Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (59 page)

After several minutes, with both Sara and his men's help, Seth managed to piece together some ill-fitting armor from the remaining pieces his men had collected. He went about altering it for himself in the likeness of the armor his men wore. Upon his armor too he protruded bones and spikes and affixed blades to the forearms, mirroring his men’s armor exactly, and upon his chest he too emblazoned the wolf crest. However, wanting to distinguish himself from his troops, Seth took the detail a bit further. Gathering some deep red copper coins, Seth wove about his black armor blood vessels that wriggled this way and that, erupting from the armor in one place then crawling back beneath the surface in another. Having finally finished the armor upon his body, Seth poured his power into the helm upon his head causing it to stretch here and squeeze there until he got the fit just perfect. Removing it, he grabbed some smaller remaining pieces of the blackened armor and melded them to his helm, the whole process appearing effortless to those who watched. Seth began to shape the exterior, adding eyes and a toothed maw, long pointed ears, creating a face upon the helm he would wear as a mask. A face akin to his soldiers, that of a man who had become more than a man, but not yet a beast. It was both a work of art and a horror to behold. The likeness was so uncanny the helm appeared to be the once living, severed head of one of his men. When he again donned it his eyes shone through where the mask's eyes were carved, making the metal face look once more alive.

Appearing as they did, if not a bit smaller, Seth accepted his men’s looks of approval and too accepted their many thanks and blessings upon him for creating such wondrous armor for them. Seth was nearly depleted of power but had another task yet remaining. Looking through the coins Sara had sorted, he was surprised to find that a great many of them were of the make of his own kingdom, and so would not require his attention. There were also many coins of the same materials, but foreign in make. One by one, Seth took the foreign coins, and using his powers he reshaped the images stamped upon them to reflect the coins of his own realm. Perfection here was not necessary, so he left visible flaws and worked quickly to both complete the task and monitor his remaining, dwindling, reserve of power. The coins being small and imperfect were completed in short order, and having them finished Seth hurriedly divided each of the piles of different coins into roughly six equal portions. Scooping up each small pile he returned them to six nearly equal coin pouches. The coins completed, Seth had a task for his faithful priest next.

"Borrik, I have a favor to ask of you," Seth said.

"Whatever you command, m'lord," Borrik answered.

"Very well Borrik. As a priest in good standing to Ishanya, I wish you to perform the ceremony to join Sara and I in marriage," Seth said in his most regal tone.

Turning to watch Sara’s response to the surprise, Seth was astonished to see her eyes well up with tears, a giant smile forming upon her small angelic face. Seth knew in his heart that it might be in vain that he married Sara now, for tomorrow they rode to battle and it was possible one or both of them might not return. Seth also knew that he did not want to perish with his promise to join with Sara unfulfilled. So although it was with no preparation, and Seth felt forced by circumstance, he was overjoyed to see the effect his words had on the woman he so deeply loved. Seeing the overwhelming look of joy on Sara’s face, Seth vowed to himself that even if he had to sacrifice all that he knew, everyone that he served, or anything else that stood in his way, he would protect Sara and they would both return from this battle to live long, fulfilling lives.

So it was that only minutes later, after joining hands, repeating a handful of vows of their duty to the other, and an exchange of a kiss, Seth and Sara were joined as he presented her with the small teardrop charm he had created just days ago. Now joined as husband and wife, in celebration Seth’s four most loyal soldiers reared back their massive heads and howled into the night. Somewhere out in the forest, miles and miles away, their howl was joined by other faithful worshippers of Lord Seth, the Death Mage.

After the ceremony was completed, and Seth’s men howled in celebration, Sara released Seth’s hand for just a moment, and approached Borrik. She reached up as far as she could, wrapping her little arms around his thick neck, hugging him in thanks, and gave him a kiss upon his cheek. Then releasing the giant beast of a man she settled from her tippy toes and reclaimed Seth’s hand.

"So, my husband," Sara paused a moment, tasting the words for the first time. "We seem to have plenty of coin. What are we going to do for our honeymoon?" Sara asked with an all-too-familiar mischievous grin spreading across her lips.

"Well, my angelic wife, we will go out tonight and give all of our coin away," Seth replied, his own grin mimicking hers.

Now all eyes were on Seth. None of them understood his meaning, yet none wished to question him either. So noting the many confused looks in those around him, Seth shared his plan in full, explaining that most of the people in the streets were now homeless, their small towns along the borders having been raided and burned to the ground. Most of them had little or nothing as far as wealth was concerned, and most of them would be hungry, scared and looking for a shred of hope in a seemingly hopeless world. These were desperate people with nothing to believe in, and Seth reckoned that with just a little encouragement he could gain Ishanya new followers, holding up his end of the bargain before he went into battle. Thus he encouraged his menacing, armored wolf men to go into the streets and give alms to the neediest of the people they found there. Give to the women and children, Seth told his men, for a husband's loyalty was bought through feeding his wife and offspring. Seth told his men to spread word that these gifts to the people were given by himself, Lord Seth, in service to the goddess Ishanya. Handing each of his four fearsome men one of the coin purses, he sent them on their way to show compassion to those who had lost everything.

Before the door swung closed behind his men as they rushed off to follow his orders, Sara pounced on Seth, both of them still in full armor, bearing him to the ground bodily. There they wrestled with each other’s armor upon the cobblestone floor, and finally freeing themselves of armor and clothing, Sara gave herself wholly to Seth for the first time, and the second time, before both of them lay in tangled, sweaty ecstasy, panting loudly, having consummated their marriage. Together they lay entwined until their breathing returned to normal, and although Seth was loath to do so, he stood and began to dress once again. Sara after giving him a pouty lip followed by her mischievous smile, rose from the cool floor and began dressing as well. They helped one another with the many straps and clasps of their armor, and left together, heading for the streets.

For more than four hours Seth led Sara up and down the streets of Raven's Keep, introducing themselves and giving coin to those most in need. Many times their generosity was met with tears, and many times the receiver of their kindness would fall to their knees blessing Sara and Seth and the goddess they served, sobbing all the while and groveling at their feet. They were surprised to find that even this late at night the streets were crowded with people trying to sleep while livestock roamed freely among them. Mothers tried in vain to hush their babies and fathers sat awake watching over their families lest something else be taken from them. Many of these men attempted to swear themselves into Seth’s service for his great acts of compassion, though Seth sorrowfully refused them. Seth remembered the stories he had heard around the hearths of his family’s inn as a child about many battles of the past. These were the people never mentioned in the stories, these were the people Seth had wished to help when he had traveled to The Choosing ceremony, and now he was helping them, at least as best he was able. Seth had to admit to himself, however, that he was using those he helped, at least to some capacity, taking advantage of their circumstances. As such it nearly caused him physical pain as he witnessed on several occasions as the night progressed a person’s inner aura shifting from beautiful rainbow hues to that of purest black.

Their supply of coins relinquished to those in need, Seth and Sara, weary from a long day, returned to the inn and, passing through the kitchen, returned to the storage building that would be their room for the night. Seth helped Sara escape her new armor and watched her stretch her cramped muscles before she too helped him undress. Seth, both physically and mentally exhausted, lay down upon the hard stone floor waiting for Sara who quickly joined him, snuggling into his body with her own. Though he wanted nothing more than to hold her and get some sleep, Sara had other plans, and eventually Seth gave in to her touching and teasing, and nearly tearing her clothes off, Sara was victorious once again. She gave herself to her husband, making sure he was completely and utterly satisfied, before curling up in his arms where they both slept the few remaining hours until dawn.

As the sun began to light the eastern horizon, the immense walled castle city of Raven's Keep still awash in darkness, a loud bang sounded on the door to Seth and Sara’s makeshift room. Not knowing what else to do, not knowing how to repair what his peers had done, Borrik paced outside the storage building in which Seth slumbered. He had followed his master's orders precisely, telling those to whom he gave alms that he served Seth as his lord and master, and Ishanya the goddess who granted Lord Seth his power. Many times Borrik had explained his visage to those he met dwelling in the streets. At first they shied from him when he approached, but he was able to gain their trust through his words easily enough.

But the other members of his pack held different loyalties than those of his own. They were not men of faith before meeting Seth, and through their transformation, they clung to the feral beliefs of their wolf sides, understanding only what they saw with their own eyes and what they felt by instinct. To the other three wolf men in Seth’s service that night, Ishanya was a being of no substance and as such held no claim to the glory of being their creator. Thus they spread the word of Lord Seth, a walking god who had begun creating a new race of vicious fighting beast-men to defeat the enemy hordes in the south. Throughout the night, by word of mouth and through the very deeds of Seth, Sara, Borrik and his men, word spread and there were those who began to seek out this walking god, and eventually they had located him. Borrik needed to rouse his master.

Seth, hearing the banging on the door, opened his eyes, unable to believe morning had come already. Using his sight of the gods he reached out and sensed Borrik outside the door. Recoiling his senses, Seth softly kissed Sara upon her forehead and as gently as he was able, woke his new wife. Untangling their bodies Seth rose and quickly pulled on his trousers and walked to answer the door. Turning to be sure Sara had made herself presentable, Seth pushed the door open a crack. Seeing it was still dark he asked Borrik what it was that he wanted. Borrik tried to respond several times, but each time stuttered to a stop and began anew. Seth was not yet awake enough to make any sense of the man's rambling so instead told him to come in.

Borrik yanked the door open upon its rusty hinges, and rushing inside, quickly closed the door behind him. His large wolfish head drooping low as if he had done something more disappointing than waking Seth so early, Borrik stood silent in the small dark chamber.

"What is it, Borrik?" Seth asked. "And please, this time just spit it out."

"M'lord forgive the untimely hour, but I should warn you that there are...um..." Borrik paused as if to gauge his own words. "There are people here to see you," he concluded evasively.

"Who is here to see me?" Seth asked, his tone now becoming one of concern.

"I am most sorry m'lord, but as I explained to you before, the other men hold to their wolf instincts and their understanding of beings greater than themselves. They worship you as their creator in their own way, so the orders you gave last night were not followed as closely as we might have hoped," Borrik confessed. "Please do not underestimate the men's loyalty, m'lord, it is only a difference of understanding."

"Oh my," Sara said. She understood instantly the consequences of the men's actions.

"So there are people outside who wish to see a living god?" Seth asked. Seth could not believe what he was hearing, his brain barely awake enough to even complete sentences.

Borrik simply nodded his head which still drooped towards his chest, completely ashamed.

"How many people are we talking about here, Borrik? Five, ten, fifty?" Seth asked.

"Several hundred," Borrik said. If it were possible, it appeared that with this answer Borrik managed to lower his head further in guilt.

Seth was at a complete loss for words, and Sara’s jaw simply hung slack for a moment as she shook her head, not believing the words she was hearing. Seth began to pace the small room for a moment. Appearing to come to a decision, he stopped mid-stride and spun upon his heels to once again face the man of his own creation.

"Help us with our armor, Borrik. I'll speak to them and try and set things straight, and for the gods’ sakes, stop looking like a whipped dog! If this is anyone’s fault it is my own. I should not have overlooked this possibility." Seth’s tone grew more and more agitated as he spoke.

Borrik did not hesitate to follow his orders. Snapping his head up he began gathering Seth’s armor and helped him don the suit in entirety. Seth then assisted Sara with hers, and Borrik, looking at the pair of them in the daylight, feared that the impressive appearance that the pair now commanded was just as likely to hurt his argument to the people as it was to help. The appearance of the couple alone in their black armor was likely to gain followers, for these two humans were a vision of fearsome power.

Seth was truly disappointed, but not in his men, for they were not at fault for their lack of human understanding of the situation. Seth had created them as such, and he knew from here on he would have to pay much more attention to detail if he were not to repeat such a mistake. With himself and Sara fully armored and ready to leave the city on a moment’s notice with the king, Seth nodded towards the door.

Borrik swung the heavy door wide, its hinges protesting the abuse. Borrik stepped out of the building ahead of his master and Sara, clearing them a path. Within the last few minutes the sun had crested the horizon lending light to the land, and bringing a dull, surreal feeling to the courtyard outside the storage building. Seth, with Sara’s hand in his, stepped out from the gloom of the small building to confront several hundred common people who had come to apparently witness his glory. Realizing that his helm would stifle his ability to speak clearly to such a large gathering, Seth reached up and pulled back his wolf-faced visor. Too suddenly he regretted the act, and knew there would now be no changing the minds of the general populace. For as he pulled back his visor, a man in the crowd pointed and shouted, "That’s him there, the god that made these wolf men!"

Like a tidal wave accompanied by cheers and “ohs” and “ahs”, the poor souls with nothing left to believe in were awash in a blackness their own eyes could not see. They fell to their knees before the man they believed a god. Without the chance to speak a word, without opportunity to repair such a foolhardy error, hundreds of hopeless everyday citizens mistakenly accepted Seth as their god, and with their acceptance the power that was their life twisted and altered inside them, all colors fading to black. Such was the mass hysteria, that a single misguided belief could lead countless people to this end. Seth knew not what it meant in the realm of his bargain struck with the goddess Ishanya, but he did know that now he was responsible for the lot of them. Feeling like he might vomit, Seth attempted to steel his nerves as another immense responsibility was heaved upon him.

Looking through the crowd Seth was at least somewhat relieved to see few children. Most of these people were the worst off, those who had lost their homes and families, so grieved by loss they needed to cling to something, and that something was Seth. Seth stood looking over the crowd, knowing not what to say to the people, nor having any idea what to do with them, when a very large man in tattered clothing stepped out from the crowd, his shoulders hanging in defeat, his eyes swollen and red from grieving. The man approached several steps before pausing as Borrik and the other wolf men gathered near as if to defend their master. The large man just stood there as if lost in himself, his eyes becoming unfocused, and tears threatening to escape once again. Taking a deep breath, he gathered himself before speaking.

"Lord Seth, I swear myself into your service, and pray you make me as you have made these men." The large man paused, raising his hands to gesture towards Seth’s wolf men. "I have lost all that I have loved, all that I lived for, and now I wish to be made as one of your great warriors so that by your power I may have my vengeance." With that the large man fell to his knees, staring ahead blankly.

A cheer arose from the crowd and Seth realized that this was the reason that had driven the people to him. Each of them wanted to revenge the loss of their loved ones, each of them wanted to fight and Seth did not blame them, nor could he refuse them. Looking to the man who had fallen to his knees just a few yards before him, Seth imagined him to be a farmer. He was a large man by any account, with wide shoulders and thick muscles. Seth imagined him pushing a plow through a field by hand, too impoverished to afford even a mule, but too stubborn to let his family starve. A family that was ripped from him.

"What is your name, good man?" Seth asked.

Looking up with unfocused eyes, the man raised his head before speaking to the god who questioned him.

"My name is Connor Falion, Lord Seth. If you give me the chance I will fight for you and in time die for you to join my dear wife and four daughters who were raped and then gutted by orcs as I lay unconscious, thought dead.”

Seth simply nodded his understanding, impressed the man had not killed himself, wondering if he, in the same circumstances, would have gone on living.

"Do you all so wish to serve me, fight for me and perhaps die for me?" Seth shouted.

The crowd erupted into something between a chant and a cheer, all of them vowing to spill blood for Seth, and though somewhat disgusted at the notion, Seth understood their desire. What would he be willing to do for vengeance if he were to lose Sara? Raising his hands for silence the crowd quickly quieted to hear his words.

"Do you all wish to become like my men here?" Seth asked. He then gestured towards his men to either side, trying to gauge the crowd’s reaction. Once again the crowd erupted into shouts of various profane words summarily followed by the cry of “yes”. Again Seth raised his hands for silence.

"If you wish to serve me then you shall take your orders from these men," Seth shouted. He again gestured to his wolf troops to either side. Waiting for their shouts of approval to subside, Seth gave his new followers their first order.

"Gather what you own. What you don’t need for battle discard or sell. Arm yourselves the best you are able and in one hour be outside the castle's southern gate," Seth commanded.

Having sworn obedience, the crowd rose to their feet and began to quickly exit the courtyard through the inn. Seth watched them stream out, wondering to himself what consequences would come of his actions this day. He only prayed he would be able to bear the burden as he turned to address his second-in-command.

"Borrik, I have a dilemma." Seth stated plainly. "I have accumulated near three hundred new troops if my estimate is close. I need near three hundred wolves. Please tell me you have a solution," Seth concluded, sounding defeated.

Borrik stood for a moment in silence. Seth imagined him thinking, but then realized as his other troops each nodded to some unspoken conversation that he had been communicating with the pack.

"M'lord, I do think we have a solution," Borrik announced.

Seth listened as Borrik described his plan in which Seth’s wolf men who remained in the forest would challenge the alpha males of several packs of wolves they had encountered while scouting the woods. Having defeated these alpha males, Seth’s men would then command the packs of feral animals and could bring them to Seth, wherever that might be. To Seth it seemed like a reasonable plan considering the circumstances, apart from the fact that performing nine such transformations just nights before had left him nearly unconscious and now he had three hundred to perform. However, he had been forced then to siphon the wolves at a distance. If his men could convince the feral animals to allow Seth to touch them, he could siphon them effortlessly and transfer their power without so much as breaking a sweat. Agreeing with the plan, Seth told Borrik to find the whereabouts of the king, and keeping one of his other wolf men as a personal guard, Seth sent the remaining two back to the forest to help in collecting the beasts he needed.

The remaining massive wolf man, whose fine coat was the color of toasted bread, introduced himself as having been named Jonas Highguard when he was a human. Seth made note of it, intending to create a chain of command among his growing number of troops to more easily handle them. Not sure what else to do, Seth led Sara through the inn into the street beyond, Jonas following a few paces behind, as if nothing out of the ordinary had transpired. It wasn’t until they had walked nearly a block that Seth noticed people beginning to gather behind them, following at a distance, speaking in excited but hushed tones. Seth continued leading Sara along, pretending to be unaware of the growing throng of people following them.

Nearing the southern gate of the immensely walled city, Jonas interrupted their thoughtful silence relaying to Seth that Borrik had located the king. He was now mounting his horse with his retinue preparing to ride south to battle. Seth nodded his understanding and continued without pausing. Approaching the gates Seth observed a commotion ahead as people poured out from the city into the rolling hills beyond. Seth knew in the pit of his stomach that these were now his people, those he had commanded to gather outside the walls of the castle. The armored guards to either side of the gate snapped to attention and raised their fists to their chests in salute to him. Though Seth was not their commander, he was a member of the king's court, a lord, the head of a new order of mages, and now apparently the commander of his own troops. His rank, it appeared, was appraised quite highly by those in the army. Seth simply returned the guards’ salute, banging his own fist to his chest thus allowing the men to return to their duties.