Chapter 41
Master of the Underworld
Hannibal Castle, Kingdom of Hannibal
The creature snarled and stretched out its hand.
"If you will not bow, you can die."
Tobias felt a sinking sensation deep in his chest, like he was shaken to his very core. However, it would seem that the creature had something else in mind, as it tilted its head curiously at Tobias' reaction, or lack thereof. Shoshanna seized the opening to launch an attack of her own. The creature's head twitched slightly as she reached out to touch its mind. Shoshanna did not realize her mistake until it was too late.
Purple flames burst from Shoshanna's eyes, throwing her into a fit of screaming like one possessed. Seeing her thrash about in agony, Tym'r hurtled at the creature, dropping down on all fours to boost him as he sprang forward. His claws raked across the creature's ribs, but as soon as he did, he yowled in pain as smoke rose from his paw. Apparently the creature's blood took on the same corrosive quality as Captain Jibril's before he died. Surely the creature could not live long cursing its own blood, or was it something so far removed from ordinary living things that such a thing had no ill effect?
"Get back, Tym'r!" Tobias shouted. "Find a weapon you can use and keep your distance!"
A lesser beast would have been too consumed by the pain, but Tym'r overcame it in time to avoid being grabbed by the creature.
"I do not need hands to touch you, beast," the creature said.
It stretched out its hand again and as with Shoshanna, Tym'r's eyes lit up on purple flames, but unlike Shoshanna, he did not throw himself to the ground. Rather, almost as if his body was moving by a will other than his own, Tym'r squared off against Tobias.
"I will allow you two to play for my amusement," the creature said. "Do not disappoint me."
A low growl rumbled in Tym'r's throat. He crouched slightly, building the strength in his legs to pounce. How could Tobias hope to stop him without hurting or even killing him? How was he going to avoid getting hurt or killed himself?
"Tym'r, get ahold of yourself!" Tobias shouted. "Don't let this thing best you! Remember your pride! Your honor!"
"You waste your words, mortal," the creature said. "None can escape my hold... none except you... What is this power? No... Not power... The absence of power... You are like the Void itself... Yet you are still a man. Still flesh and blood. You can die. You will die, and by the hand of your companion."
As if on cue, Tym'r lunged at Tobias. As Tobias dodged the attack, he noticed that Tym'r's movements were duller and more sluggish than usual. Was the creature's hold on him not complete? Perhaps Tym'r was fighting back after all.
"You can do it, Tym'r!" Tobias shouted, hoping to encourage him. "You're stronger than this monster!"
"It is no use," the creature said. "You cannot save him. Your pity for him only prolongs his suffering. He will kill you and when he is done rending your flesh, I will send him to join you. Am I not kind?"
Tobias avoided a swipe of Tym'r's paw and told the creature, "If you were so certain, you would've done it already."
"Do not mistake my intentions, mortal. I seek to be entertained. If I willed it, I could strike down every living thing in this land with a word."
Tobias did not doubt that the creature was powerful, but surely it was exaggerating its power. It wanted Tobias to fear him. It wanted Tobias to despair. These were as much the creature's weapons as Tym'r. Tobias need some way to strike back, but how?
"The heart!" a voice cried. "Strike the heart!"
It was Tellus. She awake now and struggling in the creature's grip. Indeed, the creature bore the same wound as Lord Bannon. Could that be its weakness? Tobias had little choice but to trust her. First, he feinted as if he was going after Tym'r, then turned sharply and rushed at the creature. He delivered a deft thrust to the creature that neatly pierced the wound. The creature recoiled only slightly, looking down and scowling contemptuously at Tobias.
"You think I can be killed so easily? Such a wound—"
"Hold it there!" Tellus shouted.
Though the creature acted unaffected, its arm slackened and Tellus was able to wriggle herself free. She then took hold of Tobias' swordhand and his sword began to glow. Around the wound, the creature's hair burned off and the flesh turned black and brittle, cracking apart as light poured out. The creature did not scream or howl in pain, only grunted and groaned as if it were suffering no more than some minor discomfort. However, its reaction belied the effect of Tellus' spell. The blackened flesh crumbled away and the creature's body started to fall apart. It let out a final gasp before its jaw fell away and its head rolled back off its shoulders, smashing into countless bits of charcoal as it hit the floor. The rest of its body followed right after.
Tobias' sword was still warm in his hand as the light faded. Tellus withdrew her hands and went over to Tym'r. No longer receiving commands from the creature but not free of the spell, Tym'r stood in place with his shoulders slumped and breathing unevenly. He growled as Tellus approached but made no move to attack. She reached out and touched his cheek. The flames evaporated, restoring his eyes to their natural state. He blinked a couple times before truly seeing what was before him.
"Child.... You have returned to us."
He winced in pain. Tellus looked a his injured paw. The creature's tainted blood had burned the flesh down to the bone. She wrapped her hands around his paw and it glowed briefly. When she let go, the flesh was restored, albeit without the fur, leaving odd hairless patches, which was of course far better than having a maimed paw.
Tellus then went over to Shoshanna. She was not violently thrashing about anymore but was was still writhing on the floor clutching at her face. Tellus stooped down and touched Shoshanna's forehead. Shoshanna's writhing stilled and she let go of her face. Like Tym'r, the flames had left her eyes, but her hands were quaking. Whatever she had been through, the effects lingered on.
Tobias looked at his sword, which was no longer usable, so he cast it aside. He went to Tym'r first and rested his hand on the Catman's shoulder. Tym'r simply nodded, which told him all that was necessary. Tobias then went to Shoshanna and took her hand.
Shoshanna closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Again I come second, Tobiyah ben Yishak," she said with a hint of a bitter smile. "You are going to break my heart."
"Are you okay, Shoshanna?" Tobias asked.
"I will live," she said.
Tobias helped her to her feet. Then there was Tellus. Tobias did not know what to say or what to do. She did not seem to know either and was averting her eyes. However, she could not hold herself back for long and embraced him.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, her voice on the verge of breaking. "I'm so sorry. I had to... It had to be this way..."
Tobias did not fully understand, but he returned her embrace.
"It's over now," he told her.
"No, it isn't," Tellus replied, gently pushed herself away from him. "It's not over yet."
"What do you mean? We killed that thing."
"We only destroyed a shadow, an image using the flesh of that man. The true enemy remains."
"Where is he then?" Tobias asked. "We'll go to him and defeat him."
"The enemy is beyond the reach of any human."
"Then there's nothing we can do?"
"No, there's still something."
Tellus walked over to where Tobias had left his sword. She picked it up and used it to sift through the charred remains of the creature. She cautiously separated out a black crystal shard with the edge of the blade. Merely touching the crystal was enough to turn the steel black.
"This is how the enemy controlled that man," Tellus said. "It's still connected to him. This is how we fight him."
"How?" Tobias asked.
"The Orb in the Temple of the Elements, it holds the power of a hundred generations of priests and priestesses. It's the only thing with the power to kill the enemy."
"So we need to go back to the Temple?"
"There's no time for that," Tellus said. "If we tried, the enemy would send all his minions after us. We'd never make it."
"Then what do we do?"
"You're the twin brother of the priestess of the Temple, the son of the High Priest. I... I also have the blood of the High Priest. The power will flow from the Orb to Shayla, from Shayla to you, and from you to me."
"Was this the plan the entire time?" Shoshanna asked.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Tobias asked in turn.
Tellus bowed her head.
"Father... The High Priest didn't trust you to do what was necessary. I was only supposed to rely on you if the first plan failed."
"And what was the first plan?"
"Those people and their ritual, they were drawing Mother's power, but her power is mingled with the enemy's. I was supposed to take their power and use it to strike the enemy, but then everything went wrong... I wasn't expecting to pass out like I did. I was going to go get you for the second plan."
"You say the High Priest didn't trust me to do what was necessary," Tobias said. "Didn't you trust me?"
Tellus would not look him in the eye as she said, "You don't know what it's like. All those voices in my head... Hundreds, thousands... All telling me the whole world is depending on me. What was I supposed to do?"
Tobias found himself immediately regretting his words.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I should've known you are shouldering a heavy burden, but I wish you would've shared it with us."
"What's done is done, Tobiyah ben Yishak," Shoshanna said. "What must we do now?"
Tellus wiped her eyes with her sleeve and lifted her head. Whatever fears and regrets she may have had, she set them aside to meet Tobias and the others with renewed resolve.
"Shoshanna, I need you to connect Tobias to Shayla," she said.
"She's too far away," Shoshanna said. "I could never do it."
"It's different with twins, they said. It should work."
Tobias realized that 'they' must have been the spirits of the priests and priestesses Tellus communed with in the Orb. Even if she was right, though, Tobias saw another problem.
"Except for you and your mother, I just absorb any magic I'm exposed to. How are you going to channel the magic through me to you?"
Tellus looked like she was starting to get impatient, but she took the time to explain it anyway. Turning her finger in a downward motion, she said, "Normally you're like a whirlpool. Magic gets caught and it goes... somewhere. I don't really know. But if we connect you to Shayla, we can redirect the flow." She then started drawing the circles sideways in the air from Tobias toward herself. "And instead of that 'somewhere', the magic will flow into me."
That was enough to convince Tobias, who then said, "If it's the only way that'll work, we ought to try it."
"Wait," Tellus said, "There's more." She started to look away but then forced herself not to. "If this goes wrong, all four of us could die. If I can't beat him... If I lose to the enemy, it'll kill us."
"There has to be another way then," Tobias said.
"Father knew you'd say that," Tellus replied. "That's why he told me not to rely on you, but this is the best chance we have. Mother doesn't have much time left. If she dies, everything dies with her and the enemy wins. He wants a world of Death and Darkness. It's what his kind has been seeking since the beginning of time and now they're closer than ever. Four lives weighed against all life. It's a small price to pay.
"Those aren't your words, Tellus," Tobias said. "Its him, speaking through you."
"It does not matter whose words they are, Tobiyah ben Yishak," Shoshanna said. "It is true. Our lives are less than a feather's weight on those scales. You would not hesitate to sacrifice your own life for even one person, but you cannot bring yourself to sacrifice another, even if it is to save many. It is the duty of the King."
"I'm not the King," Tobias said.
"You have the blood of kings and right now you are only who can shoulder the King's burden. Your sister... no, your sisters have already resolved themselves. My life has been yours ever since you saved me from the fire. All that remains is you."
Tobias looked to Tellus.
"There's no other way?"
"None with as good of a chance of succeeding that risks so few lives."
Deny it as he might, based on what he knew, this was the best course.
"Alright," he said. "We'll do it. Whatever we might try, we'd be risking our lives. We ought to make it worth it."
Tellus nodded. She got down on her knees and motioned for Tobias to do the same.
"Is there anything I can do, child?" Tym'r asked.
"If we fail, you're our last hope," Tellus told him. "The court sorcerers of Hannibal, the wise ones of the Children of the Forest, and the spirit callers of the Ral'gha, you have to gather them all and guide them to the Pit of Athirat. If Mother still has the power, she'll bring them to her so that they can strike at the enemy. Their chances won't be good, but it'll be all that stands between life and death."
"Then there is no hope at all," Tym'r said. "If you should die, I will not live long. The humans will kill me on sight."
Tellus reached out and took the knife from Tobias' belt and stood up. She ran the edge over the meat of her palm and closed her hand. She then went over to Tym'r and placed a bloody handprint on the white fur of his chest.
"As long as you bear that mark, you won't have to fear iron's bite," she told him.
Tym'r looked down at the mark, then bowed to Tellus.
"I accept my task, though I pray I will not need to fulfill it."
Tellus touched the Catman's cheek and then returned to Tobias. Before giving the knife back to Tobias, she cut her garment at the collar and then rent it down the middle.
Her face flushed as she told Tobias, "Put your hand over my heart."
With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, there was no time for him to hesitate out of embarrassment. He could feel the quickened beat of her heart as he placed his hand on her chest. Tellus' face got even redder as she looked to Shoshanna.
"Shoshanna, please."
Shoshanna stood behind Tobias and held his head in her hands. It felt as if her fingers were digging into his skull. She was delving deep into his mind and not being particularly gentle about it. It was like the time in the Temple when she revealed his earliest memories, but she went even further back this time, back when he was still in the womb along with Shayla, the closest they had ever been to the same being. This was how Shoshanna was able to seek out Shayla.
An image came into Tobias' mind. A sea of stars like the night sky, only all around him. The light of the stars began to swirl into a vortex, a whirlpool like the one Tellus described. Then in the distance, a red star appeared, pulsating like a beating heart. The whirlpool began to tilt and the vortex stretched out toward the red star. From the opposite direction, a blue star shone, growing brighter and brighter until the light streamed forth into the whirlpool. As the light flooded into the whirlpool, the spiral became more intense. The red star blazed with the infusion of new energy, pulsing faster and faster as it shone brighter and brighter.
It was then that Tobias realized that the red star did not simply resemble a heart. It was a heart. It was Tellus' heart. Surely it could not take much more of this. Even though he knew what was at stake, Tobias wanted her to stop before it was too late. However, there was nothing he could say or do. He could not stop the power flowing through him. All he could do was watch.
It was not long before the light became so intense that even the mind's eye could not bear it. And then... darkness.
Tobias opened his eyes. The hand that had been touching Tellus was hanging in the air. Tellus herself had fallen back and was lying crumpled on the floor. Clutched in her badly burned hand was the crystal shard, now clear as glass.
Tobias went to Tellus and shook her by the shoulders to try to rouse her.
"Tellus! Tellus!"
She did not respond. He tried shaking her some more to no effect. He then leaned in to try to listen to her heart. Her heart was still beating but weakly. He lifted up his head and tried patting her cheek to bring her around.
"Tellus. Tellus, wake up."
Shoshanna knelt down beside Tellus and touched her forehead. She apparently did something because Tellus began to stir and opened her eyes.
"Tellus!" Tobias exclaimed. "Are you alright?"
Tellus seemed a little dazed, but she nodded.
"Is... is it over?" he asked.
Tellus held up the crystal shard and replied, "It's over. We did it."
Tobias breathed a sigh of relief, repeating, "We did it..."
"The enemy has been defeated then," Tym'r said. He looked down at the bloody handprint on his chest. "I will not be needing this."
For someone who was always talking about ill omens, Tym'r should have been more mindful of saying things that tempted Fate. Four Palace Guards burst into the room, all with weapons at the ready. Tobias scrambled to his feet to get between the Palace Guards and Tym'r, though with nothing more than the knife in his belt, a reasonable man would ask what he meant to do.
The Knight Paladin among them stepped forward, saluted with his sword and said, "My lord Commander, how may we be of assistance?"
"What?"
That was the only thing a baffled Tobias could say.
"The Queen is dead," the Paladin explained. "Captains Cyrano and Yael as well. Captain Bomilcar has assumed command and ordered us to find you and render whatever aid is necessary."
After being on the run for all these months, Tobias did not know to respond to the Queen's men not regarding him as an enemy. Shoshanna spoke to his mind, suggesting a pretense that could make things easier for them. It was not a lie, but it did not give all the truth either.
"Lord Bannon and the Black Guard have attempted a rebellion," he said. "We've put down Lord Bannon himself and Captain Jibril, but the rest of the Black Guard remains. Send word that every man of Black Guard is to be placed under arrest. Take them alive if possible, dead if you must, but do not underestimate them. They all wield the devil's arts and will use them against you.
"Also, see that all due respects are paid to the remains of the Queen, her guests, Captain Cyrano and Captain Yael. Place them in the crypt for now. If any of the vassals of the Queen's guests wish to claim the bodies, provide them with what is needed."
The Paladin saluted and said, "It shall be done, my lord."
"Where is Captain Bomilcar?" Tobias asked.
"Captain Bomilcar is having his wounds treated in the infirmary, my lord."
"Is he badly hurt?"
"If he is, my lord, he did not show it."
"I will go to him, then coordinate our effort from the council chamber. Send for Master Tallan and Mistress Larentia, and for Vice-Captain Bostar as well."
"It shall be done, my lord," the Paladin said again.
The Paladin looked past them to the remains of the creature and asked, "My lord, what is to be done with... that... or the bodies of the Black Guardsmen?"
"See that no one touches them. The Guardsmen can leave a curse in their blood when they die. Leave them to the court sorcerers."
"It shall be done, my lord."
The Paladin continued to stand there as if he was waiting for something.
He's waiting to be dismissed, Tobiyah ben Yishak, Shoshanna whispered to his mind.
"You have your task, Sir Paladin," Tobias said. "See that it is done."
The Paladin and the Palace Guards saluted.
"Yes, my lord."
The Palace Guards withdrew, Tobias and his companions exchanged glances, then Tobias went over to help Tellus to her fleet. She was not particularly steady on her feet—unsurprising given the ordeal she went through—and so she leaned on Tobias for support.
"I guess there's still work to be done," Tobias said.
"I will follow you Tobias," Tym'r said. "I do not want to put the child's mark to the test."
"Command suits you, Tobiyah ben Yishak," Shoshanna said. "With the Queen dead, the people of this land need a King. Are you prepared to shoulder that burden?"
Tobias' instinct was to refuse immediately, but it was not so simple. There were pitfalls either way, whether he tried to assert his claim or not. He had sworn an oath to serve the realm. Would this be how he fulfilled that oath?
"I guess I'll do what I must," he said.
"We all will," Tellus said.
There was a melancholy in her voice that Tobias did not notice then. If he had, he might have realized what was coming.