Book of One 04: A Child of Fire (22 page)

"You interfere in the circle, mage," the Ansari said then he roared loudly. The bleeding burn across his chest began to heal and he grew yet again, the size of his sword now growing to match him. His shape began to change even more, his entire form thickening and increasing in size, becoming a towering stone giant.

"You said this was a test," Zachary yelled back. "He passed your test, so you don't get to kill him."

"Do you not see the darkness within him?" the Ansari growled.

"I see a lot of darkness in a lot of people, including myself," Zachary said. "Now, would you like to see the light?" He held up his free hand and a swirling vortex of white, hot light appeared. Zachary shook his head. "All this trouble because the lad used the power of true fire. If you would like a demonstration of how to control such a power, I will gladly show you. But if you touch my son, then I will show you what happens when this power is unleashed."

"You are known to us, mage," the Ansari leader said, standing his ground. "Your actions are a prime example of why we do not allow such power to run wild in our domain."

"Then you know I am not merely threatening you," Zachary said, glancing around at the warriors who surrounded the fighting circle, feeling their enormous power begin to flow. "This is my son, who I only met several days ago. You will not be killing him here, not today."

"You would not last a moment against the combined might of Ansari," the leader thundered. "We will destroy you and then we will destroy this vessel of darkness."

"Fools! " Zachary yelled. "You have no knowledge of this power. Enough of this madness! I say this is ended. Now step back."

At the edge of the circle, Kasha turned to Ehlena.

"Do you love him?" she asked.

"What kind of question is that?" Ehlena was taken aback. The Ansari woman's eyes glowed golden and Ehlena felt a pressure on her as though her thoughts were being pried open. She drew the power of the goddess, her power, to the surface and pushed back. "You would attack me as well?"

"I do not wish to harm you and I apologize for intruding upon your thoughts. I now know what I wished to know," Kasha said. "The mage is of your domain. That was your pledge, with respect and honor. By your honor, you must stop him."

"His is protecting Aaron," Ehlena said.

"Aaron is of my domain here and he is under my protection," Kasha told her. "I will deal with my people."

The Ansari leader began to move toward Zachary, his powerful footsteps rumbling across the ground, his giant sword towering overhead. The mage gritted his teeth and called up power from the depths of his being and the blinding vortex spun faster, growing larger. Then, the air grew thick and all was silent. Zachary felt a hand upon his wrist, cool and gentle, and Ehlena appeared before him, like a spirit, emerging from in his sight. Her voice was soft in his ear, the only thing he could hear.

"Stop, Zachary," she said.

From the corner of his eye, he saw it. A giant streak of fangs, claws and golden fur smashed into the Ansari from the side, sending him flying and wrenching the sword from his grip. The blade flashed and returned to its normal size as it fell. The giant Ansari tumbled in a thunderous crash of stone and fur then the creature that had attacked him leapt back, landing on all fours and baring its fangs at him with a threatening roar. Like a giant cat, a lioness, the face of the creature looked familiar and Zachary recognized its features as being those of the Ansari woman, Kasha. The power that pulsed and spun in his hand began to fade as he withdrew his energy from it and when Ehlena released his wrist, he noticed that even though her touch had felt light upon him, she had left a mark on his skin, which felt raw and almost like a burn, though he had felt no fire. Zachary looked at the pale, young girl who stood before him, and wondered how powerful she might be. Ehlena turned away and looked to the giant cat and the massive stone giant, the Ansari warriors who had shifted into new and fearsome forms.

On her four clawed and padded feet, with her long tail twitching and curling behind her, Kasha paced around the Ansari leader as he rose from the ground then turned to face her.

"You would defy our way, the will of Ansari?"

"He is in my domain," she growled through her feline mouth and her sharp white fangs. "If you wish to slay him, you must deal with me first. That is our way, or have you forgotten your position of honor and respect?"

The giant, stone warrior looked around at the assembled Ansari warriors, who stood calm but remained ready. He could sense that they were divided in their thoughts, in support of both him and with Kasha, though they were doubtful about what should happen to the young man who lay on the ground. They had seen the shadow within him and agreed that it must be destroyed, but they had also seen the light that flowed from him, which was a pure power that spoke to the Ansari with truth. The Ansari leader looked to Kasha, who paced before him, her green eyes fixed on him, ready to attack. He could not sense anything from her, which meant that she had closed her thoughts to him. For the Ansari, it was a clear indication that Kasha did not merely threaten, but was prepared to kill if need be.

"Let us step back from this," he said.

"That would be wise," Kasha said. "Declare this match a draw."

"A draw?"

"Yes," she said. "It is a draw. There is no doubt that he could easily match you. It is best that he remain in my domain."

"Then he is on your head," he said. "It would also be wise for him to leave these lands, for we will not allow the shadow among us."

"Then it is agreed," Kasha replied and slowly transformed from the giant cat back to her womanly form. As the leader of the Ansari began to revert to his other shape, she turned and walked toward Ehlena and Zachary, who were helping Aaron to his feet.

Ehlena saw Kasha pick up her torn loincloth that had fallen to the ground, which she threw over her shoulder. The two women traded a look, acknowledging one another having done their parts to avert the situation.

"I see now why your people don't wear much in the way of clothing," Zachary said, staring at Kasha for a moment, then looking away. "I should probably speak less often."

"You speak without pretense, mage," Kasha said. "Such is the way of Ansari, and it is why my people respect you, despite our differences."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Zachary said. "Albeit a grudging one."

"Aaron," Kasha said. "We must leave the desert."

"I understand," Aaron said, shaking his head.

His thoughts were murky, as though he had just awakened from a deep sleep, but everything felt different. The air around him vibrated with sound, he could hear the sound of each grain of sand beneath his feet, grinding together as he shifted his weight. Aaron noticed that his body felt stronger than before, even stronger than before he had fought the Ansari leader and all of his senses had intensified, as though he were using his mage sight, even though he was not even trying. It was as though he was completely immersed in his power but when he tried to reach for it, he felt nothing within him, and yet he could see and feel everything around him, to the point that it was almost disorienting. Both interesting and concerning, he could barely look at the people who surrounded him, for their different energies were almost blinding, and the Ansari who stood silently around the circle also glowed with energy in myriad colors, each one equally unique in their complexity though differing in intensity.

"Are you all right, son?" Zachary asked.

Aaron turned and looked at the mage, then at Ehlena and Kasha. He saw Stavros walking toward them, followed by Lexi, Tash and the old man named Ashan.

"I will be fine," he told him.

"Good," Kasha said. "We must leave the desert at once."

"I'd like nothing more," Zachary commented. "But why the hurry?"

"The Ansari are divided," Ehlena told him. "It is best that we leave now, in case they make a decision with which we would disagree."

"I would like to accompany you," Ashan said. "It has been some time since I traveled the lands beyond the sand, and there are some things I have offered to teach this young man."

"Your wisdom would be most welcome," Stavros told him. "Aaron, we can leave this place now if you wish, but you're not running away from us again. There are things we must discuss, matters of great importance that can no longer be ignored."

"Fine," Aaron said. "Where should we go?"

"There is a place where we might go, where we will be free of distractions and where you can learn without causing harm," Stavros said.

"What place is this?" Zachary asked.

"If you had paid any attention over the years, you would know," Stavros said. "It is a safe place, at least the safest place I can think of, for what we must do."

"What is it we must do?" Zachary asked.

"We must conquer the shadows," Stavros said. "For if we do not, then Aaron's life will be in grave danger."

"Stavros," Zachary said. "You saw how powerful he is, and besides, he has all of us to protect him from anyone out there in the world who might seek to harm him."

"That will be the least of our worries," Stavros said then he turned to Aaron. "Aaron, when the shadows took hold of you, did you feel anything? Did you hear or see anything?"

"Only emptiness," Aaron said. "And hunger, but it went away when I let go of my power."

Stavros scratched his beard thoughtfully.

"It appears we have a little time," he said then he looked to Kasha. "Will you accompany us?"

"Yes," she said. "But only for a time. I cannot be away from the desert for too long."

"We're coming too," Tash piped up from where she stood next to Lexi and Ashan.

"Then it's settled," Stavros said then his eyes darkened and the ground and air began to rumble as he gathered his power. A loud crack sounded across the fighting circle and with a flash of light they disappeared, leaving the Ansari desert behind.

*****

Dakar slid the book back into the folks of his robes and turned the page of another book that had been sitting open beneath it. A moment later the door to the sitting chamber opened and Cerric walked into the room. His face and hands were covered in blood spatters and his black shirt glistened wet in places, but he wore a smile on his face and looked extremely pleased about something.

"Dakar," he said. "It is beautiful day. It is shameful that are you cooped up inside when you could be out in the sun, enjoying the many pleasures of the city."

"A mage pursues knowledge, always," Dakar told him, quoting an old tenet from the days before the priesthood.

"Ah yes, knowledge is certainly a noble pursuit, but one only gains wisdom from experience," Cerric said.

"I have experienced many things," Dakar told him. "Is there something my lord wishes me to do?"

"No," Cerric said. "I have no demands of you this day. If you are pleased to sit here and nose around in your books, then so be it. However I would be most pleased if you would visit the city, drink some wine, meet some young lady or engage the services of a whore, whatever might entertain you most."

"His highness is most generous," Dakar said, closing the book he had been pretending to read. "Have I done something that pleases you?"

"You have," Cerric said. "You have been my most faithful servant for many long years, Dakar, longer than you know, working tirelessly to build the priesthood, conducting the many rituals I revealed to you in the book, building the gate that opened this world to me, all of this with great dedication and without question. The many seeds you planted, the deeds you have done, most of them have borne fruit and this day, one thing in particular for which I have patiently waited has finally come to pass."

"What thing would that be?" Dakar asked, curious.

"It matters not, only that it has, and though I am very demanding, I also reward those who serve me best. You may do whatever you wish for the rest of the day and I will make no requests of you, but first, I would like to show you something."

Dakar rose from his seat and followed Cerric out of the room. They made their way through the palace and down to the dungeons, where Dakar knew that Cerric had been keeping the young Kandaran king Elric. He had little doubt that the blood that had been spattered on the god-king belonged to the lad, since Cerric had made it a daily exercise to torture him nearly to the point of death, after which he would send for mages to heal Elric's body. They had told Dakar of how brutal Cerric's treatment of the Kandaran was, breaking bones and cutting his flesh with jagged knives and other implements, only to have him healed and revived. Though Cerric admitted no one to the dungeon until he was finished with the Kandaran, a few of the mages, had asked Dakar if he might assign them to some other duty. Even though they remained loyal to the god-king, their compulsion to obey ensured by the magical link that had been created by the book, they were nonetheless disturbed just from seeing the results of Cerric's terrible ministrations.

Dakar was thus not surprised when he followed Cerric into an exceptionally large room in the dungeon to find Elric unconscious and naked at its center and chained to a thick, reclined slab of wood, surrounded by dark thick pools of drying blood. The slow rise and fall of his chest made it obvious that he yet lived, but the deep cuts and gouges in his flesh were a gruesome sight to behold. Dakar had seen some of the earlier tortures Cerric had visited upon him, which were horribly cruel and painful, but it appeared that the god-king had become even more elaborate in his methods. It looked as though Cerric had cut off the skin on Elric's arms and shoulders and removed pieces of his scalp, leaving wide, open wounds that seeped blood down his arms and face and ran to the floor. The Kandaran's eyes were closed, but it looked as though they were bleeding as well.