The Eighth Warden Bk. 03 Ch. 35-36

Ellerie tried to lift the maul, but it wouldn't budge. "It got heavier for Boktar. Maybe it got lighter for you because it's bonded to you the way the sword is."

"What am I going to do with two weapons nobody else can carry?" he asked. "The sword's bad enough. I can't even strap the damned thing to my horse." Despite the awkward length of the blade, Corec was forced to wear his sword harness while riding, which required angling it in such a way that the scabbard wasn't bouncing against the horse's side. If he tied the harness and scabbard to the saddle, it triggered the warding that made the sword much heavier. The horse could carry it, but not if Corec intended to ride as well. Luckily, the horse didn't activate the weapon's pain warding.

Ellerie snickered. "I can't help you with that. Are you ready for the armor?"

"I shouldn't touch it, right?" Corec asked, eyeing the panoply. It was made from the same dull, brownish-gray metal as the hammer.

"I wouldn't. Its warding looks similar to your sword's." Ellerie pulled one of the blankets closer, then picked up another to cover her hands. "I don't see any straps," she said, peering at the armor.

Corec had been examining it too. "No. If it had straps, they'd have rotted by now, and the armor would have fallen off the stand. I think some of these little square plates are latches."

Ellerie handed him the blanket she was holding, and he used it to lift the helmet off the stand and move it out of the way. Then he unfastened one of the metallic latches holding the breastplate to the backplate.

"Yes, that did it," he said. He reached for the next latch, but his hand slipped off the blanket and brushed against the armor. There was an immediate shock of pain shooting from his hand up to his elbow, and then a burning sensation, as if he'd pulled a hot cooking pan from the fire.

"Aaugh!" he shouted, jerking his hand away. The blanket fell from his grasp. "Bloody hell!" There was a scorch mark running from his thumb down to his palm and wrist, and another crossing his next three fingers. He could smell burned flesh.

"Shit!" he said, wincing in pain. "Is that what it was like when you touched my sword?" He showed Ellerie his hand.

Her eyes widened. "No, nothing like that. That looks bad. We should get back to Treya."

Corec didn't argue. The pain wasn't getting any better. "I'll come back tomorrow with my chain gloves and gauntlets," he said, grabbing the shaft of the maul with his uninjured hand and bracing the weapon over his shoulder. "Maybe that'll work."

Ellerie gathered up the bundle with the swords and the two of them left the alcove, finding Marco entering the royal quarters.

"I thought I'd collect the pieces of the other figurines, in case we can put them back together," the factor said. Then he nodded in the direction of the maul, which had started glowing again when Corec picked it up. "If you want to keep that, it has to come out of your share."

Corec wasn't sure why he did what he did next—the other man was just doing his job, and Corec actually sort of liked the fellow most of the time—but he was still in a lot of pain. Plus, he had plans for his share. He needed money and the weapons and armor from the armory if he was going to hire and equip a group of armsmen to counter Rusol's red-eyes. He couldn't do that if he had to spend his entire share on an enchanted weapon he had no use for—one that likely couldn't be sold, if no one else could even lift it.

"Here you go," he said, swinging the maul off his shoulder and dropping it headfirst to the floor, leaving the shaft pointing up. "It's all yours. If you or anyone else can take it, then we'll sell it and divide up the shares. If not, I'm coming back tomorrow and taking it for myself, since it apparently wants me to. And no, it won't be coming out of my share."

Marco stood there, his mouth gaping open as Corec strode off, Ellerie following him. By the time they reached the doorway, they could hear the other man grunting as he strained to lift the hammer.

#

Treya rubbed Corec's hand with a damp cloth, brushing away the last of the burn marks to reveal the healed skin beneath. "It's done," she said.

"Thank you," he replied. "Maybe you should go in with me tomorrow in case my gauntlets and gloves don't help."

"Why not just leave the armor where it is? We're leaving that statue because it's warded."

Corec shrugged. "Well, the statue's also bigger and harder to move, but you're probably right. Who's going to buy a suit of armor they can't even wear? I might as well give it one more try, though. I've got to go back to grab the maul anyway."

She snickered. "I can't believe you did that to Marco."

"I should probably go apologize to him, but I'm not going to pay for the maul out of my share. If he's going to be an ass about it, I'll just leave it here."

Treya nodded. The two of them planned to pool their shares with Katrin, Shavala, and Sarette so they could afford to hire armsmen to help face any other attack Prince Rusol might send their way.

"What should I do with the prisoners?" she asked, changing the subject. "If I heal them any further, they'll be up and about. Nedley and Razai traded off watching them today while I was busy, but with Boktar, Josip, and Sarette gone, it doesn't leave us with many people to pull guard duty."

Corec glanced at the building where they were keeping the wounded mercenaries. "I don't know. Ned's got to take care of the animals, too, and everyone needs to take watch shifts at night. We really don't have enough people to be watching over prisoners. What about that thing you did to those two red-eyes to make sure they couldn't hurt anyone? With the runes?"

"Des and Arnol? I don't think it works like that. Whatever it was that I did, it was to stop them from ever again committing a specific crime that I witnessed them committing. I don't think I can just ... do it anytime I want, for any reason. I'm not sure this group did anything wrong other than believing the others' lies." She didn't mention that one of them had admitted he'd realized the cult members were lying. Corec wasn't likely to kill the men for that, but Treya wasn't sure how Ellerie or Razai would feel. Or Leena.

Corec sighed. "I guess we need to find a way to lock them up. Maybe one of the rooms inside the mountain that has a working door."

"One of the warded doors?"

"I don't know if air can get through those, but there are some other metal doors that are still intact. Ellerie knows a mage lock spell—I think those can be used on doors." Then he chuckled. "Or if Leena's strong enough to carry a wooden door, she could buy one for us and bring it here, and we could use it for the room they're in now. We'd just need some lumber to frame it."

"It'd be easier to carry meals to them if they're inside our camp than if they're under the mountain."

He nodded. "I'll talk to her about it. For now, see if Katrin can help keep watch. I think she could stop them if they tried to get away."

Ariadne approached then, still wearing her armor, and gave them both a solemn nod.

"I have found an appropriate spot to lay the Mage Knights to rest," she said. "On the eastern slope of Mount Yadar, near the marshaling yards, there was once a memorial honoring the dead of the Second Demon War. The memorial and the yards are gone now, but it's a fitting place to honor the heroes of the Third Demon War."

Treya glanced at Corec. The wars were something Ellerie would want to know about, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask.

"Nedley and I will dig the graves tonight," Corec said. "Tomorrow, we can start ..." He trailed off, apparently uncomfortable speaking to the Chosar woman about her dead compatriots.

Treya could understand how he felt. As she understood it, in Ariadne's mind, they'd been alive just a few days ago.

"I will bring them out from the stasis pods," Ariadne said. "The carts will suffice, but I will require assistance."

"Just let us know what you need."

She stared off into the distance. "Will Owl be able to find us here? He should really attend the ceremony, but if people no longer live here, perhaps we won't attract his attention."

"Owl?" Treya asked.

"Of course. The Mage Knights defeated the demon armies. It's only appropriate for Owl to attend the burial ceremony."

"No—I mean, who is Owl?"

Ariadne grew still. "You do not know Owl?" Her voice wavered. "Do people no longer follow the ways of Wisdom?"

"Is he like the old gods?" Corec asked. "Fox and Bear and Raven?"

"You know them, but not Owl?" The Chosar woman swayed, bracing her hand against a wall for support. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know. I've only heard of those three. So he is one of the old gods?"

"Only your people call them gods, as if they were made-up stories like all the other gods you invent any time you wish. But your gods offer no proof of their existence. Only the totems make themselves known to us."

The animal statues Treya and Corec had first found on the western slope of the mountain had included a fox and a bear, as well as a bird that might have been a raven. One of the others had been an owl. The same seven animals had been depicted near the palace.

"Your totems," Treya said, "are there seven of them? Like the statues in your fortress?"

"Eight," Ariadne said. "You refer to the totem walk in the courtyard. There are eight totems, but Snake isn't welcome in Tir Yadar."

Corec drew in a sharp breath. "Snake?"

###

Epilogue

Centuries of work had been wasted. Leonis had been a tool, but a useful one, and now he was dead. Unable to control his anger, Pallisur Traveled into The Lady's domain, which had changed since the last time he'd seen it. It now resembled one of the expensive apartments on the top level of West Tower in Tir Yadar. In the totemic realm, reality was subject to the whims of those who had mastered its magics.

"Hera!" he shouted. "What did you do?"

"Exactly what I said I would," said a voice from behind him. "I stopped you."

He spun to face her, gathering arcane power to strike and sheathing it within divine power to break through her defenses.

She struck first, shattering his spell even as it formed, then flinging him back against a wall. He'd forgotten how strong Herasis was, especially on her own ground. With the possible exception of the totems, who remained tight-lipped about their own abilities, she was the only being who'd ever wielded three magics.

"Do you think to violate our laws now?" she demanded. "At this juncture? Do you remember what happened the last time we fought?"

The reminder brought him up short. When they waged war in the divine realm, their powers were reflected to the mortal realm, but magnified in such a way as to cause great destruction. After the first few incidents, the others had imposed rules on their behavior to prevent further damage. As if anything could be worse than the crime they'd already committed—the crime Pallisur was trying to undo.

"The ritual must proceed!" he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "And risk another Burning?" she asked. "Never."

"I've changed the spell. There won't be another Burning."

"Oh, yes, your new ritual, the one that makes you the final arbiter of all who wield magic. What gives you the right?"

"It's unfortunate but necessary," he said smoothly. "It's the only way."

"It's certainly a convenient side effect, giving you supreme power over all mages. Do you really think anyone's stupid enough to believe that story?"

"It doesn't particularly matter whether you believe it or not."

"And what will happen to the human and elven mages if you take over? You might try to hide it, but I know how much you hate them."

Pallisur growled. "They don't deserve your concern. They enslaved our people!"

"So you claim," Hera said. "But the Chosar I knew ruled over all the peoples."

"Just because you don't want to believe a thing doesn't make it untrue," Pallisur said. But even if she did believe him, she'd never truly understand the reality of it. She'd been born long after The People had overthrown their oppressors.

The Chosar hadn't been intended as slaves; they'd originally been created as a symbol of the alliance between the two races. The agility, quickness of mind, and elder magic of the elves; the strength, inventiveness, and arcane magic of the humans. It was the humans and elves who'd named them Chosar, the people.

But then the Second Demon War had begun. Their creators had remembered fear, and they'd sent their children to fight in their place. That had been their undoing. By the end of the war, enough Chosar had been born and trained as soldiers to vastly outnumber the warriors of the other races. After The People had pushed the demons out of their lands, it had been almost easy to continue the process with the humans and elves.

Herasis shook her head. "Even if they once treated us as slaves—seven thousand years ago—you're the one who doomed the Chosar, Pallis, not them. You caused the Burning, not them."

"I can bring The People back! I just need the four magics to do it."

"And I suppose the fact that you'll gain supreme power has nothing to do with it?" She gave him a look of disdain. "If you're telling the truth, then we were created using only arcane and elder magic. You could have come to me at any time—or Demesis, or Borrisur, or Irisis—and we could have tried it. Now that the wildstorms are gone, with your help, we could have attempted to reverse the changes we made. But you didn't come to us because that's not what you truly want. You want to rule over everything."

He scowled. Why did she constantly question things she knew nothing about? "The ancient knowledge is lost," he said. "It would take millennia to recover the old methods. With the four magics, I can bring our people back! Our people, Hera! Not scattered creatures who look like us yet know nothing of our ways."

She shook her head. "Even if I believed you, the Chosar had our chance and we failed—because of you, and our own hubris. Our blood is scattered to the winds. Take pride in our children; don't dwell on our failures."

"You haven't won yet, Hera."

She stared at him pitilessly. "You're no longer my biggest concern. We've got another problem. Rusol fought Leonis head on. That shouldn't have been possible. Someone granted him divine power. I don't recognize the aura—it's not one of us. There's now a mortal wielding three of the four magics."

"He's your mortal," Pallisur said coldly, hiding his sudden burst of fear. Rusol hadn't ascended and shouldn't be able to merge the magics together, but he was a warden. Who knew what was possible? "This is what you wanted."

"Not like this. And I certainly didn't intend to lose my pawn to an unknown opponent. Someone is interfering. Who can grant divine blessings, besides one of us? A demon lord must have ascended somehow."

"That's not possible."

"Then you explain it!" she snapped.

"That's not my responsibility," he said. "It's yours. You messed up again. You clean it up."

And while Hera was busy with that problem, Pallisur could develop a new plan. She thought he'd been defeated, but she was wrong. If a mortal wielded three magics, it was time to break the rules, which meant Leonis was no longer necessary. After all, even if most of Pallisur's bondmates had died in the Burning, or during the difficult years that followed, he was still a warden.

#

The hare had been fast, but the wolf was faster. He gorged, eating the whole thing. His hunting had been more successful lately, since he'd met the female of the tree-dwellers, but he still conserved his energy between hunts. It had been nearly three days since he'd last eaten, and now the hare would let him go another three days.

It tasted fine, though it would have been better roasted over a fire.

Roasted?

That was a strange thought. Wolves didn't cook their food with fire. It was the tree-dweller female who'd offered him cooked meat once. He'd somehow understood the noises she made, which was another strange thing. It had been a long time since he'd understood the noises of the tree-dwellers and the other tall ones. A very long time.

She wouldn't let him hunt the horses though. They'd been standing right there, yet he hadn't been allowed to eat even one. How could horses be part of her pack? It was nonsense. But he liked the tree-dweller, so he'd left the horses alone.

No. Horses were a distraction. What had he been thinking about? Cooking. Such a very strange thought.

Thinking about strange thoughts was an odd thing for a wolf to do. Of course, thinking about things a wolf might find odd was also an odd thing for a wolf to do.

His mind was going in circles. Strange thoughts had come to him more often as of late. He felt like he was missing something important. Something about the tree-dweller.

He'd followed her for a time, but why?

No. He hadn't followed her. He'd followed her potential futures, to discover where she might be.

Potential futures? That wasn't a wolf thought. That was a ...

Wolf jumped to his feet, ignoring the discomfort of his overly full belly. How long had he been like this? How far had he regressed?

He had to find Raven and Bear and Eagle. Owl was dead, murdered by one of the wardens after their insane attempt to sever the bonds that kept the Collision stable, but Wolf had to warn the rest of his brothers about Snake.

To be continued...