The Book of the Dead, page 11
part #3 of The Counterfeit Sorcerer Series
Locating Amira at a doorway on the edge of the courtyard, I ran to her. She slammed the door behind us and said, “This way, quickly!” She turned and ran down the hall. I followed.
“Shouldn’t we be out there fighting those things?” I called after her.
“There is no point,” she shouted back. “Parello is already dead and Foli’s wards have failed. This is only the first wave of attackers. Arnyek will soon be here, and if there is anyone left at that point, they will be unable to stand against him. In here.”
She ducked into a side room and I followed. She closed the door behind me.
“What of Eben?” I asked.
“Some of his minions have joined the fight, but I have not seen him. Perhaps he hides in the passages below, thinking he will escape Arnyek’s notice. But it does not matter. He will soon be dead along with the rest of us. Sotetseg is lost.”
“Then why did you call me?”
“I must tell you something. When you were last here, you spoke of Vili’s parents. I believe I know who they are. They were servants of the sorcerer Bolond. Until you spoke of them, I had thought they were all dead. But the names you spoke appear in a document I found in our archives…. The details do not matter. What is important is that if you can reach Vili’s parents, you may be able to find Bolond.”
“Bolond? I thought he was your enemy.”
“He was. Perhaps is. But we are lost. Sotetseg has fallen. Our work here has failed. Finding Bolond is the only chance to stop Arnyek.”
“Vili’s parents are trapped between Orszag and Veszedelem, in an energy loop that is inaccessible from the outside. I have tried to reach it several times but failed. It is like trying to find a bubble in the ocean.”
“They are in a place that is not truly a place. You cannot picture it in your mind because it has no form. But there is another way. You said that you met Vili’s mother in Veszedelem?”
“Briefly, yes.”
“If you can bring her to mind—not only her appearance, but an impression of her being—you may be able to go to her. It will require great concentration and will, but with the brand, you may be able to do it. I would not tell you of this if there was any other way, because it is very dangerous. If you fail, you may be trapped for eternity between the two worlds.”
“And if I succeed? What do I do then?”
“Find out what you can about Bolond. Then open a conduit between the loop and Orszag. Those in the loop will be pulled into Orszag. The loop will collapse. Without Voros Korom to sustain them, the wraiths will dissipate.”
“And Vili’s parents will truly be at peace.”
“Yes. And Konrad, there is one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“If the Temple of Romok is rebuilt, it will only accelerate Arnyek’s plans. Stop Eben if you can. And now you must go, before it is too late.”
“I cannot leave you here to die!”
“You have no choice. We are not strong enough to stand against Arnyek. If it is any consolation, neither is Eben. Go. Find Bolond. Seek his—”
As she spoke, something crashed into the door, splintering it. We had just enough time to get out of the way before the thing struck again, smashing through the door and vaulting into the room. It was a foul, hairy beast, like a giant orangutan with long black claws and a head like that of an insect. Antennae flickered and a hundred eyes fixed upon us. Lacking time to coordinate with Amira, I cast one of the spells I had been practicing. The spell used tvari to drain all the heat from a given area. If I’d had more time, I could have frozen the creature solid, but I was in a hurry and my aim was poor: the thing howled as its left shoulder was suddenly encased in ice. The ice cracked and the creature’s arm fell to the floor. Enraged, the beast launched itself at us. I had no time to do anything but put my body between it and Amira and throw my hands in front of my face.
I felt Amira’s hand on my shoulder as the creature’s claws swept toward me. And then I was back at my campsite again. Amira, Sotetseg, and the orangutan creature were gone.
“No!” I cried, trying to force my sprit back to the keep. But I had neither the strength nor the presence of mind to return. In any case, it was too late. During the few seconds I’d been back in Orszag, minutes had passed in Veszedelem. Amira was already dead. She had used her magic to send me back to Orszag rather than save herself. The Masters were dead and Arnyek would soon rule at Sotetseg. With the Masters out of the way, he would presumably be able to finally bring about the destruction of Veszedelem, although I did not know how he would do it or how long it would take. If Amira was to be believed, the destruction of Orszag would soon follow.
To have any chance of stopping that, I would have to find Bolond, and that meant going to see Vili’s parents. But before I tried that, I needed to find Vili. If Eben were dead, then Vili would assume his parents were lost forever. And if he had been captured by the Barbaroki, it was my responsibility to rescue him. Saving the world would have to wait.
I reached the Maganyos Valley early in the afternoon on the following day. I was met by a pair of Barbarok sentries who seemed to be expecting me. One of them mounted his horse and instructed me to follow him. About two miles farther into the valley, I spotted the telltale animal hide tents of the Barbaroki. As the size of the camp became apparent, I realized that the entire Barbarok army had settled in the valley. Many were already at work on building more permanent structures, digging wells and other tasks. Some had begun excavation of the massive stones making up the ruins. So it was true: somehow Eben had recruited the Barbaroki to help him rebuild the Temple of Romok.
As we walked through the camp, I spotted Chief Csongor, conferring with two of his lieutenants, a stone’s throw away. Csongor, the leader of the Barbaroki, had briefly imprisoned me and my friends in a cell under the palace after his army conquered Nagyvaros. I hadn’t seen him since he and his men had deserted the city, leaving Nagyvaros to the Torzseki.
“Csongor!” I shouted.
Csongor turned to glare in my direction. He spotted me and scowled, but said nothing.
“Is this what you’ve been reduced to? Foreman of a construction project? You gave up the palace for this?”
Csongor turned away and resumed his conversation with the other two Barbaroki, pretending not to hear. I grinned. So my conjecture had been correct: if Csongor were in charge, he would not have tolerated such disrespect. I was being taken to the real authority in the valley.
The Barbarok sentry led me past the tents and workers through the valley to a wooden tower, about thirty feet high, that had been erected near the center of the camp. He dismounted at the foot of the tower and pointed me toward a ladder. I dismounted as well, and the Barbarok led Ember away. I put my hand on a rung and began to climb. Two Barbaroki climbed up after me. I felt terribly vulnerable, but I assured myself that if the Barbaroki meant me harm, I wouldn’t have gotten this far without a fight.
As I climbed, I looked out over the valley. It seemed so long ago that Vili and I first faced the wraiths here together. The wraiths were now gone, having followed Voros Korom to their doom. The ruins remained, and now they were being dug up by the Barbaroki, who apparently intended to rebuild the Temple of Romok. But the Barbaroki knew nothing of the history of Nagyvaros or Romok; they would not undertake this project on their own. But how could Eben have coordinated such an effort from Veszedelem? And if he were dead, why did the work continue?
I saw the answer when I got to the top of the platform. I realized when I saw him, sitting on a chair overseeing the Barbaroki toiling away, that I had known the answer for some time. I just hadn’t dared admit it to myself. Behind the chair, one on either side, stood two massive Barbarok warriors with axes. The two who had climbed after me stood to my rear.
“You are a monster,” I said.
“That is no way to greet your old protégé,” he said.
“You are not Vili,” I said. You have stolen that body, as you once stole Beata’s.”
“Untrue,” said Eben in the form of Vili. “This body was a gift, freely given. As was the Book of the Dead, which you so kindly retrieved from Fold Alatt.”
“Then you lied to him to take it from him.”
“No,” said Eben, with a smile. “I do not lie unless I need to, as there are often undesirable consequences. Lying to protect someone’s feelings, for example, has a tendency to cause greater problems down the road. I told Vili the truth: that with the Book of the Dead, I could bring his parents the peace they have been denied. But to do so, I would need to return to Orszag in physical form. For the past two years, as time is reckoned in Veszedelem, I have been working on a way to return here and finally succeeded. But I could not do it unless someone in Orszag willingly gave up their own life. Vili sacrificed himself so that his parents could be at peace.”
“Then Vili is trapped in Veszedelem?”
“He is beneath Sotetseg, safe from harm.”
“But Arnyek’s hordes have taken Sotetseg.”
“I made a deal with Arnyek. I would not resist his assault on Sotetseg, and in return, he would guarantee Vili’s safety.”
“Until Arnyek destroys Veszedelem.”
“It will be time enough.”
“You are a fool. If you’d allied with Amira and the others, we might have stopped Arnyek.”
“I will deal with Arnyek in time. There are other matters I must attend to first.”
“You mean rebuilding the Temple of Romok.”
“That, and meeting my obligation to Vili. Something you would not understand.”
“Then you really intend to put his parents to rest?”
“I do. It will be a trivial matter for one such as I—once I have retaken the Brand.”
“So that is why you summoned me here. You still lust after the power you gave me.”
“If you spent less time worrying about me and more time living up to your promises, Vili and his family would not be in this situation. I can bring his parents peace. You cannot. If you have any loyalty to Vili, you will give me the brand.”
“Even if I trusted you to do it, I suspect that is not the true reason you want the brand.”
“It is true that I will also need it to complete the rebuilding of the temple. You will give it to me willingly or I will take it from you. Understand, Konrad, that you cannot stop me. I will rebuild the temple with or without your help. The best you can hope for is to delay me for a little while. The brand is powerful, but there are other ways of channeling the power I need.”
“Why do you wish to rebuild the temple?”
“I intend to reopen the gateway between Orszag and Veszedelem. When I control passage between the two worlds, I will rule both of them. Then I will deal with Arnyek. I am the only one who can stop him.”
“Perhaps it would be better to allow Arnyek to destroy the world rather than let you rule it.”
“You do not believe that,” Eben said with a smile that seemed out of place on Vili’s face. “You are the naïve sort who thinks it’s always better to survive, to keep fighting, no matter what. You would choose a life of slavery over annihilation because some part of you will always believe that someday you will be free.”
“Then you have your answer. I will never willingly give you the brand.”
Eben sighed. “Fair enough,” he said. “I see that I will have to take it.” He waved his hand, and the two men behind me seized my arms. They were both exceptionally large, and I struggled in vain as they dragged me toward Eben. Eben drew a silver dagger from a sheath at his side as one of the men tore my shirt open almost to the waist. Eben flicked his wrist, and I winced as a shallow gash opened on my chest. He sheathed the blade and then put his hand on the wound, warm blood oozing around his fingertips. I renewed my struggle, but could not break free. Eben began to murmur an incantation.
I felt tendrils of energy tugging at me, trying to separate the power from my body. Faint lines began to appear on Vili’s face, a shadow of the brand I carried. I had been ready for this; Eben had tried this once before, when he was in the form of Beata. Since then, I had learned a great deal about how tvari worked, and while I was no match for Eben in a sorcerer’s duel, I thought I could repel his efforts to take the brand.
I let my body go slack, focusing all my strength into resisting Eben’s pull. Vili’s face revealed surprise as he sensed the level of my resistance. Then determination took over as he redoubled his efforts. I gasped audibly as I felt the pull of his will like an icy wind. The power began to leave me, and as it did, so did my ability to resist. I had not counted on this: if Eben could drain even a little of the power from me, it would weaken me enough that I’d be unable to hold onto the brand. Stopping him would require more than brute resistance.
I let part of my mind drift to the in-between, where I dipped into the flow of tvari. Rather than holding onto it or taking it into myself, this time I let it flow past me, toward Eben. As the surge of energy hit him, I felt elation come over him. But then he grew angry as he realized what was happening. He could not take the brand from me without pulling more tvari into himself than he could possibly hold. Eben was a powerful warlock, but even he had his limits.
I felt him trying to close off the conduit I had opened, but now his attention was divided, and I was able to wrest control of the brand from him. I cannot say for how many seconds or minutes we struggled, but at some point Eben managed to construct what seemed to be a mental barrier between me and the in-between, preventing me from drawing more. I thought I could break through the barrier, but not while holding onto the brand. We were at an impasse.
Again Eben redoubled his efforts to pull the brand from me. I could tell he was weakening, but so was I. Eben was more practiced at manipulating tvari than I; I simply could not beat him in a fair fight.
I fought against him with all my will. Sweat poured from his forehead as the effort drained him. By this time I was barely aware of my own body; I hung limp, supported by the Barbaroki on either side of me. Every ounce of my strength was focused on holding onto the brand. I was failing. I put up a tremendous fight, but ever-so-slowly the power slipped away from me. As I grew weaker and Eben grew stronger, I felt the power drain more quickly. There had been a time when I would have done almost anything to rid myself of that brand, but I had accepted the fact that the brand was the only weapon I had against Eben. I would not let him have it, even if it cost me my own life.
I tensed my legs underneath me and sprang backwards, breaking contact with Eben’s hand. The Barbaroki were unprepared for this sudden movement, and I easily slipped from their grasp. I felt the power of the brand hanging in the air between me and Eben, an undulating dark mass of energy swirling in nothingness, and for a moment I thought I had waited too long. But then the power surged back into me and I felt a burning on my face as the brand returned. Eben stared at me, pale and shaking, the fingertips of his right hand covered with my blood.
There was nowhere to go. The edge of the platform was two paces behind me, and there was no time to climb back down the ladder. The two Barbaroki moved to seize me again.
I spun around, took a step, and then leaped off the platform.
I had just enough strength and presence of mind to summon a small kovet, which appeared under me about three feet off the ground. It did not stop me, but it gave way enough to break my fall. The kovet vanished and I tumbled to the ground.
Dazed but unhurt, I got to my feet and started running. It didn’t matter which way I went: Barbaroki were all around me. Shouts went out from atop the platform to seize me. I had no weapon and didn’t dare attempt to use magic again for fear that I would not have the strength to escape. Already I was weak and trembling from my battle with Eben.
By some miracle, I managed to get away from the main group of tents near the foot of the ravine that served as the northern boundary of the valley. From the shouts behind me, I knew the Barbaroki were not far away. If I followed the contour of the ravine to the east or west, the Barbaroki would surely catch me, so I did the only thing I could do: I started to climb.
I only made it as far as I did because Eben wanted me alive; the Barbaroki did not fire arrows or throw spears because Eben could not take the brand from a dead man. I was halfway up the ravine before a strong hand grabbed my right ankle and pulled me down. Soon half a dozen men were on top of me. My hands were bound behind my back and I was marched, soiled, bruised and bleeding, back to Eben, who now stood near the base of the tower. I smiled as I saw that he was leaning heavily on one of the Barbaroki: our battle had taken nearly as much out of him as it did me.
“I can see,” Eben said, unable to hide the quaver in his voice, “that we are going to have to do this a different way.”
Chapter Fifteen
I was gagged and dragged inside an empty tent. While a heavy wooden stake was pounded into the ground in the center of the tent, I looked out the opening to see someone walking around the tent, pouring something from a bucket onto the ground. I realized, as my hands were being tied to the stake, that the bucket was full of salt. So there was something to that old myth after all. Eben was doing everything he could to prevent me from using magic to escape. I was strangely flattered by the precautions. A sack was thrown over my head and tied around my neck, and then I was alone.
Sitting awkwardly with my hands tied to the stake behind my back, I could do nothing but listen to the bustle of the Barbarok camp and reflect on all the ways I’d failed the people I cared about. Beata was dead. Vili’s spirit was imprisoned in Sotetseg, which was now ruled by the demon lord Arnyek. Vili’s parents were still trapped between worlds. Rodric and Ilona were probably incarcerated by the Cult of Turelem. I could do nothing to help any of them. Undoubtedly Eben was even now preparing some ritual that would strip me of the brand, giving him the power he needed to rebuild the Temple of Romok. And then? He would either defeat Arnyek to become the ruler of both Orszag and Veszedelem or Arnyek would destroy all of reality. I wasn’t sure which was worse.
