Hemlock And The Dead God's Legacy (Book 2) (31 page)

She
had just taken them to see the ampitheater.  She had shown them its wonders, and had explained to them the auras she could sense within it—things they were unable to perceive.  They had many questions, but she told them to wait.

She was
aware of the concentrated power of the Wand in her hand—and certain she would have to give that power to another very soon.

She
also felt something familiar as she made her way down the dusty corridor that led to the cavern where she had destroyed the first two Wands.  Rather than the thrill of discovery she had felt when she first entered this ancient hallway, she now felt only a hollow echo, tinged by a longing numbness.  The same longing numbness she had felt after Safreon's death.

Merit and Gwineval had told her the story of Julius
that morning: his origins in the desert, his arrival in the City, his rejection of his Father's ideals, and his eventual surrender to the temptation of Imperial power.  Dark debts had gone unpaid for centuries, debts that she and the City had inherited, and which had finally come due for settlement.

Now that debt has become my burden
.  But I am strong enough to bear it.

As the group descended in silence, Hemlock perceived an arched doorway at the edge of t
he torchlight.  She reached it and passed through it into the cavern beyond, reflecting on her youth.  The two stone statues sat in silent observation as they faced the chasm that held the fire below. The Maker's Fire.

She continued to walk into the large cavern. 
As she neared the ruined edge of the stone causeway where Safreon's wife Jupita had met her demise, she understood that deaths were not always absolute.  She felt that sometimes death was incremental.  And she was sure some part of her had passed away with that small infant with the stone skin that was loved by Amarank, the earth spirit.  Hemlock wondered whether Amarank had died in that room as well. 

She
looked at Tored as he stoically regarded her.  No, there was emotion in his face.  It was a detached pity.  He knew she was suffering, but the part of him that could reach out to her had also passed away at some point during their journey to Tor Varnos.

Are we all just shells of ourselves walking aimlessly through our lives, accepting our fates after the parts of us that resist them
are finally worn down?

She looked at the faces of the others that had
followed her here:  Samberlin, Mercuria, Gwineval, Renevos, Merit, and Miara.  Each of them wore an expectant look, although varying individual emotions were also reflected on each face.

Just like Julius
, I’ve returned to the City to accept the legacy of a dead god, and to combat the legacy of another one.

Hemlock began to speak softly then, her
voice clear above the distant crackle of the fire that raged many leagues below.  And her Father was alive in her mind, his very essence seeming to warm her from the glowing river of tumult that raged in the depths of the rock far below her feet.

“Do you have questions?” Hemlock asked.

There was a long period of silence, and then Gwineval spoke.

"
You said that you can sense this DuLoc?  How is this possible?" asked Gwineval.

"Wa
sn't this the Imperator's vision? Can we trust it?" asked Miara at nearly the same time.

Hemlock turned toward Gwineval
. "I can just feel it.  It may have something to do with my…nature." Then she turned to Miara. "I think the Imperator did build it. But I'm not sure. Maybe he just sealed it away. But I can tell it’s a true depiction of the worlds. I've seen them in my visions."

"But you needed the Wand to make this room show the worlds, didn't you?
Doesn't that imply it's an Imperial device?" said Miara.

"Yes, maybe so.
But I don't think it matters beyond the fact that it seems to require the Wand," said Hemlock.

"Does that mean you intend to
keep the Wand?" asked Gwineval.

"No, I need to rely on my visions instead.
I've been observing the magic in the ampitheater and it's helped me understand how my visions work and how I can invoke them without needing a Wand."

"So
you still intend to destroy the Wand? Shouldn't we keep it in case we need it to fight this DuLoc?" said Samberlin.

“Don’t you understand?  The Wand is an instrument of Imperial power—
DuLoc’s power!  He can’t be resisted with it,” said Hemlock.

Nobody spoke for a few moments
. "Samberlin, I realize now that you have been as great an architect in the redemption of the City as Safreon was.  Your ambition has been to destroy the Wizard Guild, and now you are on the cusp of success.  But you don't understand the purpose of your quest.  If left on your present course, your work would result in the creation of a new tower in the Senate—a tower just as vast and impenetrable as the Wizard Tower was.  Your purpose must now be to destroy the Senate—to reduce it to its lowest form—so that it is almost formless and insubstantial.  It must be transparent in the face of the will of the people.  It must appreciate that the people are collectively smarter than any governing body—no matter how great the governors may be."

Samberlin smiled slightl
y and his mouth opened.  Then he frowned and did not say a word.  The old politician averted his eyes.

As Hemlock
turned her attention to each person in turn, none of them met her gaze.

Several minutes of silence ensued.

Gwineval finally looked up at her and stepped forward. "Hemlock, who are you?"

"I am the daughter of the
Maker," she said, twirling her hair on her finger unconsciously.

"You said
you would give up leadership of the Wizard Guild."

"I
have."

"But you still speak as our leader."

"I am the leader in the war to resist Sub-Imperator DuLoc, who will soon return to the City bearing one of these," said Hemlock, holding the Wand of the Imperator aloft for all to see.

"Nobody is compelled to follow me.
I am finished imposing my will by force until the final battle arrives.  Those who wish to resist the Imperial Law and its vices will follow me because their values will be in alignment with mine."

Hemlock looked for any doubt in Gwineval's eyes, and
clearly saw it playing over his face, though he made a poor attempt at concealing it.

"Safreon tested you once, and now you will be tested again," said Hemlock.  She strode forward and before Gwineval knew what had happened
, she gave him the Wand of the Imperator.  She took a step back to stand astride of the line of people that now faced the reptilian wizard.

Gwineval's eyes bulged with vigor as he looked down at the artifact in his hands.  After several moments he seemed to appreciate that he was not alone, and looked chagrined
. "I apologize, it's just—it's been so long since I bore one of these. And now that I've learned about the Imperial magic... I...It holds such power!"

Samberlin stepped forward
, trembling. "Gwineval, you must keep the Wand.  I don't know what has come over Hemlock, but she doesn't seem herself.  Perhaps these witches who are now in our midst have affected her.  Please!  Take the Wand and return to the Tower.  Hemlock said she won't resist you.  We need to establish order in the City.  The people have been roused into suspicion by the arrival of the witches, and by Hemlock's return.  A smooth succession of power in the Wizard Guild would reassure everyone.  And the Wand would impress them as a symbol of that power."

Samberlin shot a wary glance
at Hemlock, but she did not react to his opposition.

I expected as much
from you, Samberlin.
But Hemlock was surprised to realize that she agreed with much of what Samberlin had said.  She did feel unusual.  And she wasn't sure that the speech she had just delivered to the Senator had been wholly her own.  She had the sense that though the words had passed her lips, she had channeled them as much as said them.
Is my Father with me somehow?

"You're quick to betray my sister, Senator!" cried Mercuria, pushing to Hemlock's side and grasping her hand.

Hemlock looked at Mercuria fondly. "It's all right.  It's Gwineval's choice.  He probably was thinking something similar, anyway."

Hemlock looked at Gwineval and saw that he and Miara were gazing into each other's eyes as if they were engaged in a wordless conversation.

Gwineval looked troubled and then Miara nodded to him with a melancholy look on her face.

The wizard's serpentine jawed seemed to stiffen as he turned and walked toward the chasm.

"Gwineval!" cried Samberlin, but it was too late.  The glass enclosed brilliance of the Wand shone brightly as Gwineval outstretched his arm over the edge of the precipice.

They all tensed
for several moments and the muscles in Gwineval’s arm began to quiver with exertion.

“Gwineval?” said Miara plaintively.

Hemlock saw Gwineval’s outstretched arm move slightly back toward his torso, but then it snapped outward again.  The wizard’s extended jaw was visible as he arched his neck backwards as if surveying something above him.  And then he let go of the Wand.

It seemed to fall in slow motion, and Hemlock joined the others as they approached the side to carefully peer over the edge.

As it had done the last time she had destroyed Wands here, the fall into the fire seemed to take an impossibly long time.  But finally there was a flash, and a dull rumble shook the earth around them, causing those assembled to step back from the edge of the chasm in alarm.

After a few moments, the rumbling subsided.

Gwineval turned to Hemlock with an uncertain look on his face.  Miara was by his side in an instant.

“It wouldn
’t have helped you, Gwineval,” said Hemlock.

“It helped me defeat Falignus.”

“Maybe he didn’t understand the Imperial magic like this DuLoc does.  You know the legacy of these Wands now.  How can you use them for good when they were conceived by evil?”

“
But maybe they’re just tools, Hemlock.”

“You’re right—they are tools, but the control they afford
would have led you astray like every wizard who’s used it since Julius.  And even if your intentions remained pure in the face of temptation, how could you guarantee that someone else wouldn’t abuse this power should they gain control of it?”

“
We could have destroyed it after we defended the City against DuLoc.”

“Gwineval,
the only way we’ll be able to defend the City against him is by using my Father’s magic.  Don’t you understand?  You’d have been like a child fighting against a man if you’d tried to wield Imperial magic against him.”

“We don’t know that much about him, Hemlock.  If he’s so strong
, then why hasn’t he already conquered the City?”

“He’s still regaining his strength.  Remember, I faced him in another realm and felt his power.  It’s like nothing you’ve experienced.”

“I hope you’re right, Hemlock,” said Gwineval, as he walked past her toward the exit to the cavern.  Samberlin and Miara followed him, repeating variations of Gwineval’s words.

Tored, Renevos, Mercuria and Merit remained.

Hemlock looked down at Merit warmly.

“You shouldn’t have asked me to lie to a friend, Miss Hemlock.  I have forgiven you, but I wanted you to know how I feel,” said Merit,
looking downward and fidgeting back and forth.

“You’re right,
Merit.  I’m sorry I asked you to do that.  By the way, I have something to discuss with you.”

“
Or course.  When will we see each other?”

“
Soon.  But I’m leaving the Tower for now.  I’m sure Gwineval will let me visit.”

“Visit?  Where will you go?”

Hemlock directed a questioning gaze to Mercuria, who nodded enthusiastically.

“Back to the Warrens.  I think I’ll rest for a while.  I am weary of adventure
for now,” said Hemlock.

“Surely the threat of DuLoc’s return will require some preparations on our part,” said Tored.

“Yes.  But first we will rest.
I don’t want to think about the future for a while.  I just want to eat venison and scamper along the rooftops.  You will stay with us, Tored.  I’ll show you everything about the Warrens.”

“I look forward to that.”

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Here is an excerpt from Hemlock and the Dread Sorceress – Book III in the Maker’s Fire series.  It’s available now at all major e-book distributors.