Twilight of the Gods: Chosen Prologue Falia was just given some very troubling news. One of her followers had prayed to the messenger goddess earlier that morning begging her to hear what he had to say. She traveled down to Cannos, she was the only god allowed to do so because she was the messenger to all of them, from her home in the heavens, Ellia, to speak to her follower. Little did she know just how troubling this news would be, or what it would mean for her brothers and sisters. Now, walking into the common room of their palace, she was truly afraid of what may happen. The room was rich in color, vibrant, that would appease any taste. Soft lounge chairs and couches were laid out all over the room. There was some gold and gems were encrusted into the frame of the mirrors on the walls. Her features were drawn and all of a sudden the child like visage she held showed every one of her two thousand years of living. Her silver wings were folded behind her back, her golden red hair was left to fall free and frame her angelic face. And she was small, only around four foot eight all of the other divine beings were much taller. She walked into the place and saw the nine other gods of light sitting or lounging around the common area. She took it all in for a few seconds, she was still in a bit of shock. Then one of the goddesses, Tesálá, saw her there. “Oh Falia what ever is the matter? You look oh so sad.” Now the others were looking at her as well and she almost flushed from the attention. Truth be told Falia did not want to be a god any longer, she was not excited to become on in the first place. She was not happy with the attention she received from the people like her fellows were. Raising her voice so that all could hear her she spoke. “I have just received very disturbing news from one of my worshipers in the Shadow Guard.” Now all of them were aptly listening to her, the Shadow Guard was not something many of them spoke about unless they had a very good reason. “They have tracked down one of the Guardians, and he has a book with him. A book written in a language they cannot read even with the omnilingual skills we have given them.” All of her brothers and sisters were afraid now, they were sitting at attention, the only language they knew of but could not speak was Lawe, the language of their creator. “This cannot be! I thought all of the books of Lawe had been destroyed.” One of the males said. “Well Renagar we obviously missed one. Was there anything they could tell you about where the book was?” Tesálá asked. “It would appear that the book and its carrier are heading towards Lamon.” Falia answered. “I am not aware of anything there. It is possible they have a base there. “Renagar turned towards their leader, Magnus, “What are your thoughts my liege?” He asked. Magnus was by far the most powerful of the gods of light. Just as his twin brother Kamon was the most powerful of the gods of darkness. “I think we need to get to this person before he passes that book off to anyone else, especially if that person is a Guardian.” “Right but who do we use?” He thought for a moment before answering. “We use the Shadow Guard. They are going to be the best ones for this.” Magnus looked to Falia. “Get in touch with your men on Cannos and get word to the Guard. Tell them to make sure they find out where the book is going.” “My liege.” Was all she said as she bowed and began to turn to fly away. “My lord may I ask you a question?” She asked as she turned her head to him. Magnus nodded and she spoke. “Are we going to notify the other gods of this development? Should I fly to them after Cannos?” That alone made all of the gods present sit up straighter, they were more at attention now than when she told them about the book. “I will take care of that dear child. I owe my brother a visit anyhow. This will hopefully make him get over his god complex.” He said and Falia was the only one other than himself that chuckled at the bad joke. “Understood my liege.” She said and flew out of the room. Magnus stood up and left the room, once he was alone he flashed himself to the Pit. Light enveloped him and he dematerialized out of the room he was in and then rematerialized inside of Kamon’s throne room. The smell of burning flesh and the sounds of human screams filled his senses to an unbearable amount. “Brother I have news for you.” Kamon was sitting on his throne and as soon as his twin appeared his blood began to boil. He hated his twin with every fiber of his being. If it was not for his slight power advantage over Kamon he would have been dead many centuries before. “What do you want?” He growled in his deep and gravelly voice as he went about looking for a slave to torment while he was bored. “The humans have found a book.” “So what? They always find new things, that was one of the reasons you and your brother gods like those monkeys.” “It is a book written in Lawe.” At the mention Kamon’s head shot up and his eyes were wide with fear. “I am here to humbly request an alliance with you and your dark brothers.” Kamon considered his answer for a moment or two before answering, he was not sure if this was some sort of trick or not. “To what end?” “We need to take care of these books once and for all. It is my guess that they will take it to the Guardians and then we can take them out completely. I believe this to be mutually beneficial, do you agree?” He considered for a few more seconds, “Do you give me leave to have my emissaries search for them on Cannos? Unimpeded by your Shadow Guard?” Magnus thought about it long and hard. Kamon’s emissaries were not normal sane men, they were fanatics that would kill others and then kill themselves to be with their lord, and when that type of man believes in a god, it fuels their power immensely. Quickly he outweighed the good and the bad and nodded his head in agreement. It would not be a popular thing when he told his brothers but he was king and so they would have to follow even when they disagreed. “Then let us do this the correct way.” Kamon said as he raised his arms to the ceiling and his voice along with it. “Let it be known that the king of the gods of light, Magnus, and the king of the gods of darkness, Kamon, have reached an accord, a peace that none may interfere in.” As he took Magnus’ hand he added, “All of the gods have stuck an accord now, we are all bound by truce.” “Do not cause any more trouble on Cannos than is necessary.” Magnus warned but Kamon nodded and he sat back down on his throne of bone and skin. Magnus flashed back to his room and thought about what he had just done. Kamon called forth the spirit of one of his most loyal followers, Khalos and waited for him to appear. “I have an assignment for you my loyal servant. Go to Lamon and find the book, the only one that you cannot read. I want you to find it and follow it to wherever it is taken. Or else you are to get that information another way, any other way. Is that understood?” “Yes my lord, I will go at once.” “Take six of the Dark Brothers with you, they will be your guards and help you to accomplish this mission.” “Yes my lord.” The spirit said with a nod as it disappeared back to its body. Kamon began thinking about the book, he knew it would take a while and so he went back to his favorite past time. Waiving a hand he summoned a spirit to him and began to torture it by burning it and making it believe it was alive. Until he got any news he would have to amuse himself this way, well there were more ways to torture than just this. Chapter One Water was boiling on the stove for tea, a special mix of honey and chamomile with a few other herbs thrown in the mix. Merric was not looking forward to this day, it would be just like all of the others. Slow and boring as he mixed his potions for the peoples of Lamon. Being the most proficient wizard in the city meant that he had a lot of work to do. Pregnant women would go to him for potions to help with the pain of child bearing and for the morning sickness they felt. He even made potions to help with people that had pain from anything, whether it was pain from a broken bone or from old bones. Pouring himself a cup of the seaming liquid he just began to sit down as a knock sounded from the front door. Sighing he set down the cup and went to the door, only to open it and reveal his good friend Thax. He was standing there sweating profusely and breathing heavily Merric thank the gods you’re still home! He was shaking a good deal and Merric could see that he was covering something with his hands. Please let me in I need your help, something fierce. Moving aside he let his friend inside. Closing the door Thax sat a the table as Merric poured him a cup of tea ad sat across from him. So what kind of trouble are you in? Im being followed. He said after he took a moment to compose himself. There is a group of men after me. After this. He set the item he was carrying onto the table. It was wrapped in a red cloth, velvet from the feel of it. Lifting the cloth cover he revealed the book beneath, there was some writing on the cover and Merric was shocked to notice that he knew the language. I figured it was best if I come here. Merric was staring at the book intently, his fingers were aching to lift the cover ad begin reading. He was so intrigued by its odd designs that he didnt realize that Thax was talking for a moment. He touched the cover and felt a surge of power run through him. Looking up his ice blue eyes locked onto Thaxs dark brown ones. Did you feel that? He asked and then felt foolish, with the surge it was preposterous to think Thax hadnt felt the electricity in the air. Thax looked at him and shook his head, What you mean? Feel what? Now Merric was shaking his head, he didnt think he had imagined it but if Thax hadnt felt it that may be the only explanation. Even a wizard with a low amount of magic like Thax should have felt the energy that was emanating from the book, if it was real and not imagined. But then he began thinking of the conversation so far and he had a sinking feeling in his gut that something was wrong here but he could not put his finger on it. Then Merric realized that he had been belittling Thaxs problem and began to berate himself silently as he poured a second cup of tea and set it in front of Thax. What is wrong with you man? Taking a breath he said frantically, These guys, theyre trying to follow me, kill me and its all to get this! He said excitedly as he jabbed a finger at the book. Okay, okay, so why exactly are they trying to get this book? What does it do that they would kill for it? Merric asked. Because its special! Thax screamed at him, he slammed his hands on the table. Havent you been listening? Thaxs brown yes were alive with a fire that burned with all of his anger. So tell me about it then. What makes this book so special? He said as he began to thumb through the book even as he listened to his friend. Thax took a deep breath as though he was trying to steady himself before revealing something shocking. This group that is after me, they are called the Guardians. This book, He said as he pointed at the book, It contains some of the knowledge about the Creator. Then he paused and waited for Merric to look him in the eyes as he spoke with a shaky voice, as though he was afraid of being struck down at any moment. The Creator is the one who created everything, even the gods. Merrics eyes did not open with shock, his jaw did not drop, not at first. But once his mind had wrapped around what was said everything happened at once. He all of a sudden realized just why Thax was so afraid to speak of it. Created the gods...but thats, thats just not possible! He said breathless and as he realized that Thax was serious he began to feel frightened as well, very, very afraid of what would happen if the gods, especially the dark god Kamon, heard this type of blasphemy. Not according to the book its not. And this group, the Guardians, want to silence anyone, and I do mean anyone, who knows about it. He leaned in closer before continuing. I need your help with this. I need to get somewhere safe, just until my friends can help strike at them. Now it was time to get the help he needed. He knew that Merrics one true weakness was his loyalty, he would give everything he had to help his friends. Merric I am so, so sorry but I had to come here, you were the only one who could help me. And I am sorry for putting your life in danger, I truly am. Anger flared in Merrics eyes and he stood up quickly and was ramrod stiff. You knew about all of this, you knew that I was ignorant of this knowledge and so you come here to put me in danger so you could guilt me into helping you. Is that about it? What exactly do you expect me to do, use my magic n them and try to kill them or something? He asked with a dark growl entering his voice, his anger was flared up. He had no problems helping his friends and if Thax had just asked him he knew that Merric would do anything to help him. But trying to guilt him into helping was something that truly angered him. Thax nodded sheepishly and Merric got up to take a walk around the room, a last ditch attempt to calm himself down. He knew that if he didnt try to calm down he would do something he regretted. Merric had always had a temper, it was why he tried not to get into fights because when he did his anger became to great and he could never control himself. His father was a berserker, a human who was able to tap into emotion magic and go into a powerful rage when he was fighting. It was a good thing because it saved his life many times but it was something that he passed down to Merric and he did not like what it made him do when he let himself fall into that blood rage. He was unable to control himself and never knew if he would harm someone he knew or worse, kill them while in the grip of that rage. Finally he knew what he had to do and so he sat down and tried to look through the book, tried to keep his mind off of the rage that burned deep in his soul. As he opened the book he realized that he was able to read it. The words in the book were gibberish at first but then he began to see them changing, forming new words, these ones he could read. It was the strangest thing that had happened that day so far and he began reading as the words changed and he saw the first line and almost slammed the cover closed. That is not your friend he is an imposter! He looked up at Thax and was about to say what the book said but something stopped him, some feeling deep in his gut that told him not to say anything just yet. It was because of this voice that he looked back down at the book only to find there was more words there, new words that were not there a few seconds before. The Guardians are real but they are not the enemy, this imposter is the true enemy. They are only trying to worship the Creator and not the gods that He created thousands of years ago. Then they formed something new and he found himself shocked again, the book seemed to be alive. If you can read this you can also say a simple spell to see that I am truthful. He was trying to think of what the book meant and realized that the book was really speaking to him, maybe not in a spoken language but being able to read what it wanted was just as good. I can give you a simple spell that you can use, it will be something you can read but you will have to say it in your native tongue. In Lawe for it to work. I promise you that it will only bring harm to the man if he is truly an imposter, and it will reveal him. Nodding to himself he knew that it would be the only way to resolve this situation. Forming the words in his mind he added his own power to them so that they would work, then he did as the book said and spoke the words in Lawe. “Revélé verita un feromo.” It didn’t take even a few seconds for it to begin working. Thax grabbed at his stomach and was bent over double in his chair as he howled in pain. His face began to change shape like a liquid, skin tone changed from the bronzed skin to a pasty white. Hair fell out to leave him bald and the clothing, Thaxs’ clothing for Merric remembered the robe being his friends favorite, was hanging off of the frail form. He was just a shrunken form now laying on the floor and moaning in pain. “My gods the book was right!” Merric breathed and then recovered from the shock a minute later as he asked, “Who in the Pit are you and what have you done with my friend?” The frail thing looked up at him with golden colored eyes and hissed, “You wretched wizard! Look at what you have done to me!” The thing was demanding but Merric just stood there and stared. “You want to know where your friend is hmm? He’s dead!” Merrics’ eyes shot open quickly, he knew it must have been true but it was still very hard to hear. “Were you the one who killed him?” “Yes, I killed him with my bare hands and I enjoyed every single moment of it. In the end he was unable to even defend himself because of how pitiful he was as a magic user.” Anger was flaring in Merrics’ body but he tried to keep himself in check for fear of what would happen if he gave into the blood rage. “How dare you speak about my best friend that way!” An arm lashed out and power radiated from him in waves, the yellowed eyed wretch was lifted off of the ground by an invisible force. “You will tell me everything you know now or by the gods I will take the information in a very painful manner.” The creature looked up at him defiantly and said, “My brothers will kill you for what you’ve done so far. Let me go and I shall have them make your death a quick one rather than one that takes several weeks.” Then he began to laugh almost uncontrollably. “You misunderstand me, you don’t have a choice in the matter because you will give me what I want.” He focused on his magic and began to reach into the things mind and reached out to place his hand on the man’s forehead to complete the connection. He was using a power he had learned long ago and was reaching, sifting through the man’s mind to find the memories that held what he wanted. Releasing a small portion of his mental barrier he barreled right through the other man’s mind and began to touch all of his memories, all of the things that made him unique were laying open just like the book on the table that had revealed who the man truly was. Flashes of the mans life were passing by Merrics eyes quickly, almost to quick for him to see what they were but he knew that when he found what he wanted he would know it and so he kept on searching. “Stop! Please…what are…you…doing?” The man was screaming at first but as Merrics’ power touched more and more of his mind he began to shutdown. Merric was pulling and ripping all of the mans memories from his mind. His screams filled the small house as the seconds ticked by and Merric eventually found what he wanted. And in the process wiped the mans’ mind clean, and left him a withered husk. An empty shell that could breathe but that was all, no movement or control over himself. It was as though he were sleeping although this was one “nap” that he would never awaken from. Now he was trying to sift through the memories to make some sense of them. There were so many of them. In one there was a group of men talking to a young woman, who had wings. In another they were being welcomed into the ranks of something called the Dark Brothers. And in yet another there was a man who was telling them that they would be following the god Kamon and would be working with the Shadow Guard whoever that was. He let go of the mans head and the man just sagged there like a sack of flour in the air. “Who are they? Who are the Shadow Guard?” Then he realized that the man was not moving at all except the unconscious effort the body made to breathe. That was when he realized just what he had done. “Bloody hell I pulled to many memories at once.” Merric was muttering to himself as he berated himself before placing a hand to the mans forehead. Since he was like this he would never recover and so he would try to help with the suffering he would endure. “Sleep.” He commanded and the mans eyes closed as he fell instantly into a deep sleep. Releasing the slumbering mass Merric grabbed hold of the book as the man fell to the floor with a loud thump. Opening the book he tried to think of what to do, surely the man was right that his friends were looking for him. Flipping through the pages he looked for any information it contained on the Guardians and the Shadow Guard and he found nothing, at first. “Pit spawn why can’t you be easier to read?” He cursed at the book. Black ink formed new words and he almost dropped if from his hands. I am easy to read, for those who know how to read me. Staring back at it in astonishment he spoke again. “You can hear me?” One word formed on the page, Yes then a few seconds later more of them appeared in dark ink. I was created to teach certain people. I feel that I should tell you as you seem to be denser than I am and I am a book that never ends. Merrics face flushed with both anger and embarrassment and he nearly threw the book across the room. But he stopped as he thought about what the man said before he was reduced to a comatose state. “Was he telling me the truth? Is there really men looking for you?” They are looking for us dear boy. There is a slight but significant difference. Although I would suggest that we start moving post haste. He was imagining that the book had a voice, and that if it did it would be yelling at him so he asked it another question. “Where exactly are we supposed to go?” We have to go West, towards the Wildback Mountains. That is where we will be safe, there is a stronghold there that belongs to the Guardians, and I am telling you they are on our side. “And how do I know that you are not a trap just like that man was?” He demanded. Because I would be burned if they caught up to us. And I do so very much enjoy the small amount of life that I do have. Now he knew the book would be the death of him. He did not know if the book could see him or even how it was able to answer his questions but he gave it a droll stare thinking about how much he wanted to throw it away, even though he knew that he shouldn’t. It was just like the way he could read it he had this feeling that he should listen to it but did not know why. “Fine I’ll need to grab a few things first though then we can go. I have a horse we can use so that should help.” Running up the stairs two at a time, the book was under his arm, he ran into his room and grabbed as many clothes as he could carry and threw them into a bag that he had bought at the market last spring. Taking some rope he tied it shut and threw it over his back before running to the front door. He was outside when he noticed a tingling in his left arm. It was like a shock of electricity running through his whole arm but it was not painful. “What in the Pit?” Opening the book he found that there was new words on the page and they were replacing the ones that were there only moments before. Cover me so that nobody can see me. That should keep you from being identified by the Shadow Guard but that is not a guarantee you understand. “But who are they?” He complained at the book before he got to the end of the walkway and was able to turn to the barn he kept the horse in. There will be plenty of time for that later. I have much to explain but it will have to wait until we are safe. There was a pause as Merric began to think of his next question as he walked. I suppose I should be grateful that you have a horse seeing as the longer it takes us to get to the mountains the higher our chances are that we will be discovered. Merric slammed the book closed and covered it with the cloth it had arrived in before muttering. “I cannot believe a book is giving me a hard time. Blasted thing acts like I’m a mind sick child.” This time he ignored the tingling and finished walking towards the barn. Looking at his chestnut mare, a horse he had paid good money for, he saddled it with a few bags that were tied to the saddle so that he could carry things on his travel. He had loaded her up with clothes and had his staff in hand which he tied to the saddle itself. Thinking of what he left behind he opened the book and asked. “Will I be safe getting more things from here to make our journey easier?” When the words to his answer appeared he had to hold his anger in check to keep from throwing the book into the fireplace and stoking the fire to destroy it. I am not going to answer such an idiotic question. You will have to decide for yourself if what you are going back in for is truly worth both of our lives since we will be killed if we are caught. “You are a blasted book! You do not have a life to live!” He countered angrily. I may be a book but I can assure you I am very much alive. So yes I can die, in a sense, have you ever had a worm try to eat you? It is not something that you can get over just like that and I is truly traumatic to say the least. ‘Oh fine, I am going back there because I need my things.” Closing the book he sat it in one of the pouches on the horses rump then began inside where he looked for the things he wanted to take with him. He grabbed some food which consisted of; dried meat and fruits along with a chunk of cheese and bread. He also grabbed his spellbook, that and his staff were the most important possessions he had in this life and headed out of town. Once they reached the end of town they began heading West towards the mountains. Opening the book he began to think of questions to ask it during their long ride. * * * As Merric and the book were traveling to the mountains their pursuers were getting closer to them. It was a small group of men, six in total, and the leader was speaking to someone much more powerful than himself. Their god Kamon. Standing over a bowl of his own blood he spoke to him as though his lord was right there in front of him. “My lord our agent has been exposed and the book is now no longer within our possession. We are following the book however.” A deep and gravelly voice echoed out of the bowl, it was somewhere between a growl and a baritone. “So you have failed me Khalos, is that correct?” “My lord the agent was not a good impersonator, that was why he failed. I did, as I mentioned, follow the wizard, Merric is his name, and he has the book. He even talks to it as though it could understand him. He has gone mad I think.” Khalos said with a chuckle. “He is not mad, the book itself is alive.” Kamon replied matter-of-factly and Khalos stopped chuckling immediately. Staring into the bowl he said. “You cannot be serious my lord. A living book, how is such a thing even possible?” “Does my voice sound as though I am joking you worm!” His gravelly voice roared out of the bowl and Khalos cowered back a bit. Angering the god of war and death was not something you wanted to do. “Many things are quite possible Khalos, you have but to learn how to make them happen.” “Yes my lord. I am sorry for doubting your knowledge sire.” “Do not apologize to me, make sure that it does not happen again.” His voice was like thunder as he spoke. “Follow this wizard and tell me where he goes, we have to find the ones who will aid him. Do not engage him though. I cannot afford to lose him just yet.” “Yes my lord.” Khalos responded and the blood went still and silent, his god had broken off contact with him. Turning to his men he didn’t let any of his anger show. “We have new orders. We are to follow, and I mean only follow, Merric and the book.” All of them nodded, they understood the risks they ran and the consequences they would face if they disobeyed their orders. “There is a good bit of light left so we should not have a problem tracking him.” He gave each of them a pointed stare and said, “Do not let him see you. We have to follow him to their stronghold and to do that you nimrods cannot be as mindless are you normally are.” His men nodded and he climbed up on his horse and took off at a walk, he was a good deal behind his query but that was fine. He took out a piece of parchment and began to say the spell on it. The words melded together and lifted off of the page to form a type of flying insect that knew what it was made for. It flew out after Merric and when it was able to get close to him it would connect to Khalos’ mind and show him what was happening and in what direction to go to find him. He would not fail, he could not, if he did he may not get what he wanted from his god. Immortality and power. * * * Merric and the book were riding hard West when the book began to tell him something by making his arm tingle. Opening the book he saw a map there, above where he was, was a circle and arrows showing him where to go. He knew that it would take quite a few nights of hard riding to reach the “X” at the end of the map. “Great so there’s a good bit of traveling left to go.” Yes but that also means there is a good bit of time to learn. After all of this I am sure you have plenty of questions for me. “That’s for sure. First off what is with those Guardians and Shadow people?” You ask about them and not the talking book? I do believe that you do not have your priorities in order. The book paused as new words formed. I could be an evil demon who is leading you into a trap. “You talking like that is not going to make me feel any better.” He thought for a moment and then coincided and asked it. “Fine then tell me about yourself. What are you and how are you alive?” The page turned and he saw a blank page that it was writing on. I am alive by the Creators’ will. He was the one who made me and who gave me life. My sole purpose is to teach others about the true history of our home. The true history of the Creator and of Zenoshia. Merric looked at the last word a bit confused before asking. “What exactly is Zenoshia?” It is the world we live on. It is the air we breathe. It is the beauty all around us. Then new words appeared and from the jagged edges of it he could tell the book was getting irritated, and the words turned from black to red. Those so-called gods will not admit that they are not gods at all. That they are in fact something else entirely. That is why they changed the name of our world to Cannos, to hide the truth from the people and that is the same thing their Shadow Guards do. Merric was somewhat taken back by what he was reading. The gods were not even gods? Was it true or was it just nonsense that an enchanted book is saying. What did that make them? Looking ahead he saw that they were getting close to running water and he needed to fill his wine skein, his throat was parched. Directing the horse, Melody, towards the sound he sat back and tried to think of what else he should ask. But his mind was just so overwhelmed by the amount of information. Once at the river he dipped his wine skein in and let it fill before taking a long cold drink. The water soothed his aching throat and so he took some water in his hand and splashed it over his sun baked back. He sat on a warm stone while Melody drank her fill of the river and he refilled his skein, the more water they had the better for their journey because you never knew when you would find another spring or well. Only twenty minutes later they were off again. He was thinking about what all was happening and knew that it was going to be a longer day than he thought. His best friend was dead but he could not afford to stop and grieve just yet. He would honor Thaxs’ memory by completing this quest. He was remembering his friend fondly as his hand tingled and he opened the book. There in the center of the page he saw the most important words the book had shown him yet. Your friend died a hero. He vanquished four of the Shadow Guard that followed him before that impostors unhanded tricks cast him from this life. He died doing the right thing “He is still dead though. That’s what I have trouble believing.” He said in a choked voice. He was a good friend then? The book asked. “The best.” They continued on in silence a while more before Merrics’ stomach called a stop for supper, their evening meal. Supper that night would be dried meat and cheese. The sun had gone down and it was just beginning to get hard to see so he looked at the place they stopped for supper to see if it would make a suitable camp for the evening. Rolling out his blanket the book tingled again. “Of for the love of…what now?” Opening he found a barrier spell and raised an inquisitive brow. Just to keep us safe for the night. Was the only thing the book said. Speaking the words he felt the power of the barrier and could see the shimmer of the area that the barrier covered. “Thank you.” He told the book as he laid down to sleep. As his mind drifted over the events of the day he almost could not believe that it had all happened in just hours. He lost his best friend, found a book that could talk, and was now being followed by ruthless killers. As he finally drifted off his last thoughts were a prayer that the next day would not be as eventful as this was. The next morning he found that the barrier was strong enough to keep all of the animals at bay. Melody was grazing on the grass and Merric took a large swallow of water and began rubbing his eyes to clear the sleep from them. Standing he stretched and got ready for the days riding. He still had almost four days of hard riding ahead of him. Mounting the horse he released the barrier and began riding towards his destination. In the bright dawn light he was able to read the book a bit and learn a little more about why it was being hunted. He asked it flat out who the two groups were and why each wanted it. I was made by the Creators own hand, at over three thousand years old I predate the gods themselves. That means that I could tell you all sorts of things that they would never want another soul to know. That is why they created the Shadow Hunters and why they want me. The Guardians however will be able to give us sanctuary and keep us safe. Smirking Merric made a smart comment. So in other words because you are so very old everyone wants you. You do realize that for a book you keep sounding very vain. I did not realize that books could have such human feelings.” Jagged words appeared on the page. If you believe that then you are a bloody dolt and I refuse to waste my time explaining things to someone who seems to refuse to pay attention. The words disappeared from the page and Merric closed it thinking how funny it was that the book was angry at him. Placing the book into a bag at his side and securing it well he leaned forward and spurred Melody faster as they barreled through the walls and onwards to a small town a few miles away. * * * Khalos and his men were a few miles behind their prey; Khalos himself was a skilled hunter, something he learned under his father, and so he enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. And he found out early that hunting humans, or any sentient life really, was an amazing challenge. He also learned early that the men he had to work with were very inept at it and at times he thought that his lord had set him up with these fools on purpose to make him use his dark magic on them. Probably so that he would kill them and then be even closer to his damnation in the Pit at his end. He was ready to throw them all into the Pit, the dark god Kamon’s realm and the place that the evil souls went when their bodies died, he only lacked the power to open the path and throw them all in at once. He was only given the ability to go there in spirit form to speak to his god. There was a small town only a few miles away, logically he knew that Merric would stop there to resupply. He only wondered if he would be foolish enough to stay the night. His stringy black hair kept getting in his face, it was slick with sweat from the beating sun and he kept tucking it behind his ear but it would be back in his face a few seconds later. And it was getting very tiresome to tuck it back there every few seconds. “Jer follow the boy into town will you? I do not want you to let him know that we are here though.” Khalos said and the man nodded as he started towards the town of Laurien. “The rest of you shall go around the town and watch the exits, as soon as he leaves you are to contact me. Is that understood? Because I do not want any screw ups like we had back in Lamon.” They all nodded as they hurried off to do as he ordered. Khalos had to make sure that he was not failing his lord anymore or he may lose the power he had gained. And lose the powers he had hoped to gain. Taking a deep breath he began to concentrate on his powers. He would do the same exercise once per day, he would stretch out his mental mowers to find an animal that was near and then take its heart with black magic to kill the animal. Once he was finished with that he would attempt to bring it back from the dead but he always failed and until he could resurrect them he could never resurrect a human, let alone himself. He practiced on a squirrel in the woods. As was usual he could get close to bringing it back but he could not finish the job. This made him exceedingly angry because he could feel the squirrels life force trying to come back but something blocked it from returning. Finally after a good bit of trying he gave up and decided to make a report to his lord Kamon. Reaching into his pack he pulled out the ceremonial bowl he used and set it aside. Then he drew out a long wickedly curved knife from his side and laid the blade against his palm. Drawing the blade across his skin he drew blood and let it drip into the bowl. He never needed more than an ounce of blood at the most and so once the pitter patter of blood was sufficient he closed the wound with magic and smiled. Focusing on his lord he spoke into the cup. “My lord I have some news for you.” After a few minutes the gravelly voice of Kamon replied from the red liquid. “This had better be important worm. Your life depends on it.” “It is sire. The wizard, Merric, has begun using a spell from the book. I believe it is now teaching him new things and I am sure that it is not a good thing for us.” There was a pause as Kamon thought about it for a moment. “You are right, that is not good to hear. Still we cannot afford to attack him just yet, we have to hold off until he leads us to the Guardians stronghold. Only then can we strike so that we might eliminate them all in one fell swoop.” “I understand sir.” “And I notice that you are trying to cheat death Khalos, trying with these animals at least.” He said and Khalos shirked back as though that would save him from his dark lords wrath. Sheepishly he explained. “I am trying to stay alive long enough to learn every spell I can. I also do not want to die until I have finished bringing glory to your name.” A deep chuckle filled his ears. “You are afraid to die that is all and do not deny what I know to be true. If you finish your mission and you are successful then I will give you the power you seek. I will make you an immortal, then you can show everyone the truth that I bring to them.” An eerie chill swept over Khalos at what he heard and then the voice went silent. It was an eerie feeling and he thought it may have been an omen, a very bad one at that. Picking up the bowl he drained its contents before returning it to his pack. Then he sat on a sun warmed stone and began to rest, using the black magic had drained him and he needed to rest so that he could restore his used energy. Before he nodded off he remembered thinking that if he played his cards right he would never have to worry about death.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 07:33:11 +0000
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