Birth of a Mortal God Read online

  Without another word, the two gods disappeared, and Killmar grabbed the pleading man by his throat. “Jonathan vi Descrinal, when you were still mortal, you had a City Watch. I want the names of every man who served in it.”

  “What?” he asked confused.

  “Their names, now!” roared Killmar.

  “I can’t remember! I would tell you if I could, but too many men served in my City Watch.”

  “You are most unfortunate, Duke. Were you still mortal, I could have just taken what I needed, but now . . .” he shrugged.

  “What are you going to do with me?” Jonathan asked, terrified.

  “I’m going to introduce you to an old friend of mine. And together, we are going to help you remember all those many names. You were privileged and powerful in the mortal realm. I think it is time you experienced the same treatment you gave to those below your station, with a few creative adaptations,” he said before dragging the screaming man into the void, laughing.

  EXOTIC SCENTS ASSAULTED Asteroth as he entered the villa. Carefully, he made this way past the rows upon rows of shelves filled with all sorts of oddities. “Where does that woman sleep?” he wondered as he barely avoided toppling several experiments.

  “I think she curls up in a corner somewhere,” said G’nar with a smile as he, too, carefully navigated the treacherous terrain.

  “G’nar, is that you?” she called from a nearby room.

  “Yes, we are just fighting past your defenses,” he teased.

  “That’s why I said I need more space!” she replied, irritated.

  They finally entered the room where she waited, and Asteroth stood in awe. The room was filled with strange green images hovering in midair.

  “Mind the bowls,” said Elizabeth absently as she concentrated on the ancient yog’murgarr tome resting on a lectern.

  Asteroth looked to his brother who motioned for him to follow before stepping through one of the translucent green images, dispersing it like a reflection in water. It reformed almost immediately. Asteroth shook his head in astonishment, and then did the same.

  “So what is it that is so important that it requires my immediate attention?” he asked, curious.

  “I may have discovered a way to solve the yog’murgarr intellect issue,” she answered happily.

  “How?” he asked, his fatigue now long forgotten.

  Elizabeth motioned to a few of the floating images. “I have determined that there is a magical residue within all yog’murgarr blood.”

  “Magical residue? From what?”

  “A curse of abnormal power.”

  “Curse? You’re saying you have confirmed your earlier hypothesis that someone did this to us?” asked Asteroth in disbelief.

  “Or something. Upon determining this, I looked for some kind of reference to it in the tome I discovered.”

  “I take it you found something?”

  She nodded. “According to the tome, many races were made to serve the Bearer of the Black Scale as it continued to conquer all it came in contact with. Eventually, the subjugated outnumbered its undead servants, which ultimately resulted in a revolt led by the yog’murgarr. It is not clear why a being of such power fled, but the tome states that before it did, it meted out its wrath upon the yog’murgarr. I believe that is when it cast the curse.”

  “How do I lift this curse?” asked Asteroth anxiously.

  “The curse seems to act like a hereditary disease, passing from parent to child, which is why the yog’murgarr are still suffering from the effects today. Interestingly enough though, the blood taken from those of Tribe U’nor is completely absent of the curse. They must have somehow avoided being cursed and thus remain unaltered.”

  “Which means that there was probably more to the Time of Proving than we thought,” added G’nar.

  “Yes, that is very interesting. Now how do I lift the curse that’s plaguing most of our race?” asked Asteroth irritated.

  “For me to be able to develop a method of dispelling it, I require the blood of the creature who cast it.”

  Asteroth felt his heart sink and grabbed at the only straw he saw. “But what of G’nar? He is not of Tribe U’nor, why is he so different?”

  Elizabeth hesitated as the brothers regarded her with vain hope. “He is an . . . anomaly. There will never be another like him. We need the blood of that creature.”

  “And how do you propose we do that? We don’t even know what it is,” he said, his voice thick with despair.

  “We have already learned so much from this tome,” she said patting the thick book. “And we have barely scratched the surface of what it contains, so don’t give up hope! I’m sure the answer is in here.”

  “She’s right, brother. Besides, our people are in no condition to confront an ancient horror of the past right now. First, we need to grow strong. Then comes the settling of old debts,” said G’nar, knowing that his optimism would improve his brother’s mood.

  Asteroth smiled. “You are right. We first need to reinforce our position here and grow as a people, as well as cultivate our new friendship with the yethlo. E’lir, you shall have as many of the shang’gomagarr as you need to decipher that tome. Speaking of which, where is Father? I would have expected to see him here.”

  “He is still resting with the others. The battle against the demons was the most taxing on the shang’gomagarr; most of them are still unable to move.”

  “I suppose their rest is well deserved. But I should get back to work. One day, we will find that monster and repay him for what he did to us,” said Asteroth before setting off, his fatigue long forgotten.

  “IT IS TIME.”

  Jessica groggily opened her eyes and saw the enormous auburn creature looming over her. She found coherent thought slowly coming to her as she was struck with the distinct impression that she had only just fallen asleep.

  Tal smiled at her reluctance to wake and added in a hopeful tone, “You are welcome to stay here for another day if you so wish.”

  She jumped off the bed as if he had doused her in cold water. “No, we go now. Killmar would want me to get there as soon as possible.”

  “Very well, follow us,” he said with a sigh as he led her back through the teal, gemlike object.

  She gasped for air as they exited it. “I don’t think I would ever get used to that.”

  “Few do. Come along,” he answered as he led her towards the northern shore of the Draconian Sea.

  Jessica glanced at the sky and saw the sun was cresting the horizon, which explained the lingering chill in the air from the previous night. A thin blanket of mist covered the dale, allowing the early morning sun to glitter off the dew on the grass, flowers, and trees. It was a welcome sight of beauty. She heard the shore before she see saw it as they crested a small hill. Talvirnia motioned for her to wait as he continued on towards the surf.

  He waded into the crisp blue water until he was about waist deep, then took a deep breath. His right head awoke and began singing. There were no words, only the vocalization of emotion. The song seemed to resonate with the Draconian Sea itself as ripples started to disturb the water’s surface far into the distance. A large shadow appeared underneath the disturbance, and the right head began singing softer as the left said in Dragon Tongue, “We humbly ask for safe passage across your dominion, Shi-narok, Serpent King of the South.”

  Water bulged then exploded as Shi-narok, Serpent King of the South, surfaced. Jessica gasped. Despite the distance, the creature towered three hundred feet into the air. Its head was linear with a mouth similar in form to that of an eagle’s beak; colossal teeth protruded over its lower lip; and a singular blade-shaped horn extended from its nose, arching backward across its head. Several other smaller horns followed suit, all exploding finally into five giant fins near the back of its head. Each of the fins seemed equally spaced from one ear hole to the other and were connected with the others by webbing.

  Masses of water poured off its rough, maroon, leat
hery skin, and its words carried easily over the distance. “Where to do you seek passage?”

  Tal replied, applying magical means so his words would reach the Serpent King. “We seek passage to Sa’leeon.”

  “Why do you seek the Dragonlord?” asked Shi-narok, the words seemingly pouring from his open maw.

  Jessica did not understand the exchange, but she knew the serpent creature was a being of great power. She recalled how Killmar had explained to her that beings who possessed high quantities of quenru had a certain presence about them; perceivable sometimes to those who had less by means of two physical manifestations: experiencing an unexplainable weight upon their bodies, and finding it harder to breathe.

  “We are but the Ferryman, her business with Lathrion is none of ours,” answered Talvirnia, pointing towards Jessica.

  Dark orange retinas, each the size of a small tavern, turned to her, and she felt her heart leap. He studied her in silence then returned his gaze to the Ferryman. “I do not understand. Is she an offering? A delicacy to curry favour?”

  He replied surprised. “We have never known you to be so . . . curious.”

  The lack of an answer seemed to displease the Serpent King of the South. “She is strange, different . . . dangerous. Who is she?”

  Tal hesitated, then said, “Jessica, wife of Killmar.”

  Black pupils pushed their dark orange brothers flat as Shi-narok conceded. “Very well.”

  Talvirnia motioned Jessica over and wrapped his hands around her waist when she did. His right head mouthed an incantation, and moments later, they were in the air. Slowly but steadily, they glided towards Shi-narok, and the closer they got, the more apparent became its monstrous size. A single tooth was several times larger than both of them combined, and Jessica found herself wondering if there existed a single creature superior in size.

  As they landed next to one of the blade-shaped horns on top of its head, she found it somewhat more difficult to breathe than she had on the beach. She smiled nostalgically as an unexplained pressure started to slightly weigh on her.

  “Why in such high spirits, young one?” asked Tal curious.

  “Being near this creature reminds me of Killmar. It is the first time I have encountered anyone with a . . . presence similar to his, yet still so different,” she lost her smile as she thought of her husband.

  “Ah, you speak of quenru.”

  “You know of it?” she asked surprised.

  “We told you, he was a friend of ours. The difference is probably the difference in power. Killmar was unmatched in that regard,” he answered, delighted by the subject of the conversation.

  She shook her head. “No, it’s not just a matter of power. I don’t quite know how to explain it, but even though Killmar’s quenru was overwhelming, there seemed a sense of him in it. It is the same with this creature; it is not just power.”

  “Interesting,” said Tal, before stumbling into her as Shi-narok set off. His right head quickly mouthed an incantation, and suddenly they were grounded, indifferent to the effects of movement. “Excuse us,” he said as he helped her to her feet.

  Jessica was astonished at the speed with which the Serpent King carried them across the water. She was certain that, if not for Tal’s enchantment, they would have been blown off his head almost immediately. She suspected that the enchantment formed a kind of shell around them as she found that her hair wasn’t even being blown back by the wind.

  After hours of silence, she asked, “I am curious, why didn’t you just take me to Lathrion yourself? I mean, with your magic, you could have just flown us over there and spared this creature from having to carry us there, could you have not?”

  Tal whispered. “You really should stop referring to Shi-narok as this creature. At the moment, the only thing staying his wrath is that you are Killmar’s wife. We would not like to see how long that will remain a sufficient reason. Remember he is the Serpent King of the South.”

  Jessica showed genuine surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful,” she said genuinely surprised. Speaking downwards, not really knowing how else to address the being they were riding, she said, “I humbly apologise for my rudeness, Serpent King of the South.”

  If he heard her, he made no indication, but Tal smiled and nodded when she looked at him enquiringly.

  “So?”

  “So?” repeated Tal confused.

  Jessica smiled nostalgically as memories of similar situations flowed through her mind. “You didn’t answer my previous question.”

  “Oh, well there are several reasons, the most obvious being that Shi-narok would have stopped us, quite forcefully we might add. He is called the Serpent King of the South for a reason. None except for one has ever crossed the Draconian Sea without his approval. Then there is—”

  “Except one?” interrupted Jessica.

  Tal’s eyes narrowed. “Now listen here, young one. If you want us to answer your questions, you best not interrupt us again. You young ones are always in such a hurry to have your answers. Besides, I would have thought you knew the answer to your question. It was Killmar who crossed without permission. But he is like that, is he not?”

  She smiled and looked down as grief tore at her heart. “Yes, he is.”

  He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “We did not mean to prod an open wound. Do not worry; all heals with time.”

  She placed her hand on his. “I am all right, please continue.”

  He awkwardly cleared his throat. “Well, as we were saying, the second reason is that it is excruciatingly hard to use any complex magic near the Draconian Sea. We are not sure ourselves as to the cause, but even with our talents, we would not be able to reach any of the islands without being completely helpless once we reached our destination. It is actually a very intriguing concept when you look at the flow—Oh, forgive us, we can sometimes lose our train of thought when the arcane is involved.”

  “Nothing wrong with being passionate about something. You mentioned islands?” added Jessica discreetly.

  Tal exposed a far wider array of teeth than she would have expected to be in his mouth as he gave a gigantic smile. “I like you, young one. There are quite a few islands among the Draconian Isles, but we’ll only be passing by two on our way to Sa’leeon, namely Zer’vhean the Dragon Wheir and Ciecion the sanctum sanctorum for those seeking mastery over themselves.”

  Three land masses appeared on the horizon, and Jessica found herself in awe at the speed with which Shi-narok crossed one of the largest known oceans in the world. It had been impossible to accurately determine their speed when there was nothing but water in every direction. However now, as the three land masses rapidly gained in size, she fully understood the Serpent King’s majesty and why expeditions into the Draconian Sea have never been met with success. Even a fleet of the fastest ships in the known world would seem like nothing more than a bunch of slow, drifting twigs to him.

  They slowed down to a crawl as they passed between two large islands, and Talvirnia indicated the island to his right; its surface seemed unnaturally level for a landmass in the middle of an ocean. “That’s Ciecion.”

  The centre of the island was dominated by a massive cone-shaped structure from which countless white cobblestone paths fanned out into rural areas, each of which possessed similar oddly shaped structures. The distance made any detailed inspection impossible, but she could make out some figures against the bright white background of the structures.

  Tal lightly tapped her shoulder and indicated the island to their left. “And that is Zer’vhean.”

  Zer’vhean was in perfect contrast to Ciecion. Mountain ranges encircled the entire island, leaving only a plain of wilderness at its centre. The only signs of habitation were the large caves that dotted high into the inner mountainside.

  “So the dragons live in those caves? It seems very . . . homely,” she said somewhat disappointed.

  He shrugged. “It is their way. Well . . . most of
them at least. They prey upon those on the plain below when needed, but mostly keep to their respective dwellings.”

  As they neared Sa’leeon, Jessica noticed she couldn’t clearly see the landmass or any of its features. It was apparent that there was an entity ahead of them, but it was as if she stared at a mirage through a body of water reflected in polished metal. The sheer indistinctness of it overwhelmed her senses, and she was forced to look away from the shadow apparition as she suddenly felt queasy.

  Talvirnia touched her shoulder lightly. “You all right, young one? It is not wise to peer directly at Sa’leeon.”

  “So I have discovered. What was that?” she asked as the fit subsided.

  “Magic that is even beyond our comprehension. Jessica, now that we are here, we feel compelled to ask you to reconsider. Once you are on Sa’leeon, you will never be able to leave, even if you manage to somehow survive there.”

  “I don’t understand,” she said confused.

  Tal sighed. “As we thought; you don’t know.”

  “Know what?”

  He looked hard at her. “There is another reason why we could not have simply flown you to Sa’leeon; it is enveloped by an impregnable magical field. Nothing can pass through it without the help and guidance of Shi-narok. Even time itself is distorted by it. And once inside, Shi-narok cannot guide you out. You would be stranded there for the remainder of your life, which will be very brief once you encounter Lathrion. This plan is madness.”

  She felt a sting of doubt, but then realised why Killmar had told her she would be safe there. It provided unparalleled security, which she now found doubly important. “I trust my husband. We will be fine.”

  “We?” he asked confused.

  “I mean, I. You’re manner of speech has begun rubbing off on me,” she said smiling innocently, despite the drumming in her chest.

  “You are sure this is what you want?” he asked, knowing the answer.

  “Yes, please allow me to fulfil my husband’s wish,” she said, relieved that the yethlo was not suspicious.