Phoenix in Shadow - eARC (39 page)

Chapter 57

“Viedraverion, when are you going to return my property?” Balinshar demanded.

“When I am
finished
with him, and not one minute before. Father
told
you to let this go. Do not presume too much on my well-known good nature.”

Balinshar’s eyes narrowed. “Well-known
now
, but I remember you somewhat differently, oh, some ages back, before the Fall.”

Unexpectedly perceptive of Balinshar.
“I spent millennia playing human roles to tear down civilizations, Balinshar. One thing I learned well was that one can gain much with a quiet word and patience. Especially,” and It caused Its shape to change, growing, the skin turning stony-gray, “when one
can
choose the other path.”

Balinshar’s fanged mouth twisted in annoyance. “Bah. In any event,
you
had better not be relying on your Father’s good will so much; he’s becoming annoyed with you, and everyone knows it.” The black-fanged grin was mocking. “Perhaps your fortunes are about to change.” The connection was cut in that instant.

Just as well; he’ll brood about my keeping Tashriel and not think more on that other subject.
Tashriel was
vital
to the final portion of the plan, though almost certainly not in any way that anyone else would guess, and Balinshar definitely wouldn’t.

Miri had played her unwitting part
perfectly
, right down to returning to the palace to retrieve the scroll—which had of course activated upon contact, as he had planned. The alternative courses had also been planned for, with appropriate arrangements made for each—Miri not retrieving the scroll, Miri not falling to the influence of the Light, Kalshae falling, both dying, et cetera, all planned for. But his predictions had been correct and the course he had most hoped for had been run.

Weiran escaped? Well, that may become interesting in a year or ten, depending on where he escaped to, and with what. He will certainly be
most
put out by our little band of heroes, but they’ll be dead long before he has any opportunity to try for revenge.

It stood and put the scroll away.
Condor will be helping rebuild on the other side of the lake; I’m sure he’s trying to be the hero by now—Miri’s reports certainly indicated that—and he won’t be able to leave a devastated town. So he will not catch up with Phoenix yet, not until the proper moment.

It made a note to Itself to make sure that the agents It had planted there centuries ago were ready to act just in case Condor put on a surprising burst of speed.
Timing is the absolute essential element here. Can’t have him interrupt the rebuilding of Kaizatenzei Valatar and their heroic departure. I’m
certain
there will be a small but important Temple to Myrionar there before she leaves. That
must
be properly dedicated.

Judging from what he’d seen in Miri’s memories—both those things she’d witnessed and those things she had been told—there were other likely events.
Kalshae is probably not actually dead, though I have no doubt that being disintegrated that way must have been
painful
. But my, my, my, that little Toad is clever. I look forward to seeing what tricks he can come up with in the ultimate confrontation.

The Elderwyrm, on the other hand...
hit with what appears to have been part of the Sun’s core. Were it merely something like, oh, one of the
rannai
cannon the Reborn Empire used to use, or even the thermonuclear toys Earth’s playing with, he’d be back fairly quickly.
However, the fact that it was a piece of the
Sun
—the light of the world—had symbolic and thus mystical significance which undoubtedly injured Sanamaveridion’s spirit gravely.
And, of course, the fact that it was one of the Wanderer’s tricks might make it even harder to deal with. No, I think that he’ll be long in returning...which will likely make the rest of the Elderwyrm cautious in their rising.

Then there was Kerlamion. The time was nearly right to let Kerlamion decide the great plan was unraveling and to dismiss “Viedraverion” in disgust. Not
quite
yet, but soon, very soon. Kerlamion and his pedestrian and rather boring plans of dominion were, in the end, futile, and the amusing thing was that the King of All Hells did not realize this.
It all goes back to that ancient conflict, so far that I’m not sure any of them realize their motives anymore, let alone how completely their little dances of death and revenge are choreographed by others.

It
of course understood those motives perfectly; after all, It had arranged that conflict, just as it had arranged all of what was happening here.

A knock on the door of the nearly-bare room caused It to turn. “Enter, please,” It said.

Bolthawk and Skyharrier entered and bowed low. It returned the bow with a slight nod. “Welcome, both of you.”

“You called us,” Skyharrier said, still carefully avoiding using even pronouns that might designate anything about It. That wasn’t so important anymore, now that neither he nor Bolthawk dared show their faces in Evanwyl anymore, but old habits died hard. “You said that you had some good news for us.”

“I do indeed, my friends.” It smiled, and was pleased to see that they still flinched at the expression. “I have been giving thought to the problem you posed, Bolthawk.”

“You mean about our numbers. As in, there’s only two of us left, and it’s going to be Balance-damned hard to recruit any new blood.”

“There are
three
of you, technically. Condor has not, after all, been killed or otherwise removed from the Justiciars, he’s merely on a rather extended mission. But still, there
are
, as you say, only two of you available. And while it
is
true that Justiciars’ Retreat is very difficult for those not of the Justiciars to find, it is not at all impossible. And
if
that happens...”

“My apologies, but we can, I believe, envision the results well enough, Patron,” Skyharrier said.

“Yes, yes, I do tend to ramble, don’t I? Well, in any event we are missing four: Silver Eagle, our beloved Thornfalcon, Mist Owl, and Condor’s foster father Shrike. If we are discovered—and we will be, I assure you, because our friend the Phoenix has been far from idle and will be on the way back here very soon—you were correct that we must have more allies, more sword-brothers...more Justiciars, in short.”

Bolthawk shook his head. “Takes too long—why, even if we
weren’t
on on the Watchland’s kill-on-sight list—how ironic
that
must be for you, eh?—even if we weren’t on that list, I say, we wouldn’t have half the time we need to train even one newcomer, let alone four.”

“I entirely agree with you,” It said, and smiled more broadly. “So I have found a far better solution.”

It gestured, and in the darkness at the far side of the room was movement. The movement sharpened, became three figures walking with a faint creak and clank of armor. The smell of polish and oil carried with it another odor: the faint, sweetish-foul stench of something long dead.

Bolthawk gave a curse, bringing his gauntleted fists up to guard position, while Skyharrier paled, and half-drew his weapon, backing up with a terror that was sweet to smell indeed.

“Oh, how, now?” It asked, and now It laughed, even as the three figures stopped just behind it. “Is this how you greet the comrades you had just now said we need?”

“Oh, great
Balance
...” murmured the ashen Skyharrier, and Bolthawk’s hands trembled.

Silver Eagle, Mist Owl, and Shrike bowed, surrounded by the smell of the grave, as Its laughter echoed throughout Justiciars’ Retreat.

“But...but Mist Owl was
burned!
To
ashes!
” Skyharrier finally managed, his voice shaking. “And that...that’s Gareth Lamell, the Eagle
before
Rion Vantage, buried years agone! He should be
bones!
”

It turned to them slowly and let them see the lambent yellow light in its eyes. “You have allowed yourselves to forget, or perhaps never realized, the truth. You are
bound
to me, your oaths given and accepted, my power bestowed upon you.

“Did you think that there was
any
way for you to escape?” It smiled, and the two living Justiciars shrank back. “There is no escape from
me
. If you serve me well enough—and live—then when the final act of this play is concluded, I
may
release you.

“But if you serve me
poorly
, you shall have no release...not even death.”

It looked upon their horrified faces, and knew that all was ready, now, for the final act.

Gazetteer for Zarathan

NOTE:
Some elements of the Gazetteer may be spoilers for
Phoenix Rising
and
Phoenix in Shadow
.

Overview

Zarathan (more properly Zahr-a-Thana, World of Magic) is a planet of generally Earth size and composition. It is presumed to be the source of all magic in all universes. The main continent (and the only continent commonly known) stretches approximately four thousand, eight hundred miles north to south and, at its widest, is about the same east to west (it averages between two and three thousand east-west over most of its extent, however). It can be generally divided into three regions: Southern Zarathan, which is most of the continent south of the Khalal mountain range, Northern Zarathan which is everything north of the Khalals plus the very large island/miniature continent of Artania, and Elyvias, a subcontinent peninsula shaped something like a gigantic Cape Cod and separated from Southern Zarathan by the Barricade Mountains.

The history, geography, and peoples of Zarathan are all affected greatly by the apparently cyclical “Chaoswars” which bring periodic conflict to the world and are associated with massive mystical/deific disturbances which, among other effects, distort or erase memories and even records of prior events—up to and including those of the gods. Thus, while the generally known history of Zarathan stretches back over half a million years, clear records are rarely available for anything older than the most recent Chaoswar, and even the gods themselves can only partially answer questions pertaining to events beforehand.

Countries

There are several countries on this continent, but it should be made clear that “country” on Zarathan is not quite the same as “country” in the modern civilized world of Earth. Most of the area claimed as a country’s territory is actually relatively wild and untamed and dangerous; only cleared areas around cities and major roads tend to be safe for travel. The overall population of the countries is therefore much lower than might be expected, given that the average standard of living is closer to that of twentieth-century Earth in many ways than it is to the medieval era that one might first assume, seeing no factories and noticing that the sword is still a common weapon. Following is a list of the important countries of Zarathan (there are others not listed, but these are the ones significant either overall, or specifically for the Balanced Sword trilogy):

State of the Dragon God

Called variously the
State of the Dragon God
,
The Dragon-King’s Domain
,
The State of Elbon Nomicon
, and other appellations, the actual name for this country is a very long string of Ancient Sauran words that boiled down means something like “The Country founded in the days of the Dragon-God’s First Creation, That Endures Eternally.” It is the largest country on the planet, stretching from the western edge of Southern Zarathan all the way to the Barricade Mountains in the east, and from the southern coast all the way to the Ice Peaks in the north. In a governmental sense, the State of the Dragon God might best be described as a theocratic libertarian state.

The capital of the State of the Dragon God is called in Ancient Sauran
Fanalam’ T’ ameris’ a’ u’ Zahr-a-Thana T’ikon
, but commonly (and to the Saurans and Dragons, painfully) called simply “Zarathanton.” It is the most ancient city, and the largest, on the continent, with some buildings over five hundred thousand years old and a population of roughly 200,000 inside and immediately outside its walls. Other important cities within the State of the Dragon God borders include T’Tera (also called the Dragon God’s City), Artani (a city of trade with the
Artan
of the Forest Sea), Dragonkill, Bridgeway, Odinsforge (also the name of the mountain range in which it is set), Salandar, Thologondoreave (an independent city of the Children of Odin), Shipton (known to the Saurans as
Olthamian’ a’ ameris
)and Hell’s Edge.

The Empire of the Mountain

Nearly as large as the Dragon God’s country, the Empire of the Mountain actually straddles the Khalals, claiming much of the territory north of the Ice Peaks to the Khalals and some territory to the north and east above them. Ruled in unbroken power for hundreds of thousands of years by the God-Emperor Idinus, most powerful wizard ever to live, the Empire has always had an uneasy relationship with its neighbors. While Idinus is not, strictly speaking, evil, he has motives and goals that are unclear to others and this has led on occasion to war on a titanic scale. The capital of the Empire of the Mountain is Scimitar’s Path, at the base of Mount Scimitar—tallest peak of the Khalal range at sixty thousand feet. There are several other cities, the most important of which are Kheldragaard to the west and Tor Port in the east. It is an ironclad theocracy ruled directly by the Archmage himself from atop Mount Scimitar—where he remains virtually always.

Dalthunia

Dalthunia used to be an ally state to the Dragon God, a modest-sized country which broke away from the Empire due to a very bad set of mis-steps by some of the Empire’s local rulers, eventually triggering a local revolution. For some reason the Archmage—after a short demonstration of his power which showed that if he wished, he could take Dalthunia back at any time—allowed Dalthunia to remain independent. At the time of the story, however, Dalthunia has been a conquered state—whether by internal revolution or some subtle external invasion is unclear—for a couple of centuries, and very little is known about it other than that they do not welcome visitors. They clearly have powerful magic and probably deific patrons, because scrying and ordinary espionage have not been effective. The capital of Dalthunia is Kymael, named after the instigator of the revolution.

Evanwyl

A small country between the northeastern portion of Hell’s Rim, the Khalals, and the Broken Hills, Evanwyl is an almost forgotten country at the time of The Balanced Sword trilogy; its great claim to fame used to be its connection to the civilization that lay on the other side of Heavenbridge Way, the only useful pass through the Khalals. But that was before something happened during the last Chaoswar, something that turned the other side to the monstrous Moonshade Hollow and the Heavenbridge Way into Rivendream Pass. Now Evanwyl’s only function is keeping the things that exit from Rivendream Pass from entering the larger world. Governmentally, Evanwyl is a monarchy (ruled by the Watchland) with the monarch’s power moderated by his subordinates and advisors the Eyes and Arms, and by the powerful influence of the faith of Myrionar, the Balanced Sword, especially as embodied in the Justiciars of Myrionar and the high priest called the Arbiter. The city of Evanwyl is the capital; its population is between four and five thousand people in total.

Skysand

Situated on the far northeast corner of the continent, Skysand is a country which is mostly desert with considerable volcanic features and with some interior and coastal oases (around which are built its few cities). A theocratic monarchy, Skysand is ruled by the Silverun family under a complex set of rules administered and watched over by the temples of Terian, the Mortal God; the capital is also named Skysand and is situated in a natural harbor with a periodically active but generally harmless volcano on the southern side. Cut off from the rest of the land by the high and volcanic Flamewall Mountains, Skysand trades by sea with other countries around the continent, its most prominent exports being magical gemstones which are found in great quantity and diverse assortments in the desert and mountains.

Artania

A huge island or small continent a thousand miles long and a few hundred wide, Artania is the claimed homeland of the youngest of the major species on Zarathan, the
Artan
(sometimes called Elves). Few other than the
Artan
are allowed beyond the capital city, Nya-Sharee-Hilya (which means “Surviving the Storm of Ages”); this city is run on rather militaristic lines but it’s uncertain as to whether this reflects the overall government, or the fact that the city is often the focal point of invasion attempts.

White Blade State

Located in a circle of mountains in the far northwest of the main continent, the White Blade State is a rotating monarchy, with rulership cycling regularly between the ruling families of the five main cities. How the individual cities determine their ruling families varies, making governmental changeovers...interesting at times. Naturally this also means the capital city changes with regularity. The “White Blade” is a symbolic, but extremely powerful, sword which is held by the current ruler; it is said to be the gift of the patron god of the White Blade, Chromaias, and each of the five cities are devoted to and named after one of the five gods of that faith (Chromaias, Stymira [Thanamion], Amanora, Taralandira [Mulios], and Kharianda.

Aegeia

A small country walled off from the rest of the continent by the mountain range called Wisdom’s Fortress, Aegeia is a theocratic state which is ruled much of the time by a council of twelve nobles, but at other times by the literal incarnate Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, in the capital city of Aegis.

Odinsforge Range/Thologondoreave

The Children of Odin claim this as their homeland, and politically the entire mountain range is treated as a sort of neutral ground with the Children of Odin having priority in disputes. The area immediately surrounding the general location of Thologondoreave (“Cavern of a Thousand Hammers”)is acknowledged to be sovereign territory of the Children of Odin; as the exact location of Thologondoreave is a well-kept secret from most people, with powerful enchantments and even deific protection, in practice this makes most of the Odinsforge Range their country, an island in the middle of the State of the Dragon King.

Pondsparkle

Possibly the smallest country in the world, Pondsparkle consists of one small city and the surrounding area near a small lake a few miles in extent. Pondsparkle is the permanent home for a large number (several thousand) of the Intelligent Toads and the site of the first and still primary temple to their god, Blackwart the Great.

Kaizatenzei

A country unknown to the outside world until
Phoenix in Shadow
, Kaizatenzei is a country set in the midst of Moonshade Hollow—and is every bit as beautiful, fruitful, and pleasant as Rivendream Pass and the outer part of Moonshade Hollow are monstrous, corrupt, and deadly.

The name of the country translates to “The Unity of Seven Lights,” with the Seven Lights of the name being seven cities or very large villages which served as the center of safety and power against the evil surrounding them, and who began working together once they discovered each other’s existence. The discovery of what is called the Light of Unity caused them to found a reasonably central capital city called Sha Kaizatenzei Valatar, which means something like “soul-light heart city of the Unity of Seven Lights.”

Other Locations

Elyvias

Not, strictly speaking, a country, but a subcontinent, Elyvias used to be a larger portion of the continent, with additional area extending up nearly to Tor Port, but according to legend a battle between Elbon Nomicon and the Archmage Idinus caused a cataclysmic restructuring of the whole area, sinking a large chunk of the continent and creating the distorted conditions within. Elyvias has several countries and significant cities within its borders (Firestream Falls, Shuronogromal, Thunder Port, Thelhi-Man-Su, Zeikor, Artilus) but is severely cut off from the rest of the world both by the physical barriers of the Barricade Mountains, Blackdust Plateau, and Cataclysm Ridge, and by the mystical disruption called the Maelwyrd which surrounds the entire peninsula to a range of up to forty miles, with only a mile or two of clear-sailing space inside the Maelwyrd, near land. Magic also tends to work differently in Elyvias and the civilizations there have developed differently in the last several thousand years.

The Forest Sea

Stretching from the Great Road and the Odinsforge Range in the east to the Barricade Range in the east, the Forest Sea presses against the Ice Peaks and surges around them in the east, up into the Empire of the Mountain. Stretching for three thousand miles, the Forest Sea is broken only by tiny enclaves within it and by the narrow clear-cuts around the cities and Great Roads. Somewhere within is hidden the Suntree, which the
Artan
on the main continent use as temple and center, but most of it is utterly unexplored, filled with danger and possibility.

“Hell” and Hell’s Rim

Created, it is said, from a cataclysmic mystical confrontation between the powerful Demons and the Great Dragons in the days before human beings walked the planet, the region called “Hell” is a place of twisted, distorted magics, impossible conflicting terrain, and monsters found nowhere else. No coherent picture has emerged of the place within, and few even attempt to go there; passing Hell’s Rim, a steep barrier of high peaks, would be too much effort for most anyway. The only pass through those peaks is sealed off by the fortress city, Hell’s Edge, which exists almost solely as a barrier between “Hell” and the rest of the world.

Ice Peaks

Like “Hell” and Elyvias, the Ice Peaks are a reminder of one of the conflicts of history, though long enough ago that the precise nature of the event isn’t known. The Peaks are magical, solidified ice for the most part, meaning that they are beautiful, transparent or translucent, and very, very hard to pass, given they have nothing growing on them. They form one of the natural borders between the State of the Dragon God and the Empire of the Mountain.

People of Zarathan

Many different species share this continent—many relatively peacefully, others...somewhat less so. Following is a summary of the most significant peoples of this world.

Humans

Human beings on Zarathan are basically the same as they are on Earth. Generalists, humans are something of the chameleons of the civilizations, showing up in any profession, any part of the world, in large numbers. They are probably the most common of the intelligent species.