StarMan (7 page)

But that changed when they rounded a corner and Timozel found himself walking down the same stretch of corridor that he'd walked in his nightmares. He recognised it because there at the very end was the massive wooden door that his treacherous hand had knocked upon to summon Gorgrael.

"No!"

"Timozel, my man," the Dark Man said, his hand firm and reassuring on Timozel's shoulder. "What you dreamed was Forbidden-corrupted, not the truth. No-one is more upset that you have been frightened than Gorgrael himself."

"Truly?" Timozel asked, desperate to believe Friend's explanation.

"Truly," the Dark Man soothed, wrapping Timozel's mind so tightly in enchantments that the man stood no chance of discerning truth from lies. "Very,
very
truly. Now, shall we go on?"

Gorgrael stood in the centre of the room and extended his claws as the door opened and the Dear Man and Timozel stepped through. The man's face was pinched and white, despite the Dark Man's enchanted reassurances, and horror rippled across his features as he saw Gorgrael.

How could something this repulsive - so horribly malformed - be anything but an aberration?

In his nightmares, and in his enchanted vision when he had been forced to mortgage his soul to Gorgrael, Timozel had been brutally treated by the Destroyer.

But now the horror stepped forward, opening its taloned hands in welcome, dipping its tusked head almost in embarrassment that Timozel should find its form displeasing, spreading its wings behind it in unconscious imitation of the

Icarii manner of abasement, and almost swallowing its over-large tongue in an effort to twist its mouth in as close an imitation of a smile as it could get.

Timozel came close to fainting, and actually swayed slightly on his feet, but Friend grasped his elbow.

"Steady, steady," he whispered. "Take courage. Think of this as a test. Do you have the courage to do what is needed to win both Achar and Faraday their freedom?"

"Yes," Timozel muttered. "Yes, I have the courage," and he straightened his back and squared his shoulders. "I have the courage," he said in a stronger voice.

"Timozel," Gorgrael said, and Timozel jumped slightly at the power and strength in Gorgrael's voice.

He stared unflinching into the creature's silver eyes.

"Timozel, are you my man?"

"Do you fight to destroy the Forbidden?"

Gorgrael almost snarled. Who was this stripling to question
him')
But^he felt the Dark Man's eyes on him, and he remembered their plan. "It is my name," he said in as soft a voice as he could manage. "The Destroyer. I live to destroy the Forbidden, the hateful Icarii and Avar."

"Will you free Achar?"

"I will drive the Forbidden from the land, yes."

Gorgrael would free Achar. Timozel only heard what he wanted to hear. He cleared his throat and spoke in a slightly stronger voice. "Do you seek to destroy Axis?"

Now Gorgrael could not help a small hiss and he flexed his clawed hands. "I will
shred
him!"

Timozel smiled, and for the first time he seemed comfortable. "Good. Will you free Faraday?"

Gorgrael smiled with an equal degree of chill. Faraday. Axis' Lover. The key to his destruction, and a woman Gorgrael had come to desire almost as much as he desired Axis' death.

"Will you help me free her, Timozel? Will you help me rescue Faraday?"

"Yes, yes and yes thrice over, Great Lord," he said. "You are all that Friend said you were." He paused. "My soul is yours."

Fool! Gorgrael thought. Your soul was mine from the moment Faraday broke your vows of Championship. But he ducked his head and simpered anyway. Time enough in the future for Timozel to realise exactly how deeply Gorgrael's claws were hooked into his soul.

"Then let us cement the bargain," Gorgrael whispered.

The Dark Man hurriedly stepped out of the way.

In the wink of an eye Gorgrael scurried the distance between himself and Timozel, his dreadful clawed hands and taloned wings extended. He was so quick that Timozel could not have moved, even had he wanted to.

All he had time for was a quick breath of surprise, a widening of the eyes, then Gorgrael was upon him.

With lightning-quick movements, Gorgrael shredded the clothes from TimozePs upper body, then knifed razor sharp claws deep into Timozel's chest.

Timozel opened his mouth to scream, but the pain was so great all that escaped his mouth was a harsh gurgle.

Gorgrael twisted his claws in deeper, then pulled Timozel next to him, their faces close in a frightful parody of a lover's embrace.

Timozel's eyes, open wide, were sightless with agony. His arms curled at his side, his hands crimped uselessly.

The Dark Man watched impassively. This had to be done, but he hoped that Gorgrael would be able to wield the enchantments so that Timozel would remember nothing of it afterwards. Damn it, Gorgrael is enjoying this. Pity poor Faraday when Gorgrael finally has the chance to get his talons into her.

His claws scraping through bone and flesh, whimpering with pleasure, Gorgrael finally let a bolt of power flood through Timozel's body. If Timozel was to lead Gorgrael's army against Axis, then the man needed a well of power like those Gorgrael had given the SkraeBolds. It would contain only the minutest fraction of the power that Gorgrael himself commanded, but it would be more, far more than the SkraeBolds enjoyed. Timozel needed to be able to control the SkraeBolds as well.

"'feel it!"Gorgrael hissed ecstatically, wriggling and pulling Timozel more firmly against his own body.

"Feel it!"

Somewhere in a dark corner of his mind that wasn't totally consumed by pain Timozel faintly heard Gorgrael's words, and, even more faintly, could feel something warm and dark writhing in his belly.
Feel
it.

This darkness suddenly, unbelievably, flared into such fire-barbed agony that Timozel finally found the breath to cry out. He arched his body, flung back his head and shrieked, and shrieked, and then shrieked once more.

"Yes!" Gorgrael groaned, then retracted his claws and let Timozel fall to the floor, dark blood streaming from the dreadful wounds in his chest.

Timozel drifted out of the blackness that had claimed him. He felt incredibly relaxed, and a feeling of such well-being flooded him that he tried to hold on to the blackness. He smiled, savouring the sensations. Not even Yr at her best had caused him to feel this satisfied, this replete.

The Dark Man caught Gorgrael's eye and nodded. Yo«
have done better than I expected, my
friend.
Yo«
have excelled yourself. The man will do anything for you now. Anything.

Gorgrael reflectively rubbed one of his tusks with a claw.
Good.

Timozel stretched his body, turned his head, smiled, and opened his eyes.

Friend and Gorgrael were seated in grotesquely malcarved chairs before a roaring fire. Both held crystal glasses of wine. Both were gazing benignly at him.

Timozel smiled at them. "What happened?"

"I have accepted you into my service," Gorgrael said. "See?" He tapped his chest.

Timozel frowned, then realised that Gorgrael wanted him to look at his own chest. He raised himself onto his elbows, noting in some surprise that he only wore his breeches and boots.

On his chest was branded the outline of a clawed hand.

"My mark," Gorgrael said.

"Then I am proud to wear it, Great Lord," Timozel said boldly, and he rose to his feet. He had no memory of the assault that had put the mark there.

He felt incredibly well and powerful, and both Gorgrael and the Dark Man smiled at the expression of wonderment on TimozePs face.

"Already you feel the benefit of my power, Timozel," Gorgrael said, rising from his chair and moving to what Timozel, even in his sublime state, considered the ugliest sideboard he had ever seen. "Wine?"

Gorgrael held the decanter and shook it slightly in Timozel's direction.

"Yes," Timozel said. "Wine would be welcome." He wondered why he had ever feared this noble creature now standing before him. This was where he was meant to be. This was vision. This was destiny.

Gorgrael handed Timozel a glass of wine and waved him over to a table. "We must plan, Timozel, to bring Axis' evil house crashing about him and to restore Faraday to the light."

"With pleasure, Lord," Timozel said, taking a sip of the wine.

The Dark Man stood and the three toasted their future success.

Gorgrael was prepared to admit that the Dark Man had been right. He had over-reached himself by launching his attack on

Gorkenfort two years ago. It had been precipitate and foolish. His SkraeBolds had badly mismanaged the attack on the Earth Tree Grove, as well as the battle above Gorkenfort where so many Skraelings had been destroyed by the emerald fire. But now Gorgrael felt that all the elements he needed to defeat Axis were firmly in his grasp. The last piece had been Timozel, and now Timozel stood here, so tightly bonded to Gorgrael's service that he would sell his soul . . . no! Gorgrael almost laughed out loud, Timozel would now gladly sell
Faraday's
soul to ensure his master's victory!

"Enough," he said, startling the other two. "We must plan. Timozel, let me tell you about the army you will command."

For the next hour Gorgrael spoke, and Timozel's excitement rose. What a force the Great Lord was handing him! Over the past year Gorgrael had been transforming his hordes. The Skraelings were no longer the misty wraiths Timozel had originally seen at Gorkenfort, vulnerable through their eyes. Now they were fully fleshed creatures, so totally encased in bony armour they would be near-impossible to kill.

The IceWorms had been bred larger, more numerous and more mobile.

"The weather is mine," Gorgrael said finally. "I now wield virtually total control over the ice and the wind."

The Dark Man nodded to himself. That was Gorgrael's Avar blood coming out in him; with that and his ability to wield the Dark Music, Gorgrael would be able to unleash a frozen hell over most of the northern half of Achar . . . Tencendor now. The Dark Man was pleased with Gorgrael's work in this area. Two years ago Gorgrael's control over the winter had been a haphazard and fragile affair. Now it was almost total.

"Then you would do well to send some of your ice south as soon as you can," Timozel said.

Gorgrael frowned. "Now?" He had thought Timozel would need at least a week or two to establish his control over the Skraeling force.

"Axis will be sending many of his army north soon, Great Lord. We are lucky that he has not already done so. If you send your ice south now - as far as the Western and Bracken Ranges if you can - then you will freeze those rivers that have caused you such trouble. And if the Nordra freezes, Axis will not be able to move his troops north faster than a crawl."

"Yes. Yes," Gorgrael said. "You make a good point." Timozel watched his master. He vaguely remembered that once he had thought Gorgrael a creature so frightfully malformed, so disgusting, that his very appearance seemed the personification of evil. Now Gorgrael seemed noble, and his strange appearance only made him appear powerful, not ugly or frightful.

"And your ice spears, Master, why have you not used them again? You tried to murder Axis with them once outside the Barrows of the Enchanter-Talons, and you could perhaps have employed them to your advantage at Gorkenfort. If you use them again, I am confident they will create mayhem among Axis' force - and think how they could impale the Icarii Strike Force!"

Gorgrael looked embarrassed. "Ahem. Yes, well, I must admit, Timozel, that I badly over-extended myself at the Ancient Barrows. I was not as powerful then as I am how. But I am afraid that I will not be able to use the ice spears again in any case, although they were such a pretty creation."

"But why, Great Lord, if your power is so much greater now?"

Gorgrael grinned to himself, and the Dark Man smiled too, knowing what Gorgrael was thinking of.

"Because I have one more secret to show you, Timozel. The weapon that will surely destroy Axis and his army."

He clicked his claws, and Timozel heard a movement in one of the darker corners of the room.

"I will give you an air-borne force, Timozel, that will make the Icarii Strike Force seem pitiful indeed."

"The Gryphon!" Timozel suddenly remembered the dreadful winged creatures that had flown over Jervois Landing.

"Yes," Gorgrael said. "The Gryphon. Behold, my pet."

The Gryphon that now crawled on its belly towards them was much larger, her lion's body more powerfully built, than the original Gryphon Gorgrael and the Dark Man had created between them. As she approached Timozel she dipped her eagle's head in subservience.

The .Dark Man managed to stop himself swearing in surprise.
This was not the Gryphon that he
and Gorgrael had made!

Gorgrael peered at the Dark Man slyly. "I lost another of the SkraeBolds in the WildDog Plains, Dear Man. With its decomposing flesh I made another Gryphon. Only larger, more powerfully built. More intelligent."

"And it breeds?" the Dark Man asked, his voice harsh.

"As do its pups," Gorgrael said, more than pleased at the Dark Man's surprise. "As do its pups."

He turned back to Timozel. "I will give you one of this creature's pups as your own. Go on, pat her head, scratch the back of her neck, she likes that. With one of these creatures as your mount you will be able to sail the thermals as easily as do the Icarii."

As Timozel bent down to the Gryphon fawning at his feet, Gorgrael took the Dark Man by the elbow and led him away a few steps, talking quietly.

"Perhaps there is something I should tell you, Dark Man."

Hearing the perverse pleasure in Gorgrael's voice, the Dark Man knew the news was going to be bad.

"Dear Man, I know you planned that the Gryphon should stop breeding after the second pack was whelped. I know you planned that the numbers of Gryphon would be limited."

Months ago Gorgrael and the Dark Man had created a Gryphon, a creature with the head of an eagle, the wings of a bird, and the body of a great cat. The Dark Man had infused deep enchantments into the making of the Gryphon; the single female had been created pregnant, and soon after she had been created she had whelped nine pups. And these nine pups had been born female and pregnant. After four months they too whelped, each bearing nine pups. But the Dark Man had thought he had manipulated the enchantments so that the breeding would stop there. He wanted Gorgrael to have a powerful air-borne force - and the eighty-two Gryphon created in this fashion would surely be that —