Chapter 28

Once in the water, drinks of choice were floated over to all the guests, though Balat was not permitted the strong wine the lady goddesses were drinking and had to settle for beer. Food was also forthcoming while the conversations ranged over what the various gods had found out about the machinations of their brother.

“He’s certainly involved with the Dwarven Kingdoms.” Pelegard confirmed. “Though only small-scale stuff, petty disputes and the like.”

“My healers report something similar,” Hallis added. “A low-level raising of tensions, nothing overt.”

“I think he’s preparing the ground for something,” Doriel replied as she sat possessively next to Balat. “Perhaps aimed at what’s coming to Thenarron.”

“A bit more worrying is their use of a Dragonoid,” Osruit pointed out. “They’re supposed to be extinct. What else might he be using?”

“If I pick up any clues from our interrogation, I’ll let you know,” Erren replied. “Though at the moment, one Dragonoid, mysterious as it is, is not a major concern.”

“True. It could be worse. He might have a legion of the elder race,” Crannok chuckled, though Osruit frowned.

“That would be very bad news for this world. Even one would not be good news.”

“I know, but I believe we’d notice if there were a legion. I doubt our brother could keep them contained.”

“True,” Osruit acknowledged.

“I’m more interested in what Darras and his gorgeous young companion have brought us,” Hallis interjected with a sly glance at Doriel.

“Nothing so far,” Erren replied for Darras and Balat, as it was clear the gods were ‘listening in’ on what Erren was up to.

“Certainly does not appear to want to tell us anything,” Pelegard chuckled. “Nor reveal its host.”

“I’m working on that,” Erren coldly smiled. “Even though Vessil is not a particularly nice example of humanity, I’m still not going to kill him.”

“Is there anything you can really do? With Vessil that is?” Balat asked diffidently.

“Despite his ... leanings, he wasn’t responsible for the death of his father. That was the shadow. So his soul is still in the balance, if trending downwards,” Erren replied. “Hence, back he has to go.”

“Ah, I see ... or at least I think I do.”

“We’ll chat later, Balat.” Doriel replied. “I’ll explain a few of our rules as well as give you a few tasks I’d like you to take on personally for me.”

“I can think of a few tasks I’d like him to do for me too,” Hallis added with a sultry giggle.

“I’m sure,” Doriel replied archly as Balat turned slightly pink.

“I’m assuming you are being careful with Vessil, knowing the powers you can throw around if required,” Darras asked, wresting the conversation away from the glare Doriel was giving Hallis, to the amusement of the others.

“I am,” Erren confirmed. “I don’t want to break him or it.”

“Just a case of finding the right ... key to unlock its secrets,” Osruit tried to explain, though not successfully.

“Pretty sure our brother will have added a little something to their psyche to make interrogations difficult,” Crannok pointed out.

“Oh yes, it’s definitely blessed or cursed with something,” Erren confirmed.

“Time consuming, but you’ll get there,” Pelegard observed. “But there’s nothing for it but to eat, drink and be merry in the meantime,” he finished with a chuckle.

The party, as that’s essentially what it was, continued on, but moved out of the water eventually and to the tables set under the pergola and the cushioned seating. Various things were discussed, including some possible allies, though Darras was left with the impression that a majority of the gods did not think the ‘dark one’s’ machinations were anything to truly worry about yet. Yet the time came when suddenly all the gods in the group went silent and looked directly at Erren.

“We can begin,” she informed them. “Darras, could you take Vessil to the gateway and return him to Courrantil? There he will find ‘employ’ in the hands of the recruiters.”

“Of course, my Erren,” Darras replied.

“I’ll help,” Balat offered.

“Thank you,” Darras replied. “As is, my Erren?”

“As is, though without the memories of the location of his home, Darras. He deserves no compensation for his previous behaviour before possession,” Erren commanded.

“Harsh, but fair,” Darras chuckled as he and Balat walked over to where a confused looking Vessil stood.

“He can’t see us, can he?” a puzzled Balat asked.

“No. Not sure how Erren does it, but he thinks he’s in thick fog and moving ... only he isn’t.”

“Your descriptions of magic are funny,” Balat chuckled.

“It’s because I can’t do magic, so I just say it how I see it,” Darras smiled.

“So, why are we doing this? I’m pretty sure Erren could send him on his way without us.”

“One of them probably wants some information that Erren doesn’t want me to know, either that or she’s telling someone off,” Darras chuckled. “So, we take our time.”

“Ah, right,” Balat nodded. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why are they acting like people? I mean they are gods!”

“Those are what Erren calls avatars, a physical body that is part of yet contains all of the actual god or goddess,” Darras explained. “When they appear like that, they have Human feelings and emotions ... unless they turn them off.”

“So, they are actually enjoying the food and the bathing?”

“Yes, they each have their own ... domain, where they can physically manifest, though as far as I’m aware, only Erren has ever invited people to hers.”

“OK, I get it ... I think,” Balat replied thoughtfully as the pair of them guided the confused Vessil to the area where they’d arrived and where a shimmering portal stood.

“I think they’ll be finished now,” Darras chuckled as Vessil stumbled through the portal.

“How do you know?”

“Erren can make a moment last for as long as she wants.”

“Oh, right,” Balat chuckled as they returned to the lawn to find the gods and goddesses studying the shadow which was now in a floating cage in front of them.

To Darras, it didn’t look out of the ordinary, though Balat was clearly seeing one for the first time, an ability enabled by Erren or Doriel, he presumed. Hallis appeared to be studying it the most intently as the goddess clearly wanted to know how it possessed a person. The others were simply talking amongst themselves, though it appeared they were getting answers somehow.

“So, he intends to use these creatures to bring about a final collapse of society,” Pelegard grimaced.

“Yes,” Erren agreed. “All by working in the background and forcing sub-optimal decisions upon them.”

“Civilisations periodically rise and fall,” Hallis noted. “But he intends to bring about a permanent fall where everything is an individual struggle.”

“All controlled by these shadows,” Doriel confirmed. “Have you ascertained what they are?”

“They are part of something ... grown from it and able to phase into the psyche and body of an intelligent race,” Hallis replied. “They are also amorphous in that they can flow through or into any space.”

“Wonder where my brother found them?” Erren grimaced.

“Ventris, most likely,” Osruit opined.

“Any clues as to what they are part of?” Crannok asked Hallis.

“No. It calls it the mother. But even in its thoughts the image is missing, deliberately so,” she replied.

“Which suggests my brother feels this ‘mother’ may be vulnerable to us,” Erren mused.

“As well as suspecting we’d eventually capture a shadow,” Crannok added.

“True. The creature itself knows much of what those under its control are about, but not much about what is above it, just a name and a location.”

“The Witch Lord,” Doriel muttered. “Seems, despite the barrier, he was and is still active in the world.”

“Clever trick, being able to use his gateway yet block us from seeing its use,” Pelegard replied thoughtfully.

“Possibly being aided by our brother, Rustav, the god of lightning,” Osruit opined.

“Seems likely,” Erren nodded. “He’s always thought he was of a higher station because lightning runs through all living things.”

“Making things twitch is not the same as having a soul,” Hallis replied offhandedly.

“Very true,” Erren agreed. “Though Rustav defiantly holds to his beliefs ... wrong as they are.”

“How many gods ... and goddesses are there? Balat asked.

“As many as there needs to be,” Doriel replied. “Currently there are just under a hundred of us, though we can fade away through disuse or return as something other than we were.”

“That’s true. Once I was the god of mining, now I’m the god of the smithies and Bimmlat looks after the mines after the goblins turned to our dark brother,” Pelegard explained.

“So you are formed by the beliefs of people?” Balat further enquired.

“No, we are formed by the will of the Allfather to perform certain necessary tasks. The belief part is optional, though very nice,” Doriel explained with a giggle.

“Though we do adopt the names we are given,” Erren added.

“It’s all very complex,” Darras chuckled. “Some here, like Crannok have different beliefs in different Kingdoms.”

“One of which is quite embarrassing,” Crannok replied. “God of thieves is not really something I aspired to.”

“Better than the goddess of courtesans I’m known for in a good few Kingdoms,” Hallis laughed.

“They didn’t use the term courtesan when I last checked,” Pelegard sniggered.

“Don’t be rude! I can’t help what people call me any more than you can.”

“Which is all by the by,” Erren stated, acting as peacemaker. “What we’re really here to do is plan the route ahead.”

“True. Dealing with Thenarron is going to plan, if slowly,” Osruit nodded.

“The armourers of the various forces involved have added a rune of protection to the breastplates of their forces,” Pelegard added. “It should aid them against any magics we’ve seen used so far.”

“I’m still working with my priesthood to get the nation of Rachtelin involved, though I do believe they will,” Erren replied.

“How will they get there?” Darras asked, as he remembered a map Erren had shown him, placing Rachtelin several Kingdoms over from Thenarron.