Realms of Valen - Blasphemous Crusade (War of the Gods Book 2) Page 2

  * * *

  Kaidia was just about to cut into the ham on her plate when something painful twinged in her mind and simultaneously throughout her body. She drove the blade of her knife into the surface of the stone table beside her plate with such force that the blade bent, then broke, sending the broken piece flying across the room to ricochet off the wall and clatter to the floor. Her muscles were tense, her breath suddenly short, and her eyes wide with pained bewilderment. She had no idea what was happening but the pain lancing through her heart and her mind were nearly unbearable. And then they were simply gone, leaving her breathing heavy and shivering faintly. Vex eyed her mistress with concern.

  “Miss Kaidia?”

  Silence.

  “Miss Kaidia!”

  Kai looked up suddenly, shaking herself, bringing herself back into control, back to normal.

  “Yes, Vex?”

  “Don't “yes, Vex” me, Miss. What's wrong?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “You just broke a knife!”

  “Oh, right. Sorry about that,” Kai muttered.

  “I don't care about that! You looked like you were in pain and freaked out.”

  “Right. Something has happened. Something terrible. I don't know what.”

  “Well, that's vague.”

  “That's all I've got.”

  Vex sighed softly and stood up.

  “Let me get you another knife, Miss.”

  The blue haired young woman stopped in her tracks as a thundering boom came from the front door of the tomb. Vex and Kai glanced at one another, then both moved, heading into the main chamber and into the winding hallway that led to Kai's front door.

  “What the hell could that be?” Kai questioned herself in a mutter.

  “I don't know, but if we could hear it in the dining room...” Vex trailed off.

  Upon reaching the door, Kaidia pulled it open, keeping herself between the door and Vex, just in case. Her eyes went wide upon seeing what... or rather, who... was on the other side.

  “Xerith?!”

  Chapter II: Scorched Cities

  “It was like the hells of the religions touted by the followers of the new gods,” Xerith said with a shudder, remembering.

  “Hells of the new gods?” Kai asked.

  “Lakes of fire, burning pits where demons torture wicked souls,” Xerith explained.

  “So Sarkos was on fire?” Vex questioned tentatively.

  “Yes,” the priestess answered, staring at the floor, a mug of ale in her hands.

  The priestess, usually immaculate and otherworldly sat in Kai's favorite chair, shell shocked. Her normally white robes were torn and stained with blood and dirt. She didn't appear to be seriously wounded. She had, from what Kai could gather, teleported to Kaidia's door from Sarkos, using magic. From what Xerith had related to her, Sarkos had been attacked, the city half destroyed and burned. The target of the attackers had been the Temple of the Gods. The massive structure had been razed to the ground, according to the priestess. The city guard, the people, and the clergy had all fought against the army that laid siege to Sarkos, but they had been woefully out-numbered and overpowered. Even Xerith, the powerful High Priestess of the temple, had been overwhelmed.

  “Who did it?” Kai queried, eyeing Xerith, not wanting to press too hard.

  “I don't know. It was an army. Seemingly endless. Led by twin elf women. Twisted, but beautiful. There was no way to stem the tide. There were too many of them. They claimed to be cleansing Valen in the name of their one, true god,” the holy woman said with a sneer.

  “One, true god?” Vex looked up to Kai questioningly.

  “One of the new gods. They all claim to be the only true path to salvation,” Xerith spat, sarcasm and disgust heavy in her voice as she finally looked up, and locked eyes with Vex.

  “Oh. I didn't know,” the blue-haired girl mumbled.

  “It's all a lie. The new gods are inventions of the corrupted leaders around the world. Tools to instill fear in their people. Tools to control their people,” the priestess growled, her tone venomous.

  “But aren't I a new god? I mean, I've only officially been one for four years, but I don't, for a moment, think I'm any sort of path to salvation,” Kai said, mildly confused. Matters of gods were not her area of expertise, despite being one.

  “You are one of the old gods, Kai. It's more like a class of god, not an age bracket. The old gods, be they gods of the dark, the light, or the grey area in between, strive for balance and peace. They want their people happy, they want all the races to live in harmony. These new gods are all about dividing the people, instilling fear, and taking control. They are fictional tyrants created by power hungry rulers. They demand tributes and sacrifices. It's all an elaborate ruse. They fight themselves as often as they clash with the followers of the old gods. I had no idea any of them had influence here in Haelstross,” Xerith explained.

  “Seems they have a whole damned army,” Kaidia muttered, mulling the situation over in her mind as Xerith took a sip of her ale. She jumped a bit as the priestess abruptly grabbed at her arm.

  “They do. And I overheard, while hiding, that they're sending a small force of soldiers to the temple that was built to you in the town of Quinolt, about a day south of Sarkos,” the blonde woman said urgently.

  “What of it? I didn't even know there was a temple there. Let alone that it was built to honor me,” Kaidia muttered.

  “There are people there that worship you, people that are in very real danger. If they won't convert to this new god, they'll be killed,” Xerith explained.

  “That... that's different, I suppose. But I can't possibly get there in time. That's five days away with the fastest of horses,” Kaidia protested.

  Xerith reached into her robes, pulled forth a small scroll, and pressed it into Kaidia's hands.

  “This is a teleportation spell. You know where Quinolt is, yes?” the clergywoman asked.

  “Yes, I've been there before,” Kai answered.

  “Good. Just think of it as you read the spell. You will appear there. You can use the same scroll to bring yourself back,” Xerith instructed.

  “How long do you think it will be until this battalion reaches the town?” Kaidia inquired.

  “I would go as soon as possible,” the priestess advised.

  “Right. Vex, look after her,” Kai ordered as she stood up and started out of the room.

  “Yes, Miss,” Vex responded with a nod.

  * * *

  A little while later, Kai stood outside, clad in her black armor. She had just gotten it back from the blacksmith who'd originally forged it. The repairs after the battle with Adathir had been expensive, not to mention an entirely new helm, since the last one had been lost in the fight. Unfortunately, the helm wasn't back yet, but Kai could do without. The mercenary unfurled the scroll that Xerith had given her and eyed it for a long moment before she rolled it up and tucked it away inside her armor.

  She started chanting silently, her lips moving but not a sound to be heard. A slight tingle overtook her body before she was wrapped in light and simply vanished from outside the doorway to her home.

  * * *

  In Quinolt, a village of a few hundred people, a force of five hundred soldiers marched into town, led by a female elf. She was beautiful in a dark way. Her skin was ashen grey, her eyes a fiery orange, her hair a red so dark that it looked black in all but the brightest of light.

  The village was small, had no defensive walls and only a small garrison of guardsmen. Those guardsmen, perhaps thirty in number, were standing between the modest temple built to worship Kaidia and the marching soldiers in dark armor intent on destroying it. Many of the town's people, men and women alike, had joined the guardsmen but they were out-numbered and most were utterly untrained with a sword, axe, and shield. The guardsmen were hardly battle hardened soldiers either. The hundred or so standing their ground between the temple and the oncoming troops knew it wasn't going t
o end well for them. But this was their home and this temple was the temple to their god. They would die protecting it.

  The marching soldiers stopped a few yards shy of the motley force defending the temple. Only their leader, the beautiful elven woman with dark grey skin continued forward.

  “I would speak with your leader. Whomever that may be,” she said politely, if not warmly.

  An elderly man stepped through the crowd, walking with the aid of a plain, wooden staff. He had seen many winters, but stood tall. His need for the staff only due to his leg, injured many years ago, and never properly healed. His body was cloaked in the dark blue robes of a priest of Kaidia. A medallion of silver hung around his neck by a chain, etched with the ancient rune for “dragon.” He stopped in front of the elf, looking her in the eye.

  “What do you want, child of shadows?” he asked, his dislike for the young woman clear.

  “I want to give you a chance, elder,” the elf replied.

  “I promise you, we do not want the darkness you offer,” the old priest stated.

  “But I offer you salvation through the one, true god,” the young elf said, almost seeming to plead her case.

  “You offer the false hope of a false god,” the elder growled.

  “Blasphemer,” the elf snarled in return, reaching for the elderly man's throat. The priest was quicker, cracking the head of his staff against the elven woman's forehead, causing her to recoil.

  “Don't tempt me to put you on the ground, elfling!” he shouted.

  “You can try, old man,” the elf shouted before lunging at the priest. She jerked backward as a blinding light washed over herself and the priest. The elf stepped backward, shielding her eyes with her forearm, unable to see beyond a few inches in front of her. The light was so bright that it stung the woman's eyes, causing them to water.

  As the light faded, the elf wiped her eyes and looked toward the priest, having already assumed that the light was some trickery of the clergyman's. But what she saw made her stare for a long moment. In front of her was a woman in black armor, with a stern expression, and a drawn sword made of black metal. A sudden realization hit her. It was Kaidia, God of Dragons.

  “Come to die with your faithful, charlatan?” the elf asked.

  “I have come to turn you back, by words or force,” Kaidia replied.

  “You may be powerful, Kaidia, but you are a false deity. My troops are backed by the power of a real god,” the elven woman stated boldly, haughtily.

  “Gods do not exist,” Kai said, her voice low so that only the elf heard her.

  “You are wrong! I serve the one and only true g-” the elf was cut off by the pommel of Kai's sword slamming into her gut.

  “I grow weary of that speech already,” Kaidia purred in the woman's pointed ear before she grabbed the woman's hair in her left hand, and threw her to the ground. She turned her sword and slammed the blade downward, into the elf's back and out her chest, driving the blade into the ground. The mercenary stood up, put her boot on the dead elf's back, and jerked her sword free.

  “Anyone else want to mess with my followers?” she asked, blood dripping from her sword.

  The soldiers who had just witnessed the undignified death of their commanding officer glanced about to one another, then started forward, drawing their weapons as they advanced on the pissed off god. Kaidia smirked at the sight. She always loved a fight. She broke into a run, her legs carrying her directly toward the advancing horde of soldiers. This caused a few of said soldiers to falter, their confidence shaken. They had little chance to think about it before Kai was on top of them though. The mercenary gave a great slash of her sword, from her right to her left. The blade cut through the three soldiers in front of her. The sorcerous energy that flew off of the blade cleaved through many more, dropping a score or more of the troops to the ground in pieces.

  Startled by the display of power, the soldiers halted their attack, apparently rethinking the soundness of their course of action. During this momentary pondering, Kaidia struck again, slashing through more soldiers. The remaining troops decided to go for broke and charged, all aiming to strike at the single woman who was decimating their ranks. The last thing they saw was a flashing bright light that blinded them and everyone watching the battle.

  When the priest and townspeople could see again, Kai was walking back toward them, sheathing her sword. Behind her, nothing remained but charred, smoldering ground and a few pieces of smoking, blackened armor.

  The townspeople cheered, raising their weapons, chanting Kai's name. Kaidia was a bit taken aback by it all, but managed a bit of a smile. She wasn't allowing herself to show it, but that last spell that had vaporized the oncoming soldiers had taken it out of her. She raised her hands for quiet and was mildly surprised when it was instantly granted. She dropped her hands and took a breath.

  “When the commanding force behind these troops finds out that this detachment failed, they will likely send more. I cannot be here to protect you every time they come marching into town. I suggest you build defensive walls. Even walls made of wood will slow them down, and give you time to organize. I greatly admire those who defend themselves and protect those who can't fight. I would suggest that you begin preparing immediately,” Kai explained, speaking loudly enough to be heard by everyone. The crowd listened to it all, hanging on every word. After all, it wasn't often that one got to be an audience for a god. Upon her finishing, many lingered to admire their god for a few moments before moving off, to do as suggested. Soon, only the priest remained.

  “Thank you for saving us, Kaidia. I'm sure we wouldn't have survived. Though we wouldn't have gone quietly, either,” the elderly man said his eyes on the young mercenary.

  “I could see that. Willing to die for one building,” Kai remarked, carefully neutral.

  “It is more than a building, my goddess. It is a symbol of hope. It is said that you so loved the world that you charged into battle with the evil being Adathir to prevent him from spreading darkness over our realm,” the priest explained.

  Kai arched a brow, hands on her hips as she listened. She pondered all of that a moment and then took a breath.

  “I hate to say it, but I fought Adathir because he killed my wife. He tried to kill me, and in the process, my sister and one of my friends were also targeted. My real motivation was revenge. Though no one deserves to live under what he had in mind,” Kaidia responded.

  “Yes, I am aware of your motivations otherwise, but the fact remains that you saved Valen from a terrible evil and you obviously have a good heart. You're wise despite your youth and you will grow wiser as seasons pass,” the priest replied with a smile.

  “Fair enough,” Kai agreed.

  “Come, you look weary. Let's go inside. You can eat and drink. We can talk,” the man said with a gesture of his staff toward the humble temple.

  “Thank you. I never caught your name,” the young goddess remarked.

  “My name is Orthos,” the priest replied as he put a hand in the small of Kai's back and guided her toward the temple.

  * * *

  After a quick meal, Kaidia found herself looking into a mug of water while Orthos peered at her across the small table in a back room of the modest temple. The temple was only two stories tall and made of stone. It was, in fact, the only building in Quinolt made entirely out of stone. Everything else was mostly wood or wood and stone. Regardless of its modest stature, it was flattering to have a temple built in your honor. Or so Kai thought, anyway.

  “What do you know about these soldiers that attacked us?” Orthos asked after a few long moments of silence.

  “I know that they're part of a much larger force that has, apparently, been sweeping across the continent. They wiped out Sarkos and the temple there. According to what I've heard, they're intent on wiping out all the temples to the old gods and forcing people to convert to their new god at the point of a sword,” Kai explicated.

  “This is terrible news,” Orthos breat
hed, eyes on Kai.

  “Yes, it is. It's their own crusade,” Kaidia remarked.

  “A blasphemous one. The gods want us to work and live together in peace. Not war amongst ourselves. Though fighting is inevitable from time to time,” the priest replied.

  “War is part of life, but it shouldn't be constant. Nor should it be done to further your religious power and influence. From what I have been told, this group that's attacking temples is worshiping a false god. One of the invented gods of the kingdoms on the other side of the world. Though I see all gods as false,” Kaidia explained further.

  “But you're a god,” Orthos asserted. Kaidia looked up and smirked.

  “I know. Weird how the world works, huh?” she asked.

  “It is,” the elderly man responded.

  “What I find odd is that the force sent here was under the command of a Selvath,” Kai said, looking up.

  “Selvath... right, one of the races of elves,” Orthos muttered, having to think of what that word meant.

  “Yes. Known as the Smoke Elves, in the common tongue. They rarely stray from their homeland,” the mercenary pointed out.

  “I know little of the Selvath, Kaidia. So I can't explain why one would be tempted away beyond the usual desires. Gold, silver, jewels, and the like,” the priest said with a shrug.

  “The Selvath live in the Dread Forest. They have a single city there that wraps halfway around the Firespawn Lake. The lake, as you may know, is on fire. The very water burns and no one knows why. Nor does anyone want to live there except the Smoke Elves. The trees are black, the foliage is grey. It's a dismal place, but they seem to adore it. Like I said before, it's strange that one would leave to be an officer in an army that isn't the Selvath's own. I doubt it was to serve a new god. The Selvath have their own god,” Kaidia expounded.

  “Perhaps she was struck by wanderlust. It happens to all races now and again,” Orthos suggested.

  “Possibly, but something tells me that's not it,” Kai responded thoughtfully.