Chapter 29
High atop the artisans’ tower, Thera watched the demon army approach.
Oddly enough, she wasn’t afraid. She was more resigned than anything.
As her father, the great Andaman Vane, had observed his daughter play at dirt war so long ago, Thera had watched the Sons of the Black Sword the same way. She’d never been able to have children of her own, but somehow she’d wound up with several thousand Sons, and she was proud of every last one of them. Where the greatest warriors in Lok had turned and run, her army of criminals had stood firm.
But another part of the defenses had fallen, demons had flanked the Sons of the Black Sword, and a different force was slaughtering their way through this district and there was no way Ashok would reach her in time.
“We must run now, Prophet, while we still can.”
Thera looked back toward her bodyguards. “Save yourselves. I’m staying.”
Except they were faithful of the Forgotten, and she was their Voice, so they didn’t move, nor did they question her will. If the Voice said this was where they were supposed to die, then this was where they’d proudly die.
“You honor me, but your obligations are fulfilled. My journey ends here. Yours doesn’t have to.”
None of them left.
Their dedication was humbling. “Alright, then.” Thera turned back to face the demons.
In the lead were several of the giants, so heavy that each of their ponderous footsteps made the tower vibrate. Behind those were rank upon rank of sleek demonic killers. This district was one of the places the casteless who lived near the river had been sent to shelter. Those who had not escaped ahead of the spreading fires had been trapped in the courtyard and gardens below. Demons effortlessly ran them down or dragged them screaming from their hiding places to tear them to pieces. She watched in horror as hundreds of casteless died.
These were the people she’d supposedly been sent by the gods to save. They’d heeded the Voice, they’d gone where her priest had told them to go, and this was their reward for it?
“Where are you?” Thera screamed at the sky. “You claimed them! Why won’t you protect them?”
As usual, the gods did not deign to answer.
The opportunity to feast on the casteless had distracted most of the demons, but a lone figure continued toward the tower. This demon was only a few feet taller than a man, and lean, but something about it struck her as being far more dangerous than any of the imposing giants. It walked upon two legs like the others, but had multiple arms, like a sick parody of some of the forbidden statues of old gods the Inquisition had failed to destroy. While all the other demons she’d seen had hides that were sleek as cursed fish, this one was covered in cryptic markings, and several horns grew from its head and neck. Demons never wore clothing, but this one had some manner of rough belt around its waist, from which hung several skulls, human and demon both.
There was something about this one’s demeanor, and the way that even in their bloodthirst frenzy the other demons deferred to it or scurried to get out of its way, that warned her this one was far greater than all its peers.
The strange demon paused for a moment, to raise its horned head to look directly at her, as if it recognized that she too was an oddity. With relentless purpose, it began walking toward the tower once more.
The King of Hell was coming for her.
“I understand the ancients’ plan now.”
Thera turned around to see who had spoken, and gasped when she saw that her bodyguards had been silently struck down. Standing over their bloody, lifeless bodies was a robed figure wearing a golden mask. His murders hadn’t made so much as a sound.
“We finally meet, Thera Vane. I am Grand Inquisitor Omand.”
Thera reflexively drew a knife from her sash and flicked it at Omand’s chest. It stuck there, deep, right below his heart. Omand casually plucked it out and held it up to show her that the shining blade was clean of blood.
“An impressive throw for someone with mangled hands.” He tossed the knife over one shoulder. It landed with a clatter. “Except a mortal cannot harm a god. Only a god can wound a god. Do not waste what little time we have together trying.”
Quivering with fury, Thera awaited Omand’s next move. Having accepted she was going to die today no matter what, even in the face of pure evil, she still felt no fear. Perhaps this was what it was like to be Ashok, and that thought made her laugh aloud.
The mask tilted quizzically, for Omand hadn’t expected that particular reaction from her. “Do you mock me?”
“I spit on you, filth.” With one monster before her and another monster below her, Thera remained a warrior daughter of Vane, bold to the end. “I’m not afraid of you.”
He gave her a respectful nod. “Very few could say such a thing and not be a liar. I can tell you are not a liar. You outwitted Sikasso and corrupted my finest witch hunter. I see why the predictors chose you to carry their precious Voice.”
“They punched a hole in my skull and left it there. Are you here to try and steal it again?”
“No. My wanting to dissect you was before I became more familiar with the details of the ancients’ plot. Now, with all the pieces in place, the true nature of the game has become apparent to me. Even I stand in awe of their patient manipulations.”
Omand walked up to her, put one gloved hand against her cheek, and when Thera didn’t flinch away, roughly shoved her so that she was looking at the demons again.
The leader of hell’s army was once again staring up at her, as Omand whispered in her ear. “Do you understand what, or rather I should say, who, that is?”
“Some manner of demon master, I suppose.”
“Like us, he is a child of prophecy. In fact, he is the last piece of the prophecy. The sixth and final force required to bring about the end of this age. The Forgotten’s Voice, Priest, and Warrior, and their refining opposition, the King, the Mask”—Omand reached up to tap two fingers against his metal cheek, before pointing them toward the ground—“and the Demon. The direction of the next age will be determined by whichever one of us carries this day.”
“Then you should go duel him for it.”
Omand chuckled. “I do not think so. For this demon is far stronger than I expected. He is the last of his kind. I am afraid the armies of hell would certainly prevail, if not for the careful planning of the gods. It is good that I did not kill you earlier, because now I can see their true purpose for you.”
There was a keening noise from below, so piercing that it stole Thera’s attention from the freakishly powerful wizard and demon lord, to one of the lesser members of his horde.
A smaller demon lifted its bloody jaws from out of a casteless torso to let out a terrible sound of alarm. Demons were usually completely silent, so this wail was so out of place to be unnerving. Suddenly, another of that same breed of demon let out a similar noise. It too had been feasting on a casteless body and tasted something not to its liking.
The demonic leader turned back toward the river, as similar screams echoed throughout the city.
“They have just found that which they dread most, the blood of holy Ramrowan. The demons believed I had eradicated most of the untouchables for them. They tested this first in Kanok, where the Makao in their malicious obedience had exterminated all their fish-eaters, and though the demons searched, they found no one with the blood of Ramrowan there. Then their underground path took them to the Capitol, but how were demons to understand our ways enough to grasp that there had never been very many casteless there to begin with? If they discovered any casteless blood in those places, it ran too thin for them to worry about. These cry out in fear now, for they have found that in Vadal the blood of Ramrowan still runs thick. Even among the casteless it is a rare trait, that only one in a hundred non-people might inherit, yet in this place that still represents a dangerous multitude.”
The demons seemed to be…panicking.
Thera muttered back the words Javed had revealed to her. “‘In their blood hides my avenging fire, and in that city is buried the fuel. Draw forth my eternal enemy. In his moment of triumph he will know he has been deceived…then shall he be consumed.’”
“Javed refused to reveal that to me. He died trying to protect you. In the end he was a better priest than an Inquisitor, but no matter. I did not come to kill you, Thera Vane. I came to watch you fulfill your destiny. The gods set the trap. The demons have taken the bait.”
The great demon stood perfectly still as the warning wails tapered off. He had believed he was victorious and was coming to seize his prize. The Voice would have been his trophy. Now the entire army of hell was surrounded by an invisible enemy, a thousand years in the making.
A magical pattern began to unfurl in Thera’s mind, far beyond anything she’d ever seen before. It was a thousand glowing lines awakening terrible powers. She had no black steel or demon upon her, but this spell would not be drawing upon those magical forces to guide it. It was drawing upon her life. There was only one way to unleash this pattern upon the world.
This was the end for her.
So be it.
Soundlessly, the demons began to retreat back the way they’d come. They would try to escape into the safety of the depths, where in the darkness they might hide from the wrath of the gods.
Then on the other side of the courtyard a man in black armor appeared, walking between the flames. He stopped there, blocking the demons’ escape.
Ashok.
He looked up at her and could not possibly have missed the leering golden mask of the Law over her shoulder.
“I must admit, Omand, you’ve done me two great favors in my life, and for that you have my thanks.”
Even a dark god could be surprised. “I have granted you nothing, criminal.”
“No, you gave me everything. When you tore Ashok from the Law, and sent him to me, I despised him at first, then I respected him. Finally, I loved him, and he has loved me back, and given me happiness more than I ever dared dream I’d have in my miserable life. With Ashok, I knew joy. Real joy. Do you understand what that’s like?”
After a moment, Omand admitted, “I cannot.”
“It’s wonderful. For giving me that opportunity, I’ll always be grateful to you.”
“Very well. And the second favor?”
The magical pattern had revealed itself in its entirety for her. Now it simply waited for her to do what had to be done.
“I knew the gods intended me to die today. I came here anyway. But I had to hide that from Ashok. I lied to the man I love. I promised him I’d retreat. My greatest regret was that he’d take my sacrifice as some kind of betrayal, as if somehow I could love the gods more than him, or that I doubted he could protect me and gave up. He’d hate himself for that, but now, he can hate you instead. Thank you, Omand. Thank you so much.”
“For what?”
With tears in her eyes, Thera raised one hand toward her distant husband and waved goodbye.
“Instead of thinking I jumped, Ashok will think you pushed me.”
Thera stepped over the edge.