A Wizard's War - 35. The Sway of Gods

‘The Song of the Sea’ from the Tales of Meridiah:

“Long ago in a village far away, there lived a poor fisherman and his wife. Above all else they desired to start their own family, but to their great dismay his wife remained barren. The wife began to despair, and the fisherman stayed away longer and longer at sea. Upon seeing the fisherman’s melancholy, Neptune the Sea summoned a great bounty from the realms of Meridiah to bless the fisherman.

The fisherman saw the beast rising on the tides; the great tail thrashing on the surface was the size of the fisherman’s ship. Gripped with fear and wonder, the fisherman abandoned his nets and set free his entire catch. He pulled anchor to flee, but the monstrosity fed upon his abandoned fish and was grateful. The beast rose to the surface and spoke in a mighty voice.

‘Many blessings upon you from Neptune the Sea!’

The fisherman knelt and bowed his head before the beast, feeling the terrible presence of his god radiating through the untamed creature.

‘Why so long the expression on your face? What grief grips your heart?’

‘I long for a family, but my wife and I remain without child.’

The creature from the depths of its fowl mouth expelled a long and twisted tongue. Upon the deck the tongue deposited a flopping silver fish unlike anything the fisherman had ever seen.

‘Eat of this, you and your wife, and a child you shall have!’

The fisherman bowed and thanked the kindness of Neptune and the creature disappeared beneath the waves. The fisherman returned home but could not find the words to tell his wife the fantastic tale. He simply prepared the fish and made them a magnificent dinner.

In the year that followed, the fisherman’s wife bore a son. The family was happy, and all seemed well.

As the child grew older, the fisherman began to struggle as his success began to falter. They became more and more poor with each passing year. The fisherman recalled the great beast and began to search the horizon for its presence. Then the fisherman began to follow rumors and sightings to track down the beast. He prepared himself and to his wife’s dismay began to stay away longer and longer.

After years of searching the fisherman finally found his quarry. He used great spears to penetrate the creature’s rubbery hide and with rope fastened his ship. For three days the creature tried to free itself from the tethered ship with no success. The giant fish and the fisherman were both exhausted and the creature surfaced to speak.

‘Why have you done this?’ the beast demanded.

‘My fortunes have changed. I seek another favor.’

‘One blessing I have given you! Be gone with you!’

‘Grant me one final treasure that I may provide for my family, and I shall release you.’

‘I will give you what you ask, but it will not bring you happiness. Your heart has been corrupted and the cruelty of man will long be remembered by Neptune the Sea.’

The creature again extended its twisted tongue and dispelled an object upon the deck. The fisherman looked at the common conch with confusion.

‘The Siren’s Conch, speak and they will obey. The song of the sea will bend them to your will.’

‘A mighty treasure indeed,’ the fisherman agreed and released the beast from its capture. The creature would bear the scars of the encounter until the end of its days.

After the fisherman returned home, his fortunes changed. Other fishermen and merchants began to sell their businesses to the fisherman for fractions of the value. Some even stayed on to work for the fisherman. The town elected him mayor and his family moved into the largest mansion in the village. When disagreements or disputes arose in the town they would magically be resolved by the fisherman. He would always stand to benefit.

The fisherman’s wife was still sad as her husband grew more and more distant. He did not go to the sea anymore, but new responsibilities always demanded his attention. The son they so longed for barely knew his own father. They both began to resent the fisherman and the family grew distant. The fisherman’s wife found the bed of another man and the child would act out impetuously against his father’s enterprise.

After the fisherman had spoke into the conch and corrected his own family’s behavior, he watched them follow obediently, lifelessly. He began to feel alone as he realized nothing in his life was real and everyone was simply a puppet under his control. As he sat in grief one evening, he whispered under his breath.

‘You old fool, you should walk into the sea and drown.’

The conch, sitting nearby, began to sing. The song led the fisherman down to the sea where he walked in and drown himself beneath the waves. All those he had enslaved were freed and the fisherman’s wife remarried her new gentleman. The child found the conch and, not knowing its value, set it upon a shelf to collect dust.”

__________

Zolgrim waited in the boat for his escort to return. The pattern of his new scales glittered in the midday sun as he breathed in deeply, experiencing the fecund air of the forest around him. The vile river, despite its name, was quite calm and peaceful near the city of Votu Morgana and Zolgrim enjoyed the trickling sound of its steady flow around the rocks and logs. The elven ambassador, Caeda Virdan, returned at last pulling Zolgrim from his reverie.

Caeda presented in a long flowing robe and radiant auburn hair that fell to their mid-back. As was common in elven culture, they did not dress in clothes or act in ways that denoted any gender or gender roles. Zolgrim found it quite refreshing whenever he visited. The serpent folk had long since placed too much emphasis on these distinctions and the women historically had received more passive positions. The temple, which had long been his home, allowed for a more equal social structure, but nothing that compared to the elves.

“I’m sorry for the delay, Ahir-Zolgrim” Caeda apologized with a nod of her head, “We seem to be experiencing an emergency which has quite shaken our people. Your scheduled visit to our forest will have to be postponed for the foreseeable future.”

“What emergency, may I ask?” Zolgrim inquired with great concern.

“It may not be my place to say,” Caeda considered, “But spiders were caught within our lands and killed. A number significant enough to require further investigation.”

“Spiders?” Zolgrim marveled, “I did not realize they were an issue since the Hidden Paths were sealed.”

“Quite so,” Caeda agreed, “I have been asked to escort you back to the city. There is of course a Temple of Raigar which would be happy to house a priest of your status, or we can look for affordable accommodations to meet your needs.”

“I really hoped to meet with Magister Inaxalys. Is there any way to arrange this after I’ve been returned to Votu Morgana?”

“I’m afraid that will not be possible,” Caeda clearly lied as she began to prepare the small boat for departure.

Zolgrim believed there really was an emergency with regards to spiders, but for whatever reason he was being denied access to the information he was seeking. The same thing had occurred when he started poking around the Archfiend’s headquarters. All information regarding the Moon Stone had been well hidden or obfuscated. Zolgrim began to suspect the public story that the Moon Stone was stolen by elves long ago to be an over-simplification of events. One elf alive during the time in question was Magister Inaxalys.

Zolgrim sensed the tension and stress from Caeda as she used magic to propel the craft across the river and decided not to press the issue further. It would be exceptionally difficult to locate the magister on his own in the dense forest across the way, but his leads were quickly leading nowhere.

__________

Lady Laia Talovien pushed a stray curl from her forehead as she studied a report. Her fingers brushed lightly on the seashells hanging around her neck, the largest of which rested just below her throat. The amaranth-colored conch shell was covered with knobby ridges which she was very familiar with as she traced over them with her fingertip. The siphonal canal was always positioned toward her body so as not to gather any sounds she did not want.

“This can’t be true,” Laia spoke at length as her eyes scanned the end of the report. Her light gray eyes looked up to meet the deep purple of Tamasi Arany.

“I’m afraid it has been confirmed,” the Wizard Commander replied, “Scouts have confirmed that the Spiders of Lyshall are moving through Uatu’s Forest. All portals have been sealed, because the only explanation anyone can offer is that the Hidden Paths have been opened.”

“And Lord Crusnik has not returned?” Laia asked.

“He has not. And we continue to receive disturbing reports of militaristic activity in the North.”

“I should have stopped him from leaving,” Laia chided herself.

“There was little that could have been done,” Tamasi dismissed the idea and laid a reassuring hand on Laia’s arm.

“There are ways,” Laia disagreed, “I could have stopped him.”

“You take on so much,” Tamasi whispered as she moved her hand up Laia’s arm and then stroked her soft cheek affectionately.

“I do it for us, my love,” Laia answered as she covered Tamasi’s hand with her own. Then they leaned together to share a brief kiss.

“I must call what remains of the Council to discuss this matter further,” the Wizard Commander stood and straightened her gown. Her exterior was quickly returned to the cold, detached leader of state that normally graced the halls of the Bastion’s keep. Only Lady Talovien got to see the softness and compassion underneath.

Despite her love for Tamasi, Laia was never completely trusting of the woman who could turn in an instant from caring to stoney. Their passion was born from a mountain of lies and secrets with Tamasi appearing to hold all the power. Only Laia knew the truth and the burden weighed on her every day.

Tamasi began ringing a bell, which did not chime so much as issue a high-pitched whine that reverberated through the halls. Shortly, Jutemwig, Tamasi’s personal molemaiden entered the room.

“You rang, Your Excellency?”

“I am calling an emergency High Council meeting, please make the preparations.”

“Yes, Your Excellency,” Jutemwig bowed low, “I will return shortly to escort you.”

“If the elves are in danger, Thalanil will likely be difficult,” Laia considered.

“Let him fret,” Tamasi dismissed with a wave of her hand, “We must act in the best interest of all people, not just the elves. I’m sure they will have no trouble handling a few spiders.”

“If the Hidden Paths are open,” Laia worried, “There are greater threats than spiders lurking there. Those passages were sealed for a reason.”

“I understand full well the implications,” Tamasi retorted icily, “Our approach must be thorough and without hesitation.”

“Agreed.”

After Jutemwig returned, the two women followed her through the corridors to the Meeting Chamber. The massive Council Hall was reserved for holding court and taking petitions, while the Meeting Chamber was reserved for the Votu High Council’s private meetings. In the center was a massive, polished slab of granite hovering above the ground to form a table and around it several similarly polished disks on which to sit. The walls were etched with runes to deter any sound travel and prevent surveillance magic.

They found Lord Thalanil Krisyra waiting for them, pacing anxiously alongside the table.

“We must respond at once! Deploy forces to Votu Morgana.”

“Is Lady Qarshei still on her way?” Tamasi asked Jutemwig calmly, completely ignoring the lord’s outburst.

“Yes, My Excellency, she will arrive shortly.”

“Then we shall wait until she arrives before we begin,” Tamasi smiled a shark’s smile toward Thalanil, daring him to question her decision. The grim elven lord simply raised his arms in frustration and turned away.

“Thalanil?” Laia attempted to change the subject, “Have you heard any word from Lord Crusnik?”

“I’m not conspiring with that vampire filth, if that is your thought?”

“No,” Laia felt stricken by the angry retort, “I guess I was still clinging to the slim hope that we were not so easily deceived.”

“The Order of Belothemid is undoubtedly responsible for the opening of the Hidden Path as well,” Thalanil turned his cold amber gaze upon Laia, “We are members of the High Council, this should never have happened on our watch! And I hear rumors about that boy who came here, which we dismissed out of hand. You shouldn’t have been so blind to the power he possessed!”

“His power was great,” Tamasi agreed, “But it was only the demon inside. We did not need such a presence in our midst.”

“The rumors speak of the Seeded One,” Thalanil shot back.

“Superstition and myth,” the Wizard Commander dismissed, “Ravings of a deranged psychic and a heretic. We are wizards of the highest order; we do not alter our course to entertain rumors.”

“The wolves are at our door,” Laia stepped between the other two council members, “We cannot afford to argue amongst ourselves.”

“Yet your people are safe in their harbors,” Thalanil snarled, “While mine are slaughtered by spiders.”

“I see the meeting has begun,” Lady Qarshei spoke from the door, her forked tongue tasting the tension in the room before darting back into her mouth. She wound her slender serpent-like form to one of the chairs and sat down.

The others took their seats as well, except Thalanil who continued to pace angrily.

“If you would, please,” Tamasi gestured to a vacant seat. After a moment of consideration, Thalanil sat down as well.

“Let’s begin with what we know and circle back to the rumors,” Wizard Commander Arany began, “The Spiders of Lyshall have returned, which may indicate that the Hidden Paths have been unsealed. This feat could only be achieved by one of elven descent…”

As Tamasi paused her purple eyes stared pointedly at Thalanil. His face turned red and then a deeper red as he exploded.

“The idea that any of my people would purposefully open the paths is outrageous!”

“We seem to have been deceived by one of our own, who moved North unexpectedly,” Tamasi pointed out, “There is no telling of what someone is capable.”

“The accusations get us nowhere,” Laia cut in before Thalanil could respond, “Should we not first confirm that the Hidden Paths are indeed open. And if so, close them again. That should be our primary objective.”

“And if luring us into an elven conflict is a trap?” Lady Qarshei weighed in, “Is it not possible that the attack from the spiders is a distraction from the greater threat? We received countless reports from other towns that the Order of Belothemid is moving our way and now reports of armies amassing in the North?”

“We will soon be surrounded on all sides,” Laia nodded gravely.

“Which is why we do not respond to these individual problems, and we seal off the Bastion. Activate all the magical protections we can to defend our position,” Tamasi concluded.

“I won’t sit behind these walls while the people I swore to defend are killed!” Thalanil roared.

“This is truly your will?” Laia looked at Tamasi uncertainly.

“Yes, I think it is for the best,” Tamasi’s purple eyes searched Laia’s for support. Laia nodded solemnly and then raised her necklace from around her neck.

“Members of the Wizard Council,” Laia spoke to herself more than anyone in the room, “We shall stay and defend the Bastion from enemy forces.”

There was a quiet pause as deep resonant sounds hovered in the air and then Thalanil’s anger drained from his elven face, his eyes blinked as if suddenly heavy.

“We will defend this position as you suggest, Wizard Commander,” Thalanil agreed as he looked to Tamasi. They all felt certain about this outcome as if it was the only thing to do.

Lady Laia Talovien let her conch shell fall back around her neck as she sighed wearily.

__________

Zolgrim entered the small alcove provided to him by the Temple of Raigar, little more than a lumpy bed roll and a small stone shelf for a candle. The temple in Votu Morgana was not up to his normal standards but it was nice to be underground nearer to Raigar’s majesty.

The patron goddess of Votu Morgana was Esther the Sun. Zolgrim had visited that monumental temple after returning from the jungle. It had enormous stained-glass windows depicting a fiery scene of all consuming flames. Inside the glass refracted the sunlight in thousands of directions to create a kaleidoscope of red, orange, and yellow hues. It had truly been a wonder to behold.

But now in the discomfort of his accommodations he had time to dwell on the events unfolding. First, Simon had arrived with the surprising fulfillment of Morgana’s prophecy. Then, Connor came looking for the Moon Stone. If ever Zolgrim had felt Raigar guiding him, that was the moment. There was nothing connecting Simon and the Moon Stone, but Zolgrim lay awake knowing it was of vital importance. So, he started asking around.

Archfiend Jalwa had refused to help Zolgrim and played off the affair as if it were too difficult to reflect upon. While the loss of such a powerful relic was an embarrassment, Zolgrim did not believe the Archfiend for a moment. But there were two sides to the story. Magister Inaxalys was reportedly in charge of a rebel contingent of elves who stole the Moon Stone fragment. Zolgrim’s efforts to meet with Inaxalys were also twarted by the elves.

The political climate at the time in question was tricky and the elves and the serpent folk were constantly at odds, but the conflict finally boiled over after the theft of the Moon Stone. An absurd thought occurred to Zolgrim as he sat in the cramped space, but it didn’t make sense. Why would they wage a war between their races when a war was not necessary? Would they really fake the theft of the Moon Stone?

Zolgrim was suddenly roused from his reverie by the tolling of loud bells. He stood from his alcove and ventured into the underground tunnels beneath the temple. He began to ascend the winding stone steps when he heard the first screams in the city above. The bells rang on and on and soon Zolgrim was joined by other priests of their order in the temple halls.

“Priests of Raigar!” the Ojahir of the small sect announced to the confused crowd, “The city is under attack! We must make haste to our posts and prepare to help those in need!”

Zolgrim moved down a hallway and stepped out onto a balcony that looked out into the city. Votu Morgana was arranged in a series of awkward slanted walkways that wound around tall trees and the houses were built high off the ground. Some of the stone edifices, such as the Temple of Raigar were built into a cliff face which provided a broad view of the valley. Below trees were ablaze and the night was filled with the screams of its citizens.

“Raigar protect us,” Zolgrim whispered under his breath.