Chapter 28: Revelations

"My brother and I don't take commands from anyone, no matter if Urgon has the whole godly family as visitors. Urgon's destiny was a certainty the moment he chose to challenge my brother. Your own future doesn't look bright either. Continue to annoy us and you'll make it worse. Now crawl back to your Chieftain and wait for us. We are here and will come to Urgon. That was our decision and we won't change it." Athea proved she could act as overbearing as Iane, not that anyone would have doubted it.

"Your brother and Master hasn't said anything at all. It looks to me as if he would be well used to taking orders," Sureyssa laughed mirthfully.

"Why should my Master waste his time talking to servants? You have an order from my cousin, if you don't leave now we'll know you are useless, and act accordingly." Iane had obviously gotten over her surprise.

"Just hearing someone finally stand up to Sureyssa is reason enough to call your return a happy occasion," Gyorak whispered in Roban's ear.

"I wish I could say the same, but those two are squabbling like that with each other every day. Though I have to admit it's nice that they are doing it to someone else for a change," Roban whispered in response.

"I'll return to Urgon and will let him know what you've said. We'll see if it pleases him to wait for you," Sureyssa told them, something evil in her voice.

When she had left Roban turned to Gyorak again.

"Do you know if our old home would be available to stay here? Or maybe we could ask Kaias or yourself to take us as guests for as long as it will take to settle this situation," Roban asked.

"No one has dared to take over your home." Gyorak replied before he sadly continued. "Kaias couldn't stand the way Urgon abused his power and challenged him. He was one of the first who died. Many of our best and bravest are gone now."

"Luckily they were just a few among thousands of deceitful cowards," Athea reprimanded coldly, while watching hundreds of curious Norgar staring at them and more still arriving at the harbor.

"We Norgar never were any good at deceit or scheming. A few of the Clan-Chiefs tried their hand at plotting against your family to cheat you out of your heritage. As always when we Norgar try doing something aside from raiding and fighting, they failed miserably. Blame us for our stupidity, Athea, or because we failed to protect you, but the one thing we are not is cowards," Gyorak stated, the sadness never left his face.

"What happened to Kaias' family? I remember he had a son just one year older than me, Wogan was his name," Roban asked.

"Ohh, I thought you knew! Well, I guess a few more weeks and his jaw will be healed," Ognar interjected laughing. "After Urgon killed Kaias in the challenge he took over all his possessions. Bereft of their homes and land the clan disbanded. Gyorak took in his widow and two young daughters. Wogan joined my clan as a free warrior. Eager to rebuild his clan's former glory, he probably thought the fastest way would be to challenge you," he finished his report soberly.

"Now I'm glad I didn't kill him. That would have been a poor reward for Kaias loyalty. If his jaw still troubles him, send him to Iane, she'll heal it properly," Roban stated, looking sternly at Iane before she could say whatever she wanted to reply.

"Actually, it sounded like a good idea to follow cat-woman and visit Urgon. I don't know a reason to prolong what has to happen, but who am I to contradict my sister and Iane." Roban shrugged, and wondered if there really was something close to a sheepish expression on their faces, but it was just a wink and gone before he could be sure.

"I've no idea what we should do now that we have to wait until a proper amount of time has gone by before I can do what I came here to do; to challenge Urgon and claim the Throne of Blood," Roban pondered.

"Couldn't we take a walk and visit the town? I want to see it all. Please!" Menja begged with pleading wide eyes and pulling at one of Roban's hand.

"Sure, why not. Who wants to come along?" Roban asked smiling at the excited girl.

Of course they all wanted to join, even Ognar and Gyorak accompanied them.

They were walking through the streets of Falkath, Menja gushing about everything, and there was a lot she thought interesting.

"What do you think is your sister's reason for being here and how did she get here? She would have had to leave Erylaness the same time as you did to arrive here before us." Athea asked Iane.

"I've no idea how she managed to arrive here before us, nor how and when she left Erylaness. As to her reasons for being here, I'm not sure. Maybe she believes if Roban gets killed in the fight with Urgon, that I would become Urgon's slave and she is here to revel in my misfortune. Although I can't believe Ayphera is that stupid," Iane mused.

"What's so stupid about it?" Athea asked.

"I'm a Goddess like she is or you for that matter, but you all still believe I'm less than you are! I'm free Athea. My nature demands I submit to a master, but I'm no possession to be owned or given away," Iane angrily answered.

"So no one could make you submit against your will?" Athea asked innocently.

"I know what you're trying to lead to, but it's an irrelevant question. To someone capable of making me, I'd submit freely anyways. You'd suspect my sister, Domination, to be someone like that, but she isn't. Her nature's intent is to make a lover into a slave, not to dominate someone who already is a slave. Once she achieved her goal she loses all interest in her slave and former lover. That's why she never paid much attention to me at all. I'm of no interest to her, besides obviously being used as a bargaining chip," Iane answered dismissively.

"You become even more beautiful when you get angry! Honestly though, she has to be here for a reason and who is Urgon anyways?" Athea questioned, sounding serious now.

"Since you've lost your memory every time your human vessel has died, it isn't a surprise that you don't know Urgon. My vessel has never died, but that I also don't know or ever have heard of him makes it curious. Add to it that my sister seemingly does know him, and it becomes suspicious," Iane commented thoughtfully.

"I was thinking about that. When they killed my brother's human vessels in the past, how did our family do it?" Athea calmly asked Iane.

"They can't do it directly, you should have learned as much. Most of our immortal abilities are useless against each other. You could kill me with your dagger, but you can't influence my mind. They had to lead your brother into situations where he could be killed. Sometimes they used stealth and deceit; most times they simply used overwhelming numbers of enemies, as it was never difficult to lure him into a hopeless fight. Besides, I suspect they are afraid of approaching him directly, it might end their existence after all," Iane laughed, but there was no warmth in that sound.

"Did they ever fail so we could retaliate?" Athea continued, her voice sounded strained from suppressed anger.

"They often failed in their direct attempt, but always succeeded in killing the human vessel anyways. Destruction's former vessels weren't as strong as Roban is. Their control was feeble at best and once they lost it they couldn't get it back before their human body burned out. They assaulted him when he was away from you, on a raid or something such, and you never had a reason to suspect they might attempt to kill your brother. Things have changed, many things have changed. They can see as well as I do. I don't believe they would try to kill him at the moment, not before they have had much more time to observe and study him. Maybe test him ... that's what you're thinking about, isn't it?" Iane asked her in return.

"If they want to kill him or test his control, their first goal has to be to isolate my brother again. You and I have to vanish, but your mother supported your joining us and no one seemed to object. Is it all just scheming and deceit, or are they fighting amongst themselves as well?" Athea continued to voice her thoughts.

"Of course they bicker and fight amongst each other, as long as there is no direct threat to all of them. It isn't their goal to simply to kill your brother's vessel, but to banish Destruction for eternity. That's a far more difficult objective to accomplish! Roban can die, but nothing in existence can eradicate Destruction, that's an oxymoron. There has to be something we don't know, maybe something they don't know either," Iane summed up.

"Maybe, and we won't get any answers without meeting Urgon. I just don't like that we have to meet him so clueless." Athea sighed.

"On the other hand, he also is clueless about us."

Iane sounded almost comforting, a fact worrying Athea in its own right.

They had to cease their musings as they reached Falkath's market. A crowd already in place caught their attention and they easily enough noticed the reason for its gathering. On a wooden frame in the center of the marketplace was a raised stage. On the stage was a row of six pillories, unoccupied at the moment. Judging by the band of child-sized warriors leading a group of girls and women to the stage that was about to change.

"Pillories? When did the Norgar start using pillories as a punishment. If it isn't worthy of a death-penalty the crime isn't noteworthy at all, that is the Norgar law as far as I remember," Roban asked frowning.

"These women didn't do anything wrong, it's not a punishment. They will be in the pillories for no other reason than Urgon killed their family leader in a challenge," Ognar replied disgusted.

"I don't like it, it reminds me of my mama when the slavers caught her. Can't you free them too, Athea?" Menja asked her pleadingly.

"Be careful with those midgets, they don't look like it, but they are mean fighters," Ognar warned her.

"You don't have to warn her about mean little monsters, our petite Matassaja should know best," Hassika laughed heartily.

"You don't mind, do you, brother?" Athea asked him grinning.

"Of course not, just go ahead, but don't blame me if this ends in a mess again," Roban answered her with a grin on his own.

Athea walked over to the warrior at the foot of the steps to the stage, seemingly their leader. He was almost a foot shorter than her and she smiled looking down at him.

"We don't like the ruling of the current Chieftain. Since he won't be in this position much longer, we don't want any more people to become his victims. Free these women and let them go, now!" Athea told him looking into his eyes.

"Go back where you came from, we have an order to carry out," the warrior replied unimpressed and calm.

To the surprise of her friends, Athea did as she was told. She came back to them frowning.

"There is nothing in his mind, neither memories nor wants. I couldn't tell you where he came from or even if he had a mother. I don't know what that thing is, but I wouldn't call it a human," she reported disgustedly and watched the warriors proceed to put the women in the pillories.

"Well, since the subtle approach failed, I could try using the good old messy way," Roban suggested grinning.

"If they are not humans, Bosko can have some too, right?" Menja asked, hopefully looking at Denyssa for an answer.

Denyssa opened her mouth to reply, but then changed her mind and simply nodded her agreement.

"There are ten of them, and as I said they are mean fighters. Quick, fearless killers and as small as they are, it's difficult to get a good hit on them. I could go and get some of my men to help us," Ognar offered.

"Do you think we'll need help my friend?" Roban asked looking down at the big slobbering dog and got a deep rumbling growl in response.

"You heard him and I think he is right, Bosko and I won't need help for this," he told Ognar and walked to the stage, with Bosko following.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Ognar grumbled, while he watched Roban taking the battle-ax from his back and drawing the broadsword.

"Did you ever see his father fight? Kaias once told me Roban would become even stronger than Maghon, although I've no idea how that could be measured," Gyorak mused.

The warrior who had talked to Athea before, watched Roban drawing his weapons and decided further discussions would be obsolete. He barked a short warning to his comrades and drew his sword as well. In an amazing show of coordination, without any need for voiced commands, the ten warriors fanned out evenly around Roban. He faced them, weapons in both hands, and continued on his way to the leader. Two yards before he reached him, four of the warriors simultaneously attacked. Swords and shields ready, they rushed in to hit Roban from different angles at once. They impacted on a spinning wheel of steel, chopping their bodies into pieces.

Roban's twisting motion was too fast for the eye to follow. Unable to detect a breach the rest of the warriors stepped back. One of them crossed Bosko's path. The huge dog snapped at the little man's head and crushed it between his strong jaws. Grateful for a clearly visible target the warrior closest to Bosko charged the dog, but an arrow-head pierced the bone of his chest armor, stopping his attack instantly. Hassika's shot earned her a bright smile from a grateful Menja.

The remaining warriors saw the spinning blur suddenly jump and land in front of their leader. The point of Roban's sword thrust through the neck of the man to the left and the ax in his right hand cut off the leader's sword arm at his shoulder. Dropping the ax Roban grasped his neck, lifted him off his feet and looked into his eyes.

"My sister said you're not human, what are you?" He asked the man.

"We are the Antussie and we serve Esthera, the Queen of the hive," the dying warrior answered calmly.

"Tell your Queen and whoever else is interested, that we're coming to the fortress," Roban told the two surviving men and snapped the neck of the warrior in his grasp.

They hesitated for only a second before they left running.

It took a while for the uproar after the fight and the rescue of the women to taper off, but finally they were able to talk amongst each other again without being interrupted by grateful people wanting to thank them.

"There seems to be a whole lot of unknown people at the fortress. At least two Queens and a Chieftain are waiting for us, what an honor," Rhabina noted dryly.

"You claim the Throne of Blood, and the challenging fight can't happen without Clan-Chiefs as witnesses. I'll go to find as many Chiefs as possible. They will serve as your guard and escort," Ognar told Roban before he left in a hurry.

"My sister wouldn't have come here if she hadn't known them, but I've never heard of Urgon let alone the Antussie, Esthera, a hive or its Queen. Admittedly Ayphera is more knowledgeable about the powers on Calmyra, always plotting and scheming for something or the other as she is. I guess we will have to wait and see what this is all about," Iane commented thoughtfully.

"Nyome said there were more children created, could Urgon and Esthera be some of them?" Athea asked.

"All of us were created for the same reason, to rectify the mistake they first made. You are the last child Athea and the first one they called a success. None of us have memories of that time, we all lost them when they bound us to our human vessels. So it's possible, but I can't remember and was never interested in any of them later on. My sister would have been though," Iane replied.

"Your family history is really weird," Denyssa commented pitifully.

"I like the thought that by screwing Roban, whenever I can, I'm helping to prevent the end of the world," Ynerca interjected giggling.

"You are right, it makes it look like a noble sacrifice instead of simply selfish and wanton," Hassika agreed smirking.

"I prefer selfish and wanton," Roban grumbled annoyed.

"You can't complain about our eagerness to become a sacrifice!" Ynerca pointed out.

"Very true, but we have to focus on other things now. Let's move on to the fortress, I want some answers," Athea ordered.

No one objected and they left.

The large gate of the fortress was open and they didn't see a guard. The courtyard between the gate and the main building seemed also depopulated. They didn't have to wait more than half an hour for Ognar and a group of Norgar warriors to appear at the gate.

"These are all the Chiefs I could find within a short amount of time. Remembering the entourage he came here with, we are not enough men to defend you should Urgon attack full force." he explained, gesturing at the dozen men standing behind him.