Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (54 page)

Seth again answered that he believed that most would indeed be possible, though he hadn’t tried it. He was a little unsure about the blending of a man and an animal as not all animals had the same organs as a man and it was a new ability he hadn’t been able to explore yet. It was after taking all this in and mulling it over for a while that the king posed his one real question.

"Could we use this ability to create a special breed of soldier?" King Valdadore asked, his face taking on a visage of pure tactical seriousness.

"It is possible," Seth conceded. Seth knew it was coming to this all along, and after his talk with Sara yesterday, the thought already made him uncomfortable. By serving the king and kingdom, Seth could twist it to serve Ishanya as well, but how would Sara feel about it? Seth did not want to disappoint her or do something that might put a wall between them. Seth waited for the next question, already loathing it.

"What would be required for you to perform such a blending as you call it?" the king asked. At this question the king leaned precariously over his saddle to hear Seth more clearly.

"I would need the men you wanted to blend, and whatever else you wished to blend them with," Seth replied. It seemed inevitable that the king would want to create some new breed of soldier. If they really were as outnumbered as the reports said, it may be their only chance. The king nodded his understanding and posed another query.

"Nearly all of our enemies have superior vision at night than we do. Orcs, goblins and trolls all see nearly as clearly at night as we do during the day. If they attack at night, without warning, we will be decimated. We need some scouts who can see as well in darkness as they can in daylight, but I want them adjusted to their eyes and new bodies before we arrive on the battlefield. We haven’t any prisoners to blend with our men, but what else may suffice?" the king asked, almost in desperation.

"You would need an animal, I suppose one with superior night vision, though I would suggest a large animal as close to the size of a man as possible. Having never tried it, I would not want to risk anything else at this point," Seth offered.

"What of the men, do we need anything in particular when it comes to the men?" The king had already decided upon the course of action.

"I would not take such a risk on
any
man, your majesty. If you wish this of me, then spare the young with families and children. Bring me men who have lived a full life already, have no families or wives, and have no faith to any god." These were Seth’s demands, and the only way he could think of to make it right with Sara. "One last thing, your majesty. The men have to volunteer of their own free will."

With a nod of his head the king left Seth’s side and raced ahead where he veered his stallion close to that of Philip, one of his knights. The king and knight spoke a moment. The knight, nodding his understanding, leapt from his speeding horse with amazing haste and agility, stripping his armor mid-flight and letting it fall like leaves. He landed with a roll and began running back the way they had come at an unbelievable velocity. Seth watched as his brother slowed and turned to retrieve the armor. With Philip racing back the way they had come, the king reined in his horse, slowing the procession to a trot for the remainder of the day, stopping twice to rest the horses and eat a quick meal before resuming.

The rest of the day the king kept a safe distance from Seth, who spent his time pondering what the consequences might be for the deed he had agreed to do. At their slowed rate of travel, the afternoon seemed to stretch unnaturally compared to the morning. The landscape looked much the same the entire day, covered from horizon to horizon with freshly cut fields broken only by the occasional farm house in the distance. But now that evening was upon them, the terrain took on a different look entirely. The first thing Seth noticed was the change in the road. Up until the last few miles it had been a well maintained cobble road; now it was just a wide dirt path. Previously there had been unending fields in all directions; ahead of them now he could see the edge of an immense forest with towering ancient oaks such as he had never seen before. These were massive trees whose trunks were wider than any tree Seth had ever before imagined. Though the trail had been blazed between the trees generations ago, and the trees cut back from the road a hundred yards to a side, as the miles passed beneath him Seth was disturbed to see that no light reached the earth where the road entered the forest. Despite the fact the nearest trees on either side of the trail were over two hundred yards apart, their immense limbs stretched across the great expanse, creating a nearly perfect canopy that left the ground below in utter darkness. The auras of these trees were also amazing to behold. Theirs was a rainbow hue like that of every plant Seth had noted, but these held an undercurrent of a deep purple. They pulsed so slowly as if to barely live at all with no real beginning or end to their rhythm.

As they neared the ancient forest a call came from the rear of the line that riders were on the horizon to the north, and gaining fast. Before even the king could react to the news, Philip came rushing up the trail, allowing himself several hundred yards to slow his pace before falling in beside the king, keeping pace with the royal mount effortlessly. Having been debriefed, Philip went to gather his armor and his horse as the king raised his hand into the sky signaling all those in the procession to halt.

Within moments the king gave orders and all set about dismounting their horses and, removing items from saddlebags, they began to set camp below the canopy of the trees, off the path. Though Philip had just returned, he unsheathed his twin short swords and raced off into the woods. Several men began dragging logs and sticks into a pile in preparation of a fire. Seth, Sara and Borrik watched as those with experience nearly had the camp set before they had even dismounted and tied their horses to an already established tether line. Seth stood transfixed as their camp was erected without a single direction given. This was discipline and experience in action. Awed by what they saw, the three walked beneath the canopy of trees into camp.

The immense forest was an entire new world to Seth and it sent all of his senses reeling. In the shadow of the trees the temperature was at least ten degrees cooler than out in the sun, but somehow it remained incredibly humid. The earth smelled rich here, and as stakes were driven into the ground to erect the various tents, the smell grew stronger and stronger as if the soil here was more potent than any other place he had traveled. It would explain the colossal size of the trees. Nothing but thick moss and a few varieties of fungus grew below the trees though vines hung everywhere. Looking around Seth saw no real sign of any other life either. However, reaching out with his magical senses Seth could feel literally millions of auras tugging at his consciousness. He located a nest of insects not far from camp that sprawled for hundreds of yards in all directions underground. In the trees birds and other creatures rested on branches or clung to the sides of the giant trunks. Life was everywhere in the forest, and Seth wandered around camp, Sara in tow, as he took in all of his surroundings.

Borrik remained at the edge of camp, not quite feeling he belonged. This was not so much due to his appearance, but his station that hindered him here. He was not of the royal elite, he possessed no skills of war, and though he now felt as powerful as any non-blessed human soldier in his new form, he had no training to match. This was a camp of military precision, and Borrik did not know his place here. Deciding he had better learn to fit in, the better to serve his master, Borrik finally entered the camp and began dragging logs for the fire.

Seth and Sara wandered aimlessly until finally someone shouted for Seth’s attention. Turning, Seth spotted Borrik near a large pile of deadwood, attempting to get his attention. Sara followed Seth’s lead again, this time back into the heart of camp. As they approached Borrik, who was motioning to the pile of wood, a ball of fire came shooting across the camp into it, making it explode into flame. Turning to see the origin of the fireball, Seth, Sara and Borrik all witnessed the smug grin on Vladmere's face.

"It seems his jealousy remains," Seth murmured.

Sara giggled as Seth and Borrik too shared a laugh. Watching them all laugh angered Vladmere all the more and he then stomped off across camp like a toddler in a tantrum.

Shortly after camp was completed, one of the soldiers collected Seth, Sara and Borrik and showed them their tents. Each in turn tossed their packs inside, and watched as Philip emerged once again from the forest. Chatting with Garret and Zorbin, the three disappeared back into the trees. Everyone in camp stood talking in small groups when the sound of hoof beats thrummed the ground in steady rhythm and the riders, who less than half an hour ago had been spotted on the horizon, came reeling to the edge of camp.

There were eight riders in all. Seth observed as they dismounted, using the care that comes with age to spare their joints the jarring of leaping down. His assumptions assured, Seth watched them tether their horses as the king himself walked out of camp to welcome them. Seth realized that it would be no surprise if the king knew them each by name. Sure there were thousands in the army, but most were young, having been with the army less than a decade. These men were grizzled well-decorated veterans, who had fought many campaigns, with more experience between the eight of them than nearly a hundred of their young counterparts. The king greeted each of them, clasping at the wrist like old friends, and speaking to each one in turn.

"What’s going on with them?" Sara asked. Seth was afraid to answer, but knew it was a necessity.

"I am to conduct an experiment on them. The king wants me to combine them with some animals to give them sharper vision in the dark so that they may better keep watch at night when our enemies are more likely to attack," Seth said.

"I see," Sara replied, obviously unhappy.

"It is out of necessity that I do this. I made sure the king brought me only men who have already lived a full life and have no family to speak of, and are volunteers. I did not want to make the same mistake today as I did yesterday," Seth admitted, feeling defeated.

"That, my darling, is precisely why I love you," Sara smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing Seth hard. He had gotten the approval he hadn’t ever hoped for.

Borrik emerged from his tent to join them just as Garret, Philip and Zorbin emerged from the forest, bringing with them a heavy load. Zorbin and Garret dragged behind them a grizzly bear that must have weighed at least three hundred pounds. And as if that wouldn’t be enough, Garret also had wrapped around his shoulders a small buck with perhaps five or six points to its credit. But it was Philip's prize that both astounded and offended Sara, and left others simply bewildered. Dragging behind Philip, their back legs broken, were a pair of large does. They thrashed wildly trying to escape and mewed loudly, their pain evident to everyone, but Philip ignored it, refusing to end their suffering. Before entering camp he lashed the beasts, by their broken legs, to a fallen log. Leaving the does to suffer Philip then assisted Garret by removing the buck from his shoulders and carrying it into camp. None there understood the reasoning for the foul treatment of the animals, and even hardened veterans found it unpleasant to endure the suffering of such animals, but all knew that a Knight of Valdadore would not do such a thing if it were not of necessity. Thus all stayed their hands, and their mouths, lest words betray their feelings on the matter.

As the evening wound down the bear and buck were summarily skinned and butchered and hung upon a spit above the blazing fire, soon filling the camp with the scent of cooking meat. The sizzle of fat dripping into the fire did at least a little to drown out the sound of the pleading animals at the forest's edge. The king sat near the fire speaking with the elderly veterans and none approached to interrupt him without invitation. Seth and Sara took the time to enjoy a few moments alone in the growing darkness as Borrik rested against a tent pole, his eyes closed. Seth watched from across the camp as his brother and the other knights spoke amongst each other, and though he wanted sorely to have more time to talk to his brother, he didn't know what they discussed and so did not want to interrupt them either. Glancing back to the fire, Seth saw the king and all eight of the veterans openly looking at him. Apparently the king had been relating something about Seth to the men, maybe giving them the details of their plan that not even Seth was yet aware of. Unable to restrain himself any longer, Seth released Sara. With a smile, he gestured for her to come with him. Stopping only to rouse Borrik, Seth led them directly to the fire, without invitation.

"Welcome, Lord Seth," the king said noting their approach. "I have been speaking to the men of your testing yesterday. Of course they had heard rumors, but I gave them the facts and the details and I believe them all to be very impressed." King Valdadore intoned.

"Thank you, your majesty," Seth nodded. "But what of our plans for these men? Do they know what they are volunteering for?" Seth asked.

"As best as I am able, I have informed them," the king replied honestly.

"Borrik, please remove your cowl so that these men may see their future," Seth requested.

Borrik removed his cowl, and being hardened veterans, not a single expression revealed any sign of surprise at Borrik's inhuman visage.

"All of you men are consigning your life to one that may leave you shunned by your fellow man. People may fear you, and your own comrades may distrust you. Though if all goes well, you men alone may be the deciding factor in the battle to come. Your sacrifice may save the lives of countless others," Seth said determinedly, trying to drive his point home.

Each of the men in turn nodded their understanding and looked now at Seth with more respect than before. Each of them was committed, for whatever reasons of their own, and each was willing to sacrifice their physical humanity to fight their enemies more effectively.

"Now your majesty, if you don’t mind, what’s with the does?" Seth asked.

"You all get the rest of the plan, let’s pray it works," the king said. "I wanted at first only soldiers who could see through darkness, but I realized that there was an opportunity for more. I want the most attributes that will be useful to us as possible. I want Seth to meld you each with an animal that not only is able to see in darkness but also is cunning, and able to communicate quickly and work as a team. Yet I also wanted ferociousness and intelligence, loyalty and obedience. So I sent Philip out to bring us some bait, and with any luck those two does will lure us in some wolves," The king said, a cunning smile dancing on his lips.

Seth could not help but admire the king's ability to think things through. An opossum would have been enough to give the men vision in the dark, but if they ended up taking on any mental traits of the beast they were melded with, at any sight of danger it was likely they would have just fallen down and played dead! The king was banking on the men getting both physical and mental attributes of the wolves and, without any prior experience, the king’s reasoning made sense. Though Borrik appeared mentally unchanged, he had been melded with another man. Though of different races, their experiences, needs, wants and ways of thinking were near identical, but an animal and a man were dissimilar in nearly all ways. The king's logic was sound, but none actually knew what the outcome might be. The men could become so inhuman that the king might not even be able to control them. Only time would tell, and only if the deer could bring the wolves to the camp.

Hours passed and evening turned into night, and the camp settled down and ate a large meal of the roasted meat with cheese and bread from their packs, and stout ale to wash it all down. Seth kept alert to any auras at the edge of the camp, but knew from experience that at a range of a hundred yards he would be straining himself to drain the wolves. Seth also knew that if the life force of the wolves was anything like that of the orcs, he wouldn’t be able to contain eight of them simultaneously without some place to release the power. It was going to be a quick process; it would have to be. Once the wolves realized their brethren were vanishing, they were unlikely to stay. Seth would have to strip the life of one of the animals and instantly be able to transfer it to one of the men before stripping the next, lest he overwhelm himself again. But for now all was quiet at the edge of the forest except for the still thrashing deer, both of which were now bleeding from their repeated but feeble attempts at escaping.

Meals finished, watch was set and the king sent everyone else to their tents, minus himself, Seth, Borrik and the eight elderly soldiers. Even Sara was forced to retreat to her tent. The king wished to witness the birth of his new troops, and since he was the king, Seth did not oppose him. Borrik remained as "spiritual support" and also to help Seth with any need that may arise, as he was sworn to do at all times. Currently Seth and the king sat just outside camp, behind a fallen branch that was large enough to be referred to as a log. Behind the men was a tent where the veterans and Borrik remained hidden from view. The tent too was camouflaged with smaller branches and fungus from the forest floor. It was cramped with nine men inside a tent designed for five, but being soldiers none of them complained.

Every one of them inside the tent and out sat unmoving and unspeaking for over two and a half hours, stripped of all their clothing but their trousers, until the second moon rose, before the first howl was heard. By now both the does had worn themselves out and neither had moved or made any sound for over an hour, but with the howling both began to thrash and mew again, seeking escape. Moments later another howl from another direction lent its ghastly sound to the night. Silently the men continued to wait, eager to see some progress when a third and then a fourth howl rose to the night much closer than those previously. Within seconds another howl came from far off to the right and then another straight out into the forest. Seth, seeking constantly with his mind, brushed an aura lightly way out at the fringes of his ability, but then it was gone. Another howl arose this time out to the left and was joined by two more in the same locale. Then to the right several more howls joined in the song and blended into one eerie sound.

Many more moments passed and all was silent. Through slits cut in the canvas wall, the arms of the veterans protruded through, each bared, each awaiting Seth’s grasp and the influx of a wolf's life force. Seth continued to scan his consciousness for new auras and this time he found one. A lone wolf had ventured nearer to camp than its peers, apparently scouting the situation. Seth, fixed on the scout, waited for what seemed an eternity, but eventually the wolf came even nearer, and as it closed in, the other wolves ventured into range too. At this distance it was hard to distinguish one from another, but Seth was now certain that there were at least a dozen of them in the pack. Even though he could sense them, the wolves still remained too far and so Seth waited as the lone wolf in the lead reached the edge of the forest and paused, scanning for any threats. As the wolf waited so too did Seth, only nodding once to his king who sat beside him, a signal that things were about to get very hectic, very quickly. The pack of wolves moved as one, each one sauntering in from a different location, making their approach from every available angle. Converging on the edge of the forest, their thrashing prey in sight, they awaited the lead of their alpha to attack. And as soon as the leader of the pack sprang into action, so too did Seth.

Reaching out with a tendril of his consciousness, Seth located the wolf furthest from the does. Being in the rear it would not be missed by its brethren readily. Connecting with the wolf's life force, Seth ripped it away, and recoiling the tendril brought the power back to course through him, awash in ecstasy. Seth reached out and grabbed the first available forearm and unleashed the life force into the awaiting man inside the tent. As the first of the old soldiers was overcome by the pleasure of the transformation, Seth was already seeking his second target, unwilling to become distracted by those in the tent behind him. Locating it, Seth pulled with his mind and felt as the life was ripped from its owner. Again Seth reveled in the glory of the sensation for a moment before releasing it into the second of the volunteers. The wolves even now were quite some distance away, and being such, perspiration began to bead on Seth’s head and neck. Without time to wipe it away, Seth located his third target and again stripped a beast of its life and within a second that life was transforming yet another veteran. Three down. Seth knew he was not even halfway there, yet already he could feel his knees shaking. Reaching out yet again Seth was relieved to find the wolves closing in on the bait laid out for them and so were easier to reach. His fourth target was stripped of life with less effort than the others, and after a brief moment to enjoy the energy Seth sent it coursing into the fourth veteran whose outstretched arm beckoned to him. The fifth and sixth went even easier as the pack converged. The seventh was the simplest yet as it was now motionless, already tearing at the throat of one of the does. But even as the process grew easier, Seth was tiring quickly.