Embers of a Broken Throne (34 page)

C
hapter 48

“M
other,” Ancel cried at the same time as Celina and Anton.

They rushed to Thania’s side, the conversation with Ryne forgotten. She was lying on a bed, most of her body hidden by a blanket. A spiderweb of dark veins spread along her face and neck. The same discoloration marred her arms. Her eyes were black globes with a single golden pinpoint. With his improved sense Ancel took in her waning aura.

“I’m so happy to see you all, whole and healthy,” she whispered. Frail fingers stroked the back of Ancel’s hand.

Both Celina and Anton were sobbing, and Ancel couldn’t help himself. He burst into tears.

“Mother, you will be fine, won’t you?” Celina asked, voice choked, eyes feverish.

Anton was muttering prayers. Ancel knelt at his mother’s side, his mind replaying the mending he’d seen used by Galiana on so many different occasions. A part of him reached inside himself, wanted to Forge, to fix what was wrong. The other part fought against it. All the while the voices of Mater gibbered in his head.

A firm hand rested on Ancel’s shoulder as Stefan loomed over them. “Don’t.” To his wife, he said, “I miss you, my love.”

“And I you,” Thania answered. Her eyes watered. “Ancel,” she said tenderly, “release your grip on Mater and Prima. They cannot help in this. What will be, must be.”

Images of his mother being dragged off by Mensa played through Ancel’s head. So did all the good times they’d spent together, the lunches, dinners, walks through the Greenleaf Woods when he was a child, it all came roaring back. Within it, he pictured her suffering. He stood, heat to challenge the sun streaming from him. Cold suffused him. To his own eyes, everything glowed.

“There will be a time for you to wield all you have.” His mother’s voice was distant yet soothing. “That time is not now. There is nothing to heal here, no vengeance to be had. I knew my fate long ago. You see this as the end, but Charra showed you differently. This is but another beginning for me. What I am now is a part of what I will become. Losing yourself now means losing everything.”

“What do you mean, Mother?” Celina clung to Thania’s hand.

“You can’t die now, not after we’re finally with you again,” Anton pleaded. “You cannot. You simply cannot.”

Ancel felt as if he could destroy anything with one swing of his hand, as if he could heal anything. The voices in his mind said so. But another presence said his power wasn’t all encompassing.

Master yourself.

Galiana’s voice as if she stood next to him.

He didn’t seek the Eye. He let his emotions roam. And then with an effort of sheer will he snuffed out Mater’s voices. The Prima imbued within the Sanctums of Shelter, that ran all along the Vallum of Light, spread before him, glorious, recognizable. Except for sela, he could take a hold of them all. Even the shade seemed more malleable.

The entire world looked like a beautiful mosaic, including these two essential essences. They congregated around the room, some of them in healthy blacks and vibrant grays that were almost silver. Others were sickly, infected with some of the same corruption that had become common since the ruined city of Aldazhar. They seeped into everyone.

A resonance to match the Sanctum’s essences thumped like a heartbeat behind him. Not from one source, but two.

Ancel turned to Ryne, ignoring everyone else for the moment. Under the influences of his Tenets, he could pick out the deficiencies in Ryne’s aura. Those missing pieces of Mater were evident in Mother’s aura, many as incredibly potent as they were infectious. By the grim expressions on the original Eztezians, they knew what was happening. Celina and Anton were too caught with Mother’s condition to realize or care.

“What must I do to become shade’s Materwarden?” he asked.

“The same as always, take it from an Eztezian or from the netherling that holds it,” Ryne said, voice flat.

“I dreaded you would say that.”

Ryne’s shoulders slumped, and he continued in the same dead monotone. “It is the way of things.”

“I was hoping I was wrong.” Ancel’s heart hurt, the anguish of what he needed to do near overwhelming. It threatened to crush him. “Charra.” The connection between him and the netherling bloomed. Charra’s knowledge became his, the Sanctum’s secrets were laid bare, his mother’s link to his pet now seeming so obvious he wondered how he’d missed it.

Chitin-covered tentacles shot out from Charra at the doorway. They wrapped around Anton, Celina, and Stefan before either of them could react, and dragged the three of them back to Charra.

Screaming, Celina Forged. Or at least she tried. Nothing happened. Anton was staring in shock. Stefan’s face contorted with grief. He hadn’t attempted any defense or attack. In that moment, Ancel realized his father also knew what was to come.

Hands trembling, he turned to his mother. Shade and sela poured from her, but more so the latter. He knew beyond a doubt what he had only suspected before. As much as she was connected to the light that extended life through her Gift to Forge sela, she was also connected to the shade and the taking of life, the corruption that had become prevalent.

She smiled up at him. “It’s alright, son. I was always to be the one. The Nine’s master hoped to trap all of you, kill you here through me, or at the very least, see that I tainted you. But Entopi was too certain of Ryne’s skill. He never suspected Ryne could be defeated or that he possessed the strength to still call forth his sentient without being a Materwarden.”

Ancel began to cry.

“Say the words,” she urged, voice tender.

“Sh-Sh-Shade,” he began and stopped, tears flowing in earnest. Yet he didn’t attempt to stem the tide. This was a part of shade’s strength: hate, fear, grief.

“What you need cannot be given, or else I would willingly surrender it to you. It must be taken,” Mother said, smiling, eyes alive despite her condition.

He tried for the words again, but he couldn’t, he wouldn’t allow himself to say them. They stuck in his throat, added to the lump of fear crawling there.

“Why do you exist?”

The answer came without thought, uttered in a hoarse whisper. “To help the helpless. To defend. To build. To destroy. To judge.” They bolstered him, added the certainty he lacked, the strength, the determination. Gaze locked on Mother’s eyes, he said, “Shade to balance light. Mercy to Gift death. Death to those found wanting.” He hadn’t realized he’d drawn his sword until it slid across her throat, its Etchings aglow.

He felt empty. Cold. A shell. Nothing was left. He barely noticed the smell of burning hair and flesh, nor did its heat touch him. In his mind he replayed the images of Mother during the last meal she’d cooked before he left for Randane, when life still seemed normal. It felt like ages ago, but he cherished the beauty of her face. That was how he would remember her.

And then he fell to his knees, sobbing, his entire world feeling as if it had ended.

F
inale

T
hey were praying to him. Millions upon millions of them. He heard them almost as distinctly as he did before he was sealed away. There was a time he would willingly accept their supplication, the power of their fervor, their emotional outpouring. But that was before he knew the cost.

“You feel them too, brother?” Bragni strode to stand next to him, peering out the fortresses window, down onto the slopes of Antonjur. The energy of his excitement crackled.

“Of course.” More joined in the prayer, from all over the world. The power called to him.

The thud of footsteps and a breath of frigid air announced Rituni’s presence. “So, they are close. The last stanza begins soon.” Her voice was empty as always.

“Tell the others their workshops must increase production,” he ordered, snapping himself away from the temptation. “The hour of our release draws nigh.”

“As you wish, m’Lord,” his brother and sister said in unison.

Closing his eyes, Ilumni touched a tendril of Prima, and felt for the Aegae. They were almost ready. One obstacle remained before the three could approach Antonjur, and the shackles would be broken.

Just wait, brother, I come. And my wrath with me
.

******

The story continues in Forges of Creation.

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G
lossary

Access Key –
Special divya used to activate extremely powerful artifacts.

Alzari
– Matii who wield mostly the Forms, strongest in earth essences and metal. Ancestors of the Setian.

Amuni
– One of the gods of Streams, specifically, shade. Brother of Ilumni.

Annendin
– the original God, the One God, who created Prima, Mater, and the world of Denestia.

Antonjur
– the gods original home before they were sealed.

archdaemon
– several times more powerful than a normal daemon.

Ashishin
– Matii who serve the Tribunal and often represent the god Ilumni and the Streams, specifically light and heat. Most of the Granadian peoples are descendants of the Ashishin. They often bear the title of Shin or High Shin.

Astoca
– A kingdom within south central Ostania. Their people, the Astocans, are cousins to the Cardians. (See Namazzi)

Bana
– A kingdom in eastern Ostania. Their people are the Banai and worship Humelen and the Forms.

Bastions of Light
– Towers along the Vallum of Light and located at strategic points within Granadia that can be used to send warning of an impending attack to the Tribunal.

Battleguard
- Personal warriors formerly belonging to the gods that are now attached to major Tenets and can be summoned by Materwardens.

Cardia
– A kingdom far south in Ostania. Their people, the Cardians, are related to the Astocans. (See Namazzi)

catalyst
– item used in conjunction with an Access Key to trigger a Chainin’s power.

Chainin
– A divya that has special properties and needs an Access Key and a catalyst to activate its power.

construct
– An entity created from essences.

daggerpaw
– Mix of wolf and a mountain lion that has bones for a mane that it can turn into blade-like spikes. They can grow to the size of a pony. Are also adept in sensing shade.

Dagodin
– A Matus who cannot Forge but can wield items imbued with Mater called divya.

Darkwraith
– A type of shadeling created by merging the sela essences, spirit, and shade of a Matus.

dartan
– A massive beast of burden, bigger than any horse. It has 6 legs, hardened skin, and a shell into which it can withdraw its legs. It also has a long snake-like neck and is a meat eater. Originally created during the Luminance Wars.

Deathbringer
– A type of Matii used by the Felani and others, said to be already crazed Matii. Only the Felani know how they’re controlled.

Denestia
– The world where this story takes place, said to have been the crowning achievement of the god Ilumni who defeated his brother Amuni for its possession.

Desorin
- A race of Matii in the Broken Lands. Worshippers of Bragni. They are masters of heat

Devout
– A priest who serves Ilumni and goes on pilgrimages to do the Tribunal’s bidding, often preaching the word of Streamean worship and its virtues.

divya
– An item imbued with Mater.

Dosteri
– A race originating in Everland who later inhabited Granadia.

Elements of Mater
– The completed essences that make up the Flows, the Forms, and the Streams. (See Mater)

Entopi
– the god of sela (life and death) it is actually two gods in one.

Entosis
– Place where Prima Materium gathers.

Erastonia
– A kingdom in Everland.

Erastonian
– Powerful warriors from Everland, specifically from a place called Erastonia. They possess some of the strongest Matii within the known world. Their main task is defending the Great Divide and killing any shadelings that happen to escape from the prisons contained with the Divide.

Essences
– The individual strands of power that make up the elements of Mater.

Everland
– The northernmost continent in Denestia.

Exalted
– Mythical leaders of the Tribunal.

Eztezian
– The Eztezians were the descendants of the gods. Great warriors and the most powerful Matii to grace Denestia. They were tasked with protecting Denestia from the shade and from itself. Driven mad by their overuse of Mater however, they almost destroyed the world. They created the Great Divide, which brought about the shade’s defeat. Then they turned on the gods, sealing them in the Nether to prevent future wars and the creation of more creatures like the shadelings.

Felan
– A kingdom is western Ostania. Their people are known as the Felani.

Flowic
– The religions named after the elements of Flows and its gods.

Flows
– The combination of two essences—primarily water and air that make up liquids known as the Flows. There are other variations that involve other essences. E.g Water and cold to form ice. Heat, air, and something flammable to create fire.

Forger
– A Matus who can Forge essences of Mater

Forging
– See Materforging

Formist
– The religion named after the elements of Forms and its gods.

Forms
– The combination of three essences—earth, metal, and wood, that make up solids known as the Forms. There are other variations of solids that can be enhanced by using other essences, as well as other essences not in this umbrella that can be used to form solids. (See example in Streams.)

Gerde
– Stoneform beasts with eight-legs that bear similarities to crabs, but were the size of ponies.

Granadia
– The Western continent of Denestia. Have been at conflict with most of Ostania for millennia.

Grog
- Sinuous shadeling with 6 legs, skitters like a spider. Minion of the Gurangar

Gurangar
- Ebonsteel clad Shadeling assassin. Bears a double- bladed sword and used the shade to become invisible via a shroud.

Harna
– A kingdom in northern Ostania. Followers of Formist religion. Descendants of the Sven.

Humelen
– One of the gods of Forms, specifically earth.

Hydae
– A world formed by Amuni when he lost to his brother Ilumni.

Ilumni
– One of the gods of Streams, specifically, light. Brother of Amuni.

Imbuer
– A Matus who can imbue properties of essences into an item to create divya.

kinai
– A special plant that draws on essences, used in many healing formulas and potent drinks. Said to enhance the user’s strength, stamina, and agility.

Luminance War
– An ancient war when shadelings escaped the Great Divide and swept across Ostania.

Mater
– Mater is the core elemental power which exists within everything. It makes up the three elements the gods represent and their individual essences. Mater drives all worlds. The three elements are the solids of the Forms, the liquids of the Flows, and the energy of the Streams. Those are further broken down into separate essences. For instance, earth, wood and metal are a part of the Forms. Heat, cold, light and shade are a part of the Streams. Water and air are a part of the Flows. Finally, there’s sela essence, a combination of life and death which sits outside the three elements and is required for anything to live or die. (See Streams, Flows, Forms.)

Materialize
– Ability to Forge a portal between two places for travel.

Materforging
– The act of wielding the essences or elements of Mater.

Matersense
– The ability to open up one’s mind to be able to sense or see nearby essences within the elements of Mater.

Materwarden
- A Matus who can summon a sentient construct, and is considered guardian of a Tenet and therefore guardian of an essence. The most powerful can call forth Battleguards.

Matus
– One who can sense Mater (Plural – Matii) Not every Matus can manipulate or Forge Mater. What essence a Matus is strongest in is often determined by bloodline. However, one can train to become adept in other essences. It is difficult and takes powerful Matii to wield essences from two separate elements simultaneously. It is considered to only be an ability of the netherlings or gods to wield all essences within all three elements at the same time.

Mystera
– Schools built throughout Granadia for the purpose of teaching and recruiting Matii.

Namazzi
– Matii who wield mostly the Flows, ancestors of the Cardians and Astocans.

Nema
– A mountain clan whose ancestors are the Erastonians.

Netherling
– Primordial beings from the Nether, said to have been the ones to bestow their power on the Eztezians in order to save the world. This act was part of their revenge against the gods for their experiments.

Ostania
– The Eastern continent of Denestia. Have been at conflict with most of Granadia for millennia.

Pathfinder
– Powerful Matii, trained by the Tribunal, who have passed the ultimate tests of control over their emotions, which ensure they will not succumb to the temptations of the power the essences promise. They are used to hunt Matii who break the laws governing the use of Forging or those who go insane. They often accompany Ashishin to protect the Ashishin from attackers and from themselves.

Prima Materium
– The primordial elements from which Mater is derived. Created by the Annendin using his blood.

Principles of Mater
– Rules governing all the elements.

Pupa
– An Ashishin-in-Training

Raijin
– An elite assassin corps within the Tribunal.

Sanctums of Shelter
– Similar to the Bastions of Light but more powerful and arrayed along the mountains in Northern Granadia to protect from any direct incursion by the shade through the Great Divide. They also provide power to the Vallum and the Bastions. Like the Chainin, it is imbued through the use of Etchings.

Scorpio
– A massive crossbow–type weapon that fires large metal projectiles.

Seifer
– See Nema

Senjin
– A sport played with a leather ball, featuring 14 combatants, 7 per side, on a field spilt into 6 parts, with two halves. The team to score three times first, wins.

Seti
– A kingdom in north western Ostania. Their people the Setian are descendants of the Alzari. (See Alzari)

Shadelings
– Creatures created in the God Wars, primarily by the god Amuni, and his followers by experimenting with netherlings and the essence of shade. The effects of the couplings can be seen within some of the strange beasts within Denestia.

Shin
– The respectful title given to Ashishin Matii.

Shunyata
– A place within each person where they can separate and control their emotions. Also the place where sela essence is stored within any living being. Also known as the Eye.

sentient
– construct created by Prima Materium and the use of the Tenets. It carries the memories of whatever creature it was made after. It can think, but has no sela and therefore is not alive. (Also Prima construct.)

Streamean
– The religion named after the elements of Streams and its gods.

Streams
– The combination of four essences—light, heat, cold, and shade that make up energy. The energy can be used in the forming of the other elements e.g cold is needed to form ice which is part of the Forms and part of the Flows.

Sven
– The earth elemental peoples that inhabit the Nevermore Mountains in north eastern Ostania. Descendants of the Svenzar.

Svenzar
– Form elementals that reside in mountainous areas. Their power resides in earth, metal, and wood.

Tenets
– the laws governing individual essences. Also used as a focus to summon Prima constructs.

The Aegis
– Said to be a power or a person who would help either protect the gods or defend against their resurgence.

The Chronicles
– Sacred tomes written by the Eztezians themselves and their descendants, dictating the past and the future of the world.

The Disciplines
– A set of rules and pointers on how to govern and lead soldiers.

The Eye
– See Shunyata.

The Great Divide
– A massive rift in the land created by the Eztezians to defeat the shadelings. It runs from north to south across central Everland, and is guarded by the Erastonians.

The Iluminus
– Named after the god Ilumni, it is the central city, learning hub and home of the Tribunal and its Matii.

The Nether
– A realm between the worlds thought to be the origination of Mater, the gods, and netherlings.

The Stone
– The great hidden city where the Svenzar and Sven live in northern Ostania.

The Unvanquished
– Stefan Dorn’s elite troops in Ostania.

Travelshaft
– Tunnels developed by the Svenzar using the Forms, where time is slowed and speed increased to allow travel between large distances in a small amount of time. Said to somehow be constructed between the Planes of Existence.

Tribunal
– The founding society of Ashishin among the Matii. They determined what was needed for the Matii as a whole to function in their proper roles as protectors and mediators. Eventually, the different Matii split apart due to conflicts in ideals, philosophies and religions. The Tribunal rules in Granadia. They left Ostania where most of the other Matii fled, to fend for themselves.

Toscali
- A race of Matii long lost. They, like the Ashishin wield the light. Clad in white and gold and favor spears.