noruken’s hilt. “You stay and serve, if you must. I am a Thrillseeker, free to go where I will. And I will not play lapdog to the thing you have created.”

Qabala’s anger finally got the best of her. “Take him!”

Nerris had anticipated her order, and felled two of the guards before the others even had time to react. More men moved in, but Nerris moved sudden as lightning, beating back one man with a kick even as he slashed through the throat of another. The other guards grew fearful, and Nerris backed them down the bailey.

That was when Rade rushed forward. Nerris heard him coming and met him blade for blade. They danced across the bailey, going stroke for stroke, until Falares and Lukas arrived. Nerris immediately went for the weakest one, and beat Lukas down to the earth in two swings of his blade. However, the others moved in and he barely managed to parry a massive blow from Falares. A moment later, Rade sent Nerris sprawling as he slammed the hilt of his sword into her love’s face. The guards were on top of him a moment later, and they disarmed him before pinning his hands behind his back.

Qabala stepped forward as Falares saluted. “Let me strike off his head as well, my Eternal. I beg you for the honor.”

“No,” Qabala said. “Place him in the dungeons. I will see to him later.”

The guards dragged Nerris past her as they brought him back inside, and he looked up at her. “Whether you kill me or not, I will never touch you again, nor will I serve the foul beings you have taken up with.”

“These foul beings will heal our world,” Qabala said. “And if they prove false, they will be dealt with.”

Nerris sighed. “Still the little girl. Don’t you see? They want you to think you’re in control. That is how they get the hooks in.”

The guards dragged him off, and Qabala felt the tears flow down her face. Rade placed his cloak around her bare shoulders, and for the first time she realized how cold it had turned. By morning, there would be frost on the ground.

“You are Aeterna,” he whispered to her. “Do not let them see you weep. I will escort you to your chambers. Tears or blood, there has been enough shed this day already.”

Chapter Ten

NERRIS STRETCHED OUT on the hard bed inside his cell, trying his best to not be queasy. Underneath the Aeternica, it reeked of mildew and another putrid odor he could not quite place. He stared at the cracked ceiling, his mind going over various escape scenarios, each more unlikely than the next.

He sighed. It was ridiculous of him to confront Qabala publicly the way he did. She was getting used to having her own way all the time, and she lashed out like a spoiled brat whenever someone defied her. Coupled with the fact that she now claimed the mantle of Aeterna, with a godstone giving her apparent invincibility, she grew more dangerous by the minute.

He hadn’t helped matters any with the way he had acted. Poor Chalis was not the only one who lost his head in the great hall. Her callous treatment of the boy grated on Nerris. Chalis had been nothing but supportive of her cause, and risked life and limb to ensure her biggest rival fell beneath his blade. Yet he saw the political implications behind what she had done. It proved to everyone who stood witness that she would enforce her will on anyone who defied her, almost as if it had been set up that way. But though Chalis’s death upset him, that was not the sole reason Nerris had lashed out.

A sense of foreboding had filled him during the ceremony, culminating when the black mist filtered into the hall. He was sure only he saw it, except for Rade and maybe Meznas and his cultists. Qabala had been concentrating on the Doom Rock, oblivious to it. For a moment, a mere moment, he had caught a glimpse of the cult’s Tattered Man standing behind her. The sight of the pale demon chilled him to the bone, not because of what it represented... but because Nerris had seen the gray figure before. In Miagama, three years ago.

He knew if the Tattered Man was there, it meant Qabala was beyond his reach. She had been sucked deep into his power, manipulated by the Cult of Eversor. He could not stay and watch her deteriorate from a bright, charismatic leader to an insane tyrant who could probably rip a hole through half the world with the aid of the Doom Rock.

He could almost hear Jhareth’s laughter echo in his mind. He knew exactly what his friend would say to him in this situation. “Nerris, when a woman with that kind of power tells you to do something, you say yes!” He could see his friend’s wry grin as well. “Besides, how many women out there are willing to bed you, much less a beautiful demigoddess?”

For three years, Nerris had tried to push the Thrillseekers from his mind. Now that he lay here, with nothing to do but reflect, he found himself remembering their adventures across the continent of Tormalia. Their penchant for success through recklessness gave them their reputation in the early days. As time went on, they became folk legends, which were often embellished far beyond what they had actually accomplished. The three of them had been welcomed in royal courts and wayside inns alike wherever they went.

How happy he had been back then. The company of his best friends and the wide open road before them. What else did he need? Nothing, he had thought, until he met Ketsuya.

Tears welled up in Nerris’s eyes, and he pushed her from his mind at once. No. He had felt guilty enough about betraying her memory the first time he climbed under the covers with Qabala. He had come to care for her, in spite of everything. Maybe this was his punishment.

Somewhere, a door creaked and the sound of boots upon stone echoed throughout the cell block. Nerris sat up, making his way to the stout door. Had Qabala come for him? The incident in the bailey may have turned out different if they had been alone. He had his doubts she really wanted him down here. But with the Tattered Man whispering in her ear... maybe she meant to give him to Meznas, to offer him up as sacrifice to whatever foul creature this Eversor was. Whether she meant to kiss or kill him, Nerris was ready.

“Nerris?”

He released a heavy breath. “Rade. What are you doing here?” The old man held up a torch, which crackled as flame cast shadows upon his face.

“Springing you, of course,” Rade said.

“Did Qabala send you?”

“No,” Rade said. “I am here on my own.”

Nerris grunted. “I thought the Aeterna was your master now. She would have you flayed for this.”

“You wrong her,” Rade said. “You of all people should know how much care she has for you. And yet, as with any one of us, we are capable of great evil, as well as love. Especially if we take up with the wrong crowd.”

“The cult,” Nerris said. “What is it, really? I know you know something about all this.”

Rade sighed. “The cult and the Tattered Man are but the representatives of the true horror known as Eversor. For thousands of years, he has been working toward finding passage into this world. If he were to do so, it would be the end of all as we know it. But the magicks needed to gain him entry are vast and complex. Even if his cult murders every man, woman, and child in Yagolhan, it will not be enough.”

“Then if Qabala is convinced to conquer the eastern kingdoms...”

“Precisely,” Rade said. “Years ago, your father, myself, and several companions sought to put an end to the Tattered Man’s machinations. We knew if we stopped him, we stopped the sorrow to come. But we failed. We only managed to seal him away temporarily. As long as he had followers, we knew he would return someday. Our quest cost your father his life, and I couldn’t understand why the prophecy of the faery queen had led me astray.”

“But what is the Tattered Man? Where has he come from?”

“Agent, herald, whatever you like. He is nothing but a manifestation of Eversor’s will, to prepare this world for his arrival.”

Rade fumbled with a large ring and inserted one of the keys into the lock. It opened with a hollow click, and Rade opened the door to let Nerris through. He handed him his katana, still in its scabbard.

“Thank you,” Nerris said. “So Eversor is from another world? He is not a god?”

“Another world, of a sort,” Rade said. “It’s possible he comes from something beyond. His role in that particular plane remains a mystery. All which is known for sure is he wants to remake this world in his own image. And that involves destroying everything and starting over.”

Rade beckoned him to follow, and they made their way through the corridors of the dungeons.

“I realize now you’re the Catalyst foretold in the prophecy,” Rade whispered, “not your father. I thought Qabala was the other, the one to confront the Tattered Man and Eversor, the one to put an end to all of this and eject them from our world. But I believe I may have been mistaken there as well. That’s why you must go. If you stay, Qabala will never let you leave, and the cult will grow more powerful through her.”

“I don’t know anything about prophecies,” Nerris said. “I’ve always believed men make their own destiny.”

“True, prophecy should always be looked at as a guide,” Rade said. “But to the business at hand: Dume Lukas is not the only one who knows secret ways in and out of the Aeternica. I have friends in the city even after all these years, and they will hide you until Qabala gives up her pursuit. When that happens, you must make your way to the closest border as quickly as possible.”

“But if I stay,” Nerris said, “I can talk to Qabala, reason with her—”

“As I said before, you are not yet ready to believe in the prophecy of the faery queen,” Rade said. “You are too skeptical, Nerris. Your presence right now will play right into the Tattered Man’s manipulations. He will seek to use you and set you against Qabala, driving her further into his clutches. Besides, there is no reasoning with someone who considers herself invincible. You can help her most by leaving now.”

“Where will I go?”

“I am not without my own sense of the various realms and planes of existence which make up our world,” Rade said. “I’m not a prophet, but the time I spent in the shadow lands all those years ago left certain... voices in my head, as well. What they are telling me right now is that you should head home.”

“Home?” Nerris scoffed. “Where is home to someone like me?”

Rade shrugged. “You will find your way.”

Nerris slumped against the corridor wall. “I don’t know what to do, Rade. For the first time in my life, I have no clear goal. Why don’t you come with me? We can figure it out together.”

“I cannot,” Rade said. “I must stay with Qabala.”

“Why? You don’t buy into this Eversor nonsense any more than I do. Why are you so adamant about serving Qabala?”

Rade didn’t say anything for a moment. Finally, he turned to Nerris. “She is my daughter.”

“What?” Nerris had not expected him to say that. He shook his head. “How... how is that possible?”

“After your father died, I sought comfort with the one I loved,” Rade said. “We walked the shadow lands for many years, though it felt like such a short time to us. When we emerged back into this plane of existence, she was with child. The birth went hard on her, and she... well, unions such as ours were always going to be risky. We knew that. I attempted to take the baby back with me to my homeland. But when I crossed the border into Yagolhan, vagabonds fell upon me. My daughter was taken, and I was left for dead. I never knew what became of her until many years later, when I heard of a young woman uniting the various malcontents around Lhan Del into a political threat. She bore the same name as my long-lost daughter. I watched from afar until I was convinced she was the same little girl who had been ripped from my arms all those years ago. After she took Lhan Del, I joined her army as a common soldier, vowing to help her any way I could.”

Nerris put a hand on the old man’s shoulder. “Does she know?”

Rade shook his head. “No. How could I look her in the face and let her know I am the one responsible for the hard life she has suffered?” They came to a small alcove. Rade pushed on the wall, and a panel in the stone slid open, revealing a crevice. The air through the passage smelled dank and foul, and rushed out with a cold breeze. “This will take you down to the sewers. Follow the path until it comes out by the river. My people will be waiting for you.”

“Thank you,” Nerris said. “I promise, I will return and get rid of this Tattered Man. I don’t know how, exactly, but he and I need to settle up as well. You just worry about keeping your daughter out of the crossfire.” He started down the tunnel, but turned back. “You should tell her, Rade. It might make a difference.” A thought struck him. “Wait, if she’s your daughter... that means she... and I... we’ve been—”

Rade afforded him an amused smile before sliding the alcove back into place, leaving Nerris in the dark with only the torch to light his way. “You must leave. My time will be short before I’m missed up above. If circumstances had been different, I would have no objections to you as a suitor for Qabala. Given the situation, however, I’m afraid I must withhold my consent and end this courtship.”

Nerris chuckled as he listened to Rade’s footsteps fade away. He turned toward the encroaching darkness, with only the flicker of a small torch to hold it at bay.