No…there was a hint of a change, so intricate that it was no surprise that he had earlier missed it. But such an alteration could hardly cause any worthwhile effect…could it?
“I did something after all. Not much. Will it mean anything?”
Rathma uttered a sound, then murmured, “Observe the structure of the artifact, Uldyssian. Observe it at the very core. You can do that…”
Uldyssian concentrated more…and found himself staring deep within the Worldstone. He saw the fine, crystalline pattern that made up the fantastic formation and marveled at the minute details. Tiny, five-sided segments multiplied endlessly and formed the stone’s most basic structure. Uldyssian could not help but admire their perfection. That the artifact had been created as opposed to being a natural formation astounded him so much that he briefly forgot the trouble it had caused him.
But none of this had to do with his search. He was about to give up when one small area near the heart caught his attention. There was something not right about it. Immediately, Uldyssian knew that this was the source of the alteration in the Worldstone’s resonance. He thrust his mind deeper, seeing more detail—
Seeing where the rest of the Worldstone was composed of a five-sided pattern, this one part had six edges.
What had been perfect, was now flawed…impossibly so.
He withdrew immediately. “Lilith’s work—”
“No, son of Diomedes…your work.” Rathma’s gaze burrowed into him. “My mother altered the resonance through a spell, which affected outcome but not structure. I expect you to do the same, or more likely, fail. It was a desperate chance, but one I felt worthy. You had been cast this near the Worldstone for a reason, I thought…”
“It was an accident that I came here.”
“Have you not discovered yet that there are no accidents?” the shrouded figure returned. “I did not know what to expect, but certainly not this. Uldyssian ul-Diomed, you have altered the very essence of the Worldstone, something that should not be possible…” Rathma frowned. “And whether that means good or ill for our hopes, I fear that we can only wait…and pray…”
14
Achilios stirred. He did not wake, for the suggestion of waking itself referred to sleep, which was an impossibility for one in his state.
Yet he had not been conscious. As the archer slowly pushed his face from the muddy jungle soil, he wondered what had happened to him. Achilios recalled the tentacles of the Triune’s demonic servant starting to pull him asunder, but after that, it was all a blank.
Thinking of the beast, he leapt to his feet. Achilios gave thanks that, despite the lurid tales he had heard as a child, he was at least a very agile dead man. He supposed he should be grateful to the dragon for that, but in some ways being so near to alive, and yet not, left a bitter coldness inside. Near to alive was not the same as being alive.
Then, memory of what he was actually doing in this part of the jungle came back to him. Achilios spun around to face Hashir.
But the edge of the city closest to his location was in ruins.
He stared without blinking—another habit of the living he no longer required—trying to decipher just how long it had been since the destruction. The gates, the walls surrounding them…those had been smashed as if by giant fists. Within, two of the triple towers had been destroyed, one not even visible anymore from his point of view. The sole remaining tower—Dialon’s, if Achilios was not mistaken—leaned precariously. A hint of smoke rose from the area below the towers.
This destruction happened at least a day, maybe two, Achilios estimated. Hopefully, no more than that.
Yet, even that was too long. She would not be here. At first chance, she would have ordered Uldyssian’s followers on…but to where? He no longer understood her plan, not that any of it mattered that much to him now. Only one thing was of importance to the hunter, no matter what Trag’Oul or Rathma might insist otherwise.
Serenthia—his Serenthia—had been possessed by the damned demoness.
At the thought of what Lilith had done, Achilios seized up his bow. He imagined Uldyssian’s treacherous lover in his sight. An arrow through the heart. An arrow imbued with the magic of the serpentine dragon…
But that would mean slaying Serenthia as well.
Despite what he knew they would insist, Achilios felt that there had to be another way. Serenthia was not dead, her flesh peeled off so neatly by demonic magic so that Lilith could parade in it. No, the woman he loved was still there, albeit deep asleep. Somehow, she had to be stirred awake so that she could battle Lilith from within while others fought the demoness from without.
Somehow…
First, you’ve got to track her down, you dolt! He had no idea how much of a head start Uldyssian’s followers had or whether they were proceeding to the same destination as originally intended. All Achilios could do was what he did best. Follow his target.
It was daytime, which meant that the living were about. However great the devastation on this end of Hashir, the common folk would still need to eke out a living, be it hunting, farming, or fishing. Achilios was grateful that no one had come across his body, lest he find himself forced to dig out of yet another grave, or worse, trying desperately to douse the fires of a pyre. His lone encounter with one of the locals had been enough to make Achilios wary of any repeat. He was too recognizably dead even on his feet. Equally frustrating was the fact that, thanks to his collapse, he had more dirt than ever caked on his body. A quick attempt to brush some of that away had proven nearly as futile as removing the original coating. It seemed that the soil in general believed that Achilios belonged to it and refused to give up attempting to put him under again.
He would not allow it to do that until he had done everything he could for his beloved.
Like a shadow, the hunter slipped through the jungle around Hashir. Twice, he came across some of the inhabitants, but they were slow of wit compared to him and Achilios readily avoided detection. He finally managed to reach the area beyond the ruined gate, where he hoped that he would find clues to those he sought.
That actually proved easier than he thought. The edyrem had grown in numbers again, so much so that the trail they left was like that of a herd of the giant animals with the snakelike noses that the lowlanders used for some chores or rode almost like horses. Even a blind man could have followed the mass exodus he confronted.
But what surprised him was that they were not headed, as they should have been, on the route that would take them to the main temple. Instead, they were veering even farther south, to an area he knew nothing about.
What was Lilith up to?
Achilios shoved on. Whatever it was did not ultimately matter. He would catch up to them no matter where they journeyed.
Hopefully, by then he would have some plan… They are returning…
Those three words cheered Mendeln more than he could have imagined. He looked up from the task the dragon had set for him, learning how to even better focus his will through the astonishing dagger. It had been going surprisingly well. He was amazed at his inherent ability to manipulate the tool, especially considering how short a time it had been his.
But now, all interest in the blade vanished as he stood up and looked around. “Where? Where?”
And suddenly, Uldyssian and Rathma stood before him. His brother appeared as relieved as he. The sons of Diomedes hugged one another while Rathma gazed on stone-faced and a sense of amusement radiated from the celestial serpent. The many images of life continually flashed into and out of view as the creature undulated.