The Shadows of Grace (11 page)

“You lead an army that has conquered a kingdom,” she said, her back to him. “What does that make you, Qurrah? A king? A warlord? Does that make me your queen, Qurrah?”

“You are finer than any queen,” Qurrah said, sliding out of bed. “Prettier, and far less inbred.”

“Cute,” she said. “But if I am a queen, then I should dress like one.”

She pulled out a crimson dress. She smiled, then slipped it over her head. The fabric hung from her skinny body, the sleeves long and elegant. Gold trim lined the hem around the neck, sparkling in the low light. Tessanna flicked her hair behind her shoulders and smiled at her lover.

“Like?” she asked.

Her face gorgeous, her hair long and healthy, her dress thin and sensual and red: Qurrah could only laugh at such a ridiculous question.

“Of course I do,” he said. “You’re beautiful.”

She tilted her head so that he could see the ear she had cut. Already it had grown back, albeit a little pinker. The five scars on her face had faded, now only sharp lines that added an exoticness to her face. Qurrah was stunned by the rapid rate of her healing. Tessanna was the daughter of a goddess; of that he had no doubt.

“I won’t cut myself like that again,” she said, suddenly shy and quiet. “I don’t know why I did. Mommy had left me, and breaking, becoming me again, it suddenly felt so terrible. I couldn’t bear it, and you weren’t awake, not yet…”

“I’m awake now,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “And I’ll always be here for you.”

“The demons are ready to move out,” she said. “They want to hunt. Velixar has convinced them to leave the elves for later, for when we have more forces. The humans should be far easier prey.”

“Who will guard the portal should the elves attempt to destroy it?” Qurrah asked.

The girl shrugged. “Those that continue to pass through. It appears their army is limitless, and perhaps it is. This world is doomed, Qurrah, and I can’t wait until we escape to a new one.”

He kissed her neck. “Come. Let us survey this army.”

The two exited the castle to see tents covering the castle courtyard, all waving small banners with a yellow fist. Qurrah shook his head, but was not surprised. He had slept horribly that night, each demon passing through the portal sapping a bit more of his strength. He wondered if Velixar fared any better.

“Do you know how many?” Qurrah asked.

“They have almost a thousand,” Tessanna said. “But no more come through the portal. I think Ulamn is nervous.”

“As he should be,” Velixar said, coming up behind them from the castle. “He knows both of us are sorely taxed. He will bring in no more, not for a few weeks. I think the two of us could both use the rest.”

“When do we leave for Mordan?” Qurrah asked.

“Soon,” Velixar said. “But we have a few things to take care of first.”

He pointed to a group of orcs that made their way among the tents. They were led by their masters, Trummug and Gumgog, and each looked furious.

“We was lied to!” Gumgog shouted as they neared. “Lied! Lied!”

“Shaddup, Gumgog,” Trummug said, elbowing the orc before offering a clumsy bow to Velixar. “We not happy, pet of Karak. Not happy at all.”

“What is the matter?” Velixar asked, his smile condescending.

“You promised me an army and a kingdom,” Trummug said. “Yet we have nothing.”

“You raped and burned this city to a shadow of its former self,” Qurrah said, scratching his chin. “Was that not worth your losses?”

Gumgog heard this and roared with laughter.

“No, the fighting more than good, lopped off so many heads…”

“But your new pets, the demons, they do not care,” Trummug said. “They no like Karak. They not listen to us. They claim this city, but what we get? Not going back to the Wedge! We staying here!”

“Yeah!” the other orcs shouted in unison.

Velixar turned to his disciple. “What do you suggest?” he asked.

Qurrah shrugged. “If they want land, give them land. Ulamn and his soldiers only seek to crush the established order to sow chaos. They have no interest in such claims.”

“Indeed,” Velixar said. He raised his arms to the orc masters and gestured from east to west. “All about are lands, and I give them to you. Bring your brethren in from the Vile Wedge. Swarm the northern plains with your axes! Crush the Green Castle. Burn Felwood Castle to the ground. Neldar is yours.”

“All of it?” Trummug asked.

Velixar nodded, a small smile on his face. “All of it.”

The orcs raised their weapons and cheered. Gumgog led them away, screaming for death and blood. Qurrah watched him go, strangely envious of their careless nature.

“Ulamn is prepared to move out,” Velixar said, also watching the orcs leave. “His pride is stung from his defeat. He won’t admit it, but he is pushing his troops hard. He wants surprise on his side when they invade Omn.”

“What hope do they have to stand against this army?” Qurrah asked. “Surprise will mitigate some losses, but it is no matter.”

“Forget them for now,” Velixar said. “Ulamn is not the only one with an army to raise.”

The army sworn to Karak camped opposite Thulos’s war demons. Over a thousand undead stood perfectly still, raised from the slaughtered civilians, soldiers, and unfaithful. Filling the western streets were the dark paladins’ tents, each flying a flag of the lion’s skull. In the other direction, smaller, meager tents stood for the hundreds who passed the test of faith. These new converts wandered about with bandages over their hands and gray robes given to them from the storehouses of the priests’ temple. The remaining priests of Karak bunked with them, constantly preaching Karak’s glory.

“An impressive sight, isn’t it?” Velixar said as they arrived.

“I wonder how necessary the demons’ help truly is,” Qurrah said. “How many more dead might we add as we march west?”

“Without the demons, the elves would decimate us as we traveled,” Velixar said. “I have felt the stings of their arrows often enough. We will let Ulamn’s pets deal with them in time.”

Tessanna curled her arms behind her as she walked among the handless servants, her fingers clasped tight. Velixar had called them the tested, and it made sense enough. Several watched her pass with vacant eyes, but most stared with frightening intensity. One man with messy blond hair and a broken nose accosted her, pressing the stubs of his hands against her arms.

“His glory,” the tested said, spitting as he talked. “Have you heard his glory? His wondrous glory?”

“I know of Karak’s glory,” she said. “But do you?”

“Order among chaos, perfection among the bloodshed!” The tested smiled. “All shall soon know. Pray to him, and you too shall know.”

“I have seen his order,” Tessanna said, putting her hand on the man’s shoulder. Black lightning sparked from her fingers. The man staggered away, howling like an animal.

“Tess?” Qurrah asked, hearing the howl and turning to see his lover staring with a cold, seething gaze. She slowly shook her head.

“Judge trees by their fruit,” she whispered as she neared. “And the only fruit I see is death.”

Qurrah glanced to see if Velixar heard, but it appeared not. A man dressed in the garbs of high priest had approached him and bowed low.

“Greetings, hand of Karak,” the priest said. “Welcome to our camp.”

“I have heard rumors,” Velixar said, not returning the bow. “Rumors of a new high priest to replace Pelarak.”

“I am he,” the priest said. “Once I was Preston, but now I am Melorak, the name given to me by Karak as I slumbered in the night.”

Velixar crossed his arms. His ever-changing face scowled at the many other priests who gathered about. By the way they surrounded him he could tell they believed him their leader.

“Karak whispers to me as well,” Velixar said. “As he always has. Yet I hear not your name,
Preston
, nor of any new high priest.”

Preston turned his palms upward. Qurrah frowned at the fake humility on the pudgy man’s face. His cheeks sagged as if he had once been very heavy but lost much of it at a rapid pace. He was bald, and he wore no jewelry or any open sigils to Karak.

“I do not claim to know Karak’s methods,” Preston said. “But I know he works in mysterious ways. Do you doubt my faith, or the vote of the other priests, hand of Karak? Do you doubt Karak himself, or are you in such a high position that our god must reveal every decision to you for permission?”

The red in Velixar’s eyes flared bright.

“You talk dangerously,” he said, his voice deepening. “I will not have Karak’s victory put at risk. Remember that, for I will be watching you.”

“Karak watches us both,” Preston said. “And I hold faith in his judgment.”

Velixar turned away, Qurrah and Tessanna trailing after. Once out of earshot, he began cursing long and loud.

“That fool,” Velixar said. “I knew I should have killed him while he was still a pup in training.”

“You still can,” Qurrah said. “He cannot match your power.”

“The priests would protect him,” Tessanna said. “Though I do not understand why.”

“Because he has them fooled with his humility and twisted words,” Velixar said. A trio of orcs marching down the street dared pass too near, and Velixar struck them dead with bolts of fire.

“He speaks half-truths and delusions,” the man in black said, staring at the burning corpses. “All he wants is power. He treats his faith to Karak as a tool. And that name! Only Karak has the authority to give such a name.”

“What does it mean?” Qurrah asked.

“Order-bringer,” Velixar said, his hands shaking with rage. “Believed to be the last name Karak will bestow before Mordan is destroyed and all of Dezrel conquered. It is a twisted prophecy. I am his prophet, and never once have I spoken it, but the priests cherish the delusion.”

“Such anger,” Tessanna said. “The world approaches ruin, and you seethe at a pathetic priest grabbing for power in the last days?”

Velixar whirled on her, his face freezing into a skull covered by the thinnest stretches of skin. Fire burned within his mouth as he talked.

“The priests have turned their backs to me time and time again,” he said. “Pelarak was one of the few who heard my wisdom and obeyed, but Ashhur’s lapdogs killed him. Many feel I am a relic from a time long broken. They whisper that I don’t hear Karak’s words, that I seek only control. Hear me; they will rally about Preston as a sign that my time has passed. The tested will follow them blindly. Soon they will turn to the dark paladins.”

They resumed their walk down the streets. Qurrah looked at the broken buildings, burned roofs and blood-soaked roads. How long ago was it he walked amid bustling streets, filled with mindless chatter and barter? The sight of such desolation stirred his gut. The entire world would soon be likewise. He knew he could not live in such a world. He and Tessanna would have to escape to another, escape from the work of his own hand.

“Will the paladins listen to him?” Qurrah asked when he felt Velixar had calmed.

“Krieger is their new commander,” Velixar said. “His faith in me is great.”

“His faith in us, though, is nil,” Qurrah said, his words squeezing a giggle out of Tessanna.

“You have already proven your worth,” Velixar said. “The portal is open, and Karak will soon be freed. But Krieger is young, as are his brethren. Preston will try to seduce them with his lies.”

“Why doesn’t Karak strike him down?” Qurrah asked.

Velixar shook his head. “I’m not sure if Karak can, but if he could, he still would not. You have seen the tested. Karak will see if his priests are true or not, whether they follow his prophet or fall for a lie.”

“And you will let that test run its course,” Tessanna said. “That’s why you don’t kill him.”

“Yes,” Velixar sighed. “That is why.”

Their walking led them to the southern gate. Stretched before them were the orc tents, all jostling with commotion. The orc army was preparing for departure. Soon they would spread out like a swarm of insects, all across the east. The few human towns left would be assaulted, burned, and destroyed.

“In a way, I long to join them,” Qurrah said. Tessanna wrapped her arms around his elbow, and Velixar nodded in understanding.

“There is a simplicity there,” Velixar said. “A joy in the slaughter. Do not succumb to it. Our path is harder, our trials greater, our achievements higher.”

“I need to rest,” Qurrah said. “No matter how hollow sleep feels lately.”

He and Tessanna turned back to the castle, leaving Velixar to stare at the preparing orc army.

Inwardly he groaned with anger. His priests were beginning another play for spiritual dominance. His paladins would soon be a battled-over trinket. Even worse, Ulamn’s warriors were scrambling for every possible way to diminish his importance in their conquest. His hold on power was tenuous at best, fleeting at worst.

“Give me strength,” he prayed aloud. “Aid me, Karak. I refuse to falter so close to the end.”

He waited for Karak’s cold voice reaffirming his role, his power, his faith. It never came, and Velixar cursed his weakness for needing it in the first place.