Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (111 page)

Soresym nodded. “Then the temple must have been sealed to keep the faithful from knowing.”

Mosley nodded. “Indeed. I’m concerned for Sam’s life. It looks as if he will perish while trying to retrieve the crystals. I’ve been watching Southern Grayham with a keen eye. The movement of the armies suggests only one outcome. Sam is in a hopeless situation.”

Soresym shrieked to release his agitation. “Sam is a good human! It can’t be his season to pass. The gods must do something to stop this.”

Mosley moved to the edge of the cliff. “The laws of the gods are clear. I cannot intervene. Soresym, you’re the mighty leader of your pack, yet even you are bound by your laws. I’m sure you understand.”

The griffin stood and stretched his wings. After a moment, he shook his head in disgust. “Sam is the king Brandor has always needed. I’ve come to know this human, and something must be done.”

“But who is left to help?” Mosley rebutted. “There’s nothing anyone can do on this world or in the heavens. I’ll say it again. Sam’s Peaks are numbered.”

Both Mosley and Soresym stood in silence for a moment before the wolf continued. “I must take my leave, my friend. There are matters to which I must attend. I will find you again when the pyre for Sam’s passing is lit.”

The griffin looked out across the valley in deep thought. “I need to prepare my mind to accept this loss. Good Peak, wolf.” Soresym leapt from the edge of the cliff and fell more than 1,500 paces before he opened his wings and swooped out over the mist.

As Mosley watched the griffin soar, he laughed. A moment later, the image of the wolf morphed into a more mischievous persona. The god’s eyes glowed red, and his teeth turned to sharpened, fine points. “Celestria, my love, my part is finished.” Lasidious vanished.

Ancients Sovereign

The Home of Lasidious and Celestria

Lying in bed, Lasidious reached up to adjust his pillow, and then he put his hands behind his head. “George masterfully manipulated Southern Grayham. He was always two steps ahead and made the most unlikely, but useful allies, wouldn’t you agree?”

Celestria rolled over and cupped the Mischievous One’s face in her hands. “I’ve missed your smile, my love. I cannot tell you how often I thought of the fun you must be having. I would love to have watched your scheming mind carry out our plans, my pet.” She licked the lobe of Lasidious’ ear. “So ... you sent George to Western Luvelles to take care of our baby?”

“I did.”

“You are a clever devil-god. Susanne will be a wonderful mother until we’re able to bring our son to the god world. I hope George gives the baby a strong name.”

“If I know George, our child will be given the perfect name.”

“What about the war?” the goddess queried. “Will the distraction be enough to capture the attention of the Collective?”

Lasidious kissed Celestria’s forehead. “This war will be the biggest Southern Grayham has ever seen. I’ve kept the gods busy. Mosley managed to sneak away now and again, but he doesn’t know anything useful. I have a solid idea of what everyone is thinking. None of the gods know that George is on Luvelles. It’ll be a fair number of Peaks before they figure it out.”

“It gives me comfort to hear your confidence, my sweet.”

Lasidious ran his fingertips along the contour of Celestria’s body. “I’m pleased you’re comforted. The Head Master of Luvelles isn’t scheduled to meet with George for nearly 100 Peaks. After George kills the witches, there will be no need for him to use his magic. There will be nothing to draw attention to his family.”

“How close are they to Floren?”

“They should arrive in Floren by the end of the Peak.”

“Good. I don’t imagine the others will divert their attention from the war because of the death of a few useless witches.” Celestria frowned. “They drove me mad, my love.” She nestled into Lasidious’ arms. “Nevertheless, I knew you had everything under control. Please! Never make me have another child without using my power. The pain was excruciating. I don’t think I could suffer it again.”

The goddess reached up and touched the end of Lasidious’ nose. “But on a more positive note, I did relearn how to bake. I shall make you an ospliton pie, my pet.”

The gods enjoyed this simple thought as they began to ravage the night away.

The next morning, Lasidious woke and without saying a word. He left his goddess lying in bed and vanished. When he reappeared, he was standing in front of a large group of rats. As instructed, Keller was guiding Maldwin’s family to the cliffs of Latasef.

Seeing the man appear out of nowhere, Keller took a defensive stance and growled at Lasidious. The demon was about to pounce when Lasidious held up his hand and spoke in the ancient language of all demons.
“Ered’nash ban galar.”

Keller snarled. The phrase Lasidious used was a command to elicit conversation. The cat was obligated to respond. “What do you want? This family is under my protection. I won’t allow their journey to be hindered.”

“You are a mighty escort,” the Mischievous One responded. “I’m not here in search of conflict.” He looked down at Maldwin. “I need to speak with the rat,” the god said in the rodent’s language.

Maldwin replied, “Who are you?”

“A friend. George informed me of his promise to provide your family a home.”

“Where is George? Kepler’s brother said he was taking us to the cliffs of Latasef, but he has no knowledge of what we’re to do once we arrive.”

Lasidious smiled. “George has seen to your comfort. You’ll be taken care of. He has asked me to give your family a home like no other. Follow the mountains east until you come to a small opening just before the mountains drop into the ocean. What you will find there is a glorious existence. Your new home is protected by my power. Your family will always be safe.”

Maldwin’s nose twitched. “Thank you. I did not know George had such powerful friends. When you see him, please tell him I’m honored, and I’ll be there for him if ever he needs me.”

Lasidious squatted and waved his hand over the ground. A huge wheel of cheese appeared. Moving out of the way, he smiled as he watched the Maldwin’s family swarm. Again, the Mischievous One waved his hand, and Maldwin floated into his arms. He positioned the rat so he could see the rodent’s eyes. “You can tell George yourself. I’m sure you will see him again.” With that, Lasidious lowered Maldwin to the ground and then vanished.

Keller looked down and watched as the rats ate. He growled, “You could’ve left me something!”

The World of Luvelles

When George arrived in the village of Floren on Western Luvelles with Athena’s family, it was just past Late Bailem. The mage loved this new world. Everything he had seen since their arrival had been created with magical influences. The magic on this world was much, much stronger than anything he had seen on Southern Grayham. In some areas, the air carried the sweet smell of it.

The people seemed friendly, but George and Kepler noticed that there was a dark side. Two-faced whispers and passing glances told a story of a deeper, darker nature that lurked below the pleasing surface that many of Western Luvelles’ inhabitants presented.

This journey had taken them through other villages of similar size, but they did not appear on George’s map. The general look and feel of this world’s smaller homes exuded class, and magic was used to create many items that did not exist on Southern Grayham. It was nice to have a cold drink instead of a warm ale.

As the family entered Kebble’s Kettle, Kepler did not need to hide. Along the way, they had seen many elves walking through the countryside with various breeds of animals.

The inn was comfortable, and Kebble’s Kettle was like an upscale boutique hotel from Earth, but with many magical upgrades. The walls looked as if they were made of any normal construction material, but upon a closer inspection, George realized that they were made of flesh—the structure was alive.

As George passed his hands across the surface, millions of tiny hairs tickled the palms of his hands. The walls possessed a natural warmth, just like the human body.

This is fascinating,
George thought.
I wonder how this is done? The magic on this world must be disgusting. How cool is this?

Aside from a small check-in counter to the left of the entrance, the dining area and the tavern occupied the rest of the spacious room. George watched as one of the patrons ordered a drink. The man reached out and pulled the beverage from mid-air as the drink floated over to his table. “Now, that’s what I call service,” George said as he nudged Athena. “I’m going to like this joint.”

Athena tugged at George’s sleeve and whispered, “George, my family is scared. What should I tell them?”

George pulled her close. “Tell them I’ve got everything under control. I won’t let anything happen to them. Besides, look at this place. It’s amazing. Let’s pass judgment once we’ve finished looking around, not before.”

The colors of the inn were earth tones. They were pleasant to the eye, as was the vaulted ceiling that shot up above the fifth story. There were no stairs leading to the remaining levels of the structure, nor were there elevators. They watched a woman step onto a small circular platform and vanish. She reappeared on a balcony three floors up.

“No freaking way,” George boasted. “This is like some kind of Star Trek garesh. The magic in this place is nuts.”

Athena slapped George’s arm. “George Nailer, watch your mouth.”

George would have responded to apologize, but a dustpan flew past his head. As it did, it asked to be excused as it made its way to the far side of the room. A small, brown broom had followed close behind, and it pushed the dirt off the floor and into the pan. The tools then disappeared through a set of double doors on the far side of the inn.
You’ve got to be kidding me! Even the cleaning is done magically. This is some Cinder-freaking-rella garesh,
he thought.

Again, Athena tugged on George’s shirt. “Honey, wouldn’t it be great if our new homes cleaned themselves?”

“That would be cool, huh?”

“Hello, friend,” the innkeeper said after suddenly appearing on the other side of the counter. “I see we need a number of beds for the night.”

A short, wobbly man, barely able to see over the counter, climbed up a set of booster steps. He had long, narrow, pointy ears, a pudgy nose, and a billowing pipe sat firmly pinched between his teeth. The sweet cherry-flavored tobacco had stained his graying mustache yellowish-brown over his seasons, yet somehow, the stains managed to complement his rosy cheeks. The smell of the tobacco was pleasant, and George could not help but notice the point of the innkeeper’s ears that protruded through his hair.

The mage smiled and approached the counter. “Yes. We do need rooms. Thank you. My name is George, and this is my family. And your name is?”

“If you saw the sign out front, then you know my name,” the innkeeper responded with a jolly grin. “I’m Kebble. You can call me … well, Kebble works. Everyone in this village calls me Kebble. Welcome to Kebble’s Kettle. What can Kebble do for you? He’s in a delightful mood.”

George turned to look at Kepler as if to say,
Is this guy for real?
He turned back around and reached out to shake the elf’s hand.

Kebble stopped chuckling and took the mage’s forearm. He counted everyone in George’s group, doing it on three occasions since he kept losing count. After a while, he said, “I see you need enough beds for 31 and one giant kitty.”

Kepler growled, “I’m not a kitty! We need beds for 34 humans, not 31, and one jaguar.” The demon then thought,
What an imbecile.

“Whoa!” Kebble responded as he looked at George. “Looks like you have a testy little pussycat on your hands. You can keep him in your room, but we have a special place for goswigs to relieve themselves. If you’d like, you can take your feline to the sandbox to the right of the inn.”

“Goswigs?” George repeated with a confused look as Kepler continued to growl. “What’s a goswig?”

Kebble stopped a moment to look at the human. “How could you not know what a goswig is?”

“Should I know?” George shrugged.

“Of course. If you travel with one, you should know something so trivial.” Kebble pointed to Kepler. “He’s larger than most, and I’m sure his garesh will fill my sandbox, but he looks goswig to me.”

“Kepler isn’t a goswig. He’s my friend. We’re new to this world, and we have no clue what you’re talking about. We’ve recently arrived by way of the Merchant Angels.”

Kebble’s fat cheeks wrinkled as his smile widened. “Now I know who you are! You’re the one who has come to study under the Head Master. I’ve been expecting you. It’s an honor to meet you, George. Allow me to give you and your family complimentary rooms for your first night. I have a substantial sum of coin waiting for you as the Head Master requested.”

George leaned over the counter. “Perhaps you and I could speak of the coin during some other series of moments. I’d like to get my family settled first.”

“By all means. I also have a package for someone named Mary. Is she in your group?”