Mighty Hammer Down (28 page)

Tannis put his hand on the man’s
shoulder. "Do not be sorry. You have done well, and so did your
brother. The information is more important than you realize. What
is your name, soldier?"

"Heona is my name," he
said.

"Heona I want you to stay here with
your family in their time of tragedy. I don’t want your mother to
lose two sons if I can help it."

The man straightened and stood a
little taller. "With all due respect General, I wish to come to the
battle. The Empire needs me, and I have a duty to
uphold."

Tannis looked down into the man’s eyes
for a moment. "Very well, Heona. I am glad that you have chosen
this path. Go now and prepare for war with the others. I wish to
speak with the Emperor’s son." The man quickly saluted and left the
stable.

Pirius leaned against the wooden wall
next to him and crossed his arms. "The information was more
important than he realized? Was it some kind of code that you and
Rommus use?"

"No, it is no code. It’s not even
important news," Tannis said as he went back to checking his
horse.

"Then why did you tell him that? I
don’t understand."

"We must comfort our friends in their
time of need. It did not do any harm to let him think his brother’s
mission was more important than it really was. If a sentence can
make a man feel better about the honor of his brother, then I will
say it."

Pirius brought a hand to his dimpled
face. "I see. Aren’t you at least concerned for Rommus’s safety?
It’s why I made sure to bring that soldier here before you
left."

"Rommus is a man. He’s a strong,
capable man, even if he lacks drive. The fact that he had an
encounter with Mages days ago can’t be changed now, and he has the
sense to lay low for a while. I already went to his forge myself
and retrieved the weapons that the assassins needed, so the message
is fairly useless to me."

"You know, one more thing confuses me
Tannis. Why would you tell him that he could stay here? Isn’t the
war more important than one man and his misery? That’s the kind of
thing I expected you to say."

"It is absolutely true, young
Tecadelion. You know me well. My reason for it was simply that I
saw how he was affected by his tragedy, and I did not want his
condition to compromise the men around him. Men depend on each
other in battle, and I did not want other men in danger because of
this man."

"And yet you still let him go off to
war?" Pirius shook his head in confusion. "I am afraid I don’t
understand these things at all."

"You are young, Pirius. Some things
make better sense when you have a few years behind you. I could see
in his eyes that he is a determined warrior, and that he will most
likely use this war to forget his troubles, and maybe even bring
some peace to his heart in his service to Medora. It’s just
something a General can see."

Pirius shook his head again. "I still
don’t quite understand, but I guess that is why I am not a General.
What about these Mages? They seem to be causing quite a bit of
trouble lately. Are you going to do anything about
them?"

Rhodiir tossed his head and snorted,
obviously wanting to be away from the stranger in front of him and
off to battle. "The laws of this land do not permit us to punish a
whole group of peaceful people for the actions of a few. For all we
know, the Mages involved were not Mages at all. I have seen it
happen before. People fear Mages, and a criminal can get away with
a lot if he dresses like one."

"That sounds dangerous to me. I think
we should be able to uncover these Mages and find out what it is
they actually do. They are supposed to be able to talk to the gods,
but if they can, they certainly don’t bother to tell us what they
say."

"I don’t know if they can converse
with the gods or not, but I think they would ignore all the gods
but one. Most Medorans believe they worship only Inshae, and not
all seven gods."

"Right. All the more reason to uncloak
them," Pirius said.

Tannis gently persuaded his steed out
of the stable and into the soft glow of the coming morning. Pirius
followed his lead. "Tell me, Pirius, what do you know of
Inshae?"

"He is the god of death; an evil
god."

"That’s an accusation I have heard
countless times. But what makes you think he is evil? Has he harmed
you or anyone you know?"

"He took my mother when I was
born."

Tannis breathed in a calm, patient
breath. "Do you know why the god of life holds a pair of balances,
Pirius?"

"No I don’t. What does Terinopus have
to do with the god of death?"

"All of the gods are necessary. Just
because they are charged with a duty that we feel is unfair to us
does not make them evil. The god of death is no more evil than the
god of life. You simply don’t understand his role."

"I understand that he is the one to
take us to Morendiir, the city of the dead. I know that death is
natural and a part of life, but you can’t prove that he is good,
just as I cannot prove he is evil."

Tannis looked down at the man and felt
a little pride. Mostly Pirius did not discuss any issue like this,
and it was good for him to do so. One day, if Uritus were unable,
Pirius would rule the Empire. He needed to focus on more than just
women if he would ever be able to do so.

"Very true, young Tecadelion. I cannot
prove he is good or evil. But death itself is no more evil than
birth. I can only assume that the gods in charge of both are
equally indifferent to the matters."

"And the pair of balances? What do
they represent?"

"They represent exactly what you think
they do; balance. While humans live a life of imbalance, the gods
exist in a different way. You cannot have death without life, nor
life without death. Black and white, good and evil, yesterday and
tomorrow; it is all balanced by the gods."

"Then why would a single god have
control over the balance?"

"For the same reason an Emperor has
control over an Empire. Take Medora as an example. The Emperor has
control over the balance of the empire, but he has men beneath him
to control certain things. As General, it is my duty to protect the
Medorans, though I do not rule over them. The Empire functions as a
unit, but your father controls the direction in which we
move."

"Gods, empires, good, evil; who can
keep track of all this? Why are things not simpler, like when I was
a boy?"

"I think that is the reason that we
adore children and let them get away with things. We realize that
their world exists only as far as they can see. Knowledge
eventually comes to destroy the innocence, and the damage is
irreversible. We let them hold on to that innocence because we know
that it will soon be gone forever. Maybe we parents feel a little
of the innocence though our children."

"So now I have to add parenting to my
list of complications?" Pirius smiled up at the giant man as he got
on his horse. "I think I’ll avoid that one for as long as I
can."

Tannis turned his horse and looked to
the northeast. He could see a hazy cloud of dust in the growing
morning light. Pirius looked and saw the same thing.

"What is that? The Vindyri troops
again?"

Tannis was totally confused by the
sight. "I don’t know. I don’t understand it. It can’t be the
Vindyri; they are back in Vindyrion away from the battle. It has to
be the Bhoors. But how can they move an army at night? And how can
they possibly be close enough for us to see them from
here?"

Pirius squinted at the sight, his
dimples creasing his cheeks. "Perhaps they are farther away than it
seems, and their army is just so large that the dust cloud can be
seen from a greater distance."

"Let us hope that their army is not
anywhere near that large, young Tecadelion."

Chapter 21

The Zidaoz weaved in and out through
the star-like souls in the world between worlds. He was determined
to find Rohni, the god of his people, and ask for guidance in the
impending war. He had searched countless times to no avail, but
each time he tried he could feel the presence of his god growing
stronger. He just needed to search the right area, and he would to
find him there in all his glory.

Just then a thought came to him. He
was searching for a light, a bright soul that shone like the lights
all around him. There were too many to confront them all and decide
who they were. It was hard enough to find the Medoran, and he knew
where Uritus’s soul resided. He realized he was not looking for a
simple soul; he was looking for a god. Zidaoz looked out into the
blackness, far beyond any point he had traveled to in the shadow
world before. He called out with his soul for Rohni, and the souls
slipped past him at incredible speed as he approached the edge of
darkness.

The souls became a steady blur of
blinding light, moving past him faster than he was able to
comprehend. Soon the light became so bright that he felt it had
blinded him, and darkness filled his vision. He panicked for a
moment, thinking he had done permanent damage to his soul or his
body which sat motionless and vulnerable back in his tent. He
looked in all directions but he could see nothing but inky
blackness.

Then his definition of blackness
changed. What he had just considered absolute darkness a moment
before became bright in comparison to the shifting form in front of
him. This form seemed to pull everything into it, and created a
swirling vortex of immense power that threatened every fiber of his
being. As he stared helplessly at the imposing form, he heard a
frightening voice. It did not enter his ears, but came instead into
his mind.

What are you doing here in
my realm?

Zidaoz could barely bring himself to
answer. He realized that this was his god before him, and he
relaxed, trying to show respect. "My master, I am here to serve
you. I come seeking guidance in a great time of need."

And on what matter do you
feel you need assistance?

"There is a war, Rohni, a great war
between the lands. We are in desperately need of your assistance in
spreading your word to the people who refuse to accept
it."

The shifting form in front
of him remained silent for a moment.
I am
aware of the war. What assistance do you request?

"I lack power, my master. I am working
with a Medoran who I meet in this realm, but I fear that he will
soon overpower me with his skills of magic. I cannot have him
surpass my ability and make war on my people before I can spread
your word. He worships a false god and not you, Rohni."

The Medoran you speak of
is Uritus Tecadelion, is it not?

Zidaoz was shocked that Rohni would
know that. "Yes master. That is the Medoran."

He does not worship a
false god, he worships me. In several thousand years you have
simply warped your religions to better suit your cultures. I am god
of this world and your own. You both worship the same
god.

"But he speaks of a god named Inshae,
and six other gods that accompany him."

Names mean nothing. There
is no other god standing before you, only me. If any other being
claims to be a god, and speaks to your human ears and not into your
mind, know that he is a false god. Do not speak to such
beings.

"As you command, master. I am here to
serve you and spread your word. I will not rest until every living
human worships you as we do."

Good. Then perhaps you are
useful to me. If you serve me well, I might consider extending your
life so that you can spread my message even longer. The Medoran
requested this very thing, and I am considering it in his case as
well.

"I would be honored master. It
comforts me that he worships you too, Rohni. It makes things much
easier. However, the war is still coming, and I feel that my
abilities in magic are lacking. How can I enhance them?"

There is a ritual that
will strengthen your powers, but it is not for the weak of
heart.

"I am not weak of heart, master. I am
only weak in magic."

You must find a child. It
must be an innocent child, one frightened to be away from its
mother. The females are better because the males misbehave early,
leaving them tainted. Only the most innocent children will
do.

"I understand master. What do I do
with the child?"

You must purify the child
further with torture. It does not matter what you do to it as long
as you do not kill it. You must create a change in the thinking of
the child, and make it long for death. This is not normal for a
child, and it is not easy.

When you are sure you have
reached this point, open the neck of the child and drain its blood.
Draw a wide circle with the blood on the floor around you and place
your hands in it. Then come to this realm to cast your spells and
they will be strong.

"I understand. Must I do this for each
spell I cast?"

The more children you use
in this way, the more powerful you will become overall, but it is
not necessary to do for every spell. You will take part of the soul
of the child into your own and your power will grow stronger even
without repetition of the ritual. The soul of the child will be
locked in torment forever, but this is of little consequence, since
there are countless souls in this realm.