Chapter 31: Light Shines Through

Athea sat on her horse surrounded by the matriarchs of the Ghallan Clans. She was the center of the group but no one talked to her. They talked amongst each other, mostly whispering. Often one of them would look at her, shortly, and abruptly look away again, before it could have been considered staring, and maybe noticed. To be noticed by Athea seemed unlikely, though. Her gaze, trying to pervade the darkness, was directed far away to the west.

Menja and Denyssa, sitting side by side on the ground, stared unashamedly at Athea fifty yards away. Their minds were occupied with worry, but they did not worry to be noticed staring.

Denyssa was worried about Athea, about Menja, about all her friends, and about the thousands of clan members gathering to go to battle. She was so busy worrying about everyone else she did not even find the time to worry about herself. She wished Roban were here, which would ease her worries. That was a really strange thought. Whenever he was around she was afraid of him ... somehow. She was afraid of him, but felt drawn to him like a moth to a very dark flame, and more afraid because of it. Now that he was gone she was afraid because he was not here. Maybe she should pray. She had often prayed at night, in her bed in Hithad. She had prayed to Feya for luck; prayed to Ghania to bless the seeds in her garden and sometimes she had prayed to Cointas for a new dress. Mostly she had prayed to Ipochone to find love. It seemed that was a lifetime ago. A small smile appeared on her face. She should pray to the God of Destruction to ease her worries, and maybe ravishing her afterwards. Denyssa blushed and her smile disappeared, slowly.

Menja was worrying too, and also not about herself.

I am scared.

“Everyone tells me daddy and Athea are scary, but I don’t find them scary. Only when they threaten to spank my butt. That is scary!” Menja tried to reassure the jittery voice in her head. “I was scared too when the slavers caught my mama. Mostly at nights, when they took my mama away from me. I heard her screaming. I put my hands over my ears and closed my eyes really tight. It is better when you can’t see and hear the bad things happening ... a little better. When we go to battle you can put your hands over your ears and close your eyes. Bosko and I will protect you. Look, I got an ax, just like daddy.” Menja lifted the ax she had dragged behind her all the way from the campgrounds, and dropped it quickly again. “It’s really heavy. Hey! Maybe you could make it lighter ... Or you could make me stronger! You can do magic! Can you make a magic ax and make me stronger?” Menja asked excitedly.

I’m not scared of the battle, I’m scared because of Eyna.

“Ouh? Athea isn’t angry at you, she is angry at the Ogusi who want to attack our friends.”

I can feel her. Eyna is colors when I look at her, but she is becoming dark because Atady isn’t here. Eyna cannot become darkness, the balance is all wrong.

At the mentioning of balance Menja started to growl, sounding astonishingly like Bosko - well, Bosko when he was a puppy.

You don’t understand. Atady, he is darkness, I am light and Eyna stands between us. Eyna is happy then, she can be good or can be bad, she is free and all bright colors. When Atady is gone she becomes darker and darker, until all the colors are gone. But Eyna’s darkness is all wrong. Atady’s darkness feels like a warm blanket, soft and cozy all around me. Eyna’s darkness is frightening, bad thoughts and anxiety. Atady’s darkness is like closing your eyes on a warm, sunny day. You can still feel the sunshine on your face and know when you open your eyes it will be bright again. Eyna’s darkness is dark clouds, a storm, cold rain, lightning, thunder and the sun is gone.

“You are always talking about Eyna, but Eyna is in Athea’s head. Athea won’t let Eyna become all bad and scary. She will protect us,” Menja said confidently.

Maybe.

“Are we all darkness, colors or light?” Menja asked.

Yes.

“What color am I?” Menja asked.

You are Atady’s daughter, of course you’re darkness.

“Really?” Menja asked hopefully. “But you are his daughter too, and you’re light.”

It’s all about balance.

Menja growled again and heard the sound of a girl’s giggling in her head. Bosko growled too, maybe in sympathy or maybe to show how it is properly done. Then he licked Menja’s face and both girls now giggled.

Kassja faced the emperor awaiting his response. His eyelids and the tear sacks framing his watery gaze looked inflamed, but his eyes were still able to focus on her, and they did.

“Who is the dead man my soldiers are carrying?” The emperor asked.

“They are carrying the body of the fallen Norgar Chieftain, Roban Maghon, the God of Destruction,” Kassja answered lightly. “We will summon him and he’ll need his body when he returns from the Underworld.”

Some gasps could be heard coming from the group behind the throne and chairs, but no seated adviser showed any emotion, just like the emperor.

“Why do I want him to return?” He asked.

“I guess there are a few who want him to return, but I am sure you are not amongst them.” Kassja answered smiling. “But we shouldn’t talk about wants, we have to talk about needs. You will need him, Dharkuntis. It’s the price Iane demands to help you becoming an immortal.”

“Wasn’t Princess Iane supposed to become my slave?” The emperor croaked.

“Yes, she was, and your army was supposed to crush the Vernya alliance. Look over the walls of our encampment and watch the Norgar campfires. Ask them what they think about those plans. They have some time to talk. They’re waiting until dawn before they will attack.” Kassja calmly replied. “That’s another reason why we need Roban Maghon to return. The Norgar Chieftain is the only one able to prevent the attack. Maybe his sister could prevent it too, but I doubt she will try. She isn’t fond of the Norgar, and believes we killed her brother. You see the problems and you see my solution.”

Ayphera, standing next to Iane, opened the jewel cask she held in her hands, and its light shone in the darkness of the cave.

“The return of Roban Maghon is the price you have to pay for your immortality and a truce with the Norgar. If you’re still in doubt about your decision, let me assure you of a certainty. Roban Maghon will return, one way or another. I did not kill him, and even if I did he would return. The gates of the Underworld can’t hold him. He will break them, or his sister, Chaos, will. Every moment you hesitate your chances to become a living god are diminishing.” Kassja declared coldly.

“We don’t need a truce with the Norgar. We can escape through the mountain path. We’ll lose most of our army in Vernya,” one of the advisers said and shrugged, “But who cares?”

“Princess Iane is here and you have the essence of immortality. We can take them with us to the safety of our homeland,” another one added.

“And then what? Will you try to force a goddess to help Dharkuntis become an immortal? How? With torture? Bribe her? Or with your wit and charm?” Kassja asked derisively. “You cannot torture the Goddess of Submission, the one you want to heal Dharkuntis body and ease his pain. You have nothing to give her, because there is only one thing she wants, and you don’t have it. If you waste more time, you’ll never have it.”

“We summoned a Bhoreghan today, but we couldn’t control it. Now you want us to summon a god. We’re not strong enough, and we’ll never be able to control him,” Ghergias, the first of the emperor’s advisers stated.

“Five goddesses will lend their power to summon Roban. Ayphera, the Queen of Erylaness, the Goddess of Domination, brought her very own shackles to enchain his body. You’ll be safe.” Kassja replied. “When Roban is summoned we will conclude the ritual and Emperor Dharkuntis will become a living god. In the morning we’ll offer a truce to Athea Maghon. She’ll accept to get her brother back. Roban and Iane will leave and join his sister, and you will leave these lands. There won’t be any reason left for you to stay.”

The skin on his face looked too parched and thin to cover the sharp angles of the protruding bones beneath it as a small smile appeared on Dharkuntis face.

“I wonder why all you goddesses want the God of Destruction to return,” the emperor asked looking at the women behind Kassja.

“I met him only once, under rather unfortunate circumstances, but I saw so much potential in Roban. He could become such a good boy,” Ayphera replied smugly.

“He is dreamy,” Esthera smiled. For a short moment it looked as if her dark eyes brightened and golden light shone forth.

The big Black Panther just purred, a deep rumbling sound in the silence of the cave.

“Obedience, pride and loyalty,” Iane announced, her head held high and her sapphire-blue eyes shining brightly. The sound of her melodic voice made every single word sound like an oath.

Three people stepped out of the crowd behind the throne and strode to stand in front of Kassja. A priestess and two priests.

“We want answers as well,” Yvaness, the Priestess of Nuna, declared. The darkness in the cave swallowed everyone and everything until only a small group of people remained. The two priests and the priestess faced the five goddesses.

“I warned you, Kassja, don’t betray our alliance. What lies are you spinning today, what are your plans?” Feya asked through her vessel, fury in her voice.

“You allied with Injontas’ daughters?” Maldurin asked Esthera, sounding more amused than angry.

Injontas did not look amused and glared at his daughters, Iane and Ayphera, trying to stare them down. Predictably he did not succeed.

“My lies are my business, dear mother, as are my plans. They have been since you banished me from my home. I lend them to you when it suited me, like you used me when it suited you.” Kassja calmly replied.

“So you still plan to rule on Calmyra,” Feya stated rather than asked. Then turned and watched the other women. “You think she won’t deceive you as well? She will, probably already has.” She spat.

“Kassja’s help in reconciling with my sister was invaluable. I am ever so thankful and feel deeply beholden to your lovely daughter, Feya. She does so much for the harmony on Calmyra.” Ayphera smiled brightly. Strangely her joyful expression only darkened the frown on Feya’s face.

“You don’t believe that, do you, Velantie?” Injontas’ asked stunned. “Your sister sold you to Dharkuntis, to become the slave of this vile creature! Now she is trying to use you again.”

“You created me to become a slave. A gift to bribe the darkness you called to scare a little girl. Tell me no more about vile creatures, Father,” Velantie answered and Iane listened.

“Well, well, well, and you my darling daughter, what do you plan to get out of this,” Maldurin asked Esthera, his dark eyes sparkling.

“Our parents pushed us from heaven, and we fell, deeply, and the landing wasn’t tender either. I felt crushed but I couldn’t remember why I felt this way. But my dreams were clear. I am the daughter of the dreamer, and on Calmyra I became the queen of a race that can’t dream. I searched for them out of spite for the father who abandoned me. I always imagined you looking down on us from the high heavens of Atyseos. I wanted to return, I dreamed of it every night. That’s in the past though, not that long ago someone enlightened me,” Esthera paused and smiled at Kassja. “I got it all wrong, the children didn’t fall from heaven, we elevated. You don’t live in heaven anymore, you live on a dying moon. Your power is a mere shadow of this world, and it’s close to sunrise.” Esthera finished.

Feya glared at all of them, and then focused on the Black Panther. The cat leisurely licked its paws and ignored her. The message was clear to Feya.

Reality returned, two priests and a priestess were lying on the floor, their faces showing the exhaustion caused by the duress they had endured.

“Move out the trash,” Kassja made a gesture towards the bodies on the floor, “And let us get started, finally. We have to summon one god and we have to create another.” She announced and stared hard the emperor.

Dharkuntis lifted the crown off his lap and carefully placed it on his head. “Begin,” he croaked.

Cave jumping was no activity the gods enjoyed, at least that was what the expression on their faces suggested.

“I’ve no idea what Deception is planning. It doesn’t make any sense to me. Maybe she’s gone insane,” Injontas groaned.

“For a thousand years she was our most useful ally on Calmyra, but now her schemes have become a fatal peril,” Maldurin mourned.

“Her plans didn’t change, they never did. She was useful to us as long as her plan’s demands matched with ours. Did you believe deep seated loyalty to us was her motivation? She assassinated Roban trying to take his human soul as her captive. That failed and now she allies with our daughters and the Manthakin wizards to retrieve him from the Underworld. My daughter desperately wants to get her hands on Roban. It’s reckless but not insane. She believes that with Roban in her hands Chaos and Ghania will submit to her will. Iane already does and Ayphera and Esthera allied around her, even that Sureyssa thing, so probably Atanea and Harohn as well. I have to admire her reckless determination.” Feya stated.

“But her plans are not useful to us anymore. They have become an obstacle. Balkhor was confident he would be able to imprison Destruction in the Underworld. I didn’t hear his plan has failed. Deception is trying to get her hands on Roban, but she is trying to take him out of ours. We are safe as long as Destruction is retained in the Underworld. I don’t want him returning to Calmyra.” Khor voiced his opinion.

“If Balkhor had succeeded imprisoning Destruction he would be standing at this table and loudly brag about. We have nothing in our hands.” Cointas, the God of Trade and Treasures disagreed.