A Shadow Flame (Book 7) (13 page)

"
I am fortunate that you were the one who found me, Brian
," Kroma rumbled in his thoughts.

"
Why is that?
" Brian asked, not sure what the god meant by such a comment.

"
Let's just say that I am pleased to travel with you, and leave it at that for now,
" Kroma said.

"
It is still very strange to me that you are in my head, or wherever you are,
" Brian replied. "
But I am glad of your wisdom, and glad we are allies in this, and friends as well."

"
As am I,
" Kroma rumbled.

A winged Darga flew across the gloom over the vast lake that pooled upon the land to the west of the city, then made its way up over the high cliffs and walls of Maramyr, then toward the palace. The city lay in the shadow of grey clouds that made the day seem almost like night. No one, save a few Darga, and the regular patrols of grey soldiers, ventured out into the streets. The only signs of light and life in the city were the strange glow of dark crystals in various points, and they were somehow the opposite of illuminating, as though they instead drew in what little light there was in the world and consumed it. At the palace, torches flickered upon the walls and by the gates, lit and replaced out of habit by the few remaining servants who went about their duties in a daze, barely aware of their own existence, yet acting out a daily routine, in accordance to the power that ruled them. Few even noticed when the winged Darga landed in the courtyard and walked up the steps to the palace, so accustomed they now were to the comings and goings of the strange and fearsome creatures.

The guards at the entrance, their grey, rotting skin rankling the nose of the Darga, stepped aside, the faint glow in their white eyes marking them as the eyes of the god, the dark queen, whose shadow already covered the city and soon would spread across the land. The Darga continued onward, into the grand foyer, then up into the palace, where he was directed by several more guards, into a large, dark cavern that had been hollowed out of the inside of the structure. He found Calexis and her new consort standing among countless eggs of various sizes, most of them beginning to show signs of hatching or, movement in the ones that had only membrane instead of shell. It was a dark menagerie in the making, and Calexis appeared to be using the power of the young man to speed the gestation.

The Darga watched as Calexis stood behind Aaron, with her arms wrapped around him, while whispering in his ear as flames poured from his hands, causing the black ooze that covered the floor to bubble and smoke. The flames, which the Darga noticed also swirled with darkness, disappeared and the young man let his arms drop to his side, his expression vacant, much like the people of the city. Calexis turned at the arrival of the Darga, and the creature dropped to one knee, as he knew was expected in the presence of the powerful queen.

"What news from Rivergate?" she asked, though she already knew, having seen through the eyes of the grey soldiers that had been under her spell.

"Rivergate is lost, highness," the Darga replied. "The enemy now marches east on the mountain road, guarded by the same dragons that attacked us in the elven lands."

"Very good," Calexis said. "Join the other Darga in the city, where you may do whatever you wish for your own enjoyment, though I expect you to be ready to fight when the enemy arrives."

The Darga grunted and its reptilian features twisted into a frown.

"You have been dismissed," Calexis said.

"Highness, the Darga scouts wish to know why you do not attack."

"Do you question my orders?" Calexis hissed, letting go of her young consort, and walking toward the Darga

"No, highness," the creature replied. "We Darga only seek to serve you better."

"Then do as you are told!" Calexis shrieked. "If you Darga were more intelligent, then I would consider you worthy of sharing my plans."

"Darga are learning, highness," he said, then he stood and bowed his head. "But you are the leader, our rightful queen."

"It is good that you know this," Calexis said. "Now begone from my sight."

"Yes, highness," the Darga said, and he turned and walked from the cavern.

"Insolent creatures," Calexis growled, then she turned to Aaron. "Come, dear. The day grows long. Let us dine on fresh meat this evening, and perhaps the servants in the kitchen can fetch some of the good wine. It might put me in a better mood."

"As you command," Aaron said, feeling her power pulling him forward as he followed her out of the chamber, his body screaming in pain from what she had done to him.

Behind them, several of the eggs began to crack, and a sharp claw sliced through a translucent membrane that held a creature that was distinctively reptilian, but with pale features upon its face that were like a small mask of Calexis' own. Clear, viscous liquid, flecked with blood, spilled out onto the blackened stone floor beneath it, as the rest of the chamber began to echo with the chattering sounds of countless creatures, awakened by power and now eager to escape into the world.

As they made their way up through the palace, Calexis felt her legs begin to fail, and she summoned more of her power to strengthen the flesh and bone that supported her, flesh that had begun to rot, and she was irritated at the frailty of her body, and the foulness that it had begun to exude. As the power of the shadow within her became stronger, it seemed that her physical form was beginning to weaken, and it was also making it more difficult for her to sense the world and the movements of her enemies, even with her magic. It was as though, despite having more power at her command, her vision was becoming cloudy, and she cursed the weakness of the flesh that held her corporeal form. Calexis wondered if that weakness might be the reason that she had not seen the mages at the doors to her temple until moments before they would have attacked, no doubt intending to disrupt her plans. She was frustrated that she was now dependent upon the Darga scouts to bring news to her of the specific movements of those who would challenge her, since she did not like not knowing things, but Calexis reminded herself that soon it would not matter, for through the power of the shadow she could tell that Aaron's resistance weakening.

Deep within her, in a secret place she had created, the part of Calexis that remained free of the power of the dark god, the part of her that had not fallen prey to the darkness, endured the pain of her disintegrating flesh, and she felt horror and revulsion for what she had become. The Calexis that remained, trapped within herself, hidden by a spell, wavered between self-pity, regret and anger, the latter mostly from how helpless she was to do anything about what she had become. But she was not entirely powerless, and carefully, so as not to attract the shadow that coursed through so much of her being and was now, slowly closing in on the place where she stayed hidden within herself, Calexis summoned what little power she had left, and waited, searching for some way to stop the madness that her world had become.

As they walked past a window that looked out over the lake to the west, the part of Calexis that had become one with the god, looked out over the gloom and used her power to search the horizon for signs of the enemy. While she could feel only vague impressions, she knew that they were drawing ever closer, and soon they would be within her grasp. From behind the dark veil of shadow that now enveloped him, Aaron also wished he could use his power to learn more of what was happening in the world, but he knew that he should have faith that Ehlena and the others would come, and he hoped they would be able to save as many of the people as possible if the worst were to happen, especially now that the plan that Stavros and Calthas had put into motion had been thwarted by Calexis.

In the fog of the shadow that was closing in on his thoughts, Aaron was curious to find out how the mages were holding up in their captivity, and knowing how difficult it must be for them, after his own experience of having much of his power drained by the dark crystal in the temple, so he used a little residual power he had gathered and let his senses flow outward to the city, toward the temple. He was relieved when he felt their distinctive energies, weak but still alive, though he could tell that they were both too weak to free themselves, let alone finish the work they had begun. Aaron felt something else, something he had noticed before, when the mages were working on reversing the flow of the crystal spell. There had been a third power, weaker than the two mages, but somehow tied to the changes they were making to the magic, and Aaron could still feel it. He felt a slight shift occur in the way the crystals in the city resonated, and he realized that whoever it was that had been helping the mages before was now continuing on with their work, and that discovery buoyed his spirits, like a brief parting of the clouds that let in a beam of daylight through an overcast sky.

Even though Aaron was fighting just to keep the shadow from invading his thoughts, the part of him that resisted the dark power was pleased at the renewed prospect that Calexis and the dark god within her might be thwarted, for every life restored would be a victory against the shadow. Oblivious to his struggles, or perhaps simply ignoring him, Calexis led him into the dining chamber, where a luxurious table had been laid out for yet another decadent feast for which Aaron had no appetite. He stopped next to his chair as Calexis continued on to hers, then she turned and stared at him and squinted her eyes suspiciously.

"What is it that you find so amusing?" she asked.

"All this for two people, while the people either starve or end up eaten by your creatures," Aaron said, his voice monotone, and the faint smile upon his face turning to a frown. "It is a mockery of life."

"Or perhaps it is life that is a mockery of death," Calexis said. "All you need do, Aaron, is take that which is already yours, and then you will understand the truth of it."

Aaron shrugged and took his seat at the table, opposite the dark queen, the goddess she had become, and the shadow that surrounded her.

"The truth?" Aaron said, then he began to laugh, his voice rasping and his eyes cold and emotionless, staring through the darkness within him.

*****

Ehlena awoke and found Tash fast asleep, leaning on her shoulder. Careful not to disturb her, she laid her gently on the cushions, and made her way out of the tent. The day was growing late, with night nearly fallen over the eastern desert and she was both frustrated that she had lost time and did not feel any better for having rested. If anything she was more exhausted than she had been before, but she did not have time to dwell on such things. Ehlena hoped that the Ansari would aid in the fight against the shadow, but she knew that such a decision would be made by the warrior people, in their own way. When she made her way from the tents to the center of the camp, she found Kasha in the fighting circle with the Ansari leader, both of them circling each other cautiously, their footfalls tired and bearing numerous wounds as though they had been fighting for a long time.

Ehlena saw Ashan, and the old Ansari noticed her and nodded to her, confirming the question that she whispered in his ear with her power. Kasha had challenged the leader of her people, and should she triumph, then she would take his place, as was custom among the Ansari, and her word would speak for all Ansari. Ehlena hoped the mysterious and beautiful warrior would succeed, and when Kasha caught sight of her, she nodded to her, with a determined look in her glimmering green eyes, as though having heard her thoughts, which was entirely possible, for she did little to hide them. Ehlena watched as the Ansari woman leap toward the leader of her people, then she disappeared on the wind, leaving the clash of steel echoing in the wind behind her.

*****

Dragons circled the sky over the foothills beneath the southern Kandaran range, keeping watch for enemies as the Maramyrian army moved eastward along the road toward the land that was their home. Rivergate had been reclaimed with relatively few losses, and after a few hours rest, the army pressed onward, down the main road, leaving a garrison behind to secure the town. Moving quickly along the main road, the army reached the fortified village of Mountain Ridge and discovered that it had been left completely undefended. After conferring with the rank and file regarding whether they wished to rest of carry on, Nathas and Kaleb recommended a hard march for Maramyr. Upon the solid footing of the stone road, it was not long before, at a high point among the foothills, the city appeared, far off in the distance, a sharp point in the dull horizon, looming over the great Lake Mara.

"Does the lake somehow seem larger than it was?" Kaleb asked Nathas, and the older commander looked ahead, trying to remember the last time he had viewed the lands of Maramyr from this perspective.

"It does seem to be," he said, then he looked toward the southern tip of the lake to where it drained into a river that would flow all the way past the sandy grasslands of Ansara and out to the Aghlar coast. "The river looks flooded as well. We should find out if there are any problems with the bridge crossing. It will slow us down considerably if the army cannot take the road to the southern gate."

"I will speak to the princess," Kaleb said, and he spurred his horse forward to where Ariana rode alongside Borrican, each of them followed closely by Keira and Margo.

"Highness," Kaleb called out as he approached. "Your generals are curious about the great lake Mara and the river. It appears the waters are high, and it could mean problems with the bridge leading to the city."

"You are right, the waters are unusually high, especially since he land is so dry," Borrican said, rising up in the saddle and peering ahead. "The bridges appear to be holding, though the river waters are nearly touching it."

"You can see that from here?" Kaleb was somewhat surprised until Borrican turned to him and he saw the Kandaran prince's eyes, reptilian and flickering with firelight.

"I can see quite a distance," he said, and Kaleb cleared his throat, uncomfortably before continuing.