Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (24 page)

“The gods who fought against free will started the wars. Even the Fallen Angel, Lucifer, who you personally knew as Satan, rose up and struck down countless numbers, god and angel alike, as they drew more to their cause.”

Sam interrupted. “What do you mean, I ‘personally knew’ Lucifer?”

Bassorine cleared his throat. “I meant ‘personally’ as an Earthling ... in the sense that you are a representative of an extinguished race that once occupied Earth. This is how you knew Lucifer. Please! Allow me to continue.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll swallow that. By all means, go ahead.”

“As I was about to say, once the wars started, everything exploded out of control. Everything was destroyed. Even the most ancient of beings, including the one I loved most, my brother, fell in battle. In the end, it was those of us who came together to create the Farendrite Collective who fought side-by-side and survived to see the conclusion of the wars.

“The battles lasted over 3,000 seasons. It took those of us who were left another 800 seasons to create this new, smaller solar system, which is over 10,000 seasons old. We had to search long and hard for the matter to do so, since matter was sparsely scattered. These five worlds are all we’ve been able to create thus far without draining ourselves of our power. The leftover pieces of what used to be other galaxies are still being collected from the far reaches of the universe and stored so that we can eventually expand this new solar system into a galaxy.”

Bassorine paused for a moment to look across the room. It was raining outside and the smell was bringing a freshness into the room.

“Keep talking,” Sam urged.

“The Collective wanted you, Sam, to create an empire here on Grayham. We wanted your example to be what the other races would emulate. If they followed your lead, we intended to allow the races to be joined. We expected there would be problems, problems similar to those experienced on your Earth, but we hoped that with your intelligence, an assignment of this magnitude could be accomplished. The experiences of your life on Earth were to be your assets when bringing the races together.”

Bassorine pushed the chair back from the table, got up and returned to gaze out the window. He allowed the raindrops to splash against his palm as he continued. “After the races are united, the Collective plans to separate four of the five worlds and move them each to a solar system of their own. The fifth planet, known as Dragonia, will be given a new name, and it will become the new Hell. The dragons on Dragonia will be given a planet of their own. They will be separated to live peacefully apart from all others.”

Though the God of War could see Sam’s questions mounting, he continued despite the Earthling’s desire to speak. “We plan to create a new Heaven and once again allow the souls filled with goodness to live in glory until the opportunity arrives for them to choose rebirth. For now, we hold all souls, whether good or evil, within the pages of the Book of Immortality. The Book keeps them safe until the moment arrives for them to live again. As it is now, evil is punished as the Book sees fit.”

Bassorine turned and once again found Sam’s eyes. “As for me, I’m millions of seasons old. This is the first real threat, since the new worlds were created, that an end to all things could come again. With the Crystal Moon’s disappearance, we may be forced to spend another 800 seasons rebuilding once the dust settles.”

Bassorine moved back to the table, grabbed his chair, spun it around and then sat in it backwards. “What I’m about to tell you is of utmost importance. Before your gods of Earth perished, they told me and three others about you, Sam. They spoke of the blessings given before sending your spirit to Earth. The gods with me that day were Lasidious, Keylom, and Alistar. The gods of Earth told us about your superior intellect and how you were the best specimen to preserve and bring forward through the seasons. I chose Shalee because she would be an ideal mate, having been given healthy anatomy for childbearing. There were other reasons I chose her, reasons I have hidden from the others within the Collective. All I’ll say is this … Shalee will be powerful.”

Bassorine changed his direction of thought. “Lasidious has brought George forward for reasons I don’t know. He did this without the knowledge of the Collective. I cannot think of a reason why Lasidious would bring a mortal forward, unless George is a magical being. Lasidious’ actions don’t make sense. I suspect the answer will be revealed soon enough.

“As you know, it was the Collective who voted to have Lasidious retrieve you from Earth. We agreed to keep you preserved in stasis until we saw the perfect opportunity to place you on Grayham.

“I fear Lasidious has taken an opportunity meant for the good of all beings and manipulated it for his own agenda. Despite this treachery, I’m bound by the Book’s rules and cannot start another war over it. It appears Lasidious has exercised his right to make a mess.

“Lasidious wants to create a stronger following of both man and beast. Maybe this is what the theft of the Crystal Moon is about. Unfortunately, the hearts of those who inhabit the worlds can be persuaded to do evil.”

Bassorine watched as Sam poured a glass of water and gulped it down. He gave Sam a moment before he continued. “Sam, I was listening from above when you asked Mosley about the days here on Grayham. Allow me to put your mind at ease. The days are identical to what you knew on Earth. You should be able to use this to your advantage when planning your next move. There is much that will remind you of your planet, and Shalee’s watch will work fine until the moment its mechanics fail.”

The god stopped talking as Sam took a seat on the edge of the bed near Shalee. Sam could not think of a single question. His mind was overcome by everything Bassorine divulged.

He could not fathom the fact that his own personal god of Earth was supposedly destroyed, along with Heaven and Hell. How could any of this be true? Earth was gone—his family, his house, his car and everything he loved—destroyed. How could he accept that? It was all too much, and the idea that he was one of only three mortals in all of creation to be spared the Great Destruction was overwhelming. How could he possibly deal with his new reality?

Bassorine saw the effect his revelation was having on Sam. Knowing the mortal needed relief from his thoughts, the God of War walked over, helped the bewildered man to lie down, and then touched Sam on the forehead. His voice was soft. “Rest, Sam. Let blessed memories of our past together be forgotten until the moment arrives for you to be told the truth. When you awake, you will have peace. You’ll understand all that I’ve divulged, but you will not be overcome by grief. If you so desire, I will allow you to create the glory you need to gain audiences with kings.”

Bassorine walked over to Mosley and woke the wolf. He told the beast to extend their stay at the inn and to keep watch over Sam until he woke. Before vanishing, the god gave Mosley a few suggestions on how to help Sam gain the notoriety he needed to earn an audience with Southern Grayham’s largest royal family, the House of Brandor.

CHAPTER 9

The Unicorn Prince's Horn

GEORGE LEFT LETHWITCH ON on foot. On his way out of town, he passed a group of men who were talking about the robbery of the Old Mercantile the night before. He smirked.
That was a nice piece of handiwork. This town is full of chumps. They never saw me coming.

For the rest of that Peak and through the night, George moved at a slow jog or a fast walk, rekindling his torch with many strips of tattered cloth. He knew he had to hurry and only stopped to eat or pee on a tree. He thought about the lovely Athena, wondering if his little Abbie would approve. He had never allowed a woman near his daughter, but his heart said Athena could be the first. He wondered how long it would take to get back to his little girl.
Abbie, I can’t wait for you to meet her. I know you’ll like her. Athena is special,
he thought, his heart beaming.
Daddy will be home soon.

There was no shortage of trees along the route. He had followed the Cripple River north and would continue until he reached the river’s source—the Pool of Sorrow. To the west of the river, the Enchanted Forest covered a sizable area, and at various points, the tree line paralleled the river’s edge. During the day, the forest looked foreboding, and light struggled to find its way through the twisted branches. He had no desire to go near it.

George was beginning to feel exhausted due to the pace of his trek. The weight of his pack hampered his mobility, and if it had not been for his determination and fear of the forest, he would have been forced to stop long ago.

He heard many strange noises coming from the forest throughout the night. The screams of frightened animals, and the responses from more aggressive predators filled the air. The adrenaline produced by his fear was what kept him moving.

When morning arrived, the noises stopped. This was his chance to get some rest. He looked at his watch. He had been moving at a steady pace for almost 16 hours, and his body was shutting down. He lowered to the ground, rubbed his cramping muscles, grabbed a quick snack from his pack, and then laid his head on his stolen backpack for a nap.

He set the alarm on his Rolex for eight hours and looked over the map Jason had given him. Some of the townsfolk said the journey was a solid two-day walk if he stopped to rest at night. He smiled. He had been pressing hard almost the entire time. He was now within a few hours of the pool and would arrive before dark. He could only hope the Pool of Sorrow would be far less frightening than the foreboding forest.

George adjusted the backpack under his head and used his old, Gucci shirt to cover himself. As he fell asleep, he listened to the sounds of the cascading river and thought about his adventure. He dreamed of Athena and his baby girl as they spent their moments together. It was a lovely vision. Abbie flew back and forth as they pushed her on her favorite swing.

Angels Village

Sam and Shalee’s Room

When Sam woke, Shalee was sitting next to him on the bed rubbing his back. He rolled over, stretched and then sat up with a big smile. Shalee’s beauty was stunning, and for the moment, all he thought about was her. The fighter, teacher, doctor, genius, and wannabe lover, brushed his hand across her face. “Hello.”

Mosley had been sitting at the base of the bed waiting for Sam to wake. When the wolf saw him stir, he jumped up and plopped down across his legs. Both humans smiled, and the mood in the room felt lighthearted and peaceful.

“Thanks for watching over me, you guys. You look beautiful, Shalee. Do you like your outfit?”

Shalee grinned and then pulled the cloth away from her waist. “It’s kind of cute. I need to take it in a notch or two and add a dash of me to it, but I should be able to salvage this world’s attempt at acceptable fashion. I do like the…” She paused and looked at the wolf. “Mosley, what did you call this headpiece again?”

“It’s called a gashal.”

“Yes, a gashal.” She looked back at Sam. “I like the way it lays on my head. The little gems are fab.”

Sam chuckled. “You were given a beautiful dress, and all I received was a leather outfit. How fair was that?”

“But you pull it off nicely,” Shalee complimented.

“I suppose,” Sam shrugged.

Mosley broke into the conversation. “I was wondering when you would wake. I was starting to worry that Bassorine’s command to sleep was too much. We haven’t left this den except to eat. You slept like a bear through all of yesterday and the night.”

At that, Sam rose from the bed. The sound of Bassorine’s name brought back everything the god had told him. He stood at the window and thought as he looked out at the world of Luvelles which hung above the horizon.

After a fair series of moments, Shalee spoke up. “You’ve gotten awfully quiet on us.”

Sam did not respond. Instead, he reviewed everything he heard the morning before. Accessing his photographic memory, he mentally listed each point of his conversation with Bassorine.

Sam remained motionless for quite a while before Shalee walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay, Sam?”

Realizing he was being rude, he responded, “I’m sorry. Something is bothering me. I feel as if I’m missing something important. I can’t put my finger on it, but I know it involves Bassorine.”

Shalee caressed his back. “I’m sure you’ll think of it. It’ll come to you. Just relax. You can always ask Bassorine about it later.”

Sam turned to face Shalee. “I’m sure you’re right.” He pulled her close and, for the first moment since their arrival, he made an advance. If she was to be his mate, why not get started? “I think you’re stunning.”

Shalee was shocked by the compliment, but could not keep from smiling. The only thing she could think to do was give him a hug and a soft pat on the back. “Why, thank you, Sam.”

“You pat?” Sam admonished. “My friends pat when they hug me. I pat when I hug my buddies. I pat my grandma. Let me show you how to hug someone you’re interested in.”