The Children of Urdis (Grimwold and Lethos Book 2) (41 page)

"For the same reason you don't want to call the Minotaur all the time." Grimwold stood and extended his hand to Lethos, who did not accept. "That power was once in control of my life. It was before we met, but you know the truth of it. Bending men to my will becomes easier every time I do it. Soon I would dominate a man for not passing me the mead horn fast enough. Kafara and Turo were showing me how to keep that desire at bay. Then they died. I'm not sure I know what I'm doing. Besides, it felt wrong to dominate where the sword was concerned."

Lethos took the offered hand, and Grimwold hauled him up. He felt light-headed and stiff, and looking at the giant's corpse he also felt a sense of amazement. Did he really bring down something so huge? Then he saw the lines of the dead and injured sprawled in the grass and their fellow warriors hovering over them.

Blund was among the wounded but still alive. He coughed out blood as he grabbed Lethos's cloak in one weak hand. "You're on our side, right?"

Patting Blund's shoulder, Lethos nodded and left him to the care of his men. He rejoined with Grimwold who now stared at the forest.

"I have to go after Thorgis before he gets too far."

"Keep in touch with me," Lethos said, staring with him at the gray line of barren trees dotted with dark pines. "Syrus and Valda will be gone a few days yet."

"He cannot be too far gone. I will be back before Syrus returns."

Grimwold set out once the village of Brunholm had settled down from the attack. With Blund laid out in his bed and most of the warriors either gone to Norddalr or felled by the giant, the village looked to Lethos for protection.

When Grimwold did not return the following morning, Lethos reached out with his mind. Grimwold rebuffed him, and so he waited longer into the day, lingering in the hall and occasionally showing himself outside to ease the villagers' worries. He tried to contact Grimwold again, and then he got a vague impression of worry.

I need more than this, Lethos thought. Have you found Thorgis yet?

Grimwold shoved him out of his mind, and just before he slammed it shut to Lethos, he offered him a brief explanation.

This might take a bit longer than I thought. Must do this myself.

Then Lethos was now as oblivious to Grimwold's situation as everyone else.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Lethos sat in Blund's hall, alone but for the servants that occasionally flitted inside to attend him. None of them could provide for his true need, which was contact with Grimwold. He only had a sense of his location somewhere to the southwest, and he might not have even been on this island any longer. Otherwise, the door to Grimwold's mind was forcibly barred. He brooded in the jumping hearth fire light of the hall, resting his chin in both hands as he waited at a table that had been pushed to a wall on a bench he had taken down for himself.

He had not joined the rush of people to greet Syrus and Valda's return. Even Blund had dragged himself out of bed to meet them at the shore, hanging between two warriors who supported him. Syrus and Valda's mission had grown in the popular imagination during the last few days. People somehow believed they would return with news that these Tsal invaders were now gone and life could return to normal. Lethos chuckled at the simplistic hope. He shared it, but did not believe it.

The approaching voices were muffled in the distance, and Lethos knew the welcome party was returning to the main hall. The barbarians did everything in their main halls from eating, sleeping, celebrating, ceremonies of every kind, to even laying out their dead before burial. He would not have to go anywhere to be at the center of anything important.

The voices in the front room were a sudden loudness in the quiet of the hall. The hearth fire was fresh and burning brightly, a complement to the animated voices that now approached. Lethos shifted around on his bench and stood to greet Valda. Now his face warmed at the thought of seeing her again, and how he had sulked in the hall alone. He should have gone to greet her like everyone else had, for she had been as brave as any hero of legend for doing this. Yet this willful cut off from Grimwold, particularly when it seemed he could use help, had put him on his back foot. Now he had to face up to his childishness.

Blund was the first to enter the main hall, limping along with help from his warriors. Several other warriors followed, and then Syrus entered. The normally fastidious Syrus the Silver looked as if he had been dragged behind the ship for the entire journey. His eyes were ringed with dark circles and his beard was bushy and tangled. He seemed near to sliding into a pile on the dirt floor. He paused at Lethos, his dark eyes searching for what must have been Grimwold.

"He's gone to find Thorgis," Lethos said in response to the implied question. "He's been gone as long as you have, and I've no idea when he's returning."

Now Syrus did falter, and the men at his side caught him before he collapsed.

"I have failed in every way," Syrus said, his formerly melodious voice now wracked with self-loathing. "I should be cut into pieces and fed to the wolves. I am not fit even for the lowest task."

He sank to his knees even as men tried to hold him up. Lethos scanned the group surrounding Syrus for Valda, but he did not see her. It seemed odd that she should not be at his side? Unless ...

"Has Valda been hurt?" Lethos rushed to Syrus, pushing aside anyone in his way. Syrus let his head drop and Lethos lifted it, seeing the anguish in his eyes.

"Worse, she has been taken captive. Avulash trapped us. He let me deliver a message to you that is now useless. You have only three days to answer, and one was spent with my traveling here."

The men holding him let Syrus slump to the floor. Lethos grabbed his shoulders and shook. "You're not making sense. What was the message? Speak!"

"If you and Grimwold surrender to Avulash within three days, then he and his crew will withdraw and free Valda. If you do not, Valda dies and he continues to make slaves out off all of Valahur. You and Grimwold are to be a gift to his king."

Silence swept over the room as Lethos stared hard at Syrus, who let his head hang once again. A rush of feelings sped through him, everything from rage to panic and every shade of fear he could imagine. His fists balled, and for a moment he wanted to slam them both into Syrus's face. Not for putting him in danger, he would always be in danger. How could he have let Valda be taken? He should have given his life to defend her, and not crawled away like a coward.

"Tell me," Lethos said with forced patience, "that at least you found a way to destroy the beacon."

Syrus shook his head and began to weep. "W-we found a hidden book penned by High King Eldegris himself. But when Avulash sprung his trap, he stripped me of it and all the other books I had rescued. King Eldegris's book held the key, I believe. But it is in Avulash's possession now."

Men stepped away from Syrus as he dissolved into tears. Lethos crouched before him and wavered between contempt and pity. As Syrus's sobs grew stronger, Lethos finally realized he was looking at a normal man forced to deal with a supernatural world. How could he blame him for not being stronger? What could he have logically done but deliver the message? Lethos felt a lump in his throat when he realized Syrus had given the last bit of himself to serve his king and his conscience. He patted the crying man on the shoulder.

"You did all that a man could do. Do not condemn yourself."

Syrus shook his head and refused to look up. When Lethos stood, he found the entire assembly staring at him. Faces of every age and gender were grim with worry, each asking him the silent question he knew filled their minds. Would he surrender to Avulash and spare them?

Blund was the first to look aside and also to speak. His voice was rough and low, but it filled the hall such was the silence.

"Will you find Grimwold and do as the invaders asked?"

"I will," Lethos said without hesitation. Was there another answer he could give?

The crowd stirred, and their collective breaths escaped in relief. Only Syrus looked up with his tear-stained face gleaming in the waving firelight.

"Unless you can summon Grimwold this instant, we do not have enough time to set sail again and make Avulash's deadline."

Lethos narrowed his eyes at Syrus. "Do not doubt me. Get your ship ready to sail now, and I will do all I need to make this situation right. The Tsal will trouble us no more once we are under sail. I swear it before all of you."

This gave the crowd heart, and while no one cheered like they did when war chiefs talked about cutting off enemy heads, their voices did brighten. The crowd began to stir again, and Blund, leaning on his warriors, spoke over them.

"Resupply the ship and send them off at once. Let our heroes go to put an end to the plague on our lands."

Men siphoned off the back of the crowd to carry out Blund's command. Blund himself gave Lethos a grim look. "This is a brave sacrifice you make for all of us. Since the day we first met, you've always shown your heart to serve others. You're a better man than most."

Lethos simply nodded. When they had first met he was guided by his sixth sense for undoubtedly self-serving reasons to rescue Blund and his crew. No need to correct him on that score. Also, he was not about to sacrifice himself now, which contrary to expectations was never his plan. He was going to find Avulash, give himself over to the bull spirit, then tear Avulash to shreds. If he could find Grimwold in time, he would take him as well. But for whatever reason, Grimwold's mind was still blocked to him.

Syrus remained on the floor as the group broke up, and Blund went to oversee the resupply of the ship. Lethos stood beside him and felt intense sympathy for the man. His goddess was apparently harsh on those who failed in their duty. Lethos was determined to give him another to fulfill, and maybe it would restore him to his old self.

"Stand up like a man," Lethos said, imitating the gruff manner of the Valahurians. He didn't have much conviction in his acting, but it was enough to rouse Syrus to his feet. He pulled Syrus closer and lowered his voice. The hall was still noisy with the crowd mixing its way out of the hall. "Your duty to protect Valda and retrieve Eldegris's book is not done. So stop sulking. You are coming with me on this ship. Grimwold has blocked himself from me, so it's just us."

"But that's the problem. Avulash wants both of you before he will release Valda and retreat."

"Avulash is not retreating," Lethos said with a sneer. "The last thing Turo did before he died was tear off the bottom of Avulash's white ark. If it didn't sink to the ocean floor, then it could have barely made it to shore. Where will Avulash go without his ship? He will summon a storm and fly to some hidden location. But he won't retreat back to where he came from. If he could have traveled by storm to us in the first place, wouldn't he have done so? It would've been faster. But I think there's a limit on how far a storm can take him."

Syrus's puffy eyes searched an invisible scene, then met Lethos's. "If Valda knew this, why would she let herself be taken?"

"To buy us time and to play to the Tsal's one weakness. Avulash at least has no idea how humans think. He considers us animals at best, and like animals he expects us to scatter at the first loud noise he makes. So far it has worked, but only because we have not had a chance to understand what we've faced. It's different now. I know the Minotaur within me is a match to his magic. I know once Grimwold takes up Thorgis's sword he will reap Tsal like hay. Avulash believes the people will turn us over to him without ever considering if he will honor his promise. He thinks we are dumb brutes incapable of more than reacting. He won't be ready for a counterattack."

Syrus blinked and slowly nodded. "But the wild stone. It will cripple you."

"We're not going to where the wild stone reaches. My guess is it doesn't penetrate beyond the fog surrounding Norddalr. I'm going to await him on any one of the empty islets that surround it. When he comes, I will strike."

"No, it will never work." Syrus folded his arms and rubbed the jaw beneath his unkempt beard. "Avulash will kill Valda and ignore you."

"You're wrong. He craves my blood, and with me alone he will be even more enticed to come. He will take all his men and his best spells, but I believe the Minotaur can weather the worst of it. Once I get my horns into Avulash's flesh, I will not let go until one of us is dead."

Lethos paused. He did not want to give voice to his thoughts, more for shaking Syrus's tenuous faith than for hearing his fears aloud. "We have to assume Valda is already dead or altered through Tsal flesh crafting. There is no reason for Avulash to keep his promise and no reason for him to delay in doing whatever he intended for her. She sacrificed herself to give us this chance to strike Avulash directly. This is probably the last time I will get to see him outside the protection of his wild stone. So let's make it count."

Syrus's eyes hardened as he realized the truth. Lethos grasped his arm in his hand and shook it.

"You will send my message to Avulash. Tell him where I will be, and that I am alone. I'm sure he has some magic that will confirm the truth if he doubts you. He may kill you outright or take you captive to use against me."

"If he takes me captive, do not worry for me," Syrus said. "I would be happy to die if it meant the end of these Tsal."

Whether killing Avulash would end the other Tsal's incursions was doubtful. Perhaps they would elect a new captain and the deadly battles would continue. But Lethos was convinced Avulash was their main power and sorcerer. The others were all subservient to him and had not demonstrated powers at his level. With Avulash removed, the Tsal might be weakened enough to uproot, but with Avulash alive, they were an implacable foe.

"We leave the moment Blund tells us the ship is prepared," Lethos said. "So get what little rest you can, and be ready to sail."