Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (44 page)

Sara stepped quietly into Seth’s room, and hearing him gasp she froze just inside the door to allow her eyes to adjust to the pitch black. She stood unmoving for a moment as Seth came into sight. Surprised to find him sitting upright in bed, she was pleased that apparently he was staring at her. Sara swept her hand over the enchanted candle upon Seth’s bedside stand causing the wick to once again ignite with a small crackle and wisp of smoke. Returning her attention to the man she adored, she was immediately worried. Seth remained, open mouthed, his eyes bulging in their sockets and his flesh had taken on an unnatural bluish hue. Sara lunged towards the bed in an attempt to help in any way she could. Landing bodily upon the bed, half beside and half on top of Seth, Sara wrapped him in her arms.

Seth realized his current state at the same instant Sara had lit his candle. Unprepared for her lunge at him, the same moment Seth attempted to take his first breath, Sara landed bodily on top of him, knocking what little air he had managed to inhale right back out of his lungs He gasped yet again, fighting for air, and begin a fit of wheezing and coughing. Sputtering like a halfwit, Seth attempted to calm Sara who was beating upon his back with her fists as if he were choking on something, which is probably what Sara thought was happening. Finally holding up his hands in an attempt to signal her to stop, and shifting his weight to dislodge her, Seth was finally able to take a full, uninterrupted breath.

Feeling the tightness in his chest ease, he hurriedly gulped several deep breaths to fill his lungs as Sara looked on in utter bewilderment. Seth was not a small man and could not help himself but smile at the thought of the tiny, petite trying to save him, and using every ounce of her body to do it. Laughing at the though he shook his head at her.

“I’m glad you find this so amusing,” Sara said with mock seriousness. “I thought you were dying.”

“Perhaps I might have had you weighed a little more,” Seth laughed causing Sara to give him a stern look.

“Are you trying to say I’m fat?” Sara questioned, almost able to keep a straight face.

“Oh, you are absolutely enormous!” Seth replied, snatching Sara into his arms and rolling over to pin her beneath his weight and beginning to tickle her.

Sara squirmed and giggled beneath him, half-heartedly trying to escape, yet all the while seemingly enjoying the one-on-one time together they so rarely had these days. Seth too was enjoying himself, but he was also discovering things he never knew before. The first thing he discovered was when Sara’s heart sped up, so did the pulsing of the spectral light that infused her. The second thing was that Sara’s third rib was much more ticklish than her second or forth, of which he took full advantage.

After several minutes of laughs and giggles, Sara was panting heavily and begging for the cessation of Seth’s tickling with which he reluctantly complied. Plopping down beside her on the bed Seth pulled Sara into his arms, allowing her to calm her breathing, all the while feeling her heartbeat slow as the pulsing of her ethereal glow followed suit.

“I feel terrible,” Sara finally stated after she could breathe normally again.

“Why, my love?” Seth asked genuinely concerned.

“You are in such a good mood, when lately you have been so tired and stressed. I am afraid the news I have will spoil it, and I don’t want to ruin it,” Sara replied, worry sounding clearly in her voice.

“What is it?” Seth asked, and though he tried to prevent it, light-heartedness began to fade just as she predicted.

“It's nothing we haven’t discussed a hundred times before, but we are running out of time,” Sara said.

“I know,” Seth replied. “What causes you such concern now, though?”

“I was running errands for Jud, and on one of my passes through his personal library, I overheard him talking to the head of the healers about you. I continued with my duties but paused in the hall long enough to overhear him say that he had obtained a position for you in the king’s library, seeing as you seem so fond of books.” This last part she said with a smile before continuing. “I asked around at the castle later that afternoon, and the current Royal Librarian rarely sees the outside of the library. Even his personal chamber is within the library itself. Seth, we have to leave now or we will never see each other!” With her final statement, Seth noticed she could hardly contain her tears.

“It’s going to be OK,” Seth tried to reassure the small teary-eyed woman. “I have some news too, though I admit I don’t know how you will feel about it, and in retrospect I should have talked to you before I made my decision.” Seth’s eyes and voice pleaded for her understanding.

“What is it? Sara asked. “What did you do?”

Seth sighed deeply and tried to organize his thoughts as to how to best describe recent events. Deciding simpler was probably better, he began speaking.

“I decided, as you have probably already assumed I would eventually, to align myself with the goddess Ishanya. I was able to summon her and speak to her, and we came to an agreement.” Seth paused trying to gauge Sara’s reaction.

Her face remaining a stone mask, with no show or sign of emotion, Seth could only guess what Sara was thinking and so continued.

“Ishanya agreed to offer me her blessing, though unlike any other blessing I have ever heard of or read of before, and in return I do not have to worship her or pray to her. All I have to do is tell those who ask where I get my power that I am blessed by Ishanya,” Seth concluded.

“So then you have been blessed?” Sara asked and without waiting for a response continued her questioning. “Can you feel her power now? That is, if you don’t have to pray for it or ask for it? How does she benefit from this arrangement? How is it unlike any other blessing you have heard of?”

Seth watched as the questions poured from her lips. Sara was obviously confused, and wanted answers. But in all honesty he didn’t have much to tell as of yet.

“I’m sorry, love. My description of events was a bit too direct, I suppose,” Seth said with a grin. “Let's see if I can fill in the gaps. I cannot feel her power, and I am beginning to think it is not her power I will be using to perform. She blessed me with what she called the vision of the gods, the ability to see the world, or perhaps life, as they do. I must admit that thus far it is a rather amazing gift. The best I can describe it to you is by telling you a little of what I have read and then telling you what it is I now see. Some philosophies about the gods, magic and the creation of the world say that all the gods pooled a portion of their own life force, their magic, or the essence of themselves into one reserve of energy. This energy is what they used to populate the world with life of all types. But greedy as the gods may be, they eventually began trying to subvert the different forms of life on the planet because they discovered that if one of them was worshipped by the life they all created, then when that life ended all the energy it contained would return itself
not
to all the gods who originally pooled their energy, but to the
one god
with whom the individual life had aligned itself.” Seth waited a moment until Sara nodded her understanding before continuing. “As for the vision of the gods, I believe they see not only the beings in the world, but they see their own life force within those beings, and that is the source of magic. When I look at you now, I see not only you, but also a faint glow within and around your body of every color imaginable. You are even more breathtaking now than before though I must admit that I never thought it possible,” Seth said with a smile.

“OK, so I look like a rainbow lantern,” Sara laughed. “But how does that help you to do magic, and what does she get out of it?”

“I think what Ishanya was trying to show me is that the power to do magic is all around us, but we don’t know how to access it. I am just guessing, as I haven’t yet tried, but I think on top of giving me the ability to see it, she has also given me the ability to extract it and therefore use it,” Seth answered. “As for what she gets out of it, I think it is fairly simple. She told me in exchange for not having to worship or pray that I must tell those who witness my deeds that I am blessed by her. My thinking on this is that she predicts that I will accomplish some amazing feat or another, and by invoking her name she will gather more followers and thus eventually more power.”

“OK, I think I understand what you mean,” Sara said after a minute to take it all in. “Do you think that this will solve our problem?”

“Honestly I didn’t know how you would feel about it,” Seth admitted. “You seem to be handling it well and I do think it will keep us together, yet to be honest I will have to do a little experimenting to see exactly how it is going to work.”

“I hope you are right, my love,” Sara said turning in Seth’s arms to snuggle her face into his chest. “But wait…if I am a rainbow lantern, what colors are you?”

“Wow, I hadn’t even thought about it,” Seth admitted. Unwrapping his arm from around Sara’s waist he held it up into the candle light. At first nothing at all was distinguishable with the low lighting and all the shadows. After a moment Seth slowly realized that it wasn’t shadow at all that was concealing the ethereal glow within himself; it was simply that his glow was the same color as the shadows that covered him nearly completely. His aura was describable as nothing other than black, the absence of light.

“Mine is black,” Seth said, slightly concerned.

“So, if I have not sworn loyalty to any god in particular and I look like a rainbow, and you now have sworn loyalty to Ishanya and your glow or whatever is black, then would it be safe to say that those whose allegiance is to a different god may then be a different color?” Sara asked more or less just thinking out loud.

“I think that you are probably a genius, just one more reason I love you, and I will try and find out later this morning,” Seth answered.

“So are you going to tell Jud today?” Sara asked.

“I think I will avoid him until I know more about what is going on, but I will tell him as soon as I can prove it. But even then I believe it best to be cautious about just how much we tell anyone,” Seth replied, deciding to himself that before the next night fell, he would learn the secret of accessing the power of the gods.

Sara left Seth with the coming of daylight, and knowing that Jud would be roaming the halls of the tower soon, Seth dressed quickly. Leaving his room he swept silently down the hall to the staircase. His every intention was to leave the mage’s tower as quickly as possible, unseen, and lose himself in the city to research his newfound abilities. But a few floors down and Seth was already finding his curiosity hard to contain. It also became very readily apparent that Sara’s insight might have very well been correct. Seth noticed that all the mages he passed while traversing the many flights of stairs only had two different colors of auras. Those who wore the red robes conveniently had a crimson-toned aura that hinted of golds and yellows. Those who wore the white healing robes carried an aura of a pale blue hue, so faint was the tone that it was nearly white like the robes that adorned them. Those two particular auras would be easy enough to spot out in public, Seth thought, as he finally made it to the base of the great staircase and stepped out into the street.

The gates to the castle complex lay open and multitudes of people roamed the castle grounds freely, carrying out one task or another, and Seth was immediately overwhelmed. He had somewhat prepared himself for what he was expecting to see, but it was obviously apparent he had no idea what effect the outside world would now have on him. It wasn’t simply that he had not properly prepared himself for the discovery that not only all the people now glowed in a multitude of auras, but so too did the animals, the grass, the trees, the birds flying over head, even the ground itself appeared to have a peppering of its own. This, although visually stunning and unexpected, was not at all what overwhelmed him the most. It was apparent now that not only could he see the hundreds of auras around him, but he could feel them, as if they called to him, constantly tugging at the corners of his mind, reaching out to him from every part of the courtyard, from every direction, including the sky above and the ground below. Seth needed a smaller test sample, something he could wrap his mind around.

Deciding upon a new course of action, he bent his head low, and pulled his cowl down over his face, shielding his eyes from all that now glowed around him. Hiding the view helped him to relax, but he could still feel the multitude of auras calling to him. Taking a deep breath he headed straight towards the main gate with his eyes on the ground. Finally crossing the threshold of the iron gate, Seth lifted his head and easily spotted a destination, huddled back down, and trudged hurriedly forward to the nearest inn.

Stepping into the inn, the smell of ale and food assaulted Seth, making him realize he was both hungry and thirsty. Something he hadn’t paid any mind to until now. He quickly located a table in the corner facing into the room, giving him a clear view of everyone else in the establishment. There were eight other customers this morning as well as the bar tender and a young waitress. Seven of the ten Seth assumed swore their loyalty to no god, as their auras were much like Sara’s. Both the bartender and the young waitress had auras that swirled somewhere between purple and dark blue. The remaining aura in the room belonged to an older man, and his was a brilliant emerald green.

As Seth waited for the waitress to make her rounds and come to his table to take his order, he took a few moments to open himself up to his surroundings and sift through what he was feeling so as to try and make sense of what was going on. Seth noticed several things after calming himself, all of which he committed to memory. First, although there was a limited number people in the room, he could still feel the pull from other auras, but whether they were outside on the street passing by, or further away, Seth could not determine. What he did notice, however, was that the pull was greater from those in the room with him than from those separated from him by the stone wall of the inn. Those closest to him physically created the greatest pull, though the difference as far as he could tell was miniscule from one to the other in this small of a space.

Next Seth closed his eyes. He knew visually what the room and the people in it looked like, and using that as a guide, was able to isolate mentally the pull of each individual aura in the room. What surprised him was that though seven people in the room had what appeared to be identical auras, each had its distinct, unique feel to it. Opening and closing his eyes several times, he was able to confirm what he felt when his eyes were closed, and with only a few minutes’ practice, he realized that he could actually track the progress of the waitress through the room with his eyes closed by using the other auras in the room like physical landmarks. Seth was beginning to get excited. Already he knew the implications of the importance of this new ability. As a test, Seth remained seated, focused inward, feeling the auras in the room, and opened his eyes just as the waitress came to a stop in front of his table. There she stood with steaming food and a pleasant smile. His test was a success. After he ate he would see what else he could do.

Being the first meal he had eaten outside the tower in what seemed an eternity, he overindulged himself in a large breakfast of eggs, salted pork and porridge, washing it all down with honey mead. Seth ate quickly and quietly, finding himself chewing on multiple occasions with his eyes closed, feeling those around him rather than seeing them. So far, the entire transformation seemed to be completely logical. Those who worshiped individual gods had particular auras. Those who didn’t, had a myriad of all the auras, like Sara.

Chewing his food he thought about the implications of what he already knew. He had established already that the world as the gods saw it was filled with the power they used to bless their chosen champions. That being as it was, Seth then could only assume that the power the goddess promised him was wrapped up in the world around him, and as far as he could ascertain it was only available in the living creatures of the world. Swallowing, he nearly choked as he realized that he had stumbled upon the catch. Gods made no dealings unless it benefited themselves, and Ishanya had willingly given Seth all he had asked for, even without him actually asking for it. It had been to damned easy and now he knew why.

There was a price to Seth in the bargain he had struck. It hit Seth like a brick wall, realizing all too well that in order for him to use the power of the gods to perform feats of magic, he was going to have to siphon the spark of life, given by the gods, from the living beings around him, effectively shortening their lifespan or killing them all together. She had made him a murderer. A killer. And worse, he had happily agreed without question.

Sadly Seth knew without even a thought against it that if this was the price he would have to pay to spend the rest of his days at Sara’s side, no matter the consequence, no matter how it wrenched his guts, twisting his insides, he would do it to be with her. It was an immeasurable price to pay. Sacrificing life for an ability to do what? End more life? Save life? He didn’t even know what he could do with the power he was given. But he did know, that in order to use it, he would have to harm those around him.

A man of morals, Seth realized he could pick and choose those he siphoned from, sparing the kind and honorable, taking that which he needed from the greedy and evil of the world. Knowing this in his heart, Seth paid his tab leaving an appreciative tip for the young waitress, and set out on his way to discover precisely how he was to siphon this power from the world of the living around him.

Seth already had a destination in mind, and headed directly toward the city wall at a brisk pace. It was difficult to completely ignore the hundreds or perhaps thousands of tendrils tugging at his mind on his way to the city wall, but the further Seth walked and the longer he was exposed, the more he realized that like with the sounds in a busy marketplace, he could tone out the constant nagging feeling pulling at his mind. It took quite some time to walk the distance from the castle walls all the way to the city walls, but Seth passed the distance and passed the time with little exercises using his new mental abilities.

Before long he could walk long stretches of road without bumping into another person, all with his eyes closed. He also discovered there were several different color variations of auras walking among the public of the castle city, and, to his surprise, before he came to stand at the city gates he had already become able to differentiate between the variations by feel as well as sight.

Finding himself at the gate he simply nodded to the guards and walked straight through into the countryside beyond. The city guards generally were used to keep people out, not keep them in. Seth turned left directly outside the gate, following the giant stone wall around the city and hiding within its shadow. Sighting a small stand of trees surrounded by shrubs and other foliage, he altered his route and made directly for the cover of the trees.

Seth stood below the canopy of a half a dozen young trees, completely hidden from view from the guards patrolling along the top of the city walls. The trees, the bushes, the grass, the soil, everything around him radiated the same rainbow hue of those people who had sworn no loyalty to a god with a barely perceptible difference between people and plant. Seeing this, Seth rationalized that if he was to end life in order to perform magic, he would rather end that of plants, insects or animals if the power they contained was the same as in people. Being that it was the power of the gods who created all living things, Seth determined it would matter little where he siphoned his power from, so long as he had a source.

“Better to start small,” Seth said aloud though only he was there to hear it.

Sitting down and closing his eyes, Seth focused his mind on the aura of the grass beneath him. First he felt the tugging of all the life around him, pulling at his mind. Patiently he waited, focusing and sorting until he had isolated just the grass beneath him, or so he hoped. So far this day Seth had done all he could do to ignore the tugging at his mind from the auras around him. This time however, focusing solely on the aura of the grass at his feet, Seth relaxed mentally. Reaching out with his mind Seth grasped at the aura that was the single focus of his conscious mind, and was immediately reminded of the pure bliss he had felt when Ashton had sent a god’s power through him.

Elation held Seth in thrall as he used his mind to entrap the spark of life given to the grass beneath him by the gods. Feeling the grass’s aura with all his being, Seth tugged at it with his mind and felt its bond with the life it sustained give way. Immediately Seth felt the energy explode into him, rushing through his body, his mind, his soul. It invaded every inch of him, intertwining with his own dark aura. Pure pleasure overtook him and he bathed in the glory of the power of the gods.

Pleasure, however, turned quickly into panic. Seth felt his limbs begin to stiffen, he yearned for the feeling of the sun on his face, and he was unbelievably thirsty, his throat and mouth becoming more parched by the second. Seth realized he had made a vital mistake, one Ashton had warned him of many weeks ago, and he realized too that if he didn’t act fast, it would be too late. The thrill was over as Seth realized he was being attacked from within. focusing consciously inward, he preparing a cell within his mind. Fortunately, he could easily distinguish his own aura from that of his invader, and he worked quickly to separate the two. He grasped at the foreign aura, stripping it from his own, little by little, and imprisoned it in the mental cell he had created for it. With each portion he captured and contained, his body altered. Breathing became easier, then his thirst diminished, and finally as he locked away the last of the plant aura he had consumed, his muscles relaxed and his joints eased, allowing him to move once again. Though safe from immediate danger, Seth could feel the energy brimming within him, struggling, searching for a route to escape. He had already learned one very important lesson; the spark used by the gods to create different kinds of life was infused with that life’s characteristics, and he must be cautious to contain whatever life he consumed lest he be consumed by it. This revelation also decided for Seth his next course of action.

Standing up to stretch after his near life-ending experiment, Seth saw precisely that which he feared would be the cost of his power. All around him, the grass lay destroyed. It had not withered and turned brown to regain life at a later time, but had become nothing but a blanket of gray ash upon the soil around him. Standing and moving about caused the ash to rise up in plumes, only to settle again after a moment at his feet. Seth now knew for certain the cost of his decision, and he knew that eventually the burden of that decision would be laid fully upon his shoulders, but for now it was the only path he saw available to him. He had to continue.

Seth seated himself once again to begin his next self-taught lesson. He already knew what to expect this time, and feeling the life force of the grass within him seeking a way out of the prison he had placed it in, he released it to once again ravage his body from within.

Seth spent several hours releasing and recapturing the aura of the grass inside himself, perfecting the art of not only diffusing it from his own aura, but also entrapping it and containing it. Seth was satisfied with his lesson when he could distinguish his aura from the other instantaneously, and at the same time contain it with ease. By the time Seth was done it took so little effort it was almost second nature. Even more than that, he had discovered a means of mentally storing the energy in a way that he no longer felt the grass’s aura trying to escape. It was within him, trapped, until he sought it out, and when he did seek it out, it was just as he had left it. Feeling satisfied that he could now siphon and contain the power he was meant to use, it was time for his next lesson.