Empire Awakening (Maledorian Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  “Of course, you will. Do you think we’d leave you here in the wild northlands?” Elendria lifted the girl’s chin, proud of how clean and well-mannered she was. “You’ll be seeing my homeland… the place where I was born and grew up as a girl. Are you excited?”

  “I’m terrified if you ask me.” The girl’s eyes were downcast. “That’s where the crazy cultists are, right? I don’t want to see them again.”

  Elendria knew the girl implied Remi, especially if Remi was no longer the boy they both knew and loved.

  “We’re making things right in the world. Settling things that have been unsettled. You’ll see, it will all turn out for the best.”

  “I doubt it,” said Maggie, shifting uncomfortably. “What if we all end up dead or slaves to that strange god? Do we have to go? I feel it’s safe here, even though it’s cold.”

  “We must help.” Elendria bent down and locked eyes with the girl. “Sometimes, doing one’s duty is uncomfortable, but it is the thing we must do. If we can help and make things better, then we must, despite the risk and the difficulty.”

  “You mean we have to fight? Go to war and kill people?” Maggie twitched her nose, still fidgeting.

  “Killing is the last resort, but yes, we have to fight for what we believe in… always. What do you want to fight for?”

  “I miss Remi. I miss him every day and every night. I would fight to bring him back, to get rid of whatever thing has taken him. That’s what I would fight for.”

  Tears trickled down the girl’s cheek, and Elendria found herself unable to control her feelings. She wiped her own eyes. “I would fight for that too, Maggie. That’s what I am fighting for.”

  Maggie took Elendria’s hand, and they walked together toward the hut where they had been staying. They packed their few belongings and went outside to wait for the others. Devin and Shells stood there with uncertain eyes.

  “I guess this is goodbye?” The rugged woodsman kicked at a stone and glanced up at Elendria. Shells remained quiet.

  “You’re not coming with us?” Elendria said, knowing they likely would stay here in the north.

  The man glanced at Shells. “We decided it was better for us here. It’s not our war.”

  “It will be if our enemy wins. But I understand.” She gave him an appreciative smile. “I want to thank you for bringing us here and keeping us safe. Thank you, also, Shells. I know this journey has been a difficult one, but it ended well.”

  “You’re welcome,” said Shells. “You’re not as bad as I first thought, for a witch.” She grinned at Elendria, fidgeting with the hilt of her sword as if uncomfortable with the admission.

  “We’ll see you again someday?” Devin tilted his head.

  “If the gods will it. Be safe, woodsman. May the forest gods give you fortune.”

  He bobbed his head. “Goodbye, then. Look us up the next time you visit the north.”

  “We’ll be living in Damak,” added Shells.

  “Or traveling here and there, as the winds move us.” Devin gave Elendria a wink.

  Elendria chuckled at that and watched them as they left and found their horses. He gave her a long look as he rode off, then he turned back to Shells, and they disappeared into the shadow of the forest.

  The miners shuffled forward next, hats in their hands. They stole glances at Elendria. One of the older men cleared his throat and addressed Elendria.

  “We heard you’ll be leaving here to go south.” The miner ran a grizzled hand along his bushy beard. His blue eyes studied her with caution. “Say the word, and we will join you in your war against those cultists. For some of us, it’s been a while since we’ve wielded a sword, but we’re strong and don’t mind fighting.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary,” Elendria said, smiling. “I’ve seen how happy you are working the mines. You’ve done the right thing and made peace with the witches. You are doing important work and should continue here. I’ll be back, I’m sure, one day. But for now, I’d like you to stay here and look out for the mines. Consider this the most important work you can do to help in the war. More firestones to aid our magicians in the struggle, this is your task. Goodbye, for now.”

  The miners bowed in unison and gave Elendria their thanks. They stood in silence, attentive, as Hadara approached.

  “It’s time to go now,” said the witch. “Are you packed and ready?”

  “We don’t have much.” Elendria lifted her bag and followed the woman. Maggie still seemed hesitant, but Lysha was excited to leave. Life in the northlands had never particularly suited her.

  After a short walk through the forest, they reached a hill dotted with many large stones. They were thick constructions, placed in positions that oozed dark power. Elendria shuddered as she walked through them, feeling a surge of gloomy energy.

  At the top stood a massive stone doorway silhouetted against the setting sun. It was arched and covered with lichen and moss. Ancient unfamiliar runes lined the edges of the thick door. They looked hieroglyphic and somewhat similar to the ancient form of Arcathian, the language used for magic. Somehow, the shape and flow of the runic script felt familiar to Elendria.

  “Are these runes connected to Arcathian?” Elendria traced her fingers over the characters then looked at Hadara.

  “Arcathian is but an infant compared to the ancient language of the way stones. No one knows its name, not anymore, though it is said to be connected distantly with the magical language of Arcathian. A far older predecessor.”

  “I feel, if I spent enough time staring at these runes, I would understand them.” The script looked so beautiful. It flowed like a river running through the mountains.

  “Be careful,” warned Hadara. “If you stare at them too long, you would go mad. There are stories of people who spent too many hours at way stones. They became ghouls and wandering souls. I won’t say they are mere tales to scare children.”

  Maggie shuddered at the witch’s words and glanced at Elendria, fear in her eyes. She wanted to reassure the child but found she had no words. The place was maddening and frightening at the same time. Had she stumbled upon a way stone as a child, while wandering through the forests of Maren Downs? Perhaps she had, but a specific memory didn’t come to her.

  “Please turn away while we cast the spell,” said Hadara. “It is not yet meant for your eyes.”

  So, they turned their backs, though Elendria was very curious to find out how it worked. She tried to resist cheating but found herself unable to do so. As she closed her eyes, she silently cast the spell of farseeing. In her mind, she could see the witches preparing to open the way stone. Elendria hesitated, wondering if Hadara or Drevenia sensed they were being watched, though Hadara had casually mentioned the spell of farseeing was extremely difficult to detect.

  Drevenia was the first one to cast the spell. She whispered words that Elendria couldn’t hear. The witch’s fingers went to touch a rune, and silver light illuminated a character that looked like the wind or perhaps water. Elendria memorized the rune. Drevenia touched another rune, was it a mountain or a hill? At last, she touched two more runes, one was like feet, perhaps movement, and the last one looked like a whirlwind or a whirlpool. Elendria memorized all the runes they had touched and the sequence.

  Brilliant light exploded, causing Elendria to jolt from her farseeing. The once dim forest was bathed in undulating light.

  “You may turn around, now,” Hadara told them.

  The way stone door was filled with a shimmering surface of silver light. The texture was like water, and it bubbled slowly, warping the image of a grass-covered hill on the other side. Elendria thought she recognized the place. It was definitely on the western side of Maren Downs, in the hilly part dotted with lakes and small villages. Few ever bothered traveling there because it was so underpopulated. Only sheepherders and farmers lived there.

  “We will step inside.” Drevenia motioned for the group to enter. When Maggie hid behind Elendria, the witch gave a
sympathetic laugh. “Don’t be afraid, child. You won’t be harmed. You’ll feel nothing. It’s like walking through a door into another room. One moment, you are here in the forest, and the next, you are on a hillside in Maren Downs, hundreds of miles to the south. Here, I will go first. Will that help? I will wave to you from the other side, so you can see everything is all right.”

  The coven leader stepped into the portal, and Elendria heard a faint hiss like the sound a snake makes when it is about to strike. True to her word, Elendria could see Drevenia inside, waving at them.

  Maggie took a few steps toward the portal and squinted as she stared inside. Her pretty face looked frightened and morbidly curious at the same time. She reached out as if she wanted to touch the surface, but shrank back.

  Elendria held the girl’s hand, and after a reassuring smile, the two looked back at the way stone.

  “Let’s try singing and see if the song travels with us to the other side, shall we?” Elendria winked at the girl.

  Maggie’s face relaxed a bit, and a smile formed when Elendria began singing a song she often sang together with the girl. It was about two friends who go sailing on their small skiff and find an uncharted island far away on the blue sea.

  Near the surface of the portal, Elendria raised her voice louder as she sang. She studied the weird surface and the wavering image on the other side. It was a living thing, she realized, the way stone portal. There was life inside this stone. The life of a god or some strange mythological creature sacrificed and trapped inside. The feeling of certainty poured over her.

  She took a step inside and could see her foot over on the other side. It was like swimming in a smooth lake, a lake between worlds. Maggie tried the same thing and gawked at the image of her foot standing on grass hundreds of miles away.

  “Shall we go?” whispered Elendria.

  The girl nodded, eyes filled with wonder and curiosity, now. Another step and the world shuddered for a moment, and the next second, she found herself staring up at the hazy blue sky above the grassy hillside.

  She was finally home.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  The blades of grass covering the hillside danced under the warm, playful breeze. Madam Lassengre exhaled in relief as Lady Elendria stepped through the way stone. The girl was safe, and she looked stronger and more confident than ever. They would need her and Lady Lysha’s help in the days ahead, battling against their foe. For it would indeed be an epic struggle, one the world had not seen since the downfall of the old Maledorian Empire.

  This time would be different, the path unknown. The armies of men battling against bizarre creatures for the domination of the world. It was not merely a mortal struggle, for a god peered through the window of Remi’s soul and laughed at the humans, laughed a mad, wicked laugh of the damned. The crafty god of fertility was consuming its creations. It hungered for its children.

  Madam Lassengre could hear the mad voices echoing in her mind. Sometimes, in the quiet of the night, she joined them in their song. Sorcery was a strange art. It demanded your soul and promised you eternal life. The price was steep. Each day was a constant struggle, and the sorceress had to fight to preserve her sanity.

  When one peered through the window into the world haunted by demons and dark gods, it changed your mind forever. She knew the conflict against the Maledorian army would be difficult, on a personal level, for her to resist their dark song. Why did she yearn to join them? She chuckled to herself. Why is a moth drawn to the fire? Why does a mouse find cheese in a trap irresistible? There were a hundred reasons she told herself to stay away from the mind of madness, but reason mattered little in the realm of feelings.

  Elendria waved at the sorceress and began walking toward her with the younger girl, Maggie. The little urchin had cleaned up and looked like a proper lady. Lysha came next through the portal, with a boy about her age, and they darted up to her friends. Drevenia joined the girls.

  “It is good to see you survived that mess in Criswall,” said Drevenia. The leader of their coven eyed her with a probing gaze. “But you look tired and very worn down. Dabbling in the dark arts again? You know you shouldn’t.”

  “Fight fire with fire and demons with demons.” Madam Lassengre gave a tsk of irritation.

  “No, I believe one fights demons with angels, blessed angels from the realm of light. Or have you discovered something to the contrary?” Drevenia frowned.

  What a way to greet her, thought Madam Lassengre. They had always struggled for the leadership of the coven. That was one the main reasons Madam Lassengre had left and gone to live in Criswall. “We are not dealing with a being from the realm of light. There is a demon guiding our enemies, and it will take more than light to handle it.”

  “I’m of a mind to think this is not a demon, but a fragment of Ba’al. A piece of the god enticed to reside in the body of the boy. A demon would not behave so rationally nor so deliberately. A demon would have burned Criswall to the ground and consumed its citizens on a silver platter. It would not have taken the king and queen as a hostage nor enforced martial law on the city. How can you explain your conviction that we are dealing with a demon?”

  “We are discussing semantics, dear Drevenia.” Madam Lassengre shook her head. “While you say a fragment of a dark god, I say demon. To me, a demon is an emissary of a dark god, much like an angel is an emissary of light. The being inside the boy tends to be a bit more subdued, compared to the other demons you and I might have wrestled. But the threat is there, all the same.”

  At an uncomfortable pause in the conversation, Madam Lassengre forced a smile on her face. “Regardless, I thank you and the rest of the coven for coming. At least, you didn’t ignore my call. You came, and that is what is important.”

  “Of course, we would come. What else would we do? The threat is to the world, and we live in the world. We came out of self-preservation and to help a sister.” A sly smile came to Drevenia’s face. “Why are you waiting? Show us this army of unholy constructs. Let’s have a look at what we are dealing with.”

  Madam Lassengre grunted in amusement at the woman’s snarky comment, but she let it go and gestured toward the horses she had assembled in preparation for their arrival. The armies of Mar Thagroth and Jalinfaer were a mere ten miles to the east. The day was a pleasant one with tall, puffy clouds looming over the green hills and distant forests.

  They secured their packs and mounted then turned and rode east.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Prince Jondran raised his head at the arrival of the lanky scout, scowling. The man had dared enter his tent without permission.

  “Who let you in here?” barked Jondran, irritated at the interruption. Why had his men allowed the intrusion? He had been poring over the maps of Maren Downs, trying to discover the best approach against their enemy.

  “I beg your pardon, Your Royal Highness. But riders are approaching from the west. Madam Lassengre is leading the party. Your men thought it urgent that you hear the news right away.”

  “The witch? Who else is with her?” Hopefully, she had brought valuable resources to aid in their struggle.

  “Perhaps, it is best for you to see for yourself.” The scout bowed and left through the tent flap.

  Outside, the prince squinted at a group of riders, around ten horses in all, trotting up to the outskirts of the camp. They mostly looked like women, though Jondran spotted one boy. Had Madam Lassengre brought her coven of witches to help fight the cultists? That would be good news, indeed. The witches of the north were legendary in their power. The riders got closer and his heart began to beat in excitement since one of them looked familiar. Could it be her?

  He ran toward the group, charging past soldiers staring at the arrival, many grunting in surprise as he shot past them. Then he saw her clearly, sitting on a gray stallion looking just as beautiful as the day he had first seen her. The girl’s curly brown hair had grown longer in the weeks they’d been apart, but her big green eyes still sparkle
d.

  It was Elendria. Thank the gods. She was here! He let out a long breath, only now realizing he had held it. He felt like his heart would burst from the joy and excitement of seeing her again. It was more than he could have ever imagined and far sooner than he expected.

  But how was it possible? How had the girl gotten here so quickly? The last news he had heard from Arcturius was that she was far to the north in the mountains.

  “Make way!” he shouted, causing the soldiers around them to clear a path for the horses.

  Elendria rode up, locking eyes with him, her lovely face forming a delighted smile. She cried with joy and dismounted, running over to meet him.

  At last, she was here, flinging herself into his arms, years sooner than he’d ever thought possible. She felt so warm and soft, and he squeezed her until she gave a little coo of pleasure.

  “You’re going to crush me to death,” she whispered and gave a little giddy laugh.

  He released her, eyes concerned, and looked her up and down to make sure she was okay. “I’m so sorry! I guess I’m overwhelmed that you’re here. But how are you here? I thought you were in the Great Barrier Mountains.”

  “Somebody had to come get you out of the mess you’re in.” She gave him a wicked grin. “And I’m not sure the witches want to divulge their secret of how we were able to arrive so soon. I’ll leave that particular matter up to them.”

  He gave her a shrewd look then glanced at the witches. “I suppose women enjoy keeping their secrets, though this one sounds too big of a mystery to keep. Nonetheless, I’m pleased to find you all here, especially you, Lady Elendria.”

  She frowned at him, taking a step back as she studied him. “You’ve changed.”

  “What?” Jondran glanced down at his uniform, worried it was unkempt.

  “Not your clothes. It’s your face. You look very tired… and your eyes have bags under them. Are you sleeping at night?”

  “This is a war. It keeps me up late, worrying about our enemy.”