The Mage's Limits: Mages of Martir Book #2 (9 page)

Erich saluted Valumor. “Yes, Sir Council Member. We will do as you command.”

“Don't banish us beyond the Void!” Gujak cried out, his sudden outburst causing Durima to start. “That's inhumane. We don't deserve it.”

“Of course you deserve it,” said Valumor. He gestured at his fellow Council members. “The Council has agreed that the proper punishment for criminals who murder gods is banishment beyond the Void. And if the Council says it, then it becomes law, which means that your punishment must be carried out as the law states.”

“B-But it's too cruel,” said Gujak, his voice becoming harder to understand as tears flowed from his eyes. “The Void is a horrible place. Nothing lives out there. It's just death and darkness. Not even the gods have any power out there.”

“That is exactly why we agreed to put you out there,” said Valumor. “Now quit your whining. It won't change our minds or make us like you any better. When the Council decrees something, it is so, and we will not backpedal the punishment that you deserve.”

Gujak's lips trembled, but he didn't say anything else. Durima wanted to argue about their sentence as well, but as Gujak had already said what she wanted to, she just kept her mouth shut as the Soldiers escorted her and Gujak out of the Chamber.

I've always been curious about what lies beyond the Void,
Durima thought grimly,
though I doubt, once I am beyond the Void, I will live long enough to learn much about it.

Chapter Six

O
ne moment, Darek was standing in the medical wing of North Academy; the next moment, after the Ghostly God grabbed his arm, he found himself standing on the front porch of a mansion that he had never seen before. Now Darek had teleported before, but he had never been teleported by a god before. The experience was so abrupt that he did not know how to handle it, although considering that he seemed to be in one piece, he supposed it hadn't been all that bad.

The Ghostly God had relinquished his grip on Darek's arm now. He floated beside Darek, looking down at him with impatience.

“Are you just going to stand there and look like an idiot?” said the Ghostly God. “Or did the teleportation mush your fragile human brain?”

Darek rubbed the back of his head. “My brain is just fine, Ghostly God. I was just surprised by how abrupt that teleportation was, that's all.”

“I was in a hurry,” said the Ghostly God. “The mission I have for you is one of utmost importance. But first, let us go inside. We can discuss it in more detail in there. I do not trust the outside.”

The Ghostly God gestured at the mansion, which they stood in front of. Darek turned to look at it better. It was an old and creepy mansion with a couple of boarded up windows here and there. Darek had never seen this mansion before in his life; as a matter of fact, Darek could not recall ever seeing a mansion in person before. There weren't any in North Academy, after all, and Darek had never traveled beyond the Great Berg to the Northern Isles, where mansions might be found. Its presence here confused him, to say the least.

“Are we in the Northern Isles?” Darek asked, looking up at the Ghostly God. “I thought you southern gods' territories were in the south.”

“Of course we're not in the north,” said the Ghostly God. “Why would you ever think that? Don't tell me you already forgot that I am a southern god?”

“No,” said Darek, shaking his head. He gestured at the mansion. “The mansion confused me, that's all.”

“Ah, yes,” said the Ghostly God, returning his gaze to the large house before them. “I can see how that could be confusing. But no, this is my mansion on my island, which is in the southern seas.”

Darek frowned. “But why would you have a mansion that looks like something a human would build? I thought you southern gods looked down on our mortal creations.”

“True enough,” said the Ghostly God. “Mortal creations, in general, tend to be inferior to divine creations in every way. Nonetheless, when I was first told about the buildings you humans made by Diog, I decided a mansion would be an appropriate headquarters for me. Except it is far superior to any mansion built by mortals, obviously.”

“How did you build it?” asked Darek, squinting at the upper floors, which were covered in mist. “Did you build it yourself?”

“No,” said the Ghostly God, shaking his head. “Many years back, I had a former katabans servant of mine—who died two years ago, I think, though I rarely keep track of my former servants' lives after they have finished their years of servitude—kidnap a human architect. I forced the architect to design a mansion for me and to make it well, which I can safely say he did, as my mansion has stood for almost a century now and has shown no signs of falling apart.”

“What happened to that architect you hired?” said Darek. “Did you send him back to his home?”

The Ghostly God licked his lips. “I ate him, of course. He was delicious.”

Darek didn't bother to hide his grimace. The southern gods were known for eating humans; in fact, it was the whole reason that they and the northern gods had been separated in the first place. Yet Darek had almost forgotten that the Ghostly God had an appetite for mortals, probably because the Ghostly God had shown no interest in eating Darek.

But we are beyond the Dividing Line,
Darek thought.
That means that there's nothing to stop the Ghostly God from eating me alive if he wanted. Maybe that's the whole reason he summoned me here. He has no mission for me. He's just hungry and wants a snack.

Darek rested his hand on his wand, which he was relieved to find was still attached to his belt. Even so, he knew it wouldn't do him much good. In a straight one-on-one battle, there was no way a mage like Darek could defeat a deity like the Ghostly God. Still, Darek felt safer knowing he had his wand by his side, despite the fact that it was technically nothing more than a glorified piece of wood against the Ghostly God.

“Now, then,” said the Ghostly God as he pushed the front door open. “Let us go inside. I will brief you on your mission once I am sure no one is listening.”

Once again, Darek frowned. He looked around, but with the mist around the mansion so thick, he couldn't see much. “Listening? Do you mean that someone might be eavesdropping on us?”

“Just come inside,” said the Ghostly God, gesturing for Darek to follow as he entered his mansion. “And close the door on your way in.”

Darek hesitated. He could try to run now, if he wanted. If he walked into the Ghostly God's mansion, he would be trapped in there, at the mercy of a southern god who had already admitted to eating mortals. Walking into the Ghostly God's mansion was like walking into a pit of sharks.

But then Darek remembered that he had nowhere to run to. He couldn't even teleport off the island, seeing as he did not know Zamis's exact location. All he knew for sure was that Zamis was somewhere in the southern seas, which meant that it was too far away from the Great Berg for him to attempt to teleport back to North Academy.

So Darek, making sure he could draw his wand in a pinch, stepped into the Ghostly God's mansion and closed the door behind him as silently as he could.

-

The interior of the mansion was even more bleak than the exterior. The windows were curtained by shabby gray curtains that looked like they had been torn by a mad knife man. Old empty picture frames hung on the walls, although a few were partially covered by peeling wallpaper that needed to be replaced. A stone podium, covered in dust and cobwebs, stood in the center of the foyer, right in front of the wide staircase, although what, if anything, was supposed to be there, Darek didn't know.

The Ghostly God spread his arms wide. “Welcome to my mansion, Darek Takren. What do you think?”

Darek sniffed the air. It smelled like a rotting old house to him. Not to mention that the air was cold, although as Darek had felt much colder temperatures back in the Great Berg, he tolerated it well enough.

“It's … old,” said Darek. He kept his words level, knowing how volatile the southern gods could be. “And kind of creepy.”

The Ghostly God turned around as fast as lightning. “Creepy? Of course. That's the point. Why would I want to make it seem homely? I am the Ghostly God. I rule the spirits of the departed. I study what lies beyond the veil of death. None of that is very
homely
, in my opinion.”

A chunk of plaster from the ceiling landed near Darek's feet, its fall so sudden that Darek almost jumped. When he realized it was just plaster, he relaxed and remained where he was.

“So the decrepit appearance is intentional, then,” said Darek, hugging his body to keep in the warmth.

“Exactly,” said the Ghostly God. “But that is beside the point. Now that we are in my mansion, I think it is safe for me to brief you on the details of the mission I have in store for you.”

Darek nodded. “All right. I'm ready to listen.”

“I'm ready to listen,
Master
,” the Ghostly God corrected.

Darek bit his lower lip. “So you want me to call you Master?”

“It is the title all of my servants have called me,” said the Ghostly God. “Besides, you agreed to serve me for ten years. Calling me Master was perhaps not explicitly part of the original deal, but you should have known going in that I would demand that you address me in that way.”

Darek wanted to ask how he was supposed to know that, seeing as he didn't know the Ghostly God very well, but he held his tongue. No doubt the Ghostly God would come up with some terrible punishment for him if he started talking back.

And he
is
a god, after all,
Darek thought.
Maybe not the best god in the world, but that doesn't mean he isn't worthy of the respect we mages are supposed to show all gods, right?

“Now, say it again,” said the Ghostly God. “I'm ready to listen, Master.”

Dark took a deep breath and said, “I'm ready to listen, Master.”

“Excellent,” said the Ghostly God. “You are learning quickly. I like that in servants. You are already above Durima and Gujak in my eyes, and you haven't even done anything for me yet.”

“Speaking of those two, where are they?” said Darek, looking to the left and right, hoping to see them peeking out from a nearby room. “Do they still serve you?”

The Ghostly God shook his head. “I haven't seen them since that night when Uron appeared in the graveyard. I believe they ran away.”

“Why?” said Darek. When he saw the look of annoyance on the Ghostly God's face, he added, “Uh, Master?”

“They ran away because they were afraid of being caught and punished for their crime of murdering my sister the Spider Goddess,” said the Ghostly God. “In other words, no, Darek Takren, Durima and Gujak do not serve me any longer. I have no idea where they are or what they're currently doing and I do not care to find out.”

“Oh,” said Darek. “I was hoping to thank Durima for getting the Magical Superior to safety when Uron and Skimif were battling in the graveyard. But I guess I can't do that now.”

“Why would you need to?” said the Ghostly God. “Those two were always idiots, anyway. Useless, bumbling fools who never did anything right. I don't even know why I allowed them to serve me for as long as they did. Good riddance, I say.”

Darek thought that that was a bit harsh, but considering how cruel the Ghostly God was, he saw no reason to push the issue. It wasn't like he knew Durima or Gujak well enough to say whether the Ghostly God's judgment of them was accurate, after all.

“But Durima and Gujak are entirely irrelevant to this discussion,” said the Ghostly God. “I should have briefed you several minutes ago. Let's get to the point, shall we?”

“Yes … Master,” said Darek, remembering to address the Ghostly God that way only at the last minute.

“Very good,” said the Ghostly God, nodding. He turned and began heading up the stairs. “Follow me. I will explain what your mission is as we walk.”

Darek, not sure he wanted to go any deeper into this creepy mansion than he already had, reluctantly followed the Ghostly God until he was walking by the deity's side. The steps creaked under Darek's footsteps as he walked, which added to the eerie atmosphere of the mansion.

“Your mission is dangerous,” said the Ghostly God when they were about halfway up the stairs. “But it is one that only a mortal like yourself can complete.”

Darek didn't say anything to that, as he did not know how to respond to such vague comments.

“Tell me, Darek Takren, have you ever heard of Jakuuth Grinfborn?” said the Ghostly God, glancing at Darek briefly before returning his gaze to the stairs they climbed.

“Jakuuth Grinfborn … Grinfborn …” Darek frowned as he searched his memory for someone with that name. “That name sounds familiar, but distant, like an old memory I haven't thought about in ages.”

“No doubt it is,” said the Ghostly God. “Jakuuth Grinfborn is a name that hasn't been spoken of by mortals in twenty-five years, since the end of the Katabans War. It's a name that
should
be long-forgotten by everyone except the gods … but sadly, it will be one that soon everyone will remember, whether they want to or not.”

“But who
is
Jakuuth Grinfborn?” said Darek as they reached the top of the stairs. “You say it's an old name, but you still haven't told me whose name it is.”

The Ghostly God turned to the left and went down a narrow, creaky hallway. Darek followed behind, as he could not walk by the Ghostly God's side due to the narrowness of the hallway.

“Jakuuth Grinfborn was a human mage very much like yourself,” said the Ghostly God, who was now moving at a much slower pace than normal. “He even trained in North Academy … for a brief period, anyway.”

“A brief period?” said Durima. “Was he expelled or did he leave on his own?”

The Ghostly God shook his head in disgust. “Expelled, and for good reason. He made the heretical claim that he was the Son of Grinf.”

Darek glanced at the narrow wooden walls, which had holes in them like someone had bashed them in. “But that's impossible. The gods can't procreate with humans. If a god tried to do that with a human, the human would die.”