Bloodlines, page 8
part #3 of Amarok Series
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Taking down the most powerful being in the world should have been a momentous thing. The earth should have been torn asunder in a great struggle, mountains collapsing as spears of lightning rained down from the sky and oceans were emptied.
Instead, the death of Marduke came about quietly.
Doyle held Shams hostage for three seasons. His immortal body could have withstood the constant feedings, and Novak saw to it that his health never declined critically, but once he had divulged all he knew about Eternal Summer and fed every member of House Blood full to bursting, Doyle saw no reason to keep him alive.
Shams became a message. A few members of House Blood took a long log and his corpse just outside Eternal Summer. They tied him to it with and scrawled random characters in the ground around it that vaguely resembled the First Language. Others might not understand it but one could copy it with no trouble.
After Shams disappearance, Eternal Summer shut down to all outsiders, the inhabitants waiting for the threat to materialize at their walls. When one day morning dawned and the fae rulers saw the markings, suspicions turned them against each other.
House Law denied having any involvement. They argued that even if their brethren outside the city had turned against Marduke, they had no involvement but the loyal House Storm could not believe that two agendas could exist within one House.
Had they approached the corpse, the Laws could have told them the writing was fake but they were not allowed to leave, lest they escape, and no one else would approach for fear of activating some unknown effect.
Tensions mounted within the walls. With their attention focused inward, Doyle and House Blood crept in. Their ability to absorb magic allowed them to climb over the wall without hindrance. With Doyle’s features hidden beneath a cloak and the others’ human appearance, they went unnoticed on the streets. Up until they reached the Temple of Storm.
The humans guarding Marduke’s home meant to block them to no avail. The sentries were slain immediately, and the group pressed forward into the Temple.
Doyle had not just attacked at any time. No, he had decided to act so quickly because of one critical fact that Shams had revealed. Marduke was in the midst of his sleep cycle, hidden away in a room beneath the temple.
They found the secret passage that led downwards and followed it several feet until it opened into a cavernous room.
Unlike the rest of the Temple, the room was sparsely decorated. The stone walls were rough, hard packed dirt that made the room seem smaller than it was. A single piece of furniture sat in the middle of the floor; a large mattress covered by a quilt woven of red, orange, yellow, and white threads.
Marduke lay in the middle of the bed covered by the quilt. In his slumber, the brightness of his body dimmed to a soft glow that lit the quilt from below, making it appear that he snuggled beneath a blanket of fire. In the depths of dreams, he was unaware of the danger as Doyle waved Roan forward.
Roan knelt on the bed, not making a sound as he leaned over the sleeping body. His fangs slipped into the king’s neck, his magic shielding him from the burning heat radiating from Marduke’s body, and drained him as fast as he could, throwing away his penchant for drawing it out to enjoy the feeling of power flowing into him.
It ended in under a minute. The great king of the fae died in his sleep.
When Roan finished his meal, the other members of House Blood took the body, wrapped it in a cloak, and carried it out of the Temple.
This time, they made sure to be noticed. House Blood shouted through the streets, shoving and pulling at anyone in their way. Men came to break up the mob but they were quickly knocked down. By the time they reached the center of the city, a crowd of hundreds surrounded them, drawn by the commotion.
Among them were the other fae inhabiting the city; two glowing forms of House Storm and five from House Law, humanoids whose skin was comprised of moving letters from the First Language.
Doyle stepped in front of his soldiers, reveling in the anger and fear being directed toward him. “Pride!” he shouted, his voice echoing. “Oh, I detest it. It has tainted the gods. Made them forget their own kin. Made them plot, scheme, and kill one another to serve it. I am the enemy of pride. I have steeped in humility and it has made me strong. Now I come to bring that same gift to my brothers.”
He snapped his fingers and two members of House Blood dropped the body of Marduke at his feet. Gasps and screams of horror rippled through the crowd. The weak of heart fainted at the sight, many injuring themselves as their heads hit the hard stones used to define the space. The fae remained silent but they flinched away from the sight, some turning their heads altogether.
“Your king is dead, slain by his pride. So is one of your guardians, staked outside the walls of your city. I ask you now. Will more of you be sacrificed to your egos? Or will you repent and mend your ways?”
On his last word, Roan stepped forward and barked an order. Every member of House Blood held out their hands and flames danced along their upper arms.
They weren’t as strong as the members of House Storm. After all, they could only absorb as much magic as they drank. If they had engaged in a fight, the outcome was not clear cut. But House Storm did not know this.
They saw humans wielding their abilities, something completely impossible, and the bodies of their brothers who they had come to believe were invincible. The remaining members of House Storm backed down, raising their palms in a sign of peace as they looked between the members of House Blood nervously.
When they backed down, the rest of the inhabitants of Eternal Summer surrendered quickly. The humans put down their weapons and the members of House Law moved behind them, hoping to use the mortals as living shields.
Doyle threw out his arms. “Fear not. I am not like you brothers. We will show mercy to those who repent.”
“What are you asking from us?” one of the fae asked.
“To prove your penance, tear down the monuments of your pride. The wall that segregates our people must come down. Then you will have proven your willingness to make amends.”
“This is a trick!” one of the two members of House Storm yelled as he erupted into flames. The wall protects us. Once we knock it down, he will bring armies to murder us!”
“Take a look brother! I do not need to knock down your wall to bring forth an army.” He waved his hand to the crowd behind him. “And I do not need any more than I have already brought. Your words just now have proven my point. Have our bonds deteriorated to the point where you cannot trust that all I have are good intentions? This is why that wall must fall!”
The fae who spoke out hung his head, stepping back sheepishly. Doyle nodded. “I see a bright future ahead for us brothers. Very bright indeed.”
-
The walls of Eternal Summer came down and House Blood became its new guardians. Initially, the inhabitants of the city were wary of the invasion, waiting for the terrible fate that would befall them as the losers of a terribly short war. They were pleasantly surprised when Roan and his people took the humans under their wings, bringing about a new age of prosperity.
More than that, humans admired House Blood. It could have been the powers of House Harmonic, calling to them every time they met the gazes of the manufactured immortals. It could have been that Roan represented something attainable while the gods seemed removed from humanity. Either way, it created a fervor.
Humans respected the gods and their almighty power.
They loved House Blood and aspired to become one of the chosen. The difference was approachability. Roan made himself and his House available. People weren’t afraid to walk up to him on the street and simply talk about matters large or small. As a result, he had far more control over the city than House Storm, who kept away from the public.
The fae followed Doyle’s decree. All Houses were allowed into the Temple, including House Blood, and they endeavored to treat each other equally. They shared their riches, grateful that they hadn’t been annihilated.
Doyle didn’t need violence to satisfy his anger. Every time a member of House Storm or Law met him and noticed him, he felt a trill of excitement. He imagined how it must burn them on the inside. Though they had treated him as a lesser, they had lost and each time they smiled at him they had to be reminded of that fact. Imagining them forcing out pleasantries while seething with hatred delighted Doyle more than anything ever had.
But his moment of triumph was not to last. Marduke had died in his sleep and his followers had caved, none of them having the courage to uphold his will. However, their pride would not be so easily crumbled as its greatest champion awoke from slumber.
Chapter 10
The champion who awoke was Alistar, the Blinding Light, He Who Slew Sibyl.
After the death of Sibyl, Alistar went on a journey around the world. He harbored the same hatred of Harmonic as Marduke and he saw it as his duty to be sure that none other attempted to use their abilities in such a manner.
He told himself that he did not enjoy the killing, that it was a necessary evil. Nevertheless, Alistar hunted down nearly half the remaining members of House Harmonic with dogged determination. He also targeted what he determined to be deviants, those who used their powers selfishly. Alistar became a ghost story, a reason to watch the shadows. Fae trembled at the sound of his name. For if he judged them to be immoral, there would be nothing on Earth that could stop him from cleansing them.
When Marduke declared himself king and established his fledgling kingdom, Alistar was relieved. He relaxed, content to let someone else stand watch over the future of the fae.
He settled down at the bottom of a volcano and slumbered. For hundreds of years, he slept on and off. While he was awake, he wandered the mountain, practicing his abilities and reflecting over Akuji’s words. He never forgot what his brother said. Though he did not agree with the prediction, every day he pondered what role he must play in maintaining the balance of the fae.
He was meditating in a long field when the sound of snapping twigs caught his attention. He got to his feet and turned as two figures stepped into the clearing.
Ata and Atsu had done well to blend into society. Their translucent skin was wrapped in cloth bandages, the only part of their face visible being their large eyes. Bronze swords hung at their sides and they wore a belt across their chests that held small knives.
They stopped at the edge of the clearing. When Alistar stepped forward, each of them grabbed hold of their weapons’ hilts, their postures becoming hard with tension.
Alistar frowned at the reaction. “Am I to take it that this is going to be a violent encounter then?”
“No. We-”
“-do not wish to fight. We bring-”
“-a message for the Avenger. Your House needs you.”
“What do you mean?”
“The city of Eternal Summer-”
“-has fallen.”
“Impossible!” Alistar spat with more disbelief than venom. “That city is inhabited by no less than three members of House Storm at all times and fortified by House Law. No army could dare get close without alerting House Verdant who rule the neighboring cities. And if they did, they would be surrounded by a dozen fae and the humans they command.”
Ata and Atsu removed their hands from the hilts of their weapons and raised their palms in a gesture of peace. “We do not-”
“-lie. A new creature has emerged on the continent. One-”
“-that can use the abilities of the fae.”
“...How?”
“We do not-”
“-know. All we know is that the scourge-”
“-more powerful. It feeds on our kind to grow stronger. Soon-”
“-we fear that the fae will be wiped out.”
Alistar did not have their abilities but he had learned to read expressions, even the muted ones of Harmonic with their lack of facial features. More than that, he couldn’t see a reason for them to lie to him. If he had to take a bet, he would wager that they were telling him the truth. But there was one thing he had to clear up before he could drop his suspicions entirely.
“Why have you brought this to me? I thought that your policy was to let lie.”
Ata and Atsu’s expressions twisted up into mirror grimaces. “The Prophet-”
“-has taken such a stance but-”
“-we will not take such a passive role in the-”
“-fate of our world.”
“Oh? Then those swords at your waists are not just decorations?”
“No, but-”
“-we will not be of much use-”
“-on the next battlefield. We are only-”
“-here to guide the way.”
“Hmph. Maybe there is hope for your House after all.” Alistar walked past and they fell in step behind him. “I want to know everything about my enemies and the locations of the other members of my House. You say these creatures can use our abilities? We will see exactly how well they measure up.”
-
“It’s smaller than I thought.”
Roan looked up at Doyle. The two of them stood on the highest floor of the Temple. Unlike the other rectangular shaped buildings in the city, it had a stepped structure, allowing the architects to build several floors. Doyle claimed the top floor as his own and had the wall facing the city knocked out so he could overlook his accomplishment.
“What do you mean my lord?”
“This throne. This city. My victory. It just feels so…small.”
“...Are you not satisfied?”
He was not and that was the problem. He should be. This is what he had worked so hard for, what he endured years of humiliation for. He had brought together the parts. His ambition had toppled a kingdom. Watching the powerful members of his race submit to his will had lost its glamour. Now, it just felt empty.
What had he accomplished, really? How was his situation different than before? His brethren hadn’t acknowledged him; the minor Houses refused to join him for fear of retribution and the major Houses considered him a traitorous usurper.
He led the city Marduke built but he had been doing that before. It still wasn’t his city. Everywhere he turned, he saw remnants of Marduke’s legacy. The humans whispered about the fallen king when they thought no one could hear.
He realized that he didn’t care. Without his anger driving him, he felt deflated. Marduke had ambition. Doyle only had jealousy.
“My lord, if I may bother you?”
Doyle waved at hand for him to continue.
“The people do not realize how great you are. They are confused about the violence of their lives. Without the influence of the evil gods, the weather has become sporadic and the fields are dying. Without our help, they will all die.”
“Why are you bothering me with this? Handle them.”
“I apologize but this is beyond my abilities. There is only one solution. If I may give them the blessing of my House, the food stores will sustain the others through the coming winter, and we will be sustained by them.”
“Ah, that sounds fine. I’ll leave everything to you.”
“Only the greatest works shall be done in your name.”
-
Doyle was passing through another listless day when suddenly, the Temple was rocked by a tremendous force. House Blood had attached a balcony to Doyle’s room after Roan noticed his god overlooking the city more than once. Doyle moved toward it, gripping the stone railing as Roan climbed over the side. Both of their gazes were drawn to the sky where a second sun appeared next to the first.
“My lord, what is that?”
“That…would be the war I thought we had avoided.”
A beam came down from the second sun. Doyle pulled Roan to him and threw out his power, the mist surrounding them in a dome. When the ground stopped trembling beneath their feet, he let it fall away. The two of them were unscathed but his room had been completely destroyed, the stone that remained glowing bright red from the intense heat.
“Get down there and gather your House!” Doyle shouted to Roan, giving him a light shove to get the stunned immortal moving. “Disperse through the city, make them break apart to chase you down. GO!”
Roan leaped from the balcony, landing harmlessly on the streets below. His form quickly disappeared in the distance as he rushed to complete the order.
“If only I could make my getaway so quickly.” Unfortunately, Doyle knew that wouldn’t be an option. A speck of light broke away from the greater sphere and drifted toward him. Running away would only make the situation worse.
Doyle squinted at the bright glare as the figure approached. Mercifully, the glow dimmed as they came with five feet but the wind holding them up kicked up dust that stung his eyes anyway. Despite that, Doyle recognized who stood before him by the words he spoke, words every fae had come to fear.
“Doyle of House Void. You have brought shame upon our people.”
“Alistar the Avenger. What are you doing here?”
Alistar landed on the balcony. His expression was stern and immovable. “Be careful the words you speak, lest you sound a fool. You have done unspeakable acts against your brethren. Your abominations present a threat to our race unlike any we could imagine. I am here to cleanse them and you before the situation devolves further.”
As he spoke the words, several beams of light split off from the orb of light in the sky. Where they landed, the ground was set ablaze, screams rising through the air alongside black smoke.
Doyle shivered as he imagined himself being doused in the purifying light. “You hypocrite,” he seethed with as much heat as he could muster through his mounting fear. “What about what was done to us? When Marduke forced his will upon us, treated us like we were beneath him, like we were the same as humans. Where were you when he hunted down those who spoke against him and burned down their homes? When he hunted down every member of House Harmonic he could find, our brethren? Why weren’t you there to purify him?”
“I talked with Marduke. He was not perfect, but he had a grand vision. As for his treatments to his kin, you did not have to remain on this continent. You could have gone to another part of the world, made your own kingdom. Instead, you chose to remain here.”
